and all the secrets of the heart Psalm 44. 21. 94. 11. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world Acts 15. 18. His understanding is infinite Psalm 147. 5. What praise doth that Goodness and Mercy deserve which is diffused throughout all the world and is the life and hope and happiness of men and Angels His Mercy is Great unto the Heavens and his Truth unto the Clouds Psalm 57. 10. O how great is his Goodness to them that fear him Psalm 31. 10. and therefore how great should be his Praise Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord and who can shew forth all his Praise Psalm 106. 2. For great is the Glory of the Lord Psalm 138. 5. § 15. 2. It is the end of all Gods wondrous works and especially the end which man was made for that all things else might Praise him Objectively and men and Angels in estimation and expression that his Glorious excellency might be visible in his works and be admired and extolled by the rational creature For this all things were created and are continued For this we have our understanding and our speech This is the fruit that God expecteth from all his works Deny him this and you are guilty of frustrating the whole creation as much as in you lieth You would have the Sun to shine in vain and the Heavens and Earth to stand in vain and man and all things to live in vain if you would not have God have the praiâ—e and Glory of his works Therefore Sun and Moon and Starrs and Firmament are called on to Praise the Lord Psalm 148. 2 3 4. as they are the matter for which he must by us be praised O praise him therefore for his mighty acts Praise him according to his excellent greatness Psalm 150. 2. O that men would praise the Lord for his Goodness and declare his wondrous works for the children of men Psalm 107. 8 c. Yea it is the end of Christ in the Redemption of the world and in saving his elect that God might in the Church in Earth and Heaven have the praise and glory of his grace Ephes. 1. 6 12 14. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that iâ— the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name Heb. 13. 15. And let the redeemed of the Lord say that his mercy endureth for ever Psalm 107. 2. For this all his Saints are a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people that they should shew forth the praises of him that hath called them out of darkness into his marvellous light 1 Pet. 2. 5 9. § 16. 3. The Praise of God is the highest and noblest work in it self 1. It hath the highest object even the glorious excellencies of God Thanksgiving is somewhat lower as having more respect to our selves and the Benefits received But Praise is terminated directly on the perfections of God himself 2. It is that work that is most immediately neerest on God as he is Our end And as the end as such is better than all the means set together as such so are the final duties about the end greater than all the mediate duties 3. It is the work of the most excellent creatures of God the holy Angels They proclaimed the coming of Christ by way of Praise Luke 2. 13 14. Glory to God in the highest on earth peace Good-will towards men Psalm 103. 20. 148. 2. And as we must be equal to the Angels it must be in equal Praising God or else it will not be in equality of Glory 4. It is the work of Heaven the place and state of all perfection And that is best and highest which is nearest Heaven Where they rest not day nor night saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Allmighty which was and is and is to come Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Rev. 4. 8. 10. Rev. 19. 5. A voice came out of the throne saying Praise our God all ye his servants and ye that fear him both small and great verse 6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thundrings saying Allelujah for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honour to him for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made herself ready § 17. 4. It beseemeth us and much concerneth us to learn and exercise that work which in Heaven we must do for ever and that is to Love and joyfully Praise the Lord. For earth is but the place of our apprentiship for Heaven The preparing works of mortifying repentance must in their place be done but only as subservient to these which we must ever do When we shall sing the new song before the Lamb Thou art worthy For thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and hast made us Kings and Priests unto our God Rev. 5. 9 10. Therefore the Primitive Church of believers is described as most like to Heaven Luke 24. 53. with great joy they were continually in the Temple Praising and blessing God O Praise the Lord therefore in the congregations of the Saints Let Israel rejoyce in him that made him Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King Psalm 149. 1 2. Let the Saints be joyful in glory Let the high praises of God be in their mouths verse 5 6. § 18. 5. Though we are yet diseased sinners and in our warfare among enemies dangers and perplexities yet Praise is seasonable and suitable to our condition here as the greatest part of our duty which all the rest must but promote Pretend not that it is not fit for you because you are sinners and that humiliation only is suitable to your state For the design of your redemption the tenour of the Gospel and your own condition engage you to it Are they not engaged to Praise the Lord that are brought so near him to that end 1 Pet. 2 5. 9. that are reconciled to him To whom he hath given and forgiven so much 1 Tim. 1. 15. Tit. 3. 3 5. Psalm 103. 1 2 3. that have so many great and precious promises 2 Pet. 1. 4. that are the Temples of the Holy Ghost who dwelleth in them and sanctifieth them to God That have a Christ interâ—â—ding for them in the highest Rom. 8. 33 34. That are allways safe in the arms of Christ that are guarded by Angels and Devils and enemies forbidden to touch them further than their father sâ—eth necessary for their good That have the Lord for their God Psalm 33. 12. 4. 8. That have his Saints for their companions and helpers That have so many ordinances to help their souls And so
7. 26. 13. Mat. 23. 14. Mar. 1â— 40. Exod. 6. 30. Deuâ— 7. 12. 11. 13. 13. 18. 15. 5. 26. 17. 28. 1. Psal. 81. 8 9 10 11 12. of promoting unity and obedience and the Catholick Church while the Cloak or Cover of it is but the thin transparent Spider-web of humane Traditions and numerous Ceremonies and childish complementing with Goâ— And when they have nothing but the prayers of a long Liturgie to cover the effects of their earthly sensual and diabolical zeal and wisdom as St. Iames calls it 3. 15 16. and to concâ—ct the Widdows houses which they devour and to put a reverence upon the office and work which they labour all the week to render reproachful by a sensual luxurious idle life and by perfidious making merchandize of souls As ever you care what becometh of your souls take heed lest sin grow bold under Prayers and grow familiar and contemptuous of Sermons and holy speeches and lest you keep a custome of Religious exercises and wilful sins For oh how doth this harden now and wound hereafter He is the best hearer that is the holiest liver and faithfullest obeyer Direct 14. Be not a bare hearer of the Prayers of the Pastor whether it be by a Liturgie or Direct 14. without For that is but hypocrisie and a sin of omission You come not thither only to hear prayers but to pray And kneeling is not praying but it is a profession that you pray And will you be prayerless even in the house of Prayer and when you profess and seem to pray and so add hypocrisie to impiety I fear many that seem Religious and would have those kept from the Sacrament that Pray not in their Families do very ordinarily tolerate themselves in this gross omission and mocking of God and are Prayerless themselves even when they seem to Pray Direct 15. Stir up your hearts in a special manner to the greatest alacrity and joy in speaking Direct 15. and singing the Praises of God The Lords day is a day of Joy and Thanksgiving and the Praises of God are the highest and holyest employment upon Earth And if ever you should do any thing with all your might and with a joyful and triumphing frame of soul it is this Be glad that you may joyn with the Sacred Assemblies in heart and voice in so Heavenly a work And do not as some humersome pievish persons that know not the danger of that proud disease fall to quarreling with Davids Psalms as unsuitable to some of the hearers or to nauseate every failing in the Metâ—â— so as to turn so holy a duty into neglect or scorn for alas such there are near me where I dwell nor let prejudice against melody or Church-musick if you dwell where it is used possess you with a spleneâ—ick disgust of that which should be your most joyful work And if you know how much the incorporate soul must make use of the body in harmony and in the joyful praises of Iehovah do not then quarrel with lawful helps because they are sensible and corporeal Direct 16. Be very considerate and serious in Sacramental renewings of your Covenant with God Direct 16. O think what great things you come thither to Receive And think what a holy work you have to See Mâ— Rawlâ—â—s Book of Sacramental Covenanting do And think what a Life it is that you must promise So solemn a Covenanting with God and of so great importance requireth a most holy reverent and serious frame of soul. But yet let not the unwarrantable differencing this Ordinance from Gods praises and the rest seduce you into the common errours of the times I mean 1. Of those that hence are brought to think that the Sacrament should never be received without a preparatory day of humiliation above the preparation for an ordinary Lords days work 2. And therefore receive it seldom whereas the primitive Churches never spent a Lords day together without it 3. Those that turn it into a perplexing terrifying thing for fear of being unprepared when it should be their greatest comfort and when they are not so perplexed about their unpreparâ—dness to any other duty 4. Those that make so great a difference betwixt this and Church-prayers praises and other Church-woâ—ship as that they take this Sacrament only for the proper work and priviledge of Church-members And thereupon turn it into an occasion of our great contentions and divisions while they fly from Sacramental Communion with others more than from Communion in the other Church-worship O what hath our subtle enemy done against the Love Peace and Unity of Christians especially in England under pretence of Sacramental purity Direct 17. Perform all your Worship to God as in heart-Communion with all Christs Churches Direct 17. upon Earth Even those that are faulty though not with their faults Though you can be present but with one yâ—â— consent as present in spirit with all and separate not in heart from any one any further than they separate from Christ. Direct 18. Accordingly let the Interest of the Church of Christ be very much upon your heart Direct 18. and pray as hard for it as for your self Direct 19. Yâ—â— remember in all what Relation you have to the Heavenly Society and Chore and Direct 19. think how they Worship God in Heaven that you may strive to imitate than in your degree Of which more anâ—n Direct 20. Let your whole course of life after savour of a Church-frame Live as the servants of Direct 20. that God whâ—m you Worship and as ever before him Live in the Love of those Christians with whom you have Communion and do not quarrel with them at home nor despise nor persecute them with whom you joyn in the Worshipping of God And do not needlesly open the weaknesses of the Minister to prejudice others against him and the Worship And be not Religious at the Church alone for then you are not truly Religious at all CHAP. X. Directions about our Communion with Holy Souls Departed and now with Christ. THE oversight and neglect of our duty concerning the souls of the blessed now with Christ I have said more of â—his since in my â—â—â—â—e of Faith doth very much harden the Papists in their erroneous excesses here about And if we will ever reduce them or rightly confute them it must be by a judicious asserting of the Truth and observing so much with them as is our duty and commending that in them which is to be commended and not by running away from truth and duty that we may get for enough from them and errour For errour is an ill way of confuting errour The practical Truth lyeth in these following Precepts § 1. Direct 1. Remember that the departed souls in Heaven are part and the noblest part of the Body Direct 1. of Christ and family of God of which you are inferiour members and therefore that you owe
to do evil Eccles. 8. 11. § 31. Direct 15. But alas how short is the prosperity of the wicked Read Psal. 73. 37. Delay Direct 15. is no forgiveness They stay but till the Assize And will that tempt you to do as they How unthankfully do sinners deal with with God! If he should kill you and plague you that would not please you And yet if he forbear you you are emboldened by it in your sin Thus his patience is turned against him But the stroke will be the heavier when it falls Dost thou think those men will alwayes flourish Will they alway domineer and revell Will they alwayes dwell in the houses where they now dwell and possess those Lands and be honoured and served as now they are O how quickly and how dreadfully will the case be changed with them O could you but foresee now what faces they will have and what heavy hearts and with what bitter exclamations they will at last cry out against themselves for all their folly and wish that they had never been deceived by prosperity but rather had the portion of a Lozarus If you saw how they are but fatted for the slaughter and in what a dolorous misery their wealth and sport and honours will leave them you would lament their case and think so great a destruction were soon enough and not desire to be partners in their lot § 32. Tempt 16. Another temptation is their own prosperity They think God when he prospereth Tempt 16. them is not so angry with them as Preachers tell them And it is a very hard thing in health and prosperity to lay to heart either sin or threatnings and to have such serious lively thoughts of the life to come as men that are wakened by adversity have and specially men that are familiar with death Prosperity is the greatest temptation to security and delaying repentance and putting off preparation for eternity Overcome prosperity and you overcome your greatest snare § 33. Direct 16. Go into the Sanctuary yea go into the Church-yard and see the End And Direct 1◠〈…〉 judge by those Skulls and Bones and dust if you cannot judge by the fore-â—â—â—â—ings of God what prosperity is Judge by the experience of all the world Doth it not leave them â—â—â—â— in sorrow at last Wo to the man that hath his portion in this life O miserable health and wealth and honour which procureth the death and shame and utter destruction of the soul Was not he in as prosperous a case as you Luke 16. that quickly cryed out in vain for a drop of water to cool his Tongue There is none of you so sensless as not to know that you must dye And must you dye Must you certainly dye and shall that day be no better prepared for Shall present prosperity make you forget it and live as if you must live here for ever Do you make so great difference between that which is and that which will be as to make as great a matter of it as others when it comes and to make no more of it when it is but coming O man what is an inch of hasty time How quickly is it gone Thou art going hence apace and almost gone Doth God give thee the mercy of a few dayes or years of health to make all thy preparations in for eternity and doth this mercy turn to thy deceit and dost thou turn it so much contrary to the ends for which it was given thee Wilt thou surfeit on Mercy and destroy thy soul with it Sense feeleth and perceiveth what now is but thou hast Reason to foresee what will be Wilt thou play in Harvest and forget the Winter § 34. Tempt 17. Another great Temptation to hinder Conversion is the example and countenance of Tempt 17. Great Ones that are ungodly when Landlords and men in power are sensual and enemies to a holy life and speak reproachfully of it their inferiours by the reverence which they bear to worldly wealth and greatness are easily drawn to say as they Also when men reputed Learned and Wise are of another mind and especially when subtile enemies speak that reproach against it which they cannot answer § 35. Direct 17. To this I spake in the end of the first Part of this Chapter No man is so great Direct 17. and wise as God See whether he say as they do in his word The greatest that provoke him can no more save themselves from his vengeance than the poorest beggars What work made he with a Pharaâ—h and got himself a name by his hard heartedness and impenitency He can send Worms to eat an arrogant Herod when the people cry him up as a God! Where are now the Caesars and Alexanders of the world The Rulers and Pharisees believed not in Christ Iohn 7. 48. Wilt not thou therefore believe in him The Governour of the Countrey condemned him to dye and wilt thou condemn him The Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers take counsel together against the Lord and his anointed saying let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us Psal. 2. 2 3. Wilt thou therefore joyn in the Conspiracy When he that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision He will break them with an iron rod and dash them in pieces like a Potters Vessel unless they be wise and kiss the Son and serve the Lord with fear before his wrath be kindled and they perish Psal. 2. 4 9 10 11 12. If thy Landlord or Great ones shall be thy God and be honoured and obeyed before God and against him trust to them and call on them in the hour of thy distress and take such a salvation as they can give thee Teach not God what choice to make and whom to reveal his mysteries to He chooseth not alwayes the Learned Scribe nor the mighty man Christ himself saith Matth. 11. 25. I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes Read Mr. 〈…〉 sermon â—n 1 â—â—â—â— 1. 2â— Even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight If this reason satisfie you not follow them and speed as they If they are Greater and Wiser than God let them be your Gods 1 Cor. 1. 26. You see your calling how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty and base things of the world and things that are despised hath God chosen and things that are not to bring to nought things that are It is another kind of Greatness Honour and Wisdom which God bestoweth on the poorest Saints than the world can give Worldlings will shortly be aweary of their portion
