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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02741	Tvvo treatises I. The purchase of Grace, shewing the excellency of Christ, and the graces of his spirit. II. The soules delight in Gods tabernacles, shewing the excellency of time, spent in duties of God's solemne service. Instances in the chiefe, viz. prayer, word, and sacraments. Motives and directions for right performance. Lastly, the chiefe usurpers of time discovered, with apt remedies against each of them. The contents of the booke are methodically exprest in the margent, which to the diligent reader may serve instead of a table. By William Harrison, Mr. of Arts, and minister of the Gospell at Canwicke neare Lincolne.	Harrison, William, minister at Canwick.	1639 (1639)	STC 12871; ESTC S103879	208,196	400

23. All is yours whether it be Paul or Apollos c. all is yours and ye are Christs and Christ is Gods Now what greater comfort So that ye see that the Word faithfully preached is the Word of comfort and therefore wee have reason to love it in that regard Fourthly Because carnall or worldly comfort is little worth therefore in the fourth place the Word preached is the best meanes of spirituall comfort gracious and heavenly consolation Hereupon it is called the Grace of God Titus 2. 11. And the Word of 〈◊〉 Grace Act. ●0 32. And the ministration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3. 8. It is the Instrument that the Spirit of God useth to worke grace in the hearts of Gods people It is the ministery of reconciliation 2 Cor. 5. 18. Yea the Word of regeneration Iam. 1. 18. Of his owne will begate he us with the Word of Truth sayth the Apostle It is the immortall s●ede of our new birth 1 Pet. 1. 23. yea the chiefe meanes of our Conversion Psal. 19. 7. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soule Yea it is the chiefe meanes of our Sanctification Psal. 119. 9. Wherewithall shall a young man cleanse his way c Ioh 15. 3. Now are yee cleane through the Word that I have spoken unto you sayth our Saviour and Ioh. 17. 17. Sanctifie them with thy Truth thy Word is Truth Loe the chiefe Instrument of our Sanctification Yea as God himselfe is the God of all grace so is his Word the Word of all grace for what grace of the Spirit is it that is not usually begotten in us by the Word whether knowledge or faith or repentance or the feare of God c. 1. Out of question it is the chiefe meanes of knowledge and wisedome and understanding in the things of God See it in Davids example Psal. 119. 98. Thou through thy Commandements hast made me wiser then mine enemies for they are ever with me Ver. 99. I have more understanding then all my teachers for thy Testimonies are my meditation Ver. 100. I understand more then the Ancient because I keepe thy precepts Then for faith the Word is the meanes to beget and preserve that for it is the Word of faith Rom. 10. 8. And the Apostles conclusion is Ver. 17. So Then faith commeth by hearing and hearing of the Word of God And then for the feare of God another excellent grace of the Spirit the Word of God is the chiefe meanes to beget that Deut. 17. 19. Where it is said of the King that he shall write him a copie of the booke of the Law and reade in it all the dayes of his life Why so That he may learne to feare the Lord his God and to keepe all the words of this Law Yea this is the end of our publike meeting to heare the Word faithfully preached all both old and young must come to heare it Deut. 31. 12. Gather the people together men and women and children and the stranger that is within thy gates All sorts must constantly frequent the Church assemblies and depend upon the ministery of the Word Why so That they may heare and that they may learne and feare the Lord your God and observe to doe all the words of this Law The true feare of GOD must be learned out of the Booke of GOD and hearing the Word preached is the means to attaine thereunto The like might easily be shewed of sundry other graces But this is not all the Word preached is not onely the meanes to beget the graces of Gods Spirit in us but to encrease them also Observe it 1 Pet. 2. 2. As new borne Babes desi●e yee the sincere milke of the Word that yee may grow thereby sayth the Apostle So that the ministery of the Word is not onely the seede of our new birth but also the chiefe means of our encrease and growth in Grace yea it will still build us up farther untill we come to perfection Act. 20. 