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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	fear_v	youth_n	youthful_a	23	3	11.7400	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B05977	The map of the little world, illuminated with religion being a practical treatise, directing man to a religious scope, and right measure, in all the periods of his life; with devotion suitable. To which is added an appendix, containing a gospel ministers legacie, in some sermons, upon 2 Pet. 1. 12, &c. / By Patrick Strachan minister of the gospel at St. Vigeans.	Strachan, Patrick, fl. 1693.	1693 (1693)	Wing S5775A; ESTC R184656	117,746	314

Heart with the Salt of Grace and make me to grow in Grace Imprint O LORD upon the Table of my Heart the A B C of Christianity teach me to know Love Fear Choice and Obey Thee give me to savour something of Reason and Religion in my ruder Age that I may mind my moment not trifle my time away abou● things of no moment Pardon and heal the corruption of my nature and the Vices of my person give me the new Heart in my younger dayes take away all Impediments and prejudices at Vertue and Religion And so shape sharpen and Sanctifie me that I may become an Instrument of Thy Glory and be prepared for Duty in the following Periods of the Life that thou shalt grant me Amen Devotion in order to Youth to be Exercised on Tuesday NOw Blessed GOD thou hast enlarged me from the bondage of None-Age the yoak of Discipline Keep me under thy Discipline For thy yoak is easie and thy commands are not grievous I am now lifted up to the Prime of my Age LORD make me steddy by Thy Grace that I do not turn giddy and stagger When I look back I find I have been Childish in mind as well as body What dark conceptions have I had of thee And any little spark of Grace was smuthered with a Mass of corruption the Brute in me much mastered it How raw and rude were my Notions of Religion And how contracted and deadned was my Conscience I was almost in all evil and knew it not and much under the Senses and sensitive Appetite The root of all evil was in me and I was content with my pleasant Fetters and were not Thy Mercy Thou hadst fully cast me off the Stage as a miscreant unworthy to live Yet LORD thou hast brought through all this dark trance of Childhood 1 Kings 18. 26. Save me from youthful lusts and grant mewith Obadiab that I may fear thee from my youth purge me from the Dregs of Nature Let them not fix in my Bones least in fuller years I ●e made to possess the sins of my Youth Jo●● 20. 11. Make me vigorous to engage under the Banner of CHRIST to fight against the infernal Trinity the devil the world and the Flesh and own the Holy TRINITY Blessed for ever Give me to offer the first fruits of my Life to Thee LORD make me to relish the sweetnes● of Vertue above all the pleasures of the World and pardon the Errors of my Youth Psal 25 11. and so ballast and establish me with Grace that I may lanch out unto a longer Life and not make shipwrack of Faith and good Conscience but have Thy Word for my Pilote Thy Spirit for my Star Humility for my Ballast the Gail of Grace to fill the Soul of my Affections Thy Glory for my End and Eternal Life for my Harbour Through JESUS CHRIST My LORD Amen 3ly Devotion As to our Entrance to a ●alling and Relation to be exercised on Wednesday O GOD of Love the Father of all sweet Harmony and Peace and the great Proveditor of Man Thou hast made him a Sociable Creature and hast united Mankind in a Society as Members of one Body Thou hast ordained him to live by his own Industry in the use of the Means which by Thy Blessing tends to his Provision As Nature abhores Vacuity so Thou O LORD abhores Idleness and hath given a particular Vocation to Man for Vertue LORD make me religious in my general Calling as a Christian and frugall in my particular Calling grant me the composed Wisdom to make choice of a Helper like unto Me let neither Lightness ●ondness nor carnal phansie be the principle and measures of my Affection and choice let the Advice and council of those whom I ought to follow be consulted and bless me with such purity in my Design that if by Thy Allowance I enter into a conjugal State I may ascend that bed with Innocence and Whiteness without the very knowledge of the carnal Tricks of Sin and Satan And when entered● to entertain a constant Conjugal Affection to the wife or Husband of my Youth and if ever I have escaped in the least wash me throughly and Cement our Relation with the Endearments of the best Bond that our Family may be a Bet●el to Thee Make our Calling Honest and Creditable and wherein we may be usefull to Thee and if Thy Providence hath brought us to Fortunes give us to consider that Thou wilt