raising our Minds above the World and things of this Life to the Desires Hopes and Expectation of the Joys and Pleasures of Eternity and in maintaining a real and delightful Converse with God daily and in a careful thankful acknowledging Him in all the Good that befalleth us and insensibly apprehending that our Happiness consisteth in the Knowledg of Him and his Love and Favour towards us in Christ All this is our Duty and included in the Work of the Lord and we may not willingly omit any thing of it By which we may perceive that though in some respects Christ's Yoke is easy and his Burden light viz. being considered with its Reward and the Assistances of Divine Grace and compared with the wicked Man's Way and End considered together yet it is not altogether easy since so much is to be done Religion and Godliness have their Difficulties and he must be diligent that would not fall short of the Glory of God since the Duties besides that they are great are so numerous as hath been now represented according to the Scriptures II. All this must be endeavoured and practised with much Steadiness Having thus begun in the Spirit we must not end in the Flesh Having put our Hand to the Plough we may not draw it back and make our selves unworthy of the Kingdom of God Whatever may be the Rage of Satan and whatever Objections may arise in our own Hearts against any part of our Duty we may not quit it But considering that the Eye of God is upon us and that it is necessary to persevere to the end and looking at the Joy that is before us and imploring the Aids of the Holy Ghost we must break those Bonds of Temptation to Sin in sunder and cast away such Cords from us and remain fixed in Piety constant to Godliness unmoveably resolved to abide in it Cleaving to God with purpose of Heart Acts 11.23 and avoiding that Reprehension in Hos 6.4 Your Goodness is as a Morning Cloud and as the early Dew it goeth away And that we may be the more animated to Constancy in Religion and Godliness let us consider the many glorious Examples of this Steadiness Noah continued firm in his Obedience to God in the midst of a very wicked World Gen. 7.1 Thee have I seen Righteous in this Generation Lot in the midst of the polluted Sodomites preserved himself and mightily regretted their Wickedness Joseph in Pharaoh's Court and Moses in the Court of another of that Name Obadiah in Ahab's David in Saul's Daniel Ezra and Nehemiah in the Courts of the Persian Emperors remained steady in Holiness notwithstanding varieties of Temptations both of the alluring and affrighting kind The holy Apostles and Primtive Christians and the Antient and Modern Martyrs preserved their Integrity in the midst of violent Temptations to desert Religion They stood like unmoveable Rocks in raging Seas and turned back the Force of Temptations as they do the insulting Waves Wherefore let this be our firm Resolution in the Strength of God That the World shall never gain nor force us to revolt from Him and his holy Ways but that whatever Changes may come we will be the same and though the Mountains should be removed and the Hills carried into the midst of the Seas we will still keep Faith and a good Conscience being stedfast and unmoveable in the Work of the Lord. III. We ought not only to be stedfast but also perpetually progressive in all this Duty like the shining Light shining more and more to the perfect Day Our Repentance must be increased and perfected by greater degrees of Mortification Our Faith must grow aiming at the Patriarch's Degree who was strong in Faith giving Glory to God and who against Hope believed in Hope Rom. 4.18 20. Our Love must be more intense our Obedience more exact willing and chearful our Charity more compleat and every Grace ascending and aspiring after greater Degrees going on conquering and to conquer which thing is very possible for Grace is as capable of Growth and Increase as the Plants in the Field or the Cloud of an hand 's breadth It is compared to a Grain of Mustard Seed Which from the least of Seeds grows up into the greatest of Herbs St. Mat. 13.31 32. We may assuredly if we earnestly design it mightily advance in Grace and become much more humble holy obedient mortified patient and heavenly and may add much to our present Attainments and may carry our Victories over Temptations much further to higher degrees of Conquest and Triumph even on this side Heaven And as we may so we ought for this God requires of us That we should bring forth much Fruit that from Babes we should advance to a more perfect stature in Christ and encrease with all the Encreases of God And that in proportion to our Means Mercies Chastisements Experience and Time offered us we should grow in Grace and in the Knowledg and Love of God