must also improve and exercise our Liberty in way of Love Peace Union and Communion unto mutual edification and comfort By love serving one another Gal. 5.3 O this is the onely sweet and comfortable life of Christian Liberty It is a very sinful shameful abuse of Christian Liberty to make it an occasion to the flesh to make it subservient to Libertinism to Licentiousness to carnal Reason and Policy to worldly Designs and Ends to the lusts of the flesh the lusts of men in fomenting Divisions Contentions and of making it a cloak of maliciousness 1 Pet. 2.16 Surely it is a great part of our work of Reformation to Reform these Abuses of our Christian Liberty VVe are People highly Priviledged with Christian Liberty and advantaged to the exercise of it O that we better understood it and improved it Let us alwayes remember to keep our Liberty wholly subservient unto our Religion and not set up Liberty above Religion if so we shall lose both our Religion and our Liberty together 6 Labour unto the promotion and progress of the work of Reformation by recovery of your first Love Peace and Vnion O the loss of our first Love Peace and Union hath hitherto been an irreparable loss an incurable wound concerning which we may take up our Lamentation and say Jer. 8.20 21 22. The harvest is past the summer is ended and we are not healed for the hurt of my people I am hurt I am black astonishment hath taken hold upon me Is there no Balm in Gilead is there no Physician there why then is not the hurt of the daughter of my people recovered O are our Divisions become judicial and so incurable If so our state is truly lamentable as Jer. 16.5 Thus saith the Lord Enter not into the house of mourning neither go to lament nor bemoan them for I have taken away my peace from this people saith the Lord even loving kindness and mercies If it should be so well might the hearts and hopes of all our faithful Leaders fail whose labours have hither unto much failed Surely then the recovery of our first Love Peace and Union is a chief part of the work of Reformation and will be found a very hard and difficult part of the work In order hereunto 1. We must remember from whence we are fallen O let the remembrance of the sweetness and blessedness of our first Love Peace and Union convince and humble us under the sin of our Envyings Strifes Debates Divisions Contentions and Emulations c. It was the sad state of the Church of Corinth that although they were lamentably distressed and distracted with Divisions yet they were not sensible of the sin of them but were puffed up and did glory one against another O that it were nothing so with us truly so long as it is so there will be no hope of healing O that we were convinced of the sin of our Division and the multitude of sins that are begotten by it that we might mourn penitentially and bemoan our selves before God with brokenness of heart and earnestly beseech him to pardon and to purge away all that sin and to grant us reforming grace Truly untill we are thus convinced and humbled there will be no Reformation 2. We must labour to recover our first Spirit of Love Peace and Union pray earnestly unto God to pour his Spirit upon us a Spirit of Love to pour out abundance of the grace of Love to create Love Peace and Union for us and to take away the Spirit of Division which we are so deeply corrupted withall 3. We must labour to recover our first New-England Interest that is that Interest upon which this People and these Churches were first founded as to their Religious Constitution which is God and Religion this is the onely uniting Interest our very hearts and Souls will cleave and unite most intirely in Love with Peace and Union in our God and our Religion this Interest will make a people of one heart and of one Soul Jer. 32.39 They shall be my people and I will be their God and I will give them one heart and one way to fear me Observe when a people do cleave close to God and his Covenant and so unto Religion they have one heart and one way that is sweet and perfect Unity and Amity O this is our great mischief and misery and the very original of our defection that we have much forsaken our proper New-England Interest we have committed these two great evils Jer. 2.13 Forsaken our God and hewn out Cisterns We have been changing of our main Fundamental Interest we have been deserting our own Religious Interest espousing another viz. a Worldly Interest we are turning from God after the World the World is becoming the main Interest of N. E. and we are becoming a worldly people a people of a worldly Spirit Principles Practises I do not mean onely nor so much in seeking and prosecuting the things of the World although that be enough to denominate us notoriously Worldly but our turning our very Religion it self into a Worldly Interest by making of it the subject of Carnal Confidences resting trusting and boasting in it and also by making of it the subject of Carnal Contentions and so setting Religion