unreasonable thing as some men fancy it to be obliged to it and that Christ cannot reasonably be thought a hard Master for laying it upon us For surely 1. He that hath laid nothing upon us but what our State and Condition and his own Design of Love and mercy towards us did make necessary cannot be judged hard or cruel to us and hath Christ required any thing more in this matter No undoubtedly he could not give us health and life how much soever he desired it without removeing our Diseases he could not be the Author of Salvation to us without taking away that which was our Ruine and Destruction And what was our Disease and Ruine but an inordinate and immoderate Love of our selves and our fellow-Creatures whereby we fell away from God to be as Gods our selves to please our selves to provide for our selves to do our own Wills and to satisfy our own Desires without restraint or comptrol Now what is it that we would have when we quarrel with Christ and call this Commandement grievous would we have our health and our desires too would we live and dye also would we serve God a little and our selves much more or would we serve him so far only as we shall please our selves and have that be taken for all the service that we own him If thou thinkest this to be unreasonable as thou canst not but doe thou must needs acknowledg it to be necessary that thou shouldest be taken from thy self and all worldly things that thou mightest serve thy God But besides 2. We cannot reasonably look upon him as a hard Master who submitted himself to that which he has imposed upon us being himself the greatest example of Self-denial and Forsaking all that ever was What thinkest thou of his Appearing in our frail flesh of his low estate in the World of his Pain and Travail of his Thorny Crown and Cross Was there not Self-denial in all this and such as Angels and men may justly wonder and be astonished at for ever He who being in the form of God thought it no Robbery to be equal with God made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of a man and being found in fashion as a man humbled himself and became obedient unto Death even the Death of the Cross Phil. 2 6 7 8. He who might have commanded all the riches and glory of the World as being Lord of all became poor that by his poverty we might be made rich 2. Corinth 8.9 He who made all mankind to serve and please him Pleased not himself but became a servant for our Good Rom. 15. v. 3. He who could have had more than twelve Legions of Angels for his Guard Math. 26 53. yeilded his cheeks to be smitten his Face to be spit upon his back to be scourged his hands and feet to be nailed to an infamous Tree and his side and heart to be pierced by the Vilest Sinners whom with one word of his mouth he might have turn'd into Hell Thus did our great and good Master deny himself and forsake all and can we poor worthless wretches think it much to deny our Vile selves and to forsake those little things which we call our own for his sake and in obedience to his command had he dealt with us as those that once Sate in Moses's Chair did with their Disciples laying heavy burdens upon them and grievous to be born which they themselves would not touch with one of their fingers Math. 23 4. we might have had some seeming cause of complaint but since he himself hath born the burden which he hath layd upon us yea and a far greater we are most unreasonable people if we do open our mouths against him he is too soft and delicate a servant surely that would fare better than his Lord or be exempted from that work which his Lord disdaineth not to put his hand unto But 3. I beseech thee Brother tell me what it is which thou Judgest hard and unreasonable in this Commandment Is it that we should believe our selves to be what we really are and that we should demean our selves in the World accordingly Is that we who do own our selves to be nothing of our selves and to have nothing of our selves should be as nothing to our selves and challenge no propriety in our Selves but in Subordination to him of whom we are and from whom we have received all Is it that he who hath made us for himself and without any other motive than that was in himself and who hath freely given us all we do possess will dispose of us and all according to his Pleasure Is it that we should prefer him before our selves and his Will before our own and be ready and willing to part with all that he hath given us when ever he is pleased to call for it Is it that we should be content to receive Evil from him as well as Good when he shall see it fit for his own Glory and our greater Good I dare say that there is nothing in all this that thou wilt except against and this is all that is required of thee But yet further 4. Suppose it appear after all that what is here required is not only just and reasonable but hugely Profitable and advantageous for us may we not justly look upon them to be very unreasonable that do quarrel with it And truly thus it is and thus it will appear to be upon very little consideration It is no small advantage to be at liberty to Obey God entirely and to be able to doe it with ease with delight and pleasure it is no little benefit to be out of the Reach of the Devils malice and of all those Dangerous weapons wherewith he assaults and destroys poor Souls And this we shall Infallibly obtain by the practice and performance of this one Duty For what is it that indisposes us to the service of God that makes his Righteous Holy Laws to be grievous and uneasy to us but our Taking upon us to be something of our selves and to dispose of our selves according to our own wills What is it that gives the Devil so much advantage over us but our disorderly passions and affections and whence have all his Temptations their Force and Power and all his Artifices their Success but from our inordinate Love of our selves and these Worldly things And therefore when we have put off this Love and banished these things our hearts as we are taught to do we have Disarmed our Enemy or taken off the edge of all his weapons we have baffled his accursed policies and secured our selves from his Devices Men may talk of riches and honours and fleshly pleasures as long as they please to those that are dead and they may threaten them with reproaches and pains and other evil things till they have wearied themselves and not find Them moved in the least with it
