TRIAL. We have here Ground of Discovery1 how to pass a safe Sentence touching the Spiritual Estate of some persons, namely, The easy and sudden conversion of such who have been grossly wicked, or scandalously vile: By grossly wicked, I mean such who have been taken aside with some loathsome abominations, though they carry it never so covertly, as your close […], fornications, thefts, murders, continued forgeries of false-hood and injustice: By scandalously vile, I mean such who have continued in an open tract of professed opposition against the power of Godliness: I say, the easy and sudden conversion of such, gives just ground of suspicion why they may question the truth of the Work, and others justly suspect it, […] their judgments be settled by sad proof, long experience, and that upon serious observation. It's not Gods ordinary way, and therefore men should take more than ordinary trial before they trust, or in truth thou trust […] self. The proceeding of God in his Word and Providence, are according to the Rules of Wisdom, and the right order of causes and means, by which he hath appointed to bring about his own will, and the Work of his Grace in the hearts of his. To save men per saltum is not Gods usual way, that works of greatest weight and difficulty, should be done in so little time, and with so little labour and trouble, in other cases thou wouldst think it […]; why shouldst thou judg the contrary reasonable in this, which is hardest, and the weightiest work of all other, unless thou hast more than ordinary warrant for it? When men grow rich of a sudden, and to a great ⟨p. 344⟩Estate, and those who observe their course, see neither ways nor means in reason how to raise it, each man concludes, it's not his own Estate, but other mens Stock that he braves it withal, for he is worse than nothing, or else he never truly came by it, so that a State sometime questions such. So here, when a man grows up to a great Estate of Grace, and no man can tell how; […] so many quarters or years, he was as base a wretch as the Earth bore, not fit to sit with the Dogs of a mans flock, his carriage so refuse and vile, as that he was not fit for the Society of moral men, that no man could tell how to believe his words, or to trust his dealing; and is he now of a sudden come to the top of Religion? a sweet, godly, gracious man, fit to be made a Member of a Congregation;
TRYAL. We have here Ground of Discovery1 how to pass a safe Sentence touching the Spiritual Estate of some persons, namely, The easie and sudden conversion of such who have been grosly wicked, or scandalously vile: By grossly wicked, I mean such who have been taken aside with some loathsom abominations, though they carry it never so covertly, as your clofe 〈…〉, fornications, thefts, murders, continued forgeries of fals-hood and injustice: By scandalously vile, I mean such who have continued in an open tract of profossed opposition against the power of Godliness: I say, the easie and sudden conversion of such, gives just ground of suspicion why they may question the truth of the Work, and others justly suspect it, 〈…〉 their judgments be setled by sad proof, long experience, and that upon serious observation. It's not Gods ordinary way, and therefore men should take more than ordinary tryal before they trust, or in truth thou trust 〈…〉 self. The proceeding of God in his Word and Providence, are according to the Rules of Wisdom, and the right order of causes and means, by which he hath appointed to bring about his own will, and the Work of his Grace in the hearts of his. To save men per saltum is not Gods usual way, that works of greatest weight and difficulty, should be done in so little time, and with so little labor and trouble, in other cases thou would'st think it 〈…〉; why should'st thou judg the contrary reasonable in this, which is hardest, and the weightiest work of all other, unless thou hast more than ordinary warrant for it? When men grow rich of a sudden, and to a great ⟨p. 344⟩Estate, and those who observe their course, see neither waies nor means in reason how to raise it, each man concludes, it's not his own Estate, but other mens Stock that he braves it withal, for he is worse than nothing, or else he never truly came by it, so that a State somtime questions such. So here, when a man grows up to a great Estate of Grace, and no man can tel how; 〈…〉 so many quarters or yeers, he was as base a wretch as the Earth bore, not fit to sit with the Dogs of a mans flock, his carriage so reffuse and vile, as that he was not fit for the Society of moral men, that no man could tel how to beleeve his words, or to trust his dealing; and is he now of a sudden come to the top of Religion? a sweet, godly, gracious man, fit to be made a Member of a Congregation;
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