herein mentioned Consider what I have said to you upon it I do not intend ye should think it any ways full or Perfect my Capacitie not allowing me to pretend to any fitness for doing thereof and having but in some things given you my Opinion but if from your heart ye seek after God and depend upon him for Direction He will for Jesus sake give Knowledge and what else will be necessar for you And I intreat ye may consider this as the Advice of an affectionate Father that with his Heart and Soul wishes your eternal Wel-fare You are now at a distance from me and in a Society that makes me the more solicitous anent you for often do's Youth at Colledges instead of acquiring Learning and any thing desirable procure to themselves an habite of vitious Living and this sometimes happens to such as may be judged in probability would without the temptation be free thereof I intreat you beware of keeping such Company as may be a Snare to you and seriously ply your Book which is the end of your being in the place Be careful not only in giving a dutiful obedience to your Regent and the other Masters of the University but also of paying that due Reverence and Respect that is owing to their several Places be observant of their Orders not from fear but for Conscience sake and attend duely to the Diets appointed for your Class let your Converse where you lodge evidence your Discretion and Respect not only to the Head of the Family but to your Comrads and all within it and be sure you be not absent from Family-exercise nor from your Chamber at late or unseasonable hours Mind my Directions to you anent the Sabbath and beware of spending any part thereof in idle Converse forbear in that day your being in the Streets except when you go and come from the Church and attend the Diets of your Class before and after Sermon but above all make Conscience of seeking with earnestness of heart that our God for Jesuâ—â— sake may keep you from all evil let it be you great Work to grow in greater nearness to God for surely the World is Vanity and every thin we so much pursue after will appear to us wheâ—â— Death is at our door as the height of Vanity and most contemptible Think often of thâ—â— certainty of Death and that to the healthiest 〈◊〉 Youth it may come in a Moment mind thâ—â— also certainly after Death will come Judgment where even the most secret of our sinful thought shall be laid open before the Tribunal of a Juâ—â—â— God and a most dreadful and horrible Sentence pronounced against all such as shall 〈◊〉 be found in Christ our Blessed Lord who 〈◊〉 only able to stand betwixt Sinners and the Stroke due to them in Justice It is most lamentable that the Generality even of such as profess to be Christians are either truly Atheistical and among the number of such Fools as in Psal 14.1 Says in their heart there is not a God Or they vainly pretend an Interest where they have no Title the Apostle in Heb. 12.14 Having expresly said that without Holiness it is impossible to see the face of God It is true all that possibly wretched man can perform do's little deserve to be call'd Holiness but our hearty endeavour after Duties a serious continued sense of our Failings our hearts mourning because thereof and our humble coming to and relying upon Christ our Saviour in Faith for Mercy is graciously accepted of by our infinitely Good and Merciful God Ye would consider how our corrupt hearts agreeing with the general Practice and Belief of almost all owning themselves to be Christians seeks to perswade us to an Indifferency and Unconcern'dness in our Souls well-being and would make us believe that the punctual performing of Duty as Christians is but an over-doing if not Hypocrisy and every Person is ready to befool themselves with a groundless Confidence that they will be saved where they are little concerned in the Salvation of their Souls or the means of attaining to it wherefore think ye often with seriousness upon what is said Mat. 7.13 Enter ye in at the strait gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it This â—aying ought to be much in your mind for stirring you up to Duty lest you be found to be amongst the great number that goes in the Broad-way to everlasting and dreadful Damnation for in any worldly Concern if to a Society of Persons were offered that a few number of them upon doing of some Duty required should undoubtedly have Riches and worldly Honour every one without Arguments inducing them to it would be earnest in doing what might include them in that Number and what unspeakable Degrees are poor â—inners more concerned to endeavour with all their Power the giving Obedience to the Gracious Commands of our God that we may enter in at the Strait Gate leading into that everlasting Blessed Life I have already something signified to you the excellency of Humility it is truly most desirable and without which a Sinner hath not any Ground to expect access to God for as Pride in ordinar Converse and in worldly Affairs is hateful so in what relates to our Duty as Christians any tincture of Conceit and Pride is utterly to be abominat as being a principal Engine of the Devil for the destruction of the Souls of Mankind and that Excelling Grace of true Humility is the great Ornament of a Christian as Pride is the undoubted Marâ— of corrupt Natures prevailing yea so great 〈◊〉 the excellency of Humility as it may be saiâ— without Hyperbole that our infinitely Merciful God will not yea such is His free Mercy cannot refuse the Acceptance of a sincerely humbled Sinner it is indeed much to be prized and most advantagious and it necessarly must be where there is a true sense of our miserable Condition I do again intreat your being frequent and serious in your Prayers to God from whom every thing must come to you and let every one of your Thoughts and Actions speak forth your being truly humble in the sight of God and Man The Apostle Peter in Cap. 5. vers 15. of his First Epistle desires ye may be cleathed with Humility for God resisteth the Proud and giveth Grace to the Humble Let all your Actions flow from a true Principal of love to God and sincerely designing His Glory Often is Duty gone about when the motive to the doing thereof is sinful Self which is our very great Enemy for it wickedly leads and forces us to every evil Thought and Action therefore strive with all your might that no selfish sinful Inclination prevail over you and that the Principle moving you may be truly love to God and the end
Souls eternal Interest and Well-being accustome your self to Truth in every circumstance of your Speech and Actions for as Lying is so obviously hateful to every person but pretending to Honour and Honesty so it is abominable to God Prov. 12.22 Lying lips are abomination to the Lord and a Lye being in the mouth of any Person does prognosticate the Devils being in the heart for lying may properly be said to be his Language he being the father of Lyes And ye find in the 22. Rev 15. such to be debarred from the new Jerusalem as loveth and maketh a lye 32. As you are to abominat that dishonourable Vice of Lying so ye would forbear what has any likelyhood to or appearance thereof Beware of reporting Stories having any thing of incredulity in them since you may thereby soon procure to your self such a Stain of dishonour as even your after-life albeit of great prudence and veracity will with difficulty delet I hope my confidence in your being nothing inclined to this Vice shall not deceive me and I give you this Caution lest by unnecessar reporting of Truths which has any appearance of impossibility you begin to weaken your Credit for I think any at least whilst they are entering upon the World and whil'st their Solidity and Veracity be nottour should be cautious they do not in Discourse or otherwise what may have a tendency to weaken their Reputation 33. Being talkative and a love to Discourse much has many inconveniencies attending it and however some persons truly of Worth may be inclined thereto yet has it ever to me most usually proclaimed their folly Whil'st ye are in company of any Superior it will be Wisdom to speak but when required unless it be with modesty in few and apposite Words to evidence some desire or seek to be resolved of some Question and in all Companies whatsoever shun the taking upon you of much Discourse as what is not only Nauseating but often in the abundance thereof is something said which the Speaker or such as is concerned in him would heartily wish were not said And Solomon in the 10. Prov. 19. Holdeth forth to you that in the multitude of Words there wanteth not sin but he that refraineth his Lips is wise And the 17.28 Even a fool when he holdeth his peace is counted wise and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a a man of understanding 34. I have told you ye are to evite Idleness and so live as to be useful in your Station and that you may continue the more fitted for so doing Recreation both to Body and Mind is necessary but your Care must be that it be allowable both in Quality and Quantity Let it be what is suitable to persons in your Station and by not exceeding in the use thereof free your self from that too epidemick Fault of making Recreation as if it were your Calling Surely it is most irrational that men should so little value precious time as the most of their Thoughts should be how they shall cheat themselves of what they would find to be Irrecoverable and for which to have it redeemed from the Wickedness and Folly of our vain way of living would willingly be given all within the power of wretched Man Forbear such Recreations as may be sinful or offensive I shall not determine anent the lawfulness of Games wherein there is Lottorie knowing that some good Men have allowed thereof but many are of the Opinion of their being unlawful and since you may have suitable Diversions without using such it is surely safest to forbear And it is evident that the playing at Cards and Dice from which I absolutely disswade you is obviously accompanied with such sinful Inconveniencies as the advantage of the Recreation of your whole life will be dearly bought by any part thereof I shall not say but it is possible to use that Diversion with moderation yet seldom are Youth enabled so to do and to me it is not the least Argument against that and some other Games there being not much allowable that there is not only upon the most of persons using them a kind of bewitching Inclination to the frequent doing thereof but often are these given up to their immoderate use so far deserted of God as they are otherways in their conversation Offensive Yea I may say there are not many that uses them without what is very sinful for if they be not as the most are tempted to Swear and Curse do they not at the best in the practice of that Exercise evidence such an intent and serious diversion of mind as is inconsistent with Recreation and disables from Duty 35. As you would not do what is offensive to all good Men and above all sinful in the sight of God frequent not wicked and sinful Company let not their complacency or any other inducement from their Converse overcome you for the Frailty of man is most likely to prevail under the temptation of evil Company I intreat your ordinar converse be with such as may rather further than hinder you in the ways of Godliness and endeavour to frequent such Company as you would desire to be found with at the day of Death or your appearance before God's Tribunal You find by Psal 119.63 That David was a Companion of all them that did fear God and did keep His Precepts And Solomon in Prov. 28.7 Telleth that who so keepeth the Law is a wise Son but he that is a Companion of riotous Men shameth his Father I acknowledge whilst men are in the World it may be said to be impossible to be altogether out of the Company of the Prophane but let it be evident from your whole Conversation that your delight is not in any such Fellowship for undoubtedly a young man's frequenting evil Company is an Evident and undenyable Demonstration of his beginning to be such as the Company he keeps if he be not already come their height 36. Having in what I have written minted at directing you in some things that hath relation to your self in the discharge of your Duty God-ward and in the beginning thereof urged your making conscience of Prayer Yet such is the unvaluable Gift of God in allowing Sinners to come to Him as I shall before I say any thing to you that concerns your Duty to your Neighbour again intreat your Diligence in drawing near to him which you must do in Faith under a sense of your very many Wants your great Unworthiness and apprehending and taking up God as able to help dreadful in his Justice yet wonderful in Mercy and accessible to lost Sinners in Jesus Christ and as we are called in whatever we do to consider aright the motive to and the manner of our doing Duty so I desire it may be your care to prevent your Guilt in either of these Your motives to Duty would be allowable in His sight who not only allows of but requires our concernment in our selves and others which may
