plainly holds forth the duty of Christians in their whole life is uncontravertedâ— clear from the Scriptures and all Debates 〈◊〉 religious matters that have not the alone prospect of bettering and advancing of Knowledge are certainly not allowable And as your heartâ— all times ought to be over-filled with true love 〈◊〉 God and such as bears his Image so especially be respective to the Ministers of the Gospel being Ambassadors for Christ and Administrator of the Ordinances appointed by him in the Neâ—â— Testament as the Apostle enjoyns 1 Thes 5 1â—â— I beseech you brethren mark them which labour amongst you and are over you in the Lord and adminish you and esteem them very highly in Love for the works sake And let not the infirmities of any 〈◊〉 them procure in your heart any disrespect to thâ—â— holy Calling But mind what the same Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4.7 That we have this Treasure in earth en Vessels that the exeellency of the power may be 〈◊〉 God and not of us 13. As you are to have a Pity and Love eveâ— towards such as altogether wants Religion 〈◊〉 worships God not truly as he hath appointed 〈◊〉 his Word so ye would altogether avoid the least of Animosity with such as with Charity 〈◊〉 may judge differs only anent Church-government or any thing else not inconsistent with the salvation of their Souls not doubting but ye will sinâ— at the day of Judgment that the many Niceitieâ— which a great part do but too much concern themselves in are the effects of want of Charit and a gospel Frame and disposition of heart 14. The wickedness of our hearts is such as doth altogether unfit for the doing of Duty Have we any prosperity in the enjoyment of health or any thing desireable in the world we are seldom or never in a frame for rightly acknowledging God for his Mercies and improving them to the end of our having thereof And if Providence tryst our being crossed in what is delightful to us how ready are we to dejection of mind and what does unfit for Duty let every Dispensation of God to you-ward lead you to the consideration of failings in your bypast life and stir you up to a suitable walk under what you are trysted with Endeavour an equality of Temper in all your ways if Dispensations any ways prosperous be your Lot consider you have them from God and humbly acknowledge his Mercy in what ever you meet with and if what is more cross befal you repine not thereat but mind that the worst of Conditions is above your desert Seek of him with earnestness that you may truly learn his holy Will in all his Dispensations and in Prosperity or Adversity let all your care be to know what ye are called to as Duty and to endeavour with diligence the doing thereof even in things relating to this life then with chearful Submission leave the event of all your concerns to God who is wonderful in goodness to such as fear and trust in him 15. When the Lords day is come remember to keep it holy as God has expresly appointed in his 4th Command And in order thereto prepare your Heart for the Duties thereof before it approach for however a great many in this Age may contravert the Morality of that Precept for the due observation of the Sabbath yet may you be satisfied with what is fully held forth by I may say all the most serious and godly of Divines that it is from the Practise noâ— only of the Primitive Church being the mospure of Christians but even of the Appostles whâ— were immediately inspired of God and whose Example we are bound to follow And as the due Observance of the Sabbath under the Law was enjoyned under the certification of greâ—â— wrath from God as in Nehemiah 13. cap. v. 17. and 18. What evil is this that ye do and prophaâ—â— the Sabbath did not your Fathers thus and did 〈◊〉 our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this Câ—ty yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profanity the Sabbath So the Promises to the doing there of were great as in Isa 56.2 Blessed is the mâ—â— that doth this and the son of man that layeth holdâ—â— it that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it Aâ—â— 58.13 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath and from doing thy pleasure on my holy day aâ—â— call the Sabbath of the Lord a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not finding thiâ—â— own pleasure nor speaking thine own words then shaâ—â— thou delight thy self in the Lord and I will cause thâ—â— to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed the with the heretage of Jacob thy father for the mouâ—â— of the Lord hath spoken it Yea not only from History the judgments of God upon Sabbath-breakers are manifest but such as are of small Experience may evidently perceive the dreadful consequences thereof in the confession of almost all Malefactors that comes to publick Execution It is trâ—â— such as are pleased to have no respect to the dâ— Observation of the Sabbath and to object againâ— the obligation upon Christians for keeping it holy doth answer to that of its being so generally confessed by dying Penitents that the same flows but from their Education and its being inculcat in them to be so sinful but what answer will such I may say prophane Wretches give to this so palpable Evidence of God's displeasure with the profanation