to us how wickedly soever we live The Apostle teaches us another use of them 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having therefore these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God When we do thus we may justly apply the promises to our selves and with comfort expect our parts in them But till then though these promises be of certain truth yet we can reap no benefit from them because we are not the persons to whom they are made that is we perform not the condition required to give us right to them 23. This is the Faith or Belief required of us towards the things God hath revealed to us in the Scripture to wit Such as may answer the End for which they were so revealed that is the bringing us to good lives the bare believing the truth of them without this is no more then the Devils do as S. James tells us Chap. 2. 19. Only they are not so unreasonable as some of us are for they will tremble as knowing well this Faith will never do them any good But many of us go on confidently and doubt not the sufficiency of our Faith though we have not the least fruit of obedience to approve it by let such hear S. James's judgment in the point Ch. 2. 26. As the body without the spirit is dead so Faith if it have not works is dead also 24. A second Duty to God is HOPE that is a comfortable expectation of these good things he hath promised But this as I told you before of Faith must be such as agrees to the nature of the promises which being such as requires a condition on our part we can hope no further then we make that good or if we do we are so far from performing by it this duty of Hope that we commit the great sin of Presumption which is nothing else but hoping where God hath given us no ground to hope this every man doth that hopes for pardon of sins and eternal life without that repentance and obedience to which alone they are promised the true hope is that which purifies us S. John saith 1 Epist. 3. 5. Every man that hath this hope purifieth himself even as he is pure that is it makes him leave his sins and earnestly endeavour to be holy as Christ is and that which doth not so how confident soever it be may well be concluded to be but that hope of the Hypocrite which Job assures us shall perish 25. But there is another way of transgressing this Duty besides that of Presumption and that is by Desperation by which I mean not that which is ordinarily so called viz. the Despairing of mercy so long as we continue in our sins for that is but just for us to do But I mean such a desperation as makes us give over endeavour that is when a man that sees he is not at the present such a one as the promises belong to concludes he can never become such and therefore neglects all duty and goes on in his sins This is indeed the sinful desparation and that which if it be continued in must end in destruction 26. Now the work of hope is to prevent this by setting before us the generality of the promises that they belong to all that will but perform the condition And therefore though a man have not hitherto performed it and so hath yet no right to them yet hope will tell him that that right may yet be gained if he will now set heartily about it It is therefore strange folly for any man be he never so sinful to give up himself for lost when if he will but change his course he shall be as certain to partake of the promises of mercy as if he had never gone on in those former sins 27. This Christ shews us in the parable of the Prodigal Luke 15. where wee see that Son which had run away from his Father and had consumed the portion given him in riotous living was yet upon his return and repentance used with as much kindness by the Father as he that had never offended nay with higher and more passionate expressions of love The intent of which Parable was only to shew us how graciously our heavenly Father will receive us how great soever our former sins have bin if we shall return to him with true sorrow for what is past and sincere obedience for the time to come nay so acceptable a thing is it to God to have any sinner return from the error of his ways that there is a kinde of triumph in heaven for it there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one sinner that repenteth Luke 15. 10. And now who would not rather chuse by a timely repentance to bring joy to heaven to God and his holy Angels then by a sullen desperation to please Satan and his accursed spirits especially when by the former we shall gain endlesse happiness to our selves and by the latter as endless torments 28. A Third Duty to God is LOVE there are two common Motives of love among men the one the goodness and excellency of the person the other his particular kindness and love to us and both these are in the highest degree in God 29. First he is of infinite goodness and excellency in himself this you were before taught to believe of him and no man can doubt it that considers but this one thing that there is nothing good in the world but what hath received all its goodness from God His goodness is as the Sea or Ocean and the goodness of all creatures but as fome small streams flowing from the Sea now you would certainly think him a mad man that should say the Sea were not greater then some little brook and certainly it is no less folly to suppose that the goodness of God doth not as much nay infinitely more exceed that of all creatures Besides the goodness of the creature is imperfect and mixt with much evil but his is pure and entire without any such mixture He is perfectly Holy and cannot be rainted with the least impurity neither can he be the Author of any to us for though he be the cause of all the goodness in us he is the cause of none of our sins This S. James expresly tells us Chap. 1. 13. Let no man say when he is tempted He is tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth he any man 30. But secondly God is not only thus good in himself but he is also wonderful good that is kind and merciful to us we are made up of two parts a Soul and a Body and to each of these God hath exprest infinite mercy tenderness Do but consider what was before told you of the SECOND COVENANT the mercies therein offered even Christ himself all his benefits and also that he offers them so sincerely
and our duty And therefore to this Word of his we are to bear a wonderful respect to look upon it as the rules by which we must frame all the actions of our life and to that end to study it much to read in it as often as we can if it may be never to let a day pass us without reading or hearing some part of it read 23. But then that is not all We must not only read but we must mark what we read we must diligently observe what duties there are which God commands us to perform what faults they are which God there charges us not to commit together with the rewards promised to the one and the punishment threatned to the other When we have thus marked we must lay them up in our memory not so loosely and carelesly that they shall presently drop out again but we must so fasten them there by often thinking and meditating on them that we may have them ready for our use Now that use is the directing of our lives and therefore when ever we are tempted to the committing of any evil we are then to call to minde this is the thing which in such a Scripture is forbidden by God and all his vengeances threatned against it and so in like manner when any opportunity is offered us of doing good to remember this is the duty which I was exhorted to in such a Scripture and such glorious rewards promised to the doing of it and by these considerations strengthen our selves for resisting of the evil and performance of the good 24. But besides this of the written Word it hath pleased God to provide yet further for our instruction by his Ministers whose Office it is to teach us Gods Will not by saying any thing contrary to the written Word for whatsoever is so can never be Gods Will but by Explaining it and making it easier to our understandings and then applying it to our particular occasions and exhorting and stirring us up to the practice of it all which is the end at which first their Catechizing and then their Preaching aimeth And to this we are to bear also a due respect by giving diligent heed thereto not only being present at Gatechizings and Sermons and either sleep out the time or think of somewhat else but carefully marking what is said to us And surely if we did but rightly consider how much it concerns us we should conclude it very reasonable for us to do so 25. For First as to that of Catechizing it is the laying the foundation upon which all Christian practice must be built for that is the teaching us our duty without which it is impossible for us to perform it And though it is true that the Scriptures are the Fountains from whence this knowledge of duty must be fetched yet there are many who are not able to draw it from this Fountain themselves and therefore it is absolutely necessary it should be thus brought to them by others 26. This Catechizing is generally look't on as a thing belonging only to the youth and so indeed it ought not because the oldest are not to learn if they be ignorant but because all children should be so instructed that it should be impossible for them to be ignorant when they come to years And it neerly concernes every Parent as they will free themselves from the guilt of their childrens eternall undoing that they be carefull to see them instructed in all necessary things to which purpose it will be fit early to teach them some short Catechism of which sort none so fit as the Church Catechism yet are they not to rest on these endeavours of their own but also to call in the Ministers help that he may build them up farther in Christian knowledge 27. But alas it is too sure that parents have very much neglected this Duty and by that means it is that such multitudes of men and women that are called bristians know no more of Christ or any thing that concerns their own Souls then the meerest Heathen 28. But although it were their Parents fault that they were not Instructed when they were young yet it is now their own if they remain still ignorant and it is sure it will be their own ruine and misery if they wilfully continue so Therefore whoever it be of what age or condition soever that is in this ignorant estate or in any such degree of it that he wants any part of necessary saving knowledge let him as he loves his soul as ever he would escape eternal damnation seek out for instruction and let no fear of shame keep any from it For first it is certain the shame belongs only to the wilful continuing in ignorance to which the desire of learning is directly contrary and is so far from a shameful that it is a most commendable thing and will be sure to be so accounted by all wise and good men But secondly suppose some prophane senseless people should deride it yet sure that shame were in all reason to be undergone joyfully rather then venture on that confusion of face which will at the day of iudgement befal those who to avoid a little false shame amongst men have gone on in a wilful ignorance of their duty which ignorance will be so far from excusing any sins they shall commit that it adds one great and heavy sin to all the rest even the despising that knowledge which is offered to them How haâ—nous a sin that is you may learn in the first Chapter of the Proverbs where hating knowledge v. 29. is said to be the thing that draws down those sad vengeances forementioned even Gods forsaking men laughing at their calamity in stead of helping them Which is of all other conditions in the world the most miserable and surely they are madly desperate that will run themselves into it 29. As for those who have already this foundation laid by the knowledge of the grounds of Christian Religion there is yet for them a farther help provided by Preaching And it is no more then needs for God knows those that understand their duty well enough are too apt to forget it nay sometimes by the violence of their own lusts to transgress it even when they do remember it and therefore it is very useful we should be put in minde of it to prevent our forgetting and also often exhorted and assisted to withstand those lusts which draw us to those transgressions And to these purposes preaching is intended first to warn us to be upon our guard against our spiritual enemy and then to furnish us with weapons for the fight that is such means and helps as may best enable us to beat off temptations and get the victory over them 30. Since therefore this is the end of Preaching we must not think we have done our duty when we have heard a Sermon though never so attentively but we must lay it up in our hearts those
painful and uneasie to a mans self for if as the Psalmist saith it be a joyful pleasant thing to be thankful we may by the Rule of contraries conclude It is a sad and unpleasant thing to be murmuring and I doubt not every mans own experience will confirm the truth of it 3. Secondly It is contrary to Ambition the ambitious man is always disliking his present condition and that makes him so greedily to seek a higher whereas he that is content with his own lies quiet out of the road of this temptation Now ambition is not only a great sin in it self but it puts men upon many other There is nothing so horrid which a man that eagerly seeks greatness will stick at lying perjury murder or any thing will down with him if they seem to tend to his advancement And the uneasiness of it is answerable to the sin This none can doubt of that considers what a multitude of fears and jealousies cares and distractions there are that attend ambition in its progress besides the great and publick ruines that usually befal it in the end And therefore sure Contentedness is in this respect as well a Happiness as a Vertue 4. Thirdly It is contrary to Covetousness this the Apostle witnesseth Heb. 13. 5. Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have where you see contentedness is set as the direct contrary to covetousness But of this there needs no other proof then common experience for we see the covetous man never thinks he hath enough and therefore can never be content for no man can be said to be so that thirsts after any thing he hath not Now that you may see how excellent and necessary a virtue this is that secures us against covetousness it will not be amiss a little to consider the nature of that sin 5. That it is a very great crime is most certain for it is contrary to the very foundation of all good life I mean those three great Duties to God to our Selves to our Neighbour First It is so contrary to our Duty to God that Christ himself tells us Luke 16. 13. We cannot serve God and Mammon he that sets his heart upon wealth must necessarily take it off from God And this we daily see in the covetous mans practice he is so eager in the gaining of riches that he hath no time or care to perform duty to God let but a good bargain or opportunity of gain come in his way Prayer and all duties of Religion must be neglected to attend it Nay when the committing the greatest sin against God may be likely either to get or save him ought his love of wealth quickly perswades him to commit it 6. Secondly It is contrary to the Duty we owe our Selves and that both in respect of our Souls and Bodies The covetous man despises his Soul sells that to eternal destruction for a little pelf for so every man does that by any unlawful means seeks to enrich himself Nay though he do it not by unlawful means yet if he have once set his heart upon wealth he is that covetous person upon whom the Apostle hath pronounced That he shall not enter into the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6. 10. Nor doth he only offend against his Soul but his Body too For he often denies that those necessary refreshments it wants and for which his wealth as far as it concerns himself was given him This is so constantly the custome of rich Misers that I need not prove it to you 7. In the third place Covetousness is contrary to the duty we owe to our neighbours And that in both the parts of it Justice and Charity he that loves money immoderately will not care whom he cheats and defrauds so he may bring in gain to himself and from hence spring those many tricks of deceit and cousenage so common in the world As for Charity that is never to be hoped for from a covetous man who dreads the lessening of his own heaps more then the starving of his poor brother You see how great a sin this is that we may well say of it as the Apostle doth 1 Tim. 6. 10. The love of money is the root of all evil And it is not much less uneasie then wicked for between the care of getting and the fear of losing the covetous man enjoyes no quiet hour Therefore every man is deeply concerned as he tenders his happiness either in this world or the next to guard himself against this sin which he can no way do but by possessing his heart with this vertue of contentedness 8. In the fourth place it is contrary to envy for he that is content with his own condition hath no temptation to envy anothers How unchristian a sin this of envy is shall hereafter be shewed At the present I need say no more but that it is also a very uneasie one it frets and gnaws the very heart of him that harbors it But the worse this sin is the more excellent still is this grace of contentedness which frees us from it I suppose I have said enough to make you think this a very lovely and desirable Vertue And sure it were not impossible to be gain'd by any that would but observe these few directions 9. First To consider that whatever our estate and condition in any respect be it is that which is alotted us by God and therefore is certainly the best for us he being much better able to judge for us then we for our selves and therefore to be displeased at it is in effect to say we are wiser then he Secondly Consider thorowly the vanity of all worldly things how very little there is in them while we have them and how uncertain we are to keep them but above all in how little stead they will stand us at the day of death or judgement and then thou canst not think any of them much worth the desiring and so wilt not be discontented for want of them Thirdly Suffer not thy fancy to run on things thou hast not many have put themselves out of love with what they have only by thinking what they want He that sees his neighbour possess somewhat which himself hath not is apt to think how happy he should be if he were in that mans condition and in the mean time never thinks of enjoying his own which yet perhaps in many respects may be much happier then that of his neighbours which he so much admires For we look but upon the outside of other mens conditions and many a man that is envied by his neighbours as a wonderful happy person hath yet some secret trouble which makes him think much otherwise of himself Therefore never compare thy condition in any thing with those thou countest more prosperous then thy self but rather do it with those thou knowest more unhappy and then thou wilt finde cause
be to love them as their own bodies 13. A second duty of the Husband is Faithfulness to the bed This is by God as well required of the husband as the wife and though the world do seem to look on the breach of this duty with less abhorrence in the husband yet sure before that Just Judge the offence will appear no less on the mans side then the womans This is certain 't is in both a breach of the vow made to each other at their Marriage and so besides the uncleanness a down-right perjury and those differences in the case which seem to cast the scale are rather in respect of civil and worldly consideration then meerly of the sin 14. A third duty of the Husband is to maintain and provide for the Wife He is to let her partake with him in those outward good things wherewith God hath blest him and neither by niggardliness debar her of what is fit for her nor yet by unthriftiness so waste his goods that he shall become unable to support her This is certainly the duty of the husband who being as hath been said to account his wife as a part of his own body must have the very same care to sustain her that he hath for himself Yet this is not so to be understood as to excuse the wife from her part of labour and industry when that is requisite it being unreasonable the husband should toil to maintain the wife in idleness 15. Fourthly The husband is to instruct the wife in the things which concern her eternal welfare if she be ignorant of them Thus St. Paul bids the wives learn of their husbands at home 1 Cor. 14. 36. which supposes that the husband is to teach her Indeed it belongs to every Master of a Family to endeavour that all under his charge be taught all necessary things of this kinde and then sure more especially his wife who is so much nearer to him then all the rest This should make men careful to get knowledge themselves that so they may be able to perform this duty they owe to others 16. Lastly Husbands and Wives are mutually to pray each for other to beg all blessings from God both spiritual and temporal and to endeavour all they can to do all good to one another especially all good to each others Souls by stirring up to the performance of duty and disswading and drawing back from all sin and by being like true yoke-fellowes helpful and assistant to each other in the doing of all sorts of good both to their own Family and all others within their reach This is of all other the truest and most valuable love Nay indeed how can it be said they do love at all who can contentedly let each other run on in a course that will bring them to eternal misery And if the love of husbands and wives were thus grounded in Vertue and Religion 't would make their lives a kinde of Heaven on earth 't would prevent all those contentions and brawlings so common among them which are the great plagues of Families and a lesser Hell in passage to the greater and truly where it is not thus founded there is little comfort to be expected in marriage 17. It should therefore be the care of every one that means to enter upon that state to consider advisedly before hand and to choose such a person with whom they may have this spiritual friendship that is such a one as truly fears God There are many false ends of Marriage lookt upon in the world some marry for Wealth others for Beauty and generally they are only worldly respects that are at all considered but certainly he that would Marry as he ought should contrive to make his Marriage useful to those better ends of serving God and saving his own Soul at least he must be sure it be no hindrance to them and to that purpose the vertue of the person chosen is more conducing then all the wealth in the world though I deny not but that a competency of that may likewise be considered 18. But above all things let all take heed that they make not such marriages as may not only be ill in their effects but are actual sins at the time such are the marriages of those that were formerly promised to some other in which case 't is sure they rightly belong to those to whom they past the first promise and then for any other to marry them during the life of that person is to take the husband or wife of that other which is direct adultery as S. Paul tells us Rom. 7. 3. The like unlawfulness there is also in the marriage of those who are within those degrees of kindred forbidden by God the particulars whereof are set down in the 18. and 20. of Lev. and whoever marries any that is within any of those degrees of neerness either to himself or to his deceased wife which is as bad commits that great sin of Incest and so long as he continues to live with such his unlawful wife remains in that fearful guilt This wariness in the choice of the person to be married would prevent many sad effects which we daily see follow such rash or unlawful matches it were well therefore if people would look on marriage as our Church advises as a thing not to be undertaken lightly unadvisedly or wantonly to satisfie mens carnal lusts and appetites but reverently discreetly advisedly soberly and in the fear of God and in so doing no doubt a blessing would follow which otherwise there is little ground to expect I have now done with this Relation between Husband and Wife 19. The next is that between Friends and this Relation if it be rightly founded it is of great neerness and usefulness but there is none more generally mistaken in the world men usually call them their friends with whom they have an intimacy and frequency of conversation though that intimacy be indeed nothing but an agreement and combination in sin The Drunkard thinks him his friend that will keep him company the Deceitful person him that will aid him in his cheats the Proud man him that will flatter him And so generally in all vices they are look't on as friends that advance and further us in them But God knowes this is far from friendship such a friend as this the Devil himself is in the highest degree who is never backward in such offices The true friendship is that of a direct contrary making 't is a concurrence and agreement in vertue not in vice in short a true friend loves his friend so that he is very zealous of his good and certainly he that is really so will never be the instrument of bringing him to the greatest evil The general duty of a Friend then must be resolved to be the industrious pursuit of his friends real advantages in which there are several particulas contained 20. As first