lawfully in a great Degree stir us up to come to Him But let your great Endeavour be that your heart may be filled with love to the only Living and True God who is wonderful in Mercy and make love to Him the great Motive to whatever you go about let the manner of your doing thereof evidence your sense of God's knowing the most secret of the thoughts of your heart It is much to be lamented that the Duty of Prayer is so generally neglected but alas How great is the guilt of such as but seemingly goes about the performance thereof in not coming aright as in the Presence of God It is the heart that God sees and requires and how wicked are its wanderings at all times especially in that Duty as you expect to be owned of God in Christ Jesus the day of your Appearance before His Tribunal Strive against this Wickedness and as an useful Help through the Blessing of God after you have been about the Duty by your self or joyning with others meditate upon your particular Failings in the motives to and manner of your Performance and hold them up to God as being hateful to you and with a full desire seek He may strengthen you against such in all time coming and this without any seeming affectation yea without being noticed even by these in company with you you may do by serious Meditation whatever be you Diversion in worldly Concerns and if you do it with earnestness you may with confidence expect the weakning of the Corruptions of your evil heart and as your subordinate ends in Duty may be His blessing you even in this Side of time but especially to all Eternity so let your great end in this and whatever else you do be His Glory 37. My heart doth much serve me in repeating my Desires that ye prize the Goodness of God in allowing wretched mankind to put up their Desires to Him in Prayer for His Mercy therein is Incomprehensible yet I incline to Caution you that your coming to Him in that Duty may not be your Snare for as there is but too many that do's slight the doing thereof so there are not wanting such who are not only hypocritical or selfish in their Ends therein but there are who mistakes the Means for the End and think their praying may and will atone for Immoralities in their Conversation and are ready too much to consider the performance of that Duty as the carnal Jews did sacrificing under the Law We ought indeed with joy to consider that our Blessed Lord was once offered a Sacrifice to satisfie for Sin and that we are not only allowed but enjoyned to apply our selves by Prayer to our Merciful God that in Him we may be accepted But as I have said to you that without being morally honest all your Endeavours to religious Duties will be but lost labour so where one of your Ends in praying is not for Grace enabling you so to live you want not Reason to regrate your doing of it for as the First and Great Command is Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul and with all thy mind so the Second is Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self And no way can a Christian more adorn the Gospel of our Blessed Lord then by such a Conversation towards all men as the Apostle enjoyns Rom. 13.14 Let us walk honestly as in the day not in Riâ—ting and Drunkenness not in Chambering and Wantonness not in Strife and Envying but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof And as hating what the same Apostle dehorts 2 Cor. 12.20 Debates Envyings Wraths Strifes Backbitings Whisperings Swellings Tumults and let us mind that it is our Duty what he says 2 Tim. 2.19 And let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from Iniquity 38. You know the summ of the whole Commands is to love the Lord your God with all your Soul c. and to love your Neighbour as your self A due Consideration of this great Precept and making use of that short Rule of doing as we would be dealt by and that in every thing that may relate to our Neighbour might be instead of Advice to you upon that head 39. Be tender of his Goods and Good Name as of your own in so far as ye have access to interess your self therein and hate in your self or others detracting or speaking to the prejudice of any for Charity towards your Neighbour and being charitable in order to the Relief of his wants are Duties then which there are none more clearly and positively held forth in Scripture We are called to judge charitably of every thing our Neighbour does or says and ever to put the best Construction upon the same that it will suner The Apostle in the 3. to the Col. 14. Exhorteth thereto and presseth that above things ye may put on Charity which is the Bond of Peace The said 3 to the Col and 12. to the Rom. Ye often would read they containing many excellent Precepts And a charitable relieving of your Neighbour in his wants is as fully enjoyned and as great Promises annexed thereto as almost any other Duties in the Scriptures It is true as we are required to give liberally so we are to do it with discretion and not only to give what is our own alanerly but even what in our Stations our Circumstances being considered we may spare but what we do therein we are to do it with a liberal and chearful heart You shall know that there are no sort of Duties which God hath more expresly commanded than that of Bounty and Mercy toward our Brethren whence evidently the high value thereof in God's Esteem may be inferred in the Old Testament it is said Deut. 15.7 Thou shalt not harden thine heart nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother and in Vers 11. Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy Brother unto thy Poor and unto thy Needy in the Land And when Daniel would prescribe to King Nebuchadnezzar the best way of Amendment and the surest Means of averting God's Judgements impendent on him he says to him Dan. 4.27 Wherefore O King let my counsel be acceptable unto thee break off thy sins by righteousness and thine Iniquities by shewing mercy to the Poor this he pitched upon as chiefly grateful to God and clearly testifying Repentance Yea we not only have a positive Command from God for being charitable but we have in Prov. 19.17 His express Obligation for its repayment He that hath pity upon the Poor lendeth unto the Lord and that which he hath given will he pay him again Men are rationally satisfied when their Stook is intrusted in the hands of an apparent sufficient Creditor and certainly the only true Wisdom and reasonable improving of what is within our Power must be in the disposal thereof so as that we have our God who is
by Writ at sometimes so express our imaginations thereof as may be through the blessing of God a mean to bring us to an affectionate endeavouring to perform what as Christians we are called to and a heart hatered to the innumerable Evils the Devil the World and the Fesh drags us daily to commit We need be at little pains in finding out subject for Meditation and that from all that is the practice of both the Great and Mean in the world at this time what we heard the other day from that worthy Minister M. G. M. anent the frailtie of Man and his being by the Prophet Isai excellently likened to Grass his goodliness to the flower of the field may very usefully be taken under our consideration And since this morning some spare time invits me I shall imploy this little Paper and Ink in telling you that all men and I my self in particular does in so little minding our approaching Death not only speaks out fullâ— but the hight of Stupidity yea the Actions of almost all men and Women does proclaim their being Atheists For however every one is ready to say they believe in God and hopes to be saved in and through the Merits of Christâ— yet does almost every thing we do say or think manifestly declare we have no sixed Belief that there is a Judgment to come Oâ— the unexpressible Madness that is in poor Man who does with so much eagerness pursue after empty Vanities and utterly to slight the great End of his being in the World Yea I may say that all sublunary Enjoyments are Vanities to Degrees beyond expression and that the truth of this saying is beyond contradiction paâ—pably obvious even to mean Capaâ—â—â—â—â— whilst they are in the true 〈…〉 Reason for if we 〈◊〉 our Eyes upon Meâ— of all Ranks and Qualities is it not apparant that there is in every one a Toyling and Endeavouring after what they propose as the Mean for reaching their Satisfaction which Mean when attained proves always such as reached not the end and often it is as casting Oyl into Fire whereby the Hear and Violence thereof is more increased and truly there is nothing in all that occurs to Man but the due Consieration thereof will not only stir us up to live as muâ—â—ing we must certainly die but will satifie that we endeavouring with all our Strength to live up to the Rules in the Gospel there is into doing not only a serene Peace and Satisfaction which is unknown to the most of Men but thereby the Terror and Sting of death is â—one away in and through Christ our blessed Saviour â—â— would take much time even to 〈◊〉 at the particulars in all our dealing and Conâ—â—â—â— that we are called to manage as having a prospeâ—â— of our approaching death And I shall only mind you of that common Adagie Hâ—â—â—age quâ—â— cras moriâ—urus agas I remember the desireable Author of the Winter Evening Conference taxeth this saying as if thereby Christians were to do nothing but what they would do being to die the Morrow but I conceive the meaning of it is not as to the Matter but Manâ—â—â— of performing what ever we do which is to be so done as if we were to die the Morrow And surely if we were at all times under the due apprehension of approaching Dâ—â—â—th of the uncertainty of the time thereof and thâ—â—â—tainty of a Judgment to come where we shall appear before a Tribunal whose Judâ— albeit wonderful in mercy yet is a God of Jâ—stice unacessible to sinners not coming to Hiâ—â— in and through Christ our Lord. it would of 〈◊〉 self God blessing the same be sufficient 〈◊〉 deter from all Injustice toward God our Neighbour or our selves let us therefore stir up 〈◊〉 Hearts to an awful sense of God's Omnipresenâ— and Omniscience and of the certaintie of Death and of our Beeing to account for all our guâ—â— before a just and omnipotent God that there by we may be induced to endeavour in all hâ—mility a suitable Christian Conversation aâ— wherein we come short with all our Heart at all our Strength to flie to Christ who is the 〈◊〉 lone Refuge of sinners which that we may serously and cheerfully perform is the Prayâ— of Your affectionate Neighbour 〈◊〉 Servant THEOCRITVS Jan. 8. 