and Christ to which there is no Encouragement wanting For IV. The Recompence will abundantly answer the Labour which shall not be in vain We shall find a sure and sufficient Reward partly in Peace of Mind Serenity of Conscience and present Joy in the Holy Ghost and chiefly in the future State For 1. Having been stedfast and abounding in our Duty when our Souls shall leave these Tabernacles of Clay whose Foundations are in the Dust as their first Principle Angels shall convey them to Heaven and there Christ will receive them and God the Father will acknowledg them and being entred into that blessed Place we shall have all the Happiness our Souls are capable of in the State of Separation from the Body And this is no less than an entire Deliverance from Sin Sorrow Fear Temptations and Afflictions with the Acquisition of perfect Grace and likeness to the Angels in Humility Purity Zeal Reverential Fear of God delight in Him and Charity one to another Moreover We shall be little less than equal to them in Peace and Joy and the Enjoyment of God in a Vision of Him by Intellectual Sight far transcending our best Knowledg of Him here by Faith For now we see him by Faith only in his Works Providence and Word all which amounts comparatively but to the seeing him through a Glass darkly but in Heaven we shall see Him face to face and know Him in some sort as we are known 1 Cor. 13.12 2. Having been stedfast and abounding in Piety and Holiness we shall in the end of the World recover our Bodies again with advantage for they shall be raised again in Incorruption Glory and Power being made Spiritual Bodies vers 42 43 44. This Corruptible shall then put on Incorruption and this Mortal shall put on Immortality and Death shall be swallowed up in Victory And who can express the Joy and Pleasure that will arise from the Soul 's re-entring into the new-raised Body As a Prince that leaves an old Palace till it be
much deprest by it Her Danger was of fainting under this correcting Hand of God but she was upheld by him that is able to succour them that are tempted She often exprest her self in Words importing that she justified God and acknowledg'd his Righteousness in it She feared lest some might be scandalized by it and reflect upon Religion and decline it because of her deep Affliction and most earnestly desired that God would take care of his own Name and Glory But afterwards her Spirit revived and she was comforted as before and rejoiced in the God of her Salvation The Close of her Life was a long Languishing of divers Months which gradually confined her first to her Chamber then to her Couch and lastly to her Bed attended sometimes with great Pains under which Patience had its perfect Work During this Sickness her Mind was calm Her Conscience witnessed to her Integrity and she had a good hope in God that he would crown his Grace in her with Perseverance and then with Glory She was very apprehensive of her need of Christ adhered to him rejoyced in him and desired to be with Him She expired almost insensibly and had at the last an easy Passage to the Happiness which is the Reward of Faith and Holiness and the free Gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. She hath left behind her which are Evidences of an unusual Diligence and an admirable Industry a great number of Writings under her own Hand some of which are these A considerable Body of Divinity in a large Quarto shewing what a Christian must believe and practice written Anno Dom. 1631. Collections of Commentaries upon a great part of the Holy Scriptures and of the Sum of the Controversies between Us and the Papists A Book containing Observations Experiences and Rules for Practice which being a most lively Image of her Mind may supply all the Defects of the Narrative I have given of her and is subjoyned here in hope it may be of no little Benefit to all pious Readers AN APPENDIX Containing Some considerable OBSERVATIONS EXPERIENCES and RULES for Practice found written with her Ladiship 's own Hand I. The World's Vanity ALL my Comforts below are dying Comforts no one Creature not all the Creatures that ever I enjoyed have given my Soul Satisfaction II. Good Actions will bear Consideration but evil Actions will not Every Act of Piety and Obedience will bear Consideration but so will not any sinful Action If we consider before we attempt any sinful Action either we shall not commit it or we shall do it with regret and a Conscience half set on fire But if we consider before any holy Action or Duty our considering Thoughts will much animate us to the Service Wherefore I conclude from hence that Sin shames it self and Religion justifies it self III. The Worship of God is made pleasant by a Sense of his Presence in it God's Presence was