Pet 2.4 To love thy self into Sobriety or Prudent self Government to cloath thy self with a Robe of Righteousness and Mercy in thy dealings with Men is not enough is not the full and adequate Doctrine and Duty taught by the Grace of God which brings Salvation Titus 2.11 There must be superadded not only a denying Vngodliness so as to crucifie it but a living Godly leading a Religious Life towards God in Love Faith Fear Honour Universal Acknowledgment out of Conscience For what Conscience in dealing well with Men and ill with God that is with the Subjects fairly and not with the Soveraign What Conscience in breaking the first Article betwixt God and Man which is to give him the sole command in his House thy Heart that living Temple which is the sum of the First Commandment What Conscience to dwell in his House and pay him no Rent No external Acknowledgment and Worship in Publick in thy Family in thy Closet the sum of the Second Command What Conscience whilst tender of thy own Name to be regardless of Gods forbid in the Third Command What Conscience in stealing time from God's reserved part when he allows thee so much beside the Fourth Command violated Be never so sober just free kind to Man-ward if thou respect not God O my Soul thou hast no Conscience For where there 's no Godliness there can be no Conscience Oh make it thy first and main business to approve thy self to God Thou canst never be true to thy self or Man if thou be a Traytor to God Thou hast no greater assistance in thy dutifulness to Men than a due regardfulness of God Thou canst have no better evidence of a due regardfulness of God than thy conscientious dutifulness to Men. Thou forfeit'st the reputation of thy Religiousness towards God if thou be not Righteous towards Man and of thy Righteousness if not Religious Like Hippocrates's Twins these are born and act and sicken and die together That 's the 4th ingredient of the Psalmist's Character he upheld universal Innocency and Integrity of Conscience CHAP. VII The Subject of Comfort Publickly Spirited c. True Christianity c. 5. THis Holy Man was of a Publick Spirit living under a Catholick sence of and care for the common concerns of the Church of God Lamenting its Miseries ver 5 6. longing and praying for its redemption from them by the Power and Justice of God ver 1 2 3 4 20. and encouraging his own and its hopes thereof by a serious reflection upon the Divine Attributes ver 1 2 8 9 10 11. Providences ver 12 13. and his own particular experience ver 17 18 19 21. withal by a Prophetick Spirit foretelling it ver 14 15 23. all which are plain in the Psalm and plain demonstrations of a Heart enlarged in its desires and endeavours for Publick Good A good Soul is not well at ease when the Servants of God are ill at ease The Sufferings of the Church are made its own by a sympathizing Spirit which is afflicted in all its Afflictions and cannot enjoy Prosperity or it self in Contentation when God's Children are groaning under the Cross Mourns with Mourning Rejoyces with rejoycing Sion and uses its interest in Heaven to work upon the Bowels of the ever-blessed Son of God that he may demonstrate his tender Commiserations toward his own Members in Misery by turning the course of his Providence And that this is a proper method to Comfort we see Isai 66.10 11. Rejoyce ye with Jerusalem and be glad with her all ye that love her rejoyee for joy with her all ye that mourn for her that ye may suck and be satisfied with the Breasts of her Consolations that ye may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her Glory God had a People a Heritage which though Afflicted and broken in pieces here ver 5. yet he would not cast off nor forsake either in respect of Affection or Communion ver 14. So neither must we For 't is by Vertue of our Union and Communion with that Body and its Head that all those comfortable Spirits and Influences are derived to us which refresh and revive us I confess 't is through our internal and spiritual Confederation and Fellowship but he that values and receives benefit by this cannot despise and vilifie the External Hence our Psalmist here as a Member vitally joined to the Body and partaking of a common Sense does not only comfort himself and it with the consideration of the inviolableness of that Union and Communion which was of a spiritual Nature ver 14. nor only reflects upon those external Ligaments and Bonds which ty'd together so numerous a People into one single Heritage or Church but also was grievously afflicted for those external breakings in pieces rents and disunion of parts though involuntary which were the fruit of the outward Violence and Rage of Persecutors So should we But then Oh what Affliction would have rent his tender Heart in the view of those voluntary tearing in pieces