would obtain omit not to pray for the assistance of Gods spirit otherwise thy strength is small yea except God give thee repentance and removes all impediments that may hinder thou canst no more turn thy self then thou couldst at first make thy self We are not sufficient of our selves to thinke much lesse to speak least of all to doe ought that is good 2 Cor. 3.5 Job 15.4 5. We are swift to all evill but to any good immoveable Wherefore beg of God that he will give you a new heart and when the heart is changed all the members will follow after it as the rest of the creatures after the Sun when it arisest Importune him for grace that thou mayest firmly resolve speedily begin and continually persevere in doing and suffering his holy will Desire him to regenerate thy heart change and pu 〈…〉 then thy will renew thy affections and beat down in thee whatsoever stands in opposition to the Scepter of Jesus Christ. Only this let me addâ— Be sure you wholly and only rest on your Saviour Iesus Christ for salvation abhorring to attribute or ascribe ought to doing for our very righteousnesses are as filthy rags Esa. 64.6 And the sole perfection of a Christian is the imputation of Christs righteousnesse and the not imputation of his own unrighteousnessâ— a rule which we are very apt to swerve from either on the right or left handâ— wherefore if you would not erre observe this golden mean endeavor to live as if there were no Gospel and to dye as if there were no law And now for conclusion If thou receivest any power against this great evil forget not to be thankfull and when God hath the fruit of his mercies he will not spare to sow much where he reaps much and so having set before you life and death I leave you to choose which of them you like best Only think what account you shall give of that you have read for if this warning prevail not it is much to be feared the next will be that of The Son of man Mat. 25.41 Depart from me c. Post-Script YOu that fear God or have any bowels of compassion towards the precious souls of those poor ignorant men women and children whom you hear to swear and curse as Dogs barks that is not more of curstnesse then out of custome with them to read these few pages neither count it as a thing indifferent which may either be done or dispensed withall for besides that God hath commanded the duty of admonition Heb. 3.13 2 Tim. 2.25 and commended the practise of it Rev. 1.2 6. and condemned the contrary v. 20. If you do not it or the like you hate your brother Lev. 19.17 and make your self guilty both of his sin and ruine Ezek. 3.18 to 22. For as none but a Cain will say Am I my brothers Keeper so these could never continue their cursing and swearing as they doe if they were but so happy as to meet with timely and faithfull admonition Nor can you love God and patiently hear these miscreants blaspheme his holy Name as they do 2 Pet. 2.7 8. Or manifest your self his by adoption and regeneration for wel-born children are touched to the quick with the injuries of their Parents and not to be moved in this case is to confesse our selves bastards Yea it is a base vile and unjust ingratitude in those men that can endure the disgrace of them under whose shelter they live Which being so make it a part of your charity to give of them as you meet with occasion as that you shall hourly do even as you passe the streets if you but mind it And me thinks none that are able should spare to be at a farthing cost when that farthing may possibly prove saving of a Swearers soul. And to that end any one may have what they please giving so many farthings to the poor And also other Books or more generall concernment upon the like terms repairing to the Blew pales over against the high Constables short of Shoreditch Church where there is a Glasse Lanthorne in the window Imprimatur JOHN DOVVNAME THO. GATAKER Adde this together with the Abstract of the Drunkards Character to God 〈…〉 The Printer to the Reader IT being observed that many meeting with some of this Authors Collections do earnestly enquire after the restâ— I think it not amisse to satisfie their desire and save them further labour by setting down the severals which are these The Cause and Cure of Ignorance Errour Enmity c. already printed The Cure of Misprision or Mistake already printed The Victory of Patience already printed The Drunkards character with an addition already printed The Character or Touch-stone of a true Beleever already printed The Character of formall Hypocrite or Civill Justiciarie already printed Characters of the kindes of Preaching already printed Compleat Armor against evill Societie already printed Cordiall Counsell already printed Gods goodnesse and Englands unthankfulnesse the second Edition that is divided into chapters and sections already printed The first part of the Pastors Advocate already printed An Abstract of