above in a Heavenly conversation and then your souls will be alwayes Direct 11. in the light and as in the sight of God and taken up with those businesses and delights which put them out of rellish with the baits of sin § 43. Direct 12. Let Christian watchfulness be your daily work And cherish a preserving though Direct 12. not a distracting and discouraging fear § 44. Direct 13. Take heed of the first approaches and beginnings of sin Oh how great a matter Direct 13. doth a little of this fire kindle And if you fall rise quickly by sound repentance whatever it may cost you § 45. Direct 14. Make Gods Word your only Rule and labour diligently to understand it Direct 14. § 46. Direct 15. In doubtful Cases do not easily depart from the unanimous judgement of the generality of the most wise and godly of all ages § 47. Direct 16. And in doubtful Cases be not passionate or rash but proceed deliberately and Direct 15. prove things well before you fasten on them § 48. Direct 17. Be acquainted with your bodily temperature and what sin it most enclineth you Direct 16. to and what sin also your Calling or converse doth lay you most open to that there your watch may be the stricter Of all which I shall speak more fully under the next Grand Direction § 49. Direct 18. Keep in a life of holy Order such as God hath appointed you to walk in For Direct 18. there is no preservation for straglers that keep not Rank and File but forsake the order which God commandeth them And this order lyeth principally in these points 1. That you keep in Union with the Universal Church Separate not from Christs body upon any pretence whatever With the Church as Regenerate hold spiritual communion in faith love and holiness with the Church as Congregate and Visible hold outward Communion in Profession and Worship 2. If you are not Teachers live under your particular faithful Pastors as obedient Disciples of Christ. 3. Let the most godly if possible be your familiars 4. Be laborious in an outward Calling § 50. Direct 19. Turn all Gods Providences whether of prosperity or adversity against your sins If Direct 19. he give you health and wealth remember he thereby obligeth you to obedience and calls for special service from you If he afflict you remember that it is sin that he is offended at and searcheth after and therefore take it as his Physick and see that you hinder not but help on its work that it may purge away your sin § 51. Direct 20. Wait patiently on Christ till he have finished the cure which will not be till this Direct â—â— trying life be finished Persevere in attendance on his Spirit and Means for he will come in season and will not tarry Hos. 6. 3. Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord His going forth is prepared as the morning and he shall come unto us as the rain as the later and former rain upon the earth Though you have oft said There is no healing Jer. 14. 19. He will heal your back-slidings and love you freely Hos. 14. 4. Unto you that fear his name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings Mal. 4. 2. And blessed are all they that wait for him Isa. 30. 18. Thus I have given such Directions as may help for Humiliation under sin or hatred of it and deliverance from it DIRECT IX Spend all your dayes in a skilful vigilant resolute and valiant War against the Flesh Gr. Dir. 9. Our Warfare under Christ against the Tempter the World and the Devil as those that have covenanted to follow Christ the Captain of your Salvation § 1. THe Flesh is the End of Temptation for all is to please it Rom. 13. 14. and therefore is Sâ—e my Trea 〈…〉 the greatest enemy The world is the Matter of Temptation And the Devil is the first mover or efficient of it and this is the Trinity of enemies to Christ and us which we renounce in Baptism and must constantly resist Of the world and flesh I shall speak Chap. 4. Here I shall open the Methods of the Devil And first I shall prepare your understanding by opening some presupposed truths § 2. 1. It is presupposed that there is a Devil He that believeth not this doth prove it to others by shewing how grosly the Devil can befool him Apparitions Witchcrafts and Temptations are full proofs of it to sense besides what Scripture saith § 3. 2. It is supposed that he is the deadly enemy of Christ and us He was once an Angel and â—f the Temptations to hinder Conversion see before Chap. 1. sell from his first estate by sin and a world of evil Spirits with him and it is probable his envy against mankind might be the greater as knowing that we were made to succeed him and his followers in their state of glory For Christ saith that we shall be equal with the Angels Luke 20. 36. He shewed his enmity to man in our innocency and by his temptation caused our fall and misery But aâ—ter the fall God put an enmity into the nature of man against Devils as a merciful preservative against temptation so that as the whole nature of man abhorreth the nature of Serpents so doth the soul abhor and dread the diabolical nature And therefore so far as the Devil is seen in a temptation now so far it is frustrated till the enmity in nature be overcome by his deceits And this help nature hath against temptation which it seems our nature had not before the fall as not knowing the malice of the Devil against us § 3. There is a Natural enmity to the Devil himself put into all the womans natural seed But the moral enmity against his sinful temptations and works is put only into the spiritual seed by the Holy Ghost except what remnants are in the light of Nature I will be brief of all this and the next having spoken of them more largely in my Treatise against Infidelity Part. 3. page 190. § 13 c. § 4. The Devils names do tell us what he is In the Old Testament he is called 1. The Serpent Gen. 3. 2. The Hebrew word translated Devils in Levit. 17. 7. and Isa. 13. 21. signifieth Viâ— Pools Sy 〈…〉 Levit. 1. 77 Iâ—â—hese later 〈…〉 th the 〈◊〉 disposition which Satan as a Tempter causeth and so he is known by it as his Off-spring â—â—iâ—y as Satyrs are described and sometime Hee-goats Because in such shapes he oft appeareth 3. He is called Satan Zech. 3. 1. 4. An evil Spirit 1 Sam. 18. 10. 5. A lying Spirit 1 Kings 22. 22. For he is a lyar and the Father of it John 8. 44. 6. His off-spring is called A Spirit of uncleanness Zech. 13. 2. 7. And he or his Spawn is called A Spirit of fornication Hos. 4. 12. that is
When the Nature and Name of God is so plainly â—ngraven upon them all It is a great part of a Christians daily busyness to see and admire God in his works and to use them as steps to ascend by to himself Psal 111. 2 3 4. The works of the â—â—rd â—â—e great sought out of all them that have pleasure therein His work is honâ—urable and glâ—â—iâ—us and his righteousness endureth for ever He hath made his wonderful works to be remembred Psal. 143. 5 I meditate on all thy works I muse on the works of thy hands Psal. 77. 12. I will meditate also of all thy works and talk of thy dâ—ings Psal. 92. 4 5 6. For thou Lord hast made me glad through thy work I will triumph in the works of thy hands A bruitish man knoweth not neither doth a fâ—ol understand this As the praising of Gods works so the observing of God in his works is much of the work of a holy soul. Psal. 145. 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 17. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised And his greatness is unsearchable One generation shall praise thy works to another and shall declare thy mighty acts I will speak of the glorious honour of his Magisty and of thy wondrâ—us works And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts and I will declare thy greatness They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great Goodness and shall sing of thy righteousness All thy works shall praise thee O Lord and thy Saints shall bless thee The Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works Rom. 1. 19 20. That which may be known of God is manifest to them For God hath shewed it to them For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made Even his eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse If we converse in the world as believers or rational creatures ought we should as oft as David repeat these words Psal. 107. O that men would praise the Lord for his Goodness and for his wondrâ—us works to the Children of men And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare his works with rejoyâ—ing They that go down to the sea in ships that do busyness in great waters these see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep verse 21 22 23 24. But this is a subject â—itter for a Volume of Physicks Theologically handled than for so short a touch What an excellent Book is the visible world for the daily studies of a holy soul Light is not more visible to the eye in the Sun than the Goodness of God is in it and all the creatures to the mind If I Love not God when all the word revealeth his Loveliness and every creature telleth me that he is Good what a blind and wicked heart have I O wonderful Wisdom and Goodness and Power which appeareth in every thing we see In every Tree and Plant and Flower In every Bird and Beast and Fish In every Worm and Fly and creeping thing In every part of the Body of Man or Beast Much more in the admirable composure of the whole In the Sun and Moon and Starrs and Meteors In the Lightning and Thunder the Air and Winds the Rain and Waters the Heat and Cold the Fire and the Earth Especially in the composed frame of all so far as we can see them set together In the admirable order and cooperation of all things In their times and seasons and the wonderful usefullness of all for man O how Glorious is the Power and Wisdom and Goodness of God in all the frame of nature Every creature silently speaks his Praise declaring Him to Man whose office is as the worlds High Priest to stand between them and the Great Creator and expresly offer him the praise of all Psal. 8. 3 4 5 6 9. When I consider the Heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Starrs which thou hast ordained What is man that thou art mindful of him and the son of man that thou visitest him For thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands thou hast put all things under his feet O Lord our Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the earth O that men would praise the Lord for his Goodness and declare his wondrous works to the children of men The earth is full of the Goodness of the Lord Psal. 33. 5 6 7 8 9. Read Psalm 65. Thus Love God as appearing in the works of Nature § 27. Direct 10. Study to know God as he appeareth more clearly to sinners in his Goodness in the Direct 10. works of GRACE especially in his Son his Covenant and his Saints and there to Love him in the admiration of his Love Here Love hath made it self an advantage of our sin and unworthiness of our necessities and miseries of the Law and justice and the flames of Hell The abounding of sin and misery hath glorified abounding Grace That Grace which fetcheth sons for God from among the voluntary vassals of the Devil Which fetcheth Children of Light out of darkness and Living souls from among the dead and heirs for Heaven from the gates of Hell and brings us as from the Gallows to the Throne 1. A believing view of the Nature Undertaking Love Obedience Doctrine Example Sufferings Intercession and Kingdom of JESUS CHRIST must needs inflame the believers hearts with an answerable degree of the Love of God To look on a Christ and not Love God is to have eyes and not to see and to overlook him while we seem to look on him He is the liveliest Image of Infinite Goodness and the messenger of the most unsearchable astonishing Love and the purchaser of the most unvaluable benefits that ever were revealed to the sons of men Our greatest Love must be kindled by the Greatest revelations and communications of the Love of God And Greater Love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends John 15. 13. that is Men have no dearer and clearer a way to express their Love to their friends But that Love is aggravated indeed which will express it self as far for enemies But God commendeth his Love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us And if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Rom. 5. 8 9 10. Steep then that stiff and heardned heart in the blood of Christ and it will melt Come near with Thomas and by the passage of his wounds get near unto his heart and it will change thy unkind unthankful heart into the very nature of Love Christ is the best Teacher of the lesson of Love that
took thee into his favour and adopted thee for his son and an heir of Heaven He will glorifie thee with Angels in the presence of his Glory How should such a friend as this be loved How far above all mortal friends Their love and friendship is but a token and message of his Love Because he Loveth thee he sendeth thee kindness and mercy by thy friend and when their kindness ceaseth or can do thee no good his kindness will continue and comfort thee for ever Love them therefore as the messengers of his Love but Love him in them and love them for him and love him much more § 40. Direct 17. Think oft how delightful a life it would be to thee if thou couldst but live in the Direct 17. Love of God And then the complacencie will provoke desire and desire will turn thy face towards God till thou feel that thou lovest him The Love of a friend hath its sweetness and delight and when we Love them we feel such pleasure in our Love that we Love to Love them How pleasant then would it be to Love thy God O blessed joyful life if I could but love him as much as I desire to love him How freely could I leave the ambitious and the covetous and the sensual and voluptuous to their doting delusory swinish love How easily could I spare all earthly pleasures How near should I come to the Angelical life Could I love God as I would love him it would fill me with continual pleasure and be the sweetest feast that a soul can have How easily would it quench all carnal love How far would it raise me above these transitory things How much should I contemn them and pitty the wretches that know no better and have their portion in this life How readily should I obey And how pleasant would obedience be How sweet would all my Meditations be when every thought is full of Love How sweet would all my prayers be when constraining Love did bring me unto God and indite and animate every word How sweet would Sacraments be when my ascending flaming love should meet that wonderful descending love which cometh from Heaven to call me thither and in living bread and spiritful wine is the nourishment and cordial of my soul How sweet would all my speeches be when Love commanded them and every word were full of Love How quiet would my Conscience be if it had never any of this accusation against me to cast in my face to my shame and confusion that I am wanting in Love to the blessed God O could I but Love God with such a powerful Love as his Love and Goodness should command I should no more question my sincerity nor doubt any more of his Love to me How freely then should I acknowledge his grace and how heartily should I give him thanks for my justification sanctification and adoption which now I mention with doubt and fear O how it would lift up my soul unto his praise and make it my delight to speak good of his name What a purifying fire would Love be in my breast to burn up my corruptions It will endure nothing to enter or abide within me that is contrary to the will and interest of my Lord but hate every motion that tendeth to dishonour and displease him It would fill my soul with so much of Heaven as would make me long to be in Heaven and make death welcome which is now so terrible Instead of these withdrawing shrinking fears I should desire to depart and to be with Christ as being best of all O how easily should I bear any burthen of reproach or loss or want when I thus Loved God and were assured of his Love How light would the Cross be And how honourable and joyful would it seem to be imprisoned reviled spit upon and buffeted for the sake of Christ How desirable would the flames of Martyrdom seem for the testifying of my love to him that loved me at dearer rates than I can love him Lord is there no more of this blessed life of Love to be attained here on earth When all the world reveals thy Goodness when thy Son hath come down to declare thy love in so full and wonderful a manner When thy word hath opened us a window into Heaven where afar off we may discern thy Glory yet shall our hearts be clods and ice O pitty this unkind unnatural soul This dead insensible disaffected soul Teach me by thy spirit the art of Love Love me not only so as to convince me that I have abundant cause to Love thee above all but Love me so as to constrain me to it by the magnetical attractive power of thy Goodness and the insuperable operations of thy omnipotent Love § 41. Direct 18. In thy Meditations upon all these incentives of Love preach them over earnestly to Direct 18. thy Heart and expostulate and plead with it by way of soliloquy till thou feel the fire begin to burn Do not only Think on the Arguments of Love but dispute it out with thy Conscience and by expostulating earnest reasonings with thy heart endeavour to affect it There is much more moving force in this earnest talking to our selves than in bare cogitation that breaks not out into mental words Imitate the most powerful Preacher that ever thou wast acquainted with And just as he pleadeth the case with his hearers and urgeth the truth and duty on them by reason and importunity so do thou in secret with thy self There is more in this than most Christians are aware of or use to practise It is a great part of a Christians skill and duty to be a good preacher to himself This is a lawful and a gainful way of preaching No body here can make question of thy call nor deny thee a License nor silence thee if thou silence not thy self Two or three sermons a week from others is a fair proportion but two or three sermons a day from thy self is ordinarily too little Therefore I have added soliloquies to many of these Directions for Love to shew you how by such pleadings with your selves to affect your hearts and kindle Love § 42. And O that this might be the happy fruit of these Directions with thee that art now reading or hearing them That thou wouldst but offer up thy flaming Heart to Jesus Christ our Great High-Priest to be presented an acceptable sacrifice to God! Or if it flame not in Love as thou desirest yet give it up to the Holy Spirit to increase the flames Thou little knowest how much God setteth by a Heart He calleth to thee himself My son give me thy heart Prov. 23. 26. Without it he cares not for any thing that thou canst give him He cares not for thy fairest words without it He cares not for thy lowdest prayers without it He cares not for thy costliest alms or sacrifices if he have not thy heart If thou give all thy goods to
Gospel Leave out this Gratitude and it is no Evangelical Repentance And what is our saving faith in Christ but the Assent to the truth of the Gospel with a Thankful Acceptance of the good which it offereth us even Christ as our Saviour with the Benefits of his Redemption The Love to God that is there required is the Thankful Love of his Redeemed ones And the Love to our very enemies and the forgiving of wrongs and all the Love to one another and all the works of Charity there required are the exercises of Gratitude and are all to be done on this account because Christ hath loved us and forgiven us and that we may shew our thankful Love to him Preaching and Praying and Sacraments and publick praises and communion of Saints and obedience are all to be animated with Gratitude and they are no further Evangelically performed than Thankfulness is the very life and complexion of them all The dark and defective opening of this by Preachers gave occasion to the Antinomians to run into the contrary extream and to derogate too much from Gods Law and our Obedience But if we obscure the doctrine of Evangelical Gratitude we do as bad or worse than they Obedience to our Ruler and Thankfulness to our Benefactor conjoyned and co-operating as the Head and Heart in the Natural body do make a Christian indeed Understand this well and it will much incline your hearts to Thankfulness § 4. Direct 2. Let the greatness of the manifold mercies of God be continually before your eyes Direct 2. Thankfulness is caused by the due apprehension of the greatness of mercies If you either know them not to be mercies or know not that they are mercies to you or believe not what is said and promised in the Gospel or forget them or think not of them or make light of them through the corruption of your minds you cannot be thankful for them I have before spoken of Mercy in order to the kindling of Love and therefore shall now only recite these following to be alwayes in your memories 1. The Love of God in giving you a Redeemer and the Love of Christ in giving his life for us and in all the parts of our Redemption 2. The Covenant of Grace the pardon of all our sins the justification of our persons our adoption and title to eternal life 3. The aptness of means for calling us to Christ The gracious and wise disposals of providence to that end the gifts and compassion of our instructers the care of Parents and the helps and examples of the servants of Christ. 4. The efficacy of all these means â—he giving us to will and to do and opening of our hearts and giving us repentance unto life and the Spirit of Christ to mortifie our sins and purifie our nature and dwell within us 5. A standing in his Church under the care of faithful Pastors the liberty comfort and frequent benefit of his Word and Sacraments and the publick communion of his Saints 6. The company of those that fear the Lord and their faithful admonitions reproofs and encouragements the kindness they have shewed us for body or for soul. 7. The mercies of our Relations or habitations our estates and the notable alterations and passages of our lives 8. The manifold preservations and deliverances of our souls from errors and seducers from terrors and distress from dangerous temptations and many a soul-wounding sin and that we are not leâ—t to the errors and desires of our hearts to seared Consciences as forsaken of God 9. The manifold deliverances of our bodies from enemies hurts distresses sicknesses and death 10. The mercies of adversity in wholesome necessary chastisements or honourable sufferings for his sake and support or comfort under all 11. The communion which our souls have had with God in the course of our private and publick duties in Prayer Sacraments and Meditation 12. The use which he hath made of us for the good of others that our time hath not been wholly lost and we have not lived as burdens of the world 13. The mercies of all our friends and his servants which were to us as our own and our interest in the mercies and publick welfare of his Church which are more than our own 14. His patience and forbearance with us under our constant unprofitableness and provocations and his renewed mercies notwithstanding our abuse our perseverance untill now 15. Our hopes of everlasting Rest and Glory when this sinsul life is at an end Aggravate these mercies in your more enlarged meditations and they will sure constrain you to cry out Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies Psal. 102. 1 2 3 4. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his Courts with praise be thankful to him and bless his name For the Lord is good his Mercy is everlasting and his truth endureth to all generations Psal. 100. 4 5. The Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and plenteous in mercy For as the Heaven is high above the Earth so great is his mercy to them that fear him Psal. 103. 8 11. O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever Psal. 136. 1 c. O give thanks unto the Lord call upon his name make known his deeds among the people sing ye unto him sing Psalms unto him talk ye of all his wondrous works glory ye in his holy name Let the heart of them rejoyce that seek him Psal. 105. 1 2 3. § 5. Direct 3. Be well acquainted with the greatness of your sins and sensible of them as they are Direct 3. the aggravation of Gods Mercies to you This is the main end why God will humble those that he will save Not to drive them to despair of mercy nor that he taketh pleasure in their sorrows for themselves But to work the heart to a due esteem of saving mercy and to a serious desire after it that they may thankfully receive it and carefully retain it and faithfully use it An unhumbled soul sets light by Christ and Grace and Glory It relisheth no spiritual mercy It cannot be thankful for that which it findeth no great need of But true humiliation recovereth our appetite and teacheth us to value mercy as it is Think therefore what sin is as I have opened to you Dir. 8. and think of your manifold aggravated sins and then think how great those mercies are that are bestowed on so great unworthy sinners Then mercy will melt your humbled hearts when you confess that you are unworthy to be called Sons Luke 15. and that you are not worthy to look up to Heaven Luke 18. 13. and that you are not worthy of the least