32. And now brethren I commend you to God and to the Word of his grace which is able to build you up farther and to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified Oh precious Word and well worthy of all high esteeme that is able to build us up in grace farther and farther untill wee come to perfection How can we choose but love the Word exceedingly and delight to spend much time in it if we seriously consider how usefull it is unto us also in this respect Fifthly and lastly The Word preached is not onely the chiefe meanes of spirituall life and comfort but of our eternall happinesse and salvation It is not onely the Word of grace but of glory too and of salvation Romans 1. 16. I am not ashamed of the Gospell of Christ saith the Apostle Why so Because how simple or despicable so ever it may seeme in it selfe yet it is the power of God through faith unto salvation a foolish thing indeed it is in the eye of flesh and bloud and of carnall Reason but yet it pleaseth God even by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them which doe believe 1 Cor. 1. 21. Yea it is the Word of salvation so that he is farre from salvation that rejects it Psalm 119. 155. Yea it is the Word of eternall life and therefore he that thrusteth it from him doth judge himselfe unworthy of eternall life See two direct Testimonies for this the one is the speech of Peter to our Saviour Iohn 6. 68. Will ye also goe away saith our Saviour to his Disciples The Apostle Peter maketh answer Whither should we goe where shall wee thinke to mend our selves thou hast the words of eternall life And therefore he that rejecteth it and careth not to spend time in the hearing and reading and serious perusall of it doth even judge himselfe unworthy of everlasting life Acts 13. 46. saith the Apostle addressing his speech to the Iewes It was necessary that the Word of God should be first preached unto you the preaching of Gods Word is of necessary use in the Church of God but since that ye thrust it from you and judge your selves unworthy of everlasting life c. behold wee turne to the Gentiles Oh how readily and with what great affection would we receive the Word if this was rightly considered CHAP. X. Containing part of the fifth Direction c. FIfthly All that desire to spend much time in Gods service must follow that golden rule of the Apostle sc. of redeeming the time Redeeming the time because the dayes are evill saith the Apostle Ephes. 5. 16. Which rule he repeateth againe to the Colossians Colos. 4. 5. Now if you aske me From what wee must redeeme the time I answer from all such lets and impediments that will hinder this way There are diverse great consumers of precious time from which he must carefully redeeme it that would spend much time in Gods service I shall need to say

every Nation not he that is rich and full of gold and silver but he that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted with him See here that righteousnesse and the true feare of God are farre better then gold and silver in this respect Indeed among men riches prevaile much gold and silver are in great esteeme for men looke onely upon the outward appearance but the Lord seeth not as man seeth but beholdeth the heart if that be well qualified there is hope of acceptance with God but otherwise all the gold and silver in the world will not doe it 1 Sam. 16. 6. 7. Lastly A man may have great store of gold and silver and yet perish eternally and loose his soule for ever but so cannot he doe that hath true saving grace as faith and such like and persevereth therein unto the end He that beleeveth shall never perish but have everlasting life Ioh. 3. 16. As he that beleeveth not is condemned alreadie so he that truely beleeveth shall never be condemned but hath alreadie passed from death to life Oh the precious excellency of saving grace in this regard it saveth the soule Heb. 10. last We are not of them that draw backe to perdition but of them that beleeve to the saving of the soule What were a man better if he had all the gold and silver in the world if he loose his soule according to that of our Saviour Mat. 16. 26. What is a man profited if he should gaine the whole world and loose his own soule as the rich Glutton Luk. 16. and the Churle Luk. 12. 19 20. but God sayd unto him Thou foole this night shall they fetch away thy soule and then what art thou the better for all thy gold and silver c But rather giving all diligence adde to thy faith vertue and to thy vertue knowledge c. for so an entrance shall be made unto thee exceeding abundantly into the everlasting kingdome of Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. 