more of my observation of which these times have given us too much proof Profane and formal Enemies on the one hand and ignorant self-conceited wranglers on the other hand who think they are champions for the truth when they are venting their passions and fond opinions are the two Thieves between whom the Church hath suffered from the beginning to this day The first are the Persecutors and the other the Dividers and disturbers of the Church Mark what the Holy Ghost saith in this case 2 Tim. 2. 23 24. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid knowing that they do gender strife and the servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men Phil. 2. 14 15. Do all things without murmurings and disputings that ye may be blameless and harmless the Sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world 1 Tim. 6. 3 4 5 6. If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words even the words of our Lord Iesus Christ and the doctrine which is according to godliliness he is proud knowing nothing but doting about questions and strifes of words whereof cometh envy strife raylings evil surmisings perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds c. So 1 Tim. 1. 4 5. Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies which Minister Questions rather than godly edifying which is in faith Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned § 6. Yet I must here profess that if any falsehearted worldly hypocrite that resolveth to be on the saving side and to hold all to be lawful that seemeth necessary to his safety or preferments shall take any encouragement from what I have here said to debauch his conscience and sell his soul and then call all those furious zealots that will not be as false to God as he let that man know that I have given him no cloak for so odious a sin nor will he find a cover for it at the barr of God though he may delude his conscience and bear it out by his carnal advantages before the world Direct 13. KNow that true Godliness is the Best Life upon Earth and the only may to perfect Direct 13. Happiness Still apprehend it therefore and Use it as the best and with great diligence â—â—sist those Temptations which would make it seem to you a confounding grievous or unpleasant thing § 1. There are all things concurrent in a Holy life to make it the most delectable life on earth to a rational purified mind that is not captivated to the flesh and liveth not on Air or Dung The Object of it is the Eternal God himself the Infallible Truth the only satisfactory Good and all these condescending and appearing to us in the mysterious but suitable glass of a Mediator Redeeming Reconciling teaching governing sanctifying justifying and glorifying all that are his own The End of it is the pleasing and glorifying of our Maker Redeemer and Sanctifier and the everlasting happiness of our selves and others The Rule of it is the infallible Revelation of God delivered to the Church by his Prophets and his Son and his Apostles and comprized in the Holy Scriptures and sealed by the Miracles and operations of the Holy Ghost that did indite them The work of Godliness is a living unto God and preparing for everlasting life by foreseeing foretasting seeking and rejoycing in that endless Happiness which we shall have with God and by walking after the Spirit and avoiding the filthiness delusions and vexations of the world and the flesh The nature of man is not capable of a more noble profitable and delectable life than this which God hath called us to by his Son And if we did but rightly know it we should follow it with continual alacrity and delight Be sure therefore to conceive of Godliness as it is and not as it is mis-represented by the Devil and the ungodly Read what I have written of this in my A Saint or a Brute § 2. As long as a man conceiveth of Religion as it is even the most sweet and delectable life so long he will follow it willingly and with his heart and despise the temptations and avocations of flâ—shly gain and pleasure He will be sincere as not being only drawn by other men or outward advantages nor frightned into it by a passion of fearfulness but loving Religion for it self and for its excellent ends And then he will be chearful in all the duties and under all the sufferings and difficulties of it And he will be most likely to persevere unto the end We cannot expect that the Heart or Will should be any more for God and Godliness than the Understanding practically apprehendeth them as Good Nay we must alwayes perceive in them a transcendent Goodness above all that is to be found in a worldly life Or else the appearing Goodness of the Creature will divert us and carry away our minds We may see in the very Brutes what a power apprehension hath upon their actions If your Horse be but going to his home or pasture how freely will he go through thick and thin but if he go unwillingly his travell is troublesome and slow and you have much ado to get him on It will be so with you in your way to Heaven § 2. It is therefore the principal design of the Devil to hide the Goodness and Pleasantness of Religion from you and to make it appear to you as a terrible or tedious life By this means it is that he keeps men from it and by this means he is still endeavouring to draw you back again and frustrate your good beginnings and your hopes If he can thus mis-represent Religion to your understandings he will suddenly alienate your wills and corrupt your lives and make you turn to the world again and seek for pleasure somewhere else and only take up with some heartless lip-service to keep up some deceitful hope of being saved And the means which Satan useth to these ends are such as these § 3. 1. He will do his worst to overwhelm you with appearing doubts and difficulties and bring How Satan would make Religion seem to be a câ—nfounding unpâ—â—aâ—an thing â— By difficulties you to a loss and to make Religion seem to you a confounding and not a satisfying thing This is one of his most dangerous assaults upon the weak and young beginners Difficulties and Passions are the things which he makes use of to confound you and put you out of a regular cheerful seeking of salvation When you read the Scriptures he will mind you of abundance of difficulties in all you read or hear He will shew you seeming contradictions and tell you that you will never be able to understand these things He will cast in thoughts of Unbelief and Blasphemy and cause you if he can to â—owl them in your
qualifications and your mirth and sporting talk will not be idle 1. Let it be such and so much as is useful to maintain that cheerfulness of mind and alacrity of spirits which is profitable to your health and duty For if bodily recreations be lawful then tongue-recreations are lawful when they are accommodate to their end 2. Let your speech be savoury seasoned with salt and not corrupt and rotten communication Jeast not with filthiness or sin 3. Let it be harmless to others Make not your selves merry with the sins or miseries of other men Jeast not to their wrong 4. Let it be seasonable and not when another frame of mind is more convenient nor when graver or weightier discourse should take place 5. Let it be moderate and not excessive either wasting time in vain or tending to habituate the mind of the speakers or hearers to levity or to estrange them from things that should be preferred 6. See that all your mirth and speech be sanctified by a holy end that your intent in all be to whet your spirits and cheer up and fit your selves for the service of God as you do in eating and drinking and all other things 7. And mix with cautelous reverence some serious things that the end and use be not forgotten and your mirth may not be altogether as empty and fruitless as that of the unsanctified is Sporting pleasant and recreating talk is not vain but lawful upon these conditions 8. Still remembring that the most holy and profitable discourse Iam. 5. 13. Is any merry Let him sing Psalms What is idle talk The sorts of it Otiosum verbum est quod justae necessitatis aut intentione piae utilitatis ca 〈…〉 t. Gregor Moral must be most pleasant to us and we must not through a weariness of it divert to carnal mirth as more desirable but only use natural honest mirth as a necessary concomitant to exhilerate the spirits § 5. Idle or vain words then are such as are unprofitable and tend not to do good I here forbear to speak of those Idle words which are also worse than vain as mentioned before among the sins of the tongue Idle words are 1. Either simply such which tend to no good at all 2. Or comparatively such which are about some small or inconsiderable good when you should be speaking of greater things The former sort are always idle and therefore always sinful The latter sort are sometimes lawful in themselves that is when greater matters are not to be talked of In its season it is lawful to speak about the saving of a penny or a point or a pin But out of season when greater matters are in hand this is but idle sinful talk § 6. Also there is a great deal of difference between now and then an Idle word and a babling prating custom by which it becometh the daily practice of some loose-tongued persons so that the greater part of the words of all their lives are meerly vain § 7. The particular kinds of Idle talk are scarce to be numbred Some of them are these § 7. 1. When the tongue is like a vagrant beggar or masterless dog that is never in the way and never out of the way being left to talk at random about any unprofitable matter that comes before it And such will never want matter to talk of every thing they see or hear is the subject of their chat And one word begetteth occasion and matter for another without end § 8. 2. Another sort of idle talk is the vain discourses by word or writing of some learned 1 Cor. 3. 20. Rom. 1. 21. men in which they bestow an excessive multitude of words about some small impertinent thing not to edifie but to shew their wit which Sâ—neca reprehends at large § 9. 3. Another sort of idle talk is vain and immoderate Disputings about the smaller circumstances oâ— Religion or frequent discourses about such unedifying things while greater matters should be talkt of Tit. 3. 9. But avoid foolish questions and genealogies and contentions and strivings about the Law for they are unprofitable and vain 1 Tim. 1. 5 6 7. Now the end of the Commandment is charity out of a pure â—eart and of a good Conscience and of faith unfeigned from which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling desiring to be teachers of the Law understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm 1 Tim. 6. 20. O Timothy keep that which is committed to thy trust avoiding profane and vain bablings and opposition of sciences falsly so called which some professing have erred concerning the faith 2 Tim. 2. 16. But shun prophane and vain bablings for they will increase unto more ungodliness Tit. 1. 10 11. There are many unruly and vain talkers c. § 10. 4. Another sort of Idle talk is the using of a needless multitude of words even about that â—â—â—â—â— â—5 16. Saith Hugo thâ—re is a time when â—o â—â—ag and a time when soâ—â—thia should be spâ—ken but never â— time whâ—n All should be spoken which is good and necessary in it self but might better be opened in a briefer manner Even in preaching or praying words may be vain which is when they are not suited to the matter and the hearers For you must note that the same words are necessary to one sort of hearers which are vain as to another sort And therefore as Ministers must take heed that they suit their manner of speech to their auditors so hearers must take heed lest they censoriously and rashly call that vain which is unnecessary to them or such as they There may be present many ignorant persons that the preacher is better acquainted with than you And the ignorant lose that which is concisely uttered They must have it at large in many words and oft râ—peated or else they understand it not or remember not that which they understand But yet a real excess of words even about holy things must be avoided Eccles. 5. 23. Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God The Spartans banished an Oraâ—or for saying He could speak all day of any suoâ—ect â—â—asn See the Manual of prayers printed at 〈◊〉 1658. pag. 507. for God is in Heaven and thou upon earth therefore let thy words be few for a dream cometh through the multitude of business and a fools voice is known by the multitude of words Two causes of idle words in prayer must be avoided 1. Emptiness and rashness 2. Affectation that is 1. Affectation to words as if you should be heard for saying so many words over and over as the Papists in their Iesus Psalter say over the name Iesu nine times together and those nine times fifteen times over besides all their repetitions of it in the petitions themselves between So in the Titles of the B. Virgin in her Litany p. 525. Hypocrites in all ages and Religions have the same
〈…〉 Quaeâ—amque est praedicatio nostra quae fiducia signa certè non edimus vitae sanctitate non eminemus beneficentia non invitamus 〈…〉 â—pâ—â—itâ—s essiâ—â—cia non pâ—râ—uademus lachrymis ac precibus à Deo non impetramus immo ne magnopere quidem câ—ramus Quae ergo nostra 〈◊〉 est quae tanta Iudorum accusatio An ingeruous confession of the Roman Priesthood And such Priests can expect no better success But having seen another sort of Ministers through Gods mercy I have seen an answerable fruit of their endeavours lib. â— p. 365. all that have their senses awake and fit to serve their Minds To use Reason in the greatest matters is proper to wise men that know for what end God made them Reasonable Inconsiderate men are all ungodly men For Reason not used is as bad as no Reason and will prove much worse in the day of reckoning The truth is though sinners are exceeding blind and erroneous about the things of God yet all Gods precepts are so Reasonable and tend so clearly to our joy and happiness that if the Devil did not win most souls by silencing Reason and laying it asleep or drowning its voice with the noise and crowd of worldly business Hell would not have so many sad inhabitants I scarce believe that God will condemn any sinner that ever lived in the world that had the use of Reason no not the Heathens that had but one talent but he will be able to say to them as Luk. 19. 22. Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee thou wicked servant Thou knewest c. To serve God and labour diligently for salvation and prefer it before all worldly things is so Reasonable a thing that every one that Repenteth of the contrary course doth call it from his heart an impious madness Reason must needs be for God that made it Reason must needs be for that which is its proper End and Use. Sin as it is in the Understanding is nothing but Unreasonableness a blindness and error a loss and corruption of Reason in the matters of God and our salvation And Grace as in the understanding doth but cure this folly and distraction and make us Reasonable again It is but the opening of our eyes and making us wise in the greatest matters It is not a more unmanly thing to love and plead for blindness madness and diseases and to hate both sight and health and wit than it is to love and plead for sin and to hate and vilifie a holy life § 2. Grant me but this one thing that thou wilt but soberly exercise thy Reason about these great important questions Where must I abide for ever What must I do to be saved What was I created and Redeemed for And I shall hope that thy own understanding as erroneous as it is will work out something that will promote thy good Do but withdraw thy self one hour in a day from company and other business and Consider but as soberly and seriously of thy end and life as thou knowest the nature and weight of the matter doth require and I am perswaded thy own Reason and Conscience will call thee to Repentance and set thee at least in a far better way than thou wast in before When thou walkest alone or when thou wakest in the night remember soberly that God is present that time is hasting to an end that judgement is at hand where thou must give account of all thy hours of thy lusts and passions and desires of all thy thoughts and words and deeds and that thy endless joy or misery dependeth wholly and certainly on this little time Think but soberly on such things as these but one hour in a day or two and try whether it will not at once recover thee to wit and godliness and folly and sin will vanish away before the force of Considering Reason as the darkness vanisheth before the light I intreat thee now as in the presence of God and as thou wilt answer the denyal of so Reasonable a request at the day of Judgement that thou wilt but resolve to try this course of a sober serious Consideration about thy sin thy duty thy danger thy hope thy account and thy everlasting state Try it sometimes especially on the Lords dayes and do but mark the result of all and whither it is that such sober consideration doth point or lead thee Whether it be not towards a diligent holy heavenly life If thou deny me thus much God and thy Conscience shall bear witness that thou thoughtst thy salvation of little worth and therefore maist justly be denyed it § 3. Would it not be strange that a man should be penitent and Godly that never once thought of the matter with any seriousness in his life Can so many and great diseases of soul be cured before you have once soberly considered that you have them and how great and dangerous they are and by what remedies they must be cured Can grace be obtained and exercised while you never so much as think of it Can the main business of our lives be done without any serious thoughts when we think it fit to bestow so many upon the trivial matters of this world Doth the world and the flesh deserve to be remembred all the day and week and year and doth not God and thy salvation deserve to be thought on one hour in a day or one day in a week Judge of these things but as a man of reason If thou look that God who hath given thee Reason to guide thy Will and a Will to command thy actions should yet carry thee to Heaven like a Stone or save thee against or without thy will before thou didst ever once soberly think of it thou maist have leisure in Hell to lament the folly of such expectations Direction 6. SUffer not the Devil by company pleasure or worldly business to divert or hinder thee Direct 6. from these serious Considerations § 1. The Devil hath but two wayes to procure thy damnation The one is by keeping thee from any sober Remembrance of spiritual and eternal things and the other is if thou wilt needs think of them to deceive thee into false erroneous thoughts To bring to pass the first of these which is the most common powerful means his ordinary way is by diversion finding thee still something else to Even learning and honest studies may be used as a diversion from more necessary things Saith Petrarch in vita â—ua Iâ—gâ—nio sui ad omne boâ—um salâ—bâ—â— sâ—udiâ—m apto sed aâ— moâ—aâ—â—m pâ—aeâ—â—pâ—e phiâ—oâ—â—phiaâ— ad poeticam prono Quam ipsam pâ—ocessu temporis neglexi sacris literis delectatus in quibus seâ—si â—ulcedinem abditam quam aâ—â—uaâ—do 〈…〉 ram pâ—eticis literis noâ— nisi ad ornamentum reservatis do putting some other thoughts into thy mind and some other work into thy hand so that thou canst never have leisure for any sober thoughts of God
Idolatry 8. A perverse Spirit causing staggering and giddiness as a drunken man Isa. 19. 14. § 5. In the New Testament 1. He is sometimes called simply a Spirit Mar. 9. 20 26. Luke 9. 39. 10. 20. 2. Sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unclean Spirits Luke 6. 18. as contrary to the Holy Spirit and that from their Nature and effects 3. And after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doemons a word taken in a good sense in Heathen Writers but not in Scripture because they worshipped Devils under that name unless perhaps Acts 17. 18. 1 Tim. 4. 1. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with respect to their knowledge and as some think to the knowledge promised to Adam in the temptation 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Tempter Mat. 4. 5. Satan Mat. 4. 1 Pet. 5. 8. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an enemy Mat. 13. 28 39. 7. The strong man armed Mat. 12. 8. Angels 1 Cor. 6. 3. 2 Pet. 2. 4. Angels which kept not their first state Jude 6. 9. A Spirit of divination Acts 16. 16. 10. A roaring Lyon 1 Pet. 5. 8. 11. A Murderer John 8. 44. 12. Belial 2 Cor. 6. 15. 13. Beelzebub Mat. 12. the God of flies 14. The Prince of this world John 12. 21. from his power over wicked men 15. The God of this world 2 Cor. 4. 5. because the world obey him 16. The Prince of the power of the air Eph. 2. 2. 17. The Ruler of the darkness of this world Eph. 6. 12. Principalities and powers 18. The Father of the wicked John 8. 44. 19. The Dragon and the old Serpent Rev. 12. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the calumniatâ—r or false accuser often 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the evil one Mat. 23. 19. 22. An evil Spirit Acts 19. 15. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the destroyer and Abaddon the King of the Locusts and Angel of the bottomless pit Rev. 9. 11. unless that speak of Antichrist § 6. 3. He is too strong an enemy for lapsed sinful man to deal with of himself If he conquered us in innocency what may he do now He is dangerous 1. By the greatness of his subtilty 2. By the greatness of his Power 3. By the greatness of his Malice And hence 4. By his constant diligence watching when we sleep Mat. 13. 25. and seeking night and day to devour 1 Pet. 5. 8. Rev. 12. 4 § 7. 4. Therefore Christ hath engaged himself in our Cause and is become the Captain of our See my Treatise against Infidelity as before cited salvation Heb. 2. 10. And the world is formed into two Armies that live in continual War The Devil is the Prince and General of one and his Angels and wicked men are his Armies Christ is the King and General of the other and his Angels Heb. 2. 14. and Saints are his Army Between these two Armies are the greatest conflict in the world § 7. 5. It is supposed also that this War is carried on on both sides within us and without us by inward solicitations and outward means which are fitted thereunto § 8. 6. Both Christ and Satan work by Officers instruments and means Christ hath his Ministers 1 Cor. 3. 5. 4 1. 2 Cor. 11. 15. Acts 13. 8 9 10. to preach his Gospel and pull down the Kingdom of Satan And Satan hath his Ministers to preach licentiousness and lies and to resist the Gospel and Kingdom of Christ. Christ hath his Church and the Devil hath his Synagogue Christs Souldiers do every one in their places fight for him against the Devil And the Devils Souldiers do every one in their places fight against Christ. The Generals are both unseen to mortals and the unseen Power is theirs but their Agents are visible The Souldiers fight not only against the Generals but against one another but it is all or chiefly for the Generals sakes It is Christ that the wicked persecute in his Servants Acts 9. 4. And it is the Devil whom the godly hate and resist in the wicked But yet here are divers notable differences 1. The Devils Servants do not what they do in love to him but to their own flesh but Christs Servants do what they do in Love to him as well as to themselves 2. The Devils Army are cheated into Arms and War not knowing what they do But Christ doth all in the open light and will have no servants but those that deliberately adhere to him when they know the worst 3. The Devils servants do not know that he is their General but Christs followers do all know their Lord. 4. The Devils followers disown their Master and their work they will not own that they fight against Christ and his Kingdom while they do it But Christs followers own their Captain and his cause and work for he is not a master to be ashamed of § 9. 7. Both Christ and Satan work perswasively by moral means and neither of them by constraint and force Christ forceth not men against their wills to good and Satan cannot force them to be bad but all the endeavour is to make men willing and he is the Conquerour that getteth and keepeth our own consent § 10. 8. Their Ends are contrary and therefore their wayes are also contrary The Devils end is to draw man to sin and to damnation and to dishonour God And Christs end is to draw men from sin to Holiness and salvation and to honour God But Christ maketh known his end and Satan concealeth his End from his followers § 11. 9. There is somewhat within the good and bad for the contrary part to work upon and we are as it were divided in your selves and have somewhat in us that is on both sides The wicked have an honourable acknowledgement of God and of their greatest obligation to him a hatred to the Devil a love of themselves a willingness to be happy and an unwillingness to be miserable and a conscience which approveth of more good than they do and condemneth much of their transgression This is some advantage to the perswasions of the Ministers of Christ to work upon And they have Reason capable of knowing more The Souldiers of Christ have a fleshly appetite and the remnants of ignorance and error in their minds and of earthliness and carnality and averseness to God in their wills with a nearness to this world and much strangeness to the world to come And here is too much advantage for Satan to work on by his temptations § 12. 10. But it is the predominant part within us and the scope of our lives which sheweth which of the Armies we belong to And thus we must give up our names and hearts to Christ and engage under his Conduct against the Devil and conquer to the death if we will be saved Not to fight against the bare Name of the Devil for so will his own Souldiers and spit at his name and hang a Witch that makes a contract with him But it is
it will do its duty well in nothing and zeal will quickly be extinct Diligence will die when Conscience is corrupted or fallen aslèep § 39. Direct 8. Live in a constant expectation of death Do not foolishly flatter your self with Direct 8. groundless conceits that you shall live long There is a great power in Death to rowze up a drowsie soul when it is taken to be near And a great force in the conceit of living long to make even good men grow more negligent and secure § 40. Direct 9. Live among warm and serious Christians especially as to your intimate familiarity Direct 9. There is a very great power in the zeal of one to kindle zeal in others as there is in fire to kindle fire Prov. 22. â—4 â—5 27. 17. Heb. 3 13. 10 24 25. Rom. 15. 14. Serious hearty diligent Christians are excellent helps to make us serious and diligent He that travelleth with speedy travellers will be willing to keep pace with them and tired sluggards are drawn on by others When he that travelleth with the slothful will go slowly as they do § 41. Direct 10. Lastly Be oft in the use of quickning means Live if you can attain it under a Direct 10. quickning zealous Minister There is life in the word of God which when it 's opened and applied lively will put life into the hearers Read the holy Scriptures and such lively writings as help you to understand and practise them As going to the fire is our way when we are cold to cure our benummedness so reading over some part of a warm and quickning book will do much to warm and quicken a benummed soul And it is not the smallest help to rowze us up to prayer or meditation and put life into us before we address our selves more nearly unto God I have found it my self a great help in my studies and to my preaching when studying my own heart would not serve the turn to awake me to serious servency but all hath been cold and dull that I have done because all was cold and dull within I have taken up a book that was much more warm and serious than I and the reading of it hath recovered my heat and my warmed heart hath been fitter for my work Christians take heed of a cold and dull and heartless kind of Religion and think no pains too much to cure it Death is cold and life is warm and labour it self doth best excite it PART II. Directions about Sports and Recreations and against excess and sin therein § 1. Direct 1. IF you would escape the sin and danger which men commonly run into by unlawful Direct 1. sporting under pretense of lawful recreations you must understand what lawful recreation is and what is its proper end and use No wonder else if you sin when you know not what you do § 2. No doubt but some sport and recreation is lawful yea needful and therefore a duty to some What lawful recreation is men Lawful sport or recreation is the use of some Natural thing or action not forbidden us for the exhilerating of the natural spirits by the fantasie and due exercise of the natural parts thereby to fit the body and mind for ordinary duty to God It is some delightful exercise § 3. 1. We do not call unpleasing Labour by the name of sport or recreation though it may be better and more necessary 2. We call not every Delight by the name of sport or recreation For eating and drinking may be delightful and holy things and duties may be delightful and yet not properly spâ—â—ts or recreations But it is the fantasie that is chiefly delighted by sports § 4. Qual 1. All these things following are necessary to the Lawfulness of a sport or recreation and the want of any one of them will make and prove it to be unlawful 1. The end which you really intend in using it must be to fit you for your service to God that is either for your callings or for his worship or some work of obedience in which you may Please and Glorifie him 1 Cor. 10. 31. Whether ye eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the Glory of God It is just to your Duty as the Mowers whetting to his Sithe to make it for to do his work § 5. Qual 2. Therefore the person that useth it must be one that is heartily devoted to God and his Service and really liveth to do his work and please and glorifie him the world which none but the Godly truly do And therefore no carnal ungodly person that hath no such Holy end can use any recreation lawfully because he useth it not to a due end For the end is essential to the moral good of any action and an evil end must needs make it evil Tit. 1. 15. Unto the Pure all things are Pure that is all things not forbidden but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing Pure but even their mind and Conscience is defiled § 6. Quest. But must all wicked men therefore forbear recreation Answ. 1. Wicked men are such as Quest. will not obey Gods law if they know it and therefore they enquire not what they should do with any purpose sincerely to obey But if they would obey that which God commandeth them is immediately to forsake their wickedness and to become the servants of God and then there will be no room for the question 2. But if they will continue in a sinful ungodly state it is in vain to contrive how they may sport themselves without sin But yet we may tell them that if the sport be materially lawful it is not the matter that they are bound to forsake but it is the sinful end and manner And till this be reformed they cannot but sin § 7. Qual 3. A lawful recreation must be a means fitly chosen and used to this end If it have no aptitude to fit us for Gods service in our ordinary Callings and duty it can be to us no lawful recreation Though it be lawful to another that it is a real help to it is unlawful to us § 8. Qual 4. 4. Therefore all Recreations are unlawful which are themselves preferred before our Callings or which are used by a man that liveth idly or in no Calling and hath no ordinary work to make him need them For these are no fit means which exclude our end instead of furthering it § 9. Qual 5. 5. Therefore all those are unlawful sports which are used only to delight a carnal fantasie and have no higher end than to please the sickly mind that loveth them § 10. Qual 6. 6. And therefore all those are unlawful sports which really unfit us for the dutys of our Callings and the service of God which laying the benefit and hurt together do hinder us as much or more than they help us Which is the case of all voluptuous wantons § 11. Qual 7.
