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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58958	The Second and last collection of the late London ministers farewel sermons preached by Dr. Seaman, Dr. Bates, Mr. Caryll, [brace] Mr. Brooks, Mr. Venning, and Mr. Mead ; to which is added a farewell sermon preached at Dedham in Essex by Mr. Matthew Newcomen ; as also Mr. Lyes sermon at the conclusion of the last morning-exercise at All-hallows in Lumbard-street, being a summary rehearsal of the whole monthly-lectures.	Seaman, Lazarus, d. 1675.; Bates, William, 1625-1699.; Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673.; Brooks, Thomas, 1608-1680.; Venning, Ralph, 1621?-1674.; Mead, Matthew, 1630?-1699.; Newcomen, Matthew, 1610?-1669.; Lye, Thomas, 1621-1684.	1663 (1663)	Wing S2257; ESTC R41075	195,536	326

Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God therefore he cannot be saved he that abideth in the Doctrine hath the Father and the Son Therefore as you would be saved hold fast the Truths you have received Now here but I have not time to speak to it is a Case of Conscience Whether every errour doth cut a man off from God Answer No God forbid But this we cannot speak to now Fourthly They that hold not fast the Truth of God are injurious to their Posterity Our Fore-Fathers holding fast the Truth of God in the day of their Trial and sealing it with their Bloud was the means of transmitting the purity of the G●spel to us their Posterity and if we in our Generation hold no fast the Truth of God but carry it loose in our Consciences and Judgments and we let it fall out of our hands and hearts we forfeit the Truths of God not onely from ou● selves but also from our Posterity Thus you see we shall wrong the God of Truth and the Truth of God we shall wrong our selves and our Posterity if we hold not fast the Truth we have received Thus we have the Reasons of the Doctrine Application For Application here first I might bewail the general want of the care of the performance of this Duty which hath appeared many years in this Land We have had little care of holding fast the Truths we have received For holding fast the Truth in our Judgments How many are there whose Judgments have been perverted with many Errours This is that which the Apostle calls A turning aside to another Gospel in the first of the Galathians and the sixth Verse And so for holding fast the Truth in the love of it How many are there that have failed in that which Christ calls 〈◊〉 forsaking of the first Love Revelations the seco●● and the fourth Verse And we should hold fast the Truth in the Profession of it and how many are there that have failed in that This the Apostle calls in the tenth of the Hebrews A drawing back unto Perdition And for holding fast the Truth in the Practice of it How many have failed in that that have been Professors and now are grown loose and debauched This the Apostle Peter calls A turning aside from the Holy Commandement All these things call for our Lamentation Exhortation But the whole Work that I will apply my self to is to exhort every one of you to the care of this Duty To hold fast the Truths that you have heard and received Hold them fast in your Judgment hold them fast in your Will and Affections hold them fast in your Lives and Conversations hold the Truths you have received constantly and hold them against all opposition on the right hand and on the left from Friends and Foes To press this upon you I think I shall need use no other Motive then what I have laid down before you in the Doctrinal Part onely this one thing more and that is Take notice how urgent the Spirit of God is in pressing this in Scripture Now saith M ● Hildersham If in those days when the Apostles were ye● living who taught th● People of GOD with more Power and Demonstration of the Spirit then any of us do or can Yet if then they had need of such Exhortations to continue in the Doctrine and to abide in it to stand fast and hold fast the Word and Truth of God How much more needful are these Exhortations in our days If any say No There is not more cause for then the Magistrate was a Mortal Enemy to the Gospel and the Professors of it but we are thanks be to God under a Christian Magistrate who doth not oppose but countenance the Gospel and the Profeffors of it If any makes this Objection I will give you Mr. Hildersham's Answer to it which I find in a Sermon of his Printed in the Year One Thousand Six Hundred Thirty and one which is now One and Thirty Years agone saith he Though through the great mercy of GOD we in this Land enjoy the Gospel in great Peace and have it countenanced by Authority and though through the Religious Disposition of the KING we may have great hopes of the continuance of the true Religion and seem to be freed from all fear of the altering of it Yet says he there is need of this Exhortation even in these days and that for these Reasons REAS. I. First Because of the great danger we are in of being over-run or over-spread with Popery and the Fiery Tryal before we are aware For says he The great increase of Papists that we daily hear of and the great declining of many who are ready to receive any Errour that shall be offered to them These things give us just cause to fear the danger of Popery over-spreading us And Brethren If it were so in his time so many years ago What is it now REAS. II. Secondly says he If he there were no danger o● Popery yet says he there are so many Errours newly sprung up that do shew how needful this Exhortation is REAS. III. Thirdly