David lifted up his hands to God and worshipped Psal 63.4 Jesus lifted up his eyes to Heaven and prayed John 17.1 The reason is because the Bodies of the Saints shall be glorified with God hereafter therfore they are to glorifie him with their Bodies here Rom. 12.1 I beseech you Brethren by the mercies of God present your Bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable to God Secondly Internal worship is a worshipping God with the Spirit as well as the Body it being that God especially calls for John 4.24 Phil. 3.3 And this is sometimes called a fearing of God Deut. 6.13 a loving of God Jam. 2.5 a delighting in God Psal 37.3 and a trusting in God Psal 16.1 Secondly For the Place where he is to be worshipped it is not only in this and that place as ignorant superstitious persons fancy but He is every where to be worshipped and that in the observance of all those religious duties which He requires in publick private and secret Isaiah 2.2 Psal 122.1 Gen. 18.19 Job 1.5 Jer. 10. last Mat. 6.6 Then Thirdly For the Time that he is to be worshipped by us as in all places so at all times as on the Week days by beginning continuing and ending the day with him so especially on his own day the Sabbath-day because although every day be his yet this in a special manner His Psal 18.24 This is the day which the Lord hath made this is the Day which he hath sanctified and set apart wholly for the worship of Himself Isaiah 58. last And as this is the day he made for his own glory so for Man's good the good of his Body and of his Soul The good of his Body that he might not tire out himself in the service of the World but especially the good of his soul that he might by a Sabbath on Earth be minded of and fitted for an everlasting Sabbath in Heaven by communion with God in Ordinances here he might be made to long after that place where he hath promised to be all in all without Ordinances Rev. 21.22 23. To this end he hath appointed it to be the Schooling-day and Market-day and Feasting-day and Sealing-day to the Soul therefore in a special manner to be careful of giving God his worship upon this day in the observance and performance of all those duties of piety and mercy that he requires from you in publick private and secret and here to mark that you spend not only a part but the whole day in the worship and service of God and that upon these accounts First Because He rested the whole day created nothing the Seventh-day but finished all before on the Six days Secondly Because he sanctified and set apart the whole day for Himself and therefore not to rob him of any part seeing he hath dealt so bountifully with us as to give us Six days for the service of our selves and reserved but One for the service of Himself Thirdly Because the duties of God's Worship on that Day are so many and weighty as a whole Day is little enough to perform them as they ought The Fourth Circumstance that is especially to be thought on is the right manner How we are to worship God because God looks not so much to the matter as the right manner of worshipping Him and abhorrs and rejects the work without the right manner as you may see fully Isai 1.11 to the 21. Jer. 7.8 9. Mal. 1. last Q Well what is this right manner of worshipping God Ans It is to worship Him by a right Rule from a right Principle and to a right End 1. By a right Rule sc the Rule of God's Word Isai 8.20 Psal 119.9 According to his own Institutions and not Mens Inventions In vain do you worship me c. 2. From a right Principle sc in the Name of Christ Colos 3.17 and the strength of Christ Joh. 15.5 From Faith Heb. 11.6 and Love 1 Peter 2.1 3. To a right end sc the Glory of God and the Salvation of your Souls 1 Cor. 10.13 Phil. 1.19 Q. But what are those Rules in the Word according to which we are to worship God Ans first More general as these Preparation and affection before attention and reverence in and meditation and practise after Eccles 5.1 Psal 66.18 Acts 16.14 Hebr. 12.2 last Luke 2.19 John 13.17 Secondly More special Rules for the worshipping of God are such as respect the sanctifying of the Sabbath Prayer to God Hearing of the Word Reading of the Scriptures Receiving of the Lord's Supper singing of Psalms religious Fasting and Feasting and holy Conference For the acceptable comfortable and profitable use of these you are to meditate on some things before in and after every one I shall but name a few to help your Memories and quicken your Devotion First For the right sanctifying of the Sabbath to take notice of and meditate on these things before in and after the Sabbath First Before the Sabbath to remember the Sabbath before it comes Secondly To prepare for it by ordering your Worldly affairs so as they may not hinder you and to sequester your thoughts from all other things that you may intend the duties of the Sabbath Exod. 20.8 Secondly When the Sabbath is come to consecrate it as a holy Rest to the Lord your God not thinking your own thoughts or speaking your own words or doing your own pleasure but the Lord's Isaiah 58.13 To begin continue and end the Sabbath with God And that you may do so to observe these things First To rise early on the Sabbath after the Example of Christ and when you awake to bless God for another day of grace in rising up to think on your Resurrection at the last Day to glory in putting on of your apparel to think on the command of putting on the Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 13. end After you have Apparel'd your selves to remember the duties requir'd of you before in and after the publick Assemblies First Before to sequester your thoughts from all things of the World and the Flesh to mind only and wholly God his Day and Worship Secondly To pray by your selves and with the Family for God's presence with assistance in and blessing on his Ordinances to you and yours and all his especially on the Ministry of the Word that it may be made effectual to all the ends he hath appointed it as the conviction conversion humiliation consolation edification and salvation of all those that belong to the Election of grace Thirdly As you are going to the publick Assemblies to remember where you are going that you are going into the Presence not only of men but God that-God who will be sanctified by all that draw nigh to him or will be sanctified upon them Levit. 10. To consider also what you are going about a business of the greatest consequence in the World To converse with God and to enjoy communion with God and hear that Word which will make you better or
them as faith and love and obedience which are the most eminent fruits of the Spirit and yet are wholly void of them when Men will profess and pretend they seek the glory of God the publick good the weal and comfort of others as well as themselves and yet do nothing less but seek only their own private Worldly and fleshly interest care not what become of others let them sink or swim all 's one to them and worse than so to promote their own private interest will be still plotting and practising mischief against others still instilling prejudices into the heads and hearts and tongues of others and yet profess and pretend the quite contrary This lying and dissembling of Professors is that which tempts the Holy Ghost to take vengeance on them sooner or later for their audacious robbing Him of those glorious Attributes of his Omnipresency Omnisciency Omnipotency and to exemplarily punish such as dare to sin not only against the light of the Word but the Dictates of the Holy Spirit in their Consciences Fifthly Take heed of defiling his Temple for if any Man defile the Temple of God him will God destroy 1 Cor. 3.17 Q. Who are they that do so He tells you there they are professing believers Whereby do they defile his Temple They defile it by corrupt Doctrin and manners by dividing-Principles and practises causing Rents and Schisms Parties and Factions as you may find they did Vers 4 5. They also that defile their Bodies by Fornication and Uncleanness 1 Cor. 6.13 18 19. Secondly If you would hold and maintain communion with the Spirit as to shun the forenamed Evils so to observe and make conscience of these following duties First To hearken unto and obey the calls of the Spirit to faith and love and obedience Isai 30.21 Secondly To nourish and cherish the inward motions of the Spirit checking for evil and exciting to good 1 Thes 5.19 Thirdly To live in the Spirit Gal. 5.25 That is as we live a natural life by him so to live a spiritual life to him that we may be fitted to enjoy an Eternal Life with him Fourthly To walk in the Spirit Gal. 5.16.25 That is to follow the Direction of the Spirit Vers 18. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the Children of God Rom. 8.14 Fifthly To enter upon and perform all duties in and by the assistance of the Spirit Eph. 6.10 To pray in the Holy Ghost Jude 20. Eph. 6.18 To preach in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit 1 Cor. 2.4 To love in the Spirit Col. 1.8 and exercise all Graces in the manifestation of the Spirit 1 Cor. 12.7 and rejoyce in the comforts of the Spirit Acts 9.31 Sixthly Labour to be filled with the Spirit Eph. 5.18 Not to content your selves with any measure of grace but still labouring to grow in grace and gracious practises 1 Cor. 15. last To be filled with peace and joy in believing and abound in the hope of glory through the Power of the Holy Ghost Rom. 15.13 Seventhly To preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Eph. 4.3 that is to endeavour it though we cannot effect it as we would because of the many and great remainders of corruption in the best that oppose and obstruct it yet I say tâ— endeavour it as the Apostle exhorts Phil. 1.27 3.15 Lastly To sow in the Spirit Gal. 6.8 that is lay out your substance and worldly good to spiritual uses for the maintenance of Christ'â— Ministry and Ordinances the providing of thâ— Gospel and incouragement of others in the way of holiness if you refuse to honour the Lord witâ— your substance and bestow it only upon your selveâ— and yours you do but sow to the flesh and of thâ— flesh shall reap corruption but he that soweth 〈◊〉 the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting Vers 8. Lastly What grace you have receiv'â— above others or you have been enabled to exerciâ—â— above others or good duties you have been enabled to do above others when you have been moâ—â— enlarged in it above others take heed of arrogating any thing to your selves remember to gâ—â— wholly out of your selves and to give the Spirâ—â— the glory of his grace to you in it as the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.10 and be still careful to walk the more humbly before God and Man Micah 6. So much of the Spirit Nextly CHAP. V. The Fourth Head of Meditation is MAN IN and about Man to meditate on the Four-fold Estate of Man the Four last Things or Ends of Man and such things in the Soul and in the Body about the Tongue Talents Time and Eternity of Man as may most conduce to the enabling of you to answer God and Christ and the Spirit in all they have done for man First To meditate on the Four-fold Estate of Man his blessed state by Creation cursed state by Transgression gracious state by Regeneration and happy estate by Glorification Sect. 1. First His blessed estate by Creation and here to take notice of and meditate on these things First That he was made the most excellent of all the visible Creatures Secondly That he was made in the most excellent manner Thirdly That he was made to the most excellent ends First He was made the most excellent of all the visible Creatures as appears First In respect of the structure of his Body and the endowments of his Soul of which we shall speak hereafter Secondly In that he was made after his own Image in knowledge righteousness and true holiness Gen. 1.26 Eph. 4.24 Col. 3.10 Thirdly In that he was made the Habitation and Temple of the Holy Ghost 2 Cor. 6.16 Fourthly In that he was made Lord over all the Creatures all subjected under his Feet and all for his use Gen. 1.26 Psal 8. Fifthly In that he was made the Epitome or abridgment of the whole Creation there being nothing in the World but there is some thing in Man like unto it as touching God we believe Him to be a Spirit touching the World we know it to be a Body in Man we have an abridgment of both namely of God in respect of his Spirit and of the World in respect of his Body As in the World there are some things visible and some things invisible so in Man a visible Body and an invisible Soul as in the World some Creatures live the life of Vegetation as Plants some the life of Sense as Beasts some the life of Reason as Angels in Man you have all these kinds of life In a word as one well Man is God's Text all the Creatures are Commentaries on it Secondly Meditate on the excellent manner of Man's Creation 1. Whereas all other Creatures were made by a bare and simple command God did but say the word Let there be Light and there was Light and so in the rest When God made Man it was not without Divine Consultation the sacred Trinity did not
evil spirit be so dreadful to them here what will it be to be still in their company and never suffered to go out of it Consider well but these two things 1. Their ghostly deformity they make Hell look black as one saith 2. Their deadly antipathy they are filled with rage against mankind and therefore having been temptors here they become for ever tormentors there 7. Meditate and consider before it be yet too late how inexpressibly the damned in Hell do and will for ever bewail their folly and madness in hearkening to and following the temptations of the Devil the World and the Flesh and mis-spending their health and strength time and tallents in the service of them and neglecting so great Salvation as was so frequently and affectionately offer'd them from time to time 8. Meditate and consider what those damned Souls in Hell would be willing to do and suffer if they might come out thence and have one offer more of a Christ Life and Salvation doubtless they would be willing in testimony of their thankfulness to spend every moment of time from the beginning of the World to the end could they live so long in the most holy pure strict precise manner they possibly could and would be content also to suffer whatsoever Men or Devils should invent or impose so they might but escape the eternity of those hellish torments but all in vain for out of Hell there 's no redemption Psal 49. Once in Hell and for ever in Hell 9. And Lastly Meditate on the duties you are to perform if you would escape those endless easless and remediless torments of Hell Q. What are they A. I will but name a few 1. Be still blessing God for Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ for undertaking the great Work of Redemption from the wrath to come 2. Get and clear up your interest in him and his redemption by the directions I have given you before 3. Be careful speedily to hearken unto and accept the offer of Christ and Life and Salvation in him before it be too late 4. Hasten as fast as you can out of the Suburbs of Hell I mean your natural unregenerate estate an estate of ignorance unbelief impenitency disobedience for this is the broad way to Hell 5. Learn from what you have seen to hate and fear and fly from all and every sin as you would from Hell and the rather because it is worse then Hell it being that which made Hell to be Hell and therefore to hearken to the counsel of our Saviour Mark 9.43 If thy hand offend thee cut it off it 's better for thee to enter into life maimed then having two hands to go into Hell c. 6. Be willing to do and suffer what ever God shall be pleased to call you unto here rather then by refusal to throw Soul and Body into Hell Fire Heb. 12.5 Fear not them which can only kill the Body c. 7. Pitty poor Souls who are every day running and posting in the broad way to Hell and labour by your Counsels Exhortations Admonitions Prayers Tears Examples to turn them back It may be they will be angry with you for it but it 's better they should be angry with you then God should be angry with you for not doing it better you should feel a little of their wrath then they and you lie under the eternal wrath of God that you may not 8. Be perswaded your selves and do you perswade others to look every day into Hell that you may not fall into Hell and that you may look to the purpose think and think again think every day and all your dayes of those things I have laid before you how unconceivably miserable the condition of the Damned is in Hell and yet you of free and rich Grace wonderful patience and long sufferance out of Hell who have deserved it as well as others you yet have a day of Grace when 't is past to others and therefore whilst it is called to day harden not your hearts but turn every one of you from your evil wayes that he may turn away his wrath and you may escape the damnation of Hell Amen Fourthly Of HEAVEN In and about it to meditate on those things I directed you before in and about the Life of Glory that glorious Place and glorious Company and glorious Endowments and glorious Imployments and glorious Injoyments the Saints shall have there add to those these two or three particulars more What Heaven is The excellent Titles given to it The glorious Objects we shall see there And the perfect happiness we shall for ever in joy there First What Heaven is viz. The highest and most excellent of places called the Heaven of Heavens and by the Apostle the Third Heaven This God hath prepared and appointed to be the Habitation of the Glorious Angels and all the Blessed Saints who have liv'd and died here in the Lord to reward all their faithful services here with everlasting bliss and happiness to the praise of the glory of his Grace Mat. 25.34 last 1 Thess 4. last Secondly Take notice of and meditate on the excellent Titles given to it in Scripture as for instance in some 1. In respect of the loving and kind imbracements of it it 's called Abraham's Bosom Luke 16. 2. In regard of the pleasure and delight of it it 's called Paradise Luke 23.48 and the Joy of the Lord Mat. 25. and the Fulness of Joy Psal 16. last 3. In regard of the greatness and spaciousness of it it 's called God the Fathers House John 14.2 The City of the Living God Heb. 12.22 The Kingdom of God Luke 12.32 A Heavenly Kingdom Mat. 7.21 A Kingdom which so far excelleth all earthly Kingdoms as Heaven doth Earth and further The Kingdom of God whose Kingdom infinitely excels all other Kingdoms as he doth all other Kings 4. In regard of the dureableness and continuance of it it 's called an Inheritance Acts 10.32 and a rich and glorious Inheritance Ephes 1.18 The Inheritance of the Saints in Light Colos 1.12 An Inheritance incorruptible undefiled that fades not away 1 Pet. 1.4 5. In respect of the Honour and Glory of it it 's called a Crown and that we may not think it to be a Crown gotten by Injustice it 's called a Crown of Righteousness 2 Tim. 4.8 And lest we should think it to be like earthly Crowns subject to change it 's called an Incorruptible Crown Luke 9.25 and a Crown of Life James 1.12 And that we not think it too mean a Crown it 's called a Crown of Glory 1 Pet. 1.4 An eternal weight of Glory 2 Cor. 4.17 which all other Crowns and Jewels do but darkly shaddow out It is as one saith A superlative transcendent Phrase such as is not to be found in all the Rhetorick of the Heathens because they never treated of such a Theam or with such a Spirit as the Apostle did Thirdly Meditate on the Glorious sights we
shall have there Austin wished he might have seen three things before he died Rome in its Glory Paul in the Pulpit and Christ in the Flesh but the Saints shall see better sights there They shall see not Rome but Heaven in its Glory Paul not in Pulpit but on the Throne Christ not with a crucified but glorified Body They shall behold the King in his beauty Isa 33.17 And what a glorious sight will this be And which is more then all the ever blessed Vision of God in himself and God in us and our selves in God Fourthly To meditate on those things wherein the happiness and blessedness of the Saints consist viz. In a removal of all evils and a confluence of all good things 1st In the removal of all evils which may be reduced to these three heads viz. 〈◊〉 Evil of Sin The Evil of Temptation The Evil of Affliction 1. The Evil of Sin The Saints shall not only be freed from the power of sin but from the very being of sin Grace here weakens Sin but Glory there will wholly abolish it Rev. 21. last No unclean thing shall enter there 2. From the Evil of Temptation Here we are continually subject unto temptations from within and from without from the Devil the World and the Flesh but there shall be freed from all though in Paradise yet none in Heaven no Serpent can creep in there nor any wicked one to vex our righteous Soul or any corruption left to incline us to evil 3. From the Evil of Affliction Here we are continually subject to one affliction or other in Body or Soul Name or Estate our selves or ours but there freed from all Rev. 21.4 God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes This happiness consists 2dly In a confluence of all good things The Saints there will be blessed in their Bodies in their Souls in their Company in the security and perpetuity of all 1. In their Bodies their bodies made immortal most beautiful vigorous active and glorious bodies as you saw before 1 Cor. 15.42 Phil. 3. last 2. For the Soul the Understanding Will Memory Affections all perfected in their acts and operations 1 Cor. 13. 3ly For their Company They shall have communion with all the glorious Angels and glorified Saints and the sacred Trinity in Unity God blessed for ever 4. For the security and perpetuity of this blessed condition it runs parallel with God to all eternity Mat. 25. last Fifthly To meditate on the duties you are to perform for the getting and making sure Heavens happiness to you as amongst others these 1. To see you be conformed to Christ in holiness because without holiness no happiness Mat. 5.8 John 3.3 Heb. 12.14 Rom. 8.29 2. To strengthen your Faith in this happy condition by the consideration of this That Christ your Head is gone into Heaven and taken the possession of it in your Name and Nature Heb. 6.20 and hath promised to come take you to himself that where he is you may be with him and that for ever John 14.3 4. 3. To admire and adore the infinite love of God to you in Christ in preparing for you and appointing you to so happy and blessed a state after this miserable life here saying still with David Lord what is Man and I amongst the Sons of Men that thou shouldest have such thoughts of love and eternal love to me Psal 103.1 Praise thou the Lord O my Soul c. 4. To contemn the World and all the glory of it in comparison of that glory above as David did Psal 4.6 and the Apostle Phil. 3.7 8. 5. To quicken and encourage your selves and all others especially your near and dear Relations to lay out themselves all they are and can for the making sure Heavens happiness to them 1 Cor. 15. last 2 Pet. 1.10 11. 6. To be still loving looking and longing for the appearance of Christ in Glory that when he appears we may appear with him as the promise runs to such Colos 3.4 2 Tim. 4.8 Titus 2.13 14. Rev. 22. last Great will be the benefit of meditation on these things it will put life and vigour into all your actions 1 Cor. 15. last and all your passions Rom. 8.18 One hour in Heaven will make an abundant recompence for all your sufferings here CHAP. VI. The third Head of Meditation in and about Man are such things in SOUL and BODY and about the Tongue Tallents Time Eternity of Man as may most conduce to the enabling of Man to answer God and Christ and the Spirit in all they have done for Man First The SOUL TO meditate in and about it of these Particulars The Nature of it The Worth of it The greatness of the Loss of it The greatness of the Salvation of it The Conscience God hath put into it to mind you of all First The Nature of it what it is sc A spiritual Substance Invisible Immortal Created of God United to the Body and endowed with admirable faculties of Vegitation Sense and Reason Secondly To meditate on the transcendent worth or excellency of it This appears 1st By the excellent Majesty of which it is an Image nothing so much resembles God as the Soul 1. In Spirituality 2. In Immortality 3. In the infinity of Comprehension or Duration 2dly By the excellent price was paid for the Redemption of a Soul not Silver and Gold but the precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.18 Had all the Creatures in the World laid down their lives they could never have done it being finite Creatures they could never have satisfied an infinite Justice 3dly By the excellent end and the use of it it being made to contemplate all those glorious Excellencies that are in God and in God for us 4thly The transcendent excellency of it above the Body and above all the World 1. Above the Body 1. The Body but an earthly Substance the Soul a heavenly Substance 2. The Body is a material and visible Substance the Soul a spiritual invisible Substance 3. The Body cannot live without the Soul but the Soul can and doth without the Body 4. The Soul not made for the Body but the Body for the Soul as the Box for a Jewel and the House for the Inhabitant 2. Above all the World One Soul 's of more worth then all the World then ten thousand Worlds as appears in this That all the World and ten thousand Worlds cannot content and satisfie the Soul no more then a Barley Corn can fill the World the Soul is of so large and vast a capacity as it 's able to conceive of and desire millions of Worlds Thirdly Consider the greatness of the Loss of a Soul There 's no loss to be compared to the loss of a Soul because he that loseth it loseth all not only himself but God and Christ and Grace and Glory both this World and that to come and this loss an irrecoverable loss Mat. 16.26 What will it profit
