upon our Lives and more powerfully to restrain us from a course of Sin and to unite us to the Practice of Vertue and Holiness than others and when they have done this to send us to God the Father to seek for Acceptance meerly through Christ his Son And upon these and the like accounts therefore such Truths as these are more particularly necessary to be Believed by us in order to our Justification before God and to our Salvation in the other World and are therefore called the Articles of our Christian Faith being a Summary and Collection of such Doctrines out of the Holy Scriptures as are of a more Concerning Nature than the rest And must therefore be distinctly Known and explicitely Believed All those other Truths of what Nature soever contained in the Holy Scriptures are indeed necessary also to be Believed at leastwise Implicitely that is we are to be possess'd with a General Perswasion that they are all certainly true because God has Reveal'd them as such But these latter which we call the Articles of our Christian Faith must be positively and Explicitely Believed that is we must throughly understand 'em and be assuredly and distinctly perswaded of each single Truth contained in 'em as without which understanding and perswasion a Good and Christian Life will not be wrought in us nor a reliance on God's Merits in Christ for the acceptance thereof Created in our Souls Such for instance is the Belief that there is a God Some Instances of such Truths for this is the very first Principle of all Religion and must necessarily make us stand in awe and fear of offending him if we throughly believe and consider it Such is the Belief that he is our Father who Created us and all the World for this will make us love him who gave us our Being And such again is the Belief that he Exercises a just and a wise Providence in the Government of the World for this will make us submit our selves to all his Dispensations as being the Appointments of one who knows better than our selves what is best for us And to instance also in some which are the Truths purely of Reveal'd Religion Such is the Belief that the Son of God came down from Heaven to suffer Death for us to Redeem us from the Punishments of Hell for this as it shews us how Odious a thing Sin is when nothing less could satisfie God's Justice against it than the precious Blood of the Son of God and consequently does extreamly tend to create in our Hearts an utter hatred to all Sin So hereby we are taught that Christ has made a full perfect and sufficient Sacrifice and Satisfaction for the Sins of the whole World And such lastly is the Belief for I need not now stand to mention every Article that all our Bodies shall rise again at the General Resurrection that then we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to Receive a Just Sentence for whatever we have done in the Body whether it be good or bad for this will make us careful how to lead our Lives so in this World that we may not be Condemned in the next These now are some of those Articles of our Christian Faith and are such Divine Truths as are more particularly necessary to be Believed by us as containing in them the greatest reason in the World to restrain us from all manner of Sin and to encourage us in the Practice of all Religious Duties And yet are Doctrines withal of extraordinary force to remove all conceit out of our Minds concerning our own Merits and to make us rely solely upon God's Mercies in Christ for the Acceptance of our most Holy Performances And let this suffice as to the first thing proposed which was to declare unto you something in general of the Nature of the Objects or of those Truths to be Believed the Articles of our Christian Faith And now Secondly I will also shew you what it is to BELIEVE these Truths so as to make us capable of Life and Happiness And if it be ask'd how we must Believe these things What it is to Believe those Truths so as to make us capable of Life and Happiness why we must be so throughly and firmly perswaded of their undoubted Truth as to be accordingly Influenced as I have now said by the Belief thereof to the Practice of Good Works and then to betake our selves to Jesus Christ to Interceed with the Father for their Gracious Acceptance Our Belief thereof must be Operative and Practical I say our Faith must be such as does Influence us to a Good Life for such is the Faith that St. Paul tells us is now required in the Christian Religion in order to Salvation Gal. 5.6 In Jesus Christ says he neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love Some render the words and that more rightly Faith that is perfected by Love which does more expresly signifie the Apostles meaning that that Faith which will save us must be such which is perfected by the addition of those Duties which we owe to God and our Neighbour And St. James does with great Industry shew that the Christian Faith which has the promise of Justification and Salvation is a Powerful Practical Belief and that none other has any Promise What says St. James 2.14 doth it profit my Brethren tho' a Man saith he hath Faith and hath not Works can Faith save him Faith if it have not Works is dead being alone v. 17. and is no more than what the Devils have for the Devils believe and tremble v. 19. Such was the Faith of Abraham and of all the Saints And the Faith indeed for which the Holy Patriarchs and Saints were renowned of Old and are now so highly Rewarded in Heaven was a Powerful Practical and Working Faith indeed which excited them to the highest and the hardest Acts of Obedience that it was possible for Men to perform Thus Heb. 11.17 18. we read that by Faith Abraham when he was tryed offered up Isaac and he that had received the Promises offered up his only begotten Son and he a Son too in whom God had promised him great Blessings And yet at God's Command he readily Obeyed believing that God would be as good as his promise to him tho' it was by raising him again from the Dead By Faith Moses when he was come to Years refused to be called the Son of Pharaoh's Daughter chusing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of Sin for a season esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt for he had respect to the recompence of reward v. 24 25 26. It was a great temptation to Moses to be made a Prince if he pleased in which Estate he might enjoy the highest Pleasures this World could afford but he Believing that God would infinitely reward him
God and his Saviour's Mediation and of his own Duty than formerly in Catechizing could be done and when he hears any good Reasons and Motives given whereby he should seriously apply himself to live so and so as becomes the Servant of such a God and such a Saviour and One that professes to pay him such Obedience When a Catechized Understanding Person hears such Preaching as this he finds his Understanding more enlightned with Heavenly Truths and his Will and Affections more bent upon doing as he has been Instructed and so as in all reason he ought he accounts such a Sermon truly Edifying and himself Edify'd thereby But the Ignorant and Uncatechized part of the World when they hear a Sermon for want of Discretion to judge of its real Worth such look only at some such trifling Consideration as the Vehemence and Noise of the Speaker and if there be but enough of that as generally there is the greatest Shew where there is the least of Substance tho' they are made to know no more than they did before of the Importance of any Article of their Faith or of the Nature and Extent of any Duty of Religion they are however stunn'd into Admiration of they know not what utterly dis-regarding the most Instructing and really Edifying Preaching to the very great Prejudice of their Souls and the utter hinderance of their Improvement by our Ministry in all useful and substantial Knowledge Besides it is a mighty Help to the gaining Understanding in any Science whatsoever especially the Christian Religion to have a general View given one of the whole which it is the Business of Catechizing to do and to see how one Point depends upon another and do all sweetly agree together For not to mention other Advantages by this a Man shall be able to Judge the better of the Usefulness and Weight of any Sermon or Religious Discourse on any particular Point as whether it does throughly Explain it or does not take in what does more properly belong to some other Matter And by this a Man shall be able also to judge whether the Preacher Builds upon the Foundation Gold Silver precious Stone or Wood Hay and Stubble and shall be able to distinguish between and separate the Refuse and Dross of a Sermon and Discourse from the weighty and substantial Parts of it A Skill which as it is of vast Consequence so it is but little understood by the Generality of People for want of having been well Catechized and Instructed in the Fundamentals of Christian Religion IV. â—techizing â—essary to â—vent being â—uced into â—ngerous â—rors Fourthly Catechizing is also requisite to secure you from being at any time mislead into dangerous Heresies and Errors by the Sermons and Discourses of Men Crafty to deceive to the infinite Peril of your immortal Souls There must be Heresies the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 11.19 That they which are approved may be made manifest For God does permit them for our Tryal whether we will stand stedfast to the Truth And our Saviour bids us Matth. 24.45 Take heed that no man deceive us for many shall come in my Name says he that is will pretend to be Ministers of Christ and shall deceive many They will come wich all deceivableness the Apostle tells us 2 Thess 2.10 with so much Artifice and Cunning that if it were possible they shall deceive the very Elect Mat. 24.24 particularly of this sort are they St. Paul warns us 2 Tim. 3.6 Which creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with Sins led away with divers Lusts ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth A Character than which nothing can more exactly agree to the Seducers of our Times and the Persons whom they do usually Practice upon to draw aside which are for the most part Ignorant Women and the Effect it has upon their Disciples and Followers which is to make them great Talkers and Pretenders to extraordinary Knowledge but in reality not one Jot wiser in the grand Points of the Christian Religion And now if any of these cunning Deceivers should come to any of you and endeavour to Pervert you how is it possible you should escape their Wiles except you shall be well Principled so as throughly to understand the Foundation Articles of your Religion But Holding fast that form of sound words 2 Tim. 1.13 Having well imbibed the Principles of Religion which are taught in your Catechism by these as by a certain Touchstone you will be able to discover what are True and what are Erroneous Doctrines Those that agree with this Analogy of Faith you may be certain are sound what do contradict them you may be sure are false Doctrines Catechizing is an excellent Means says Mr. Gouge to keep Persons from the Errors and the Heresies of the Times For Persons well Catechized and Instructed in the Principles of Religion are in a great measure Antidoted against the Poison of seducing Doctrines And observe who are they as he goes on that are easiest seduced by false Teachers who are they that have embrac'd their Erroneous Tennets and you shall find that they are such who were never well Catechized nor grounded in the Principles of Religion As therefore you would not be poisoned with the Erroneous Doctrines of false Teachers take care to be well rooted and grounded by Catechizing in the Knowledge of the Truth Lastly Lastly Catechizing is exceedingly Necessary Catechizing is exceeding Useful to preserve Youth from a lling into any gross and wasting Sin and especially any Ungodly Course of Living Or if he has been Seduc'd by evil Company the having the Seed of good Principles sown in the Heart by a timely Catechizing will be the most likely Means to recover such a One out of the Snares of the Devil First I. To preserve Youth from ever falling into an Vngodly way of Living It is exceeding Vseful to preserve Youth from falling into any gross and wasting Sin and especially any Vngodly Course of Living This was the Counsel of the Wisest of mere Men of Solomon to Train up a Child in the way he should go and when he is Old he will not depart from it Prov. 22.6 And that excellent Moralist Plutarch in his rare Tract of Breeding of Youth speaks to the same purpose that As soft Wax is apt to take the Stamp of the Seal so are the Minds of Children to receive in Instructions imprinted on them at that Age. Let but your Youth be taught so much as they are capable to learn concerning the Nature of God how that he is wonderfully Good to those that Love and Fear him and that he will be Terrible in Judgment towards those that Disobey him Let them be instructed how wonderfully Kind the Son of God was to them as to come down himself from Heaven to call them forth out of the wicked World wholly given up to the Service of the Devil to serve their God
