both Sexes and among all sorts of Persons high and low rich and poor noble and ignoble and at last died between two Thieves There can be no Place then no Person no Estate no Condition of Life which does not continually present us with one Object or other to renew and resume our Meditations and may minister some Occasion or other to think on Christ And this would prove the most absolute Catholicon to support us under and to encourage us to conflict with the Sorrows and Miseries of a troublesome World Let us therefore at all Times in all Places amongst all Persons and in every condition of Life lift up our Eyes unto Christ Let the strong defend him in the Weak and the Weak honour him in the strong let the Rich give him Alms in the Poor and the Poor love and admire him in the Rich let all Persons of all Ranks and Conditions so love and honour him that when the Vail of our Mortality is taken away we may not only know him and see him as he is but be known of him received by him and eternally enjoy him 2 The Consideration of this no less gracious than wonderful Vnion of the God-head and Man-hood in the Person of Christ our Redeemer should raise our Minds to a true sense of the Dignity of our Nature That the Disposition of our Hearts the Frame and Temper of our Spirits may rise in some considerable Proportion to that State and Condition which he has been pleas'd to enoble us with We are now of the Bloud Royal of Heaven Psal 8.5 Heb. 2.7 8. and 1 5 and 2.16 and he has made little lower than the Angels to Crown us with Glory and Honour Our Minds and Affections then should be sutably great and noble and chiefly conversant about those excellent things which are the Joy Delight and Wonder of the Holy Angels and Saints glorified It would be strangely incongruous and infinitely below the Dignity of our Heaven-born Souls to be imploy'd and busied about the base Cares unmanly Desires and ignoble Designs of this vain and transitory World Luk. 6.35 Heb. 2.11 Rom. 8.17 We are now the Children of God and Brethren of Christ Heirs and co-heirs with him of the same eternal Inheritance To be bruitish and sensual then would not only be a great Indignity and Afront to our Illustrious and Omnipotent Relations and a Disparagement to our selves but it would be a cutting off the Entail and an absolute Forfeiture of our Title to all the Blessings and Priviledges of the Gospel Besides As the Prophane and Dissolute the Unbelieving and Disobedient Christians would be incapable of relishing or delighting in the Joys of Heaven So they may assure themselves that if they live and die in those Sins unrepented of Gal. 5.21 they shall never enter into that Kingdom 3 The spiritual and pious Reflections of sincere Believers on this gracious Vnion of our Nature to the God-head may sill their Hearts with heavenly Joy and Comfort and their Mouths with Praise and Thanksgiving And doubtless there could never be greater Cause of rejoicing to Mankind nor should any Tidings be more grateful to Mortal Ears then this Evangelium that the eternal Son of God for us Men and for our Salvation came down from Heaven Were the glorious Angels in Heaven transported with such an Exstacy of Joy as caus'd them to break forth into triumphant Halelujahs And did they warble forth Hymns of Praise and Congratulation when they beheld that wonderful Spectacle of Majesty Luke 2.13 14. Mercy and Humility in the Incarnation of our Lord What reason then have we Christians to exult and leap for Joy and bear a part in that heavenly Chorus since we above all the Creatures are so signally happy as to reap the Benefits and Priviledges of that unparallel'd and boundless Charity Let us therefore never cease to chant forth his Praises in the Words of the holy and devout Virgin in her Magnificat saying Luke 1.46 47 c. My soul shall magnifie the Lord c. 4 The Consideration of the Vnion of these two Natures in the Person of Christ should not only beget in us a correspondent esteem of him oblige us to be faithful and obedient to Him Has he done and suffer'd so many things for us that we should live comfortably here in the participation of those excellent Priviledges which I 've mention'd die happily and reign with him eternally Phil. 2.9 10. And is it not then most fit and reasonable that he should rule and govern us and exact the highest Veneration and Reverence from us Now the only Evidence and Testimony which can be given of the Truth and Sincerity of our Obedience to Christ is the keeping his Commandments Joh. 14.15 And to enforce this Obligation it will be necessary to consider Heb. 1.14 That the Good Angels in Heaven are his ministring Spirits to do him Service and chearfully obey him Mark 5.10 Luk. 8.28 and the Devils in Hell are subject to his Authority All the sensitive and inanimate Creatures which are guided by no other Genius than that of meer natural Instinct do submit to the Laws of his Providence and are not backward in paying that just Tribute of Fear and Obedience to the eternal Son of God made man for our sakes How much more should we who are not only Men but Christians and actuated by an higher Intelligence than that of Nature be conformable in all things to the Wisdom and Will of God in Christ Has the Eternal Son of God divested himself of that infinite Honour Wealth Joy and Happiness which he might have triumpht in for ever at the right hand of God Did he willingly submit to an ignoble and inglorious Obscurity under the Vail of our flesh meerly for our sakes And shall we be unwilling to do or suffer any thing for him That would be such an Instance of Injustice and Disingenuity as well as Disobedience as might deservedly render us obnoxious to the severest Resentments of his Divine Wrath and Vengeance Mat. 25.30 He will cause such unprofitable Servants to be bound hand and foot and give 'em their just Portion in the Horrours and Sorrows of a sad and miserable Eternity 5 The Personal Vnion of these two Natures in Christ may incourage us to have a stedfast Confidence in and a chearful Dependance upon him Quia quod ex me mihi deest usurpo ex visceribus Domini for the supply of all our Temporal and Spiritual Wants and for Support and Comfort in all our Straits and Difficulties whatsoever For we have all things in Christ and Christ's all things in us If we be sick with Sin Christ is our Physitian to save us if we be Hungry or thirsty he is the Bread of Life Joh. 6.35 Joh. 7.38 and the Fountain of ever-living Waters and whosoever eateth him that is Spiritually by faith shall never hunger and whosoever drinketh of him shall
and every Name that is named both in this World and also in that which is to come And hath put all things under his Feet and gave him to be the Head over all Things to the Church This is he of whom St. John makes mention that he was clothed in a Garment dipt in Bloud Rev. 19.13 16. com Isa 63.2 3. the Ensign of his Victory and Triumph over all his and the Church's Enemies and his Name was called the Word of God and he has on his Vesture and on his Thigh a Name written KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS Many other Arguments and Authorities might be added from Scripture if 't were necessary to confirm and illustrate this Point Ioh. 1â— 37 But Pilate tho' a Heathen believ'd it upon his own single Testimony and may serve instead of many others as appeareth by the Inscription set over him on the Cross Ioh. 19.19 with the Sanction added what I have written I have written 2dly His Kingly Authority is asserted and confirm'd by the many strange and wonderful Miracles which he wrought For he manifested his Power on Earth in curing the Blind and the Lame and all manner of Diseases and in raising the dead Bodies of Lazarus and many others at his Resurrection He exerted it in the Sea when he asswaged its Storms and Tempests and walked on the Water without a Ship He gave a Testimony of it in the Air when he led Captivity captive drew Principalities after him and trampled upon them And lastly