obstinate to instruct his wife children and servants Gen. 9.27 But the Lord must perswade else words are but winde It concerneth all children Vse 6 and servants to consider what charge God hath laid upon their Governours learning thereby that it is as well Gods will that all under houshold governement should suffer themselves to be taught as that any householders should teach You must therefore willingly be present at times appointed to catechise or to talke of good things and being present attend and learn with all diligence yea sometimes give the father or master occasion to teach you by asking some good question as the Disciples did aske Christ saying What might this parable be Luke 8.9 and by moving him as the Disciple which said Lord teach us to pray Luke 11.1 And when you have received instruction of father or mother forsake it not for they will make you beautifull before God Pro. 1.9 being ornaments of grace to your heads and chaines about your neckes But if you be stubborne and will not bee taught by them then know that as he that will not eate is a murtherer of his body so are yee that refuse instruction murtherers of your soules for the eare that heareth the reproofe of life abideth among the wise Pro. 15.31.32 he that refuseth instruction despiseth his owne soule Therefore Our Saviour inferreth this exhortation to pray aright upon consideration that many prayed amisse whence learne Doct. 2 The more subject any duty is to be performed amisse there is the more cause that Christians doe learne and indeavour to performe it aright The more waies a good duty may be ill done the more care should be had how it may be well done Vpon this very ground the Lord directeth his Disciples to the right manner of giving almes verse 2. and of fasting verse 16. c. Our Saviour reasoneth in like manner for hearing the word aright that because many heard amisse scil some received the word as the high way doth seed not understanding what they heard some as the stonie ground the word tooke not deepe root some as the thorny ground they gave entertainement to worldly cares and pleasures together with the word and so all three sorts became fruitlesse Take heed therfore how you heare saith our Saviour Luk. 8.18 For to the pleasing of God Reason it is not enough that the matter of the thing done be good but the manner how Bonum consistit ex causis integris and the end why and all circumstances in the doing it must be good also so that failing but in one thing doth marre the action Man is subject to faile in prayer many waies Now if there be many by-waies man is in more danger of going out of his way then if there were but one And as mans nature is prone to erre and take the worst so Satan is very cunning and diligent by setting goodly apparences upon by-waies to cause man to mistake the right Wherefore the more subject man is to runne out into by-waies the more heed he should take that he doe not goe aside out of the right way of serving the Lord. Vse 1 Hereby is reproved the rashnesse of many who will rush headily into a religious exercise as into prayer preaching hearing the word receiving the Sacrament fasting c. and never looke to the right manner as if there were no way but one and that they could not doe amisse though they never wash their hands from filthinesse nor hearts from wickednesse nor yet so much as thinke before hand how they may bee rightly performed whereas they may and doe faile many waies Thus these good workes being ill done become so abhominable unto God that he saith Isa 1.12.14 Who requireth this at your hands my soule hateth them I am weary to beare them It therefore behoveth all Vse 2 that would serve God in sinceritie to bee very circumspect taking heed how they pray how they heare the word and how they performe all other exercises of religion for they may be and are performed by many in a very sinfull manner Salomons counsell should alwaies be sounding in our eares whensoever we begin any service of God Eccl 5 1.2 Keepe thy foote when thou goest to the house of God c. Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart be hastie to utter any thing before God That we may the better observe this counsell sith it concerneth a preparing a mans self before he speake unto God I will shew first whether preperation be needfull Secondly what that preparation is Preparation to prayer needfull Iob 11.13 First know that preparation to prayer is needfull according to that in Iob If thou prepare thine heart and stretch out thine hands towards him c. Thou wilt prepare their heart saith the Psalmist and wilt cause thine eare to heare Psal 10.17 My heart is prepared O God Psal 57.7 my heart is prepared saith he I will sing and give praise The very first words of the Lords Prayer teaching us to begin with Our Father which art in heaven doe argue that wee should have our spirits composed and our whole man rightly disposed unto this holy duty For first God before whom Reason why a man should be pâ—epared before he pray Eccles 5.2 Hâ—b 1.13 and to whom we speake is a great God of glorious majestie and God as Salomon reasoneth is in heaven wee on earth He is most holy of purer eyes then to behold uncleanenesse Levit. 