Concerning the Church of Jesus Christ Upon Earth, Section 11
Sect. XI.
THerefore Beloved, ſeeing we ſhall partake of ſuch great priviledges, if we reforme and turne to God, yea, ſeeing there is much more in ſtore for us than is as yet diſcoverable, for—eye hath not ſeen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entred into the thought of man what God hath prepared for them that love and fear him. Seeing we ſhall eſcape ſuch condemnation, and judgment thorough grace in ſo reforming our ſelves as before, Heb. 12.1.O let us then lay aſide every weight, and the ſin that doth ſo eaſily beſet us, and let us run with patience the race that is ſet before us. Joſh. 24.15.Let us of this Congregation imitate Joſhua, let us chuſe with him, let us ſay unto all the people, and congregations round about us, chuſe you whom ye will ſerve, chuſe ye whether ye will reforme or not reforme your ways, chuſe you whether you will own us or diſown us, applaud us or hiſs at us, countenance us or contemne us, joyn with us or ſeparate from us, ſtrengthen us, or labour to make our hands feeble, ſay we do well, or ſay we do ill, Speak friendly to us or ſcoff at us, yet we are reſolv'd, what we will do, that we will leave Aſhterch & Baſaam. That we will ſay, what have we to do with Idols? And reforme and repent and engage our ſelves afreſh to ſerve the Lord.
Which that we may do, let us put in practice the rules before laid downe;
Firſt, Aſſembling our ſelves together, let us ſolemnly and ſorrowfully confeſſe and bewaile our own ſins, and the ſins of our forefathers before God, … 9.6.let us ſay our God, we bluſh and are aſhamed to lift up our faces unto thee, for our iniquities are increaſed over our heads and our treſpaſſe is grown up unto the very heavens: And having thus humbled our ſelves before God let us,
Secondly, Renew our covenant with God, our Covenant made ſo long ſince in baptiſme, which all of us have broken, and backſlided from: let us ſay, truth Lord, other Lords beſides thee have had dominion over us; the devil, the world, the luſts of the fleſh have ruled over us; thou, O Lord, maiſt juſtly charge us to have forgotten thee, and to have dealt falſly with thee in thy covenant, and therefore becauſe of all this we make a ſure Covenant with thee for the time to come, that we will have no other Lord beſides thee, that we will walke in a more profeſſed ſubjection to all thy holy ordinances, more carefully watching over our ſelves and one another, that being clenſed from all filthineſs of the fleſh and ſpirit, 2 Cor. 7.1.we may perfect holineſs in thy fear. And having thus renued our covenant, and engaged our ſelves unto the Lord to be his, let us endeavour,
Thirdly to purge out from amongſt us every thing that defileth and is unclean, for a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump; one Achan may diſtreſſe a whole Iſrael, one inceſtuous perſon, ſuch as was in the Church at Corintb, one adulterer, drunkard or the like in a Church, if countenanced and tollerated by the ſame, and not reproved and dealt withall according to the rule of the Goſpel, may bring wrath and a judgment upon a whole congregation, for by reaſon of ſuch a tolleration, and neglect of Goſpel-diſcipline, the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper may be profaned and abuſed, as it was in the Church of Corinth, for which cauſe the Lord puniſht them with ſickneſſe and death for — For this Cauſe (ſaith the Apoſtle, 1 Cor. 11.30namely for the profanation of the Lords-Supper many are ſick and weake among you, and many ſleep.
Therefore it much concernes every particular Church to purge out the old leaven, that they may be a new lump, and not to keep that feaſt with the old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice, and wickedneſs, leſt the Lord ſtretch out his hand againſt them.