of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and beliefe of the Truth Rom. 8.1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit 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 Col. 2.11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the Circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the Circumcision of Christ 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 Rom. 6.5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness 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 Eph. 5.26 That he might Sanctifie and Cleanse it with the washing of water by the word Gal 5.24 And they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts 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 the 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 height V. 19. And to know the Love of Christ which passeth Knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fulnesse of God 2 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 Heb. 12.14 Follow peace with all men and holinesse 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 blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Gal. 5 16. This I say then walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh V. 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 V. 25. If we live in the spirit let us also walk in the spirit 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 2 Cor. 3.18 But we all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Phil. 2.13 For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure He commanded his Disciples to preach the Gospel and instituted the two Sacraments viz. Baptism and the Lords-Supper Mark 16.15 And he said unto them Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature V. 16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned 1 Cor. 4.1 Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God John 4.1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more Disciples than John V. 2. Though Jesus himself baptized not but his Disciples 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 V. 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and Lo I am with you alway even to the end of the world Amen Mark 1.4 John did baptize in the wildernesse and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins Rom. 6.3 Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death V. 4. Therefore we are buried with him by baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the Glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newnesse of life Mat. 3.11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but he that cometh after me is mightier than I whose shoes I am not worthy to bear he shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire John 1.33 And I knew him not but he that sent me to baptize with water the same said unto me upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him the same is he which baptizeth with the holy Ghost Tit. 3.5 Not by works of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he saveth us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy Ghost 1 Pet. 3.21 The like figure whereunto even baptisme doth now save us not the putting away the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 12.13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one Spirit 1 Cor. 10.1 Moreover brethren I would not that ye should be ignorant how that all our Fathers were under the Cloud and all passed through the Sea V. 2. And were all baptized unto Moses in the Cloud and in the Sea V. 3. And did all eat the same spirituall meat V. 4. And did all drink the same spirituall drink for they drank of that spirituall Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ Rom. 4.11 And he received the signe of Circumcision a seal of the righteousnesse of the Faith which he had yet being uncircumcised that he might be the Father of all them that believe though they be not Circumcised that righteousnesse might be imputed to them also V. 12. And the Father of Circumcision to them who are not of the Circumcision onely but also walk in the steps of that faith of our Father Abraham which he had being yet uncircumcised Col. 2.11 In whom also ye are Circumcised with the Circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the Circumcision of Christ V. 12. Buried with him in baptisme wherein also ye are
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
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
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
not hid I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Selah V. 6. For this shall every one that is Godly pray unto thee in a time that thou maist be found surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him Psal 17.1 Hear the Right O Lord attend unto my Cry give ear unto my Prayer that goeth not out of feigned lips Phil. 4.6 Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God Psal 65.2 O thou that hearest Praiers unto thee shall all flesh come Mich. 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 Psal 145.18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him to all that call upon him in truth V. 19. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him he also will hear their cry and will save them Psal 50.15 And call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Dan 9.14 Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil and brought it upon us for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doth for we obeyed not his voice Mat. 7.7 Ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you V. 21. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven 1 John 5.13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternall life and that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God V. 14. And this is the Confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us V. 15. And if we know that he hear us whatsoever we ask we know that we have the petitions we desired of him Psal 10.17 Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilt cause thine ear to hear Eph. 6.18 Praying alwaies with all praier and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints 1 Tim. 2.1 I exhort therefore that first of all supplications praiers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men V. 2. For Kings and for all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godlinesse and Honesty Jam 5.16 Confesse your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed the effectual fervent praier of a righteous man availeth much Maâ— 5.44 But I say unto you love your enemies blesse them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you 2 Sam. 7.29 Therefore now let it please thee to blesse the House of thy Servant that it may continue for ever before thee for thou O Lord hast spoken it and with thy blessing let the House of thy servant be blessed for ever 1 John 5.16 If any man see his Brother sin a sin which is not unto death he shall ask and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto unto death there is a sin unto death I do not say he shall pray for it Gen. 18.27 And Abraham answered and said behold now I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord which am but dust and ashes Luke 18.13 And the Publican standing afar off would not lift up so much as his eies unto Heaven but smote upon his breast saying God be merciful to me a sinner V. 14. I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted Psal 51.17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Job 22.27 Thou shalt make thy praier unto him and he shall hear thee aad thou shalt pay thy vowes 1 Sam. 1.15 And Hannah answered and said no my Lord I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink but have poured out my soul before the Lord. 1 Cor. 14.15 What is it then I will pray with the Spirit and will pray with understanding also I will sing with the Spirit and I will sing with the understanding also Mark 11.24 Therefore I say unto you what things soever ye desire when ye pray beleeve that ye receive them and ye shall have them Jam. 1.6 But let him ask in Faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a wave of the Sea driven with the wind and tossed Psal 145.18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him to all that call upon him in truth 1 Tim. 2.8 I will therefore that men pray every where lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting Mat. 26.39 And he went a little farther and fell on his face and praied saying O my Father if it be possible let this Cup passe from me neverthelesse not as I will but as thou wilt Luke 11.13 If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your Children how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him Rom. 8.15 For ye have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear but ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Acts 12.5 Peter therefore was kept in prison but praier was made without ceasing of the Church unto God for him Mat. 6.9 After this manner therefore pray ye Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name Luke 11.2 And he said unto them when ye pray say Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdome come Thy will be done as in Heaven so in earth Thanksgiving Col. 3.17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God and the Father by him Heb. 13.15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his Name Psal 67.2 That thy way may be known upon earth thy saving health among all Nations V. 3. Let the People praise thee O God let all the People praise thee Psal 86.12 I will praise thee O Lord my God with all my heart and I will glorifie thy Name for evermore V. 13. For great is thy mercy towards me and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest Hell Psal 103.1 Blesse the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name V. 2. Blesse the Lord O my Soul and forget not all
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
Religion the means is to perform such religions duties and services as God hath appointed for the attaining this end Now if we rest in the means i. e. in a bare performance of religious duties without desiring to enjoy God in them or labouring to get our hearts into a better frame by them and aiming at those higher ends to which they were appointed our services are rather a mocking of God than a true and sincere worshipping of him It will do us no good to be of the right Religion as to external profession if we be slight and formal and perfunctory in the duties of that Religion Take heed therefore of having only a form of Godlinesse and denying or secretly hating the power thereof What will it profit any man to be thought godly and religious if God know him to be ungodly Our Saviour hath told us that except our righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees and yet theirs was outwardly a very strict religiousness we cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Mat. 5.20 6. Take heed of contenting your selves with meer civil honesty and a fair just outward conversation This is very commendable yea and necessary but this is not sufficient to salvation Without regeneration and true conversion there is no salvation to be expected Not only loose livers but meer civil persons need a further change There are many people that applaud themselves in their own righteousnesse they give every one their own they defraud no man they pay what they owe to all men Do they so I am glad of it But let us a little examine whether they be so just as they pretend Possibly they give every man his due and would not defraud any man willingly or knowingly of any thing I commend them for it But do they give God his due They owe their hearts to him They owe sincere obedience and spiritual worship to him They are bound to love him above all and delight in communion with him and to make Conscience of the duties and services he requires They ought to fear and reverence his holy Name to delight in his Word to sanctifie his day to attend upon his Ordinances to be tender of his honour to decline all waies of sinning against him either by wicked thoughts irregular affections sinful words evil actions Their whole life ought to be a living unto God and his Glory ought to be their end and aim in all their undertakings They ought to renounce the devil the world and the flesh and to serve him faithfully all their daies Now then come and let us consider Do they do thus Do they indeed give every one his own Do they give unto God what of right is due unto him They make Conscience of being just towards men and they do well in it but are they careful also of paying God what they owe to him And what kind of righteousnesse call you this to be righteous towards men and unrighteous and unjust toward God Is this a righteousnesse any man dare stand upon and plead for his justification before Gods Tribunal You see then there is more required than an honest outward fair conversation to save the soul 7. Take heed of deceiving and ill-grounded hopes of Heaven Secure your state in Grace and then your title to Glory is unquestionable Look to your evidences for Heaven Take heed of mistakes about the great work of repenting and believing in Christ Many think they have those Graces when indeed they have only a shadow of them Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith Prove your selves Whoever is in Christ is a new Creature old things are passed away old carnal principles old sinful inclinations old wicked practises old ungodly company are passed away and left by them that are true converts Ask your selves whether your repentance be a repentance unto life whether your Faith be a saving Faith What the true characters of Repentance and Faith are you may find in the 2d and 3d Chapters of the second Part of this Treatise 'T is carnal hopes that deceive the world and hinder people from looking after a saving conversion Content not your selves therefore to say you hope you shall be saved but prove and try whether you are such persons as God hath promised salvation to Prove by marks of Grace in your souls that you are true converts and then hope for salvation and spare not and the Lord confirm your hopes Great things and of everlasting consequence should be made as sure as is possible Ask your selves what evidences you have you are converted 'T is proof must carry it and not confident presumption Take God in Christ for your only happinesse and end And Christ as Mediatour for your only Lord and Saviour Accept him for your Sovereign as well as for your Saviour Be sensible of your continual need of his Bloud Spirit and intercession and give up your selves sincerely to him to be justified sanctified guided directed and everlastingly saved by him Let his Interest be uppermost in your souls and you are blessed for ever 8. Pray earnestly unto the Lord to be established in the truth and to be preserved from Errour giddinesse and apostacy which is the sin and shame of these times Let not the different Opinions that are now going be an offence unto you Remember that though men are mutable and change from one opinion to another and grow wanton and wild-headed yet God and Christ and the Scripture and Heaven and the way thither are still the same These change not Mind you these things Take heed of that threefold Apostacy that this age is too guilty of Namely 1. Of Judgment from the Truths of God 2. Of Affection from the Ordinances of God 3. Of Conversation from that sober humble and circumspect walking which all true Christians should make Conscience of Let not the treachery of false brethren dishearten you He is the right Souldier that is not discouraged by those that run away but still presseth on to victory In a word lay not out your zeal on externals or opinions and the smaller matters of Religion Look to it that there be in you an unfeigned and fervent love to God his Truth and children Let most of your daily care be about the right ordering and governing of your hearts and affections Labour to mortifie lusts and advance Grace To conclude this separate speedily from the sins of Christians but never from the Ordinances of Christ 9. Count those your best friends that lovingly and faithfully admonish you of any sin or evil they see you going on in If you were going ignorantly into a house infected with the plague you would think that man your friend that pluckt you back and acquainted you with your danger What a madnesse then is it for any man to be offended and angry with him that out of true good will and charity to his soul desires to preserve him from everlasting perdition Can it be thought by any sober man
