Have you been convinced of the Justice of God how justly God might have damned you for the least sinne that ever you were guilty of that the great God hath cast many thousands into Hell for farre lesse sins then you have committed that it was ten thousand to one that you had not been lost that God hath been infinitely patient and forbearing towards you Rom. 2.4 Gen â— 17 7. Have you been convinced of your unworthinesse that you deserve for ever to be rejected of God and never to be received into favour with him Jerem 32.10 Phil. 3.7 8 9. 8. Have you understood seriously considered what it will cost you to be Christians indeed many as I have often told you when they are a little startled and awaked by the terrors of the Almighty make some foolish desperate resolutions and attempts to change their course of life and go on so to doe for a while but when they meet with stormes and tempests they change their minds and go back with the dogge to their vomit 2 Pet. 2.22 Math. 13.21 Luk. 14.28 to 34. have you conâ—â—dered that it will cost you the losse of Father and Mother wife and Children yea it may be your own lives also that you must take up Christs yoake and follow him Luk. 14.26.27 and are you resolved notwithstanding to be Christians can you say that none of these things move you you care not what you suffer or undergoe so that you may winne Christ and be found in him Phil. 3.7 8 9. 9. Hath God followed these convictions have they been revived againe when they have been dying or sleeping have they spurr'd you on to Christ and to a more dilligent and earnest enquiry after God and your selves Phil. 1.6 Phil. 2.13 Joh. 16.9 10. Did sinne lye so heavy upon your Consciences and the sence of Divine wrath as to make you restlessely and unweariedly to make out after Jesus Christ for rest and peace Math. 11.28.29 and when you went about to quiet your Consciences with your prayers or the good opinion of the Saints or your reformation or resting upon any other broken reeds or sparkes of your own kindling Did the blessed God fetch you off and continually pursue your Consciences untill he had brought your wills to choose and accept of Jesus Christ upon his own termes and that freely without looking back with reluctancy of Spirit c. finding a kind of loathnesse and unwillingnesse to foregoe your Idols but you could cherefully and heartily cast them all away can you remember that the Lord hath brought you so farre and is still carrying on the worke in your hearts can you find that your hearts were and still are drawn to go to the free grace and mercy of God in and by Iesus Christ by his blood and righteousnesse and in the sight and sense of your own lost miserable and woefull estate and condition being sinners and in the sense of your own vilenesse sinfullnesse unworthinesse insufficiency say sincerly heartily Oh Lord here is a poor wretched sinfull Creature come to thee for to be justifyed and pardoned Oh Lord I doe abhorre my selfe and all my own Righteousnesse I am a poor begger miserable blind naked Oh Lord I am a condemned person cast and lost and I am like to perish for ever by thy righteous Law but Oh I heare that there is another Court of Iustice and mercy erected for poor sinners to appeale unto and I am invited nay commanded to make my appeale there Lord I come unto thy free grace and mercy nay Lord I come to thy Justice in Ghrists name 1 Joh. 1.9 I believe that he came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 and that he hath satisfyed thy Justice that he obeyed thy Law that thou art well pleased with him Lord thou hast made thy Sonne to be sinne for some persons that they may be made Righteous by him he bore the sins of many yea for all that come unto thee by him with speciall Faith Oh Lord I desire to be made Righteous by his blood righteousnesse to have Redemption through his blood Oh Lord if it may please thee to Justify me for his sake Oh thou that justifies the ungodly own me and be well pleased with me use me in thy worke I shall account it my greatest happinesse Oh Lord whatever hath separated between me and thee heretofore I doe utterly and heartily renounce abhorre and forsake all my beloved sinnes all my beloved Righteousnesse that I may have Communion with thee that I may no more dishonour thee Oh Lord I have been a willing servant to sinne and the Divell but unwilling to serve thee but oh Lord now I am willing to cast of Sathan's service and to engage in thy service I preserre thy ways and thy Commandements tenthousand times before my old ways Oh Lord I have delighted in sinne but now in Holinesse to please my lusts but now to please my God Oh Lord I am willing to have an interest in Jesus Christ upon any termes send me where thou wilt do with me as it shall seem good unto thee only deny me not an interest in thy Son in thy speciall Love Oh for Christ for Christ am I come give me Christ else I dye I will hang upon thy invitation thy command thy promise Joh. 7.37 1 John 3.23 Joh. 6.37 Oh Lord thou hast invited sinners to come in and be reconciled unto thee O Lord thou hast intreated and beseeched sinners 2 Cor. 5.20 to accept of the termes of reconciliation Oh