Or Falseness and Hypocrisie In truth no better than profane Madness in real mocking God with a meer outside all this while Or Thy abominable Lukewarmness towards God and Religion but adhesion to the World and to the Pleasures of Sin Those numberless neglects which thou hast been guilty of neglects of Prayer of Self-Examination of Repentance c. Those bold Transgressions In thine Iniquity perhaps more than one c. 3. Petitioning for A serious composed thinking mind Wisdom to consider thy latter end For 4 hearty persuasion of the Being and clearer Conceptions of the Nature of God so that thou may'st together fear him and love him with all thine heart Truth in the inward parts For a sense of true Goods and zeal for them Contempt of the World and all worldly Happiness a deep concernment for thy Duty Impartiality and Diligence therein The perpetual Guard of God's Grace and other things as God shall move thy heart Lastly Resolve by God's help to give thy self to be religious in good Earnest To personate Godliness and to double no more And particularly 1. To give out every day some small part of time to Religious Duties at least to Thought and Prayer in secret This by God's Grace will have a happy effect 2. When thou prayest or when thou hearest or readest c. to keep thy mind close to what thou art about at least to endeavour such attention and servour what thou can'st 3. To submit to Christ and treasure up whatsoever Light and Evidence thou receivest 4. To get serious and religious people about thee or to affect the Company of such And other like helps as God shall direct thee CHAP. III. The Second Duty advised to Making our Peace with God § 1. Seriousness in Religion puts a man immediately upon making his Peace with God § 2. Peace or Reconciliation with God in what sence soever taken effected by Repentance and Faith § 3. The proper Notions of Repentance and Faith both in common Language and Scripture § 4. In Scripture they are often put so as to comprise one another § 5. Yet is the joint Practice of both of them absolutely necessary to make our peace with God § 6. Four Steps to a penitent State § 7. The first of them a sight and sense of our own Guilt called by some Conviction of Sin § 8. The second Contrition The way to work it § 9. The third Confession to God What it is § 10. Confession to Man when necessary § 11. The fourth Forsaking Sin Two Branches thereof § 12. The Necessity of both § 13. The Method of effecting both § 14. Of Faith as more particularly concerned in making our Peace with God § 15. Of Prayer in this Case § 16. Of subsequent Care and Endeavours and of the Lord's Supper as the best Seal § 1. IT was good Counsel though given by one who had more need himself to have taken it than he to whom he gave it Acquaint now thy self with God and be at Peace thereby good shall come unto thee Job 22. 21. And whosoever is once serious in Religion as before urged will very tenderly feel himself concern'd to endeavour such Acquainting himself with God as may be a Method of Peace with him nay he will not be at ease with himself he will scarce give Sleep to his Eyes or Slumber to his Eye-lids till he has made some advance towards God for Mercy and so for Peace Supposing any Man now first to grow serious and so never yet to have been reconciled to God the sense of a vast load of Guilt will soon oppress and almost sink his Soul of no less a load than the whole Mass and Body of all his Omissions and Commissions ever since he came to any memory of his Actions not one of all pardoned for not one of all repented of So that he will be crying out with David Psal 69. 1 2. Save me O God for the waters are come in unto my Soul I sink in deep Mire where there is no standing I am come into deep waters where the floods overflow me This will put him upon instant endeavours of Peace and Reconciliation § 2. Now there is say some a double Reconciliation of our selves to God a Reconciliation of the Person to him and a Reconciliation of the Heart and Nature a distinction if at all proper yet most certainly of such things as cannot be separated For without this latter namely the Reconciliation of the Mind at least begun and in a good measure accomplish'd the person can never be reconciled For if the Mind can never be separated from the Man then cannot the person be reconciled except the Mind be so also But let there be as much in the distinction as there can to effect both these kinds of Reconciliation we are to set out and proceed the same way The Practice of Repentance from dead works in its full Latitude and of Faith in Christ Jesus effects both § 3. There are scarce any two Names in the World more frequently in the Mouths of Christians than these two Repentance and Faith and there are perhaps no Duties of like importance less understood For both of them being in several places of Scripture used in several and very different Sences many plain persons are confounded in their Notions or in the understanding of them To make all then as distinct and plain as I am able The Word Repent or Repentance according to its proper import in usual Speech is no more than to be sorry for something which we have done amiss that is which we apprehend done to our own