day of their deaths Surely did they know and feelingly apprehend or would they be brought to believe what horrour and astonishment what terrour and anguish is like then to seize upon them they would count it the greatest point of wisdom in the World speedily to labour for an interest in Jesus Christ who alone can free them as from the sting of death so from these horrours and astonishments which accompany the same and would now ply all the blessed means of salvation as reading hearing praying fasting and the like which are now their burden and bondage yea the matter of their mocks and scorns would then be their daily delight and exercise CHAP. IX Sheweth the miserable and dreadfull condition of the Vnregenerate after their deaths IF this were the conclusion of Unregenerate men that death did put an end to all their miseries happy were it for many But this is their grief and sorrow their woe and misery that all this is the beginning of their sorrows that after all this there is a reckoning to be made for what is past For as it is appointed to men once to dye so after this cometh the judgement Where by the Iudgement that immediately followeth after death the Apostle meaneth the particular judgement which is at the end of each mans life as is evident by this phrase after this which intendeth the time of a mans death For as there is a general judgement at the end of the world So there is a particular judgement that passeth upon each man at the end of this life Ah sinner so soon as thy breath departeth out of thy body it fareth with thy soul as with that man of whom the Prophet Amos speaketh who did flee from a Lion and a Bear met him In like manner thy soul is no sooner escaped out of a miserable World but in a moment it is plunged into another and greater misery Herein lyeth a main difference between the Children of God and the wicked The course which God taketh with his Children is this When the soul is set at liberty from the prison of the body it is instantly conveighed by the Angels into Abraham bosome as is expresly noted of Lazarus And being cloathed with the long white robe of Christs Righteousness is joyned to the spirits of just men made perfect But with the souls of wicked and impenitent sinners it is far otherwise for so soon as they depart out of their bodies they are seized upon by wicked Angels and presently brought before Gods Tribunal-seat where receiving their doom they are instantly sent down into the Kingdom of darkness and bottome of the burning lake there to be reserved in everlasting chains unto the judgement of the great day For the better awakening the Consciences of wicked and impenitent sinners I shall briefly shew you the manner and degrees of this particular judgement 1. As the Iaylor at the Assizes brings forth the Prisoner out of Prison and sets him before the Judge So Sinner the Devil as thy Iaylor brings forth thy soul out of the Prison of thy body and sets it before the glorious presence of God the sight of whom will strike thee with such hellish horrour and astonishment that thou wouldst be glad to have the greatest rock to fall on thee and mightiest mountain to cover thee and there to lye hid everlastingly from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne 2. As when the Prisoner is come before the face of the judge then his accusers bring in their evidence So sinner thou art no sooner set before the face of the Almighty Judge but thy Conscience joyning with the Devil brings in evidence against thee And then all thy filthy thoughts and impure imaginations all thy lyes and oaths with all thy rotten communications and all the secret impurities and villanies of thy whole life will be set before thee and charged upon thy soul. And how dismally will all thy mirth and thy pleasures the houses that thou hast built the lands thou hast purchased the money thou hast hoarded up by iniquity how dreadfully will these look on thee in that day Now thou boastest thy self in thy wealth and blessest thy self in thy pleasures and sportest thy self in thy sins but in what a grim countenance will all these appear when they meet thee before the throne of God Ah sinner What wilt thou then do whither wilt thou fly from the revenging hand of God what mountain canst thou get by entreaty to fall upon thee Truly in this case one would not have thine heart in his breast one hour for all the riches honours and pleasures of the World 3. Then will the Lord hereupon proceed to the sentence of condemnation though haply not vocally yet effectually upon thy soul and say Depart thou cursed into everlasting fire there to be reserved to the Iudgement of the great day Ah sinner what horrour and astonishment will overwhelm thy soul upon that dreadful sentence 4. As the Judge having pronounced the sentence of death delivers up the Prisoners to the Jaylors So then shall God deliver up thy Soul into the hands of the Devils who being thy Jaylours must keep thee to the great day of account Whereupon they will instantly hurry thee into that horrible dungeon and fiery lake where is nothing but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Where thou shalt have no other comforter but the cursed Devils who will be continually insulting over thee with hellish spite for slighting and rejecting the offers and tenders of Jesus Christ for neglecting so great Salvation all thy life long and losing Heaven for thy base lusts II. Besides this particular judgement on the souls of the unregenerate at their deaths there will be a general judgement on their souls and bodies re-united at the great and last day For the fuller clearing and opening of this great and fundamental principle of Religion I will shew you 1. That there will be a day of Iudgement 2. The Person who shall be the Iudge 3. The manner of Christs coming to Iudgement 4. The order of Christs proceeding in Iudgement I. For the first that there will be a day of Iudgement is clear from that of the Author to the Hebrews Chap. 6.2 where he reckoneth it amongst the fundamental principles of Religion And Act. 17.31 The Apostle Paul speaking of God saith He hath appointed a day in which he will Iudge the World in righteousness Yea in 2 Cor. 5.10 he puts a MUST upon it We must saith he all appear before the judgement-seat of Christ which implyeth the necessity thereof And truly there is a necessity of a general Iudgement as for the declaration of the equity of Gods particular Iudgement on each man at his death in which respect it is called the day of the revelation of the Righteous Iudgement of God So for a clear manifestation of the justice of God Though God be most just in all his wayes yet
