loose to thy worldly cares and business But spend all that day either in meditating praying reading good conferences or the like so as may best keep up that holy flame that is enkindled in thy heart Afterwards when thy calling requires thee to fall to thy usual affairs do it but yet still remember that thou hast a greater business then that upon thy hands that is the performing of all those promises thou so lately madest to God and therefore whatever thy outward imployments are let thy heart be set on that keep all the particulars of thy resolution in memory and whenever thou art tempted to any of thy old sins then consider this is the thing thou so solemnly vowedst against and withal remember what a horrible guilt it will be if thou shouldst now wilfully do any thing contrary to that vow Yea and what a horrible mischief also it will be to thy self For at thy receiving God and thou entredst into Covenant into a league of friendship and kindness And as long as thou keepest in that friendship with God thou art safe all the malice of men or devils can do thee no harm For as the Apostle saith Rom. 8. 31. If God be for us who can be against us But if thou breakest this league as thou certainly dost if thou yield to any wilful sin then God and thou are enemies and if all the world then were for thee it could not avail thee 32. Nay thou wilt get an enemy with in thine own bosome thy conscience accusing and upbraiding thee and when God and thine own conscience are thus against thee thou canst not but be extremely miserable even in this life besides that fearful expectation of wrâ—â—h which awaits thee in the next Remember all this when thou art set upon by any temptation and then sure thou canst not but look upon that temptation as a cheat that comes to rob thee of thy Peace thy God thy very Soul And then surely it will appear as unfit to entertain it as thou wouldst think it to harbour one in thy house who thou knowest came to rob thee of what is dearest to thee 33. And let not any experience of Gods mercy in pardoning thee heretofore encourage thee again to provoke him for besides that it is the highest degree of wickedness and unthankfulness to make that goodness of his which should lead thee to repentance an encouragement in thy sin Besides this I say the oftner thou hast been pardonâ—d the less reason thou hast to expect it again because thy sin is so much the greater for having been committed against so much mercy If a King have several times pardoned an offender yet if he still return to commission of the same fault the King will at last be forced if he have any love to Justice to give him up to it Now so it is here God is as well just as merciful and his Justice will at last surely and heavily avenge the abuse of his Mercy and there cannot be a greater abuse of his mercy then to sin in hope of it so that it will prove a miÌ„serable deceiving of thy self thus to presume upon it 34. Now this care of making good thy vow must not abide with thee some few days onely and then be cast aside but it must continue with thee all thy days For if thou break thy vow it matters not whether sooner or later Nay perhaps the guilt may in some respects be more if it be late for if thou have for a good while gone on in the observance of it that shews the thing is possible to thee and so thy after breaches are not of insirmity because thou canst not avoid them but of perverseness because thou wilt not Besides the use of Christian-Walking must needs make it more easie to thee For indeed all the difficulty of it is but from the custome of the contrary And therefore if after some acquaintance with it when thou hast overcome somewhat of the hardness thou shalt then give it over it will be most inexcusable Therefore be careful all the days of thy life to keep such a Watch over thy self and so to avoid all occasions of temptations as may preserve thee from all Wilful breaches of this vow 35. But though the obligation of every such single vow reach to the utmost day of our lives yet are we often to renew it that is we are often to receive the holy Saecrament for that being the means of conveighing to us so great and unvaluable benefits and it being also a command of Christ That we should do this in remembrance of him we are in respect both of reason and duty to omit no fit opportunity of partaking of that holy Table I have now shewed you what that reverence is which we are to pay to God in his Sacrament PARTITION IV. HONOUR due to Gods Name Of Sinning against it Blasphemy Swearing Assertory Oaths Promissory Oaths Unlawful Oaths Of Perjury Of vain Oaths and the Sin of them c. § 1. THe last thing wherein we are to express our Reverence to him is the Honouring his Name Now what this Honouring of his Name is we shall best understand by considering what are the things by which it is dishonoured the avoiding of which will be our way of honouring it The first is all Blasphemies or speaking any evil thing of God the highest degree whereof is cursing him or if we do not speak it with our mouths yet if we do it in our hearts by thinking any unworâ—hy thing of Him it is lookt on by God who sees the heart as the vilest dishonour But there is also a blasphemy of the actions that is when men who profess to be the servants of God live so wickedly that they bring up an evil report on him whom they own as their Master and Lord. This Blasphemy the Apostle takes notice of Rom. 2. 24. Where he tells those who profess to be observers of the Law That by their wicked actions the Name of God was blasphemed among the Gentiles Those Gentiles were moved to think ill of God as the favourer of sin when they saw those who called themselves his servants commit it A second way of Dishonouring Gods Name is by swearing and that is of two sorts either by false Oathes or else by rash and light ones A false Oath may also be of two kinds as first that by which I affirm somewhat or secondly that by which I promise The first is when I say such or such a thing was done so or so and confirm this saying of mine with an Oath if then I know there be not perfect truth in what I say this is a flat perjury a downright being forsworn Nay if I swear to the truth of that whereof I am only doubtful though the thing should happen to be true yet it brings upon me the guilt of Perjury for I swear at a venture and
and intercession 6. Lead us not into Temptation but deliver c. O LORD we have no strength against those multitudes of temptations that dayly assault us only our eyes are upon thee O be thou pleased either to restrain them or assist us and in thy faithfulness suffer us not to be tempted above that we are able but in all our temptations make us a way to escape that we be not overcome by them but may when thou shalt call us to it resist even unto blood striving against sin that being faithful unto death thou mayest give us the crown of life For thine is the Kingdom the Power c. HEAR us graciously answer our petitions for thou art the great King over all the earth whose Power is infinite and art able to do for us above all that we can ask or think and to whom belongeth the Glory of all that good thou workest in us or for us Therefore blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne to our God for ever and ever Amen Pious EJACULATIONS Taken out of the Book of PSALMS For PARDON of SIN HAVE mercy on me O God after thy great goodness according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences Wash me throughly from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin Turn thy face from my sins and put out all my misdeeds My misdeeds prevail against me O be thou merciful unto my sins Enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified For thy names sake O Lord be merciful unto my sin for it is great Turn thee O Lord and deliver my soul O save me for thy mercies sake For GRACE TEACH me to do the thing that pleaseth thee for thou art my God Teach me thy way O Lord and I will walk in thy truth O knit my heart to thee that I may fear thy name Make me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me O let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I be not ashamed Incline my heart unto thy I estimonies and not to covetousness Turn away mine eyes lest they behold vanity and quicken thou me in thy way I am a stranger upon earth O hide not thy Commandments from me Lord teach me to number my days that I may apply my heart unto wisdom For the LIGHT of Gods COUNTENANCE LORD why abhorrest thou my soul and hidest thy face from me O hide not thou thy face from me nor cast thy servant away in displeasure Thy loving kindness is better then life it self Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Comfort the Soul of thy servant for unto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul. THANKSGIVING I WILL always give thanks unto the Lord his praise shall ever be in my mouth Thou art my God and I will thank thee thou art my God and I will praise thee I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live I will praise my God whilest I have my being Praised be God which hath not cast out my prayer nor turned his mercy from me Blessed be the Lord God even the God of Israel which only doth wondrous things And blessed be the Name of his Majesty for ever and all the earth shall be filled with his Majesty Amen Amen For DELIVERANCE from TROUBLE BE merciful unto me O Lord be merciful unto me for my Soul trusteth in thee and under the shadow of thy wings shall be my refuge until these calamities be over-past Deliver me O Lord from mine enemies for I flie unto thee to hide me O keep my Soul and deliver me let me not be confounded for I have put my trust in thee Mine eyes are ever looking unto the Lord for he shall pluck my feet out of the net Turn thee unto me and have mercy upon me for I am desolate and in misery The sorrorws of my heart are enlarged O bring thou me out of my troubles For the CHURCH O BE favourable and gracious unto Sion build thou the walls of Jerusalem O God wherefore art thou absent from us so long Why is thy wrath so hot against the sheep of thy pasture O think upon thy Congregation whom thou hast purchased and Redeemed of old Look upon the Tribe of thine Inheritance and Mount Sion where thou hast dwelt It is time for thee Lord. to lay to thy hand for they have destroyed thy Law Arise O God and maintain thine own cause Deliver Israel O God out of all his troubles Brief Heads of Self-Examination especially before the Sacrament Collected out of the fore-going Treatise concerning the breaches of our Duty To GOD. FAITH NOT BELIEVING there is a God Not believing his Word Not believing it practically so as to live according to our belief HOPE Despairing of Gods mercy so as to neglect duty Presuming groundlesly on it whilst we go on in wilful sin LOVE Not Loving God for his own excellencies Not loving him for his goodness to us Not labouring to please him Not desiring to draw neer to him in his Ordinances Not longing to enjoy him in Heaven FEAR Not Fearing God so as to keep from offending him Fearing man above him by committing sin to shun some outward suffering TRUST Not trusting on God in dangers and disiresses Using unlawful means to bring us out of them Not depending on God for supply of our wants Immoderate care for outward things Neglecting to labour and expecting God should support us in our idleness Not looking up to God for a blessing on our honest endeavours HUMILITY Not having a high esteem of God Not submitting obediently to act his will Not patiently suffering it but murmuring at his corrections Not amending by them Not being thankful to him Not acknowledging his wisdome in choosing for us but having eager and impatient desires of our owe. HONOUR Not Honouring God by a reverend usage of the things that relate to him Behaving our selves irreverently in his house Robbing God by taking things that are consecrated to him Profaning Holy times the Lords Day and the Feasts and Fasts of the Church Neglecting to read the Holy Scriptures not marking when we do read Being careless to get knowledge of our duty chusing rather to continue ignorant then put our selves to the pains or shame of learning Placing Religion in hearing of Sermons without practising them Breaking our Vow made at Baptisme By resorting to Witches and Conjurers i. e. to the Devil By loving the pomps and vanities of the world and followlowing its sinful customes By fulfilling the lusts of the flesh Profaning the Lords Supper By comming to it ignorantly without examination contrition and purposes of new life By behaving our selves irreverently at it without devotion and spiritual affection By neglecting to keep the promises made at it Profaning Gods Name by blasphemous thoughts or discourse Giving others occasion to blaspheme him by our vile wicked lives Taking unlawful OATHS Perjury Swearing in