1692. D. THEOPHILUS IN my last I exprest some sense I had of it being our interest to advantage our selves by Meditation upon what does hourly occâ—â— from the Actions of men And indeed but seriously othink upon what is the common Practicâ— of all without Exception not only offers ground for Meditation but for Wonder for if we could divest our selves of our own corrupt Inclinations and habitual Byass to do as the world generally does we would in looking upon Mankind as they live in the world clearly see how extravagantly ridiculous the Actions of almost all men are Consider Rulers and these that ought to be ruled of all Degrees and Qualities and not one of a thousand will be found to act with a true Design of living up to his Calling and therein serving God in his Station for surely as God the Creator of all things made every Creature for some rational use in the world so Man particularly is to be serviceable to his Creator in the Station which in Providence he is called to live in Sometimes when I am alone I fancie an over-flowing fullness of Matter for meditation of this kind yet having this morning taken my Pen in hand resolving to express something thereof I find the shortness of my Reason bounds my Fancie and hinders my giving you any rational Account of my thoughts herein but since what I do is to meet with no critical Censure and that it may offer ground for being bettered from your Meditation I shall give you a view of my thoughts of the actions of persons of several Stations I am sensible it is not the part of every one to enquire into the Actions or meddle with what is the Duty of Rulers yet so strange and wonderful are the late Providences in relation to them as such as are least concerned in enquiring into the Actions of supream Magistrats cannot forbear the having of what is past under Consideration I can truly for my self say I not only had in some competent Degree that due respect for Magistracy which I think is necessar for all Subjects and made me consider it our Interest at least in our particulaâ— concerns to suffer to Degrees of extremity rather than by our Resentments to trouble thâ— Peace of a society but I had also that Veneration for the persons of our late Kings as induâ—ed me to an affectionat and serious wishing that they might by their Government gain that trâ—â— Honour of being serviceable to God in their Stâ—tions It were an improper Task for me 〈◊〉 canvass the late Kevolutions and approve 〈◊〉 censure what has been lately acted in thir Kingdoms I am satisfied that as all required 〈◊〉 Man is
but in so far as it proceeds from his Displeasure because of Sin yea sometimes is want more behoveful to sinful man then a full enjoyment and surely God will make good that Promise of turning all his Dispensations for the best to them that love and fear him It is to be wished that if some little Peece were published some short Directions to every state of Mankind Nobility Gentry and Commons for none living upon Earth but are to do what may be said to be their Calling and the Greatest of Mortals will at the Great Day of Account see their Misery in not living up to it neither are they nor these of the most mean and low Condition exempted from Duty towards God themselves their Neighbour their Relations and their Servants I tell you it is beyond my Capacity to hold forth the same as may be convincing it is true to willing Learners they depending humbly upon God for Direction their Duty will be very obvious and their Adventage of doing thereof is not only great to all Eternity but even whilest in the World the serene Peace of Conscience and entire depending upon God and expectation of being blessed eternally by Him is incomparably valuable beyond all that wretched men can propose to themselves by following the Dictats of their corrupt and wicked Inclinations indeed almost all Mankind may be said to live without the sense of God's Being and that they are undoubtedly to receive from Him either the Sentence of their being forgiven and accepted of in and for Christ's sake or that of being rendered miserable with the Devils to all Eternity for generally doth Ignorance abound and we are not aware that without Knowledg at least iâ— some competent Measure we are not able to serve God and where there is some measure of Knowledge Corruption doth so far prevail 〈◊〉 there are â—ew that lives up to it and all precessing themselves to be Christians may be considered as these that are either openly prophane and however with their mouth they profess yet in their practise they deny their belief of God or such as says they do and seems to believe and rely upon God for Mercy or such as from a true sense and feeling of their sin flies with all their heart to God in Jesus Christ as the only Sanctuary for Sinners of the last of which there is surely the least number the difficulty of truly coming to Christ being greater then the most do conceive for in doing thereof a Sinner must first have a heart-real sense and feeling of its lost Condition and being fully satisfied and convinced of its own unworthiness and inability to any good in all humility and entirely to throw it self in the Arms of the merciful Saviour of Sinners whose Blood is only able to purge from Guilt and this every Sinner may be fully convinced of that it can never seek or come to Christ acceptably but as it sees it self lost and undone beyond all possibility of help without Him and albeit our utmost endeavour to perform religious and moral Duties must not be omitted yet must there be a full Conviction that as it is possible for us to perform them they avail nothing in our Access to God I remember to have read one saying when thou comest to Christ in Faith thou must leave behind thee thy own Righteousness and bring nothing but thy Sin O! that is hard leave behind all thy Holiness Sanctification Duties Humblings c. And bring nothing but thy Wants and Miseries else Christ is not fit for thee nor thou for Christ Christ must be a pure Redeemer and Mediator or Christ and thou will never agree and the same Person when pressing to a true and cordial Believing in Christ says to Believing there must go a clear conviction of Sin and of the Merits of the Blood of Christ and of Christ's willingness to Save upon this consideration only that thou art a Sinner I seem herein to express to you my sense of the need of something directing Mankind by some short Rules to their Duty towards God their Neighbour and themselves and has said that the novelty and succinctness of it might induce to a perusal thereof in which you may justly tax me of Imprudence for as the word Novelty is improper to such a Subject so you may alledge there is already much written that directs to Duties of which I am sensible but they being either enlarged upon or done in other Writings whereby the brevity that is taking to the most of Readers is wanting and for what I have seen in little Rooks containing Matters of this kind there is either apparent indifference in directing to religious Duties or at least the want of life and zeal in principally endeavouring God's glory as if living so as might gain worldly Repute were most to be desired But I hear of other Pieces which are not come to my hand particularly one done by an English Marquess and another said to be Argyls and if in these or in some others already printed which I have not seen that Want be not made up I think there Wants not Reason to induce Persons qualified yet to give some brief Directions therement for surely the most of Mankind do's generally by their Converse declare that the Laws of God are not the Rule of their Walk which is much to be lamented for if frail man could guard against Corruption and live according to the Rules in the Gospel an Society so constitute would be to all Degrees of Persons desireable almost beyond humane Comprehension But having exceeded Bounds in this Letter to you I shall only add that I do sincerely wish there may be pressed in some short Directions what may be useful and that God by his Holy Spirit accompany the same and the Endeavours of Godly men in books already written that in this Age and in these Lands may be fulfilled that Prophesy Is 11.8 9. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the Asp and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice-den And They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea I am Sir Your c. A Fathers Advice to his Son Son However unfit I am for the Discharge of the Duties incumbent to a Parent yet have I upon my Heart a sense of the Obligation I ly under to endeavour with all my Strength your wellfare in this World but especially to all Eternity which has made me resolve in these following Lines to send you some Advice and Directions in order to it BEing now past your Childish years you are to know that your end of living is undoubtedly the Glory of God your Maker and Redeemer and you are called to missimploy no part of your time but to live in every thing as minding you are ever in God's sight and presence Your Duty holden forth in his blessed Word
