and Earth is named as tâ—e Apostle speaks I shall therefore endeavour to shew in several distinct Aphorisms what a right Christian is in general and then apply my Discourse to Men in particular Capacities and Relations And I have not been careful to observe Method which my design will not well admit of but have put things down in my Paper as they came into my Thoughts without consulting any Author yet they are all contained in the Scriptures as I could easily shew whence a Christian derives the Practice and Principles of his Religion Of a Right Christian in General FIrst He is one baptized into the Profession of the Christian Faith whether in Infancy or afterwards or whether by sprinkling plunging or dipping I shall not here dispute which is the outward badge or distinguishing Sign of a Christian as Circumcision was to the Jews and is sometimes applyed to persons who prove as flagitious and impious as any that are upon Earth And therefore in the next place besides this outward washing of Water he hath received the washing of Regeneration and the Renewing of the Holy Ghost Tit. 3. 5. whereby considered in his first Original he is said to be one born of God as one Apostle speaks 1 John 13. And born of an incorruptible Seed as another Apostle speaks 1 Pet. 1. 23. Born of Water and the Holy Spirit as our Saviour himself speaks John 3. 5. And is made a Christian not born so by Natural Birth as that Ancient Father speaks Tertul. Apolog. Cap. 18. Fiunt non nascuntur Christiani And thô outward Baptism is styled by the Ancients Regeneration Renovation Illumination c. yet it is with respect to the inward Grace which sometimes accompanies and sometimes follows Baptism in the right Christian whereby he is more then a Christian in Name Again He acknowledgeth one only living and true God the Maker of Heaven and Earth and gives divine Honour and Religious Worship to him alone and will not so debase the Incomprehensible God as to make any Image of him to Worship him by In both which he is distinguisht from the Pagans Further He is one who believes the Revelation made of Christ in the â—criptures to be true that he is the Eternal Son of God assumed the Nature of Man offered himself a Sacrifice for the Sin of the World rose from the dead and now makes Intercession in Heaven and will come again to judge the World. Moreover as a Christian he is dead to the Law seeks not Righteousness and Life by it but believes that only through Faith in Christ any Man can be Justified Redeemed Sanctified and Saved and that there is no Salvation in any other whereby a Christian is distinguished from Jews Mahometans and all Infidels whatsoever Again He is one who embraceth the Christian Religion not meerly by the Power of Education or the Example of the place or Countrey where he dwelleth but by the powerful Evidence and Conviction of the Truth of it upon his Mind by the Purity of its Precepts and the transcendent Reward it exhibits in its Promises to them that sincerely profess and practise it He knows also That as he is a Christian he is called to Liberty yet useth it not for occasion to the Flesh or to free himself from the obligation of any Duty he owes to God or Man but to keep his Conscience free from bondage to the Commands of the Ceremonial Law or the rigorous Commands of the Moral Law of God or the sinful Injunctions and Commandments of Men. Further He measures not the Mysteries in Christianity by the Line of his own finite Reason he knowing that the Natural Man discerns not the things of the Spirit but believes them because God hath revealed them though he cannot comprehend them yet is daily seeking further illumination in the knowledge of Spiritual things being Spiritually discerned and doth realize to himself by Faith the things that are not perceptible by Sense He is one also who as he bears the Name of Christ so he follows him as his Master and Teacher and sets before him the Example of his Life as his pattern to imitate Imitari quem colimus est summa Christianitatis Lactant. He having left us an example that we should follow his steps saith the Apostle He is one who feels in himself a daily combate betwixt Flesh and Spirit as Jacob and Esau strugling in the same Womb but is Crucifying the fleshly part that he may be like to Christ in his Death and is striving to rise up into the power of a Spiritual life that he may be like him in his Resurrection and which are both signified in his Baptism and by a serious Contemplation of the Death and Resurrection of Christ by the eye of Faith and the help of the Spirit he is arriving to both these which is a Mystery only known in the Christian Religion Further He believing that Christ is Ascended into Heaven and entred the Vail in thâ— name of all his People and there sits at thâ— right hand of God it doth raise up the Affection of his Heart and the Contemplation of his Mind to things that are Above which is peculiar also to a Christian and above the Sphere of meer Morality Again He is no Enthusiast expecting a Divine