10.3 He will be sanctified in all that draw neere unto him to offer this sweet incense of prayer If we doe not sanctifie him by an holy performance of his service hee will be sanctified him selfe upon us in the just punishment of our hypocrisie superstition or prophanenesse Besides God to whom wee pray is privy to all our behaviour yea to the most secret intentions and dispositions of our hearts It concerneth us therefore that wee be prepared to come before him in sort as beseemeth the presence of his holy Majesty Were we admitted to speake to an eâ—â—thly King we would before 〈◊〉 prepare both what and how 〈◊〉 speake and how to demeane our selves in his presence much more then ought we the King of Kings not onely admitting but graciously inviting us to pray unto him Secondly prayer is a most excellent and a most holy worke of the greatest consequence that can concerne man and of great difficulty to be performed aright I come now to the second case to shew what this preparation unto prayer is This preparation is twofold A twofold preparation to prayer The one generall to be made before hand inabling and fitting a man to pray in an instant whensoever he shall be moved to pray The other preparation is particular and to be made immediately before prayer that it may the better be performed Vnto that generall preparation is required that a man be indued with the spirit
more Is it not a shame to parents when the childe neither knoweth what nor how to speake unto God either for them or for himselfe Doth common reason teach thee to traine them up in some honest trade of life that they may live like men in their age Let grace then teach thee that there is an age wherein if in this life they bee not taught to live godly they shall never shine like men and Angels yea like Christ as all godly men shall in the glorious heavens but when they dye and this age come upon them they must live basely and miserably even as the divels in hell fire for evermore Ob. It belongeth to Ministers to teach and catechise Sol. It doth but not to Ministers onely For though women may not be Ministers Tit. 2.4 yet the aged are commanded to teach the younger to be sober c. And Ministers for the most part lose their labour in publick when governours of families do not before prepare their people and afterwards whet upon thē that in private which they have beene taught in publicke when Ministers and masters have done what they can all is little enough God hath made every governour a steward over his houshold to minister unto them in his place all things needfull know therefore thy office else if thou bee found negligent thy lot is to be cut in sunder and to have thy portion with hipocrites Matth 24.51 where is weeping and gnashing of teeth Vse 2 This is also to reprove those who although they can except nothing against this doctrine yet do altogether or for the most part neglect it Their excuses are either they know not how to teach or have no leisure or they teach them to say their prayers the Pater-noster Creed and ten Commandements what would we have more To the first I answer art thou of yeares to be married and to be a father or a master and doest not know the chiefe points of religion for shame make not this excuse Luk. 12.47 That servant which knew his Lords will and prepared not himselfe neither did according to his will shal be beaten with many stripes To the second thou wilt spare them time to eate and drinke and sleepe and play thou sayest they cannot live else nor hold out in thy worke and thou shouldest bee accounted hard and cruell It is true But if they be not taught the Principles of religion they cannot live the life of grace nor be able to do Gods worke and of the two he is the cruellest master and father which doth starve the soules of his familie and suffer them to dye for lack of knowledge And whereas they say they teach them their prayers I say as good never a whit as never the better when they teach them onely to say them by rote but do not teach them what they meane Besides they teach thē the Creed and ten Commandements for prayers whereas the Creed is a rule of faith and the Commandements a rule of obedience and of those three onely the Lords Prayer is a prayer and the rule of all other prayer It shall be therefore their safest course to acknowledge their negligence and reforme it for excuses will not availe them at the day of reckoning Vse 3 This doctrine doth argue a third sort of governors of most notorious wickednesse who are so farre from teaching their people how to be religious that if they