Assertory Oathes Promissory Vnlawful Oaths God greatly dishonoured by Perjury The punishments of it Vain Oaths The sin of them They lead to Perjury No temptation to them Necessity of abstaining from them Means for it Sense of the guilt and danger Truth in speaking Forsaking the occasioâ— Reverence of God â—atchfulâ—â—ss Prayer What it is to honâ—r Gods Name WORSHIP Prayer its parts Confession Petitions For our Souls Bodies Deprecation Of Sin Of Punishment Intercession Thanksgiving Spiritual Mercies Temporal Publick prayer in the Church In the Family Private Prayer Frequency in Prayer The advantages of Prayer Honour Benefit Pleasantness Carnality one reason of its seeming otherwise Want of use another To ask nothing unlawful To ask in Faith In humility With attention Helps against wandring Consideration of Gods Majesty Our needs Prayer for Gods aid Watchfulness With Zeal With purity To right ends Bodily Worship REPENTANCE A turning from sin to God Times for this Duty Daily At set times In the time of affliction At death The danger of deferring it till then The disadvantages of a death bed repentance The custom of sin Bodily pains Danger of unsincerity Fasting Fasting a revenge upon ourselvs Such revenges acceptable with God Yet no satisfaction for sins Times of fasting Second Branch of our Duty to God Inward Idolatry Duty to our SELVES Humility The great sin of Pride The danger Drawing into other sins Frustrating of remedies Betraying to punishment The Folly In respect of the goods of Nature The goods â—â— Fortune The goods of grace Means of Humility Vain glory The sin The danger The Folly Helps against vain-glory MEEKNES Advantages fit Means of obtaining it CONSIDERATION Of our State The Rule by which to try our State The danger of Inconsideration Our Actions Before we do them After they are done â—requency of â—onsideraâ—â—â—n Danger of omitting it CONTENTEDNES â—ontrary to â—â—rmuring To Ambition To Covetousness Covetousness contrary to our duty to God To our Selves To our neighbours Contentedness contrary to envy Helps to conâ—edness DILIGENCE Watchfulness against sin Industry in improving gifts Of Nature Of Grace To improve good motions The danger of the contrary CHASTITY Uncleanness forbidden in the very lowest degrees The mischiefs of it To the Soul To the Body The Judgements of God a gainst it It shuts out from Heavâ— Helps to Chastity TEMPERANCE In Eating Ends of eating Preserving of life Of Health Rules of Temperance in Eating Means of it Temperance in Drinking False ends of drinking Good Fellowship Preserving of kindness Chearing the spirits Putting away cares Preventing reproach Pleasure of the drink Bargaining Degrees of this sin The great guilt of the strong drinkers The great mischiefs of this sin Exhortation to forsake it The difficulties of doing â—o considered Seeming â—â—â—essity of drink Want of imployment Perswasions and reproaches of men The means of resisting them Weigh the advantages with the hurt Reject the temptation at the very beginning The security of doing so The esficacy of these means if not hindred by love of the sin That love makes men loth to believe it dangerous Sleep The rule of Temperance therein The many Sins that follow the transgression of it Other mischiefs of sloth Temperance in Recreation Cautions to be observed in them Unlue End of Sports Temperance in Apparel Apparel designed for covering of shame Fencing from cold Distinction of persons Too much sparing a â—ault as well as excess DUTY to our NEIGHBOUR JUSTICE Negative To the Soul In the natural sence In the spiritual Drawing to in the greatest injury Direct means of it Indirect Men sadly to consider whom they have thus injured Heartily to bewail it Endeavour to repair it Negative justice to the body In respect of the life Several wayes of being guilty of murder The hainousness of the sin The great punishments attending it The strange discoveries of it We must watch diligently against all approaches of this sin Maiming a great injury That which every man dreads for himself Yet worse if the man be poor Necessity of making what satisfaction we can Wounds and stripes injuries also This cruelty to others the effect of pride His Possession His Wife The enticing a mans wife the greatest injustice To the woman To the man The most irreparable His goods Malicious injustice Covetous injustice Oppression Gods vengeance against it Theft Not paying what we borrow What we are bound for What we have promised Stealing the goods of our neighbour Deceit In Trust. In Traffick The sellers concealing the faults of his ware His over-rating it Fraud in the Buyer Many temptations to deceit in Traffick The commonness of injustice a reproach to Christianity It is not the way to enrich a man It ruines the Soul eternally The necessity of Restitution His credit False witnes Publick slanders Whispering Several steps toward this sin Despising and scoffing For infirmities For calamities For sins Destroying the credit a great injury And irrepairable Yet every guilty person must do all he can to repair the injury Justice in the thoughts Positive Justice Speaking Truth a due to all men Lying expresly forbidden in Scripture The great commonness and folly of this sin Courteous behaviour a due to all men Not payed by the proud man Meekness a due to all men Brauling very insufferable It leads to that great sin of cursing Particular dues A respect due to men of extraordinary gifts We are not to envy them Nor detract from them The folly of both those sins A respect due to men in regard of their ranks and qualities Dues to those that are in any sort of want To the poor God withdraws those abilities which are not thus imployed Duties inspect of relation Gratitude to Benefactors The contrary too common Duty to Parents Duties to the Supream Magistrate Honour Tribute Prayers for them Obedience Duties to our Pastors Love Esteem Maintenance Obedience Prayers for them Duties to our natural Parents Reverence Love Obedience Especially in their Marriage Ministring to their wants Duty to be paid even to the worst of Parents Duty of Parents to Children To nourish them Bring them to Baptism Educate them Means towards the education of children The parent to watch over their souls even when they are grown up To provide for their subsistence To give them good example To bless them To give no unreasonable commands Dues to Brethren Natural The necessity of Love among Brethren Spiritual brotherhood Our duty to hold communion with these brethren To bear with their infirmities To restore them after falls To sympathize with them The wife owes to the husband obedience Fideâ—ty Love The faults of the husband acquits not from these duties The Husband owes â—o the Wife love Faithfulness Maintenance Instruction Husbands and Wives mutually to pray for and â—ssist each â—ther in all good The vertue of the person the chief consideration in Marriage Unlawful Marriages Friendship Its duties Faithfulness Assistance Admonition Prayer Constancy Servants owe to their Masters obedience Fidelity Submission to rebuke Diligence Masters owe to their Servants Justice Admonition Good example Means of Instruction Moderation in Command Encouragement in well doing Charity In the Affections To mens Souls To their Bodies Goods and Credit Effects of this Charity It casts ouâ— Envy Pride ensoriousss Dissembling Self-seeking Revenge This charity io be extended even to enemies Motives thereunto Command of Christ. Example of God The disproportion between our ofâ—ences against God and mens against us Pleasantness of this Duty â—f we forâ—ive not â—od will â—ot forgive â—s Gratitude â—o God â—e first â—ng of â—ncour to supprest Charity in the Actions Towards the mind of our Neighbour His Soul Charity in respect of the Body Charity in respect of the Goods Towards the rich Towards the Poor Motives of Alms giving Manner of Alms-giving Cheerfully The fear of â—mpoverish â—ng our â—lves by it â—ain and â—pious Give seasonably Prudently Charity in respect of the Credit The acts of Charity in some respects acts of Justice also The great rule of Charity Peace making He that undertake it must be peaceable himself Of going to Law This charity of the actions must reach to enemies Self-love an hindrance to this Charity Prayer â— means to procure it Christian duties both possible and pleasant Even when they expose us to outward sufferings The danger of delaying our turning to God Sunday I. Sunday II. Sunday III. Sunday IV. Sunday V. Sunday VI. Sunday VII â—unday VIII â—unday IX â—unday X. Sunday XI Sunday XII Sunday XIII Sunday XIV Sunday XV. Sunday XVI Sunday XVII
Would you not think it pitty a pardon should be cast away upon so wretchless a creature And sure it will be as unreasonable to expect that God should attend and grant those suits of ours which we do not at all consider our selves 20. This wandring in Prayer is a thing we are much concerned to arm our selves against it being that to which we are naturally wonderful prone To that end it will be necessary first to possess our hearts at our coming to Prayers with the greatness of that Majesty we are to approach that so we may dread to be vain and trifling in his presence Secondly We are to consider the great concernment of the things we are to ask some whereof are such that if we should not be heard we were of all creatures the most miserable and yet this wandring is the way to keep us from being heard Thirdly We are to beg Gods aid in this particular And therefore when thou settest to Prayer let thy first petition be for this grace of attention 21. Lastly Be as watchful as is possible over thy heart in time of prayer to keep out all wandring thoughts or if any have gotten in let them not find entertainment but as soon as ever thou discernest them suffer them not to abide one moment but cast them out with indignation and beg Gods pardon for them And if th ou dost thus sincerely and diligently strive against them either God will enable thee in some measure to overcome or he will in his mercy pardon thee what thou canst not prevent But if it be through thy own negligence thou art to expect neither so long as that negligence continues 22. In the fourth place we must look our Prayers be with Zeal and Earnestness it is not enough that we so far attend them as barely to know what it is we say but we must put forth all the affection and devotion of our souls and that according to the several parts of prayer before mentioned It is not the cold faint request that will ever obtain from God We see it will not from our selves for if a beggar should ask relief from us and do it in such a scornful manner that he seemed indifferent whether he had it or no we should think he had either little want or great pride and so have no heart to give him Now surely the things we ask from God are so much above the rate of an ordinary Alms that we can never expect they should be given to slight and heartless petitions No more in like manner will our Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving ever be accepted by him if it be not offered from a heart truly affected with the sense of his mercies it 's but a kind of formal complementing which will never be approved by him who requires the heart and not the lips only And the like may be said of all the other parts of Prayer Therefore be careful when thou drawest nigh to God in Prayer to raise up thy soul to the highest pitch of zeal and earnestness thou art able And because of thy self alone thou art not able to do any thing beseech God that he will inflame thy heart with this heavenly fire of Devotion and when thou hast obtained it beware that thou neither quench it by any wilful sin nor let it go out again for want of stirring it up and imploying it 23. Fifthly We must Pray with Purity I mean we must purge our hearts from all affections to sin This is surely the meaning of the Apostle 1 Tim. 2. 8. when he commands men to lift up holy hands in Prayer and he there instances in one special sort of sin wrath and doubting where by doubting is meant those unkind disputes and contentions which are so common amongst men And surely he that cherishes that or any other sin in his heart can never lift up those holy hands which are required in this duty And then sure his prayers be they never so many or earnest will little avail him The Psalmist will tell him he shall not be heard Psal. 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me Nay Solomon will tell him yet worse that his prayers are not onely vain but abominable Prov. 15. 8. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. And thus to have our prayers turned into sin is one of the heaviest things can befal any man we see it is set down in that sad Catalogue of curses Psal. 109. 7. Therefore let us not be so cruel to our selves as to pull it upon our own heads which we certainly do if we offer up prayers from an impure heart 24. In the last place we must direct our prayers to right ends And that either in respect of the prayer it self or the things we pray for First we must pray not to gain the praise of devotion amongst men like those hypocrites Mat. 6. 5. Nor yet onely for company or fashion sake to do as others do But we must do it first as an act of worship to God secondly as an acknowledgment that he is that great spring from whence alone we expect all good things And thirdly to gain a supply of our own or others needs Then in respect of the Things prayed for we must be sure to have no ill aimes upon them we must not ask that we may consume it upon our lusts Jam. 4. 3. as those do who pray for wealth that they may live in riot and excess and for power that they may be able to mischief their enemies and the like But our end in all must be Gods glory first and next that our own and others Salvation and all other things must be taken in onely as they tend to those which they can never do if we abuse them to sin I have now done with that first part of worship that of the Soul 25. The other is that of the Body and that is nothing else but such humble and reverent gestures in our approaches to God as may both express the inward reverence of our Souls and may also pay him some tribute from our very Bodies with which the Apostle commands us to glorisie God as well as with our souls and good reason since he hath created and redeemed the one as well as the other whensoever therefore thou offerest thy prayers unto God let it be with all lowliness as well of body as of mind according to that of the Psalmist Psal. 95. 6. O come let us worship let us fall down and kneel before the Lord our maker 26. The Ninth DUTY to God is REPENTANCE That this is a duty to God we are taught by the Apostle Act. 20. 21. where speaking of repentance he stiles it repentance towards God And there is good reason this should be a duty to him since there is no sin we commit but is either mediately or immediately against him
I might enlarge much upon this but because some severals of it have been toucht on in the former discourse I suppose it needless And therefore shall now proceed to the second head of DUTY that to our SELVES PARTITION VI. Of DUTIES to our SELVES Of Sobriety Of Humility the great Sin of PRIDE the Danger the Folly of this Of VAIN-GLORY the Danger Folly the Means to Prevent it Of MEEKNES the Means to obtain it c. § 1. THIS DUTY to our SELVES is by S. Paul in the forementioned Text Titus 2. 12. summed up in this one word Soberly Now by Soberly is meant our keeping within those due bounds which God hath set us My business will therefore be to tell you what are the particulars of this Sobriety And that first in respect of the soul secondly in respect of the body The sobriety of the soul stands in right governing its passions and affections and to that are many Virtues required I shall give you the particulars of them 2. The first of them is Humility which may well have the prime place not only in respect of the excellency of the virtue but also of its usefulness towards the obtaining of all the rest This being the foundation on which all others must be built And he that hopes to gain them without this will prove but like that foolish builder Christ speaks of Luke 6. 49. who built his house on the sand Of the Humility towards God I have already spoken and shewed the necessity of it I am now to speak of Humility as it concernes our selves which will be found no lessnecessary then the former 3. This Humility is of two sorts the first is the having a mean and low opinion of our selves the second is the being content that others should have so of us The first of these is contrary to pride the other to vain-glory And that both these are absolutely necessary to Christians I am now to shew you which will I conceive best be done by laying before you first the sin secondly the danger thirdly the contrary vices 4. And first for Pride the sin of it is so great that it cast the Angels out of heaven and therefore if we may judge of sin by the punishment it was not onely the first but the greatest sin that ever the Devil himself hath been guilty of But we need no better proof of the hainousness of it then the extream hatefulness of it to God which besides that instance of his punishing the Devil we may frequently finde in the Scriptures Prov. 16. 5. Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. And again Chap. 6. 16. where there is mention of several things the Lord hates a proud look is set as the first of them So Jam. 4. 7. God resisteth the proud and divers other texts there are to the same purpose which shew the great hatred God bears to this sin of Pride Now since it is certain God who is all goodness hates nothing but as it is evil it must needs follow that where God hates in so great a degree there must be a great degree of evil 5. But secondly PRIDE is not only very sinful but very dangerous and that first in respect of drawing us to other sins secondly of betraying us to punishments First Pride draws us to other sins wherein it shews it self indeed to be the direct contrary to humility for as that is the root of all Vertue so is this of all Vice For he that is proud sets himself up as his own God and so can never submit himself to any other rules or Laws then what he makes to himself The ungodly saies the Psalmist is so proud that he careth not for God Psal. 10. 4. Where you see it is his pride that makes him despise God And when a man is once come to that he is prepared for the commission of all sins I might instance in a multitude of particular sins that naturally flow from this of pride as first Anger which the wise man sets as the effect of pride Pro. 21. 24. calling it proud wrath secondly strife and contention which he again notes to be the off spring of pride Prov. 13. 10. Only by pride cometh contention And both these are indeed most natural effects of pride For he that thinks very highly of himself expects much submission and observance from others and therefore cannot but rage and quarrel whenever he thinks it not sufficiently paid It would be infinite to mention all the fruits of this bitter root I shall name but one more and that is that pride not onely betrayes us to many sins but also makes them incurable in us for it hinders the working of all remedies 6. Those remedies must either come from God or man if from God they must be either in the way of meekness and gentleness or else of sharpness and punishment Now if God by his goodness essay to lead a provd man to repentance he quite mistakes Gods meaning and thinks all the mercies he receives are but the reward of his own desert and so long 't is sure he will never think he needs repentance But if on the other side God use him more sharply and lay afflictions and punishments upon him those in a proud heart work nothing but murmurings and hatings of God as if he did him injury in those punishments As for the remedies that can be used by man they again must be either by way of correction or exhortation corrections from man will sure never work more on a proud heart then those from God for he that can think God unjust in them will much rather believe it of man And exhortations will do as little For let a proud man be admonished though never so mildly and lovingly he looks on it as a disgrace And therefore in stead of confessing or amending the fault he falls to reproaching his reprover as an over-busie or censorious person and for that greatest and most precious act of kindness looks on him as his enemy And now one that thus stubbornly resists all means of cure must be concluded in a most dangerous estate 7. But besides this danger of sin I told you there was another that of punishment and of this there will need little proof when it is considered that God is the proud mans profest enemy that he hates and resists him as appeared in the Texts forecited And then there can be little doubt that he which hath so mighty an adversary shall be sure to smart for it Yet besides this general ground of conclusion it may not be amiss to mention some of those texts which particularly threaten this sin as Prov. 16. 18. Pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall Again Prov. 16 5. Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord though hand joyn in hand yet they shall not be unpunished The decrâ—e it seems is
immediatly with the remembrance of some of thy follies or sins and so make this very motion of pride an occasion of humility Thirdly Never to compare thy self with those thou thinkest more foolish or wicked then thy self that so thou mayest like the Pharisâ—e Luk. 16. 11. extol thy self for being better but if thou wilt compare do it with the Wise and Godly and then thou wilt finde thou comest so far short as may help to pull down thy high esteem of thy self Lastly To be very earnest in Prayer that God would root out all degrees of this sin in thee and make thee one of those poor in Spirit Mat. 5. 3. to whom the blessing even of Heaven it self is promised 13. The second contrary to humility I told you was vain glory That is a great thirst after the praise of men And first that this is a sin I need prove no otherwise then by the words of our Saviour John 5. 44. How can ye believe that receive honour one of another Where it appears that it is not onely a sin but such a one as hinders the receiving of Christ into the heart for so believing there signifies This then in the second place shews you likewise the great dangerousness of this sin for if it be that which keeps Christ out of the heart it is sure it brings infinite danger since all our safety all our hope of escaping the wrath to come stands in receiving him But besides the authórity of this text common experience shews that where ever this sin hath possession it endangers men to fall into any other For he that so considers the praise of men that he must at no hand part with it when ever the greatest sins come to be in fashion and credit as God knows many are now adays he will be sure to commit them rather then run the disgrace of being too single and precise I doubt there are many consciences can witness the truth of this so that I need say no more to prove the danger of this sin 14. The third thing I am to shew is the folly of it and that will appear first by considering what it is we thus hunt after nothing but a little air a blast the breath of men it brings us in nothing of real advantage for I am made never the wiser nor the better for a mans saying I am wise and good Besides if I am commended it must be either before my face or behind my back if the former it is very often flattery and so the greatest abuse that can be offered and then I must be very much a fool to be pleased with it But if it be behind my back I have not then so much as the pleasure of knowing it and therefore it is a strange folly thus to pursue what is so utterly gainless But secondly it is not only gainless but painful and uneasie also He that eagerly seeks praise is not at all master of himself but must suit all his actions to that end and in stead of doing what his own reason and conscience nay perhaps his worldly conveniency directs him to he must take care to do what will bring him in commendations and so enslaves himself to every one that hath but a tongue to commend him Nay there is yet a further uneasiness in it and that is when such a man fails of his aym when he misses the praise and perhaps meets with the contrary reproach which is no mans lot more often then the vain-glorious nothing making a man more despised then what disturbances and disquiets and even tortures of minde he is under A lively instance of this you have in Achitophel 2 Samuel 17. 23. who had so much of this upon Absaloms despising his counsel that he chose to rid himself of it by hanging himself And sure this painfulness that thus attends this sin is sufficient proof of the folly of it Yet this is not all it is yet further very hurtful For if this vain glory be concerning any good or Christian action it destroys all the fruit of it he that prays or gives alms to be seen of men Matth. 6. 2. must take that as his reward Verily I say unto you they have their reward they must expect none from God but the portion of those Hypocrites that love the praise of men more then the praise of God And this is a miserable folly to make such an exchange It is like the Dog in the Fable who seeing in the water the shadow of that meat he held in his mouth catcht at the shadow so let go his meat Such dogs such unreasonable creatures are we when we thus let go the eternal rewards of Heaven to catch at a few good words of men And yet we do not only lose those eternal joyes but procure to our selves the contrary eternal miseries which is sure the highest pitch of folly and madness But if the vain glory be not concerning any vertuous action but only some indifferent thing yet even there also it is very hurtful for vain glory is a sin that wheresoever it is placed endangers our eternal estate which is the greatest of all mischiefs And even for the present it is observable that of all other sins it stands the most in its own light hinders it self of that very thing it pursues For there are very few that thus hunt after praise but they are discerned to do so and that is sure to eclipse whatever praise-worthy thing they do and brings scorn upon them in stead of reputation And then certainly we may justly condemn this sin of folly which is so ill a manager even of its own design 15. You have seen how wretched a thing this vain glory is in these several respects the serious consideration whereof may be one good means to subdue it to which it will be necessary to adde first a great watchfulness over thy self observe narrowly whether in any Christian duty thou at all considerest the praise of men or even in the most indifferent action look whether thou have not too eager a desire of it and if thou findest thy self inclined that way have a very strict eye upon it and where ever thou findest it stirring check and resist it suffer it not to be the end of thy actions But in all matters of Religion let thy Duty be the Motive in all indifferent things of common life let Reason direct thee and though thou mayest so far consider in those things the opinion of men as to observe the rules of common decency yet never think any praise that comes in to thee from any thing of that kinde worth the contriving for Secondly set up to thy self another aime viz. that of pleasing God let that be thy enquiry when thou goest about any thing whether it be approved by him and then thou wilt not be at leisure to consider what praise it will bring thee from men And surely he that weighs
to rejoyce in thine own portion Fourthly Consider how far thou art from deserving any good thing from God and then thou canst not but with Jacob Gen 32. 10. confess that thou art not worthy of the least of those mercies thou enjoyest and in stead of murmuring that they are no more wilt see reason to admire and praise the bounty of God that they are so many Fifthly be often thinking of the joyes laid up for thee in Heaven look upon that as thy home on this world only as an Inne where thou art fain to take up in thy passage and then as a Traveller expects not the same conveniences at an Inne that he hath at home so thou hast reason to be content with what ever entertainment thou findst here knowing thou art upon thy journey to a place of infinite happiness which will make an abundant amends for all the uneasiness and hardship thou canst suffer in the way Lastly Pray to God from whom all good things do come that he will to all his other blessings adde this of a contented minde without which thou canst have no taste or relish of any other 10. A fifth Duty is DILIGENCE This is made up of two parts watchfulness and industry and both these we owe to our Souls 11. First Watchfulness in observing all the dangers that threaten them Now since nothing can endanger our Souls but sin this watchfulness is principally to be imployed against that And as in a besieged City where there is any weak part there it is necessary to keep the strongest guard so it is here whereever thou findest thy inclinations such as are most likely to betray thee to sin there it concernes thee to be especially watchful Observe therefore carefully to what sins either thy natural temper thy company or thy course of life do particularly incline thee and watch thy self very narrowly in those Yet do not so lay out all thy care on those as to leave thy self open to any other for that may give Satan as much advantage on the other side but let thy watch be general against all sin though in a special manner against those which are like oftenest to assault thee 12. The second part of diligence is industry or labour and this also we owe to our Souls for without it they will as little prosper as that vineyard of the sluggard which Solomon describes Prov. 24. 30. For there is a husbandry of the Soul as well as of the estate and the end of the one as of the other is the increasing and improving of its riches Now the riches of the Soul are either Natural or Divine By the natural I mean its faculties of reason wit memory and the like by the Divine I mean the graces of God which are not the Souls natural portion but are given immediately by God and both these we are to take care to improve they being both talents intrusted to us for that purpose 13. The way of improving the natural is by imploying them so as may bring in most honour to God we must not let them lye idle by us through sloth neither must we overwhelm them with intemperance and bruitish pleasures which is the case of too many but we must employ them and set them on work But then we must be sure it be not in the Devils service like many who set their wit only to the profaning of God or cheating their neighbours and stuff their memories with such filthiness as should never once enter their thoughts our use of them must be such as may bring in most glory to God most benefit to our neighbours and may best fit us to make our accounts when God shall come to reckon with us for them 14. But the other part of the Soules riches is yet more precious that is grace and of this we must be especially careful to husband and improve it This is a duty expresly commanded us by the Apostle 2 Pet. 3. 18. Grow in grace And again in the first Chapter of that Epistle verse 5. Give all diligence to adde to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge c. Now the especial means of improving grace is by imploying it that is by doing those things for the enabling of us whereunto it was given us This is a sure means not only in respect of that easiness which a custome of any thing brings in the doing of it but principally as it hath the promise of God who hath promised Matth. 25. 29. That to him that hath that is hath made use of what he hath shall be given and he shall have abundance He that diligently and faithfully employs the first beginnings of grace shall yet have more and he that in like manner husbands that more shall yet have a greater degree so that what Solomon saith of temporal riches is also true of spiritual The hand of the diligent maketh rich 15. Therefore whenever thou findest any good motion in thy heart remember that is a season for this spiritual husbandry If thou have but a check of conscience against any sin thou livest in drive that on till it come to a hatred and then that hatred till it come to resolution then from that resolution proceed to some endeavours against it Do this faithfully and sincerely and thou shalt certainly finde the grace of God assisting thee not only in every of these steps but also enabling thee to advance still higher till thou come to some victory over it Yet to this industry thou must not fail to adde thy prayers also there being a promise that God will give the holy Spirit to them that ask it Matth. 7. 11. And therefore they that ask it not have no reason to expect it But it must be asked with such an earnestness as is some way answerable to the value of the thing which being infinitely more precious then all the world both in respect of his own worth and its usefulness to us we must beg it with much more zeal and earnestness then all temporal blessings or else we shew our selves despisers of it 16. Having directed you to the means of improving grace I shall to quicken you to it mention the great danger of the contrary And that is not as in other things the losing only those further degrees which our industry might have helped us to but it is the losing even of what we already have For from him that hath not that is again hath not made use of what he hath shall be taken away even that which he hath Matth. 25. 29. God will withdraw the grace which he sees so neglected as we see in that Parable the Talent was taken from him that had onely hid it in a Napkin and had brought in no gaine to his Lord. And this is a most sad punishment the greatest that can befal any man before he comes to Hell indeed it is some kind of foretaste of it it is the delivering
