fulfill their pennance injoyned if they be devout in certaine superstitions in their will-worship and voluntary religion their conscience is quiet for a time notwithstanding their soule and blacke sinnes even their abominable Idolatries I do these to wit that all this is but a blindfolding smothering and stupifying the conscience for a time laying a double and a farre greater guilt upon it it is farre from being any meanes truly to pacifie it For how can any man have true peace from any or from all such actions as are in themselves an actuall denying of the true head of the Church Iesus Christ and are a cleaving to a false head which is Antichrist And how can any man merit for himselfe when our Saviour saith when hee hath done all that is commanded hee is an unprofitable servant and hath done but his dutie which thing hee must say and acknowledge All these before mentioned build their hopes upon false grounds Those that follow build their presumptuous false hopes upon a misse-application of true grounds 7. Many acknowledge that they have sinned doe deserve eternall damnation but they say God is mercifull therefore their heart is quiet without all feare of Condemnation It is most true that God is most mercifull but how Know hee is not necessarily mercifull as if he could not choose but shew it to all men Hee is voluntarily mercifull shewing mercy onely to those unto whom he will shew mercie God could and did hate and in his justice comdemne Eâ—au notwithstanding his love and mercy to Iacob God is all iustice as well as all mercy but he hath his severall obiects of justice and mercy and hath his severall vessels of wrath and mercy into which respectively hee doth powre his wrath or mercy When God speaketh of obstinate sinners he saith that hee will not â—e mercifull to their iniquities and saith againe Hee that made them will not have mercy on them And David prayeth with a Propheticall Spirit saying to God Be not mercifull to wicked transgressours And who are these but such as hate to be reformed who are presumptuous and turne the grace of God into wantonnesse Now concerning them that alwayes erre in their heart hee hath in effect sworne that hee will shew them no mercy For hee hath sworne that they shall not enter into his rest 8. Some others goe farther they acknowledge that GODS Iustice must be satisfied and they thinke it is satisfied for them they dreaming of universall redemption by Christ who indeed is said to dye to take away the sinnes of the world This causeth their conscience to be quiet notwithstanding that they live in sinne It must be granted that Christ gave himselfe a ransome for all This ransome may be called generall and for all in some sense but how namely in respect of the common nature of man which he tooke and of the common cause of mankinde which hee undertooke and for that in it selfe it was of sufficient price to redeeme all men and it was paide in such sort that it is appliable to al without exception by the preaching and ministry of the Gospell And it was so intendedby Christ that the plaster should be as large as the sore and that there should be no defect in the remedy that is in the price or sacrifice of himselfe offered upon the Crosse by which man should be saved but that all men and each particular man might in that respect become saveable by Christ Yet doth not the salvation of all men necessarily follow hereupon nor doth it follow that all men may be saved if they will nor yet must any part of the price which CHRIST paid be held to be superfluous though many be not saved by it For it being of infinite value because he was the eternall son of God that suffered and so it was to be because he was to feele the wrath of an infinite God it receiveth not the consideration of more or lesse And the whole price and merits of Christ are not to bee applied by parts but the whole merit is to bee applyed to each particular maÌ„ that shal be saved But know that the application of the remedy and the actuall fruit of this all-sufficient ransom redoundeth to those which are saved onely by that way and meanes which God was pleased to appoint which for men of yeares iâ— faith by which Christ is actually applyed Which condition many to whom the Gospell doth come make impossibleto themselves through a wilfull refusing of the Gospell and saluation it selfe by Christ upon those termes which God doth offer it Vpon this sufficiency of Christs ransome and intention of God and Christ that it should be sufficient to save all is founded that generall offer of Christ to all and to each particular man to whom the Lord shall please to reveale the Gospell likewise that universall precept of the Gospell commanding every man to repent and beleeve in Christ Iesus as also the universall promise of salvation made to every one that shall beleeve in Christ Iesus Although in an orthodox sense â—ightly understood Christ may be said to have