be taught to their hand they unteach them by disgracing of prayer hearing of the word and all other exercises of religion and by deriding of all such as frequent them and if wife and children or servants would learne by repairing unto such meanes as may informe them they do either expresly forbid and threaten them or by subtill allurements withdraw them The Apostle calleth such persons children of the devill enemies of all righteousnesse because they cease not to pervert the right wayes of the Lord. For as Elimas sought to keepe Sergius Paulus Act. 13.10 so do these their people from the faith Our Saviour denounceth wo against them because they shut up the kingdome of heaven against men Mat 23.13 they neither go in themselves nor suffer them that are entring to go in This concerneth all such Ministers Vse 4 which are also masters of families for if the aforementioned faults be found in us as they are too frequent in too many by how much our double calling requireth it more at our hand by so much our sinne is more aggravated and our case more wofull Vse 5 All that are or may be governours are hereby exhorted unto three things First they must charge this duty of teaching their family upon their conscience Secondly they must acquaint themselves with the chiefe Principles of religion else they cannot teach others And it will be a shame unto them when for time and calling men should bee teachers they have need that one teach them againe which be the first Principles of the Oracles of God Heb. 5.12 Thirdly let them in the feare of God take all occasions to teach such as belong unto them setting some time apart to call the familie together for that purpose and if need be use the help of some short familiar Catechisme and at all times as opportunitie serveth be dropping in of knowledge and whetting of some good thing or other upon them Deut. 6.7 as you sit in the house or when you walke by the way when you lie downe and when you rise up In thus doing you shall discharge your dutie to God Motives why governours should teach thei◠people to be religious you shall shew true love to your familie love to goodnesse and hatred of sin you shall make proofe of your owne conversion you shall be freed certainly from the infection of their sinne if you bee not from the vexation you shal much increase your knowledge by teaching though you teach but the unlearned For this instructing the familie is a meane to come to the knowledge of those secrets of God of which yet you never heard God will reveale his will to such he cannot hide it as he saith of Abraham Gen. 18.17 19. Shal I hide from Abraham c. why not from Abraham For I know him saith God that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keepe the way of the Lord c. Lastly the teaching of our familie is an excellent meanes to further our owne practise in godlinesse for hee that is privie to himselfe that he knoweth his dutie yea that he hath taught others the same his conscience hereupon will urge him to teach himselfe be it to pray or to heare the word c. Thus the conscience hath a sharper spurre to pricke forward to goodnesse and hath a stronger bit or checke to curbe and restraine from evill then otherwise it could have One halfe of these motives nay any one of them might perswade any that is not
to thinke that I had better not pray at all That you feele these defects Answ and do observe these your inabilities and failings in prayer if withall you be humbled and your conscience can witnesse that your desire is that your heart were inlarged and were rightly disposed to prayer this is well this argueth that you have some life and some good disposition to the worke but here is no ground of discouragement or cause why you should forbeare to pray The best of Gods children sometimes have beene in your case David himselfe had his spirit overwhelmed Psal 77.3.4 and was so troubled that he could not speake Ezekiah said that he did chatter like a crane Isa 38.14 he did rather stutter and stammer out his desires to God in a broken sort then by distinct and apt words to expresse them As for wandring thoughts who is free or who can be free so long as sinne dwelleth in him and Satan is alwayes readie to cast them in As for faith it may be that you pray in faith though you conceive otherwise because you feele so much doubting but would you pray in faith do you grieve that you cannot beleeve and can you say with him in the Gospel I do beleeve Mar. 9.24 Lord helpe my unbeleefe then you pray in faith though you feele it not If you feele your selfe worse after prayer this is a misconceit of yours or a suggestion of Satan But if it be so indeed in your feeling this doth not argue that you are worse for your prayer but better for that evill which was in you before unseene is now discovered that you may reforme it The flesh and Satan sometimes may bee more stirring with their