it have been of singular comfort and advantage to me and I doubt not but it will prove so to you God Almighty is the Lord of our time and lends it to us and as it is but just we should consecrate this part of that time to Him so I have found by a strict and diligent Observation that the due Observation of the Duties of this Day hath ever had joined to it a Blessing upon the rest of my time and the Week that hath been so begun hath been blessed and prosperous to me and on the other side when I have been negligent of the Duties of the Day the rest of the Week hath been unsuccessful and unhappy to my own secular Employment so that I could easily make a◠estimat of my success in my own secular Employment the Week following by the manner of my passing this Day and this I do not write lightly and Inconsideratly but upon a long and sound Observation and Experience These being the words of that Grea◠Man are much to be considered he not only being of great Integrity but uncontrovertedly o◠a sound Judgment and great Knowledge almost in every thing 15. In the Evening of the day preceeding you would be more then ordinarly earnest with God that He may by his Grace fit you for 〈◊〉 suitable going about the Duties of the ensuin◠Sabbath And when it is come consider that as God did appoint in the Old Testament the Sacrifice to be doubled on that Day so he require◠of us Christians that we should therein double our Duties of Prayer Praise and Meditation◠and as at all times you are bound to remember the Church and People of God in your Prayers so especially in a Sabbath pray with earnestness that our Lord's Kingdom may be advanced throughout the world and that the Offers of Grace in his Gospel may be the Portion of the Land you live in Pray that God for Christs sake may send forth Ambassadors fitted for that Work and that he bless the Word and Ordinances where you are to be present in the discharge of the Duties of a Sabbath 16. Rise early that Morning and mind you are to spend the whole day in God's service When you repair to the place of Publick Worship do it so as you be there before any part of it begin and come not from the same whilest it be fully ended and in the time of Worship have your heart intent upon the Duties it is the heart especially that God requires and not only ought we to have presence of mind in hearing the Word preached but especially in Prayer and Praise for it is an intollerable contempt of God who searcheth the heart and knoweth the most secret of our Thoughts to draw near to Him in Worship and to have our hearts going out after any other Object whatsoever Yea it is a direct Saying practically that we are bruitish Fools and wretched Atheists in worshipping of God as knowing our Thoughts and doing it in that manner as evidences manifest contempt and directly draws down His Vengeance upon us 17. If the Sacrament of Baptism be administred where you are present you would not only with all your heart concur in the Petitions up to God before and after the Administration but hearken to your own Duty in what is held forth by the Minister and let such Occasions stir you up to new Resolutions to live up to your own Baptismal Engagements Mind that the whole Sabbath is to be a market-Mercat-day for your Soul and by dealing in the Duties thereof gain strength against the Corruptions of the ensuing part of your time 18. When occasion offers of your Communicating you are to consider that it is not indifferent to you to come or not to come to the Table of the Lord but that you are obliged to be serious in examining your self as to your Knowledge and your being otherwise fitted to partake of that Sacrament Instituted by our Saviour First in the remembrance of His Sufferings which were only able to expiate the Guilt of lost undone Sinners And next to be a Seal of Sinners Covenanting with God in Jesus Christ And 3dly to be a Mean of Communion with our merciful Lord that suffered for our Sins It is plain 1 Cor. 11.26 That the great end of the Sacrament is to hold forth to the Church the Lords Death and Suffering whilest he come again to Judgement And by the 27 28 and 29. Verses you see the absolute necessity for the worthy participating thereof You must search your heart and find out all your iniquity and hate it not only as it procures Gods Curse in this life and to all Eternity but especially as it is contrare to the Commandments and holy Nature of our God and as a needy Wretch having examined your heart and found out your Wants you are in coming to the Table of the Lord to bring with you some Faith some Love and some hope c. Your Errand being for more and cry with earnestness that you may be amongst the number of such of whom the Psalmist speaks Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy Power At such Occasions make conscience of mourning for every Sin and with all your heart magnifie Gods Mercy in his Dispensations to you and seek with earnestness of heart Grace enabling you to that and every duty and beg of God for Christs sake that he give a heart in a truly fitted frame So as in the Sacrament you may by the eye of Faith behold our lovely Lord and Saviour crucified and His Blood shed to expiate the Guilt of vile sinful Wretches and in particular to stand betwixt your self a vile sinful Wretch and the Vengeance of God due to you in Justice Seek with all earnestness from God a heart filled with love to Christ our Lovely Saviour who so loved loft undone Sinners as He took upon him the nature of frail man and to satisfy Divine Justice which could not be otherways satisfied for the sins of all that would truly come to Him and by Faith rely upon Him He suffered the shameful Death of the Cross it Representation whereof is this Sacrament Institute by our Lord himself before His suffering And before and at the time of your drawing near to the Table of the Lord have your heart filled with suitable Meditations and ejaculatory Petitions to God as saying within your self O my Soul can'st thou behold Justifying Blood and not love Him that shed it for thee Canist thou behold Precious Quickening softening Bloods and not love Him that gave it to quicken and soften thy heart and to Redeem the from Sin from Hell and everlasting Wrath O my God and Saviour enable me to say if my love were better it should be thine but such as it is thou shalt have it make it greater and make it better and I firmly resolve in thy Strength it shall ever be set upon thee 19.