only honour them that honour Thee make us usefull in our Generation in the Stations Thou hast put us and may we with all Descretion pursue the Ends of our General and particular Calling to Thy Glory and our Comfort Amen Fourthly Devotion for our Riper years to be exercised on Thursday O Eternal Life and Action who dwells in a perpetual Repose grant me in all my Actions to aim Thee and repose in Thee and since now I must resolve with Action having not only the charge of my self but of a Family grant me to be active to what is accountable and agreeable for the increase of my Talents and the Improvement of the opportunities of my Time and Station Save me from vexing cares and doubtful a●xiety but grant me rational and providential Ca●e in the diligent Use of the Means Help me to Cast all my Care upon Thee 1 Pet 5 7. And as to dist●ust to be careful for nothing Save me from all impertinent and destructive digresions and let me never be worse than an Infidel in not providing for my Family and grant me O LORD Thy Blessing without which my ●arly and late Endeavours will not profit us Save me from all wrong measures in the Improvement of my Stock knowing that A little that the Righteous Man hath is better th●n the Treasures of the wicked For thou can turn my Mite into Talents Give me to seek the Kingd●m of GOD and mind the one Thing necessary without which all bussiness is but trouble give me to win my Soul and do Good in my place and time that when I cease from my labours I may enter into the Repose of everlasting Rest Through JESUS CHRIST my LORD Amen 3ly Devotion For our Declining Age on Friday O Uncha●geable GOD the same to Day Yesterday for ever the whole Creation hath been is and will be under a Decay untill the Deliverance of the Children of GOD. Our Life is but a vapour and a shadow the World so weights us that man begins to Decline ere he well consider that he lives Help O LORD my bowing and declining age give me to ●loath my self against the Winter and fill me well against a troubled Sea LORD give me to superstruct well upon solid Foundations to build my House upon a Rock 'T is time for me now to be wise since I have seen and done so much folly I will not choice the World for my portion it is Thee O LORD and Thee only as the Cen●er and Repose of my

their phansie who deny CHRIST's Offices Ministers Ordinances and Institutions will be so bold as to contradict it And therefore it concerns Parents Religiously to go about the Baptism of their Children and remember the great obligation they stand under for their pious Education And of Children baptized to reflect upon it when they come to any Knowledge and to improve it well by the Instruction of their Parents and Tutors whose serious Instructions grave Example and earnest Prayer for Young Ones may help to instill and drop in such Counsels into their easie and blank minds as may leave some Relish as a Vessel may still keep something of the tast and smell of the first liquor according to that Ancient observe quo semel est imbuta c. and this stage of our life may be reckoned to the fourth year of our Age. STAGE Second The Contents Of the particular care of Parents and Governours as to Children from four years old to twelve of studying their nature and genious and the in●●●ling and droping in some clear and common principles of Religion with the consideration of Regeneration and when the Children come to be about twelve years of age of their solemn Confirmation § 1. As the Children grows so should the care of their Parents increase towards them its dangerous to suffer the evil of their Nature to take rooting for then it will turn tenacious and obstinate it 's better to take the little Foxes that hurt their tender Gardens Cant. 2. 6. and by Religious conduct use the best means to Eradicate the corruption of their Nature and to correct that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and disorder that is naturally in them by frequent and gradual dropping of good counsel into their hearts especially by fixing in them the common notion of a GOD and fearing of Him of honouring their Parents And withal to acquaint them with their Baptismal Dedication and in as much as is possible to open up unto them the m●sterie of their redemption through Jesus Christ and that not only they know to Repeat the Law the Creed and Lords Prayer But also to make them according to their capacitie to understand these Thus entereth Knowledge into their Hearts as a little Drop by frequent falling makes a cavity and hollowness in the stone § 2. Although the Spirit of GOD the Author of Regeneration like the wind bloweth when where and how he pleases Joh. 3. v. 8. And calleth some sooner some later yet is it not improper