Teaching by Immediate Inspiration buâ— owning and receiving the Scriptures as the holy Oracles of God he reads them and studies the knowledge of them for his direction in Faith and Practice Contra Scriptur aâ— nemo Christianus August Neither is he a Sceptick in Religion of a giddy unsetled Mind tossed too and fro with every wind of Doctine but having received the Truth he stands fast in it and wherein he doubteth makes sober inquiry and doth willingly receive instruction that he may be sound in the Faith and compleat in the whole Will of God but resigns not up his Judgment or Practice in Religion to the Conduct or command of any Person or Church so as not to satisfie himself in the Grounds and Reasons of his Faith and Obedience that his serving God may be a reasonable Service and not blind Devotion Neither is he a Solisidian hoping to be saved meerly by Believing or naked Assent but is one Zealous of good Works as being profitable to Men acceptable to God honourable to Religion and necessary to Salvation Yet he knows they must spring from Faith and are not sufficient of themselves to his Justification in the sight of God and therefore he puts not his trust in them but in the Mercy of God and perfect Righteousness of Jesus Christ which Bellarmin himself at last thought the safest way Further He being sensible of his own insufficiency depends upon God for that daily supply of his Grace whereby he may have his Heart in a readiness for every good work and may shew forth his Faith by his love to God and Men. He is one who makes all his approaches to God by the one Mediator the Man
Christ Jesus without making use of any Sub-mediators either of Redemption or Intercession not mentioned in the Gospel and herein he considers God not only as a Creator or in the absolute perfections of his Being but as reconciled in the Blood of his Son related as a Father and ingaged by a special Covenant He is one who waits and prays for the help of Gods holy Spirit to lead him into the presence of God and to help his Infirmities therein and approacheth not to him meerly by the impulse of natural Conscience much less by the help of Pictures or Images forbidden by the Law of God but by the Spirit of Adoption inclining his Will moving his Affections and crying Abba Father in his Heart Again He reckons upon Suffering with Christ as well as Reigning with him of bearing his Cross as well as wearing his Crown and of Denying himself as becomes a Disciple of Christ and therefore Arms himself for it that he may not be surprized by it or faint under it and as he will not rashly thrust himself upon sufferings so neither decline them when necessarily called thereunto wherein he will have respect to the goodness of his Call of his Cause and of his Conscience Further He is one who when he is Reviled reviles not again patiently bears affronts and injuries for Righteousness sake seeks not privately to revenge himself but commits his Cause to him that judgeth righteously Again He embraceth Religion for its own sake and not for any politick end and abhors to make use of it as an Art to serve any Covetous Ambitious or Treacherous designs He is one who believes a Judgment to come and therefore lives in continual awe of it and endeavours so to manage the whole course of his actions that he may be accepted of the Lord in that day and not fall under the wrath to come and thereupon is less concerned about being Judged of men or of mans day Again He believing the Immortality of his own Soul the Resurrection of his Body and hoping for the Eternal Life of the World to come Life and Immortality being brought to light by the Christian Religion he is seeking to make it sure to himself and thereupon is less concerned as to his temporal Life and his short stay in this present World looking upon himself as a stranger here on Earth He is careful to examin himself about his State towards God and to know the inward frame and temperament of his own Soul and the Actions of his Life in the Principle Rule and End of them that he may not be found among Hypocrites and that counterfeit Grace may not be mistaken for that which is true His Zeal in Religion is not rash and precipitate hypocritical and treacherous violent and cruel so as to transgress the Rules of Humanity Charity and Sobriety but is grounded upon Knowledge and regulated by sound Judgment Wisdom and Discretion and his greatet Zeal is about the great things of Religion and of the greatest certainty He is one who hath a regular Conscience extending to one Duty as well as to another and therefore will not strain at Gnats and swallow Camels nor be scrupulous about Ceremonies and of conforming to some outward Forms of Worship and yet can practise injustice oppression lying fraud intemperance backbiting malice and such moral impieties not becoming Christians And if he hath a Conscience of Conformity to the Church he makes Conscience of the moral Duties of Religion and will not be found guilty of swearing cursing drunkenness fornication scoffing