the Drunkards Character already printed The second part of the Pastors Advocate to be printed The Arraignment and conviction of covetous cunning and cruel Governors Polititians Officers Judges Lawyers c. with the lovely and lively characters of Iustice Thankfulnesse Contentation Frugality Liberality c. to be printed The Laymans Library or the poor mans Paradise to be printed FINIS ENGLANDS Vnthankfulness striving with Gods Goodness for the Victory as Abaslom strove with David whether the father should be more kinde to the son or the son more unkinde to the father Or Enough being welweighed to melt an heart of Adamant By R. Younge Florilegus In reference to Leviticus 19.17 and Isaiah 58.1 In reading whereof reflect upon your selves hearken to conscience and what concerns you apply it not to others as David did Nathans Parable 2 Sam. 12.1 to 8. And Ahab the Prophets 1 King 20.39 to 43. Want of application makes all means ineffectual and therefore are we Christians in name only because we think our selves Christians indeed and already good enough The fourth Impression Imprimatur Thomas Gataker CHAP. I. § 1 A Wise man saith Solomon foreseeth the evil and preventeth it but fools go on and are punished Prov. 22.9 An argument that most men yea almost all men are stark fools as willfully appear if we observe but these three things The Precepts of the Gospel The Predictions of the Gospel The Testimonies of the Gospel First Observe but how strict holy just and good the Precepts or Rulesâ—â— â—â— by which we ought to walk Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy minde and with all thy strength Mark 12.30 Whether â—â— eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God 1 Cor. 10.31 Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you even the same
allow some poor pittence to keep them from famishing They who make no spare of their most costly Wines but swallow them down themselves with great excess and provoke yea even compel others to drink of them unto drunkenness will not give a little small drink to the poor members of Iesus Christ to quench their thirst they have not for the poor some worn and cast Apparel to cover their nakedness and keep their bodies from the injuries of Wind and Weather but they have enough not onely for their own use but also for pride and ostentation their Chests full thrust with rich Clothing and their Wardrobes thorowly furnished with gorgeous Garments which serve for little other use then to keepe those from sloath and idleness that keep them from moulding and Moth-eating And whereas they have no course Clothes to cover naked Christ they have costly Ornaments of Arras and Tapastry for their walls Finally They have not a few pence to spare for the relieving of naked and hungry Christ be hee in never so extream necessity but they have many shillings and pounds to spend wastfully and riotously upon Dicing and Gaming vain Sights and obscene Stage-playes and so upon all other sinful pleasures and worldly delights which their carnal appetites can any way desire But what a fearful reckoning have these men to make at the day of Judgement when they give in their accounts unto God And with what indignation will Christ look upon them who have thus meanly and basely regarded him Then they wil have the wit or cause to wish that they had not thus occasioned Christ to deal with them as they have dealt with him and his But there is no perswading them to believe that are ordained to perish But say thou hast but a small pittance of this Worlds goods and not such plenty or superfluity as is before spoken of yet oughtest thou out of that little thou hast to spare somewhat to relieve those that are in extream necessity either by selling what thou canst spare or if thou hast nothing to sell yet God commandeth thee rather then thou shouldest neglect these Works of Mercy to labour with thy hands that thou mayest have to give unto him that needeth Ephes. 4.28 And therefore excuse not thy neglect of this duty by saying that thou hast nothing for them unless thou hast nothing to waste upon thy superfluous vanities nothing to sell unless thou art unable by thy honest labour to earn thy living and art thy self such an one as needeth by others to be relieved that the poorest are not exempted from this duty we may see in the example of the poor Widow who was so commended by our Saviour for casting into the Treasury her two mites which was all her substance Mark 12.43 In the Macedonians who being themselves poor gave even above their ability to the relief of those that were poorer 2 Cor. 8.2 In the Apostles Acts 3.6 and in our Saviour Christ himself who though he were so poore that he lived upon what others out of their love and duty ministred unto him as appears Luke 8.3 yet he himself gave Alms to those who were in greater want as we may gather Iohn 12.6.8 Yea if we did indeed rightly consider it our small means should move us the rather to give and the more carefully to exercise this Christian duty since this is the means whereby being poor we may become richer as I have plentifully proved in the Prevention of Poverty Chap. 30. which I may not stand to repeat See Prov. 3.9 10 11.24 25. 