to set it down here for that same LORD that Blessed Babs can Sow the Seed of Grace in their Hearts And of this Regeneration I shall only remember Man of the Necessity Nature and Evidence thereof First as to the necessity Our Saviour is very positive Job 3. v. 2. and 3. Except a man be Born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of GOD and no outward exercise of Religion can avail us without the New Creature the Old-man must be Crucified and the New-man formed and Nurished ere we can be fit for the Kingdom of GOD. And 2ly We cannot better take up the Nature of it than by considering the Author and the manner of his Operation in producing this Work It is only the Spirit of GOD that doth it so is every one that is born of the Spirit John 3. 8. Of His own Will begatt He us that we should be a kind of first Fruits of His Creatures Jam 1. 18. This New Creature then is clearly the Product of the Spirit of GOD Who doth this work mediatly by the use of means especially by the Word o● Truth and other holy Engines that he is pleased to make use of Yet is not this Work produced of any means but by the concurse of the principal Agent the Word illuminats and perswads but there 's more then Moral Swasion in this Work for GOD's promise in the Covenant is to put his Laws in our inward parts Jer 3. 33. They receive by their Conversion a heavenly seed which abideth in them that will not suffer them to sin as the wicked do John 3. 9. Whosoever is born of GOD doth not commit sin for His seed remains in him and he cannot sin because he is born of GOD. Yet as to the production of this new Creature it may be so secret for a time like the Infant in the Womb so clouded and over-powr'd by Temptation and Corruption that it doth little appear and it takes a long time ere it become perfect in degrees and visibly compleat as to parts althô the Child tho little and weak is potentially a perfect man Parents then and Governours should with St. Paul travel in birth till Christ be formed in their Children 3ly As to its Evidence the Apostle manifests it fully 2 cor 5. 17 Behold all things are become New The man is wholly renewed in Quality tho not in Substance so that he may very well say Ego non sum ego He hath a more generous spirit with Caleb a better heart with David a more shinin● face with Moses and the lips of the Righteous feed many And tho no man ca● make this Change yet is he exhorted to make him a new heart Ezek. 18 31. Th●● is to use the means and well to consider that the spirit of GOD begets this ne● Creature by the word of Truth Jam 1 18 That such may be a kind of first fruits of H●● Creatures and for himself to show forth● His praise Who hath called them from darkness to Light § 3. It is very promotive of Grace also when Children comes to this state of Life that they be Confirmed after they can give any account of their Creed and of their Prayers according to the Blessed Pattern The LORDS Prayer For we read frequently in the Acts of Confirming the Disciples after they were Prose●●ted to the Christian Religion whereby the new Plantation was fixed and by a sort of personal Covenanting with GOD they were Engaged to His Service by their Voluntar Consent This is the practice of the Universal Church Which if simply done and not elevated unto a Sacrament is laudable and promotive of the Ends of Religion And tho it be quarrelled with by some in this Nation Yet if it could be got well done in every particular Parish Since the Bishop may not be alwayes Vacant it may be thought no Disorder for the Parish Minister every year as Occasion offers to do this in the presence of the Parents and famous Witnesses personally and particularly to joyn them to the LORD And if there were not alas too great incuriousness about matters of Religion a mean so helpful to the ends thereof may be put in use So to conclude this Point I shall Reinforce my earnest Exhortation to Christian Parents in behalf of their Children for this particular instance of their Care for their Souls and to remember Gospel Ministers of their duty as to this And since through the unsetledness of the Times it can