the Seamless Coat of Christ the Divisions and Breaches we make amongst our selves Those Fractions were only some kind of dissolution of their Civil Political Union ours of the Ecclesiastical and Wounds are most dangerous in the most noble Parts State Factions are not more to be dreaded than those of the Church because these have more immediate respect to the Soul and God Lamentable are the Miseries of a Civil War where Thousands Born Bred up Nourished by one common Mother Brethren by Stock Blood Condition Cohabitation Membership of the same Body Politick perhaps of one Name and Kindred and Family of the same Body Mystical the Church Blind and Dumb and Deaf to the Cries and Shreeks and Wounds and Groans and Deaths of their own proper Limbs in a barbarous drunken rage tear off their own Skin Flesh and Bones rive open their very Hearts to let out Spirit Life Strength Soul hurl one another down to Hell under their Sin in a deluge of Blood and worry themselves by piece-meal into eternal Damnation And are the Church Digladiations in the Christian World less deplorable when those whose respite from everlasting Burnings cost no less than the Blood of God who are denominated from that most venerable Name wash'd in the same Laver of Regeneration Members of the same Spiritual Body privileged with the same most excellent Gospel and Covenants of Promise and would every one be ready to tear out his Heart that should dare to tell them that they shall not each possess the blessedness of an unspeakably glorious Heaven where therefore as in a Center they must meet if their hopes fail not When these I say who thus concenter and agree in their Titles Royalties and Expectations are so far from combining in the common profession and practice of Unity Love Peace Goodness Vertue Godliness Brotherly kindness Charity as to grind one another into Atoms bite and devour one anothers Hearts by bloody Animosities Reproaches
we together with it reject the Olive Branch of Peace But who in his wits would not beg with all manner of Prayer Publick Private Secret Mental Vocal with a Form without when he may be assured if he ask to receive that his Joy may be full Joh. 16.24 This 94th Psalm and the rest most of them seem in their composure to be design'd by the Penmen for Privacy though God had a further design in them viz. to make them Publick and part of the Canon of Scripture for the guidance of his Church in all Ages and assuredly he is a stranger to heavenly Comforts who is a stranger to secret Converses and Communion with God 'T is true God by bringing these secret breathings of holy Souls after himself in these Psalms to a more publick use and making their private Forms of Prayer as it were the common Liturgy of his Church in all Generations may seem graciously to intend the honour of his publick Worship by the Church since he hath pickt out that for Catholick advantage which in reality was a Treasure in all their private Devotions pretermitting the rest For that more were composed by them I no more doubt than that other Books were made by Solomon besides those preserv'd in the Holy Writings And that Forms of Humane Composure as well as Divine Inspiration were made use of by holy Souls without impeach of any crime therein particularly without the guilt of Idolatry the sensless sottish charge of some against a Form is demonstrable from the New Testament where Christs Disciples beseech him to teach them to pray as the Pharisees and John taught theirs They taught them Forms and so did he their 's Humane his Divine But if this were so foul a crime so odious to God would he who is so severe against Pharises upon other occasions even in relation to their Prayers give it the honour of an approving Imitation and not rather chastize it with the Scorpions of a bitter rigorous reproof and check his Disciples desire to be Idolaters or symbolize with them I could demonstrate irrefragably that this whimzy would absolutely turn all Vocal Prayer whatever out of the Church if it were as true as it is abominably false but this is no place for it The choice which God made for the Church of these more refined suspirations of pure and heavenly Souls that in a zealous ardour of divine and raised affection lifted up themselves towards his holy Habitation in these Forms of his own dictating and directing by his holy Spirit and his applying them to publick use are a testimony that he accounts the honour of more to be more honour and his reserving the best for the Church when others are lost declares that he expects the best from it His own is to him always most acceptable and administring hereof to his Church to offer before him he evidences that he would have its Offerings to be always acceptable and in this provision he gives the Publick a preference to any thing personal