plainly holds forth the duty of Christians in their whole life is uncontravertedâ— clear from the Scriptures and all Debates 〈◊〉 religious matters that have not the alone prospect of bettering and advancing of Knowledge are certainly not allowable And as your heartâ— all times ought to be over-filled with true love 〈◊〉 God and such as bears his Image so especially be respective to the Ministers of the Gospel being Ambassadors for Christ and Administrator of the Ordinances appointed by him in the Neâ—â— Testament as the Apostle enjoyns 1 Thes 5 1â—â— I beseech you brethren mark them which labour amongst you and are over you in the Lord and adminish you and esteem them very highly in Love for the works sake And let not the infirmities of any 〈◊〉 them procure in your heart any disrespect to thâ—â— holy Calling But mind what the same Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4.7 That we have this Treasure in earth en Vessels that the exeellency of the power may be 〈◊〉 God and not of us 13. As you are to have a Pity and Love eveâ— towards such as altogether wants Religion 〈◊〉 worships God not truly as he hath appointed 〈◊〉 his Word so ye would altogether avoid the least of Animosity with such as with Charity 〈◊〉 may judge differs only anent Church-government or any thing else not inconsistent with the salvation of their Souls not doubting but ye will sinâ— at the day of Judgment that the many Niceitieâ— which a great part do but too much concern themselves in are the effects of want of Charit and a gospel Frame and disposition of heart 14. The wickedness of our hearts is such as doth altogether unfit for the doing of Duty Have we any prosperity in the enjoyment of health or any thing desireable in the world we are seldom or never in a frame for rightly acknowledging God for his Mercies and improving them to the end of our having thereof And if Providence tryst our being crossed in what is delightful to us how ready are we to dejection of mind and what does unfit for Duty let every Dispensation of God to you-ward lead you to the consideration of failings in your bypast life and stir you up to a suitable walk under what you are trysted with Endeavour an equality of Temper in all your ways if Dispensations any ways prosperous be your Lot consider you have them from God and humbly acknowledge his Mercy in what ever you meet with and if what is more cross befal you repine not thereat but mind that the worst of Conditions is above your desert Seek of him with earnestness that you may truly learn his holy Will in all his Dispensations and in Prosperity or Adversity let all your care be to know what ye are called to as Duty and to endeavour with diligence the doing thereof even in things relating to this life then with chearful Submission leave the event of all your concerns to God who is wonderful in goodness to such as fear and trust in him 15. When the Lords day is come remember to keep it holy as God has expresly appointed in his 4th Command And in order thereto prepare your Heart for the Duties thereof before it approach for however a great many in this Age may contravert the Morality of that Precept for the due observation of the Sabbath yet may you be satisfied with what is fully held forth by I may say all the most serious and godly of Divines that it is from the Practise noâ— only of the Primitive Church being the mospure of Christians but even of the Appostles whâ— were immediately inspired of God and whose Example we are bound to follow And as the due Observance of the Sabbath under the Law was enjoyned under the certification of greâ—â— wrath from God as in Nehemiah 13. cap. v. 17. and 18. What evil is this that ye do and prophaâ—â— the Sabbath did not your Fathers thus and did 〈◊〉 our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this Câ—ty yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profanity the Sabbath So the Promises to the doing there of were great as in Isa 56.2 Blessed is the mâ—â— that doth this and the son of man that layeth holdâ—â— it that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it Aâ—â— 58.13 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath and from doing thy pleasure on my holy day aâ—â— call the Sabbath of the Lord a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not finding thiâ—â— own pleasure nor speaking thine own words then shaâ—â— thou delight thy self in the Lord and I will cause thâ—â— to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed the with the heretage of Jacob thy father for the mouâ—â— of the Lord hath spoken it Yea not only from History the judgments of God upon Sabbath-breakers are manifest but such as are of small Experience may evidently perceive the dreadful consequences thereof in the confession of almost all Malefactors that comes to publick Execution It is trâ—â— such as are pleased to have no respect to the dâ— Observation of the Sabbath and to object againâ— the obligation upon Christians for keeping it holy doth answer to that of its being so generally confessed by dying Penitents that the same flows but from their Education and its being inculcat in them to be so sinful but what answer will such I may say prophane Wretches give to this so palpable Evidence of God's displeasure with the profanation of that Day that He in his over-ruling Providence often permits notorious Breakers of the Sabbath to fall in such sins as even brings them to open and shameful Punishment in this World And albeit the ways of God's Providence are not to be fathomed and gross Sinners of every kind do's in things relating to this life Die without any appearing Marks of God's displeasure which may fully satisfie all rational Persons that there is a Judgment to come so the temporal Calamities sometimes trysting Sinners in this World are an Earnest of what shall be Dispensed at that dreadful Day to such and it may plainly appear to you that the Cavilling against the Obligations for keeping Holy the Sabbath of our Lord is of the Devil being that only such as want tenderness of Conscience and Love not to live in any thing according to the Rules of the Gospel do thus declare themselves whereas Persons whose hearts are God-ward however their Frailty may hinder the due performance of their Duty are ever ready to acknowledge their Obligation to the observation of that Day to be kept a Sabbath Holy to the Lord. Yea Sir Matthew Hale late L. Chief Justice of England whose Memory is Savoury to all good men that knew or heard of him in his Directions to his Children for keeping the Lords Day doth press it upon them for several Reasons and in one whereof he saith because I have found by long and sound Experience that the due observance of that Day and of the Duties of
lawfully in a great Degree stir us up to come to Him But let your great Endeavour be that your heart may be filled with love to the only Living and True God who is wonderful in Mercy and make love to Him the great Motive to whatever you go about let the manner of your doing thereof evidence your sense of God's knowing the most secret of the thoughts of your heart It is much to be lamented that the Duty of Prayer is so generally neglected but alas How great is the guilt of such as but seemingly goes about the performance thereof in not coming aright as in the Presence of God It is the heart that God sees and requires and how wicked are its wanderings at all times especially in that Duty as you expect to be owned of God in Christ Jesus the day of your Appearance before His Tribunal Strive against this Wickedness and as an useful Help through the Blessing of God after you have been about the Duty by your self or joyning with others meditate upon your particular Failings in the motives to and manner of your Performance and hold them up to God as being hateful to you and with a full desire seek He may strengthen you against such in all time coming and this without any seeming affectation yea without being noticed even by these in company with you you may do by serious Meditation whatever be you Diversion in worldly Concerns and if you do it with earnestness you may with confidence expect the weakning of the Corruptions of your evil heart and as your subordinate ends in Duty may be His blessing you even in this Side of time but especially to all Eternity so let your great end in this and whatever else you do be His Glory 37. My