many creatures and comforts for their bodies That live continually upon the plenty of his Love That have received so much and are still receiving Should we not bless him every day with Praise that blesseth us every day with benefits Should we not praise the bridge that we go over The friend that we have tryed so oft And resolve as Psalm 145. 2. Every day will I bless thee I will praise thy name for ever and ever Psalm 63. 3 4. Because thy loving kindness is better than life my lips shall praise thee Thus will I bless thee while I lâ—â—e I will lift up my hands in thy name Are they not bound to praise him on earth that must reign with Christ for ever in Heaven Rom. 8. 17 33. Rev. 1. 5 6. Col. 1. 12. 1 Pet. 1. 4. 6. The Praises of God do exercise our highest Graces Praise is the very breath of Love and Ioy and Gratitude It tendeth to raise us above our selves and make our hearts to burn within us while the glorious name of God is magnified It hath the most pure and spiritual and elevating effect upon the soul and therefore tendeth most effectually to make us more holy by the encrease of these graces § 19. 7. To be much employed in the Praise of God doth tend exceedingly to the vanquishing of all hurtful doubts and fears and sorrows Ioy and Praise promote each other And this it doth 1. By keeping the soul near to God and within the warmth of his love and goodness Psal. 140. 13. 2. By the exercise of Love and Joy which are the cordial reviving strengthning graces Psal. 94. 19. 116. 1. 3. By dissipating distrustful vexing thoughts and diverting the mind to sweeter things Psal. 104. 34. 4. By keeping off the Tempter who usually is least able to follow us with his molestations when we are highest in the praises of our God 5. By bringing out the Evidences of our sincerity into the light while the chiefest graces are in exercise 2 Cor. 3 18. 6. And by way of Reward from God that loveth the Praises of his meanest servants And here I would commâ—nd this experiment to uncomfortable troubled souls that have not found comfort by long searching after evidence in themselves Exercise your selves much in the Praises of God This is a duty that you ☜ have no pretence against Against Thanksgiving for his grace you pretend that you know not that you have received his grace But to praise him in the excellency of his perfections his power and wisdom and goodness and mercy and truth is the duty of all men in the world While you are doing this you will feel your graces stir and feel that comfort from the face of God which you are not like to meet with in any other way whatsoever Evidences are exceeding useful to our ordinary stated peace and comfort But it is oft long before we confidently discern them and they are oft discerned when yet the soul is not excited to much sense of comfort and delight and we quickly lose the sight of evidences if we be not very wise and careful But a life of praise bringeth ☜ comfort to the soul as standing in the Sunshine bringeth light and warmth Or as labouring doth warm the body or as the sight and converse of our dearest friend or the hearing of glad tydings doth rejoyce the heart without any great reasoning or arguing the case This is the way to have comfort by feeling to be much in the hearty praises of the Lord When we come to Heaven we shall have our Joy by immediate Vision and the delightful exercise of Love and Praise And if you would taste the Heavenly Joyes on earth you must imitate them in Heaven as near as possibly you can And this is your work of nearest imitation § 20. 8. To live a life of praising God will make Religion sweet and easie to us and take off the wearisomness of it and make the work of God a pleasure to us Whereas they that set themselves only to the works of humiliation and leave out these soul-delighting exercises do cast themselves into exceeding danger by making Religion seem to them a grievous and undesirable life This makes men backward to every duty and do it heartlesly and easily yield to temptations of omission and neglect if not at last fall off through weariness whereas the soul that is daily employed in the high and holy Prayses of his God is still drawn on by encouraging experience and doth all with a willing ready mind § 21. 9. No duty is more pleasing to God than the cheerful Praises of his Servants He loveth your prayers tears and groans but your Praises much more And that which pleaseth God most must be most pleasing to his servants For to please him is their End This is the End of all their labour that whether present or absent they may be accepted of him 2 Cor. 5 9. So that it is a final enjoying and therefore a delighting duty § 22. 10. To be much employed in the Praises of God will acquaint the world with the nature of true Religion and remove their prejudice and confute their dishonourable thoughts and accusations of it and recover the honour of Christ and his holy wayes and servants Many are averse to a holy life because they think that it consisteth but of melancholly fears or scrupulosity But who dare open his mouth against the joyful praises of his Maker I have heard and read of several enemies and murderers that have broke in upon Christians with an intent to kill them or carry them away that finding them on their knees in prayer and reverencing the work so much as to stay and hear them till they had done have reverenced the persons also and departed and durst not touch the heavenly worshippers of God This life of praise is a continual pleasure to the soul clean contrary to a Melancholly life It is recreating to the Spirits and healthful to the body which is consumed by cares and fears and sorrows It is the way that yieldeth that mirth which doth good like a medicine and is a continual feast Prov. 17. 22. 15. 15. Therefore saith the Apostle Iames 5. 13. Is any merry Let him sing Psalms He cannot better exercise mirth than in singing praises to his God This keeps the soul continually on the wing desiring still to be nearer God that it may have more of these delights And so it overcomes the sense of persecutions and afflictions and the fears of death and is a most excellent cordial and companion in the greatest sufferings Was it not an excellent hearing to have been a witness of the joy of Paul and Silas when in the Prison and Stocks with their backs sore with scourges they sang at midnight the praises of the Lord Acts 16. 25. so that all the doors were opened and all the prisoners bonds were loosed that had been their auditors so great was Gods
supposed Greatness when the Sign 1. Greatness of God should shew them their contemptible vileness and to magnifie themselves when they should magnifie their Maker It makes the strong man glory in his strength and the rich man in his wealth and the Conquerour in his Victories and Princes and Rulers and Lords of the Earth Jer. 9. 23 24. Psal. 49. 6. 2 Chron. 25. 19. in their Dominions and Dignities and power to do hurt or good to others and say as Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4. 30. Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the House of the Kingdom by the might of my power for the honour of my Majesty How hard is it to be Great and truly Humble and not to swell and be lifted up in Heart as they rise in Power This God abhorreth as unsuitable to worms and dust and injurious to his honour and will make them know that Power and Riches and Strength are his and that the Most High doth rule in the Kingdom of men and giveth it to whom be will Dan. 4. 32. § 11. Sign 2. Pride causeth men to set up their supposed Worth and Goodness above or against the Sign 2. Lord So that they make themselves their principal End and practise that which some of late presume to teach that it is not God that can or ought to be mans End but himself alone As if we were made only for our selves and not for our Creator Pride makes men so considerable in their own esteem that they live wholly to themselves as if the world were to stand or fall with them If they be well all is well with them If they are to dye they take it as if the world were at an end They Ut lumen lunae in praesentia solis non apparet paâ—i ratione esse secundum in praesentia pâ—â—â—â— nec meritum nostrum praesente merito Christi Paul Scaâ—â—â—â—â— Tâ—â—â—â— â—3 74. â—e Mâ—â—do 〈◊〉 Epist. â— 14 value God but as they do their food or health or pleasure even as a means to their own felicity not as preferring him before themselves nor making him the chiefest in their End They love themselves much better than God And so far is man fallen from God to Himself that he feeleth himself disposed to this as strongly as that he taketh it to be his primitive nature and therefore warrantable and that it is impossible to go higher § 12. God is to be mans End though we can add nothing to him The highest Love supposeth no want in him that we love but an excellency of Glory Wisdom and Goodness to which all our How God is mans End faculties offer up themselves in Admiration Love and Praise not only for the Delights of these nor only tâ—at our persons may herein be happy but chiefly that God may have his due and his will may be pleased and fulfilled and because his Excellencies deserve all this from men and Angels When Idem sâ—nant sumâ—e aâ—ari esse finem ultimum at proculdubio Deus summe amandus est Uâ—um vero finem Aristoteles declaravit esse Usum virtutis in vita sancta integra Heâ—â—â—â—h Illust. in A istot we love a man of wonderful Learning and Wisdom and Meekness and Charity and Holiness and other Goodness it is not chiefly for our selves that we love him that we may receive something from him â—or we feel his Excellency command our Love though we were sure that we should never receive any thing from him Nor is the Delight of Loving him our chief end but a consequent or the lesser parâ— of our End For we feel that we Love him before we think of the Delight The Admiration Love and Praise of God our ultimate End hath no End beside their proper object For it is it self the final act even mans Perfection Amiableness magnetically attracteth Love If you ask an Angel why he loveth God he will say because he is infinitely amiable And though in such motions nature secretly aimeth at its own perfection and felicity and lawfully interesceth it self in this final motion yet the Union being of such as are infinitely unequal O how little do the glorified Spirits respect themselves in comparison of the blessed glorious God See what I said of this before Chap. 3. Direct 11. 15. § 13. Sign 3. Pride maketh men more desirous to be over-loved themselves than that God be Sign 3. loved by themselves or others They would fain have the eyes and hearts of all men turned upon them as if they were as the Sun to be admired and loved by all that see them § 14. Sign 4. Pride causeth men to depend upon themselves and contrive inordinately for themselves Sign 4. and trust in themselves as if they lived by their own wit and power and industry more than by the favour and providence of God Isa. 9. 9. Obad. 3. § 15. Sign 5. Pride makes men return the thanks to themselves which is due to God for the Sign 5. mercies which they have received God is thanked by them but in complement But they seriously Dan. 4. 30. Hab. 1. 16. Laâ—â—t in Tâ—al speaketh of the Oraâ—le of Deâ—phos adjudging the Tâ—â—pos to the Wisest So it was sent to Thales and from him to another till it came to Sâ—lon who sent it to the Oracle saying None is wiser than God So should we all send back to God the praise and glory of all that is ascribâ—d to us ascribe it to their care or skill or industry or power They sacrifice to their Net and say our hand our contrivance our power our good husbandry hath done all this § 16. Sign 6. Pride setteth up the wisdom of a foolish man against the infinite wisdom of God It Sign 6. makes men presume to judge their Judge and judge his Laws before they understand them and to Laâ—rt saith that Pythagoras first called himself a Philosopher Nullum enim hominum sed sâ—lum Deum esse sepienteâ— asserit Antea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicta quae nuâ—c Philosophia qui hanc profitebantur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appellati Quicunque ad summam animi virtutem exâ—reverunt hos nunc honestiore vocabulo authore Pythagora Philosophos appellamus pag. 7. quarrell with all that they find unsuitable to their own conceits and say How improbable is this or that and how can these things be He that cannot undo a pair of Tarrying Irons or unriddle a Riddle till it be taught him which afterwards appeareth plain will question the truth of the Word of God about the most high unsearchable mysteries Proud men think they could mend Gods Word and they could better have ordered matters in the world and for the Church and for themselves and for their friends tha then providence of God hath done § 17. Sign 7. Pride maketh men set up their own Love and Mercy above the Love and Mercy of Sign 7. God Augustine mentioneth a sort of
their opinion or sâ—ct We little consider how great a hand this Pride hath had in our desolations God hath been scattering the proud of all sorts in the imaginations of their own hearts â—â—ke 1. 51. § 88. Direct 7. Look to a humbled Christ to humble you Can you be proud while you believe Direct 7. that your Saviour was cloathed with flesh and lived in meanness and made himself of no reputation and was despised and scorned and spit upon by sinners and shamefully used and nailed as a malefactor to a cross The very incarnation of Christ is a condescension and humiliation enough to pose both â—â—th â—â—4 Mâ—â—â—â—0 men and Angels transcending all belief but such as God himself produceth by his supernatural testimony and spirit And can Pride look a crucified Christ in the face or stand before him Did God take upon him the form of a servant and must thou domineer and have the highest place Had Joâ—â— 1â— â—◠〈◊〉 2 â— 8 9 10. not Christ a place to lay his head on and must thou needst have thy adorned well-furnished rooms Must thou needs brave it out in the most fantastick fashion instead of thy Saviours seamless coat Doth he pray for his murderers And must thou be revenged for a word or petty wrong Is he patiently spit upon and buffeted And art thou ready through proud impatiencie to spit upon or busâ—â—t others Surely he that condemned sin in the flesh condemned no sin more than Pride § 89. Direct 8. Look to the examples of the most eminent saints and you will see they were all Direct 8. most eminent in humility The Apostles before the coming down of the Holy Ghost on them contended which of them should be the greatest which Christ permitted that he might most sharply rebuke it and leave his warning to all his Ministers and Disciples to the end of the world that they 〈◊〉 12. 7. 〈◊〉 44 13. that would be greatest must be the servants of all and that they must by conversion become as little children or never enter into the Kingdom of God But afterward in what humility did these Apostles labour and live and suffer in the world Paul made himself a servant unto all that he might gain the more though he was free from all men 1 Cor. 9. 19. They submitted themselves to all the injuries and affronts of men to be accounted the plagues and troublers of the world and as the scorn 1 Cor. 4. 12 13 14 15. Acts 24. 5. and off-scouring of all things and a gazing stock to Angels and to men And are you better than they If you are you are more humble and not more proud § 90. Direct 9. Look to the holy Angels that condescend to minister for man and think on the blessed Direct 9. souls with God how far they are from being proud And remember if ever thou come to Heaven how far thou wilt he from pride thy self Such a sight as Isaiahs would take doâ—n pride Isa. 6. 1 2 3. I saw the Lord sitting upon a Throne high and lifted up and his train filled the Temple Above it stood the Sâ—raphims Each one had six wings with two he covered his face and with two he covered his feet and with two he fled signifying Humility Purity and obedience And one cryed unto another and said Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts His Glory is the fulness of the whole earth So Rev. 4. 8. and vers 10. The Elders fâ—ll down and â—ast down their Crowns before him that sitteth on the Throne Look up to Heaven and you 'l abhor your pride § 91. Direct 10. Look upâ—n the great imperfection of thy grace and duties Should that man be Direct 10. proud that hath so little of the spirit and image of Jesus Christ That believeth no more and feareth God no more And loveth him no more And can no better trust in him nor rest upon his word and love Nor no more delight in him nor in his holy laws and service One would think that the lamentable weakness of any one of all these graces should take down pride and abase you in your own eyes Is he a Christian that doth not even abhor himself when he perceiveth how little he loveth his God and how little all his meditations on the Love and blood of Christ and of the infinite Goodness of God and of the heavenly Glory do kendle the fire and warm his heart Can we observe the darkness of our minds and ignorance of God and strangness to the life to come and the woful weakness of our faith and not be abased to a loathing of our selves Can we choose but even abhor those hearts that can love a friend and love the toys and vanities of this life and yet can love their God no more That take no more pleasure in his name and praise and word and service when they can find pleasure in the accomodations of their flesh Can we choose but loath those hearts that are so averse to God so loth to think of him so loth to pray to him so weary of prayer or holy meditation or any duty and yet so forward to the business and recreations of the flesh Can we feel how coldly and unbelievingly we pray how ignorantly or carnalâ—y we discourse how confusedly and vainly we think and how slothfully we work and how unprofitably we live and yet be proud and not be covered with shame O for a serious Christian to feel how little of God of Christ of Heaven is upon his heart and how little appeareth in any eminent holiness and fruitfullness and heavenliness of life is so humbling a consideration that we have much ado to own our selves and not lie down as utterly desolate Should that soul admit a thought of pride that hath so little Grace as to be uncertain whether he have any at all in sincerity or not That cannot with assurance call God Father or plead his interest in Christ or in the promises nor knoweth not if he dye this hour whether he shall go to Heaven or Hell Should he be proud that is no readier to dye and no more assured of the pardon of sin nor willinger to appear before the Lord If one pained member will make you groan and walk dejectedly though all the rest do feel no pain a soul that hath this universal weakness a weakness that is so sinful and so dangerous hath cause to be continually humbled to the dust § 92. Direct 11. Look upon thy great and manifold sins which dwell in thy heart and have been Direct 11. committed in thy life and there thou wilt see cause for great humiliation If thy body were full of Toads and Serpents and thou couldst see or feel them crawling in thee wouldst thou then be proud Why so many sins are ten thousand fold worse and should make thee far viler in thy own esteem If thou were possessed with Devils and knewest it wouldst