or others harm disgrace or prejudice some way or other which therefore we from our hearts wish undone and would call back or undo were it possible for us And Faith also properly signifies only Belief that is assenting or agreeing to any thing as true This is the natural and full import of both these Words in common Language But in Holy Scripture and with Divines though they retain this their general Notion yet because they are for the most part applied each of them to its certain proper Object as Repentance to Sin called by the Holy Ghost Dead Works and Faith to the Doctrine of the Gospel and so to God and Christ its Authors they receive from thence a determinate and restrained sence and signifie certain Christian Vertues which are partly Gifts of God that is wrought in us by his Grace or by a supernatural Power partly also our Duties because they are at least in the first beginnings of them such Acts which God requires of us and by the Means and Aids which he has provided and affords us has made and makes in our powers to exert or practise and in the progress growth or ripeness of them Habits attained by these former Acts to which he by his Grace hath excited and enabled us Repentance then as it is an Act of Christian Duty is an endeavour of forsaking Sin and of leading
way of handling the Case put which in this polite Age may to many seem mean yea even contempible But the Author hopes his Readers will be so prudent or favourable as to remember The Subject Matter here treated is to be understood by the meanest and plainest people and therefore to be made as plain as may be The Study of such Plainness has many times occasioned more variety and even Baldness of Expressions for the same thing than would have been otherwise pardonable which varied Expressions are sometimes put in Parentheses sometimes brought in by That is or otherwise And if the Authors Intention herein be understood it will appear this way of Explanation of a harder Word or Form of Speech by an easier is several ways useful and so to the generality of People far above Contempt Instances hereof the Judicious Reader may observe almost in every Page But to assign a few Pag. 26. the Term To redeem all time possible is used Now what the Author's meaning in that Phrase is every poor plain Man or Woman may not perhaps understand therefore in a Parenthesis it follows that is to make use of all Opportunities and Advantages thou hast to prepare thy self for the other World Thus it is plain to all what the Author there meant by redeeming of Time Again p. 22. lin 11. Meditate that is think and consider Meditation is nothing but Thought and Consideration Sometimes again the Particle Or is used to the same purpose as That is So p. 47. Decalogue or Ten Commandments It is almost impossible to write as our Language now stands but now and then a hard or uncertain and dark Expression must drop But such Explication or ascertaining it as I have used I hope makes amends for those Mishaps and more needs not be said on this Point A Word or Two may be needful to be added touching the seeming Meanness or even Baseness of divers Materials and Observations which go to the making up this Piece As to which Point no more shall be said but that it is to be considered sundry things herein are writ even for the meanest poorest People that live for such the Author has had occasion to converse with and such he is not ashamed to own that he many times visits People who live upon their daily Labours nay possibly upon Alms. These poor Creatures have Souls to save as precious in the Sight of God as Rich Mens and therefore are to be exhorted and encouraged to such good Works as are incident to their Condition or as they are capable of They are also to be spoken to in Language befitting their Capacities and Circumstances Now to such as these it is plain the Author had an Eye as in other places so especially in pag. 162 163 c. Let all Peoples Needs be considered and each sort take their Share and perhaps little will be found contemptible or such which might have been spared And thus much as to this First Part. The Second Part fitted to Persons of more Proficiency and who have leisure and possibly a Prospect of more time before them than some miserable Creatures that may be concerned in this First Part is as good as finish'd and shall God willing be publish'd as this finds Acceptance with Serious and Devout Christians From such the Author hopes he may gain some Intimations both how he may amend this Part and make the other more compleat And the number of such Souls may the God of all Grace daily encrease and both perfect all that are such already and preserve them to his Heavenly Kingdom Good Reader make the same Prayer for thy true Well wisher the Author ER. ERRATA PAge 10. Line 6. read Conscience p. 14. l. 19. blot out they p. 23. l. 21. r. thee in the Knowledge of p. 30. l. 1. r. some others p. 31. l. 17. r. in Persons of riper Years p. 51. l. 2. r. fix p. 61. l. 20. r. First Stage p. 69. l. 7. r. submit to Truth p. 80. l. 4. r. we meet with p. 125. l. 11. r. Grace p. 174. l. 2. r. resigning then p. 175 l. 25. r. plodding Escapes of some false Points and Accents are waved as less material The CONTENTS