our faith Help thou our unbelief But he that approveth of his Doubting and would have it so and thinks the revelation is uncertain and such as will warrant no firmer a belief I should scarcely say this man is a Christian. Christianity must be received as of Divine infallible revelation But controversies about less necessary things cannot be determined peremptorily by the ignorant or young beginners without hypocrisie or a humane faith going under the name of a Divine I am far from abating your Divine belief of all that you can understand in Scripture and implicitely of all the rest in general And I am far from diminishing the credit of any truth of God But the Reasons of this Direction are these § 2. 1. When it is certain that you have but a dark uncertain apprehension of any point to think it is clear and certain is but to deceive your selves by pride And to cry out against all uncertainty as sceptiâ—isme which yet you cannot lay aside is but to revile your own infirmity and the common infirmity of mankind and foolishly to suppose that every man can be as wise and certain when he list as he should be Now Reason and experience will tell you that a young unfurnished understanding is not like to see the evidence of difficult points as by nearer approach and better advantage it may do § 3. 2. If your conclusions be peremptory upon meer self-conceitedness you may be in an error for ought you know and so you are but confident in an error And then how far may you go in seducing others and censuring dissenters and come back when you have done and confess that you were all this while mistaken your selves § 4. 3. For a man to be confident that he knoweth what he knoweth not is but the way to keep him ignorant and shut the door against all means of further information When the Opinion is fixt by prejudice and conceit there is no ready entrance for the light § 5. 4 And to be ungroundedly confident so young is not only to take up with your Teachers word instead of a faith and knowledge of your own but also to forestall all diligence to know more and so you may lay by all your studies save only to know what those men hold whose judgements are your Religion Too Popish and easie a way to be safe § 6. 5. If you must never change your first opinions or apprehensions how will you grow in understanding Will you be no wiser at age than you were in childhood and after long study and experience than before Nature and Grace do tend to increase § 7. Indeed if you should be never so peremptory in your opinions you cannot resolve to hold them to the end For Light is powerful and may change you whether you will or no you cannot tell what that Light will do which you never saw But prejudice will make you resist the light and make it harder for you to understand § 8. I speak this upon much experience and observation Our first unripe apprehensions of things will certainly be greatly changed if we are studious and of improved understandings Study the Conâ—roveâ—â—â—â—s about Grace and Free-will or about other such points of difficulty when you are young and â—â—s two to one that ripeness will afterward make them quite another thing to you For my own â—â—â—â—t my judgement is altered from many of my youthful confident apprehensions And where it heldeth the same conclusion it rejecteth abundance of the arguments as vain which once it rested in And where I keep to the same Conclusions and Arguments my apprehension of them is not the saâ—â— â—ut I see more satisfying light in many things which I took but upon trust before And if I had resolved to hold to all my first Opinions I must have forborn most of my studies and lost much truth which I have discovered and not made that my own which I did hold and I must have resolved to live and dye a child § 9. The su 〈…〉 is Hold fast the substance of Religion and every clear and certain Truth which you see in its own evidence and also reverence your Teachers especially the Universal Church or the generality of wise and godly men and be not hasty to take up any private opinion And especially to contradict the Opinion of your Governours and Teachers in small and controverted things But yet in such matters receive their Opinions but with a humane faith till indeed you have more and therefore with a supposition that time and study is very like to alter your apprehensions and with a reserve impartially to study and entertain the truth and not to sit still just where you were bâ—rn Direct 12. IF Controversies â—ccasion any Divisions where you live be sure to look first to the interest of Common Truth and Good and to the exercise of Charity And become not passionate contenders for any party in the division or censurers of the peaceable or of your Teachers that will not â—ver 〈…〉 their own understandings to obtain with you the esteem of being Orthodox or zealous men But suspect your own unripe understandings and silence your Opinions till you are clear and certain and jâ—yn rather with the moderate and the peace-makers than with the Contenders and Dividers § 1. You may easily be sure that Division tendeth to the ruine of the Church and the hinderance of the Gospel and the injury of the common interest of Religion You know it is greatly condemned in the Scriptures You may know that it is usually the exercise and the increase of Pride uncharitableness and passion and that the Devil is best pleased with it as being the greatest gainer by it But on the other side you are not easily certain which party is in the right And if you were you are not sure that the matter will be worth the cost of the contention Or if it be it is to be considered whether the Truth is not like to get more advantage by managing it in a more peaceable way that hath no contention nor stirreth not up other men so much against it as the way of controversie doth And whatever it prove you may and should know that young Christians that want both parts and helps and time and experience to be throughly seen in controversies are very unfit to make themselves parties And that they are yet more unfit to be the hottest leaders of those parties and to spur on their Teachers that know more than they If the work be fit for another to do that knoweth on what ground he goeth and can foresee the end yet certainly it is not fit for you And therefore forbear it till you are more fit § 2. I know those that would draw you into such a contentious zeal will tell you that their cause is the cause of God and that you desert him and betray it if you be not zealous in it and that it is but the counsel
of flesh and blood which maketh you pretend Moderation and Peace and that it is a sign that you are hypocrites that are so lukewarm and carnally comply with error and that the cause of God is to be followed with the greatest zeal and self denyal And all this is true if you be but sure that it is indeed the cause of God and that the greater works of God be not neglected on such pretences and that your Zeal be much greater for Faith and Charity and Unity than for your opinions But upon great experience I must tell you that of the zealous contenders in the world that cry up The Cause of Consuming 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 use at 〈◊〉 â—o 〈◊〉 up the owners of it Whatever tâ—â—y say oâ— do against others in theâ—â— inâ—â—mperaâ—e violâ—nce they teach otherâ— at last to say and do against them when they have opportunity How the Orâ—â—odox taught the Aâ—â—iaâ—s to use severity against them may be sâ—en in Victor utic p. 447 448 449. in the Edict of Hunneâ—yâ—hus â—â—gem quam dudum Christiani Imperatores nostri contra eos alios haereticos pro honorisicentia Ecclesiae Catholiâ—ae dedâ—runâ— adversus nos illi proponere non eâ—ubuerunt v. g. Rex Hun. c. Triumphalis Majestatis Regiae probatur esâ—e virtutis mâ—â—a in autores conâ—lia retorquere Quisquis enim pravitatis aliquid invenerit sibi imputet quod incurrit Nullâ—s 〈◊〉 homâ—usion Saceâ—doâ—es assumanâ— nec aliquid mysteriâ—â—um quae magis polluunt sibi vendicenâ— Nullam habeant oâ—dinandi licentiam Quod ipsaâ—um legum continentia demonstratur quas induxiâ—â—e Imperaâ—oâ—ibuâ— c. viz. Ut nulla exceptâ—s superstiti 〈…〉 s suae â—nâ—stibus Ecclesia pateret nuâ—lâ—s liceret aliis aut convictus agere aut exercere convâ—ntâ—s nec Ecclesias auâ— in uâ—â—iâ—â—â—â— aut in quibuâ—dam 〈◊〉 locis God and Truth there is not one of very many that understandeth what he talks of but some of them cry up the Cause of God when it is a brat of a proud and ignorant brain and such as a judicious person would be ashamed of And some of them are rashly zealous before they have parts or time to come to any judicious tryal and some of them are mis-guided by some person or party that captivateth their minds and some of them are hurried away by passion and discontent and many of the ambitious and worldly are blinded by their carnal interests and many of them in meer pride think highly of an Opinion in which they are somewhat singular and which they can with some glorying call their Own as either invented by them or that in which they think they know more than ordinary men do And abundance after longer experience confess that to have been their own erroneous cause which they before entitled the Cause of God Now when this is the case and one cryeth Here is Christ and another There is Christ one saith This is the cause of God and another saith That is it no man that hath any care of his Conscience or of the honour of God and his profession will leap before he looketh where he shall alight or run after every one that will whistle him with the name or pretence of truth or a good cause It is a sad thing to go on many years together in censuring opposing and abusing thâ—se that are against you and in seducing others and mis-imploying your zeal and parts and time and poysoning all your prayers and discourses and in the end to see what mischief you have done for want of knowledge and with Paul to confess that you were mad in opposing the truth and servants of God though you did it in a zeal of God through ignorance Were it not much better to stay till you have tryed the ground and prevent so many years grievous sin than to scape by a sad repentance and leave behind you stinking and venemous fruits of your mistake And worse if you never repent your selves Your own and your Brethrens souls are not so lightly to be ventured upon dangerous untryed wayes It will not make the Truth and Church amends to say at last I had thought I had done well Let those go to the Wars of disputing and 〈◊〉 and câ—nsuâ—ing and siding with a Sect that are riper and better understand the cause Wars are not for Children Do you suspend your judgement till you can solidly and certainly inform it and serve God in Charity quietness and peace And it s two to one but you will live to see the day that the contenders that would have led you into their Wars will come off with so much loss themselves as will teach them to approve your peaceable course or teach you to bless God that kept you in your place and duty § 3. In all this I deny not but every truth of God is to be valued at a very high rate and that he that shall carry himself in a neutrality when Faith or Godliness is the matter in controversie or shall do it meerly for his worldly ends to save his stake by temporizing is a false-hearted hypocrite and at the heart of no Religion But withal I tell you that all is not matter of Faith or Godliness that the Autonomian-Papist the Antinomian-Libertine or other passionate parties shall call so And that as we must avoid contempt of the smallest Truth so we must much more avoid the most heinous sins which we may commit for the defending of an error And that some Truths must be silenced for a time though not denyed when the contending for them is unseasonable and tendeth to the injury of the Church If you were Masters in the Church you must not teach your Scholars to their hurt though it be truth you teach them And if you were Physicions you must not cramm them or Medicate them to their hurt Your power and duty is not to Destruction but to Edification The good of the Patient is the end of your Physick All Truth is not to be spoken nor all Good to be done by all men nor at all times He that will do contrary and take this for a carnal principle doth but call folly and sin by the name of zeal and duty and set the house on fire to rost his Egg and with the Pharisees prefer the outward rest of their Sabbath before his Brothers life or health Take heed what you do when Gods honour and mens souls and the Churches peace are concerned in it § 4. And let me tell you my own observation As far as my judgement hath been able to reach the men that have stood for Pacification and Moderation have been the most judicious and those that have best understood themselves in most controversies that ever I heard under debate among good Christians And those that suriously censured them as lukewarm or corrupted have been men that had least judgement and most passion pride and foul mistakes in the points in question § 5. Nay I will tell you
seriousness in Religion made odious or banished from the earth and that themselves may be taken for the Center and Pillars and Law-givers of the Church and the Consciences of all men may be taught to cast off all scruples or fears of offending God in comparison of â—â—â—â—â—â—ing them and may absolutely submit to them and never stick at any feared disobedience to 〈…〉 t They are the scorners and persecutors of strict obedience to the Laws of God and take those that â—ear his judgements to be men affrighted out of their wits and that to obey him exactly which alas who can do when he hath done his best is but to be hypocritical or too precise but to question their domination or break their Laws imposed on the world even on Kings and States without any Authority this must be taken for Heresie Schism or a Rebellion like that of Corah and his company This Luciferian Spirit of the proud Autonomians hath filled the Christian world with bloodshed and been the greatest means of the miseries of the earth and especially of hindering and persecuting the Gospel and setting up a Pharisaical Religion in the world It hath fought against the Gospel and filled with blood the Countreys of France Savoy Rhaetia Bohemia Belgia Helvetia Polonia Hungary Germany and many more that it may appear how much of the Satanical nature they have and how punctually they fulfill his will § 3. And natural corruption containeth in it the seeds of all these damnable Heresies nothing more natural to lapsed man than to shake off the Government of God and to become a Law-giver to himself and as many others as he can and to turn the grace of God into wantonness Therefore the prophane that never heard it from any Hereticks but themselves do make themselves such a Creed as this that God is merciful and therefore we need not fear his threatnings for he will be better than his word It belongeth to him to save us and not to us and therefore we may cast our souls upon his care though we care not for them our selves If he hath predestinated us to salvation we shall be saved and if he have not we shall not what ever we do or how well soever we live Christ dyed for sinners and therefore though we are sinners he will save us God is stronger than the Devil and therefore the Devil shall not have the most That which pleaseth the flesh and doth God no harm can never be so great a matter or so much offend him as to procure our damnation What need of so much ado to be saved or so much haste to turn to God when any one that at last doth but repent and cry God mercy and believe that Christ dyed for him shall be saved Christ is the Saviour of the world and his grace is very great and free and therefore God forbid that none should be saved but those few that are of strict and holy lives and make so much ado for Heaven No man can know who shall be saved and who shall not and therefore it is the wisest way to do no body any harm and to live merrily and trust God with our souls and put our salvation upon the venture no body is saved for his own works or deservings and therefore our lives may serve the turn as well as if they were more strict and holy This is the Creed of the ungodly by which you may see how natural it is to them to abuse the Gospel and plead Gods grace to quiet and strengthen them in their sin and to embolden themselves on Christ to disobey him § 4. But this is but to set Christ against himself even his Merits and Mercy against his Government and Spirit and to set his Death against the Ends of his death and to set our Saviour against our salvation and to run from God and rebell against him because Christ dyed to recover us to God and to give us Repentance unto life and to sin because he dyed to save his people from their sins and to purifie a peculiar people to himself zealous of good works Matth. 1. 21. Tit. 2. 14. He that committeth sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinneth from the beginning For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil 1 John 3. 8. John 8. 44. Direct 18. WAtch diligently hath against the more discernable decayes of grace and against Direct 18. the degenerating of it into some carnal affections or something counterfeit and of another kind And so also of Religious duties § 1. We are no sooner warmed with the coelestial flames but natural corruption is enclining us to grow cold Like hot water which loseth its heat by degrees unless the fire be continually kept under it Who feeleth not that as soon as in a Sermon or Prayer or holy Meditation his heart hath got a little heat as soon as it is gone it is prone to its former earthly temper and by a little remisness in our duty or thoughts or business about the world we presently grow cold and dull again Be watchful therefore lest it decline too far Be frequent in the means that must preserve you from declining when faintness telleth you that your stomachs are emptied of the former meat supply it with another lest strength abate You are rowing against the stream of fleshly interest and inclinations and therefore intermit not too long lest you go faster down by your ease then you get up by labour § 2. The Degenerating of Grace is a way of backsliding very common and too little observed How Grace may degenerate It is when good affections do not directly cool but turn into some carnal affections somewhat like them but of another kind As if the body of a man instead of dying should receive the life or soul of a Beast instead of the reasonable humane soul. For instance 1. Have you Believed in God and in Iesus Christ and Loved him accordingly You shall seem to do so still as much as formerly when your corrupted minds have received some false representation of him and so it is indeed another thing that you thus corruptly Believe and Love 2. Have you been fervent in Prayer you shall be fervent still iâ— Satan can but corrupt your prayers by corrupting your judgement or affections and get you to think that to be the cause of God which is against him and that to be against him which he commandeth and those to be the troublers of the Church which are its best and faithfullest members Turn but your prayers against the cause and people of God by your mistake and you may pray as fervently against them as you will The same I may say of preaching and conference and zeal Corrupt them once and turn them against God and Satan will joyn with you for zealous and frequent preaching or conference or disputes 3. Have you a confidence in Christ and his promise for