ever did or will do in his humane nature He will therefore in doing it be arâ—â—yed with as much glory and Majesty as his humane nature is capable of and therefore the Apostle calls it the glorious appearing Q. If you ask wherein the glory of Christ shall appear A. His face shall shine as the Sun Bright clouds as a Canopy shall be over him A loud sound of a Trumpet shall be heard before him He shall sit on a glorious Throne He shall be attended with all the glorious Angels who are ready to do him service in this judgement These are present as so many Sheriffs and other officers attending on the Judge of that great assize If it be so terrible to guilty prisoners to behold an earthly judge in his scarlet Robes attended upon with the Iustices and Sheriff and other Officers Oh how fearful and terrible will the sight of this Judge be manifesting himself from Heaven with such a mighty host and glorious array of Angels certainly no tongue can express no heart can conceive that terrour of soul and horrour of conscience that fear and amazement which will seize upon thee when thou shalt see Christ in his glory sitting upon his Throne 2. As Christ will come in great glory so in great terrour For he shall come in flaming fire Yea the terrour of Christs coming to Judgement is noted in this that thereupon the very Sea shall quake and tremble and in its kind cry out and roar making a most dolefull and dreadful noyse Oh what shall become of the roaring Boys of the earth when all their rude roarings and rufflings and rantings on their Ale-bench shall be drowned and swallowed up of this terrible roaring of the Seas oh then what shall become of swearers drunkards whore-masters and such like in that dreadfull day Surely they will seek to creep into an auger-hole to hide their heads and will cry out in the bitterness of their souls Woe and alas that ever we were born surely it had been better for us if our Mothers wombs had been our graves and that we had never seen the Sun When Foelix heard Paul preach of this Iudgement-day and the terribleness thereof the text noteth that he trembled And sinner dost not thou tremble who goest on impenitently in thy wicked and ungodly courses in thy lying swearing drinking whoring Sabbath-breaking and other like abominations Ah sinner either thou knowest not or thinkest not as thou shouldst of this dreadfull and terrible day And therefore it is that thou goest on in the career of thy lusts giving thy self up to the gratifying thy sinfull affections and satisfying thine own hearts desire Oh that thou wouldst seriously weigh that advice of the Wise man Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and let thine heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the waies of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes As if he had said Ah young man do what thou pleasest take thy fill of pleasure satisfie thy Lusâ—s deny not thy self any thing that heart can wish which expressions are to be taken as spoken ironically by way of derision as appeareth by the following words But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement as if he had said Though thou put from thee the thought of death and of judgement yet assure thy self that for thy mispent youth and for all thy sinfull lusts dye thou must thou knowest not how soon and after death thou shalt be brought before Gods Tribunal there to receive the just reward of all thy sins A serious consideration whereof would be an excellent means to abate the heat of lust and cause the hearts of young men to tremble at the thought of that great and terrible day when Christ shall come to judgement in glory and great Majesty with his mighty Angels in flaming fire CHAP. X. Sheweth the order of Christs proceeding in Iudgement IV. FOr the order of Christs proceeding in Iudgement at the last day I. There will be a Citation of all both dead and living men with the Devils to come to Judgement We must all appear saith the Apostle All without exception of any must make their appearance high and low rich and poor King and beggar male and female Oh what a great day will that be when the whole world shall be cited and summoned to appear together at once Q. If you ask how they shall be summoned A. By a shout from Heaven and the sound of a Trumpet which shall alarm this sleeping earth and at which Hell shall shake all graves shall open and yield up their prisoners which they have fast kept in the chains of death from all ages since the beginning of the World Yea the Sea shall give up her dead which are in it A dreadfull summons it will be unto all the wicked and ungodly whom this sudden noise will no less astonish than confound We read that when the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai for the delivery of the Law with the sound of a Trumpet the people of Israel quaked and trembled Oh then how will the wicked and ungodly quake and tremble when the Lord Christ shall descend from Heaven with the sound of a Trumpet to punish the transgressours of that Law II. Upon this Citation and summons there will be a resurrection from the dead and such a change of the living as if they had been a long time dead and were raised to life again And as the graves shall then give up their dead bodies so hell shall give up her living souls which shall enter into their old Carcases to receive a greater condemnation Oh what woful salutations will there be between that body and soul which living together in the height of iniquity must now be reunited to suffer the fulness of their misery III. After the resurrection follows a Collection and gathering together of all men and Devils in the World but with this difference The Elect being gathered together by Angels shall with great joy be caught up into the air to meet the Lord. But the reprobate together with the Devils and his Angels shall with extream horrour and confusion be drawn and dragg'd into his presence Ah sinner What terrour and amazement will then seize upon thee when like a malefactor thou art brought against thy will before the Judgement-seat of Christ IV. After this follows a separation of the good from the bad of the elect from the reprobate For Christ at the first appearing of all before his JudgementSâ—at to testifie his gracious favour and good respect to believers separates them from others and sets them on his right hand as a flock of sheep whom he intends to take for his own And then will he set the wicked and unbelievers on his left hand to testifie as his rejecting them so his purpose to pass a terrible doom upon them as himself expresseth Mat. 25.32
he slew a man he that Sacrificeth a Lamb as if he cut off a dogs neck Though the Sacrificing of Oxen and Lambs were good and commanded by God himself yet because they failed in the manner of performing them they were no more acceptable to God than the killing of men or cutting off a dogs neck which things were forbidden by the Law and abomination to the Lord. 3. Failing in the manner of performance makes God not only to reject our duties but to pronounce a woe and a curse against the performers of them Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord negligently Though it be the work of the Lord that work which the Lord appointeth to be done yet notwithstanding if it be done negligently not after a right manner cursed is he that doth it 4. It is the right manner of performing duties that obtaineth a blessing from God It may be thou hast heard much and prayed much and fasted much and yet hast found little good or benefit thereby Examine whether thou hast not been dead and dull formal and perfunctory in them doing them as if thou didst them not If so no marvail that thou hast received so little good by them As therefore thou wouldst be loth to pray in vain or hear in vain or fast in vain as thou wouldst be loth to lose the things which thou hast wrought see to it that thou be as carefull of the manner as of the matter of them how thou dost them as that thou dost them Do what thou dost with all thy soul yea and with all thy might and then thou maist expect a plentiful and gracious return For the right manner of performing good duties take these few directions I. Be sure you take Christ with you both