he exercis'd his Kingly Power in Hell in his Conquest over the Devil and all the infernal Furies Who in despight of all their Policy Power and Malice were forc't to confess that he was omnipotent Act. 19.15 and therefore they must submit to his Jurisdiction 3 We have the unanimous Consent of all pious and prudent Christians in all Ages who have cheerfully submitted themselves to the Sceptre of his Kingdom For they had their whole Dependance on his Power for their Safety on his Wisdom for their Guidance and Direction and on his infinite Merits and Mercy for their comfortable Living here and eternal Salvation hereafter But as Christ our King is invested with an absolute and unlimited Power and Authority so he has an unquestionable Right and Title to govern the whole World and all the Creatures in it And he holds this absolute Tenor of Empire and Soveraignty 1 By Inheritance Christ has an undoubted Right to this Office Mat. 2.2 1. By Inheritance This is clear from the Concessions of the Eastern Sages who came so far to see him and do him Homage And besides his Hereditary Power as the eternal Son of God he was of the Royal Race as Man St. Matthew derives his Pedigree from fourteen Kings successively and therefore his hereditary Title as Man to the Kingdom of Israel must needs be indisputable 2 He has an absolute and unquestionable Right to his Kingdom by Donation 2. By donation Mat. 28.18 Psal 8.7 Matth. 9.6 Ioh. 5.22 Ioh. 5.27 Mat. 16.27 and hence he derives his Power and Authority to rule and govern all things to forgive us all our Sins and to indemnifie us from the Punishment of them to pass Judgement upon Angels and Men not only in what concerns his Kingdom of Grace here but in determining their final Doom and Condition hereafter and in the Distribution of Rewards and Punishments to the faithful and disobedient 3 He has obtain'd an absolute Right to govern all the Creatures by Conquest For he has spoil'd all Principalities and Powers 3. By Conquest taken the Prey out of their Teeth and in despight of the Power and Policy of Devils and wicked Men the greatest Part of the known World have been reduc'd from their Heathenish and Idolatrous Superstitions in worshipping false Gods and have cheerfully and voluntarily submitted themselves to be govern'd by the just Laws and Constitutions of his Kingdom 4 He has a just claim to his Kingly Government by Purchase 4. By Purchase Rom. 2.23 c. For when by our Sin and Rebellion against God we had justly forfeited our Lives lost our Freedom contracted an universal Guilt and Stain and had not only depriv'd our selves of all the Hope and Possibility of any future Comfort and Happiness but were sentenc'd to Death and as condemn'd Slaves and Villains bound over to everlasting Torments When I say we were by our Sins plung'd into this desperate and damnable Condition 1 Tim. 2.6 Act. 20.28 2 Pet. 1.18 without the least prospect of Reprieve or Rescue Then it was that the eternal Son of God and our blessed Saviour purchased our Peace and Pardon by the Sacrifice of his dearest Life and has hereby restor'd all his faithful Votaries to the comfortable Enjoyment of God's Grace and Favour Hence 't is evident in all these several Respects that our Lord Jesus Christ is the most absolute King of Kings and Lord of Lords A King at whose feet all Prices and Emperors must cast down their Crowns and a Lord whose Authority supersedes the Power and Jurisdiction of all Earthly Princes and Monarchs They must all stoop to him all Nations shall do him service And thus much of the Original and Extent of our Saviour's Kingly Office We pass forward 2dly The Administration of Christ's Kingly Government To the Administration of his Government But for the better understanding of this Point we must consider the Government of Christ's Kingdom under a double Acceptation And 't is 1 Vniversal over all the Creatures which the School-men call the Kingdom of his Power Whereby he orders and disposes all things and rules all the Creatures visible and invisible within this vast frame of the Vniverse For he governeth the highest Heavens and appoints the holy Angels his ministring Spirits their several Offices and Imployments He rules the lower Orbs causing Day and Night Heat and Cold Summer and Winter He governs the Air the Winds and Seas Storms and Tempests raising and calming them again how and when and where he pleases He rules the Earth and all the Inhabitants thereof so that those things which seem casual and contingent to us are order'd and brought to pass by his determinate Councel and Providence He exerciseth his Power and Authority in Hell over-ruling those unruly Powers of Darkness keeping that disorderly Rout under a certain kind of Government well known to himself but inconceivable to us or to them who are rul'd by it So that from the glorious Angels to the crawling Worms from the highest Heavens to the lowest Hell all the Creatures are within the Sphere and Compass of his absolute and indeed unlimited Jurisdiction But 2 And more Particularly He exerciseth his Dominion over the Church his Body and every particular Member thereof His Kingdom is founded in the Souls and Consciences of all true Believers where he reigns by his Word and Spirit directing them in the Ways of Godliness by his Grace that he may dispose and qualifie 'em for his Kingdom of glory Which
reduced to this Head Thou shalt love the Lord thy God saith he with all thy Heart Matth. 22 37 38 39. with all thy Mind with all thy Soul and with all thy Strength and thy Neighbour as thy Self Hereby implying that we should make that Return of Duty unto God as to Love and Honour Worship and Obey him with all the Powers and Faculties of our Souls and Members of our Bodies That we should so love our Neighbours viz. the whole Race of Mankind as to be just and charitable to 'em in our whole Entercourse and Dealings with them That we should have that tender Regard to our own present and eternal Welfare 1 Cor. 6.20 Jam. 1.17 as to glorifie God both in our Souls and Bodies and to keep our Selves unspotted in this world These are the indispensible Duties of Religion which God expects and requires from us and the certain Conditions of our Happiness which being faithfully and conscientiously perform'd will dispose and qualifie us for all the Blessings and Priviledges of the Gospel I shall therefore treat of these Duties severally and distinctly by which I hope to acquit and discharge my self of that Task I 've undertaken And we begin 1st More particularly Of true saving Faith With our Duty to God And hereby we are oblig'd to Believe and Confess That there is but one God and that there 's no other besides Him That he is an infinite and immortal Spirit without Beginning and without End That by his infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness he has made all things visible and invisible the Heavens the Earth the Sea and all that in them is We must believe also that he that made 'em doth preserve them in this excellent Beauty and Order wherein they do now consist that they might all minister to his Glory and the mutual Benefit of one another We must believe That he knows all Things and is intimately present in all Places and that he is the Fountain and Original of all Happiness and Perfection of Grace and Glory That he is a God of infinite Power Justice Mercy Truth Goodness c. and therefore abundantly able and freely willing to protect our Persons and reward all our Endeavours with Temporal Spiritual and eternal Blessings But we are oblig'd more particularly to believe and confess That God has made us Men by Creation Christians by Redemption and Candidates of Grace and Glory by Sanctification Father Son and Holy Ghost three distinct Persons in the Unity of the Divine essence after a secret and inconceivable Manner which we must believe but cannot understand Again we must believe and confess That all things contain'd in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word and Will