a man to win the World and lose his Soul Or what will he give in exchange for his Soul Suppose a Man had all the Honours Riches Pleasures the World could afford him what will it avail him in the day of death when he must part with all and his Soul too and never recover them more Men may lose these things of the World and recover them again if God seeth good as you may see in Job's Case to whom God restored all that he had taken from him and doubled all to him in the latter end Job 42. But now for a Soul that being lost can never be recovered it 's not a World nor ten thousand Worlds can recover the loss of a Soul it cost more to redeem a Soul Psal 49. Whereas you see the great folly of men in selling and losing of their Souls What do they get by their sin but the Curse and Wrath of God with the loss of their precious Souls Fourthly To meditate on the greatness of the salvation of a Soul and the means to procure the salvation thereof 1st The greatness of the salvation of the Soul this appears by the greatness of the Author of it no other then the great God Titus 3.5 2dly The greatness of the price paid for it no other then the precious Blood of Christ 1 Pet. 1.18 3dly The greatness of the evil we are saved from As 1. The Curse of the Law Gal. 3.10 13. and the rigour of the Law Rom. 7.5 6. 2ly From the reign and dominion of sin Rom. 6.14 3. From the tyranny of Satan Col. 1.13 Col. 2.15 4. From the evil of the World John 16. last 5. The sting of Death and the slavish fear of it Heb. 2.14 15. 6. The wrath to come 1 Thes 1.10 4thly The greatness of the good things we are saved and brought unto viz. The Life of Grace here Ephes 2.1 and the Life of Glory hereafter Col. 3.4 Fifthly To meditate on the means To make sure and procure the means of Salvation to you which are briefly these 1. To see and acknowledge your selves lost in your selves Luke 19.10 2. To humble your selves under the consideration of it James 4.9 Luke 13.31 3. To turn every one from the evil of his wayes Ezek. 18.30 Isa 55.7 8. 4. To lay hold on Jesus Christ by a lively Faith John 3.16 Acts 10.43 5. To get a new Nature 2 Cor. 5.17 2 Pet. 1.4 6. To lead a new Life a Life of Holiness 1 Pet. 1.15 and to order your Conversation according to the rules of the Word Psal 50. last To him that orders his Conversation aright I will shew the Salvation of God Now here to take notice what it is to order our Conversation aright I shall stay a little the longer because the Conversation of most are such an open contradiction to their Profession Now by ordering our Conversation aright is meant a putting of our Life in a method and order a Saint must not walk at random or at large but in a regular and orderly way Col. 2.5 that is According to those rules laid down in the Scripture the Law and the Gospel and these Rules according to which we are to order our Conversation they are either more general or more particular First For the General Rules You have them laid down in two places the first in the Old Testament Micah 6.8 He hath shewed thee O man what is good Q. Where hath he shewed Man his duty A. Why in his Word there God hath laid down plainly what the Duty of every Man is to God and others and himself so as there is no Man or Woman can plead ignorance and say he knew it not to be his duty for God hath plainly revealed it in his Word what is good how that all in his Word is good and will do good to him that doth it Micah 2.7 Do not my Words do good to him that walks uprightly And what the Lord requires of thee What is that 1. To do justly i. e. To make Conscience of all the Duties of Justice and Righteousness required in the second Table to render to every one his due and do unto others as you would have others do unto you which is the Law and the Prophets 2. To love Mercy that is To shew mercy to the Bodies and to the Souls of others as you have opportunity Gal. 6.10 Heb. 13.16 3. To walk humbly with thy God This comprehends all the Duties of the first Table as the two former of the second Table So as the meaning in short is this Thou shalt set God alwayes before thee give him the Homage Worship and Service that is due to him approve thy heart to him in all the service thou tenderest to him humble thy self under thy fallings and failings acknowledge when thou hast done all thou art but an unprofitable Servant and desire only to be found in the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ More clearly and fully you have these Duties laid down Titus 2.11 12. The Grace of God bringing Salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present World Soberly in respect of our selves Righteously in respect of others Godlily in respect of God Haec tria perpetuo meditare adverbia Pauli Haec tria sunt vitae regula sancta tuae Make these three Adverbs the subject of your continual Meditation and the proposed Rule of your daily Conversation Your duty here is as every day 1. To watch against and deny ungodliness that is Those sins forbidden in the first Table so called because they are immediately against God And worldly lusts that is all sins forbid in the second Table called Worldly because they have the World for their Object and Subject 2. It follows and that we should live soberly the former contain'd the negative commands of the Law these latter the affirmative commands of the Law to note unto us it is not enough to be negative Christians but we must be also affirmative Christians Isa 1.16 17. Cease to do evil learn to do well 1. Your duty is to live soberly in respect of your selves that is to be moderate in your desires and use of all Creature Comforts as Meat Drink Apparel Recreation Phil. 4.5 1 Cor. 7.30 2. Righteously in respect of your Neighbours that is To act and exercise Righteousness in all your Thoughts Affections Words Actions Tradings and Dealings with others made a sign of one that shall dwell in God's Holy Hill Psal 15. 3. In respect of God to carry your selves Godly or God-like to be Holy as he is Holy in all manner of Conversation 1 Pet. 1.15 that is Publickly Privately Secretly Daily Hourly Continually 2 Cor. 7.1 Rev. 2.10 To quicken you to this godliness to meditate on that place 1 Tim. 4.8 Godliness is profitable to all things and hath the promise of this life and that to come that is Hath all the blessings of Heaven
he had of it or of us but that he might discover his unsearchable goodness to us and to this end did create us after his own Image gave us a reasonable and understanding Soul whereby we might come to know him and contemplate all his glorious excellencies which shine forth in the Creation of the World for the invisible things of God viz. his Eternal Power and God-head are seen by the Creation of the World Rom. 1.20 and therefore a just cause of humiliation to us that we eye him and answer him no better in the ends of our Creation but of this more hereafter The Second Work of God in Time is His Providence In this Head of Meditation I shall stay the longer because it is generally so much neglected and in opening of it I shall do these things First Shew you What it is Secondly Give you some Grounds for your Meditation on it Thirdly Shew you What those things are you are to meditate on in and about it First What it is viz. That continued act of God whereby He takes notice of preserves and governs all and every Creature to those ends and by those means which he appointed with Himself to the glory of his Name and the good of his Elect. Secondly For the Grounds or Reasons why you are to meditate on this First Because it will make you to acknowledge God in all your ways Prov. 3.6 Secondly It will cause you to see the loving kindness of the Lord Psal 107.43 Thirdly It will quiet your Spirits under whatsoever befalls you Job 1. last Psal 39.9 Fourthly It will enlarge your hearts in thankfulness for his distinguishing providences over you Psal 103.1 2 3. Psal 116.1 2. Yea it will make you admire and adore him in them as it did David Psal 8.3 4 Psal 144.3 2 Sam. 7.18 19. Fifthly It will wonderfully quicken you to an holy dependance on Him for the future as Jacob Gen. 48.15 and the Apostle 1 Cor. 1.10 Thirdly For the things to be meditated on in the providences of God they are these the kinds of it the parts of it the extent of it the ends of it the experiences you have had of it all full of admiration and how to carry your selves under all sad and glad Providences First For the Kinds of it First There is God's general Providence over all from the greatest to the least and there is his special Providence over his Church and People in a special manner takeing notice of them and the care of them which made Austin to cry out O bone Omnipotens Oh good God which dost so govern all as not to neglect any so look'st after thy Children as if all were but one and so respects every one as if one were all Secondly The providences of God are either the providences of his Mercy or of his Justice First For his merciful Providences here take notice of and meditate on the properties of this Mercy and the special branches of this mercy First For the properties of this mercy First It 's a free mercy He is merciful to whom he will be merciful Rom 9.15 Secondly That it is a rich mercy Rom. 10.12 Thirdly An everlasting mercy Psal 103.17 To whom he is once merciful he is ever merciful he can as soon forget to be as forget to be gracious and merciful to his and more then so Fourthly He delights to shew mercy to his Micah 7.18 Secondly Meditate on some of the special Branches of this Mercy to the Body to the Soul First To the Body as these the Lord 's forming and fashioning us so handsomely and comely in the Womb bringing us forth in perfection of parts upholding our Souls so long in life giving and continuing to us the use of our Senses and Limbs when others want them and would give a World for them if they had the use of them and all these from God and not from Parents and all of free-grace there being no more in us than others to move Him to this Mercy and to distinguish us as he does in his Mercies so as to give us health when others are in sickness and strength when others in weakness and maintenance when others in wants and liberty when others in bonds and peace when others in trouble should also give us perfection of parts when others are Monsters give us our sight when others are blind our hearing when others are deaf our speech when others are dumb our feet when others are lame The serious meditation on these Body-mercies will let us see what abundant cause we have of thankfulness and improving all to his glory Secondly To meditate on God's special Mercies to your Souls as these his Electing-mercies unto life his enlightning mercy with the saving knowledge of himself his Calling-mercy not only to the knowledge and profession but the faith love and obedience of the Gospel his adopting mercy to be the Sons and Daughters of the everliving God his justifying-mercy freely of his grace his Sanctifying-mercy with his grace his strengthning and establishing-mercy in the ways of grace the continuance of the precious means and seasons of grace to build you up still further in grace and gracious practises In short the giving Himself to be your Father and Portion hs Son to be your Redeemer and Saviour his Spirit to be your Sanctifier and Comforter Serious meditation on these Soul-mercies will cause you to say with David Psal 103. Praise thou the Lord O my Soul c. More particularly distinctly and fully To meditate on these merciful providences His converting-providence his protecting-providence his disposing-providence his correcting-providence his supporting-providence and his refreshing-providence First His Converting-providence in bringing us forth under the light of the Gospel and causing the light of his glorious grace in the face of Jesus Christ to shine into our hearts to turn us from darkness to light and from the Power of Satan unto God in placing us under a faithful Ministry and blessing the Ministry to our Conversion and Edification in saving-knowledg and grace when he leaves others under the same Ministry in their dark dead Christless and graceless condition Amongst other things which Beza in his last Will and Testâ—ment gives thanks for this was the first and chief that at the Age of 16. Years God had called him to the knowledge of the truth Although we cannot tell the Time or Person yet if we can find the Work a thorow-change of heart and life let us still remember to meditate on God's distinguishing-love and grace and mercy in it Secondly Take notice of and meditate on God's Protecting-providence how he hath watched over us and ours from the Womb to this very Day protecting us from many sins temptations and dangers we have been exposed to and others have miscarried by as for instance from the rage of Satan malice of Men violence of the Creature from Fire falls many tormenting sicknesses and diseases others lie groaning under how wonderfully and graciously
over the Creatures he that was Superiour to all was made inferiour to all Psal 49.20 Isai 1.3 Jer. 8.7 The Prophet puts them to School to all to learn of the Creatures 4. As Man lost his preheminence so his authority over all he that was Lord over all became a Slave to all who instead of serving Man rebels against Man labours to pick out his Eys Pro. 30.17 to eat his Flesh and lap up his Blood 2 King 9.36 Sixthly Man lost his liberty by Creation he was a free Denizen and Citizen of the World all at his command but presently after the Fall became a Slave and was in Bondage to all the Devil the World and the Flesh 1. To the Devil taken and carried Captive by him to do his pleasure 2 Tim. 2 last Eph. 2.2 2. To the World so as to be drawn aside from that which is good and drawn into evil by the baits and allurements of it on the one hand and the menaces and persecutions of it on the other 1 Epist Joh. 4.5 whence that of James 4.4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses c. and 1 John 2.15 3. To the Flesh to do whatsoever it shall suggest for the gaining and retaining of honour and profit and pleasure Rom. 6.16 John 8.34 2 Pet. 2.19 and in this slavery and bondage all Men and Women are by nature and that not unwillingly and grudgingly but readily and cheerfully and with the greatest delight so far from being desirous to be brought out of it as they account those their greatest Enemies that would endeavour to bring them out of it Jer. 18. There is no hope but we will walk every â—ne after the imagination of our own hearts Jer. 43.1 2 3. Jer. 44.16 17. Thus you see the greatness of the punishment of loss Et heu quantum mutatus ab illo How much is Man alter'd from his first estate Tristis Lacrymosa commutatio a most sad and lamentable change you see from favour to wrath from fellowship to banishment instead of the Image of God the image of sin and Satan for glory misery for dignity infamy for dominion subjection for liberty slavery Secondly For the Positive part of punishment or the punishment of Sense that followed the fall upon every Son and Daughter of Adam and that was the curse of God Gal. 3.10 and what is this curse but the infinite and unsupportable wrath of God and all manner of Plagues Judgments and Miseries in Life at Death and after Death 1. In this life in Soul and Body in Name and Estate 1. In Soul blindness of mind hardness of heart Isai 6.9 a reprobate sense Rom. 1.23.26 strong delusions 2 Thes 2.11 horrors of conscience Isai 65.13 seconded with Hellish despair and blasphemy as in Cain Saul Judas 2. In Body all manner of aches sicknesses diseases Deut. 28.21 to the end 3. In name infamy shame reproach Deut. 28. â—â— 37. 4. In Estate losses crosses curses in getting cares in keeping fears in losing sorrows and that many times unto death Deut 28.16 Jer. 12.13 Mal. 2.2 I will curse your blessings yea I have curst them already Secondly In the end of this life death the King of terrors Rom. 5.12 Rom. 6. last Job 18.14 Thirdly After this life if men die in their sins impenitentâ—â— 1. As soon as the Soul is separated from the Body it is immediately carried by the Devil into Hell Luke 12.20 and there kept in Prison till the Day of Judgment 1 Pet. 3.19 the Body thrown into the Grave where Death gnaws upon it as upon Carrion in a ditch with the mouth full of Earth and the Belly full of Worms and the Carkass full of stinch 2. At the Day of Judgment by the Almighty Power of the Lord Jesus Christ the Supream Judg of Heaven and Earth the Soul is brought out of Hell and the Body out of the Grave out of which as soon as it begins to peep it shall behold the whole World on Fire about its Ears Christ on his Throne of Glory the Saints whom they derided and persecuted taken up into the Clouds to be assessors with Christ in Judgment upon the wicked World whil'st they with the Devils are left below to stand forth before the Tribunal of Christ and hear that dreadful Sentence Depart ye cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels wherein every word is a Hell before they come to Hell 3. After the Sentence is past all wicked Reprobates shall be thrust away from the Judgment Seat of Christ and thrown into Hell with the Devils there to lie and fry and cry under easless endless and remediless torments And thus much of the cursed state of man by transgression and the things to be meditated on in it That your meditation on them may be the more effectual to cause you speedily to hye out of it 1. Beg the Spirit of God to convince you thorowly of the truth of it it being no other than what God hath spoken in his Word and we find by bitter experience 2. Labour to be truly sensible of and deeply humbled under the fight and sense of it so as to give no rest to your selves until that you are brought out of it for the promises of mercy run only unto such Mat. 9.13 Luke 19.10 Mat. 11.29 And that you may be truly sensible of and effectually humbled under it beg the Spirit of God to prick your hearts with the consideration of it as he did those Converts Acts 2.37 and tremble to stay a moment in your unregenerate estate as the Jaylor Acts 16. when Paul had preacht unto him 4. Be willing to receive Jesus Christ on his own terms not only as your Jesus but your Lord and Christ John 1.12 Rom. 13. end Lastly Hearken to that Counsel of your Lord and Saviour Mark 1.15 Repent and believe the Gospel and then his promise is to receive all and cast away no one Soul that comes to him and rests upon him for Conversion and Salvation Joh 6 37. Amen Sect. 3. The third state of Man is his gracious state by Regeneration and here to take notice of and meditate on these things First The free and unsearchable love of God to us in it 2. The nature of it what it is and wherein it consists 3. The differences of true grace from false grace from restraining grace 4. Degrees of true sanctifying grace 5. The signs of it 6. The priviledges of such as have it 7. The motives to it 8. The means for the maintaining encreasing and persevering in it First For the free unsearchable love and grace of God to his in not leaving his Elect in their fallen cursed condition but in his appointed time effectually calling all such as belong unto his Election of grace out of a state of nature into a state of grace God might have for ever passed by fallen Man-kind as well as he did the fallen Angels though he lookt in mercy upon some he might have passed
Above all take heed of slandering publick Persons God's Magistrates and Ministers for they being in God's place he will more severely punish the wrong done to them as you may see Deut. 33.11 Jude 9.10 5. Take heed of dissembling false lying speech as being that which is plainly forbid Col. 3.9 That which evidenceth such to be of their Father the Devil John 8.44 God's Children are Children that will not lie Isa 63.8 Zeph. 3.13 A deceitful tongue shall not be found in their mouth that which shuts men out of Heaven Rev. 21. last and gives them a hotter and a lower place in Hell Matth. 24. last 6. Take heed of all soothing flattering Speech for the gaining and retaining the favour of others there 's a woe pronounced against such Isa 5.20 and God threatens to cut off such flattering tongues Psal 31.5 Job 17.5 2dly Other things are to be practised as 1. Watchfulness over your words to see they be wise deliberate gracious and profitable Ephes 4.29 2. If there be any difference between you and others to seek and accept of reconciliation Mat. 5.23 18.15 3. To exhort one another daily lest any ones heart be hardened through the decitfulness of sin Heb. 3.13 4. To admonish reprove and rebuke sin in others according to the disposition of the Person and the nature of the offence Levit. 19.17 Gal. 6.1 Col. 3.16 5. To edifie one the other in Grace and gracious Practises 1 Thess 5.11 Heb. 10.24 25. 6. To pray one with the other and for the other Ephes 6.18 James 5. Lastly To communicate your Gifts and Graces and Experiences you have had of God's faithfulness and goodness in his Promises and Providences after the Example of David Come and I will tell you what he hath done for my Soul Fourthly For your actions and carriage towards others if you would order your Conversation aright observe these Rules 1. Not to retaliate or revenge any wrong done to you in word or deed but commit all to him who judgeth righteously after the example of Christ as you are expresly required Prov. 20.22 24.29 1 Pet. 2.21 22. Rom. 12. three last verses 2. No man to seek his own things onely but the things of others Phil. 2.4 not his own weal but the weal of others 1 Cor. 10. end 3. To walk wisely both towards those without and within Col. 4.5 Ephes 5.15 Matth. 10. Be wise as Serpents 4. To walk inoffensively giving no just offence to any in word or deed in apparel or recreation as Zachary and Elisabeth Luk. 1.6 and the Apostle Acts 24.16 and we are all commandâ—d Mat. 10.16 1 Cor. 10.32 For God chose us before the foundation of the World that we should be holy and unblameable before him in love Ephes 1.4 Rom. 12.18 As much as in you lieth live peaceably with all men Rom. 14.19 Follow after those things which make for peace Heb. 12.14 And that you may walk and live thus peaceably 1. To take heed of all unpeaceable lusts such as these Pride Passion Envy Jealousie Censoriousness Selfishness Affectation of Popularity glorying in Men having the Faith of our Lord Jesus in respect of Persons for James 4.1 From whence comes Wars and Fightings are they not hence from your lusts that are within you 2. To labour after peaceable Principles for unless there be a principle of peace or a peaceable disposition within there will not be long any sound or lasting peace without 3. To get peaceable Graces as amongst others these Wisdom Humility Sincerity Amity Meekness Self-denial c. 4. To make conscience of peaceable duties especially these two 1. The renewing of our peace with God and God will make others to be at peace with you Tranquillus Deus tranquillat omnia God's Promise is If a mans wayes please the Lord he will make his Enemies to be at peace with him Prov. 16.7 2. To pray one anothers affections into a peaceable frame that he who makes those of one house to be of one mind would also make those of one and the same Church to be of one and the same mind if not of the same Opinion in every thing yet of the same Affection and Conversation The fifth thing then to be meditated on in and about the Soul is the Conscience which is that faculty God hath put into the Soul to mind us of all these duties in and about the Conscience to take notice 1. What Conscience is viz. That Faculty God hath placed in the Soul to take notice of all our Affections Speeches Actions and to pass sentence on them according to the nature of them by such principles of Light as it hath received 2. What the Offices of Conscience are as 1. To be a School-master to teach and make known what Sin and Duty is 2. To be a Notary to take notice of all our inward and outward behaviour 3. To be a Register to write down and record all 4. To be a Witness either to excuse or accuse 5. To be a Judge to pass Sentence either of Absolution or Condemnation 6. To be an Executioner to comfort or afflict according to the nature of the actions 3. To meditate on the great authority and power of Conscience to make a man happy or miserable as being God's Deputy or Vice-gerent to act for him the best Friend and the worst Enemy that which comforts and speaks for us when others discomfort and speak against us and that both in life and death 2 Cor. 1.12 This is our rejoycing in the testimony of our Consciences c. Isa 38.3 Therefore should you meditate on these things about the Soul 1. On the Nature of the Soul what it is that so you may look more after it then you have formerly done 2. Therefore on the worth of the Soul above the Body because this will make you slight and undervalue both in comparison of the Soul prize and keep your Souls as your chiefest Jewels to mind more the feeding and cloathing preserving and cherishing of your Souls then your Bodies 3. Therefore to meditate on the greatness of the loss of it because it will put you more on a care of using the means for the welfare of it and that you do not hazard the loss of it for the gain of all the World 4. Therefore on the greatness of the Salvation of it that hereby you may be quickned to give all diligence in the use of the means for the Salvation of it 2 Pet. 1.5 10. giving all diligence c. 5. Therefore to meditate on those things about the Conscience that they should make you fear and tremble to offend and wound Conscience and the more careful to preserve the peace of a good Conscience as it did Joseph Gen. 39.9 and the Apostle Acts 24.16 Secondly Of the Body In and about it to meditate on two things 1. The admirable Structure and 2. The excellent use of it 1st On the admirable Structure of it both inwardly and outwardly 1.