others as they do who will yeild nothing to be reason but what themselves speak nor any thing piety but what agrees with their own practice 25. Also we must not envy or grudge that they have those gifts for that is not only an injustice to them but injurious also to God who gave them as it is at large set forth in the parable of the labourers Mat. 20. where he asks them who grumbled at the masters bounty to others Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own is thine eye evil because mine is good This envying at Gods goodness to others is in effect a murmuring against God who thus disposes it neither can there be a greater and more direct opposition against him then for me to hate and wish ill to a man for no other reason but because God has loved and done well to him and then in respect of the man 't is the most unreasonable thing in the world to love him the less meerly because he has those good qualities for which I ought to love him more 26. Neither must we detract from the excellencies of others we must not seek to eclipse or darken them by denying either the kinds or degrees of them by that means to take off that esteem which is due to them This sin of detraction is generally the effect of the former of envy he that envies a mans worth will be apt to do all he can to lessen it in the opinions of others and to that purpose will either speak slightly of his excellencies or if they be so apparent that he knows not how to cloud them he will try if he can by reporting some either real or feigned infirmity of his take off from the value of the other and so by casting in some dead flies as the wise man speaks Eccles. 10. 1. Strive to corrupt the savour of the ointment this is a great injustice and directly contrary to that duty we owe of acknowledging and reverencing the gifts of God in our brethren 27. And both those sins of envy and detraction do usually prove as great follies as wickedness the envy constantly brings pain and torment to a mans self whereas if he could but cheerfully and gladly look on those good things of anothers he could never fail to be the better for them himself the very pleasure of seeing them would be some advantage to him but besides that those gifts of his brother may be many ways helpful to him his wisdom and learning may give him instruction his piety and vertue example c. but all this the envious man loseth and hath nothing in exchange for it but a continual fretting and gnawing of heart 28. And then for detraction that can hardly be so mannaged but it will be found out he that is still putting in Caveats against mens good thougâ—ts of others will quickly discover himself to do it out of envy and then that will be sure to lessen their esteem of himself but not of those he envies it being a sort of bearing testimony to those excellencies that he thinks them worth the envying 29. What hath been said of the value and respect due to those excellencies of the minde may in a lower degree be applyed to the outward advantages of honour greatness and the like These though they are not of equal value with the former and such for which no man is to prize himself yet in regard that these degrees and distinctions of men are by Gods wise providence disposed for the better ordering of the world there is such a civil respect due to those to whom God hath dispenc'd them as may best preserve that order for which they were intended Therefore all inferiours are to behave themselves to their superiours with modesty and respect and not by a rude boldness confound that order which it hath pleased God to set in the world but according as our Church-Catechism teaches order themselves lowly and reverently to all their betters And here the former caution against envy comes in most seasonably these outward advantages being things of which generally men have more taste then of the other and therefore will be more apt to envy and repine to see others exceed them therein to this therefore all the former considerations against envy will be very proper and the more necessary to be made use of by how much the temptation is in this case to most minds the greater 30. The second qualification is that of want whoever is in distress for any thing wherewith I can supply him that distress of his makes it a duty in me so to supply him and this in all kinds of wants Now the ground of its being a duty is that God hath given men abilities not only for their own use but for the advantage and benefit of others and therefore what is thus given for their use becomes a debt to them whenever their need requires it Thus he that is ignorant and wants knowledge is to be instructed by him that hath it and this is one special end why that knowledge is given him The tongue of the learned is given to speak a word in season Esay 50. 4. He that is in sadness and affliction is to be comforted by him that is himself in cheerfulness This we see Saint Paul makes it the end of Gods comforting him that he might be able to comfort them that are in any trouble 2 Cor. 1. 4. He that is in any course of sin and wants reprehension and counsel must have that want supplied to him by those who have such abilities and opportunities as may make it likely to do good That this is a justice we owe to our neighbour appears plainly by that text Levit. 19. 17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise reprove him and not suffer sin upon him where we are under the same obligation to reprove him that we are not to hate him He that lies under any slander or unjust defamation is to be defended and cleered by him that knows his innocence or else he makes himself guilty of the slander because he neglects to do that which may remove it and how great an injustice that of slandering our neighbour is I have already shewed 31. Lastly he that is in poverty and need must be relieved by him that is in plenty and he is bound to it not only in charity but even in justice Solomon calls it a due Prov. 3. 27. Withhold not good from him to whom it is due when it is in the power of thine hand to do it and what that good is he explains in the very next verse Say not to thy neighbour go and come again and to morrow I will give when thou hast it by thee It seems 't is the withholding a due so much as to defer giving to our poor neighbour And we finde God did among the Jews separate a certain
portion of every mans increase to the use of the poor a tenth every third year which is all one with a thirtieth part every year Deut. 14. 28. 29. And this was to be paid not as a charity or liberality but as a debt they were unjust if they withheld it And surely we have no reason to think that Christian justice is sunk so much below the Jewish that either nothing at all or a less proportion is now required of us I wish our practise were but at all answerable to our obligation in this point and then surely we should not see so many Lazarus's lie unrelieved at our doors they having a better right to our superfluities then we our selves have and then what is it but arrant robbery to bestow that upon our vanities nay our sins which should be their portion 32. In all the foregoing cases he that hath ability is to look upon himself as Gods steward who hath put it into his hands to distribute to them that want and therefore not to do it is the same injustice and fraud that it would be in any steward to purse up that money for his private benefit which was intrusted to him for the maintainance of the family and he that shall do thus hath just reason to expect the doom of the unjust steward Luke 16. to be put out of the stewardship to have those abilities taken from him which he hath so unfaithfully imployed And as for all the rest so particularly for that of wealth 't is very commonly to be observed that it is withdrawn from those that thus defraud the poor of their parts the griping miser coming often by strange undiscernable wayes to poverty and no wonder he having no title to Gods blessing on his heap who does not consecrate a part to him in his poor members And therefore we see the Israelites before they could make that challenge of Gods promise to bless them Deut. 26. 15. Look down from thy holy habitation and bless thy people Israel c. they were first to pay the poor mans tithes ver 12. without which they could lay no claim to it This withholding more then is meet as Solomon sayes Prov. 11. 24. tends to poverty and therefore as thou wouldst play the good husband for thy self be careful to perform this justice according to thy ability to all that are in want 33. The third qualification is that of Relation and of that there may be divers sorts arising from divers grounds and duties answerable to each of them There is first a relation of a Debter to a Creditor and he that stands in that relation to any whether by vertue of bargain loan or promise 't is his duty to pay justly what he owes if he be able as on the otherside if he be not 't is the Creditors to deal charitably and Christianly with him and not to exact of him beyond his ability But I need not insist on this having already by shewing you the sin of withholding debts informed you of this duty 34. There is also a relation of an obliged person to his Benefactor that is one that hath done him good of what kind soever whether spiritual or corporal and the duty of that person is first thankfulness that is a ready and hearty acknowledgement of the courtesie received secondly prayer for Gods blessings and rewards upon him and thirdly an endeavour as opportunity and ability serves to make returns of kindness by doing good turns back again This duty of gratitude to Benefactors is so generally acknowledged by all even the most barbarous and savagest of men that he must have put off much of his humane nature that refuses to perform it The very Publicans and sinners as our Saviour sayes do good to those â—â—a do good to them 35. Yet how many of us fail even in this how frequent is it to see men not only neglect to repay curtesies but return injuries in stead of them it is too observable in many particulars but in none more then in the case of advice and admonition which is of all others the most precious part of kindness the reallest good turn that can be done from one man to another And therefore those that do this to us should be lookt on as our prime and Greatest Benefactors But alas how few are there that can finde gratitude shall I say nay patience for such a courtesie Go about to admonish a man of a fault or tell him of an Errour he presently looks on you as his enemy you are as S. Paul tells the Galatians Chap. 4. 16. become his enemy because you tell him the truth such a pride there is in mens hearts that they must not be told of any thing amiss though it be with no other intent but that they may amend it A strange madness this is the same that it would be in a sick man to fly in the face of him that comes to cure him on a fancy that he disparaged him in supposing him sick so that we may well say with the Wise man Prov. 12. 1. He that hateth reproof is bruitish There cannot be in the world a more unhappy temper for it fortifies a man in his sins raises such Mounts and Bulwarks about them that no man can come to assault them and if we may believe Solomon destruction will not fail to attend it Prov. 29. 1. He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy But then again in respect of the admonisher 't is the greatest injustice I may say cruelty that can be he comes in tenderness and compassion to rescue thee from danger and to that purpose puts himself upon a very uneasie task for such the general impatience men have to admonition hath now made it and what a defeat what a grief is it to him to find that in stead of reforming the first fault thou art run into a second to wit that of causless displeasure against him This is one of the worst and yet I doubt the commonest sort of unthankfulness to Benefactors and so a great failing in that duty we owe to that sort of relation But perhaps these will be look't on as remote relations yet 't is sure they are such as challenge all that duty I have assigned to them I shall in the next place proceed to those relations which are by all acknowledged to be of the greatest neerness PARTITION XIV Of Duty to Parents Magistrates Pastors Of the Duty of Parents to Children c. § 1. THE first of those neerer sorts of relations is that of a Parent And here it will be necessary to consider the several sorts of Parents according to which the duty of them is to be measured Those are these three the Civil the Spiritual the Natural 2. The Civil Parent is he whom God hath establisht the Supream Magistrate who by a just right possesses the Throne in a Nation This
to the counsel of their parents But the youth of our Age set up for wisdom the quite contrary way and think they then become wits when they are advanced to the despising the counsel yea mocking the persons of their parents Let such if they will not practice the exhortations yet remember the threatning of the wise man Pro. 30. 17. The eye that mocketh his father and despiseth to obey his mother the ravens of the valley shall pick it out and the young Eagles shall eat it A second duty to them is love we are to bear them a real kindness such as may make us heartily desirous of all manner of good to them and abhor to do any thing that may grieve or disquiet them This will appear but common gratitude when 't is remembred what our parents have done for us how they were not only the instruments of first bringing us into the world but also of susteining and supporting us after and certainly they that rightly weigh the cares and fears that go to the bringing up of a child will judge the love of that childe to be but a moderate return for them This love is to be exprest several ways fiâ—st in all kindness of behaviour carrying our selves not only with an awe and respect but with kindness and affection and thâ—refore most gladly and readily doing those things which may bring joy and comfort to them and carefully avoiding whatever may grieve and afflict them Secondly this love is to be exprest in praying for them The debt a childe owes to a parent is so great that he can never hope himself to discharge it he is therefore to call in Gods aid to beg of him that he will reward all the good his parents have done for him by multiplying his blessings upon them what shall we then say to those children that in stead of calling to heaven for blessings on their parents ransack hell for curses on them and powre out the blackest execrations against them This is a thing so horrid that one would think there needed no perswasion against it because none could be so vile as to fall into it but we see God himself who best knows mens hearts saw it possible and therefore laid the heaviest punishment upon it He that curseth father or mother let him die the death Exod 21. 17 And alas our dâ—yly experience tells us 't is not only possible but common even this of uttering curses But 't is to be fâ—ared there is another yet more common that is the wishing cuâ—ses thâ—ugh fear or shame keep them from speaking out How many children are there that either through impatience of the Government or greediness of the possessions of the Parents have wisht their deaths But whoever doth so let him remember that how slâ—ly and fairly soever he carry it before men there is one that sees those secretest wishes of his heart and in his sight he assuredly passes for this hainous offender a curser of his Parents And then let it be considered that God hath as well the power of punishing as of seeing and therfore since he hath pronounced death to be the reward of that sin 't is not unreasonable to expect he may himself inflict it that they who watch for the death of their Parents may untimely meet with their own The fifth Commandment promiseth long life as the reward of honouring the Parent to which 't is very agreeable that untimely death be the punishment of the contrary and sure there is nothing more highly contrary to that duty then this we are now speaking of the cursing our Parents 14. The third duty we owe to them is Obedience This is not onely contained in the fifth Commandment but expresly injoyned in other places of Scripture Ephes. 6. 1. Children obey your Parents in the Lord for this is right and again Col. 3. 20. Children obey your Parents in all things for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. We owe them an obedience in all things unless where their commands are contrary to the commands of God for in that case our duty to God must be preferred and therefore if any Parent shall be so wicked as to require his childe to steal to lie or to do any unlawful thing the childe then offends not against his duty though he disobey that command nay he must disobey or else he offends against a higher duty even that he owes to God his Heavenly Father Yet when 't is thus necessary to refuse obedience he should take care to do it in such a modest and respectful manner that it may appear 't is conscience onely and not stubbornness moves him to it But in case of all lawful commands that is when the thing commanded is either good or not evil when it hath nothing in it contrary to our duty to God there the childe is bound to obey be the command in a weightier or lighter matter How little this duty is regarded is too manifest every where in the world where Parents generally have their children no longer under command then they are under the rod when they are once grown up they think themselves free from all obedience to them or if some do continue to pay it yet let the motive of it be examined and 't will in too many be found only Worldly Prudence They fear to displease their Parents least they should shorten their hand toward them and so they shall lose somewhat by it but how few are there that obey purely upon conscience of duty This Sin of Disobedience to Parents was by the Law of Moses punishable with death as you may read Deut. 21. 18. but if Parents now a dayes should proceed so with their children many might soon make themselves childless 15. But of all the acts of disobedience that of marrying against the consent of the Parent is one of the highest Children are so much the goods the Possessions of the Parent that they cannot without a kind of theft give away themselves without the allowance of those that have the right in them and therefore we see under the Law the Maid that had made any vow was not suffered to perform it without the Consent of the Parent Numb 30. 5. the right of the Parent was thought of force enough to cancel and make void the Obligation even of a vow and therefore surely it ought to be so much considered by us as to keep us from making any such whereby that right is infringed 16. A fourth duty to the Parent is to assist and minister to them in all their wants of what kind soever whether weakness and sickness of body decayedness of understanding or poverty and lowness in estate in all these the child is bound according to his ability to relieve and assist them for the two former weakness of body and infirmity of minde none can doubt of the duty when they remember how every child did in his infancy receive the very same benefit from the
Parent the child had then no strength to support no understanding to guide it self the care of the Parents was fain to supply both these to it and therefore in common gratitude whenever either of these becomes the Parents case as sometimes by great age or some accident both do the childe is to perform the same offices back again to them As for that of Relieving their poverty there is the very same Obligation to that with the former it being but just to sustain thy Parent who has formerly sustained thee but besides this Christ himself teaches us that this is contained within the precept of honouring their Parents for when Mar. 7. 13. he accuses the Pharisees of rejecting the Commandement of God to cleave to their own traditions he instances in this particular concerning the relieving of Parents whereby 't is manifest that this is a part of that duty which is injoyned in the fifth Commandement as you may see at large in the Text and such a duty it is that no pretence can absolve or acquit us of it How then shall those answer it that deny relief to their poor Parents that cannot part with their own excesses and superfluities which are indeed their sins to satisfie the necessities of those to whom they owe their being Na some there are yet worse who out of pride scorn to own their parents in their poverty Thus it often happens when the Child is advanced to dignity or wealth they think it a disparagement to them to look on their Parents that remain in a low condition it being the betraying as they think to the world the meanness of their birth and so the poor Parent fares the worse for the prosperity of his child This is such a pride and unnaturalness together as will surely finde a sharp vengeance from God for if Solomon observe of Pride alone that it is the fore-runner of destruction Prov. 16. 18. we may much rather conclude so of it when it is thus accompanied 17. To this that hath been said of the duty of Children to their Parents I shall adde only this That no unkindness no fault of the Parent can acquit the childe of this duty but as S. Peter tells servants 1 Peter 2. 18. that they must be subject not onely to the good and gentle Masters but also to the froward so certainly it belongs to children to perform duty not only to the kinde and vertuous but even to the harshest and wicked'st Parent For though the gratitude due to a kinde Parent be a very forcible motive to make the child pay his duty yet that is not the only nor chiefest ground of it That is laid in the Command of God who requires us thus to honour our Parents and therefore though we should suppose a Parent so unnatural as never to have done any thing to oblige the childe which can hardly be imagined yet still the Command of God continues in force and we are in conscience of that to perform that duty to our Parents thouâ—h none of the other tye of gratitude should lye on us But as this is due from the childe to the Parents so on the other side there are other things also due from the Parents to the Childe and that throughout the several states and Ages of it 18. First There is the care of nourishing and sustaining it which begins from the very birth and continues a duty from the Parent till the child be able to perform it to himself This is a duty which nature teaches even the savage beasts have a great care and tendernesse in nourishing their young and therefore may serve to reproach and condemn all Parents who shall be so unnatural as to neglect this I shall not here enter into the question Whether the Mother be obliged to give the Childe its first nourishment by giving it Suck her self because 't will not be possible to affirm universally in the Case there being many circumstances which may alter it and make it not only lawful but best not to do it all I shall say is that where no impediment of sickness weakness or the like does happen 't is surely best for the Mother her self to perform this office there being many advantages to the childe by it which a good Mother ought so far to consider as not to sell them to her own sloth or niceness or any such unworthy motive for where such only are the grounds of â—oâ—bearing it they will never be able to justifie the omission they being themselves unjustifiable But besides this first care which belongs to the body of the childe there is another which should begin near as early which belongs to their Souls and that is the bringing them to the Sacrament of Baptism thereby to procure them an early right to all those precious advantages which that Sacrament conveyes to them This is a duty the Parents ought not to delay it being most reasonable that they who have been instruments to convey the stain and pollution of sin to the poor Infant should be very earnest and industrious to have it washt off as soon as may be Besides the life of so tender a creature is but a blast and many times gone in a moment and though we are not to despair of Gods mercy to those poor children who dye without Baptism yet surely those Parents commit a great fault by whose neglect it is that they want it 19. Secondly The Parents must provide for the education of the childe they must as Solomon speaks Proverbs 22. 6. Train up the childe in the way he should go As soon therefore as children come to the use of reason they are to be instructed and that first in those things which concern their eternal well-being they are by little and little to be taught all those things which God hath commanded them as their duty to perform as also what glorious rewards he hath provided for them if they do it and what grievous and eternal punishments if they do it not These things ought as early as is possible to be instilled into the minds of children which like new vessels do usually keep the favour of that which is first put into them and therefore it neerly concerns all Parents to look they be at first thus seasoned with Vertue and Religion 'T is sure if this be neglected there is one ready at hand to fill them with the contrary the Devil will be diligent enough to instil into them all wickedness and vice even from their cradles and there being also in all our natures so much the greater aptness to evil then to good there is need of great care and watchfulness to prevent those endeavours of that enemy of Souls which can no way be but by possessing them at first with good things breeding in them a love to vertue and a hatred of vice that so when the temptations come they may be armed against them This surely is above all things the duty
any other spiritual duty appear so to us we may learn the reason from the Apostle 1 Cor. 2. 14. The carnal man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him 't is the carnality and fleshliness of our hearts that makes it seem so and therefore in stead of disputing against the duty let us purge our hearts of that and then we shall find that true which the spirituall Wisdom affirms of her Doctrines Prov. 8. 9. They are all plain to him that understandeth and right to them that find knowledg Nay this loving of enemies is not only a reasonable but a pleasant duty and that I propose as a fourth consideration there is a great deal of sweetness and delight to be found in it of this I confess none can so well judge as those that have practised it the nature even of earthly pleasures being such that 't is the injoyment only that can make a man truly know them No man can so describe the taste of any delicious thing to another as that by it he shal know the relish of it he must first actually taste of it and sure 't is more so in spiritual pleasures and therefore he that would fully know the sweetness and pleasantness of this duty let him set to the practise and then his own experience will be the best informer But in the mean time how very unjust yea and foolish is it to pronounce ill of it before tryal for men to say this is irksome and intolerable who neves so much as once offered to trie whether indeed it were so or no Yet by this very means an ill opinion is brought up of this most delightful Duty and passes currant among men whereas in all justice the testimony of it should be taken only from those who have tryed it and they would certainly give another account of it But though the full knowledg hereof be to be had only by this neerer acquaintance yet me thinks even those who look at it but at a distance may discern some what of amiableness in it if no other way yet at least by comparing it with the uneasiness of its contrary Malice and Revenge are the most restless tormenting passions that can possess the mind of a man they keep men in a perpetual study and care how to effect their mischievous purposes it disturbs their very sleep as Solomon observes Prov. 4. 16. They sleep not except they have done mischief and their sleep is taken away except they cause some to fall Yea it imbitters all the good things they enjoy so that they have no taste or relish of them a remarkable example of this we have in Haman who though he abounded in all the greatness and felicity of the world yet the malice he had to a poor despisable man Mordecai kept him from tasting contentment in all this as you may see Esther 5. where after he had related to his friends all his prosperities ver 11. he concludes thus ver 12. Yet all this availeth me nothing so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting in the kings gate On the other side the peaceable spirit that can quietly pass by all injuries and affronts enjoys a continual calm and is above the malice of his enemies for let them do what they can they cannot rob him of his quiet he is firm as a rock which no storms or windes can move when the furious and revengeful man is like a wave which the least blast tosses and tumbles from its place But besides this inward disquiet of revengful men they often bring many outward calamities upon themselves they exasperate their enemies and provoke them to do them greater mischiefs nay oftentimes they willingly run themselves upon the greatest miseries in pursuit of their revenge to which t is ordinary to see men sacrifice Goods Ease Credit Life nay soul it self not caring what they suffer themselves so they may spite their enemy so strangely does this wretched humour besot and blind men On the contrary the meek person he often melts his adversary pacifics his anger A soft answer turns away wrath saith Solomon Prov. 15. 1. And sure there is nothing can tend more to that end but if it do happen that his enemy be so inhumane that he miss of doing that yet he is still a gainer by all he can suffer For first he gains an opportunity of exercising that most Christian grace of charity and forgiveness and so at once of obeying the command and imitating the example of his Saviour which is to a true Christian spirit a most valuable advantage and then secondly he gains an accession and increase to his reward hereafter And if it be Objected that that is not to be reckoned in to the present pleasure of the duty I answer that the expectation and belief of it is and that alone is a delight infinitely more ravishing then the present enjoyment of all sensuall pleasure can be The fourth consideration is the Danger of not performing this Duty of which I might reckon up divers but I shall insist only on that great one which contains in it all the rest and that is the forfeiting of our own pardons from God the having our sins against him kept still on his score and not forgiven This is a consideration that me thinks should affright us into good nature if it do not our malice is greater to our selves then to our enemies For alas what hurt is it possible for thee to do to another which can bear any comparison with that thou doest thy self in losing the pardon of thy sins which is so unspeakable a mischief that the Devil himself with all his malice cannot wish a greater 't is all he aims at first that we may sin and then that those sins may never be pardoned for then he knowes he has us sure enough Hell and damnation being certainly the portion of every unpardoned sinner besides all other effects of Gods wrath in this life consider this and then tell me what thou hast got by the highest revenge thou ever actedst upon another 'T is a Divelish phrase in the mouth of men that revenge is sweet but is it possible there can be even to the most distemperate palate any such sweetness in it as may recompense that everlasting bitterness that attends it 'T is certain no man in his wits can upon sober judging imagine there is But alas we give not our selves time to weigh things but suffer our selves to be hurryed away with the heat of an angry humour never considering how dear we must pay for it like the silly Bee that in anger leaves at once her sting her life behind her the sting may perhaps give some short pain to the flesh it sticks in but yet there is none but discerns the Bee has the worst of it that pays her life for so poor a revenge so it is in the greatest acts of our malice we may perhaps
