yours alfo. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's fake. That Levi was the fon of the hated, feems not to have been without a mystery, which the world in all ages, hath unriddled. But tho' the earthen veffel, wherein God has put the treasure, be turned, with many, into veffels wherein there is no pleasure, yet, why is the treasure itself flighted? But flighted it is, and that with a witness this day. Lord, who hath believed our report? To whom shall we speak? Men can, without remorfe, make to themfelves filent Sabbaths, one after another. And alas! when they come to ordinances, for the most part, it is but to appear (as the word is, to be seen) before the Lord, and to tread his courts; namely, as a company of beasts would do, if they were driven into them, Ifa. i. 12. fo little reverence and awe of God appears on their fpirits. Many ftand like brazen walls before the word, in whofe corrupt converfation the preaching of the word makes no breach. Nay, not a few are growing worfe and worfe, under precept upon precept: and the refult of all is, They go and fall backward, and be broken, a.* fnared, and taken, Ifa. xxviii. 13. What tears of blood are fufficient to lament that (the gofpel) the grace of God, is thus received in vain! We are but the voice of one crying the Speaker is in heaven; and fpeaks to you from heaven by men: why do ye refufe him that Speaketh? Heb. xii. 25. God has made our Mafter heir of all things, and we are sent to court a fpouse for him. There is none fo worthy as he; none more unworthy than they to whom this match is promised; but the prince of darkness is preferred before the Prince of Peace. A difinal darkness overclouded the world by Adam's fall, more terrible than if the fun, moon and stars had been for ever wrapt up in blackness of darkness; and there we thould have eternally lain, had not this grace of the gospel, as a fhining fun, appeared to difpel it, Tit. ii. 11. But yet we fly like night owls from it; and like the wild beafts, lay our felves down in our dens; when the fun arifeth, we are ftruck blind with the light thereof; and, as creatures of darkness, love darkness rather than light. Such is the enmity of the hearts of men against Chrift, in his prophetical office.

2. The natural man is an enemy to Chrift in his priestly office. He is appointed of the Father a Prieft for ever: that, by His alone facrifice and interceffion, finners may have peace with, and accefs to God; but Chrift crucified is a stumbling-block, and foolishness to the unrenewed part of mankind, to whom he is preached, 1 Cor. i 23. They are not for him, as the new and living way. Nor is he by the voice of the world, an High Priest over the house of God. Corrupt nature goes quite another way to work.

Evidence 1. None of Adam's children naturally incline to receive the bleffing in borrowed robes; but would always, according to the fpider's motto, owe all to themselves; and fo climb up to heaven on a thread fpun out of their own bowels. For they defire to be under the law, Gal. iv. 24. And go about to establish their own righteoufn fs, Rom. x. 3. Man, naturally, looks on GOD as a great Master; and

They always refift the Holy Ghost. They defire not the knowledge of his ways; and therefore bid him depart from them. The old calumny is often raised upon him, en that occafion, John x. 20. He is mad, why hear ye him? Soul-exercife raised by the fpirit of bondage, is accounted by many, nothing elfe but diftraction, and melancholy fits; men thus blafpheming the Lord's work, becaufe they themselves are befide themselves, and cannot judge of these matters.

1

Evid. 2. Confider the entertainment he meets with, when he comes to teach men outwardly by his word.

1.) His written word, the Bible, is flighted; Chrift hath left it to us, as the book of our instructions, to thow us what way we must fteer our course, if we would come to Emmanuel's land. It is a lamp to light us through a dark world to eternal light. And he hath left it upon us, to fearch it with that diligence, wherewith men dig into mines for filver and gold, John v. 39. But ah! how is this facred trea fure profaned by many! They ridicule the holy word, by which they must be judged at the laft day; and will rather lofe their fouls than their jeft, dreffing up the conceit of their wanton wits in fcripture phrafes; in which they act as mad a part, as one who would dig into a mine to procure metal to melt and pour down his own and his neighbour's throat. Many exhauft their fpirits in reading romances, and their minds purfue them, as the flame doth the dry ftubble; while they have no heart for, nor relifh of the holy word, and therefore feldom take a Bible in their hands. What is agreeable to the vanity of their minds, is pleafant and taking: but what recommends holipefs to their unholy hearts, makes their spirits dull and 'flat. What pleasure will they find in reading of a profane ballad, or story book, 'to whom the Bible is taftelefs, as the white of an egg! Many lay by their Bibles with their Sabbath-day's clothes; and whatever ufe they have for their clothes, they have none for their Bibles, till the return of the Sabbath. Alas! the duft or finery about your Bibles is a witness now, and will, at the last day, be a witness of the enmity of your hearts against Christ, as a Prophet. Besides all this, among these who ordinarily read the fcriptures, how few are there that read it as the word of the Lord to their fouls, and keep communion with him in it. They do not make his ftatutes their counsellors, nor doth their particular cafe fend them to their Bibles. They are ftrangers to the folid comfort of the fcriptures. And if at any time they be dejected, it is fomething elfe than the word that revives them: as Ahab was cured of his fullen fit, by the fecuring of Naboth's vineyard for him.

