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<P>A Godly Sermon OF PETERS Repentance, <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">fter he had denyed his Lord and Ma&s;ter Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as it is in his Repentance, he wept bitterly for his &s;ins.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> fourth Edition, Corrected and enlarged, and &s;et forth for the good of all tho&s;e that truly &s;ear God: By a godly Pa&s;tor.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Matthew 26.75.</BIBL>
<P><GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">nd Peter remembred the words of Je&s;us, which he &s;aid, before the Cock crow thou &s;halt deny me thrice: So he went out and wept bitterly.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>Matthew 5.4.</BIBL>
<P>Ble&s;&s;ed are ye that mourn, for ye &s;hall rejoyce.</P></Q>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed by <HI>B.W.</HI> and are to be &s;old by <HI>Eliz. Andrews</HI> in Little Saint. <HI>Bartholomews Court</HI> in <HI>We&s;t-Smithfield.</HI> 1666.</P>
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<Q><BIBL>Mark 14.68, 70.</BIBL>
<P>But he denied, &s;aying, I know not, neither under|&s;tand I what thou &s;aye&s;t; and he went out into the porch, and the cock crew. And he denied it again. And a little after they that &s;tood by, &s;aid again to Peter, &s;urely thou art one of them, for thou art a Galllean, and thy &s;peech agreeth thereto.</P></Q>
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<P><HI>PEter</HI> is called <HI>Simon,</HI> an obdient hearer, he is al&s;o called Peter, confident, and &s;trong in faith, like a Rock unmove|able; <HI>Thou art Peter, and upon his Rock will I build my Church that the gates of hell &s;hall not prevail again&s;t it. Matth. 16.18.</HI> He was pe|nitent, the words now read unto you do prove the &s;ins: for after he had &s;inned he went out: O that every Chri&s;tian were qualified like <HI>Pe|ter,</HI> tho&s;e that craves repentance and faith, and obedience, are better welcome to God then the thr<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">e pre&s;ents given by the Wi&s;e men unto Chri&s;t, <HI>Matth. 2.1.</HI> Precious about was not &s;o much accepted a<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Peters</HI> Repentance. Gold, Frankincence, and Myrshe are not &s;o precious
<PB REF="3">as <HI>Peters</HI> Repentance to Godward; for he wept bitterly for denying his Lord and ma&s;ter Je&s;us Chri&s;t: <HI>Mark 14.71. But he began to cur&s;e and to &s;wear, &s;aying, I know not this man of whom ye &s;peak.</HI> So &s;oon as he has learned to lye, he had learned to &s;wear; they are in&s;eparable companions, and as I may &s;ay &s;worn brethren, that alwayes meet together the &s;inful &s;ocie|ty: We never read of <HI>Peters</HI> &s;weating any where el&s;e, yet hereupon a &s;udden, oathes, and cur&s;es &s;he wed them&s;elves. No &s;ooner <HI>Ham</HI> &s;pied <HI>Noahs</HI> nakedne&s;s, <HI>Gen. 9.22. Cur&s;ed be Canaan a &s;ervant of &s;ervants &s;hall he be.</HI></P>
<P>So he went out: This Text affords us thr&eacute;e &s;pecial Notes being very remarkable in <HI>Peters</HI> repentance, <HI>1.</HI> Remembrance of &s;in. <HI>2.</HI> Remor&s;e of &s;in, <HI>3.</HI> Sorrow for &s;in. All of which ought to accompany a godly and &s;incere Convert in turning from his evil wayes.</P>
<P>Thus having found out the mine, let us now dig for the trea&s;ure: <HI>So he went out:</HI> He was carele&s;s till the Cock warned him, thereby learning, that the fir&s;t &s;tep to repentance is the remembrance of &s;in, and therefore <HI>David &s;aith P&s;al. 51.3. My &s;ins are before me. Mo&s;es</HI> charged the people to remember their &s;ins, and there he put them in remembrance, how oft they pro|voked the Lord, by that means calling them to repentance, <HI>Deut. 9.7.</HI> He went out: another