c. of Fasting pag 109 PARTITION 6. Of Duties to our selves Of Sobriety Humility the great sin of Pride the Danger the Folly of this Sin Of Vain-Glory the Danger Folly Meâ—ns to prevent it Of Meekness the Means to obtain it c. pag. 136. PARTITION 7. Of Contentedness and the Contraries to it Murmuring Ambiâ—ion Covetousness Envy Helps to Contentedness Of Duties which concern our Bodies Of Chastity Helps to it Temperance Rules of Temperance in Eating c. pag. 158. PARTITION 8. Of Temperance in Drinking False Ends of Drinking viz. Good fellowship Putting away Cares Passing away time preventing reproach Bargaining c. pag. 177. PARTITION 9. Temperance in Sleep The Rule of it c. Of Recreation of Apparel and of the ends for which cloathing should be used pag. 197. PARTITION 10. Of DUTIES to our NEIGHBOURS Of Justice Negative and Positive Of the Sin of Murther Of the Hainousness of it the Punishments of it and the Strange Discoveries thereof of Maiming Wounds and stripes pag. 206 PARTITION 11. Of Justice about the Possessions of our Neighbour against Injuring him as concerning his Wife his Goods of Malice Covetousness Oppression Theft of Paying Debts c. pag. 226. PARTITION 12. Of Theft Stealing the Goods of our Neighbour Of Deceit in Trust in Traffick Of Restitution and the Necessity thereof c. pag. 238. PARTITION 13. Of False Reports False Witness Slanders Whisperings Of Despising and Scoffing for Infirmities Calamities Sins c. Of Positive Justice Speaking the Truth Of Lying Of Humility and Pride Of Envy Detraction Of Gratitude c. pag. 251. PARTITION 14. Of Duty to Parents Magistrates Pastors c. Of the Duty of Parents to Children c. Reverence Love Obedience especially in their Marriage Ministring to their wants of the Duty of Parents to their Children pag. 278. PARTITION 15. Of Duty to our Brethren and Relations Husband Wife Friends Masters Servants c. pag. 305. PARTITION 16. Other Branches of our Duty to our Neighbour Of Charity to Mens Souls Bodies Goods Credit c. pag. 329. PARTITION 17. Of Charity Alms-giving c. Of Charity in respect of our Neighbours Credit Of Peace-making Of going to Law Of Charity to our Enemies c. Christian Duties both Possible and pleasant pag. 358. A TABLE of the PRAYERS PRayers for Morning page 3. Prayers for Night 11. Collects for several Graces 17. A Paraphrase on the Lords Prayer 31. Pious Ejaculations out of the Book of Psalms 34. Brief heads of Examination before the Sacrament 37. Prayers before the Sacrament 50. Ejaculations at the Lords Table c. 55. Prayers after the Sacrament 56. Prayers for the Sick 65. Ejaculations for the Sick 74. Prayers in times of Publick Calamities 79. A Prayer for this Church 82. A Prayer for the Peace of the Church 84. Books Printed and Sold by T. Garthwait at the little North door of St. Pauls B. Chappels Methodus Concionandi 12o. Notes upon 103. Psalm being a Praxis upon that Method 8o. A Commentary on the 5 Books of Moses or Pentâ—â—euch by J. Trap. 4o. Remains of Mr. Geo Herbert late Orator of the University of Cambridge Reliquiae Woâ—tonianae A Collection of the incomparable pieces of that great Master of Language and Art Sr. Henry Wotton Knight Provost of Eton c. 12o. The Works of that profound Divine Dr. The. Jackson Pres. of Corp. Chr. Coll. Oxon. in folio in 3 Volumns Dr. Cosins Scholastical History of the Canon of the Scripture 4o. Dr. Waltons Introduction to the Oriental Languages in 12o. The Conversion of Rigep Dandulo a Turk to the Christian Faith by Mr. Gunning 8o. The Rationale on the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England wherein is proved that that Service is Agreeable to the Primitive Usages and so not Novel that it is a Reasonable Service and so not Superstitious by Mr. A. Sparrow 12o. Mr. Joseph Mead his Dissertationum Triga 4o. Dr. Dees Actions and Conferences with Spirits c Set out by Dr. Casauâ—â—n against Athiestâ— and Enthusiasts in folio School Books Mr. Wâ—â—kers Treatise of English Particles 8o. Mr. Busbies Horat. Castigat  Juvenal   Pâ—rsius  In usum Schola Westmonaster Books newly Published Mary Magdalens Tears wipt off or the voice of Peace to an unquiet Conscience Wherein are resolved sundry Cases of Conscience incident to a Deserted Condition first writ to a Lady of Quality in 8. Dr. Stewards excellent Serion at Paris of Hezâ—kiâ—hs Reformation justifying the Church of England against the Papists and being a full Answer to Mr. Baxters imputation of Cassandrian Poptry and the Grotian Religion in 12o. The worth of the Soul The misery of loosing the Soul The danger the Soul is in The first Covenant That our Care will not be in vain The second Covenant Of the Light of NATURE The light of SCRIPTURES The Three great branches of MANS DUTY Duty to God Acknowledging him to be God FAITH Of his Affirmations Commands Threatnings Promises HOPE Presumption Despair Love its Motives Gods excellency His Kindness to us Fruit of Love Desire of pleasing Desire of Enjoying FEAR The folly of fearing Men more then God TRVST In all spiritual dangers In all Temporal Not seek to deliver our selves by any Sin In all wants spiritual Temporal wants The benefit of trusting on God HUMILITY Submission to Gods will in respects of obedience The great distance between God and us The unworthiness of our best work Submission in respect of Patience Thankfulness for Gods Corrections Fruitfulnes under them In all sorts of sufferings Submission to Gods Wisdome In his Commands In his Disposals HONOVR Several wayes of honouring God In his House His possessions The great sin of Sacriledge The punishment The times for his service Lords day The Feasts of the Church The Fasts Gods Word The holy Scriptures Catechizing Preaching The Sacraments Of Baptism The vow of Baptism The strict obligation of this vow of Baptism The Lords Supper Things to be done before receiving Examination Sins Several sorts Humiliation Contrition Confession Faith Resolutions of Obedience Of the means Present renouncing of sin Imbracing vertue Quickning of graces Charity Devotion Necessity of these graces The usefulness of a spiritual guide Not to be ashamed to discover our selves to one As necessary to the confident as to the doubtful At the time of receiving Meditation of thy unworthiness The sufferings of Christ. The aâ—onement wrought by them The thankfulness owing for them The great love of Christ in them The benefits of the New Covenant sealed in the Sacrament Upon receiving give thanks Pray After the acrament Private Prayer and â—hanksgivâ—â—g â—t preâ—ntly to fall wordly fairs To keep thy resolutions still in memory The danger of breaking them Making God thy enemy Thy own conscience Gods former pardons no incouragement to sin The obligation of this vow perpetual Yet often to be renewed Honour due to Gods Name Sins against it Blasphemy Swearing
when its parts do not rightly perform their Offices 11. The parts of the Soul are especially these three The UNDERSTANDING the WILL and the AFFECTIONS And that these are disordered there needs little proof let any man look seviously into his own Heart and consider how little it is he knows of spiritual things and then tell me whether his Understanding be not dark How much apter is he to Will evil then good and then tell me whether his Will be not Crooked And how strong Desires he hath after the pleasures of sin and what cold and faint ones towards God and goodness and then tell me whether his Affections be not disordered and rebellious even against the voice of his own Reason within him Now as in bodily diseases the first step to the cure is to know the Cause of the sickness so likewise here it is very necessary for us to know how the Soul first fell into this Diseased condition and that I shall now briefly tell you 12. GOD created the first Man Adam without Sin and indued his Soul with the full knowledg of his Duty and with such a strength that he might if he would perform all that was required of him Having thus created him He makes a COVENANT or agreement with him to this purpose that if he continued in Obedience to God without committing Sin then first that Strength of Soul which he then had should still be continued to him and secondly That he should never Die but he taken up into Heaven there to be Happy for ever But on the other side if he committed Sin and Disobeyed God then both He and all his Children after him should lose that Knowledg and that perfect strength which enabled him to do all that God required of him and Secondly should be subject to death and not only so but to Eternal damnation in Hell 13. This was the Agreement made with Adam and all mankind in him which we usually call the FIRST COVENANT upon which God gave Adam a particular commandment which was no more but this That he should not eat of one only tree of that garden wherein he had placed him But he by the perswasion of the Devil eats of that Tree disobeys God and so brings that curse upon himself and all his posterity And so by that one Sin of his he lost both the full Knowledge of his Duty and the Power of performing it And we being born after his Image did so likewise and so are become both Ignorant in Discerning what we ought to Do and Weak and unable to the Doing of it having a backwardness to all good and an aptness and readiness to all evil like a sick stomack which loaths all wholsome food and longs after such trash as may nourish the disease 14. And now you see where we got this Sickness of soul and likewise that it is like to prove a Deadly one and therefore I presume I need say no more to assure you our Souls are in danger It is more likely you will from this description think them hopeless But that you may not from that conâ—eit excuse your Neglect of them I shall hasten to shew yâ—â— the contrary by proceeding to the fourth Motive of Care 15. That Fourth Motive is the likelyhood that our CARE will not be in VAIN but that it will be a means to preserve the thing cared for where this is wanting it disheartens our care A Physician leaves his Patient when he sees him past Hope as knowing it is then in vain to give him any thing but on the contrary when he sees hopes of recovery he plies him with Medicines Now in this very respect we have a great deal of reason to take care of our souls for they are not so far gone but they may be recovered nay it is certain they will if we do our parts towards it 16. For though by that Sin of Adam all mankinde were under the sentence of eternal condemnation yet it pleased God so far to pity our misery as to give us his Son and in him to make a new Covenant with us after we had broken the first 17. This SECOND COVENANT was made with Adam and us in him presently after his Fall and is briefly contained in those wards Gen. 3. 15. Where God declares that THE SEED OF THE WOMAN SHALL BREAK THE SERPENTS HEAD and this was made up as the first was of some mercies to be afforded by God and some duties to be performed by us 18. God therein promises to send his only Son who is God equal with himself to earth to become man like unto us in all things sin only excepted and he to do for us these Several things 19. Frst to make Known to us the whole Will of his Father in the performance whereof we shall be sure to be Accepted and rewarded by him And this was one great part of his business which he performed in those many Sermons and Precepts we finde set down in the Gospel And herein he is our PROPHET it being the work of a Prophet of old not only to foretel but to Teach Our Duty in this particular is to hearken diligently to him to be most ready and desirous to learn that will of God which he came from heaven to reveal to us The Second thing He was to do for us was to Satisfie God for our Sins not only that one of Adam but all the Sins of all Mankind that truly repent and amend and by this means to obtain for us Forgiveness of sins the Favour of God and so to Redeem us from Hell and eternal damnation which was the punishment due to our sin All this he did for us by his death He offered up himself a Sacrifice for the Sins of all those who heartily bewail and forsake them And in this He is our PRIEST it being the Priests Office to Offer Sacrifice for the sins of the people Our Duty in this particular is first truly and heartily to Repent us of and forsake our Sins without which they will never be forgiven us though Christ have died Secondly stedfastly to Believe that if we do that we shall have the benefits of that Sacrifice of his all our sins how many and great soever shall be forgiven us and we saved from those eternal punishments which were due unto us for them Another part of the PRIESTS Office was Blessing and Praying for the people and this also Christ performs to us It was his especial Commission from his Father to Bless us as St. Peter tells us Acts 3. 26. God sent his Son Jesus to Bless you the following words shew wherein that blessing consists in turning away every one of you from his iniquity those means which he has used for the turning us from our Sins are to be reckoned of all other the greatest blessings and for the other part that of Praying that he not only performed on earth but continues still to do it in
Heaven He sits on the right hand of God and makes Request for us Romans 8. 34. Our Duty herein is not to resist this unspeakable blessing of his but to be willing to be thus Blest in the being turned from our sins and not to make void and fruitless all his Prayers and Intercessions for us which will never prevail for us whilest we continue in them 21. The third thing that Christ was to do for us was to Enable us or give us Strength to do what God requires of us This he doth first by taking off from the hardness of the Law given to Adam which was never to commit the least sin upon pain of damnation and requiring of us only an honest and hearty endeavour to do what we are able and where we fail accepting of Sincere Repentance Secondly By sending his Holy Spirit into our hearts to govern and Rule us to give us strength to overcome Temptations to Sin and to Do all that He now under the Gospel requires of us And in this He is our KING it being the Office of a King to govern and Rule and to subdue enemies Our Duty in this particular is to give up our selves obedient subjects of his to be governed and Ruled by him to obey all his Laws not to take part with any Rebel that is not to cherish any one sin but diligently to Pray for his Grace to enable us to subdue all and then carefully to make use of it to that purpose 22. Lastly He has purchased for all that faithfully obey him an Eternal glorious inheritance the Kingdom of Heaven whither he is gone before to take possession for us Our duty herein is to be exceeding careful that we forfeit not our parts in it which we shall certainly do if we continue impenitent in any sin Secondly not to fasten our Affections on this world but to raise them according to the precept of the Apostle Col. 3. 2. Set your affections on things above and not on things on the earth continually longing to come to the possession of that blessed inheritance of ours in comparison whereof all things here below should seem vile and mean to us 23. This is the Sum of that SECOND COVENANT we are now under wherein you see what Christ has done how he Executes those Three Great Offices of KING PRIEST and PROPHET as also what is Required of us without our Faithful Performance all that he hath done shall never stand us in any stead for he will never be a Priest to Save any who take him not as well for their Prophet to Teach and their King to Rule them nay if we neglect our part of this Covenant our condition will be yet worse then if it had never bin made for we shall then be to Answer not for the breach of Law only as in the first but for the abuse of mercy which is of all sins the most provoking On the other side if we faithfully Perform it that is set our selves heartily to the obeying of every precept of Christ not going on wilfully in any one sin but bewailing and forsaking whatever we have formerly been guilty of it is then most certain that all the fore-mentioned benefits of Christ belongs to us 24. And now you see how little Reason you have to cast off the CARE of your SOULS upon a conceit they are past cure for that it is plain they are not Nay certainly they are in that very condition which of all others makes them fittest for our care If they had not been thus REDEEMED by CHRIST they had been then so hopeless that care would have been in vain on ther other side if his Redemption had been such that all men should be saved by it though they Live as they list We should have thought it needless to take care for them because they were safe without it But it hath pleased God so to order it that our care must be the means by which they must Receive the good even of all that Christ hath done for them 25. And now if after all that God hath done to Save these Souls of ours we will not bestow a little Care on them our selves we very well deserve to perish If a Physician should undertake a patient that were in some desperate disease and by his skill bring him so far out of it that he were sure to recover if he would but take care of himself and observe those rules the Physician set him would you not think that man weary of his life that would refuse to do that So certainly that man is weary of his soul wilfully casts it away that will not consent to those easie conditions by which he may save it 26. You see how great kindness God hath to these Souls of ours the whole TRINITY Father Son and Holy Ghost have all done their parts for them The FATHER gave his only Son the SON gave Himself left his glory and endured the bitter death of the Cross meerly to keep our Souls from perishing The HOLY GHOST is become as it were our attendant waits upon us with Continual offers of his grace to Enable us to do that which may preserve them Nay he is so desirous we should accept those Offers of his that he is said to be grieved when we refuse them Ephes. 4. 30. Now what greater disgrace and affront can we put upon God then to despise what he thus values that those Souls of ours which Christ thought worthy every drop of his blood we should not think worth any part of our Care We use in things of the world to rate them according to the opinion of those who are best skilled in them now certainly God who made our Souls best knowes the worth of them and since he prizes them so high let us if it be but in reverence to him be ashamed to neglect them Especially now that they are in so hopeful a condition that nothing but our own carelesness can possibly destroy them 27. I have now briefly gone over those Foure Motives of care I at first proposed which are each of them such as never misses to stir it up towards the things of this World and I have also shewed you how much more Reasonable nay Necessary it is they should do the like for the Soul And now what can I say more but conclude in the words of Isaiah 46. 8. Remember this and shew your selves men That is deal with your Soul as your Reason teaches you to do with all other things that concern you And sure this common Justice bindes you to for the Soul is that which furnishes you with that Reason which you exercise in all your worldly business and shall the Soul it self receive no Benefit from that Reason which it affords you This is as if the Master of a Family who provides food for his servants should by them be kept from Eating any himself and so remain the only starved creature in his house 28. And as Justice
and all these we must undoubtingly acknowledg that is we must firmly believe all these Divine Excellencies to be in God and that in the greatest degree and so that they can never cease to be in him he can never be other then insinitely Good Merciful True c. 13. But the acknowledging him for our God signifies yet more then this it means that we should perform to him all those several parts of Duty which belong from a Creature to his God What those are I am now to tell you 14. The first is FAITH or Belief not only that forementioned of his Essence and Attributes but of his word the believing most firmly that all that he saith is perfectly true This cessarily arises from that Attribute his Truth it being natural for us to believe whatsoever is said by one of whose Truth we are confident Now the Holy Scriptures being the Word of God we are therefore to conclude that all that is contained in them is most true 15. The things contained in them are of these four sorts First Affirmations such are all the stories of the Bible when it is said Such and such things came so and so to pass Christ was born of a Virgin was laid in a Manger c. And such also are many points of Doctrine as that there are three Persons in the God-head that Christ is the Son of God and the like All things of this sort thus delivered in Scripture we are to believe most true And not only so but because they are all written for our instruction we are to consider them for that purpose that is by them to lay that Foundation of Christian knowledge on which we may build a Christian life 16. The Second sort of things contain'd in the Scripture are the Commands that is the several things enjoyned us by God to perform these we are to believe to come from him and to be most just and fit for him to command But then this Belief must bring forth Obedience that what we believe thus fit to be done be indeed done by us otherwise our belief that they come from him serves but to make us more inexcusable 17. Thirdly The Scripture contains threatnings many Texts there are which threaten to them that go on in their sins the wrath of God and under that are contained all the punishments and miseries of this life both spiritual and temporal and everlasting destruction in the life to come Now we are most stedfastly to Believe That these are Gods threats and that they will certainly be performed to every impenitent sinner But then the use we are to make of this belief is to keep from those sins to which this destruction is threatned otherwise our belief addes to our guilt that will wilfully go on in spight of those threatnings 18. Fourthly The Scripture contains Promises and those both to our Bodies and our Souls for our bodies there are many promises that God will provide for them what he sees necessary I will name only one Mat. 6. 33. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things that is all outward necessaries shall be added unto you But here 't is to be observed that we must first seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness that is make it our first and greatest care to serve and obey him before this promise even of temporal good things belongs to us To the soul there are many and high promises as first that of present ease and refreshment which we find Matth. 11. 29. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me and ye shall finde rest to your souls But here it is apparent that before this rest belongs to us we must have taken on us Christs yoke become his servants and Disciples Finally there are promises to the soul even of all the benefits of Christ but yet those only to such as perform the Condition required that is Pardon of Sins to those that repent of them Increase of Grace to those that diligently make use of what they have already and humbly pray for more and Eternal salvation to those that continue to their lives end in hearty obedience to his Commands 19. This Belief of the Promises must therefore stir us up to perform the Condition and till it do so we can in no reason expect any good by them and for us to look for the benefit of them on other terms is the same mad presumption that it would be in a Servant to challenge his Master to give him a reward for having done nothing of his work to which alone the reward was promised you can easily resolve what answer were to be given to such a servant and the same are we to expect from God in this case nay further it is sure God hath given these Promises to no other end but to invite us to holiness of life yea he gave his Son in whom all his Promises are as it were sum'd up for this end We usually look so much at Christs comming to satisfie for us that we forget this other part of his errand But there is nothing surer then that the main purpose of his coming into the world was to plant good life among men 20. This is so often repeated in Scripture that no man that considers and believes what he reads can doubt of it Christ himself tells us Mat. 9. 13. He came to call sinners to repentance And S. Peter Acts 3. 26. tells us That God sent his Son Jesus to bless us in turning every one of us from his iniquities for it seems the turning us from our iniquities was the greatest special Blessing which God intended us in Christ. 21. Nay we are taught by S. Paul that this was the end of his very death also Tit. 2. 14. Who gave himself for our sins that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works And again Gal. 1. 4. Who gave himself for us that he might deliver us from this present evil world that is from the sins and ill customes of the world Divers other Texts there are to this purpose But these I suppose sufficient to assure any man of this one great truth That all that Christ hath done for us was directed to this end the bringing us to live Christianly or in the words of Saint Paul To teach us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts wee should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world 22. Now we know Christ is the foundation of all the Promises in him all the promises of God are yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1. 20. And therefore if God gave Christ to this end certainly the Promises are to the same also And then how great an abuse of them is it to make them serve for purposes quite contrary to what they were intended viz. To the encouraging us in sins which they will certainly do if we perswade our selves they belong
