8
THE AFTERNOON
S E R M O N
Iſaiah xxvi. 20. Come, my People, &c.
THIS is the way that folk undo themſelves, and forſake their own mercies, that which ought to chaſe them to God, chaſes them out from him. All hypocritical convictions, only puts them the farther away from the phyſician; ſo it is with judgment, which ſhould put folk to their duties, they are thereby put from it. When the Lord forbiſhes his glittering ſword of juſtice, then it is to drive his own children unto his own hand, Come my people, &c Ye know the laſt occaſion how we divided theſe words; ye know alſo, how that before we left the firſt head, we ſaid, it would be requiſite to ſhow unto you, who it is that comes unto Chriſt, and who it is that comes not: But we told you that it would come
more ſitly in the ſecond head; yet, to make way for it, we proceeded forward unto the third thing in the words. And now, having touched that a little, we return again, as we told you we propoſed to do, and ſhall, as the Lord will give, open the ſecond head further, declaring who are his people, to wit,
Theſe, as we were ſaying, who have made a covenant with him by ſacrifice to be accepted only thro' the ſacrifice of his ſon, and who facrifice away themſelves unto him. In a word, it is theſe who are righteous, and who live righteouſly. Theſe who are righteous, are theſe who are fled into Chriſt for his righteouſneſs, and have gotten themſelves clothed therewith. But that ye may the more clearly take up who theſe are who come unto Chrift; be-fore we give ſome marks of them, and ſome rules how to apply theſe marks, we ſhall firſt declare who it is that comes not.
Firſt, Theſe come not unto Chriſt, who come not from all ſin,
Ezek. 18. 21. But if the wicked will turn from all his ſins that he hath committed, and keep all my ſtatutes, and doth that which is lawful and right, he ſhall ſurely live, he ſhall not die. Ye ſee the condition, it is if ye will return from all ſin, both omiſſion and com-miſſion; from all ſin, unto all duty; leaving all ſin, and taking up chriſtian duty. Therefore remember, if ye entertain any one idol, that will keep Chriſt out. Many ſay of ſome idol-ſin, that they do not quit, as Lot ſaid of Zour, it is a little one, therefore let ine bruik it. But remember what David ſays, Tf I regard ini-quity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me, Pſal 66. 18. Re-member this, and deſtroy not yourſelves, ye who follow not groſs ſwearing, drinking or whoring, and the like, yet cleave unto your petty mincht oaths, and your idle vain diſcourſe, and your
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