godly Son of a wicked Father is more honourable than they Your ancestors are but of the common stock of sinful Adam and your great friends may possibly become your enemies and it is little that the greatest of them can do for you if God be not your friend 7. Is it your learning or wisdom or ability for speech or action that you are proud of Remember that the Devils and many that are now in Hell have far exceeded you in these And that the wiser you are indeed the humbler you will be and by pride you confute your ostentation of your wisdom Achitophels wisdom which saveth not the owner from perdition is little cause of glorying Ier. 8. 8 9. There were men that boasted of their wisdom even in the Law of God who yet were ashamed and dismayed for they rejected the Word of the Lord and then what wisdom could there be in them Therefore thus saith the Lord Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom nor let the mighty man glory in his might let not the rich man glory in his riches but let him that gloryeth 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 do I delight saith the Lord Jer. 9. 23 24. Those were not unlearned of whom Paul speaketh 1 Cor. 1. 20. Where is the Wise Where is the Scribe Where is the Disputer of this world Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world 8. Is it success in Wars or great undertakings that you are proud of But by whose strength did you perform it And how unhappy a success is that which hindreth your success in the work of your salvation And how many have been brought down again to shame that have been lifted up in pride of their successes 9. Is it the applause of men that proclaim your excellency that you are proud of Alas how poor a portion is the breath of man And how mutable are your applauders that perhaps the next day will turn their tunes and as much reproach you Will you be proud of Praise when it is the Devils whistle purposely to entice you into this pernicious snare that he may destroy you It is a danger to be feared for it destroyeth many but not a benefit much to be rejoyced in much less to be proud of for few are the better for it Titles and applause increase not real worth and vertue but puff up many with a mortal tympanie 10. Is it your grace and goodness or eminency in Religion that you are proud of This is most absurd when predominant Pride is a certain sign that you have no saving grace at all and so are proud of what you have not And if you have it so far as you are proud of it you abuse it contradict it and destroy it For Pride is to Grace what the Plague or Consumption is to Health It is Novices that have least grace and knowledge that are aptest to be puft up with Pride and thereby to fall into the condemnation of the Devil 1 Tim. 3. 6. that is into the like punishment for the like sin When the Pot boyleth over that which was in it is lost in the fire Rise not too high in the esteem of your grace lest you rise to the loss of it Be not high-minded but fear Rom. 11. 20. When you think you stand take heed lest you fall 1 Cor. 10. 12. § 98. Direct 17. Look to the nature and tendency of every Grace and Ordinance and Duty and use them diligently for they all tend to the destruction of Pride Knowledge discerneth the folly and pernicious tendency of Pride and abundant matter for Humiliation Faith is the casting off our pride and going with empty hungry souls to Christ for mercy and supply It sheweth us the most powerful sight in the world for the humbling of a soul even a Crucified Christ and a most Holy God and a glorified society of humble souls and a dreadful judgement and damnation for the proud I might shew you the same of every grace and duty but for being tedious § 99. Direct 18. Look to the humbling Iudgements of God on your selves and others and turn them Direct 18. all against your Pride You will sure think it an unsuitable and unseasonable thing for the calamitous to be proud Are you not oft complaining of one thing or other upon your consciences your bodies your estates your names your relations or friends and yet will you be proud while you complain If the Judgements that have already befallen you humble you not it God love you and will save you you may expect you should feel more and the load should be increased till it make you sâ—oop O miserable obstinate sinners that can groan with sickness and yet be proud and murmur under want and yet be proud and daily crossed by one or other and yet be proud yea and tormented with fears of Gods displeasure and yet be proud Have not all the Wars and blood and ruines that have befallâ—n us in these Kingdoms been yet enough to take down pride Many 〈…〉 bling sights we have seen and many humbling stripes we have felt and yet are we not humbled We have seen houses râ—bbâ—d and Towns fired and the Countrey pillaged and the blood of many thousands shed and their carkasses scattered about the fields and yet are we not humbled If we were proud of our Riches they have been taken from us If proud of our buildings they have been tuâ—â—ed into ruinous heaps If we have been proud of our Government and the Fame and Glory of our Countrâ—y we have seen how our sins have pulled down our Government dishonoured our Rulers and blâ—mished our Glory and turned it into shame and yet are we not humbled If you lived in a house infected with the Plague and had buried Father and Mother and Brothers and Sisters and but a very few were left alive expecting when their turn came next if these few were not humbled would you not think them blind and sottish persons Do you yet look high and conâ—end for preheminâ—nce and look for honour and envy others and desire to domineer and have your will and way and set out your selves in the neatest dress Must you have sharper stripes before you will be humbled Must greater injuries and violences and losses and fears and reproaches be the means Why will you choose so painful a remedy by frustrating the easier If it must be so the 〈…〉 ment shall shortly come yet nearer to thee It shall either strip thee of the rest or cover theâ— with shame or lay thee in pain upon thy Couch where thy head shall ake and thy heart be sick and thy bâ—dâ— weaâ—y and thou shalt pant and gasp for breath Wilt thou then be proud and câ—â—â—â—â—l for honour When thou expectest hourly when thy proud and guilty soul shall be turned out of tâ—y body
through a Needles eye than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God And they that heard it said Who then can be saved And he said The things which are impossible with men are possible with God So Luke 6. 24 25. But wo unto you that are rich for you have received your consolation Wo unto you that are full for ye shall hunger Make but sense of these and many such like Texts and you can gather no less than this from them that Riches make the way to Heaven much harder and the salvation of the ☜ rich to be more difficult and rare proportionably than of other men And Paul saith 1 Cor. 1. 26. Not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called And the Lovers of riches though they are poor must remember that it is said 1 Tim. 6. 10. That the Love of money is the root of all evil And 1 John 2. 15. Love not the world nor the things that are in the world For if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him Do you believe that here lyeth the danger of your souls and yet can you so love and choose and seek it Would you have your salvation more difficult and doubtful and impossible with men You had rather choose to live where few dye young than where most dye young and where sicknesses are rare than where they are common If you were sick you had rather have the Physicion and Medicines and Dyet which cure most than those which few are cured by If the Countrey were beset with Thieves you had rather go the way that most scape in than that few scape in And yet so it may but please your flesh you will choose that way to Heaven that fewest scape in and you will choose that state of life which will make your salvation to be most hard and doubtful Doth your Conscience say that this is wisely done I know that if God put Riches into your hand by your Birth or his blessing on your honest labours you must not cast away your Masters talents because he is austere but by a holy improvement of them you may further his service and your salvation But this is no reason why you should ovâ—r-love them or desire and seek so great a danger Believe Christ heartily and it will quench your Love of Riches § 28. Direct 7. Remember that the more you have the more you have to give account for And Direct 7. â—f the day of Judgement be dreadful to you you should not make it more dreadful by greatning your own accounts If you desired Riches but for the service of your Lord and have used them for him and can tâ—uly give in this account that you laid them not out for the needless pleasure or pride of the flâ—sh but â—o furnish your selves and families and others for his service and as near as you â—â—uld employ them according to his will and for his use then you may expect the reward of good and faithful servants But if you desired and used them for the pride and pleasure of your selves while you lived and your posterity or kindred when you are dead dropping some inconsiderable â—râ—ms for God you will then find that Mammon was an unprofitable Master and Godliness with content Pâ—â—v 3. 14 1 â—â—m 6 â— 6. would have been greater gain § 29. Direct 8. Remember how dear it costeth men thus to hinder their salvation and greaten their Direct 8. danger and accounts What a deal of precious Time is lost upon the world by the Lovers of it which might have been improved to the getting of Wisdom and Grace and making their calling and election 〈…〉 2 sure If you had believed that the gain of holy wisdom had been so much better than the gaining of Gold as Solomon saith Prâ—v 3. 14. you would have laid out much of that time in labouring to understand the Scriptures and preparing for your endless life How many unnecessary Thoughtâ— have you cast away upon the world which might better have been laid out on your greater concernments How many â—ares and vexations and passions doth it cost men to overload themselves with worldly provisions Like a foolish travellâ—r who having a dayes journey to go doth spend all the day in gathering together a load of mâ—at and clothes and money more than he can carry for fear of wanting by the way or like a foolish runner that hath a race to run for his life and spends Saith Plutarâ—h 〈…〉 â—â—â—â—n Alexanâ—er wept because he was not Lord of the world when Câ—atâ—s having but a Wall â—â— and a thred-bare Cloke spent his whole life in mâ—râ—h and joy as if it had been a continual festival holy-day Psal. 37. 16. Prov 16. 8. the time in which he should be running in gathering a burden of pretended necessaries You have all the while Gods work to do and your souls to mind and judgement to prepare for and you are tiring and vexing your selves for unnecessary things as if it were the top of your ambition to be able to say in Hell that you dyed rich 1 Tim. 6. 5 6 7 8 9 10. Godliness with contentment is great gain For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we can carry nothing out And having food and raiment let us be therewith content But they that will be Rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition For the love of money is the root of all evil which while some coveted after they have erred or been seduced from the â—aith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows Piercing sorrows here and damnation hereafter are a very dear price to give for money For saith Christ himself What shall it profit a man to gain all the world and lose his own soul Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul that is What money or price will recover it if for the love of gain he lose it Mark 8. 36 37. Prov. 15. 27. He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house but he that hateth gifts shall live Do you not know that a godly man contented with his daily bread hath a far sweeter and quietter life and death than a self-troubling worldling You may easily perceive it Prov. 15. 16. Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith § 30. Direct 9. Look much on the life of Christ on earth and see how strangely he condemned worldliness Direct 9. by his example Did he choose to be a Prince or Lord or to have great possessions lands or money or sumptuous buildings or gallant attendance and plentiful provisions His housing you â—uke 9 58. may read of Matth. 8. 20. Fâ—xes have holes and the Birds of the air have nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay
didst omit Thou hast an offended God to be reconciled to and for thy estranged soul to know as thy Father in Jesus Christ what abundance of Scripture truths hast thou to learn which thou art ignorant of How many holy duties as Prayer Meditation holy conference c. to learn which thou art unskilful in and to perform when thou hast learned them How many works of Justice and Charity to mens souls and bodies hast thou to do How many needy ones to relieve as thou art able and the sick to visit and the naked to cloath and the sad to comfort and the ignorant to instruct and the ungodly to exhort Heb. 3. 13. Heb. 10. 25. Ephes. 4. 29. what abundance of duty hast thou to perform in thy Relations to Parents or Children to Husband or Wife as a Master or a Servant and the rest Thou little knowest what sufferings thou hast to prepare for Thou hast Faith and Love and Repentance and patience and all Gods graces to get and to exercise daily and to increase Thou hast thy accounts to prepare and assurance of salvation to obtain and Death and Judgement to prepare for what thinks thy heart of all this work Put it off as lightly as thou wilt it is God himself that hath laid it on thee and it must be done in time or thou must be undone for ever And yet it must not be thy toyl but thy delight This is appointed thee for thy chiefest recreation Look into the Scripture and into thy Heart and thou wilt find that all this is to be done And dost thou think in thy Conscience that this is not greater business than thy gawdy dressings thy idle visits or thy needless sports which is more worthy of thy Time § 10. Direct 3. Remember how gainful the Redeeming of Time is and how exceeding comfortable Direct 3. in the review In Merchandize or any trading in husbandry or any gaining course we use to say of a man that hath grown rich by it that he hath made use of his Time But when Heaven and communion with God in the way and a life of holy strength and comfort and a death full of joy and hope is to be the gain how cheerfully should Time be Redeemed for these If it be pleasant for a man to find himself thrive and prosper in any rising or pleasing employment How pleasant must it be continually to us to find that in redeeming Time the work of God and our souls do prosper Look back now on the Time that is past and tell me which part is sweetest to thy thoughts However it be now I can tell thee at death it will be an unspeakable comfort to look back on a well spent life and to be able to say in humble sincerity My time was not cast away on worldliness ambition idleness or fleshly vanities or pleasures but spent in the sincere and laborious service of my God and making my calling and election sure and doing all the good to mens souls and bodies that I could do in the world It was entirely devoted to God and his Church and the good of others and my soul What a joy is it when going out of the world we can in our place and measure say with our blessed Lord and pattern John 17. 4 5. I have Glorified thee on earth I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do and now O Father glorifie me with thy self Or as Paul 1 Tim. 4. 6 7 8. I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the Righteous Iudge shall give And 2 Cor. 1. 12. For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdâ—m we have had our conversation in the world It s a great comfort in sickness to be able to say with Hezekiah Isa 38. 3. Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight O Time well spent is a precious cordial to a soul that is going to its final sentence and is making up its last and general accounts Yea the reviews of it will be joyful in Heaven which is given though most freely by the Covenant antecedently yet as a Reward by our most righteous judge when he comes to sentence men according to that Covenant § 11. Direct 4. Consider on the contrary how sad the review of ill spent time is and how you will Direct 4. wish you had spent it when it is gone Hast thou now any comfort in looking back on thy despised hours I will not so far wrong thy understanding as to question whether thou know that thou must die But thy sin alloweth me to ask thee Whether at thy dying hour it will be any comfort to thee to remember thy pastimes And whether it will then better please thee to find upon thy account so many hours spent in doing good to others and so many in prayer and studying the Scriptures and thy Heart and in preparing for death and the life to come so many in thy calling obediently managed in order to eternity or to hear so many hours spent in idleness and so many in needless sports and plays hawking and hunting courting and wantonness and so many in gathering and providing for the flesh and so many in satisfying its greedy lusts Which reckoning doth thy Conscience think would be most comfortable to thee at the last I put it to thy own Conscience if thou were to die to morrow how thou wouldst spend this present day Wouldst thou spend it in idleness and vain pastimes Or if thou were to die this day where wouldst thou be found and about what exercises Hadst thou rather death found thee in a Play-house a Gaming-house an A L E house in thy fleshly jollity and pleasure Or in a holy walking with thy God and serious preparing for the life to come Perhaps you 'l say that If you had but a day to live you would lay by the labours of your calling and yet that doth not prove them sinful But I answer There is a great difference between an evil and a small unseasonable Good If death found thee in thy honest calling holily managed Conscience would not trouble thee for it as a sin And if thou rather choose to die in prayer it is but to choose a greater duty in its season But sure thou wouldst be loth on another account to be found in thy Time-wasâ—â—ing pleasures And Conscience if thou have a Conscience would make thee drâ—ad it as a sâ—n Thou wilt not wish at death that thou hadst never laboured in thy lawful calling though thou wouldst be found in a more seasonable work But thou wilt wish then if thou
thoughts a world of work If God be not in all the thoughts of the ungodly Psal. 10. 4. it is because he is not in his heart He may be nigh their mouths but is far from their reins Jer. 12. 2. Do those men believe themselves or would they be believed by any one that is wise who say they Love God above all and yet neither think of him nor love to think of him but are unwearied in thinking of their wealth and honours and the pleasures of their flesh Consider this ye that forget God lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver you Psal. 50. 22. § 5. Direct 5. Soundly understand the wonderful mysterie of mans Redemption and know Iesus Direct 5. Christ and you need not want employment for your thoughts For in him are hid all the Treasures of 5. Jesus Christ and all the work of Redemption wisdom and knowledge Col. 2. 3. He is the Power of God and the Wisdom of God 1 Cor. 1. 24. If the study of Aristotle Plato Plotinus and their numerous followers and Commentators can find work for the thoughts of men that would know the works of God or would be accounted good Philosophers even for many years together or a great part of their lives what work then may a Christian find for his thoughts in Jesus Christ who of God is made to us wisdom and righteousness and sanâ—â—â—â—fication and redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell Col. 1. 19. And therefore in him there is fulness of matter for our meditations As Paul determined to know nothing or make ostentation of no other knowledge but Christ crucified 1 Cor. 2. 2. So if your thoughts had nothing to work upon many years together but Christ crucified they need not stand still a moment for want of most suitable and delightful matter The mysterie of the Incarnation alone may find you work to search and admire many ages But if thence you proceed to that world of wonderful matter which you may find in his Doctrine Miracles example sufferings temptations victories resurrection ascension and in his Kingly Prophetical and Priestly Offices and in all the benefits which he hath purchased for his stock O what full and pleasant work is here for the daily thoughts of a believer The soul may dwell here with continual delight till it say with Paul Gal. 2. 20. I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Therefore daily bow your knees to the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ of whâ—m the whole family in Heaven and earth is named that he will grant you according to the Riches of his Glory to be strengthned with might by his Spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that being rooted and grounded in Love you may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the Love of Christ which passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God Ephes. 3. 14. to 20. § 6. Direct 6. Search the holy Scriptures and acquaint your selves well with the Oracles of God Direct 6. which are able to make you wise unto salvation and you will find abundant matter for your thoughts If you cannot find work enough for your minds among all those heights and depths those excellencies and difficulties it is because you never understood them or never set your hearts to search them What mysterious Doctrines how sublime and heavenly are there for you to meditate on as long as you live What a perfect Law a system of precepts most spiritual and pure What terrible threatnings against offenders are there to be matter of your meditations What wonderful histories of Love and Mercy What holy examples What a treasury of precious promises on which lyeth our hope of life eternal What full and free expressions of grace What a joyful act of pardon and oblivion to penitent believing sinners In a word the character of our inheritance and the Law which we must be governed and judged by is there before us for our daily Meditation David that had much less of it than we saith O how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day Psal. 119. 97. And God said to Ioshua 1. 8. This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou maist observe to do according to all that is written therein And Moses commanded the Israelites that these words should be in their hearts and that they teach them diligently to their children and talk of them when they sate in their houses and when they walked by the way and when they lay down and when they rose up and to write them on the posts of their houses and on their gates c. that they might be sure to remember them Deut. 6. 7. § 7. Direct 7. Know thy self well as thou art the work of God and in thy self thou wilt find Direct 7. abundant matter for thy meditations There thou hast the natural Image of God to mediate on and 7. Our 〈…〉 as we are Gods wâ—â—k admire even the noble faculties of thy understanding and free will and executive power And thou hâ—st his Moral or Spiritual Image to meditate on if thou be not unregenerate even thy holy Wisdom Will and Power or thy holy Light and Love and Power with promptitude for holy practice and all in the Unity of holy Life And there thou hast his Relative Image to meditate See my Book of the 〈…〉 on even thy being 1. The Lord or Owner 2. The Ruler 3. The Benefactor to the inferiour creatures and their End O the world of mysteries which thou carriest continually about thee in that little room What abundance of wonders are in thy body which is fearfully and wonderfully made And the greater wonders in thy soul Thou art thy self the clearest glass that God is to be seen in under Heaven as thou art a man and a Saint And therefore the worthiest matter for thy own Meditations except that holy Word which is thy Rule and the Holy Church which is but a coalition of many such What a shame is it that almost all men do Live and dye such strangers to themselves as to be utterly unacquainted with the innumerable excellencies and mysteries which God hath laid up in them and yet to let their thoughts run out upon vanities and toyes and complain of their barrenness and want of matter to feed their better Meditations § 8. Direct 8. Be not a stranger to the many sins and wants and weaknesses of thy soul and thou Direct 8. never needest to be empty of matter for