of that Day that He in his over-ruling Providence often permits notorious Breakers of the Sabbath to fall in such sins as even brings them to open and shameful Punishment in this World And albeit the ways of God's Providence are not to be fathomed and gross Sinners of every kind do's in things relating to this life Die without any appearing Marks of God's displeasure which may fully satisfie all rational Persons that there is a Judgment to come so the temporal Calamities sometimes trysting Sinners in this World are an Earnest of what shall be Dispensed at that dreadful Day to such and it may plainly appear to you that the Cavilling against the Obligations for keeping Holy the Sabbath of our Lord is of the Devil being that only such as want tenderness of Conscience and Love not to live in any thing according to the Rules of the Gospel do thus declare themselves whereas Persons whose hearts are God-ward however their Frailty may hinder the due performance of their Duty are ever ready to acknowledge their Obligation to the observation of that Day to be kept a Sabbath Holy to the Lord. Yea Sir Matthew Hale late L. Chief Justice of England whose Memory is Savoury to all good men that knew or heard of him in his Directions to his Children for keeping the Lords Day doth press it upon them for several Reasons and in one whereof he saith because I have found by long and sound Experience that the due observance of that
and the Prophets and for the histocal part of the Bible I think it not so necessary that you do so often read it After your reading endeavour to enlarge your self in Confession and Prayer to God and lift up your heart not only in a general acknowledgment of his mercies but in particularly acknowledging him for the mercies you are ever meeting with In your Petitions pray for all especially these you have interest in and such as are in Authority yea omit not your very Enemies and forget not to be earnest with God in behalf of his Church and People And certainly you cannot better at some times conclude your wandering and sinful Prayers then in the words of that unconceivable excelling Prayer of our blessed Lord and Saviour Our Father c. You would endeavour duly to perform the duties of Prayer Reading and Meditation at the times set a part by you and not to omit them unless some special Reason occur obleiging you to alter in which case you would redeem the lost occasion by a new opportunity albeit I be not against the length of Prayers when fitness of frame and occasion enables you to enlarge therein yet I incline you should for ordinar be frequent albeit succinct in that Duty and besides the ordinar times for your Divotion Evening and Morning you would not only throughout the day be frequent in ejaculatory Petitions to God but as occasion offers of any privacy you would upon your Knees with thankfulness of heart humbly put up your desires to God for strength against your Corruption and a supply of your Souls wants which upon little Recollection you will always find to be many 4. When you eat or drink neglect not that Christian Practice of seeking a Blessing before your doing thereof and giving of Thanks after your partaking of what God in great merey has bestowed upon you it may truly be said to be a Christian Practice being as you may be satisfied from the Evangelists the Custom of our blessed Saviour But as ye are called to avoid Formalitie in Christian Duties so ye would especial-beware of it in this the Corruption of our wretched Hearts prevailing but too much to our being formal in the Duties we more frequently gâ— about it is to be feared that the Motives to this Duty with the most part is allanerly Custom or to shun some kind of publick Reproach that attends the neglect thereof And alas too seldom are our hearts intent upon what we are doing therein I desire ye may seriously mind that it is not Words but the Heart that God requires and whether by your self alone or as the mouth of others that with you doth partake of what he in Mercy gives be serious in expressing succinctly desires suitable to the occasion and especially if you do it with and for others I am satisfied of its being very suitable for Persons qualified at some occasions to enlarge in that Duty but I think it would be done with discretion for unless some singular Circumstance require it or that the Speaker be satisfied of an inclination in these that joyn with him to go along heartily in the Petitions put up to God not directly tending to the craving of a Blessing to or giving Thanks for the present Mercy He would beware of doing what the unsuitable frame in others and very likely in himself may be but a Snare to the Company Indeed we are not only in all our Approaches to God to forbear the doing thereof so as may evidence Formality and want of Attention to the Duty we go about but even in the most single Petition we put up it were fitting we did so express a sense of our own unworthiness and Gods infinite Goodness for which at all times we should praise him yet our Experience from a smal Observation may satisfie that tediousness therein reaches not to bring the hearts of these that should joyn in it to a serious doing thereof 5. With your Petitions in Prayer and at other occasions either in word or thought