that Word of the Lord already mentioned Isa 42. 24 25. Who gave Jacob to the Spoil and Israel to the Robbers Did not the Lord he against whom we have sinned This is spoken to you now and you have sinned against the Lord. And though you have not lived in these Sins that have been mentioned yet you have greatly sinned and your have lived in Sins which are as great as they Which are These 1. The Sin of COVETOUSNESS This Sin is and hath been thy Sin O House of Jaâ—ob and ye that are called by the Name of Israel This I COVETOUSNESS is a Sin of the Lords People Jer. 5. 28. hath been one of your Sins and this is one of your grand Iniquities and your horrible Sins as will be made to appear And this is a sin wherein you have equalized if you have not surpassed the deeds of the wicked As appears by what follows The Lord gave to the professing People of England Scotland and Ireland within these twenty years last past as much liberty to worship him as their Hearts could wish both in their Parish-Assemblies and other Assemblies They could not desire more liberty then was given to them for every one to worship him in that way in which they were perswaded in their own hearts was according to the minde and will of God And withal he gave to multitudes of them the additions of Health and Wealth and Riches What could have been done more for his Vinyard then he did for them But he looked that they should bring forth Grapes and they brought forth wild Grapes Instead Isa 5. 4. of devoting themselves to Him and to his Service and of presenting their Bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable to God which was their reasonable Service they fell in love with this present World and the Wealth Profits Pleasures and Honours thereof as if there were more beauty in it then in him and as if the Pleasures Profits and Honours of the World did out-bid him and they have chosen to set their Affections upon it and to give up their Hearts to it and to spend their whole Time and Strength and Care and Parts and Abilities which were given for more Noble Ends to grasp much of it together And they have forsaken their God and retained but the Name of being his but he hath not been their Delight their chief Joy and Solace the chiefest of ten thousand But their profits and incomes of outward things they have been their delight and pleasure and they have been as Cordials to them But God hath not been in all their thoughts sometimes all the day long no they have had other Lovers this business to be done and that and t'other business by which outward profits might come in and they have been as meat and drink to them and they can many times forget to eat their Bread to do business of profit But the service of the Lord that what 's that That must not hinder this business and that business that may be done when they have nothing else to do How many days have been spent day after day and scarce half an hour spent in the service of God And that with coldness enough onely to keep the Name of being the Lords Servants and therefore when nothing else could be done that was for worldly profit then the Lord was served in such a manner as it was as on the first day of the week when worldly business could not be done then there would be a coming to the Assemblies of the Saints and a kind of worshipping â—od when the heart was fâ—r enoâ—gh from him for having been engaged in worldly business all the week long it was full of worldly contrivances for profit and gain and wandering up and down in the world as in its proper element when the bodily presence seemed to be before God And so if sometimes in the week days there were an hour or two or three spent in the service of God in a day though very seldom either at a Meeting or it may be in a Closet the world had so much of the heart as very little of it was with God all the while whether on the Sabbath day or any other day onely a conscience and a Name of being the Lords Servants put upon it more then love to it for other Lovers were set up in the hearts of Professors fine Houses were beloved and fine Gardens and Orchards and fine Trades that brought in profits by hundreds or five hundreds or thousands by the year O how sweet were these things O how pleasant for delights What for him that never enjoy'd fifty pound in all his Life that he could say was his own free of debt to fall upon such a Trade or to come into such an Office or Offices as now to have gained fifty pounds per year a hundred two hundred or three hundred per year O how sweet was this What pleasure was there in this What a delightful and desirable thing was it to be so much above those that were his Equals before To be now so and so advanced How sweet were these things So sweet as they were still more and more desired and when a man had so much then he would fain have so much and then so much and then so much and who was it that ever came to a stint to a satisfaction To say I have enough for me and mine I desire no more I will never neglect one days service of God any more to gain any more of this World which I must shortly leave and I know not when I leave it whether it will be a blessing or a curse to my Children I know not whether I do heap it up for to be Ecccl. 5. 