when he stands ready with Strength and Assistance when he publisheth great and precious Promises when the golden Scepter is held out by God to us as it was to * Esther 5.2 Esther by Ahasuerus when gracious Offers merciful Tenders kind and loving Invitations are made and repeated and very sweet and comfortable Encouragements propounded and assured to penitent Sinners in the Ministery of the Word this is †Rev. 2.21 space given for Repentance this is a golden Season of Grace in which we may have Christ and all his precious and saving Benefits upon the reasonable Terms and acceptable Conditions of the Gospel When the Trumpet of the Jubile soundeth when Liberty to the Captives and the Opening of the Prison to them that are bound is proclaimed ‖ 2 Cor. 6. i 2. Behold now is the accepted Time behold now is the Day of Salvation O ‖ 2 Cor. 6. i 2. receive not the Grace of God in vain lose not so long and large a Season make your Advantage of the Time of the Gospel be thankful for it and faithful in the Use and Improvement of it close with the Gospel and daily and earnestly endeavour and pray that it may be made effectual to you Repent believe sincerely obey in this thy Day Repent think upon thy Waies be sorry for thy Sins hate them forsake them repent with a Repentance from dead Works never to be repented of So change thy Mind as to change thy Manners to reform and alter the Course of thy Life for the future So truly repent as to take care to bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance Believe not with a bare historical a meer intellectual Faith not with an idle dronish wholly ineffectual Assent but with a [b] Fortasse unusquisque apud seipsum dicet Ego jam credidi salvus ero verum dicit si fidem operibus tenet vera etenim fides est qua in hoc quod verbis dicit moribus non contradicit Fidei nostrae veritatem in vitae nostrae consideratione debemus agno cere Greg. Hom. 29. in Euang. Credere in Deum est credendo amare credendo diligere credendo in eum â—re membris ejus incorporari Putasne Filium Dei Iesum reputat quisquis ille est homo qui ipsius nec terretus comminationthus nec attrahitur promissonibus nec praeceptis obtemperat nec consiliis acquiescit Nonne is etiamsi fatearur se nosse Deum factis tamen negat Bernard in Octav. Pasc de tribus Testim in coelo ter serm 1. p. 88. practical active operative Belief So believe the Word of God as to take it seriously and in good earnest for the only Rule of thy Conversation in Matters necessary to Salvation So firmly receive and assent to the Divine Testimony as to have thy Heart rightly affected and thy Life powerfully influenced by it So cordially believe the Truth of the Gospel as to resolve and on all Occasions to endeavour to carry suitably to such Belief to live and act as a Person that does indeed believe it and to answer the end for which divine Truth was revealed which is the bringing us to good Lives So yield Assent to the Doctrine of the Gospel as to close and comply with the Terms of the Gospel and heartily to consent to the whole Duty of Man contain'd and delivered in the Word or God and Gospel of Christ so assent to the Commands of the Gospel as true as withal to love and like them to choose and embrace them as good and as good for thee yea as incomparably better for thee to observe than any other Rule that possibly can be respected by thee whatever they cause thee to lose or suffer here in this World So give your undoubted Assent to them as to cleave closely and stick invincibly to them against all flattering or affrighting Temptations to the contrary and still to engage and charge and provoke thy self to conform thy whole Heart and Life to them Farther So assent to the Truth of the Gospel-Promises as to take care to perform the necessary Conditions of them to trust in the Promises of the Gospel with an obediential Affiance with an obsequious and dutiful Reliance to trust in them according to the Tenour of them to trust in the Promises of Pardon and Remission in the Exercise of sincere and unfeigned Repentance and in the Promises of Sanctification in the Use of Gospel-Ordinances and Means and diligent Improvement of the Grace of God already communicated and received and in the Promises of Life everlasting in the way of new and sincere Obedience Assent to the Promises not only that they are true and real but that they are also the most valuable that can be * 1 Pet. 1 4. exceeding great and precious Promises so as to prefer the Promises of God above all the Proffers of the World as better than any thing that the Devil can offer or the World afford Farther yet So assent to the Truth of the Threatnings of the Word as to fear and stand in aw of them and to study to avoid those Sins which will put thee in Danger of temporal and eternal Sufferings and to keep thy self free from the Fear of the Menaces of Men while thou art in the way of thy Duty to God Believe the whole Word of God and Believe in all the Persons of the holy and blessed Trinity So assent to the Truth of whatsoever is spoken in the Scripture of God and Christ and the Spirit of God and Christ as deliberately to choose God the Father Son and holy Ghost for thy Portion and Treasure thy Happiness and chief Good To bring thy Heart to own love honour serve and worship God the Father as thy good and bountiful Creator and Preserver and very merciful God Redeemer by Jesus Christ and freely and gladly to consent to have God the Father for thy Covenant-Friend and reconciled gracious Father And to accept with all Love and Thankfulness even a crucified Christ for thy only Lord and Saviour to bring thee to God thy chiefest Good by reconciling thy Person and Nature to him to recover and bring thee back both in Heart and Life to God and to rest and rely upon Christ and on God only in and through Christ for Justification Sanctification and eternal Salvation according to the Promises of the Gospel Cordially receive him in all his Offices And here 1. Accept of Christ as a Priest to save thee by the offering of himself a Sacrifice in thy stead and by making Intercession on thy behalf And labour to answer the ends of his Death by Purity and Holiness of Heart and Life and to act becoming his Intercession to live so as it may be fit for Christ with Honour to present your Works and Services to his Father to be accepted by him to do nothing but what is worthy of such a Mediatour as Christ is to present unto God on your behalf Now tell me is
hearty Thankfulness to Christ for it your Obedience to your Lord who does not only vouchsafe it as a Priviledge but command it as a Duty Do this in Remembrance of me Perform this easie sweet Command of thy dying Lord and Saviour who has freed and delivered thee by his Death from the heavy Yoke and grievous Bondage of Jewish Sacrifices and Observances O let our Hearts at such a Time be broken and bleed at the Remembrance of our Sins which brake Christ's Body and shed his Blood Behold in the Sacrifice and bloody Death of Christ represented in this Sacrament the odiousness and baseness of your own Sins and resolve to be the Death of that which was the Death of Christ and rather to die than willingly to do that for which Christ died Abhorr the Thoughts of wilfully choosing so great an Evil as once brought so great a Punishment upon so great a Person as the holy Jesus the well-beloved Son of God Consider seriously upon this Occasion that if God would not spare Christ when he who knew no Sin was by voluntary charitable Assumption of our Guilt to answer for our Sins to be sure then he will not spare us if we wilfully run on in Sin and obstinately allow our selves therein notwithstanding so convincing a Demonstration of his sin-hating Holiness and vindicative Justice Upon due Meditation draw this Conclusion which is the excellent Reasoning of the [p] Facilis est collectio si Deus ne resipiscentibus quidem peccata remittere voluit nisi Christo in poenas succedente multò minùs inultos sinet contumaces Grot. de Satisfact Christi learned Grotius that if God would not pardon the Sins no not of penitent Persons unless Christ did substitute himself in their Room and stand in their Stead to bear the Punishment much less will he suffer unreclaimable Rebels and contumacious Sinners to go unpunished When Christ is set forth in this Sacrament crucified before your Eies think how he intended and aimed at our Mortification and Sanctification in his Death and Passion * Tit. 2.14 Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purify to himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works †Pet. 2.4 Who his own self bare our Sins in his own Body on the Tree that we being dead to Sin should live unto Righteousness Let us yield that Christ should have his End in his Death and never allow our selves to live in Sin which will render us uncapable of receiving the Benefit of Christ's Death Think how the Unholiness of our Lives is a greater wrong to Christ than the Jews being the very Death of him because as the [q] D. Jackson Vol. 3. p. 343 344 345. learned Dr. Jackson notes it is more against the Will and Liking and good Pleasure of our Saviour whose Will was regulated by Reason and was a constant Rule of Goodness for though a painful shameful Death and that inflicted by his own People went much against his human Will yet he chose rather to die and to suffer the most afflictive Circumstances of Death for us than to suffer us to live and die in our Sins and in the Servitude and Power of Satan Shall we pretend when we approach to the Table of our Lord affectionately to remember a loving dying Saviour and to desire to have his Memory continued and transmitted to Posterity and yet so much forget him upon the return of any Temptation as to repeat that which was the Death of him Shall we weep at the Sacrament and seem to be hugely troubled for those Sins which were the Cause of Christ's Sorrows and yet go about again to destroy and to crucify Christ afresh Shall we commemorate at the Lord's Supper our wonderful Redemption by the precious Blood of Christ and when we have done shall we do the Devil more work and service than the Lord Christ O what a Reproach is this to Christ and what a Sport to the Devil that they that pretend to remember Christ's Dying for them should not find in their hearts to live to him [q] Ego pro istis quos mecum vides nec alapas accepi nec flagella sustinui nec crucem pertuli nec sanguinem fudi nec familiam meam pretio passionis cruoris redemi sed nec regnum illis coeleste promitto nec ad paradisum restitutâ immortalitate denuò revoco Tuos tales Christe demonstra vix tui meis pereuntibus adaequantur qui à te divinis mercedibus praemiis coelestibus honorantur Cypr. de Opere Eleemosynis p. 220. St. Cyprian brings in the Devil boasting and bragging against our Saviour and insulting over us silly and sinful Wretches in this manner I have endured no Buffetings nor born Smitings with the Palms of Men's Hands I have suffer'd no Scourgings nor under-gon the Cross for any of these nor have I redeem'd my Family with the Price of my Passion and Blood-shedding yet shew me O Christ so many so busy so painful so dutiful Servants of thine as I am able to shew thee every where of mine Bring forth if thou canst such a Number of Persons who devote themselves and give their Labours Estates and Time to thee as I can easily produce of those who do all this to me When thou professest to remember that Christ died for thee O die to that for which he died Offer thy self to him and lay out thy self for him who once offered himself for us and in the Sacrament offers himself to us Think no Duty too much for him For Shame for Shame do not serve any longer a bloody Murtherer instead of a blessed Saviour and merciful Redeemer Let our Thoughts and Meditations dwell upon the Demonstration given us in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper of Christ's exceeding incomparable Love to Mankind See there how contrary the sweet and kind Nature of Christ is to the cruel and execrable Nature of the old Tyrant the Devil For as the learned [r] His Mystery of Godliness p. 133 245. Dr. More very well observes whereas the Devil who by unjust Vsurpation had got the Government of the World into his own hands tyrannizing with the greatest Cruelty and Scorn that can be imagined over Mankind thirsted after humane Blood and in most Parts of the World required the Sacrificing of Men which could not arise from any thing else but a salvage Pride and Despight against us This new gracious Prince of God's own appointing Christ Jesus was so far from requiring any such villainous Homage that himself became at once one grand and all sufficient Sacrifice for us to expiate the Sins of all Mankind and so to reconcile the World to God Shall not all this disengage us from Sin and Satan and win and gain us over to Christ And let Christ's Death make thee study to do something answerable to the dearest Love of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has
