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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A32900 The Christians way to heaven, or, What he must do to be saved by a divine of the Church of England. Divine of the Church of England. 1700 (1700) Wing C3962; ESTC R23847 11,729 21

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my self to the more mature and elderly Sort among you You have long since been instructed in the Principles of the ●hristian Religion you have had the Catechetical Instructi●● of the Church in 〈…〉 Years and therefore you ought not only to know your Duty but to be considerable Proficients in it It is a shame for you to be ignorant of those Christian Doctrines which the Children are taught to understand and then to Learn the Way to Heaven when you have hardly Time perhaps before Death to do it in Oh! What a killing Speech is it to hear a Man say he did understand his Religion when he was Young Wretched Sinner What hast thou been doing all this Time You that ought to have been the Teacher of Religion to others dost thou want the very first Instructions of this Duty thy self How canst thou answer it to God to retain thy Trade thy Debts and every thing else in Mind and only to have forgot thy Religion If there be any such among you get out of this wicked carelesness as soon as you can apply your selves to the reading the Holy Scriptures and other good Books come constantly to Church and Mind what is there said and be ashamed to continue in such Ignorance any longer As for you who have not been so very negligent as to forget your Duty but yet nevertheless in despight of your Knowledge and under Conviction of your own Consciences do live in constant breach of it free your selves with all speed from this hazardous State and venture not your Souls in a State of Sin which you know to be damnable one moment longer How can you Answer it to the Mercy of God to continue in a Course of Wickedness when he has given you so much Time to Repent in How can you answer it to your own Consciences which are continually upbraiding you with a neglect of your Duty How can you Answer it to your Children and Families to whom you should give an Example of Piety and Religion but you set them a Copy only of Prophaness and Wickedness As for those good Persons among you who have been mindful of the one thing necessary and taken Care for their Souls who have acquainted themselves what they are to do to be saved and have made their Practice conformable to their Knowledge let me beseech you my dear Brethren to pay God your continual Thanks for this great measure of Grace bestowed upon you to be modeft and humble in your vertuous Accomplishments and to ascribe all your spiritual Strength to the goodness of God to endeavour more and more to improve in Grace and like St. Paul to forget th●s● 〈…〉 are before and pressing towards the Mark for the prize of the high Calling of God in Christ Jesus Phil. 3.13.14 2. And for the close of all Let me apply my self to the Younger sort among you Let me beseech you to bear in mind the good Instructions and Christian Information which you receive from your Pastors and Friends in your Youth and let what you Learn in those tender Years remain fresh in your Memories under the Hoary Head Let me beseech you to enter upon a Religious Course of Life betimes because now you have all the Advantages in the World to go forwards in it You have no inveterate Habits and old Customs of Sinning to conflict with which oftentimes render all the endeavours of a riper Age ineffectual Your Nature now is tender and pliable and as it takes its bent in this Age it does for the most part stand for ever Therefore this is the Time to give it a vertuous Impression and a true Byass to Holiness before the Devil takes Possession of it and warps it the contrary way Think how pleasing and acceptable to God an early Piety is and what an affront it is to Dedicate only the Dregs of your Life to his Service and the Flower of it to the Devil Endeavour to settle in your Minds now you are Young a true Tast of Godliness and of the Excellency of the Christian Religion which above all other Religions which ever were in the World does more especially recommend it Weigh in your Hearts seriously the admirable Rewards which it promises to those who perform the Conditions of the Gospel and be not led aside by the Vanities of this World to forfeit those exceeding Glories of the other And when you are fully informed What you must do to be Saved take Care that you do not miss of that Salvation whereof you know the Methods of obtaining FINIS