it rather than faith You that are ignorant idle profane and unsanctified and yet believe you shall be saved you believe a lye you believe that which God hath never said shall be nay you believe that which God hath said shall never be Jer. 27. 11. They are a people of no understanding therefore â—e that made them will not save them 1 Cor. 6. 11. Such shall never inherit the Kingdom of God Hear sinners hear God must be a lyar or your faith a lye But the faith of God's Elect such as hath been before described this is that precious tryed faith by which whosoever believes shall not be confounded Christians you that have obtained such precious faith a Christ-imbracâ—ng faith an heart-purifying a flesh-mortifying a world-conquering faith you may venture safely upon it if ever this faith deceive you God hath deceived you the Scriptures have deceived you Christ hath deceived you who hath prayed and we may be bold to turn Christ's prayer into a promise that this faith fail not let the Phanatick world laugh and mock and call your consolations delusions your confidence conceit or what they will let them alone you must give losers leave to talk and laugh yet cast not away your confidence which hath great recompence of toward 6. The Doctrine concerning Good Works is a certain truth In this I shall shew First What we are to understand by Good Works A good work in general is an holy or gracious action to the making up whereof thâ—se four things are necessary 1. The principle must be good from which it proceeds it must be from an honest and upright heart for a pure conscience from faith unfeigned c. Mat. 12. 35. 1 Tim. 1. 5. 2. The matter must be good something that is commended Micah 6. 8. He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee Isa 29. 13. Their fear towards me waâ— taught by the precepts of men 3. The form or manner of doing must be good it must be well done this takes in the conâ—ideration of all its circumstances of time place c. 4. The end must be good it must be done to the glory of God 1 Cor. 10. 31. As to the particular kinds of Good Works they are not easily to be reckon'd up The Papists talk little of any good works but the exercises of bounty and liberality in giving Alms feeding the hungry cloathing the naked visiting and relieving the afflicted building of Almes-houses Colledges and the like upon which they â—ufist so much as if there were scarce any other good works but such as these but we may not confine them within so narrow a compass Good works do signifie the same with a good life or a godly life the doing and observing all things which God hath commanded us Our living holily honestly circumspectly fruitfully imports the same with our doing good works the exercising of all the graces of Christ faith love hope c. The subduing and mortifying of lust and corruption the governing our hearts the governing our tongues the ordering of our carriages towards God and towards men all acts of Religion Righteousness Mercy Charity Praying Fasting Hearing Sanctifying the Sabbath Lending Giving Forgiving Peace-making Instructing Exhorting Reproving Denying our selves taking up our Cross following Christ Fighting the good fight of Faith laying up treasure in heaven and the like these are good works every thing is a good work concerning which God will say at last Well done good and faithful Servant In all these the Lord requires 1. That we act Ad extremum virium to our utmost Eccles 9. 10. What thine hand findeth to do and so what thy head or thy heart findeth to do do it with thy might Tit. 2. 14. Zealous of good works Rom. 12. 14. Not sloathful in business but servent in spirit serving the Lord Col. 1. 10. Fruitful in good works 1 Cor. 15. ult Abounding in the work of the Lord. 2. That we act in these Ad extremum vitae to the end of our dayes Deut. 6. 2. Fear the Lord thy God and keep all his statutes and his Commandments all the dayes of thy life 3. That we be doing Per totum vitae cursum without intermission there must not only be well-doing but a continuance in well-doing Rom. 2. God will not have any Chasms or vacuities in our lives but every day must be filled up with the duties of it Christians must not thin of getting to heaven persaltum they must not leap but walk they must not leap over a duty nor leap over a day nulla dies fine linea The Law of God doth not allow a day to sin not abate us one dayes work To demand a breathing time from the service of God is to desire so much time for the service of sin We are ever serving one Master or the other we are certainly serving sin when we are not in one way or other serving the Lord. Secondly That goâ—d works are necessary Necessary to salvation a so as though we are not like to be saved by our works yet we cannot be saved without them He that works not shall not eat bread in the Kingdom of God The everlasting Rest is not for loyterers but for labourers Mat 7. 21. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in heaven Faith cannot save us without works The Apostle tells us Jam. 2. 26. Faith without works is dead and a dead faith cannot bring us to life Therefore the Apostle Paul so vehemently charges Tit. 3. 8. This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God may be careful to maintain good works for these things are good and profitable to men Where observe the Preface to the chaâ—ge This is a faithful saying that is a true saying and a great truth a worthy saying worthy to be delivered worthy to be received And these things I will that thou affirm constantly or teach constantly or strenuously or resolvedly be not beaten off from it Why what is this great truth Why â—his is it That they which have believed in God as ever they would that their faith should stand them in any stead must be careful to maintain good works not only to do good works but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to maintain or to excel and abound in good works these things are good and profitable to men Now let me demand of all the world where lies the Phanaticisme in any of all this Which of these Doctrines is it that is but a conceit Is it this that Christians must not onely be believers but must do good woâ—ks Is it this That they must work with all their might that they must be doing to the end of their dayes that they must continue at their work withoâ—t intermission that is that they must bestow noâ—e
servants of Christ and take through â—urvey of the whole business of Christianity and not engage hand over head to you know nor what First See what it is that Christ doth expect and then yield your selves to his whole will Do not think of indenting and compounding or making your own terms with Christ that will never be allowed you Go to Christ and tell him Lord Jesus if thou wilt receive me into thine house if thou wilt but â—wn me as thy servant I will not stand upon terms impose on me what condition thou pleasest write down thine own Articles command me what thou wilt put me to any thing thou seest good Let me come under thy roof let me be thy servant and spare not to command me I will be no longer mine own but give my self up to thy will in all things 2 That he shall appoint you your station and condition whether it be higher or lower a plentiful or a wanting a prosperous or an afflicted estate Be concontent that Christ should both choose your work and choose your condition that he should have the command of you and the disposal of you make me what thou wilt Lord and set me where thou wiâ—â— let me be a Vessel of Silver or Gold or a Vessel of Wood or Stone so I be a Vessel of Honor of whatsoever form or mettal whether higher or lower siner or courser I am content If I be not the head or the eye or the ear one of the nobler and more honorable instruments thou wilt imploy let me be the hand or the foot one of the most laborious and lowest and most contemptible of all 〈◊〉 servâ—nâ—s of my Lord let my dwelling be on the dunghill my portion in the wildernesse my name and my lot be amongst the heâ—ers of wood or drawers of water among the door-keepers of thy house and where where I may be serviceable and useâ—ulâ— I pâ—t myself wholly into thy hands Put me to what thou wilt rank me with whom thou wilt put me to doing put me to suffering let me be imployed for thee or laid aside for thee exalted for thee or trodden under foot for thee let me be full let me be empty let me have all things let me have nothing I freely and heartily resign all to thy displeasnre and disposal This now is your closing with Christ as your King and Sovereign Lord and in this is included your renouncing the Devil and his works the flesh and its lusts together with your consenting to all the Laws and Ordinances of Christ and his Providential Government Beloved such a close with Christ as you have been here exhorted to is that wherin the Essence of Christianity lies when you have chosen the incorruptible crown that is whan you have chosâ—n God to be your portion and happinesse when you have adventured and laid up your whole interest and all your hopes with Christ casting your selves wholly upon the merit of his Righteousnesse when you have understandingly and heartily resign'd and given up your â—â—vs to him resolving for ever to be at his command and at his disposal when you are Christians indeed and never till then Christ will be the Saviour of none but of his servants He is the Author of Eternal Salvation to those that obey him Heb. 5. Christ will have no Servant but by consent His people are a willing people Psal 1â—0 And Christ will accept of no consent but in full to all that he requires he will be all in all or he will be nothing V. Confirm and compleat all this by Solemn Covenant Give your selves to the Lord as his Servants and bind your selves to him as his Covenant-Servants Jer. 30. 21. Who is this that engageth his heart to approach unto me Isa 44. 5. One shall say I am the Lord another shall call himself by the name of Jacob and another shall subscribe with his hand to the Lord. Upon your entring into Covenant with God the Covenant of God stands firm to you God gives you leave every man to put his own name into the Covenant grant if it be not found there at last it will be your own fault if it be not there there will be nothing found in the whole Covenant belonging unto you If it be there all is yours if you have come into the bond of the Covenant you shall have your share in the blessings of the Covenant Jer. 30. 21 22 Who is this that engaged his heart to approach to me And ye shall be my people and I will be your God Engage to me and I stand engaged to you Deut. 26. 17 18. Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God to walk in his Ways and to keep his Statutes and his Commandments and his Judâ—ments to hearken to his Voice And the Lord â—ath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people as he hath promised thee Observe it The same day that they avouched the Lord to be their God the same day the Lord avouched them to be his peculiar people The same day that they engagâ— to keep the Commandments of God the same day the Lord engageth to keep his Promise with them There is a twofold Covenâ—nting with God In Pâ—ofession and in Reality and entring our Names and an engaging our Hearâ—s The former is done in Baptism by all that are Baptized who by receiving the Seal of the Covenant are visibly or in profession entred into it The latter is also twofold 1. Virtual Which is done by all those that have sincerely made that closure with God in Christ forementioned Those that have chosen the Lord embarquâ—d with Christ resigned up and given themselves to the Lord are all engaged persons have virtually Covenanted with him 2. Formal Which iâ— our binding our selves to the Lord by solemn Vow or Promise to stand to our choice c. And this may be either only inward in the Soul O outward and expressed either by words lifting up of the hand subsccibiug the hand or the like And by how much the more express our solemn Covenanting with God is by so much the more sensibly and strongly it is like to hold our hearts to him Now that which I would perswade you to is this Solemn and express covenanting with God Providence hath lately brought to my hand the Advice of a dear Friend and faithful Labourer in the work of the Lord about this matter together with an excellent Form of words composed for the help of weaker Christians and aptly accommodateed to all the substantials of our Baptismal Covenant which having found great acceptance with many precious Christians I do with much zeal and great hope of good success for the establishing of Souls in Holinesse and Comfort commend it to the use not only of young Converts but of the more grown Christians that have not experimented this or the like course And in order to the putting this matter into practice I shall first give you these few directions
reasoning and praying your heart to it take heed there be not an Act of Indulgence passed for this neglect take heed you do not say the Lord pardon me in this thing and so give off and let it alone 2. Neglect not any opportunity of dutie Whenever the Lord calls to duty let your heart answer whenever the Lord opens a door for any service take the season 1. Be watchful and observe every opportunity Sometimes the Lord puts thine enemy into thine hand gives thee some special advantage against such a lust or corruption Sometimes the Lord puts a price into thy hand an opportunity of getting in or laying up for thy Soul an opportunity of laying out for God or thy Soul observe diligently all such seasons Thou maiest do more or get more in such an hour than in many daies after 2. Keep thy heart in a disposednesse and constant towardlinesse to Dutie be alwaies prepared to everie good work see that however sometimes thou maiest want power to perform yet to will may be alwaies present When a price is put into thine hand seee thou want not a heart to it When thine Enemy is in thine hand let not thy heart spare it let not thine heart be out of the way whenever the season serves let not thy heart recur thus upon thee afterward O what a day have I lost how much seed might I have sown this day for Eternity what a treasure might I have laid up for Everlasting 3. Above all take heed you live not under a neglect of duty The most diligent and vigilant Christians have too many neglects but see that you are not guilty of any neglect in ordinarie that there be not any thing that you know to be your dutie which you commonly and of course passe over so that this day is even as yesterday and to morrow and next day and next week and so on is like to be as this day Whatever it be that you perform such a neglect as this will unavoidably hinder the thriving of your Souls in the Grace of God For 1. The guilt of such a neglect will wither and mar the beauty of what is done and the Lord will have such a standing controversie with you for what is not done that he will not accept or prosper what is done 2. There will be the want of the influence of those duties that are neglected We cannot want a duty but we may afterwards find the want of it in the state of our Souls Grace out of exercise grows to decay and if one of thy spiritual members suffer or wast the whole body suffers with it 3. The Devil will fill up the vacuities of our lives There is not a void Plat in thy Garden but the Devil will be sowing his seed If you do the Devil will not leave an empty day nor an empty hour of your lives If grace do not fill up each day with the duties of it he will fill it up with sin 'T is an hundred to one but a weed grows up in the room where a Flower is wanting Brethren if you would be thriving Christians be Universal Christians for any work your Master hath to do be ingenuous Christians willing to know your whole duty be watchful Christians that you may know your duty seasons and then be faithful allow not your selves in be not patient with your selves under any neglect 3 Take heed of the world If you be Christians Christ hath gotten the better of the world hath gotten the preheminence in you and brought the world under If it be so take heed it get not head again and that you may be both secured from the snares of the world and make your best advantages as Christians of it Take these following Directions 1. Never make an exchange of Christ or any thing of Christ for the