as well as they are from him For of him and through him and to him are all things This Argument I draw from Nature which can have no beginning but God nor any end but God The 2. I draw from the Divine intention in the fabrication and ordination of all things God made all things for himself and can have no Ultimate end below himself The 3. I draw from his Ius dominii his right of Propriety which he hath over all things and so over families as such they are all absolutely his own alone And that which is solely or absolutely a mans own should be for his use and employed to his honour and ends much more that which is Gods seeing man is not capable of such a plenary propriety of any thing in the world as God hath in all things 4. I argue à Iure Imperii from Gods Right of Government If he have a full right of Government of families as families then families as families must honour and worship him according to their utmost capacities But he hath a full Right of absolute Government over families as families Therefore The consequence of the Major is grounded on these two things 1. That God himself is the end of his own Government this is proper to his Regiment All Humane Government is said by Polititians to be terminated ultimately in the Publick good of the society But Gods Pleasure and Glory is the end of his Government and is as it were the Publick or Universal good 2. In that Nature teacheth us that Supream Honour is due to all that are Supream Governours therefore they are to have the most honourable Titles of Majesty Highness Excellency c. and actions answerable to those Titles Mal. 1. 6. If I be a Father where is mine honour If I be a Master where is my fear Fear is oft put for all Gods Worship If then there be no family whereof God is not the Father or Founder and the Master or Owner and Governour then there is none but should honour him and fear or worship him and that not only as single men but as families because he is not only the Father and Master the Lord and Ruler of them as men but also as Families Honour is as due to the Rector as Protection to the Subjects and in our case much more God is not a meer Titular but Real Governour All Powers on earth are derived from him and are indeed his power All Lawful Governours are his Officers and hold their places under him and act by him As God therefore is the proper Soveraign of every Commonwealth and the Head of the Church so is he the Head of every family Therefore as every Commonwealth should perform such Worship or Honour to their Earthly Soveraign as is Due to Man So each Society should according to their Capacities perform Divine Worship and Honour to God And if any object That by this Rule Commonwealths as such must meet together to worship God which is impossible I answer They must worship him according to their Natural Capacities and so must Families according to theirs The same General Precept obligeth to a divers manner of duty according to the divers capacity of the Subject Commonwealths must in their Representatives at least engage themselves to God as Commonwealths and worship him in the most convenient way that they are capable of Families may meet together for prayer though a Nation cannot As an Association of Churches called a Provincial or National Church is obliged to worship God as well as particular Congregations yet not in one place because it is impossible Nature limiteth and maketh the difference And that the obligation of families to honour and worship God may yet appear more evidently Consider that Gods Right and Propriety and Rule is twofold yet each Title plenary alone 1. He is our Owner and Ruler upon his Title of Creation 2. So he is by his Right of Redemption By both these he is not only Lord and Ruler of persons but families all societies being his And the Regiment of persons being chiefly exercised over them in societies All power in Heaven and Earth is given unto Christ. Matth. 18. 18. and all judgement committed unto him John 5. 22. and all things delivered into his hands John 13. 3. and therefore to him shall every knee bow both of things in Heaven and things in earth and things under the earth either with a bowing of Worship or of forced acknowledgement and every tongue shall confess that Iesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father Phil. 2. 10. Bowing to and confessing Christ voluntarily to Gods glory is true Worship All must do this according to their several capacities And therefore families according to theirs A third Consideration which I thought to have added but for Illustration may well stand as an argument it self and it s this Argument 3. If besides all the forementioned opportunities and obligations families do live in the presence of God and ought by faith to apprehend that presence then is it Gods Will that families as such should solemnly Worship him But the former is true therefore the latter The Consequence of the Major which alone requires proof I prove by an Argument à fortiori from the honour due to all earthly Governours Though when a King a Father a Master are absent such actual honour to be presented to them is not Due because they are not capable of receiving it further than Mediante aliqua persona vel re which beareth some representation of the Superiour or Relation to him yet when they stand by it is a contemptuous subject a disobedient Child that will not perform actual honour or humane Worship to them Now God is ever present not only with each person as such but also with every family as such As he is said to walk among the Golden Candlesticks in his Churches so doth he in the families of all by his common presence and of his servants by his gracious presence This they easily find by his directing them and blessing the affairs of their families If any say We see not God else we would daily worship him in our families Answ. Faith seeth him who to sense is invisible If one of you had a Son that were blind and could not see his own Father would you think him therefore excusable if he would not honour his Father when he knew him to be present We know God to be present though flesh be blind and cannot see him Argument 4. If Christian families besides all the forementioned advantages and obligations are also societies sanctified to God then is it Gods Will that families as such should solemnly worship him But Christian families are societies sanctified to God Therefore The Reason of the Consequence is because things sanctified must in the most eminent sort that they are capable be used for God To sanctifie a person or thing is to set it apart and separate it from a common or
unclean use and to devote it God to be employed in his service To alienate this from God or not to use it for God when it is dedicated to him or sanctified by his own election and separation of it from common use is Sacriledge God hath a double Right of Creation and Redemption to all persons But a treble Right to the sanctified Ananias his fearful judgement was a sad example of Gods wrath on those that withhold from him what was devoted to him If Christian families as such be sanctified to God they must as such worship him in their best capacity That Christian families are sanctified to God I prove thus 1. A Society of holy persons must needs be a holy Society But a family of Christians is a society of holy persons Therefore 2. We find in Scripture not only single persons but the societies of such sanctified to God Deut. 7. 6. Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God he hath chosen thee to be a special people to himself above all people that are upon the face of the earth So Deut. 14. 20 21. So the body of that Commonwealth did all jointly enter into Covenant with God and God to them Deut. 29. 30. 26. 17 18 19. Thou hast vouched the Lord this day to be thy God and to walk in his wayes And the Lord hath vouched thee this day to be his peculiar people that thou maist be an holy people to the Lord. So 28. 9. Dan. 8. 24. 12. 7. Josh. 24. devoteth himself and his house to the Lord I and my house will serve the Lord. And Abraham by Circumcision the Covenant or seal of the Covenant of God consecrated his whole houshold to God and so were all families after him to do as to the Males in whom the whole was consecrated And whether besides the typifying Intent there were not somewhat more in the sanctifying of all the first born to God who if they lived were to be the heads of the families may be questioned The Passeover was a family duty by which they were yet further sanctified to God Yea it is especially to be observed how in the New Testament the Holy Ghost doth imitate the language of the old and speak of Gods people as of holy societies as the Iews were As in many Prophesies it was foretold that Nations and Kingdoms should serve him of which I have spoken more in my Book of Baptism and among those who should mourn over him whom they have pierced in Gospel times when the Spirit of grace and supplication is powred forth are the family of the House of David apart and their Wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their Wives apart Every family even all the families that remained apart and their Wives apart Zach. 11. 12 13 14. So Christ sendeth his Disciples to baptize Nations having discipled them and the Kingdoms of the World shall become the Kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ. And as Exodus 19. 5 6. saith of the Jews Ye shall be êa peculiar treasure to me above all people and ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation so doth Peter say of all Christians 1 Pet. 2. 5 6 7 9. Ye also as living stones are built up a spiritual house a holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ V. 9. But ye are a chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation a peculiar people that you should shew forth the praises of him that hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light Mark how fully this Text doth prove all that we are about It speaks of Christians Collectively as in Societies and in societies of all the most eminent sorts A Generation which seems especially to refer to Tribes and Families A Priesthood Nation People which comprehendeth all the orders in the Nation oft times And in all these respects they are holy and peculiar and chosen to shew that Gods people are sanctified in these Relations and Societies And then mark the End of this sanctification V. 5. to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ. V. 9. to shew forth the praises of him that hath called you c. Yea it seems that there was a special dedication of families to God And therefore we read so frequently of housholds converted and baptized Though none at age were baptized but such as seemed believers yet when they professed faith they were all together initiated as A Houshold And it seems the Masters Interest and Duty were taken to be so great for the conversion of the rest that as he was not to content himself with his own Conversion but to labour presently even before his Baptism that his houshold should joyn with him that so the whole family at once might be devoted to God so God did bless this his own Order and Ordinance to that End And where he imposed Duty on Masters he usually gave success so that commonly the whole family was Converted and Baptized with the Ruler of the family So Acts 18. 8. Crispus believed on the Lord with all his house and they were Baptized And Acts 16. 32. Paul promiseth the Gaoler Believe on the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house and he and all his were Baptized straight way for he believed in God with all his house Ver. 33 34. And Lydia is described a Worshipper of God Acts 16. 14. ver 15. She was Baptized and her houshold And the Angel told Cornelius that Peter should tell him words whereby he and all his houshold should be saved Acts 11. 14. who were Baptized accordingly And 1 Cor. 1. 16. Paul baptized the houshold of Stephanus And Christ told Zacheus Salvation was come that day unto his house and he and all his houshold believed So that Noble man John 4. 53. Therefore when Christ sâ—nt â—orth his Disciples he â—aith If the house be worthy let your peace come upon it but if it be not worthy lâ—t yâ—ur peace return to you So that as it is apparently the Duty of every Christian Soveraign to do what he is able to make all his peâ—ple Gods people and so to dedicate them to God as a Holy Nation in a National Covenant as the Israelites were So is it the unquestionable Duty of every Christian Ruler of a family to improve his interest power and parts to the uttermost to bring all his family to be the people of Christ in the Baptismal Covenant and so to dedicate all his family to Christ. Yet farther I prove this in that believers themselves being all sanctified to God it must needs follow that all their Lawful Relations and especially all commanded states of Relation are also sanctified to God for when themselves are dedicated to God it is absolutely without reserve to serve him with all that they have and in every Relation and Capacity that he shall set them It were a
God is ordinarily seen in the execution of it The despisers and dishonourers of their Parents seldom prosper in the world There are five sorts of sinners that God useth to overtake with vengeance even in this life 1. Perjured persons and false witnesses 2. Murderers 3. Persecutors 4. Sacrilegious persons and 5. The abusers and dishonourers of their ☜ Parents Remember the curse on Cham Gen. 9. 22 25. It is a fearful thing to see and hear how some ill-bred ungodly children will talk contemptuously and rudely to their Parents and wrangle and contend with them and contradict them and speak to them as if they were their equals And it s commonly long of the Parents themselves that breed them to it And at last they will grow even to abuse and vilifie them Read Prov. 30. 17. The eye that mocketh at his Father and despiseth to obey his Mother the Ravens of the Valley shall pick it out and the young Eagles shall eat it § 3. Direct 3. Obey your Parents in all things which God forbiddeth not Remember that as Nature Direct 3. hath made you unfit to govern your selves so God in Nature hath mercifully provided Governours for you Here I shall first tell you what obedience is and then tell you why you must be thus obedient I. To obey your Parents is to do that which they command you and forbear that which they forbid you because it is their Will you should do so You must 1. Have in your minds a desire to please them and be glad when you can please them and sorry when you offend them and then 2. You must not set your wit or your will against theirs but readily obey their commands without unwillingness murmuring or disputing Though you think your own way is best and your own desires are but reasonable yet your own wit and will must be subjected unto theirs or else how do you obey them II. And for the Reasons of your obedience 1. Consider it is the will of God that it should be so and he hath made them as his Officers to govern you and in disobeying them you disobey him Read Ephes. 6. 1 2 3. Children obey your Parents in the Lord for this is right Honour thy Father and Mother which is the first Commandment with promise that it may be well with thee and thou maist live long on the earth Col. 3. 20. Children obey your Parents in all things for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. Prov. 23. 22. Hearken to thy Father that begat thee and despise not thy Mother when she is old Prov. 13. 1. A wise Son heareth his Fathers instruction Prov. 1. 8 9. My Son hear the instruction of thy Father and forsake not the Law of thy Mother for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head and chains about thy neck 2. Consider also that your Parents Government is necessary to your own good and it is a Government of Love As your bodies would have perished if your Parents or some others had not taken care for you when you could not help your selves so your minds would be untaught and ignorant even like to Bruits if you had not others to teach and govern you Nature teacheth the Chickens to follow the Hen and all things when they are young to be led and guided by their Dams or else what would become of them 3. Consider also that they must be accountable to God for you and if they leave you to your selves it may be their destruction as well as yours as the sad example of Eli telleth you Rebell not therefore against those that God by Nature and Scripture hath set over you Though the fifth Commandment require obedience to Princâ—s and Masters and Pastors and other Superiours yet it nameth your Father and Mother only because they are the first of all your Governours to whom by Nature you are most obliged But perhaps you will say that though little Children must be ruled by their Parents yet you are grown up to a riper age and are wise enough to rule your selves I answer God doth not think so or else he would not have set Governours over you And are you wiser than he It is but few in the world that are wise enough to rule themselves Else God would not have set Princes and Magistrates and Pastors and Teachers over them as he hath done The Servants of the family are as old as you and yet are unfit to be the Rulers of themselves God loveth you better than to leave you Masterless as knowing that youth is rash and unexperienced Quest. But how long are Children under the Command and Government of their Parents Answ. There are several acts and degrees of Parents Government according to the several ends and uses of it Some acts of their Government are but to teach you to go and speak and some to teach you your labour and Calling and some to teach you good manners and the fear of God or the knowledge of the Scriptures and some are to settle you in such a course of living in which you shall need their nearer over-sight no more When any one of these ends are fully attained and you have all that your Parents Government can help you to than you are past that part of their Government But still you owe them not only Love and honour and reverence but obedience also in all things in which they are still appointed for your help and guidance Even when you are married from them though you have a propriety in your own estates and they have not so strict a charge of you as before yet if they command you your duty to God or them you are still obliged to obey them § 4. Direct 4. Be contented with your Parents provision for you and disposal of you Do not rebelliously Direct 4. murmur against them and complain of their usage of you much less take any thing against their wills It is the part of a fleshly Rebel and not of an obedient child to be discontent and murmur because they fare not better or because they are kept from sports and play or because they have not better cloaths or because they have not money allowed them to spend or use at their own discretion Are not you under Government and the Government of Parents and not of enemies Are your lusts and pleasures fitter to govern you than your Parents discretion Be thankful for what you have and remember that you deserve it not but have it freely It is your Pride or your fleshly sensuality that maketh you thus to murmur and not any wisdom or vertue that is in you Get down that Pride and fleshly mind and then you will not be so eager to have your wills What if your Parents did deal too hardly with you in your food or raiment or expences What harm doth it do you Nothing but a selfish sensual mind would make so great a matter of it It s a hundred times more dangerous