in the way of Duty so great which he may not overcome by the Strength thereof Whereas the best of the Moral Heathens had but uncertain Conjectures to ground their Expectations of future Happiness upon and their Hopes thereof being so Weak they presently yielded to the Assault of every great Temptation But besides whatever certainly an honest Pagan And whatever certainly an honest Pagan might have that God would reward his Vertue yet depending only on the Vncovenanted Goodness of God he could promise himself no greater a measure of Happiness than what his good Deeds did of themselves deserve which must fallvastly short of what is meant by the Kingdom of Heaven that liv'd up to the Light of Nature and the Dictates of Right Reason if any of 'em can be suppos'd to have done so might have that the good God would reward his Vertue Yet having only the Equity and Vncovenanted goodness of God to depend upon he could promise himself no greater a Measure of Happiness than what his good Deeds did of themselves deserve which considering the Imperfection of the best Actions of the best of Men whoever liv'd how short must that fall of what is meant by the Kingdom of Heaven * But a Christian to whom God has Covenanted to make sure a Crown of Glory may without Presumption rely upon him to make good the same But the Christian whom God has Covenanted withal and to whom he has condescended to Oblige himself to make sure a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away 1 Pet. 5.4 may without Presumption rely upon God's both Truth and Goodness to make good to him the same notwithstanding when he does all that he can consider'd in himself he is but an Vnprofitable Servant as the best are I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the Faith henceforth says the Apostle and so may every good Christian say the same there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which God the righteous Judge shall give me at that Day and not to me only but to all them who love his appearing 2 Tim. 4.7 8. Such is the Christian's Priviledge above a Pagan in being made an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven in that it is his Inheritance he may assure himself of it tho' his imperfect Vertues consider'd in themselves could never Entitle him to such an Eternal and Exceeding weight of Glory In short It is Jesus Christ alone who hath brought Life and Immortality to light through the Gospel 2 Tim. 1.10 As Life and Immortality is brought to light through the Gospel so by Embracing it and by coming into Covenant alone Salvation can be expected And as he only has brought it to light that is made a clear Revelation of that Life and Immortal Happiness laid up for Righteous Men in Heaven which was not before so certainly Reveal'd so it is only through him and by Believing and Embracing and Coming into his Covenant the Gospel that Salvation must now be hop'd for by any for so we are also Assur'd Acts 4.12 and that there is no other Name under Heaven given among Men but Jesus only whereby we must be saved so that this Invaluable Priviledge this exceeding great Advantage of being made Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven is made over and certainly Ensur'd to such only who are in the Covenant of Grace and is the Third and Last of those Excellent Priviledges and Advantages contain'd and held forth therein But then the Kingdom of Heaven is the certain Inheritance of the sincere Christian who in the Exercise of Mercy Meekness Piety and all other Christian Vertues And to a sincere Chrstian who is faithful in the Covenant the Heavenly Inheritance is certain which he has Covenanted with God to perform does faithfully discharge his Part of the Covenant as is most solemnly declar'd Matth. 25.31 32 33 34.46 with which I shall conclude this Point Says our Blessed Saviour there When the Son of Man shall come in his Glory and all the Holy Angels with him then shall he sit upon the Throne of his Glory And before him shall be gather'd all Nations and he shall separate them one from another as a Shepherd divideth the Sheep from the Goats and he shall set the Sheep on his right hand but the Goats on the left Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand to his Charitable and Pious and Faithful Servants Come ye Blessed of my Father Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World And as the Wicked shall go into everlasting Punishment so the Righteous into Life Eternal A summ of â—hose invaluâ—ble Priviâ—edges made â—ver to us â—n God's â—art in the Covenant of Grace And now to summ up those infinitely Gracious and Invaluable Priviledges made over to us on God's Part in the Covenant of Grace hereby we are made First Members of Christ that is are made Members of that Body of which Christ is the Head viz. The Church and so have together with a most excellent Body of Religion and Laws all necessary Grace and Assistance Convey'd and Communicated to us Members from Him the Head to Enliven Support and Enable us to go through all our Task of Religious Duties and Christian Performances requir'd at our hands The Second Priviledge is That we are also hereby made Children of God that is having Embrac'd Christianity and being Incorporated into the Church of Christ we are thereby Adopted and Chosen out of the rest of the World by God to enjoy this grand Priviledge of Sons to have Pardon granted us when with the Prodigal Son we return Home to him to our Offended but Gracious Father by Repentance And we shall find him not over-severe in respect of our lesser Failings and the unavoidable Infirmities of our Nature but shall always have him ready to hear our Prayers for Mercy both in respect of our greater and lesser Transgressions And Lastly The Third Priviledge you have been now told is this that to compleat All We are made Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven that is have secur'd to us a Right and Title to the unspeakable Joys and Glories of Heaven A Priviledge which consider'd in it self is exceeding Great and as all the rest if compar'd with what Others enjoy is a very singular One These now are the inestimable Priviledges made over to us in the Covenant of Grace Priviledges which as they are of infinite Advantage to us so we shall never fail of obtaining 'em if we will but take care to perform the Conditions requir'd on our Parts and so First Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World and all the sinful lusts of the Flesh on Condition Secondly That we will Believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith And Thirdly Obey God's Holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the days of our Lives Which Conditions and what they
from him and that in infinitely lower Degrees we must by no means suffer the Riches of this Life to have an equal share in our Esteem and Affections with God and Heavenly Things No Mammon is too base a Competitor that we should divide the Empire of our Hearts betwixt God and him No man can faithfully serve two Masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other Ye cannot serve God and Mammon says our Saviour Mat. 6.24 And Nor must he labour after 'em with immoderate Care so as to neglect the great Duties of Religion Devotion You must by no means labour after the Riches of this World with immoderate Care so as to neglect the great Duties of Religion and Devotion Martha you know was much troubled about her Houshold Affairs at a Time and Opportunity given her to hear our Saviour's Heavenly Discourses and Divine Instructions and our Saviour rebuked her for it telling her that Mary had chosen the better Part in laying aside her worldly Business to attend that more important Affair the Enriching of her Soul Matth. 10.41 42. And you must take care lest you also Incurr that and a worse Rebuke by spending the Lord's Day set apart by Divine Appointment wholly to the Service of God lest you spend it I say in worldly Business and in Projects of Gain Or indeed any Day in immoderate Carkings so as to omit either your Family or Private Devotion And must Seek first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and all these other things shall be added unto you in such measures as shall be needful for you and you must therefore after lawful Endeavours leaving the Success to God Take no further Thought for the Morrow Mat. 6.33 34. But above all in your Pursuits after this World's Wealth Especially he must beware of Enriching himself by unjust Means You must beware of Enriching your selves by any unjust Means This is called by the Wise-man A making hast to be Rich because that those who are bent upon unlawful Gain think plain and honest Dealing too slow a way of encreasing their Substance But he withal tells 'em that They who do so shall not be Innocent Prov. 28.20 that is shall Involve themselves in great and terrible Guilt as has been shew'd you And let me tell you withal whenever you shall come to Cast up your Accounts between God and your own Souls a Thorn will not prick your Flesh with half that Anguish as the Reflection upon an Ill-gotten Estate will pierce your Consciences So that above all things it does concern you to Renounce all false and deceitful ways of getting Riches remembring how the Prophet pronounces a fearful Woe to him who buildeth his House by unrighteousness and his Chambers by wrong that useth his Neighbours service without wages and giveth him not for his work Jer. 22.13 And especially you must beware of getting by Defrauding those â—â—â—ticularly by Sacriâ—â—ge who Minister about Holy Things The Generality of the World do now a-days seem to value no Gain like this but as it is declar'd by the Prophet Malachi 3.8 to be the worst sort of Robbery so it is the certain way to bring a Curse upon all a Man's Substance As on the contrary a very free and liberal Payment of Tythes to the full Value will bring a certain Blessing All which you have fully declar'd from the