dyed for all yet let not every one nor any one presently presume he shall be saved For God did intend this all-sufficient price for all otherwise to his elect in Christ than to those whom he passed by not elected for he intended this not only out of a generall and common love to mankinde but out of a peculiar love to his Elect. He gave not Christ equally and alike to save all and Christ did not so lay downe his life for the Reprobate as for the Elect. Christ so dyed for all that his death might be applyable to all He so dyed for the Elect that his death might be actually applied unto them He so dyed for all that they might have an object of faith and that if they should beleeve in Christ they might be saved But he so died for the Elect that they might actually beleeve and bee saved Hence it is that Christs death becommeth effectuall to them and not to the other though sufficient for all Now that many beleeve not they having â—he means of saith the fault is in themselves through their wilfulnesse or negligence but that any beleeve to Salvation it is of Gods grace attending his Election and Christs dying out of his especiall love for them and not of the power of mans free will God sending his Gospell and giving the grace of faith new obedience to those whom of his free grace he hath ordained to eternall life both where he pleaseth and when he pleaseth Furthermore it must be considered that notwithstanding the all-sufficiencie of Christs death whereby the new Covenant of grace is ratified and confirmed the Covenant is not absolute but conditionall Now what GOD prodoundeth conditionally no man must take absolutely For God
courteous behaviour requiting evil with good comforting the afflicted releeving the needy peace-making and by doing all other offices of love which might tend to my neighbours safetie or comfort Or have I not wished my selfe dead or neglected the meanes of my health Have I not impeached it by surfeits by excessive labour or sports by fretting and over-grieving or by any other meanes And have I not had thoughts of doing my selfe harme Have I not beene angry unadvisedly malicious and revengefull shewing surly gesture and behaviour as sowre lookes shaking the head or hand gnashing the teeth stamping staring mocking railing cursing quarrelling smiting poisoning hurting or taking away the life of man any way without Gods allowance Have I not been a sower of discord or some way or other been an occasion of the discomfort if not of the death of others The seventh Commandement concerneth Chastitie whereby God provideth for a pure propagation and conservation of mankinde forbidding all bodily pollution under the name of Adultery Have I beene modest sober shamefast possessing my body in chastitie shutting mine eyes and stopping mine eares and restraining my other senses from al objects and occasions of lust bridling my tongue from lustful motions and lascivious speeches forbearing all manner of daliance and wantonnes abstaining from selfe-pollution fornication or any other naturall or unnaturall defilement of my body either in deede or desire And being married was I wise in my choise and haue I kept the marriage-bed undefiled through a sanctified sober and seasonable use thereof Or Am I not guilty of manifold acts of uncleannesse at least of vncleane thoughts immodest eyes eares touches embraces of wanton speeches gesture apparrell and behaviour Have I not run into the manifold occasions of adultery uncleannes as by idlenes gluttony drunkennes choise of such meats drinkes perfumes or any other thing that will provoke lust effeminate dancing frequeÌ„ting wanton company or places of uncleane provocations and of unseasonable conversing with the other sex alone The eight Commandement concerneth the preseruation of mans Goods the meanes of his comfortable maintenance in this life forbidding all wrong thereabout under the name of stealing Have I a good Title to the things which I possesse as by lawfull inheritance gift reward coÌ„tract or any other way which God alloweth Have I beene industrious and faithful in my Calling frugall provident Have I done that for which I have receiued pay or maintenance from others and have I given to every man his owne whether tribute wages debts or any other dues Or have I not got my living by an unlawfull Calling or have I not impoverished my selfe and mine by idlenesse luxurious and unnecessary expences by gaming unadvised suretiship or otherwise Have I not with-held from my selfe or others through niggardice that which should have beene expended Have I not gotten or kept my neighbours goods by fraud oppression falshood or by force and made no restitution Have I not some way or other impaired my neighbours estate The ninth Commandement concerneth Truth of speech the meanes of entercourse betweene man and man and of preserving mens rights and of redressing of all disorder in humane societie forbidding