into the grave if hee had not fallen into transgression Man dyed not because his nature was subject to corruption but because sin had corrupted his nature Man was wholly a stranger to death till acquainted with sin There is no man that lives that shall not see death Death will finde every man and connive at no man The glorious end wee should aim at in life is not to study how wee might injoy the comforts of life but how wee may overcome the discouragements of death Death is alwayes drawing nearer and nearer whether you improve your time or throw away your time Men ordinarily leave the earth when they are most busie about it Those must dye that shall not bee damned It is a good minde in a man to bee content to dye and willing to live but to bee willing to dye and content live is the minde of a strong Christian To labour not to dye is labour in vain to live without fear of death is to dye liveing The comforts of life are no rational comforts till you bee freed from the terrours of death What comforts of life can bee sweet when a man is afraid of death and uncertain of life Seldome doth hee dye well that lives ill They are fools that give away their souls for nothing Prevention is better than confusion Hee lives twice that bestows the fore part of his time well That man that lives to dye shall dye to live The way to dye well is to dye often often and seriously think of dying and then sin if thou canst A dram of grace will bee more worth to you when you come to dye than a sea of gifts A man may live by a form hee cannot dye by a form Remember this the bellows of death will blow the spark of sincerity into a flame and the blaze of formality into nothing Hee neither fears nor feels death that hath his hopes in heaven Though death bee terrible yet innocency is bold Christ by death in death delivers us from death If hee dyed that you might live with him do not desire to live long from him 1 If you would live well take heed where you live even the place of pleasure is dangerous 2 In learning to live study how to dye hee loses all his time that knows not how to end his time 3 Dye you must bee active for God whilst you live You that must dye shortly had need to live strictly The way to have great confidence when you dye is to get and keep a good conscience whilst you live Mans life may bee very short it cannot bee long the time of man is a long death but it is but a short life Mens principles speak the shortness of life but their practises speak the eternity of life Time is but short but eternity is long If a wicked man would bee happy hee must make time long and eternity short As time is the measure of his sin so eternity is the measure of his punishment Prepare for an enemy that is alwayes getting ground of you not only the approaches of death are perpetual but insensible Make sure of death that you bee not miserable in death and after death When I was a young man saith Seneca my care was to live well and when age came I studied how to dye well The right way to dye well is to live well and the right way to live well is to dye betimes to sin the world and self You must dye make sure of an interest in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ Christ will do you good when you come to die so will the power of godliness AFter death comes Judgement At that day the wicked shall know Gods forbearance is no acquittance Wicked men are surely ordained to punishment as godly men are ordained to deliverance Though the Saints may bee losers for Gods word yet they shall lose nothing by God It cannot bee long before the worlds Funerals and the birth day of Judgement Though wee sleep in sin judgement slumbers not The Lord Jesus Christ hee is judge not onely of the fact but of the heart Make the Judge your friend Get him that is your Judge to bee your Advocate It is not the varnish of profession Christ will respect at that day unless hee see the workmanship of the Holy Ghost in the heart The wicked may drink a sea of wrath but they shall not sip one drop of injustice The sinner beeing self-condemned shall clear the Judge Christs first coming was to unite his second coming shall bee to separate That heart that would not break with sorrow for sin shall now bee rent thorow with despair They that would not weep for their sins shall now barn for their sins To bear this will bee intollerable to avoid this will bee impossible Sinners they must come to the Bar and they are sure to bee cast at the Bar. If you have not a part in the blood of the Lamb you shall bee sure to have a part in the wrath of the Lamb. But if thou hast no sins of allowance thou shalt have grains of allowance One dram of grace is too good to go to hell ALL that will expect to bee saved must wait upon the foolishness of preaching The creature as a creature is indispensibly bound to serve God Pray privately hear publickly God never comes so nigh to the soul as when hee enters into the ear It is preaching that brings hearing and hearing that brings faith and faith salvation As God will bee worshipped in Spirit so in truth not onely in opposition to the Ceremonial Law but in opposition to the hypocrisie of the heart That man never received the word in the power of it that never received it in the perpetuity of