heart doth much serve me in repeating my Desires that ye prize the Goodness of God in allowing wretched mankind to put up their Desires to Him in Prayer for His Mercy therein is Incomprehensible yet I incline to Caution you that your coming to Him in that Duty may not be your Snare for as there is but too many that do's slight the doing thereof so there are not wanting such who are not only hypocritical or selfish in their Ends therein but there are who mistakes the Means for the End and think their praying may and will atone for Immoralities in their Conversation and are ready too much to consider the performance of that Duty as the carnal Jews did sacrificing under the Law We ought indeed with joy to consider that our Blessed Lord was once offered a Sacrifice to satisfie for Sin and that we are not only allowed but enjoyned to apply our selves by Prayer to our Merciful God that in Him we may be accepted But as I have said to you that without being morally honest all your Endeavours to religious Duties will be but lost labour so where one of your Ends in praying is not for Grace enabling you so to live you want not Reason to regrate your doing of it for as the First and Great Command is Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul and with all thy mind so the Second is Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self And no way can a Christian more adorn the Gospel of our Blessed Lord then by such a Conversation towards all men as the Apostle enjoyns Rom. 13.14 Let us walk honestly as in the day not in Riâ—ting and Drunkenness not in Chambering and Wantonness not in Strife and Envying but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof And as hating what the same Apostle dehorts 2 Cor. 12.20 Debates Envyings Wraths Strifes Backbitings Whisperings Swellings Tumults and let us mind that it is our Duty what he says 2 Tim. 2.19 And let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from Iniquity 38. You know the summ of the whole Commands is to love the Lord your God with all your Soul c. and to love your Neighbour as your self A due Consideration of this great Precept and making use of that short Rule of doing as we would be dealt by and that in every thing that may relate to our Neighbour might be instead of Advice to you upon that head 39. Be tender of his Goods and Good Name as of your own in so far as ye have access to interess your self therein and hate in your self or others detracting or speaking to the prejudice of any for Charity towards your Neighbour and being charitable in order to the Relief of his wants are Duties then which there are none more clearly and positively held forth in Scripture We are called to judge charitably of every thing our Neighbour does or says and ever to put the best Construction upon the same that it will suner The Apostle in the 3. to the Col. 14. Exhorteth thereto and presseth that above things ye may put on Charity which is the Bond of Peace The said 3 to the Col and 12. to the Rom. Ye often would read they containing many excellent Precepts And a charitable relieving of your Neighbour in his wants is as fully enjoyned and as great Promises annexed thereto as almost any other Duties in the Scriptures It is true as we are required to give liberally so we are to do it with discretion and not only to give what is our own alanerly but even what in our Stations our Circumstances being considered we may spare but what we do therein we are to do it with a liberal and chearful heart You shall know that there are no sort of Duties which God hath more expresly commanded than that of Bounty and Mercy toward our Brethren whence evidently the high value thereof in God's Esteem may be inferred in the Old Testament it is said Deut. 15.7 Thou shalt not harden thine heart nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother and in Vers 11. Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy Brother unto thy Poor and unto thy Needy in the Land And when Daniel would prescribe to King Nebuchadnezzar the best way of Amendment and the surest Means of averting God's Judgements impendent on him he says to him Dan. 4.27 Wherefore O King let my counsel be acceptable unto thee break off thy sins by righteousness and thine Iniquities by shewing mercy to the Poor this he pitched upon as chiefly grateful to God and clearly testifying Repentance Yea we not only have a positive Command from God for being charitable but we have in Prov. 19.17 His express Obligation for its repayment He that hath pity upon the Poor lendeth unto the Lord and that which he hath given will he pay him again Men are rationally satisfied when their Stook is intrusted in the hands of an apparent sufficient Creditor and certainly the only true Wisdom and reasonable improving of what is within our Power must be in the disposal thereof so as that we have our God who is
but in so far as it proceeds from his Displeasure because of Sin yea sometimes is want more behoveful to sinful man then a full enjoyment and surely God will make good that Promise of turning all his Dispensations for the best to them that love and fear him It is to be wished that if some little Peece were published some short Directions to every state of Mankind Nobility Gentry and Commons for none living upon Earth but are to do what may be said to be their Calling and the Greatest of Mortals will at the Great Day of Account see their Misery in not living up to it neither are they nor these of the most mean and low Condition exempted from Duty towards God themselves their Neighbour their Relations and their Servants I tell you it is beyond my Capacity to hold forth the same as may be convincing it is true to willing Learners they depending humbly upon God for Direction their Duty will be very obvious and their Adventage of doing thereof is not only great to all Eternity but even whilest in the World the serene Peace of Conscience and entire depending upon God and expectation of being blessed eternally by Him is incomparably valuable beyond all that wretched men can propose to themselves by following the Dictats of their corrupt and wicked Inclinations indeed almost all Mankind may be said to live without the sense of God's Being and that they are undoubtedly to receive from Him either the Sentence of their being forgiven and accepted of in and for Christ's sake or that of being rendered miserable with the Devils to all Eternity for generally doth Ignorance abound and we are not aware that without Knowledg at least iâ— some competent Measure we are not able to serve God and where there is some measure of Knowledge Corruption doth so far prevail 〈◊〉 there are â—ew that lives up to it and all precessing themselves to be Christians may be considered as these that are either openly prophane and however with their mouth they profess yet in their practise they deny their belief of God or such as says they do and seems to believe and rely upon God for Mercy or such as from a true sense and feeling of their sin flies with all their heart to God in Jesus Christ as the only Sanctuary for Sinners of the last of which there is surely the least number the difficulty of truly coming to Christ being greater then the most do conceive for in doing thereof a Sinner must first have a heart-real sense and feeling of its lost Condition and being fully satisfied and convinced of its own unworthiness and inability to any good in all humility and entirely to throw it self in the Arms of the merciful Saviour of Sinners whose Blood is only able to purge from Guilt and this every Sinner may be fully convinced of that it can never seek or come to Christ acceptably but as it sees it self lost and undone beyond all possibility of help without Him and albeit our utmost endeavour to perform religious and moral Duties must not be omitted yet must there be a full Conviction that as it is possible for us to perform them they avail nothing in our Access to God I remember to have read one saying when thou comest to Christ in Faith thou must leave behind thee thy own Righteousness and bring nothing but thy Sin O! that is hard leave behind all thy Holiness Sanctification Duties Humblings c. And bring nothing but thy Wants and Miseries else Christ is not fit for thee nor thou for Christ Christ must be a pure Redeemer and Mediator or Christ and thou will never agree and the same Person when