words of the Institution are read and the Bread and Wine are solemnly Consecrated by separating them to that sacred use and the acceptance and blessing of God is desired admire the mercy that prepared us a Redeemer and say O God how wonderful is thy Wisdom and thy Love How strangely dost thou glorifie thy mercy over those sins that gave thee advantage to glorifie thy justice Even thou our God whom we have offended hast out of thy own treasury satisfied thy own justice and given us a Saviour by such a Miracle of Wisdom Love and Condescension as men or Angels shall never be able fully to comprehend so didst thou love the sinful world as to give thy Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life O thou that hast prepared us so full a remedy and so pretious a gift sanctifie these creatures to be the Representative Body and Blood of Christ and prepare my heart for so great a gift and so high and holy and honourable a work § 53. 5. When you behold the Consecrated Bread and Wine discern the Lords Body and reverence it as the Representative Body and Blood of Iesus Christ and take heed of prophaning it by looking on it as common Bread and Wine Though it be not Transubstantiate but still is very Bread and Wine in its Natural Being yet it is Christs Body and Blood in representation and effect Look on it as the consecrated Bread of life which with the quickning Spirit must nourish you to life eternal § 54. 6. When you see the Breaking of the Bread and the Pouring out of the Wine let Repentance and Love and Desire and Thankfulness thus work within you O wondrous Love O hateful sin How merciful Lord hast thou been to sinners and how cruel have we been to our selves and thee Could Love stoop lower Could God be merciful at a dearer rate Could my sin have done a more horrid deed than put to death the Son of God How small a matter hath tempted me to that which must cost so dear before it was forgiven How dear payed my Saviour for that which I might have avoided at a very cheap rate At how low a price have I valued his blood when I have sinned and sinned again for nothing This is my doing My sins were the thorns the nails the spear Can a murderer of Christ be a a small offendor O dreadful justice It was I and such other sinners that deserved to bear the punishment who were guilty of the sin and to have been fewel for the unquenchable flames for ever O pretious Sacrifice O hateful sin O gracious Saviour How can mans dull and narrow heart be duly affected with such transcendent things or Heaven make its due impression upon an inch of flesh Shall I ever again have a dull apprehension of such Love Or ever have a favourable thought of sin Or ever have a fearless thought of Iustice O break or melt this hardned heart that it may be somewhat conformed to my crucified Lord The tears of Love and true Repentance are easier than the flames from which I am redeemed O hide me in these wounds and wash me in this pretious blood This is the Sacrifice in which I trust This is the Righteousness by which I must be justified and saved from the Curse of thy violated Law As thou hast accepted this O Father for the world upon the Cross Behold it still on the behalf of sinners and hear his blood that cryeth unto thee for mercy to the miserable and pardon us and accept us as thy Reconciled Children for the sake of this Crucified Christ alone We can offer thee no other Sacrifice for sin and we need no other § 55. 7. When the Minister applyeth himself to God by Prayer for the efficacy of this Sacrament that in iâ— he will give us Christ and his Benefits and pardon and justifie us and accept us as his reconciled Children joyn heartily and earnestly in these requests as one that knoweth the need and worth of such a mercy § 56. 8. When the Minister delivereth you the consecrated Bread and Wine look upon him as the messenger of Christ and hear him as if Christ by him said to you Take this my broken body and blood and feed on it to everlasting life and take with it my sealed Covenant and therein the sealed testimony of my Love and the sealed pardon of your sins and a sealed gift of life eternal so be it you unfeignedly consent unto my Covenant and give up your selves to me as my Redeemed ones Even as in delivering the possession of House or Lands the deliverer giveth a Key and a twig and a turfe and saith I deliver you this house and I deliver you this land so doth the Minister by Christs authority deliver you Christ and pardon and title to eternal life Here is an Image of a sacrificed Christ of Gods own appointing which you may lawfully use And more than an Image even an Investing instrument by which these highest mercies are solemnly delivered to you in the name of Christ. Let your hearts therefore say with Ioy and Thankfulness with faith and Love O matchless bounty of the eternal God! what a gift is this and unto what unworthy sinners And will God stoop so low to man and come so neer him and thus reconcile his worthless enemies Will he freely pardon all that I have done and take me into his family and love and feed me with the flesh and blood of Christ I believe Lord help mine unbelief I humbly and thankfully accept thy gifts Open thou my heart that I may yet more joyfully and thankfully accept them Seeing God will glorifie his Love and mercy by such incomprehensible gifts as these behold Lord a wretch that needeth all this mercy And seeing it is the offer of thy Grace and Covenant my soul doth gladly take thee for my God and Father for my saviour and my sanctifier And here I give up my self unto thee as thy Created Redeemed and I hope Regenerate one as thy Own thy Subject and thy Child to be saved and sanctified by thee to be beloved by thee and to Love thee to everlasting O seal up this Covenant and pardon by thy Spirit which thou sealest and deliverest to me in thy Sacrament that without reserve I may be entirely and for ever thine § 57. 9. When you see the Communicants receiving with you let your very hearts be united to the Saints in love and say How goodly are thy tents O Jacob How amiable is the family of the Nâ—â—b 24. 5. Psal 13. 15. 4. 16. 2 3. Iuk 19 8. Psal. 84. 10. Lord How good and pleasant is the unity of brethren How dear to me are the pretious members of my Lord though they have yet all their spots and weaknesses which he pardoneth and so must we My goodness O Lord extendeth not unto thee but unto thy Saints the excellent ones on earth in
whom is my delight What portion of my estate thou requirest I willingly give unto the poor and if I have wronged any man I am willing to restore it And seeing thou hast loved me an enemy and forgiven me so great a debt I heartily forgive those that have done me wrong and love my enemies O keep me in thy family all my days for a day in thy Court is better than a thousand and the door-keepers in thy house are happier than the most prosperous of the wicked § 58. 10. When the Minister returneth Thanks and Praise to God stir up your souls to the greatest alacrity and suppose you saw the Heavenly hosts of Saints and Angels Praising the same God in the presence of his Glory and think with your selves that you belong to the same family and society as they and are learning their work and must shortly arrive at their perfection Strive therefore to imitate them in Love and Ioy and let your very souls be poured out in Praises and Thanksgiving And when you have the next leisure for your private thoughts as when the Minister is exhorting you to your duty exercise your Love and Thanks and faith and hope and self-denyal and Resolution for future obedience in some such breathings of your souls as these O my gracious God thou hast surpassed all humane comprehension in thy Love Is this thy usage of unworthy prodigals I feared leâ—t thy wrath as a consuming fire would have devoured such a guilty soul and thou wouldst have charged upon me all my folly But while I condemned my self thou hast forgiven and justified me and surprized me with the sweetest embracements of thy Love I see now that thy thoughts are above our thoughts and thy wayes above our wayes and thy Love excelleth the Love of man even more than the Heavens are above the earth With how dear a price hast thou Redeemed a wretch that deserved thy everlasting vengeance with how pretious and sweet a feast hast thou entertained me who deserved to be cast out with the workers of iniquity Shall I ever more slight such Love as this shall it not overcome my rebelliousness and melt down my cold and hardened heart shall I be saved from Hell and not be thankful Angels are admiring these miracles of Love and shall not I admire them Their love to us doth cause them to rejoyce while they stand by and see our heavenly feast And should it not be sweeter to us that are the guests that feed upon it my God how dearly hast thou purchased my Love How strangely hast thou deserved and sought it Nothing is so much my grief and shame as that I can answer such Love with no more fervent fruitful Love O what an addition would it be to all this pretious mercy if thou wouldst give me a Heart to answer these thine invitations That thy Love thus poured out might draw forth mine and my soul might flame by its approaching unto these thy flames and that Love drawn out by the sense of Love might be all my life O that I could Love thee as much as I would Love thee Yea as much as thou wouldst have me Love thee But this is too great a happiness for earth But thou hast shewed me the place where I may attain it My Lord is there in full possession who hath left me these pledges till he come and fetch us to himself and feast us there in our Masters joy O blessed place O happy company that see his Glory and are filled with the streams of those rivers of consolation yea happy we whom thou hast called from our dark and miserable state and made us heirs of that felicity and passengers to it and expectants of it under the conduct of so sure a guide O then we shall Love thee without these sinful pâ—wses and defects in another measure and another manner than now we do when thou shalt reveal and communicate thy attractive Love in another measure and manner than now Till then my God I am devoted to thee By Right and Covenant I am thine My soul here beareth witness against my self that my defects of Love have no excuse Thou deservest all if I had the love of all the Saints in Heaven and Earth to give thee What hath this world to do with my affections And what is this sordid corruptible flesh that its desires and pleasures should call down my soul and tempt it to neglect my God What is there in all the sufferings that man can lay upon me that I should not joyfully accept them for his sake that hath Redeemed me from Hell by such unmatched voluntary sufferings Lord seeing thou regardest and so regardest so vile a worm my heart my tongue my hand confess that I am wholly thine O let me live to none but thee and to thy service and thy saints on earth And O let me no more return unto iniquity nor venture on that sin that killed my Lord And now thou hast chosen so low a dwelling O be not strange to the Heart that thou hast so freely chosen O make it the daily residence of thy spirit Quicken it by thy grace adorn it with thy gifts employ it in thy Love delight in its attendance on thee refresh it with thy joyes and the light of thy countenance and destroy this carnality selfishness and unbelief And let the world see that God will make a Palace of the lowest heart when he chooseth it for the place of his own abode § 59. Direct 8. When you come home review the mercy which you have received and the duty Direct 8. which you have done and the Covenant you have made And 1. Betake your selves to God in Praise and Prayer for the perfecting of his work and 2. Take heed to your hearts that they grow not cold and that worldly things or diverting trifles do not blot out the sacred impressions which Christ hath made and that they cool not quickly into their former dull and sleepy frame 3. And see that your Lives be actuated by the grace that you have here received that even they that you converse with may perceive that you have been with God Especially when Temptations would draw you again to sin and when the injuries of friends or enemies would provoke you and when you are called to testifie your love to Christ by any costly work or suffering remember then what was so lately before your eyes and upon your heart and what you resolved on and what a Covenant you made with God Yet judge not of the fruit of your Receiving so much by ☜ feeling as by faith for more is promised than you yet possess CHAP. XXV Directions for fearful troubled Christians that are perplexed with doubts of their sincerity and justification § 1. HAving Directed Families in the Duties of their Relations and in the right Worshipping of God I shall speak something of the special duties of some Christians who in regard of their state
when the next sickness cometh to remember that they were unthankful for their last recovery and how falsly they dealt with God in the breaking of their promises Foresee this that you may prevent it Tit. 3. Directions for a Comfortable or Peaceable Death COmfort is not desirable only as it Pleaseth us but also as it strengtheneth us and helpeth us in our greatest duties And when is it more needful than in sickness and the approach of death I shall therefore add such Directions as are necessary to make our departure comfortable or peaceful at the least as well as safe Direct 1. Because I would make this Treatise no longer than I needs must in order to overcome Direct 1. the fears of Death and get a chearful willingness to dye I desire the sick to read over those twenty Considerations and the following Directions which I have laid down in my Book of Self-denyal And when the fears of death are overcome the great impediment of their comfort is removed § 2. Direct 2. Misunderstand not sickness as if it were a greater evil than it is but observe how Direct 2. great a mercy it is that Death hath so suitable a harbinger or fore-runner That God should do so much before he taketh us hence to wean us from the world and make us willing to be gone that the unwilling flesh hath the help of pain and that the senses and appetite languish and decay which did draw the mind to earthly things and that we have so lowd a call and so great a help to true Mr. Vinâ—s Mr. Capell Mr. Holli gâ—orth Mr Aâ—hhâ—ost Mr A bâ—osâ— M 〈…〉 Bâ—raell c. repentance and serious preparation I know to those that have walked very close with God and are alwayes ready a sudden death may be a mercy as we have lately known divers holy Ministers and others that have dyed either after a Sacrament or in the Evening of the Lords Day or in the midst of some holy exercise with so little pain that none about them perecived when they dyed But ordinarily it is a mercy to have the flesh brought down and weakned by painful sickness to help to conquer our natural unwillingness to dye § 3. Direct 3. Remember whose Messenger sickness is and who it is that calleth you to dye It is Direct 3. he that is the Lord of all the world and gave us the Lives which he taketh from us And it is he that must dispose of Angels and Men of Princes and Kingdoms of Heaven and Earth and therefore there is no reason that such Worms as we should desire to be excepted You cannot deny him to be the Disposer of all things without denying him to be God It is he that Loveth us and never meant us harm in any thing that he hath done to us that gave the life of his Son to Redeem us and therefore thinketh not Life too good for us Our sickness and death are sent by the same Love that sent us a Saviour and sent us the powerful Preachers of his Word and sent us his Spirit and secretly and sweetly changed our hearts and knit them to himself in Love which gave us a life of pretious mercies for our souls and bodies and hath promised to give us life eternal And shall we think that he now intendeth us any harm Cannot he turn this also to our good as he hath done many an affliction which we have repined at § 4. Direct 4. Look by faith to your dying buryed risen ascended glorified Lord. Nothing will Direct 4. more powerfully overcome both the poyson and the fears of Death than the believing thoughts of him that hath triumphed over it Is it terrible as it separateth the soul from the body So it did by our Lord who yet overcame it Is it terrible as it layeth the body in the grave So it did by our Saviour though he saw not corruption but quickly rose by the power of his Godhead He dyed to teach us believingly and boldly to submit to death He was buried to teach us not overmuch to fear a grave He rose again to conquer death for us and to assure those that rise to newness of life that they shall be raised at last by his power unto glory and being made partakers of the first resurrection the second death shall have no power over them He liveth as our Head that we might live by him and that he might assure all those that are here risen with him and seek first the things that are above that though in themselves they are dead yet their life is hid with Christ in God and when Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in glory Col. 3. 1 2 4 5. What a comfortable word is that John 14. 19. Because I live ye shall live also Death could not hold the Lord of life Nor can it hold us against his will who hath the keyes of death and Hell Rev. 1. 18. He loveth every one of his sanctified ones much better than you love an eye or a hand or any other member of your body which you will not lose if you are able to save it When he ascended he left us that message full of comfort for his followers John 20. 17. Go to my Brethren and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father to my God and your God which with these two following I would have written before me on my sick-bed John 12. 26. If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there also shall my servant be And Luke 23. 43. Verily I say unto thee to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise O what a joyful thought should it be to a Believer to think when he is dying that he is going to his Saviour and that our Lord is risen and gone before us to prepare a place for us and take us in season to himself Iohn 14. 2 3 4. As you believe in God believe thus in Christ and then your hearts will be less troubled Ver. 1. It is not a stranger that we talk of to you but your Head and Saviour that loveth you better than you love your selves whose office it is there to appear continually for you before God and at last to receive your departing souls and into his hand it is that you must then commend them as Stephen did Acts 7. 59. § 5. Direct 5. Choose out some Promises most suitable to your condition and roll them over and over Direct 5. in your mind and feed and live on them by faith A sick man is not usually fit to think of very many things and therefore two or three comfortable promises to be still before his eyes may be the most profitable matter of his thoughts such as those three which I named before If he be most troubled with the greatness of his sin let it be such as these Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the world