says he There is such a general decay of the love of Religion in all places and amongst all sorts of People and so much irreligiousness every where that it is the general Disease of the Nation Therefore he concludes That in these Times of ours though Religion hath the Magistrate to countenance it yet there is as much need of pressing this Exhortation as ever there was namely To hold fast the Truths that we have heard and received Now if you ask What you shall do that you may be able to hold fast the Truths that you have received I will give you some Directions First If you would hold fast the Truths that you have heard and received get into Christ rooted and established in him Brethren It is not all the Learning in the World and Abilities that man can have that will inable him to hold out and hold fast the Truths that he hath received If a time of Tryal come unless Christ be his Bottom and Foundation unless Christ be his strength if a man stands upon his own legs his own Parts and Abilities to argue and dispute and repel Objections alas these things will fall in a day of Tryal Prison and Death and a Stake are such Arguments Brethren that all the Learning and Parts in the World cannot answer but onely Christ and his Spirit and Grace in the Heart Therefore if you would hold fast the Truths which you have received and heard and not be beaten off from them in the day of Tryal get into Christ rooted and established in him then shall you stand not else 2. If you would hold fast the truths that you have heard and received then take nothing upon trust in matters of Religion what ever Preachers you hear or what ever Books you read take not things upon trust but examine them and prove

God and to the Word of his grace which is able to build them up and to give them an inheritance among them that are sanctified And truly my dearly beloved in the Lord this is my great work now when I am a dying to you as to my publick preaching My Beloved I am very sensible that it is a very sad and solemn thing for a Minister to be rent from a people that he loves as his own soul that he hath laboured among for to bid adieu to these solemn meetings wherein I have preached to you wherein we have mingled our sighs and our tears before the Lord wherein we have rejoyced and sat down together before the Lord at his Table now to think that I must minister with you and for you no more in these Ordinances methinks it is a beart-breaking consideration to think that I am now dying in this Congregation to think that I am now dying whilst I am preaching but this is my comfort under these sad thoughts that I can commit you to God and to the Word of his grace to one that is able to keep you and to build you up and to give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified Like a dying Father I can commend you to the care of such a Friend infinitely able to supply all that I could not do for you It is the comfort of a dying Father when he sees his children weeping round about him that he can commend them to a faithful friend willing to do that for them that he desired to do and a thousand times more I would hope that I have some children that I have begotten to Christ by my Ministry towards whom my bowels yearn but this is my comfort that I can put them into the arms of their and my heavenly Father of their and my blessed Redeemer to be kept by the power of God There are many poor souls that are yet in the gaul of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity and if the Lord hath seen good I would fain have seen of the travel of my soul in their salvation but I can commend them to God who knows them who belong to his Election he can either restore me or can do it by another hand and you that are in any measure grown in grace I would be willing to be helpful to your joy and instrumental to your comfort but I commend you to God who is able to give all grace to you and to keep you steadfast It will be some alleviation of sorrow that though● must leave you and die to you as to your Ministry 〈◊〉 I hope I may a while go up and down and converse with you to be among you The Lord grant this favour that he may behold your steadfastness 2. This may be your comfort as well as mine the may be the comfort of all those your Congregations that are like to be made Widows by the Metaphorical death of their Guides and Pastors but I leave you in the hands of all grace and of all comfort This is a black day upon Israel when so many faithful Ministers are slain at one blow this is a day of gloominess and darkness in many Congregations for so many Ministers to be beheaded in one day What hath England commanded is it not some high Treason If we look to the cause of it why so many Ministers are as dead in one day as so many children without a Father And if we look upon the cause what hath caused God thus to deal with us we must complain Oh! our unfruitfulness our fearful unthankfulness under the mercies of God! This will be the Emphasis and fling of our grief and this should be the matter of our grief And then if we consider the sad Prognostick what it doth seem to foretell It is a sign that when God layes aside so many faithful Ministers of some scourge and calamity that is coming upon us But you that can lament this judgement you that can lament the sad deprivation of these powerful Ordinances Remember that though your Minister be dead God can raise you up others in their stead and where the way of instruments are wanting he can do it without them and those that are begot in Christ shall be preserved and