wilt find my advice good and I did the rather propose it to thee because of the abounding wickedness of the Age for though almost every man calls himself a Christian and thinks himself affronted if he be not so esteemed yet true Christian Piety is owned by very few and it is become as disgraceful truly to practise it or to plead for it more is our misery as it is to disown that good name which should never be without it and therefore we take it to be as much our duty now thus to own the cause of it against the vile Practices of those who sottishly reproach and persecute it even whil'st they call themselves Christians as it was of old the duty of Christians to own the Name and profession against the Persecutions of the Heathenish and unbelieving World Certain it is That Christ is as well confessed by maintaining and defending that real Holiness which he came to implant in the Hearts and lives of Men as he is by the Belief and Acknowledgment of those things which he was pleased to do and suffer in order to it and therefore on the other hand the Denying the dissembling or not owning our obligation to this Holiness or our resolution to imbrace and live in it when ever we have a just cause to own it is as truly Denying of Christ as our protesting in case of danger that we know him not or belong not to him can be thought to be Be not afraid nor ashamed then to make thy self known to the World to be in the resolution of thy Heart a true Christian that Christ may not be ashamed of thee before the Angels of God in that day when all the Secrets of mens hearts shall be made manifest Those vile Wretches that live to the dishonour of him whose name they are called by and to be Reproach of humane Nature blush not as thou may'st observe to make known the baseness of their Designs and the lewdness of their actions they commit their wickedness in the sight of the Sun and are not ashamed to boast of it when they have done and shouldest thou be ashamed to live worthy of Christ to be truly a Son of God and to have a design upon Glory and Immortality No let them be ashamed that do shameful things but for thee thy design is honourable and worthy of a man and thy resolution is becoming a Christian and it is necessary to thee being one There is a shame we are told that ends in death and surely this is that when men are ashamed of that which is truly their Glory and dare not be what they know they ought to be because they may be reproached when they are known to be so § 6. There is but one thing more to be added in this matter viz. That thou wilt do well to seek out some good men that have taken up the same resolution and to acquaint thy self with them and if possible thou can'st to make them thy familiar and bosome-Friends Let them know thy Design and Purpose of living Holily and Christianly Tell them what an Esteem thou hast for them because thou perceivest that they design to do no less beg their good opinion and their Love according as they shall behold thy sincerity and reality in the profession thou do'st make desire their Prayers their Instruction their reproofs their Encouragements according as they shall see thee stand in need of them and that they will look upon thee as a poor and unworthy member of that Holy body to which they do belong and of which Christ is the head and that hopes by the mercy of God to be glorified with Christ one day together with them and that they will therefore have that Regard and tenderness for thee which the members of the same body have for one another and desire them to accept of the like Regard and Love from thee and of all the good offices that true Christian Charity can enable thee to do for them I confess it will be no easy matter for thee to find such persons the number of them is but small and they are generally no great pretenders but modest and reserved and perhaps more reserved all things considered than they ought to be for though the vile Hypocrisy of pretenders to Holiness in this last Age and the dayly Abuse of its good name by men that seek themselves in the Ruine of the Church may seem to commend their closeness and Desire of being unknown yet the growth of Atheism and Prophaneness which those false pretenses have occasioned and the danger we are fallen into of Losing those great advantages for the Practice of Piety which our Church affords us does more strongly require them to lay open that Piety which they practise in secret and to let the World know by actions suitable to a good profession That there are some that own the Cause of real Holiness without Hypocrisy and Guile And let me tell thee by the way that if these good men of this Church will thus shew themselves and unite together in the several Parts of the Kingdom disposing themselves into Fraternities or friendly Societies and engaging each other in their several and respective Combinations to be helpful and serviceable to one another in all good Christian wayes it would be the most effectual means for restoring our decaying Christianity to its Primitive Life and Vigour and the supporting of our tottering and sinking Church But