which also he further advances by making these publick Ministrations the ordinary means to beget spiritual Life and therefore Peace But then nevertheless the benefit of that which we enjoy in Publick depends upon what we are in Private and the main business of Church Offices and Ordinances is to make us inwardly and secretly sound and solid Christians For God no more regards outward publick Semblances without Sincerity than a whited Sepulchre his general end is to make us upright Nathanaels Israelites indeed in whom there is no guile not gilded Hypocrites and no better are we whatever our visible Sacrifices may be if yet we retain our Chambers of Imagery in private and do not break down the Idols of our Hearts striving to be inwardly before God what before Men we appear to be outwardly which we shall never do if we take not our Hearts to task in secret Let us blow never so many Trumpets before our selves ruffle and brave it as triumphantly as is imaginable in the phantastry of our Silk and Satten Devotion before Men yet if our heavenly Father never meet us in a Closet if there we have nothing acceptable to present him if we take no pains there to dress up our inward Souls for his embraces labouring to the utmost to prepare our Work within there when we design to build him a publick Temple that the savour of our more retired Communion with God may abide upon our Spirits and the perfume of that Incense which we offer within the Veil may ascend and become a visible Cloud without if not thus I am affraid that at the great reckoning for all our Trimming and Gallantry the Crowns and Garlands of our publick Sacrifices we shall stand in querpo and be found no better than Pharisees The Psalmist's Prayer was first a secret ere it became a publick Application to God Learn then Oh my Soul to begin there and make it thy first and main business to approve thy Heart secretly to the Searcher of Hearts and by Communing with it and God alone deal effectually with it that he who sees in secret may see that it is in good earnest Be much with God in thy Meditations before that thou mayst not have thy straggling Thoughts to gather up and fix when thy Affections are to enter into a vigorous pursuit after Grace and God See that there be not a reserved Lust within that would hide it self from the Lord when thou shouldst make thy unreserved Acknowledgments Let not thy Confessions be a bare heartless enumeration of thy Sins but the real exercise of true Repentance least they pass only for self Accusations and thine own Mouth produce the Testimony against thee which will cast and condemn thee O learn inwardly to loath in thy Heart those hateful Vomits which thy Mouth casts out that thou mayst return to them never never Learn to loath thy self for the sake of the nasty Filth and Rottenness nay the Venom the Toads the Fiends that thou harbourest within and what thou loathest resolve utterly eternally to relinquish and abandon from this very day forward as an offence and abomination to the Lord. But thou must not only in thy recesses and personal converses with God fly from and abhor thy Sins as Styx that scalding River of Brimstone in Hell that 's not all Rom. 12.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou must fix and establish thy self by Resolution and Grace invariably for God and Goodness and for that end endeavour that all thy Petitions may be the exercise of Faith without which thou shalt receive nothing at the Hands of the Lord. Cold Petitions only beg denials and faithless set a seal upon those denials to render them irreversible Christ in the days of his Flesh offered up strong cries Heb. 5.7 Well they might the strength of Israel dwelt in his Flesh Job 1.14 Col. 2.9 the fulness of the Godhead fill'd him with Vigour and Power But the strength of thy cries Oh
my Soul is thy Faith the condition of the Promises yet not absolutely in it self but relatively to him thy Faith is the strength of thy Prayers and He the strength of thy Faith The Golden Scepter of Divine Grace and Love will never be held out to any who bring not this Tessera or Token produce this and then What is thy Petition Oh Soul and it shall be granted and what is thy Request it shall be performed even to the half of the Kingdom Nothing binds the Hands of Miracle-working helping healing Power but Unbelief Mat. 13.58 Mark 6.5 One Evangelist says he did another he could do no mighty Work because of their Vnbelief But to Faith all things are possible because to God who hath promised upon that condition Nothing therefore Oh my Soul dost thou want but Faith Thus am I drawn unawares to that which should be another Ingredient of the Character CHAP. IV. A Third Qualification of the Subject of Comfort Faith 3. THe Psalmist was a Person that liv'd by Faith not by Sight 2 