those that are yet unbrought in who belong to the Election of Grace shall in Gods due time have the effectual work of the Spirit wrought upon their Souls For he is able to build you up and to give you an Inheritance among them that are sanctified And though I take this solemn leave of you as to this publick Exercise yet if the Lord shall open the door and take off those bands of Death that the Law hath laid upon my Ministry in regard of Conscience who cannot conform for which our publick Ministry is suspended I shall chearfully and willingly return to you in this place But now though your dying Minister in respect to the Exercise of his publick Ministry is leaving of you yet I commit you into a safe hand I commend you to God and to his Grace Amen Mr Pledger 's Farewell Sermon Rev. 2.9 10. I know thy works and tribulation and poverty but thou art rich and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not but are the synagogue of Satan Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tried and ye shall have tribulation ten days be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life IN the former verse you have the superscription and description of this Epistle the superscription by the mouth and hand of John to the Angel of the Church of Sinyrna that is the Ministry of the Gospel or 〈◊〉 Colledge of Presbyters As the whole Tribe of Levi in Malachy is called the Angel of the Lord so here the whole Tribe and office of the Ministry is called the Angel Angel is not a term that signifies a single person but a name of Office Then for the Description These things saith the first and the last which was dead and is alive He is described by his eternity by his suffering and by his reviving I shall not speak of this nor of the verses following the Text. I shall speak of the Inscription or Narration of the Epistle in these two verses wherein you have 1. A Commendation 2. An Admonition a piece of heavenly Counsel 1. You have a Commendation I know thy works c. I like it well the pains thou takest in my service for my servants sake I know how thou hast suffered I take 〈◊〉 well I consider all the reproaches that are vomited out against thee 2. Then you have the Counsel 1. Fear none of these things 2. The Arguments to set it on 1. 'T is the Devil that shall trouble you he is the prime Agent he that never took a good cause Thou hast certainly God for thee if

promote the Salvation of his Church in any eminent degree but it is in a way that is cross and contrary to the sense and expectation of flesh and bloud insomuch you know the darknesse of our condition has been the entrance upon deliverance as just before the day dawns it s the darkest of the night when God looked and there was none to help them saies he my arm brought salvation Thus it is with you that are effectually called you have received the sentence of death the entrance upon your deliverance is the darkest time of your condition 3. God can do great things Joel 2. Fear not thy God O Sion can do great things 'T is the disparagement that we offer to God we ascribe more to the Creature than we do to God when we give way to carnal fear● fear not what man can do because of the power of God which was his shield and buckler Is any thing too heavy for God and when God does great things he usually goes on to do greater though he may seem to suffer his work to be thrown back to confusion and his people may be ready to say we thought he had redeemed Israel that degree of Reformation shall not be lost You know in Luther's time take any special degree of Reformation in the Church and it seemed to be opposed by the gates of hell when it was brought upon the stage to any hopeful degree then it was taken as it were utterly out of sight for a while but it was never lost thus God is but making way for his own glory to appear in these great works O but you will say what shall become of my particular It is enough God hath promised that we shall not want any thing that is truly good and that nothing that is evil shall fall upon us and lie upon us though we do not see deliverance it shall be whatever our sad thoughts and tremblings of heart may be yet give God the glory of his Word Take these few Directions 1. Strive to strengthen thy Faith Faith is that which layes hold on Christ and Christ is your strength therefore Faith is said to do that which Christ does let every day drive thee to a renewed act of Faith Take heed be not shaken in the faith of the Cause be not shaken in the Faith of Christ fides Causae fides Christ● Be not shaken upon the Cause which upon utmost examination we find to be according to the word hold that Heaven and Earth shall passe away but not one jot and tittle of this Cause And then do not shake in the Faith of Christ that is in your laying hold in your applying your selves to him in your resting and setling upon him beg of God to strengthen your faith 2. Get more Self-denial we must forsake all we must not except any thing A man would part with his life as easily as with a pin off his sleeve if he had but some considerable growth in Self-denial 3. Get a great deal of love towards that Christ that loved us with a love stronger then death get love of that Christ that may be stronger then life Let nothing in the world be of any consideration with you so us Christ may be magnified in your bodies love will breed courage and cast out fear slavish fear before God carnal fear before men Get a true insight into an account of suffering and troubles whence they are they issue from the same love with redemption of your