your selves and ere you give slumber to your eye lids seek out a habitation for the mighty GOD of Jacob that he may dwell in your heart and house And Pray after this manner The Evening Prayer O Most Gracious GOD and Father of mercies we thy unworthy servants come this Night before the Throne of thy Grace to present our Evening oblation through the perfect sacrifice of thy Son our Saviour once offered and still effectual through his containued Intercession in presenting that meritorious blood on our behalf We adore thee Our Good and Gracious GOD and gives Glory to thy name confessing our sinfulness Original and actual and our escapes in thought word and deed We have sinned Alace we have sinned again●t thy mercies and the warnings of thy word and Rod In the sight of an all-seeing GOD LORD give us Repentance and Remission and from henceforth guide us in the pathes of Righteousness for thy Name sake LORD watch over us this night that we may be Refreshed under the Cloud of thy covert and have matter of rejoicing in thee in the morning prepare us for all duty and all tryals and our last tryal Be with us to the end and in the end of our life and hereafter receive us into thy Glory Lord let thy Kingdome come have mercy on the World heal the Christian Church and in this Nation powr out a spirit of Grace truth peace and charity upon it be with all our friends and all that fear thee give us Charity to give and forgive as thou requires We commit our selves and all ours to thy keeping through Jesus Christ our LORD The grace of our LORD JESVS The love of GOD the Father and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with us for now and ever Amen § 9. If thou can read or if there be some few to sing a Psalm GOD's Word and Praise may help to Hallow your House if not fail not to make use of these Prayers till thou get better and be more dex●●rous in Devotion and wait on GOD in the way of Duty Shun Idleness and Sin and wandring from your house which will obstruct this work and consider that it is good to begin well and to bring forth fruit in this Season Use makes perfection and ye can not breath a free Air till you dwell in the Wholesome Regions of Religion Make progress under the Gale of the Spirit Stir up the faculties of reason to be holy happy in the flower of your age and you shall find that Dimidium facti qui bene cepit habet that a Good beginning is a great progress for true Wisdom hews her Pillars and builds her house Prov. 9. 1. The Prayer O LORD through thy providence I am now come to some consi●●ence of age I thank thee for the happy opportunities I have Enjoyed of the light of thy word teaching me to be wise sober solid Just and honest And had I improved well I had been an expert souldier of CHRIST Pardon my F●●lours wherein I have been shaken by temptation I desire now to stand under the Guard of the whole Armour of GOD. LORD thou has led me by thy invisible hand through a labyrinth of Childhood and Indigested youth It is a mercie I have not spleeted upon Rocks and ruined but by Grace I stand LORD unite my heart to fear 〈◊〉 Name I know that difficulties attend me 〈◊〉 the credit of my course the assistance of my C●●tain the honour of my engagement and 〈◊〉 comfort of my Reward do animat me 〈◊〉 to faint for in due time I shall Reap thro●● JESUS CHRIST Amen STAGE Third Which commenceth from the 30 to the 〈◊〉 year of our age or there about which being a very material part of our Life I shall for clearness sake consider in three courses 1. Of the Ordering thy person Famil●● and walking in the pathes of Vert●● and Religion 2. A Discourse to several Ranks of peopl●● with all seriousness and modesty 3. What fine your labour in Vertue Piety Good Government of your lif●● and family and the progress of your Religion the ordering of your House and the setting forth of your Children● to Laudable and Lawfull callings and settlement hath come to COURSE first The Contents Of the Right methods of Religion and Vertue for the Ordering of our person our Families And General and particular calling in this long and serious course of our life with means and motives for the furthering of these ends and suteable Devotion § 1. HAving led thee hitherto to some digested and setled Course of Life and helped thee by the Light and guidance of Religion out of the darker cells of Minority to clearer Air And from the beginning of thy Majority a very difficult scene of thy Life to the consistence of thirty Years of thy Age wherein if ever thou look to be Vertuous thou wilt make some ground of Hope bud f●rth This is a time wherein thou must either appear to be a man and a Christian Or a Mushrome and a Grape of unsavoury fruit ●ook first then to thy bygone way if thy work be begun and carried on hitherto or yet any solid Work of Grace very imperfect and scarse well founded For experience an●● perhaps thine own senses if exercise●● will make thee feel thy pronness to 〈◊〉 off and delay Make ●ound work therefore and follow the streight Line of Religion and Morality Redeem misspe●● time cleave to the LORD with full purpose of Heart and because thy Heart 〈◊〉 inconstant say with the Psalmist Un●● my Heart O LORD to fear Thy Nam●● Psal 36. 12 Serve thy Generation an● carry worthily in it 2ly After this Reflection see what form thou now are it● If thy Heart be Right and stedfast in th● Covenant if thou be free of visible Blemishes Deut 32. 