manner of performing this duty both certain General Rules must be observed and also Particular according to diverse circumstances General Rules are these 1 Hee that reproveth another must lift up his heart in prayer unto God that hee would so guide his tongue and move the others heart that his reproof may bee profitable unto him For without Gods blessing all our admonitions and reproofs will prove but words spoken in the air 2 Our reproof must bee done in love aiming therein at our brothers good and not at all at his disgrace For 〈◊〉 the Apostle speaketh All things must bee done in love And as 〈◊〉 things so especially this of reproof Concerning Particular Rules both the state of the party reproving and of the party reproved and the quality of the sin together with time and place must bee observed 1 The state and condition of the party reproving must bee observed As they who have authority over others have greater liberty to reprove so if they have to deal with notorious scandalous offenders they then may and must do it 1 With authority as the Apostle exhorteth Rebuke with authority 2 Sharply So the Apostle commandeth Rebuke them sharply The word in the Greek translated sharply properly signifieth cuttingly or to the quick Ely failed herein though hee reproved his sons for their wickedness yet it was not sharply and to the quick but with too much gentleness and mildness 2 The mind and â—isposition of the party reproved must be observed For if hee bee flexible and ingenuous hee must with mildness bee reproved even with the spirit of meekness as the Apostle Paul expresseth it But yet severity must bee used when lenity prevails not 3 The state and condition of the party reproved is to bee observed For 1 If it bee our Superiour it must be done with all reverence and humility rather beseeching and exhorting than plainly rebuking as Naamans servants did their Master 2 If the party to be reproved be our equal then it must bee done without all bitterness even with all love Reproof is a bitter pill and therefore it must alwaies be rolled with Sugar expressing much meekness of spirit and compassion of heart shewing in the hatred of our brothers sin our love of his person 4 The quality of the sin reproved must likewise bee observed 1 Private offences must bee privately reproved For saith our Saviour If thy brother trespass against thee go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone But open and scandalous offences must be reproved openly For saith the Apostle Them that sin viz. openly and with scandal rebuke before all i. e. before the whole assembly of the Church that others also may fear 2 Sins directly tending to Gods dishonour must bee reproved with an holy zeal and indignation Christ thus often reproved the Scribes and Pharisees And thus Peter reproved Simon Magus 5 The seâ—â—onableness of the time must with great wisdome bee observed To rebuke a drunkard in his drunkenness is folly Abigal knew as much and therefore said nothing to Nabal in his drunken fit but in the morning when the wine was gone out of him So neither is it seasonable to reprove a man for his passion in his passion wait rather for a fit time till a mans fit and passion bee over 6 The seasonableness of the place must likewise bee observed Unless it bee for due and just censure let it not bee in publick Assemblies open streets with the like But if by the way thou observest a man sin whom thou knowest not whether ever thou shalt see him again or no then as privily as thou canst thou maist meekly rebuke him Thus shalt thou manifest thy Zeal for Gods glory thine hatred of sin and thy care for thy brothers salvation CHAP. XIV Directions to the Rich. AS the Apostle Paul knew how to bee abased and how to abound how to bee full and how to bee hungry i. e. hee had learned in the School of Christ how to carry himself Christian-like in a rich and in a poor estate So it will bee a point of special wisdome in us to know how to carry our selves Christian-like through variety of conditions how to mannage every estate For your better help herein I shall give you some Directions 1 How to carry your selves Christian-like in a rich and full estate 2 How to carry your selves Christian-like in a poor and mean estate I. Look up unto God and often think of him as the author and donor of all the good things thou dost injoy When thou hast gotten wealth say not This I have gotten by my own wisdome and policy by mine own travel pains and indeavour But say with Iob This the Lord hath given acknowledge his hand of providence in what thou hast This direction the Lord giveth his own people by Moses When thou art grown rich say not in thine heart my power and the might of my hand hath gotten mee this wealth but thou shalt remember the Lord thy God for it is hee that giveth thee power to get wealth Noting wealth and riches to bee the special gift of God II. Bless God for what thou hast This duty likewise the Lord required of his own people When thou hast eaten and art full then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God III. Labour to see Gods special love to thee in common mercies For what good will the injoyment of any thing do thee unless thou canst see Gods love as well as his bounty therein Quest. How may I know that these outward mercies which I do injoy are bestowed upon mee in love and favour Answ. 1 If they inflame thy heart with a love to God causing thee to love him the more because hee hath been so bountiful unto thee 2 If thou findest in thy self a willingness to honour God in the use of those good things thou hast received from him by laying out a portion thereof towards the maintenance of Gods worship or the releef of Gods poor then thou hast a comfortable evidence that they are bestowed upon thee in love 3 If it bee the grief of thine heart that thou dost not answer the loving kindness of the Lord towards thee that thy conversation is so unsuitable to his gracious dispensations towards thee This is an evident sign that what thou hast received from God was bestowed upon thee in love IV. Beware of being puffed up with Pride For wealth and riches are very apt to make men proud as the Apostle intimateth 1 Tim. 6. 17. Charge them that are rich in this world that they bee not high minded implying that riches are very apt to make men high-minded to think of themselves above what is meet especially such as are raised out of nothing unto a great estate V. Therefore labour to bee humble under thine abundance to be low in thine own thoughts when thou art high in the world which indeed will prove thy
truly rooted and grounded in the heart but that it will bud forth and shew it self in the fruits of a godly life That man therefore deceiveth himself who thinks his heart is purged and reformed when his life is polluted For as the fruits declare the tree so the actions of men manifest their affections II. The Necessity of this grace of Repentance in every worthy Communicant upon his approaching to the Lords Table appeareth because we come to receive a sacrifice for sin but to offer to receive a sacrifice for sin without turning from sin is to count the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing We are not ignorant that one main end of our approaching to the Lords Table is to receive Christ as he hath offered himself a sacrifice and price of Redemption for our sins for so he is set forth in that Sacrament the breaking of the bread and pouring out of the Wine import as much Yea Christ expresly saith of the Sacramental Cup This is my blood which is shed for remission of sins Now he that looketh for pardon of sin must have a full purpose and according to his purpose a faithful and resolute indeavour to forsake sin which is and will be the mind of every true penitent and so also it ought to be The Lord therefore requireth of them who bring their sacrifices to him for pardon That they take away the evil of their works and cease to do evil and learn to do well and thereupon inferreth this gracious invitation Come now and let us reason together With what face then dares an impenitent sinner that is not touched with any remorse for his sins past nor hath any purpose to turn from his sins for the time to come offer to take that body which was broken and that blood which was shed for sin Such an eating and drinking of Christs body and blood is a plain trampling of the Son of God under foot and a counting of the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing a thing that may be mixed with impuâ—e and unholy things If this be not to be guilty of the body and blood of Christ what can be III. For the Trial of thy Repentance whether it be found and sincere thou mayest know it by these signs and notes 1 By a godly sorrow for sins past By a godly sorrow I mean such a sorrow as maketh God its object that is when we grieve and mourn for sin more out of respect to God than for fear of punishment that we have offended so good a God so gracious a Father so bountiful a Lord and Master I deny not but