Inwardly The inward frame so admirable as David wonders at it Psalm 139.13 to 17. I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made c. 2. For the outward form of it 1. Man was made naked whereas all other Creatures have Scales Horns Feathers and nothing so beautiful and comely as Man nakedness was an Ornament before the fall 2. Man was made with the Countenance upward whereas all other Creatures have it downwards 3. With Speech to express his mind to the edification and comfort of others 4. With Hands which all other Creatures want whereby he might rule and govern the Creatures feed and cloath himself and dispatch all his business 2dly To meditate on the excellent and honourable use of the Body in that God hath made it not onely the Organ and Instrument of the Soul to work in and by it but the Habitation of the Holy Ghost to dwell in it and his Temple to offer up Spiritual Sacrifice to God in it the meditation of this will make you the more watchful and careful to preserve it in purity and chastity 1 Thes 4.4 5. to use every sense and member of it as Instruments of Righteousness and Holiness to the glorifying of God Rom. 6.19 2 Cor. 6. last Rom. 12.1 Thirdly Of the Tongue In it to meditate on the ends wherefore God gave it which are especially two 1. To glorifie God whence the same word in the Hebrew that signifies Tongue signifies Glory because we are to glorifie God with it Psa 108.1 35.28 63.5 2. To edifie others Psa 37.30 Ephes 4.29 The building them up in Saving-Knowledge and Grace 1 Thes 5.11 2. To consider the great need we have to imploy it to these ends 1. Because God hearkens and hears if any man speaks aright Jer. 8.6 2. Because God hath corrected rash and unadvised speaking in his most eminent Saints as in Moses Psal 106.32 33. 3. Because for every idle word that men shall speak they must give an account at the Day of Judgment 4. Because in the right usage of the Tongue the fear of the Lord and the comfort of a mans life doth chiefly consist as you may see by comparing the 11th verse with the 12 and 13 of the 34th Psalm The serious meditation of this will make us take better heed to our tongues as it did David Psal 39.1 and pray with him Psal 141.3 Set thou a watch before my mouth and keep the door of my lips To look to this our Speeches be wise deliberate gracious and profitable Fourthly Of the Talents In and about them consider 1. There are none but have some Talents given of God to imploy for the glory of God and the good of others some have Talents of Gifts and Grace more means and seasons of Grace then others some have Talents of Health Strength Wealth Honour some more some less some ten some five some one and all these put into their hands to imploy for their Lord and Masters advantage for the glory of God and the good of Souls their own and others especially those under their charge as you may see Mat. 25. And to whom much is given much will be required Luke 12. And therefore to enquire every one what Talents we have received and how we have prized them and improved them whether we have or do imploy them to the ends God gave them and as our Consciences and Conversations can witness for or against us to be humbled and thankful accordingly 2. To consider what abundance of Peace Joy and Comfort the well imployment of these Talents will bring unto you when you come to lie upon your Death-beds Isa 38.3 Remember how I have walkt before thee in Truth with a perfect heart sayes Hezekiah and what abundance of horror and terror will fall upon your spirits if you neglect your Talents or the misimployment of them as it did upon him that cryed out at his end Diem perdidi Deum perdidi meipsum perdidi I have lost the day my God and my self To the one he will say Well done good and faithful Servant thou hast been faithful in a little I will make thee Ruler over much To the other Take him and bind him hand and foot and cast him into utter darkness c. To the one Come ye Blessed for I was an hungry To the other Go ye cursed c. for I was an hungry and ye gave me no meat c. Mat. 25. A serious meditation on these things will stir you up to a more diligent and careful imployment of your inward and outward Talents to the glory of God and the good of your own and others Souls Fifthly Of Time In and about that to meditate on these things 1. The preciousness of Time so precious it is that on the well or ill imployment of it depends the eternal wel-fare or ill-fare of your Souls so precious as all the Gold and Silver in the World cannot purchase one moment of it when its past which made one cry out bitterly A World of Wealth for an Hour of Time so precious as nothing the damned in Hell will more bewail then the loss of it and if there were any hope of getting out would imploy it better even from the beginning of the World to the end could they live so long 2. Consider the greatness of the work we have to do and the little time we have to do it in 1. For the greatness of the Work it is to glorifie God serve our Brethren save our Souls clear up our interest in Christ make our Calling and Election sure work out our Salvation with fear and trembling and how little time have we for the doing all this Ars longa vita brevis Let us ponder it seriously it is but a moment of time in comparison of Eternity and on this moment depends the eternity of our well-being or ill-being and therefore concerns us very much to spend it very well and the rather because Tam diu vivimus quam bene vivimus We have lived no longer then we lived well 3. Consider the uncertainty of our time here Our dayes on earth are as a shadow and there is none durable or abiding 1 Chron. 29.15 Solomon sayes There 's a time to be born and a time to die Eccless 3.2 but mentions no time of living as if it were so short that it were not worth the naming and this short time when it 's past cannot possibly be recall'd and the time to come none of ours the time present only is ours and therefore see that be imployed well in some duties either of our particular or general Calling we should be either like Christ alwayes doing good or like Mary still receiving good Heb. 3.13 2 Thes 3.1 Behold now is the accepted time c. 4. Consider how highly not onely the wise Christians but the very Heathens have prized time so as to account that day lost wherein they have not done some good with Tongue or
worse but not a better man he may conceit himself a better man and the men of the World may esteem him the better for his abundance of these things his high Place his brave Apparel his great Revenues but God esteems no man the better for these things Job 34.19 Job 36.19 2. They cannot profit or better the Soul hurt it they may and do as for instance 1st They keep them from looking after piety Luke 14.18 2ly They distract them in duty Ezek. 33.31 3ly It makes them unfruitful in duty Mat. 13.22 They may better his outward condition he may eat more and go finer and lie easier but they cannot better his inward condition help to Pardon or Peace Grace or Glory Thou and thy Money perish with thee that thinkest the Gift of God may be purchased with Money said Peter to Simon Magus Acts 8.20 God will not give away his Graces as the Indians do their Gold for Gaudes and Rattles Toyes and Trifles 3. Unprofitable to the Body Can Honour or Wealth buy Health or get a stomach to meat or procure ease rest and sleep No we find by experience the contrary he that hath most of these outward things can but eat and drink and cloath himself and so doth a poor man and with more comfort and contentment many times then the Rich and hath usually a a better appetite to his meat and more sweet sleep after his labour Eccl. 5.11 Job 20.22 4. Unprofitable likewise to his Posterity How often have you seen after that men have toyled and turmoiled in the World all their dayes for their Children their Children to be either suddenly snatcht away from their Wealth or their Wealth from their Children How often have you seen the Proverb made good Covetous men have either Prodigals or Fools to their Children such as either presently consume it away or are soon cheated of all If you would observe it you may find many Parents bewailing their folly at the last that they have toyled so much in the World for such wicked and rebellious Children and many Children cursing the time that ever their Parents left them so great and ill-gotten Estates according to that Job 21.19 5. However they may afford them some comfort in the day of prosperity and in a day of peace yet not in the time of Adversity and in a day of Calamity in a day of Sickness Death and Judgement 1st Not in a day of common Calamity when the Judgments of God are upon the Land Sword Famine Pestilence 1 Sam. 12.21 Prov. 11.4 Zeph. 1. last Ezek. 7.19 2ly In Sickness It is not high Places honourable Titles full Bags great Revenues that can prevent or remove Stone Gout Strangury Feaver or any Sickness or Pain it 's true they may procure Physicians and Medicines but those kill rather then cure without the Lord. 3ly In the hour of Death Job 27.8 What is the hope of the Hypocrite though he hath gained when God taketh away his Soul All the Rich Fools Wealth could not keep his Soul one night longer Luke 12.15 20. 4ly In the day of Judgment all the World is so far from profiting as they shall see all in fire about their ears have nothing left but an account how they got and kept and imployed it and the more they have had of this Worlds good and the less good they have done with it and the more they have abused it the more and greater will be their torment 5ly All they have of the World cannot save them from Hell Luke 16.23 Rev. 21.8 nor mitigate their torments there Dives could not procure a drop of Water to cool his scorched tongue Luke 16.24 25. So as you see clearly and fully what unprofitable and helpless things these of the World are without Grace they cannot free from any thing that is truly evil Sin or Pain nor help to any thing that is truly good Pardon or Peace they cannot keep sickness from the Body or trouble from the Mind or terrors from the Conscience or the Soul out of Hell they may make men worse but never the better 6. Think on the Deceitfulness of the things of the World They do promise to men much help and comfort or rather men promise to themselves much by them but both they and themselves deceive themselves and meet with bitterness instead of sweetness and trouble instead of comfort therefore called deceitful Riches Mat. 13.22 Like Jael seeds men with Milk but pierceth their heads and hearts afterwards with sorrow like Joab and Judas who salute with a Kiss but stab to the heart 7. On the Hurtfulness of them Especially being got and kept by unlawful means and used and imployed to unlawful ends they keep them from a great deal of good and expose them to a great deal of hurt 1. They keep men from a great deal of good as the minding the glory of God and the good of Souls both their own and others keep them either from using the means of Grace or from profiting by them Ezek 33.31 32. Luke 18.19 2. Expose them to a great deal of evil both of Sin and Punishment the wrath and curse of God and Man both here and to all eternity in Hell as you may see clearly Eccles 5.13 1 Tim. 6.9 10. James 5.1 2 3. Hence it is that Solomon stiles them not only Vanity but vexation of Spirit because they are still vexing men either with cares in getting or fears in keeping or sorrows in losing and our Saviour compares them to Thorns because they are still piercing both head and heart with troubles in getting and grief in parting with them 8. Meditate on the great folly and madness of men in minding affecting and pursuing these things of the World before and more then the things of God and Christ and his Spirit and Kingdom and the wellfare of their own precious and immortal Souls The Spirit of God brands them frequently in the Scripture for Fools or the Fools and the worst of Fools Prov. 1.22 Mat. 23.17 18. Luke 12.19 20. and not without cause 1. He is a Fool that is not able to discern between Copper and Gold Pebles and Pearls that will part with the richest Coyn for the richest Counter what are all temporal things in comparison of spiritual and eternal Excellencies but dross and dung 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 offal and Dogs-meat in comparison of Christ Grace and Glory as the Apostle stiles them Phil. 3. 2. He is a Fool you know that minds onely things present and nothing for the future A wise man foresees the evil and hides himself but a fool passeth on and is punished Prov. 22.5 A wise man fore-sees and fore-casts his business but a fool doth neither And such fools are all worldly wise men all for this present World and nothing for another I have read a story of a certain great Man that having many Houses was wont every month to go from one House to anothe◠and send Harbingers before
my comfort in mine affliction thy word hath quickned me And Vers 52. I remembred thy judgments of old and have comforted my self Fourthly to frame our lives according to it as David Psal 119 59. I consider'd my ways and turned my feet unto thy testimonies And that First because without practise all knowledge is but ignorance 1 Epst John 2.4 And secondly it will aggravate mens condemnation at the last Luk. 12.48 Secondly That this is the property of gracious Souls you may see in David here and frequently else-where Psal 63.6 143. Vers 5. Psal 119.15.23.48.78.97.99.148 Then Joseph Gen. 24.63 And all other godly men Psalm 1. vers 2d Malach. 3.16 Thirdly For the grounds of it First because they know it is their duty that which God hath commanded Joshua 1.8 1 Timothy 4.15 Colossians 3.2 Set your affections on things above c. Secondly Their love to God Love delights to think on the Person and Thing beloved Psal 119.97 Oh how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day long Amor est ubi amat non ubi animat is an old saying and as true as old The mind is where a man loves and not where he lives The more men love the more they think and the more they think the more they love Thirdly The transcendent excellency of God and the things of God Psalm 119.129 Thy testimonies are wonderful therefore doth my soul keep them Canticles 1.3 Thy Name is an Ointment poured out therefore do the Virgins love thee Psalm 3.2 3. Fourthly Because they have receiv'd a new nature They are made partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 They are renewed in the spirit of their minds Rom. 12.2 and thereby are taken off from these things below to mind affect and pursue those things above Men of high and noble spirits can't endure to be imployed about low and base things but those of the highest and greatest Concernment so Gracious Souls they account the things of the World and the Flesh too low for them and desire to have their thoughts to be taken up with God and Christ his Spirit and Kingdom their precious and immortal Souls their safety and welfare here and to all Eternity Such as the man is such are his thoughts The liberal man deviseth liberal things Isaiah 32.8 A good man out of the good treasury of his heart bringeth forth good things Math. 12.35 Vse the First 1. This shews us the reason why Professors are such Non-proficients in the School of Christ namely because they are so seldom and slight in this weighty duty of Meditation rest in hearing reading and never think on it more the Devil will never trouble such he cares not how much they are in duty so he can prevail with them not to think on it after Vse the Second For the humiliation of three sorts First Such as meditate not at all on God or the things of God as natural carnal wordly Men do not will not Psalm 10.4 The ungodly is so proud God is not in all his thoughts Viz. with any delight Secondly Such as have their Meditation on other things as the ambitious Man on his honour the Covetous Man on his wealth the Voluptuous Man on his pleasure the Merchant on his Ships the Trades-man on his Shop c. none of them any serious thoughts of God or the things of God Thirdly A worse sort there are that think on God not to honour him but dishonour him either have low and base thoughts of him or wicked and ungodly thoughts First Some that have low and base thoughts of God as ignorant and superstitious sorts of People who conceive of God as an old Man sitting in Heaven with a Crown on his Head and a Scepter in his Hand looking down upon his Creatures and governing the World others Though they do not conceive of him so grosly with a Bodily substance but acknowledge him to be a Spirit yet not such a Spirit as he hath revealed himself to be a Pure Holy Just Omnipresent Omniscient Omnipotent Spirit but conceive him to be such a one as themselves Psal 50.21 Secondly Others they have wicked and ungodly thoughts of him some Atheistical thoughts as those in Job 21. Vers 15. Who is the Almighty that we should serve him Others basphemous thoughts as they Psalm 94. Tush God sees not God regards not Others distrustful thoughts as 2 Kings 8. last This evil is of the Lord Why should I want any longer upon him Others rebellious contemptuous thoughts as they Psal 12. Our Tongues are our own Who shall controle us Jerem. 18.12 There is no hope we will walk after the imagination of our own hearts and Chap. 44.17 A Third Vse of Exhortation If you will evidence your selves to be Saints indeed then to make this your property and practise That you may be the more willing to it and able for it I shall do four things First Give you some Motives to it Secondly Discover and remove the Hinderances of it Thirdly Give you some Helps to it And Fourthly Some Directions for it First By way of Motive to quicken you to it Consider with me the Necessity Excellency Utility and sweetness of this Duty First The Necessity of it in many respects as First The command of God that which he expresly requires as you saw before and may further Deut. 6.6 Job 37.14 Eccl. 7.15 Haggai 1.5 6. Secondly Because it is the end wherefore he hath revealed and made himself known to us in his Word and Works Psal 111.4 Isai 41.19 20. Thirdly Because without Meditation no Conversion David first consider'd hiâ— ways and then turn'd his Feet to God ' testim nies Psalm 119 59. The Prodigal first bethought himself and then return'd to his Fathers House Luke 15. That there is no Conversion without Meditation appears in that such as are connected are converted in this way and Method First They heâ—r the Word Secondly are convinc'd of the Truth Thirdly Meditates how much it concerns them Fourthly by Meditation come to be affected with it And Fifthly By affection are wrought over to a holy resolution of Faith and Obedience Fourthly Because without Meditation you cannot profit by any thing you hear or read out of the Word or see in the works of God A Plant may as soon grow without watering and Meat nourish without digesting as a Soul profit in holiness without Meditation God provides Meat sends his Ministers to Cook it and dress it it is Meditation must Concoct it otherwise like Meat undigested the Stomack will be burdened with it and cast it up again or if it abide it will breed ill humours and make them sick unto death The Reasons are obvious First Because without meditation the Seed of the Word will lye uncover'd in the Furrows of the Soul and being uncover'd the Devil will come and steal it away as the Birds do the Seed in the High-way that lieth uncovered Secondly Because without meditation we shall never be
flesh First all sin in general it so dims and dazles the eye of the mind as it can no more behold spiritual Excellencies than the Owl can the light of the Sun Secondly Some sins in special keep men from it as First Those sins we are most inclin'd unto by our constitution and complexion these usually insinuate themselves most and Satan useth most to tempt unto either to hinder us from or distract us in duty Secondly giving way to wandering and roaving Senses vain and wicked thoughts these keep out better whence that Jeremy 14.4 Oh Jerusalem wash thine heart from filthiness how long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee The Vessel must first be cleansed of the filth in it before it can be capable of sweet and precious Liquor especially the giving way to ambitious covetous voluptuous thoughts or inordinate affection to the honours riches pleasures of the World this you may find our Saviour shews to be that which keeps men from duty or distracts men in it Math. 13.22 Mark 4.19 Luke 8.14 These worldly and fleshly thoughts and affections they are as Bird-lime to the Wings of the Bird so intangle the Soul as it cannot soar aloft on the Wing of Meditation they are as Leaden-weights or Plummets tied at the Leggs to keep men from ascending the Mount of the Lord and therefore to hearken to the counsel of the Apostle Heb. 12.1 and as to keep out all sinful and worldly thoughts so all religious thoughts when they are unseasonable or impertinent to the present business in hand seeing however for the matter they be good yet they are cunningly thrust in by Satan to distract us in our present Meditation that so by thinking on two things at once we should not receive benefit by either therefore to watch against them and keep our hearts close to the subject we have made choice of to meditate on Thus for the Letts Thirdly Follow the Helps to meditations and the First may be this To choose out some special subject to meditate on either concerning God or our selves and not run from one to another Secondly Set about it with affection to it for what we affect that we delight to think on Thirdly Get an inward principle of grace that may elevate your spirits and mount your minds upward heavy things they naturally descend because they have a principle inclining to it light things ascend because they have a principle inclining to it And therefore I say get such an inward principle of grace that may call us upward look as 't is with a worldly-minded man whersoever he is or whatsoever he is doing still the World is in his thoughts when he riseth up and when he lieth down yea and when he sleeps he dreams of the World nay in his best services hearing receiving fasting praying still his heart is on his honours proâ—â— pleasures so it is with a godly man that hath received a Principle of grace wheresoever he is and whatsoever he is doing his heart is still God-ward and Grace-ward and Heaven-ward As soon as he is awak'd he is presently with God and walks all the day after with God as Noah Genes 11.6 and at Night he endeavours to sleep with God Psalm 4. last His whole conversation is in Heaven Phil. 3.20 A fourth help is temperance in the use of the Creature this clears the head from Vapours the Body from humours that would distemper it and unfit it for duty and renders the Body every way serviceable to the Soul Fifthly To keep a narrow watch over our Thoughts within and our Senses without that they do not with-draw our hearts from what we are to meditate on Sixthly Pray unto God so to fit us for it assist us in it and bless it to us as it may be honourable to him and profitable and comfortable to us So much for the Helps The fourth thing I promised was the Rules and directions to be observ'd in and about it and these respect the Person the Gesture the Place the time and the manner First For the Persons that would meditate with profit and comfort they must be thus qualified Holy humble chast and meek First Holy because unholy ones neither will nor can meditate on holy things with any affection or delight Secondly Humble because God resists the proud and gives Grace only to the humble James 4. Thirdly Chast because such as are laden with lust are ever learning and never come to the knowledge of the truth 2 Tim 3.7 Fourthly Meek because passion blindes the mind and distempers the whole man Secondly For the Gesture to be used in meditation no certain rules can be given but every one to use that which he findes by experience to be most helpful to him in duty only in the general that it be Reverential and such as may most stir up Devotion and keep us most attentive to and intentive on the duty Thirdly For the Place of meditation we may meditate with Isaac in the Field Daniel in the Chamber David in the Bed Peter on the House top Christ in the Mount it is not much material where it be so we observe the counsel a great Master in this Art gives which is to have an eye to three things Secresie Silence and Rest The first excludes company the second noise the third motion all very useful to prevent distraction which we are very subject to in this duty Fourthly For the time of solemn meditation we should make Conscience of it before in or at every Duty of God's Worship we should do well to set apart some time every Day Psal 4.3 A godly man is said to be a man set apart as God sets him apart for himself by Election so he should set himself apart for God by Meditation and when you do to take the best and fittest season for every thing is beautiful in its season now the seasons for performing this duty are either ordinary or extraordinary First For the ordinary seasons they are either the Week-day oâ— the Sabbath-day now here to observe these Rules First It will be profitable to meditate on somâ—thing every Day in the Week but absolutely necessary on the Lord's Day as being in a special manner sanctified and set apart for that purpose therefore call'd the Lord's Day Revel 1.10 Because he that is the only Author of it ought to be the whole subject of it on that Day Secondly For the fittest time of the Day no man can prescribe to others but every one to take that which he can best spare from his particular calling anâ— wherein he findes himself best disposed for iâ— Jacob used it in the Morning Genes 28.16 Isaâ—â— in the Evening Genes 24.63 Peter in the Mid-day Acts 10. David in the Night Psal 63. Thâ— most free and quiet seasons are the Morning anâ— the Evening for the better imprinting things iâ— the memory whence Bishop Hall and Mr. Baxtâ—â— commended these seasons out of their own experience but we cannot prescribe to
any onâ—â— leave every one as he findes the temper of his body and spirit most inclin'd and disposed to Thirdly Though none strictly bound to any part of the Day yet none to leave themselves at random and at large to do it at any time of the Day but appoint some set-time for it either the Morning or Evening either before or after Supper or a little before we compose our selves to rest The reason is because if we should leave our selves at randome we should never be constant in this Exercise but shift it off from one time to another Fourthly When you have set the time then be careful to observe it constantly unless some urgent necessity prevent because otherwise fickleness and unconstancy will keep us from profiting by it and soon make us weary of it Secondly For extraordinary Seasons they are amongst others these First When the spirit of God doth in a more than ordinary manner move and incline to it when the Spirit lifts up the heart to Heaven then to lift up with him to nourish and cherish those motions Secondly When you are under more than ordinary trouble of Spirit then to apply your selves to this duty for Cordials are never more seasonable than in times of fainting Psal 94.19 2 Cor. 4. 2 last verses Thirdly When either Age or sickness do summon us to death then is a fit season to meditate on God and the things of God when all other things in the World begin to leave us then to think on those things will never leave us for it 's observable in the Saints they have been most heavenly in their mediations affections and expressions towards their end as Jacob Genes last Moses Deut. 33. 33. chap. our Saviour in the 14 15 16 17. chap. of John we should follow them in the same practise As the pulling down of one Ballance is the lifting up of another so the drawing down of the body to Earth should be the lifting up of the Soul to Heaven As the Soul here is usually at the worst when the Body is at the best so the Soul should be at the best when the Body is at the worst The fifth Circumstance is the Manner how we are to perform this duty and that is thus Cordially reverently seriously affectionately constantly and orderly First Cordially because it 's not the meditation of the head but the heart God looks unto Prov. 4. My Son give me thy heart Luke 2.19 Mary ponder'd Christ's sayings in her heart Psalm 19. last and 49.3 Secondly To do it reverently remembering and considering he is a great King and his Name is dreadful amongst the Heathen Malachy 1. ult therefore to take heed of any unreverent or careless behaviour in his presence and worship as being a great dishonour to him and that which he sharply reproves in those formal and lazie Priests Mal. 1. about the end Thirdly Seriously so as to keep the mind intent upon the business in hand and not to give way to any other thoughts though they be good thoughts because they are unseasonable at that time and will thrust out the other and so make both useless to keep also a narrow watch over our hearts and senses that they be not avocated or drawn aside by other objects Fourthly Affectionately so as to have our affections stirred and warmed and wrought upon by those things we meditate on as David here in the Text My Meditation of him shall be sweet and I will be glad in the Lord so to think on spiritual and heavenly things as they may leave an impression upon the Soul as the Seal doth on the Wax that so your affections may answer your cogitations as the Wax doth the Seal and the Eccho the voice As for Example when you think on the glorious Majesty of God to make your hearts stand in aw of Him when on his Love Grace Mercy to have your Hearts thereby indear'd to him Secondly When on Christ the amiableness and fulness that is in him and in him for you to have your desires drawn out the more after nearer sweeter fuller communion with him when on the Holy Ghost his sweet motions and invitations to have your Hearts opened to receive Him and obey Him in them Fourthly When on the Word to do it with a particular Application Fifthly When on God's Works of Mercy and Justice to have your Hearts melt with the one and tremble at the other Sixthly When on your selves your sins and corruptions to be humbled under them when on the Evidences of God's love and grace to rejoice in them Seventhly When on the World and the things of it to have your hearts disingag'd from them and hang loose to them Lastly When on Death to live in a continual expectation and a religious preparation for it when on the Judgment-Day to cast up your accounts sit in judgment on your selves that you may not be condemn'd with the World so think on Hell as your Hearts may tremble at sin that made it and so think on Heaven that your conversation may be there where you hope e're long to have your Habitation to all Eternity Fifthly To do it constantly so as to observe the due and the appointed time or otherwise omission and intermission may soon cause amission and so dead the affection as to become weary of it and cast off the duty and therefore to be constant in it and continue so long in it until our hearts be affected with what we think and we receive some benefit by it Sixthly To do it orderly for God being a God of Order he loves Order in us to this end to have an eye to three things the Ingress the Progress and the Egress As for Example to begin with Hearing or Reading and then go on with Meditation or thinking on it and then end all with Prayer for as Mr. Greenham well said Hearing and reading without Meditation is useless Meditation without reading and hearing fruitless and both without prayer will be successless miss a blessing More distinctly and fully First for the Ingress or Entrance upon it we are to prepare for it by making choice of some particular subject most sutable to your present condition and then lift up an Ejaculation for the Lord direction assistance and blessing on it Secondly For the Progress in it to observe a Method in it either such as Scholars use to do in Meditation on a subject as First The Definition or Description Secondly The Division or kind or parts Thirdly The Causes efficient material formal final Fourthly The fruits and the effects and the like Logical heads all which you may see exemplified in Bishop Hall's and Mr. Roger's Seven Treatises or thus which I conceive a more profitable way for our more ordinary sort of hearers being not acquainted with this art to proceed in your Meditations as you are taught First On the Doctrine then the Proofs then the Reasons then the Uses and in them the signs motives means You