28.27 Psal. 112.3 Isa. 32.8 Luke 6.38 2 Cor. 9.6 Which Scriptures shew that giving to the poor does not weaken but much strengthen our Estates and is so far from being the cause of our want and poverty that it is the onely means to keep us from it and bring to us plenty and abundance Besides if having little we are content in obedience to God to part with somewhat we perform a duty the more acceptable to God and in the day of Christ's appearing we shal be so much the more richly rewarded and for the present our Work will be so much the more commendable as wee may see Mark 12.43 2 Cor. 8.2 Neither are we to imagine that if we be careful in feeding Christ that he will be careless in feeding us that he will deny us meat who hath given us his precious blood that he will suffer us to want Earthly trifles who hath provided for us heavenly riches Let such more then heathenish diffidence be far from us who professe our selves to be of the Houshold of Faith But rather let us believe God under hope above hope that is when in respect of humane means and second causes we have cause to despaire as Abraham in the case of a Child when there was no possibility in Nature nor probability in Reason CHAP. LX. Obj. BUt there are many Richer by far then thee who give as little as thou dost therefore if they neglect to give much more mayest thou as thou supposest and yet be excused To this I answer If thou wilt do as others or as the most and richest do then wo unto thee for the most and greatest go the broad way to destruction or if thou wilt not live be Precepts but by Examples why dost thou then propound for thy pattern those who are carnal covetous and not rather the example of our Saviour Christ and the holy men of God whose bounty even out of their poverty is for this very purpose recorded in the Scriptures I but wil the Worldling say I have a great Charge and many Children and therefore I must not give away my Goods to strangers for the Apostle teacheth us that Parents must lay up for their Children and that he who neglecteth this duty hath denyed the Faith and is worse then an Infidel 1 Tim. 5.8 Unto whom I answer with Bazil They who are miserable having Wife and Children would not be liberal if they were without them Again Was not the Gospel written as wel to the married as unmarried To Parents as wel as to those who have no Children Thirdly Didst thou desire Children of God or did he give thee Children that thou mightest make them a Plea and Priviledge to neglect his Commandments and thy duty and love to Christ Or maist thou not justly fear if thou thus abusest the blessing of posterity that God wil lessen their number lighten thee of this Charge and so take away thy excuse by depriving thee of thy chiefest comfort The which should be most just with God so to punish thee seeing thou makest Idols of them loving them better then God who gave them But thy Children are dear unto thee and must be provided for and reason good Yet let thy God be dearer and let them not make thee to neglect him who gave thee to thy self and them unto thee and hath provided all that thou enjoyest both for thee and them
my own holiness and thought my moral honesty would be sufficient to save me Nor did I know wherein I had offended And whereas the Law is spiritual and binds the heart from affecting no lesse than the hand from acting I was so blind and ignorant that I thought the Commandement was not broken if the outward gross sin be â—orborn Whence these were my thoughts I never brake the first Commandement of having many gods for I was no Papist nor Idolater nor the second for I worshipped God aright nor the third for I had been no common swearer only a few petty oaths nor the fourth for I had every Sabbath gone duly to Church not the fifth for I ever honoured my â—arents and have been a loyal subject not the sixth seventh eighth ninth or tenth for I never committed murther or adultery never stole ought never bare false witness nor could I call to mind that I had at any time coveted my neighbours wife servant estate c. And nothing more common with me than to brag of a good heart and meaning of the strength of my faith and hope of my just and upright dealing c. And because I abstained from notorious sins I thought my self an excellent Christian if God was not beholding to me for not wounding his name with oaths for not drinking and playing out his Sabbaths for not railing on his Ministers for not oppressing and persecuting his poor Members c. Sect. XXX And yet had it been so as I imagined admit I had never offended in the