Secondly, Let us now see how this Counsel of God is entertained by the carnal World; 'tis there despised, slighted, and contradicted. The World is a distracted World; some neglect God's Counsel, and never lay it to heart; Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation? and Mat. 22. 5. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his Farm, another to his Merchandise. Some laugh at these things, and make an holy and heavenly life the matter of their scorn and derision. Luke 16. 14. The Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things, and they derided him. And, Acts 17. 32. —Some mocked; and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter—Howbeit, certain Men clave unto him, and believed. There are others who fasten odious reproaches on the godly. And tho the Christian Religion be so holy and innocent in its design, so agreeable to the nature of ⟨p. 292⟩God and Man, so well contrived to remedy our Miseries, and to secure our true and proper Happiness; yet the strictness of it is distasted by the World: By the profane, who have nothing to excuse their wickedness, 'tis counted hypocrisy; As deceivers, yet true, 2 Cor. 6. 8. because they cannot condemn the Life, they judg the Heart: By them who affect the Vanities of the World, and have a passionate love for the Pleasures and Honours thereof; because the generality of the World are of that mind, they brand it with the imputation of foolish singularity. And the Carnal Politicians, because it was never yet so well with the World, but some things which God requireth are discountenanced, they tax it of disobedience, and they counted Paul as a mover of Sedition, Acts 25. 5. And because the Operations of Grace are above the Line of Nature, others tax it of Fanaticism and Enthusiasm: Atheists who are all for demonstrations of sense, sight, and present things, because Christianity mainly inviteth to things Spiritual and Heavenly, and to live upon the hopes of an unseen World that is yet to come, they judg it to be a foppery, or mere imposture, ⟨p. 293⟩or needless superstition. Though both the Hopes and Precepts of Religion carry a marvellous compliance with right-reason, yet none of these things move them. Lastly, There are others that malign, oppose and oppugn Holiness. There is an everlasting enmity between the two Seeds; as between the Wolf and the Lamb, the Raven and the Dove;
Secondly, Let us now see how this Counsel of God is entertained by the carnal World; 'tis there despised, slighted, and contradicted. The World is a distracted World; some neglect God's Counsel, and never lay it to heart; Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation? and Mat. 22. 5. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his Farm, another to his Merchandize. Some laugh at these things, and make an holy and heavenly life the matter of their scorn and derision. Luke 16. 14. The Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things, and they derided him. And, Acts 17. 32. —Some mocked; and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter—Howbeit, certain Men clave unto him, and believed. There are others who fasten odious reproaches on the godly. And tho the Christian Religion be so holy and innocent in its design, so agreeable to the nature of ⟨p. 292⟩God and Man, so well contrived to remedy our Miseries, and to secure our true and proper Happiness; yet the strictness of it is distasted by the World: By the prophane, who have nothing to excuse their wickedness, 'tis counted hypocrisy; As deceivers, yet true, 2 Cor. 6. 8. because they cannot condemn the Life, they judg the Heart: By them who affect the Vanities of the World, and have a passionate love for the Pleasures and Honours thereof; because the generality of the World are of that mind, they brand it with the imputation of foolish singularity. And the Carnal Politicians, because it was never yet so well with the World, but some things which God requireth are discountenanced, they tax it of disobedience, and they counted Paul as a mover of Sedition, Acts 25. 5. And because the Operations of Grace are above the Line of Nature, others tax it of Fanaticism and Enthusiasm: Atheists who are all for demonstrations of sense, sight, and present things, because Christianity mainly inviteth to things Spiritual and Heavenly, and to live upon the hopes of an unseen World that is yet to come, they judg it to be a foppery, or meer imposture, ⟨p. 293⟩or needless superstition. Though both the Hopes and Precepts of Religion carry a marvellous complyance with right-reason, yet none of these things move them. Lastly, There are others that malign, oppose and oppugn Holiness. There is an everlasting enmity between the two Seeds; as between the Wolf and the Lamb, the Raven and the Dove;
