heart of flesh V. 27. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my Judgements and do them Luke 22.20 Likewise also the Cup after Supper saying this Cup is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for you Micha 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage he retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy V. 19. He will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all their sinnes into the depths of the Sea Rom. 6.14 For sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace Jer. 32.40 And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Psal 84.11 For the Lord God is a Sun and a shield the Lord will give Grace and Glory no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly Rom. 8.28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are called according to his purpose Concerning the state of men after death and the Resurrection of the body Eccles 12.7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return to God who gave it Luke 23.43 And Jesus said unto him verily I say unto thee to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Heb. 12.23 To the general Assembly and Church of the first born which are written in Heaven and to God the Judge of all and to the Spirits of just men made perfect 2 Cor. 5.1 For we know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God not made with hands eternal in the Heavens V. 6. Therefore we are alwaies confident knowing that whilest we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. V. 8. We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Phil. 1.23 For I am in a strait betwixt two having a desire to depart â—nd to be with Christ which is far better Luke 16.22 And it came to passe that the beggar died and was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome the rich man also died and was buried V. 23. And in Hell he lift up his eyes being in Torments and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosome V. 24. And he Cried and said Father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this Flame Acts 1.25 That he may take part of this Ministry and Apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell that he might go to his owne place Jude 6. And the Angels which kept not their first estate but left their owne habitation he hath reserved in everlasting Chaines under darknesse unto the Judgement of the great day V. 7. Even as Sodome and Gomorrah and the Cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh are set forth for an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire 1 Pet. 3.19 By which also he went and preached to the Spirits in prison 1 Cor. 15.42 So also is the Resurrection of the dead it is sowen it corruption it is raised in incorruption V. 43. It is sowen in dishonour it is raised in Glory it is sowen in weakness it is raised in power V. 44. It is sowen a natural body it is raised a spiritual body There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body V. 52. In a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed Job 19.26 And though after my skin wormes destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God V. 27. Whom I shall see for my selfe and mine eyes shall behold and not another though my reins be consumed within me Acts 24.15 And have hope towards God which they themselves also allow that there shall be a resurrection of the dead both of the just and unjust John 5.28 Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice V. 29. And shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation Mat. 25.21 His Lord said unto him well done thou good and faithful servant thou hast been faithfull over a few things I will make thee ruler over many things enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Heb 6.2 Of the doctrine of baptismes and of laying on of hands and of resurrection of the dead and of eternal Judgement Mat. 16.27 For the Son of man shall come in the Glory of his Father with his Angels and then he shall reward every man according to his works Mat. 13.40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burnt in the fire so shall it be in the end of this world V. 41. The Son of man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his Kingdome all things that offend and them which do iniquity V. 42. And shall cast them into a furnace of fire there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth V. 43. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdome of their Father who hath ears to hear let him hear 2 Pet. 3.11 Seeing then all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness V. 14. Wherefore Beloved seeing that ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blamelesse Mat. 10.28 And fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell Rev. 2.7 He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God V. 11. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death V. 17. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna and I will give him a white stone and in the stone a new Name written which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it 1 Cor. 2.9 But as it is written eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath
is the folly and stupidity of every wilful sinner that for the satisfaction of his brutish lusts will run the hazard of these everlasting torments O did we look upon sin with Scripture spectacles we should find a greater disproportion between the pleasure and the paines thereof than between a drop of honey and an Ocean of gall Methinks the meditation of eternal torments should damp and stop any sinner in his sinful heat and fury Wilt thou O sinner for a short pleasure be content to pay an everlasting punishment Go into Hell by meditation that thou maist not go thither by condemnation 2. What interest or concernment have we in the whole world comparable to this the making our peace with God He is the severest enemy but the sweetest friend How should we speedily humble our selves before him for all our sins and flie to his mercy in Christ for our pardon The wages of sin is death Nothing can bring us to those everlasting flames but sin unrepented of Nothing can save that man from the never-dying worm who dieth in his sins 3. How highly should we prize the love of Christ how great a value should we set upon his blood How willingly should we embrace the offers of Grace and reconciliation made to us in him How readily and chearfully should we give up our selves to him resolving to be his faithful Disciples and servants seeing he laid down his life to deliver us from these everlasting torments this wrath to come In one thing the sins of men admit of a greater aggravation than the sins of Angels These never sinn'd against the offers of a Saviour as men do 4. How readily should we do or suffer perform or undergo any thing this blessed Redeemer calls us to who hath done and sufferd so much for our sakes 5. How should we pity and pull back those who are posting towards the paines of eternal fire We may possibly anger them thereby but we had better endure some scalding drops of their wrath than let them fall if we can help it by doing our duty to admonish them into the lake of fire and brimstone 6. How should the consideration of everlasting torments after death breed in every heart a fear and awe of the great God and teach us to tremble at his Word and his Threatnings therein denounced against all impenitent sinners How eagerly should we embrace that reduplicated advice of our blessed Saviour Luke 12.5 I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear fear him which after he hath killed hath power to cast into Hell yea I say unto you fear him Mat. 25.41 Then shall he say unto them on the left hand depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels V. 46. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment Mark 9.43 And if thy hand offend thee cut it off it is better for thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into Hell into the fire that never shall be quenched V. 44. Where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched V. 45. And if thy foot offend thee cut it off it is better for thee to enter into life halt than having two feet to be cast into Hell into the fire that never shall be quenched V. 46. Where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched V. 47. And if thine eye offend thee pluck it out it is better for thee to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into Hell fire V. 48. Where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched Rev. 21.8 But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Rev. 20.10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false Prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever Rev. 14.10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb. V. 11. And the smoak of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever c. Matth. 22.13 Then said the King unto his servants bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darknesse there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Matth. 23 33. Ye Serpents ye generation of vipers how can ye escape the damnation of Hell Matth. 7.13 Enter ye in at the strait gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat Rev. 2.11 He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death Juâ—e v. 6. And the Angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation he hath reserved in everlasting chaines under darkness unto the judgment of the great day V 7. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh are set forth for an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire V. 13. Raging waves of the Sea foming out their own shame wandring stars to whom is reserved the blacknesse of darknesse for ever 2. Thes 1.9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Psal 9.17 The wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the Nations that forget God 1 Thes 5.9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes 1.10 And to wait for his Son from Heaven from whom he raised the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come Matth. 10.28 And fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell Luke 16.23 And in Hell he lift up his eyes being in torments and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom V. 24. And he cried and said Father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame V. 25. But Abraham said Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things and likewise Lazarus evil things but now he is comforted and thou art tormented V. 27. Then he said I pray thee therefore Father that thou wouldst send him to my Fathers house V. 28. For I have five Brethren that he may testifie unto them lest they also come unto this place of torment Matth. 16.26 For what is a
necessity of regeneration The state of thy own soul to God ward The excellency of a gracious state The preciousness of time of Eternity And the four last things Death Judgment Heaven Hell These and such like subjects will be fit matters to employ thy thoughts about IV. Labour to get thy heart into a right frame and temper The work is serious and thou hadst need rally together all the powers of thy soul that thy thoughts may be intent and fixed when thou settest on this duty V. Begin with prayer begging the assistance and help of God to order thy meditations aright Prayer sanctifies every thing VI. Confine thy thoughts to one Subject only at a time One truth driven home by meditation will kindly affect the heart VII For the Method 1. Let thy mind consider and dwell on the thing thou propoundest to meditate on so long till thou hast setled some perswasions in thy self concerning it 2. Labour to stir up and awaken such affections in thy heart as the Subject meditated on requires 3. Draw some fit and proper resolutions tending to Gods Glory and the furthering thee in a gracious course from thy meditations VIII For the manner 1. Do it sincerely Take heed of formality and superficialnesse the bane of most religious performances 2. Shut up all with prayer 3. Reduce thy meditations into practise CHAP. VII FRequent good company that may further thee and help thee forward in the way to Heaven And though thy Calling Necessity of businesse Charity to their souls and a desire to do them good may draw thee somtimes to converse with yet be not willingly ordinarily and unnecessarily a companion of wicked and ungodly men who by their vain unsavoury discourse and sinfull conversation will be apt to draw thy heart unto a neglect and slighting of spiritual things 'T is exceeding dangerous to be ordinarily in such company as will be ever hindring never helping us forward in the way to Heaven and where we shall hear no talk of Religion but in distast and contempt Believe it Thousands have been everlastingly undone by evil company That therefore thou maist be more wary in this â—â—â—ticular I shall desire thee to consider of these things I. Ill company must needs be exceeding dangerous because sin is of an infecting contagious nature It quickly spreads among such as ordinarily and familiarly converse together Why should we not be as much afraid of being infected with sin as with a contagious disease but that we are carnal and fear the evil of the body which is death more than the evil of the soul which is sin and damnation The ground of that dreadful Church-Censure Excommunication is the contagion of other mens sins Purge out the old leaven saies the Apostle 1 Cor. 5.7 Which was the incestuous person And why because a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump There is a strange power in ill company to infect and deprave the best dispositions Can a man touch pitch and not be defiled saies the son of Sirach Chap. 13.1 1. By frequent familiar converse with such there steals upon a man secretly insensibly a dislike of Religion and the waies of Godliness as too strict and restraining to humane nature 2. He usually comes by degrees to approve and delight in sensual courses and sinful practises 3. At last he comes to be an utter enemy and opposer of the waies of Holiness And no wonder for such as men usually converse with such for the most part they prove to be Ungodly company is the deep ditch out of which few escape II. To delight in ungodly company is a sure sign a mans heart is naught Similitude is the cause of love Like will to like whether good or evil Though many will not be drunk or swear c. Yet if they delight in the company of those that do so 't is plain their dispositions are against Godlinesse David having a Godly frame of heart declared it in this that in the Saints of the Earth and the excellent was all his delight Psal 16.3 Ps 119.63 He saies I am a companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy Precepts Ecclesiasticus tels us Ch. 13.16 All flesh consorteth according to kind and a man will cleave to his like What fellowship hath the wolf with the lamb So the sinner with the Godly When you choose wicked loose company when you may have better and find delight and content in such you plainly declare what you are There is no reason he should be accounted Gods friend who familiarly converses with his professed enemies III. By frequenting ill company thou dost harden encourage and embolden them in their sinful courses How can they think but thou approvest their waies seeing thou delightest in their society Whereas the Apostle commands us Eph. 5.11 To have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darknesse but rather reprove them David's eyes ran down with rivers of tears because he saw men kept not Gods Law Psal 119.136 And Lots righteous soul was vexed with the unclean conversation of the wicked among whom he lived So far is it from the temper of a gracious heart to hold a delightful familiarity with wicked companions IV. Consider ill company is a great hinderance to conversion Wicked companions like Herod kill the young beginnings and first tendencies of the heart towards God One wicked person by his scoffs and flouts has done more hurt than many Sermons have done good Scoffers at Religion and deriders of true Piety and Holinesse make things of the saddest and most serious concernment to seem ridiculous And when once the awe of these great Truths is weakned men are easily induced to cast off all care and profession of Religion Many have been jeer'd from the practise of Godlinesse and a holy life that could never by serious Arguments be disputed or disswaded from it Mockers and Scoffers at Religion are usually the worst of sinners In Psal 1. there are three degrees of sinners mentioned and the highest rank are they that sit in the seat of the scornful Which the Septuagint render the chair of pestilence They being indeed the pests of mankind 'T is better to go with the frowns and scoffs of carnal friends to heaven than with their love to hell V. Remember 't is not only the openly prophane and dissolute the swearer the drunkard and the professed open enemies of Godlinesse that thou art to avoid as hurtful companions but thou must also take heed of too frequent society with dead hearted formalists and persons meerly civil whose conference is usually barren and unsavoury nothing conducing to the raising the heart Heaven-ward And by conversing much with such though thou dost not endanger thy soul as to infection with sin yet thou dost as to defection from gracious courses Such lukewarm professors are usually remiss and slight and indifferent in Religion and though they run not into such exorbitant courses as the openly prophane do yet
love is soul love And if the love of Husband and Wife be thus grounded in Religion and Piety and a care of each others souls it will make their lives a kind of Heaven upon earth 'T will prevent those contentions heart burnings and brawls so fatal to many Families They will like Zachary and Elizabeth labour to walk before the Lord blamelesse They will endeavour to plant Religion in their Family and be examples of Piety prudence and goodnesse to those among whom they live 2. They are to be mutual helpers to each other in natural and civil respects They are to comfort and cherish one another both in health and sicknesse in prosperity and adversity They are to advise and assist each other in a right governing their Family and in a prudent mannaging their estate and worldly affairs And in a word they are to endeavour to make their passage through this world as comfortable to each other as they can So much in general for the duties common to both I now come to speak more particularly of the duties belonging to each of them severally And first of the duties of the Husband I. The first duty the Husband owes to his Wife is love How great this love should be the Apostle intimates by the similitudes he uses in this matter The one of that Christ bears to his Church Eph. 5.25 Husbands love your Wives even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it The other of that a man bears to himself v. 31. Let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself Now every one knows and feels how he loves himself A mans love to himself hath these properties 1. 'T is cordial without dissimulation Many a man feigns love and friendship to others but no body is insincere and false in his love to himself Such a love should a man bear to his Wife As Jonathans heart was knit to David 1 Sam. 18.1 And he loved him as his own soul so ought the Husband to love his Wife The Apostle tels us 1 Cor. 13.5 Charity is not easily provoked True fervent cordial love is long suffering and beareth with many infirmities and weaknesses and covereth a multitude of offences 1 Pet. 4.8 2. 'T is constant 'T is so natural nothing can make it cease Though a man hath been handsom and is by sicknesse become deformed though he hath been healthy and is become sickly though he hath been patient and is now grown cholerick yet he still loves himself So no accidental change or defect should lessen a mans love to his Wife 3. 'T is very tender How tenderly does a man treat himself when sick If he have a sore eie How careful is he of it Such ought a mans affection be to his Wife expressing it self in a tender regard of her in sicknesse as well as health The man ought to look upon his Wife as the tenderer part of himself or as the Apostle phrases it as the weaker vessel 1 Pet. 3.7 Which must not be a cause of contempt but rather of respect and regard And the more weak she is in respect of any sicknesse or the like so much the more tender care ought he to have of her No man ever hated his own flesh saies the Apostle but nourisheth and cherisheth it Eph. 5.29 The Husband therefore must not do any thing that may be hurtful or grievous to his Wife no more than he would cut and gash his own flesh For my part I know no Law of God or man that allows the Husband a power to beat his Wife He is indeed to govern her but he is to do it by wise loving amiable counsel not by stripes The civil Law is strict against it Cod. 5. And among Heathens we read not of any except such as were mad or drunk practising this unnatural cruelty The Husband therefore should mannage that authority and superiority which God hath given him over his Wife wisely mildly amiably He should remember all Government is ordained by God for the good of the whole and not the pleasure only of the Governour Therefore all harshnesse and roughnesse and such tyrannical carriage is utterly unallowable on the Husbands part towards his Wife 4. 'T is pure Not for base and sinister ends He does not love himself because he is a healthy man a handsom man a rich man but 't is purely himself because 't is himself that he loves Such ought a mans love to his Wife to be not only because she is fair or rich or young but because she is his Wife A man may look abroad in the world and see others healthier handsomer richer wittier than himself yet I hope he does not thereupon fall in love with them and slight and neglect himself So a man is to love his wife purely for this reason because she is his Wife Though he is not bound to think her the best accomplished woman in the world yet he is to love her like her delight in her more than any woman in the world So much for the first Duty the man owes to his Wife Love and the degree of it II. The next is Instruction The Husband is to instruct the wife in the things that concern her everlasting welfare if she be ignorant of them Thus Paul bids the wives learn of their husbands at home 1 Cor. 14.35 Which supposes the Husband is to teach her This should make men careful to get knowledge themselves that so they may perform this duty they owe to others III. Maintenance He is to maintain her provide for her and allow her things convenient and fit according to his estate and to let her partake with him in those outward good things wherewith God hath blessed him And as he is not by niggardize to deny her what is fit for her so neither must he by his unthriftinesse wast his goods and so make himself unable to support her if God take him away before her he is to provide for her comfortable subsistence according to his ability and not to beat her when he is dead as one phrases it by leaving her an insufficient and too short an allowance I come now to speak of the Duties of the Wife The Wife owes to her Husband I. Subjection Eph. 5.22 Wives submit your selves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. Col 3.18 Wives submit your selves unto your own husbands as it is fit in the Lord. 1 Pet. 3.1 Likewise ye wives be in subjection to your own husbands c. V. 5. Being in subjection to their own husbands Besides these Scripture-Commands there are several reasons for it 1. From the Creation 1. The man was first created 1 Tim. 2.13 Adam was first formed then Eve 2. The woman was made of the man and not the man of the woman 1 Cor. 11.8 For the man is not of the woman but the woman of the man 3. The woman was made for the man not the man for the woman Gen. 2.18 And
him who lies but a few daies sick and has strength of nature to make resistance That Christian whose love to his life and the contentments of it hath been for many years consuming and dying will more easily part with them than he whose love is stronger to them As the Reverend Mr. Gurnal excellently expresses it in his Christian Armour We should consider we are but pilgrims and strangers here Heaven is the proper countrey of holy Souls We should therefore be providing for our removal out of this strange countrey We should pack up and send our best things aforehand namely our love our hearts our delights our joyes before we set out our selves for those Heavenly mansions Fifthly Consider what great reasons there are that those that are truly Godly should not much fear death I confesse nothing can sweeten death and make it desirable to a Christian but only an interest in Christ Things that are in their own nature sour and sharp will ask much Sugar to make them sweet Death is one of those things that hath the most harsh and ungrateful tast to a creatures pallat that may be Believe it a man cannot think with any comfort of putting his head into another world if he hath no solid ground to hope Christ will own him there for his But if he have there are many reasons why he should not dread death 1. They that are truly godly shall die but once i. e. a natural death only The wicked die twice not only a natural but a spiritual death The natural death stands in the separation of the soul from the body The spiritual in the separation of soul and body from God Rev. 20 6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection on such the second death hath no power He that is born but once namely naturally shall die twice naturally and spiritually He that is born twice i. e. besides his natural birth hath been spiritually regenerated and born again shall die but once namely a natural death 2. Death is not a destruction or annihilation either of soul or body but only an alteration and change of the condition of them both and that for the better to all those that have an interest in Christ Such may say with Paul Phil. 1.21 To me to live is Christ to die is gain For 1. Though death separate soul and body yet it can separate neither of them from Christ. As in Christ's death his soul and body were separated each from other yet neither of them from the second Person in the Trinity in which both of them did subsist at that time in the personal Union so though when the Saints die soul and body be separated yet after this separation both remain united to Christ in the mystical Union because their bodies as well as their souls are part of the mystical body of Christ who is the Head and Saviour of the whole person consisting of soul and body And when Christ who is their life shall appear then shall they also appear with him in Glory Col. 3.3 4. We see then that though body and soul be sever'd each from other at death yet as to all those that die in the Lord neither of them are severed or disjoyned from Christ but the conjunction which is begun in this life remaines for ever Which must needs be matter of exceeding joy and comfort to them that by a lively Faith are united to him here 2. The body being resolved into dust is freed from all sicknesse and pains from all the miseries troubles and calamities of this life 3. It ceaseth to be either an active or a passive instrument of sin whereas in this life 't is both Sin and the temptations to it are the great grievances and burdens of the servants of God which they groan to be delivered from As sin therefore brought death into our bodies so death carries sin out of them 4. The bodies of the Saints shall be raised in a far greater glory at the general resurrection and be joyned again to their souls to live an everlasting life of glory and happinesse with them So that we may from hence conclude the body will be no loser by this change Neither will the soul for it will gain this threefold advantage thereby 1. It will change its place and be remov'd from a prison to a palace from a Tabernacle of clay to a Heavenly Mansion 2. Its qualities Here 't is infested with sinful and unruly passions and affections of all sorts which are a great annoyment to it But there it shall be freed from all these and made perfectly holy 3. It s company It leaves the company of sinners and gaines the company of Saints and Angels Yea shall have fellowship with the blessed Trinity in whose presence there is fulnesse of joy and at whose right hand there are pleasures for evermore Psal 16.11 Let all such therefore as have an interest in Christ look upon death not in the glass of the Law but of the Gospel Death in the Law is a curse and a downfal to the pit of destruction In the Gospel it is an entrance into Heaven Christ hath taken away the sting and mischief and destructive power of death He hath altered the property of it and in stead of being a door to Hell hath made it a gate to blisse and happinesse for all those that are his Let the truly Godly and serious Christian therefore not fix his mind so much on the pangs and torments of death as upon the blessed estate that is to be enjoyed after it and so fortifie his heart against the fear of it See the Reverend and Worthy Mr. Baxters considerations against the fear of death in the 4th Part of his Saints everlasting Rest Chap. 2. Heb. 9.27 It is appointed unto men once to die but after this the Judgment Job 30.23 For I know that thou wilt bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living Job 17 14. I have said to corruption thou art my Father to the worm thou art my mother and my sister Jam. 4.14 For what is your life it is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away Isa 40.6 The voice said cry and he said what shall I cry All flesh is grasse and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field V. 7. The grass withereth the flower fadeth because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it Surely the people is grass Psal 90.12 So teach us to number our daies that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom Psal 39.4 Lord make me to know mine end and the measure of my daies what it is that I may know how frail I am V. â— Behold thou hast made my daies as an hand breadth and mine age is as nothing before thee verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity Selah Job 14.2 He cometh forth like a flower and is cut down he fleeth also as a