that have this Book because your Memory is weak to take it in your hands and begin with the first Head of Meditation and then go on Day after Day until you have gone thorow and if there be any special subject you desire to meditate on to look into the Contents Thirdly For the Egress or Conclusion of your Meditation First so reflect and look back how we have perform'd it If not with profit and comfort then to take notice wherein we are defective and faulty and humble our selves under it and mend it the next time If we have reaped benefit and comfort by it to bless God for it and conclude all with praise for his gracious presence with us and pray he would make all effectual for the bettering of our heads and hearts and tongues and lives And thus of Meditation in general Next because most complain of scarcity or want of matter others of distraction through want of Method I have therefore thought fit to select the choisest things for Meditation through the Body of Divinity and reduce them to their several Heads that so however you cannot remember them all yet you may have them still before your eye and go on in the Meditation of them Day after Day CHAP. II. AND first I shall begin with solemn and deliberate Meditation and after give you some heads for sudden and occasional Meditation For solemn and deliberate Meditation the matter of your Meditation may be reduced to these 6 or 7 Heads God and Christ the Holy Spirit Man the World and the good and evil Angels by which God governs the World First I shall shew you what special things you are to meditate on in GOD to begin with him who is the beginning of all things and to be often and much in meditation on him for the more we meditate on him the more we shall know him and the more we know him the more we shall love him and the more we love him the more we shall desire him and the more we desire him the more shall we labour after communion with him not only in grace here but in glory hereafter but here in meditating on God take with you these three Cautions First To meditate on him in a way of faith and not reason because reason cannot comprehend the Unity in Trinity or Trinity in Unity Secondly Not to conceive of God out of Christ because God out of Christ is a consuming Fire Hebr. 12. last Thirdly Take heed of framing any Image of God in your minds he being a Spirit and an Infinite Spirit in all and through all and above all but to conceive of him I say in Christ who is the express Image of the Father the Ladder by which we are to clime up to Heaven to see and know God One well expresseth it thus when I see the body of a living man I know his Soul is there also and therefore when I speak to his body I speak to his understanding also because they are together so in viewing with the eye of my mind the humane nature of Christ glorious in Heaven I do at the same time look upon the God-head that being personally united unto it for in him dwelleth the God-head bodily or Personally Q. What are those things we are to meditate on in GOD A. His Nature Attributes Word Works Worship 1. His Nature and here take notice what he is in his Beeing and that he only is Jehovah 1. What he is in his Beeing This cannot be conceived much less defined by finite Creatures yet may be described so far as he hath revealed himself in the Scripture which is this An Eternal Infinite Perfect Incomprehensible Spirit distinguished into three Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost every one Co-essential and Co-equal To open this briefly mind well I say he is a Spirit John 4.24 Now what a Spirit is our Saviour tells you Luke 24.31 Iohn 1.18 sc a Substance or Beeing that cannot be seen or felt 2. I say he is an Eternal Infinite Perfect Incomprehensible Spirit these Attributes distinguish him from all other Spirits as Angels and the Souls of men 1. He is an Eternal Spirit i. e. One that had no beginning nor can have any end 1 Tim. 1.17 To the King Eternal c. and Revel 1.8 But now Angels and the Souls of men though they shall have no end yet had a beginning were Created by God Gen. 12.1 2. God he is an Infinite Spirit i. e. Such a Beeing as cannot be contained within any place 1 Kings 8.27 Behold The Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him and Isa 66.1 But for Angels and the Souls of men they are contained within their proper places 3. God he is a perfect Spirit unto whom no degree of goodness or excellency can be added 1 Iohn 1.5 Gen. 17.1 I am God All-sufficient But for Angels and the Souls of men they are capable of more degrees of goodness and excellency 4. God is an incomprehensible Spirit Psal 145.3 His greatness is incomprehensible 1 Timothy 1.16 He dwells in light unapproachable we may more easily comprehend what God is not than what he is but now for Angels and the Souls of Men we may in some measure comprehend what they are so far forth as God hath revealed it 3. I add distinguished into three Persons Here to take notice 1. What a Person is sc a distinct Subsistence or beeing having in it the whole God-head and distinguished from another by his incommunicable properties as 1. Of the Father to beget Psal 2.7 the Son to be begotten John 18. and of the Holy Ghost to proceed from both John 15.26 2. To take notice why we say Distinguished and not divided sc because the God-head being one pure simple unchangeable Beeing it cannot be divided or separated one from the other but are in one the other as you may see cleerly John 14.9 Lastly I add Co-essential and Co-equal i. e. Every one true and very God and not one before the other or greater than the other being every one God as appears in that the same names of God and properties of God and actions of God are given to every Person in the Trinity The Father God Eph. 13. John 17.3 The Son God Isai 9.6 Heb. 1.8 The Holy Ghost God Acts 5.3 4. 1 Cor. 3.16 To take notice and meditate seriously on these things in the Nature of God because the ignorance and want of the serious consideration of it is the cause of so many misapprehensions of God and aberrations from God 2. That you may the better know what God is to take notice that he only is Jehovah Psal 83.18 Thy Name only is Jehovah Q. What is the meaning of that Ans This word Jehovah it imports three things 1. That he hath his Beeing in and of and from Himself being deemed Hava or Hajah that signifieth To be and be of himself and from himself 2. It is he that gave a beeing to all that have any beeing as Isa 44.24
the blood of Martyrs Oh what wonderful condescention of the great God is this to his poor worthless Creatures that when he might have left us still in our contracted blindness and suffered us to grope through inward to outward and eternal darkness He should cause the light to shine forth once more upon us and reveal his mind and will how he would have us to walk and to worship him so as to enjoy him in grace here and in glory to all Eternity hereafter How should the consideration of it affect our hearts make us to prize and to value this blessed Book to love and delight in reading of our Father's Letters and the rather because it 's the great Charter of our Peace our evidence for a better life and our Eternal Inheritance 1 Ep. John 5.13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know you have Eternal Life 2. To meditate on the excellent properties of it as 1. The Divinity of it that it 's all and every part of it divinely inspir'd 2 Pet. 1. last 2 The infallibility of it that it never did or can deceive any being the word of him that is truth it self and hath said Heaven and Earth shall pass before one Iota or title of it go unfulfilled Luk 16.17 3. The All-sufficiency of it that it contains all things necessary to be known believed and practised to salvation 2 Tim. 3.16 17. 4 The Authority and Efficacy of it on the Conscience to humble and comfort when Men and Angels cannot by all they can say or do one word of God dropt into the Conscience by the Spirit of God is able to humble the proudest sinner and raise up the most dejected Soul so as to make him to acknowledge God is in it of a truth 1 Cor. 14.24 25. 3. To meditate on the Precepts Promises Examples in the Word First First The Precepts that they are good and just and holy Rom. 7.12 as you may find David did Psalm 119.15.23 And when you meditate on the Precept to remember that there is no Precept but is backt with a promise of acceptance assistance and a reward Secondly Meditate on the Promises in the Word that they are many for number exceeding great for quantity and precious for quality 2 Pet. 1.4 All the godly man's called therefore the Heirs of the promise Heb. 6.17 Promises of all things concerning life and godliness this and a better that he will give grace and glory and with-hold no good thing Psalm 84. the end That they are all Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus 2 Pet. 1.20 Still to go to them as the Bee to the Flower and suck sweetness out of them and when you meditate on them remember still God is as faithful in performing as gracious in promising 1 Thes 5.33 Thirdly On the threatnings of the Word that they are infinitely more dreadful than the threatnings of men the threatnings of men can reach only to the Body but the threatnings of God unto the Soul Men's threatnings only to this life but God's to all Eternity Math. 10 28 Fear not them which kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul but rather fear him who is able to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell and here remember God is as righteous in making good his Threatnings as his Promises there 's only this difference he promiseth that he may fulfill but threatens that he may not fulfill Fourthly On the Examples in the word of mercy and goodness to the obedient and Justice and Severity to the disobedient and when you meditate on them to take notice There is no Example in it but is for our instruction and hath a promise or a threatning in the Bowels and Bosom of it Rom. 15.4 1 Cor. 10.11 Secondly Above all to meditate on the Gospel or the New-Covenant of Grace and in and about that to meditate on these 8. things 1. What it is 2. Why call'd the Covenant of grace 3. Why a new Covenant 4. Wherein the old Covenant and new agree and differ 5. What those special spiritual things are contain'd in the Covenant 6. What Signs there are of a Person 's being actually in Covenant 7. The Means for it and the Motives to it 1. What it is viz. That Second Contract or Agreement which God the Father made with Christ and in Him with all his Elect To give them Christ and all that is Christ's even all things that pertain to life and godliness upon their believing in Him Psal 84.11 2 Pet. 1.3 4. Secondly Q. Why is this call'd a Covenant of Grace A. In opposition to the Covenant of Works which God made with Adam in the state of Innocency That promised Life and Salvation upon condition of doing the whole will of God this only upon condition of believing and giving God the glory of his grace in it Eph. 2.8 9. 3dly Why is it call'd the new Covenant In opposition to the old Covenant of grace made with the Jews under the Law The old Covenant is the revelation and dispensation of the Covenant before the coming of Christ the new Covenant the Revelation and Dispensation of it since the coming of Christ 4ly Wherin do the old and new Covenant agree A. In two things First In the substance which is one and the same in both viz. Life and Salvation by Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 10.1 2 3. Revel 13.8 Heb. 13.8 Secondly In the way of receiving Life and Salvation to wit by Faith in Christ Act. 15.10 11. Heb. 4.2 Then Fifthly Q Wherein they differ A. In three things the clearness easiness and efficaciousness of it First In the Clearness in the new Covenant Christ and the benefits that come by him are more clearly revealed unto us than to them under the old they had it under types and shaddows and Ceremonies which things are now done away by Christ Heb 8. last Secondly In the Easiness the service of the old Covenant was a Service they were not able to bear Act. 15.10 But Christ's Yoke is easie and his Burden is light Math 11. last Because he hath freed us from those heavy Yokes and Burdens that lay on them as of many costly Sacrifices long and tedious Journeys prohibition of many Meats observation of many Days Rites and Ceremonies from all which we are freed by Christ Thirdly In the Efficaciousness oâ— Power of it there was less of the influence of the Spirit of grace given to ordinary believers under the Law than to those under the Gospel this plentiful Effusion of the Spirit being reserved unto the time of Christ's Ascension John 7.39 Eph 4.7 8. Heb. 7 18 19. Sixthly What those special spiritual blessings are which are promised in the Covenant which are first in general That God will be a God to them Gen. 17.7 and a Father 2 Cor. 6. last that is He will do all God and a Father can as he can do all things and is as
David Psal 148. Where you may finde he calls upon all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth to do so Thirdly After our solemn Thanksgiving to be especially careful of expressing it in a suitable life it is only this is the life of thanksgiving and finds acceptance with God Psal 50. last Without this all outward gratulation is but dissimulation and a further provocation And that you are really thankful in your lives to manifest it thus First By a greater hatred of sin especially this sin of Unthankfulness Psal 130.4 Secondly Greater care of discharging the duties of piety to God Psal 116.16 17. and charity unto men Nehem. 8.10 11. not only to their bodies but their souls Psal 51.12 13. Thirdly By a suitable walking before God and serving him chearfully for the abundance of all his Goodness Deut. 28.47 Deut. 6.10 Deut. 10.12 The Ninth Duty is Holy Conference First Before it to set up resolutions of declining conference about other Mens Persons and other Mens Affairs 1 Thes 4.11 Study to be quiet and medle with your own business To decline also all controverted points and apply your selves only to practical to discourse of the things of God and Christ and his Spirit and the graces of the Spirit what they are and what evidences you have of them the four-fold state of Man the four last things what experiences you and others have had of God's providences over you and yours how he deliver'd you at such a time from such a danger and did help you in such a strait how you got power over such a temptation and such a corruption how you were enabled to and carried through such a duty Secondly To consider of some special spiritual Subject that may be most seasonable and suitable to the Persons you conferr withall their disposition and condition either inward or outward Thirdly To look up and entreat the Lord so to direct your hearts and tongues as you may speak to his glory and others edification Eph. 4.29 Secondly In the time of Conference to take heed of some things and practise others First To take heed of rash speaking Pro 8.13 Secondly Too much speaking Prov. 10.19 Prov. 29.17 Thirdly Disorderly speaking those to begin first who are first in place and gifts Job 32.4 5. Fourthly Vain-glorious speaking Prov. 27.2 Fifthly Censorious-speaking Mat. 7.1 Sixthly Contentious speaking more for Victory than for Truth James 3.16 Where envy and strife is there 's Confusion and every Evil Work And Secondly Other things to be practised as these To see your speech be wise deliberate humble meek gracious and profitable Thirdly After Conference to observe what you and others have profited by it give him the glory of his grace to you in it and by the sweetness you have found in it to long after that place where you shall all be perfected in love Thus much of the manner of worshipping God that so you may worship Him in such a right manner Sect. 5. Fifth-Circumstance in and about the worship of God is Reasons why every one is to give God the Worship due to him 1. Because not only our duty that we owe to him and he commands Math. 4.10 Revel 22.9 but our Priviledge Deut. 4.6 7. 2. The greatest honour the Creature is capable of not only Men and Angels but Christ himself accounted it so Isa 43.1 Lastly Because Ordinances wherein and whereby God is worshipped are the Meeting places between God and his Saints wherein they hold sweet communion one with the other and what we must do to get preserve and increase this communion First To get communion with God to this end First See you have union with God because without union no communion and to clear up your union with God to see that Christ be yours because he is a God to none out of Christ Eph. 2.14 and that Christ is yours to see that his Spirit be yours Rom. 8.9 and that the Spirit is yours to see that you have the sanctifying work of the Spirit 1 Thes 5.23 Secondly That you may have communion with God you are to make this the main end of your drawing neer to God in the use of his Ordinances for the sincerity and hypocrisie of a Man's Spirit is seen in the end he proposes to himself in duty Now there are two ends every one should propose to himself in drawing nigh to God in duty First That God may be more honour'd by them Secondly That we may enjoy more of God more discoveries of his love and further influences of his grace more enlightning enlivening mortifying sanctifying quickning strengthning and establishing Grace Secondly To preserve communion with God First To see you have no communion with sin and sinners 2 Cor. 6.17 18. 1 Joh. 1.6 7. Secondly To keep close to God in duty for there is no such way to keep God close to us as to keep close to Him 2 Chro. 15.2 I am with you whilst you are with me Thirdly To increase communion with God to come with an Appetite to it to carry our selves humbly in it and after it to hold forth the life and power of it in your conversations and by the sweetness you find in it to long the more after immediate perfect and everlasting communion with Him in Glory Amen Thus of the things to be meditated on in and about GOD. CHAP. III. The Second Head of Meditation is Our Lord Jesus Christ THe things to be meditated on in and about Him I shall reduce to these Twelve Heads First Who He is Secondly What He is Thirdly The Infinite love of God in giving such a Redeemer to Man and only to Man Fourthly The infinite love of Christ in undertaking the great Work of Redemption for Man Fifthly The amiableness and loveliness of this Redeemer Sixthly The greatness of this Work of our Redemption Seventhly The ways and means of his effecting our Redemption Eighthly The priviledge that come by an Interest in Him Ninthly The evidences of it Tenthly The Means to procure it Eleventhly The Motives to it And Twelfthly How to walk worthy of and suitable to this Redeemer Sect. 1. First To take notice Who Jesus Christ is viz. the Eternal Son of God who in the fulness of time took to his Divine Nature our humane Nature and so became God and Man in one Person that he might be a fit Mediator to go between God and Man to reconcile God to man and man to God Gal. 4.4 5. 1 Colos 20.21 Man because man had finned and Justice requir'd that nature which had offended should make satisfaction and God that he might be able to undergo the wrath of God due to our fins and his suffering might be of infinite value to purchase salvation for us his sufferings for a time being more than if all men and Angels had suffered to all Eternity Secondly What Christ is to His viz. that He is the only remedy which God hath vouchsafed against Man's misery Acts 4.12 No other Name given
under Heaven by which we can be saved Joh. 8.24 If you believe not that I am he you shall die in your sins and therefore it 's a gross Error A man may be saved in any Religion so he walk according to the Rules of it and as he is the only remedy so he is an All-sufficient remedy hath thorowly trode the Wine-press of God's wrath fulfilled and brought in everlasting righteousness and so able to save to the uttermost all such as come to God by him Heb. 7.26 Thirdly To meditate on the infinite love of God to Man-kind in vouchsafing such a Remedy to us and none to the fallen Angels Heb. 2.16 and John 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave c. with such a Sic as has no Sicut such a So as has no Like so as cannot be conceiv'd much less expressed Fourthly On the infinite love of Christ in the voluntary undertaking this great Work for us and standing between the wrath of God and out Souls when the whole Creation trembled at it Psal 40.8 This is such a love as passeth love and passeth knowledge Men and Angels not able to comprehend what the bredth and length and depth and heighth is of this love of Jesus Christ to poor sinners Eph. 3.18 19. Fifthly To meditate on the amiableness or loveliness of Christ in himself that your hearts may be drawn out the more after him Cant. 5. last He is altogether lovely all desirable in his Names Nature Offices Graces Actions Passions and Benefits purchased by him for us First In his Names His name is as an Ointment poured out Cant. 1.3 God hath given him a name above every name that at the Name of Jesus every Knee should bow Phil. 2.9 And this Name JESUS so full of sweetness that as Bernard hath it it is Mel in ore melos in aure Jubilus in corde Honey in the mouth Musick in the Ear and a Jubilee in the Heart so sweet that Austin after his Conversion delighted not to read any Book wherein was not the Name Jesus And for his Name Christ how full of sweetness is this so called because he was Anointed to be the Mediator King Priest and Prophet of his Church You may read more of his precious names Isai 9.6 Secondly Altogether lovely in his Natures both Divine and Humane First For His Divine Nature He is God Co-essential Co-eternal and every way coequal with his Father and therefore stiled God's-fellow Zach. 13.7 Secondly For His Humane Nature as He was Man so He was a Just and Innocent Man Mat. 27.19 A good man that always went about doing good to the Souls and Bodies of others Acts 10.38 An eminent Man above all Men fairer than all the Children of Men Isai 45.2 and that both in Soul and Body And needs must as being without all sin from which all deformities come especially in his state of Exaltation as the Apostle tells you when he met with him in the way of his Persecution Act. 26.13 At mid-day O King I saw in the way a light from Heaven above the brightness of the Sun shining round about me c. Thirdly Altogether lovely in his Offices oâ— Mediatorship Priestly Prophetical and Kingly Office First His Office of Mediatorship for first he hath reconcil'd by this God and Man Law and Gospel Mercy and Justice Secondly Hereby He hath opened a way for us into the Presence oâ— God whom we could no more draw nigh to without Him than the Stubble to the consuming Fire Heb. 12. last Secondly For His Priestly Office He is altogether lovely in that First Because He is a Priest not after the Order of Aaron but the Order of Melchisedeck Psal 110.4 Aaron was a temporary Priest but Christ an Eternal Priest Secondly In that He was not only a Priest but Altar and Sacrifice all which never any before Him was Isaiah 56.67 and 60.7 Thirdly A Priest that sprinkles Persons and Services with his precious Blood so as to take away the iniquity of our holy things and render all acceptable to his Father Eph. 1.6 1 Pet. 2.5 Fourthly A merciful High Priest that cannot but have a fellow-feeling of all our infirmities Heb. 11.15 and knows how to succour them under their temptations Heb. 2. end Fifthly A Priest that is holy harmless separate from sinners and so able to save them to the uttermost that come to God by Him seeing He ever lives to make Intercession for them Heb. 7.25 Thirdly Altogether lovely in his Prophetical Office A Prophet that excels all other Prophets First In that all other Prophets were but Types of this Prophet even Moses himself Mat. 10.27 Heb. 3. Secondly Other Prophets could speak only to the Ear but Christ to the hearts of men other Prophets could only instruct but not convert Christ doth both Revel 3.7 Christ in speaking makes his to live Joh. 5.25 Thirdly Other Prophets could reveal but a part of God's will Christ he makes known the whole will of God John 15.15 Heb. 1.1 2. Fourthly All other Prophets had their Authority and Commission from Him He his from Himself Mat. last the last Eph. 4.11 In a word such a Prophet as he is the Angel's Surety Mediator of the Covenant the Angel as he goes from God to us and us to God the Surety as he undertakes for us and the Mediator he goes between God and us Fourthly Altogether lovely in his Kingly Office for He is King of kings a King that excels all other Kings in His wisdom power righteousness mercy Secondly A Universal King over all Nations and all Creatures in the World Math. 28. All Power is given to Him in Heaven and in Earth and Eph 1 22. Thirdly He is a spiritual King a King that sets up his Throne in the Hearts and Consciences of Men which other Kings cannot however the Pope and his Pope lings will usurp it Revel 18.13 Fourthly He is an everlasting King whâ—â—e Kingdom can never be shaken Heb. 12.27 Of whose Kingdom there is no end Daniel 2.44 Fifthly Altogether lovely in his Graces and that both inherent in him and diffusive from him First Inherent in him therefore do the Virgins love him and run after him Cant. 1.2 and the Angels worship Him Heb 1. And he must needs be so because in Him is the fulness of grace and truth John 1.14 and he hath the Spirit without measure John 3 34 and is anointed with the Oil of gladness above his fellows Heb. 1.9 Secondly In his diffusive graces for from his fulness it is we all receive grace for grace Joh. 1.16 that is grace like to that in Christ and one degree and measure of grace after another 2 Cor. 3. last Fifthly He is altogether lovely in his actions for never man spake as he spake Joh. 7.40 and never man did as he did Joh. 9.39 Sixthly A together lovely in his Passions never any man suffer'd what he did or as he did nor suffer'd so willingly patiently constantly aâ—
it and the Fruits of it 1. By the Grounds of it whence it ariseth and they are these 1. A sight and sense of their lost condition that they came into the World without Christ before Men be convinced of this they will never look out after Christ Eph. 2.12 2. It ariseth from sound Humiliation under the fight and sense of their lost condition so as to be willing upon it to break off the League between the Soul and every sin for a Graft must be cut off from the old Stock before it can be set into a new This you may find in those new Converts Acts 2.37 And the Jaylor Acts 16.29 2. You may know it by the Means of it now these are four whereof there are two on Christ's part sc His Word and his Spirit and two on our part sc Faith and Love By these as so many Bands and Ligaments the union is made between Christ and the Soul By the two former God draws the Soul home to Christ By the two latter he unites and knits it to Christ 1. The Word of Christ that is the Ordinance by which he cuts them off from the old Stock and ingrafts them into the new Acts 26.18 therefore called the ingrafted Word James 1.21 Now Souls are cut off from the old Stock by sound Humiliation under their sinful and miserable condition by nature so as to be willing to have the League broken between the Soul and every sin to part with all for Him And they come to be ingrafted to Him when they are made willing to receive Him on Gospel-terms not only as their Saviour but their Ruler 2. Another Means and the principal is the Spirit of Christ 1 Joh. 3. last which the Lord gives effectually to accompany his Word for the cutting them off from the old Stock and ingrafting them into the new and this the Spirit doth by convincing them of sin righteousness and judgment Joh. 16.8 By being in them first a Spirit of Bondage and then of Adoption Rom. 8 15. By mortifying of their Corruptions Rom. 8.13 and quickning them with Grace Vers 10 11. 1 Cor. 6.11 3. Another Means or Band of our union with and interest in Christ is a lively Faith taking us off from our own righteousness and causing us to rest and rely only on the righteousness of Jesus Christ for Justification and Salvation Joh. 3.16 Phil. 3.9 4th Means or Band is an unfained Love to Christ for his lovely Self and all his Members for his sake Joh. 14.21 1 Joh. 3.14 3. You may know it by the fruits of it which are especially these 1. A through change of heart and life 2 Cor. 5.17 2. Subjection and obedience to his Laws and Commandments Joh. 14.15.21 15.14 Then are you my friends if you do whatsoever I command you and Heb. 5.9 3. Conformity to him in heart and life doing and suffering living and dying Rom. 6.5 6. 1 Joh. 2.6 2 Tim. 2.12 4. A constant adherence to him in faith love and obedience with full purpose of heart not to depart from him Heb. 3.14 Tenthly To meditate on what we are to do for the getting and clearing up our interest in Christ and all he hath done and suffer'd for us to this end mind well a few directions as First Look to this that you be throughly convinc't of and humbled under your sinful and miserable condition out of Christ so as to find your selves in a lost and undone condition Luke 19.10 Sick in Soul with the confideration of it Mat. 9.13 Burdned with and weary of your sins Mat. 11.29 And pricked in your hearts as they Act. 2.37 for this is the first work of the Spirit of God in bringing in a Soul to Christ viz. the convincing him and humbling him under his sin and misery by reason of sin Joh. 16.8 Secondly To hunger and thirst after an interest in Christ above all other things in the World Isaiah 55.1 Revel 22.17 so as with the Apostle To account all things but loss and dung in comparison of it Phil. 3. Thirdly You are to be willing to take Him on Gospel-terms such as he therein offers himself as these First To take Him in all his Titles and Offices not only as your alone Jesus but Lord and Christ Rom. 13. end Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and so Acts 16.31 Secondly Be willing to deny our selves and tâ—â—e up his Cross to follow Him Mark 8.34 willing to part with all and every sin yea all and every thing to follow Him as Christ advised the young man Luke 19. Sell all thou hast and come and follow me c. For as a Noble Lord said well That Person may be deceived that thinks to save any thing by his Religion but his Soul meaning his Religion might cost him the loss of all Thirdly Give up your selves to Him in a Universal sincere and constant obedience and conformity to Him and all his commands expresly requir'd Heb. 5.9 Heb. 3.14 John 15.14 Fourthly You are to endeavour to lay hold on Him and close with Him and be united to him by faith and love Rom. 11.19 20. Eph. 3.17 Gal. 5.6 John 14.21 And that you may to wait constantly on the Ministry of the Word and beg the Spirit of God effectually to accompany it for the begetting and working of this faith and love whereby you may be actually and really united to him and made one with him 1 Cor. 12.13 Eleventhly To meditate on the motives and incouragements you have to get and clear up your interest in Christ You have seen enough in what hath been said before yet take two or three more First Consider the miserable condition of a man our of Christ in these particulars First So long as Men are without Christ they are without Covenant without hope and without God in the World Eph. 2.12 Secondly They lie under the guilt of all their sins Rom. 3.19 and that you cannot stand under the guilt of one sin that first sin how much less under the guilt of such innumerable sins Thirdly You remain still in Vassallage and slavery unto the basest and 〈…〉 Tyrants Sin Saâ—an and the World Eph. 〈…〉 Fourthly You sin in all you think and 〈…〉 do Pro. 15.8 Rom. 8.7 Titus 1.15 〈◊〉 Every thing you have and use is accurâ—ed to 〈◊〉 Deut. 28 16. to the end Mal. 2.2 Sixthly Theâ—◠〈◊〉 but a step between you and Hell John 8.21 1 Cor. 6.9 Mat. 25. last Secondly Consider the happy estate of a man in Christ he is freed from all that is truly evil and instated in all that is truly good First He is freed from all evil both of sin and punishment from the evil of sin both the guilt of it and the filth of it 1 John 1.7 Rom. 8.1 Rom. 6.14 Secondly He is instated in all that is good As the Wife is by her marriage in all the honours riches pleasures of her Husband so is the believing Soul in all the honours riches and
