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II.

VOL. not, for it was founded upon a rock. But, fays he, Every one that beareth thefe fayings of mine, and doth them not; fhall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand: and the rain defcended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it. And I cannot upon confideration of this but apprehend, that, as the sta. bility of many (I hope) hath been promoted by the much preaching, and hearing of our times; fo there are many (I am afraid) near to a very dreadful fall, who have been hearers only of Christ's fayings, but never minded to be doers of them.

AND I must needs think it strange, if we have not among us a general apprehenfion of the danger of lofing our opportunities of hearing the word of God. We have these upon fuch terms, that we should, methinks, reckon our felves always in danger.. And if we have any cause for that apprehenfion, what in all the world can we imagine more provoking, and likely to infer fuch a doom and judgement upon us, as the penury of the word of God, than to be hearers only, without any defign to be doers of it? Whereas if we did but fet our felves, with a more earnest defign, to apply, and turn all that we hear, into fruit and practice; it may be this might prevent fuch a ftroke as we are not without reason to dread, nor without grounds to fear. But if

Matt. vII. 24-28.

!

we

we should not prevent it, yet it would be a SER M. very comfortable thing however in a cloudy, XIV. dark and gloomy time, to be able to make fuch a reflection as this; "Bleffed be GOD, while I "had fuch feafons, I laboured to improve them. "as well as I could. I laboured to take all op"portunities that I could; to hear with a design "to do, to quicken and help me to move on"ward in Chriftian practice." It will, I fay, be very comfortable to be able to make fuch a reflection in a time of gloominefs and darknefs, which it is poffible we may fee, and how foon we know not. And if in fuch a feafon we should be able to make this reflection, it would be a happy provision for us against it. It would fuppofe us to have gotten fome stock, fome treasure within us, which we might. draw forth. We fhould then have the word within us, which, when we fhould lie down, rife up, or walk, might commune within us; and fo we be capable of being preachers to our felves.

In a word, if ever we fhould come to fuch a ftate of things, that we fhould never fee the face, nor hear the voice of a minifter of God's word, where our lot is caft; if we should wear out our days in a wilderness, a defart, or a cave; it would be comfortable to have this word a companion to us, and ingrafted into us, which is able to fave our fouls: it would be comfortable, I fay, to have a stock of divine truth to live upon, VOL. II. S when

VOL. when we fhould, as to the external difpenfation Let these things,

· II.

of it, be in penury and want.

therefore, move us to a more earnest endeavour to be doers of the.word, and not hearers only.

SER M.

SERMON XV.

Preached at Mr. Cafe's,

September 29, 1676.

LUKE XVIII. I-8.

And he spake a parable unto them, to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint; faying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not GOD, neither regarded man. And there was a widow in that city, and he came unto him, faying, Avenge me of mine adverfary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he faid within himself, Though I fear not GOD, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, left by her continual coming fhe weary me. And the Lord faid, hear what the unjust judge faith: And fhall not GoD avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

M

Y purpofe is not to give you a particular explication of this parable. The defign of it is fufficiently feen in the application of it, which our Saviour here makes., All that I fhall at prefent do fhall be to fhew

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II.

VOL. you, with all poffible brevity, the ftrength of the reafoning which our Saviour here ufeth, from the importunity and fuccefs of this widow; in order to encourage our addreffes to GoD, and a continuance therein without fainting. And his argument to this purpofe may be seen to be very ftrong and cogent, if we confider these two things in the general.

FIRST, The parity of reafon between the cafe he argueth from, and that which he argueth

to.

SECONDLY, The fuperiority of reason, which is in the latter cafe, above the former. For fo we must understand him to argue, partly à priori, and partly à fortiori. And the strength of the argument both ways we shall endeavour to make out unto you.

FIRST, I am to confider the parity of reason between these two cafes; which you may conceive especially in thefe four things.

I. THAT here was diftrefs in the one cafe, and there is diftrefs in the other. This widow comes to this judge in a very distressed case, as it fhould feem, though it be not particularly expreffed; only it appears he was very much grieved, and that there was a great deal of wrong done her. And fo in the other cafe, the elect of GOD are always very much injured; and they fuftain a great deal of wrong from this evil world, in which they are. And furely if

this

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