formerly manifested by visible Signs as the Cloud Fire and Brightness And though we cannot expect these yet we have the same especial Presence of God with us And when ever by Faith we attain any lively Apprehensions of it How solemn profitable and delightful doth it make the Worship of God with what Joy doth it bring us to the Assemblies and how unwilling are we to be kept from them when we have this Expectation from them And finding our Expectation in this answered how devoutly do we behave our selves in them and how joyfully do we return home as they that have seen God and conversed with Him IV. It is our Interest to be Religious It is a most experienced Truth that we shall never be well reconciled to Religion and steady in Piety until we see it is our Interest to be Religious V. It is difficult to pray without some wandring Thoughts in Prayer It is very difficult to carry Sincerity and keep a Sense of God through every part of Prayer which is necessary to be endeavoured and is the Life of the Duty I find it hard to keep my Soul intent for my Thoughts are slippery and swift and my Heart is snatch'd away sometimes against my Will and before I am aware yea even then sometimes when I have made the greatest Preparation and have had the greatest Resolutions through Grace to avoid wandring Thoughts My best Prayers therefore need Christ's Incense to perfume them VI. A deep Sense of God in Prayer is desirable and ravishing Could I understand my near approach to God in Prayer it would exalt my Soul above measure And why am I not ravished with the Thoughts of being in the Presence of God and haing the Ear yea the Heart of the King of Heaven It is nothing but want of Faith and the strange Power of Sense that weakens my Spiritual Apprehensions and keeps me from an unspeakable Delight in my Addresses to God What an high Priviledg is this to speak to the Great JEHOVAH as a Child to a Father or a Friend to a Friend But how slow of Heart am I to conceive the Glory and Happiness thereof Could I but manage this great Duty as I ought it would be an Heaven upon Earth It would bring God down to me or carry me up to Him Why should I not be carried above the World when I am so near to God Why should I not be changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory Why am I not even transported beyond my self VII We ought to be constant in Prayer Inconstancy in Prayer is not only sinful but dangerous Omission breeds Dislike strengthens Corruption discourages the Spirit and animates the unregenerate Part. Constancy in this Duty breeds an holy Confidence towards God Inconstancy breeds Strangeness Upon an Omission I must never approach God again or my next Prayer must be an exercise of Repentance for my last Omission VIII Sincere Prayers are never offered in vain Formality is apt to grow upon our secret Prayers one of the best ways to prevent it is to come to God with an Expectation This sets an Edg upon our Spirits I do not enough observe the Returns of Prayer though God hath said I shall never seek Him in vain And when I observe I must acknowledg I have daily Answers of my Prayers in some kind or other Nay I think I may say I never offered a fervent Prayer to God but I received something from Him at least as to the frame of my own Spirit IX Prayer promotes Piety and Godliness and Acquaintance with God It is the Christian's Duty in every thing to pray and Holiness lieth at the bottom of this Duty If I in every thing commit my self to God I shall be sure to keep his way or my Prayer will upbraid me This keeps me from tempting him and makes me careful to find a clear Call in every thing I undertake knowing that if I go only where I am sent the Angel of his Presence will go before me and my way will be cleared of
Testament without which Knowledg the Heart cannot be good nor the Life purified or suitable to the Christian Profession wherefore we are directed to search the Scriptures S. John 5.39 To incline our Ears to Wisdom to apply our Hearts to Understanding to cry after Knowledg and lift up our Voice for Understanding to seek hit as Silver and search for her as for hid Treasures Prov. 2.2 3 4. And certainly the Wickedness of the most of Men among us is greatly imputable to their utter Ignorance of these things or a very slight and inconsiderable Knowledg of them For Ignorance of God Christ and his holy Spirit and of his Attributes and providence prevents all Inclination to Piety Ignorance of the Rules for managing our Lives prevents all that Regularity in Conversation that is required Ignorance of the Promises suppresses all the Incourgement to it and Ignorance of the Threatnings hides all that which should move that Fear that is necessary to engage us in it And all this Ignorance proceeds from