The peril of the times displayed. Or The danger of mens taking up with…

USE III.

1. In general to us all; for we are all concerned in it, and there are several lessons of advice which it will afford us; especially these.

1. Beware that you do not reject the external part of Godliness on this pretence. There is an unhappy Generation of men in the world, who would fain persuade others to think that they have arrived at higher degrees of perfection than their neighbours; and among other their egregious follies, this is one, because God condemns the form which is without the power, they thereupon cast off all form, and call all external Worship so; and because God is a Spirit, and requires of them ⟨p. 139⟩that Worship him, that they do it in spirit and in truth; they upon this, restrain all Worship to that which is internal, and reject all that is bodily, to the Old Testament, and Legal Dispensation, and that which is antiquated now in the days of the Gospel; whereupon they pronounce all those to be carnal, who plead for or practice it: It is upon this score that they will acknowledge no such thing as a Sabbath, or separated time that is made holy by Gods so separating of it for the holy Services of his people, giving out that all time is now holy to the people of God, and every day a Sabbath to those that are spiritual. They will have no Humane Preaching, because they are all taught of God, and have the Spirit in them to lead them into all truth, and that anointing whereby they need not that any should teach them. They despise the Gospel Sacraments as carnal things, and spare not to mock at them, and plead, they have already received that which is the spiritual design of them, & it would be a thing superfluous in such as them any further to make use thereof: yea, they endeavour to make a ridicule of the Ordinances