pressing to a true and cordial Believing in Christ says to Believing there must go a clear conviction of Sin and of the Merits of the Blood of Christ and of Christ's willingness to Save upon this consideration only that thou art a Sinner I seem herein to express to you my sense of the need of something directing Mankind by some short Rules to their Duty towards God their Neighbour and themselves and has said that the novelty and succinctness of it might induce to a perusal thereof in which you may justly tax me of Imprudence for as the word Novelty is improper to such a Subject so you may alledge there is already much written that directs to Duties of which I am sensible but they being either enlarged upon or done in other Writings whereby the brevity that is taking to the most of Readers is wanting and for what I have seen in little Rooks containing Matters of this kind there is either apparent indifference in directing to religious Duties or at least the want of life and zeal in principally endeavouring God's glory as if living so as might gain worldly Repute were most to be desired But I hear of other Pieces which are not come to my hand particularly one done by an English Marquess and another said to be Argyls and if in these or in some others already printed which I have not seen that Want be not made up I think there Wants not Reason to induce Persons qualified yet to give some brief Directions therement for surely the most of Mankind do's generally by their Converse declare that the Laws of God are not the Rule of their Walk which is much to be lamented for if frail man could guard against Corruption and live according to the Rules in the Gospel an Society so constitute would be to all Degrees of Persons desireable almost beyond humane Comprehension But having exceeded Bounds in this Letter to you I shall only add that I do sincerely wish there may be pressed in some short Directions what may be useful and that God by his Holy Spirit accompany the same and the Endeavours of Godly men in books already written that in this Age and in these Lands may be fulfilled that Prophesy Is 11.8 9. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the Asp and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice-den And They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea I am Sir Your c. A Fathers Advice to his Son Son However unfit I am for the Discharge of the Duties incumbent to a Parent yet have I upon my Heart a sense of the Obligation I ly under to endeavour with all my Strength your wellfare in this World but especially to all Eternity which has made me resolve in these following Lines to send you some Advice and Directions in order to it BEing now past your Childish years you are to know that your end of living is undoubtedly the Glory of God your Maker and Redeemer and you are called to missimploy no part of your time but to live in every thing as minding you are ever in God's sight and presence Your Duty holden forth in his blessed Word
and the Prophets and for the histocal part of the Bible I think it not so necessary that you do so often read it After your reading endeavour to enlarge your self in Confession and Prayer to God and lift up your heart not only in a general acknowledgment of his mercies but in particularly acknowledging him for the mercies you are ever meeting with In your Petitions pray for all especially these you have interest in and such as are in Authority yea omit not your very Enemies and forget not to be earnest with God in behalf of his Church and People And certainly you cannot better at some times conclude your wandering and sinful Prayers then in the words of that unconceivable excelling Prayer of our blessed Lord and Saviour Our Father c. You would endeavour duly to perform the duties of Prayer Reading and Meditation at the times set a part by you and not to omit them unless some special Reason occur obleiging you to alter in which case you would redeem the lost occasion by a new opportunity albeit I be not against the length of Prayers when fitness of frame and occasion enables you to enlarge therein yet I incline you should for ordinar be frequent albeit succinct in that Duty and besides the ordinar times for your Divotion Evening and Morning you would not only throughout the day be frequent in ejaculatory Petitions to God but as occasion offers of any privacy you would upon your Knees with thankfulness of heart humbly put up your desires to God for strength against your Corruption and a supply of your Souls wants which upon little Recollection you will always find to be many 4. When you eat or drink neglect not that Christian Practice of seeking a Blessing before your doing thereof and giving of Thanks after your partaking of what God in great merey has bestowed upon you it may truly be said to be a Christian Practice being as you may be satisfied from the Evangelists the Custom of our blessed Saviour But as ye are called to avoid Formalitie in Christian Duties so ye would especial-beware of it in this the Corruption of our wretched Hearts prevailing but too much to our being formal in the Duties we more frequently gâ— about it is to be feared that the Motives to this Duty with the most part is allanerly Custom or to shun some kind of publick Reproach that attends the neglect thereof And alas too seldom are our hearts intent upon what we are doing therein I desire ye may seriously mind that it is not Words but the Heart that God requires and whether by your self alone or as the mouth of others that with you doth partake of what he in Mercy gives be serious in expressing succinctly desires suitable to the occasion and especially if you do it with and for others I am satisfied of its being very suitable for Persons qualified at some occasions to enlarge in that Duty but I think it would be done with discretion for unless some singular Circumstance require it or that the Speaker be satisfied of an inclination in these that joyn with him to go along heartily in the Petitions put up to God not directly tending to the craving of a Blessing to or giving Thanks for the present Mercy He would beware of doing what the unsuitable frame in others and very likely in himself may be but a Snare to the Company Indeed we are not only in all our Approaches to God to forbear the doing thereof so as may evidence Formality and want of Attention to the Duty we go about but even in the most single Petition we put up it were fitting we did so express a sense of our own unworthiness and Gods infinite Goodness for which at all times we should praise him yet our Experience from a smal Observation may satisfie that tediousness therein reaches not to bring the hearts of these that should joyn in it to a serious doing thereof 5. With your Petitions in Prayer and at other occasions either in word or thought magnifie the Name of God for his Mercies they are unexpressibly Great in all that occurrs to us but oh the Greatness of the Love of God! in sending His Son to satisfy Divine Justice for wretched miserable rebellious Man Forget not at all times the Praising of God by word and in thought Our most Blessed Lord in that excelling Pattern of Prayer doth begin and conclude with the Father's Praise and surely the duty of Praise is of all that is required by God of Man what do's most immediatly tend to His giory what we are else call'd to do or seek of Him hath the immediat tendency to our own or our Neighbour's Well but our conscientious hearty praising of God of all Duties do's most directly glorify Him and it is the beginning here what shall be the delightful and ever continuing work of such as shall in and through Christ at the Great Day of His appearance be accepted of Him to all Eternity I have told you of my unfitness to direct you particularly in your duty God-ward and I pray God for Christ's sake give you knowledge in Duty and sanctify your heart let the World have nothing of the room of Christ therein for it is unspeakably vain and wicked Solomon doth uncontravertedly hold forth the vexatious Vanities incident to the life of Man and it is certainly evident there is nothing truly desireable but an Interest in Christ and that they are only happy whose God is the Lord and not only is the Evidence of an Interest in Christ desireable but it is attainable as is plain from the Mouth of our Blessed Lord who says what all the enemies to the use of Marks or Evidences can lay no exception against Mat. 6.21 For where your treasure is there will your heart be also And I recommend to your serious perusal Mr. Guâ—hrie's Tryal of a Saving Interest which will direct you therein and the Means for attaining to it 6. Let your whole walk throughout the day be as I have hinted to you have upon your heart the awful sense of Gods presence wherever you are or whatever you do or think I deny not but the World may and must be minded by you but still in its place secondarly and subordinatly for what is the World to your Soul What is Bread or Cloaths or Money or a house or Lands to an everlasting Kingdom Let the Lord have the whole ordering of you make no Purchase but where God who is present allows of the Bargain and go about no Business concerning which you cannot say I am herein trading for God That is your doing either what immediatly tends to his Glory or your serving Him in your Station and Calling as he hath appointed by the 15 Psalm you will see what is acceptable to God 7. Meditation is a Duty in which there is much delight to such as seriously practise it and it is what will truly tend to the bringing your heart