pleasures of Christ 1 Cor. 3. end As Christ is a King so are Believers made Kings to God Rev. 1.6 As he is Heir of all things Heb. 1.3 so they are Heirs and Co-heirs with Christ of the same Kingdom Rom. 8.17 they are compleat in him Col. 2.10 A third motive may be this The great willingness and readiness of Jesus Christ to receive and save poor lost sinners such as are willing to take Him and accept of Him upon Gospel-terms this appears in these Particulars First That his desire is towards his Cant. 7.10 Swears as he lives he desires not the death of a sinner Ezek. 33. so as the fault is Man's and not his if any be not saved John 5.40 you will not come unto me that you may have life See this clearly in that Book Entituled The Self condemning Sinner Secondly In that he offers Himself freely to all without exception of any that will come to him in a way of faith and love Isaiah 55 1. Rev. 22.17 Thirdly In that he invites all to come to him that find their want and need of him Mat. 11.29 and promises to cast away none that come to him John 6.37 Fourthly In that he sends his Ministers to woe and beseech them in the name of Christ to come in and be reconcil'd to God 2 Cor. 5.20 Fifthly In that he bewails their folly that will stand out against him and their own salvation Mat. 23. Oh Jerusalem Jerusalem that killest the Prophets how often would I have gathered thy children together as the Hen gathers her chickens and you would not Lastly You are to take notice how you are to walk worthy of and suitable to so dear a Redeemer and precious Saviour by imitating him in his carriage both towards God and Man in his doings and sufferings 1. His doings 1 Epist John 2.6 He that saith he abides in him ought to walk as he walked Q. But you will say Can any walk as he walked He was void of all sin we are sull of sin A. There 's a double As one that imports Equality and another Similitude as it imports equality it 's impossible for any to walk as he walked but as it imports similitude and likeness so we may and must walk after him As a Scholar that writes after his Master's Copy he begins every Line as his Master begins and ends as he ends he frames every Letter as his Master frames it joyns letters and syliables together as his Master doth though there be no equality he cannot write as well as his Master yet there is a similitude he labours to imitate and write like his Master So true Christians though they cannot live and walk so exactly as Christ did yet they labour to come as neer to him as they can to imitate and follow him though not in his divine acts which he did as God and as Mediator which is impossible yet in his moral and humane acts which he did as Man so they labour to make him their only pattern in their carriages both towards God and man First In their carriage to God now for his carriage towards God that was full of piety full of saith full of zeal full of heavenly-mindedness First Full of Piety Heb. 7.26 He was holy harmless separate from sinners 1 Pet. 2 22. He did no sin neither was there any guil found in his mouth and we required to follow him in that 1 Pet. 1.15 1 Ep. John 3.2 Secondly Full of faith ever confident of his Father's presence assistance and acceptance in whatsoever he did even in his greatest desertion on the Cross crying my God my God He held fast his faith and we requir'd to follow him in thiâ— Isaiah 50.10 Heb. 3.14 1 Pet. 1.13 Thirdly He was full of zeal for God both in publick and private First In publick the Zeal of God's House even consum'd him John 2.15 16 17. Secondly In private He went about doing good to the bodies souls of others Acts 10.38 We are to imitate him in this it being the end of our Redemption Titus 2.14 The end of his correction of us Revel 3.19 Fourthly He was full of heavenly-mindedness still extracting spiritual and heavenly discourses from worldly and Earthly occasions John 4.10 Joh. 13.2 John 6.26 27. and we are requir'd to follow him in this Col. 3.1 2. Phil. 3 20. Secondly Follow him in his cariage towards man now for that you may observe in the Scripture it was full of wisdom innocency truth justice humility meekness love mercy and pitty to others and we commanded in the Scriptures to imitate him in all these First In his wisdom and innocency Mat. 10.16 Secondly In his truth Eph 4 24. Thirdly In his justice and righteousness Rom. 13.7 Luke 1.6 In his humility and meekness Mat. 11.20 In his patience 1 Pet. 2.21 22 23. In his love to all even our very Enemies Mat. 5.44 45. Eph. 5.2 and in mercies to the Bodies and Souls of men Rom. 12. the 3 last James 5. 2 last In his pitty and compassion Gal. 6.1 1 Pet. 3.8 Jude 22.23 Thus for his doings Secondly To imitate him in his sufferings 1 Pet. 2.21 Q. How did Christ suffer A. 1. He suffer'd willingly none could compel him to it John 10.18 You must follow him in this when God calls unto it as the Apostle Acts 21.13 Secondly Christ suffered patiently Isaiah 53.7 Heb. 12.2 we to follow him in this as we are commanded in the same place to look unto Jesus and 1 Pet. 2.21 tread in his steps Thirdly He suffer'd believingly that God would support him and deliver him so must we 1 Cor. 10.13 Fourthly He suffer'd fruitfully so as to learn obedience by his sufferings Heb. 5.8 so are we Micah 6.7 8. Revel 3.19 Fifthly Christ suffer'd constantly even to the death and so are we requir'd Rev. 2.10 Thus of Christ CHAP. IV. The Third Head the Spirit of God called the Holy Ghost IN and about him to meditate on these things First What he is Secondly What his Offices Thirdly What signs you have of the Spirit 's Inhabitation 4. Motives to get him 5. Means to procure him and 6. The means to preserve and increase communion with him First What the Spirit of God or the Holy Ghost is viz. the Third Person in the sacred Trinity proceeding from the Father and the Son And here to take notice of three things First That he is a distinct Person from the Father and the Son and the Third Person in Sacred Trinity 1 Epist John 5.7 Secondly That he is true and very God as well as the Father and the Son as is evident 1. By testimony of the Scripture Acts 5.3 4. Why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie unto the Holy Ghost thou hast not lied unto man but God 2. By Reason 1. Because He is the Author and Inditer of the Scripture Acts 28.25 2 Pet. 1.21 2. Because the Scripture ascribes those Attributes to him that are proper to God as Eternity
Lord under the consideration of it Secondly As there followed guilt so filth or the defilement of the whole Man with sin original and actual and here to meditate what these are and what special things in them are to be meditated on for the humbling of our Souls and the keeping us from closing with Temptations to them First What sin is viz. The transgression of the Law of God either revealed in the Word 1 Ep. Joh. 3.4 or written in the heart Rom. 2.14 15. and here about sin to take notice and meditate on the ugly filthy hurtful hateful nature of it 1. For the ugly nature of sin it is not only evil but the worst of all evils and the cause of all other evils that it is most contrary to God's most Holy Nature that which made the Devil a Devil and Hell to be Hell without which the Devil would be a blessed Angel and Hell would be Heaven that also that could not be expiated and done away by the death and blood-shed of all the Creatures but only by the precious heart-blood of the Lord Jesus Christ Secondly Meditate on the filthy nature of it as it is compar'd to the Excrements of Man Isai 4.4 and called the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Excrement of Excrements or superfluity of naughtiness James 1.21 yea not only filthy in the concrete but filthiness it self in the abstract 2 Cor. 7.1 Q. But how doth this appear A. In that it defiles a man in all and all to him 1. It defiles him in all every faculty of Soul every power of Body Mat. 15.19 20. whence Solomon calls the sinner a loathsome Person Prov. 15.3 because sin is that which makes him loathsome to all to God and Man and Himself 1. To God Zach. 11.8 my Soul loatheth them 2. Loathsome to Men especially good Men Psal 15.4 Prov. 29. last Isai 66.24 3dly That which makes men loathsome to themselves when God once opens their Eyes to see it and brings them home to himself by Repentance Ezek. 36.31 Job 42.6 Rom. 6.21 Secondly As it defiles a Man in all so all to him all his Relations all his Enjoyments all his Actions natural civil religious Titus 1.15 To the impure all things are impure the Word is a killing Letter the Sacraments Seal up Damnation in short of so defiling a nature as all the Water of the old World could not wash away the stain of it nor all the Fire of the last Judgment and of Hell will be able to burn up the dross of it Thirdly Meditate on the hateful nature of sin how hateful it is to God and good men 1. To God it is the only object of his hatred he hates nothing but as it is sinful not the Devil but only as sin made him a Devil 2. That it is so hateful to God appears in that he hates it where-ever he sees it Even in his own Son who knew no sin yet because he took our sin upon him he so manifested his hatred of it as he would not spare the severe punishment of it in him because the Creatures could not strike a stroke hard enough he was pleas'd to bruise him Isai 53.16 and to lay upon him the fierceness of his wrath Lament 1.12 Secondly As hateful to God so to all good men Psal 139.21 Do not I hate them O Lord that hate thee search me and try me c. Psal 119.128 I hate every false way the Martyrs so hated sin as they chose rather to burn at the Stake and undergo any torment than give way to any sin Anselm Arch-Bishop of Canterbury was wont to say that if he saw Hell on one side and sin on the other and he must of necessity choose one he would rather choose Hell without sin and no wonder for where there is no Sin there is no Hell Fourthly On the hurtful nature of sin this appears 1. In that it is the greatest Enemy to God to Christ to the Spirit to Us 1. To God it 's that which seeks to un-Throne Him and un-God Him and there is no true and loyal Subject but will endeavour the death of him that seeks the death of his Soveraign Lord and King Secondly The greatest Enemy to Christ that which brought him from Heaven to the Cross made Him sweat Blood under the apprehension of his Father's wrath due to him and to cry out on the Cross to the amazement of Heaven and Earth My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Thirdly The greatest Enemy to the Spirit of God that which quencheth and grieveth and vexeth and resists him makes him to leave his Habitation and when he goes out the Devil comes in with seven worse Spirits than ever Mat. 12.45 Fourthly The greatest Enemy to Us that which deprives us of all good Isai 59.2 and exposeth us to all evil Rom. 2.8 9 10. pulls down all manner of Judgments on Persons Families Towns Cities Kingdoms Countreys Prov. 8. last Rom. 1.16 Eph. 5.5 That which makes every man to come in with a Cry and go out of the World with a Groan So much of Sin in general Secondly For Original sin that you may be effectually humbled under it to take notice of and meditate on these things 1. What it is 2. The several Titles given to it with the Reasons of them 3. The Parts of it 4 The extent of it And 5. The fruits of it First What it is for the understanding of this you are to Note that Original sin is taken either actively or passively First Actively for the sin of Adam in eating the forbidden fruit and is call'd by Divines Peccatum Originans the beginning-sin or the sin giving a beginning to all other sins Secondly Passively for the corruption of nature flowing from that first sin of Adam and is call'd Peccatum Originatum or sin taking a beginning from that first sin of Adam and this is that which we are to speak unto and may be described thus A privation of Original righteousness and a depravation of the whole Man with unrighteousness Justly deriv'd from the loins of our first Parents unto all their Posterity by reason whereof every Man and Woman is conceiv'd and born in sin brings into the World with them the Seeds of all sin is inclin'd to all evil and averse to all that is good 1. There is a deprivation of Original righteousness wherein Man was created Rom. 3.10 There 's none righteous no not one Secondly A depravation of the whole man with unrighteousness Gal. 3.22 The Scripture hath concluded all under sin not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all Men but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things in man for the word is in the Neuter Gender and it is further evident by the Apostle's Prayer for Universal Sanctification 1 Thes 5.23 Implying an Universal Corruption Thirdly I say justly deriv'd from the Loins of our first Parents to all their Posterity as you may see Gen. 5.3 Adam begot a Son in his own likeness that is
a sinner like himself Job gives the reason Job 14.4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean and so doth our Saviour Joh. 3.6 Mat. 7.18 and Jam. 3.11 12. Fourthly I add by reason whereof every one is conceiv'd born in sin this David acknowledgeth Psal 51.5 and Isai 48.8 The Lord stiles Israel a Transgressor from the Womb. Fifthly He brings in with him the Seeds of all sin even the vilest that ever were conceiv'd or acted by Men or Devils as the Chaos contain'd in it the Seed of all Creatures so the corruption of our nature the Seeds of all sin Prov. 27.19 as in Water Face answers to Face so doth the heart of Man to Man Sixthly Are inclin'd to all evil Psal 36.4 Jer. 8.6 Isai 5.18 Nitimur invetitum c. as the very Heathen could observe and say Lastly I add and averse to all that is good Rom. 8.7 Gal. 5.17 Jer. 18.12 Secondly For your further humiliation under it take notice of the odious Titles given to it with the Reasons of them 1. It 's call'd Original sin 1. Because it was ab origine from the beginning of Man's Fall Secondly Because it is cum origine with the beginning of every man Thirdly Because it is Origo the Beginning Root and Fountain of all actual sin Secondly It 's call'd the sin that dwells in us Rom. 7.17 because it remains in all unto death Thirdly It 's call'd the sin that easily encompasseth us Heb. 12.1 or that soon overtakes us and keep us from running the Race set before us Fourthly It 's call'd concupiscence or lust Jam. 1.14 15. Rom. 7.7 Because it 's the Mother of all unclean lusts motions and desires Fifthly It 's call'd the old man Rom. 6.6 because it came from the old Adam Sixthly It 's call'd the Flesh Joh. 3.6 Gal. 5.17 because it acts and discovers it self in and by the Flesh Seventhly It 's call'd the Law in the Members Rom. 7.23 because it Rules as a Law Eighthly It 's call'd the work of the Devil 1 Joh. 3.8 And Hell that sets on Fire the whole course of nature Jam. 3.6 because it came from the Devil and from Hell and leads to the Devil and Hell without repentance Thirdly To Meditate on the parts of it to wit an absence of all good and a presence of all evil an emptiness of all righteousness and a fulness of all unrighteousness Fourthly That you may be the more throughly humbled meditate on the extent of it How doth this corruption of nature like a Leprosie over-spread the whole man Soul and Body every faculty and power of both 1. For the faculties of the Soul it fills the mind with blindness the will with perversness the conscience with deadness the memory with unfaithfulness the heart and affections with deceitfulness and sensualness which every one's experience too sadly evidenceth Secondly For the parts and powers of the Body they are all naturally instruments of unrighteousness and unholiness Rom. 6.13.19 And all the Senses in-lets and out-lets of sin and vanity 1 Ep. Joh. 3.16 So as in the flesh there dwells no good thing Rom. 7.18 Fifthly To meditate on the fruits and effects of it how that by reason of it you were conceiv'd and born in sin having in your natures the Seed of all sin a proneness to all evil and an aversness to all good so that you see if you had no other sin to bewail this were enough to humble you all your days and to make you miserable to all Eternity and therefore to be much in meditation on it and walk humbly before God and Man continually under the consideration of it and that for these Reasons 1. Because it is the Mother-sin Jam. 1.14 Mat. 15.19 Secondly Because though all actual sins be repented of and done away yet this Root of bitterness remains still and will until it be quite pluckt up by death 3. Because to bewail actual transgressions and not the corruption of nature is that which the Lord complains of Ezek. 16.22 4. Because a Man is never truly humbled under his actual sins unless he bewail also his original sins seeing it is the corruption of nature that inclin'd and carried him into actual sin and therefore if you look into the humiliations of God's People you shall find them to bewail as their actual so their original sin as Job Job 40.4 Isai 6.5 David Psal 51.5 Paul Rom. 7.24 and Mr. Bradford the Martyr that when he saw any break out into any Enormity would smite upon his Breast and say Lord what a wicked heart have I and what cause have I to give glory to distinguishing grace that I am not as vile as the vilest and therefore if you would have any evidence of the truth and soundness of your humiliation under your actual sins be sure always to take to heart and bewail original sin the Fountain and rice of all and to this end remember to meditate frequently and seriously of what I have briefly open'd to you in and about it Thirdly To take notice and meditate on your actual sins and that you may be the more thorowly humbled under them to mind well What it is the Kinds of it the multitude and greatness of them First What actual sin is to wit Every evil act or motion arising out of the corruption of nature in thought or affection word or action contrary to the revealed will of God in the Word or the Conscience binding over a man to the curse of the Law Deut. 27. last Secondly For the Kinds of it First It is either by way of Commission or Omission when any thing is added to or taken from the Word both condemned Deut. 4.11 12. Revel 22.18 19. Secondly It is either of ignorance or knowledge both damnable but especially the latter Luke 12.47 48. Thirdly It is either a sin of infirmity or a reigning sin First A sin of infirmity is such a sin as a Man falls into but seldom and besides his purpose and with reluctance also when he sees it doth mourn for it prays for pardon of it and power over it and watcheth more against it Psal 17.3 I have purposed my Mouth shall not offend Rom. 7.15 The evil which I do I allow not Secondly A reigning sin is when a Man commits any evil and omits any good wittingly or wilfully makes a Trade or a Custome of it lives and lies impenitently in it expresly forbid Rom. 6.12 The former is the sin of the regenerate the latter of the unregenerate Fourthly It is either pardonable or unpardonable First Pardonable sin is every sin even the greatest that a man is willing to repent of Isaiah 1.18 Isai 55.7 8. Secondly Unpardonable sin is not only that against the Holy Ghost but every sin even the least that a man is unwilling to see and to leave and resolves to persist impenitently in it Mat. 5.19 James 2.10 Thirdly The degrees of actual sin all sins are not alike but some
a Chain hath the whole Chain so he that hath one saving sanctifying grace in truth hath all what is said of original sin una essentiâ sed multiplex efficientiâ is true also of sanctifying grace though but one in it self yet it is vertually all I shall give you only three evidences of each such as desire more may see them in other Books where they are fully handled 1. For the truth of sanctifyed knowledge it is thus evidenced it is experimental practical and humble First Experimental Phil. 1.9 Secondly Practical Psal 111. last Thirdly Humble Prov. 30.2 2. For the truth of sanctifying faith it is thus evidenced it is a self-emptying working converting faith 1. It is a self-emptying or self-denying faith it makes a Soul to deny his own righteousness in point of Justification and acceptation and with the Apostle desires to be found only in Christ's righteousness Phil. 3.8 9. to disclaim also his own ability for any thing that is spiritually good 2 Cor. 3.5 and to enter upon duty only in the Name and Strength of Christ Phil. 4.12 Secondly It is a working faith that which works by love to God and unto others for God's sake Gal. 5.6 It is still working-out corruption Acts 15.9 and working-in grace Acts 26.18 Thirdly It is a conquering faith that which enables a Soul to with-stand and over-come temptations from within and without 1 Ep. John 5.4 This is the victory that covercomes the World even our faith Q. What 's meant here by World A. Partly the Men of it that lye in wickedness 1 Ep. John 5 19. and partly the lusts of the World as the honours riches and pleasures of it 1 Ep. John 2.16 so victorious as it enables them to hold fast their confidence to the end Heb. 3.14 Heb. 11.19 and makes them more than Conquerors over all their spiritual Enemies Rom. 8. the end 3. For the truth of repentance that is evidenced thus It is a universal sincere and continued repentance 1. It is universal for all and every sin little as well as great secret as well as open one as well as another Psal 119.104 128. Secondly It is sincere from the heart Joel 2.13 Thirdly It is continued and renewed daily as we renew our provocations Ephes 4.26 Let not the Sun go down on your wrath Fourthly The truth of obedience evidenced thus 1. It is universal without partiality John 15.14 2dly Sincere without hypocrisie 2 Chron. 28.9 3dly Constant without Apostacy Mat. 10.22 Rev. 2.10 Fifthly The truth of your love thus evidenced 1. It is spiritual for Grace sake and the Truths sake 2 John 2. to the Elect Lady whom I love in truth and for the Truths sake 2. It 's impartial to one Saint as well as another Colos 1.4 3. It 's permanent and abiding unto death like Ruths to Naomi the ground of it is Gods unchangeable love to his Jer. 31.3 Sixthly The truth of your fear of God thus evidenced 1. If you fear to sin rather then to suffer fear the displeasure of God more than the displeasure of Man Luke 12.4 5. 2. If you fear him for his Mercy as well as his Justice his Goodness as well as his Greatness Psal 130.4 Hosea 3. last 3. If you fear to sin against him in secret where there is no eye to observe you but only Gods as Joseph Gen. 39.9 and Job 31.1 4. Seventhly The truth of your hope in God thus evidenced 1. If it be grounded on the Scripture Rom. 15.4 2. If it purifie the Heart and sanctifie the Life 1 John 3.3 3. If it cause you patiently to wait on God for the fulfilling his promise 1 Thes 1.3 If now you would know whether you are brought out of a state of Nature into a state of Grace try your selves by these clear evidences out of the Word of God or believe it Friends God and Conscience and Satan will try you to the purpose at the last when you will wish but all too late you had hearkened unto Counsel and tryed your selves if you cannot find yet these evidences of such a gracious state be exhorted in the next place Eighthly To meditate on the many and weighty Motives the Scripture layeth before you to quicken you to look into and labour after a work of Grace as the absolute necessity the transcendent Excellency and the great Utility of it 1. There is an absolute necessity of it 1. In respect of the Decree of God because he predestinated his to Grace before Glory to be conformable to the image of his Son Rom. 8.29 in Grace here and in Glory hereafter Ephes 1.4 2dly In respect of the revealed Will of God 1 Thes 4.7 This is the Will of God even your Sanctification 3dly A necessity of it in respect of your Salvation for without Regeneration no Salvation John 3.6 without Holiness no Happiness Heb. 3.14 2. There 's a transcendent excellency in it for Grace is no other then the Off-spring of God a beam of the Divine Majesty John 1.13 a spark of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 that which is called elsewhere the Name of God Isa 57.15 the Seed of God 1 John 3.9 the Will of God 1 Thes 4.3 the Image of God Ephes 4.24 the Life of God Ephes 4.18 the Glory of God Rom. 3.23 Exod. 15.11 because God sees more of himself in a gracious Soul and more of his own Glory in the poorest Saint then in all the glory of the World Isa 43. begin 2. Because it 's that which puts a lustre on all other things Honour Wealth Birth Beauty Gifts Parts all without Grace is but as a Jewel in a Swines snout Embroiderings on a Fools Coat whereas a little true sanctifying Grace honours the poorest in the eyes of God of Angels and Saints Isa 43. Psal 15. Psal 16. All my delight is in the Saints 3. Consider the great Utility and Benefit that comes by Grace 1. It will interest you in all the Promises 1 Tim. 4.8 Godliness is profitable for all things it hath the promise of this Life and that to come 2. It will fortifie you against all the temptations of Satan to unbelief Doth the Devil tempt you to distrust Gods love to you and your right to Heaven charge you with Hypocrisie why pull out the evidences you have of a Work of Grace and let him shew if he can if ever any wicked man or Hypocrite had such evidences the Devil may sooner prove himself a Lyar then a Saint to be a Hypocrite 3. It will bring you contentment and make you a gainer in and by every condition as it did the Apostle Phil. 4.11 1 Tim. 6.6 4. It will sweeten and sanctifie every estate and condition to you Prosperity Adversity Health Sickness Life Death Rom. 8.28 5. It will support chear and comfort you in every estate both of Life and Death 2 Cor. 1.12 6. It will not only accompany you to the Grave where all other things leave you but to the Tribunal of
1. It shall be an incorruptible body freed from all possibility of dying and suffering Luke 20.35 Rev. 17.16 2. It shall be full of beauty shining not onely as the Stars but as the Sun Mat. 13.41 made like to Christs glorious Body Phil. 3. last 3. It shall be a most vigorous Body able to do any thing Etiamsi velit terram movere saith Anselm able to encounter legions of Devils and Reprobates by the almighty power of God dwelling in it 4. A Spiritual Body Not that it shall be turned into a Spirit but endowed with such spiritual qualities as it shall be agile active and nimble in the Service of God like a Spirit 3. To meditate on the glorious employments of Soul and Body both shall be continually exercised in the highest services viz. the singing of the Songs of Moses and the Lamb the singing of continual Hallelujahs to God our Father for Christ our Redeemer by the ever blessed Spirit our Sanctifier and Comforter 4. To meditate on the glorious priviledges of Soul and Body there which are either Primitive or Positive 1. Primitive in a freedom of all evil both of Sin and Punishment 1. Of Sin not only from the power of it but the very being of it not only from sin but from all temptations to it and occasions of it Rev. 21. last 2. Of punishment Bevel 21.4 Rev. 22.3 tryumphing over all 1 Cor. 15.55 O death where is thy sting c. 2. For the Positive priviledges they are these 1. The continual presence of God 1 Thes 4. last there we shall ever be with the Lord. 2. The beatifical Vision of God 1 John 3.2 O beata visio videre Deum in nobis nos in Deo Deum in se ipso saith Bernard What a blessed sight will this be to see God in us our selves in God and God in himself so far as our finite natures are capable of 3. The nearest Union that can be not only of a Gracious but a Glorious 4. Immediate perfect and everlasting communion with God where there will be no need of Magistrates Ministers Ordinances but God will be all in all Rev. 21.21 22. 5. Perfection of Holiness both in Nature and Life Ephes 5.23 Pure as he is pure 1 John 3.2 And Perfect as he is perfect Mat. 5. last Not onely in parts but in degrees 6. Fulness of Joy and Rivers of Pleasure which are at Gods right hand for evermore Psal 16. last 7. An everlasting Sabbath here we have but a weekly Sabbath there an eternal everlasting Sabbath here we keep a Sabbath with much weatiness there we shall keep it with infinite delight Heb. 4.9 There remains a rest for the People of God and this is a transcendent Rest an uninterrupted Rest an universal Rest a perpetual Rest where we shall rest from all sinning sorrowing suffering and with the whole Quire of Heaven shall be still singing Hallelujahs to God the Father for God the Son by God the Spirit to all Eternity and still following the Lamb with Crowns on our Heads and Palmes in our Hands and tryumphant Songs in our Mouths 2. Meditate on the properties of this Glory 1. It 's a revealed Glory Rom. 8.18 Here it is hid from the eyes of the World and often from the eyes of Christians themselves but there it shall be revealed at the last day before all the World and the wicked World be made to acknowledge it to their shame and confusion of face Col. 3.3 4. 2. A full Glory Psal 16. last so full as the Apostle is not able to express it 2 Cor. 4.17 so full of Glory that if the Saints themselves were not upheld by the almighty power of God they could not stand under it so full of glory that because it cannot enter into them they shall enter into it Well done good and faithful Servant enter into thy Masters joy Mat. 25. 3ly An eternal glory such as they shall not only enjoy for millions of years but to all eternity Mat. 25. last 2 Cor. 4.17 3. To meditate on the certainty of this Glory That it is most certain there is such a glorious state for the People of God is evident upon these infallible grounds 1. Because it was prepared for them from before the foundation of the World Mat. 25.34 Heb. 11.16 2. Because they are prepared for it they are said to be Vessels prepared unto Glory Rom. 9.23 3. Because God predestinated his unto it from all eternity Rom. 8.29 2 Thes 2.13 14. 4. That which they are called unto 2 Pet. 1.3 1 Pet. 5.10 5. That which Christ hath purchased with his precious Blood Ephes 1.14 Rev. 5.9 10. 6. That which he made intercession for whilst he was here upon earth John 17.24 and still doth now in Heaven Heb. 7.25 7. That which he hath made many promises of and seconded them with his Oath Heb. 6.17 18. 8. He hath given his Spirit as the earnest of it 9. He hath given the beginnings of it in Grace here which is but glory begun 10thly and lastly He is gone into Heaven to take possession of it in our Name and Nature and hath promised he will come again and take us to himself John 14.3 and accounts not himself fully glorified until his Body and every member of it be in the same glory Ephes 1. the end And Lastly Consider who they are that have a right and title to this Glory what evidences the Scripture holds forth of it As 1. an effectual Vocation 1 Thes 2.12 2. Justification Rom. 5.3 Rom. 8.29 3. Sanctification Matth. 19.28 More particularly the having and exercising these Graces 1. Sanctified Knowledge John 17.3 2. A Justifying Faith John 3.16 3. An Evangelical Repentance Acts 3.19 4. A Gospel Obedience Heb. 5.9 5. An unfeigned love to the Saints 1 John 3.14 Lastly A loving looking and longing for the appearance of Jesus Christ in Glory by all which the Saints are described in the Gospel 2 Tim. 14.8 Titus 2.14 Heb. 9. last Rev. 22. last So much of the fourfold state of Man The Second Head of Meditation about Man is the four last Things or Ends of Man DEATH JUDGEMENT HELL and HEAVEN WE are to meditate on every one of these and that on these grounds 1. On Death because Death were no Death if Judgment did not follow in comparison and Judgement no Judgment or nothing so dreadful if Hell did not follow and Hell no Hell in comparison if it did not deprive men of Heaven 2. Therefore to meditate on these last Ends of Man because it is the Lord himself adviseth his unto and that in a very pathetical manner Deut. 32.29 Oh that men were wise that they understood this that they considered their latter end and the Prophet Jeremiah Jer. 5. last he puts this question What will you do in the latter end He would have them know there is an end and to think seriously what will become of them in the end 3. Therefore to meditate on each