for assistance and acceptance 1. For assistance For without me saith Christ you can do nothing That is without Union with Christ and Communion with him you cannot perform any acceptable service unto God You may fall upon the duty of prayer and attend upon the Ministry of the Word but without assistance from Christ you can neither do the one nor the other as you should Whensoever therefore you set upon any good duty in the first place beg strength and assistance from Christ and rest and lean upon him for his help go not to pray or hear but in the strength of the Lord. 2. Take Christ with you for acceptance both of your persons and services Christ is the beloved Son of God with whom he is so well pleased that likewise in him he is well pleased with all those that come to God by him and look for neither audience nor acceptance but upon his account alone The truth is as our persons are vile and wretched and all as an unclean thing so our Services even our most holy Services are all polluted and tainted with the corruption of our natures and therefore they are odious and abominable in the sight of God who may justly reject both us and them and will do it unless covered with the worthiness of our Lord Jesus Christ but in him we shall not fail to obtain gracious acceptance Whensoever therefore we go unto God in prayer or in any other ordinance let us carry Christ with us in the arms of our faith Plut arch in the life of Themistocles reports that it was the usual custome of some of the Heathens namely the Molossiaâ—s that when they would seek the favour of their King they took his Son in their arms and so went unto him And questionless it would be the wisdom of Christians in seeking the face and favour of God who is the King of Heaven and of earth to take the holy Child Jesus with them without whom they may not see his face II. Stir up thy self and all thy strength put forth thy self to the uttermost strive to be lively active and stirring in Spirit Get the Spirit of faith and of power this will be oyle to the wheels and wind to the Sails which set all a going let this be wanting and thy best services will be lifeless and dead Services in which the Lord takes no delight There is a threefold strength we should labour to put forth in all our holy duties 1. Strength of Intention 2. Strength of Affections 3. Strength of Body 1. We must intend our work as if it were for our lives for so it is whether it be the work of praying hearing meditating or the like We must put forth the strength of our intention as well as of our attention not giving way either to drowsiness of body or distractions of mind But oh what light matters are apt to steal away our minds and thoughts in the performance of holy duties If one of our superiours were talking with us he would expect that we should mind what he saith and not turn aside to talk with every one that passeth by us But when God is speaking to us in the ministry of his Word or we are speaking unto him by prayer how ordinarily do we turn aside to every vain thought and trifling business which offereth it self to us Intend God more earnestly and this will fire your thoughts 2. Strength of affections is required in every good duty Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with thy might saith the Wise man This may especially be applyed to the duties of Gods worship and service that we do them vigorously with all the strength of our affections Which the Apostle requireth where he bids us be fervent in spirit serving the Lord. The word in the Greek notes an ebullition or boyling up of our spirits to the height There is nothing in the World more unbecoming the Worship of God than flatness of spirit and coldness of affection when a man serves God as if he served him not It was Davids commendation that the zeal of Gods house did eat him up Which expression sheweth the vehemency of his zeal and strength of his affections as in reforming Gods house so in performing the duties of his Worship and service For this was Iacob honoured and called Israel because he prayed with the strength of his affections and is therefore said to wrestle with God in prayer whereby he prevailed As thou desirest to prevail with God in Prayer thou must with Iacob wrestle with him putting forth the strength of thine affections which will be a special means to keep away vain wandring thoughts So long as honey is boyling hot flies will not venture on it So if the heart and affections be boyling hot in prayer vain thoughts are not apt to enter in 3. Strength of body must likewise be put forth in every good duty For Col must be worshipped as with our spirits so with our bodies And blessed is the strength which is put forth in the service of God Carnal men are apt to lay out the strength of their bodies upon their lusts Why then should not we be as ready to
faithfull is he that promiseth We read how under the Law God commanded by Moses concerning him that voweth or promiseth any thing to the Lord that he shall not break his word but shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth And shall the Lord say and not do it Shall he promise and not perform it Surely it is as possible for him not to be as not to keep his word and not to perform what he hath promised Indeed the Lord many times maketh his Children wait long for the accomplishment of his promises Yet he never faileth to be as good as his Word Which duly considered cannot but strengthen our faith in the firm expectation of all good things promised and enable us quietly and contentedly to rest and repose our selves in God for the accomplishment of what he hath promised and not to doubt thereof though he seem long to deferr the performance of them 3. His infinite Wisdom whereby he dispenseth the good things contained in his promises in their fitest time and season whenas they shall make most for his own glory and his Childrens good Farr be it therefore from us to prescribe unto God the time and season for the performance of his promises But let us rather resolve with patience to wait his appointed time and season who is infinite in Wisdom and so knoweth what is best and convenient for us even better than we our selves Thus did the Church Our eyes wait upon the Lord our God untill he have mercy upon us Therefore as the Lord speaketh by the Prophet Isay He that believeth shall not make haste because he is assured by faith that though he have not the thing he desireth at his own time yet he shall have it in that time which God in his Wisdom knoweth to be best for him whenas it shall make most for his good II. Consider the good success believers have found upon their living by faith how things have fallen out according to their hope and expectation It is recorded of Abraham that he lived by faith in Gods promise to him of a Son being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able to perform And God accordingly did perform the same unto him Look into the Histories of the Kings of Iudah and Israel and you shall find that according to their trust in God and faith in his promises was their success and deliverance Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted and thou didst deliver them they trusted in thee and were not confounded And saith David of himself The Lord is my strength and my Shield my heart trusted in him and I was helped What an encouragement must this needs be unto us to trust in God and live by faith in his promises Seeing