25.34 Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you Of condemnation upon the wicked v. 41. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels We shall therefore here speak of the state of the wicked after the righteous Judge hath pronounced the sentence of condemnation upon them and shall shew how their bodies and souls being re-united shall be so continued in that life for ever to undergo the punishment due unto their sins Here three things are to be taken into consideration 1. The duration and continuance of their persons without ever dying or being destroyed or annihilated 2. The duration of their pains without ever being taken off 3. The dreadfulnesse of those infernal pains and torments I. The Scripture speaks expresly that the wicked after the day of judgment shall not be consumed or annihilated but remain alive in soul and body to endure the torments to be inflicted upon them by the Justice of God for all the sins committed by them while they were in the body The Word of God indeed speaks of the wicked as of such as shall be destroyed and perish and die But we must know that a man may be said to be destroyed and perish to be lost and dead who is rejected separated and disjoyn'd from God the fountain of glory and blessednesse And that person may still subsist and be what in his own nature he was before and live the life which doth consist in the vital union of his soul and body and so subsisting undergo the wrath of God for ever The same Scripture which saies the wicked shall be destroy'd and perish and die saies also that they shall be tormented with never-dying paines Mat. 25.41 Depart from me ye cursed shall the Judge say to the wicked at the last day into everlasting fire And least any should imagine that the fire shall be everlasting but not the torments at the 46 v. it followes and these shall go away into everlasting punishment Now if the fire be everlasting by which God punisheth the damned and the punishment inflicted be also everlasting then must the damned everlastingly subsist to endure that punishment Otherwise there will be a punishment inflicted and none endured which is a contradiction Indeed the eternity of that fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels is a sufficient demonstration of the eternity of such as suffer in it And as that fire is termed eternal so that eternity is described as absolute excluding all limits and determination The end of the burning of fire is by extinguishing and that fire which cannot be extinguished can never end But such is the fire which shall torment the damned For he whose fan is in his hand shall burn up the chaff with unquencheable fire Mark 3.12 Luke 3.17 And he hath told us plainly and thereby given us a fair warning Mat. 18.8 that it is better to enter into life halt or maimed rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire Or as it is Mark 9.43 To go into Hell into the fire that never shall be quenched And he hath farther explained himself by that unquestionable addition and undeniable description of the place of torments where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched And that we may be yet farther assur'd that this fire shall never be extinguished wereâ—â— that the smoak of their torments ascendeth up for ever and ever Rev. 14.11 And that those who are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever Rev. â—0 â—0 If therefore the fire in which the damned are to be tormented be everlasting if so absolutely everlasting that it shall never be quenched if so certainty never to be quenched that the smoak thereof shall ascend for ever and ever if those that are to be cast into it shall be tormented for ever and ever all which the Scriptures expresly teach then shall the persons of the damned never be destroy'd or annihilated but shall subsist for ever and be coeternal to the tormenting flames When therefore the Scripture speaks that the wicked after the resurrection shall be punished with death and that a second death it cannot be so understood that they shall be no more nor in any sense be said to live or subsist For the enduring of this fire is that very death and they are therefore said to die the second death because they endure eternal torments He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death Rev. 2.11 It seemes they which shall die that death shall be hurt by it whereas if it were annihilation and so a conclusion of their torments it would be no way hurtful or injurious but highly beneficial to them But the living torments are the second death For Rev. 21.8 It was revealed to St. John that the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Now if to have a part in the lake be the second death if that part be a perpetual continuance and permansion in torment as is before proved then to say that the wicked shall die the second death is not a confutation of their eternal being in misery but an assertion of it because 't is the same thing delivered in other terms As is well observed by the Learned Mr. Pearson in his Exposition of the Creed Neither will the phrases of perdition and destruction infer an annihilation of the persons of the damned or an ending of their torments For eternity of destruction in the language of the Scripture signifies a perpetual perpession and duration in misery As in the 2 Thes 1.8 9. When Christ shall come to take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 't is said they shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his power Wherefore from what hath been said we may conclude that the damned shall continue both in soul and body under the wrath of God and the torments proceeding from it never to be quitted of them by annihilation Here they might have life but would not there they would have death but cannot II. As the damned shall alwaies be continued in life and being to endure the torments due to their sins so the Justice of God will never fail to inflict those torments upon them for their sins The favour of God is not to be obtained where there is no means left to obtain it but in the world to come there is no place for Faith nor vertue in Repentance As no person once received into the Heavenly mansions shâ—ll ever be cast into outer darkness so certainly none who are once cast into the fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels shall ever enter
man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul Of Heaven We have seen what will be the state of the damned We come now to speak of the blessedness of those that die in the Lord i. e. in the favour of God in a state of peace with him being members of Christs mystical body When they die their souls are carried by Angels to Christ and by him presented to God the Father as the fruit of his purchase So that they are presently blessed upon the departure of the soul out of the body but shall be more blessed at the general resurrection when soul and body being reunited the Judge shall set them at his right hand and pronounce upon them this gracious sentence Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world Matth 25.34 Which done they shall go away into life eternal as it is v. 46. The Glory and Blessednesse of this state we come now to enquire into and there are two things wherein it consists 1. In a total removal of all evils 2. In a confluence of all good necessary to the happinesse of the Creature First All evils are removed There are three great evils we labour under here 1. The evil of sin 2. Of temptation 3. Of affliction None of which shall trouble the Saints in Heaven 1. The evil of sin is there removed Sin is the great evil the children of God complain of with so much sadnesse in this world Here the Spirit lusteth against the flesh and the flesh against the Spirit but in Heaven there shall be no sinful lusts to war against the soul Paul shall not there complain of a law in his members rebelling against the law of his his mind Nor câ—y out Oh miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Rom. 7. There shâ—ll be no blindness in the mind perversenesse in the will disorder in the affections no concupiscence in the members no rebellion in the flesh the old Adam is left in the grave never to rise more The dominion of sin the Saints are delivered from in this life but there the very being of it is removed Grace weakens sin Glory quite abolisheth it Into Heaven nothing enters that defiles There we shall be under anâ— happy impossibility of offending God 2. The evil of temptation The world is a place of snares a valley of temptations the devils circuit What abundance of temptations are we assaulted with here continually either from the Devil the world or our own corrupt Natures In Paradise there was a tempter but there is none in Heaven No Serpent can creep in there Here we had need pray continually Lord lead us not into temptation There we shall be fully delivered from it 3. The evil of affliction In Heaven there is an absolute freedom from all misery pain labour want or whatever else might afflict us All sorrow shall be done away as well as all sin Sorrow is the fruit of sin and when the mother is dead no more off-spring can be expected Whatsoever is painful and burdensom to Nature is a fruit of sin and a brand and mark of our rebellion against God Here we are subject to a number of necessities hunger thirst cold wants of several sorts In Heaven the children of God shall enjoy perfect freedom from whatsoever is troublesom Grief fear temptation sicknesse pain of body anguish of mind shall be heard of no more for ever When the Saints are once past death they are past the fear of all misery When their bodies are once lapt up in their winding-sheets they are past all tribulation Heaven is a happy ayre where none are sick There is no such thing as agues feavers gouts or the grinding paines of the Stone There is nothing to discompose the mind or afflict the body The Saints shall there be freed from the necessities of Nature such as eating drinking sleeping c. Meat is for the belly and the belly for meat but God shall destroy both it and them 1 Cor. 6.12 The use of meats and of the stomack and belly is there abolished Here we are almost continually in want of something or other but there we shall be above meat and drink and apparrel c. Here we have a mixture of pleasures and sorrows both good and evil are to be received from the hand of God in this life but there is fulnesse of joy for evermore I shall conclude this with that comfortable place Rev. 21.4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away Secondly A Second thing wherein the blessedness of Heaven consists is in a confluence of all good necessary to the happiness of the Creature The Saints in Heaven will be blessed 1. In their bodies 2. In their soules 3. In their Company 4. In an absolute security of enjoying all this blessedness for ever without any fear of losing it or being deprived of it I. They will be blessed in their bodies The bodies even of the best of the Saints are for the present vile bodies instruments of sin and subjects of diseases but the Lord Jesus Christ shall at the day of judgment raise these vile bodies and change them into the likenesse of his own glorious body Phil. 3.20 21. The bodies of the Saints are the members of Christ and no member of his shall remain in death They are the Temples of the holy Ghost and therefore if they be destroy'd they shall be raised again For if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in us as he doth in the Saints and by so dwelling makes their bodies Temples he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken our mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in us Rom. 8.11 The Holy Ghost will not forsake his mansion and ancient habitation Therefore he raiseth it up and formeth it again into a compleat fashion like Christs glorious body The bodies of the Saints when dead and separated from their souls are not separated from Christ as we shewed before And therefore are said to be dead in Christ to sleep in Jesus as 't is 1 Thes 4.14 While dead they are united to Christ and by vertue of this Union Christ as their Head will raise them at the last day and at their resurrection they shall be changed as to their qualities though their substance shall not be altered The Ancient Christians when they rehearsed that Article of the Creed I believe the resurrection of the flesh were wont to adde even of this my flesh 'T is necessary the same flesh should be raised again For it cannot stand with Gods justice that one body should sin and another body be damned That he that sinned in one body should
Lord hath enabled me in any measure to be serviceable to you in the furthering of your salvation And that you may the better know how to make use of this Treatise I shall acquaint you in brief with the whole designe thereof In the first part I have couched together in three Chapters the chief and necessary things that are to be known and believed concerning God our selves and the Mediator between God and man That so those that have a mind to know may in short be informed of the main things they are so deeply concern'd to be acquainted with And because 't is of exceeding great consequence that people should well understand how the things they profess to believe are grounded on Gods Word I have collected together most of those Scriptures that are scattered up and down in the Book of God upon which the Articles of our Faith are founded and have reduced them to several heads and printed them at large that so they may be as several constellations or clusters of Stars giving you the more light and clearer assurance of the things they are brought to prove This course I have taken also in the second Part in reference to the things that are to be practised My intent herein being that my Book should fully inform you what is Gods mind and revealed will concerning those particulars I treat of which may be of singular use to you in several respects 1. To strengthen and confirm your own belief of the Articles of the Christian Faith to awe your Consciences with the authority of Gods Word and to engage your hearts to the practise of those things that shall appear to be your duty 2. To enable you to instruct your children and servants in the Principles of Faith and obedience from the Scriptures here set down to your hands which every one is not able readily to find out that has not some such help 3. To secure you against Errors now so rise among us Seeing you may hereby defend the Faith once delivered to the Saints and confute the enemies of truth as our Saviour did the Devil by alledging the Sacred Scriptures for the things you believe and practise In the Second Part I treat of the things that concern your practise And because consideration of our waies and examining the state of our souls to God-ward is a matter of so exceeding great use that scarce any thing undoes Mankind more than the neglect of it I begin with that And oh that I may prevail with you to a conscientious Practise of it I have heard of a Gentleman that uPon his Death-bed laid this one command upon his wild Son and engag'd him to the performance of it by a solemn promise that he should every day of his life be half an hour alone Which this young man constantly observing and spending his half hours retirement at first in any kind of vain thoughts at last he began to ponder with himself why his Father should enjoyn him this penance and the Spirit of God suggesting to him that his intent therein could be no other but to bring him to consider of his evil waies and whither they tended and what would become of him hereafter if he went on it pleased the Lord so to set those thoughts home upon his heart that he became a new man Of so much advantage is consideration and frequent taking our selves in private to think of the state of our souls In the three next Chapters I handle the Doctrines of Repentance Faith and a new nature and reformed life being indeed the main things wherein the power and life of Godlinesse consists And therefore I intreat you give the more heed unto them In the Fifth Chapter I treat of maintaining a daily close communion with God and shew 1. How we should awake with God in the morning and so begin the day well 2. How we should pour forth our souls in secret prayer and thanksgiving unto him private prayer being every ones duty and a great help to Holiness And that people may not be slight and formal in these duties and so offend in the manner of doing them I give some Directions for the right performance of them 3. I shew how we should diligently read the Scriptures the Oracles of God which are able through the operation of the Spirit to make us wise unto salvation 4. How we should live continually as in the sight and view of God 5. How we should live by Faith in ten particulars 6. How we should be diligent observers of the Providence of God that so we may order our services of prayer and praise accordingly 7. How we should practise the great duty of daily watchfulnesse continually watching 1. Over our thoughts that we lodge not sinful thoughts in our minds 2. Over our Affections that we allow not any sinful motions and stirrings in our hearts but labour speedily to suppress them 3. Over our words that we offend not as we are exceeding apt with our tongues 4. Over our actions that they may be such as proceed from a right Principle are conform'd to a right Rule and are directed to a right end These are the things we must watch over Next I set down what are the things we must watch against In the general all sin whatever But in particular 1. Those sins we are most inclin'd unto by our own temper and naturall constitution 2. The sins we are most exposed to by reason of our calling condition state and course of life 3. The sins of the times and places where we live 4. Against all occasions and temptations that we foresee are like to endanger our souls 5. Against dishonouring God by the immoderate and undue use of lawful things 6. Against Errour where the danger of it is shewed and some preservatives are given against it In the next place is shewed how we should watch for opportunities of doing and receiving good And some Motives to watchfulness are propounded and the Chapter shut up with these two Directions 1. That we should besides our solemn prayers send up frequent mental ejaculatory prayers unto the Lord for his Grace help and assistance 2. That every night we should retire and reflect upon all our actions and whole behaviour in the day past and so set all at rights between God and our souls before we go to sleep And because whoever desires to grow in Knowledge and Grace must conscientiously make use of and improve the means of Grace that God affords him therefore in the Sixth Chapter I treat 1. Of the careful observation of the Lords day Shewing why we should observe it and how For my part I never saw true Religion and the power of Godlinesse thrive in any person family or Parish where the religious and conscientious observance of that day was neglected 2. Concerning heaâ—ing the Word where directions are given 1. How we are to prepare our selves before we go to hear 2. How we are to behave our selves in time of
hearing 3. What we are to do after we have heard And oh that I might prevail with you to read these Directions often especially on Saturday-nights that so you might come prepared The great reason of the unprofitablenesse of preaching and that Sermons do no more good is because people come without preparation 3. Seeing that Heavenly duty of singing Psalms and lifting up the praises of the most High is now by some question'd as indeed what is not that tends to Gods Glory and mans good I purposely handle that subject and prove it to be a duty under the Gospel answer the Objections against it and give some Directions for the right performing of it 4. Forasmuch as Christians might exceedingly benefit one another by Religious conference thereby warming and enlivening one another and provoking one another to love and to good works In the next place I speak of that duty and set down some Rules concerning it Lastly Because without meditation 't is not to be expected the Word should do much good nor that the soul should ever thrive in Knowledge and Grace I shew the excellency and benefit thereof and give some Directions for the practise of it The Seventh Chapter treats of the danger of frequenting and unnecessarily conversing with bad company whereby many have been everlastingly undone A man that prayes to be delivered from temptations must not wilfully run himself into them And because 't is the duty of all true Christians both for their own peace sake and that they may adorn the Gospel of Christ to serve their generation in some honest and commendable way avoiding Idlenesse that great snare of the Devil In the eighth Chapter I discourse of diligence and conscientiousnesse in our particular places and callings And that the Name of God may not be blasphemed by the ill lives and practises of such as professe themselves Christians In the Ninth Chapter I treat of just and upright dealing in Trading and Commerce giving some Rules both to buyers and sellers and shew the necessity of making restitution of or satisfaction for ill gotten goods The Tenth Chapter contains the duties of Governours of Families which I desire all that are in that relation often to read over and seriously to meditate upon There is a great duty lies upon them and greater than they usually are aware of They may be exceeding instrumental of the salvation of those under their care if they discharge their duties as they ought But through their neglect of the Worship of God in their houses and their ill lives and examples they prove too often an occasion of the ruine of many in their Families And because very much of the life of Godlinesse consists in a faithful discharge of relative duties The Eleventh Chapter shews the duties of Husband and Wife The Twelfth of Mâ—sters and Servants The Thirteenth of Parents and Children The Fourteenth of such as are in office and of Inferiours The Fifteenth of People towards their Pastors and spiritual Guides O what an honour would it be to Christian Religion if all they that call themselves Christians would endeavour to walk uprightly and faithfully in their respective places And seeing it is a real kindnesse and an excellent expression of true Christian friendship to keep one another off from the pit of destruction and to help one another on towards Heaven In the Sixteenth Chapter I treat of that great and hard duty of Christian reproof and admonition which if it were prudently and faithfully discharged would by the blessing of God much abate sin in the world and exceedingly advance Piety The Seventeenth Chapter contains the duties of rich and poor Many duties belong to them both and both have great temptations therefore they had need be careful to discharge the one and avoid the other The Eighteenth Chapter speaks of the duties of Young and Old Ministers find by experience that the Word hath the greatest operation on those that are young who have not contracted such strong habits of sin nor so long resisted the Grace of God nor so much provoked him to give them up to their own hearts lusts as many ancient people have done who have liv'd a great while in an unconverted state under the light of the Gospel I have therefore shewed young persons the danger of delaies the advantages of turning to God betimes and answered the Objections that many are apt to make against it And because a Minister is also to have a care of the souls of the Ancient and to his utmost skill to endeavour their salvation I have laid down several awakening considerations for them to think upon I have shewed them the danger of vain presumptions and groundlesse hopes of Heaven I have set down some of those false grounds and sandy foundations whereon many ancient people build their hopes of happinesse that so they may be undeceived and may look better about them to secure their souls while there is time In the Nineteenth Chapter there are Directions given for the healthy and the sick To deal wisely and faithfully with sick persons in order to their souls welfare is one of the hardest pieces of the Ministerial work and requires much skill to perform it aright And seeing a Minister is not ever at hand to visit such sick persons as may need his help and many times they stand in need of much help and instruction I have drawn up such directions as I judged needful for them which they may mâ—ke use of when they cannot have the help and assistance of a Minister I have shewed how they should examine themselves And that they may not slubber over that great businesse but may come in some measure to discern the multitude of their sins and the manifold waies whereby they have offended God I have set down a Catalogue of the duties commanded and sinnes forbidden in the ten Commandments as also the sins against the Gospel That so people may not only in general say they are sinners and yet when they come and professe to humble their souls and to confesse their sins unto God can find few they are guilty of but may see themselves to be exceeding vile and sinful I know 't is very unpleasing to people to search their own Consciences and find themselves great sinners They had rather sit down with a false peace than arraign and terrifie themselves in this manner But who that is in his right wits would content himself with a shadow of repentance or a shadow of Faith without finding the substance and truth of these Graces in his soul when his everlasting welfare depends upon it Those Directions there mentioned may be of use also to all persons who desire at any time more solemnly to humble themselves before the Lord for the sins of their life past and more especially before the receiving the Sacrament of the Lords Supper The Twentieth Chapter contains a discourse of the four last things Death Judgment Hell Heaven There I shew the necessity
of Learning even in time of health that great art and skill how to die well Next what the Scripture declares concerning the day of judgment and the everlasting state both of the righteous and the wicked And methinks the serious consideration of these weighty matters should hugely affect us O did people oftener think and consider of those things they would live at another rate than usually they do All the businesses of this life would seem small and little even like childrens play in comparison of securing the soul to all eternity Thus My Loving Neighbours and Friends I have given you a short draught and scheme as it were of my whole Book What entertainment it will find with you I know not I can in some measure of sincerity say that an hearty desire of your eternal happiness first set me upon this work And now throw the assistance of God it is finished my prayers shall not be wanting that it may do you good yea much good If any of you will not afford leisure to read it nor time to consider of the things therein contained but after you have had it a little while shall throw it aside then I desire you seriously to think before hand what account you will be able to give to God of this your wilful neglect when you shall stand at his dreadful Tribunal For my part I have no other design upon any of you but that you may attain eternal life My great desire is that true Plety and Godlinesse that that Religion that saves souls may flourish among you My desire and endeavour is that where the saving work of Grace is begun upon any of your hearts it may be carried on daily and that you may encrease and abound more and more in the fruits of holinesse and righteousnesse to the praise and glory of God And where this blessed work of conversion is not yet begun my hearts desire and prayer to God is that it may be wrought if it be his holy will You see the plot and design I have upon you is of so innocent a nature that you have no reason in the world to go about to defeat me in it 'T is my duty to shew sinners the evil and danger of ignorance and ungodlinesse 'T is my duty to perswade intreat and be earnest with them to leave the tents of sin and Satan and to come in to Christ that by him they may have pardon and life And O that I could even compel them to come in Luke 14.23 Were it in my power not a soul among you should refuse or stand out But if notwithstanding all my prayers intreaties and endeavours many among you will still prefer a life of bruitish sensuality before the life that consists in righteousnesse peace and joy in the holy Ghost If Satan that cursed murderer who you know labours to ruine you soul and body for ever must still be preferr'd before that blessed Saviour who suffered and endur'd so much to redeem mankind and offers you salvation on so fair terms If neither the joyes of Heaven nor the torments of Hell can affect you but the pleasures and profits of this world must still ingrosse your minds and hearts remember what I say unto you it will one day cut you to the very soul to consider that you were shewed the way to eternal life and invited perswaded and intreated to walk in it but you would not O Neighbours think with your selves I beseech you that 't is but a short time and your souls must be either among Saints or Devils Does it not concern me therefore to be earnest with you and in all seriousnesse to call upon you to work out your salvation now while you have time For the Lords sake as ever you intend to see Gods face with comfort remember these few following directiōs 1. Take heed of a loose conversation of living to the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof If ye live after the flesh ye shall die Rom. 8.13 Now the works of the flesh are manifest Gal. 5.19 Which are these Adultery fornication uncleannesse lalciviousnesse idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murders drunkennesse and such like Of the which I tell you before as I have told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Never comfort your selves with the hopes of Gods mercy in Christ if ye live in known and wilful sins The holy nature of God will never be reconciled to sinners while they go on in their sins And Christ came to destroy the works of the Devil He came not to save men by bringing them to Heaven in their ungodlinesse or to Glory in their sins but to destroy their sins that would keep them out of Glory If he save us his Grace must have dominion in our hearts Without holinesse no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12.14 2. Take heed of worldly-mindednesse I do not go about to perswade you to idlenesse or negligence in your Callings but to take you off from the eager and inordinate love of this world which duls and deads the heart to Heavenly things Beware lest ye be the thorny ground Look to it that the cares of this life do not choak the good seed that is weekly sown among you Some people give up themselves wholly to the world and thrust God out of their hearts and houses Take you heed of that Believe it that man that hath the main bent of his heart set upon pleasing God and whose great end is to be happy with him for ever will be careful only so to converse with this world and only so to mind things temporal as he may not lose things eternall He will first and chiefly seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousnesse He will look upon all outwartd things as accomodations only in his passage but at Heaven as his home and happinesse He will cordially desire and endeavour so to walk in his particular Calling as he may be faithful also in his general and may secure his soul to eternal life 3. Be careful to get a distinct and clear knowledge of the things that concern your salvation Ignorance will not excuse any man when 't is caused by his own negligence The main things that concern salvation you may know if you will give your minds to it God hath not left you in darknesse take heed of shutting your eyes 4. Take heed of neglecting or slighting the publick Ordinances and means of Grace To have no appetite to the Word to apprehend no great need of it and to find no profit by it is a mark of a dead and gracelesse heart 5. Take heed of formality and resting in a meer outward performance of religious services Learn to distinguish between Religion the end and Religion the means Religion the end is To attain a gracious frame of Spirit to enjoy God to fear him love him and have our natures conform'd unto him
the Church though not so primarily belonging to the very vitals and essentials of Faith and Holinesse Now because multitudes of ordinary Christians either through the exigence of their particular callings or through the narrownesse of their capacities want both time and strength to procure such plentiful measures of knowledge as many others whose leisure is greater and intellectuals stronger have attained unto Therefore the Lord hath from time to time stirred up zealous and faithful men to commit unto writing those primary and most necessary Doctrines of Faith and Duty which are common to great and smal and of principal use for ordering their conversations aright in every relation wherein they stand towards God and men Of this sort were Basil's Moralia Regulae Ambrose his Book De officiis Augustin's Enchiridion Bernards Tractats De interiore domo De Conscientia De ordine vitae De Dilectione Dei De modo bene vivendi and other the like writings of the Ancients Amongst our selves in this age several Books of this nature have been written Mr. Rogers his seven Treatises Mr. Paul Baine his Directions for a godly life Mr. John Downham his Guide to Godlinesse and Christian warfare The Practise of Piety Mr. Scuddars Christians daily walk Mr. Boltons Directions for comfortable walking with God with divers others of the same kind Of which some possibly may be of too great a price for every poor man to procure and too large for him to read quickly over However the same materials managed by the different gifts of several â—nstruments and pressed by new Arguments and Motives do bring to the Conscience a fuller evidence and awaken the heart unto a more serious consideration of the importance of them Amongst Books of this Nature I commend unto the Christian Reader this Manual which I have read with great satisfaction and delight It hath many things to render it acceptable to such judicious Palats as are best pleased with savoury and serious things 1. The variety and necessity of the matters therein handled Such as are self-knowledge and examination Repentance and self-judging living by Faith watchfulnesse over our hearts words and waies communion with God in spiritual duties faithfulnesse in our particular callings and relations c. 2. The pertinency of the Scriptures produced for confirmation of the Truths which they refer unto 3. The graciousnesse savourinesse and wholsomnesse of the Language becoming the weight and holinesse of the matter 4. The strength of the Arguments whereby the duties are pressed 5. The Brevity of the whole which rendreth it the fitter for memory meditation and practise In all which the Reverend Author hath shewed himselfe a workman which needeth not to be ashamed Some Learned men have chosen some one or other Book which they have resolved to read over once every year I could wish that serious Christians would single out some one or other choice Book fraught with variety of most wholsom and necessary Doctrine to read frequently over for daily quickning and preserving their hearts in an healthy and spirituall frame Of which sort I should commend 1. Summaries and Compendiums of sound Doctrine such as Mr. Crooks guide to true blessednesse and others of that sort 2. Summaries of the most weighty and necessary duties A mixture of both which we have in this little Book By this means with Gods blessing the hearts of men might be established in the love and obedience of the Truth and be preserved from being tossed about with every wind of Doctrine the great sin and shame of these daies Your Servant in the furtherance of the common salvation ED. REYNOLDS THE CONTENTS OF THE FIRST PART of this TREATISE CHap 1. Concerning God Of the Nature of God Pag. 1. Of the Trinity Pag. 4 Of the Attributes of God Pag. 9 Of the Works of God Pag. 16 Of Creation ibid. Of good Angels Pag. 16 19 Of bad Angels Pag. 16 22 Of Providence Pag. 26 Chap. 2. Concerning Man Of the happy condition in which he was made Pag. 30 Of his Fall Pag. 33 Of the blessed way of his recovery by Christ Pag. 41 Chap. 3. Concerning the Mediator between God and man Wherein are handled these seven things 1. What manner of Person he was Pag. 44 God ibid. Man Pag. 46 2. How he became man Pag. 48 3. How he lived Pag. 51 4. How he died Pag. 54 5. What became of him after his death Pag. 62 He was buried Pag. 63 Rose again Pag. 64 Ascended into Heaven Pag. 68 Sits at Gods right hand Pag. 70 Is Head of the Church Pag. 73 Shall judge the quick and dead Pag. 74 6. What was the end and intent of his coming into the world Pag. 80 To procure pardon and reconciliation for lost sinners Pag. 81 And to sanctifie their natures Pag. 84 To this end he commanded the Gospel should be preached Pag. 87 Instituted Baptism and the Lords Supper Pag. 92 7. What they are effectually called unto and through the assistance of the Spirit enabled to perform who shall receive remission of sins by Christ Pag. 95 Scriptures concerning Effectual Calling Pag. 96 Believing the Gospel Pag. 100 Repentance Pag. 102 Faith in Christ Pag. 106 Holinesse and sinceâ—e obedience Pag. 111 Perseverance Pag. 117 The Members of Christ Pag. 119 The new Covenant Pag. 121 The state of the soul after death the resurrection of the body the day of judgment and life everlasting either in joy or misery Pag. 124 The Contents of the Second Part. Chap. 1. Of Consideration Pag. 131. Chap. 2. Of Repentance Pag. 135 Chap. 3. Of Faith in Christ Pag. 145 Chap. 4. Of the new nature and reformed life Pag. 151 Chap. 5. Of daily communion with God 1. Of awaking with God in the morning Pag. 160 2. Of secret prayer and thanksgiving Pag. 164 3. Of reading the holy Scriptures Pag. 182 4. Of living continually as in the view of God Pag. 190 5. Of living by Faith in ten particulars Pag. 196 Directions concerning it 6. Of diligent observing the Providences of God Pag. 219 7. Of daily watchfulness Pag. 229 Of Watching 1. Over our Thoughts Pag. 231 Remedies against sinful thoughts ibid. 2. Over our Affections Pag. 237 Directions how to govern them aright Pag. 238 3. Over our Words Pag. 244 The manifold sins of the tongue Pag. 246 Directions for the governing of the tongue Pag. 247 4. Over our Actions Pag. 260 Rules for the right ordering of them Pag. 263 Of Watching 1. Against the sins we are most enclined to by temper and natural constitution Pag. 267 2. Against the sins our particular callings and conditions of life most expose us to Pag. 268 3. Against the sins of the times and places wherein we live ibid. 4. Against temptations tending to sin Pag. 269 5. Against dishonouring God in the use of lawful things Pag. 270 6. Against Errour Pag. 271 Preservatives against Errour Pag. 272 Of watching for opportunities of doing and receiving good Pag. 288 Motives