against it self and the Professors of it one against another and so making of it subservient unto worldly designs yea unto worldly lusts and thereby making it in our Profession and Practise of it a meer Worldly Religion yea too many do too much make their professed Confidence in God himself a worldly Interest subservient to their worldly lusts as they Mic. 3.11 Yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord in the midst of us none evil can come unto us When a worldly Spirit worldly Principles worldly Wisdome and Counsels do sway and preponderate in all matters both Civil and Religious then a people are fully and throughly setled upon a Worldly Interest and are truly become a Worldly people And then comes all kinde of Dissentions Contentions Emulations Strifes Debate c. for the World is alwayes a dividing Interest and all our Divisions are carnal and worldly 1 Cor. 3.3 Jam. 4.3 Whatever pretences of a Religious Zeal the Fomentors of Division may make it is a Worldly Spirit that foments all Divisions and it is utterly impossible that ever a worldly spirited people should unite upon sure grounds of Union or that any people should ever unite at all in a worldly Interest And therefore if we can relinquish our worldly Interest and retrive our own onely true and proper Interest which is our God and Religion set and settle our hearts again upon God and Religion this would heal all our Divisions and reform all As a change of Interest hath been the great Cause of our general defection so a change of Interest again would consummate our Reformation It is the Prescription which God gives unto that Backsliding
Idolatry in the Worship of God Sinners are spâ—â—â—ed unto and with the sins of the Times those sins are even rooted and grounded in the Spirit of the Generation as Jer. 17.1 The sin of Judah it is graven upon the table of their heart so that there is no hope of Reformation except we make us a new heart and a new spirit And truly this is the reason that we do not reform that we cannot reform though we do promise and vow Reformation unto God Deut. 5.29 This people have well said O that there were such an heart in them q.d. the great thing which this people want is an heart Truly so the great thing which New-England doth want it is a new Heart and a new Spirit Here then we must begin and in order hereunto 1. All sincere Christians must begin this work of Heart-reformation by labouring to recover your Souls out of your Spiritual Declensions in grace and in the life and power of godliness This Spiritual Declension it is in the first and most strict and proper sense that having of our first love reproved in the Context and therefore restitution from this Spiritual Declension it is in the first most strict and proper sense Doing of our first works commended in the Text and therefore sincere Christians are first and most properly concerned in this duty of doing of their first works How generally and deeply Christians are thus declined both their hearts and lives do sadly testifie It is the great and general complaint of all sensible Christians O their decayes and declensions hence little of the life and activity of grace hardly enough to evidence the sincerity of it clearly and comfortably either to themselves or others little of the life of Obedience either in duties of Religion or Righteousness much Carnality Formality Hypocrisie in the Worship of God both in publick private and in seeret in all their Converse and Communion both with God and Saints their Souls languishing under a Spiritual Consumption and those things which remain even ready to die Rev 3.2 It is true first of Christians then of Churches in this sense That there is a universal deadness upon the hearts of Churches hence great unprofitableness and unfruitfulness under all Ordinances sin more unmortified then ever their hearts and lives deeply corrupted with the sins of the Times and many Christians fallen into a very dangerous way of Communion with and Conformity unto the wicked World and all this appearing upon some of those whose first life love sincerity purity and eminency in grace and godliness was sometimes a Beauty unto these Churches O how is our gold become dim and our fine gold changed Lam. 4.1 How is our silver become dross and our wine mined with water Isa 1.22 How are Zions Nazarites changed in their visage Lam. 4.7 How are the faces the Countenance the Conversation of many Christians changed O Christians what shall we say what shall we do what will become of us yea what will become of Religion in this next succeeding generation If you live and die under your declensions as truly many Christians are likely to do being fallen into such deep security under their declensions that they are not like to be awakened untill the Cry be made at Midnight The Bridegroom cometh and must bestir themselves very hard to trim their Lamps in time to enter in with him O Christians It is your Spiritual Declension that is the main root of the