them depart in peace be you warmed aâ—d filled notwithstanding ye give not them those things which are needful to the body Doth such a one love or hate his Brother Is he not in darkness and walketh in darkness unto outer darkness if he that hateth his Brother say I love God he is a liar for he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen How can he love God whom he hath not seen There is a wide difference between the godly and ungodly's sinning It is too true that both of them sin The godly Mans purpose promise and practise is habitually and ordinarily against all sin The wicked Mans Trade Custom Conscience Work and Way is sin he is known to be wicked by being a worker of Iniquity he lives in sin in a state of sin in the practise both of sins of Omission and Commission which they who are Godly doe not dare not do they also do no Iniquity the transgression of the wicked saith That there is no fear of God before his eyes they that fear not God fear not to sin by the fear of the Lord Men depart from evil The fear of the Lord is to hate evil The Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself to stand in awe that he sin not Every godly man is negatively and positively holy in heart speech and behaviour His Prayer is his Practise Incline not my heart to any evil thing to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity I have inclined mine heart to perform thy Statutes alway even unto the end No corrupt communication proceedeth out of his Mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying he speaketh the truth in his heart his speech is alwayes with grace seasoned with salt sound that cannot be condemned The mouth of the Righteous speaketh Wisdom his Tongue talketh of Judgment his Tongue is his glory so called in Scripture and used only for Gods Glory with it he Prayes to and Praises God The high Praises of God is in his mouth Prayer and Praise with heart and voice is a good Mans daily practice He walks uprightly that is he walks not after the Flesh in the lust of Concupiscence he makes he takes no provision for the flesh to satisfie it in the lusts thereof In rioting and drunkenness in chambering and wantonness in strife and envying all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking he puts away from him with all malice yea all that is in the World the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of heart and life Whatever else God forbids he forsakes he avoids and hates every false way and work he approves himself to be a Citizen of Zion for he backbiteth not with his Tongue nor doth evil to his Neighbor nor taketh up receiveth or endureth a reproach against his Neighbors that Sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not that putteth not his Mony to Usury nor taketh reward against the Innocent As he walks not after the Flesh so he walks after the Spirit because he lives in the spirit and also walks in the spirit which is a walking in wisdom or in the light a walking in faith and love and truth after Gods Commandments for this is love that we walk after his Commandments Moral and Evangelical the rule of our life for as many as walk according to this Ruâ—e Peace be on them and Mercy and upon the Israel of God What God and his Commandments are to us that are we to be unto him and them God is holy just and good all his Commandments are holy just and good such are we to be before God and the World holy just and good in our dispositions communications and conversâ—tions This was St. Paul his Prayer for his Thessalonians The very God of Peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole Spirit Soul and Body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ This is the will of God even our Sanctification in our Bodies that we should abstain from fornication for which end every one should know how to possess his Vessel in sanctification and honor not in the lust of concupiscence even as the Gentiles which know not God for God hath not called us unto uncleanness but unto holiness because our bodies are the Members of Christ and the Temples of the Holy Ghost Shall we then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot God forbid Know ye not that he that is joyned to an Harlot is one Body and therefore the holy Apostle exhorts To flee Fornication and all youthful lusts for every sin that a Man doth is without the Body but he that committeth Fornication sinneth against his own Body and yet our Bodies are not our own to use them as we please because they are bought with a price and therefore we are to glorifie God in our Bodies as well as in our Spirits which are Gods by presenting them a living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is our reasonable Service not conformed to this World in outward adorning of plaiting the hair and of wearing of gold or of putting on of Apparel but in behaviour as becometh holiness No sin is to reign in our Mortal Bodies that we should obey it in the lust thereof neither must we yield our Members as Instruments or Weapons of unrighteousness unto Sin but as Instruments of righteousness unto God as the Body must be holy throughout so must the Soul also in all the faculties and powers thereof Mind Will Memory Conscience and Affections be renewed in the Spirit of your Mind and put on the new Man which is renewed in knowledge that being transformed by the renewing of your mind ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God till ye be a willing people in the day of his power to be what he would have you to be to do what he would have you to do and to suffer what he would have you to suffer choosing the things that please him having a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly yea living in all good conscience which is to exercise our selves to have alwayes a conscience void of offence towards God and towards Men their conscience also bearing them witness and when others accuse excusing for their rejoycing is this the Testimony of their Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God they have had their conversation in the World and having renounced the hidden things of dishonestâ— not walking in craftiness but by manifestation of the Truth of their profession by the holiness of their Conversâ—tion commend themselves to every Mans Conscience in the sight of God and their hearts being sprâ—nkled from an evil Conscience and purged from dead Works to serve the living God have the answer of good Conscience towards God which breeds peace of Conscience the Peace of God