to watchfulnesse ibid. Of Perseverance Pag. 289 Of mental ejaculatory prayer Pag. 293 Of reviewing at night and reflecting upon all the actions of the day past Pag. 296 Chap. 6. Of improving the opportunities and means of Grace Pag. 301 Of the observation of the Lords day ibid. Of hearing the Word How we are to prepare our selves before we hear how to behave our selves in time of hearing what to do after we have heard Pag. 319 Of singing Psalms Pag. 340 Of religious Conference Pag. 349 Of Meditation Pag. 354 Chap. 7. Of frequenting good company Pag. 358 Chap. 8. Of diligence and conscientiousnesse in our particular Callings Pag. 365 Chap. 9. Concerning just dealing in trafick trading and commerce Pag. 372 Directions to buyers Pag. 373 To Sellers Pag. 375 Motives to righteous dealing Pag. 377 Of restitution Pag. 378 Chap. 10. Of the duties of Governours of Families Pag. 382 Of Family-Prayer Pag. 387 Chap. 11. Of the duties of Husband and Wife Pag. 397 Chap. 12. Of the duties of Masters nnd Servants Pag. 415 Chap. 13. Of the duties of Parents and Children Pag. 428 Of Infant-Baptism ibid. Chap. 14. Of the duties of such as are in Office and the duties of Inferiours Pag. 448 Chap. 15. Of the duties of people towards their Pastours and Ministers Pag. 452 Chap. 16. Of Christian and Brotherly reproof Pag. 546 Chap. 17. Of the duties of the Rich and poor Of those that concern the rich Pag. 483 Of Recreations Pag. 490 Of Charity and relieving the poor Pag. 492 Directions concerning the exercise of charity Pag. 494 Of the duties that concern the poor Pag. 498 Their Temptations and dangers Pag. 504 Chap. 18. Of the duties of Young and Old Of those that concern the young Pag. 509 The danger of delaies Pag. 510 The advantages of turning to God betimes Pag. 513 Objections against it answered Pag. 515 Directions to the younger sort Pag. 519 Of the duties of the Ancient ibid. Serious considerations for the Ancient Pag. 524 The danger of ill-grounded hopes of Heaven Pag. 528 What those deceiving and sandy foundations are whereon many ancient people build their hopes of Heaven Pag. 529 Directions to the Ancient Pag. 534 Chap. 19. Directions to the healthy and to the sick The duties of those that are in health Pag. 539 Directions and counsel to the sick Pag. 541 How to examine themselves Pag. 543 Of the duties commanded and sins forbidden in the Law or ten Commandments Pag. 545 Of the sins against the Gospel Pag. 556 Further directions to the Sick Pag. 564 The Lessons to be learned in the School of affliction Pag. 567 What things are required of them whom God brings out of trouble and affliction Pag. 570 Chap. 20. Of the four last things Death Judgment Hell Heaven Pag. 577 1. Of Death ib. Directions how to prepare for death ib. Reasons why those that are Godly should not overmuch fear death Pag. 582 2. Of the last Judgment Pag. 587 Arguments to prove there will be a day of judgment Pag. 588 Who will be the Judge Pag. 591 The nature and manner of this judgment Pag. 594 A threefold Book that will then be opened Pag. 598 The consequents of this judgment Pag. 599 3. Of Hell Pag. 602 Of the duration of the persons of the damned ib. Of the duration of their pains Pag. 606 Of the dreadfulnesse of their pains and torments Pag. 608 Of Heaven Pag. 617 Of the resurrection of the body Pag. 622 Of the Glory of the body Pag. 625 Of the blessednesse of the soul Pag. 628 ERRATA THe Reader is desired to Correct these Errata's with his pen that the sense be not disturbed Page 17. line 15. of him is wanting after invisible things p. 20. the last Scripture viz. Gen 48.16 should have been left out as being spoken not of a created Angel but the Angel of the Covenant p. 43. l. 10. dele of God p. 71. l. 3. after offered read one l. 4. after sins r. for ever p. 101 l. 27. after Christ r. v. 8. By grace ye are saved through faith and that not c. p. 129 l. 1. the 47 v. of Mar. 9. is left out p. 132 l. 21. for not r. ever p. 137. l 21. for calender r. calendar p. 141. l. 18. dele three p. 144. l 27. for the r. thee p. 146. l. 45. for This is the soul r. Thus is the soul p. 165. l. 11. dele therefore p. 173. l. 8. dele Isa 48. 17. p. 180. l. 15. for my being r. any being p. 181. l. 4. for and four beasts r. and the four beasts p. 240. l. 13. for spirit r. spirits p. 246. l. 3. after unlawfull r. and customary l. 16. for scurrulous r. scurrilous p 253. l. 4. for persons whom r. persons to whom p. 263. l. 26. for watch r. walk p 301. l 13. for meditations r. meditation p. 209. l. 10. for the first of the r. the first day of the. p. 346. l. 20. for psams r. psalms p. 360. l. 6. for to kind r. to its kind p. 413. l. 29. for stretched r. stretcheth p. 439. l. 10. for that that they do it r. for that they do as one saies p. 482. l. 1. for beareth r. heareth p. 512. l. 19. for dost really r. dost not really p. 514. l. 15. for twelfth bour r. eleventh hour p. 525. l. 16. for pag. 510 r. page 511. p. 528. l. 18. for peâ—suming r. presuming p. 541. l. 9. for partie r. parties l. 13. for cna r. can p. 551. l. 1. for visiting r. of visiting p 567 l. 8. for corectest r. correctest p. 569. l. 23. for Oh r. O. p. 570. l. 6. for our r. your p. 581. l. ult for his r. this p. 589. l. 4. after conscience r. only p. 609. l. 17. dele or p. 627. l. 7. for or r. and. KNOWLEDGE PRACTICE OR A Discourse of things necessary to be Known Believed and Practised in order to Salvation TWo things are mainly necessary to Salvation Right Knowledge Right Practice The chief things to be Known and Believed are Concerning God Man The Mediator between God and Man Concerning God we are to Know three things 1. His Nature 2. His Properties or Attributes 3. His Workes Concerning Man three things 1. The happy Condition in which he was made 2. His Fall 3. The way of his Recovery by Christ Concerning the Mediator between God and Man seaven things 1. What manner of Person he was 2. How he came into the World 3. How he lived here 4. How he died 5. What became of him after his Death 6. What was the end and intent of his coming into the World 7. What they are effectually Called unto and through the assistance of the Spirit of God enabled to perform who shall receive Remission of sins by Christ CHAP. I. Concerning God COncerning God we are to know three things 1. His Nature 2. His Properties or Attributes 3. His Workes First His Nature That there is one Onely true God
Spirit of God enabled to perform that shall receive Remission of sins by Christ They that shall be made partakers of that great and inestimable benefit the Remission of all their sins by Christ are effectually called and enabled by the assistance of his Grace unfeignedly to believe the Gospel heartily to repent of all their sins seriously to give up their souls unto him resting and relying on the Redemption and Ransome of his Blood for their Pardon and Reconciliation with God And taking him for their onely Lord Saviour and yielding themselves up in sincere obedience to him and to be guided and governed by his Grace and Holy Spirit they do depend on him alone for Justification Sanctification strength to persevere in the ways of Holinesse and at last to be brought to eternall Life And to as many as are thus drawn by the Holy Ghost savingly to repent of their sins and believe in Christ being truly united to him and made branches in him the true Vine and members of his mystical body the true Church whereof himself is the Head God hath promised pardon and Remission of all their sins to write his Law in their Hearts to subdue their Corruptions by his Grace that sin shall not have Dominion over them to bestow on them all such outward blessings as he in his infinite wisdome shall see good for them And when they die their souls shall be received into everlasting blisse and their bodies shall be raised again by the power of Christ at the last day and made partakers of the same Glory And this is Called the Covenant of Grace But such as go on in their sins refusing to accept of Christ for their Lord and Saviour Redeemer and Sanctifier and to give up themselves in sincere obedience to him when they die their Souls shall be adjudged to everlasting punishment and their bodies shall be raised again at the last day and made partakers with their Souls of Everlasting Torments RIGHT KNOVVLEDGE Or the chief things to be Known and Believed in order to Salvation They are reducible to these three Heads Concerning God Man The Mediator between God and Man CHAP. I. Concerning GOD. COncerning God we are to Know three things First His NATURE That there is One onely true God who is a Spirit infinitely glorious and being one in nature is yet three in Persons or Subsistences The Father The Son and the Holy Ghost These are three and one after a wonderful and mysterious manner The Father God the Son God and the Holy Ghost God And yet not three Gods but One God Psal 14.1 The fool hath said in his heart there is no God Psal 10.4 The wicked through the pride of his Countenance will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts 1 Cor. 15.34 Some have not the Knowledge of God I speak this to your shame Heb. 11.6 But without Faith it is impossible to please him For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Isaiah 44.6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel and his Redeemer the Lord of Hosts I am the first and I am the last and besides me there is no God Isai 45.5 I am the Lord and there is none else There is no God besides me 1 Cor. 8.4 As concâ—rning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in Sacrifice to Idols we know that an Idol is nothing in the World and that there is none other God but One. V. 5. For though there be that are called Gods whether in Heaven or in Earth as there be Gods many and Lords many V. 6. But to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him Deut. 4.35 Unto thee it was shewed that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God And there is none else besides him Deut. 6.4 Hear O Israel the Lord our God is One Lord. Jer. 10.10 But the Lord is the true God He is the living God and an everlasting King At his wrath the Earth shall tremble and the Nations shall not be able to abide his Indignation 1 Thes 1.9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entring in we had unto you And how ye turned to God from Idols to serve the living and true God Job 11.7 Canst thou by searching find out God canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection Joh. 4.24 God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth Luke 24.39 A Spirit hath not flesh and bones Rom. 1.23 And they changed the Glory of the Incorruptible God into an Image made like unto corruptible man and to birds and to four-footed beasts and Creeping things V. 25. And worshipped and served the Creature more than the Creator who is blessed for ever Amen Concerning the Trinity Mat. 28.19 Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost 1 John 5.7 There are three that bear Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are One. Mat. 3.16 And Jesus when he was baptized went straightway up out of the water and Lo the Heavens were opened unto him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a Dove and lighting upon him V. 17. And Lo a voice from Heaven saying this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased 2 Cor. 13.14 The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the Communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all Amen Concerning God the Father Luke 23.34 Then said Jesus Father forgive them for they know not what they do Eph. 1.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places in Christ Eph 3.14 For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Concerning God the Son John 1.14 And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his Glory the Glory as of the Onely begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth V. 18. No man hath seen God at any time The Onely begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him Heb. 1.2 He hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the world V. 3. Who being the brightnesse of his Glory and the express Image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sinnes sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on high V. 8. But unto the Sonne he saith thy Throne O God is for ever and ever a Scepter of righteousness is the Scepter of thy Kingdome John 10.30 I and my Father are One. 1 John 2.22 Who
Gospel heartily to repent of all their sins seriously to give up their souls unto him resting and relying on the Redemption and Ransome of his Blood for their Pardon and Reconciliation with God And taking him for their onely Lord Saviour and yielding themselves up in sincere obedience to him and to be guided and governed by his Grace and Holy Spirit they do depend on him alone for Justification Sanctification strength to persevere in the ways of Holinesse and at last to be brought to eternall Life And to as many as are thus drawn by the Holy Ghost savingly to repent of their sins and believe in Christ being truly united to him and made branches in him the true Vine and members of his mystical body the true Church whereof himself is the Head God hath promised pardon and Remission of all their sins to write his Law in their Hearts to subdue their Corruptions by his Grace that sin shall not have Dominion over them to bestow on them all such outward blessings as he in his infinite wisdome shall see good for them And when they die their souls shall be received into everlasting blisse and their bodies shall be raised again by the power of Christ at the last day and made partakers of the same Glory And this is Called the Covenant of Grace But such as go on in their sins refusing to accept of Christ for their Lord and Saviour Redeemer and Sanctifier and to give up themselves in sincere obedience to him when they die their Souls shall be adjudged to everlasting punishment and their bodies shall be raised again at the last day and made partakers with their Souls of Everlasting Torments Concerning effectual Calling Rom. 1.6 Among whom are ye also the Called of Jesus Christ Rom. 8.28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the Called according to his purpose V. 30. Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also Called and whom he Called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified 2 Tim. 1.9 Who hath saved us and Called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and Grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began Heb. 3.1 Wherefore holy brethren partakers of the Heavenly Calling Consider the Apostle and high Priest of our profession Christ Jesus Eph. 1.18 The eyes of your understanding being inlightened that ye may know what is the hope of his Calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints V. 19. And what is the greatnesse of his power to us-ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power Acts 16.14 And a certain woman named Lydia a seller of purple of the City of Thyatira which worshipped God heard us whose heart the Lord opened that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul 1 Pet. 2.9 But ye are a chosen generation a royall Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darknesse into his marvellous Light Eph. 4.1 I therefore the Prisoner of the Lord beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called 1 Thes 2.12 That ye would walk worthy of God who hath called you to his Kingdome and Glory John 6.44 No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day V. 45. It is written in the Prophets and they shall be all taught of God every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh to me V. 65. And he said therefore said I unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my Father John 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out John 5.25 Verily verily I say unto you the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the son of God and they that hear shall live 2 Thes 2.13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you brethren beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the Truth V. 14. Whereunto he called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of the Glory of our Lord Jesus Christ Ezek 36 16. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me saying V. 17. Son of man when the House of Israel dwelt in their owne Land they defiled it by their owne way and by their doings their way was before me as the uncleannesse of a removed woman V. 26. A new heart also will I give you and a new Spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh V 27. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and do them Eph. 2.13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who somtimes were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ Rom. 8.2 For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death V. 9. But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his John 3.8 The wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth so is every one that is born of the Spirit Acts 26.18 To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to Light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by Faith that is in me Concerning believing the Gospel 1 Cor. 2.12 Now we have received not the Spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God V. 14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned Eph. 1.16 Making mention of you in my prayers V. 17. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of Glory may give unto you the Spirit of wisdome and revelation in the knowledge of him V. 18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that ye may know what is the hope of his Calling and what the riches of the Glory of his inheritance V. 19. And what is the exceeding greatnesse of his power to us-ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power John 8.24 I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins for if ye beleeve not
prepared for them that love him Mark 9.43 And if thy hand offend thee cut it off it is better for thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into Hell into the fire that never shall be quenched V. 44. Where their worm dieth not and their fire is not quenched V. 45. And if thy foot offend thee cut it off it is better for thee to enter halt into life than having two feet to be cast into Hell into the fire that never shall be quenched Mark 9.46 Where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched V. 48. Where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched Jude 21. Keep your selves in the love of God looking for the Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal Life 1 Tim. 1.19 Holding Faith and a good Conscience which some having put away concerning Faith have made shipwrack THE Second PART Concerning PRACTICE OR A DISCOURSE containing several usefull Directions to be Practised by those who seriously desire to save their SOULES CHAP. I. Of Consideration 1. AT convenient times use to be alone and laying aside all worldly cares businesses spend now and then a secret hour in strict Self-examining and Considering how the case stands between God and thy soul Ask thy self these two serious Questions First What is it thy heart is most set upon What is thy great care thy main designe What is it that doth most deeply and most frequently possesse thy thoughts What is it that thou dost most love and prize and most desire to enjoy Is thy mind so spiritually inlightened as to see the lovelinesse of God and the greatnesse and excellency of that Glory that is to be had with him so as the main drift and bent of thy heart is after the enjoyment of God and to be happy with him forever Or dost thou find that the main bent of thy heart is to the things of this World to the Profits the Pleasures the sensual satisfactions of this life and these things thou most mindest regardest and labourest for these thy thoughts and heart most run upon Secondly Ask thy self whether ever thou didst feel and apprehend thy self in a lost and undone condition by reason of thy sins Hast thou not seen thy selfe in danger of everlasting misery Hast thou ever put this serious question to thy selfe what shall I do to be saved Hast thou in this or the like manner ever discoursed with thy self O my soul how stands the case with me What am I Am I a true Convert a real Penitent a new Creature one born again Have I an interest in Christ And is my peace made with God through him or am I as yet in the state of Nature under the guilt of all my sins with the wrath of God abiding on me If so is this a Condition to be rested in Let me advise thee as thou lovest thy soul to deal faithfully and in good sadnesse with thy self Let me advise thee to review and seriously to reflect upon the whole course of thy life past And besides thy natural vilenesse Consider how many actual sins failings miscarriages and violations of Gods righteous Law omissions of good commissions of evil thou hast been guilty of in the several parts of thy life and in the several places where thou hast lived Believe it few people do reckon up one sin of ten that they are guilty of Allow thy Conscience therefore a liberty to speak freely to thee and to set thy sins in order before thee And if thou findest thy self for the present in a bad condition and that the case is not with thee as it should be consider whether it will not be an extream folly and madnesse to go on in that course not minding nor regarding speedily to turn to God and to settle the great affairs of thy soul while thou hast time O Remember remember thou hast a precious and immortal soul that must be shortly either in Heaven or Hell either in unconceiveable Joyes or in endlesse easelesse and remedilesse torments Doth it not therefore concern thee to consider and cast about how to attain the one and escape the other Doth it not behoove thee to look to the securing of the main Chance and to deliver thy self from the wrath to come Believe it nothing undoes mankind more than want of due and serious Consideration than want of frequent examining the state of their Consciences and often pondering and thinking of their everlasting Concernments 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your owne selves know ye not your owne selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates Psal 119.59 I thought on my waies and turned my feet unto thy Testimonies V. 60. I made hast and delaied not to keep thy Commandements Isa 1.3 The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Ass his masters Crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not Consider Deut. 32.29 O that they were wise that they understood this that they would Consider their latter end Hag. 1.5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of Hosts Consider your waies Lam. 3.40 Let us search and try our waies and turn again to the Lord. Gal. 6.4 Let every man prove his owne work and then shall he have rejoycing in himself and not in another V. 5. For every man shall bear his owne burden Psal 77.6 I call to remembrance my song in the night I commune with mine own heart and my Spirit made diligent search Rom. 14.12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God Ezra 8.22 The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him CHAP. II. Of Repentance HAving seriously examined thy Conscience and impartially considered thy waies and course of life and the state of thy soul towards God The next duty I would advise thee beging the assistance of the Spirit of God to set upon the speedy practise of is true and serious and unfeigned repentance I shall therefore for thy benefit 1. Open the nature of true repentance 2. Give some directions about it 3. Some motives to it Repentance unto life is an Evangelical Grace wrought in the soul by the Spirit of God And the parts of it are these six 1. Conviction 2. Contrition 3. Hating and loathing sin 4. Confession of sin 5. Forsaking sin 6. Conversion and turning the bent of the heart towards God First Conviction The Spirit of God first opens a sinners eies before he breaks a sinners heart The soul of a true penitent is convinced and made apprehensive of these three things 1. The evil odiousnesse and filthiness of sin 2. The danger desert and mischievous effects and consequents of it 3. It s own deep guiltinesse both of Original and Actual sin I. The evil of sin appears in these seven particulars 1. 'T is contrary to Gods holy Nature 2. To his righteous Lawes 3. It
robs and deprives the soul of Gods Image consisting in knowledge righteousnesse and holinesse 4. It depraves disorders distempers the soul weakens the powers of it disables it for holy operations and brings a corrupt disposition into it 5. It defiles the soul and leaves such a blot and stain upon it that nothing but the blood of Christ can wash out 6. It enslaves the soul to the devil 7. It makes the soul like unto the devil Holinesse is Gods Nature Sin and wickednesse is the devils 'T was sin that at first turn'd Angels of light into devils of darknesse And if we could separate sin from them they would cease to be devils and clear up again into Angels of light II. The great danger of sin appears in that it brings such a guilt upon the soul as makes it liable to Gods wrath and curse and to punishments 1. Temporal Sickness pain vexation misery death which to the wicked are truly punishments and fruits of Gods vindicative justice and have their sting still in them 2. Spiritual 1. Losse of the favour of God and communion with him 2. The immediate strokes of his anger on the soul wounds of Conscience drops of his wrath horrour of mind despair 3. Hardnesse of heart a Spirit of slumber blindness of mind a reprobate sense to be given over to vile affections and to Sathan These are most fearful judgements 3. Eternal Such as concern the soules immortall condition after this life And they are either punishments of loss or pain 1. Of loss in being for ever banished from the presence of the Lord and the joyes of Heaven 2 Thes 2.9 being punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the Glory of his power 2. Of pain consisting in those exquisite and unconceivable torments which shall be inflicted on the dâ—mned set forth in Scripture by everlasting fire utter darknesse the worm that never dies the fire that is not quenched chains of darkness the blackness of darkness for ever the lake of fire and brimstone c. As therfore the nature of sin is out of measure sinful so the punishments are out of measure fearful III. The soules deep guiltinesse appears by considering 1. It s Original sin In which three things are to be noted 1. The guilt of Adams particular transgression in eating the forbidden fruit imputed to us He was the head and common Father of mankind and we were legally parties in that covenant which was at first made with him For God established his covenant with Adam principally in respect of his Nature and not so much in respect of his Person so that by consequence it must follow that all who are partakers of that Nature are bound by that Covenant And therefore we cannot but expect to be liable unto the guilt which followed upon the breach and violation of it Rom. 5.12 c. 2. A want of original righteousnesse Rom. 3.23 All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God that is of the glorious Image of God which was at first stamped upon man 3. A corrupt disposition in mans nature in place of original righteousnesse These two latter being the sad effects of Adams sin Now this depravednesse of nature this great aversenesse to good and pronenesse to evil is call'd the old man and the body of sin Rom. 6.6 The sin that dwelleth in us Rom. 7.17 The body of death Rom. 7.24 The flesh as opposite to the Spirit and Grace Rom. 7.18 25. The Law of the members Rom 7.23 Col. 3.5 A mans own lust Jam. 1.14 where 't is expresly distinguished from actual sin as being the procreant cause of it 2. It s Actual transgressions where are to be considered 1. Omissions of good and the duties required that might and ought to have been done 2. Commissions of evil Offending Against the Law even both Tables of it Against the Gospel 3. Doing that which was good in an evil manner slight and undue performance of holy duties 4. The aggravations of these sins in regard First Of the greatnesse of many of them Every one has some black daies in his Calender some more high and great offences whereof he hath been guilty and for which he is to be more deeply humbled Secondly The number of them if we consider 1. Wicked thoughts 2. Inordinate Affections 3. Sinful words 4. Evil actions Thirdly That many of them have been committed 1. Against mercies 2. Against judgments 3. Against promises and vowes of better obedience Secondly Contrition Godly sorrow brokenness of heart for sin To be sorry for what we have done amisse is something towards repentance but it is not the whole of it Gracious humiliation is a deep and hearty grieving for all our sins and that upon these Gospel Motives 1. Because we have by our sins highly displeased and offended our gracious God whom we had all the reason in the world to have studied to please The displeasure and offence of God is that which sets the soul a bleeding and mourning evangelically Consider therefore what is the Spring of thy sorrow If the punishment or shame of thy sins touch thee nearer than the offence of God 't is a sign thy sorrow is not right 2. Because our sins pierced our dear Lord and Saviour and put him to such grievous painful and shameful sufferings 3. Because by our sins we have brought a horrible defilement and stain on our souls 4. Because we have made our selves liable to the wrath and curse of God and deserve to be separated from the Lord and to be punished among devils and damned fiends for ever This in conjunction with the former is an Evangelical motive I confesse to weep and howl and grieve meerly for the wrath and punishment sin has brought upon the soul is such a sorrow as Judas had his share in and the damned in Hell exceed in it But this sorrow does not use to leave the soul in a better disposition for obedience in time to come as godly sorrow doth 2 Cor. 7.10 Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto life And take notice by the way this Godly sorrow is not a flower that growes in the Garden of nature A hard heart is Adams Legacy There may be a flexible nature where there is a hard heart that knowes not how to mourn and grieve for sin in a right manner Godly sorrow is voluntary The soul is active in it prayes for such a melting frame is thankful for it is best pleased when the heart is soft and tender and deeply affected for its sins and offences against God 'T is not so in worldly sorrow for in that we are meerly passive It comes upon us without sending for or being bidden welcome by us Thirdly Hating and Loathing sin The Spirit of sanctification works a secret antipathy an irreconcileable hatred in the soul against sin The true penitent hates sin as sin As David said Psal 119.128 I hate every false way True hatred is to the whole kind When