of these as 1. on Death because it will be a notable means 1. to make us apply our hearts unto Spiritual Wisdom Psal 90.12 2. To restrain us from sin lest Death should find us in it or presently after it As a Copy of Writing is safest from blotting when dust is cast on it so we are safest from sinning when we remember that we are but Dust Callamy 3. A notable means to quicken us to repentance an instance you have in Waldus A rich Merchant of Lyons in France who seeing one drop down dead in the streets went home repented and changed his life studied the Scriptures became a Teacher and Father of those Christians called the Waldenses or the poor Men of Lyons Therefore 2. To meditate on the great and terrible day of Judgment because it will be as a curb to restrain from sinning so a spur to quicken to duty 2 Cor. 15.9.10 11. 3. Therefore to meditate on Hell because it will be a notable means to keep us out of Hell whence one adviseth thus Descendamus viventes ut non descendamus morientes Bernard Let us often look down into it that we may never fall into it 4. Therefore to meditate on Heaven because it will make us more willing to leave Earth to go to Heaven whensoever God calls for us the reason why so few go to Heaven when they die is because they never thought of Heaven until they came to die Calamy First On DEATH In it to meditate on those things that may fit you for Death and those things that may make you willing to die First On those things that may fit you for Death as 1. that it is one of the chiefest parts of Wisdom that which God you saw wisheth to Man in a most pathettical manner Deut. 22.29 Oh that men were wise c. 2. The original procreant cause of it viz. Sin Rom. 6. last The wages of sin is death therefore as often as you are tempted to sin by the present credit profit and pleasure of it to think on the fruit of it Rom. 6.21 What fruit had you in those things whereof ye are now ashamed 3. On the certainty of it In the day that thou eatest of it in dying thou shalt die that is thou shalt most certainly die Gen. 2. Heb. 9.27 It 's appointed for all to die 4. The uncertainty of it as nothing more certain so nothing more uncertain Ut morior scio sed nescio ubi quomodo quando That I shall die I know but where how and when I know not It 's a Proverb When Health is highest Death is many times nighest 1 Thess 5.3 When men cry peace then comes sudden destruction To day the Sermon-Bell tolls to call you to Church to morrow it may be the Passing-Bell to summon you to the Grave and therfore to wait for it at all times and in all places in all manner of wayes because all things come alike to all Eccles 9.1 5. To consider to die is but once to be done and that which is but once to be done had need to be well done or we are for ever undone if this work be not done or but half done at the time of dying there 's no doing or finishing it afterwards Eccles 9.10 As the Tree falleth so it lyeth as Death leaves men so Judgment finds them Heb. 9.27 6. To meditate on the terribleness of Death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the King of Terrors Job 18.14 and needs must seeing it separates those two friends Soul and Body delivers up the Soul immediately to stand forth before the Tribunal of Christ to receive his peculiar Sentence of Damnation before the Judgment Day comes and after the Sentence to be carried by the Devils into Hell and throwes the body of the wicked into the Grave where Death gnaws upon it as upon Carrion in a Ditch puts an end to all his temporal felicity and begins his eternal misery strips him of all the comforts of this life and brings him to eternal torments 5. To meditate on the means you are to use to use to fit you for Death and they are amongst others these 1. To acquaint your selves with God and make your peace with him by Jesus Christ as Eliphas counsels Job Job 21.22 2. To get and clear up your interest in Jesus Christ who hath destroyed Death and him that had the power of Death Heb. 2.14 3. To pull out the sting of Death by Faith in the Blood of Christ and repentance for every known sin 1 John 1.7 Acts 3.19 to see that Sin die ere you die for it 's one of the terriblest threatnings in the Book of God John 8.21 If you believe not that I am He you shall die in your sins and Luke 13. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish And therefore Antequam moriaris moriantur in te vitia before thou dyest be careful to see that sin die 4. Labour to die daily as unto sin so unto the World 1 Cor. 7.29 The time is but short and the fashion of this World passeth away it 's the worst husbandry in the World to have Grace to seek when men should make use of it and the sick Bed is the worst time of all others to seek it in being then scarce able to think on any thing but Pain and Death and Hell 5. To get and clear up a Work of Grace that may entitle you to Glory or there will be nothing else able to stand by you and comfort you all things in the World without a Work of Grace will like Job's Friends prove miserable Comforters 3 John 3. Except a man be born again c. Flesh and Blood shall never inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 15. 6. Not only look to this that you have Grace but that you keep it in exercise not only that you have Lamps and Oyl in them but that you trim them against your Lord's coming Mat. 25. that is that you act and exercise your Graces especially these your Faith and Patience Heb. 6.12 your heavenly-mindedness and contempt of the World Phil. 3.20 7. That you get and keep good Consciences this will be light in darkness and life in death Prov. 14.32 The Righteous hath hope in his death 2 Cor. 1.12 This is our rejoycing in the testimony of our Consciences c. Isa 38.2 Remember how I have walkt before thee in Truth c. Lastly It was Moses's Prayer and let it be yours daily Teach us Lord so to number our dayes as we may apply our hearts unto Wisdom Psal 90. In a word Let the ends of all your thoughts be the thought of your latter end that so when you come to die you may have nothing else left to do but to die and whensoever Death comes you may bid it wellcome in the Name of Christ and when you are to die to die in charity with all in obedience to God's Call and in Faith to go to and be for ever with the
Lord. Secondly To meditate on such things as may not only fit and prepare you for death but meditate on such things as may make you willing to die and help you to die comfortably What are they Mind here well for they are of special use to you As first 1. The certainty of another and a better life after this nothing so sure as that by what you have seen already by the testimony of Scripture and many weighty grounds of it in your meditations on the Life of Glory 2. Meditate on the evidences you have of an interest in that better Life of Glory as your interest in God in Christ in the Spirit and in the Graces of the Spirit as your effectual Vocation Justification Adoption Sanctification and those Graces unto which 't is promised as Saving Sanctifying Knowledge Faith Repentance Obedience love to the Saints the Truth sincerity and uprightness of your heart in all to which you may see it frequently promised Psal 84. to the end Psal 37. v. 37. Isa 57.2 Thirdly To meditate on the many and weighty grounds God hath given to encourage your Faith and strengthen your Patience and cause both to have their perfect work 1. To encourage your Faith as 1. his immutable decree 2 Tim. 2.19 2. His unchangeable Love Jer. 31.3 3. His everlasting Covenant Jer. 32.39 4. His continual Intercession Heb. 7.25 5. His almighty Power to keep them through Faith unto Salvation 2 Pet. 1.4 however we should let go our Faith yet he will hold it fast by his Spirit 2. The grounds to strengthen our Patience 1. It 's a Lord whose Will cannot be resisted a Father who ought readily to be obeyed a wise Father who knows what is better for his Children then they do for themselves a pittiful tender-hearted Father that is afflicted in all the afflictions of his that will not afflict his too much because he knows whereof they are made that they are but Dust nor too long lest the Spirit faint and the Soul which he hath made a Father from whom they have received all the good they have had and therefore to be contented to receive a little evil and the rather because it is in order to their spiritual and eternal good Rom. 8.2 Ah! but the pains of my Body are great and the pangs of Death are bitter but to quiet your spirits under these Consider 1. That the pangs of Death are sometimes less then the pains they feel before as to Mr. Bolton who said to his Friend that askt him How it was with him when the pangs of death were upon him He said to him Your cold hand is the greatest pain I feel in his Epistle to the Four last Things 2. You are content to undergoe a great deal of pain here for a little gain how much more should you for an eternal gain These pains are but like the throwes in Travail to bring forth eternal Life 3. Whatsoever your pains and sufferings are they are little or nothing to those your sins made Christ to suffer and that many of his dear and precious Saints have and do suffer and to those eternal sufferings Christ hath redeemed you from and that exceeding excessive and eternal weight of glory that will follow your sufferings 2 Cor. 4.17 Fourthly To meditate on the many and great evils that Death will free you from as 1. from a body of Sin and Death that is still inclining you to evil and indisposing you to good still dulling deading and distracting you in all the services you do 2. From a wicked World wherein continually we see and hear what doth and should more vex our souls 2 Pet. 2. 3. From the dissention of Brethren who are continually undermining the credit and comfort one of another which made Melancton so willing to die when a Friend of his askt him how it was with him and whether he were willing to die He answered Oh yes Not only that he might be freed from a body of Sin and Death and a wicked World but from the dissention of Brethren and go there where all shall be perfected in love 4. From a malicious Devil that is still tempting us to evil and discouraging us from all that is good walking up and down like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5. In a word from all Labours Pains Fears Doubts Sorrows Sufferings Rev. 14.13 Rev. 21.4 Death will perfectly cure you of all Diseases Corporeal and Spiritual at once both an aking Head and an unbelieving Heart a sickly Body and a distemper'd Spirit the best Physitian that ever you met with Fifthly To meditate on the many and great benefits Death will help you to as that glorious Place Company Imployment Priviledges you saw before in the Life of Glory the continual Presence of God the blessed Vision of God the immediate perfect and everlasting communion with God perfection of Holiness fulness of Joy and an everlasting Sabbath Sixthly To consider the evil of being unwilling to die By this Christians manifest too much ignorance unbelief hypocrisie love to the World senslesness of the body of Sin and Death that World of wickedness they live in and hereby procure more disquiet to their Spirits and hasten Death the sooner upon them besides the great unreasonableness of it that when God should be so willing of their company they should be so unwilling of his and when Christ should be content to leave Heaven and to come to Earth for them they should be unwilling to leave Earth to go to Heaven that they might enjoy him and know and profess it to be best of all to be with Jesus Christ Seventhly To meditate on the good of being willing to die Hereby you will make a vertue of necessity seeing you cannot put it off therefore you will voluntarily yeeld to it hereby you will manifest your hatred of sin contempt of the World Faith in God's Promises Love to God desire of immediate Communion with him honour your Christian Profession and make Death the less terrible to you Eighthly and Lastly Consider what the Apostle sayes 1 Cor. 13. to the end Death is yours Yours no way to hurt you but every way to do you good 1. No way to hurt you because however it be a Serpent yet 't is a Serpent without a sting by stinging of Jesus Christ to death it lost its sting so that though it may hiss yet it cannot hurt however the Devil brought Jesus Christ unto the Cross unto Death unto the Grave yet therein Jesus Christ out-shot the Devil in his own Bow spoiled Principalities and Powers and made a shew of it openly tryumphing over them on the Cross Col. 2.15 And that it can no way hurt you appears further by these Particulars 1. In that it is not the destruction or annihilation either of Soul or Body but onely the alteration and change of their condition for the better As for instance 1. In the Body The Body by Death is freed from
all pains and miseries and calamities and all sin which is the cause of them as sin brought Death into our bodies so Death carries sin out of the body and however these vile bodies be dissolved into dust yet they shall be raised up again at the last day and be made like unto Christ's Glorious Body Phil. 3. last 2. For the Soul It shall be no loser but a great gainer by Death and that three wayes 1. In the place it goes unto viz. from Earth unto Heaven 2. In the excellent qualities it shall be endowed withall viz. perfection in all the faculties of it as it goes to the spirits of just men made perfect Heb. 12. 3. In the excellent company it goes to enjoy leaving the company of sinners here and going to enjoy the company of Saints and Angels and the ever blessed Unity in Trinity 2dly In that it cannot hurt us appears in that it can never dissolve the Union between Christ and a believing Soul but brings it to a nearer sweeter and fuller Union of a Gracious makes it a Glorious Union however it separates Soul and Body one from the other yet it cannot separate either from Jesus Christ the Soul upon Death goes immediately unto Christ in Paradise and Christ goes down with the Body into the Grave where it sweetly rests as in its Bed in the Arms of Jesus Christ until the morning of the Resurrection of the Just Isa 57.2 1. It can never break the Covenant of Grace between God and the Soul for it 's an everlasting Covenant Gen. 17. And he hath not only promised to be their God unto Death but after Death and to all eternity 2. It can never untie the Marriage-Knot between Christ and his Spouse for he hath betrothed her unto himself for ever Hos 2. And whom he loves he loves to the end John 13.1 even with an everlasting love Jeremiah 31.3 3. It can never reverse those grants of Grace that God hath vouchsafed his as the grants of Reconciliation Justification Adoption Sanctification Salvation for the Gifts and Callings of God are without repentance Rev. 11.29 3dly As it is no way able to hurt you so it will every way do you good Though it be the last enemy that shall be destroyed yet of an enemy it shall be made a friend and the best friend that ever you had How so Why because Jesus Christ by undergoing Death and lying in the Grave he hath altered the nature both of Death and the Grave Death of a King of Terrors it made a Prince of Peace of a passage to eternal Death made a passage to eternal Life unto all that do believe the Grave that is a loathsome Dungeon to the wicked is made a sweet resting-place to the Saints That you may the more clearly and fully see the good will come to you by Death and so be made the more willing to it and chearfully resign your Spirit into the hands of God when he calls for it take serious notice of these ten following Particulars 1. Death is no Death to a true Believer It 's not his last day but the beginning of an everlasting day 2. Your dying day will not be your worst day but your best day better is the day of a mans Death then the day of his Birth saith Solomon Eccles 7.1 it being the egress of all misery and the ingress of eternal felicity 3. A Christians dying day it will be his enlarging day when he shall be set at liberty out of the Prison of the Body and brought home to his Fathers House 2 Cor. 5.8 It is but as Christ stiles it His departing and going to the Father John 13.1 4. A Christians dying day will be his resting day wherein he shall rest from all sinning sorrowing suffering from all temptations corruptions vexations Job 3.17 And who desires not rest 5. His dying day will be his reaping day having sown here in Tears he shall reap in Joy reap the fruit of all the Sermons they have heard all the Prayers they have made all the Tears they have shed all the Sighs and Groans they have uttered all the good Thoughts they have had all the good Words they have spoken all the good Works they have done all the Evils they have suffered and all they have forgotten to do and suffer Mat. 25.34 When saw we thee an hungry and fed thee not c. Then Christ will remember them and say In that you did it unto them ye did it unto me Yea there is not the least good work that any have done for any of his but it shall be remembred and rewarded even to a cup of cold Water Mat. 10. last 6. A Christians dying day will be his conquering and tryumphing day over all his Enemies Sin Satan and the World Death and Hell here we are in a continual warfare there 's not a day hour or moment wherein we can rest either from corruption within or temptation without but then there shall be an end of all then we shall tryumph over all in the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.55 Oh Death where 's now thy sting c. 7. A Christians dying day will be his transplanting day from Earth to Heaven from Misery to Glory from a Valley of Tears to a Valley of blessed Visions from a howling Wilderness to a heavenly Paradise It is no other then a straight Gate to a Pallace of Glory a dark Entry to the Inheritance of the Saints in Light And oh Who would not be willing to exchange a Sodom for Sion an Egypt for Canaan Misery for Glory 8. A Christians dying day it 's his uncloathing day of a body of Sin and Death and the cloathing him with his House from Heaven his putting off his old Rags of Sin and Corruption and his putting on of the White Robe of Christ's Righteousness and with it the Robe of Glory 9. A Christians dying day it 's his marriage day with the Lamb the King of Saints and if the day of a Believers espousals be so sweet how sweet will the marriage day be Rev. 19.7 10. A Christians dying day will be his corronation day wherein Christ will crown all those that love his appearance with the Crown of Righteousness 2 Tim. 4.8 where they shall be still following the Lamb with Crowns on their Heads and Palms in their Hands and tryumphant Songs in their Mouths Rev. 5.11 12 13. Mix these Meditations with Faith and Prayer and you will find them mighty through God not only to make you willing but even long with the Apostle to be dissolv'd and be with Christ which is best of all Phil. 1.23 Amen and Amen Secondly That which follows DEATH is JUDGMENT Sect. 6. In and about the Judgment Day to take notice of and meditate seriously on these things 1. The Certainty 2. The Uncertainty 3. The near approach of it 4. The great solemnity of it 5. The universality of the Persons to be judged 6. The impartiality of it
4. Above all That they be Patterns to others of good works as the Apostle exhorts 1 Tim. 4.12 3.1 2 3 4. Tit. 2.7 8. And that 1. because general experience shews that People are more led by the Life then the Doctrine of Ministers are led more by the Eye then the Ear 1 Sam. 2.17 2ly Because otherwise they will pull down more in one hour then they will build up all their lives 3. Because otherwise their Doctrine will be at the last a Bill of Indictment against themselves and having Preached to others will be found Cast-awayes themselves 1 Cor. 9.27 And therefore it concerns Ministers to look well to their lives especially that they be not found amongst those wicked ones Isa 56.10 11 12. And as Ministers are to be Patterns in all other Graces so especially in two Graces 1. Humility 1 Pet. 5.5 Love to their Fellow Brethren 1 Pet. 3.8 2. And love to their People as the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.11 Whence they are called Fathers 1 Cor. 4.15 and Nurses 1 Thes 2.7 8. to note that tender love and affection they ought to have to the People committed to their charge and especially their Souls 1st As Magistrate Ministers to discharge their Duties to the People under them so People to discharge their Duties to the Magistrates and Ministers set over them 1. To Magistrates If you would order your Conversation aright towards them then you are to give them that Love Fear and Reverence Obedience and Prayer for them the Scripture frequently calls for Rom. 13. from 1 to 9. 1 Pet. 2.13 to 18. Titus 3.1 1 Pet. 2.1 2. The reason you have Psal 82.6 because they are Gods non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not by Essence but Office because they are in the room of God and are to govern for God 2. For Ministers If you would order your Conversations aright to them you are to give them that Love Reverence Maintenance Protection and Prayer the Scripture also frequently calls for 1 Thes 5.12 13. Heb. 13.17 1 Cor. 16.10 2 Thes 3.1 The reasons you have 2 Cor. 5.20 Because they are Ambassadors for God and Ambassadors by the Law of Nations ought to be honoured of all and to have sutable respects to the greatness of the Person that sends them If such honour be due to Ambassadors of Men how much more to the Ambassadors of God to whom all both Kings and their Ambassadors must give an account of their carriage to Him and His Ambassadors 2dly For Private Christians The Rules that are to be observed by them for the right ordering of their Conversation one towards the other respect their Thoughts and Affections Words and Actions First Respecting their Thoughts And in order to this 1. Take heed of instilling receiving and nourishing prejudices in your minds against others for this is a very great provoking evil 2. That you may be kept from it take notice 1. What it is 2. Why you are to avoid it 1. What prejudice is viz. A prejudging or a preposterous judgment of Persons and Things before they be examined and tryed Should a Judge pass Sentence on a Person or Action before he had examined it he should err though the Sentence were just seeing he never lookt into nor knew the grounds on which a Person spake or did this and that thing More plainly Prejudice is an evil Opinion which a man takes up of another for something he hath spoken and done contrary to his Judgment and Practice not knowing or considering the ground on which he did it 2. Now such as would order their Conversation aright to others must take heed of it because it is a very great pernicious and provoking evil as too sad and general experience shews it to be to the great dishonour of God scandal of Religion and the hurt of their Brother as for instance 1. This prejudice is that which makes men take up hard thoughts of those of whom God hath good thoughts and to instil these evil thoughts into the Heads and Hearts of others that they may disengage the affections of others and draw their affections only unto themselves 2. It makes men to rob God of his Glory and give it to Men .1 To rob God of his Glory in stepping up into his Throne sitting in Judgment on their Brother and that sometimes for a particular Act and it may be for a thing indifferent to their Brother though not to them Now what sayes the Apostle Rom. 14.4 Who art thou that judgest another mans Servant and vers 10. Why dost thou judge thy Brother and set at nought thy Brother we shall all stand before the Judgement-Seat of Christ 2. It makes men to give glory to men in crying up some and crying down others which the Apostle expresly condemns in his Corinthians 1 Cor. 3.3 and whatsoever thoughts they have of their wisdom in it he tells them the Lord knows their thoughts to be vain and their duty is not to glory in men so as to set up one above the other when all are faithful and sound in the main seeing all are their Servants in Christ vers 20.21 22. 3. This prejudice it makes men to separate and withdraw communion from those with whom God hath communion and that in those essential Duties of God's Worship as Word Sacrament Prayer wherein all are expresly required to worship God together Yea and makes them not only to separate themselves but perswade others to do it lest they partake in other mens sins 4. It 's that which makes Professors to rest in duty and neglect the actings of Grace before in and after Duty especially that Grace of Love which Christ makes the chief Character of a Disciple and without which God abhors and rejects all other duties that men perform 1 Cor. 13. that also which causeth them to dissent in their love how that they do love others of a contrary Opinion and Practice and yet can neglect if not worse even perswade others to cast off all offices of love to them never remembring or considering the command is express Rom. 12.9 Let love be without dissimulation 1 John 3.18 Let us not love in Word and Tongue but in Deed and Truth 5. That which keeps men from abundance of good they might do to others and that they might receive from others because they think they ought to have no communion with them so as this prejudice is like choller in the Stomack that imbitters all wholsom meat and however it receives it yet casts it up again 6. That which makes men to murder others Bodies Souls Names and Estates 1. Their Bodies by causing grief to them and such grief as brings sometimes sickness and weakness on them if not death 2dly Their Souls by intterrupting their peace and exposing them to temptations which made David for to pray Psal 123.3 4. Have mercy upon us O Lord have mercy upon us for we are exceedingly filled with