13. the hurt and the damage of me and my Posterity after me to nourish them up in idleness and fulness of Bread and it may be in Sodomy even in all those hateful evils which I see many great mens Children are addicted to that it may be it were better my Children had never been born then to have such Temptations left to them as my Estate may be to them Who was it in all the three Nations that came to so much as this while Wealth did flow in upon them Who was it that had their hearts dis-engaged from the pursuit of it How small was the number of them But O thou that art named the House of Jacob how greatly hast thou provoked thy God by a perpetual backsliding Thou art gone away backward thou hast said in thy actions and thy deeds I have loved Strangers and after them will I go so that Jer. 2. 25. there seems to be no hope of thy return Now consider O thou backsliding Daughter how the Lord resents this evil of thine Hearken unto that Voice of his by Jeremiah his Prophet Jer. 2. 12 13. Be astonished O ye Heavens at this and be ye horribly afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord For my People
done or no I know not but I suppose we shall hear more of it if the Confistory was made acquainted with this matter Yesterday a Friend of mine went to see him and speak with him but he was early gone out of Town to Sardum a Village not far from hence in North Holland And this day one hath been to inquire after him but he is not yet come to Town and it is doubtful whether he will come or no hither again Just now I am told that he hath given a Relation of the Message written with his own Hand to a Lutheran from whom I may happily get a Copie of it The Old Man hath told the same things to others as well as to me and I make no doubt but others will write of it into England Amsterdam August 16 26 1661. In which Letters I shall onely take notice of this one passage leaving the resâ— to be of what use the Lord shall please to make it to any namely That the Judgements of God are therein said to come upon those prosessing people For not living according to what they knew It is unquestionably true that sins against knowledge have much higher aggravations then sins of ignorance and God takes it more unkindly from his People when they sin against their knowledge then if they sin ignorantly †Luke 12. 47 48 The Servant that knew his Masters Will and did it not shall be beaten with many stripes But he that knew ‖ The times of this ignorance God winked at Acts. 17. 30. not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with feâ— stripes for unto whomsoever much is given of him shall be much required Happy are the People that live up to what they know If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them But those Peoples case is very deploreable and sad who have continued long in living in sins against knowledgeâ— Davids sins against knowledge cost him very dear and so have the sins against knowledge of many others and many that are yet prospering may be reserved to more severe judgements unless they repent In the consideration of which how greatly doth it concern the Lords People to dread and fear the continuing to live in the Sins that are in the preceding Discourse declared to be their sins They being all sins against their knowledge Sins which they all know to be Sins against the plain Laws and Precepts of the Lord their God and their Redeemer They may be and are many of them sinners in other respects in which they sin for want of knowledge they sin through ignorance but they cannot say so of any one of these Sins They sin as hath been said some of them in their Omissions of the Ordinances of the Lord Christ and others in the praâ—â—ise of them in an irregular way but this they do for want of knowledge though they are not thereby wholly excused they do not sin therein againsâ— their knowledge for it is out of doubt that many of them if not most of them do practice according to what they know and understand But the great sin of the Lords People lyeth in this That they do not live up to what they know do not walk according to the knowledge of the Gospel that every one in particular hath But now to provoke the Lords People to Repentance of these Sins against Some great and weighty Considerations which it concerns the Lords People in good earnest to consider of knowledge especially and thoroughly to amend their wayes I must here lay down some great and weighty Considerations which it concerns them seriously and in good earnest to consider I. It concerns them to Consider that when a People live in a continued course of sinning against the Lord in such great Abominations as these which the Lord so much abhors that though that People make never so high a Profession of being his People and though they appear much in worshipping of him in the Ordinances of his own appointment that yet the Lord doth abhor and loath their most solemn Services And they may keep many solemn Fasting Dayes or Feasting Dayes and yet have no acceptance with him but he may so loath them as to be ready to spue them out of his mouth yea though they be such as seem to have such confidence Consideration I in him as they desire the Day of the Lord as appears Amâ—s 5. 