which is this It is possible we may transgress against men and they not know it I may perhaps steal my neighbours goods or defile his wife and keep it so close that he shall not suspect me and so never bring me to punishment for it but this we cannot do with God he knows all things even the most secret thoughts of our hearts and therefore though we commit a sin never so closely he is sure to finde us and will as surely if we do not timely repent punish us eternally for it 48. And now surely it cannot but be confest that it is much safer displeasing men then God yet alas our practice is as if we believed the direct contrary there being nothing more ordinary with us then for the avoiding of some present danger we fear from men to rush our selves upon the indignation of God And thus it is with us when either to save our estates or credits or our very lives we commit any sin for that is plainly the chusing to provoke God rather then man 49. But God knowes this case of fear of men is not the only one wherein we venture to displease him for we commit many sins to which we have none of this temptation nor indeed any other as for instance that of Common Swearing to which there is nothing either of pleasure or profit to invite us Nay many times we who so fear the mischiefs that other men may do to us that we are ready to buy them off with the greatest sins do our selves bring all those very mischiefs upon us by sins of our own chusing Thus the careless Prodigal robs himself of his estate the Deceitful Dishoneft man or any that lives in open notorious sin deprives himself of his credit and the Drunkard Glutton brings diseases on himself to the shortning his life And can we think we do at all Fear God when that fear hath so little power over us that though it be backt with the many present mischiefs that attend upon sin it is not able to keep us from them surely such men are far from fearing God that they rather seem to defie him resolve to provoke him whatsoever it cost them either in this world or the next Yet so unreasonably partial are we to our selvs that even such as these will pretend to this fear you may examine multitudes of the most gross scandalous sinners before you shall meet with one that will acknowledge he fears not God It is strange it should be possible for men thus to cheat themselves but however it is certain we cannot deceive God he will not be mockt and therefore if we will not now so fear as to avoid sin we shall one day fear when it will be too late to avoid punishment 50. A Fift Duty to God that of TRUSTING in him that is depending and resting on him and that is First in all dangers Secondly in all wants We are to rest on him in all our dangers both Spiritual and Temporal Of the first sort are all those Temptations by which we are in danger to be drawn to sin And in this respect he hath promised that if we resist the Devil he shall flie from us Jam 4. 7. Therefore our duty is first to pray earnestly for Gods grace to enable us to overcome the temptation and Secondly to set our selves manfully to combate with it not yielding or giving consent to it in the least degree and whilst we do thus we are confidently to rest upon God that his grace will be sufficient for us that he will either remove the temptation or strengthen us to withstand it 51. Secondly in all outward Temporal Dangers we are to rest upon him as knowing that he is able to deliver us and that he will do so if he see it best for us if we be such to whom he hath promised his protection that is such as truly fear him To this purpose we have many promises in Scripture Ps. 34. 7. The Angel of the Lord tarrieth round about them that fear him and delivereth them Ps. 34. 20. The Lord delivereth the soules of his Saints and all that put their trust in him shall not be destitute and divers the like And also we have many examples as that of the three children in the Furnace Daniel 3. That of Daniel in the Lions Den Daniel 6. And many others all which serve to teach us this one lesson that if we go on conscionably in performing our duty we need not he dismayed for any thing that can be fall us for the God whom we serve is able to deliver us 52. Therefore in all dangers we are first humbly to pray for his aid and then to rest our selves cheerfully on him and assuring our selves that he will give such an issue as shall be most for our good But above all things we must be sure to fix our dependence wholly on him and not to relie on the creatures for help much less must we seek to deliver our selves by any unlawful means that is by the committing of any sin for that is like Saul 1 Samuel 28. 7. to go to the Witch that is to the Devil for help such courses do commonly deceive our hopes at the present and in stead of delivering us out of our streights plunge us in greater and those much more uncomfortable ones because then we want that which is the only support Gods favour and aid which we certainly forfeit when we thus seek to rescue our selves by any sinful means But supposing we could by such a way certainly free our selves from the present danger yet alas we are far from having gained safety by it we have only removed the danger from that which was less considerable and brought it upon the most precious part of us our Souls like an unskilful Physician that to remove a pain from the finger strikes it to the heart we are therefore grosly mistaken when we think we have plaied the good Husband in saving our Liberties or Estates or Lives themselves by a sin we have not saved them but madly overbought them laid out our very Souls on them And Christ tells us how little we shall gain by such bargains Mat. 17. 26. What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul Let us therefore resolve never to value any thing we can possess in this world at so high a rate as to keep it at the price of the least sin but when ever things are driven to such an issue that we must either part with some perhaps all our worldly possessions nay life it self or else commit a sin let us then remember that this is the season for us to perform that great and excellent duty of taking up the Cross which we can never so properly do in this case for our bearing of that which we have no possible way of avoiding can at most be said to be but the
carrying of the Cross but then only can we be said to take it up when having a means of escaping it by a sin we rather chuse to endure the Cross then commit the Sin for then it is not laid on us by any unavoidable necessity but we willingly chuse it and this is highly acceptable with God yea withal so strictly required by him that if we fail of performing it when we are put to the tryal we are not to be accounted followers of Christ for so himself hath expresly told us Mat. 16. 24. If any man come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me and so again Mark 8. 34. It were therefore a good point of Spiritual Wisdom for us sometimes by some lower degrees of self-denyal to fit our selves for this greater when we shall be called to it we know he that expects to run a Race will before-hand be often breathing himself that he may not be foil'd when he comes to run for the prize in like manner 't wil be fit for us sometimes to abridge our selves somewhat of our lawful pleasure or ease or profit so that we may get such a mastery over our selves as to be able to renounce all when our obedience to God requires it 53. And as we are thus to Trust on God for deliverance from danger so are we likewise for supply of our wants and those again are either Spiritual or Temporal our Spiritual want is that of his Grace to inable us to serve him without which we can do nothing and for this we are to depend on him provided we neglect not the means which are Prayer and a Careful using of what he hath already bestowed on us For then we have his promise for it he will give the holy Spirit to them that ask it Luke 11. 15. And unto him that hath shall bee given Mat. 25. 29. that is To him that hath made a good use of that grace he hath already God will give more We are not therefore to affright our selves with the difficulty of those things God requires of us but remember he commands nothing which he will not enable us to perform if we be not wanting to our selves And therefore let us sincerely do our parts and confidently assure our selves God will not fail of his 54. But we have likewise Temporal and Bodily wants and for the supply of them we are likewise to rely on him And for this also we want no Promises supposing us to be of the number of them to whom they are made that is Gods faithful Servants They that fear the Lord lack nothing Psal. 34. 9. v. 10. They that seek the Lord shall want no manner of thing that is good Again Psal. 33. 18 19. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him upon them that hope in his mercy to deliver their souls from death and to feed them in time of famine Examples also we have of this as we may see in the case of Eliah and the poor Widow 1 Kings 17. And many others 55. We are therefore to look up to him for the provision of all things necessary for us according to that of the Psalmist The eyes of all wait upon thee O Lord and thou givest them meat in due season And our Saviour hath taught us to pray for our daily bread thereby teaching us that we are to live in continual dependance upon God for it Yet I mean not by this that we should so expect it from God as to give up our selves to idleness and expect to be fed by Miracles No our honest industry and labour is the meanes by which God ordinarily gives us the necessaries of this life and therefore we must by no means neglect that He that will not labour let him not eat sayes the Apostle 2 Thess. 