5. with v. 11. Grace therefore is farre better then gold also in this respect it is able to save a soule from death and cover a multitude of sinnes Jam. 5. 20. Secondly Is true saving grace so fitly resembled unto gold This sheweth the worth and excellency of all true Christians such as have store of true saving grace they are the excellent upon earth Psal. 16. 3. In a word they are golden persons they weare cloth of gold for their apparell their cloathing is of wrought gold Psal. 45. 13. they are even golden persons Job 23. 10. He knoweth the way that I take and when he hath tryed me I shall come forth like gold golden Job So that in these cases most true is that of Salomon Prov 12. 26. The righteous is more excellent then his neighbour I tell you there is as much difference as betweene gold and drosse Psal. 119. 119. Thou shalt cast away the wicked like drosse Drosse is scarce good enough for the dunghill when the gold is layd up in the chest So that in this case it is evident that every godly poore man is better then any ungodly rich man whatsoever See upon what ground and warrant I speake it Pro. 28. 6. Better is the poore that walketh in his integritie then he that is perverse in his wayes although he be rich there is as much difference betweene them as betweene the chaffe and the wheat Psal. 1. 3. and what is the chaffe to the wheat sayth the Prophet Ier. 23. 20. Yea as betweene gold tryed in the fire and drosse golden David though in the poore barren wildernesse but drossie Nabal though in rich and plenteous Carmel drossie Dives but golden because godly Lazarus By this we see who are the noblest and richest persons in the world even they that are most godly and religious Grace ma●eth a man more precious then gold even more precious then the golden wedge of Ophir Isa. 13. 12. Gods people are precious persons they are even the Lords jewels Mal. 3. 17. And they shall be mine sayth the Lord in the day that I make up my Jewels Seest thou a man that feareth God that hath true saving grace thou mayest say oh there goeth a jewell of God a golden person there is a soule worth gold yea farre more precious So that the estate of Gods people is farre more glorious if well considered then the estate of the wicked how full of pompe and bravery soever they may seeme to be Give me leave to shew you this briefly in foure particulars 1. They come of farre more glorious and golden parentage they have the God of heaven and earth for their Father Matth. 6. 9. they can truely say as Isa. 63. 16. Doubtlesse th●u art our Father though Abraham know us not and Israel be ignorant of us yet thou art our Father But as for the wicked it is not so with them they come of base and unworthy parentage their Father is an Amorite and their mother is an Hittite yea worse then so they are children of wrath yea children of Sathan the Devill is their father see how expresly Christ himselfe doth avouch this to the Jewes Ioh. 8. 44. Ye are of your father the Devill and the lusts of your father ye will doe But oh the golden parentage of such as are religious and beleeve in Christ To them he giveth power to become the Sonnes of God which are borne not of flesh and blood nor of the will of man but of God Joh. 1. 11 12 13. Even Christ himselfe and all true beleevers have all but one Father the father of our Lord Iesus Christ is also the father of all true beleevers Marke that sweet speech of our Saviour immediately before his ascension But goe and tell my brethren behold I ascend unto my Father and your Father and unto my God and your God Ioh. 20. 17. So that Gods people are most noble persons because they come of most noble parentage 2. They are borne to a farre better inheritance then any ungodly person whatsoever they have a golden inheritance they are the members of Christ and children of God and inheritours of the kingdome of heaven whereas all ungodly persons they have but worldly and earthly houses and inheritances unlesse they repent they can never inherite the kingdome of God 1 Cor. 6. 9. But oh the blessed inheritance that is reserved for such as are godly and religious they inherite no lesse then a kingdome Luk. 12. 32. Feare not little flocke for it is my Fathers pleasure to give you a kingdome yea a kingdome which they have by inheritance as being the co-heires with Christ Mat. 25. 34. Come ye blessed children of my Father inherite the kingdome which was prepared for you from the beginning of the world It is a most excellent inheritance 1 Pet. 1. 3. 4. Blessed be God c. which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us againe unto a lively hope c.