all falshood of speech under the name of bearing false witnesse Have I at all times in all things spoken the truth from my heart giving testimony in publike or private by word or writing of things concerning mine owne or neighbours Name and credit life chastitie goods or in any other thing that hath beene matter of speech betweene me or others whether in affirming denying with oath or without oath or in bare reports or in promises or any other way Or am I not guiltie of telling lies jestingly officiously or perniciously Have I not raysed spread or received false reports of my neigbour Have I not spoken falsly in buying and selling also in commending by word or writing of unworthy persons and in dispraysing the good in boasting of my selfe or flattering of others Have I not given false evidence used equivocations or concealed the truth which I should have spoken or perverted it when I did speake it The tenth Commandement concerneth Contentation with a mans owne condition the foundation of all order and iustice amongst men forbidding the contrary namely Coveting that which is not his Am I contented with mine owne â—oÌ„dition as with my place which â— hold in Family Church or â—ommon-wealth with mine â—wne yoke-fellow and estate Can I reioyce in it and also that â—t should bee well with others â—ay better than it is with my â—elfe Or have I not beene full of disâ—ontent with my condition coveâ—ing after some thing or other which was my neighbours at â—ast by actuall concupiscence in multitude of evill thoughts ariâ—ing from the law of my memâ—ers though my deliberate will â—ath gone against them Thus having by the Law found out your sinnes you must araigne and accuse your selfe as it were at the barre of Gods Tribunall representing your sinnes to your minde as they are in their hainousnesse and mischievousnesse according to their severall aggravations First consider sinne in it's nature it is a morall evill an anomy and irregularity in the soule and actions an enmitie to God the chiefe good It is the worst evill worse than the Devill and Satan he had not beene a Devill but for doing evill worse than Hell which as it is a torment is caused by Sinne but is onely contrary to the good of the Creature whereas sinne it selfe is contrary to the good of the Creator It is such a disteÌ„per of the soule that the Scripture calleth it wickednes of folly even foolishnes of madnesse Secondly consider from whence sinne in man had his originall even from the Devill who is the father of it It came and commeth from Hell therefore is earthly sensuall divelish Whensoever you sinne you doe the lusts of the Devill Thirdly consider the nature of the Law whereof sinne is a transgression A Law most perfect most holy equall and good which would have given eternall life to the doers of it had it not beene for this cursed Sinne. Fourthly consider the person against whom sinne is committed whom it highly offendeth and provoketh It is God to whom you owe your selfe and all that you have who made and doth preserve you and yours who albeit you have sinned desireth not your death nor afflicteth you willingly but had rather that you should humble your selfe Repent and live who that you might be saved gave his onely begotten sonne to death to ransome you who by us his Ministers maketh knowne his Word and good will towards you making Proclamation that if you will repent and beleeve you shall be saved yea by us he intreateth you to bee reconciled to him It is that GOD who is rich in goodnes forbearance and long-suffering waiting when you will turne that you may live who on the other side if you despise this his
way and affoordeth meanes to attain both through the commands and promises thereof in the doctrine of faith and repentance Now therefore bring your self to the Gospell Try your selfe thereby first whether your first faith and repentance were sound then set upon reforming getting pardon of particular and later offences But learne to put a difference betweene the Commandements of the Gospell and of the Law the Law exacteth absolute obedience The gracious Gospell doth through CHRIST accept of the truth of Faith and Repentance so that there be an endevour after their perfection It would be too long to shew you at large the signes of unfained Faith and Repentance I will for the present onely say this Have you been humbled heretofore and through the promises and commandement of the Gospell which biddeth you beleeue have you conceived hope of mercy relying on Christ for it and thereupon have had a â—â—ue change in your whole man so that you make God your utmost end and out of hatred oâ—… and love unto Christ and â—is wayes have had a will in all things to live honestly and to â—…devour in all things to keepe alwayes a good conscience to wards God and man desiring the sincere milke of the Word to grow by it loving the brethren desiring and delighting in communion with them