world or any thing that is of the world never buy or purchase any thing of the world at so dear a rate as the losse of any thing of Christ Lose not any degree of grace for the gaining this worlds goods lose not a spiritual duty for the attending on a worldly business Enrich not your bodies upon the impoverishment of your Souls What possession or use of this world you may have without your spiritual prejudices enjoy it and be thankful but beware you do not so take up with the businesses and take in the advantages of this earth that your souls suffer losse that you should ever have occasion to say of any thing you have done or gotten This is the price of my peace this is the price of my comfort this is the price of a Sabbath or a Sacrament or a Prayer I have lost a Sabbath I have lost my communion with God in prayer I have abated the life and the vigour and exercise of my grace and this is all I have for it some addition to my outward state I have more of earth but so much the less of Heaven more Gold but the less Grace more of this Manimon but so much the less Manna more of the Cistern but so much the less of the Fountain Beloved it was never the intent of the Gospel to strip you of this worlds goods but to secure you only from the mischief of it be but so watchful and so fearful and so wise and wary in the managing your worldly businesses in the improving or securing your worldly estates that you be not hereby losers upon a spiritual account that you may have what you have as an addition but not so in commutation for Christ and he will never begrutch it you or blame you for it 2. Let not Christ and the world again change places or interests If Christ hath your hearts let him not again be thrown under your feet If the world begotten under foot let it not again get up into the throne let it be your servant if you will but let it never again be your God Let Christ be the chief in you let him have the highest esteem the dearest the strength of your affections the great command of you Let the Word of Christ be of more power with you and carry you farther than all the gains and glory of the World Let not this be your rule To follow Christ and Holiness so far as you may without any prejudice to your worldly interest but let this be it Follow the world so fur only as you may without being false or unfaithful to Christ Venture on in Holiness to the greatest hazard of your estate but venture not after this with the least hazard of your Religion Resolve to be Christians whether you be rich or poor but endeavour not to be rich but upon such terms that you may be never the lesse Christians Especially take heed that the Prosperity of the World steal not away your hearts Psal 62. 10. If riches increase set not your hearts upon them 'T is hard to prosper in the world and not to prostitute our hearts to it Temptation
two distinct ways but are one and the same way faith in Christ and obedience to the Law of God are the one way of Life He that walks in God walks in Christ it is through Christ and our Union with him that we are strengthened and enabled to do the will of God it is through Christ that what we do is accepted of God there is no act of obedience be it never so excellent for the matter of it that is a step to the Kingdom of God that hath not something of Christ in it that is not done through his Spirit and sprinkled with his Blood and so on the other side whatever faith and hope and confidence we have in Christ if it be not such a faith such an hope as brings forth obedience to the will of God it cannot save us this way of faith and obedience this is the â—ight way and the one and only way of Life In all that general Assembly and Church of the first-born that are already in Heaven there is not one soul but entred by this one way Abel and Enoch and Abraham and Moses and David and Peter and Paul with the whole generation of Saints now in glory they all went the same way they walked with God and lived and dyed in Faith and now inherit the Promises And all the residue of Saints that are yet in their Pilgrimage yea whoever shall be in the Ages to come must by this one way enter into the Kingdom of God This is the good and old way which was from the beginning this is the new and living way which shall be to the end Tit. 2. 8. These things I will that thou affirm constantly That they which have believed in God might be carefull to maintain good works these things are good and profitable for men If this be so if this be the one and only way of Life then in what case are the sinful unbelieving world Whither are ye going Oh ye sons of folly You tell us you hope to be saved what in your unbelief and folly Search and see if in the whole Book of God you finde any other way of Salvation but Faith in Christ and obedience to the Gospel 3. How can one and the same way be old and yet new I answer 'T is old and yet not antiquated 't is new and yet no Innovasion 't is old because it was from the beginning 't is new because now in the latter end of the world it hath been newly cast up made more plain easie and open Thirdly The strait and narrow Way Matth. 7. 14. Strait is the Gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life Christians must go by a line there is no Elbow-room for Lust to expatiate every step on this hand or on that is a deviation it is a Way that is hedged in the Commandment is the hedge which limits us within a very narrow path Christians must live by Rule they must not eat nor drink but by Rule they must not buy nor sell but by Rule they must not work nor â—it still they must not speak nor keep silence but by Rule Gal. 6. 16. As many as walk according to this rule peace be upon them 'T is also a narrow Way the word might have well been translated a troublesome or painfull way the Verb from which the word comes signifies to oppress there are many pressures and afflictions to be met withall in this Way the Cross is a Christians Way-mark Through many Tribulations we must enter into the Kingdom of God The way of sin is a plain there is neither hedge nor ditch to limit them there is neither bush nor brake to discourage them Now this is the way which circumspect Christians take this Good and Old Way this New and Living Way this Strait and Narrow way this is the Right Way and this is also the most Excellent Way For 1. It is the Way of Truth Psal 11. 30. I have chosen the way of truth John 14. 6. I am the Way and the truth and the life It is the Way which the Truth or Word of God doth prescribe to us it is the true Way that is indeed in all the parts of it that which it declares it self to be The way of sinners is a lye a way made up of lyes The evil works of sinners are lyes Prov. 11. 16. The wicked work a deceitfull work the work of a lie the words signifie their words are lying words their very duties are a lye Hos 11. 12. Ephraim compasseth me about with lyes that is with lying Duties lying Prayers lying Sacrifices lying Praises their Prayers are no Prayers their Sacrifices are no Sacrifices they do but dissemble with God and deceive themselves in all their performances their hopes are a lye their comforts are a lye their Refuges are a lye the way of sinners is wholly made up of lyes But the way of Christians is a true way their Duties their Comforts their Joyes their Hopes have truth and reality in them Psalm 25. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that keep his Covenant Now look what excellency there is of truth above a lye so great is the Excellency of this way of Christians above all other wayes 2. It is the way of Righteousness and Holiness Holiness hath a glory in it every thing by how much the more pure it is by so much the more precious in its kind What other excellency have the Angels of light above the Devils but their holiness What was it that transformed the Angels that fell into Devils but the loss of their holiness Wherein stands the Reasonable creatures likeness to the God of glory but in their holiness This is the divine Nature they are made partakers of the Spirit of God and of Glory resting upon them 1 Pet. 4. 14. Holiness hath such a self-evidencing excellency that the consciences of carnal men do often whether they will or no give their testimony to it Who is there almost whose lust hath transformed into so very a Brute but many times even when his tongue is reproaching it his Conscience gives his Tongue the lye Who is there whose Lust hath so totally put out his Light that doth not in his serious Judgment conclude That a gracious humble meek merciful sober heavenly life is really more excellent though not so sutable to his brutish appetite than lewdness and sensuality There is such a beauty and Majesty in holiness that doth command an acknowledgment of it from all sorts of knowing men 3. It is the way of God not only the Way wherein the Lord hath commanded them to walk but wherein the Lord appears to them wherein they have the Vision and Fruition of God and therefore a godly life is often expressed by walking with God by living in followship or communion or acquaintance with God Psal 16. 8. I have set the Lord alwayes before me Psal 17. 15. I will behold thy face in
brings him low he abhors himself the more and abaseth himself the lower for that he hath exalted himself so high and the constant desire and labour of his Soul is to bring himself to and hold himself in such lowliness of heart and life that whatever he be oâ— hath done the excellency of the power may apperr to be of God and not of him 2. Whatever they have done they dare not trust upon it or be found in it they dare not be found in their own righteousness but count all things nothing so that they may win Christ and be found in him They labour as zealously in the works of righteousness as they would have done if this must have been their righteousness â—n which they must have stood before the Lord and yet they depend as singly upon Christ and his righteousnesse as if they had never done any thing Before I proceed any further let us a little consider what it is of all this which hath been spoken of these men wherein their folly lies are they fools for making so wise a choice for choosing the better part those true riches that enduring Substance those everlasting Treasures which are laid up in another world that they will not be cheated nor be beguiled by the Devil of that better inheritance by those toyes and fooleries the pleasnres honours and other vanities of this present world that is are they fools that they are not brutes Are they fools that they have taken the right way to the obtaining and possessing that blessedness which they have chosen that they do not content themselves with idle wishings and hopings for that Heaven and promise to themselves they shall not fail of it though they never take that course that leads to it that is are they fools that they be men and will hearken to their reasons and understandings which tell them that the end cannot be attained without the means Are they fools that they will be upright that they will not lye nor swear nor curse nor drink nor riot nor defraud nor oppress but are willing to walk in all the commands of the Lord blameless that is are they fools that they are honest men Is this their folly that they will not content themselves with a formal outside Religion with outward Reformation but will take care of the heart and inside as well as the outside will perform spiritual duties purge themselves from spiritual wickedness will make sure work by laying the Axe to the root of that wickedness which breaks forth in their lives those lusts that war in their members that is are they fools that they are not Hypocrites Is this their folly that are so free and forward and zealous in that which is good that is are they fools that they will love God so much and fear God so much and go on so far and so fast in obedience to him their hearts the vigour of their affections and care and labour to the Divel and their lusts and reserve only some little for God and their Souls Anâ— they fools that they will be so wary and watchful against sin and temptations to it that they will keep themselves so far out of danger as may be that is Is it their folly that they are not fools Stand forth ye wise men of the World that charge the Saints with folly read over all the particulars of that true description I have given you of them and tell us in good earnest if you can in which of the particulars their folly lies is it that they are not brutes that they are men that they are honest men that they are not hypocrites or that they are not fools that you account them such Men are fools that they are so precise 't is all one as if you should say if they were wise they would be brutes knaves and fools Behold here the wisdom of this World Hath not God made the wisdom of the World foolishness Thus we have seen what this exact and upright walking is as it respects the Commandment Now shall we consider it 2. As it respects Conscience And thus I shall give this double description of thesâ— circumspect Christians 1. They take great care of Conscience 2. They give good heed to Conscience 1. They take great care of Conscience and take great pains about their Conscience Their care they take is twofold 2. About the informing and instructing Conscience 2. About the keeping Conscience tender 1. They take great care about the informing and instructing their Consciences Conscience is to be made the inward guide of their way As the word is to be their guide without them so Conscience is to be their inward guide Their care therefore is that it may not be a blind guide Hence it is that they are so much in searching and studying the Scriptures they are much conversant in their Bibles they are observed to be frequent in hearing Sermons diligent in Nothing and Repeating what they hear are often putting their doubts and opening their difficult cases to those that are able to resolve them and all this to get their Consciences enlightned and instructed in the will of God Though there are many things that they are ignorant of yet there is nothing that they are willingly ignorant of their desires and prayers to the Lord are the same with the Psalmists Psal 119. 19. Hide not thy Commandments from me and with Elihus in Job What I know not teach thou me 2. They take great care to keep their consciences tender Tenderness of conscience is sometimes taken for weakness of conscience a weak conscience is that which is both weak-sighted and is not able to discern between things that differ but is very subject to mistakes it mistakes good for evil lawful for unlawful and it s also full of troublesom and unreasonable fears and endless scruples which as the crudities abounding in a weak stomack do make it keck and rise not only at that which is hurtful but sometimes at that which is wholesom enough it often fears where no fear is this tenderness their endeavours are to cure and not to cherish True tenderness of conscience is the perfection of it a truly tender conscience is a sound conscience which is quick of sense and presently feels and smarts and is put to pain with any thing that is really an offence to it A tender conscience is as the eye the least dust that 's blown into it will make it smart and this not from soreness but wickedness of sense The dim-sighted world look upon all tenderness as weakness and count all such whose consciences cannot down with any thing as a company of sickly weakly brain-sick spirits and all their Doubtings and Dissatisfactions to be humor and conceit and peevishness and causless fears but this tenderness is so far from being the sickness that it is the health and soundness of the heart it was the commendation and not the reproach of King Josiah 2 King 22. 19. That