Cor. 5.7 Which Scripture warrants me to take the Word Faith in a special not general sense as 't is sometimes used I suppose by Faith the Apostle means the same Grace in the same notion that has so glorious things reported of it Heb. 11. The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 substance or subsistence of things hoped for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the evidence convictive proof of things not seen A divine disposition which enables us to behave our selves under the apprehension of Invisibles and Futurities as if present real Sensations which gives those things that we feel not as perfect command over us as if we saw and handled them An effectually working Heart and Life-ruling Belief of God's Word and Promises The first most immediate and proper effect whereof is a concrediting entrusting our selves with God in Christ The Word Trust is for the most part expressive of it in the Old Testament Now that this holy Man thus walkt by Faith the Psalm gives full evidence and that as to both the parts 1. Confidence 2. Assurance 1. As to himself Ver. 2. Notwithstanding the Combinations of his Adversaries to condemn him he commits his Cause to God for defence venturing himself upon his Power and Goodness as a sufficient security and upon clear evidence of interest claims propriety in God God is my defence and the Rock of my Refuge there is lifs Affiance My God there is his Assurance 2. As to Others 1. The Church of the Godly ver 14. The Lord will not cast off his People neither forsake his Inheritance But Judgment shall return unto Righteousness That is either 1. Though the Righteous be now condemned ver 21. and consequently Righteousness it self by the perverse Judgment of evil Men and therefore Judgment may now seem to have left parted from and forsaken Righteousness They do not go together there 's Judgment but no Righteousness in it yet they shall meet again Judgment that hath run away from it shall return to it the Righteous shall not any more have wrong but right in Judgment it shall not be against but for them Or 2dly The Righteous which have been deprived of the power of Judgment or Government of the Kingdom by a Throne of Iniquity ver 20. shall recover their Authority And 't is very usual for the Abstract to be put for the Concrete in Scripture and even in this Psalm as ver 11. Vanity for Vain So ver 17. Silence for a silent place c. So here Righteousness for Righteous Men and ver 14. Inheritance for inherited People Or thus Righteousness had the Rule in Samuel's days now in Saul's 't is depressed but shall be restored Judgment shall be administred in Righteousness under David 's Government and all the upright in Heart shall return or turn as that word is oft used as Jer. 8.4 c. after it that is shall own it return to their Allegiance to Justice and David 3dly Judgment shall return to Righteousness that is God shall another day viz. on the day of Judgment Vindicate the Righteous clear up his Dispensations Judge righteously those that have judged his Righteous Servants unrighteously and judge his People repent himself concerning his Servants and though in his Judgments upon Earth he hath seem'd to be more against them than any yet will he then be wholly for them Vid. plura c. 17. and pass Judgment on their side 2. As to the Coetus Malignantium ver 21. the Congregation of Condemners he forefees an end of their Prosperity the beginning of their Calamity ver 10. A Pit digging for them ver 13. and their sinal Execution ver 23. Thus we see his Faith and I am ready to think that this was the great Instrument of his Comfort Whatever troubles befel he could see through them by Faith 'T was a judicious saying of a good Man That in all Afflictions and Straits Faith can find an outgate This is a real ground of Consolation All the Bonds Chains Cords of Affliction to Faith are like Sampson's but as a Thread that hath felt the Fire All the Rage and Malice of Earth and Hell but like his Lyon Faith can rend them in pieces 'T is too hard for them it can fetch Hony Comfort out of them If this Grace can make that present which is not yet realize that which being only in its causes is at present nothing then can it take up the comfort of a Blessing in the Promise and live upon its sweetness as if it were already in Possession There 's no distinction of times to Faith It enjoys not its objects in succession but at once Nothing to it is past and to come though to sense there be all is present and in view in hand It sees with the Eye of God in the Promise and therefore sees as he sees It lives with Christ in Heaven and therefore lives as he lives Gal. 2.20 It is an endless possession of Life all at once as they describe Divine Eternity Oh happy Soul that is enrich'd with this noble Grace whereby 't is endow'd