which is this It is possible we may transgress against men and they not know it I may perhaps steal my neighbours goods or defile his wife and keep it so close that he shall not suspect me and so never bring me to punishment for it but this we cannot do with God he knows all things even the most secret thoughts of our hearts and therefore though we commit a sin never so closely he is sure to finde us and will as surely if we do not timely repent punish us eternally for it 48. And now surely it cannot but be confest that it is much safer displeasing men then God yet alas our practice is as if we believed the direct contrary there being nothing more ordinary with us then for the avoiding of some present danger we fear from men to rush our selves upon the indignation of God And thus it is with us when either to save our estates or credits or our very lives we commit any sin for that is plainly the chusing to provoke God rather then man 49. But God knowes this case of fear of men is not the only one wherein we venture to displease him for we commit many sins to which we have none of this temptation nor indeed any other as for instance that of Common Swearing to which there is nothing either of pleasure or profit to invite us Nay many times we who so fear the mischiefs that other men may do to us that we are ready to buy them off with the greatest sins do our selves bring all those very mischiefs upon us by sins of our own chusing Thus the careless Prodigal robs himself of his estate the Deceitful Dishoneft man or any that lives in open notorious sin deprives himself of his credit and the Drunkard Glutton brings diseases on himself to the shortning his life And can we think we do at all Fear God when that fear hath so little power over us that though it be backt with the many present mischiefs that attend upon sin it is not able to keep us from them surely such men are far from fearing God that they rather seem to defie him resolve to provoke him whatsoever it cost them either in this world or the next Yet so unreasonably partial are we to our selvs that even such as these will pretend to this fear you may examine multitudes of the most gross scandalous sinners before you shall meet with one that will acknowledge he fears not God It is strange it should be possible for men thus to cheat themselves but however it is certain we cannot deceive God he will not be mockt and therefore if we will not now so fear as to avoid sin we shall one day fear when it will be too late to avoid punishment 50. A Fift Duty to God that of TRUSTING in him that is depending and resting on him and that is First in all dangers Secondly in all wants We are to rest on him in all our dangers both Spiritual and Temporal Of the first sort are all those Temptations by which we are in danger to be drawn to sin And in this respect he hath promised that if we resist the Devil he shall flie from us Jam 4. 7. Therefore our duty is first to pray earnestly for Gods grace to enable us to overcome the temptation and Secondly to set our selves manfully to combate with it not yielding or giving consent to it in the least degree and whilst we do thus we are confidently to rest upon God that his grace will be sufficient for us that he will either remove the temptation or strengthen us to withstand it 51. Secondly in all outward Temporal Dangers we are to rest upon him as knowing that he is able to deliver us and that he will do so if he see it best for us if we be such to whom he hath promised his protection that is such as truly fear him To this purpose we have many promises in Scripture Ps. 34. 7. The Angel of the Lord tarrieth round about them that fear him and delivereth them Ps. 34. 20. The Lord delivereth the soules of his Saints and all that put their trust in him shall not be destitute and divers the like And also we have many examples as that of the three children in the Furnace Daniel 3. That of Daniel in the Lions Den Daniel 6. And many others all which serve to teach us this one lesson that if we go on conscionably in performing our duty we need not he dismayed for any thing that can be fall us for the God whom we serve is able to deliver us 52. Therefore in all dangers we are first humbly to pray for his aid and then to rest our selves cheerfully on him and assuring our selves that he will give such an issue as shall be most for our good But above all things we must be sure to fix our dependence wholly on him and not to relie on the creatures for help much less must we seek to deliver our selves by any unlawful means that is by the committing of any sin for that is like Saul 1 Samuel 28. 7. to go to the Witch that is to the Devil for help such courses do commonly deceive our hopes at the present and in stead of delivering us out of our streights plunge us in greater and those much more uncomfortable ones because then we want that which is the only support Gods favour and aid which we certainly forfeit when we thus seek to rescue our selves by any sinful means But supposing we could by such a way certainly free our selves from the present danger yet alas we are far from having gained safety by it we have only removed the danger from that which was less considerable and brought it upon the most precious part of us our Souls like an unskilful Physician that to remove a pain from the finger strikes it to the heart we are therefore grosly mistaken when we think we have plaied the good Husband in saving our Liberties or Estates or Lives themselves by a sin we have not saved them but madly overbought them laid out our very Souls on them And Christ tells us how little we shall gain by such bargains Mat. 17. 26. What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul Let us therefore resolve never to value any thing we can possess in this world at so high a rate as to keep it at the price of the least sin but when ever things are driven to such an issue that we must either part with some perhaps all our worldly possessions nay life it self or else commit a sin let us then remember that this is the season for us to perform that great and excellent duty of taking up the Cross which we can never so properly do in this case for our bearing of that which we have no possible way of avoiding can at most be said to be but the
see what the gains of this robbery amounts to Ye are cursed with a curse A curse is all is gotten by it and common experience shewes us that GODS vengeance doth in a remarkable manner pursue this sin of Sacriledge whether it be that of with holding tithes or the other of seizing on those possessions which have been voluntarily consecrated to God Men think to enrich themselves by it but it usually proves directly contrary this unlawful gain becomes such a Canker in the estate as often eats out even that we had a just title to And therefore if you love I will not say your souls but your estates preserve them from that danger by a strict care never to meddle with any thing set a part for God 17. A Third thing wherein we are to expresse our Reverence to God is the hallowing of the times set apart for his service He who hath given all our time requires some part of it to be paid back again as a rent or tribute of the whole Thus the Jews kept holy the seventh day and we Christians the Sunday or Lords day the Jews were in their Sabbath especially to remember the Creation of the World and we in ours the Resurrection of Christ by which a way is made for us into that better world we expect hereafter Now this Day thus set apart is to be imployed in the Worship and Service of God and that first more solemnly and publickly in the Congregation from which no man must then absent himself without a just cause and Secondly privately at home in praying with and instructing our families or else in the yet more private duties of the closet a mans own private prayers Reading Meditating and the like And that we may be at leisure for these a Rest from all worldly business is commanded therefore let no man thâ—nk that a bare rest from labour is all that is required of him on the Lords day but the time which he saves from the works of his calling he is to lay out on those spiritual duties For the Lords Day was never ordained to give us a pretence for idleness but only to change our unployment from worldly to heavenly much less was it meant that by our rest from our callings we should have more time-free to bestow upon our sins as too many do who are more constant on that day at the Alehouse then the Church But this Rest was commanded first to shadow out to us that Rest from sin which we are bound to all the dayes of our lives And secondly to take us off from our worldly business and to give us time to attend the service of God and the need of our souls 18. And surely if we rightly consider it it is a very great benefit to us that there is such a set time thus weekly returning for that purpose We are very intent and busie upon the world and if there were not some such time appointed to our hands it is to be doubted we should hardly allot any our selves And then what a starved condition must these poor souls of ours be in that shall never be afforded a meal whereas now there is a constant diet provided for them every Sunday if wee will conscionably imploy it may be a festival day to them may bring them in such spiritual food as may nourish them to eternal life We are not to look on this day with grudging like those in Amos 8. 5. Who ask When will the Sabbath be gone that we may set forth wheat As if that time were utterly lost which were taken from our worldly business But we are to consider it as the gainfullest as the joyfullest day of the week a day of harvest wherein we are to lay up in store for the whole week nay for our whole lives 19. But besides this of the weekly Lords day there are other times which the Church hath set apart for the remembrance of some special mercies of God such as the Birth and Resurrection of Christ the Descent of the Holy Ghost and the like and these dayes we are to keep in that manner which the Church hath ordered to wit in the solemn worship of God and in particular thanks giving for that special blessing we then remember And surely whoever is truly thankful for those rich mercies cannot think it too much to set apart some few dayes in a year for that purpose But then we are to look that our Feasts be truly spiritual by imploying the day thus holily and not make it an occasion of intemperance and disorder as too many who consider nothing in Christmass and other good times but the good cheers and jollity of them For that is doing despight in stead of honour to Christ who came to bring all purity and soberness into the world and therefore must not have that coming of his remembred in any other manner 20. Other dayes there are also set a part in memory of the Apostles and other Saints wherein we are to give hearty thanks to God for his graces in them particularly that they were made instruments of revealing to us Christ Jesus and the way of salvation as you know the Apostles were by their Preaching throughout the World And then farther we are to meditate on those Examples of holy life they have given us and stir up our selves to the imitation thereof And whoever does uprightly set himself to make these uses of these several Holy dayes will have cause by the benefit he shall finde from them to thank and not to blame the Church for ordering them 21. Another sort of dayes there are which we are likewise to observe and those are dayes of fasting and humiliation and whatever of this kinde the Church injoynes whether constantly at set times of the year or upon any special and more sudden occasion we are to observe in such manner as she directs that is not onely a bare abstaining from meat which is only the bodies punishment but in afflicting our souls humbling them deeply before God in a hearty confessing and bewailing of our own and the nations sins and earnest prayers for Gods pardon and forgivenesse and for the turning away of those judgements which those sins have called for But above all in turning our selves from our sins loosing the bands of wickedness as Isaiah speaks Chap. 58. 6. and exercising our selves in works of mercy dealing our bread to the hungry and the like as it there followes 22. Fourthly we are to expresse our reverence to God by honouring his Word and this we must certainly do if we do indeed honour him there being no surer signe of our despising any person then the setting light by what he sayes to us as on the contrary if we value One every word he speaks will be of weight with us Now this Word of God is expresly contained in the holy Scriptures the Old and New Testament where he speaks to us to shew us his Will
instructions and advices we there meet with and use them faithfully to that end of overcoming our sins Therefore when ever thou comest to the Physician of thy Soul do as thou wouldst with the Physician of thy Body thou comest to him not only to hear him talk and tell thee what will cure thee but also to do according to his directions and if thou dost not so here thou art as vain as he that expects a bare receipt from his Doctor shall cure him though he never make use of it Nay thou art much more vain and ridiculous for that though it do him no good will do him no harm he shall never be the worse for having been taught a medicine though he use it not but in these Spiritual Receipts it is otherwise if we use them not to our good they will do us a great deal of harm they will rise up in judgement against us and make our condemnation so much the heavier Beware therefore not to bring that danger upon thy self but when thou hast heard a Sermon consider with thy self what directions there were in it for enabling thee to eschew evil or to do good And if there were any thing especially concern'd thine own bosome sin lay that close to thy heart and all the week after make it matter of meditation think of it even whilst thou art at thy work if thou wantest other time and not only think of it but set to the practice of it do what thou wert advised to for the subduing sins and quickning grace in thee Finally look carefully to practice the counsel of the Apostle Jam. 1. 22. Be ye doers of the Word not hearers only deceiving your own souls To hope for good from the Word without doing of it is it seems nothing but a deceiving our selves Let us never therefore measure our godliness by the number of Sermons which we hear as if the hearing many were the certain mark of a good Christian but by the store of fruit we bring forth by them without which all our hearing will serve but to bring us into that heavier portion of stripes which belongs to him that knowes his Masters will and does it not Luke 12. 47. But this reverence which is due to Preaching we must not pay to all that is now a dayes called so for God knows there are many false Prophets gone out into the world as the Apostle speaks 1 John 41. And now if ever is that advice of his necessary To try the spirits whether they be of God But what I have said I mean only of the Preaching of those who first have a lawful calling to the Office and secondly frame their doctrine according to the right rule the written Word of God But if any man say He is not able to judg whether the Doctrine be according to the Word or no let him at least try it by the common known rules of duty which he doth understand and if he find it a Doctrine giving men liberty to commit those things which are by all acknowledged sins such as rebellion injustice unmercifulness uncleanness or the like he may conclude it is utterly contrary to God and his Word and then abhorrence and not reverence belongs to it 31. Fifthly we are to express our honouring of God by Reverencing his Sacraments those are two Baptism and the Supper of the Lord. And this we are to do First by our high esteem of them Secondly by our reverent usage of them we are first to prize them at a high rate looking on them as the instruments of bringing to us the greatest blessings we can receive The first of them Baptism that enters us into covenant with God makes us members of Christ and so gives us right to all those precious benefits that flow from him to wit pardon of sins sanctifying grace and heaven it self on condition we perform our parts of the Covenant And as for the Lords Supper that is not only a signe and remembrance of Christ and his death but it is actually the giving Christ and all the fruits of his death to every worthy receiver and therefore there is a most high estimation and value due to each of them 32. And not only so but in the second place we must shew our reverence in our usage of them and that First before Secondly at and Thirdly after the time of receiving them It is true that the Sacrament of Baptism being now administred to us when we are Infants it is not to be expected of us that we should in our own persons do any thing either before or at the time of receiving it those performances were strictly required of all persons who were baptized when they were of years But for us it suffices to give us this right to Baptism that we are born within the pale of the Church that is of Christian parents and all that is required at that time is what we can only perform by others they in our stead promising that when we come to years we will perform our parts of the Covenant But by how much the less we are then able to do so much the greater bond lies on us to perform those after-duties required of us by which we are to supply the want of the former 33. Now if you would know what those duties are look over those promises which your Godfathers and Godmothers then made in your name and you may then learn them I cannot give you them in a better form then that of our Churches Catechism which tells That our Godfathers and Godmothers did promise and vow three things in our names first that we should forsake the Devil and all his workes the pomps and vanities of this wicked world and all the sinful lusts of the flesh Where by the Devil is meant first the worshipping of all false gods which is indeed but worshipping the Devil A sin which at the time of Christs coming into the world was very common most part of mankinde then living in that vile Idolatry And therefore when Baptism was first ordained it was but needful to make the forsaking of those false gods a principal part of the vow And though those false worships are now much rarer yet there was one special part of them which may be feared to be yet too common among us and that is all sorts of uncleanness which though we do not make Ceremonies of our Religion as the Heathens did of theirs yet the committing thereof is a most high provocation in Gods eyes such as drew him to destroy whole Cities with fire and brimstone as you may read Gen. 19. Nay the whole World with water Gen. 6. and will not fail to bring down judgments and strange ones on any that continue therein and therefore the forsaking them well deserves to be look't on as an especial part of this promise Besides this all dealing with the Devil is here vowed against whether it be by practising witchcraft our selves or consulting
out of custome to put on at their coming to the Sacrament which they never think of keeping afterwards For this is a certain truth that whosoever comes to this holy Table without an entire hatred of every sin comes unworthily and it is as sure that he that doth entirely hate all sin will resolve to forsake it for you know forsaking naturally follows hatred no man willingly abides with a thing or person he hates And therefore he that doth not so resolve as that God the searcher of hearts may approve it as sincere cannot be supposed to hate sin and so cannot be a worthy receiver of that holy Sacrament Therefore try your resolutions throughly that you deceive not your selves in them it is your own great danger if you do for it is certain you cannot deceive God nor gain acceptation from him by any thing which is not perfectly hearty and unfeigned 13. Now as you are to resolve on this new obedience so you are likewise to resolve on the meanes which may assist you in the performance of it And therefore consider in every duty what are the means that may help you in it and resolve to make use of them how uneasie soever they be to your flesh so on the other side consider what things they are that are likely to lead you to sin and resolve to shun and avoid them this you are to do in respect of all sias whatever but especially in those whereof you have formerly been guilty For there it will not be hard for you to finde by what steps and degrees you were drawn into it what company what occasion it was that ensnared you as also to what sort of temptations you are aptest to yield And therefore you must particularly fence your self against the sin by avoiding those occasions of it 14. But it is not enough that you resolve you will do all this hereafter but you must instantly set to it and begin the course by doing at the present whatsoever you have opportunity of doing And there are several things which you may nay must do at the present before you come to the Sacrament 15. As first you must cast off every sin not bring any one unmortified lust with you to that Table for it is not enough to purpose to cast them off afterwards but you must then actually do it by with-drawing all degrees of love and affection from them you must then give a bill of divorce to all your old beloved sins or else you are no fit way to be married to Christ. The reason of this is clear For this Sacrament is our spiritual nourishment now before we can receive spiritual nourishment we must have spiritual life for no man gives food to a dead person But whosoever continues not only in the act but in the love of any one known sin hath no spiritual life but is in Gods account no better then a dead carkass and therefore cannot receive that spiritual food It is true he may eat the bread and drink the wine but he receives not Christ but in stead of him that which is most dreadful the Apostle will tell you what 1 Cor. 11. 29. He eats and drinks his own damnation Therefore you see how great a necessity lies on you thus actually to put off every sin before you come to this Table 16. And the same necessity lies on you for a second thing to be done at this time and that is the putting your soul into a heavenly and Christian temper by possessing it with all those graces which may render it acceptable in the eyes of God For when you have turned out Satan and his accursed train you must not let your soul lie empty if you do Christ tells you Luke 11. 26. He will quickly return again and your last estate shall be worse then your first But you must by earnest prayer invite into it the holy Spirit with his graces or if they be in some degree there already you must pray that he will yet more fully possess it and you must quicken and stir them up 17. As for example you must quicken your humility by considering your many and great sins your Faith by meditating on Gods promises to all penitent sinners your love to God by considering his mercies especially those remembred in the Sacrament his giving Christ to die for us and your love to your neighbour nay to your enemies by considering that great example of his suffering for us that were enemies to him And it is most particularly required of us when we come to this Table that we copy out this patern of his in a perfect forgivenesse of all that have offended us and not only forgivenesse but such a kindnesse also as will express it self in all offices of love and friendship to them 18. And if you have formerly so quite forgot that blessed example of his as to do the direct contrary if you have done any unkindnesse or injury to any person then you are to seek forgivenesse from him and to that end first acknowledge your fault secondly Restore to him to the utmost of your power whatsoever you have deprived him of either in goods or credit This Reconciliation with our brethren is absolutely necessary towards the making any of our services acceptable with God as appears by that precept of Christ Matth. 5. 23 24. If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee leave there thy gift before the Altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift Where you see that though the gift be already at the Altar it must rather be left there unoffered then be offered by a man that is not at perfect peace with his neighbour And if this charity be so necessary in all our services much more in this where by a joynt partaking in the same holy mysteries we signifie our being united and knit not only to Christ our head but also to each other as fellow members And therefore if we come with any malice in our hearts we commit an act of the highest Hypocrisie by making a solemn profession in the Sacrament of that charity and brotherly love whereof our hearts are quite void 19. Another most necessary grace at this time is that of devotion for the raising whereof we must allow our selves some time to withdraw from our worldly affairs and wholly to set our selves to this business of preparation one very speciall part of which preparation lyes in raising up our souls to a devout and heavenly temper And to that it is most necessary that we cast off all thoughts of the world for they will be sure as so many clogs to hinder our souls in their mounting towards heaven A special exercise of this devotion is Prayer wherein we must be very frequent and earnest at our coming to the Sacrament this being one great instrument
our selves who can never be either prosperous or safe but by committing our selves to him and therefore should tremble to venture on the perils either of day or night without his safeguard How much oftner this duty is to be performed must be judged according to the business or leisure men have where by businesse I mean not such business as men unprofitably make to themselves but the necessary businesse of a mans Calling which with some will not afford them much time for set and solemn Prayer But even these men may often in a day lift up their hearts to God in some short Prayers even whilest they are at their work As for those that have more leisure they are in all reason to bestow more time upon this duty And let no man that can finde time to bestow upon his vanities nay perhaps his sins say he wants leisure for prayer but let him now endeavour to redeem what he hath mis-spent by imploying more of that leisure in this duty for the future And surely if we did but rightly weigh how much it is our own advantage to perform this duty we should think it wisdom to be as frequent as we are ordinarily seldom in it 15. For first it is a great Honour for us poor worms of the earth to be allowed to speak so freely to the Majestie of heaven If a King should but vouchsafe to let one of his meanest Subjects talk familiarly and freely with him it would be looked on as a huge honour that man how despiseable soever he were before would then be the envy of all his neighbours and there is little question he would be willing to take all opportunities of receiving so great a grace But alas this is nothing to the honour is offered us who are allowed nay invited to speak to and converse with the King of Kings and therefore how forward should we in all reason be to it 16. Secondly It is a great Benefit even the greatest that can be imagned for Prayer is the instrument of fetching down all good things to us whether spiritual or temporal no prayer that is qualified as it ought to be but is sure to bring down a blessing according to that of the wise man Eccles. 35. 17. The Prayer of the humble pierceth the clouds and will not turn away till the highest regard it You would think him a happy man that had one certain means of helping him to whatever he wanted though it were to cost him much pains and labour now this happy man thou mayest be if thou wilt Prayer is the never-failing means of bringing thee if not all that thou thinkest thou wantest yet all that indeed thou dost that is all that God sees fit for thee And therefore be there never so much weariness to thy flesh in the duty yet considering in what continual want thou standest of something or other from God it is madness to let that uneasiness dishearten thee and keep thee from this so sure means of supplying thy wants 17. But in the third place this duty is in it self so far from being uneasie that it is very pleasant God is the fountain of happiness and at his right hand are pleasures for evermore Psalm 16. 11. And therefore the nearer we draw to him the happier we must needs be the very joyes of heaven arising from our neerness to God Now in this life we have no way of drawing so neer to him as by this of Prayer and therefore surely it is that which in it self is apt to afford abundance of delight and pleasure if it seem otherwise to us it is from some distemper of our own hearts which like a sick palate cannot relish the most pleasant meat Prayer is a pleasant duty but it is withal a spiritual one and therefore if thy heart be carnal if that be set either on the contrary pleasures of the flesh or dross of the world no marvail then if thou taste no pleasantness in it if like the Israelites thou despise Mannâ— whilest thou longest after the flesh pots of Egypt Therefore if thou finde a weariness in this duty suspect thy self purge and refine thy heart from the love of all sin and endeavour to put it into a heavenly and spiritual frame and then thou wilt find this no unpleasant exercise but full of delight and satisfaction In the mean time complain not of the hardness of the duty but of the unto wardness of thy own heart 18. But there may also be another reason of its seeming unpleasant to us and that is want of Use. You know there are many things which seem uneasie at the first tryal which yet after we are accustomed to them seem very delightful and if this be thy case then thou knowest a ready cure viz. to use it oftner and so this consideration naturally inforces the exhortation of being frequent in this duty 19. But we are not only to consider how often but how well we perform it Now to do it well we are to respect first the matter of our Prayers to look that we ask nothing that is unlawful as revenge upon our eneâ—ies or the like secondly the manner and that must be first in faith we must believe that if we ask as we ought God will either give us the thing we ask for or else something which he sees better for us And then secondly in humility we must acknowledge our selves utterly unworthy of any of those good things we beg for and therefore sue for them only for Christs sake thirdly with attention we must minde what we are about and not suffer our selves to be carried away to the thought of other things I told you at the first that Prayer was the business of the soul but if our mindes be wandering it is the work onely of the tongue and lips which make it in Gods account no better then vain babling and so will never bring a blessing on us Nay as Jacob said to his mother Gen. 27. 12. It will be more likely to bring a curse on us then a blessing for it is a profaning one of the most solemn parts of Gods service it is a piece of Hypocrisie the drawing neer to him with our lip when our hearts are far from him and a great slighting and despising that dreadful Majesty we come before And as to our selves it is a most ridiculous folly that we who come to God upon such weighty errands as are all the concernments of our souls and bodies should in the midst forget our business and pursue every the lightest thing that either our own vain fancies or the Devil whose business it is here to hinder us can offer to us It is just as if a Malâ—factor that comes to sue for his life to the King should in the midst of his supplication happen to espie a Butter flie and then should leave his suit and run a chace after that Butterflie