degeneracy of this Noble Vine Jer. 2.21 It is your leaving of your first love which doth make way for the removal of the Candlestick your Spiritual declension will lead the way unto and lay the foundation for the general and total defection of these Churches in succeeding generations therefore as the defection hath been in part begun by your declension so the work of Reformation it must be begun by your restitution It is impossible that ever these Churches should be restored unto their first Spiritual prosperity and flourishing state unless Christians do first recover their first love life sincerity fervency purity activity eminency in the exercise of grace and in the performance of duty and in all practical piety both in heart and life O how can you hope to lye down in your Graves with peace and comfort before you have done what in you lyeth in the Work of Reformation How can you die in peace under your Spiritual declensions and thereby leave Religion decaying and dying and these Churches and this Generation your poor Posterity sinking under a general and total defection Sure in vain and frustrate will be all your prayers desires hopes of a Reformation except that you Christians do thus begin and lay the foundation of the work in your own hearts before you die 2. The work of Heart-reformation or making of a new heart consisteth in Conversion and Regeneration This is the most full and proper sense of those words Ezek. 18.31 Make ye a new heart and new spirit for why will ye die so Ezek. 33.11 Turn ye turn ye for why will ye die It is a Call to the unconverted when God doth restore his people from any deep and general defection and renew his Covenant with them he doth promise and actually pour out abundance of converting grace and so revive and renew the work of Conversion So Ezek. 36.26 A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you I will take the flony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh I will put my Spirit within you Let me be hold to say If ever these Churches be throughly recovered it will be it must be by such a dispensation of converting grace unto an unconverted generation It is Unregeneracy that is the radical and total degeneracy of any generation whereby it is wholly turned into the degenerate plant of a strange Vine unto the Lord. Here will be our deepest and most dangerous defection and that which will prove inevitably ruining unto these Churches unless the Lord have mercy upon us O our unbelief and disobedience unto the Gospel our rejection of Christ and his Kingdome It is a most sad and lamentable sign that these Churches and Religion are falling into an irreparable irrecoverable decay That there are so many of the generation growing up under the Ministry of the Word and the improvement of all means of grace in their Vnregeneracy under the prevailing power of Spiritual Apostacy and as we have cause to fear under a dreadful dispensation of divine Justice by Spiritual Plagues and Judgements being justly given up by God unto a spirit frame and way of unprofitableness under a Judicial Ministry sent to make their heart fat lest they should be converted as Isa 6.10 O it is a fearful word Lest they should see with their eyes c. and convert and be healed Observe there is no help no healing for any people if the work of Conversion cease amongst them Truly
God Yea how do they profane poliute neglect reject contemn Gods holy Covenant as profane Esau did Gen. 25.32 What profit shall this Birthright do me Thus Esau despised his Birthright Know then all you who are the Children of the Govenant that it is by your taking hold upon the Covenant that the Covenant is established and confirmed unto you as your Covenant and your Interest in the Covenant asserted For whatever your visible right and interest unto and in the Covenant may be and whatever your Confidences may be yet if you do pollute profane neglect reject despise contemn Gods Covenant and not lay hold upon it God will certainly take away his Covenant from you Gods Covenant will certainly fail unto such a Generation and then these Churches will fall to the ground If you should so reject Gods Covenant and cast off Gods Covenant God would reject and cast off you as altogether unworthy of his Covenant and of the blessings of it and say of you as in Psal 50.16 What hast thou to do to declare my Statutes or that thou shouldst take my Covenant into thy mouth You ought highly to prize and esteem your visible right and interest unto and in the Covenant hold it assert it as an inestimable Priviledge but O take heed of abusing of it unto carnal Confidence and of resting in it and take heed of slighting and neglecting of it You are the Children of the Covenant but yet think not to say within your selves We have Abraham to our father for God is able of the very stones to raise up Children unto Abraham And the Ax will be laid to the root of the tree and every tree c. Mat. 3.9 10. You are the Children of the Kingdome but remember