Slothfulness and Unwillingness to use Diligence in scearching and understanding the Scriptures in which are the Treasures of all needful Knowledg And therefore the first thing in this Work of the Lord enjoyn'd us is an industrious Endeavour after Knowledg by being conversant in the Scriptures by reading or at least diligently hearing them 2. There is included in it all that belongs to Repentance towards God consisting in a deep Sense of our many Sins against God Christ his Holy Spirit our Neighbours and our own Souls by which God hath been dishonoured Christ slighted his Holy Spirit grieved our Neighbours injured and our own Souls polluted debased and exposed to the Wrath of God as also in confessing them with Shame and Grief offering the Sacrifice of a broken and contrite Heart and in an hatred of them all attended with sincere forsaking them denying Ungodlinss and worldly Lusts and suffering no Sin to reign in our mortal Bodies being able to attest that upon making a diligent search there is no known Sin of Omission or Commission allowed loved or favoured by us But that every such Sin is opposed by our Purposes Prayers and true Endeavours 3. To this must also be refer'd all that is included in Faith And that comprehends a settled Belief of the Being and All-Governing Providence of God and of the Truth or Divine Authority of the Scriptures A continual depending on the Power Wisdom and Goodness of God and the receiving his Son Jesus Christ in all his Offices as a Prophet Priest and King And as the Lord our Righteousness our Advocate with the Father the Propitiation for our Sins the End of the Law for Righteousness to them that believe and as made of God unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption And this we do when designing Salvation by Him we search the Scriptures considered as the Word of Christ with dependance on the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of the Son that we may understand the way of Salvation and know the things of our Peace and when apprehending our Guilt and Danger by Sin we seek the Pacification of our Consciences and the appeasing of God by believing meditating upon and applying his Death and Blood as a Sacrifice and Satisfaction for Sin and when we commend all our Requests to God with Dependance on his Intercession and when apprehending his Exaltation we become earnestly obedient to him and depend upon him for Grace and Strength against all our spiritual Enemies and hope to receive from him the Crown of a blessed Immortality and a miraculous glorious Resurrection 4. To this pertains all that the Scriptures intend by Holiness consisting in the Imitation of the Divine Imitable Perfection viz. the Wisdom Righteousness Purity Faithfulness Goodness and Mercy of our Creator in cleansing our Hands and purifying our Hearts in sincerely attending the Duties of both Tables of the Law with respect to God and our Neighbour and in mortifying all those Lusts that war against the Soul as the Lusts of the Flesh including Intemperance and Uncleanness The Lusts of the Eye which are Avarice and Covetousness and the Pride of Life i.e. The ambitious pursuit of Honour and Applause and the affecting the Pomp and Bravery of the World and in filling our Minds with all the Divine Graces and holy Affections of Fear Love Trust and Hope towards God and of Love Meekness Humility and Kindness towards Men And in obeying the Laws of Christ and following his Example in being in a great measure holy harmless undefiled and separated from Sinners In doing Good reproving Sin delighting to do our Father's Will and submitting to his holy Pleasure in all things willingly drinking the Cup he putteth into our hands and in glorifying him on Earth that he may glorify us in Heaven 5. To this belongs all that the Scripture chargeth upon us in those full and comprehensive Precepts of fearing God departing from Evil loving Him with all the Heart Mind and Might keeping his Charge doing his Will walking in his Counsel chusing the narrow Way and exceeding the Righteousness of Scribes and Pharises by being impartial in our Obedience and chiefly attending the weightier matters of the Law and by being sincere and humble not glorying in our pious Attainments and Actions but rather hiding them excepting those things which for Example's sake must be publick and such as the concealing them proceeds from Cowardise and fear of Reproach 6. There is included in it the faithful managing of our particular Callings as the Magistrates being just and ruling over Men in the Fear of God the Ministers Care of Souls praying for the People and shewing them the right way endeavouring to turn many to Righteousness The Peoples revering cheerfully attending and obeying them that watch for their Souls