the world he declared that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his Name among all Nations beginning at Jerusalem Luke 24.47 3. The Angels in Heaven rejoyce at the repentance of a sinner Luke 15.10 Likewise I say unto you there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one sinner that repenteth 4. Consider who are for thy repentance and who are against it God the Father Son and holy Ghost good Angels and glorified Saints all good Ministers and sincere Christians are for it None but the Devil and his Instruments are against it And which of these two parties wilt thou encline unto 5. Consider 't is not onely a Gospel duty but a Gospel priviledge The Law allowes no place for repentance 'T is an high favour God will pardon us upon our repentance and Faith in his Son 6. Consider All will sooner or later commend true repentance Be not thou one of them that will commend it when it is too late 7. Consider there is no other remedy For Without RepentaÌ„ce t is not consistent 1. With Gods justice we should be pardoned though repentance does not satisfie his justice yet sins unrepented of continued in cannot be pardoned without injustice 2. With his Mercy God is very merciful but 't is to penitent humbled sinners not obdurate impenitent transgressours 3. With the undertaking of Christ who came to call sinners to repentance to seek save those that were lost in their own eies He was exalted to be a Prince a Saviour to give repentance remission of sins Act. 5.31 8. If thou dost seriously and in good earnest repent of all thy sins it will be a great foundation of comfort to thee in time of distress If the Devil in time of temptation or the hour of death shall bring thy sins to thy remembrance and charge them upon thy Conscience to drive thee to despair O what a comfort will it be if thy Conscience can then truly answer though I have been guilty of such and such sins yet through the riches of Gods Grace I have in time of my health particularly humbled my soul for them I have retracted and undone them again by a serious repentance Believe it he that has truly repented of all his sins and has the bent of his heart turned towards God and is walking in a new course of life a steady course of Godlinesse has a surer foundation of comfort in his own soul than if an Angel should come from Heaven and tell him he should be saved Upon all these considerations let me advise thee begging the assistance of the Spirit of God to set upon the speedy practise of this so great so necessary yea so comfortable a duty Let not the deceitfulnesse of sin the cunning of Satan the hope of long life a vain presumption on the Mercy of God or any mistakes or prejudices against the Doctrine of repentance keep the off but laying aside all pretences excuses demurs whatever set upon it seriously and speedily and thou wilt find thereby through the blessing of God abundance of ease comfort satisfaction and settlement to thy Mind and Conscience Psal 32.5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confesse my transgression unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Prov. 28.13 He that covereth his sins shall not prâ—sper but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy 1 John 1.8 If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us V. 9. If we confesse our sin he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse Psal 19.12 Who can understand his errours cleanse thou me from secret faults Psal 90.8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee our secret sins in the light of thy countenance Jam. 3.2 For in many things we offend all Job 13.26 For thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possesse the iniquities of my youth Psal 38.4 For mine iniquities are gone over my head as an heavy burdeÌ„ they are too heavy for me Job 34.32 That whiâ—h I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more Psal 51.1 Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindnesse according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions V. 2. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin V. 3. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me V. 5. Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me V. 7. Purge me with hysop and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be whiter than snow V. 9. Hide thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities V. 10. Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me V. 11. Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me V. 16. Thou desirest not sacrifice else would I give it thou delightest not in burnt offering V. 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise See more Scriptures concerning repentance pag. 102. CHAP. III. Of Faith in Christ. UPon serious consideration of the evil and danger of thy sins renouncing all Confidence in thy self or any thing thou canst do to procure thy pardon and peace with God deliberatly and advisedly betake thy self unto Christ Jesus the only Mediatour and Peace-maker between God and man who once offered up himself a sacrifice on the Crosse for sin and is now in Heaven making intercession and presenting the Merits of his Obedience Sufferings and Death in the behalf of all such who being lost and undone in themselves do flie to him for help and relief and take him for their only Lord and Saviour With judgment and understanding give up thy self to this Saviour Cast thy penitent soul at his feet Rest and rely on him wholly and alone to be justified acquitted and discharged of all thy sins by his Merits to be sanctified by his Spirit to be commanded and disposed of by him and to be enabled by his Grace to persevere in the waies of Truth and Holinesse all thy daies and at last to be brought to Eternal life Intrust all thy hopes of pardon only on him Enter into a real Covenant with him to be for ever his resolving to live and die his faithful Disciple and servant And because really to close with Christ and savingly to believe on him is a matter of such exceeding high Concernment I shall 1. Explain the Nature of it 2. Lay down some Conclusions about it 3. Give some Motives and Incouragements to it Know therefore there is a two-fold Act of Faith 1. Of Adherence 2. Of Assurance I. When a poor sinner doth cast himself wholly on Christ crucified for pardon and life upon the warrant of
the promise although he hath no assurance in himself how the Lord will dispose of him This is commonly called Faith of Adherence or Recumbency II. When a soul that hath thus cast himself on Christ reflects upon what he hath done and comparing it with the Gospel promises becomes by the assistance of the Spirit bearing witnesse with his Spirit confidently perswaded of his interest in Christ and that he shall be saved by him This is call'd Faith of Assurance Now the former is that Faith which is the Condition of the new Covenant by which a sinner is freely acquitted of all his sins and accounted as a righteous and just person in Gods sight To this Faith there are these six things required 1. A real firm belief of the truth of the Gospel a true historical Faith concerning Christs person undertaking and performance and that he came to be a Mediatour and Peace-maker between God and man 2. A deep sense and feeling of the heavy burden of sin with true sorrow and humiliation â—hereupon The soul is brought to see its undone condition by sin before it closes with Christ 3. A firm perswasion that there is no other way of salvation but by Christ alone 4. A clear knowledge that Christ is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him and willing to save and ready to receive such as do own him for the true Messias and unfeignedly give up themselves unto him 5. An earnest desire a real thirsting after an Interest in this Saviour 6. An actual giving up the soul to Christ depending on him wholly and alone for pardon and life firmly trusting in him to be justified sanctified and everlastingly saved by him This is the soul truly and really united unto Christ And being by Faith and Love thus joyned to the Lord as the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 6.17 is one Spirit i. e. is governed by one and the self-same Spirit The Scripture sets forth this admirable spiritual union by these four earthly resemblances By the union 1. Of the Husband and Wife Eph. 5.23 The husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the Church and he is the Saviour of the body 2. Of the Head and Members Eph. 1.22 23. Hath put all things under his feet and given him to be head over all things to the Church which is his body 3. Of the stones in the bullding with the foundation whereon they rest and are built Eph. 2.22 In whom you also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit 1 Cor. 3.11 4. Of the Vine and the Branches John 15.5 I am the Vine ye are the Branches So that when we do willingly betroth our selves to Christ and consent to take him for our Lord and Husband and to be his loyall spouse when we are willing to be in subjection to him and to be ruled by him as the members of the body are by the head when we depend and rest and rely on him alone for our salvation as the stones rest on the foundation Lastly when we derive Grace and Holinesse from him as the branches derive juice vertue and sap from the root and stock and do bring forth fruits in him and to him then is there a real and spiritual union wrought between Christ and our soules Thus much concerning the Nature of saving Faith The Conclusions I shall lay down concerning it are these 1. Though Christ hath paid down a sufficient price on the Crosse for the ransoming and buying in of lost and undone sinners yet we are not justified and absolved from the guilt of our sins till we do actually close with him by Faith 2. True saving Faith is not a strong perswasion that all a mans sins are pardoned by Christ's Merits and that he is in Gods Favour and in a good state and condition For 't is evident many of Gods dear servants are exercised with doubts and feares concerning themselves and many Gracelesse wretches that never felt the burden of sin nor ever made much Conscience of walking holily are most confident of their own good condition Therefore this confident ungrounded perswasion cannot be true Faith for then hardnesse of heart would make the best Faith and he that could presume most and be most secure and free from doubts would be the truest believer For a man to be confident of his good condition while he lies under the power and reign of sin is the grossest unbelief in the world 'T is to believe the flat contrary to what God hath revealed in the Word 1 Cor. 6.9 Know ye not saith the Apostle that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Be not deceived neither fornicatours nor Idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God Therefore a confident resting on Christ for salvation if it be not a resting according to the Word will not serve the turn 3. Fiducially and savingly to believe on Christ is not an act of mans power but wrought in the soul by the Spirit of God who doth effectually enlighten perswade and draw the heart and assist and enable the soul to give up it self unto Christ Beg therefore the assistance of this blessed Spirit whom God hath promised to give to them that ask him Luke 11.9 And in the aid of his Grace give up thy self unfeignedly unto Christ to be justified sanctified and everlastingly saved by him 4. A true believer may fear and be in doubt that he hath not given up himself to Christ unfeignedly and this fear may proceed from the abundance of his love to Christ and earnest desire to be assur'd of an interest in him which makes him think he can never be certain enough of him Love is sollicitous and full of fears lest it should misse the person beloved 5. They that truly close with Christ do take him for their Lord as well as for their Saviour None come to Christ by Faith and savingly believe on him but they cleave to him by love also and live to him by obedience True Faith on Christ will beget love to Christ and love will bring forth obedience 6. The surest mark of true believing in Christ is a new and holy life 'T is the property of Faith to purifie the heart and so to work a change in the life and conversation Dost thou make Conscience therefore of all Christ's commands And art thou careful to refrain thy feet from every evil way Who ever is in Christ is a new Creature 2 Cor. 5.17 Hath the love of Christ shed abroad in his heart and that love constraines him to yeeld sincere obedience Hath the Spirit of Christ Rom 8.9 not only to comfort him but to counsel and direct him to lead him in the paths of truth and holinesse and to uphold him from taking any desperate and irrecoverable falls either in matter of judgment
by his divine power raised and quickned his own body when it lay in the grave so he conveighs a spiritual life into all his members raising them from the death of sin and enabling them to walk in newnesse of life I live saith Paul Gal. 2.20 yet not I but Christ liveth in me And the life of Jesus is made manifest in our mortal bodies 2 Cor. 4.11 He that abideth in me and I in him saith our Saviour John 15.5 bringeth forth much fruit Beg therefore earnestly of the Lord that thou maiest be sanctified throughout in Spirit Soul and Body That thy Understanding Conscience and Will thy sensual affections and desires and thy whole outward man may be put into and kept in a good order and frame that the fear of God may dwell in thine heart continually and his Law be written in thy inward man Look to the bent and frame of thy heart that it be right towards God If thy heart be once ordered aright thou wilt look that thy outward conversation be ordered aright also Let it appear therefore thou art a living member of Christ by being a new Creature by unliving and undoing thy former sinful course Live not henceforth in any known sin but speedily forsake whatever thou knowest to be evil and displeasing unto God any kind of way Labour to testifie the sincerity of thy repentance and Faith by an holy life and an unblameable Conversation Set thy self in good earnest to walk religiously and holily before God righteously and uprightly before men and soberly and temperatly in the Government of thy self Let it be thy daily exercise with Paul to keep a good Canscience void of offence towards God and towards man Be careful of the duties both of the first and second Table And read often and carefully observe our Saviours Sermon in the Mount coâ—tained in the fifth sixth and seaventh Chapters of Matthew In summe beg a continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ that though thou art to wrestle not only against flesh and blood but against Principalities and powers and spiritual wickednesses and against manifold temptations from the world yet notwithstanding through the aides of Grace the regenerate part in thee may overcome and that thou maist grow in Grace and be daily perfecting holinesse in the fear of God 2 Cor. 5.17 Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new Creature Old things are past away behold all things are become new 1 Cor 6.11 And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Eph. 4.22 That ye put off concerning the former Conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts V. 23. And be renewed in the Spirit of your mind V. 24. And that ye put on that new man whiâ—h after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Rom. 6.5 For if we have been planted together in the likenesse of his death we shall be also in the likenesse of his resurrection V. 6. Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin V. 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace 1 John 3.8 He that committeth sin is of the devil for the devil sinneth from the beginning for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil 1 John 2.6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himselfe also to walk even as he walked 1 John 3.3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure Rom. 8.13 For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Eph. 3.16 That he would grant you according to the riches of his Glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man V. 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith that ye being rooted and grounded in love V. 18. May be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and heighth V. 19. And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fulnesse of God 1 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and Spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God I eb 12.14 Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. 1 Thes 5.23 And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole Spirit and Soul and body be preserved blamless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Gal. 5.17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would 1 Pet. 2.11 Dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul 2 Pet. 3.18 But grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to him be Glory both now and for ever Amen Gal. 5.19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these Adultery Fornication Uncleannesse Lasciviousness V. 20. Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions Heresies V. 21. Envyings Murders Drunkenness Revellings and such like of the which I tell you before as I have also told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God V. 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Gentlenesse Goodnesse Faith V. 23. Meekness Temperance against such there is no Law V. 24. And they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Phil. 2.15 That ye may be blamelesse and harmlesse the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation among whom ye shine as Lights in the world 2 Pet. 1.5 And besides this giving all diligence add to your Faith vertue and to vertue Knowledge V. 6. And to Knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience Godlinesse V. 7. And to Godliness Brotherly kindness and to Brotherly kindness Charity 1 Cor. 15.58 Therefore my beloved Brethren be ye stedfast unmoveable alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as ye know that your Labour is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Pet. 1.14 As obedient Children not fashioning your selves according to the former lusts in your ignorance V. 15. But as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of Conversation 1 Cor. 6 19 What know ye not that your body is the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own V. 20. For ye
are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your Spirit which are Gods Rom. 2.6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds V. 7. To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory and Honour and immortality eternal Life V. 8. But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the Truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath V. 9. Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile Mat. 16.24 Then said Jesus unto his Disciples if any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Crosse and follow me 1 Sam. 2.30 Them that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the Testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and Godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the Grace of God we have had our Conversation in the world and more abundantly to you-wards Isa 38.3 And said remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight And Hezekiah wept sore Acts 24.16 And herein do I exercise my self to have alwaies a Conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Tit. 2.11 For the Grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men V. 12. Teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world V. 13. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ V 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 3.8 This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works these things are good and profitable unto men Mat. 5.17 Think not that I am come to destroy the Law and the Prophets I am not come to destroy but to fulfill Mat. 22.36 Master which is the great Commandement of the Law V. 37. Jesus said unto him thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all soul and with all thy mind V. 38. This is the first and great Commandement V. 39. And the second is like unto it thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self V. 40. On these two Commandements hang all the Law and the Prophets Mark 12.32 And the Scribe said unto him well Master thou hast said the truth for there is one God and there is none other but he V. 33. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the soul and with all the strength and to love his neighbour as himself is more than all whole burnt offering and sacrifice Rom. 3.31 Do we then make void the Law through Faith God forbid yea we establish the Law CHAP. V. Of Communion with God 5. LAbour to maintain a daily close Communion with God in these particulars following 1. Awake with God in the morning 2. Forget not to poure forth thy soul in secret prayer and praise before him 3. Read the Scriptures 4. Live continually as in the sight and view of God 5. Live by Faith 6. Observe all the passages of his Providence towards thee 7. Be continually watchful First Awake with God in the morning When I awake I am still with thee sais holy David Psal 139.8 The morning is an embleme of the Resurrection when our bodies shall awake from the sleep of death and that long day shall arise upon us that shall never have any night O how shouldst thou then when sleep fals from thine eyes lift up thy soul in praises and thanksgivings to the Lord for his gracious Providence over thee in the night season Had not he been exceeding gracious thou mightst have slept the sleep of death and from the darknesse of the night been sent away into outer darknesse Let not the commonnesse of this mercy diminish but the continualness of it rather encrease thy thankfulnesse O when thy body awakens how shouldst thou awaken and stirre up thy soul also to some holy and pious Ejaculations such as the sweet Singer of Israel used to send up to God O Lord thou art my God early will I seek thee I laid me down and slept and thou hast sustained me I have been safe under the shadow of thy wings thy faithfulnesse and truth have been my shield and buckler And now Lord lift up the Light of thy Countenance upon me instruct me in the way wherein I should go and guid me with thine eye Teach me thy way O Lord and I will walk in thy Truth O knit my heart to thee that I may fear thy Name And hold up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not Let me walk circumspectly this day redeeming the time Let my soul put on the Lord Jesus and be clothed with the white robe of his righteousnesse and adorn me with the saving Graces of thy holy Spirit c. After some such pious ejaculations sent up to the Throne of Grace labour to get thy heart possessed with deep strong and powerful apprehensions and impressions of Gods holinesse Majesty Omni-presence Omniscience Consider with reverence and humbly admire and adore his glorious wisdome his almighty power his gracious Providence his truth and faithfulnesse and especially his tender love and mercy in Christ Jesus And if such thoughts as these make strong and deep impressions in thy mind in the morning thou art the more like to be in the fear of God all the day after and to have thy mind possessed both with reverential and delightful thoughts of his Majesty Psal 139.18 When I awake I am still with thee Job 7.17 What is man that thou shouldest magnifie him and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him V. 18. And that thou shouldst visit him every morning and try him every moment Lam. 3.22 It is of the Lords mercy that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not V. 23. They are new every morning great is thy faithfulnesse V. 24. The Lord is my portion saith my soul therefore I will hope in him V. 25. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him to the soul that seeketh him Psal 73.25 Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none upon the Earth that I desire besides thee Eph. 5.14 Wherefore he saith Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee Light Rom. 13.11 And that knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation neerer than when we believed V. 12. The night is far spent the day is at hand let us therefore cast off the works of darknesse and let us put on the
armour of Light Eph. 5.15 See then that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise Rom. 13.13 Let us walk honestly as in the day not in rioting and drunkennesse not in chambering and wantonnesse not in strife and envying V. 14. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts therof Psal 63.1 O God thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty Land where no water is Psal 59.16 But I will sing of thy power yea I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble Psal 35.28 And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousnesse and of thy praise all the day long Psal 3.5 I laid me down and slept I awaked for the Lord sustained me Psal 91.1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty V. 4. He shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust his truth shall be thy shield and buckler Psal 4.6 There be many that say who will shew us any good Lord lift thou up the Light of thy Countenance upon us Psal 32.8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go I will guid thee with mine eye Psal 86.11 Teach me thy way O Lord I will walk in thy Truth unite my heart to fear thy Name Psal 17.5 Hold up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not Psal 90.17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us establish thou the work of our hands upon us yea the work of our hands establish thou it Secondly Omit not daily to poure forth thy Soul in secret and fervent prayer before the Lord humbly confessing and bewailing thy sins with a deep sense and feeling of the evil danger and desert of them begging earnestly as for thy life a ful and free pardon and discharge of them all in the blood of Christ and humbly imploring the aid and assistance of the holy Spirit to enable thee to mortifie thy corruptions to resist temptations and to perform in a right manner all the duties required of thee Be much in this duty of secret prayer if ever thou intendest to save thy soul to honour God here or to be happy with him hereafter And remember that to pray unto God in an acceptable manner is not to say over a few prayers or to utter a few petitions Patrat-like in a formal cold customary manner where there is not a true sense and feeling of sin and misery and where the desires of the soul are not carried out earnestly to seek for mercy and relief from God through Christ there can be no true hearty praying such as God will accept though the outside and external part of the duty be performed never so speciously God more regards the sighes and tears and broken expressions of a truly contrite and humble heart that are powred forth in secret before him than the most set and exactly form'd devotions that proceed either from formality or hypocrisie If thou wouldest therefore pray aright beg the assistance of the holy Spirit of God to help and enable thee for we know not how to pray as we ought except the Spirit help our infirmities Beg therefore the assistance of the Spirit to work and quicken in thy heart those apprehensions affections and Graces which are requisite for the right performance of this duty And with that gracious assistance labour to pray 1. With humility and reverence having an high and awful apprehension of the Majesty of God 2. With a deep sense and feeling of thy wants and necessities and with brokennesse of heart and true contrition for thy sins 3. Offer up thy prayers and supplications to God in the Name of Christ the only Mediatour between God and man not barely mentioning his Name but drawing thy encouragement to pray and thy hope of acceptance in prayer from his Merits Mediation and Intercession 4. Pray in Faith humbly trusting in Gods Power Goodnesse Faithfulnesse and gracious promises made in Christ not so much a Christians prayer as his Faith in prayer prevaileth with God And 't is a great encouragement to Faith to consider there is not only bounty in God but bounty engaged by promise O how great are the priviledges of Saints God is their Father willing to hear their prayers Christ is their Advocate willing to present their requests the holy Ghost is their helper and assister to draw up their requests for them 5. Lift up pure hands without wrath as the Apostle adviseth 1 Tim. 2.8 Before thou settest thy self to this duty labour to get thy heart purged of all malice wrath ill will and desire of revenge if there be any such vile affection in thee towards any body When thou goest to pray thou goest to beg forgivenesse of thy manifold sins from God which thou canst not reasonably expect if thou art not willing to forgive others Our Saviour hath taught us to pray forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us And this is very remarkeable he resumes this petition of all the rest to explain and by a strong reason to enforce Mat. 6.14 15. For if you forgive men their trespasses your Heavenly Father will also forgive you but if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses Remember therefore that it is thy duty heartily to forgive those that have done thee any wrong and to pray for them that God would pardon them in his Son and give them such a frame of heart that they may please him and be blessed by him both here and hereafter This is a good signe of Grace to pray for a blessing on our very enemies 6. Pray in sincerity Looke that thy end be right and that thy aim be at the Glory of God There is a great deal of difference betwixt a carnal desire and a gracious supplication Jam. 4.3 Ye ask and have not because ye ask amisse to spend it on your lusts Praiers that want a good aim do usually want a good issue When thou findest thy heart running out by a perverse aim check it and disclaim it the more solemnly If our praiers be not directed to the Glory of God there is little hope that when we receive the talent we pray for we shall employ it to our Masters use They that cannot ask a mercy well seldome use it well 7. Labour to pray with zeal fervency warmth and holy importunity with sensiblenesse and strong workings of affection 'T is easie to say a prayer in a formal cold manner when the heart is nothing affected with it but possibly wandring while the lips are praying But that is true prayer when the soul reaches out after those things it praies for in holy ardent and spiritual
