THE Weavers POCKET-BOOK OR Weaving Spiritualized In a Discourse wherein Men employed in that Occupation are instructed how to raise Heavenly Meditations from the several parts of their Work To which also are added some few Moral and Spiritual Observations relating both to that and other Trades By J. C. D. D. Promissio Sanctificat omnia et reddit pretiosa in conspectu Dei neque quicquam tam minutum fieri potest in vocatione Divinitas ordinata quin Deo placeat Luther T. 4. in Gen. in c. 46. Job 7.6 My days are swifter than a Weavers Shuttle Isa 38.12 I have cut off like a Weaver my Life Printed in the Year 1695. To his Honoured Friends Bernard Church Esq and John Richars Gentleman Aldermen of the City of Norwich Worthy and much Honoured Friends THE design of the following sheets will be so obvious to every Eye upon the reading of them that many words to expound it to you will be perfectly superflous it will easily be its own interpreter both to you others besides what is needful upon that Subject I shall more fully discourse in my Epistle unto the Reader My business to you is but to give you an account of my Entituling you unto it For which it were enough to say That God hath so blessed you both in that occupation which I make the Theme of the following discourses as that it hath brought you in not only a Livelihood but such an Overplus as hath capacitated you not only to serve your Generation in the Offices relating to and the principal Conduct of that Trade but in other great Employments The one of you hath not only served the City wherein you are in the Offices of Sheriff and Alderman that you both have done but also in the Office of Mayor and that the other too hath not donâ— the same is only from his own Reluctancy and also represented this famous City in the Highest Court of parliament But also because you are great Examples of that Piety Sobriety and Goodness of Temper to which as you will find I have in the following sheets observed this course of Life in mens youth doth much tutour and dispose them and in being or having been the heads and conductors of all that are busied in that Occupation you have Entitutled your selves to all those Discourses which may tend to the Moral or Spiriual Improvements of it You will by the following discourses see you have no reason to reflect with any blushing upon the way in which you were in your youth trained up you have eminently served your Generation before you fall asleep The employment of your Lives hath not been a making Silver-shrines for Diana it hath not been a service to the Luxury Pride and Wantoness of the Generation in which you lived it hath not been an Apocryphal ' Employment it hath been the Employment of a good Dorcas only you made the Stuffe which possibly other pious and devout Souls made up It hath been an Employment that hath had a good end and design upon which in the morning you could warantably go and pray to God for a Blessing and in the evening say Prosper thou the work of our hand upon us Lord Prosper thou our handy-work An Employment which hath kept you at home watching over your Families and which hath brought you in a Livelihood and given you a Station in the world if beneath Envy yet above Pity What hath enabled you to Employ the poor to give portions to six and also to seven you may look back without a regret and rejoyce in the fruit of your Labours seeing many a sober Tradesman that you have bred many a poor person that you have clothed Your days my worthy and honoured Friends are in a great measure past and when you look back upon them you will say they are past Swifter than your Shuttles your week is almost at an end and you who have had many a piece of Stuff at the end of the week brought home to you must in a few weeks or months or years be gathered to your Fathers be no more Your works will follow you and your selves must carry home to the great Lord of Heaven earth the Web which you have Weaved May it please the Lord to bless these Discourses to you both that they may but any way conduce either to augment your comfort in a reflection upon the work which you have already done or help you to throw your Shuttles well as to the remnant which you have yet to do that when you cary all home you may hear that blessed voice Well done good and faithful servant thou hast been faithful in a little I will make thee a ruler over much enter thou into thy masters joy which is and shall be the prayer of him who is Your most faithful and affectionat Friend and Servant in the Work of the Gospel J. C. TO THE READER And more especially To the Masters Wardens and Assistants in the Corporation of Worsted-Weavers relating to the City of Norwich together with all my worthy Friends whether Masters or Journey-men employed in the Art and Mistery of Weaving AT last my worthy Friends I have found both leisure and advantage to testifie