least all my life either in thought word or deed yet this were but one-half of what I owe to God this were but to observe the negative part of his law still the affirmative part thereof I had been so far from performing that I had not so much as thought of it And to be just in the sight of God and graciously accepted of him these two things are required the satisfactory part to escape Hell and the meritorious part to get Heaven And the true method of grace is Cease to do evil Learn to do well Isa. 1.16 17. The Fig-tree was cursed not for bearing evil fruit but because it bare no good The evil servant was not bound hand and foot and cast into prison for wasting his Masters goods but for not gaining with them And those Reprobates at the last day shall be bid depart into everlasting fire not for wronging or robbing of any but for not giving for not comforting Christs poor Members Mat. 25. So that my case was most desperate For though with that Pharisee Luk. 18.11 I was apt to thank God and brag that I was just and paid every man his due yet I never thought of being holy and of paying God his dues as his due of believing or repenting of new obedience his due of praying hearing conferring meditating on his word and works sanctifying his Sabbaths and instructing my Children and Servants teaching them to fear the Lord. His due of Love Fear Thankefulnesse Zeal for his Glory charity and mercy to Christs poor Members and the like I should have served God in spirit and according to Christs Gospel as all that are wise hearted do live and believe and hear and invocate and hope and fear and love and worship God in such manner as his word prescribes I should have been effectually called and become a new Creature by regeneration being begotten and born anew by the immortal seed of the Word I should have found an apparant change wrought in my judgment affections and actions to what they were formerly The Old man should have changed with the New man worldly wisdome with Heavenly wisdome carnal love for spiritual love servile fear for Christian and filial fear idle thoughts for holy thoughts vain words for holy and wholesome words fleshly works for works of righteousnesse even hating what I formerly loved and loving what I formerly hated But alas I have heard the Gospel day after day and year after year which is the strong arm of the Lord and the mighty power of God to salvation That is quick and powerfull and sharper than any two edged-sword and yet stood it out and resisted Instead of submitting to Christs call even refusing the free offer of grace and salvation I have heard the word faithfully and powerfully preached for forty years yet remain'd in my natural condition unregenerate without which new birth there is no being saved as our Saviour affirms Ioh. 3.5 I had not troden one step in the way to conversion for the first part of conversion is to love them that love God 1 Joh. 3.10 11 14. I should daily have grown in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ but I was so far from growing man shall see the Lord Heb. 12 14. I was all for observing the second Table without respect to the first or all for outward conformity not at all for spiritual and inward holinesse of the heart Sect. XXXI Either what I did was not morally good for the matter or not well done for the manner nor to any right ends as out of duty and thankfulnesse to God and my Redeemer and out of love to my fellow members Without which the most glorious performances and rarest virtues are but shining sins or beautifull abominations Gods Glory was not my principal end nor to be saved my greatest care I was a good civil moral honest hypocrite or Infidel but none of these graces grew in the Garden of my heart I did not shine out as a light by a holy conversation to glorifie God and win others Now only to refrain evil except a man hates it also and does the contrary good is to be evil still because honesty without piety is but a body without a soul. All my Religion was either superstition or formality or hypocrisie I had a form of godlinesse but denied the power thereof I often drew near unto God with my mouth and honoured him with my lips but my heart was far from him Isa. 29.13 Mark 7.2 to 14. Matth. 15.7 to 10. All which considered viz. the means which God had afforded me and the little use I had made thereof left me in a far worse condition than the very heathen that never heard of Christ. So that it was Gods unspeakable mercy that I am not at this present frying in Hell flames never to be freed God hath sent unto us all his Servants the Prophets rising up early and they have been instant in Preaching the Gospel both in season and out of season but my carnal heart hath ever been flint unto God wax to Satan you shall dye if you continue in the practice of sin I heard but you shall not dye as saith the Devil I believed Sect. XXXII Besides all this suppose I had none of these to answer for neither sins of Commission nor sins of Omission yet Original sin were enough to damn me no need of any more and yet my actual