it is good and commendable to grieve and mourn for sin in respect of punishment for fear of Hell For it is a good preparatory to a godly sorrow But we must not rest therein By this therefore try and examine the truth of thy Repentance for wheresoever there is true Repentance there must be this godly sorrow 2. A turning from those evil waies wherein we have formerly walked as you may see in the example of those penitents that are recorded in Scripture as of Paul Peter Zacheus and others who upon their repentance turned from those evil courses wherein they had formerly walked Hereby therefore try the truth of thy repentance Hath it wrought a change and alteration in thy course of life are old things done away is there a forsaking of former sins hast thou leâ—t thy swearing thy drunkenness thy whoredomes thy cousenings by false weights and measures canst thou say of thy self as Paul did of the Corinthians I was once a swearer a drunkard an adulterer a reviler an extortioner a covetous person and the like But now I am washed now I am sanctified yea and justified in the name of the Lord Iesus Christ and by the spirit of my God Canst thou thus say of thy self and that in truth and sincerity of heart then thou hast some comfortable evidence of the truth and soundness of thy repentance But how vainly do they deceive themselves who because they have made confession of their sins unto God and happily with some few â—ears flatter themselves with a conceit of true repentance when yet they still live and continue in their former sinfull courses wall owing like swine in the filth of sin and mire of sinfull filthiness 3. A turning unto God for where there is true repentance there is not onely a turning from sin but likewise a turning unto God Whereby I mean a sincere endeavour to serve and please God in newness of life and better obedience Hath then the sense and smart of thy former wandrings made thee earnestly to wish that thou mightest please God better for the time to come make much of such affections in thy soul for it is an evident sign of some change there IV. A fourth grace necessarily required of every Communicant before he presume to come to the Lords Table is LOVE yeâ— a two fold Love is required of every Communicant viz. 1 A love of God and of Christ. 2. A love of his Neighbour Both which are unseparably knit together yet for a more distinct handling of them I will sever them in my discourse and treat of them apart shewing you 1. The necessity of them to a worthy partaking of the Lords Supper 2 Some sings and notes for the trial of them I. First For the Love of God that is necessarily required of every Communicant because the greatest evidence that ever was given of Gods Love is there set before us For Jesus Christ the only Son of God and Saviour of man is the greatest evidence of Gods Love that ever was or can be Should God set himself to make another world and to confer on that world a greater gift than he hath conferred on this world namely his onely begotten and dearly beloved Son we may boldly say hee could not Neither can the creatures receive nor the Creator give a greater gift and that both in regard of the excellency of the gift it self and also in regard of the need wherein we stood thereof and of the good we reap thereby Therefore Gods love in this evidence thereof is so set out as goes beyond all expression God so loved the world that hee gave his only begotten Son c. So unutterably so unconceivably so infinitely as who shall indeavour to express this SO to the full shall do it but So So. Seeing then such an evidence of such love of God to man is set out at the Lordsâ— Table should not every one who approacheth thereunto to partake of that evidence of Gods love come with an heart filled with a love to God and with a resolution to shew forth all fruits of a true love of God on all occasions And as we must come with a love to God so with a love to Iesus Christ who so loved us as to dye a cruel cursed death for us And thereby manifested greater love to us than
to himself to the members of his mystical body than to the members of his naturalâ— body For he offered up his natural body as a Sacrifice for the redemption of his mystical body What greater love than this can be imagined Oh how doth it then concern us to go to that ordinance with hearts inflamed with a love to Jesus This much of the necessity of our love to God and to his Son Jesus Christ. II. For the Trial thereof you may know it by these notes and characters 1 Where there is a true hearty love to God and to Iesus Christ the heart will bee much taken up with the thoughts of them Such an one will be often thinking of God and of Jesus Christ and of their transcendent love manifested in the great work of Redemption David having said Oh how do I love thy Law he presently adds It is my meditation all the day And indeed whatsoever and whomsoever we love we cannot but frequently think and meditate on Indeed such as love God and the Lord Jesus Christ in truth and sincerity may have multitude of vain wanton worldly covetous thoughts in their hearts but they take no true delight in them they are rather their grief and their burden but the thoughts of God and of Christ are very sweet and comfortable unto them By this therefore try and examine the truth of thy love unto God and Jesus Christ. 2 Where there is an hearty love to God and to Iesus Christ such an one will bee often speaking of them For the tongue cannot but be speaking of those things and persons upon whom the heart is set If the heart of a man be set upon the world and the things thereof his tongue will be most frequently talking and discoursing of them In like manner if the heart of a man be set upon God and Jesus Christ his tongue will be frequently talking and discoursing of them By this therefore try and examine the truth of thy love unto God and Jesus Christ. For hee that saith hee loveth God and the Lord Jesus Christ and yet seldome thinks of them or speaks of them certainly hee deceiveth himself for wee cannot but bee thinking and speaking of those whom we truly love 3 Where there is an hearty love unto God and Iesus Christ it will make a man willing to do any thing for them Iacob loved Rachel and what did hee not do for her Hee served two Apprentiships and yet all seemed nothing to him for the love he had to her And therefore where there is a sincere love to God and Christ it will constrain such an one to lay out himself to the uttermost for them to put himself upon the practice of such duties which are hard and difficult and require much labour and pains By this then try and examine the truth of thy love unto God and his Son Jesus Christ. 4 Where there is an hearty love to God and Iesus Christ it will make a man willing to suffer any thing for them It is said of the Primitive Saints that out of their abundant love unto the Lord Jesus Christ they accounted not their estates too dear for him but took joyfully the spoiling of their goods Neither did they account their lives too dear For it is expresly said They loved not their lives to death for him i. e. they despised their lives in comparison of Christ they willingly exposed not only their goods and estates to the spoil and their persons to all manner of shame and contempt but also their bodies to painful deaths for the cause of Christ. By this then try and examine the truth of thy love unto Jesus Christ namely by thy willingness to suffer for the cause and truths of Jesus Christ. II. Love of thy neighbour is another branch of that love which is required of every Communicant Touching which I shall briefly shew 1 The Necessity thereof in every Communicant 2 The Trial thereof I. The Necessity thereof appeareth in that the Lord will not accept of any service thou performest unto him if thou bee not in love and charity with thy neighbour as our Saviour himself speaketh in that known place If therefore thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee Leave there thy gift before the Altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift This phrase Thy brother hath ought against thee may be indefinitely taken of one that hath provoked another or hath been provoked himself hath ought against thee whether by thy default or his So that hereby is implied whether wrong be done by thee or to thee if there be any variance between thee and thy neighbour peace and reconciliation must be speedily sought For without it God will not accept of any worship or service thou offerest unto him Though Christ here instanceth but in one kind of worship which was the offering up of Sacrifice yet under this hee comprehendeth all the parts and kinds of Gods worship as praying hearing receiving the Sacrament or the like So that Christs meaning is that whensoever thou settest upon any part of Gods worship and service and then remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee i. e. that thou hast any way wronged and offended thy brother or as Mark hath it If thou hast ought against thy brother i. e. if he hath wronged thee first be reconciled to thy brother and then go to the ordinance of God II. For the Trial of the truth of thy love to thy brother thou mayest know it by these notes 1 If thou hast truly forgiven thy brother thou wilt be so far from doing him any harm though it lay in thy power that thou wilt not wish any harm unto him 2 If thou hast truly forgiven thy offending brother thou wilt willingly imbrace occasions of doing him good that so he may know and be assured that thou art reconciled to him This our Saviour requireth of all his Disciples where he saith Love your enemies i. e. those who have any way wronged you and as an evidence of the truth of your love he addeth Do good to them thâ—t hate you intimating that it is not sufficient that you speak friendly and peaceably to your enemies but you must likewise take all occasions of doing them what good you can which is true Christian love and charity Having thus spoken largely to the first head of Examination namely our graces I come now to the second namely our sins wherein I shall study brevity As it is the duty of every Communicant to examine himself concerning his graces so likewise concerning his sins which are like that accursed thing whereof God speaketh to Ioshua Iosh. 7. 