Pen or Purse and therefore how much more should Christians that have more light to shew them the weightiness of their work and the brevity and preciousness of their time To meditate on the express command Ephes 5.15 Redeem the time because the dayes are evil Here take notice of three things 1 From what you are to redeem the time 2. Unto what 3. Why. 1. From what you are to redeem the time You are to redeem it out of the hands of those who would steal it away from God and your Souls as 1. Idleness and her Daughters viz. vain Imaginations and idle Discourses 2. Worldliness and her Daughters viz. inordinate carking and caring toyling and termoiling about the things of the World 3. Voluptuousness and her Daughters viz. vain sporting rioting feasting proud apparelling immoderate and unseasonable sleeping These we find by sad and general experience to take up and consume the most of the precious time of men and women therefore you should do well to reflect and look back wherein you have been peccant and faulty how much of your precious time hath been stollen away by these time-devourers how much time hath been spent every day in Eating Drinking Sleeping Tricking Triming Fidling Dancing Carding Dicing and the like vain Sports and how little in Hearing Reading Praying Meditation holy Conference c. How much the vanities of the World carnal Pleasures needless Visits unprofitable Discourses and unnecessary Recreations have eaten up and to humble your selves under it and redeem your time out of the hands of these Thiéves for the future more especially to ask your own Consciences and look into your Conversation how you have imployed the time of your Youth the means and seasons of Grace the opportunities you have had of doing and receiving good the times of affliction either Personal Family National what good you have gotten or done in and by all otherwise very Heathens will rise up in judgement against you Take notice 2. What you are to redeem it unto viz. The promoting of the Glory of God the publick Good and your spiritual and everlasting Well-fare Isa 43.3 Ephes 1.6 Psal 137.5 John 6.27 3. For the grounds why you are so to redeem it you have it here in the Text Because the dayes are evil full of the evil of Sin full of the evil of Punishment never did iniquity more abound and never was the wrath of God more revealed from Heaven then in our dayes and therefore to redeem time that we may be fitted for the worst of times and the best of dayes Lastly Meditate how bitterly men have bewailed the loss of their time on their Death-beds and do still in Hell and what they would be willing to do and suffer if they might have further time but all in vain in vain did she cry out Call back Time Oh call back Time Time being past not a moment to be recalled A serious meditation of these things may through the blessing of God be an effectual means to make you prize and improve better your time then ever you have done Sixthly Of Eternity Sect. 14. In and about it to take notice of and meditate on these things 1. What it is 2. The kinds of it 3. How near we are to it 4. How bitterly men will bewail at the last the loss of a Blessed Eternity 1. What Eternity is scilicet An intellâ—ctual Sphear as one observes whose Center 's every where and Circumference no where For the better understanding of it take notice there is a double Eternity one a parte ante and another a parte post one that hath neither beginning nor end another that hath a beginning but no end For the first so God onely is Eternal Isa 43.10 13. Rev. 22.1 8. And the things of God as his Attributes as his Truth Psal 117.2 Mercy Psal 136.1 Righteousness Psal 119.142 c. For the other Eternity which hath a beginning but no end This the Eternity of Angels and Men and this Eternity is that we are to speak of 2. For the kinds of Eternity There is a double Eternity of Woe and Joy Misery and Felicity 1. Of Woe and Misery that shall befal the wicked and of Joy and Felicity which shall be bestowed on the godly Mat. 25. last The wicked shall go into everlasting punishment but the Righteous into Eternal Life And what folly and madness then is it for a temporary delight to lose eternal happiness Momentanium quod delectat eternum quod Cruciat 3. We should consider that we stand every day before the door of Eternity and we know not how soon we may lanch forth into that Ocean from whence there 's no return 4. How bitterly men will bewail at last when 't is too late their folly and madness in losing a Blessed Eternity and incurring a Cursed Eternity how unconceiveably miserable it will be for men to lose Heaven and lie in Hell so long as God is God He found it by bitter experience that cryed out on his Death-bed Oh Eternity Eternity Eternity in Hell for ever for ever for ever This word ever will break the hearts of men before ever they enter upon the borders of Eternity and therefore think seriously upon it before it be too late and let it be your morning and evening Thoughts The serious meditation of it may through the blessing of God be an effectual means to take off your hearts from these perishing things of the World and the pleasures of sin here which are but for a season keep you from envying the prosperity of the wicked and repining at your own adversity all being momentany in comparison of Eternity and make you look out after an interest in an eternal God and Christ and Spirit and Grace and Glory and do whatsoever you do in your particular and general Calling upon eternal grounds and to eternal ends Amen CHAP. VII The World and the Creatures in it IN and about this to meditate on three things 1. Those things in the Creatures that engage our hearts to love God 2. Those things in the Creatures that disengage our hearts from inordinate love to and pursuit of the Creature 3. Those duties we owe to God for the Creatures and the Creatures teach us to perform to God First To meditate on those things in the Creatures which discover the love of God to us and that engage our hearts again to love him As for instance The Magnitude Multitude Variety Beauty Structures Vertues Sympathy and Antipathy of the Creature 1. For the Magnitude or Greatness of the Creature Who can measure the breadth of the Earth and the depth of the Sea saith the wise man Eccles 13. And if the Earth be so great how great is the whole World The Earth is but a Point in comparison of the Heavens Circumference 2. For the Multitude of the Creatures Who can number the Sand of the Sea and if not the Sand much less all the Creatures that are in and under and above the Earth
all the Secretaries of Nature cannot number the kinds of the Creature much less the Individuaes Jer. 33.22 Psal 104.25 3. For the Variety of the Creatures This is much more wonderful As there are innumerable Kinds of Creatures so there are kinds of divers forms and fashions one from the other Amongst so many thousand Pebles on the Sea-shore you cannot find two stones alike in all things amongst so many thousand Heards of Cattle you cannot find two Beasts alike in all things amongst so many thousand Men and Women that are in the World you cannot find two persons alike in all things but they differ in Face or Voice or Gesture 4. For the Beauty of the Creature How hath the Lord bedeckt the Heavens with Stars the Earth with all variety of Beauties well dressed Gardens fruitful Orchards green Meadows pleasant Woods sweet Fountains Chrystal Streams all variety of Colours so as Solomon in all his Royalty was not cloathed as the Lilly Matth. 6.29 5. For the Structure of the Creatures how admirable is this In the least as well as the greatest the Soul of a little Fly sayes Austin excels the glorious Body of the Sun the Teeth of a Moth as wonderful as the Tusks of a Boar the Thigh of a slender Gnat not inferior to the Thigh of the hugest Elephant the Wings of a Butter-fly may compare with the Wings of an Eagle There 's not the least Creature but is so admirably fram'd as all the Artists in the World not able to mend or make the like 6. For the Vertues of the Creature How wonderful is this in the Elements above and the Planets beneath in the Herbs and Trees and precious Stones there is no Creature even the vilest and basest but is good for some use or other 7. For the Sympathy of the Creatures and the Antipathy between them How strong is this No reason can be given of the sweet agreement between the Load-stone and the Iron the Lilly and the Garlick nor of the mortal hatred between the Swan and the Eagle the little Birds and the Owl A serious meditation on these things will not onely discover the great love of God and draw out your hearts the more in love to him who hath done all these things for you Secondly To meditate on those things in the Creatures that may disingage your hearts from the inordinate love of them and the eager pursuit of them amongst others on these things The Vanity Uncertainty Unsatisfactoriness Commonness Unprofitableness Deceitfulness Hurtfulness and the great folly of men in making them their portion 1. On the Vanity of them Being things in shew rather then in substance appearance rather then reality Prov. 23.5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not Viz. In respect of any advantage and comfort when God withdraws himself from the Creature then they are like standing Pools in Summer dryed up when the Creature comes to make use of them yea they are not onely vain in the Concrete but vanity it self in the Abstract verily Man in his best estate is altogether vanity Psal 39.5 Not onely thus the Man but every Man not in his worst but best estate not only in parts but in every part altogether vanity and if Man the very best of Creatures how much more those Creatures which God made for Man What is Honour but Magnum nihil a glorious Fancy Acts 25.23 What is Wealth but a little white and red Earth What is all pleasure here but a little bitter sweet Solomon that extracted the quintessence of all concludes after the tryal of all all is vanity and vexation of Spirit 2. Meditate on the uncertainty of them 1 Tim. 16.17 Charge them that be rich they trust not in uncertain riches So uncertain as like Tennis-Balls they are banded up and down from one to another they cannot promise a day or an hours continuance to you or you to them Prov. 23.5 Riches take to themselves Wings and fly away like a Partridge in one mans Field to day in anothers to morrow many of great estates are on a sudden brought to nought by Fire Water Thieves How often have you heard of such and such in honour to day and disgrace to morrow a Rich Man one day and a Beggar another in health and jovial to day and dead nay it may be damned to morrow be warned by others harms 3. Meditate on the Vnsatisfactoriness of them They that have most of them are never satisfied with them Eccles 1.8 Eccles 4.8 Eccles 5.10 Isa 55.1 Wherefore do you lay out your Money for that which cannot satisfie You have instances of it in all times The Rich Fool in the Gospel not content to have his Barns full but he must pull them down to build them bigger Absalom not content to be a Kings Son but he must aspire also to his Fathers Throne Ahab not content with a Kingdom but is sick after Naboths Vineyard We need not look so far back our latter times give us too sad Examples he that hath climed the Ladder of Preferment high enough to break his neck yet will indeavour to climb higher and higher ut lapsu graviore ruat that he may have the greater fall he that by base and unjust Courses hath scrapt together a great heap of Wealth more then he knows well how to despose of yet is still labouring to add House to House and Field to Field and Bag to Bag till he hath added Hell to all he that hath run riot into all manner of excess and even glutted himself with the pleasures of the Flesh will yet be still adding Drunkenness to Thirst and Fuel to the Fire of Concupiscence until he hath brought Poverty into his Estate and Rottenness into his Body and Destruction both upon Soul and Body So unsatisfactory are all those things here below that like the Fire Grave Sea and Hell they have never enough 4. The Commonness of them How that all these worldly things are common to the Wicked as well as the Godly God gives Riches to them to whom he will never give Grace here nor Glory hereafter Riches were never an evidence of Gods Love here or Salvation hereafter but only an Interest in Christ and Grace from Him Men may have Riches and yet be damned Heirs and yet be damned Gifts and Parts and yet be damned for all these earthly things are common to the wicked with the Godly Eccles 9.1 and usually wicked men enjoy more of them then the Godly Job 2. Psalm 73. because it is their portion in this Life Psal 17. end 5. Take notice of the Unprofitableness of them Mark 8.36 What will it profit a man to win the World and lose his Soul they cannot profit a Mans Person neither his Soul nor Body nor his Posterity they may seem to profit in a day of Prosperity but not of Adversity a day of common Calamity Sickness Death Judgment 1. They cannot profit or better a mans person it may make him a
to make provision for him at last falling sick and drawing towards his end a Servant of his came to visit him and asking him how he did Oh saith he I am going to another World Master said he you were wont here to send Provision before you to your Houses here have you done so for another House your eternal House Oh no said he that is my folly and misery 3. He is a fool that will hazzard and adventure his life for a toy and a trifle and put off a business for the present of greatest consequence to another day when yet he knows not whether he shall have another day and yet this is the greatest folly of worldly wise men though they hear often that there 's but one thing necessary in the World in comparison whereof all other things are unnecessary viz. the Salvation of the Soul yet will hazzard that to gain the World and put off that to the last and weakest hour when they can scarce think upon any thing else but pain and then when 't is too late lament their great folly and madness in it Thirdly Meditate on the duties you ow to God for the Creatures and the uses you are to make of the Creatures I shall but name a few As 1. To contemplate those glorious Attributes of God which shine forth in the Creatures as his Eternity Omnipotency infinite Wisdom and unsearchable goodness to Mankind in making a World and all things in it for him and him for himself and that first Because it 's expresly commanded Eccles 7.13 Job 37.14 2. The practise of the Saints Psal 77.11 12. Psal 143.5 6. all Gods People Psal 111.2 3. Because it 's the end wherefore God made Man and gave him a reasonable Soul not onely that he should barely view the Creatures but contemplate his glorious Attributes that shine forth in them There 's no skilful Artificer that will take it well to have his skill not taken notice of in the works he doth much less will God and it will exceedingly agravate mens sin and condemnation at last that they have so much taken notice of and admired the works of men and so little taken notice of the great and glorious Works of God in the Creation of this glorious Fabrick of Heaven and Earth 2. Duty to learn those good things in the Creatures which they do teach us in and by the instinct of Nature for all the World is but a great School to teach us the knowledge of God Rom. 1.20 Creatio Mundi Scriptura Dei Universus Mundus Deus Explicatus as one saith well The whole Creation is a Scripture of God the Heaven the Earth and the Sea 3. Great Leaves of that Book the Creatures contained in them as so many Lines by which God would read a Divinity-Lecture to us all the Creatures but a Ladder made of many steps to raise us up to God and as it were a pair of Spectacles whereby we may read God and the invisible things of God more clearly and plainly Jenkins on Jude But what are those things the Creatures teach us They all teach us Obedience Love Unity and dependance upon God a desire of freedom from that bondage our sin hath brought upon them 1. They all teach us Obedience to God for they all keep their station in which God hath set them they all do what God commands them and leave undone what he forbids them 1. They all keep their station the Sun rejoyceth to run its course the Sea keeps within its Banks the Earth standeth fast upon her Foundation onely Man is fallen from it 2. They do whatsoever God commands them Psal 19.1 The Heavens declare the Glory of God c. the Sea and the Winds and all fulfil his Word Psal 148.8 3. They leave undone what he forbids them the Fire burns not the Sea stands on heaps the Sun stands still and goes backward ten degrees the Fire descends and the Water ascends at his command all the Creatures have an ear to hear their Creator only Man is deaf Yea and mark farther they not onely obey their Creator but they obey him in a right manner For 1. they serve him only and not us any further and longer then we serve him therefore he is called the Lord of Hosts because all is at his command to teach us as to obey him so him only and men no further then they obey God 2. They serve him chearfully Psalm 19. The Sun rejoyceth as a Gyant to run his course and so ought we for the abundance of all his goodness to us or else are threatned to serve our enemies in the want of all things Deut. 2.8 3. They serve him constantly day and night and are never weary of doing him service so neither ought we 1 Cor. 15. last Be stedfast unmoveable c. Gal. 6.9 Be not weary of well doing c. 4. They serve the Lord freely by the instinct of Nature how much more should we by the instinct of Grace 5. They waste and consume themselves in the service of us to teach us to spend our selves and be spent for God 2. They all teach us to love God as being all fruits and tokens of his love to us and refuse to love us if we neglect to love him the Sun denies its Shine the Clouds their Rain and the Earth its Fruits they teach us also as to love God so to love others for God's sake especially those that are nearly related to us for they generally love those of the same kind and are very tender over their Mates and to their young ones 3. They all teach us unity amongst our selves for they all combine and conspire in one for the good of the whole they all prefer the good of the whole above their own particular the Fire will descend and the Waters ascend rather then there shall be a vacuum in Nature though they be of contrary qualities yet they do not trouble but help one the other the Fire warms the Air the Air preserves the Water the Water moistneth the Earth one Element is a good Neighbour to the other and all to teach us we should not be hurtful but helpful one to another and prefer the publick before our own private good 4. They all teach us dependance on God for being and well-being Psal 147.9 10. The eyes of all things look up to thee c. To teach us to look up to God and to have our dependance upon him for our selves and ours and to be careful about nothing Phil. 4.7 Matth. 6.26 to the end 5. They all teach us a desire and longing to be freed from that bondage our sins have brought upon them and our selves Rom. 8.19 22. And shall the Creatures sigh and groan under our burdens and we not under our own A third Duty is this To bewail the first sin of ours which brought such vanity and vexation upon the Creatures God at first looked down upon all that he had made and loe
God Let all the Angels of God worship him and were all along at his command and service attended on him in his Birth Life Death Resurrection Ascention and shall at the last day in his comming to Judgement as you may see clearly in reading the Gospel Luke 1.13 22.43 24.5 6. Acts 1.10 11. Mat. 8.38 13.49 3. They minister to the Church and People of God in Life and Death and after Death 1. In Life They Minister both to the well-fare of their Bodies and Souls in watching over them and protecting them from evil Psal 34.7 Psal 91.10 11. instructing and directing quickning incouraging and comforting them in that which is good Dan. 8.16 17. Dan. 9.12 Gen. 24.7 Gen. 32.1 Isa 6.6 7. Rev. 22.9 2. In Death They are about their Beds refresh them in their Sufferings as they did Christ in his Agonies stand ready to receive their Souls and to carry them as they did the Soul of Lazarus into Abraham's Bosom Luke 16.22 3. After Death They watch over their Bodies as Michael the Arch-Angel did over the Body of Moses Jude 9. And at the last day they shall open their Graves and bring out their Bodies and secure them from the fire that it shall not hurt them as in 〈…〉 these three Children in the Fiery Furnace Dan. 3. And whereas the Devil will then be most raging the good Angels will restrain them and stop their mouths as they did stop the mouths of the Lyons when Daniel was cast into the Den after this they will gather together all the Elect from the four quarters of the Earth Mat. 24.31 and separate them from the Reprobates Mat. 13.40 Take them up into the Clouds to be Accessors with Christ in Judgment on the wicked World 1 Cor. 6.1 and joyn with them 〈◊〉 praising God Rev. 4.9 10. Rev. 5.11 12. 7.9 10. Q. 2. What are our duties in respect of the good Angels A. These are many and weighty though little known and less practised by the most and therefore mind them well 1. To admire the wonderful love of God in honouring us with such glorious and blessed Guardians not only vouchsafing his own protection and the protection of his Son and Spirit but also of his blessed Angels Is not this matter of admiration what are the Angels but the most glorious Creatures in the World the glorious Courtiers of Heaven No Prince on Earth hath so glorious a Guard as every Saint even the poorest hath every day and night and therefore to be still admiring and adoring this wonderful love of God and say Lord what is Man and I among the Sons of Men that thou shouldest honour me so far as to give thy Angels a charge to minister to me and watch over me every day and night 2. To glory in this priviledge above all other priviledges in the World that we have such high and excellent Creatures to minister to us and to be our Guardians If men have a great and long Train at theit heels of great and Noble Persons in Silk and Sattin and Golden Chains how do they run after them and gaze upon them whereas alas all this bravery is but beggery to the Glory of those that wait upon the Saints they have higher and more glorious attendance those noble and glorious Courtiers of Heaven men need a fair day and a clear Sun-shine to discover their bravery or half the shew of it is lost but now nothing can darken the glory of the Saints attendance Mat. 28.2 3. And behold there was a great Earth-quake for the Angel of the Lord descended from Heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it his countenance was like Lightning and his Raiment white as Snow 3. Take heed you do not injure any the least of God's Saints the poorest meanest most contemptible of them Why Because they have the glorious Angels to wait upon them and minister unto them Mat. 18.10 See that thou despise not one of these little ones for I say unto you the Angels behold the Face of my Father Why should any think them unworthy of their company and countenance when the greatest Angels think them worthy of their attendance and service if any wrong them the Angels will certainly right them When the Sodomites rose up against Lot the Angel smote them with blindness and rescued Lot out of their hands If Balaam go about to curse God's Israel an Angel stands in the way with a drawn Sword to withstand him If proud Sennacherib threaten to destroy Hezekiah and his People an Angel goes forth and slayes in one night a hundred eighty and five thousand in his Army And therefore take heed of wronging any of them any way 4. Be quickned hence to honour and serve that God more chearfully that hath so highly honoured and incouraged you in the service of him as to appoint the Glorious Angels to attend upon you in it shall they that are so high and holy above us stoop so low as to attend upon us and Minister to us at God's command and shall not we who are so inferior to him readily do service to him who is so high above us and hath no need of our service and whose service cannot any way reach to him but only to our selves And when our honour and happiness is wrapt up in it what a shame were this and what an aggravation will this be upon all idle Servants at the last day 5th Duty To carry our selves so as we may injoy the benefit sweet and comfort of this glorious and blessed Priviledge the Ministration and Service of the Angels Q. How is that A. Mind well it consists in these Particulars 1. To take more notice of this glorious Priviledge then ever you have done If you have been ignorant and heedless of it heretofore take the shame of it and labour to get a more distinct knowledge of it and get your Faith confirmed and established in it for is it not a foul shame that such glorious Spirits should take notice of us and minister to us and we take no notice of them 2. To see that you be such Persons as God hath given his Angels a charge over Who are they 1st Such as fear the Lord Psalm 34.7 2ly Such as keep in God's Wayes the wayes of his Commandments Psalm 91.1 3ly Such as continually pray to God for their direction and protection as Abraham's Servant did Gen. 24.7 and the Israelites Numb 20.16 4ly Such as are Heirs of Salvation for they minister only unto such Heb. 1. last 3. To carry your selves reverently in their presence and take heed you do nothing that should offend and grieve them whence that 1 Cor. 10.11 12. A Woman ought to cover her Head because of the Angels that is as Mr. Perkins sayes not onely in respect of God's Ministers but the Angels and not without great reason 1. Because they are present to observe our carriage in all the Service of God
and terror ere they dyed if they do not here they shall hereafter Qui non credunt sensiant they shall find and feel it hereafter that Hell is no Fable and the Devils are no Nominals but Reals not imaginary but afflicting Spirits Spirits ordained for Vengeance tempters of men here to sin and tormentors hereafter for sin 2. Take notice what they are This you may understand by the several names given to them in Scripture as 1. in respect of their nature they are called Spirits i. e. Spiritual Substances or Substances without a body whereby they are distinguished from the Souls of Men that are united to their Bodies 1 Kings 22.21 Matth. 18.6 Luk. 10.20 2. In respect of their corrupt nature they are called Evil Spirits Luke 8.2 1 Sam. 18.10 1 Joh. 3.12 3. They are called lying Spirits 1 Kings 22.22 and unclean Spirits Matth. 10.1 4ly In respect of their great knowledge they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Levit. 17.7 1 Cor. 10.20 i. e. Understanding Spirits which we read or Devils though they be more fitly called Devils because they are continually doing evil 5. In regard of their Pride Power and Dominion in the World they are called the Prince of the Air Ephes 2.2 and the Godd of this World 2 Cor. 4.4 6. In respect of their Properties he is called the Tempter because continually he is tempting to evil and the Deceiver because he alwayes deceives men in the promises he makes and Accuser because he is still accusing God to Man and Man to God and the Destroyer because he is still plotting and practising ruine and destruction unto Souls 1 Pet. 5.8 So as put all together the Devils are evil and wicked Spirits abounding in knowledge and power to do mischief still tempting to sin imployed about delighting in nothing else 3. How became they such evil Spirits For the understanding of this you are to take notice 1. That they were by creation good and as good every way as the Elect Angels as Understanding Wise Pure Potent every way equal and no way inferior to the Good Angels Gen. 1. last 2. Though they were created good and as good as the Elect Angels yet they voluntarily fell from this good Estate and became as evil as they were good John 8.44 Jude 6. The Angels that left their first estate c. The cause of their fall was their sin 2 Pet. 2.4 God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down to Hell c. What their special sin was is not clearly revealed in the Scripture but probably conceived to be their pride from that place 1 Tim. 3.6 where he adviseth That a Minister should not be a Novice lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the Devil implying that their sin was either pride or mixed with pride 4. What their punishment is And this consists in two things 1. The grea◠corruption of their Nature whereas by Creation they were very good and holy by their fall they became extreamly evil and the greatest enemies to holiness whereas by Creation they had the Knowledge of of God's whole Will and an actual conformity to it by their fall they were deprived though not of their Natural yet of their Supernatural Knowledge and all Sanctified Knowledge and this Knowledge they have now it is accompanied with an implacable hatred of God and obstinate impenitency and final desperation The second part of their punishment is The Curse of God or the Infinite and Eternal Wrath of God which St. Peter layes down in four branches Having sinned 1. They were cast down viz. out of Heaven 2. Cast into Hell 3. Under everlasting Chains of Darkness 4. Reserved to the Day of Judgement for the full pouring out of God's Wrath and Vengeance upon them In the interim they are permitted to come out of that local place of Hell and to walk up and down in the World for the punishment of the wicked and the exercising of the Godly 5. To take notice what their Office and Work is And that is To be a Tempter an Accuser a Tormentor these three the Devil is continually exercised in 1. He is a continual tempter unto sin and therein behaves himself as a subtil Serpent and discovers himself to be that wicked One. 2. He is a continual Accuser of God to Man and Man to God and one Man to another and therein shews himself to be a Deceiver and a Murderer and the Father of Lies John 8.44 3ly He is a continual Tormentor and Troubler of men for sin and therein shews himself a Fiery Dragon and a Roaring Lion and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Destroyer of Souls this work God permits him to be imployed in in a double respect 1. The Wicked and 2. the Godly to punish the one and exercise the other 1. To punish and plague the wicked 1. In their Souls and that 1. by giving the Devils power to tempt them to sin and prevail over them by his temptations as over Ahab's false Prophets 1 Kings 22.22 2ly By giving power to them to vex and to terrifie their Consciences 1 Sam. 16.14 23. An Evil Spirit was sent to vex Saul and Psalm 78.49 Evil Angels were sent to vex and terrifie the Egyptians 2. To punish them in their bodies by giving leave to the Devil to possess them and torment them rend and tear them in pieces as History tells us he hath done the bodies of many wicked Hereticks Blasphemers and Apostates and at last to carry them to Hell as he did Dives Luke 16. Then 2ly their Office is to exercise the Godly 1. Sometimes in their Bodies by afflicting them as he did Job's Body Job 2.7 2. In their Souls by suffering Satan to tempt them and trouble them though not finally prevail over them as over the wicked however Satan sought to winnow Peter like Wheat yet Christ prayed that his Faith should not fail Luk. 22.32 Though he buffeted Paul yet God promised his Grace should be sufficient for him 2 Cor. 12.7 9. 6. VVhat their Properties and Qualities are They are very Knowing Subtil Powerful Wicked and Malicious Spirits 1. For their Knowledge That must needs be very great 1. In that by creation they were like to the good Angels in Knowledge 2. Their knowledge since hath been much increased by the long experience they have had of all God's Revelations and manifestations in the World Job 1.8 9. But yet however they know so much and more of God then others yet they know not mens hearts but only by conjecture for 't is only God's prerogative to be the searcher of the heart 1 King 8.39 Neither do they know what the Grace of Regeneration is nor what the comforts of the Spirit are for these are props to the Elect. 2. For their Subtilty we read of the Wiles of Satan Ephes 6. and the Depths of Satan Rev. 3. This subtilty of theirs appears in these Particulars 1. In
