that serveth him They also Save and Convert some Souls and Quiet and Comfort others of the Hearers Talk of Health and of Riches will not cure the Sick nor enrich the Poor But full often hath talk of Holiness made holy and blessed the Hearers of it Who knows not many Instances M. 5. Religious Discourse is a Duty most Undoubted most Cheap and most Advantageous to do good Undoubted for no Law forbids any man to praise his God Cheap for what doth cost less than words or what will you spend for God if you will not speak for Him unto your Friends Advantageous for in Discourse you may better know any man's Capacity and so sute it better in the matter and language than in Preaching Besides you speak singly and more particularly and insinuatingly Deut. 6.7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy Children and shalt talk of them when thou fittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou lyest down and when thou risest up M. 6. Religious Discourse is a Duty of greatest opportunity Not a day but Providence gives you an opportunity for more or less of it Not any Company you ever come into but every Soul needs it Converts men Unconverted and men Doubtful whether they are Reconciled unto God or no all do need the Lips that disperse Knowledge Gal. 6.10 As we have therefore opportunity let us do good unto all men especially unto them who are of the houshold of faith M. 7. Religious Discourse is a Duty helpful unto the best Ministry The Ministry has done little good upon you until it has brought you unto the use of it But when you do use it you will exceedingly further the good of the Ministry Some will not hear the fittest Ministers for them till Discourse bring them Others cannot Understand or Remember much till Discourse help them M. 8. Religious Discourse is a Duty forced upon us by Satan's party They are all of them every day speaking against Godliness How can any of the Lovers of God hold their peace therefore It is said that a dumb Child did once break silence when his Father was spoke against Our heavenly Father is spoken against every day shall he not every day be spoken for He is every where Reviled shall he not be every where Praised All sorts young Men and Maidens old Men and Children let their Tongues run out against Him shall not all sorts of his true Servants Plead for Him O Lord open the mouths of all and let them shew forth thy Praise Amen and Amen M. 9. Religious Discourse is a Duty that every good man has had the blessing of I do not think any one can say that all the good he ever reaped was from set continued Sermons Doubtless all have tasted the good of familiar Discourses All must say that gracious words dropped from one and another good man occasionally at Tables ends and by Fire sides have been worth more than a little unto their Souls And if so how Unnatural is the cruelty to see Souls about them perishing and not minister unto them as they themselves were ministred unto Not so much as dropping the words which by experience they know to be helpful Luke 24.32 And they said one to another Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the Scriptures M. 10. Religious Discourse is a Duty that is inseparable from Charity From the Love of God and of Men. If I Love God I shall Desire his Glory If I rightly Desire it I shall Endeavour it If I Endeavour it surely as I have opportunity I must Speak for it If I Love Men's Souls I cannot grudge a few words for their Conversion or Edification Love is chill where holy Discourse is scarce and dead where it is absent In all appearance dead Ephes 4.16 From whom the whole Body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of it self in love M. 11. Religious Discourse is a Duty that is a mighty Promoter of Charity Love I think is all Religion The Soul of all And who knows not this Love of God is the grace we can least spare but the grace that of all is the most subject to abate in us It is in us as Fire in green Wood that needs continual blowing And Religious Discourse is an experienced Bellows to blow it Love of one another also easily waxeth cold But what exciteth that will excite this And let Experience speak who do so Love each other as those who most edifie and are edified by each others Religious discourse I can Love no Man so intensely as him who either helps me toward Heaven or receives help from me Philem. v. 12 and 16. Whom I have sent again thou therefore receive him that is mine own bowels Not now as a servant but above a servant a brother beleved specially to me but how much more unto thee both in the flesh and in the Lord M. 12. Religious Discourse is a universal Ministry All and every one of Christ's adult Disciples are more or less Qualified for it and Commissioned unto it If thou hast not in some measure Tasted and Seen that the Lord is good