constant in the duties of Gods worship and service This appeareth not onely in regard of the expresse command of God to that purpose but also because it is the speciall condition required on our part as ever we expect the reward promised as wee have heard before but we shall finde it very necessary in many other respects whereof I will onely mention but one or two which I conceive to be the chiefe First Because without constancie and perseverance wee loose all the labour and paines that we have alreadie taken in Gods service we have laboured in vaine and to no purpose if we doe not perseve●e if we faint we are sure we shall never reape as the Apostle seemeth to intimate Gal. 6. 9. All our righteousnesse shall not so much as be once mentioned unto us we shall be never a whit the better for it Ezech. 18. 24. The soule of the Lord shall have no pleasure in him Heb. 10. 38. See an experiment of this in two famous examples to this purpose sc. Demas and Alexander See what a good opinion the Apostle had of this Demas he remembreth his love to the Church of Colosse Col. 4. 14. Demas-greeteth you yea he was one of Pauls fellow labourers Philemon ver 24. And yet see how the Apostle cryeth out of him afterward 2 Tim. 4. 10. Demas hath forsaken us having loved this present world Demas hath lost all his labour and the credit of all his former proceedings So for Alexander see how zealous and forward he seemed to be in Act. 19. 33. he was very like to have suffered Martyrdome and yet see how the Apostle discovereth him afterward for his damnable Apostacie 2 Tim. 4. 14. Alexander the Copper-smith hath done me much evill the Lord reward him according to his worke for he hath greatly withstood our words So he lost the benefit of all the good he had done formerly But this is not all for Secondly The sinne of back-sliding and falling backe from Religion is a thing that is most odious and hatefull to God the soule of the Lord abhorreth it the soule of the Lord will have no pleasure in such that is he hateth and abhorreth them hereupon it is compared to the vomit of a Dogge and the Sowes wallowing in the mire 2 Pet. 2. 22. Yea if any man draw backe it is unto his perdition unlesse he repent Heb. 10. 39. And how hard a thing it is for such to be brought unto Repentance Heb. 6. 5. If they fall away it is impossible to renew them againe unto repentance How-ever the back-slider in heart shall be filled with his owne wayes Pro. 14. 14. And are quite lost in their owne sense and feeling which is even a little hell upon earth as appeareth by the example of Francis Spira and William Rogers of Cranebrooke in Kent the Stories of both which are lately published Yea see the woefull estate of Lot's wife Let the judgement of God upon her make us take heede of looking backe which is the effect of that speech of our Saviour Luk. 17. 32. Remember Lots wife who for looking backe was turned into a pillar of salt Gen. 19. 46. Whosoever doe thus unlesse they repent and doe their first workes are in no case fit for the kingdome of heaven for he that putteth his hand to the Plough and looketh backe is not fit for the kingdome of God sayth our Saviour Luk. 9. 62. Thirdly Wee had need be vigilant and constant in regard of the devils continuall diligence in watching all opportunities to doe us mischiefe we had need continually to stand upon our guard and ply our worke for if we give over we immediately become a prey to his malicious crueltie Whilst the little bird is in action and flying from bush to bush and from place to place she is in no danger of being shot to death but when she sitteth still she becommeth a prey to the cruell fowler it is the Holy Ghosts owne similitude Prov. 26. 2. As the bird by wandring and the Swallow by flying so the curse causelesse shall not come When did David become a prey to the Devill and lust but when he lay idely at home 2 Samuel 11. upon his bed The Devill seeketh continually to doe us hurt and by doing nothing we learne to doe evill Therefore this is the Apostles argument to perswade to constancy and vigilancy 1 Peter 5. 8. For your adversary the Devill as a roring Lion goeth about seeking continually whom he may devoure And thus yee see also the necessitie of constancy and perseverance in the duties of Gods worship and service It is equall profitable and necessary Now for the Meanes that wee must use that we may be constant I will give you only one generall which will divide it selfe into sundry particulars 1. In generall get a right disposition of heart to this purpose without this it is impossible for any to be constant in Gods service therefore saith David Psalme 119. 112. I have inclined my heart to performe thy Statutes alwayes It is only a good and an honest heart that is able to make a man hold out in Gods wayes as our Saviour sheweth Luke 8. 