Inclination Light Hope Fear Love Joy New qualities Humility Modesty Faith Power to act Daily Supplies God-ward whereby he so far as a Sinner can be is in the Creature State In Covenant of Grace founded on Christ which containeth Mercies on God's part made over to Man and on Man's part Duty required by God Absolute on God's part to Man Supernatural Revelation in Scripture wherein is further explained and enforced Laws Natural which are Supream Final Ever obliging Most Good Perfective of Man's Spirit Assistance to fincerity in Practice Light of God's Creation Scripture Supernatural Revelation in Scripture wherein is further explained and enforced Laws Natural which are Supream Final Ever obliging Most Good Perfective of Man's Spirit Assistance to fincerity in Practice Natural Conscience Mercy more discovered to excite Hope Endeavour Assistance to fincerity in Practice Common Grace Providence Laws Positive Reading Hearing Sacraments c. Suborninate as means to Final Assistance to fincerity in Practice Ordinary Ministration of Angels Conditional Special Grace Justification Holiness Continuance and growth in these The continuing of Light to direct Strength to assist Angels in their special Ministration for good to do to suffer to repel Temptation The gift of Eternal life or our felicity wit God for ever On Man's part for these required by God Repentance towards God Faith in Jesus Christ Sincere Obedience to him Renewing these and perseverance in them to Death Receiving not in vain i.e. improving the Grace of God In neglect whereof is Indignation Wrath Eternal Damnation Whoever considers these Heads of Thoughts and Knowledge will see that the state of Man either single or in Society is a state of subjection to God and to eternal Right or Truth That he is an accountable Creature and that his excellency is not Bodily but Mental he ought therefore to reverence himself and not live or move as if only Brutish He will also find that Man hath a Negotiating or active Spirit in him it then concerns him to take heed that he be doing his own Business For the Actions of Men are under constant observation as will be obvious to any who beholds the Face of God in the account I have given of him We may therein also see one part of our own Business i. e. to be Humane in our treating of one another Forasmuch as God appears not to dispose of Man by absolute Will but by Law When God doth limit us by his Laws he doth in a sense as it were limit himself For as he by them bounds our Actions so by them he bounds his own Judgment of us We must distinguish Decrees and Judicial proceedings in God the former being matter of Favour he may act therein by absolute Will but the other being matter of Right his Perfection and his goings forth into Laws are if I may so speak limits to him We by them discern one good ground of Joy in the worst of Times namely that this World is not without a Ruler though we see him not yet the Lord reigneth He whose Judgments and Rules are unerringly laid It is a comforting and a heart-fixing Consideration that there is no change in Subordinate Governours but what is ordered or understood by the Supream Ruler who never changeth and who ever is Good-will to Men. Psalm XCIII Submit your Crowns O Kings for God do's reign And has himself put on His Crown Dr. woodford Throw at His feet your Scepters down And pardon by your quick submission gain Vnto your selves ascribe His Power no more But what He first gave you to him again restore I have been the larger on this Head because of the importance of Self-knowledge to the doing our own Business The divers Analyses I have drawn shew according to Natural and to Supernatural Revelation what Man single or in Society is as Created as Lapsed and as Restored unto the Creature state All which is needful knowledge because Man hath now somewhat to do which is special or peculiar to these several Periods of Time or Estates which if he omits to do he doth not what is his own Business e.g. To admire God's Goodness in making the World and Man in it in such an excellent estate since nothing made by him could bring any profit to him which Duty results from the knowledge of Man as Created by God Again Never to charge God with Man's Sin but condemn him whose behaviour was unworthy to God and cruel to himself Also to bewail his sad and lamentable condition from which he is not able to deliver himself nor once to have a desire and to look out for help elsewhere to be had These we are directed and obliged unto by the knowledge of our estate as lapsed Lastly To own Christ's Doctrine to obey his Laws to transact with God and to expect from him all through the Mediator To see the evil of Sin and the Love of Christ crucified c. To love him who died c. for us To understand the ends of his Death and to desire to enjoy them With abundance more too many in so small a Book to be mentioned are evidenced to be our work by the account I have given of Man Restored Further the Analysis expresseth knowledge requisite to make Man truly and universally Good than which nothing can be more his Business or be more conducive to the prosperity of Nations Once more These set forth the things which obtain Peace with God his favour and acceptance into Fellowship with himself and with his Son Jesus Christ than which nothing doth more to promote Agreement and Good-will