For though there be sins both against our selves and our neighbours yet they being forbidden by God they are also breaches of his Commandments and so sins against him This repentance is in short nothing but a turning from sin to God the casting off all our former evils and in stead thereof constantly practising all those Christian duties which God requireth of us And this is so necessary a duty that without it we certainly perish we have Christs word for it Luke 13. 5. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish 27. The directions for performing the several parts of this duty have been already given in the preparation to the Lords Suppor and thither I refer the Reader Only I shall here mind him that it is not to be lookt upon as a duty to be practised only at the time of receiving the Sacrament For this being the onely remedy against the poyson of sin we must renew it as often as we repeat our sins that is daily I mean we must every day repent of the sins of that day for what Christ saith of other evils is true also of this sufficient to the day is the evil thereof we have sins enough of each day to exercise a daily repentance and therefore every man must thus daily call himself to account 28. But as it is in accounts they who constantly set down their daily expences have yet some set time of casting up the whole sum as at the end of the week or moneth so should it also be here we should set aside some time to humble our selves solemnly before God for the sins not of that day onely but of our whole lives And the frequenter these times are the better For the oftner we thus cast up our accounts with God and see what vast debts we are run in to him the more humbly shall we think of our selves and the more shall thirst after his mercy which two are the special things that must qualifie us for his pardon He therefore that can assign himself one day in the week for this purpose will take a thriving course for his soul. Or if any mans state of life be so busie as not to afford him to do it so often let him yet come as near to that frequency as is possible for him remembring alwayes that none of his worldly imployments can bring him in near so gainful a return as this spiritual one will do and therefore it is very ill husbandry to pursue them to the neglect of this 29. Besides these constant times there are likewise occasional times for the performance of this duty such especially are the times of calamity and affliction for when any such befals us we are to look on it as a message sent from heaven to call us to this duty and therefore must never neglect it when we are thus summoned to it lest we be of the number of them who despise the chastisements of the Lord Heb. 12. 5. 30. There is yet another time of repentance which in the practice of men hath gotten away the custome from all those and that is the time of death which it is true is a time very fit to renew our repentance but sure not proper to begin it and it is a most desperate madness for men to defer it till then For to say the mildest of it it is the venturing our Souls upon such miserable uncertainties as no wise man would trust with any thing of the least value For first I would ask any man that means to repent at his death how he knows he shall have an hours time for it do we not daily see men snatch'd away in a moment and who can tell that it shall not be his own case But secondly suppose he have a more leisurely death that some disease give him warning of its approach yet perhaps he will not understand that warning but will still flatter himself as very often sick people do with hopes of life to the last and so his death may be sudden to him though it comes by never so slow degrees But again thirdly if he do discern his danger yet how is he sure he shall then be able to repent Repentance is a grace of God not at our command and it is just and usual with God when men have a long time refused and rejected that grace resisted all his calls and invitations to conversion and amendment to give them over at last to the hardness of their own hearts and not to afford them any more of that grace they have so despised Yet suppose in the fourth place that God in his infinite patience should still continue the offer of that grace to thee yet thou that hast resisted it may be thirty or forty or fifty years together how knowest thou that thou shalt put off that habit of resistance upon a sudden and make use of the grace afforded It is sure thou hast many more advantages towards the doing it now then thou wilt have then 31. For first The longer sin hath kept possession of the heart the harder it will be to drive it out It is true if Repentance were nothing but a present ceasing from the acts of sin the death bed were fittest for it for then we are disabled from committing most sins but I have formerly shewed you repentance contains much more then so there must be in it a sincere hatred of sin and love of God Now how unlikely is it that he which hath all his life loved sin cherisht it in his bosome and on the contrary abhorred God and goodness should in an instant quite change his affections hate that sin he loved and love God and goodness which before he utterly hated 32. And secondly The bodily pains that attend a death bed will distract thee and make thee unable to attend the work of repentance which is a business of such weight and difficulty as will employ all our powers even when they are at the freshest 33. Consider those disadvantages thou must then struggle with and then tell me what hope there is thou shalt then do that which now upon much easier terms thou wilt not But in the third place there is a danger behind beyond all these and that is that the repentance which death drives a man to will not be a true repentance for in such a case it is plain it is only the fear of hell puts him on it which though it may be a good beginning where there is time after to perfect it yet where it goes alone it can never avail for Salvation Now that death bed repentances are often onely of this sort is too likely when it is observed that many men who have seemed to repent when they have thought Death approaching have yet after it hath pleased God to restore them to health been as wicked perhaps worse as ever they were before which shews plainly that there was no real change
him up to the power of the Devil and it is the banishing him from the face of God which are not the least parts of the misery of the damned And it is also the binding a man over to that fuller portion of wretchedness in another world For that is the last doom of the unprofitable servant Matth. 25. 30. Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth You see there are no light dangers that attend this neglect of grace and therefore if we have any love nay any common pity to our Souls we must set our selves to this industry I have now done with those VERIUES which respect our SOULS I come now to those which concern our BODIES 17. The first of which is Chastity or Purity which may well be set in the front of the duties we owe to our bodies since the Apostle 1 Cor. 6. 18. sets the contrary as the especial sin against them He that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body 18. Now this vertue of chastity consists in a perfect abstaining from all kinds of uncleanness not only that of adultery and fornication but all other more unnatural sorts of it committed either upon our selves or with any other In a word all acts of that kinde are utterly against Chastity save onely in lawful marriage And even there men are not to think themselves let loose to please their bruitish appetites but are to keep themselves within such rules of moderation as agree to the end of marriage which being these two the begetting of Children and the avoiding of fornication nothing must be done which may hinder the first of these ends and the second aiming onely at the subduing of lust the keeping men from any sinful effects of it is very contrary to that end to make marriage an occasion of heightning and enflaming it 19. But this vertue of chastity reacheth not only to the restraining of the grosser act but to all lower degrees it sets a guard upon our eyes according to that of our Saviour Mat. 5. 28. He that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart and upon our hand as appears by what Christ adds in that place If thy hand offend thee cut it off so also upon our tongues that they speak no immodest or filthy words Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth Ephes. 4. 29. Nay upon our very thoughts and fancies we must not entertain any foul or filthy desires nor so much as the imagination of any such thing Therefore he that forbears the grosser act and yet allows himself in any of these it is to be suspected that it is rather some outward restraint that keeps him from it then the conscience of the sin For if it were that it would keep him from these too these being sins also and very great ones in Gods sight Besides he that lets himself loose to these puts himself in very great danger of the other it being much more easier to abstain from all then to secure against the one when the other is allowed But above all it is to be considered that even these lower degrees are such as make men very odious in Gods eyes who seeth the heart and loves none that are not pure there 20. The loveliness of this Virtue of Chastity needs no other way of describing then by considering the loathsomeness and mischiefs of the contrary sin which is first very bruitish those desires are but the same that the beasts have and then how far are they sunk below the nature of men that can boast of their sins of that kind as of their special excellency when if that be the measure a Goat is the more excellent creature But indeed they that eagerly pursue this part of Beastiality do often leave themselves little besides their humane shape to difference them from beasts This sin so clouds the understanding and defaceth the reasonable Soul Therefore Solomon very well describes the young man that was going to the harlots house Prov. 7. 22. He goeth after her as an Ox goeth to the slaughter 21. Nor secondly are the effects of it better to the body then to the mind The many foul and filthy besides painful diseases which often follow this sin are sufficient witnesses how mischievous it is to the body And alas how many are there that have thus made themselves the Divels Martyrs Suffered such torments in the pursuit of this sin as would exceed the invention of the greatest tyrant Surely they that pay thus dear for damnation very well deserve to enjoy the purchase 22. But thirdly Besides the natural fruits of this sin it is attended with very great and heavy Judgments from God the most extra ordinary and miraculous Judgement that ever befel any place Fire and Brimstone from Heaven upon Sodome and Gomorrah was for this sin of uncleanness And many examples likewise of Gods vengeance may be observed on particular persons for this sin The incest of Amnon cost him his life as you may read 2 Sam. 13. Zimrie and Cozbi were slain in the very act Numb 25. 8. And no person that commits the like hath any assurance it shall not be his own case For how secretly soever it be committed it cannot be hid from God who is the sure avenger of all such wickedness Nay God hath very particularly threatned this sin 1 Cor. 3. 17. If any man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy This sin of uncleanness is a kind of sacriledge a polluting those bodies which God hath chosen for his Temples and therefore no wonder if it be thus heavily punished 23. Lastly This sin shuts us out from the Kingdom of Heaven wherein no impure thing can enter And we never find any list of those sins which bar men thence but this of uncleanness hath a special place in it Thus it is Gal. 5. 19 and so again 1 Cor. 6 9. If we will thus pollute our selves we are fit company only for those black spirits the Divel and his Angels and therefore with them we must expect our portion where our flames of lust shall end in flames of fire 24. All this layed together may surely recommend the virtue of Chastity to us for the preserving of which we must be very careful first to check the beginnings of the temptation to cast away the very first fancy of lust with indignation for if you once fall to parley and talk with it it gains still more upon you and then it will be harder to resist therefore your way in this temptation is to flie rather then fight with it This is very necessary not only that we may avoid the danger of proceeding to act the sin but also in respect of the present fault of entertaining such fancies which of it self though it should never proceed further is as hath been shewed a great abomination
excess yet it is possible there may be one on the other hand men may deny their bodies that which they necessarily require to their support and well being This is I believe a fault not so common as the other yet we sometimes see some very niggardly persons that are guilty of it that cannot find in their hearts to borrow so much from their chests as may feed their bellies or cloth their backs and that are so intent upon the world so moiling and drudging in it that they cannot afford themselves that competent time of sleep or recreation that is necessary If any that hath read the former part of this Discourse be of this temper let him not comfort himself that he is not guilty of those excesses there complained of and therefore conclude himself a good Christian because he is not intemperate for whoever is this covetous creature his abstaining shall not be counted to him as the vertue of temperance for it is not the love of temperance but wealth that makes him refrain And that is so far from being praise-worthy that it is that great sin which the Apostle tells us 1 Tim. 6. 10. is the root of all evil such a mans body will one day rise in judgement against him for defrauding it of its due portion those moderate refreshments and comforts which God hath allowed it This is an Idolatry beyond that of offering the children to Moloch Lev. 20. 3. they offered but their children but this covetous wretch sacrifices himself to his god Mammon whilest he often destroys his health his life yea finally his Soul too to save his purse I have now done with the second head of duty that to our selves contained by the Apostle under the word soberly PARTITION X. Of DUTIES to our NEIGHBOURS Of JUSTICE Negative Positive Of the sin of MURTHER Of the Hainousness of it the Punishments of it and the strange Discoveries thereof Of Maiming wounds and stripes § 1. I Come now to the third part of Duties those to our Neighbour which is by the Apostle summed up in gross in the word righteousness by which is meant not onely bare justice but all kind of charity also for that is now by the law of Christ become a debt to our neighbor and it is a piece of unrighteousness to defraud him out of it I shall therefore build all the particular duties we ow to our neighbor on those two general ones Justice and Charity 2. I begin with JUSTICE whereof there are two parts the one Negative the other Positive the negative justice is to do no wrong or injury to any The positive justice is to do right to all that is to yield them whatsoever appertains or is due unto them I shall first speak of the negative justice the not injuring or wronging any Now because a man is capable of receiving wrong in several respects this first part of justice extends it self into several branches answerable to those capacities of injury A man may be injured either in his Soul his body his possessions or credit and therefore this duty of negative justice lays a restraint on us in every of these That we do no wrong to any man in respect either of his Soul his body his possessions or credit 3. First This JUSTICE tyes us to do no hurt to his Soul and here my first work must be to examine what harm it is that the soul can receive it is we know an invisible substance which we cannot reach with our eye much less with our swords and weapons yet for all that it is capable of being hurt and wounded and that even to death 4. Now the Soul may be considered either in a natural or spiritual sense in the natural it signifies that which we usually call the mind of a man and this we all know may be wounded with gries or sadness as Solomon saith Prov. 15. 13. By sorrow of heart the spirit is broken Therefore whoever does causlesly afflict or grieve his neighbour he transgresses this part of justice and hurts and wrongs his soul. This sort of injury malicious and spiteful men are very often guilty of they will do things by which themselves reap no good nay often much harm onely that they may vex and grieve another This is a most savage inhumane humour thus to take pleasure in the sadness and afflictions of others and whoever harbours it in his heart may truly be said to be possest with a Devil for it is the nature only of those accursed spirits to delight in the miseries of men and till that be cast out they are fit onely to dwell as the possest person did Mar 5. 2. Among graves and tombs where there are none capable of receiving affliction by them 5. But the Soul may be considered also in the spiritual sense and so it signifies that immortal part of us which must live eternally either in bliss or woe in another world And the Soul thus understood is capable of two sorts of harm First That of sin Secondly That of Punishment the latter whereof is certainly the consequent of the former and therefore though God be the inflicter of punishment yet since it is but the effect of sin we may justly reckon that he that draws a man to sin is likewise the betrayer of him to punishment as he that gives a man a mortal wound is the cause of his death therefore under the evil of sin both are contained so that I need speak onely of that 6. And sure there cannot be a higher sort of wrong then the bringing this great evil upon the Soul sin is the disease and wound of the Soul as being the direct contray to Grace which is the health and soundness of it Now this wound we give to every Soul whom we do by any means whatsoever draw into sin 7. The wayes of doing that are divers I shall mention some of them whereof though some are more direct then others yet all tend to the same end Of the more direct ones there is first the commanding of sin that is when a person that hath power over another shall require him to do something which is unlawful an example of this we have in Nebuchadnezzars commanding the worship of the golden Image Dan. 3. 4. and his copy is imitated by any parent or master who shall require of his childe or servant to do any unlawful act Secondly there is counselling of sin when men advise and perswade others to any wickedness Thus Jobs wife counselled her husband to curse God Job 27. And Achitophel advised Absolom to go into his Fathers concubines 2 Sam. 16. 21. Thirdly there is enticing and alluring to sin by setting before men the pleasures or profits they shall reap by it Of this sort of enticement Solomon gives warning Prov. 1. 10. My son if sinners entice thee consent thou not if they say Come with us let us lay wait for blood let us lurk
faithfulness in all trusts committed to him by his friend whether that of goods or secrets he that betrayes the trust of a friend in either is by all men lookt upon with abhorrence it being one of the highest falsnesses and treacheries and for such treacherous wounds the Wise man tells us Every friend will depart Eccles. 22. 22. 21. Secondly 't is the duty of a Friend to be assisting to his friend in all his outward needs to counsel him when he wants advice to chear him when he needs comfort to give him when he wants relief and to endeavour his rescue out of any trouble or danger An admirable example we have of this friendship in Jonathan to David he loved him as his own soul and we see he not only contrives for his safety when he was in danger but runs hazards himself to rescue and deliver his friend draws his fathers anger upon him to turn it from David as you may read at large 1 Sam. 30. 22. The third and highest duty of a friend is to be aiding and assisting to the soul of his friend to endeavour to advance that in piety and vertue by all means within his power by exhortations and encouragements to all vertue by earnest and vehement disswasions from all sin and not only thus in general but by applying to his particular wants especially by plain and friendly reproofs where he knowes or reasonably believes there is any fault committed This is of all others the most peculiar duty of a friend it being indeed that which none else is qualified for Such an unwillingness there is in most men to hear of their faults that those that undertake that work had need have a great prepossession of their hearts to make them patient of it Nay it is so generally acknowledged to be the proper work of a friend that if he omit it he betrayes the offender into security his not reproving will be apt to make the other think he does nothing worthy of reproof and so he tacitely acts that basest part of a flatterer sooths and cherishes him in his sin when yet farther it is considered how great need all men have at some time or other of being admonished 't will appear a most unfriendly yea cruel thing to omit it we have that natural partiality to our selves that we cannot so readily discern our own miscariages as we do other mens and therefore 't is very necessary they should sometimes be shewed us by those who see them more cleerly and the doing this at the first may prevent the multiplying of more whereas if we be suffered to go unreproved it often comes to such a habit that reproofes will do no good And then how shall that person be able to answer it either to God or himself that has by his silence betrayed his friend to this greatest mischief 'T is the expression of God himself speaking of a friend thy friend which is as thine own soul Deut. 13. 6. And sure we should in this respect account our friends as our own souls by having the same jealous tenderness and watchfulness over their souls which we ought to have of our own It will therefore be very fit for all that have enter'd any strict friendship to make this one special article in the agreement that they shall mutually admonish and reprove each other by which means it will become such an avowed part of their friendship that it can never be mistaken by the reproved party for censoriousness or unkindness 23. Fourthly To these several parts of kindness must be added that of Prayer we must not only assist our friends our selves in what we can but we must call in the Almighty aid to them recommending them earnestly to God for all his blessings both temporal spiritual 24. Lastly We must be Constant in our Friendships and not out of a Lightness of humour grow weary of a friend only because we have had him long This is great injustice to him who if he have behaved himself well ought the more to be valued by how much the longer he has continued to do so And it is great folly in our selves for it is the casting away the greatest treasure of humane life for such certainly is a tryed friend The wisest of men gives warning of it Prov. 27. 16. Thine own friend and thy fathers friend forsake not Nay farther 't is not every light offence of a friend that should make thee renounce his friendship there must be some allowance made to the infirmities of men and if thou hast occasion to pardon him somewhat to day perhaps thou mayest give him opportunity to requite thee to morrow therefore nothing but unfaithfulness or incorrigible vice should break this band 25. The last relation is that between Masters and Servants both which owe duty to each other That of the Servant is first obedience to all lawful commands this is expresly required by the Apostle Ephes. 6. 6. Servants obey in all things your Masters c. And this obedience must not be a grumbling and unwilling one but ready and cheerful as he there proceeds to exhort ver 7. with good will doing service and to help them herein they are to consider that it is to the Lord and not unto men God has commanded servants thus to obey their Masters and therefore the obedience they pay is to God which may well make them do it cheerfully how harsh or unworthy soever the Master be especially if what the Apostle farther urgeth ver 8. be considered that there is a reward to be expected from God for it 26. The second duty of the Servant is faithfulness and that may be of two sorts one as opposed to eye-service the other to purloyning or defrauding The first part of faithfulness is the doing of all true service to his Master not only when his eye is over him and he expects punishment for the omission but at all times even when his Master is not likely to discern his failing and that servant that doth not make conscience of this is far from being a faithful servant this eye service being by the Apostle set opposite to that singleness of heart which he requires of servants Eph. 6. 5. The second sort of faithfulness consists in the honest managery of all things intrusted to him by his Master the not wasting his goods as the un ust Steward was accused to have done Luk. 16. whether by careless embezelling of them or by converting any of them to his own use without the allowance of his Master This latter is that purloyning of which the Apostle warns servants Tit. 2. 10. And is indeed no better then arrant theft of this kind are all those wayes that the servant hath of gaining to himself by the loss and damage of his Master as the being bribed to make ill bargains for him and many the like Nay indeed this sort of unfaithfulness is worse then common theft by