to and keeping it in a tender frame yea the advantages thereof are so great as may stir up to the redeeming time for the exercise thereof even from what may lawfully be allowed to our worldly Concerns or bodily Refreshment and how much more then ought we when we are alone guard against our minds going out after foolish and vain fancies if not what is grossly sinful in the sight of God Surely if we had an awful sense of his omnipresence and omniscience we would dare to be thinking upon what is unallowable in his sight and if we had a sense of our miserable condition through sin our hearts would ever be ready to take hold of all occasions of serious thinking how we should evite the Curse and Wrath of God to all eternity which unavoidably will be the Portion of hardned sinners not coming to God in and through Christ David in Ps 4.4 Requires we stand in aw and sin not and that we commune with our hearts upon our beds whereby you may be satisfied it hath been the practise of the Godly seriously to meditate at all times The subject Matter for your meditation is obvious and will easily occur as the Debt we ow to the Justice of God for sin the certainty of Death and after that of Judgment the misery of such as shall be Doomed to Hell with the Devils and so for ever separate from the Presence of God His incomprchensible Mercy to lost sinners in Jesus Christ and the Fulness of the unspeakable Joys that is secured to such as heartily and humbly lays hold thereof yea innumerable are the Subjects of that exercise that will with ease offer themselves and I advise for your Direction and encouragement to that Duty that you read the last Part of Mr. Baxter's Saints rest which doth fully Treat thereof 8. Every Evening set some short time apart and state your self as before God's Tribunal take a back-look upon your Actions of that day and what you have done towards God or your Neighbour amiss acknowledge it with contrition and brokenness of heart and seek of God Grace enabling you to a due Reparation either by a sorrowful even publick acknowledgment thereof in so far as they are sins against our good God providing the same may tend to the Edification of His Church and People or by repairing the prejudice of any hurt done to your Neighbour in so far as it is possible within your power and in your Evening Prayer acknowledge the goodness of God throughout all the days of your time and in particular acknowledge Him for the Mercies of that day and enlarge your self in Prayer as in the Morning 9. As you are called to own a Profession of Godliness so you are to avow the publick performance of Duty wherever Providence shall tryst your Being yet for the most part you would endeavour its Being as retired and as private as possible at least beware that to be seen or heard of men or any self end be not a Motive to your doing thereof I remember to have heard of a woman meeting with godly Mr. Fox upon the Street and after some discourse she pulling out her Bible told him she was going to hear a Sermon upon which he said to her if you will be advised by me go home but said she when shall I then go to Church To whom he answered when you tell no body of it 10. Beware of Hypocricie and be assured God will not be dissembled with he hath in many places of Scripture ranked Hypocrites with the worst of sinners you will find Mat. 23.13 they are amongst the number of such against whom our Lord denounces a Wo and in Chap. 14.51 the misery of their condition is held forth in the Sentence of the unjust Servant where as an aggravation of his punishment it is said his portion shall be with the hypocrites where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Do not you appear to be what you are not and let the design of being thought religious or the making use of a Profession to cloak your carnal and worldly ends be far from you I acknowledge to be morally honest is not to be religious but mind that without endeavouring to be so in all your Actions there is no Religion And it is the height of folly for any to think that their being of a Perswasion with those that are the most godly or their own practising even with much appearing sincerity the Duties of Religion where there is not Moral Honesty doth so much as truly entitle them to the name of Christians it is true every man is subject to Failings and an entire doing of what is required of us is not within the power of sinful man but as truly are our Failings in Moral Duties either where they are customary and habitual or not repented of and endeavoured against difect indications of the want of Religion and that our Lord notwithstanding the Name and Profession of such will disown them in their greatest extremity and you may see the Prophet Micah holding forth that the outward performing of what was legally required of the Jews was not the principal part of their Duty and says in Chap. 6.7 8. Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousands of rivers of oyl shall I give my first-born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God And God by the Prophet Jeremiah Chap. 4.24 saith Let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindness judgement and righteousness in the earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord. Yea our Lord himself in that most excellent Sermon upon the Mount hath said Mat. 7.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven 11. Mind what you are engaged to in your being Baptized and live up to that solemn engagement you are to fight out your Warfare under the Banner of Christ our Lord and renounce the Devil the World and the Flesh seek of God for Jesus sake that He may give you knowlegde and enable you to see and live up to the solemn Tyes you are under through your baptismal Covenant and as ye will answer to our good God at the day of your Appearance before his Tribunal be not among the number of such as never thinks of Baptism being otherwise useful then as a Ceremony for their having a Name 12. I expect that you will be able as the Apostle requires to give an Answer to every man that asketh you a Reason of the Hope or Belief that is in you with Meekness and Fear Forbeâ—â— Debates and Disputings upon Controversies in Religion what