In your Baptism you renounced the world with its pomps and vanity and now do you deifie what you then defied § 36. Temp. 18. Another Temptation is to draw on the sinner into such a custom in sin and long Tempt 18. neglect of the means of his Recovery till his Heart is utterly Hardened § 37. Direct 18. Against this read after Chap. 4. Part. 2. against Hardness of Heart Direct 18. Tempt 19. § 38. Temp. 19. Another Temptation is to Delay Repentance and purpose to do it hereafter § 39. Direct 19. Of this I entreat you to read the many Reasons which I have given to shame and Direct 19. waken delayers in my Book of Directions for a sound Conversion § 40. Tempt 20. The worst of all is to tempt them to flat unbelief of Scripture and the life Tempt 20. to come § 41. Direct 20. Against this read here Chap. 3. Dir. 1. Chap. 4. Part. 1. and my Treatise against Direct 20. Infidelity § 42. Temp. 21. If they will needs looks after Grace he will do all he can to deceive them with counterfeits Tempt 21. and make them take a seeming half conversion for a saving change § 43. Direct 21. Of this read my Directions for sound Conversion and the Formal Hypocrite and Direct 21. Saints Rest Part. 3. c. 10. § 44. Temp. 22. If he cannot make them flat Infidels he will tempt them to question and contradict Tempt 22. the sense of all those Texts of Scripture which are used to convince them and all those doctrines which grate most upon their galled consciences as of the Necessity of Regeneration the fewness of them that are saved the difficulty of salvation the torments of Hell the necessity of mortification and the sinfulness of all particular sins They will hearken what Cavillers can say for any sin and against any part of Godliness and with this they wilfully delude themselves § 45. Direct 22. But if men are resolved to joyn with the Devil and shut their eyes and â—avil Direct 22. against all that God speaketh to them to prevent their misery and know not because they will not know what remedy is left or who can save men against their wills This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil He that doth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved John 3. 19 20. In Scripture some things are hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3. 16. Of particulars read the end of my Treatise of Conversion § 46. Temp. 23. Yea Satan will do his worst to make them Hereticks and teach them some doctrine Tempt 23. of licentiousness suitable is their lusts It s hard being wicked still against Conscience in the open light This is kicking against the pricks too smarting work to be easily born Therefore the Devil will make them a Religion which shall please them and do their sins no haâ—m Either a Religion made up of loose Opinions like the Familists Ranters Libertines and Antinomians and the Jesuites too much or else made up of trifling formalities and a great deal of bodily exercise and Stage-actings and complement as much of the Popish devotion is And a little will draw a carnal heart to believe a carnal doctrine It s easier to get such a new Religion than a new heart And then the Devil tells them that now they are in the right way and therefore they shall be saved A great part of the world think their case is good because they are of such or such a Sect or Party and of that which they are told by their Leaders is the true Church and way § 47. Direct 23. But remember that what ever Law you make to your selves God will judge Direct 23. you by his own Law Falsifying the Kings Coyn is no good way to pay a debt but an addition of Treason to your former misery It is a new and a holy heart and life and not a new Creed or a new Church or Sect that is necessary to your salvation It will never save you to be in the soundest Church on earth if you be unsound in it your selves and are but the dust in the Temple that must be swept ouâ— Much less will it save you to make your selves a Rule because Gods Rule doth seem too strict § 48. Tempt 24. Another way of the Tempter is to draw men to take up with meer Convictions Tempt 24. instead of true Conversion when they have but learnt that it is Necessary to salvation to be Regenerate and have the Spirit of Christ they are as quiet as if this were indeed to be regenerate and to have the Spirit As some think they have attained to perfection when they have but received the opinion that perfection may here be had so abundance think they have sanctification and forgiveness because now they see that they must be had and without sanctification there is no salvation And thus the knowledge of all Grace and Duty shall go with them for the grace and duty it self and their judgement of the thing instead of the possession of it and instead of having grace they force themselves to believe that they have it § 49. Direct 24. But remember God will not be mocked He knoweth a convinced head from Direct 24. a holy heart To think you are Rich will not make you rich To believe that you are well or to know the remedy is not enough to make you well You may dream that you eat and yet awake hungry Isa. 29. 8. All the Land or money which you see is not therefore your own To know that you should be holy maketh your unholiness to have no excuse Ahab did not scape by believing that he should return in peace Self-flattery in so great and weighty a case is the greatest folly If you know these things happy are ye if you do them John 13. 17. § 50. Tempt 25. Another great Temptation is by hiding from men the intrinsick evil and odiousness Tempt 25. of â—in What harm saith the Drunkard and Adulterer and voluptuous Sensualists is there in all this that Preachers make so great ado against it What hurt is this to God or man that they would make us believe we must be damned for it and that Christ dyed for it and that the Holy Ghost must mortifie it Wherefore say the Iews Ier. 16. 10. hath God pronounced all this great evil against us or what is our iniquity or what is our sin that we have committed He that knoweth not God knoweth not what sin against God is especially when the Love of it and Delight in it blindeth them § 51. Direct 25. Against this I intreat you to ponder on those forty intrinsecal evils in sin which Direct 25. I have after
it as some of a higher degree The thing pretended by Eminent Hypoâ—â—ites is to be zealous eminent Christians or at least to be sincere in a special manner while they discern the common Hypocrite not to be sincere 2. The cloak of seeming or pretense by which they would be thought to be what they are not is any thing in gâ—neral that hath an appearance of Godliness and is apt to make others think them godly And thus there are diverse sorts of Hypocrites according to the variety of their cloaks or ways of dissimulation though hypocrisie it self be in all of them the same thing As among the very Mahometanes and Heathens there oft arise some notable Hypocrites that by pretended Revelations and austerity of life profess themselves as Mahomet did to be Holy persons that had some extraordinary familiarity with God or Angels So among the Papists there are besides the common ones as many sorts of Hypocrites as they have self-devised Orders And every where the cloak of the common Hypocrite is so thin and transparent that it sheweth his nakedness to the more intelligent sort And this puts the Eminent Hypocrite upon some more laudable pretense that is not so transparent As for instance the Hypocrisie of common Papists whose cloak is made up of penances and ceremonies of saying over latine words or numbering words and beads for prayers with all the rest of their trumpery before named Chap. 3. Gr. Dir. 15. Dir. 11. is so thin a cloak that it will not â—atisfie some among themselves but they withdraw into distinct societies and orders the Church and the profession of Christianity being not enough for them that they may be Religious as if they saw that the rest are not Religious And then the common sort of ungodly Protestants have so much wit as to see through the cloak of all the Popish Hypocrisie and therefore they take up a fitter for themselves and that is the name of a Protestant Reformed Religion and Church joyned to the Common Profession of Christianity The Name or Profession of a Christian and a Protestant with going to Church and a heartless lip-service or saying their Prayers is the cloak of all ungodly Protestants Others discerning the thinness of this cloak do think to make themselves a better and they take up the strictest opinions in Religion and own those which they account the strictest party and own that which they esteem the purest and most spiritual worship The cloak of these men is their opinions pâ—rty and way of worship while their carnal lives detect their Hypocrisie Some that see through all these pretenses do take up the most excellent cloak of all and that is An appearance of serious spirituality in Religion with a due observation of all the outward parts and means and a Reformation of life in works of piety Iustice and charity I say An appearance of all these which if they had indeed they were sincere and should be saved in which the Godly Christian goeth beyond them all § 4. By this it is plain that among us in England all men that are not Saints are Hypocrites because that all except here or there a Jew or Infidel profess themselves to be Christians and every true Christian is a Saint They know that none but Saints or Godly persons shall be saved And there is few of them that will renounce their hopes of Heaven and therefore they must pretend to be all godly And is it not most cursed horrid hypocrisie for a man to pretend to Religion as the only way to his salvation and confidently call himself a Christian while he hateth and derideth the power and practice of that very Religion which he doth profess Of this see my Treat of The Vain Religion of the Formal Hypocrite When Pâ—â—â—â— in vita sua speaketh of others extolling his eloquence he addeth his own neglect of it Ego modo bene vixisâ—em qualiter dixisâ—em parvi sacerem Venâ—osa gloria est de solo verborum splendore famam quaerere Conscientiam potius quam famam attende Falli saepe poterit fama Conscientia nunquam Seâ—ec § 5. The Hypocrites Ends in his pretenses and dissemblings are not all the same One intendeth the pleasing of Parents or some friends on whom he doth depend that will else be displeased with him and think ill of him Another intendeth the pleasing of the higher powers when it falls out that they are friends to Godliness Another intends the preserving of his esteem with religious persons that they may not judge him wicked and prophane Another intendeth the hiding of some particular villany or the success of some ambitious enterprise But the most common end is to quiet and comfort their guilty souls with an Image of that Holiness which they are without and to steal some peace to their Consciences by a lie And so because they will not be Religious indeed they will take up some shew or image of Religion to make themselves as well as others believe that they are Religious § 6. Direct 1. To escape Hypocrisie understand well wherein the life and power of Godliness doth consist Direct 1. and wherein it differeth from the lifeless Image or Corps of Godliness The life of Godliness is expressed in the 17 Grand Directions in Chap. 4. It principally consisteth in such a faith in Christ as causeth us to Love God above all and obey him before all and prefer his favour and the hopes of Heaven before all the pleasures or profits or honours of the world and to worship him in spirit and truth according to the direction of his word The Images of Religion I shewed you before § 3. Take heed of such a lifeless Image § 7. Direct 2. See that your chief study be about the Heart that there Gods Image may be planted Direct 2. and his interest advanced and the interest of the world and flesh subdued and the Love of every sin cast out and the Love of Holiness succeed and that you content not your selves with seeming to do goâ—d in outward acts when you are bad your selves and strangers to the great internal duties The first and Sic vivendum est quaâ—i in coâ—â—â—â—ctu â—â—â—amuâ— Sic cogitandum tanquam aliquis pectus intimum prospicere poâ—â—iâ— Senec. Rem dâ—â—am ex qua mâ—â—â—â—s a stimes nâ—straâ— Vix quempiam invenâ—es qui possit aperto ostiâ—â—ivâ—re jâ—â—itores conscientia nostra suposuit sic vivimus ut deprehendi sit sabiâ—â— aspici Senec. Ep. 96. great work of a Christian is about his heart There it is that God dwelleth by his spirit in his Saints And there it is that sin and Satan reign in the ungodly The great duties and the great sins are those of the heart There is the root of Good and Evil The tongue and life are but the fruits and expressions of that which dwelleth within The inward habit of sin is as a second nature And a sinful nature is worse than a sinful