mind If you cast them not out with abhorrence but dispute with the Devil he hopes to prove too hard at least for such children and unprovided Souldiers as you And if you do reject them and refuse to dispute it with him he will sometime tell you that your cause is naught or else you need not be afraid to think of all that can be said against it and this way he gets advantage of you to draw you to unbelief And if you scape better than so at least he will molest and terrifie you with the hideousness of his temptations and make you to think that you are forsaken of God because such blasphemous thoughts have been so often in your minds And thus he will one while tempt you to blasphemy and another while affright and torment you with the thoughts of such temptations § 4. So also in the study of other good Books he will tempt you to fix upon all that seems difficult to you and there to confound and perplex your selves And in your Meditations he will seek to make all to tend but to confound and overwhelm you keeping still either hard or fearful things before your eyes or breaking and scattering your thoughts in pieces that you cannot reduce them to any order nor set them together nor make any thing of them nor drive them to any desirable end So in your prayers he would fain confound you either with fears or with doubtful and distracting thoughts about God or your sins or the matter or manner of your duty or questioning whether your prayers will be heard And so in your self-examination he will still seek to puzzle you and leave you more in darkness than you began and make you afraid of looking homeward or conversing with your selves like a man that is afraid to lye in his own house when he thinks it haunted with some apparitions And thus the Devil would make all your Religion to be but like the unwinding of a bottom of Yarn or a Skein of Silk that is ravelled that you may cast it away in weaâ—iness or despair § 5. Your Remedy against this dangerous temptation is to remember that you are yet young in knowledge and that Ignorance is like darkness that will cause doubts and difficulties and fears and that all these will vanish as your Light increaseth and therefore you must wait in patience till your â—â—pâ—r knowledge â—it you for satisfaction And in the mean time be sure that you take up your hearts most with the great fundamental necessary plain and certain points which your salvation is laid upon and which are more suited to your state and strength If you will be gnawing bones when you should be sucking milk and have not patience to stay till you are past your childhood no maâ—vâ—l if you find them hard and if they stick in your throats or break your teeth See that you live upon God in Christ and love and practise what you know and think of the excellency of so much as is already revealed to you You know already what is the end that you must seek and where your Happiness consisteth and what Christ hath done to prepare it for you and how you must be justified and sanctified and walk with God Have you God and Christ and Heaven to think on and all the mercies of the Gospel to delight in and will you lay by these as common matters or overlook them and pâ—rplâ—x your selves about every difficulty in your way Make clean work before you as you go and live in the joyful acknowledgement of the Mercies which you have received and â—f the practice of the things you know and then your difficulties will vanish as you go on § 6. 2. Another of Satans wiles is to confound you with the noise of Sectaâ—ies and divers opinions 2 By various Sâ—cts in Religion while the Popish Sect tell you that if you will be saved you must be of their Church and others say you must be of theirs And when you find that the Sects are many and their reasonings such as you cannot answer you will be in danger either to take up some of their Sed peâ—â—â—â—â—â—a nos opinionum varâ—eâ—as hominuâ— que dissâ—nsioâ— Et quia non idem contingit in 〈◊〉 â—os natura certos putamus Illa sic aliis secus nec iisdem sâ—mper uno modo videntur ficta esse câ—â—â—â—aâ—s Qâ—od est lâ—â—ge alâ—â—er Animis omnes tenduntur inâ—â—dâ—ae c. Ciâ—â—â—â—o 〈…〉 b. li. 1. pag. 291. 〈◊〉 cat deceits or to be confoundâ—d among them all not knowing which Church and Religion to choose § 7. But here consider that there is but One Universal Church of Christians in the world of which Christ is the Only King and Head and every Christian is a member You were Sacramentally admitted into this Catholick Church by Baptism and Spiritually by your being born of the Spirit You have all the promises of the Gospel that if you Believe in Christ you shall be saved and that all the living members of this Church are loved by Christ as members of his body and shall be presented unspotted to the Father by him who is the Saviour of his body Eph. 5. 23 24 25 26 27 29. And that by One Spirit we are all baptized or entered into this one body 1 Cor. 12. 12 13. If then thou hast faith and love and the Spirit thou art certainly a Christian and a member of Christ and of this Universal Church of Christians And if there were any other Church but what are the Parts of this one then this were not Universal and Christ must have two bodies Thou art not saved for being a member of the Church of Rome or Corinth or Ephesus or Philippi or Thâ—ssalonica or of any other such but for being a member of the Universal Church or body of Christ that is a Christian. And as thou art a subject of the King and a member of this Kingdom whatever Corporation thou be a member of perhaps sometime of one and sometime of another so thou art a subject of Christ what ever particular Church thou be of For it is no Church iâ— they be not Christians or subjects of Christ. For one Sect then to say Ours is the true Church and another to say Nay but ours is the true Church is as mad as to dispute whether your Hall or Kitchin or Parlor or Cole-house is your House and for one to say This is the House and another Nay but it is that when a child can tell them that the best is but a part and the house containeth them all And for the Papists that take on them to be the whole and deny all others to be Christians and saved except the subjects of the Pope of Rome it is so irrational Antichristian a fiction and usurpation and odious cruell and groundless a damnation of the far greatest part of the body of Christ that its fitter for detestation than dispute And if such a crack
you if they do not stop you you choose a life of constant close and great temptations Whereas your grace and comfort and salvation might be much promoted by the society of such as are wise and gracious and suitable to your state To have a constant companion to open your heart to and joyn with in prayer and edifying conference and faithfully help you against your sins and yet to be patient with you in your frailties is a mercy which worldlings neither deserve nor value Direct 16. MAke careful choice of the Books which you read Let the Holy Scriptures ever have Direct 10. the preheminence and next them the solid lively heavenly Treatises which best expound and apply the Scriptures and next those the credible Histories especially of the Church and Tractates upon inferiour Sciences and Arts But take heed of the poyson of the Writings of false Teachers which would corrupt your understandings and of vain Romances Play-books and false Stories which may bewitch your fantasies and corrupt your hearts § 1. As there is a more excellent appearance of the Spirit of God in the Holy Scriptures than in any other Book whatever so it hath more power and fitness to convey the Spirit and make us spiritual by imprinting it self upon our hearts As there is more of God in it so it will acquaint us more with God and bring us nearer him and make the Reader more reverent serious and Divine Let Scripture be first and most in your hearts and hands and other Books be used as subservient to it The endeavours of the Devil and Papists to keep it from you doth shew that it is most necessary and desirable to you And when they tell you that all Hereticks plead the Scriptures they do but tell you that it is the common Rule or Law of Christians which therefore all are fain to pretend As all Lawyers and wranglers plead the Laws of the Land be their cause never so bad and yet the Laws must not be therefore concealed or cast aside And they do but tell you that in their concealment or dishonouring the Scriptures they are worse than any of those Hereticks When they tell you that the Scriptures are misunderstood and abused and perverted to maintain mens errors they might also desire that the Sun might be obscured because the purblind do mistake and Murderers and Robbers do wickedly by its light And that the earth might be subverted because it bears all evil doers and High-wayes stopt up because men travell in them to do evil And food prohibited because it nourisheth mens diseases And when they have told you truly of a Law or Rule whether made by Pope or Council which bad men cannot misunderstand or break or abuse and misapply than hearken to them and prefer that Law as that which preventeth the need of any judgement § 2. The Writings of Divines are nothing else but a preaching the Gospel to the eye as the voice preacheth it to the ear Vocal preaching hath the preheminence in moving the affections and being diversified according to the state of the Congregations which attend it This way the Milk cometh warmest from the breast But Books have the advantage in many other respects you may read an able Preacher when you have but a mean one to hear Every Congregation cannot hear the most judicious or powerful Preachers but every single person may read the Books of the most powerful and judicious Preachers may be silenced or banished when Books may be at hand Books may be kept at a smaller charge than Preachers We may choose Books which treat of that very subject which we desire to hear of but we cannot choose what subject the Preacher shall treat of Books we may have at hand every day and hour when we can have Sermons but seldom and at set times If Sermons be forgotten they are gone But a Book we may read over and over till we remember it and if we forget it may again peruse it at our pleasure or at our leisure So that good Books are a very great mercy to the world The Holy Ghost chose the way of writing to preserve his Doctrine and Laws to the Church as knowing how easie and sure a way it is of keeping it safe to all generations in comparison of meer Verbal Tradition which might have made as many Controversies about the very terms as there be memories or persons to be the preservers and reporters Books are if well chosen domestick present constant judicious pertinent yea and powerful Sermons and alwayes of very great use to your salvation but especially when Vocal preaching faileth and Preachers are ignorant ungodly or dull or when then they are persecuted and forbid to preach § 3. You have need of a judicious Teacher at hand to direct you what Books to use or to refuse For among Good Books there are some very good that are sound and lively and some are good but mean and weak and somewhat dull and some are very good in part but have mixtures of error or else of incautelous injudicious expressions fitter to puzzle than edifie the weak I am loth to name any of these later sorts of which abundance have come forth of late But to the young beginner in Religion I may be bold to recommend next to a sound Catechism Mr. Rutherfords Letters Mr. Robert Boltons Works Mr. Perkins Mr. Whateleyes Mr. Ball of Faith Dr. Prestons Dr. Sibbes Mr. Hildershams Mr. Pinkes Sermons Mr. Io. Rogers Mr. Rich. Rogers Mr. Ri. Allen's Mr. Gurnall Mr. Swinnocke Mr. Ios. Simonds And to stablish you against Popery Dr. Challoners Credo Eccles. Cathol Dr. Field of the Church Dr. Whites Way to the Church with the Defence Bishop Ushers Answer to the Jesuite and Chillingworth with Drelincourts Summary And for right Principles about Redemption c. Mr. Trumans Great Propitiation and of Natural and Moral Impotency and Mr. William Fenner of Wilful Impenitency Mr. Hotchkis of Forgiveness of Sin To pass by many other excellent ones that I may not name too many § 4. To a very judicious able Reader who is fit to censure all he reads there is no great danger in the reading the Books of any Seducers It doth but shew him how little and thin a cloak is used to cover a bad causâ— But alas young Souldiers not used to such Wars are startled at a very Sophism or at a terrible threatning of damnation to diffenters which every censorious Sect can use or at every confident triumphant boast or at every thing that hath a fair pretence of truth or godliness Injudicious persons can answer almost no deceiver which they hear and when they cannot answer them they think they must yield as if the fault were not in them but in the cause and as if Christ had no wiser followers or better defenders of his truth than they Mâ—ddle not therefore with poyson till you better know how to use it and may do it with less danger as long
Unthankfulness and neglect are the way to be denyed further help § 18. Quest. But how shall I know whether good effects be from the Means or from my Reason and Quest. Endeavour and when from the Spirit of God Answ. Answ. It is as if you should ask How shall I know whether my harvest be from the Earth or Sun or Rain or God or from my labour I will tell you how They are all con-causes If the effect be there they all concur If the effect be wanting some of them were wanting It 's foolish to ask which is the cause when the effect is not produced but by the concurrence of them all If you had asked which cause did fail when the effect faileth there were reason in that question But there is none in this The more to blame those foolish Atheists that think God or the Spirit is not the cause if they can but find that Reason and Means are in the effect Your Reason and Conscience and Means would fall short of the effect if the Spirit put not life into all § 19. Obj. But I am exceedingly troubled and confounded with continual doubts about every motion that Object is in my mind whether it be from the Spirit of God or not Answ. The more is your ignorance or the malice of Satan causing your disquiet In one word Answ. you have sufficient Direction to resolve those doubts and end those troubles Is it Good or Evil or Indifferent that you are moved to This question must be resolved from the Word of God which is the Rule of duty If it be good in matter and manner and circumstances it is from the Spirit of God either its common or special operation If it be evil or indifferent you cannot ascribe it to the Spirit Remember that the Spirit cometh not to you to make you new duty which the Scripture never made your duty and so to bring an additional Law but to move and help you in that which was your duty before Only it may give the Matter while Scripture giveth the Obligation by its general command If you know not what is your duty and what not it is your ignorance of Scripture that must be cured Interpret Scripture well and you may interpret the Spirits motions easily If any new duty be motioned to you which Scripture commandeth not take such motions as not from God Unless it were by extraordinary confirmed Revelation DIRECT IV. Gr. Dir. 4. Let it be your chiefest study to attain to a true orderly and practical knowledge of God For the true and orderly impression of Gods Attributes on the heart in his several Attributes and Relations and to find a due impression from each of them upon your hearts and a distinct effectual improvement of them in your lives § 1. BEcause I have written of this point more fully in another Treatise Of the Knowledge of God and Converse with him I shall but briefly touch upon it here as not willing to repeat Laert. in Zeno. saith Dicunt Stoici Deum esse animal immortale rationale perfectum ac beatum à malo omni remotissimum providentia sua mundum quae sunt in mundo administrans omnia Non tamen inesse illi humanae â—ormae lineamenta Caeterum esse opificem immensi hujus operis sicut patrem omnium Eumque multis appellari nominibus juxta proprietates suas Quosdam item esse daemones dicunt quibus insit hominum miseratio inspectores rerum humararum Heroas quoque so utas corporibus sapientum animas Bonos aiunt esse Divinoâ— quod in seipsis quasi habeant Deum Malum vero impium sine Deo esse quod duplici ratione accipitur sive quod Deo contrarius dicatur sive quod aspernetur Deum Id tamen malis omnibus non convenire Pios autem Religiosos esse sapientes peritos divini juris omnes Pâ—â—tatem esse seiâ—â—iam divini cultus Diis item eos sacr ficia sacturos castosque futuros Quippe ea quae in Deos admittuntur peccata detesâ—ari Diisque charos ac gratos fore quo sancti justique in rebus divinis sint that which there is delivered Only let me briefly mind you of these few things 1. That the true knowledge of God is the summ of Godliness and the end of all our other knowledge and of all that we have or do as Christians As Christ is a Teacher that came from God so he came to call and lead us unto God Or else he had not come as a Saviour It is from God that we fell by sin and to God that we must be restored by grace To save us is to restore us to our perfection and our happiness and that is to restore us unto God § 2. 2. That the true knowledge of God is powerful and effectual upon the heart and life And every Attribute and Relation of God is so to be known as to make its proper Impress on us And the measure of this saving knowledge is not to be judged of by Extensiveness or number of Truths concerning God which we know so much as by the Clearness and Intensiveness and the measure of its holy effects upon the heart § 3. 3 This is it that denominateth both our selves and all our Duties HOLY when Gods Image is thus imprinted on us and we are like him by the new birth as Children to their Father and by his knowledge both our Hearts and Lives are made Divine being disposed unto God devoted to him and employed for him he being our Life and Light and Love § 4. This is the summ of the Covenant of God with man I will be thy God and thou shalt be my people And the other parts of the Covenant that Christ be our Saviour and the Holy Ghost our Sanctifier are both subservient unto this there being now no coming unto God but as Reconciled in Christ our Mediator and by the teaching and drawing of the Holy Ghost To be our God is to be to us An Absolute Owner a most Righteous Governour and a most Bountiful Benefactor or Father as having Created us Redeemed and Regenerated us and this according to his most Blessed Nature properties and perfections § 5. 5. It is not only a loose and unconstant effect of your particular thoughts of God that is the necessary Impress of his Attributes as to Fear him when you remember his Greatness and Iustice But it must be an Habit or holy nature in you every Attribute having made it s stated Image upon you and that Habit or Image being in you a constant Principle of holy spiritual operations A Habit of Reverence Belief Trust Love c. should be as it were your Nature § 6. 6. Not that the knowledge of God in his perfections should provoke us to desire his properties and perfections For to have such an aspiring desire to be Gods were the greatest Pride and wickedness But only we must desire 1.