of God reveal'd to the Sons of Men by his holy Spirit That all the Affirmations thereof are true both as to the Doctrinal and Historical parts of them and we must acknowledge 'em to be so tho' they be above our Reason and beyond the reach of our humane Capacities that all God's Commandments are holy just and reasonable and necessary to be observ'd and obey'd tho' they may seem opposite to our natural Tempers and visible Interests in this World That all the Promises and Threatnings in Scripture which concern the present and future Welfare and Misery of Mankind upon the performance or neglect of the Duties and Conditions on which they are grounded shall most certainly and inevitably come to pass For our God is of infinite Veracity faithful and just in his Dealings with us Heaven and Earth shall pass away Mat. 5.18 but not one Iota of his Word shall fail till all these things be fulfilled But herein we must be cautious that we do not mistake a naked Assent to the Truth of these Mysteries for a Principle of saving Faith Jam. 2.19 For the Devils do believe all these things to be true and tremble to think of it But that Faith by which we Christians through the infinite Mercies of God and the alone Merits of Christ do expect Salvation The Properties of a saving Faith must appear in the powerful Effects and excellent Fruits of it 't is a lively active Faith if it be sincere most ready to comply with and willing to obey the whole Will of God And the effects of it will appear And this is the first Instance of Duty which we owe unto God Namely to believe in him 2dly As a necessary and natural Result of a justifying and saving Faith We are oblig'd to Love him above all things 1. By our love to God This is another Branch of Christian Piety and an indispensible Condition of our supreme Happiness For if we do not love God sincerely and devoutly with our whole Hearts Wills and Affections in this Life 't is morally impossible that we should enjoy him in the other Now the Motives by which we are induc'd to love the things of this World with any competent Delight and Satisfaction are either the excellent Qualities of the Things themselves or 't is for the sake of the Benefits and Advantages which we receive from them and by them But we are most especially oblig'd to love God in both Respects Whom we must love For the sake of his own Exlencies And 1 Because he is most amiable and lovely in himself For all the scatter'd Excellencies which we are apt to love and admire in the Creatures are but Emanations from and imperfect Adumbrations of that infinite Perfection which the boly Angels and Saints glorified do contemplate in God a Happiness which above all things we should aspire to and desire to enjoy How should our Souls be charm'd and delighted with the incomparable Excellencies of the Divine Nature how should we be ravisht and transported with Exstasies of Joy and Wonder since we may upon certain easie Conditions more fully comprehend and perfectly enjoy all those wonderful Endearments of Love and Beauty hereafter which even now shine so conspicuously in all God's glorious Attributes and Actions 2 God is not only infinitely lovely in himself And for the Benefits bestowed which should oblige us to love and admire him even for the sake of his own Excellencies above all the transitory Delights Riches and Honours of this World But we must love him above all things because he is most beneficial and bountiful to us Psal 100.3 in bestowing his innumerable Blessings and Benefits upon us To instance in a few amongst many Particulars And First On our Bodies Man is the Epitome of the whole Creation a Compound of Heaven and Earth Psal 139.14 little lower than the Angels and yet far transcending all the rest of the Creatures Psal 8.5 6. He is fearfully and wonderfully made as to the curious and admirable Structure of his Body for which the divine Providence has made a liberal Provision for its support and comfort not only for its Being but also for its Well-being And we of
which are prepar'd for the Devil and his Angels This charitable Frame and Temper which I 've thus recommended will dispose and qualifie us for Heaven wherein we shall enjoy the freest Intercourse with the holy Angels and the Souls of just men made perfect And upon these Terms we need not doubt to be receiv'd into their holy and innocent Communion where we shall be inconceivably happy and rejoyce with 'em for ever But as this Vniversal Love and Benificence will be every way so comfortable and advantagious both to our selves and others So on the contrary a froward rugged and uncharitable Disposition and those base Effects which spring and flow from it as Hatred and Revenge Pride and Insolence Injustice and Oppression Whispering and Backbiting Railing and Slandering Faction and Rebellion with all their other cursed Accomplices are not only inconsistent with that pacific and charitable Temper of Christianity but they are the very Bane of and Scandal to all civil and sacred Societies as well as a continual Disturbance to those that commit them And whosoever shall leave this world whilst he 's under the power and prevalence of these insolent mischievous and domineering Passions is fitted only for the Society of Devils and damned Spirits who having sinn'd with 'em by Compliance must expect to be punisht for ever by Sympathy And thus much of that Vniversal Love and Benificence which all Christians are oblig'd to practice one towards another We pass on 2dly To the Particular Duties incumbent upon us in all our Intercourse and Dealings with other Men. And they are such as concern either 1 the Persons or 2 the Possessions or 3 the Private and Public Peace and Happiness of all Christians And I begin 1st With that Love Mercy and Charity which respects the Persons of our Christian Brother-hood Which for Method's sake must be consider'd under a double Reference And 1 with respect to their Souls And 2 to their Bodies But 1 Mens Souls being of infinitely more value than their Bodies become the primary objects of our Care and 't is certainly the highest Instance of Christian Charity to rescue a Soul from Death and from the Peril and Punishment of Hell Torments Levit. 19.17 Therefore to this End we are oblig'd to discountenance Sin in all Persons we converse with since that 's the Cause of all the Maladies we suffer and we should use our stedfast Endeavour to reclaim and reform the Sinner by mild and serious Intreaties and if these will not do by severe yet seasonable Reproofs always aiming at the Conviction and Conversion not the Disgrace of the Offendor And herein we exert our Zeal for God's Glory our just hatred against Sin and our hearty Concernment for the Salvation of our fellow Christians Indeed all our Discourses should be season'd with something of Religion that they may minister Grace unto the Hearers St. Bernard complain'd in his Time and I am affraid 't is too applicable to ours Nihil de Scripturis Bern. nihil de salute Animarum agitur sed Nugae Risus verba proferuntur in ventum Christians now a days the more 's the pitty discourse little or nothing of Religion that they may edifie one another But of Toys and Trifles and so their Communication becomes either sinful or frothy and impertment whereas holy Conferences well tim'd would conduce much to the Credit and Interest of Religion And doubtless it would be of singular Advantage to communicate our Experiences to one another concerning the Power Mercies and Goodness of God to us in all the Straits and Exigencies which we 've met with in this Life prescribing also such Rules and Methods herein for their Support and Comfort as we have found most useful and beneficial to our Selves 1 Pet. 4.10 As every Man hath received the Gift so let him minister to another as it becomes a Steward of the manifold Grace of God Again that we may be happy Instruments in the promoting of God's Glory and our own Good by the practice of fervent Charity to the Souls of others Ur malus