desires Sighs and groans are the Language God understands When God meaneth to bestow any blessing he usually stirs up the hearts of his people earnestly to pray for it And the effusion of the Spirit of supplication that holy yet humble importunity that spiritual violence and wrestling and striving and pleading with the Almighty is a happy presage of an approaching blessing 8. Beg spiritual blessings and the things appertaining to the soul primarily and with greatest earnestnesse Beg temporall mercies and such as concern this life and thy welfare here with an humble submission unto God resigning thy will to his most holy will earnestly begging that what he sees not good for thee nor fit to be granted thee he would make thee willing and contented to be without 9. To supplication forget not to adde praises and thanksgivings to the Lord for all his benefits for his innumerable favours confer'd on thee in the course of thy life past and also for thy present enjoyments Especially quicken and provoke and awaken thy soul to lift up the high praises of God for his inestimable love in sending his Son to be a ransome for sin and sending his Holy Spirit to convince of sin and of righteousnesse and to perswade and enable thy heart to close with Christ And lastly upon the receipt of any new mercy and favour from God offer up a cheerful and hearty sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving in and through the mediation of Christ by whom alone our Persons and Sacrifices are accepted with God And to direct and quicken thee to this duty of rendring praises to the Lord Consider 1. That praise is Gods Tribute his Custom 't is all the Impost he sets upon his Blessings There are three things to be considered in a mercy 1. The mercy it self 2. The Comfort and sweetnesse that may be enjoyed in the use of it 3. The Glory Honour and Praise that is due for it The two former God freely gives us he only reserves the latter as a tribute and homage to himself 2. Praising God for former mercies invites him to bestow new mercies God will be bountifull to those that he sees thankfull and from whom he receives Glory and acknowledgment 3. Praising God is the beginning of Heaven 't is the employment of the holy Angels and glorified Saints there 4. To have a heart delighting in praising God is a great evidence in conjunction with others of sincerity self-love forceth prayer oftentimes from us but to praise God aright cometh from a more heavenly affectâ—on and a sanctified frame of heart 5. To set upon this duty of praising God is one of the best waies to mitigate any sorrowes that at any time are upon us If we can work our hearts to praise him for the mercies that are continued to us it will exceedingly abate the sense and feeling of any present Crosse or affliction that lies upon us 6. Consider who they are that are the most unthankfull to God even Devils and damned Spirits who are full of envy malice and pride they will not praise God but do wretchedly blaspheme him and wicked men who imitate their Father the devil And wouldest thou be like these Upon these Considerations stir up thy heart to be much in this heavenly duty of praising God and remember 1. To praise him with thy heart 2. To praise him with thy tongue 3. To praise him with thy life Let there be an abiding sense of his favours on thy heart and let thy life and conversation praise him also Let thy works praise him that others seeing thy good works may glorifie thy heavenly Father Labour to secure thy state in Grace and thy interest in Gods favour through Christ and then thou maist be assured that whatever God gives thee he gives it thee in pure love all comes swimming to thee in the blood of Christ and this Consideration will exceedingly raise thy heart to thankfulnesse and make thy tongue sound forth the praises of the most High These Directions may help thee in the performance of that great Christian duty of praier and thanksgiving After thou hast praied Consider 1. What thou hast praied for As before praier we should consider and labour to find out our wants So after prayer we should consider of our petitions and what we have begged of God 2. Humbly expect a gracious answer and return to thy praiers not for any worthinesse or desert in thy self or praiers but for Christ's sake alone 3. Serve Providence in the use of fair and lawful means for the attaining those good things thou hast prayed for 4. To Prayer add watchfulnesse If through Grace thy heart hath been wrought to a good temper and holy frame in prayer labour to keep it afterward labour to preserve those apprehensions and those affections in thy soul which thou foundest in time of prayer And therefore one well adviseth that for some little time after we have prayed we should keep our selves silent and quiet nor presently and in the next moment as some do but fair and softly removing our hearts from our prayers to our worldly businesses and occasions Zach. 12.10 And I will poure upon the House of David and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and of Supplications and they shall look upon me whom they have peirced and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his onely Son and shall be in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitternesse for his first born Rom. 8.26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered V. 27. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God Eph. 3.12 In whom we have boldnesse and accesse with confidence by the Faith of him Heb. 7.25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them John 14.13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my Name that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son V. 14. If ye shall ask any thing in my Name I will do it 1 Tim. 2.5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus John 16.23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing verily verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name he will give it you 1 Pet. 2.5 Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house an holy Priesthood to offer up spirituall Sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ Isai 48.17 Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer the holy One of Israel I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldst go Psal 32.5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I
to escape that ye may be able to bear it Rom. 5.3 But we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience Rev. 13 10. Here is the patience and the faith of the Saints 5. As thou must continually depend on God for a supply of all those Graces and comforts thy soul stands in need of so likewise thou must depend daily on his Fatherly care to be furnished and supplied with all such outward mercies as thou standest in need of for this life Mat. 6 11. Give us this day our daily bread Psal 84.11 For the Lord is a Sun and a shield the Lord will give Grace and Glory no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly 1 Tim. 4.8 For bodily exercise profiteth little but Godliness is profitable to all things having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come 2 Pet. 1.3 According as his divine power hath given us all things that pertain unto Life and Godlinesse through the knowledge of him that hath called us to knowledge and vertue 6. Humbly depend on him for direction and guidance in all thy lawful waies and to be counsell'd in difficult cases and matters of great concernment to thee Prov. 3.5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding V. 6. In all thy waies acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths Psal 55.22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved Jer. 10.23 O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps Prov. 16.9 A mans heart deviseth his way but the Lord directeth his steps Psal 32.8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go I will guide thee with mine eie Psal 17.5 Hold up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not Psal 73.24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterwards receive me to Glory Jam. 1.5 If any of you lack wisdome let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him V. 6. But let him ask in Faith nothing wavering c. 7. Daily trust in him to be protected and preserved from dangers evils and mischiefes as far forth as he shall see it good for thee and that his holy Angels may have charge over thee and may perform all those good offices for thee which he hath appointed them to do for those who shall be heirs of Salvation Heb. 1.14 Are they not all ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation Psal 34.7 The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them Mat. 18.10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones for I say unto you that in Heaven their Angels do alwaies behold the face of my Father which is in Heaven Psal 91.1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty V. 4. He shall cover thee with his Feathers and under his Wings shalt thou trust V. 10. There shall no evil befall thee neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling V. 11. For he shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy waies V. 12. They shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against a stone 8. Trust in him to be blessed and made successeful in all thy lawful endeavours For though man do his endeavour yet successe is only his to give Psal 37.5 Commit thy way unto the Lord trust also in him and he shall bring it to passe Psal 62.5 My Soul wait thou only upon God for my expectation is from him Psal 127.1 Except the Lord build the house they labour in vain that build it except the Lord keep the City the watchman waketh but in vain V. 2. It is in vain for you to rise up early and to sit up late to eat the bread of sorrowes for so he giveth his beloved sleep 9. Look up to him and humbly depend on him to have all lawful enjoyments and possessions sanctified to thee that they may be sweetned to thee with a sense of his love and favour in Christ and then they will be blessings indeed Prov. 10.22 The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it Psal 37.16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked Prov. 15.16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith Heb. 13.5 Let your conversation be without covetousnesse and be content with such things as ye have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee 10. Humbly trust in him for the assistance of his holy Spirit to enable thee daily to grow in Grace and to persevere and hold out in the waies of truth and holinesse till thou attainest the end of thy Faith even the salvation of thy soul 2 Pet. 1.5 And besides this giving all diligence adde to your Faith vertue and to vertue knowledge V. 6. And to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience Godlinesse V. 7. And to Godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and to brotherly kindnesse charity 2 Pet. 3. ult But grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to him be Glory both now and for ever Amen 1 Cor. 10.12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall Rom. 14.4 Who art thou that judgest another mans servant to his own Master he standeth or falleth yea he shall be holden up for God is able to make him stand Jude 24. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and present you faultlesse before the presence of his Glory with exceeding joy V. 25. To the only wise God our Saviour be glory and majesty dominion and power now and ever Amen 1 Cor. 1.8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end that ye may be blamelesse in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ V. 9. God is faithful by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Pet. 1.5 Who are kept by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation Luke 22.32 But I have praied for thee that thy Faith fail not and when thou art converted strengthen thy Brethren Jer. 32.40 And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Heb. 12.2 Looking unto Jesus the authour and finisher of our Faith c. John 17.24 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my Glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world
And that thou maist the better practise this excellent lesson of living by Faith take these further Directions Direction 1. Labour to strengthen thy assent to the truth of the word of God Unbelief it is a mother sin There was a faultring of assent in our first parents to the truth of Gods commination concerning eating of the forbidden tree else they had not fallen so sadly and still 't is the ground of all miscarriages of hardness of heart and apostacy Heb. 3.12 13 Take heed Brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God But exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin He that beleeveth not the judgments and threatnings of the Word will not stick to do any evil and he that doth not believe the promises will not be forward to any good All neglect and coldnesse in holy duties cometh from the weaknesse of our Faith there is a decay at the root Did we firmly believe the Glory of Heaven and the happinesse of the life to come we would be earnest and zealous for the obtaining of it Direction 2. Labour to be well acquainted with the promises of God and learn to stay thy soul upon them If an able potent friend promise help in troubles how are we cheared with it Ought not the promises of God then to be a strong consolation to us The proper life of a Christian is to take his comforts and supports from the promises of God and not only from his outward providences God many times alters the dispensations of his Providence but does not alter his promises The promises are the Saints inheritance Isa 54.17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn this is the heritage of the Servants of the Lord Whilst Christ is at Gods right hand and the Bible in the hand of gracious persons they need not be dejected in any condition Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me So David chides his soul and rebukes his feares Psal 42.5 and Psal 77.10 This is my infirmitie He bewailes his unbelief and chides his heart for dejection and distrust of Gods Providence Direction 3. Live upon God and account him all in all even in thy highest and fullest enjoyment of the creature Let not the creature be the object of thy trust at any time Trust and dependance is the greatest homage and respect we can yeeld to the Creatour Therefore Job Chap. 31.24 saies If I have made Gold my hope or have said to the fine Gold thou art my confidence V. 25. If I have rejoyced because my wealth was great and because my hand had gotten much c. V. 28. I should have denied the God that is above Men are very apt to make riches the staffe of their lives and the stay of their posterity and so their hearts leaning on them are taken off from God The great danger of riches is the trusting in them Mark 10.23 Jesus saith unto his Disciples how hardly shall those that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God V. 24. And the Disciples were astonished at his word But Jesus answereth again and saith unto them children how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the Kingdome of God How many rich men are there that look upon themselves as it were intrenched within their estates and so promise themselves security against all dangers Thus God is not regarded but their wealth and worldly greatnesse is made their rock and fortress therefore covetousness is called Idolatry Col 3.5 And the covetous man an Idolater not so much for his love to riches as his trust in riches Take heed therefore of making an Idol of the creature do not build thy happinesse or felicity on any thing thou dost here enjoy When God affords thee creature comforts trust not in them Live upon God in the use and live upon God in the absence of the creature Direction 4. Use lawful and fair means for accomplishing and bringing about thy lawful designes but let thy main trust be on God Do thy duty and commit thy self and thy affairs to him in quietnesse of heart For a man to say he trusts in God and yet neglects to do his duty this is but to mock God a moderate care in the management of our affâ—irs is very commendable which puts a man upon praier and an humble diligence in the use of lawful means that once done a Christian should labour after a holy moderation and composednesse of Spirit and should take heed his heart be not fixed too much on any thing here below to his disturbance He should put all his waies and affairs into Gods hands He should wait patiently how God will cast his affairs and then submit and acquiesse in the issues of Providence O how sweet a life leads that Christian who lives in continual dependance on God! This kind of life discharges the creature of all that is burdensom of all carking cares and tormenting fears It leaves nothing upon him but a conscionable use of the means no life makes us so humble so lowly so nothing in our own eies as this life of Faith which fetcheth all from God Faith useth means but trusteth in God alone In all thy affairs therefore still seek to the Lord and apply thy self unto him and trust in him We are dark creatures and easily overshoot our selves we have not wisdome enough to manage our own affairs God can counsell us when we know not how to give counsell to our selves And God takes it well to be advised with by us Hereby we acknowledge our subjection to him when we will nor stir a foot without advising with him when we desire not to be ordered by our own wisdome but trust in the Lord with all our hearts and do not lean to our own understanding as Solomon advises Prov. 3.5 Take heed therefore of inordinate carefulnesse and distrusting God Consider the evil of rhis sin in these four particulars 1. No sin more dishonours God and robs him of his Glory than this sin doth It cannot indeed rob God of his essentiall but it does of his declarative Glory We glorifie God declaratively when we trust in him and thereby declare to the world that we own and acknowledge those his excellencies of wisdome power mercy faithfulnesse which his Word ascribes unto him And therefore 't is said of Abraham Rom. 4.20 That he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in Faith giving Glory to God V. 21. As being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform ver 22. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness Unbelief doth blemish all those four attributes of God before mentioned his Wisdom his Power his Goodnesse his Faithfulnesse 't is an
interpretative blasphemy and calling all these into question and so an high injury and dishonour unto God Whereas faith is said to justifie God Luk. 7.29 that is to professe and acknowledge him to be such a God as his Word reveals him to be 2. Nothing doth more debar and shut out Gods operation in order to our relief and help than this sin If by taking only moderate and due care we would resigne up our selves and our concernments into the hands of God he would charge himself with us But if we will immoderatly cark and care and be so peremptory in our designes and will not submit them unto him then God is discharged we must look to our selves Therefore 't is not only our duty but our interest to resigne up our selves to God and to submit our concernments to his will 3. Unbelief 't is a sin against which God hath exceedingly declar'd his displeasure The Apostle tels us the children of Israel were destroied in the wildernesse for unbelief Many were their sins there Murmurings lustings Idolatry but the main reason of their punishment was they believed not Look to their finall excision and cutting off why what was it for for unbelief were they broken off Rom. 11.20 That noble man in 2 Kings 8.2 was troden to death for distrusting Gods power and could only see the plenty did not tast of it Moses and Aaron could not enter into the land of promise because of their unbelief Num. 20.12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron because ye believe me not to Sanctifie me in the eies of the children of Israel therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them Zachary was struck dumb for not believing what God had revealed Christ did never chide his Disciples for any thing so much as their unbelief Luke 24.25 O ye fooles and slow of heart to believe And why doubt ye O ye of little Faith Mat. 8.26 4. 'T is a Paganish sin as our Saviour intimates Mat. 6. For Heathens to be full of carking and caring is not so much to be wondred at but for us that professe to believe in God that do acknowledge a particular Providence and believe the happinesse of another world to be under the tyranny of distracting cares anxiety of mind and thoughtfulnesse as if God had no care of us this is an exceeding unworthy carriage towards God Take heed therefore of distrusting God and overcharging thy self with the cares of this life Let not thy heart be too much fixed on any thing here below Lay not these outward things too much to heart And remember that then cares are inordinate when they cause such a tumultuousness and unquietnesse in our thoughts and affections that reason is disturbed and cannot allay or compose them or when they exceedingly hinder or quite put us by the duties we ought to perform to God or lastly when they cause a sinking or dying in the heart as Nabals heart is said to die within him when we are disappointed in that we were so eagerly solicitous about And therefore our Saviour in Mat. 6. bids us take no thought and repeats it three several times as v. 25. Therefore I say unto you take no thought for your life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink nor yet for your body what ye shall put on V. 31. Therefore take no thought saying What shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithall shall we be cloathed V. 34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of it self sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof Direction 5. Take heed of limiting God 1. Either to the time of fulfilling his promises Or 2. To the way Faith doth not limit the holy One of Israel to any set time or any set means Do thy duty therefore and resigne thy self to God Commit thy self and all concernments to his Fatherly care and be not over-solicitous or perplexed about events What strange distrustful language do the children of Israel use in Psal 78.20 Can the Lord prepare a table in the wilderness can he give bread also Can he provide flesh for his people And therefore at v. 41. What a black character is given of them They turned back and tempted God and limited the holy One of Israel We must not prescribe to God we must not go about to subject his Providence to our direction and prescribe what he shall do for our satisfaction Direction 6. Reflect upon the Lords past kindnesse and gracious dealings with thee Consider how much God hath done for thee and for others that have trusted in him and that will tend very much to encourage thee still to trust in him The more experience and manifestation of Gods power and presence thou hast had the greater reason thou hast to cast away all unbelief from thee It exceedingly provoked God against Israel that notwithstanding so many experiences of his power yet still they distrusted him Num. 14.11 And the Lord said unto Moses how long will this people provoke me And how long will it be ere they believe me for all the signes I have shewed among them By every experience we should grow up into a greater courage and strength of Faith as David drew inferences of hope against the present danger from the lion and the bear 1 Sam. 17.36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them seeing he hath defied the Armies of the living God Or as Paul said 2 Cor. 1.10 He hath and doth and therefore will deliver Who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us Christ was angry with his Disciples for not remembring the miracle of the loaves when they were in a like strait again Mat 16.9 Do ye not yet understand neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets ye took up God is more angry with the unbelief of his children than of others because they have more experience of his love and care and therefore that they should distrust him that never fail'd them is very ungratefull 2 Cor. 5.7 For we walk by Faith not by sight Hab. 2.4 Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him but the just shall live by his Faith Gal 2.20 I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Job 13.15 Though he slay me yet will I trust in him Psal 55.22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved 1 Cor. 7.32 But I would have you without carefulness c. Phil. 4.6 Be careful for nothing but in every thing by praier and supplication with
Affections the motions and stirrings of thy will the out-goings of thy heart Rightly to order our Affections is one of our principall businesses in this life When they are rightly ordered and governed they do much further help on our course in Godlinesse Whereas disordered passions blind the judgment hurry away the will fill the heart and mind with disquiet and interrupt prayer and other holy duties Keep an especial watch theâ—efore over thy Affections Be careful they be not set on wrong objects nor suffered to grow unruly and exorbitant Grace doth not extinguish but rectifie affections Christ who was free from all sin was not without affections He was angry did grieve rejoyce Let it be thy care therefore to look to the right regulating of these powers and these affections that God hath placed in thee And to help thee in this work observe these Directions 1. Beg of God a sound mind a right understanding a clear judgment that thou maist be able rightly to discern between good and evil and maist not take shews and appearances for realities There is great danger in misapprehensions for as the apprehensions of the mind are weaker or stronger so the affections are hotter or cooler 2. Labour to bring thy will sense and appetite under subjection to right reason If sin do seem pleasant to thee as the forbidden fruit to Eve let reason tell thee 't is forbidden fruit and therefore thou must not touch it A man is Lord of himself when reason rules him but his own slave when wilfulnesse appetite or passion bear sway in him When the Coachman cannot rule the horses but is hurried violently away with them there is nothing but confusion to be expected so it is with a man whose reason is overborn or hurried away by his headstrong passions Affections are like fire and water good servants but very bad Masters Fire does well while 't is kept in the chimney water is useful while 't is kept within its banks if they break out they are veâ—y mischievous Elements Affections while they are moderated kept within their due bounds they are very serviceable but if they overflow those banks and bounds what a world of mischief follows 3. Labour to foresee such things before they come which may prove great provocations to thee and are like to kindle and excite thy passions Use precaution and wisely avoid such occasions as much as thou canst Passions are far moâ—e easily prevented than moderated And here premeditation is of singular use whereby the mind may fortifie strengthen it self against the exorbitancy of pâ—ssion before it arise by considering the unreasonablenesse of it and the bitter fruits and effects of it 4. Resist evil affections at the beginning before they grow high and headstrong Dash Babylons brats against the wall If they once get strength they may be too hard for thee Lusts and vile affections let alone do often end in grosse sins There are works of the flesh that follow lusts of the flesh Gal. 5.19 Love of pleasure if uncontroâ—l'd may end in drunkennesse or uncleannesse Envy and malice if uncheck'd may end in muâ—der or violence Judas allowing himselfe in Covetousnesse that brought him to deny his Master 5. Temperance and keeping under the body is an excellent means to mortifie lusts passions and vile affections He that pampers his flesh feeds his enemy And how much better is it to endure the pains of mortification here than the horrours of everlasting darknesse hereafter 6. Remember that when thy blood and Spirits are moved and thy passions are up whatever is presented to thy imagination tends to the delusion of thy soul Passions like some kind of glasses represent things falsely somtimes of a mountain they make a mole-hill and somtimes a mole-hill they magnifie into a mountain Therefore if it be possible in passion make no resolutions Let it be one of thy main cares then to suffer thy spirit and blood to cool and thy passions to sink and melt away and then thou wilt come to right apprehensions Many have grievously overshot themselves in passion and repented of it at leisure 7. Consider the root of all inordinate passion is self-love The larger the branches of passion the deeper the root of self-love Therefore labour to dig up the root and do not only lop off the branches Inordinate self-love ought to be subdued and mortified 8. Meditate often on the abasings sufferings death and passion of our Lord and Saviour Christ suffered for us leaving us an example saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 2.21 that we should follow his steps Was he crucified for us and shall not we crucifie our vile affections for him Did he renounce his own will to accomplish our salvation and shall not we deny our wills for him our corrupt wills The wills of the flesh and of the mind as the Apostle calleth them Eph. 2.3 The lustings of the lower and the upper soul Was he made of no reputation for us and shall we be proud Did he lay down his very life for us his enemies and shall not we forgive an enemy for his sake O labour from the consideration of Christs sufferings to mortifie thy lusts and vile affections 9. By earnest Prayer even the prayer of Faith seek for succour from Heaven against all thine inordinate affections Humbly plead that promise before the Lord Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace 10. Take the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God Eph. 6.17 and therewith labour to slay thy inordinate affections Apply the Commands and Threatnings of Gods Word to thy self when thou findest any strong passion or lust stirring in thee As suppose Anger be up in thee take that sword of the Spirit thou wilt find Eph. 4.26 27. Let not the Sun go down upon your wrath â—â—ther give place to the devil If hatred against thy Brother be working in thee take that sword 1 John 3.15 Whoever hateth his Brother is a murderer and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him If thy heart be pestered with revengeful thoughts take that sword in Mat. 6.14 15. If ye forgive men their trespasses your Heavenly Father will forgive you But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses If lust be stirring in thee take that sword in Mat. 5.28 But I say unto you whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart If pride take that sword 1 Pet. 5.5 God resists the proud and gives Grace to the humble If Covetousnesse take that sword Luke 12.15 Take heed and beware of covetousness for a mans life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth And 1 Tim. 6.10 The love of money is the root of all evil Thus if thou art well acquainted with the word of God thou maist find a sword to slay any inordinate
affection any rebellious lust that rises up in thee Prov. 4.23 Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life Gal. 5.24 And they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Tit. 2.12 Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and Godly in this present world Rom. 8.6 For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace V. 13. For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live 1 Pet. 2.11 Dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul Eph. 2.3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature the children of wrath even as others Prov. 25.28 He that hath no rule over his owne spirit is like a City that is broken down and without wals Prov. 16.32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a City Eph. 4.26 Be ye angry and sin not let not the Sun go down upon your wrath V. 27. Neither give place to the devil V. 30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed to the day of redemption V. 31. Let all bitternesse and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice V. 32. And be ye kind one to another tender hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you 1 Cor. 14.20 Brethren be not children in understanding howbeit in malice be ye children but in understanding be men Eccles 7 9. Be not hasly in thy spirit to be angry for anger resteth in the bosom of fools 1 John 3.15 Whosoever hateth his Brother is a murderer and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him 2 Cor. 12.20 For I fear lest when I come I shall not find you such as I would and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not lest there be debates envyings wraths strifes backbitings whisperings swellings tumults Jam. 4.5 Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain the Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy Jam. 1.20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousnesse of God Luke 9.55 But he turned and rebuked them and said ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of John 13.35 By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love one to another 1 Pet. 3.4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit which is in the sight of God of great price Thirdly Watch over thy words Gods servants in all ages have seen a great deal of reason to resolve within themselves to take heed of offending with their tongues and to pray earnestly to the Lord that he would please to set a watch before their mouths and to keep the door of their lips 'T is a great part of Religion rightly to govern and bridle the tongue If any man seemeth to be religious and bridleth not his tongue this mans religion is vain Jam. 1.26 And the transgression of the tongue is the rather to be watched against because of the natural pronenesse that is in us to offend in that kind We are exceedingly apt to fall into this sin partly because of that quick intercourse that is between the tongue and the heart so that we sin in an instant partly because speech is an Act we perform without labour and so we the more easily offend this way And lastly because the sins of the tongue are very pleasing and compliant with corrupt nature Therefore St James saith Jam. 3. v. 2. If any man offend not in word the same is a perfect man i. e. Not only a beginner but one that is come to some ripenesse and growth in Christianity his care and watchfulnesse over his words argues him to be a sound sincere and upright Christian Oh how much reason have we to be seriously humbled for the errours and miscarriages of our tongues Divide the sins of man into two parts saies Nazianzen and one half of them are the sins of the tongue One reckons up twenty four sins of the tongue and yet possibly he hath not reckoned all 1. Taking Gods Name in vain in ordinary communication 2. Unlawful swearing 3. Lying 4. Cursing 5. Perjuâ—y 6. Blasphemy 7. Rash and unlawful vowes 8. Heartlesse and hypocritical praying 9. False accusing 10. Open railing reviling and reproaching 11. Secret defaming backbiting and whispering 12. Scoffing jeering scorning giving biting quips and girds 13. Ribaldry filthy speaking scurrulous jesting rotten communication 14. Menacing and threatning revenge 15. Deceiving and cheating 16. Proud boasting and self magnifying 17. Rash judging and censuring 18. Vain and idle tatling 19. Flattering and soothing in evil 20. Enticing and alluring to sin and wickedness 21. Seducing into errour 22. Murmuring and repining 23. Disclosing secrets contrary to promise To all which may be added 24. Sinful silence Of which more afterward Oh how vile are we if one member be guilty of so much sin Not without reason therefore hath St. James in his third Chap. v. 6. described an evil Tongue to be a fire a world of iniquity and set on fire of Hell i. e. from the Devil the Father of lies malice and virulency They that nourish an evil tongue nourish that which comes from Hell and which will carry them thither without serious and timely repentance The tongue can no man tame as he goes on v. 8. that is of himself without the concurrence of Divine Grace Pray therefore for this Grace that thou maist take heed to thy words that thou offend not with thy tongue And for the better regulating and governing of it observe these Directions 1. Begin at thy heart if thou wouldst rightly govern thy tongue Pray as David did Psal 51.10 Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right Spirit within me Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh saith our Saviour Mat. 12.34 The disorders of the tongue usually proceed from the distempers of the heart Idlenesse of words from vanity of thoughts Rashnesse of speech from hastinesse of Spirit Boasting and proud brags from pride of heart Reviling and open reproaching from inward malice The foul stomack betraies it selfe in a stinking breath The naughtinesse of the heart vents it self by the tongue A heart stor'd with wisdom and grace will discover it self in savoury discourse 2. Let thy end and aim in speaking be to glorifie God and to do good to others That word is an idle word and utterly lost which tends to no good purpose Either speak somthing better than silence or