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 wonderfull and mysterious manner The Father God The Son God And the Holy Ghost God and yet not three Gods but one God Secondly His Properties or Attributes God is Eternal or without any Beginning or End Omnipotent or Almighty Omnipresent or every where present Omniscient or All-knowing Infinitely Wise Holy Just Mercifull Thirdly His Works which are principally two 1. Creation 2. Providence I. Creation Concerning which we must know 1. That God made the world and all the Creatures therein both visible and invisible by his Almighty power and Created them all very good 2. The chief of his Creatures are Angels Men. 3. All the Angels were at first made holy and happy Spirits Some continued in their obedience to God and are still Angels of Light Others fell from God through Pride or some other sin and are become Devils of Darknes Concerning the Creation of Man see farther in the next Chapter II. Providence As God Created the World and all the Creatures therein by his Almighty Power So he upholds directs disposes and governs them all by his Providence Nothing so Casual but he disposes of it No Agent so free as to be exempted from his Controule No affliction or Evil of Punishment but he hath a hand in it But as for sin he neither is nor possibly can be the Author or Approver of it CHAP. II. Concerning Man COncerning Man we are to know and understand these three things 1. The happy Condition in which he was made 2. His Fall 3. The way of his Recovery by Christ 1. The Holy and happy estate in which God created man at first Namely after his own Image in Knowledge Holinesse and Righteousnesse with Dominion over the Creatures here below writing his Law on mans heart requiring perfect obedience from him and giving him power to perform it promising the continuance of him in that happy estate if he obeyed and threatning him with death if he disobeyed which is called the Covenant of works 2. The miserable Condition into which man threw himself by sin Our first Parents by the temptation of Sathan disobeyed God broke his righteous Law and Commandement and thereby cast themselves out of the Favour of God became the Slaves of Satan and liable to the curse of the Law and brought a great depravation of soul and body upon themselves And such as our first Parents were such must their posterity needs be For who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean says Job Chap. 14.4 They having lost the Image of God themselves the holinesse and happinesse in which they were made could not conveigh it to their posterity So that the nature of man is now become corrupt prone to evil backward to good And this miserable condition is derived to us from Adam by our immediate Parents and as men come to be born in several Ages and generations so they actually participate of the sap that comes from the first root we being therefore all of us in so bad a Condition by nature and by custome and practice in sin having made our selves much worse and more abominable in the sight of God more guilty and liable to his wrath we are to know and consider that this woful state of sin and misery is by no means to be rested in But seeing we are fallen into so lamentable a condition we must speedily endeavour to get out of it And therefore let us remember that without Conversion there is no hope of Salvation Except a man be born again and made a new Creature he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God 3. The blessed way found out and appointed by God for mans Recovery out of this miserable state which is by the undertaking and mediation of his onely Son CHAP. III. Concerning the Mediator between God and Man COncerning the Mediator between God and man Christ Jesus We must know and understand these seaven things 1. What manner of person he was He was God and Man in the same person The Eternal Son of God The second Person in the Trinity took to himself our humane Nature a humane soul and body and united it after a wonderfull manner to his Godhead And so God and Man became one person 2. How he became man He was born about sixteen hundred and odd years ago of the Virgin Mary who was of the seed of Abraham and of the Family of David as was foretold in the Scriptures being Conceived in her by the Almighty power of the Holy Ghost without the help of man and without sin and was Called Jesus Christ 3. How he Lived He Lived about three and thirty years here upon Earth a most holy innocent sinless Life performing perfect obedience to the Law of God And as the great Prophet of God who was promised Deut. 18.15 Acts 3 22. he declared his Fathers will in his heavenly discourses and Sermons and wrought many miracles to confirm his doctrine and to prove himself the true Messias and the Eternal Son of God 4. How he Died Being betrayed by Judas forsaken by his Disciples scorned and rejected by the World through the malicious prosecution of the Jews and unjust sentence of Pilat he was Condemned to be Crucified and being tormented by his persecutors and having conflicted with the Terrors of Death and felt and born Gods wrath He endured the painful shameful and cursed death of the Crosse there as a Priest offering up himself a Sacrifice to God and a Ransome and Propitiation for our sins 5. What became of him after his Death He being buried rose again the third day and after Fourty days continuance on the earth in which time he frequently appeared to his Disciples and others teaching the things appertaining to the Kingdome of God he ascended into Heaven and is now in Glory with the Father where he intercedes for and presents the Merits of his Death and Sufferings in the behalf of all them that unfeignedly repent of their sins and do truly beleeve on him And being made King and Head of his Church and Lord of Angels and Men he shall come from Heaven again in great Glory to judge the quick and the dead at the Last day 6. What was the End and Intent of Christs Coming into the world The chief End and Intent of his Coming into the world was to save Lost and undone sinners to procure their pardon reconciliation with God by his Merits to Sanctifie their Natures by his Holy Spirit and to bring them to everlasting Life And to this end he appointed his Ministers to preach the Gospel unto the world and instituted the two Sacraments Baptism and the Lords Supper to signifie and keep in remembrance the great and inestimable benefits of his Death and Sufferings 7. What they are effectually Called unto and through the assistance of the
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
is a Lyar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ He is Anti-Christ that denieth the Father and the Son V. 23. Whosoever denieth the Son the same hath not the Father but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also Rom. 9.5 Whose are the Fathers And of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came who is over all God blessed for ever Amen Phil. 2.6 Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God Acts 7.59 And they stoned Stephen calling upon God and saying Lord Jesus receive my Spirit V. 60. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice Lord lay not this sin to their Charge 2 Thess 2.16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himselfe and God even our Father which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting Consolation and good hope through Grace V. 17. Comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work Concerning God the Holy Ghost Acts 5.3 But Peter said Ananias why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost V. 4. Thou hast not lied unto men but unto God John 14.16 I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever V. 26. But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you John 15.26 But when the Comforter is come whom I will send to you from the Father even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father he shall testifie of me Gal. 4.6 And because ye are sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father Phil. 1.19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ Rom. 8.9 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 Eph. 4.30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed to the day of Redemption 1 Cor. 2.13 Which things also we speak not in the words which mans wisdome teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth comparing spiritual things with spiritual Acts 7.51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do alwaies resist the Holy Ghost As your Fathers did so do ye 2 Pet. 1.21 For the Prophecy came not in old time by the will of Man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 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 Acts 13.2 As they ministred to the Lord and fasted the Holy Ghost said Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have Called them Titus 3.5 Not by works of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us by the washing of Regeneration and Renewing of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 3.6 Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you 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 Rom. 5.5 And hope maketh not ashamed because the Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us Mat. 12.31 Wherefore I say unto you all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men V. 32. And whosoever speaketh a word against the son of man it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh a word against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world neither in the world to come Secondly His PROPERTIES or ATTRIBUTES God is Eternal or without any Beginning or End Omnipotent or Almighty Omnipresent or every where present Omniscient or All-knowing Infinitely Wise Holy Just Mercifull Eternall Psal 90.2 Before the Mountains were brought forth or ever thou hadst formed the earth or the world even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God Deut. 33.27 The Eternal God is my refuge and underneath are the everlasting armes Omnipotent Gen. 17.1 And when Abram was Ninety years old and nine the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect Isa 40.17 All Nations before him are as nothing and they are counted to him lesse than nothing and vanity Rev. 1.8 I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come the Almighty Rev. 19.6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thunderings saying Allelujah for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth Omnipresent 1 Kings 8.27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth behold the Heaven and Heaven of Heavens cannot contain thee how much lesse this house that I have builded Jer. 23.24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord do not I fill Heaven and Earth saith the Lord Psal 139.7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit or whither shall I flee from thy presence V. 8. If I ascend up into Heaven thou art there If I make my bed in Hell behold thou art there V. 11. If I say surely the darknesse shall cover me even the night shall be Light about me V. 12. Yea the darknesse hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day the darkness and the light are both alike to thee Omniscient 1 Chron. 28.9 And thou Solomon my Son know thou the God of thy Father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind for the Lord searcheth all hearts understandeth all the Imaginations of the thoughts if thou seek him he will be found of thee but if thou forsake him he will cast thee off for ever 1 King 8.39 Then hear thou in Heaven thy dwelling place and forgive and do and give to every man according to his ways whose heart thou knowest for thou even thou knowest the hearts of all the children of men Heb. 4.13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to do Psal 139.2 Thou knowest my down-sitting and my up-rising thou understandest my thoughts afar off V. 3. Thou compassest my path and my lying down and art acquainted with all my waies V. 4. For
there is not a word in my tongue but Lo O Lord thou knowest it altogether Acts 15.18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world Infinitely Wise 1 Tim. 1.17 Now unto the King eternal immortal invisible the Only wise God be Honour and Glory for ever and ever Amen Rom. 11.33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God How unsearchable are his judgements and his waies past finding out Rom. 16 27. To God Only wise be glory through Jesus Christ for ever Amen Infinitely Holy Isa 6.3 And one cried unto another and said holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole earth is full of his Glory Rev. 4.8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him and they were full of eyes within and they rest not day and night saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come Isa 57.15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth Eternity whose Name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones 1 Pet. 1.16 Because it is written be ye holy for I am holy Just Job 34.10 Therefore hearken unto me ye men of understanding far be it from God that he should do wickednesse and from the Almighty that he should commit iniquity V. 11. For the work of a man shall he render unto him and cause every man to find according to his waies V. 12. Yea surely God will not do wickedly neither will the Almighty pervert judgment Jer. 9.23 Thus saith the Lord let not the wise man glory in his wisdome neither let the mighty man glory in his might let not the rich man glory in his riches V. 24. But let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindnesse Judgement and Righteousnesse in the earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord. Deut. 32.4 He is the Rock his work is perfect for all his waies are Judgment a God of truth and without iniquity just and right is he Gen. 18.25 Shall not the judge of all the earth doe right Merciful Psal 119.68 Thou art good and doest good teach me thy Statutes Psal 147.11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him in those that hope in his mercy Nehem. 9.17 And refused to obey neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them but hardened their necks and in their rebellion appointed a Captain to return to their bondage but thou art a God ready to pardon gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindnesse and forsookest them not V. 31. Neverthelesse for thy great mercies sake thou didst not utterly consume them nor forsake them for thou art a gracious and a merciful God Psal 103.8 The Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and plenteous in mercy Jer. 3.12 Go and proclaim these words towards the North and say return thou backsliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord and I will not keep anger for ever Exod. 34.6 And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed the Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodnesse and truth V. 7. Keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin and that will by no means clear the guilty visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children and upon the Childrens children unto the third and fourth generation Psal 145.7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodnesse and shall sing of thy righteousnesse 1 John 4.8 He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love V. 16. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him Micah 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgressions of the remnant of his heritage he retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy Isa 28.21 For the Lord shall rise up as in Mount Perazim he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon that he may do his work his strange work and bring to passe his act his strange act 2 Cor. 1.3 Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all Comforts Isa 30.18 And therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you and therefore will he be exalted that he may have mercy upon you for the Lord is a God of judgement blessed are all they that wait for him Psa 78.38 But he being full of compassion forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not yea many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath Luke 6.36 Be ye therefore merciful for your heavenly Father is merciful Thirdly His WORKS which are principally two 1. Creation 2. Providence I. Creation Concerning which we must know 1. That God made the world and all the Creatures therein both visible and invisible by his Almighty power and Created them all very good 2. The chief of his Creatures are Angels Men. 3. All the Angels were at first made holy and happy Spirits Some continued in their obedience to God and are still Angels of Light Others fell from God through Pride or some other sin and are become Devils of Darknes Concerning the Creation of Man see farther in the next Chapter Creation Col. 1. â—6 For by him were all things Created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth visible and invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers all things are Created by him and for him V. 17. And he is before all things and by him all things consist Nehem. 9.6 Thou even thou art Lord alone thou hast made Heaven the Heaven of Heavens with all their Host the earth and all things that are therein the Seas and all that is therein and thou preservest them all and the Host of Heaven worshippeth thee Rom. 1.20 For the invisible things from the Creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his Eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse Rev. 15.3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of god and the song of the Lamb saying great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy waies thou King of Saints Heb. 3.4 For every house is built by some man but he that built all things is God Psal 145.10 All thy works shall praise thee O God and thy Saints shall blesse thee Rev. 4.11 Thou art worthy O Lord to receive Glory and Honour and Power for thou hast Created all things and for thy pleasure they are
