Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	faith_n	teach_v	4,044	5	6.3549	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68718	A key of heaven the Lords Prayer opened, and so applied, that a Christian may learne how to pray, and to procure all things which may make for the glorie of God, and the good of himselfe, and of his neighbour : containing likewise such doctrines of faith and godlines, as may be very usefull to all that desire to live godly in Christ Iesus.	Scudder, Henry, d. 1659?; Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.	1633 (1633)	STC 22122; ESTC S1717	241,855	822

hence we may conclude that wee may stand when we pray but yet cannot conclude that we must stand alwaies when we pray And the like must be understood of all other indifferent actions of his except some true cause come betweene which to us may take away the indifferencie as commandment of the Magistrate or offence of the godly or stumbling blocke to the wicked or the like The necessary actions which he did that came under some commandement were either ceremoniall which concerned him as he was a Iew borne of the Virgin Mary or morall which concerned him as hee was a man made under and subject to the morall Law Gal. 4.4 though not by nature for so he is above all law but by voluntary subjection as in our stead to which also he was designed The ceremoniall actions which he did are not to be followed because he did put an end unto them all Col. 2.14 when he nayled them on the crosse The Morall actions viz. such as obedience to his Parents and love to his neighbour patience in bearing and forgiving injuries c. are all left us for examples 1 Pet. 2 21 that wee should follow his steps Of this sort is his care to instruct his people and familie under his charge All his actions in this kinde are exemplary rules and doe adde a double force to a commandement both shewing what ought to bee done and what is possible to bee done wherefore from his example of teaching his Disciples who were as his familie upon all occasions both publikely and privately as hee had opportunity I conclude Doct. 1 All that have a familie and charge of people belonging unto them must teach them necessarie points of godlinesse such as prayer faith repentance new obedience c. There is a like reason of all as of one The Lord saith of his commandements They shall be in thine heart Deut. 6.6.7 and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children c. The Apostle doth charge fathers to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Eph. 6 4. And masters have the same charge given them over their servants for matters of religion which Parents have over their children for governours are charged to have care of the man-servants and maid-servants as well as of sonnes and daughters Exod. 20.10 The examples of Abraham Iosuah Gen 18.19 Iosh 24.16 Pro. 3● 1 and Bathsheba are recorded in Scripture for their commendation and for the good example of all that be called to the like condition 1 For this is a meanes to convert to confirme Reason 1 Thes 5. 11.14 and to edifie their people in their most holy faith and to propagate and inlarge the Church of God which will bring much glory to his name for it is the honour of a King to have many and those both strong and loyall subjects 2 Their people have need to be taught the grounds of religion and to have them often whetted upon them It will do them more good then meate drinke apparell physicke and all other necessaries of nature by as much as the soule is better then the body and eternall life better then that which is but for a moment in compassion therefore and love unto them they are bound to teach them 3 Sinne is so abhominable and mischievous and is a common enemy that as wee doe with serpents and ravenous beasts every one must smite at it to kill it wheresoever he doth meete it especially when it is poysoning and worrying the lambs of his owne familie 4 Grace and godlinesse is so sweet and amiable and so profitable whersoever it groweth that it were an happinesse if it grew every where more especially if it grew so neare as in the familie 5 True respect to a mans selfe doth binde him to the dutie of instructing and teaching his charge For he is accountable to God and must himselfe answer for the sinnes of his familie as one accessarie if he by instruction and admonition have not reclaimed or restrained them Besides the sinnes of wife children yea of servants also are infectious a master may catch the plague even of his servant Also while the familie remaineth wicked it is a daily vexation to a righteous soul to behold their ignorance and to see their ungodly deeds As were the soules of Isaac and Rebecca with their uninstructed daughters in law Gen. 26.35 the wives of their prophane sonne Esau Gen. 37.46 And as was the soule of David for the deeds of his too much cockered sonnes Ammon Absolon and Adonijah And when guiltines of not teaching them when hee might have done them good shall come daily to remembrance this bringeth bitter griefe indeed Wherefore to avoid these evils every man in verie providence for himselfe should instruct his people Which if he do it will be a good assurance to himselfe of his owne conversion he shall have benefit by their goodnes it will rejoyce his heart to see his children walke in the faith hee shall taste the fruit of his owne grafting in his owne orchard they will pray for him and give good example good advice whereof the strongest Christians have sometimes need his whole house shall be