5. Which are no● the spots of GODS Children If thy lif● and family begin to blink with an● lustre If thou be thriving in Vertue an● piety if thou carry Creditably and be reputed to have an Honest and Religio●● family and Grace and Peace beautifie the same 3ly If thou grow in Grace For Grace being a principle of new life i● may ly hid in the Root for some Seasons as a Plant or a Tree in Winter after which verdent greenness doth appear So is it with Grace it may lurk in the Heart and then come forth with greater Life and Fruit And this will distinguish betwixt a Real and Counterfit Christian his Light Life and Fruit will declare that the Seed of GOD remains in him And this you may perceive by the decay of sin and the greater vigour of Vertue in thee And it is with thee as it was with the House of Saul and David The House of Saul waxed weaker and weaker The House of David Stronger and Stronger Thou must be as Joseph a fruitful Bough both in thy General and Paricular Calling Water thy Garden every Morning for the refreshing of thy tender Plants Learn the

is the Faith of the Church the hope of the Just the comfort of the aflicted and the great Crise and Result of of mortal Life Which will determine all the Intriges of Providence and destribute Rewards and Punishments according to their Works The●e is a princip●e and facultie in every Man which makes him accountable to GOD. This as it is an Article of our Creed so the Scripture fully determines it Ecc. 12 14. Matt 25. Acts 17. 30. 2 Cor 5. 10. GOD will be publickly manifested in His H●liness and Justice the Equity and Reasonableness of His Laws and severity against sin Who will not acquite thy guilty And the monuments of Grace will s●e their Demerit had not the Merit of Christ prevented the pun●shment Fixe then this Truth in thine heart and constantly apprehend ●●th an Ancient Father that thou hearest 〈◊〉 S●u●d●ngs of the last Trump with ●he Voice of GOD Arise Dead and come te Judgement § 3. 2ly That this Judgement in a part commenceth immediatly after Death is ass●rted by the Apostle Heb 9. 27. The Saints of old have ●nherited the Promises The Convert Thief immediately after was judged and entered Paradise and the rich Glutton got his Doom and after his death was set to the place of Torment But the open visible and general Assize of the whole World is delayed to the time of the Restitution of all things When and where Soul and Body Good bad Young and Old without Law and under Law will be judged According to their Works and tho in the Apostles times some were ●hanatick said that the Resurrection was past some Atheitical scoffers as St. Peter sayeth Impio●sly Rag●ing and ●corning where is the promiss of his coming not knowing that God worketh hitherto hath great patience in whose Eternal View a Thousand years are but as one day yet when his works is done all the World will be judged which day and Hour GOD hath keept secret in his Eternal Council 〈◊〉 good and holy ends And there somethings yet unaccomplished before 〈◊〉 end to wit the full conversion of the Je● Rom. 11. 26 and the discoverie of 〈◊〉 declension of the Christian Church 〈◊〉 exposing of that man of sin and son Perdition The pure Gospel becom 〈◊〉 divive and the Christian Church be mu● liberated from the great Corruption 〈◊〉 manners and worship according to 〈◊〉 Primitive Patern When these shall come● pass and not till then shall the end 〈◊〉 In the mean time let us p●ssess our sel● with the Belief of This truth that all 〈◊〉 nerations shall be judged before the T●●bunal of the Soveraign Judge ss 4. 3ly The Judge GOD hath co●mitted all Judgement to the Son A●● hath appointed a day in which he will Judge 〈◊〉 world in Righteousness by him Acts. 17. 3● We must all appear before the judgement sea● 〈◊〉 CHRIST 2 ●or 5. 10. When the Son 〈◊〉 Man shal appear in his Glory Matt. 25. 3●● And in this he Exerciseth his medi●torial Kingdom which will continue t●● the last Enemie be distroyed which 〈◊〉 Death He declined to be a Judge on ●arth but came to be Judged and it is ●ighly reasonable that he who was un●ustly judged should judge the World in Righteousness Then shall they who have ●earced him by their sins mourn and ●owl But His afflicted people shall lift up ●heir head and say This is the Day that ●he LORD hath made Blessed is He who com●th to save us For our LORD and King●o whom the Godly have submited in ●heir time whose Scepter Cross they wil●ingly have born is now come to deliver ●hem He that bore our sins on His own Body on the Tree He that is a Compa●sionate High Priest He that is the King of Peace is now come to Judge them according to the Gospel of Peace and His easie Yoak which they did take upon them and walkt under What then shall such expect but Love and Peace and Pity from their LORD King and Brother Who is much Meeker than Moses more Loving than David and more Merciful than Man can be Whereas it shall be a great dreadour to the wicked to behold this Meek LAMB roa● like a Lyon against them § 5. 