took up a 〈◊〉 resolution to go on with his Work in private both of 〈◊〉 and Visiting from House to House till he should be 〈◊〉 to Prison or Banishment which he counted upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 assisting him And this Resolution without delay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Thursday after he appointed a Solemn Day of Humiliation when he preached to as many as would adventure themselves with him at our own House But it being then a strange thing to the most Professors to suffer they seemed much afrighted at the threatnings of Adversaries so that there was not such an appearance at such opportunities as my Husband expected whereupon he made it his Work to converse much with those he perceived to be most timerous and to satisfie the Scruples that were on many amongst us so that the Lord was pleased in a short time to give him such success that his own People waxed bold for the Lord and his Gospel and multitudes flocked into the Meetings at whatsoever season they were either by day or night which was a great encouragement to my Husband that he went on with much vigour and affection in his Work both of Preaching and Visiting and Catechizing from House to House He went also frequently into the Villages and Places about the Towns where their Ministers were gone as most of them did flie or at the least desist for a considerable time after Bartholomew day Where-ever he went the Lord was pleased to give him great success many converted and the generality of those animated to cleave to the Lord and his wayes But by this the Justices rage was much heightned against him and he was often threatned and sought for but by the Power of God whose Work he was delighted in was preserved much longer out of their hands than he expected For he would often say If it pleased the Lord to grant him three months liberty before he went to Prison he should account himself favoured by him and should with more chearfulness go when he had done some Work At which time we sold off all our goods preparing for a Goal or Banishment where he was desirous I should attend him as I was willing to do it alwayes having been more grievous to me to think of being absent from him than to suffer with him He also resolved when they would suffer him no longer to stay in England he would go to China or some remote Part of the World and publish the Gospel there It pleased the 〈◊〉 to indulge him that he went on in his Work from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 26th after Though often 〈◊〉 yet he was never 〈◊〉 though the People both of the Town and Countrey were grown so resolute that they came in great multitudes at whatever season the Meeting was appointed very seldom missing twice a Sabbath and often in the week I know that he hath Preached fourteen times in eight dayes and ten often and six or seven ordinarily in these Months at home and abroad besides his frequent converse with Souls He then laying aside all other Studies which he formerly so much delighted in because he accounted his time would be but short And the Lord as he often told me made his Work in his Ministry far more easie to him by the supplies of his Spirit both in Gifts and Grace as did evidently appear both in his Doctrine and Life he appearing to be more Spiritual and Heavenly and affectionate then before to all that heard him or conversed with him He was upon a Saturday in the evening about six a clock seized on by an Officer of our Town who had rather have been otherwise imployed as he hath often said but that he was forced to a speedy execution of the Warrant by a Justice's Clerk who was sent on purpose with it to see it Executed because he feared that none of the Town would have done it The Warrant was in the Name of three Justices to summon him to appear forthwith at one of their Houses which was about two miles from the Town but he desired liberty to stay and Sup with his Family first supposing his Entertainment there would be such as would require some refreshment This would not be granted till one of the chief of the Town was bound for his speedy appearance His Supper being prepared he sat down eating very heartily and was very chearful but full of Holy and gracious Expressions sutable to his and our prosent state After Supper having prayed with us he with the Officer and two or three Friends accompanying him repaired to the Justices House where they lay to his charge that he had broken the Act of Uniformity by his Preaching which he denyed saying That he had Preached neither in any Church nor Chappel nor place of publick Worship since the 24th of August and what he did was in his own Family with those others that came there to hear him Here behold hom many Ministers have these eight or nine years been silenced in England Scotland and Ireland whose Holy Skill and Conscience Fidelity and Zeal is sucht as would have justly advanced most of the Antient Fathers 〈◊〉 the Church to far greater renown had they been but possessed with the like Of whom indeed the World is not worthy O! how many of them am I constrained to remember with joy for their great Worth and sorrow for their Silence But though Learning Holiness wonderful Ministerial Skill and Industry Moderation Peaceableness true Catholecism absolute Dedication unto Christ Zeal Patience and Perseverance did not all seem sufficient to procure his Ministerial or Corporal Liberty in his latter years yet they did much more for him than that in qualifying him for the Crown which he now enjoyeth and to hear Well done good and faithful Servant enter into thy Masters Joy But alas Lord What is the terrible future evil from which thou takest such men away And why is this World so much forsaken As if it were not a Prayer of Hope which thou hast taught us Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven He hath Printed a small Book called A Call to Archippus to perswade the silent Non-conformists to pity Souls and to be faithful in the Work to which they are Devoted and Consecrated how dear soever it may cost them He held that Separation in a Church was necessary many times from the known corruptions of it But allowed not Separation from a Church where Active Complyance with some sinful Evil was not made the Condition of Communion And in this way he frequently declared himself in Health and Sickness and most expresly in my hearing on his Bed of Languishing when he was drawing near his Long-Home And that the People were not disobliged from attending upon their Ministry who were ejected out of their Places as his Book entituled A Call to Archippus sheweth after that Black and Mournful Sabbath in which he took his farewel with much affection of his Beloved People When he was taken up for Prison
cold But now my Brethren I shall not with Paul call upon You so much to remember the Resurrection of Christ as the 〈◊〉 of Christ Behold He cometh in the Clouds and every Eye shall see him Your Eyes and mine Eyes and all the Tribes of the Earth shall mourn because of him But we shall lift up our heads because the Day of our Redemption draweth nigh This is the Day I look for and wait for and have laid up all my hopes in If the Lord return not I 〈◊〉 my self undone my Preaching is vain and my suffering is vain and the Bottom in which I have intrusted all my hopes is for ever miscarried But I know whom I have trusted We are built upon the Foundations of that sure Word we are not built upon the sand of Mortality Nor do we run so as uncertainly but the Word of the Lord abideth for ever upon which word do we hope How fully doth this word assure us that this same Jesus that is gone up into Heaven shall so return and that he shall appear the Second time unto Salvation to them that look for him Oh how sure is the thing How near is the time How Glorious will his Appearing be The thing is sure the Day is set God hath appointed 2 Day wherein he will judge the World by that man whom he hath 〈◊〉 The manner of it is revealed Behold the Lord 〈◊〉 with ten thousand of his Saints The Attendants are appointed and nominated The Son of Man shall come in his Glory and all his holy Angels with him The thing You see is established and every circumstance is determined How sweet are the words that dropped from the pretious Lips of our departing Lord What generous Cordials hath he left us in his parting Sermons and his last Prayer And yet of all the rest those are the sweetest I will come again and receive you to my self that where I am there you may be also What need you any further witness You have heard him your selves assuring you of his Return Doubtless he cannot deceive you you have not onely known but seen and felt the Truth of his promises And will he come Tremble then ye Sinners Triumph ye Saints Clap your hands all ye that look for the Confolation of Israel O Sinners where will you then appear How will you look upon him whom you have pierced Whom you have persecuted Whose great Salvation you have neglected and despised Wo unto you that ever you were born unless you should then be found to be New-born But you O Children of the most high how will you forget your travel and be melted into Joy This is he in whom you have believed whom having not seen 〈◊〉 loved But how will Love and Joy be working if I may so speak with pangs unutterable when you shall see him and hear his sweet Voice commending applauding approving of you and owning you by Name before all the World Brethren thus it must be the Lord hath spoken it See that you stagger not at the Promise but give Glory to God by Believing Again The Time is near Yet a little while and he that shall come will come Behold I come quickly saith he And again The Lord is at hand Sure You are that death cannot be far off O Christian thou dost not know but the next year nay possibly the next week thou mayest be in Heaven Christ will not long endure thine absence but will have thee up to him till the time of his General appearing when he will take us up altogether and so we shall be ever with the Lord. Soul believest thou this If thou dost indeed what remains but that thou shouldest live a Life of Love and Praise studying to do all the good thou 〈◊〉 till thou come to Heaven and waiting all the days of thine appointed time till thy change shall come O my Soul look out and long O my Brethren be you as the Mother of 〈◊〉 looking out at the Windows and watching at the Latices saying why are his Chariot-wheels so long a coming Though the time till you shall see him be but very short yet love and longing make it seem tedious My Beloved comfort your hearts with these Words Look upon these things as the greatest reallities and let your affections be answerable to your expectations I would not have told you these things unless I had believed them for it is for this hope that I am bound with this Chain The Blessing of the Holy Trinity be upon You I am yours and will be The God of Peace be with you I Rest Your Embassador in Bonds JOS. ALLEINE From the Prison at Juelchester August 5. 1666. LETTER XXVIII Of the Love of Christ. To his most endeared Friends the Servants of God in Taunton Salvation Most dearly Beloved MEthinks my Brests are not easie unless I do let them forth unto you Methings there is somethink still to do and my Weeks work is not ended unless I have given my Soul vent and imparted something to the Beloved flock that I have left behind And Oh that my Letters in my absence might be useful to you Assuredly it is my joy to serve You and my Love to you is without dissimulation witness my twice lost Liberties and my impaired Health all which I might have preserved had it not been for my readiness to minister to you But what do I speak of my Love It is the Sense of the infinite Love of God your Father that I would have to dwell upon you Forget me so you remember him Let me be very little so he be very lovely in your Eyes Let him be as the Bucket that goes up though I be as the Bucket that goes down Bury me so that you do but set the Lord always before you Let my name be written in the dust so his Name be written deep upon all your Souls O Lord I am thy Servant truly I am thy servant Glorifie thine own Name by me and thou shalt have my hand to 〈◊〉 that I will be content to be hid in obscurity and to disappear through the overcoming lustre and brightness of thy Glory Brethren understand mine Office I Preach not my self but the Lord Jesus Christ and my self your Servant for Jesus sake Give him your hearts and I have my Errand I am but the Friend of the Bridegroom and my Business is but to give you to understand his Love and to gain your hearts unto him He is an Object worthy of my Commendations and of your affections His Love is worth the writing of and worth the thinking of and worth the speaking of O my Brethren never forget I beseech you how he loveth You. He is in heaven and You are on earth he is in Glory and you in Rags he is in the shining Throne and you in dirty Flesh and yet he loveth you His heart is infinitely tender of you even now while he is at the right hand of the Majesty on High How