a blessing If his paines take no good effect yet hee shall have peace of conscience and his worke is with the Lord. Lastly parents and governours have advantage above other men by reason of their domesticke authoritie which will cause the inferiours either for feare or love to regard instructions Also their daily presence giveth them often opportunities to instill knowledge by drops according as their narrow capacities will receive they may often whet the same things upon their dull understandings which no other person no not a Minister hath opportunitie to do In all these respects hee that is willing to imitate Christ may see that if hee have people under his charge he must teach them the needful points of religion such as prayer and the rest I have beene large in the proofe of this doctrine because many will not be convinced and few are so convinced as to be perswaded to put it in practise The use followeth Vse 1 This is to convince all which make question whether they stand charged to teach or catechise their children servants They think that if they provide for them maintenance if they teach them good manners and civill behaviour and if they traine them up in some honest trade of life whereby they may live like men another day they have done all that can be required of them But in all this what singular thing do ye Do not the very Pagans and Infidels as much Thou wilt feed and cloathe thy beast If thou wilt teach them manners that they may not shame thee when they converse with men then teach them the manner of praying and good behaviour towards God that when they meet with him and speake to him daily they may not shame thee much

more Is it not a shame to parents when the childe neither knoweth what nor how to speake unto God either for them or for himselfe Doth common reason teach thee to traine them up in some honest trade of life that they may live like men in their age Let grace then teach thee that there is an age wherein if in this life they bee not taught to live godly they shall never shine like men and Angels yea like Christ as all godly men shall in the glorious heavens but when they dye and this age come upon them they must live basely and miserably even as the divels in hell fire for evermore Ob. It belongeth to Ministers to teach and catechise Sol. It doth but not to Ministers onely For though women may not be Ministers Tit. 2.4 yet the aged are commanded to teach the younger to be sober c. And Ministers for the most part lose their labour in publick when governours of families do not before prepare their people and afterwards whet upon thē that in private which they have beene taught in publicke when Ministers and masters have done what they can all is little enough God hath made every governour a steward over his houshold to minister unto them in his place all things needfull know therefore thy office else if thou bee found negligent thy lot is to be cut in sunder and to have thy portion with hipocrites Matth 24.51 where is weeping and gnashing of teeth Vse 2 This is also to reprove those who although they can except nothing against this doctrine yet do altogether or for the most part neglect it Their excuses are either they know not how to teach or have no leisure or they teach them to say their prayers the Pater-noster Creed and ten Commandements what would we have more To the first I answer art thou of yeares to be married and to be a father or a master and doest not know the chiefe points of religion for shame make not this excuse Luk. 12.47 That servant which knew his Lords will and prepared not himselfe neither did according to his will shal be beaten with many stripes To the second thou wilt spare them time to eate and drinke and sleepe and play thou sayest they cannot live else nor hold out in thy worke and thou shouldest bee accounted hard and cruell It is true But if they be not taught the Principles of religion they cannot live the life of grace nor be able to do Gods worke and of the two he is the cruellest master and father which doth starve the soules of his familie and suffer them to dye for lack of knowledge And whereas they say they teach them their prayers I say as good never a whit as never the better when they teach them onely to say them by rote but do not teach them what they meane Besides they teach thē the Creed and ten Commandements for prayers whereas the Creed is a rule of faith and the Commandements a rule of obedience and of those three onely the Lords Prayer is a prayer and the rule of all other prayer It shall be therefore their safest course to acknowledge their negligence and reforme it for excuses will not availe them at the day of reckoning Vse 3 This doctrine doth argue a third sort of governors of most notorious wickednesse who are so farre from teaching their people how to be religious that if they be taught to their hand they unteach them by disgracing of prayer hearing of the word and all other exercises of religion and by deriding of all such as frequent them and if wife and children or servants would learne by repairing unto such meanes as may informe them they do either expresly forbid and threaten them or by subtill allurements withdraw them The Apostle calleth such persons children of the devill enemies of all righteousnesse because they cease not to pervert the right wayes of the Lord. For as Elimas sought to keepe Sergius Paulus Act. 13.10 so do these their people from the faith Our Saviour denounceth wo against them because they shut up the kingdome of heaven against