we are here on earth They were compassed with temptations and clog'd with flesh and burdened with sin and persecuted by the world and they went out of the world by sickness and death as we must do and yet now their tears are wiped away their pains and groans and sears are turned into unexpressible blessedness and joy And would we not be with them Is not their company desirable and their felicity more desirable The glory of the new Ierusalem is not described to us in vain Rev. 21. 22. God will be all in all there to us as the only sun and Glory of that world and yet we shall have pleasure not only to see our Glorified Redeemer but also to converse with the Heavenly society and to sit down with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdom of God and to Love and Praise him in consort and harmony with all those holy blessed spirits And shall we be afraid to follow where the Saints of all Generations have gone before us And shall the company of our best and most and happiest friends be no inducement to us Though it must be our highest joy to think that we shall dwell with God and next that we shall see the Glory of Christ yet is it no small part of my comfort to consider that I shall follow all those holy persons whom I once conversed with that are gone before me and that I shall dwell with such as Henoch and Elias and Abraham and Moses and Iob and David and Peter and Iohn â—nd Paul and Timothy and Ignatius and Polycarpe and Cyprian and Reader bear with this mixture For God will own his image when piâ—vish contenders do deny it or blaspheam it and will receive those whom faction and proud domination would cast ouâ— and vilifie with scorn and slanders Naziaâ—zene and Augustine and Chrysostome and Bernard and Gerson and Savonarola and Miraâ—dula and Taulerus and Kempisius and Melancthon and Alasco and Calvin and Bucholâ—zer and Bullinger and Musculus and Zanchy and Bâ—cer and Paraeus and Grynaeus and Chemnitius and Gerhard and Chamier and Capellus and Blondel and Rivet and Rogers and Bradford and Hooper and Latimer and Hildersham and Amâ—sius and Langley and Nicolls and Whitaker and Cartwright and Hooker and Bayne and Preston and Sibbes and Perkins and Dod and Parker and Ball and Usher and Hall and Gataker and Bradshaw and Vines and Ash and millions more of the family of God I name these for my own delight and comfort it being pleasant to me to remember what companions I shall have in the heavenly joyes and praises of my Lord. How few are all the Saints on earth in comparison of those that are now with Christ And alas how weak and ignorant and corrupt how selfish and contentious and froward are Gods poor infants here in flesh when above there is nothing but Holiness and Perfection If Knowledge or Goodness or any excellency do make the creatures truly amiable all this is there in the highest degree but here alas how little have we If the Love of God or the Love of us do make others Lovely to us it is there and not here that these and all perfections flourish O how much now do I find the company of the wise and learned the godly and sincere to differ from the company of the ignorant bruitish the proud and malitious the false-hearted and ungodly rabble How sweet is the converse of a holy wise experienced Christian O then what a place is the new Ierusalem and how pleasant will it be with Saints and Angels to See and Love and Praise the Lord. § 8. Direct 8. That sickness and death may be comfortable to you as your passage to Eternity Direct 8. take notice of the seal and earnest of God even the spirit of grace which he hath put into your hearts That which emboldened Paul and such others to groan after immortality and to be most willing to be absent from the body and present with the Lord was because God himself had wrought or made them for it and given them the earnest or pledge of his spirit 2 Cor. 5. 4 5 8. For this is Gods mark upon his chosen and justified ones by which they are sealed up to the day of their redemption Ephes. 4. 30. Ephes. 1. 13. In whom also after ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise 2 Cor. 1. 21 22. God hath annointed us and sealed us and given us the pledge or earnest of his spirit into our hearts This is the pledge or earnest of our inheritance Ephes. 1. 14. And what a comfort should it be to us when we look towards Heaven to find such a pledge of God within us If you say I fear I have not this earnest of the spirit Whence then did your desires of holiness arise what weaned you from the world and made you place your hopes and happiness above whence came your enmity to sin and opposition to it and your earnest desires after the Glory of God the prosperity of the Gospel and the good of souls The very Love of Holiness and holy persons and your desires to know God and perfectly Love him do shew that heavenly nature or spirit within you which is your surest evidence for eternal life For that spirit was sent from heaven to draw up your hearts and fit you for it And God doth not give you such natures and desires and preparations in vain This also is called The witness of the spirit with or to our spirit that we are the children of God and if Children then heirs heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ Rom. 8. 15 16 17. It witnesseth our adoption by evidencing it as a seal or pledge doth witness our title to that which is so confirmed to us The nature of every thing is suited to its use and end God would not have given us a heavenly nature or desire if he had not intended us for Heaven § 9. Direct 9. Look also to the testimony of a holy life since grace hath imployed you in seeking after Direct 9. the heavenly inheritance It is unlawful and perillous to look after any works or righteousness of So Hezektah your own so as to set it in whole or in part instead of Christ or to ascribe to it any honour that is proper to him As to imagine that you are innocent or have fulfilled the Law or have made God a compensation by your merits or sufferings for the sin you have committed But yet you must judge your selves on your sick beds as near as you can as God will judge you And he will judge every man according to his work and will recompense and reward men according to their works Matth. 25 39 40 c. Well done good and faithful servant Thou hast been faithful over a little I will make thee ruler over much Come ye blessed of my father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you for I was hungry
and accordingly your speech must be mixt and tempered and your counsels or comforts given with the Conditions and Suppositions exprest § 13. Quest. But what order would you have us observe in speaking to the ignorant and ungodly Quest. 5. when the time is so short Answ. 1. Labour to awaken them to a lively sense of the change which is at hand that they may Answ. understand the necessity of looking after the state of their souls 2. Then shew them what are the terms of salvation and who they are that the Gospel doth judge to salvation or damnation 3. Next advise them to try which of these is their condition and to deal faithfully seeing self-flattery may undo them but can do them no good 4. Then help them in the tryal q. d. If it have been so or so with you then you may know that this is your case 5. Then tell them the Reasons of your fears if you fear they are unconverted or of your hopes if you hope indeed that it is better with them 6. Then exhort them conditionally if they are yet in a carnal unsanctified state to lament it and be humbled and penitent for their sinful and ungodly life 7. And then tell them the Remedy in Christ and the Holy Ghost and the Promise or Covenant of Grace 8. And lastly tell them their present duty that this Remedy may prove effectual to their salvation And if you have so much interest or authority as maketh it fit for you excite them by convenient questions so far to open their case as may direct you and as by their answers may shew whether they truly resolve for a holy life if God restore them and whether their hearts indeed be changed or not § 14. Direct 7. If you are not able to instruct them as you should read some good Book to Direct 7. them which is most suitable to their case Such as Mr. Perkins Right art of Dying well The Practice of Piety in the Directions for the Sick Mr. Ed. Lawrences Treatise of Sickness or what else is most suitable to them And because most are themselves unable for counselling the sick aright and you may not have a fit Book at hand I shall here subjoyn a brief Form or two for such to Read to the Sick that can endure no long discourse And other books will help you to forms of Prayer with them if you cannot pray without such help § 15. Direct 8. Iudge not of the state of mens souls by those carriages in their sickness which Direct 8. proceed from their diseases or bodily distemper Many ignorant people judge of a man by the manner of his dying If one die in calmness and clearness of understanding and a few good words they think that this is to die like a Saint Whereas in Consumptions and oft in Dropsies and other such Chronical diseases this is ordinary with good and bad And in a Feaver that 's violent or a Phrensie or Distraction the best man that is may die without the use of Reason Some diseases will make one blockish and heavy and unapt to speak and some consist with as much freedom of speech as in time of health The state of mens souls must not be judged of by such accidental unavoidable things as these § 16. Direct 9. Be neither unnaturally sensless at the death of friends nor excessively dejected or afflicted Direct 9. To make light of the Death of Relations and friends be they good or bad is a sign of a very vitious nature that is so much selfish as not much to regard the Lives of others And he that regardeth not the Life of his friends is little to be trusted in his lower concernments I speak not this of those persons whose temper alloweth them not to weep For there may be as deep a regard and sorrow in some that have no tears as in others that abound with them But I speak of a naughty selfish nature that is little affected with any ones concernments but its own § 17. Yet your grief for the death of friends must be very different both in degree and kind 1. For ungodly friends you must grieve for their own sakes because if they dyed such they are lost for ever 2. For your Godly friends you must mourn for the sake of your selves and others because God hath removed such as were blessings to those about them 3. For choice Magistrates and Ministers and other instruments of publick good your sorrow must be greater because of the common loss and the judgement thereby inflicted on the World 4. For old tryed Christians that have overcome the world and lived so long till age and weakness make them almost unserviceable to the Church and who groan to be unburdened and to be with Christ your sorrow should be least and your joy and thanks for their happiness should be greatest But especially abhor that nature that secretly is glad of the death of Parents or little sorrowful because that their estates are faln to you or you are enriched or set at liberty by their death God seldom leaveth this sin unrevenged by some heavy judgements even in this life § 18. Direct 10. To overcome your inordinate grief for the death of your relations consider these Direct 10. things following 1. That excess of sorrow is your sin And sinning is an ill use to be made of your Help against excessive grief for the Death of friends affliction 2. That it tendeth to a great deal more It unfitteth you for many duties which you are bound to as to Rejoice in God and to be Thankful for mercies and cheerful in his Love and Praise and Service And is it a small sin to unfit your selves for the greatest duties 3. If you are so troubled at Gods disposal of his own what doth your Will but rise up against the will of God as if you grudged at the exercise of his Dominion and Government that is that he is God! Who is wisest and Best and fittest to dispose of all mens lives Is it God or you Would you not have God to be the Lord of all and to dispose of Heaven and earth and of the lives and Crowns of the greatest Princes If you would not you would not have him to be God If you would is it not unreasonable that you or your friends only should be excepted from his disposal 4. If your friends are in Heaven how unsuitable is it for you to be overmuch mourning for them when they are rapt into the highest Joyes with Christ and Love should teach you to rejoice with them that rejoice and not to mourn as those that have no hope 5. You know not what mercy God Isa. 57. 1. shewed to your friends in taking them away from the evil to come you know not what suffering Phil. 1. 2◠23. the Land or Church is falling into or at least might have faln upon themselves nor what sins they might have
the truth Direct 8. as in the presence of scorners or when required by magistrates or others c. let not the advise or interest Mat. 10. 18 23 32 33 38 39. 12. 14 15. 14. 13. Joh. 10. 39. Heb. 11. 27. Act. 9. 25. of the flesh have any hand at all in the resolving of the case but let it be wholly determined as the interest of Christ requireth Spare thy self when the interest of Christ requireth it not for thy self but for him But when his interest is most promoted by thy suffering rejoice that thou art any way capable of serving him § 15. Direct 9. Though sometimes a particular profession of the faith may be unseasonable yet you Direct 9. must never make any profession of the contrary either by words or actions Truth may be sometimes silenced but a Lye may never be professed or approved § 16. Direct 10. If any that Profess Christianity reproach you for the profession of Holiness and Diligence convince them that they Hypocritically profess the same and that Holiness is essential to Christianity Open their Baptismal Covenant to them and the Lords Prayer in which they daily pray that Gods will may be done on earth even as it is in Heaven which is more strictly than the best of us can reach The difference between them and you is but this whether we should be Christians hypocritically in jeast or in good earnest CHAP. V. Directions about Vows and particular Covenants with God Tit. 1. Directions for the right making such Vows and Covenants § 1. Direct 1. UNderstand the Nature of a Vow and the Use to which it is appointed What a Vow is A Vow is a Promise made to God 1. It is not a bare Assertion or Negation 2. It is not a meer Pollicitation or expression of the purpose or resolution of the mind For he that saith or meaneth no more than I am purposed or resolved to do this may upon sufficient reason do the contrary For he may change his mind and resolution without any untruth or injury to any 3. It is not a meer Devoting of a thing to God for the present by actual resignation For the present actual Delivery of a thing to Sacred Uses is no Promise for the future Though we usually joyn them both together yet Devovere may be separated from Vovâ—re 4. It must be therefore a Promise which is A voluntary obliging ones self to another de futuro for some Good 5. It is therefore implyed that it be the Act of a Rational creature and of one that in that act hath some competent use of Reason and not of a fool or ideot or mad man or a child that hath Viris gravibus vehementer displicere animadveâ—ti quod ab Indis testimonium jurejurando exigitur cum constet eos facillime pejeraâ—e utpote qui neque juramenti vim sentiant neque veritatis studio tanganâ—ur sed testimonium eo modo dicant quâ— credunt Judici gratissimum fore â—ut a primo suae factionis homine edocti sunt Hos igitur jurare compellere ipsis exitiosum propter perjuria c. Aâ—osta p. 345. not reason for such an act no nor of a brainsick or melancholy person who though he be caetera sanus is either delirant in that business or is irresistibly born down and necessitated by his Disease to Vow against the sober deliberate conclusion of his reason at other times having at the Time of Vowing Reason enough to strive against the Act but not self-government enough to restrain a passionate Melancholy Vow 6. Whereas some Casuists make Deliberation necessary it must be understood that to the Being of a Vow so much Deliberation is requisite as may make it a rational humane act it must be an act of Reason but for any further Deliberation it is necessary only to the well-being and not to the being of a Vow and without it it is a Rash Vow but not No Vow 7. When we say It must be a Voluntary Act the meaning is not that it must be totally and absolutely Voluntary without any fear or threatning to induce us to it but only that it be really Voluntary that is an act of choice by a free agent that considering all things doth choose so to do He that hath a Sword set to his breast and doth Swear or Vow to save his life doth do it Voluntarily as choosing rather to do it than to dye Man having free-will may choose rather to dye than Vow if he think best His will may be moved by fear but cannot be forced by any one or any means whatsoever 8. When I say that a Vow is a Promise I imply that the Matter of it is necessarily some real or supposed good to be good or to do good or not to do evil Evil may be the matter of an Oath but it is not properly a Vow if the matter be not supposed good 9. It is a promise made to God that we are now speaking of Whether the name of a Vow belong to a promise made only to man is a question de nomine which we need not stop at § 2. A Vow is either a simple Promise to God or a Promise bound with an Oath or imprecation The sorts of Vows Some would appropriate the Name of a Vow to this last sort only when men swear they will do this or that Which indeed is the most formidable sort of vowing but the true nature of a Vow is found also in a simple self-obliging Promise § 3. The true Reason and Use of Vows is but for the more certain and effectual performance of The Use of Vows our Duties not to make new Laws and Duties and Religions for us but to drive on the backward lingering soul to do its duty and to break over difficulties and delayes that by strengthening our bonds and setting the danger before our eyes we may be excited to escape it § 4. It is a great question whether our own Vows can add any new obligation to that which before The Obligation of Vows lay upon us from the command of God Amesius saith Cas. Consc. l. 4. c. 16. Non addituâ— prâ—prie in istis nova obligatio neque augetur in se prior sed magis agn scitur recipitur a nobis Passive in istis aeque fuimus antea obligati sed activa recognitione arctivùs nobis applicatur a nobismeâ—ipsis Others commonly speak of an additional obligation And indeed there is a double obligation added by a Vow to that which God before had laid on us to the Matter of that Vow Premising this distinction between Obligatio imponentis a Governing obligation which is the effect of Governing right or Authority and obligatio consentientis a self-obliging by voluntary consent which is the effect of that dominion which a Rational free agent hath over his own actions I say 1. He that ☜ voweth doth oblige himself who before was obliged
pretend to the greatest austerities do grow up to such a measure of sowre pride and uncharitable contempt of others and especially of all superiours and hellish railing against the holiest Ministers and people as we have scarce known or ever read of § 63. 7. These Divisions fill the Church with sin even with sins of a most odious nature They introduce a swarm of errors while it becomes the Mode for every one to have a doctrine of his own and to have something to say in Religion which may make him notable Acts 20. 30. Of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away Disciples after them They cherish pride and malice and belying others the three great sins of the Devil as naturally as dead flesh breedeth Worms They destroy impartial Christian Love as naturally as bleeding doth consume our vital heat and moisture What wickedness is it that they will not cherish In a word the Scripture telleth us The Greek word is Zeal that where envying and strife is there is confusion and every evil work And is not this a lamentable way of Reformation of some imaginary or lesser evils § 64. 8. These Divisions are the grief of honest spectators and cause the sorrows of those that are guilty of them They make all their duties uneasie to them and turn their Religion into a bitter unpleasant wrangling toil Like Oxâ—n in the yoke that strive against each other when they should draw in order and equality What a grievous life is it to Husband and Wife or any in the family if they live in discord So is it to the members of the Church When once men take the Kingdom of God to consist of meats or drinks or ceremonies which consisteth in Righteousness and Peace and Rom. 14. 17. 1 Tim. 1. 4. Joy in the Holy Ghost and turn to strive about unedifying questions they turn from all the sweetness of Religion § 65. 9. Sects and Divisions lead directly to Apostacy from the faith Nothing is more in the design of Satan than to confound men so with variety of Religions that they may think there is no certainty in any that so both the ignorant spectators may think all Religion is but fancy and deceit and the contenders themselves wheel about from Sect to Sect till they come to the point where they first set out and to be at last deliberately of no Religion who at first were of none for want of deliberation And it is no small success that Satan hath had by this temptatation § 66. 10. The Divisions of Christians do oft proceed to shake States and Kingdoms having a â—amentable influence upon the Civil peace And this stirreth up Princes jealousies against them and to the use of those severities which the suffering party takes for persecution yea and Turks and all Princes that are enemies to Reformation and Holiness do justifie themselves in their cruellest persecutions when they see the Divisions of Christians and the troubles of States that have followed thereupon If Christians and Protestants in special did live in that Unity Peace and Order as their Lord and Ruler requireth them to do the consciences of persecuters would even worry and torment them and make their lives a Hell on earth for their cruelty against so excellent a sort of men But now when they see them all in confusions and see the troubles that follow hereupon and hear them reviling one another they think they may destroy them as the troublers of the earth and their consciences scarce accuse them for it § 67. IV. It is necessary also for your true understanding the malignity of this sin that you The Aggravations of Schism take notice of the Aggravations of it especially as to us 1. It is a sin against so many and clear and vehement words of the Holy Ghost which I have partly before recited that it is therefore utterly without excuse Whoredoms and Treasons and Perjury are not oftner forbidden in the Gospel than this § 68. 2. It is contrary to the very design of Christ in our Redemption which was to Reconcile us all to God and unite and center us all in him To gather together in one the Children of God that are scattered abroad John 11. 52. To gather together in one all things in Christ Ephes. 1. 10. To make in himself of twain one new man so making peace Ephes. 2. 15. And shall we joyn with Satan the divider and destroyer against Christ the Reconciler in the very design of his Redemption § 69. 3. It is contrary to the design of the Spirit of Grace and contrary to the very nature of Christianity it self By one Spirit we are all baptized into one body and have all been made to drink into one Spirit 1 Cor. 12 13. As there is one Body and one Spirit so it is our charge to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Ephes. 4. 3 4. The new nature of Christians doth consist in Love and desireth the Communion of Saints as such And therefore the command of this special Love is called the New Commandment John 17. 21. 13. 34. 15. 12 17. And they are said to be taught of God to love one another 1 Thess. 4 9. As self-preservation is the chief principle in the Natural body which causeth it to abhorr the wounding or amputation of its members and to avoid division as destruction except when a gangrened member must be cut off for the saving of the body so it is also with the mystical body of Christ. He is senseless and graceless that abhorreth not Church-wounds § 70. 4. These Divisions are sins against the nearest bonds of our high Relations to each other We are Brethren and should there be any strife among us Gen. 13. 8. We are all the children of Rom. 8. 16. 9. 26. God by faith in Christ Iesus Gal. 3. 26. We are the fellow-members of the body of Christ and 1 John 5. 2. should we tear his body and separate his members and cut his flesh and break his bones Eph. 5. 23. 30. For as the Body is one and hath many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body so also is Christ 1 Cor. 12. 12. As we have many members in one body so we being many are one body in Christ and every one members one of another Rom. 12. 4 5. He that woundeth or dismembreth your own bodies shall scarce be taken for your friend And are you Christs friends when you dismember or wound his body Is it lovely to see the children or servants Quicquid ad multitudinem vergit antipatâ—â—am continet quanto magis multitudo augetur tanto â—â—â—â—pathia quicquid vero ad unitatem tendit sympathiam habet quanto magis ad unitatem accedit tanto puâ—â—ori sympathia augetur Paul Scaliâ—er Epist. Cath. l. 3. p. 176. in your family together by the ears Is Civil Wars for