feelingly doth he cry out at the hurt of his poor Members on Earth Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Oh of what quick Sense is the Sense of our dear Lord unto us when we are touched on Earth he feels it in Heaven Brethren Christ is real in all that he speaks unto you He is not like a flourishing Lover who fills up his Letters with Rhetorick and hath more care of the dress of his Speech than of the Truth Who ever gave Demonstration of the reallity of his Love at so dear a rate as Christ hath done Men do not use to die in jest Who will impoverish himself to enrich his Friend and divest himself of his honour to advance him and debase himself to admiration below his own degree to contract affinity with him and all this but to make him believe that he loves him Brethren possess your very hearts with this that Christs love doth go out with infinite dearness towards you Even now while he is in all his Glory he earnestly remembers you still This is the High Priest that now is entred into the Holy of Holies doth bear your names particularly remembring every poor believer by name He bears your names but where upon his Brest-plate upon his Heart saith the Text Exod. 28. 29. Ah Christians I may salute you as the Angel did Mary Hail you that are highly favoured Blessed are you among men Sure your Lot is fallen in an happy place What in the Bosom of Christ yea and verily you may believe and doubt not I may apply that of Gabriel O Daniel thou art greatly beloved unto you you are beloved indeed to have your Names written upon the very heart of Christ now he is in Glory Oh let his Name be written then on your hearts Do not write his Name in the Sand when he hath written yours upon his own Brest Do not forget him who hath taken such care that while he is he may never forget you having recorded your Names not onely on his Book but on his Flesh and set you as a Seal upon his Heart He hath you upon his heart but why For a memorial before the Lord continually so saith the Text. Beloved your Lord is so far from forgetting you in all his Greatness and Glory that he is gone into heaven on purpose there to present you before the Lord that you may be alwaies in remembrance before him O Beloved Glory yea and Triumph in his Love Doubtless it must go well with us Who shall condemn It is Christ that died and rose again and is now making Intercession His Interest is potent He is alwaies present Our Advocate is never out of Court Never did Cause miscarry in his hand Trust you safely in him Happy is that man for whom he shall undertake to speak Oh the Riches of Christs Love He did not think it enough to die for You. His Love and care doth not end with his natural Life on Earth but he ever liveth to make Intercession for us His Love is like his Life ever ever Knowing no remission in degree nor intermission of time no cessation of working but is ever ever in motion towards us But when shall I end if I suffer my Soul to run out its length and my running Pen to enlarge according to the demensions of this boundless Field of Divine Love If the Pens of all the World were imployed to write Volumes of Love if the Tongues of all the living were exercised in nothing else but talking of this love If all the Hearts that be were made up of Love and all the Powers and affections of the mind were turned into one to wit the power of Love yet this were no less than infinitely too little either to conceive or to express the greatness of Christs Love O my dearly Beloved may your Souls be swallowed up in this Love Think and think while you will you can never think how much You are beloved See that ye love again by way of Gratitude though not of Requital What though your Souls be but narrow and your powers but little yet love him with all you have Love him with all your hearts and all your strength To the Meditations and to the Embraces of Divine Love I leave you thinking it now not worth while to tell You of my Love Remaining Yours in the Bonds of your most dear Lord Jesus JOS. ALLEINE August 11. 1665. LETTER XXIX Warning to Professors of their Danger To the most Beloved People the Servants of God in Taunton Salvation Most dear Friends MY top Joy is that my Beloved is mine and I am his but next to that I have no Joy so great as that You are mine and I am yours and You are Christs My Relation to Christ is above all He is my Life and my Peace my Riches and my Righteousness He is my Hope and my Strength and mine Inheritance and my Rejoycing In him will I please my self for ever and in him will I glory I esteem my self most Happy and Rich and safe in him though of my self I am nothing In him I may boast without Pride and glory without Vanity Here is no danger of being overmuch pleased neither can the Christian exceed his Bounds in overvaluing his own Riches and Happiness in Christ. I am greatly pleased with the Lot that is fallen to me The Lord hath dealt bountifully with me and none shall stop this my confidence of boasting in Christ. But as my Lot in him is above all so I will assure You it is no small content to me that my Lot is fallen with You. And though many difficulties have fallen to my Lot among You for I have broken my health and lost my Liberty once and again for Your sakes yet none of these things move me I wish nothing more then to spend and to be spent upon the service of your Faith I bless the Lord for it as an invaluable Mercy that ever he called me to be an Embassadour of the Lord Jesus Christ to You-wards In this station I desire to approve my self to him and that I am withdrawn from my Work for a season it is but that I may return to you refreshed and inabled for my Work among You. You may not think that I have forgotten You and consulted my own ease and pleasure but if God prosper my Intentions I shall be found to have been daily serving You in this Retirement I will assure You I am very tender of preserving all that little strength that God doth add to me entirely for Your sakes being resolved not so much as once to broach the Vessel till I draw forth to You. I bless the Lord I am in great tranquility here in this Town and walk up and down the Corporation without any Questioning me Onely it hath pleased the Lord to add to my Affliction since my coming by taking away my dear Father the day of whose glorious Translation was the day after my arriving here But I bless the
love signifies little unless it serve thine Eternal good I rest thine own JOSEPH ALLEINE LETTER XXXVI To his Wife Desires after Heaven My Dear Heart MY heart is now a little at rest to write to thee I have been these three days much disturbed and set out of frame Strong solicitations I have had from several hands to accept very honourable preferment in several kinds some friends making a Journey on purpose to propound it but I have not found the invitations though I confess very honourble and such as are or will be suddenly embraced by men of far greater worth and eminency to suit with the inclinations of my own heart as I was confident they would not with thine I have sent away my friends satisfied with the reasons of my refusal and am now ready with joy to say with David Soul return unto thy rest But alas that such things should disturb me I would live above this lower region that no passages or providence whatsoever might put me out of frame nor disquiet my soul and unsettle me from my desired rest I would have my heart fixed upon God so as no occurrences might disturb my tranquility but I might be still in the same quiet and even frame Well though I am apt to be unsettled and quickly set off the hinges yet methinks I am like a Bird out of the nest I am never quiet till I am in my old way of Communion with God like the needle in the Compass that is restless till it be turned towards the the Pole I can say through grace with the Church with my soul have I desired thee in the night and with my Spirit within me have I sought thee early my heart is early and late with God and 't is the business and delight of my life to seek him But alas how long shall I be a seeking how long shall I spend my days in wishing and desiring when my glorified Brethren spend theirs in rejoycing and enjoying look as the poor imprisoned captive fighs under the burdensome clog of his Irons and can onely pear through the Grace and think of and long for the sweetness of that liberty which he sees others enjoy such methinks is my condition I can only look through the Grate of this Prison my flesh I see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob sitting down in the Kingdom of God but alass I my self must stand without longing striving fighting running praying waiting for what they are enjoying Oh happy thrice happy pouls when shall these Fetters of mine be knocked off when shall I be set at liberty from this Prison of my body you are cloted with glory when I am clothed with dust I dwell in flesh in a House of Clay when you dwell with God in a House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens I must be continually clog'd with the cumbersome burden of this Dung-hill Body that had it not a soul dwelling in it like Salt as it were to preserve it would soon turn to putrefaction and corruption and be as odious and loathsome as the filthiest Carrion when you have put on incorruption and immortaliey What continual molestation am I subject to by reason of this flesh what pains doth it cost me to keep this earthen Vessel from breaking it must be fed it must be clothed it must be exercised recreated and which is worst of all cherished with time-devouring sleep so that I live but little of the short time I have alotted me here but oh blessed souls you are swallowed up of immortality and life your race is run and you have received your Crown How cautious must I be to keep me from dangers how apt am I to be troubled with the cares and fears of this life molesting my self with the thoughts of what I shall eat and what I shall put on and wherewithal I shall provide for my self and mine when your souls are taken with nothing but God and Christ and 't is your work to be still contemplating and admiring that love that redeemed you from all this Alas how am I encompast with infirmities and still carry about me Death in my bosome what pains and cost must I be at to repair the rotten and ruinous building of this earthly Tabernacle which when I have done I am sure will shortly fall about my ears when you are got far above mortality and are made equal with the Angels Oh I groan earnestly to be clothed upon with my house which is from Heaven being willing rather to be absent from the Body and present with the Lord Oh when shall I come and appear before him When shall I receive the Purchase of my Saviour the fruit of my prayers the harvest of my labours the end of my Faith the Salvation of my soul Alas what do I here this is not my resting place My treasure is in Heaven and my heart is in Heaven Oh when shall I be where my heart is woe is me that I sojour in 〈◊〉 and dwell in the Tents of Kedar Oh that I had wings 〈◊〉 a Dove that I might flie away and be at rest Then would I hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest and be out of the reach of fears disturbances and distractions How long shall I live at such a distance from my God at such a distance from my Countrey Alas how can I be merry how can I sing the Lords Song in a strange Land no I will hang my Harp upon the Willows and sit down and weep when I remember Sion But yet my flesh shall rest in hope and I will daily bathe my soul in the sweet thoughts of my blessed home I will rejoyce in hopes of what I do not yet enjoy and content my self with the taste of what I shall shortly have my fill of But stay this Pen run not beyond thy Commission Alas now I receive what I have gotten I perceive I have set down what I would be rather than what I am and wrote more of my dears heart than my own penning rather a Copy for my self than a Copy of my self Well I thank God I have got some heat by it for all the Lord grant thou mayst get a thousand times more The Lord grant the request I daily pour out before him and make us helps and furtherances to each others soul that we may quicken and promote and forward one another in his ways Help me by thy Prayers as thou dost always The God of all peace and comfort be with thee my sweet love Farewel Thine beyond Expression Joseph Aleine LETTER XXXVII God is a satisfying Portion My most dear Pylades HAd not my right hand long since forgot her cunning and the Almighty shook the Pen out of my hand I should long ere this have been writing to thee but it is a wonder of Divine Power and goodness that my soul had not before this time dwelt in silence and that death had not put the long period to all my Writing and