men Mat 23.13 they neither go in themselves nor suffer them that are entring to go in This concerneth all such Ministers Vse 4 which are also masters of families for if the aforementioned faults be found in us as they are too frequent in too many by how much our double calling requireth it more at our hand by so much our sinne is more aggravated and our case more wofull Vse 5 All that are or may be governours are hereby exhorted unto three things First they must charge this duty of teaching their family upon their conscience Secondly they must acquaint themselves with the chiefe Principles of religion else they cannot teach others And it will be a shame unto them when for time and calling men should bee teachers they have need that one teach them againe which be the first Principles of the Oracles of God Heb. 5.12 Thirdly let them in the feare of God take all occasions to teach such as belong unto them setting some time apart to call the familie together for that purpose and if need be use the help of some short familiar Catechisme and at all times as opportunitie serveth be dropping in of knowledge and whetting of some good thing or other upon them Deut. 6.7 as you sit in the house or when you walke by the way when you lie downe and when you rise up In thus doing you shall discharge your dutie to God Motives why governours should teach thei● people to be religious you shall shew true love to your familie love to goodnesse and hatred of sin you shall make proofe of your owne conversion you shall be freed certainly from the infection of their sinne if you bee not from the vexation you shal much increase your knowledge by teaching though you teach but the unlearned For this instructing the familie is a meane to come to the knowledge of those secrets of God of which yet you never heard God will reveale his will to such he cannot hide it as he saith of Abraham Gen. 18.17 19. Shal I hide from Abraham c. why not from Abraham For I know him saith God that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keepe the way of the Lord c. Lastly the teaching of our familie is an excellent meanes to further our owne practise in godlinesse for hee that is privie to himselfe that he knoweth his dutie yea that he hath taught others the same his conscience hereupon will urge him to teach himselfe be it to pray or to heare the word c. Thus the conscience hath a sharper spurre to pricke forward to goodnesse and hath a stronger bit or checke to curbe and restraine from evill then otherwise it could have One halfe of these motives nay any one of them might perswade any that is not

any object Ob. God saith that his house shall bee called the house of prayer to all people Isa 56.7 and the Saints in the old Testament made their private prayers at the Tabernacle and afterwards at the Temple I answer Answ As concerning the Iews it was most true of the material Tēple in which it was lawfull for none but Iews and Prosylites to pray and of them it is literally understood but it was not in that sense called an house of prayer to all people for the converted Act. 21.28 Gentiles were never suffered so much as to come into their materiall Temple at Ierusalem But it is called an house of prayer to them by way of type or shadow Zeph. 2.11 Mal 1.11 because it did typically import that in the Church of Christ as well Gentiles as Iewes the vaile of the Temple being rent should have accesse to God by Christ who was the true Temple and that in all places to pray unto him We must not attribute like holinesse to our Churches which are onely as the Iewes Synagogues as the Iews did to the Sanctuarie and Temple For God had in them placed visible representations of his presence namely the Arke and the Propitiatory or Mercie-seat and had by Moses said Exo. 10.24 that hee would bee present in everie place where he should place his Name wherefore he dwelt in special sort betweene the Cherubims over the Mercie-seat And that place was so holy by reason of the Altar Mercy-seat and other things which typified Christ that no sacrifice was to be offered ordinarily but at the Temple Wherefore it was a place not onely of publicke 2 Chron. 7.15.16 but also of private prayer and that by particular institution Therefore those which could not come to Ierusalem were when they prayed to looke towards the Temple 2 Chron. 6.38 and those that could come to the Temple were to look towards the propitiatorie in the Sanctum sanctorum Psal 28.2 Thereby typifying that they were to looke unto and to looke for Christ Iesus the Messias the true Temple Altar and Propitiatory to come in the tabernacle of his flesh that by him their persons and prayers might be accepted Christ being come in the flesh and the Temple at Ierusalem being demolished God hath not now sanctified any place more than other whereunto he hath tyed his presence in such sort as he did unto the Temple Wherfore we have not in our Churches neither must wee have unlesse we will bee Iewishly-Popish any such permanent signes of Gods presence For God hath made us no such promise of his presence in such signes Mat. 18.10 Mat. 28.20 onely we have his promise of his presence to his ordinances when we are in the act of publicke prayer and in the reading and preaching of the Word and in administring of the Sacraments which speciall presence continueth onely the time of his divine services and when they cease it ceaseth Quest Are we not bound in conscience to fall downe unto our private prayer whensoever we come into a Church There is no commandment