it And what do men at death say of it And what do converted souls or awakened consciences say of it Is it then followed with delight and fearlesness as it is now Is it then applauded Will any of them speak well of it Nay all the world speaks evil of sin in the general now even when they love and commit the several acts Will you sin when you are dying § 29. Direct 10. Look alwayes on sin and judgement together Remember that you must answer for Direct 10. it before God and Angels and all the world and you will the better know it § 30. Direct 11. Look now but upon sickness poverty shame despair death and rottenness in the Direct 11. grave and it may a little help you to know what sin is These are things within your sight or feeling You need not saith to tell you of them And by such effects you might have some little knowledge of the cause § 31. Direct 12. Look but upon some eminent holy persons upon earth and upon the mad prophane Direct 12. malignant world and the difference may tell you in part what sin is Is there not an amiableness in a holy blameless person that liveth in love to God and man and in the joyful hopes of life eternal Is not a beastly Drunkard or Whoremonger and a raging Swearer and a malicious persecutor a very deformed loathsome creature Is not the mad confused ignorant ungodly state of the world a very pittiful sight What then is the sin that all this doth consist in Though the principal part of the Cure is in turning the Will to the haired of sin and is done by this discovery of its malignity yet I shall add a few more Directions for the executive part supposing that what is said already have had its effect § 32. Direct 1. When you have found out your disease and danger give up your selves to Christ as Direct 1. the Saviour and Physicion of souls and to the Holy Ghost as your Sanctifier remembring that he is sufficient and willing to do the work which he hath undertaken It is not you that are to be Saviours and Sanctifiers of your selves unless as you work under Christ But he that hath undertaken it doth take it for his glory to perform it § 33. Direct 2. Yet must you be willing and obedient in applying the Remedies prescribed you by Christ and observing his Directions in order to your Cure And you must not be tender and coy and fineish and say This is too bitter and that is too sharp but trust his Love and skill and care and take it as he prescribeth it or giveth it you without any more ado Say not It is grievous and I cannot take it For he commands you nothing but what is safe and wholesome and necessary and if you cannot take it you must try whether you can bear your sickness and death and the fire of Hell Is humiliation confession restitution mortification and holy diligence worse than Hell § 34. Direct 3. See that you take not part with sin and wrangle not or strive not against your Direct 3. Physicion or any that would do you good Excusing sin and pleading for it and extenuating it and striving against the Spirit and Conscience and wrangling against Ministers and godly friends and hateing reproof are not the means to be cured and sanctified § 35. Direct 4. See that malignity in every one of your particular sins which you can see and say Direct 4. is in sin in general It 's a gross deceit of your selves if you will speak a great deal of the evil of sin and see none of this malignity in your Pride and your worldliness and your passion and pievishness and your malice and uncharitableness and your lying backbiting slandering or sinning against conscience for worldly commodity or safety What self-contradiction is it for a man in prayer to aggravate sin and when he is reproved for it to justifie or excuse it For a Popish Priest to enter sinfully upon his place by subscribing or swearing the Trent Confession and then to preach zealously against sin in the general as if he had never committed so horrid a crime This is like him that will speak against Treason and the Enemies of the King but because the Traytors are his friends and kindred will protect or hide them and take their parts § 36. Direct 5. Keep as far as you can from those temptations which feed and strengthen the sins which Direct 5. you would overcome Lay siege to your sins and starve them out by keeping away the food and fewel which is their maintenance and life § 37. Direct 6. Live in the exercise of those graces and duties which are contrary to the sins which Direct 6. you are most in danger of For grace and duty is contrary to sin and killeth it and cureth us of it as the fire cureth us of cold or health of sickness § 38. Direct 7. Hearken not to weakning unbelief and distrust and cast not away the comforts of God Direct 7. which are your cordials and strength It is not a frightful dejected despairing frame of mind that is fittest to resist sin but it is the encouraging sense of the love of God and thankful sense of grace received with a cautelous fear § 39. Direct 8. Be alwayes suspicious of carnal self-love and watch against it For that is the Direct 8. burrow or fortress of sin and the common Patron of it ready to draw you to it and ready to justifie it We are very prone to be partial in our own cause as the case of Iudah with Thamar and David when Nathan reproved him in a Parable shew Our own passions our own pride our own censures or back-bitings or injurious dealings our own neglects of duty seem small excusable if not justifyable things to us whereas we could easily see the faultiness of all these in another especially in an enemy when yet we should be best acquainted with our selves and we should most love our selves and therefore hate our own sins most § 40. Direct 9. Bestow your first and chiefest labour to kill sin at the Root To cleanse the Heart Direct 9. which is the fountain For out of the heart cometh the evils of the life Know which are the Master-Roots and bend your greatest care and industry to mortifie those And that is especially these that follow 1. Ignorance 2. Unbelief 3. Inconsiderateness 4. Selfishness and Pride 5. Fleshliness in pleasing a bruitish appetite lust or fantasie 6. Senseless hard-heartedness and sleepiness in sin § 41. Direct 10. Account the world and all its pleasures wealth and honours no better than indeed Direct 10. they are and then Satan will find no bait to catch you Esteem all as dung with Paul Phil. 3. 8. And no man will sin and sell his soul for that which he accounteth but as dung § 42. Direct 11. Keep up
mourning where you may see the end of all the living and be made better by laying it to heart and let not your hearts be in the house of miâ—th Eccles. 7. 2 3 4. Delight not to converse with men that be in â—â—nâ—ur and understand not but are like the beasts that perish for though they think of perpetuating their houses and call their lands after their own names yet they abide not in their honour and this their way is their folly though yet their posterity approve their sayings Psal. 49. 20. 12. 13 14. Converse with penitent humbled souls that have seen the odiousness of sin and the wickedness and deceitfulness of the heart and can tell you by their own feeling what cause of humiliation is still before you With these are you most safe § 106. I have been the larger against PRIDE as seeing its prevalency in the world and its mischievous effects on souls and families Church and State and because it is not discerned and resisted by many as it ought I would fain have God dwell in your hearts and peace in your societies and fain have you stand fast in the hour of temptation from prosperity or adversity and fain have affliction easie to you But none of this will be without humility I am loth that under the mighty 1 Pet. 5. 6. Lam. 3. 29. 2. 19. Amos 3. 8. 1 Pet. 5. 5. Iames 4. 6. Dan. 5. 22. 2 Châ—â—n 34. â—â— hand of God we should be unhumbled even when judgements bid us lay our mouths in the dust The storms have been long up the Cedars have fallen It is the Shrubs and bending Willows that now are likest to scape I am loth to see the prognosticks of wrath upon your souls or upon the Land I am loth that any of you should through Pride be unhumbled for sin or ashamed to own despised godliness or that any should through Pride be unhumbled for sin or ashamed to own despised godliness or that any that have seemed Religious should prove seditious unpeaceable or Apostates And therefore I beseech you in a special manner take heed of pride be little in your own esteem Praise not one another unseasonably be not offended at plain reproofs Look to your duties and then leave your reputations to the will of God Rebuke pride in your children Use them to mean attire and employments Cherish not that in them which is most natural now and most pernicious God dwelleth with the Humble and will take the Humble to dwell with him Isa. 57. 15. Job 22. 29. Put on humbleness of mind meekness long-suffering forbearing one another Col. 3. 12 13. Be clothed with humility Serve the Lord with all humility of mind and â—e will exalt you in due time Acts 20. 19. 1 Pet. 5. 6 7. PART VI. See an excellenâ—â—ract a◠〈◊〉 〈…〉 3. 〈…〉 Pat. though 〈…〉 Directions against Covetousness or Love of Riches and against worldly Cares I Shall say but little on this subject now because I have written a Treatise of it already called The Crucifying of the World by the Cross of Christ in which I have given many Directions in the Preface and Treatise against this sin § 1. Direct 1. Understand well the Nature and Malignity of this sin both what it is and why it is so great and perillous I shall here shew you 1. What Love of Riches is lawful 2. What it is Direct 1. that is unlawful and in what this sin of Covetousness or Worldliness doth consist 3. Wherein the Malignity or Greatness of it lyeth 4. The Signs of it 5. What Counterfeits of the contrary vertuâ— do hide this sin from the eyes of worldlings 6. What false appearances of it do cause many to be suspected of Covetousness unjustly § 2. I. All love of the creature the world or riches is not sin For 1. The works of God are I 〈…〉 all Good as such and all Goodness is amiable As they are related to God and his Power and Wisdom and Goodness is imprinted on them so we must love them even for his sake 2. All the impressions of the Aâ—tributes of God appearing on his works do make them as a Glass in which at this distance we must see the Creator and their sweetness is a drop from him by which his Goodness and Love â—s tasted And so they were all made to lead us up to God and help our minds to conâ—â—â—â— with him and kindle the Love of God in our breasts as a Love-token from our dearest friend And thus as the means of ouâ— communion with God the Love of them is a duty and not a sin 3. They are naturally the means of sustaining our bodies and preserving life and health and alâ—â—â—â—ty And as such our sensitive part hath a Love to them as every Beast hath to their food And this Love in it self is not of moral kind and is neither a vertue nor a vice till it either be used in obedience 〈…〉 Reason and so it is good or in disobedience to it and so it is evil 4. The creatures are necessary means to support our bodies while we are doing God the service which we owe him in the world And so they must be Loved as a means to his service Though we cannot say properly that Riches are ordinarily thus necessary 5. The Creatures are necessary to sustain our bodies in our journey to Heaven while we are preparing for eternity And thus they must be loved as remote helps to our salvation And in these two last respects we call it in our prayers our daily bread 6. Riches may enable us to relieve our needy brethren and to promote good works for Church or State And thus also they may be loved so far as we must be thankful for them so far we may Love them For we must be Thankful for nothing but what is Good § 3. II. But Worldliness or sinful Love of Riches is 1. When Riches are loved and desired and Covâ—â—ousness what Phâ—l 3. 7 8 9. â—am 1. 10. Phil. 4. 11. 1 â—â—m â— 8. Prâ—v 23 4. â—abour not to be Riâ—h sought more for the Flesh than for God or our Salvation even as the matter or means of our worldly prosperity that the flesh may want nothing to please it and satisfie its desires Or that Pride may have enough wherewith to support it self by gratifying and obliging others and living at those rates and in that splendour as may shew our Greatness or further our Domination over others 2. And when we therefore desire them in that proportion which we think most agreeable to these carnal ends and are not contented with our daily bread and that proportion which may sustain us as passengers to Heaven and tend most to the securing of our souls and to the service of God So that it is the end by which a sinful Love of Riches is principally to be discerned when they are lâ—ved for pride or flesh-pleasing as they are the matter
thoughts Can you expect that the Drunkard should rule his Thoughts whilst he is in the ALE-house or Tavern and seeth the drink Or that the Glutton should rule his thoughts while the pleasing dish is in his sight Or that the Lustful person should keep chast his thoughts in the presence of his enamouring toy Or that the wrathful person rule his thoughts among contentious passionate words Or that the Proud person rule his thoughts in the midst of honour and applause Away with this fuel Fly from this infectious air if you would be safe § 6. Direct 5. At least make a Covenant with your senses and keep them in obedience if you Direct 5. will have obedient thoughts For all know by experience how potently the senses move the thoughts Iob saith I made a Covenant with my eyes why then should I think upon a Maid Mark how the Covenant with his eyes is made the means to rule his thoughts Pray with David Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity Psalm 119. 37. Keep a guard upon your eyes and ears and tast and touch if you will keep a guard upon your thoughts Let not that come into these outer parts which you desire should go no further Open not the door to them if you would not let them in § 7. Direct 6. Remember how near kin the Thought is to the deed and what a tendencie it hath to Direct 6. it Let Christ himself tell you Matth. 7. 22. But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the Iudgement vers 28. I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart A malicious thought and a malicious deed are from the same spring and have the same nature Only the deed is the riper serpent that can sting another when the Thought is as the younger serpent that hath only the venemous nature in it self A lustful thought is from the same defiled puddle as actual filthiness And the thought is but the passage to the action It is but the same sin in its minority tending to maturity § 8. Direct 7. Keep out or quickly cast out all inordinate passions For Passions do violently press Direct 7. the thoughts and forcibly carry them away If anger or grief or fear or any carnal Love or joy or pleasure be admitted they will command your thoughts to run out upon their several objects And when you rebuke your thoughts and call them in they will not â—aer you till you get them out of the crowd and noise of passion As in the heat of civil wars no Government is well exercised in a Kingdom And as violent storms disable the marryners to govern the ship and save it and themselves so passions are too stormy a Region for the Thoughts to be well Governed in Till your souls be reduced to a calm condition your thoughts will be tumultuating and hurryed that way that the tempests drive them Till these warrs be ended your Thoughts will be licentious and partakers in the rebellion § 9. Direct 8. Keep your souls in a constant and careful obedience unto God Observe his Law Be Direct 8. continually sensible that you are under his Government and awed by his authority Man judgeth not your Thoughts If you are subject to man only your Thoughts must be ungoverned But the Heart is the first Object of Gods Government and that which he principally regardeth His Laws extend to all your thoughts And therefore if you know what Obedience to God is you must know what the obedience of your Thoughts to him is For he that obeyeth God as God will obey him in one thing as well as another and will obey him as the Governor and Iudge of Thoughts The powerful searching word of Christ is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart and as a two-edged sword is sharp and quick and will pierce and cut as deep as the very soul and spirit Heb. 4. 12 13. It casteth down every imagination and bringeth into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 2 Cor. 10. 5. Therefore David saith to God search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting Psalm 139. 23 24. And you find Gods laws and reproofs extending to the thoughts Isa. 59. 7. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity The fools heart-atheism is rebuked Psalm 14. 1. He reproveth a rebellious people for walking in a way that is not good after their own thoughts Isa. 65. 2. See how Christ openeth the heart Matth. 15. 9. He chargeth them Deut. 15. 9. to beware that there be not a thought in their wicked hearts against the mercy which they must shew to the poor Psalm 49 11. He detecteth the inward thought of the wâ—â—ldâ—ing that their hâ—uses shall continue for ever Psalm 24. 9. He â—aith The thought of foolishness iâ—â—â—â—â— The old world was â—â—ndemnâ—d because the imaginations of their hearts were only evil continually Gâ—n 6. 5 And when God calleth a sinner to conversion he saith Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteâ—us man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upâ—n him Isa. 55. 6 7. You see then if you are subject to God your Thoughts must be obedient § 10. Direct 9. Remember Gods continual presence that all your thoughts are in his sight He Direct 9. seâ—th evâ—ry â—ilthy thought and every covetous and proud and ambitious thought and every uncharitable malitious thought If you be not Atheists the remembrance of this will somewhat check and controul your thoughts that God beholdeth them He understandeth your thoughts afar off Psalm 139 â— Dâ—th not â—e that pâ—ndereth the heart consider it Prov. 24. 12. Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts â—aith Christ Matth. 9. 4. § 11. Direct 10. Bethink you seriously what a Government you would keep upon your thoughts if Direct 10. they were but written on your foreheads or seen to all that see you yea or but open to some person whom â—â—u reverence O how ashamed would you then be that men should see your filthy thoughts your malitious thoughts your covetous and deceiving thoughts And is not the eye of God ten thousand times more to be reverenced and regarded And is not man your God if you are awed more by mâ—n than by God And if the eye of man can do more to restrain you § 12. Direct 11. Keep tender your Consciences that they may not be regardless or insensible of the Direct 11. smallest sin A tender Conscience feareth evil and idle thoughts and will smart in the penitent review â—â— thoughts But a â—eared Conscience feeleth nothing except some grievous crying sins A â—â—nder Conscience obeyeth that precept Prov. 30. 32. If thou hast done foolishly in lifting
the soul for the exercise of that grace which is most suitable to its estate As when it hindereth a sinners conviction and humiliation and resisteth the spirit of God and bawleth down the calls of grace and the voice of conscience that they cannot be heard And when it banisheth all sober consideration about the matters that we should most regard and will not give men leave to think with fixedness and sobriety upon God and upon themselves their sin and danger upon death and judgement and the life to come when it makes the soul more unfit to take reproof to profit by a sermon to call upon God This drunken mirth which shuts out Reason and silenceth Conscience and laughts at God and jesteth at Damnation and doth but intoxicate the brain and make men mad in the matters where they should most shew their wisdom I say this mirth is the Devils sport and the sinners misery and the wise mans pity of which Solomon speaketh Eccles. 2. 2. I said of laughter it is mad and of mirth what doth it Prov. 26. 18 19. As a mad man who casteth fire-brands arrows and death so is the man that deceiveth his neighbour and saith Am I not in sport Prov. 10. 23. It is a sport to a fool to do mischief 5. But mirth is most horridly odious when it is blasphemous and profane when incarnate Devils do make themselves merry with jesting and mocking at scripture or at the judgements of God or the duties of Religion or in horrid Oaths and cursed speeches against the servants of the Lord. § 2. Direct 1. First see that thou be a person fit for mirth and that thou be not a miserable slave of Direct 1. Satan in an unregenerate unholy unjustified state Thou wouldst scarce think the innocent games Pro. 19. 10. Delight is not seemly for a fool or sports were becoming a malefactor that must die to morrow An unregenerate unholy person is sure whenever he dyeth such to be damned If he believe not this he must deny God or the Gospel to be true And he is not sure to live an hour And he is sure that he shall die ere long And now if you have not fool'd away your Reason tell me whether your Reason can justifie the mirth of such a man Dost thou ask what harm is it to be merry None at all for one that hath cause to be merry and rejoyceth in the Lord. But for a man to be merry in the way to Hell and that so near it for a man to be merry before his soul be sanctified and his sin be pardoned or before he seeketh it with all his heart this is harm if folly and unbelief and contempt of God and his dreadful justice be any harm O hearken to the Calls of God abhor thy sins and set thy heart on Heaven and Holiness and then God and Conscience will allow thee to be merry Get a renewed Heart and life and get the pardon of thy sins and a title to Heaven and a readiness to die and then there is reason and wisdom in thy mirth Then thy mirth will be honourable and warrantable better than the lame 〈…〉 est 〈…〉 â—nde â—oâ—s â—â—â—â—ndum 〈…〉 hâ—â—d duâ—â—e â—â—etus hic non lâ—ngo sejunctus spacio sequebatur Pâ—tarch Dial. 119. li. 2. mans that was healed Acts 3. 8. that went with Peter and Iohn into the Temple walking and leaping and praising God But it is a most pitiful sight to see an ungodly unregenerate sinner to laugh and sport and play and live merrily as if he knew not what evil is near him It would draw tears from the eyes of a believer that knoweth him and thinketh where he is like to dwell for ever I remember the credible narrative of one that lived not far from me that in his prophaneness was wont to wish that he might see the Devil who at last appeared to him to his terror and sometime he smiled on him and the man was wont to say that he never seemed so ugly and terrible as when he sailed and the man was affrighâ—ed by it into a reformed life So though a servant of the Devil be never comely yet he never seemeth so ghastly as when he is most merry in his misery § 3. Direct 2. Yet do not destroy nature by overmuch heaviness under pretense that thou hast no right Direct 2. to be merry For 1. The very discovery of thy misery puts thee into the fairer hopes of mercy 2. And many of Gods children live long without assurance of their justification and yet should not therefore cast away all joy 3. And so much ease and quiet of mind must be kept up by the unsanctified themselves as is necessary to preserve their natures that they may have time continued and may wait on God till they obtain his grace Above all men they have reason to value their lives lest they die and be lost before they be recovered And therefore as they must not famish themselves by forbearing meat or drink so their sorrows must not be such as may destroy their bodies of which more anon § 4. Direct 3. See that you first settle the Peace of your souls upon solid grounds and get such Direct 3. evidences of your special interest in Christ and Heaven as will rationally warrant you to rejoyce and then The true method of Rejoycing make it the business of your lives to Rejoyce and delight your selves in God and take this as the principal part of grace and Godliness and not as a small or indifferent thing and so let all lawful natural mirth be taken in as animated and sanctified by this holy delight and joy and know that this natural sanctified mirth is not only lawful but a duty exceeding congruous and comely for a thankful believer in his way to everlasting joy § 5. This is the true method of rejoycing Though as I said so much quietness may be kept up by See my Sermon at Parls called Right R 〈…〉 And hâ—â—e before chap. 3. Dir. â— 13. the unregenerate as is needful to keep up life and health and the Gospel where it cometh is tidings of great joy to those that hear it yet no man can live a truly comfortable merry life but in this method but all his mirth beside that which either supporteth nature or meeteth mercy in his returning to God will be justly chargeable with Madness and maketh him a more pitiful sight § 6. The first thing therefore to be done is to lay the Ground work of true mirth And this is done by unfeigned Repenting and turning to God by faith in Christ and becoming new-creatures a sanctified peculiar people and being justified and adopted to be the children of God and then by discerning upon sober tryal the evidences and witness of all this in our selves that we may know that we have passed from death to life § 7. And though there are several Degrees both of Grace and