be of one Religion c. in twelves 39. The true Catholick and Catholick Church described in twelves c. 40. The successive visibility of the Church of which Protestants are the foundest Members c. in octavo 41. A Sermon of Repentance 42. Of Right Rejoycing 43. A Sermon of Faith before the King 44. A Treatise of Death 45. The Vain Religion of the Formal Hypocrite c. in several Sermons preached at the Abbey in Westminster in twelves 46. Two Sheets for poor Families c. 47. Short Instructions for the Sick a sheet 48. A Saint or a Bruit c. in quarto 49. The mischief of Self-Ignorance and benefit of Self-acquaintance in octavo 50. Universal Concord c. in octavo 51. The last Work of a Believer c. in twelves 52. The Divine Life in three Treatises The first Of the Knowledge of God The second Of Walking with God The third Of Conversing with God in Solitude in quarto 53. The Reasons of the Christian Religion c. 54. Directions for weak distempered Christians to grow up into a confirmed state of Grace c. 2. The Characters of a sound confirmed Christian written to imprint on Man's Mind the true Idea or Conception of Godliness and Christianity in octavo 55. Now or Never in twelves 56. The Life of Faith in three parts in quaerto 57. The Cure of Church-Divisions or Directions for week Christians to keep them from being Dividers and Troublers of the Church in octavo 58. A defence of the Principles of Love which are necessary to the Unity and Concord of Christians and are delivered in a Book called the Cure of Church Divisions in octavo 59. A second Admonition to Mr. Edward Bagshaw written to call him to Repentance for many false Doctrines Crimes and especially fourscore palpable Untruths in matter of Fact deliberately published by him in two small Libels in which he exemplifieth the Love-killing and depraving Principles of Church-Dividers And telleth the World to what Men are hastning when they sinfully avoid Communion with true Churches and Christians for tolerable faults in octavo 60. The Difference between the Power of Magistrates and Church Pastors and the Roman Kingdom and Magistracy under the Name of Church and Church Government usurped by the Pope as liberally given him by Popish Princes in quarto 61. The Church Told of Mr. Edward Bagshaws Scandals and warned of the dangerous snares of Satan now laid for them in his Love-killing Principles in quarto 62. The Duty of Heavenly Meditation in quarto 63. How far Holiness is the Design of Christianity in 4to 64. God's goodness Vindicated with respect to the Doctrine of Reprobation and Damnation in twelves 65. The Divine Appointment of the Lord's Day in octavo 66. More Reasons for the Christian Religion and no Reason against it in twelves There is now extant another Treatise of Mr. Jos. Allens Entituled An Alarm to Unconverted Sinners with many Practical Cases of Conscience in octavo There is now in the Press and will in a few Months be Published A CHRISTIAN DIRECTORY Or sum of Practical Divinity With the Pertinent Cases of Conscience BEING A Promptuary and Help for 1. Young Preachers 2. Masters of Families 3. Private Christians in their daily Practice And some performance of the request of many Foreign Divines long since made to A. Bp. Usher and published by Mr. Dury By Richard Baxter In Folio Books Printed for Dorman Newman at the Kings-Arms in the Poultry Folio PRins New History of the Kings of England Stapletons Translation of Juvenal Quarto Mount Pisgah or a Prospect of Heaven Being an Exposition on the Fourth Chapter of the first Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians by Tho. Case The Real Christian or a Treatise of Effectual Calling wherein the Work of God in drawing the Soul to Christ being opened according to the Holy Scriptures some things required by our late Divines as necessary for a right preparation for Christ and a true closing with Christ which hath caused and doth still cause great trouble to some serious Christians are with due respects to those Worthy Men brought to the Ballance of the Sanctuary there weighed and accordingly judged by Giles Fermin The Christian Man's Calling or a Treatise of making Religion ones Business wherein the Christian is directed how he may perform it in his Religious Duties in Natural Actions in his Particular Vocation in his Family Directions and in his own Recreations By George Swinnock late Preacher at Great Kingbal in the County of Bucks An Exposition of the Song of Solomon by James Durham late Minister at Glasgow with a Preface prefixed by Doctor Owen Mr. Caryls Exposition of the Book of Job The Sinners Sanctuary or a Discovery made of those Glorious Priviledges offered unto the Penitent and Faithful under the Gospel being forty Sermons on the Eighth Chapter of the Romans by Hugh Binning The Quakers Spiritual Court Proclaimed Doctor Robert Wilds Letter to a Friend in London upon the receipt of his Majesties Declaration for Liberty of Conscience together with his Poetica Licentia or a Friendly Debate between a Conformist and a Nonconformist Octavoes and Twelves Heaven on Earth or the best Friend in the worst of Times To which may be added A Sermon Preached at the Funeral of Thomas Mosely an Apothecary with a full account of his Conversion drawn up by his own hand before his death and published by James Janeway Minister of the Gospel A Token for Children Being an Exact Account of the Holy and Exemplary Lives and Joyful Deaths of several Young Children in two Parts by James Janeway Memorials of God's Judgments Spiritual and Temporal being Sermons preached in London during the late Visitation by Nicholas Lockier Lazarus Redivivus or a Discovery of the Tryals and Triumphs that accompany the Work of God in and about his People laid open in several Sermons by N. Blakie Fenners four Sermons against Popery Bishop Ushers Life and Death A Plat for 〈◊〉 or the Seamans Preacher delivered in several Sermons on Jonah's Voyage to Niniveh by John Rither Preacher of God's Word at Wapping THE Life Death Of that Excellent Minister of Christ Mr. JOSEPH ALLEIN Late Teacher of the Church at Taunton in Somerset-shire Assistant to worthy Mr. Newton CHAP. I. The Introduction AS History is both Useful and Delightful to Man-kind so Church-History above all hath the preheminence in both for it Treateth of the greatest and most necessary Subjects It is most eminently Divine as Recording those Works of God in which he most Graciously condescendeth unto Man and those Actions of Men in which they have most nearly to do with God and Treating of those Holy Societies Events and Businesses in which God's Holiness is most conspicuous and his Honour most concerned in the World The Narratives of the great Victories and large Dominions of Alexander Caesar Tamberlain or such others are but the Portraiture of Phantasms and the Relation of the Dreams of Vagrant
when he read his Philosophy Lectures he did it gravely and very solemnly yet at other times he plaid the Child and that most ridiculously And there are too many both Chaplains and Preachers who justly merit as bad a Censure Whilst Praying and Preaching they appear demure and mighty devout yet take them out of their Desks and Pulpits and they are as light as vain and frothy yea extreamly dissolute as any others But it was not so with this Person For he was alwayes composed and serious grave and reverend above his Age. He set God alwayes before him and where-ever he was laboured to live as in his Presence It was his solemn business to be Religious his great endeavour to walk by Rule his main design in all his wayes to approve himself unto his Father which saw in secret and his daily exercise to keep a Conscience void of offence both towards God and towards man As for the pleasures and delights of Sin he highly 〈◊〉 and abhorred them was so above them that he could not 〈◊〉 them Quam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 carere How 〈◊〉 was it to him as said once St. Austine to want those 〈◊〉 And as for lawful delights and pleasures although he did 〈◊〉 unto and now and then solace a while and entertain himself with them yet how little was his heart unto them or was he generally taken with them He was as formal in using them as some Christians are in God's Service as they sometimes do pray as if indeed they prayed not and hear as if they heard not so he rejoyced in such things as these as if indeed he rejoyced not He looked upon them compared with others as upon his Righteousness compared with Christ's as very vanity yea dross and dung His conversation being in Heaven his sweetest Comforts and most prised Refreshments were Divine and Heavenly His Soul took often a delightful prospect of Eternity viewing the Regions of Bliss and Glory looking wishly at her Fathers Seat the Mount of Joy aspiriring after a nobler Mansion and hugging her self in a comfortable perswasion that it would not be long ere she should be in it And hereupon as he little minded any Earthly glory so he little minded or cared for the poor and empty delights of sense However he was not morosly pious nor did his Affection to God and Goodness and the things Above make him either a Timon or a Cynic It had not then been so true and genuine and of so right a kind as it was Homilitical Virtue he as much excelled in as any other and the decried Morality found ever with him very great respect being recogniz'd as an integral part of his Religion He was of as sweet a disposition and of as highly civil a conversation as a man subject to the common frailties of humane nature almost could be He had scarce a gesture which did not seem to speak and by a powerful and charming Rhetcrick affect all whom he conversed with Were it not that so many other moral Perfections and Excellencies besides that it might as truly be said him as by the Historian was of the Emperour in respect of his clemency That he was Totus ex comitate made up as it were of nothing else but Courtesie and Affability For a Friend I think I may safely say He was one of the truest that ever Person had interest in and withal as pleasant as a serious Christian could well wish He loved not rashly but where he loved he loved intirely and who ever came to be entertained in his Affections were sure to find a warm Lodging There was no more but only one thing which he thought too much for any for whom he thought not his Love too good He could not sin knowingly and willingly for any Friend he had on Earth When Lelius in the presence of the Romane Consuls who after thecondemnation of Tiberius 〈◊〉 pursued all that had been formerly intimate with him came to enquire of Caius Blosius his chiefest Friend what he was willing to have done for 〈◊〉 He answered All things What all things replied Lelius Suppose he had willed you to burn our Temples would you have done it at his request I know said Blosius he could never command it but if he had I had obeyed him I confess this Friend did never dare to be such a Friend or any thing like him But Usque ad Aras so far as lawfully and conscientiously he might do any thing he stuck at nothing wherein he might serve pleasure or gratifie them he lov'd And yet his love was not ingrossed by his Friends onely for whilst to them he shewed himself friendly good nature as well as Christianity obliged him to be kind to all and according to his ability to the Poor bountiful He was too frugal to throw away his Charity yet not so covetous as to with-hold it when he met with Objects to whom 't was due He did not think the little he had so much his own as that his necessitous Brethren might not claim a part in it and therefore gave them as if he had been paying Debts and not bestowing Alms. But of all most admirable was his affection to the Souls of others and his desire to do good to them This indeed was most conspicuous and seemed to shew Velut inter Ignes Luna minores Much like the Moon appearing bigger and shining brighter than the other Stars The sage Pythagoras I remember gave this very mystical but wise advice unto his Scholars 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By no means to eat their own Brains intending by it as 't is conceived that they should not keep their Reason of which the Brains is an immediate Instrument unto themselves but still employ it for the advantage of others And sure this Person did forbear to eat but by his abstinence fed many others with his Brains i. e. his inlightned improved Reason Some there are to my knowledge who at this day do verily think they should never have found the way to live to live for ever if he had liv'd unto himself Eminent was his charity to the poor Prisoners in Oxford Goal among whom first as the reverend Mr. Perkins did at Cambridge of his own 〈◊〉 he began to Preach and held on constantly 〈◊〉 he remained in Town once a fortnight for a year and upwards encouraging them to give attendance on his Ministry by a considerable allowance of Bread that week he preached at his proper cost and charges Frequent visits also was he us'd to make at other times to other persons in the World that were but mean and low his main design together with the relieving of their temporal wants being to assist their Souls and help them forward in their way to Heaven And indeed in all his Converses where-ever he was he was like Fire as 〈◊〉 was used to say of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Warming Refreshing Quickning all that were about him and kindling in them the like zeal for God and