thou art not a Christian If thou hast thou art able to say somewhat of that which thou hast Seen and Tasted And if thou hast such a Talent as that Ability the exercise of it is thy unquestionable Duty Who doubts but that our Saviour calleth all his Servants the SALT of the Earth and the LIGHTS of the World though one Order of them be so most eminently But what Salt are they that rarely drop a savoury word Or what Lights be they who carry it so that no body Knows or Remembers God ever the more for them Of all vile creatures the Ministers that neglect Preaching are contemned in the eyes of God and of good Men. But thus far as I say you that are Christians are Ministers And if you neglect this Ministry of yours that I speak of you are more sinful and vile than you are aware Tell me not that there be some who say that it 's not for Children Women or Unlearned men to talk of Religion I know many do say so and I know if many such Sinners entice you it will be your death to hearken consent and follow them against God's express and plain Word Young Men and Maidens old Men and Children are bid to praise God Even CHILDREN themselves It is made the praise of the Excellent Woman Prov. 31. that in her mouth was the Law of Kindness By which Commentators of the best rank do understand no less than the Law of Grace the Word of Reconciliation the Doctrine of the Kindness and Love of God towards us Whereof this rare Matron was perpetually discoursing with her Children and Handmaids To
these H. Scriptures I resolve to Live and Die by them And I engage my self here in presence of their blessed Author that I will as daily read this his Word as I eat his Bread Joh. 5.39 Col. 3.16 Psal 119.97 D. 7. Esteem Godliness God-likeness You know little of God's Word till you do so It 's true Flesh and Blood and the World and the Lyar from the beginning do give Godliness another report Even a very black Character They represent it as a very Hell upon Earth But God's Word says the clean contrary as his Children also feel the clean contrary Godliness all agree is nothing but Imitating and Obeying of God Now to Imitate him in Wisdom Truth and Goodness can be nothing but Beauty and Pleasure and Benefit and Honour And to Obey him is no other Being He is too Great to have his service any disparagement unto Angels and too Good to let it go unrewarded unto Men. Nor puts He his Children on Earth upon any thing but what He put his Son in Heaven upon whiles he was here Will He have us Suffer as well as Labour for him Beside that we may thank our Sin for it let us consider The Natural Son of God suffered the Curse of the Law the Adopted Children of God suffer nothing but the Chastisements of Grace He was made perfect by vastly greater Sufferings Add hereto what are light Sufferings and but for a moment for an exceeding great Crown and Eternal And think too Can the Devil name any thing in Holiness so hard as we can prove all things in Sin to be And all places in Hell to be Love is all Religion and all Pleasure is Love God only is more blessed than a Man Godly Conclude thou thus Reader and say Henceforth will I seek Fish in the Air and Fowls in the Sea as soon as seek Pleasure or Honour any where but in Godliness Psal 119.92 Prov. 3.13 14 15 16 17 18. D. 8. Beware of the Mill and the Circle Of the Mill of worldly Business and of the Circle of Sensual Pleasure They be the Traps that take most Souls and are the Death of all that they take The Mill doth store Hell with you poor Tenants and the Circle stores it with your Rich Landlords You have but one Soul and can Love best but one thing if the Worlds Profits or Pleasures get the Throne of your one Soul you have no other for God and He will sit no where but on the Throne and in your BEST Love Nor have you but one Life-time for working out your Salvation If this one be eat up by the foresaid Vulturs your Salvation is lost Say then Reader if thou carest to be saved Heart and Life-Religion shall be my prime Mill and Circle my chief Business and Pleasure Worldly ones will follow me but I will follow these And of all things in the World I will keep the Throne of my Heart from Worldly Business and Pleasures The Bloodiest Tyrants and Butchers of Humane Souls 1 Joh. 2.15 16 17. 1 Cor. 7.29 30 31. D. 9. Keep out of Pest-houses Out of the Company of 1 Men falsely so called 2 Men that know not their God 3 Men that love death and wrong their own Souls 4 Men that look not into any World but this 5 Men that mind not Times End and Vse 6 Men that value Bibles no more than Plutarch 's Morals 7 Men that fancy God's Service wretched Bondany 8 Men like Bees either busie in gathering Honey or Drowned in it Wisdom hath said it Justice hath ordered it and Goodness hath warned you of it A Companion of Fools shall be destroyed Come not of choice therefore near unto their Doors The choice of Company is in a great degree the choice of your State of Sin and Misery or of Grace and Salvation I mean Say if thou art Wise or if thou ever wouldst be Wise say and hold I will henceforth chuse to associate with Frogs and Toads rather than with Gods Enemies I will have no Bosom Friend that hath not some Holiness to the Lord wrote on his Forehead 2 Chron. 