by Beelzebub the Prince of the devils 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 V. 10. In this the Children of God are manifest and the Children of the devil whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God neither he that loveth not his brother Rev. 12.9 And the great Dragon was cast out that old Serpent Called the Devil and Satan which deceiveth the whole world he was cast out into the Earth and his Angels were cast out with him 2 Cor. 11.3 But I fear lest by any means as the Serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ Job 1.7 And the Lord said unto Satan whence comest thou then Satan answered the Lord and said from going to and fro in the Earth and from walking up and down in it Luke 22.31 And the Lord said Simon Simon behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat 1 Pet. 5.8 Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour Mat. 8.29 And behold they cried out saying what have we to do with thee Jesus thou Son of God art thou come hither to torment us before the time V. 31. So the devils besought him saying if thou cast us out suffer us to go away into the herd of swine Mat. 4 1. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wildernesse to be tempted of the divel 2 Cor. 6.15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial or what part hath he that beleeveth with an Infidel Zach. 3.1 And he shewed me Josuah the High Priest standing before the Angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him V. 2. And the Lord said unto Satan the Lord rebuke thee O Satan even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee is not this a brand pluckt out of the fire James 2.19 Thou beleevest that there is One God thou dost well the divels also beleeve and tremble Luke 4.33 And in the Synagogue there was a man which had a Spirit of an unclean devil and cried out with a loud voice V. 34. Saying Let us alone what have we to do with thee thou Jesus of Nazareth art thou come to destroy us I know thee who thou art the holy One of God Acts 19.15 And the evil Spirit answered and said Jesus I know and Paul I know but who are ye 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 Acts 5.3 And Peter said Ananias why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost and to keep back part of the price of the land Psal 78.49 He cast upon them the fiercenesse of his anger wrath and indignation and trouble by sending evil Angels among them Acts 26.18 To Open their eyes and to turn them from darknesse unto Light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgivenesse of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me The next of Gods works to be considered and understood by us is II. His Providence As God Created the World and all the Creatures therein by his Almighty Power So he upholds directs disposes and governs them all by his Providence Nothing so Casual but he disposes of it No Agent so free as to be exempted from his Controule No affliction or Evil of Punishment but he hath a hand in it But as for sin he neither is nor possibly can be the Author or Approver of it Heb. 1.3 Who being the brightnesse of his Glory and the expresse Image of his Person and upholding all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins sate down on the right hand of the majesty on high Col. 1.17 And he is before all things and by him all things Consist Psal 36.6 Thy Righteousnesse is like the great Mountains thy judgments are a great deep O Lord thou preservest man and beast Mat. 10.29 Are not two Sparrows sold for a farthing and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father V. 30. But the very haires of your head are all numbred V. 31. Fear ye not therefore ye are of more value than many Sparrows Dan. 4.34 And at the end of the daies I Nebuchadnezzar lift up mine eyes unto Heaven and mine understanding returned unto me and I blessed the most High and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever whose dominion is an everlasting dominion and his Kingdome is from generation to generation V. 35. And all the Inhabitants of the Earth are reputed as nothing and he doth according to his will in the army of Heaven and among the inhabitants of the Earth and none can stay his hand or say unto him what dost thou Prov. 16.33 The Lot is cast into the Lap but the whole disposing thereof is from the Lord. Psal 103.19 The Lord hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens and his Kingdome ruleth over all Acts 17.25 Neither is worshipped with mens hands as though he needed any thing seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things V. 26. And hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation V. 28. For in him we live and move and have our being as certain also of your own Poets have said for we are also his off-spring 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 Lam. 3.37 Who is he that saith and it cometh to passe when the Lord commandeth it not Isa 45.6 That they may know from the rising of the Sun and from the West that there is none besides me I am the Lord and there is none else V. 7. I form the Light and create darknesse I make peace and create evil I the Lord do all these things Amos 3.6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the City and the people not be afraid shall there be evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it Psal 135.6 Whatsoever the Lord pleased that did he in Heaven and in Earth in the Seas and in all deep places Prov. 15.3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good Jer. 31.35 Thus saith the Lord which giveth the Sun for a Light by day and the Ordinances of the Moon and the Stars for a Light by night which divideth the Sea when the waves thereof roar the Lord of Hosts is his Name Rom. 11.33 O the depth of the riches of the wisdome and knowledge of God! how unsearcheable are his judgements and his waies
unto the woman what is this that thou hast done And the woman said the Serpent beguiled me and I did eate V. 16. Unto the woman he said I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children and thy desire shal be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee V. 17. And unto Adam he said because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying thou shalt not eate of it cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eate of it all the dayes of thy life V. 18. Thornes also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee and thou shalt eate the hearb of the field V. 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eate bread till thou return unto the ground for out of it wast thou taken for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return 1 Tim. 2.13 For Adam was first formed then Eve V. 14. And Adam was not deceived but the woman being deceived was in the transgression V. 15. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in Child-bearing if she continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety 2 Cor. 11.3 For I feare least by any meanes as the Serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ Gen. 5.3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty yeares and begat a Son in his own likeness after his Image and called his name Seth. Gen. 6.5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was onely evill continually Gen. 8.21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour and the Lord said in his heart I will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake for the imagination of mans heart is evill from his youth neither will I again smite any more every thing living as I have done Rom. 5.12 Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned V. 18. Therefore as by the offence of one Judgement came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life V. 19. For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Psal 51.5 Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me Job 15.14 What is man that he should be clean and he which is borne of a woman that he should be righteous V. 16. How much more abominable and filthy is man which drinketh iniquity like water Job 14.4 Who can bring a Clean thing out of an unclean Not one Rom. 3.9 What then are we better then they no in no wise for we have before proved both Jewes and Gentiles that they are all under sin V. 10. As it is written there is none righteous no not one V. 23. For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God 1 Cor. 15.22 For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive Acts 26.18 To open their eyes and to turn them from darknesse 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 2 Tim. 2.26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Devill who are taken Captive by him at his will Rom. 8.6 For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace V. 7. Because the carnall mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be 1 Cor. 2.14 But the naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned Rom. 7.14 For we know that the Law is spirituall but I am carnall sold under sin V. 18. For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing for to will is present with me but how to performe that which is good I find not V. 23. But I see another Law in my members warring against the Law of my minde and bringing me into Captivity to the Law of sin which is in my members V. 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Jer. 17.9 The Heart is deceitful above all things and Desperately wicked who can know it Jam. 4.5 Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vaine The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy Eph. 2.1 And you hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins V. 2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power of the Aire the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience V. 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 Gal. 3.10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse for it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them 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 Eph. 4.18 Having the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart 1 John 1.8 If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us V. 10. If we say that we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us Jam. 3.2 For in many things we offend all if any man offend not in word the same is a perfect man and able also to bridle the whole body Eccles 7.20 For there is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not Hos 14.1 O Israel return unto the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity 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 the new man which after God is Created in righteousnesse and true holinesse 1 Cor. 15.49 And as we have born the Image of the earthly we shall also bear the Image of the heavenly John 3.3 Jesus answered and said unto him verily verily I say unto thee except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdome of God V. 4. Nicodemus saith unto him
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
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
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
goods liveth still in his sin Restitution being an inseparable fruit of true Repentance 2. If he be at variance with any he will desire and seek reconciliation being willing to forgive injuries done to him and desiring forgivenesse of those he has any way injured 3. In the Government of himself he will endeavour to he sober and temperate and watchful over his heart and waies his words and actions See more concerning watchfulnesse in the fifth Chapter Thus much of the nature of true Repentance I come now to some Directions concerning it I. Remember Repentance though never so serious is not to be rested in as any satisfaction for sin or any cause of the pardon thereof that being the act of Gods free Grace in Christ yet it is of such necessity to sinners that none may expect pardon without it 'T is necessary for these three Reasons 1. Because God hath commanded it and the Gospel enjoynes it as a condition of the new Covenant 2. That we may tast something of the bitternesse of sin that so we may the more carefully avoid it for the time to come 3. To prepare and fit us to receive pardon to dispose us into such a frame as is sutable to such a blessing 4. To make us set a higher value on Gods pardoning Mercy and Christs Merits and Blood How dear and precious is Christ to a soul truly humbled for sin II. Consider As there is no sin so small but it deserves damnation so there is no sin so great that it can bring damnation upon those who truly repent 'T is not the falling into the water drowns a man but continuing in it not getting out again No sin damnes a man but as it is accompanied with finall impenitency and unbelief Therefore the sin against the Holy Ghost is unpardonable because those that commit that sin do never repent or flie to Christ for pardon III. Look to it that thy Repentance and sorrow for thy sins spring from Evangelicall Motives such as are before mentioned and not meerly from shame or fear of Hell wrath IV. Labour that thy sorrow for sin may bear some proportion to the greatnesse of thy sins Every small touch of sorrow may not be sufficient As sin is the greatest of evils so our sorrow for it should be the greatest sorrow Betake thy self therefore to a more solemn mourning and renting of heart for the great sins of thy life refusing to be comforted with any worldly comfort till thou hast obtained thy pardon But remember Godly sorrow is not alwaies to be measured by plenty of tears and vehemency of expressions but by the weight of it on the heart by the deep displeasure of the soul against sin There may be a deep rational sorrow for sin where there is no such outward passionate expressions of it V. Content not thy self with a general repentance but know that it is thy duty to endeavour to repent of thy particular sins particularly Do