<PB REF="3">&s;tep of <HI>Peters</HI> Repentance, he fir&s;t weighed his &s;in: mark <HI>Noah,</HI> and in the meditation thereof now onely naked and bare, but he was wakened from his former drow&s;ine&s;s and &s;lumber of &s;in. <HI>He went out;</HI> wherein ob&s;erve the effectual operations of Gods Spirit in the Children of God after we have &s;inned, &s;piritu|ally the grace of God calleth us home again, and &s;uffereth us not to re&s;t; like the Dove that was &s;ent out from <HI>Noah</HI> found no re&s;t, <HI>Gen. 8.9.</HI> Nor can <HI>Peter</HI> now finde any re&s;t, till he had found Chri&s;t by Repentance. whom he had lo&s;&s; by Denial: <HI>Peters</HI> &s;in was great, is was no &s;mall bait that Satan laid in his way, for great is the danger; for what greater advan|tage could Satan el&s;e have wi&s;hed then this, had not the a&s;&s;i&s;ting hand of Gods mercies &s;taid him up after his fall for his own glory, and to the un&s;peakably comfort of the Godly, who though they fall, can never fall away; for the promi&s;e of God &s;tandeth &s;ure, and hath this &s;eal, <HI>God knoweth who are his.</HI> our Sa|viour Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>Of tho&s;e whom thou ha&s;t gi|ven me I have lo&s;t none of them, &s;ave the &s;on of perdition. John 17.12.</HI> He went out as <HI>I&s;aac</HI> went out into the fled to pray. <HI>Gen.</HI> 24.63. &s;o <HI>Peter</HI> went out to meditate and con&s;ider what, he had done, <HI>Luke 22.62. Peter went out and wept bitterly;</HI> the faithful &s;oul when it is de&s;irous
<PB REF="4">to enter into any holy con&s;ultation, or confe|rence covets to be alone, like Chri&s;t in the de|&s;art, Matth. <HI>4.1. Jacob</HI> being alone wre&s;tled with the Angel, and prevailed for a Ble&s;&s;ing, <HI>Gen. 32.24. Jonah</HI> went out of the City <HI>Nine|ve</HI> to mourn over it, as it is in <HI>Jonah 1.5.</HI> now <HI>Jonah</HI> preached in <HI>Nineve,</HI> that within forty dayes it &s;hould be de&s;troyed, and they repented. <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was bid to pull of his &s;hooes when he pa&s;&s;ed over the flaming Bu&s;h, <HI>Exodus 3.5.</HI> &s;o we mu&s;t put off our &s;hooes of carnality, and go out from our &s;elves, as the Adder taketh his &s;lough, if we will tread upon holy ground, and pre&s;s to come where God is. <HI>Peter</HI> &s;o long as he &s;taid in the High Prie&s;ts Hall among the Enemies of Chri&s;t; he became as one of them, and had quite forgotten that Chri&s;t was his ma&s;ter; or he was &s;olitary, and &s;o denied him whom a little before he promi&s;ed to are for.</P>
<P>O what have I done mi&s;erable man that I am! how dangerou&s;ly have I fallen in denying him the Lord of life, and my Lord. I a rebelli|ous &s;inner to deny him that framed me, and by his truth red&eacute;emed me: and was I in wicked, if all the world were offended, yet would not I be offended; yea, I was ready to lay down my life for Chri&s;t my Lord: and yet before the Cock crew twice, I had denied him three times, <HI>Matth. 26.33</HI> O perjured wretch that I
<PB REF="4">am! how heavy have I tran&s;gre&s;t my faith, by denying him that died for me; I that thought my &s;aith &s;trong enought to encounter with the whole world, mo&s;t &s;hamefully in&s;tored a wo|man, and the weaker ve&s;&s;el to di&s;countenance me. Is not this to be offended? And is this to give my life to my ma&s;ter? Nay is not this to for&s;ake him quite, and to joyn with the wicked? I denied him whome my &s;oul loved be&s;t: for which my name de&s;erves to go with the brand upon it, as that of <HI>Jereboam</HI> goes with his train, <HI>Peter</HI> confe&s;&s;eth his train of &s;ins, and <HI>Jeroboam</HI> by name cannot onely be mentioned, but his &s;ins mu&s;t be likewi&s;e here numbred. <HI>Jeroboam</HI> goes with his train, <HI>Jeroboam that made I&s;rael to &s;in:</HI> And <HI>Peter</HI> de&s;ir<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> u<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> to have his train too, <HI>Peter</HI> that denied his ma&s;ter; from henceforth <HI>Peter</HI> repented him of his hanious &s;ins he committed in denying his Lord and Ma&s;ter Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Let us all repent with <HI>Peter,</HI> that God may give us the earne&s;t of his grace in our hearts for ever: St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Heb. 6.6. He that &s;in|neth crucifieth the Son of God again;</HI> &s;o did <HI>Pe|ter</HI> by denying his Lord and Ma&s;ter, <HI>Peters</HI> faith was wadering faith, had not God looked again upon him with the eyes of mercy and tender compa&s;&s;ion, hea&s;&s;ured that <HI>Peter</HI> had fallen from light into utter darkne&s;s and