it Instability is alwayes a sure note of insincerity God looks more at the manner of the duty than the matter it is not what you do but how you do not how much but how well As God will have you holy because hee is holy so you must worship him in spirit because hee is a Spirit What is the reason that men sleep so securely after so many Sermons they say with Samuel It is onely mans voice The outward teachings of man is of no power without the inward teachings of Gods Spirit Christ revealed to us differenceth us from Pagans Christ revealed in us severeth us from Reprobates It is not thy hearing of mans voice but thy subjection to Gods voice that begets thee anew to God As hee sins that gives not God the hearing so hee sins that only gives God the hearing The word is never spoken in vain though it may bee often heard in vain it either purifies or consumes Gospel-ordinances you will finde either ripen your graces or ripen your corruptions The word of God is an enemy to none but them that are enemies to themselves No worship is a breach of the first Commandement false worship is a breach of the second Commandement Will-worship is alwayes false
A Dying Fathers Living Legacy to his Loving SON OR Lively RULES from the Rule of Life to bee lived by every Mothers Childe Prov. 4.1 Hear O yee Children the instruction of a Father and give ear to learn understanding By F. S. Gent. Printed for the Authour And are to bee sold by Elisha Wallis at the gilded Horse-shooe in the Old Bayley 1660. Dear Childe I Have been at work for thee heart and hand it lieth upon thee as a duty now to perfect what I have begun to get these notions into thy heart by prayer and let others read them in thy life by practise The Speculative part of Religion is not comparable to the practical Begin in the Spirit oh but take heed you end not in the flesh Satan is subtile I know his devices the world is tempting take heed of its flatteries the heart is naught beware of its deceits Keep thy heart with all keeping and yet do what thou canst Corruption will break out but let not sin have a free passage to go in and out at pleasure Mind nothing but the one thing necessary union with Christ and never let it be thy aim to make thy self glorious in the world but to glorifie God in the world They only that follow holiness in this life shall attain to happiness in the life to come Be as holy as ever thou canst the more holy here the more happy hereafter without holiness no happiness It is not thine but Christs Thou wilt finde an opposition in the practice of Religion when you think your self surest then suspect your self most though thou shouldest get a foyl yet lay not down thy weapons and say I will fight no more Hee that continues faithful unto the death shall receive a crown of life Get wisdome and get understanding the fear of the Lord that is wisdome and to depart from iniquity that is understanding so shalt thou crown the work and not only rejoyce the heart of thy Father on Earth but our Father in Heaven and Elder Brother and Sweet Comforter Unto whose protection I leave thee F. S. Reader THese sententious words or proverbial sentences are left as a Legacy by a dying Father to his Son Expect not Method but apply thy self to meditation which was by the Author chiefly intended Youth is active It is good for us to busie them in the best things to write our children copies to write after or write over A good life is better than good lines Most men especially young men are led much by example It is best so to walk before our children as that they may see Christ in us and follow him Christ is the best copy to write after and the best pattern to follow Christianity is more than Christ to bee known it is the life of Christ to bee followed The Author is not willing to have his name known for reasons best known to himself and yet both reason and Religion too put him upon the work having his own experience to witness such beginnings successeful If through goodness it prove profitable either to thee or thine Let God have all the glory but let not prejudice hinder from closing with truth What is Manna the worse for being brought to thee in an earthen vessel The Apostle rejoyced that Christ was preached though they that preached him did it out of envy Here is my rejoycing that what I have done was out of pure love to poor souls and not to seek or purchase a fame among men Help mee with thy prayers that all these truths might bee put in practice by thee and mee thine and mine so wilt thou not onely ingage the Authour but many more to subscribe themselves Thine in the Lord F. S. A Dying Fathers Living Legacy to his loving Son REligion is necessary not in the way of nature to our beeing but in the way Grace to our well-beeing In all matters of Religion get Jesus Christ to bee thy Partner Reason perfects us as wee are men Religion as wee are Christians With God it is not how Rational but Religious Religion doth not consist in externals but in the motion of the soul after God God will not bee content with outsides The saving light of the Spirit is when that which is light in the head is heat in the heart and light in the Conversation Common light comes from the Spirit but saving light is that which is with the Spirit