not to lead thee too far from the matter I was about If thou can'st find any of these good people I have spoken of I charge thee let thy heart cleave unto them and let there not be the least strangeness so far as lies in thee between you Be all as one man thus it was with the Primitive Christians Act. 2. and so march forward in the good wayes of God against all opposition observing and considering one another to provoke unto love and to good works as the Apostle's expressions are Heb. 10.23 having an Eye continually to the Captain of our Salvation who is entred into Heaven in despight of all the Powers of darkness and is there preparing a place for us Thou wilt be no sooner engaged with these good men in Love and Friendship but thou wilt begin to feel the advantages of it Thou wilt be afraid of no discouragements when thou hast gotten the assistance of so many true Friends and thou wilt never fall back from that resolution which hath been the occasion of engaging thee in such good Company If thou forgettest thy self at any time thou wilt not be without a Remembrancer and whenever thou failest thou wilt find a restorer and when thou art seized with any coldness or dulness they will be ready to warm and quicken thee These are advantages so considerable that thou can'st not prudently stick at any pains it may cost thee to procure them and therefore let me tell thee for a conclusion of this particular that if thou
did to his Being which he knows himself indebted only to God for and can that steal away his heart from the Author of all Good which never did nor can bestow the least Godd upon thee How vile doth this Earth seem unto us when we list up our Eyes and look upon the Heavens Surely much morevilewill all things be esteemed by him whose Soul is possessed with a true Knowledge of the maker of them It was therefore a true Saying of a Holy man of old St. Austin That no man loses God but he that is deceived And another person many years after him is said to speak no worse when being in an extasy he cryed out O my God! O my Lord O the God of my Heart O that all men did know thee they would never offend thee they would ever love thee For surely as the Author of the Book of Wisdome tells us To know God is perfect Righteousness and to know his Power is the root of Immortality Wisd 15.4 This my suffice to shew thee the Reason of my Advice Let me now as riesly direct thee how to practise it § 2. To this Purpose let me tell thee 1. That thou art not concerned to know as much as may be known of God or as learned men do know but only so much as is necessary or as may be helpful to keep thee entirely resigned and obedient to his Will and therefore thou must not trouble thy self with those nice and curious Speculations in Religion which are of no Use or tendency to this End That Knowledge whateyer the Object of it is which will not conduce to make thee better or prevent thy becoming worse than thou art is impertinent useless and unprositable the Hunting after it hath ruined thousands but never saved one Soul Those that pursue after it are thus deseribed by St. Paul 1 Tim. 6.3 4. They consent not to wholsome words and to the Doctrine which is according to Godlyness they are proud knowing nothing but doting about Questions and strifes of Words 2. Though thou art not concerned to know as much as may be known of God yet thou must endeavour to know these great and useful things I have spoken of as well as possibly thou can'st and therefore thou must not content thy self with that sleight superficial Knowledge which the generality of Men have of them who rather dream of divine things than know them but thou must labour for a clear distinct apprehension of them and for a firm and well-grounded persuasion both of the Truth and Goodness of them And to this Purpose thou must 3. Apply thy self to the Use of all good Means and that with great Care and Diligence remembring That if it be Folly to do meaner things slerghtly as certainly it is because many things many times depend upon our least actions to be careless and sleight in such a manner as this can be no less than Madness Now the means that you are to use are these that follow 1. Rcading the Holy Scriptures and Hearing them read this thou art to do dayly thou must borrow some part of every day to say nothing here of what thou art to do upon Holy dayes from thy Worldly Employments to read or hear them read Our Blessed Saviour bids us Search the Scriptures because in them we think we have eternal Life John 5.39 And St. Paul tells us that they are able to make us wise unto Salvation 2. Tim. 3.15 And if any mans words are of greater weight with us than theirs we do ill deserve the Name of Christians 2. Reading Good Books I call those good which treat of the great things of God modestly discreetly plainly convincingly and affectionately of which sort I know not many in the World and therefore thou art to take the best Advice thou can'st have in the choice of them 3. Hearing of Sermons and good Discourses made by Christ's Ministers whether in the Pulpit upon particular Texts of Scripture or in the desk as expositions of some larger Portions of it or of some of the chiefest Points of Religion contained in the Catechism These Discourses Christ's Ministers are commanded to make for the Edification of Christ's Church See 2 Tim. 4.1 2. and therefore Christian people must needs think themselves bound to attend unto them and they are over wise or over good that conceit they have no need of them I mean that they are neither wise nor good 4. Frequent conferring with serious Christians about divine things which is a means of Improving Knowledge that hath several Advantages above any other for besides this we shall instruct others as well as our