of Love Eightly Let me beseech you in the Name of the Lord that you would set up Godliness in your Families we can never expect Holy Assemblies while Godliness is neglected in Families Children and Servants not being instructed at home is a great cause of their being unprofitable under the Word preach'd Godly Instruction is too much neglected both to Children and Servants by Professors in our Age I am afraid there are some that scarce a savoury Word drops from their Lips all the Week to their Family How can it be thought that unsavoury Spirits ever got good to their own Souls They that keep all to themselves it is to be feared have got little for themselves the good Man brings forth good Treasure new and old Let me intreat you dear Christians whatsoever station you are in whether Parents or Masters whether Children or Servants that you do not neglect private Prayer twice in the day at least if you have opportunity to pray oftner do not slip such fair seasons The Mother would think the Sucking Child not well if it should forsake the Breast a whole day so mayest thou think thy Soul is not right that can pass a day without craving any Spiritual Repast in Prayer Mr. Gurnal ' s Compleat Christians Armour If you neglect private prayer do not expect to thrive in Godliness God gives his Alms at Wisdoms Gate And let me beseech you that are Parents or Governors keep up publick Prayer in your Families look to it that you are not numbred among the cursed Families that call not upon the Name of the Lord. The private House is the Christians Chapel of ease to Worship God in daily with his Family The Church begun in a Fanily and is upheld still by the Piety of private Families If the Nursery be not preserved the Orchard must needs in time decay We cannot expect that Family to thrive in Godliness where publique Prayer is neglected What praying persons might some Children or Servants have been had they been called to that Duty by Parents or Masters when they were under their Government Methinks if persons love their own Souls it should cause them to love and pity the Souls about them It would be great Cruelty in Parents to spend all they get upon themselves and let their Children starve Employ some of that Talent that you have got for the furtherance of their Salvation Should not you be willing that they should find the way to Heaven as well as your selves they have as precious Souls as you and if you have tasted sweetness in drawing nigh to God will you deal so unkindly to hinder your Family of partaking of the Blessing with you If you complain of your weakness in parts or Bashfulness makes you backward to this Duty I answer It is not your weakness in parts will be any hindrance of your Prayer's Acceptance with God nor will it prevent a Blessing from your Family God looks at the uprightness of your Hearts not at the excellency of your Expressions but if you would study your own and Families Souls wants you would as well know how to go about this Duty as you know in their necessities in the World how to go about your worldly business to maintain them and supply their outward wants And as for Bashfulness if your Children were perishing for Bread you would put on Courage to beg with them rather than let them perish how much more should you put on Courage to go with your prishing Childrens and Servants Souls to the Throne of Grace to beg Grace for them as ever you would have your Family thrive under the Publick Ministry as ever you would have them in their Duty toward God and your selves as you would have obedient Children and faithful Servants as ever you would have your Children and Servants separated from a vain wicked World as ever you would bless God that you were their Masters or Parents in a dying hour keep up constant and publick Prayer with them in your Family Ninthly Let me intreat you to love the Truth for Truths sake think not the worse of it because most undervalue it let not their low esteem of the Truths of Christ damp your Affections to it enquire not who is on your side before you take it up as the Pharisees did Have any of the Rulers believed on him Some if they have not the most and highest on their side think Truth not worth their owning It is the misery of many they never made their Faith nor Religion their own what is accounted best among men is always best to them it is what Men teach that are accounted best by the most of people they most adhere to more than they will to the Truths of Christ though the best Men teach them They that are most for Sinners Good are not counted good with Sinners they that preach Christ freely to the worst of Sinners are accounted the worst of Men Though Truth is come to a bad Market and sold at a low rate and few Buyers I beseech you have never the lower Esteem of it buy it as your choicest Crown if you hold fast the Crown of Truth when Christ comes he will give you a Crown of Glory Many I am perswaded that are convinced of the Truth do not own it because it goes in a mean dress Many will hold with every thing the Church that they are of holds though they know nothing aright they hold Such are for Performance