both to you and to the World the great value and respect which for more than twenty years that is ever since I understood any thing of you I have had as for very many of your Persons so for that Occupation wherein you dayly are employed so great I will assure you that for these twenty eight years I have hardly been consulted by any Friend about the disposal of a Child whom I have not advised to your Trade and but that in the Education of a Child Nihil invita Minerva the Genius of the Child ought to give a principal Conduct I will assure you next to the immediate service of GOD in his Gospel from which these times deâ—erred me unless I had had enough to have left them to have enabled them to do it freely I had devoted my Sons to your Fellowship nor would any thing have more pleased me as to any Son of mine than to have seen him fancying one of your Looms For I have either taken false Measures which yet I think I have not or no Employment which I have in my Eye hath superiour advantages to you if equal with you to serve all the Nobler Ends of Mans Life Were I so be your Orator I think I have Topicks enough by me to perswade any Person that nothing can commend a Trade to a VVise-man but what is to be found in Yours some of those things you will find enlarged upon in the first of my Observations in the following Sheets My thoughts that it was pity that such a number of Persons employed in so excellent an Employment as you are should want any Advantages to help you from Looms unto Heaven is that which your hath engaged me in this Service a Design which for some
Pontius Pilate who was to cloth all the Elect with that garment of Righteousness in which they are to appear before their Father in Heaven Surely we may say yea rather Blessed are they who are imployed not in making Coverings for the Temple that was Destroyed and in three dayes raised up again but for the living Temples of the Most High GOD if indeed as they prepare clothing so they also clothe the Naked I was naked and ye clothed Me Mat. 25.36 Sect. 7. But what is this God filled them with Wisdom of Heart to do all manner of Work of the Weaver How doth the Eternal GOD humble himself to behold not only the Things done in the Heavens but upon the Earth Who is like unto the Lord who dwelleth on High saith the Psalmist upon this very Argument He clotheth the grass of the Field which to Day is and to Morrow is cast into the Oven and all Flesh is grass saith the Prophet this grass he clotheth also How low doth the lofty Eye descend The wheel is turned upon the Cummin and the Fitches are not threshed out with a threshing Instrument but beaten out with a Staff The bread Corn is bruised because he will not be ever threshing it nor break it with the wheel of his Cart nor bruise it with Horsemen This also cometh from the Lord of Hosts Isa 28.28 29. This What This Discretion Verse 26. His GOD doth instruct him to Discretion and teach him The VVeaver would not have known which way to have fastened his VVarp or ordered his VVoof or directed his Shuttle or mixed his Yarns but for a Discretion taught him by the LORD of Hosts Blessed GOD How great art thou in all things And never greater than in the least of things How little do we know thee or consider thee who yet art ever at our fingers ends What a Meditation this is for a VVeaver at his Loom Is it the LORD of Hosts that influenceth my hand even in this Moment to throw this Shuttle and influenceth my Mind with Discretion to order these Threads to move these several Utensils of my Trade so as they serve the end which I design what a GOD do I serve who is present with me while I sit here at my poor contemptible Imployment who humbleth himself to help me to work and influenceth me to work better than my Neighbour have I more Discretion than my Fellow-Labourer in the same Chamber This also cometh from the LORD who is mighty in Counsel and wonderful in Working Sect. 8. I am therefore certainly obliged to be Humble If I can invent a New Stuff which another cannot with all his Industry hit upon if I can better order my Yarns my Colours if I can better order my VVork or throw my Shuttle more Nimbly and bring a Piece quicker off the Loom I have no reason to despise him that cannot be so quick or sagacious as my self for what have I which I have not received from him who is mighty in Counsel To despise the diligent Person or my dull Companion that is not Sottish and willfully Negligent in his work is but to reproach my Maker and he was mine as well as his I derived no more of my Soul than he did from his Mother and they are the nimbler exercises of that not of my terrene Earthlie part which discovers this ingenuitie But I have infinite Reason to be thankfull to that GOD who hath thus given me that Power to get Riches which he that denied to him that works in the same Chamber with me Certainly I stand obliged