Cor. 4.12 4. § But this is not one half of thine offence For whom doest thou curse Alas the Creatures that displease thee are but Instruments thy sin is the cause and God the author 2 Sam. 16.11 Psal. 39.9 10. Gen. 45.8 Ioh 1.21 from whom thou hast deserved it and ten thousand times a greater crosse but in stead of looking up from the stone to the hand which threw it or from the effect to the cause as Gods people doe thou like a mastiff â—og settest upon the stone or weapon that hurts thee But in this case Who are you angry withall Does your horse the dice the rain or any other creature displease you Alas they are but servants and if their Master bid smite they must not forbear they may say truly what Rabshekeh usurped Isa. 36.10 Are we come without the Lord and all that hear thee may say as the Prophet did to Senacherib 2 King 19.22 Whom hast thou blasphemed and against whom hast thou exalted thy self even against the Holy One of Israel 5. § Besides why dost thou curse thine enemie if he be so but because thou canst not be suffered to kill him For in heart and Gods account thou art a murtherer in wishing him the pox plague or that he were hanged or damned Nor will it be any rare thing at the day of judgment for cursers to be indicted of murther For like Shimei and Goliah to David thou wouldst kill him if thou durst thou doest kill him so far as thou canst I would be loath to trust his hands that bans me with his tongue Had David been at the mercie of either Shimei or Goliah and not too strong for them he had then breathed his last Nor is it commonly any sin committed or just offence given thee that thou cursest Who could have lesse deserved those curses and stones from Shimei then David Yea did not that head deserve to be tonguelesse that body to be headlesse that so undeservedly cursed such an Innocent as after it fell out For the curses and stones which Shimei threw at David rebounted upon Shimei and split his heart yea and at last knockâ— out his brains and the like of Goliahs curses which is also thy very case For 〈…〉 Curser meant it Prov. 26.2 yea though thou cursest yet God will blesse Psal. 109.28 â—ut thy curses shall be sure to rebound back into thine own brest Psal. 7.14 15 16 Prov. 14.30 Cursing mouths are like ill made Piâ—â—eâ— which while men discharge at others recoil in splinters on their own faces Their words and wishes be but whirlwinds which being breathen forth return again to the same place As hear how the Holy Ghost delivers it Psal. 109. As he loved cursing so shall it come unto him and as he loved not blessing so shall it be far from him As he cloathed himself with cursing like a garment so shall it come unto his bowels like water and like oil into his bones let it be unto him as a garment to cover him and for a girdle wherewith he shall always be girded v. 17 18 19. Hear this all ye whose tongnes run so fast on the Devils errand you loved cursing you shall have it both upon you about you and in you and that everlastingly if you persevere and go on for Christ himself at the last day even he which came to save the world shall say unto all such Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devill and his Angels Mat. 25.41 Where they shall do nothing but curse for evermore for they no farther apprehending the goodnesse mercie and bounty of God then by the sense of their own torments the effects of his justice shall hate him and hating him they shall curâ—e him Rev. 16.11 They suffer and they blaspheme there is in them a furious malice against him being cursed of him they re-curse him they curse him for making them curse him for condemning them curse him because being adjudged to death they can never find death they curse his punishments because they are so unsufferable curse his mercies because they may never taste them curse the bloud of Christ shed on the Crosse because it hath satisfied for millions and done their unbeleeving souls no good curse the Angels and Saints in heaven because they see them in joy and themselves in torment Cursings shall be their sins and their chief ease Blasphemies their prayers Lacrymae their notes Lamentation all their harmony these shall be their evening songs their morning songs their mourning songs for ever and ever And indeed who shall go to Hell if Cursers should be left out Wherefore let all those learn to blesse that look to be heirs of the blessing 7. § But to be in Hell and there continue everlastingly in a bed of quenchlesse flames is not all For this is the portion even of Negative and vicelesse Christians if they be not vertuous Of such as do not swear exexcept they fear an oath That abound in good duties if they do them not out of faith and because God commands them that he may be glorified and others edified thereby Whereas thou doest supererogate of Satan in damning many souls besides thine own Thou hast had a double portion of sin to other men here and therefore must have a double portion of torment to them hereafter The number and measure of thy torments shall be according to the multitude and magnitude of thine offences Rev. 20.12 13. 