with God and all things Oh unspeakable misery of those that live or rather continually die without it To be in Unbelief is to be in Hell i. e. in state the place is but a Circumstance The substance of Hell consisting in three things 1. Being under a Sentence of Condemnation and the Curse Joh. 3.18 He that believes not is condemn'd already 2. Irrecoverable loss of Happiness Joh. 3.36 He that believes not shall not see Life i. e. if he never believe he shall never see Life Eternal And 3. Everlasting sense of Wrath Joh. 3.36 The wrath of God abides upon him does not meerly as Ezekiel's Flying Roll pass over him but on him it settles and rests and dwells as in its fixed and indefeisible Inheritance its proper and unchangable Home and Habitation Ah dolorous State Ah wretched Soul Better a thousand times thou hadst never been
Christians every where called Brethren even by those who were not of the same particular Congregation Acts 10.23 and 11.29 and 14.2 and 15.1 3 23 32 33 40. and 16.2 c. I challenge all the World to give but one Instance out of the Bible where Christians of any particular Church were not stiled and owned under the Name of Brethren by any one or more Persons of another Congregation though of different Nations nay where Christians though not embodied as they phrase it were not so called as Acts 28.14 c. All then that are Partakers of the same heavenly calling are holy Brethren Heb. 3.1 And this Title is not at all given to Christians with relation to a particular Church but only the Catholick and upon common Catholick grounds and no other Since then the whole Community of Christians must be acknowledged for Brethren Love them as Brethren having compassion one of another be pitiful be courteous not rendering evil for evil or railing for railing but contrarywise blessing knowing that ye are thereunto called that ye should inherit a Blessing 1 Pet. 3.8 9. For 1 Joh. 3.14 We know that we have passed from Death to Life because we love the Brethren he that loveth not his Brother abideth in Death ver 15. Is a homicide ver 10. Is not of God but manifests himself to be a Child of the Devil chap. 4.20 cannot love God And sure if even Enemies must be lov'd that we may be like our Father Matth. 5.44 45. and brotherly love be extended to Strangers as the coherence in Heb. 13.1 seems to evince but the duty enjoyn'd there with the reason of it much more viz. entertaining them as we would do Angels Neighbours may challenge it upon a stronger ground and Brethren most of all and that in such degrees as take in all things from the meanest Offices to the very laying down our Lives for them 1 Joh. 3.16 Jam. 1.26 If the not bridling a ferocient Tongue render a Man's Religion vain let those with trembling measure the consequence who neither will govern Tongue nor Heart Lastly That part of the Catholick Church comprehended within the confines of any particular Kingdom is and ought to be the more immediate object of every individual Subjects or Members Christian Honour Love Care and Respect to be manifested by his Prayers for it Communion with it defence of it and obedience to it in all lawful things seeking its good in the use of all lawful means with a Religious care and caution neither to say nor do nor allow and permit any thing which we can hinder to be said or done to its prejudice For what is done for or against a part redounds to the whole 1 Cor. 12.26 and this is to be Publick Spirited viz. to embrace the Publick with an universal Love Care and Endeavour active for its Good preventive of its Hurt and Damage deploring its Corruptions and Miseries labouring with affectionate Industry to remedy and heal them Upon these Principles the old Nonconformists Bradshaw Hildersham Ball c. and many of the later edition loved respected defended and held Communion with the Congregations in the Church of England where they could as appears by their publick Writings and known Practice notwithstanding the bitter Reproaches and Censures of some few who I wish had as well studied the Case 'T were a great impertinency and folly for me here to engage in a defence of that which has had and yet hath so many more able Advocates though if I do not forget and flatter my self somethings occur which nearly touch the merit of the Cause yet not observed by any and I will not betray that which for the main my Conscience tells me is a good Cause with so short and imperfect a plea as the straits of a little Chapter confine me to therefore in prosecution of my General design I shall only suggest something of a more common influence and wave particulars till better occasion or call 1. In the Church of England are some I wish there were more Thousands of as Sober Pious Discreet Judicious Christians and Hundreds of as Learned Religious Ministers as Europe affords who in their Judgments and Consciences seem to be abundantly satisfied with and strongly plead for its Communion upon grounds of very great moment to instance only in the late calm Discourses of the Reverend Dean of Norwich Now for me or any Man to send all these quick to Hell as mere Infidels or worse as without Christ Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel the true Church Strangers from the Covenants of Promise having no hope Atheists in the World Eph. 2.12 may discover what Spirit we are of but will very little recommend our own Christianity in observance of the Rule Phil. 2.3 Rom. 12.10.1 Cor. 13.5 7. 