their actions though it may be poor Souls they have not had the courage or the confidence to reprove it or if they had would it have been to any purpose They have appeared and do appear so fixed in their covetous ways and so settled upon their Lees and hardened in their ways that they could not bear Reproof and they have had devices to hide and cover their Covetousness but the Lord seeth and knoweth all their wickedness in their Covetousness which his Soul abhors And as for those called Quakers they also have among them many very covetous Persons which are eagerly pursuing the World in their several Callings and do hoord up Wealth plentifully but part with any thing very sparingly and yet some of these are men that are sometimes Speakers among them It is true some of them that are said to be of the Ministry among them have but little of the World and it may be do little mind the things of this World but there are but few such But others of them love Wealth and love Greatness and mind Earthly things in a shameful manner also and the time is coming when their Covetousness will be discovered and their hugging and close keeping the things of this world as if they were their greatest happiness will be made manifest and all their hidings and coverings of it with specious pretences will not serve their turns Some of them being Shop-keepers and some Merchants and others of other Trades that yet do preach among them sometimes but it may be will not be said to be of their Ministry because they will be more free to follow the World which they eagerly scrape up together with the expence of most of their time and strength and care as if their Life consisted in the abundance of the things they possess and if they do communicate I mean some of them yea most of them but not all they do nothing noble nor handsome nor any thing proportionable to their Estates nor so as to find acceptance with the Lord who loves to have his People liberal and noble and not nigardly nor base This that I speak to Ministers to Prophets to Elders to Teachers to Men of Gifts and Abilities for preaching the Word of God of the several understandings Presbyterians Independants Baptised and Quakers I do well know to be true I wish it were not so Though I also believe that some that I know well and it may be more that I know not though of several understandings are men that are very unblameable herein and they are very beautiful ones in Sion and the Glory of Christ but the number of these is very small compared with the others that are more or less guilty of this horrible Evil. And as the Ministers and gifted men of the several understandings so the people the generality of the people that are hearers of all these and Members of Churches and Societies among them are guilty veâ—y guilty of the same evil some very grosly so and some in lesser degrees but very generally more or less are they guilty Which appears in their several capacities thus Some that are eminent persons and worthy persons for gifts and parts and for Zeal and forwardness in many good things who having no trades but yearly incomes some of 500 l. per annum some of a 1000. l. per annum some more some less of which quality I know several that have no Trades but have such yearly incomes and so are not under temptations of neglecting Meetings and Lectures and private and publick performances who yet do appear to be as covetous as those that do as appears by their excessive backwardness to good works and their hoording up their Wealth and adding Wealth to Wealth as if all their happiness consisted in being wealthy and all blessings for themselves and Children if they have Children consisted therein Miserable wretched covetous persons are they and the Lord knows them to be so and they have very much provoked him although some of them have been very forward at Meetings and Lectures and very ready to every thing that was commendable except the parting with their Wealth Any service they would offer to the Lord that ye could desire that might cost them little or nothing Who more ready then they to many services But you must spare their Minion their beloved Darling the Wealth of this World but if they were tryed here then they were tryed indeed and though for shame they could not but do something yet have they done it sparingly enough and shall reap sparingly enough notwithstanding their other services What though they have been ready to preach and been forward at Meetings And what though they could speak with the Tongues of Men and Angels And what though they have hazarded their Liberties to come to Meetings And what though they have hezarded their very Lives Yet having another Beloved in their hearts having no heart to part with the Wealth of this World to supply the Members of Christ in Sickness and in Prison and in Nakedness and in Hunger the Love of God hath not appeared in them but the Love of the World hath had the chief place in their hearts How dwelleth the Love of God in that man or woman that shuts up the Bowels of their compassion from Christ in his Members Or if they have given to such they have done it sparingly grudgingly and nigardly But God loveth a chearful Giver But these covetous Earth worms must know that this hath been their great Sin and untill they reform herein they must expect no great Blessing from the Lord but rather a blasting Shew my People their transgression their Sin in not drawing out their Soul Isa 58. 2 to the Hungry and bringing the Foor that are cast out to their Houses and that they hide themselves from their own flesh and satisfie not the afflicted Soul Whereas if they did these things in that full and ample manner as became them and as were suitable and proportionable to their Estates then their Light might break forth as the Morning and their Health might spring forth speedily and their Righteousness should go before them the Glory of the Lord should be their Rereward they should call and the Lord should answer c. But this sin cleaves yet as close to them as the Skin to their Backs and when will they reform And some of them the Husband and the Wife both agree in a covetous humour and all their actions discover it And though Aldermen and Aldermens fellows for Estates yet they are as near and penurious in their way as their Taylor or Shoo-maker and as little Generosity in some cases appears in them for they that are covetous appear so every manner of way onely in some things for a name they will appear otherwise it may be their Houses and their Habits will be stately but they will be as sparing as any man in many other things even in poor ordinary things which
and hid his face from you so that you could hardly have so much as a glimpse of it from week to week It is no wonder that the Wife is unfruitful when her Husband is withdrawn from her It is no wonder that you have been baâ—ren and unfruitful and that the Fruits of the Spirit have not been brought forth by you but you have been as a barren Wilderness Your Lord is withdrawn from you for you have grieved his Spirit and he could take no pleasure in you and therefore you must needs be barren It is said of Believers in Christ That they are married even to him who is raised Rom. 7. 4 from the dead that they should bring forth fruit unto God You have been married unto him but you have left your first Husband and are gone to other Lovers and therefore have not brought forth Fruit unto God neither in your particular conversations neither yet have you been Instruments in converting others and bearing Children unto him The time was when it might be said of Sion This and that man was born in her But how few have been born in Sion of late But when you shall turn to the Lord again and cast off with a holy indignation all other Lovers and shall say I will return to my Hos 2. 