Eighth to the Thirteenth Verses So that in a word all unlawful Gain whether by Robbing God or Man you must take care of â—oever has â—ustly gainâ— any thing â—â—st renounce by makeâ— Restituâ—n thereof But if it has been your sad Misfortune to have brought such a Guilt upon your Consciences you must then Renounce those Riches in the most proper and immediate Sence of the word that is by Restoring speedily to the full and rather more than less to all those whom you have any ways Injured as Good Zacheus did Behold Lord if I have taken any thing from any man by false Accusation that is Wrongfully I here restore him Four-fold Luk. 19.8 Thus far you must Renounce the Riches of this World with respect to the Getting of them II. â—â—â—ches conâ—â—â—er'd in the â—ssession are â—be renouncâ— by paring those Suâ—â—â—fluities â—ich tempt â—leness and â—uxury â—ide and Inâ—â—â—ence and 〈◊〉 Idolarrous â—ust in Riâ—â—es and by â—â—stowing it Pious and â—haritable â—es Secondly Riches consider'd in the Possession are to be renounced by paring off those Superfluities which tempt to Idleness and Luxury to Pride and Insolence and an Idolatrous Trust in Riches by paring off that Super-abundance I say and bestowing it to Pious and Charitable uses Idleness is a Life for which no Man Living can give an account to God or Man there being no Man so Great or so Rich as that he can pretend to have been Born to live Idlely and to be exempt from that Use and Service which every Person owes both to Church and State as he is a Member of both those Bodies The Eye cannot say unto the Hand I have no need of thee nor again the Head to the Feet I have no need of you God having so temper'd the Body together that all the Members both Comely and Uncomely Honourable and Dishonourable Parts should have the same Care one of another 1 Cor. 12.21.24 25. And as Idleness so is Luxury a Crying Sin as will appear by considering the fearful Doom pronounc'd by St. James to such Rich Ones as wanton it in nothing but Pleasure Go to now ye Rich men weep and howl for your Miseries that shall come upon you ye have lived in pleasure on the Earth and been wanton ye have nourished your Hearts as in a day of Slaughter Jam. 5.1.5 And as to Pride For any Person be he never so Wealthy to be pufft up by his Estate to carry it Proudly and Insolently towards other Men of lower Fortunes the usual Effect of Riches this also is a thing severely Threaten'd in the now cited place of St. James viz. Chap. 5. ver 1.5 6. But as to that Exalting themselves against God in an utter Defiance of his Laws which so many Rich and Great Men are subject to Who when God has fed them to the full do then commit Adultery and assemble themselves by Troops in the Harlots houses and are as fed Horses in the Morning every One Neighing after his Neighbour's Wife shall I not Visit for these things saith the Lord shall not my Soul be Avenged on such a People as this Says God by his Prophet Jeremy 5.7 8 9. Sure such an insolent Contempt of God's Laws and haughty Pride against him will most terribly provoke his Indignation at the last And so Lastly will a Profane and Idolatrous Trust in Riches to which the wealthy Ones are so extreamly liable God shall likewise destroy thee for ever says the Psalmist Psal 52.5 He shall take thee away and
under the Sun all the days of his life which God giveth him for it is his portion Eccl. 5.18 Nay it is very necessary that we should take Pleasure in gratifying the sensible Cravings of our Nature for if our Palates do not relish our Meat or if our Stomachs refuse it we should starve And indeed the Comforts and Enjoyments of this Life which we receive from the bountiful Hand of God is a great subject of our Praises and Thanksgivings to him Thou preparest a Table for me in the presence of mine Enemies thou anointest my Head with Oyl my Cup runneth over said Holy David in a great sence of God's bountiful Goodness towards him in bestowing upon him so many worldly Comforts Thus these Sensitive Pleasures may be lawfully Enjoy'd by us and they are only then and so far to be Renounc'd when they become Thirdly Sensual These Pleasures unlawful only when they become Thirdly Sensual which when they do they are indeed the greatest Temptations the World has to draw us into Sin and many Thousands there are whom when nothing else could Corrupt have been miserably soil'd by the Power of sensual Pleasures Which what they are and how far to be Renounc'd I come now to declare unto you And it is then that these Sensitive Pleasures which otherwise would be for the Preservation and Comfort of our Nature and the Matter of our Praises to God It is then I say that they become Sensual and so are to be Renounced when they gratify only our corrupt and depraved Natures As the sensitive Nature craves such things as are suitable to it and are necessary to its Preservation and Comfort in this Life and sensitive Pleasures are such as arise from such allowable Gratifications So the Sensual and Corrupted Nature of Man craves these sensitive Pleasures beyond Bounds and Moderation It prefers 'em before Rational and Divine Pleasures It appears to relish no Enjoyments like those of Sense it gluts it self with sensitive Pleasures so as to surfeit on these Sweets Nay and lastly the Sensual Man does load and burthen his Nature therewith so as to render it unfit for he Duties of his Calling and Religion These are the inordinate Cravings of the sensual Nature and when we gratify this corrupted Nature of ours to this immoderate Degree with Sensitive Pleasures then those Pleasures which were in themselves allowable become Sensual and such as must be utterly Renounced by every Christian And as we will accordingly Renounce Sensual Pleasures First We must not prefer Sensitive Ones in our Judgments or Desires either before our spiritual Joy in God or the eternal Joys of his Kingdom As First when we prefer 'em in our Judgments or Desires either before our spiritual Joy in God or the eternal Joys of his Kingdom which is what the Carnal Man does do Which is I say what the Carnal Man does do For while the Flesh is the prevailing Ingredient in any Man he only relishes the satisfaction of the Senses He cannot enjoy God he cannot delight in doing his Will no more than a Swine can in clean Pasture whose natural Property inclines him only to wallow in the Mire But when the Soul is clarify'd and purg'd by the great Refiner how sublime and satisfying a Pleasure does it feel in the Love of God and in his Service As in natural Feeding when the Palate is in due Temper our Tast commends our proper Food to the Appetite and the Appetite to the Stomach but a foul Stomach dis-affects the Appetite spoils the Palate and the most savoury and wholesom Meat is loathsom when the Disease is the Taster Thus if the Soul be in its due Temper the Doing the will of God would be our Meat and Drink mixt with a sweeter Pleasure than those natural Operations are but the Soul in the unregenerate Man is so Corrupt and Carnaliz'd that it has no tast of the pure Delights of Blessed Spirits in Communion with God Like the Israelites who despis'd the Bread of Angels and impatiently long'd for the Onions and Garlick and Flesh-pots of Egypt But this must no be our Temper but with the Holy Psalmist we must be able experimentally to say The fear of the Lord is clean enduring for ever the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether more to be desir'd are they than Gold yea than much fine Gold sweeter also than Honey and the Honey-comb Psal 19.9 10. Secondly And we must Renounce it as a great sign of a sensual Spirit which relishes no Enjoyments like those of Sence II. When a Man relishes no Enjoyments like those of Sence When a Person is observ'd to be wholly in a manner purveying for the Belly Cooking or Ordering his Dishes always commending or rather quarrelling with every thing he eats or drinks No the Discourses of Philosophical wise and vertuous Minds is even at the very Table of other-guess Matters than of the Excellency of that Dish the Poynancy of such a Sauce or the Flavour of such and such Liquors And with these Epicures we may justly Expostulate in the words of our Saviour Are ye yet without understanding Do ye not yet understand that whatever entereth into the mouth goeth into the belly and is cast out into the Draught Matth. 15.17 And it is sure a sign of an Understanding below the Excellency of the Soul of Man to concern it self so much about what in few Hours will go down into the Guts the Sink and the vilest part of the Body Thirdly It must be Renounced as a high and sinful Sensuality to glut our Senses so as to surfeit on these Sweets III. When he gluts himself so as to surfeit on these Sweets There is nothing which does more decay Nature which brings upon us more desperate and incurable Diseases and does more precipitate and hasten a sudden Death than Excess in the Gratifications of Men's Lusts and Appetites But this is grosly to abuse the Creatures of God which were allowed us only for our Use It is to make but an ungrateful Return to him for all his Bounties And is unnaturally to destroy our selves for the sake of a paultry Pleasure which vanisheth in the very Enjoyment of a Pleasure which is mixed with more bitter Ingredients than Gall and Wormwood For even in their Laughter the heart of those sensual Men is sorrowful and the end of their mirth is heaviness Prov. 14.13 Lastly The Deliciousness of those Pleasures must not cause any one to load and burthen his Nature therewith to that Degree as to render him unfit for the Duties of his Calling and Religion And lastly when the Deliciousness of of these Pleasures causes him to load and burthen his Nature therewith so as to render him unfit for the Duties of hâ—â— Calling and Religion in which respect those do Offend who do so immoderately indulge the Appetites in Eating and Drinking that they are drowsy and sleepy even under the Messages sent them from