he never failed such Faith in the promises being like the bow of Ionathan and Sword of Saul which never returned empty but allwayes finds what it seeks and enjoyes what it desires III. Take notice of the particular fruits of living by faith recorded in Scripture some whereof are these 1. Protection from things hurtfull Though Daniel was cast into a Den of Lyons yet it is said that no manner of hurt was found in him And this reason is rendred thereof Because he believed in Gods Word by faith relying on his power whom he knew was able to deliver him 2. Provision of needfull good things Therefore the Apostle exhorteth to trust in the living God and that on this ground he giveth us richly all things to enjoy namely all such things as he in his Wisdom seeth to be needfull for us And to set out Gods bounty in providing for such as live by faith in his promises the Wise man faith He that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat that is he shall not only have such a competency as is absolutely necessary to preserve life or to keep body and soul together but also such plenty and abundance as will make him fat and well-liking 3. Comfort in every condition is another fruit of living by faith in Gods promises The promises of God in his Word are the Christians Cordials to cheer up his fainting spirits when he is ready to sink They are his aqua-vitae to revive him when he is ready to swound They are breasts of consolation full of sweet nourishment for the faint and weak They are Sacred and sure Anchors in the tempestuous seasons of trouble and affliction to stay and six believers amidst all tossings whatsoever They are roses that blow in the Winter which with their fragrancy revive drooping and dejected souls in the sad Winter of their desertion when the verdure of all other comforts wither and drop like leaves that are bitten with the frost This David found in his own experience for faith he thy promises are my comfort in my affliction for thy Word hath quickned me Whereas the best of the Worlds comforts are only applicable to some particular condition the comforts of the promises are universal such as agree with every estate and suit every malady and therefore apt to relieve the soul of a believer in every condition though never so sad and disconsolate So that the Christian who lives by faith in Gods promises many times walks more cheerfully under sore fiery troubles than others in the Sun-shine of Worldly prosperity The three Children walked to and fro with more joy in the fiery Furnace than Nebuchadaezzar in his stately Pallace 4. Contentment in our present state and condition is another Fruit of living by faith A Believer is like a dye that hath four squares throw it which way you will it falls upon a bottome Let God cast a Believer into what condition he pleaseth he still falleth upon his bottom of contentment he will be contented with his present state believing it to be ordered by God as in Wisdom so in much mercy and goodness unto him CHAP. XXIV Of Heavenly-mindedness ANother singular duty incumbent upon the Regenerate is to be spiritually minded by a frequent contemplation of spiritual and Heavenly things It is not some few slitting transient thoughts on God or Heaven wherein this duty consists but thoughts resting and fixing on some spiritual subject The truth is the thoughts of all men fly up and down like birds in the aire or chaff in the wind and some of these may light sometimes on God or Heaven but they are soon off and fixed on some worldly matter or some impertinencies or other and therefore cannot denominate a man to be spiritually-minded which is another manner of business than many are aware of It 's a thinking with thought upon thought a reiteration and multiplication of the thoughts of the mind upon God and the things of God and this in order to the affecting the heart deeply with them It is not sufficient to think and think oft of the love and goodness of God but we must labour to get our hearts inflamed
the Sons of God Certainly that Christ should come out of Heaven to keep us out of hell that he should uncrown himself to Crown us must needs argue a wonderful willingness in him to have poor sinners saved 5. Christs Willingness appeareth by his rejecting of none who sincerely go unto him though never so weak and worthless in themselves Never did any sinner go to him but he accepted of him as himself expresseth All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that â—ometh unto me I will in no wise cast out but receive him to mercy Hath Christ promised this and will he not be as good as his Word Did he ever break his word with any poor soul though never so unworthy Did he ever cast away any who came unto him And is he not the same yesterday to day and for ever Go sinner fear not go upon the credit of this word which he hath spoken I will in no wise cast them out Though the Devil say go not though thy misgiving heart say go not he will not regard thee he will never look on such a vile wretch he will cast thee out yet since he hath said He will not go and thou shalt find mercy Thus have I by several demonstrations proved as God the Fathers willingness to save the worst of sinners So Christs readiness to embrace all poor sinners who will but come unto him for life and salvation Wherein I have the longer insisted because I know no better argument to prevail with sinners to turn from their sins unto God by true and unfeigned repentance and to close with Jesus Christ by a true and lively faith than a serious consideration as of Gods readiness to save the worst of sinners upon their turning unto him so of Christs Willingness to embrace all poor sinners who will come unto him and receive him as their Lord and Saviour I have read a story of a Gentle-woman who was condemned to dye for killing her own child whereupon divers Ministers came to visit her and perceiving her little affected with her sin and sad condition they laboured to set before her the hainousness of her sin and the dreadfulness of her condition without hearty and deep repentance All which little moved her seeming rather the more hardened in her sin But at last another Reverend Divine hearing of her obdurate hardness notwithstanding all that was said unto her went and preached to her the abundant riches of Gods mercy in Christ how ready he was to embrace with the arms of his free-grace every penitent sinner and how willing Christ was to receive all poor sinners who would go unto him and cast themselves into his arms how many and hainous soever their sins were and thereupon told her there was hope of mercy for her if she were heartily sorry for her sins and would adventure her soul upon Christ notwithstanding the greatness and hainousness of her sin What! mercy for me said she that is impossible c. Whereupon the Minister proceeded further to set forth the freeness of Gods grace and riches of his mercy to all penitent and believing sinners declaring unto her how God delighted in mercy and that where sin had abounded there his grace and mercy would much more abound or to that purpose And thereupon she presently fell a weeping wringing her hands and cryiâ—g for mercy and dyed very comfortably as it is related having had the mercy of God abundantly revealed to her before her death And truly sinner as it was my design so my hearts desire in sâ—tting forth Gods willingness to save the very worst of sinners upon their