Will you make them labour for you six Daies together and will not you cause them to serve God one Day in seven Be at least as much concern'd in Case of neglect of God's Service as you are at any Time when your own Work and Family-business is neglected Do it for God's sake Shew that you love the Honour of God and not only respect your own Commodity and look to your own Advantage Do it for your Servant's sake Make it their Business to do God Service that they may be approved and rewarded by him Yea do it for your own sake Make your Servants God's faithful Servants that so they may prove more faithful to you and that God may bless them in your Service and that your Work may thrive and succeed in their Hands On this Day especially call thy Family thy whole Family to Family-duties prepare them for and hasten them to the publick Ordinances It is reported of [w] M. Clark in his Life Dr. Chaderton the first Master of Emmanuel-Colledg that he was married three and fifty Years and yet in all that Time he never kept any of his Servants from the Church to dress his Meat saying that he desired as much to have his Servants know God as himself And it was the Custome of the Reverend and pious [x] See his Life among Mr. Clark's Lives of ten Em. Div. Dr. Gouge to forbear providing of Suppers the Eve before that Servants might not be occasioned thereby to sit uplate neither would he suffer any [y] Die Dominicâ ut in festis licet etiam ciborum lautiorem apparatum habere quamvit in eis parandis ne majora impediantur servorum animae detrimentum non necessarium iucurrant summopere curandum est Baxter Meth. Th. part 3. c. 14. p. 172. Servant to stay at home for dressing any Meat upon the Lord's-day for the Entertainment of Friends whether they were mean or great few or many Take your Family to Church along with you and when you return home again examine catechize inform instruct them recapitulate the Sermon read the Scripture and good Books to them whet practical profitable necessary saving Truths on them sing Psalms among them and pray most heartily and affectionately with and for them And you that are Servants who have little leisure most of you on other Daies and who live too many of you in such profane and ungodly Families where you hear not so much as one Praier put up to God nor one Line of the Word of God read nor one serious Word spoken of God all the Week long what reason have you carefully to redeem the Lord's-day to redeem it in publick by devoutly attending to the Prayers that are made and the Word that is both read and preacht in the publick Congregation And to redeem it in private by taking all possible Occasions to retire and go aside by your selves to consider in secret the needs of your Souls to examine your Hearts and States to review your Lives and Actions to humble your selves in Confession of Sin and to pour out your Souls in Prayer for Pardon and Grace to read the Bible and some instructive practical Writings of the most judicious experimental Divines apt to inform your Judgments and to work and prevail upon your Affections to set your selves to meditate of God to draw out and engage your Hearts to God rather than to lavish out and throw away those precious Hours in foolish Talk and frothy Discourse or in gadding abroad and walking idly in the Fields and recreating your Bodies rather than your Souls and in thrusting God and turning Religion wholly out of your Minds and Hearts and nourishing your selves in Ignorance of God and Unacquaintance with him and in Encreasing the Atheism of your Hearts and Lives and hardening your own and others Hearts through the Ensnarements of the World and the Deceitfulness of Sin But it may be you will say you are hard wrought all the Week long and you have reason to take your ease and pleasure and to rest and recreate your tired Bodies one Day in seven that so you may endure your Labour and go through all your Work the better I answer that your very Cessation in any measure from your wonted Labour is an ease and relief to your weary Bodies and that the very change of your Work and Occupation from secular servile Employment to spiritual divine Worship and Service and the Diversion of your Minds from worldly Businesses to the Offices and Exercises of Religion if you would but acquaint your selves with them and use your selves to them would be delightful and refreshing to you And the Peace and Quiet Joy and Comfort of a good Conscience in the faithful Discharge of your Duty to God and a tender Care of your immortal Souls would strengthen and hearten you to bear all the Burthen of the hardest Labours of your domestick Ministeries in consideration that your heavenly Father Lord and Master will accept and reward your Works of Piety and bless and prosper the Works of your Hands in the Houshold-businesses and Family-employments incumbent on you and belonging to you Rather break your Sleep to rise the earlier than lose the Opportunities of that Day Or chuse to leave and live out of those Families in the which you are forced to live without God are debarr'd from his Service and can have no Liberty allowed you to mind God and your Souls on a Day that was purposely ordained and appointed for your spiritual Proficiency and Improvement Let the Poor of this World redeem this Day by taking this Opportunity to labour spiritually for the Meat which perisheth not but endureth to everlasting Life and by hearing the Gospel preach'd in this Season to them to become rich in Faith rich in Grace to know and to partake of the Grace and Favour the Love and Kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ who though he was rich yet for our sakes became poor that we through his Poverty might be made rich You that are poor and mean and low in the World and who cannot take so much Time as others to worship and enjoy God on the Week-Daies see that you well improve this Day Now you are released from secular Businesses and common Services and your Bodies rest from their hard Labours be sure that you spiritually busie and holily employ your selves in the Service of God Let me likewise charge them that are rich in this World to redeem this choicest Part of their Time and in it to endeavour to be rich toward God rich in God to lay up for themselves a Treasure in Heaven to obtain the true certain durable Riches which when they fail will never leave them but when they remove will bear them company into the other World And here let me hint to you of the Gentry what [z] Fuller's Church-Hist B. 11. p. 146. Dr. Paul Michlewait once urged and pressed in a Sermon at the Temple that Gentle-folk of all
good Hope and a setled well-grounded Peace of Conscience To learn to be careful for nothing with an anxious distrustful distracting * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 4.6 dividing Care but in every Estate and Condition of Life to be humbly and cheerfully content To improve and stir up the several Graces of God in us By God's Assistance to bring our selves to maintain a daily holy Communion with God and a constant Conversation in Heaven to prepare aright for Death and Judgment to arrive to a Weanedness from this present World to a Desire to depart and be with Chrit and to a Love of the appearing and an earnest longing for the second Coming of the Lord Jesus This hard Task and weighty Work will require all our Labour and even take up every Hour Let 's therefore vigorously redeem the Time and industriously put it to this Vse and diligently employ it to this Purpose and daily say the Prayer of Moses †Psal 90.12 So teach us to number our Daies that we may apply our Hearts unto Wisdom Let 's lose none of our little Time upon unfruitful unprofitable Things till we have no more worthy and weighty Things to spend it in and till we have Time to spare from more momentous important Work But let 's lay out our Time in those necessary Works which will comfort us most when we come to die The Work that lies before us is great let 's therefore redeem the whole of our remaining Time redeem it perfectly as far as in us lies and redeem it constantly to the very last and not purposely make the good Improvement of one Day an Argumeat of mis-spending and trifling away the next but lay out every Day with Labour and Diligence in so very great and good a Work If we intend to redeem the Time we must continue in well-doing Now a natural Cessation of the Act is not a moral Discontinuance But only our Omission of any necessary Act Or our Doing a clean contrary Act This is that which we must take Care we do not become guilty of [x] Nan exiguum temporis habemus sed multum perdimus Satis long a vita in maximarum rerum consummationem largè data est si tota bene collocaretur Non accepimus brevem vitam sed fecimus nec inopes ejus sed prodigi sumus Sicut amplae regiae opes ubi ad malum dominum pervenerunt momento dissipantur at quam vis modica si bono custodi traditae sunt usu crescunt Ita aetas nestra bene disponenti multum patet Quid de rerum natura querimur illa se benignè gessit Vita si scias uts longa est Sen. de brevitate vitae cap. 1 2. We have no reason here to accuse and cast any Blame upon God for giving so little Time to us and expecting so great and weighty a Work from us for though our Time be short of it self and we have no spare Time to throw away in vain Pleasures or unnecessary Employments Yet blessed be God the Time he gives us is large and long enough to serve all rational spiritual Ends of Life to do all our necessary Work and real Business in by the Help of God and in the Strength of Christ We have in the Daies of our Lives Space enough given us for Repentance Time sufficient to dispatch the one Thing necessary to work out our Salvation to prepare for Eternity And for our Comfort and Encouragement if we be not grosly wanting to our selves we may probably yet perform whatever is indispensably requir'd of us in the Time that is continued