multiplyed so fast that the Napkin could not hold them I heard a worthy Minister say of him once not withont much admiration Whence hath this man these things He understood whence he had them well enough and so did I even from Above whence every good and perfect Gift proceedeth God blessed him in all Spiritual Blessings in Heavenly Things and he returned all to Heaven again he served God with all his might and all his strength he was abundant in the Work of the Lord he did not go but run the wayes of his Commandments He made haste and lingred not He did run and was not weary he did walk and was not saint He pressed hard towards the Mark till he attained it his Race was short and swift and his End glorious He was infinitely and insatiably greedy of the Conversion of Souls wherein he had no small success in the time of his Ministry And to this end he poured out his very Heart in Prayer and in Preaching He imparted not the Gospel only but his own Soul His Supplications and his Exhortations many times were so affectionate so full of holy Zeal Life and Vigor that they quite overcame his Hearers He melted over them so that he thawed and molified and sometimes dissolved the hardest Hearts But while he melted thus he wasted and at last consumed himself He was not satisfied to spend himself in publique but used constantly to go from House to House and there to deal perticularly where he had a free reception both with the Governours and with the Children and with the Servants of the Houshold instructing them especially in the great Fundamental necessary Truths of the Law and of the Gospel where he observed them to be ignorant Gently reproving them where he found any thing amiss among them Exhorting them to diligence both in their general and particular Callings Entreating them who were defective by any means to set up the Worship of God in their Houses and to make them little Churches by constant reading of the Scripture that so the Word of Christ might deeply dwell among and in them richly by careful Catechising of the Children and the Servants if the Governours were able by frequent Meditations Conferences Repetitions of that which they had heard in publique especially by daily Prayer Morning and Evening that so they might avoid that dreadful indignation which hangs over and is ready to be poured out upon the Families that call not upon God He made the best inspection that he could into the state of every particular Person and so accordingly applyed himself to check to comfort to encourage as he found occasion All which he did with so much tenderness humility self-denyal that they gained very much on the affections and respects of all that received him and wrought them at least to outward conformity so that they who were not visited in the beginning at length came forth and called upon him to come to their Families and help them Thus did he wear himself away and gave light and heat to others He usually allowed himself too little sleep to recruit and to repair the Spirits which he wasted with waking His manner was to rise at four a Clock at the utmost many times before and that in the cold Winter Mornings that he might be with God betime and so get room for other studies and imployments His extraordinary watchings constant cares excessive labours in the Work of his Ministry publique and private were generally apprehended to be the cause of those distempers and decays and at last of that ill habit of body whereof in the end he died He was the gravest strictest most serious and composed young Man that I had ever yet the happiness to be acquainted with And yet he was not rigid in his Principles his moderation was known to all men that knew him CHAP. V. A further Account of his Catechizing both in Publick and Private by Mr. G. WHen he did Catechise the greater Sort in Publick before he was Silenced his manner was to begin with Prayer for a Blessing upon that Exercise And having proposed some Questions out of the Assemblies Catechism to them he was careful not onely to make them perfect in rehearsing the Answers there set down but also to bring them to a clear understanding of the sence and meaning of the said Answers and of all the Terms and Phrases in which they are expressed And to draw some practical useful inferences from those Heads of Divinity contained in them Moreover when any distinction was necessary for the clearing up of the matter in hand he would be also instructing his Catechumen's therein Now this he would do by proposing several other Collateral Questions besides those in the Catechism which Questions together with the Answers to them himself had before drawn up and sent to them in writing In the Even of the Lord's Day his course was to repeat his Sermon again in the publick Place of Worship where abundance of People constantly resorted to hear him which when he had done several Youths were called forth which did give him an Account of the Heads of all his Sermon by Memory As for his Method in going from House to House for the instructing of Private Families it was this He would give them notice of his coming the day before Desiring that he might have admittance to their Houses to converse with them about their Soul-Concerns and that they would have their whole Family together against he came When he came and the Family were called together he would be instructing the younger sort in the Principles of Religion by asking several Questions in the Catechism the Answers to which he would be opening and explaining to them Also he would be enquiring of them about their spiritual Estate and Condition labouring to make them sensible of the evil and danger of Sin the corruption and wickedness of our Natures the misery of an unconverted State stirring them up to look after the true Remedy proposed in the Gospel to turn from all their sins unto GOD to close with Christ upon his own Terms to follow after Holiness to watch over their Hearts and Lives to mortifie their Lusts to redeem their Time to prepare for Eternity These things as he would be explaining to their understandings that they might have clear apprehensions about them so he would be pressing the practice of them upon their Consciences with the most Cogent Arguments and Considerations minding them of the great Priviledges they did enjoy the many Gospel-Sermons that they did or might hear the many Talents they were intrusted withal and the great account that they had to give to the GOD of Heaven Telling them how sad it would be with them another day if after all this they should come short of Salvation Besides he would leave with them several Counsels and Directions to be carefully remembred and practised for the good of their Souls Those that were serious and religious he would
Monuments of the Famous Worthies mentioned in the Hebrews and of those of the same Atchievements with them in all Ages of the World even broke his sleep by impregnating his Soul with high designs of aspiring after their perfections Oft therefore he hath been heard to excite Christians so long to move in the Sphear of difficulties till the sweet severities of Christianity as he often called them were subdued and even made familiar encouraging them with this consideration That then they would highly approve their Divine Love and Sincerity and conceive a pleasure in those difficult Acts which would equal yea exceed the pleasure of their natural Actions 3. On the Doubting by Resolving and Releasing them Neither had he onely compassion on those that were out of the way but also on those who moved heavtly on in the way How he hath often raised and rectifyed desponding Christians those who are too prone to account doubting which is their Sin to be their Duty and Vertue At once he hath often 〈◊〉 them from the straitness of their needless fears and disquiets and undeceived them by discovering the latent unbelief that did lie lurking in such despondings assuring them in these words That under a sly pretence of Humility they did call in question God's Veracity Seventhly His singular Piety As respects his singular Piety all who knew him can say much and yet all but little considering how much more 〈◊〉 escaped the most tenacious memory observant eye and attentive ear Yet he must be wretchedly inobservant who amidst so many and great instances of it can make no reflections How much he conceived it as his own and others greatest Interest Ornament and Felicity herein to excel will be manifest by his 〈◊〉 which he gave to a young Scholar ready to depart to the University in words to this purpose I know saith he that you will labour to excel in Learning but be sure to excel as in that so also and especially in Holiness which 〈◊〉 render you one of the most useful and 〈◊〉 Creatures in the World Learning will render you perchance aeceptable to men but piety both to God and Men by that you will shine only on Earth to the Clods thereof and perhaps in some obscure corner of it but this is an Orient Pearl which will shine in you on Earth and in Heaven both to God Angels and Men. How much he dwelt on this Exhortation and these Apprehensions will be evident by a Pious Letter which he sent to the Person forenamed some years after wherein his words are these O study God and study your self closly and pursue Holiness more than Learning though both these together make a happy Constellation and are like Castor and Pollux which when they appear together do ever presage good to the Mariners And that it might appear that he did not onely commend Holiness in the general but also in the particular and chief Instances of a Holy Life He excellently proceeds in the same Letter saying `` I much commend unto you those four beautifying Lessons so shortly comprehended in this Distich Spernere mundum spernere nullum spernere sese Spernere se sperni quatuor ista beant His Contempt of the World Happy is the man that can but learn this When once a man is arrived hereto he is above the Worlds reach and hath attained to the true Heroick mind so as that no external commotions will be able to disturb his Tranquility neither will the Comforts or Crosses here below make any great accession to or diminution from the serenity of his Spirit And indeed no thing was more conspicuous in this Blessed Saint than that generous contempt of the World that true loftiness and yet profound humility of Spirit of which the Lessons aforementioned are but as so many instances which he recommended unto others He was much a stranger on the Earth like the Kingly Prophet not because with old Barzillai he could not but would not tast or comply with its Pleasures and Delights but he was chiefly induced by a forced exilement from his desired and delectable Habitation to think on his state of Banishment from his Heavenly Country whilst here militant upon Earth and to solace his Thoughts under so great a grievance by such Divine Considerations as those which he mentions in the following words of his forenamed Letter It was saith he the Divine Argument that Epictetus used for comfort in banishment Ubique 〈◊〉 sunt colloquia cum Deo I met lately mith a passage out of one of the Fathers which I which engraved upon my heart Cui Patria solum placet nimis dilicatus est Cui omnis Terra Patria is fortis est Cui omnis Terra exilium is Sanctus est That 's worthy of a Saint indeed to account himself alwayes in the state of Banishment whilst in the state of Mortality like the Worthies that sojourned even in the Land of Promise as in a strange Countrey Sueh a sojourner I wish both my self and you and may the moveableness of our present State fix our desires upon that Kingdom which shall never be shaken So far he His Universal and Uniform Obedience But to proceed He declared that his Piety was 〈◊〉 and Excellent by its universal regard and extent as to all GOD's Commands so to all Man's Converses and Employments witness his earnest and frequent Exhortations whereby he did daily call upon his People to a constant uniform care over their Hearts and Wayes Nothing did he more passionately dehort them from than from that undoing fraud unto their Souls viz. Confining their Religion to their Closets upon the supposal that in so doing they had there put in sufficient security for their after conversation and had bid fair for the Divine favour as if Religion had taught Men only to kneel and not how to work and walk as if it were solitary or deformed loving onely to move in the private Path and narrow circle of our Morning or Evening Devotions and so ever before and after to appear least in sight or as if it were a fury and so to be limited and not to be entrusted with the universal conduct of our Lives and Actions For many there are who think fit rather to make Religion then Vassal than undivided Companion to command it rather than it should command them and therefore they make it to keep its Times and Places its Postures and due Distance and think not good that it retain to their Company or appear in their Words or Actions unless when it may serve the Uses of a cloak and cover of Hypocrisie and Iniquity His care of his Thoughts and Ends especially Morning and Evening But enough of this digression These his fore-mentioned momentous Exhortations attended with most excellent Motives designed chiefly to direct them how well to begin and end the day in the fear and as in the presence of GOD by hallowing their Thoughts and as his Words were setting their ends aright in the
