N02150:68
Religious societies. Proposals for the revival of dying religion, by well ordered societies for…
Religious societies. Proposals for the revival of dying religion, by well ordered societies for that purpose. : With a brief discourse, offered unto a religious society, on the first day of their meeting. : [One line from I Thessalonians]
Boston: printed by S. Kneeland for John Phillips, 1724
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Secondly, THE Things are to be Prized, Valued, Esteemed; There must be seen an Excellency in them. To Know is to know the Worth of them. Faith is to be Prized, as, 2 Pet. I. 1. Precious Faith. Repentance is to be Prized, as, 2 Cor. VII. 10. Not to be Repented of. Holiness is to be Prized, as, 1 Tim. IV. 8. ⟨p. 10⟩Profitable unto all Things. Indeed, The Brutish Man knows not, neither does the Fool understand this. The Blind, and Hard, and Sottish Hearts of Sinful Men, don't Think of these Things. Jerusalem did not think, that if she Reverenced the Son of GOD, and Repented of the Evil of her Doings, and Hearkened unto GOD, and Walked in His Ways, then her Peace would have been as a River, and her Righteousness as the Waves of the Sea. The Anti-type of David would have prayed for the Peace of Jerusalem, yea, have given Peace to it. His GOD and Father, would have said, Peace be within thee! But not knowing the Things that belonged unto their Peace, not Knowing or Thinking how much they should find their Account in those Things, the Lord of the Vineyard came, and destroyed the Wicked Men.
THUS 'tis, with a World of Men and Women in the World. Cumbered with many Things, they will not see, that the coming to a CHRIST is the One Thing that is needful for them. A Laodicea can do well enough without the Gold, and Garment, and Eye Salve of her SAVIOUR. Many say, The Stolen Waters are Sweet. Many say, What is the Almighty that we should Serve Him, and what profit should we have if we pray unto Him? To have this […] removed, and the Scales drop from our Eyes; and have a New, Clear, Strong, Sight of the Estimate which is to be made of the Things which are not seen, and which affect our Eternal Happiness; This, This is to Know the Things belonging to our ⟨p. 11⟩peace. They who have studied the Style of the Scripture, tell us, Words of Knowledge imply Affection. So when our SAVIOUR says to some, I never knew you, He means, I never liked you. Which is what He will say to them, who know not what we are now speaking of. Reprobate Silver, the Lord has Rejected them.