and lengthned out to us if we take up presently and lose and squander away no more of it Life is long enough says Seneca and let me add the Resdidue of thy Life may provelong enough if thou knowest but how to spend it well And therefore be so pradent and provident as to use and improve that little which if the Fault be not thy own may happily serve to do thy main Business to save thy Soul from perishing everlastingly and from miscarrying to all Eternity The fourth Additional Reason We should redeem the Time while we enjoy it because we can neither bring Time back when once it is past unimprov'd nor any way prolong and lengthen out the Daies of our Lives when Death comes to put an End and Period to them 1. We should redeem the Time while we have it because we can never recall and retrieve the Time of this Life if once we lose and let it slip unimproved We can never live one Day of our Lives over again No Man will restore thy Time says [y] Nemo restituet annos nemo iterum te tibi redder Sen. d◠brev vit c. 8. Seneca or return thy lost Opportunities to thee and make thee Master once more of those Advantages which heretofore thou hadst in thy Hands If we would give the Fruit of our Bodies for the Redemption of our Time we can never purchase it into our Hands again It is reported to have been the Speech of Prince Henry upon his Death-bed to a certain Lord Ah Tom I now too late wish for those Hours we have spent in vain Recreations That of him in the Poet was a very groundless and fruitless Desire O mihi praeteritos referat si Jupiter annos [z] Bp. Reynold's Treat of the Pass Oh that Jove would me restore The Years that I have liv'd before When our Time is just at an End and we can hardly draw our Breath 't will be a lamentable desperate Case for us then to cry out with that poor distressed afflicted [a] Mrs. Pindar a Book-feller's Wife in Cambridg Woman in Cambridg Call Time again call Time again a Thing impossible to be effected by any Cares or Endeavours Prayers or Tears Money or Price The Time of Life once lost is irrecoverable and unredeemable And the sad Apprehension of the irreparable Loss of Time will one Day prove an intolerable Torment to too late considering and awakened Souls Let 's therefore use that Time well which there can be no Revocation of 2. As we cannot recover the Time that is past so we cannot make any Supplement or Addition of new and longer Time to the Daies of our Lives when once Death comes to put a Finis to them As we cannot add one Cubit to our Stature So we cannot add one Moment to the Measure and Number of our Daies [b] Hom. sz in Euang. in verba Vigilate itaque quia neseitis diem neque hordm St. Gregory in a certain Homily tells us a sad Story of one Chrisaurius a Nobleman but a had Liver as full of Wickedness as Wealth who at last was struck with Sickness and the same Hour that he was going out of the World he seem'd to see a Company of foul and black Spirits standing before him and coming to drag him to the Infernal Pit He began to tremble to
hearing two Sermons usually every Lord's-Day and yet let your receiving the holy Communion twice or thrice a Year at most suffice your Souls and satisfy your Consciences Have you been swift to hear some thousands of Sermons in your time and yet so slow some of you as not once to receive this holy Sacrament in the many Years of your whole Lives though so very many of the Sermons preach'd to you urg'd and press'd you with due Preparation to receive the Communion Know ye not that the Sacrament has in sundry respects the advantage of a Sermon for in the Sacrament there is a Sermon to the Eye as well as to the Ear. Preaching alone cannot possibly so clearly and lively set forth the Evil of Sin and the Love of Christ to you as the visible Representation of the Crucifixion and bloody Death of Christ made in this Sacrament by the breaking of the Bread and pouring out of the Wine before you is apt to do Besides that The Sacrament calls you to a more solemn previous Examination of your selves than a Sermon does and requires you publickly to renew your whole Covenant with God and Christ whereas a Sermon ordinarily engages you to some one or few particular Duties only And the Sacrament is a Seal and Confirmation of the Covenant on God's part of all the great and precious Promises made in Christ to penitent Believers as well as a Ratification of the Covenant on your part Again The Sacrament has a singular Virtue and Efficacy to join and unite you more nearly and closely to Christ your Head and to knit and cement you more firmly and strongly one to another in Christian Love And is moreover a powerful Instrument and effectual Means of conveying spiritual Strength from Christ and Grace sufficient to enable you to perform the Covenant made and repeated by you and to practise the Precepts explicated and inculcated in the very many profitable Sermons preached to you 5. You that are Parents and Masters of Families in the Fear of God set up the Duties and maintain the Exercises of Christ's Religion in your Families Let Prayer and Reading the sacred Scripture and a course of Catechizing be things they are used to and well acquainted with Resolve with Joshua * Jos 24.15 As for me and my House we will serve the Lord. And vow deliberately with holy David †Ps 119.2 I will walk within my House with a perfect Heart Walk so closely and constantly with God and be so faithfully obedient to him that your Children may fare the better for your Covenant interest in him and relation to him Train bleed and ‖ Eph. 6.4 bring up your Children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Teach them to know fear love and serve God with Abraham * Gen. 18.19 command your Children your Houshold that they keep the Way of the Lord This will be a means to propagate Religion to Posterity Suffer not your Children to have their Heads and Humours but labour betimes to break them of their Wills lest by their Stubbornness and Disobedience they break your very Hearts at last Adonijah was a Person unlikely ever to come to good when his Father was so indulgent to him as †1 Kings 1.6 not to displease him at any time in saying Why hast thou done so Follow the Direction which St. Austin gives to teach Men to do the Works of Abraham [p] Omnis qui trucidat sitiorum voluptates tale sacrificium offert Deo quale Abraham Aug. Kill sinful Pleasures says he and slay youthful Lusts in your Children by this means you will offer such a Sacrifice to God as Abraham did Let this Thought often arise in your Minds that the young Plants that stand in the little Nourseries of your private Families will according to your care or neglect of them grow up to be good and useful or vicious and noxious Members in Church and State and so the [q] Gratum est quod patriae civem populoque dedisti Si facit ut patriae sit idontus Juv. sat 14. Publick will be profited or prejudiced by your well or ill ordering the Dispositions and Manners of those that belong unto your charge Restrain and regulate the rude and loose manners both of your Children and Servants Labour to instil good Principles into them and to render all your seasonable Instructions prosperous and profitable by your good Examples [r] Velocius citius not Corrumpunt vitiorum exempla domistica magnis Cùm subsant animos autoribus Id. ib. Domestical Examples are very notably leading and drawing and wonderfully powerful and influential Your Children and Servants they have their Maintenance from you Dependance upon you and are much inferiour to you and so are apt to eye and imitate you and ready to conform themselves to you You that are Parents is it not enough that you have conveyed and communicated a corrupt Nature to your Children but will you proceed to deprave them further by your ill Examples and to draw forth the Corruption of their Nature into manifold actual Miscarriages and Transgressions Will you make your Children as far as ever lies in your power the Children of the Devil You that are Masters will you make your Servants the Servants of Sin and bind them Apprentices to the very Devil Will you dare any longer to (s) Nil dictu foedum visÃque hac lime ia tangat Intra quae puer est Maxima debetur puero reverentia Illud non agitas ut sanctam filius omni Aspiciat sine labe domum vitiâ—que carentem Id. ib. corrupt and debauch your Children and Seavants by your frequent Drunkenness common Swearing vain and loose Talking Profanation of the Lord's-Day Atheistical ungodly Living Let Governours of Families charge themselves to give better Examples 6. Yea let every one of you study to be Exemplary in every relation and capacity in every carriage and deportment both within the private Family and before all the Neighbourhood round about you Let this consideration discourage and deter you from being ill-exemplary that if at last you should go to Hell your selves your own Damnation will receive aggravation from the Damnation of others who have been Sinners and Sufferers through your ill Examples Which may be the reason why * Luke 16.28 Dives desired to keep his Brethren out of the place of Torment Nay St. Austin goes a great deal higher in those very notable Words of his which deserve to be pondred in your most serious Thoughts (u) Quantiscunque exemplum malae conversationis etiamsi non eum illi sequantur aliquis praebuerit pro tantis se malis rationem noverit redditurum Aug. serm 163. de Tempore If thou hast given an ill Example says he thou shalt one Day give an account for so many wicked Persons as thou hast shown an ill Example to though they have not followed thy ill Example For it is no thank to
will become the Root of Errour If you be loth to be ruled by the Laws of Christ you have a Temptation from your own Lusts to turn to Antinomianism As Luther said that Every Man had a Pope in his Belly So every wicked Man has an Heretick in his Breast And let me moreover tell you that without Grace you will never taste and savour rellish love and like the Truth or have any sensible sweet experimental Knowledg of it which may engage and keep you close to it The Truths of God are so suitable to a gracious Heart that it quickly closeth with them But the Errours of the Wicked are slatly against such and such practical Impressions upon the Soul of a Christian A gracious Person has a good Complexion and Constitution of Soul which disgusts and disrelisheth whatsoever is contrary to it And therefore many an Errour lies but unevenly and untowardly in a good Man's Mind when presented to his Thoughts And when an honest-hearted Christian hears some Sermon or Discourse that is erroneous though he be not able handsomly to detect and logically to lay open the Nature and Danger of the Errour yet it goes against him he cannot down with it he finds a strong Antipathy against it he has not by Inspiration but by real [k] See Mr. Baxter's Unreason of Infid His 2d Discourse there on 1 Joh. 5.10 p. 116 117 127 128 158 161. Impression on his Soul a Witness within himself against it an inward Sense that disapproves it a new Nature that nauseats rejects and rises against it Just as the Sea by the Strength of its Nature casts up works out and purgeth it self of those Straws and Sticks that Filth and Dirt that Frippery and Trash which flowed into it with the River-water And therefore get a Principle of Grace into thy Heart as ever thou wouldst keep Errour out of thy Head And be sure to * 1 Tim. 1.19 hold a good Conscience that you may be