<PB REF="5">damnation, had not he truly repented with an unfeigned repentance; <HI>P&s;al 71.9. Ca&s;t me not away in the time of age, for&s;ake me not when my &s;trength faileth me:</HI> Here we may &s;ee how the Prophet cryes to God for mercy, as <HI>Peter</HI> did, cry and weep with a mo&s;t exceeding weeping for denying his Lord and Ma&s;ter. <HI>Gen. 27.34. And when E&s;au heard the words of his Father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and &s;aid unto his Father, Ble&s;s me, even me al&s;o, O my Father:</HI> The&s;e are the words of <HI>E&s;au</HI> the elde&s;t Son of <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> but the younge&s;t in faith to God-ward. Ble&s;&s;ed be thou which art the trium|phant Conquerour of Hell, <HI>Ho&s;ea 13.14.</HI> the vanqui&s;her of the Devil, <HI>Matth 4.10.</HI> the cen|querour and de&s;troyer of death, <HI>1 Cor. 15.55.</HI> and Red&eacute;emer of them that were in darkne&s;s, and in the &s;hadow of death, <HI>Luke 1.79.</HI> All ye that be thir&s;ty come unto the water, and you that have neither Gold nor Silver come and receive all the&s;e precious trea&s;ures free with|out paying any thing, <HI>I&s;a. 51.5.</HI> This is the water of life which &s;prings out of the everla|&s;ting Rock, the Rock of def<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">nce to all that be|lieves in Chri&s;t our Lord, who is the enduring Rock of our Salvation in this world, and in the world to come. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>But now <HI>Peter</HI> wept for his &s;ins, and confe&s;|&s;ed his faults before God by repenting of his
<PB REF="5">&s;inful actions which he had committed again&s;t God; he was taken for one of evil behaviour, and as one that kept evil company, for they &s;aid, he receiveth &s;inners, and eateth with them, <HI>Matth. 11.19.</HI> This of the lowline&s;s and m&eacute;ekne&s;s of our Lord and ble&s;&s;ed Red&eacute;em|er, who hath red&eacute;emed us from all evil, and looked upon <HI>Peter</HI> in mercy and love; for if Chri&s;t had not called <HI>Peter</HI> by repentance, <HI>Pe|ter</HI> had been a damned Creature for falling into &s;o great a &s;in, for he did utterly deny Chri&s;t by lying and &s;inearing, which are great &s;ins, and without Repentance cannot be forgiven. Chri&s;t hath commanded us to repent, <HI>Matth. 3.2. And &s;aying, Repent ye, for the Kingdom of hea|ven is at hand:</HI> And again ver. <HI>17. At that time Je&s;us began to preach, and to &s;ay, Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.</HI></P>
<P>My Brethren, here you may &s;ee how the&s;e places of Scriptures agr&eacute;e in one point, &s;o mu&s;t our mindes be agreeable to the will of God; that we may walk in the light while we have light, and to walk in the Laws and Com|mandments of the mo&s;t high God: <HI>Matth. 5.16. Let your light &s;o &s;hine before men, that they may &s;ee your good works, and glorifie your Father which is in heaven.</HI></P>
<P>And let us make a good end by Repentance; <HI>I heard a voice from Heaven, &s;aying, ble&s;&s;ed are
<PB REF="6">they that die in the Lord, henceforth, even &s;o &s;aith they Spirit, that they re&s;t from their labour and &s;orrow, and their works &s;hall follow them, Rev. 14.13.</HI> Here we may &s;&eacute;e that God ble&s;&s;eth tho&s;e that fears him even unto death, that he might give them eternal life: <HI>When Chri&s;t who is our life &s;hall appear then &s;hall we al&s;o appear with him in glory:</HI> this is the hope of the Saints, and all the Elect People of God; <HI>Matth. 10 22. He that endureth to the end &s;hall be &s;aved. Rev. 2.10. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a Crown of Life.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Peter</HI> was faithful unto death, by repenting him of his &s;ins: <HI>And Peter went out and wept bitterly:</HI> So <HI>Peter</HI> repented with a faithful re|pentance; <HI>Then Peter &s;aid unto them, Repent And be baptized every one of you in the name of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, and ye &s;hall receive of the Holy Gho&s;t.</HI> This <HI>Peter</HI> it was that denied Chri&s;t, but now doth plainly de|clare him to all people: here is the unworthi|ne&s;s of cho&s;e that look back by &s;in: And on the other &s;ide, <HI>No man that putteth his hand to the plough, and looketh back, is &s;ir for the kingdom of God, Luke 9.62.</HI> But <HI>Peter</HI> looked back by denying his Lord and Ma&s;ter Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; it is a mo&s;t certain truth that God hath given unto us eternal life; to this is as certain, that this life is in his Son; and in the next ver&s;e.