11. they must therefore be searched out Yea they are like the wilde gourd that brought death into the pot If they be not searched out and cast away they will turn the Sacramental
thou art present at the Ordinance put forth all the strength thou canst in the partaking thereof I mean the strength of thy affections For though thou art very weak yet if thou put forth thy weakness God will accept thereof Content not thy self therefore with a meer outward participation of the Lords Supper but let thy care be to bring up thine heart and thine affections to the Ordinance and to put forth what strength thou canst II. Remember the death of Christ which is Christs command in the institution of this Ordinance for saith he This do in remembrance of mee viz. in remembrance of my bitter death and passion For the Apostle Paul explaining this remembrance of Christ applieth it to his death and the shewing it forth This do saith hee in remembrance of mee For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come So that this Ordinance of the Lords Supper was instituted for a solemn Memorial of that great Sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ that his death might never be forgotten but be ever fresh in our memories And why must his death be thus remembred Surely because thereby was the Covenant of Grace ratified and sealed our Redemption purchased our sins expiated our reconciliation made with God and the foundation of our peace laid And therefore at the Table let out thine heart in a serious meditation of the manifold sufferings of Christ which is the main business of this Ordinance And meditate not only of his sufferings at his death but likewise in the whole course of his life even from his cratch to his Cross from his birth to his death For his whole life was a continual suffering Meditate therefore of his mean birth and flight in his infancy of the manifold reproaches which were cast upon him from time to time yea of his manifold persecutions of their cruel handling of him at the time of his death when they apprehended him like a theef bound him arraigned and condemned him as a Malefactor buffeted him with their hands beat him with staves scourged him with whips making loâ—g furrows on his back platted on his head a Crown of sharp Thorns laid an heavy cross on his back nailed his hands and feet to that Cross give him Gall and Vineger to drink and sundry waies much afflicted him Thus was his body broken with torments In relation hereunto it is said of him That he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs Especially when thou art present at the Sacrament take a turn with Christ in the Garden by meditating of his bitter Agony wherein he sweat drops of blood which was never read or heard of in any before or since yea the blood which Christ then sweat was not thin watery blood but thick blood as St. Luke expresseth it Being in an agony his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground which latter clause sheweth that the blood of Christ passed through the pores of his body in such a plentiful manner that it trickled down to the ground in great abundance so that not only the eyes of Christ but all the parts of his body did seem to weep and that tears of blood as Bernard speaketh In this sweat of Christ there are three things remarkable which doe exceedingly set forth the greatness of his Agony 1 It was in a cold night for which cause afterwards they kindled a Fire in the High-Priests Hall and cold driveth the blood inward 2 Hee lay upon the cold ground which was enough to drive the blood inward 3 He was in exceeding great fear which naturally draweth the blood from the outward parts to the Heart and yet in a cold night lying upon the cold ground and being in great fear he sweat drops of blood Who can imagine the bitterness of our Saviours Agony at that time And what was it which put him into that agony questionless the apprehension of what hee was to suffer as appeareth by his Prayer in his Agony Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me Now if the apprehension of what hee was to suffer was so bitter oh how bitter think you were his Sufferings upon the Cross when he cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me which words doe not imply that the Deity was severed from the Humanity but that the Father had withdrawn from him all sensible feeling of his loving favour had restrained the influence of those beams which might any way refresh his troubled soul so that Christ might well take up the words of the captive Iews and say Behold and see if there bee any sorrow like to my sorrow wherewith the Lord hath afflicted mee in the day of his fierce anger These things call to mind in the time of the administration of the Sacrament not only when thou art eating the Bread and drinking the Wine but also when thou seest the Bread broken and the Wine poured forth then thou shouldst think how Christs Body was broken with torments and his Blood shed for remission of sins and also when thou seest others taking the Bread and the Wine thou shouldst then be steeping thy thoughts in the meditation of Christs bitter death and manifold sufferings This remembrance of Christs Death at the Sacrament must not be a bare Historical remembrance thereof contenting thy self with a remembrance of the History of Christs death as it is set forth by the Evangelists but it must be an operative and practical remembrance working up thine heart 1 To an unfeigned love of God who out of his free grace and rich mercy did send his dearly beloved Son out of his own bosome into the world to take our Nature upon him and therein to dye a bitter cursed death for mans redemption Who can sufficiently admire the riches of Gods love to man therein How may we with David cry out and say Lord what is maâ— that thou art mindful of him especially that thou shouldest be so mindful of him as to give the Son of thy love to suffer a cursed death upon the Cross to make us who were children of Wrath and bondslaves of Sathan Sons of God and Heirs of eternal life and salvation And how should this incomprehensible love of God fire and inflame our cold and frozen hearts with a fervent love unto him again 2 The remembrance of Christs death should work up our hearts to an ardent love of Christ for that wonderful love of his in giving himself for us his Body to be crucified his Blood to be shed and his Soul to bear the intollerable burden of his Fathers Wrath due to our Sins which made him sweat drops of blood in the Garden and to cry out on the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh how should this ravish our souls with admiration of so great love and inflame our hearts with love