not slubber over this great duty which so much concerns thee with a slight formal general repentance as too many are apt to do Many sins long ago committed by thee may still lie at thy door if not repented of Review therefore thy life past Suffer thy Conscience to speak freely to thee and to set thy sins in order before thee and labour to be heartily humbled both for the vileness and depravednesse of thy Nature and for all the particular actual sins failings and miscarriages which thou findest thy self any way guilty of Repent of all sin that lies upon thy Conscience VI. Let thy sorrow for sin be accompanied with a real forsaking of all known sins and amendment of life Content not thy self with a partial reformation VII Set upon the practise of this great duty speedily now while thou art in health before sicknesse surprize thee Without repentance no hope of pardon or peace with God here no hope of Glory hereafter Now Consider that by repentance the Scripture does not mean a sudden fit of confession contrition and promising amendment at last cast when a man can live no longer in sin and is now afraid of Judgment but a real change of the mind a turning of the heart from the love of sin to God Take notice that hereby we do not go about to limit the Almighty or drive any to utter final desparation but to shew what is mans duty and what is Gods ordinary way oâ— working upon the hearts of those whom he does conveâ—t For God can work a â—eal gracious change upon mens heaâ—â—s at last Though to defer repeâ—tance upâ—n that ground iâ— exceedâ—ng dangerous a durable state of new obedience and a life of holy walking which takes up some space length and continuation of time giving a sinner thereby competent opportunity to mortifie evil dispositions and habits to break off sinfull courses to set up the dominion of Grace within and by an holy behaviour in his place and condition of life to manifest the sincerity of his repentance and by a steddy course of Godlinesse to give some proof of his real conversion To put off repentance therefore to the death-bed is exceeding dangerous to say no more VIII When thou hast through the assistance of the Spirit of God humbled thy soul and repented seriously of all thy sins do not rest in thy repentance as was said before but go out of thy self to Christ for thy pardon Rest not on this side Christ Not thy tears but his blood only can cleanse thy Conscience from all guilt But of this more in the next Chapter IX After thou hast laboured according to these directions to revoke reverse and undo again all the sins of thy life past by a serious repentance then be very watchful lest thou fall knowingly and deliberatly into any sin again The true penitent allowes not himself in any sinfull course yet through infirmity possibly he may fall Sins of infirmity are such as a man is overtaken with contrary to the purpose of his heart either through ignorance incogitancy violence of temptation or suddennesse of surprizal which when he comes to consider he confesses and bemoans strives and prayes against and by Gods Grace ordinarily gets more and more victory over If therefore contrary to the fixed purpose of thy heart thou dost at any time sin endeavour speedily to recover thy self by a serious repentance and be more watchful over thy heart and waies for time to come Motives to Repentance 1. 'T is highly pleasing to God Ezek. 33.11 Say unto them as I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live turn ye turn ye from your evil waies for why will ye die O House of Israel 2. 'T is the Doctrine Christ himself first preached as we read Mat. 4.17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say repent ye for the kingdome of Heaven is at hand And when he left
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
his benefits Psal 47.7 For God is the King of all the Earth Sing ye praises with understanding Col. 4.2 Continue in praier and watch in the same with Thanksgiving Psal 116.12 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. Psal 115.1 Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give Glory for thy mercy and for thy Truths sake Psal 106.21 They forgat God their Saviour which had done great things in Egypt Psal 66.16 Come and hear all ye that fear God and I will declare what he hath done for my Soul Psal 105.2 Sing unto him Sing Psalmes unto him talk ye of all his wondrous works Psal 22.10 I was cast upon thee from the womb thou art my God from my mothers belly Luke 17.17 And Jesus answered and said were there not ten cleansed but where are the nine V. 18. There are not found that returned to give Glory to God save this stranger Psal 69.30 I will praise the Name of God with a Song and will magnifie him with Thanksgiving V. 31. This also shall please the Lord better than an Oxe or Bullock that hath hornes and hoofes Psal 50.13 Will I eat the flesh of Buls or drink the blood of Goats V. 14. Offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows unto the most High Eph. 5.20 Giving thanks alwaies for all things unto God and the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes 5.17 Pray without ceasing V. 18. In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you Eph. 1.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Psal 57.7 My heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise Psal 146.2 While I live I will praise the Lord I will sing praises to my God while I have my being Isa 1.3 The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Ass his masters Crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not Consider Psal 147.19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob his statutes and his Judgments unto Israel V. 20 He hath not dealt so with any Nation and as for his Judgments they have not known them Praise ye the Lord. Gen. 32.10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy Servant for with my staffe I passed over this Jordan and now am become two bands 1 Chron. 29.14 But who am I and what is my people that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort for all things come of thee and of thine own have we given thee Rev. 7.9 After this I beheld and lo a great multitude which no man could number of all Nations and Kindreds and People and Tongues stood before the Throne and before the Lamb cloathed with white robes and palmes in their hands V. 10. And Cried with a loud voice saying Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb. V. 11. And all the Angels stood round about the Throne and about the Elders and four beasts and fell before the Throne on their faces and worshipped God V. 12. Saying Amen Blessing and Glory and Wisdome and Thanksgiving and Honour and Power and Might be unto our God for ever and ever Amen Rev. 19.1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in Heaven saying Alleluja Salvation and Glory and Honour and Power unto the Lord our God V. 3. And again they said Alleluja V. 4. And the four and twenty Elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sate on the Throne saying Amen Alleluja V. 5. And a voice came out of the Throne saying Praise our God all ye his Servants and ye that fear him both small and great Thirdly Be frequent and diligent in reading the holy Scriptures When thou readest the Commands the Promises the Threatnings therein contained think God speaks to thee in them And God must needs be true he cannot lie nor deceive Now there is sufficient evidence that the Scripture is his Word and written by the especial inspiration of his holy Spirit and that will appear if we consider these three things 1. The internal Light of its own perfection The holinesse and heavenlinesse of the matter the Majesty of the Stile the Consent of all the Parts the Scope of the whole which is to give all Glory to God and the full discovery therein made of the only way of mans salvation and reconciliation with God Which is a suitable way both to Gods Glory and mans Necessity 2. The many providential attestations and confirmations of the Truth of the things therein contained by real and undeniable miracles such as could not be wrought but by the power of God And surely if the Scripture had been only the device of men God would some way or other have disowned it ere this as a notorious abuse put upon him and not so constantly have preserved it in spight of the Devil and all his instruments who have laboured to banish it out of the world and to weaken the authority of it 3. The great and wonderful efficacy of the doctrine therein delivered to enlighten convince and humble sinners to drive them out of themselves and to draw them to Christ to conform them to the Image of God to subdue them to his will to strengthen them against temptations and corruptions to build them up in Grace to establish their hearts in holinesse and lastly to comfort them through Faith unto salvation As therefore the holy Ghost by special inspiration was the author of the Scripture and by extraordinary endowments was the author of the miracles wrought for its confirmation so also he is the author of the Faith of him that truly and unfeignedly believes it Yet he doth not cause us to believe by Enthusiasm without any reason or evidence but he enlightens the understanding removing the blindnesse and depravednesse thereof and shews us the credibility of the thing and the evidence of the truth that is to be believed and so perswades the heart to a belief thereof Indeed an historical belief of the Scripture which is true in its kind we may come to by rational perswasions without the special Grace or illumination of the Spirit of God but not that deep and firm belief which shall carry over the will effectually to God in Christ and captivate the whole man to the obedience of the Truth And when such a Faith and belief of the Scripture as this attended with sanctification is wrought in the soul the effect is a good argument to confirm the truth and excellency of such a Faith and belief 1. Labour therefore to work thy heart to a high and reverent esteem of the Word when thou goest to read it We should read it
Psal 16.8 I have set the Lord alwaies before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved Gen. 5.24 And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him Heb. 11.5 By Faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God Gen. 6.9 Noah was a just man and upright in his generation and Noah walked with God Prov. 5.20 And why wilt thou my Son be ravished with a strange woman and embrace the bosome of a stranger V 21. For the waies of a man are before the eies of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings Gen. 39.9 There is none greater in this house than I neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee because thou art his wife how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God Gen. 42 18. And Joseph said unto them the third day this do and live for I fear God Job 34.21 For his eies are upon the waies of man and he sees all his goings V. 22. There is no darknesse nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves Job 27.6 My righteousnesse I hold fast and will not let it go my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live 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 1 John 3.20 For if our heart condemn us God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things V. 21. Beloved if our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God 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 have had our conversation in the world but more abundantly to you-wards Psal 32.2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile Psal 78.34 When he slew them then they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God V. 35. And they remembred that God was their Rock and the high God their Redeemer V. 36. Nevertheless they flattered him with their mouth and they lied to him with their tongues V. 37. For their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant Gen. 17.1 And when Abraham was ninety yeares old and nine the Lord appeared to Abraham and said unto him I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect Eph. 6.24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Amen Fifthly Labour daily to live by Faith Having given up and committed thy penitent Soule into the hands of Christ to have thy pardon and peace procur'd by his merits and intercession learn also daily to trust and depend on the goodnesse of God and his gracious promises for a supply of all such blessings both spiritual and temporal as thou standest in need of I shall shew thee what it is to live the life of Faith in these ten particulars 1. Seek unto the Lord and daily trust and depend on him for the assistance of his holy Spirit for Grace and strength effectually to enable thee to subdue thy corruptions and to mortifie all sinful vile affections in thee Luke 11.9 And I say unto you ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you V. 10. For every one that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened V. 11. If a Son shall ask bread of any of you that is a Father will he give him a stone or if he ask a fish will he for a fish give him a Serpent V. 12. Or if he ask an egge will he offer him a Scorpion V. 13. If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him Jam. 4.5 Do ye think the Scripture saith in vain the Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy V. 6. But he giveth more Grace wherefore he saith God resisteth the proud but giveth Grace to the humble 2 Cor. 12 9. And he said unto me my Grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me Rom. 6.14 For sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace 2. Trust in him to enable thee to resist and overcome the temptations wherewith thou shalt be assaulted from the Devil or the world Mat. 6.13 Lead us not into temptation 2 Chron. 32.31 Howbeit in the businesse of the Ambassadours of the Princes of Babylon who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the Land God left him to try him that he might know all that was in his heart 1 Pet. 5.8 Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the Devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour V. 9. Whom resist stedfast in the Faith Jam. 4.7 Resist the Devil and he will flee from you 1 John 2.15 Love not the world nor the things that are in the world if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him V. 16. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eies and the pride of life is not of the Father 1 John 5.4 Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our Faith John 17.15 I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil V. 20 Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their word 3. Humbly depend on him to assist and enable thee to perform all the duties both of thy general and particular calling with sincerity diligence and delight 2 Cor. 3.5 Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God Phil. 4 13. I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me Psal 87.7 All my Springs are in thee 4. Trust in him to enable thee to bear all the afflictions he shall please to lay upon thee with patience affiance in his mercy and submission to his will Col. 1.11 Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulnesse 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but with the temptation will also make a way
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
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