3. 10. And we may believe God will pronounce the same sentence and suffer the slothful person to want even necessary food But when we have faithfully used our own endeavour then we must also look up to God for his blessing on it without which it can never prosper to us And having done thus we may comfortably rest our selves on his Providence for such a measure of these outward things as he fees fittest for us 56. But if our condition be such that we are not able to labour and have no other means of bringing in the necessaries of life to our selves yet even then we are chearfully to rest upon God believing that he who feeds the Ravens will by some means or other though we know not what provide for us so long as he pleases we shall continue in this world and never in any case torment our selves with carking and distrustful thoughts but as the Apostle 1 Pet. 5. 7. Cast all our care on him who careth for us 57. This is earnestly prest by our Saviour Matth. 6. where he abundantly shewes the folly of this sin of distrust The place is a most excellent one and therefore I shall set it down at large Verse 25. Therefore I say unto you take no thought for your life what you shall eat or what you shall drink neither for your body what you shall put on is not the life more then meat and the body then raiment Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not neither do they reap nor gather into barns yet your heavenly Father feedeth them Are ye not much better then they Which of you by taking thought can adde one cubit to his stature And why take ye thought for raiment consider the Lilies of the field how they grow they toil not neither do they spin and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arayed like one of these Wherefore if God so clothe the grass of the field which to day is and to morrow is cast into the Oven shall he not much more clothe you O ye of little faith Therefore take no thought saying What shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be clothed for after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and then all these things shall be added unto you Take therefore no thought for to morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of it self sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof I might adde many other texts to this purpose but this is so full and convincing that I suppose it needless 58. All therefore that I shall say more concerning this duty is to put you in minde of the great benefits of it as first that by his trusting upon God you engage and binde him to provide for you Men you know think themselves highly concern'd not to fail those that depend and trust upon them and certainly God doth so much more But then secondly there is a
great deal of ease and quiet in the practice of this duty it delivers us from all those carkings and immoderate cares which disquiet our minds break our sleep and gnaws even our very heart I doubt not but those that have felt them need not be told they are uneasie But then me thinks that uneasiness should make us forward to embrace the means for the removing of them and so we see it too often doth in unlawful ones men will cheat and steal and lie and do any thing to deliver themselves from the fear of want But alas they commonly prove but deceitful remedies they bring Gods curse on us and so are more likely to betray us to want then to keep us from it But if you desire a certain and unfailing cure for cares take this of relying upon God 59. For what should cause that man to fear want that knowes he hath one that cares for him who is All-sufficient and will not suffer him to want what is fit for him If a poor man had but a faithful promise from a wealthy person that he would never suffer him to want it is sure he would be highly cheered with it and would not then think fit to be as carking as he was before and yet a mans promise may fail us he may either grow poor and not be able or he may prove false and not be willing to make good his word But we know God is subject neither to impoverishing nor deceit And therefore how vile an injury do we offer to him if we dare not trust as much upon his promise as we would that of a man yea and how great a mischief do we do our selves by loading our mindes with a multitude of vexatious and tormenting cares when we may so securely cast our burden upon God I conclude this in the words of the Apostle Phil. 4. 6. Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God PARTITION II. Of HUMILITY Of Submission to Gods Will in respect of Obedience Of Patience in all sorts of sufferings and of HONOUR due to God in several wayes in his House Possessions his Day Word Sacraments c. § 1. A SIXTH Duty to God is HUMILITY that is such a sense of our own meannesse and his excellency as may work in us lowly and unfeigned submission to him This Submission is twofold first to his Will secondly to his Wisdom 2. The submission to his Will is also of two sorts the submission either of obedience or patience That of obedience is our ready yielding our selves up to do his Will so that when God hath by his command made known to us what his pleasure is chearfully and readily to set about it To enable us to this humility is exceeding necessary for a proud person is of all others the unaptest to obey and we see men never pay an obedience but where they acknowledge the person commanding to be some way above them And so it is here if we be not throughly perswaded that God is infinitely above us that we are vileness and nothing in comparison of him we shall never pay our due obedience 3. Therefore if ever you mean to obey intirely as you must if ever you mean to be saved get your hearts possest with the sense of that great unspeakable distance that is between God and you Consider him as he is a God of infinite Majesty and glory and wee poor worms of the earth he infinite in power able to do all things and we able to do nothing not so much as to make one hair white or black as our Saviour speaks Mat. 5. 36. He of infinite purity and holiness and we polluted and defiled wallowing in all kinde of sins and uncleanness he unchangeable and constant and we subject to change and alteration every minute of our lives He Eternal and Immortal and we frail mortals that when ever he taketh away our breath we die and are turned again to our dust Psal. 104. 29. Consider all this I say and you cannot but acknowledge a wide difference between God and man and therefore may well cry out with Job after hee had approach't so near to Goa as to discern somewhat of his excellency Job 42. 56. Now mine eye seeth thee wherefore 1 abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes 4. And even when this Humility hath brought us to obedience it is not then to be cast off as if we had no further use of it for there is still great use nay necessity of it to keep us from any high conceits of our performances which if we once entertain it will blast the best of them and make them utterly unacceptable to God like the strictness of the Pharisee which when once he came to boast of the Publican was preferred before him Luke 18. The best of our works are so full of infirmity and pollution that if we compare them with that perfection and purity which is in God we may truly say with the Prophet All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags Isaiah 64. 6. And therefore to pride our selves in them is the same madnesse that it would be in a beggar to brag of his appared when it is nothing but vile rags and tatters Our Saviours precept in this matter must alwayes be remembred Luke 17. 10. When you have done all those things which are commanded you say we are unprositable servants if when we have done all we must give our selves no better a title what are we then to esteem our selves that are so far from doing any considerable part of what we are commanded Surely that worser name of sloathful and wicked servant Matth. 25. 26. we have no reason to think too bad for us 5. A Second sort of Submission to his will is that of Patience this stands in suffering his will as that of obedience did in acting it and is nothing else but a willing and quiet yielding to whatever afflictions it pleases God to lay upon us This the forementioned humility will make easie to us for when our hearts are throughly possest with that reverence and esteem of God it will be impossible for us to grudge or murmure at whatever he does Wee see an instance of it in Old Elie 1 Sam 3. Who after he had heard the sad threatnings of God against him of the destruction of his family the loss of the Priesthood the cutting off both his sons in one day which were all of them afflictions of the heaviest kinde yet this one consideration that it was the Lord inabled him calmly and quietly to yield to them saying Let him do what seemeth him good Verse 18. The same effect it had on David in his suffering Psalm 39. 9. I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou didst it God doing it silenced all murmurings and grumblings in him And so must it do in us in all our afflictions if
see what the gains of this robbery amounts to Ye are cursed with a curse A curse is all is gotten by it and common experience shewes us that GODS vengeance doth in a remarkable manner pursue this sin of Sacriledge whether it be that of with holding tithes or the other of seizing on those possessions which have been voluntarily consecrated to God Men think to enrich themselves by it but it usually proves directly contrary this unlawful gain becomes such a Canker in the estate as often eats out even that we had a just title to And therefore if you love I will not say your souls but your estates preserve them from that danger by a strict care never to meddle with any thing set a part for God 17. A Third thing wherein we are to expresse our Reverence to God is the hallowing of the times set apart for his service He who hath given all our time requires some part of it to be paid back again as a rent or tribute of the whole Thus the Jews kept holy the seventh day and we Christians the Sunday or Lords day the Jews were in their Sabbath especially to remember the Creation of the World and we in ours the Resurrection of Christ by which a way is made for us into that better world we expect hereafter Now this Day thus set apart is to be imployed in the Worship and Service of God and that first more solemnly and publickly in the Congregation from which no man must then absent himself without a just cause and Secondly privately at home in praying with and instructing our families or else in the yet more private duties of the closet a mans own private prayers Reading Meditating and the like And that we may be at leisure for these a Rest from all worldly business is commanded therefore let no man thâ—nk that a bare rest from labour is all that is required of him on the Lords day but the time which he saves from the works of his calling he is to lay out on those spiritual duties For the Lords Day was never ordained to give us a pretence for idleness but only to change our unployment from worldly to heavenly much less was it meant that by our rest from our callings we should have more time-free to bestow upon our sins as too many do who are more constant on that day at the Alehouse then the Church But this Rest was commanded first to shadow out to us that Rest from sin which we are bound to all the dayes of our lives And secondly to take us off from our worldly business and to give us time to attend the service of God and the need of our souls 18. And surely if we rightly consider it it is a very great benefit to us that there is such a set time thus weekly returning for that purpose We are very intent and busie upon the world and if there were not some such time appointed to our hands it is to be doubted we should hardly allot any our selves And then what a starved condition must these poor souls of ours be in that shall never be afforded a meal whereas now there is a constant diet provided for them every Sunday if wee will conscionably imploy it may be a festival day to them may bring them in such spiritual food as may nourish them to eternal life We are not to look on this day with grudging like those in Amos 8. 