also Believed on him yet because of the Pharisees they did not confess him lest they should be put out of the Synagogue for they lov'd the Praise of Men more than the Praise of God Joh. 12.42 43. that is They Valued their Reputation with Men and their Places and Posts of Honour more than the Testimony of and Reputation with God himself But as the True Religion is here openly Profest amongst us and generally it receives no Disgrace heartily to Espouse it and to Live up to it but is indeed a matter of Disgrace to do the contrary except it be with some profligate Debauchees of our Age If it happen that you should Fall into their Company and Acquaintance which God preserve you from So the Temptations of this Nature which they will give you to cool you towards the serious Profession and Practice of Religion will be Consider'd hereafter when I come to speak of the wicked World and the Temptations which Arise from thence And thus I have consider'd and laid before you as the World in General and the Good Things thereof in Particular viz. Riches Honours and Pleasures So on the contrary the Opposite Evils of it Poverty Disgrace and Afflictions and have Discover'd to you the various Temptations each of 'em do give you and how you are to Renounce and Resist ' em And now it only remains Lastly That I do the like and consider also some Things therein of a middle Nature viz. The Callings Conditions of Life and the Cares of this World which are the Appurtenances of it and afford great matter of Temptation and Tryal to us therein And in what Sence and how far you are also to Renounce each of these I will endeavour to shew you And First Let us consider the Callings of the World I. The Callings of the world and how the Temptations they give are to be Renounced and what Temptations they give us in what Sence and how far we must Renounce and Resist them Now a Calling is some settled Course of Life wherein a Person employs himself in some Business such as Providence has fitted him with Abilities for and which he is Called and Appointed unto to employ himself therein to the Honour of God and to his own and the publick Good And there is no Man nor Woman if not utterly disabled in Body and Mind who ought not to be of some such Calling That is In the first place every Man ought in a settled Course of Life to betake himself to some Business Every Man is to betake himself to some Business Adam even in the State of Innocence was Enjoyn'd to Dress and keep the Garden or e're he could Freely eat of every Tree thereof Gen. 2.15 16. And since his Fall it is as well the Duty as it is the Curse of all his Posterity that In the sweat of our Brows we must eat of our Bread Gen. 3.19 So that every Child of Adam must now with great Industry and Application Employ himself in order to obtain the Necessaries or Conveniencies of this Life It was indeed from the very Beginning and even in Paradise it self our Duty to be Employ'd but it is now both our Duty and Punishment that we must Employ our selves even to the taking of Pains every Man in his proper Calling And that Calling which every Man is to employ his Time in must be such as Providence has fitted him with Abilities for It must be such as Providence has fitted him with Abilities for As God hath distributed to every Man as the Lord hath Called every one so let him walk 1 Cor. 7.17 God hath distributed to every Man some proper Gift or other and therefore every Man must Glorify God in some peculiar Calling or other And to whatsoever particular Calling any Man's peculiar Abilities do fit him to that he is to look upon himself as preparatively Call'd or Appointed by God And such he is preparatively Called and appointed to by God with due Abilities and lawful Authority in Church or State is to determine his Call God does not ordinarily himself Point out any Person by an express Designation as he Called Bazaleel and Aholiab by Name to do the Wâ—rk of the Tabernacle Exod. 31.2 But he distributes his Talents variously to all Persons on some he bestows the Gifts of Honours and Fortunes as to Magistrates and Gentlemen to some the Gifts of Good Parts and Learning as to Scholars of whatsoever Profession and to some Skill in Trade and in Arts as to Dealers and Artificers and to the Inferior and Poorer sort of Men he gives Health and Limbs and whatever sits 'em for Toil and Labour And to some he gives the whole Ten Talents to Trade withal to their Master's Use that is Authority Riches Learning Skill in Business and Strength of Body and Mind and accordingly of all he will require an Account how they have Employ'd their Talents For unto whom much is given of him shall much be required Luk. 12.48 And the unprofitable Servant shall be cast into outer darkness Matth. 25.30 Lastly whatever Calling any Person is appointed to by the Divine Providence he must Employ himself therein to the Glory of God and to his own and the Publick Good To whatsoâ—â—er Calling 〈◊〉 is appointâ— he must â—ploy himâ—f therein to â—od's Glory â—â—d his own â—â—d the pubâ—ck Good In the first place to the Glory of God for that is to be the main End of whatever we do 1 Cor. 10.31 and also to his own and his Families Good For he that provides not for his own especially for those of his own House he hath denied the Faith and is worse than an Infidel 1 Tim. 5.8 And also as every Man is a Member of the Body Politick he is bound to employ his Time and Parts and Pains for its Welfare for God requires that As every Man has received the Gift that accordingly they should Minister the same one to another as good Stewards of the manifold Grace of God 1 Pet. 4.10 And no Member of Church or State of what Rank or Quality soever he be but must Employ or Interest himself for the Publick Good For God hath so temper'd the Body or Humane Societies together that the Members should have the same care one of another and whether one Member suffers he would have all the Members suffer with it as in the Natural Body or one Member be Honoured he would have all the Members rejoice with it 1 Cor. 12.24 25 26. So that it is necessary you see that every Person should betake himself to some Calling or Business And now the Question will be What is to be Renounced with respect to the Callings of this World And First It behoves all Persons utterly to Renounce such Callings and Professions of Men in the World as are directly sinful and wicked I. All Persons â—ustrenounce â—uch Callings â—nd Professiâ—ns as are diâ—ectly sinful â—nd wicked Such are Bards Pimps
abounding with sensual Delights and Pleasures and that he therefore who has placed us in it will not command us upon Pain of Damnation to over-come those strong Temptations and to deny these Pleasures of the World And we 'll grant it that he has Plac'd us in a State of Probation and Tryal where we have sensual Pleasures and Delights and many other Temptations besetting us on the one side as well as the Rewards of Heaven awaiting us on the other and where were the Vertue and what Place would there be for Reward if there were not those Difficulties to Overcome But in short there is not any thing Unreasonable nor a Hardship unsupportable in any thing that God has Enjoin'd us for the same Almighty Goodness which gives us the Command to do these things gives us also the Will and Power to Obey and besides proposes to us Enjoyments infinitely surpassing those Worldly Pleasures as the Rewards of such Obedience And so I have given you sufficient Answers to those false and fallacious Argueings of sinful Men against the Necessity of a Holy Life I know 'em to be too common in the Discourses of such Persons who love their Lusts and therefore I thought it requisite to Fortify you against them But to proceed Fifthly Wicked Men will not be content by the secret Influence of their Examples and Company only nor by their false and fallacious Arguments to Tempt you to Sin but Will moreover sometimes add Kindnesses and Promises to oblige you to do ill Things and on the contrary will much discourage you nay sometimes Threaten you to forbear your Duty V. Wicked Men will add Kindnesses Promises to Oblige us to do ill Things and on the contrary will much discourage us nay sometimes Threaten us to forbear our Duty The Kindnesses of Friendship are of all things the most Engageing and if your Choice of a Friend has not been so discreetly and happily made but he happens to be a wicked Man who upon the Score of former Obligations laid upon you will require in Return that some ill Thing should be done by you to serve his Interest you will be drawn thereby into a very great Snare for besides that there is in very many whom we call Good-natur'd Men such an Easiness of Mind that they can hardly deny any thing to those who have once Oblig'd 'em but are ready to Pleasure and Comply with 'em tho' in things most directly contrary to their own Minds and Inclination Besides this if you should refuse to Gratify in any thing One that has done you former Kindnesses the World will be ready to call you Vngrateful the most odious Reproach that can be cast on any One Nay and wicked Men will not sometimes stick to Bribe you also with Promises and Proposals of Profit and Advantages if you will serve 'em in their ill Designs This One would think not so dangerous a Temptation to Sin because more open and not so Insinuating a way as the former but God knows too many do knowingly and wilfully barter away their poor Souls and plainly sell 'em to the Devil contracting to commit this or that Sin as for Instance to take a false Oath to forge Writings to make a Lie in another's behalf upon the Promise or Intimation of some Reward for so doing Thus will wicked Men some by Kindnesses some by Promises Oblige you if they can to serve 'em by your Sins And some on the other hand will be no less Industrious by Discouragements nay Threatnings to hinder you in the discharging your Duty and a good Conscience Religion will sometimes put you upon doing those things that will prejudice your worldly Interests and stir up the Wrath of those that are Superior to you And indeed in this Case a Man's worst Enemies shall be those of his own House and when either you must Sin or Suffer none will be so forward to Tempt you to Sin rather than to Suffer as your nearest Relations and Acquaintance And what must Wife and Children and Family do if you should talk of Forsaking all and of following Christ in the Preservation of a good Conscience will be Argument that the Friend of your own Bosom will strongly urge you withal But the more common Temptation discouraging Men in the Discharge of their Duty especially such as are of a low Rank and Condition in the World are the Frowns and Threats of those that are above ' em Hence a Minister in low Circumstances shall venture hard if he offers to Reprove a Great Man tho' a Great Sinner And you shall scarcely ever know an Officer tho' never so strictly oblig'd thereunto by his Oath present in order to Punishment the Man of Power and Interest in his Parish for his Oaths his Riots and the most outragious Immoralities which he so scandalously commits I. â—indnesses 〈◊〉 not corâ— us to Sin And now what shall be done with reference to these manifold Encouragements to Sin and Discouragements to Vertue which you shall meet withal from wicked Men Why in the first Place have a special Care you be not Inveigled by the pretended Kindness of any Person be he who or what he will Let not the Obligations of your Friend or Acquaintance cause you to strain Truth when you are call'd to give Testimony in his Cause Take care you be not then wrought upon by any Sence of Kindness to Perjure your selves for him by declaring either more than Truth or by speaking not the whole Truth when it would make against him Consider what Kindness has been done you if you must sin against God and your own Soul to Pleasure your Friend in Return for it It was but a Bait to take you a Snare to Entrap and a pleasant Poison given to destroy you You ought indeed as an honest Pagan says excellently well to be assistant to him in his honest Endeavours but not in his Knaveries in his Counsels not in his Tricks in appearing as Evidence for him but not in a Cheat and you must bear a share in the Misfortunes of your Friend but not in his Acts of Injustice II. Promises â—t not bribe Secondly As to any Promises wherewith wicked Men may so Tempt you as to Hire you to Sin God forbid there should be a Necessity to bid you Reject and Detest them But if there be any need to Fortify any here against such a Temptation the meer Foolishness of the Bargain you will make will sufficiently move you to Spurn at them for if it be an unprofitable a very unprofitable Bargain tho' a Man should Gain the whole World and lose his own Soul as it is said Mark 8.36 Oh! What ill Husbandry what Stupidity is it for a Trifle of worldly Wealth or Advantage to barter it away III. â—courageâ—ts must 〈◊〉 hinder us â—n discharâ—g our â—y And Thirdly As for those who shall hereafter discourage you from suffering for Righteousness sake when call'd thereunto by laying before you the