then be you confident that your first faith repentance and new obedience was sound If upon tryall you finde that they were not sound then you must begin now to repent and beleeve it is not yet too late Touching reformation and obtaining of pardon and power of your particular sinnes doe thus Consider the Commandement which biddeth you to repent and amend Consider the Commandements which bid you to come unto Christ when you are weary and beavie laden with your sin beleeving that through him they shall be pardoned and subdued to this end Consider that Christ hath fully satisfied for such and such a sinne yea for all sinne and that you have many promises of grace and forgivenesse yea a promise that God will give you grace to beleeve in him that you may have your sinnes forgiven Consider that there is vertue and power in Christs death and resurrection appliable by faith through his holy Spirit for the mortifying the old man of sinne and quickning the new man in grace as well as merit to take away the guilt and punishment of your sinne Improve this power of Christ in you unto an actuall breaking off your sinnes and living according to the wil of Christ which is done by mortifying the old man of sinne and by strengthning the new and inner man of grace In mortifying your sinne doe thus Take all your sinnes especially your bosome sins those to which the disposition of your nature and condition of your place doth most incline you your strongest and Captaine sinnes and with them the body of corruption in you the originall and mother-sinne smite at them strike at the very roote arraigne them condemne them in your selfe dragge them all to the Crosse of Christ and nayle them thereunto that is by Faith see them all nayled with Christ to the Crosse whereon he was crucified and beleeve that not onelyin respect of their guilt but also of their raigning power they are al crucified with him dead and buried as is signified to you lively in your Baptisme When you see that your old man is crucified with Christ that the body of sinne should be destroyed you will take courage against sinne and will refuse to serve it sith by Christ you are freed from the dominion of it When you thus by faith put on the Lord Iesus Christ you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh Grieve heartily for your sinnes conceive deadly hatred against them displeasure against your selfe for them These like a corrasiue will eate out the core and heart of sinne Make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts of it but be sober in the use of all earthly things this by little and little will starve sinne Avoid all obiects and occasions of sinne yea abstaine from the appearance of it this wil disarme sinne When you feele any motion unto sinne whether it rose from within or came from without resist it speedily and earnestly by the Sword of the Spirit the Word of God as your Saviour did and as Ioseph did for which cause it must dwell plentifully in you Thus you shall kill sinne That you may strengthen the inner man by the Spirit whereby you may not onely mortifie the deeds of the flesh but bring forth the fruits of the Spirit doe thus First Apply Christ risen from the dead for you particularly beleeving that God by the same power quickneth you and raiseth you together with Christ to walke in newnes of life reckoning your selfe now to be alive unto God being dead unto sinne become the servant of righteousnesse This beleeving in Christ embracing and relying upon the precious promises of the Gospell doth draw downe Christ into your heart and doth more and more incorporate you into him by it he by his Spirit dwelleth in you wherby of his life grace you receive life and grace and so as the Apostle saith are made partaker of the divine nature flying the corruption which is in the world through lust Affect your heart with ioy unspeakeable and with peace in beleeving considering that you are iustified through our Lord Iesus Christ this Ioy of the Lord as a cordiall will exceedingly strengthen grace in the inner man Take heed of quenching or grieving the Spirit but nourish it by the frequent use of holy meditation prayer hearing and reading of the Word receiving the Sacraments by a Christian Communion with such as feare God and by following the motions of the Spirit of God which you shall know to be from it when the thing wherunto it mooveth is both for matter circumstance according to the Scripture the Word of the Spirit This is to be led of the Spirit and this will be to walke in the Spirit and then you shal not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Vpon your fasting day you shal doe well to renew your Covenant with God and in some cases so that it be done advisedly to enter into a particular vow to leave some grosse sinne with the occasions of it and to doe some necessary neglected dutie and to embrace all furtherances thereof This also will much strengthen your resolution against sinne and for holinesse There remaineth yet one principall work wherein a chiefe busines of the day of your fast lyeth for which all formerly spoken to maketh way and by which with the former meanes you may attaine to true reformation of your selfe reconciliation with your