22. Live continually as one that is going to be judged at the barr of God where all Direct 22. Hypocrisie will be opened and shamed and Hypocrites condemned by the All-knowing God One thought of our appearing before the Lord and of the day of his impartial judgement one would think should make men walk as in the light and teach them to understand that the Sun is not eclipsed as oft as they wink nor is it night because they draw the Curtains What a shame will it be to have all your dissimulation laid open before all the world Luke 12. 1 2 3. Beware of the leven of the Pharisâ—es which is Hypocrisie For there is nothing covered which shall not be revealed neither â—id that shall not be known Therefore what ever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed on the house tops § 28. Direct 23. Think not that you avoid Hypocrisie by changing the expressions of it but see that Direct 23. you run not into a more subtile kind while you avoid a grossee There is no outward way of worshipping God nor no opinion in Religion so sound but an Hypocrite can make a cloak of it You see an ignorant ridiculous Hypocrite such as Bishop Hall describeth in his character that can pray up to a Pillar when his heart knoweth not what his tongue is doing that babbleth over a few words to God while he is dressing or washing him and talking between to the standers by who offereth to God the Sacrifice of a fool and knoweth not that he doth evil Eccles. 5. 2. that serveth God with toyes and antick gestures and saying over certain words which were never acquainted with the feeling of his heart nor scarce with his understanding And to avoid his hypocrisie perhaps you can merrily deride him and make a formal Popish Hypocrite the subject of your jeasts and you can your selves with good understanding poure out your selves many hours togethers in orderly and meet expressions of prayer But remember that many an Hypocrite maketh himself a cloak of as good stuff as this And that as Pride hath more advantage to work upon your greater knowledge and better parts so Hypocrisie is but the off-spring of Pride All this without a Heart entirely devoted unto God is but a carkass better drâ—sâ— as the rich have more curious monuments than the poor There is no outside thing in which an Hypocrite may not seem excellent Direct 24. § 29. Direct 24. Be true to Conscience and hearken diligently to all it saith and be often treating Quid proâ—â—st reâ—o dâ—â—eâ—se oâ—â—â—â—os hoâ—â—num auâ—eâ—que viâ—are â—â—â—â—a 〈…〉 entia tâ—â—â—â—m ad 〈…〉 maâ—â— aâ—â—em in so 〈…〉 anxâ—â— â—oâ—â—â—â—iâ—a est Sâ— honesta sunt quae sa is omnes sâ—â—ant Sâ— turyâ—a quid reâ—ert neminem sâ—â—re cum â—u tu scias Oâ—â— miserum si câ—ntâ—mâ—ts â—unâ—â—â—â—â—em Sâ—â— Ep. 9â— Matth. 23. 13 14 15 23 25 27 29. with it and daily conversant and well acquainted with it Hypocrites bear little reverence to their Consciences They make so often and so grosly bold with them that Conscience is deposed from its office at the present and 〈…〉 d by them lest it should gall them by preaching to them those hard sayings which they cannot bâ—â—â—â— And perhaps at last it is â—eared or bribed to take part with sin But usually an Hypocrite hath â— secret Judge within him which condemneth him Take heed how you use your Consciences as you love your peace or happiness Next Christ it must be your best friend or your gr 〈…〉 y Palliate it how you will at present if you wound it it will smart at last And it is easier to bear poverty or shame or torment than to bear its wounds Prov. 18. 14. 1. Mark the very principles and former judgement of your Consciences and if they are changed know what changed them 2. Hearken to all the secret counsel and reproofs of Conscience especially when it speaketh oft and terribly Turn it not off without a hearing yea know the reason of its very scruples and doubts 3. When it is sick and disquieted know what the matter is Psal 53. 5. and vomit up the matter that justly disquiets it whatever it cost you and be sure you go to the bottom and do not leave the root behind 4. Open your Consciences to some able trusty guide when it is necessary though it cost you shame An over-tender avoiding of such shame is the Hypocrites sin and folly Counsel is safe in matters of such importance 5. Prefer Conscience before all men how great soever None is above it but God It is Gods messenger when it is Conscience indeed Remember what it saith to you and from whom and for what end Let friends and neighbours and company and basiness and profit and sports and honour stand by and all give place whilst Conscience speaketh For it will be a better friend to you than any of these if you use it as a friend It would have been better to Iudas than his thirty pieces were 6 Yet see that it be well informed and see its commission for it is not above God nor is it masterless or lawless 7. Converse not with it only in a crowd but in secret Psal. 4. 4. 8. Keep it awake and keep it among awakening means and company It will much sooner fall asleep in an Ale-house or a Play-house or among the foolish and prophane than at a lively Sermon or Prayer or reverent discourse of God If I could but get Conscience awakened to perform its office and preach over all this that I have said in secret it would â—â—rret the Hypocrite out of his self-deceit Go Conscience and search that deceitful heart and speak to it in the Name of God Ask that Hypocrite whether Conversion ever made him a new Creature and whether his soul and all that he hath be entirely devoted unto God and whether his hopes and treasure be laid up in Heaven and his heart be there and whether he subject all his worldly interest to the Will of God and the interest of his soul and whether his greatest work be about his Heart and to approve himself to God and whether he make an impartial diligent enquiry after the truth with a desire to receive it at the dearest rates Tell him that a proud self-flattery may now make him justifie or extenuate his sins and take his formalities and lip-service and abuse of God for true devotion and hate every man that would detect his hypocrisie and convert him by bringing in the light But a light will shortly appear to his soul which he shall not resist And then let him stand to his justification if he can and let him then make it good that he gave up himself in sincerity simplicity and self-denyal to his God § 30. Direct 25. Remember that Hypocrisie lyeth much in doubling and
than they are 11. He is one that is not subject to the passions of men which blind their minds and carry them to injustice 12. He is one that will not be moved by tale-bearers whisperers or false-accusers nor can be perverted by any misinformation § 61. Consider also the Benefits of taking up with the Pleasing of God 1. The Pleasing of him is your Happiness it self The matter of pure and full and constant comfort which you may have continually at hand and no man can take from you Get this and you have the end of man Nothing can be added to it but the perfection of the same Which is Heaven it self § 62. 2. What abundance of disappointments and vexations will you scape which tear the very hearts of man-pleasers and fill their lives with unprofitable sorrows § 63. 3. It will guide and order your cares and desires and thoughts and labours to their right and proper end and prevent the perverting of them and spending them in sin and vanity on the creature § 64. 4. It will make your lives not only to be Divine but this Divine life to be sweet and easy while you set light by humane censures which would create you prejudice and difficulties When others glory in wit and wealth and strength you would glory in this that you know the Lord. Jer. 9. 23 § 65. 5. As God is above man thy heart and life is highly ennobled by having so much respect to God and rejecting inordinate respect to man This is indeed to walk with God § 66. 6. The sum of all graces is contained in this sincere desire to please thy God and contentedness in this so far as thou findest it attained Here is faith and humility and love and holy desire and trust and the fear of God concentered You sanctifie the Lord of hosts himself and make him your fear and dread and Sanctuary Isa. 8. 13 14. § 67. 7. If humane approbation be good for you and worth your having this is the best way to it for God hath the disposal of it If a mans wayes please the Lord he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him Prov. 16. 7. Appeasing their wrath or restraining them from intended evil or doing us good by that which they intend for hurt § 68. See therefore that you live upon Gods approbation as that which you chiefly seek and will suffice Signs you Which you may discover by these signs 1. You will be most careful to understand the Scripture to know what doth please and displease God 2. You will be more careful in the doing of every duty to fit it to the pleasing of God than man 3. You will look to your Hearts and not only to your actions To your ends and thoughts and the inward manner and degree 4. You will look to secret duties as well as publick and to that which men see not as well as unto that which they see 5. You will reverence your consciences and have much to do with them and will not slight them When they tell you of Gods displeasure it will disquiet you When they tell you of his approbation Non est idonâ—uâ— Philosopâ—â—ae discipuluâ— quâ— sâ—ultum pudâ—â—em nâ—n possit contemnâ—re Id. ioâ—d p. 728. it will comfort you 6. Your pleasing men will be charitable for their good and pious in order to the pleasing of God and not proud and ambitious for your honour with them nor impious against the pleasing of God 7. Whether men be pleased or displeased or how they judge of you or what they call you will seem a small matter to you as to your own interest in comparison of Gods judgement You live not on them You can bear their displeasure censures and reproaches if God be but pleased These will be your evidences PART V. Directions against Pride and for Humility § 1. PRIDE being reputed the great sin of the Devil by which he sell is in the name and Of this subject read the preface to my Book of self-denial and Chap. 41. to Chap. 51. general notion of it infamous and odious with allmost all but the nature of it is so much unknown and the sin so undiscerned by the most that it is commonly cherished while it is commonly spoke against Therefore the chief Directions for the conquering of it are those that are for the full discovery of it For when it is seen it is shamed and to shame it is to destroy it § 2. Direct 1. Understand aright the nature of Pride that you may neither ignorantly retain it nor Direct 1. oppose your duty as supposed to be Pride Here I shall tell you 1. What Pride is and what commandment it is against And what Humility is which is its contrary 2. Some seemings or appearances like Pride which may make men censured as Proud for that which is not Pride 3. The counterfeits of Humility which may make a Proud man seem to himself or others to be Humble § 3. I. PRIDE is an inordinate self-exalting or a lifting up our selves above the state or degree Pride what appointed us It is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it is an appearing to our selves and a desire to appear to others above what we are or above others of our quality It is a branch of SELFISHNESS and containeth man-pleasing as before described and produceth Hypocrisie and is its original and life It containeth in it these following acts or parts 1. A will to be higher or greater than God would have us be 2. An overvaluing of our selves or esteeming our selves to be Greater Wiser or Better than indeed we are 3. A desire that others should think of us and speak of us and use us as greater or wiser or better than we are 4. An endeavour or seeking to rise above our appointed place or to be overvalued by others 5. An ostentation of our inordinate self-esteem in outward signs of speech or action Every one of these is an act of Pride The three first are the inward acts of it in the Mind and Will and the two last are its external acts § 4. As the Love of God and man are the comprehensive duties of the Decalogue expressed most Against what Commandment in the first and last Commandment but yet extending themselves to all the rest so SELFISHNESS and PRIDE which is a principal part of it are the opposite sins forbidden principally in the first and last Commandment as contrary to the Love of God and man but so as it is contrary to the rest They are sins against the very Relation it self that God and man do stand in to us and not only against a particular Law They are against the very constitution of the Kingdom of God and not only against the Administration It is Treason or Idolatry against God and a setting up our selves in some part of his prerogative And it is a monstrous extuberancie in the Body and a rising of one
and appear before the Holy God When the Bell is ready to toll for thee and thy Winding-â—heet to be fâ—tcht out and thy Coffin prepared and the Bier to be fetcht to carry thee to tâ—â— Grave and leave thee in the dark with worms and rottenness Wilt thou then be proud Where then â—re your high looks and lofty minds and splendid ornaments and honours Then will you be climbing into higher rooms and seeking to be revenged on those that did eclipse your honour Saith David even of Princes and all the sons of men Psal. 146. 3 4. His breath goeth forth he returneth to his earth in that very day his thoughts perish § 100. Direct 19. Look on the lamentable effects of Pride about you in the world and that will help Direct 19. you to see the odiousness and perniâ—â—ous nature of it Do you not see how it setâ—eth the whole world on 〈…〉 â—ow it raisâ—r Wars and ruineth Kingdoms and draweth out mens blood and filleth the world with malice and haâ—â—ed and cruelty 〈…〉 nd injustice and treasons and rebellions and destroyeth mercy truth and honesty and all that is 〈◊〉 of God upon the mind of man Whence is all the confusion and calamity all the câ—nsoriousneâ—â— reviliâ—gs and cruelties which we have seen or felt or heard of but from Pride What is it that hath trampled upon the Intâ—â—â—â—st of Christ and his Gospel through the world but pride What else is it that hath burnt his Martyrs and made havock of his sâ—â—vants and distracted and divided his Church with Schisms and set up so many Sect-masters and Sects and câ—usâ—d them almost all to set against others but this cursed unmorâ—â—fied Pride He that hath seen but what Pride hath been doing in England in this age and yet discerneth not its hatefulness and perniciousness is strangely blind Every proud man is a plague or burden to the place he liveth in If he get high he is a Nabal a man can scarce speak to him He thinks all under him are made but to serve his will and honour as inferiour creatures are made for man If he be an iâ—â—â—â—riour he scorneth at the honour and government of his Superiours and thinks they take too much upon them and that it is below him to obey If he be rich he thinks the poor mu 〈…〉 bow to him as to 〈…〉 Golden Calf or Nebuchadnezzars Golden Image If he poor he envieth the rich and is impatâ—â—nt of the state that God hath set him in If he be learned he thinks himself an Oracle â—â— uâ—learned he dâ—spiseth the knowledge which he wanteth and scorneth to be ta 〈…〉 What staâ—â— soâ—ver he is in he is a very Salamander that liveth in the fire he troubleth House a 〈…〉 own and Counâ—â—â—â— if his power be answerable to his heart he is an unpolished stone that will never lye even in any building he is a natural enemy to quietness and peace § 101. Direct 20 Consider well how God hath designed the humbling of all that he will save in his Direct 20. â—â—â—â—le con 〈…〉 nce of the work of our Redemption He could have saved man by keeping him in his prâ—â—itive innocency if he had pleased Though he causeth not sin he knoweth why he permitteth it He thought it 〈◊〉 enough that man should have the thought of creation to humble him as being taken from the dust and made of nothing but he will also have the sense of his moral nothingness and sinfulness to humble him He will have him beholden to his Redeemer and Sanctifier for his new life and his salvation as much as to his Creator for his natural life He is permitted first to undo himself and bring himself under condemnation to be a child of death and near to Hell before he is ransâ—med and delivered that he may take to himself the shame of his misery and ascribe all his hopes and recovery to God No flesh shall be justified by the works of the Law or by a righteousness of his own performance but by the satisfaction and merits of his Redeâ—mer that so all boasting may be excluded and that no flesh might glory in his sight and that man Rom. 3. 19 20 â—â— 27 4. â— 1 Cor. 1. 29. â—phes 2. 9. might be humbled and our Redeemer have the praise to all eternity And therefore God prepareth men for faith and pardon by humbling works and forceth sinners to condemn themselves before he will justifie them § 102. Direct 21. Read over the character which Christ himself giveth of his true Disciples and you will Direct 21. see what great self-denyal and humility he requireth in all In your first conversion you must become as little children Matth. 18. 3. Instead of contending for superiority and greatness you must be ambitious of being servants unto all Matth. 23. 11. 20. 27. You must learn of him to be meek and lowly of heart Matth. 11. 28 29. and to â—â—oop to wash your brethrens feet Iohn 13. 5. 14. Instead of revenge or unpeaceable contending for your right you must rather obey those that injuriously Luke 22. 26. Mark 10. 44. Maâ— 9 35 36 2 Tim. 2. 24. command you and turn the other cheâ—k to him that smiteth you and let go the rest to him that hath injuriously taken from you and bless them that curse you and pray for them that huâ—t and persecuâ—e you and dâ—spightfully use you Matth. 5. 39 40 41 44. These are the followers of Christ. § 103. Direct 22. Remember how Pride contradicteth it self by exposing you to the hatred or contempt Direct 22. of all All men abhor that Pride in others which they cherish in themselves A humble man is well thought of by all that know him and a proud man is the mark of common obloquy The rich disdain him the poor envy him and all hate him and many deride him This is his success § 104. Direct 23. Look still unto that dismal end which Pride doth tend unto It threatneth Apostasie Direct 23. If God forsake any one among you and any of you forsake God his Truth and your Consciences and be made as Lots Wife a monument of his vengeance for a warning unto others it will be the proud and self-conceited person It maketh all the mercies of God your duties and parts and objectively your very graces to be its food and fewel It is a sign you are near some dreadful fall or heavy judgement For God hath given you this prognostick Luke 14. 11. 1. 51. Prov. 15. 25. 16. 5. Isa. 2. 11 12. An Ahab is safer when he humbleth himself and an Hezekiah is falling when he is lifted up They are the most hardned sinners scorning reproof and therefore ordinarily forsaken both by God and man and left to their self-delusion till they perish § 105. Direct 24. Converse with humbled and afflicted persons and not with proud secure worldlings Direct 24. Be much in the house of