21 22 23 24. I hate I despise your Feast Dayes and I will not smell in your Solemn Assemblies I will not accept them neither will I regard the Peace Offerings of your Fat Beasts Take thou away from me the noise of thy Songs for I will not hear the Mellody of thy Viols But let Judgement run down as Water and Righteousness as a mighty Stream This People pretended to desire the Day of the Lord as appears in the three former Verses and they were diligent in worshiping him but they continued in a course of sinning against him and therefore he sayes I hate I despise your Services People may not think to live in sin and to pacifie the Lord with keeping dayes of Prayer or Praises or of hearing his Word No nothing without a through-amending of their wayes will find acceptance with him and it is a most unworthy thing to think that any thing else without this will do it I have heard a Story of a vile Prophane wicked Man that would wear an Image of Gold continually in his Hat And when he had done any great Evil that did trouble his Conscience then he would take down his God of Gold and kiss it and pray forgiveness of it and think all was well And what do they think less that think they may continue in Sin and paciâ—ie the Lord with their Prayers and Performances But they deceive themselves that will not do it Therefore it is said Mich. 6. 6 7 8. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before the High God Shall I come before him with burnt Offerings with Calves of a year old Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or ten thousands of Rivers of Oyl Shall I give my first-born for my Transgression or the Fruit of my Body for the sin of my Soul All this were vain But he hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to love mercy and do justly and to walk bumbly with thy God Nothing less will please the Lord then a righteous holy humble walking before him And let none think to abuse Gospel-Grace and turn it into wantonness because they must not be saved by works but by the Blood of Christ therefore to waâ—k loosly for this is a certain truth both in the Law and Gospel That without Holiness no man Heâ— â—â— 14 shall see the Lord. It is true there is no Salvation by Works but by Christ alone But those who are saved by Christ are also Sanctified by
ponder this great Consideration and fear and dread the continuing in any known sin and be faâ— from deluding themselves with the vain thoughts of finding acceptance with God in spending a whole day or dayes in a week in the most solemn Church Assemblies or in any other duty which the Lord requires while they continue in sin as remembring what the Lord here speaks in these Scriptures and what is said Psal 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear my prayer And let them observe the gracious Exhortation of the Apostle Heb. 12. 28 29. Let us have Grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and Godly fear for our God is not like the vanities of the Heathens to be pleased with many Lip-Services without Reformation but a consuming fire II. Another great Consideration that may be of use to provoke the Consideration II Lords People to a thorow amending their wayes is this viz. That no persons that are not washed from the Pollutions and Iniquities mentioned in the preceding Discourse shall be admitted to be of the number of them that shall follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth or that â—hall be accounted worthy to serve him in the great work he hath to do in the latter day for it is evident that those that are his Followers are described to be such as have none of these Iniquities found in them as appears in the Description Rev. 14. 1 2 c. in these words And I looked and â—o a Lamb stood upon Mount Sion and with him a hundred forty and four thousand having his Fathers Name written in their Foreâ—eads and they were redeemed from the Earth These are they which were not defiled with Women for they are Virgins These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth These were redeemed from among men being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God And Chap. 17. 14. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and they that are with him are Called and Chosen and Faithful In which great Characters of the Lambs Followers it is apparent That they are not defiled with any of those Pollutions which the greatest number of the Lords People are now defiled with For First It is said They have his Fathers Name written in their Foreheads Characters of the Lambs Followers Which is an evident Demonstration that they shall be of such Holy and Heavenly Conversationâ— as shall evidently manifest whose Children they are for it shall be as appaâ—ently manifest as any thing is manifest that is fixed in a mans Forehead Secondly In that they are said to be redeemed from the Earth it clearly manifests that they shall not be men of an earthly mind but be altogether disingaged in their affections from sublunary things as having their affections wholly set on things above and having their very heaâ—ts there and having their conversations there also For our conversation is in Heaven Phil. 3. 20 contemning and despising any thing in the Earth when it comes in competition with the Service of their Lord and King for they shall not love the World nor the things that are in the World but shall trample upon them all having all things in the World under their Feet No fear of loss of earthly things nor hope of gain of worldly things shall either deâ—er them from the serâ—ice of their Lord or induce them unto any unworthy complyance And in the service of their Lord they shall not expect great Earthly Rewaâ—ds nor desiâ—e any more thereof then Abraham did in his service in subduing the five Kings that desire nothing but what the young men had eaten as he said to the King of Sodom I will not take any more lest thou shouldst say I have made Abraham rich So shall the Followers of the Lamb say to the World to whom they may do good offices by the appointment of their Lord We will not take of you any