again unto him who did and suffered so much for us How should the meditation of the manifold sufferings of Christ especially of his bitter Death and Passion work in us an holy passion of love 3 The remembrance of Christs death should work in us a care to please him in all things to be willing to doe and suffer any thing for him who hath done and suffered so much for us which Christ declareth to be a good proof of our love to him saying If yee love me keep my Commandements And though we cannot exactly keep the Commandements of Christ yet we may and ought sincerely to endeavour the keeping of them without which our profession of love is but vain and fruitless in shew and not in truth 4 The remembrance of Christs death should work in us a godly sorrow for our sins as the true cause of his sufferings For the truth is it was not so much Iudas that betrayed Christ nor the Scribes and Pharisees that accused him nor Pilate that condemned him nor the Souldiers that Crucified him nor the Devil that set them all on work as our sins that were the true cause of Christs sufferings The Souldiers that Scourged him and Crucified him were but our Executioners to inflict on him those punishments which our Sins deserved and Gods Justice imposed for the same They were our Sins which envenomed those Whips that scourged his innocent Body those Thorns which pricked his Temples and those Nayls which pierced his Hands and Feet and made them so bitter unto him Oh therefore that we could so look upon him whom we have pierced by our Sins that we might mourn as one that mourneth for his only Son and be in bitterness as one that is in bitterness for his first-born 5 The remembrance of Christs death should work in us the death of Sin wee should so remember the death of Christ as to dye unto Sin For the Apostle Paul urges our death to sin from the death of Christ that as Christ dyed and rose again so wee should dye to sin and live to God To this end let us hate and loath Sin as the greatest evil resolving with the assistance of Gods grace to leave and forsake all manner of sins for the time to come for why should any sin seem light to us which lay so heavie upon our Saviour as to cast him into a bloody sweat Why should any sin be sweet to us which was so bitter to our Saviour Farre bee it from us by our renewed sins to tear open his Wounds afresh and Crucifie him again 6 The remembrance of Christs death should work uâ— our hearts to some due thankfulness unto God and his Son Iesus Christ for their unspeakable love and mercy towards us therein Thankfulness is a grace not only to be exercised after our receiving of the Sacrament but likewise while we are present at the Ordinance when our hearts are affected with the apprehension of the incomprehensible love of God the Father in giving his beloved Son out of his own bosome to dye for us and of the unspeakable love of Christ in offering his own Body a Sacrifice upon the Cross for our Sins then should they break forth in praises and thanksgivings unto God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. III. Another Duty to be performed at the Ordinance is the exercise of thy graces more especially thy faith and repentance It is not enough that thou bring faith repentance and other graces to the Sacrament but thou must likewise there stirre up thy graces and exercise the same or else thou wilt be an unworthy receiver For not only a wicked man that wants grace but likewise a child of God that hath true grace may receive the Sacrament unworthily and go away without any comfort or benefit at all namely if hee do not there stir up and exercise his graces For Sacraments do not work as Physick by a virtue inherent in them but according to the disposition of the party that partaketh of them And therefore as thou wouldest be a worthy guest and partake of the comfort of the Ordinance stir up and exercise thy graces As I. Thy Faith This is the chief grace to be exercised at the Sacrament for Faith is the eye of the Soul whereby it seeth and discerneth the body and blood of Christ under the elements of bread and wine it is likewise the hand of the Soul whereby it receiveth Jesus Christ and the mouth of the Soul whereby it feedeth upon Jesus Christ. And therefore without the exercising of thy Faith at the Sacrament thou canst receive no benefit at all There is a threefold act of Faith to be exercised at the Lords Supper 1 To look out for Jesus Christ. 2 To receive Christ. 3 To apply and appropriate him unto thine own self 1 The first act of Faith is to look out for Christ and therefore when thou art present at the Lords Supper rest not in the outward elements in the beholding and taking of them but with the eye of Faith discern the body and blood of Christ under the elements of bread and wine which indeed do spiritually sacramentally set forth the body and blood of Christ as is clear from Christs own expression for holding the bread in his hand he said of it This is my body i. e. Mystically and Sacramentally by way of representation as if hee had said This bread representeth my body And holding the cup that had wine in it and speaking of the wine therein hee saith This is my blood i. e. Mystically and Sacramentally by way of representation q. d. This wine representeth my blood And as thou art not to rest in the outward elements so neither in the outward rites and actions but in the beholding of them thou art with the eye of Faith to see and discern the spiritual things signified thereby When therefore thou beholdest the Minister breaking the bread then meditate of the manifold sufferings of Christ and with the eye of Faith look upon Jesus Christ hanging upon the Cross there conflicting with his Fathers wrath and groaning under the weight and burden of our sins Behold his blessed body broken and torn with stripes and wounds with whips and nails The Apostle St. Paul thus bringeth in Christ himself applying that rite of breaking the bread for saith hee Christ took bread and brake it and said This is my body which is broken for you which yet is not to be so understood as if his blessed body or any part or member thereof were broken in two peeces For that charge of not breaking a bone of the Paschal Lamb is applied to Christ in that his leggs were not broken But of the breakings of his flesh by thorns whips nails c. and other sufferings which hee endured in his body till his blood was shed This rite also of breaking the bread implieth thaâ— the sufferings of Christ were so many and so great
measure suitably thereunto To that end observe these Directions 1 So soon as you get home withdraw your self into some secret place and there upon your knees from your heart bless God as for hâ—s manifold favours mercies and blessings so especially and above all for the fountain of all blessings the Lord Jesus Christ for his Covenant of Grace made unto you in him for adding the Sacraments as Seals to the Covenant of Grace for the strengthening of your Faith and for making you that day partakers of his blessed Sacrament and for that comfort and refreshment which you finde therein I hope you are not such beasts as to forget to return thanks to God for the food wherewith your bodies are refreshed And will you bless God for your corporal food and not for your spiritual food whereby your souls are nourished unto everlasting life Will you bless God for a crumb and not for a Christ in whom are all good things contained in a most eminent manner 2 Did you finde your hearts cheared and warmed at the Lords Supper beware of quenching that spiritual heat which was there kindled in you by a sudden falling into worldly conferences and fruitless discourses But labour to keep alive that sacred fire which you found then kindled in your hearts by prayer meditation and holy conferences for know that a sudden quenching of the Spirit will exceedingly tend to the hardening of your hearts 3 Maintain a stricter watchfulness over your selves against sin for the time to come Were your souls washed at the Sacrament with the blood of Christ from the filthy spots and stains of sin and will you sâ—on after with the Sow wallow again in the filth of sin and miâ—e of sinful filthiness Did you upon your approaching to that Ordinance cast up your sins by confession and will you now with the Dogge return to your vomit again Did you there by the eye of faith see Christ crucified for your Sins under the rites of breaking the Bread and pouring out the Wine and wil you now by a fresh committing of sin crucifie him again rather resolve and strive hence forward to crucifie your sins for which Christ was crucified to hate abhor and abandon every Sin as much as in you lieth 4 Labour to live more soberly righteously and godly in this present world More soberly towards your selves more righteously towards your Neighbours and more godly towards God As you have been made partakers of an Ordinance not common to all but peculiar to Saints so your lives should have somewhat peculiar in them which is not common to wicked men You should live convincing lives by exceeding others in holiness and in righteousness You must be more frequent and fervent in Family-duties more careful in sanctifying the Lords Day more just and honest in your dealings with men living so as you may credit your Profession and adorn the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And when you are tempted to any sin thus reason the case with your selves Was I not lately at the Lords Table and did I not there vow and promise to be more watchful against Sin and more careful to walk in the waies of godliness and shall I now step out of the way of godliness into the way of sin Thus lay your temptation to the touch-stone of your vow and try whether it bee not against it which through the blessing of God may prevent many a Sin CHAP. XXIII Of the Common mutual Duties betwixt Husband and Wife HAving shewed the general Directions which appertain to Christians as Christians I come now to the particular Duties which appertain to thee in thy several and distinct relations