especially in the New Testament by our Lord and his Apostles is beyond exception the most rational and convenient even for the well-being of Society and good of Mankind in the World and far preferable to the best of Rules and Laws that ever were given by any man or Societie of men I shall forbear writing of many things which might occur to me and does intreat your whole Conversation may evidence the belief of your Being to appear before the Tribunal of God in Judgment and shall recommend your being careful of some few things in your Walk First towards God Secondly Towards your self and Thirdly Towards our Neighbours You are in all you do to respect the Glory of God there being no action of your life but it truly ought to be done to that end We are with all carefulness to avoid every thing sinful and to go about even the most indifferent of our Concerns in obedience to his Command Love to him being the Motive and his Glory the Aim of all we do wherefore make Conscience of seeking of God strength enabling you to every Duty I shall not nor am I fitted to enlarge upon what might be said to what is Duty and shall recomend your reading practical Pieces of Divinity but above all be in a constant and humble dependence upon God for his Grace enabling you to serve him and seek for Christ's sake a broken heart and strength against every Corruption Cry with earnestness that you never be left to the power of your wicked self and beware of seeing any Merit in what ever is possible for you to do for only in Christ is your acceptance with God Son whilst I am writing what occurs to me of your duty God-ward I am sensible it may be truly said to be duty towards your self the Salvation of your Soul not of Merit but Free-grace being what is annexed thereto 1. Have your heart filled with faith in God and his Son Christ Jesus and love to him and the fear of his holy Name seek not to satisfie your shallow Reason in divine things but as the Apostle requires 2 Cor 10.5 Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought unto the obedience of Christ For to give your Assent meerly upon a sensible or rational Demonstration is no divine faith and truly to believe in a divine sense is to assent to a preposition upon the credit of the Revelation though we cannot make it out by our Reason And this is to have our thoughts brought into Captivity unto the Obedience of Christ for mans reason being corrupted by Adam's fall it objects against several divine Propositions Saying how can one be three and three one How could the divine and humane Nature unite in one Person How can the Dead rise These and what else are above â—â—r Reason and contained in the blessed Word of God are to be believed because asserted therein and at all times our hearts ought to be fill'd with Love to God and his Son our Saviour and Redeemer whom we are to love with all our Soul with all our Mind and with all our strength for whatever in Creatures may be a Motive to love as Goodness Power Kindness Veracity c. Are in our blessed God in an unspeakable superlative degree He is of infinite goodness and excellencie and there is nothing good in the world but what hath received all its Goodness from him and he is wonderfully Kind and Merciful to Souls and Bodies of poor Sinners Having when miserable Man had lost himself by sinning against his Command offered that wonderful way of satisfying Divine Justice by sending his Son to the world who took upon him the nature of frail Man and suffered that shamefull death of the Cross and all to stand betwixt Sinners and Justice And are not our Bodies supplyed with all good things we enjoy through his care and providence 2. Make Conscience of living as in the sight of Him the only living and true God before whose Tribunal you must appear to give an Account of your Actions Be diligent having Faith with Knowledge and attention of Mind in reading the Scriptures and seek of God and depend upon him for his Holy Spirit enabling you to that and every Duty I have from my experience observed that being up late at night and lying a Bed in the morning are a hinderance of the Duties required of us for not only has God appointed the Night for rest and sleep and the Day for Exercise but you will find the advantage of making use of the Morning for your private Devotion and that so early as you may have convenient and uninterrupted time for the performance thereof before either Business or Companie may have the occasion of tempting you to a Diversion You will find David's practise in the 5th Psalm and 3 v. In the morning O Lord will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up 3. The end of your living being Gods Glory your last thought at night and first in the morning ought to be of God Think with seriousness of your own misery through your Original and Actual Sin and of the unexpressible Goodness and Mercy of God in Jesus Christ to you and every lost Sinner that shall have grace to lay hold on him in and by Christ And when you arise endeavour by meditation to bring your heart to such a Frame as may fit you for drawing near to God who albeit he be merciful yet is the great and only God altogether unaccessible to sinners not coming to him in and through Christ And surely an Ignorant Wandering Unbelieving and hardned Heart has no ground to expect Access to God in Christ our Lord. You would stirr up your self not only to Prayer in the morning but to reading some part of the Scriptures and I do advise you when first you do retire your self after you have endeavoured by some suitable Mediation to bring up your heart to an awfull Sense of the presence of God to whom you are about to dare to speak that you fall down upon your Knees and lifting up your heart to God in some few and suitable words seek to him with earnestness for Grace enabling you to read his Word aright and suitably to put up your desires in prayer and whenever you do pray always express your thankfulness and magnifie the Name of God for his Mercy to lost Sinners in Jesus Christ then read a portion of Scripture as you find convenient to stint your self to I think it would not be amiss you did every morning read a Psalm or two and an Chapter of the new or old Testaments as you have read through the Psalms you would begin again and think it not too much if you should read them a thousand times and for the old and new Testament there is no part of either ought to be omitted but especially you would read the new Testament
to and keeping it in a tender frame yea the advantages thereof are so great as may stir up to the redeeming time for the exercise thereof even from what may lawfully be allowed to our worldly Concerns or bodily Refreshment and how much more then ought we when we are alone guard against our minds going out after foolish and vain fancies if not what is grossly sinful in the sight of God Surely if we had an awful sense of his omnipresence and omniscience we would dare to be thinking upon what is unallowable in his sight and if we had a sense of our miserable condition through sin our hearts would ever be ready to take hold of all occasions of serious thinking how we should evite the Curse and Wrath of God to all eternity which unavoidably will be the Portion of hardned sinners not coming to God in and through Christ David in Ps 4.4 Requires we stand in aw and sin not and that we commune with our hearts upon our beds whereby you may be satisfied it hath been the practise of the Godly seriously to meditate at all times The subject Matter for your meditation is obvious and will easily occur as the Debt we ow to the Justice of God for sin the certainty of Death and after that of Judgment the misery of such as shall be Doomed to Hell with the Devils and so for ever separate from the Presence of God His incomprchensible Mercy to lost sinners in Jesus Christ and the Fulness of the unspeakable Joys that is secured to such as heartily and humbly lays hold thereof yea innumerable are the Subjects of that exercise that will with ease offer themselves and I advise for your Direction and encouragement to that Duty that you read the last Part of Mr. Baxter's Saints rest which doth fully Treat thereof 8. Every Evening set some short time apart and state your self as before God's Tribunal take a back-look upon your Actions of that day and what you have done towards God or your Neighbour amiss acknowledge it with contrition and brokenness of heart and seek of God Grace enabling you to a due Reparation either by a sorrowful even publick acknowledgment thereof in so far as they are sins against our good God providing the same may tend to the Edification of His Church and People or by repairing the prejudice of any hurt done to your Neighbour in so far as it is possible within your power and in your Evening Prayer acknowledge the goodness of God throughout all the days of your time and in particular acknowledge Him for the Mercies of that day and enlarge your self in Prayer as in the Morning 9. As you are called to own a Profession of Godliness so you are to avow the publick performance of Duty wherever Providence shall tryst your Being yet for the most part you would endeavour its Being as retired and as private as possible at least beware that to be seen or heard of men or any self end be not a Motive to your doing thereof I remember to have heard of a woman meeting with godly Mr. Fox upon the Street and after some discourse she pulling out her Bible told him she was going to hear a Sermon upon which he said to her if you will be advised by me go home but said she when shall I then go to Church To whom he answered when you tell no body of it 10. Beware of Hypocricie and be assured God will not be dissembled with he hath in many places of Scripture ranked Hypocrites with the worst of sinners you will find Mat. 23.13 they are amongst the number of such against whom our Lord denounces a Wo and in Chap. 14.51 the misery of their condition is held forth in the Sentence of the unjust Servant where as an aggravation of his punishment it is said his portion shall be with the hypocrites where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Do not you appear to be what you are not and let the design of being thought religious or the making use of a Profession to cloak your carnal and worldly ends be far from you I acknowledge to be morally honest is not to be religious but mind that without endeavouring to be so in all your Actions there is no Religion And it is the height of folly for any to think that their being of a Perswasion with those that are the most godly or their own practising even with much appearing sincerity the Duties of Religion where there is not Moral Honesty doth so much as truly entitle them to the name of Christians it is true every man is subject to Failings and an entire doing of what is required of us is not within the power of sinful man but as truly are our Failings in Moral Duties either where they are customary and habitual or not repented of and endeavoured against difect indications of the want of Religion and that our Lord notwithstanding the Name and Profession of such will disown them in their greatest extremity and you may see the Prophet Micah holding forth that the outward performing of what was legally required of the Jews was not the principal part of their Duty and says in Chap. 6.7 8. Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousands of rivers of oyl shall I give my first-born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God And God by the Prophet Jeremiah Chap. 4.24 saith Let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindness judgement and righteousness in the earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord. Yea our Lord himself in that most excellent Sermon upon the Mount hath said Mat. 7.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven 11. Mind what you are engaged to in your being Baptized and live up to that solemn engagement you are to fight out your Warfare under the Banner of Christ our Lord and renounce the Devil the World and the Flesh seek of God for Jesus sake that He may give you knowlegde and enable you to see and live up to the solemn Tyes you are under through your baptismal Covenant and as ye will answer to our good God at the day of your Appearance before his Tribunal be not among the number of such as never thinks of Baptism being otherwise useful then as a Ceremony for their having a Name 12. I expect that you will be able as the Apostle requires to give an Answer to every man that asketh you a Reason of the Hope or Belief that is in you with Meekness and Fear Forbeâ—â— Debates and Disputings upon Controversies in Religion what