reward for this Service but what we have eaten even what is enough to supply us and ours while we are about this Work And when our Work of this kind is done we would not have any thing left of what we take for our Service for we would not be one penny richer in estate then we were before but what we have more we shall account as a Canker and as a Moth to the rest of our Estates or to what the Lord may after give us in the lawful and moderate following our particular Callings but therewith we desire to be content whether it be little or much desiâ—ing to come off from publick Service rather with less then more then we had before And we desire to manifest to the World That we seek their Weal and not their Wealth their increase of Wealth Exteâ—nal and Internal and not the DIMINISHING OF ANY PART OF THEIR ESTATES It shall be manifest that they are â—edeemed from the Earth by their being every way loose from the things that are on the Earth and wholly set on the things that are above and rejoycing in that their Names are written in Heaven and in that they are sure of an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not awaâ— reserved in Heaven for them Thirdly It being said That they shall not be defiled with Women for they are Virgins It doth manifest that they shall not onely be pure from Foâ—nications or Aduâ—teries in the Letter but also in a Mystical and Spiritual sence they shall not set up any other Lover in their hearts but â—emain chaste Virgins to Christ They shall be as pure as Virgins from having their hearts insnaâ—ed with the Woâ—ld or any other thing that defileth They shall not be defiled with the alluâ—ements of the Scarlet Whoâ—e but shall hate to have any thing to do with the Cup of her Fornications Her Trumpery they shall not meddle with But as soon as it is discovered to them they shall detest it and shall give themselves up wholly to the Lord Christ to be guided by him alone cleaving to him as a faithful and loyal Spouse that abhors the thoughts of any but her onely Beloved but shall give themselves up wholly to the Lord Christ to be guâ—ded by him alone and to follow him alone which is the next Character that 's given of them Fourthly They shall follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth He being their Leader they shall follow their Blessed Leader They shall not receive the Precepts of men in the Worship of God but the Rules of Christ alone and shall receive the Law from his mouth alone and not admit of mens inventions and mens interpretations further then they are perswaded it is according to his mind He alone shall be observed by them and whatsoever he reveals to them they shall do and into whatsoever Path he guides them they shall go and shall not be tyed and stinted by
Spirit in whom any sin did appear or any carriage or conversation not becoming the Gospel according to the Rules laid down in the blessed Word of Truth both in the Law and Gospel as Lev. 19. 17. Mat. 8. 15 16. Gal. 6. 1. 6. That great Duty of a constant frequenting the Assemblies of the Saints and the practise of the publick Ordinances of Christ which he taught all his Constant and diligent attending the Assemblies of Saints publickly to worship the Lord. 1 Pet. 4. 14 Disciples to observe wherein there is a more publick owning and honouring the Lord in the Eyes of all the World Which well becomes the Saints diligently and solemnly to attend whatever Persecution they suffer for it for happy are they if they suffer for well doing the Spirit of God and of Glory reâ—leth upon them which was the blessed Practice of the Saints of old as Psal 22 22. 107. 32. 149. 1. 122. 1 2. 27. 4. Heb. 10. 25. 1 Cor. 11. 18. 14. 23. 1 Cor. 5. 4. Now I say That there hath been a very great Omission of all these great Duties by the generality of Professors is too well known to themselves and others But I may not spare to tell them of it more particularly and to sâ—ew them tâ—e hainousness of those Sins As first That great Duty of solemn and constant Prayer in Families being neglected is to be charged upon many even of the Baptized Congregations whose looseness therein hath been very lamentable and not onely the people but some of the Elders and Teachers of those people also have greatly offended in this thing and whatsoever their zeal hath been in other things and in things never so excellent yet in this they have been a shame and a dishonour to the high profession of the Gospel which they have made my Soul is grieved to think of it It having proceeded meerly from a careless carnal sluggish frame of Spirit not from Opinion or Judgement that it ought to be so or that it were against a Rule to pray and praise the Lord in their Families or to exhort or instruct their Families though that were very bad in them if they did it from Opinion but it hath not been so for sometimes they have been practising that duty in their Families at their own leisure and when their own turns were served O sinful people that have thus provoked the Lord to perform duties to God either not at all all the day long or else when it s done sleeping by most present bringing the blind the halt to the Lord and as these so more private and Closet performances have been very rare and seldom as those that have lived in their Families and observed their looseness and remisness can witness and their own Consciences will testifie to their faces And as the Professors of the Baptized Churches so those of the Independant and Presbyterian understandings many of them