to do more than others for that God who hath done more for me than for others of my own Trade This common Gift obligeth me to special Duty because it is not common to me with all though it be common to Me with others who never tasted special and distinguishing Grace Sect. 9. Now what should the Weavers do more doubtless Love Honour serve that GOD more but these are Generals Of Old the first-fruits were to be offered unto the LORD To do good and to distribute saith the Apostle forget not for with such Sacrifices GOD is well pleased Distributions fall under the two Notions of feeding the Hungry and clothing the Naked The Latter of these directly referreth to the Weaver's Trade I have heard that a late Learned Lawyer in this Nation during his whole Life would lay aside every tenth Fee for pious and charitable Uses Our Law obligeth the Lawyer to give his pains to Him or Her that will plead in forma pauperis If you can think of nothing else whereby to shew your Gratitude to GOD yet this you cannot over-look because ever in your Eye This is to Honour GOD with your Substance and with your Increase your Increase lyeth in making Clothing for the Naked Let your Friends when you are gone be able as the Friends of Dorcas to bring forth the Clothes which when alive She had made for the Poor Let me tell you that GOD is the best Merchant you can part with a Piece of Stuff to he indeed sometimes takes day to see if his Weavers can trust him but as he payes certainly so he payes to the best Profit He that casts his Bread upon many VVaters shall after many dayes find it And so shall he that throws a Piece of Cloth or Stuff there He shall find it in that day when GOD shall say to them on his right Hand I was Naked and you Clothed me Sect. 10. But if I must be filled with the VVisdom of GOD to work all manner of VVork of the VVeaver if this cometh from the LORD then much more to work any Spiritual VVork If there must be a special influx of Providence beyond what ordinary Souls of VVorkmen have possessed of an understanding and will of the same species with mine upon me to make me a better VVorkman to invent a New Piece of Stuff to judge of its acceptableness to People the next Year better than another of the same Trade with me that hath the same understanding and will that I have VVhat an influence of GOD must it require to perform a spiritual Service that shall be acceptable unto GOD Cannot I mix my Colours as I would and may I Repent or Believe if I will It is not in my Power to make a Piece of Stuff of which I have the Patern which lyes before me and for which I have the Materials and is it in my Power to do an Action truly and spiritually good though I have Paterns before me though I have the same rational Soul that he hath that doth it He that denieth distinguishing spiritual Habits referring to truly Spiritual Acts will be forced to acknowledge a distinguishing Common Gift given to one VVeaver and not to another The one can invent the other cannot the one can judge better whether a Piece of Stuff will next Year take the one can do his work more neatly and acceptably to every Eye Man
not enough to have Truth in our Bible and Books and a Notion of it in our Heads it must be fastned to our Souls which is alwayes done by Faith we must be Rooted and Grounded in Faith as well as in Love Propositions of Truth are many times but Probationers to the Soul and never admitted into its Fellowship A Man may know that Proposition of Truth from which yet he withholds his Assent is Men may detain the Truth in Vnrighteousness not living up to their Principles so they may retain the Truth in Vnbelief not fixedly and steadily agreeing to those Notions of Truth they have heard and learned Knowing is one thing agreeing to the Truth of what we know is another yea agreement is one thing and a steady fixed agreeing to it is another So that a Christian will strive earnestly and contend for it as another thing The Faith of many Christians is described by an Heathen Tully I mean Tusc quest lib. 1. Nescio quomoda dum lego assentior cum posui librum et mecum ipse de immortalitate animorum coepi cogitare assensio omnis illa elabitur When they read the holy Scriptures when they hear the Messengers of GOD interpreting them comparing Scripture with Scripture and from strength of Reason confirming Propositions in them they cannot but agree the things to be truth but as soon as the Books is out of their hand and the sound of the Preachers word is out of their Ears they begin to doubt whether any thing be Truth which they have read or heard and indeed no better is the Assent of any who by the mighty working of the Spirit of GOD have not Faith wrought in them hence it is that their Faith is neither Fruitfull by Love and Good Works nor steady in it self There is no need at all that to secure Holiness of Life Men should bring it into