among Men and further should not be required of any in order to our Communion with them Lastly These give us the knowledge which will lead us into the next sort I am to speak to and will help us therein namely 3 The knowledge of the whole Duty of Man For when we see who and where we are the next requisite is to know what we are then to do When we find where we are i.e. how we stand in and are qualified for the State or Church by the fore-going Information then to know what we are bound to do therein is very useful Knowledge And as to know all our Duty so to see them in the natural or instituted Order of performance is most requisite likewise because two may appear at once when but one can be done by us And we shall be at a loss to know which at that time is our own Business i.e. which is most fit to be done then by us To set before you every Duty would go beyond as my strength so my present intention who design you not Volumes but a few sheets Somewhat I may do in it anon In this place I shall only give some small appearance of light to that of their Natural and Instituted Order The principal Duties and preferrable be those things which Are Eternal in Being Unchangeable in Nature Universal in Obligation Necessary to Religion Final in
this question to thy self How will this when this is done agree with me Shall I have no occasion to repent of it Yet a very little while and I am dead and gone and all things at an end What then do I care for more than this that my present action whatever it be may be the proper action of one that is reasonable whose end is the Common good who in all things is ruled and governed by the same Law of Right and Reason by which God himself is Section III. Come we next to the most holy Oracles which we call the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament they declare yet more fully the same things For God made that Supernatural Revelation of himself now written for us not because there was fault in the Natural or to lessen either our Obligation or our Regard thereto But to shew us he had been graciously erecting upon the Eternal Foundation Natural Truths and Duties for our greater knowledge and better practising of those things Which he therefore did because we had weakned and darkned our selves by Sin so that this further Grace became necessary to us In these Divine Oracles you will find that God 1 Made the World out of nothing and Adam the first Man 2 That God made Man in his own * Gen. 1.26.5.1 Image that he was †Eccl. 7.27 upright and set as Lord ‖ Gen. 1.26 over his works The former confirms that whereon God's Right to us is founded That our Self-possession is subordinate to his possession i. e. that we are more his than our own The latter expresseth the Being the Business and the Happiness of Man wherein Self-possession lieth or when it is that we are truly our own Man as to Moral liberty and safety which is then only when we 1 Use and enjoy our selves as made by God i. e. as his Created ones 2 When with our selves we enjoy God i. e. His own Image 3 When we are sincerely good in heart and life i. e. Vpright 4 When we keep just Empire over all things made which are inferiour to that in us which constitutes us Men i. e. in one sense To be Lords over his Works Man's Fall hath not varied the matter the same is now his Being his Business and Happiness as was before only this having sinned he must now do he must receive he must enjoy and expect all that I have said not only as a Created but also as a Redeemed Man i. e. in and through the Mediator Jesus Christ the Saviour God and Man or God manifest in the flesh He must be All and in All Coloss 3.11 in assistances unto us and in our acceptance with God Which yet is so far from lessening what I before said that this Mediator hath farther obliged Man thereto For appearing in our Nature he hath shewed these are perfective of it and by his own practice among us possible to it He also came not to destroy but to fulfil them which he admirably did in his Sermon on the Mount c. He gave many great and precious Promises to this very end 2 Pet. 1.4 That we might be made partakers of the Divine Nature He gave Precepts to sanctifie us and prayed that we might be one with God his Father He as the Catachist tells us lived a holy yet a Heb. 4.15 an afflicted life and b 1 Pet. 3.18 died for our sins upon the Cross c Matt. 28.6 Rom. 4.15 rose out of the Grave d Act. 1.9 Eph. ◠8 ascended into Heaven where he now sits to make e Heb. 7.25 Intercession And as he promised sent the Spirit the Eternal Spiration from Father and Son And what is all this for the f 2 Cor. 5.14 15. Rom. 8.32 Phil. 4.19 Tit. 3.7 Texts on the Margent when piously and diligently consulted will tell you It was not to change our work or happiness but to bring us to know Eternal Truth and practice Eternal Duty better compleating what was fore-told of him Isaiah 61.1 2 3. so as that it might well be said as it is John 8.36 If the Son therefore shall make you free ye shall be free indeed Section IV. What is said in the next preceding Section equally concerns Societies of Men their Being their Business and Happiness as also God's right to them is the same which I would evidence if I could think it were doubted by any who grant it with respect to a single man One main design of our Saviour was to bring Societies and