take away the iniquity of thy servant These ejaculatory prayers are as it were messengers sent post to Heaven when time is not afforded for continued prayer for some speedy help And as they hinder no businesse but being duly performed further it much every way so no businesse can hinder them When a Minister is preaching and finds his heart cold and livelesse in the service or when in solemn prayer he finds his spirit indisposed dry and barren How may he speed one of these swift and silent messengers one of these fervent ejaculations to Heaven for help and assistance When a Christian is hearing the Word of how much advantage is it to send up such silent and fervent prayers that God would set home such or such a Doctrine upon his heart or help him to forsake such a sin then reproved or enable him to believe and embrace such a Truth When Christ was preaching to his Apostles that hard lesson of brotherly forgiveness we find in the 17th of Luke v. 5. They sent up that holy ejaculation Lord encrease our Faith A man that is riding or walking or employed in his lawful calling may thus converse with Heaven and yet no waies hinder his present businesse And further to perswade thee to the practise of this direction consider I. These ejaculatory prayers do very much honour God in that they acknowledge him to be a God that can understand the language of our hearts and the least movings of our desires towards him and that he is a God hearing prayers and a very present help in time of trouble II. They are a good means to keep our hearts spiritual and heavenly and in a good frame Strangenesse often growes between God and our soules for want of these And many affecting providences loose their kindly work upon us for want of a present lifting up of our hearts in some sutable ejaculations III. They are a special means to fit us for more solemn prayer We must begin duties with duties God prepares the hearts of his people to pray acceptably unto him by these preparatory ejaculations But here observe these few cautions and directions 1. Take heed of formality slightness and customariness in them Let them be serious and fervent and from thy heart Nothing more usual with many peoâ—le than God forgive me Lord blesse me God help me when the heart is nothing affected nor does it send up these as earnest requests unto the Lord looking for an answer 2. Use these holy ejaculations not only in a way of petition but also of thanksgiving Thus our Saviour Father I thank thee Mat. 11 25.26 Thus David often as may be seen in his Psalms that are full of such holy breathings and affectionate thanksgivings 3. Take heed under this pretence of laying aside or neglecting solemn prayer in a continued way For that many ignorant people are apt to do thinking a few formal short ejâ—culations to be devotion enough and begrutch God any more of their time 4. Get a deep sense of thy own Weaknesse inability insufficiency and of thy continual need of help from God and that will dispose thy heart to be ready in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to make thy requests known unto God Direct 2. Retire thy self every night and review and reflect upon all thy actions and whole behaviour in the day past We read that God himself when he created the world every day looked over his own works Surely God had no need to examine his works that were so exact and perfect but 't is written for our instruction that we should do so likewise Therefore for the keeping thy Conscience clear from guilt it will be very requisite thou shouldst take thy self in private before thou liest down to sleep and consider thy whole carriage and behaviour that day that so thou maist by a serious humiliation retract and undo whatever has been amisse and maist make all streight between God and thy soul If thou findest out thy sins when they are but a day old before they become customary and have taken root they will be more easily removed by serious and speedy repentance and applying thy self to Christ for pardon But for want of this frequent self-examining and soul-purging the heart becomes hardned sin gets root the devil gets possession and the soul is more and more alienated from God To conclude this head of Watchfulnesse Let it be thy serious and fixed purpose every morning through the assistance of Grace not willingly or knowingly to commit any sin or to do any thing thy Conscience shall tell thee is displeasing to God But if contrary to thy serious intention through infirmity sudden surprizal violence of temptation incogitancy thou dost at any time fall humble thy soul before the Lord bewail and confesse thy fault with sorrow and grief and speedily recover thy self by a serious repentance and flying to the blood of Christ for pardon When thy peace is broken with God at any time by sin rest not till it be made up again And rise from thy fall with a greater detestation of sin a stronger resolution against it with a greater love to Christ and thankfulnesse for his pardoning Grace And begging help from God be more watchful for the future Matth. 25.13 Watch therefore for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh Matth. 26.41 Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak Matth. 13.35 Watch ye therefore for ye know not when the master of the house cometh at even or at midnight or at the cock-crowing or in the morning V 36. Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping V. 37. And what I say unto you I say unto all Watch. Luke 12.37 Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching Luke 21.34 Take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life and so that day come upon you unawares V. 36. Watch ye therefore and pray alwaies that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to passe and to stand before the Son of man 1 Cor. 15.34 Awake to righteousnesse and sin not Rom. 13.11 And knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed 2 Tim. 4.5 Watch then in all things endure afflictions do the work of an Evangelist make full proof of thy Ministry 1 Pet. 4.7 The end of all things is at hand be ye therefore sober and watch unto prayer 1 Pet. 5.8 Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour V. 9. Whom resist stedfast in the Faith 1 Cor. 16.13 Watch ye stand fast in the Faith quit your selves like men be strong Col. 4.2 Continue in prayer and watch in the same with
gates of Jerusalem on the evening of their Sabbath If any Merchants come any worldly thoughts or businesses let them stay without till the Sabbath be over The work of mens Callings is not only in their hands but in their minds and heads A Minister may have a great Congregation yet but a few hearers if their minds be stuft with the world before they come if they bring their trades their bargaines their plow their worldly businesse along with them As therefore we read of Abraham in Gen. 22.5 That when he went up to the Mount to offer Sacrifice he left his servants and the Asse in the valley behind him so should we our worldly cares and businesses when we go to worship God and to hear his Word 2. Consider and meditate on the great concernment and importance of the Word 'T is the ordinary means God hath appointed for the working that great work of conversion without which no salvation and for the edifying and building up those that are already savingly wrought upon Jam. 1.18 Of his own Will begat he us by the Word of Truth 1 Cor. 4.15 I have begotten you in Christ Jesus saith Paul through the Gospel Rom. 10 17. Faith cometh by hearing Indeed sin and consequently death came by hearing at the first by our first Parents listening to and believing a tempting Spirit But now Faith and consequently life comes by Hearing through the operation of the blessed Spirit of God in the Word Rom. 1.16 The Gospel 't is the power of God unto salvation Labour therefore to have an high value and esteem of the preaching of the Gospel God hath appointed his Ordinances not in Soveraignty only but in Mercy to us As our Saviour said of the Sabhath Mark 2.27 The Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath So may I say of all the Ordinances of God they were ordained for man for mans benefit and not man made for them And therefore the great benefit that with Gods blessing may be expected from them if we duly attend upon them should make us highly value them Indeed it is one of the devils stratagems in this age to urge the efficacy of the Spirit as a plea for the neglect of means Whereas Gods Spirit does usually work in and by the means and rarely if ever when the ordinary means are slighted 'T is true God himself is not tyed to means nor to any of his own Ordinances yet he ties us to make use of them when we may have them That soul cannot expect to be instructed by Gods Spirit who is a slighter and neglecter of Gods ordinary means Further consider the intent of the Word is not only to regenerate but to nourish increase and perfect the Graces of the Saints Eph. 4.11 12. Our knowledge is imperfect Those that know most may learn more We need new inforcements of duty Our affections are dull and need a new excitement None so wise so knowing a Christian but he may receive some benefit from a different handling of what he himself knew before Therefore seeing the preaching of the Word was ordained for so great and signal benefits to mankind 't is just with God that they that have slight thoughts of it should be barren under it 3. When thou art going to hear consider whither thou art going Thou art going to meet the great God of Heaven and Earth A God that is not to be dallied with Levit. 10.3 I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me When the people went to hear the Law Exod. 19.10 The Lord said to Moses Sanctifie the people and let them wash their clothes What does this speak to us that Christians should only wash their hands and faces and put on their best apparrel when they come to hear the Word No the Apostle James Jam. 1.21 tels us Lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meeknesse the ingrafted Word that is able to save your souls If thou findest thy Spirit slight and wandring to fix it and make it serious think with thy self and imagine how it was with the Israelites going to receive the Law of God When the Mount was all on a flame of fire the trumpet sounding louder and louder the people trembling and sore afraid This is to beat the Devil with his own weapon for he often prevailes upon us by casting in sinful Imaginations Consider therefore how the Lord is present in an especial manner where his Word is preached Surely the Lord is in this place as Jacob said of Bethel Gen. 28.16 The apprehension of Gods presence in the assemblies of his people will preserve in thee an awful and reverent disposition of soul 4. Before thou goest fail not to poure forth earnest and fervent prayers unto the Lord and that in behalf 1. Of the Minister 2. Of thy self I. In behalf of the Minister that the Lord would teach him what he should teach the people and direct and enable him to declare the mind of God and to preach such truths as may tend to the benefit and salvation of thine and others soules Certainly if people did more seriously and more frequently pray for their Minister that the Lord would bless and prosper his labours and direct him to divide the Word aright to give to every one their portion to feed the people with knowledge and understanding he might expect a greater blessing and assistance in his studies and they more benefit by his endeavours How earnestly does Paul beg prayers Rom. 15 30 Now I beseech you brethren for the Lord Jesus Christs sake and for the love of the Spirit that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me v. 31. That my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the Saints And Eph 6.18 Praying alwaies with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit for all Saints v. 19. And for me that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the Gospel v. 20. That therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak Col. 4.3 Withal praying for us that God would open to us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also in bonds v. 4. That I may make it manifest as I ought to speak II. In behalf of thy self 1. That the Lord would fix thy mind and make it serious When the mind is serious truths are apt to make impression 2. That he would enlighten thy mind and open thy heart as he did the heart of Lydia Acts 16.14 that thou maist have a clear and right understanding of those truths that concern thy salvation 3. That he would give thee a heart to believe and embrace the truth in the love of it that truth may not only float in thy phantasie but sink down into thy heart Rom. 10.10 With the heart man believeth unto righteousnesse There is a Faith of the head and a Faith of
be a wise choice made Many of the Psalmes David penn'd and sung when his mind was full of anguish and grief and so he eased his heart by lamenting his sad condition before the Lord. Observe the Title of Psalm 102 A prayer of the aflicted when he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. Therefore our singing on fasting daies is not to make us merry but to affect and melt our hearts with a deep sense of our sins Penitential Psalms provoke to sadnesse as Eucharistical to joy and rejoycing Obj. 4. Davids Psalms do not suit our conditions Is it not absurd to give people Davids Conditions to sing and for them to tell God it is so with them as it was with David when possibly 't is nothing so Ans 1. All Scripture is profitable for doctrine reproof correction instruction c. 2 Tim. 3.16 And written for our learning and comfort Rom. 15.4 And therefore the Psalms also 2. The Psams seem principally written for a threefold use 1. For Instruction and admonition 2. For Consolation 3. For Praise and Thanksgiving Now what passage is there in Davids Psalms but thou maist accomodate to thy self one of these waies Suppose David said I am not puft in mind Psal 131. And thou findest thy heart prone to pride here is a word of admonition to thee So that whilst thou art reciting and declaring Davids humble frame and condition thou oughtest to lift up thy heart to God that he would work the like frame in thee Lord thy Servant David could truly say I am not puft in mind Good Lord grant me this Grace also Suppose thou canst not find in thy self such a love to Gods Law as was in David Psal 119. Then there is a word of Instruction to thee teaching thee what thou shouldst do Thou oughtest to pray to have such a Divine Affection to the Law of God kindled in thee So that we sing Psalms as we read them for the benefit and good use we may make of them 'T is therefore no more a lie to sing them than to read them By singing as by reading them we recite and repeat what God has revealed in his Word for our admonition and instruction And though we cannot make some passages our own by using them for our selves and in our own name as David did yet we may make them our own by a sweet meditation on them for our benefit and edification I come to the Fourth thing to give some Rules and Directions how Christians should practise this duty aright I. Sing with understanding and attention of mind to the matter sung Labour to understand the mind and meaning of the holy Ghost in the Psalm you sing Psal 47.7 Sing ye praises with understanding II. Labour to sing with Grace in â—he heart i. e. with a gracious frame of spirit Our singing must not be a lip labour an outward bodily exercise only pleasing our selves or others with the tune of a Psalm But we should look to it that our hearts be well tuned as Maries was Luke 1.46 My soul doth magnifie the Lord c. III. Labour to exercise and act those peculiar Graces which the matter sung requires and gives occasion to God looks at the heart and how a man is affected within 1. Some Psalms are laudatory and set forth the high praises of God from the consideration of his glorious Nature Attributes and Works In singing these we should stir up our hearts to love God to fear him to trust in him and our hearts should prompt our tongues to sound forth his praises 2. Some are petitionary containing supplications for spirituall blessings such as pardon Grace the favour of God or temporall such as direction protection provision c. Here we should look up to God as the only author of these mercies and humbly pray to him for them 3. Some are Eucharistical containing thanksgivings to God for mercies received private or publick spiritual or temporal 4. Some contain precepts and instructions to fear God to love him to walk in his waies being backed with promises to encourage us thereunto Some declare the evil waies of sinners and the judgments of God that attend them to deter us there-from 5. Some contain imprecations and prayers for judgments on enemies Here we are not to pray for or wish the same judgments on our private enemies But 1. We may meditate on the fearful judgments of God that hang over the heads of all wicked and impenitent transgressours that so we may fear to be like them 2. We may pray for the like judgments on all the implacable and incurable enemies of Christ and his Kingdome 6. Some contain the sad complaints of the Church under afflictions Here thou maist meditate on the sufferings of the Saints and lift up thy heart to God to give thee also suffering Graces IV. Let there be a wise choice made of Psalms to be sung according as our present necessities and occasions do require V. Let thy end in singing be that God may be honoured thy self and others edified that the Graces of Gods Spirit may be excited and exercised in thy self and others 4. Religious Conference 'T is the duty of all true and sincere Christians to labour to further one another Heaven-ward And surely religious conference rightly mannaged is a great means of increasing knowledge and Grace among Christians Communion of Saints is an Article of our Faith The Apostle tels us Rom. 12.5 We being many are one body in Christ and every one members one of another Such a body true believers are by their union with Christ and ought to be by communion and fellowship one with another for their mutual edification There ought to be a mutual serviceablenesse among Christians and helping one another on in gracious courses I shall therefore 1. Give some Arguments to perswade to it 2. Some Directions about it 1. We have many exhortations to it in the Scriptures 1 Thes 5.11 Wherefore comfort your selves together and edifie one another even as also ye do Heb. 10.24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works v. 25. Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as ye see the day approaching Heb 3.13 But exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin 2. We find this practised by the primitive Saints Acts 2.42 And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking bread and in prayers 3. To this end God hath given several Gifts and Graces to his people 1 Pet. 4.10 As every man hath received the gift even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold Grace of God 1 Cor. 12.7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal 4. Where Christians are most frequent and most faithful in
