so Q. 8. Can it be any good Sign if you can recreate your Selves with that which is so great a grief and burthen to your Ministers and many of your fellow Christians because they look upon it as sinful O! How tender should we be in this Point How fearful should we be of grieving or offending any of our Brethren for whom Christ died He is very tender of them and so much the more as he seeth them tender of his Honour and grieved and offended at Sin whether in themselves or others Q. 9. Tell me truly how doth your Card's relish with you when you are in the most serious Frame When you find the great things of another World impressed upon your Spirits in the most fresh and lively Manner I verily think if I should fall to Card's one serious Thought of Death and Judgment one sober Glance at my eternalState would spoile my Sport how is it with you in this Matter If you must needs play on will you make trial the next time Q. 10. To add no more whether will the remembrance of so many Hours spent at Card's be pleasing or tormenting to you when you come to die And whether will it be a comfortable or a sad hearing from your Judge when you come to give up your Accounts we must account as strictly for our Time as for any other Talent we are entrusted with and the Day which God hath prefixed for this solemn and weighty Affair is drawing nigh Death may be upon us before we are aware and when we shall see our selves ready to be arrested and summoned to appear without delay before God's great Tribunal Then if ever Conscience will be reflecting upon our State and Actions and when it shall find so much precious Time at best but lost and trifled away which should have been spent in glorifying God and working out our own Salvation what chideing Language may we expect to hear from it I am ready to tremble sometimes when I think what my own Conscience may have upon this Score then to charge me with Alass poor Creatures We make a shift to stop its Mouth now or to stop our Ears But if the Lord awake it then it will speak and so loudly as shall make us hear whether we will or no O Fool 's or somewhat worse that we are thus to lay in for our own tormenting Grief and Sorrow Now shall we not be wiser for the future and live more like to dying Men O that we could bring our Hearts to this before we venture upon any thing to think seriously with our Selves will this be comfortable to me at the reckoning Shall I like to hear of this another day from my own Conscience or from the supream Judge of quick and dead Now if there be any sense or weight in the Questions I have here Propounded I hope you will not think it an unreasonable Request if I again earnestly entreat for your serious Thoughts about them And that you would not proceed farther till you can answer them to God and your own Consciences one thing more with which I conclude You cannot deny but it is doubtful and disputable whether this Game be lawful or no Whereas I dare affirm and could if need was sufficiently prove on the other hand that without doubt it may lawfully be forborn and this is a good Rule for your Observation here In dubiis opportet sequi partem tatiorem In doubtful Cases we must take that way which is safest Since the writing of this I am satisfied that a Lot may be lawfully used in Games as well as in any other ordinary Affair and that your extraordinary Lot cannot be lawfully used in any Case how weighty soever except Persons have a divine Warrant for it But though I see and am ready to acknowledge my mistake in this Point yet am I of the same Mind I was before in reference to my own Practice here and I could heartily wish that all Professors especially would be very wary how they meddle with a Game so ordinarily abused and that is so full of Snares and Temptations that without extraordinary Caution they may as easily touch Pitch and not be defiled as make use of it and not be some way or other insnared by it PIOUS LETTERS LETTER I. To C. F. under her Sore Relative Exercise June 28. 1684. Dear Cozen I Have been much concerned for you in my Thoughts since I saw you last I would be one of those that weep with them that weep and remember those that are in Adversity as being my self also in the Body and God forbid that I should not tenderly Pity and earnestly Pray for you in this your afflicted Condition though I have cause sadly to bewail it that there is so much of wretched Self in me which goes so far with me that while I am at ease I am little affected with the Hardships others undergo which plainly shews how far I am from the Life of holy Love There is a saying of wise King Solomon Prov. 27.9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart so doth the sweetness of a Man's friend by hearty councel O that I was in a capacity and had ability according to my hearty Desire to write or speak any thing which might tend to your Direction Support and Comfort O what pains should I think too great keeping within the limits of my calling to be laid out any way to promote the good of any poor Soul which my Lord and Saviour did so