sermo inducit Peccarum sic malum silentium reliâ—quit in Peccato Aug. we must be careful to instruct the ignorant satisfie the doubtful strengthen the weak encourage and confirm the strong perswade sinners to Repentance comfort the comfortless and reprove the scandalous Offendor Studying hereby to make all men as happy as our selves by convincing them of the necessity of making their Peace with God through Christ and assuring them that there 's no Repentance to be expected beyond the Grave for the Concernments of the other World are fixt immoveable as the Tree falls so it lies and as Death leaves us so will Judgement find us that without a true Faith in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost with a sincere Endeavour to be and to do good and a hearty Repentance for all our sins past there can be no certain Hope of the comfortable Presence of God's Grace here nor any well grounded Expectancy of his Glory hereafter Heb. 10. â—7 but a fearful looking for of Judgement and endless Perdition Now if we desire to inforce these Methods and render 'em successful to others our Selves must be uniform so far as it may consist with the infirmities and indiscretions of humane Nature in the devout and serious practice of all the Duties of Religion We should study and strive to be pure and innocent in our whole Conversations and be extremely careful that we partake not of other mens sins either by conniving at consenting to complying with or vindicating of them in their vitious and ungodly Courses For unless we practice those Things our selves which we press on others â—ox praeterea â—ihil our most witty sayings closest Reasonings and all other Means which we can possibly use for the Conversion and Salvation of their Souls will have little or no Influence upon nor Authority to prevail with them And when we have thus conscientiously discharg'd our Duty and yet our most pious and charitable Endeavours prove insuccessful then we should mourn for their sins in secret pray earnestly and importunately for their Conversion and by a just complaint to their lawful Superiors we should see to the execution of Justice that they may suffer due and deserved Punishment for their Offences in this Life that their Souls and Bodies may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Since then the faithful Discharge of this Duty is a Business of such Advantage Necessity and Importance both to our own and the Souls of other Men and since the Glory of God and the Interest of Religion are so highly concern'd in it Then what account shall wicked Men be able to give for the total Neglect if not absolute contempt of this Duty And what extreme Punishments shall those ungodly Miscreants endure who by their vile and abominable Examples are so far from saving a Soul from Death that they lead them headlong
get the upper hand and lead us Captives to Condemnation 't is not imputable to any impotency in the Administration of Christ's Government but to our own Obstinacy and Cowardice We are not because we will not be happy We proceed 3dly The Benefits resulting from Christ's Kingly Government To the Benefits which flow from the Powerful Administration of Christ's Kingly Office Of which take this following Account Now it must be extremely happy for us Christians that we have such a King and live under the gracious Influences of that excellent Government which I have describ'd to you in several Particulars As 1 In respect of his Abilities For 't is said prophetically of our King I have laid help on one that is mighty Ps 89.18 and I will make him my first born higher then the Kings of the Earth Some indeed have a fit Capacity to dispose but want Power and Ability to put their just Laws in Execution for the Peace and Benefit of their Subjects Others have Power more then enough but want Wisdom and Discretion to contrive and manage the Affairs of Government But 't is said of our King Colos â— 19 that it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell Fulness in the abstract both of Wisdom and Power that he might dispose and order the Concernments of his Government for the Peace and Benefit of his People Earthly Princes may make their Subjects great but they cannot make 'em good But such is the Power of our absolute and supreme Monarch that he makes his Dependents first good and then great he makes them gracious here and eternally glorious hereafter For when he ascended on high he led Captivity captive Eph. 4.8 and gave Gifts unto men and the Doors of those heavenly Treasuries are still open to his Votaries and Servants He distributes Grace in proportion to their modest Desires and Necessities his holy Spirit leads them into all Truth inspiring them with Love Peace Patience Perseverance Joy in the Holy Ghost and all other needful Graces which may qualifie 'em for Heaven and make them glorious and happy for ever 2 The Government of Christ's Kingdom is Monarchical the very best of all Constitutions in which there 's an absolute Concurrence of all Power Wisdom and Righteousness without any Corruption or Diminution For as Christ is the Power of God Psa 45.6.7 and the Wisdom of God so the Sceptre of his Kingdom is a right Sceptre a Sceptre of Equity and a Rod of Direction say some Translations And as he lays his Commands on his Subjects so which is peculiar to the Subjects of his Kingdom only he gives them Directions and furnishes them with Abilities to comply with and obey all his Commands and Institutions Besides this Monarchical Government of Christ has these special Priviledges to distinguish it from all others 1 'T is Vniversal For he is the Head of the whole Body he rules the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant us who are here and those who are gone to Heaven before us 2 'T is Spiritual he sets up his Throne in the Souls and Consciences of Believers and does there effectually conquer and subdue all his and their Enemies 3 'T is Perpetual which is the greatest Priviledge and best Property that a well constituted Government can be capable of For he ruleth by his Power for ever All earthly Governments have been and are subject to many Alterations and Revolutions Not only from one Person to another but from one kind of Government to another and 't is very uncertain how long we may continue either under this Person or Form of Government under which we live But the Politie of Christ's Kingdom as well as his Person are unchangable For 't is constituted and establish'd by such an unerring Wisdom that a better cannot be devis'd nor desir'd and 't is supported by such an invincible Power that all the Grandees on Earth and in Hell shall never be able to destroy nor dissolve it Luk. 1.32 Vpon the Throne of David and upon his Kingdom shall he sit for ever to order and establish it with Judgement and Justice even for ever and ever 3 Christ our King has made an eminent Provision for the Weal and Safety of his Subjects For he gives them the Assistances of the holy Angels in Heaven and of his Ministers and Pastors on Earth By whose Ministeries and the concurrences of his Grace we are supplied with a sufficiency of Wisdom to make us Wise of Holiness to make us Good and Righteousness to make us Just He affords us a sure Protection liberal Maintenance and unspeakable Rewards for those little Tributes and Fealties of Service which we pay him In a word his loyal Subjects can want nothing which may be requisite for their Support and Convenience in this Life But if they should be at any time straitned by the want of these he will enrich them more abundantly with spiritual and eternal Blessings Let them but hold out a while with Patience and Perseverance in well doing and they shall have Kingdoms and Sceptres put into their Hands and Crowns set upon their Heads as Ensigns of their everlasting Triumph 5 and Lastly It may be added as a considerable Benefit and Priviledge of Christ's Kingdom that Satan's Power as before is dasht in pieces and we are safe under the defence and