For it is not sufficient that thou make conscience of the general Duties of Christianity but thou must also be conscionable in the performance of the particular duties of thy several relations whereby much good is both mutually communicated one to another and received one from another Whereas the Apostle Paul in setting down the severul Duties of relations doth still bring them under three Heads viz. Husbands and Wives Parents and Children Masters and Servants I shall follow his Method shewing thee the duties of each of these For the Duties of Husband and Wife they may be drawn to two Heads 1 To such as are common to both 2 Such as are proper and peculiar to each severally The common and mutual Duties are these I. A loving affection of one to another I call this a mutual Duty because as the Husband is to love his Wife so the Wife is to love her Husband Love is a duty which every Christian oweth to another Love thy neighbour as thy self saith our Saviour Where by Neighbour is meant every man every woman so that we are bound to love every one even our enemies for Christs sake But the nearer any are knit together the more they are bound to this duty of love and to abound therein Now who are so nearly knit together as Husband and Wife and therefore there ought to be a mutual loving affection between them and that love which one sheweth to the other will stirre up the other to requite that love again so as there is nothing lost by love II. Outward concord and agreement This should be as farre as is possible with all men i. e. so farre as may stand with faith and a good conscience but more especially between Husband and Wife who are so nearly knit together For without concord and agreement between Husband and Wife what comfort can either find in their house The truth is every one lives more or less comfortable in his house as there is concord and agreement there And therefore saith the Wise man Better is a dinner of herbs or roots where love is than a stalled Oxe and hatred therewith And again Better is a dry morsel and quietness therewith than an house full of sacrifice with strife i. e. slender fare yea a dry crust with peace and concord is more comfortable than good chear with strife and contention for that will so imbitter the sweetest Meats that a man can find little relish in them For the better preserving of concord and agreement betwixt Husband and Wife take these few Directions 1 Labour to suppress and keep down all furious Passions which doe usually occasion discord and dissention especially when one is passionate it will be the wisdom of the other to act patience and to express a spirit of meekness for when both are hot and angry together then the fire of contention is like to increase to such a flame as will not suddenly bee quenched And therefore I would commend this rule to Married persons To beware of beâ—ing both angry together but rather let one be to the other like Davids Harp to apt ease Sauls fury 2 Though the fire of contention be kindled at home yet let it not break forth into thy neighbours house but bee sure thou keep it within
thine own walls For it is found by too frequent experience that differences between Man and Wife being once divulged are more hardly made up 3 When any difference is risen let each strive who should first seek after peace and reconciliation for theirs is the glory who first begin I have read that there was sometimes a variance between two famous Philosophers Aristippus and Aeschines Aristippus at length cometh to Aeschines and seeks for peace and reconciliation and withall said Remember though I am the elder and the Party wronged yet I fought the peace True said Aeschines and for this I will ever acknowledge thee the worthier man for I began the strife but thou the peace But how many of us come short of Aristippus though an Heathen Philosopher in this particular thinking it a disgrace first to seek after peace and reconciliation III. Another mutual Duty which Husband and Wife owe one to another is Prayer They ought to pray one for another In a conscionable performance whereof may Husband and Wife bee helpful each to other in all things needful to either of them it â—eing the means which the Lord hath sanctified for obtaining of every good thing both for our selves and others It is recorded of Isaac That he intreated the Lord for his Wife because she was â—arren and the Lord was intreated of him i. e. the Lord heard his Prayer and granted his request IV. Another mutual duty is A provident care of one for anoâ—ther seeking the good of one another even as of themselves This thâ—ir care of one for another respecteth especially both the Soul and the good name of each other 1 There ought to be a provident care for one anothers Souls as 1 If a beleeving Husband or Wife be married to an unbeleever they ought to use all the means they can to win the other This the Apostle Peter presseth upon Wives for he commands them so to carry themselves towards their Husbands That they may without the Word be won by the conversation of their Wives And the Apostle Paul intimateth this to be the duty of Husbands towards their Wives For saith he How knowest thou O man whether thou shalt save thy wife viz. by thy godly conversation And if either of you shall be a means of the conversion of the other how intirely will it knit your affections one to another 2 If both Husband and Wife bee in the state of Grace they should be watchful one over the other as to prevent sin in one another so to redress it the best way they can when either of them are fallen thereinto by seasonable admonition yea and reproof also if admonition will not serve Herein Husband and Wife should more respect the mutual good of one another than fear the giving of offence And it is likewise a special duty incumbent upon Husband and Wife to help forward the growth of grace in each other as by a frequent conferring together of good things especially of what they hear in the publick Ministery of the Word so likewise by a constant performing family-duties especially Prayer Though this duty appertain chiefly to the Husband yet the Wife ought to put her Husband in mind thereof if hee forget it and to stir him up if hee be backward 2 There ought to bee a provident care in Husband and Wife as for one anothers souls so for one anothers good name The Husbands good name ought to bee as dear to the Wife as her own And the Wives good name ought to be as dear to the Husband as his own And truly great reason there is that parties so nearly knit together should be careful of one anothers good name because a name is more precious than all the goods they enjoy V. Another mutual duty is To conceal and cover the infirmities of one another There is no man or woman without their infirmities it will be therefore your wisdome to conceal the same so far as you can with a good conscience And truly this is one special act and exercise of love to seek to cover and conceal the infirmities of those whom they love How blame-worthy then are they who take all occasions to spread abroad one anothers infirmities and many times belye one another This fault is so much the greater in two especial respects 1 Because the Husband and Wife know more of one anothers infirmities and therefore if they be so ill minded can more discredit and defame one another than any other 2 Because of all other parties they are most bound to conceal one anothers infirmities by reason of their near union CHAP. XXIV Of Husbands Duties to their Wives HAving shewed the Common-mutual duties appertaining both to the Husband and the Wife I come now to the special and particular duties belonging to each of them severally And first of the duties of the Husband all which may bee comprized under this one word LOVE for wee finde that often expresly set down and mentioned as the chief duty of the Husband For the more profitable pressing whereof I shall shew 1 The manner how it ought to be performed 2 The particulars in which it ought to expressed I. For the manner the Apostle St. Paul setteth it down in two phrases 1 As Christ loved his Church Husbands love your Wives even as Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it The note of comparison EVEN AS requireth not an equality as if it were possible for an Husband to love his Wife as much as Christ loved his Church but it notes a similitude and likeness and implieth two things 1 That you must indeavour to come as near Christ herein as you can never thinking you have loved enough because you can never love so much as Christ did 2 That though your love in quantity cannot be equal to Christs yet in quality and condition it ought to be like his viz. True Free and Constant. 1 As Christs love to his Church was a true real love which hee expressed by giving himself for her So should the Husbands love to his Wife be a true and real love not loving her in word onely but in deed also manifesting his love by some real expressions thereof 2 As Christs love to his Church was a free love for his love arose wholly and only from himself there being nothing in the Church to move him to love her So should the Husbands love to his Wife be a free love loving her though there were nothing in her to draw his love but onely that shee is his wife 3 As Christs love to his Church is a constant and continued love for whom hee once loveth hee loveâ—h to the end So should the Husbands love to his Wife be a constant and continued love noâ— onely by fits for a while but constantly till death 2 The Husband ought to lâ—ve his wife as his own body as the Apostle St. Paul speaketh So ought men to love