You will not leave it nasty and unclean You will not leave it common to every dirty unsuitable companion to intrude at pleasure and disturb your friend So Love and Pleasure will be readily and composedly careful to keep clean the heart and shut out vain and filthy thoughts and say This room is for a better guest Nothing shall come here which my Lord abhorreth Is he willing so wonderfully to condescend as to take up so mean a habitation and shall I streighten him or offend him by letting in his noysome enemies Will he dwell in my heart and shall I suffer thoughts of pride or lust or malice to dwell with him or to enter in Are these fit companions for the spirit of grace Do I delight to grieve him I know as soon as ever they come in he will either resist them till he drive them out again or he will go out himself And shall I drive away so dear a friend for the love of a filthy pernicious enemy Or do I delight in warr Would I have a continual combat in my heart Shall I put the spirit of Christ to fight for his habitation against such an ignominous foe Indeed there is no true cure for sinful vain unprofitable thoughts but by the contrary by calling up the thoughts unto their proper work and finding them more profitable employment And this is by consecrating the Heart and them entirely to the Love and service of him that hath by the wonders of his Love and by the strange design of his purchase and merits so well deserved them Let Christ come in and deliver him the Key and pray him to keep thy heart as his own and he will cast out buyers and sellers from his temple and will not suffer his house of prayer to be a den of thieves But if you receive Christ with reserves and keep up designs for the world and flesh marvel not if Christ will be no partners with them but leave all to those guests which you would not leave for him Tit. 2. Directions to furnish the Mind with good Thoughts 〈…〉 TO have the mind well furnished with Matter for holy and profitable thoughts is necessary to all that have the use of Reason though not to all alike But I shall here present you only with such materials as are necessary to a holy life and to be used in our daily walk with God and not meddle with such as are proper to Pastors Magistrates or other special callings though I may give some general Directions also for Students in the End of this § 1. Direct 1. Understand well your own Interest and great Concernments and be well resolved what Direct 1. you live for and what is your true felicity and End and then this will command your Thoughts to 1. Our own Interest and End serve it The End is it that the Means are all chosen for and used for A mans estimation directeth his Intention and designs And his Intention and designs command his thoughts These will certainly have the first and chiefest the most serious and practical and effectual thoughts though some by thoughts may run out another way As the Miller will be sure to keep so much water as is necessary to grind his grist though he may let that run by which he thinks he hath no need of As you gather in all your Corn and Fruit for your selves at harvest though perhaps you will leave some scatterings which you do not value much for any that will to gather so whatever a man taketh for his ultimate end and true felicity will have the store and stream of his cogitations though he may scatter some few upon other things when he thinks he may do it without any detriment to his main design As a travellers face is ordinarily towards his journeys end though so far as he thinks it doth not stop him he may look behind him or on each side so our main end will in the main carry on our thoughts And therefore unholy souls that know not practically any higher end than the prosperity and pleasure of the flesh and the plenty and honour of the world cannot possibly exercise any holy Government over their thoughts but their minds and consciences are defiled and their thoughts made carnal as is their end Nor is there any possibility of curing their vicious wicked thoughts and of ordering them acceptably to God but by curing their worldly carnal minds and causing them to change their designs and ends And this must be by understanding what is their interest Know well but what it is that is most Necessary for you and Best for you and it will change your hearts and save your souls Know this and your Thoughts will never want matter to be employed on nor will they be suffered to wander much abroad Therefore it is that the expectation of death and the thought of coming presently to judgement do use more effectually to supply the mind with the wisest and most useful thoughts than the learnedst Book or ordinary means can That which tells a man best what he hath to do doth best tell him what he hath to think on But the approach of death and the appearance of eternity doth best tell a dull and fleshly sinner what he hath to do This tells and tells him roundly that he must presently search his heart and life and judge himself as one that is going to the final judgement and that it is high time for him to look out for the remedy for his sin and misery c. And therefore it will command his thoughts this way Ask any Lawyer Physicion or Tradesman what commands his Thoughts and you will find that his Interest and his Ends and work command them Know what it is to have an immortal soul that must live in Joy or Wo for ever and what it is to be alwayes so near to the irreversible determining sentence and what it is to have this short uncertain time and no more to make our preparation in and then its easie to foretell which way your thoughts will go A man that knoweth his house is on fire will be thinking how to quench it A man that knoweth he is entring into a mortal sickness will be thinking how to cure it There is no better way to have your Thoughts both furnished and acted aright than to know your Interest and right End § 2. Direct 2. Know God aright and behold him by the eye of an effectual faith and you shall never Direct 2. want matter for holy thoughts His Greatness and continual presence with you may command your 2. God thoughts and awe them and keep them from masterless vagaries His wisdom will find them continual employment upon the various excellent and delectable subjects of his natural and supernatural revelation but no where so much as upon himself In God thou maist find matter for thy cogitations and affections most high and excellent delighting the mind with
terrible hand appeared writing upon the Wall to King Belshazzar in his carousing to signifie the loss of his Kingdoms and that very night he was also sâ—ain Thou seest God spareth not Kings themselves that one would think might be allowed more pleasure and will he spare thee Prov. 31. 4 5. It is not for Kings to drink wine nor for Princes strong drink and is it then for thee mark the dreadful fruits of it even to the greatest Hos. 7. 3 4 5. They make the King glad with their wickedness and the Princes with their lyes They are all Adulterers as an Oven heated In the day of our King the Princes have made him sick with bottles of wine he stretched out his hand with sâ—â—râ—â—rs Thou seest that be they great or small both soul and body is cast by tipling and drunkenness into greater danger than thou art in at Sea in a raging tempest Thou puttest thy self in the way of the vengeance of God and art not like to scape it long § 47. Quest. 6. Didst thou ever measure thy sin by that strange kind of punishment commanded by Quest. 6. God against iâ—â—â—â—rrigible gluttons and drunkards Deut. 21. 18 19 20 21. If a man have a stuâ—â—â—â—rn and rebellious Son which will not obey the voice of his Father or the voice of his mother and that when they have chastened him will not hearken to them Then shall his Father and his mother â—â—y â—â—ld on him and bring him out unto the Elders of his City and to the gate of his place And they shall sâ—y unto the Elders of his City This our Sâ—n is stubborn and rebellious he will not obey our voice he is a Glutton and a Drunkard And all the men of his City shall stone him with stones that he dye so shalt thâ—u put away evil from among you and all Israel shall hear and fear Surely Gluttony and Drunkenness are heynous crimes when a man 's own Father and Mother were bound to bring him to the Magistrate to be put to death if he will not be reformed by their own correction And you see here that youth is no excuse for it though now its thought excusable in them § 48. Quest. 7. Dost thou think thy drink is too good to leave at Gods command Or dost thou think Quest. 7. that God dâ—th grudge thee the sweetness of it or rather that he forbids it thee for thy good that thou maist sâ—ape the hurt And tell me Dost thou love God better than thy drink and pleasure or dost thou not If not thy own Conscience must needs tell thee if thou have a Conscience not quite feared that there is no hope of thy salvation in that state But if thou say thou dost will God or any wise man believe thee that thou lovest him better and wilt not be so far ruled by him nor leave so small a matter for his sake 1 Joh. 5. 3. For this is the Love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not grievous So 2 Ioh. 6. § 49. Quest. 8. Dost thou remember that thy Carkâ—ss must lye rotting in the grave and how loathsome Quest. 8. a thing it must shortly be And canst thou make so great a matter of the present satisfying of so vile a body and dung the earth at so dear a rate § 50. Quest. 9. Wouldst thou have all thy friends and children do as thou dost If so what would Quest. 9. become of thy estate It would be a mad world if all were drunkards wouldst thou have thy Wife a Drunkard If she were thou wouldst scarce be confident of her Chastity Wouldst thou have thy Servants Drunkards If they were they might set thy house on fire and they would do thee little work or do it so as it were better be undone Thy house would be a Bedlam if all were Drunkards and much worse than Bedlam for there are some wise men to govern and correct the mad ones But if thou like it not in wife and Children and Servants why dost thou continue it thy self Art thou not neerest to thy self Dost thou love any others better than thy self Hâ—dst thou rather thy own soul were damned than theirs Or canst thou more easily endure it I have wondered sometimes to observe some Drunkards very severe against the same sin in their Children and very desirous to have them sober But the reason is because the sobriety of their Children is no trouble to them nor puts them not to deny the pleasure of their appetites as their own sobriety must do § 51. Quest. 10. Wouldst thou have thy Physicion drunk when he should cure thee of thy sickness Quest. 10. or thy Lawyer drunk when he should plead thy cause or the Iudge when he should judge it Iâ— not why wilt thou be drunken when thou shouldst serve thy God and mind the business of thy soul If thou wouldst not have thy servant be potting in an Alehouse when he should be about thy work wilt thou sit potting and prating there when thou hast a thousand fold greater work to do for thy everlasting happiness § 52. Quest. 11. If one do but lame or spoile thy Beast and make him unfit for thy service wouldst Quest. 11. thou be pleased with it And wilt thou unfit thy self for the service of God as if thy work were of less concernment than thy Beasts § 53. Quest. 12. Would it please you if your servants poured all that drink in the Chanel If Quest. 12. not I have before proved to thee that it should displease thee more to pour it into thy belly for thou wilt find at last that it will hurt thee more § 54. Quest. 13. What relish hath thy pleasant liquor the next day will it then be any sweeter than Quest. 13. wholsome abstinence All the delight is suddenly gone there is nothing left but the slime in thy guts and the Ulcer in thy Conscience which cannot be cured by all thy Treasure nor palliated long by all thy pleasure And canst thou value much so short delights As all thy sweet and merry cups are now no sweeter than if they had been Wormwood so all the rest will quickly come to the same end and relish As Plato said of his slender supper compared to a Rich mans feast Yours seemeth better to night but mine will be better to morrow so thy Conscience telleth thee that Temperance and holy obedience will be better to morrow and better to Eternity though gluttony and drunkenness seem better Now. § 55 Quest. 14. Dost thou consider how dear thou payest for hell and buyest damnation aâ— a Quest. 14. harder rate than salvation might be attained at What shame doth i 〈…〉 thee what sickness is it like to cost thee what painful vomitings or worse dost thou undergoe How much dost thou suffer in thy estate And is Hell worth all this adoe § 56. Quest. 15. Dost thou not think in thy heart that