19.2 2 Thes 3.6 Psal 139.21 D. 10. Have a care of your Eyes In Nature you may be Blind and Live in Grace you cannot Ignorance and Error Damn Souls as surely as Sins against Light and Knowledge Especially where there is plenty of means of Knowledge Heaven 's a far Countrey Holiness is a narrow way to it And is a Blind Man like to hit it do you think Besides Darkness is that whereof Satan is the Prince aâ—â—â—â—orance is called the Power of the Devil and Christ is said to be coming to take vengeance of all that KNOW NOT God and that do not more than Know that OBEY not the whole GOSPEL Reader go beg Gods Eye-salve say presently Grace is called Light and Glory is called Light I will no more endure this dark Heart of mine I will never be quiet until I get to understand all the Fundamental TRUTHS GRACES and DUTIES of Christianity For thy Life get understanding of the Assemblies Catechism Of the Summaries of Truths in my Three Questions resolved c. Prov. 4.5 7 8 9. Prov. 7.4 The Grand Charter Issued out and Granted by Jesus Christ for the Plantation of the Christian Faith in all Nations By George Lawson Rector of More in the County of Salop. D. 11. Highly prize Sunshine and Thunder Plain and clear Rouzing and piercing Sermons How dull are your Heads What can Benefit you that doth not Inform you And what can Inform you that is not as plain as the Sun Your Hearts be likewise cold and frozen desperately What besides Thunder-bolts can break ' em What besides Flashes of Fire can thaw them Believe it dark and dull Preachers be fearful Judgments and Curses to such as I suppose you Ignorance makes some Preachers dark Pride maketh others but Sin makes both and both do promote Sin Say thus thou that valuest thy Soul I will pray God to direct me to a Ministry both Shining and Burning Plain for my dull Mind Powerful for my rocky Heart Clear to inform my Vnderstanding and as Cutting and Searching to excite me Affection Isa 58.1 Hos 6.5 D. 12. Beg of God Golden Snuffers We do all need Reprovers And so peevish we all are that unless they be excellent ones very Compassionate and very Discreet and very Innocent themselves we cannot bear them when they reprove us We receive no good from the Snuffers except they be of pure Gold it is seldom that we ever do Great need therefore there is that thou Prayest the Over-ruler of all things to bestow upon thee some Righteous ones to smite thee Some Skilful Friends and Faithful and of excellent Holiness to tell thee ever and anon of thy Miscarriages Such as thy Minister never hears of and can but generally reprove Psal 141.5 1 Thes 5.14 Exod. 37.23 D. 13. Suppose the worst of your Selves Your own Hearts will be forward to Presume all
is well quickly and that God and you are Reconciled Satan also still pushes on toward presumption Towards Hope without any ground for it Or at least without just ground for it But fair and soft goes best and farthest Think thus if you are indeed Reconciled your Examination of your self will not break no but Clear and Strengthen the Reconciliation and bring you in abundance of comfort But if you are not Reconciled to God you never can be reconciled until you know your want of it And Examination is Gods appointed way for your Knowledge Do not say But this Knowledge will scare us For I pray what will Hell do What! Will you not bear the Judgment Seat of your own Consciences Whether you will or no you shall bear God's greater Judgment Seat Go resolve then and say thou Never will I be high-minded but Fear I will maintain a godly Jealousie of my Self and my State Daily will I Examine and pray God to Examine my Heart and try my Ways I will Consult my God my Heart my Minister and my Friends about the grounds of my Hopes and Comforts 2 Cor. 13.5 1 Cor. 9.27 Rev. 3.17 D. 14. Sleep not on the top of a Mast Do not Delay to mend your Condition while it is apparently dangerous He that is on the Ladder is near to Execution and Vnregenerate men be all on the Ladder Delay is not for them every breath for ought they know is their Last See my Sermon against Delay in the Morning Lectures Say to thy Soul as the Angel to Lot Arise lest thou be consumed Escape for thy Life NEITHER STAY THOU Escape lest thou be consumed If thou dost not flee wrath will come and thou wilt not be able to flee from it Eccles 12.1 Now in days of Youth No Delay in Youth it self 2 Cor. 6.2 D. 15. Let thy Sins be but Falls and not Leaps Though after all