tentations but prayer gaineth alwayes a secret helpe of God if you would but improve it But know whatsoever your feeling be if failings in prayer be not allowed but resisted and and prayed against God passeth them by and doth not account them unto you If you endeavour to pray aright and do pray as well as you can though you faile very much this unallowed failing is onely a sinne of infirmitie for which God doth pity you and will spare you as a father doth his sonne that serveth him But not to pray at all is a grosse sinne of wilfull negligence which God hateth and will severely punish Wherefore whatsoever your indisposition be and whatsoever your former failings and discouragements have beene you must breake through all lets know that you have the more need to pray setting about it in the power of Gods might sith that you have no power of your owne Psal 119.88 Psal 119.32 Psal 86.9 Do as David did pray to be quickened and to have your heart inlarged and that God would unite your heart to feare his name If there be truth of desire in your prayer then know that you are heard and accepted not for the goodnesse and worth of your prayer but for the goodnesse and merits of Christ Iesus by whom you offer up your prayers What though you know not how to pray Rom. 8.26.27 the Spirit of him who hath commanded you to pray will helpe your infirmitie and enable you to pray in such sort as God shall accept thereof in Christ Iesus And if you be so heavie and comfortlesse after prayer it is your fault proceeding from groundlesse doubts and false feares but yet no argument that you did not pray aright or that you were not heard much lesse that you should think you pray in vaine or that you had better not pray at all But so long as a doubt and scruple remaineth in my mind Quest whether I may pray or no is it not best for me not to pray till that scruple be removed for I must do nothing doubtingly nor against scruple of conscience Answ To this I answer this is but a delusion of the devill and a groundlesse fancie In things indifferent of which the Apostle speaketh a man must be fully perswaded in his owne minde Rom. 14.5.23 and he must not do a thing indifferent though lawfull in it selfe to be done so long as hee doubteth and doth make scruple of conscience thereabout whether it may be done or no and therefore he must with all singlenesse of heart use meanes by the truth of Gods word to informe his conscience But in things expresly commanded such as is this dutie of prayer in this case a man is not to hearken to any scruple which shall rise concerning the not performing of it but is violently to resist that scruple and to breake through it and to addresse himselfe to the dutie of prayer notwithstanding For whensoever scruples under pretence of conscience shall arise to trouble and hinder a man from performing a necessarie dutie When a man may do contrary to scruple of conscience such as prayer and the like it is lawfull to do contrary to such scruples for a scruple is nothing else but a groundlesse feare wherefore to do a thing commanded by God though it be done contrarie to this scruple is not to do it against conscience for there can be no tye of conscience against any of Gods Commandements Wherefore laying aside all carnall reasoning and objecting as also all scruples and doubting be you encouraged to bee frequent in prayer and that not onely because unspeakable good shall redound to your selfe thereby but out of conscience of dutie because it is the wil of God that you should pray unto him Pray in this manner or as Luk. 11.1 Say Our Father c. Note hence that Doct. 4 The Lords prayer is a prayer and may be used in this verie forme of words for a prayer Our Saviour else would not have said Say Our Father Luk. 11.1 Reason Whatsoever is requisite in prayer may be expressed in uttering the very words of this prayer And in them a man may make his requests knowne to God which to do is to pray Vse 1 This confuteth the rash and ungrounded opinion of those which because the Lords Prayer is a patterne of prayer therefore hold it unlawfull to use it for a prayer As if it might not be both a prayer and a pattern as indeed it is And why may it not as well as a Kings standard weights and measures which are patternes of all sorts of weights and measures of the kingdome by which all both small and great are to be made and examined yet no wise man will say those standards are not weights or will not use them but of all weights if he may will use them because they be perfect and by them he may make others of his owne If the Lords Prayer be a Vse 2 prayer to be used in that verie forme in which Christ hath left it Set prayers are lawfull then without question set prayers are lawfull and no man should make scruple thereat yea in private for this prayer may be said in the closet Mat. 6.6 Besides we have good