this duty there usually they are in a most thriving condition both as to knowledge and holinesse As Countreys that maintain a trade and commerce together do inrich each other 5. 'T is a good way to prevent seduction into errour Christians are better able to resist errours by their united forces and mutual counsels than singly and alone The Church is said Cant. 6.10 to be terrible as an Army with banners But straglers and such as go alone are often snatcht up How easie is it to pervert and draw one single person into any dangerous errour who neglects the benefit of other Christians advice and counsel 6. It will be a good means to increase love in the hearts of Christians one towards another And Love is Christ's Livery John 13.35 By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love one to another Thus much of the Arguments to perswde to this duty The Directions follow I. Let Christians in their Religious Conferences have this principally in their aim to edifie one another to further one another Heaven-ward to do good to one another soules II. Let them labour for those Graces that are requisite for this duty Such as these 1. Sobriety of judgment 2. Humility and lowlinesse of mind 3. Ingenuity acknowledging and prizing the Gifts and Graces they see in each other 4. Self-denial condescending to them of low parts going a slow pace rather than outgoing the young and tender lambs 5. Love affability encouraging weak beginners 6. Inoffensivenesse 7. Sincerity and plain heartedness III. Let them avoid censuring or judging the Spiritual state of others Such persons meet together for the worse and not for the better IV. Let them decline controverted points such things usually gendring strife and variance and apply themselves to speak of things that are practical As of God and his Goodnesse Of Christ his Person Offices and Merits Of the Covenant of Grace Of the Doctrine of justification Of the patience and self-denial of those that are gone before us Of Heaven and the Glory of that Kingdom How did the Martyrs in prison by such ravishing discourses set one another at liberty from the fears of death How did holy Bradford's sweet and cheerful company make the very dungeons lightsom and palace-like to his fellow-prisoners as themselves confessed These and such like practical matters will be the fittest subjects for Christians to discourse of when they meet together V. Let them impart their experiences and the methods of Gods dealings with themselves or others How they got rid of such a corruption vanquished such a temptation attain'd to a facility in such a duty Let them impart what may tend to the advancement of Holinesse VI. Let them provoke and stir up one another to Holinesse to Love and to good works admonishing and exhorting one another to watch and take heed to their waies seeing so many watch for their haltings like those the Prophet speaks of Jer. 20.10 All my familiars watched for my halting c. VII If any fallings out or jars shall happen among them at any time let them be prudently and seasonably healed and made up And in this case praying together and for one another is of singular use Let them as the Apostle speaks in another case Jam. 5.16 Confesse their faults one to another and pray one for another that they may be healed if their minds have been distempered and ill-affected one towards another 5. Retired holy Meditation Holy Meditation is the acting of the mind upon some Divine Object in order to the working upon the affections and raising fome fit resolutions in the soul therefrom tending to Gods Glory and the furtherance of Holinesse How many Christians are there that live in a constant neglect of this so exceeding useful duty by which all other duties are improved and by which the soul digesteth truths and draweth forth their strength for its nourishment and refreshing Certainly Meditation rightly mannaged doth exceedingly tend to the advancement of Piety I shall therefore 1. Give some Reasons why we should practise it 2. Give some Directions as to the manner how we should perform it I. Consider this was the practise of many of the eminent Saints of God recorded in the Scriptures Isaac and David were much in this Duty II. Consider the great benefit of it duly performed T is an excellent means 1. To encrease knowledge and to make the mind serious and solid None are more knowing setled established Christians than such as are much in Meditation 2. To stir up and awaken the Graces of Gods Spirit in us Hereby we awaken our Faith inflame our love strengthen our hope enliven our desires encrease our joyes in God we loosen our affections from the world and fore-acquaint our selves with the Glory that is to come 3. To make the Word profitable Meditation is the digestion of the soul 'T is not the taking in of food but the stomacks concocting of it that makes it turn to blood and Spirits For want of this How many Sermons are lost and do no good The Word will not profit us except we take time to think upon it 4. To prepare the heart for prayer and other holy duties Meditation tunes and prepares and fits the heart for solemn Worship 5. To antidote and fortifie the soul against sin and temptation If men would but often consider of the evil and danger of sin it would be a great means to deter them from the practise of it 6. 'T is an excellent help and means of Communion with God 'T is the souls perspective whereby it sees something of the Glory and happinesse of that Kingdom that is above Thus much of the Arguments for it I come now to give some Directions how it should be managed I. Pitch upon some convenient time of the day for this duty A Christians timing his duty aright is a great help to him in the right performance of it Some have chosen the morning for this duty and some the evening We have examples of both in Scripture Of our Saviour we read Mark 1.35 And in the morning rising up a great while before day he went out and departed into a solitary place and there prayed Gen. 24.63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the even-tide II. Pitch upon some convenient retired place The wise man tels us Prov. 18.1 Through desire a man having separated himself seeketh and intermedleth with all wisdome First he separates himself then intermedleth with wisdom There is nothing the Devil more spights than this that a man should often retire and separate himself from the world to meditate on his everlasting concernments The Devil cannot endure a man should consider whether he be journeying towards Heaven or Hell III. Get a good stock of profitable materials to meditate on as the Attributes of God His promises of remission sanctification reward The love of Christ The evil and danger of sin The vanity of the Creature The
better example Timothy was train'd up by his parents and that from a child in the holy Scriptures 2 Tim. 3.15 Want of instruction at home is one main reason of the unprofitablenesse of preaching 2. A Priest to offer up the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise for them and with them 3. A King to rule command and govern for Christ in his own house Gen. 18.19 I know Abraham that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord c. A Master of a Family has a greater command and authority over those in his own house than any Minister has He is more with them and has his eie more upon them He should therefore improve his power for God and be like the good Bishop described 1 Tim. 3.4 ruling well i. e. Religiously his own house having his children in subjection with all gravitie So much of the second particular the directions how Governours of Families should discharge their duties towards those under their Government I come now to the third and last to shew whence the neglect of this so great and necessary a duty proceeds There are several causes of it 1. Ignorance Some are so ignorant themselves they know not how to instruct others They know not how to pray with their Families Oh let all such presently apply themselves with all care and seriousnesse to learn the things that concern their salvation that they may discharge their duties towards their relations And let them know it is their duty to labour for ability to pray and for that gift whereby upon all occasions they may in an humble and fitting manner express the desires of their hearts unto the Lord. In the mean time till by seeking to God for his Spirit to enable them and by a faithful endeavour they have attain'd to some measure of this gift they may use some good prescribed form Only let them be exceeding watchful over their hearts for fear of that formality and meer lip-service which in such cases we are more especially in danger of 2. Carelesness Some are of Gallio's temper Acts 18.17 They care for none of these things They think this more ado than needs They will provide portions for their children look that their servants do their work but for Religion the one thing absolutely necessary they do not much trouble themselves 3. Worldly-mindednesse Some are so worldly they cannot afford time for Gods Worship and Service Not a swine about the house but shall be served morning and evening but God is not regarded 4. Prophanenesse Some are so far from having any religious care of their Families to pray with them to instruct them c. that they deride these duties and scoffe at those that make conscience to perform them They through the pride of their hearts think it a disparagement to them to set up the practise of these things in their houses Wretched worms Is God become a shame to his creatures Who are they or what is their Fathers house that they are too good to be the servants of the most High Let them make their peace with that Scripture Mark 8. ult Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the Glory of his Father with the holy Angels 5. Loose Opinions under pretence of new Light setting people at liberty from the observation and practise of those duties whereby the life and power of Religion is most maintained and preserved Let Governours of Families therefore beware of all these things and whatever else may hinder them from a Conscionable discharge of their Duties Gen. 18.19 For I know him that he will command his Children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do Justice and Judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him Josh 24.15 But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. 1 Sam. 1.21 And the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly Sacrifice and his vow Acts 10.2 Cornelius a devout man and one that feared God with all his house which gave much Almes to the people and prayed to God alway CHAP. XI Of the duties of Husband and Wife I Shall first speak of the Duties common to both and then more particularly of those that belong to each of them severally They owe to each other Love Faithfulnesse Helpfulnesse I. Love There ought to be a firm and inviolable love between them grounded on Gods Ordinance and their own Covenant and not meerly on natural or civil respects and being so neerly united and made one flesh they should have but one heart They should have the greatest tendernesse and kindness for each other imaginable If any unkindnesse should at any time happen to arise between them they should never sleep in displeasure but both readily agree to a speedy reconcilement The Sun should not go down on their wrath Love must sweeten all their speeches carriage and actions towards each other 'T is love will make all the duties of a married life easie and all the cumbers and crosses tolerable This love must for measure exceed and surpasse their love to any other creature There must be between them both the love of goodwill desiring heartily the welfare of each other and the love of complacency delighting in each other Want of love between man and wife is no mean sin II. Faithfulnesse and that of several sorts 1. That of the bed They must keep themselves pure chast from all strange embraces and with the greatest abhorrence detest any motion or temptation that way They must not embrace the bosom of a stranger Prov. 5.20 They must be constant to each other and confident of each other Jealousie is the pasport of love 2. They must keep each others secrets 3. Conceal each others infirmities 4. Be faithful to each other in the mannaging their worldly affairs 5. If any difference arise not let it take vext for jars concealed are half reconciled whereas if they be once divulged 't is a double labour to make up the breach and stop the mouths of people abroad III. Helpfulnesse They are to be mutuall helpers each to other both in spiritual and temporal things 1. They should endeavour to help one another on towards Heaven to promote and encrease knowledge and Holiness in each others souls designing to meet together and live together for ever in Heaven They should pray together and for each other 1 Pet. 3.7 They should faithfully wisely and lovingly admonish one another of any failings they discern in each other This is of all other the truest and most valuable love Nay indeed How can it be said they do love at all if they can contentedly let each other run on in a course that will bring them to eternal misery True