were obliged by their Baptismal Vow to forsake those and the like Heathenish Customs for to such this Vow did particularly relate so they did presently beat them down wherever the Christian Religion prevail'd insomuch that in few Ages there were not the least Foot-steps thereof remaining And so must you likewise vigorously withstand all Customs that are Immoral wherever and by whomsoever and how long soever they have obtain'd Such only as are Immoral are to be Renounced I do say All Customs that are Immoral For I do not mean that a Christian must turn Cynick a dogged and sower Lump of Earth surly and uncivil and quarrelling with the innocent Modes of Humane Society That is as much a Fault on the other side to think that Christianity the calmest and the sweetest Religion in the World does oblige Men to ill Manners But those Customs the Force of whose Temptations I would have you all to Resist and utterly to Renounce are such as I before mention'd and which are apparently sinful and wicked either tending to lessen the Guilt of Sin or to make it none at all I am sensible there is something of Difficulty in this Part of our Warfare above any other Barely to refuse Compliance with but much more to oppose Evil Men in their sinful Customs and Practices will mightily provoke their Indignation He sails against the Wind that does so and swims against the Stream He shall have Multitudes will thwart him and will load him with hard Reproaches will call him singular and precise Fool for his Pains and what not He must have a great deal of Courage that opposes a Multitude in doing Evil or will not comply with 'em in it But such must the Souldier of Jesus Christ be One that dares Incur the greatest Displeasure rather than shrink from his Duty and One that will not be afraid to shew his Dislike of any vicious Customs when there is just Occasion for it And this indeed is true Courage The greatest Courage required to this Part of a Christian's Warfare to despise all Opposition in the way of Duty and he that can Unconcernedly pass through a Multitude Reproaching and Vilifying him for his Pains in Pursuit of Vertue is more Heroick and Brave than he that with his Sword in his Hand cuts open a way to the Taking of a Fort. He that Reproves a Sin or Renounces an Ungodly Custom may have more of true Fortitude than he that Pushes on through drawn Swords for it is a sign he fears not those Weapons which wound deepest an embitter'd and envenom'd Tongue It is plain beyond all Contradiction I do think Cowardice the Cause of Complying with the Custome of Duelling or any other Custom of Sinning that when Men in Opposition to their Inclination and Reason and Religion dictating the contrary do comply with others in Drinking of Healths to Excess in profane or loose Talk or the like It is plain I say that it is out of fear of Reproaches and for want of Courage that Men do thus Sin Nay I dare be bold to affirm however like a Paradox it may appear to some That it is out of Fear and for want of true Courage that Men fight Duels when they are Provokt or Affronted They are afraid that if in Compliance to our Saviour's Doctrines of Meekness Patience and Forbearance they should put up Affronts they would be Reproacht and Scorn'd by the Multitude and be term'd Cowards and therefore do desperately but enough against their secret Inclinations I dare say betake themselves to this Barbarous and Fool-hardy way of shewing themselves Men of Honour But true Courage and Bravery Philosophy and Religion and the sober Reason of all wise Men tell us will despise the vain Opinions of the Unthinking and Impious Croud which for the most part are in the wrong and will steddily pursue what is Vertuous and Fit and Reasonable and Religious notwithstanding the foolish Reproaches of the Many So that to retain One's Integrity and Vertue and an unpolluted Conscience in the midst of common and prevailing Customs of Sin and Vice I dare be bold to assert the Noblest and most Heroick piece of Courage And accordingly it will be Rewarded with a Noble Testimony by our Blessed Saviour when to have his Testimony will be beyond the Applauses of the whole World To Renounce and Oppose the Irreligious and Profane Customs of wicked Men is an Eminent piece of Christian Confession and He who Confesses him before Men the same will the Son of Man Confess Own as his Faithful Servant and Applaud as a Noble Confessor before the Angels of God Luk. 12.8 And let this suffice to have spoken concerning the wicked Men of the World that you must so far Renounce both them and their wicked ways as Never to become Tempters your selves of others to Sin nor to yield your selves a Prey to other Men's Temptations but must utterly refuse Conformity to them and all their ways whereby they would have you Offend God and Violate your Covenant with him and your Vows in Baptism and thereby Forfeit all your Title and Hopes of Happiness THE Nineteenth Lecture First That I should Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh HAVING fully Survey'd the World and all therein contain'd that is fit to be Renounc'd by every Christian And having also Represented to you those Temptations which are given by the wicked World and how we must Resist them I come now to Explain unto you what is to be understood by the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and to shew you how much it behoves Christians to Renounce and to Despise them And First We will consider the Pomps And Secondly The Vanity of this wicked World And First As to Pomps these as they were part of the Pagan Idolatries So they were what the Primitive Christians were more particularly concern'd to Renounce But however since the same Renunciation of the Pomps of this World is still retain'd in our Church tho' the very same Things which were at first meant thereby are perhaps become Obsolete and out of Use in Christendom And yet it is not to be suppos'd but that our Church had respect to something still in Use in the Christian World as fit to be Renounc'd under that Title by every Disciple of JESUS I shall therefore together with a short Account of the Meaning of Pomps in the Sence they were Renounc'd by the Primitive Christians take care especially to shew you what amongst us is most Analogous to the ancient Heathenish Pomps and bears such a near Resemblance to 'em as to render these our modern Pomps fit also to be Renounc'd by every Christian And First I. Thereby were anciently meant those pompous Spectacles Plays and Scenical Representations exhibited in the Roman Theaters By Pomps were Anciently meant in the Opinion of our Learned and Excellent Dr. Hammond those
in their kind but the Knowledge of our Christian Religion as it serves to nobler and better Purposes so ought it to be prefer'd to any other The Knowledge of our Christian Religion as it serves to nobler Purposes so ought it to be prefer'd to any other and most study'd by every Christian And hence therefore does St. Paul when he comes at any time to speak of Divine Knowledge not only barely enjoyn the Attainment of it as of other Vertues but does moreover add Prayers and Supplications to God to endow 'em therewith and to increase 'em therein We do not cease to pray for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the Knowledge of his Will in all Wisdom and Spiritual Vnderstanding that ye might walk worthy of the Lord in all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the Knowledge of God Col. 1.9 10. And again I cease not says he making mention of you always in my Prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of Glory may give unto you the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of him Eph. 1.16 17. So that tho to be excellently well skill'd in any Art or Science whatsoever which terminates only in the Conveniencies of this Life be not only Lawful but Commendable yet it is a Profaneness fit to be Renounc'd by every Christian to prefer such to Divine Knowledge and to apply your Mind wholly to the attaining of such Skill to the Neglect of those Great and Important Truths the Knowledge of which is indispensably necessary to our Everlasting Happiness And therefore let your Profession and Calling be what it will you must make it your first Care and Study to know the Nature and Design of the Christian Religion The Necessary Points of Christian Knowledge how that it is a Body of the most Excellent Principles and Laws all of 'em tending wholly to render you Holy and Good Livers and then to make you to depend upon the Mediation of Christ with his Father for his Acceptance thereof to your Justification You must also next make it more your Study to understand throughly the Covenant of Grace than the Nature and Obligation of any Humane Covenants or Contracts whatsoever And since we must build our hopes upon the performance of particular Articles and as exactly as possible square our Lives according to each single Condition of the Covenant of Grace there can be nothing of more concernment to every Christian Lay as well as Clergy than throughly to understand both the Meaning and Importance of every Doctrine of Faith and the Nature and Extent of every Christian Duty And lastly Since a good End can never be obtain'd without the Knowledge and Use of due and proper means the Nature therefore and Use of Prayer and the Nature and End of Sacraments must be a most necessary part of Christian Knowledge So much must our Appetities after Knowledge in the most Excellent of Humane Arts and Science be Renounc'd in comparison of our Desires after a competent Measure of Divine Knowledge But Lastly above all we must Renounce that prevailing Appetite in such as are of most Depraved and Corrupt Minds viz. The setting up their own Imaginations and Fleshly Reasonings against those Spiritual Notions and those more Mysterious Articles of Faith which are delivered to us in the Scripture 3. When out of Pride Prejudice and Contradiction to all Sacred Truths we set up our own Carnal Imaginations and Fleshly Reasonings against those Spiritual Notions and those Mysterious Articles of our Faith which are deliver'd to us in Scripture In the more depraved Nature of some Men there is a great deal of Untowardness and Difficulty to submit to the Sacred Truths Revealed to us by Christ in the Gospel as to Matters of Faith or such Articles as are necessary to be believ'd One that is conceited of his own Wisdom strength of Parts or Improvement in Knowledge will not submit his Reason to entertain Notions which he cannot Comprehend and Penetrate The Carnal Mind which is Enmity against God Rom. 8.7 will disdain to have his Understanding baffl'd or puzzl'd with Sublime Mysteries of Faith he will quarrel at any thing too high for his Wit to reach or too Knotty for him to unloose How can these things be What Reason can there be for this I cannot see how this can be true This Point is not intelligible And perhaps he finds fault with the whole Body of the Scriptures either because some things are obscure to him or the Phrase is not queint and fine enough Thus the Carnal Mind treateth the Dictates of Faith and the Word of God But far be it from Christians thus to indulge their own Carnal Reasonings and Self-Conceits in opposition to what God has Reveal'd to us as necessary to be Believ'd by us For certainly the Infinite Wisdom both knows what is fittest to be taught and reveal'd to us and in what Manner and Method he had best to express himself Those that did thus proudly despise the Wisdom of God measuring it according to their own Talent of Wit and Understanding did at first and do to this Day most fatally miscarry for it is written 1 Cor. 1.19 I will destroy the Wisdom of the Wise and will bring to nothing the Vnderstanding of the Prudent But our Duty is to submit our Understandings to Almighty God to be Inlightn'd by his Infinite Wisdom Casting down Imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the Knowledge of God and bringing into Captivity every Thought to the Obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 There is a great deal of Vertue and Grace in an Obedient Understanding and therefore to the Disciples who were so dispos'd To them it was given as our Saviour tells us Matth. 