7. first Husband for it was better with me then than now and shall be again betrothed and engaged to him so as never to depart from him any more Then you shall bring forth Fruit to him in another manner then you have done for these many years But in the mean time you are hereby told what your Sin is and what the reason of his great displeasure against you is for which he hath corrected you again and again even your Covetousness your love of Money is THE Sin that you have been generally guilty of as well those in the highest as those in the lowest forms And though some few Congregations or Churches one or two or more of you have exalted themselves up to heaven in their own imaginations and thought that they were excelling all others on the account of some peculiar Principles which they hold and have upon that account separated from all others as not worthy to have communion with them yet are they in respect of this Evil and the following Evils as vile and as wretched as others and some among those Churches are as great Lovers of the World as others and their Idolatries and Adulteries are as odious as others And there is no Church in England Scotland or Ireland found free but they have all provoked the Lord their God in a very high degree by this great Abomination But there are other Sins which the Lords People are guilty of also which are to be shewn to them with a SPARE NOT Cry aloud SPARE NOT shew my People their Transgressions and the House of Jacob their Sins are the Lords own Words II. Another sin which is a sin of the Lords People which is to be shewn to II. HARD-HEARTEDNES Job 42. 6. them that they may be ashamed and abhor themselves and repent in dust and ashes is the sin of HARD-HEARTEDNESS and shuting up the bowels of their Compassion from the Poor and Needy which hath sprung from that great Root of Evil Covetousness which hath been justly mentioned in the first place it being the spring and root of very much bitter Fruit according to that word of the blessed Apostle Paul who was cleer no doubt of that sin himself it being plainly demonstrated in his whole course of Life 1 Tim. 6. 10. For the love of Money is the Root of all Evil. Hard-heartedness and close-fistedness hath been I say another great â—â—n of many of the Lords people especially of them that are rich in this world and that have free and comfortable estates that they can call their own I shall the more briefly speak to this sin under this head having spoken to it in the former as it is one proof of that great sin of Covetousness But that this is a great and hateful sin appears thus The great Commandment of the Gospel is Love and it is the great Command not onely of the Gospel but also of the Law and therefore as it is called a New Commandment so it is called an Old Commandment also I say the great New Commandment which also is the Old is Love and it is the great Character of a Gospel-Saint especially Hereby shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another Now this Sin of Hard-heartedness and John 13. â—5 Jam. 2 8. Close-fistedness in them that profess to be the Disciples of Christ and the Lords People is a great blemish to their Profession and a great Evidence of their Disobedience unto the Royal Law of the Gospel unto the great Command of their great and glorious Lord and Master But this is the Sin of very many of the Lords People and though they do obey the Lord in many other things yet in this they do not Though this is that great Commandment of his that he did servently desire to be obeyed in and that he did so frequently inculcate again and again But you will say We do love one another we do love the Brethren we love them above all others as they are Brethren and as they are the Children of our Father and as the Image of Jesus Christ is in them they are very dear unto us To which the answer is Yea so you do in word and you will speak very kindly to them and you will wish them well and you will do kindnesses foâ— them if they cost you nothing But consider what the Apostle James says If a Brother or Sister be naked and destitute of dayly Food and one of you say Depart Jam. 2. 15 16. in Peace be you warmed and filled notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the Body what doth it profit If ye speak never so kindly and profess love and it may be have some love to them but if not so much as to communicate wherewith to supply their wants what doth it profit What doth it profit them or what doth it profit you Do ye think that love ye profess to have to them shall be taken notice of if ye have Estates and have not Hearts to manifest that ye have true love and true Bowels of Compassion by supplying their wants Whatever your Children need ye have bowels to them and supply their wants and ye cannot but supply them because ye love them and had you love to the poor members of Christ in necessity you would also supply their wants but your Hard-heartedness appears in your Close-fistedness and therefore consider what the lovely Apostle John speaks 1 Joh. 3. 17. But whoso hath this Worlds good and seeth his Brother hath need and shutteth up his Bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him It is an evidence
have committed two evils they have forsaken me the Fountain of living Waters and have hewed them out Cisterns bâ—oken Cisteâ—ns that can hold no water My People have changed their Glory for that which doth not profit What a hoâ—rible thing was this That you that are called the Loâ—ds People that yoâ— that once professed that the Love and Favour of God was more desuable to you then ten thousand worlds and that you could trample upon the Worlds Wealth and Honours and Profits and Pleasures and count them but as dung in comparison of enjoying but one days communion with your God and that though you should always be an afflicted and poor People yet if you could but have the happiness and the priviledge to be in the house of God and in the Assemblies of his Saints and to hear his Word and enjoy communion with him in Prayer you would reckon your selves exceeding happy yea in better case then the highest Emperour upon Earth How horrible and astonishing a thing was this that those that once made these great professions that they should so extravagantly set their hearts upon this World as to forsake their God their King their Rock their Shield and their exceeding great Reward their Father and the Guide of their youth their Strength their Glory their all in all to dig and hew them out the vain perishing things of this World which cannot afford them one drop of true comfort Would not this make the glorious and beautiful Angels in Heaven to blush to think of it and the blessed Saints that shine as the Sun to be astonished and all the Hosts of Heaven to be horribly afraid at such unworthy such mad and distracted deeds of the Sons of men ten thousand times worse then him that is so bewitched with a painted Strumpet that is a filthy Harlot as to forsake a truly beautiful and faithful Bride O consider this all ye that have so much forgotten God Consider how he disgusts this Sin of loving this World this Sin of Covetousness Consider what title he gives it by his Servant and Apostle Paul Col. 3. 5. he tells you it is Idolatry So that in loving this World you have set up an Idol in 1 John 2. 15. Matth. 6. 24. Luk. 16. 13 1 Tim. 6. 10. your heart And you are also told by his Word that If any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him and ye are told by his Son himself That ye cannot serve God and Mammon But O what gross Idolaters have ye been that have so served the World as you have done and so much neglected the service of your God O consider how that Word hath been verified in you that the love of Money is the Root of all Evil You have so loved and adored and admired and set up the World in your hearts as it hath been the root of all your neglect of publick service to God and to his People for his sake even of your neglect of visiting the Fatherless and Widows in their affliction of your neglect of visiting the Lords Prisoners of the neglect of Family-Duties two or three times a day of neglect of taking pains with Children and Servants and other Relations to bring them up in the nurture and fear of the Lord of neglect of Closet-performances and of enjoying many sweet and blessed seasons in secret of conversing with your God that should have been your chief Joy Consider how this love of Money hath been the Root of all your sparing to deal your Bread to the hungry and to cloath the naked and to bring the poor that were cast out to your Houses of neglect of drawing out your Soul to the hungry and satisfying the afflicted Soul Consider how the love of this World and coveting it hath almost estrarged you wholly from God and from every good Work wherein he might be glorified and ye might have Peace O consider ye Lovers of Gold and Silver what Moses speaks of such as you Exod. 32. 