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Show i7~ No. XVI. ~ An A p 'P E N 'JJ I X to VoL. I. d thefe Days 1 And why? llecaufe Lying! 0 the Propbanencft of_thCfe, ~Ptcafures mo;c than after the Liv· their Hearts thirfted after thed . ar~a what tll;y lll:tll eat and drink, and ing God. Their Care was,. an ts a t~rafter the Kingdom of God, and the ut on tbt Old Heathen Life, 3TJ/0 h ue Saviour the immaculate Son f{ighte~ufnefs of it: Tha.t JFE~ , \~ni tfaithfully a~d patiently, even un· Of God, who by domg_ HJs at er s we' {hould follow his Steps, and not to I)eatb, left us an Exampl:,. thtt bominablejl Idolatry, that of the SoqJ. liv~ unto our felves. And thiS 15 ~ e ~ God of che Soul. This is to fet up to any ~ther Obje8:, than ther~~: i:"called God, d~bafing, flighting, gri_c:v .. fomerh1ng as God, over A S . . • he me:1n whtle 0, how few thtnk ing and quenching the liD/y plrt~ 10h t Firft Comma~dment broken; how Qf ~hi~ dertjlllb!e Idolatry! Her£ IS t l L'fe > But all the Commands are th~fl qn People ex:~efi to h~ve t~!~~t Idollatry, which is worfhip~ing ~nobroken: For God dtd .no~ on y pro t God vainl 'falfly, with a vam Mmd, ther God ; but worfhtppmg the ;;.r~e. 'unfanfiifled Frame of Soul. And after :m unprofitable Manner, w ,tc ts an. vai and worfhipped God in how has Cbriflendom taken Gods Name fW ~·p > What Lults are over· V:\in I What Good is c.:ome of the Ag~s all Ma~rne; of Abomin:nions reign'd? carne? \Vhat EvH repelled? .HtJe ~oh fiefs> And have not Generations liall not the .Truth .beMen ~elhd tn hnr~w::~ut~ey have prefently cudt. Men.~ blefi GoO wuh rheu out. s, w er e n Crudt • PriJe, Paffion, Wrath, Have no~ Violen~e. Avnr~ee, 0ffP~jff0 h;.r fill'd {he Earth, under all the E"vy, Va.lfl Sporu, Pknfur:/ a; Chritland' God? Has he th:lt has named the . l'wfel!iQn that has beeh m~ eo II d himfelf by that Name, departed !tom N;tme of Chnft, or .r at bs ca I. ii 'd that fuch h:1ve fought 1heLord In lniquitr} 0, No; 1: may eJ.tru yb' as ~d who was :t plain good Man, but vain. Why? ll~caule not as aco s e ' r. \Vhy ) Says of Reb~\lious Ejttu's ~toe~. Y ~he;s~;u:~~ i~~u w~~:: Nat~re to f~ the l~~~~f~f:":t(~~u Tho:~.r;heyask, they never receive; andfithdoug~~rh:fi knQck; it will never be opened u~to them: Sue~ N~tu~~v~f y£ 1 V s, or Worfhip toward God mufi: ftand In the Name .an . . fi othin So will neyer&ierce t~e.HeUTebs. ~t willT~ lanyv:,~~hi~tg':11f:~ r:e~uent fi~e of tbn~hls c ~!J ';baou~ e~~r~"Trivial Thing in common Conv~rfatlon; ~bod ~0 Lord J•i•! and fuch like; for which, among oth"kThtngs,. t~ L rd God will pour out of the Vials of his Wrath upon the . atiOil~C:r,.. bt9 fi'ed are they tbat fear always, and remember that f~\rere Saymg ot Je1·' rtai6Vff) idlt Wprd tbat Mu~.JhallJptak, they fon/J give .Account t ereo ,,. 1Pe,g7, "{11t';f;.;•;:;/:ft:~ ~~~gl~~ed: For the G<tf~iDay is tbT~p;~::1 &Jbbatb,' dlQ Day of Rede!llption,. Deliverance, anhd ah.evarfh•on :ld ha~e been s· q h. Day domg the1r own Works, w en t Y au a~nil~e T~~YJaft~ the Myftical Abftinenc7, and humbled into thb G{ave, :d i~g the Works of God: Yet talk ofbemg freed fro~~:'1der t/G ~~~ ,ge under Grace while they bve wah out Law, Grace, uru ty, an o F. W rld })(;ing kd not by the Spirit of God, ND, that's Enrhujiafm, 4£{' 1;,ifm,' Famllij'm: ~ualurifm, &c.) but by their own Wills, Lufis, lntere s, and onregenerate Appetites. u . ,f Reb~llion ba& CO\'er'd the Earth : For there h.as ~or heen an uonournt of tbfir Pflther 1111d their i'r1.Pther; for they have reje8:ed the ~?'lma~ 5 as th~jr F"ber calling hi' Law behind their Backs, not glon~mg ~dmthe God. the1r Father when they knew Him : And they have dt regar d with J\dvice of their Mother, the true Primitive Church that was. red~i.e rv. JJ the PrecioiJs B/pod of tbe L1mb of GPd tbar ttrket~ aw~y the St'!.r OJ t 'Je ot:r 0; and ~tbar wafhed her and purged her, not leavmg m her. euher Sp ut of Wrin~le>: for fo h.e prefunted her to God Hi< Farber, !o that !he J this her old C::nn\'erfation, which w.as after the Fafhtons and. Cuftoms fl , {ine Worlo thai She might be a domed with the Robes of Rtghteoufne s · fhe! Linnen; w~ile, the Mark of Innocence: Fitly trim'd for th.e Deitghk7ooel, VoL. I. The AuT H on's LIFE. .Be/()VeJ, her Jefus, her King, her Lawgiver, her