Kingdoms unto his Father He sends forth his Twelve St. Matt. 10. directs them unto houses and declares to Zacheus that having called him Salvation was come unto his house He Commissionates his Disciples St. Matt. 28. to go and teach all Nations baptizing them c. i.e. to mark them out for his and bring them to Covenant so to be One Reason as some have thought of Circumcision being to the Males only was because of them were the Heads of Tribes and Families to be and in the Apostles administration of Baptism where the Governour was baptized his House is baptized with him And St. Peter is express that the Gospel's design is to make a chosen Generation a royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar People c. Chap. 2.9 of his first Epistle Many Duties are required which cannot be performed but in Society And so great a part of the Scripture is either Precept Prohibition Promise Threatning Form of Prayer or Praise or Example c. bearing relation to men in Society as puts it past doubt that no single man is more obliged to be the Lord's than they as also that God is most desirous they would be his These holy Oracles largely represent the sorts and frequently inculcate the practice of those Vertues and Duties our Humanity obligeth us to express to others Such as to obey Magistrates Parents Natural and Civil not to provoke their Children to have Natural affection to them to deal bona fide with them to make provision for them to be kindly affectionate one to another to be pitiful and courteous and merciful to render a reason when out Faith or Practice is questioned c. to propose fairly unto mutual consideration matters of greatest advantage to each other that it may appear we treat each other like Men and propose for Common good Thus the Apostles as common Doctors of the World proposed to all things perspicuous and manifest of themselves that every one might by bare reading learn them and see their obligation to observe them in their conduciveness to Common benefit I will mention as instance two Precepts given by St. Paul the one to the Thessalonians in his first Epistle to them chap. 4. ver 11. And that ye study or contend to be quiet and to do your own business The other is that to the Corinthians in his first Epistle to them chap. 16. ver 14. Let all your things be done in Charity Which
Religion Of these is Love to God and Man Justice Faithfulness Purity Goodness c. the Communicable Perfections in God and wherein we are to be like unto him The subordinate Duties be those which Are Only instituted of God Changeable by him Means to Vertue or Grace Not necessary to all Good Darkly or less spoken of in Scripture Sometimes therein said to be rejected by God and to be less acceptable to him Of these were Sacrifices and Circumcision c. of Old and of these are now Sacraments Baptism and the Lord's Supper Preaching Hearing Reading and Prayer as a Means only and if these much more are Forms of Worship and Forms of Administration of Ordinances Observation of Days c. 4 When we are thus far gone there is yet a farther requisite to know the degree of performance which belongeth to us for it is not enough in doing our own Business to be stedfast and unmoveable 1 Cor. 15. ult unless we add thereto as St. Paul saith alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord and in another place Ephes 3. Rom. 12.11 strengthned with might in the inner-man and again Not slothful in business fervent in spirit serving the Lord i. e. industrious and nimble to do any thing that is your own business and having that earnest affection to God's Service that shall inflame and set you most ardently about it and accordingly doing those things that in respect of the circumstances of time and place wherein now you are may most tend to the honour of God and building up of this Nation and his Church therein Very much lieth upon this as to success in our doing and the All of acceptance with God thereon dependeth therefore when we are doing our own business let us have special regard to the proper degree which every act claimeth either 1 Internal in our Intellect Will. Affection 2 External in Visibility Extent c. I have in this Section pointed at Matter which requireth many thoughts and would take up a large Book to write what it suggesteth to me I crave of thee Reader thoughts to supply my defect through brevity c. Writing ought for the Press is novel to me and the toil so sore that I shall avoid occasion to crave the like again of thee Besides our thinking thereon will bring us to know God and Jesus Christ whom to know is life eternal Also our Duty to him to perform which is our highest perfection and interest We shall also know our selves than which is not a more becoming and useful knowledge and our station and circumstances whereby to help or save our distressed and almost lost Nation We shall therein see that in our places we are to act not as France or Geneva but as English or we despise our own happy enjoyment and business We shall see our own business is to do as God and Conscience would have us and that if any are better than we we are to mend until we come to be Examples fit for them That our business is to improve our Riches and all our enjoyments to see God in them and to serve him with them We shall see it our business to discern the times to receive the instruction God