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Mal, 3. 8, 9. Will a man rob God; yet ye bave robbed Mei but ye fay, cherein have we rebbed Thee? in Tithes Offerings; ye are curfed with a Cuife, for yo bave robbed Me, even this whole Nation, I fay, then beware of (poiling God beware of spoiling the men of God, beware of spoiling the things of God; what is once devoted for a pious ufe should be piously pre ferved, and rather augmented by generous Benefa &ters, than diminished or embaz led by avaricious Harpyes, I offer fome Confiderations with respect to this hainous yet common fin, and little repented off. 1, Confid. It is a shame that fuch an impiety should be among Chriftians, when very Heathens abborred this kind of Villanie, and therefore they had fric Laws, and those severelie executed against the Rob bers of their Churches, and the Blafphemers of their gods. You may fees 29. what a flir and Bickle the Ephefians were in about their gods, verfe 26, 27, 29. So that I fay verie Pagans have shewed more respect to their Idols,than manie Chriftians do to the True God, and more diflike of Sacriledge, than mas Die who pretend to be facred Seekers of God. Sacrilegi dant panas, faith Seneca de benef: lib, s. and Plato de legib. dial 9. fets down bis Sacrilegij fupplis cium, and that a verie fevere one too; vide Alex, ab Alex. gen. dier, lib, s. cap. 3, Cicer. 1. de leg. Plinij Hift. lib. 24. cap. 16 where ye will find the feveral kinds of moft fearfull punishments that were in ufe in different Nations, and particularlie how grievouflie Sacriledge was punished.

1. Confid. The facrilegious diminishment clefiaftical emoluments &encouragements

bie marrs the proficiencie of learning,obftructs the Plantation of Churches with pious and able men, & binders those who are employed & engaged in fas cred Functions from the cheerful & conftant purfuit of their Studies&Miniftrial labours, Virtutibus obat res angufta domi. And also the Povertie of Ministers is an occafionof their Contempt and confequentlie of defpiting the Sacrifices and Ordinances of the Lord under their Adminiftration.

3. Confid, God Himfelf will be avenged on facri legious Perfons, & bath often manifefted His fignal diipleasure by strange Judgements upon tome fuch, Joshua 6. 19 2227, 24, 25. A&cs 1,2,3,4,5. Hag. 1. 6, 9. To this purpofe take a paffage or two of Mr. Walkers Sermon again ft Sacriledge, at Londons Nov. 1. 16. 28. pag. 44 Remember Gods Judgements poured down upon fuch as have been brand. ed with Sacriledge, as Pompey the great that never profpered after bis Sacriledge at Jerufalem, Craffus herich, Julian the apoftate, and his Uncle Fulton, and Felix his treafarer, think of Ananias, Sapphira, Achan, Bealfazzer, Antiochus; there never was nor never fhall be anie, that did take from Gods Church any arahue, or Donary dedicated to the Church, but he or his became ava que, or a Corfe; Church goods are like the gold of Tholouse, which brought a Curle upon thofe poffeffed it; fear fays he, leaft Gods Thunderbolts firic you down into Hell among those Souls that ye have been the means to damb, by depriving them of the means that might have faved them. Ifay then, touch not, tafte not,

le not Church goods in a Sacrilegious way, for

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male parta, male dilabuntur, fach purchases will foon perish,

SECTION VI.

4. Caution, Chriftian Merchant, beware of Pircats, Theeves and Robbers; you cannot Trade or Travel either by Sea or Land, but ye willron Hazards this way. And to use the Apoitles words, ye may be in perils of Waters, in perils of Robbers, in perils by your own Countrymen, in perils by the Heathen, in perils in the City, in perils in the Wilderness, &c 2 Cor. 11 26. I will tell you of fome Robbers you would beware of.

1. Robber, is the Devil, that watchfull enemie that goes too and fro, compaffing Sea and Land to fpoil Chriftians of their treatures, and binder their trading with Chrift, Luke 23 31. Zech, 3. 1. 1 Pet. 5.8.

2. Robber. Falle Teachers who improve all their art and fopbifric to rob us of the Truth, which is a Pearl that we should carefullie preferve and fecure, And therefore Paul Col. 2. 8 calls the falfe Teach ers vady, i, e. Spoilers, or Robbers. Leigh, Crit,facra, in voc,the fpeech is taken from Theeves, who come fecretlie to carrie a fheep out of the fold. So we may fay falfe Teachers labour to steal away the sheep of Chrift out of His Pafture where they feed on the Truth.

3 Robber, Is this prefent World in the allurements, fnares and temptations thereof, which manie times Real away our Hearts from God, and rob us of our fpiritual riches.

4. Robber, or rather troup of them, is debauche

ill companie,it is incredible what influence Brethren of iniquitie have upon one another, to mair & fpoil good beginnings, & ferious like inclinations to vers cue, & to engage unto villainous practices, but alas herein lyes the unhappiness of our corrupt natural conftitution, that as Juvenal fays, Satyr. 14.

aseadociles imitandis

Turpibus ac pravis omnes fumus,

O what gracelets work is among fome profligate Debauchees when they are caballed together for their frolick rants how manie (cornfull tales & oppгo. brious reports do they raife and pafs upon Religion, they have their Topicks of reproaches against the true feekers of God, and make them the fubject of their drunken fonnets, which does much to fcar those who are not well acquainted with the ways of God; belides what a bewitching influence their example bath to induce to a good liking of the Devils wares, and flighting of Chrifts, therefore fays the wifeman, Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men, avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away, for they fleep nat except they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause fome to fall, for they eat the breed of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence, Prov. 4. 14, 15, 16. and fays Paul, 1 Cor. 15 33. Evil communications cors rupt good manners, as manie have found in their fad experience, for the words and ways of evil men are ready to work more upon good men, than upon the contrare the manners of the vertuous on them that are addicted to vice. Ye know Dinah was deflours robbed of her Virginitie when vifiting the Daughters

Daughters of the Land, Gen, 34. 1, 2, Jofeph learn ed to fwear by the life of Pharaob, when his ordinary companions were Pharaohs Courtiers, Gen. 4. 15.

From all thefe it is evident that we are encompaffed about with dangers and difficulties, & to have need cautiously to fence against them: And feeing we are upon the perillous circumttances of a Chri ftian, and fpeaking all this time in Allegories & Siz militudes, fuffer me to launch forth & digrefs a little in fetting forth the Scheme of a Chriftians Courfe of Life in this World, under the Similitude of a Voyage at Sea, likewife alluding to the Naval appurtenan ces thereof, and we shall endeavour to be fuccin& in this Digreffion, which is hoped will be found not altogether alien from the Purpose in band,

A Digression.

I. "His World into which Man is launched forth, This is a Sea of Treables, where he is in dailie bazard of being toffed with Tempefts and Storms; which may arise either from the temptations of Sa tan, cruel perfecutions, bodily pains and fiekneffes, injurious falfe calumnies, and many other tribulati ons from without, or Aerms may also arife from in. ordinat, violent paffions from within, Pfal. 42. 7. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy water:fpouts, all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Ifa. 54. 11. Ob thou affli&ed, toffed with tempefts, and not come forted. See also Jonah 2. 3.

2. Man, as to his Body (a crafie Lacki deed) is the Ship, which is often fore beat

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