Do not determine thy estate by head-illumination but by heart-illumination Many Christians are in the dark meerly from their light True light where ever it is there is a desire after more light the light of the righteous shineth more and more Where ever this true light is it layes hold on Christ for life as it leads us unto Christ by faith so it leads us after Christ by practice They onely that live to Christ shall finde Christ to bee gain to them at death To mee to live is Christ to dye is gain Phil. 1.21 BEfore you put your hands into the worlds bosome put your heart into Gods hands As God hath bound you by precept to pray so hee hath bound himself by promise to hear Though prayer can make no change in God yet it may make an alteration in you Wee come to learn our duty from our request Wee pray not that Gods will may bee altered but accomplished not to alter his counsel but his sentence Though God bee resolved to shew mercy yet hee requires submission Though duty doth not merit mercy yet duty is Gods order to mercy Do not rest without prayer Oh but take heed do not rest in prayer External duties are means to convey grace but no arguments to prove the truth of grace The performance of duty is no sure sign of a mans acceptation with God but the neglect of duty is a sure sign of a mans abomination unto God However all external duties are as nothing so long as a man is an old man yet the nothingness of a duty that arises from the doer must bee no prejudice to Gods Authority or breach of mans duty A new creature is not so all in all that external duties must bee neglected seeing they are means appointed by God to make him more a new creature YOur prayers must not bee offered up as righteousness but with righteousness You cannot pray without a promise Gods promises are the Saints best prayers All things promised must be prayed for under the notion of promised things Promises are the ground of prayer and the ground of faith in prayer Promises are the rules of what wee may pray for in faith and faith is the ground of what wee may expect with comfort As God gives promises to ground faith so hee addes providences to build it up As the soul lives by faith so faith lives by promise Promise A Promise is a word-revelation arising from meer mercy out of the purposes of Gods heart concerning good to fallen man in Christ Jesus You had never known Gods
is precious and time imployed in acting our joy on creature-comforts it is to fit us for better joys A day of prosperity must not be a day of joy when we have gone a whoring from God Hos 9.1 In regeneration and sanctification the affection of joy is renewed A new creature and a new joy It is the godly mans practice to make heavenly things his chiefest joy Joy rectified rejoyces in nothing contrary unto God in nothing above God in nothing equal unto God in all things for God Make God and Christ and the Word the center and complacency of thy soul the rule and reason of all thy delight in other things In a word delight in spiritual things first and last onely and most ALL the Saints in this life some way or other they have or they shall have their afflictions That father that doth alwaies dandle his childe upon his lap may be a fond father but hee is but a foolish father God in his wisdome he will not let us bee alwaies dandled upon the lap of pleasure God loves his children yet he makes not wantons of them Wee have a mixture of grace and sin therefore wee must have a mixture of mercy and affliction Sorrow shall never cease to bee untill sin cease to bee The least sin is a greater evill than the greatest affliction therefore God makes use of affliction to cure his people of their sin A wicked man is bad under affliction a childe of God never better A rose is never so sweet as under the Still Faith gets more by affliction than mercy Faith gets more love by mercy but more strength by affliction The less a childe of God hath of affliction the less of faith and patience The more the Bullock is accustomed to the yoke the more quiet There is not so much danger of spiritual pride under afflictions as under mercies Affliction laies the soul low in humility but lifts it up in heavenly mindedness Whom have I in heaven but thee God may condemn a man to prosperity in this life so as that prosperity shal both increase and secure his ruine As God sometimes scatters his blessings in wrath so now and then hee throws away his rod in wrath Gods judgements may be secret to the persons afflicted they cannot be injurious they come not by chance but by special direction from God For a man to say it is my chance or my hard hap is the language of Ashdod of a Philistine 1 Sam. 6.9 Afflictions as they are the candle of the Lord whereby hee searches our hearts and makes inquiry into our lives so they are the voyce of the Lord that wee would search and try our hearts too When God smites hee doth as it were judge thee and those afflictions command thee to judge thy self As the instructing voyce of affliction is that God is displeased so the exhorting voice is seek my face Every lash is seek and pray Seek Gods face more than the removal of Gods judgements Hee doth not lay on so much as hee is able to afflict but a the Saints are able to bear God will