that the Children of the Kingdome may be cast out and that will cause weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth Mat. 8.12 It is by laying hold upon Gods Covenant that we do lay hold upon God himself We may fear and that justly that God will depart from us and the great enquiry is How we may keep God with us Surely it lyes much yea most and almost onely in you to retain the gracious Presence of God in these Churches by taking hold upon him by his Covenant If you reject the Covenant you reject God and put him away from you God will be gone and testifie against you as in Psal 81.11 but my people would have none of me And truly if God depart from and reject you there will be no place found for Repentance though you may seek it carefully with tears as Esau did when it was too late Heb. 12.17 If you should go on generally and totally to neglect and reject Gods Covenant God will at last break the staves of Beauty and Bands that is break his Covenant and remove it utterly from us as Zech. 11.10.11 God hath not yet done it he hath not yet disowned us but yet let me say God hath not yet visibly and signally owned us by renewing and confirming his Covenant with us in such a way of special grace and favour as he did with our Fathers because we have not so owned him we are not yet so established in our standing under the Covenant as they were It is yet doubtful what God will do with this poor Generation onely God is yet waiting upon us and proving and trying of us to see whether we will take hold upon his Covenant and upon himself by his Covenant yea or no and upon this Point will turn the weal or wo of this present and of succeeding Generations O that we understood how much we are concerned thus to renew our Covenant with God! Thirdly Do the first works in all things pertaining to the Worship of God After we have made us a new Heart and renewed our Covenant our next great work in a way of Reformation it is to recover the Worship of God from those decayes which it is fallen into The great work of Reformation in the Church of old it was much and most about the Worship of God which is most properly Church-Reformation and here our main work is to recover our selves from that decay which we are fallen into respecting the internal spiritual power and purity of Worship 1. We must labour to recover our first love to the Worship of God both Moral and Instituted Worship all duties of Worship and all Wayes Means Ordinances of Worship It was a very high esteem of and dear love unto and delight in the Worship and Ordinances of God whereby our Fathers were first allured and moved to follow God into this Wilderness O the first love of New-Englands first Espousals the kindness of her youth when she first followed God into this Land meerly and onely out of love unto and delight in his Worship and Ordinances God remembers it as Jer. 2.2 And truly we ought to remember it also with shame and confusion of face under a sense of our loss of that love and our too much slighting neglecting and despising the Worship and Ordinances of God O this is the original of all our decayes in the Worship of God the heart of the Generation the heart of New-England is much gone from the Worship and Ordinances of God though we pretend and profess much zeal and love yet our heart begins to be far removed from them Isa 29 13. Forasmuch as this people draw near to me with their mouth and do honour me with their lips but have removed their heart far from me Ezek. 33.31 For with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousness O the heart of New-England is gone much from the Worship of God after the World yea truly Christians themselves are much fallen in their love esteem and delight of and in the Worship of God O then let us labour to recover our first love and to set our hearts to the Worship and Ordinances of God Deut. 32.46 Set your hearts unto all these things which I command you for it is not a vain thing for you for it is your life Our very hearts and Souls must be set upon and engaged unto the Worship of God as a very dear and precious Interest so as to prefer it above our chief joy Psal 137.6 O the luke-warmness of the love of the generality of Worshippers to the Worship of God is an evident sign of our declension therein 2. We must labour to recover our first Zeal for the House of God in keeping upholding and maintaining the Worship and Ordinances of God Cleave to them and keep them up by a lively constant stedfast sincere and holy Profession by an humble professed practical subjection of your very Souls unto them by a constant diligent religious and profitable Attention upon them and improvement of them with intire love peace and union in a way of pure and holy Communion Labour also to uphold the Worship and Ordinances of God by teaching of them diligently to your Children Deut. 6.7