13.11 To understand the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven but to them who are not prepar'd with an humble Mind it is not given Nor is this an hard Imposition upon Mankind to oblige 'em to believe what is above our Reason to Comprehend It is sufficient that the Holy Scriptures which do deliver such Articles of Faith as necessary to be Believ'd are sufficiently witnessed to be Divine Revelations and that there is nothing contain'd in the Articles or Mysteries themselves which is contrary or contradictory to that Reason which God has given to Man But that there should be any thing in an Article of Faith which though it be above our Reason to Comprehend especially in this its State of weakness must yet be Believ'd will not seem hard if we consider that there are many Appearances even in Nature it self which no Man has been yet found who could give a tolerable account for and yet the truth of their being so and so cannot be call'd in question This Humour of opposing Reason to Revelation proceeds from mere Pride In short this Humour of opposing our own Fleshly Reasonings against those Divine Revelations which we cannot now
him But this is such a hateful way of performing Obedience as God will never endure nor accept of for He scorns to be served by a slavish Fear and an unwilling Mind No Man as our Saviour says Matth. 6.24 can serve two Masters for if he loves the one he will hate the other Ye cannot serve God and Mammon By this he lets us know that our Love and Obedience must go together and be paid both to one God Lastly As we will give God the Service and Obedience of the whole Man an Entire Obedience such as he will Accept of to our Salvation we must Obey him with all our Strength and bodily Powers That is we must not only Inwardly Approve of God's Commands as good in our Minds and Judgments bear a Love to 'em with our Affections and chuse 'em with our Wills but we must proceed Outwardly to Act and do the Will of God in the Outward and Constant Practice of our Lives we must put to our Strength and bodily Powers and work the Will of God in our Lives and Actions Little Children saith St. John 1 Epist 3.7 let no Man deceive you he that doth Righteousness is righteous That is you will be deceived if you suffer others to persuade you or vainly flatter your selves that there is any thing less than doing and acting vertuously and righteously for which you shall be rewarded as vertuous and religious Persons These Texts besides many others shew you the necessity that our Inward good Motions proceed to Outward good Operations that you must go on to do good Deeds before you are fit for the Great Reward that we must work as well as desire and not only will and like but do our Duty because on nothing less than that we shall at the last Day be accepted This indeed is the severe Service This the distasteful part and the distastful Part of our Duty A secret Wish or a sudden Desire of Obedience may start up in our Souls unawares and there is not much opposition made to it because our Lusts receive no great hurt from it And therefore they will allow us to think of Good to spend a faint Relish a sudden Inclination or fruitless Desire upon it but if once we would go on to do our Duty and to begin Obedience then begins the Conflict our Lusts then bestirr themselves with might and main and set every Faculty on work to resist and defeat it for our Thoughts then begin to argue and to pick Quarrels with our Duty our Wills then begin to be averse and our Affections to cool towards it And because in this Obedience of our Works and Actions And therefore endeavoured to be shifted off there is so much of difficulty therefore are most People so desirous to shift it off and so forward to take up with any thing which will save them the labour of it They persuade themselves that God will admit of easier Terms and build their Hopes on cheaper Services as particularly that it will be sufficient to Salvation that they Believe the Gospel and that Jesus Christ died for them that God will accept of the Will for the Deed that God will excuse their Disobedience because when they fall it is by reason of strong and violent Temptations And lastly that it is not without Reluctancy and great Unwillingness that they disobey But all these are deceitful Imaginations for howsoever we are against Sin in our Thoughts and Minds and Desires the working Wickedness will make us in God's account Sons of Sin and Disobedience and will be sure to render such Children of Wrath and Destruction If you live after the Flesh saith St. Paul you shall die Rom. 8.13 And whatever Men think in their Minds or desire in their Hearts or profess in their Words to the contrary if for all that they continue to commit Sin in their Actions Christ has told them plainly That he will pronounce when he comes to sit as Judge Depart from me all ye that work Iniquity Matth. 7.23 And thus you see what is in the first place necessary to make up an Entire Obedience that our Obedience might be that of the whole Man and that it may be such we must have our Minds our Wills our Affections and lastly our outward Actions in Obedience to the Laws of the Gospel that all these several Powers must unite in God's Service before it will be Upright and Compleat such as at present his Law requires and such as at the last Day he will accept of and reward us for 2dly It must be an Obedience to the whole Law Secondly As it is necessary to the Integrity of our Obedience that we Obey his Holy Will and Commandments with our whole Man with our Minds our Souls our Wills and our Strength so that we Obey his whole Law and Conform our selves to every of his Commandments We must not think to pick and chuse in the doing of our Duty for if we do not Obey all we Obey not right in any because all the Laws of God are bound upon us by the same Power and enjoined by the same Authority So that if we fulfill any one upon this account of his having required it the same reason holds for the fulfilling of all the rest This indeed is very hardly believed because it is so hard to practise for almost every Man has some Sin or other which he can as well die as part with It has got his Heart and is become the Master of his Affections and since he loves it so dearly he hopes God will bear with it too And when Men are thus desirous to Obey God by halves and would hope that this might serve the turn they take to themselves false Grounds and Confidences under which they shelter themselves in the allowance or indulgence of such Sins as they are resolved to practise and when they do wilfully continue in the practice of any Sin they usually plead one or more of these Things in excuse This endeavoured to be evaded by Excuses First That they sinn'd for the preservation of their Religion and themselves in times of Danger and Persecution Or secondly for the supply of their Necessities by sinful Arts Compliances and Services and in times of Want and Indigency Or thirdly for the satisfaction of their Flesh in Sins of Temper Age or Way of Life But in vain But whosoever would Obey God's Laws to the Salvation of his Soul must Obey in every Instance and continue wilfully to transgress in none he must never hope to please God in nothing but what he lists himself For the Obedience of the Covenant whereinto Christ commissioned his Apostles to Baptize Converts is nothing below an Entire Obedience Go says he Baptize all Nations teaching them to observe all Things whatsoever I have commanded you Matth. 28.19 20. And threatens Matth. 5.19 That he who breaks the least of these Commandments shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven
Devotion towards God Justice and Charity towards their Neighbour and a subjecting of their Lusts and Appetites to right Reason which is the great Duty to themselves I say Christians must as much distinguish themselves from the profane Crew of Idolatrous and Wicked Heathens and Unbelieving Jews by an exact and regular and a better Life as the Jews were to distinguish themselves from the Idolatrous and Wicked Heathens in those days by a Ritual Holiness Nay And does he call us a Royal Priesthood Why this he does here and also Rev. 1.6 where we are told That Christ hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father And what doth this import but that we are as much to exceed both Jews and Gentiles in holy Living as the Priests among the Jews were to excel the rest of the People in a Legal Purity and Cleanness Christians are to shew themselves to be Kings by their Victories over the World the Flesh and the Devil over Sin and Satan and they are to be as it were Priests because they are to present their Bodies a living Sacrifice Holy acceptable unto God which is our reasonable Service and are not to be conformed to this World but to be transformed by the renewing of their Minds Rom. 12.1 2. And are to offer up the Sacrifice of Praise continually the Praises of God Heb. 13.15 They are to offer charitable Alms which are called an Odour of a sweet smell a Sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing unto God Phil 4.18 This is the Importance of those high Expressions of St. Peter and this indeed do the following Words declare But ye are a Chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation a Peculiar People that ye should shew forth the Praises of Him who hath called us out of Darkness into his marvellous Light And indeed so much it concerns us who are Members of Christ's Church to distinguish our selves from the rest of the World by our excellent Lives far above other People that our Blessed Saviour came into the World died and suffered all those stupendious Things recorded in the Gospel all on this very Design To purchase such a Body of Men that should more peculiarly and zealously serve God and to work and persuade us to it Thus Tit. 2.14 it is said That he gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works And hence were all his Discourses and Preachings to us especially that most divine Sermon upon the Mount to raise all his Disciples and Followers to the highest pitch and perfection of moral Vertue and Goodness He came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfil them Matth. 