did to his Being which he knows himself indebted only to God for and can that steal away his heart from the Author of all Good which never did nor can bestow the least Godd upon thee How vile doth this Earth seem unto us when we list up our Eyes and look upon the Heavens Surely much morevilewill all things be esteemed by him whose Soul is possessed with a true Knowledge of the maker of them It was therefore a true Saying of a Holy man of old St. Austin That no man loses God but he that is deceived And another person many years after him is said to speak no worse when being in an extasy he cryed out O my God! O my Lord O the God of my Heart O that all men did know thee they would never offend thee they would ever love thee For surely as the Author of the Book of Wisdome tells us To know God is perfect Righteousness and to know his Power is the root of Immortality Wisd 15.4 This my suffice to shew thee the Reason of my Advice Let me now as riesly direct thee how to practise it § 2. To this Purpose let me tell thee 1. That thou art not concerned to know as much as may be known of God or as learned men do know but only so much as is necessary or as may be helpful to keep thee entirely resigned and obedient to his Will and therefore thou must not trouble thy self with those nice and curious Speculations in Religion which are of no Use or tendency to this End That Knowledge whateyer the Object of it is which will not conduce to make thee better or prevent thy becoming worse than thou art is impertinent useless and unprositable the Hunting after it hath ruined thousands but never saved one Soul Those that pursue after it are thus deseribed by St. Paul 1 Tim. 6.3 4. They consent not to wholsome words and to the Doctrine which is according to Godlyness they are proud knowing nothing but doting about Questions and strifes of Words 2. Though thou art not concerned to know as much as may be known of God yet thou must endeavour to know these great and useful things I have spoken of as well as possibly thou can'st and therefore thou must not content thy self with that sleight superficial Knowledge which the generality of Men have of them who rather dream of divine things than know them but thou must labour for a clear distinct apprehension of them and for a firm and well-grounded persuasion both of the Truth and Goodness of them And to this Purpose thou must 3. Apply thy self to the Use of all good Means and that with great Care and Diligence remembring That if it be Folly to do meaner things slerghtly as certainly it is because many things many times depend upon our least actions to be careless and sleight in such a manner as this can be no less than Madness Now the means that you are to use are these that follow 1. Rcading the Holy Scriptures and Hearing them read this thou art to do dayly thou must borrow some part of every day to say nothing here of what thou art to do upon Holy dayes from thy Worldly Employments to read or hear them read Our Blessed Saviour bids us Search the Scriptures because in them we think we have eternal Life John 5.39 And St. Paul tells us that they are able to make us wise unto Salvation 2. Tim. 3.15 And if any mans words are of greater weight with us than theirs we do ill deserve the Name of Christians 2. Reading Good Books I call those good which treat of the great things of God modestly discreetly plainly convincingly and affectionately of which sort I know not many in the World and therefore thou art to take the best Advice thou can'st have in the choice of them 3. Hearing of Sermons and good Discourses made by Christ's Ministers whether in the Pulpit upon particular Texts of Scripture or in the desk as expositions of some larger Portions of it or of some of the chiefest Points of Religion contained in the Catechism These Discourses Christ's Ministers are commanded to make for the Edification of Christ's Church See 2 Tim. 4.1 2. and therefore Christian people must needs think themselves bound to attend unto them and they are over wise or over good that conceit they have no need of them I mean that they are neither wise nor good 4. Frequent conferring with serious Christians about divine things which is a means of Improving Knowledge that hath several Advantages above any other for besides this we shall instruct others as well as our selves imparting our own Knowledge to them whil'st we receive of theirs that which we thus learn we apprehend more clearly and are more deeply affected with than we are with that which we receive any other way and therefore it is much to be lamented that it is no more used by those that call themselves Christians than we see it is and if we may not infer from the neglect of it that men are not so knowing in the things of God as they take upon them to be I am sure we may conclude from it that they are not so good as they ought to be they seldom forbear to talk of that which they love when there is occasion offered for it so they would never be silent in these things if they had that hearty affection for them which they ought to have And as for the common Excuse among the more serious sort of people that they would not be taken for Hypocrites as too many in this last Age among whom this hath been in Fashion have discovered themselves to be it is so far from justifying their Neglect that it manifests the naughtiness of their hearts whil'st they shew their selves more careful for their own Esteem among men than for the Honour of God and the great Concerns of their Souls There would be little or no Religion seen in the