able to hold the Doctrine of Faith †1 Tim. 3.9 Hold the Mystery of the Faith in a pure Conscience Like heavenly Manna let it be kept in a Pot of pure Gold By all means labour to be ‖ Tit. 2.2 sound in the Faith and (*) 2 Tim. 1.13 hold fast the Form of sound Words Resolve by the Help of God to (*) 2 Tim. 1.13 hold it fast against all Temptations to let it go Hold it fast in Faith and Love Let the Grace of Love even glue you to the Truth and constrain you to a firm Adhesion to it (†) 2 Thess 2.10 11. Receive the Love of the Truth that you may abide in the Truth and may not be given over to strong Delusions to believe a Lie (‖) Jude 3. Contend earnestly for the Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints Vigorously oppose fundamental Errours such as directly or reductively expresly or by necessary Consequence destroy the Articles of our Faith Contend for fundamental Truths for these especially and most earnestly but not for these only Contend for all Truth All Truth is valuable for the least Truth The very Parings and Filings of Gold are precious Contend as well for that which is not acknowledged to be necessary to Salvation as for that which is accounted commonly and ordinarily necessary though not with an equal Contention We are chiefly to look to the Foundation or else the House will certainly fall But yet we must look to the Tiles of the House too or else the Rain will beat into the House and in time the very Foundation may rot and moulder and perish If we neglect those Truths which are not fundamental we may in Time be brought to neglect Fundamentals themselves Yet in smaller Errours be content to bear what you cannot cure Very good Christians may have as it is said of St. Cyprian naevos in candido pectore here and there a Mole or Mark in otherwise a fair and clear Breast Very honest Hearts may have some lighter Errours in their Minds some Mistakes or other in their Judgments which ought to be prudently tolerated rather than brotherly Peace and Union be broken and violated or Christian Love and charitable Affection be withdrawn and alienated Wisely and carefully distinguish between those Differences in Opinion which are as the striving of one Israelite with another which is the Lord [p] Advanc of Learn l. 9. p. 473. Verulam's elegant Comparison and those pernicious damnable Heresies which are as the fighting of an Egyptian with an Israelite You must with Moses be mild and gentle fair and peaceable in dealing with the former but sharp and severe in oppugning and suppressing the latter Take care that you your selves don 't desperately fall into the gross and grievous Errours of the Times you live in And take all Opportunities according to your Abilities to inform and instruct to gain and win and bring over the erroneous and incredulous to the * Tit. 1.1 acknowledging of the Truth which is after Godliness That is the first Redeem the Time because the Daies and evil Daies in which dangerous Errours and false Doctrines are vented and propagated The second Particular Evil of the Apostles Daies and ours 2. The Evil of the Apostles Times stood in the vicious and wicked Lives of scandalous Professors of the Gospel The Daies are Evil that is saies [m] Dies malos esse dicit h. e. omnia scandalis corruptelis esse plena ut difficilè sit pios manere illaesos Calv. in loc Calvin all Things are full of Scandals and Corruptions insomuch as it 's hard for those that are good to be kept free from hurt to be preserved untainted with the Infection of the Times And in this Sense the Daies we live in are evil Daies too The present Age is an ungodly Age. †Matt. 24.12 Iniquity everywhere abounds Great and gross Irreligion and Profaneness extreme Loosness and Licentiousness boundless Sensuality and Voluptuousness immeasurable Gluttony and Drunkenness beastly Wantonness and Uncleanness prodigious Pride and Haughtiness bitter Animosity and Revenge malicious Slandering and Backbiting rash and uncharitable Judging and Censuring Lying Swearing Subornation Perjury Cursing Sabbath-breaking Unthankfulness Unfruitfulness Want of Humiliation and Reformation under Variety of sore and severe Judgments Carelesness of God's Providences Contempt of his Word and Ordinances Abuse of his blessed Spirit Playing and Drolling with Scripture Mocking at Religion Scoffing at Holiness and Enmity against Purity and the Power of Godliness are now rife and common the reigning and crying Sins of this Land and Nation Now what should we do to make a good Vse and due Improvement of such evil Daies as these I answer 1. Are the Daies thus evil let us then in a right manner be troubled at the Evil of them It is said that * 2 Pet. 2.8 righteous Lot dwelling among the filthy Sodomites in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous Soul from day to day with their
measure it by Work and not by Time Wouldst thou know the Difference between him that spent so few and another that hath passed over many Years The one lives even after Death the other perished before Death Let us therefore praise him and place him in the Number of happy Persons who how little Time soever he enjoyed was careful to bestow it well Why do you inquire how long he lived he liv'd to the Memory and Benefit of Posterity As there may be a perfect Man in a less Habit of Body so there may be a perfect Life in a less Measure of Time Do you demand what is the largest Space of Life it is to live till we attain to Wisdom He that arrives to that is come not to the longest End but the greatest He liv'd not so many Years as he might why a Book may contain but a few Verses and yet be very laudable and useful He that attains the End of Life though his time be short yet his Life is long because he lives [u] In quantolibet tempore bona aeterna consummant Sen. Ep. 92. much in a little Like him that writes small thick and close having much to write and but a little Paper to write in When the Ninivites had but forty Dvies allowed them they made use of that Space to exercise a notable Repentance in Our Time is short and very uncertain let our Improvement therefore be as speedy and as great as may be Let our Care be to live alwaies holily that we may never fear dying suddenly nor dread the Thought of being surprised and taken unprovided If we cannot be certain of longer enjoying this present mortal transitory Life Oh let 's not be contented to be as uncertain of our obaining a better being and an endless Life when this is concluded and expired 3. Our special Particular Opportunities are much shorter than our Time and more uncertain Though the Stalk remain the Flower may be gone though somewhat of Time may be left yet Opportunity may be slipt But this I say Brethren the * ◠Cor. 7.29 TIME IS SHORT the Word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contracted or shortened It is an Allusion to Sea-faring Men that have almost done their Voyage and begin to strike Sail are ready to roll and fold up their Sails together to put into Harbour and to go to unlade their Goods Our special Seasons are very short and uncertain Things We may quickly be laid upon Sick-Beds and unfitted by a Disease for the Performance of those Duties which now we are free to the Exercise of We may suddenly fall into so weak a Condition that an earnest Care and working Thoughts about the final Estate of our Souls would hinder the Cure and Recovery of our Bodies and will be apt to be laid aside upon that Pretence In a Time of Sickness our Heads may be distempered or our Hearts may be straitned that we cannot pray We may possibly lose our Estates that we cannot hereafter give to the Poor so liberally as now we may It may be for the future we may not be excited and suscitated by such good Motions as now we are We may never be entrusted with such rich Talents nor have such precious Opportunities any more afforded us as are at present vouchsafed to us Let 's therefore now improve them to the utmost let us make the best of them and lose none of them Especially considering that as our Time is short and uncertai and our special Opportunities shorter and more uncertain So 4. The Work we have to do is very great 'T is no slight and trifling Work above all keepings to keep our Hearts to prevail with our selves to make a Covenant with our Eyes and perform it to turn away our Eyes from beholding Vanity and from gazing on alluring Objects to learn habitually to govern our Tongues to set a Watch over our Lips that we offend not with our Tongues nor speak unadvisedly with our Lips to take heed unto our Feet and to make streight Paths to walk circumspectly * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 5.15 accurately exactly to strive to enter in at the strait Gate to watch for our Souls to work out our Salvation to make our Calling and Election sure to procure and preserve a Right and Title to the heavenly Kingdom to get our Evidences for Heaven sealed and to keep them so clear from Blots and Blurs that they may be plainly read It is no facile Thing to repent of so many thousand Sins and Follies to believe with all our Hearts to obey the several Laws and Commands of Christ and to discharge and perform our particular respective Duties both towards God towards our Neighbour and towards our selves 'T is no such easy matter to become able to resist the Devil to tread Satan under our Feet to get Victory over the World to subdue our own Flesh to deny our selves To reach and attain to such a Degree of spiritual Niceness as not to endure the Impurity of a Dream nor to allow our selves in so much Anger as would disorder and disturb a Child Sin is not mortified on a suddain Our old Man is not crucified in a Moment The strong Man is not disarm'd and cast out in an instant The Plague of our Heart is not so soon cured our spiritual Leprosie so quickly healed nor our Issue of Blood so presently dried up A corrupt Nature is not so easily changed [w] Malá consuetudine obsessis diu rubigo animorum essricanda est Sen. ep 95. Ill Habits and Customs are not so readily broken and laid aside A craving Appetite is not immediatly drawn off from sensual Objects nor our Inclinations to the Things below vanquish'd and conquer'd with a single and short Conflict Strength is not so speedily gotten against Temptations nor Power over our Passions nor Conquest obtain'd over our Corruptions It is not a Thing of so quick a dispatch to six and settle our Resolutions to remove strong Prejudices to resolve our Doubts to answer Objections and satisfy many weighty and difficult Questions which will arise concerning our Souls and spiritual Estates 'T is a great Work sure Employment and Business enough for all our Time to get a Change of Mind and Heart and Life To get Pardon of Sin and Purity of Heart To recover the Favour and Friendship of God and to regain the glorious Image and Likeness of God To procure the Reconciliation of our Persons and Natures to God To get a Participation of the divine Nature a Participation of God's Holiness To attain a blessed Conformity in a Spirit and Practice to Christ our Head To get an affective transformative Knowledg of God and Christ and a deep Impress of the holy Gospel upon our Hearts and Lives To know the Gospel to know God and Christ so as to become Gospel-like God-like Christ-like Creatures To gain a good Measure of grace and Holiness a rooted Love to God and Goodness a