of worke be done whether servile or any other Quest But are we under the Gospell tied unto as strict a rest as the Iewes Answ We are bound to keepe as strict and as holy a Rest as the fourth Commandement tied them but not to that strictnesse which some appendixes to the Law which were onely Ceremoniall or Iudiciall did binde them such as dressing their meat on the Eve not kindling a fire putting a man to death for gathering sticks c. These as it is probable were not onely peculiar to the Iews but for that present time onely while they were in the Wildernes and lived upon Manna And forbidding to kindle a fire seemeth to be a speciall restraint for that time to shew that God preferred the holy keeping of the Sabbath before the materiall building of his Tabernacle whereabout the kindling of fire was needfull see Exod. 31. 7. 14. and chapt 35. 2. 3. 5. c. But if these bound the Iewes at all times then they were part of that yoke and pâ—dagogie of the Iewes of which Peter saith neither they nor their fathers were able to beare all which were done away in Christ and doe not binde us Fourthly it is not enough that you observe a rest but you must keepe an holy Rest Which that you may doe you must in your awaking put difference between it and other dayes not thinking on worldly busines no more then will serve for a generall providence to preserve them from hurt or losse Both in your lying awake and rising this morning make use of the directions before shewing you how to awake and rise with God Rise early if it will stand with your health and not binder your fitnesse for spirituall exercises through drowsinesse afterward that you may shewforth Gods loving kindnes in the morning Double your devotions on the Lords day as the Iewes did their morning and evening sacrifice on the Sabbath day Prepare your selfe for the publike holy services by reading by meditation and by casting away all filthinesse that is repenting of every grosse sinne and casting away the abounding of naughtinesse that is let no sinne be allowed or suffered to reigne in you Then pray for your selfe and for the Minister that GOD would give him a mouth to speake and you an heart to heare as you both ought to doe All this before you shall assemble in the Congregation Being thus prepared bring your people with you to the Church Ioyne with the Minister and Congregation Set your selfe as in the speciall presence of God following the example of good Cornelius with all reverence attending and consenting saying Amen with understanding faith and affection to the prayers uttered by the Minister attending unto beleeving and obeying whatsoever by the Minister is commanded you from GOD. Afterward by meditation by conference and if you have opportunity by repetitions call to minde and wisely and firmely lay up what you have learned The like care must be had before at and after the Evening exercise If Baptisme be administred stay and attend unto it 1 To honor that holy Ordinance with the greater solemnity 2 And in charity to the persons to be Baptised joyning with the Congregation in heart prayer for them and in a joyfull receiving them into the Communion of the visiblë Church 3 Also in respect of your selfe For hereby you may call to mind your owne Baptisme in which you did put on Christ which also doth lively represent the death buriall and resurrection of Christ together with your crucifying the affections and lusts being dead and buried with him unto sinne and rising with him to newnesse of life and to hope of glory understanding clearly that the Bloud and Spirit of Christ signified by waeter doth cleanse you from the guilt dominion of sin to your Iustification and Sanctification Remembring moreover that by way of Sealing your Baptisme did in particular exhibit and apply to you that beleeve Christ with all the benefits of the CovenaÌ„t of grace ratified in his blood minding you also of this that it doth not onely seale Gods promises of forgivenesse grace and salvation to you but that also it sealeth and bindeth you to the performance of your promise and vow of faith and obedience which is the branch of the Covenant to be performed according as was professed on your part Recourse to your Baptisme is an excellent strengthner of your weake faith and an occasion of renewing of your vow you having broken it and of resisting temptations considering that they are against your promise and vow in Baptisme When there is a Communion receive it as oft as without interrupting the order of the Church in populous Congregations you may But be carefull to receive it worthily It is not enough that you be borne