World if the Abuse of it by Hy pocrites would warrant men to cast off the Profession of it and to give any good Reason why so useful a part of it should for that cause be laid aside whil'st they think themselves concerned to appear Religious in other things I believe will puzzle the most subtle among them There were too many Hypocrites in Holy David's time and yet his tongue did not cease to speak of God's Righteousness and of his praise all the day long Psal 35 28. And the Apostles times were not so happy as to be without them and yet They called upon Christians to exhort one another dayly Heb. 4.13 And to teach and admonish each other and that by Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs as well as other wayes Colos 3.16 Those good men did never think that the danger of bemg accounted Hypocrites would discharge them from Seasoning their Discourses with Salt or from speaking such things in their Conversation with each other as might be
Math. 12.36 v. Nay farther he hath told us That the very thoughts and purposes of our hearts shall be brought into Judgment the offending eye the lustful adulterous eye may cause the whole body to be cast into hell and that a causeless anger entertained against our brethren though it shew it self neither by words nor deeds will bring us into danger of Condemnation Math. 5.22 23. Thou wilt think these hard Sayings it may be and yet there is somewhat more to be considered which may make thee think them much harder Might our Judgment be in private and our accounts be made between God and our selves only we might perhaps notwithstanding all that which hath been said look upon it as tolerable But alas we are told that it must be publick without any regard to our modesty and before all the world that the very Secrets of our hearts shall be disclosed before men and Angels that the hidden things of darkness shall be brought to light as one tels us who well knew the mind of Christ 1. Cor. 4.5 and all our counsels be made manifest And further that this shall be at a time when perhaps we did not look for it at midnight or at Cocks-crowing that we may be hurried away to Christs Judgment-Seat before we can trim our lamps or make ready our accounts or think what couse to take to approve our selves to our Judg and Lord. We may be Eating and Drinking or Buying and Selling or Planting and Building as the people were in the Old World when the Flood came and Swept them all away and the Son of man shall be revealed from Heaven and we shall be taken as in a Snare we shall not be able to flee away from him nor to stand before him because we are not prepared and ready for him See Luke 17. v. 26 27 28. Nay yet further his Coming we are told will be with so much Majesty and Glory there shall so many dreadful things go before it and so much terror accompany it that we shall be utterly confounded and not able to lift up our Heads if clear and good consciences and just and right accounts prepared and made ready before hand do not give us some confidence and assurance before him The Heaven shall pass away with a great noyse and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat and the Earth and all the works that are therein shall be burnt up 2. Pet. 3.10 and then shall the Lord Jesus descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and the Trump of God 1. Thess 4.16 and all the Nations and kindreds of the Earth and those that are in their Graves shall hear his voice John 5.28 and behold his Glory the Glory of the King of Kings and of the Lord of Lords who treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God Rev. 19.15 and 16. O dear Christian Brother what wilt thou do in that day and what shall I do who now ask thee the Question how shall we be able to bear the sight of so great Majesty and Glory how shall we have the courage to appear before it what dread what horror will possess our souls what confusion will cover our faces how shall we tremble when we think of our trial before that impartial and dreadfull bar and how will our hearts sink within us when we are called to answer for ourselves O Brother what will a good conscience thinkest thou be worth at that day what wouldest thou then give for a pure and unspotted life to present before the just Judg of Heaven and Earth for as great a number of good works as thou hast of fins and rebellions and provocations whatever thou thinkest of a good life now believe it thou wilt then think well of it and happy thrice happy shalt thou be if thy own heart condemn thee not of wickedness and impiety Whether it will do so or not I am not able to tell thee but this I can assure thee that no tongue is able to express the Amazement the Consternation the Horror and Anguish the Perplexity that shall possess and overwhelm thee if it do condemne thee Thou wilt not know what course to take which way to look nor whether to betake thy self to avoid the Judgment will be impossible and to bear it thou wilt not be able if thou callest for mercy thou shalt find none if thou desirest death thy desire will not be granted if thou callest to the Hills to cover thee they shall be deaf unto thee all hope all confort shall utterly forsake thee and thou must stand at the dreadful tribunal as a desperate and helpless wretch till thou hearest that dreadful and irrevocable sentence Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels And now Brother tell me I beseech thee what thoughts thou hast of a Holy Life is there any reason why thou shouldest be carefull to lead such a life or not dost thou think that thou