hear this hath been thy manner from thy youth that thou obeyedst not my voice Prov. 1.24 Because I called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded V. 25. But ye have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof V. 26. I also will laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh Lev. 19.32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and honour the face of the old man and fear thy God I am the Lord. Isa 3.5 And the people shall be oppressed every one by another and every one by his Neighbour the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient and the base against the honourable So much of the Duties belonging to Young persons I come now to speak to the Ancient The main and principal care of those that are in years should be to make all strait and even between God and their own soules to secure their state in Grace and their Title to Glory For their Sun is setting their race is almost run Though the younger may die yet the old must die and after death comes judgment Let all ancient persons therefore take these following Particulars into their serious consideration I. The case of all old people that are yet in an unconverted state is very sad and dangerous For 1. This world and the contentments thereof are in a manner done with them The evil daies are come upon them wherein they must needs say they have no pleasure in them 2. Usually they labour under many weaknesses and bodily infirmities If they have not the comfort of a good Conscience to support them and to be the staffe of their age how exceeding miserable must they needs be 3. If they have lived long under the means of Grace and continued unconverted till old age 't is a hundred to one whether they ever be converted or no. 'T is rare to hear of any that have gone on in a long course of carelesseness and security and been habituated and hardned in sin that in their old age have turned to God See the Reasons before mentioned p. 510. 4. If they die in their sins they will receive a greater condemnation The furnace will be hotter for them than for young sinners They have contracted a greater debt The heap of their sins is greater Certainly it will be more tolerable in the day of judgment for Er and Onan who were cut off betimes in their sins than for sinners that are threescore or fourscore years old If the Judge at the Assizes do meet with an old theef or an old cut purse that have had many warnings and still go on in their wickednesse they seldom scape Let all old impenitent sinners think of this How may God say of such Heer 's an old covetous worldly-minded man an old swearer or drunkard an old hater of Godlinesse and slighter of Religion an old ignorant carelesse wretch a neglecter of Family-duties one that should have instructed his children and servants and bred them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord but in stead thereof has given them an ill example and done me a great deal of dishonour c. I have forborn him fourty fifty sixty years He has often quenched the good motions of my Spirit my Ambassadors could never prevail with him to leave his sins Now therefore O ye evil Angels this day this week this year require his soul of him and bring him to judgment O how exceeding sad is the case of an old unconverted man or woman II. Nothing is more to be admired at than that ancient people should go on in their sins not minding speedily and seriously to turn to God For 1. The lease of their lives is almost expired And is it not a strange madnesse they should make no provision for another world 2. They have many warnings they must go hence dim eyes feeble legs trembling joynts Eccles 12.3 The Sun and the Light is darkned the keepers of the house tremble the strong men bow themselves the grinders cease c. Their bodily weaknesses warn them they must not ftay long here 3. They have but a little time to watch and the Bridegroom will come and if they get not Oyl into their lamps now they will be for ever shut out III. Though their condition be very sad and dangerous yet it is not desperate if they will yet bestir themselves For let them consider these four things 1. God hath declar'd a greater delight in the conversion of sinners whether young or old than in their destruction and damnation Ezek. 33.11 Say unto them as I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live turn ye turn ye from your evil waies for why will ye die O House of Israel 2. The promises of God do stand in force and will be made good to repenting returning sinners whether young or old True Repentance is never too late but late repentance is seldom true All sorts of sins are pardonable to reall penitents and true believers 3. There is efficacy and vertue enough in Christs blood to cleanse not only young but old sinners from all their sins 4. Christ is willing to accept old sinners if they will repent and forsake their sins and really turn to him and close with him on his own terms being willing to take him not only for their Saviour but for their Lord and King and to yield up themselves in sincere obedience to him and to be guided and governed by his Grace and holy Spirit Christ did not come 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 IV. Though ancient people that have gone on in a long course of ignorance carelessness neglect of God and the concernments of their souls should be convinced they are at present in a bad condition in an unconverted state yet it does not thence follow they must needs so continue and utterly and finally despair but they should awaken themselves delay no longer and speedily set themselves to get out of this miserable condition while there is a possibility of escaping the danger of it 'T is no folly to be wise for their souls to be wise for Eternity at last Therefore let them remember now if ever V. They should be exceeding careful they do not deceive themselves with ill grounded hopes of Heaven peesuming it will go well with them in the other world when they have no reall foundation for such a confidence A false ungrounded hope is but a dream of a waking man If a condemned Malefactor should frame a pardon for himself in the prison and think to be saved by that would it not prove a miserable cheat put upon himself Does it not concern every one therefore to consider whether the hope of pardon and forgiveness they pretend unto
from and inconsistent with the nature of these Graces There is a great deal of danger in mistaking about these things Therefore let them ask themselves seriously whether they do indeed understand that true repentance follows upon a clear and full conviction of the evil odiousnesse and filthinesse of sin as that which is contrary to Gods holy Nature and is flat rebellion against his Lawes and Authority as that which defaces his Image depraves defiles pollutes the soul weakens its powers disenables it for holy operations and conforms it to the Image of Satan Whether they rightly apprehend the danger desert and mischievous effects and consequents of sin how it exposes the sinner to judgments spirituall temporal and eternal Whether ever they apprehended their own deep guiltiness both of Original and a huge number of actual sins Whether there ever has been wrought in them any deep contrition and hearty sorrow for their sins and that upon Gospel-grounds because they have so exceedingly dishonoured God pierced our dear Lord and Saviour grieved the holy Spirit brought a stain and defilement upon their soules and rendred themselves justly liable to the wrath and curse of God Whether their hearts have been wrought to a hatred and loathing of sin and to a forsaking of every known sin and are now really turned unto God Whether they have cleerly and without guile of spirit confessed bewailed their sins unto God their particular known sins particularly and all secret undiscovered unknown sins with a general confession And here that the sick person may the better examine himself and awaken his Conscience and may understand in some measure the number of his sins the several kinds of them and the various waies of offending God let him consider and ponder seriously of the duties commanded and sins forbidden in the Law or ten Commandments and the special sins against the Gospel For the more particular his repentance is the more pungent and afflictive it will be and so the more sincere and effectual Of the duties commanded and sins forbidden in the Law or ten Commandments The first Commandment requireth us to own and acknowledge Jehovah to be the only true God and our God and to adore worship and glorifie him accordingly The sins against this Commandment are 1. Atheism not believing there is a God or so living as if there were no God in the world to be obeyed and worshipped 2. Idolatry in having or worshipping more Gods than one or any with or in stead of the true God praying or giving any religious worship to Saints Angels or any other Creature 3. All compacts and consulting with the Devil all resorting to Witches and Conjurers which is in effect to go to the Devil himself 4. Making men the Lords of our Faith Consciences 5. Ignorance misapprehensions misbelief concerning God not labouring after the true knowledge of God nor endeavouring to understand aright his nature properties and works 6. Infidelity not believing his word or not believing it effectually practically so as to live according to our belief not beleeving his threatnings so as to be afraid of them nor his promises so as to be invited by them unto obedience and newnesse of life 7. Diffidence and distrust of his care and providence not depending on him for the supply of our wants not looking up to him for a blessing on our lawful endeavours tempting him by using unlawful means in stead of waiting his leisure Creature-confidence trusting in wit wealth friends c. and thereby withdrawing our hearts and dependance from God 8. Want of love to God Not cleaving to him with a fervent love apprehending him the chief good not loving him for his own infinite excellencies and for his goodnesse to us not loving him with all our affections and might but loving our selves our pleasures or profits or credit before him inordinate setting our minds and affections on other things besides God 9. Want of zeal and forwardnesse to promote his Glory Lukewarmnesse indifferency in the things of God not sorrowing for those raigning sins whereby his honour is eclipsed 10. Not fearing God so as to keep from any wilful offending of him timorousnesse fearing man more than God by committing sin to shun some outward suffering 11. Not rejoycing in God nor in his waies and Worship counting his waies grievous and burdensom Apostatizing from him forsaking his Worship and Service 12. Presuming groundlessely on his mercy while we go on in any wilful sin or despairing of it so as to neglect duty 13. Unthankfulnesse for those great mercies he hath so freely bestowed upon us not acknowledging them or letting them slip by without any regard or notice being too apt to ascribe Gods blessings to our deserts or endeavours sacrificing to our own net to our own wit or parts not ascribing all Glory to God 14. Insensiblenesse under his judgments or discontent at his dispensations Impatience under his Fatherly chastisements not accepting the punishment of our iniquities without murmuring or repining not amending by his corrections but either fainting despairing and charging God foolishly 15. Not yeelding such sincere and universal obedience to him as we ought both in heart and life 16. Not having a high and an adoring esteem of God not demeaning our selves humbly before him according as our vilenesse and his infinite surpassing excellencies do require The second Commandment shews the manner how the true God must be worshipped and requires the observing and keeping pure entire all such religious Worship and Ordinances as he hath appointed in his Word Inward Idolatry is opposed to the first Commandment outward to this The true God is to be worshipped only in that way that he himself hath appointed Therefore Idolatrous and superstitious Worshippers of him he cals haters of him and expresses a very fervent zeal for his own Worship and a revengefull indignation against all false Worship as being spiritual whoredom The sins against this Commandment are 1. All will-worship superstition or corrupting the Ordinances of God by mans inventions 2. Making any Images for a religious use either of the true God or of false 3. Making any representation of God of all or any of the Three Persons in the Trinity either inwardly in our minds or outwardly in any kind of Image or likenesse of any creature whatsoever or worshipping of it or God in it and by it 4. Worshipping of God any way not agreeable to his Nature and not warranted by his Word which requires he should be worshipped in Spirit and Truth with uprightnesse and sincerity he being a spiritual and most pure Being without any visible form or shape Therefore all formality unspiritualnesse and meer bodily Worship is that which he cannot away with The third Commandment requires we should honour and reverence the most holy and glorious Name of God and that all his Titles Attributes Ordinances or whatever else he is pleas'd to make known himself by be holily and reverently used by us This Commandment
are not under the dominion of sin but of grace Whether they have put on the new man and have a new nature wrought in them which consists in knowledge righteousnesse and true holiness Whoever is in Christ is a new creature old things are past away 2 Cor. 5.17 And whoever has not the Spirit of Christ is none of his Rom. 8.9 They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit V. 5. To be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace V. 6. Let them consider therefore whether ever they found a powerful work of Grace upon their hearts whether the Spirit of Christ dwell in them whether his Law be written in their hearts whether his Glory be their end whether indeed they are alive unto God what strength they have for active and passive duties whether the Word be their delight whether they pray fervently delight in communion with God in his waies and Worship whether they obey him sincerely and walk humbly before him whether they bear afflictions patiently suffer reproaches joyfully Sixthly Whether they have for any considerable time made Religion the great businesse of their lives apprehending the chief happinesse of man to consist in reconciliation with God pardon of sin in a gracious frame of heart in communion with God and a faithful serving of him whether they have set their affections on things above have had their conversation in Heaven have pressed earnestly after the Glory of the other world have laid hold on eternal life have been treasuring up for eternity have improved their Talents for God have been serviceable to him in their generation If their Consciences upon a serious search can bear witnesse that through Grace it has been thus in some good measure with them then they have great reason to encourage their hearts in the Lord and to awaken all the powers of their soules to blesse his holy Name for working so gracious a frame of heart in them And let them still seek to the same fountain of Grace that he would please to perfect holinesse more and more in them till he bring them into the City of the living God the Heavenly Jerusalem to an innumerable company of Angels to the general Assembly and Church of the first-born to the spirits of just men made perfect and to Jesus the Mediatour of the new Covenant Heb. 12.22 But if the case has not been thus in any considerable degree and measure with them but upon a serious search they find they have been ignorant and mistaken about or too negligent and carelesse of the great things that concern their salvation then let them bewail their sad condition and cry mightily to God to give them his holy Spirit to enlighten their minds to convince them throughly of their sins of the danger folly and pollution of them to give them a heart to repent in good earnest to bestow upon them a broken and a contrite Spirit to dissolve their stony hearts into that Godly sorrow which worketh repentance to salvation never to be repented of and which bringeth forth fruits meet for repentance to discover to them their great need of a Saviour to draw their soules effectually unto him that they may close with him sincerely and resolvedly for those ends and purposes for which he came into the world namely to procure our pardon by his Merits and to sanctifie our natures by his Grace and holy Spirit to mortifie our corruptions to deliver us from Satans power and to bring us back again unto God And for the better information of their minds in the things they should know and believe in order to their salvation and to direct their practise I must refer them to the three first Chapters of the first part of this Treatise and the second and third Chapters of the second part which I desire them heedfully to mind and ponder upon