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Show chrifl t111tfl fdi fpeaftto his spoufe, it ta~en up too much of your atfedions, too much of your time~ Have you been rhus afkep while it hath been a-night with yoLI ~ 0 now Ari{e •nd came ! It is rime to awake out of your fleep of fecurity, out of yotr !1eep of carnality. The Winter is pafi, the Summer is come, the voice of the Turtle is heard. The Flowers appear on the Earth. The Summer is a time of motions,. a time ofadion, vigorous ad:ion, 0 A rife, and came away I But In vain lhall'lfpeak to your ears if God plcafeth not to fpcak unto .your 'he_arts. Chrift hm firfl fPakt to bit Spoufo, before the thought of arifing or coming away; and fo he mull do, or-we (hall never do the like. But ofrhis more (God willing ) in my next exercifc. In the 'mean time let us pray, &c. Cant. 2. 10, I~, 12, It· My Beloved fPakt and [aid unta me; A rife my Love , my fair alit, and come a,.ay, &c. My !all ex~rcifc was' fpcnt in an 'interpretation of the Bridegrooms words, .Arife, and come away, and an enforcement of his Exhortation, I !hewed you, that he would have all members of his Church, that in an hour of perfecution, had lurkt and lay hid In the Chambers of his providence and met only to wor! hip him as they could get opportunity, and the violence of men would permit, after liberty rellored, to come to the event and publick affemblies of his peoplr. He would have all thofe within the compafs of the vifible Church, not brought home to Chrifi, to arife from their death of fin that they might live the life of Grace; he would have thofe converted, and brought home unto him, to a rife from their bed of carnality to a more Spiritual holy and heavenly converfation. To this purpofe be [pake unto htr, ~ BeiMJed (faith the Spoufe) [pa/(y and [aid unto me. The lafi Propofition ofDodrine I have to fpeak to from thefe words, is this. ' That foPP•ftng aO impedi,u ntt removed, and aD exterllal inco1<rage• meHII preflnt,yetthe Spmfe of Chrifl, mnft hear her Btloved [peakjng to her, before jhe ..,iU arife and come artJay. You eafilyfee. whither this SubjeCt willlml me, viK-. Todi· fcourfe /;eforejhewiU .Arife, &c. 3·'9 fcourfe what inHuence of Grace is neceffary to the fever~! Spiritual motions which God requireth of his peoplt;and you well fee from my inte;pretation of the toms,.Arifl, come aw•y;-_r~at l have a ve-ry proper advantage to fpeak to the~ all: Nor IS It an unfeaf~n· able dodrine for thefe times; whereto on the one fide ~hrough· 1g· norance, fome makefpecial grace necetfary for ~very rhmg: <;J thers would have it 11eceffary for norhing. You will remember to my taft exercife, that l Interpreted thofe . words, .Ari(e, aHd comt a- R>ay, 1 • .A rife, from the privacy of your comers, and come to my ordinances in your joynt-affimbliu. 2. .A rife from your death •f fin, and by F aitb and Repent•Hct come to Chrifi. 3, .Ari[e from y•nr Spiritl<al deadneji,jecurity, imper(d1ioHt, a11d come to a [Hrther progrefi iH holinefi. . · As to all thefe the Beloved fPea~t before the Spoufe co~es. But J have had occafion heretofore to iliew you; that Chrtfi fpeaks· more ways than one. He fpeaketh by his providence, r Micab 6. ' 9• The voice of tht Lord cry£th to the City, Ite fpeaketh in his ~or~, he fpeakcth in the preachi~g of the Gofp~l, he fpeaketh b)l hts Sp•·, rlt.The Q!efiion is,..,h•t znfl,.enceofChrttf t~ HeceffJry_ unto o~r ~ood: motims. This we cannot fpeak to wuhout dtftt~gUlf!ung; . r. concerning good actions. 2, concernit;g_the ag!'nts 10 the do-ing of them. As to the firll,. . _ . J, Good ad:ions or motions, are e111ier fuch matertaUy onely, or materiaDy and formaDy too, Any ad: ions arc m1tedally good, the matter of which is commanded in -the word· of God' ;, whe- . ther it be performed in fuch a _manner, from fuel\ a pri.n~iple, and; tp fuch an end, as God req,utreth yea or-no: Thus It IS a.-good thing to go to Church and hear Gcds wor~. , a goo~ tht?g to pray, to give alms. But formal{Y, _bonum eft e caH]it rntegru: A thing is nos formally good, t! It be not done from fuch .•· principle to fuch an end, and 10 fuch a mann~r as God rcqul· ret h. s~condly, Good actions are either internal or ·externai.A:d:ion~ externally good are the acts of our outward man,. whethcu- the ' heart be in them or no;rhusgoing to Church and heanngtheword are actions externally. good, that is,_ ads of the" outward rna~, which God hath commanded in hisWord. But then rhcre are acttons of the inward man,focb as believi11g_,loving God, d elightin~ in• hnn,. |