others have you given them back again for the honouring and serving Him above others if not you will one day repent bitterly as he did that had been more careful to serve his Master on Earth the King of England than the King of Heaven and Earth Woolsey Thirdly See what good you have done to others by these distinguishing Providences Has God's goodness to you wrought more goodness in you to others stirr'd you up to do more good to the Country Church State Place City Family wherein God hath set you Have your Husband Wife Children Servants Friends and Acquaintance been the better for you if so then these Providences have been in Mercy to you but otherwise if God hath been so good to you and you have done no more good for Him and His you have minded only your selves and lived only to your selves you will one day wish you had been among the Number of the poorest and miserablest Beggars than what you are to have so much and do no more good with it yea the very Heathens will rise up in Judgment and condemn you for they could say Non nobis nati they were not born for themselves but their Country Another Mallem mihi male esse quam molliter vivere Seneca I had rather be sick than be idle and do no good And thus you see What those things are you are to meditate on in about God's merciful Providences Secondly Take notice what you are to meditate on in and about the Providences of his Justice and Judgments as these the Equity the Impartiality the Severity the Unsupportableness and the Unavoidableness of his Judgments and our Duties in respect of them First The Equity of his Judgments that God is most righteous in all and can do none wrong and punishes all less than they deserve Ezra 9. Ignorant Persons and wicked Men would make him a God made all of mercy but you must know and consider He is as just as he is merciful and Infinite in both as Infinite in Mercy to Pardon the Penitent so Infinite in Justice to Punish the Impenitent Whence you shal find that where his Nature is laid down He is described by his Justice as well as his Mercy Exo. 34.6 7 8. and Nah. 1.2 3 4. Secondly The Impaâ—tiality of his Justice and Judgments He never did nor will connive at any sin or sinner He did not in his own Son who knew no sin yet because He took upon Him our sin therefore He laid upon Him the fierceness of His Wrath Lament 1.12 and if He would not spare sin in His own Son certainly he will not in others that go on impenitently and securely in any sin for there is no respect of Persons with God He regards not the Rich more than the Poor the Noble than the Ignoble the Wise than the Simple He will spare neither King nor Subject High nor Low Rich nor Poor Old nor Young no not His own People if they sin against Him Amos 3. You only have I known of all the Families of the Earth therefore I will surely punish you for your Iniquities Thirdly The severity and terribleness of His Judgment in all Ages upon Persons Families Towns Cities Kingdoms Countrys all impenitent and incorrigible sinners you may see it in His Judgments on the old World Sodom and Gomorrah Egypt and Jerusalem You may read more in Levit. 26. Deut. 28. Psal 7.11 12 13. Psal 11.5 6 7. Isaiah 1.33 Mal. 4.1 Zeph. 1. to the end Fourthly Meditate on the unsupportableness of God's Judgment Psal 90.11 Who knows the power of thy anger Ezek. 22.14 Can thy heart endure or thy hands be strong in the day that I shall deal with thee Isaiah 33.14 The sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulness hath surpriz'd the Hypocrites Who shall dwell with devouring Fire and everlasting Burnings and Nahum 1.2 3. Jer. 10.10 Fifthly On the unavoidableness of his Wrath Amos 9.1 to the 6. Though they dig to Hell thence shall my hand take them though they clime up to Heaven thence will I bring them down Sixthly To take notice and meditate on thâ— Duties the Scripture frequently calls upon you to perform in respect of the Judgments of God 〈◊〉 shall but name a few because they are obvious to you in reading the Scriptures as these To take notice of them and lay them to heart to searcâ— and try your ways what special sins of yourâ— have had a hand in pulling down and continuing of these Judgments upon you and others Tâ— humble your selves before the Lord under them for your sins that were the cause of them To accept of the punishment of your iniquity and acknowledge the Lord is not only righteous but gracious in punishing you less than you deserve And Lastly To turn every one of you from the evil of his doings and learn righteousness by his Judgments that are on the Earth Isaiah 26.9 Secondly To meditate on the parts of Providence which are three Observation Preservation Gubernation First God He observes and takes notice of all and every Creature Pro. 15.3 His Eys run to and fro thorow the Earth beholding the evil and the good Heb. 4.13 All things are open and naked to him with whom we have to do but especially he observes and takes notice of his Own Psal 33.18 Behold the eye of the Lord iâ— upon them that fear him and hope in his mercy Psal 34.15 His Eyes are upon the righteous and his Ear open unto their Prayer Secondly God preserves all and every Creature Man and Beast Nehem. 