repentance and Christs readiness to embrace them with the arms of his mercy that it might have the same effect in thee as it had in the forementioned Gentle-woman And oh that the consideration thereof would melt thine heart into tears of unfeigned sorrow for thy sins past and stir thee up to turn from them unto God by hearty repentance and to close with Jesus Christ upon the terms of the Gospel Oh that I could prevail with thee as to give a bill of divorce to thy lusts and corruptions so to give up thy self unto Christ and to adventure thy soul upon him resting upon his perfect righteousness and all-sufficient Sacrifice for the pardon of thy sins here and for eternal life and salvation hereafter If Christ be so willing to receive thee why shouldst not thou be willing to go unto him and that with confidence of acceptance Salvation is this day offered unto thee the golden Scepter is held out unto thee Oh stretch forth the hand of faith to lay hold and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ so shalt thou be happy to all Eternity For whosoever believeth in Iesus Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life Thus much of the truths to be embraced in order to your Regeneration CHAP. XIV Sheweth the Duties to be Practised in order to your Regeneration HAving shewed you the truths to be embraced in order to your Regeneration I come now to the Duties on your part to be practised and performed I. From the consideration of the dreadfulness of thy condition so long as thou continuest in thine unregenerate estate and of the hope thou hast of a blessed change stir up in thy self an earnest longing restless desire after the new birth that thou maist in truth say O that I were Regenerate and born anew Oh that the Image of the Devil might be razed out and the Image of God imprinted in me O that a blessed change were wrought in my soul a change from nature to grace from darkness to light from the Kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Oh that I might become a new creature renewed throughout in all the faculties of my soul and all the parts of my body As Rachel cryed Give me Children or else I dye So do thou cry out and say Give me this new birth let me be born again by the spirit or else I shall dye not only the first but likewise the second death and be undone for ever And know for thy comfort if thou canst find any such longing desire in thy soul thou art not far from this new birth from the work of Regeneration in thy soul. For this longing desire after this new birth will put thee upon the use of all ordinances and means God hath sanctified for the attaining thereof II. Labour to get thine heart deeply and throughly affected with a sense of thy miserable condition by nature It is not sufficient to know thy condition to be sad and deplorable so long as thou continuest in thine unregenerate estate but thy care and endeavour must be to get thine heart throughly affected therewith If you look into the Scriptures you shall find this qualification required in the persons whom Christ came to save and whom he invites to come unto him Our blessed Saviour speaking to Zacheus saith The Son
conception of all our actions and such as the seed is such will be the fruit As evil thoughts bring forth evil actions so Heavenly thoughts bring forth an Heavenly conversation 4. Readiness to discourse on divine mysteries As they who have layed up much riches have sufficient by them to bring forth on all occasions so such as by frequent meditation have treasured up many precious truths have sufficient by them to produce for the benefit of those they converse withall Whereas others who have spent much time in reading and hearing and have not by meditation made it their own we see how barren they are I will meditate saith David of all thy works and talk of thy doings It is there observable how good conference follows upon holy meditation 5. Cheerfulness of Spirit To be much in Heaven by a frequent contemplation of things above will exceedingly cheer up our Spirits and make us walk comfortably For the proof hereof I dare appeal to the experience of any Heavenly-minded Christian. When is it that your hearts are most cheerfull but when you have been walking with God and beholding his face and looking to those things that are within the vail Certainly this will leave such a savour upon the heart of a Christian that he cannot but confess that one hour thus spent doth afford more true real joy and sweetness than all the riches and pleasures in the World Hereupon David cryed out How precious are thy thoughts unto me O God! As if he had said How delightful and comfortable are the thoughts that I have of thee yea saith he when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches my soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness And who is there that hath seriously experimented this divine exercise who doth not find abundance of sweetness and comfort in it Certainly no comfort no joy is to be compared with it No marvail then that many Christians walk so uncomfortably when they live at such a distance from Heaven Where is joy where is comfort but in Heaven Who are like to taste of these Heavenly comforts but those who go often thither Strangers shall not meddle with this joy How can Heaven be matter of joy to them who are never there nor consider the glorious things which God hath there prepared for those who love him 6. Another benefit of divine contemplation is a profitable improvement of time For thereby all the chinks and crevices of our time will be filled up There need be no vacuity when we have work that is so proper for every season yea and that will whet and quicken us to what ever other work God hath for us to do The most contemplative Christians are the most active Our holy thoughts will set us upon our holy work the thoughtless are usually the most fruitless of men 7. Victory over our lusts and corruptions is another benefit of divine contemplation It is recorded of Noah that though he lived in wicked and corrupt times yet he was a just and upright man The reason thereof is rendred in the next words He walked with God continually eying him and meditating of him By his frequent conversing with God he kept himself from the iniquities of the times as well as from the corruptions of his own heart And certainly there is no better preservative against sin than to have our minds and thoughts thus holily imployed about spiritual things For 1. By looking into our selves and considering our own hearts and wayes we discern the evils that are there we see such Worldliness and Covetousness in our hearts the very sight whereof will make us look the better to our selves 2. By spiritual meditation we come to have such an insight into the evil of sin the vanity of the Creature the folly of fleshly sensual delights that temptations unto sin will have the less power over us 3. Divine contemplation is a preservative against sin because it keeps the heart imployed When the heart is taken up with better things it hath no leisure to hearken to temptations no leisure to be lustfull and wanton to be Worldly or ambitious When we are idle and empty of God we are sure to be pestred with evil thoughts whilest we are well employed we are safe When the vessel is full you can put in no more And when the heart is filled with Heaven there is no room for Earth and vanity What 's the reason most mens hearts are so full of wicked