designs us by them and to grow so wise as thence to collect what is to be done for Healing and the speed we ought to make thereunto Further We may thence find what may shame us for squabling about Trifles and cure our Ignorance in valuing Anise and Cummin as more acceptable to God than the weightier matters of the Law We shall therein see that to imitate Joshua in resolution and practice is our own business that we and our houses will serve the Lord. Finally Jos 14.15 we therein see that in Goodness and true Piety we are to be most hearty and affectionate to be as the Chariots of Aminadab And seeing this will help us so to be and being so we shall never be ashamed Psal 119.6 That Shame may blush to follow me Wooâ—â—ford in loc Who Thy Commands pursue and follow none but thee Though I am most unfit to speak and do hazard my Reputation by thus uttering my voice yet having taken upon me to do it I cannot be silent My King and Country lie nearest my heart when they are touched it is more to me than a touch on the apple of my Eye Jer. 9.1 2 3. Oh that my head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my People Ver. 2. Oh that I had in the Wilderness a lodging-place of wayfaring men that I might leave my People and go from them for they be all Adulterers an assembly of treacherous men Ver. 3. And they bend their Tongues like their Bow for lies but they are not valiant for the truth upon the Earth for they proceed from evil to evil and they know not me saith the Lord. I do not intend in any part of these evil of our Sovereign Lord the KING I fear that God who hath commanded Eccl. 10.20 Curse not the King no not in thy thought and give obedience thereto not to avoid the Tale being told but in Duty to God and Loyal affection to him I do not only pray and give thanks unto God for him that under him I may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty but that I may see him the Praise of the whole Earth In order to which I purpose to represent in process of my Discourse the Character of an Excellent Prince which either is or may be his I am no Papist to wish or contrive his death nor Rat-Catcher to suggest that Snares and bane are good for him Nor yet am I a Republican-Wrestler in a design to trip up his heels that he may be level with me I am for establishment of his Throne in Righteousness and for him and his to be in it so long as Sun and Moon endureth and that whilst alive he may be the Prince of the Kings of the Earth I remember the sorrow I felt for the Murther of his Father in Anno 1648. though I was then not above 12 years old and the distraction and misery since I also resent the sinfulness of that Sin and the vile abominations the Republicans committed which Resentments are not of yesterday in me but first began in Anno 1646 or 47 and by the mercy of God have been unmoveably these to this day I say upon these accounts it is that I cannot without abhorrence think of any Attempt to alteration of Civil Government amongst us Should such a thing happen either to the right or lest I am confident our Misery will be doubled upon us the least I expect is You shall be destroyed both you and your King Section II. 1 Let Governours then in Civils do their own business i. e. adhere unto true Old English look when and wherein we have thence
or watchful eye over their enticements To have such a firm and loyal affection to Righteousness or Holiness in us that pain of body profit or riches and the pleasures of the Animal life shall not work us from it or abate it in us Also it being a part of pure Religion we must see that our Bodies and lower Faculties of mind be not only uncorrupted but meet for God's Spirit to dwell in and act in by enlightning sanctifying and animating of us to inward duties of Holiness Such Religion as I have here in part described where it is consented unto and prevalent putteth an end to all squabbles about Forms or Administrations in Religion for it brings us to God in Christ I say in Christ for now we are Sinners when we mention God it is alwaies to be in him where we see and enjoy what makes Terrene things so crucified to us as we are by him crucified to them Bishopricks and Ornaments or Splendor in a Church Praying with or without a Form more or less pure Administration are all dead-things to us unless as they be made to subserve Piety or Charity Let us then exalt that life that hath lain dead and buried for these many Ages under a vast heap of Humane Inventions useless and cumbersom Ceremonies and unpeaceable Opinions not at all doubting but that if the Life of Christ were once awakened in the World he that cloaths the Lillies of the field and adorns the Birds with their several comely and orderly disposed Colours will not be wanting to such a Church as hath the principle of life in it self but that it will grow up into such an external form and comliness in all points as most befits and are the most proper results of those vital operations in it Whenas the best Externals without these are but as the skin of an Animal stuffed with Wool or Straw saith an excellent Doctor †H. More Preface to Mystery of Godliness 3 Be affectionate and constant in Prayer to God as for what I have said in the preceding Directions and for all other good so especially that he would give us the Spirit of Love and of a * Sobriety 2 Tim. 1.7 sound mind