can'st avoid this dreadful account we have spoken of or dost thou hope that an account made according to that careless and carnal way of living which we see most men live will pass at that just tribunal and be accepted of as good can'st thou have the face to make before God and all the world such a declaration as this God gave me an excellent Being I acknowledg and appointed me an excellent end but I neither considered the one nor thought upon the other God made me capable to know him to love him and worship and serve him and I was frequently told that the main business of my life was to do thus but this I never intended nor designed or if I did it was but by the by and when I had nothing else to do I cannot deny but I was capable of bringing my Maker a great Increase of Glory by the Use and improvement of those excellent faculties he bestowed upon me but the lusts and and appetites of the flesh and the pleasures of providing for and satisfying them made me forget my self and the honor of him that made me I must needs acknowledg likewise that it was not ordinary Grace which called me to the knowledg of Christ and that I thought my self partaker of no little honor and advantage by it but whether my Christianity laid any other obligations vpon me than the bearing the Name of a Christian I could never find time to consider nor think it worth while to enquire I thought better of my self indeed than of other men for my being a Christian but that I have lived better than they that I have been more mindful of God and more profitable to men I am not able to say I have talked much of Heaven but I ever loved the World before it and though I professed great love to Christ yet my main business has always been to please my self I know thou wilt cry out upon this as most absurd and unreasonable
makes observe how he counts the hours of the Clock and how long he thinks each hour to be how passionately he wishes for the Dawning of the day and how tedious the night seems unto him This we look upon as a sad spectacle and if we have any bowels in us they cannot but melt at it and when we consider that it may be shortly our own case we are very sensibly touched with it O what shall we think then of the condition of the Damned how deplorable and how miserable must we needs believe that to be to be Tormented in every member of the Body and every faculty of the Soul with the sharpest and most exquisit Torments and without the least ease or respit and this not for a night of some few hours but for an everlasting night a night that has nomorning and knows no hope of any Dawning of the day to lie in such a night not upon a loft Bed as the Sick man do's but in a Bed of Flames or a hot burning furnace not at liberty to turn to and fro and to seek ease but bound hand and foot not with the company of compassionate friends assisting and comforting to the best of their power but with the horrid company of the damned and accursed Spirits that shall add to their sufferings and their sorrows as much as their power and malice can possibly do This must be misery in the height in its full perfection if I may so speak who trembles not to think of it who will not do any thing to escape it do we fear Sickness and pain here and do not we fear the pains of Hell much more do we dread a prison and fly from fetters and chains and hazard our very lives to preserve our liberty and are we not as much afraid of that Eternal prison whose gates shall never be opened when once they are shut upon us and from which there can be no redemption or deliverance O dear Christian Brother are we in our right senses or not dost thou think and do we understand what these things mean do they belong to us or are they meant only for others do we take them for the never failing truths of God or for the fables and fancies of brain-sick men if we understand them not if we beleive them not why do we call our selves Christians and make an outward profession of that which in our hearts we approve not of but if we understand and believe these things why do we not tremble at the thoughts of them why do we not bethink our selves how we may escape them why do we not abhor that Sin and wickedness which will bring us to them why do we not apply our selves with all our might and all our care to the Practice of that Piety and Virtue which alone through Gods mercy can deliver us from them It is an amazing thing my Brother that these things should make so little impression upon the generality of Men as we find they do and but that the Scripture tels us of a God of this World that blinds the Eyes and hardens the Hearts of Men and makes them inconsiderate as Brutes we should be at a loss to give any account of it We see that they are apprehensive enough of Evil in this World and industrious enough to avoid it if any Evil be great though it be remote they dread it and though it 's Coming be uncertain yet they take care to prevent it But alas as to these unspeakable Evils and Calamities they are stupid and inconsiderate as blocks the least fear of them is full enough and the least care and pains to avoid them is thought too much Surely Brother there was a time when they had greater effects upon the world than now they have when men thought they could not be possessed with too great fear of them nor take too much care and pains to escape them Let me shew thee what a devout Father has written concerning some penitents he once saw in a Monastery and then judge what insluence these things have had heretofore upon men St. J. Climac 9. and what they ought