5. Who ask When will the Sabbath be gone that we may set forth wheat As if that time were utterly lost which were taken from our worldly business But we are to consider it as the gainfullest as the joyfullest day of the week a day of harvest wherein we are to lay up in store for the whole week nay for our whole lives 19. But besides this of the weekly Lords day there are other times which the Church hath set apart for the remembrance of some special mercies of God such as the Birth and Resurrection of Christ the Descent of the Holy Ghost and the like and these dayes we are to keep in that manner which the Church hath ordered to wit in the solemn worship of God and in particular thanks giving for that special blessing we then remember And surely whoever is truly thankful for those rich mercies cannot think it too much to set apart some few dayes in a year for that purpose But then we are to look that our Feasts be truly spiritual by imploying the day thus holily and not make it an occasion of intemperance and disorder as too many who consider nothing in Christmass and other good times but the good cheers and jollity of them For that is doing despight in stead of honour to Christ who came to bring all purity and soberness into the world and therefore must not have that coming of his remembred in any other manner 20. Other dayes there are also set a part in memory of the Apostles and other Saints wherein we are to give hearty thanks to God for his graces in them particularly that they were made instruments of revealing to us Christ Jesus and the way of salvation as you know the Apostles were by their Preaching throughout the World And then farther we are to meditate on those Examples of holy life they have given us and stir up our selves to the imitation thereof And whoever does uprightly set himself to make these uses of these several Holy dayes will have cause by the benefit he shall finde from them to thank and not to blame the Church for ordering them 21. Another sort of dayes there are which we are likewise to observe and those are dayes of fasting and humiliation and whatever of this kinde the Church injoynes whether constantly at set times of the year or upon any special and more sudden occasion we are to observe in such manner as she directs that is not onely a bare abstaining from meat which is only the bodies punishment but in afflicting our souls humbling them deeply before God in a hearty confessing and bewailing of our own and the nations sins and earnest prayers for Gods pardon and forgivenesse and for the turning away of those judgements which those sins have called for But above all in turning our selves from our sins loosing the bands of wickedness as Isaiah speaks Chap. 58. 6. and exercising our selves in works of mercy dealing our bread to the hungry and the like as it there followes 22. Fourthly we are to expresse our reverence to God by honouring his Word and this we must certainly do if we do indeed honour him there being no surer signe of our despising any person then the setting light by what he sayes to us as on the contrary if we value One every word he speaks will be of weight with us Now this Word of God is expresly contained in the holy Scriptures the Old and New Testament where he speaks to us to shew us his Will
and our duty And therefore to this Word of his we are to bear a wonderful respect to look upon it as the rules by which we must frame all the actions of our life and to that end to study it much to read in it as often as we can if it may be never to let a day pass us without reading or hearing some part of it read 23. But then that is not all We must not only read but we must mark what we read we must diligently observe what duties there are which God commands us to perform what faults they are which God there charges us not to commit together with the rewards promised to the one and the punishment threatned to the other When we have thus marked we must lay them up in our memory not so loosely and carelesly that they shall presently drop out again but we must so fasten them there by often thinking and meditating on them that we may have them ready for our use Now that use is the directing of our lives and therefore when ever we are tempted to the committing of any evil we are then to call to minde this is the thing which in such a Scripture is forbidden by God and all his vengeances threatned against it and so in like manner when any opportunity is offered us of doing good to remember this is the duty which I was exhorted to in such a Scripture and such glorious rewards promised to the doing of it and by these considerations strengthen our selves for resisting of the evil and performance of the good 24. But besides this of the written Word it hath pleased God to provide yet further for our instruction by his Ministers whose Office it is to teach us Gods Will not by saying any thing contrary to the written Word for whatsoever is so can never be Gods Will but by Explaining it and making it easier to our understandings and then applying it to our particular occasions and exhorting and stirring us up to the practice of it all which is the end at which first their Catechizing and then their Preaching aimeth And to this we are to bear also a due respect by giving diligent heed thereto not only being present at Gatechizings and Sermons and either sleep out the time or think of somewhat else but carefully marking what is said to us And surely if we did but rightly consider how much it concerns us we should conclude it very reasonable for us to do so 25. For First as to that of Catechizing it is the laying the foundation upon which all Christian practice must be built for that is the teaching us our duty without which it is impossible for us to perform it And though it is true that the Scriptures are the Fountains from whence this knowledge of duty must be fetched yet there are many who are not able to draw it from this Fountain themselves and therefore it is absolutely necessary it should be thus brought to them by others 26. This Catechizing is generally look't on as a thing belonging only to the youth and so indeed it ought not because the oldest are not to learn if they be ignorant but because all children should be so instructed that it should be impossible for them to be ignorant when they come to years And it neerly concernes every Parent as they will free themselves from the guilt of their childrens eternall undoing that they be carefull to see them instructed in all necessary things to which purpose it will be fit early to teach them some short Catechism of which sort none so fit as the Church Catechism yet are they not to rest on these endeavours of their own but also to call in the Ministers help that he may build them up farther in Christian knowledge 27. But alas it is too sure that parents have very much neglected this Duty and by that means it is that such multitudes of men and women that are called bristians know no more of Christ or any thing that concerns their own Souls then the meerest Heathen 28. But although it were their Parents fault that they were not Instructed when they were young yet it is now their own if they remain still ignorant and it is sure it will be their own ruine and misery if they wilfully continue so Therefore whoever it be of what age or condition soever that is in this ignorant estate or in any such degree of it that he wants any part of necessary saving knowledge let him as he loves his soul as ever he would escape eternal damnation seek out for instruction and let no fear of shame keep any from it For first it is certain the shame belongs only to the wilful continuing in ignorance to which the desire of learning is directly contrary and is so far from a shameful that it is a most commendable thing and will be sure to be so accounted by all wise and good men But secondly suppose some prophane senseless people should deride it yet sure that shame were in all reason to be undergone joyfully rather then venture on that confusion of face which will at the day of iudgement befal those who to avoid a little false shame amongst men have gone on in a wilful ignorance of their duty which ignorance will be so far from excusing any sins they shall commit that it adds one great and heavy sin to all the rest even the despising that knowledge which is offered to them How haâ—nous a sin that is you may learn in the first Chapter of the Proverbs where hating knowledge v. 29. is said to be the thing that draws down those sad vengeances forementioned even Gods forsaking men laughing at their calamity in stead of helping them Which is of all other conditions in the world the most miserable and surely they are madly desperate that will run themselves into it 29. As for those who have already this foundation laid by the knowledge of the grounds of Christian Religion there is yet for them a farther help provided by Preaching And it is no more then needs for God knows those that understand their duty well enough are too apt to forget it nay sometimes by the violence of their own lusts to transgress it even when they do remember it and therefore it is very useful we should be put in minde of it to prevent our forgetting and also often exhorted and assisted to withstand those lusts which draw us to those transgressions And to these purposes preaching is intended first to warn us to be upon our guard against our spiritual enemy and then to furnish us with weapons for the fight that is such means and helps as may best enable us to beat off temptations and get the victory over them 30. Since therefore this is the end of Preaching we must not think we have done our duty when we have heard a Sermon though never so attentively but we must lay it up in our hearts those