i.e. the Spirit of a true Christian and as it is in Prov. 18.14 the Spirit of a man which sustains infirmity be it his own or anothers whenas the wounded spirit cannot bear 4 Avoid all prejudice against ought of the Creation of God i.e. despise no man nor enter into dissatisfaction so as to bar your observing what of God is in him or your hope of good from him or your acceptance of it when it cometh Be made up of perfect kindness to each other and of good-will and hope to the worst of men Be not base of disposition infusing hatred or variance secretly into any not Reproachers of others nor boasters or exalters of self not inventors or carriers of Stories which disparage or bear ill to any especially to Rulers and to the Government you are under Remember what Noah's Son Cham did and received therefore and the commendable practice of Shem and Japhet contrary thereunto Rulers also ought so to be and do unto their Subjects Behold God is mighty and despiseth not any Job 36.5 saith Elihu and Job 31.13 14 15. is fit to be in their thoughts If I did despise the cause of my Man-servant or of my Maid-servant when they contended with me What then shall I do when God riseth up and when he visiteth what shall I answer him Did not he that made me in the womb make him and did not one fashion us in the womb Accept what is good and what is truth from the worst of Enemies or meanest of Men. Consider what is said c. rather than him who speaketh or the times past when the like hath been spoken be it 40 to 48 c. what speech at one time is Treason or Sedition may at another be Loyal and necessary duty because what was falsly said in 42 c. may be truly said now and what is falsly said now might have been truly said then Since Anno 1647 though I was then very young I have not altered my sense of things done before or after but I am God be thanked better affected towards Persons I heretofore beheld men only in their Infirmities in their Sins and distances from be but now I look on them as they be in the formation of God by which I keep more abundant Peace have avoided many Errors rectified sundry Mistakes and escaped out of divers snares and lusts especially that of Ill-will than which there is no greater corruption or torment incident to humane Nature Hereby also I have long enjoyed a comfortable and advantagious Friendship with those I formerly hated as it were or dis-esteemed some because they countenanced the Republicans others because differing from me in Opinions in lesser Doctrines or in Church Form or Discipline In these Four which I term the General Directions I have represented to you things proper to a Creature to whom God communicates of his own Nature so far as it is capable of receiving it and of his assistances and grace so far as its need requireth It therefore is of most import to us that we give all diligence thus to be The next in order are the Directions more special While I was forming of them there occurred to my sight an excellent discourse of the Love of God and our Neighbour The Author is he who in one Sermon upon Bounty to the Poor shut up the Spittle i.e. left nothing for others to say there after him on that Argument but what he had spoken better before them It is the late Doctor Isaac Barrow to whom I refer thee for what remains unsaid here as I had also done for that already spoken had not my beginning and intentions taken Air so as to fall into Circumstances whence I could not well retrieve them from being made so publick as now they are like to be Having thus far done so well as I can and pointed to where better is for you I shall soon dismiss you after I have given you a taste of Bathynous's skill on the Theorbo A solemn Lesson on which I find to be a very composing thing It is an excellent Lute he plays on of sweet and mellow and yet of Majestick sound and the Song he will sing with it is not impertinent to our present purpose I pray you let us hear if not all yet part of it Sing aloud Bathyn His Praise rehearse Who hath made the Vniverse God is good Divine Dialogues p. 552. is wise is strong Witness all the Creature-throng Is confess'd by every Tongue All things back from whence they sprung As the thankful Rivers pay What they borrow'd of the Sea Now my self I do resign Take me whole I all am thine Save me God from Self-desire Death's-pit dark Hells-raging Fire Envy Hatred Vengeance Ire Let not Lust my
Or in the words of St. Paul Coloss 3. ver 12 13 14 15. Put on therefore as the elect of God holy and Beloved bowels of mercy kindness humbleness of mind meekness long-suffering forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man hath a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you so do ye And above all these things put on Charity which is the Bond of perfectness And let the Peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also you are called in one body and be ye thankful By all which we shall be as the pictures and resemblances of God prized and valued by him we shall shew his Spirit hath sanctified us and is given unto us and by the most excellent Bond we shall be united indissolubly one to another and tyed to the exercise of all Graces not only as our duty but delight We shall hereby be perfectly skilled in all necessary and perfecting knowledge particularly the unspeakable Love of Christ the knowledge of which is a