wanton thoughts but because God is not in all their thoughts 4. Divine contemplation is a good preservative against sin in that our understandings are thereby cleared to judge rightly of our sinfull lusts and pleasures When a Christian hath been seriously musing either on those everlasting joys which are prepared for the Godly in Heaven or on those everlasting torments which are prepared for the wicked in hell what then are his apprehensions of his lusts and iniquities Oh how doth he befool himself for them when he sees what he is like to lose and suffer by them How could he even tear his very flesh and take revenge on himself for his earthly mindedness and fleshly pleasures for his mis-spent time that he hath so prodigally lavished and wofully wasted his golden and precious time in vanity and pleasure in sin and wickedness How verily doth he think there is no man in Bedlam so truly mad as they who for the short fruition of a momentary pleasure and delight here do plunge themselves into everlasting burnings in hell where is nothing but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth CHAP. XXV Of Mortification ANother singular duty incumbent upon the Regenerate is To labour in the use of all good means for the mortification of the whole body of sin with all its affections and lusts especially those we feel most predominant in us True mortification extendeth it self to the whole of sin body and members root and branch even every sinfull lust Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the Earth saith the Apostle Where by Members on the Earth are meant the sinfull lusts and affections which are as the Members of that monstrous body of sin which is evident by the particular instances in the Words following namely Fornication uncleanness inordinate Affections and the like These must be mortified that is killed and destroyed The Regenerate by the Spirit of God are enabled as to restrain the actings of sin so by degrees to deaden the root Indeed this is not done to the uttermost while here we live I mean sin is not here so mortified and destroyed that it hath no residence nor activity in our hearts yet may it be so weakned and subdued as to lose its vigor power and strength and languish away more and more Though corruption keep possession in us after we are Regenerate yet hath it not dominion over us though we may be sins Captives yet shall we not be
sins subjects to yield a voluntary subjection of our selves unto the commands of sin Q. How may we know when corruption is mortified in us A. When it is not only restrained and kept from such ordinary breakings out into actual sins but the lusts and motions that issue from it are a grief to us yea we hate and detest them and groan under the burden of them we watch against them fight against them earnestly desiring to be delivered from them crying out with the Apostle O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of sin and corruption For the more profitable pressing this so necessary and difficult a duty I shall 1. Shew you some Motives and arguments to enforce the same 2. Some Means whereby it may be effected 3. The Manner how it ought to be performed The Reasons forcing this work of Mortification upon the Regenerate are these 1. After Regeneration there remaineth a body of sin and corruption in the best which if we endeavour not by the help of Gods Spirit to mortifie and subdue will gather strength and become mighty to the great hinderance of our duty and darkning all our comfort 2. Corruption doth not only remain in us as long as we live in this World but it is alwayes in continual work either stirring us up to evil or keeping us from that which is good or defiling our best actions In which respect saith the Apostle the flesh lusteth against the Spirit And from his own experience he cryeth out I see another Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin which is in my members so that I cannot do the good which I would but rather do the evil which I hate How doth it then concern us daily and hourly to fight and strive against these lusts which are continually working and warring in our members hindering and spoiling all our duties breaking our peace undermining all our hopes and comforts and seeking our lives we must either kill or be killed 3. By a conscionable performance of this duty we shall be freed from those hainous and scandalous sins into which other mens lusts do carry them Should corruption have its way and course without resistance in the best of us it would soon break forth into the most loathsome and disgracefull sins that are committed by the very worst of men as we see in David Solomon and others Is it not then needfull for us to keep down and withstand the first motions and risings of sin in our hearts before it break forth into such wicked and disgracefull acts which will blast our credit and reputation and bring a scandal upon our Religion and profession 4. Mortification of sin was one special end of Christs death who dyed to save his people from their sins not to save them in their sins but from their sins as from the guilt and punishment so from the power of them And indeed whom Christ delivers from the damnation of sin he first delivers also from the dominion of sin Whom he intends to save from hell he first saveth them from iniquity he saves their souls by killing their sins If thou findest any lust to remain unmortified in thee bearing rule in thine heart and sway in thy life thou hast just cause to question thy interest in Christ and his salvation They that are Christs have Crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts II. The Means whereby the work of Mortification may be effected by us are these I. When thou feelest corruption working in thee and stirring thee up to evil then call to mind and lay to heart the ensuing considerations 1. Consider the shortness of the pleasure of sin with the length of the punishment following thereupon without true and unfeined repentance The one for a moment the other everlasting The pleasure is but short but the punishment is for ever and ever The torments of the damned in hell are intensively most grievous in themselves but that which mainly and infinitely adds to the greatness of them is because they are eternal They are tormented day and night for ever and ever The Worm is alwayes gnawing and the fire continually burning therefore called unquenchable fire Oh what a folly must it then needs be yea and madness beyond admiration for the short fruition of these perishing pleasures and transient contentments here to implunge our selves into everlasting burnings Oh how terrible is the thought of eternity in those tormenting flames where the damned would think themselves happy if after they had endured them so many thousand years as there are Sands on the Sea-shore or Stars in the Firmament they might then be assured of enlargement But when all that time is past and innumerable millions of years and ages are run out they are as far from an end as at their first entrance Why wilt thou then purchase a little sensual delight at so dear a rate for a moments pleasure to incurr everlasting woe and misery O the fire of hell if thou wouldst send down thy thoughts thither would burn up thy Lusts which otherwise will be the fuel to burn thy soul. 2. Consider thy extream folly in gratifying thy sinfull Lusts thereby thou hast chosen and preferred thy fleshly pleasure thy