shall be 〈◊〉 thine heart And thou shalt teach them unto thâ— Children c. And in cap. 32.46 He says Sâ—â— your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day which you shall command your Children to observe to do Let your Deportment toward them be such as may procure them to fear respect and love you and so soon as they comâ— to the Years of any Understanding mind you Engagements at their being Baptised and in discharge thereof hold forth to them the Obligation you did then come under and take theâ— solemnly and expresly bound to the performance of their Part and as their Capacities wâ—â— admit instruct them so far as you can in every part of their Duty God-ward curb in them every tendency to evil such as Lying Swearing Sabbath-breaking and what else their Corruption derived from you makes them prone to commit and as you are whilst they do well to be familiarly affection at towards them so far as is consistent with the reverential Aw they ought to have of you even so as you respect their Well-being here or to Eternity forbear not Reproof and Chastisement when their Carriage calls for it A Parent would justly be contemned that should suffer his Child to die for Hunger whilst he were able by any thing within his power to prevent it and unexpressibly more is that Parent to be abominate who does not by suitable and fatherly Correction and all Instruction within his power prevent his Child 's not only dying but suffering the extremity of Torments to all Eternity Forbear Chastising whilst you are in Passion and much more ought you to beware of doing it only to satisfie Passion but have ye the glory of God in your Child 's wel-doing as your Aim 66. If it shall please God you live with your Children whilst they be marriageable and Occasions offer for their entering into that state of Life I intreat you let it be done with a prospect to their eternal wel-being I have my self observed what I consider much to be lamented that persons whom I judge truly serious in the ways of God are too usually but little tender of their matching their Children suitable and with respect to their eternal Salvation how seldom doth it happen that a Youth albeit prophane if he have Riches and what the World foolishly considers Credit and Honour is refused any Young-woman in marriage surely there can be no Action less consistent with Reason then Parents so disposing of their Children and they will at that Great Day of God's judging Sinners then perceive it had been their Interest rather to have matched them with the meanest Mechanick of honest Qualifications and a Christian Walk Endeavour in your Childrens being setled in Marriage that it be with such as may be Helps and Inducements to their Duty God-ward and above all things and in the first place be satisfied in that so far as is within your power 67. As your Children are not of themselves to enter into that State against or without your consent so as a Parent you are to be reasonable in your Grounds for refusing it and in their Marriage it is your Duty to advise direct and hinder if you see it necessar but altogether forbear pressing them to marry where their own Inclinations do's not freely go along 68. When they are to go out of your Family and enter themselves into any other condition of Life endeavour by good Advice to fit and direct them for what is to be their Duty and above all things press their depending upon God for strength without which it is impossible for them to do well If they shall go from you to their own or any other Family by Marriage instruct them in the Duties suitable to their Station If Sons exhort them to what I have hinted in this my Advice to you and enlarge therein as you will find sufficient Ground so to do And if Daughters be assisting to them in your Directions for their Carriage in what is required of them under that Relation 69. Their end and manner of entering to it would be with an entire respect to the Glory of God and when in it their Charge is indeed great whatever is the Husbands duty she at least in his absence is to supply his place and her fidelity care and sincere love and affection to her Husband is to appear in all her Actions she would by her not gading abroad and a modest quiet and discreet Carriage whilst at home evidence her firm Resolution to the discharge of her Duty Solomon in Prov. 7.11 12. Tells you the Carriage of a Naughty Woman She is loud and stubborn her feet abide not in her house Now is she without now in the streets c. And in Tit. 2.4 5. The Apostle presses Women may be sober love their Husbands love their Children And that they be Discreet keepers at home Good obedient to their own Husbands c. And as there is Business that do's more properly belong to a Husband so there is that the Wife is almost only concerned 〈◊〉 such as the Care and Oversight of almost all within Doors and particularly of the Education and Up-bringing of Children whilst young when they come to the World It is apparent that Nature by giving to Mothers Breasts and Milk fitted for their Nourishment has intended their discharging that Duty I am indeed sensible that sometimes the want of ability or necessary Diversion in other Affairs and other Accidents occurring may hinder in which Cases it is Duty to forbear but it is much to be feared that too many without just Ground puts off the nursing of their Children to their great Inconvenience It might be Argued that the nature of that Nourishment may influence the Humour and Temper of the Child and it is uncontravertedly true that it is a real Cause for a more firm Bond of Affection betwixt Children and Parents and surely it is very pleasant to see Mothers of whatever Quality when there is fitness and ability for that Duty discharging it And when Children comes to any Years of Discretion the Wife is Joyntly concern'd with the Husband in their Instruction 70. What servants you need and are fitting for you in your Station make choice of them having in the first place a respect to God's being served by them in your Family and what ever be the qualifications and fitness of any servant for any worldly Concern if they be notoriously wicked or you be satisfied that they will not concur to worship God in your Family let no worldly Consideration procure your entertaining them I shall not say that you admit of none but such as are Gracious but be sure they be such as are not known to be wicked and when they come into your Society let it be your care that they know their Duty God-ward and practise it As their Master you are not only to provide for their suitable Maintenance and to give them what is
the Condition of their serving you but you have a Charge of their Souls which if neglected and not repented of you will answer at the day of your appearing before God's Tribunal Your first and great care must be that they serve God and if they so do they will be faithful in their service to you It is very desiderable that the generality of Masters are so little concerned in the Souls of their servants and that they should be so ready to reprehend their omission of Duty in their worldly Concerns and so neglective of putting them to their Duty toward God and rebaking their slighting of what is required of them in their service Endeavour what in you lies by Admonition and otherways that your servants live as suitable Members in a Christian Family and if you cannot procure them so to do disiniss them so soon as you can out of yours David in Psal 101. Promises to God what shall be his Carriage I will walk within my house with a perfect heart I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes I hate the work of them that turn aside it shall not cleave unto me c. And in vers 7. He saith He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house he that telleth lyes shall not tarry in my sight Endeavour that every one in your Family may with quietness go about what they are called to in their Station and prevent Contention and all Clamor and Noise for every ones acting in their several Concerns without Noise and with Discretion is most desirable Noise and too many words having always Confusion attending thereupon and where there is much of the Tongue in Husband or Wife or any within the Family it is easie to conjecture that there is in such persons no great fitness for Action Let your Carriage towards your servants be such as may oblige them to a due Respect to you and to the keeping of that distance which becomes them in their Station yet forbear all churlish and passionat behaviour towards them as the Apostle enjoins Eph. 6.9 forbearing threatning knowing that your Master also is in Heaven neither is there respect of persons with him When they do amiss in any thing reprove them not to satisfie Passion but so reprove and exhort as it may reach the end their amendment be not your self an evil Example to them let your own Actions rebuke them and be assured that no reproof will have weight where the Reprover is guilty of the Fault reproved And when you find a faithful servant respect him as a Friend for it is but just to allow it to him And Solomon Prov. 17.2 Telleth you that such shall have Rule over a Son that causeth shame and shall have part of the Inheritance among the Brethren 71. Your care must be that God may be served by all within your Family apart and joyntly at convenient Seasons be as careful that your