Consider, the Devil is ever watching for your halting, and like some unkind servant, he blabs presently to the Father what a dirty pickle his children are in. Suppose he seeth the dirt of drunkenness, of uncleanness, of squeezing tenants, of profaning the Sabbath, of scoffing at godliness, of irreligion and atheism in your houses, and immediately carries your clothes to God, as the Patriarchs did Joseph's coat (For he accuseth men before God day and night, Revel. 12.10.) Saying, Lord, is this thy sons coat? Know now whether it be thy sons coat or no. Gen. 37.32. Do thy children use to carry themselves as my children! Surely these are ⟨p. 239⟩of their father the Devil. Can you imagine that God should own you? No certainly, (as the Pope disowned the Bishop, when the Emperor had sent the Buff-coat in which he was taken prisoner, and delivered him up to justice) he will not dishonour himself by owning you. Nay, how can you expect but that Jesus Christ, who sitteth by, and heareth the indictment against you (who useth to appear as an Advocate for others, when the Accuser of the Brethren pleadeth against them) should even second the Bill against you, and say to God, as Moses, Deut. 32.5. They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of Gods children, they are perverse and crooked persons! Father, these are sins not of weakness but wickedness; they are not infirmities, but enormities; they are not the spots of thy children. Those that cast thee out of their hearts, and let the flesh have the Supremacy there; that cast thee out of their houses, and let the world have the Superiority there; Those that make no conscience of thy day and their duties; whose whole care is to be honoured and enriched; whose heat and fervour is for credit and profit, and put thee off with a few fragments of time, and a few scraps of their estate, which they can spare from the world and flesh; those sin like wretches, like rebels, not like Saints, like sons; Their spots are not the spots of thy children.
Consider, the Devil is ever watching for your halting, and like some unkind servant, he blabs presently to the Fathet what a dirty pickle his children are in. Suppose he seeth the dirt of drunkenness, of uncleanness, of squeezing tenants, of prophaning the Sabboth, of scoffing at godliness, of irreligion and atheism in your houses, and immediately carryes your cloaths to God, as the Patriarchs did Joseths coat (For he accuseth men before God day and night, Revel. 12.10.) Saying, Lord, is this thy sons coat? Know now whether it be thy sons coat or no. Gen. 37.32. Do thy children use to carry themselves as my children! Surely these are ⟨p. 239⟩of their father the Devil. Can you imagine that God should own you? No certainly, (as the Pope disowned the Bishop, when the Emperour had sent the Buffe-coat in which he was taken prisoner, and delivered him up to justice) he will not dishonour himself by owning you. Nay, how can you expect but that Jesus Christ, who sitteth by, and heareth the indictment against you (who useth to appear as an Advocate for others, when the Accuser of the Brethren pleadeth against them) should even second the Bill against you, and say to God, as Moses, Deut. 32.5. They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of Gods children, they are perverse and crooked persons! Father, these are sins not of weakness but wickedness; they are not infirmities, but enormities; they are not the spots of thy children. Those that cast thee out of their hearts, and let the flesh have the Supremacy there; that cast thee out of their houses, and let the world have the Superiority there; Those that make no conscience of thy day and their duties; whose whole care is to be honoured and enriched; whose heat and fervour is for credit and profit, and put thee off with a few fragments of time, and a few scraps of their estate, which they can spare from the world and flesh; those sin like wretches, like rebels, not like Saints, like sons; Their spots are not the spots of thy children.
