A49252:442
The natural mans case stated, or, An exact map of the little world man…The naturall mans case stated, or, An exact map of the little world man…
The natural mans case stated, or, An exact map of the little world man considered in both his capacities, either in the state of nature or grace / as is laid down in XVII sermons by that late truly orthodox divine, Mr. Christopher Love ... ; whereunto is annexed The saints triumph over death, being his funeral sermon, by that painful labourer in the Lords vineyard, Mr. Tho. Manton ...The naturall mans case stated, or, An exact map of the little world man considered in both his capacities, either in the state of nature or grace / as is laid down in XVII sermons by that late truely orthodox divine, Mr. Christopher Love ... ; whereunto is annexed The saints triumph over death, being his funeral sermon, by that painful labourer in the Lords vineyard, Mr. Tho. Manton ...
London: printed by E. Cotes for George Eversden, 1652
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
3. Know thus much, that those very duties which God does accept at the hands of his children, those very duties will he reject at the hands of wicked men, and therefore the bare performance of duty can be no prop to build hopes for heaven upon; for though thou spendest longer time in prayer, & more time in hearing reading, fasting, &c. then a godly man does, yet the Lord will accept of his duties and not of thine. I shall give you three instances for this; the first is between Cain and Abel: Abel he offered the firstlings of his sheep, and cattle and of his flock, and Cain he offered 1the first-fruits of his ground; now by faith Abel offered a more excellent offering then Cain, 2though Cains offering was of more value then Abel's was yet Abel's was accepted, when ⟨p. 205⟩the others was not; Abel's sacrifice was accepted not in regard of the quantity, and worth, and value of it, but because Abel was a believer, and a justified man in the fight of God, and therefore he had respect first to his person, and then to his sacrifice. Another instance is in 1 King. 18. 25. between 3Elijah the Prophet, and the Prophets of Baal; Elijah the Prophet took two Bullocks, and bid the Prophets of Baal to choose one, and you must think they would not choose the worst of them, and he took the other, and yet the Lord showed a token of acceptance to Elijah and his sacrifice, though it was the worst of the Bullocks, and showed no acceptance to the Prophets of Baal, and the reason of it was because Elijah was a justified man in the sight of God, when the others were not. And so again in Prov. 15. 8. it is said 4there, that the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the wright is his delight: God doth delight in a poor penniless prayer coming from a godly man, when he will not accept of a costly sacrifice coming from a wicked man.