that our profiting may appear to all taking heed unto our selves and unto our doctrine continuing in them for in doing this we shall both save our selves and them that hear us If the Glory of God indeed the Salvation of our own Souls and all theirs committed to our charge be our very end in our patient continuance in well-doing and suffering for Conscience and Righteousness sake we are made manifest unto God and may trust also to be made manifest in due time in the Consciences of all having our selves a good Conscience that whereas we are spoken evil of as of evil doers they may be ashamed that falsly accuse our good Conversation in Christ for our rejoycing should be the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the Grace of God we have had our Conversation in the world and more abundantly to them-ward who are our care and charge in the Lord. Therefore my beloved Brethren of the Ministry let us be stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord and though Israel be not gathered and we may seem to have laboured in vain and spent our strength for nought and in vain yet surely our judgment is with the Lord and our work with our God he shall be our strength and we shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord forasmuch as we know that our labour is not in vain in the Lord. If necessity be laid upon Ministers with a woe unto them whatever they suffer that preach not the Gospel and eight woes to them who are Hypocrites that say but do not Matth. 23. What necessity is there also that Christians do take heed whom they hear what they hear that they hear and how they hear that they may not be hearers only but doers of the work that they may be blessed in their deed The Apostle exhorts comforts and chargeth every one as a Father doth his children that they would walk worthy of God who hath called them unto his Kingdom and Glory which is no more than that their Conversation be only as becometh the Gospel of Christ putting off concerning the former Conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts that their Conversation be without covetousness and so of all other worldly and fleshly lusts The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye and the pride of life with all ungodliness is to be denied we are not only to abstain but to flee from fleshly lusts which war against the Soul not fashioning our selves according to our former lusts when we were dead in Trespasses and Sins wâ—lking according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power of the Air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience among whom we all had our Conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind walking after the flesh for they that are after the flesh are carnally minded do mind the things of the flesh so then they that are in the flesh and live after the flesh cannot please God cannot walk worthy of God unto all-pleasing no man can serve two Masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other We cannot serve God and Mammon their Commands are so contrary the one to the other and therefore to walk worthy of God is not to make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof it is to wa k honestly or decently as in the day not in rioting and drunkenness not in chambering and wantonness not in strife and envying not in the lusts of concupiscence not in the vanity of our mind in fleshly wisdom not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly nor stand in the way of sinners nor sit in the seat of scorners or to walk in any way that is not good but to abhor and eschew that which is evil that they may walk with God to walk with God in the name of the Lord our God is to walk worthy of God to walk before him as alwayes in his sight with a perfect and upright heart not allowing in our selves or indulging the least sin but abstainiâ—g from all appearance of evil as that which is only displeasing to God and because it is so â—nd hating it upon that account that we may walk in Christ Jesus as we have received him to be the Lord our righteousness trusting only therein for justification and salvation and for our onely perfect pattern for he that saith he abideth in him ought him self also so to walk even as he walked who alwayes did those things that pleased his heavenly Father herein leaving us an Example that we should follow his steps who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth he was so holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners as the Father gave him Commandment even so did he In the Volume of the Book of God it is written of me saith Christ I delight to do thy Will O my God yea thy Law is within my heart How willingly and patiently did he suffer for from sinners O my Father if it be possible let this Cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt Christ came from Heaven on purpose to suffer in our stead and for our sakes according to the Will of God he was wounded for our Transgressions he was bruised for our Iniquities the Lord laid on him the Iniquities of us all he was oppressed and afflicted yet opened not his mouth he was cut off out of the Land of the Living It pleased the Lord to bruise him to put him to Grief to make his Soul an offering for sin that he might pour out his Soul unto death he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross Christ also suffered for us who his own self bare our sins in his own body leaving us an example that we should follow his steps for it is the Will of God that we suffer for well-doing for if we suffer with him we shall also be glorified together Christ his active and passive obedience for us and our active and passive obedience for him and for his Glory is our way to Glory How patiently did our Lord Jesus suffer from then when he suffered for sinners when he was reviled he reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself and his Cause to him that judgeth righteously If when we do well and suffer for it and for Conscience toward God endure Grief suffering wrongfully take it patiently this is thank-worthy this is acceptable with God Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his Glory If we suffer we shall also reign with him for we are called according to purpose through the foreknowledge of God and predestinate to be conformed to the Image of