corrupt wills no guide but their own blind passions and humours But if thou wouldst order thy actions aright take the Word of God for thy Rule 3. Look to thy aim and end Thy main and ultimate end must be Gods Glory A Christians whole life should be a living unto God Gal. 2.19 All that is done be it an act of Piety Justice Temperance or Charity it should be done with this aim that God might be glorified thereby In all thy actions therefore whether natural civil or spiritual thou must still designe the Glory of God But of this we have spoken more under the fourth particular of this Chapter Jam. 2.12 So speak ye and so do as they that shall be judged by the Law of Liberty 1 Pet. 1.15 But as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation 2 Pet. 3.11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and Godlinesse Mat. 7.22 Many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name have cast out Devils and in thy Name done many wonderful works V. 23. And then will I professe unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity Heb. 12.14 Follow peace with all men and holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord. Tit. 2.14 Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works 1 John 3.3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure Eph. 5.15 See then that ye walk circumspectly not as fooles but as wise V. 16. Redeeming the time because the daies are evil Col. 4.5 Walk in wisdom towards them that are without redeeming the time 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and Godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God we had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you wards Isa 38.3 And Hezekiah said remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight and Hezekiah wept sore Acts 24.16 And herein do I exercise my self to have alwaies a Conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Jam. 1. ult Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherlesse and widowes in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world Jam. 2. ult For as the body without the spirit is dead so Faith without workes is dead also Mat. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven Prov. 16.17 The high way of the upright is to depart from evil he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul Ezek. 36.27 And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my Judgments and do them 1 Cor 6.20 For ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods 1 Tim. 1.5 Now the end of the Commandment is charity out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned 2 Tim. 2.19 Neverthelesse the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his and let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from iniquity Eph 4.1 I therefore the Prisoner of the Lord beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called Luke 3.8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance 2 Cor. 5.10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Rom. 12.2 And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good that acceptable and perfect will of God Phil. 2.15 That ye may be blamelesse and harmlesse the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom ye shine as Lights in the world Phil. 4 8. Finally Brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue and if there be any praise think on these things Having now dispatched those four things thou must watch over namely thy Thoughts thy Affections thy Words and thy Actions I come now in the second place to speak of those six things thou must especially watch against 1. Against those sins thou art most enclined to by temper and natural constitution The weakest part of the City must have the strongest guard Some Affections are predominant in one Age some in another There are youthful lusts 2 Tim. 2.22 as well as infirmities proper to old Age. 'T was a great Argument of Davids sincerity that he could truly say Psal 18 23. I was upright before thee and kept my self from mine iniquity Study therefore thy heart and consider what sins thou art most prone unto All sins fight against the soul but thy Master sin is the Goliah endeavour through the aids of Grace to slay that and the whole Army of the Philistines will be easily vanquished 2. Against the sins thou art most obnoxious to by reason of thy particular Calling Condition State and Course of life A man by reason of his calling or condition of life may have more frequent and stronger inducements to some sins than to others which he is therefore the more especially to keep watch against 2 King 5.18 In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant that when my Master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there and he leaneth on my hand and I bow my self in the house of Rimmon when I bow down my self in the house of Rimmon the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing 3. Against the sins of the times and places wherein thou livest We must be careful of being carried away with the evil of the times 'T is a description of wicked men Eph. 2.2 that they walked according to the course of this world i. e. according to the Age as the manner of the times went But of righteous Noah we have another kind of Character Gen. 6.9 Noah was a just man upright in his generation Noah walked wtih God And so in 2 Chron. 17.3.4 We read that the Lord was with Jehosaphat because he walked in the first waies of his Father David and sought not unto Baalim but sought to the Lord God of his Father and walked in his Commandments and not after the doings of Israel And the Apostle exhorts the Philippians Chap. 2. v. 15. that
his gracious promises and providence in the use of lawful means expecting successe from him alone according to that of the Psalmist Psal 37.5 Commit thy way unto the Lord trust also in him and he shall bring it to passe 2. Moderation of affections Be not over-eager nor inordinately bent on thy worldly affairs Remember our Saviours precept Let not your hearts be overcharged with surfetting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life Luke 21.34 Pursue not thy worldly business with too much anxiety and fervour of mind 3. Contentation Be content with that portion little or much which God upon thy honest labours shall please to allot thee quietly acquiesce in his wise disposal 4. Patience Be not dismaid neither fret nor repine at those crosses and troubles which befall thee in the way and course of thy calling considering God doth often exercise his own dearest children with many afflictions V. Let not thy particular calling too much incroach upon thy general The world is of an incroaching nature 'T is hard to converse with it and not come into bondage to it Worldly employments will be apt to justle out Spiritual duties if thou hast not a great care Now the true Christian should especially look to these two things 1. That his worldly businesse do not eat up and devour that time which should be set apart every day for communion with God and for the exercise of religions duties 2. That his worldly employments do not blunt the edge of his affections to Spiritual things Thou maist use the world but take heed of loving the world 1 John 2.15 16. Love not the world neither the things that are in the world if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of this world VI. Labour carefully to avoid the temptations that thy particular calling is most liable unto Every calling and condition of life hath its peculiar temptations And a great deal of care and Christian prudence is required to foresee them and avoid them that so we be not insnared with them VII In the mannaging of thy worldly affairs endeavour to carry a Heavenly mind Be often lifting up thy â—â—â—rt in Spiritual and Heavenly meditations Think how little it will profit thee if thou shouldst gain the whole world and loose thy soul Think how Godliness is profitable for all things having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 Remember thou art but a pilgrim and a stranger here upon earth Heaven is the proper Country of holy souls VIII When success crowns thy faithful endeavours in thy calling let God have all the Glory If thou speed well thrive and prosper sacrifice not to thy own net to thy wit parts industry or any second cause but ascribe the Glory wholly to him in whose hands alone it is to give successe 1 Thes 4.11 Study to be quiet and do your own businesse and to work with your own hands as we commanded you V. 12. That ye may walk honestly towards them that are without and that ye may have lack of nothing 2 Thes 3.11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly working not at all but are busie bodies V. 12. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ that with quietnesse they work and eat their own bread Prov. 18.9 He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a greaâ—â—aster Prov. 21.17 He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man he that loveth wine and Oil shall not be rich Prov. 28.19 He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough 1 Tim. 5.8 But if any provide not for his own and especially for those of his own house he hath denied the Faith and is worse than an Infidel Prov. 26.13 The slothful man saith there is a lion in the way a lion is in the streets V. 14. As the door turneth upon his hinges so doth the slothful upon his bed V. 15. The slothful hideth his hands in his bosom it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth V. 16. The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason Prov. 6.6 Go to the Ant thou sluggard consider her waies and be wise V. 7. Which having no guide overseer or ruler V. 8. Provideth her meat in the Summer and gathereth her food in the harvest V. 9. How long wilt thou sleep O sluggard when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep V. 10. Yet a little sleep a little slumber a little folding of the hands to sleep V. 11. So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth and thy want as an armed man Mat. 25.26 His Lord answered and said unto him thou wicked and slothful servant c. Psal 128.1 Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord that walketh in his waies V. 2. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands happy shalt thou be and it shall be well with thee Prov. 10.4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand but the hand of the diligent maketh rich Prov. 22.7 The rich ruleth over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender Prov. 31.27 She looketh well to the waies of her household and eateth not the bread of Idlenesse Eph. 4.28 Let him that stole steal no more but rather let him labour working with his hands the thing which is good that he may have to give to him that needeth CHAP. IX Concerning just dealing in Traffick Trading and Commerce OBserve a strict integrity and uprightness in all occasions of intercourse matters of traffick commerce and bargaining making Conscience to be true in thy words faithful in thy promises punctual in thy performances and in all things dealing justly and uprightly doing to others according to our Saviours Golden rule Luke 6.31 As thou wouldst that others should do to thee Mat. 7.12 Whatsoever ye would with a rectified judgment and an honest heart that men should do to you even so do ye to them for this is the Law and the Prophets In all contracts and acts of commerce with others 't is good to put our selves in their stead and to make frequent appeals to our own Consciences and to ask our selves Would I be thus dealt with Would I be content to have this measure measured to my self Should I if it were my own case think this fair dealing if used towards my self Paul saies Gal. 5.14 All the Law is fulfilled in one word that is all that part of the Law which concerns our duty towards man Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self This expression prescribes the manner of our love not the measure of it a parity or likenesse for kind not for degree or
bread of Idlenesse V. 28. Her children arise up and call her blessed her husband also and he praiseth her V. 29. Many daughters have done vertuously but thou excellest them all V. 30. Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised V. 31. Give her of the fruit of her hands and let her own works praise her in the gates CHAP. XII Of the Duties of Masters and Servants First Of the Duties of Masters MAsters ought to be careful of these things I. To instruct their Servants to inform them in the right knowledge of God and the things that concern their salvation To Catechize them to pray with them and for them to bring them to the publick Ordinances and cause them to observe the Lords Day To exhort them to private prayer and reading the Word and to be diligent and conscientious in their places c. Gen. 18.19 I know that my servant Abraham will teach his Family But of this I have spoken more in the Tenth Chapter of the Duties of Governours of Families II. To give them a good example A wife Carriage and a pious honest unblameable Conversation does much tend to the bettering of servants If the Master be a swearer a company keeper a prophaner of the Lords day have no prayers in his Family be a slighter and neglecter of Gods Worship and Service 't is madnesse for such an one to expect a sober Family III. To command them onely just and lawful things things equal as the Apostle speaks Col. 4.1 and to require of them only such service as they may well do with moderate care and industry and that which other servants of like condition with them usually perform A Master must not overtask his Servants nor oppress them with labours so that they shall have no time to bestow on their souls which is a ruling over them with rigour as 't is called Lev. 25.43 IV. To allow them wholsom fitting and sufficient food convenient rest and moderate refreshment that they may do their work with the more cheerfulnesse V. In time of sicknesse to take care that things necessary for their recovery be not wanting to them such as fitting Diet Physick and Attendance A Master at such a time is in place of a Parent Mat. 8.5 6 The Centurion went to Christ to heal his servant VI. To encourage them in well-doing by using them with that kindnesse and bounty which their Piety faithfulnesse and diligence deserves VII To admonish and reprove them when they do amisse and that not only in faults against themselves wherein few Masters are backward but also and more especially in faults against God whereat every Master ought to be more troubled than at those which tend only to his own losse or inconvenience The dishonour of God or the hazard of the meanest mans soul being infinitely more worthy our disquiet than any thing of the other kind can be Therefore when Masters or Mistresses are presently on fire for any little negligence and fault of a servant towards themselves and yet can without trouble see them run into great sins and miscarriages against God 't is a sign they consider their own concernments too much and Gods Honour and their servants souls too little But as 't is the duty of Masters to admonish and reprove their servants in case of fault so they must also look to do it in a due manner i. e. so as may be most likely to do good not in passion and rage which can never work the servant to any thing but the despising and hating of them Their rebukes must be just sparing moderate Eph 6 9. Forbearing threatning or moderating threatning as some render the Word They must reprove in such a sober and grave manner as may convince them of their faults and may plainly shew them that 't is love and good will to their souls and a desire of their amendment that makes them thus reprove them But if no warnings nor reproofs will restrain them from ill courses neither will they be corrected by words as 't is Prov. 29.19 then in due circumstances moderate correction of another sort may not be inexpedient VIII To listen to their just grievances and redresse them Job 31.13 If I did despise the cause of my man-servant or of my maid-servant when they contended with me v. 14. What then shall I do when God riseth up and when he visiteth what shall I answer him IX And Lastly to pay them their wages and justly to perform to them those conditions on which they were hired And that Masters may be the more careful and conscientious in these things let them consider 1. They have a Master in Heaven who is Omniscient righteous and just to whom they must give an account of the usage of their meanest servant on earth Eph. 6.9 And ye Masters do the same things to your servants farbearing threatning knowing that your Master also is in Heaven neither is there respect of persons with him Do the same things i. e. That which is good and right and shall be rewarded of the Lord. For Service give due recompense for good will in serving return good will by encouraging if Servants be faithful be ye good and gentle if they obey you in the Lord do ye command them in the Lord i. e. Only things just equal and pleasing to God 2. They and their Servants are of the same mould all of the earth as to the body and their Servants have reasonable souls capable of Grace here and Glory hereafter as well as they They should not therefore use them like slaves They should not carry themselves imperiously harshly churlishly and Nabal-like unto them 3. Those Servants that are truly gracious are Gods freemen and so fellow servants with their converted Masters in respect of God They are members of the same mystical body whereof Christ is the Head and may have a greater measure of Grace here and so a higher place in Heaven a greater degree of Glory hereafter than their Masters 4. And Lastly let them consider how easily God could have set them in their servants place and their servants in theirs And therefore let them give them such usage as themselves would think fit and reasonable had God disposed them into the condition of Servants Psal 101.2 I will behave my self wisely in a perfect way I will walk within my house with a perfect heart V. 6. Mine eies shall be upon the faithful of the Land that they may dwell with me he that walketh in a perfect way he shall serve me V. 7. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight Col. 4.1 Masters give unto your servants that which is just and equal knowing that ye also have a Master in Heaven Eph. 6 9. And ye Masters do the same things unto them forbearing threatning knowing that your Master also is in Heaven neither is there respect of
they must command them only lawful and reasonable things using their power and authority over them with equity and moderation and with a gentle hand In all things of moment they require of them let them consider the real good and benefit of their children and guide themselves by that and not meerly their own advantage or pleasure or the exercise of their own authority This is a Rule as one saies well whereof Parents may often have use but especially in the businesse of marrying their children wherein many Parents out of a covetous humour to bestow them wealthily have forc'd them to marry against their inclinations and where they could not love which is a horrible Tyranny and thereby have betrayed them to infinite mischiefs such as all the wealth in the world cannot repair There are two things therefore saies the same Author that Parents ought especially to consider in the matching of their children 1. That they may live Christianly and to that purpose to chuse a pious and vertuous person to link them with that may not be like to hinder but to further them on in the way to Heaven This ought principally and above all other things to be minded 2. That they may live comfortably and cheerfully in this world And to that end though a competency of estate may be necessary to be regarded yet surely abundance is not requisite and therefore that should not be too vehemently sought after That which much more tends to the happiness of that State is the mutual kindnesse and liking of the parties without which marriage is of all other the most uncomfortable condition therefore no Parent ought to force a child into it Eph. 6.4 And ye fathers provoke not your children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Col. 3.21 Fathers provoke not your children to anger lest they be discouraged 2 Cor. 12.14 For the children ought not to lay up for the Parents but the Parents for the children 1 Tim. 5.8 But if any provide not for his own especially for those of his own house he hath denied the faith and is worse then an Infidell Deut. 6.7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up Prov. 19.18 Chasten thy son while there is hope and let not thy soul spare for his crying Prov. 13.24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes Prov. 29.17 Correct thy son and he shall give thee rest yea he shall give delight unto thy soul Prov. 22.15 Foolishnesse is bound in the heart of a child but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him Prov. 10.1 A wise son maketh a glad father but a foolish son is the heavinesse of his mother Prov. 1.8 My son hear the instruction of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother Deut. 4.9 Onely take heed to thy self and keep thy soul diligently lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen and lest they depart from thy heart all the daies of thy life but teach them thy sons and thy Sons sons Duties of Children towards their Parents Children owe to their Parents these three duties especially 1. Reverence 2. Obedience 3. Thankfulnesse I. Reverence which they must expresse 1. By honouring them in their hearts bearing not only an awe and respect but a kindnesse and affection towards them loving their persons fearing to do any thing may justly provoke them and highly esteeming them as the instruments under God of their being Lev. 19.3 Ye shall fear every man his Mother and his Father The Mother is placed first because children though they stand most in need of their Mothers in their younger years yet when they are grown up many times do most wickedly neglect and despise them But how cursed a thing it is to set light by Parents and even in our secretest thoughts to despise them God himself declares Deut. 27.16 Cursed be he that setteth light by his Father or his Mother and all the people shall say Amen 2. By speaking to them with due respect and regard and to others of them What a heinous sin then is mocking Parents Prov. 30.17 The eye that mocketh at his Father and despiseth to obey his Mother the Ravens of the valley shall pick it out and the young Eagle shall eat it But there is a more horrid Crime than that which is cursing Parents Exod. 21.17 And he that curseth his Father or his Mother shall surely be put to death And to this Head we may refer that great and high offence that those wretched Children are guilty of who either through impatience of the Government or greedinesse of the possessions of their Parents do wish their deaths And let them not think to excuse themselves by saying they wish them in Heaven for that they do it not so much that they may have ease and rest at their journies end as because they must needs take death in the way But whoever does thus embrue his soul in bloudy wishes of his Parents death let him know there is one above that sees and observes that great wickedness And if long life be promised as a reward of honouring Parents 't is very agreeable to Divine Justice that untimely death be the punishment of the contrary And so they who so eagerly desire the death of their Parents take the direct course untimely to meet with their own 3. By giving them in their outward carriage all due respect and observance behaving themselves with humility towards them and giving them all those signs and expressions of civil honour which are to be paid by Inferiours to Superiours How contrary to this is that detestable sin of smiting Parents Exod. 21.15 And he that smiteth his Father or his Mother shall be surely put to death The punishment the Heathens inflicted on such unnatural children was to sew them in a sack with a dog cat viper and ape as emblems of unnaturalness and so drown'd them together So much doth the very Light of Nature abhor such monstrous undutifulness II. Obedience which they must manifest 1. By hearkning to their instructions and carefully laying up their precepts in their hearts especially those that concern the welfare of their Souls There is ordinarily such a pride and headinesse in youth that they are apt to slight the counsels and directions of their Elders and to look upon them as proceeding either from too much severity or from dotage when they are indeed the fruits of wisdom sobriety experience To such the counsell of Solomon is necessary Prov. 23.22 Hearken unto thy Father that begat thee and despise not thy Mother when she is old Many more Texts there are in that book to this purpose that shew how the wisest of men have thought it necessary that Children should carefully attend to the
Ministers sow Spirituals the people should not begrudge them if they reap some of their temporals 1 Cor. 9.14 God hath ordained that they that preach the Gospel should live upon the Gospel 'T is but just and reasonable that they who by undertaking that holy Calling are taken off from the waies of gaining a livelihood in the world shouâ—d be provided for by them whose souls they watch over And seeing the people receive Spiritual things from them viz. Instruction and Assistance towards the obtaining eternal life 't is agreeable both to reason and Scripture they should receive temporals from the people Yet this ought not to be a Ministers chief end and aim in setting his hand to this plow but to Glorifie God in the saving of Souls For what will it profit a Minister to gain his peoples Tithes and by negligence and carelesnesse to lose his peoples Souls Ministers are to be Lights to their Flocks and both by their Doctrine and life to shew them the way to Heaven What a horrible ingratitude and unworthinesse is it then in those men who endeavour to extinguish those Lights either by withdrawing the Oyl of maintenance or blowing them out with the wind of persecution Prov. 29.18 Where there is no vision the people perish Hos 4.6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge Jer. 3.15 And I will give you Pastours according to mine heart which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding Mal. 2.7 For the Priests lips should keep knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts Isa 30.20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more but thine eies shall see thy teachers Mat. 13.52 Then said he unto them therefore every Scribe which is instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a man which is an Housholder which bringeth forth out of his treasury things new and old Eph. 4.11 And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastours and Teachers V. 12. For the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ. 1 Cor. 12.28 And God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers after that miracles then Gifts of healings helps Governments diversities of Tongues 2 Cor. 3.6 Who hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit 2 Tim. 2.15 Study to shew thy self approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth Col. 1.28 Whom we preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus 1 Pet. 5.1 The Elders which are among you I exhort who am also an Elder and a witnesse of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the Glory that shall be revealed V. 2. Feed the Flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind V. 3. Neither as being Lords over Gods Heritage but being ensamples to the Flock Col. 4.17 And say to Archippus take heed to the Ministry which thou hast received from the Lord that thou fulfill it 1 Thes 2.4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel even so we speak not as pleasing men but God which trieth our hearts V. 5. For neither at any time used we flattering words as ye know nor a Cloak of Covetousness God is witness V. 6. Nor of men sought we Glory neither of you nor yet of others when we might have been burdensom as the Apostles of Christ V. 7. But we were gentle among you even as a Nurse cherisheth her Children V. 8. So being affectionately desirous of you we were willing to have imparted unto you not the Gospel of God only but also our own souls because ye were dear unto us V. 10. Ye are witnesses and God also how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved our selves among you that beleeve V. 11. As you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a Father doth his Children V. 12. That ye would walk worthy of God who hath called you unto his Kingdom Glory V. 13. For this cause also thank we God without ceasing because when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the Word of men but as it is in truth the Word of God which effectually worketh also in you that beleeve V. 19. For what is our hope or joy or Crown of rejoycing Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming V. 20. For ye are our Glory and Joy 1 Cor. 16.15 I beseech you Brethren ye know the house of Stephanas that it is the first fruits of Achaia and that they have addicted themselves to the Ministry of the Saints V. 16. That ye submit your selves unto such and to every one that helpeth with us and laboureth Heb. 13.17 Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give an account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you V. 24. Salute all them that have the rule over you and all the Saints They of Italy salute you 1 Tim. 5.17 Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour especially they who labour in the Word and Doctrine 2 Cor. 12.15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you though the more abundantly I love you the lesse I be loved 1 Cor. 9.7 Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges Who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof or who feedeth a Flock and eateth not of the milk of the flock V. 8. Say I these things as a man or saith not the Law the same also V. 9. For it is written in the Law of Moses thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the Corn. V. 11. If we have sown unto you Spiritual things Is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnall things V. 13. Do ye not know that they which minister about Holy things live of the things of the Temple and they which wait at the Altar are partakers with the Altar V. 14. Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel Rom. 15.27 For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their Spiritual things their duty is also to minister to them in carnal things Gal. 6.6 Let him that is taught in the Word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things V. 7. Be not deceived God is not mocked whatsoever a man sowes that shall he reap c. Mat.