Science of great concernment to us far beyond all other Sciences for hereby our hearts will be enflamed with Love to God will be fortified against temptation to evil and will be filled with the Vertues which are most Divine Now the God of Peace or which delighteth in the Peace and Unity of Christians that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepheard of the Sheep through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom with the Father and eternal Spirit three Subsistences or Persons and but one God be glory for ever and ever Amen Postscript I Am not ignorant of Exceptions the more Curious may make against the management of this Discourse being wrote by one who is more willing than able to do well As 1 That I have started many things but have not pursued them as I ought 2 That I have insisted too little on the Explication of things i. e. as Divines are wont to say The Doctrinal part Answ 1 I intended to have delivered my whole mind in two or three Sheets to make it as little labour to me and charge to others as I could 2 I conceive that they who under God are to help us do fully understand the matters I do here only point to So that it may be here if ever said A word is enough to the Wise 3 I more doubt the Rectitude of the Will in applying or choosing unto Practice than the capacity of the Meanest to understand the things I have proposed unto 4 The Nature of some things required my stop to farther proceedure into them and others are explicated or fully stated already by some of greatest comprehension and ability in our Church In special the late excellent Bishop Wilkins in his Discourse of Natural Religion out of which I took one part of the Analysis pag. 31. and Isaac Barrow D. D. in his Sermons Mr. Baxter in his Cure of Church Divisions c. and the most Worthy Citizen of London Mr. William Allen in several of his Treatises Also that Great Man Edw. Stillingfleet D. D. now Dean of St. Pauls in his Irenicum From whom I expect de novo as great a Healer as was his Weapon Salve His Temper his Wisdom and Goodness I know are disposing thereto rather than to self-Vindication or Conquest over his Antagonists 5 Which is enough alone I have not the ability or leasure of other men and do reach in great part my design if I hereby excite some of Ability to be doing that so it may be well done Lastly The Pair of Extreams in our Church may see their Sin and their Recovery from it by what I have wrote in the first and third Chapters Provided they afford them more thoughts as they ought if they will give any than I have given words to them The like may I say to the Pair of Extreams in our State For thereby men may see their station in this Kingdom the Constitution they are under and their duty therein part of which is to be Faithful and Constant thereunto King-Flatterers and Republicans or Self-Designers know themselves to be so and a Prince needs no more to find them out than his own Observation of them in their daily mean towards his Person or Government To the latter more especially in two things 1 In Suggestions to a Variation in that Constitution Wherein the Prince is already Supream and unto which he hath sworn Adhesion 2 In Proposals to Things less acceptable to his People and which the King cannot but see if he looks into any thing are not necessary to the maintenance of the Government or his true Greatness therein These two or such are alwaies Casts of the Office of the Flatterer or Leveller in his Kingdom So that a more particular account of this matter would have been as too tedious so almost needless Sincere Obedience to God and Charity or as I have said Doing our own Business and Love have Natural and Moral tendancy to Knowledge and Wisdom i. e. to the seeing and to the well-managing of all things so that he who is Upright shall not fail of Science requisite to the knowing and doing of his duty in the station God hath set him He hath Infallibility nearer or more secured in God's Promises to him than the Pope and Conclave at Rome have they being not so good Men. Besides so far as any one proposeth to Vertue or Grace he doth propose as to all Wisdom and Knowledge as hath been said so unto all that is neceslary to cure all Maladies For Vertue in the Blossom and Fruit being of the same nature with that in the Root Peace and every thing prosperous or truly desirable thence must come Contrary hereunto is Sin of which St. James saith Chap. 1.14 15. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own hearts lust and enticed Then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death Most fully to this purpose is Prov. 14.14 The Backslider in heart shall be filled with his own waies and a Good-man shall be satisfied from himself In short Men must have and Nations will find as they are corrupted and lapsed or as they be restored and renewed by Grace I will conclude with the words of St. Paul Gal. 6. ver 7. Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap Which is most true of Kingdoms and Societies of Men. Now of Obedience to God of vigour or sincerity therein and of Love I have spoken though little yet I hope what may be understood and what a good Heart will improve to every needful purpose in his Converse with God or Man If the Antidoter or any for him be displeased at me I will not be overcome of that Evil but endeavour to overcome