(2.) Chrift's word preached is despised The entertaininent most of the world, to whom it has come, have always given it, is that which is mentioned, Matth. xxii. 5. They made light of it. And for its fake they are defpifed whom he has employed to preach it; whatever other face men put upon their contempt of the miniftry, John xv. 20. The Servant is not greater than the Lord: if they have perfecuted me, they will also perfecute you; if they have kept my fayings, they will keep

yours

yours alfo. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's fake. That Levi was the fon of the hated, feems not to have been without a myftery, which the world in all ages, hath unriddled. But tho' the earthen veffel, wherein God has put the treasure, be turned, with many, into veffels wherein there is no pleasure, yet, why is the treasure itself flighted? But flighted it is, and that with a witness this day. Lord, who hath believed our report? To whom shall we fpeak? Men can, without remorfe, make to themfelves filent Sabbaths, one after another. And alas! when they come to ordinances, for the moft part, it is but to appear (as the word is, to be feen) before the Lord, and to tread his courts; namely, as a company of beafts would do, if they were driven into them, Ifa. i. 12. fo little reverence and awe of God appears on their fpirits. Many ftand like brazen walls before the word, in whofe corrupt converfation the preaching of the word makes no breach. Nay, not a few are growing worfe and worfe, under precept upon precept: and the refult of all is, They go and fall backward, and be broken, afnared, and taken, Ifa. xxviii. 13. What tears of blood are fufficient to lament that (the gospel) the grace of God, is thus received in vain! We are but the voice of one cryings the Speaker is in heaven; and fpeaks to you from heaven by men: why do ye refufe him that Speaketh? Heb. xii. 25. God has made our Mafter heir of all things, and we are fent to court a fpoufe for him. There is none fo worthy as he; none more unworthy than they to whom this match is promifed; but the prince of darkness is preferred before the Prince of Peace. A difmal darkness overclouded the world by Adam's fall, more terrible than if the fun, moon and ftars had been for ever wrapt up in blackness of darkness; and there we thould have eternally lain, had not this grace of the gospel, as a fhining fun, appeared to dispel it, Tit. ii. 11. But yet we fly like night owls from it; and like the wild beafts, lay our felves down in our dens; when the fun arifeth, we are ftruck blind with the light thereof; and, as 'creatures of darkness, love darkness rather than light. Such is the enmity of the hearts of men against Christ, in his prophetical office.

2. The natural man is an enemy to Christ in his priestly office. He is appointed of the Father a Prieft for ever: that, by His alone facrifice and interceffion, finners may have peace with, and access to God; but Chrift crucified is a stumbling-block, and foolishness to the unrenewed part of mankind, to whom he is preached, 1 Cor. i 23. They are not for him, as the new and living way. Nor is he by the voice of the world, an High Prieft over the house of God. Corrupt nature goes quite another way to work.

Evidence 1. None of Adam's children naturally incline to receive the bleffing in borrowed robes; but would always, according to the fpider's motto, owe all to themfelves; and fo climb up to heaven on a thread fpun out of their own bowels. For they defire to be under the law, Gal. iv. 24. And go about to establish their own righteoufn fs, Rom. x. 3. Man, naturally, looks on GOD as a great Master; and

They always refift the Holy Ghost. They defire not the knowledge of his ways; and therefore bid him depart from them. The old calumny is often raised upon him, en that occafion, John x. 20. He is mad, why hear ye him? Soul-exercise raised by the fpirit of bondage, is accounted by many, nothing elfe but diftraction, and melancholy fits; men thus blafpheming the Lord's work, because they themselves are befide themselves, and cannot judge of thefe matters.

Evid. 2. Confider the entertainment he meets with, when he comes to teach men outwardly by his word.