when such shall say to Christ when the doore of heaven is shut against them Lord Lord open to us he shall say to them Luk. 1â— 25 26 27 28. I know you not whence you are if they reply we have professed thy name he doth make the same answer as before saying I know not whence you are depart from me all ye workers of iniquity There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when they shal see all the godly in the kingdome of God and themselves thrust out Vse 2 Gods owne children must here be put in remembrance of that too too little holinesse that many of them shew forth in their lives and of their too much pride voluptuousnesse worldlinesse and prophannesse and how that they shew forth little more then a bare forme of godlinesse shewing little or no power thereof in their lives I do intreat these men to consider seriously of the reasons of this point and of the motives to an holy life prosecuted in the next Vse and to say each with himselfe How do I by my sins grieve and dishonour God how do I discredit my holy profession how do I grieve and hinder the godly how do I open the mouthes of the wicked and how do I hurt my self and interupt my peace with God and how do I play the foole in making choice of the crooked damnable wayes of the devill leaving the straight and saving pathes of Gods commandements Thinke this with thy selfe then humble thy selfe then pray and endeavour a reformation Vse 3 This should incite all that professe Christianity to labour in prayer to God and to take paines with their owne hearts that they may get more and more power over their corruptions and more and more grace that they may shew forth true godlinesse in their conversations amongst men To induce you hereunto consider besides the reasons already given in the doctrine these motives following First all Christians should endeavour to bee holy in their conversation out of the due respect which they owe unto God 1. Out of love and in conscience of duty 1. Thess 4.3 1. Pet 1.15 16. 1. Ioh. 3 2â— Mat. 5.16 because it is the will of God our sanctification that we should be holy as he is holy 2. Because holinesse pleaseth him and 3. because he is glorified by it Whereas a wicked life of such as professe his Name Isa 63.10 doth much grieve his holy Spirit Isa 3 8. Heb. 3.10 and doth provoke the eyes of his glory I was grieved with this generation saith he Also they dishonour him as he saith to the Iew by breaking the Law dishonourest thou God Secondly consider that an holy life doth adorne the Gospel Tit. 2.10 and true religion of God but a vicious behaviour of men that professe Christianity 1. Tim. 6.1 doth cause the very religion and doctrine of God to be blasphemed Thirdly consider the different fruits of an holy and of an ungodly conversation in respect of our neighbours with whom we shall converse 1. Pet. 2.12 1. Pet. 3.1 A constant good conversation is a meanes to winne unto the power of godlinesse those which yet are strangers to the life of God and it doth rejoyce the hearts and doth confirme and increase the forwardnesse in grace of those which are already the children of God Moreover an unblameable life doth muzzle the mouthes 1 Pet. 2 15 and put to silence foolish men or if they be so maliciously wicked that they will needs speake of such holy persons as of evill doers they shall be in the end ashamed 1. Pet. 3.16 for falsely accusing their good conversation in Christ But the ungodlinesse of those which professe Christ doth much grieve and oft times doth corrupt in part and infect even those that bee truly good and doth harden the wicked in evil and giveth them just cause to complaine and exclaime against them Fourthly consider the good or evill which accrueth or befalleth to a mans selfe according as his life is holy 1. Tim. 4.8 or sinfull Godlinesse hath the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come Psal 34.9 10. Wherefore holinesse of life will either keep a man from crosses and afflictions and will remove such as are alreadie upon him Psal 34 19 1 Sam 3.18 Psal 119.71 Rom 8.28 Deu. 28.8 Phili 4 11. or will make him able fruitfully and patiently to beare them causing all things to work together for his good It will likewise procure all plenty and prosperity or it will cause contentment in adversity Also by adding unto a mans faith an holy righteous and sober life he doth make unto himselfe his calling and election sure 2. Pet. 1.10 from whence ariseth peace of conscience Rom. 5.1 and joy in the holy Ghost in this life and according to his holinesse Matth. â—5 28.46 such shall be the extent of his eternall glory in the world to come But a sinfull life pulleth downe Gods judgements upon a man and maketh them to abide long and causeth impatience under crosses causing likewise a purblinde judgement barrennesse 2 Pet. 1.8 9. and much unfruitfulnesse in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ This carelesse