Servants do by themselves discharge their duty God-ward Evening and Morning as you are that they do what ye require in your Affairs and if this ye do with a sincere and only design of God's glory you may with confidence expect the greater Success in your own concerns Forget not the worshiping of God in Prayer and Praise joyntly with all your Family and do it at such times as your Family may be most conveniently got together at least pray with them twice a day and at the most convenient time read some part of the Scripture and sing to his Praise I know many does use it at Evening before Supper because after that time Drousiness and unfitness after Meat disables from the performance of the Duty but I advise the time ye pitch upon may be when every one within the Family has liberty of being present and so may joyn in the Worship for I have often considered it unsuitable for some few in a Family to begin or proceed in Worship when others in that Family were acting in their Business and has thought it more decent when the meanest within the Family could attend albeit it should be after their Affairs for that day were ended And as your times for Family-worship ought to be such as all may give Attendance so let your continuance in it be as all may get their hearts brought up with you in the Duty and make not the length of your Prayers or any other part of Family-worship a Snare to these that should joyn with you Be often exhorting all within your Family to their Duty and let them not consider that the having of the Assemblies Catechism in their memory as only Childrens work that little Piece contains the Sum and Principles of Religion and I think is to be prized equally to any thing else written not dictated by the Spirit of God When ye conveen your Family to Worship at some times at least in some short and suitable Exhortation press that their hearts may go out after God in the Duty it being to be feared that all of us are too ready to draw near with our Bodies when we would be ashamed the frame of our hearts were laid open to our Neighbours then which there can be no Action more stupid Brutish and Atheistical for if we foolishly apprehend that God who is surely the Hearer of Prayer does not hear us and know our Heart why do we offer to draw near to Him And if we do consider Him as the Hearer of Prayer and Searcher of Hearts how daring is our Boldness and Wickedness to do it so unsuitably I intreat ye may duely discharge that Duty of worshiping God with your Family for ye find the Prophet Jeremiah 10.25 Ranking Families that call not upon God with the Heathen that are ignorant of him and he prays saying Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not and upon the Families that call not upon thy Name And it has always been the practice of the Godly as you find Joshua 24.15 peremptorlie saying But as for me and my House we will serve the Lord And you have Almighty God in the 18 Gen. 19. giving it as the Reason of his singular respect to Abraham For I know him that he will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord c. 72. As at times your Family may be encreased by the repair of Friends and others let that be no ground for your neglecting the publick worshiping of God therein and let your Modest Humble Discreet and serious way of performing it incite to their joyning with you so far as is convenient for you be Hospital and let Strangers of whatsoever quality that may need the accomodation of your house and what you can afford have it with freedom so as may be consistent with your duty to these within your family and with cheerfulness entertain your Relations and Friends for Religion does truly allow of a free and hospitable Converse and such a competent use of every
of whatever you do or think His Glory It is true we may have subordinat Ends consisting with our Duty but let what tends directly and immediatly to the Glory of God have the first and great Room in your heart and when you repeat the Lords Prayer let your heart go out more earnestly in desiring that His Name may be Hallowed His will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven and His Kingdom come then you desire He may give you your daily Bread and forgive you your sins c. This may seem hard to be required that we desire any thing more earnestly than the Salvation of our Souls but if our Love be in any degree as it ought we will surly see it to be our Duty which being performed our Salvation is secured to us in and for Christ's sake and there can be no surer Mark of our Hearts being right with God than our truly finding that really above all things whatsoever we longingly desire that God's Name may be hallowed his Kingdom come and his Will be done The saying of that holy Man Quench Hell and burn Heaven yet will I love and fear my God did hold forth the most desireable frame of his heart and that it did flow from a right and excellent Principle Herein he acted meerly from a principle of Love to God without the immediat prospect of his eternal or temporal Advantage there is indeed nothing more certain than that either Salvation or utter Destruction will in end be the irretrivable Doom of all Mankind and that we are called with our power to endeavour the avoiding of that Sentence and the goodness of God is unexpressibly great in promising his Spirit enabling us to Duty in living up to his Precepts which even in relation to our temporal Beeing are so advantageous as it is obvious that if there were neither Heaven nor Hell the ways of true Wisdom have in themselves an excellencie and desireableness a thousand degrees beyond what is possible to find in giving way to our wicked Inclinations and living as may be pleasing to corrupt and depraved Nature Be you intreated by me not to make the Practice of such as only own themselves to be Christians your Rule Minde what is said Prov. 23.17 18. Let not thy heart envy Sinners but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long For surely there is an end and thine Expectation shall not be â—ut off Let all your thoughts and Actions be aâ— minding you are in the presence of a dreadfully just albeit merciful God and endeavour with all your Strength that your heart may be filled with knowledge of Christ faith in and love to him and be diligent in using the means of Grace which in providence you are trysted with I have hinted at some things of your Duty and you have the benefite of the Word preached publick Prayer and Praise and the administration of the Sacraments which I pray God in his mercy may continue to this Land you have also the benefite of many Pieces of practicall Divinity written by serious and Godly Men such as Flavel's Writings the two Allens Joseph and Richard and many others the serious reading of which with Prayer for a Blessing upon your doing thereof will be Strength to your Soul and at the hour of Death unexpressibly more savourie than the Consideration of having done what is generally the Practice of the world I desire ye may write over a Double of this and keep the Principal carefully by you for I have no exact Copy thereof And that you at sometimes read what I have written to you and whilst you are at the Colledge stint your self to the reading thereof excepting what is Advice relating to a married state once in the Week Let me know with your first Conveniencie if Joseph Allen's Allarum to unconverted Sinners be to be had in any Stationers Shop where you are and if it be not I will endeavour the sending it to you within a short time Make conscience of reading it seriously and diligently and when fitness of Frame in your heart enables you engage your self to God in the terms set down by that seriously holy Man But see to it that your whole heart go out after God in the Duty The Sin of an unfitted Frame of heart in what ever we do is great in Gods sight but in so solemn Approaching to him the doing of it unsuitably is a great Aggravation thereof I think it not amiss that sometime ye put in write to be kept by you what may evidence your Frame at such occasions if you have a suitable sense of Sin or your heart go out after God in Faith for Mercy or if in the expectation of particular Mercies or the Receit thereof you engage your self to any particular Duty or in the general more solemnly to serve God I think ye would put down in Writ your Engagements to God and what may evidence your Frame of Heart at