31. O this People have sinned a great sin and have made them Gods of Gold Did they sin a great Sin You have much more They made them Gods of Gold but it was a sudden Temptation and an Evil of a short continuance and it appears not that they set their hearts and affections upon them But you have set up your Bags of Gold and Silver your Land and your Wealth so in your Hearts as to forsake your God and to love your Gold more then your God and if it were not so your actions would witness the contrary but your actions have testified and do testifie to your Faces whom you love most O foolish People and unwise Do ye thus requite the Lord Is not he thy Father Deut. 32. 6. that hath bought thee Hath he not made thee and established thee O this People that are called by the Name of Isâ—ael they have sinned a great sin they have made them Gods of Gold and their very Hearts are set upon them so as they have forsaken the Fountain of Living Waters they Deut. 32. 15 16. have lightly esteemed the Rock of their Salvation they have provoked him to Jealousie with strange Gods Of the Rock that begat them they have been unmindful and have forgotten God that formed them Now consider O House of Jacob and ye that profess to be the Lords People whether this great Sin of yours be not as great if not greater then the Sin of the prophane wicked Worldlings Are they Idolaters So are you They have made themselves Idols For as Paul speaks of some They made Phil. 3. 19 their Bellies their Gods so it may be said of their Lusts after other things even the things of this World their Gold and Silver and Treasures they have made them their Gods also but in that you have made you Gods of Gold your Sin is greater then theirs because it is against greater Knowledge and greater Light and against greater Grace O what great aggravations have your Idolatries beyond theirs Your Sin is verily double to theirs for you have in this committed two Evils You have forsaken your true Glory your dear and gracious and glorious Lord the Fountain of all Good of all that 's lovely and precious of durable Riches and substantial Good for a Shadow for a Trifle for a fading Leaf for that which hath no substance Who would part with a substantial good thing for a shadow of it What is a shadow A shadow is nothing as soon as the light surrounds a thing the shadow is vanished and is not but appears to be nothing So are all your Idols whether Bags of Silver or Gold or Merchandizes or Stocks in Bank or at Interest or Houses and Lands and Gardens and Orchards and pleasant Walks Are they any more then a shadow of true Riches of durable Riches and Substance Are they so much Can there be any kind of shadow of that Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and
that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for you in these These Earthly Vanities if they are a shadow it is a poor shadow But is it not an astonishing Error that rational Creatures should grasp after the Shadow so eagerly as to leave and forsake the Substance to embrace the Shadow Now this is your double evil that you for sake your God the Fountain of all Goodness and dig out of this Earth for your selves such Vanities as cannot give your precious Souls one grain of Peace or true satisfaction in the enjoyment of them and yet they are your Gods and you their Servants and all or most of your Care Parts and Abilities and your precious Time are speht in the service of them Now the Sin of the poor blind World is far less then yours If they do serve these Idols as you do yet they are not such Sinners as you are For they have not that knowledge of the true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent as you have had They never had such tastes how good the Lord is as you have had They never saw his Glory and Excellency and unexpressible Loveliness as you have seen it They never had such blessed entertainments into his holy presence as you have had But YOU you are the double-dy'd Sinners the crimson Sinners the scarlet Sinners that though the Lord hath appeared unto you twice yea ten times yea ten hundred times have yet departed fâ—om him and have sinned this great Sin and made you Gods of Gold You are most horrible Idolaters your sins have over-passed the deeds of the Wicked Jer. 5. 28. But some may say This Trumpet sounds aloud and with a very piercing and shrill Voice shews us our Transgressions and the vileness of them which we cannot deny for we cannot hide them They are open to the view of God Angels and Meâ— though we have not so clearly seen them our selves as we should see them though it might have been our happiness to have seen them clearly long ago The Reply whereunto is That the Trumpet must yet sound louder and louder and must cry aloud and not spare for any account to shew the Lords People their Transgressions and the House of Jacob their Sins NOT upon the account of hiding them from the World that they may not see the nakedness of Jacob for that nakedness hath been too visible already to them NOR yet upon the account of the Name of the Lord lest it should be more reproached by the sinfulness of the Lords People for that blessed and glorious Name hath been and is greatly prophaned thereby already BUT on the account of the Name of the Lord that it may be hallowed that it may be sanctified and glorified in all his righteous Judgements that are come one upon the neck of another upon his People are these Transgressions of Jacob to be shewed to them and to the World with a SPARE NOT. Spare not especially this great Sâ—n the Root of many Sins Covetousness wherein the great and gloâ—ious Naâ—e of the Lord hath been so much dishonoured Nor yet to spare those oâ—her Sins of which they are to be declared guilty great numbers of them to the end the Lord may be justified when he speaketh and be clear when he judgeth Therefore O House of Jacob to speak yet a little louder in your Ears that Psal 51. 4 it may sink down into your Hearts you are to be informed further That as you have been Idolaters and such Idolaters as have exceeded the Wicked in Idolatry so you have been also Adulterers Adultery is a Sin that is very hateful and loathsome to many People that know little of God or have little or no love to hâ—m and it is a Sin that is very shameful It is a very shameful thing that it should be said among mâ—n That such or such a man is an Adulterer a Whoremonger If any man be so he is counted a filthy fellow a vile fellow As odious as an unclean filthy Adul erer or Fornicator is in the Eyes of all civil People so odious hath youâ— Sin been in playing the Harlot with this vain World this deceitful World who hath bewitched you with her painted Face as if she were some great Beauty whereas when her Vizard is off she appears to him that looks upon her in true light but a miâ—erable worthless thing in which there is no true felicity at all no beauty at all but appears to be vanity and vexation of Spirit But O how have you most of you been deceived by her Have you not thought and do you not think that there is much sweetness and pleasure in taking your fill of the love of her Are not your Hearts so far gone to her as that you are her constant Servants her humble Servants her diligent Servants Are you not continually imbracing of her hugging of her in your Bosoms Can you easily or willingly be out of her company Can you find in your heart to part with her though on a good account Is not the thought of that unpleasant to you Will you not strain your Consciences so far as to make them crack rather then part with this Paramour of yours Will you not rather make Shipwrack of a good Conscience then be deprived of this Harlot Have you not many of you already suffered many a bleeding wound in your Consciences rather then you would part with her Are there not some things which some of you have done full sore against your minds and Consciences within these five or ten years on purpose to keep your beloved Mistress in your Bosome which without wounding your Conscience you thought you could not so safely keep O how hard how grievous is it for you to think of parting with her though on the very best acâ—ount O consider this all ye that too much forget God Consider this ye Adulterers Ps 50. 