2. The Church of England and Dissenters agree in all the main Substantials of Christianity the difference only lies in a few controverted things of very inconsiderable consequence in comparison The same Christian Doctrine in all the Fundamental Points the same general design to promote Holiness of Life the same Worship in the Essential form and matter and means the same Ministry of Persons separate to perform Divine Offices in the same form of Churches viz. Congregational who are embodied not meerly by the civil Sanction but consent to submit to the Ordinances and Ministers of Christ which with the Departers I call them rather than Dissenters constitute the Explicit Covenant and Essence of the Ministerial Call but differing only in a few circumstantial Doctrines in external Modes and Rites disputed and disputable to the Worlds end And shall so light matters alienate us imbitter our Spirits envenom our Censures when we agree in the main Ah Sirs should God Almighty thus mark Iniquities who could stand Does he appoint a Sacrifice for Sins of Ignorance and Infirmity hold Communion with us notwithstanding them not impute them to us And shall such things be unpardonable only in the Church of England which judges its own Constitution the most excellent in the World and thinks it has as much to say against you as you against it as much to say for it self as you for your selves which you can no more convince than it can you Lastly To justifie your departure nothing can be justly alledged but fear of Sin in Communion Now nothing can determine what is what is not Sin but God in his Word You are then obliged to produce Scripture as clear to prove Communion a Sin as 't is clear from Scripture that 't is your duty to obey the Magistrate in lawful things For if the Communion which he commands be not unlawful you ought in Conscience to obey him in it Rom. 13.5 The General includes the Particular But I profess amongst all the Writings against Communion I have not yet seen any one or more Scriptures alledged which apart or in conjunction will evidently and certainly bear such a consequence Now turn we the
horrible Combustion of Conscience or at the least Inquietude and Uneasiness of Mind any thing but Satisfaction Joy and Rest Of such Men I say as Gen. 49.6 Oh my Soul come not thou into their Secret unto their Assembly mine Honour be not thou united And now Oh my Soul what is thy Trouble and Sorrow and Anxiety of Mind Or what are thy Desires Cares Delight Joy Contrivances Counsels Activity concern'd about Canst thou feed upon thy sweet Morsels alone and glory in the Affluence of Personal or Domestick Blessings while the Gates of Sion mourn Are any in Affliction imprisoned persecuted for Righteousness sake and wiltest not thou bear a part in their Dolours Remembring those in Bonds as bound with them and them which suffer Adversity as being thy self also in the Body Heb. 13.3 Dost thou not partake of that common Spirit of Goodness Compassion Charity which as good Blood diffuses it self and circulates through all the Members of that one Body ingenerating an universal Fellow-feeling and Care of mutual and general Concerns in all and every one that lives by the Life of the Head in Heaven Art thou weak with the Weak and with the Offended dost thou burn 2 Cor. 11.29 Canst thou bear every ones burthen and so fulfill the Law of Christ and restore those overtaken with Infirmities considering thy self lest thou also be tempted Gal. 6.1 2. See the Apostle prosecuting this Argument fully 1 Cor. 12.12 to 27. If thou be acted by the private strait-lac'd selfish Spirit of the generality who can neither give a jot of ease to themselves under their Personal Straits and Sorrows by a serious Reflection on the Welfare of the Church of God nor will in the least imbitter their Joys with any Considerations of the Afflictions of Joseph suspect thy self to be an Alien from the Life and the Catholick Body of Jesus Christ which subsists by a Vital Union with him What now are the Measures by which thou actest in thy Station and with respect to the Members of Christ If thou espouse and tenaciously adhere to only the Sentiments of some Particular