The Parents care and bringing up Children in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord the Child's Obedience the Master's Justice and Kindness the Servant's Diligence and Faithfulness and the Subjects unspotted Allegiance and Obedience for Conscience sake And all other our Duties in our several Places Stations Employments and Relations 7. There must be added as pertaining to it all the most serious part of the Christian Life employed in fervent Prayers and Thanksgiving Self-Examination serious and Divine Meditations and solemn and fruitful attending the Publick Worship of God consisting chiefly in the Word preached and in Prayer and Sacraments Lastly To this must be joyned the most refined and spiritual part of Religion consisting in suppressing the most inward Motions of Vanity Pride Envy Malice Unbelief worldly inordinate Love carnal Affections and Desires in keeping the Mind as much as may be intent and without Wandrings in Prayer and other devout Exercises of Religion and in attending in them to more than a natural Fervour and Devotion in the Imagination only moved by well composed and fit Words even to a Devotion consisting in the real Exercise of Faith Humility holy Love and Fear and other Graces and in
eject it It is not easy to bring the Soul back again into the State in which it was before it contracted Guilt XXXV Anger is seldom innocent I have no reason to trust my Anger it is not so just and righteous as it sometimes seems to be Anger is apt to blind my Mind and then Tyrannize over it There is in it something of Rage and Violence It stirs me up to act but takes away my Rule by which I should act I find an Aptness to credit my Passion and that foments it And when I am under the Power of Passion I have cause to suspect my own Apprehensions For Passion is blind and cannot judg it is furious and hath no leisure to debate and consider Giving way to it makes me unfit to act or receive Grace Though Anger should serve the Interest of Religion and so be good yet it being a strong and fierce Motion of the Spirit it must be used with great Advice and Caution XXXVI It is very hard and difficult to give God his due Glory under cross Providences XXXVII There is a Chain of Graces It is most certain there is a Chain of Graces inseparably link'd together and they who have one have all in some good measure They who have a lively Hope have fervent Love to God and they who love God love their Neighbours and they who love God and their Neighbours hate Sin and they who hate Sin sorrow for it and they who sorrow for Sin will avoid the Occasions of it and they that are thus watchful will pray fervently and they who pray will meditate and they who pray and meditate at home will joyn seriously in the Publick Worship of God Thus Graces are combined and holy Duties link'd together and no Grace is alone It is not with Graces as with Gifts to one is given this and to another that XXXVIII To be impartial in Piety and Mortification is very difficult It is a most difficult thing to withdraw Love from every Sin To proceed a little way in Religion is not hard But it is really so to go to the Extent of Mortification and Piety something of Religion may be embraced and our own Hearts Satan and the World not offended Some Morality and an outside-Devotion is not tedious to Flesh and Blood neither doth it shake Satan's Kingdom nor trouble the most of them we converse with But when we come once to engage in a close walking with God and to live by Rule in every part of Life resolving seriously to indulge no Sin whatever we pull the Kingdom of Darkness upon our Heads Then Corruption will strive Satan will rage the World will scoff watch for our halting and glory in our Miscarriages and we shall find it difficult to run against the course of Nature oppose Satan and go contrary to Men But of necessity this all this must be for any Sin indulged will divorce us from Christ XXXIX To trust in God is a Christian 's necessary Duty I find trusting in God my most necessary Duty My Condition is such that I cannot see before me I know not what a day may bring forth I find my self weak and impotent unable to do or suffer as I ought I cannot preserve my Soul Life Health or any thing dear to me And without trusting in God I cannot expect God should fulfil any Promise it being the Condition of the Promise XL. Trusting in God produces real Comfort I find it comfortable to trust in God it raises my Hope and gives me present Rest and Quiet and holy Contentation Trusting in God like many other Duties is my Work and my Ways XLI To trust in God is one of our most difficult Duties I find it difficult to trust in God at all times When Providences cross my Expectation they discourage me and prove a Temptation through