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prefence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft; (for where one is, there is God all whole in majesty, together with all his power, wisdom, and goodness,) and fear not, I fay, the danger and peril of fo traitorous a defiance and departure? Good Chriftian brethren and fifters, advise yourselves, confider the dignity that ye be now fet in, let no folly lofe the thing that grace hath fo preeioufly offered and purchased, let not wilfulness and blindness put out fo great light that is now fhewed unto you. Only take good bearts unto you, and put upon you all Ephef. vi. the armour of God, that ye may stand against your enemies, which would again fubdue you, and bring you into their thraldom. Remember ye be bought from your vain converfa- 1 Pet. i. tion, and that your freedom is purchafed neither with gold nor filver, but with the price of the precious blood of that innocent Lamb Jefus Chrift, which was ordained to the fame purpafe before the world was made. But he was fo declared in the latter time of grace for your fakes, which by him have your faith in God, who hath raifed him from death, and hath given him glory, that you fhould have your faith and hope towards God. Therefore as you have hitherto followed the vain lufts of your minds, and fo difpleafed God to the danger of your fouls; fo now, like obedient children thus purified by faith, give yourfelves to walk that way which God moveth you to, that ye may receive the end of your faith, the falvation of your fouls. And as you have given your bodies to unrighte- 1 Pet i. oufnefs, to fin after fin; fo now give yourselves to righteoufnefs, to be fanctified therein. If ye delight in this article of our faith, that Chrift is rifen again from death to life, then follow you the example of his refurrection, as St. Paul exhorteth us, faying, As we be buried with Rom. vi. Chrift by our baptifm into death, Jo let us daily die to fin, mortifying and killing the evil defires and motions thereof. And as Chrift was raifed up from death by the glory of the Father, fo let us rife to a new life, and walk continually therein, that we may likewife as natural children live a converfation to move men to glorify our Father which is in heaven. If we then be rifen with Chrift by our faith to the hope Matt. v. of everlasting life, let us rife also with Chrift, after his example, to a new life, and leave our old: We ball then be truly rifen, if we feek for things that be heavenly, if we have our affection on things that be above, and not on things that be on the earth. If ye defire to know what thefe earthly things be which ye fhould put off, and what be the hea venly things above, that ye fhould feek and enfue, St.

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Paul in the Epiftle to the Coloffians declareth, when he Coloff. ii. exhorteth us thus: Mortify your earthly members, and old aff Etm of fin, as fornication, uncleanness, unnatural luft, evil concupifcence, and covetousness, which is worshipping of idols; for the which things, the wrath of God is wont to fall on the children of unbelief; in which things once ye walked, when ye lived in them. But now put ye also away from you, wrath, fierceness, maliciousness, curjed speaking, filthy speaking, out of your mouths. Lie not one to another, that the old man with his works be put off, and the new be put on. Thefe be the earthly things which St. Paul moved you to caft from you, and to pluck your hearts from them: for in following thefe, ye declare yourselves earthly and worldly. Thefe be the fruits of the earthly Adam. Thefe fhould you daily kill by good diligence, in withftanding the defires of them, that ye might rife to righteoufnefs. Let your affection from henceforth be fet on beavenly things, fue and fearch for mercy, kindness, meekness, patience, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel to another, as Chrift forgave you, even fo do ye. If thefe and fuch other heavenly virtues ye enfuc in the refidue of your life, ye thall thew plainly that ye be rifen with Chrift, and that ye be the heavenly children of your Father in heaven; from whom, as from the giver, cometh thefe graces and gifts. Ye fhall prove by this manner, that your converfation is in heaven, where your hope is; and not on earth, following the beaftly appetites of the flesh. Ye must confider that ye be therefore cleanfed and renewed, that ye fhould from henceforth ferve God in holinefs and righteoufnefs all the days of your lives, that ye may reign with him in everlasting life. If ye refufe fo great grace, whereto ye be called, what other thing do ye, than heap to you damnation more and more, and fo provoke God to caft his difpleasure upon you, and to revenge this mockage of his holy facraments in fo great abufing of them? Apply yourselves, good friends, to live in Chrift, that Chrift may ftill live in you, whofe favour and affiftance if ye have, then have ye everlasting life already within you, then can nothing hurt you. Whatfoever is hitherto done and committed, Chrift, ye fee, hath offered you pardon, and clearly received you to his favour again, in full furety whereof ye have him now inhabiting and dwelling within you. Only Coloff. iii. fhew yourfelves thankful in your lives, determine with yourselves to refuse and avoid all fuch things in your converfations as fhould offend his eyes of mercy. Endeavour

James i.