Whatever may be the Station that God shall call you to make Conscience of doing therein what is required of you Evite idleness as the Bane of well-being in this side of time or to Eternity Your acting diligently in your Station is commended from 2 Thess 3.10 11 12. For even when we were with you this we commanded you that if any man would not work neither should he eat c. In many places of Holy Scriptures is diligence in our Calling not only commended but required and the temporal inconveniencies following idleness are manifest from Prov. 19.15 Sloathfulness casteth into a deep sleep and an idle soul shall suffer hunger 20. Such a competency of Riches and other temporal Blessings as is consistent with a comfortable Being in this World is desireable and what you may not only by lawful Means in your worldly Station endeavour to acquire but you are allowed yea required with submission to seek them of God only in this and whatever else you do make your principal end His Glory Do not exceed to satisfie your carnal and worldly Appetites either in your Prayers for or your Endeavours after temporal Enjoyments Let the Prayer of Agur the Servant of God be your Rule Prov. 30.8 9. Remove far from me vanity and lies give me neither Poverty nor Riches feed me with Foâ—d convenient for me lest I be full and deny thee and say who is the Lord Or lest I be poor and steal and take the Name of my God in vain And what it pleases God to bless you with you would mind your Tyes to the Gracious Giver and endeavour with all your strength so to use it with relation to your self and others as may evidence your thankfulness and if it shall please our Wise and infinitely Good God to refuse your desires and render your Endeavours without success seek of Him that His Dispensations to you may be sanctified and beware of repining for the frailty of foolish man under any cross Dispensation befalling him makes him but unwillingly examine why the Lord contendeth and sinking under his trouble do's not readily fly to Him in and through Christ Jesus by fervent and earnest Prayer but is rather poring upon his Calamities and aggravating them to the raising in his heart thoughts inconsistent with Faith and true Love to the Glorious and Merciful God which upon serious Reflection will appear the most unreasonable of Practices for every man upon due consideration will see what befalls him to be God's dealing with him in wonderful Mercy and far from what in Justice his Iniquity calls for And man's being tempted to lament his troubles in comparison of others and to aggravat them from Circumstances too readily occurring to him under any affliction will upon little examination evidence the height of folly for by a true comparison betwixt the Circumstances of the Afflicted and these of such as He judgeth more desirable if they were alike apparent to Him it is more then probable he would have no desire to exchange and undoubtedly such as are most pressed under worldly Calamities has manifold Mercies to be thankful for and it will be their own default if such of God's Dispensations as are even burdensome to corrupt carnal man tend not it is like to their temporal but surely their spiritual advantage sometimes because He loveth he chastiseth indeed miserable man from his blindness cannot rightly see into the Causes of God's dealing with him yet however blinded with Ignorance he may be and surrounded with all imaginable difficulties it it is obviously apparent that he hath infinit reason to magnify God's Mercy in not only allowing but inviting the most miserable of Wretches to draw near to Him as their God and Portion in and through Christ Jesus the merciful Saviour of Sinners And I do advise your being earnest in seeking after Grace enabling to true contentment with your Condition for being content with what God in His Providence is pleas'd to tryst you with as it is your duty toward Him so it is what contributes most to your worldly satisfaction yea it is uncontravertedly apparent that it is not our attaining to what in the World we propose as the Means of reaching satisfaction that answers our expectation be it Riches Honour Pleasures or whatever else And as it can be truly said that true Happiness consists only in an Interest in Christ so one of the great Consequents of that Happiness is the quiet and peaceable acquiescing with a contented mind in whatever is our worldly Lot I remember to have heard one asked the Question if he were to have one wish granted what would it be To which it was answered an Interest in Christ Jesus nay but says the Inquirer that I grant is beyond all exception the only answer to my Question but I desire to know what you could wish as most conducive to your worldly satisfaction To which he again answered a contented mind with whatever in Providence is dispensed to me which is indeed beyond what it is not possible for man to wish for as the ultimat end of all the desires the toil and labour of man is his reaching contentment so it is apparent the attaining what he desires toils and labours for reaches not the end and mans endeavour to do with diligence what he is called to do and resting contented with what Providences dispenses to him is truly most to be desired in things relating to our temporal Being and is attainable if we would but put in exercise the little Reason we have for discontent and anxiety avails nothing to the bettering of our Condition and doth certainly more fret and torment Solomon in Prov. 19.3 tells you The foolishness of man perverteth his way and his heart fretteth against the Lord. Yea mans wickedness and stupidity is manifest in repining against what is done by our Creator and Disposer of what concerns us for every thing be it great or mean is ordered by Him as in Psal 113.5 6. Who is like the Lord our God who dwelleth on high Who humbleth himself to behold â—he things that are in Heaven and in the Earth And so particular are the Providences of God in relation to mankind as our Blessed Lord hath said Mat. 10.29 30. Are not two Sparrows sold for a farthing and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father but the very hairs of your head are all numbred And it may be said the great and only Mean of attaining true Contentment is a free and absolute Resignation of our Wills to the Will of God who is not only able but willing to do for the best to such as trust and love him as the Apostle tells you Rom. 8 28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God c. Let us make sure the full resignation of our Wills to Him and Contentment will undoubtedly follow the doing thereof yea consider that all Endeavours after true Contentment
the Station and Condition of life that God hath called you to seek not great things for your self and quarrel not with Providence albeit the Event of your lawful Endeavours should not answer your expectation for our God doth and certainly will make every thing turn to the advantage of such as fear and love him SON I Have no desire to enlarge much in writing to you and has in these few Lines I have last written minted at saying what might be the Subject Matter of a large Discourse and I require you may at suitable Occasions make the ground of your Meditation to be the Obligation you ly under to Frugality and Honesty to diligence in your Station and Profession and a contented and submissive frame of heart under all the Dispensations of God to you-ward 27. Evidence in all your Behaviour a heart-hatred to Intemperance in Meat or Drink for as being given to a luxurious Desire of eating much or of things pleasing to the Appetite is hateful even to persons that upon a moral Principle only values their Honour much more is it to be hated by such as profess to be Christians yea the Misery attending it even in this World is apparent from Prov. 23.21 For the Drunkard and the Glutton shall come to Poverty and the Apostle in Phil. 3.19 describing the Enemies of the Cross of Christ holds them forth to be such Whose end is destruction and whose god is their Belly 28. Drinking to Excess may be said to be the Mother of almost all Vices for as there is in every humane Creature when born a natural propensity to Evil so were it not the common Influences of the Grace of God even to all Mankind enlightening their Reason in so far as may let them see the Iniquity in breaking of the the most of His Commands and were not also restrained from the apprehension of temporal Punishment frail wretched man would always be committing every wickedness within his power Ought we not then to fear lest we should provoke God to give us up to our selves which is the worst of Evils when by intemperate drinking we not only cloud but destroy our Reason which as it is given us principally to distinguish us from Bruits and enable us to glorifie our Creator even so that we may thereby see the filthiness of Vice and fear the punishments justly due to it History doth plainly make appear its being hateful even to Heathens and the many and dreadful Judgments that hath befallen miserable Wretches given over to that wickedness and the Holy Spirit of God holds forth the folly and misery of that Sin as in Pro. 20.16 Wine is a Mocker strong drink is raging and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise And the great misery attending it is apparent from Prov. 23.29 30. And as being abominable to Almighty God it is put into the Catalogue of grievous sins that secludes from the heavenly Kingdom 1 Cor. 6.10 nor Drunkards nor Revilers c shall inherit the Kingdom of God 29. What I have said before this of Idleness and now of Intemperance brings me to disswade your being guilty of the beastly and to be hated sin of Uncleanness whereof they may be truly said to be Parents It is indeed most hateful and to be abominate and I intreat you may be earnest with God that He for Christ's sake by His Grace may prevent the very beginnings of and inclinations to that silthy sin for in every sin and especially this wherever Satan prevails but to a beginning or tendency thereto it is impossible without the special Grace of God of His great Mercy bestowed to prevent the being given over to the practise of that wickedness which is almost irrecoverable as in Pro. 2.19 None that go unto her return again neither take they hold of the paths of life Ye would not only forbear any Action or corrupt Communication that tendeth thereto but in your very heart entertain no thought that has any prospect to that Sin for albeit ye should forbear the grosser Acts of Uncleanness yet if you do with any delight entertain such sinful Thoughts and Fancies It is to be feared your forbearance flows not from a principle of the fear of God or love to Him and that your lodging such filthy Suggestions will bring you under great danger of being guilty of the gross Acts of Uncleanness which are utterly destructive to Man even in relation to his temporal Beeing Curses following that Sin being plain from Scripture Prov. 6.26 For by the means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread and the Adulteress will hunt for the precious life yea Wrath and eternal Judgment is frequenly denunced against it as in the 13. Heb. 4. But whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge The Body is called the Temple of the Living God and the Apostle in the 1 Cor. 3 17. peremptorly threatens destruction to the Defilers thereof If any man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy for the Temple of God is holy which Temple ye are And it does eternally exclude from the presence of God Eph. 5.5 For this ye know that no whoremoonger nor unclean Person shall enter into the kingdom of God And how great will the stupidity and beastliness of Sinners appear even to themselves in that day of their standing before the Tribunal of God Almighty when they shall find from their being guilty of that beastly Sin that they are for ever secluded from his presence and kingdom 30. Swearing and Profaning the blessed Name of God is an evil directly contrair a positive Command and it 's being of the Devil is obvious I intreat you guard against all tendency thereto for God does often give over to themselves such as are usual Swearers and Profaners of His Name and leaves them to fall into that to be lamented State of constant Swearing where they have no Temptation nor the least pretence to any Advantage thereby Remember the Account you must make at the great day of your appearance before God's Tribunal and if they shall not escape who have spoken idlely and vainly how terrible shall their Judgment be who profane and abuse the Name of the most holy God Accustom your self to a most awful Dread of His Name and never pronounce the same in word or have it even in the thought of your heart but with due Reverence for he has expresly said He will not bold them guiltless that taketh his Name in vain 31. Lying is by every one known to be so inconsistent with Honour or any thing desireable As I think few Arguments may serve to diswade your being guilty thereof It 's Effects among such as ye converse with will be not to be believed when ye speak truth and Experience sheweth that any person being found to ly they are with difficulty after that believed but considered as void of Credit and very worthless As you respect your Honour and Reputation but above all your