souls from Hell and your glorification God doth every thing in pursuance of the purpose of his love he doth every thing according to the platform and pattern of his thoughts towards us from eternity Consider what troubles are and to what end not to destroy but to try to wean from the world to fit for Heaven 5. Get an infight into the vanity of the creature you reckon the creature some great matter and that is the reason of your love and of your fear 6. Get the fear of God that may over-rule other sears Fear not him that can but kill the body but fear him that is able to cast body and soul into hell fire 7. Keep a clear conscience void of offence towards God and towards men by a heart abasing confession of what is past and the application of the blood of Christ and by mortification and watchfulnesse therein keep your selves from evil for the time to come 8. Get a better assurance of eternal life a glimpse and sight of this would make a man run through the very flames of hell How comfortable was Stephen when a shower of stones was about his ears to see Jesus standing at the right hand of God! I wonder how they dare to venter their life that have no ground of a better life but for those that have a well-grounded hope of the mercy of God they say We reckon these light affections which are but for a moment to work for us a 〈◊〉 more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Fear all any of these things which you shall suffer Pro. 7. Christ does limit Satan he hath him in a string him and all his Instruments The Devil shall cast some of you into prison c. Every word hath its weight Who shall do it The Devil What shall he do Cast you into prison How far Some of you How long Ten dayes For what use That you may be tryed Christ as he hath Satan in a chain of providence so he hath a chain of restraint it is Christ that puts a circle about him he cannot cause a hair of your head to fall he is in the hand of Christ and they are under him and his hand as they are against him If God lets alone his Enemies what shall they not do If God lets alone his People what shall they do 2. God has a special Providence about the things of his Church by way of eminencie by way of permission and ordination 3. You will not deny but there is power enough in God to destroy all that are against him and to limit all and all shall make to the praise of God and to his peoples good The Lord is exceeding merciful he cannot hold when the Enemy comes to insult to blaspheme and revile Now will I arise saith God and set him at liberty from him that puffeth at him There is not only a judging of their Enemies hereafter but a judging of them here the world shall say Verily there is a God that rewardeth righteousnesse verily there is a God that judgeth the earth 3. God has a special design in hand therefore just so far as he will carry on that design God hath towards his people which is alwayes a design of faithfulnesse just so far shall the Enemy go Isai 10 The Enemy means not so he means to cut off a people not a few but Gods end was otherwise and he will over-rule them this is the Comfort there is a set time there is an end

When Christ was put to death how did his followers lament him Is it not a lamentable sight to behold a poor weather-beaten rotten ship without Mast or Tackling in a tempest Good Lord what will become of the Ship and Mariners Is it not a sad sight to see a flock of sheep invironed with a band of wolves and no shepheard to protect them thus it is with people when their Minister is gone Ministers themselves have wept and lamented when they have thought of departing from their own people and that for these two causes First because they knew they would corrupt themselves suffer others to corrupt them Secondly because they knew they would corrupt themselves suffer others to corrupt them First because they knew they would corrupt themselves Moses he knew this Deut. 31.29 he is there leaving the world and the people thereof Call unto me the Elders of your Tribes that I may speak a word in their audience and call Heaven and Earth to record against them for I am sure that upon my departure you will utterly be corrupted and turned from the way that I have commanded you for behold I being yet alive with you in this day you are rebellious against God how much more then after my death I assure you it is cause of lamentation to think on this Thus it was with Joash while Jehojada that good Minister lived with him and instructed him in the way that he should walk he kept to the true worship of God but after Jehojada dyed he turned Idolater and persecuted the sons of Jehojada 2 Chron. 24.21 Secondly they knew that after their departure they would suffer others to corrupt them This was that that made Paul use these words to the Ephesians Ver. 29. For I know that after my departure grievous wolves shall enter not sparing the flock And therefore well may you mourn when a faithful Minister is taken from you I shall say no more only a word or two to Paul's speech wherein you have First Paul speaking to God for them Secondly Paul speaking from God to them First he spake to them from God and then prayed to God for them I shall divide this speech to them from God into these two parts First he spake something by way of vindication of himself Secondly he spake something by way of exhortation to them First You may observe in Paul's farewell speech something by way of vindication of himself and it is not amisse for a Minister when he is to depart from a people to say something in vindication of himself for