said Now Almighty God searcher of hearts thou knowest that I make this Covenant with thee this day without any known guile or reservation beseeching thee that if thou espiest any flaw or falshood therein thou wouldst discover it to me and help me to do it aright And now glory be to thee O God the Father whom I shall be bold from this day forward to look upon as my God and Father That ever thou shouldest find out such a way for the recovery of undone sinners Glory be to thee O God the Son who hast loved me and washed me from my sinnes in thine own blood and art now become my Saviour and Redeemer Glory be to thee O God the Holy Ghost who by the Finger of thine Almighty power hast turned about my heart from sin to God O dreadful Jehovah the Lord God omnipotent Father Son and Holy Ghost thou art now become my Covenant friend and I through thine infinite Grace am become thy Covenant-servant Amen So be it And the Covenant which I have made on earth let it be ratified in Heaven The Authors advice THis Covenant I advise you to make not onely in heart but in word not onely in word but in writing and that you would with possible reverence spread the writing before the Lord as if you would present it to him as your Act and Deed. And when you have done this set your hand to it Keep it as a memorial of the solemn transactions that have passed between God and you that you may have recourse to it in doubts and temptations And now Beloved having shewed you the way the Father give me leave to be instant with you in pressing you to hearken to me herein to come and joyn your selves thus to the Lord. And if you will not be perswaded to this solemn and express way of Covenanting with him which I believe you will find a great advantage and do therefore make it my great request unto you yet if you will not do that take heed you refuse not to engage your hearts to the Lord and make a full closure with Christ upon all the particular terms laid before you till that be done I must be bold to tell you again as I have told you already that you are short of Christianity strangers from the Covenant of Promise and Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel Brethren the Lord God hath sent me amongst you upon the same Eâ—â—and as Abraham sent his servant Gen. 24. To take a wife for his Son to espouse you to Christ I am not without â—ear as that servant was not that some of you will not follow me but if the Lord see it good to send his Angel before me to make my way prosperous if the Lord give me success in this great thing that I may thus bring you into Covenant with him I shall therein have performed the main part of my Ministerial work among you I shall have espoused you to Christ maâ—ried you to that one Husband I shall have brought you within the strait gate and set your foot safe into that narrow way that leads to life and have laid the foundation of your following the Lord in holiness and comfort here and of living with him in blessedness for ever For 1 When once you are sincerely in Covenant from thenceforth you have a God that you may call your own to whom you may have free access with whom you may be sure to find grace to help in all times of need How blessed is his condition who is able to say I have no friâ—â—â— in the world but I have a God in Heaven I have many enemies but I have a God I have no house nor money nor lands but I have a God I have troubles I have sins that are a daily torment and vexation to me but I have a God a God to feed me a God to succour me God to shelter me a God to pardon me a God to sanctâ—fie me to â—ave me 2 From the time of this your Covenant Union with Christ you have the blessing of communion with him 〈◊〉 Whatsoever is Christs is now become yours the husband gives the wife leave to set heâ— name on all his goods and all that Christ hath you may now write your name upon it say boldly All this is mine his prayers his tears his obedience his blood his spirit all are mine because he is mine 2. Whatsoever is yours is his your sufferings your sins your debts your wants are all upon your husband Christ says to you as the old man Judg. 19. 20. to the Levite Let all thy wants be on me and so all thy debts and straits and fears and troubles let them all be on me 3 Christ and you shall have your lot together God deals with Christ and a Believer as one and the same party who must be absolved and condemned stand or fall live or die together In Christs being justified your justification is secured in Christs Resurrection your Resurrection in Christs Glorification your Glorification is secured for ever Because I live ye shall live also This is the portion this is the Inheritance of all Gods Covenanting-Servants You that are yet in your sins in your old Covenant with Death and agreement with Hell Will you yet be perswaded by what hath been said to say one to another Come let us break these bonds asunder and cast these cords from us come let us go over to Christ let us joyn our selves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant that never shall be forgotten You that are sincerely come within the bonds of this Covenant of the Lord the Lord is henceforth become your God Christ is henceforth become your Saviour you have shot the Gulf that good work is begun which the Lord will perform to the day of Christ you are gotten within the gate you are entred into the Path of Life 2 In the next place therefore I shall give some advice to the godly or those that are already in Christ whom I shall direct 1 To a right performance of holy duties these four duties especially Prayer holy Meditation Self-examination and renewing their Covenant 2 To a right improvement of holy Duties 3 To the carrying on an holy course In all which though I shall apply my self especially to those that are in Christ yet I shall also give some farther helps to those that are yet out of Christ Before I shall enter upon the Directions for the right performance of holy Duties it will not I hope be lost labour if I prefix a word of encouragement to duty by laying before you the influences which holy duties will have upon the carrying on a holy life which I shall dispatch in these four particulars 1 Duties are the exercise of Grace Grace out of exercise grows quickly out of case Idleness breedâ— ill humours and diseases in the body and no less in the soul stirring keeps us warm and healthful Now Duties are the stirrings and exercises
he that 's more willing to be freed from sin than to be allowed to live in sin and hereupon is resolved to use all God's means for the conquering of it and accordingly strives prayes watches and wrestles against it especially if he finds his lusts begin to fall before him undoubtedly there is grace in that mans heart As Haman's Wife said to her Husband If this Mordecai be of the seed of the Jâ—ws before whom thou hast begun to fall thou shalt not prevail against him I shall be bold to say to such a person without any ifs or ands this Mordecai is of the seed of the Jews this grace before which thy lusts have begun to fall is the Seed of God and therefore thy sins shall never totally preval against it but shall finally fall and be destroyed by it 2. Mark 2. Wheresoever there is true grace there is a preferring in the esteem and choice of a strict and sincere godly life above any other life in the world A godly man loves all godliness and he loves it above all Psal 19. 9 10. The fear of the Lord is clean and endureth for ever the Judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether more to be desired are they than gold yea than much fine gold sweeter also than the honey and the honey-comb that is than all the world more to be desired are they that is the fear of the Lord and the Judgements of God deserve more respect from men are of more value more worth the desiring and looking after than gold or honey Here are all the advantages of a worldly life put together in two words The profits of it and the pleasures of it and the fear of the Lord preferr'd before them all Than Gold Gold is all things Gold much gold hath greatness following it Gold hath glory all the glory of the world attending it Lands and livings and honours and friends and all things that a carnal heart can desire are hidden in the golden Mines Honey notes all the sweetness pleasures and delights of a worldly life Now saith the Psalmist put all this together all the revenues and incomes of a worldly life together with all it's pleasures and delights and the fear of the Lord will weigh them down all Though this foolish world run a madding after money and pleasure spend their dayes waste their lives prostitute their consciences throw away their souls upon these things yet one dram of godliness one day spent in the fear of the Lord is better than all this this the Psalmist gives as his Judgment Let us next consider what his Choice is Psal 4. 6. There be many that say who will shew us any good Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us thou hast put gladness in mine heart more than in the time when their corn and wine encreased Psal 17. 14 15. The men of the world have their portion in this life their bellies thou fillest with thy hid treasure they are full of Children and leave the rest of their substance to their babes but as for me I will behold thy face in Righteousness The men of this world as they seek so they have their portion in this life they have a glorious and a gallant time of it here great portions great possessions great prosperity their bellies full of pleasure enough to spend upon themselves and to leave to their Children after them this they have and much good may it do them Let me but behold the face of God in Righteousness walk before the Lord in my integrity keep a good conscience live in the obedience of his Will and in the light of his Countenance and then let them take the corn and wine and what else they can get let the Lord be mine and I shall never envy them their portion Psal 84. 10. I had rather be a door-keeper in the House of the Lord than to dwell in the Tents of Wickedness The meanest condition of those that live in the presence and favour of God I more desire and would rather have than the highest condition of others Let me be a door-keeper among the Saints rather than a dweller with the wicked So Moses Heb. 11. 25. Chusing rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season esteeming the Reproaches of Christ greater Riches than the Treasures of Egypt Psal 119. 30. 111. I have chosen the way of Truth c. Thy testimonies have I taken as mine heritage for ever Where observe 1. How he came into the way of Truth that is not by chance but by choice I have chosen the way of truth There are some that stumble in upon Religion who being cast into such places or societies where Godliness is in fashion and credit joyn in to do as others do and yet their hearts have never chosen Religion but I have chosen the way of truth saith the Psalmist 2. What it is he chose of Religion The way of Truth the Testimonies or Precepts of the Lord. Some there are that have chosen the wages of Righteousness but not the way of Righteousness the Promises but not the Precepts of the Lord as much as you will of the sweet but none of the sweat of Religion But I saith he have chosen the way of Truth 3. What account he hath of what he hath chosen He accounts it as his heritage There be some that choose Religion but it is only for a covering or a cloak to hid their wickedness making the same use of it which a Whore doth of her paint to hide the deformity that is under Others take up Religion for their last Refuge something they must have to which they may have recourse at last but they will not have much to do with it nor take much pleasure in it at present But he chooses it not only as his Refuge bur as his Riches not only to be the ground of his future hopes but to be the matter of his present joy From all these Scriptures observe 1. That a godly mans settled Judgment is That a godly life is the best and happiest life 2. That a godly mans choice is according to his Judgment He esteems the fear of the Lord above Gold and he chooses it before gold He is better pleased and doth rather take up with the meanest and most afflicted condition in a way of holiness than with the most plentiful and prosperous estate in a way of sin he prefers the poverty of Christ before the riches of the World 3. Godly men and worldly men are distinguished and may be known the one from the other by their choice they make for themselves He that makes a worldly choice is a worldly man and he is a godly man that makes a godly choice Take Godliness with all its inconveniencies with all its difficulties and distresses when it is most under a cloud of reproach and contempt and take a worldly life with
worse if I go on a little longer 4. The Renewing of our Covenant will revive the Obligation of it Though there be not a stricter yet there is another Tye There is a new link added to the old cord Men are more afraid and ashamed to break their word as soon as it is gone forth out of their mouths The seriousness wherewith such a sacred duty should be performed will leave some impressions upon the heart The very considering over our Covenant-breaches which is necessary to our renewing of it will awaken our hearts to more care and watchfulness These things being premised I shall give you this double Direction for the performance of this Duty 1. For the time when 2. For the manner how Touching the former there are some special times when this Duty is especially seasonable As 1. Upon your falls into any greater sins Great sins make great breaches and 't is not safe to let them lie unmade up Breaking of Covenant makes a breach upon Conscience and this will prove as the breaking down the banks of the Sea which if they be not presently made up there may be no stopping them 2. In great straights and Afflictions We have then our hearts at the advantage to bring them back or to bind them the faster to the Lord when we stand in any special need of comfort or help from God Gen. 28. 20 21. when Jacob fled from his Fathers house for fear of his Brother Esau he vowed If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go and will give me bread to eat and rayment to put on so that I come again to my Fathers house in peace then shall the Lord be my God Times of straights and difficulties are a special season for this Duty though it be too ordinary that those vows which we make in the dayes of our distress are quickly forgotten in the dayes of our prosperity Sickness-promises are in our health like Sampsons Wit hs broken as Tow when it toucheth the fire 3. In case of any declinings to a careless remiss and sensless frame of heart or life 4. At our approaches to the Table of the Lord. These are some of the special times for the performance of this Duty 2. For the manner how 1. Remember your Covenant read over and consider distinctly the terms of it and weigh diligently the strictness and great solemnity of your engaging to God therein that your hearts may be the more deeply affected herewith 2. Remember your faults Read over and consider distinctly the sins you have fallen into since your engaging to the Lord together with the several aggravations of them and repent and be humbled under them Isa 50. 4 5. 3. Especially consider how your hearts have stood towards the Lord in the main whether your falls have not been such as give you occasion to suspect that you were not upright in your first engaging Consider whether such a life as you have led since such sins as you have been overcome by since are consistent with sincerity 4. Resolve upon more care watchfulness and faithfulness for the future Verbal promises though there appear some affection at the time if they be not joyned with a resolution to take more care are like to come to nothing 5. Have a special eye in your engaging to the Lord at your special sins failings and neglects that you have found your selves more enclined to and more ordinarily overtaken by I will through the help of God watch against every sin but especially against covetousness passion or lying c. This is my sin herein I am apt to be faulty here my hardest work lies I will watch to every Duty but especially to temperance or patience or self-denial herein I have been most wanting 6. Lay hold on the Covenant or Promise of God for the renewing of his Grace towards you for the renewing of your strength whereby you may be more enabled to perform your promises and pay your vowes It may be your former experiences of your unfaithful hearts have quite discouraged you I have found this heart of mine so fickle and so false and so feeble that I dare not trust it so far as to engage any further for it I have found my work so hard my lusts so strong my temptations so many my strength so small my attempts to follow God so successess that I am afraid I shall never come to any thing I doubt I shall but mock God and bring more guilt upon my self by adventuring to promise any thing farther for this sinful infirm and unfaithful heart Why though thou darest not trust thy heart yet trust thy God who hath said That he will put his fear into thee that thou shalt not depart from him that he will renew thy strength and that his grace is sufficient for thee Depend upon God for the renewing of thy strength and then fear not to renew thy Vows 7. In this strength of the Lord go into his presence and with sorrow in thine heart and shame in thy face falling down before him humbly confess and acknowledge thy falls and failings and then in the like solemn manner as thou hast been before directed engage thy self again to the Lord in the same Covenant 2. I shall next direct you to make right improvement of Duties Godliness doth not stand barely in Praying Meditating or Examining there is something farther that these Duties have a respect and must be useful to 'T is an holy life that is the end to which our holy Duties are to lead and help us on That they may do so take these two following Directions 1. Whenever you set upon Duties resolve to put hard for it to enjoy such sensible Communion with God in them that you may come off in a better and more spiritual frame of heart than you came on 2. Having gotten up your hearts to any better frame in Duty be careful to keep it up after Duty Whenever you set upon Duties resolve to put hard for it to enjoy such sensible Communion with God that you may return from them with some advantage upon your spirits Resolve with him Nunquam à te absque te recedam whenever I come before the Lord I will never go away without him The reason why we thrive no more by Duties is because we do not meet our God in them God never meets with his Saints but he sends them away with some marks of his Goodness upon them The reason why we do seldome meet with God in our Duties is because we do not so wishly look for his appearance God waits for thy coming Soul and if it be not thy fault thou mayest see his face before thou departest and if thou see God in a Duty thou wilt not then return without some impressions of God upon thy heart When Moses came down from the Mount where he had seen the Lord his face did shine there was something of the glory of God upon his