22 Jam. 4. 4. and Adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the World is enmity with God Whosoever therefore will be a Friend of the World is the Enemy of God Consider how ye are inslaved by this deceitful Strumpet and how hateful your Adulteries have been how your whorish Hearts have grieved the good Spirit of God how you have gone a whoring from under your God what filthy Adulterers and Adultereâ—ses you have been Consider whether your Sin of Adultery be not more haâ—eful and more odious then the Adultery of an unfaithful Husband and or Wife that goeth to another Bed Their unfaithfulness is hateful but it is but unfaithfulness unto a poor mean Creature whatever their quality be but yours is unfaithfulness to your glorious and ever blessed Creator to him that is never unconstant to you nor never gave you any temptation so to be to him but is most lovely in himself and is the same yesterday to day and forever But vile Wietches that you are how great have been your Whoredoms notwithstanding Had you any pretence for
to be the Sins of the House of Jacob or whether of any other Evil whatsoever that he is convinced of if he be not truly penitent and have not truly forsaken those Evils It is a very dangerous thing for such a one to approach to the Table of the Lord such do eat that Bread and drink that Cup of the Lord unworthily and do come together unto condemnation And the Lord will condemn them for it unless they speedily repent and judge themselves and condemn themselves that they may not be judged But O how unpreparedly and unworthily have many without examination or consideration of the greatness of the undertaking rushed unto the Table of the Lord without the Wedding Garment and how seldome have some Administrators of that Oâ—dinance given warning unto their Heareâ—s of the danger of it and Preached preparation Sermons or Words which they ought to have done as they tendered the safety or welfare of their Souls The Lord hath been greatly provoked to anger for the Sins of the House of Jacob and shall such sinners still be permitted to come to the Table of the Lord without repentance Thirdly It is also the Duty of every such faithful Servants of the Lord Duty III in the several Congregations to declare distinctly and particularly to every person that desires to be joyned to any Church of Christ hereafter that they may not be admiâ—â—ed into that Holy Fellowship if they be guilty of or do live in any of these Evils or any other known Sin and that hereafter if any of them be â—ound in any Evil they must expect to be cast out from among them For one great Reason why Sin hath so abounded among the Professors of the fear of the Lord is the unfaithfulness of the generality of the Churches unto the Lord in not exercising his Ordinances and Appointments faithfully but suffering sins one upon another and not shewing that true love and true friendship one towards another to reprove one another faithfully and graciously and meekly according to the Gospel-Rule and the Rule of the Law also for restoring such as are overtaken in faults But their suffering sinners to go on in sin in those Sins declared to be their â—ins and to grow old in Sin and hardened in Sin So that now it is a hard work for them to break off their Sins by Righteousness and their hardheaâ—ted iniquities by shewing mercy to the Poor Dan. 4. 27. Who whereas had the Ordinances of Christ been faithfully and frequently and duly practised whensoever there was occasion Sin might have been nipt in the Bâ—d and never have risen up to such a Rod of Wickedness as it hath Ezek. 7. â—1 done If Covetousness had been curbed betimes it would not have grown up to that monstrousness that now it is in many Church-Members And if hardness of heart and close-fistedness had been faithfully reproved it would have been more a shame to be so Iâ— the odiousness of Pride and self-conceitedness had been faithfully laid open in the Spirit of meekness and love to those in whom at any time it appeared it might have greatly prevented the continuance of it If â—â—owardness of Spirit had been faithfully declared against as an Evil very unbecoming Saints and an Evil wherein they are most unlike their Lord who was meek and lowly in heart and as a Lamb dumb before the Sheaâ—ers he opened not his mouth and therefore not to be tollerated in any that is a Member in a Church of Christ it might greatly restrain and mortifie that detestable Evil. So also if neglects of holy Duties had been declared against as not fit to be suffered in any Member of a Church of Christ it would have been both a shame and a grief of heart to any person to neglect Duties that ought to be duly and constantly performed whereas now Duties are neglected without shame or blushing or true grief of heart So also if Covenant-breaking had been reproved in any onâ— Church-Member and declared against as an Evil abhor'd oâ— God and of his People and that it was not fit that any such person should remain a Member of a Church of Christ without true repentance I say if this Rule had been put in â—re in the Churches of Christ when first any Member of any Church appeared to be guilty of it as many were fifteen years ago and more it might have prevented many others and have caused them that were so dealt with viz. ordeâ—ly reproved for that Evil and if impenitent cast out as grievous sinners and not worthy to remain in the House of the Lord to have considered their wayes and to have been truly humbled and penitent long ago But they being suffered to remain in a Church of Christ impenitent under the first Evil of that kind they were left to hardness of heart and searedness of Conscience in that and many other Evils making no bones of breaking Oaths and solemn Ingagements in every particular 1 Tim. 4â— 2. part of them and left to such other Evils as they would have abhor'd the very thoughts of them if they had been told but three years before that within a few years they should be very grievous sinners against the Lord in such and such sorts of Sin and to such and such high degrees And they would have said as Hazael said to Elisha Is thy Servant a Dog that he should do this great thing But being suffered to remaâ—n in Churches impenitent in the first breach of Covenant they were so hardened as they justified themselves in that and other grievous iniquities and saw no Evil in them neither weâ—e penitent in the sence of them until the judgements of God came in like a deluge upon them and though the judgements of God are come they do not at all repent nor give him glory nor sanctifie his Name in saying Righteous art thou O Lord and just are thy Judgements Ps 119. 137. Though his judgements are come upon us for this very end that he may sanctifie his great Name which hath been polluted by his People among the Heathen among the unbelieving Nations about us and among the unbelievers in these three Nations I say they do not repent of nor turn from their Evil nor glorifie and sanctifie the Name of the Lord in declaring that he is just when he speaketh and clear when he judgeth It is true they will confess in general that they are sinners and so will the worst of men But where is the acknowledging Psal 5â—â— 4. of particular Evils in the Publick Congregations and taking shame for them before all in the great Assemblies that God may be glorified and the declaring a detestation of them and the publick manifestation of the turning from them that the Name of the Lord may be Hallowed Sanctified Psal 5. 4. 11. 7. and Glorified for he is not a God that hath pleasure in Wickedness â—either shall Evil dwell with him And The Righteous Lord