there are enow that will when his back is turned lay falshood and scandals to his charge which they never durst do to his face Samuel knew this and therefore provided for it in 1 Sam. 12.1 And Samuel said unto them all Behold I have hearkened to your voice and have made you a King now behold the King walks in and out before you I am old and of grey hairs and must now leave you I have walked before you from a child to this day and now witness against me before the Lord whose Oxe have I taken or whose Asse have I kept whom have I done wrong to or whom have I hurt and of whose hand have I received a bribe to blind mine eyes therewith he stood here upon the justification of his life and carriage towards them that he had not been a self-seeking or oppressing man unto them and thus did Paul vindicate himself to the Ephesians give me leave to divide Paul's vindication into four or five parts First He tells them that he had constantly preached amongst them notwithstanding all the afflictions which encountred him v. 19. Serving the Lord with all humility of mind with many tears and temptations which befel me through the lying in wait of the Jews Secondly He vindicates himself by telling them the manner of his preaching v. 20. I have taught you publickly and from house to house you know I may fitly apply this to my self for I have not only taught you publick●● but in many of your houses also But Thirdly He vindicates himself 〈◊〉 telling them the matter of his preaching and I blesse God it hath been my method ever since I preached among you v 21. testifying to the Jews and also to the Greeks repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ and this is my rejoycing now I may preach no more that I have spent my time in declaring unto you the sundamentals and grounds of salvation and not in frivolous Ceremonies Fourthly He vindicates himself by declaring the impartiality of his preaching v. 27. I have not shunned to declare unto yot all the Councel of God Oh my Brethren though I cannot say I have declared all the Councel of God yet this through grace I can say that I have not shunned to declare any of it Fifthly Paul doth clear his Doctrine and withall himself by telling them he had preached freely v. 33. and 34. I have coveted no mans silver or gold or apparel Yea ye your selves know that these have ministred to my necessities and to those that were with me I blesse the Lord I can with a good Conscience safely say I have covered neither your silver nor gold neither am I a penny the richer for what I received of you it was not a desire of any thing of yours that made me at first accept of this place yet this I shall say for your honour that you have richly and liberally bestowed your favours upon me but as there is something in his own vindication So Secondly there is something by way of Exhortation to them v. 18. Take heed therefore unto your selves c. Paul before he leaves them hath something from God to say to them from whence I note this That the Ministers of God before they quite leave have something to say to them from God it was thus with the holy men of old Jacob when he was dying called all his So●● before him and to every one he gave counsel and blessing David when he was upon leaving the world he knew he should not live long he calls all Israel unto him sayeth thus unto them 1 Chron. 28.8 9. Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the Lord and in the audience of our God keep and seek for all the Commandements of the Lord your God that you may possesse this good Land and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you for ever And thou Solomon my Son know the God of thy Fathers and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind for the Lord searches all hearts and under standeth 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 Thus you see it ●ath been the custome of holy men of olp when they are leaving the World to say something to their people so now here I am

desire this is the Fourth beware of covetousnesse Fifthly You that have not taken warning yet I beseech you take warning now have a care and avoid evil company Ephes 5.11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darknesse but rather reprove them come out from among them and be serarated from them Never go into a wicked mans company if before you go you have not a probability of doing good or getting good Consider with thy self is there any likelyhood that thou by thy wholesome reproofs may do him any good if there be then go on● if not draw back avoid them fly from them for their steps tend to perdition By wicked company those two things have been effected Good men made bad Bad men made worse Good men have been made bad by wicked company Jehosaphat that good King is in an example of this who by the company of wicked Ahab was drawn to fight against those whom God favoured and to help Ahab in his wicked enterprise Bad men have made those worse by evil company Ahab was made worse by the instigation of his wicked wise Jezabel Oh can you bear when you are in their company to hear them blaspheme the holy name of God and not repove them Truly if you can it is a sign you are not so good as you should b● Sixthly my sixth Caution is this Oh have a care of having the least finger on your hand against a Saint it is dangerous to have a thought word or act against the people of God it is dangerous to have a thought amisse of them Psal 62.3 They imagine mischief against a man that is against a Saint therefore they shall all be slain for their bare imagination they shall be