you faint not take heed therefore that you lose not the things you have wrought but as you have begun well so go on in the strength of Christ and give diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end 't is your thriving I tell you I drive at Do you need Motives 1. How much are you behind-hand Oh the fair advantages that we have lost what time what Sabboths Sormons Sacraments are upon the matter lost how much work have we yet to do are you sure of Heaven yet are you fit to die yet surely they that are in so much Poverty under so many great wants had need to set upon some more thriving courses Secondly Consider what others have gained whilst we it may be sit down by the loss Have we not met many Veslels richly laden while our Souls are empty Oh the rich Booties the golden Prizes that some have won while we have solded the hands to sleep have not many of our own standing in Religion lest us far behind them Thirdly Consider what a spending time there is coming Affliction and Tribulation seem to be not far from you had you not need to be well stocked against such a day go to the Ant thou sluggard she layeth up her meat in the Summer Happy man that can say to his Soul on good grounds what he vainly spake Thou hast much goods laid up for many years Who will not Victual the Castle against the Siege and the Ship against the Voyage Fourthly Consider you will find all little enough when you come to die the Wise among the Virgins have no Oyl to spare at the coming of the Bridegroom distress and temptations and death will put all your Graces to it How much ado have many poor Saints had at last to put into this harbour David cries for respire till he had recovered a little more strength Fifthly Consider how little it will avail you to thrive in your Estates and not thrive in your Souls Poor Gehazi what did he get by it when he gained Naamans Talents and came off with his Leprofie Sixthly Consider how short your time for gathering in probability is the Israelites gathered twice so much Manna against the Sabbath as they did at other times because at that time there was no Manna fell Brethren you know not how long you have to lay in for Seventhly Consider Gods expectations are great from you he hath been lopping and pruning you and now he looks for more fruit he hath had you for some time under his more severer Discipline and therefore expects you should be better proficient he hath tried new means with you and is come to you with a Rod and he will be angry with a witness if he do not find you now to mend Times of Afflictions use to be gaining times to Gods People God forbid that you alone should be losers Do you ask for marks how you may know your souls be in a thriving case First If your appetites be more strong Do you thirst after God and after grace more than heretofore do your cares for and desires after the World abate and do you hunger and thirst after righteousness whereas you were wont to come with an ill-will to holy duties do you come to them as a hungrie Stomach to its Meats Secondly If your Pulses meat more even Are you still off and on hot and cold Or is there a more even spun thred of holiness through your whole course do you make good the ground from which you were formerly often beaten off Thirdly If your Natural heat do grow more vigorous and your digestion more quick Do you take more notice of God in every thing than heretofore and let none of his works nor words pass without some careful attention and observation do you ponder upon and pray over his Word and his Providences Fourthly If you do look more to the Compass and latitude of Religion and mind more than ever the carrying on together the duties of both Tables Do you not only look to the keeping if your own Vineyards but do you begin to look more abroad and to lay out your selves for the good of others and are filled with zealous desires for their conversion and salvation do you manage your talk and your Trade by the rules of Religion Do you eat and sleep by rule doth Religion form and mould and direct your carriage towards Husband Wife Parents Children Masters Servants do you grow more universally conseiencious Is piety more diffusive than ever with you doth it come more abroad with you out of your Clossets into your Houses your Shops your Fields doth it journey with you and buy and sell for you hath it the casting voice in all you do Fifthly If the duties of Religion be more easie sweet and delightful to you Do you take more delight in the Word than ever are you more in love with secret Prayer and more abundant in it cannot you be content with your 〈◊〉 dinary Seasons but are ever and anon making extraordinary Visits to Heaven and upon all occasions turning aside to talk with God in some short Ejaculations are you often darting up your souls Heaven-wards Is it meat and drink of you to do the Will of God do you come off more freely with God and answer his Calls and open at his knocks with more Alacrity and readiness of mind Sixthly If you are more abundant in those duties which are most displeasing to the Flesh. Are you more earnest upon the duty of Mortification are you more strict and severe than ever in the duty of daily Self-examination and holy Meditation do you hold the Reigns harder upon the Flesh than ever do you keep a stricter watch upon your Appetites do you set a stronger guard upon your Tongues have you a more jealous eye upon your hearts Sevently If you grow more vile in your own eyes Pride is such a choaking Weed that nothing will prosper naer it Do you grow more out of love with mens esteem and set less by it are you not marvellous tender of being slighted can you rejoyce to see others preferred before you can you heartily value and love them that think meanly of you Eighthly If you grow more quick of sense more tender of sinning more sensible of Divine influences or withdrawings Are you more affraid of sin than ever are your sins a greater pain to you than heretofore are your very infirmities your great afflictions and the daily workings of corruption a continual grief of mind to you Ninthly If you are acted more by love to God and Faith in these Promises Fear is a slavish principle do you find that you are acted less by fear and more by love do you look more frequently to the things not seen than ever and doth the World abate in your esteem do you go more out of your selves do you live upon Christ as the Spring of your life and make more use of him upon all occasions than ever do
Companion in your Closets Let it Travel with You in your Journies Let it Lie down and Rise up with You Let it close your Eyes in the Evening and call You out of your Beds in the Morning Be You the Votaries of Holiness Keep Her and She shall Keep You. I shall close with my Loves to You all onely because I know You love to hear of my Well-fare I must tell You that Goodness and Mercy do follow me perpetually every Day and every Night Glory to God in the highest Dear Brethren Fare you well in the Lord I am Your Devoted Servant in the Gospel whether a Bond-Man or a Free JOS. ALLEINE From the Prison at Juelshester Decemb. 3. 1663. Most Dearly Beloved This was intended for you a Week sooner then it comes to be Communicated I purposely Write in the middle of the Week that if any Opportunity be suddenly offered I may have somewhat ready for You But last Week I failed of a Conveyance I shall not add any thing further now but that I shall follow my Counsels with my Prayers and shall be an humble Intercessor night and day before God for You To him I commend You and to the Word of his Grace Remaining Yours while I am J. A. LETTER XIX 1. Try 2. Rejoyce To the most Loving and best Beloved the Flock of Christ in Taunton Grace and Peace Most endeared Friends MY heart is solicitous for You Your Spiritual and Eternal welfare is the matter of my desires and designes Let not my Beloved think they were forgotten by me because you heard not from me the last Week sleep departed from my eyes to write to you at large but in the morning I concluded it best to defer the imparting of it to You for a season that you might have it a better way Can a woman forget her Child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her Womb Yea they may forget but Christ will earnestly remember You still Natural Parents may be so far unnatural spiritual Parents may be so far carnal as to forget their own Children I would have you count nothing as certain but Christs love and care This you may build upon You need not fear lest time and distance should wear out the remembrance of you with him Your names are inrolled in the everlasting Decrees of Heaven and a whole Eternity hath not been able to wear them out Do any of you Question whether you are so happy as to have your Names recorded above I shall bring it to a speedy issue Do you Question whether Christ hath taken your Names Whether you are upon his heart Let me ask you Is Heaven upon your Hearts Is the Name of Jesus deeply engraven upon your Souls Is his Image and Superscription there If you can find that Heaven is the main of your cares that your hearts are set upon it as your home and your Countrey and that it is your great business to seek it and to secure it then never doubt if your hearts be chiefly upon Heaven your Names are unquestionably written in Heaven Again hath Christ recorded his Name in your hearts Is the Name of Jesus the Beloved name with you precious above all next to your Hearts Is there no other Name under Heaven so dear and sweet to you What room hath Christ in you If any thing be deeper in your hearts than he is you are unsound As the Father hath given him so do your hearts give him a Name above every Name Is Christ uppermost with you in your estimations and affections Then rejoyce and leap for joy for your Names are most pretious with Christ if his Name be above all dear to You. Once more hath Christ drawn out his own similitude upon You Is Christ within You doth he dwell in your Hearts Then be sure You have a room in his heart The Image of Christ is in holiness Is this that which your very hearts are set upon Do You thirst for Holiness Do You follow after Holiness Do you prize it above all Prosperity and worldly Greatness Do You hate every sin and long to be rid of it as your most irksome burden and use all Gods means against it as far as you know them If it be thus with you Christ hath set his stamp upon your hearts and so you may be sure he hath set You as a Seal upon his heart Rejoyce then O Christians and bless your selves in the happy priviledge that you have in being under Christs care Fear not little Flock Stronger is he that is with you than he that is against you What though Satan should raise all his Militia against you adhere to Christ in a patient doing and suffering his pleasure and he shall secure you The Lord will not forsake you because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people God hath entrusted you with his Son You are his Care and his Charge Many will be listing at you many will be plucking at you but fear not you shall not be moved none shall pluck you out of Christs hand he hath all power Mat. 28. 8. Can Omnipotence secure you He is all Treasures Col. 2. 3. Can unsearchable Riches suffice you In a word he is all Fulness Col. 1. 21. Can all Content you Can Fulness fill you if so you are blessed and shall be blessed Beloved We lose unutterably for want of considering for want of viewing our own Priviledges and Blessedness O Man is Christ thine and yet dost thou live at a low rate and Comfort Is thy name written in Heaven and yet dost thou not rejoyce Shall the Children of the Kingdom the Candidates of Glory the chosen Generation the Royal Priesthood be like other men O Christians Remember who and whence you are consider your Obligations put on a better pace Bestir your selves run and wrestle and be strong for the Lord of Hosts and earnestly yet peaceably contend for the Faith once delivered to his Saints What shall we make nothing of all that God hath said and done for us Christians shall he that hath gotten an inriching Office boast of his Booty or he that hath obtained the Kings Patent for an Earldome glory in his Riches and Honour And shall the Grant of Heaven signifie little with thee Or Christs Patent for thy Sonship and Partnership with himself be like a Cypher Shall Haman come home from the Banquet with a glad heart and glorying in the greatness of his Riches the multitude of his Children and all the things wherein the King had promoted him above the Princes And shall we turn over our Bibles and read the Promises and find it under Gods own hand that he intends the Kingdome for us that he will be a Father to us that he gives and grants all his infinite perfections to us and yet not be moved Beloved Christians live like your selves let the World see that the Promises of God and Priviledges of the Gospel are not empty sounds or a meer