lying in wait to steal it away whatever you have built you have adversaries lying in wait to pull down again I have heard of some inchanted places where what men built in the day the Devil pull'd down at night and this danger you are continually in what 's built at one prayer the Devil labours to pull down before the next Let your eye be much upon your hearts observe diligently how they hold up or sink that if there be the least damp or decay growing upon you you may espie it before it be gone too far 'T is no wonder we lose all upon such a sudden when ordinarily as soon as ever our duties are done away we goe and think no more where we have been or what we have been about as if we were well content to take our leave of our duties and our God together When you depart out of your Closets leave your hearts behind you Worldlings seldom bring theit hearts thither when they come to pray they leave their hearts behind them Let Christians never carry them thence when you have done praying and must abroad to your earthly affairs let your hearts stay behind with your God Let your thoughts be much upon the entertainment you have had see to it that the temptations you meet with do not so easily divert you from minding what you have been begging or wrestling for 2. Make present use of what you have obtained God gives Grace and Strength and Life for use and use will preserve it Hath the Lord warm'd thy heart goe warm thy Brothers heart and that will keep thine from cooling Hath God spoken comfortably to thy soul goe and speak of thy God and what he hath done for thee to others Hath God inclined and thereby fitted thee for action take the season thou may'st do more for God and for thy soul in such an hour than in many dayes beside be doing with what thou hast received and thou need'st not fear losing it when we are idle then we fall asleep and grow cold Instruments do not rust while they are in use We never more spend our strength than when we spare our labour 3. Life up your hearts to the Lord often every hour in some short Ejaculations No business no company can hinder this duty and this will be of special advantage to you therefore neglect it not every sigh or breathing of your souls Heaven-wards will fetch down fresh influences from Heaven upon you 4. Charge this whole course actually upon your selves every morning and examine every evening how you have kept to it 5. If you cannot otherwise bring or hold your selves 〈◊〉 this course bind your selves to it for some time by special vow till being a while inured to it it may become at length more easie Being thus entred upon and prepared for a godly life I shall give you some directions 3. How to carry it on and for your help herein take these following counsels I. In your whole course pursue and as much as possible eye your end God and your own salvation Consider often wherefore you live and what it is you would have and if this be it that God may be honoured and your souls saved let this be pursued and prosecuted in all the parts of your life Take not that course do not that action that hath not some tendency that way and that which hath a tendency let it be directed to that glorious end Let every arrow be levell'd at your mark The reason why the end is no more attained is because it is more intended 't is no wonder we shoot short or beside our mark when our eye is not upon it The eying our end will both direct our course and quicken and encourage us on Set the Lord much before your eyes dwell upon the contemplation of his Glory and glorious Excellencies consider how worthy the Lord is to be exalted and what an honour it is to poor creatures to be any way serviceable to his Honour what pity it is that any of your time any of your strength should be spent upon vanity which might be so improved to so worthy aud high an end Begrutch every minute of your time that is not bestowed on God Consider the blessedness of living for ever in the presence and enjoyment of God Look towards the holy City enter by faith into the Holy of Holies set your selves before the Throne of God view as much as at this distance you are capable that everlasting light those blessed and glorious joyes those rivers of pleasure that exceeding eternal weight of glory which is there possessed by the Saints And then say to your hearts Come on soul come on here 's that thou art praying for here 's that thou art labouring for here 's the Country the Kingdom the Crown that thou art fighting for and wrestling for and running and suffering for The setting this glory before your eyes will both quicken and sweeten your holy course and take off your hearâ—â— from any other courses The end puts a beauty upon the means and a blackness upon all the hinderances of its attainment A sight of Heaven will make a holy life a beautiful life There are two things that make an holy life beautiful 1. That it 's the Image of an Heavenly life 2. That it 's the way to it All the labours difficulties sufferings of a godly life are therefore pleasant and beautiful because they are the way of the Kingdom And on the other side a sight of Heaven will make the wayes of sin to be unpleasant to be dark and black wayes There are two grounds upon which sin is odious to the Saints 1. It 's Opposition and unlikeness to God it bears the Image of Hell upon it not of Heaven 2. It 's Interposition betwixt them and their end Nothing else can ever keep them from God There 's no danger of their falling short of Everlasting blessedness but by sin This is the only Gulf that 's fixed between them and Glory And hence 't is that the way of sin with all its pleasures ease and delights is to the Saints a dark and dismal way The pleasures of sin are black pleasures the gains of sin are black gains the jollity and liberty and prosperities of sin are all dark and black in their eye These clouds whatever brightness there seems in them do keep the Sun from shining on them Oh! what progress might you make in the way of Life where Holiness with all its difficulties become beautiful and Sin with all its delights become odious What would there then be wanting that might encourage you on what would there be then left to hinder you Why let God and Glory be more in your eye and then Sin will be more odious Holiness will be more precious in your eye you would then neither want encouragements to lead you on nor be incumbred with such temptations as now keep you back Tit. 2. 11 12 13. The Grace of God
thy fountain of sin to that fountain that is opened for sin and for uncleanness Zech. 13. 1. Wherein thou may'st wash and be clean thy faith will tell thee Thy old man is already crucified with Christ Rom. 6. 6. By whom the body of sin is destroyed that is hath received its deaths wound that thou mayest not serve sin and that the same mouth that commands thee Let not sin reign in thy mortal body the same mouth hath promised thee Sin shall not have dominion over thee But yet thou addest The Lord commands me to keep my heart to keep my tongue mine eyes to make strait steps to my feet that I turn aside to no iniquity that I turn aside from all temptations to sin â—â—stain from all appearance of evil and many 〈◊〉 the like words hath he given me in charge requiring me to walk in all his Commandments and to keep all his Statutes and Judgements to do them these are hard sayings who can hear them I but he that said this saith Faith said one word more that will make all this easie Ezek. 36. 37. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Judgments and do them Once more thou repliest but Christ commands me to take up my Cross to suffer with him to part with all I have to lay down my life for his Name Can I do so little for his Name and am I ever like to be able to suffer for his Name Am I put so hard to it in every light affliction that befalls me and is it possible I should be able to resist unto blood The Lord pardon me I have found that a little shame or reproach is more than I can well bear a scoff or a scorn for Christ to what impatience hath it often put me Have I run with the foot-men and have these wearied me how then shall I contend with horses But God is faithful 1 Cor. 10. 13. who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able The Lord will lay on thee saith Faith no more than thy load either he will encrease thy strength or not encrease thy burthens He that hath given thee a little strength to go through small trials hath said he will and thou mayest trust him if he lay more load on thee give thee more strength to bear it The Lord will either enable thee to die for his Name or he will not call thee to it Christians believe God to him that believes all things are possible and if you believe they shall be so to you He hath said he will be and therefore you may boldly say The Lord is my helper Trust in the Lord and keep his way trust in the Lord and be doing good and verily you shall be fed verily you shall be assisted verily you shall be supported commit your way to him and whatever difficulty there be in your work he shall bring it to pass commit the keeping of your selves to him and you shall be kept by his power through faith unto salvation Faithful is he that hath called you and will do it Distrust your selves as much as you will but distrust not your Rock you are weak creatures but you have a strong God you have empty hearts but a full Saviour you have but a poor stock in your selves but a rich stock in the Promise whence you shall have such a continual supply that your barrel of meal shall not waste nor your cruse of oyl spend till you have finished your work and your course Hang on your crucified Lord take hold on his Covenant take hold on his Strength go forth in his Strength and Name and then fear not your difficulties shall vanish your way shall prosper your Souls shall flourish you shall have your fruit unto Holiness and your end everlasting Life III. Deny your selves Matth. 16. 24. If any man will come after me let him deny himself Remember your Covenant you have given your selves to the Lord and are now no longer your own you are not debtors to the flesh to live after the flesh you owe your flesh no observance you have already paid it more than its due let him that liveth live to the Lord let them for whom Christ died live no longer to themselves but to him that died for them and rose again Christ and Self are contrary you cannot serve these two Masters If you will not deny your selves you cannot but deny your Lord and if you can deny your selves in any thing you will deny Christ in nothing If you can heartily say Not my will you will easily add but thine be done But what is this Self we must deny I answer as Christ said to the Woman of Samaria He whom thou hast for thy Husband is not thy Husband That which thou holdest for thy self is not thy self thou callest it and countest it thy self and lovest and cherishest it as thy self but it is not thy self That which is here called thy self is elswhere in Scripture called thy flesh thy corrupt or carnal part that corruption that is gotten into thy understanding and sits there giving thee evil counsel That corruption which is gotten into thy will and sits there swaying thee in all things to choose thy hurt that is gotten into thy appetite and makes thee to fall a lusting after all things that are pernicious to thee and a resisting all that would do thee good This is thy self to he denied the corruption of thy nature that hath insinuated it self into all thy parts and powers and governs thee in all thy actions This is it which carries thee from God keeps thee from Christ resists the Word of Life leads thee out of the way of Life leads thee about after thy pleasures and sports and companions holds thee down to this earth and is dragging thee to Hell This is it which makes sinners say concerning the Word of Life The Word that is spoken to us in the Name of the Lord we will not do but will do whatsoever proceeds out of our own mouths That makes them say concerning Christ We will not have this man to Reign over us Let the World reign if it will let the Devil reign if he will let Pride and Envie and Malice reign if they will but whosoever reigns this man shall not reign over me 'T is this that layes so many blocks creates so many difficulties in the way of Holiness makes this way seem too strait and narrow the duties of it impossible the troubles of it intolerable Were it not for this the way of Christ would be easie and his burthen light This is that Self which must be denied if you will follow Christ If you ask what it is to deny self In short it is to shake off its government to resist its reasonings to disobey its commands to refuse to follow its inclinations or satisfie its lustings Brethren whatever Christ counsels you to or commands as I