saw Letters and yet taught him first to reade Dr. Bernard tells us that their readiness in the Scripture was marvellous being able suddenly to have repeated any part of the Bible I have read of one who was so conscientiously covetous of redeeming Time for reading of the Scripture that [w] Fox's Time and the end of Time p. 7. being a Prisoner in a dark Dungeon when a Light was brought to him for a little Time to eat his Diet he would pull out his Bible and reade a Chapter saying he could find his Month in the dark but not reade in the dark O mind the Scriptures in imitation of these and the like excellent Examples * 1 Tim. 4 13. Give attendance to reading †Joh. 5.39 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Search the Scriptrres as Christ commands As Diggers in [x] A Lapide in loc Mines with much Labour and Pains do search for Veins of Gold and Silver in the Bowels of the Earth So labour diligently to dig deep in the rich and golden Mines of Scripture for hidden Treasures of saving Truth Can you use your Eyes exercise your Reason improve your Hours in a better Employment Content not thy self with a slight and cursory reading but get a right and good understanding of these sacred Oracles Read them with Prayer to God before and after the reading of them Reade them with the [y] Quo Spiritu factae sunt Scripturae eo Spiritu legi desiderant ipsoetiam intelligendae sunt Bern. ep ad Fratres de monte Dei. Help of the same Spirit that wrote them Read them and hear the Voice of the blessed Spirit speaking in them Read receive and keep the Word in an honest and good Heart Luke 8.15 Hide the Word of God in thy Heart with David Ps 119.11 as a precious Jewel and Treasure as the Law was kept in a Chest or Ark Exod. 25.21 Let the Word of Christ dwell richly copiously plentifully in thee Coloss 3.16 and in this manner make thy Heart Bibliothecam Christi the Library of Christ as [z] Lectione assiduâ meditatione diuturnâ pectus suum bibliothecam fecerat Christi Hier. ep ad Heliod Epitaph Nepetiani St. Jerome tells us Nepotian did by his constant reading and daily Meditation Reade the Scriptures and fully assent to the Truth and Goodness of them Reade them and feed and feast upon them With the Prophet Ezekiel * Ezek 3.1 3. eat and fill thy Belly with this Roll 't will be in thy Mouth as Honey for Sweetness Do not only take the Scriptures into thine Hand and get them into thine Head but let them be deeply rooted in and fairly printed upon thy Heart Read them [a] Alimenta quae accepimus quamdiu in sua qualitate perdurant solida innatant stomacho onera sunt at cùm ex eo quod erant mutata sunt tunc demum in vires in sanguinem transeunt Idem in his quibus aluntur ingenia praestemus ut quaecunque hausimus non patiamur integra esse ne aliena sint Concoquamus illa altoquin in memoriam ibunt non in ingenium Assentiamur illis fideliter nostra faciamus ut unum quiddam siat ex multis Sen. ep 84. concoct and inwardly digest them do not only retain them in thy Memory but turn them into a new Nature Do not offer to deal with the Scriptures as little [b] Culpands sunt qui in lectione quidem Bibliorum versantur non tamen eum sibs proponunt scepum ut conscientiam suam aedisicent in pietate proficiant sed tantùm at scientiam aliquam sibi comparent qua velut artificio quodam apud alios se ostentent ibi Spiritum minimè quaerentes ubi maximè loquitur Spiritus non dissimiles pueris qui nuces ad ludendum quaerunt nucleo nec gustato nec aperto Andr. Rivet Isagog ad S. Script c. 30. §. 16. School-Boys do with their Nuts who often get them only to play with them having no mind or intention at all to crack the Shell and to taste the Kernel of any of them Reade and regard the Scriptures not only to get a notional Knowledg of them and merely to make them matter of Discourse and of Dispute but with an honest Purpose to profit in Piety and practical Knowledg by the frequent reading and constant studying of them Reade and receive the Scripture * 1 Thess 2.13 not as the Word of Men but as it is in truth the Word of God This will make all its Commands more strong and powerful more sweet and acceptable to think very seriously with thy self that they are the Commands of God who has Authority to command us and of a good God who shews as much Love in his Commands as he does in his Promises who gave his Son to die for us and therefore we may be sure will command us nothing but out of Love and for our good nothing but what will some way serve to sit us for and bring us to that Glory and Happiness which his Son has dearly purchas'd for us This also will mightily strengthen your Faith in Scripture Promises to consider that they are God's Promises who understands what he promises is true and faithful and cannot lie and is able to perform whatever he promises be his Promises never so large and great And this will render Scripture Threatnings very terrible and cause you to tremble at them and stand in aw of them to believe and consider that they are God's Threatnings who is arm'd with Omnipotency and able to execute to the utmost the most dreadful Threatnings that are denounced in his Word O bless and praise the good and holy Name of God that you are not left to the conduct of your purblind short-sighted Reason to the faint Light of the Candle within you to the natural Darkness and Blindness of your carnal Minds and corrupt Hearts that you are not guided with the Turks by a ridiculous Alcoran nor with the Jews directed to follow a few curious Rabbines nor with the Papists enslaved to humane unwritten uncertain Traditions But that you have the Bible open and intelligible in the English Tongue Highly prize and value the Scriptures and reade them with Thankfulness Love Joy and Delight as the best Book you can possibly reade in the whole World the most incomparable Writings which clearly and certainly declare the insinite Love of God and seasonably bring the glad Tidings of a Saviour to lost and undone Mankind which shew and discover to a miserable Sinner the only happy way and means of firm Reconciliation to an offended Deity and bring Life and Immortality to light which are God's publick Act of Indemnity and his free Grant of a full Pardon and of eternal Salvation to the penitent Believer Will you not prize and use the Word of God that incorruptible Seed of which you are or may be born again and have frequent recourse to that Word which
will have a mighty Influence upon the whole Course of our Lives and Actions The first of the four last Things proposed as the subject Matter of Meditation in order to the right Redemption of Time I. USE I. Use in thy Life time to think much of the Day of thy own particular Death and of the general Dissolution of all Things 1. [e] Mortem ut nunquam timeas semper cogita Sen. ep 30. in fine Vive me nor lethi fugit hora hoc quod loquor inde est Pers sat 5. Dum loquimue sugerit invida aetas Horat. carm l. 1. Od. 11. To think much of the Day of thy own particular Death Be not thou of Lewis the eleventh's Mind who strictly charged all about him that they sould not so much as name the terrible Word Death Do not only patiently hear of it but chuse to think and often to think of it Men are too commonly regardless of their End and unmindful of their own Mortality and Frailty The very Heathen have acknowledged Man's natural Proneness to forget his End and therefore they used several Arts to mind themselves and others of it Some Emperours on the Day of their Coronation have had several sorts of Marble presented to them out of which to chuse their Tombs Philosophers have had their Sepulchres before their Gates that they might neither go out nor in but they might still be put in mind of their Mortality And many great Men have had them in their Places of Pleasure And dead Men's Skulls have been served up in delicious Banquets And Philip King of Macedon had a young Monitor that came every Day and rubb'd up his Memory with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Remember thou art but a Mortal Man And we plainly find in Scripture that this is naturally Man's Temper The Fool in the Gospel is a clear Instance of this who * Luke 12.19 said to his Soul Soul thou hast much Goods laid up for many Years take thine ease eat drink and be merry He never dream'd of a Stulte hac nocte Thou Fool this Night That was the farthest Thing off his Thoughts †Jam. 4.13 14. St. James reproves those who promise themselves to morrow and build upon the next Year for the driving of their Trade and getting of Gain Men in their Health think not of Sickness and in Sickness seldome reckon of Death Even dying Men often times think of nothing but recovering and living longer in the World Men are apt to look upon Death as afar off and when in all probability they have but a few Sands in their Glass to run they are ready to say that they ‖ Job 29 18. shall multiply their Daies as the Sand. Men can willingly measure their Lands and Grounds and number their Herds and Droves of Cattel and count the Revenues of their Manours and Farms and reckon their daily or yearly Incomes but who is willing to measure and number his Daies Yea we can willingly measure other Mens Daies and learn to know their End and take great Notice how frail they are We can point at an old Man and cry he is thus or thus old his Daies cannot be many he is past his best he has one Foot in the Grave Upon sight of one sick or in a Consumption we are apt to say Such a one is near his End he can't live long sure But we take little notice of our selves we make little Reckoning of our own End we little consider what may become of us to morrow We do not actually think we shall not die yet the most of us do not actually think we shall die God frequently reads Lectures of Mortality to us and yet we will not learn to remember them The Arrows of the Almighty have flown thick on every side of us and yet we live as if we thought to escape alwaies Though others have fallen round about us we are ready to count our standing sure We securely lie in a dead Sleep amidst many awakening providences I am afraid many of us are too like your common Grave-makers who often handle Skulls and dead Mens Bones but are so daily us'd to them that they are not at all mov'd or affected with them What senseless silly Creatures are we that we won't believe we are mortal till we feel it that we won't be perswaded we shall die till we our selves are struck with Death Ah Friends we do not live as if we believ'd it and were truly and really convinc'd fully and throughly perswaded of it We are apt to overmeasure our Daies to put more in than we should to promise our selves what God never promis'd us and to count those Daies ours which are wholly in God's Hand and quite out of ours We are ready to measure by [f] Reade Dr. Patrick's Div. Arithm. false Rules to reckon that because we are young we shall not die till we are old That because we are strong we shall last it out and indure long That because we are temperate we need not fear Diseases and Death That because some live much longer than others that we may live as long as the longest The Guilt of Sin makes many afraid to take a true Measure of their Daies The want of a good and well-grounded Hope of a better Life makes Men unwilling to know the End of this And the inordinate Love of the World makes Men loth to know their End and to think of leaving what they love Haec faciunt invitos mori These are the Things that make us unwilling to die was a discreet Answer given by the Emperour Charles the fifth to a certain Duke of Venice You are naturally backward and disinclin'd to the consideration of your latter End and therefore pray to God to enable you to it and help you in it Say with David * Psal 39.4 Lord make me to know my End and the Measure of my Daies what it is that I may know how frail I am And with Moses likewise †90.12 So teach me to number my Daies that I may apply my Heart unto Wisdom We need but a little Arithmetick to number our Daies as [g] Caryl on Job 4.21 one saies well but we need a great deal of Grace to number them A Child may be wise enough to number the Daies of an old Man and yet that old Man a Child in numbring his own Daies so as to apply his Heart to Wisdom Well then heartily beg of God that he would make you to know your End to know it so as to have your Heart touched and affected with the Knowledg of it To know your End and to live suitably and answerably to the Knowledg of it To know your End so as to make a good End of it Now give me leave to direct and assist you in this necessary Duty Suffer me to serve in a Death's-Head and to put a Turf of fresh Earth into your Hands 't is counted very wholsome to