of the several Chapters and Sections of the First Part. Quest. WHat Course people should take to be ready for Heaven Or which is much the same to be always prepared for Death and Judgment CHAP I. § 1. To be ready for Heaven and to be always prepared for Death and Judgment are the same § 2. Yet this Question contains two Questions in it § 3. This Question no where expresly out or closely resolved in Scripture and some probable Reasons why § 4. But Preparation or being always ready for our Lord 's Coming frequently enjoined and its Nature set forth at large throughout the whole Scripture § 5. The Design of this Treatise and General Branches of the Preparation necessary § 6. The work of this preparation must not end but with our lives yet is to be begun as early as may be Matter and a Method for Devotions suitable to the First Chapter CHAP. II. The first Duty advised to Religion in good Earnest § 1. The first rank of people to be prepared for Death and Judgment such who are perfectly to begin § 2. Provision for removing the Scruples of some § 3. What Death and Judgment are § 4. What generally makes Men afraid unwilling and unfit to die § 5. Such Practices as will answer the three Intentions proposed will be all the preparation necessary for persons within this Period § 6. The first Duty to be practised giving the mind to Religion in good earnest § 7. This much wanting in the generality § 8. What is the meaning of giving a Man's mind to Religion § 9. Vsing ones self to think a proper means to make the mind serious in Religion § 10. A particular Train of Thoughts to this purpose § 11. The whole Evidence summed up and this Head concluded Matter and a Method for Devotion suitable to the Second Chapter CHAP. III. The second Duty advised to making our Peace with God § 1. SEriousness in Religion puts a Man immediately upon making his Peace with God § 2. Peace or Reconciliation with God in what sence soever taken effected by Repentance and Faith § 3. The proper notions of Repentance and Faith both in Common Language and Scripture § 4. In Scripture they are often put so as to comprize one another § 5. Yet is the joint practice of both of them absolutely necessary to make our Peace with God § 6. Four steps to a penitent State § 7. The first of them a sight and sense of our own guilt called by some conviction of Sin § 8. The Second Contrition the way to work it § 9. The third Confession to God What it is § 10. Confession to Man When necessary § 11. The fourth forsaking Sin Two Branches thereof § 12. The necessity of both § 13. The
a new Life or a Change of Manners for the better it is a sorrow consisting not so much in grief or transient Affection though there is many times that too in it as of setled Dissent and Dislike and so of real Action it is setting the Heart against Sin and because it is impossible for us to undo the Ill we have done a taking care we sin no more whether by doing what we ought not or the neglecting what we ought to do and as it is an Habit or State it is a changed Heart and Life For by frequent and constant endeavour of a new Life the very frame and temper of our Hearts will be changed and that changed Frame and Temper will have a constant influence upon our Actions and so our Life will be changed Thus as to the nature of Repentance Now as to Faith The most general Act of Christian Duty so called is the Soul 's agreeing or yielding that the Gospel or the way to Heaven which Christ Jesus and his Apostles taught is true It presupposes therefore the understanding of that Doctrine or Way Now the particular Acts of it are as various as the Parts of the Gospel And though with many People Use hath obtained that a Belief of the Promises and indeed of one part of them of the promised Blessing without the respect due to the other part the Condition of that Blessing and so a trust in God through Christ is esteemed the great Act of Faith yet is the assenting or agreeing to whatsoever is affirmed in the Gospel as that Christ died rose again now sits in Heaven shall come to judge the World c. as much or more properly an Act of true Christian Faith as such Trust or Affiance which in strictness is a distinct Christian Vertue grounded in Faith In like manner also is the receiving this dreadful Threat He that believeth and so repenteth not shall be damned a true Act of Faith yet not of Trust And to conclude the Belief of all the Commands in the Gospel not only that they came from God are reasonable and fit for us to observe but that they are an effectual and certain way to everlasting happiness so that whosoever yields the obedience of Faith shall be saved is as much an Act a necessary Act of Christian Faith as any of the rest And the Habit of Faith is nothing else but a rooted perswasion of all these the several parts of the Gospel by which the Soul is ready as occasion offers to exert any of these Acts Thus as to the Nature of Repentance and Faith when they signifie or are taken for Christian Vertues or Graces And yet even when thus taken in Scripture though they are not always even in Scripture it self taken for Christian Vertues yet I say when thus taken they are each of them used in a very different extent § 4. Sometimes in a very ample and large sence Synecdochically as we speak are they put not only for themselves but what accompanies them And thus the Scripture seems to make one while Repentance one while Faith the whole Condition of the Covenant of Grace or to put one of them for all that we on our part are by that Covenant bound to do in order to our acceptance with God or to the pardon of our Sin and Salvation Thus not only when St. John the Baptist and the Apostles but when Christ himself first went out to preach the Kingdom of Heaven or teach people the way thither the Sum of their Doctrine is recorded to have been Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Mat. 3. 