in Profession It is not Profession but Converson that turns a man from a Swine to a Sheep Let none of you be deceived nor flatter your selves that because you beat the Name of Christians and do many things and have escaped the open gross pollutions of the World therefore you are surely among the number of Christs true Sheep All this you may attain to and yet be but washed Swine here must be an inward deep and thorow and universal Change upon your Natures Dispositions Inclinations or else you are not Christs Sheep In a word If you will be put out of doubt whether you are his Sheep or not you must trie it by this certain Mark that Christ sets upon all his Sheep even your Sanctification you that will stand to the trial answer me truly and deliberately to these Questions Do you hate every sin as the Sheep doth the Mire Do you regard no Iniquity in your Hearts Do you strive against and oppose all Sin though it may seem never so necessary never so natural to you or have you not you secret Haunts of evil For every Swine will have his swill Do you abstain from sin out of fear or out of dislike Are You at peace with no sin or do you not hide some Iniquity as a sweet morsel under your Tongue Is there not some practice that You are not willing to know is a sin for fear you should be forced to leave it Do you love the Commandment that forbids your sin or do you not wish it out of the Bible as that evil man wished God had never made the Seventh Commandment Again how do You stand affected towards Holiness Do you love it Do you choose it Do You hunger and thirst after it and desire it more than any Temporal good Have You chosen the way of Gods Precepts and had rather live Holily than be allowed to live in your sins Do You in your very Hearts prefer a Godly strict Life in communion with and conformity to God before the greatest prosperity of the World Do You chose Holiness not out of bare necessity because You cannot go to Heaven without it but out of love to it and from a deep sense that You have of the surpassing Excellency and Loveliness and Beauty of it If it be thus with You You are the Persons that the Lord Jesus hath marked for his Sheep And now Come ye Blessed all that have this Mark upon You come and understand your happiness You are marked out for preservation and let it go how it will with the rest this I know it shall go well with you that fear the Lord that fear before him You are the separated Ones the sealed Ones Upon whom the Angel hath set the Seal of the Living God and so you are redeemed unto God from among men being the First-fruits unto God and unto the Lamb and have your Fathers Name written in your Fore-heads Hear O beloved Flock I may give you the Salutation of the Angels Hail You are highly favoured of the Lord Blessed are you among men though you are but poor and despised and like little Benjamin among the thousands of Judah You carry away the the Blessing and the Priviledge from all the rest God hath done more for the least of you than for the whole World of Mankind besides put all their mercies together Fear not little Flock it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom Blessed are you of the Lord for yours is the Kingdome of Heaven All that the Scripture speaks of that Kingdome of Glory that Kingdome of Peace of Righteousness that Everlasting Kingdome It speaks it all to you Behold your Inheritance See that you believe What know you not your own selves You are the Sons of God Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven Joint Heirs with Christ the Lord of Glory Do you believe this Take heed you make not God a Lyar His Word is nigh you Have you not the Writings in your hands Do I speak any thing but what God hath spoken Shall I tell you of the thing which shall be hereafter Why thus it shall be The Son of man shall come in his Glory and all his holy Angels with him Then shall he sit upon the Throne of his Glory and he shall separate you as a Shepherd divideth the Sheep from the Goats and he shall set you at his own right hand Then shall the King say Come ye Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you Do you believe yet Do you throughly believe If so then my work is done then I need not bid you Rejoyce nor bid you be Thankful onely believe Do this and do all Believe and you will rejoyce with Joy unspeakeable and full of Glory Believe and you will be Fruitfull and shew your Faith by your works Believe and you will Love for Faith worketh by love In a word keep these things upon your Hearts by daily and lively Consideration and this will bring Heaven into your Souls and ingage you to all manner of holy Conversation and Godliness This will mortifie you to the World the grand Enemy which I advise nay I charge you to beware of When Saul had gotten his Kingdome he left off taking Care for the Asses O Remember yours is the Kingdom What are You the better that You have all this in your Bibles if you do not weigh it by frequent and serious Consideration and ponder these sayings in your Hearts Beloved I have written these things to you that your joy may be full And now Peace I leave with you I am Christs Embassador to you an Embassador of Peace his Peace I pronounce unto you In his Name I bless you Farewell in the Lord I am The fervent Well-willer of your Souls JOS. ALLEINE Devises June 29. 1666. LETTER XXVII Of the Second coming of Christ. To the Faithful and Beloved the Servants of God in Taunton Grace and Peace Loving and most dearly Beloved THough I trust my Bonds do preach to You yet methinks that doth not suffice me but the Conscience of my Duty and the workings of my Heart towards You are still calling upon me to stir You up by way of Remembrance notwithstanding You know and be established in the present Truth And if Paul do call upon so great an Evangelist as Timothy to Remember that Jesus was raised from the dead according to the Gospel why should not I be often calling upon my self and upon you my dearly Beloved to remember and meditate upon and closely apply the great and weighty Truths of the Gospel which You have already received And in truth I perceive in my self and you another manner of heat and warmth in the insisting upon the plainest Principles of Christianity and the setting them home upon mine own heart and yours than in dwelling upon any more abstruse Speculations in the clearest handling of which the Preacher may seem to be too much like the Winter nights very bright but very
God The vows of God are upon me which I confess I have been too slack to pay that I would put you in remembrance and in all Brotherly tenderness advise you to remember from whence you are fallen I was informed before your leaving of England of many unhappy miscarriages which the great reproach of your holy profession you had been too manifestly guilty of I am not without some hope that the Lord may have since recalled you and brought you back to himself and yet not without more fear lest if the power of corruption were so strong as to precipitate you with such violence at such a time as that was and in such a place as England as Oxon where you had so many encouragements and inducements examples and faithful friendly watchful observes you may now much more be carried away in such a place and among such Company as now you may be likely to be in Sir I beseech you to be assured that nothing but the conscience of my duty hath engaged me now you have been so many years a stranger to me and are at so many thousand miles distance from me to write notwithstanding to you And I beseech you bear a little with me Is it wisdom after you have begun in the Spirit to end in the flesh you did run well who hath hindred you I remember your strict walkings your holy converse your many tears will you lose the things that you have wrought have you found out another a nearer way to Heaven do you hope to get in at the wide Gate in the broad way need I to mind you that it had been better for you never to have known the way of life then after you have known it to turn aside from the Holy Commandment can you ever enter into Gods Hill without you be of clean hands and a pure heart I know you are not ignorant That strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be that find it and will you yet do as the most and decline the way of strictness and holy self-denial and give the flesh the reins what when God that cannot lie hath said If you live after the flesh you shall die Do you not know that you do in vain name the name of the Lord Jesus Christ except you depart from iniquity I am sure you know it Oh Sir consider it improve it Oh! have you for learnt Christ as to think that the way of Carnal liberty and loosness the way of evil company and fleshliness is the way to eternal life I am not for tying up Salvation to this or that Opinion but certainly let men be of what opinion they will without strictness self-denial and holy diligence they cannot be saved Mat. 16. 42. Mat. 11 12. 1 Pet. 1. 15 16. Once you could say with David I am a companion to all them that fear thee is it so now O Sir let not the wicked entice you Hath not God said A Companion of fools shall be destroyed Prov. 13. 20. That you must forsake the foolish if you desire to live Prov. 9. 6. Sir I have no more hopes ever to meet you more on Earth O that I might meet you in Heaven let us tread the same path of Holiness and then we shall doubtless meet there But surely you must deeply and timely repent of and return from your grievous back-slidings or else I desire never to meet in your Heaven But why should not we that have so often met in serious and holy Prayer together we that have so often met at the Lords Table together we that have so often eat together and fasted together meet in glory together I beseech you dear Sir if the Lord hath not already smitten you to the dust and broken you and reduced to the ways of holiness now consider your ways and turn your feet to his Testimonies Oh remember that The back-slider in heart shall be filled with his own ways God hath said it and who shall reverse it If any man draw back my Soul shall have no pleasure in him And once again when the righteous turueth away from his righteousness and committeth iniquity shall be live In his trespass that he hath trespassed shall he not die I know Prayers can reach you though at so vast a distance I shall add to them these Counsels and commit you to God remaining Your real Friend in Crist Joseph Alleine Juelchaster May 18th 1664. LETTER XXXV Good Counsel to his Wife My most dear Theodosia THou seemest to have been long from me Let nothing any longer detain thee but my Sisters necessity or Fathers Authority I am very sorry that thou shouldst lose two Sacraments I am in a comfortable state of health through Divine goodness to which be glory for ever See that thou love and admire that Fountain of our life and peace and be ever mindful that 't is all thy business to love and save and praise thy Creator and Redeemer I have no 〈◊〉 but this to write to thee about But this is all our 〈◊〉 What be use to call business is but vanity and 〈◊〉 and some by matter in comparison of this Remember and forget not that 't is thy chief end to glorifie God and enjoy him for ever Learn well that Leston and know that it is the one thing necessary Every morning remember that thy serving and pleasing of God is the whole business of that day and therefore set out accordingly with an express design and intention to please God in thy eating drinking visiting conversing calling and duties of thy Relations throughout the day My most dear heart I have nothing in the world that doth concern thee or me so much to write of to thee as this is Oh that thou mayst be still be laying up in Heaven still furthering thy account still adding to the heap and encreasing thy glorious reward nothing is done for God but thou shalt hear of it again Whatever is not done for God is but so much lost Those things which others do being led by their natural affections and desires those things do thou do with holy Aims for spiritual ends and then God will put it on the account as so much done for him So it is my dearest God keeps a true account See that thou believe it and so plow in hope and sowe in hope pray and hear with an eye to the sure reward Let thy hopes be strong and lively and then thy hands will be strong and thy resolutions and affections will be strong My time is very precious and I would not lose any inch of it See thou to it that mytime in writing this Letter be not lost time Love God the more and set thine heart the straighter towards him and do but practice this one thing in every solemn action to look to thy ends and then I have got well and thou better by these Counsels My dearest I love thee in truth and tenderness but my