thou doest the Evil that thou wouldst not do see that thou doest not one more than what is against thy will Thou fallest into Sin when for want of strength thou committest it Thou leapest into it when thou committest it with consent of choice and for very pleasure True the wages of all sin is DEATH yet the former is a Gnat and the latter a Camel So wide is the difference And the Gospel is plain Lambs fall into the mire but they are Swine that leap into and wallow in it Psal 19.13 Rom. 7.15 16 17. Heb. 10.26 D. 16. Row against the stream The World wonderfully mistakes CANNOT for WILL-NOT Beware you of it for it may soon become fatal Use your selves unto this Language Here is a Duty against which my mind is full of carnal Objections and my Will full of like Oppositions But against both I will Fight God help me by his Grace to Conquer The Duty goes against me I confess but I for God will go against my Self I am asham'd that I cannot do it more Freely but I will go force my self to perform it Though I cannot Cheerfully I will Mournfully perform it Men are sometimes bid to Eat for a Stomach I will go Obey to get a better Heart to Obey with Isa 64 7. God rewards Duty with Duty Psal 119.55 56. D. 17. Flee from Popery When you have gone thus far admit no conceit of Merit in it Dream not that your own strength brought you so far neither Without the Grace of Christ nothing can be done And it must be for his alone Merit that all is accepted when it is done Every one of your good Thoughts are the works of his Spirit And every kind look of God upon you is the purchase of his Blood You must never expect to Repent Believe or Obey but by his Strength And when you do you must never look for acceptance with God but upon the Merit of his Obedience Rom. 5.18 19. Rom. 10.4 1 Cor. 1.30 Colos 3.17 NB. 1. Christ satisfied God offended with us He payed what we Owed and could not pay 2. God Accepted what Christ performed as performed on our behalf 3. Believers enjoy the Fruits of Christs Performance being so Accepted 4. And therefore must not Believe or Obey for those Ends for which Christ did Obey I mean to Satisfie Gods Justice and to Merit his Mercy D. 18. Finally and Principally Take no rest and give God none till through his Grace you discern your selves to have risen up orderly these seven Steps By these he leads every one of his Chosen unto the Glory prepared for them Nor are you to preach peace unto your Souls till they have ascended them all 1. CONVICTION Or a thorough Perswasion of the Sinfulness Miserableness but Changeableness of your Condition See Twelve necessary Convictions in my Call unto Sinners John 16.8 2. CONSIDERATION Or Serious Much and Frequent Meditation of the things whereof you are Convinced in your Hearts Psal 119.59 3. CONTRITION Or Fear and Grief and Shame and Hatred of Sin wrought by the Consideration aforesaid as the means thereof Psal 51.17 4. CONSULTATION Or Enquiry and Taking Counsel of God and of his Servants what to do for Covenant Union unto Christ and Saving Interest in him Acts 2.37 5. ACCEPTATION To wit of the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Prophet Priest King and Pattern or Exemplar Intelligent and Sincere CONSENT to his being all four unto and for you John 1.12 6. DEDICATION Or Solemn Compleating of that said Acceptation by Purpose Promise and Vows to Learn 2of Christ to Trust in him to Obey him to Imitate him And this both by Inward and Spiritual and Outward and Sacramental Covenanting Isa 44.5 2 Cor. 8.5 Ezek. 16.8 Gal. 3.27 1 Cor. 10.16 17. 7. CONVERSATION Or a Life expressive of all aforesaid A Life aptly signifying that the Soul has been Convinced Considerate Contrite Consultative Acceptive of Christ Dedicative of it self unto Christ A Life of endeavoured though not attained Perfection Col. 2.6 Psal 50 21. Rom. 6.18 19. Mark here the AS YE HAVE and the SO NOW YIELD and observe well the Doctrine of it We should SO serve God and Holiness in our Regenerate State AS we did serve Sin and Satan in our Vnregenerate State Even SO 1. So Readily and Freely 2. So Resolutely and Invincibly 3. So Carefully and Studiously 4. So Painfully and Industriously 5. So Pleasantly and Delightfully 6. So Perpetually and Incessantly 7. So Progressively and Proficiently 8. So Perswasively of others and with Zeal provoking many NATURE will not let a Man live without some Service of God And GRACE will not let a Christian live without such Service as this Performed or at least Endeavoured Go Reader and say to this effect Morning Noon and Night I will be Catechising my Soul about these seven things Yea and I will desire my Pastor to Catechise me concerning them And till I have ALL I will account my self NOTHING yea WORSE than Nothing May every Peruser be a Practiser of these Directions May all my Imperfections in them be