the chief part of this sin is to be cured according to the Directions in the first Chapter as a state of wickedness is and more I shall say anon about the Worship of God and Chap. 3. Direct 11. containeth the cure also Only here I shall add a few Directions to a God-hating Generation § 2. Direct 1. The first thing you have to do is to discover this to be your sin For you are confident Direct 1. that you love God above all while you hate him above all even above the Devil You will confess that this is horrid wickedness where it is found and well deserveth damnation Take heed lest thy own confession judge thee Remember then that it is not the bare Name that we now speak of I know that Gods Name is most honoured and the Devils name is most hated Nor is it every thing in God that is hated None hateth his Mercifulness and Goodness as such Nor is it every thing in the Devil that is loved None love his hatred to man nor his cruelty in tormenting men But the Holiness of God which is it that man must receive the Image of and be conformed to is hated by the unholy And the Devils unholiness and friendship to mens sin and sensuality is loved by the sensual and unholy And this hatred of God and Love of the Devil one would think you might casily perceive § 3. 1. In that you had rather God were not so Iust and Holy you had rather he had never commanded you to be Holy but leâ—t you to live as your flesh would have you you had rather God were indifferent as to your sins and would give you leave to follow your lusts Such a God you would have And a God that will damn you unless you be Holy and hate your sins and forsake them you like not you cannot abide but indeed do hate him § 4. 2. Therefore you will not Believe that God is such a holy sin-hating God Because you would Malunâ— nescire quia jam oderunt Tertul. Apoâ—get c. â— not have him so you will not believe he is so and so hate his nature while you believe that you love him and love but an Idol of your unholy fantasies Psal. 50. 21 22. These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtst that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thy eyes Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver § 5. 3. You love not the Holiness of the Word of God which beareth his Image You love not these strict and holy passages in it Ioh. 3. 3 5. Luke 14. 26 33. Matth. 18. 3. Rom. 8. 13. Col. 3. 1 2 3 4. 2 Cor. 5. 17. with abundance more You had rather have had a Scripture that would have left your ambition covetousness lust and appetite to their liberties and that had said nothing for the absolute necessity of Holiness nor had condemned the ungodly § 6. 4. You love not the holiest Ministers or servants of Christ that most powerfully preach his holy Word or that most carefully seriously and zealously obey it your hearts rise against them when they bring in the Light which sheweth that your deeds and you are evil Iohn 3. 19 20. They are an eye-sore to you your hearts rise not so much against Whoremongers Swearers Lyars Drunkards Atheists or Infidels as against them What sort of persons on the face of the earth are so hated by the ungodly in all Nations and of all degrees and used by them so cruelly and pursued by them so implacably as the holiest servants of the Lord are § 7. 5 You love not to call upon God in serious fervent spiritual prayer praises and thanksgiving You are quickly weary of it you had rather be at a Play or Gaming or a Feast your hearts rise against holy Worship as a tedious irksome thing § 8. 6. You love not holy edifying discourse of God and of heavenly things Your hearts rise against it and you hate and scorn it as if all serious talk of God were but hypocrisie and God were to be banished out of our discourse § 9. 7. You cannot abide the serious frequent Thoughts of God in secret but had rather stuff your minds with thoughts of your Horses or Hawks or bravery or honour or preferments or sports or entertainments or business and labours in the world So that one hour of a thousand or ten thousand was never spent in serious delightful thoughts of God his holy truths or works or Kingdom § 10. 8. You love not the blessed day of Judgement when Christ will come with his holy Angels to judge the world to justifie his accused and abused servants to be glorified in his Saints and admired in all them that do believe 2 Thess. 1. 8 9 10 11. And can you be so blind after all this as not to see that you are HATERS OF GOD § 11. Direct 2. Know God better and thou canst not hate him especially know the beauty and Direct 2. glorious excellency of that Holiness and Iustice which thou hatest Should the Sun be darkned or disgraced because sore eyes cannot endure its light Must Kings and Judges be all corrupt or change their Laws and turn all men loose to do what they list because Malefactors and licentious men would have it so § 12. Direct 3. Know God and Holiness as they are to thee thy self and then thou wilt know them not only to be Best for thee as the Sun is to the world and as life and health is to thy body but to be thy only good and happiness and then thou canst not choose but love them Thy prejudice and false conceits of God and Holiness cause thy Hatred § 13. Direct 4. Cast away thy cursed unbelief If thou believe not what the Scripture saith of God Direct 4. and man and of the souls immortality and the life to come thou wilt then hate all that is Holy as a deceit and needless troubler of the world But if once thou believe well the Word of God and the life everlasting thou wilt have another heart § 14. Direct 5. Away with thy beastly blinding sensuality While thou art a slave to thy flesh Direct 5. and lusts and appetite and its interest reigneth in thee thou canst not choose but hate that Holiness which is against it and hate that God that forbiddeth it and tells thee that he will judge thee and damn thee for it if thou forsake it not This is the true cause of the Hatred of God and Pene omnis sermâ— Div nus habet aemuloâ— suos Quot genera prâ—â—â—ptorum sunt â—â—t adversa â—oâ—um si larg 〈…〉 esse 〈…〉 buâ— juâ—â—t Dominus avarus irascitur si parsimomam eâ—gâ—â— prodigus execratur Sermones sacros improbi hostes suos dicunt Salvian li. 4 ad Eccles. Cath. Non ego tibi
the Meek that they shall inherit the earth Matth. 5. 50. § 11. Direct 11. Live as in Gods presence and when your passions grow bold repress them with the Direct 11. reverend Name of God and bid them remember that God and his holy Angels see you § 12. Direct 12. Look on others in their passion and see how unlovely they make themselves With Direct 12. â—rowning countenances and flaming eyes and threatning devouring looks and hurtful inclinations And think with your selves whether these are your most desirable patterns § 13. Direct 13. Without any delay confess the sin to those that stand by if easier means will not Direct 13. repress it And presently take the shame to your selves and shame the sin and honour God This means is in your power if you will and it will be an excellent effectual means Say to those that you are angry with I find a sinful anger kindling in me and I begin to forget Gods presence and my duty and am tempted to speak provoking words to you which I know God hath forbidden me to do Such a present opening of your temptation will break the force of it And such a speedy confession will stop the fire that it go no further For it will be an engagement upon you in point of honour even the reputation both of your wit and honesty which will both suffer by it if you go on in the sin just when you have thus opened it by confession I know there is prudence to be used in this that you do it not so as may make you ridiculous or harden others in their sinful provocations But with prudence and due caution it is an excellent remedy which you can use if you are not unwilling § 14. Direct 14. If you have let your passion break out to the offence or wrong of any by word or Direct 14. deed freely and speedily confess it to them and ask them forgiveness and warn them to take heed of the like sin by your example This will do much to clear your consciences to preserve your Brother to cure the hurt and to engage you against the sin hereafter If you are so proud that you will not do this say no more You cannot help it but that you will not A good heart will not think this too dear a remedy against any sin § 15. Direct 15. Go presently in the manner that the place alloweth you to prayer to God for Direct 15. pardon and grace against the sin Sin will not endure prayer and Gods presence Tell him how apt your pievish hearts are to be kindled into sinful wrath and intreat him to help you by his sufficient grace and engage Christ in the cause who is your head and advocate and then your souls will grow obedient and calm Even as Paul when he had the prick in the flesh prayed thrice as Christ did in his agony so you must pray and pray again and again till you find Gods grace sufficient 2 Cor. 12. 7 8 9. for you § 16. Direct 16. Covenant with some faithful friend that is with you to watch over you and rebuke Direct 16. your passions as soon as they begin to appear and promise them to take it thankfully and in good part And perform that promise that you discourage them not Either you are so far aweary of your sin and willing to be rid of it as to be willing to do what you can against it or you are not If you are you can do this much if you please If you are not pretend not to repent and to be willing to be delivered from your sin upon any lawful terms when it is not so Remember still the mischievous effects of it do make it to be no contemptible sin Eccles. 7. 9. Be not hasty in thy Spirit to be angry for anger resteth in the bosome of fools Prov. 16. 32. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he that ruleth his Spirit than he that taketh a City Prov. 15. 18. A wrathful man stirreth up strife but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife The discretion of a man deferreth his anger and it is his glory to pass over a transgression Prov. 19. 11. Tit. 8. Directions against sinful Fear § 1. THe chief of my advice concerning this sin I have given you before Chap. 3. Direct 12. Yet somewhat I shall here add Fear is a necessary Passion in man which is planted in Nature for the restraining of us from sin and driving us on to duty and preventing misery It is either God or Devils or men or inferiour creatures or our selves that we fear God must be feared as he is God as he is Great and Holy and Iust and True as our Lord and King and Judge and Father And the fear of him is the beginning of wisdom Devils must be feared only as subordinate to God as the executioners of his wrath And so must men and beasts and fire and water and other creatures be feared and no otherwise We must so discern and fear a danger as to avoid it Our selves we are less apt to fear because we know that we Love our selves But there is no creature that we have so much cause to fear as our folly weakness and willfulness in sin § 2. Fear is sinful 1. When it proceedeth from unbelief or a distrust of God 2. When it ascribeth more to the creature than is its due As when we fear Devils or men as Great or bad or as our enemies without due respect to their dependance upon the will of God When we fear a chained creature as if he were unchained 3. When we fear God upon mistake or error or fear that in him which is not in him or is not to be feared As when we fear least he will break his promise lest he will condemn the keepers of his Covenant lest he will not forgive the penitent that hate their sin lest he will despise the contrite lest he will not hear the prayers of the humble faithful soul lest he will fail them and forsake them lest he will not cause all things to work together for their good lest he will forsake his Church lest Christ will not come again lest our bodies shall not be raised lest there be no life of glory for the just or no immortality of souls all such fears as these are sinful 4. When our fear is so immoderate in degree as to distract us or hinder us from faith and prayer and make us melancholy or when it hindereth Love and praise and thanks and necessary joy and tendeth not to drive us to God and to the use of means to avoid the danger but to drive us from God and kill our hope and make us sit down in despair Directions against sinful fear of God § 3. Direct 1. Know God in his Goodness Mercifulness and Truth and it will banish sinful fears Direct 1. of him For they proceed
revenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil Would you have the fuller exposition of this It is in 1 Pet. 3. 10 11 12 13 14 15. For he that will love life and see good dayes let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile Let him eschew evil and do good let him seek peace and ensue it For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his eares are open to their prayers but the face of the Lord When Socâ—aâ—es wife lamenâ—ing him said Injuste mâ—riâ—râ—s he answered An tu juste malles 〈◊〉 in So 〈…〉 is against them that do evil And who is he that will harm you if ye be followers of that which is good But and if ye suffer for righteousness sake happy are ye and be not afraid of their terrour neither be troubled but sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts and be ready alwayes to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear Having a good conscience that whereas they speak evil of you as evil-doers they may be ashamed that falsly accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better if the will of God be so that ye suffer for well-doing than for evil doing See also 1 Pet. 4. 13 14 15. § 5. Direct 5. Either you fear sufferings from men as guilty or as innocent for evil doing or for well doing or for nothing If as guilty and for evil doing turn your fears the right way and fear God and his wrath for sin and his threatnings of more than men can inflict and acknowledge the goodness of Iustice both from God and man But if it be as innocent or for well doing remember that Christ commandeth you exceedingly to rejoyce and remember that martyrs have the most glorious Crown And will you be excessively afraid of your highest honour and gain and joy Believe well what Christ hath said and you cannot be much afraid of suffering for him Matth. 5. 10 11 12. The seven Bâ—eâ—hren that suffâ—red in Aâ—â—â—â—â— under Hâ—â—â—â—eâ—iâ—us Incedâ—â—ans cum â—iducia ad supplicium quasi ad epulas decanâ—â—nâ—es Gloria Deo in excelsis c. Voâ—â—va nobis haec est dies omni solennitate fâ—stivior Ecce nunc tempus acceptabile ecce nunc dies est salutis quando pro side nunc domini dei nostri perferimus praeparatum supplicium ne amittamus acquifitae fidei vndumentum sed populi publica voce clamabant Ne timeatis populi Dei neque formidetis minas atque terrores presentium tribulationum sed moriâ—mur pro Christo ut ipse mortuus est redimens nos pretioso sanguine salutari Victor Uticâ—â—s p 368. In Paulo qumque gloriationes observavi Gloriatur in imbecillitate in cruce Christi in bona conscientia in afflictionibus in spe vitae aeternae Bucholtzâ—â— Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake Rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in Heaven for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you And will you fear the way of blessedness and exceeding joy Matth. 10. 17 18 19. Beware of men for they will deliver you up to the Councils and they will scourge you in their Synagogues and ye shall be brought before Governours and Kings for my sake for a testimony against them But take no thought c. You are allowed to beware of them but not to be over fearful or thoughtful of the matter Vers. 22 23. And ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake but he that endureth to the end shall be saved But when they persecute you in this City fly to another Fly but fear them not with any immoderate fear vers 39. He that findeth his life shall lose it and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it Luk. 18. 29 30. Verily I say unto you there is no man that hath left house or Parents or Brethren or Wife or Children for the Kingdom of Gods sake who shall not receive manifold more in this present time and in the world to come life everlasting Can you believe all this and yet be so afraid of your own felicity O what a deal of secret unbelief is detected by our immoderate fears 1 Pet. 4. 12 13 14 16 19. Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery tryal which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you But rejoice in as much as ye are partakers of Christs sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding joy If ye be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye for the spirit of Glory and of God resteth on you On their part he is evil spoken of but on your part he is glorified But let none of you suffer as an evil doer yet if any man suffer as a Christian let him glorifie God on that behalf wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator There is scarce any point that God hath been pleased to be more full in in the holy Scriptures than the encouraging of his suffering servants against the fears of men acquainting them that their sufferings are the matter of their profit and exceeding joy and therefore not of too great fear § 6. Direct 6. Experience telleth us that men have never so much joy on earth as in suffering for the Direct 6. cause of Christ nor so much honour as by being dishonoured by men for him How joyfully did the ancient Christians go to Martyrdom many of them lamented that they could not attain it And what Idololatria taÌ„ altas in mundo egit radices ut non possit extirpari Ideo optimum est Câ—nsiteâ—i Patâ— Bâ—choltâ—â—r Victor Utiâ—ensis saith That Gensericus commanded that when Mâ—sculin â—s came to dye if he were fearful they should execute him that he might dye with shame but if he were constant they should forbear lest he should have the honour of a glorious Martyrdom And so his boldness saved his life Etsi martyrem invidus host is nolâ—â—t same coâ—â—â—â—â—orem tamen non potuit violaâ—e comfort have Christs Confessours found above what they could ever attain before And how honourable now are the names and memorials of those Martyrs who dyed then under the slanders scorn and cruelty of men Even the Papists that bloodily make more do yet honour the names of the antient Martyrs with keeping Holy dayes for them and magnifying their shrines and relicts For God will have it so for the honour of his holy sufferers that even that same generation that persecute the living Saints shall honour the dead and they