Lord I doe come I am a sinner I am one of them that is invited 't is true I am a great sinner oh yet I am but a sinner Oh I am willing now to be saved in the same way that Paul was Oh Lord why not I why not I seeeing that sinners are invited yea whoever will let him come O Lord thou hast commanded sinners such as see themselves lost to look upon thy mercy and Grace in Christ and be Saved Is 45.22 Oh Lord I come in Obedience to thy command I am resolved to hang here Yea Lord thou hast promised never to cast off such as come unto thee Oh Lord I 'll hang upon thy faithfullnesse and promise Oh let me find favour I am resolved to take no denyall I will not be put off without thee Lord Jesus I am resolved to be like the importunate Widdow Luk. 18.1 2 3 4. I will keep crying and praying Oh Lord 't is for my life Oh Lord thou hast been a long time waiting to be gracious unto me now I will wait for thee to answer my petition thou hast been many yeares wooing of me to gaine my Love and consent to marry thy Sonne Oh Lord now I 'll woe thee Oh now I consent freely Now with all my heart I am ready to contract with him here is my soule and body and all is ready for him Oh if I might but hear one comfortable word from
transcendently gracious men follow men so farre as their practises agree with the precepts of God Phil. 3.17 1 Cor. 11.1 4. IF you desire to live as Christians and to walke worthy of the Lord then be ware of Idlenesse be alwaies imployed in some honest businesse for Idlenesse is a very great sinne and it will bring you into many inconveniencies Prov 31.27 Ezek 16.49 1 Tim. 5 13. 1 Tim 5.10 1. You will thereby tempt Satan to tempt you the Divell will be often visiting of an idle person and tempting him to many sinnes as he did David 2. Sam. 11. 2. Idlenesse will indispose your soules and bodies for spirituall duties it will bind up your hands and hearts if you give up your selves to idlenesse you will not be able to pray or heare or meditate or examine your hearts you will be putting off duties from time to time resolve to day to be better and to morrow when to morrow comes then you will be as unfit as before and then you will put off God and quiet your consciences with new resolutions and so never bring any thing to passe that you desire to doe and God requires of you 3. You will thereby incurre deadnesse dulnesse and regardlesnesse upon your hearts which will prove a heavy affliction to you you will be uncapable of injoying God in his Ordinances or to worship God spiritually 4. Idlenesse will bring continuall guilts upon you to trouble and disturb your consciences you will never be at quiet but alwaies perplexed and tormented 5. Idlenesse will expose you to many sinnes God will permit many stumbling blocks to lye in your way God oftentimes punisheth one sinne with another you will meet with many occasions to draw you to the commitment of other sinnes as David found by sad experience 6. Idlenesse will imbolden your Lusts to break out it will give vent to Lusts Idle persons have one Lust or other continually breaking out in words or actions 5. IF you will walk worthy of the Lord be carefull not to give way unto the indispositions of your hearts take heed of an indifferent frame of heart when you find an indifferency and loathness upon your hearts to pray or meditate or to examine your hearts or practises or to any other duty when you begin to have a very low esteeme of any duty oh friends suffer it not to be in you with quietnesse but 1. Goe to God immediatly in Christ's name and acquaint him with your condition say oh Lord it is so and so with me I have low and undervaluing thoughts of thy Commandements and my duty to thee Oh Lord I intreat thee for Jesus Christ his sake deliver my poor soule that I may serve thee with gladnesse Psal 55 22 Psal 119.32 Psal 4.1 2. Consider how deare it cost you heretofore when you were through your carelesnesse and neglectfulnesse under such a frame of heart what expence of labour paines and care you were at in praying weeping waiting hearing and the like before you were delivered 3. If it be objected to you that you cannot Pray or use any meanes to remove it from you at such a time consider that you ought to doe what you can though you cannot doe what you would as you would If you can but creep to God and only acquaint him with your present burthens it is not your unfitnesse if you doe what you can in Christ's name that can altogether hinder your prayers from being accepted Rom. 8.26 27. Psal 103.13 14. 4. Be sure that it will be worse with you before it will be better if you yeeld to them The quieter you are and the lesse you doe to remove such frames of heart the more these indispositions will grow and increase in you if you cannot use means now to remove them you will be lesse able hereafter 5. Consider that so long as you are under such a frame of heart you cannot be fit for any spirituall duty you cannot do any good work well 6. Use such quickenings considerations and Arguments as may probably be a speciall meanes to help you out to free you from these indispositions 1. As first that the blessed God can remove them with a word if he please and that he is willing and able Rom. 4 20 21. 