4ly The Process We cannot coneeive how soon and yet how exactly this-shall be done since every ones Conscience is in the place of a Thousand Witnesses and the Judge needeth no Information nor farther probation Every one then will be Judged according to that Law which was Given them to walk by And such as are under the Gospel shall be Judged by the Law of libertie Jam 1. 25. And the Issue will be whether they have obeyed or disobeyed the Gospel and walked suitably thereunto and answered the opurtunities they have enjoyed above o● thers to make them Christians indeed And fit for the Kingdom of GOD. ss 6. 5ly The Sentence will be accord to thy works tho thou be justified by Faith and saved by Grace yet the LORD will reward according to thy works For to the true Christian there is a wonderful mitigation of the Rigor of the Law by the easie terms of the Gospel and such shal receive sentence according to that Infinite Love revealed therein then shal the great sheepherd appear in Glorie yet probably with the Honourable marks of the Cross that all who have gloried in Hi● Cross may rejoice such as have stumbled at ●t hang their heads The Sentence shall decide in favours of Believers and all who have Closed with the conditions of the Gospel and Obe●ed the Faith 1. 5. Which is the great specifick of Christanity Such may appear before him with his marks upon them of Faith Mortification and Self-denyal c. And that in their time they have born Testimony against a sinful Generation they shall receive that favourable sentence Come ye Blessed c. The Prayer O Soveraign Judge prepare me for Death and Judgement It is much my comfort that thou art Judge Competent and Compassionate Thou wilt not acquite the Guilty yet Thou delights in mercy and there is forgiveness with Thee that Thou may be feared LORD give me my discharge in time for Who can condemn CHRIST has dyed I make my humble application to the Mercies of Thy Infinite Bowels the Merit of Thy Death the worth of thy Blood and the Power of Thy Intercession I have many Accusers am convict But LORD say to me that thou will not condemn me Thou knows all the Intrigs of my Soul What I cannot clear LORD do Thou cancell I make Mercy my claim Thy Merit my Trust and Thy Righteousnes● my Justification Give me the White stone to refresh my Soul till Thou grant me the Crown o● Righteousness at Thy Appearing Amen The Third Last Thing HELL 1. TO treat of Hell is a sad Subject Tophet should have a Beaco● set over it that Passangers may be aware Let us then consider 1 The Certainty of a future punishment of the Wicked in another World and

manifest that not like Moses in a ●i●t of Z●al breaks both Tables but in a course of i●pious madness they say Come let us break the bonds of the Lord and His Anointed assunder They have said in their hearts that there is no GOD and as to the Universal decay of Religion it may be now said comparatively There is none that doth good no not one And they act the worst of crimes habitually and with freedome they deny GOD by their works and so live as if they had a new Creed and espoused the Anathema of another Gospel to believe and so live as if GOD had forsaken the Earth Ezek 9. 9. and t●at he Whose Eyes see and his E●e-lids try the Children of Men did indulge and allow them to lick up the Vomit that the Heathen hath cast our and to be much more wicked than their Fathers Follow the most of men even to that peece of Formality which is all their Religion in coming to the Church ye may hear some of them cursing swearing laughing raging as men intoxicat with Mammon and Sensuality Behold them in the Church ●ou shall see them as dull as the seats they sit upon And follow them from the Church ye shall find some of them haunting the Tavern and others wandering and erri●g as if they had not a GOD to fear nor a Soul to save And amongst many as little Religion in their Family as among their Oxen Isa● 1. 