esteem as to think it worth dying for And seeing you have been pleased in a great measure to open your Case to me whom you shall ever find very faithful I will humbly adventure though I am very conscious of my own Inability to do it effectually and verily I think I have more need to come to you to learn as multitudes of Years encrease Wisdom and Experience yet I shall give you my poor confused Thoughts what we should learn from and how we ought to carry under afflictive Providences and I hope you will accept of my sincere Desires though I fall very short in Performance in the day of Adversity consider A day of Affliction ought to be a day of great Thoughtfulness with us consider God doth not Afflict us willingly without there be great need for it and he hath wise and gracious End 's in what he doth His Rod when ever laid upon our backs hath a loud voice in it O that we had diligent and tractable Hearts in hearkening to and obeying it Learning some spiritual Lessons from every the least twig thereof O what abundance of spiritual Good might we thus extract out of our greatest Evils And what a multitude of Strokes might we thus prevent And that you and I may be so wise let us put the following Particulars into practice 1st See we more and more of the evil of Sin and hate and mortify it Sin is the greatest Evil and the procuring Cause of all those
little purpose we must never think to be any body for Christians while we suffer these to Lord it over us The Devil knows this well enough and so he will give us leave to do almost any thing else while we will but keep far enough from these but touch these and we touch the Apple of his Eye he cannot endure it knowing that if we do it in good earnest his Interest in us is then like to go down apace as ever we desire to be thriving Christians we must endeavour to get rid of these 5. These Sins of ours slew our Lord Jesus Christ and then surely if we let these go if we let these live we are not Jesus his Friends this should be a very moving Consideration to us the pardon of any one of our Sins could not have been obtained but at the expence of that precious Blood of his and if we may suppose that some of our Sins gave him our dearest Lord a deeper Wound a Sore or Bruise then others of them they were these and do they not deserve a Wound from us Should we not endeavour to give them a deadly crush for this Yea it was one special End of his Death to destroy these And shall he die for us and as to us loose his labour when he hath done 6. We should be quicken'd to our Work here especially at such a time as this is for England's sake and for the Ark of God amongst us Matters seem to be at a very tickle trembling Point what the Lord intends to do we know not but really many things looks very threatning and God's faithful Ministers who are like to know most of his Mind are often droping such hints as would make a sensible Heart tremble Now this is the best way that we can take to prevent England's Ruine nay if God save us not by his Prerogative Royal it is the only way and it is unquestionably the duty of each of us to be fighting for our Country at home and thus we may do it and England hath not a worse Enemy then Sin nor better Friends at this pinch then such as do heartily and vigorously ply their work here and now shall England's Ruine ly at our doors Or shall deliverance come and we do nothing to set it forward on its way 7. This work though it be hard and difficult yet it is not impossible nay if we do sincerely apply our selves to it in God's way and strength the Victory is certain it is very true our Enemies are many and mighty but it s also as true that they are all such as have been baffled and conquered it must be confessed that we are poor weak things But withal it must be granted that our Captain is strong we may venture to set one Lord Jesus against them all this is a mighty encouragement to our work but no argument for sloth for he requires we should be active in it though in a manner he doth the work to our hands He hath overcome all the Enemies of our Souls and hath purchased that Grace for us whereby we also shall be enabled to overcome and how many Saints are there now triumphing in Heaven with Palms in their Hands who were once as deeply engaged in the Conflict and it may be under as discouraging Circumstances as we can be we have the same Captain that they had and what he hath done in and for them he is ready to do yea and will certainly and shortly do for and in us if we belong to him abide in him and continue with him so that difficulties should not be pleaded by us as discouragements in a Matter of this nature and necessity For 8. And lastly There is no other way for us here but we must either kill or die Sin as some of us lately heard is such a tyrant all whose Laws are written in the Blood of Souls It is Sin that brought Death into this World and that hath digged Hell in the next nothing so deadly as Sin and suppose but one Sin allowed and spared that one would as infallably undo us for ever as a thousand And farther