their Wives as their own bodies Though the former comparison taken from Christs Example be the more excellent laying fortâ— a more pâ—rfect paâ—tern yet this other taken from a mans body is more sensible and better discerned of man For every man knoweth how hee loveth his own body viz. with all tenderness and compassion fitâ—y therefore is it added by the Apostle And it is to be taken both as a Motive to stir up the Husband to love his Wife because shee is as nearly joyned to him as his body and also as a Pattern to shew him how hee should love his Wife even as hee doth his body truly and tenderly as the Apostle in the following verses more fully expresseth it For no man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it II. The particulars in which an Husband ought to express his love to his Wife are these and such like 1 By honouring her as his companion and yoâ—k-fellow which the Apostle Peter expresseth for speaking of the Husbands duties he reckoneth this of giving honour to the Wife The title given to the Wife by God himself An help meet for her Husband implieth a kinde of fellowship with him And also the place whence the woman was taken viz. his side where his heart lay implieth as much for shee is as the heart in the body far more excellent than any other member under the head and almost equal to the head It is observable that when the woman was made shee was not taken out of the mans head because shee was not to rule over him nor out of his feet because shee was not to be subject to him as a slave or servant but out of his side that hee might take her as his yoak-fellow and companion which hee ought to do considering they are joynt-partakers of many special prerogatives which are common to both being Ioynt-Parents of the same children Ioynt-Governours of the same houshold Ioynt-Partakers of the same goods in regard of the use of them and Ioynt-Heirs of the grace of life as the Apostle Peter speaketh 2 By delighting in her This the Wise-man commendeth in Prov. 5. 19. Let her be as the loving Hind and pleasant Roe let her breasts satisfie thee at all times and bee thou ravisht alwaies with her love that is be thou enamoured with her even to delight Mark how the Lord termeth the Wife of Ezekiel The desire or delight of his eyes because hee delighted in her and shee was exceeding dear unto him And truly if a man exceed not the bounds of civility and sobriety his affection towards his Wife cannot be too great Hiply thy Wife is not so beautiful nor so delightful in her self as some other women are Yet as Parents love and delight in their children not so much because they are comely witty or the like but because they are their children So thou oughtest to delight in thy Wife not so much because she is beautiful wise or the like but because shee is thy Wife even the Wife which the Lord hath allotted unto thee beleeving her to be the fittest Wife for thee with whom thou oughtest to rest satisfied 3 By treating her mildly The Husband must shew himself milde and gentle in all things towards his Wife This mildness is urged by the Apostle under the contrary Vice Bitterness for saith hee Husbands love your Wives and bee not bitter against them Where bitterness is opposed to mildness gentleness familiarity and the like So that both the speech and carriage of the Husband towards his Wife must bee with much mildness and gentleness If hee instruct her it must be with all meekness and mildness If hee command any thing to be done it should be by way of entreating hee should not bee too peremptory in commanding If hee reprove her it must be with all mildness and meekness that may be If a Brother is to bee restored with a spirit of meekness as the Apostle speaketh how much more a Wife For this end a Husband must observe both his own present temper and his Wives and forbear to reprove when himself or his Wife is in passion for while himself is in passion hee is unfit to reprove because passion is apt to blind reason so as it knoweth not how to keep any mean or measure And if shee be in passion she is unfit to be reproved because passion so fills the heart that it 's not capable of any good advice And as an Husband in reproving his Wife should observe a fit time so likewise a fit place forbearing to doe it openly before Children or Servants but privately between her and himself for her honour and credit is to be maintained before Children and Servants as much as may be because she is a Joynt-governour with him over them now for her to be checked and controlled before them will make them despise her Herein therefore great wisdome is to bee observed Qu. Whether an Husband may lawfully strike or beat his Wife Ans. Though the Husband hath some authority over his Wife yet it doth not appear that he hath any power or liberty thereupon to beat her 1 For first we find it neither commanded nor commended to us in the Scriptures there being neither precept nor president for the same 2 What fruit can be expected from an Husbands beating of his Wife but a return of blowes and scratches to the utmost of her strength For this is most certain that if a man who hath no authority over another strike him hee will turn against him and doe him all the mischief that he can Now therefore there being no ground to perswade Wives that their Husbands have such authority over them as to strike them for their faults what hope is there that they will patiently bear it and be bettered by it or rather is it not more likely that they will not only rise against them but if they can over-master their Husbands and ever after cast off all subjection to them 3 The near conjunction and communion that is between man and wife will not stand with such base and servile dealing that the Husband should beat and strike his Wife This is the next way to have her despised of Children and Servants and so deprive her of all government 4 Another particular wherein an Husband ought to express his love to his VVife is By a diligent endeavouring of her spiritual good Hence the Husband is commanded to dwell with his Wife as a man of knowledge i. e. able and willing to instruct her in the knowledge of the truth wherefore else is shee to ask him at-home And how otherwise shall he be the guide of her youth if he be not able and willing to guide her feet in the way of peace But of this I spake in the Common mutual Duties of Husband and Wife set down in the fore-going Chapter CHAP. XXV Of the Duties of Wives HAving shewed the Duties
was seen to carry him away But herein two extreams are carefully to be avoided viz. Lenity and Severity As Parents ought not to bee too indulgent towards their children which was Elies fault for which sore judgements befell both him and his children So neither should they be too severe in correcting their children as some are having no respect either to the fault age or disposition of their children Therefore the Apostle giveth this dehortation unto Parents Not to provoke their children unto wrath VI. Another duty is To bring up their children in some honest Calling it being the ordinary means as to prevent idleness which is the bane of youth so to inable them to live in the world and to be serviceable to the Kingdome wherein they live In the choice of a Calling respect should be had as to the childrens ability and fitness so to their disposition and inclination carefully observing to what Callings they are most disposed VII To provide fit Matches and Marriages for their children It being the means the Lord hath sanctified for the keeping their bodies chast and undefiled This the Lord gave in commandement to his people of old by his Prophet Ieremy saying Take Wives to your Sons and give your Daughters to Husbands In the choice of an Husband or Wife the Parents ought to have greater respect to piety and prudence thâ—n to wealth and riches for thereby shall they procure much happiness to their children in their Marriages CHAP. XXVII Of Childrens Duties HAving shewed the Duties of Parents towards their Children I come now to shew the Duties of Children in reference to their Parents which may bee brought to three heads viz. 1 Obedience 2 Honour 3 Gratitude I. Obedience This is often pressed in Scripture as the main and principal duty of Children in reference towards their Parents Their Obedience ought to bee expressed 1 By a cheerful yeelding to their Precepts and Commands readily doing what they require of