Protection of this mighty Monarch The other Enemies who oppose his Authority and do disease and trouble us are Atheists and Infidels without and Hereticks and Apostates within the Church and all these Adversaries have no small Advantage against us from that innate Corruption and Concupiscence in our own Bowels but all the hurt that Christ our King will suffer them to do us is only by some faint Encounters now and then to try and advance our Graces and prove our Integrity And tho' that last Enemy Death may be a present torture yet cannot deprive us of that Bliss which shall certainly be the Reward of all his Subjects in another World For these Oppositions will rather further than hinder us in our Journey and bring us perhaps sooner however with greater safety to the Haven and Happiness where we would be We go on to the 4th The Application of this Point and Last Particular Which is to make some practical Improvement of this Point by way of Application And 1 Seeing that Christ our King is advanc't to this high and honourable Office We are oblig'd both in Duty and Interest to pay that just tribute of Fear and Homage of Love and Obedience which is most deservedly due to so great and so good a Monarch And we are under the greatest Obligations to be most exact and uniform in our Services to him since the very Angels in Heaven and all other Creatures do not only acknowledge his Sovereignty over 'em but do in their several Capacities send up Acclamations of Blessing Praise unto him Therefore since we live under
Preservation of the King 's most excellent Majesty James the Second c. and all the Royal Family bless the whole Clergy but him especially whom thou hast appointed to watch over us in this Parish together with all the Nobility Gentry and Commonalty of this Realm that they may all become active Instruments for the Advancement of thy Glory the Safety and Preservation of the King's Person Honour and Interest and for the Comfort and Benefit of all his truly loyal peaceable obedient Subjects Visit we pray thee with thy Grace and Blessing all our Relations Friends and Benefactors forgive the Injuries committed against thee and us by all our Enemies Comfort and Support all distressed Persons with the stedfast Belief of sure Confidence in and a patient Submission to thy divine Will and Wisdom in all Straits and Sufferings whatsoever And now O Lord we return thee most humble and hearty Thanks for all those temporal and spiritual Blessings which make the time of our short abode in this Life more easie and comfortable to us But let our Souls for ever love adore admire and praise thee for thine infinite Goodness Bounty in sending thine own Son from the highest Region of Bliss to take our Nature upon him Who submitting to all the Indignities of a sorrowful Life and the Injuries and Tortures of a painful and accursed Death has not only deliver'd us from the dreadful and damning Effects of our Sin and Disobedience but puts us thereby into an undoubted Capacity of being sayed appointing the Use of such Means and affording us those most powerful Assistances whereby we may live comfortably here and be happy for ever We praise thee more particularly for the Safety and Refreshment of the Night past and since thy Providence has bless'd us with the Light of another Day keep our Souls and Bodies we beseech thee pure and undefiled and enable us to imploy it and the whole residue of our Lives to thy Glory and the real and mutual Benefit of of our selves and others So that after the few Dayes and Nights we have to pass in this World we may be happily translated from the short and troublesome Enjoyments thereof to the ravishing and immutable Pleasures of a future and better Life Grant these our most humble Suplications and what thou seest further needful and convenient for us we sincerely beg at thy hands for the Merits of Jesus Christ the righteous in whose holy Name and Words we pray unto thee Our Father c. The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ c. An Evening Prayer for Families O Lord the Almighty Creator of the World and the merciful Redeemer of Mankind who seest our down lyings and uprisings and to whom the Darkness and Light are both alike Thou art a God of Infinite Purity and Holiness nor can any thing be added to thy admirable Perfections and essential Glory by us or any of thy Creatures for thou reprovest thy Angels of Folly and the Heavens are impure before thee much more might the sense of our wretched Estate and Condition make us justly asham'd and afraid to offer unto thee any Sacrifice yet in great Mercy to our Souls thou hearest Prayer and thy Power and Goodness are every where manifest in the visible Administrations of thy Providence We beseech thee therefore to accept of this Evening Oblation of our Souls and Bodies which we desire with all Humility to present a holy living and acceptable Sacrifice unto thee thro' Jesus Christ We do confess O Lord and in great bitterness of Spirit lament and bewail our detestable Impiety Unworthiness and hardness of Heart in that we have wilfully trampled upon thy Sovereign Power and Authority by violating and transgressing thy just and reasonable Commands rejecting all the bountiful Tenders of thy Grace and Mercy and obstinately despising the Riches of thy Forbearance and long suffering Patience which should lead us to Repentance But thou hast graciously spar'd us hitherto when we deserved Punishment and in the midst of Judgement thinkest upon Mercy Wherefore O Lord thy Mercy is our Sanctuary and unto thee do we flie for Succour Let the sense of our Vileness possess us with an holy Indignation against our Selves and give us Grace to look back upon the Offences of our former Lives with that horrour and regret hatred and detestation that neither our vile Lusts the illusions of Satan nor the alluring Enticements of this vain and transitory World may prevail with us to neglect the great Concernments of Eternity And for the perfecting of our present and future Happiness we beseech thee O heavenly Father to be gracious and merciful unto us in the forgivenness of all our Sins Pardon the vanity and impurity of our Thoughts the sinfulness of our prophane idle and impertinent Words and the Impurity injustice and Impiety of all our Actions Purge our whole Nature from the Stain and Pollution of the Old-man not only from grosser presumptuous Sins but even from our private Slips and more secret Corruptions Sanctifie us throughly by thy holy Spirit and we shall be clean wash us in thy Sons Bloud and we shall be whiter than Snow Bless all our Endeavours of Reformation and let the redundant Satisfaction of our meritorious Advocate and Intercessor prevail for our Release and Rescue for thy Grace and Acceptance Fix our thoughts our hopes and desires on Heaven and heavenly Things Make us watchful over our Ways and enrich our Understandings and our Wills with the love of Goodness and Knowledge of thy Truth Mortifie and subdue all our lustful Appetites and Passions by the Operation and Prevalence of thy Grace that we may submit our Selves entirely to the gracious and safe Conduct of rectified Reason and Religion And to this end we beseech thee strengthen our Faith confirm our Hope and give us a daily increase of Charity that we may serve thee sincerely fervently and constantly in Righteousness and true Holiness all the days of our Life Enable us to increase still more more and persevere in all the Instances of Piety Virtue that by adding Strength to Strength and one degree of Grace unto another we may have acomfortable Well-being in this Life and in the World to come Life everlasting We implore thy Mercies also for the Peace and Happiness of all Mankind Bless thy Church universal but more especially that part of it to which we stand so nearly related in these divided Kingdoms of great Brittain and Ireland Remember not O Lord our crying Sins nor the Iniquities of our Forefathers whereby these Nations have been involv'd in Bloud and Ruine and do still cry aloud against us for Vengeance But out of the Bowels of thy tenderest Mercy and for the sake of our Compassionate Redeemer let thy heavy Wrath and Judgements be turned away from us Bless our gracious Soveraign and all the Royal Family endue him with the Spirit of Wisdom and sound Judgement in thy Fear and make him successful in