22.12 Luk. 12.47 Mat. 10.15 Rom. 2.5 6. And those offences if I could stand to aggravate them by their severall circumstances would appear 〈…〉 With thy swearing and cursing thou doest not only wound thine own soul worse then the Baalites wounded their own bodies for thou wilfully muâ—therest thine own soul and that without any inducement as hath been proved But thou art so pernicious that this is the least part of thy mischief for thou drawest vengeance upon thousands by thy infectious and damnable example as how can it be otherwise Thou doest not only infect thy companions but almost all the heaâ— or come near thee Yea little children in the streets have learnt of thee to rap out oaths and belch out curses and scoffs almost as frequently as thy self and through thy accustomary swearing learned to speak English and Oaths together and so to blaspheme God almost so soon as he hath made them And not only so but thy example infects others and they spread it abroad to more like a malicious man sick of the plague that runs into the throng to disperse his infection whose mischief but-weighs all penalty It is like the setting a mans owne house on fire it burnes many of his neighbours houses and he shall answer for all the spoil So that the infection of sin is much worse then the act 8 § Nor wilt thou cease to sin when thou shalt cease to live but thy wickednesse will continue longer then thy life For as if we sow good workâ—
anguish of death he started up in his bed and sware by the former oath that bell toled for him whereupon immediately the bloud most fearfully issued as it were in streams from all parts of his body not one place left free and so dyed Popiel King of Poland had over this wish in his mouth If it be not true I would the Rats might eat me and so it came to passe for he was so assailed by them at a banquet that neither his guards nor fire nor water could defend him from them as Munster mentions The Iews said Let his bloud be upon us and upon our children and what followed sixteen hundred years are now past since they wished themselves thus wretched and have they not ever since been the hate and scorne of the world Did they not many of them live to see their City buried in ashes and drowned in bloud to see themselves no Nation Was there ever any people under heaven that was made so fa 〈…〉 〈…〉 Nor is it seldome that God payes them in their own coin men prophane Gods name and he makes their names to stinke When the pestilence rageth in our streets blasphemy and execration must confesse that they have their dâ—e wages Blasphemers live swearing and dye raving it is but their wages 2. § He punisheth some in the Suburbs of hell that they might never come into the City it self The evill he now suffers uncorrected he refers to be condemned Sin knows the doom it must smart here or hereafter Outward plagues are but favour in comparison of spirituall judgments and spirituall judgments but light to eternall torments God does not punish all flagitious sinners here that he may allow some space to repent and that none may doubt his promise of a Generall Iudgement nor does he forbear all here lest the world should deny his providence and question his justice MEMB. 6. 1. § But what do I urge reason to men of a reprobate judgment to admonish them is to no more purpose then if one should speak to life-lesse stones or sense-lesse plants or wit-lesse beasts for they will never fear any thing till they be in Hell fire wherefore God leaves them to be confuted with fire and brimstone since nothing else wil doe it If there be any here that beleeve a Resurrection as I hope better things of some of you all such I would beseech by the mercies of God before mentioned that they would not be so desparately wicked as to mock their admonisher scoff at the means to be saved and make themselves merry with their owne damnations but that they would entertain this messuage as if it were an Epistle sent from God himself to invite and call them to repentance Yea consider seriously what I have said and do not Oh do not mock at Gods Word nor sport away your souls into those pains which are easelesse endlesse and remedilesse Shal we give an account at the day of judgement for every idle word we speak Mat. 12.36 and never give a reckoning for our wicked swearing and cursing we shall be judged by our words v. 37. Are you willing to be saved if you are Break off your sins by repentance Dan. 4.27 Cease to do evill learn to doe well