The zealous Christian taking heavenThe zealovs Christian taking heaven

Use. 5 The next use is this: This Doctrine may ⟨p. 49⟩stir up in us an holy lamentation: If it ¹were so, that in the days of John the Baptist men were so holily violent after Jesus Christ and his Ordinances; then how should we lament and bewail our times, when we consider how defective men are now adays, and how much we fall short of those converts at the first plantation of the Gospel?

Use. 5 The next use is this: This Doctrine may ⟨p. 49⟩stirre up in us an holy lamentation: If it ¹vvere so, that in the dayes of John the Baptist men were so holily violent after Jesus Christ and his Ordinances; then how should we lament and bewail our times, when we consider hovv defective men are novv adayes, and hovv much vve fall short of those converts at the first plantation of the Gospel?

1. 1For lamentation for the apostasy of our times. We fall short of primitive Christians in three regards.For lamentation for the apostasie of our times. We fall short of primitive Christians in three regards.

We fall short of them. 1 In regard of ¹their love and union. It was observed that the primitive Christians were so full of love and affection to one another, that they could be acquainted together as well in half an hour as in half a year. In those times they were so conversant in that duty of love, that St. Paul saith, They needed not that he should write to them concerning love,