of God for it Answ nor yet that I know of any constitution of the Church for it wherefore the conscience is no way bound to it But may we not at all make our private prayers in the Church Quest When the Church is to you as a private place as when you are alone there you may Answ And I doubt not but that you may also when others are there except when the congregation is joyned in publicke worship so be you do it not to be seene of men Mat 6.5 or not out of an opinion of such an holinesse of the place as tyeth Gods more speciall presence unto it even to the materiall fabricke of it without relation to his publicke worship But while the Minister and people are in any part of Gods publicke worship all present both by the lawes of God and by the doctrine and constitutions of our Church should forbeare their private devotions and should be busied onely in quiet attendance to heare marke and understand that which is read preached or ministred ioyning together in that common worship That with one spirit Rom. 15.6 and one mouth they may glorifie God Which thing they are held not to do Hom of the right use of the Church pag. 8. that under any pretence of devotion shall pray privately in the time of any part of common prayer except onely by secret ejaculations Now whether wee should pray in the Church or out of the Church looking rather to the East than to any other quarter the Gospell hath left us free as to pray in all places so to place our bodies as occasion serveth and as will stand with decencie and conveniencie of the action For as in point of Religion it is not now materiall which way Churches do stand so be it they be made fit to receive the congregation so it is no matter to be stood upon which way we turne our selves when wee pray if our hearts be lift up to our Father which is in heaven Ezek. 8.16 to Christ our true propitiatory whom the heavens do and must receive untill the times of the restitution of all things by whom we have accesse to the Father Wee reade of Idolaters that were blamed who worshipped the Sunne with their faces towards the East but we do not reade in Scripture any thing at all from whence we may so much as probably conjecture that wee ought to pray rather towards the East than towards any other quarter of the heavens It is dangerous to place religion and holinesse either in gestures places or any other actions which have not religion put into them by Gods institution albeit they may have a great shew of devotion or may have the authoritie and countenance of ancient tradition For though the things in themselves may be thought to be no great matter yet to put holinesse in them is no small sinne and is of very ill consequence Our Saviour else would not so vehemently have enveighed against the Pharises and Iewes for putting holinesse in washing of hands and cups Mark 7.1 to the 14. and such like things The evils which by little and little have beene bred and nursed hereby are neglect of some or other of Gods commandements also hypocrisie grosse superstition and idolatry as any may observe partly by the practice of the Pharises and partly the rise and growth of Poperie Touching these and the like things in themselves indifferent the Church and supreame authoritie may for order and decencie in Gods publick worship appoint what they judge fittest to which all under their authoritie must submit but observing them still as things in themselves indifferent and without ensnaring the conscience with an opinion of holinesse in them Sixthly the consideration of Gods heavenly majestie and being in heaven may teach us that Whether a man pray with a voyce or without voyce God

Hos 2 9. Whose money or goods was it vvherevvith vvee bought any thing vvas it not Gods And vvho gave us vvit to invent and strength to labour vvas it not that God vvho doth also teach our hands to vvarre and singers to fight 2 Cor. 9.10 Who ministreth seed to the sower and bread for food and doth multiply the seed sowne All these things are of him to whom bee praise and glory for ever Amen Let no man say in his heart Deut. 8.17 my power or might of my hand hath gotten this wealth and let not any ascribe praise for his maintenance unto friends false gods or any other meanes but to the true God lest hee teach them to acknowledge that by his taking away of their wealth vvhich they vvould not acknowledge by his bestowing it upon them For thus hee dealt vvith Israel to vvhom he said She did not know or acknowledge that I gave her corne Hos 2.8.9 and oyle and multiplied her silver and her gold Therefore will I returne and take away my corn in the time thereof saith God and my wine in the season thereof and will recover my wooll and my flaxe given to cover her nakednesse Let us therefore say with David All things are of thee and if vvee give him any thing 1 Chro 29 12.13 vve must say Of thine owne have we given thee Both riches and honour come of thee in thine hand is power and might and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength to all now therefore our God we thank thee and praise thy glorious Name Vs that is our selves and brethren vvhence learne It belongeth to every Christian to desire and procure the bodily welfare of his neighbour Abraham Doct. 4 prayed for Sodome Gen. 18. Psal 35.13 Act. 12.5 David praied for his enemies when they were sicke The Church prayed for Peter vvhen he was in prison This duty is expresly commanded in Iames vvhere he saith Pray one for another Iames 5.14.15.16 The law of charitie doth Reas 1 binde a man to love