Maker, and her Hufband roo in whofe chaft Embraces lhe lives, his unfponed dear Spou.fe for ever. No~, what's a Ch11ub; but the redeemed Flock, Family, Houfhold or People of God> If then the Church of Chr;f/ mull be pure, the Members that conftiture that Churcb muft be pule: Not by a vain and fiCtitious Imputa· tion ; but a Solid and Real Purgation, Redemption, and Salvation unto Righteoufnefs. For Faith in Abraham was a Righteous Aa of Obedience in bis Soul; therefore God imputed Righreoufnefs unto him: And bleffed are his Spiritual OfF-fpring for ever, whofe Faith overcomes, and is· not overcome of the lVorlcf. For thofe are falfe Faiths, forc'd and imag!nary Conceits, that cleanfe not, which true Faith doth; that Works by that Love which conquers the World, and loves God above all: The Highway to Eternal Life. So here the World hath been in the Breach of another Command, They hnv( difhonoured their Farber and Mother, and therefore have their Days been few in the Lnnd of tb( Living to God. But the Chrillian World fo called, hath been defiled by Cruelty evcn to Blood: Thou foalt not KiD, f3:ith the Lord: Little did fome of the Jews think rhal they broke this Law, when they .tiDed the H·opbett, and /lonetl them tbnt wue Ienr unto them: But what faid their Children? Did they fpeak after the fame Note? No: Had we lived in the Days of our Fathers, we would not have done 11.r they did:; and alas! They did work. Where j_r's worth obferving; That, when the Devil hath perfecutcd Holy Men to Death, and that the Way, to wit, Death, by which he hopes to bury all with them, is the Way by which thei_r Do£l:rine and Endeavours flline more confpicuoufly, ::tnd convincingly to others; he rucnsProfelyre too, and fays, thefe were good Men alfo, and puts his Followers upon fetting up the Lamentation for the Lofs of chafe pious Men (which, alas, he murder'd) and of their Words, and exteriour Forms parches he up a Vlfib!e Rt!igion:; and then fits he as God, or like God in the Hearts of Men and Women. So that he will be vifibly for Religion when he can no longer hinder. Bur this is to make him the greater Deceiver, and to pafs the more unqueftioned and unfufpeUed. This Lamentation foe the murdering of the Prophets, Admiration of their Works, and Building an,d APorning of·their Sepulchres, batHed the Judg· • ment of Weak and Simple People: But efpecially deceived the Multitude; and rendred the Criicifixion of Jefu.r more Eafie and Tolerable: SJ(phcn followed, then James, and fOon after that Time the bitter Perfecution of the Chriftians: Bur by that Time Kings receiv'd Chrijlianity) Eafe1 and Plenty flowed in; who fo Pompous, Magnifitenr, Gawdy, Worldly, as ChriPian Bi· jhDp.r, their Churches, Officers, and People? Self. denying Jefrn loff in the Ctowd; the rrue Life of Religion expired, and Z.Cal extinguifhed; Divifions arifen, and one Bifhop againft another, even to Death: Nothing but Flarrery, Hypocrify, and Conformity could well tell how to live i:n the 4th, fth, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, Ioth, lith, 12th, qth, q.th, I)th, and 16th, Centuries, and fo to our Days. Now the Rivers of Blood fpilt by Jew$ and Heathens become a great fwelling Sea by Chri/linn, or rather Jlntichri{li .. an PerftcJIJion.r: Now 'tis that all Councils and Synods ue conven'd in :De. fign, held in Fa£l:ion, and broke up in felf·lnrereft. No Liberty of Confci .. ence in thofe Days; no one muft dare to buy or fell Civilly, or Spiritua11y, but they muft firft have the Mark of that Church and Srate: 0 monihous Degeneracy ! Here is Chrift again crucified in the Streets of Sodom and Egypt, in the Hearts and Lives of the Sons and Daughters of Men. So that here are not only Thoufands of Marryr.r of Jefin; butJefus the Lotd7 once more marryr'd1 the True and Faithful WitnefS: And they have in all Ages hired; and fer Soldiers, who are Killers by Profeffion. to watch atainfi: His Rifing. Now is the Church in the Wildernefs, the Place of Obfcurity and Shelter: This was the Winrer-Seafon, the Time of Sack~loth and Afhea. Now all were merry, fending Gifts one to another, in rheu Revels and Mafquerades over the flain 'Vimefs of the Lord : Here is the Bloodf#ff, and therefore the Wofuilell of all .Murders, A a 2 But 179 No. XVI: ~ |