he forbids not walking in the Counsel of the ungodly nor standing in the way of sinners nor sitting in the seat of the scornful not walking after the Flesh according to the course of this World but walking after the Spirit doing the will of God from the heart doers of the word and not hearers onlâ— for not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the Word in obeying from the heart that form of Doctrine which is delivered to them shall be justified and blessed in his deed Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing Let none of you suffer as a Murderer or as a Thief or as a Busie-body in other mens matters let them that suffer suffer as a Christian according to the will of God patiently for well-doing this is acceptable with God to whom we may commit the keeping of our Souls and Bodies also in well doing as unto a faithful Creator Whether our sufferings be from God immediately I will bear the Indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good or mediately from Men Blessed are they which are persecuted for Righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake such are to rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is their reward in Heaven All that will live godly in Jesus Christ shall suffer persecution hereunto they are appointed predestinated to be conformed to the Image of his Son as in Active so in Passive obedience even thereunto are we called because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow his steps for it became him in bringing many Sons unto Glory to make the Captain of our Salvation perfect through sufferings and his Soldiers also When was it that Christians Faith did grow so exceedingly and the Charity of every one of them all towards each others abounded their patience and their joy Was it not in their Persecutions and Tribulations which they endured The ground of Persecution is the best for Grace and Comfort to thrive and grow upon The Primitive Christian hearers were used to hear the Word in much affliction and joy of the Holy Ghost Christians therefore should reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in them even the glory of grace yea of one grace ye greatly rejoyce though now for a season if need be ye are in heâ—viness through manifold temptations that the trial of your Faith being much more precious then of Gold that perisheth though it be tried with fire might be found unto Praise and Honour and Glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ In time of great Persecutions and Tribulations St. Paul remembred without ceasing Christians work of Faith and labour of Love and Patience of Hope in the Lord Jesus There is a glory upon them which cannot enter into them they must enter into it If ye be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye for the Spirit of Glory and of God resteth upon you Peace of Conscience follows upon sound and sincere obedience to God and his Laws upon our Justification through Faith we have the Peace of Reconciliation with God The Kingdom of God within is a Kingdom of Peace as much grace and obedience as there is in the heart so much peace Grace and Peace be multiplied The work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever It is not Gods peace that is not the peace of Obedience He that ordains peace for us works all our works in us Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace peace peace or abundance of peace whose mind thought or imagination is stâ—id on thee because he trusteth in thee Let us be true to the God of Peace the Prince of Peace the Spirit of Peace the Gospel of Peace and live our selves in Peace as much as in us lies with all men and that we study to be quiet and to do our own business not being busie-bodies in other Mens matters walking in the way of peace following peace with all Men and holiness casting all our cares on God being careful for nothing but committing our selves and wayes unto him and the very God of Peace will give us the Peace which passeth all understanding and will give us some understanding of it which will breed that Joy in the Holy Ghost and holy rejoycing which is unspeakable and full of glory which a stranger doth not intermeddle with and if God see it good for us we shall have with all men the Peace of Love and Unity when a Mans wayes please the Lord he will make his Enemies to be at peace with him however he will make him to love and be at peace with his Enemies which is much better this is to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect and merciful as he is merciful yea more when a many wayes please the Lord he will make all Creatures in League with him Thou shalt be in League with the stones of the Field and the Beasts of the Field shall be at peace with thee And thou shalt know that thy Tabernacle shall be in peace or that peace is thy Tabernacle But there is no peace saith my God to the Wicked no true peace for they will not be at peace with God though he beseech them never so much to be reconciled to him that they might have all this peace they know not the way of peace they desire not the knowledge of his wayes or acquaintance with him that thereby they might be at peace with him And therefore when they shall say peace and safety which will be while the strong man armed keepeth his Palace and his goods are in peace but a stronger then he shall come upon him and overcome him and take from him all his Armor wherein he trusted then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travel upon a Woman with child and they shall not escape but the Godly shall inherit the Earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace if they cannot have it in the World and from the World they can have it in Christ In the World ye shall have Tribulation but in me ye shall have peace peace within peace of Conscience if not outward peace from Man one way or other peace they will have It is peace they would have therefore it is they so earnestly seek it from God and pursue it with Men they Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem peace be within thy Walls that prosperity may be within thy Palaces for their Brethren and Companions sake they say peace be within thee Since Jesus Christ hath left this Legacy to â—he Church peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you they are at suit with God and Man for it