when their appetite desireth it to the hindring of concoction and the increase of Crudities and Catarhs and to the secret gradual vitiating of their humours and generating of many diseases and this without any true necessity or the approbation of sound Reason or any wise Physicion Yet they tipple but at home where you may find the pot by them at unseasonable times § 12. 3. The third degree are many poor men that have not drink at home and when they come to a Gentlemans house or a feast or perhaps an ALE-house they will pour in for the present to excess though not to Drunkenness and think it is no harm because it is but seldom and they drink so small drink all the rest of the year that they think such a fit as this sometimes is medicinal to them and tendeth to their health § 13. 4. Another rank of Bibbers are those that though they haunt not ALE-houses or Taverns yet have a throat for every health or pledging Cup that reacheth not to drunkenness and use ordinarily to drink many unnecessary cups in a day to pledge as they call it those that drink to them And custom and complement are all their excuse § 14. 5. Another degree of Bibbers are common ALE-house haunters that love to be there and to sit many hours perhaps in a day with a pot by them tipling and drinking one to another And if they have any bargain to make or any friend to meet the ALE-house or Tavern must be the place where Tippling may be one part of their work 6. The highest degree are they that are not apt to be stark Drunk and therefore think themselves less faulty while they sit at it and make others drunk and are strong themselves to bear away more than others can bear They have the Drunkards appetite and measure and pleasure though they have not his giddiness and loss of wit § 15. 3. And of those that are truly Drunken also there are many degrees and kinds As some will be drunk with less and some with more so some are only possessed with a little diseased Levity and talkativeness more than they had before Some also have distempered eyes and stammering tongues Some also proceed to unsteady reeling heads and stumbling feet and unfitness for their callings Some go further to sick and vomiting stomachs or else to sleepy heads and some proceed to stark madness quarrelling railing bawling hooting ranting roaring or talking non-sense or doing mischief the furious sort being like mad dogs that must be tyed and the sottish prating and spewing sort being commonly the derision of the boys in the streets § 16. II. Having told you what Tipling and Drunkenness is I shall briefly tell you their causes But briefly because you may gather most of them from what is said of the Causes of Gluttony 1. The first and grand causes are these three concurrent A beastly raging appetite or gulosity A weakness of Reason and Resolution to rule it And a want of Faith to strengthen Reason and of Holiness to strengthen Resolution These are the very cause of all § 17. 2. Another cause is their not-knowing that their excess and tipling is really a hurt or danger to their health And they are ignorant of this from many causes One is because they have been bred up among ignorant people and never taught to know what is good or bad for their own bodys but only by the common talk of the mistaken vulgar Another is because their Appetite so maiâ—â—reth their very Reason that they can choose to believe that which they would not have to be true Another reason is because they are of heathful bodies and therefore feel no hurt at present and presume that they shall feel none hereafter and see some abstemious persons weaker than they who began not to be abstemious till some chronical disease had first invaded them And thus they do by their Bodys just as wicked men do by their souls They judge all by present feeling and have not wisdom enough to take things foreseen into their deliberation and accounts That which will be a great while hence they take for nothing or an uncertain something next to nothing As Heaven and Hell move not ungodly men because they seem a great way off so while they feel themselves in health they are not moved with the threatning of sickness The cup is in their hands and therefore they will not set it by for fear of they know not what that will befall them you know not when As the thief that was told he should answer it at the day of judgement said he would take the other Cow too if he should stay unpunished till then so these Belly-Gods think they will take the other cup if they shall but stay till so long hence And thus because this temporal punishment of their gulosity is not speedily exercised the hearts of men are fully set in them to please their appetites § 18. 3. Another cause of Tipling and Drunkenness is a wicked Heart that loveth the company Why Gregory set up Wakes and Church-Ales and Meetings on Holy-days in England you may see Li. 10. Regist. Ep. 71. in policy to win the heathens Qui boves solent multos in sacrificio daemonum occideâ—e debet his etiam de hac re aliqua solemnitas immutari ut die dedicationis vel natalitiis martyrum tabernacula sibi circa easdem ecclesias quae ex fanis commutatae sunt de ramis aborum faciant religiosis conviviis solennitatem celebrenâ— Nec Diabolo jam animalia immolent sed ad laudem Dei in esu suo animalia occidant donatori omnium de satietate sua gratias agant c. But do Christians need this as heathens did when we see the sad effects of such riotings Lâ—gâ— Aâ—ost l. 3. c. 34. of wicked men and the foolish talk and cards and dice by which they are entertained One sin ticeth down another It is a delight to prate over a pot or rant and game and drive away all thoughts that savour of sound Reason or the fear of God or the care of their salvation Many of them will say It is not for love of the drink but of the company that they use the ALE-house An excuse that maketh their sin much worse and sheweth them to be exceeding wicked To love the company of wicked men and love to hear their lewd and idle foolish talk and to game and sport out your time with them besides your tipling this sheweth a wicked fleshly heart much worse than if you loved the drink alone Such company as you love best such are your own dispositions If you were no Tiplers or Drunkards it is a certain sign of an ungodly person to love ungodly company better than the company of wise and godly men that may edifie you in the fear of God § 19. 4. Another cause of Tipling is Idleness when they have not the constant employments of their
Treason against their King or reviled Magistrates and Superiours and perhaps attempted and done mischief as well as spoken it If you are superiours how unfit are you to judge or govern Is it not lawful for any to appeal from you as the Woman did from Philip drunk to Philip sober You will be apter to abuse your inferiours than well to govern them Also Drunkenness destroyeth civility justice and charity It inflameth the mind with anger and rage It teacheth the tongue to curse and rail and slander It makes you unfaithful and uncapable of keeping any secret and ready to betray your chiefest friend as being master neither of your mind or tongue or actions Drunkenness hath made men commit many thousand murders It hath caused many to murder themselves and their nearest relations many have been drowned by falling into the water or broke their neâ—ks with falling from their Horses or dyed suddenly by the suffocation of nature It draweth men to idleness and taketh them off their lawfull calling It maketh a multitude of thieves by breeding necessity and emboldening to Villany It is a principal cause of lust and filthiness and the great maintainer of whoredomes and taketh away all shame and fear and wit which should restrain men from this or any sin What sin is it that a drunken man may not commit no thanks to him that he forbeareth the greatest wickedness Cities and Kingdoms have been betrayed by Drunkenness Many a drunken Garrison hath let in the enemy There is no confidence to be put in a drunken man nor any mischief that he is secure from 12. Lastly Thou sinnest not alone but temptest others with thee to perdition It is the great crime of Ieroboam that he made Israel to sin The judgement of God determineth those men to death that not only do wickedness but have pleasure in them that do it Rom. 1. 32. And is not this thy case Art thou not Satans instrument to tempt others with thee to waste their Time and neglect their souls and abuse God and his creatures Yea some of you glory in your shame that you have drunk down your companions and carryed it away the honour of a sponge or a tub which can drink up or hold liquor as well as you And what is that man worthy of that would thus transform himself and others into such Monsters of iniquity § 55. IV. Next let us hear the drunkards excuses for even drunkenness will pretend to Reason and Obj. 1. men will not make themselves mad without an argument to justifie it 1. Saith the Tipler I take no mâ—re than doth me good you allow a man to eat as much as doth him good and why not to drink as much No man is fiâ—â—er to judge this than I For I am sure I feel it do me good Answ. What good dost thou mean man Doth it fit thee for holy thoughts or words or deeds Answ. Doth it help thee to live well or fit thee to die well Art thou sure that it tendeth to the health of thy bâ—dy Thou canst not so say without the imputation of folly or self-conceitedness when all the wise Physicions in the world do hold the contrary No it doth as Gluâ—tony doth It pleaseth thee in the drinking but it filleth thy body with crudities and flegme and prepareth for many Mortal sicknesses It maketh thy body like grounds after a flood that are covered with stinking slime or like fenny Lands that are drowned in water and bear no fruit or like grounds that have too much rain that are dissolved to dirt but are unfit for use It maketh thee like a leaking ship that must be pumpt and emptied or it will sink If thou have not Vomits or Purges to empty thee thou wilt quickly drown or suffocate thy life As Basil saith A drunkard is like a Ship in a Tempest when all the goods are cast over-boord to disburden it lest it â—ink Physicions must pump thee or disburden thee or thou wilt be drowned And all will not serve if thou hold on to fill it up again For intemperance maketh most diseases uncurable A Historian speaketh of two Physicions that differed in their Prognosticks about a Patient one forsook him as uncurable the other undertook him as certainly curable but when he came to his remedies he prescribed him so strict abstinence as he would not undergo and so they agreed in the issue when one judged him uncurable because intemperate and the other curable if he would be temperate Thou that feelest the drink do thee good dost little think how the Devil hath a design in it not only to have thy soul but to have it quickly that the mud walls of thy body being washt down may not hold it long And I must tell thee that thou hast cause to value a good Physicion for greater reasons than thy life and art more beholden to him than many others even that he may help to keep thy soul out of Hell a little longer to see if God will give thee repentance that thou mayest escape out of the snare of the Devil who taketh thee captive at his will 2 Tim. 2. 25 26. As Aelian writeth of King Antigonus that having great respect for Zeno the Philosopher he once met him when he was in drink and embracing him urged him to ask of him what he would and bound himself with many Oaths to give it him Zeno thanked him and the request he made to him was that he would go home and Vomit To tell him that he more needed to be disburdened of his drink than â—e himself did need his gifts The truth is the good that thou feelest the drink do thee is but the present pleasing of thy appetite and tickling thy fantasie by the exhilerating vapours And so the Glutton and the Whoremonger and every sensual wretch will say that he feeleth it do him good But God bless all sober men from such a good So the Gamester feeleth the sport do him good but perhaps he is quickly made a Beggar by it It is Reason and faith and not thy appetite or present feeling that must tell thee what and how much doth thee good § 36. Obj. 2. But I have heard some Physicions say that it is wholsome to be Drunk sometimes Obj. 2. Answ. None but some Sot that had first drunk away his own understanding I have known Physicions Answ. that have been Drunkards themselves and they have been apt to plead for their own vice Q. May one be Mâ—dicinally Drunk But they quickly killed themselves and all their skill could not save their lives from the effects of their own Beastiality even as the knowledge and doctrine of a wicked Preacher will not save his soul if he live contrary to his Profession And what if the Vomiting of a Drunkard did him some good with all the harm Are there not easier safer lawfuller means enough to do the same good without the harm He is a Bruit
of soul and Body have special need of help and counsel As 1. The Doubting troubled Christian. 2. The Declining or Backsliding Christian 3. The See Tom. 1. Ch. 7. Tit. 10. Of despair Poor 4. The Aged 5. The Sick 6. And those that are about the sick and dying Though these might seem to belong rather to the first Tome yet because I would have those Directions lye here together which the several sorts of persons in Families most need I have chosen to reserve them rather to this place The special duties of the Strong the Rich and the Youthful and Healthful I omi◠because I find the Book grow big and you may gather them from what is said before on several such subjects And the Directions which I shall first give to doubting Christians shall be but a few brief memorials because I have done that work already in my Directions or Method for Peace of Conscience and spiritual comfort And much is here said before in the Directions against Melancholy ☞ and Despair § 2. Direct 1. Find out the special cause of your doubts and troubles and bend most of your endeavours Direct 1. to remove that cause The same Cure will not serve for every doubting soul no nor for every one that hath the very same doubts For the Causes may be various though the doubts should be the same and the doubts will be continued while the cause remaineth § 3. 1. In some persons the chief cause is a timerous weak and passionate temper of body and mind which in some especially of the weaker Sex is so Natural a disease that there is no hope of a total cure Though yet we must direct and support such as well as we are able These persons have so weak a Head and such powerful passions that Passion is their life and according to Passion they judge of themselves and of all their duties They are ordinarily very high or very low full of joy or sinking in despair But usually Fear is their predominant Passion And what an enemy to quietness and peace strong fears are is easily observed in all that have them Assuring evidence will not quiet such fearful minds nor any Reason satisfie them The Directions for these persons must be the same which I have before given against Melancholy and Despair Especially that the Preaching and Books and means which they make use of be rather such as tend to inform the judgement and settle the will and guide the Life than such as by the greatest servency tend to awaken them to such passions or affections which they are unable to manage § 4. 2. With others the Cause of their Troubles is Melancholy which I have long observed to be the commonest cause with those godly people that remain in long and grievous doubts Where this is the cause till it be removed other remedies do but little But o◠this I have spoken at large before § 5. 3. In others the Cause is a habit of discontent and pievishness and impatiency because of some wants or crosses in the world Because they have not what they would have their Minds grow ulcerated like a Body that is sick or sore that carryeth about with them the pain and smart And they are still complaining of the pain which they feel but not of that which maketh the sore and causeth the pain The cure of these is either in Pleasing them that they may have their will in all things as you rock children and give them that which they cry for to quiet them 〈…〉 or rather to help to cure their impatiency and settle their minds against their childish sinful discontents of which before § 6. 4. In others the Cause is errour or great ignorance about the tenour of the Covenant of Grace and the Redemption wrought by Jesus Christ and the work of Sanctification and evidences thereof They know not on what terms Christ dealeth with sinners in the pardoning of sin nor what are the infallible signes of Sanctification It is sound Teaching and diligent learning that must be the cure of these § 7. 5. In others the cause is a careless life or frequent sinning and keeping the wounds of Conscience still bleeding They are still fretting the sore and will not suffer it to skin either they live in railing and contention or malice or some secret lust or fraud or some way stretch and wrong their Consciences And God will not give his peace and comfort to them till they reform It is a mercy that they are disquieted and not given over to a seared Conscience which is past feeling § 8. 6. In others the Cause of their doubts is Placing their Religion too much in humiliation and in a continual poreing on their hearts and overlooking or neglecting the high and chiefest parts of Religion even the daily studies of the Love of God and the riches of Grace in Iesus Christ and hereby stirring up the soul to Love and Delight in God When they make this more of their Religion and business it will bring their souls into a sweeter relish § 9. 7. In others the Cause is such weakness of parts and confusion of thoughts and darkness of mind that they are not able to examine themselves nor to know what is in them When they ask themselves any question about their Repentance or Love to God or any grace they are fain to answer like strangers and say they cannot tell whether they do it or not These persons must make more use than others of the judgement of some able faithful guide § 10. 8. But of all others the commonest cause of uncertainty is the weakness or littleness of Grace When it is so little as to be next to none at all no wonder if it be hardly and seldome discerned Therefore § 11. Direct 2. Be not neglecters of self-examination but labour for skill to manage aright so Direct 2. great a work But yet let your care and diligence be much greater to get grace and use it and increase it than to try whether you have it already or not For in examination when you have once taken a right course to be resolved and yet are in doubt as much as before your over-much poreing upon these trying questions will do you but little good and make you but little the better but the time and labour may be almost lost whereas all the labour which you bestow in Getting and Using and Increasing grace is bestowed profitably to good purpose and tendeth first to your safety and salvation and next that to your easier certainty and comfort There is no such way in the world to be certain that you have grace as to get so much as is easily discerned and will shew it self and to exercise it much that it may come forth into observation When you have a strong Belief you will easily be sure that you believe When you have a fervent Love to Christ and Holiness and to the word and wayes and servants
life and consequently rejected Christ as a Saviour and the Holy Ghost as a sanctifier and all the mercy which he offered you on these terms Quest. 8. If this hath been your case are you now unfeignedly grieved for it Not only because it hath brought you so near to Hell but also because it hath displeased God and deprived you of that Holy and comfortable life which you might all this while have lived and endangered all your hopes of Heaven Do you so far Repent as that your very Heart and Love is changed so that now you had rather have a Holy life on earth and the sight and enjoyment of God in the Heavenly Joyes for ever than to have all the pleasure and prosperity of this world Do you hate your sins and loath your self for them and truly desire to be made Holy Are you firmly Resolved that if God do recover you to health you will live a new and Holy life that you will forsake your fleshly worldly life and all your wilful sins and will set your self to learn the will of God and call upon him and live in the holy Communion of Saints and make it your chief care to please God and to be saved Quest. 9. Are you willing to these ends to Give up your self absolutely now to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost as your Reconciled Father your Saviour and your Sanctifier to be sanctified and Iustified and saved from your sins and from the wrath of God and live to God in Love and Holiness And are you willing to bind your self to this by entring into this Covenant with God renouncing the Flesh the World and the Devil Either your Heart is willing and sincere in this Resolution and Covenant or it is not If it be not there is no hope that your sin should be pardoned and your soul be saved upon any other or easier terms And for all that God is merciful and Christ died for sinners it was never his intent to save one impenitent unsanctified soul But if your Heart unfeignedly consent to this I Matth. 28. 19 â—0 2 Cor. 6. 10 17 18. have the commission of Christ himself to tell you that God will be your Reconciled God and Father and Christ will be your Saviour and the Holy Spirit will be your Sanctifier and Comforter and your sins are pardoned and your soul shall be saved and you shall dwell in Heaven with God for ever God did consent before you consented He shewed his Consent in purchasing and making and offering you this Covenant Shew your unfeigned Consent now by accepting it and giving up your self unreservedly to him and you have Christs Blood and Spirit and Sacrament to seal it to you The flesh and the world have deceived you but Trust in Christ upon his Covenant terms and he will never deceive you And now alas what pity is it that a soul that is in so miserable a case and is lost for ever if it have not help and speedy help should be deprived of all this Grace and Glory and only for want of Repenting and Consenting What pity is it that a soul that is ready to go into another world where mercy shall never more be offered it should rather go stupidly on to hell than Return to God and Accept his mercy Do but truly Repent and Consent to this Covenant and all the mercies of it are certainly yours God will be your God and Christ and the Spirit and pardon and Heaven and all are yours The Lord open and perswade your heart that you may not be undone and lost for ever for want of accepting the mercy that is offered you And now I know it would be comfortable to you if you could be fully assured that you are forgiven and shall be saved In a matter of such unspeakable moment how jâ—yful would a well-grounded certainty be to any man that hath the right use of his understanding I tell you therefore from God that there is no cause of your doubting on his part but only on your own There is no doubt to be made whether God be merciful nor whether Christ be a sufficient Saviour and sacrifice for your sins nor whether the Covenant be sure and promise of pardon and salvation to all true penitent believers be true All the doubt is whether your faith and Repentance be sincere or not And for that I can but tell you how you may know it and I shall open the Truth to you that I may neither Deceive you nor causlâ—sly Discomfort you If this Repentance and Change which you now profess and this Covenant which you have made Matth. 13. 19 20 21 22 23. Rom. 8. 7 8 9. Heb. 12. 14. Joh. 3. 3 5 6. Matth. 18. 3. 2 Cor. 5. 17. Eph. 6. 24. 1 Cor. 16. 22. Luk. 14. 26 27. with God 1. Do come only from a present fear and not from a changed renewed heart 2. And if your Resolutions be such as would not hold you to a holy life if you should recover but would die and fade away and leave you as were before when the fear is past then is it but a forced hypocritical Repentance and will not save you if you so die Though a Minister of Christ should Absolve you of all your sins and seal it by giving you the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ for all this you are lost for ever if you have no more For Absolution and the Sacrament are given you but on supposition that yâ—ur faith and Repentance be sincere And if this Condition fail in you the Action of the holiest Minister in the world will never save you But 1. If your Repentance and Covenant come not only from a present fear but from a Renewed Heart which now Loveth God and Christ and Heaven and Holiness better than all the Honours and Riches and Pleasures of the flesh and world and had rather have them even on Gods terms 2. And if this change be such as if you should recover would hold you to a Holy Life and not die or dwindle into hypocritical formality when the fright is over then I can assure you from the word of God that if you die in this Repentance you shall certainly be saved And though Late Repentance have so many difficulties that it too seldom proveth true and sound and it is an unspeakable madness to cast our salvation on so great a hazard and to defer that till such a day as this which should be the principal work of all our lives and for which the greatest care and diligence is not too much Yet for all that when Conversion is indeed sincere it is alwayes acceptable how late soever And a returning prodigal shall find Luk. 15. 19 20 21 22. Joh. 6. 37. better entertainment with God than he could possibly expect And never will Christ cast out one soul that cometh to him in sincerity of heart The Lord give you such a Heart and all is yours Amen