falling into sinne and lying in it causeth even in the elect doubtings of their being in state of grace Psal 77. and in Gods favour and of their salvation as also desperate feares through horrour of conscience And if a man have onely a forme of godlinesse but denyeth the power of it by a bad conversation he is unto God abhominable Tit. 1.16 and is exposed not onely to be accursed in every thing hee puts his hand unto Deut. 28 20. in the things which concerne the outward man 2. Thes 2.11 12. but to be further given over to Apostacie through strong delusion being to every good worke reprobate that in the end hee may be damned because though he made a profession of beleeving he yet tooke pleasure in unrighteousnesse Fifthly consider holinesse it selfe in respect of the nature thereof as it is compared with and standeth opposite to wickednesse Eph. 4.24 Holinesse is a likenesse and conformity to God our heavenly Father it is his very image renued in us which according to him is created in righteousnesse and true holines But sinne is enmity to God Rom. 8.7 Ioh. 4.44 a conformity to the very devill The wayes of holinesse are all heavenly holy spirituall equall Rom. 7.12 and good but the wayes of wickednesse are all earthly unjust Iam. 3.15 sensuall and devillish I referre the judging here of to any that is in his senses and hath but the use of right reason when he is himselfe namely whether workes of piety mercy righteousnesse and sobriety be not farre better then acts of prophanenesse cruelty unjustice intemperance and uncleannesse let any man instance in himselfe in particulars All these motives considered is there not cause why wee
keepe a good conscience holding it cause sufficient why they should speake evill of them and persecute them because they runne not with them to the same excesse of riot 1 Pet. 4.4 5. which persons not only do evill themselves but desire that others may be as bad as themselves and doe delight in those which are most wicked Doth not God say that these shall give an account to him who is ready to judge the quick and the dead to which judgement if by no meanes they will bee reclaimed I doe leave them Vse 2 Whosoever would approve himselfe a lover of God of grace of his country of his neighbour and of himselfe and would approve himselfe to bee an hater of sin and would prove that he is an unfained Christian that hee is no hypocrite when he maketh this petition then let him bee earnest with God in hearty prayer that hee would sanctifie and give grace with the encrease thereof daily unto all his neighbours and brethren Also as God giveth unto any man a calling either by vertue of his place of authority or by that familiarity and speciall interest he may have in his neighbour or by any other good opportunity let him exhort admonish 1 Thes 5.11.14 and encourage his neighbour that hee may come out and keep out of the wayes of evill and may enter in and walk on in the wayes of godlinesse For whatsoever we must pray for we must do what in us lieth to procure it Wherefore except our neighbours shew themselves swine Mat. 7.6 by open and often trampling these pearles under their feet and except they shew themselves dogs by snarling at us and flying in our faces wee must never neglect this office of exhorting and instructing one another And let this bee remembred that even then when without breach of charity wee may count them as swine and dogs yet wee must never give over praying for them David did fast and pray for his enemies hee shed rivers of waters because men kept not Gods Law Ps 119.136 Samuel professeth 1 Sa. 12.23 hee will never cease to pray for Israel Ieremiah speaking of Gods judgements coming towards the Iewes saith But if ye will not heare it my soule shall mourne in secret for your pride Ier. 13.17 If a man shall first reforme his owne wayes by pulling the beame out of his owne eye Mat 7.5 if he be wise to observe the fit times and places wherein he doth admonish if when he doth endevour to restore his brother he do it with the spirit of meeknesse Gal. 6 1◠hee may boldly and with hope of good successe instruct his neighbors If this duty were thus performed oh how should one neighbour enrich another with these holy pearles and there would not bee the thousandth part of that sinne committed that now is if every man would in wisedome and love be his neighbours remembrancer Set upon this duty therefore I confesse it is a thanklesse office amongst most men but it is most profitable to men and most praiseworthy with God and whatsoever effect it take with men thy work is with God and thou shalt shine in the end as a starre in the firmament Do Christians pray one for another Vse 3 that they may not be led into temptation but delivered from evill why then should any Christians discourage themselves because they cannot pray so earnestly aga nst the temptaons of sinne and Satan nor yet