or Omission they will do as others do but nothing from a right Principle Beg of the Lord that you may see the Beauty and Glory that is in the Truths of Christ that you may highly prize Truth when you suffer the greatest Reproaches and Evils for owning the same Love Truth for its own sake honour it for Christ's sake commend it for others sake follow it for your own sake Lastly Let me earnestly intreat you to pray for me that I may both in Life and Doctrin be a burning and shining Light that I may find the power and relish of things upon my Heart that I give out to you and others that I may be an Instrument in the Hand of Christ to bring many Souls to him and build up those that are brought in in their most holy Faith and that utterance may be given me with a Blessing from Heaven upon my unworthy Labours that they may not be in vain but that I may daily see the Travel of my Soul it is God alone can open Hearts and unlock the Treasury of Grace in the Gospel and make known the Mystery of the Gospel It is not the hand that sows the Seed but God's Blessing that gives the Increase And if you would have me bear you upon my Heart before the Lord at the Throne of Grace pray give me a meeting oftner there if you expect me to water you pray that I may be watered People little consider what good they keep back from their own Souls in not
fuerim omnes si potuissem occidere I was so great a Saint in my own esteem that I was ready to slay all if I could and this he did out of a blind Zeal The Pride of Men's Hearts together with their blind Zeal cause persons to exalt themselves and strive to make the Doctrin and Life of others odious to the People altho they are such as God has given his Vrim and Thummim to While Persons are contending about Words and distracting their Hearers with things that concern not their Salvation and endeavouring to beget a Prejudice in their Hearts against Godly Ministers they in the mean time neglect to preach down Heresies and false Doctrins that strike at the Principles of Faith and welfare of immortal Souls Surely all those that are begotten from the Dead unto a lively hope by Christ Jesus will love all those that are made partakers of the same Life and will not cease daily to mourn for their Deficiency therein 6 Infer Is Christ a Believers Life and such a Life as you have heard then what a miserable state is a Christless Soul in A state of Darkness while they live a state of misery when they die the Cup of Wrath without mixture eternal misery will be the portion of the wicked Oh what a state of blindness and darkness do they live on Earth And what a state of misery will they be in in the other World But you may say How shall I know that Christ is mine I shall lay down a few Characters but I shall First Shew who they are that have not Christ for their Life Secondly Who they are that have Christ for their Life I shall begin with the Negative First That Soul that was never sick unto Death for Christ never yet had Christ for its Life that Soul that never saw himself undone without Christ that Soul never made Christ his Life They that never groan under the body of Sin and Death that never cried out Wo is me I am undone what shall I do to be saved they are dead in Trespasses and Sins They that never saw the Sentence of Death in themselves never made Christ their Life 2 Cor. 1.9 But we had the Sentence of Death in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead When a Soul comes to say Alass I have gone as far as I can but I cannot get peace nor comfort by all I do therefore I must lie down and perish if I have not Christ to be mine I have nothing of my own to cover me I shall be naked if I have not his Blood to wash me I shall die in my sins If you believe not in me saith Christ you shall die in your sins Better die on a Dunghil better die in a Prison better die in a Fiery Furnace in Christ than in a Palace out of him But what remedy shall there be to save us from our sins Why Christ doth not set them to work for Life but to believe in him who is the believing Sinners Life Let a Legalist or Formalist they that never were pained at the Heart with a sense of their undon state they that have not Christ for their life what a deal of difference is between a Believer and them as much as thereis between a person that is sick and another that is dead He that is dead if he be laid on the ground there is all quiet and lay a Weight on him he is quiet but go and lay your Ear at the sick Man's Bed and there is groaning and crying O my Head O my Heart What is it you want I want Breath I want a Physician I want Life We preach Christ to you poor sinners What is the reason You do not groan for this Christ Why You are dead in your sins You go away and it may be some particular things we tell you of you can repeat them when you go home Some particular Duties you perform but are your Souls awakened Do you groan for Christ Do you go home pained at the Heart Was Christ ever your Life Do you cry out I am dead and undon without Christ be my Life If you were sick at Heart and were pained for Christ we should hear of you It may be you go to hear