2. and 4. 17. Mark 6. 12. No doubt both our Lord and his Apostles preached Faith as well as Repentance all along and St. Mark in the beginning of his Gospel expresly brings in our Lord so preaching ch 1. 14 15. Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and saying The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand repent ye and believe the Gospel Yet in the other places Repentance is put alone but with an intent no question that people should understand therewith its necessary Concomitant and Companion Faith And thus when our Lord instructs the Apostles in what they were to preach he tells them It behooved that he should suffer and rise again and that Repentance and Remission of Sin should be preached in his name among all Nations Luke ult 47. And as pursuant hereto St. Peter when he preaches to those who were pricked in their heart by the sense of their guilt in crucifying the Lord of Life who therefore had as much need of Faith in the blood of Jesus for Remission as any could have When he preaches I say to them what they should do to obtain Pardon he requires in express terms only Repent and be Baptized Acts 2. 38. and chap. 3. 10. to others of the same Nation and under the same guilt Repent ye and be converted In this last place indeed Repentance is more explained than before but yet no mention made of Faith in any of these places where yet the Design was to set down the Condition on which Sin might be pardoned which as will be soon evident is Faith as well as Repentance Again in other places me meet with mention of Faith or believing alone without any mention of Repentance Thus in the promise annex'd to the Apostle's Commission for preaching the Gospel Mark 16. 16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned And when St. Paul teacheth the poor humble Jailor what he should do to be saved all he gives in Instruction is only Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved and thine House Acts 16. 31. Here we see believing or Faith alone without any mention of Repentance has Salvation promised to it as if a Man were to do nothing to be saved but believe the Gospel Nay St. Paul in his Epistles seems to go beyond what is asserted in any of these places concluding from due Premises Rom. 3. 28. Therefore a Man is justified by Faith without the Deeds of the Law That is without a Jewish Mosaical Righteousness And the same he says in other places The Reason hereof undoubtedly is for that sincere believing the Gospel or Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ doth most certainly involve or carry with it Repentance He that receives from his heart that Doctrine or believes that way to Heaven which our Lord Christ taught will seek Heaven by Repentance or breaking off his Sin Else it is plain he believes not what Christ preached at the very first Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand And if he truly and Christianly repent it is plain he believes in Christ for he takes that very way to Salvation to which Faith in Christ directs him § 5. Yet at another time when the Holy Ghost speaks more at large distinctly and expresly both Repentance and Faith are
St. Paul who at other times argues so earnestly for Justification by Faith as to some seems alone though that phrase or way of speaking be no where found in Scripture St. Paul I say as if cautioning us against any licentious inferences from that Doctrine expresly tells us In Christ Jesus nothing avails but a new Creature Gal. 6. 15. which he calls chap. 5. 6. Faith working by Love and explains his sence of both 1 Cor. 7. 19. to be keeping the Commandments of God In short no other is the scope of the whole Gospel and to this effect run all the promises or assurances God any where gives us of peace with him For there is no peace saith my God to the wicked Isai 57. ult Thus as to Promises and Commands to this purpose And as to matter of Fact that is perfectly agreeable hereto It is very observable to this purpose what is recorded of the body of the Jewish Nation of old Judg. 10. 