Gospel-worship, or, The right manner of sanctifying the name of God in general. And…

But if you understand it (as many do) concerning the World, then the meaning is thus, the Preaching of the Gospel that comes to a place, and there's only good seed sown, and is a means of the conversion of many, but together with the conversion of some; there are others that do hear the Gospel Preached, and the truth is, they being mingled among the hearers of the Word, in stead of bringing forth good fruit according to the Gospel, they bring forth the Tares; now saith the servant, Lord, how comes it to pass that we preach such excellent truths in this place, and yet there are so many wicked men that bring forth such wicked fruit? Lord, is it thy mind that we should be wholly separated from them and have nothing to do with them, that there should be a full separation while we live in this world? ⟨p. 240⟩no saith Christ, not so; for then the truth is, if all godly men should wholly withdraw from wicked men, and believe that they may not live among them, they could not live in the world. If you did believe it were your duty not so much as to live near a wicked man, nor to have any thing to do in any kind of converse with him, there would be no Wheat growing in this field of the world here; and therefore you must be content, when you live where the Preaching of the Gospel is, and the seed brings forth good fruit in some, and in others it brings forth Tares, you must not be offended by this, that here in this world God doth not by some visible stroke of judgement come and strike them dead, or that God doth not take some course that there should be a full separation here but that they might live together till the day of judgment; here I say you shall not have such a full separation; so that you see it carries a very fair sense to take the field to be the world, and the kingdom of Heaven thereto be the Preaching of the Gospel in any place, and so we must be content while we live in this world to be where wicked and ungodly men are. But it doth not follow from this place that we are to have converse in the closest communion, in Church-communion with wicked men, to be made one body by eating the same bread, and drinking the same wine; it holds not forth such close communion as this is; so that there's little strength can be taken from that place, but still it holds that wheresoever there is the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, there must be a holy communion of Saints.

But if you understand it (as many do) concerning the World, then the meaning is thus, the Preaching of the Gospel that comes to a place, and there's only good seed sown, and is a means of the conversion of many, but together with the conversion of some; there are others that do hear the Gospel Preached, and the truth is, they being mingled among the hearers of the Word, in stead of bringing forth good fruit according to the Gospel, they bring forth the Tares; now saith the servant, Lord, how comes it to pass that we preach such excellent truths in this place, and yet there are so many wicked men that bring forth such wicked fruit? Lord, is it thy mind that we should be wholly separated from them and have nothing to do with them, that there should be a full separation while we live in this world?