infinite in Power and all his other Attributes to be our Pay-master and as there are in very many Parts of the Scriptures holden forth the great advantages of this Duty so also there are therein correspondently grievous Punishments denounced against the Transgressors thereof as in Jam. 2.13 He shall have Judgement without Mercy that sheweth no Mercy and Job 20.18 19. That which he laboureth for he shall restore and shall not swallow it down according to his Substance shall the Restitution be and he shall not rejoyce therein because he hath oppressed and forsaken the Poor You see here this Judgement is denounced not only because he hath unjustly oppressed but because he hath uncharitably forsaken the Poor And as your Charity must be with a full heart extended to all in Want so especially to such who can be judged to have an Interest in our Blessed Lord for in the Gospel it is plain the value our Saviour puts upon this Duty by telling us in Mat. 25.35 That the Blessed of His Father would be such as gave Him meat when he was hungry and drink when thirsty c. And that on the contrare these doing otherwise would be found to be the Cursed of God on the left hand and He plainly declares what is done to his Poor ones to be as done to Himself But mind in this or whatever duty ye go about that Applause from men or any other self-end have no weight with you and that all that is possible for you to perform is unexpressibly short of meriting in the sight of God 40. Endeavour with discretion and as you have access without an officious and undiscreet obtruding your self to make your neighbour perceive the Error of his Conduct and if your Knowledge and Opportunity enable you to the doing any thing for the good of his Soul lay hold upon the occasion with all cheerfulness 41. Beware of Oppression yea of the least of Injustice to your Neighbour in his Goods or otherways especially the Poor or such as may be unable to defend themselves for the grievousness of that Sin is manifestly held forth in Scripture and many are the Precepts expresly discharging it The Prophet Zechar 7 10. Requires that the Widow the Fatherless the Stranger and the Poor be not oppressed and that none imagine evil against his Brother in his heart And the Prophet Malach. denunceth Judgments and declareth God will be a swift Witness against the Sorcerers and against the Adulterers and false Swearers and against these that oppress the Hireling in his Wages the Widow and the Fatherless and that turn aside the Stranger from his Right and fear not me saith the Lord of Hosts Yea our blessed and everliving God does so far take the poor under his protection as he says Prov. 14.31 He that oppresseth the Poor reproacheth his Maker but he that honoureth him bath mercy on the poor And he is said in the 23 Prov. 11. To be their mighty Reedeâ—â—ner and that he will plead their Cause with their Oppressors 42. I have confidence I need nothing diswade your stealing or taking unjustly what is not your own and shall only tell you that you be careful that the Right to what you have be suelâ— as not only secures from a civil Inconveniency but so as ye may be found in the sight of God to have a just Title thereto of which ye would be very circumspect for every person is too ready in in any debatable Matter to determine to his own Advantage Yea if you shall find any thing that is lost your retaining and not restoring it to the Owners if possible they can come to your knowledge does directly break the eighth Command and where the Owner cannot be found you are to consider the Poor the Proprietar thereof and dispose of it or it's Avail to such as truly are in want 43. I have hinted something to you of the inconveniency of Detraction it is a Crime albeit amongst the Basest yet very ordinary with many persons and it is palpably observable that the most of People does evidence a delight in telling and devuâ—ging the Faults of others which directly speaks their being in so far of the Devil and not of God for Satan endeavours and delights in the death of Sinners But our blessed Lord has said that he takes no pleasure therein do not you from any finistruous design enquire into the Actings of your Neighbour and thereby evite what is but too ordâ—â—ar that custom of enquiring us News or for diversion at idle Hours what is the Carriage of 〈◊〉 Neighbours in their private Concerns I am sensible it may be in some persons their Duty so to do but then the end therein is sincerely Gods Glory in their Neighbours welfare and such will be far from receiving a Report to the prejudice of any with the least of Satisfaction or at all to divulge it but as a necessar Mean to reach the end for which they enquire after it It is indeed a wonderful and irrefragable Evidence of the intire Corruption and Depravation of the Nature of Mankind that we should delight in evil without any imaginable prospect of Satisfaction or Advantage to our selves or others whereof this Practice is an instance And it is but too frequent for without much noticing it may be observed in almost all Companies that the Faults and Infirmities of others are oftner and with greater pleasure discoursed upon than any thing tending to their Advantage It is true almost all Mankind has more of what is Foolish and Sinful in their Carriage than what can be spoken of to their Commendation Yet I tell you it is your Duty in discretion as a Neighbour and above all as a Christian in the sight of God to refrain from the speaking to the prejudice of any and where you cannot with truth speak to their Advantage let your silence evidence that you have a sense of its being Duty neither to enquire into or speak of the Failings of others unless called thereto by your Station and therein sincerly designing God's Glory in your Neighbours well-being 44. As I do intreat ye may foresee the great 〈…〉 in bringing your self under Debt 〈…〉 any of Ingenuitie there can be no greater worldly Trouble especially where they are not able to â—â—tifie the just desires of these to whom they are indue So if Providence shall tryst your being engaged let it be your greatest worldly Satisfaction to discharge your self thereof and freely to give when it is required even to every person you are indue to but especially to such as cannot subsist with the want thereof I beseech you let not the Hire of the Servant or Labourer be in your hand when they need it for severe is the Curse pronounced against the Withholders thereof and consider no kind of Goods to be the Propriety of your self or Children as coming from you so long as you are Debitor to any person and that all you have in the first place is
of whatever you do or think His Glory It is true we may have subordinat Ends consisting with our Duty but let what tends directly and immediatly to the Glory of God have the first and great Room in your heart and when you repeat the Lords Prayer let your heart go out more earnestly in desiring that His Name may be Hallowed His will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven and His Kingdom come then you desire He may give you your daily Bread and forgive you your sins c. This may seem hard to be required that we desire any thing more earnestly than the Salvation of our Souls but if our Love be in any degree as it ought we will surly see it to be our Duty which being performed our Salvation is secured to us in and for Christ's sake and there can be no surer Mark of our Hearts being right with God than our truly finding that really above all things whatsoever we longingly desire that God's Name may be hallowed his Kingdom come and his Will be done The saying of that holy Man Quench Hell and burn Heaven yet will I love and fear my God did hold forth the most desireable frame of his heart and that it did flow from a right and excellent Principle Herein he acted meerly from a principle of Love to God without the immediat prospect of his eternal or temporal Advantage there is indeed nothing more certain than that either Salvation or utter Destruction will in end be the irretrivable Doom of all Mankind and that we are called with our power to endeavour the avoiding of that Sentence and the goodness of God is unexpressibly great in promising his Spirit enabling us to Duty in living up to his Precepts which even in relation to our temporal Beeing are so advantageous as it is obvious that if there were neither Heaven nor Hell the ways of true Wisdom have in themselves an excellencie and desireableness a thousand degrees beyond what is possible to find in giving way to our wicked Inclinations and living as may be pleasing to corrupt and depraved Nature Be you intreated by me not to make the Practice of such as only own themselves to be Christians your Rule Minde what is said Prov. 23.17 18. Let not thy heart envy Sinners but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long For surely there is an end and thine Expectation shall not be â—ut off Let all your thoughts and Actions be aâ— minding you are in the presence of a dreadfully just albeit merciful God and endeavour with all your Strength that your heart may be filled with knowledge of Christ faith in and love to him and be diligent in using the means of Grace which in providence you are trysted with I have hinted at some things of your Duty and you have the benefite of the Word preached publick Prayer and Praise and the administration of the Sacraments which I pray God in his mercy may continue to this Land you have also the benefite of many Pieces of practicall Divinity written by serious and Godly Men such as Flavel's Writings the two Allens Joseph and Richard and many others the serious reading of which with Prayer for a Blessing upon your doing thereof will be Strength to your Soul and at the hour of Death unexpressibly more savourie than the Consideration of having done what is generally the Practice of the world I desire ye may write over a Double of this and keep the Principal carefully by you for I have no exact Copy thereof And that you at sometimes read what I have written to