in reason to have now When First I came into this Monastery saies he I beheld certain things which neither the eyes of the sluggard have ever seen nor the ears of the negligent heard nor yet may it be conceiv'd in the heart of any careless and retchless Christians And afterwards he tels us how he saw many penitents standing with their eyes fixed towards Heaven continually calling upon Almighty God with tears and sighs for pardon and mercy others again he saw that prosessed they were nto worthy to list up their eyes towards Heaven or to speak to Almighty God and these held their faces down towards the ground offering their Souls in silence to the mercy of God without speaking so much as one word as men that had been Dumb full of fear and confusion Others were cloathed in Sacks and Hair-cloath and kneeling with their faces bowed down to their knees and smiteing their foreheads oftentines upon the Earth did bathe the very Earth with their tears and those that wanted tears did lament very grievously because they wanted them And after this he tells us that they had death continually before their eyes and speaking one to onother they said How think ye Brethren what shall become of us at the dreadful hour shall the sentence of Condemnation be revoked or shall our Prayers perchance come into our Lords Ears or if they do how shall they be received and what profit shall we rcceive by them for since they proceed out of such unclean Lips it is to be feared they may find but little favour in his sight And much more to this purpose To which others would answer as the penitent sinners in Nineve Who knows whether the Lord will Pardon us whether he will turn himself to us and not suffer us to perish let us now take Courage and persevere continually in Crying unto him till the end for the Lord is merciful and will be pacified with perseverance let us run my Brethren let us run with all speed and return to the palce from whence we are fallen and let us in no wise pardon this filthy flesh which hath undone us but since it hath Crucified us let us Crucifie it And then he proceeds to tel us how hardly they treated their Bodies how they watched and fasted and punished themselves for their oftences against God insomuch as that their faces were like the faces of dead men and their very Eyes were sunck into their heads through over much weakness And after all this he tels us how they behaved themselves when any of their Brethren lay a dying They compassed the Bed of the dying Man and with earnest and vehement requests with moveing countenances and pitiful words they demanded of him How do'st thou Brother how feelest thou thy self what Hope hast thou what shall become of thee hast thou obtained
thy Desires to God rise from thy knees and either walking or sitting as thou thinkest best 2. Begin to excite and stir up thy Soul to a perfect Surrender of it self by the Arguments before laid down pressing them upon thy self with all they Might And that they may have as great an Influence upon thee as is possible thou may'st imagine that thou hearest Almighty God speaking to thee from Heaven in this manner Consider thy self O man and take notice what thou art and what good Things thou do'st possess look upon thy body and all its useful Members consider thy Soul and all its Faculties and Powers and observe their several Motions and Operations and tell me whence thou art and to whom thou art endebted for them Look upon the World that furnishes thee with all things necessary and fitting for thee and tell me who was the framer of it and who made it useful and serviceable to thee Can'st thou deny that I have done all this and vvherefore then hast thou lifted up thy self against me and presumed to act as it thou had'st no dependance upon me or obligation to me If thou sowest thy seed in thy Field thou expectest to reap the Crop if thou did'st nourish and provide for a poor beast thou thinkest that thou may'st use him at thy pleasure if thou makest an Instrument to work withal thou challengest a Right to dispose of it But I have maintained and preserved a creature hear and be ashamed of thy self and thou wilt allow me no Right and Title to Him and his Service Tell me O thou unjust and ungratefull Wretch did I ever give thee Liberty to dispose of thy self did I ever give thee occasion to think that I made no reckoning of thee or that I expected no acknowledgement from thee No wretched creature thou did'st know that I made thee for my self and that I would not give away my Interest in thee that I put a great Value upon thee and that as I made thee capable of Serving me so I expected and desired it from thee and therefore did I love thee from the Beginning and bestowed innumerable Gifts upon thee I gave thee all things that were fitting for thee and assured thee that I would withhold no good thing from thee yea I gave thee my self in mine own only begotten Son who descended out of my bosome to assure thee of my Love as well as to convince thee That thou had'st deserved my hatred Thou can'st rage against a poor servant that neglects thy Business and seems to ssight thee yea thy poor neighbour that hath no dependance upon thee shall feel the effects of thy displeasure if he chance to wrong thee they must seek thy pardon and crouch before thee and think themselves beholden to thee if by so doing they can make their peace and yet I have Humbled my self to thee thou vile worme and have not spared my own Son that I might spare thee and bring thee to a due sense of thy duty to me Heaven and Earth can witness for