Phil. iii.

Luke i.

John v.

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yourfelves that way to rife up again, which way ye fell into the well or pit of fin. If by your tongue you have offended, now thereby rife again, and glorify God therewith; accuftem it to laud and praife the name of God, as ye have therewith difhonoured it. And as ye have hurt the name of your neighbour, or otherwife hindered him," fo now intend to reftore it to him again. For without reftitution God accepteth not your confeffion, nor yet Reftitution. your repentance. It is not enough to forfake evil, except you fet your courage to do good. By what occafion foever you have offended, turn now the occafion to the honouring of God, and profit of your neighbour. Truth Pfal. xxxvi. it is that fin is ftrong, and affections unruly. Hard it is to fubdue and refift our nature, fo corrupt and leavened with the four bitterness of the poifon, which we received by the inheritance of our old father Adam. But yet take Matt. vi. good courage, faith our Saviour Chrift, for I have overcome the world, and all other enemies for you. Sin fball not have power over you, for ye be now under grace, faith St. Paul. Rom. vi. Though your power be weak, yet Chrift is rifen again to ftrengthen you in your battle, his holy Spirit fhall help Rom. viii. your infirmities. In truft of his mercy, take you in hand to purge this old leaven of fin, that corrupteth and foureth the sweetness of our life before God; that ye may 1 Cor. v. be as new and fresh dough, void of all four leaven of wickedness; fo fhall ye fhew yourselves to be fweet bread to God, that he may have his delight in you. I fay, kill and offer you up the worldly and earthly affections of your bodies. For Chrift our Eafter Lamb is offered up for us, to flay the power of fin, to deliver us from the danger thereof, and to give us example to die to fin in our lives. As the Jews did eat their Eafter Lamb, and keep their feaft in remembrance of their deliverance out of Egypt; even fo let us keep our Eafter feaft in the thankful remembrance of Chrift's benefits, which he hath plentifully wrought for us by his refurrection and paffing to his Father, whereby we are delivered from the captivity and thraldom of all our enemies. Let us in like manner pass over the affections of our old conversation, that we may be delivered from the bondage thereof, and rife with Chrift. The Jews kept their feaft in abftaining Exod. vii from leavened bread by the space of feven days. Let us Chriftian folk keep our holy-day in fpiritual manner; that is, in abitaining, not from material leavened bread, but from the old leaven of fin, the leaven of maliciousness and wickednefs. Let us caft from us the leaven of corBb 3

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rupt doctrine, that will infect our fouls. Let us keep our feaft the whole term of our life, with eating the bread of purenefs, of godly life, and truth of Chrift's doctrine. Thus fhall we declare that Chrift's gifts and graces have their effect in us, and that we have the right belief and knowledge of his holy refurrection: where truly, if we apply our faith to the virtue thereof in our life, and conform us to the example and fignification meant thereby, we shall be sure to rife hereafter to everlasting glory, by the goodness and mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift: to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all glory, thanksgiving, and praise, in infinita feculorum fecula.

Amen.

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AN

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Worthy receiving and reverent efteeming of the
Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Chrift,

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HE great love of our Saviour Chrift towards mankind, good Chriftian people, doth not only appear in that dear-bought benefit of our redemption and falvation by his death and paffion, but also in that he fo kindly provided, that the fame moft merciful work might be had in continual remembrance, to take, fome place in us, and not be fruftrate of his end and purpofe. For as tender parents are not content to procure for their children coftly poffeffions and livelihood, but take order that the fame may be conferved and come to their use; fo our Lord and Saviour thought it not fufficient to purchase for us his Father's favour again, (which is that deep fountain. of all goodness and eternal life) but also invented the ways moft wifely, whereby they might redound to our commodity and profit. Amongst the which means is the public celebration of the memory of his precious. death at the Lord's table. Which although it feem of fmall virtue to fome, yet being rightly done by the faithful, it doth not only help their weak nefs (who by their poisoned nature readier to remember injuries than benefits) but ftrengtheneth and comforteth their inward man with peace and gladness, and maketh them thankful to their Redeemer, with diligent care and godly converfation. And as of old time God decreed his wondrous Exod. xii. benefits of the deliverance of his people, to be kept in memory by the eating of the paffover, with his rites and ceremonies; fo our loving Saviour hath ordained and eftablifhed the remembrance of his great mercy expreffed in his paffion, in the inftitution of his heavenly fupper, Matt. xxvi.

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