as your fancy leads you but not with a sense of your wants You fancy somtimes this Man sometimes that Man but were your Souls ever sick for Christ Did your Hearts ever break within you Did your Souls ever mourn in secret Lord give me a Christ I am afraid of this little number many that are dead that Christ was never your Life When persons are in a Swound put Spirits or any thing into their Nose they do not mind it but when they come to themselves they cry out I am sick O give me something Saith our blessed Lord Jesus 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 When Christ comes with an effectual Call by his Spirit to the Heart in his Word it raises up the dead Man If there be a whole Family dead there is not one Groan heard but if one that is alive be sick or in pain he fills the place with Groans Talk of any thing rather than Christ any preaching is for some Men rather than Christ that is foolishness to some Ay but Soul whether thou wilt have Christ or no we must preach Christ and then we can give up our account with Joy It is the whole Work of a Minister to preach Christ whatever Duties are Spiritual they all flow from Christ but where Christ is not dwelling in the Soul all they perform is dead and formal Silent Professor quiet Professor quiet with outward Duties with a Form of Religion and so rest until you are undone If once God calls you and awakens you by the effectual working of his Spirit then your Souls will cry out O give me a Christ If I have not the Blood of Christ I am undone If I have not the Righteousness of Christ I am undone If I have not the Spirit of Christ I am none of his And whose are you then The Devils Rom. 8.9 Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his There is no middle state you are the Devils that are not Christs you are dead in sin under Bondage if you have not the Spirit of Christ Be what you will a Professor a Person in Communion or out of Communion be rich or poor a person of Gifts a person that can hear read and pray if you have not the Spirit of Christ you are none of his When the dead persons were raised up by Christ something was called for them to eat O saith the Soul when he is awakened by Grace give me a Christ or I perish O that I had a Cordial of his Blood I want his Blood I want his Righteousness his
praying for their Ministers Many are readier to reproach them than to pray for them and to rejoyce in their Falls than to pray that they may be upheld How many that have excellent Gifts and Parts do little Work for God bring little Comsort to Souls If shining they are not burning Lights they leave cold earthly proud Hearts I think one Cause may be they have not been earnest at the Throne of Grace that a Blessing may attend their Labours People may be much in admiring such Ministers Gifts when the Word they Preach takes little effect upon their Souls Ministers have a great Charge committed to them a great Work to go through many Trials and Temptations in their Work they had need be daily the Subject of your Prayers and Pity Your strangeness to the Work may cause their Work to be much a Stranger to your Souls To be a Minister saith Luther is nothing else but to derive the Worlds Wrath and Fury upon himself The Dirt of Reproach saith one lies no where so thick as on Ministers Coats How many would count themselves happy in their ruin that bring the Tidings of Peace and Salvation to their Souls A miserable Happiness that rejoyceth in the Destruction of them that bring Salvation to them As the People would have their Ministers good Nurses to their Souls and good Examples to their Flock as they would not have them pervert them by their Error in Doctrin nor be Temptations to them by their Falls they should pray hard for them that they may neither miscarry in Life nor Doctrin that God's Urim and Thummim may be with them I hope Beloved in the Lord you will not shut me out in your Prayers as you would have the Name of Christ honoured by me your Souls well fed with wholsom Spiritual Food as you would not have my Enemies have the desire of their Hearts that wait for my Halting Alas I am a poor frail Creature that am encompassed about it may be with as many Temptations if not more than many others are and I fear have less Strength to go through them Pray for me that while I preach to others I may not be a Cast-a-way my self It is dreadful to drop into Hell from under the Pulpit but more dreadful to drop out of it into the Bottomless Pit It is sad for Ministers to be without the Grace of God and true knowledg of Jesus Christ they press others upon pain of Damnation not to neglect Like one that should spend time and strength to draw Water for others and perish with Thirst himself Or as one that directs many the right way and yet doth lose his own way As you would have me a faithful Labourer in the Harvest to bring full Sheaves to your Souls pray the Lord of the Harvest to give me Skill and Strength to bear the Burden and Heat of the Day As you would have the Word which I preach drop upon your Souls as the Rain and distil as the Dew and small Rain upon the Herb and as the Showers upon the Grass