Church-Assemblies where we have heard the good Word of God in the Parish-Assemblies and in other Assemblies and the Word of the Lord hath been sweet unto us And we have been Partakers of that great Ordinance of the Lords institution at his Last Supper frequently wherein we have endeavoured to do it in remembrance of him and to shew forth his death until he come And we have upon several occasions kept days of Fasting and days of Thanksgiving both publickly and more retiredly And wherein have we not walked in the Ways of God nor been obedient unto his Laws The answer to these things is this It is true O House of Jacob that ye do many of you seek the Lord dayly and delight to know his ways as a Isa 58. 2. Nation that did Righteousness and forsook not the Ordinances of their God yea ye ask of him the Ordinances of Justice and ye take delight in approaching to God and ye come and sit before the Prophets and Ministers of God as his People and ye say the Word of the Lord is good and it is sweet Ezek. 32. 31 32. and with your mouth you shew much love But notwithstanding all this you are a People that have greatly sinned against the Lord for you would not walk in his ways neither were you obedient unto his Laws and you must be shewed wherein And you must know this O House of Jacob though there be many sins that ye cannot be said to be guilty of living in the constant practice of as those others do that cannot in any sence be called by the name of the House of Jacob or Israel because they do not so much as pretend to be Professors of being the Lords servants or being as they call some Puritans but despise being such Yet there are some sins that you the generality of you are as guilty of as the generality of those others are and those sins that you are guilty of are as odious and hateful in the sight of God as the other sins they live in are as you will see by the Testimony of his Servants the Prophets The sins that you are not guilty of or at least cannot be said to live in them as others do are these 1. The Sins of common and prophane swearing and taking the Name of God in vain and of horrible and blasphemous speeches The Sins of this sort are not your Sins that are Professors of the Fear and Love of God in your hearts but are the Sins of wicked prophane loose Creatures that make no profession of the Fear of God 2. The Sin of a common prophane idle loose spending the Sabbath-day or the first day of the Week in sports and plays and dancing and drinking and vain discourses This hath not been the Sin of any of them that have professed the fear of the Lord But they have generally in their measure though not without their weaknesses endeavoured conscionably to spend that â—ay in exercises of another nature Yea they that profess the fear of the Lord have generally a desire to keep as a day to the Lord one day in seven at least either the first day of the week or the seventh day and some of them have conscionably observed and kept both the seventh day and the first day of the week So that this hath not been your sin O ye that may be called by the name of the House of Jacob or of the Lords People but the sin of the prophane World 3. The Sin of unconscionable and wicked lying and deceitful words in jest or earnest in the common manner of some that make no conscience at all of telling Lies is not a sin that they that fear the Lord live in but their words and their reports of things have generally been such as have credit upon the account of their profession and they are known to be such as will not lie and men will take their words in the things which they say or promise 4. The sin of stealing and common cheating and deceiving which many make no bones of is not a Sin that they live in that fear the Lord but if before Conversion they have cheated any yet when they come to fear the Lord they do restore it again 5. The Sin of Adultery or Fornication or Whoredom is a Sin that they do not live in that fear the Lord but they abhor such beastliness such filthiness as knowing that Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge Heb. 13. 4 6. The sin of Drunkenness and excessive abuse of those good Creatures that are given for the refreshment of our Bodies and not for intemperancy nor for the destruction of the health of the Body as intemperancy in the use of them is to many This is not a Sin of the House of Jacob. They that profess the fear of the Lord do not live in the practice of it But their sobriety and moderation therein is known unto all men These six great Evils and the Evils of the breach of the fifth and sixth Commandments which some others make no Bones of are Sins that are not at this day chargeable upon the People that profess the fear of the Lord. It cannot be said that they do live in the Practice of them Though it cannot be denied but in most of these very Sins some or other of them that fear the Lord have sometimes miscarried But it may not be said that they or any of them do constantly live in these Sins from day to day or week to week as they do in some other Sins but tâ—eir miscarrying in these things is very rare and when they do they are grieved and troubled for and repent of their so doing with all their Souls And as for some of these Sins very many of them that profess the fear of the Lord were never guilty of the commission of them in all their Lives and if any of them ever were it may be it is not one of a hundred or one of a thousand of them that have so bin guilty and they have truly repented of them and turned from them as Stealing Cheating Adultery Fornication or Murder or common Swearing I say these Sins that have been named are not the Sins of the Lords People at this day But if such things be discovered in any that profess to be the Lords People and are Members of Sion of the Churches of Christ they soon come under Reproof and Censure and if they live in them they are frequently Excommunicate or cast out of the Churches as unfit to have the Name of living in Sion or of being accounted the Israel of God But O House of Jacob and you that are called by the Name of Israel you are generally guilty at this day of great and horrible Evils for which the Lord hath brought upon you one Judgement after another and his anger is not yet turned away but his hand is stretched out still Therefore O Israel consider Isa 9. 17 21. well
your forsaking him and imbracing the present World Was he a barren Wilderness unto you or a Land of Darkness What Iniquity have ye found in him Jer. 2. 5 31. Will you say You were some of you poor in this World What then Did he not chuse you to be rich in Faith and Heirs of a Kingdom And was not your condition therein better then the greatest Emperours upon Earth Jam. 2. 5. Could ye not be content to be an Heir of a Kingdom but like foolish Children must sell your birthright for a mess of Pottage and chuse to fall in league into friendship with this World and consequently to enmity with God What have you done Know ye not what ye have done Know ye not that the friendstrip with this World is enmity with God Knew ye not that if ye fell in love with that Strumpet she would steal your Hearts from God Behold This is the plain assertion of the Spirit of God Jam. 4. 5. Whoseever therefore will be a friend of the World is the Enemy of God Where are ye now What a sad gulf have ye implunged your selves into ye Adulterers and Adulteresses that have treacherously departed from the Lord and are become very filthy very lewd very poluted very treacherous Creatures Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge And where will ye appear that Heb. 13. 4 have been such Adulterers in grain and have so greatly provoked the Eyes of his Glory with your abominable Uncleannesses and sinful Dalliances with a deceitful Harlot and have not had so much as thoughts of forsaking her to return to your first Husband but you have loved Strangers and after them Jer. 2. 