our selves who can never be either prosperous or safe but by committing our selves to him and therefore should tremble to venture on the perils either of day or night without his safeguard How much oftner this duty is to be performed must be judged according to the business or leisure men have where by businesse I mean not such business as men unprofitably make to themselves but the necessary businesse of a mans Calling which with some will not afford them much time for set and solemn Prayer But even these men may often in a day lift up their hearts to God in some short Prayers even whilest they are at their work As for those that have more leisure they are in all reason to bestow more time upon this duty And let no man that can finde time to bestow upon his vanities nay perhaps his sins say he wants leisure for prayer but let him now endeavour to redeem what he hath mis-spent by imploying more of that leisure in this duty for the future And surely if we did but rightly weigh how much it is our own advantage to perform this duty we should think it wisdom to be as frequent as we are ordinarily seldom in it 15. For first it is a great Honour for us poor worms of the earth to be allowed to speak so freely to the Majestie of heaven If a King should but vouchsafe to let one of his meanest Subjects talk familiarly and freely with him it would be looked on as a huge honour that man how despiseable soever he were before would then be the envy of all his neighbours and there is little question he would be willing to take all opportunities of receiving so great a grace But alas this is nothing to the honour is offered us who are allowed nay invited to speak to and converse with the King of Kings and therefore how forward should we in all reason be to it 16. Secondly It is a great Benefit even the greatest that can be imagned for Prayer is the instrument of fetching down all good things to us whether spiritual or temporal no prayer that is qualified as it ought to be but is sure to bring down a blessing according to that of the wise man Eccles. 35. 17. The Prayer of the humble pierceth the clouds and will not turn away till the highest regard it You would think him a happy man that had one certain means of helping him to whatever he wanted though it were to cost him much pains and labour now this happy man thou mayest be if thou wilt Prayer is the never-failing means of bringing thee if not all that thou thinkest thou wantest yet all that indeed thou dost that is all that God sees fit for thee And therefore be there never so much weariness to thy flesh in the duty yet considering in what continual want thou standest of something or other from God it is madness to let that uneasiness dishearten thee and keep thee from this so sure means of supplying thy wants 17. But in the third place this duty is in it self so far from being uneasie that it is very pleasant God is the fountain of happiness and at his right hand are pleasures for evermore Psalm 16. 11. And therefore the nearer we draw to him the happier we must needs be the very joyes of heaven arising from our neerness to God Now in this life we have no way of drawing so neer to him as by this of Prayer and therefore surely it is that which in it self is apt to afford abundance of delight and pleasure if it seem otherwise to us it is from some distemper of our own hearts which like a sick palate cannot relish the most pleasant meat Prayer is a pleasant duty but it is withal a spiritual one and therefore if thy heart be carnal if that be set either on the contrary pleasures of the flesh or dross of the world no marvail then if thou taste no pleasantness in it if like the Israelites thou despise Mannâ— whilest thou longest after the flesh pots of Egypt Therefore if thou finde a weariness in this duty suspect thy self purge and refine thy heart from the love of all sin and endeavour to put it into a heavenly and spiritual frame and then thou wilt find this no unpleasant exercise but full of delight and satisfaction In the mean time complain not of the hardness of the duty but of the unto wardness of thy own heart 18. But there may also be another reason of its seeming unpleasant to us and that is want of Use. You know there are many things which seem uneasie at the first tryal which yet after we are accustomed to them seem very delightful and if this be thy case then thou knowest a ready cure viz. to use it oftner and so this consideration naturally inforces the exhortation of being frequent in this duty 19. But we are not only to consider how often but how well we perform it Now to do it well we are to respect first the matter of our Prayers to look that we ask nothing that is unlawful as revenge upon our eneâ—ies or the like secondly the manner and that must be first in faith we must believe that if we ask as we ought God will either give us the thing we ask for or else something which he sees better for us And then secondly in humility we must acknowledge our selves utterly unworthy of any of those good things we beg for and therefore sue for them only for Christs sake thirdly with attention we must minde what we are about and not suffer our selves to be carried away to the thought of other things I told you at the first that Prayer was the business of the soul but if our mindes be wandering it is the work onely of the tongue and lips which make it in Gods account no better then vain babling and so will never bring a blessing on us Nay as Jacob said to his mother Gen. 27. 12. It will be more likely to bring a curse on us then a blessing for it is a profaning one of the most solemn parts of Gods service it is a piece of Hypocrisie the drawing neer to him with our lip when our hearts are far from him and a great slighting and despising that dreadful Majesty we come before And as to our selves it is a most ridiculous folly that we who come to God upon such weighty errands as are all the concernments of our souls and bodies should in the midst forget our business and pursue every the lightest thing that either our own vain fancies or the Devil whose business it is here to hinder us can offer to us It is just as if a Malâ—factor that comes to sue for his life to the King should in the midst of his supplication happen to espie a Butter flie and then should leave his suit and run a chace after that Butterflie
in them and then surely had such a man died in that seeming repentance God who tries the heart would not have accepted it which he saw was unsincere When all these dangers are laid together it will surely appear a most desperate adventure for any man to trust to a Death-bed repentance Nor is it ever the less for that example of the penitent Thief Luke 23. 43. which is by many so much depended on For it is sure his case and ours differ widely he had never heard of Christ before and so more could not be expected of him then to embrace him as soon as he was tendred to him But we have had him offered nay prest upon us from our Cradles and yet have rejected But if there were not this difference it is but a faint hope can be raised onely from a single example and another we find not in the whole Bible The Israeliâ—es we read weâ—e fed with Manna from Heaven but would you not think him stark mad that should out of expectation of the like neglect to provide himself any food Yet it is full as reasonable to depend upon this example as the other I conclude all in the words of the Wise man Eccles. 12. 1. Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth before the evil dayes come 34. To this duty of repentance Fasting is very proper to be annexed The Scripture usually joyns them together among the Jews the great day of atonement was to be kept with Fasting as you may see by comparing Levit. 16. 31. with Isay 58. 5. and this by Gods especial appointment And in the Prophets when the people are called on to repent and humble themselves they are also called on to Fast. Thus it is Joel 2. 12. Therefore now thus saith the Lord Turn ye unto me with all your hearts with fasting and with weeping c. Yea so proper hath Fasting been accounted to Humiliation that wee see even wicked Ahab would not omit it in his 2 Kings 21. 27. Nor the Heathen Ninivites in theirs Jonah 3. 5. Nor is it less fit or less acceptable since Christ then it was before him For we see he supposes it as a duty sometimes to be performed when he gives directions to avoid vain-glory in it Matth. 6. 6. And also assures us that if it be performed as it ought not to please men but God it will surely be rewarded by him And accordingly we finde it practised by the Saints Anna Luke 2 37. Served God with fasting and prayer where it is observable that it is reckoned as a service of God fit to be joyned with prayers And the Christians of the first times were generally very frequent in the practice of it Now though fasting be especially proper to a time of humiliation yet is it not so restrained to it but it may be seasonable whensoever we have any extraordinary thing to request from God Thus when Esther was to endeavour the deliverance of her people from destruction she and all the Jews kept a solemn Fast Esther 416. And thus when Paul and Barnabas were to be Ordained Apostles there was fasting joyned to prayer Acts 13. 3. And so it will be very fit for us whensoever we have need of any extraordinary directions or assistance from God whether concerning our temporal or spiritual concernments thus to quicken our prayers by Fasting But above all occasions this of Humiliation seems most to require it for besides the advantages of kindling our zeal which is never more necessary then when we beg for pardon of sins Fasting carries in it somewhat of revenge which is reckoned as a special part of repentance 2 Cor. 7. 11. For by denying our bodies the refreshment of our ordinary food we do inflict somewhat of punishment upon our selves for our former excesses or whatever other sins we at that time accuse our selves of which is a proper effect of that indignation which every sinner ought to have against himself And truly he that is so tender of himself that he can never finde in his heart so much as to miss a meal by way of punishment for his faults shewes he is not much fallen out with himself for committing them and so wants that indignation which the Apostle in the forenamed text mentions as a part of true repentance 35. There is no doubt but such Holy revenges upon our selves for sins are very acceptable to God yet we must not think that either those or any thing else we can do can make satisfaction for our offences for that nothing but the blood of Christ can do And therefore on that and not on any of our performances we must depend for pardon Yet since that blood shall never be applyed to any but penitent sinners we are as much concern'd to bring forth all the fruits of repentance as if our hopes depended on them only 36. How often this duty of fasting is to be performed we have no direction in Scripture That must be allotted by mens own piety according as their health or other considerations will allow But as it is in humiliation the frequenter returns we have of set times for it the better so is it likewise in fasting the oftner the better so it be not hurtful either to our healths or to some other duty required of us Nay perhaps fasting may help some men to more of those times for humiliation then they would otherwise gain For perhaps there are some who cannot without a manifest hinderance to their calling allow a whole day to that work yet such a one may at least afford that time he would otherwise spend in eating And so fasting will be doubly useful towards such a mans humiliation both by helping him in the duty and gaining him time fâ—â—â—â— 37. I have now gone through the first branch of our Duty to God to wit the Acknowledging him for our God The Second is the having no other Of which I need say little as it is a forbidding of that grosser sort of Heathenish Idolatry the worshipping of Idols which though it were once common in the world yet is now so rare that it is not likely any that shall read this will be concerned in it Only I must say That to pay Divine Worship to any creature be it Saint or Angel yea or the Image of Christ himself is a transgression against this second branch of our duty to God it being the imparting that to a creature which is due only to God and therefore is strictly to be abstained from 38. But there is another sort of Idolatry of which we are generally guilty and that is when we pay those affections of Love Fear Trust and the like to any creature in a higher degree then we do to God for that is the setting up that thing whatsoever it is for our God And this inward kind of Idolatry is that which provokes God to jealousie as well as the outward of worshipping an Idol