me that I have stooped low enough in desiring the friendship of Rebellious Dust and ashes and they shall also witness the Justice of my severity to thee if so much Love and Condescension will not work upon thee Here thou may'st pause a while and observe how thy Soul is affected with these things and then thou may'st imagine again That thou hearest Almighty God speaking further to thee and more fully relating the wonderfull History of his Love in Christ Jesus And after he hath given thee an account of his mean Birth of his humble and painful Life of his bloody and cruel death and his Design and End in all this proceeding to shew thee with how much Love and with what tender Regard for thee he left this World and ascended to his Father and how that after he had done and suffered in his own Person as much as was necessary and fitting for him he sent the Holy Ghost to compleat the great and good work of thy eternal Salvation And then imagine that he tells thee what that blessed and Holy Spirit hath for his part done for thee what Gifts he hath bestowed what Wonders he hath wrought what Arts and Methods he hath used and with what Goodness and Patience and Long-suffering to bring thee to a right Understanding and a real sense of all his Love and of all thy Duty to him and to excite encourage and enable thee to the performance of it and in the End bespeaking thee in this or the like manner And now wretch that thou art must all this Love be lost upon thee and must I lose thee for ever after all that I have done for thee will nothing work upon thy hard heart upon thy proud and stubborn Will will nothing conquer the perversness of thy Spirit not the Commands of thy Maker not the Death of thy Saviour not the good motions and Inspirations of thy Sanctifier Can'st thou withstand my Power that thou art thus obstinate against my Goodness and if thou wilt not suffer me to save thee do'st thou think that I am not able to destroy thee O folish Creature and unwise consider these things seriously and as thou oughtest remember what thou hast done and what unreasonale Courses thou hast taken hitherto and proceed no farther in thy Folly but return to that I Love that calls thee that entreats thee that would save thee Here thou may'st pause a little as before and if any thing more be necessary to shame and humble thee to soften and melt thee Thou may'st turn thy self to consider thy own Engagements and to charge upon thy self that monstrous perfidiousness which thou hast and wilt continue to be guilty of if thou dost now withstand the Calls of God And that thy perfidiousness may appear the more detestable thou may'st consider in the last place what that is which thou hast been engaged and art now called upon to do it is not to do any thing unjust dishonest or unreasonable it is not to destroy thy self or to make thy self miserable but on the contrary it is to do the justest the most reasonable and the best thing that thou art capable of doing it is to return to the Author of thy Being and thereby serve the End of thy creation and consult the only Happiness and Rest of thy Soul it is to unite thy self to the Supreme Good to make thy self his and to make him hine for ever And is this a thing so much against thee that thou needest so much invitation and persuasion to it O my Soul my foolish Soul may'st thou say what can'st thou say for thy self in this Case is there any Excuse for thy Folly any plea for thy Wickedness no far be it from thee to seek for any let us rather amend what we have done amiss and be more wise for the time to come Happy had we been if we had needed from the Beginning so much invitation to
not requiring the help of any Member of the Body may be intermixed with all thy ordinary Employments and if there be any of such a nature as will not admit them without some little stop as requiring a full application of thy mind yet that stop will be no hinderance but rather a mighty furtherance to them for whil'st thou do'st thus look up to God upon whom the success of every thing depends thou wilt be able to proceed more cheerfully in thy Employments and with greater Vigour through the confidence of his Blessing upon all that thou art a doing But there is one Advice more which shall conclude this part and may supply all that is wanting in it viz. CHAP. VI. Containing the last general Advice To commit our Souls to the Care and Conduct of Spiritual Guides with proper Directions relating to it 6. THat thou must commit thy Soul to the Care and Conduct of a spiritual Guide for the enforcing of this Advice much might be said and indeed the little account that most men make of their spiritual Guides in this Age requires much to be said but because I have set my self but short bounds and because I hope that thou art well disposed by the foregoing discourses to receive good Counsel I shall be as brief as possibly I can with respect to thy Good There are Three or Four things which are well known to Christians and I hope they will be readily acknowledged by thee for great truths which being well considered by thee will let thee know both how necessary and how beneficial this Advice will be to thee 1. Thou wilt acknowledge that Christ hath settled an Order of men as his Substitutes upon earth to take Care of Souls to the end of the World This we find him doing immediately before his ascension into Heaven Thus we read in St. Matthew's Gospel chap. 21.18 19 20. All power is given unto me in Heaven and in Earth go therefore and teach or disciple all nations baptizeing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them