have been as guiâ—ty of the omission or slight or seldom performances of these duties as they But for the people that are termed Quakers by way of distinction from oâ—hers they have been wretchedly guilty of the omission of these Family and Closet Duties it being their general way never to pray in their Families though many of their Families have been made up of all such as have been called Quakets all such as have approved one of another and could have no pretence why they should not joyn together in Prayer and praises why they should not worship the Lord together in their Families as well as in the greater Congregations but onely a careless carnal vain heart that is the occasion of the remisness of all Professors that are remiss in this Duty But they have a pretence that they may not pray but when they have a strong impulse of Spirit thereunto and if that be the case and that People may not pray that they may be quickened by the quickening Spirit nor pray for more of the Spirit when they have but a little very little in them then why do they pray at all in their Meetings or joyn in Prayer with those that do But it may be those that pray not all the week before in their Families will pray when they come to a Meeting And had not the devil a great design in hindring all sorts of Professors from Prayer they would not so easily upon such slight and insufficient grounds be hindred from Prayer as they generally are But that subtile Adversary knoweth that their Hearts shall live that seek the Lord and that there are no Souls so thâ—iving as the truly spiritual praying Souls that are most in Prayer and Supplication day and Ps 22. 26. 69. 32. night which none are whatever they pretend but those that spend much time therein both in their Families where they fear the Lord and in their Closets When thou prayest retire thy self set time apart for that purpose enter into thy Closet and pray to thy Father in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly But some may say I may pray in Mat. 6 6. secret when I neither enter into my Closet nor none in my House observeth me But let me tell such That if they be observed as they may be when they little think of it to spend their day from morning to night in being implunged in some worldly business or other or to be in company with some or other talking of this or that News or this and that Trade or business or eating and drinking and walking and talking and so fill up their whole day and no time set apart nor no retirement or being retired from the world and the affairs thereof they are sorry Prayers that such make Our dear Lord went into Desarts and Mountains to pray set time apart for that great and solemn Work and frequently continued all night in Prayer to God It was not a little and slight setting apart of time And therefore let not any dare to deceive and delude themselves and others with deceitful pretences But I have a little digrest though necessarily from my work in hand to show the Lords People their Transgressions But I must proceed to shew his People among the Quakers that this hath been their great Sin that they have been very grosly and in higher degrees then others guilty of the omission of these holy Duties of Family and Closet-Praying and Praising and Worshipping the Lord which is of so great concernment to the increase of all spiritual Grace and that is the reason that they grow so little but are come to a stint and do not adde to their Faith Vertue and to Vertue Knowlenge c. but in the posture they were seven years ago they are still many of them and are rather declined in the purity of their conversations though they stick to their shells and outsides of needless words and gestures in the which there is no savour to
out one of another and by taking up Evil * Witness Mr. Edward 's Gangranâ— Reports one of another and manifesting no Brotherly Love one to another but caâ—rying it one to another as if they were not Children of one Father I say in that the Lordâ— People have done thus they have provoked the Lord to scourge them all and to spare none of them And they must know that as far as they remain thus disposed he is greatly offended with them Not that the Lords People ought not at all to judge one another for there are many things that we may judge and censure one another for as when persons are overtaken in faults or evils that are against plain Rules such Rules as are acknowledged by all that acknowledge and believe in the true God and Jesus Chrâ—st whom he hath sent as to be a Lyar to steal to cheat to deceive to swear falsly to commit adultery to be malicious or envious or proud or covetous or impatient or froward or to be scornful are evils acknowledged by all that truly believe in the true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent to be against plain Rules received and acknowledged by them all and when we see a Brother overtaken in any of these or the like â—â—â—lts we are to judge and condemn them as the Works of Darkness and the Fruits of the Flesh and to endeavour to restore them that are guilty of them and to have no fellowship with them in such unfruitful Works of Darkness And accordingly the Independants the Baptised the Quakers and the Presbyterians do all bear witness and that justly against these and such-like Eâ—ils whether they are in any of their own Understandings or in any others And this kind of judging one another the Lord both commands and commends He commands it in these Scriptures Lev. 19. 17. Psal 94. 16. Mat. 18. 