faithfulness in all trusts committed to him by his friend whether that of goods or secrets he that betrayes the trust of a friend in either is by all men lookt upon with abhorrence it being one of the highest falsnesses and treacheries and for such treacherous wounds the Wise man tells us Every friend will depart Eccles. 22. 22. 21. Secondly 't is the duty of a Friend to be assisting to his friend in all his outward needs to counsel him when he wants advice to chear him when he needs comfort to give him when he wants relief and to endeavour his rescue out of any trouble or danger An admirable example we have of this friendship in Jonathan to David he loved him as his own soul and we see he not only contrives for his safety when he was in danger but runs hazards himself to rescue and deliver his friend draws his fathers anger upon him to turn it from David as you may read at large 1 Sam. 30. 22. The third and highest duty of a friend is to be aiding and assisting to the soul of his friend to endeavour to advance that in piety and vertue by all means within his power by exhortations and encouragements to all vertue by earnest and vehement disswasions from all sin and not only thus in general but by applying to his particular wants especially by plain and friendly reproofs where he knowes or reasonably believes there is any fault committed This is of all others the most peculiar duty of a friend it being indeed that which none else is qualified for Such an unwillingness there is in most men to hear of their faults that those that undertake that work had need have a great prepossession of their hearts to make them patient of it Nay it is so generally acknowledged to be the proper work of a friend that if he omit it he betrayes the offender into security his not reproving will be apt to make the other think he does nothing worthy of reproof and so he tacitely acts that basest part of a flatterer sooths and cherishes him in his sin when yet farther it is considered how great need all men have at some time or other of being admonished 't will appear a most unfriendly yea cruel thing to omit it we have that natural partiality to our selves that we cannot so readily discern our own miscariages as we do other mens and therefore 't is very necessary they should sometimes be shewed us by those who see them more cleerly and the doing this at the first may prevent the multiplying of more whereas if we be suffered to go unreproved it often comes to such a habit that reproofes will do no good And then how shall that person be able to answer it either to God or himself that has by his silence betrayed his friend to this greatest mischief 'T is the expression of God himself speaking of a friend thy friend which is as thine own soul Deut. 13. 6. And sure we should in this respect account our friends as our own souls by having the same jealous tenderness and watchfulness over their souls which we ought to have of our own It will therefore be very fit for all that have enter'd any strict friendship to make this one special article in the agreement that they shall mutually admonish and reprove each other by which means it will become such an avowed part of their friendship that it can never be mistaken by the reproved party for censoriousness or unkindness 23. Fourthly To these several parts of kindness must be added that of Prayer we must not only assist our friends our selves in what we can but we must call in the Almighty aid to them recommending them earnestly to God for all his blessings both temporal spiritual 24. Lastly We must be Constant in our Friendships and not out of a Lightness of humour grow weary of a friend only because we have had him long This is great injustice to him who if he have behaved himself well ought the more to be valued by how much the longer he has continued to do so And it is great folly in our selves for it is the casting away the greatest treasure of humane life for such certainly is a tryed friend The wisest of men gives warning of it Prov. 27. 16. Thine own friend and thy fathers friend forsake not Nay farther 't is not every light offence of a friend that should make thee renounce his friendship there must be some allowance made to the infirmities of men and if thou hast occasion to pardon him somewhat to day perhaps thou mayest give him opportunity to requite thee to morrow therefore nothing but unfaithfulness or incorrigible vice should break this band 25. The last relation is that between Masters and Servants both which owe duty to each other That of the Servant is first obedience to all lawful commands this is expresly required by the Apostle Ephes. 6. 6. Servants obey in all things your Masters c. And this obedience must not be a grumbling and unwilling one but ready and cheerful as he there proceeds to exhort ver 7. with good will doing service and to help them herein they are to consider that it is to the Lord and not unto men God has commanded servants thus to obey their Masters and therefore the obedience they pay is to God which may well make them do it cheerfully how harsh or unworthy soever the Master be especially if what the Apostle farther urgeth ver 8. be considered that there is a reward to be expected from God for it 26. The second duty of the Servant is faithfulness and that may be of two sorts one as opposed to eye-service the other to purloyning or defrauding The first part of faithfulness is the doing of all true service to his Master not only when his eye is over him and he expects punishment for the omission but at all times even when his Master is not likely to discern his failing and that servant that doth not make conscience of this is far from being a faithful servant this eye service being by the Apostle set opposite to that singleness of heart which he requires of servants Eph. 6. 5. The second sort of faithfulness consists in the honest managery of all things intrusted to him by his Master the not wasting his goods as the un ust Steward was accused to have done Luk. 16. whether by careless embezelling of them or by converting any of them to his own use without the allowance of his Master This latter is that purloyning of which the Apostle warns servants Tit. 2. 10. And is indeed no better then arrant theft of this kind are all those wayes that the servant hath of gaining to himself by the loss and damage of his Master as the being bribed to make ill bargains for him and many the like Nay indeed this sort of unfaithfulness is worse then common theft by
how much there is a greater trust reposed the betraying whereof adds to the crime As for the other sort of unfaithfulness that of wasting though without gain to themselves it differs not much in effect from this the Master may lose as much by the one as by the other and then what odds is it to him whether he be rob'd by the covetousness or negligence of his servant and it is still the same breach of trust with the former for every Master is supposed to intrust his affairs as well to the care as the honesty of his servant for 't would be little advantage to the Master to be secured that his servant would not himself cheat him whilest in the mean time he would by his carelesness give opportunity to others to do it therefore he that does not carefully look to his Masters profit deceives his trust as well as he that unjustly provides for his own 27. A third duty of a servant is patience and meekness under the reproofs of his Master not answering again as the Apostle exhorts Tit. 2. 9. That is not making such surly and rude replyes as may encrease the Masters displeasure A thing too frequent among servants even in the justest reprehensions whereas S. Peter directs them patiently to suffer even the most undeserved correction even when they do well and suffer for it 1 Pet. 2. 20. But the patient suffering of rebuke is not all that is required of servants in this matter they must also mend the fault they are rebuked for and not think they have done enough when they have though never so dutifully given the Master the hearing 28. A fourth duty of a servant is diligence he must constantly attend to all those things which are the duties of his place and not give himself to idleness and sloth nor yet to company keeping gaming or any other disorderly course which may take him off from his Masters business All these are necessary duties of a servant which they are carefully and conscionably to perform not so much to escape the Masters anger as Gods who will certainly call every one of them to an account how they have behaved themselves towards their earthly Masters 29. Now on the other side there are some things also owing from the Masters to their servants As first the Master is bound to be just to them in performing those conditions on which they were hired such are commonly the giving them food and wages and that Master that with holds these is an oppressour 30. Secondly The Master is to admonish and reprove the servant in case of fault and that not only in faults against them wherein few Masters are backward but also and more especially in faults against God whereat every Master ought to be more troubled then at those which tend only to his own loss or inconvenience the dishonour of God and the hazard of the meanest mans soul being infinitely more worthy our disquiet then any thing of the other kind can be And therefore when Masters are presently on sire for any little negligence or fault of a servant towards themselves and yet can without trouble see them run into the greatest sins against God 't is a signe they consider their own concernments too much and Gods glory and their servants souls too little This is too commonly the temper of Masters they are generally careless how their servants behave themselves towards God how disordered and profane their families are and therefore never bestow any exhortation or admonition to perswade them to vertue or draw them from vice such Masters forget that they must one day give an account how they have governed their families It is certainly