whole Nature and dispose me for the moderate use of all thy Creatures Inform my Judgement with the useful Knowledge of those Truths which are necessary to be believed and practic'd rectifie my Will and sanctifie my Affections that I may so love and fear trust and hope desire and delight in thee above all Things that all my Thoughts Words and Works may shew forth thy praise who hast call'd me from the dark Regions of Sin and Ignorance to the marvellous Light of thy pure and undefiled Religion Give me Grace to improve every Opportunity and Blessing thy good Providence has intrusted me with that when thy Messengers Death or Judgement shall put an end to all the tedious Cares and troublesome Concernments of this mortal Life I may be clothed upon with a glorious and blissful Immortality Bless thy holy Catholic Church but more especially the Churches of these Kingdoms Bless the King's Majesty the Royal Family the Clergy Nobility Gentry and Commonalty of this Realm Let all my Friends Relations and Benefactors particularly * As Father Mother Husband Wife Children c. the Family wherein I live c. receive the Benefit of my Prayers Bless them in their Bodies with the Comforts of Health and Peace Liberty and Safety and in their Souls with sound Judgements holy Affections and heavenly Dispositions that their Lives and Practices may be unblameable before thee in the sight of all men And now O Lord I beseech thee accept of the Tender of my most humble and hearty Thanks for those innumerable Blessings by which I live and am provided for Thou hast given me Food and Raiment Liberty and Friends †Here mention the temporal Blessings God's Bounty has bestow'd on thee and thine c. and by thy merciful Providence hast wonderfully preserved me yet alive amidst the innumerable Assaults of my bitter and malicious Enemies But chiefly O Lord I praise and magnifie thy holy Name with all my Soul and all my Strength for the miraculous Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ for the Revelation of thy Will the Satisfaction which he made and the Ransom which he paid not only for mine but the Sins of the whole World for the sanctification of my Nature by the Grace of his holy Spirit the admirable Comforts and Refreshments of his Body and Bloud the conquest over all his and mine Enemies for his powerful Intercession and the gracious acceptance of my Prayers and Person before God c. * Spiritual Mercies For which and all other temporal and spiritual Mercies my Soul shall magnifie the Lord and with the best Faculties I have I will bless and praise him for ever Finally O Lord I beseech thee preserve me in a perpetual Remembrance of those manifold and undeserved Favours thy Bounty has bestowed upon me and mine And as thou hast wonderfully preserv'd me hitherto and particularly from the dangers of the Night past so keep me this Day and for ever from all Sin and Mischief Let the Love of Christ be always in my heart and in my thoughts and as he is my hope so let him be for ever my rule and pattern to walk by That by by a sincere and faithful Discharge of the several Duties of my Calling and Religion both to God and Man I may enjoy a comfortable and prosperous well-Being in this Life and in the World to come Life everlasting To which the Lord of his infinite Mercies bring me and all his People thro' the Merits of Jesus Christ In whose Name and Words I continue to pray unto thee Our Father c. An Evening Prayer for a private Person OH eternal God! the Father of Men and Angels whose Glory is far above the Heavens and by whom the lower World is establisht in a Wonderful Order making the Day and Night to succeed each other Thou excellest the praises of all thy Creatures and hast no need of our Services neither can any thing be added to thy infinite Perfection yet in great Mercy thou hearest Prayer and thy Power and Goodness are abundantly manifested to the meanest of thy Servants who call upon thee in Faith and Sincerity In confidence whereof I most humbly implore the gracious Assistance of thy holy Spirit and be pleased to accept of such Prayer and Service as thy Bounty shall enable me to perform But the sense of my sinful Estate and Condition might justly make me afraid to speak of thy holy name since I have so wilfully and wickedly abused thy Goodness affronted thy Clemency resisted thy Power undervalued thy Wisdom trespassed upon thy Patience and stopt mine Ears against all the charitable tenders of Mercy and Salvation In somuch that thro' this senseless Stupidity and unreasonable Folly my heart is become proud and unmortified pievish and disobedient lustful and intemperate so wholly intangled in the snares of Sin Wickedness that I am utterly unable to resist or flie from 'em For I am daily prevailed with by my buitish Appetites and Passions to commit those Sins which thou hast forbidden * Here confess thy particular Sins committed as c. and to ommit those Duties which thou hast commanded †And the Duties omitted even contrary to the most convincing Attestations of rectified Reason and Religion For which beinous and innumerable Offences thou mightest justly long ere this have given me my portion in the horrours and sorrows of a sad miserable Eternity But thou delightest in Mercy and thy loving kindness has been abundantly manifested hitherto in sending thy Son and Spirit not to call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance Come Lord Jesus and say unto my Soul I am thy Salvation and my Leprosie shall be healed Think upon thy Mercies holy Father consider thy Son's Bloud and Obedience and accept of my sincere Contrition and unfeigned Repentance for his Names sake Touch my frozen heart with the Finger of thy Omniporence dissolve it into those Tears which may so wash my polâ—ited Conscience that thy love may refresh me that thy presence may revive me and the Garments of heaviness will be turned into the white Robes of Praise and Exaltation Oh let me hear the joyful News of a merciful Pardon from thy gracious Lips that the Bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Stretch forth thy hand O Lord to save a poor miserable and sinful Creature from the power of Sin and Satan and the pain and peril of hell torments Keep me unspotted from the World that my Thoughts and Affections may not be drawn away from thee by the deceitful Pleasures unmanly Desires and unworthy Designs of this vain and transitory Life Support me under the many Temptations and Pressures which thy good Providence may order and appoint for the tryal and improvement of my Graces or the punishment of my Sins Teach and enable me to be truly watchful in all my Ways and so keep the door of my lips that I may not offend in Thought Word or Deed either