can resist them as they would Bee of good comfort notwithstanding onely persevere and never give over to pray and resist according to thy power for you must consider you have the benefit of other mens prayers yea of the prayer of Christ who did not only pray that Peters faith should not faile him when Satan should sift him but hee prayed that his Father would keepe from evill not only those which did then beleeve but those also which should beleeve Ioh. 17.15.20 of which number you are Vse 4 If it bee a Christian duty to desire and use all good meanes to preserve a neighbour from sinne then it is an unchristian part in any that shall take it ill when his neighbour doth exhort and admonish him which is the manner of most men who as if it were not fault enough to refuse good counsell returne him evill for his good giving him scornfull language saying Who made thee ruler over mee Looke to your owne selfe Exod 2.14 you shall not answer for me Who made you a controller You may meddle with your owne matters you take too much upon you and such like But know ye O ignorant unthankfull and foolish men God hath made every one a controller of another if to instruct and to admonish in love be to be a controller and tell me if the same man should acquaint you with your enemies purpose of taking away your life and should disswade you from going that way in which he lay in waite to kill you or should offer you his cōpany to assist you if he should tell you of your bodily disease and withall give you wherewith to cure you or should help quench the fire that is begun upon your house if he should but helpe your beast out of the ditch Exod. 23.45 or should but untangle your sheep caught in the brambles would you answer him with What is that to you or I need none of your helpe or Who sent for you or Who gave you authoritie to meddle with me or mine I presume you would not but meere common sense and civilitie would move you to hold these proffers to have proceeded from good neighbourhood and therefore you will accept his good will you will thanke him and will requite him with the like kindnesse if he need Grace and religion should teach you that Christian good counsel is a better fruit of Christian brotherhood and is a certaine evidence of a better love to you by as much as your soules are to be preferred before your body and your goodnesse before your goods He is a miserable foolish man who is wise in all things except in the case of his soule Let all men therefore be as readie to suffer wholesome words of instruction and admonition as any shall be willing to offer them It is their love to performe it but it shall be your benefit to accept and follow it Be of Davids minde he saith Psal 141.5 Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindnesse and let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oyle which shall not breake my head And let us when any Abigal shall disswade us from sinne 1. Sam. 25.32 33. do as David did Blesse God first for sending them then blesse the advice and follow it and forget not in the last place to blesse the persons which advise us and labour to keepe us from sinning against God Whosoever shall receive instruction in this sort shall never want good counsellers nor good counsell nor
Lord and thou art exalted as head above all 1 Chron. 29.10.11 David calleth upon his soule and all that is within him to praise his holy Name Ps 103.1.2 The Apostle requireth that in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we should make our requests knowne unto God Philip. 4.6 Also he saith Let us by Christ offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips giving thankes unto his Name Heb. 10.13 Reas 1 Praise and thankes are 〈◊〉 unto God for hee himselfe do most excellent being infinite in all holinesse of wisedome power mercy and all the rest of his divine attributes If there be any excellency in any creatures the praise belongeth unto God because hee made it excellent and if any good thing be bestowed upon any man whatsoever was the secondary meanes God was the first cause and 〈◊〉 the true giver thereof Of him are all things therefore to him be glory for ever Rom. 11.36 Reas 2 It is good pleasant and comely to praise the Lord Psal 147.1 It is good because it is the will of God being a part of his worship It is the best meanes to continue and make good unto us the good things we have 1 Tim. 4.4 It is the best meanes to procure those good things which wee yet have not It is well pleasing unto God for he saith He that offereth praise glorifieth mee Psal 50.23 It doth become the upright to bee thankfull Psal 33.1 for it doth shew their humility and dependance on God acknowledgment that they in all things are beholding unto God This reproveth all those who Vse 1 notwithstanding they have the great booke of the creation and frame of the world to looke upon and the booke of the