be prevailed with to become God's faithful servants consider first That this was the great end for which God made you and keeps you alive and gives you so many mercies of all sorts You can tell I hope that God made you and that he made you to serve him by living according to his Commandments These are some of those first things which Children learn and it were well if when they are grown up to be Men and Women they would use seriously to think of them and practise accordingly The wise God has made all Creatures for some good end or other and he has fitted them all for those ends and purposes for which he made them To Man therefore has he given the use of Reason chiefly to fit him for Religion and to render him capable of knowing loving and serving his great Creator and Benefactor And it is Religion which makes the great difference betwixt a Man and a Beast for bruit Creatures have no knowledge of God no regard to him but are wholly led by their senses and mind nothing else but what is before them here in this World But the poorest Man on Earth who has the use of his Reason is near akin to the very Angels themselves his nature is like theirs and but a little below them so that he may be much taken up in the same holy Works that they are employed in even in loving and praising and adoring the great and good God To this end he may study both the Works and the Word of God which reveal him to us and should continually put us in mind of him And all the good things we enjoy should still make us sensible of the goodness of God from whom they come and fill our hearts with love and thankfulness and our mouths with blessing and praise This is the most proper use of our Reason and this God most justly expects from us Reasonable Creatures and this even the poor man may render without any hindrance to his daily labours and may still keep such an awful sense of God upon his mind as may restrain him from wilful sin and make him careful always to please his Maker And so our Reason was given us to bridle and govern our Appetites our Lusts and Passions that we should not be led away into gluttony and drunkenness into wantonness and uncleanness nor into rage and fury like bruit Beasts that have no understanding but should live soberly and chastly quietly and peaceably with all Men doing them all the good we can For such holy purposes as these chiefly was our Reason bestow'd on us and therefore in this manner ought it to be employ'd Certainly since God hath made us of a nature so much better than Birds or Beasts he expects from us other works and services than he does from them They know nothing of God that made them nor have they any knowledge of another Life after this but when they die there 's an end of them But to us hath God given immortal Souls of more value than the whole World and for this end hath he created us that we might serve and honour him here in this Life and so may live with him and enjoy him for ever in the World to come Now if this be the end of our Creation ought we not to live up to it Do we not see all other things answer the end for which they were made The Sun gives Light by day and the Moon by night The Earth brings forth Corn and Grass and the Trees bear Fruit. The Horse the Cow and the Sheep with many other Creatures afford us much service and benefit And shall Man alone be useless and unfruitful and live to no good purpose When they are all so ready to serve us shall not we chearfully serve him that made us for his own service Surely we cannot think that the wise God sent us into the World only to eat and drink to sleep and play or to work hard for a poor Livelihood If this were all we had better have been made bruit Creatures or never have been made at all Much less can we think that the Holy God made us on purpose to sin against him to dishonour his Name and provoke him to anger He did not give us Reason to make us crafty and cunning for the World that we might know how to cozen and cheat our Neighbours He did not give us Tongues to swear and curse with or to talk foolishly and filthily let us not then use them to any such ill purposes Since God has given us precious immortal Souls let us not live like Beasts that perish wallowing in the mire of base sensual Lusts and Pleasures By this means we become worse than Bruits themselves for we debase our own Natures we abuse our Reason to our own shame and hurt and to God's displeasure Thus we cross the end of our Creation and are more stupid and ungrateful than the very Ox or Ass for they know their owner and do good service to those that keep and feed them Isa. 1. 2 3. O let us not give God cause to complain of us as he there does of the Jews that he nourished and brought up Children and they rebelled against him Think how grievous it is to you that have Children after all your care and kindness after all your cost and labour to have them pâ—ove stubborn and disobedient loose and idle Prodigals O see then that you be not such toward your heavenly Father who made you and preserves you and every day renews his mercies upon you He keeps us alive and makes our lives comfortable He gives and continues to us our Reason and Senses our Health and Strength Food and Raiment and all the good things we enjoy He supplies our wants and helps us in all our distresses He gives us light by day and rest in the night He enables us to follow our callings and gives a blessing to our labours that we may provide for our selves and Families And does not this good God well deserve all the love and service which we can possibly render him O how can we find in our hearts wilfully to offend him who thus delights in doing us good Foolish and unthankful Wretches we are thus ill to require the Lord for all his loving kindness We could not deal so with any Friend or Neighbour on Earth that had been always kind and loving to us Are not Servants bound to work for them who maintain them and pay them Wages And ought not Children to obey their Parents who begot them and brought them up How much more then ought we to obey God our Father who gave us life at first and still prolongs it from one day to another when he could in a moment cut us off in our sins and throw us into Hell But in much mercy he spares us and gives us space to Repent and is very unwilling to destroy us and therefore waits long to be gracious to us