against the Laws of Piety Temperance or Charity Supply my outward wants with health safety and success in my honest Calling and lawful undertakings give me true Friends and other temporal Blessings so far as thou seest them needful and convenient for my Support and Comfort Guide me with thy Wisdom in the Way wherein I am to walk cloth me with thy Sons Righteousness and seal me with thy holy Spirit unto the Day of Redemption that I may not be cast out of thy gracious presence with Hypocrites and Vnbelievers And since thou hast been pleas'd to enrich my Soul with divine and excellent Faculties so enable me to imploy 'em entirely to thy Service that neither Death nor Judgement may overtake me unawares And seeing thy Mercy O Lord is over all thy Works I beseech thee to be gracious to all Mankind Bless the universal Church especially the Churches of these Kingdoms And herein I intreat thee for all temporal and spiritual Mercies for the guidance and safety of the King 's most excellent Majesty the royal Family and the whole Clergy of this Realm but particularly for the Guide and Pastor of our Souls in this Parish Bless all the Nobility Gentry and Commonality in their several Capacities and Callings Be favourable and gracious to all my Relations Friends and Benefactors and extend thy Mercy and Goodness to all even my most inveterate and malicious Enemies Be propitious to those who want the blessings and comforts which I enjoy strengthen the weak confirm the strong instruct the ignorant deliver the oppressed relieve the needy pity and support the Fatherless and Widow and bring us all by the Waters of Comfort in the Ways of Religion to thy Kingdom of rest Glory The holy Angels and Saints in heaven praise thee O Lord extol thy Power bless thy Goodness and are astonished at thy Wisdom the whole Earth is full of the Riches of thy Grace and Mercy But thou hast blest and oblig'd me more especially by all the endeared Expressions of love and bounty in my Creation Preservation and all the Mercies and Comforts of this Life but above all by the infinite Riches of thy Grace and Goodness in fending thy Son to purchase my Peace and Pardon at so dear a price as the expence of his own bloud And herein I thank thee with all my Soul for his miraculous Birth his most holy and innocent Life for his bitter Agony and Passion his Glorious Resurrection and Ascension and his sovereign Power and Authority over all the Creatures for the sprinkling of his Bloud and his Intercession with the Father for us and for the coming of the holy Ghost for all the blessed Opportunities of Grace and Salvation here and assured hope of eternal Glory hereafter And to all thy other Mercies and Blessings thou hast graciously added the Protection of me and mine in our Persons and Possessions this Day from all Casualties and ill Accidents from the power prevalence of our Enemies and from thine infinite Wrath and Vengeance which might have deservedly faln upon us In like manner I beseech thee preserve my Soul and Body from all the Malice and Violence of the Spirits of Darkness and suffer not any vain Thoughts or Dreams to disturb or ensnare me Bless sanctifie my Sleep that it may be temperate holy and safe and that I and all thine may be refreshed from time to time with wholesome and moderate Rest that both our Souls and Bodies may not only serve thee with a never failing Duty but that whether we wake or sleep live or die we may be thine in Christ Jesus Our Father c. FINIS
with their Bloud So that we 've no cause to be discourag'd in the stictest Compliance with all the Conditions and Duties of the Gospel because they have been done effectually by Others Nor can we doubt of the success Recompence herein because the Saints in Heaven who were formerly in the same Circumstances with us do now and shall eternally inherit the comfortable and saving fruits of them And 1st Christ our great Prophet was strictly conformable to his own Laws and Constitutions By his own Example in all the Instances both of his Active and Passive Obedience having impos'd nothing upon his Proselites and Followers but what he first practiced himself in our own Nature leaving us hereby an Example that we should follow his steps 1 Pet. 2.21 And indeed 't is plain and obvious that the Gospel is rather a Narrative of his holy and exemplary Life than a Systeme of his Precepts For the Doctrine of the One is mostly comprehended in the Graces and and Virtues of the Other For 1 Christ was a Partern to us in all the Instances of an Active Obedience And by his Active Obedience as will fully appear in these following Particulars And First To the Ceremonial Law Luke 2.21 Mat. 3.15 he was most exact and uniform in his Obedience to the Ceremonial Law For he was Circumcis'd the eighth day and submitted to Baptism a Rite substituted in its stead that he might be a Pattern to others for he had otherwise no occasion to be Baptiz'd to the end of the World He kept the Jewish Passover and all their other solemn Feasts and Sabbaths he frequented their Temple and Synagogues at the Hours of Prayer and taught publickly in both he was subject to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake and became in all things conformable to the lawful Customs of his Country and the regular Constitutions of that Church under whose Politie he was born and educated Secondly The Moral Law Math. 5.17 He was uniform in his Obedience to all the Precepts of the Moral Law in the strictest sense and meaning of it And altho' there be some Actions of our blessed Saviour's Liâ—e upon Record particularly those Maracles which he wrought wherein he asserted and vindicated his Divine Power and Authority which were never design'd for our Imitation yet in all such Instances as 't is well observ'd by most modern Divines wherein the Evangelical Doctrine is to be our Map and Rule his holy Practice and Obedience are to be our Guide and President to walk by Thirdly In all the Duties of Piety to God His Piety towards God inconformity to his own Doctrine was even and constant not affected with high Transports and Raptures in Devotion but such as was meet and easie for Mortals to imitate For all his Addresses to God were secret and serious free from all appearances of Hypocrisie and Ostentation most calm and candid in themselves and always conducted with Reason and Sobriety He forsook his earthly Parents lest they should be Hindrances unto him in doing the Will and the Work of his heavenly Father Fourthly And in his whole Conversation towards Men. His whole Conversation amongst Men was innocent and candid free and ingenuous he resisted not Evil with Evil but treated his most fierce and implacable Enemies with Courtesie and Kindness He paid Tribute where it could not be exacted to testifie his Loyalty and Subjection to earthly Powers He was just and charitable to all Men without partiality nor was there any Guile found in him Joh. 8.46 All the Sermons which he preacht and the many Miracles which he wrought were so many melting and compassionate Expressions of his immense Goodness and Mercy to the Souls and Bodies of Men For whose sake he was most active and industrious in all the Instances of Charity and Beneficence and made it his whole Business to do good Act. 10.38 His whole life is an Example of Vertue and Goodness Fifthly and Lastly What a divine Light and Lustre did his admirable Vertues send abroad into the World Even those which were more peculiar and private to himself became eminent and conspicuous to others How many Instances of his Humility Meekness Patience Candor Constancy and Perseverance in well-doing are yet upon Record for our Example and Imitation And in a Word there was not one Passage in the whole Course of his Life but Odours of Grace and Vertue did thereby break forth from him to the wonder and astonishment of Jew and Gentile But God having appointed the Gospel Dispensation to be a State of Sufferings and Sorrows and Afflictions to be the Portion and Patrimony of Believers so that we cannot expect ordinarily to be happy hereafter unless we be afflicted here Therefore our blessed Saviour to encourage us in our Warfare was made perfect through Sufferings 〈◊〉 10. And as he because a Pattern for us to exemplifie as before in all those Instances of an Active He became also a Pattern to us in his Passive Obedience Mar. 4 1â— so likewise 2dly of a Passive Obedience To instance in some Particulars And 1 Tho' our potent and politic Adversary the Devil did frequently assault him with various Temptations and so attemper'd and gilded his Baits that no less than an untainted Innocence and invicible Power could have been able to resist them Yet our blessed Lord did effectually countermine and defeat all his Projects by Grace and Vertue by Prayers and Tears rather than force and Violence 2 How many thousands of the Jews were every where in Combination against him to take away