the duty of every Ruler to endeavour to advance piety and godliness among all those that are under his charge and that as well in this lesser dominion of a family as in the greater of a Realm or Nation Of this David was so careful that we see he professes Psal. 101 7. That no deceitful person should dwell in his house that he that told lyes should not tarry in his sight so much he thought himself bound to provide that his family might be a kind of Church an Assembly of godly upright persons And if all Masters would endeavour to have theirs so they would beside the eternal reward of it hereafter finde a present benefit by it their worldly business would thrive much the better for if their servants were brought to make conscience of their wayes they would then not dare either to be negligent or false 31. But as it is the duty of Masters to admonish and reprove their servants so they must also look to do it in a due manner that is so as may be most likely to do good not in passion and rage which can never work the servant to any thing but the despising or hating him but with such sober and grave speeches as may convince him of his fault and may also assure him that it is a kinde desire of his amendment and not a willingness to wreck his own rage which makes the Master thus to rebuke him 32. A third duty of the Master is to set good example of honesty and godliness to his servants without which 't is not all the exhortations or reproofs he can use will ever do good or else he pulls down more with his example then 't is possible for him to build with the other and 't is madness for a drunken or profane Master to expect a sober and godly family 33. Fourthly the Master is to provide that his servants may not want means of being instructed in their duty as also that they may daily have constant times of worshipping God publickly by having prayers in the family but of this I have spoken before under the head of Prayer and therefore shall here say no more of it 34. Fifthly The Master in all affairs of his own is to give reasonable and moderate commands not laying greater burdens on his servants then they are able to bear particularly not requiring so much work that they shall have no time to bestow on their souls as on the other side he is not to permit them to live so idly as may make them either useless to him or may betray themselves to any ill 35. Sixthly The Master is to give his servants encouragement in well doing by using them with that bounty and kindness which their faithfulness and diligence and piety deserves and finally in all his dealing with them he is to remember that himself hath as the Apostle saith Ephes. 6 9. A Master in heaven to whom he must give an account of the usage of his meanest servant on earth Thus have I briefly run through those several Relations to which we owe particular Duty and so have done with that first branch of Duty to our Neighbours that of Justice PARTITION XVI Other Branches of our Duty to our Neighbour Of Charity
one the lesson of the other and therefore 't is the greatest absurdity and contradiction to profess themselves Christians and yet at the same time to resist this so express Command of that Christ whom they own as their Master If I be a Master saith God where is my fear Mal. 1. 6. Obedience and reverence are so much the duties of servants that no man is thought to look on him as a Master to whom he payes them not Why call ye me Lord Lord and do not the things that I say saith Christ Luke 6. 46. The whole world is divided into two great Families Christs and Satans and the obedience each man payes signifies to which of these Masters he belongs if he obey Christ to Christ if Satan to Satan Now this sin of malice and revenge is so much the dictate of that wicked spirit that there is nothing can be a more direct obeying of him 't is the taking his livery on our backs the proclamation whose servants we are What ridiculous impudence is it then for men that have thus entred themselves of Satans Family to pretend to be the Servants of Christ Let such know assuredly that they shal not be owned by him but at the great day of accompt be turned over to their proper Master to receive their wages in fire and brimstone A second consideration is the example of God this is an argument Christ himself thought fit to use to impress this duty on us as you may see Luk. 6. 35. 36. Where after having given the Command of Loving Enemies he encourages to the practise of it by telling that it is that which will make us the Children of the Highest that is 't will give us a likeness and resemblance to him as children have to their Parents for he is kind to the unthankfull and the evil And to the same purpose you may read Mat. 5. 45. He maketh his sin to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust And sure this is a most forcible consideration to excite us to this duty God we know is the fountain of perfection and the being like to him is the summe of all we can wish for and though it was Lucifers fall his ambition to be like the most high yet had the likeness he affected been only that of Holyness and goodness he might still have been an Angell of light This desire of imitating our Heavenly Father is the especial mark of a child of his Now this kindness and goodness to enemies is most eminently remarkable in God and that not only in respect of the temporal mercies which he indifferently bestowes on all his sun and rain on the unjust as in the text forementioned but chiefly in his spiritual Mercies We are all by our wicked works Col. 1. 21. Enemies to him and the mischief of that enmity would have fallen wholly upon our selves God had no motive besides that of his pity to us to wish a reconciliation yet so far was he from returning our enmity when he might have revenged himself to our eternal ruine that he designes and contrives how he may bring us to be at peace with him This is a huge degree of mercy and kindness but the means he used for effecting this is yet far beyond it He sent his own Son from Heaven to work it and that not only by perswasions but sufferings also So much did he prize us miserable creaâ—ures that he thought us not too dear bought with the blood of his Son The like example of mercy and patience we have in Christ both laying down his life for us Enemies and also in that meek manner of doing it which we finde excellently set forth by the Apostle 1 Pet. 2. 22 23 24. and commended to our imitation Now surely when all this is considered we may well make S. Johns inference Beloved if God so loved us we ought also to love one another 1 John 4. 11. How shameful a thing is it for us to retain displeasures against our brethren when God thus layes by his towards us and that when we have so highly provoked him This directs to a third consideration the comparing our sins against God with the offences of our brethren against us which we no sooner shall come to do but there will appear a vast difference between them and that in several respects For first there is the Majesty of the person against whom we sin which exceedingly encreases the guilt whereas between man and man there cannot be so great a distance for though some men are by God advanced to such eminency of dignity as may make an injury offered to them the greater yet still they are but men of the same nature with us whereas he is God blessed for ever Secondly there is his soveraignity and power which is original in God for we are his creatures we have received our whole being from him and therefore are in the deepest manner bound to perfect obedience whereas all the soveraignty that one man can possibly have over another is but imparted to them by God and for the most part there is none of this neither in the case quarrels being most usual among equals Thirdly there is his infinite bounty and goodness to us all that ever we enjoy whether in relation to this life or a better being wholly his free gift so there is the foulest ingratitude added to our other crimes in which respect also 't is impossible for one man to offend against an other in such a degree for though one may be too many are guilty of unthankfulness towards men yet because the greatest benefits that man can bestow are infinitely short of those which God doth the ingratitude cannot be neer so great as towards God it is Lastly there is the greatness and multitude of our sins against God which do infinitely exceed all that the most injurious man can do against us for we all sin much oftner and more heinously against him then any man be he never so malicious can find opportunities of injuring his brethren This inequality and disproportion our Saviour intimates in the parable Mat. 18. where our offences against God are noted by the ten thousand talents whereas our brethrens against us are described by the hundred pence a talent hugely out-weighs a penny and ten thousand outnumbers a hundred yet so and much more does the weight and number of our sins exceed all the offences of others against us Much more might be said to shew the vast inequality between the faults which God forgives us and those we can possibly have to forgive our brethren But this I suppose may suffice to silence all the objections of cruel and revengefull persons against this kindness to enemies They are apt to look upon it as an absur'd and unreasonable thing but since God himself acts it in so much a higher degree who can without blasphemy say 't is unreasonable If this or
person because that little may be more out of his then the greater is out of the others Thus we see Christ pronounces the poor widow to have given more to the Treasury then all the rich men Luke 21. 3. not that her two mites were more then their rich gifts but that it was more for her she having left nothing behind whereas they gave out of their abundance what they might easily spare Every man must herein judg for himself we see the Apostle though he earnestly press the Corinthians to bounty yet prescrâ—bes not to them how much they shall give but leaves that to their own brests 2 Cor. 9. 7. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart so let him give But let us still remember that the more we give provided we do not thereby fail in the support of those that most immediately depend on us the more acceptable it will be to God and the more rewardable by him And to secure the performance of the duty of Alms-giving what ever the proportion be we may do very well to follow the advice St. Paul gives the Corinthians in this matter 1 Cor. 16. 2. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him If men would do thus lay by somewhat weekly in store for this work of Charity it were the surest way not to be unprovided of somewhat to give when an occasion offered it self and by giving so by little and little the expence would become less sensible and so be a means to prevent those grudgings and repinings which are apt to attend men in greater disbursements And sure this were in other respects also a very proper course for when a trades-man casts up his weekly account and sees what his gains have been 't is of all others the most seasonable time to offer this tribute to God out of what he hath by his blessing gained If any will say they cannot so well weekly reckon their gains as by longer spaces of time I shall not contend with them for that precise time let it be done monthly or quarterly so it be done But that somewhat should still be laid by in bank for these uses rather then left loose to our sudden Charities is sure very expedient and I doubt not whoever will make tryal of it will upon experience acknowledge it to be so 12. The fourth exercise of our Charity is towards the credit of our neighbour and of this we may have many occasions sometimes towards the innocent and sometimes also towards the guilty If one whom we know to be an innocent person be slandered and traduced Charity bindes us to do what we may for the declaring his innocency and delivering him from that false imputation and that not only by witnessing when we are called to it but by a voluntary offering our testimony on his behalf or if the accusation be not before a Court of Justice and so there be no place for that our more solemn testimony but that it be only a slander tost from one to another yet even there we are to do what we can to clear him by taking all occasions publickly to declare what we know of his innocency But even to the guilty there is some Charity of this kind to be performed sometimes by concealing the fault if it be such that no other part of Charity to others make it necessary to discover or be it not so notorious as that it will be sure to betray it self The wounds of Reputation are of all others the most incurable and therefore it may well become Christian Charity to prevent them even where they have been deserved and perhaps such a tenderness in hiding the fault may sooner bring the offender to Repentance if it be seconded as it ought to be with all earnestness of private admonition But if the fault be such that it be not to be concealed yet still there may be place for this Charity in extenuating and lessening it as far as the circumstances will bear As if it were done suddenly and rashly Charity will allow some abatement of the Censure which would belong to a designed and deliberate act and so proportionably in other circumstances But the most frequent exercises of this Charity happen towards those of whose either innocency or guilt we have no knowledge but are by some doubtful actions brought under suspition And here we must remember that it is the property of love not to think evil to judge the best and therefore we are both to abstain from uncharitable conclusions of them our selves and as much as lyes in us to keep others from them also and so endeavour to preserve the credit of our neighbor which is oftentimes as much shaken by unjust suspitions as it would be by the truest accusation To these cases I suppose belongs that precept of Christ Mat. 7. 1. Judge not and when we consider how that is backt in the following words That ye be not judged we shall have cause to believe it no such light matter as the world seems to account it Our merciful judging of others will be paid home to us in the strict and severe Judgement of God 13. I have now gone through this Active Charity as it relates to the four several capacities of our brethren many of the particulars whereof were before briefly mentioned when we spake of Justice If any think it improper that the same acts should be made part of Justice and Charity too I shall desire them to consider that Charity being by Christs command become a debt to our brethren all the parts of it may in that respect be ranked under the head of Justice since 't is sure paying of debts is a part of that Yet because in our common use we do distinguish between the offices of Justice and Charity I have chose to enlarge on them in particular referenc to Charity But I desire it may still be remembred that whatsoever is under precept is so much a due from us that we sin not only against Charity but Justice too if we neglect it Which deserves to be considered the more to stir up our care to the performance and the rather because there seems to be a common errour in this point Men look upon their acts of mercy as things purely voluntary that they have no obligation to and the effect of it is this that they are apt to think very highly of themselves when they have performed any though never so mean but never blame themselves though they omit all which is a very dangerous but withall a very natural fruit of the former perswasion If there be any Charities wherein Justice is not concerned they are those which for the height and degrees of them are not made matter of strict duty that is are not in those degrees commanded by God and even after these 't will be very reasonable for us to labour but that cannot be done
thy Name which sigh for the beauty of thy house and wilt thou not at these mens prayers let go thine anger and remember thine accustomed and old mercies Shalt thou not with thy heavenly policy turn our folly into thy glory Shalt thou not turn the wicked mens evils into thy Churches good For thy mercy is wont then most of all to succour when the thing is with us past remedy and neither the might nor wisdome of men can help it Thou alone bringest things that be never so out of order into order again which art the only Author and maintainer of peace Thou framedst that old confusion wherein without order without fashion confusedly lay the discordant seeds of things and with a wonderful order the things that of nature fought together thou didst ally and knit in a perpetual band But how much greater confusion is this where is no charity no fidelity no bonds of love no reverence neither of Laws nor yet of Rulers no agreement of opinions but as it were in a misordered quire every man singeth a contrary note Among the heavenly Planets is no dissention the Elements keep their place every one do the office whereunto they be appointed And wilt thou suffer thy Spouse for whose sake all things were made thus by continual discords to perish Shalt thou suffer the wicked Spirits which be authors and workers of discord to bear such a swing in thy Kingedome unchecked Shalt thou suffer the strong Captain of mischief whom thou once overthrewest again to inuade thy tents and to spoil thy Souldiers When thou wert here a man conversant among men at thy voice fled the Divels Send forth we beseech thee O Lord thy Spirit which may drive away out of the brests of all them that profess thy Name the wicked Spirits masters of riot of covetousness of vain-glory of carnal lust of mischief and discord Create in us O our God and King a clean heart and renew thy holy Spirit in our brests pluck not from us thy holy Ghost Render unto us the joy of thy saving health and with thy principal Spirit strengthen thy Spouse and the Heardmen thereof By this Spirit thou reconciledst the earthly to the heavenly by this thou didst frame and reduce so many tongues so many nations so many sundry sorts of men into one body of a Church which body by the same Spirit is knit to thee their Head This Spirit if thou wilt vouchsafe to renew in all mens hearts then shall all these forreign miseries cease or if they cease not they shall turn to the profit and avail of them which love thee Stay this confusion set in order this horrible Chaos O Lord Jesus let thy Spirit stretch out it self upon these waters of evil wavering opinions And because thy Spirit which according to thy Prophets saying containeth all things hath also the science of speaking make that like as unto all them which be of thy house is one Light one Baptisme one God one Hope one Spirit so they may also have one voice one note one song professing one Catholick truth When thou didst mount up to heaven triumphantly thou threwest out from above thy precious things thou gavest gifts amongst men thou dealtest sundry rewards of thy Spirit Renew again from above thy old bountifulness give that thing to thy Church now fainting and growing downward that thou gavest unto her shooting up at her first beginning Give unto Princes and Rulers the grace so to stand in awe of thee that they so may guide the Common-weal as they should shortly render accompt unto thee that art the King of Kings Give wisdom to be always assistant unto them that whatsoever is best to be done they may espy it in their minds and pursue the same in their doings Give to the Bishops the gift of prophecy that they may declare and interpret holy Scripture not of their own brain but of thine inspiring Give them the threefold charity which thou once demandest of Peter what time thou didst betake unto him the charge of thy sheep Give to the Priests the love of soberness and of chastity Give to thy people a good will to follow thy Commandments and a readiness to obey such persons as thou hast appointed over them So shall it come to pass if through thy gift thy Princes shall command that thou requirest if thy Pastors and Herdmen shall teach the same and thy people obey them both that the old dignity and tranquility of the Church shall return again with a goodly order unto the glory of thy Name Thou sparedst the Ninivites appointed to be destroyed as soon as they converted to repentance and wilt thou despise thy house falling down at thy feet which in stead of sackcloth hath sighs and in stead of ashes tears Thou promisedst forgiveness to such as turn unto thee but this self thing is thy gift a man to turn with his whole heart unto thee to the inâ—ent all our goodness should redound unto thy glory Thou art the maker repair the work that thou hast fashioned Thou art the Redeemer save that thou hast bought Thou art the Saviour suffer not them to perish which do hang on thee Thou art the Lord and owner challenge thy possession Thou art the Head help thy members Thou art the King give us a reverence of thy Laws Thou art the Prince of peace breath upon us brotherly love Thou art the God have pity on thy humble beseechers be thou according to Pauls saying all things in all men to the intent the whole Quire of thy Church with agreeing minds and consonant voices for mercy obtained at thy hands may give thanks to the Father â—on and Holy Ghost which after the most perfect example of concord be distinguished in property of Persons and one in nature to whom be praise and glory Eternally Amen FINIS A TABLE of the CONTENTS of the several CHAPTERS or PARTITIONS in this Book Which according to this Division by Reading one of these Chapters every Lords Day the whole may be Read over Thrice in the year PARTITION 1. OF the Duty of Man by the light of Nature by the light of Scripture Of Faith the Promises of Hope of Love Fear Trusting in God page 1. PARTITION 2. Of Humility of Submission to Gods Will in respect of Obedience of Patience in all sorts of Sufferings and of Honour due to God in several wayes in his House Possessions his Day Word Sacraments c. page 34. PARTITION 3. Of the Lords Supper of Preparation before Receiving of Duties to be done at the Receiving and afterwards c. page 67. PARTITION 4. Honour due to Gods Name of sinning against it Blasphemy Swearing Assertory Oaths Promissory Oaths Unlawful Oaths of Perjury of Vain Oaths and the Sin of them c. page 98. PARTITION 5. Of Worship due to Gods Name Of Prayer and its several parts Of Publick Prayers in the Church in the Family of Private Prayer of Repentance