one the lesson of the other and therefore 't is the greatest absurdity and contradiction to profess themselves Christians and yet at the same time to resist this so express Command of that Christ whom they own as their Master If I be a Master saith God where is my fear Mal. 1. 6. Obedience and reverence are so much the duties of servants that no man is thought to look on him as a Master to whom he payes them not Why call ye me Lord Lord and do not the things that I say saith Christ Luke 6. 46. The whole world is divided into two great Families Christs and Satans and the obedience each man payes signifies to which of these Masters he belongs if he obey Christ to Christ if Satan to Satan Now this sin of malice and revenge is so much the dictate of that wicked spirit that there is nothing can be a more direct obeying of him 't is the taking his livery on our backs the proclamation whose servants we are What ridiculous impudence is it then for men that have thus entred themselves of Satans Family to pretend to be the Servants of Christ Let such know assuredly that they shal not be owned by him but at the great day of accompt be turned over to their proper Master to receive their wages in fire and brimstone A second consideration is the example of God this is an argument Christ himself thought fit to use to impress this duty on us as you may see Luk. 6. 35. 36. Where after having given the Command of Loving Enemies he encourages to the practise of it by telling that it is that which will make us the Children of the Highest that is 't will give us a likeness and resemblance to him as children have to their Parents for he is kind to the unthankfull and the evil And to the same purpose you may read Mat. 5. 45. He maketh his sin to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust And sure this is a most forcible consideration to excite us to this duty God we know is the fountain of perfection and the being like to him is the summe of all we can wish for and though it was Lucifers fall his ambition to be like the most high yet had the likeness he affected been only that of Holyness and goodness he might still have been an Angell of light This desire of imitating our Heavenly Father is the especial mark of a child of his Now this kindness and goodness to enemies is most eminently remarkable in God and that not only in respect of the temporal mercies which he indifferently bestowes on all his sun and rain on the unjust as in the text forementioned but chiefly in his spiritual Mercies We are all by our wicked works Col. 1. 21. Enemies to him and the mischief of that enmity would have fallen wholly upon our selves God had no motive besides that of his pity to us to wish a reconciliation yet so far was he from returning our enmity when he might have revenged himself to our eternal ruine that he designes and contrives how he may bring us to be at peace with him This is a huge degree of mercy and kindness but the means he used for effecting this is yet far beyond it He sent his own Son from Heaven to work it and that not only by perswasions but sufferings also So much did he prize us miserable creaâ—ures that he thought us not too dear bought with the blood of his Son The like example of mercy and patience we have in Christ both laying down his life for us Enemies and also in that meek manner of doing it which we finde excellently set forth by the Apostle 1 Pet. 2. 22 23 24. and commended to our imitation Now surely when all this is considered we may well make S. Johns inference Beloved if God so loved us we ought also to love one another 1 John 4. 11. How shameful a thing is it for us to retain displeasures against our brethren when God thus layes by his towards us and that when we have so highly provoked him This directs to a third consideration the comparing our sins against God with the offences of our brethren against us which we no sooner shall come to do but there will appear a vast difference between them and that in several respects For first there is the Majesty of the person against whom we sin which exceedingly encreases the guilt whereas between man and man there cannot be so great a distance for though some men are by God advanced to such eminency of dignity as may make an injury offered to them the greater yet still they are but men of the same nature with us whereas he is God blessed for ever Secondly there is his soveraignity and power which is original in God for we are his creatures we have received our whole being from him and therefore are in the deepest manner bound to perfect obedience whereas all the soveraignty that one man can possibly have over another is but imparted to them by God and for the most part there is none of this neither in the case quarrels being most usual among equals Thirdly there is his infinite bounty and goodness to us all that ever we enjoy whether in relation to this life or a better being wholly his free gift so there is the foulest ingratitude added to our other crimes in which respect also 't is impossible for one man to offend against an other in such a degree for though one may be too many are guilty of unthankfulness towards men yet because the greatest benefits that man can bestow are infinitely short of those which God doth the ingratitude cannot be neer so great as towards God it is Lastly there is the greatness and multitude of our sins against God which do infinitely exceed all that the most injurious man can do against us for we all sin much oftner and more heinously against him then any man be he never so malicious can find opportunities of injuring his brethren This inequality and disproportion our Saviour intimates in the parable Mat. 18. where our offences against God are noted by the ten thousand talents whereas our brethrens against us are described by the hundred pence a talent hugely out-weighs a penny and ten thousand outnumbers a hundred yet so and much more does the weight and number of our sins exceed all the offences of others against us Much more might be said to shew the vast inequality between the faults which God forgives us and those we can possibly have to forgive our brethren But this I suppose may suffice to silence all the objections of cruel and revengefull persons against this kindness to enemies They are apt to look upon it as an absur'd and unreasonable thing but since God himself acts it in so much a higher degree who can without blasphemy say 't is unreasonable If this or
that thou wilt deliberately choose death thou wilt surely practice according to that sentence of thy understanding I shall add no more on this first part of Charity that of the Affections I proceed now to that of the Actions And this endeed is it whereby the former must be approved we may pretend great charity within but if none break forth in the Actions we may say of that Love as Saâ—nt James does of the Faith he speaks of that it is dead Jam. 2. 20. It is the loving in deed that must approve our bearts before God 1 Jo. 3. 18. Now this love in the Actions may likewise fitly be distributed as the former was in relation to the four distinct capacities of our brethren their Souls their Bodies their Goods and Credit The Soul I formerly told you may be considered either in a naturall or spirituall sense in both of them Charity binds us to do all the good we can As the Soul signifies the mind of a man so we are to endeavour the comfort and refreshment of our brethren desire to give them all true cause of joy cheerfulnes especially when we see any under any sadness or heaviness then to bring out all the cordialls we can procure that is to labour by all Christian and fit means to chear the troubled spirits of our brethren to comfort them that are in any heaviness as the Apostle speakes 2. Cor. 1. 4. But the Soul in the spirituall sence is yet of greater concernment and the securing of that is a matter of much greater moment then the refreshing of the mind only in as much as the eternall sorrows and sadnesses of Hell exceed the deepest sorrows of this life and therefore though we must not omit the former yet on this we are to employ our most zealous charities Wherein we are not to content our selves with a bare wishing well to the Souls of our brethren this alone is a sluggish sort of kindness unworthy of those who are to imitate the great Redeemer of Souls who did and suffered so much in that purchase No we must add also our endeavour to make them what we wish them to this purpose 't were very reasonable to propound to our selves in all our conversings with others that one great designe of doing some good to their souls If this purpose were fixt in our minds we should then discern perhaps many opportunities which now we overlook of doing something towards it The brutish ignorance of one would call upon thee to endeavour his instruction the open sin of another to reprehend admonish him the faint and weak vertue of another to confirm and incourage him Every spirituall want of thy brother may give thee some occasion of exercising some part of this Charity or if the circumstances be such that upon sober judging thou think it vain to attempt any thing thy self as if either thy meanness or thy unacquaintedness or any the like impediment be like to render thy exhortations fruitless yet if thou art industrious in thy Charity thou mayest probably find out some other instrument by whom to do it more successfully There cannot be a nobler study then how to benefit mens Souls and therefore where the direct means are improper 't is fit we should whet our wits for attaining of others Indeed 't is a shame we should not as industriously contrive for this great spirituall concernment of others as we do for every worldly trifling interest of our own yet in them we are unwearied and trye one means after another till we compass our end But if after all our serious endeavours the obstinacy of men do not suffer us or themselves rather to reap any fruit from them if all our wooings and intreatings of men to have mercy on their own Souls will not work on them yet be sure to continue still to exhort by thy example Let thy great care and tenderness of thy own Soul preach to them the value of theirs and give not over thy compassions to them but with the Prophet Jer. 13. 17. Let thy Soul weep in secret for them and with the Psalmist Let rivers of waters run down thy eyes because they kept not Gods Law Psal. 119. 136. Yea with Christ himself weep over them who will not know the things that belong to their peace Luk 11. 42. And when no importunities with them will work yet even then cease not to importune God for them that he will draw them to himself Thus we see Samuel when he could not diswade the people from that sinful purpose they were upon yet he professes notwithstanding that he will not cease praying for them nay he lookt on it as so much a duty that it would be sin to him to omit it God forbid sayes he that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you 1 Sam. 12. 23. Nor shall we need to fear that our prayers will be quite lost for if they prevail not for those for whom we pour them out yet however they will return into our own bosomes Psal. 35. 13 we shall be sure not to miss of the reward of that Charity In the second place we are to exercise this Active Charity towards the bodies of our Neighbours we are not only to compassionate their pains and miseries but also to do what we can for their ease and relief The good Samaritan Luke 10. had never been proposed as our pattern had he not as well helped as pitied the wounded man 'T is not good wishes no nor good words neither that avail in such cases as St. James tells us If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food and one of you say unto them Depart in peace be ye warmed and filled notwithstanding ye give him not those things that are needful for the body what doth it profit Jam. 2. 15. 16. No sure it profits them nothing in respect of their bodies and it will profit thee as little in respect of thy Soul it will never be reckoned to thee as a Charity This releeving of the bodily wants of our brethren is a thing so strictly required of us that we find it set down Mat. 25. as the especiall thing we shall be tried by at the Last Day on the omission whereof is grounded that dreadful sentence ver 41. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels And if it shall now be asked what are the particular acts of this kind which we are to perform I think we cannot better inform our selves for the frequent and ordinary ones then from this Chapter where are set down these severals the giving meat to the hungry and drink to the thirtty harbouring the stranger clothing the naked and visiting the sick and imprisoned By which visiting is meant not a bare coming to see them but so coming as to comfort and relieve them for otherwise it will be but like the Levite in the
Gospel Luk. 10. who came looked on the wounded man but did no more which will never be accepted by God These are common and ordinary exercises of this charity for which we cannot want frequent opportunities But besides these there may sometimes by Gods especial providence fall into our hands occasions of doing other good offices to the bodies of our neighbours we may sometimes find a wounded man with the Samaritan and then 't is our duty to do as he did we may sometimes find an innocent person condemned to death as Susanna was and then are with Daniel to use all possible endeavour for their deliverances This case Solomon seems to refer to Prov. 24. 11. If thou forbear to deliver him that is drawn unto death and them that are ready to be slain if thou sayst behold we knew it not doth not he that pondereth the heart consider and he that keepeth thy sâ—â—l doth not he know it shall not be render to every man according to his deeds we are not lightly to put off the matter with vain excuses but to remember that God who knows our most secret thoughts will severely examine whether we have willingly omitted the performance of such a charity sometimes again nay God knowes often now a dayes we may see a man that by a course of intemperance is in danger to destroy his health to shorten his dayes and then it is a due charity not only to the soul but to the body also to endeavour to draw him from it It is impossible to set down all the possible acts of this corporal charity because there may sometimes happen such opportunities as none can foresee we are therefore alwayes to carry about us a serious resolution of doing whatever good of this kind we shall at any time discern occasion for then whenever that occasion is offered we are to look on it as a call as it were from heaven to put that resolution in practice This part of charity seems to be so much implanted in our natures as we are men that we generally account them not only unchristian but inhumane that are void of it and therefore I hope there will not need much perswasion to it since our very nature inclines us but certainly that very consideration wil serve hugely to increase the guilt of those that are wanting in it For since this command is so agreeable even to flesh and blood our disobedience to it can proceed from nothing but a stubborness and resistance against God who gives it PARTITION XVII Of Charity Alms giving c. Of Charity in respect of our Neighbours Credit c. Of Peace-making Of going to Law Of Charity to our Enemies c. Christian Duties both possible and pleasant § 1 THE third way of expressing this Charity is towards the goods or estate of our neighbour we are to endeavour his thriving and prosperity in these outward good things and to that end be willing to assist and farther him in all honest wayes of improveing or preserving them by any neighbourly and friendly office Opportunities of this do many times fall out A man may sometimes by his power or perswasion deliver his neighbours goods out of the hands of a thief or oppressor sometimes again by his advice and counsel he may set him in a way of thriving or turn him from some ruinous course and many other occasions there may be of doing good turns to another without any loss or damage to our selves and then we are to do them even to our rich neighbours those that are as wealthy perhaps much more so as our selves for though Charity do not bind us to give to those that want it lesse then our selves yet whenever we can further their profit without less'ning our own store it requires it of us Nay if the damage be but light to us in comparison of the advantage to him it will become us rather to hazard that light damage then lose him that greater advantage 2. But towards our poor brother Charity tyes us to much more we are there only to consider the supplying of his wants and not to stick at parting with what is our own to relieve him but as far as we are able give freely what is necessary to him This duty of Alms-giving is perfectly necessary for the approving our love not only to men but even to God himself as St. John tels us 1 Jo. 3. 17. Whoso hath this worlds goods and seeth his brother have need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him 'T is vain for him to pretend to love either God or man who loves his mony so much better that he will see his poor brother who is a man and bears the image of God suffer all extremities rather then part with any thing to relieve him On the other side the performance of this duty is highly acceptable with God as well as with men 3. 'T is called Heb. 13. 16. A sacrifice wherewith God is well pleased and again Phil. 4. 18. St. Paul calls their almes to him a Sacrifice acceptable wel-pleasing to God and the Church hath alwayes look't on it as such and therefore joyned it with the soleumest part of worship the holy Sacrament But because even sacrifices themselves under the Law were often made unacceptable by being maimed and blemished it will here be necessary to enquire what are the due qualifications of this Sacrifice 4. Of these there are some that respect the motive some the manner of our giving The motive may be threefold respecting God our neighbour and our selves That which respects God is obedience and thankfulnesse to him he has commanded we should give alms and therefore one speciall end of our doing so must be the obeying that precept of his And it is from his bounty alone that we receive all our plenty and this is the properest way of expressing our thankfullness for it for as the Psalmist saith our goods extend not unto God Psal. 16. 2. That tribute which we desire to pay out of our estates we cannot pay to his person 'T is the poor that are as it were his Proxey and receivers and therefore what ever we should by way of thankfullness give back again unto God our alms is the way of doing it Secondly in respect of our neighbour the motive must be a true love and compassion to him a tender fellow-feeling of his wants and desire of his comfort and relief Thirdly in respect of our selves the motive is to be the hope of that eternall reward promised to this performance This Christ points out to us when he bids us lay up our treasure in heaven Mat. 6. 20. And to make us friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness that they may receive us into everlasting habitations Luk. 16. 9. That is by a charitable dispencing of our temporall goods to the poor to lay up a stock in heaven to gain a title to
those endlesse felicities which God hath promised to the charitable That is the harvest we must expect of what we sowe in these works of mercy which will be so rich as would abundantly recompence us though we should as the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 13. 3. Bestow all our goods to feed the poor But then we must be sure we make this our sole aim and not instead of this propose to our selves the praise of men as the motive of our charity for that will rob us of the other this is expresly told us by Christ Mat. 6. They that set their hearts on the credit they shall gain with men must take that as their portion ver 3. verily I say unto you they have their reward they chose it seems rather to have men their Pay-masters then God and to them they are turn'd off that little airy praise they get from them is all the reward they must expect Ye have no reward of my Father which is in heaven ver 1. we have therefore need to watch our hearts narrowly that this desire of vain glory steal not in and befool us into that miserable exchange of a vain blast of mens breath for those substantial and eternal joyes of heaven 5. In the second place we must take care of our alms-giving in respect of the manner and in that first we must give cheerfully men usually value a smal thing that is given cheerfully and with a good heart more then a much greater that is wrung from a man with grudging and unwillingness and God is of the same mind he loves a cheerfull giver 2 Cor. 9. 7. Which the Apostle makes the reason of the foregoing exhortation of not giving grudgingly or as of necessity ver 6. And sure 't is no unreasonable thing that is herein required of us there being no duty that has to humane nature more of pleasure and delight unlesse it be where coveteousness or cruelty have quite work't out the man put a ravenous beast in his stead Is it not a most ravishing pleasure to him that hath any bowels to see the joy that a seasonable alms brings to a poor wretch how it revives and puts new spirits in him that was even sinking certainly the most sensuall creature alive knows not how to bestow his mony on any thing that shal bring him in so great a delight and therefore me thinks it should be no hard matter to give not only without grudging but even with a great deal of alacrity and cheerfulness it being the fetching in of pleasure to our selves 6. There is but one objection can be made against this and that is that the danger of impoverishing ones self by what one gives may take off that pleasure and make men either not give at all or not so cheerfully To this I answer That first were this hazard never so apparent yet it being the command of God that we shall thus give we are yet to obey cheerfully and be as well content to part with our good in pursuance of this duty as we are many times called to do upon some other In which case Christ tels us he that forsakes not all that he hath cannot be his Disciple 7. But secondly this is sure a vain supposition God having particularly promised the contrary to the Charicable that it shall bring blessings on them even in these outward things The liberal soul shall be made fat and he that watereth shall be watered also himself Prov. 11. 25. He that giveth to the poor shall not lack Prov. 28. 27. And many the like texts there are so that one may truely say this objection is grounded in direct unbelief The short of it is we dare not trust God for this giving to the poor is directly the puting our wealth into his hands He that giveeth to the poor lendeth unto the Lord Prov. 19. 17. And that too on solemn promise of repayment as it follows in that verse that which he hath given will he pay him again It is amongst men thought a great disparagment when we refuse to trust them it shews we either think them not sufficient or not honest How vile an affront is it then to God thus to distrust him nay indeed how horrid blasphemy to doubt the security of that for which he has thus expresly past his word who is Lord of all and therefore cannot be insufficient and who is the God of truth and therefore will not fail to make good his Promise Let not then that infidel fear of future want contract and shut up thy bowels from thy poor brother for though he be never likely to pay thee yet God becomes his Surety and enters bond with him and will most assuredly pay thee with encrease Therefore it is so far from being damage to thee thus to give that it is thy great advantage Any man would rather choose to put his money in some sure hand where he may both improve and be certain of it at his need then to let it lie unprofitably by him especially if he be in danger of thieves or other accidents by which he may probably loose it Now alas all that we possess is in minutely danger of losing innumerable accidents there are which may in an instant bring a rich man to beggery he that doubts this let him but read the story of Job and he will there finde an example of it And therefore what so prudent course can we take for our wealth as to put it out of the reach of those accidents by thus lending it to God where we may be sure to finde it ready at our greatest need and that too with improvement and encrease in which respect it is that the Apostle compares Alms to Seed 2 Cor. 9. 10. We know it is the nature of Seed that is sown to multiply and encrease and so does all our acts of mercy they return nor single and naked to us but bring in their sheaves with them a most plenteous bountiful harvest God deals not with our alms as we too often do with his graces wrap them up in a napkin so that they shall never bring in any advantage to us but makes us most rich returns and therefore we have all reason most cheerfully yea joyfully to set to this duty which we have such invitations to as well in respect of our own interests as our neighbours needs 8. Secondly We must give seasonably it is true indeed there are some so poor that an Alms can never come unseasonably because they alwayes want yet even to them there may be some special seasons of doing it to their greater advantage for sometimes an Alms may not only deliver a poor man from some present extremity but by the right timeing of it may set him in some way of a more comfortable subsistence afterward And for the most I presume it is a good Rule to dispence what we intend to any as soon as may be for delays are
of our bitterest enemies I have already spoken so much of the Obligation we are under to forgive them that I shall not hear say any thing of that but that being supposed a duty 't will sure then appear no unreasonable thing to proceed one step further by doing them good turns for when we have once forgiven them we can then no longer account them enemies and so 't will be no hard matter even to flesh and blood to do all kinde things to them And indeed this is the way by which we must trye the sincerity of our forgiveness 'T is easy to say I forgive such a man but if when an opportunity of doing him good is offered thou declinest it 't is apparent there yet lurks the old malice in thy heart Where there is a thorough forgiveness there will be as great a readiness to benefit an enemy as a friend nay perhaps in some respects a greater a true charitable person looking upon it as an especial prize when he has an opportunity of evidencing the truth of his reconciliation and obeying the precept of his Saviour by doing good to them that hate him Matth. 5. 44. Let us therefore resolve that all actions of kindness are to be performed to our enemies for which we have not only the command but also the example of Christ who had not only some inward relentings towards us his obstinate and most provoking enemies but shewed it in acts and those no cheap or easy ones but such as cost him his dearest bloud And surely we can never pretend to be either obeyers of his command or followers of his example if we grudge to testifie our loves to our enemies by those so much cheaper wayes of feeding them in hunger and the like recommended to us by the Apostle Rom. 12. 20. But if we could perform these acts of kindness to enemies in such manner as might draw them from their enmitie and win them to Peace the Charity would be doubled And this we should aim at for that we see the Apostle sets as the end of the forementioned acts of feeding c. that we may heap coals of fire on their heads not coals to burn but to melt them into all love and tenderness towards us and this were indeed the most compleat way of imitating Christs example who in all he did and suffered for us designed the reconciling of us to himself 18. I have now shewed you the several parts of our duty to our Neighbour towards the performance whereof I know nothing more necessary then the turning out of our hearts that self love which so often possesses them and that so wholly that it leaves no room for Charity nay nor justice neither to our Neighbour By this self-love I mean not that true love of our selves which is the love and care of our Souls for that would certainly help not hinder us in this duty but I mean that immoderate love of our own worldly interests and advantages which is apparently the root of all both injustice and uncharitableness towards others We finde this sin of self-love set by the Apostle in the head of a whole troop of sins 2 Tim. 3. 2. as if it were some principal officer in Satans camp and certainly not without reason for it never goes without an accursed train of many other sins which like the Dragons tail Rev. 12. 4. sweeps away all care of duty to others We are by it made so vehement and intent upon the pleasing our selves that we have no regard to any body else contrary to the direction of S. Paul Rom. 15. 2. Which is not to please our selves but every man to please his Neighbour for his good to edification which he backs with the example of Christ vers 3. For even Christ pleased not himself If therefore we have any sincere desire to have this vertue of charity rooted in our hearts we must be careful to weed out this sin of self-love for 't is impossible they can prosper together 19. But when we have removed this hindrance we must remember that this as al other graces proceeds not from our selves it is the gift of God and therefore we must earnestly pray to him to work it in us to send his holy Spirit which once appeared in the form of a dove a meek and gall-less creature to frame our hearts to the same temper and enable us rightly to perform this duty 20. I have now past through those several branches I at first proposed and shewed you what is our duty to God our selves and our neighbour Of which I may say as it is Luk. 10. 28. This do and thou shalt live And surely it is no impossible task to perform this in such a measure as God will graciously accept that is in Sincerity though not in perfection for God is not that austere master Luk 19. 20. That reaps where he has not sowed he requires nothing of us which he is not ready by his grace to enable us to perform if we be not wanting to our selves either in asking it by prayer or in using it by diligence And as it is not impossible so neither is it such a sad melancholly task as men are apt to think it 'T is a special pollicy of Satans to do as the spies did Num. 23. 28. bring up an ill report upon this good land this state of Christian life thereby to discourage us from entering into it to fright us with I know not what Gyants we shall meet with but let us not thus be cheated let us but take the courage to try and we shall indeed finde it a Canaan a land flowing with milk and honey God is not in this respect to his people a wilderness a land of darkness Jer. 2. 31. His service does not bereave men of any true joy but helps thou to â—â— great deal Christs yoke is an easy nay a pleasant yoke his burden a light yea a gracious burden There is in the practise of Christian duties a great deal of present pleasure and if we feel it not it is because of the resistance our vitious and sinful customs make which by the contention raises an uneasiness But then first that is to be charged only to our selves for having got those ill customs and thereby made that hard to us which in it self is most pleasant the duties are not to be accused for it And then secondly even there the pleasure of subduing those ill habits overcoming those corrupt customs is such as hugely outweigheth all the trouble of the combate 21. But it will perhaps be said that some parts of piety are of such a nature as will be very apt to expose us to persecutions and sufferings in the world and that those are not joyous but grievous I answer that even in those there is matter of joy we see the Apostles thought it so they rejoyced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christs name Acts 4. 41. and S.