my Weakness I have but feeble Apprehensions of the Power and Goodnese of God when I come to make use of them for my particular Security and Benefit I think I may say it is easier to obey and act for God than to trust in him XLII Faith is the Root of other Graces Faith is the Principle of Spiritual Life and Motion every true good Work and Exercise of Grace take their Rise and Vigor from Faith A Christian prays reads and meditates hears hopes loves is zealous for God and doth good to others Why because he believes What is Repentance and godly Sorrow but the Soul acted by Faith upon the Belief of the Sinfulness of Sin its Opposition and Contradiction to God and of the high Obligations we are under to avoid it and of the Misery we run into by venturing upon it and of the Madness and Folly of ruining our selves by it I find Faith most necessary and that I cannot be without it Where can I go or what can I undertake wherein Faith will not be necessary If I pray or meditate it will be a strange Exercise if Faith be wanting If I read or hear the Word it will not profit me unless I mix it with Faith would I hope in any Promise I must call forth my Faith Would I be heavenly-minded it is Faith must raise me above the World Would I be zealous for God Zeal will not gather Heat unless Faith blows the Fire Would I have Peace and Joy they must be had by believing Nay I can do nothing in my more ordinary Affairs without Faith I must know and believe my Design is good and centers in my great Design which is the Glory of God And the means I employ must be known and believed to be regular and holy or I dare not make use of them And then I must be able to cast my Care upon God and to commit the Event and Issue to him or else my Business becomes burdensom to me and I have no Rest in my self XLIII The Devil is a mighty but not an invincible Enemy I have a powerfull subtile watchful and malicious Enemy to encounter with But he is a known Enemy the Word hath discovered him and his Power is limited God hath promised me Victory over him nay my Lord hath already conquered him And I am not alone in this Warfare against Satan I fight not against him singly there is a whole Army engaged in the Quarrel The whole Church prayes and fights against him the Saints collectively make War upon him All the Prayers of the Church go up to Heaven for my Assistance so that I have help against Temptation from every Corner all strike this Dart into his Side Lord lead us not into Temptation And we all fight under our Victorious Captain Christ Jesus The Honour of God and of Christ my Head is bound up in my Safety and therefore I shall conquer nay his very Temptations shall turn to my good All these Considerations are my Encouragement XLIV The Things which the Holy Ghost teacheth The Holy Spirit teacheth every gracious Soul to regard the Immortal Spirit above the Body
to our Probation State And thus Death is ours LV. Formality in Holy Things must be avoided Every Real Christian hates to act in Divine Things out of Custom and Formality and the least mixture of a By-end is to him troublesome and afflicting His Actions are with Consideration and good Design He will not only pray but consider to whom and why And doth it either in obedience to a Command or as the paying of Homage to God or as an Instance of Trust Dependance and Love or as a Means of obtaining some Blessing or as an Ordinance that brings him near into the Presence of God And when he waits upon the Publick Worship it is that thereby he may make open Profession of Faith and Holiness and that he may draw nigh to God LVI The Government of our Thoughts is necessary It is no little Self-denial to manage our Thoughts strictly yet it is the most reasonable part of Religion and not properly the Heighth of Piety but the Foundation of it without which it cannot stand He that can blush at his Thoughts and endeavours to suppress them who dares not entertain the least Sin no not so much as in his Imagination looking upon God and Conscience as more than a thousand Witnesses This Man is Religious indeed This manage of the Thoughts is of great Service to a Christian it is a vast Security against many Temptations For Thoughts breed Desires and Desires increase into Passion and Passions will grow strong and being grown strong they abuse Reason and throw the Soul headlong and render it exposed to divers Temptations LVII The End of our Actions must be good Great Care must be had concerning the End of our Actions for this like the Altar sanctifies the Gift A Man's End hath a mighty Influence upon him as is the End such is the Man He whose End is worldly is himself earthly But if God be a Man's End it makes him God-like LVIII We must beware of Spiritual Sloth Spiritual Sloth brings