pleasant But be sure to set some time apart every day for solemn Prayer Very fit it is to begin the day with Prayer to God as soon as we rise out of Bed blessing his Name for our preservation and quiet rest begging his gracious Presence with us all the day that we may be kept from all evil especially from sin the worst of all And at the Evening let this be our last work before we lie down to sleep humbly to commit our selves to God by Prayer Psal. 92. 1 2. Exceeding useful it is for those who have Families to joyn together Morning and Evening in Prayer to God and in reading some part of his holy Word for which purpose there are many good Books of Devotion and though they have none of them yet they may use such of the Prayers of the Church as are proper for their purpose which are to be found in the Morning and Evening Service and in other places Before you sit down to Meat beg Gods blessing upon it and afterward return thanks for it But beside our Devotions in the Family or Closet our great Duty is to worship God in the publick Assemblies of his People which by no means we ought to forsake Heb. 10. 25. Suffer not your selves therefore by any Pretences whatever to be drawn away either by Papists or Sectaries from the publick Worship of God as it is now by Law established in the Church of England But see that you duly resort to your Parish Churches and that not only on Holy-days but on the Week-days when you have opportunity and leisure More especially see that you constantly frequent the Church on the Lord's Day if not hindered by sickness or some other very great and urgent Cause Let not that Excuse keep you from Church which would not keep you from the Market Bring as many of your Family along with you as can possibly be spared Come to the very beginning of Service and stay quietly till the end of it not running away before the Blessing as many careless People rudely do as if they were glad to get away as from a Prison Behave your selves with all due reverence both of body and mind considering the Majesty of that God in whose presence you stand before whom the very Angels vail their faces Always kneel at your Prayers if there be convenience or stand at least Psal. 95. 6. Above all look well to the temper of your Soul and keep up an awful sence of the great God to whom you are praying and mind well what is said as you go along with the Prayers and offer up your desires to God otherwise though you may speak much you do not pray at all Avoid all vain and wandring thoughts as much as possible When you joyn in the Confession of Sins think of your own particular faults and be deeply humbled for them and be unfeignedly thankful for all God's mercies whilst you are praising his Name and earnestly long after that Grace you pray for Attend with care and reverence to God's Word when it 's read from the Desk and also to the preaching and explaining of it from the Pulpit that you may both be diligent hearers and faithful doers of the Word Neglect not the Church in the Afternoon though you should live where there is no Sermon Catechising may be as useful to you and this ought to be in all places And besides that you will hear the holy Scriptures read and have the benefit of the publick Prayers When you come from Church spend not the remainder of the day in sports and idleness much less in drinking and gaming as too many do but if you have a Family let some time be spent with them in praying in reading God's Word and some good Book and let Children and Servants be instructed in their Catechism Examine them about what they have heard that so it may make them more attentive and do you meditate on the same that it may sink into your Heart Works of mercy and necessity may be done on the Lord's Day but by no means allow your selves in any needless Labours nor in travelling upon the Road or wandring about to make idle Visits God allows us six days in the Week for our own Employments let us devote the Lord's Day to his service readily and cheerfully When the Sacrament of Baptism is administred do you attend to it Remember your own Engagement by having received it in your Infancy and resolve to live answerably thereto Joyn in Prayer for God's blessing on the Children then received into the Church And when you bring your own Children to be baptized see that you do most sincerely give them up to God and devote them to his Service with firm Resolutions to bring them up in his fear if God spare your Lives and theirs and earnestly pray for his Grace to be given in to their Souls And those to whom you stand as Sureties you ought to do your utmost toward their good Education in the knowledge of God and Religion according to the Charge given you especially if the Parents die or prove negligent And pray beware of a very wicked practice which is common in some places that after a Child is baptized the Neighbours that are invited spend the rest of the day in Riot and Drunkenness forgetting that even now they renounced the lusts of the Flesh those who stood at the Font and all the rest are under the same obligation Whenever you are invited by your Minister to the holy Communion do not willingly neglect the Invitation but come with a thankful Heart to keep up the remembrance of Christ's love in dying for sinners according to his express Command Luk. 22. 19. Take care to prepare your selves by true repentance for all your former sins and stedfast purposes by God's grace throughly to forsake the same See that you be in perfect Charity with all Men freely forgiving those who have offended you and offering satisfaction to those whom you have offended If after this they will not be reconciled that 's not your fault but theirs and therefore may not keep you from the Sacrament Stay not away out of a Pretence that you want time to prepare your self For a constant holy Life is the best Preparation If you are fit for Prayers you are fit for the Communion Do not think that the Communion is only for rich People The Souls of the poor are as precious as the rich and as much concerned in Christ's death and they have as much cause to remember it and seek after the benefits of it If you have not Money to offer at the Collection see that you offer up your selves to God and that will be of more value Complain not that you want Clothes and therefore you absent both from the Church and Communion but see that you come in the Wedding Garment required in the Gospel with humble penitent thankful Hearts and then you will be welcome Guests at Christ's Table For