§ 10. Direct 10. Make Conscience of Teaching and provoking others Pity the souls of the ignorant Direct 10. about you God often blesseth the grace that is most improved in doing him service and our stock is like the Womans Oyle which increased as long as she poured out and was gone when she stopped 1 King 17. 12 14 16. Doing good is the best way for receiving good He that in pity to a poor man that is almost starved will but fall to rubbing him shall get himself heat and both be gainers Tit. 4. Directions to bring what we Hear into Practice WIthout this the rest is vain or Counterfeit and therefore somewhat must be said to this § 1. Direct 1. Be acquainted with the failings of your hearts and lives and come on purpose to get Direct 1. directions and help against thâ—se particular failings You will not know what Medicine you need much less how to use it if you know not what aileth you Know what duties you omit or carelesly perform and know what sins you are most guilty of and say when you go out of doors I go to Christ for Physick for my own disease I hope to hear something before I come back which may help me more against this sin and fit me better for my duty or provoke me more effectually Are those men like to practise Christs directions that either know not their disease or love it and would not have it cured § 2. Direct 2. The three forementioned are still presupposed viz. that the word have first done its Direct 2. part upon your understandings memory and Hearts For that word cannot be practised which is not understood nor at all remembred nor hath not procured Resolutions and Affections It is the due work upon the Heart that must prevail for the reformation of the Life § 3. Direct 3. When you understand what it is in point of Practice that the Preacher driveth at Direct 3. observe especially the Uses and the Moving reasons and plead them with your own hearts and let Conscience be Preaching over all that the Minister Preacheth to you You take them to be soul-murderers that silence able faithful Preachers and also those Preachers that silence themselves and feed not the flock committed to their care And do you think it a small matter to silence your own Conscience which must be the Preacher that must set home all before it can come to Resolution or Practice Keep Conscience all the while at work preaching over all that to your hearts which you hear with your ears and urge your selves to a speedy Resolution Remember that the whole body of Divinity is practical in its end and tendency and therefore be not a meer notional hearer but consider of every word you hear what Practice it is that it tendeth to and place that deepest in your memory If you forget all the words of the Reasons and Motives which you hear be sure to remember what Practice they were brought to urge you to As if you heard a Sermon against uncharitableness censoriousness or hurting others though you should forget all the Reasons and Motives in particular yet still remember that you were convinced in the hearing that censâ—rious and hurtful uncharitableness is a great sin and that you heard Reason enough to make you resolve against it And let Conscience Preach out the Sermon to the end and not let it dye in bare conviction but Resolve and be past wavering before you stir And above all the Sermon remember the Directions and Helps for Practice with which the truest method usually shuts up the Sermon § 4. Direct 4. When you come home let Conscience in secret also repeat the Sermon to you Between Direct 4. God and your selves consider what there was delivered to you in the Lords message that your souls were most concerned in what sin reproved which you are guilty of what duty pressed which you omit And there meditate seriously on the weight and Reasons of the thing and resist not the light but yet bring all to a fixed Resolution if till then you were unresolved Not ensnaring your selves with dangerous Vows about things doubtful or peremptory Vows without dependance on Christ for strength But firmly Resolving and cautelously engaging your selves to duty not with carnal evasions and reserves but with humble dependance upon grace without which of your selves you are able to do nothing § 5. Direct 5. Hear the most Practical Preachers you can well get Not those that have the finest Direct 5. Notions or the cleanest stile or neatest words but those that are still urging you to Holiness of Heart and life and driving home every truth to Practice not that false doctrine will at all bear up a holy life but true doctrine must not be left in the pâ—rch or at the doors but be brought home and used to its proper end and seated in the heart and placed as the poise upon the Clock where it may set all the wheels in motion § 6. Direct 6. Take heed especially of two sorts of false Teachers ANTINOMIAN LIBERTINES Direct 6. and AUTONOMIAN PHARISEES The first would build their sins on Christ not pleading for sin it self but taking down many of the chief helpes against it and disarming us of the weapons by which it should be destroyed and reproaching the true Preachers of obedience as Legalists that preach up works and call men to Doing when they Preach up Obedience to Christ their King upon the terms and by the Motives which are used by Christ himself and his Apostles Not understanding aright the true doctrine of Faith in Christ and Iustification and free grace which they think none else understand but they they pervert it and make it an enemy to the Kingly office of Christ and to sanctification and the necessary duties of obedience The other sort do make void the Commandments of God by their Traditions and instead of the holy Practice of the Laws of Christ they would drive the world with fire and sword to practise all their superstitious sopperies so that the few plain and necessary precepts of the Law of the Universal King is drowned in the greater body of their Canon Law and the Ceremonies of the Popes imposing are so many in comparison of the Institutions of Christ that the worship of God and work of Christianity is corrupted by it and made as another thing The wheat is lost in a heap of Chaff by them that will be Lawgivers to themselves and all the Church of Christ. § 7. Direct 7. Associate your selves with the most holy serious practical Christians Not with the Direct 7. ungodly nor with barren opinionists that talk of nothing but their Controversies and the way or interest of their sects which they call the Church nor with outside formal Ceremonious Pharisees that are pleading for the washing of Cups and tithing of Mint and the tradition of their Fathers while they hate and persecute
Mr. Perkins and Mr. Boltons Works and many the like § 5 Direct 5. Next these read over those Books which are more suited to the state of young Christians for their growth in grace and for their exercise of Faith and Love and Obedience and for the mortifying of selfishness pride sensuality worldliness and other the most dangerous sins My own on this subject are my Directions for weak Christians my Saints Rest a Treatise of Self-denyal another of the Mischiefs of Self-ignorance Life of Faith of Crucifying the World the Unreasonableness of Infidelity of Right Rejoycing c. To this use these are excellent Mr. Hildershams Works Dr. Prestons Mr. Perkins Mr. Boltons Mr. Fenners Mr. Gurnalls Mr. Anthony Burgesses Sermons Mr. Lockier on the Colossiâ—ns with abundance more that God hath blest us with § 6. Direct 6. At the same time labour to methodize your knowledge and to that end read first and Direct 6. learn some short Catechism and then some larger as Mr. Balls or the Assemblies larger and next some Body of Divinity as Amesius his Marrow of Divinity and Cases of Conscience which are Englished And let the Catechisme be kept in memory while you live and the rest be throughly understood § 7. Direct 7. Next read to your selves or families the larger Expositions of the Creed Lords Direct 7. Prayer and Ten Commandments such as Perkins Bishop Andrews on the Commandments and Dod c. that your understanding may be more full particular and distinct and your families may not stop in Generals which are not understood § 8. Direct 8. Read much those Books which direct you in a course of daily communion with God and Direct 8. ordering all your conversations As Mr. Reyners Directions the Practice of Piety Mr. Palmers Mr. Scudders Mr. Boltons Directions and my Divine Life § 9. Direct 9. For Peace and Comfort and encrease of the Love of God read Mr. Symmonds Deserted Direct 9. Soul c. and his Life of Faith All Dr. Sibbs Works Mr. Harsnets Cordials Bishop Halls Works c. my Method for Peace and Saints Rest c. § 10. Direct 10. For the understanding of the Text of Scripture keep at hand either Deodates or Direct 10. the Assembly of Divines or the Dutch Annotations with Dr. Hammonds or Dicksons and Hutchinsons brief Observations § 11. Direct 11. For securing you against the Feavor of uncharitable Zeal and Schism and contentious Direct 11. wranglings and erâ—elties for Religion sake read diligently Bishop Halls Peacemaker and other of his Books Mr. Burroughs Irenicon Acontius Stratagems of Satan and my Catholick Unity Catholick Church Universal Concord c. § 12. Direct 12. For establishing you against Popery on the soundest grounds not running in the Direct 12. contrary extream read Dr. Challoners Credo Ecclesiam c. Chillingworth Dr. Field of the Church c. and my True Catholick and my Key for Catholicks and my Safe Religion and Winding-sheet for Popery and Disputation with Mr. Johnson § 13. Direct 13. For special preparation for affliction sufferings sickness death read Mr. Hughs Direct 13. Rod Mr. Lawrence Christs power over sicknesses Mr. S. Rutherfords Letters c. my Treatise of Self-denyal The Believers Last Work the Last Enemy Death and the fourth Part of my Saints Rest. I will add no more lest they seem too many CHAP. XXII Directions for the right Teaching of Children and Servants so as may be most likely to have success I Here suppose them utterly untaught that you have to do with and therefore shall direct you what to do from the very first beginning of your Teaching and their learning And I beseech you study this Chapter more than many of the rest for it is an unspeakable loss that befalls the Church and the souls of men for want of skill and will and diligence in Parents and Masters in this matter § 1 Direct 1. Cause your younger Children to learn the words though they be not yet capable of Direct 1. understanding the matter And do not think as some do that this is but to make them Hypocrites and to teach them to take Gods Name in vain For it is neither Vanity nor Hypocrisie to help them first to understand the words and signs in order to their early understanding of the matter and signification Otherwise no man might teach them any language nor teach them to read any words that be good because they must first understand the words before the meaning If a child learn to read in a Bible it is not taking Gods Name or Word in vain though he understand it not For it is in order to his learning to understand it And it is not vain which is to so good a Use If you leave them untaught till they come to be twenty years of age they must then learn the words before they can understand the matter Do not therefore leave them the children of darkness for fear of makeing them hypocrites It will be an excellent way to redeem their Time to teach them first that which they are capable of learning A child of five or six years old can learn the words of a Catechisme or Scripture before they are capable of understanding them And then when they come to years of understanding that part of their work is done and they have nothing to do but to study the meaning and use of those words which they have learnt already Whereas if you leave them utterly untaught till then they must then be wasting a long time to learn the same words which they might have learnt before And the loss of so much time is no small loss or sin § 2. Direct 2. The most natural way of teaching children the Meaning of Gods Word and the Direct 2. Matters of their salvation is by familiar talk with them suited to their capacities Begin this betimes with them while they are on their Mothers laps and use it frequently For they are quickly capable of some understanding about greater matters as well as about less And knowledge must come in by slow degrees Stay not till their minds are prepossest with vanity and toyes Prov. 22. 6. § 3. Direct 3. By all means let your children learn to read though you be never so poor whatever Direct 3. shift you make And if you have servants that cannot read let them learn yet at spare hours if they be of any capacity and willingness For it is a very great mercy to be able to read the holy Scripture and any good Books themselves and a very great misery to know nothing but what they hear from others They may read almost at any time when they cannot hear § 4. Direct 4. Let your children when they are little ones read much the History of the Scriptures Direct 4. For though this of it self is not sufficient to breed in them any saving knowledge yet it enticeth them to delight in reading the Bible and then they
