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Show .AU.~etA c/Ja,rge4 no~ tt.flil\._11.1. f!D,t ~:~~ Ch~ifl:. tievtth, fori>< uzuft ffit4k,.l li\ut yeJ e,vep tl)ete ~ ·man- is· I!Ot botmd· tQ·fl"C"<ch evety notion (If-truth,. if the poti_on b~ not necdfary to ~c'{Hiiwed ;. a,Minifter ,is bound 'to conceal it, where the Church i~pf a)!Oth~f\ mind. If it be nec.~lfary and a.fundamental, I mul\ confe!S the ,9fe is hard. ,In fuch . a cafe I think the Minifier.s confci\' nce willqiudhim to 'preach it, and y~t if he doth heiins; 'and tbe C\tur<;h is bou,rtd to cenfure it; ,Co miferable is the cafe of him that hat!> ~n , errlng .<;o~fcie!\<1~ in thing> of thi~ high 'moment. 2-. A fecond,thing' which 1-would'haye you beware of is making fjldjons_and par;ie>, and· fepatations from a Church, where you• can ~votd them withoctt liqning againfi G.od. This-is the ftcond :&,r~n!i)l. ,. ' 1 ... , ,. • ' "' · I\. third thin:g that I would pJead w,ith1you for, is, Tha-t you would·not by any' .f~ch ChU.Cch-fins as ufually !fir up 1 and art~•k$ C~rift', dt{lkrb C/Jrifh colll'liuniolf with hit 1CI>Hrch. The Church is one Body . . 1here ir a. Cbi(Tch-catboli~k.!Jiifibl~. whicb is the whole n~mber o~ Cl)rifijan people ~ve.~ the face of_th e Earth embracing tfieJJiloCl.rtnepfChtlfi, ~his JS not that·lamfpca)ljng ol, for th~s Chrt(l fha)l nq·e( lie lltrred up and1 aw~ked . until 'the- day of Ju.dgrnent. But no.w. as ev~tY drop of w;uer is called-water fo every greater P.r leffer n,umber ,of Chrlftians in any Nation' or fiiity , .OJ' Parlil1, or Hqufe may be called a Church : and· the lo:Vefl n?~l()n qfa.·particular Churah; i& Cuch-a number as anywhere or· dtnanly meet together for the enjoyment of Chrifi in his Ordi• ilan~es. ' :Fbi~ Church we 4fually fay is meerly Entative , wht re ~.nv fuc? number of_ private _ Chrifiia~s · are, though withont pub· hck Office.rs;or Mmiftmal and· @rganzeul, where they have OJ!icets to dt(penfe out th_eOrdinances of the Gofpel to them. I am fpeaking ~tow o_f ~ G:hNr~ in this notion with which Chrifi il;> prefent, and' 10 whtch he refis. Q do: not you,do any ·thi.ngJQ fiir up·and a· -w~k~ .vour Love l Are any of you member!> oh•ny. f>tch Societies e~j.oythg fweet an.d;comfortable fellow!htp with· Chrifi in ·his Or• . dtnances? Oh, take heed of fuch fins as- are incident to fuch So· ~eti?S, and bodies of People, which ufe to awake .and llir up Jhrtq1 Wtll you kno.w what they are?· I ·will hint fome of them no:you·briefl.y. I hinted fome of th~m to you 'before, 1 will again touch:upon them. . - ·1 ·, .. h 'f. he firfi !hlll·be-corrupli•llt in matt'tr :ofr Da(Jrine. ·and l.tlmi· tum •f tber~t. T-his is that whicll·was -lai<l to the charge of the Churc.h.w fcrg~tm¥; Rt~~:;.a .• l.Jl-~15: lhe, hidtthem within.h~ that ' · held 71~1 (~fl!t:'~jii_Qt'41P_~k..e chri.ft. held the DoQ:rine ot Balaam ~nd l;he_ ·Ni\b.olaitalj'··'-1 fl-f~n~, t~in~ that tllofc Dochin~s were, , I That. W~~r.e,~cr:n :anct, t'prnLcatio~ were lawful, and that Communion wjlh,ldoliltFrs was lawf\ll, aR'd to the Church of'Thyatira', v. 20. Tak~ heed pf thefe th1n~s,a~d elpecially of Dodrines tending to practical 11berty and liccntioll f· nels in !inning. Take heed of fuch Errours. Luthl'f' called iile Article of -]uflific•tion,th-e Article of a llanding er falling Church: God for this threatneth thofe two Churches of Pergamuf and 'IhyJtirJ in the afore-mentioned places. z, A fecot:td fin is corrupiion inJbc Worjhip ofG.J. I !hall not much enlarge upon this here, becaufe I lpa~e to it in the opening of the Doctrine. This wasthe fin of. Tfpr!lira in pa~t, Rev. 2 '. _2Q. her members did eat tbilfgt facrificed io !Jolt •• ·This was the very !io for which God fo .ofien threatncd ,his~.~urch,.o{ the Jm•1, ~nd at lafi:utterly forfook it• ev.enJor .theircorrupiions l~ his, W'Qr· fhip, for doing thiog,s ill his Wo~fhi~ rt~pich he commauded them not, their '"'II wor/s!, .their ort~n, inv,e,nt10111 • . The worfhi~ of God is a.tcllr.ler tni~, qhfill ~at:tno.t ~~ft in,'I_;S\Wfc~ "Y~~r~ it .. is cor-rupled 1ai:J<l dep1aved,:,, 1_ .,, , J"•· .\ . , e~,, • . ,, 1 . 3-• ' A third is ~Ao/H~ji._in GO/'V<rJPiion,. J t Is np~t,~. loofnefs ?f.• pmi~ular perfon, tha~ will tlir up, Go~ an9 make jj_tm awak£ from his rrll with his Church, but when the gene_ral\ty, oltl1e membe~s of a Churc;h grow loofe and debauch)d, . as to matterof p~il#ic c in ~h.eir conyer(ttions ,, God c,an11ot' .a&id~ 'to dwelJ 'd)~rt Hence you jhall li11~ t)lr?pghout a~! rlli'i _li e~¥; 0.~:.1~~/Jiw'lif. Church th)! lewdnefs ofP!te.f!~,i'nd )'eople, ~~to the mora1u~es ol their liv~s is ,joyned with their cbguptiqns in' worfllip,:ind afligned as the caufe of Gods rifing out of his pla~e; a'nd depming from them. . · . ' : . ~· The fourth apd !all thing .(' which inrl~ed is but the inlet to the !aft meP,f\ooed, ) , is, the loji ;JJirft Love. Th\5 God chargeth (though in diffqent'ter!lJS l ~p,on tP,ree.o[tbe f'veJ<1 Chrmbrs pf ·.A(i•; qpoa Ephejiu, Rev. 2 . 4•. f!e• calls to her to repwt, and threatn~tb her that if foe did not ,I/~ wou~d quick]y remove btr Candt.- · flick,_. He chargethit uppn Sar~i6 again, Rev. 3• 1. !11e had a >um~ to/iur; bHt (ht'fr'.JI dc~d. bW~t,4:he):t'p j_n h~~1t,hat was good, wa< reatiy ·to dy.r, •. ·! G.~a calls .t<? Jter _!o,Jl~enfih~n _it or he would corpe upon her ~~ ~ t.hLef, A:g~in,.,.it '1;"1'11 ~ha~ged• gn.tl1e Church of La•dice:<,, Re'v-3- t6: lqc; w~_sw~i~~er1 l!•! nor c~/4,· b'?d 'threatens11o lpue her out of hts mouth : God expea:eth a z ral, aRd holy blat X ~ and |