cut off It is dangerous to speak against them How durst thou saith God to Miram to speak against my servant Moses and immediately he smote her with leprosie as white as Snow It is dangerous to act against them and it is forbidden by God Psal 105.5 Touch not my anointed nor do my Prophets no harm Perhaps you would say you would not do them any harm if you thought they were Gods people Oh but take heed lest they prove Gods people and then it were better for you if a milstone were hung about your neck and you cast into the Sea than to offend the least of them Seventhly Let me beseech you all to take heed of complying with this sinful world whoever doth do not you but take up that good resolution of Joshua's As for me and my House we will serve the Lord. Though all else forsake God yet will not I yet let not us I beseech you saith he that you would not conform your selves to the fashions and manners of this wicked world Oh take heed of conforming your selves to the Conversation of this world but walk harmlesse and shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation if we will comply with the world I mean to be as most of the world are that is temporizers time●servers preferring the pleasing of a man before the pleasing of God then we must lie in wickednesse as all the world doth 1 John 2.10 for all that in the world is either the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye or the pride of life and these are not of the Father but abideth in the wicked one the Prince of the power of the air after whom the men of the world walk This is the seventh take heed of Conforming your selves to this world Eightly Take heed of a hasty spirit when you are under sad dispensations when you are under sufferings you are apt to seek and 〈◊〉 with relief come it which way it will and on what terms it will 〈◊〉 spirit Esay 26. v. 18. He that believeth maketh not haste hat is he maketh not haste to get out of his afflictions the people of Israel was of hasty spirits and murmured because they were kept so long in the wilderness for which God slew an innumerable company of them Saul was of a hasty spirit and by it lost his life and Kingdom Jacob's Mother no sooner told him his Fathers intent but he was resolved to have the first blessing though he cheated his Brother and lyed for it and so told his Father that he was his eldest Son but he himself was afterward deceived by a lye with having the eldest daughter given him instead of the younger Take David for your example he waited Gods time the Kingdome was promised to him after Sauls death and when Saul persued him you know David had him twice in his power and with ease might have destroyed him but he would not ●ar be it from me saith he that I should touch the Lords annointed Let God smite him by the hands of his enemies I will not it is far better to be Gods Bond-stave then the Devils Free-man do not use any the least action whatever in an indirect way to deliver thy self but patiently set down and wait Gods good time which when once come thy deliverance will assuredly come with it Take heed then of a hasty and su●len spirit under afflictions Some men when God takes away any comfort from them are of so sullen a spirit there is no pacifying of them God will now this day take something from you which I believe you would willingly keep will you therefore be of so sullen a spirit that because you cannot enjoy all you will not enjoy any but will rob your selves of all what though you cannot enjoy your Minister any longer will you not make use of the Ordinances of God I beseech you refrain this spirit and let the deprivation of one mercy be a means to make you make better use of those that are left Ninthly My ninth Caution is this take heed of an ungodly Minister I speak not to any mans person in particular neither can I because I know not as yet who will succeed me but whosoever he be if he be wicked beware of him for if he be ungodly the people will follow him for like Priest like people and I pray God deliver you from such Ministers as for doctrine do teach the traditions of men and cry peace peace when sudden destruction hang● over their heads such Ministers may please you but believe me they will never profit you but at last you will find that through the ●ale of Security you are led to the pit of Perdition They will tell you you need not be so strict and diligent in your conversations nor Heaven is not so hard a●d difficult to gain as some would make you believe believe them not but remember that without holiness none shall see God and that neither Fornicators Adulterers Idolaters Thieves Murderers Covetous persons Drunkards Revi●era nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven Gospel only Christ when he was preaching to a throng of People as I am here this day said unto them Take ●eed and beware of the leaven of the