beg of God to pour out a double portion of his Spirit on me As you would have my Preaching powerful my Life teaching my Sermons Heaven-born my Lamp burning my Heart engaged my Talent improved my self to spend and be spent for your Souls good pray forget me not at the Throne of Grace I shall now take my Leave of you and subscribe with my Hand the Reality of my Heart your Loving Pastor and faithful Servant for the Lords sake JOHN GAMMON TO THE READER Christian Reader THE subsequent Tract being sent down to me in the Country I did as my other occasions would admit for I have not had time for a strict Perusal cursorily look it over and finding to my great satisfaction such a sweet breathing in every part of it I do joyfully recommend it to thy serious View as a Jewel not common or easie among the multitude of Books this Age abounds with to be found And that thou mayest know the Cask that hath sent forth such precious Wine I will give thee a brief Account of the Author tho indeed ex pede Herculem his own Work portrays him and delineates the frame of his Spirit far beyond what my feeble Pen can do But being well known to me perhaps better than to any besides I think it my Duty to wait upon him to the Press in this his first Essay with this just and impartial Character of him He is an holy serious good Man abounding with the Gifts and Graces of the Spirit and every way fitted for that Great Work he is called to Prayer Meditation and the sanctified use of Affliction Luther's three Ingredients to make a Gospel-Minister few has a greater share of He is one of an excellent Spirit of great Faithfulness and Courage a perfect Hero in his Ministerial Work none of those Rattle-Snakes that hiss and sputter in warm Sun-shiny Weather but durst not peep out of their Holes in a Winter Season This worthy Champion for which his Praise is and will be in the Gates of Sion bore a glorious Testimony in the late horrid Persecution he stood manfully to his Arms when the Bulls of Bashan encompassed him about he never quitted the Field nor flinch'd from his Posts notwithstanding the imminent Danger himself and Family were daily exposed to but as one unconcerned in any Terrene Events he went on in his way in his Work and verily the Lord was with him he crowned his Labours with extraordinary Success and as a Token of his special Favour gave into his Bosom a most sweet People to be a Nursing-Father to whose Unanimity among themselves and Fervency of Love to their endeared Pastor whatever others may I am sure I cannot match in the Sphere of my Acquaintance But to pass from the Workman to the Work His Book will exactly shew him such an one as I have hinted Read it but seriously over and thou wilt be under no Temptation to think me a Flatterer but count me as much too low as the Queen of Sheba did the Relators of Solomon's Court. Thou wilt meet with no uncouth Phrases no Logical Whimsies no Flashes of wanton Rhetorick But here Oh! here thou wilt find the refined Language of Canaan the Dialect of the New Jerusalem and such a melodious Consort of Divine Musick as if the Lord set in with it will warm thy Heart refresh thy Spirit and ravish thy Soul as the Spouse was ravished with the Rays of Christs Glory I am Thy Soul 's well-wishing Friend C. N. Christian Reader THE Author of these ensuing Sheets desired my Perusal thereof that afterwards I would give my Judgment of the same to the World the former of which I easily granted and have Sheet by Sheet as they were done perused the same and suppose that thou hast them entire without Typographical Errors so far as we observ'd they are very carefully corrected However if some have escaped the Press they
the Feet of Christ and look up to him in all above all for all casting our selves and Burthens upon him that we may be supported under all our cares and fears and temptations and be relieved in all wants and exigencies Do all through the influence of that Spirit that comes down from the Head that with St. Paul you may live yet not you but Christ Paul owned his Life was bound up in Christ Gal. 2.20 I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Sixthly The Sixth Request is That your Conversations be only as becomes the Gospel let not the Doctrin of Free-Grace be abused by your unholy Conversation see that ye be not of the number of those Atheists that say Let us Sin that Grace may abound Let the Enemies of the Doctrin of Free-Grace reproach the Doctrin and the Christians that own it a their pleasure I am sure there are none that are acquainted with the Free-Grace of God can live a loose Life neither was any known that taught that Doctrin feelingly or learn'd it truly that were ever known to be wicked persons The Grace of God teacheth us to deny ungodliness and worldly Lusts Indeed the Notions of Free-Grace may leave persons with unsanctified Hearts and Lives but the true Knowledg of it leaves so sweet a Savour upon the Heart that the Soul cannot willingly embrace Dunghil Lusts When the Soul knows the whole of his Salvation is of Free Grace that Soul is drawn forth to love admire glorifie and praise God who hath done such great