either bring down the Saints afflictions to their strength or raise up their strength to their afflictions Now if thou beest not the better for being the worse thou maiest suspect thy self Thou needest no other art of memory besides misery If smarting here will save from smarting hereafter refuse not the chastening of the Lord neither bee grieved at his correction When Gods hand is on thy back let thy hand bee on thy mouth When the father hath the rod in his hands the childe falls upon his knees Let Judah repent of the evill of her waies and God will repent of the evill of his punishments Providence layes the plaster but grace makes the cure The work of the Devil is to destroy us the work of grace is to try us God hath a great deal of honour not onely by the truth of grace but by the trial of grace Wheresoever God chastiseth there hee is there hee is in mercy By affliction hee separates the sin that hee hates from the sinner that hee loves Hee that continues faithful unto death shall receive a crown of life The ready way to the crown is by the cross Those that are saved souls are most of them afflicted souls THe glory of our hereafter glory will bee in oneness of communion with the Father Son and Spirit and one another in God who is one in all and all in one Death to the Saints is a guide to convey them to happiness to the wicked as a Jaylor to carry them to the place of execution It is good for us to bee here saith Peter but it is better for mee to depart saith St. Paul Here wee are like Martha cumbered about many things there wee are like Mary at the feet of our Saviour If you live holily like a sound Christian upon earth you shall live happily like the glorious Angels in heaven It is the peculiar priviledge of the Saints to appear in glory when Christ appears Redemption of the soul from sin was the end of Christs first coming redemption of the bodies of the Saints is the end of Christs second coming The bodies of the Saints are members of Christ joyned in a mystical and perpetual union unto Christ Union and intimate relation to Jesus Christ as it is the ground of so it infallibly infers communication of grace and glory from Christ Seeing the union of the body is certain the glory of the body is certain likewise The bodies of the Saints are in part sanctified by Christs first coming and therefore shall bee hereafter glorified by his second coming Sanctification begun is a forerunner of glorification hereafter A man that would reap glory must sow grace The best of a Christian is to come The state of a Christian is nothing in real possession to what it is in reversion The onely way for thee to make good provision for thy soul is to bee a Saint And here is your duty 1 To live in unity Eph. 4.3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace 2 To keep the Saints company Psal 16.3 But to the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight 3 To pray for the Saints Ephes 6.18 Praying alwaies with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints 4 To have the bowels of compassion towards all the Saints Phil. 2.1 2. If there bee therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels of mercies fulfil yee my joy that yee be like minded having the same love being of one accord of one minde 5 To help thy brother out of sin Gal. 6.1 Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault yee which are spiritual restore such an one in the Spirit of meekness considering thy self lest thou also be tempted 6 To provoke to goodness Heb. 10.24 And let us consider one another to provoke to love and good works 7 To relieve the Saints Act. 4.34 35. Neither was there any among them that lacked for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the prices of the things that were sold and laid them down at the Apostles feet and distribution was made to every man according as he had need 8 To imitate the Saints so far as you have Christ for an example 1 Cor. 11.1 Be ye followers of mee even as I also am of Christ FINIS Books sold by Elisha Wallis at the gilded Hors-shooe in he Old Taylor MR. Caryll his exposition on the fourth fifth sixth seventh twenty seaventh twenty eighth twenty ninth thirty and thirty first chapters of the book of Job in Quarto Mr. Robinsons Christian Armour Octo. Mr. Ellis his Pastor and the Clark or a debate real concerning Infant-Baptism wherein 1 the truth of the doctrine is afresh cleared 2 the Scriptures alledged for it vindicated 3 the objections usual briefly answered 4 the seeds-men of them truly ciphered together with some retractations of the Authour and repentings in reference to the late civil and ecclesiastical changes Octo. A vindication of the Civil Magistrates power and authority in matters of Religion with a refutation of the toleration of all Religions among Christians with the judgement of the reformed Churches concerning the same Quarto Dr. Thomas Taylors works in two volumes in folio First Volume 1 An exposition on Christs temptations 2 On Peters Sermon before Cornelius 3 Circumspect walking 4 A three-fold Alphabet of rules for Christian practise Second Volume 1 An exposition on the 32 Psalm 2 The parable of the sower 3 A map of Rome With several other Sermons FINIS The Dying Fathers Living Legacy