1.) His written word, the Bible, is flighted; Chrift hath left it to us, as the book of our instructions, to thow us what way we must fteer our course, if we would come to Emmanuel's land. It is a lamp to light us through a dark world to eternal light. And he hath left it upon us, to fearch it with that diligence, wherewith men dig into mines for filver and gold, John v. 39. But ah! how is this facred treafure profaned by many! They ridicule the holy word, by which they must be judged at the laft day; and will rather lofe their fouls than their jeft, dreffing up the conceit of their wanton wits in fcripture phrafes; in which they act as mad a part, as one who would dig into a mine to procure metal to melt and pour down his own and his neighbour's throat. Many exhauft their fpirits in reading romances, and their minds purfue them, as the flame doth the dry ftubble; while they have no heart for, nor relish of the holy word, and therefore feldom take a Bible in their hands. What is agreeable to the vanity of their minds, is pleafant and taking: but what recommends holipefs to their unholy hearts, makes their fpirits dull and flat. What pleasure will they find in reading of a profane ballad, or story book, to whom the Bible is taftelefs, as the white of an egg! Many lay by their Bibles with their Sabbath-day's clothes; and whatever ufe they have for their clothes, they have none for their Bibles, till the return of the Sabbath. Alas! the duft or finery about your Bibles is a witness now, and will, at the laft day, be a witness of the enmity of your hearts against Christ, as a Prophet. Befides all this, among thefe who ordinarily read the fcriptures, how few are there that read it as the word of the Lord to their fouls, and keep communion with him in it. They do not make his ftatutes their counfellors, nor doth their particular cafe fend them to their Bibles. They are ftrangers to the folid comfort of the fcriptures. And if at any time they be dejected, it is fomething elfe than the word that revives them: as Ahab was cured of his fullen fit, by the fecuring of Naboth's vineyard for him.

(2.) Chrift's word preached is despised The entertainment most of the world, to whom it has come, have always given it, is that which is mentioned, Matth. xxii. 5. They made light of it. And for its fake they are defpifed whom he has employed to preach it; whatever other face men put upon their contempt of the miniftry, John xv. 20. The Servant is not greater than the Lord: if they have perfecuted me, they will also perfecute you; if they have kept my fayings, they will keep

yours

yours alfo. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's fake. That Levi was the fon of the hated, feems not to have been without a mystery, which the world in all ages, hath unriddled. But tho' the earthen veffel, wherein God has put the treafure, be turned, with many, into vessels wherein there is no pleasure, yet, why is the treasure itself flighted? But flighted it is, and that with a witness this day. Lord, who hath believed our report? To whom shall we speak? Men can, without remorse, make to themfelves filent Sabbaths, one after another. And alas! when they come to ordinances, for the moft part, it is but to appear (as the word is, to be feen) before the Lord, and to tread his courts; namely, as a company of beafts would do, if they were driven into them, Ifa. i. 12. fo little reverence and awe of God appears on their fpirits. Many ftand like brazen walls before the word, in whofe corrupt converfation the preaching of the word makes no breach. Nay, not a few are growing worfe and worfe, under precept upon precept: and the refult of all is, They go and fall backward, and be broken, a. fnared, and taken, Ifa. xxviii. 13. What tears of blood are fufficient to lament that (the gofpel) the grace of God, is thus received in vain! We are but the voice of one crying the Speaker is in heaven; and fpeaks to you from heaven by men: why do ye refufe him that speaketh? Heb. xii. 25. God has made our Mafter heir of all things, and we are sent to court a fpoufe for him. There is none fo worthy as he; none more unworthy than they to whom this match is promifed; but the prince of darkness is preferred before the Prince of Peace. A difinal darkness overclouded the world by Adam's fall, more terrible than if the fun, moon and ftars had been for ever wrapt up in blackness of darkness; and there we fhould have eternally lain, had not this grace of the gospel, as a fhining fun, ap'peared to dispel it, Tit. ii. 11. But yet we fly like night owls from it; and like the wild beafts, lay ourselves down in our dens; when the fun arifeth, we are ftruck blind with the light thereof; and, as 'creatures of darkness, love darkness rather than light. Such is the enmity of the hearts of men against Christ, in his prophetical office.

2. The natural man is an enemy to Christ in his prieftly office. He is appointed of the Father a Prieft for ever: that, by His alone facrifice and interceffion, finners may have peace with, and access to God; but Chrift crucified is a stumbling-block, and foolishness to the unrenewed part of mankind, to whom he is preached, 1 Cor. i 23. They are not for him, as the new and living way. Nor is he by the voice of the world, an High Priest over the house of God. Corrupt nature goes quite another way to work.

Evidence 1. None of Adam's children naturally incline to receive the bleffing in borrowed robes; but would always, according to the fpider's motto, owe all to themselves; and fo climb up to heaven on a thread fpun out of their own bowels. For they defire to be under the law, Gal. iv. 24. And go about to establish their own righteoufn ss, Rom. x. 3. Man, naturally, looks on GOD as a great Master; and