sin 2. And such as lose the very Resolution of the Will also and grow unresolved what to do if not resolved to do evil and to omit that which is good § 4. The third sort Backsliders in Life comprehendeth 1. Those that fall from Duty towards God or Man 2. And those that fall into positive sins and turn to sensuality in voluptuousness worldliness or pride § 5. II. 1. Backsliders in judgement do sometimes fall by slow degrees and sometimes suddenly at once Those that fall by degrees do some of them begin in the failing of the understanding but most of them begin at the failing or falseness of the Heart and the corrupted Will corrupteth the understanding § 6. 1. Those that fall by degrees through the failing of the Understanding are those simple souls that never were well grounded in the truth And some of them reason themselves into error or unbelief and others of them which is most usual are led into it by the cunning and diligence of seducers And for the Degrees They grow first to doubt of some Arguments which formerly seemed valid to them and then they doubt of the truth it self Or else they hear some argument from a seducer which through their own weakness they are unable to answer And then they yield to it as thinking that it is right because they see not what is to be said against it and know not what others know to the contrary nor how easily another can confute it And when once they are The method of falling into Heresie or Sects brought into a suspicion of one point which they formerly held they quickly suspect all the rest and grow into a suspicion and disaffection to the persons whom they did before most highly value And then they grow into a high esteem of the persons and party that seduced them and think that they that are wiser in one thing are wiser in the rest and so are prepared to receive all the errors which follow that one which they first received And next they imbody with the Sect that seduced them and separate from the sober united part of the Church And so they grow to a zealous importunity for the increase of their party and to lose their charity to those that are against their way and to corrupt their Morals in thinking all dishonesty lawful which seemeth necessary to promote the interest of their Sect which they think is the interest of the Truth and of God And at last its like they will grow weary of that Sect and hearken to another and another till in the end they come to one of these periods either to settle in Popery as the easiest Religion and being taken with their pretence of Antiquity Stability Unity and Universality or else to turn to Atheism or Infidelity and take all Religion for a meer deceit or else if they retained an honest heart in their former wanderings God sheweth them their folly and bringeth them back to Unity and Charity and maketh them see the vanity of those Reasonings which before seduced them and which once they thought were some spiritual coelestial light This is the common course of error when the Understanding is the most notable cause But sometimes a deceiver prevaileth with them on a sudden by such false appearances of truth which they are unable to confute But still an ill-prepared unfurnished Mind is the chiefest Cause § 7. 2. But those whose Iudgements are conquered by the perverse inclination of their Wills are usually carnal worldly hypocrites who never conquered the fleshly mind and interest nor overcame the world nor ever were acquainted with the heavenly Nature and Life nor with the power of Divine Love and these having made a change of their profession through the meer conviction of their understandings and benefit of Education or Government or the advantages of Religion in the Countrey where they live without a renewed holy Heart the byas of their Hearts doth easily prevail against the Light of their Understandings And because they would fain have those Doctrines to be true which save them from sufferings or give them liberty for a fleshly ambitious worldly life therefore they do by degrees prevail with their understandings to receive them § 8. 2. Backsliders in Heart do fall by divers degrees and means for Satans Methods are not alwayes the same Some of them fall through the corruption of their Judgements for every error hath much influence on the heart Some are tempted suddenly into some gross or sensual sin and so the errors of their lives call away their hearts from God Not but that some sin of the Heart or Will doth still go first but yet the extraordinary declension and pravity of the heart may sometimes be caused by the errors of the Iudgement or the Life But sometimes the beginning and progress is almost observable in the Appetite and Will it self And here the Inclining to Evil that is to sensual or carnal good and the declining from true spiritual good do almost alwayes go together And it is most usually by this method and by these degrees 1. The Devil usually beginneth with the fantasie and appetite and representeth some worldly fleshly thing as very pleasant and desirable 2. Next that he causeth this Complacency to entice the Thoughts so that they are much and oft in thinking on this pleasure 3. Next that the Will is drawn into a liking of it and he wisheth he might enjoy it whether it be riches or pleasant dwellings or pleasant company or pleasant meats or drinks or fleshly accommodations or apparel or honour or command or ease or lust or sports and recreations or whatever else 4. Next that the understanding is drawn into the design and is casting and contriving how it may be obtained and all lawful means are first considered of that if possible the business might be accomplished without the hazard of the soul. 5. Next to that Endeavours are vsed to that end by such means as are supposed lawful and the conscience quieted with the conceit of the harmlesness and security 6. By this time the man is engaged in his carnal cause and course and so the difficulty of returning is increased And the inclination of the heart groweth stronger to the sensual pleasure than before 7. And then he is drawn to prosecute his design by any means how sinful soever if it be possible making himself believe by some reasonings or other that all is lawful still or if the case be too palpable to be so cloaked conscience at last is cast asleep and seared and stupified that it may be silent under all Till either Grace or Vengeance awake the sinner and make him amazed at his madness and stupidity This is the most usual Method of the Hearts relapse to positive evil § 10. 2. And by such degrees doth the heart decline from the Love of God and Goodness As 1. The thoughts are diverted to some carnal vanity that is overloved And the thoughts
5. 9 10. Rev. 4. 11 8. Rev. 15. 3. Heb. 12. 9. Matth. 6. 13. thâ—u not said Behold I come quickly Even so Come Lord and let the great Marriage day of the Lamb make haste when thy Spouse shall be presented spotless unblamable and glorious and the glory of God in the New Jerusalem shall be Revealed to all his holy ones to delight and glorifie them for ever In the mean time Remember Lord thy promise Because I live therefore shall ye live also And let the dead that dye in thee be blessed And thou that art made a quickning Spirit and art the Lord and Prince of life and hast said that not a hair of our heads shall perish Gather our departing souls unto thy self into the Heavenly Jerusalem and Mount Zion the City of the living God and to the Myriads of holy Angels and to the general Assembly and Church of the first born and to the perfected Spirits of the just where thou wilt make us Kings and Priests to God whom we shall See and Love and Praise for ever For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things and for his pleasure they are and were created And O thou the blessed God of Love the Father of Spirits and King of Saints receive this unworthy Member of thy Son into the heavenly Chore which sing thy Praise who rest not saying night and day Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty who Is and Was and Is to Come For Thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen The End of the Second TOME A Christian Directory The Third Part. Christian Ecclesiasticks OR DIRECTIONS TO PASTORS PEOPLE About Sacred Doctrine Worship and Discipline and their mutual Duties With the Solution of a multitude of Church-Controversies and Cases of Conscience By RICHARD BAXTER 1 Cor. 12. 25 27 28. That there should be no Schism in the body but the Members should have the same care one for another Now ye are the Body of Christ and Members in particular And God hath set some in the Church first Apostles c. Eph. 4. 3 4 12 c. Endeavouring to keep the Unity of the SPIRIT in the bond of Peace There is one Body one Spirit one Hope one Lord one Faith one Baptism Not One Ministerial Head one God * And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ Till we all come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ That we henceforth be no more Children tossed to and fro and carryed about with every wind of doctrine by the cogging or sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in wait to deceive But keeping the Truth in Love may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ From whom the whole body compacted and cemented together by every joynt of supply according to its power in proportion of each part worketh increase of the body to the edifying of it self in Love 1 Tim. 3. 15. That thou maist know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the House of God which is the Church of the living God as A pillar and basis of the truth 1 Thess. 5. 12 13. We beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their work sake and be at peace among your selves LONDON Printed by Robert White for Nevill Simmons at the Sign of the Princes-Arms in St. Pauls Church-yard 1673. Reader THat this part and the next are Imperfect and so much only is written as I might and not as I would I need not excuse to thee if thou know me and where and when I live But some of that which is wanting if thou desire thou maist find 1. In my Universal Concord 2. In my Christian Concord 3. In our Agreement for Catechising and my Reformed Pastor 4. In the Reformed Lyturgie offered to the Commissioned Bishops at the Savoy Farewel A Christian Directory TOM III. Christian Ecclesiasticks CHAP. I. Of the Worship of God in general § 1. THAT God is to be Worshipped solemnly by man is confessed by Qui totos dies precabantur immolabant ut sui liberi sibi superstites essent Superstitiosi sunt appellati quod nomen paâ—uit postea latius Qui autem omnia quae ad cultum Deorum pertinerent diligenter pertractarent tanquam relegerent sunt dicti Religiosi ex relegendo ut elegantes ex eligendo à diligendo diligentes ex intelligendo intelligentes Superstitiosi Religiosi alterum vitii nomen alterum laudis Cicer. nat Deor. lib. 2. pag. 73 74. all that acknowledge that there is a God But about the Matter and Manner of his Worship there are no small dissensions and contentions in the world I am not now attempting a reconciliation of these contenders The sickness of mens minds and wills doth make that impossible to any but God which else were not only possible but easie the terms of reconciliation being in themselves so plain and obvious as they are But it is Directions to those that are willing to worship God aright which I am now to give § 2. Direct 1. Understand what it is to worship God aright lest you offer him Vanity and sin for Direct 1. Worship The worshipping of God is the direct acknowledging of his Being and Perfections to his honour Indirectly or consequentially he is acknowledged in every obediential act by those that truly obey and serve him And this is indirectly and participatively to worship him And therefore all things are Holy to the Holy because they are Holy in the use of all and Holiness to the Lord is as it were written upon all that they possess or do as they are Holy But this is not the worship which we are here to speak of but that which is Primarily and Directly done to glorifie him by the acknowledgement of his excellencies Thus God is worshipped either inwardly by the soul alone or also outwardly by the body expressing the worship of the soul. For that which is done by the Body alone without the concurrence of the Heart is not true worship but an Hypocritical Image or shew of it equivocally called Worship The inward worship of the Heart alone I have spoken If they that serve their God with meer word and ceremony and mimâ—ca actions were so served themselves they might be â—ilâ—â—ced with Aristâ—ppâ—â— his defence of his gallantry and sumptuâ—uâ— fare Si vituâ—â—randum ait hoc essâ—t in celebritatibus deorum profectò non fieret Laert. iâ— Aristip. So Plato allowed drunkenness only in the Feasts oâ— Baâ—châ—s of in the former Tome The outward or expressive worship
If it be not then it is a sin to swear or promise to it and here there is no case of error But if it be really lawful and the vowing of it lawful then the obligations that lye upon this man are these and in this order 1. To have a humble suspicion of his own understanding 2. To search and learn and use all means to discern it to be what it is 3. In the use of these means to acknowledge the truth 4. And then to promise and obey accordingly Now this being his duty and the order of his duty you cannot say that he is not obliged to any one part of it though he be obliged to do it all in this order and therefore not to do the last first without the former For though you question an hundred times What shall he do as long as he cannot see the truth the Law of God is still the same and his error doth not disoblige him Nemini debetur commodum ex sua culpa So many of these acts as he omitteth so much he sinneth It is his sin if he obey not the Magistrate and it is his sin that he mis-judgeth of the thing and his sin that he doth not follow the use of the means till he be informed So that his erring conscience entangleth him in a necessity of sinning but disobligeth him not at all from his obedience 2. But yet this is certain that in such a case he that will swear because man biddeth him when he taketh it to be false is a perjured prophane despiser of God but he that forbeareth to swear for fear of sinning against God is guilty only of a pardonable involuntary weakness § 26. Direct 14. Take heed lest the secret prevalency of carnal ends or interest and of fleshly wisdom Direct 14. do byas your judgement and make you stretch your consciences to take those vows or promises which otherwise you would judge unlawful and refuse Never good cometh by following the reasonings and interest of the flesh even in smaller matters much less in cases of such great importance Men think it fitteth them at the present and doth the business which they feel most urgent but it payeth them home with troubles and perplexities at the last It is but like a draught of cold water in a Feavor You have some present charr to do or some straight to pass through in which you think that such an Oath or Promise or Profession would much accommodate you and therefore you venture on it perhaps to your perdition It is a foolish course to cure the parts yea the more ignoble parts with the neglect and detriment of the whole It is but like those that cure the Itch by anointing themselves with Quicksilver which doth the charr for them and sendeth them after to their graves or casteth them into some far worse Disease Remember how deceitful a thing the heart is and how subtilly such poyson of carnal ends will insinuate it self O how many thousands hath this undone that before they are aware have their Wills first charmed and inclined to the forbidden thing and fain would have it to be lawful and then have brought themselves to believe it lawful and so to commit the sin and next to defend it and next to become the champions of Satan to fight his battels and vilifie and abuse them that bâ— holy wisdom and tenderness have kept themselves from the deceit Tit. 2. Directions against Perjury and Perfidiousness and for keeping Vows and Oaths § 1. Direct 1. BE sure that you have just apprehensions of the Greatness of the sin of Perjury Direct 1. Were it seen to men in its proper shape it would more affright See Tom. 1. Ch. 9. Tit. 2. 3. them from it than a sight of the Devil himself would do I shall shew it you in part in these particulars § 2. 1. It containeth a Lye and hath all the malignity in it which I before shewed to be in The heinousness of Perjury Lying with much more 2. Perjury is a denyal or contempt of God He that appealeth to his Iudgement by an Oath and doth this in falshood doth shew that either he believeth not that there is See Causaâ—â—ons Exercâ—â— 202. * Cotta iâ— Cic. de Nat. Deor. l. 1. to prove that some hold there is no God saith Quid de sacâ—â—kgis de impiis de perjuris dicâ—mus si Carbo c. â—u aslet esse Deos tam perjurus aut impius non fuâ—sset pag. 25 26. a God or that he believeth not that he is the righteous Governour of the world who will justly determine all the causes that belong to his Tribunal The Perjured person doth as it were bid defiance to God and setteth him at nought as one that is not able to be avenged on him 3. Perjury is a calling for the vengeance of God against your selves You invite God to plague you as if you bid him do his worst you appeal to him for judgement in your guilt and you shall find that he will not hold you guiltless Imprecations against your selves are implyed in your Oaths He that sweareth doth say in effect Let God judge and punish me as a perjured wretch if I speak not the truth And it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God Heb. 10. 31. For Vengeance is his and he will recompence v. 30. And when he judgeth the wicked he is a consuming fire Heb. 12. 29. 4. Perjury and perfidiousness is a sin that leaveth the conscience no ease of an extenuation or excuse but it is so heinous a villany that it is the seed of self-tormenting desperation Some sins conscience can make shift a while to hide by saying It is a Controversie and Many wise men are of another mind But perjury is a sin which Heathens and Infidels bear as free a testimony against in their way as Christians do Some sins are shifted off by saying They are little ones But †Onâ— of Canutus Laws 26. was that Perjured person with Sorcerers Idolaters Strumpets breakers of Wedlock be banished the Realm cited by Bilson of Subject p. 202. How few would be left in some lands if this were done Christians and Heathens are agreed that Perjury is a sin almost as great as the Devil can teach his servants to commit Saith Plutarch * Plut. in Lysaâ—d Cicer. de Leg. l. 3. Cuâ—t l. 7. Arist. Rhâ—t c. 17. He that deceiveth his enemy by an Oath doth confess thereby that he feareth his enemy and despiseth God Saith Cicero The penalty of Perjury is destruction from God and shame from man Saith Q. Curtius Perfidiousness is a crime which no merits can mitigate Read Cicero de Offic. l. 3. Saith Aristotle He that will extenuate an Oath must say that those villanous wretches that think God seeth not do think also to go away with their perjury unpunished In a word the Heathens commonly take the revenge of Perjury