suppose our Hearts be sincere and so prevailingly for God and therefore safe in the main yet if we neglect our Duty here those Sins of ours will not only keep us short both as to Grace and Peace here as was hinted before but which is a necessary consequent they will also cause us to fall short of those Degrees of glory which otherwise we might hereafter have attained unto the least degree of which should be of more account with us then all our worldly Interests laid together yea then all this whole World and will be so to us if we are indeed such as have laid up our Treasure in Heaven where we are truly our selves QUESTION III. How is the Duty of giving and receiving reproof to be managed THAT it is the Duty not only of Ministers to reprove Sin in others though to do it Ministerially is peculiar to them by Vertue of their Office and their Commission and Charge thereupon But yet that it is also the Duty of private Christians is plain Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him Now in answer to the Question how this Duty is to be managed I shall give my thoughts 1. By laying down some things which I take to be necessary Qualifications in the Person that would be a right successful Reprover 2. Some needful Cautions 3. Some general Rules and Directions The Qualifications are as follows 1. Wisdom and Prudence these are necessary because the right management of this Duty is a work of no small difficulty and for want of these some well meaning Persons marr the Work and instead of doing good do harm this way light and heat should go together otherwise the Motion will be irregular we need these to direct us in suiting our Reproofs 1. To the Persons we Reprove And that 1. With respect to their different Estates For though we must be Faithful to all yet we may not use the like freedom of Expression with all Job 34.18 Is it fit to say to a King thou art wicked Or to Princes ye are ungodly 1 Tim. 5.1 Rebuke not an Elder but entreat him as a Father 2. With respect to their Disposition and Temper For some are naturally more stubborn and hard to work on others more soft and tender Jude 22 23. And of some have compassion making a difference And others save with fear pulling them out of the fire I know it there are some of that temper and especially where any of them are also under that distemper which renders them more capable of impressions of this sort take such ordinarily I say and one shall wound them deeper with the softest Word nay with a silent Reproof in a look then some others with the most sharp and cutting Reproof 2. We need
seem light I will endeavour to pray for you as hard as I can do you endeavour to pray down more of the Spirit of Prayer into my Heart and then my poor Prayers may stand you in more stead I desire a plainer Account of your Circumstances as soon as you can who am your Loving Brother I. B. LETTER XIII To S. E. May 6. 1685. Dear S. I Receiv'd your's and cannot but sympathize with you in your Troubles I have been under those inward Troubles lately that have taken off my Thoughts from other things otherwise I have been and am under Circumstances much like your own I have more and more experience of the vanity and deceitfulness of the Creature O how vain a thing is Man But I must tell you Sister as I tell my own Heart I am afraid we expect too much from the Creature we meet with disappointments in and from the Creature who bid us look for better Not our Bibles The Lord will sooner or later make us know the Creature as the Creature if we belong to him that we place not too much of our Happiness in it and we have cause to bless God for the crossest Providences that are blessed by him to that End O let us learn to live more upon God! And let us learn not to be too much concerned at such things they are without us and unless we open them the door they cannot get into our Hearts to sink them God is a true and faithful Friend remember that indeed we live far below our selves as I trust we are Heirs according to the hope of eternal Life if we suffer such little things to distract and deject us I had written sooner but that I hoped before this to have seen you I shall be contriving for an opportunity as soon as I can who am your Loving Brother I. B. LETTER XIV To C. H. Dear Cozen METHINKS our ill husbanding the means of Grace hath brought us to this that we must either beg or starve the Lord hath formerly afforded us rich means to live upon How have we been feasted in his publick Ordinances Many a poor hungry Soul would have got a good meal out of our livings but now alass we have almost run out of all now we have but hungry Sabbath's God knows what will become of our poor Souls now Well but here is a way whereby you and I may get a good living still by the right improvement of this Duty we may be thriving Christians still shew me a praying Soul I dare say that is a happy Soul that Soul hath many a sweet morsel from Heaven that others taste not of that Soul is growing rich but then we must acquaint our selves with the divine Art and Mystery that there is in