told you this Self will be reasoning against it and counter-manding it When Christ sayes Be humble be watchful be circumspect be perfect labour run strive suffer Your flesh will contradict this is an hard Master these are hard sayings all this is both needless and intolerable Shake off thy heavy yoke and take thy liberty turn out of this straight way and take thy course pity thy self spare thy self and put not thy self to such hard service when thou mayest be free at least thou mayest abate something of this strictness If thou wilt be holy what need so much care and labour about it Allow thy self some liberty some ease some pleasure And if you yield in a little then it will counsel you to take a little more and a little more and never give over till it hath reasoned you out of all Christianity and commanded you into very Brutes or Devils But what shall we do or how shall we deal with this Self when it is thus set upon us Why return the same Answer to it as Christ did to Peter when he gave him the like counsel Master pity thy self Get thee behind me Satan saies he Hold thy peace Devil Speak no more thus to me Say to this Flesh as the men of Sodom said to Lot Gen. 19. Stand back This fellow came in to sojourn and he will needs be a Judge or a Ruler Thou art stollen in I know not how stollen into my head stollen into my heart and now thou thinkest to be a Counseller to be a Ruler Stand back Flesh hold thy peace for I may not hearken to thee Say to it as the King of Israel said concerning the Prophet I hate him for he never speaks good to me but evil Say to this wicked Flesh as those wicked ones said against the Lord The word which thou hast spoken to me I will not do The liberty thou demandest thou shalt not have the pleasure and the ease which thou cravest I will not allow thee my Lord whom thou counsellest me against shall be my Lord him will I love him will I obey him will I follow in all that he shall say to me I will not pamper this Flesh but pinch it the more I will not humour this fleshly mind but cross it the more I will not feed this fleshly appetite but hold it the shorter for its cravings and lustings I will not Pray the less or Fast the less or Hear the less because this Flesh is against it but will Pray the more and Fast the more and beat down this bodie and bring it into subjection with the more care and diligence I will starve this proud beggar and weary it out of its imperious demands it shall get nothing if I can help it by all this ado it makes but shall rather be held the shorter I will the rather deny my self what I may allow my self because I will not feed or foster such an enemy Oh Christians What an exact life might we live and with what ease might we go on our holy course if this enemy were once well laid What an uncontrouled dominion might our Lord have over us if this Self were pulled down from sitting with him in the Throne And how much might be done to the destroying of it by our constant denying it Keep the Flesh low and by degrees you kill it But woe to us what Friends are we of this Enemy how gently do we deal with this old man What provision do we make for this Flesh What we have a mind to we must have what we have a mind to do we will do whither we have a mind to go we will go and seldome give our Reasons or our Consciences liberty to say to us What dost thou or once to judge whether it be good for us or fit for us or safe to us or no We are just like some fond Parents if their Child cry though it be but for a knife or a handfull of dirt it must have it to still it A wise Parent will rather give his Child a Rod than that which will hurt it and knows that this will be hurt enough that a Child should alwayes have its will Oh check and whip this Brat and let not thy Soul spare for its crying Better the Child cry than the Parent better the Flesh cry than the Soul and Conscience But oh what a sad wonder is it to observe how strangely indulgent too many Christians are this way who suffer their flesh to leave them almost to any thing who in a self-seeking flesh-pleasing life have equalled and even out-gone many of the carnal world What a liberty have many that seem to be Christians even of the highest form often taken in the dayes of their prosperity Some seeking great things for themselves driving so hard after estates honour high places c. as if they meant to return and take their portion with the men of this world Others living in pleasure with Solomon Eccles 2. 10. Whatever their eyes desire they keep not from them they withhold not themselves from any joy VVho as if they hoped to charm their flesh out of its enmity or to kill it bd kindness or if this were the Enemy which when it hungers they must feed when it thirsts they must give it drink and thereby heap devouring coals upon its head will not say it nay whenever it craves Oh what liberty have we seen taken by many such for excessive feastings costly attire vain fashions frothy light and carnal merriments yea and despisings and condemnings of the stricter and more self-denying way of more severe and mortified Christians as if this proceeded out of an affectation of a voluntary humility or an ignorance of their Christian liberty But is this indeed the way to crucifie the flesh Or have you gotten it so much under command already that now you can securely trust it with any thing it would have without fear of its getting head and making war against Christ or your Souls again Look to your selves Christians look back and consider whether your Souls have not suffered whilst your flesh have been thus surfeited whether there have not been some abatements made to Christ for every such allowance granted to the flesh and whether God hath not been provoked whilst self hath been thus pleased Think sadly whether this abuse of our liberty be not something that the Lord is now pleading with us about and scourging us for We have even put the Lord to it to cast us into the house of mourning thereby to repair the breaches that have been made upon our Souls in our Houses of Feasting And our Lord Jesus puts us the harder to the second Lesson Take up your Cross because we did no better learn our first Deny your selves IV. Order your selves aright Beloved if you will observe the former Rules well all that remains will be the more easie and I shall be the shorter in it Order your selves aright iu those things
I mean that especially concern your own persons keep your own hearts with all diligence look well to your own wayes Gal. 6. 4. Le every man prove his own work and then shall he havâ— rejoycing in himself and not in another Keep a strict and severe eye upon your selves hold a strict hand upon your selves be more severe towards your selves than towards all the World It 's an ill sign to see Professors of Religion severe in their observing imposing upon and censuring others and more remiss towards themselves Be more can did and charitable towards others but exercise more severity at home In the right ordering your selves take great care that you 1. Allow not your selves in the least know Sin 2. Live not in the neglect of any known Duty 3. Take heed of the World 4. Be Humble 5. Be Temperate 6. Be Moderate 1. That you allow not your selves in the practice of the least known sin Do not look on this as any Apology for sin or your easier entertaining of it That it is but a little one There is no sin that can properly be termed little The least iniquity will cost either the Blood of Christ or the blood of your own Souls Little Sins are spreading sins a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump Elijahs Cloud out of the bignesse of a Mans hand in a few hours cloathed the whole Heavens in black You will find it something in your Repentance which you counted as nothing in the Commission Little sins are leading sins the child conveighed in at the Window will open the door to let all the great Thieves in When Gad came into the world his Mother said Behold a Troop cometh 2 King 6. 32. When the Messenger of the King of Israel came to the Prophet Shut the door hold him fast sayes he at the door Is not the sound of his Masters feet behind him Shut the door against every sin for whose Messenger is it Look behind and see who comes after Is not the sound of his Masters feet behind him The Devil is not far off whenever Sir knocks for admission and the door being opened to the Messenger it 's like to stand open for the Master to enter Take heed Brethren that you do not give a tolleration to any sin little sins allowed become great sins The allowance of sin is that which makes the great wast upon Conscience and the great spoil upon our peace I will not say what grace there may be in the heart but sure there is but little tendernesse in the conscience that doth not bid defiance to the least of Sins Beloved if Sin doth get the possession at any time of your hearts let it be rather upon surprize than surrender be so watchful that if it be possible you may not be surpriz'd by sin or taken at unawares but whatever you do see you do not surrender your selves to it be so jealous that if it may be Sin may not steal in upon you in a disguise but when you see what it is beware of it as of the Devil Will you let a known Enemy lodge within you Brethren do not shut your eyes against sin nor open your doors to it Shut not your eyes against it be willing to know it do not go about to perswade your selves concerning any thing you have a mind to that it is not sinful that it may be lawful enough for ought you know but examine it and look through it impartially and if you find it to be sin receive it not in I cannot well say whether of the two be in the worse case those that are not willing to know they do or those that do what they know to be evil but this I can say that neither the one nor the other if there be any thing of God in them are like to know whether there be or no such winkings will blind their eyes and such walkings will blot their Evidences and both hinder that progress in holinesse which is necessary to build them up in comfort If you would be sure the Lord is yours keep close to him if you would keep close by God keep clear of sin and if you would keep clear of sin keep your Windows open but your doors shut see who 't is that knocks before you let them in An open eye and a tender conscience will be the best security to both your grace and peace 2. Live not in the neglect of any known duty The Devil may be served not only by your doing evil but by your doing nothing We obey the will of the flesh when we only neglect to obey the will of God As our Commissions stab so our Omissions starve our souls God will not and our souls cannot want a duty our lamenesse in our practise will quickly appear in the leannesse of our Souls O missions will be reckoned for a Judgment and therefore must be reckoned and repented of now Do not content your selves with a negative holiness that you do not harm do not think it enough to be able to say I know nothing by my self no hurt that I have done suppose you do not yet thereby are you not justified God will judge you and may condemn you for what you have not done If you had nothing to answer for but your neglects The neglects of one day of one hour will undo you for ever if you have not a Christ to answer for you To be holy hath more in it than to be harmless There must be doing your duty as well as departing from iniquity Isa 1. 16. Cease to do evil learn to do well Nor is it a little now and then that will serve There must be continuance in well-doing a readiness to every good work a fruitfulness in good works a faithfulness in good works Well done good and faithful Servant That 's a faithful servant that hath done his best that hath not voluntarily neglected any thing of his Masters work nor wasted any of his Masters talents that 's able to say though I have not done what I ought yet I have endeavoured to do what I can Everie neglect is a degree of unfaithfulness If ye will be the servants of Christ be faithful servants and that you may be so 1. Neglect not any kind of Duty One thing lacking may be the losse of all You can hear it may be but you cannot pray you can pray in secret but you cannot pray in your Families you can instruct your Families but you cannot govern them you can love the Saints you say but you neglect the communion of Saints you can be just in your dealings but you cannot be charitable you can give an Alms to an hungry bodie but you cannot give counsel to a sinful soul you can give Counsel but you cannot give a reproof this or that you cannot bring your heart to but take heed though you cannot bring your heart to it yet neglect not to be working your heart to it to be perswading and
it not only Truth but Faith and Love and ingenuity to God not only a good meaning but a good will to the work and to the Lord for whose sake we do it To walk sincerely is to walk both as in the sight of God as the witness of our uprightnesse to whom we dare to appeal and in the power of the Grace of God which carries us on to pursue his honour and interest The oppositâ— to this sincerity is fleshly wisdom or carnal policy which models our Religion and the exercises thereof in a consistency with and subservency to our fleshly interests And hypocrisie or dissimulation to which it is most properly opposed And there is a two-fold hypocrisie in our actions Either total that which denominates them hypocritical actions Or tial when though as to the main the heart be upright and the action acceptable to God yet there is some little mixture of deceit in it which though it be matter of humiliation to the doer yet doth not wholy hinder the acceptation of what 's done As there is no person so there is no action so perfectly sincere and upright with God but there is some obliquities to be found in it Brethren be upright in your way be true to the Lord not putting him off with eye-service but serving him in singlenesse of heart be ingenuous towards God with good will doing service whatever good words you speak whatever good duties you perform whatever good fruits you bring forth let good will be at the bottom Let not fleshly wisdom have any thing to do in the managing and ordering your Spiritual waies You must be fools if you will be honest He that will be wise saith the Apostle let him be a foâ—l So he that will be upright let him lay down his fleshly wisdom Let him not consult with Flesh and Blood nor studie to cast himself into such a mode or limit himself to such a measure of godlinesse as will best secure and advance his earthlie concernments but laying aside such considerations let him follow the Lord in all things whether it be right or wrong as to matters outward and carnal Beware of Hipocriâ—ie and dissimulation be not mockers of God Gal. 6. 7. Be not deceived God is not mocked saith the Apostle That is either God cannot be mocked there 's no juggling with God there 's no deceiving of Gods Eie when you have done all you can to varnish an empty or deceitful work God cannot be deceived his eie sees what it is There 's no dissembling with God whatever there may be with men Or else God will not be mocked he will never be put off with nor bear mocking services but as men sow so shall they reap Look what their work is such shall their reward and their wages be There is a twofold-mock 1. A Deriding Mock 2. A Deluding Mock There is a deriding mock or a putting of scorn upon persons The Enemies of Jerusalem mocked at her Sabbaths the Persecutors and Cruciâ—iers of Christ mocked him and said Hail King of the Jews And there is a Deluding Mâ—ck or a putting a Cheat upon them to deceive them He that promises any thing that he doth not intend he that doth any thing or gives any thing which is another thing than it appears to be is a Mocker Thou hast mocked me these three times said Delila to Sampsoâ— when he pretended to have told her all that was in his heart and yet hat but lyed to her Judg. 16. 15. He that refreshes the needie with good words onlie be filled be warmed or Promises I will give I will relieve you this is but Mock-Charity He that paies his debts or buyes his Commodities with brasse money instead of silver this is but mock Justice and he that worships God with tongue-worship instead of heart-worship this is but mock Religion Oh how much such mocking of God are many Professors of Religion guilty of There 's nothing but words in their Professions nothing but words in their Prayers nothing but words in their Confessions and Acknowledgments Their Faith is a mock Faith and their Repentance is mock Repentance their Humility is mock Humility nay their very Alms and Benevolences wherewith those that received them are refreshed and relieved are in respect to God a mock Charity mock Alms. Whatever there is done there is nothing of the heart in it there 's no good will in all their good work and where that 's wanting the Lord looks on all as nothing Oh remember and bewail all your Hypocrisies and Dissimulation you are apt to think at least would make others think when you have been Praying or Fasting or keeping Sabbaths or visiting the Sick or relieving the oppressed that you have been doing some great good services when yet it may be you have been dissembling with the Lord in all and had need to go pray again not only Lord forgive us our sins our pride or our covetousnesse but Lord forgive us our Prayers Lord forgive us our Repentance our Fasting our Sabbaths our Sabbath-mockeries our Prayer-Mockeries Consider brethren what an high provocation this is 'T is no small sin to be mockers of men but will a man mock God Mal. 3. 8. Will a man rob God saith the Lord. Though you dare to steal and purloin one from the other yet dare you be so highly impious and sacrilegious as to rob God Ye have robbed me saith the Lord. You have not only robbed my Prophets and my Servants but ye have robbed me Will a man rob God So Will a man mock God Seemeth it to you a small thing that you weary men that you will weary my God also saith he Prophet Seemeth it a small thing to you to deal falsly with men but will you deal falsly with God also Brethren in all your waies observe the rule Do as you would be done by If you would not that the Lord should mock you be you no longer Mockers of God Do not put off the Lord with mock-duties unlesse you will be content to be put off with mockmercies mock-comforâ—s with a mock-pardon and a mock salvation Beloved Let us bewail our Hypocrisie Let us not only bewail and humbled under any thing we have offered up to God wherein we have been hypocritical in toto have done nothing else but plaid the hypocrites but let us bewail all those lower degrees of hypocrisie that have been mingled with the best of all our duties blessed be God that though we have been too hypocritical yet we are no Hypocrites blessed be God for any sincerity that he hath seen in us but wo to us and shame to us that there hath been so much hypocrisie mingled with it Oh let us fear an hypocritical heart Oh let us watch against an Hypocritical heart let us purge out all the remainders of this Pharisaical leaven Let there be truth in all we do and as much as in us lies nothing but truth Let us draw nigh to God with a