2. That Jesus Christ came into the world to give life and to give it more abundantly he came to give quickening grace to believers through the whole course of their lives as at the first to deliver them out of a state of death and to bring them into a state of life Ioh. 10.10 Jer. 13.3 3. That God hath promised to quicken dead soules to remove all your cloggs and fetters that hinder you from a comfortable walking with him Psal 119.25 Rom 8 11. 4. That the Lord hath delivered you when you sought unto him nay when you were wholly dead in sinnes yea before ever you desired him to doe it for you and surely he will not now refuse to heare and help you when you call upon him Psal 119.50 93. 2 Eph. 5. 5. That it is the Office and work of the Holy Ghost to quicken Believers hearts that he is imployed by the Father and the Sonne in such heart quickning work Ioh. 6.63 6. That it is the will of your heavenly Father that you should serve him with lively chearfull hearts that he cannot endure to have his children lye under a dead indifferent frame of heart 2 Cor. 9.7 7. Consider that God is still your Father and Jesus Christ is still interceding in heaven for you even then when you are so bound up in your hearts as that you cannot bring up your affections to follow your judgements you have still an interest in your Fathers love and in the covenant of Grace and in Christs prayers Rom. 8.34 Ioh. 14.14 Heb. 1.25 6. IF you desire to walk with God then labour much to be watchfull Christians keep a strict eye upon your hearts no Christian like unto a watchfull Christian none so holy so humble so strong so wise and faithfull watchfullnesse is a preserving duty and therefore the Holy Ghost is often pressing it upon the Lords people Math. 24.42 Math. 26.41 Mark 13.33 to the end 1 Cor. 16.13 Coll. 4.2 1 Thes 5 6. 1 Pet. 4 7. 1. Labour to spie out the very first turning away of your hearts from God and then you may prevent your hearts from going any farther when you are upon your watch you will find quickly which way your hearts are enclining and where they intend and for what if you do so constantly and faithfully you will be able to keep your ground and still be Lords over your own hearts under God 2. Watch that you may see and quickly find out what secret flatteries and flesh pleasing insinuations the Divell at any time shall suggest unto you Satan will draw you off from God if possible not by violent temptations but by some sweet suggestions pretending that you may do such and
Christs worthinesse by his blood and Righteousnesse loke on him as on one that sits at Gods right hand to make intercession for you say unto God Lord though I am unworthy yet thy Son is worthy he hath purchased these mercys that I begge of thee John 14.13 14. 6. Pray earnestly heartily and Spiritually to God take heed of carnall dead heartlesse Sacrifice of formall praying for that will exceedingly prejudice your soules never leave off untill your hearts have been carryed up to God Ioh. 4.24 Coll. 3.23 1. COnsider your Consciences will not let you alone to rest contented except you doe the matter of a duty but then they will be for a time quiet in the thing done but know that no Sacrifice no Prayer can find acceptance with God but a hearty fervent prayer Jam. 5.16 Rom. 12.11 2. God requires the heart in all your dutys and therefore it is but reason that you should give that to him Prov. 23 26. 3. Consider unlesse you pray heartily and earnestly you cannot doe it in Faith now whatsoever is not of Faith is sinne Heb. 11.6 Rom. 24. ult 4. Consider if you doe not pray so you mock God you pretend to doe that which you do not and you know that that is a great sinne Gal. 6.7 Jer. 3.10 5. Consider if you do not pray so you rob God of his own that which is due to him you keep from him will a man rob God saith the Prophet will he be so wicked as to detaine that which he gives unto him Mal. 3.8 Mal. 1.8 9. 6. Consider that you will loose all your labour and paines God will never answer carnall cold heartlesse prayers here nor reward you for them hereafter he will say who hath required these things at your hands Isa 1.11 12 13 14. Math. 7. 7. Continue in prayer be not discouraged and put off with feares that you shall never obtaine that which you pray for because you are not answered presently but go againe and wrestle with God as Jacob did and resolve to take no denyall Gen. 32.24 25 26 27 28. 8. Then when you have prayed wait for and expect an answer looke after your prayers observe what answer the Lord gives to your prayers Psal 85.8 Sam. 11. 9. Commit your selves and your concernment your prayers and all into the hand of Jesus Christ as well after you have prayed as when you are praying and labour to quiet your hearts as the prophet did in the goodnesse of God let him doe what he sees good referre your selves unto him to his wisedome care and love 1 Pet. 5.7 8. I Beseech you brethren take heed of the world engage not your selves in more worldly businesses then you can well mannage and keep your hearts free for God and to have time enough for Spirituall dutys for prayer hearing Conference Meditation and examination 1 Joh 2.15 Rom. 8.6 Phil. 3.18 19. 