magnifie the Name of God for his Mercies they are unexpressibly Great in all that occurrs to us but oh the Greatness of the Love of God! in sending His Son to satisfy Divine Justice for wretched miserable rebellious Man Forget not at all times the Praising of God by word and in thought Our most Blessed Lord in that excelling Pattern of Prayer doth begin and conclude with the Father's Praise and surely the duty of Praise is of all that is required by God of Man what do's most immediatly tend to His giory what we are else call'd to do or seek of Him hath the immediat tendency to our own or our Neighbour's Well but our conscientious hearty praising of God of all Duties do's most directly glorify Him and it is the beginning here what shall be the delightful and ever continuing work of such as shall in and through Christ at the Great Day of His appearance be accepted of Him to all Eternity I have told you of my unfitness to direct you particularly in your duty God-ward and I pray God for Christ's sake give you knowledge in Duty and sanctify your heart let the World have nothing of the room of Christ therein for it is unspeakably vain and wicked Solomon doth uncontravertedly hold forth the vexatious Vanities incident to the life of Man and it is certainly evident there is nothing truly desireable but an Interest in Christ and that they are only happy whose God is the Lord and not only is the Evidence of an Interest in Christ desireable but it is attainable as is plain from the Mouth of our Blessed Lord who says what all the enemies to the use of Marks or Evidences can lay no exception against Mat. 6.21 For where your treasure is there will your heart be also And I recommend to your serious perusal Mr. Guâ—hrie's Tryal of a Saving Interest which will direct you therein and the Means for attaining to it 6. Let your whole walk throughout the day be as I have hinted to you have upon your heart the awful sense of Gods presence wherever you are or whatever you do or think I deny not but the World may and must be minded by you but still in its place secondarly and subordinatly for what is the World to your Soul What is Bread or Cloaths or Money or a house or Lands to an everlasting Kingdom Let the Lord have the whole ordering of you make no Purchase but where God who is present allows of the Bargain and go about no Business concerning which you cannot say I am herein trading for God That is your doing either what immediatly tends to his Glory or your serving Him in your Station and Calling as he hath appointed by the 15 Psalm you will see what is acceptable to God 7. Meditation is a Duty in which there is much delight to such as seriously practise it and it is what will truly tend to the bringing your heart
Day and of the Duties of it have been of singular comfort and advantage to me and I doubt not but it will prove so to you God Almighty is the Lord of our time and lends it to us and as it is but just we should consecrate this part of that time to Him so I have found by a strict and diligent Observation that the due Observation of the Duties of this Day hath ever had joined to it a Blessing upon the rest of my time and the Week that hath been so begun hath been blessed and prosperous to me and on the other side when I have been negligent of the Duties of the Day the rest of the Week hath been unsuccessful and unhappy to my own secular Employment so that I could easily make a◠estimat of my success in my own secular Employment the Week following by the manner of my passing this Day and this I do not write lightly and Inconsideratly but upon a long and sound Observation and Experience These being the words of that Grea◠Man are much to be considered he not only being of great Integrity but uncontrovertedly o◠a sound Judgment and great Knowledge almost in every thing 15. In the Evening of the day preceeding you would be more then ordinarly earnest with God that He may by his Grace fit you for 〈◊〉 suitable going about the Duties of the ensuin◠Sabbath And when it is come consider that as God did appoint in the Old Testament the Sacrifice to be doubled on that Day so he require◠of us Christians that we should therein double our Duties of Prayer Praise and Meditation◠and as at all times you are bound to remember the Church and People of God in your Prayers so especially in a Sabbath pray with earnestness that our Lord's Kingdom may be advanced throughout the world and that the Offers of Grace in his Gospel may be the Portion of the Land you live in Pray that God for Christs sake may send forth Ambassadors fitted for that Work and that he bless the Word and Ordinances where you are to be present in the discharge of the Duties of a Sabbath 16. Rise early that Morning and mind you are to spend the whole day in God's service When you repair to the place of Publick Worship do it so as you be there before any part of it begin and come not from the same whilest it be fully ended and in the time of Worship have your heart intent upon the Duties it is the heart especially that God requires and not only ought we to have presence of mind in hearing the Word preached but especially in Prayer and Praise for it is an intollerable contempt of God who searcheth the heart and knoweth the most secret of our Thoughts to draw near to