te observe whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you alwaies even to the End of the World And thus we read in the 16. c. of St. Marc. v. 15 16. Go ye into all the World and preach the Gospel to every Creature He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned And thus in the 21. c. of St. John's Gospel v. 21.22 23. As my Father hath sent me so send I you and when he had said this he breathed on them and saith receive ye the Holy Ghost whosevers Sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whosoevers sins ye retain they are retained That our blessed Saviour said all this to his Disciples no Christian can doubt and that by these words he did commit that Power and Authority to them which he had received from his Father for the Good of mens Souls is not to be denied and if any Question be made whether this concerned the Apostles only and was confined by him to their own persons it may clearly be resolved by considering 1. The importance of those words I am with you alwayes even to the End of the World for how could he be with them to the End of the World if we suppose those words to concern their persons only they might be with him indeed but he could not be with them to the End of the World who were not to be or to exercise the Authority given them to the End thereof 2. By considering the necessities of the World for what an unhappy condition would they be in who were to live in succeeding Ages if no provision were made for their Instruction in the Christian Faith c. 3. By considering that the Apostles after they had received the Holy Ghost in an eminent and remarkable manner according to Christ's promise did understand the Commission otherwise and therefore we find that they did by Prayer and Imposition of hands the ordinary way of conferring offices among the Jews confer the like Power upon others as they saw good for the edification of the Church and those persons upon whom they conferred this Power are charged by them to take heed to the flock and to feed the Church of Christ and are said to be called and appointed thereunto by the Holy Ghost Act. 20.28 And further those persons that were thus ordained by the Apostles are charged by them to ordain others in the same way and directions are given them what manner of persons they were to ordain to so great an office Thus the Apostle St. Paul having put Timothy in mind of that Sacred office to which he had been ordained by imposition of hands 2 Epist chap. 1. v. 6. and of that form of sound words which he had heard from him in Faith and Love v. 13. chargeshim to commit the same to faithful men who might be able to teach others also chap. 2. v. 2. And the same Apostle tells Titus to whose Care he had committed the whole Church of the Island of Creete that he had left him there and appointed him to ordain Elders i.e. Bishops and Presbyters in every City chap. 1. v. 5. To these St. Paul gives directions how they should behave themselves in the Church of God as his expressions are 1 Tim. 3. c. 15. v. Not only as to the ordaining of others but likewise in many other things relating to the edification of the Church viz. 1. as to preaching that they should hold fast that form of Doctrine which they had received and teach that and none other 1 Tim. 6.14 and 2 Tim. 3.14.2 As to the publick Worship and Service of God 1 Tim. 2.1 2 3.3 As to Government and Discipline the holding of Ecclesiastical Courts the receiving of Accusations the conventing of the accused publikely the correcting of heretical and other disorderly persons the stopping of their Mouths and the Excommunicating them or casting them out of the Church charging them to prejudge no man's Cause and to do nothing for Favour or partiality 1 Tim. 5.19 20 21. v. and Tit. 1. c. 11. v. and chap. 3. v. 10. And so likewise as to the reconciling of Penitents and restoring them into the Communion of the Church and the hopes of Pardon 1 Tim. 5.22 v. By all which it appears plainly that Christ did not commit the Care of those Souls which He had redeemed with his most precious blood to those only who were in a particular manner called his Apostles in the words before set down but that he did there settle an Order of men and give Authority to that Order in a perpetual succession to watch over them and to see that none of them perish or fall short of that Happiness which he designed for them But 2. Thou must acknowledge likewise that this Order of men thus settled by Christ to take Care of Souls are authorized
Authority from Christ to pronounce the Pardon and Absolution of true Penitents But to proceed 3. Having thus acquainted the Spiritual Guide with thy Desires and having fully opened thy self unto him set thy self to receive his Instructions hear him as thou would'st hear Christ himself whose Minister he is speaking to thee mark what he saies with the greatest Care if any thing fall from him which thou do'st not fully understand desire him to explain his Meaning if thou do'st distrust thy Memory his Instructions being many desire him to repeat them and when he hath made an End give him together with they Tanks thy Promise to follow his Directions and so begging his Prayers and his Blessing in the Name of Christ take thy leave of him 4. As soon as thou art gone from him begin to recollect the good Advices thou hast received and to practise accordingly and omit not the Doing of any thing he hath advised thee to If any thing he hath advised thee to seem hard or without Reason yet reject it not but consider That though