take heed of all sin especially those sins which resemble men to the Devil as Pride Envy Malice Lying Slandering false Accusing of others tempting others to sin and hindering others from Good for these you may find in the Scripture to be the sins of the Devil especially the last Acts 13.10 Thou Child of the Devil thou enemy of all Righteousness wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord said Paul to Elymas 3. To search and see whether you are under his Power and Dominion yea or no for all Men and Women are so by Nature as you may see Eph. 2.2 2 Tim. 2. last whence he is called the Prince of the Air John 14.30 and the God of this World 2 Cor. 4.4 because he rules like a Prince or rather like a Tyrant and governs like a God or rather like a Devil as he is in all wicked men holding them and leading them like Bears by the Snout like Dogs in a Chain and hath them as the Centurion had his Servants at his beck and command to commit any wickedness for Honour Profit and Pleasure in the World Now for the signs and characters of such as are under his power the Scripture gives amongst others these 1. Wilful blindness when men shut their eyes against the Light and refuse to see sin to be sin and duty to be duty because they are loth to leave the one and do the other John 3.19 2 Cor. 4.4 5. 2. Impenitency in a course of sinning 2 Tim. 2.24 25. when men give up themselves to the service of Sin and Satan and will not be reclaimed from it Rom. 6.16 John 8.34 3ly Security and senslesness of God's displeasure because he lets them alone in their evil courses and does not presently punish them Luke 11.21 where all things are at peace there the strong man keeps possession Psalm 50. ver 18. to the end 4. And principally Derision Opposition and Persecution of Righteousness and Holiness in others Acts 13.10 These are the black marks of Satans dominions in men 4th Duty Be perswaded speedily in the use of the means to get out of his Dominions because so long as you are under the power of Satan you are under the power of Sin and the power of the Law and the power of the World and the power of Death Judgement and Hell 1. Of Sin Rom. 6.12 2 Tim. 2. last 2. The power of the Law both the rigour and the curse of it Deut. 27. last 3. The power of the World 1 John 4 5. 4. The power of Death and Judgement and Hell Rom. 6. last Eccles 12. end Heb. 9.27 Psal 11. end Psal 9.17 The wicked shall be turned into Hell and therefore in all these respects to labour speedily to get out of his Dominions To this end 1. Be willing to be convinced of this truth That all men naturally are under the power of Sin and Satan for it 's that which the Scripture speaks expresly Ephes 2.2 and this is the first work of the Spirit in the conversion of a sinner John 16.8 2. Labour to be sensible of and humbled under the sad condition of being in vassallage and slavery to Sin and Satan thus those Converts were Acts 2.37 They were pricked in their hearts and cryed out Men and Brethren c. That you may be the more sensible of it and humbled under it consider it 's the saddest of all other conditions so as the condition of the Israelites under Pharaoh and Gally-slaves under the Turk or Pope is little or nothing to this that being only of the Body this of the Soul that a sensible slavery this an insensible until God make them sensible that an unwilling slavery but this men are most forward to and delight in until the Lord come in and over-power their wills and of unwilling make them a willing people in the day of his power Psalm 110. as he did them Acts 2.37 3. Take notice of him who was appointed and annointed by God the Father to rescue you out of his power viz. the Lord Jesus Christ Isa 61.1 He hath destroyed Death and him that had the power of Death Heb. 2.14 and hath destroyed the works of the Devil 1 John 3.8 to lay hold on him by a lively Faith and that Ransom he hath paid for your Redemption Ephes 1.7 1 Joh. 1.7 Acts 16.31 Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved 4. Be willing to cast off the service of Sin and Satan for the future and to give your selves only and wholly to the service of Jesus Christ Rom. 6.16 17. Sin is the snare and the chain by which the Devil holds men in his power and repentance breaks that snare and chain and sets them at liberty 2 Tim. 2. last Acts 3.19 Repent that your sins may be blotted out c. 5. Wait constantly on the Ministry of the Word the means he hath appointed to turn men from Darkness to Light and the Power of Satan to God Lastly Go unto God by earnest and constant Prayer for his Spirit to make his Word effectual for the translating you out of the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of his dear Son Col. 1.13 5th Duty If you find that you are such as have been rescued and redeemed by Jesus Christ out of the power of Satan which you may know farther by this if you are such as truly believe in Christ and are sanctified by Christ Acts 26.18 and labour to crucifie the flesh with the corruptions and the lusts Gal. 5.24 and are not conformed to the World Rom. 12.2 but walk in a contradiction to it get victory over it 1 John 5.4 then your duties are such as these Continue to bless God for it and rejoyce in it above all your rejoycings not slavishly to fear his Power Malice Rage for the future and to carry your selves so as still to be preserved from being hurt by him 1. To be continually blessing the Lord Jesus Christ for rescuing us out of the power of Satan as the Saints have done before us Psal 86.12 13. Psal 103.1 the Apostle Rom. 7. last 1 Cor. 15.55 and to bless him not only for our selves but others Rom. 6.17 18. and the rather considering we were by nature under the power of Satan as well as others and nothing but his own Grace that rescued us and pluckt us out of his snares to bless God that hath and doth so wonderfully preserve us from the power malice and rage of Satan and his Instruments Is it not wonderful that we should lie down in peace and sleep in peace and arise in peace and walk up and down in peace and injoy so much peace and quiet in the midst of so many Devils and devilish minded men the safety and preservation of the three Children in the Fiery Furnace of Daniel in the Lions Den of Jonah in the Whales Belly was wonderful and truly no less wonderful is it that we injoy our lives and the comforts of
it so many precious priviledges for Soul and Body in the midst of so many Devils and devilish minded men and the rather considering not only their great power but their great number malicious nature deep subtilty and continual activity to plot and practise mischief we can never be enough in blessing God for his great Mercy and Goodness to us in restraining and preserving us from the power malice and rage of the Devil and his Instruments 2. As to bless God so to rejoyce in this priviledge we have by Jesus Christ of being rescued out of his power and being preserved in and under all our fears and dangers as the Apostle Rom. 8.33 and not without cause you know how poor Captives rejoyce when they are rescued out of cruel and oppressing hands of Turk and Pope and how poor condemned Malefactors rejoyce at the news of a Pardon how much more should we that the Lord Jesus Christ hath rescued us from the vassallage and slavery to Satan and procured a Pardon for all our sins this should make us rejoyce and again rejoyce Phil. 4.4 rejoyce evermore 1 Thes 5. 3. Not to fear him too much so as to be kept from duty or drawn into sin by him for this is to worship the Devil instead of God and to provoke God to leave you unto his power and therefore to take heed of fearing him with such a slavish fear as to be kept from duty and to be drawn into evil remember and consider well however the Devil be full of subtilty malice and power yet Christ he is the Wisdom of the Father and knows how to out-wit him and to out-work him Greater and stronger is he that is in you then he that is in the World 1 John 4.4 He hath already spoiled Principalities and Powers tryumphing over them on the Cross Col. 2.15 Hath them all in a Chain Jude 6. so as they cannot go an inch farther then their Chain can do nothing without his permission not so much as enter into a Swine without his leave however they may prevail over wicked men to carry them Souls and Bodies into destruction yet they cannot over true Believers such as he hath rescued out of his power I have prayed that thy Faith fail not saith Christ to Peter and not only for him but all others that believe in his Name John 17.20 The Devil may prevail sometimes by God's permission to the spoiling of their Goods the afflicting of their Bodies the troubling of their Spirits yea and it may be the loss of their life but never to the prejudice or loss of their Soul God may give way to them to let them separate us from worldly things but never from the love of God in Christ Jesus 4. To carry our selves so as we may still be protected from the power malice and rage of Satan and his Instruments to this end To take heed of some things and practise others 1. To take heed of these things that as you do not fear him too much so you do not slight him too much much less provoke him and seek for help from him 1. Not to slight him too much so as to be secure rush upon his temptations and presume on your own strength of Grace to withstand them for if he had so much power over man in the state of Innocency to give him a fall much more in the state of Apostacy as you may see in the Examples of David and Peter if he hath shaken the tallest Cedars much more such poor low shrubs as we are 2. As not to slight him too much so not to provoke him too much as many ignorant prophane wretches do by reviling and railing on him daring and challenging him he should do his worst rashly and indiscreetly rushing into those places given up to his possession for this is but fool-hardiness and many have sadly smarted for it therefore take warning by others harm You may read Jude 9. The Arch-Angel would not rail at the Devil but only said The Lord rebuke thee this being spoken in Faith will soon quell him and subdue him rather then railing tearms Remember and consider the Devil is forward enough to do mischief and needs not to be provoked to it 3. Above all take heed you be never drawn to seek help from him in the time of trouble and distress as many ignorant prophane persons are For 1. It is that which God hath expresly forbid Levit. 19.31 Levit. 22.6 Levit. 20.6 Isa 8.19 2. That which he hath exemplarily punished as in Ahaziah 2 Kings 1.3 6. and in Saul 1 Chron. 10.13 14. 3. Because it is a departing from the living God and a serving the Devil which is such a crying sin as the Lord himself bids Heaven and Earth to be astonished at it Jer. 12. For the things that are to be practised they either respect his Temptations in general or else those hideous and hellish ones to Atheism Blasphemy Self-murder in particular First For the remedy against his temptations in general you are to do these things To arm your selves against them to stand upon your watch and resist him stedfast in the Faith To arm your selves against him according to those directions of the Apostle Ephes 6. from 11 to 19. in which words you have these things observable 1. If you would be protected from him you must have Armour 2. This Armour must not lie by you but be put on 3. What kind of Armour this is no other then Spiritual Armour For we fight not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickednesses in high places vers 12. and therefore our Armour must be Spiritual and not Carnal such as Popish Armour Exorcisms Crucifixes Holy-Water c. This Armour is fashioned on the Devils Anvil and this Mystical Leviathan esteems no more of it then Iron and Straw and rotten Wood. 4. You must have the several pieces of this Armour which are partly Defensive and partly Offensive 1st For the Defensive Armour there are five pieces of it The Girdle of Truth Brest plate of Righteousness The feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace The Shield of Faith and the Helmet of Salvation By which are meant the principal Vertues and Graces Christians are to be armed with against the temptations of Satan To open these briefly to you 1. By the Girdle of Verity you are to understand Sincerity and Truth with which you are to arm your selves against all temptations to Guile and Hypocrisie for God's Children are Children that will not lie Zeph. 3.13 and we are exhorted to put away all lying and to speak every one the truth to his Neighbour Ephes 4.25 2. By the Brest-plate of Righteousness you are to understand a good Conscience and a righteous Conversation with which you are to arm your selves against all temptations to iniquity and unrighteousness Luk. 1.47 1 Thess 4.7 3. By the feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace you are to understand the many
Divine Meditation and therefore it should be our endeavour to take notice of it and improve it to the Glory of God and our own and others spiritual advantage in the way homeward to Eternal Life because the most are ignorant or not so well acquainted as they should with this Divine Art of Extracting Spiritual out of Temporal things For your help and furtherance herein I shall briefly direct you in a few Particulars from the beginning of the day to the end and so conclude this Subject Pray mark them well I. WHen you awake to give God the first of your thoughts As David Psalm 139. When I awake I am presently with thee How precious are the thoughts of thee unto me To think also of our duty of awaking out of Sin unto Righteousness Ephes 5.14 and of our awaking at the last day out of the Grave by the sound of the Trumpet 1 Thess 4.16 This you may find was David's thought Psalm 17. last When I awake I shall be satisfied with thy likeness Remember sleep is but the Image of Death the Bed the Grave and the Morning of the Resurrection at the last Day II. When you have had a sweet nights rest think thus If natural rest be so sweet refreshing and reviving how much more is Spiritual Rest and will be Eternal Rest Oh what cause have you to bless him that hath given his Beloved Rest when others have been altogether restless and others it may be slept their last sleep Think and say to thy Soul Oh how justly mightest thou have been awakened out of thy sleep at midnight as the Egyptians were with a cry or else have slept the sleep of Death whereas we have layen down in peace and slept because the Lord sustained us III. When you see the light of the day shining into your eyes think and say If the light be sweet and it be a pleasant thing to behold the Sun Eccles 11.7 Oh how excellent is thy loving kindness in causing the Son of Righteousness to arise with healing in his Wings upon us Mal. 4.2 Oh what great cause have we to bless God for the Light of Life especially for the Light of the Gospel the Light of Grace here and the hope of the Light of Glory hereafter to beg also of God to lift up the Light of his Countenance upon us and help us to walk in the Light of his Countenance all the day long IV. When you are about to rise think upon the first Resurrection to Grace here and the second Resurrection to Glory at the last day because without an interest in the first Resurrection you can never expect an interest in the second and therefore to be careful as you rise out of your beds so to look to this that you arise out of sin unto newness of Life V. When you put on your cloaths think on sin which was the cause both of your nakedness and your need of Apparel to be humbled under the one and keep you from priding your selves in the other think also what infinite cause you have also to bless God for Jesus Christ that he hath fulfilled and brought in everlasting Righteousness whereby your nakedness might be covered and you might stand amiable in his sight without spot or wrinkle Ephes 5. end And therefore when you put on your Apparel remember to put on the Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 13. end and put him on wholly for Justification Sanctification Consolation Salvation and take heed of spending too much time in apparelling your selves It is reported of one Pambo that seeing a Gentlewoman dressing her self all the morning by the Glass he fell a weeping and being asked Why He answered Because this Woman had spent all the morning in dressing her Body and I scarce one hour in dressing my Soul VI. When you look into the Glass to see what is amiss about you remember to look into the Glass of the Word to see what is amiss in your hearts and lives and to order your Conversation according to it Psalm 119.9 Where withall shall a young man cleanse his wayes but by taking heed to thy Word VII When you begin to wash your hands and face think of that Fountain which God hath opened to wash in from sin and from uncleanness Zach. 13. What infinite cause have you to bless Jesus Christ that was willing to shed his precious heart-blood for you to wash in and the love of the Spirit to you in opening your eyes and revealing this Fountain to you begging of him That he would put you in and wash you and rinse your Souls and Bodies more and more from your remaining filthiness of Flesh and Spirit 2 Corin. 7.1 VIII When you are about to go apart into your Chamber or Closet to read the Word and pray unto God in secret Think thus What a mercy is it to have this liberty which is denied unto many What a mercy is it to look into that blessed Book of the Scriptures Lord open mine eyes that I may see the wondrous things contained in it What a mercy also is it to have access with boldness and confidence to the Throne of God when we cannot to the throne of Men to go to him also as my Father and a Father not onely able but as willing as able to supply all my wants that sees in secret and hath promised to reward me openly Matth. 6.6 IX When you are to pray with the Family think thus What a mercy is this that I have a Family to pray with and for and that we have all health and liberty to pray together and that any have hearts to joyn with us in Prayer and are not as too many are in other Families scoffing Ishmaelites and prophane Esaues X. When you are about to imploy your selves about the duties of your particular Calling Remember that as God requires every one should live in a Calling so that every one be diligent in it because it 's the diligent hand makes rich yet not to labour so much after the meat that perishes as that which endures to eternal Life John 6.27 1. So to labour in your particular Callings as that you may be more serviceable to God and helpful to others in the duties of your general Calling 2. That you be faithful and just 1 Thess 4.6 11 12. 3. That you be useful and fruitful not seeking only your own profit but the weal and benefit of others Phil. 2.4 1 Cor. 10. about the end 4. That you be Spiritual and Heavenly careful to trade for Heaven as well as for Earth and lay up a stock of Grace that will stand by you when all other things will fail you and forsake you XI When you are trading and trafficking buying and selling and making any bargain think on the best Bargain that which will make you rich for ever that of the wise Merchant who sold all he had to purchase the Pearl Matth. 13.44 Think of buying the Gold tryed in the fire Rev. 3.18 and
buying the Truth that will save your souls Prov. 23.23 And whilst you look after the gain of the World think on that of Isa 55.1 Wherefore do you lay out your money for that which cannot satisfie c. And that of our Saviour What will it profit a man to win the whole World and lose his Soul c. And that of Christ to Martha Luke 10.42 Martha Martha thou art cum bered about many things but there 's one thing necessary c. XII When you are about to take a Journey as you are trevelling in the way think on this Your life is but a Journey you are in a constant motion to Eternity every action is but a step every day and hour brings you nearer to Heaven or Hell and therefore you had need look to this that you be in the right way that you may not miscarry for ever and to this end to pray to the Lord that he would remember his promise Psal 32.8 He would instruct in the way wherein you should go and guide you by his eye that he would be your God for ever and guide you unto Death guiding you by his counsel until he hath received you into Glory XIII When you are about to use the Creatures in the Morning at Noon and Evening think thus Oh what a great House-keeper is the Lord that provides for the whole Family of Heaven and Earth What a bountiful Master do I serve that provides so liberally for me and me above many and not only gives the Creature but an appetite to it when many of his want both When you are eating Bread think on the Bread which came down from Heaven to feed your Souls and how blessed they are that eat of this Bread in the Kingdom of Heaven Luke 14.15 Think also on that of our Saviour Man lives not by bread alone but every word that proceeds out of the Mouth of God Though Bread is the Staff of our Life it is the Blessing of God is the strength of that Staff and he that maintains our natural Life by dead Creatures is as able to nourish our Souls in Spiritual Life to Eternal Life by dead Ordinances how weak and contemptible soever they seeâ— in the eye of Carnal Reason XIV When you walk abroad and view the World think what a great and mighty a God is he that made so great and mighty a Fabrick out of nothing by his very Word think what a precious Soul you have that is of more worth then all the World and what cause you have therefore to value it above all the World and not to hazzard it for the gaining of the World XV. When you look up and behold the glory of the Heavens the Sun the Moon and the Stars think and say with David Lord what is Man that thou shouldst make all this for Man the greater Light to rule the Day and the lesser to rule the Night Psal 8.3 If the Light of Heaven be so sweet how sweet is the Light of thy Countenance If there be so much glory and influence in the Sun of the World what is there in the Son of Righteousness And how great will the glory of the Saints be at the last day when their glorified Bodies shall outshine the glory of the Sun Oh how glorious is the Church that is cloathed with the Sun and hath the Moon under her feet Revel 12. When you take notice of the Moon borrowing of her Light from the Sun and losing her light at the rising of the Sun every month changing her appearance increasing or decreasing her Light think how like our life is to the Moon full of changes and variety of conditions And from whom is it we must receive any light of comfort under them and be directed in them but from the Son of Righteousness XVI When you look up and behold the Clouds and see how they are supported without any outward means and carried up and down like Feathers in the Air God can as easily support his under all clouds of temptation when you see those Clouds dispersed by the Beams of the Sun then think how easily one Beam of the Son of Righteousness can scatter all the clouds of temptation when you see the Clouds think upon Jesus Christ who as he went up to Heaven in the Clouds so he will come again in the Clouds to Judgment XVII When you look downward and behold the Earth think from whence you came and where you must return Dust thou art and to dust thou must that it is the Mother of us all and the place appointed for all the living your bodies must descend first into the Earth before they can ascend up into Heaven and therefore as the Grave waits for us we should wait for it When you behold the fruitfulness of the Trees and the Plants of the Earth how every one brings forth its Fruit in due season such are or ought to be every Godly Man and Woman Trees of Righteousness bringing forth Fruit to God otherwise it will be a foul shame for Christians to remain barren and unfruitful under such plentiful dews and droppings from Heaven XVIII When you feel the powerful operation and working of the Air and of the Winds though you do not see them think thus If I believe there is Air and Wind though I do not see them then I should much more believe there is a God that made them though I do not see him and if there be so much power and vertue in them to preserve and take away life how much more in God that puts this power and vertue into them XIX When you walk abroad and view the Fowls of the Air and the Beasts of the Earth and the Fish of the Sea and the rest of the Creatures think thus they were all made for my use and service and therefore are as so many Obligations and should be as so many incouragements to serve God in all and for all and above all see Job 12.7 8 9 10 11 12. There is no Creature but teacheth us something 1. Ask the Beasts and they 'l teach you the Ox and Ass to know and acknowledge their Owner Isa 1. The Horse and the Mule they will shew you the stubborn and refractory nature of Man the Sheep our wandring dispositions and to know hearken too and follow our Shepherd John 10. To be dumb like a Sheep before the Shearer and not open your mouths as Christ was Isa 53. and the Lamb will remember you how Christ was brought as a Lamb to the slaughter and that though he was like a Lamb without spot and blemish the Dog and the Swine will mind you of the uncleanness of sinners and the hatefulness of Apostacy in causing men to return with the Dog to the Vomit and the Sow to her wallowing in the Mire the Serpent will teach you wisdom in preserving your selves and the Ant in making provision for the future 2. Ask the Fowls of the Air and they
will teach you sayes Job to trust in God for a livelyhood Mat. 6.26 and to know your times and seasons for every work Jer. 8.7 The Dove will teach you Innocency and Sympathy the little Birds to sound forth praises to God every morning and evening Cantat a lauda Deo laudes gratissima summo Hinc vos in gratâ—s gratu lacessit avis 3. Ask the Fishes of the Sea and they will teach you sayes Job The Sea by her continual fluctuating and foaming will mind you of the continual unquietness and resâ—lesness of wicked men Isa 5â— 20 They are like the troubled Sea c. The Fish of the Sea they will shew you the misery of want of Government they being every one without a Ruler so as the lesser are still devoured of the greater Hab. 1. Why hast thou made mâ—n like the Fishes of the Sea c. XX. When you are to go to wait an God in the use of his Ordinance think what a mercy it is to have the Doors of God's Sanctuary open when they are shut to others to see Souls flock to the Ordinances as the Doves to the Windows that some Souls might still be added to the Church and brought into Christ and built up further in Grace and gracious practices When you are to hear the Word remember you are not only to hear a Man but God who speaks in and by Man who hath said His Word shall not return in vain but surely prosper to the end he sends it Isa 55. last And if it be not the savour of Life it will of Death 2 Cor. 1. end When the Sermon is ended remember though the Minister have done the Sermon is not done until you have done and practised it if it be not practised it will be preached over with more terror another day when you will not be able to hear it XXI When you are walking abroad and meet with any Christian Friend think if it be sweet with a dear Christian Friend upon Earth Oh how sweet will it be to meet with all in Heaven When you hear of any good news from them then think Oh what good news hath Christ brought from Heaven and did the Angel sing at the time of his Birth and hath the Spirit of God brought home and spoken unto my heart if it be bad news that you have heard yet think and comfort your hearts with this However you have sad expectations from Earth yet you have comfortable expectations from Heaven God and Christ and the Spirit is yours and will be for ever yours 1 Cor. 3. last Psal 112.7 When you hear of any Prodigies or dreadful appearances of God in the Heaven or the Earth or the Sea then think and say How terrible O Lord art thou in all thy wayes Who knows the power of thy anger what mean these dreadful tokens of thy displeasure make me and all to fear and tremble before thee When you see or hear the corruption of men to break out into Drunkenness Uncleanness Blasphemy Persecution c. then think and say as Bradford the Martyr Lord what a wicked heart have I what cause have I to give glory to Grace that keeps under corruption in me that does not break out in me as in others When any cross or affliction befals you on the day in Body Soul Name Estate think say Lord what sin is it that thou correctest shew me my sin sanctifie this affliction and do me good by it When any mercy is renewed upon you and yours think and say Oh how great is that goodness thou hast laid up for them that fear thee and that thou workest daily for the Children of men Psal 31. XXII When the day draweth towards an end remember you are nearer to your end by one day then you were in the morning as the night approacheth towards you so do you to the Grave and for ought you know may be your last day When you look up and see the Stars appear in the Heaven think thus Though your life here be hid with Christ in God yet when he shall appear you shall appear with him in glory Col. 3.4 and then your bodies shall shine as the Stars Dan. 12. When you see the dark night to come upon you and you begin to light Candles then think if outward darkness be so uncomfortable how much more is the inward darkness of the Soul and utter darkness in Hell if the light of a Candle be so comfortable how comfortable is the Life of Grace here and will be the Life of Glory hereafter When you are about to put off your Cloaths think thus It will not be long ere I must be uncloathed of this body of Sin and Death and if I be so willing to the one why not to the other that I might be cloathed with my House from Heaven 2 Cor. 5.2 And if I be so willing to go into Bed to take my rest that I may have renewed strength for Body and Spirit to fit me for the service of the next day why should I not be as willing and more willing at God's call to lay down my body in the Grave there to rest from all sinning sorrowing suffering and to be raised up at the last day with renewed and perfect strength both in Soul and Body to be still serving and glorifying God to all Eternity Remember still O my Soul thy sleep is but the Image of Death the Bed the Image of thy Grave and the Sheets of thy Winding Sheets the biting of the Fleas but the gnawing of the Worms on the Body the crowing of the Cock in the morning the sounding of the Trump of God at the last day by the Voice of the Arch-Angel Awake ye dead and come to Judgment Isa 57.2 1 Thess 4.16 Lastly When you are about to sleep labour to sleep with precious thoughts of God for such as your thoughts are when you are about to sleep such will your thoughts be when you awake When we rake up fire in the Ashes at night so we usually find it in the morning and such I say as our thoughts are of God when we sleep will be when we awake In a word Think of your sleeping in Jesus and your awaking and appearing with him in glory in the morning of the Resurrection And thus I have as briefly as I could with any profit to you directed you how to make a Spiritual use of whatsoever presents it self to your senses from morning to evening at home and abroad What remains but that we put in practice what we see to be our duty motives to iâ— and directions for it you have had before I need not add any more onely this consideration there 's a double use God expects we should make of every Creature a natural and a spiritual and if we should content our selves only with the natural use without the Spiritual we should lose the one half and the best half of that comfort in the Creature which God gave it for and we shall do no more then natural carnal sensual men yea the very Beasts do and therefore if we will evidence our selves to be Christians indeed that mind the wellfare of our Souls as well as our Bodies then to apply our selves more then ever we have done to the practice of this sweet weighty and profitable duty of Meditation both Solemn and Occasional Which that we may blessed Lord thou who hast put it into the heart of thy weak and unworthy Servant to study and write these things for the good and comfort of thy People be thou graciously pleased by the effectual working of thy Holy Spirit to make them useful to all into whose hands they shall come for the promoting and carrying on the Work of Grace in their hearts and lives and the furthering of their everlasting Salvation Oh Lord I pray thee let it not be in vain that this or any other help is afforded them but do thou give success to the weak endeavours of thy unworthy Servant so as there may be glory to thee profit to them and comfort to him who hath found that grace in thy sight to be accepted and enabled to be any way instrumental for their help and comfort in the way homeward to everlasting life This is and shall be the Prayer of Your Affectionate and Antient Pastor J. B. FINIS