But if he shall not hear thee then take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established V. 17. And if he shall neglect to hear them tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to hear the Church let him be unto thee as an Heathen man and a Publican CHAP. XVII Of the Duties of the Rich and Poor First Of those that concern the Rich. I Cannot better begin this Chapter than by setting down that strict charge the Apostle directs Timothy to give to rich men in 1 Tim 6.17 18 19. Charge them that are rich in this world He saies not intreat or perswade them but charge them charge it upon their Consciences that they be not high minded nor trust in uncertain riches but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy V. 18. That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate V. 19. Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life From this and other Scriptures we may gather that the duties that concern the rich are these following I. They ought to look to it and be especially careful that they be really religious and truly Godly They have many great engagements to it God hath dealt bountifully with them The things of this world serve them and flow in unto them When poor people must take pains and work hard to earn their bread before they eat it They have their Tables spread to their hands God hath raised them above many of their Brethren and therefore they ought to honour love and obey him from whose bounty alone they receive all their plenty And as they have greater engagements so they have greater opportunities and advantages to be religious than others have They may spend more time upon their souls than poor people can They have more leisure if they have hearts so to employ it to attend the means of Grace and to work out their salvation They should consider though they are rich in this world yet there is another world that is to be look'd after Though they enjoy the good things of this life yet there is a life to come which must be car'd for Though they are encreas'd with worldly goods yet if they have all their portion here they are most miserable Seeing 't is well with them here on earth their main design should be to secure their state in Grace and their title to Heaven They should above all things be careful to lay hold on eternal life This life they cannot hold nor their riches estates and possessions here They should therefore lay hold on that which they may hold and which will never fail them They should be so wise as to take the right course to be heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven that when they must bid farewell to this life and their estates here they may enter upon that glorious inheritance And yet strange it is to see how this one thing absolutely necessary is neglected by far the greater part of them that are rich in this world In those places where Silver and Gold are found they say there groweth neither grasse nor plant nor other thing that is any thing worth Many rich mens hearts are as barren of true Piety as those countries are of grasse Job speaking of such saies Chap. 21.13 They spend their daies in wealth and in a moment go down to the grave v. 14. Therefore they say unto God depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy waies v. 15. What is the Almighty that we should serve him and what profit should we have if we pray unto him 'T is grown almost into a Proverb a little Religion goes far in a rich man or Gentleman How do such persons usually bless themselves in a few formal outward performances of religious duties And if they live not in the grosse defilements and pollutions of the world but are of a fair and civil conversation as to men how easily can they dispense with themselves from engaging in the stricter and more serious parts of Religion Nay those things wherein the life and power of Godlinesse consists are too often matter of their scorn and slighted and neglected by them as more ado than needs And thus it often happens that they that have fulnesse of estate have leannesse of soul as 't is Psal 106.15 And they that are well provided for in this life take no due care to provide for eternity not to lay up for themselves a good foundation against the time to come 1 Tim. 6.19 They that should be examples of Piety and goodnesse to those among whom they live and by their power wealth and greatnesse should countenance and promote the power of Godlinesse prove many times the greatest discouragers of it Solomon observed this as a sore evil under the Sun Eccles 5.13 Riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt And not only for their hurt but the hurt of many others round about them Many could never have been such great sinners and dishonourers of God if they had not had so great estates II. They ought to be exceeding thankful unto God The more God hath bestowed upon them the greater is their debt of thankfulnesse and the greater is their duty of obedience If the Lord hath lifted them up if he hath shined upon their Tabernacle and given them power to get wealth as 't is Deut. 8.28 Let them not sacrifice to their own net to their own wit or wisdom their own labour or industry but thankfully acknowledge his favour whose blessing maketh rich Prov. 10.23 Let them consider Promotion cometh neither from the East nor from the West nor from the South but from above Psal 75.6 7. 'T is reported of one of the Kings of France that he was wont to say that many thousands no doubt were born on the same day he was yet not one of them born to be a King but himself which he noted as a free favour of Divine Providence to him in that he was born to the Honour and Happinesse of a Kingdom when at the same time many others were born to mean conditions some possibly to beggery and want 'T is God alone that sets up one and puls down another He gives power riches and estate to one man and sets another in a mean condition And therefore those whom he is pleased to blesse with a rightful possession of riches should be exceeding thankful and constantly remember who hath made them in this to differ from others Gods impost on all his blessings is thankfulnesse If we neglect to pay this impost the commodity is forfeit God can quickly blow upon and blast all our blessings if we be unthankful as 't is Mal. 2.2 If ye will not hear and if ye will not lay it to heart to give Glory unto my Name saith the Lord of
have many a curse Prov. 11.24 There is that scattereth and yet encreaseth and there is that withholdeth more thanis meet but it tendeth to poverty Prov. 21.13 Whoso stoppeth his eares at the cry of the poor he also shall cry himself but shall not be heard I come now to speak of the Duties belonging to the poor Poverty hath its dangers evils and temptations as well as riches and abundance And there are Duties belonging to those that are poor as well as to the rich and they are these that follow I. They ought to take heed of murmuring or repining against God and to be well-pleased and contented with the condition and station wherein he hath placed them We are Gods Creatures and he hath a right to do with us what he will 1 Sam. 2.7 The Lord maketh poor maketh rich he bringeth low and lifteth up And who art thou O man that repliest against God Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus Hath not the potter power ever the clay of the same lump to make one vessel to honour and another to dishonour c. As the Apostle reasons Rom. 9.20 21. Let not the poor therefore murmure against Gods dealing with them but labour to be well satisfied with their Lot Let them not compare their condition with those they count more prosperous and happy than themselves but rather with them they see more miserable And then they will have cause to blesse God for their own portion Let them pray earnestly to the Lord for that great blessing of a contented mind without which the wealthiest condition is very uneasie and irksom and with which the poorest is pleasing and delightful I have learned saith Paul Phil. 4.11 12 13. in whatever state I am therewith to be content I know how to be abased and I know how to abound every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and to suffer need I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me II. They ought to be very humble With their low condition they should carry a lowly mind They should give due respect to those whom God hath set above them in the world and from whom they receive benefit There are some poor people that have as ugly a pride and insolency of Spirit in them as is to be found any where among men There is a leathern pride and a russet insolency 't is not alwaies couch'd under gorgeous apparel But surely those whom God hath made low in this world should be lowly in their own eies They should labour to be poor in Spirit deeply sensible of their spiritual wants and then there is a great blessednesse belongs unto them Mat. 5.3 Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven The rich must be thus poor if they intend to come to Heaven III. They should be diligent and painful in their Callings The Apostles Charge is 2 Thes 3.10 That they that will not work should not eat Idlenesse and lazinesse is the sin of many poor people If they would work they might eat their own bread and not be chargeable to any A poor man to whom God giveth health and industry to get his living â—is possest of a great treasure and a stock yielding him daily rent The labour that gets him bread gets him also an appetite to eat it and sleep to refresh him when he is weary and health to continue his labour Eccles 5.12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet whether he eat little or much but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep His many Children give him lesse care then few Children to the rich and less trouble to provide for them For in rich mens houses the Charge groweth alwaies as the Children grow In poor families that live by labour the Charge growes lesse as the Children grow up The Sons serve the Father in his work the Daughters spin by their Mother Their portion is their Trade and Labour by which with Gods blessing they live comfortably IV. They should be frugal not presently as soon as ever they have got a little money going to the Ale-house and drinking it away as too many do but should lay it up to supply their necessities And they should be carefull and provident to improve the opportunities that God puts into their hands As in such times when work is plenty and provisions cheap they should then lay up something against a time of need and not slacken their industry and grow slothful nor be proud and scornful lavishing out all they get on their backs and bellies and so when work is scarce provisions dear and sickness comes they suffer want through their own improvidence and become burdensom to others V. Above all things they ought to be exceeding careful of the welfare of their souls and very diligent to work out their salvation And now O all ye that are poor in this world Come and let us reason together Your outward condition in this life 't is confess'd is mean and poor and possibly you cannot expect it will be much mended yet lift up your hearts and comfort your selves with this consideration you are as capable of the Kingdom of Heaven and the Glory of the world to come as any others if you through your own folly and negligence be not wanting to your selves Here possibly with all your labour you cannot raise your selves to any considerable estates He would be a welcome man unto you that could direct you how in an honest and just way by using due care and industry you might attain a hundred pounds a year How diligently would you listen to his advice and how earnestly and punctually observe his Directions Now therefore come on and consider seriously whether it will not be an extream folly and madnesse in you having so golden an opportunity in your hands of attaining not sosmal a matter as a hundred pounds a year but a Kingdom a glorious and never-fading Kingdom to continue in your ignorance stubbornnesse ungodlinesse slighting the Directions that are given you for the attaining thereof and wilfully neglecting and disregarding the means of Grace And so after you have lived a poor life here to be everlastingly miserable hereafter From a poor Cottage to go down to a dungeon of darknesse to a lake of fire and brimstone there to be tormented with the Devil and his Angels for ever You think may be because you are poor and not book learn'd that God will require little of you But do not flatter and delude your selves God will require of you according to the means of Grace he affords you Though you are ignorant would not your Minister instruct you Or have you no neighbours that you may ask and learn the way of Salvation from Do you think you are exempted from seeking after knowledg from Family duties from a conscionable constant attendance on the
drink nor yet for your body what ye shall put on is not the life more than meat and the body than raiment V. 26. Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not neither do they reap nor gather into barns yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them Are ye not much better than they V. 27. Which of you by taking thought can add one Cubit unto his stature V. 28. And why take ye thought for raiment consider the Lilies of the field how they grow they toyl not neither do they spin V. 29. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his Glory was not arrayed like one of these V. 30. Wherefore if God so cloath the grasse of the field which to day is and to morrow is cast into the Oven shall he not much more cloath you Oh ye of little Faith V 31. Therefore take no thought saying What shall we eat Or what shall we drink Or wherewithall shall we be cloathed V. 33. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you V. 34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of it self sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof See more Scriptures to this purpose pag. 215. CHAP. XVIII Of the Duties of the Young and Old First Of those that concern the younger sort ALL young persons should consider that it is their duty and high concernment to endeavour to be really good and truly religious betimes In order hereunto I shall 1. Lay down some Reasons and Arguments to presse them to it 2. Answer such Objections and labour to remove such prejudices as are conceiv'd against it 3. Give some Directions to them who are willing to be advis'd herein There are many weighty Reasons and Arguments to perswade them to it I. God now invites them to it Eccles 12.1 Remember now thy Creatour in the daies of thy youth c. And let them consider 1. God hath no need of them but they have need of him and cannot possibly be happy without him 2. He is willing to be reconcil'd to them if they will turn to him though for their sins he might justly destroy them 3. He offers them better terms and conditions if they will serve him then they can possibly have any where else either in the service of sin or Satan Rom. 6.21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed for the end of those things is death The two genuine and natural fruits of sin are shame and death Is it not then an intollerable indignity and affront put upon the great God of Heaven and Earth for any to refuse to serve him who offers them so fair terms and to continue in the Devils slavery who they know intends the ruine both of their souls and bodies II. Delaies are exceeding dangerous 1. Life is uncertain Prov. 27.1 Boast not thy self of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth Young men may reckon upon years when possibly they have not moneths to live Consider how quick God is with some cutting them off in their sins Time is precious Redeem it for on this moment depends Eternity 2. Grace is uncertain 'T is not in mans power to have Grace when he will The Spirit of God will not alwaies strive with the children of men To day and while it is call'd to day hear his voice Psal 95.7 And harden not your hearts Gather the Manna while it fals come in while the door of Grace stands open Take heed of being like Esau coming too late for a blessing 3. The longer thou delayest the more unfit unable and indisposed thou wilt be to return Now thy parts are fresh and thy affections vigorous If thou wilt enter thy self into the School of Christ now what a great deal of knowledge and Grace and spiritual experience maist thou attain unto What a good Scholar a good proficient maist thou be But if thou delayest then consider in what a sad condition thou art 1. Sin will be every day more and more hardning thy heart and stupifying thy Conscience and so will make thy return the more difficult Now may be thou hast some tenderness of Conscience Thou wilt quickly lose it if thou refusest to hearken to Gods call 2. The world and the cares of this life will more and more engage and intangle thy Affections If thou givest not thy self to God while young before thou art much engaged in the cares and businesses of this life 't is very hazardous whether the world will not carry away thy heart and whether thou maist not lose thy soul in an eager pursuit of these outward things 3. The Devil will get stronger possession Every soul is either Gods Temple or the Devils house 'T will be hard to cast Satan out where he hath had many years possession The longer any go on in sin the greater power God permits the Devil to have over them 4. The longer thou delayest the more thou provokest God to give thee up to thy own hearts lusts and to leave thee to thy self 'T was a sad word Isa 6.10 Go and make the heart of this people fat and shut their eies lest they see with their eies and hear with their eares and understand with their heart and convert and be healed God may justly refuse to hearken to thee when thou callest for mercy who wouldst not before hearken to the call of his Grace The Spirit of God after many repulses may go away aggrieved God may smite thee with stupidity and senslessenesse that great Spiritual judgment And then what will become of thee And besides dost thou think that any man whose wise should be false to him and run away from him and follow after strangers in her younger time would receive her at last in her old age Why wilt thou think then to deal so with God Upon the whole matter then if thou art not converted and dost really turn to God when young 't is a hundred to one whether ever thou be converted or no. 'T is rarely seen that men habituated and long accustomed to sin do ever change their black skins as the Reverend Mr. Burgess well observes III. Consider whether there be any part of a mans life wherein he may reasonably think he has a liberty to serve the Devil If not why wilt thou not speedily turn to God Why should not thy youth be consecrated unto him As long as thou remainest unconverted and in the state of Nature thou art doing the Devil service And who would serve such a Master IV. Consider There are many great advantages that will come unto thee by turning to God betimes 1. Multitude of sins and sorrows will be hereby prevented Those that get bruises and strains when young feel them when they grow old O what anguish and pain of Conscience have they that have lived long in sin and committed great ones
his appearing CHAP. XIX Directions to the Healthy and to the Sick LET such as enjoy health of body the right use of their understandings entirenesse of limbs and senses humbly blesse God for so great a mercy Few people value their health enough 'T is an ancient saying He that is in health is rich and knowes it not Want would teach us the worth of mercies Let such therefore often call to mind and consider how many distracted diseased maimed deformed people there are in the world and 't is Gods peculiar mercy that they are not such or worse Let this consideration make them very humble and thankful Let them be often lifting up their hearts to the Lord and saying with holy David What shall I render to the Lord for all his Benefits towards me Psal 116.12 Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy Name Blesse the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits Psal 103.1 2. Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give glory Psal 115.1 And let their main care be in time of health to work out their Salvation to secure their state in Grace and their title to Glory and to lay a good foundation against the time of sickness 'T is sad exceeding sad when a dying person is then to be instructed in those Graces he should now exercise He that prepares not for death before his last sickness as one saies well is like him that begins to study Philosophy when he is going to dispute publickly in the faculty In health while a man has a right and steady use of his reason before the Acts of his understanding are disturbed with pain or his mind clouded or his heart annoyed with fear and amazement he should apply himself to learn this great Art and Skill how to die well Let the following Directions therefore that are given to the sick be carefully minded and regarded by them that are in health To turn to God in health to seek reconciliation with him in and through Christ to devote and consecrate our hearts then to him to walk in a steady course of sincere obedience before him and to do all this out of judgment and choice out of love to God and a desire to please him before death seem to make any neer approach unto us will be a huge argument of sincerity and a great foundation of comfort when sickness attaches us Whereas they that are negligent and carelesse of these things must needs run themselves upon such desperate hazards and such great incertainties that a wise and considering man would not for all the world be in their condition Directions to the Sick There is hardly any thing wherein a Minister is at a greater losse than what to say to sick persons the condition of most being such that they need a serious awakening and rouzing out of the deep sleep of carnal security and to be made sensible of the great danger they are in as to their everlasting state But while we do this the sick party and those that attend are apt to think we go about to drive them to despair not understanding the true nature thereof For to despair I mean utterly and finally is this when a man shall conclude that his sins are greater than cna be forgiven that God is irreconcileable to him and therefore 't is in vain to set himself to repent or humble his soul or turn from his sins but seeing his condition is desperate resolves to go on in his former course to enjoy the pleasures of sin here while he may have them seeing when this life is done nothing remaines for him but certain damnation Such a man as this may be truly said to despair But for any person to be so awakened as to see himself for the present in a lost condition and under the wrath and curse of God by reason of his sins to see his own utter inability to help himself to be enquiring and earnestly sollicitous what he must do to be saved to have his heart full of doubts and fears and troubles concerning the state of his soul this is such a despair as is usually the forerunner of a saving conversion And therefore for people that have spent their time in sin and vanity in ignorance and worldlinesse in living to themselves and to the flesh and have never felt any work of Grace upon their hearts nor ever have been truly humbled under an apprehension of the evil and danger of their sins to expect a Minister should speak comfort to them is to desire to be sooth'd and flattered to their own destruction The Directions therefore I think needful for sick persons are these following I. Let them consider that no sicknesse disease or distemper of body comes by chance but by the wise and orderly guidance of the hand of God that 't is his messenger and sent by him unto them And therefore let them hear the rod and who hath appointed it Micah 6.9 II. Let them set themselves before the Tribunal of Christ before whom they may for ought they know shortly appear And let them consider he is a Judge that cannot be deceived nor will be mocked That he is just as well as merciful righteous as well as gracious and all their sins original and actual of omission of commission against the Law and against the Gospel against mercies against judgments against promises and vowes of better obedience all their sinfull thoughts and sinfull affections and motions of their hearts all their sinful words and sinfull actions with the several aggravations of all these are known unto him yea their secretest sins are set in the light of his countenance III. Let them seriously examine themselves and put these six questions home to their Consciences First What abiding sense they have had upon their hearts in the whole course of their lives of their own vilenesse and wretchednesse by nature the odiousnesse and defilement of their sins their just desert of wrath their natural impotency and inability to good their pronenesse to evil Whether they have ever been deeply sensible of the darknesse of their minds stubbornnesse of their wils deceitfulnesse of their hearts inordinatenesse of their affections sinfulnesse of their practise If they have what effects has the consideration of these things produced what sorrow what fear has been stirred in them What course has it put them upon for remedy What industry have they used what pains have they taken to be delivered out of this miserable estate Let their Consciences have liberty to speak freely to them and to tell them the truth whether ever they have been affected in any considerable degree with these things or no. Secondly Whether they ever rightly apprehended what are the conditions of the new Covenant the Covenant of Grace Most will grant Repentance towards God and Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ are necessary to salvation but then their apprehensions and conceptions are different
disposition in every man We are very prone to harden when the storm is over 3. Let them renew often upon their souls the remembrance of the sharpness and bitterness of their afflictions Let them call to mind their sad discourses and reasonings their fears and tremblings the mis-givings of heart and sad apprehensions they had in time of their distresse Let them remember their aptnesse to impatience and to hard thoughts of God Let them recall how happy they thought those that were free from their troubles and paines These remembrances kept alive will make them humble and thankful 4. Let them remember their vowes and promises made to God in time of their sicknesse and distresse Let them labour to be such out of sicknesse as they promised God themselves and possibly others they would be when they were in it The Emperor Sigismond demanded of King Alphonsus what was the directest course to be happy Perform saies he when thou art well what thou promisedst when thou wert sick 'T is very remarkable what is recorded of the mariners Jonah 1.15 16. And the Sea ceased from her raging then the men feared the Lord exceedingly and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord and made vowes Then when the Sea ceased here is the wonder Had they made vowes in the midst of the tempest the matter had not been great but now when the tempest was over then to make vowes is worthy of our observation and worthy of our imitation One vow made and kept after the tempest is worth a thousand promised in the same 5. Let them pity and pray for those that are under affliction Lord teach them as well as correct them that they may be blessed let them come forth out of affliction as Gold purified seven times let them lose nothing in that furnace but their drosse let them be purified from their sins and purged from their iniquities strengthen their Faith and Patience and in thy due time if it be for thy Glory and their good vouchsafe them a gracious deliverance Psal 119.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have kept thy Word V. 71. It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy Statutes Isa 27.9 By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin Zach. 13. ult And I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as Gold is tried they shall call on my Name and I will hear them I will say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God Heb. 12.11 Now no chastning for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous neverthelesse afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse unto them which are exercised thereby Prov. 24.10 If thou faint in the day of adversity thy strength is small Rev. 13.10 Here is the patience and the Faith of the Saints Heb. 6.12 Be ye followers of them who through Faith and patience inherit the promises Psal 9.10 And they that know thy Name will put their trust in thee for thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee Lam. 3.26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. V. 27. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth Psal 146.5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God Psal 56.3 What time I am afraid I will trust in thee Psal 112.7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. 2 Cor. 5.6 Therefore we are alwaies confident knowing that whilst we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. V. 7. For we walk by Faith not by sight John 18.11 The cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it Luke 21.19 In your patience possesse ye your souls Job 13.15 Though he slay me yet will I trust in him 2 Chron. 16.12 And Asa in the nine and thirtieth year of his reign was diseased in his feet untill his disease was exceeding great yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord but to the Physitians Psal 41.4 I said Lord be merciful unto me heal my soul for I have sinned against thee Psal 107.17 Fools because of their transgression and because of their iniquities are afflicted Neh. 9.33 Howbeit thou art just in all that thou hast brought upon us for thou hast done right but we have done wickedly Psal 119.75 I know O Lord that thy judgments are right and that thou in faithfulnesse hast afflicted me Micah 7.9 I will hear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him Hab. 3.2 O Lord in wrath remember mercy Job 34.31 Surely it is meet to be said unto God I have born chastisement I will not offend thee any more Psa 94.12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest O Lord and teachest him out of thy Law Job 34.32 That which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more Heb. 12.6 For whom the Lord loveth he chastneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth Prov. 3.12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth even as a Father the son in whom he delighteth Rev. 3.19 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent 2 Cor. 4.16 For which cause we faint not but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day V. 18. While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal Psal 41.1 Blessed is he that considereth the poor the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble V. 3. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of his languishing thou wilt make all his bed in his sicknesse 2 Chron. 32.24 In those daies Hezekiah was sick to the death and prayed unto the Lord and he spake unto him and he gave him a sign V. 25. But Hezekiah rendred not again according to the benefit done unto him for his heart was lifted up therefore there was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem Jonah 2.6 Thou hast brought up my life from corruption O Lord my God V. 7. When my soul fainted within me I remembred the Lord and my prayer came in unto thee into thine holy Temple V. 9. I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving I will pay that that I have vowed salvation is of the Lord. Psal 50.14 Offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows unto the most High Psal 66.13 I will go into thy House with burnt offerings I will pay thee my vows V. 14. Which my lips have uttered and my mouth hath spoken when I was in trouble Psal 56.12 Thy vows are upon me O God I will render praises unto