Isai. 1.16.17 Seriously grieve and bewail for the millions of times that you have blasphemed God and pierced your Saviour and never more commit the like impiety Yea doe not only leave your swearing but fear an Oath and make conscience of it resolve not to take the glorious name of God in vain nor place any otheâ— creature in his roome though the Devill should say unto you as once hâ— did to Christ All this will I give thee For it is not enough that we abstained from evill unlesse we hate it also and doe the contrary good Sanctifie the Lord God in your heart 1 Pet. 3.15 Make a covenant with your mouth as Joâ— did with his eyes and set a watch before the door of your lips that you thuâ— offend not with your tongue Psal. 141.3 2. § Which if you doe rightly the like care to avoid all other sins wilâ— necessarily follow because he that fears to commit one sin out of conscience and because God forbids it will upon the same ground fear all the 〈…〉 commit it as that God should never impure it 2 Tim. 2.19 Neither can a regenerate mind consist with a determination to continue in any one sin as when Christ cast out one Devill we read that he cast out all even the whole Legion Mark 5.2 c. And he that makes not some consience of all sin makes no true conscience of any sin And the same is to be understood also of duties commanded for the same law which injoins us to hate and for sake all sin commands us also to strive after universal obedience to every precept And it is a true rule he that hath not in him all Christian graces in their measure hath none and he that hath any one truly hath all He that is not sanctified in every part is truly sanctified in no part 1 Pet. 1.15 2 Pet. 3.11 Mat. 5.48 2 Tim. 3.17 2 Cor. 7.1 And the least sin allowed of be it but a vaine thought or one duty omitted is enough to cast thee into hell for the wages of sin any sin be it never so little is death Rom. 6.23 Jam. 1.15 Yea admit thou hadst never acted any the least evill in all thy life it were not enough to save thee from hell much lesse to bring thee to heaven for we need no more to condemn us then what we brought into the World with us Gen. 2.17 Psal. 51.5 Rom. 5.12 Whence the new born child in the law was commanded to offer a sin offering Lev. 12.6 3. § Wherefore as you tender the good of your own soul set upon the work presently before the Drawbridge be taken up provide with Ioseph for the dearth to come With Noah in the days of thine hâ—alth build the Ark of a good conscience against the floods of sicknesse Imitate the Ant who provides her meat in Summer for the Winter following Yea do it whilst the yearning bowels the bleeding wounds and compassionate arms of Jesus Christ lie open to receive you Whiles you have health and life and means and time to repent and make your peace with God in Christ as you tender I say the everlasting happinesse wel-fare of your almost lost and drowned soul as you expect or hope for grace or mercy for joy and comfort for heaven and salvation for endlesse blisse and glory at the last As you would escape the direful wrath of God the bitter sentence and doom of Christ the never dying sting and worm of conscience the tormenting and soul scorching flames of hel and everlasting separation from Gods blissfull presence abjure utterly renounce all wilfull and affected evill and in the first place this abominable sin of swearing and cursing 4. § The which Grace if you
argument the Apostle useth to incite the Corinthians to a liberal contribution â— Cor. 9 11. to 1â— insomuch that when we hold our peace or are sleeping in our beds the loynes of the poore shall bless us as it is Iob 31.20 and 29.12 13. Whereas on the contrary he that giveth not to the poore shall lie open to their curse according to that Prov. 28.27 and Deut. 15.9 and 14 15. the which curses of the poore he will hear and ratifie according to that Iob 31.16 to 29. Fourteenthly By the same meanes also we give them and others occasion of praising and glorifying God whilest by the experiment of this ministration they see our professed subjection to the Gospel of Christ as the Apostle speaketh â— Cor. 9. â—3 Wherefore let us strive to abound in this duty that whiles they injoy our bounty we may injoy their prayers 2 Tim. 1.18 and God may have their praises 2 Cor 9.15 And so much the rather for that of all men seldom is any great sin shame or punishment fastned on the charitable for how should he speed ill that hath the prayers of so many Fifteenthly it is no small pleasure and â—oy which a Christian taketh in performing these works of 〈◊〉 for 〈…〉 actions in themselves do even for the present fill their hearts with joy who rightly perform them But much more do they fill our hearts with joy as they are evident signes to assure us that we are indued with Gods saving graces and as they do being fruits of a lively faith ascertaine us of our