this Duty alass our Souls cannot live upon the Wind words in Prayer are but wind but in the lively exercise of Grace and in Communion with God there is nourishment for our poor Souls for your help him accept of this small Sheet which about two Years since I receiv'd from one that is as well skilled in this spiritual Mystery as any Christian that I know and when you are with God in this Duty then remember me a poor wretch that after so many years Practice of it to my Sorrow still find many roving wandring Thoughts much deadness of Spirit and inactivity of Grace I am confident you are many times in my praying Thoughts when you think not of it may I not beg the like from you for a requital Your's I. B. LETTER XV. To C. W. Dear Friend YOUR Soul is very precious in my sight my hearty desire and prayer for you is that you may be saved and O that I could do any thing to promote it it pleases me much to think in how hopeful a way you are for Heaven and O how I should rejoyce to see you crowned there but alass we are yet but in the Fight with our Enemies yet faint not hold on and the day is our own conquer and we are crowned yet be we jealous of our selves I am ready to tremble when I think of our danger by our Enemy the World it is a very Cheat and how ready we are to be imposed upon by it For my own part I never thought there had been so much Carnality in my Heart as I lately discovered and O I am afraid there is much more abominable wickedness that I have not yet discovered O methinks I would have something besides God for my Portion I am loath to cast all my worldly hopes over board O my Folly Well my love to you inclines me to impart some of my Thoughts to you in this Matter God and the World are presented to our Choice and this is our choosing time now that you and I may make a wise Choice 1st Let us seriously consider the excellency of God O happy Souls indeed whose Portion the Lord is O wonderful wonderful That the ever blessed God should be wiling to become the Creatures portion a portion for such Wretches as we are Let all the Angels and Saints of God admire and adore him for this his matchlefs Condescention and God-like Bounty Now think what God is and can we not be content with him for a Portion What not with God Why what is there that our Souls can reasonably desire that is not eminently in him O there is enough in God to make us compleatly and eternally Happy and what would we have more 2dly Think we seriously of the Vanity of the Creature O what trifles are these that Men make such a hurry about Such as are projecting most throngly for the World alass what have they when they have got it but a little Vanity for which they many time loose an eternal Crown O woful Choice When such come to die they will put another estimate upon the World I dare appeal to your own Experience when you have any serious thoughts of Death and Judgment and the Life to come then O how little you regard the World I find it thus with me now let us learn this project to set one Enemy against another to set Death against the World as one saith frequentiy lie down in our own Graves and thence take a prospect of the World let us take our Coffin into the Field with us when we go to fight the World And farther to make us serious let us consider it is for everlasting that we choose here choose God in Christ for our portion and he is our own for ever choose Sin and the World and we loose him and Hell must be our portion and our loss herein will be everlastingly imparable the Lord help us to act like reasonable Creatures but I must take leave if I have any interest in you I would entitle a dear Redeemer to it Will you choose him I hope you have but will you renew and confirm your choice and never rest till you can my beloved is mine and I am his I
O happy Place and happy Persons whose continual Work is perfect love and joy and praise I am your loving obedient S. I. B. LETTER XXII To T. W. My dear F. YOUR lines were very welcome to me both as they express your Affection to me your readiness to Simpathize with me your hearty Prayers to God for me and likewise as they give some revival to our former intercourse which my thoughts were working upon a day or two since with much desire I can heartily bless God for the comfortable Society I have formerly had with you O can we not both of us remember many an Hour with Comfort when the Lord hath been pleased to make a Third with us Yea and I hope when a few Minutes of Time more are past we shall be removed out of this Vale of Tears and meet upon the Mountains of Spices O a happy meeting that will be will it not think you O should we not be looking and longing and with Patience waiting for that blessed Day And should we not be quickning and encouraging one another in the way It is my hearty desire now we cannot so frequently pray and discourse together as we have formerly done I am perswaded to the great Satisfaction of us both it is my desire I say that we may maintain a mutual Correspondence by writing And methinks I have much to tell my Friend of now but that