<PB REF="6"><HI>He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son hath not life, 1 John 5.11, 12.</HI></P>
<P>Now we may &s;&eacute;e how ble&s;&s;ed a thing it is to have the Son of God in our hearts by fa&s;ting, and prairs, and by faith and truth; he that hath faith hath life eternal for evermore in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Prophet <HI>Davids</HI> prayer, or Arithmetick, is thus termed: <HI>Teach us, O Lord to number our dayes, that we may apply our hearts unto wi&s;dom, P&s;al. 90.12.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Peter</HI> wept, becau&s;e for the weight of grief and &s;orrow, in denying his Lord and Ma&s;ter Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, which made him for doing that h&eacute;ed &s;ay, Troubles have compa&s;&s;ed me round about, my heart is vexed and troubles, my &s;ins are alwayes before mine eyes, which do grie|vou&s;ly forment my con&s;cience, and labour to beat me down to Hell, there is no peace for the terrour of the Lord; I refu&s;e to be com|forted. I am troubled, and my &s;pirit doth af|flict me, I &s;ee no place where unto I may flye and &s;eek a remedy for my &s;ins.</P>
<P>But <HI>Peter</HI> denied his Ma&s;ter for frar, <HI>Peter</HI> then denied again, and immediately the Cock crew: <HI>Then &s;aid the Dam&s;el that kept the door unto peter, are not thou al&s;o one of this mans Di&s;|ciples? He &s;aith, I am not; but denied, &s;aying, I know not the man neither under&s;tand I what thou &s;aye&s;t: And he were our into the porch, and the
<PB REF="7" MS="y">Cock crew, but he began to cur&s;e and to &s;wear, &s;aying, I know not this man of whome ye &s;peak.</HI> When <HI>Peter</HI> had gotten &s;ome feeling in his Con&s;cience, he went out and wept bitterly. <HI>1 Cor. 15.34. Awoke to righteou&s;ne&s;s, and &s;in not: for &s;ome have not the knowledge of God, I &s;peak this to your &s;hame. Ezek. 16.63. That thou maye&s;t remember and be a&s;hamed, and never open thy mouth more.</HI></P>
<P>Thus <HI>Peter</HI> is rejected for his &s;wearing and lying, as it to in <HI>Rev. 21.27. And there &s;hall in no wi&s;e enter into it anything that defileth, nei|ther what&s;oever worketh abomination, or maketh a lye.</HI> When Satan had tempted <HI>Peter</HI> to &s;wear, he tempted him to lye; if <HI>Peter</HI> had not &s;peedily repented, he had been a lo&s;t man; but we read that Chri&s;t had mercy upon him, and called him from the errour of his wayes, and from that &s;inful deed.</P>
<P>Repentance is a turning to men, we mu&s;t not be a&s;hamed to acknowledge our faults one to another, <HI>James 5.16. Confe&s;s your faults one to another, and pray one for another; and in &s;o doing men may know that ye are my Di&s;ciples:</HI> So that we ought to pray for one another, and on the contrary, we had rather cur&s;e one an|other; but woe unto them that do &s;o, for Hell fire is prepared for the tormenting of their &s;ouls, being in that gulf of woe everla&s;tingly
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<PB REF="7">how doe&s;t thou expect to have Chri&s;t thy Re|deemer and Advocate, when thy Con&s;cience tells thee, that thou ha&s;t &s;eldom remembred him but in thy Oaths to bla&s;pheme him; and oftener named him in thy Oaths and Cur&s;es, then in thy Prayers; &s;urely if I did &s;wear faith &amp; troth, this &s;wearing made many &s;inful &s;ouls to fall into Hell headlong; and if <HI>Peter</HI> had not &s;peedily repented, he had fallen into Hell torments, where there is nothing but howling gna&s;hing of teeth, mi&s;ery, and lament|ing for ever.</P>