from whom we may reap and receive most spiritual Good or from whom we may reap and receive most spiritual Benefit Study and strive to chuse such an one for thy Friend to whom thou maiest give such reverential Respect in thy Carriage and Behaviour as may restrain thee from many uncomely sinful Actions which you might take more Liberty to commit in other Company Take him for thy special Friend and peculiar Companion who will be a constant Physician careful Tutor and spiritual Benefactor to thy Soul who will be a familiar tutelar guardian Angel to thee who will be as [k] Dr. Alle. bâ—â— Serm. p. 57. The second Soul and Conscience Dr. Ham. of srat Admoa and Correp p. 8. one well expresses it an [k] Dr. Alle. bâ—â— Serm. p. 57. The second Soul and Conscience Dr. Ham. of srat Admoa and Correp p. 8. assistant Conscience to thee who will not fail to perform that Office which the benumm'd or sleepy Conscience within thee shall at any time neglect Who will be as faithful a Monitor to thee as thy own Conscience should be Who daily does so improve in Vertue and Profit in Piety that whenever he comes into thy Company he will give thee the great Pleasure not only of seeing whom you would but of seeing such an one as you would Who will be careful to [l] Herb. Church-porch p. 6. salute himself before he visits thee and will surely bring himself a great Gift to thee as [m] Conspectus praesentia conversatio al quid habet vivae voluptatis utique si non tantum quem velis sed qualem velis videas Affer itaque te mihi ingens munus Prepera ad me sed ad te prâ—us Sen. ep 35. Seneca counsels his Friend Lucilius to order compose and carry himself toward him Chuse such Persons for thy intimate Friends who will be Friends and Helps in the best things to thee Friends in the concernments of the Life to come that will prize and value and on all occasions readily shew some real Kindness to thy Soul that will observe thy Motions and help to guide and direct thy Actions that will have a constant watchful Eye upon thy Life and Manners and not willingly suffer thee to misearry to Eternity for want of careful looking after Acquaint and accompany with those in the enjoyment of whom you may enjoy somewhat of God himself and whose sweet and gracious Converse will be a little Image of Heaven to you Take those for your Consorts and Associates here with whom you may desire and hope to keep joyful Company for ever hereafter If we make any Reckoning of our Time let us first make a good Choice of our Friends 2. And then a good Improvement of our Company and Society with them Be prudent and pious in the Vse as well as in the Choice of your Friends Let not your Friendship be a meer nominal formal empty juiceless thing Let your ordinary Visits to your Friends be out of Conscience as well as out of Courtesy out of a real Design to do some Office of Love especially to their Souls and to bring some spiritual Advantage to them [m] See p. 216. to the end of 219. Time is commonly lost by meer complemental Visits wherein no civil Business is dispatch'd no Service done to the Bodies Estates or Souls of others Let Christian Friends take heed especially that they come not together of purpose to waste their Time in unseasonable immeasurable Play and Sport that they be not found notoriously guilty of spending commonly and customarily as many Hours in Play together as if Gaming were not their Recreation and Diversion but their Trade and Profession their Calling and Occupation Can this be reckon'd a well redeeming the Time in evil Daies Would not some of that Time be spent more fruitfully and comfortably in the Communication of your Experiences and the Observations you have made relating either to God's Word or Works or in reading together some select and seasonable Scripture or else some part of practical Divinity or good Morality or useful History and in discoursing and conferring thereupon as you have Ability and find Occasion Let not Cards and Dice swallow up and devour the most of the Hours you spend together Nor ever suffer any Friends and Companions to rob you of your Time by [m] Nulla est excusatio peccati si amici causâ peccavâ—â—â— Strectum statuerimus vel concedere amicis quicquid veltur vel impetrare ab amicis quicquid velimus perseâ—â—â quideus â—pientià sumus si nibil habeat res vitu Haec prima lex in amicitia sanciatur ut neque rogemus res turper nec factamus rogati c. ut ab amicis honesta petamus amitorum can a honesta faciamus Lael apud Cic. de Amic yielding to them and complying with them when they unreasonably exact of you to hold out with them in their Sports If you perceive that any particular Game or Play does steal away your Heart and Time 't is high time then rather to lay it quite aside than to suffer such Detriment by Continuation of the Use of it When Bp. Vsher in his tender Years was taught by some of his Friends to play at Cards and found himself so delighted therewith that it not only took place of the Love of his Book but began to be a Rival with the spiritual Part in him upon apprehension thereof as [n] In the Life of Bp. Usher p. 24. Dr. Bernard informs us he gave it over and never played after When Christian Acquaintance meet together let them be as useful and profitable as helpful and beneficial as holy and heavenly in their Discourses as may be You may do more good by an honest Hint and a serious savoury Speech in Company than it may be a Minister may do by many Sermons Labour to spiritualize and ennoble your Friendship by making it a State of Love and Purity an Opportunity and Advantage of amending and reforming of benefiting and bettering one another [o] Dr. Ham. of frat Admon or Corrept p. 29. Let such as live either with or by one another by solemn Compact and Agreement strictly and strongly oblige one another to take some special spiritual Care of one another's Souls This would be real spiritual good Neighbourhood an high Advancement a rich and gainful Improvement of Friendship You that are Intimates and Familiars look upon your selves as one another's * Gen 4.9 Keepers Take a spiritual Charge one of another †Phil. 2.20 Naturally care for one another's spiritual State ‖ Heb. 13.17 Watch over one another's Souls as they that must give account an Account of one another as well as of your selves that you may do it with Joy and not with Grief Be (*) 2 Cor. 11.2 jealous over one another with a Godly Jealousy and shew your selves such fast Friends to one another's Souls as to do your best to prevent
one another's sinning and to promote the Work of Grace and Holiness in one another's Hearts Take Occasion to warm not so much one another's Houses as one another's Hearts Visit one another in the Evening meet together and confer one with another at leisure hours and on daies of Recreation * Mal. 3.16 Speak often one to another concerning the things that belong to the Peace of one another's Souls and concern the Conditiion of the Church of Christ Build up †Jude 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one another on your most holy Faith ‖ 1 Thess 5.11 Comfort your selves together and edify one another (*) Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another daily while it is called To day Let your Exhortation be mutual and reciprocal frequent and continual seasonable and speedy lest any of you be hardened through the Deceitfulness of Sin Take the first Opportunity of dealing with thy Friend as the case and need of his Soul requires lest Death remove him unexpectedly out of the reach of thy Charity to all Eternity Consider with thy self that should thy Companion live longer yet he may continue in the omission of some Duty because you only purpose to put him upon it Or he may go on in the commission of some Sin grow more and more in Love with it and fall more under the Power of it because you have only some thought and intention to turn him from it Support preserve and keep one another from falling and in the Spirit of Meekness raise and recover (†) Gal. 6.1 restore and (‖) Jam 5.19 convert one another when overtaken and fallen in any degree and measure either into Sin or Errour * Le◠19 17. Hate not your Friend or Brother in your Heart in any wise rebuke your Neighbour and never suffer Sin upon him when you find him offending against God or Man And * Mat. 18.15 if a Friend or Brother shall plainly trespass against thee go and tell him his Fault between thee and him alone not seeming to reproach him by chiding and reprehending him in publick nor offering to back-bite him by talking privately to others against him †Col. 3.16 Rom. 15 14. Teach and admonish one another and let it appear that you practise your own Precepts and take your selves the Counsel you give to others Follow Tertullian's excellent Advice [p] Oportet constantiam commenend proprtie conversationis autheritate dertgere ne icta faciis aesictent thus crubescant Tert. de patientia initio strengthen your friendly Admonition and Exhortation with the Authority of your own Conversation that your want of Deeds may not make you blush at your own Words and let me add that your Friend and Companion may not neglect and reject your Sayings because he knows too well your Doings As oftentimes you thrust away the good Light of a Candle for the ill savour which the stinking Tallow yields Let none have reason to retort and say ‖ Luke 4.23 Physician heal thy self (*) Rom. 2 21. Thou which teachest another teachest thou not thy self What Mr. Herbert speaks of Ministers may be sitly accommodated to the Exhortations and Admonitions of Christian Friends [q] The Windows Doctrine and Life Colours and Light in one When they combine and mingle bring A strong Regard and Aw but Speech alone Doth vanish like a flaring thing And in the Ear not Conscience ring (†) Heb 10 24. Consider one another to provoke unto Love and to good Works or to [r] Dr. Ham of frat Admon or Correp p. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sharpen or provoke in one another Charity and good or laudable Works You are apt to forget and prone to neglect your selves you have need enough of one anothers spiritual Care and Help 't is necessary that others should watch and observe incite and assist you be at some trouble and take some pains with you your own and others Consideration and Provocation of you is little enough to stir and move you Ponder and [s] Dr. Hum. Par. in loc weigh all Advantages that you can have one upon another to excite and extimulate to engage and quicken one another to the Exercise of Charity and all Actions of Piety whensoever you find any thing of fainting or growing cold in one another Search and enquire into one anothers spiritual Estates mind and study the Cases and Conditions of one anothers Souls the Causes and Cures of one another spiritual Distempers Be very solicitous for one anothers present and future Good carefully consult the spiritual Prosperity and eternal Welfare of one another Consider one another to provoke one another not to Sin and Wickedness to Vanity and Folly to uncertain Opinions to Faction and Division to Siding and Party-taking not to that which is highly provoking but exceeding well-plealing to God not to Wrath but to Love not to Evil but to Good Works Consider and provoke one another not as the Devil considers and provokes Men by his Temptations but as God considers and provokes Men who watches over us continually prevents us daily with his Grace strengthens us against Temptations affords us his Counsel instils many good Motions into our Minds and often incites and stirs us up to the Duties incumbent on us And as Christ consider'd and provoked Sinners when he was here on Earth to Faith and Repentance good Works and Obedience who went about doing Good doing good to Mens Souls as well as Bodies who freely convers'd with them frequently instructed them affectionately exhorted them powerfully press'd them plainly reprov'd them was grieved for the Hardness of their Hearts lamented and wept over their Impenitency and Insidelity Consider thy Companion at such a season when it is most likely that he may consider what you say to him Provoke him to Good when in all probability it may do most good Remember to consider and provoke one another in a serious manner Never offer to utter a few cold dull dead Words between Jest and Earnest but earnestly perswade and pathetically expostulate one with another and let one another plainly see that every Application does arise and proceed from Love and Compassion and that it is the Desire of your Souls to save one another's Souls Let your Words be as * Eccl. 12.1 Goads as the Wise Man speaks to prick one another forward in the way of Religion Instead of detaining one another unnecessarily from the Publick Assembly stir up one another with an holy Zeal and say one to another in the Words of the Prophet * Zech. 8.21 Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of Hosts I will go also Be not Quench-coals but as live Coals begetting Heat in those that are next you Let Christian Acquaintance use their utmost Endeavours to bring one another more acquainted with God and with their own spiritual States and Conditions Let Christian Neighbours study
and endeavour to make one another nigh to God Let Christian Yoke-fellows exhort and encourage one another to take Christ's Yoke upon them and to bear his Burden Let Christian Servants stir up one another to work out their Salvation to do the Business and to finish the Work which their heavenly Master has given them to do Consider exhort provoke one another and look what becomes of all the Labour Care and Pains that you take with any Friend or Acquaintance and if it obtain not at present its much desired Fruit and Effect yet be not disheartened nor [t] Angor iste qui pro amico saepe capiendus est non tantum valet ut tollat è vita amicitiam non plus quà m ut virtutes quia nonnullas curas molestias afferunt repudientur Lael apud Cic. de Amic desert your Duty and give over this necessary Office and excellent Part of Friendship though you find it difficult and uneasy though you seem to any carnal Friend as one that mocks as * Gen. 19.14 Lot did to his Sons-in-law †2 Tim. 2.25 4 2. In Meekness instruct those that oppose themselves ‖ 1 Thess 5.14 Reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering which will be a becoming Imitation of God who you may remember endured you with much long-suffering who did not leave you to your selves when you first rejected his heavenly Admonition who called you often before you would hear and often provoked you before you would stir who suffers sinful Men so long till at last he suffers for his Suffering who is so patient till at last he loses by his Patience whose extream Patience as Tertullian excellently observes seems to [u] Vt sua sibi patientia detrahat plures enim Dominum idcirco non credunt quia seculo iratum tamdiu nesciunt Teit. de patientia detract and derogate from his Power for many believe saies he that there is no Governour of the World because they do not see him angry with the World Patiently continue thy Consideration and Care of thy Friends for though they do not consider what you say at present they may consider it hereafter Consider them because this will be a comfortable Consideration that though you do no good upon them yet you did your honest faithful and best Endeavours to do them good and are therefore clear from their Blood Think how greatly you will gain in your own Experience by considering your Acquaintance and dealing in a spiritual way with them and how much you will heighten and strengthen your own good Affections by exhorting provoking and exciting your Friends by rubbing and chasing your Companions you will not only get warmth into them but will with the same labour make your selves a great deal hotter than you were before The more you perswade and stir up them to the Love and Fear of God the more your own Heart will be warmed and inhamed with the Love and filled and possess'd with the Fear of God The more you quicken and stir up them to good Works you your selves will become much more ready to every good Work And as this will increase and improve your own spiritual Gifts and Graces so it will enlarge your Joys and Comforts and be matter of Satisraction and Pleasure to you to see some of their Souls spiritually prosper whom you have taken a special care of What a comfort will it be at last to consider that you have done much good by considering your Associates that by your consideration of them you have brought them to consider God and themselves that under God you have been the happy Instruments of awakening convincing strengthning and quickning your Acquaintance of * Mat. 18.15 gaining your Brethren of gaining them to God and gaining and endearing them more and more to your selves and of saving some precious Souls from Death which are more worth than the whole World How will they be your †1 Thess 2.19 20. Glory and Joy and Crown of Rejoicing who shall confess and acknowledg that you were the blessed means of working upon them and prevailing with them that under God they ow their spiritual Light and Life their Growth and Thriving in Grace their Progress and Procedure in Faith and Holiness their Stedfastness and Advancement in Religion and Godliness to your cure and pains with them your compassionate Consideration of them and watchful Circumspection over them yea will not this increase the Joies of Heaven and heighten the Pleasures of Paradise to you to meet with those Acquaintance there whom you were a means of helping thither by prompting and encouraging them to do those Works which are the way to the heavenly Kingdom Consider moreover that your considering your Friends and Neighbours will be consider'd and accepted by God though they should never consider any thing at all that your Labour of Love shall not be in vain to your selves though it should be ineffectual to others But if by dealing with them you do some real considerable good upon them that then very great will be your Reward in Heaven that if you * Dan. 12.3 turn many to Righteousness you shall shine as the Stars for ever and ever That if from a Principle of the Fear of the Lord you †Mal. 3.16 17. speak often one to another to animate one another to Faith and Obedience to Courage and Constancy the Lord will hearken and hear it and a Book of Remembrance shall be written before him concerning it and you shall be his in that Day when he maketh up his Jewels his peculiar Lot Inheritance choice Portion chief Treasure and he will spare you as a Man spareth his own Son that serveth him If you consider one another for good God will consider you for good If you provoke one another to Love this will provoke God to love you for it If you provoke your Acquaintance to good Works this will provoke God to reward you as well as them for all the good Works that are done by them by means of your Exhortations and [w] Quantoscunque aliquis exemplo sanctae vitae aedificaverit cum tantis pro tantis mercedem beatae vitae retributionis aceipiet Aug. tom 10. p. 209. Paris Examples But if you provoke not them to do good Works you shall one Day be found guilty of all the evil Works done by them which you might have hindred by any means and any way prevented the Commission of Neglect not the serious Exhortation loving Consideration and zealous Provocation one of another for surely when you come to die your own Hearts will not condemn you for labouring too hard in the grand concernments of the Souls of your Friends who are as * Deut. 13.6 your own Souls But you will be ready to challenge your selves for want of Care and Diligence in that Performance and to grieve and mourn that you have been so useless in your Friendship and Society that
you have no better improved Christian Fellowship and Communion no more awaken'd quicken'd comforted and spiritually served one another Grudg not to bestow a little Labour in watching over thy Friend and Neighbour this Work and Task will be quickly over And take not amiss anothers taking care of thee Count the Christian Religion lovely and amiable upon this Consideration that it makes such excellent and admirable Provision for the Welfare and Safety of Souls for the spiritual Security and eternal Felicity of the Professors of it Prize and value the rich Mercy and abundant Kindness of God to thee that he should appoint every Friend about thee to be a spiritual Help to thee and make it part of his Office and Business to take care of thy Soul And when you find any Friend faithful in the Exercise of his Duty and Discharge of his Conscience toward thee bless God that he is so And be truly thankful to him also for so high an expression of his charitable Affection Let his sincere and hearty Love to thee make him appear * 1 Sam 29.9 good in thy sight as an Angel of God and cause his †Rom. 10 15. Feet as well as Face to be truly [x] Quid tam alsurdum quà m delectari multis inanibus rebus ui honore ut glorià ut aedificio ut vestitu culiú jue cerporis animo autem virtute praedito eo qut vel amare vel ut enini remuneratione benevolentiae nthil vicissitudine studiorum essicier úmque jucundiù Lael apud Cic. de amic beautiful to thee Never be provoked with an ill Provocation against the Person of a Friend who sharpens and provokes you with a good Provocation Be not angry with any that provoke you to Love nor render evil for good to such as labour to provoke you to good Works If thy Friend and Companion rebuke thee know how to accept a great Kindness take his Love and Good-will well and shew that thou hast good Flesh to heal Say with holy David ‖ Ps 41.5 Let the Righteous smite me it shall be a Kindness and let him reprove me it shall be an excellent Oil which shall not break my Head And reckon this to be one of