his neighbour as himselfe therefore hee must pray for him and procure his good as hee vvould his owne They have need as vvell as Reas 2 vve and the supplying of their vvants doth make for Gods glory as vvell as the supplying of our owne Reas 3 We are to hope they are or may be members of the same body of Christ with us in so much that their vvelfare is ours because vve are members one of another Reas 4 A mercifull and conscionable care of our brethren is a true proofe that we our selves are truely religions Iam. 1.27 Vse 1 This confuteth this divellish proverbe in the world which most men follow viz. every man for himselfe This doctrine teacheth that every man must be for his neighbour as for himselfe Vse 2 This likewise condemneth those vvhich vvant bowels and compassion tovvards their brethren vvho never doe lay their sicknesse poverty or imprisonment so to heart as to send forth one hearty prayer unto God in their behalfe While all is vvell with themselves they forget the distressed Amos 6.6 and doe not grieve for the afflictions of Ioseph nay they do afflict them rather 1. Ioh. 3.17 but how dwelleth the love of God in these men For we may well assure our selves that those that will not lend their neighbours a prayer in their need will not give them wherewithall to supply their need There are many so farre from wishing their neighbours welfare that having evill eyes they envie their prosperitie and do seeke their hinderance by pilfering purloyning cheating and oppressing of them desiring if they knew how to bring them to a morsel of bread yea some grow to that height of malice that they do imprecate curse and pray I tremble to name it that a mischiefe and the plague of God or some untimely death may seize upon them yet all these will sometimes in words of prayer say Give us this day our daily bread What horrible impietie is this to say nothing of their unmercifulnesse and injustice They do herein shew themselves to be most abhominable hypocrites and mockers of God When the unmercifull man shall say Lord relieve the poore but will not himselfe give him any reliefe though he have wherewith to give when the envious shall say Lord prosper them yet fret at it when they do prosper when the malicious shall say Give health and at the same time entertaine murtherous purposes against them when the persecutor shall say Lord give them liberty yet plot how to lay them up and keepe them in durance when the unjust man shall pray Lord give them bread house and all other good meanes of life yet at that time intendeth to steale their goods or detaine wages and other dues or to circumvent them by some cunning device or other or by depopulating inclosure and laying downe tillage do bereave them of houses and corne turning them and theirs a grazing for ought they care into the wide world to learne new trades and meanes of living If all this be not palpable hypocrisie manifest mocking of God to his face what is But know that tongue is set on fire of hell Iam. 3.6 which can pray to God for their neighbours in word and yet at other times curse wrong them both in word and deed All ye that do thus abide in death saith 1. Iohn 3.14 and have not eternall life abiding in you ver 15. And if Christ will say to all hypocriticall unmercifull men Mat. 25.41 Go ye cursed into everlasting fire for I was hungrie and ye fed me not where and how shall all hypocriticall unjust persons appeare Vse 3 This should enforce all men to commend the estates of their brethren unto God in prayer And that it may appeare that they are unfained in their requests let them distribute and communicate to them that need giving more or lesse according as God hath made thē able and as their brethrens necessities do require If they hunger feed them if naked clothe them if in debt give and lend unto them if in prison visit them we must do good to all especially to the houshold of faith Gal. 6 10. It must be done with our own goods Pro. 5.17 Gal. 6 9. it must be done in season while wee live and have wherewithal and while it may do them good In giving be liberall 2. Cor. 9.7 also chearfull and constant Let us remember them that be in bonds Heb. 13.3 as if we were bound with them and them th●t suffer adversitie as if we were in their case If we joyne alm●● with prayers Heb. 13.16 they are excellent sacrifices well pleasing unto God Humanitie and Christianitie both do call for mercie at our hands yea spirituall selfe-love for we do our selves good in relieving our brethren Is not the hand a gainer when it hath made hosen for the legges and shooes for the

keepe a good conscience holding it cause sufficient why they should speake evill of them and persecute them because they runne not with them to the same excesse of riot 1 Pet. 4.4 5. which persons not only do evill themselves but desire that others may be as bad as themselves and doe delight in those which are most wicked Doth not God say that these shall give an account to him who is ready to judge the quick and the dead to which judgement if by no meanes they will bee reclaimed I doe leave them Vse 2 Whosoever would approve himselfe a lover of God of grace of his country of his neighbour and of himselfe and would approve himselfe to bee an hater of sin and would prove that he is an unfained Christian that hee is no hypocrite when he maketh this petition then let him bee earnest with God in hearty prayer that hee would sanctifie and give grace with the encrease thereof daily unto all his neighbours and brethren Also as God giveth unto any man a