<P>It is &s;aid in <HI>Levit. 19.17. Thou &s;halt not hate thy brother in thine heart, thou &s;halt in any wi&s;e rebuke him, and not &s;uffer &s;in upon him:</HI> So <HI>Peter</HI> was rebuked of his Con&s;cience, it tells him that he had wickedly &s;inned by denying his Lord and Ma&s;ter Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: That is your gro&s;s ignorance of the Scriptures, for the Scriptures teacheth us to fear God; for God expre&s;ly forbids &s;wearing, and that upon pain of damnation: <HI>James. 5.12. My brethren &s;wear not neither by heaven, neither by earth, neither by any other Oath, but let your yea be yea and your nay nay, le&s;t you fall into condemnation.</HI> Fir&s;t, our Saviour Chri&s;t in his own per&s;on forbids it, <HI>Matth. 5.34, 35, 36, 37. I &s;ay unto you &s;wear not it all, neither by heaven, for it is Gods throne, nor by the earth, for it is his foot&s;tool, nor by Jeru|&s;alem,
<PB REF="8">for it is the City of the great king: neither &s;halt thou &s;wear by thine head, becau&s;e thou can&s;t not make on hair white or black; but let your Communication be yea, yea, nay, nay: for what|&s;oever is more then the&s;e commeth of evil:</HI> And then by his Apo&s;tle; <HI>Above all things my bre|thren &s;wear not, neither by heaven, nor by earth, nor by, any other oath, but let your yea, be yea, and nay, nay le&s;t ye fall into condemnation, Jam. 5.12.</HI> Where mark the Empha&s;is in the fir&s;t words, <HI>Above all things &s;wear not: and</HI> the greater danger of it in the la&s;t words, <HI>left ye fall into condemnation:</HI> for woe and &s;orrow will be in the end.</P>
<P>If the matter be light and vain we mu&s;t not &s;wear at all, if weighty, that we may lawfully &s;wear; as before a Magi&s;trate being called to it, when we mu&s;t onely u&s;e the glorious name of our God in a holy and riligious manner, as you may &s;ee <HI>in Deut. 6.12. I&s;a. 45.23. &amp; I&s;a. 65.16. Jo&s;huah 23.7. Exodus 23.13. Jer. 5.7.</HI> And the Rea&s;ons are weighty if we look into them; for in &s;wearing by any creature what|&s;oever we do invocate that Creature, and a&s;cribe unto it Divine Wor&s;hip: yea, what&s;o|ever we &s;wear by, that we invocate hath our Wittne&s;s, Surety, and Iudge, <HI>Heb. 16. and</HI> by con&s;equence dei&s;te it by a&s;cribing and commu|nicating unto it Gods incommunicable Attri|butes,
<PB REF="8">and his omnipre&s;ence, and omini&s;cienty, of being every where pre&s;ent, and knowing the &s;ecret thoughts and intentions of the heart; and likewi&s;e an omnipotency, and as being al|mighty in patronizing, protecting, defending, and rewarding us for &s;peaking the truth, or puni&s;hing us if we &s;peak fal&s;ely: all which are &s;o peculiar to God, as that they can no way be communicated or a&s;cribed to another; &s;o that in &s;wearing by any of the&s;e things, thou com|mitte&s;t Idolatry in an high degree, and thou &s;poile&s;t and robbe&s;t God of his glory, the mo&s;t impious kinde of theft; and in a mamier de|throne&s;t him, and make&s;t an Idol in his room. And as to &s;wear by the Creature makes the &s;in more hanious; &s;o the more meane and vile the thing is which you &s;wear by, as by my fey, by Cock, and by Hares foot, and by this Chee&s;e, and &s;uch like childi&s;h oathes, which are &s;o much in u&s;e with the ignorant and &s;uper&s;titious people the greater is your &s;in in &s;wearing &s;uch an oath, becau&s;e you a&s;cribe that unto the&s;e the ba&s;e&s;t of Creatures, which is onely propper to God, namely, to know the heart, and to be a di&s;cerner of &s;ecret things; why el&s;e &s;hould you call that Creature as a wittne&s;s unto your con|&s;cience, that you &s;peak the truth, and lye not, which onely belongeth to God: and therefore the Lord calls it a for&s;aking of him, as you may