is simple or mixt simple when we only intend Gods worship immediately in the action And this is found chiefly in Praises and Thanksgiving which therefore are the most pure and simple sort of expressive worship Mixt worship is that in which we joyn some other intention for our own benefit in the action As in Prayer where we worship God by seeking to him for mercy And in reverent hearing or reading his Word where we worship him by a holy attendance upon his instructions and Commands And in his Sacraments where we worship him by Receiving and acknowledging his benefits to our souls And in Oblations where we have respect also to the use of the thing offered And in holy Vows and Oaths in which we acknowledge him our Lord and Judge All these are acts of Divine Worship though mixt with other uses § 3. It is not only worshipping God when our acknowledgements by word or deed are directed immediately to himself but also when we direct our speech to others if his Praises be the subject of them and they are intended directly to his Honour Such are many of Davids Psalms of Praise But where Gods Honour is not the thing directly intended it is no direct worshipping of God though all the same words be spoken as by others § 4. Direct 2. Understand the true Ends and Reasons of our worshipping God lest you be deceived Direct 1. by the impious who take it to be all in vain When they have imagined some false Reasons to themselves they judge it vain to worship God because those Reasons of it are vain And he that understandeth not the true Reasons why he should worship God will not truly worship him but be prophane in neglecting it or hypocritical in dissembling and heartless in performing it The Reasons then are such as thâ—se § 5. 1. The first ariseth from the Use of all the world and the nature of the Rational Creature in special The whole world is made and upheld to be expressive and participative of the Image and Benefits of God God is most perfect and blessed in himself and needeth not the world to add to his felicity But he made it to please his blessed Will as a communicative Good by communication and appearance that he might have creatures to know him and to be happy in his Light and those creatures might have a fit representation or revelation of him that they might know him And Man is Read Mr. Herberts Poem called Providence specially endowed with Reason and Utterance that he might know his Creator appearing in his works and might communicate this knowledge and express that Glory of his Maker with his Tongue which the inferiour creatures express to him in their being So that if God were not to be worshipped the end of mans faculties and of all the Creation must be much frustrated Mans Reason is given him that he may know his Maker His will and affections and executive powers are given him that he may freely love him and obey him and his tongue is given him principally to acknowledge him and praise him Whom should Gods work be serviceable to but to him that made it § 6. 2. As it is the Natural Use so it is the highest honour of the creature to worship and honour his Creator Is there a nobler or more excellent object for our thoughts affections or expressions And nature which desireth its own perfection forbiddeth us to choose a sordid vile dishonourable work and to neglect the highest and most honourable § 7. 3. The right worshipping of God doth powerfully tend to make us in our measure like him and so to sanctifie and raise the soul and to heal it of its sinful distempers and imperfections What can make us Good so effectually as our Knowledge and Love and Communion with him that is the chiefest Good Nay what is Goodness it self in the creature if this be not As nearness to the Sun giveth Light and Heat so nearness to God is the way to make us Wise and Good For the contemplation of his perfections is the means to make us like him The worshippers of God do not exercise their bare understandings upon him in barren speculations but they exercise all their affections towards him and all the faculties of their souls in the most practical and serious manner and therefore are likest to have the liveliest impressions of God upon their hearts And hence it is that the true worshippers of God are really the wisest and the best of men when many that at a distance are employed in meer speculations about his works and him remain almost as vain and wicked as before and professing themselves wise are practically fools Rom. 1. 21 22. § 8. 4. The right worshipping of God by bringing the Heart into a cleansed holy and obedient frame doth prepare it to command the body and make us upright and regular in all the actions of our lives For the fruit will be like the Tree and as men are so will they do He that honoureth not his God is not like well to honour his Parents or his King He that is not moved to it by his regard to God is never like to be universally and constantly just and faithful unto men Experience telleth us that it is the truest worshippers of God that are truest and most conscionable in their dealings with their neighbours This windeth up the spring and ordereth and strengtheneth all the causes of a good conversation § 9. 5. The right worshipping of God is the the highest and most rational Delight of man Though to a sick corrupted soul it be unpleasant as food to a sick stomach yet to a wise and holy soul there is nothing so solidly and durably contentful As it is Gods damning sentence on the wicked to say Depart from me Matth. 25. 41. 7. 23. so holy souls would lose their joyes and take themselves to be undone if God should bid them Depart from me worship me and love me and praise me no more They would be weary of the world were it not for God in the world and weary of their lives if God were not their Life § 10. 6. The right worshipping of God prepareth us for Heaven where we are to behold him and Love and worship him for ever God bringeth not unprepared souls to Heaven This life is the time that 's purposely given us for our preparation as the Apprenticeship is the time to learn your trades Heaven is a place of action and fruition of perfect Knowledge Love and Praise And the souls that will enjoy and Praise God there must be Disposed to it here and therefore they must be much employed in his Worship § 11. 7. And as it is in all these respects necessary as a means so God hath made it necessary by Psal. 45. 11. Psal. 66. 4. Psal. 80. 9. Psal. 95. 6. Psal. 99. 5 9. his command He hath made it oâ—r duty to worship him constantly and he
Dâ—â—r l. 1. p. 46. â—aâ—th that Possi 〈…〉 s believed that Epiâ—urus thought there was no God but put a sâ—orn upon him by describing him like a man idle careless c. which he would not have done if he had thought there was a God to any of his creatures 3. God is Omnipresent and therefore you may every where lift up holy hands to him 1 Tim. 2. 8. And you must alwayes worship him as in his sight 4. God is Omniscient and knoweth your Hearts and therefore let your Hearts be employed and watched in his worship 5. God is most wise and therefore not to be worshipped ludicrously with toyes as children are pleased with to quiet them but with wise and rational worship 6. God is most Great and therefore to be worshipped with the greatest reverence and seriousness and not presumptuously with a careless mind or wandring thoughts or rude expressions 7. God is most Good and Gracious and therefore not to be worshipped with backwardness unwillingness and weariness but with great Delight 8. God is most Merciful in Christ and therefore not to be worshipped despairingly but in joyful Hope 9. God is True and faithful and therefore to be worshipped believingly and confidently and not in distrust and unbelief 10. God is most Holy and therefore to be worshipped by Holy persons in a Holy manner and not by unholy hearts or lips nor in a common manner as if we had to do but with a man 11. He is the Maker of your Souls and Bodies and therefore to be worshipped both with soul and body 12. He is your Redeemer and Saviour and therefore to be worshipped by you as sinners in the humble sense of your sin and misery and as Redeemed ones in the thankful sense of his Mercy and all in order to your further cleansing healing and Recovery 13. He is your Regenerater and Sanctifier and therefore to be worshipped not in the confidence of your natural sufficiency but by the Light and Love and Life of the Holy Ghost 14. He is your Absolute Lord and the Owner of you and all you have and therefore to be worshipped with the absolute resignation of your self and all and honoured with your substance and not Hypocritically with exceptions and reserves 15. He is your Soveraign King and therefore to be worshipped according to his Lawes with an obedient kind of worship and not after the Traditions of men nor the will or wisdom of the flesh 16. He is your Heavenly Father Mat. 15. 2 3 6. Mar. 7. 3. to 14. Col. 2. 8 18 2â— and therefore all these Holy dispositions should be summed up into the strongest Love and you should run to him with the greatest readiness and Rest in him with the greatest Ioy and thirst after the full fruition of him with the greatest of your Desires and press towards him for himself with the most servent and importunate suites All these the very Being and Perfections of God will teach you in his worship And therefore if any controverted worship be certainly contrary to any of these it is certainly unwarranted and unacceptable unto God § 8. Direct 7. Pretend not to worship God by that which is destructive or contrary to the Ends of Direct 7. worship For the aptitude of it as a means to its proper end is essential to it Now the Ends of worship are 1. The Honouring of God 2. The Edifying of our selves in Holiness and delighting our souls in the contemplation and praises of his perfections 3. The communicating this Knowledge Holiness and delight to others and the increase of his actual Kingdom in the world 1. Avoid then all that pretended Worship which dishonoureth God not in the opinion of carnal men that judge of But with the Ba 〈…〉 Aâ—â—â—â—a the 〈…〉 p. 2. 9. â— 2. 〈…〉 riâ—u signa oâ—â—â—â—â— exteâ—num cultum diligenter câ—â—are His quippe delectâ—ntur d 〈…〉 homines animaleâ— N. B. â—donec paulatim aboleatur memoria gustus praeteritorum So Gâ— â—issiâ— sâ—â—â—â—h iâ— viâ—a Gâ—eâ— Nâ—oâ—as that they turned the Pagans Festivals into Festivals for the Martyrs to please them the better Which Bâ—dâ— and many others relate of the practice of those times him by their own misguided imaginations but according to the discovery of himself to us in his works and Word Many Travellers that have conversed with the soberer Heathen and Mahometan Nations tell us that it is not the least hinderance of their conversion and cause of their contempt of Christianity to see the Christians that live about them to worship God so ignorantly irrationally and childishly as many of them do 2. Affect most that manner of worship caeteris paribus which tendeth most to your own right information and holy resolutions and affections and to bring up your souls into nearer communion and delight in God And not that which tendeth to deceive or flatter or divert you from him nor to be in your ears as sounding brass or a tinkling Cymbal or as one that is playing you a lesson of Musick and tendeth not to make you better 3. Affect not that manner of worship which is an enemy to knowledge and tendeth to keep up Ignorance in the world Such as is a great part of the Popish worship especially their reading the Scriptures to the people in an unknown tongue and celebrating their publick prayers and praises and Sacraments in an unknown tongue and their seldome preaching and then teaching the people to take up with a multitude of toyish Ceremonies instead of knowledge and rational worship Certainly that which is an enemy to knowledge is an enemy to all Holiness and true obedience and to the Ends of worship and therefore is no acceptable worshipping of God 4. Affect not that pretended worship which is of it self destructive of true Holiness Such as is the preaching of false doctrine not according to godliness and the opposition and reproaching of a holy life and worship in the misapplication of true doctrine and then teaching poor souls to satisfie themselves with their Mass and Mass Ceremonies and an Image of worship instead of serious Holiness which is opposed Prov. 24. 24. He that saith to the wicked thou art Righteous him shall the people curse Nations shall ahhor him And if this be done as a worship of God you may hence judge how acceptable it will be Isa. 5. 20. Wo unto them that call Evil Good and Good Evil that put darkness for light and light for darkness that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter To make people believe that Holiness is but Hypocrisie or a needless thing or that the Image of Holiness is Holiness it self or that there is no great difference between the godly and ungodly doth all tend to mens perdition and to damn men by deceiving them and to root out Holiness from the earth See Ezek. 22. 26. 44. 23. Jer. 15. 19. If thou take forth the pretious from the vile thou shalt be as
upon Justification c. which I have seen de nomine and neither of them seemed to take notice of it Be sure as soon as you peruse the terms of your question to sift this throughly and dispute verbal controversies but as verbal and not as real and material We have real differences enow we need not make them seem more by such a blind or heedless manner of Disputing § 22. Direct 11. Suffer not a rambling mind in study nor a rambling talker in Disputes to interrupt Direct 11. your orderly procedure and divert you from your argument before you bring it to the natural issue Both deceiving Sophisters and giddy headed praters will be violent to start another game and spoil the chase of the point before you But hold them to it or take them to be unworthy to be disputed with and let them go except it be where the weakness of the Auditors requireth you to follow them in their Wild-goose Chase. You do but lose time in such rambling studies or disputes § 23. Direct 12. Be caâ—telous of admitting false suppositions or at least of admitting any inference Direct 12. that dependeth upon them In some cases a supposition of that which is false may be made while it no way tends to infer the truth of it But nothing must be built upon that falshood as intimating it to be a truth False suppositions cunningly and secretly workt into arguments are very ordinary instruments of deceit § 24. Direct 13. Plead not uncertainties against certainties But make certain points the measure Direct 13. to try the uncertain by Reduce not things proved and sure to those that are doubtful and justly controverted But reduce points disputable to those that are past doubt § 25. Direct 14. Plead not the darker Texts of Scripture against those that are more plain Direct 14. and clear nor a few texts against many that are as plain For that which is interpreted against the most plain and frequent expressions of the same Scripture is certainly mis-interpreted § 26. Direct 15. Take not obscure Prophecies for Precepts The obscurity is enough to make Direct 15. you cautelous how you venture your self in the Practice of that which you understand not But if there were no obscurity yet Prophecies are no warrant to you to fulfill them no though they be for the Churches good Predictions tell you but de eventu what will come to pass but warrant not you to bring it to pass Gods Prophesies are oft-times fulfilled by the wickedest men and the wickedest means As by the Jews in killing Christ and Pharaoh in refusing to let Israel go and Iehu in punishing the house of Ahab Yet many self-conceited persons think that they can fetch that out of the Revelations or the Prophecies of Daniel that will justifie very horrid crimes while they use wicked means to fulfil Gods Prophecies § 27. Direct 16. Be very cautelous in what cases you take mens practice or example to be instead of Direct 16. precept in the sacred Scriptures In one case a Practice or example is obligatory to us as a Precept and that is when God doth give men a commission to establish the form or orders of his Church and Worship as he did to Moses and to the Apostles and promiseth them his Spirit to lead them into all truth in the matters which he employeth them in here God is engaged to keep them from miscarrying for if they should his work would be ill done his Church would be ill constituted and framed and his servants unavoidably deceived The Apostles were authorized to constitute Church officers and orders for continuance and the Scripture which is written for a great part historically acquaints us what they did as well as what they said and wrote in the building of the Church in obedience to their commission at least in declaring to the World what Christ had first appointed And thus if their practice were not obligatory to us their words also might be avoided by the same pretenses And on this ground at least the Lords day is easily proved to be of Divine appointment and obligation Only we must see that we carefully distinguish between both the Words and Practices of the Apostles which were upon a particular and temporary occasion and obligation from those that were upon an universal or permanent ground § 28. Direct 17. Be very cautelous what Conclusions you raise from any meer works of Providence Direct 17. For the bold and blind exposition of these hath lead abundance into most heynous sins No providence is instead of a Law to us But sometimes and oft-times providence changeth the Matter of our duty and so occasioneth the change of our obligations As when the husband dyeth the Wise is disobliged c. But men of worldly dispositions do so over-value worldly things that from them they venture to take the measure of Gods Love and hatred and of the causes which he approveth or disapproveth in the World And the wisdom of God doth seem on purpose to cause such wonderful unexpected mutations in the affairs of men as shall shame the principles or spirits of these men and manifest their giddiness and mutability to their confusion One year they say This is sure the cause of God or else be would never own as he doth Another year they say If this had been Gods cause he would never have so disowned it Just as the Barbarians judged of Paul when the Viper seized on his hand And thus God is judged by them to own or disown by his prospering or afflicting more than by his Word § 29. Direct 18. In controversies which much depend on the sincerity or experience of Godly men take Direct 18. heed that you affect not singularity and depart not from the common sense of the Godly For the workings of Gods spirit are better judged of by the ordinary tenour of them than by some real or supposed case that is extraordinary § 30. Direct 19. In Controversies which most depend on the testimony of Antiquity depart not from Direct 19. the judgement of the ancients They that stood within View of the dayes of the Apostles could better tell what they did and what a condition they left the Churches in than we can do To appeal to the Ancients in every cause even in those where the later Christians do excell them is but to be fools in reverence of our fore-fathers wisdom But in points of History or any thing in which they had the advantage of their posterity their testimony is to be preferred § 31. Direct 20. In Controversies which depend on the Experience of particular Christians or of the Direct 20. Church regard most the judgement of the most experienced and prefer the judgement of the later ages of the Church before the judgement of less experienced ages except the Apostolical age that had the greater help of the spirit An ancient experienced Christian or Divine is
to a more edifying Church that useth all the publick Ordinances of God unless the publick good forbid or some great impediment or contrary duty be our excuse § 36. 11. If a true Church will not cast out any impenitent notorious scandalous sinner though 2 John 10. 11. 2 Tim. 3. 5. Rom. 16. 17. 1 Cor. 5. 11. I am not to separate from the Church yet I am bound to avoid private familiarity with such a person that he may be ashamed and that I partake not of his sin § 37. 12. As the Church hath diversity of members some more holy and some less and some of whole sincerity we have small hope some that are more honourable and some less some that walk Mat. 13. 41 30. Jer. 15. 19. 1 Cor. 12. 23 24. blamelesly and some that work iniquity So Ministers and private members are bound to difference between them accordingly and to honour and love some far above others whom yet we may not excommunicate And this is no sinful separation § 38. 13. If the Church that I live and communicate with do hold any tolerable error I may differ therein from the Church without a culpable separation Union with the Church may be continued with all the diversities before mentioned D. 3. § 10. § 39. 14. In case of persecution in one Church or City when the servants of Christ do flye to another having no special reason to forbid it this is no sinful separation Matth. 10. 23. § 40. 15. If the publick service of the Church require a Minister or a private Christian to remove to another Church if it be done deliberately and upon good advice it is no sinful separation § 41. 16. If a Lawful Prince or Magistrate command us to remove our habitation or command a Minister from one Church to another when it is not notoriously to the detriment of the common interest of Religion it is no sinful separation to obey the Magistrate § 42. 17. If a poor Christian that hath a due and tender care of his salvation do find that under one Minister his soul declineth and groweth dead and under another that is more sound and clear and lively he is much edified to a holy and heavenly frame and life and if hereupon preferring his salvation before all things he remove to that Church and Minister where he is most edified without unchurching the other by his censures this is no sinful separation but a preferring the One thing needful before all § 43. 18. If one part of the Church have leisure opportunity cause and earnest desires to meet ofter for the edifying of their souls and redeeming their time than the poorer labouring or careless and less zealous part will meet in any fit place under the oversight and conduct of their Pastors and not in opposition to the more publick full assemblies as they did Acts 12. 12. to pray for Peter at the house of Mary where many were gathered together praying and Acts 10. 1 c. this is no sinful separation § 44. 19. If a mans own outward affairs require him to remove his habitation from one City or Countrey to another and there be no greater matter to prohibite it he may lawfully remove his local communion from the Church that he before lived with to that which resideth in the place he goeth to For with distant Churches and Christians I can have none but Mental Communion or by distant means as writing messengers c. It is only with present Christians that I can have local personal communion § 45. 20. It is possible in some cases that a man may live long without local personal communion with any Christians or Church at all and yet not be guilty of sinful separation As the Kings Embassadour or Agent in a Land of Infidels or some Traveller Merchants Factors or such as go to convert the Infidels or those that are banished or imprisoned In all these twenty cases some kind of separation may be lawful § 46. 21. One more I may add which is when the Temples are so small and the Congregations so great that there is no room to hear and joyn in the publick Worship or when the Church is so excessively great as to be uncapable of the proper ends of the society in this case to divide or withdraw is no sinful separation When one Hive will not hold the Bees the swarm must seek themselves another without the injury of the rest By all this you may perceive that sinful separation is first in a censorious uncharitable mind condemning Churches Ministers and Worship causelesly as unfit for them to have communion with And Secondly it is in the personal separation which is made in pursuance of this censure But not in any local removal that is made on other lawful grounds § 47. Direct 4. Understand and consider well the Reasons why Christ so frequently and earnestly Direct 4. presseth Concord on his Church and why he so vehemently forbiddeth Divisions Observe how much the Scripture speaketh to this purpose and upon what weighty Reasons Here are four things distinctly to be represented to your serious consideration 1. How many plain and urgent are the Texts that speak for Unity and condemn Division 2. The great Benefits of Concord 3. And the mischiefs of Discord and Divisions in the Church 4. And the Aggravations of the sin § 48. I. A true Christian that hateth fornication drunkenness lying perjury because they are forbidden in the Word of God will hate Divisions also when he well observeth how frequently and vehemently they are forbidden and Concord highly commended and commanded John 17. 21 22 23. That they all may be One as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also See Rom. 14. throughout Rom. 15. 12. 5 6 7. may be one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be One even as we are One I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in One and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as Ephes. 4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. thou hast loved me Here you see that the Unity of the Saints must be a special means to convince the Infidel world of the truth of Christianity and to prove Gods special Love to his Church and 1 Pet. 3. 6. 1 Cor. 12. throughout Phil. 3. 15 16. Acts 2. 1 46. 4. 32. also to accomplish their own perfection 1 Cor. 1. 10. Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions or Schisms among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgement For it hath been declared to me of you my brethren that there are contentions among you Rom. 12. 4 5. Psalm 133. 1 Cor. 8. 1