15. This made Iehu fall away at last notwithstanding all the faire shewes he made of zeale for God and his truth But Iehu tooke no heede to walke in the Law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart saith the Text 2 Kings 10. 31. This made him cleave to Ieroboam's calvish Idolatry So this made Simon Magus fall off notwithstanding all his fine shewes of Religion his keeping company with the Apostles his being baptized c. he shewed plainly what he was at last And how came that I perceive that thy heart is not right in the sight of God saith the Apostle to him Acts 8. 21. If we would persevere in Gods service we must labour to have our hearts set in a right frame Now more particularly if ye aske me what disposition or frame of heart is it that we must labour for if we would bee constant in Gods service 1. I answer that if we would be constant in Gods service we must labour for a beleeving heart an heart fraught with the precious grace of true saving faith This is that which will make a man constant and victorious over all impediments 1 Iohn 5 4 5. For whosoever beleeveth and is borne of God overcommeth the world and this is the victory that overcommeth the world even your faith True saving faith is of a lasting nature he that hath it can never perish but have everlasting life Iohn 3. 16. Yea this doth alwayes end in salvation 1 Peter 1. 9. Receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your soules saith the Apostle if any man draw backe and fall off from Gods service it is either for want of faith or at least for want of a true saving faith When the Apostle had shewed

looketh on the heart For the Lord knoweth full well that if the heart be not right set for God he will never walke uprightly before God how great a semblance or shew of piet● soever a man may make therefore God in his wisedome looketh on the heart Deut. 32. 46. Set your hearts unto all these words saith Moses It is not setting of the eare to heare only or the mouth to speake no nor the hands to worke nor feete to walke that will serve the turne unlesse the heart in the meane time be right set for that purpose therefore saith David Psalme 119. 11. I have hid thy Word in my heart that I might not sinne against thee Lo the chiefe antidote against sinne is to hide and ponder the Word of God within our hearts An excellent direction to this purpose is that of the Apostle Saint Iames 4. 8. Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you if wee desire that God should draw nigh to us in mercy we must strive to draw nigh to him in service and obedience But what is required that wee may bee fit to draw nigh to God Wash your hands or cleanse your hands yee sinners and purifie your hearts ye double minded It is only a cleane and a true heart that will make a man fit to draw nigh to God Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw nigh to God with a true heart c. Hereupon David prayeth so earnestly for such an heart Psalme 119. 80. O let my heart be upright in thy Statutes that I be not ashamed For indeed God loveth truth of heart or truth in the inward affections above all other things whatsoever this is the maine thing that he desireth Psalme 51. 6. He that ever meaneth to be religious indeed must of necessity begin with the heart that is the chiefe great wheele of the clocke that moveth all the rest Psalme 37. 30 31. The mouth of the righteous will speake wisedome his tongue will be talking of judgement How commeth this to passe that yee shall see in the words following The Law of God is in his heart and none of his steps shall slide It is the heart that setteth both the tongue and hands a worke for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh saith our blessed Saviour in Matthew 12. 34. Oh therefore all that would spend much time in Gods service which as we have heard is absolutely and incomparably the best spent time labour to have your hearts rightly fitted and prepared for that purpose even such an heart as I have formerly described unto you namely a beleeving heart a loving heart a sincere and an upright heart full of truth and sincerity and an heart also fraught with the true feare of God hee that hath such an heart is right set for Gods service It is just such an heart as God would have us to have sc. an heart fraught and furnished with the true feare of GOD Deut. 5. 