9.6 but especially his Children Job 5.19 Isaiah 43.1 2. Thirdly God He governs all and every Creature to those ends and by those means which He hath appointed He Rules in all the Kingdoms of the World but especially in Jacob Isaiah 46.3 He is their God and Guide unto death Psal 48. last All these parts of Providence are full of wonder that God being so High and Holy above the Creature should humble Himself to respect things done in Heaven and Earth that He should not only give a Beeing to the Creatures but uphold them in their Beeing that he should not only vouchsafe the means to bring them to their ends but order and dispose of all those means to those ends Oh the wonderful condescention of the great God to his poor worthless Creatures Psal 31.19 Oh how great is thy goodness c. Then Thirdly To meditate on the extent of this Providence not only to every Creature but to the least act of every Creature so as not a Sparrow falls on the ground or Hair from the Head or a Tyle from the House or a Word from the Mouth or an Answer from the Tongue no nor a Thought from the Heart without the Lord Mat. 10.29 30. Pro. 16.1 Fourthly Meditate on the ends of his Providence viz. His own glory and the good of his Church and People Whatsoever He doth in the World He doth in relation First To his own glory Rom. 11. last
greater and some lesser Nemo repente fit pessimus none arise to the heighth of sin but by degrees and the degrees by which sin ariseth to the heighth are these 1. The thought of it 2. The pleasure of it 3. The consent to it 4. The practice of it 5. The custome of it 6. Obstinacy in it 7. Defence of it 8. Boasting of it and glorying in it Lastly Desperate and final impenitency in it which is the perfection of it If you would be kept from the last not to yield to the first for these several degrees of sin they are as so many links in a Chain take hold of one and you 'l draw the rest after James 1.15 Fourthly That you may be the more thorowly humbled under your actual sins take notice of and meditate on the multitude of your sins both your own Personal sins and your other Men's sins First Your own Personal sins to this end take notice what have been your sins by way of commission in thought word and deed what have been your sins by way of omission in publick private secret what have been your sins of imperfection before and in yea and after duty What have been the sins of your Child-hood Youth and riper Age What have been your sins against Law Gospel Word and Rod Mercies and Corrections Personal Family National Secondly That you may see your other Men's sins take notice wherein you have been faulty towards them by way of commission or omission as Superiors Interiours Equals Fifthly That you may be the more throughly humbled meditate on the greatness of your sins to this end Consider first the greatness of the Majesty against whom every sin is committed viz. no other than the great God against whom the least offence is greater than the greatest offence against the greatest Potentates on Earth He being an infinite God they but finite Creatures Secondly A God of infinite Holiness who can't look upon any the least sin with the least approbation but infinite detestation Habback 1.13 Thirdly A God of infinite goodness from whom we have had beeing and well-being Soul and Body and what-ever is good for both us and ours and all of free and rich grace Secondly To consider the baseness of our Persons that presume to sin against so great so holy and so gracious a God no other than poor Worms of the Earth sinful dust and ashes vanity nothing less than nothing Isai 40.17 Thirdly The greatness of the Price that was paid for the expiating and taking away of sin to wit no other than the precious blood of Christ the only begotten Son of God the least drop whereof is of more worth than ten thousand Worlds being the Blood of Him who was God as well as Man for ten thousand Worlds could never have purchased the Pardon of the least sin being all but finite Creatures Fourthly Consider the smalness of the Cause moving Men to sin against so great and good a God What is it that most Men and Women do dishonour God and damn their Souls for but a little transitory bitter-sweet