thee Psal 116.13 What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me V. 13. I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord. V. 14. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people CHAP. XX. Of the Four last things Death Judgement Hell Heaven I. Of Death ONE of the main businesses of our life should be to prepare for death In order hereunto observe these directions First Meditate often and seriously on thy death and dissolution even in time of thy health Joseph of Arimathea made his Sepulchre in his garden that in the midst of his delights he might think of death Often retire and take thy self alone and walk in the valley of the shadow of death Do not start from the thoughts of it Do by thy soul when thou findest it shy of such meditations as we do by our horses that are given to boggle and start when we ride them when they fly back and start at a thing in the way we do not yield to their fear and go back that will make them worse another time but we ride them up close to that they are afraid of and so in time break them of that ill quality So do thou bring up thy heart and inure it to look upon death and to handle that Serpent Consider death is making its approaches to thee and may be upon thee before thou art aware O therefore prepare for it that when it comes and attaches thee thou maist be found in such a gracious state with such a frame of Spirit and walking in such a holy way of life that thou maist bid it welcom and be able to say with blessed Paul I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ The frequent meditation of death will be an excellent means 1. To quicken thy soul to a deep humiliation and repentance for thy past sins 2. To represse the eager and insatiable desire of riches and the love of this world 3. To antidote thee against sin for time to come 4. To make thee improve time and carefully to work out thy salvation Think often of death and it will keep worse company from thee Secondly Labour to take away from thy own death the power and strength thereof The Philistims seeing Sampson so exceeding strong laboured to know wherein his power and strength principally consisted and when they understood it to lie in the hair of his head they ceased not till it was cut Consider therefore wherein the strength of death lies The Spirit of God teacheth us that in 1 Cor. 15.56 The sting of death is sin The power and force and sting of every mans particular death lies in his own sins Death cannot hurt us but by the force of our own sins A man may safely handle a Serpent when the sting is out If death be disarmed of its sting and poyson it cannot hurt us It concerns us therefore to use effectual means that our sins may be removed and pardoned and to labour before we die to abolish the strength of death Now the way to do this is 1. To humble our souls unfeignedly before the Lord and to repent of all our sins 2. To fly to Christ and to close with him for pardon and Grace 3. In the strength of his Grace to amend our lives and to walk in the waies of holinesse The sting of death is taken away by Christ Jesus as to all real converts and true believers so that it cannot hurt them nay will be an advantage to them It will be only a dark and short passage to a glorious Palace to the blisseful mansions above So that they may triumph as Paul did O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory Thanks be to God who giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. But now to all impenitent unpardoned sinners how deadly how incurable is the sting of death Death is death with a witnesse and Hell into the bargain to them that die in their sins No sight in the world more dreadful than to see a dying sinner with his Conscience newly awakened conflicting with death and sin and the Law and Gods Curse together O how sad how intollerably sad is it to see a man that hath gone on in a long carelesse obstinate course of sinning now at the point of death to have his eies first opened and to see himself on the brink of the dreadful pit unavoidably falling into the lake of fire and brimstone To such a person death brings its poysoned arrow and executes him with its venemous sting Thirdly Give all diligence in this life to lay hold on eternal life 1 Tim. 6.12 That is to enter into the first degree of life eternal Eternal life may be look'd upon under three considerations As Initial as Partial as Perfectional 1. The eternal life initial is that which is obtained in this life and is an earnest of that which is to follow 'T is the life of Grace Of this our Saviour spake Joh. 5.24 Verily verily I say unto you he that heareth my Word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life And Joh. 3.36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life 2. The Partial life eternal is that which belongeth though to the nobler yet but to a part of man namely to the Soul The happinesse which the Souls of Saints enjoy between the time of their death and the last day is the partial life eternal 3. The Perfectional life eternal is that which shall be conferred on the Saints immediatly after the blessed reunion of their souls and bodies and that gracious sentence pronounc'd come ye blessed of my Father receive the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world So that we see we must in this world enter into the first degree of eternal life if ever we intend to be partakers of the other two We must be raised from the death of sin to the life of grace We must as the Apostle speaks Col. 1.13 Be delivered from the power of darknesse and translated into the Kingdom of our blessed Saviour We must with Paul be able to say Gal. 2.20 I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me i. e. By his Spirit guides and governs my will affections and all the powers both of my soul and body Whoever would be saved when he is dead must begin to be saved while he is living We must begin to live that blessed and eternal life before we die Fourthly Inure thy self to die to this world and the enjoyments of it every day more and more Paul tels us he died daily 1 Cor. 15.31 If we would learn to do so it would not be so hard to die when we come to it in good earnest Death is not so strong to him whose natural strength has been wasted with a long pining sicknesse as to
into their Masters joy As the tree falleth so it lieth There is no change to be wrought in man within those flames no purgation of his sins no sanctification of his Nature no justification of his person and therefore no salvation for him Without the mediation of Christ no man shall ever enter into Heaven And when he hath delivered up the Kingdom unto God even the Father then shall the office of the Mediator cease The condition then of the damned is unalterable their condemnation irreversible their torments remediless their miseries eternal See Mr. Manton's excellâ—nt Comment on Jude p. 430. The Reasons hereof are conceived by Divines to be these 1. Because of the greatnesse of the Majesty against whom they have sinned We are finite creatures and so not fit to judge of the nature of an offence against an infinite God The Law-giver best knowes the merit of sin which is the transgression of his Law 2. With man offences of a quick execution are judged to deserve a long punishment and the continuance of the penalty is not measured by the continuance of the Act of sinning therefore no wonder if it be so with God 3. The damned sinned here as long as they could if they had to eternity been allowed to live they would have improved it altogether in sin They would have dallied with God longer grieved his Spirit longer had they lived longer yea dispositively and in respect of their inclinations did so In Hell the desire of sinning is not extinguished nor mortified The damned have not their hearts there changed 4. They despised an eternal happinesse therefore do justly suffer an eternal torment 5. Their obligations to God are infinite and their punishment ariseth according to the greatnesse of their obligations against which they sin'd As the damned therefore shall not be taken from their punishment by annihilation or destruction of their persons so their punishment shall not be taken off from them by any compassion shewed unto them III. We come to consider the dreadfulnesse of the infernal torments Hell is set forth unto us in the Scriptures under sundry dreadful notions viz. By the worm that never dieth and the fire that never goeth out by a lake of fire and brimstone by outer darkness and blackness of darknesse for ever That which is most intelligible concerning the woful state of the damned I conceive may be reduced to these four Heads 1. They shall be tormented with the pain of losse in being for ever banished from the presence of God and the joyes of Heaven 2 Thes 2.9 Being punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power 2. With the pain of sense inflicted on them by the wrath of God which abideth on them represented to us by a lake of fire In this life if his anger be but kindled a little and a spark of it fly into the Conscience the poor creature is at his wits end But how dreadful will their portion be against whom he stirreth up his fierce wrath Who knowes the power of his anger Ps 90.11 We that cannot endure the gripes of the Cholick the paines of the stone or a violent tooth-ach how can we think of enduring the paines and torments of Hell 3. They shall be tormented with the worm of Conscience that is with a cutting reflexion upon and remembrance of their former enjoyments and by past pleasures Luke 16 2â— Son remember thou in thy life time hadst thy good things or when Conscience shall repeat over the passages of their lives past and set before them their precious time wasted and mispent opportunities of Grace sleighted the folly of their own choice their turning their backs upon eternal life offered in the Gospel their grosse neglect of their souls their eager pursuit of sensual satisfactions their disregarding admonitions stifling convictions quenching the motions of the Spirit of God hating to be reformed O these will be sad woful sad remembrances The scourges of Conscience we meet with here are too great a price for the short pleasure of a brutish lust O then what a raging pain will such reflections as these cause hereafter What will they do that are tormented day and night for ever and ever 4. As they will have a sharp sense and feeling of their present woful state and a bitter discontent and vexation that by their own folly they brought it upon themselves so they will be tormented with despair of ever coming out of it They will see they must continue for ever in this remediless condition under an everlasting pain of loss because there is no hope of Heaven under an eternal pain of sense because there is no meanes to appease the wrath of God which abideth on them And this despair of ever coming out is the very Hell of Hells O wo and alas 't is for ever for ever they must be tormented Drexellius a learned Authour writing upon this Argument hath this awakening passage If God saith he should speak thus to a damned soul let the whole world be filled with sand from the earth to the Empyrean Heaven and then let an Angel come every thousand year and fetch only one grain from that mighty sandy mountain and when that immeasurable heap is so spent and so many thousand years expired I will deliver thee out of Hell and those extream torments That most miserable forlorn wretch notwithstanding that he were to lie through that unconceiveable length of time in those intollerable hellish torments yet upon such a promise would infinitely rejoyce and deem himself not to be damned But alas when all those years are gone there are thousands upon thousands more to be endured even through all Eternity O sad and woful condition O Eternity Eternity Eternity This word ever breaks the heart O Lord to depart from thee for ever to lose the sight and fruition of thy pleased countenance to be hurled down among devils and damned fiends into a lake of fire and brimstone to be alwaies burning yet never consumed ever dying yet never dissolv'd alwaies gnawed upon by the worm of Conscience yet never devoured alwaies gnashing the teeth weeping howling vexing without any glimpse of hope or one drop of comfort What heart can think on these things without splitting in pieces O Lord whatever thou deniest me for this life whatever shall be my lot and portion here yet deny me not I humbly beseech thee the effectual assistance of thy Grace to enable me to work out my salvation to enable me unfeignedly to repent of all my sins and forsake them and to give up my soul to Christ Jesus for pardon and life that by him I may be justified and sanctified and saved from this dreadful wrath to come Even so let it be O Heavenly Father for thy rich mercy and my sweet Saviours merits sake I shall conclude this discourse of Hell with a few serious meditations Let us consider 1. How great how inexcusable
be punished in another or he that pleased God in his own flesh should see God with other eyes 'T is also contrary to the very nature of the resurrection for a resurrection is when the same body that dieth riseth again Otherwise it is rather a new Creation than a resurrection As therefore the body of Christ after his resurrection was the same for substance though much more excellent and glorious so shall the bodies of the Saints be at their resurrection If any shall ask how a resurrection is possible I answer to Angels or men this is impossible but to an all-knowing God whose wisdom is infinite and to an almighty God whose power is illimited this is very possible It shall be done according to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself As the Apostle speaks Phil. 3.21 He by whom the very haires of our heads and the sands of the sea are all numbred knoweth all the scattered bones knoweth what dust belongeth to each body And as his all-seeing eye observeth every particle of dissolved and corrupted man so doth he also see and know all waies and meanes by which those scattered parts should be united by which this ruin'd fabrick should be re-compos'd Though the parts of the body of man be dissolved yet they perish not They are laid up in the secret places and lodged in the Chambers of Nature and 't is no more a contradiction that they should become the parts of the same body of man again to which they did once belong than that after his death they should become the parts of any other body as we see they do And moreover we see by experience that our most curious glasses are made by art even of Ashes Cannot then the all knowing and Omniscient God raise mens bodies out of Ashes 'T is as easie for God to distinguish between dust and dust and to give to every man his own dust as it is for a Gardiner that hath divers seeds in his hand to sever them and know them one from another A skilful Alchimist can extract one metal from another much more can God Allmighty distinguish and separate one dust from another As it was therefore only an Omnipotent power which could mould the first dust of which man was made into an humane body and breath into the nostrils of it the breath of life so the same power can still make of the dust returning from the bodies of men unto the earth humane bones and flesh For the Apostle tels us in the place before mentioned that he is able to subdue all things unto himself And further the Scripture tels us that Christ by vertue of the dominion he obtain'd at his resurrection must reign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death Now there is no destruction of death but by a general resurrection Christ is the Lord of the dead and so hath a right by that dominion to raise them all to life 1 Cor. 15.22 For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive I shall conclude this with those two famous places John 5.28 Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice V. 29. And shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation Acts 24.15 And have hope towards God which they themselves also allow that there shall be a resurrection of the dead both of the just and the unjust Well then seeing there will be a Resurrectâ—on Here possibly some will enquire what transformations and changes Christ will make in the bodies of the Saints at the last day I answer That day being to be as it were the marriage day between Christ and his Saints he will endow their bodies with glorious qualities as well as their souls For he assumed their bodies as well as their souls suffered in body as well as in soul died for their bodies as well as for their souls and therefore will glorifie their bodies as well as their souls But to speak more particularly the Apostle tels us what kind of change this will be 1 Cor. 15.41 There is one Glory of the Sun and another of the Moon and another Glory of the Stars for one Star differeth from another Star in Glory V. 42. So also is the resurrection of the dead it is sowne in corruption it is raised in incorruption V. 43. It is sowne in dishonour it is raised in glory It is sowne in weakness it is raised in power V. 44. It is sowne a natural body it is raised a spiritual body 1. Our bodies shal be made incorruptible They are sown in corruption but shall be raised in incorruption They now yield to the decaies of nature and are exercised with paines and aches but hereafter they shall be cloathed with immortality made wholly impassible What a comfort must it needs be to the Saints to think that there is a time coming when they shall have a body without aches paines and without decaies that shall be alwaies in the spring of youth The resurrection is the Saints best Physitian 2. Our bodies shall be made glorious bodies They are sown in dishonour but shall be raised in glory All deformities and defects which are the fruits of sin shall be removed As the body of Adam in innocency was lovely and beautiful compleat in all its parts so shall ours be at the resurrection The righteous shall shine as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father Mat. 13.43 If Moses's face by conversing with God but fourty daies did shine so exceedingly that they were glad to put a vail upon it how glorious shall our bodies be when we shall be ever with the Lord Christ in the Mount when he was transfigured Mat. 17.2 His face did shine as the Sun and his raiment was white as snow Peter James and John were not able to bear the sight of the glory there manifested and yet this was but a glimpse of that glory he hath now in Heaven By this you may guesse a little at the glory of the body when it is likened to Christs glorious body If we would have our bodies eternally beautiful let us labour to be truly gracious here 3. Our bodies shall be made spiritual bodies They are sown natural bodies but shall be raised spiritual bodies When we come into the other world that world of Spirits even our bodies shall be spiritual not spiritual for substance but for qualities 1. They shall have no need of meat drink sleep c. but shall be as the Angels of God Mat. 22.30 If Moses upon the Mount in the state of mortality was upheld by the power of God fourty daies without meat and without sleep how much more shall we be so upheld for ever in the Kingdom of Heaven 2. They shall
move with great agility and nimblenesse We shall not be clogg'd as now but shall be able as the Learned think to move upwards and downwards freely like a bird in the aire 3. Or Lastly Our bodies after the resurrection may be termed spiritual because they will then be more fitted and disposed for spiritual uses for the enjoyments and employments of Grace 4. Our bodies shall be made powerful They are sown in weakness but shall rise in power The power and strength that glorified bodies shall have will be wonderful In this life the eye is dazeled at the brightnesse of the Sun but then it shall be strengthened to behold glorious sights and not be dazeled at them The body shall be enabled and strengthened by God to bear that exceeding and eternal weight of Glory that shall be allotted to it 5. Unto all these glorious perfections and endowments we may add this one more the great priviledge and happiness we shall have to behâ—ld with our bodily eyes our blessed Saviour as man That we shall see our Redeemer with these eyes Job plainly testifies Job 19.25 For I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the later day upon the earth V. 26. And though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God V. 27. Whom I shall see for my self and mine eyes shall behold and not another c. And that this sight will add much to our happinesse we need not doubt The sight of Christ as man is the next object as one saith well to the beatifical Vision Mr Calamy in his Serm at Dr Boltons Funeral For the fulnesse of the God head dwells in him bodily and doth as it were radiate through his body Hence there must needs arise much joy to the beholder both from the eminency of and our interest in this Object Christ in Glory and Christ in Glory ours As much of the Creator as is possibly visible in the Nature of man will be to be seen in Christ As much contentation as the Creature can be made partaker of by the sight of any visible Object will be the portion of the beholders of Christ as he is man See Mr. Nortons orthodox Evangelist So much for the blessedness of the Body II. The Saints in Heaven shall be blessed in their Souls Let us enquire wherein this blessednesse consists 1. The understanding being enlarg'd and widened shall have a right knowledge a clear sight and vision of God Now we see through a glasse darkly 1 Cor. 13.12 but then face to face now we know but in part but then we shall know even as we are known our knowledge of God now is very imperfect but then we shall see him as he is 1 John 3.2 2. The will shall be perfected with absolute and indefective holinesse with exact conformity to the will of God and perfect freedom from all servitude to sin 3. The affections shall be set right by an unalterable regularity There shall be a constant cleaving of heart to God a constant loving of him without satiety or wearinesse Here are many startings aside to the creature but in Heaven there will be an eternal fixed delight and complacency in God 4. The Soul will enjoy a full immediate uninterrupted communion with God and fruition of him Whilst we are here at home in the body we are absent from the Lord saies the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.6 Here our comforts come in by the ministry of Ordinances but there God will be all in all to us immediatly 1 Cor. 15.28 III. The Saints in Heaven shall be blessed in their Company Oh what blessed company is there in the new Jerusalem There is God and Christ and Angels and Saints How will God the Father welcome us Well done good and faithful servants enter into your Masters joy How will our Redeemer welcome us How joyful will he be to receive us who shed his blood to bring us thither How will the Holy Angels welcome us They delight in the good of men When man was created those Morning Stars sung together and those Sons of God shouted for joy Job 38.7 When Christ came to redeem man an Heavenly host of them praysed God Luke 2.13 When man is converted there is joy in Heaven among those blessed Spirits Luke 15.10 How much more rejoycing will there be when we come to be glorified Lastly How will the blessed Saints welcome us Our old acquaintance with whom we have prayed suffered familiarly conversed Memory is not abolished in Heaven as one observes but perfected Mr. Manton in his Sermon at Mrs. Blackwels Funeral Therefore those whom we knew here we shall know again A Minister shall see his Crown and the fruit of his labours 1 Thes 2.19 Those that have been relieved by us shall welcome us into Heaven who therefore are said according to some Interpreters to receive us into everlasting habitations Luke 16.9 Yea we shall know those whom we never saw Why else is it made a part of our priviledge to sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob Mat. 8.11 In the transfiguration Peter knew Moses and Elias dead many hundred years before So shall we as 't is more than probable know one another O what blessed company shall we converse with in the City that is above IV. And Lastly The Saints in Heaven shall be blessed in this They shall have the perpetual enjoyment of all this blessednesse secured to them without any fear of ever losing it or being deprived of it The Saints shall never put off their glorious robes after they have once put them on Their state is a sure eternal state of actual delights Though there be several degrees of glory in Heaven yet he that enjoyes the least degree is fully satisfied with what he enjoyes He desires not one degree of Glory above what he possesses What now remaines but that we presse this duty upon our selves frequently to meditate on this coelestial Glory Many great benefits will accrue to us thereby 1. This will abate our thirst after earthly things One houres serious musing on the glory that is above would cause the soul to be as a weaned child to the glory that is here below 2. It will make sufferings light Rom. 8.18 For I reckon saies the Apostle that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed in us 3. It will make us serious in Duties It will make us pray earnestly hear attentively walk circumspectly Serious thoughts of Heaven will make us shake off lazinesse and sloth and with fervency of Spirit to serve the Lord. 4. It will stirre us up to an earnest desire of that righteousnesse to which such a Glory appertaines and to a careful and constant performance of those commands to which such a reward is so graciously promised Without holinesse no man shall see the Lord. Men do but deceive themselves who think to passe immediatly from a
state of corruption to a state of Glory Would we enter into Glory let us labour to secure our state in Grace Grace and Glory do not differ specifically but gradually When a soul is brought into a state of saving Grace it is entred into a state of Glory For as God hath prepared Heaven for his children so he prepares his children for Heaven Grace is the Nursery of Glory As the plants of righteousness grow fit for Heaven they are removed to Heaven and shall be for ever with the Lord. O Lord prepare and fit my soul for this new Jerusalem into which no unclean thing can enter Give me true repentance for all my sins and wash away the guilt of them in the blood of thy dear Son my Lord and Saviour Sanctifie me throughout both in soul and body by thy Grace and holy Spirit and enable me to glorifie thee in this life that I may hereafter enter into thy Kingdom into that eternal state of Glory bliss and purity O let me not have my portion in this life but when thou sendest for me out of this world by death Lord receive my soul for thy free mercy and my Saviours merits sake into those Heavenly mansions where there is fulnesse of joy and pleasures at thy right hand for evermore Amen John 17.24 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my Glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world 1 Cor. 2.9 But as it is written eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him 2 Cor. 5.1 For we know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle be dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens Col. 1.12 Giving thankes unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Heb. 10.34 For ye took joyfully the spoyling of your goods knowing in your selves that ye have in Heaven a better and an enduring substance Heb. 12.22 But ye are come unto Mount Sion and unto the City of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels V. 23. To the general assembly and Church of the first born which are written in Heaven and to God the Judge of all and to the Spirits of just men made perfect 1 Thes 4.17 And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Heb. 6.19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast and which entreth into that within the vail V. 20. Whither the forerunner is for us entred even Jesus made an High Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek Mat. 25.23 His Lord said unto him well done good and faithful servant thou hast been faithful over a few things I will make thee ruler over many things enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. 2 Cor. 12.4 How that he was caught up into Paradise and heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter Luke 16.22 And it came to passe that the beggar died and was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosom Heb. 11.10 For he looked for a City which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God 1 Pet. 1.4 To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for you 1 Pet. 5.4 And when the chief Shephard shall appear ye shall receive a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away Glory be to God in the highest On earth peace Good will towards men FINIS BOOKS Printed for and are to be sold by JOHN ROTHWEL at the Fountain and Bear in Cheap-side A Mr. AInsworth Arrow against Idolatry in fol. 12 Dr. Ames Cases of conscience Engl. Marrow of Divinity 4 On Peter 4 D. Arrowsmith Tactica Sacra sive de milite spirituali pugnante Vincente Triumphante Annotations on the Bible by the Dutch Ministers fol. Assembly Confes Catechism large and small in 4 with Scriptures at large B M. Bradshaw Sin against the H. Ghost 12 M. Bridges Babylons downfal 4 M. Bohemus on 100 Scriptures opened 8 M. Broxolme on Perkins Six Principles 8 M. Bucklers Assize Sermon C M. Church Miscelanies of the Attributes of God The Creatures of God 4 Good mans Treasury 12 Of Ejaculations 12 His Golden Sayings 12 Pocket companion 12 M. Culverwells Light of nature 4 White stone alone 8 M. Clark Of Persecution and Lives of Ministers folio M. Cravens Catechisme 8 M. Cotton of singing of Psalmes 4 Catechising and Conference by the Ministers of the Isle of Wight D M. Dales Shepherdizing of Lambs 8 D. Drake De sanguine 4 M. Dyke of Epping His Right Receiving of Christ 8 Safety in case of danger 8 Select Sermons of Quenching the Spirit and Pardon of sin c. 8 F Mr Fenner of Affections 4 Of Conscience 4 Alarm for drousie Saints 4 Wilful Impenitency 4 Catechism On the Creed Lords Prayer Ten Commandments M. Ford of Baptism Catechising and first Fruits of Davids Government 8 His Catechise against the Anabaptists G Germany Lamentations Octavo Invasion Octavo Prodigies Octavo H M. Hughes Of Affliction the benefit of it 4 Funeral Sermon 4 Parliament Sermon 4 M. Hooks New-Englands Tears 4 New-Englands Sense 4 M. How of Universal Redemption 4 Pagan Preacher silenced 4 M. Haines Grammar 8 M. Hanmer Of Confirmation L M. Lockier Balm for bleeding England and Ireland 8 Communion of Church Militant Discovery of Sincerity 8 Olive Leafe 8 Parliament Sermon 4 Englands Wounds 4 Love Grace with its different degrees 8 Zealous Christian 4 Heavens Glory and Hels Terror 4 Effectual Calling 4 Combat between the Flesh and Spirit 4 Directory of a Christian 4 The Penitent Pardoned 4 The Dejected Souls Cure Administration of Angels 4 Gods Omni-presence The Sinners Legacy to their posterity 4 By Mr. Calamy By Mr. Whitaker By Mr. Ashe By Mr. Taylor Longland On the four last things Death Judgment Hell and Heaven 12 M M. Milton His Reason of Church-Government 4 Apology for Smectymnuus M. Mathers Catechism 8 Reply to M. Rutherford 4 P M. Pool His Answer to Biddles Denial of the H. Ghost to be God 12 His Vindication of the Ministry 4 A Pacification between the Lutheran and Reformed Churches 8 M. Perrot The Scripture Stability R Bp. Richardson his choice Observations on the Old Testament as a supplement to the large Annot. fol. M Robouroâ—gh against Goodwin about Justification 4 Mâ— Robinson Christ is all in all 4 M. Ruttons Sermon before the Lord Mayor S Smectymnuus redivivus first and second Parts about Episcopacy and Presbytery 4 M. Shepherd on the Sabbath with Cases of Conscience 8 Of Subjection to Christ 8 On the Parab of the 10 Virg. 4 D. Sibbs Miracle of Miracles 4 Glorious feast of the Gospel 4 His Glance of Heaven 12 Spiritual mans aim 12 His Charter of a Christian 12 Conference between Christ and Mary after his Resurrect 12 On 2. Epist Cor. Chap. 4. 4 D. Stoughtons Sermons in his younger years 4 His form of sound words with the righteous mans plea to true Happinesse 4 Heavenly conversation Two Sermons 12 D. Seaman of Ordination 4 His Solomons choice 4 Head of the Church 4 Glasse for the times 4 Mrs. Scots exemplary life and death drawn up by several Minist T Thaesaurus Poeticus 12 D. Tuckney Balm for Gilead 12 Death disarmed A Sermon at D Hills Funeral 12 None but Christ 12 M. Tutty Funeral Sermon V M. Venning Orthodox Parodoxes 8 New Command octavo Mysteries Revelat. octavo Milk and Honey Second Part. octavo Warning to Backslid octavo Way to Heaven 4 octavo Sermon on the 5th of November W Wise Virgin A Narrative of Gods dealing with a child of eleven years of age and her gracious speeches in time of her affliction Published by three Ministers 8 M. Whitlock and M Reinolds Funeral Sermon of Francis Pierpointe Esq