within the Covenant and that you have beene Baptised but you must have knowledge of the nature of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper both that it is by divine institution and that it is a signe and seale of the righteousnesse of faith signifying to you by the breaking and giving of the bread and by pouring out and delivering the wine the wounding bloud-shedding and death of Christ in whom the Covenant of grace is established presenting also and sealing unto you by the elements of bread and wine the very body and bloud of Christ with all the benefits of the new Covenant of which you receive indeed livery and seizon in the act of receiving by Faith whereby you also grow into a neerer union with Christ your head and communion with all his members your brethren Besides there must be a speciall preparation by examining your selfe making your peace with God before you receive which that you may the better doe read Chap. 5. Sect. 2. Also make your peace at least be at peace and in charity with your neighbour by an hearty acknowledging your fault so far as is fit and making recompence if you have done him wrong and by forgiving and forbearing revenge if he have done you wrong In the act of administring and receiving joyne in confession and prayers and attend to the actions of the Minister when he breaketh the bread powreth out the wine and by blessing setteth it apart for holy use by faith behold Christ by representation wounded bleeding and crucified before your eyes for you looking upon him whom your sinnes condemned and pierced to the death rather than his accusers Pilat and those which nailed him to the Crosse and which ran a speare into his side who were though malicious but instruments of that punishment which Cod with other tokens of his wrath did execute upon him though in himselfe a Lambe without spot justly for your sin he being your surety This looking upon him whom you have pierced should partly dissolve you into an holy griefe for sinne
your selfe in Covetous Adulterous Revengefull Ambitious or other wicked thoughts you act that in your minde and phantasie which either for feare or shame you dare not or for want of opportunity or meanes you cannot act otherwise 4. When you are alone be sure that you ordinarily be well and fully exercised about something that is good either in the works of your calling or in reading or in holy meditation or prayer For whensoever Satan doth find you idle and out of imployment in some or other of those works which God hath appointed he will â—ake that as an opportunity to garnish you for himselfe and to imploy you in some of his works But if you keepe alwaies in your place and â—o some or other good worke of your place you are under Gods speciall protection as the Bird in the Law was while she face upon heregs or yong ones keeping her owne nest in which case no man might hurt her I have already shewed how you should behave your selfe as in Gods sight both in prayer and in the works of your calling I wil write some thing for your direction touching reading and Meditation SECTION 2. Of Reading BEsides your set-times of reading the holy Scriptures you shall doe well to gaine some time from you vacant houres that you may read in GODS Booke and in the good bookes of men First when you read any part of the word of God you must put a difference betweene it and the best writings of men preferring it farre before them To this end 1 Consider it in its properties and excellencies No word is of like absolute authority holinesse equity truth wisedome true elegancie power and eternity 2 Consider this Word in its ends and good effects No booke that aimeth at Gods glory and the salvation of mans soule like this none that concerneth you like to this It discovereth your misery by sinne together with the perfect remedie It propoundeth perfect happinesse unto you affordeth means to worke it out in you for you It is mighty through GOD to prepare you for grace It is the immortall seed to beget you unto Christ It is the milke and stronger meate to nourish you up in Christ It is the onely soulephysicke to recover you and to rid you of all spirituall evils By it Christ giveth spiritual sight to the blind hearing to the deafe speech to the dumbe strength to the weake health to the sicke yea by it he doth cast out Divels and raise men from the death of sinne they beleeving it as certainly as he did all those for the bodies of men by the word of his power while he lived on the earth This Book of Goâ— doth containe those many rich Legacies be queathed to you in that last Will and Testament of God sealed with the bloud of Iesus Christ our Lord. It is the Magna Charta and Statute-booke of the Kingdome of heaven It is the booke of Priviledges and Immunities of Gods children It is the word of grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance amongst all them that are sanctified For it will make you