it If you have wasted away your encouragements and spent out your Sun-shine in a careless unprofitable life how do you think to be ever useful or serviceable in the dark If you cannot now bear the pains of a godly life how do you think you should bear both the pains and the charges of it If you could follow Christ no closer in the plenty of all things how do you think to follow him when it must be in hunger and thirst Dost thou talk of suffering for Christ and suffering for Righteousness and hope thou shalt never forsake him whatever come upon thee when thy heart tells thee how much thou hast slighted Christ neglected thy duty to Christ contented thy self with a cold heartlesse luke-warm Profession without the power of Christianity and that when thou hast had no pretence of damage or danger that was hereby like to come upon thee You that how can keep at distance from Christ for the satisfying of a lust have reason enough to fear that you will utterly forsake him if ye be put to it for the saving of your Life You that in a calm can ordinarily remit your Religion for the pleasing a lazy heart will be like enough to renounce your Religion in a storm to quiet a fearful heart He that can sell his Conscience for a Lust will hardly be perswaded to buy it with the losse of all that ever he is worth Thou sayest it may be with Peter Though I dye with him I will not deny him I but dost thou deny thy self for him now deny thy pleasures and thy ease and thy companions now Hast thou not many a time denyed him a Prayer or an Alms when he hath called for it Canst thou watch with Christ Dost thou walk with Christ as thou oughtest Dost thou live to Christ Art thou faithful in bringing forth fruit unto Christ the fruits of holinesse and righteousnesse If not how dost thou think to be able to suffer for him If the way of Christ be too strait for thee thou wilt find his burthen to be too heavy if thou canst not bear his yoke thou wilt be less able to bear his Cross Christians consider what your wayes and your doings are at present and if you find the Lord helping you to walk in all good conscience now you need not doubt of being enabled to witnesse for a good conscience when called to it If you keep the Word and do the work of the Lord you may expect his help for bearing his burthen If you be faithful in your lives you are the more like to be faithful to the death Because thou hast kept the Word of my patience I also will keep thee in the hour of temptation Rev. 3. 10. 2. What you are in the ordinary and smaller crosses that come daily upon you There is not that man that lives that meets not with his crosses which though they be many of them but light and inconsiderable things below the Spirit of a Christian to take notice of yet how sadly may we observe at what a loss they are presently by them Every little Wind raiseth a storm every little cross puts us out of course What breaches are often made upon our consciences what interruptions of duties what abatements of our comforts to what distance are we put from Christ and our holy communion with him and all meerly for a thing of nought We cannot bear an unkindness from a Friend or an injury from an Enemy the provocation of an evil tongue a scoffe or a slander but presently our spirits are in an uproar and there are such tumults raised up within us that for the time we forget that we are Christians Duties and Comforts Christ and Conscience Souls and the matters of Eternity and all regard to them are laid aside and turned out of doors Faith and Patience and Meekness and Moderation are either made to be silent or at least cannot be heard for the noise of our passions and disquiets and all this sometimes for such trivial things that when we come to our selves we are all quite ashamed of our selves Brethren such fails by these lower temptations I cannot wonder if they make our hearts shake at the fore-fight of greater If every small party which the Adversary sends out against us doth put us to the rout How shall we stand when he comes upon us with his full body If we are overcome of the footmen how shall we contend with the horsemen If a rod or a little finger doth so disturb us how shall we bear the weight of the loyns or the stinging of Scorpions If we cannot bear an unkindnesse or a nod or a scoff or a slander what would become of us should we be brought to resist unto blood Beloved it is of greater import to Christians than they are aware of both to observe themselves daily and their carriages in these lower things and to inure themselves to patience and meeknesse of spirit under them Though it â—e no great vertue to be patient where there is no great provocation yet there may be great benefit by it If we could but shame our selves out of this folly and childishnesse of Spirit whereby we are apt to be moved with every toy if we could reason and pray our selves into such a fixed calm and quietnesse of spirit that we could keep our way with the neglect of such disturbances our lives would be both more comfortable and honourable at present and we should be in the better preparation for any harder things that might come upon us If we know how to be Christians among briars and thorns we shall be the better able to continue such among Spears and Arrows 3. What you are under the temptation of prosperity The World is a Christians Enemy it expresseth its enmity in its temptations the end of all its temptations is to draw us off from God Its temptations are of two sorts either of prosperity or affliction and both driving at the same end though in a different way Prosperity allures entices and flatters us away from God it steals away our hearts from God as Absalom stole the hearts of Israel from David by fair speeches by its fair and smiling face thereby drawing us into a neglect and forgetfulness of God to grow cold and remiss in our duty to God to let fall our love and affection and to lay aside our care of Religion Afflictions fright us from God dealing by us as Rabshakeh by Israel when he sought to get them off from Hezekiah by his threatnings and great words Isa 36. If you will not hearken to me I will make you drink your own piss and eat your own dung Afflictions are apt to weary men out of the ways of God to starve them out of their Religion to persecute them out of their Consciences and to make godlinesse too hot for them The stronger and the more dangerous of these two sorts of temptations are held to be the temptations of
and he shall have nothing else to feed upon there is meat for him to eat and a place prepared for him such as it is his place shall not be on the Throne but under the Foot-stool Now put all this together and you may see the woful state of Apostate Professors they are Monuments of Vengeance Though they have lost their savour yet they will serve for Pillars of Salt a standing dread and terror and warning to others on whose foreheads is written Let him that thinks be standeth take heed lest be fall They are cloathed with curses must feed upon fire and have their dwelling under the foot-stool in scorn and everlasting contempt Apostates are the worst of men Those that have lost their Religion have lost by their Religion 2 Pet. 2. 21. Better had it been for them not to have known the way of Righteousness than having known to turn from the holy Commandment Religion which is a wing to Saints whereby they rise up into Glory is become a weight to hypocrites to sink them so much the deeper in wrath Apostates are in the worst case of all men 1. They are the worst in Gods account The Lord hath a double quarrel with them not only for being found under the Enemies colours but that ever such varlets should have marched under his colours A quarrel with them for their Profession for their Prayers wherein they have but abused his Name and Gospel God and his waies have suffered from none so much as from Renegado disciples 2. They are the worst in the account of men both good men and evil men there are none that can speak well of Renegado's they are the sorrow of Saints and the sport of sinners good mens shame and evil mens scorn and the hate of all 3. But especially they are the worst and most miserable of men considered in themselves they have not only lost their Religion but they have arm'd it against themselves All the profession and prayers that they have made together with all the hopes and joys and comforts that once seemed to grow up out of them the remembrance of them I mean when ever they come to remember themselves will be as many darts in their livers and stings in their hearts All their hopes and joys and comforts have given up the Ghost and these ghosts do haunt them and torment them with such thoughts as these Wretched creature that I am where am I what an exchange have I made Light for darkness Wisdom or folly Righteousness for wickedness Gain for godliness Conscience for credit Heaven for hell I was once as I thought in the way of Life and I had hopes I should have seen life I made profession of Religion and took pleasure in Religion I walked after the Lord and the thoughts of God were precious to me I found comfort in Christ I took sweet counsel with the Saints and went to the house of God with them in company Sabbaths were a delight Ordinances were a refreshing to me I have tasted of the good Word of God and the powers of the World to come and whilst it was thus with me I had great peace and was full of hopes that I should once see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living But wo is me where am I now How hath my treacherous heart that I never suspected turned me aside from God and spoiled me of all my hopes and comforts I must now bid adieu to all farewel â—rofession farewel Religion farewel Conscience farewel Duties Sabbaths Ordinances Saints the sweet delights I took in them farewel Joyes and Hopes for ever Welcome Drunkards Swearers Lyars welcome Turk or Pope or Devil I must now be of your side and take up my lot with you for ever Oh whither am I fallen Study well the misery of such persons and let that be a warning to you IV. Be Circumspect See that you do not unnecessarily pull sufferings on your selves especially look to it that you suffer not as evil doers If your sin lead you into sufferings God may leave you in them and then what is like to become of you There is a suffering for our faults there is a suffering for our righteousness without our fault and there is a suffering for our righteousness through our fault We sometimes run our selves upon trouble when we need not as when by our unwary and imprudent managing and ordering our selves in some duties we lay our selves open to those sufferings which a little prudence might have prevented We must be wise as well as innocent Christians should never ordinarily expose themselves to suffering till God hath so hedg'd up all lawful waies of escape that they must either suffer or sin Be so wary in your course that you may not faultily suffer for the good that is in you but especially see to it that you suffer not as evil-doers and for the evil that is found in you to this end be careful 1. That you speak not nor do any thing in the matters of Religion rashly 'T was good counsel which the Town-Clark gave the Ephesians when they were in a tumult and uproar about their Goddesse Diana Acts 19. 36. Seeing that these things cannot be spoken against ye ought to be quiet and to do nothing rashly Christians should be considerate and well advised in what they speak or do should mark and weigh their words and actions themselves which they know will be so narrowly observed and weighed by others 2. That you speak not nor do nor refuse to do any thing obstinately or out of stomack or animosity Let your wayes be guided not by passion or a spirit of contradiction but by conscience and meekness of spirit be not self-willed let nothing be done through strife c. Phil. 2. 3. Be stedfast but not stubborn be faithful but not wilful be zealous but not contentious 3. That you neither do nor suffer any thing out of pride or vain-glory as the Apostle exhorts Phil. 2. 3. Do nothing so suffer nothing out of strife or vain glory Take heed that an affectation of popular applause of gaining the repute of active Christians of bold and resolved Christians be not it that leads you on Your pride may cost you much but will never bear your charge may bring you into trouble but will never bear you out 4. That you do nothing ignorantly or upon mistake Be clear especially in those things which may be costly Study your duty throughly labour to see your way plain before you to see the pillar of fire and of the cloud going before you Give heed to the word of the Scriptures which is a light to your feet and a Lanthorn to your steps Where you are clear you will be bold but take heed of suffering upon a mistake Your troubles will be like to open your eyes and shew your mistake and thereby put out your lights destroy your supports and comforts 5. Do not suffer unpeaceably Suffer not for