of those sins which have provoked thy Judgements that thou also mayest turn and repent and leave a blessing behinde thee Bless those whom thou hast appointed our Governours whether in Church or State so rule their hearts and strengthen their hands that they may neither want will nor power to punish wickedness and vice and to maintain Gods true Religion and Vertue Have pity O Lord on all that are in affliction be a Father to the fatherless and plead the cause of the widow comfort the feeble minded support the weak heal the sick relieve the needy defend the oppressed and administer to every one according to their several necessities let thy blessings rest upon all that are near and dear to me and grant them whatsoever thou seest necessary either to their bodies or their Souls Here name thy neerest Relations Reward all those that have done me good and pardon all those that have done or wisht me evil and work in them and me all that good which may make us acceptable in thy sight through Jesus Christ. For PRESERVATION OMerciful God by whose bounty alone it is that I have this day added to my life I beseech thee so to guide me in it by thy grace that I may do nothing which may dishonour thee or wound my own soul but that I may deligently apply my self to do all such good works as thou hast prepared for me to walk in and Lord I beseech thee give thy Angels charge over me to keep me in all my wayes that no evil happen unto me nor any plague come nigh my dwelling but that I and mine may be safe under thy gracious protection through Jesus Christ. O Lord pardon the wandrings and coldness of these petitions and dâ—al with me not according either to my prayers or deserts but according to my needs and thine own rich mercies in Jesus Christ in whose blessed Name and Words I conclude these my imperfect Prayers saying Our Father c. DIRECTIONS for NIGHT. AT NIGHT when it draws towards the time of rest bethink thy self how thou hast passed the day examine thine own heart what sin either of Thought Word or Deed thou hast committed what opportunity of doing good thou hast omitted and what soever thou sindest to accuse thy self of confess humbly and penitently to God renew thy purposes and resolutions of amendment and beg his pardon in Christ and this not slightly and only as of course but with all devout earnestness and heartiness as thou wouldest do if thou were sure thy death were as near approaching as thy sleep which for ought thou knowest may be so indeed and therefore thou shouldest no more venture to sleep unreconciled to God then thou wouldest dare to die so In the next place consider what special and extraordinary mercies thou hast that day received as if thou hast had any great deliverance either in thy inward man from some dangerous temptations or in thy outward from any great and apparent danger and offer to God thy hearty and devout praise for the same or if nothing extraordinary have so happened and thou hast been kept even from the approach of danger thou hast not the less but the greater cause to magnifie God who hath by his protection so guarded thee that not so much as the fear of evil hath assaulted thee And therefore omit not to pay him the tribute of humble thankfulness as well for his usual and dayly preservations as his more extraordinary deliverances And above all endeavour still by the considerations of his mercies to have thy heart the more closely knit to him remembring that every favour received from him is a new engagement upon thee to love and obey him PRAYERS for NIGHT. O Holy blessed and glorious Trinity three persons and one God have mercy upon me a miserable sinner Lord I know not what to pray for as I ought O let thy Spirit help my infirmities and enable me to offer up a spiritual Sacrifice acceptable unto thee by Jesus Christ. A CONFESSION O MOST Holy Lord God who art of purer eyes then to behold iniquity how shall I abominable wretch dare to appear before thee who am nothing but pollution I am defiled in my very nature having a backwardness to all good and a readiness to all evil but I have defiled my self yet much worse by my own actual sins and wicked customes I have transgrest my duty to thee my neighbour and my self and that both in thought in word in deed by doing those things which thou hast expresly forbidden and by neglecting to do those things thou hast commanded me And this not only through ignorance and frailty but knowingly and wilfully against the motions of thy Spirit and the checks of my own conscience to the contrary And to make all these out of measure sinful I have gone on in a dayly course of repeating these provocations against thee notwithstanding all thy calls to and my own purposes and vows of amendment yea this very day I have not ceased to adde new sins to all my former guilts Here name the Particulars And now O Lord what shall I say or how shall I open my mouth seeing I have done these things I know that the wages of these sins is death but O thou who willest not the death of a sinner have mercy upon me work in me I beseech thee a sincere contrition and a perfect hatred of my sins and let me not dayly confess and yet as dayly renew them but grant O Lord that from this instant I may give a bill of Divorce to all my most beloved lusts and then be thou pleased to marry me to thy self in truth in righteousness and holiness And for all my past sins O Lord receive a reconciliation accept of that ransome thy blessed Son hath paid for me and for his sake whom thou hast set forth as a propitiation pardon all my offences and receive me to thy favour And when thou hast thus spoken peace to my soul Lord keep me that I turn not any more to folly but so establish me with thy grace that no temptation of the world the Divel or my own flesh may ever draw me to offend thee that being made free from sin and becoming a servant unto God I may have my fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord. A THANKSGIVING O Thou Father of Mercies who art kind even to the unthankful I acknowledge my self to have abundantly experimented that gracious propertie of thine for notwithstanding my dayly provocations against thee thou still heapest mercy and loving kindness upon me All my contempts and despisings of thy spiritual favours have not yet made thee withdraw them but in the riches of thy goodness and long suffering thou still continuest to me the offers of grace and life in thy Son And all my abuses of thy temporal blessings thou hast not punished with an utter deprivation of them but art still pleased to afford me
and intercession 6. Lead us not into Temptation but deliver c. O LORD we have no strength against those multitudes of temptations that dayly assault us only our eyes are upon thee O be thou pleased either to restrain them or assist us and in thy faithfulness suffer us not to be tempted above that we are able but in all our temptations make us a way to escape that we be not overcome by them but may when thou shalt call us to it resist even unto blood striving against sin that being faithful unto death thou mayest give us the crown of life For thine is the Kingdom the Power c. HEAR us graciously answer our petitions for thou art the great King over all the earth whose Power is infinite and art able to do for us above all that we can ask or think and to whom belongeth the Glory of all that good thou workest in us or for us Therefore blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne to our God for ever and ever Amen Pious EJACULATIONS Taken out of the Book of PSALMS For PARDON of SIN HAVE mercy on me O God after thy great goodness according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences Wash me throughly from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin Turn thy face from my sins and put out all my misdeeds My misdeeds prevail against me O be thou merciful unto my sins Enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified For thy names sake O Lord be merciful unto my sin for it is great Turn thee O Lord and deliver my soul O save me for thy mercies sake For GRACE TEACH me to do the thing that pleaseth thee for thou art my God Teach me thy way O Lord and I will walk in thy truth O knit my heart to thee that I may fear thy name Make me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me O let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I be not ashamed Incline my heart unto thy I estimonies and not to covetousness Turn away mine eyes lest they behold vanity and quicken thou me in thy way I am a stranger upon earth O hide not thy Commandments from me Lord teach me to number my days that I may apply my heart unto wisdom For the LIGHT of Gods COUNTENANCE LORD why abhorrest thou my soul and hidest thy face from me O hide not thou thy face from me nor cast thy servant away in displeasure Thy loving kindness is better then life it self Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Comfort the Soul of thy servant for unto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul. THANKSGIVING I WILL always give thanks unto the Lord his praise shall ever be in my mouth Thou art my God and I will thank thee thou art my God and I will praise thee I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live I will praise my God whilest I have my being Praised be God which hath not cast out my prayer nor turned his mercy from me Blessed be the Lord God even the God of Israel which only doth wondrous things And blessed be the Name of his Majesty for ever and all the earth shall be filled with his Majesty Amen Amen For DELIVERANCE from TROUBLE BE merciful unto me O Lord be merciful unto me for my Soul trusteth in thee and under the shadow of thy wings shall be my refuge until these calamities be over-past Deliver me O Lord from mine enemies for I flie unto thee to hide me O keep my Soul and deliver me let me not be confounded for I have put my trust in thee Mine eyes are ever looking unto the Lord for he shall pluck my feet out of the net Turn thee unto me and have mercy upon me for I am desolate and in misery The sorrorws of my heart are enlarged O bring thou me out of my troubles For the CHURCH O BE favourable and gracious unto Sion build thou the walls of Jerusalem O God wherefore art thou absent from us so long Why is thy wrath so hot against the sheep of thy pasture O think upon thy Congregation whom thou hast purchased and Redeemed of old Look upon the Tribe of thine Inheritance and Mount Sion where thou hast dwelt It is time for thee Lord. to lay to thy hand for they have destroyed thy Law Arise O God and maintain thine own cause Deliver Israel O God out of all his troubles Brief Heads of Self-Examination especially before the Sacrament Collected out of the fore-going Treatise concerning the breaches of our Duty To GOD. FAITH NOT BELIEVING there is a God Not believing his Word Not believing it practically so as to live according to our belief HOPE Despairing of Gods mercy so as to neglect duty Presuming groundlesly on it whilst we go on in wilful sin LOVE Not Loving God for his own excellencies Not loving him for his goodness to us Not labouring to please him Not desiring to draw neer to him in his Ordinances Not longing to enjoy him in Heaven FEAR Not Fearing God so as to keep from offending him Fearing man above him by committing sin to shun some outward suffering TRUST Not trusting on God in dangers and disiresses Using unlawful means to bring us out of them Not depending on God for supply of our wants Immoderate care for outward things Neglecting to labour and expecting God should support us in our idleness Not looking up to God for a blessing on our honest endeavours HUMILITY Not having a high esteem of God Not submitting obediently to act his will Not patiently suffering it but murmuring at his corrections Not amending by them Not being thankful to him Not acknowledging his wisdome in choosing for us but having eager and impatient desires of our owe. HONOUR Not Honouring God by a reverend usage of the things that relate to him Behaving our selves irreverently in his house Robbing God by taking things that are consecrated to him Profaning Holy times the Lords Day and the Feasts and Fasts of the Church Neglecting to read the Holy Scriptures not marking when we do read Being careless to get knowledge of our duty chusing rather to continue ignorant then put our selves to the pains or shame of learning Placing Religion in hearing of Sermons without practising them Breaking our Vow made at Baptisme By resorting to Witches and Conjurers i. e. to the Devil By loving the pomps and vanities of the world and followlowing its sinful customes By fulfilling the lusts of the flesh Profaning the Lords Supper By comming to it ignorantly without examination contrition and purposes of new life By behaving our selves irreverently at it without devotion and spiritual affection By neglecting to keep the promises made at it Profaning Gods Name by blasphemous thoughts or discourse Giving others occasion to blaspheme him by our vile wicked lives Taking unlawful OATHS Perjury Swearing in
ordinary communication WORSHIP Not worshipping God Omitting prayers publick or private and being glad of a pretence to do so Asking unlawful things or to unlawful ends Not purifying our hearts from sin before we pray Not praying with Faith and Humility Coldness and deadness in prayer Wandring thoughts in it Irreverent gestures of body in prayer REPENTANCE Neglecting the duty of Repentance Not calling our selves to dayly account for our sins Not assigning any set or solemn times for humiliation and confession or too seldome Not deeply considering our sins to beget contrition for them Not acting revenges on our selves by fasting and other acts of Mortification IDOLATRY Outward Idolatry in worshipping of creatures Inward Idolatry in placing our love and other affections more on creatures then the Creator To our SELVES HUMILITY BEing puft up with high conceits of our selves In respect of natural parts as beauty wit c. Of worldly riches and honours Of Grace Greedily seeking the praise of men Directing Christian Actions as prayer alms c. to that end Committing sins to avoid reproach from wicked men MEEKNES Disturbing our minds with Anger and peevishness CONSIDERATION Not carefully Examining what our estate towards God is Not trying our selves by the true rule i. e. our obedience to Gods commands Not weighing the lawfulness of our actions before we venture on them Not examining our past actions to repent of the ill to give God the glory of the good CONTENTEDNES Uncontentedness in our estates Greedy desires after honour and riches Seeking to gain them by sinful means Envying the condition of other men DILIGENCE WATCHFULNES Being negligent in observing and resisting temptations Not improving Gods gifts outward or inward to his honour Abusing our natural parts as wit memory strength c. to sin Neglecting or resisting the motions of Gods Spirit CHASTITY Uncleanness adultery fornication unnatural lusts c. Uncleanness of the eye and hand Filthy and obscene talking Impure sancies and desires Heightning of lust by pampering the body Not labouring to subdue it by fasting or other severities TEMPERANCE Eating too much Making pleasure not health the end of eating Being too curious or costly in meats Drunkenness Drinking more then is useful to our bodies though not to drunkenness Wasting the time or estate in good fellowship Abusing our strengâ—h of brain to the making others drunk Immoderate sleeping Idleness and negligence in our callings Using unlawful Recreations Being too vehement upon lawful ones Spending too much time at them Being drawn by them to anger or covetousness Being proud of apparel Striving to go beyond our rank Bestowing too much time care or cost about it Abstaining from such excesses not out of conscience but covetousness Pinching our bodies to fill our purses To our NEIGHBOUR NEGATIVE JUSTICE BEing Injurious to our Neighbour Delighting causlesly to grieve his mind Ensnaring his soul in sin by command counsel enticement or example Affrighting him from godliness by our scoffing at it Not seeking to bring those to repentance whom we have led into sin MURDER Murder open or secret Drawing men to intemperance or other vices which may bring diseases or death Stirring men up to quarrelling and fighting Maiming or hurting the body of our neighbour Fierceness and rage against him ADULTERY Coveting our Neighbours wife Actually defiling her MALICE Spoiling the goods of others upon spight and malice COVETOUSNES Coveting to gain them to our selves OPPRESSION Oppressing by violence and force or colour of Law THEFT Not paying what we borrow Not paying what we have voluntarily promised Keeping back the wages of the servant and hireling DECEIT Unfaithfulness in trusts whether to the living or dead Using arts of deceit in buying and selling Exacting upon the necessities of our neighbours FALSE WITNES Blasting the credit of our neighbour By false witness By railing By whispering Incouraging others in their slanders Being forward to believe ill reports of our neighbour Causeless suspitions Rash judging of him Despising him for his infirmities Inviting others to do so by scoffing and dâ—riding him Bearing any malice in the heart Secret wishing of death or any kinde of hurt to our neighbour Rejoycing when any evil befalls him Nelecting to make what satisfaction we can for any sort of injury done to our neighbour POSITIVE JUSTICE HUMILITY LYING Churlish and proud behaviour to others Froward and peevish conversation Bitter and reproachful language Cursing Not paying the respect due to the qualities or gifts of others Proudly overlooking them Seeking to lessen others esteem of them Not imploying our abilities whether of minde or estate in administring to those whose wants require it GRATITUDE Unthankfulness to our Benefactors Especially those that admonish us Not amending upon their reproof Being angry at them for it Not reverencing our Civil Parent the lawful Magistrate Judging and speaking evil of him Grudging his just tributes Sowing sedition among the people Refusing to obey his lawful commands Rising up against him or taking part with them that do Despising our Spiritual Fathers Not loving them for their works sake Not obeying those commands of God they deliver to us Seeking to withhold from them their just maintenance Forsaking our lawful Pastors to follow factious teachers PARENTS Stubbern and irreverent behaviour to our natural Parents Despising and publishing their infirmities Not loving them nor endeavouring to bring them joy and comfort Contemning their counsels Murmuring at their Government Coveting their estates though by their death Not ministring to them in their wants of all sorts Neglecting to pray for Gods blessing on these several sorts of Parents Want of natural affection to children Mothers refusing to Nurse them without a just impediment Not bringing them timely to Baptisme Not early instructing them in the ways of God Suffering them for want of timely correction to get customes of sin Setting them evil examples Discouraging them by harsh and cruel usage Not providing for their subsistance according to our ability Consuming their portions in our own riot Reserving all till our death and letting them want in the mean time Not seeking to entail a blessing on them by our Christian lives Not heartily praying for them Want of affection to our natural brethren Envyings and heart-burnings towards them DUTY to BRETHREN Not loving our spiritual brethren i. e our fellow Christians Having no fellow feeling of their sufferings Causelesly for saking their communion in holy duties Not taking deeply to heart the desolations of the Church MARRIAGE Marrying within the degrees for bidden Marrying for undue ends as covetousness lust c. Unkind froward and unquiet behaviour towards the husband or wife Unfaithfulness to the bed Not bearing with the infirmities of each other Not endeavouring to advance one anothers good spiritual or temporal The wife resisting the lawful command of her husband Her striving for rule and dominion over him Not praying for each other FRIENDSHIP Unfaithfulness to a Friend Betraying his secrets Denying him assistance in his needs Neglecting lovingly to admonish him
Flatâ—ering him in his faults Forsaking his friendship upon slight or no cause Making leagues in sin in stead of vertuous friendship SERVANTS Servants disobeying the lawful commands of their Masters Purloining their goods Carelesly wasting them Murmuring at their rebukes Idleness Eye service MASTERS Masters using servants tyrannically and cruelly Being too remiss and suffering them to neglect their duty Having no care of their souls Not providing them means of instruction in Religion Not admonishing them when they commit sins Not allowing them time and opportunity for prayer and the worship of God CHARITY Want of bowels and Charity to our neighbours Not heartily desiring their good spiritual or temporal Not loving and forgiving enemies Taking actual revenges upon them Falseness professing kindness and acting none Not labouring to do all the good we can to the soul of our neighbour Not assisting him to our power in his bodily distresses Not defending his good name when we know or believe him slandered Denying him any neighbourly office to preserve or advance his estate Not defending him from oppression when we have power Not relieving him in his poverty Not giving liberally or chearâ—ully GOING to LAW Not loving PEACE Going to Law upon slight occasions Bearing inward enmity to those we sue Not labouring to make peace among others The use of this Catalogue of sins is this Upon days of Humiliation especially before the Sacrament read them consideringly over and at every particular ask thine own heart Am I guilty of this â— And whatsoever by such Examination thou findest thy self faulty in Confess particularly and humbly to God with all the heightning circumstances which may any way increase their guilt and make serious Resolutions against every such Sin for the future after which thou â—â—ayest use this Form following O LORD I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee for my iniquities are increased over my head and my trespass is grown up even unto Heaven I have wrought all these great provocations and that in the most provoking manner they have not been only single but repeated acts of sin for O Lord of all this black Catalogue which I have now brought forth before thee how few are there which I have not often committed nay which are not become even habitual and customary to me And to this frequency I have added both a greediness and obstinacy in sinning turning into my course as the Horse rusheth into the battel doing evil with both hands earnestly yea hating to be reformed and casting thy words behinde me quenching thy Spirit within me which testified against me to turn me from my evil ways and frustrating all those outward means whether of judgement or mercy which thou hast used to draw me to thy self Nay O Lord even my repentances may be numbred amongst my greatest sins they have sometimes been feigned and hypocritical always so slâ—ght and ineffectual that they have brought forth no fruit in amendment of life but I have still returned with the dog to his vomit and the sow to the mire again and have added the breach of resolutions and vows to all my former guilts Thus O Lord I am become out of measure sinful and since I have thus chosen death I am most worthy to take part in it even in the second death the lake of fire and brimstone This this O Lord is in justice to be the poâ—tion of my cup to me belongs nothing but shame and confusion of face eternally But to thee O Lord God belongeth mercy and forgiveness though I have rebelled against thee O remember not my sins and offences but according to thy mercy think thou upon me O Lord for thy goodness Thou sentest thy Son to seek and to save that which was lost behold O Lord I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost O seek thy servant and bring me back to the Shepherd and Bishop of my Soul let thy Spirit work in me a hearty sense and detestation of all my abominations that true contrition of heart which thou hast promised not to despise And then be thou pleased to look on me to take away all iniquity and receive me graciously and for his sake who hath done nothing amiss be reconciled to me who have done nothing well wash away the guilt of my sins in his blood and subdue the power of them by his grace and grant O Lord that I may from this hour bid a final adieu to all ungodliness and worldly lusts that I may never once more cast a look toward Sodom or long after the flesh-pots of Egypt but consecrate my self intirely to thee to serve thee in Righteousness and true Holiness reckoning my self to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord and blessed Saviour This PENITENTIAL PSALM may also fitly be used PSALM 51. HAVE mercy upon me O God after thy great goodness according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences Wash me throughly from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin For I acknowledge my faults and my sin is ever before me Against thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be justified in thy saying and clcer when thou art judged Behold I was shapen in wickedness and in sin hath my moâ—her conceived me But lo thou requirest truth in the inward parts and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly Thou shalt purge me with Hysop and I shall be clean thou shalt wash me and I shall be whiter then snow Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoycè Turn thy face from my sins and put out all my misdeeds Make me a clean heart O God and renew a right Spirit within me Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me O give me the comfort of thy help again and stablish me with thy free Spirit Then shall I teach thy ways unto the wicked and sinners shall be converted unto thee Deliver me from blood guiltinesâ— O God thou that art the God of my health and my tongue shall sing of thy righteousness Thou shalt open my lips O Lord and my mouth shall shew thy praise For thou desirest no sacrifice else would I give it thee but thou delightest not in burnt offering The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit a broken and contrite heart O God shalt thou not despise O be favourable and gracious unto Sion build thou the walls of Jerusalem Then shalt thou be pleased with the Sacrifice of righteousness with the burnt offerings and oblations then shall they offer young bullocks upon thine altar Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen PRAYERS BEFORE the Receiving of the blessed SACRAMENT OMost merciful God who hast in thy great goodness prepared this spiritual feast for sick
thy Name which sigh for the beauty of thy house and wilt thou not at these mens prayers let go thine anger and remember thine accustomed and old mercies Shalt thou not with thy heavenly policy turn our folly into thy glory Shalt thou not turn the wicked mens evils into thy Churches good For thy mercy is wont then most of all to succour when the thing is with us past remedy and neither the might nor wisdome of men can help it Thou alone bringest things that be never so out of order into order again which art the only Author and maintainer of peace Thou framedst that old confusion wherein without order without fashion confusedly lay the discordant seeds of things and with a wonderful order the things that of nature fought together thou didst ally and knit in a perpetual band But how much greater confusion is this where is no charity no fidelity no bonds of love no reverence neither of Laws nor yet of Rulers no agreement of opinions but as it were in a misordered quire every man singeth a contrary note Among the heavenly Planets is no dissention the Elements keep their place every one do the office whereunto they be appointed And wilt thou suffer thy Spouse for whose sake all things were made thus by continual discords to perish Shalt thou suffer the wicked Spirits which be authors and workers of discord to bear such a swing in thy Kingedome unchecked Shalt thou suffer the strong Captain of mischief whom thou once overthrewest again to inuade thy tents and to spoil thy Souldiers When thou wert here a man conversant among men at thy voice fled the Divels Send forth we beseech thee O Lord thy Spirit which may drive away out of the brests of all them that profess thy Name the wicked Spirits masters of riot of covetousness of vain-glory of carnal lust of mischief and discord Create in us O our God and King a clean heart and renew thy holy Spirit in our brests pluck not from us thy holy Ghost Render unto us the joy of thy saving health and with thy principal Spirit strengthen thy Spouse and the Heardmen thereof By this Spirit thou reconciledst the earthly to the heavenly by this thou didst frame and reduce so many tongues so many nations so many sundry sorts of men into one body of a Church which body by the same Spirit is knit to thee their Head This Spirit if thou wilt vouchsafe to renew in all mens hearts then shall all these forreign miseries cease or if they cease not they shall turn to the profit and avail of them which love thee Stay this confusion set in order this horrible Chaos O Lord Jesus let thy Spirit stretch out it self upon these waters of evil wavering opinions And because thy Spirit which according to thy Prophets saying containeth all things hath also the science of speaking make that like as unto all them which be of thy house is one Light one Baptisme one God one Hope one Spirit so they may also have one voice one note one song professing one Catholick truth When thou didst mount up to heaven triumphantly thou threwest out from above thy precious things thou gavest gifts amongst men thou dealtest sundry rewards of thy Spirit Renew again from above thy old bountifulness give that thing to thy Church now fainting and growing downward that thou gavest unto her shooting up at her first beginning Give unto Princes and Rulers the grace so to stand in awe of thee that they so may guide the Common-weal as they should shortly render accompt unto thee that art the King of Kings Give wisdom to be always assistant unto them that whatsoever is best to be done they may espy it in their minds and pursue the same in their doings Give to the Bishops the gift of prophecy that they may declare and interpret holy Scripture not of their own brain but of thine inspiring Give them the threefold charity which thou once demandest of Peter what time thou didst betake unto him the charge of thy sheep Give to the Priests the love of soberness and of chastity Give to thy people a good will to follow thy Commandments and a readiness to obey such persons as thou hast appointed over them So shall it come to pass if through thy gift thy Princes shall command that thou requirest if thy Pastors and Herdmen shall teach the same and thy people obey them both that the old dignity and tranquility of the Church shall return again with a goodly order unto the glory of thy Name Thou sparedst the Ninivites appointed to be destroyed as soon as they converted to repentance and wilt thou despise thy house falling down at thy feet which in stead of sackcloth hath sighs and in stead of ashes tears Thou promisedst forgiveness to such as turn unto thee but this self thing is thy gift a man to turn with his whole heart unto thee to the inâ—ent all our goodness should redound unto thy glory Thou art the maker repair the work that thou hast fashioned Thou art the Redeemer save that thou hast bought Thou art the Saviour suffer not them to perish which do hang on thee Thou art the Lord and owner challenge thy possession Thou art the Head help thy members Thou art the King give us a reverence of thy Laws Thou art the Prince of peace breath upon us brotherly love Thou art the God have pity on thy humble beseechers be thou according to Pauls saying all things in all men to the intent the whole Quire of thy Church with agreeing minds and consonant voices for mercy obtained at thy hands may give thanks to the Father â—on and Holy Ghost which after the most perfect example of concord be distinguished in property of Persons and one in nature to whom be praise and glory Eternally Amen FINIS A TABLE of the CONTENTS of the several CHAPTERS or PARTITIONS in this Book Which according to this Division by Reading one of these Chapters every Lords Day the whole may be Read over Thrice in the year PARTITION 1. OF the Duty of Man by the light of Nature by the light of Scripture Of Faith the Promises of Hope of Love Fear Trusting in God page 1. PARTITION 2. Of Humility of Submission to Gods Will in respect of Obedience of Patience in all sorts of Sufferings and of Honour due to God in several wayes in his House Possessions his Day Word Sacraments c. page 34. PARTITION 3. Of the Lords Supper of Preparation before Receiving of Duties to be done at the Receiving and afterwards c. page 67. PARTITION 4. Honour due to Gods Name of sinning against it Blasphemy Swearing Assertory Oaths Promissory Oaths Unlawful Oaths of Perjury of Vain Oaths and the Sin of them c. page 98. PARTITION 5. Of Worship due to Gods Name Of Prayer and its several parts Of Publick Prayers in the Church in the Family of Private Prayer of Repentance