you and whilst you are at the Colledge stint your self to the reading thereof excepting what is Advice relating to a married state once in the Week Let me know with your first Conveniencie if Joseph Allen's Allarum to unconverted Sinners be to be had in any Stationers Shop where you are and if it be not I will endeavour the sending it to you within a short time Make conscience of reading it seriously and diligently and when fitness of Frame in your heart enables you engage your self to God in the terms set down by that seriously holy Man But see to it that your whole heart go out after God in the Duty The Sin of an unfitted Frame of heart in what ever we do is great in Gods sight but in so solemn Approaching to him the doing of it unsuitably is a great Aggravation thereof I think it not amiss that sometime ye put in write to be kept by you what may evidence your Frame at such occasions if you have a suitable sense of Sin or your heart go out after God in Faith for Mercy or if in the expectation of particular Mercies or the Receit thereof you engage your self to any particular Duty or in the general more solemnly to serve God I think ye would put down in Writ your Engagements to God and what may evidence your Frame of Heart at these occasions I have my self considered with satisfaction even some few Petitions which may heart has gone out after God in the desire of and which at the time I have set down in Write not so much with a design more fully to imprint on my Memorie the Expressions of my Desires albeit my Memorie be very frail as to have the satisfaction of knowing by my reading them that at such times my heart did in some measure go out with earnestness in these desires and that my Remembrance of the Endeavours albeit frail and faint I have had to bring my Heart to that Frame might afterward shame me from any Sluggishness of Temper or any proness to gratisle my many Corruptions so as may be inconsistent with what God at the time enabled me to attain to Make Conscience always your Friend it is Gods witness within you beware of doing what may harden or kill it depend upon God that it may be in you according to knowledge and so walk in every thing as it may witness for you in the day of your greatest need I do intreat your whole Life and Conversation may be humble and serious in the sight of God have always upon your Heart a Sense of your unexpressibly great misery which will stir you up to the performance of Duty in which you must ever be most intent and serious And besides your daily Performance set at times some Hours and at some times one day a-part for your wrestling with God that He for Christs sake may subdue Corruption in you and give knowledge in every Duty and Grace to perform it and I hope our good God in his mercy will so far discover to you the filthiness of Sin and how Desireable Lovely and Advantageous it is to serve him That times so set a-part will be your delight for your direction in such Duties you have many means as Scudders daily walk and the Works of many other serious and godly Divines both of this and the English Nation and that
larger then was intended yet I have this day before its coming to your hand received the Lord Capels Apothegms or Contemplations and am so satisfied with concise Sayings of that Kind that I recommend your reading them and the like as very conducive to the improving of and rectifying the Judgment their Brevity Independance one upon another the Quaintness and Pertinency of Expression being not only Taking to Readers but to Persons not intent upon reading and but of ordinar Comprehension and Memorie more easily comprehended and some of them with some others written by other persons which I desire ye may imprint in your Memorie I have herein set down that as you read what I have written in thir Sheets they may be the more obvious to you 1. Nothing can hurt us but Sin and that shall not hurt us if we can repent of it and nothing can do us good but the Love and Favour of God in Jesus Christ and that we shall have if we humbly and in sincerity seek it 2. So much Sin so much Sorrow so much Holiness so much Happiness 3. Make thy Sin thy greatest Sorrow so shall Sorrow never hurt thee make Jesus Christ thy greatest Joy so shalt thou never want Joy 4. It may be learned by experience that seriousness is the greatest Wisdom Temperance the best hysick a good Conscience the best Estate and the time will certainly come that Men and Women will repent of all their life but that part they spend in Communion with God and doing good 5. There is an odious Spirit in many who are better pleased to detect a Fault than commend a Vertue 6. Such a man is to be honoured and imitated that will rather suffer Injurie than do it 7. Wise and happy is that Man that will not be drawn to commit either an undecent or dishonest Act for Love Hatered or Gain 8. A wise Man will not speak the Truth at all times nor an honest Man speak an Untruth at any time 9. A wise Parent more patiently suffers the death of his Children than their wicked and debauched Actions 10. Moderation in Dyet Sleep and Exercise are especial means to prolong and make healthfull our days 11. It is worth the Observation to hear the labouring man sing at his Plough and the Rich man fret in his Palace this shows it is the Mind not Riches that makes us happie I thought to have sent you some more of these but the Paper of this sheet being ended I shall delay it whilst after this I write to you SON I Have Reason as minding I am in the presence of my good God to acknowledge the great Corruption and Pravitie of my nature and unfitness for performing of any Duty required of me yet have I ground to bless his Name that there is in my heart any earnestness of desire that he may be glorified in the Salvation of Sinners I do seek of him in Christ Jesus that he may bless you so as your Lot in the World may be comfortable not in having great Riches which does but too often nourish Corruption and destroy Souls but in your having such competent means of Subsistance and that without perplexed involving your self in worldy concerns as may enable you to live with a comfortable Tranquilitie of mind in the Station that he shall call you to live in but above all the earnest desire of my Soul in your behalf is that Christ may be your Portion and that in Him and through his Strength you may so live in this World as that when death comes you may immediately beholding his Glory live with him to all eternity I have in the Sheets I wrot for your use given you such Directions as did occur to me and minded you of your Engagments to serve God which I intreat may be your great work indeed the generallitie even of such as owne themselves to be Christians does directly in all their Walk speak forth their misbelief of the manifest Truths contained in God's Word but go not you in the broad way with the Multitude for it undoubtedly tends to Destruction Our God in the Scriptures has plainly held forth the Duty of Man and if we could come cordially to resolve to close with him in the Terms offered therein we would see the Conditions of our Salvation in and by Christ to be neither unintelligible nor unpracticable In order to your so doing I desire your Diligence in improving the Means ye are trysted with I intreat you rejoyce in your enjoyment of Sabbaths and so live on these days as may evidence your heart being filled with the fear of and love to our great God who set a-part the seventh Day for his Service when you approach him in the publick Ordinances have your heart intent upon the Duties ye go about especially Prayer and Praise indeed wandering of heart whilst we pretend to hear the Word preached is grosly sinful in the sight of God but in prayer or Praise our hearts going out after any other Object is a direct contemning of Him and a dreadful Mean for drawing down his everlasting Wrath and Curse I advise you to follow my Directions anent your meditating upon what you have heard so soon as ye can have occasion after Sermon and write the same in so far as your Memorie will serve you and that what ye write of that kind may be useful for your own reading at other times and that I may be satisfied of your diligence herein when I see you I desire you buy for your self a Quair or half Quair Book bound in a long Octavo and write thereupon not in time of Sermon but after the ending thereof the day of the Month the Preacher's Name the Text and whatever you are able to remember of the Sermon write it so as it may be distinctly read be diligent and attentive in hearing mind the Doctrines raised and and forget not the Uses and Application thereof endeavour with all your might to see your Sins whereby your Condition is for ever lost and undone without Christ and with humility of heart depend upon God that he may direct and strengthen you to every Duty I have been sometimes much inclined to wonder at the Actions of almost all Men in their whole Converse and dealing that does constantly sin in Thought Word and Actions and very often without any reasonable Prospect of the least even shadow of temporal Advantage But this is the Effect of our dreadful Fall in our first Parents which Fall did so much destroy the Original Purity of Mankind and fill him with an unresistable Inclination to every Evil that the wonder is that all of us are not always committing the worst of Evils which that we do not is of Gods great Mercy I obtest that the consideration of your miserable State through Sin and of God's wonderful Condescension in offering Mercy in and through Christ may stir you up to a Christian-walk which I humbly for Christs sake beg of
shall thy Doubts be preserved from Despair 41. If thou stand guilty of Oppression or wrongfully possessed of anothers Right see thou make Restitution before thou givest an Alms if otherways what are thou but a Thief and makest God thy Receiver 42 When thou prayest for spiritual Graces let thy Prayer be absolute when for temporal Blessings add a Clause of God's pleasure in both with Faith and Humiliation so shalt thou undoubtedly receive what thou desirest or more or better never Prayer rightly made was made unheard or heard ungranted 43. Not to give to the Poor is to take from him not to feed the hungry if thou hast it is the outmost of thy power to kill him that therefore thou mayest avoid both Sacriledge and Murder be charitable 44. So often as thou rememberest thy sin without grief so often thou repeatest these sins for not grieving 45. In thy Apparrel avoid Singularity Profuseness and Gaudiness be not too early in the Fashon nor too late Decencie is the half way between Affectation and Neglect the Body is the Shell of the Soul Apparel is the Husk of that Shell and the Husk often tells you what the Kernel is 46. Be not Censorious for thou knowest not whom thou judgest it is a more dextrous Errour to speak well of an evil man than evil of a good man and safer for thy Judgment to be misted by simple Charity then uncharitable Wisdom he may tax others with Priviledge that hath not in himself what others may tax 47. If thou canst desire any thing not to be repented of thou art in a fair way to Happiness if thou hast attained it thou art at thy ways end He is not happy who hath all if it were possible that he desires but that desires nothing but what is good 48. Hath any wronged thee be bravely revenged slight it and the work is begun for give it and it is finisht he is below himself that is not above an injury 