1 Tim. 6.9 10 11 12. 1. Consider that though it may be profitable for the body yet 't will be very hurtfull and prejudiciall to your soules now you know the soule is much more precious then the body Luk. 12.32 to the 33 Luk. 22.34 2. Consider though you may feare and intend no hurt in so doing to your soules yet your hearts may soon be overcharged with the cares of this life for although in the first beginning your hearts may be kept with God yet by little and little you will find it will grow worldly Math. â— 24 to the end 3. Consider that you have no promise to be assisted and kept by God in so doing because God hath not called you to so many worldly businesses God never calls any of his people in love and mercy to more imployments then they may well do if they will be carefull and yet keep their hearts free for and close to God Coll. 3.1 2. Phil. 3.20 4. Consider if you doe so you will cause both Saints and sinners to have hard thoughts of you you will loose your room in spirituall hearts and sinners will conclude that you are covetuous earthly creatures 2 Tim. 4.10 Phil. 3.19 5. Consider if you engage in more worldly businesses then you ought you will expose your selves to more temptations then you will be able to beare 1 Tim. 6.9 10 11. 6. Consider 't is better to have Communion with God then to have much of the creature to have a praying â—enlarged heart then your purses full of mony and your barnes full of corne it is farre better to be enriched with heavenly things then with earthly Psal 4.6 7 Phil. 3.7 8 9. 7. Consider that Saints must be singular men they must be as lights to guide others wicked men must see that Saints are men of other Spirits of choice Heavenly minds Math. 5.46 47. Isa 63.8 John 17.16 9. ENdeavour to walke very humbly having low thoughts of your selves and shewing much meeknesse and humility before all men in your words deportments and in all things Coll. 3.12 Phil. 2.6 7 8. Prov. 39.23 Jam. 4.6 Isa 57 15. Isa 66.2 1 Pet. 5.5 6. 1. Consider that you were filthy vile wretched Creatures the worst of all excepting Divels before the Lord Jesus Christ did cleanse and wash you before his Righteousnesse covered you Ezek. 16.14 first verses Isa 51.1 Rom. 3.9 10 11 12 13 14 to the 20. 2. Consider that you have deserved nothing but hell and wrath or whatever may make you miserable 3. Consider that to be humble is to be like unto Jesus Christ himselfe he that was and ever shall be Coequall with the Father made himselfe of no reputation how low did he stoop to exalt you Phill. 2.5 6 7 8. 1 Tim. 3.16 John 13.13 14 15. 4. Consider that the more humble you are the more grace you shall have God delights to fill the Humble with Wisedome and knowledge he will open secrets unto such Psal 25. 1 Pet. 5.5 6. 5. Consider that Humility is a great and glorious ornament to Religion none can more honour the Gospell then an humble Christian he is a shining blessed Christian oh how doth humility commend religion unto others even unto Saints and sinners Math. 3.5 6. Consider that the more humble you are the more communion you shall have with God you will have more assisting Grace then others to keep you from backsliding God will quickly take his leave of a proud person but he loves tod well with him that is of a poor and of a contrite heart Is 57.15 Isa 66.2 Psal 138.6 7. Consider that you live upon free grace God may take that from you that of his free Grace he hath given to you if you forget him and lift up your selves with his mercys Math. 25.28 1 Pet. 5.5 8. Consider the great distance that there is between God and you how infinitely great and glorious he is he is glorious in holinesse fearfull in prayses and you are poor nothing Creatures poor wormes God may if he please crush you in peeces and give
you no account why he doth so Psal 5 6. 9. Consider that you cannot do any thing without him you can neither heare nor pray nor discourse without his wâ—sedome and strength and therefore how little cause have you to be proud of your selves 2 Cor. 3.5 6. Rom. 26 27. 10. Consider that God requires and Commands you to walke humbly what doth the Lord your God requires of you the Prophet answers to walke humbly with your God Mich. 6.8 Col. 3.12 10. LAbour to have and to keep always a tender Conscience that the â—ppearance of sinne may make some impression on it Conscience is an active stirring faculty it will not be quiet if you give it liberty if you do not offer violence to it take heed my friends you may soon get a seared sleepy Conscience in a great measure and know for certain that if you stop the mouth of Conscience you will also hinder the spirits workings who worketh in and by Conscience and if the Holy Ghost and your Consciences should once cease their operations you may be suffered to run into sin and so from sin to sin for you have as it were bound up the hands of your keepers 2 Chron 34.27 Act. 24.16 1 Tim. 1.5 Heb. 10.22 11. Take heed of taking the glorious and fearfull name of God in vain of using it commonly and frequently without feare and trembling you will not use the name of some great men without some reverence