holiness of heart in the Worship of God we must be holy pure spiritual Worshippers we must keep up the Worship of God in the internal spiritual power and purity of it in our hearts these pure Churches Worship and Ordinances will not cannot stand without internal spiritual power and purity If we do corrupt the Worship and Ordinances of God by our Carnality Formality Hypocrisie and Spiritual Idolatry and such like spiritual corruptions and heart-abominations in the exercise of it God will take it from us It is our Spiritual and Heart-Apostacy from internal spiritual power and purity of Worship that is the deep and most dangerous defection of these Churches in Worship And although we do yet retain purity of Worship in the external Form of it yet if we do not speedily recover that which we have lost of the internal spiritual power and purity of Worship but persist in our spiritual Apostacy from it whatever our pretended professed zeal for visible and external purity of Worship may be we shall let go lose all pull down all and bury our selves in our own ruines New-England will be no more unto God then any other people Jer. 9.26 Egypt and Judah and Edom and the children of Ammon and Moab for all these Nations are uncircumcised and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart 4. We must labour to recover our first holy Care and Watchfulness against all Will-worship corrupt Worship and Corruptions in Worship Surely it hath been heretofore and almost hereunto the Commendation of these Churches that they have been sincerely fervently stedfastly zealous against all kindes and degrees of Will-worship It was the Commendation of this Church of Ephesus in her declining state Rev. 2.2 6 how thou canst not bear them that are evil Yet this thou hast God grant that these Churches may never lose this part of their Commendation that our Lord Jesus may never have occasion against us to reprove us and threaten us for our carelesness negligence sinful Connivance and Indulgence in this point as he did the Church of Pergamus Rev. 2.14 and of Thyatira ver 20. because thou sufferest It may be we are too secure and not aware of any danger of corrupt Worship let me say The more need we have of this warning for Will-worship doth ordinarily creep into Reformed Churches whilst they are asleep gradually secretly and insensibly and grow up unto a considerable and formidable height and strength before it appears and before Churches are aware thus the Church of Laod cea deeply corrupted with corrup Worship and knew it not Rev. 3.7 O these Churches in this declining scure lukewarm frame are in great danger of it let us therefore remember and receive the Apostles Exhortation Gal. 5.1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free and be not again intangled with the yoke of bondage 1. Let us take heed and beware of all dispositions and inclinations unto Will-worship Watch against the spirit of it Corrupt Worship gets in first by the spirit and principles of it and by the spiritual working of it in the heart of a people It gets first into the heart a people may uphold the pure Worship of God in the visible and external Form of it with much seeming love and zeal and yet their heart deeply corrupted with a spirit of Will-worship When the heart of a people is gone from God and his Worship it argues their heart is corrupted with a spirit of Will-worship as in Isa 29.13 there is a whorish heart Ezek. 69. They have broken me with their whorish heart there is a spirit of Whoredome Hos 4.12 How far the heart of New-England is corrupted with this spirit of Will-worship with prae-dispositions and inclinations thereunto would we may fear too soon and sadly appear under a temptation thereunto 2. Let us watch against all the wayes and workings of it even the secret subtile insensible infinuations and intrusions of it against all the depths and devices of Satan working by the darkest and deepest Counsels of Hell to introduce Will-worship into Reformed Churches We may think our selves secure from it unless over-born by the over-powering violence of some external Temptation but believe it Satan hath divers and various Forms of Will-worship suited and accommodated to the divers constitutions conditions of Churches and the diverse spirit and disposition of people that he hath to deal withall he hath many Antichrists 1 Joh. 2.17 there is a divers working of the spirit of Antichrist 1 Joh. 4.3 This spirit worketh by the power of Satan in a Mystery of Iniquity 2 Thess 2.7 And truly we have had many Antichrists It hath been alwayes Satans design to introduce corrupt Worship into these Churches under the most specious and spiritual Forms of it by a direct contrary Extreme unto gross Ceremony and Superstition the more cause we have to be very watchful against all such wayes and workings of it 3. Let us watch against all Temptations unto corrupt Worship whether more secret or more open There are many Temptations thereunto there is the Temptation of false Teachers corrupting the Doctrine of Worship and teaching of Will-worship Mat. 15.9 Teaching for doctrines the Commandments