pleasure uncertain perishing profits fading vanishing breath and applause of men and therefore it must needs be a great offence to sin against so great a God for so small a matter which makes the Lord himself to complain of it Ezek. 13.19 Fifthly Consider the Circumstances in and about the acting of your sin as the time place manner Person for these circumstances exceedingly aggravate sin as for Example when such a sin is acted by a publick Person or in a publick place to the scandal of others and the disgrace of profession not only of ignorance but knowledge of weakness but wilfulness not only once or twice but often and that against many vows and promises to the contrary notwithstanding Word Rod Mercies and Judgments and all the ways and Means and Methods God hath used to the contrary to reclaim and bring home poor wretched sinners to himself and save them from self-destruction A serious Meditation on these things will be an effectual means through the blessing of God to break the heart for sin break off the heart from the love and liking of all sin The third Consequence of Man's Fall to be taken notice of and meditated on for our more thorow humiliation before the Lord is the punishment and misery that fell upon man and all his Posterity by reason of that first Rebellion of man And this Punishment is double Privative and Positive First For the Privative punishment of man's sin or the punishment of Loss it consists in these Particulars First The loss of God's favour which he enjoyed in a perfect manner by Creation so as now every one comes into the World a Childe of wrath Eph. 2.3 an Enemy to God and God to him both his Person and all his actions abominable to God 1. His Person Rom. 8.8 2. His Actions Prov. 15.8 Isai 1.13 14. Titus 1.15 To the impure all things are impure the Reason is 1. Because the Tree must be good before the Fruit can Mat. 7.18 the Person accepted before the work can 2. Because the works of natural carnal Men are not done by them in a right manner as knowledg faith and love without which God regards them not Prov. 19.2 Heb 11.6 Rom. 13.8 None are done to a right end viz. the glory of God 1 Cor. 10.31 and therefore both their Persons and services abhor'd and rejected of God Isai 1. Jer. 7. Secondly As Man by his Fall lost the favour of God so communion and fellowship with God which he enjoyed in a glorious manner before the Fall but since the Fall Men are without God in the World Eph. 2.12 and are estranged from the life of God Eph. 4.18 Thirdly Man by his Fall depriv'd himself of the Image of God in which he was created and contracted on himself and his Posterity the Image of sin and Satan Joh. 8.44 Rom. 5 12. Fourthly By his Fall he came short of the glory of God had Man continued in obedience it is more than probable that he should have been translated from a terrestrial to a coelestial Paradice but by his Rebellion he outed himself and his of both Fifthly Man by his Fall lost his Native dignity by Creation he was made little lower than the Angels Psal 8. but by his Fall he was degraded and made lower than the Beasts that perished Psal 49. last For 1. By this he lost his honourable title as he the Child of God so we the Sons and Daughters of the ever living God Isai 56. Luk. 3. presently after the Fall stiled Children of Men Psal 90.3 Children of the World Luke 16.9 Children of Wrath Eph. 2.3 Children of disobedience Coloss 3.6 Children of the Devil Joh. 8 44. Children of Hell Mat. 20.25 2. They lost that glory lustre and beauty they had by Creation in Soul and Body as you may see 1 Cor. 12.23 Jude 23 Isai 1.5 6. 3. They lost that great preheminence they had
And Secondly Man's good Rom. 8.28 Fifthly Meditate on the Experience you have had of God's faithfulness and goodness you have had in all his Providences and this will not only enlarge your hearts in thankfulness for the present but quicken and strengthen you to an holy dependence and confident expectance of the like for the future as it did the Apostle 2 Cor. 1.9 10 To help you herein you shall do well to make 〈◊〉 Catalogue and keep a Diary of God's special providences to take a Book and write down the most remarkablest Providences of God over you and yours often read them over and ponder them well in your minds and that First because you may find this to have been the practise of the Saints To observe and register God's dealing with them and theirs to speak of them and erect Monuments in memorial of them Psal 77.12 Esther 9.26 1 Sam. 7.10 Secondly Because there is an equity in it Shall God take notice of us and we not take notice of Him He remember us and we forget Him Thirdly There 's a kind oâ— necessity of writing down these