Party or Sect farewel all publick Spiritedness Thou professest a Belief of the Communion of Saints as in one Catholick Church which is indeed an Invisible Thing as are all Objects of Faith in its distinction from Sense Does this Faith work by Love Thou ownest also one Universal Body seen in its parts visible in its whole extent throughout the World actually by the Eyes of its Head seen in its Unity at once and potentially by Man Which is not a Chaos of every thing in confusion but an Organical Body that in diversity of useful comely Members Parts Congregations the least of the denomination Countries and Kingdoms makes up a lovely Community Not a Rope of Sand but a Golden Chain where every very Link has its Beauty Preciousness Connexion Suitableness A Garden enclosed where variety of Walks Beds c. constitute a fair delicious Paradise One Spouse of Christ one Body for one Head Does thy Fancy or Partiality here make Restrictions Can'st thou dar'st thou chop and mangle this Body Tear off a Limb of this Spouse Break the golden Chain for one Link And dote upon these without regard to the rest Can thy Love walk no where but in little Severals and petty Enclosures In this sence I cannot disallow that Saying of a Great Person viz. That the Church of Christ is neither Rome nor a Conventicle There may be some Part of it there but confin'd to either it cannot be exclusively to the rest of the World Art thou a Christian Then must Christianity command the freest Motions of thy Affections the Interest of that thou must and shalt respect honour promote and love not as it is pretended or conceitedly monopolized by any distinct Party but as like the Sun it diffuses its efficiency vertue and influence every where and shines with a lovely radiancy and glory in any Man whatsoever Seest thou one that in the judgment of rational Charity makes Religion his principal Business above all labouring that it may have a prevalent Interest in his Heart Cleave to this Man embrace him in thy most near and intimate Affections be he of what Party soever Dost thou find any diligently searching the Word of God to know him in all his Perfections not meerly for Notion sake but that his inward Soul and outward Conversation may be under the Dominion and Command of what he knows A Man that maintains a high and honourable esteem of the ever blessed Redeemer of the World the only begotten Son of God as the alone Saviour of Mankind taking the greatest care to gain a true and full Understanding of his Excellency Undertaking Offices and Benefits that he may entirely devote himself to him A Man that is daily acquainting himself how much it is his Interest to live under the Conduct of the Holy Ghost and therefore studies his inspired Writings to attain right Apprehensions concerning his Nature Gifts Graces Comforts that he may aspire after them inwardly feel them in their power and accordingly engages his Mind Will Affections Conscience executive Power all within and without him in an universal Subjection to this Holy Trinity in Unity and with a reverend Awefulness minggled with Love demeans himself under the Government of that ever Adoreable Majesty as one that hath present powerful Sensations of its immediate Presence Oversight and perfect Cognizance of the most secret recesses of his Soul A man that understanding his relation to God owns Him pants after Him with insatiable Ardour cleaves unto Him with full purpose of heart in a singular Complacency fears praises glorifies trusts chooses embraces acknowledges Him in all His ways as His chief Good and Happiness and would not willingly displease Him for a World And having with a Holy Religious Veneration observ'd approves of is singularly well pleas'd with that Wonder of all Wonders the Grace of Almighty God revealed by the Gospel in giving His Eternal Son to be the Redeemer of Lost Mankind God in our Flesh manifested in the fulness of time to do and suffer whatever Justice required that our Sins might be pardon'd our Persons accepted sanctified and glorified And Looking unto Jesus doth heartily acquiesce in the Method of Salvation ordain'd by God thro' him intirely yields up himself to him to be and do and suffer whatever he pleases sincerely accepts of him as an All-sufficient Saviour submits to his Government in all things never can be satisfied but is in a restless Agony day and night till he gain some good Evidence that Christ is his and he Christ's spontaneously chearfully with a self-denying humble penitent Heart venturing his All upon him for ever in believing in him hoping for his Sake to obtain the Love and Favour of God in Justification Reconciliation and Eternal Blessedness and therefore deliberately freely with all readiness of mind engages himself to Christ by the Renewal of his Baptismal Covenant with