comparison with thine experienced love I cannot entertain the thoughts of this without some disdain But thy needful cautions are acceptable to me I desire to foresee and provide for manifold changes and storms I know I am not yet in the Harbor O pray with me that I enter not into Temptation for I am very weak in Spirit as well as in body God knoweth But there is no end with me somewhere or other I must break off and thou wilt say it is time to shut up for once onely know that I am thy daily Orator and will be whilest I am and yet once more I must have room to add my thankful acknowledgement of thine and thy costly kindness and so with our most dear affections to you both I commend you to the God of love still abiding Thy fast and sure Orestes Bath Octob. 13. 1668. LETTER XXXVII To a person of Quality to be constant Most Honoured Sir MAny charges have passed over both you and my self since my last Writing to you but I am glad to hear that in that great change of your condition you have made so wise and happy a choice Mine unfeigned desire to God is for your Temporal and Spiritual prosperity and that the blessings of both Worlds may be heaped up upon you Yet I should desire you not to expect too much here nor to count it a strange thing if you meet with disappointments It is enough if you have the Lord for your portion and Heaven for your Inheritance though the World should not answer your expectations I doubt not but you will be likely as well we to meet with manifold temptations the Lord make you when you have done all to stand Hold out a while in faith patience and self-denial and you shall be as sure as God can make you of the Crown Now arise and shine and hold forth the power of holiness in all your converse We have lived in times when Religion was the way to credit and esteem and then it was more difficult to discern the sincerity of ones profession because men might be drawn to it upon worldly ends But now is the time when God will prove us if we will appear for him and own his ways when they are the common scorn of the World Oh Sir think it not hard if God do call you forth to own him in such a time as this when few of your rank and quality will bear you company but look upon it as a special advantage to prove your sincerity and your fidelity to the Lord your Maker The holy and blessed life of that noble Marquess Galeacius I should much commend to your reading and Imitation Court not the world nor its preferments Moses his self-denying choice which the World would have branded for unparalled folly when he voluntarily left all the Court-preferments and pleasures the wisest Judge commends for the greatest Wisdom If Religion will make you vile resolve with that Royal Worthy that you will be yet more vile Remember who accounted the reproaches of Christ greater riches than the Treasures of Egypt Verily it is a greater honour to you to be vilified for Christ than to be dignified with the highest Titles that the greatest on Earth can confer and to be call'd Puritan or Phanatique for the bold and constant owning of the power of Christianity than to have whole Pages filled up with the honourable offices and marks of Dignity that earthly Princes can bestow Now then is your time to get the true honour Few of your places and dignity will take this way to get it But he that can but use the prospective of Faith and look as far as the approaching Judgment will easily see the vanity of the worlds riches and slattering preferments and the everlasting glory and honour wherewith the dispised Saints shall surely be Crowned Fix your eyes and Meditations here and that will set you above the worlds temptations when by its offers or threatnings it would make you to warp and to let go your hold-fast of Eternal life Now is the time for you to make Heaven sure and when that is done you are prepared for the worst that can come I desire you to accept of my service and respects and my Wives which I do hereby present unto you and to your most deserving yoak-fellow whom I unfeignedly honour though I never saw her not so much for her noble blood which yet calls for great respects as for her far more noble qualifications and priviledges of her second birth Pardon my boldness with you in troubling you so long I am Sir Your most Oblidged Friend and Servant JOS. ALLEINE Feb. 26. 1661. LETTER XXXVII Dear Couzin THough I have been in the valley of the shadow of death though I have had more than one foot in the Grave and have been in deaths often yet the love and remembrance of you ever liveth on my heart I have long had neither feet to walk nor hands to write yet I have borrowed hands as you see rather than I would stay any longer from warning and admonishing of you Dear Couzin that soul of yours that precious immortal soul is of no light value with me I pray hard for its Salvation I have a Godly fear for you lest your soul should miscarry in a crowd of worldly business and of earthly cares Ah my dear Niece it comforts me that you are so setled for this world and are in want of nothing I bless the Lord for this but me thinks this doth not satisfie me Oh that I could be sure that you were once safe setled in Christ though you are I trust comfortably furnished with earthly things yet in this you are but half provided for have you a Treasure in Heaven have you laid hold on eternal life have you made sure work for everlasting have you past the straits of the New-Birth do your bear upon you the marks of the Lord Jesus If you shall pass by a sumptuous Fabrick and a great Lordship and should lay claim to all as your inheritance and please your self with the hopes of enjoying all this when you had nothing to shew no Writing no Evidence to produce as a ground for any such hope would not every one say this were a piece of strange vanity and imprudence much greater folly is it to promise our selves a part in Paradise and rest satisfied in a meer perswasion that we are the Heirs of Heaven when we cannot prove our Title from the Book of God nor produce from within our selves the sure and certain marks of the children of God Ah Dear Couzin Rouze up your self make conscience to deal plainly and freely with your soul say within your self I have hopes for Heaven but where are my grounds and my Evidences do I not build without a foundation do I venture my Salvation upon meer uncertainties What have I what do I more than others I pray I hear I read but may not a meer Hypocrite do all this I
run not with others into the wretched practice of Lying and Couzening Whoredom and the like but what is this more than a Pharisee may have to say for himself can I prove by Scripture my claim to Heaven can I produce Chapter and Verse to justifie my self Oh Couzin fear least a Promise being lest of entring into rest you should by any mistakes or self-deceits fall short through unbelief fear lest you should take Counters of gold or some common workings for saving Grace Oh there is a world of counterfeit Coin going multitudes perish by mistake and wake in Hell whilest they dreamt they were in Heaven the tempter is very subtile and will sure deceive if he can your heart is deceitful above all things and is willing to cheat you if it can Therefore am I engaged so earnestly to call upon you as one that watcheth for your soul to arise speedily and to set roundly to your Work Oh consider your danger and work out your Salvation with fear and trembling away with these lazie Prayers away with these cold and heartless Professions away with this drowsie liveless liftless Religion bestir your self to purpose for your Soul before it be too late Search your Conscience as with Candles be jealous of your self consider now is your time what you do you must do quickly the patience of God is waiting Christ is knocking the Spirit of God is striving and death is at the door Oh now take your opportunity and take heed lest a slothful heart and the cares of this world or a presumptuous confidence that all is well and safe already should at last shut you out of the Kingdom of God I cannot write distinctly to your Husband but I beseech you to call upon him to set his heart to these Counsels which I have written to you I earnestly entreat him to make Religion his business and to look heedfully to it that the gain of the world prove not the loss of his soul. I desire him that Closet and Family Prayers and weekly Catechesing of his Houshold and strict sanctifying of the Sabbath and reading of the Scriptures singing of Psalms repeating of Sermons and diligent attendance upon powerful Preaching may be his continual exercises that so his house may be a little Church and God may delight to dwell in his Family pray give me to understand what is done of these things for I have a zeal for your welfare and that you and your Houshould should serve the Lord that you may enter into his rest and carry children and servants and friends and all to Heaven with you As to my own estate I have lost all my Limbs and about this twelve Months useless and been again and again under the sentence of death but was brought in a Horse-litter to Bath where God hath wonderfully restored me so that I can seed my self and go alone and speak with a little more freedom Oh love the Lord praise the Lord for me notwithstanding I continue weak and have not strength to write yet I could not tell how to die in silence from you but have made use of a friendly hand to send these counsels and calls after you which I beseech you to accept in the fear of God for it is not unlike that they may be my last to you that ever you may receive I now commend you to the Lord and with mine own and my dear Wives love to you both Rest Your loving and careful unkle JOS. ALLEINE Octob. 21. 1668. FINIS LETTER XXXV The Concernments of our Souls especially to be regarded Dear Cousin YOU may think you are forgotten with me because you have not heard so long a time from me but this may let you know That though God hath taken away your Father and suffered your Mother to be helpless to you yet you have one friend on earth that careth for you The welfare of your immortal soul is dear to me and is the matter of my sollicitous care and prayer Dear Cousin Methinks I feel a godly jealousie of you within my heart lest you should lose your soul amongst a croud of worldly cares and business Oh remember the story of him in the Book of the Kings who relates that he had a Soldier committed to his keeping upon condition that he should lose his life if he did let him go But while thy servant went hither and thither the man escaped But the King replies presently Even so shall thy judgment be thy life shall go for his life Ah Cousin take earnest heed lest while you are going hither and thither minding many things tossed in a hurry of worldly affairs the enemy run not away with your soul. Oh beware that the world doth not secretly steal away your heart Consider that whatever your business be you must and will have an eating time and a sleeping time Oh be as sollicitous every day to keep your praying times which are a thousand times more necessary than a time to eat in or sleep Be sure that there doth not a morning or evening pass over your head in which you have not perfumed your closet with solemn and fervent prayer And take heed if you love your salvation lest Satan beguile you with the bare outward performance of duties and outward acts of Religion See to it that you do not rest in a worldly Religion to give God your knee while the World carries away your heart You may pray hear and read and all to no purpose excep your very Soul be employed and engaged in these duties and the life vigour and strength of your affections be found to go after God in them If therefore you will have Christ and Heaven see that you renounce the world You must cast overboard your worldly hopes and take up with God with a naked Christ as your whole happiness both for this life and that which is to come There is no hopes of your salvation without a sound mortification to the world you must be mortified to your worldly expectations look not for much from the world promise not your self much from the world seek not great things for your self say unto God So I may have thee for my portion and thy Kingdom for my inheritance give or deny me what thou wilt poverty or riches any thing or nothing I will be contented with my Lot Say unto your soul So I may but have Christ so I may but carry it for the other world let this world go which way it will I must be converted or condemned I must be born again or else would I had never been born but of this present world there is no such necessity I may be poor and yet happy but wo to me if I remain unsanctified I must have grace or perish for ever Dear Cousin if I live you shall find me a friend to your worldly prosperity but whether I live or die I charge you by the Lord that you be infinitely tender of your immortal Souls everlasting