them and that for conscience sake even to the command of God who requireth this duty at their hands for saith the Apostle Children obey your Parents in all things for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. And again Children obey your Parents in the Lord for this is right In the former place it is in all things In the latter it is in the Lord whereby is implied that Childrens Obedience must be in all things honest and lawful agreeable to the Word of God so that if their Parents should command them to do any thing contrary to the Word of God they must therein obey God and not their Parents For children are no further bound to obey their earthly Parents than may stand with obedience to God their heavenly Father 2 Children ought to express their obedience to their Parents in hearkning to their good instructions It being the duty of Parents to instruct their children it must needs be the duty of children to hearken unto and to obey their good instructions which Solomon much presseth upon children My Son saith hee hear the instruction of thy Father and forsake not the Law of thy Mother Where hee doth not only command children to obey the wholesome instructions of their Fathers but doth likewise infinuate that they should not sleight and reject the advice of a Mother because of the weakness of her sex As children ought to hearken to the good instruction of their Parents in all things so more especially in two things 1 In the choice of their Callings 2 In the choice of their Matches 1 The former is commended in the Scripture by the approved practice of godly children as of Iacob Samuel David and others And truly in regard that Parents are the means of bringing up their children in the world till they are fit for Callings and that not without much care and cost is it not most meet and just that their counsel and advice should be taken in the choice of their Calling and course of life And as in their Callings so likewise in their Marriages and not to marry without their consent which the very light of nature teacheth and God himself commandeth when hee layeth a charge upon Parents to give their Daughters to Husbands and to take Wives for their Sons which doth necessarily imply that children ought not to take unto themselves Wives or Husbands without especially against their Parents consent Such Marriages have by the Fathers of the Church been declared unlawful yea and to be of no force till the Parents do ratifie them And therefore such children as shall adventure to joyn themselves in Marriage without their Parents consent how can they expect a blessing from God upon them yea they have rather cause to fear the curse of God upon them and their posterity How did the curse of God fall upon Esau and his posterity because he married against the consent of his Parents taking unto himself Wives which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and Rebeckah II. Another duty which children owe unto their Parents is Honour and Reverence This the Lord in express terms requireth of all children in the fifth Commandement Honour thy Father and thy Mother This honour and reverence children must manifest 1 By their modest silence before their Parents not forward to speak in their presence without leave from them 2 By their humble speeches speaking unto them submissively and reverently giving them fitting titles as Father Sir and the like 3 By their respective carriage which they should shew by uncovering their heads bowing their body standing up before them with the like Ioseph though highly advanced yet when hee appeared before his Father with his two Sons the text saith Hee bowed himself with his face to the earth Yea though his Father was blind through age and therefore could not see what respect his Son shewed to him yet notwithstanding he bowed to the very ground And when Solomon heard of the approach of his Mother the Text saith Hee rose from the Throne to meet her and bowed himself unto her and set her at his right hand and all this in token of his reverence and to give good example unto others III. Another duty which children owe to their Parents is Gratitude a thankful requital of their love and care which the Apostle in express terms requireth of all children namely to requite their Parents for that saith hee is good and acceptable before God This requital may and ought to bee manifested seveâ—ral waies As 1 By releeving them according to their need if God give ability Iosephs practise herein is set before us as a Pattern who being in prosperity and his Father in want first sent him corn freely out of Aegypt and afterwards sent for him into Aegypt and there furnished him plentifully with corn and all other needful things insomuch that the text saith Ioseph nourished his father and brethren and all his fathers houshold with
bread according to their families And it is recorded of Ruth that she did not only glean for Naomi her Mother in Law but having food given her by Boaz servants for her refreshment she reserved part thereof and gave it to her mother I have read of a Daughter whose Father being sentenced to be famished to death and thereupon none being suffered to bring him Meat she gave him suck with her own breasts How blame-worthy then yea and unnatural are such Children whose Parents being poor and themselves able to releeve them doe notwithstanding 〈◊〉 them to want things needful Saint Iohn saith That the lâ—ve of God dwelleth not in him who shutteth up his bowels of compâ—ssion from his brother How then can it dwell in that Child who shutteth up his bowels of compassion against his own Father or Mother who having not only a sufficiency but also an affluency of worldly things suffers his Parents to want necessaries 2 By loving their Parents And truly that love which Parents bear unto their Children and have manifested by bringing them up in the world should by the law of equity stirre up in Children a love to their Parents for love deserveth love 3 By concealing and covering their infirmities which will evidence the truth of their love to their Parents and procure Gods blessing upon them Shem and Iaphet we read were blessed for this because they would not behold the nakedness of their Father when being drunken he lay uncovered in his Tent and Cham for discovering and making known his Fathers nakedness was cursed of God As therefore Children would avoyd Chams curse let them carefully shun Chams Sin forbearing to blazen abroad their fathers infirmity CHAP. XXVIII Of the Duties of Masters THe last Head of Family relations is Master and Servants The Duties of Masters in reference to their Servants may be brought under two Heads 1 Such as concern the Bodies of their Servants 2 Such as concern the Souls of their Servants The Duties of Masters in reference to the Bodies of their Servants are 1 To provide fitting raiment for them such as may fence them against the extremity of the weather I mean if by agreement they are bound to find them apparel as is the condition of most Apprentices 2 To give them wholsome and sufficient food As their food must be wholsome for the preservation of their health so sufficient for the encrease of their strength that they may be the better enabled with cheerfulness to doe their Masters service Solomons Housewife among other things is commended for her giving meat to her houshold and a portion to her maidens VVhereby is meant a sufficient portion and quantity of meat to her servants Oh that all Huswives would imitate her herein and not pinch their Servants bellies which too many doe 3 To afford them Physick when they are sick For Masters are commanded to give unto their servants that which is just and equal And is it not just and equal that those servants who labour for their Masters in the time of their health should be cared for by their Masters in the time of their sickness The Centurions care for his sick Servant is left upon record for our imitation who used the best means he knew for his Servants recovery which was to goe unto Christ. The humanity of this Centurion being a Gentâ—le may be a witness against the inhumanity of many Christians who take little care for their sick Servants 4 Not to oppress them with labour by over-working them requiring more of them than they are well able to perform This would be cruelty in a man to his Beast much more in a Master to his Servant Indeed the Aegyptians dealt so cruelly with the Israelites that they groaned under their burthens whose groans ascended unto the ears of God who thereupon came down to deliver them from their bondage And let Gods hearing the cry of those oppressed Servants and revenging them of their Oppressors make all Masters beware of laying heavie burthens upon their Servants requiring more of them than they are well able to perform lest their groans ascend up unto God 5 To pay them their wages when it is due without delaying it or defrauding them of any part thereof It is reckoned in Scripture as a crying Sin to keep back and with-hold the Labourers or