carnal content before the glory of God the everlasting joyes of Heaven and the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Oh monstrous madness and unconceivable folly at which the Angels blush and Heaven and Earth cannot but stand amazed 3. Call to mind and consider some of the threatnings in Gods Word as against sin in general so against that particular Lust which thou findest most working and stirring in thee and unto which thou findest strongest inclinations in thy self First Call to mind and consider sâ—me of the threatnings against sin and sinners in general Upon the wicked saith the Psalmist God shall rain fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest this shall be the portion of their cup. And saith the Apostle Indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil Secondly When thou findest any inclination in thy self to a particular sin as unto drunkenness seriously consider that of the Wise man who hath woe who hath sorrow who hath contentions c. they that tarry long at the Wine they that go to seek mixt Wine When thou findest any inclination or temptation unto uncleanness seriously weigh that of the Apostle Be not deceived neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers nor Effeminate shall inherit the Kingdom of God And again Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge When thou findest any inclinations unto Covetousness call to mind that of the Prophet Isaiah Wo unto them that joyne house to house and lay field to field till there be no place and that of the Apostle The love of money is the root of all evil which while some have
death and condemnation These men howsoever they would be esteemed good Masters and good Governours yet are they far from such in that they neglect the main duty belonging to good Governours which is to take care of the souls of those under their charge and willingly suffer all manner of wickedness and prophaness to rule and bear sway in their Families and that without any check or controul I dare boldly say it were much better for a man to put his Child into a Pâ—sthouse than into such a Family in that wickedness is more infectious than the Plague spreading infinitely polluting every one it comes near And whereas the Plague and Pestilence can but kill the body the contagion of sin is apt to destroy both body and soul. And therefore what is usually written upon the doors of such houses as are visited with the Plague Lord have mercy upon us may far better be written upon the doors of such houses where through the neglect of Family-duties sin and wickedness doth abound I know there are very many both Parents and Masters who having provided for the bodies of those under their charge think they have sufficiently discharged their duty towards them But I would demand of such if their care be only to provide for the bodies of their Children and Servants what do they more to them then to their beasts If they only cloath them and pay them their wages what do they more to them than the Turks and Infidels who know not God do to their Children and Servants If their care be only to provide for them an earthly inheritance without any care to make them Heirs of an Heavenly inheritance what do they more to them than Iews who are ignorant of Christ and his Gospel do for their Children Let such know that it is their duty to provide not only for for perishing Carcasses but also for the immortal souls of all theirs And it is a vain and foolish imagination for any to think they have done their duty when they have apparelled nourished and brought up their Children and Servants considering they have a far greater account to make before God for their souls of which if any should perish through their negligence and unfaithfullness how dreadfull will their account be oh what answer will they be able to make when the blood of their Children and Servants souls shall be required of them CHAP. IV. An Exhortation unto all Parents and Masters of Families to make Conscience of Family-duties Use 2. LEt the second Use be an Use of Exhortation to stir up all Christian Parents and Masters of Families to be carefull that their whole house do faithfully serve the Lord as well as themselves that they take up Ioshuah's resolution as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. As you would not be guilty of the blood of your Children and Servants souls and as you would not have them cry out against you in everlasting fire see that you bring them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Every Governour should be that in the body politick of his own house which the heart is in the natural body of man as it communicateth life and vital spirits to the rest of the members So must the Master of the houshold endeavour to impart the spiritual life of grace to all that are members of his body politick And his house by a constant conscionable performance of holy and religious duties there should be a little Church For the maintaining the Worship of God makes every house to become a sanctuary an house of God Hence divers pious Governours in the new Testament are said to have Churches in their houses as Philemoâ— Aquila and Priscilla and Nimphas whose houses were called Churches as in respect of the Saints in their houses so in respect of the worship of God among them Oh what an honour will this be to us when upon this account our habitations shall be called rather Churches than private houses Temples of God rather than the dwellings of men For the more profitable pressing of this Use I shall shew you what be the duties and services which are especially required of Parents and Masters of Families in reference to those under their charge CHAP. V. Of Family Prayer with quickning Motives thereunto I. PRayer which is one principal part of the service of God in all Families and therefore ought to be performed by the Governour thereof who as he is a King to govern his Family so a Priest to offer up a Morning and an Evening Sacrifice of Prayer and praise unto God in and with his Family This we find commended to us in the practice of the Patriarchs who when they removed to any place they builded an Altar where God was to be called upon by the whole Family Thus did Abraham Isaac and Iacob David though a King yet prayed with his Houshold as their Governour for it is recorded of him that having offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord he returned to bless his houshold that is say Expositors to bless God with his Family and to beg Gods blessing on them In the New Testament the Apostle writing to Masters of Families concerning their duties adjoyneth this continue in Prayer implying it to be one special duty incumbent on them to be constant in Family-prayer Of Cornelius it is said that he was one who feared God with all his house which gave much Almes to the people and prayed to God alway which implyeth that he prayed daily with his Family These examples are recorded by the Holy-Ghost as Copies for us to write after But for your more full conviction of that obligation that lyes upon you for the performance of this duty let the following arguments be duly weighed Arg. 1. The first Argument shall be drawn from that trust that is committed unto governours of Families Here observe 1. That Governours of Families are intrusted with the souls with the Religion of their Families not that they may prescribe unto them or impose upon them what way of Religion they please or that inferiours may be excused by the errours or neglects of the Superiours but it is committed to their care and they have received a charge from the Lord to look diligently to all that are under them that they duly worship God observe his ordinances and keep â—â—s statutes That there is such a care incumbent on them is evident under the Law the Master of the Family was by the appointment of God to look to the circumcising of all the Males of his house both those that were born in his house and those that were bought with his money In the fourth commandment the Master of the Family is charged not only to keep the Sabbath in his own person but to look to his family also Thou shalt do no work therein that 's not all nor thy Son nor thy Daughter nor thy Man-servant nor thy