of men Rev. 2.20 to teach and to seduce There is the Temptation of corrupt Communion tempting Communion Col. 2.18 Let no man beguile you c. There is the Temptation of Division and Dissention tending to drive dividing Parties into Extremes in those matters of Worship which they contend about 1 Cor. 3.4 17. The Interest of a Party it is a very great and strong Temptation a spirit of Division especially when acting and working with a blinde inordinate preposterous superstitious Zeal in matters of Worship and when it is become judicial and incurable never fails to bring in corrupt Worship at one door or another It is the design of Satan to bring in Will-worship in the smoke and smother of the fire of Contentions Divisions do alwayes corrupt Churches There is also the Temptation of an undue Toleration which doth open a way to all the former and lead into corrupt Compliances in wayes of corrupt Worship Rev. 2.20 There is also the Temptation of Persecution and Tribulation O there are many Temptations unto corrupt Worship and these Churches have not been without some of these Temptations thereunto such Temptations are likely to multiply upon us O what cause have we then to be zealously and wakefully watchful more especially against such Temptations which are instant and most urgent and prevalent and of which we do already begin to see and feel the sad and lamentable effects and that confidering there is such a prae-disposition in the very Spirit and Constitution of the Generation to enter into this Temptation and such a powerful working of a Spirit of Libertinism to make way for and lead into this Temptation and also that men of corrupt Spirits Principles and Practises scandalous corrupters and broachers of corrupt Worship
open and professed Enemies unto pure Churches Worship and Ordinances are arisen unto so high a degree of bold Presumption among us and that notwithstanding they know that Publick Authority is by good and wholsome Laws and so by Oath and so by Conscience and by divers obligations both Civil and Sacred engaged against them I am no Casuist in the great Case of Toleration neither shall I undertake either to state dispute or decide that Question what is in it self or in divers respects or cases at divers times and places either Tolerable or Intolerable in matters disputable But this I take to be undeniable That gross bold scandalous presumptuous transgression of any one or more or all the Commandments of the First Table perpetrated and persisted in with an high hand notwithstanding all due means of Conviction used and against clear light held forth and manifestly under the Prevailing Power of a Spirit of Errour with malignity in open opposition to the Truth the true Churches worship and ordinances of Christ I say I take it to be unquestionable That such transgression it is Intolerable Such I take to be the transgression of those who do grosly and scandalously profane any of the holy Ordinances of Christ in the Administration of them presuming to offer strange fire but much more of those who do both professedly and practically deny most if not all Fundamentals both of Faith and Order and are known and acknowledged so to do by all the Reformed Churches in the world who are in their wayes of corrupt worship no less the Synagogue of Satan then those in Rev. 2.9 Now I say if such Transgressors and Transgressions should after the long labour and patience of these Churches in a strong and stedfast encounter and conflict with this Temptation at last prevail to break open a door unto corrupt worship by Teaching Seducing Tempting and Enticing others unto corrupt Communion with them according to the Doctrine of Balaam to cast a stumbling block before the people of the Lord as Rev. 2.14 I say if this should come to pass our case would be exceeding dangerous especially this coming upon us in our declining and languishing state when we have lost so much of our first life and love that we have soarcely strength enough left to reinforce our former Zeal and Courage in the Encounter yea and at such a time when the Generation is lamentably exposed by the sins of the Times which are all tempting unto a Compliance with such a Temptation and are too much without grace to resist it and in a very unsetled state as to their standing before God under his Covenant even standing upon the dangerous Precipice of a gross Apostacy the very opportunity for Satan to over throw us by such a Temptation Surely if it be thus or likely to be thus then there is very great need of watchsulness against this Temptation Neither let it be slighted or accounted a light thing for such Profanations and Abominations if Indulged will become the sins of the Land and the guilt and Punishment of them will lye and fall exceeding heavy upon the Land in a day of wrath O they will pull down wrath upon this Land and upon this People and the filth of them will pollute and defile the Land it will be such Pollution as will not be purged away without