the description of Faith and so make an innovation in Divinity which alwayes according to the Scripture distinguished Faith and Love for Holiness which is Love in the Fruit is a necessary consequent of true Faith either respecting the Proposition of the Word or the Person of the Mediator Can he be thought indeed to believe that Arsenick is Poyson who yet freely takes it into his Belly Or can any be judged to trust in a Friend for a kindness who hath promised it but upon the condition of some performance which he refuseth to do It is I say from this that the Propositions of truth are not fastned in the Soul that Men walk not according to the light of them Ephesians 4.14 and that they are tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine by the sleight of Men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive Every breath of wind would disturb the Weaver and every idle hand would trouble him if his warp were not fastned to his Loom Every wind of Doctrine and every Ignorant idle Seducer disturbeth that Souls Profession of Truth who hath not the Proposition thereof by Faith fastned unto his Soul 2. The Weaver divideth his warp that it may serve several intendments The deliberate Christian divideth the Propositions of Truth of which his Soul is possessed Some refer to speculation Some more immediately to Practice Some inform him what GOD is what CHRIST is what He hath done and suffered what the holy SPIRIT is what Heaven and Hell are c. others more immediately refer to Practice informing the Soul what it ought to be both towards GOD and towards Men. These Precepts concern him as a Magistrate This concerneth him as a Minister These things concern him as a Father these as a Child These Propositions contain the Will of GOD concerning Him as an Husband These concern the Woman as a VVife These concern him as a Master The other as a Subject or as a Servant And this is necessary that he may be Holy in all manner of Conversation For Holiness is a lovely spotless Fruit that grows up from the revealed will of GOD concerning us as the Root and as this Root sends forth many Branches so the Fruit of Holiness must be seen in every Bough in every Relation and Circumstance of his Life 3. The filling-boys prepare the Yarn for the Weaver by winding it upon several Reeds and Quills which being filled he teacheth to the VVeaver sitting in his Loom and ready to go to work VVe suppose our spiritual Weaver fixed in his Loom ready to say with David My Heart is fixed O GOD my Heart is fixed resolved to walk with GOD in all the Duties of Holiness having sâ—id with David Psalms 119.57 Thou art my Porâ—ion O LORD I have said that I will keep thy words We suppose him also to have wound his warp â—bout his Loom to be not only possessed of a due Notion of Divine Truths but to have his Heart rooted and grounded in them giving a fixed and steady Assent unto them and now every Relation every Neighbour every New Providence every Action of his Life becomes as a filling-boy to him affording him matter to work upon reaching him a Quill or Reed to work with The Subject gives the Magistrate an opportunity to work the work of GOD by Executing Justice and Judgement without respect of Persons knowing that he judgeth not for himself but for the LORD c. The Magistrate doth the same for the Subject giving him an opportunity to fulfill the will of GOD by Honouring the King and being subject to the higher Powers because ordained of GOD. The VVife gives the Husband advantage for his spiritual web of Righteousness by loving Her as CHRIST loved his Church 1 Peter 3.7 by walking before Her as a Man of VVisdom and Knowledge Ephesians 5.25 Colosians 3.19 1 Peter 3.1 And the Husband requires his VVife by giving her the like advantage to shew her self obedient to the Commands of her Father which is in Heaven by reverencing her Husband endeavouring to win him by her Conversation by loving him and being subject unto him as her own Husband Titus 2.4 5. 1 Peter 3.1 Ephesians 5.22 23. c. Is he that sitteth in this spiritual Loom a Father how easily may he see every Child he hath about him with one of these Pipes or Quills in his hand offering him for his work of Righteousness an opportunity to be obedient unto GOD in bringing him or her up in the Nurture and Admonition of the LORD and not provoking it to wrath Ephesians 6.4 in minding it of its Covenant in Baptism made with GOD in teaching it or them the Statutes of the LORD diligently when he sitteth in the House when he walketh by the Way when he lyeth Down and when he riseth Vp according to the Law of the LORD Deutronomy 6.7 Is he a Child he may see his Parents mutually serving him in his spiritual work giving him advantage to please GOD by Obeying his Parents in the LORD for this is right Ephesians 6.1 Is
