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Show iJ'laccs! fottifh ignorance, and dead and u~profitable Preaching, ·proclaim to the world, that the Churcb !a1d an erring hand r<pon U.em, when {]je fent them to work in Gods Vinyard, whom God hath forbidden to take' his law into their mouths, and who appar- ently have neither 1kjll nor will. But I fay, if the Minifie r be a godly man, a painful Preacher, one able to interpret the will of God, take heed of vilifying him upon this lingle account, That thf" c~njl i'Ot e;Jifie; he never did fpeak good to tbee, never fpake , • Comforting,Strengthening word to thee ; probably the fJu!t is in thy fdf, in thy lull or prejudice: Poilibly God hath withheld the llrength and comfort ( which another had that fate by thee ) from thy Soul. It is Chriils left hand mull be under thy head or -thy Minifier will do little good at thy ear ( though he fpeaks ~nd <lives like an Angel). · 2 •. You that in ,the day of your Spiritual dillreff~s, do come to ·.Ordinances, and come to Godly Minifters, take heed of r~ifing your expeliationJ too high ~tpon them. They are not God1. Oh! do not thi_nk them Gods; they may inform, and exhort, and «ll;er promJfes; but God alone, Chri!t alone, can give true comfort to the Soul. In the fccond place, l.J it Chri[1Jit/t band under the b'tad of the foul tbat aan alone comfort it in the day ofits fpiritual dilln!fs? Ah ! how much then !land all tbefe Love-fie~ Scul1 concerned to take heed (in the day of their ficknefs) of doing any thing which may provoke Chrill to w,itbbold hi4 left ba,nd from them; or if it be under them, t(l witbdr3w it from them. So fafi i5 the Covenant of Grac~, fo near is the Union between Chrifi and a believers Soul that l_in cannot part them eternally, no nor diffolve the Union i~ this hfe;but it {Tlay caufe the withdrawing of Chrills left hand from IIHder tbe be~d,and then a Chrifiian will tind his head too heavy for h1s body; t~ may caufe the withholding of it if thou hafi it not, and the w,ithdrawing ofit, if thou hall it. Oh take heed then of finnjo_g agai.n!l Chril!. There are many ways by which a Soul · ~ay !m agalnn ~hri!l, and caufe this withholdi,n_g or withdraw· mg; I !hall mentiOn cwo or three to which the Soul in this day will find it felf mofi apt. '!11e ,.FirO is Mr<rmuring, and imp~timce againft God ; ' a Sin, to wh1ch ~nf Hate of mifery, ~nd ~dvetfity' doth offer thi:"Soul a Te.npration; and a grievous fin againfi God. How often aid the ]ew1 fall into it, as.thcy were 'travelling to Canaa11? fo hard a thing The.onlj relief of a Lovejick..Soul 'is in and from Chrijl) a thing it is for us to bear evil from the hand of the Lord! how 1 feverely did God punifh it! Ay ! even in Mofn his Servant. Gc.a 1 is a great Soveraign, and expects that livint. men Jhould nor c,.,._ plai11, men for the punijhmtnt oftbdr iniqr<ity. He expedetb a Cubmillion unto his will, without opening our mouths againfi the God of heaven; and the murmuring Soul never gets any thing at the hand df God. One end of Gods afllicting.his people, is to tame their Spirits into a fubmillion to his will. Learn to ac kn~w-ltdg Gods Righteoufnefs, and to fubmit to his will, under his (mofi unpleafi ng) d ifpenfarions. 2 . V nthan/if><lmfl is · another fin that provokes Chrifi under fueh difpenfations ; we arc too too much like Chitdreo, that becaufe they cannot have What· they ·_would have, tetchily throlt away ,all th'y have: I find it noted by· Brrnard.lirfi, and by many Interpreters Iince his time, That in this Text the S~uli: fhewe.th J her than~fulnefJ to Chrift, for his left hand under btr head, before {be felt the embracing! of bi1 right hand: !he !aitb, Hi< /,f t ha11d wM under"": for the other, !he oruy faith, hil right ba~tdfhall embrac• me. lngratitudo (faith Bernard) eft vent>U ure>tJ, ficc•nJjibifontel'fJi. pietatil rorem mifericerdi.e , fl•enla gr4ti.e, i . .e. Vntha>tkfulnefi is· a dryi,ng wind, that dries up the fountain of Holinefs , the dews . of Mercy, the flowings of Gf'ace.' Even whiles 'thou wanteft thofe influences of Divine Love which thy Soul defireth ; forget not. the leffer tokens of Love (in thy apprebenfion) which thou i eceivefi; lily not, God hath done nothing for · thee, or, that Chri~ lioth nothing·for thee 1 becaufe he doth not prefentl9' put his left band Iindh. thee , •and•winh his right hand embrace thee~ A third is, Vnbelief and diftTll(l in'God. This is-a great fin; it is· -a difputirfg, or denial of the Power or Goodnefs of God ; you •know how 'feverely God ·punill\ed thi3 fin in the Nobleman, 2 K!ng17·>• that would not believe the plenty in Samaria, wlitcb the Prophet lbretold; he was troddm to death the next day, And this fin is fo much the great a , by how much the Soul bath more advantages, and more reafon to be!ieve, i. •· to truft·in God. Now evhy gracio'us Soul bath great leafon to b#i,ew, becaufe e ·ver.y fuch'Sbul hath had fpme former experiences of' God .If there-f~ re thou wouldfi have relieffrom Chrift in the day ofth] ,SpiritU4l di{fufl; take heed of concluding ag:iinll it by Wlbelief, take heed ofuyf~& '!Ju Lord wilt be g•aciclll no more, &c •. 3.• In |