Servants wages a sin that crieth unto God for vengeance who is the Poors avenger and as he taketh special notice of their wrongs and oppressions so will he take care to avenge the same II. The Duties of Masters in reference to the Souls of their Servants are 1 To instruct and Catechise their Servants in the Principles of religion For if it be a duty incumbent upon all Masters of Families to provide for the nourishment of the bodies of their Servants how much more then should they be careful for the nourish-of their souls yea let all Masters of Families know that they are as expresly charged to teach and Catechise their Servants as the Minister is to instruct his Flock witness Gods command to the Israelites Thou shalt talk of my Lawes when thou fittest in thine house and when 〈◊〉 walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up And God hath manifested his approbation thereof by commending Abraham for his practice therein 2 To cause the Scriptures to bee frequently read in the Family We read that under the Law the people of Israel were commanded to cause the words of the Lord to be written upon the Posts of their Houses to the end they might be frequently read by every one in the House And saith the Apostle Paul Let the Word of Christ dwell in you By the Word of Christ the Apostle meaneth the Doctrin of the Gospel which was published by Christ and is contained in the Old and New Testament Let this word saith the Apostle dwell in you i. e. be yee much imployed in the reading thereof as in your Closets so in your Families or as Calvin interprets it Make the Word familiar to you by giving it household entertainment But oh what a stranger is the Word to most Families how seldome is it read amongst them If that house bee an Hell where the Scriptures are not read as Luther said Oh how many houses are there as so many hells for want of reading the Scriptures 3 To pray daily in and with their Family To offer up a morning and an evening Sacrifice of prayer and praises unto God in their Family For the better stirring you up to this much negleâ—ted duty of Family-prayer I shall commend a few Arguments 1 Taken from the practice of the faithful in all ages Wee read it was Abrahams practice wheresoever hee came to build an Altar to God where God should be called upon joyntly by him and his family Wee read likewise it was Iobs practice as you shall finde Iob 1. 5. And
hath a low mean esteem of Christ who thinks him not able to recompence the loss of a base lust 2 An over-much love of the world and worldly things The truth is that soul that is not in some measure divorsed from the world cannot by faith embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as her Husband O therefore let it be your daily Prayer and earnest endeavour to wean your hearts more and more from the love of these earthly things that yee may not love them so much as thereby to be kept from loving and embracing of Jesus Christ. 3 Spiritual Pride grounded upon a mans over-valuing conceit of himself and of his own estate How many are apt to think with the Church of Laodicea that they are rich and full and have need of nothing when in truth they are poor and blind and naked wretched and miserable being empty of all grace and goodness yea they are the more wretched and miserable because they know not their misery and so see no need no necessity they have of Jesus Christ which is the saddest condition in the world for such are furthest off from going unto Christ and beleeving in him Hee therefore that would imbrace Jesus Christ as his Saviour must come with an empty hand and heart receiving him with an empty hand of Faith into an empty heart emptied of all self as self righteousness self-worthiness self-goodness c. II. The Lets and Impediments that keep off many a sincere broken-hearted sinner from clozing with Jesus Christ and beleeving in him are these and such like 1 A deep apprehension of the number and heinousness of their sins For the removal of this let such consider 1 That the more and greater their sins are the greater need they have to go unto Iesus Christ and to cast themselves and the burthen of their sins upon him For as the more sick any are in body the more need they have of a Physician So the more sinful any souls are the more sick of sin the more need they have to go unto Jesus Christ who is the onely Physician of the soul who both can and will heal all their sins which are the spiritual diseases of their souls as readily as he healed bodily diseases when he was upon the earth if they will go unto him 2 Let such know and consider that the apprehension of the number and heinousness of their sins should be so far from keeping them from going to Christ and receiving him that it should be a forcible Argument to drive them unto Christ seeing Christ professeth hee came into the world to save sinners where by sinners are meant such as are truly sensible of their sins And thereupon all such sinners are invited to come unâ—o him Come unto mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden viz. with the weight and burden of your sins And therefore the Apostle Paul averreth this truth with a gloriovs preface This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation viz. That Iesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and that without exception of sins or persons yea that hee came to save the chief of sinners Why then should the apprehension of thy sins keep thee off from going unto Christ and resting upon him for salvation when as hee came to save such sinners as thou art nay worser even the chief of sinners 2 A second Let and Impediment is A doubting of Christs willingness to receive them if they should go unto him For the better convincing such of Christs willingness to receive and imbrace all poor sinners that will but go unto him and imbrace him with the arms of their Faith I shall lay down three grounds thereof 1 The first is the several gracious invitations of Christ to poor sinners to come unto him as Isa. 55. 1. Mat. 11. 28. Ioh. 7. 37. 2 Christs willingness appears in that hee hath instituted and appointed his Ministers hee hath dispatched Embassadors in his name to wooe instruct and beseech men to come in unto him and to accept of that Reconciliation which hee hath purchased by his blood 3 Christs willingness doth appear in that hee â—oth accept of the least and lowest degree of Faith and will not discourage the weakest soul that cometh unto him A bruised reed shall hee not break and smoaking flax shall hee not quench As by a bruised need is there meant a weak Christian so by smoaking flax such an one as hath corruption mixed with grace For the flax there mentioned is the weick of a Candle which if it smoak giveth but little light and yeelds a stinking savour Though true beleevers by reason of the flesh in them may bee such yet will not Christ quench that little light of Faith that is in them 3 A third Let and Impediment is a fear and jealousie that they are not sufficiently humbled under the sense of their sins and the rather because they do not finde their hearts so broken as the hearts of others have been For the removal of this I desire such to take notice of these things 1 That a man may be sufficiently humbled and broken for his sins though not so deeply as others for true humiliation admits of degrees and all Christians have it not in a like measure And therefore far be it from any to conclude that they are not sufficiently humbled because they have not attained to such a measure and degree thereof as some others have 2 Though thou art not so deeply humbled as some others have been yet if thou art so sensible of thy sins and of thy misery thereby that thou art truly sensible of the need and necessity thou hast of Jesus Christ it is sufficient and thou mayest with boldness go unto Jesus Christ roul thy self into his bosome and cast thy self into his arms Though thou never knewest what belongs to the bitter throws and stinging pangs which others feel in their new birth yet that work being done for which deep humiliation is required namely to be sensible of the need of Christ and thereupon to long after him thou mayest bee incouraged to go unto Jesus Christ and to rest upon him as for the pardon of thy sins here so for eternal life and salvation hereafter 3 Know that if thou beest not at present so deeply humbled and broken for thy sins as thou wouldest be yet thou mayest bee more humbled after thy beleeving in Christ. For a Christians sorrow and humiliation for sin and misery is not all at first but oftenâ—imes it is more and greater after a clozing with Jesus Christ and a sensible feeling of Gods love than it was before Yea the leâ—s humiliation before Faith in Jesus Christ the more many times follows after And that is true humiliation and Evangelical Repeâ—tance which followeth after Faith 4 Another Let and Impediment that keeps off many a sincere Christian from going unto Christ and clozing with him is a fear and sealousie that their day of