future reward and the fruition of Gods presence where there is fulnesse of joy for ever more Yea the godly man gives with more joy and thankfulness of heart then the other receives the same as enough can bear me witness Yea Seneca an Heathen can testifie the same for he defines a benefit to be an action proceeding from love yeilding joy both to him that receiveth it and much more to him that yeildeth it Sixteenthly The inward habit of goodnesse and mercy in our hearts exercised in the outward actions of liberality bounty by our hands makes us to resemble God himself and that in such an attribute as he delighteth above all others to stile himself withall For howsoever he is infinite in glory power and all perfections yet most usually in the Scriptures he is called a God of mercy and compassion and hereby principally he maketh himself known unto Moses desiring to see him Exod. 34.6 Nor can we in any thing resemble God more then in this grace and therefore it is our Saviours exhortation that we be mercifull as our heavenly Father is mercifull Luke 6.36 Now God gives to all richly to injoy 1 Tim. 6.17 Yea blessed be God saies the Church that daily ladeth us with benefits that crowneth us with loving kindness and compasseth us about with new songs of deliverance Psalm 103. and 36 Therefore seeing mercy and goodness do make us above all other graces to resemble God and then the creature attaineth to greatest perfection and blessednesse when he is the likest and cometh nearest unto the excellency of the Creator And seeing we professe our selves to be children of our gracious and glorious God and we can no way grace our selves so much as by resembling our heavenly Father in those attributes wherein he most shineth and excelleth and nothing maketh us more like him then mercy and compassion let us hearken unto our Saviours injunction and imitate our Father in being bountifull as he is These are some of the spirituall blessings and benefits which God hath promised for reward to the mercifull in this life it would take up too much time to mention the many more that might be added therefore I will leave them and so proceed to those that are eternall concern the life to come which I would have you especially mind yea if it be possible pluck up all your senses into your Ears that you may the more mind and better remember for it is enough to ravish any Christian soul and to make him to stretch his estate upon the â—enters that he may be the more liberall in relieving Christs poore members for the greater the liberality the greater the recompence of reward Phil. 4.17.18 CHAP. XXIX That the merciful man who distributeth liberally to the poore on Earth in conscience and obedience to Gods Word shall be rewarded with the unvaluable gain and matchless profit of everlasting salvation is assured us here and shall be injoyed of us hereafter First at the Hour of Death Secondly at the day of Iudgement is fully declared Luke 14.13 14 16 9. Prov. 11.17 1 Tim. 6.18 19. Math 5.7 and 6.4 and 19.29 But take these two places for all Sell that ye have and give almes at no hand let the poore want what shift soever ye make rather sell then want to give provide your selves baggs which wax not old a treasure in the Heavens which faileth not where no thief approacheth neither mâ—â—h corrupteth Luke 12.33 34. this is the first the second is more full then that When the Son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy Angells with him then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory and before him shall be gathered all Nations and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats and he shall set the sheep on his right hand and the goats on the left Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world For I was an hungred and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye cloathed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me And in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me Maâ—th 25.31 to 41. See here the incomparableness and infinite difference between the work and the wages ye admire the love and bounty of God and bless his name who for the performance of so small a work hath proposed so great a reward and for the obtaining of such an happy estate hath imposed such an easie task Here is a Kingdom even the Kingdom of Heaven Which cannot be valued with many millions of worlds in recompence of a little meat drink and apparell who then that is in his right senses would not turn all his scraping into giving yea what can we think too much what not too little to give to attain eternity for this incorruptible Crown of glory 1 Pet. 5.4 for this Kingdom where are such joyes as eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath entred into the heart of man to conceive 1 Cor. 2.9 A place where shall no evill be present nor good absent Matth. 6.20 In comparison whereof all the