258 The Saints perfect freedom,or that inftead offeeing anywifdom,-or power, or righteouf nefhe in himfelf, that he hath feeen and doth Rill fee himfelf to be a meerfinloffn, and a cage, of unclean birds, and that Kev.18.20 inhim is-nothing but weaknef, wickedneffe, andall abomi- nations°.. And let me ask thee when thou waft in this condi- tion, whither wenteft thou for help? whether to dumb Idols that could not help, that have eyes andfee not, and ears and hear not or to the living God inwhom alone is help and deliverance? And if thou art at prefent in this condition, h. 5. 4. and diftreffe, thou art one that lies waiting at the pool till the Angelflir the waters, expe&ing when Chriftwill put thee in. Thou wilt not run to this duty and that fórm to cafe thy felf, and to allay thefe Terrors, and to quench thefe flames, but ifhelp come not, there thou waiteft, and thou ftandell, and remaineft in thiscondemnation, and goeft up and down fighing and mourning all the day long, and thou fedi tis not in the power ofall the Miniflers under Heaven,not inall the forms and'rules that can be invented, but only in the tender mercy andgoodiwiUofJefus Chrift ; All other wayes Hof ry;1i, thou lookeft'uponbut as going out to Afber, and to Egypt, and toPeek after dumb Idols that have a piïiure of eyes and ears, and hands, promifing as though they could help, but they can neither fee nor hear, nor help; though toothers they ap- pear glorious and goodly things,and they bleffe themfelves in u- fing them,yet to thee they are dead, cold,and helpleffe; fo that now here thou waiteft and fittefl alone like the Pelican in tke Pf. 102.6. Defart, and then thou mourneft and bemoanefl thy conditi- on , andwith David thou haft no refl in thy bones, becaufe of Ibid.;8.3 thy fins. Try thy felfnow which is thy condition ; if in neither ofthefe,thou art in a molt fad& miferable condition indeed,and fo much themore fad, becaufe thou-feeft it not: Or it maybe thou haft cured thy felt, and healed thy felfe, Jere614. but art not cured nor healed, but the Prophets have healed the Daughter ofmy peopleflightl }(as the people fpeaks)& have not ihrouhly difcovered their iniquity to turn away their captivity. Oh ! that men were but tocome to this condition, to be fenfible crtheir rni ery, that they did but really fee they were in Babylon in Captivity. Oh then what mour i há
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