thou do'st not perceive the Reason why he hath laid such things upon thee yet he may have seen good Reason for it thou do'st not know but it was to try the sincerity of the profession thou hast made to him and to know the better how to fit himself to thy necessities hereafter or it may be he might in prudence design that thou shouldest not understand the Reason of Some particular Advices till thou feelest the good Effect of them and the great Advantages they bring thee to dispose thee the more readily and cheerfully to follow him for the Future for finding great benefit in that in which thou couldest foresee none as well as in that which did promise thee much as thou can'st not but think thy self happy in meeting with such a Guide in Respect of that which is past so thou can'st not but be mightily encouraged by it to give him the entire disposal of thee for the time to come Be careful then to observe his Directions in every thing remembring that as a sick man can receive no Benefit by the best Physitian in the World how well soever he has made him to understand his Disease if he puts up his Prescriptions in his Pocket and makes no further Use of them so the Advices of thy Guide how good soever they may be in themselves will be of no Advantage to thee if thou do'st not follow them nay let me add which thou art concerned to remember that thy Case will be much worse than the Case of such an imprudent person for though he is not like to be benefitted by the Prescriptions of his Physitian yet he can receive no hurt by his not using them whereas thou wilt receive much Dammage by neglecting those that have been given thee for besides this that all insincere dealing in matters of Religion and trifling in holy things if I may so speak does in it self tend to harden the heart and to make thee more regardless of the great Concerns of thy Soul it will certainly provoke God to withdraw his Grace from thee and to leave thee to fall into that Ruine and Destruction which thou art but little afraid of and takest no Care to avoid 5. Return to thy Guide after some time and give him an impartial account of the Use thou hast made of his Instructions and the Benefit thou hast received by them if thou hast failed in any thing confess it freely and declare thy Resolution to do better for the time to come if thou can'st say that thou hast failed in nothing give God Thanks and say as the young man did to our blessed Saviour Matth. 19.20 What lack I yet And then receive his Directions as thou did'st before and take Care to practise accordingly 6. Keep a constant Correspeondence with him as long as thou livest acquainting him from time to time with the State and Condition of thy Soul with thy Progress in Wisdome and Vertue with thy Temptations and Discouragements with thy Failings and Imperfections with thy Doubts and Fears with thy Joyes and Sorrows and undertake not any thing of moment or Importance without his Advice and Approbation thou wilt quickly be sensible of such Advantages by this Course as will effectually encourage thee to proceed in it I will not insist upon that Peace and Satisfaction which thou wilt constantly enjoy in thyown mind by it as having not only the Approbation of thy own Conscience in every thing thou do'st but also the Approbation of one of Christ's Ministers who is better able to judge of thy Actions and may be presumed to judg more impartially than thy self would do It may suffice to mention some of those services he will be continually doing thee he will instruct thee in what thou art ignorant of and will either prevent or rectify thy Mistakes he will resolve thy Doubts and remove thy Fears and case thee of thy Sorrows he will restrain thee when thou art too zealous and forward and quicken thee when thou art dull and slothful and refresh and cheer thee when thou art a weary he will restore thee when thou art fallen and apply the Promises of the Gospel to thee and help thee to take Comfort in them he will remove many Difficulties out of thy way and arme thee against Temptations and support thee under tryals and be both a Guide and a Guardian to thee in all the dangerous and troublesome Passages of thy Life in a word he will make thee to understand thy Duty fully to know what is necessary and what is lawful and what is expedient and what is seasonable and help thee to distinguish between Truth and Falshood Reality and Appearance Good and Evil he will excite and stir up thy Will to embrace the one and refuse the other he will moderate thy affections and keep thy Passions in Order and preserve thee in an even steady Course of well-doing and at last deliver thee up in Peace and safety into the hands of the great Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls Christ Jesus Object But it may be thou wilt meet with some that will ask thee What necessity is there for all this Why may it not be enough for Thy Salvation which is enough for the Salvation of most men who live and dye and go to Heaven without all this Trouble contenting themselves to have a Minister in their Parish to hear him preach and to receive the Sacrament from his hands without putting themselves or him to so much trouble concerning their Souls if They may be saved without all this ado why may'st not Thou it is not good to be singular and they that teach men to be so are not their Friends Ans To those men many things may be replied but it may suffice to offer these few things to their consideration we do not take upon us to judge of the everlasting State of any we leave that to be manifested