The Christian-man's calling: or, A treatise of making religion ones business. Wherein the nature…

How many arguments mayst thou find in this ordinance, to be close in thy obedience! The greatness of Christs love calleth for graciousness in thy life. The love of Christ constraineth, 2 Cor. 5.14. Other Motives may persuade, but this compelleth. If deliverance from the yoke of Pharaoh were such a bond to obedience, what is deliverance from sin, & wrath, & hell? mayst not thou Reader, say with the Jews, After such a deliverance as this, should I again break thy Commandments, wouldst thou not be angry with me till thou hast consumed me? Ezr. 9.13. They that receive such courtesies (if any men the World) sell their liberty, and ought to be Christs servants, […] Friend, hath God wiped off the old score? & wilt thou run again ⟨p. 325⟩in debt? did Christ speak peace to thee at the Table, and wilt thou turn again to folly? O Reader, when thou art tempted to sin, say with the Spouse, I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them? I have washed my soul, how shall I pollute it with sin? I have given my self wholly to God before Angels & men, and how can I do this great wickedness & sin against my God, against my Saviour, against my Covenant. There is a beast (some write) which if she be feeding, & doth but turn her head about, forgeteth what she was doing. O do not thou after thou hast fed on the bread of life forget what thou wast doing; but as at the Sacrament thou hast remembered Christs death, so do it after by dying to sin all the days of thy life. O do not use this ordinance, as Papists do the Popes Indulgences, to purchase a new licence to sin. Judas went from the Supper to betray his Master; Absalom as arrant a dissembler as he was, pretended to hate such ingratitude; Is this thy kindness to thy friend (saith he to Hushai) why hast thou left him? when thou art by any sinister carriage departing from Christ, give conscience leave to ask thee, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? Ah why dost thou leave him, & serve him thus? thy sins will be more sinful because God is more merciful to thee then to others; The children of Israel have (only the Seventy read) done evil from their youth up, Jer. 32.30 As if there had been no sinners in the world but they; their privileges being greater then others, their provocations were more grievous. The unkindness of a friend hath much of an enemy in it.