special Providences in regard of the weakness of our memories which are so apt to forget them Fourthly Greaâ— will be the profit of it the fight of such a Catalogue of gracious Providences will so mâ—ch the more affect our hearts with love to so good a God and quicken us to a holy dependence on Him and therefore to follow others in the practise of it And to help you in it I shall acquaint you with some special Promises for the strengthning your faith in His special Providences as for instance First For His Converting-providence you have a promise Acts 3. last Acts 26 18. Secondly For His Protecting-providence you have a promise Job 5.19 Psal 125.1 Thirdly For His Providing-providence Psal 34.10 The Lyons shall lack and suffer hunger c. Psal 37.19 Fourthly For His Directing-providence Prov. 3.6 Psal 32.8 Fifthly For His Assisting-providence 2 Cor. 12.9 Sixthly For His Correcting-providence Psal 89.31 Revel 3.19 Seventhly For His Supporting-providence 1 Cor. 10.13 Eighthly For His Refreshing-providence Jer. 3.12 Hosea 6.1 Lastly For His teaching us to profit by all these Providences Isaiah 48.17 I am the Lord that teacheth thee to profit Isaiah 27.9 This shall be the fruit the taking away of their sin To act faith in all these promises and communicate your experiences to others and tell them what God hath done for you and his as they give us an Example in Psal 44.1.23 And thus of the Works of God Sixthly Rules how to carry our selves under prosperous and adverse glad and sad Providences Personal Family National 1. Under prosperous and glad Providences 1. Take heed of concluding the special love and favour of God to you because of your prosperous condition in the World for no man can know love or hatred by these outward things Eccles 9.1 The wicked have usually the most of them Job 21. Psal 73. Because it is their portion in this life Psal 17. end And yet such is the deceit of Men's hearts as the most fetch the Evidences of God's love to them from their prosperity in this World from the abundance of these outward good things which they enjoy as health wealth honour birth beauty gifts parts knowledge utterance and the esteem they have in the World above others and that amongst the wise and the godly whereas men may enjoy all these and yet want the special love of God special I say not God's general love for you are to maâ—k well there is a double love of God general and special 1. General to all Men of which you may read Mark 10.21 Jesus beholding loved him saith the Text of the young Man 2. There is God's special love to his Elect of which you may read 2 Thes 2.16 John 13. Now God's general and common love is manifested in bestowing on Men these outward temporal good things as on the young Man that came to Christ to know what he must do to inherit Eternal Life But for His special love that is manifested in giving Spiritual blessings as Christ and his Spirit and Grace Faith Repentance Love c. His Fatherly Correction and Chastisements Heb. 12.6 And therefore take heed of concluding the special love of God because of your prosperous condition without an interest in Christ and a work of grace 2. Watch against those Evils prosperity usually leads men into as these 1. Forgetfulness of God Deut. 6.12 Psal 106.7.20 so as to depart from the living God Deut. 32.15 and deny him Job 21.15 And as of God so of the afflictions of Joseph Amos 6.6 7. And as of God and of others so of themselves their own latter end Lament 1.9 Jerusalem remembred not her latter end therefore she came down wonderfully Secondly Pride and disdain of others that come short of their measure as Psal 73.4 5 6. Psal 10.4 1 Tim. 6.17 It 's hard to keep a low Sayle under a high condition Men's blood and their Estates usually rise and fall together Thirdly Sensuality and voluptuousness as in the rich Fool Luk. 12.19 Fourthly Security and fearlessness of Judgment Jos 28.19 Math. 24.38 39. Fifthly Neglect and contempt of God's Word and Worship Jer. 22.23 I spake to thee in thy prosperity and thou saidst I will not hear 3. You are to take notice of and make conscience of those duties which God calls you unto in and by your prosperity as these 1. To eye God in all as Jacob did Gen. 31.9 When he was about to leave his Uncle Laban he told his Wives God had taken away his Father's Cattle and given them to him And after when he met with his Brother Esau and found favour in his sight he said I have seen thy face as the face of God Take what is brought thee because the Lord hath dealt graciously with me Gen. 32.10 11. A great Cardinal writing down in his Diary what such a Lord and such a Prince and such a Pope had done for him but not a word of God one reading it said This