5.27 That is to enlarge and encrease our Duties to God and Man and to our selves to make the Obedience of the Heart as necessary as that of the outward Man to make the very Thoughts of Uncleanness criminal as well as Adultery it self And in a word hence does he require of us his Members that our Light should so shine before Men that they might see our good Works and glorifie our Father which is in Heaven vers 16. That is he requires that by the Eminence of all divine Graces and Vertues shining in our Lives we should be as a Candle set on an Hill to enlighten the benighted and bewildred World straying in the darkness of Ignorance and Errour that they might find their way by the Brightness of our Examples to Heaven and Happiness And by the savourliness lastly of our good Conversation he requires that we should be as Salt in the World to season the corrupted Manners of Men. Such strong Obligations lie upon us as Members of Christ's Church to be faithful in our Covenant that is to perform all due Obedience unto God Secondly Nor is the consideration of our being Children of God 2. As Children of God less fruitful of good Arguments shewing us those vast Obligations lying upon us faithfully and conscienciously to discharge our Covenant with him There is no relation that is which does speak more of Duty and Duty sounded upon better Reasons than that of a Child to his Father A Wifâ— owes some Duty and Observance to her Husband because the Husband is the Head of the Wife a Servant to his Master because from him he has Provision a Subject to his Prince Children are bound to the strictest Obedience to their Parents as owing to 'em their Being because of Protection But a Child owes his very Life and Being and all that he has is originally derived from his Parent Especially this is so with the Children of God upon a double account both that of Creation and that of Adoption Consider us as the Children of God with respect to Creation and not only our Life and Being but all Things necessary to the support and maintenance of this Being of ours that it falls not back into Annihilation and Nothing is wholly owing to that God whose Offspring we are according to that of the Apostle Acts 17.28 In him we live and move and have our Being for we are his Offspring But consider us who are Baptized Christians farther as the Children of God by Adoption and then over and above our Being and all that belongs to it our Well-being also both in this and a better Life is wholly of his Gift For if Children of God as St. Paul does argue Rom. 8.17 then Heirs Heirs with God and joint Heirs with Christ so that if we suffer with him we shall be also glorified together And now if for Life and Being and also for all that Well-being Children of God as owing both Being and Well being too which we have or hope to enjoy in this or the Life to come we wholly and entirely depend upon God our Father Do we not then owe to him as his Children all the Duty all the Observance and all the Diligence possible in the discharge of such Duty and Observance This the very Light of Nature teaches us but the Scripture does most expresly upon that very score of being his Children require of us A Son honoureth his Father and a Servant his Master says God by his Prophet Mal. 1.6 If I then be a Father where is mine Honour And if I be a Master where is my Fear And upon the same score of our being Children of God does St. Peter most earnestly exhort us to a Renunciation of the World and our filthy Lusts and to a faithful and careful discharge of our Duty to God our Father As Obedient Children says he 1 Epist 1.14 15. not fashioning your selves according to the former Lusts in your Ignorance but as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of Conversation And vers 17. If ye call on the Father that is profess your selves the Sons of your Heavenly Father who without respect of Persons judgeth every Man according to his Works can see Blemishes and
will punish Faults as well in his Children as others if you profess your selves the Children of such a Father pass the time of your sojourning here in fear is the Inference the same Apostle makes from this Relation of being the Children of God And indeed except we do give up our selves sincerely and faithfully to obey God and in all Points to discharge our Covenant with him we are in effect not the Children of God however Baptized and so in Profession but in reality are the Children of the Devil and from him must expect our Reward So St. John assures us 1 Epist 3.8 9. He that committeth Sin is of the Devil that is he that committeth any act of known Sin is in that so far from being a Child of God that he is a Child of the Devil of whom and not of God he is an Imitator For whosoever is born of God doth not commit Sin for his Seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God That is as the Learned Hammond does Paraphrase upon the same place whosoever is a true Child of God keeps himself strictly from every deliberate Act of Sin and the reason is Because that contrary Principle of Regeneration or Sonship from which he is said to be born of God if that continue to have any Life or Energy in it is utterly contrary and incompatible with Sin And then does follow that Characteristical distinguishing Mark he does give of a Child of God and a Child of the Devil shewing the grand difference between one and the other In this the Children of God are manifested and the Children of the Devil whosoever doth not Righteousness is not of God v. 10. In a word to conclude this Argument also As it is almost natural and therefore ever expected that Children should imitate the Life and Manners of their Parents and if they prove dissolute and of loose Behaviour it does usually redound to the Parents disgrace as generally supposed to proceed from slackness of Government so should we who are Children of God be Covenant-Breakers prove lawless and dissolute Livers it will extreamly tend to the Dishonour of our Heavenly Father whose Name is then hallowed amongst Men when we his professed Sons and Servants do dutifully and sincerely fulfill our Engagements to Him but on the contrary is then blasphemed when we live ungodly Lives So that this grand Favour and Privilege of being the Sons of God is another most powerful Argument to render us faithful in our Covenant with Him And so likewise it is Thirdly To be an Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven 3. As Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven What restraint will it put upon a young Heir and how careful will it make him to please his Parents when a great Estate is like to descend upon him but yet so that he shall certainly be disinherited of it except he behave himself soberly and regularly and dutifully to those his Parents And if so how infinitely more circumspect and wary and diligent should we all of us be to please our Father which is in Heaven by discharging our Covenant-Engagements to him inasmuch as the Heavenly Inheritance is of infinite more value than an Earthly one can be I shall not stand now to give you a description of that Exceeding Weight of Glory and of those Vast and Immense Treasures of Happiness which are laid up in Heaven for those who shall faithfully perform their Covenant with God I shall only in short shew you that such is the Nature and Constitution of the Covenant of Grace that there is no Hopes nor Expectations of ever obtaining it without a faithful discharge of all our Covenant-Engagements to God and if so then certainly there cannot be greater Obligations possible to the performance of ' em And as to the Nature of the Covenant of Grace surely one would think it were needless to prove that the Conditions of it must be performed or we cannot expect to inherit the Promises This is of the Nature of all Covenants whatsoever which consist of certain Promises and Benefits to be made good on one part not without certain Conditions to be performed on the other And why then should any so fondly expect Justification and Happiness to be conferred upon 'em except they do Repent heartily Believe practically and Obey sincerely the only Conditions of this Covenant Kingdom of Heaven not to be expected but by those who are faithful in their Covenant as has been often shewed Why sure none that look into the Gospel and see and consider how that all along Happiness is only promised to the Obedient can ever expect it upon other Terms But so it is that a sort of Antinomian Hereticks do spread abroad their pestilent Doctrines teaching that Christ by his Sacrifice and Satisfaction for us has purchased Justification and Happiness without any Conditions to be perform'd on our part and that what he has done will wholly excuse us from Duty and Obedience But this is one of the most Antichristian Errours in the World as undermining the whole design of Christ's Coming and his Preaching the Gospel amongst us which was to tie us up to higher Rules of Righteousness than were before given to the Sons of Men. It was infinitely far from the Design of him who came to save and deliver us from the Power and Dominion as well as from the Guilt and Punishment of our Sins to do any thing that should encourage us in Sin and render us secure when at any time we commit it But that which Christ has done for us amounts to this that he has purchased by his Blood-shedding an Abrogation of the First Covenant wherein was no Happiness without an Unsinning Obedience and then has procured for us this most gracious Covenant with these abatements of rigour That we shall have all that unspeakable Bliss and the Inheritance of Heaven conferred on us on condition we shall repent of and forsake our Sins and knowingly and willingly not offend him for the future And a most encouraging Argument this will be to all considering and serious Persons to make 'em faithful and diligent to perform their Covenant No People either Jews or Gentiles ever before us had the like The Jews by the Law of Moses or the meer Covenant of Works had plainly and expresly the Assurances only of a temporal Canaan and the Promises of a peaceable and prosperous Possession thereof to encourage their Duty And the poor Pagans had little Inducements to vertuous living more than the present Tranquility of Mind which arises from the meer exercise of Vertue neither of 'em Considerations strong enough to bear us up against great Temptations to sin and the difficulties in the way of our Duty But this one Consideration of an eternal Weight of Glory an Inheritance laid up in Heaven a Crown of Life infallibly ensured to those who shall be faithful unto Death This is enough to encourage us in Well-doing and