Spiritual Poverty To have Affections in Holy Duties requires much force to which Nature is averse Corrupt Nature doth not always discover its opposition to that which is good by passionate contradicting but oftentimes effectually enough by Sloth and sluggishness LIX Detraction must be avoided We are naturally prone to speak evil of others with delight and to aggravate their Faults This Sin persisted in will shut out of Heaven as well as Murder or Theft And there is a secret Plague attending it in this Life for the way of Divine Providence is frequently Retaliation LX. The Promises are full of Support and Comfort but God must illuminate our Minds to discern what is treasured up in them The Promises which are the Covenant of Grace display'd are most precious in the matter of them and most necessary and useful to the Christian's Spiritual Life they help and support when all other things fail The Satisfaction they bring is a real true Pleasure yet their Glory and Excellency is not to be seen till God opens the Christian's Eyes and gives him a new Light There is a Vail upon the Promises or rather a Film upon the Eye of the Soul and until that is removed the Promises are dark and they have no Form or Comliness in them And though they be great and precious in themselves yet they cannot be so to us unless God and the Promise come in together The Spirit must move upon the face of the Waters before they become refreshing Streams to make glad the Heart The Christian's own Arm will not reach Comfort from them For this God must be sought and the Promise must be our Meditation LXI The Holy Ghost proceeds in his Operations gradually The Spirit of God operates gradually He teaches first one Truth and then another He brings us first to make Conscience of a Duty and then of the manner of performing it The Holy Spirit lays a Foundation in the Heart for the whole of Religion and then draws us on gradually to more and more Rules for Practice I. LET Love and Charity be Universal For no pretence whatever no not of Religion and Zeal for God can justifie your not loving any Person in the World Treat all Men with Kindness and wish them well Do them good according to their Necessity and your Power and Opportunity If Persons be above you express your Love to them by paying them the Honour and Observance their Place and Authority call for If they are in Worldly Respects beneath you manifest your Love by Kindness Affability and vouchsafing an easy Address to you If they excel in Natural or Acquired Endowments of Mind express your Love to them by a due esteem of them If they be rather wanting than excelling shew your Love by pitying them and despise not their weakness If any be in Misery compassionate them pray for them comfort them with your Presence if you can reach them relieve them according to your power If any be defamed shew your Love by stopping and rebuking the Defamation II. Be very careful not to harbour any evil Affection in your Heart against any one what-ever For though you are far from intending any actual Mischief yet you tempt God to let loose your Corruption and his Providence to permit you an Opportunity and so before you are aware you may be drawn to an Act you never thought of before Moreover by an evil Affection harboured in your Mind you will prevent the blessed Illapses of the Spirit of God and open a wide Door for the Devil to enter into you And indeed an unkind disposition towards any Man is so much akin to Satan that if you admit the one you cannot exclude the other III. Despise none for Love never rides in Triumph over Inferiours IV. Look upon all unavoidable Temptations as Opportunities for an high exercise of Grace Are you injured be sorry for him that hath done it and bless God for the opportunity of shewing your self hereby a Christian by patient bearing forgiving doing Good against Evil treating him with Meekness and breaking his Heart with Love Every Provocation is a Price in your Hand get an Heart to improve it V. Put a due value upon your Name and Reputation But be not over solicitous about it for that discovers some unmortified Lust at the bottom VI. Pursue Piety under the notion of an Imitation of God and then so great a Pleasure will result from it that neither Men nor Devils shall be able to make you question God's Being and Attributes This will raise an Esteem of it and render it lovely and make the several Duties of Religion more facile and easie and it will gradually wear out the Remains of Unbelief and unkind Jealousies of God VII Let Humility be the constant covering of your Soul and let Repentance follow all your Performances This will demonstrate your Religion is inward For if Religion be suffered to enter deep into the Heart it will always find Work for Repentance