these occasions I have my self considered with satisfaction even some few Petitions which may heart has gone out after God in the desire of and which at the time I have set down in Write not so much with a design more fully to imprint on my Memorie the Expressions of my Desires albeit my Memorie be very frail as to have the satisfaction of knowing by my reading them that at such times my heart did in some measure go out with earnestness in these desires and that my Remembrance of the Endeavours albeit frail and faint I have had to bring my Heart to that Frame might afterward shame me from any Sluggishness of Temper or any proness to gratisle my many Corruptions so as may be inconsistent with what God at the time enabled me to attain to Make Conscience always your Friend it is Gods witness within you beware of doing what may harden or kill it depend upon God that it may be in you according to knowledge and so walk in every thing as it may witness for you in the day of your greatest need I do intreat your whole Life and Conversation may be humble and serious in the sight of God have always upon your Heart a Sense of your unexpressibly great misery which will stir you up to the performance of Duty in which you must ever be most intent and serious And besides your daily Performance set at times some Hours and at some times one day a-part for your wrestling with God that He for Christs sake may subdue Corruption in you and give knowledge in every Duty and Grace to perform it and I hope our good God in his mercy will so far discover to you the filthiness of Sin and how Desireable Lovely and Advantageous it is to serve him That times so set a-part will be your delight for your direction in such Duties you have many means as Scudders daily walk and the Works of many other serious and godly Divines both of this and the English Nation and that
larger then was intended yet I have this day before its coming to your hand received the Lord Capels Apothegms or Contemplations and am so satisfied with concise Sayings of that Kind that I recommend your reading them and the like as very conducive to the improving of and rectifying the Judgment their Brevity Independance one upon another the Quaintness and Pertinency of Expression being not only Taking to Readers but to Persons not intent upon reading and but of ordinar Comprehension and Memorie more easily comprehended and some of them with some others written by other persons which I desire ye may imprint in your Memorie I have herein set down that as you read what I have written in thir Sheets they may be the more obvious to you 1. Nothing can hurt us but Sin and that shall not hurt us if we can repent of it and nothing can do us good but the Love and Favour of God in Jesus Christ and that we shall have if we humbly and in sincerity seek it 2. So much Sin so much Sorrow so much Holiness so much Happiness 3. Make thy Sin thy greatest Sorrow so shall Sorrow never hurt thee make Jesus Christ thy greatest Joy so shalt thou never want Joy 4. It may be learned by experience that seriousness is the greatest Wisdom Temperance the best hysick a good Conscience the best Estate and the time will certainly come that Men and Women will repent of all their life but that part they spend in Communion with God and doing good 5. There is an odious Spirit in many who are better pleased to detect a Fault than commend a Vertue 6. Such a man is to be honoured and imitated that will rather suffer Injurie than do it 7. Wise and happy is that Man that will not be drawn to commit either an undecent or dishonest Act for Love Hatered or Gain 8. A wise Man will not speak the Truth at all times nor an honest Man speak an Untruth at any time 9. A wise Parent more patiently suffers the death of his Children than their wicked and debauched Actions 10. Moderation in Dyet Sleep and Exercise are especial means to prolong and make healthfull our days 11. It is worth the Observation to hear the labouring man sing at his Plough and the Rich man fret in his Palace this shows it is the Mind not Riches that makes us happie I thought to have sent you some more of these but the Paper of this sheet being ended I shall delay it whilst after this I write to you SON I Have Reason as minding I am in the presence of my good God to acknowledge the great Corruption and Pravitie of my nature and unfitness for performing of any Duty required of me yet have I ground to bless his Name that there is in my heart any earnestness of desire that he may be glorified in the Salvation of Sinners I do seek of him in Christ Jesus that he may bless you so as your Lot in the World may be comfortable not in having great Riches which does but too often nourish Corruption and destroy Souls but in your having such competent means of Subsistance and that without perplexed involving your self in worldy concerns as may enable you to live with a comfortable Tranquilitie of mind in the Station that he shall call you to live in but above all the earnest desire of my Soul in your behalf is that Christ may be your Portion and that in Him and through his Strength you may so live in this World as that when death comes you may immediately beholding his Glory live with him to all eternity I have in the Sheets I wrot for your use given you such Directions as did occur to me and minded you of your Engagments to serve God which I intreat may be your great work indeed the generallitie even of such as owne themselves to be Christians does directly in all their Walk speak forth their misbelief of the manifest Truths contained in God's Word but go not you in the broad way with the Multitude for it undoubtedly tends to Destruction Our God in the Scriptures has plainly held forth the Duty of Man and if we could come cordially to resolve to close with him in the Terms offered therein we would see the Conditions of our Salvation in and by Christ to be neither unintelligible nor unpracticable In order to your so doing I desire your Diligence in improving the Means ye are trysted with I intreat you rejoyce in your enjoyment of Sabbaths and so live on these days as may evidence your heart being filled with the fear of and love to our great God who set a-part the seventh Day for his Service when you approach him in the publick Ordinances have your heart intent upon the Duties ye go about especially Prayer and Praise indeed wandering of heart whilst we pretend to hear the Word preached is grosly sinful in the sight of God but in prayer or Praise our hearts going out after any other Object is a direct contemning of Him and a dreadful Mean for drawing down his everlasting Wrath and Curse I advise you to follow my Directions anent your meditating upon what you have heard so soon as ye can have occasion after Sermon and write the same in so far as your Memorie will serve you and that what ye write of that kind may be useful for your own reading at other times and that I may be satisfied of your diligence herein when I see you I desire you buy for your self a Quair or half Quair Book bound in a long Octavo and write thereupon not in time of Sermon but after the ending thereof the day of the Month the Preacher's Name the Text and whatever you are able to remember of the Sermon write it so as it may be distinctly read be diligent and attentive in hearing mind the Doctrines raised and and forget not the Uses and Application thereof endeavour with all your might to see your Sins whereby your Condition is for ever lost and undone without Christ and with humility of heart depend upon God that he may direct and strengthen you to every Duty I have been sometimes much inclined to wonder at the Actions of almost all Men in their whole Converse and dealing that does constantly sin in Thought Word and Actions and very often without any reasonable Prospect of the least even shadow of temporal Advantage But this is the Effect of our dreadful Fall in our first Parents which Fall did so much destroy the Original Purity of Mankind and fill him with an unresistable Inclination to every Evil that the wonder is that all of us are not always committing the worst of Evils which that we do not is of Gods great Mercy I obtest that the consideration of your miserable State through Sin and of God's wonderful Condescension in offering Mercy in and through Christ may stir you up to a Christian-walk which I humbly for Christs sake beg of