will not fail of Bestowing the former so there is no reason in the World to fancy he will forbear to Inflict the latter It was not without the highest Reason and perhaps because nothing less than Eternal Punishments are sufficient to restrain Sinners from those Pleasures of Sin which are present that he did Threaten to Inflict such at first And when Laws so Reasonable in themselves and whose Obedience neither the Goodness of the Lawgiver in so bountifully Rewarding nor the fear of his Power in so terribly Punishing can secure are basely Transgrest and Trampled upon by base and ungrateful Rebels against the Majesty of Heaven what reason is there any Sinner should promise himself That God will not Punish the Trangression of 'em to as high a Degree as in his Word he has Threaten'd And for any Man therefore without any Ground at all but his own sond Wishes and Desires he might not be so Punisht to to Promise himself That God will after all forbear him is such a desperate Peice of Madness as can never enter into the Hearts of any but those whom Satan has Insatuated and Befool'd to their Ruine and Destruction Wherefore you must take care that you Abandon and utterly cast out of your Souls the very first Motions of such Thoughts looking upon 'em as no other than Suggestions from Satan whenever they enter into your Minds And in so doing you will Renounce as it highly Concerns you that First and most dangerous Temptation of Satan Secondly The next of these more general Policies of Satan II. By Corrupting the Vnderstanding and Reason of Man by putting him upon curious Enquiries after â—â—ess Matâ— and upon â—â—king a â—â—ul Expeâ—â—ent of the â—â—erences beâ—en Good 〈◊〉 Evil. whereby he did at first and does still endeavour to draw all Mankind to venture upon a Revolt from God was his corrupting the Reason and Vnderstanding of Man by putting him upon curious Enquiries into vain and unprofitable Things and by inciting him to make an Experiment what was in Sin in order as he pretended to enlarge his Knowledge But in reallity with a design to draw over his Soul a thick Cloud of Ignorance that so he might lead him blindfold into any Sin and Misery In the day ye shall eat thereof says the Serpent then your Eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing Good and Evil Gen. 3.5 that is to confine your Knowledge to the narrow subject of God's Laws and to study only to know how you may please your Maker is an Injury to that Noble Faculty your Understanding whereby you may be Equal with God himself if you please and therefore that nothing may escape your Knowledge that you may understand all that which is Good for Man try the Experiment of knowing Things forbidden as well as allow'd 〈◊〉 Mind of â—n natuâ—â— desirous â—ncreasing â—â—wledge And this indeed was a most exquisite and refin'd piece of Policy such as Hell it self could not invent a more effectual One to ruine Man withal and yet One whose Mischief was less discernible A hungry Stomach does not more eagerly crave Meat than the Mind of Man does naturally desire Knowledge which is Food to the Intellectual Part as Meat is to the Bodily And if it be Useful and Good it adds Nourishment and Strength and Vigour to the Inward Man as wholesome Diet does to the Outward â—xperimenâ— Knowâ—ge of Sin â—â—ds the â—â—son and â—â—fies the â—â—ce of spiâ—â—al things And now behold here the deep Policy of Satan that when the Reasonable Soul of Adam did hunger and thirst so eagerly after Knowledge and when possibly he thought it might make him able to steer his Way towards Happiness with greater certainty and safety if he should once Experimentally know Evil as well as Good as we commonly know a Way the better ever afterwards which we have once mist Satan by Tempting him to commit Evil instead of Enlightning his Mind did thereby quite extinguish the Candle of the Lord in the Soul of Man Divine Knowledge so that instead of discerning his Way to Heaven thenceforward he was not able so much as to guess at it For why Sin like Mud does strangely foul and defile the Soul It stirs up the Lusts and Appetites within a Man and these rising upwards do wonderfully cloud and muddy a Man's Reason Sin does even turn a Man Topsy-turvy It puts the Affections Lusts and Appetites uppermost and tumbles Reason and Judgment down and therefore Just as in a Vessel which has a Sediment in the Bottom but clear Liquor in the Top if you turn it up the Dregs mixing with the purer Part makes that which was clear as Chrystal before become very foul and muddy So in a Soul defil'd with Sin Reason can no longer see where the Way of its Happiness does lye The Truth of it is To spend too much of our Time and of our Thoughts in gaining the Knowledge of Things And even â—re Curiosiâ— after less â—ofitable â—ings takes 〈◊〉 from the â—â—owledge of â—â—d and our â—â—ves and 〈◊〉 Means of â—â—ppiness in themselves Lawful as in the Laws of our Country or in the Mysteries of Trade will too much take a Man off from Enquiring into and will hinder the Knowledge of God and of our selves and of the Means of being happy in Heaven which does infinitely more concern us Hence Not many wise Men after the Flesh not many Mighty not many Noble were called 1 Cor. 1.26 But if Men seek to Enlarge their Knowledge by Experimentally knowing of Sin and with Solomon Give their Heart as to know Wisdom so to know Madness and Folly they will not only soon perceive with him That it is but Vexation of Spirit but they will find it will extreamly stupify their Sense and Apprehension of spiritual Things And being frequently and habitually committed will cause in them such a Reprobate Mind as will disable 'em at length to know any difference between Good and Evil. And by this very Wile does he to this Day bring such an Ignorance in Religious Matters By these Means he brings that Ignorance in Divine Matters which reigns in most Mens Minds as does apparently reign in the Minds of some Men. Some he engages in nice Enquiries after a Thousand other things to draw 'em off from ever looking into their Bibles And as to Others by decoying 'em into one Sin after another he does at length improve their Knowledge of Evil to that degree that at last they come to know nothing of Good nay to have so little a sence of it such stupify'd Apprehensions concerning it as to Call Evil Good and Good Evil. And then having once blindfolded the Reason of Man with the Ignorance of Divine Things what Sin and Misery is there And being spiritually ignorant Men are easily led into whatever Sin and Misery That Satan does not most easily lead Men into For why Good and Useful Knowledge such as the
Knowledge of God and of our selves and of our Duty to him is the Eye of the Soul whereby alone it can see its Way and steer its Course safely towards Heaven Whereas on the other side Ignorance of God and Religion is the same in the Mind as Blindness in the Eye and therefore as a Blind man may with the greatest Ease be drawn aside into Pits and over Rocks to his Downfal and Destruction and it is next to impossible he should ever get safe to his Journeys End so an Ignorant Man in Religious Matters must needs be an easy Prey to Satan and False Deceivers and he cannot possibly tell how to steer his Course safe towards Heaven but must almost necessarily suffer Ship-wrack of Body and Soul in Hell So that this Policy of the Devil in Corrupting the Understanding and Reason of Man by putting him upon curious Enquiries and a sinful Experiment in order as he pretended to enlarge his Knowledge but in reallity with a design to draw over his Soul a thick Cloud of Ignorance that so he might lead him blindfold into into any Sin and Misery is a Depth of Satan that was and still is most Fatal and Destructive to our Innocence and to our Happiness And this therefore is another Wile of Satan's This therefore another Wile of Satan's which must be carefully avoided which you must also carefully avoid You must above all things Beware of ever making Experiments of the Pleasures of Sin vainly deceiving your own Souls with the Expectations that having once known what is in 'em you will the more Abhor'em for the future Few of those who do make such sinful Experiments do afterwards return to a sound and sober Sense of things Not that they find any reason to stick to those Courses but because the ways of Sin are meer Mazes which once Enter'd into are hardly got out of and because Sin often committed does at length scar the Conscience and drives away the Holy Spirit and so the wretched Sinner becomes utterly Ignorant of God's Ways and Happiness therein And in their Ignorance what Pits of Destruction are there which Satan cannot draw them into You must therefore I say above all things endeavour as to Expel all Ignorance of Divine Things out of your Minds so the great Causes thereof of Satan's Contrivance namely Curiosity after vain and unprofitable Things which will divert you from what does infinitely more concern you viz. The good State of your Souls and you must carefully beware of Experimentally knowing Sin the Commission and Acquaintance with which will draw a thick Cloud of Ignorance over your Minds as has been spoke And hereby you will also Renounce and Defeat another considerable Temptation and Wile of Satan's to draw us into a Course of Sin III. 〈◊〉 Bribing 〈◊〉 Affectiâ—◠〈◊〉 with â—â—ething â—est our â—rts and â—her than â—blige and 〈◊〉 which will comâ— anything 〈◊〉 is Evil. A Third of those First and more general Methods of Satan's Temptations whereby he did in the Beginning and does to this Day Inveigle the greatest Part of Mankind into many a sin Is by bribing their Affections with something that is nearest their Hearts and rather than disoblige and lose which they will commit any thing that is Evil. Thus he did Tempt Adam to partake of the forbidden Fruit by the sollicitations of his Wife Eve Gen. 3.4.6 Adam must needs have Lov'd his Wife Eve above all Things and even equally with himself she being Bone of his Bone and Flesh of his Flesh Gen. 2.23 And Satan therefore if he could make sure to his Party such a Favourite what might he not obtain of him He knew it and therefore he Tempted Eve first and by her Importunity gain'd the Consent of Adam and so he also Transgrest â—d bywhatâ—â— we most â—â—e our Afâ—â—ions upon 〈◊〉 he still â—â—eigle us to 〈◊〉 what is â—â—bidden And the same is also still his Method to Ruine us If there be any thing which we do particularly place our Affections upon he will be sure to Inveigle us by the Perswasions of that to do the forbidden Thing If Achan once begins to set his Heart upon the Wedge of Gold and the goodly Babylonish Garment then tho' it be an Accursed Thing he will put the Discovery of it to the Venture If Gehazi once begin to hanker after the Talent of Silver and the Two Changes of Raiment that shall put him upon Lying and Cheating to obtain them And the love of Money is the root of all Evil we are told 1 Tim. 6.10 And the like may be said of any thing else whatever is our Darling shall be his Instrument to Tempt us And therefore it does nearly concern us as we will preserve our selves free from the Danger of Satan and all his snares to have a Jealous Eye upon what we do most love that it do not Entice us into Sin by his Art in managing of it â—nd thereâ—â—e our Saâ—ur would â—â—ve us bear â—â—t Indiffeâ—â—cy of Afâ—â—tion toâ—â—rds our â—â—arest Relaâ—â—ns as to be â—â—le to Forâ—â—e them â—â—d their Inâ—â—ests raâ—â—er than â—od And therefore does our Saviour Caution us in such unusual Terms against Loving too much our very nearest Relations telling us That if any one come to him and Hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own Life also he cannot be his Disciple Luk. 14.26 that is he would have us to take care we bear that Indifferency of Affection towards even our nearest Relations as to be able to Forsake them and their Interests which they and the World will count Hating of them rather than God and lose his Favour for that otherwise if we set our Hearts too much upon them they will prove a dangerous Snare to us and a Man's greatest Enemies as to his real Injury and Hurt will be those of his own House and Family because he does most Love them It is a very great Temptation to be too warmly Affected towards any thing on this side Heaven Satan will be sure to Tempt us thereby if he can to Set our Affections not on things Above but on things of the Earth so contrary to what we are commanded Col. 3.2 We must therefore cautiously Beware least he Attack us on that side Lastly by â—iting their Lusts Appetites after the forbidden Fruit by proposing the fairest Objects and most delicious Dainties to their Senses Fourthly And Lastly to compleat the Rebellion of Man from God and to render the Apostacy of our First Parents such as should Reflect the greatest Dishonour upon our Maker Satan did excite their Lusts and Appetites also after the forbidden Fruit by proposing the fairest Objects and the most delicious Dainties to their Senses And when the Woman saw that the Tree was good for Food and that it was pleasant to the Eye she took of the Fruit thereof and did Eat and gave also unto her Husband with her and