upon which their Eternity depends in Digging up to themselves Cisterns broken Cisterns that will hold no VVater Did they Believe there were a GOD there were an Heaven such a Reward as the Scripture speaks for the Righteous it were impossible they should move so little for it while they work so hard for what is infinitely beneath it 2. The Weaver's Master pays him according to his Work The Materials he hath before received from his Master of Various sorts and prices according to the piece he is to work Some spoil all and have in stead of VVages Nothing but a smart Reproof and Chiding or an Action brought against them Others bring it Home slovenly done Others bring it done well and work man like They are paid according to their work The great Master the LORD of Heaven and Earth furnisheth every Man with Materials and Instruments for him to do the work which he hath given him to do None is without a Reasonable Soul endued with several Faculties the Principles and Instruments of all Humane Operations All indeed have not alike wit Capacity Judgment Reason But all have some Materials some Power 's given to them GOD as the Prudent Weaver doth not at first give out to all the best Materials The Prudent Weaver first tries his Servant with Coarser Yarn than with Finer First with Woollen then with Silk If he works not the Coarser first well his Master trusts him not with the Finer If he works not his VVoollen Yarn well his Master will not adventure Silk into his Hands If he doth work the Coarser well his Master is not bound otherwise than he may be by a Promise or Covenant to trust him with his most Choise and Costly Materials I must Confess I do much encline to think that in the day of Judgment no Soul shall be Condemned for not doing that which it had not wherewithal to do As a Man may Sin without the Law so he may perish without the Law being judged without the Law I can easily acquit the holy GOD of any Unrighteousness if in Man 's Lapsed Estate he should Eternally Condemn a Soul for not doing what in his present State he cannot do 'T is certain that we all had in Adam a Power to do whatsoever in Innocency GOD required of Man in order to Salvation If our Forefather spent what we should have lived upon it were very absurd to say GOD hath lost his Right to Exact his Debt because we have lost our Power to pay it But I say I see no need to insist on this GOD will find enough to Condemn â—inners for at last because they have done it when he forbade them and it was in their Power to have forborn it Or not done what he Commanded and was in their power to have done The meritorious cause of their Damnation to whom GOD pleaseth not to give Efficacious Grace will be found their abuse or not use of their Common Grace It is true did Men use their Common Grace never so well they could not by such use of it earn Special Grace that is a sacred VVind which bloweth where it listeth The price of it is above all the Pearl and Coral and Rubies and Diamonds of a Natural Mans work But I do not think that in the day of Judgement we shall see the face of one Soul who did what in him lay Onely GOD was wanting to him in the Dispensations of Effectual Grace The Sinner let him think what he will to the Contrary shall never lay his Damnation at GOD'S door This great Master will give every one according to his work Some shall arise to Shame and Contempt some to Life Eternal All shall receive according to what they have done in the flesh whether it be Good or Evil. The latter shall go into Everlasting Punishment the Righteous into Life Eternal Matthew 25.46 VVhen CHRIST comes and it will be quickly his Reward will be with him to give every Man according as his work shall be Revelation 22.12 When the Son of Man shall come in the Glory of his Father with his Angels then shall he reward every Man according to his works Matthew 16.27 He whose work hath bin to rise 〈◊〉 Early to drink Strong Drink and to sit at the Wine till it Enflameth him shall have according to his Work his Portion where he shall want a Cup of cold Water to Cool his Tongue Other sensual Sinners shall also have according to their work i. e. the Judgment Threatned in the word of GOD to such kind of works And the Child of GOD also shall have according to his work Isaiah 32.17 The work of Righteousness shall be peace and the effect of it Quieâ—ness and Assurance for ever The good-man shall receive according to his work The King shall say to them on his right Hand come you Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom c. For I was an Hungry and you gave me Meat c. 3. As every Christians work is not alike so neither will his Wages be 1 Corinthians 3.15 If any Mans Work be Burnt he shall suffer Loss but he himself shall be saved yet so as through Fire He that Buildeth upon the True Foundation shall be Saved but yet he may so work that much of his work may be Burnt and if it be so he shall suffer Loss he shall be saved but as through