Pha●isees which is among you Oh that I had no cause to say the leaven of the Pharisees is among you I mean that there are many here that are but bare professors let me ask you that are only professors this one question Is Religion good or bad if it be not good what is the reason thou art not ashamed to profess it if it be good what is the reason thou dost but professe it by thy bare professing thou losest the love of man by no more then professing thou canst never gain the love of God so that on all sides thou art like to be miserable The world will hate thee for being so good and God will hate thee for being no better What a sad thing is it that thou losest thy comforts in this life by professing so much and thy comforts in the life to come by no more then professing Thus you have heard what I have to say by way of Caution I shall now speak to you by way of counsel The former ten were Negative these shall be Positive First I intreat you all that above all things you would mind the one thing necessary that you would not trouble your selves so much with many things of little concernment but mind the great thing for which you came into the world Oh my friends will you spend your time for that which will not profit you and your money for that which is not bread Look after Grace labour to get an Interest in Christ of which if you be unprovided you will be undone for ever and it will be better for you you had never been born Oh gain Christ and then you will be fitted for all times all troubles and all conditions that can happen unto you you will be endued with all wisdom and with all riches if you gain not Christ all that God doth to you and for you will n●ught at all avail you Secondly My second advice and counsel unto you is this That you would live as you would die live to day as if you must die to morrow Let me ask you would you be content to die in the state you are in if my soul doth not desire to be in a better state whe● I come to die then now I am in I may very well sit down satisfied if not then surely it greatly concerns me to look after a better would any man be content to die a Drunkard I ask you that are Drunkards I do believe you will answer no why then do you live in drunkennesse How know you that God will spare you when you are drunk until you are sober again we may read of many that have died in their drunken fits God doth not alwayes send his Herauld to warn thee before he sends his Serjeant to arrest thee how knowest thou but Death may strike thee on a sudden what will then become of thy Soul Oh Beloved I beseech you live not in that you are unwilling to die in Balaam wa● not such a wretch but he could cry out Good Lord let me die the death of the Righteous are so bad husbands but will lay up for a rainy day I mean against a time of sicknesse comes wherein you will be unable to work are you thus careful to maintain your bodies and will you be carelesse of your souls Oh be careful to provide for sto●my weathers you have winter garme●s for your bodies to preserve them from cold ●h let patience be your winter garment to preserve and keep your selves warm in afflictions I know that he that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution and that through tribulation and sufferings we must enter into the K●ngdome of Heaven shall I not then provide for them but you may say what doth persecution attend all the godly a man may escape them as well as suffer them put case affliction should not come thou wilt be never the worse for the being provided for them for he that is fit to die is fit ●o live and that man that is fi● to suffer afflictions is fit to live without them It was Pauls exhortation to the Ephes 6.10 Finally my brethren put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand the wiles of the Devil And it is wisdome in a man to provide for a misery before is comes there is mention made of a Nation the Spartans I think that useth to chuse their King as we do our Lord May or every year and whilst they are in their annual Government they live in all abundance of state have all the sulnesse their hearts can wish but when their year is over all their pomp and glory is over too and they banisht into some obscure remo●e place for ever Where they spend the remainder of their lives in great want and misery One King knowing this being called to rule over that Nation made such use of his time wherein he reigned as King that by his provident living he heaped up so much treasure and sent it besore him to the place where he knew he should be sent as maintained him all his life time Thus it is God hath appointed to every one a time to live in and that but a short time too and in that time he hath appointed afflictions to attend us if we will live godly in Christ Jesus is it not wisdome in us then to provide for them Take heed then that to avoid suffering you do not commit sin ●o commit sin to avoid suffering is as if a man should run out of the mouth of a barking Dog into the mouth of a devouring Lion what is the wrath of man to the wrath of God Man can but dest●oy the body and no more but God can destroy both body and soul into hell fire to all eternity Fourthly My fourth word of counsel and direction is this be serious in serious things when you come to perform serious things do ●●em seriously I do not know that ever I saw a man fall a sleep while he was telling of mony for if he should how could he tell whether it were right or no Yet alas too too many sleep when they should be taking truth not only by natural sleep but also by spiritual sleep they are so ca●elesse in receiving the word they hear and so la●y withal that rather then they will try the word they ●ear they will take all for truth their Ministers tell them Beloved I believe you will scarce put so much coufidence in a man as to receive a sum of money without telling it because he saith it is right and yet will you receive all that your Minister tells you is truth for truth without trying it you must not be sluggish in your working for God but put forth your selves to the utrermost You must make the Kingdome of Heaven suffer violence and take it by force but then Fifthly The fifth Direction which I shall give you is about hearing the Word how you must behave your selves when you