the saddest Strokes that God inflicts for God to say (*) Hos 4.4 Let no Man strive nor reprove another Be so wise and good natured as to [y] Plurimim in amicitia amicorum bene suadentium valeat autoritas eáque adhibeatur ad monendum non moaò aperrè sed etiam acriter si res postulabit autoritati adhibitae pareatur Id. ib. suffer a Word of Exhortation and Admonition from a truly loving Christian Friend When thou aut in Company with thy Friends do †1 Kings 20.23 as Benhadad's Servant did in the Presence of Ahab diligently observe whether any good thing will come from any and hastily catch it Shew thy self much pleased and delighted with any good Discourse that is started and labour to keep it up and maintain it But know that if now thou refusest to hearken to the Counsels and follow the Advices and submit * Eph. 5.21 thy self to the Reproofs and Reprehensions of prudent pious Christian Friends and art ready to strive against all their earnest passionate Strivings with thee then they that contended and laboured in vain with thee here shall surely †1 Cor. 6.2 judg thee at Last Day and bring in Evidence and Testimony against thee that they would have healed thee and thou wouldst not be healed that they by all means would have helped thee to Heaven and thou wouldst hasten and hurry to Hell ‖ Jer. 51.9 The eleventh Direction If we would earnestly redeem the Time we must remember and consider perform and answer our solemn Sacramental Vows Occasional Promises and Sick-bed Resolutions 1. Our solemn Sacramental Vows 1. Our Promise and [a] Of the Vow of Baptism see Dr. Hammond's Pract. Cat. l. 6. the latter part of sect 2 and 3. And his notions contracted in the VVhole Duty of Man partit 2. par 33 c. Vow made in Baptism Which Promise made by Persons baptized when adult or of full Age is called as some understand and interpret that Place the stipulation or * 1 Pet. 3.21 answer of a good Conscience towards God At the time of our Infant-Baptism we were dedicated to the Service of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and solemnly entred into a sacred Covenant Then we indented and engaged to renounce the Devil the †Eph. 6.12 2.2 Ruler ‖ Joh. 12 31. Prince and (*) 2 Cor. 4.4 God of this World And all his Works All that the Devil labours by any means to set us about and employ us in But especially and principally all those Sins which carry particularly the stamp and character the image and resemblance of Satan upon them and have (†) Joh. 8.44 from the beginning been practised by him such as Pride Lying Slandering Malice Envy Killing and Destroying Tempting and Soliciting others to Sin We covenanted expresly to abandon and abomine all Diabolical Works And to forsake and disclaim the Pomps and Vanities or Pompous Vanities the profane Spectacles the Luxury the ostentatious vain-glorious Bravery of this wicked World To abhor and avoid the evil Company and to resist the applauded vile vicious Customs and popular Temptations of the World To take care not to accompany the Ungodly in their Sins To deny Vngodliness and worldly Lusts and all the sinful Desires Affections Appetites of the Flesh◠to abstain from fleshly Lusts and from all the Works of the Flesh to make no provision for the Flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof To endeavour to moderate and subordinate all our Desires to the Will of God And by God's Grace and under the influence of Divine Assistance according to our Abilities obediently to keep God's holy Will and Commandments and not only to take a few Steps but to walk in the same and that not only for a spurt or a few daies but all the daies of our Lives And since we came to years of Discretion and were of age sufficient to use our Reason and act understandingly we have personally owned openly and deliberately confirmed our Baptismal Vow taken the obligation in our own names by actual consent yielded and resigned devoted and delivered up our selves to become the teachable tractable Disciples the ready and voluntary Servants of the blessed Trinity Now to make this grand Promise good were to redeem the Time indeed Let 's never offer or dare to live as if we had been initiated in the impure Mysteries of the Heathen as if we had been baptized in the name of Bacchus or Venus baptized in the very Devil's name devoted to his Drudgery and deeply engaged against God and Christ and the Holy Spirit against the Gospel and Godliness against the Members of Christ and the People of God But look and see we live as those who
dealt so graciously with thee as to transfer the Punishment from thee upon his Son and so bountifully with thee as to give his own Son for thee and to thee O bless and praise God by studying to do such good Works as may provoke others to bless and glorify him And when you come home from the publick Ordinance take heed you do not entangle your selves with Businesses or Recreations which have as much Power to render the publick Duties ineffectual after as before their Performarsce But carefully spend that which is not Church-time in Meditation Praier Reading savoury Speeches heavenly Discourses and the conscionable Performance of such Duties as tend to your own and others Edification Let Magistrates redeem the Lord's-day by personally frequenting open owning and countenancing the publick Worship of God and Ordinances of Christ and by improving the utmost of their Power for the Glory of God and Honour of Religion in the zealous Prevention or speedy Reformation of the horrid Prosanation of the Lord's-day and vigorous promoting the general Sanctification of it out of serious Consideration and a strong Conviction that the Preservation and Continuance of Religion doth much depend upon the due Observation of the Lord's-day And that a Disesteem and Neglect of the Sanctification of that Day does quickly cause a lamentable Decay of Christian Piety and hasten the infliction of [s] It is somewhat remarkable and not altogether to be neglected that even in this Nation upon the publick Allowance of Sports and Recreations upon the Lord's-day which is our Christian Sabbath Civil and bloody VVars and Ruin of the Royal Family should so shortly follow and that the Hand of God should be most against those who by VVriting VVords or Practice had maintained the lawfulness of that Doctrine Lawson's Theo-Polit p. 181. fearful Judgments upon a Land and Nation Let them do this in imitation of the brave and holy-spirited * Nehem. 13. from 15. to 22. Nehemiah who testified against and contended with the notorious Profaners and Violators of the Sabbath-day and would not suffer the open selling of Victuals and Wares the trading with Commodities and carrying of Burthens and doing the servil Works of their ordinary Callings on that Day Did not your Fathers thus saies he and did not our God bring all this Evil upon us and upon this City yet ye bring more Wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath Let Magistrates see to the Observation and look to the Sanctification of this Day and so become the happy Instruments and blessed Means of the subsisting and flourishing of Religion in the World of keeping up in the Minds and Hearts of Men a Sense of God a Sense of Sin a Sense of Duty to God and Man a Sense or believing Apprehension of a certain Reward or Punishment a Sense of Heaven and Hell a Sense of Eternity of begetting and preserving a Tenderness and Quickness in Men's Consciences which are apt to be roused and awakened under every Ordinance of maintaining the Life of Religion and the Power of Godliness of upholding the outward Worship and Service of God and heightning and increasing the inward Honour and hearty Love and Fear of him All which depend in a great measure upon Magistrates securing what lies in them the due and sacred Observation of the Lord's-day Let Ministers redeem the Lord's-day not by composing their Sermons or committing them to their Memories on that Day which Toil and Task is fitter to be the Labour of other Daies but by striving to work their Sermons and Discourses upon their own and others Hearts and Consciences Let them spend that Day in [u] Dexteriùs loquentur cum hominibus qui priùs totá mente cum Deo fuerint collocuti Erasm wrestling with God in secret for Assistance in and a Blessing upon their publick Employment In first confessing their own Sins in their private Closets and in begging divine Gifts and Graces to make them able Ministers of the New Testament in setting right their aims and ends in all their Exercises and Undertakings and in imploring the special spiritual gracious powerful Presence of God with his own Ordinances And then in humbly consessing the Sins of the People in the publick Congregation in earnestly praying for their Souls and praising God for his wonderful Mercies in the Mediator for the happy Restauration of sinful and miserable Mankind and the Communications of himself to the lost World by Jesus Christ In propounding and pressing the most sound and solid Reasons the most convincing cogent Arguments to engage them to their Duties and in giving with the greatest Expression of Affection the most proper Directions and seasonable Counsels to guide them in the Way to Heaven And Let the People redeem the Lord's-day by privately reading or hearing read some Part and Portion of Scripture which would season their Hearts and make them more teachable when they hear the Word publickly read or preach'd By praying for themselves to the Shepherd and Bishop of their Souls and by praying for their Minister to the chief Shepherd that Shepherd both of Shepherd and Sheep of Pastor and People that great Prophet and Teacher of his Church that he would teach their Teacher instruct their Instructor and so lead and guid him by his Word and Spirit that he may safely conduct them by sound and seasonable Doctrine and winning Example in the Way everlasting Yea Let them redeem the Lord's-day by attending on the Lord without Distractions by joining in the publick Prayers by being present at publick Baptism that they themselves may be minded and remembred of their own Baptismal Vow and Covenant By worthy and frequent receiving the holy Communion of the body and Blood of Christ By diligent hearing the Word preacht By serious Meditation on it and conscionable Practice of it and by charging themselves and humbly desiring God to help them to walk worthy continually of the Means Mercies and Priviledges they enjoy By maintaining heart-warning Conference By charitable Visitation of and Ministration of seasonable suitable Counsel and Comfort to any sick and weak afflicted or distressed Persons By acknowledging all their Offences to God and Amendment of the same and by endeavouring heartily to reconcile themselves charitably to their Neighbours where any Difference or Displeasure has been You that are Masters and Governours of Families redeem the Lord's-day for your selves and cause your Families to redeem it The Lord of the Sabbath commandeth that thou and thy Son and thy Daughter thy Man-servant thy Maid-servant and all within thy Gate keep that Day holy Set not suffer not your Servants to work nor your Children or Servants to play on this Day Be as much ashamed to see your Child or Servant steal and take God's Time to themselves as you would be to find them pilfering or stealing from your Neighbour You can keep your Servants close to your own work all the Week-daies See that they neglect not the Work of God on the Lord's-day