overcome evil by doing of good If another strike us we may not strike again if he rail upon us and revile us we must not return the same ill Language but either by silence or by gentle and soft answers endeavour to appease his wrath For the Rule is not to deal with others as they deal with me but as I in reason desire to be dealt with and another Man's fault will not excuse mine If he do me an injury I must not be judge in my own Cause nor take upon me to revenge it but in weighty Cases may fly to the Magistrate for relief But upon no account whatever may we bear any grudge or hatred in our Hearts against any Man though never so wicked or never so much our enemy but we must pity him and pray for him that God would give him a better mind If ever we hope to find mercy with God and have our trespasses forgiven we must forgive those that offend us as we learn from the Lord's Prayer and many most plain places of Scripture See Matth. 5. 44 c. Matth. 18. 21. to the end Rom. 12. 14. to the end We must shew meekness and gentleness to all men and never willingly say or do any thing to provoke another to anger nor should we be easily provoked but very easily appeased and reconciled It 's very sad to consider what wretched and miserable Lives many of the poorer sort lead by their continual brawling and scolding quarrelling and contending with one another and sometimes when they have scarce Money to buy Bread they 'l throw it away in vexatious Law-Suits meerly out of Spite and Revenge And the People of this Rank ought especially to beware of envying those that are in better Condition than themselves We ought to have that true kindness and good will for all Men that we should be glad of their prosperity though we our selves be in affliction as on the other hand we ought to have great compassion for those in misery though we be in prosperity And let such that are in want take heed that their Necessities put them upon no unlawful Course for their Relief Particularly beware of stealing any thing though of a small value By degrees it 's to be feared you will go on to greater matters and so may bring your selves to shame and punishment in this World as well as that to come The best way to avoid this is to be very diligent in your lawful Calling as the Apostle directs in that place before named Eph. 4. 28. If you are not able to work it 's lawful to beg But by no means betake your selves to this lazy unprofitable Life of begging if you are able to subsist by any other lawful course He that will not work when he can deserves not to eat But rather than either steal or starve you may seek for Relief from your Neighbour's Charity But do not go about to deceive him by borrowing what you know you are never like to pay for this is downright cheating Rather deal plainly and make known your Necessities If you trust in God and do your duty he will take care of you And though you may be in straits sometimes yet still you will find a supply And to prevent your poverty let me especially warn you against that common bruitish sin of Drunkenness which brings both this and many other mischiefs along with it as I have before told you Indeed it hinders every thing that 's good and leads Men into all manner both of sin and misery This Vice it is that makes more Beggars than any other cause Wherefore if you have any regard to your Families any love to Soul or Body avoid all riot and excess Eat and drink moderately as may tend to keep you best in health and make you most fit for the service of God and your own Callings And lastly beware of that filthy sin of Whoredom which very often goes along with Drunkenness and as often brings the curse of God both upon Men's Bodies and Estates And to keep you innocent avoid idleness as well as intemperance And flie from all lewd and wicked company where you are in danger of being enticed and ensnared and do not so much as allow your selves in any unclean thoughts or desires nor in filthy Discourses or in any wanton carriage and behaviour For the preventing of all wickedness in this kind God hath allowed Marriage which is said to be honourable in all but Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge Hib. 13. 4. Wherefore let them who are in that state keep strictly true to their Marriage Vow And all both Married and Single preserve both Body and Soul so chast and pure that the holy Spirit of God may now dwell in their hearts and they may be fit to dwell for ever in the presence of the most holy God And thus I have briefly given you an account wherein consists that holiness of life to which all Christians are obliged by the Precepts of our Blessed Saviour and by their Baptismal Vow which binds them to keep his Precepts and to follow his Example who himself lived in the same holy manner that he taught and hath commanded all that say they abide in him to walk as he walked 1 Joh. 2. 6. The summ of all you have in few words which the Gospel teaches even that we should deny ungodliness and all wordly lusts and live soberly righteously and piously in the World Tit. 2. 11 12. And now let me again beseech you seriously to consider whether it has been your care to live such holy and good lives yea or no. And whereinsoever your Conscience does accuse you that you have neglected the duties God has commanded or committed those sins which he hath forbidden do you humbly acknowledge and confess the same to Almighty God with true godly sorrow for the same earnestly begging Mercy and Pardon for Christs sake who dyed on the Cross for sinners and through whom all that confess and forsake their sins shall find mercy Wherefore do you henceforward resolve by his Grace that you will forsake your sins and amend your lives and make it your chief business to keep Consciences void of offence toward God and Man not allowing your selves in any known sin nor in the wilful neglect of any known Duty Do not object against this and say that it is impossible to lead such an holy Life For thousands in the World of all Ranks and Conditions have done it in all Ages by the assistance of God's Grace which you shall never want if you seek it earnestly and improve it diligently And though there may at first be some difficulty in leaving an ill course yet by degrees it will grow easie and you will then find nothing so sweet and pleasant as Religion and Vertue And do not I beseech you fancy that it is not for poor people to think of being so Religious and godly that this is only for the Rich who have