Man remembred his friends but forgot God And so still do too many but take heed of it it is the next way to have God strip you of all 2. To walk humbly under your prosperity and the abundance of these outward good things being unworthy of and less than the least of God's mercies As our sins are greater than the greatest of God's Judgments Ezra 9 13. so our duties less than the least of God's mercies 3 To live still thankfully for his distinguishing goodness to you and when you find the sweet of any mercy remember still to give him his glory still to bless the Lord that takes pleasure in his People and delights to see his Servants prosper Psal 35.27 Deut. 8.19.26.5 4. To serve the Lord the more cheerfully for the abundance of all his goodness as having thereby more leisure from worldly imployments to attend on the service of
2 Cor. 12.9 10. 2 Tim. 4.16 17. And thus also should we did we but look up to him for it for his promise is if we acknowledge him in all he will order all for us Prov. 3.6 If we cast our care on him he will take the care of us 1 Pet. 5. If we commit our thoughts and ways to him he will establish us Prov. 16. Psal 37. and by the experience we have of his presence with us and assistance of us we shall be enabled to live by faith in him for the future Isaiah 40.29 Sixthly Meditate on his Correcting-providence how that of very faithfulness it is he hath corrected you if he had not you had gone on still in such and such evil courses and the neglect of such and such duties but blessed be God you now can say with David It 's good for you that you have been so afflicted for you have learnt thereby to keep God's Statutes If you had not been so afflicted you should have been as vain and proud earthly and covetous Sensual and Voluptuous as others and therefore not to repine at the Rod but bless God for it for the truth is as one well The best of us are but like a Boy 's Top that will go no longer than 't is whipt too many will not mend their pace and run the ways of God's Commandment without a Rod and therefore to hearken to that Counsel of the Apostle Heb. 12.5 6. My Son despise not the Chastisement of the Lord c. Seventhly To take notice of and meditate on his Supporting-providence under the Rod how that as God of his faithfulness hath corrected us so of the same faithfulness he hath not taken away his loving-kindness though we have not been without correction yet we have found much compassion have had abundant experience of his supporting-grace under such and such pains fears troubles temptations and corruptions he hath not layn more on us than he hath given us strength to bear he hath corrected us in much measure and mercy and hath been our strength in I and our Salvation out of all Psal 34. Eighthly To take notice and meditate on his Refreshing and Reviving-providence How hath the Lord remember'd and made good his promise to you from time to time as that Isaiah 57. of not contending for ever and that Psal 111.7 of remembring you in your low estate and that of Job listing you up after he had cast you down and that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 1. making your consolations to abound as your sufferings have done Hath not the Lord heard and answered your Prayers for your selves and others and comforted you for the time he hath afflicted you and therefore in all and for all to bless him and live still by saith in him as David did Psal 31. from the first to the 10. Vers and Moses Deut. 6.18 19. and Deut. 10.10 and Hannah 1 Sam. 1.27 And that you may still find supporting mercy under and refreshing and reviving mercy out of all your afflictions To meditate on the many sweet gracious and holy ends God aims at in all your afflictions as First in respect of God you are so afflicted that he might give you more experience of himself in his greatness and his goodness in his sin-revenging Justice and in his grace-rewarding Mercy 2 Chron. 33.13 then Manasseth knew God to be the Lord he knew it before but then by experience that God was able to humble the proudest sinner Secondly In respect of Christ we are so afflicted that we may be made conformable to our Head Rom. 8.29 who was consecrated through affliction Heb. 2.10 and that we might have the fruit of his purchase In 1 Cor. 3 21. you may find Death it self the chief of all afflictions is reckon'd up amongst those Goods and Chattels he hath purchased and if Death be yours then certainly every other Affliction is yours and for your good 2 Cor. 2.11 2. In respect of Satan First That we may have the more experience of his Wiles and Secondly That we may prove him a Lyar as Job did in the first and second Chapter and Thirdly That being sensible