25 will ye go And what will ye do in the end thereof But that they may not be charged with this great Sin of Covetousness which is more hateful in the Lords People then Idolatry or Adultery in others whom it may be the Lord will not charge with it Let me now declare before I proceed any farther who they are that in the clear Light of the Scripture do appear to be guilty of it not naming Persons but leaving them to acknowledge themselves to be the men or women before the Lord and before some of his People if they have a Heart so to do to the end he may be glorified And first They that having made a Profession of being Saints and have some of them been Members of Churches and have for a time been great Lovers of the Word of God and with desire have desired to be fed with the sincere Milk of the Word in Lectures and other Sermons and in several Meetings and having been so fed it hath been sweeter unto them then the Honey and the Honey-Comb And yet afterwards having opportunities of trading and imployment in the World or of Offices Military or Civil have found Wealth coming in thereby and by degrees have weaned themselves from the blessed Paps of Sion's Consolation and from the Milk of the abundance of her Glory whereof they might have suck'd and been satisfied and have gone to the Brests of this World and taken pleasure in them and her Brests have satisfied them almost at all times Having had the World flowing in upon them plentifully and delighting themselves therein although they have been sensible of great â—eanness and barrenness of Spirit and have lost in a great measure their first Love But the pleasures of this new Lover hath so taken away their hearts as they have therewith contented themselves though without the Heart solacing Comforts of their true Husband which sometimes they enjoyed I say such as these have been guilty of this great Sin as appears by these following Scriptures Hos 2. from vers 5. to 16. Ezek. 16. from vers 15. to 30. Jer. 2. 11 12 13. Ezek. 23. 35. Deut. 33. 15 18 19. And secondly They are those covetous persons that out of eager and thirsting desires of heaping up more and more of the Wealth of this World though they have had comfortable Estates for the supply of themselves and theirs already and have had no need so to do yet have neglected almost all opportunities of enjoying Communion with their God their first Husband either in hearing Lectures or Sermons or in meeting together in Church-Meetings or in taking any solemn constant times of waiting upon their Lord in Closets or in Family-Duties And if sometimes these things have been done yet it hath been but when worldly business would admit oâ— it and many of these Opportunities have been neglected week after week and day after day The which many of those that have lived in the Families with them and have bin in Church-fellowship with them can plentifully witness And it is known how many days have bin past by some of these idolatrous adulterous covetous Persons and but one half hour in a day spent in any Religious performance yea sometimes not that and that in the Evening when they have been wearied with other business and been fit for nothing â—ut to sleep and dream or in the Morning when haste about other business hath hurried them away And when done done with formality coldness and dead heartedness enough I say Those that have so greatly neglected these and many other religious Duties to pursue the Worlds Profits though they have had no necessity so to do having comfortable Estates these are the Covetous Persons by the World condemned and not those whose necessities constrain thereto at sometimes for many blessed Servants of the Lord have been so put to it for want of dayly supplies for themselves and Families as they have been fain to work morning early and evening late to provide daily Bread for their Family having onely had from hand to mouth Some single Persons and some that have had others depending upon them and if some of these should be charged with this Sin they that so charge them may wrong the Generation of the Just and condemn the Innocent But mâ—ny of these that have had very little of this World and have received no Contributions from others have appeared at Lectures and Church-Meetings moâ—e constantly and far more diligently then they who have had twenty times their Estates And therefore they that are and have been in a mean condition and unavoidably are compelled to much dayly Labour are not hereby so much condemned But many of these will rise up in Judgement against their Brethren and condemn them in that though they have been very needy and necessitous yet they have been more constant Attendants upon the solemn Worship of God then them And that these that though not for need but for desire of much Wealth have made so bold as to neglect holy Duties are the sinful Covetous Persons appears by these several Scriptures 1 Tim. 6. 10. Heb. 13. 5. Col. 3. 5. Demas hath forsaken us and loved this present World 2 Tim. 4. 10. Luk. 16. 13. Jam 4. 5. But thirdly Another character of a covetous Person
persons when they know most and see Truth with the most spiritual Eye then they have always the greatest abhorrency of themselves in the truest sence of their own vileness so it will be with the whoâ—e Church of Christ when God shall in the latter days discover his Glory which Isaiah and others have had some Glympses of most clearly and most perspicuously as he will then reveal it as Isa 35. 2. Jer. 31. 14. Isa 40. 5. and many other places shew Then when his whole Sion shall be filled with the discoveries of the Goodness the Grace the Kindness the pardoning Mercies of the Lord When all their Iniquities are pardoned and all that dwell in Sion shall be forgiven their Iniquity Then shall they be most humble and most abhorring themselves for their own vileness as Ezek. 16. 62 63. And I will establish my Covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that thou mayst remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord God And the like Ezek. 36. 31. where the Lord having declared what great things he would do for them it is said Then shall ye remember your own Evil Ways and your Doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your Iniquities and for your Abominations But those persons are far from abhoâ—â—ing themselves in the sence of their vileness and from taking shame and confusion of faces to themselves that are greatly netled and offended at any reproof of another that judgeth he seeth some Evil in a man that he ougâ—t to reprove him for What doth this argue but that such a person is puffed up and hath a high esteem of himself as if he could not erre and would not have any to think he doth erre nor to have any mean thought of him because he hath no mean thoughts of himself What doth this argue but Pride and thinking more highly of himself then he ought to think that ought to be poor and needy mean and unworthy in his owâ— esteem continually But for a person to â—â—et and â—ume to be offended and highly displeased and to gather up all the Fig-Leaves that possibly he can to cover his shame and not ingeniously to acknowledge it to the very utmost circumstance of it as fâ—r as he is guilty doth discover a very proud and unworthy spirit And of this sin very many of the Lords People are too guilty But I cannot charge 〈◊〉 upon any one Distinction or Understanding of them more then upon others some of each being very sadly guilty of it But for an humble Soul that 's truly humble indeed no Reproofs for Evil can offend it whether they be justly or unjustly administâ—ed to him for he will say Let the Righteous smite me and it shall be a kindness and let him reprove me and it shall be an excellent Oyl which shall not break my Head And will Psa 141. 5 say to such Blessed be you of the Lord for your faithfulness to me and though it may be I do not see this Evil in my self so clearly as you do yet it may be you may see what I do not and I desire to search my heaâ—â— throughly in this matter for it is apt to deceive me and I know I am a poor vile Worm and I desire to be more sensible of my own vileness and unworthiness then you can be and I desire from my Soul to be cleansed from this evil and I desire your Prayers that I may be so and may be fully convinced of it and may repent in Dust and Ashes and blessed be God that hath given this blessed Precept to his People to reprove for Sin They that hate their Brother in Lev. 19. â—â— their Heart will not do this kind Office But this is an Act of Love to my Soul and I highly prize it for the Love of this kind is better then other Love that Prov. 27. 