pains and endeavours I beseech thee to help me to labour in the work of the Lord and to crown my pains and endeavours with a blessing from Heaven Make me more spiritual in Worldly businesses and less wordly in spiritual businesses Be pleased to put good meditations into my mind and holy desires into my heart Let no corrupt communication proceed out of my mouth but such as may administer grace to the hearers Help me to redeem time let me not lose one day more set me presently to work out my salvation with fear and trembling let me choose the good part and make sure for eternity let me never venture my soul on false and deceitfull hopes but let me make sure Good Lord let me not be deceived and found an hypocrite at last but let me be sound in the faith that I may have rejoycing before thee in the great day Neither pray I for my self alone but for thy whole Church wheresoever dispersed or howsoever distressed upon the face of the whole earth In special I pray thee to bless this Land and Nation with all blessings both temporal and spiritual And herein our Soveraign Lord and King make him an instrument of bringing much glory to thy namâ— and much good to thy Church and people Bless him in his Relations Counsels and Forces Bless the Magistrates and Ministers with the whole people of this Land the afflicted members of Jesus Christ let thy mercies be suitable to their several needs and necessities Vouchsafe to every one of us grace to live in thy fear to dye in thy favour and to raign with thee Eternally in Heaven And now O Lord in the name of Jesus Christ I bless and praise thy glorious Majesty for all those manifold favours thou hast in a plentiful manner conferred on my soul and body for my preservation as from manifold dangers whereunto I was subject so from many sins wherinto the corruption of my flesh and the perswasion of the Devâ—l would have thrown me headlong Blessed be thy name for thy good providence over me through the whole course of my life thou hast been my God from my Mothers womb supplyed me with all needfull good things But above all blessed be thy name for that foundation of all other mercies thy dearly beloved Son for those great things he hath done and suffered for me and those many good things whereof in and through him I have hope or am made partaker Lord pardon the manifold weaknesses and imperfections which have accompanied this holy service in and through thy beloved Jesus Christ. To whom with thee and thy blessed Spirit I do from my heart render all praise and glory both now and evermore Amen FINIS THE PRINCIPLES OF Christian Religion Explained to the Capacity of the Meanest By T.G. Minister of the Gospel John 17.3 This is life Eternal to know thee the only true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent LONDON Printed for Iohn Wright at the Globe in Little-Brittain 1668. THE PRINCIPLES OF Christian Religion EXPLAINED Quest. WHo is the Maker of all things Answ. God Gen. 1. 1. Col. 1.16 By him were all things Created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth Q. What is God A. God is a Spirit of infinite perfection God is said to be a Spirit 1. Negatively to intimate that he is not a body or material substance 2. Analogically Spirits being the most perfect and excellent of all created beings are the fittest to represent the incomprehensible God to our narrow conceptions God is said to be a Spirit of perfection or perfect spirit thereby to exclude all manner of imperfections and including all manner of perfections and excellencies In that he is a Spirit of infinite perfection thereby is implyed that there is no measure or bounds set to his perfection Whereby he is distinguished from the glorious Angels and the souls of the Saints in Heaven which though they are perfect spirits yet their perfection is limited Whereas Gods perfection is beyond all measure being infinite Q. How many Gods are there A. There is one only God 1 Cor. 8.4 There is none other God but one Q. How many Persons are there in the God-head A. Three the Father the Son and the holy-Ghost Though there be but one God in substance and essence yet there be three distinct Persons subsisting in that one God-head This appeareth from Christs own testimony in Matth. 28.19 Where he gives commission to his Apostles to teach all Nations and Baptize them in the name of the Father of the Son and of the holy Ghost See likewise 1 Ioh. 5.7 That God should be one in essence and three in persons is a Mysterie not to be comprehended yet ought to be believed being so plainly revealed in the Word Q. How is God farther set forth unto us in his Word A. 1. By his Properties 2. By his Works The Properties of God are certain excellencies attributed to him as when he is said to be Eternal Almighty Merciful just c. Q. What are the kinds of Gods Properties A. 1. Incommunicable 2. Communicable Incommunicable properties are such excellencies which are so proper to God alone as in no respect they can be attributed or communicated to any other As Eternity without beginning Immutability not subject to any change All-sufficient not only for himself but for all others Omnipotency able to do all things Ubiquity to be everywhere present These and such like are excellencies proper only to God and cannot be communicated to the Creature Communicable Properties are certain excellencies in God communicated also to creatures as Power Wisdom Holiness Iustice c. Thus Sampson was a strong man Solomon a wise man Noah a just man c. But yet there is a great difference between these communicable properties as they are in God and as they are in the creature 1. They are in God Originally he is the primary fountain of them all who hath what he hath in and from himself Thus all these Properties in God are his very Essence 2. They are all in God infinitely without any limits or bounds He is infinite in power wisdom holiness justice c. But in the Creature they are 1. By participation they receive all their excellencies from God What hast thou that thou didst not receive 1 Cor. 4.7 2. By Measure The Creature that hath the most and best excellencies hath but a stinted measure Eph. 4.7 Q. To what heads may the works of God be brought A. Creation and Providence Q. What is meant by Gods creating things A. A making them out of nothing To create is to give a being to things that never were and that out of nothing In this respect it is said Gen. 1.1 In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth that is when there was nothing at all no not any matter out of which things might be made then God Created all things Which kind of making things out of nothing is proper to God