<PB REF="9">&s;ee what he &s;aith, <HI>Jer. 5.7. How &s;hall I &s;pare thee for this? thy children hath for&s;aken me, and &s;worn by them that are no gods:</HI> And to make it a &s;mall matter to for&s;ake God, and to make a god of the Creature, will you believe the Pro|phet <HI>Amos?</HI> if you will, he &s;aith &s;peaking of <HI>them that &s;wore by the &s;ins of Samaria, that they &s;hould fall, and never ri&s;e again, Amos 8.14. a terrible place to</HI> vain &s;wearers. But <HI>Peter fell</HI> and ro&s;e again by faith.</P>
<P>Neither are we to joyn any other with God in our Oathes, for in &s;o doing we make Gods of the &s;illy Creatures; for <HI>Peter</HI> wept &s;or|rowfully for his &s;in and offence which he had committed again&s;t Chri&s;t his Lord and Ma|&s;ter; and becau&s;e he repented, God granted him mercy and forgivene&s;s for all his offences, which he had committed again&s;t him by deny|ing him with an oath, and cur&s;ing, and lying: &s;o that <HI>Peters</HI> Con&s;cience told him, that he was a great &s;inner in &s;o doing, but he repented with a tender Con&s;cience, <HI>and he wept bitterly,</HI> Repentance goeth before &s;alvation, and &s;al|vation worketh the &s;ouls everla&s;ting joyes in the Kingdom of Heaven for evermore.</P>
<P><HI>And a maid &s;aw him again, and began to &s;ay unto them that &s;tood by, this is one of them; and he de|nied it again, and a little after they that &s;tood by &s;aid again to Peter, &s;urely thou art one of them
<PB REF="9">for thou art a Galilean, and thy &s;peech agreeth thereto; but he began to cur&s;e and to &s;wear, &s;ay|ing, I know not this man of whom ye &s;peak; and the &s;econd time the Cock crew, and Peter called to minde the words that Je&s;us &s;aid unto him before the Cock crow twice thou &s;halt deny me thrice: And he went out and wept biterly. Peters</HI> heart mi&s;gave him, he &s;inned in &s;o doing, and he wept for it bitterly; we have a command from God to &s;hun all devices of evil works: Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Rom. 6.23. For the wages of &s;in is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Je&s;us Chri&s;t our Lord.</HI> Neither mu&s;t we &s;wear at all in our ordinary communication, if we will obey Gods word, as you may &s;ee, <HI>Matth. 5.34, 35. 36, 37. James 5.12.</HI> And <HI>as it is in Exod. 23.2. Thou &s;halt not follow a multitude to do evil</HI> And St. <HI>Pauls</HI> everla&s;ting Rule is, <HI>Rom. 12.2. Fa|&s;hion not your &s;elves according to this world, for this world pa&s;&s;eth away, and the glory thereof:</HI> For as St. <HI>John</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Who&s;oever denieth the Son, the &s;ame denieth the Father; but he that ac|knowledgeth the Son hath the Father:</HI> But <HI>Peter</HI> denied God the Son, then he mu&s;t needs deny God the Father, and God the Holy Gho&s;t; for as Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>He that &s;inneth again&s;t the Son of man it &s;hall be forgiven him; but he that &s;inneth again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t, it &s;hall not be forgiven him;</HI> neither &s;hall there be any remi&s;&s;ion of
<PB REF="10">&s;ins for that poor &s;oul: <HI>'Tis a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Heb. 10.31. Stand in awe therefore, and &s;in not, P&s;alm 4.4. 2 Tim. 2.22. Let him that thinketh he &s;tandeth take heed le&s;t he fall.</HI> And therefore flee from youthful lu&s;ts, for it is a fearful thing to fail in|to the hands of the living God: For the co~ming of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t draweth nigh, when he &s;hall come with his mighty Angels in Glory, Honour, and Power, and Maje&s;ty everla&s;t|ingly to all. Con&s;ider what hath been de|livered, and the Lord give you under&s;tanding hearts in all things. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
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