3. Is not this then a Lamentation and for a Lamentation Is not the LORDS Wrath to be feared that he will be avenged on such a Nation 〈◊〉 ●bis The World now in the last times is secure as the old world before the Deluge and that which aggravates all ●ew or none lay it to heart § 3. It will not he amiss then modestly to enquire into the Case The Cause and the Cure or Remedy of this sad declension o● the Church § 4. First The Case is both sad and singular against such Grace such Light and such wonderous Demonstration of the Love of GOD to Man to sin against Love Light and Mercy and all the Endearments of Heaven to sin against the Coming of the LORD JESUS His Word His spirit His Blood and Powerful Intercession The sin of the old World had it● own aggravation that it was Epidemick that all flesh had corrupted its way and against the Pathetick Preaching of Noab before the Deluge The sin of the Jews was also very great against the Indulgence and the peculiar Instances of Mercy to that people that GOD in a manner in the ordinary strains of reclaiming people Could not done more Isa 5. 5. and it was their great gratitude that makes the LORD by His Prophet complain That he had nourished and brought up people that had rebelled against Him which is such an amazing transgr●ssion that it ma● be very well with the Prophet expostulated Be astonished O ye Heavens c Isa 1. 2. For my people hath committed two evils they have forsaken Me the Fountain of Living Waters and digged to themselves broken Cisterns that can hold no water And altho GOD did punish them with the Assyrian and Babylonish Rod. after which upon their Repentance H● restored them yet when the cup of their sin came to the brim as that of the Ammonites before them He did with great Indignation destroy that City and People and abandoned them to perpetual Exile Yet after all this there was some hope of Outgate a new dispensation to follow And the Son of GOD came in the flesh to save both Jews and Gentiles But good LORD Where shall the corrupt Christian appear that hath rejected Christ and the Glotious ●eams of His Light For if they escaped not who despised Moses Law Of how much sorer punishment shall the● be accounted werthy who have trampled under foot the blood of the Covenant What can they now forsee but look for a firy Indignation and hav● nothing to stand in the gap against th● wrath of an angry God And if this Gospe● be not a powerful enough engine to cu●● and heal them they cannot expect another nor other Terms nor another He●venly Messenger to come down to sav● them What remains then but Desperation and dismal dread our of that wrath which shall burn in great fervor upo● that Miserable Victim that exposed miscrea● that hath no Sacrifice nor Propitiatory to present but himself to be a miserable Vi●tim to eternal fire and that which make● this Case yet the more sad is the consideration of that inavoidable Judgement that cannot but fall upon such that have slighted the opportunities of Grace and sinned against the whole Series of GODS Love and infinite Mercies § 5. 2ly As to the cause of this sad Case it lyes in the corrupt Nature of Man which tho it may be closed up for a time when the Church is in Vigour yet as a sluse of Water that is restrained for a while to run it comes out with the greater force when it gets any liberty and makes the man like a Brute without Fetters to run at random and so they cast off the tyes of Religion and turn either brutal or devilish and take pleasure to greatifie their Lusts in the Expressions of the Irrascible or Concupiscible appetite and in Regard this Excellent Religion of Christianity Puts a stop to their Carrier If they were not deaf and unreasonable they Reject it while they grow worse and worse and sin without fear and keep thei● Delilahs in their bosom notwithstanding of the dreadful Threatnings of the wrath of GOD So that having their Eves darkned and being alienated from the life of GOD they run to all excess of Riot and work wickedness with greediness in which continuing in the frequency of use they habitually sin against GOD and cannot more change their customs than the Ethtopian can change his hew and beeing thus separated from GOD they are turned into brutal savagness with Nebuchadnezar and so provoke GOD to give them up to a Judicial stroak and leave them 〈◊〉 the GOD of this World to blind their 〈◊〉 least the Light of the Glorious Gospel should Shine upon them 2 Cor. 4. 4. Tha● as their opportunities of Light and Grace were the more ample being under the dispensation of the Blessed Gospel thei● Judgement and dreadful Declension from the way of GOD is the more dreadful and criminal That as St. Peter sayeth it had been better for them not to have known the way of Righteousness than after they had known it to turn from the Holy Commandment And being thus Stricken of GOD they are glad of licentious times and an armless Church that every one may do according to the Imagination of his wicked heart § 6. 3ly We may easily then perceive what will be the proper cure of this And that is that the Gospel of CHRIST and the Oeconomy of His House be received and punctually observ●d for in effect the Gospel of it self is such a