Fire It hath been a Question amongst Divines whether there shall be Degrees of Glory in Heaven yea or no 'T is very probable there shall much Scripture looketh that way certain it is that in many things all the Glorified Saints shall be Equal They shall all be Exempted from Eternal Punishment they shall all see GOD they all shall be for ever with the LORD but that they shall all sit on Equal Thrones and have the same Degrees of Glory and Happiness we cannot say nor yet will describe wherein the Difference shall lie what further Degrees of Honour or Pleasure one shall have more than another This we know that every Spiritual Weaver shall â—in the Great Day be Paid according to the Kind of his VVork and according to the Degree of his Work in its Kind be it Good or Evil. It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon for Sodom and Gomorrah than for Chorazin Bethsaida and Capernaum Those that abide with CHRIST in his Temptations shall sit upon twelve Thrones Judging the Twelve Tribes of Israel 4. Onely there will be these Differences betwixt the Earthly and the Spiritual Weavers payment 1. The Earthly Weaver hath something Due to him from the Nature of his work as well as from his Masters Promises and Contract So hatâ— not the Spiritual VVeaver The wages of Siâ— iâ— Death But the gift of GOD is Eternal life A Man may earn Hell but he must have Heaveâ— freely given him of GOD All the pretence of Debt we have is from a free Promise 2. Again the Earthly Weaver may do something beyond his
said In the Sweat of thy face thou shalt eat thy Bread and the Apostle when he Commanded That those that would not labour should not eat hath shut him out of good Christians Charity and forbade him the poor Mans basket The idle Person is the only one for whom the bountiful GOD hath made no provision GOD hath Provided a basket into which every good Man will put something for him that cannot live by his Hands But for the idle Person GOD hath provided nothing but a bridewell here and an hell hereafter 2. And is it not thus in the Spiritual Trade There are some that cannot go to Hell without a Drum and Trumpet before them in proclaiming their Sin as Sodom they proclaim their Damnation also and so as he that can but Read a Line in Scripture may Run and Read it GOD 〈◊〉 damning them shall but answer their frequent prayers or imprecation in that pagan dialect The mischief of it is that these Men will no suffer others to go to Heaven if they can help meer dogs in the Churches manger they abhor the Name and thing of Religion yet will prescribe to others and be the Informers against them for VVorshipping that GOD whom their Souls impudently defy and contemn These now like prophane Esau for a mess of pottage despise their birthright Forlorn and desperate Souls how just shall their damnation be But Oh! that Hell might open its Mouth for noâ—e but these prodigies of abominations There are others Steal themselves into a Bottomless Pit they do not so openly Despise But they Neglect the great Salvation of the Gospel Thâ— Men are not Drunkards no Dammees no profane Swearers and Cursers no Adulterers but there is one no more belongs to them they are no Saints a formal lazy sort of professors that have a mind to go to Hell and no Man shall discern it The voice of Swearing Cursing Blaspheming is not heard in their Houses but neither is the voice of Prayer hard they do not drink but they will sleep themselves into Damnation For the business of Repentance Faith New-obedience Mortifications of Lusts Self-denial taking up the Cross following of CHRIST they Understand none of these things nor Mind them at all It may be they go to Church but 't is all one as if they staid at home The Sermon hath no more taste in their Souls than the white of an Egg. The first are a cholerick kind of Sinners these a Phlegmatick sort The End of both will be the same neither do the work which GOD hath given them to do nor finish the Course which GOD hath given them to run They are both going the same Road to a bottomless pit only the first gallop these only â—og on The first may come to their journey's End a little sooner but at Night they will both meet 3. Oh Let the honest Weaver consider this That as his work in his Loom will no more be done by sitting still and sleeping in his Loom than by breaking his Threeds and throwing his Shuttle out of the window So the great business of his Salvation may as much miscarry by a neglect as by doing what is directly opposite to it when he sees a Man Undone in hiâ— Trade through meer neglect of it going loitering up and down and doing nothing Seneca if I Remember right though he were an Heathen complained of time lost four ways Either by doing nothing or doing ill which is worse than nothing or by doing aliud something that is not our business or by doing that which is good in an ill Manner A Meditation