fire the guilt and filth of corrupt worship is not purged away without the fire and the fornace And that which is most Perillous it is the universal diffusion of the Corruption and Contagion of corrupt worship by the subtile and insensible infusion and influence of a Spirit of Libertinism a Spirit and Principle it is of all other most dangerous and destructive unto Pure Churches and will soon open a wide door unto all kinde of Abominations for all false worships although they seem in themselves to be contrary Extremes yet they all agree in this Principle of Libertinism and will break in at that door It will be in vain for us to hope for or Promise our selves Security from gross Superstition and Ceremony if we will leave open this door or admit of a contrary Extreme in corrupt worship And truly if we should give way unto any kinde it will be just with God to give us up Judicially unto all kindes of corrupt worship And let me adde That a Spirit of Libertinism if it prevail will in the end bring in all kinde of Licentiousness and Profaneness for it is a Womb big with all kinde of Abominations for corruption in Worship and conruption in Manners do alwayes grow and go together See at large Ezck. 22. beginning Although Libertinism doth promise much Liberty yet it bringeth into bondage to Corruption 2 Pet. 2.19 It doth gender altogether unto bondage O that these Churches may recover their first Zeal against Libertinism both the Spirit Principle and Practise of it and so against all corrupt worship which hath been the common destruction of Reformed Churches and will most certainly be of these Churches if it should break in upon us O let us consider we have been hither unto a People extraordinarily Priviledged with Immunity from corrupt worship we are yet free from any foraign or forcible Temptation thereunto we have yet all Advantages and Encouragements to withstand it and to keep it out If we admit of will-worship we shall lose all the glorious work of Reformation which our Fathers laboured in which consisted chiefly in Separation from corrupt Worship we shall at once reze the Foundation and ruine the Superstructure of these Churches which in the very Constitution were set up and stand in a way of opposition unto corrupt worship such Churches will not cannot bear any degree of corrupt worship VVill-worship it would even destroy our very Religion and reduce this VVilderness-People unto a kinde of Heathenism O wo unto us if we admit of will worship we shall soon fill up the measure of our sin and prepare our selves for Judgement even wrath to the utmost O wo unto New-England if ever God be provoked to revenge this quarrel of his Covenant upon us according to that Threatning Lev. 26.25 If we admit of will-worship New-England will become the shame and scandal of Religion and of all Reformed Churches the Reproach of the Christian world the Scorn and Triumph of Antichrist and in all respects a most sinful and miserable People Thus we are to do our first works in all things pertaining to the worship of God 4. Labour unto the promotion and progress of the work of Reformation by the full and faithful discharge of duty to the Children of the Covenant multiplying and growing up under the Covenant in those Churches under how great and general omission of duty towards them we have cause seriously and sadly to consider and to lament Truly it is much to be feared that we shall so long doubt and dispute the Interest and Right of fuch Children and controvert and neglect our duty towards them
Now we must set to the Work 1. With one heart No hope of Reformation without Vnion Division hath been one great cause of our-defection and will be a total obstruction unto Reformation if it continue we must unite our hearts our hands our strength O if ever we would unite let it be in and unto the Work of Reformation 2. Set unto it with all your hearts and with all your souls Our very hearts and souls must be engaged unto it and in it we must set to it in good earnest as unto a work that must be done we are now brought unto this Dilemma either a timely speedy thorough Reformation or else there will be a general and total defection either Repent and do the first works or otherwise I will come unto thee quickly and remove thy Candlestick out of its place except thou repent is the voice of Christ unto these Churches O that we understood and seriously and solemnly considered that we are a lost and undone people without Reformation that we are a helpless hopeless people without Reformation that nothing will recover us from our defection and prevent our destruction by the execution of impending Judgements but onely Reformation O then we should stand trembling before God under the apprehension of the instant urgent necessity of Reformation as Ezra 10.9 And all the people sate in the street of the house of God trembling because of this matter ver 12. Then all the Congregation answered and said with a loud voice As thou hast said so must we do