example of Angels is also to be observed and with pleasure to be imitated And ask the enemies of Holiness who urge you with the examples of the Great and Learned whether they are wiser than all the Angels of God § 22. Direct 9. When you are tempted to desire any inordinate communion with Angels as visibly appearing Direct 9. or affecting your senses or to give them any part of the Office or honour of Iesus Christ then think how suitable that Office is to your safety and benefit which God hath assigned them and how much Timet Angelâ—s adoraâ—i ab humana natura quam videt in Deo sublimaâ—am Grâ—â—â—â— they themselves abhorr aspiring or usurpation of the Office or honour of their Lord And consider how much more suitable to your benefit this spiritual ministration of the Angels is than if they appeared to us in bodily shapes In this spiritual communion they act according to their spiritual nature without deceit And they serve us without any terrible appearances and without any danger of drawing us to sensitive gross apprehensions of them or entising us to an unmeet adhesion to them or honouring of them whereas if they appeared to us in visible shapes we might easily be affrighted confounded and left in doubt whether they were good Angels indeed or not It is our communion with God himself that is our Happiness And communion with Angels or Saints is desirable but in order unto this That kind of communion with Angels therefore is the best which most advanceth us to communion with God And that reception of his mercy by instruments is best which least endangereth our inordinate adhesion to the Instruments and our neglect of God We know not so well as God what way is best and safest for us As it is dangerous desiring to mend his Word by any fancies of our own which we suppose more fit so it is dangerous to desire to amend his Government and Providence and Order and to think that another way than that which in nature he hath stated and appointed is more to our benefit It is dangerous wishing God to go out of his way and to deal with us and conduct us in by-wayes of our own in which we are our selves unskilled and of which we little know the issue § 23. Direct 10. When you are apt to be terrified with the fear of Devils think then of the guard Direct 10. of Angels and how much greater strength is for you than against you Though God be our only fundamental security and our chiefest confidence must be in him yet experience telleth us how apt we are to look to instruments and to be affected as second causes do appear to make for us or against us Therefore when appearing dangers terrifie us appearing or secondary helps should be observed to comfort and encourage us § 24. Direct 11. Labour to answer the great and holy Love of Angels with such great and holy Love Direct 11. to them as may help you against your unwillingness to dye and make you long for the company of them Simus devoti simus grati tantis custodibus redamemus â—os quantum possumus quantum debâ—mus effectuose c. Bernâ—â—d Vae nobis si quando provocati Sancti Angeli peccatis negligentiis indignos nos judicaverint praesentia visitatione sua c. Cavenda est nobis eorum offensa in his maxime eâ—ercendum quibus eos novimus obâ—ectari Haec autem placent eis quae in nobis invenire delectat ut est â—obrietas castitas c. Inquovis angulo reverentiam exhibe Angelo ne audeas illo praesente quod me vidente non auderes Bernard whom you so much Love And when death seemeth terrible to you because the world to come seems strange remember that you are going to the society of those Angels that rejoyced in your conversion and ministred for you here on earth and are ready to convoy your souls to Christ. Though the thoughts of God and our blessed Mediator should be the only final object to attract our Love and make us long to be in Heaven yet under Christ the Love and company of Saints and Angels must be thought on to further our desire and delight For even in Heaven God will not so be All to us as to use no creature for our comfort Otherwise the glorified humanity of Christ would be no means of our comfort there And the heavenly Ierusalem would not then have been set out to us by its created excellencies as it is Rev. 21. 22. Nor would it be any comfort to us in the Kingdom of God that we shall be with Abraham Isaac and Iacob Luke 13. 28. Matth. 8. 11. § 25. Direct 12. Pray for the protection and help of Angels as part of the benefits procured for the Direct 12. Saints by Christ and be thankful for it as a Priviledge of believers excelling all the dignities of the ungodly And walk with a reverence of their presence especially in the worshipping of God It is not fit such a mercy should be undervalued or unthankfully received Nor that so ordinary a means of our preservation should be over-looked and not be sought of God by prayer But the way to keep the Love of Angels is to keep up the Love of God And the way to please them is to please him For His will is theirs § 26. Direct 13. In all the Worship you perform to God remember that you joyn with the Angels of Direct 13. Heaven and bear your part to make up the Consort Do it therefore with that holiness and reverence and affection as remembring not only to whom you speak but also what companions you have And let there not be too great a discord either in your hearts or praises O think with what lively joyful minds they praise their glorious Creator and how unwearied they are in their most blessed work And labour to be like them in Love and Praise that you may come to be equal with them in their Glory Luke 20. 36. CASES OF CONSCIENCE ABOUT Matters Ecclesiastical VVich are not before handled By RICHARD BAXTER LONDON Printed by Robert White for Nevill Simmons at the Sign of the Princes Arms in St. Pauls Church-yard 1673. READER I Have something to say to thee of the number of these Cases somewhat of the Order and somewhat of the manner of handling and resolving them I. That they are so Many is because there are really so many difficulties which all men are not able to resolve That they are no more is partly because I could not remember then any more that were necessarily to be handled and I was not willing to increase so great a Book with things unnecessary II. As to the Order I have some Reasons for the order of most of them which would be too tedious to open to you But some of them are placed out of order because 1. I could not remember them in due
hold their own mercies upon the condition of their own continued fidelity And let their Apostasie be on other reasons never so impossible or not future yet the promise of continuance and consummation of the personal felicity of the greatest Saint on earth is still conditional upon the condition of â—his persevering sidelity 6. Even before Children are capable of Instruction there are certain duties imposed by God on the Parents for their sanctification viz. 1. That the Parents pray earnestly and believingly for them Second Commandment Prov. 20. 7. 2. That they themselves so live towards God as may invite him still to bless their Children for their sakes as he did Abrahams and usually did to the faithful's seed 7. It is certain that the Church ever required Parents not only to enter their Children into the Covenant and so to leave them but to do their after duty for their good and to pray for them and educate them according to their Covenant 8. It is plain that if there were none to promise so to educate them the Church would not baptize them And God himself who allowed the Israelites and still alloweth us to bring our Children into his Covenant doth it on this supposition that we promise also to go on to do our duty for them and that we actually do it 9. All this set together maketh it plain 1. That God never promiseth the adult in Baptism though true believers that he will work in them all graces further by his sanctifying spirit let them never so much neglect or resist him or that he will absolutely see that they never shall resist him nor that the spirit shall still help them though they neglect all his means or that he will keep them from neglecting the means Election may secure this to the Elect as such but the Baptismal Covenant as such secureth it not to the baptized nor to believers as such 2. And consequently that Infants are in Covenant with the Holy Ghost still conditionally as their Parents are And that the meaning of it The Holy Ghost is promised in Baptism to give the Child grace in his Parents and his own faithful use of the appointed means is that the Holy Ghost as your sanctifier will afford you all necessary help in the use of those means which he hath appointed you to receive his help in Obj. Infants have no means to use Answ. While Infants stand on their Parents account or Wills the Parents have means to use for the continuance of their grace as well as for the beginning of it 10. Therefore I cannot see but that if a believer should apostatize whether any do so is not the question and his Infant not be made anothers Child he forfeiteth the benefits of the Covenant to his Infant But if the propriety in the Infant be transferred to another it may alter the case 11. And how dangerously Parents may make partial forfeitures of the spirits assistance to their Children and operations on them by their own sinful lives and neglect of prayer and of prudent and holy education even in particular acts I fear many believing Parents never well considered 12. Yet is not this forfeiture such as obligeth God to deny his spirit For he may do with his own as a free benefactor as he list And may have mercy freely beyond his promise though not against his word on whom he will have mercy But I say that he that considereth the woful unfaithfulness and neglect of most Parents even the Religious in the Great work of holy educating their Children may take the blame of their ungodliness on themselves and not lay it on Christ or the spirit who was in Covenant with them as their sanctifier seeing he promised but conditionally M. â—â—istoâ— pag. â—3 As Abraham as a single person in Covenant was to accept of and perform the conditions of the Covenant so as a Parent he had something of duty incumbent on him with reference to his immediate seed And as his faithful performance of that duty incumbent on him in his single capacity so his performing that duty incumbent on him as a Parent in reference to his seed was absolutely necessary in order to his enjoying the good promised with reference to himself and his seed Proved Gen. 17 1. 18. 19. He proveth that the promise is conditional and that as to the continuance of the Covenant state the conditions are 1. The Parents upright life 2. His duty to his Children well done 3. The Childrens own duty as they are capable to give them the sanctifying Heavenly influences of his Life Light and Love in their just use of his appointed means according to their abilities 13. Also as soon as Children come to a little use of Reason they stand conjunctly on their Parents Wills and on their own As their Parents are bound to teach and rule them so they are bound to learn of them and be ruled by them for their good And though every sin of a Parent or a Child be not a total forfeiture of grace yet both their notable actual sins may justly be punished with a denyal of some further help of the spirit which they grieve and quench 11. And now I may seasonably answer the former question whether Infants Baptismal saving grace may be lost of which I must for the most that is to be said referr the Reader to Davenant in Mr. Bedfords Book on this subject and to Dr. Sam. Ward joyned with it Though Mr. Gatakers answers are very Learned and considerable And to my small Book called My Iudgement of Perseverance Augustine who first rose up for the doctrine of perseverance against its Adversaries carried it no higher than to all the Elect as such and not at all to all the Sanctified but oft affirmeth that some that were justified sanctified and Love God and are in a state of salvation are not elect and fall away But since the Reformation great reasons have been brought to carry it further to all the truly sanctified of which cause Zanchius was one of the first Learned and zealous Patrons that with great diligence in long disputations maintained it All that I have now to say is that I had rather with Davenant believe that the fore-described Infant state of salvation which came by the Parents may be lost by the Parents and the Children though such a sanctified renewed nature in holy Habits of Love as the adult have be never lost than believe that no Infants are in the Covenant of Grace and to be baptized Obj. But the Child once in possession shall not be punished for the Parents sin Answ. 1. This point is not commonly well understood I have by me a large Disputation proving from the current of Scripture a secondary original sin besides that from Adam and a secondary punishment ordinarily inflicted on Children for their Parents sins besides the common punishment of the World for the first sin 2. But the thing in question is
Direct 2. exercise of your function but the promoting of Iustice for the righting of the just and the publick It was an ill time when Petr. Bles. said Officium officialium est bodie jura confundere lites suscitare transactiones rescindere dilationes innectere supprimere â—eâ—iâ—atem fovere mendacium quaestum sequi aequitatem vendere inhiare actionibus versutiâ—â— concinnare gâ—od and therein the pleasing of the most righteous God For your work can be to you no better than your End A baâ—e end doth debase your work I deny not but your competent gain and maintenance may be your lower end but the promoting of justice must be your higher end and sought before it The question is not Whether you seek to live by your Calling for so may the best nor yet Whether you intend the promoting of Iustice for so may the worst in some degree But the question is Which of these you prefer and which you first and principally intend He that looketh chiefly at his worldly gain must take that gain instead of Gods reward and look for no more than he chiefly intended For that is formally no Good work which is not intended chiefly to please God And God doth not Reward the servants of the world Nor can any man rationally imagine that he should reward a man with happiness hereafter for seeking after Riches here And if you say that you look for no Reward but Riches you must look for a Punishment worse than Poverty For the neglecting of God and your Ultimate End is a sin that deserveth the privation of all which you neglect and leaveth not your actions in a state of innocent indifferency § 5. Direct 3. Be not Counsellâ—rs or Advocates against God that is against Iustice Truth or Innocency A bâ—d cause would have no Patrons if there were no bad or ignorant Lawyers It s a dear bought fee which is got by sinning especially by such a wilful aggravated sin as the deliberate Direct 3. pleading for iniquity or opposing of the Truth Iudas his gain and Aohitophels counsel will be too hot at last for conscience and sooner drive them to hang themselves in the review than afford them any true content As St. Iames saith to them that he calleth to weep and howl Bias fâ—râ—ur in câ—â—sis orandâ—s summus aâ—que vehemenâ—â—ssimu◠〈◊〉 bonam tamen in parâ—em â—â—câ—ndi vâ—â— exerâ—â—â— solâ—tum Laâ—tius â— 53. â—uâ—um est hâ—mines propter justitiam diligâ—râ— non autem justitiam propter homines postpâ—nere Gregor Reg. Justitia non novit patrem vel matrem Veritatem novit personam non novit Deum imitatur Cassian Plutarch saith that Callicratidas being offered a great summ of money of which he had great need to pay his Seamen if he would do an unjust act refused To whom saith Cleander his Counsellor Ego prosecto hoc accepissem si fuissem Callicratidas He answered Ego accepissem si fuissem Cleander for their approaching misery Your Riches are corrupted and your garments moth-eaten your Gold and Silver is cankered and the rust of them shall be a witness against you and shall eat your flesh as it were fire ye have heaped treasure together for the last dayes What ever you say or do against truth and innocency and justice you do it against God himself And is it not a sad case that among profâ—ssed Christians there is no cause so bad but can find an Advocate for a fee I speak not against just counsel to a man that hath a bad cause to tell him it is bad and perswade him to disown it Nor I speak not against you for pleading against excessive penalties or damages For so far your cause is good though the main cause of your Client was bad But he that speaketh or counselleth another for the defence of sin or the wronging of the innocent or the defrauding another of his right and will open his mouth to the injury of the just for a little money or for a friend must try whether that money or friend will save him from the vengeance of the Universal Judge unless faith and true repentance which will cause Confession and Restitution do prevent it The Romans called them Thieves that by fraud or plea or judgement got unlawful gain and deprived others of their right Lampridius saith of Alexander Severus Tanti eum stomachi fuisse in eos judices qui furtorum fama laborassent etiamsi damnati non essent ut si eos casu aliquo videret commotione animi stomachi choleram evomeret toto vultu inardescente ita ut nihil posset loqui And afterwards Severissimus judex contra fures appellans eosdem quotidianorum scelerum reos solos hostes inimiâ—osque reipublicae Adding this instance Eum notarium qui falsum causae brevem in confilio imperatorio retulisset incisis digitorum nervis ita ut nunquam posset scribere deportavit And that he caused Turinus one of his Courtiers to be tyed in the Market-place to a stake and choaked to death with smoak for taking mens money on pretence of furthering their suits with the Emperour Praecone dicente Fumo punitur qui vendidit fumum He strictly prohibited buying of Offices saying Necesse est ut qui emit vendat Ego vero non patiar mercatores potestatum quos si patiar damnare non possum The frowns or favour of man or the love of money will prove at last a poor defence against his Justice whom by injustice you offend Facile est justitiam homini justissimo defendere Cicâ—ro The Poet could say Iustum tenacem propositi virum Non civium ardor prava jubentium Non vâ—ltus instantis tyranni Mente quatit solida Horat. But if men would first be just it would not be so hard to bring them to do justly Saith Plautus Iusta autem ab injustiâ— petere insipientia est Quippe illi iniqui jus ignorant neque tenent § 6. Direct 4. Make the cause of the innocent as it were your own and suffer it not to miscarry Direct 4. through your slothfulness and neglect He is a lover of money more than justice that will sweat in the cause of the Riâ—h that pay him well and will slubber over and starve the cause of the poor because he getteth little by them What ever your place obligeth you to do let it Vix potest negligere qui novit aequitatem nec facile erroris viâ—io sordescit quem doctrina purgaverit Cassiodor be done diligently and with your might both in your getting abilities and in using them Scaevola was wont to say ut lib. Pandect 42. tit refer Ius civile vigilantibus scriptum est non dormientibus Saith Austin Ignorantia judicis plerumque est calamitas innocentis And as you look every Labourer that you hire should be laborious in your work and your Physicion should be diligent in his employment for your health so is it as just that you be diligent
