By your living below your light, God, your own souls, and the Gospel, have lost much, yea, and others also have lost much light, comfort, strength, and quickness, &c. that they ⟨p. 108⟩might have had, had you but lived up to that little grace you 1had. Now there is no way on earth to recover, and to fetch up these losses, but by living up to that grace you have. Ah Christians! 'tis not your running from Sermon to Sermon, (not that I speak against frequent hearing of the word) nor your crying up this man, and that man; or this notion, or that; or this way, or that, that will recover and fetch up the honour that God hath lost by your living below your graces; 'tis only your living up to your graces, that will make up all the breaches that have been made upon his honour, and the Gospel, and upon the comfort and peace of your own souls, and others. Well, remember this, all the honour that God hath from you in this life, is from your living up to that light, knowledge, love, fear, and faith, that he ha's given you: There's nothing that will make up all losses, but this; therefore I beg of you upon the knees of my soul, that you would take this one thing home with you, and go into your Closets, and lay your hands upon your hearts, and say, Well, the Lord hath lost much, and my own soul hath lost much, and others have lost much by my living below that little Grace I have; and therefore I will now make it my business (by assisting Grace) to live up to those measures of Grace that I have received, more then yet I have done all my days. I will by the strength of Christ make it more my duty, and my work to live out what God ha's given in, then ever yet I have done, that so the Lord and the Gospel may be no further losers, but gainers by me.
By your living below your light, God, your owne soules, and the Gospel, have lost much, yea, and others also have lost much light, comfort, strength, and quicknesse, &c. that they ⟨p. 108⟩might have had, had you but liv'd up to that little grace you 1had. Now there is no way on earth to recover, and to fetch up these losses, but by living up to that grace you have. Ah Christians! 'tis not your running from Sermon to Sermon, (not that I speak against frequent hearing of the word) nor your crying up this man, and that man; or this notion, or that; or this way, or that, that will recover and fetch up the honour that God hath lost by your living below your graces; 'tis onely your living up to your graces, that will make up all the breaches that have been made upon his honour, and the Gospel, and upon the comfort and peace of your owne soules, and others. Well, remember this, all the honour that God hath from you in this life, is from your living up to that light, knowledge, love, feare, and faith, that he ha's given you: There's nothing that will make up all losses, but this; therefore I begg of you upon the knees of my soule, that you would take this one thing home with you, and goe into your Closets, and lay your hands upon your hearts, and say, Well, the Lord hath lost much, and my owne soule hath lost much, and others have lost much by my living below that little Grace I have; and therefore I will now make it my businesse (by assisting Grace) to live up to those measures of Grace that I have received, more then yet I have done all my dayes. I will by the strength of Christ make it more my duty, and my worke to live out what God ha's given in, then ever yet I have done, that so the Lord and the Gospel may be no further loosers, but gainers by me.
- 1Bernard paraphrasing on that of Solomon, A L•lly amongst thorns, saith, the manners (or lines) of men, as Lilies, have their colours and odou••; that which comes from a pure heart, and a good Conscience, hath he colour of a Lilly. if a good name fallow; it is more truly a Lil'y, when neither cander nor odour of the Lilly is wanting. Non enim passibus ad deum sed affectibus currimus.Bernard paraphrasing on that of Solomon, A L•lly amongst thorns, saith, the manners (or lines) of men, as Lillies, have their colours and odou••; that which comes from a pure heart, and a good Conscience, hath he colour of a Lilly. if a good name fallow; it is more truly a Lil'y, when neither cander nor odour of the Lilly is wanting. Non enim passibus ad deum sed affectibus currimus.