and respect consider what God hath spoken of Himselfe to his Creatures to beget in them a holy feare and reverence how ill the Lord hath taken it that men speak so slightly and carelessely of him the Lord will not hold such a person guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine that is that speaketh of God in a common ordinary manner Oh my friends if you love the Great and Holy God shew your Love to him in being tender of his honour never make mention of the name of God but with a self abhorring but with a deliberate purpose to exalt and honour him Oh my beloved for the Lord Jesus Christ his sake if ever you hope to see the face of the Holy God I beseech you when you speak of God or to him do it with feare reverence and trembling Exod 20.7 Deut 5.11 Deut. 28.58 13. Treasure up the word into your hearts when and after you have heard it Preached unto you one great reason why you do not grow faster in knowledge in mortification and holinesse is because you are I am afraid like unto the hearers that James speaks of Jam. 1.23 24. if ever you exspect good by the word you must take pains with your hearts before you heare and when you are hearing and after that you have heard to consider what you have heard to labour to have it turned into Grace in every faculty of your soules to heare for afterward to search and see what advantage you may make of every Sermon you heare 1 Cor. 15.2 Math. 13.18 to 24. Psal 119.11 13. Labour to walk joyfully and chearfully a holy serious mirth a spirituall rejoycing is very commendable in a Saint let your rejoycing be in God not in your selves let it appear that Religion is a reall thing that you tast and feele more sweetnesse and joy in the wayes of God that you walk in then others to doe in their own wayes 1. Consider that God hath promised it he hath promised to make his servants joyfull to comfort and cheare their hearts Oh you blessed of the Lord make out to God the Father and Jesus Christ for much of it Isa 35.1 2 10. Isa 56.7 Isa 65.13 14. 2. Consider that the Lord commands you to rejoyce therefore labour to be joyfull and chearfull in obedience unto the command of God Phil. 4 4. Psal 97.12 3. Consider that Jesus Christ hath prayed for it when Jesus Christ was about to take his leave of his friends you know he made a long prayer to his Father for his Servants and Friends that he was to leave behind him in a persecuting world and among other Petitions you have this Ioh. 17.13 I come to thee Father that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves 1. Be sure to call to mind and to realize what once you were and what you are now you were once Children of wrath and of the Divell but now you are the sonnes and daughters of God once the servants of sinne but now the servants of Christ Eph. 2.1 2 4 5. Tit. 3.3 4 5. 2. Call to mind what great things Jesus Christ hath done for you and what it hath cost him to make heirs of eternall glory Tit. 2.14 Rom. 5.8 9. 3. Be often minding of your heavenly Fathers Love and free grace to you how he continues still to love you how his heart and Christs heart stands affected towards you that he loves you really and heartily Ioh. 3.16 1 Ioh. 3.1 4. Remember your future estate what you shall be though now you have many heavy burthens on you yet the time is coming that you shall be freed from all and shall be partakers of the fulnesse of Christs ioy you shall see him as he is realize it to your own soules that so your hearts may be affected greatly therewith 1 Ioh. 3.2 Coll. 3.4 2 Cor. 4.17 Revel 2.10 14. TAke heed that you give not place to distrustfull unbelieving thoughts and reasoning in a carnall manner at any crosse dispensations you will then quickly fall into the commitment of other sinnes you will murmure and repine against God you will hinder your prayers acceptance you will quickly weaken the hands of grace if you give way to the raisings up of unbeliefe and entertaine it in your hearts you will quickly ruine your selves 1. Therefore to prevent it consider that it is your duty to believe and not to entertain any distrustfull thoughts of God and God takes speciall notice of you whether you be obedient unto him accordingly 1 Joh. 3.23 Isa 26.4 Isa 50.10 2. Consider that distrustfulnesse will grieve the Holy Ghost he hath wrought faith in your hearts and commands you to use it in order to the destroying of unbeliefe and therefore now expects that you should believe and reject all such wicked thoughts Eph. 4.30 3. Consider how exceeding hurtfull it will be to your souls if it be not kept in subjection it will hinder your spirituall comforts and make you goe sorrowfull to your graves and disinable you for all your work and service for God Rom. 15.13 4. Consider what grounds you have to believe what helps and encouragements you have Gods commands his promises his Oath his faithfulnesse power goodnesse mercy and love engaged for you you have the Lord Jesus interceding for you in heaven with his merits Rom. 1.17 Heb. 6.17 18. 1 Thes 5.24 Rom. 8.34 15. Labour to be of lively active publique spirits let not the Divels disciples be more lively and active for their Lord then you are for Christ your