15 16 17. Ephes 5. 11. And the Lord commends it in the Church of Ephesus Rev. 2. 2. I know thy woâ—ks c and how thou canst not bear them which are evil That spirit of zeal that was in them against evil in any in that they would not bear noâ— suffer sin in any was very acceptable to him And therefore in such cases we may and ought to judge of the Ways and Spirits of men and to condemn the carnal minde and sinful disposition of spirit and the sinful ways of men for if a man be disobedient to that which he knoweth to be the Will of his Lord we ought to judge and condemn him therein But that which we are forbidden to judge one another for is the things in which we cannot be of one mind but do differ in our Understandings For though we may be perswaded that the Way wherein we walk is the very Way which the Word of God directs us to walk in yet we ought not to say that therein we are infallible And though we are all to walk in those things wherein we differ every one as we are perswaded in our own minds and should erre therein yet we may not be judged to be none of the Lords Servants or People For they onely may be said to be none of his that wilfully rebell against his known Will and continue in so doing without Repentance But there being this testimony in the Conscience of a man that with his whole Soul he desires and endeavours to do the will of God from the heart and that he doth not knowingly erre in one tittle from the Law of our Lord Jesus Christ but it grieves and troubles him for to censure or judge such a one to â—e none of the Lords is that which the Lord forbids But it may be said That some Quakers do not acknowledge the true God nor Jesus Christ our Lord whom he hath sent To that the answer is easie If they be such to our own knowledge as do deny the true God and Jesus Christ our Lord whom he hath sent as do not own him nor his Law nor profess an unfeigned subjeâ—ion to him in all things so far as they know his Will Then they are not to be owned as the Lords Servants but to be accounted as Heathens and Inâ—idels Buâ— if they do profess Faith in God and in Jesus Christ whom he hath sent and if the true Fear of the Lord be in them and they do manifest a subjection unto the Laws and Rules of the Lord Christ in all things so far as they know his Wâ—ll although they are very differing from us â—n many other things not so generally received by all the Lords People yet he thaâ— censures or judges them as Enemies of the Lord or condemns them as none of his may offend the Lord Christ Now as far as the Lords People have been censoriouâ— one of another and condemned one another as none of hiâ— so far they have greatly grieved hâ— holy Spirit in walking contraâ—y unto the blessed Rules of his Word in which he sweetly instructs his People thus Hereby shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another And Joh. 13. 35 1 Cor. 13. 5 Rom. 12. 10. Heb. 13. 1. Rom. 14. 2 3 4 5 9 10 12 13 23. Love thinketh no Evil. And Be kindly affectioned one towards another with Brotherly Love in honour preferring one another And Let Brotherly Love continue And in another place thus For one believeth that he may eat all things another who is weak eateth Herbs Let not him that eatetâ— dâ—spise him that eateth not and let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth for God hath received him Who art thou that judgest another mans Servant To his own Master he standeth or falleth yea he shall he holden up for God is able to make him stand One man esteemeth one day above another another esteemeth every day alike Let every man be fully perswaded in his own mind To this end Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living But why dost thou judge thy Brother Or why dost thou set at nought thy Brother We shall all stand before the Judgement-seat of Christ So that every â—ne of us shall give an account of himself to God Let us noâ— therefore judge one another any more And Whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin And Judge not that ye be not judged And Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy Brothers Mat. 7. 1 3 4. Eye and considerest not the Beam that is in thine own Eye But very many of the Lords People have greatly sinned against him in not observing these blessed Instructions but they have cast them all behind their back as if they were of no concernment to them to observe But they have rebelled against the Lord and rejected the Word and Wisdom of the Lord herein And though he say Judge not that ye be not judged And Let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth for God hath received him And
25. doer of the Word that man shall be blessed in his Deed but he that is a forgetful Hearer can expect no blessing The good Seed of the Word cannot grow up there when he either suffereth the Devil to catch it from him oâ— the cares of this World and the deceiâ—fulness of Riches to choak it This heart is not the good ground in which the Word is sowed so as to bring forth thirty sixty or an hundred fold But this hath been a sin of very many that they very seldom take time so much as to call to memory the Word they have heard but hearing the Word on the first day of the weak many times think no more of it all the weak followiâ—g It is well known that the two distinguishing Characters that were given of the â—lean Beasts which onely were acceptable to God in Sacrifice under the Law were that they were such as did Chew the Cud and part the Hoof. â—nd it is certain that those Souls cannot be clâ—â—n under the Gospel that do not Chew the Cud that do not review and recal to mind and meditate upon the Word of God when they have heaâ—d it Paul speaking of the Word of the Gospel sayes It is the 1 Cor. 15. 