5. 1 Cor. 11. 31 32. may be in the Heart but cometh not forth into Act therefore open Rebuke is better then secret Love And I desire always to be thus dealt with that I may judge my self and condemn my self that I may not be condemed with the World Thus the humble Soul will be so far from being offended at Reproof as it will with thankfulness receive the sharpest Reproof you can administer unto him But when a person cannot bear Reproof whether it be justly or unjustly administred to him let him conclude that any unkindly bearing of Reproof springs from Pride not that a man ought not at any time to endeavour to clear himself when he is not at all guilty of an Evil if upon a mistake or mis-apprehension he be charged with it for if a man be wholly guiltless of that evil that he is charged with yet if first he cannot with all meekness and sweetness return an answer to his Brother or Sister that reproves him but storms and is offended he is proud and cannot endure that any should have mean thoughts of him and though he may be guiltless in this yet in some other respects it may be he is ten times worse then they charge him with Or secondly if he do make a soft answer yet if he have a secret grudge in his heart against that Brother and heart-rising thoughts and cannot as truly and tenderly respect him as ever he did and as one that hath done him a very kind and friendly office he is proud for nothing but a haughty spirit will move him to disrespect him for speaking that to him that may tend any way to his abasing for a truly humble Souldeâ—â—res always to be abased in its own Eyes and is not troubled if it be abased in the Eyes of others as knowing it cannot be more abased then it deserves to be But that too many of them that are called the House of Jacob and Israel and that profess to be nearer to God then others have been deâ—ply guilty of this sort of proud spirit hath been too evident and apparent Their proud spirits and high stomachs that must come down and their haughtiness that must be humbled being visible to many when theâ—e have been Reproofs administred to them and of this both Presbyterians Quakers Baptised and Independants some of them all are to be charged Another thing wherein some of them all have also been guilty of Pride is their being lifted up because of Gods holy Mountain and each of them despising and undervaluing others because they thought they in particular were Gods holy Mountain As the Baptised Churches have many Members of them if not most of them been ready to censure and judge all others as being none of Christs but those that were in their way and they onely were Sion they onely were the Israel of God and those that come in to them they come to Sion they *
and injuriousness For these praâ—lers and taâ—lers do either speak something they have heard from other tatlers or tale-bearers or something which they conjecture or imagine from such and such circumstances or from seeming grounds or from mistakes or misâ—pprehensâ—ons which they have in themselves or have â—eceived from others in which they think they have very strong grounds for what they repoâ—t All which being examined may be no grounds for such reports And so in all these things the Talebearer that â—peaks any thing that tends to the defaming of a person not present is oftentimes a great lyar and slanderer and is very unrighteous and unjust and is a sower of discord and is very injurious for it is very frequent for persons that tell tales or reports of things which they have heard from others to make additions and alterations either through badness of memory or delight in many words or both for some cannot remember things exactly and they speak at â—andom and others love many words and have a faculty to stretch things beyond what they are and most are subject to mistake words and when one word is taken for another or a sentence is taken to have another meaning then was intended it much alters the caâ—e and on these accounts many mâ—schiefs and evils have attended this kind of Talebearing also when persons out of a desire to praâ—tle and for want of better discourse do take that sinful liberty to speak things which tend to the defaming and undervaluing of others wherein they have been guilty of much evil and have greatly wronged their own Souls And so also when through a disposition to vaunt and boast and â—ender â— mans self to be excelling in Parts or in Virtue or Zeal or Courage c. and to render another more mean or low and despicable or unworthy and to lessen the esleem that others have of them or of any work or worth of tâ—eirs herein also such a Backbiter is many times a haiâ—ous and grievous sinner in the forementioned particulars and doth prove to be also a proud boaster and evil doer in a high degree And by this time it doth in part appear that the sin of Backbiting is a hainous crime and it is no wonder that it is ranked amongst the worst of sins But Thirdly As the Scripture declares the sin of Talebearing to be against the express command of the Lord and as it ranks it amongst the woâ—st of sins So thirdly The Scriptures declare the words of Talebearers to be as wounds and as the bitings of a Serpent as Prov. 18. 8. The words of a Tale-bearer are as wounds and they go down into the innermost parts of the Belly and Eccles 10. 11. Surely the Serpent will bite without inchantment and a Babler is no better And how unworthy a thing is it for the Servants of our Lord Jesus Christ to wound one another and to bite one another like the bitings of a Serpent And how greatly unbecoming the Gospel that requires such great degrees of love to brethâ—en Our Lord Christ gives this as the great Character whereby all men may know who are his Disciples viz. Their love one to another By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have John 13. 35. 1 John 3. 14. love one to another And the beloved Apostle John declares that this is the great evidence which Saints have in their own Souls that they are passed from Death to Life because they love the Brethren Now when a man doth wound and cut his Brother yea wound and gash his very inward parts as the Scripture declares that the words of a Tale-bearer do and when a man bites his brother like the bitings of a Serpent as the Scripture sayes the words of a Tale-bearer are no better I say When a man doth thus wound and bite his Brother What proof doth he give to others of his being a Disciple of Christ Or what comfortable evidence can he have in his own Soul that he is passed from Death to Life And yet these are the hateful and odious qualities of a Tale-bearer as the Scripture declares them And Fourthly The Scripture declares that a Whisperer or Tale-bearer is one that maketh divisions among Brethren as Prov. 16. 18. A Whisperer separateth chief Friends It is a very blessed thing for men and women to be alwayes studying and striving to be Peace-makers when there is any contention among Brethren Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called Mat. 5. 9. the Children of God God is stiled the God of Peace and the Peace-makers shall be called his Children it is a mark of a Child of God that is a Peace-maker And great are the blessings that attend Brethrens dwelling together in Peace in Love having dear and true and cordial affections one toward another And as Peter phrases it having love unfeigned and loving one another with a pure heart fervently And assuredly some of the Lords Servants do so love one another they are very dear one to another beholding 1 Pet. 1. 