worthy of a Christian he loitereth in his Spiritual Employ not only who doth what is ill of who doth just nothing but he also who doth too much of other things or good things in a slight Careless perfunctory manner Methinks when the VVeaver seeth his Neighbour ruined by Laziness or perfunctory slovenly doing of his VVork he might Reasonably Reflect upon his Soul and say My Soul take heed thou also doest not thus perish The Peom Two things the ruin of the Tradesman be Sloth Luxury One throws away whatever he doth gain And should maintain His family their belly and their back Smarts for his Sack He whores he plays away his needful food And drinks their blood After a while he counts All he hath won Is Hee 's undone The other idle at his Shop-door stands Folding his Hands 'T is death to him to work Hee 'l also come To the same doom Both die in Jailes though these do faster go Others more Slow T is but the same case in the Spiritual Trade Some men are made Heirs of Hell by an excess of Riot Others by Quiet In Active Negligence some do proclaim Their open Shame And tell men whither they are bound They tell All they 'r for Hell Others as they think with some little wit Steal to the pit Some wretches cry GOD damn me Some would have GOD them to Save But will not ask it wages they expect But do Neglect The work to which Heaven must be the pay At th' Judgement-day My Soul Shun both those rocks thou sailest well And avoid'st Hell If thou comest to Hell at last what ere Why thou comest there Will no refreshing be to thee to think Whether by Drink By Cheating Swearing Murder or by less Vnrighteousness Or by neglect of what thou shouldst have done Thou beest undone Hell will be Hell both unto the profane And careless Man CHAP. IV. Some work away their living Some trust it away Observation 4. 1. MIlle modis morimur It is an old Observation that though we all come one way into the VVorld and that through Difficulties yet we die many ways There are more than one way indeed by which men come by their Trading Stocks yet not so many as there are by which men may lose it and prove Beggers VVe have already considered the two main Luxury and Laziness but these are not all I observe that some work away what they have 'T is pity that the industrious Hand should make poor but so it is in the VVorld very often Either they toil in Stuffs out of fashion and not vendible or they do their work slovenly or they trust to a Market for their works and fail or some other thing Happens that the Men are undone by working slovenly or Indiscreetly VVhen-as there were no such way to live as working did they work the works which are acceptable in that time or work Handsomly and prudently VVe by Experience see many men may be undone as well by working as by Rioting and playing 2. I observe again that many are Undone by Trusting Either because the Persons they trust are not Responsal or because they give longer time than their Stock will bear or the Persons they trust are Unfaithfull to their VVords 3. Methinks I see 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 something Analogous to this in our Spiritual Concerns Some lose Heaven by a Vain and Groundless trusting
some by an Unwary and Ill-circumstanced working Go through a whole City of Professors and ask them how they hope hereafter to be saved they will tell you they hope they rest they trust in the LORD JESUS CHRIST whenas too many who say so CHRIST will be no better than a broken Staff and a bruised Reed which if a Man leans upon it will only run into and wound his Hand Not that Our Blessed LORD may not be Trusted for He is able to save to the utmost those who by Faith come unto Him not that He is not Faithfull For he is Faithfull who hath Promised saith the Apostle but because they had no ground to trust in him Living and being resolved to Live and do as they do No Man can lay a Natural Claim to Heaven no Man can challenge the Salvation of his Soul as a Debt to him we are told that Eternal Life is the Gift of GOD and being so none hath any pretence of ground to trust in GOD and CHRIST for it but upon some promise For upon this Hypothesis that All men shall not be saved who can pretend to any lively Hope to any justly-sounded Confidence unless he hath our LORDS Word to show wherein he hath Promised that though Topheth be prepared of Old for some yet it is not for him he is one for whom the Kingdom is prepared Now none can pretend a Right to a limited and conditionâ—l Promise until he findeth fulfilled 〈◊〉 him or that he hath fulfilled the Conditioâ—â— to the performance of which the Good thing promised is annexed VVere it not Ridiculous supposing one of us had promised a great Reward to any that would do such a Piece of VVork for to talk of trusting in us for the Reward without any doing of the Work especially doing the quite contrary Even those things to the doing of