A pastors love expressed to a loving people in a farewell sermon preached at…A pastors love expressed to a loving people in a farwel sermon preached at…

Direct. 13. Join the Serpent and the Dove together, Innocence and prudence, Matth. 10. 16. Be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves; we must have innocence with our wisdom, else our wisdom is but craftiness; and we must have wisdom with our innocency, else our innocency is but weakness; we must have the harmlessness of the dove, that we may not wrong others; and we must have the wisdom of the serpent that others may not abuse and circumvent us: Not to wrong the truth by silence, here is the innocency of the dove; not to betray our selves by rashness, here is the wisdom of the serpent; O how rare is it to have these two united, the Dove and the Serpent; the Dove without the Serpent is folly, and the Serpent without the Dove is impiety.

Direct. 13. Joyn the Serpent and the Dove together, Innocence and prudence, Matth. 10. 16. Be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves; we must have innocence with our wisdom, else our wisdom is but craftiness; and we must have wisdom with our innocency, else our innocency is but weakness; we must have the harmlesness of the dove, that we may not wrong others; and we must have the wisdom of the serpent that others may not abuse and circumvent us: Not to wrong the truth by silence, here is the innocency of the dove; not to betray our selves by rashness, here is the wisdom of the serpent; O how rare is it to have these two united, the Dove and the Serpent; the Dove without the Serpent is folly, and the Serpent without the Dove is impiety.

Direct. 14. Be more afraid of sin then of suffering; a man may suffer and yet have the love of God, but cannot sin but presently God is angry; sin eclipses the light of Gods face; in suffering, the conscience of a man may be quiet; as when the hail beats upon the tiles, there may be music in the house; so when there is suffering upon the body, there may be that music in the conscience; But when a man fins presumptuously he loses all his peace. Spira when he had abjured his Faith became a terror to himself, he could not endure himself; he protested he thought Cain and Judas in Hell did not feel the terror that he felt. He that will commit sin to prevent suffering, is like a man that lets his head be broke to save his helmet.