selves imparting our own Knowledge to them whil'st we receive of theirs that which we thus learn we apprehend more clearly and are more deeply affected with than we are with that which we receive any other way and therefore it is much to be lamented that it is no more used by those that call themselves Christians than we see it is and if we may not infer from the neglect of it that men are not so knowing in the things of God as they take upon them to be I am sure we may conclude from it that they are not so good as they ought to be they seldom forbear to talk of that which they love when there is occasion offered for it so they would never be silent in these things if they had that hearty affection for them which they ought to have And as for the common Excuse among the more serious sort of people that they would not be taken for Hypocrites as too many in this last Age among whom this hath been in Fashion have discovered themselves to be it is so far from justifying their Neglect that it manifests the naughtiness of their hearts whil'st they shew their selves more careful for their own Esteem among men than for the Honour of God and the great Concerns of their Souls There would be little or no Religion seen in the World if the Abuse of it by Hy pocrites would warrant men to cast off the Profession of it and to give any good Reason why so useful a part of it should for that cause be laid aside whil'st they think themselves concerned to appear Religious in other things I believe will puzzle the most subtle among them There were too many Hypocrites in Holy David's time and yet his tongue did not cease to speak of God's Righteousness and of his praise all the day long Psal 35 28. And the Apostles times were not so happy as to be without them and yet They called upon Christians to exhort one another dayly Heb. 4.13 And to teach and admonish each other and that by Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs as well as other wayes Colos 3.16 Those good men did never think that the danger of bemg accounted Hypocrites would discharge them from Seasoning their Discourses with Salt or from speaking such things in their Conversation with each other as might be
in that day which shall bring to light the most hidden things we do not bind men to take this Course upon pain of everlasting damnation but surely every man is concerned to endeavour to save his own Soul and whether the best way to do this be to do as the most do or to do as I have advised thee do thou judge Look into thee World and observe the dayly Miscarriages of those men whose Practice thou are urged to approve and imitate how many of them after many years going to Church and hearing of Sermons have no more Understanding in the very Principles of their Religion than they had when they were Children and of whom we may say as St. Paul did of some that they are ever learning but never able to come to the Knowledge of the Truth 2. Tim. 3.7 How many are puft up with a great opinion of their own Knowledge that know nothing as they ought to know and will never know any thing because those that should and would instruct them cannot know their Ignorance till it is too late to give them Instructions how many of them become a Prey to Seducers and drink in damnable Doctrines with as much eagerness as they should do the most saving Truths meerly because they take upon them to judge of every thing and will not take Advice of those whom God hath set over them to direct them How many go groaning under the Burthen of troubled Consciences for many years and it may be after all become desperate and lay violent hands upon themselves because they would not discover their Grief to a Spiritual Physitian who might have poured Wine and Oyl into their Wounds and have bound them up to their everlasting Peace and Comfort how many go on in an evil Course who might be persuaded to leave it but for some Prejudices which they have entertained either against a good life in general or some particular duties or against some doctrine which if received would work a Reformation in them which Prejudices Christ's Ministers cannot remove because they know them not How many in a word that mean well and make many good promises and resolutions are overcome by their Lusts and the Temptations of the Devil and the world meerly for want of particular Directions as to those Lusts and those Temptations These sad Shipwracks and many more which thou may'st dayly behold may convince thee how dangerous it is to go in the common way and how much safer it will be for thee to follow the Advice that I have given thee and if men will not be persuaded that it is their Duty to do thus I am sure they may see that it is so much their Interest that they cannot despise it without despising their own Souls And as for the Imputation of Singularity which thou may'st be threatned with it is but what the best of Christ's Disciples have undergone in all Ages and no good Christian will make any reckoning of it Were we to please men we should have Reason to dread it but since our Business is to please God and to save our Souls it is no matter what they either say or think of us Suppose my Brother That Christ had shewed himself as much concerned for the health of our Bodies or the Encrease of our Estates as he hath done for the Salvation of our Souls That he had appointed an Order of Men to teach us how to get money or to preserve our selves in health and strength for many years and had given them as strict a Charge to take Care of it and be diligent in it and had promised them as great assistances to make them Cares and Endeavours effectual to these Ends as he hath done to the appointed Guides of Souls and that he had commanded all men as strictly to respect them as his