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A84930 A friendly letter to all young men who are desirous to live Godly lives, and are true members of the Church of England. Imprimatur Octob. the 5th. 1688. R.M. 1688 (1688) Wing F2222; ESTC R226182 5,037 8

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A Friendly Letter TO ALL YOUNG MEN Who are desirous to live Godly Lives And are True MEMBERS OF THE Church of England Imprimatur Octob. the 5th 1688. R. M. DEarly beloved Brethren and Fellow Members of the Church of England it is to you that I now Write as a Friend and a Brother for I am sure we should be so one to another and our Saviour maketh it the Great visible Badg of Christianity For he saith By this shall all Men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have Love one for another Now to love the Lord our God with all our Hearts and our Neighbours as our selves being the true Foundation of Christianity let us Encourage one another in the practice of the Duty just now mentioned and let us not refuse the hardest and most severe Rules that are prescribed in Order to it Though possibly at first Tryal they may be hard yet custome will make them easie for thus saith Christ My Yoke is easie and my Burthen is light And that you should not only begin but hold also out to the End you must not only do this your selves but Encourage one another to do the same and tho' you have seen by sad Experience that some have begun in the Spirit and ended in the Flesh Yet let not this Discourage you but take your Saviours Advice St. Mat. 10. 22. For he that indureth to the End shall be saved For he tels us in St. Luke 9. 62. No man having set his Hand to the Plow and looking back is fit for the Kingdom of God Therefore as ye have begun endeavour to go on from Virtue to Virtue and you that have found the comfort of leading a good Life the Joy and Pleasure of a good Conscience the Advantage and Benefit of frequenting the Sacrament the Comfort and Satisfaction of frequenting the Publick Service of the Church that now see the Odiousness of those Sins that others dote upon the Deformity of those Vices others wallow in You that see the Beauty of that Virtue that others scorn who taste the Charms of that Grace that others Laugh at seeing the reasonableness of Christs Precepts which others count an intollerable Yoke and have some sense of another World while Thousands live as if there were none In a Word you that see the Necessity of Holiness while others make a Mock at it O! let not these Comforts be hid within your Breasts but knowing your selves Converted strengthen your Brethren as it is Commanded St. Luke 22. 32. And that you should all sincerely set about this Duty is the Chief and only design of this Letter And since it is Charity to direct the Blind in his way or if we see our Neighbour in danger of being Robb'd or his House in danger of being Burnt to run and help him is Charity Then certainly it is greater Charity to Instruct the Ignorant by shewing them the right way to Salvation And therefore if you see your Brother or Fellow Servant in danger of being ruined by keeping ill Company or their Souls in danger of Hell Fire by Prophaning God's Sabbath Neglecting his Laws and forsaking his Commandments to help such by Godly Advice and good Example must be a far greater deed of Charity and your Duty too For thus saith the Lord Levit. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy Heart Thou shalt in any wise Rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him Be not guilty of this great Crime upon what pretence soever But Exhort one another daily while it is called to Day least any of you be hardned through the Deceitfulness of Sin as Heb. 3. 13. Knowing that he which Converteth a Sinner from the Errours of his ways shall save a Soul from Death and shall hide a multitude of Sins Epist of St James 5. 20. and that you may do this regularly and in order take our Saviours Advice Mat. 7. 5. First cast the Beam out of thine own Eye then thou mayest see clearly to cast out the Mote which is in thy Brothers Eye And if a man be overtaken in a fault restore him in the Spirit of meekness Gal. 6. 1. and build him up again in the Lord. All the Texts almost of Holy Scripture point to this Duty either by Exhorting or Commanding us to set about this necessary Work First To lead Good Lives our selves and then to Encourage others to do the same It is not Controversie that I exhort you to nor to meddle much with those of another Perswasion for that is the Ministers Work but this is your one thing needful to meddle with those that own the same Church and Profess the same Faith and yet Act contrary to it in their Lives and Conversations Put these in mind of their Baptismal Vow how they then Promis'd to Renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil and yet live within the Embraces of them all that they dare blame others for their unbelief while they live like Atheists themselves that they dare condemn others for their separation from the Church when their own Lives and Conversations are quite contrary to the worthy Doctrine thereof That they dare Reproach others for want of seriousness when they live loose Lives themselves and consequently are so far from remembring their Creator in the Days of their Youth that they live in almost all manner of sins But intreat them to take the wise Mans Counsel Eccles 5. 7. That they make no tarrying to turn to the Lord God and put it not off from Day to Day Put them in mind of the great Benefit of a Holy Life and early Piety and what a Pleasure it will be when they come to die to look back upon a well spent Life and you that have already tasted those Joys which are the products of a good Conscience and the Pleasures of a good Life and Godly Conversation be not afraid to encourage others to do the same but since you see that wicked Men take such pains to serve their Lusts to please their appetites and gratifie their Senses why should not you take some pains also to serve your God to advance his Glory yea and to Encourage others likewise to do the same and if there be but two in a Street that intend really to serve God to frequent the Sacrament and Prayers of the Church let them make it their business to Encourage two more to do the same and let your Prayers be frequent and servent to God that he would increase the Number of True Believers and that it would please him to bring into the way of Truth all such as have Erred and are Deceived O Brethren if you would have God Honoured and his Laws obeyed set about this work and let men see you are of the best Religion by your living or the best Lives and as our Reverend Divines are not wanting in Publick do you take care to do it in Private and especially to those with whom you have free liberty to