unpeaceableness and suffer not unpeaceably be patient and you will be peaceable Brethren see that you be thus well advised meek humble peaceable and clear in the grounds of your sufferings And then V. Be resolute Be sure you stand on good ground and then resolve to stand your ground against all the world Follow God and fear not men Art thou godly repent not whatsoever thy Religion cost thee let sinners repent but let not Saints repent let Saints repent of their faults but not of their faith of their iniquities but not of their Righteousness The Psalmist as holy a man as he was was almost brought to it his feet were almost gone he began to say when he considered the prosperity of the wicked and his own afflictions Psal 73. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed mine hands in innocency Look to your selves you that stand and take heed lest you fall You that stand in integrity take heed lest you fall away by your Repentance Repent not of your righteousness lest you afterward repent of your repentance Repent not of your righteousness no nor of your zeal or your forwardness or activity in the holy wayes of the Lord. Your zeal it may be hath put you in the front of the Battel where you receive the first and hottest charge of your enemies reproaches and persecutions when others that have kept them more close and been more remiss or hid in the crowd and more out of gun-shot yet wish not your selves a step farther back or a cubit lower in your stature in the Grace of God Wish not any thing undone concerning which God will say well done Repent not and remit not of your zeal think not of a retreat Do not as the King of Israel hide your selves under a disguise feign not your selves to be worse in hope to escape the better the arrow may find you though you be hid from the eye Let not any of you that have been confessors of Christ return to be only his midnight disciples Forsake not the Lord till you can find a better Captain that is till God cease to be God till the Lord say shift for thy self there is no help for thee in thy God Retreat not from holiness till you are sure you can retreat without loss Be not false to Religion till you find it false to you If ever Godliness leave you in the lurch renounce it and spare not If ever Religion cost you more than it is worth throw it off as you will Christians know when you are well and hold your own be not betrayed out of your refuge If you must suffer suffer for that which will pay you your charges suffer not for your sins but for your Religion suffer not for the shadow or name but for the substance of Religion If any thing in the world will save you harmless in your sufferings and quit the cost of all your expences it is substantial goodness If there be any Stigmata Lâ—udis they are the marks which we bear in our bodies of the Lord Jesus If there be any shame that hath a glory in it it is the reproach of Christ and the shame that you suffer for his Name If there be any Cross that is a Crown it is the Cross of Christ If there be any Cross that can be undoubtedly called the Cross of Christ it is the holy Cross or sufferings for holnesse Those Martyrs that suffered under the Popish tyranny for witnessing against the abomination of the Mass with the rest of their Idolatries and Superstitions had not a more clear and glorious Cause and Crown than thou hast who sufferest for the power of Holinesse If there be any thing in the World which God owns and wherein his honour is nearly concern'd it is holiâ—ess If ever the Divel shewed himself a Devil it is in his opposing holinesse if ever he shewed himself a Devil in print it is in those books of reproaches and scoffs that are written against purity if ever he shewed himself a Devil in grain it is when his hands have been dyed with the blood of Saints Brethren if you will resist the Devil if you will be on the Lords side be on the side of Holiness If you will stand to any thing if you will not be whifling inconsistent shaken reeds tossed up and down with every Wind if you will fix any where fix here upon substantial godlinesse This is the great controversie betwixt Heaven and Hell betwixt the seed of the Woman and the Serpent betwixt the professing and prophane world about the substance and power of godliness some quarrels and contests there are about the shadows and appendants of Religion matter meerly circumstantial but whatever noise there be made about such things as these the bottom of the controversie lyes deeper it is about the body of Religion and not the skirts of its garments it is he that will live godly in Christ Jesus that doth and must suffer persecution Art thou godly Fix here and let this be thy resolution I live in a World of quarrels and contentions contentions about shadows and circumstances but for such things as these though I will not defile my self by complying in my practise with what Conscience complies not yet I list not to be contentious nor to perplex my self or others about them But by the grace of God whilst God is a God of holinesse whilst holinesse is the image and Interest of God whilst these words of the Lord Be ye holy follow holiness live righteously soberly and godly in this present World whilst these and the like words of the Lord stand un-repeal'd by the Grace of God I will be a Friend an Advocate a Confessor a practitioner of Holinesse to the end of my days This is my resolution and in this resolution I commit my self to God and so come on me what will FINIS PHIL. 4. 9. Those things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do the God of Peace shall be with you WHat the particular Reason of my choice of this Scripture this day is if you compare my present station with the intent of the Apostle in these words you will easily understand These words of the Apostle being part of the close of his Epistle to the Philipiant are his Valediction or Farewel to them It is not unknown to you that I must now be parted from you and I have pitched on this Scripture to be the Close of my Twenty Years Ministry among you God hath sent me among you to be a Builder and I have chosen this Text to be an Hammer to fasten and drive home those Nailes of Instruction and Consolation which I have been so long endeavouring to enter into you God hath sent me among you as a Fisherman and I have chosen these words to be as the closing of the Net Behold once more the Net is spread and I am now making my last Draught and oh
that befals I might be happy but this stands in my way If you would give God leave to be wiser than you you would say where-ever you are its good for me to be here this is my way to my â—est 3. The Providence of God hath faithfulness with it Psal 25. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that keep his Covenant and his Testimonies Psal 111. 8. His Works are done in truth Gods works may be said to be done in truth in a double sence In Reality In Fidelity 1. In Reality not in specie or in shew only but indeed Gods Comforts are Comforts indeed Gods Salvation is Salvation indeed The Devil will come with his gifts with his comforts and deliverances but they are for the most part but spectra like himself shews and apparitions quite another thing than what they seem to be sinners comforts deliverances enjoyments wherewith the Devil feeds them do leave them in as poor a case and worse than they found them you will never thank the Devil for his kindnesses when you have prov'd them what they are If you do not find your selves as fast bound in the midst of all your liberties if you be not wrapp'd up in as many sorrows after all the joys he hath procured to you if the glittering glories the glorying pleasures he entices you by and entertains you with prove not trash and dirt and meer lies in the end then say the Devil hath forgotten his trade of lying the Devils works will be even like himself false and deceitful But God is true and all his works are done in truth 2. In Fidelity his Works are according to his word 1 King 8. 24. Thou hast spoken with thy mouth hast fulfilled with thine hand In thy faithfulness thou hast afflicted me Psal 119. Not only in thy faithfulness thou hast saved me in thy faithfulness thou hast comforted me in thy faithfulness thou hast succoured me but in thy faithfulness thou hast afflicted me in thy faithfulness thou hast humbled and broken me and cast me down The promise of God is that we shall want nothing we shall neither want his Staffe nor his Rod neither comforts nor crosses neither joys nor sorrows we cannot well want either and we shall want neither because God is faithful You may not only write down with the Apostle God is faithful and will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able to bear but you may write also God is faithful and will not suffer you to want a temptation When 't is seasonable your hearts shall be glad and if need be for a season you shall be in heaviness God is faithfull he will ever be true to himself and therefore to you 2 Tim. 2. 9. He abideth faithful he cannot deny himself Should he be false to his people he cannot be true to himself to his purpose and promise his Word is not yea and nay God is not as man that he should lye or the Son of man that he should repent that he should say and unsay that he should say and not do you may write Gods name upon every word he hath spoken you may write his Name I Am upon all that he hath said It shall be Now Christians put these three Particulars together and if you cannot spel out the conclusion out of them the Providence of God will certainly accomplish his good Purpose and Promise concerning you You are of little understanding as well as of little Faith If God governs the World and nothing comes to pass but by his Providence if Providence governs according to Gods Purpose and promise if Providence cannot fail of accomplishing both If God be Almighty and can if God be Wise and knowes how if God be Faithfull and true let the Devil if he can with all his Sophistry evade the Conclusion That he will certainly do all that good for you which he hath purposed and promised If God be not able to perform he is not good if he mistake his way if he use impertinent improper means he is not the All-wise God If he do not actually perform what he is able and knows how to do when he hath said it he ceases to be the true God So that the matter is brought plainly to this Issue If God be God if God be the All-wise God if God be the true and faithful God this word which he hath spoken All things shall work together for good to those that love God shall not fail of its accomplishment in its season Having thus proved the Doctrine I shall after I have added a few words by way of Caution and answered an Objection or two against the Sence I have given of this Promise and subjoyned a few particular Inferences descend to the general Application 1. By way of Caution 1. Limit not the Lord to your time and way God will make good his word but you must give him leave to take his own season He that believesh shall not make hast believe God but do nor prejudge nor precipitate least you fall into temptation Put no more into the promise neither for matter nor circumstance then God hath put in it put not that into the Promise which God hath not put in it lest you miss and come short of that which God hath put in it Let others mistakes and miscarriages be warnings to you till God hath manifestly said do not you say This is the time build not your confidence on conjectures your Faith on the strongest Presumptions lest your Faith prove but a fancy and your confidence your confusion make not the promise of God of none effect by looking for its effect out of season Believe not your selves into Infidelity Consider Acts 1. 7. It is not for you to know the times and the seasons which God hath put in his own Power Study the Word and its commentary the Works of God but be sober in your Conclusions This you may safely depend upon and this will be enough if you have no more God will make good his good Word to you sooner or later in one time or other in one way other in the best time in the best way in the appointed time the Vision shall speak and shall not lye Habak 2. 3. Though it may tarry wait for it because it will surely come and will not tarry At least at the end of the days When you shall stand in your lott when you shall be gotten on the banks of Canaan and shall thence look back on the Promises and Providences of God ye shall see and say God is faithful there hath not failed one word of all that he hath promised Now I understand though once I could not how every Wheel was turning every Instrument was moving every event was working toward my good and everlasting welfare 2. Let not your expectation cause an abortion Let not your looking for mercy hinder the working of your affliction It is not seldom and
things He that hath the son hath not only with him but in himâ— all things Are all things nothing with thee What wouldst thou have more than all Thâ— Heathens acknowledged That vertue is sufficient Iâ— was a Maxime among the ancient Philosophers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vertue is self-sufficient A vertuous Man hath no need to be beholding either tâ— Friends or Fortune He hath enough in himself The Apostle tells us That Godliness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with its self-sufficiency is great gain 1 Tim. 6. 6. Solomon tells us Prov. 14. 14. A good man is satisfied from himself He hath that within him out of which his satisfaction grows A Christian hath the whole Gospel within him He hath Christ the Promise the everlasting God Heaven Glory within him As rich as he is he may truly say Omnia mea mecum porto He carries his All in his heart and can thence get out a living a Sufficiency for all Times Cases and Wants Cast him naked out of his Habitation out of his Countrey yet he carries all with him he leaves not an Hoof behind him Christians leave it to the poor of the Earth to carnal men the Riches of them is poor enough leave it them to be discontent A carnal Man hath so many to be beholding to to parch up his contentment that 't is no wonder he falls short of it the Sun the Clouds his Fields his Folds his Friends his Enemies his Honours his Pleasures his Meat his Drink his House his Mony yea the Devil all his lusts every Creature must come in with their part to contribute to his contentment if but one thing fails him there 's somthing wanting to make it up Nay if none fail but they all do their best to please him yet all will not do in the fulness of his sufficiency he is in straits When he hath all he can have his still hungring Heart cries out of what it hath Vanity of Vaâ—â—ties all is Vanity Leave it to these Christians who â—ave nothing but emptiness to fill their Souls withâ—â— leave it to them to be discontented Will you â—ay the same imputation upon the God of Glory The Discontent of a Christian is a kind of Blasphemy it proclaims concerning God also and all the Glory of the Gospel This also is Vanity Vanity of Vanities all is Vanity Christians study your Riches more count over your Treasures dwell more in your God and his Gospel Read over your Priviledges Promises and Hopes feed more on that Bread of Life drink more freely of those Living Springs which are broken forth to you Prove more what Godliness hath in it Get out the sweetness and the Pleasure of it none in the World live such a voluptuous Life as he that lives mâ—â—t with God get out the pleasure of Godliness lie more at the Breasts suck harder press the Clusters and the Wine and Milk will come make the most of Religion and you will have enough never blame it for empty or unsatisfactory while there is more to be had Gad not into other Pastures run not from Flower to Flower keep you Home Let not your God find you in another Field If you keep with God the less you have of Creature-vanities the more full will your Contentment be Christian Honour thy God and his Gospel let his Breasts satisfie thee and err thou alwayes in his Love Let the World read the Gospel-sufficiency in thy Souls pleasure and satisfaction with it alone 5. Let your Conversations answer the supports of the Gospel and its succours Live a patient life Jam. 5. 7. Be patient brethren unto the coming of the Lord. Patience is a Grace suited to our present Gospel state I will call it a Friend that 's born for the day of adversity If you are Christians you have need of Pâ—tience and if you have Patience you need no more Jam. 1. 4. Let Patience have her perfect work that you may be entire lacking nothing Patience is a submitting sedate and calm frame of spirit whereby a Christian from Gospel grounds it born up under all his Troubles and born through all his Duties Betwixt Patience and Contentedness there is this difference Contentedness is the quiet of the heart and its satisfaction with its smallest portion of good things Patience is the quiet of the heart under the greatest pressure of evil things A patient spirit is a submitting spirit It s heartily content that God should have his Will With whatsoever God is pleased it will not be displeased It 's the Lord lâ—â— him do whatsoever seems good in his Eyes What seems good in God's eyes shall not seem evil in mine It is a Calm and quiet spirit It will not strive noâ— cry nor lift up its voice in the streets it can mourn but it does not murmur it can feel but it will not fret at the hand of God A patient person is ever compos mentis has the command and government of his spirit keeps it sober and in due order doth not rave and rage Impatience is a kind of frenzy such persons are besides themselves In our patience we possess and by our impatience we lose our Souls we lose the rule and government of them the peace and the use of them An impatient man is besides himself both as a Man and as a Christian 1. He is besides himself as a Man Impatience turns Reason out of doors and for the Affections they are all in an uproar and will know no command or government 2. He is besides himself as a Christian turned quite out of course Duties Comforts Experiences Hopes all are laid aside Keep you quiet keep the peace in your heart and you keep your heart In this calmness and quietness it bears up under troubles Patience hath Fortitude in it it neither frets nor faints under all its burthens Christians must bear and patient Christians can bear any thing that comes on them The proper exercise of patience is enduring he endures not that suffers only but that can bear what he suffers It bears through its Duties The passion of a patient person doth not hinder his action He holds his course keeps on his way whatever load he hath on his back He runs with patience the race which is set before him he is not discouraged nor diverted from his holy course by any suffering it costs him And indeed Christian Patience stands not in a bare forced quiet in a biting in or keeping down our fretting aestuations from venting themselves in word or carriage or in a sullen silence or stupidity but in the maintaining such a tranquility of spirit under all we suffer as that we can still both enjoy and serve the Lord. He is a patient Christian that is as much a Christian in a storm as in a clam that can pray believe love bless God follow God and keep his way when he smites as when he smiles Lastly in all this a Christian is upheld and carried on from
