moment and conſcquence for any to do without juſt advice and de. c Art thou bound by marriage, or bound by contra do not oſs liberation, yet the world is a mutablething,and trades and particu. | any ſinful ways to be looſed from thar bond, either by divorce 0 ler courſes of life wear out, and what will now bring in adue liveli- | by a voluntary departure : ifthe Unbeliever will depart, he or hood, poſſibly ſeven years hence will not furniſh any with bread, | ſhe may, you are not oblig'd to court their ſtay, bur do not you 2nd 'tis unreaſonable inſuch a caſe to think, that the Rule of Chri. | put him or her away. Are you free from a wife, either ayer {tian profeſſion ryes up a manunder the changes of Providence to | unmarried, or by the hand of God ſeparated; in caſe you can ſuch a particular courſe of life, as he cannot 1n it, in the ſweat of | without ſin, abſtain. If your circumſtances be ſuch, as they his face eat his bread. do not oblige you to marriage, do nor ſeck a wife. The
21 Art thou called being a ſervant q ? care not| times are like to be full of trouble and difficulty. Our Maſter
foe ie Ah 3- rho mayſt be made free, uſe it ra- — Wo to them that are with child, and give ſutk in thiſe das | | atk, 24. 19. ther 7.
9 If whiles thou art a ſervant to another in any honeſt imploy. 28 But and ifthou marry, thou haſt not ſinned, and
ment, thou artconverted to the Chriſtian Religion, let itnot trou- | if a virgin marry, ſhe hath not ſinned : Neverthelek, ble thee, matter it not. A man may be the ſervantof Chriſt, and} ſuch ſhall have trouble in the fleſh 4: but 1 ſpare
yet a ſervant to menin any _ — qr Hangs if thou you. nayſt be made free by the favour of thy Friends with the conſent of . TY wet thy Maſter, uſe it rather, thatis, (ſay ſome) rather chuſc to be a ——— _ ing og -n Ka .d "_- "os p- fervant ſtill (which indeedin eprom _ tho _ of a good| [poſe that are married in any time, will find troubles about the om_—_ _ = .- Fa a _ Maſter 0900p rig bet. things of this life, and thoſe that marry in ſuch times 2s theſe are ues ents 1. h ory Mak ” Fel:* libe "ny" ut It} nd you arelike further to ſee, will meet with more than 0rdinte is more probable the ſenſe 1s, Make uleot ti.y liberty rather:tor cer=| ,,, (-oubles of this nature, I only would ſpare you, and have you * Toh. 8. as * _ cs wa Is © nanny at more advantage for the keep your ſelves as Gan as you can ; or 7 a any further 6 ervice of God than he that 15 alervant. diſe f 211 4 h 3 22 For he that is called inthe Lord, being a ſervant *, ; "va nature, not willing to torment you before tie
Rom. 6. _ 4 heso ai þ . is the + Lord's freeman : likewiſe alſo he that is called 29 But *this I ſay, brethren e, The time *s ſhort f
I8, 22. + Gr.made being free, is * Chriſt's ſervant s. . . | free 4, 041 1 Bifw rr nh by þ os eta - remaineth,that both they that have wives, be as though Chap. as to his ſpiritual liberty : a ſervant and a free-man conſidered | "EY had none &e |
9. 21, with reference to Chriſt, are both one ; a ſervant may be as near| * He had before ſpoken to what concerned ſome, now he comess Gal.5. 13. the Kingdom of Heaven as a free man,and let a man be in never ſo | 2 what concernethall. f The :ime (fairh he) is /þort, furled up; Eph. 6. 6G. good a ſtate of civil liberty, yet ifhe be a Chriſtian, he is Qill a like Sails, when the Mariner comes near his Port. He either 1 Per. 2. ſervant of Chriſt, and bound in all things to obey him. As to the | Peaneth the time ofthis Life, or the time of che World's Dus 16. n:w max, there 1s neither bond nor free, bat Chriſt is all and in all. tion ; we often find the Apoſtles ſpeaking of their times asthe ll times (and in theſe ſenſes all are concerned.) Or the time oftac
Churches reſt and tranquility, which they had hitherto enjoied
23 * Ye are bought wigh a price, be not ye the ſer- in a far more perfe& degree, than they enjoyed them ſoon alt
_ vantsof menz.
TB if they ſerved them, as the ſervants of Chriſt, doing the will of
:- What price we are bought with, we heard Chap. 6. 20. the A. poſtle there preſfled it upon us as our duty to glorifie God with our bodies and our ſpirits : here he prefſeth upon us another duty, wiz. Upon that conſideration not to be the ſervants of Men: by which ſome think he forbiddeth the ſelling themſelves as f1laves to Infidels ; o- thers think that he only forbiddeth eye ſervice, as the Apoſtle calls it, Eph. 6 6. while inthe mean time they might be the ſervants of
Gothfrom the heart, with goed will doing ſervice as to the Lord, not to Men. Bur the moſt probable interpretation is, Be not ſervants to the Iuſts of men, wherein you cannot ſerve men, and in the ſame actions alſo ſerve God, and be obedient to his Will : you may be the ſervants of men, but be not ſervants of men in ſuch ations wherein to ſerve them, you muſt diſobey God. |
24 BrethrenJet every man wherein he is called, there-
this, when ten Perſecutions followed immediately one upon it: neck of another. g Therefore (faith the Apoſtle) ir is the co cernment of all Chriſtians, not to indulge themſelves roo much in the pleaſures and contentments of this life ; but if ye be married or ſhall marry, you will be concerned to keep your hearts as /09 from the contentment and fatisfa&tion men uſe to take in thell wives, as if you had no wives at all. : 39 And they that weep, as though they wept not r and they that rejoyce, as though they rejoyc®? not ;: and they that buy, as though they pollzIkd not &. | h This conſideration alſo ſhould weigh with thoſe who 11?!
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