calling either by vertue of his place of authority or by that familiarity and speciall interest he may have in his neighbour or by any other good opportunity let him exhort admonish 1 Thes 5.11.14 and encourage his neighbour that hee may come out and keep out of the wayes of evill and may enter in and walk on in the wayes of godlinesse For whatsoever we must pray for we must do what in us lieth to procure it Wherefore except our neighbours shew themselves swine Mat. 7.6 by open and often trampling these pearles under their feet and except they shew themselves dogs by snarling at us and flying in our faces wee must never neglect this office of exhorting and instructing one another And let this bee remembred that even then when without breach of charity wee may count them as swine and dogs yet wee must never give over praying for them David did fast and pray for his enemies hee shed rivers of waters because men kept not Gods Law Ps 119.136 Samuel professeth 1 Sa. 12.23 hee will never cease to pray for Israel Ieremiah speaking of Gods judgements coming towards the Iewes saith But if ye will not heare it my soule shall mourne in secret for your pride Ier. 13.17 If a man shall first reforme his owne wayes by pulling the beame out of his owne eye Mat 7.5 if he be wise to observe the fit times and places wherein he doth admonish if when he doth endevour to restore his brother he do it with the spirit of meeknesse Gal. 6 1● hee may boldly and with hope of good successe instruct his neighbors If this duty were thus performed oh how should one neighbour enrich another with these holy pearles and there would not bee the thousandth part of that sinne committed that now is if every man would in wisedome and love be his neighbours remembrancer Set upon this duty therefore I confesse it is a thanklesse office amongst most men but it is most profitable to men and most praiseworthy with God and whatsoever effect it take with men thy work is with God and thou shalt shine in the end as a starre in the firmament Do Christians pray one for another Vse 3 that they may not be led into temptation but delivered from evill why then should any Christians discourage themselves because they cannot pray so earnestly aga nst the temptaons of sinne and Satan nor yet can resist them as they would Bee of good comfort notwithstanding onely persevere and never give over to pray and resist according to thy power for you must consider you have the benefit of other mens prayers yea of the prayer of Christ who did not only pray that Peters faith should not faile him when Satan should sift him but hee prayed that his Father would keepe from evill not only those which did then beleeve but those also which should beleeve Ioh. 17.15.20 of which number you are Vse 4 If it bee a Christian duty to desire and use all good meanes to preserve a neighbour from sinne then it is an unchristian part in any that shall take it ill when his neighbour doth exhort and admonish him which is the manner of most men who as if it were not fault enough to refuse good counsell returne him evill for his good giving him scornfull language saying Who made thee ruler over mee Looke to your owne selfe Exod 2.14 you shall not answer for me Who made you a controller You may meddle with your owne matters you take too much upon you and such like But know ye O ignorant unthankfull and foolish men God hath made every one a controller of another if to instruct and to admonish in love be to be a controller and tell me if the same man should acquaint you with your enemies purpose of taking away your life and should disswade you from going that way in which he lay in waite to kill you or should offer you his cōpany to assist you if he should tell you of your bodily disease and withall give you wherewith to cure you or should help quench the fire that is begun upon your house if he should but helpe your beast out of the ditch Exod. 23.45 or should but untangle your sheep caught in the brambles would you answer him with What is that to you or I need none of your helpe or Who sent for you or Who gave you authoritie to meddle with me or mine I presume you would not but meere common sense and civilitie would move you to hold these proffers to have proceeded from good neighbourhood and therefore you will accept his good will you will thanke him and will requite him with the like kindnesse if he need Grace and religion should teach you that Christian good counsel is a better fruit of Christian brotherhood and is a certaine evidence of a better love to you by as much as your soules are to be preferred before your body and your goodnesse before your goods He is a miserable foolish man who is wise in all things except in the case of his soule Let all men therefore be as readie to suffer wholesome words of instruction and admonition as any shall be willing to offer them It is their love to performe it but it shall be your benefit to accept and follow it Be of Davids minde he saith Psal 141.5 Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindnesse and let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oyle which shall not breake my head And let us when any Abigal shall disswade us from sinne 1. Sam. 25.32 33. do as David did Blesse God first for sending them then blesse the advice and follow it and forget not in the last place to blesse the persons which advise us and labour to keepe us from sinning against God Whosoever shall receive instruction in this sort shall never want good counsellers nor good counsell nor