concernments Will you not spin a fair thread of it if while you are pursuing after earthly things you lose your soul in the 〈◊〉 While I live I shall pray and care for you Farewel in the Lord. I am Your truly loving and careful Uncle JOSEPH ALLEINE LETTER XXXVI Godly Counsels Dear Cousin THE welcom tidings of your safe arrival at Barbadoes is come to my ears as also the news of your escape from a perillous sickness for which I bless the Lord and desire to be thankful with you for I am not without a care for your well-being but do look upon my self as really concerned in you I have considered that God hath bereft you of a careful Father and that your Mother takes but little care for you so that you have none nearer than my self to watch for your soul and to charge and admonish you in the Lord and to take care of you But yet Dear Cousin be not discouraged by these things but look to Heaven flie unto Jesus put away every known sin set upon the conscientious performance of every known duty make Christ your choice embrace him upon his own terms deliver up your self body and soul to him see that you have no reserves nor limitations in your choice of him give him your very heart cast away your worldly hopes and expectations make Religion your very business O Cousin these things do and you shall be sure of a Friend in Heaven to take the care of you and if I may be any comfort to you you shall not fail while I live to have one friend on earth to take care for you You are gone far from me even to the uttermost parts of the earth but I have sent these Letters to call even thither after you yea not onely to call but to cry in your ears O what is like to become of your soul Where is that immortal soul of yours like to be lodged for ever amongst Devils or amongst Angels upon a bed of Flames or in the joys of Paradise Dear Cousin go aside by your self in secret retire from the noise of the world and say to your self Oh my soul whether art thou going do not I know in my very heart that I must be converted or condemned that I must be sanctified or can never be saved Oh my soul what seekest thou what designs do I drive at what is my chief care which way do I bend my course Is it for this world or for the world to come Do I first seek the kingdom of heaven and the righteousness thereof Do I think Heaven will drop into my mouth that glory and immortality will be gotten with a wet finger with cold prayers and heartless wishes while the world carries the main of my heart Do I think to be crowned and yet never fight to get the race and never run to enter at the strait gate and never strive to overcome Principalities and Powers and never wrestle No no say within your self Oh my soul either lay by the hopes of Heaven for ever or else rouse up thy self put forth thy strength in seeking after God and glory either lay by thy worldly hopes or thy hopes of immortality away with thy sins or thou must let Christ go for ever think not to have Chrst and the world too to serve God and Mammon it cannot be If thou follow the world as thy chief desire and delight if thou live after the flesh thou must die count upon it the Lord hath spoken it and all the world can never reverse it Thus reason the case with your own soul and give not rest to your self night nor day till you are gotten off from the world broken off from the wilful practice of every known sin and gotten safe into Christ. Dear Cousin I charge you by the Lord to observe these things pray over them weep over them read them again and again do not pass them over as slight and ordinary things your soul is at stake it is your salvation is concerned in them think not I am in jest with you Ah Cousin I travel in birth with you till Christ be formed in you Why should you die Oh repent and live lay hold on eternel life win Christ and you win all O be thankful to the Lord that now you are fatherless and friendless yet you have one Remembrancer to warn you to flie from the wrath to come God forbid that I should find you at last in the place of Torments for your not embracing the godly Counsels To conclude in short I charge you as a Minister as a Friend as a Father to you Take heed of these three things 1. Left the gain of the world prove the loss of your soul 2. Left the snare of evil company withdraw you from God and so prove your final ruine 3. Left a lofty and a worldly heart should thrust you out of the Kingdom of Heaven God abhors that the proud should come near him Oh labour whatever you do for an humble heart be little be vile in your own eyes seek not after great things be poor in spirit without this Heaven will be no place for you God will be no friend to you Dear Cousin your lot is fallen as I fear in a place of great wickedness where your soul is in much danger where your temptations are many and your helps for Heaven but few where godly examples are rare and many will entice you to sin and vanity O! if you love me or love your soul look about you consider your danger fear lest you should miscarry for ever by worldly loss and vain company which proves to so many the fearful cause of their eternal perdition I can but warn you and pray for you but though you have none to oversee you remember the strict and severe eye of God is upon you to observe all your actions and that he will surely bring all your practices into his Judgment Your Aunt with my self commend our dear love to you and I commend you to the Lord and remain Your loving and careful uncle JOSEPH ALLEINE August 19. 1668. LETTER XXXVII Dear Cousins THough you are removed far from me out of my sight and the Seas as a great gulf are fixed betwixt you and me yet my prayers follow you and my good wishes for your present and everlasting welfare like the wings of a Dove take speedy flight I look upon my self now God hath removed my Brother to be as in the room of a Father to you yea and of a Mother too for I know you have but little help from her My dear Neeces my heart is careful for you and therefore I cannot cease while I am in being in this world to warn and admonish you as my children and to call upon you in the name of the Eternal God to awaken your selves with all godly fear and holy diligence lest by any means you should come short of the glory of God Let me mind you dear Cousins of
the dangerous place you stand in and look about you with trembling Methinks I see Satan watching for your souls as the Dragon did for the seed of the Woman waiting to devour it as soon as she should be delivered Know you not that you must wrestle with Principalities and Powers Methinks I see temptations surrounding you and beleaguering you as the enemy about the walls of the treacherous party within you I mean carnal affections and corruptions complotting how to deliver up the castle Know you not that your fleshly lusts do war against your souls and that your own hearts are not true to you but deceitful above all things Lord what need have you to bestir your selves and to flie unto Jesus to distrust your selves and to trust onely in him and his righteousness Oh work out your salvation with fear and trembling Do you ever think to escape these mighty enemies to conquer the power and 〈◊〉 the plots and snares of those potent adversaries without most painful diligence O cry to heaven for help watch and pray fear left a promise being left of entring into rest either of you should come short of it My dear Neeces you have many do watch for your souls to devour them but I doubt too few except my self do watch for your souls to save them therefore I look upon my self who am now upon the matter your only Monitor to be the more concerned to awaken my self to your help and to look after you and to watch for you left by any means you should miscarry by the deceits and temprations wherewith you are encompassed I would not have you over-careful for the things of this life though I commend your laudable care and diligence that you may not be burdensom to any man but I commend to you a better and more necessary care and that is that which the Apostle speaks of the Virgins care The unmarried saith he careth for the things of the Lord. Ah let this be your care seek first the Kingdom of God and the Righteousness thereof and then all these things shall be added you have Gods sure promise for it If the Lord give me to live and prosper you shall see and know that I am not a friend only in words to you but however that shall be see that you embrace the Counsels of God from me Oh make sure of Heaven betimes walk humbly with God beware of a proud heart and a lofty spirit abhor your selves else God will not accept you be displeased with your selves else God will not be pleased with you condemn your selves that God may acquit you The leven of pride will sowr the whole lump and mar all your Profession and Religion and render your Persons and Prayers and all an abomination to the Lord if it prevail in you Oh therefore be not high minded but fear and by prayer and watchfulness restrain and root up this wretched corruption of pride which is a sin so natural to you that you had need to use an infinite care and caution to keep it under As to my self these may acquaint you That I have been often at the very gates of death I have lost all my limbs but prayer hath redeemed me from my extremities and God hath blessed the use of the Bath to me Oh praise the Lord praise him for my sake and give glory to the God of my life Love him honour and glorifie him whose favour and friendship hath filled my soul with comfort and given a resutrection to my body I can now walk alone and feed my self but am altogether unable to write which is the reason why these come to you in another hand Dear Cousins you may think me too tedious but you must pardon me if I erre in my love and zeal for your welfare And now I shall 〈◊〉 no more but with my own and dear Wifes love to you I commend you to God and rest Your loving and careful uncle JOSEPH ALLEINE LETTER XXXVIII Do all in reference to God and his glory Dear Friend I Have received yours of the 19th of September but it came to me in the time of my sickness in which I was much a stranger to writing it continued upon me five Months and to this day so much weaknes remains in my arms that I am not able to put off or on my own clothes Your Letter was exceeding welcom to me not only as reviving the remembrance of our old friendship but also as bringing me news of some spiritual good that you received by me which is the best tidings that I can receive for what do I live for but to be useful to souls in my generation I desire to know no other business than to please and honour my God and serve my generation in that short allowance of time that I have here before I go hence and be seen no more Shall I commend to you the Lesson that I am about to learn But why should I doubt of your acceptance who have so readily embraced me in all our converses The Lesson is To be entirely devoted unto the Lord that I may be able to say after the Apostle To me to live is Christ. I would not be serving God onely for a day in the week or an hour or two in the day but every day and all the day I am ambitious to come up towards that of our Lord and Master To do always those things that please God I plainly see that self-seeking is self-undoing and that then we do promote our selves best when we please God most I find that when I have done all if God be not pleased I have done nothing and if I can but approve my self to God my work is done I reckon I do not live that time I do not live unto God I am fain to cut off so many hours from my days and so many years from my life so short as it is as I have lived unto my self I find no enemy so dangerous as self and O that others might take warning by my hurt O that I had lived wholly unto God! then had every day and every hour that I have spent been found upon my account at that great day of our appearing before God then I had been rich indeed in treasure laid up there whither I am apace removing then I had been every day and hour adding to the heap and encreasing the reward which God of his meer grace hath promised even to the meanest work that is done to him Col. 4. 24. I verily perceive I am an eternal loser by acting no more as for God for what is done to my self is lost but what is done for God is done for ever and shall receive an everlasting reward Verily if there be another world to come and an eternal state after this short life it is our onely wisdom to be removing and as it were transplanting and transporting what we can from hence into that Countrey to which we are shortly to be removed