at piety blasphemy false accusation or persecution for Conscience sake of the truly conscientious c. And though his practice in Religion is according to his best Light and judgment yet he confines not the Church of God or monopolizeth Salvation to the narrow limits of his own private Opinion but judgeth charitably of men who Conscientiously differ from him as knowing that as in several Nations so under several Opinions He that feareth God and worketh Righteousness is accepted of him and therefore he can love and honour true Piety Sincerity and Goodness and real Worth wherever he finds them as the Phylosophers called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 studied to extract the good out of every Sect of Phylosophers and rejected the rest Again He beholdeth the Creator in the works of his Creation and adores his wisdom power bounty and goodness shining forth therein and as a Christian he can look upon the Creator of the World as the Redeemer of it and as his God and Father in Jesus Christ and in special relation to him and hereupon to have his Heart engaged to love him honour him fear him and trust in him which is more than the most learned Heathen by the light of Nature could attain unto Further He considering the Dominion God hath given Man over the brute Creatures he useth them with Thanksgiving but will not abuse them as a Tyrannical Lord and is stirred up to the more chearful service of God by those brute Creatures which are daily serving him He knows that not only Faith is required of a Christian but outward Profession and therefore he conforms to all the Ordinances and Institutions of Christ in his Church and attends there diligently for his Edification and that God may be hononred by the Divine Worship of the Publick Assemblies of his People according to the dictates of the universal Law of Nature and therefore as he will not have Communion with any Church in that that is evil and sinful so he is ready to hold Communion with all Churches in that which is lawful and good that he may not fall under the just charge of Schism or unwarrantable Separation and seeks the maintaining of his whole profession unspotted and without rebuke and therefore He keeps his Foot when he goes to the House of God demeans himself with all seriousness and Reverence in Gods publick Worship will not be found talking gazing whispering laughing or sleeping when his mind and thoughts should be directed towards God that he may carry himself suitable to that great Presence wherein he is and the solemnity of that Service he i◠engaged in He carefully avoids all Tempting of God by presuming upon his Power and Mercy for the good either of his Soul or Body without using suitable and rational means or such as may be appointed of God for that end neither will he pray or hope to receive what God hath never promised to give and thereby be also a tempter of God. Again He being a Christian is careful to observe the Christian Sabbath not the Seventh day of the Week as the Jews but the First according to the example of the Apostles and the first Christian Churches whereby he owns Christs Lordship over the Sabbath to change the day as well as the Ordinances of Gods worship therein and therefore he remembers to keep it Holy by abstaining from bodily Labours and by the exercise of his mind and thoughts
in those Duties of Religion both publick and private which are suitable to the Day and required in the moral part of the Fourth Commandment and we read that the keeping of the Lords-day was made the Character of a Christian in the primitive times Further He is an Encourager of good Ministers who labour in the Word and Doctrine receiveth them as the Embassadors of Christ submitteth to their instructions in the Lord and hath them in high esteem for their Works sake and thinks it his Duty to give his Carnal things to them from whom he receives his Spiritual things and grudgeth not an honourable Maintenance to such whose Work and Office are both honourable He shapes not his Religion to the times and alters it not as his Interest alters but denies himself therein that he may be a true follower of Christ and the Truth and for the maintenance of a good Conscience Again He is one who lives not in any scandalous Sin nor allows himself in any known Sin but because he cannot live without Sin he daily renews his Repentance towards God and Faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ to preserve his peace with God and his own Conscience as the Christian Religion doth direct whereby he doth carefully avoid the two fatal racks of presumption and despair Neither is he the more easily drawn to any Sin because he esteems it Venial or by hope of obtaining Pardon by the Absolution of a Priest or the Intercession of any Saint or the Expiation of it in Purgatory He fetcheth down his Mercies from God by constant Prayer and returns them back to God by hearty Thanksgiving as becomes a Christian The Incense he offers up is fervent Prayer and his Peace-offering is a thankful