which we have threatned the greatest severities we can Use GOD hath indeed made many great and Precious Promises of Eternal Life and Salvation to those who believe in JESVS CHRIST who work Righteousness who do the things which please him c. he hath as planly said The fearful the Vnbelieving the Abominable the Murtherers Whoremongers Sorcerers Idolaters and all Lyars shall have their part in the lake which burns with Fire and Brimstone Revelation 21.8 He hath bidden us not be deceived 1 Corinthians 6.9 neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers nor Effeminate persons nor abusers of themselves with mankind nor Thieves nor Covetous persons nor Revilers nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of GOD. If notwithstanding any such person will pretend to trust in CHRIST for Salvation he abuseth his own Soul and by his presumptuous trusting runs himself upon Damnation A presumptuous confidence destroys its ten thousands 4. And are there not others who work themselves into Hell what shall we say to Israel of whom the Apostle testifieth That though they followed after the Law of Righteousness yet they attained not to the Law of Righteousness wherefore because they sought it not by Faith but as it were by the works of the Law There was indeed a way to Heaven revealed by meer working but now saith the Apostle the Righteousness of GOD is revealed from Faith to Faith Many will not Understand this and look still for nothing but a Legal Righteousness Have you not sometimes seen it thus with a Poor Bee it comes home where the Hive was the Hive is removed to another place the Bee knows it not nor will stir to look for it but there lies grovelling upon the old place till it dies Do not you see it in the VVeavers Trade there were some kinds of Stuffs heretofore possibly in the time when this or that Man served his Apprentiship that were in Fashion and there was a great Market for them and many grew Rich by them but they have been out a long time the dull Tradesman considers it not but goes on still making them and is very busy but when he hath done there is no Market for them GOD of old said to Adam do this and live Salvation was exhited upon the Term of working only GOD hath altered the case Now the Promise is to him that believeth as well as worketh and without Faith saith the Apostle it is impossible to please GOD many heedless souls consider not this they work and work themselves into Hell GOD will hereafter say unto them VVho hath required this at your Hands though it may be GOD did require and doth require still the doing of the things which they do for so he did require those Duties considered materially of which yet he saith who hath required them but he hath required them to be done in Faith out of a principle of Evangelical Love in a sincerity of Obedience having a single Respect and Eye to his Glory not being done under these circumstances they are things he hath not required and no better than cutting off a Dogs Neck and the Offering up of Swines Blood as GOD himself speaketh of the Jewish services irregularly performed There 's no Market in Heaven now for meer Works more than for an idle inoperative Faith The Papist the Formalist all Ruine themselves by working who ever looks for a Salvation by a meer legal Righteousness or by a Superficial outside performance will find himself a Begger at last when CHRIST shall say to those that shall plead They have prayed in his name and have prophesied in his name and in his name cast out Devils Depart from me I know you not you workers of Iniquity 5. What then shall a Man be saved without Works by no means nor by meer works we are saved by Faith saith the Apostle and Faith saith the same Apostle worketh by Love Works dipt in the Blood of CHRIST must bring a Soul to Heaven when we have talked what we can he that Believeth will and must work but every one that worketh doth not Believe and He that Believeth not is Damned already saith our SAVIOUR Happy is he that can compound both these as well in Practice as in Judgement but he is miserable who divides what GOD hath put together I always thought it a good Rule for all Christians to believe as much as if Works had no influence upon his Salvation and to work as much as if Heaven were to be earned by meer VVorking GOD forbid that we should say VVorks are Needless because we say Faith in CHRIST iâ— needful The Poem May Men by working be undone How many Hazards do they run Who trade for bread What needs Sollicitude Then thus Let 's trust him more who saith to us We shall be fed But trusting may undoe us too Say then what shal poor Tradesmen do Trust warily And work hard too for work and trust Together make the Tradesman must When others fly Say not that in the Spiritual trade Any by trust are happy made By trust alone Trust without ground to trust upon Is but a bold presumption Men