Scriptures to looke into both which doe set forth the unspeakeable excellencies of God yet never admire him nor speake of him to his praise whereas if a mortall man shall doe some curious piece of worke shewing therein some rare skill and invention his worke shall be gazed on and admired and the workman praised of every one and hee shall be halfe deified And if a friend shall save their lives or deliver them out of prison or doe any other such speciall kindnesse unto them they thanke him and acknowledge themselves beholding unto him as long as they live whereas God which gave power and will to the same friend to doe thee good and doth give them all other good things who would also deliver them from the bondage of sinne and Satan aâ—â— from eternall death he is forgotten and is never thanked by them yea many of those who in their distresse doe seeke unto him and are holpen even they like the nine Lepers never returne to give thanks Luk 17.17 It is ten to one as we say if any give glory to God Most men ascribe the praise of all good things which they have unto nature fortune lucke or chance unto their wit or to their hands or to their friends to any person or thing rather then unto God without whom they could have had nothing These men are wilfully blinde if they doe not see that Gods hand doth all things But if they see that all things are of God and yet will not give him the praise and thankes they doe much wrong God in depriving him of his honour and doe manifest themselves to be utterly unworthy of all good There is no sinne can bee more hatefull then ingratitude There is no sinne can bee more hurtfull to the committer of it for it doth provoke God and cause him in wisedome and justice to take away from them those good gifts which once hee gave unto them As he did with his daughter Israel of whom he saith Hos 2.8.9 Because she did not know that I did give her corne c. Therfore will I returne and take away my corne in the time thereof And for this cause God giveth men over unto reprobate mindes because they having meanes to know God and cause to be thankeful Yet they doe not glorifie God neither are thankefull Rom. 1.21.28 Vse 2 Let all that professe the name of God learne hereby to bee alwaies as readie to speake of God and to God in praises and thanksgiving as to aske and receive any thing from him by petition For which cause we must consider the workes and word of God for they testifie of him Gods infinite wisedome power mercy and goodnesse and all other his excellencies are seene in the creation preservation and redemption of man and are all clearely revealed in his word In so much that when David did consider the heavens and the worke of his fingers hee breaketh forth into an holy admiration of God saying O Lord our Lord Psal 8.1.9 how excellent is thy name in all the earth And the Apostle could not speake of the worke of redemption by Christ but he saith concerning God To whom be glory for ever Amen Gal. 1.5 Eph. 3.21 If wee would but consider how little good and how much evill wee deserve at Gods hands how that it is his mercy wee are not consumed and if wee would consider how little evill Lam. how much good wee receive every day of his meere goodnesse we could not chuse but be thankefull Wherefore wee must bewaile our barrennesse of heart and with David call upon our soules and all that is within us to blesse and praise his holy name Psal 103.1 We must call his benefits to remembrance and tell our soules what great things the LORD hath done for us recounting one benefit after another untill we have convinced our hearts of our dutie and have enforced our selves unto thankfulnesse But our thanks must not be verball onely like that of the proud Pharisie saying Lord I thanke thee Luk. 18.11 they must be heartie and reall which is then then wee shew that wee do indeed acknowledge our selves bound and beholding to God for those things for which we say we give him thanks namely when we use his gifts as he hath appointed to his glory and when we give our selves both in soule and body to his service thus let us give thanks it is good it is pleasant it will become us Then this nothing more pleasing unto God nothing more profitable unto us for everie heartie thanks is a reall effectuall begging of continuance and blessing upon what we have and of new supplies unto what wee have not such shall never want good gifts because God knoweth he shall never want hearty thanks Thine is kingdome He saith not thou hast a kingdome but which is more thine is kingdome that is all kingdome and soveraigntie is thine in originall right and is not a derived soveraigntie as all other governments are Whence we learne Absolutenesse of authoritie Doct. 3 and Soveraigntie is properly and onely in God The Lord made that great Monarch and earthly king of kings Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge and proclaime