49. Deride not him whom the looser Worlâ— calls Puritan lest thou offend a little one 〈◊〉 he be a Hypocrite God that knows him will râ—ward him if zealous God that loves him wâ—â—â— revenge him if he be good he is good to God Glory if he be evil let him be evil at his oâ—â— Charges He that judges shall be judged 50. As thou desirest the love of God and Man beware of Pride it is a Tumor in thy Mind that breaks and poysons all thy Actions is is a Worm in thy Treasure which eats and ruines thy Estate it loves no man is beloved of no man it is the friend of the Flatterer the mother of Envy the Nurse of Fury the Bawd of Luxury the Sin of Devils and the Devil in Mankind it hates Superiors it scorns Inferiors it owns no Equals in short till thou hate it God hates thee 51. Beware of Drunkenness lest all good Men beware of thee where Drunkenness reigns there Reason is an Exul Vertue a Stranger and God an Enemy 52. Take no pleasure in the folly of an Idiot nor in the frenzie of a Lunatick nor in the extravagancies of a Drunkard make them the Object of thâ— Pity not of thy Pastime when thou beholdest them behold how thou art beholding to Him that suffered thee not to be like them there is no difference between thee and them but God's favour 53. Use Law and Physick only for necessity they that use them otherways abuse themselves into weak Bodies and light Purses they are good Remedies bad Business and worse Recreations 54. In every relative Action change Conditions with thy Brother then ask thy Conscience what thou would'st have done to the being truly resolved exchange again and do thou the like to him and thy Charity shall seldom or never err it is injustice to do what without Impatience thou canst not 〈◊〉 55. Things temporal are sweeter in the expectation Things 〈◊〉 are sweeter in the fruition the first shames thy Hope the second crowns it it is a vain Journy whose end affords less pleasure then the way 56. If thy words be Luxuriant confine them lest they confine the he that thinks he can never speak enough may easily speak too muchâ— a full Tongue and an empty Brain are seldom parted 57. Of all Vices take heed of Drunkenness other Vices make their own way this make way for all Vices he that is a Drunkard is qualified for every evil 58. Let the words of a Virgin though inâ— good Cause and to as good purpose be neitheâ— violent many nor first nor last it is less shamâ—â— For a Virgin to be lost in a blushing silence theâ—â— to be found in a bold Eloquence 59. If thou hast but little make it not leâ—â— by murmuring if thou hast enough make 〈◊〉 not too much by unthankfulness he that is nâ—â— thankfully contented with the least favour 〈◊〉 hath received hath made himself uncapable of the least favour he can receive 60. Dost thou want things necessar grumbâ—â— not perchance it was a necessar thing thâ—â— shouldst want them endeavour lawfully to suppâ—â— it if God bless not thy Endeavour Bless hâ—â— that knoweth what is fittest for thee thou 〈◊〉 God's Patient prescribe not the Physician 61. Look upon thy Affliction as thou usestâ— do upon thy Physician both imply a Diseaâ—â— and both are applyed for a Cure that of the 〈◊〉 〈…〉 if they work they promise 〈◊〉 if not they threaten Death he 〈…〉 that 〈◊〉 not afflicted but he that findâ— happiness by his Affliction 62. Many times when we are in heavy Affliction and â—â—sperate of all outward Means our Faâ—â—â— is more strong then afterwards when Goâ—â—â—â—th mercifully delivered yea so far doth the Devil prevail upon the heart of wretched man wiâ—â—â—st in any pleasing Prosperity that in the day of his Accounts it will at least often be found that his Troubles have been his greatest Mercies 63. It is good to suffer twice before one complain once for those that often though justly complain come with disadvantage especially iâ— it be to a Party who from the too common Infirmitâ— incident to Mankind is ready to determine persons under straitâ—â—ing Circumstances to be â—â—â—lish if not worse as they are ready to overprize the Actions of the worldly prosperous 64. He that desires but what he may may have â—hat he desires therefore he that is sparing in his desires may have Pâ—enty even in a moderate â—state FINIS Dear THEOPHILUS YOu may remember that in our discoursing together some Weeks since we considered that Love was the great Duty required of Man and the Apostle having said 1 Joh. 4.7 Let us love one another for love is of God yea our Blessed Lord in the Evangelist Joh. 13.35 Declares that By this shall all men know such to be his Disciples as have love one to another And having said in Mat. 22.37 38. That the First and Great Commandment was to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul And the
in the World and I am not of the Opinion of such as maintains that all enmity betwixt Creatures is the Effect of Sin for I think our infinitely Wise God hath Created these Creatures used in the Recreation of man that they might be made use of to that End yet is it evident His Displeasure with Excess therein by suffering in His Wife Providence their so doing to become their great Snare obvious to the most unconcerned Considerers for how lamentable is it to hear the unallowable Passions yea the dreadful prophaning the Name of the most Blessed God that is almost the constant practice of such as gives up their Minds with too great intentness to Recreation and is it not astonishing to hear one otherways sober in his Conversation upon the least disappointment of the Flight of a Hawk or Hounding of a Dog so to carry as if there were not a God in Heaven surely if it were the practice of such persons before their sleeping seriously to Examine what they have done throughout the day the bitter remembrance of their unchristian Behaviour would cool their Inclinations to such Recreation D. Theophil let it be our work to endeavour the bettering our selves from the consideration of what do's hourly occur to us and I wish our Prayers to God in behalf of one another may be that in His Strength we so live as we may with Confidence Own the Name of Christians and Christ our Lord may be our Portion Heir and to all Eternity I am March 21. 1692. Your affectionat Neighbour and Servant Theocritus D. THEOPHIL IN a Line some Weeks since I promised you some part of my Thoughts anent the Actionâ— of Persons of several Stations and since that time I have albeit to small purpose written something relating to what is and ought to bâ— the practice of Great Men it is indeed but superficially done for there is so much reprehendible in the Actions of all Men and manâ— Corruption calls for so many Arguments 〈◊〉 perswade to Duty as the Bounds of a Letter are too small to Treat thereof but the narrow Bounds of my Capacity do's more hinder mâ— doing it any thing effectually yet as I then saiâ— to you that it may be subject for your Meditation I shall this Morning signifie my thought of persons of an inferior Rank Mechanicks anâ— Lobourers of Land albeit they are wanting iâ— what may Qualifie them to put in practice Macheâ—ilian-Policy yet do they dayly in their ordinar Converse and Dealing practise what 〈◊〉 very little suitable to the Rules of Christianity And so great and many are the subtilties of persons in these Stations as plainly says the Generality thereof are running with violence 〈◊〉 Way that leads to eternal Destruction for 〈◊〉 you consider their way in Dealing doth it 〈◊〉 manifestly speak forth their unbelief of a Dâ—â—ty and that the only and Almighty God doâ—â— in His providential Dispensations order and dispose of wretched Mankind in all His Concernâ—â— and how evident is it that the most part of persons in that Station do's live not at all bounded by Conscience or what even the World calls Honour and that it is only shame and the fear of Worldly punishment hinders their being altogether unsociable it being a Truth not to be contraverted that were it not fear of temporal punishment there would be no peaceable Correspondence amongst Mankind which is an Evil greatly to be regrated and it is against all Reason For how brutishly foolish is it to dare the doing of any thing unallowable for fear of Man and temporal Punishment yet without controle to sin against our great God to whom there is no access for sinners but in and through Christ and before whose Tribunal all men must undoubtedly stand and there receive either the sentence of eternal Salvation or of eternal Damnation It were much to be wished that Men and Women of all Ranks would so live as the thoughts of approaching Death and Judgment might not be their terrour And surely the Station of men in low degree does not hinder but contribute to their so doing I have often thought that a Countrey Man's way oâ— living where he has for his convenient Subsistance and is Master of what is necessar for his being in that Station is desireable beyond the most pompous and splendid Living of the great est of Men. And it is beyond all Controversie that thousands of Land-labourers leads lives preferable in true and solid Contentment to their Land-lords who lives but too often idly upon a great part of the Fruits of their Labours And if they could be perswaded to the practice of Godliness in the discharge of Duties required of them in their Stations they would see much reason to magnifie the Mercy of God who in his providence has so disposed of them And it were the Interest of every one to rest contentedly satisfied with their worldly Station and that without Anxiety they acted in what ever they are called to Yea I think it may be warrantably said that none ought to aim at a higher Station in this world than they are in for many have at their dying hour wished never to have had Riches and worldly Honour which have Snares almost unresistable in frail Man And I think never any wise Man at least when dying and at the brink of Eternity but they did absolutly see the Vanity in such Enjoyments where the Possessors has not rightly used then as Stewards for our great Lord and Master 〈◊〉 I am unfit to handle what may be held forth as the Duty of any I pray God may bless thiâ— Land with the means of Grace to every Ranâ— and Degree of persons and continue them there in for the good of Souls to His Glory yet 〈◊〉 may say that albeit persons in that Station havâ— neither much time nor fitness for reading 〈◊〉 Books that every Family besides Bibles to every one would be furnished with some Bookâ— most suited to their Capacities The Assemblies Catechisms are truly to my apprehension beyond expression desireable and some of thâ— plainest Explanations thereof are useful As surely the meanest of Families that would froâ— Conscience resolve to imploy some part of theâ— little Money for acquiring some Books Exhorting and Directing to the practice of Duty would not be the poorer thereof nor any whiâ—â— thereby disabled for expending in their temporal concerns There are many Peices of practical Divinity some whereof may be had at easie Rates and I do seriously wish that each Family besides some few of other necessar Books would purchase to themselves Baxters poor Man's Family-Book and Flavel's Husbandrie Spiritualized And I am fully assured if they would a-part and in their Families together imploy the time at Evenings and other convenient Seasons which their worldly business may dispense with in serious perusal thereof And if they did in Humility and with hearts desire seek the blessing of God upon their Endeavours their Advantage and true Comfort in