Heart and this he doth not only in company with others but in his private Devotion betwixt God and his own Soul. He loves honours and practiseth true Godliness never a whit the lesser because of thâ— weakness folly or sinful miscarriages of somâ— that make profession thereof much less wilâ— he take advantage thereby to reproach anâ— scoff at it But the excellency equity peace and comfort which are in the ways of Religion make him to cleave to it though he sees many false pretenders to it under several Professions as knowing there will be some Hypocrites under all Forms and he will not justifie such aâ— make no profession because many cast a reproach upon it by an irregular conversation Again What evil he sees or censures in another he will examine his own Heart and practice whether the same is not found in himself and will therefore endeavour first to cast the Beam out of his own Eye and not practise himself what he hath condemned in another lest he thereby be self-condemned He is one who placeth not his Religion in Forms and Ceremonies or bodily Worship though he is for comely Gravity and all outward Decency in Gods worship yet his main â—â—re is to serve God with a frame of Heart â—oper to Christianity viz. not from servile â—ar as the Jews under the Law or the conâ—aint of humane Laws as time-serving forâ—al Christians much less out of vain ostenâ—â—tion as the Scribes and Pharisees but with â—ve and delight filial reverence humility â—â—vency and sincerity as becomes a true Chriâ—an and will not cry up holiness in Places Alâ—rs and Vestures c. and yet despise it in â—ens Persons Neither doth he place his Religion in high â—raphical Notions affected Gestures canting â—ords doubtful opinions or in not conformâ—g with others out of meer singularity but â— sound Knowledge Faith Love Mercy Huâ—ility and all Holiness of Life He also is one who can take kindly a just Reâ—oof and prefer a faithful reprover before â— vain self-seeking flatterer being more deâ—ous to be humbling himself than to be selfâ—alted If he meets with Affliction he justifies God â—bmits himself patiently to his Soveraign â—ill and seeks to turn it to some advantage â— his Soul or if it be Persecution for Righâ—ousness sake he patiently commits his cause â— God will rather judge himself than revile â—e Adversary will use no unwarrantable â—eans to deliver himself will acknowledge â—e righteousness of God in all the unrighteâ—usness of Men Yea he doth love his Enemies blesseth those that curse him prayes them who despitefully use him is not ovâ—come of evil but overcomes evil with goâ— as becomes a Christian He is not offended at the Prosperity of wiâ—ed Men he knowing it hath been so in â— Ages and that they receive all their goâ— things in this Life and the time of Recompeâ— is not yet neither doth he stagger at the Aâ—versity of the Righteous as knowing it coâ— either for a tryal of Vertue or a chastisemâ— for their good that they may not be condeâ—ed with the World. He is one who is not Anxiously careful abâ— the things of this Life seeks not great thiâ— to himself yet is diligent in his place aâ— calling and commits his Affairs to the condâ— and blessing of God seeks to eat his oâ— Bread and is content with the portion Gâ— allotts him of the things of this World. Further He will not extenuate Sin aâ— Wickedness in some and aggravate it in otheâ— meerly to serve a design to gratifie a parâ— and promote some particular Interest â—â— disallows of evil impartially in all Again He considers not only what is Laâ—ful but what is Expedient and of good Râ—port before Men and is careful to give â— just occasion of offence to any and in â— things wherein he can without sin will stuâ—ously avoid it providing for things honest in tâ— sight of God and Men. Further He judgeth not of Right or Wrong â—od or evil by events or successes but by â—e light of true Reason and the Law of Equiâ— and the rule of Righteousness and yet he â— observant of the course of Providence aâ—ut all humane Affairs and gathers instructiâ— to himself thereby but he well considers â—hat the wise man said and observed in this â—se There is one event to the righteous and the â—icked He is one who is not forward to censure â—hers but still hopeth the best will not unâ—ertake to judge Mens hearts which are only â—nown to God and is more ready to Judge â—mself than he is his Brother and will take â—otice of the Good as well as of the Evil he â—nds in any Man according to the example of â—od himself He doth not Rejoice when his Brother is â—vertaken with a fault will not Glory over â—im but rather with a spirit of Meekness will â—ek to restore him considering himself lest â—e also be Tempted much less will he lay a â—tumbling-block before him to cause him â— fall Again He is not of a base selfish Temper â—eeking only his own things but is content to â—uffer in his private interest if the publick â—ood may be Advanced thereby and is glad â— God is Honoured and Chirists Kingdom â—dvanced though he be any way