his Life Yet with what Patience Meekness and Humility did he submit to all those Indignities and Affronts which those his restless and malicious Adversaries put upon him For tho he was Scourg'd Buffered Spit upon and Revil'd Arraign'd Condemn'd Crucified that in a most infamous manner too between Thieves of which more fully hereafter yet for all that he went as a Lamb to the slaughter Isai 53.7 and as a Sheep before the Shearers is Dumb so he open'd not his mouth unless it was to pity and pray for his Persecutors 3 That he might be sensible of and more deeply affected with our Infirmities and Afflictions he did not only voluntarily submit himself to all the lawful Appetites Affections Passions Desires Necessities and natural Inclinations of the Flesh but he most cheerfully underwent all other acute and perplexing Agonies of Mind and Body with a patient and entire Submission of himself to his Father's Will designing hereby to teach us Patience Meekness and Condescention by those things which he suffer'd Hence therefore we may learn for the prevention of all Discouragements and Despondency that tho' the way to Heaven be difficult and troublesome We are taught that the way to heaven is passible yet 't is passable and we 've no cause to murmur against God nor be dejected tho' we meet with cross Accidents and
perplexing Impediments in our way thither For the Captain of our Salvation was not advanc'd to the Crown of Glory at his Father's right hand By the example of himself till he had compleated all his Agonies and receiv'd his Consummatum est upon the Cross By which Means he has made our Ingress into that state of eternal Happiness more feasiable and certain Wherefore it should be matter of the greatest Joy to us when we bear his Cross and suffer Persecution for Righteousness sake especially if we consider that this light Affliction which is but for a Moment Cor. 4.17 shall work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory and this wet Seed-time of Sorrow shall be recompenc'd with a Harvest of Joy If we now go on our Way weeping and bear it patiently we shall return with Joy Psal 126.5.6 and bring our Sheaves with us Besides if our innocent Redeemer indured so many Troubles and Tortures not for himself but us how should we willingly and chearfully submit to the Wisdom of divine Providence when we suffer most justly for our manifold Transgressions Was he Meek and Patient under those many Injuries and Affronts which he every where met with in his Life and at his Death 'T was doubtless for this very end and purpose that we should be so 〈◊〉 Did the intolerable Burden of the Cross â—â—â—ce him to Sweat both Water and Blood Joh. 19.34 He has taught us hereby to take up ours which are less burdensom and afflictive and follow him that by Suffering with him we may be also glorified together Rom. 8.17 18. But to convince us throughly of the Practicableness of this Doctrine And the Example of his Followers and to encourage us to be earnest and affectionate zealous and uniform in our active and passive Conformity to the Laws and Example of Christ We have a Cloud of Witnesses as Prophets Apostles Martyrs Confessors and holy Men in all Ages of the Gospel who by their virruous Lives and innocent and patient Sufferings have tract the Way before us Rom. 2.7 Who are now all entred into Bliss and shall eternally inherit the comfortable and saving Fruits of their Christian Patience and Perseverance in Well-doing All which divine and excellent Examples may influence our Spirits with the most powerful Encouragments and Incentives to Goodness For we are most certain that we may be eternally happy upon the same Terms that they are if we Fight this good Fight 2 Tim. 4.7 8. finish our Course and keep the Faith henceforth without all peradventure is laid up for us a Crown of Righteousness We may be certainly happy upon the same Terms c. Let us ride on prosperously then because of this Word of Truth and Righteousness For there 's nothing in our Religion but what 's possible to be perform'd and the greatest Difficulties which attend it may be conquer'd and overcome by Diligence and Endeavour Now it would be of singular Use and Advantage to have the heroic Vertues and pious Examples of those holy Men often in our Thoughts which are gone to Heaven before us For these have commonly a greater and more lasting Influence than their Precepts and Counsels we are not so easily convinc't by Mens Words and Reasonings as their Lives and Actions But when their Conversations are answerable to their Callings 't is beyond dispute they are earnest and the most conclusive Argument to perswade others that their Doctrine is true To conclude this Point Christ has taught us all things which are necessary to be known and practic'd 2 Cor. 4.3 There 's nothing can be more evident then this That Christ our great Prophet has taught us all the Truths which are necessary to be known and practiced with that undeniable Evidence and Satisfaction that if this Doctrine be hid 't is hid to those that are lost Again he has enforc't the Belief and Practice of this excellent Religion so clearly reveal'd to the Sons of Men by his own Example and Authority in all the Instances of his active and passive Obedience and in compliance with all the Laws and Constitutions of the Gospel Whereunto might be added the Experiences and Success of all his faithful Servants in all Ages By all which without any further Enlargement we may in a great measure understand what it is that God has been pleas'd to reveal to us by the Spirit of his Son that we may live comfortably die happily and reign with him eternally Which brings me to the 2d Branch of our Saviour's Prophetical Office Which imports the reciprocal Returns of Love and Duty which he Expects and requires from Vs Our blessed Saviour herein complying with the Frailties of our Nature has reduc'd all the Fundamental Principles The Returns of Duty which Christ expects and requires from us and Duties of Christianity to these two Common Heads of Repentance and Faith Both which are not only the necessary Conditions of our present and future happiness but do eminently comprehend all those Gospel-Graces and Virtues which must qualifie and dispose us for the regular discharge of all the Duties of our Religion in the Rewards consequent to ' em And for the prevention of future Mistakes these may be consider'd either generally or particularly And 1st In general As Repentance By Repentance in general we must understand the Conversion of the whole Man from Darkness unto Light Acts 26.18 and from the Power of Satan unto God Or 't is a passing from Death unto Life 11.18 Rev. 20.6 that we may have part in the first Resurrection over whom the second Death shall have no power But more particularly This Duty of Repentance consists in the Conversion of a Sinner unto God That is when the Penitent is truly humbled by a hearty sense of and a well grounded sorrow for all his Sins he applies himself wholly to the Mercies of God and the Merits of Christ by the exercise of a true and lively Faith for their Pardon and Forgiveness And hereupon he resolves by the assistance of God's Grace to use his utmost Endeavours against all Sin and Temptation for the future and to obey all the Commandments of God in every Action and Circumstance of his Life This Duty of Repentance must be often repeated This Duty must be often repeated not only before but after our Conversion and 't is a necessary Principle and Ingredient in the whole Series of a Christian Conversation since there 's something of Obliquity and Defect in every Work and Duty which we do 2dly Faith which comprehends all other Duties The other Head of Evangelical Doctrine is Faith a most comprehensive Term and often us'd in Scripture for the whole of Christianity But the holy Apostle describes it to be a vital and active Principle of Grace which worketh by love Gal. 5.6 And in this sense all the Duties of Christianity are by our blessed Saviour