29. They have well said all that they have spoken saith the Lord ver 28. Oh that there were such an heart in them Good words without a good heart are little worth Well what kinde of heart would God have them to have That yee shall see in the words following O that there were such an heart in them that they would feare me and keepe my Commandements alwayes that it might be well with them An heart fraught with the true feare of God is that which GOD especially desireth should be in his children and which he doth exceedingly delight in when hee findeth in it them 2. We must be constant and conscionable in the private exercises of Religion this is the way to bring the heart to a right frame for the publike Ordinances this is like the tuneing of the instrument so that he that careth not for spending any time at all in private duties careth not how little time he spendeth that way in publike Oh that wee would lay this to heart and bee carefull to spend time in private prayer and reading and holy meditations Even Princes are not exempted in this case See that Direction in Deut. 17. 18 19. See the King of Israels duty when he sitteth on the Throne of his kingdome Hee shall write him a Copie of Gods Law in a booke out of that which is before the Priests and Levites and it shall be with him and hee shall reade therein all the dayes of his life that he may learne to feare the Lord his God c. where we see 1. That it is the duty even of Kings themselves to feare GOD as well as others 2. That to the end he may feare God hee must be acquainted with Gods Word for the feare of God must be learned out of the booke of God 3. Hee was to get him a copie of Gods Booke that which wee now call a Bible Kings must get them Bibles as well as Priests and Levites 4. Hee must reade in it all the dayes of his life and if Kings then much more all subjects and private persons must spend some part of every day in the duties of Gods service in private Who need thinke himselfe too good for private duties when Kings themselves are not exempted Yea it is the duty of all Gods people to search the Scriptures Iohn 5. 39. Search the Scriptures for in them yee thinke yee have eternall life and they are they that testifie of me saith our Saviour Yea wee should all study to be well acquainted with the Scriptures by private reading that we may be the more delighted with the publike heareing Colossians 3. 16. Let the Word of CHRIST dwell in you richly in all wisedome teaching and admonishing one another in Psalmes and Hymnes and spiritiuall songs c. Lo how Gods people should spend their time in private O how this would fit us for exercises of Religion in publike What made those Noble Boereans Acts 17. 11. willing to spend so much time in hearing Paul preach in publike Surely this was one cause amongst the rest sc. the care which they had to spend their time well even in private They searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so and so finding how sweetely Pauls Doctrine accorded with that which they found written in Gods Booke they received the Word with all readinesse of minde and tooke delight to spend much time in the duties of Gods publike worship and service Deut. 6. 6 7. These words which I command thee shall be in thy heart and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy Children and loe this would make us love to spend much time in Gods service publikely c. Thirdly Hee that would have an heart rightly prepared that he may bee fit and willing to spend much time in the duties of Gods solemne worship and service must have a care to beginne the day with religious exercises and holy meditations godly cogitations let into the heart in the morning will season the heart of a man

abuse of the Kings broad seale extendeth to his Majesty Secondly There is none of us but may receive much good by this Sacrament of Baptisme whensoever it is administred if the fault be not in our selves for hereby we shall not onely testifie our due respect to Gods Ordinance and consequently to his owne Majestie but besides hereby we shall be put in minde of our owne Baptisme and our participation in this blessed Sacrament and of those admirable benefits which we then received as sc. the remission of our sins our spirituall new-birth and regneration being borne of water and of the Holy Ghost Ioh. 3. 5. Yea hereby we become the members of Christ the children of God and inheritours of the kingdome of heaven as we have it in our Catechisme And how can we be put in minde of these benefits without being in some measure stirred up unto praise and thankfulnes for the same when we have such a lively commemoration of our being ingrafted into the body of Christ and of our originall sins being washed away in the bloud of Christ Now if any wonder or thinke it strange how any such benefits should hereby be conveyed unto us let him consider that Gods ordaining of any thing doth make it effectuall to the end for which it is appointed although in it selfe it seeme never so improbable or wholly impossible See 2 Kings 5. Naaman the Syrian comming to the Prophet to be cured of his leprosie he sendeth him to wash seven times in Iordan and he should be cleansed this seemed a very incredible thing in the eyes of this great man goe wash in Iordan here a likely course to cure a man of his leprosie if washing in a river would have