breach almost uncurable because no professions of repentance or future fidelity can be trusted Thus I have partly shewed you the Malignity of Perjury and Covenant-breaking § 3. Direct 2. Be sure that you make no Vow or Covenant which God hath forbidden you to keep Direct 2. It is rash vowing and swearing which is the common cause of Perjury You should at the making of your Vow have seen into the bottom of it and foreseen all the evils that might follow it and the Temptations which were like to draw you into perjury He is virtually perjured as soon as he hath sworn who sweareth to do that which he must not do The preventive means are here the best § 4. Direct 3. Be sure you take no Oath or Vow which you are not sincerely resolved to perform Direct 3. They that Swear or Vow with a secret reserve that rather than they will be ruined by keeping it they will break it are Habitually and Reputatively perjured persons even before they Lege distinctionem Grotii inter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aanot. in Matth. 5. 33. Modern Policy supposed Dr. Sand rosts Princ. 7. 1. We are ready to interpret the words too kindly especially if they be ambiguous and its hard to find terms so positive but that they may be eluded indeed or seem to us to be so if we be disposed 2. Some are invited to illicite promises qua illicite because they know them to be invalid 3. Some are frighted into these bonds by threats and losses and temporal concernments and then they please themselves that they sweâ—r by Duâ—eâ—s and so are disengaged 4. Some are Oath-proof c. break it Besides that they shew a base hypocritical profligate conscience that can deliberately commit so great a sin § 5. Direct 4. See that all fleshly worldly interest be fully subdued to the interest of your souls Direct 4. and to the will of God He that at the heart sets more by his body than his soul and loveth his worldly prosperity above God will lye or swear or forswear or do any thing to save that carnal interest which he most valueth He that is carnal and worldly at the heart is false at the heart The Religion of such an Hypocrite will give place to his temporal safety or commodity and will carry him no further than the way is fair It is no wonder It is one of Solons sayings in Laertius p. 51. Probiâ—itateâ—n â—uâ—â—â—â—rando certiorem habe What will not an Atheistical impious person say or swear for advantage that a proud man or a worldling will renounce both God and his true felicity for the World seeing indeed he taketh it for his God and his felicity even as a Believer will renounce the world for God § 6. Direct 5. Beware of inordinate fear of man and of a distrustful withdrawing of your hearts Direct 5. from God Else you will be carryed to comply with the will of man before the will of God and to avoid the wrath of man before the wrath of God Read and fear that heavy curse Ier. 17. 5 6. God is unchangeable and hath commanded you so far to imitate him as If a man Vow a Vow unto the Lord or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond he shall not break his word he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth Numb 30. 2. But man is mutable and so is his interest and his affairs And therefore if you are the servants of men you must swear one year and for swear it or swear the contrary the next when their interest requireth it you must not be thought worthy to live among men if you will not promise or swear as they command you And when their interest altereth and requireth the contrary you must hold all those bonds to be but straws and break them for their end◠§ 7. Direct 6. Be sure that you lose not the fear of God and the tenderness of your consciences Direct 6. When these are lost your understanding and sense and life is lost and you will not stick at the greatest wickedness nor know when you have done it what you did If faith see not God continually present and foresee not the great approaching day Perjury or any villany will seem tolerable for worldly ends For when you look but to mens present case you will see that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hands of God no man knoweth Love or hatred by all that is before them All things come alike to all there is one event to the righteous and the wicked to the good and to the clean and to the unclean to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not as is the Good so is the sinner and he that sweareth as he that feareth an â—ath Eccles. 9. 1 2. But in the end men shall discern between the righteous and the wicked Mal. 3. 18. Therefore it is the believing foresight of the end that by preserving the fear of God and tenderness of Conscience must save you from this and all other heynous sin § 8. Direct 7. Be not bold and rash about such dreadful things as Vows Run not as fearlesly Direct 7. upon them as if you were but going to your dinner The wrath of God is not to be jeasted with Usq ad aras was the bounds even of a Heathens kindness to his friend Meddle with Oathes with the greatest fear and caution and circumspection It 's terrible here to find that you were mistaken through any temerity or negligence or secret seduction of a carnal interest § 9. Direct 8. Especially be very fearful of owing any publick doctrine or doing any publick act Direct 8. which tendeth to harden others in their Perjury or to encourage multitudes to commit the sin To be Nunc nunâ— qui sâ—dera rumpit Ditatur Qui servat â—get Claud. anâ— forsworn your selves is a dreadful case but to teach whole Nations or Churches to forswear themselves or to plead for it or justifie it as a lawful thing is much more dreadful And though you teach not or own not Perjury under the name of Perjury yet if first you will make plain perjury to seem no Perjury that so you may justifie it it is still a most inhumane horrid act God knoweth I insult not over the Papists with a delight to make any Christians odious But with grief I remember how lamentably they have abused our holy profession while not only their great Doctors but their approved General Council at the Laterane under P. Innocent the third in the third Canon hath Decreed that the Pope may depose Temporal Lords from their Dominions and give them unto others and discharge their Vassals from their Allegiance and fidelity if they be hereticks or will not exterminate Hereticks even such as the holy men there condemned were in the Popes account To declare to
Acosta de Convers. Bâ—eganius de Theol. Gentil Vossius de Idolol Vâ—ssius de Theol. natur Collius de Animabus paganorum Eugubinus Fotherby Mersennus in Genesin XVI Cates of Conscience more Filliucius Tolet de sacerdot Reginald Cajetane Navarrus See Montaltus against the Jesuits Casuists and the Iesuits Morals Downames and Whateleys Tables on the Commandments Sanderson de Iuramento Fragoso aforenamed XVII Of Councils more and Canonists and Liturgies Ius Orientale Graecorum per Leunclavium Bochelli Decreta Gallic Sirmondi Concil Gall. Longus Actus Conventus Thorunensis Formula Concordiae Germ The Westminster Assemblies Acts. English Canons Fasti Siculi Morini exercit Eccles. Zepper Polit. Eccles. Hammond Le strange of Liturgies Antiqâ—itates Liturgicae Cassanders Works Claud. Sainctes Gavantus de Ritibus Vicecomes XVIII More of the Fathers I need not name If you can get and read them you may find their names e. g. in Bellarmin de Script Eccles. Get the Bibliothec. Patrum of de la Bigne and Macarius Hom. Ephrem Syâ—us plain honest things Theodoret Cyril Hieros Cyril Alexand. Isidore Pelusiota Theophilact Occumenius Sâ—dulius Primasius Remigius Beda c. But many of them are very weak and dry The chief use of the Fathers is to know Historically what Doctrine was then taught XIX Schoolmen more Bonaventure Alensis Cajetane Bannez Biel Cameracensis Franc. Mayro Capreolus Ri. Armachanus Bradwardine Faber Faventinus Hervaeus Ioh. Fr. Pici Mirandul Fr. Victoria Suarâ—z Vasquez Albertinus in Thom. Aquila Scottellus Ripalda nameth more if you would have more XX. Antipapists Pappus of their Contradictions Gentiletus Mortons Apology and Grand Imposture He that would have more Books may see Voctiâ—s Bibliother and many other Catalogues Buckeridge Râ—ffeusis for Kings Crakenthorpe Paraeus cont Bellarm. Iunius on Bellar. Birkbeck's Protestants Evidence Hunnii Eccles. Rom. non est Christ. Hottoman Brutum fulmen c. Eusebius Captivus Ioh. Crocius de schismate Iewel all Whitaker Andrews Tortura Torti Wotton Dr. Ier. Tailors Disswasive But they are almost numberless Note 1. THat these may seem too many though they are few to a full and rich Library 2. That it is not my advice that you read over all these or half For that would but make them a snare for sinning and waste of time But a Minister of the Gospel should have more Books by him than he can read over for particular uses and to see the Authors judgement occasionally and to try other mens Citations 3. That a Minister must neither study the matter without the help of other mens studies by Reading much nor yet Read much without studying the Thing it self 4. That though a man must not speak or write before he knoweth what and how yet thus Exercising the Knowledge that we have doth greatly increase it And no Minister must be studying when he should be Preaching Praying Catechizing or visiting or instructing his flock 5. It is but few men that are born with an acumen fit for Writings and Controversies Those few must read the more to be fit for it The rest may take up with such Preparations as they have use for and exercise them viz. in the Pastoral oversight of the flocks and propagating plain and necessary truths And therefore though I am one that have been thought to burden mens understandings with Methods distinctions directions and controversies it is but few that I perswade to use them and am as much as any for most mens adhering to plain fundamentals and truths of daily use and Love and honour those that go no further and are faithful in this work so be it they have not the Pride to think that they know more than they do and to wrangle against that which they understand not and set not the Church on fire as ancient Ignorance did by accusing those of Heresie that knew more than themselves when they got but the Throne or the Major Vote 6. That though I chiefly commend Systemes of Theologie I know not one whose method satisfieth me as well agreeing with Scripture and the matter else I had not troubled my self so much to seek a right method and propose what I found And I think no common Method more genuine than theirs that expound the Creed Lords Prayer and Decalogue and the Sacraments as the sum of all 7. I mention none of my own Writings for it will seem vanity But as many as they are I wrote none which I thought needless at the time of writing them 8. Though none should have so great fitness for the holy education of Children and Government of Families as Ministers yet so great is the work of Overseeing the flock requiring more time and parts than all that we have and so great are the matters of our studies and labours requiring our total and most serious thoughts that I earnestly advise all that can possibly to live single and without a Family lest they marr their work by a divided mind For nunquam bene fit quod fit prae-occupato animo saith Hierome truly The whole man and whole time is all too little in so great a work The End of the third TOME A Christian Directory Or A SUMM of PRACTICAL DIVINITY By Way of DIRECTION The Fourth Part. Christian Politicks CONTAINING All the Duties of the Six last Commandments in our Political Relations and towards our Neighbours With the principal CASES of CONSCIENCE about them By RICHARD BAXTER Rom. 13. 1 2 3 4 5 6. Let every soul be subject to the Higher Powers For Rulers are not a terror to good works but to the evil For he is the Minister of God to thee for good Matth. 17. 27. Lest we should offend them give unto them for me and thee Matth. 19. 19. Thou shalt Love thy Neighbour as thy self Matth. 7. 12. Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you do ye even so to them For this is the Law and the Prophets LONDON Printed by Robert White for Nevill Simmons at the Sign of the Princes Arms in St. Pauls Church-yard 1673. READER THink not by the title of this Part that I am doing the same work which I lately revoked in my Political Aphorisms Though I concluded that Book to be quasi non scriptum I told you I recanted not the Doctrine of it which is for the Empire of God and the Interest of Government Order and honesty in the World This is no place to give you the Reasons of my revocation besides that it offended my Superiours and exercised the tongues of some in places where other matters would be more profitable Pass by all that concerneth our particular State and Times and you may know by that what principles of Policy I judge Divine And experience teacheth me that it is best for men of my Profession to meddle with no more but leave it to the Contzeus the Arnisaeus's and other Jesuits to promote their cause by Voluminous politicks The Popes false-named Church is a Kingdom and his Ministers may write of Politicks
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