of our own weakness we may be made to flie to our Captain for wisdom to discover it and strength to resist him and hereby be assur'd of Victory over him in the end that he will in due time tread Satan under our Feet Rom. 16. Fourthly In respect of the World we are so afflicted First That it may be an Evidence to us that he hath chosen us out of the World Joh. 15.19 Secondly That hereby he might wean us from the World considering the vanity uncertainty insufficiency and unâ—atisfactoriness of all Creature-comforts Fifthly In respect of others in the World we are so afflicted First That God may distinguish us from them whose Portion is only in this life Psal 17. at the end Mal. 3. last Secondly That he may teach us to sympathize with others in their afflictions whom we are apt to forget until we pass under the same or the like affliction Amos 6. beginning Sixthly In respect of our selves our corruptions our graces our duties our comforts First Our sins that he may discover some humble us under others purge out others and prevent others Deut. 8.11 Secondly In respect of our graces that he may try them and discover them exercise them and establish them 1 Pet. 1.6 7. Thirdly Our duties that we may be more minded of them made more forward to fervent frequent and constant in them Isaiah 26.16 Hosea 6.4 7 8. Fourthly Our comfort that as our sufferings abound so our consolations may by Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 1. Ninthly To take notice of and meditate on the Use you and the People of God have made of those providences First Search and see What benefit you have reaped by them remember at such a time God corrected you with such a great affliction a long sickness at such a time gave you great success in your affairs distinguished you from many Persons and Families in your enjoyments Hath these distinguishing providences distinguished you in your thankfulness serviceableness and fruitfulness Have you been more humbled purged spiritualiz'd and Heavenliz'd by them then they are sanctified and in mercy to you otherwise not if you be not better'd by them but the worse for them more proud and wanton forgetful of God and others that want them as God hath distinguished you in his Mercies so he will at last in his Punishments Secondly See whether you have been quickned by them to bring more glory to God in the Place he hath set you God hath done this and that for you above others Ask your own hearts what you have done for Him above others Hannah after many Prayers and Tears obtain'd a Child from the Lord she in token of thankfulness gave him back again to the Lord 1 Sam. 1.27 Have you done likewise God hath given you health and strength and wealth gifts and graces above
expresly required 1 Cor. 11.28 Let a man examine himself and so let him eat c. Because otherwise without grace it will be a Seal to a Blank Secondly To stir up and exercise those graces before you come 2 Tim. 1.6 Otherwise you will receive unworthily as the Corinthians did because they did not renew their repentance before they came 1 Cor. 11.30 31. Thirdly To draw nigh to God in it to those ends he instituted it and appointed it as the commemorating of Christ's love in dying for us the expressing of our thankfulness the strengthning of our faith the weakning of our corruptions and the getting of more grace to walk with God and work for God and live to God Secondly In the time of Receiving First To fix your eyes on the Sacramental actions in and about the Elements Secondly To meditate seriously on those things signified by every action about them Thirdly To get your hearts affected with godly sorrow for your sins which were the principals in the death and sufferings of the Lord Jesus and a spiritual rejoycing in his love that was content to die that we might live and to be made a curse that we might have a blessing through him Fourthly To pray unto the Lord that he would bless his Ordinance unto you to all those holy ends he did appoint it and you receive it viz. the Mortification of your lusts the Vivification of your graces your perfect Justification further Sanctification and future Salvation by Jesus Christ Thirdly After the Sacrament to make Conscience of an answerable carriage in the observance of all those religious duties requir'd of you in publick and private as First Thankfulness for Jesus Christ given to you and for you for his instituting this Ordinance to put you and keep you in remembrance of him the liberty and opportunity you have had to partake in it Secondly Examination what benefit we have sound by being at the Table of the Lord. Thirdly A careful endeavour to express and hold forth the Virtue and the Efficacy of it in