Observe they cried out passionately affectionately So must we do q.d. we are a lost undone people there is no hope no help for us without Reformation and then they set to the Work in good earnest O that we could make Reformation our main work and business without delay 3. We must set to it with a right and full understanding of the whole work of Reformation in the parts and progress of it We have been ready to return by way of retortion unto this great Exhortation as that people Mal. 3.7 Even from the dayes of your fathers ye are gone away from mine Ordinances and have not kept them Return unto me and I will return unto you saith the Lord but ye said Wherein shall we return So 8 13. Though they were guilty of a very great and general defection yet they understood not the Work of Reformation Truly so it is our great unhappiness that we do no better know wherein the Work of Reformation consisteth yea that some of the great things of our peace do seem to be even Judicially or in Judgement hidden from our eyes Luk. 19.42 Deut. 29.4 Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear unto this day and that was the reason that their defection was continued Psal 95.10 Fourty years long was I grieved with this Generation and said It is a people that do erre in their heart and they have not known my wayes Vnto whom I sware c. They were incurable in their defection because they understood not the Work of Reformation It is observable in all these seven Epistles unto the Churches Christ calls for an understanding attention Let him that hath an ear to hear hear c. There is much wisdome and prudence requisite unto the Work of Reformation Hos 14.9 Who is wise he shall understand these things prudent he shall know them for the wayes of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them O! a want of this wisdome and prudence is one great hinderance we do not we will not understand the way and work of Reformation 4. We must set unto the Work in a way of full and sincere subjection unto Order and carry on the Work according to Rules of Order Breach of Order neglect of Order Non subjection unto Order Disorder and Confusion it hath been one great Cause yea it is a great part of our defection and if ever we do hope or intend to make thorough work in Reformation we must recover Order the Beauty the Harmony the Peace and Tranquility the Regularity the Purity and Simplicity the Power and Efficacy Life and Spirit of Order Gospel-order the Order which Christ hath set and appointed in his Church Although we may have never so good dispositions intentions resolutions and desires unto the Work of Reformation yet if we pursue it not in due Order it will all come to nothing 1 Chron. 15.13 because we sought him not in the due Order Surely there is no case so difficult among us but there is a regular and easie way to an issue if we will acknowledge and apply and follow up Rules of Order in the due improvement of them if we would be set down by Order be ruled and governed by Order but if we will slight neglect reject contemn and despise Order we can expect nothing but Disorder and Confusion and shall be in great danger thereby to run and rush desperately into our own ruine It was the great Expedient which the Apostle proposeth for the Reformation of that distracted Church of Corinth Let all things be done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14.33 40. So 1 Cor. 11.34 5. We must set our selves to the work with a fervent love unto and zeal for the work it self The Cause of God the Kingdome of Christ the Prosperity of these Churches so much concerned in it this is the onely true Principle and Spirit of Reformation O that our first New-England Zeal and Love might be revived and raised under a full clear discovery of the Spiritual Beauty and Glory of that Work and of that Cause that we may labour in it in the heart height and strength of that Zeal and Love This will indeed Spirit the Work and Spirit us unto it It is a sign that there is a glorious work of Reformation near when Gods people do love the stones and favour the dust of Zion Psal 102.14 6. We must labour in it under a sense of our own utter insufficiency to Reform renouncing all our own carnal Confidences and disclaiming our own wisdomes and wills wherein we have too long laboured in vain trust our own hearts no further no longer which have so much so often deceived us but bemoan our selves before God as a hopeless and helpless people as Ephraim did Jer. 31.18 and the Church Jer. 3.22 23 Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills or from the multitude of mountains for shame hath devoured the labours of our hands from our youth We lie dwon in our shame and confusion covereth us then God will work for us Deut. 32.36 For the Lord shall judge his people and repent himself for his servants when he seeth that their power is gone and there is none shut up or lest So Jer. 30.15 17. Why criest thou for thine affliction thy sorrow is incurable for I