wise to salvation through Faith in Christ â—esus making you perfect throughly furnished unto all good workes Wherefore as when you heare this Word preached so when at any time you read it you must receive it not as the word of man but as it is in truth the Word of God then it wil worke effectually in you that beleeve Secondly when you read this Word lift up the heart in prayer to God for the Spirit of understanding wisedome that your minde may be more and more enlightned and your heart more more strengthned with grace by it For this Word is spiritual containing the secrets hidden things of GOD in a mysterie which as the bare letter doth signifie is as a booke sealed up in respect of discovery of the things of God in it to al that have not the helpe of Gods Spirit so that none can know the inward and spirituall meaning thereof powerfully and savingly but by the Spirit of God Thirdly read the Word with an hunger and thirst after knowledge and growth of grace by it with a reverent humble teachable and honest heart beleeving all that you reade trembling at the threats judgements against sinners reioycing in the promises made unto and the favours bestowed upon the penitent and vpon the godly willing and resolving to obey al the Commandements Thus if you read blessed shall you be in your reading and blessed shall you be in your deede The holy Scriptures are thus to be read of all of every sort and condition and of each sex for all are commanded to search the Scriptures as well the Laytie as the Cleargie women as well as men yong as well as old all sorts of all Nations For though the Spirit of GOD is able to worke conversion and holinesse immediately without the Word as he doth in all those infants that are saved yet in men of yeares the holy Ghost will not where the Word may be had worke without it as his instrument using it as the hammer plow seed fire water sword or as any other instrument to pull downe build up plant purge cleanse For it is by the Word both read and preached that Christ doth sanctifie all that are his that he may present them to himselfe and so to his Father without spot or wrinkle a Church most glorious And whereas it is most true that those which are unlearned and unstable doe wrest not onely hard Scriptures but all other also to their destruction Yet let not this as Papists would inferre cause you to forbeare to read no more then because many surfeit and are drunke by the best meats and drinkes you doe forbeare to eate and drinke But to prevent misse-understanding and wresting of Scriptures to your hurt doe thus 1 Get and cherish an humble and honest heart resolved to obey when you know Gods will If any man will doe his will saith Christ he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God 2 Get a cleare knowledge of the first Principles of Christian Religion beleeve them stedfastly And indevor to frame your life according â—nto those more easie known â—criptures where on these prinâ—iples and first Oracles of God â—â—e grounded For these give â—ight even by the first entrance â—nto the very simple This doe â—â—d you shall never be unlearned 〈…〉 the mysteries of Christ nor â—et unstable in his wayes 3 Be â—uch in hearing the Word inâ—â—preted by learned and faithfull â—inisters 4 If you meet with place of Scripture too hard for 〈…〉 presume not to frame a sense it of your owne head but take â—tice of yourignorance admire â—e depth of Gods wisdome susâ—nd your opinion
had faith they should not doubt of their iustification nor of Gods love to them in Christ But many doubt that they have no faith or if they have any it is so little that it cannot be sufficient to carry them through all oppositions to the end unto salvation First if you have any faith though no more then as a graine of Mustard-seed you should not feare your finall estate nor yet doubt of Gods love for it is not the great quantitie and measure of faith that saveth but the excellent property and use of faith if it be true though never so small For a man is not saved by the worth of his faith by which he beleeveth but by the worth of Christ the person on whom hee beleeveth Now the least true faith doth apprehend whole Christ as a little hand may hold a Iewel of infinite worth as well though not so strongly as a bigger The least infant is as truly a man as soone as ever it is endued with a reasonable soule as afterward when it is able to shew forth the operations of it though not so strong a man even so it is in the state of Regeneration Now you should consider that God hath Babes in Christ as well as â—ld men feeble minded as well as strong sicke children as well as whole in his familie And those that have least strength and are weakest of whom the holy Ghost saith they have a little strength in comparison yet they have so much as through God will enable them in the time of greatest trials to keepe Gods Word and that they shall not deny Christs Name