served the turne I need never to have come hither for saith he Are no Abanah and Pharpar rivers of Damascus better then all the waters of Israel c. and so he began to goe his way in a rage saith the Text verse 12. yea and if some of his servants had not better considered of the matter hee had gone backe againe as uncleane as he came for say they My father if the Prophet had bidden thee doe some great matter wouldest thou not have done it How much more when he saith unto thee Wash and be cleane What hurt can it doe thee if thou wash in Iordan Besides it may happily prevaile beyond all expectation And see the sequell ver 14. He went downe and dipped himselfe seven times in Iordan according to the saying of the Man of God and his flesh came againe like unto the flesh of a little childe and hee was cleane So let no man say What likely-hood or probability is there that the washing or besprinkling the face of an Infant with baptisme should bee the instrument of regeneration Or that a bit of bread and a small sup of wine should be of such admirable efficacy as to make us partakers of Christ with all his merits For certainely the Ordinances of GOD make a thing admirably effectuall above and beyond all imagination What an admirable passage to this purpose is that which we have Numbers 21. 9. Where being stung with fiery Serpents in the Wildernesse God commandeth them as a remedy that they should make a Serpent of brasse and set it upon a Pole Now in the eye of carnall reason this was an unlikely thing to doe any good at all and yet the Text sheweth how admirably effectuall it was so that he that could looke towards the brasen Serpent was healed immediatly and so whosoever can look at Christ with an eye of faith in his Ordinances shal surely be healed So that here is the first benefit that we may receive and the ground of it Secondly So often as we see this Ordinance of Baptisme administred so often we may be put in minde of our duty and the solemne vow and promise that we made to God in that Sacrament sc. that wee would forsake the Devill and all his works c. and that we would believe in God and keepe his Commandements and so approve our selves to be Christs faithful servants and Souldiers unto our lives end And is it not of singular use to bee put in minde of our duty And how can we choose but remember it when we see and heare the like nay the same vow and promise made to God in the behalfe of another This is another speciall benefit Thirdly Hereby we may be put in mind of that which we undertake as solemne Witnesses in the behalfe of our God-children or our children in God that so we may put them in minde of what we promised for them and see that they be vertuously brought up and to this end call upon them to heare Sermons c. all which all promise but few performe This will minde us of this duty Fourthly and lastly Hereby we have a fit opportunity of performing a good office in respect of the present infant baptized sc. to pray unto God for it that it may be made a lively member of Christ a true child of God and hereafter an inheritour of the kingdome of heaven In which respect it would be a good point of wisedome in Parents if they would provide as much as may be that their children may be baptized on the Sunday or holy day for solemne assembly of Gods people that by this meanes their children may have the benefit of the joynt prayers of the whole Congregation Secondly The excellency of the other Sacrament of the Lords Supper and the benefits which we receive thereby is another strong motive to perswade us not only to delight in the exercises of Gods publike worship and service our selves but also to exhort and stirre up others hereunto For this blessed Sacrament doth fitly succeed and follow after the former for first we live and then we are nourished So that as the Sacrament of Baptisme is a Sacrament of initation or implantation into Christ So the other is a Sacrament of our continuance and growth in Christ. By the first the life of grace is begun and by the second continued or preserved in us This also is an Ordinance of Christ's owne instituting for the Apostle telleth us expresly that he received it of the Lord Iesus who the same night that he was betrayed tooke bread c. So that this blessed Sacrament is no lesse excellent then the former let us as in the former consider what benefits wee may receive so often as this Sacrament is celebrated among us and received of us 1. Hereby the Lord Iesus Christ with all his precious and soule-saving merits are graciously offered unto all and bestowed effectually upon the soules of all worthy receivers a matter that is fitter to be admired and faithfully believed then curiously disputed for the manner of it this is enough for our satisfaction to believe according to the doctrine of our Church that by the Bread and Wine in the