any thing and fearless in the greatest perils For what should he fear who hath escaped Hell and Gods displeasure and hath conquered the King of terrours But fear is the duty and most rational temper of a guilty soul and the more fearless such are the more foolish and more miserable § 2. Direct 2. Be sure you have a warrantable Cause and Call In a bad cause it is a dreadful Direct 2. thing to conquer or to be conquered If you conquer you are a murderer of all that you kill If you are conquered and dye in the prosecution of your sin I need not tell you what you may expect I know we are here upon a difficulty which must be tenderly handled If we make the soveraign power to be the absolute and only Iudge whether the Souldiers cause and call be good then it would follow that it is the duty of all the Christian subjects of the Turk to fight against Christianity as such and to destroy all Christians when the Turk commandeth it And that all the subjects of other Lands are bound to invade this or other such Christian Kingdoms and destroy their Kings when ever their Popish or malicious Princes or States shall command them which being intollerable consequences prove the Antecedent to be intollerable And yet on the other side if subjects must be the Judges of their cause and call the Prince shall not be served nor the common good secured till the interest of the Subjects will allow them to discern the goodness of the cause Between these two intollerable consequents it is hard to meet with a just discovery of the mean Most run into one of the extreams which they take to be the less and think that there is no other avoiding of the other The grand errours in this and an hundred like cases come from not distinguishing aright the case de esse from the case de apparere or cognoscere and not first determining the former as it ought before the latter be determined Either the cause which Subjects are commanded to fight in is really lawful to them or it is not Say not here importunely who shall judge For we are now but upon the question de esse If it be not lawful in it self but be meer robbery or murder then come to the case of Evidence Either this evil is to the subject discernable by just means or not If it be I am not able for my part to justifie him from the sin if he do it no more than to have justified the three witnesses Dan. 3. if they had bowed down to the golden Calf or Daniel 6. if he had forborn prayer or the Apostles if they had forborn preaching or the Souldiers for apprehending and crucifying Christ when their Superiours commanded them For God is first to be obeyed and feared But if the evil of the Cause be such as the Subject cannot by just and ordinary means discern then must he come next to examine his Call And a Volunteer unnecessarily he may not be in a doubtful cause It is so heinous a sin to murder men that no man should unnecessarily venture upon that which may prove to be murder for ought he knoweth But if you ask what Call may make such a doubtful action necessary I answer It must be such as warranteth it either from the End of the action or from the Authority of the Commander or both And from the end of the action the case may be made clear that if a King should do wrong to a forreign enemy and should have the worse cause yet if the revenge which that enemy seeketh would be the destruction of the King and Countrey or Religion it is lawful and a duty to fight in the desence of them And if the King should be the assailant or beginner that which is an Offensive War in him for which he himself must answer may be but a Defensive War in the commanded Subjects and they be innocent Even on the High-way if I see a stranger provoke another by giving him the first blow yet I may be bound to save his life from the fury of the avenging party But whether or how farr the bare Command of a soveraigne may warrant the subjects to venture in a doubtfull cause supposing the thing lawful in it self though they are doubtful requireth so much to be said to it which Civil Governours may possibly think me too bold to meddle with that I think it safest to pass it by only saying that there are some cases in which the Ruler is the only Competent Judge and the doubts of the subject are so unreasonable that they will not excuse the sin of his disobedience and also that the degree of the doubt is oft very considerable in the case But suppose the cause of the War be really lawful in it self and yet the subject is in doubt of it yea or thinketh otherwise then is he in the case as other erroneous consciences are that is entangled in a necessity of sinning till he be undeceived in case his Rulers command his service But which would be the greater sin to do it or not the Ends and circumstances may do much to determine But doubtless in true Necessity to save the King and State subjects may be compelled to fight in a just cause notwithstanding that they mistake it for unjust And if the subject have a private discerning judgement so far as he is a voluntary agent yet the Soveraign hath a publick determining judgement when a neglecter is to be forced to his duty Even as a man that thinketh it unlawful to maintain his Wife and Children may be compelled lawfully to do it So that it is apparent that sometime the Soveraigns cause may be good and yet an erroneous conscience may make the Souldiers cause bad if they are Volunteers who run unnecessarily upon that which they take for robbery and murder and yet that the Higher Powers may force even such mistakers to defend their Countrey and their Governours in a case of true necessity And it is manifest that sometimes the Cause of the Ruler may be bad and yet the cause of the Souldier good And that sometimes the cause may be bad and sinful to them both and sometime good and lawful unto both § 3. Direct 3. When you are doubtful whether your Cause and Call be good it is ordinarily Direct 3. safest to sit still and not to venture in so dangerous a case without great deliberation and sufficient evidence to satisfie your consciences Neander might well say of Solons Law which punished them Neander in Chron. p. 104. that took not one part or other in a Civil War or Sedition Admirabilis autem illa atque plane incredibilis quae honoribus abdicat eum qui orta seditione nullam factionem secutus sit No doubt he is a culpable Neuter that will not defend his Governours and his Countrey when he hath a call But it is so dreadful a thing to
till their heads are setled and they come to themselves and that is not usually till the hand of God have laid them lower than it found them and then perhaps they will again hear reason unless pride hath left their souls as desperate as at last it doth their bodies or estates The experience of this Age may stand on record as a teacher to future generations what power there is in great successes to conquer both Reason Religion Righteousness Professions Vows and all obligations to God and man by puffing up the heart with pride and thereby making the understanding drunken CHAP. VIII Advice against Murder § 1. THough Murder be a sin which humane nature and interest do so powerfully rise up against that one would think besides the Laws of Nature and the fear of temporal punishment there should need no other argument against it And though it be a sin which is not frequently committed except by Souldiers yet because mans corrupted heart is lyable to it and because one sin of such a heynous nature may be more mischievous than many small infirmities I shall not wholly pass by this sin which falls in order here before me I shall give men no other advice against it than only to open to them 1. The Causes and 2. The Greatness and 3. The Consequents of the sin § 2. I. The Causes of Murder are either the Neerest or the more radical and remote The opening of the Neerest sort of Causes will be but to tell you how many wayes of murdering the World is used to And when you know the Cause the contrary to it is the prevention Avoid those Causes and you avoid the sin § 3. 1. The greatest Cause of the cruellest murders is unlawful wars All that a man killeth in an unlawful war he murdereth And all that the Army killeth he that setteth them a work by Command or Counsel is guilty of himself And therefore how dreadful a thing is an unrighteous war and how much have men need to look about them and try every other lawful way and suffer long before they venture upon war It is the skill and glory of a Souldier when he can kill more than other men He studyeth it he maketh it the matter of his greatest care and valous and endeavour He goeth through very great difficulties to accomplish it This is not like a sudden or involuntary act Thieves and Robbers kill single persons but Souldiers murder thousands at a time And because there is none at present to judge them for it they wash their hands as if they were innocent and sleep as quietly as if the avenger of blood would never come O what Devils are those Counsellers and incâ—ndâ—ries to Princes and States who stir them up to unlawful wars § 4. 2. Another Cause and way of Murder is by the Pride and tyranny of men in power When they do it easily because they can do it When their Will and Interest is their Rule and their Passion seemeth a sufficient warrant for their injustice It is not only Nero's Tiberius's Domitian's c. that are guilty of this crying crime but O what man that careth for his soul had not rather be tormented a thousand years than have the blood-guiltiness of a famous applauded Alexander or Caesar or Tamerlane to answer for So dangerous a thing it is to have Power to do mischief that Uriah may fall by a Davids guilt and Crispus may be killed by his father Constâ—mine O what abundance of horrid murders do the histories of almost all Empires and Kingdoms of the World afford us The maps of the affairs of Greeks and Romans of Tartariuns Turks Russians Germans of Heathens and Infidels of Papists and too many Protestants are drawn out with too many purple lines and their Histories written in letters of blood What write the Christians of the Infidels the Orthodox of the Arrians Romans or Goths or Vandals or the most impartial Historians of the mock Catholicks of Rome but Blood Blood Blood How proudly and loftily doth a Tyrant look when he telleth the oppressed innocent that displeaseth him Sirra I 'le make you know my power Take him Imprison him Rack him Hang him Or as Pilate to Christ Joh. 9. 10. Knowest thou not that I have power to Crucifie thee and have power to release â—hee I 'le make you know that your life is in my hand Heat the Furnace seven times horter Dan. 3. Alas poor worm Hast thou power to kill So hath a Toad or Adder or mad Dâ—gg or pestilence when God permitteth it Hast thou power to kill But hast thou also power to keep thy self alive and to keep thy Corpse from rottenness and dust and to keep thy soul from paying for it in Hell or to keep thy Conscience for worrying thee for it to all Eternity With how trembling a heart and ghastly look wilt thou at last hear of this which now thou gloriest in The bones and dust of the oppressed Innocents will be as great and honourable as thine And their souls perhaps in rest and joy when thine is tormented by infernal furies When thou art in Nebuchadâ—ezzara glory what a mercy were it to thee if thou mightest be turned out among the beasts to prevent thy being turned out among the Devils If killing and destroying be the glory of thy greatness the Devils are more honourable than thou And as thou agreest with them in thy work and glory so shalt thou in the reward § 4. 3. Another most heynous Cause of Murders is a malignant enmity against the Godly and a persecuting destructive Zeal What a multitude of innocents hath this consumed and what innumerable companies of holy souls are still crying for vengeance on these persecutors The Enmity began immediately upon the fall between the Womans and the Serpents seed It shewed it self presently in the two first men that were born into the World A malignant envy against the accepted Sacrifice of Abel was able to make his Brother to be his Murderer And it is usual with the Devil to cast some bone of carnal interest also between them to heighten the malignant enmity Wicked men are all Covetous voluptuous and proud And the doctrine and practice of the Godly doth contradict them and condemn them And they usually espouse some wicked interest or engage themselves in some service of the Devil which the servants of Christ are bound in their several places and callings to resist And then not only this resistance though it be but by the humblest words or actions yea the very conceit that they are not for their interest and way doth instigate the befooled world to persecution And thus an Ishmael and an Isaac an Esau and a Iacob a Saul and a David cannot live together in peace Gal. 4. 29. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit even so it is now Sauls interest maketh him think it just to persecute David and religiously he
to find them out so that the blood-thirsty man doth seldome live out half his dayes The Treatises purposely written on this subject and the experience of all Ages do give us very wonderful Narratives of Gods judgements in the detecting of murderers and bringing them to punishment They go about awhile like Cain with a terrified Conscience afraid of every one they see till seasonable vengeance give them their reward or rather send them to the place where they must receive it 3. For it is eternal torment under the wrath of God which is the final punishment which they must expect If very great Repentance and the blood of Christ do not prevent it There are few I think that by shame and terrour of Conscience are not brought to such a Repentance for it as Cain and Iudas had or as a man hath that hath brought calamity on himself and therefore wish they had never done it because of their own unhappiness thereby except those persecutors or murderers that are hardened by Errour pride or power But this will not prevent the vengeance of God in their damnation It must be a deep Repentance proceeding from the Love of God and man and the hatred of sin and sense of Gods displeasure for it which is only found in sanctified souls And alas how few Murderers ever have the grace to manifest any such renovation and repentance Tit. 2. Advice against Self-murder THough Self-murder be a sin which Nature hath as strongly inclined man against as any sin in the World that I remember and therefore I shall say but little of it yet experience telleth us that it is a sin that some persons are in danger of and therefore I shall not pass it by The prevention of it lyeth in the avoiding of these following Causes of it § 1. Direct 1. The commonest cause is prevailing Melancholy which is neer to madness therefore Direct 1. to prevent this sad disease or to cure it if contracted and to watch them in the mean time is the chief prevention of this sin Though there be much more hope of the salvation of such as want the use of their Understandings because so far it may be called involuntary yet it is a very dreadful case especially so far as reason remaineth in any power But it is not more natural for a man in a Feaver to thirst and rave than for Melancholy at the height to incline men to make away themselves For the disease will let them feel nothing but misery and despair and say nothing but I am forsaken miserable and undone and not only maketh them aweary of their lives even while they are afraid to dye but the Devil hath some great advantage by it to urge them to do it so that if they pass over a Bridge he urgeth them to leap into the Water If they see a Knife they are presently urged to kill themselves with it and feel as if it were something within them importunately provoking them and saying Do it Do it now and giving them no rest In so much that many of them contrive it and cast about secretly how they may accomplish it Though the cure of these poor people belong as much to others care as to their own yet so far as they yet can use their reason they must be warned 1. To abhor all these suggestions and give them not room a moment in their minds And 2 To avoid all occasions of the sin and not to be neer a Knife a River or any instrument which the Devil would have them use in the execution And 3. To open their case to others and tell them all that they may help to their preservation 4. And especially to be willing to use the means both Physick and satisfying Counsel which tends to cure their disease And if there be any rooted cause in the mind that was antecedent to the Melancholy it must carefully be lookt to in the cure § 2. Direct 2. Take heed of worldly trouble and discontent for this also is a common Cause Direct 2. Either it suddenly casteth men into Melancholy or without it of it self overturneth their reason so far as to make them violently dispatch themselves Especially if it fall out in a mind where there is a mixture of these two Causes 1. Unmortified love to any Creature 2. And an impotent and passionate mind there discontent doth cause such unquietness that they will furiously go to Hell for ease Mortifie therefore first your worldly lusts and set not too much by any earthly thing If you did not foolishly overvalue your selves or your credit or your wealth or friends there would be nothing to feed your discontent Make no greater a matter of the world than it deserveth and you will make no such great matter of your sufferings And 2. Mortifie your turbulent passions and give not way to Bedlam fury to overcome your reason Go to Christ to beg and learn to be meek and lowly in spirit and then your troubled minds will have rest Matth 11. 28 29. Passionate Women and such other feeble spirited persons that are easily troubled and hardly quietted and pleased have great cause to bend their greatest endeavours to the curing of this impotent temper of mind and procuring from God such strengthening grace as may restore their Reason to its power § 3. Direct 3. And sometimes sudden passion it self without any longer discontent hath caused Direct 3. men to make away themselves Mortifie therefore and watch over such distracting Passions § 4. Direct 4. Take heed of running into the guilt of any heynous sin For though you may Direct 4. feel no hurt from it at the present when Conscience is awakened it is so disquieting a thing that it maketh many a one hang himself Some grievous sins are so tormenting to the Conscience that they give many no rest till they have brought them to to Iudas's or Achitophel's End Especially take heed of sinning against Conscience and of yielding to that for fear of men which God and Conscience charge you to forbear For the case of many a hundred as well as Spira may tell you into what Calamity this may cast you If man be the master of your Religion you have no Religion For what is Religion but the subjection of the soul to God especially in the matters of his Worship And if God be subjected to man he is taken for No-God When you Worship a God that is inferiour to a man then you may subject your Religion to the will of that man Keep God and Conscience at peace with you if you love your selves though thereby you lose your peace with the World § 5. Direct 5. Keep up a Believing foresight of the state which Death will send you to and then if Direct 5. you have the use of Reason Hell at least will hold your hands and make you afraid of venturing upon death What Repentance are you like to have when you dye in the very
not every one that committeth a sin after admonition who is here to be understood but such as are impenitent in some mortal or ruling sin For some may sin oft in a small and controverted point for want of ability to discern the truth and some may live in daily infirmities as the best men do which they condemn themselves and desire to be delivered from And even the most impenitent mans sins must not be medled with by every one at his pleasure but only when you have just cause Quest. 9. What if it be one whom I cannot speak to face to face Quest. 9. Answ. You must let him alone till you have just cause to speak of him Quest. 10. When hath a man a just cause and call to open anothers faults Quest. 10. Answ. Negatively 1. Not to fill up the time with other idle chatt or table-talk 2. Not to second any man how good soever who backbiteth others no though he pretend to do it to make the sin more odious or to exercise godly sorrow for other mens sin 3. Not when ever interest passion faction or company seemeth to require it But Affirmatively 1. When we may speak it to his face in love and privacy in due manner and circumstances as is most hopeful to conduce to his amendment 2. When after due admonition we take two or three and after that tell the Church in a case that requireth it 3. When we have a sufficient cause to accuse him to the Magistrate 4. When the Magistrate or the Pastors of the Church reprove or punish him 5. When it is necessary to the preservation of another As if I see my friend in danger of marrying with a wicked person or takeing a false servant or trading and bargaining with one that is like to over-reach him or going among cheaters or going to hear or converse with a dangerous Heretick or Seducer I must open the faults of those that they are in danger of so far as their safety and my charity require 6. When it is any treason or conspiracy against the King or Common-wealth where my concealment may be an injury to the King or damage or danger to the Kingdom 7. When the person himself doth by his self-justification force me to it 8. When his reputation is so built upon the injury of others and slanders of the just that the justifying of him is the condemning of the innocent we may then indirectly condemn him by vindicating the just As if it be in a case of contention between two if we cannot justifie the right without dishonour to the injurious there is no remedy but he must bear his blame 9. When a mans notorious wickedness hath set him up as a spectacle of warning and lamentation so that his crimes cannot be hid and he hath forfeited his reputation we must give others warning by his fall As an excommunicate person or malefactor at the Gallows c. 10. When we have just occasion to make a bare narrative of some publick matters of fact as of the sentence of a Judge or punishment of offenders c. 11. When the crime is so heinous as that all good persons are obliged to joyn to make it odious as Phinehas was to execute judgement As in cases of open Rebellion Treason Blasphemy Atheism Idolatry Murders Perjury Cruelty Such as the French Massacre the Irish far greater Massacre the Murdering of Kings the Powder Plot the Burning of London c. Crimes notorious should not go about in the mouths or ears of men but with just detestation 12. When any persons false reputation is a seducement to mens souls and made by himself or others the instrument of Gods dishonour and the injury of the Church or State or others though we may do no unjust thing to blast his reputation we may tell the truth so far as justice or mercy or piety requireth it Quest. 11. What if I hear dawbers applauding wicked men and speaking well of them and extenuating Quest. 12. their crimes and praising them for evil doing Answ. You must on all just occasions speak evil of sin But when that is enough you need not meddle with the sinner no not though other men applaud him and you know it to be false For you are not bound to contradict every falshood which you hear But if in any of the twelve fore-mentioned cases you have a call to do it as for the preservation of the hearers from a snare thereby as if men commend a Traytor or a wicked man to draw another to like his way in such cases you may contradict the false report Quest. 12. Are we bound to reprove every backbiter in this age when honest people are grown to Quest. 12. make little conscience of it but think it their duty to divulge mens faults Answ. Most of all that you may stop the stream of this common sin Ordinarily when ever we can do it without doing greater hurt we should rebuke the tongue that reporteth evil of other men causelesly behind their backs For our silence is their encouragement in sin Tit. 2. Directions against Backbiting Slandering and Evil Speaking Direct 1. MAintain the life of brotherly Love Love your neighbour as your self Direct 1. Direct 2. Watch narrowly lest interest or passion should prevail upon you For Direct 2. where these prevail the tongue is set on fire of Hell and will set on fire the course of nature Iam. 2. Selfishness and passion will not only prompt you to speak evil but also to justifie it and think you do well yea and to be angry with those that will not hearken to you and believe you Direct 3. Especially involve not your selves in any faction Religious or Secular I do not mean Direct 3. that you should not love and imitate the best and hold most intimate communion with them But that you abhor unlawful divisions and sidings and when error or uncharitableness or carnal interest hath broken the Church into pieces where you live and one is of Paul and another of Apollo and another of Cephas one of this party and another of that take heed of espousing the interest of any party as it stands cross to the interest of the whole It would have been hardly credible if sad experience had not proved it how commonly and heinously almost every Sect of Christians do sin in this point against each other And how far the interest of their Sect which they account the interest of Christ will prevail with multitudes even of zealous people to belye calumniate backbite and reproach those that are against their opinion and their party Yea how easily will they proceed beyond reproaches to bloody persecutions He that thinketh that he doth God service by killing Christ or his Disciples will think that he doth him service by calling him a deceiver and one that hath a Devil a blasphemer and an enemy to Caesar and calling his Disciples pestilent fellows and movers of