Him in Worship and to have our hearts going out after any other Object whatsoever Yea it is a direct Saying practically that we are bruitish Fools and wretched Atheists in worshipping of God as knowing our Thoughts and doing it in that manner as evidences manifest contempt and directly draws down His Vengeance upon us 17. If the Sacrament of Baptism be administred where you are present you would not only with all your heart concur in the Petitions up to God before and after the Administration but hearken to your own Duty in what is held forth by the Minister and let such Occasions stir you up to new Resolutions to live up to your own Baptismal Engagements Mind that the whole Sabbath is to be a Mercat-day for your Soul and by dealing in the Duties thereof gain strength against the Corruptions of the ensuing part of your time 18. When occasion offers of your Communicating you are to consider that it is not indifferent to you to come or not to come to the Table of the Lord but that you are obliged to be serious in examining your self as to your Knowledge and your being otherwise fitted to partake of that Sacrament Instituted by our Saviour First in the remembrance of His Sufferings which were only able to expiate the Guilt of lost undone Sinners And next to be a Seal of Sinners Covenanting with God in Jesus Christ And 3dly to be a Mean of Communion with our merciful Lord that suffered for our Sins It is plain 1 Cor. 11.26 That the great end of the Sacrament is to hold forth to the Church the Lords Death and Suffering whilest he come again to Judgement And by the 27 28 and 29. Verses you see the absolute necessity for the worthy participating thereof You must search your heart and find out all your iniquity and hate it not only as it procures Gods Curse in this life and to all Eternity but especially as it is contrare to the Commandments and holy Nature of our God and as a needy Wretch having examined your heart and found out your Wants you are in coming to the Table of the Lord to bring with you some Faith some Love and some hope c. Your Errand being for more and cry with earnestness that you may be amongst the number of such of whom the Psalmist speaks Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy Power At such Occasions make conscience of mourning for every Sin and with all your heart magnifie Gods Mercy in his Dispensations to you and seek with earnestness of heart Grace enabling you to that and every duty and beg of God for Christs sake that he give a heart in a truly fitted frame So as in the Sacrament you may by the eye of Faith behold our lovely Lord and Saviour crucified and His Blood shed to expiate the Guilt of vile sinful Wretches and in particular to stand betwixt your self a vile sinful Wretch and the Vengeance of God due to you in Justice Seek with all earnestness from God a heart filled with love to Christ our Lovely Saviour who so loved loft undone Sinners as He took upon him the nature of frail man and to satisfy Divine Justice which could not be otherways satisfied for the sins of all that would truly come to Him and by Faith rely upon Him He suffered the shameful Death of the Cross it Representation whereof is this Sacrament Institute by our Lord himself before His suffering And before and at the time of your drawing near to the Table of the Lord have your heart filled with suitable Meditations and ejaculatory Petitions to God as saying within your self O my Soul can'st thou behold Justifying Blood and not love Him that shed it for thee Canist thou behold Precious Quickening softening Bloods and not love Him that gave it to quicken and soften thy heart and to Redeem the from Sin from Hell and everlasting Wrath O my God and Saviour enable me to say if my love were better it should be thine but such as it is thou shalt have it make it greater and make it better and I firmly resolve in thy Strength it shall ever be set upon thee 19.
by Writ at sometimes so express our imaginations thereof as may be through the blessing of God a mean to bring us to an affectionate endeavouring to perform what as Christians we are called to and a heart hatered to the innumerable Evils the Devil the World and the Fesh drags us daily to commit We need be at little pains in finding out subject for Meditation and that from all that is the practice of both the Great and Mean in the world at this time what we heard the other day from that worthy Minister M. G. M. anent the frailtie of Man and his being by the Prophet Isai excellently likened to Grass his goodliness to the flower of the field may very usefully be taken under our consideration And since this morning some spare time invits me I shall imploy this little Paper and Ink in telling you that all men and I my self in particular does in so little minding our approaching Death not only speaks out fullâ— but the hight of Stupidity yea the Actions of almost all men and Women does proclaim their being Atheists For however every one is ready to say they believe in God and hopes to be saved in and through the Merits of Christâ— yet does almost every thing we do say or think manifestly declare we have no sixed Belief that there is a Judgment to come Oâ— the unexpressible Madness that is in poor Man who does with so much eagerness pursue after