yet for the discharge of my duty and for your own necessity bear with me I am afraid that whilst I have been preaching to you of an incorruptible Crown of an everlasting Rest a Kingdom of Joy and Glory I am afraid there are many of you That have no part nor lot in this matter but are still in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity If the Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost And are there none among you from whom this Gospel is hid hid as to the light of it hid as to the saving power and efficacy of it I am afraid there are too many I am afraid there 's many a blind eye many a hard heart many a Spirit still in Prison under the Power of their Lusts and Bruitish Sensuality I am afraid there are many such among you and are not you afraid so too Oh that you were 2. I have a greater fear than this I am afraid of some of you that not only all my past Labour but this last will be lost also Those that stand it out to their last day do usually stand it out in their last day Blessed be God that there are amongst you those over whom my Soul is comfoâ—ted To whom I can speak in the words of the Apostle Rom 6. 17. God be thanked that ye were the Servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that from of Doctrine that hath been delivered unto you and being now made free from sin you are become the Servants of Righteousness Oh that I could thus speak Oh that I could thus rejoyce over you all But as the Apostle said to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 12. 20. I fear left when I come I shall find you such as I would not So must I say with a grieved hearâ— I feaâ— that now I am going I shall leave you such as I would not I would not leave one blind person one vain person one loose liver not one unbeliever or impenitent amongst you an Oh what a good day would this day of my departure be what Light would there be in this dark Evening were it thus with you If I might see you all recovered out of the Snares of the Devil every man's Eyes open'd every man 's Fetters off every man's Prison broken and his Soul escaped from that deadly bondage if every poor deadly Creature among you who yet lies bound hand and foot in his Grave Clothes might now at last stand up from the Dead and live the Life of God this would be mine and your great rejoycing But oh I fear with this Apostle 2 Cor. 12. 21. My God will humble me and grieve me and afflict me to see in what a woful plight I must leave divers of you Oh ye sons of the Night you poor ignorant and dark Souls upon whom the Light hath shined but your Darkness comprehendeth it not Oh you poor obstinaâ—e hardned Souls upon whom I have been ploughing as upon Rocks hewing as upon Adamants who still remain under as great hardness as if no Dew nor Rain had ever fallen on you Oh you poor half-bakâ—ed almost Christians that have taken up your stand in your present Attainments my Soul is under great fears and must weep in secret for you whilst my Tongue must be henceforth silent Oh every Soul that is without fear of himself my Soul is afraid for you the fearless Soul is in a fearful state Sinners let my fears be your fears What is there such astonishing guilt upon you and yet not afraid Such a dreadful Roll writ against you and yet not afraid So many Sabbaths Sermons Warnings lost and never to be recalled nor any Assurance left of one Sermon or Warning more and yet not afraid Such a subtil Devil such a deceitful heart such a tempting world that you have to deal withall such a black and bottomless Pit into which you are falling and yet not afraid Oh what Stocks and Stones hath the Gospel to deal withalâ— Beloved have laboured much with you both publickly and from house to house to bring you under a due fear and jealousie of your selves but hitherto your hearts have been too hard for me Oh yet for trembling hearts tremble and sin not fear and pray fear and hope fear and repent Work out your Salvation with fear and trembling Oh if my fears were once become your fears your fears would become my hopes Oh what a Day-spring of hopes would arise from the shaking of secure hearts These fears would be as the thicker Darkness forerâ—nners of break of Day 2. My parting wishes and desires for you are 1. That the good Seed which hath been sown amongst you were well rooted in every heart I wish that my Twenty years Ministry among you may not be lost labour to any of your souls 2. I wish that your next Seeds-man may be more skilful and successful that the good Lord will provide you a man that may teach you in wisdom gain you in Love lead you on to life by an holy Example and if the Lord grant you this mercy I wish that such a one may be dearly priz'd and chearfully accepted by you God keep this Flock from a Ravening Wolf and a deceitful Shepherd 3. I wish that there may be no Root of Bitterness springing up amongst you that there be no Divisions or Contentions but that you may live in peace and love that the God of peace and love may be with you 4. I wish that this place where so much good Seed hath been sown may become a fruitful Field that the Fruits of Faith and Repentance the Fruits of Righteousness and Holiness may be in you and abound that you may be neither barren nor unfruitful that Religion in the power and practice of it may so visibly flourish in the several persons in the several Families of this Congregation that they that go by may see and say This is the Field which the Lord hath blessed 5. I wish that whatever Clouds may at any time gather over you may not fall down in a withering Storm or a sweeping Floud but may pass away in a Mist or dissolve into a fruitful Dew that no Persecutions or Temptations may ever carry you down the Stream with evil men nor blight any hopeful beginnings that are budding forth in any of your Souls If Tribulation should be any of your Lots I wish that it may not be to you as the Hail of Egypt but as the Dew of Hermon 6. I wish you a joyful Harvest that you may reap in Eternity what hath been sown in time may you now sow in Righteousness and therefore reap in Mercy May every one of you that is now sowing in Tears for ever reap in joy May you that go on your way weeping bearing pretious Seed return with joy and bring your Sheaves with you May the Showers of this day be the watering of your Seed that it may spring up to Eternal Life Brethren My
within me says Amen Brethren will you yet again say your Lord nay shall Christ have his wish shall your Servant for Jesus sake shall I have my wish will you now at last conâ—ent to be â—anctified and to be saved let me have this wish and I dare promise from the Lord you shall have yours even whatever your Soul can desire Brethren this once hear this once be prevailed upon be content that your lusts be rooted out and your Lord planted into your Souls Be content to be pardoned content to be converted content to be saved This once hear lest if ye now refuse ye no more be perswaded with oh that they would but be for ever confounded with oh that they had Lest all our wishes and wooings of you be turned into weepings and mournings over you this once hear Oh that you would I heartily thank you for your good wishes and good will towards me for your willing and chearful entertainment of my person and attendance on my Ministry and particularly for your passionate desire of my longer stay among you Which desire if God had not my Soul could not have denied you Though the Almighty to whose pleasure it 's meet that we all submit hath said nay to that wish of yours yet let your Souls say Amen to this last of mine that the Lord God would dwell among you and in you both now and for ever And having thus finished my Labours among you I shall now close up with this double account 1. Of my discharge of my Ministry in this place 2. Of my deprival And shall so commit you to God and to the word of his Grace which is able to huild you up and to give you an Inheritance amongst all them that are sanctified 1. Of my discharge of my Ministry What my Doctrine and manner of life hath been is known to you and what my aim and intent hath been is known to God The searcher of hearts knows that 't is the salvation of Souls that hath been the mark at which I have levelled My way hath been to use all plainness that I might be made manifest in your Consciences Weaknesses and infirmities both natural and sinful the Lord pardon it I have had many I am sensible that much more might have been done both in publick and in private had it not been for a weakly body and a sloathful heart I repent that I have had no more zeal for God no more compassion to Souls I repent that I have been no more constant and importunate with you about the matters of Eternity Oh Eternity Eternity that thou wert no more in the heart and Lips of the Preacher in the hearts and ears of the hearers But while I thus judge my self for my failings Blessed be God for any sincerity to his name and good will to your Souls that he hath seen in me Blessed be God I have a witness in my Conscience and I hope in yours also that I have not shunned to declare to you the whole Counsel of God Brethren I call Heaven and Earth to witness this day that I have set before you life and death good and evil and have not ceased from day to day to warn you to choose life and that good way that leads to it and to escape for your lives from the way of sin and death Oh remember the many instructions I have given you the many Arguments whereby I have striven with you the many Prayers that have been offered up for the guiding and gaining your Souls into the path of life and the turning your feet out of the way of destruction Oh might I be able to give this Testimony concerning you all at my departure they have trodden in the right path they have chosen the good part that shall not be taken from them Beloved Brethren with whom I have travelled in birth that Christ might be formed in you I must shortly give up my account in a more solemn Assembly will you help me to give it up with joy by shewing your Souls before the Lord as the Seal of my Ministry Every sincere Convert among you will be a Crown of rejoycing to me in that day So let me rejoyce and let my joy be the joy of you all What shall I say more If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love any bowels and mercies if the Glory of the Eternal God the Honour of the everlasting Gospel the safety of your immortal Souls the incorruptible Crown the exceeding eternal weight of glory weigh any thing with you then once more let me beseech you by all this to hearken to that word of the Gospel which God hath spoken to you by me 2. Of my deprival The most glorious morning hath its evening the hour is come wherein the Sun is setting upon not a few of the Prophets the shadows of the evening are stretched forth upon us our day draws our work seems to be at an end Our Pulpits and our places must know us no more This is the Lords doing let all the earth keep silence before him It is not a light thing for me Brethren to be laid aside from the work and cast out of the Vineyard of the Lord and it must be something of weight that must support under such a severe doom I know there are not a few that will add to the affliction of the afflicted by telling the world t is their own fault they might prevent it if they would whether this be so or no God knoweth and let the Lord be Judge Blessed be God whatever be this is not laid to our charge as the reason of our seclusion either insufficiency or scandal You are not ignorant what things there are imposed on us as the condition of our continuing our Ministration which how lawful and expedient soever they seem in the Judgment of many yet have the most specious Arguments that plead for them left me utterly dissatisfied in my Conscience about them I must profess before God Angels and Men that my non-submission is not from any disloyaltie to Authoritie nor from pride humour or any factious disposition or design but because I dare not contradict my light nor do any thing concerning which my heart tels me the Lord says do it not After all my most impartial Enquiries after all my seeking counsel from the Lord after all my considering and consulting with men of all perswasions about these Matters I find my self so far short of satisfaction that I am plainly put to this choice to part with my Ministry or my Conscience I dare not lie before God and the World nor come and tell you I approve I allow I heartily consent to what I neither do nor can but must choose rather that my Ministry be sealed up by my Sufferings than lengthned out by a Lie Through the Grace of God though men do yet my heart shall not reproach me while I live If our hearts condemn us God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things But however though I must now no longer act as a Minister I shall through the Grace of God endeavour peaceably and patiently to suffer as a Christian I should to testifie my Obedience to Authority have become all Things to all Men to the uttermost that I could with any clearness of heart But since Matters stand so that I must lose my place or my peace I chearfully suffer my self to be thrust off the Stage And now welcome the Cross of Christ welcome Reproach welcome Poverty Scorn and contempt or whatever else may befall me on this account This Morning I had a Flock and you had a Pastor but now behold a Pastor without a Flock a Flock without a Shepherd This Morning I had an House but now I have none This Morning I had a living but now I have none The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Beloved I am sensible of my Weaknesses and Disadvantages I am under which may render a suffering state the harder to be born help me by your Prayers and not me only but all my Brethren also with whom my Lot must fall Pray for us for we trust that we have a good Conscience in all things willing to live honestly Pray 1. That God would make our Silence speak and preach the same holy Doctrine that we have preached with our Lips 2. That he would give Supports answerable to our Sufferings that he who comforteth those that are cast down will also comfort his Servants that are cast out 3. That according to our earnest expectation and our hope as always so now also Christ may be magnified in us whether it be by Life or Death And thus Brethren I bid you farewel in the words of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13. 11. Finally Brethren farewel be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in peace and the God of Peace and Love shall be with you And that God of Peace that brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever AMEN FINIS The Terms of our Communion are either from which or to which The Terms from which we must turn are sin Satan the World and our own Righteousness which must be thus renounced The Terms to which we must turn are either ultimate or mediate The ultimate is God the Father Son and Holy Ghost who must be thus accepted The mediate terms are ei-Principal or less principal The principal is Christ the Mediator who must thus be embraced The less principles are the Laws of Christ which must be thus observed