32. the Image of the Lord Christ one in another they are very lovely one in anothers Eye and the trouble or grief that comes upon one cuts the heart of another and the joy of one is the joy and comfort of another and so they dwell together in unity having one heart in dear love one to another and this may be though in some things they may differ in their judgements Now where this dwelling together in amity and unity is the Scripture declares it to be a very lovely and a very pleasant thing and tells us that there the Lord commands the Blessing even life for evermore and such are surely passed from Death to Life Psâ—â— 133 1 2 3. But a Whisperer doth that contrary that sinful that hateful work that tends to separating of chief Friends not onely of common and ordinary Friends but such as were chief Friends such as had a preference more then ordinary in the hearts and affections one of another And this hath commonly been done by Tale-bearers For the words of Tale-bearers which they have spoken behind a mans back have sometimes had such a deep influence upon the minds of men as to race a friend out of the affections that before was very dear to them and thence hath come an estrangedness and distance which hath never been made up And this hath been many times when there hath been no cause at all for it if all things had been examined in a sober Spirit face to face But the Tale-bearers words having been received and taken for truths without examination they have made a great distance between those that were before intimate Friends Fifthly The Scriptures declare that a Tale-bearer revealeth secret which is an unworthy thing in any for there are things which ought to be kept secret if we love the wellfare or the peace or the credit one of another and being concealed and kept
question being put Who shall dwell in the Lords Holy Hill It is answered Psal 15. He that walketh uprightly and worketh Righteousness and speaketh the truth in his heart He that back biteth not with his Tongue nor doth evil to his Neighbour nor taketh up a â—eproach against his Neighbour in whose eyes a vile person is contemned but he honoureth them that fâ—ar the Lord He that sweareth to his own hurt and chargeth not he that putteth not out his money to Vsury nor taketh a Reward against the innocent And Psal 24. He that hath clean hands and a pure heart who hath not lift up his Soul unto vanity nor sworn decâ—itfully And Isa 33. 15 16. It is said That that man that shall dwell on high and that shall see the King in his beauty and whose eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet Habitation that he shaâ—l be a man that walketh Righteously and speaketh uprightly and that he despiseth the gain of Oppâ—ession and shaketh his hands from holding of Bribes and stoppeth his Ears from hearing of Blood and shutteth his Eyes from seeing Evil. There are also many Scriptures that do give â—ull Testimony to this that the latter-day-Saints shall have this Inscription written on them HOLINESS â—â—ch 14. â—â— TO THE LORD So that persons that live in a continued course of any of the forementioned Evils are altogether uncapable of dwelling in the Holy Hill in the House in the City of the Lord and of being the Lambs Followers For he hates the works of them that turn aside of back-sliders of them that have forsaken him and cleave to other Lovers or that turn aside and betray his Interest or that are unrighteous in neglecting his Worship and his Ordinances Suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfil all Righteousness saith he to John implying that the being obedient unto God in the practise of all his Ordinances and Appointments that being then a dispensation and appointment of the Lord in that season he having appointed and commissioned his blessed Servant John â—o Baptize his People Israel is a pâ—rt of the Righteousness of his People And he hates unrighteousness in not keeping his â—recepts also that require Love Mercy Meekness and Lowlâ—ness and Faithfulness But he saith That he that walketh in a perfect way he shall serve me he shall have that honour and happiness and Mine Eyes shall be upon the Faithful of the Land that they may dwell with me And He that speaketh the truth in his heart and he that is of such a tender heart and gracious Spirit as he will not back-bite his Neighbour will not speak evil of him behind his back nor hear evil to be spoken of him will not take up a reproach against him noâ— will swear deceitfully but will keep his Oath though it be to his own hurt and prejudice such a man shall dwell in his Holy Hill But a wicked person he will not know he that is of a froward heart shall depart from him and he that slandereth his Neighbou the will cut off and him that hath a high look and a proud hear the will not suffer He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within his house nor him that telleth lies But he will early destroy all the wicked of the Land and cut off all wicked doers from the City of the Lord How greatly therefore doth it concern all the Lords People to fear and tremble at the thoughts of living in those sins of which many of them are declared to be guilty or in any others of which they may know themselves to be guilty Now then it is clear from these several Scriptures that these Blessed Ones that shall be near the Lamb and shall follow him whithersoever he goeth shall be a People that shall hate Covetousness they shall be a chaste Spouse unto him they shall be perfectly free from Harlotty No Beloved shall have their hearts but their Lord and though it may be some of them have been Idolaters yet when they are convinced of the abominableness of this Evil they shall with a holy indignation cast away their Idols of Silver and their Idols of Gold which they have made each one for themselves unto the Moles and the Bats they shall haâ—e the thoughts of their Idolatry Isa 2. 20. and Harlotry They shall be grieved to look upon their Bags of Money and their great Stocks in Trading and Merchandizing when they cast up the sum of them and of their Lands and Houses and Rents which they have purchased and hoorded up with delight And that which was their greatest delight shall be their greatest buâ—then and it shall grieve their Souls and cut them to the heart to think how hard-hearted they were in laying up all this and suffering many dear Servants of their Lord to want when they knew it and were told of it and yet had not hearts to relieve them and they shall be so grieved and so humbled and so reformed herein as it shall be most apparent that though they were defiled with the love of the World and that Harlot had stollen away their hearts now it shall be so no more Now none but Christ none but Christ is the delight of their Souls and the World shall be trampled under their feet They shall despise it and all the offers of it when it comes in competition with the service of their Lord whose Worship and Service in private and in publick in Closets and Families and Churches and in the world if they call them to any service there shall be their meaâ— and drink their joy their delight their Heaven upon Earth Thus there will be a blessed freedom from that Sin of Covetousness and not from that sin only but from all other Evils also Now how greatly doth it concern all the Lords People to fear and tremble at the thoughts of living in those sins of which many of them are declared to be guilty or in any others of which they know themselves to be guilty But if ye love to be near the King to dwell withâ—n his House to be of the City of the Lord to see the King in his Beauty to have the honour to serve him Be ye sure to wash and make clean and to put away all the evil of your doings from before his Eyes Lest he be angry and ye perish leâ—t he destroy you as the wicked of the Land and cut you off from the City of the Lord. But remember this one Word of his He that walketh in a perfect way â—e shall serve me III. Another great Consideration that I would lay before the Lords People to provoke them to a deep Humiliation and a thorow Reformation is Consideration III this That as without it their most solemn Services cannot have acceptance with their God and as without it they cannot be the Lambs Followers nor be admitted into his Holy Habitation into his House and Blesâ—ed Presence So neither without iâ— shall they be