streightness of Time and some bodily Indispositions will not suffer me the dispensations of the Lord towards me are very Gracious O how manifold are his Mercies Indeed goodness and mercy hath followed me all my Days and methinks there is so much of Love mixed with the severest of his Dispensations towards me that I cannot but love him the more and praise him the more for them O they are not the wounds of an enemy nor the chastizements of a cruel one God is all love yet even when he takes as well as when he gives O to see Love in every thing is not that sweet O what is this Heart of mine made of that it is no more affected O help me love the Lord for me praise the Lord for me come let us exalt his Name together the Lord hath dealt very favourable as to my F. his Distemper not so violent as it might have been though his Weakness hath been very great how the Lord may dispose of him I cannot tell he continues very Weak though I hope the Distemper is much abated but this I know God will do all things well pray for us still yea and praise the Lord on our behalf I am affectionaly Your's I. B. LETTER XXIII To S. M. Dear S. I Hope you will not take it ill that you have not heard from me before now I am sure you are much in my thoughts and I should be glad to exchange a Letter with you now and then I had many affectionate concerned Thoughts about you when I heard of your late illness and it was not a little Comfort to me when I heard of your recovery much more shall the health and prosperity of your Soul rejoyce my Heart and that it may be daily promoted by all the Methods of God's Providence as well as by his Ordinances is and shall be my daily Prayer to that God who I hope hath begun a good Work there Dear S. the near Relation I am in to you lays me under a strong Obligation to do the utmost I am able to promote the welfare of your outward Man but methinks I feel my Affections especially working towards your Soul Well how is it Is your Soul in health Doth your Soul prosper By nature our Souls are like Hospitals for spiritual Diseases O there is no sound Part left in them but the Lord out of his Divine pity and bounty hath provided a wife able and tender hearted Physician for us the Lord Jesus Christ who hath prepared a rich Medicine every way suitable to our Diseases of his own most precious Blood and he is daily begging for Patients and his great Complaint is that Men will not come to him who would assuredly and freely heal them but rather choose Death now O that you and I may see more of our need of him our Souls are really O that they were more sensibly Sick our Diseases are in their own Nature mortal ones and all others besides him are Physicians of no value but if he undertake our Cure the danger is over no fear of miscarrying under his Hands O that now we may be so thoroughly convinced of our need of him and of his ability skill and good will that we may now look after him indeed and no more neglect him as we have done but may sincerely heartily chearfully and thankfully accept him and fiducially put our lives our souls our all into his Hands confiding in him and in him alone and obedientially following his Prescriptions then our Souls should live and not die but I must take leave let me hear how it is with you You have a daily remembrance in my poor Prayers who am affectionately Yours I. B. LETTER XXIV To S. M. Dear S. I Receiv'd your's which I took very kindly I had thoughts of writing to you before I received it for I shall be glad of intercourse this way and desire it may be so managed as that it may prove to the great Advantage of us both we should ever act like Persons for another World and should endeavour to manage every thing so as may help our selves and others forward in our way to Heaven O that we may I have two things to advise you to and let my Councel be acceptable The First is highly esteem and accordingly improve your precious Time surely if we did but consider how much great and necessary Work lies upon our hands we could not so lightly esteem and squander away that short and precious Time allotted to us for the doing of it in we have much to do for God to promote his Honour and Glory much to do for our Selves for our Souls we have our Salvation to work out an Interest in Christ to secure and clear weak Graces to strengthen strong Corruptions to subdue many and strong Temptations to resist and overcome many hard and difficult Duties to discharge and we must expect that the task of Duties though in another Sense we should not look upon Duty as a task will be encreasing as we grow up and much we have to do for others to promote their good We have our Generation to serve in the places God sets us in and all this must be done in time and is not that Time to be accounted Precious And farther it may be much shorter then we think of what is Man's life taken at its full length It is but as a Span days and years pass away like the Wind are spent as a Tale that is told but let not you and I promise our selves long Life but be thinking of a shorter cut then ordinary