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SECTION VII.

Some Motives to buy this Raiment.

1. Mot, YE are fark naked and denuded of all righ teoufnes in your felves, ye are all wounds and bruifes and putrifying fores, lying polluted in your own blood to the loathing of your perfons, E zek. 16.5,6. a very ugly and noisom fpe&acle indeed! and therefore ye have great need of cloaths to co ver and bid this your fhamefull nakedness; there is none of you all bot are guilty of much fin, & that is your nakedness, that is your deformity and running fore, but few of you are poffeffed with fo much (pi ritual fhame, as to make you feek a covering: ye know that as foon as Adam and Eve knew their nakedness, they made themfelves aprons of figg leaves to cover it, Gen. 3, 7. but herein ye may have a feen advantage beyond them, for they had but an apron of fig leaves, that might cover a little part of them from one another, but could not hide a bitt of them from God; but here ye may have a whole covering of the leaves of the tree of life. fo as God will not fee one of your leaft fpots or deformities, for H: beboldeth ninquity in Jacob neither doth He fee any perverfen fin Ifracl,being covered with this cloath ing, Nub 23. 21. Rom, 4 6,7.

2. Mot. Ye are as lillies among thorns, Song. 2, L while fojourners in this world ye are among wick ed roughanded Efaus, who will be pricks in your es and thorns in your fides, fo that ye have great

need

need of cloaths to fence you from the fcratches of the briars and thorns that ye are daily among; ye are alto liable to the bitt er blafts of a winter time of perfecution, and ye may baplie meet with fuch barbarous enemies, as caufe the naked to lodge without cloathing &c. Job 24 7. and I know nothing can be of greater ftead in the bardeft pinches, then a folid perlwafion of having put on the Lord Jefus Chriff, as the Lord your righteoufnefs.

3. Mot, Ye are a bolie nation, a peculiar people, & fo for diftin&ions fake (from thofe of the world that wear the devils livrie) ye should bave on Chrifs livri, Kem, 11.2. Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.

4. Mot. This fpiritual cloathing that we speak of, will not wat or wear away, neither moths nor mice will enter thereupon, Deut 8, 4. this raiment will not wax old, for the merchandize of Chrift fhall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat fuffici entlie, and for durable cloathing, Isa. 23, 18.

5. Mot. Without this raiment ye can never come to dwell in heaven, it will fare with thee as with the man that wanted the wedding garment, thou shalt bé bound band and foot, and caft into utter darkness Matth, 22. 13.

'SECTION VII.

Some Conditions of Sale of this white Raiment.

1. Condit. IF ye mind to buy the were cloaths of Chrifts righteoufnefs, then yem

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catt off your old tagged bilthie cloaths it would be very unleemlie to wear a fine new Coat above an old greefie tattered Coat, the meaning is, ye mult put off your old converfation, with the lufts theres of, and put on the new man, & lead a holie changed renewed life ye muft forfake your old ways, youreld companions your old lufts & lovers, Zech. 3.Jofhuas filthy garments were taken from him, before the fair Mitre was fet on his head, and ere he was cloathed with the change of raiment, verf. 3, 4, 5 fee Rom. 13. 12, 14. Eph. 4, 22, 24,

2. Condit, If ye would have one the garments of grace & godlinefs, then ye muft refolve & alfo ens deavour to keep your cloaths clean, the bonour of your Mafter requires this that ye fhould look as like Him, and His, as may be, Matths 48, Be ye therefore perte even as your Father which is in Heaven is per je 1 Pet. . 15. As be which bath called you is ho by jo be ye boly in all manner of converfation; and fee ing it is white raiment that Chrift cloaths us with the verie propertie thereof feems to Tay, that w fhould have a (pecial care leaft we fullie them; bo on the contrare, we should hate the garments Spott with the flesh, Jude 23. O Sirs the Lords piercing eye is upon us all. and He narrowlie noticeth wh walk worthy of Him unto all well pleafing, & wh in their walk Rain and defile themfelves, Rev, 3.2,4 I have not found thy works perfe& before God, yet ther are fome even in Sardis that have not defiled the garments, and they fhall walk with Me in white fo they are worthy.

Condit. That you keep a good grip of you

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garments leaft any pluck them from you, the Devil is drawing,the world is drawing, perfecuters are draw ing& thy deceitful heart is too ready to quite grips, therefore with fear & trembling improve what graz cious abilities you have, & implore the allillance of Christ, that ye maybe able to keep faft hold Rev 16. 15. Blefedis he that watcherb and ke pesh bis garments, leaf bewalk naked, and they fee his fhame,

4. Condit, Stand faft by your Mafer, keep clofs by the backing of His Livriemen, and engage to do Him all the fervice ye can, if ye break His bread & wear His wool, if He find you in meat and cloath, it is juft and reasonable ye fhould employ your felves to your outmoft power in your fphere for promov. ing His honour and interefts, Rom. 11.36 For of Him through Him and to Him are all things, to Whom

be Glory for ever, Amen.

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8ECTION IX,

A fifth fort of Chrifts Wares expofed to Sale,

Flfbly, What will ye bay? will ye buy Ornaments? here ye may have them; I fay not only raiment for covering your nakednefs, but zebite raiment for fetting you off as comelie & beautious in the eyes of your Lord, Pfal. 45.11,13,14. The Kings daughter is all glorious within, her cloathing is of wrought gold, fbe hal be brought to the King in raiment of needle work, So fhall the King greatly defire thy beauty. Read Ez-k. 16. ver. 1. to 15. when thon was a loathfom perfen faith the Lord, I fpread My skift over thee

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1 cloathed thee with broidered-work, 1 decked thee allo with ornaments, fo that thou became renowned for thy beauty &c. In the Songs likewife the Spoufe is faid to be beautified with a great man e excellent ornaments, all which speak out the plentie & vari etie of Graces which Cbrift communicats to poor, needie, vile finners. We will glance at a few pieces of Ornaments.

I. Ornam. The white raiment of Gospel puritie and Holinefi,which mightilie adorns a Believer; the effential beautie of God Himself lyes in fpotlefs Ho linefs, and how much nearer in degrees of bolir.efs a gracious Soul comes to Gods Immenfe. bolinefs, the more excellent and illuftrious is fuch a rare pers fon, and the more to be loved and liked, because herein fo far the liker God, Who is Glorious in Hos linefs Exod. 15 11.

2, Ornam. The homelie drefs of Humilitie, which is a piece of beautie fo lovable in Gods eyes, that, to fay fo, He cannot but bow the Heavens to come down and dwell with the humble foul, and ay the more bumble that a Chriftian is in his own eyes, the more exalted & precious is he in Gods eyes though He be the High and Loftie One that inhabiteth Es ternitie, Ifa. 57.15. This Ornament well becomes the Elect of God, who bave nothing in themselves to be proud off; but muft bottom all their boafting on free eternal love, 1 Cap. 5. 5. Be ye cloathed 1. with bumility, for God refifteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble, put on as the Elect of God Bumbleness of mind, Colof 3 12.

Ornans, The comelie garment of Mecknifi ; 0

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