1 2. Word whereby ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I have preached unto you unless ye have believed in vain and it is the Power of God through Faith unto Salvation But those that keep it not in memory cannot be saved Rom. 1. 16. Whereby ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I have preached unto you The Word of Truth maketh Souls clean Sanctifie them through thy John 17. 17. Truth thy Word is Truth but it is by treasuring it up in the heart The cleanest and purest Souls have the Word of Christ dwelling most plentifully in them Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way but by taking heed thereto according to thy Word Psal 119. 9. The Blessed man when he hears the Word doth not let it go in at one ear and out at another but his delight is in it and he meditates on it day and night Psal 1. 2. But it is no wonder such pollutions and uncleannesses appear in many of the Lords People seeing they do so little Chew the Cud. It is no wonder their Souls thrive no more seeing the Word so quickly passes from them undigested They go to hear the Word as the Food of their Souls but digest it not by Meditation and Chewing upon it and getting the sweetness and noâ—rishment of it and therefore are lean and starved Souls though aâ—â—plentiful Tables THIS this hath been also another great evil in many of the Lords People And what is the â—oot of this carelesness and indifferency whether they have nourishment from the Word or not hath been shewed in the mentioning of the first Evil that hath been in this Discourse declared and shewed to the House of Jacob. And they that have been guilty of not Chewing the Cud in the sence now declared are some of the people of the several understandiâ—gs and the Quakers though all of them are not guilty of it but very many of them are grosly guilty of this â—in of Indigestion and though many of them are ready and forward to go to hear the Word yet they too much satisfie themselves with a bare so doing as if that were enough and they very rarely take any time to do themselves their Families good by repeating each what they remember to the help of one anothers memory in whaâ— they have heard So that there appears little growth in many Professors but where they were ten years since the same they are now or scarce so far But it may be some of them are gone back many degrees because they digest not their Spiritual Food And one great reason of some of the Baptised Peoples so doing is their using when they had full liberty to continue their First Day 's ordinary Exercises until four of the Clock in the Afternoon at which time if they had broken up they had done well and then after that to continue the rest of the Day in doing the business of the Church viz. To reprove particular persons where there was need and to inquire into the state of the Sick or the Poor and Needy and to receive in or cast out as occasion required And these things taking up their time * Which things should be done at other times appointed for them until it was late then they had no time before Supper for any other Service and after Supper such Services with Children and Servants use to be lame Services and some elder People also being then unfit for any thing but to sleep so that they had no time on the First Day of the Week for to chew the Cud And for other Days the World so took up some of them as well as some Presbyters Quakers and Independants as they scarce minded to go to a Meeting or if they did the World had so eaten them up that they little cared to minde any thing but their Worldly Business and sometimes some would scarce have gone to a Meeting any week day but to stop the Clamours of their Consciences and it had been as good they had staid at home as gone and as much acceptance it would have had with God unless they had gone to more purpose I mention this as a distinct Evil and not among the Omissions already mentioned because it may be some do scarce think it to be a Duty required of them But â—et all the House of Israel know That this is assuredly a great Evil of those that have been guilty of it and that forgetful Hearers are not blessed But some Baptised People and the Quakers and many Presbyterians and Independants also have been very guilty of this great evil and it must be declared unto them and let them not think to hide it but as they desire to be blessed let them Repent and Reform IX Another great Evil of the Lords People of which they are generally IX TALE-BEARING OR BACK BITING very guilty is the Sin of BACK-BITING And this is a sore Evil and a mischievous Sin though it is a Sin which it may be many of them never think of the sinfulness of it nor scarcely ever think it to be a Sin And that Evil which the Spirit of God gives this title unto is expresâ— by a variety of other such-like Titles in the Scriptures As the Whisperer the Talebearer the Babler the Railer the Slanderer the Evil-surmiser Now that the Lords People may be shewn their Evil herein let them but take a view of their deformity of this kind also in the Glass of the Scriptures even in the blessed Words of Truth therein contained And first It is against the express Precept and Commandment of the Lord Lev. 19. 17. Thou shalt not go up and down as a Tale-bearer among thy People So that he that