things for him Let me beseech you let not the glorious Gospel suffer Reproach by your uneven Conversation You know you that profess the Truth Truths of Christ have many Enemies You had need pray earnestly to be led in a plain Path because of all your Enemies You have given up your selves to the Lord in your external Dedication see that it appear in your Conversation The Life of an Holy Man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to God 1 Pet. 4.6 That God you have given your selves up to is an holy God the Lord Jesus that redeemed you is the Holy one of God The Spirit that leads the Children of God is an holy Spirit the Covenant that you are in is an holy Covenant without Holiness none of you shall see the Lord. Then let me prevail in my Request Pray live holy Lives let your Conversation be as becomes the Gospel only then no matter what Men say of you you will have great peace in your own Souls Psal 119.165 Great peace have they which love thy Law and nothing shall offend them It is better to be holy than to be thought holy no matter if you are outwardly black so you are inwardly beautiful Seventhly Walk in love imitate the Lord Jesus whose love overcame all our infirmities love brought him out of his Fathers Bosom love caused him to be born in a low condition to bear our sorrows and grief he taught love he practised love he died for love he left pledges of his love to comfort his Spouse in his absence and will shortly come and fetch all his Redeemed home to Glory to have their fill of love Be ye therefore followers of God as dear Children and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and given himself for us an Offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour Eph. 5.1 2. These will demonstrate that you are Christs Disciples John 13.35 The Lord Jesus Christ spake these words a little before his Death that they might be of the more force and make the more Impression upon the Souls of his Disciples as if he should say Remember my dying Love and let it live in your Bosoms as a precept and example to love one another And this is a certain Character of Love to Jesus Christ when we love Christ's Disciples for Christ's sake not because we are of the same mind in our Judgment but because we are Christ's Disciples and bear his Image and then you may assure your selves if you love upon such grounds your Love will not be restrained only to each other that walk in Church-fellowship but to all Saints as Saints of what denomination soever they go under which is much wanted in this day we live in It is much to be lamented that persons Saint themselves more by their own Opinion than by their Interest in Jesus Christ Saints should love as they are Children of one Father and in their way to Heaven and all that are in that way have Vnion with Christ and are Members of one glorious Head therefore we ought to love one another why should Brethren fall out by the way Nothing doth more manifest that the power of Godliness is in a People than when they love for Saintship rather than for Judgment If you read the 13th Chapter of the Corinthians the Apostle gives the true Characters of Love The first description of it is That it suffereth long that is Not hasty to take Revenge on them that offend them nor rash in Expressions to threaten Revenge Secondly It is kind ready to do any good Office Thirdly Envieth not is not troubled at the Prosperity of others however it go with himself Fourthly Vaunteth not it self doth not ambitiously glory in himself doth labour to exalt himself Fifthly Not puffed up not swelling with Conceits of himself Sixthly Doth not behave himself unseemly would not do any unseemly Action nor behave himself in an unbeseeming manner Seventhly Seeketh not his own hath not an Eye to his own profit as to make it his end but eyes God's Glory chiefly and the good of Zion more than carnal Interest Eightly Is not easily provoked though there may be Passions yet is not governed by them it is an Evil much to be lamented Passion so governs some as if their Tongues were set on fire from Hell Ninthly Thinketh no Evil he would do Evil to none nor readily take up Evil of another to have uncharitable Thoughts of him he will not be ready to charge his Brother rashly upon every Report Tenthly Rejoyceth not in Iniquity he doth not rejoyce in the Faults of others Elevently He rejoyceth in the Truth he rejoyceth that Truth prospereth and that an innocent persons Righteousness is cleared up The Apostle in winding up the marks of it shews it is every way excellent it beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things he beareth all things all Evils he meets withal he believeth all things good of his Brother so far as Charity may not injure Truth There be many that account themselves to have passed from Death to Life which fall short of those Characters of Love We may all lament we find it so cold in our selves to them that bear Christs Name and Image I beseech you dearly Beloved in the Lord be much in Love and you will be much in God for God is Love To be a loving Saint is a sign of a lively Saint many Waters cannot quench the fire