10. the Children of Israel having again and again done evil in the sight of the Lord he sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the Children of Ammon and they vexed and oppressed them eighteen Years In this time the Children of Israel cryed unto the Lord saying we have sinned against thee both because we have forsaken our God and also served Baalim They cryed that is prayed earnestly and as follows confest particularly 1 Their Neglects and Omissions We have forsaken our God 2 Their Commissions We have served Baalim To this their Confession and Humiliation what answer does God return ver 11. c. And the Lord said unto the Children of Israel did not I deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites from the Children of Ammon and from the Philistines The Zidonians also and the Amalekites and the Moabites did oppress you and ye cryed to me and I delivered you out of their hand Yet ye have forsaken me and served other Gods Wherefore I will deliver you no more Go and cry unto the Gods which ye have chosen let them deliver you in the time of your Tribulation A sad answer to the prayer as would seem of a Penitent as well as distressed Nation But alas they were not yet penitent Well they begin again to better effect ver 15. And the Children of Israel said unto the Lord we have sinned do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee deliver us only we pray thee this day And they put away their strange Gods from among them and served the Lord Aye now they repent in good earnest for their Reformation is proportionable to their back sliding They had served Baalim that is several Heathen Gods or Idols as they confessed ver 10. Now therefore they put away their strange Gods plurally as many as they had served They had forsaken their God now therefore they serve the Lord in the Original Jehovah their and the only true God This practice God immediately adjudges real Repentance and accordingly deals with them And his Soul was grieved for the misery of Israel and accordingly he forthwith sends them a deliverer Answerably to this pattern must we model our Repentance reforming actually according to all the instances wherein we have sinned if we desire our Repentance as theirs did should make our peace with God Like Repentance will have like success that is will reconcile God to us but if we stop as at first they did at less than half way we shall be sent away as they were and left till we make through work under the Divine dispeasure Thus we see the necessity of both these Branches of forsaking Sin § 13. Now as to the Method of doing it or the way of proceeding and the several acts by which we may break off our sinful course for God knows this Change is a longer work than to be done ordinarily at one act or in an instant this hath two parts The first consisting of such Gradual Acts as may be done for the present and in one or some few Days The second of such as require longer time and must be of great continuance The former sort I conceive it best so to divide or branch forth as to make thereof three particulars 1. A general Resolution from the bottom of our hearts touching intire amendment or reforming our selves in all we now see or shall at any time hereafter discover sinful in us 2. A Consultation or due considering with our selves how we may effect such amendment and Reformation and that especially as to such particular cases wherein we find our selves to have been most faulty 3. A particular Resolution or as occasion serves Vow touching the use of those means which we have found properest to amend us and touching such instances of our manners which upon inquiry we have found to have most need of Reformation And all these three must particularly go through both the former Branches As to the First namely a general resolution of amendment and reformation and that extending to all Acts and Habits whether of Omission or Commission in which upon examination we find our selves to have been faulty This was the subject and true import or meaning of holy Barnabas's exhortation to the People of Antioch in his Visit of them Acts 11. 23. He exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. Now by this general Resolution I mean a considerate choice of a steddy mature determination or fixing the Will on impartial Holiness The truth of the Matter is if Men were duly sensible of the state of things and convinced of those unchangeable Laws by which God has resolved to govern and judge the World there needed no long consideration in this Case We have but a short scope for Choice either amendment or eternal Torment Holiness or never expect to see the face of God but as he will be a dreadful Judge to condemn impenitent Sinners to everlasting â—lames and therein to the society of Devils This very thought one would think should quickly awaken people to the choice and purpose we press However that this is a proper Method appears for that such choice and purpose we find expresly avowed by Holy Men that is by true Penitents in their practice in Scripture Psal 119. 30. I have chosen the way of Truth Thy Judgments have I laid before me And ver 57. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have said to keep that is I have determined and resolved with my self to keep thy words And ver 112. I have inclined or bowed down my heart in the old Translation well I have applied my heart to perform thy Statutes always to the end And in Joshua chap. 24. 15. As for me and my House we will serve the Lord. These Precedents abundantly shew how proper a step this Particular which I called a general Resolution of entire amendment is toward actual breaking off the course of sinful Life As to the Second namely due Consideration