empty Vanities and utterly to slight the great End of his being in the World Yea I may say that all sublunary Enjoyments are Vanities to Degrees beyond expression and that the truth of this saying is beyond contradiction paâ—pably obvious even to mean Capaâ—â—â—â—â— whilst they are in the true 〈…〉 Reason for if we 〈◊〉 our Eyes upon Meâ— of all Ranks and Qualities is it not apparant that there is in every one a Toyling and Endeavouring after what they propose as the Mean for reaching their Satisfaction which Mean when attained proves always such as reached not the end and often it is as casting Oyl into Fire whereby the Hear and Violence thereof is more increased and truly there is nothing in all that occurs to Man but the due Consieration thereof will not only stir us up to live as muâ—â—ing we must certainly die but will satifie that we endeavouring with all our Strength to live up to the Rules in the Gospel there is into doing not only a serene Peace and Satisfaction which is unknown to the most of Men but thereby the Terror and Sting of death is â—one away in and through Christ our blessed Saviour â—â— would take much time even to 〈◊〉 at the particulars in all our dealing and Conâ—â—â—â— that we are called to manage as having a prospeâ—â— of our approaching death And I shall only mind you of that common Adagie Hâ—â—â—age quâ—â— cras moriâ—urus agas I remember the desireable Author of the Winter Evening Conference taxeth this saying as if thereby Christians were to do nothing but what they would do being to die the Morrow but I conceive the meaning of it is not as to the Matter but Manâ—â—â— of performing what ever we do which is to be so done as if we were to die the Morrow And surely if we were at all times under the due apprehension of approaching Dâ—â—â—th of the uncertainty of the time thereof and thâ—â—â—tainty of a Judgment to come where we shall appear before a Tribunal whose Judâ— albeit wonderful in mercy yet is a God of Jâ—stice unacessible to sinners not coming to Hiâ—â— in and through Christ our Lord. it would of 〈◊〉 self God blessing the same be sufficient 〈◊〉 deter from all Injustice toward God our Neighbour or our selves let us therefore stir up 〈◊〉 Hearts to an awful sense of God's Omnipresenâ— and Omniscience and of the certaintie of Death and of our Beeing to account for all our guâ—â— before a just and omnipotent God that there by we may be induced to endeavour in all hâ—mility a suitable Christian Conversation aâ— wherein we come short with all our Heart at all our Strength to flie to Christ who is the 〈◊〉 lone Refuge of sinners which that we may serously and cheerfully perform is the Prayâ— of Your affectionate Neighbour 〈◊〉 Servant THEOCRITVS Jan. 8. 1692. D. THEOPHILUS IN my last I exprest some sense I had of it being our interest to advantage our selves by Meditation upon what does hourly occâ—â— from the Actions of men And indeed but seriously othink upon what is the common Practicâ— of all without Exception not only offers ground for Meditation but for Wonder for if we could divest our selves of our own corrupt Inclinations and habitual Byass to do as the world generally does we would in looking upon Mankind as they live in the world clearly see how extravagantly ridiculous the Actions of almost all men are Consider Rulers and these that ought to be ruled of all Degrees and Qualities and not one of a thousand will be found to act with a true Design of living up to his Calling and therein serving God in his Station for surely as God the Creator of all things made every Creature for some rational use in the world so Man particularly is to be serviceable to his Creator in the Station which in Providence he is called to live in Sometimes when I am alone I fancie an over-flowing fullness of Matter for meditation of this kind yet having this morning taken my Pen in hand resolving to express something thereof I find the shortness of my Reason bounds my Fancie and hinders my giving you any rational Account of my thoughts herein but since what I do is to meet with no critical Censure and that it may offer ground for being bettered from your Meditation I shall give you a view of my thoughts of the actions of persons of several Stations I am sensible it is not the part of every one to enquire into the Actions or meddle with what is the Duty of Rulers yet so strange and wonderful are the late Providences in relation to them as such as are least concerned in enquiring into the Actions of supream Magistrats cannot forbear the having of what is past under Consideration I can truly for my self say I not only had in some competent Degree that due respect for Magistracy which I think is necessar for all Subjects and made me consider it our Interest at least in our particulaâ— concerns to suffer to Degrees of extremity rather than by our Resentments to trouble thâ— Peace of a society but I had also that Veneration for the persons of our late Kings as induâ—ed me to an affectionat and serious wishing that they might by their Government gain that trâ—â— Honour of being serviceable to God in their Stâ—tions It were an improper Task for me 〈◊〉 canvass the late Kevolutions and approve 〈◊〉 censure what has been lately acted in thir Kingdoms I am satisfied that as all required 〈◊〉 Man is