a more humble holy spiritual and heavenly walking and a more faithful cheerful fruitful service of God in our several places The Sixth Duty is Singing of Psalms First Before it to make a wise choice of such Psalms as may be most seasonable and suitable to the present occasion Secondly In singing remember to sing First with understanding Ps 47.7 1 Cor. 14.14 Secondly With the Spirit Vers 15. that is see that our Spirit go a long with our voice because Non vox sed votum c. It 's not so much the voice as the heart God looks to Thirdly With grace in the heart Col. 3.16 that is from an inward gracious frame of heart and with the actings of our graces in singing as faith fear love joy c. Fourthly To sing unto the Lord Eph. 5.19 that is unto the praise and glory of the Lord Psal 101.1 Isai 5.1 Thirdly After singing to set about the service of the Lord with more cheerfulness for the abundance of all his goodness Deut. 28.47 To discourse together also of the matter you have sung and quicken one the other unto duty as you are required Col. 3.16 The Seventh Duty is Religious Fasting First Before it to lay aside all servile work the Night before that you may mind the weighty service of the Day following Secondly To rise earlier on that day than other days having such an occasion of humbling your selves Secondly On the Day of your Fast the duties required of you are either outward or inward First The outward as the forbearing of those things which at other times are lawful and convenient as First All Worldly imployment and labours of our calling Joel 1.14 Levit. 16.29 31. Levit. 23.32 Secondly The use of all Food unless in case of weakness and hazard of our health for God will have Mercy rather than Sacrifice Hosea 6.6 Mat. 12.7 Otherwise there must be an abstinence from all Meat Joel 3.7 Thirdly Costly Apparel and Ornaments Exod. 33.4 5. Jonah 3.6 Fourthly Matrimonial benevolence 1 Cor. 7.5 Joel 2.16 Fifthly All carnal delights and pleasures Joel 2.16 1 Sam. 12.20 Secondly The inward duties are First Fasting from sin Isaiah 58.4 Secondly Humiliation of Soul under sin Joel 2. Thirdly Earnest Supplication for the pardon of sin Joel 3.8 Fourthly Personal reformation or turning from all sin Joel 3.8 Thirdly After Fasting to conclude all with works of mercy Isai 58.6 Secondly Take heed of resting in the Work done remembring the chief part is yet behind viz. the reformation of our ways Thirdly Be careful to make good your Vows and Covenants of more circumspect walking Fifthly To wait upon God for a gracious answer as David did Psal 85. I will hearken what God will speak The Eighth Duty is Religious Feasting or Thanksgiving First Before it to remember and consider It 's the Homage and Rent we owe to him for all he hath and doth for us and which he expresly commands and we promised to him in the times of our troubles and distress fasting and humiliation Psalm 15.15 Psalm 22.25 1 Thes 5.18 Secondly It 's all the return that we can make to him and that which he is pleas'd to accept though his Name be above all thanks-giving Neh. 9.6 Psal 50. last Therefore as we have the sweet of any mercy still remember to give him his glory Thirdly To see that your Persons be fit for it to be godly and righteous Persons Psal 33.1 Ungodly and unrighteous ones are altogether unfit Psal 50.18 Prov. 17.7 Jam. 3.10.11 Fourthly To present all your praises and thanksgiving in the Name of Christ to beg your acceptance of it in and through his Mediation and Worthiness 1 Thes 5.10 Eph. 5.20 Heb. 13.15 Rev. 8.34 Secondly In the time of thanksgiving First To see that it be with the soul and the heart Ps 57.74 and with every faculty of our Souls as our understanding 1 Cor. 14.15 with our Judgment prizing it according to it's worth Psal 31.19 the memory treasuring up God's mercies there to think upon them Psal 103. My Soul forget not all his benefits With our affections especially these two 1. Love Psal 116.1 I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and Joy Psal 33.1 Rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous for it becomes the just to be thankful and Psal 92.4 Secondly As inwardly with the Heart so outwardly with the Tongue Psal 63.7 Psal 66.16 Whence the tongue is call'd our glory because we are to glorifie him with the tongue Psal 108. And to do it with our tongues thus First By acknowledging God is worthy to receive all praise Rev. 5. about the end Secondly By lifting up of God's Name and speaking of those glorious Attributes which shine forth in God's mercies as Revel 11.16 17. Thirdly By telling it to others what God hath done for us and ours Psal 22.22 and Psal 66.16 17. Fourthly By exciting and stirring up others to praise God as