Officers appointed to these Purposes to follow their Directions and submit themselves in all things to them as he has commanded men to submit to their spiritual Guides Supposing this I say do'st thou think that men would behave themselves in that manner towards these good Friends of their Bodies as they do to the great Friends and Guides of their Souls Would they content themselves to hear them read once or twice a week a publick Lecture of Physick or good Husbandry no no we should see every man running to their Houses and desiring private Conversation with them we should hear one Saying Sir you take great Pains among us and read very well and learnedly but I am a poor ignorant man and understand but little and remember less and therefore I pray you to explain and repeat some of those good things to me which you speak in publick And another we should hear complaining That he could receive no Benefit by all his Pains because his Discourses were not proper for his Case and therefore beseeching him to consider his particular necessities and to give him Directions suitable thereunto c. This we may well suppose men would do from what we see them do now when they need the Advice of Physitians and of the men of Skill in Worldly matters and we may boldly say that they would not spare keeping still to the former Supposition to make loud Out-cryes against the appointed Physitian as being false to their Trust in Case they should refuse to hear them in private and refer them to their Publick Lectures Now let any man tell me why men do not take the same Course for their Souls which they would take for their Bodies and Estates Will they say that their Souls have not so much need of the Help of Christ's Ministers as their Bodies have of the Help of Physitians and that they know better how to secure their Spiritual and Eternal Welfare than they do their Temporals This would betray more stupid Ignorance or devilish pride and Self-Conceit than they will be willing to discover Will they say that the Ministers may understand the particular necessities of every person and provide for them without their taking the Course prescribed and that they may suit their Publick Instructions Exhortations and Directions to all mens Capacities how different soever they are This will be to make them more than Prophets to ascribe a kind of Omniscience to them yea and an Omnipotence too to make their Sermons as God is said by some to have made the Manna in the Wilderness agreeable to the Taste of every one which I suppose no man in his Wits will do What then is the Reason of it for my part I can give no other than this That either they are grossly ignorant and little better than Beasts in Understanding or meer Infidels under the Name of Christians or if they do in some sort believe the Gospel yet their hearts are so engaged to the World that they cannot have any serious and Constant Regard to their Immortal Souls But to put an End to this matter let the Cause of the Common Practice be good or bad I am sure the Effects of it are sad and lamentable the great Decay of Christian Piety among us the great Encrease of all manner of Wickedness the Multiplying of Errors Schisms and Divisions hath no one more visible Cause than this and till men be convinced that they own a greater Respect to their Spiritual Guides than their Practice carries in it and will be persuaded to follow the Advice I have now given them I cannot hope to see any Stop put to these Evils I beseech thee therefore my Brother by all that is dear to thee not to despise my Counsel Defer not to make Choice of a Guide and when thou hast done be not slack to desire his Advice nor backward to follow it thou may'st be consident of the Blessing of God in So doing thy Guide is particularly concerned to give thee the best Advice he can and God is concerned to make it effectual for thy Good since he hath particularly ordained it for that End To these Directions I might add many more viz. That thou wilt do well to endear thy self to thy Guide as much as thou can'st that he may take the greater Care of thee and be more ardently desirous of thy Salvation to which Purpose thou may'st do well to shew thy Esteem of him by a respectful Carriage before others Mouns de Reale There was a great and good man once in the World that would never take place of a Priest before the people the Dignity of the Office requiring as he believed and deserving the highest respect and if any one say that he was not of our Church I answer the greater Reason have most of us to be ashamd of our selves who call our selves reformed and do worse And further thou may'st do well to contribute cheerfully according to thy Ability towards his maintenance if the be not plentifully provided for The Primitive Christians are not backward to do this as thou may'st perceive by their devoting all that they had to the Service of Christ and his Church Act. 4.34 35. and I wish I could not say that the Sacrilege of many that call themselves Christians in this Age did not make it in some sort necessary for good Christians to do the same now That thou must keep close to they Guide as long as thou livest and never change him if God's Providence doth not constrain thee That in all thy Intercouse with thy Guide thou must look beyond him viz. to thy God whose Minister he is and who guides and blesses thee by his Ministry to whom thou must dayly address thy self by Prayer for a Blessing upon his Endeavours and to whose Goodness and Mercy thou must dayly ascribe all the Benefit thou do'st receive by them But I must forbear having too far exceeded my Bounds already I conclude all with the words of our dar Lord and Saviour Now thou knowest these things happy art thou if thou do'st them John 13.17 The End