Besides these Directions already mentioned there are some others also very requisite for sick persons to mind and regard As I. They should settle their estates and worldly affairs if they have not already done it as in prudence they should in time of health so that their minds may be free and vacant for spiritual exercises and not disturbed with earthly cares and businesses And those that have estates let them not forget to be charitable and to dispose something to pious uses knowing that with such sacrifices offer'd in a right manner and to a right end God is well pleased II. If they remember any wrongs or acts of injustice they have done to their neighbours or those with whom they have had dealings let them make restitution or labour to give them satisfaction as they are able that the guilt of those sins remain not on their Consciences III. If they be at variance with any let them seek reconciliation and freely and heartily forgive those that have done them wrong remembring how much they stand in need of forgivenesse from God IV. Let them give good counsel to those about them and the friends that come to visit them and exhort them earnestly to mind the working out their salvation in time of health and not to set their hearts on this world on the pleasures or profits of it which will not avail them in the day of death Let them advise them now to live unto God now to lay a good foundation against the time to come The words of sick and dying persons use to be much heeded and remembred V. Let them in the intervals of sharper pains look over their life past and recollect Gods wonderful favours and blessings bestowed upon them to stir up their hearts to praise and magnifie his holy Name How many are there that if they would read over the history of their life past may find matter enough of praise and to provoke them to send up some such thankful ejaculations as these Blessed be the Lord in all my life time I never broke a bone never fell into the hands of robbers never into publick shame or noisom diseases I have not begg'd my bread God gave me a right shape of body the right use of my understanding careful and pious Parents good and bountiful friends a religious education delivered me in such and such a danger heard my prayers in such particular pressures of my spirit c. O what shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me VI. Let them decline as much as they can the visits of vain and worldly persons who by their carnal and frothy discourses are like to disturb and hinder them in their preparations for death and those spiritual meditations and exercises they should be employ'd in Those that visit sick persons or attend about them should not talk to them as 't is too common of vain worldly needlesse businesses but of things that concern the welfare of their soules And to this Head I may
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
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
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
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
immutable Lawes to his people doth first apply himself to them as Jewes rouzing their attention by inculcating the late signal mercies he had confer'd on them hereby to excite them to a more strict observation of what he was now to give them in charge so that though the introduction be proper to the Jewes yet the commandements have a larger extent and are spoken alike to all Now 't is very observable the Jewish or Saturday Sabbath or seventh from the creation is not in expresse terms commanded in the fourth Commandement That we shall perceive if we look over the Commandement 1. Remember thou sanctifie the Sabbath day The Sabbath day it is you see and not the seventh from the Creation Observe saies Zanchy God said not Remember thou sanctifie the seventh day but the day of rest that is the day that is consecrated to rest either immediatly by himself or mediately by the Church directed by the Holy Ghost whatsoever day it be So that the day must be of Divine Institution 2. God telleth us distinctly what Sabbath he here means viz. the weekly He saith Sanctifie the Sabbath in the singular number not Sabbaths in the plural The observation not of many festivals but of one onely is there enjoyned saith the learned Junius 3. The Sabbath must be sanctified but what day is appointed for it Six daies shalt thou labour Six daies are ours The seventh is the Sâ—bbath A seventh God will have But what seventh He saies not the seventh from the Creation He names no day as intending the day should change He saith only the seventh i. e. The seventh after six working daies 4. But is the determination of this one in seven in our power No for it must be the Sabbath of the Lord thy God i. e. which he hath already or should hereafter declare to his Church to be his Sabbath It must be Gods own choice Now that the fourth Commandement is moral will appear if we consider 1. Except it be moral there cannot be ten Commandements and yet so we find Deut. 10 4. And he wrote on the Tables according to the first writing the ten Commandements which the Lord spake unto you in the Mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the Assembly And the Lord gave them unto me To keep some time holy to the Lord and to keep that time which he should appoint is absolutely moral Now 't is plain a Sabbath God must have by the perpetual Ordinance of the fourth Commandement Remember thou sanctifie the Sabbath day i. e. That day which for the time being God hath marked out and appointed for his own And he hath declared his Will concerning the limitation of it Six daies shalt thou labour c. But the seventh is the Sabbath so that one in a week he must have If this Commandement enjoyn no particular and set time under the Gospel then are there but nine Commandements Why should the Sabbath be put among the moral Lawes of the Decalogue if it were only ceremonial And wherein does the designation or limitation of one day in a week for Gods service seem ceremonial It being a memorial of Gods creating the world in six daies and resting the seventh this being a benefit wheâ—ein all mankind intercommon the Jewes can claim no property therein several to themselves 2 If we look upon the Sabbath of the fourth Commandement we shall find it stript of all legal observances For those things which are urged as ceremonial and several of the Jewes touching the Sabbath are all post-scripts and by-laws not one emergent from the fourth precept As no fire to be kindled Exod. 16 23. No meat to be dressed Exod. 17 5. These were peculiar to the Jews We must distinguish therefore between those precepts of the Sabbath that occur elsewhere the fourth Commandement What is ceremonial touching the Sabbath we must apply to them what is moral we must restrain to this See Mr. Lestrang's learned Treatise of the Sabbath Thus we have seen how God had from the Creation to the Law from the Law to Christ a day appointed and that by himself to his own Worship And hath he lesse reason to require it under the Gospel Surely no. IIII. From Christs resurrection on the first day of the week very early in the morning Luke 24.1 John 20.1 The Sabbath was changed to that day in honour of our Saviour who that day rising from the dead finished the work of our Redemption The Jewish Sabbath slept its last in the grave with our Saviour though its shadow indeed walked a while after but it self the old Sabbath expired then and immediatly entred the Lords day From the resurrection of Christ immediatly when Christ himself was but newly up from that very day whereon he arose doth Augustine derive the beginning of the Evangelical Sabbath The Lords day saith he by the resurrection of Christ was declared to be the Christians day and from that very time of Christs resurrection it began to be celebrated as the Christian mans Festival Epist ad Jan. 19. c. 13. This was the first day of our Saviours appearing to his Disciples and the first Christian Sabbath he honoured with his beatifical presence Joh. 20.19 20 26. The next was the eighth day after V. Well our Saviour is ascended Let us now see what honour the holy Ghost whom he promised to send his Apostles hath conferred on this day The holy Ghost descendeth But on what day Why the first day of the week It was when Pentecost arrived and that fell that year on that day On this day the Apostles were solemnly though closely assembled in prayer and holy duties and the holy Ghost descended upon them Acts 2. VI. The next mention of Apostolical observation of this day occurreth Acts 20. v. 7. The first of the week the Disciples being come together to break bread i. e. The Sacramental or Eucharistical bread Paul preached to them That for his practise Now his precept for the day is plainly implied 1 Cor. 16.1 As I have ordained in the Churches of Galatia so do ye v. 2. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him that there be no gathering when I come He ordains their collections for the poor Saints and oblations should be on that day And why should that day be the Almes-day or Collection day rather than any other had it not been observed holy in those times and that the Congregation did use on that day to assemble The Collection therefore being enjoyned on that day the Lords day was consequently enjoyned VII About sixty years after as Calvisius out of Irenaeus computes we meet with this day apparrelled in a Christian Name not stil'd the first day but the Lords day which probably was then current among the Christians else the holy Ghost would not have used it Rev. 1.10 St. John saies he was in the Spirit on the Lords day
i. e. in spiritual exercises and Meditations and by meanes thereof in spiritual raptures and elevations of soul VIII The Church succeeding the Apostles held her seâ—f obliged to the same observation For even in times of persecution before any either Imperial Edict or Canon of Council enjoyned it the observation of this day was so taken notice of by the Heathen that it became a constant interrogatory to the Christians in their examining Have you kept the Lords day To which their answer was ever ready I cannot intermit it for I am a Christian and the law of God prompts me to it Baron 30.3 Memb. 5. Now if any man shall enquire how the Sabbath came to be translated into the Lords day I answer Christ in the fourty daies he staied upon the earth after his resurrection did sundry times appear to his Disciples teaching them the things appertaining to the Kingdome of God Acts 1.3 Therefore 't is probable the Apostles were instructed by Christ concerning the change of the day from the seventh to the eighth and had special order immediatly from himself concerning it 'T is evident Christ is Lord of the Sabbath Mark 2.27 And therefore had power not only to abrogate the old Sabbath but to surrogate and substitute the new in its room But whether this day were instituted immediatly by Christ himself or by his Apostles guided and infallibly inspired by his holy Spirit after his ascention still the day will be of Divine Institution And this Act of theirs will appear but the execution of a particular Command from the Spirit of Christ to that purpose For consider how Christ sent these Apostles As my Father sent me so send I you John 20.21 He that heareth you heareth me Luke 10.16 Go Mat. 28.19 There is their mission Teach all Nations There is their Commission What Why What things I command you and to assist and help you Lo I am with you alwaies to the end of the world not in corporal presence but by my Spirit the Comforter whom I will send you John 15.26 And he shall bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you John 14.26 This Spirit of Truth shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak He shall receive of mine and shew it you Thus we see the Apostles were undoubtedly inspired by the Spirit of Christ who revealed his will unto them And that they were thus acted by the holy Ghost they themselves testifie in their first Council It seemed good to the holy Ghost and to us Acts 15.28 Thus we see there are two things whereon the Divine right of the Lords day is founded Upon the morality of the fourth Commandement and upon Evangelical Institution either by Christ himself or his Apostles And what the Apostles delivered by the dictate of the holy Ghost is as firm and indefeizable saies Cyprian de ablut pedum as what Christ himself Our Church reduceth the institution of this day as a weekly day to the fourth Commandement and as the first day of the week she foundeth it upon Apostolical practise and tradition I shall conclude this with the words of the judicious Hooker in his Eccles Pol. Book 5. parag 17. We are bound saies he to account the sanctification of one day in seven a duty which Gods immutable Law doth exact for ever although with us the day be changed in regard of a new revolution begun by our Saviour Christ yet the same proportion of time continueth which was before by way of a perpetual homage never to be dispensed withal nor remitted I come now to the second Particular The manner how we ought to observe this day 1. We ought to prepare for the Sabbath before it comes by a prudent care so disposing and dispatching our worldly businesses and affairs that they may be off our hands and out of our minds as much as is possible on that day that so our hearts may be more free and fit for those spiritual duties then required of us The Jewes before the Sabbath had a time of preparation Luke 23.54 Why should not we 2. We ought to sanctifie the Lords day not only by resting from worldly employments and recreations on other daies lawful but consecrating that rest unto God making it our delight to spend the whole time excepting so much of it as is to be taken up in works of necessity and mercy and such as are needful for the comfortable passing of the Sabbath in the publick and private exercises of Gods Worship and Service Such as Prayer Reading the Scripture Preparing for the publick duties Attending on the Word Singing the praises of God Private meditation on that which hath been preached Repetition thereof in the Family and religious conference to make the publick Ordinances the more profitable Take heed therefore of being found a slighter of those duties the neglect whereof cannot consist with any true vigour and power of Religion or any due care of our own or others soules that we ought to have a care of Consider God hath blessed and sanctified this day not only as a day of service to himself but as a time wherein he will confer blessings on the conscionable observers of it It is his special day of proclaiming and sealing pardons to penitent sinners 'T is a blessed day to the careful observers of it and sanctâ—fied to many gracious purposes The Sabbath was made for man said our Saviour Mark 2.27 i. e. For mans great benefit and advantage It would not be for the good and benefit of mankind to be dispensed with from the religious observation of it How much then are they to blame that make it a day of carnal rest a day of Idlenesse and jollity of feasting and pastimes which more alienate the mind from God than ordinary labours and take away the tast of spiritual things Some people if they have any visit to make or any odd businesse to do they refer them to this day Some keep the Sabbath as the Oxe they rest from their labours but serve not the Lord that day They are weary of the duties of the Sabbath they do not call the Sabbath a delight as it is Isa 58.13 Delight sweetens any labour How will people toyl at their sports and pleasures O had we spiritual hearts we should account the celebration of the Sabbath not only our duty but our priviledge By observing the Sabbath we continue a thankful remembrance of the two great benefits of Creation and Redemption which contain a short abridgment of true Religion The Sabbath duly observed is a type of the everlasting rest that remaines for the people of God Heb. 4.9 How then can those ever think to come to Heaven and to keep an everlasting Sabbath in praising and adoring God to whom the celebration of a weekly Sabbath is so tedious and irksom here 3. Every true Christian is to take care not onâ—y to sanctifie the Lords day himself but that