Also know God like a tender father doth not cast off such as are little feeble and weake but hath given speciall charge concerning the cherishing supporting and comforting of these rather than others And Christ Iesus hee will blow up and not quench the least sparke of faith This which I have said in commendation of little faith is onely to keepe him that hath no more from despaire Let none herby please or content himselfe with his little faith not striving to grow and be strong in faith If he do it is to be feared that he hath none at all or if he have yet he must know that hee will have much to doe to live when he hath no more than can keepe life and soule together and his life will be very unprofitable and uncomfortable in comparison of him that hath a strong faith But you will say you are 1 so full of feares and doubtings 2 you are so fearefull to dye and to heare of our comming to iudgement and 3 you cannot feele that you have faith you cannot feele joy and comfort in beleeving wherefore you feare you have no faith First if you having so sure a word and promise doe yet doubt and feare so much as you say it is your great sinne and I must blame you now in our Saviours name as he did his Disciples then saying Why are you fearefull why are yee doubtfull O yee of little faith But to your reformation and comfort observe it he doth not argue them to be of no faith but onely of little faith saying O yee of little faith Thus you see that some feares and doubtings doe not argue no faith Secondly Touching feare of death and judgement some feare doth not exclude all faith Many out of their naturall constitution are more fearefull of death than others Yea pure nature will startle and shrink to think of the separation of two so neare and so ancient and such deare friends as the soule and body have been Good men such as David and Hezekiah have shewed their unwillingnesse to die And many upon a mistaking conceiving the pangs and paines of death in the parting of the soule out of the body to be most torterous and unsufferable are afraid to dye Whereas unto many the neerer they are to their end the lesse is their extremitie of paine and very many goe away in a quiet swoone without paine And as for being moved with some feare at the thought of the day of Iudgement who can thinke of that great appearance before so glorious a Maiesty such as Christ shall appeare in to answer for all the things he hath done in his body without trembling The Apostle calleth the thoughts thereof the terror of the Lord. Indeede to bee perplexed with the thoughts of the one or other argueth imperfection of faith and hope but not an utter absence of either You have other and better things to doe in this case than to make such dangerous conclusions viz. that you have no faith c. upon such weake grounds You should rather when you feele this over-fearefulnesse to die and come to Iudgement labour to finde out the ground of your error and study and indevour to reforme it Vnwillingnesse to dye may come from these causes First From too high an estimation and from too great a love to earthly things of some kinde or other which maketh you afraid and too loath to part with them Secondly You may bee unwilling to die because of ignorance of the super abundant and inconceivable excellencies of the happinesse of Saints departed which if you knew you would bee willing Thirdly Feare of death and comming to Iudgement doth for the most part rise from a conscience guilty of the sentence of condemnation being without assurance that when you dye you shall goe to heaven Wherefore if you would be free from troublesome feare of death and Iudgement Learne 1 to thinke meanely and basely of the world in comparison of those better things provided for them that love God and use all things of the world accordingly without setting your heart upon them as if you used them not 2 While you live here on earth take your selves aside oft times in your thoughts and enter into heaven and contemplate deeply the ioyes thereof 3 Give all diligence to make your calling and election and right unto heaven sure unto your selves But let me give you this needfull Item that you be willing and ready to judge it to be sure when it is sure and when you have cause so to judge Let your care bee onely to live well joyning unto faith vertue c. and you cannot but dye well Death at first appearance like a Serpent seemeth terrible but by faith you may see this Serpents sting taken out which when you consider you may for your refreshing receive it into your bosome The sting of death is sinne the strength of sinne is the Law but the Law of the spirit of life in Christ hath freed you from the law of sinne and of death I confesse that when you see this pale horse death approaching it may cause nature to shrinke but when you consider that his errant is to carry you with speede unto your desired home unto a state of glory how can you