how contrary soever among themselves but they all pretended Gods authority and entitled him to their sin and called it his service and censured others as ungodly or less godly that would not do as bad as they St. Iames is put to confute them that thought this wisdom was from above and so did glory in their sin and lye against the truth when their wisdom was from beneath and no better than earthly sensual and deviliish For the wisdom from above is first pure then peaceable gentle easie to be entreated full of mercy c. James 3. 17. § 78. 12. Church divisions are unlike to our Heavenly state and in some regard worse than the Kingdom of the Devil for he would not destroy it by dividing it against it selâ— Matth. 12. 26. O what a blessed harmony of united holy souls will there be in the Heavenly Ierusalem where we hope to dwell for ever There will be no discords envyings Sideings or contendings one being of this party and another of that but in the Unity of perfect Love that world of Spirits with joyful Eph. 4. 13 14 16. praise will magnifie their Creator And is a snarling envy or jarring discord the likely way to such an end Is the Church of Christ a Babâ—l of confusion Should they be divided party against party here that must be one in perfect Love for ever Shall they here be condemning each other as none of the children of the Most High who there must live in sweetest concord If there be shame in Heaven you will be ashamed to meet those in the delights of Glory and see them entertained by the Lord of Love whom you reviled and cast out of the Church or your communion causelesly on earth § 79. Remember now that Schism and making parties and divisions in the Church is not so small a sin as many take it for It is the accounting it a duty and a part of Holiness which is the greatest cause that it prospereth in the world And it will never be reformed till men have right apprehensions of the evil of it Why is it that sober people are so far and free from the sins of swearing drunkenness fornication and lasciviousness but because these sins are under so odious a character as helpeth them easily to perceive the evil of them And till Church-divisions be rightly apprehended as whoredom and swearing and drunkenness are they will never be well cured Imprint therefore on your minds the true Character of them which I have here laid down and look abroad upon the effects and then you will fear this confounding sin as much as a consuming Plague § 80. The two great causes that keep Divisions from being hated as they ought are 1. A charitable Two Hinderances of our true apprehensions of Schisme respect to the good that is in Church-dividers carrying us to overlook the evil of the sin judging of it by the Persons that commit it and thinking that nothing should seem odious that is theirs because many of them are in other respects of blameless pious conversations And indeed every Christian must so prudently reprehend the mistakes and faults of pious men as not to asperse the piety which is conjunct and therefore not to make their persons odious but to give the person all his just commendations for his piety while we oppose and aggravate his sin Because Christ himself so distinguisheth between the good and the evil and the person and the sin and loveth his own for their good while he hateth their evil and so must we And because it is the grand design of Satan by the faults of the godly to make their Persons hated first and their Piety next and so to banish Religion from the world And every friend of Christ must shew himself an enemy to this design of Satan But yet the sin must be disowned and opposed while the person is Loved according to his worth Christ will give no thanks for such Love to his children as cherisheth their Church-destroying sins There is no greater enemy to sin than Christ though there be no greater friend to souls Godliness was never intended to be a fortress for iniquity or a battery for the Devil to mount his Cannons on against the Church nor for a blind to cover the Powder-mines of Hell Satan never opposeth Truth and Godliness and Unity so dangerously as when he can make Religious men his instruments Remember therefore that all men are vanity and Gods interest and honour must not be sacrificed to theirs nor the most Holy be abused in reverence to the holiest of sinful men § 81. The other great hinderance of our due apprehension of the sinfulness of divisions is our too deep sense of our sufferings by superiours and our looking so much at the evil of persecutions as not to look at the danger of the contrary extream Thus under the Papacy the people of Germany at Luthers Reformation were so deeply sensible of the Papal cruelties that they thought by how many wayes soever men fled from such bloody persecutors they were very excusable And while men were all taken up in decrying the Roman Idolatry corruptions and cruelties they never feared the danger of their own divisions till they smarted by them And this was once the case of many good people here in England who so much hated the wickedness of the Prophane and the Haters of Godliness that they had no apprehensions of the evil of Divisions among themselves And because many prophanâ— ones were wont to call sober godly people Schismaticks and Factious therefore the very names begâ—n with many to grow into credit as if they had been of good signification and there had been really no such sin as schism and factiâ—n to be feared Till God permitted this sin to break in upon us with such fury as had almost turned us into a Babel and a desolation And I am perswaded God did purposely permit it to teach his people more sensibly to know the evil of that sin by the efâ—â—cts which they would not know by other means And to let them see when they had reviled and ruined each other that there is that in themselves which they should be more afraid of than of any enemy without § 82. Direct 5. Own nâ—t any cause which is an enemy to Love And pretend neither Truth nor Holiness Direct 5. nor Unity nor Order nor any thing against it The Spirit of Love is that one Vital Spirit which 〈…〉 9 〈…〉 4. 〈…〉 2. 〈…〉 19. â—â— 1 〈…〉 1 â—â—â—â— 5 〈…〉 2 â—â—â—â— 1. 7. Heb. 10. 24. 〈…〉 5. 6 13. doth animate all the Saints The increase â—f Love is the powerful Balâ—â—me that healeth all the Churches wounds Though loveless lifeless Physicions think that all these wounds must be healed by the Sword And indeed the Weapon-salve is now become the proper cure It is the Sword that must be medicated that the wounds made by it may be healed The decayes of
them greater Love and Honour than you ow 〈…〉 ny Saints on Earth Eph. 3. 15. The whole â—â—â—â—ly in Heaven and Earth is named of Christ. Those are the happiest and noblest paâ—â—s that are most pure and perfect and dwell in the highest and most glorious habitations nearest unto Christ yea with him If Holiness be lovely the most Holy are the most lovely We have many obligations therefore to Love them more than the Saints on earth They are more excellent and amiable and Christ Loveth them more And if any be Honourable it must especially be those spirits that are of greatest excellencies and perfections and advanced to the greatest Glory and nearness to their Lord. Make Conscience therefore of this as your duty not only to Love and Honour blessed souls but to Love and Honour them more than those that are yet on Earth And as every Duty is attended with Benefiâ— so we shall find this exceeding great benefit in the performance of this duty that iâ— will incline our â—earts to be the more Heavenly and draw up our Desires to the society which we so much Love and Honour § 2. Direct 2. Remember that it is a part of the life of faith to see by it the Heavenly Society of Direct 2. the blessed and a part of your Heavenly Conversation to have frequent serious and delightful thoughts Heb. 11. 1. of thâ—se Crowned souls that are with Christ. Otherwise God would never have given us such descriptions of the Heavenly Ierusalem and told us so much of the Hosts of God that must inhabit it for ever that must come from the East and from the West and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of God When it is said that our conversatiâ—n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in Heaven Phil. 3. 20. the meaning extendeth both to our Relation Priviledges and Converse We are Denizâ—ns or Citizens of the Heavenly Society and our title to their happiness is our highest Priviledge and Honour and therefore our daily business is there and our sweetest and most serious converse is with Christ and all those blessed spirits Whatever we are doing here our Eye and Heart should still be there For we look not at the temporal things which are seen but at the eternal things which are not seen 2 Cor. 4. 18. A wise Christian that hath forsaken the Kingdom of darkness will be desirous to know what the Kingdom of Christ is into which he is translated and who are his fellow Subjects and what are their several ranks and dignities so far as tendeth to his congruous converse with them all And how should it affect us to find that we are come unto Mount Zion and unto the City of the living God the Heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels to the general Assembly and Church of the first born which are written in Heaven and to God the Iudge of all and to the spirits of Iust men made perfect and to Iesus the Mediator of the new Covenant Heb. 12. 22 23 24. Live then as the members of this society and exclude not the chief members from your thoughts and converse though our local visible communion be only with these rural inferiour inhabitants and not with the Courtiers of the King of Heaven yet our Mental Communion may be much with them If our home and treasure be there with them our Hearts will be there also Mat. 6. 21. § 3. Direct 3. It is the will of God that the Memory of the Saints be honoured on earth when they are Direct 3. dead It is some part of his favour which he hath promised to them Prov. 10. 7. The memory of the just is blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot Matth. 26. 13. Verily I say unto you wheresoever this Gospel shall be Preached in the whole world there shall also this that this woman hath done be told for a memorial of her The history of the Scripture recordeth the Lives of the Saints to their perpetual honour And God will have it so also for the sake of his abused servants upon earth that they may see that the slanders of malicious tongues shall not be able to obscure the glory of his Grace and that the lies of the ungodly prevail but for a moment And God will have it so for the sake of the ungodly that they may be ashamed of their malicious enmity and lyes against the godly while they perceive that the departed Saints do leave behind them a surviving testimony of their sanctity and innocency sufficient to confound the venemous calumnies of the Serpents Seed Yea God will have the Names of his eminent servants to be honoured upon earth for the honour of their Head and of his Grace and Gospel so that while malice would cast dishonour upon Christ from the meanness and failings of his servants that are alive the memory of the dead who were once as much despised and slandered shall rise up against them to his honour and their shame And it is very observable how God constraineth the bitter enemies of Holiness to bear this Testimony for the honour of Holiness against themselves that many who are the cruelest persecutors and murderers of the Living Saints do honour the Dead even to excess How zealous are the Papists for the multitude of their Holy dayes Concil Later sub Innoc. 3. can 3. and the honouring of their Names and Relicts and pretending many Miracles to be wrought by a very touch of their Shrines or Bones whilest they revile and muder those that imitate them and deprive Temporal Lords of their Dominions that will not exterminate them Yea while they burn the living Saints they make it part of their crime or Heresie that they honour not the Dayes and Relicts of the Dead so much as they To shew us that the things that have been shall be and that wickedness is the same in all generations Matth. 23. 29 30 31 32 33. Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites because ye build the Tâ—mbes of the Prophets and garnish the Sepulchres of the righteous and say If we had been in the dayes of our fathers we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the Prophets wherefore ye be witnesses to your selves that ye are the Children of them which killed the Prophets Filâ— ye up then the measure of your fathers Ye Serpents ye generation of Vipers how can ye escape the damnation of Hell I know that neither did the Pharisees nor do the Papists believe that those whom they murdered were Saints but Deceivers and Hereticks and the troublers of the World But if Charity be the grace most necessary to salvation then sure it will not keep any man from damnation that he had malice and uncharitableness sufficient to perswade him that the members of Christ were Children of the Devil But thus God will force even the persecutors and haters of his Saints to honour them And
Father Word and Spirit are undivided But yet some things are more eminently attributed to one person in the Trinity and some to another 2. By the Law and Covenant of Innocency the Creator eminently ruled Omnipotently And the Joh. 5. 22 25. Prov. 1. 20 21 c. Son Ruled eminently sapientially initially under the Covenant of promise or grace from Adam till his Incarnation and the descent of the Holy Ghost and more fully and perfectly afterward by the Holy Ghost And the Holy Ghost ever since doth Rule in the Saints as the Paraclete Advocate or Agent of Christ and Christ by him eminently by holy Love which is yet but initially But the same Holy Ghost by perfect Love shall perfectly Rule in Glory for ever even as the spirit of the Father and the Son We have already the Initial Kingdom of Love by the spirit and shall have the perfect Kingdom in Heaven And besides the initial and the perfect there is no other Nor is the perfect Kingdom to be expected before the day of judgement or our removal unto Heaven For our Kingdom is not of this World And they that sell all and follow Christ do make the exchange for Mat. 5. 11 12. Luk. 18. 22 23. Mat. 10. 41 32. Luk. 6. 23. 16. 20. 1 Cor. 12. 2 3. 5. 1 3 8. Mat. 18. 10. 1 Thes. 4. 17 18. Mar. 12. 25. 2 Pet. 3. 11 12 13. 1 Pet. 1. 4. Heb. 10. 34. 12. 23. Col. 1. 5. Phil. 3. 20. 21. a Reward in Heaven And they that suffer persecution for his sake must rejoice because their reward in Heaven is great And they that relieve a prophet or righteous man for the sake of Christ and that lose any thing for him shall have indeed an hundred fold in value in this life but in the world to come eternal life We shall be taken up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord And those are the words with which we must comfort one another and not Jewishly with the hopes of an earthly Kingdom And yet we look for a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness according to his promise But who shall be the inhabitants and how that Heaven and Earth shall diffâ—r and what we shall then have to do with Earth Whether to be Overseers of that Righteous Earth and so to judge or Rule the World as the Angels are now over us in this World are things which yet I understand not Quest. 162. May we not look for Miracles hereafter Answ. THe answer to Quest. 160. may serve to this 1. God may work Miracles if he please Lâ—ke 23. 8. and hath not told us that he never will 2. But he hath not promised us that he will and therefore we cannot believe such a promise not expect them as a certain thing Nor may any pray for the gift of miracles 3. But if there be any probability of them it will be to those that are converting Infidel Nations when they may be partly of such use as they were at first 4. Yet it is certain that sometimes God still worketh Miracles But arbitrarily and rarely which may not put any individual person in expectation of them Object Is not the promise the same to us as to the Apostles and primitive Christians if we could but believe as they did Answ. 1. The promise to be believed goeth before the faith that believeth it and not that faith before the promise 2. The promise of the Holy Ghost was for perpetuity to sanctifie all believers 1 Cor. 1â— 2â— 29. Heb. 2. 3 4. John 1â— 41. But the promise of that special gift of Miracles was for a time because it was for a special use that is to be a standing seal to the truth of the Gospel which all after ages may be convinced of in point of fact and so may still have the use and benefit of And providence ceasing Miracles thus expoundeth the promise And if Miracles must be common to all persons and ages they would be as no Miracles And we have seen those that most confidently believed they should work them all fail But I have written so largely of this point in a set Disputation in my Treatise called The Unreasonableness of Infidelity fully proving those first Miracles satisfactory and obligatory to all following ages that I must thither now refer the Reader Quest. 163. Is the Scripture to be tryed by the Spirit or the Spirit by the Scripture and which of them is to be preferred Answ. I Put the question thus confusedly for the sake of those that use to do so to shew them how to get out of their own Confusion You must distinguish 1. Between the Spirit in it self considered and the Scripture in it self 2. Between the several operations of the Spirit 3. Between the several persons that have the Spirit And so you must conclude 1. That the Spirit in it self is infinitely more excellent than the Scripture For the Spirit is God and the Scripture is but the work of God 2. The operation of the Spirit in the Apostles was more excellent than the operation of the same Spirit now in us As producing more excellent effects and more infallible 3. Therefore the holy Scriptures which were the infallible dictates of the Spirit in the Apostles 1 Joh. 4. 1 2 6. John 18. 37. 8. 47. are more perfect than any of our apprehensions which come by the same Spirit which we have not in so great a measure 4. Therefore we must not try the Scriptures by our most spiritual apprehensions but our apprehensions Acts 17. 11 12. Matth. 5. 18. Rom. 16. 26. by the Scriptures that is we must prefer the Spirits inspiring the Apostles to indite the Scripture before the Spirits illuminating of us to understand them or before any present inspirations the former being the more perfect Because Christ gave the Apostles the Spirit to deliver us infallibly Matth. 28. 20. Luke 10. 16. his own Commands and â—o indite a Rule for following ages But he giveth us the Spirit but to understand and use that Rule aright 5. This trying the Spirit by the Scriptures is not a setting of the Scripture above the Spirit it Rev. 2. 2. Jude 17. a Pet. 3. â— Ephes. 4. 11 12. 1 Cor. 12. 28 29. Ephes. 2. 20. self but is only a trying the Spirit by the Spirit that is the Spirits operations in our selves and his Revelations to any pretenders now by the Spirits operations in the Apostles and by their Revelations recorded for our use For they and not we are called Foundations of the Church Quest. 164. How is a pretended Prophet or Revelation to be tryed Answ. 1. IF it be contrary to the Scripture it is to be rejected as a deceit Acts 17. 11. 1 Cor. 15. 3 4 John 10. 35. John 19. 24 28 36 37. 2. If it be the same thing which is
thus oppression destroyeth Religion and the peoples souls as well as their estates § 14. 5. Oppression further endangereth both the souls of men and the publick peace and the safety of Princes by tempting the poor multitude into discontents sedition and insurrections Every man is naturally a lover of himself above others And the poor as well as the rich and Rulers have an interest of their own which ruleth them And they will hardly honour or love or think well of them by whom they suffer It is as natural almost for a man under oppression to be discontented and complain as for a man in a Feavor to complain of sickness heat and thirst No Kingdom on earth is so holy and happy as to have all or most of the subjects such confirmed eminent Saints as will be contented to be undone and will love and honour those that undo them Therefore men must be taken as they are If oppression maketh wise men mad Eccles. 7. 7. much more the multitude who are far from wisdom Misery maketh men desperate when they think that they cannot be much worse than they are How many Kingdoms have been thus fired as wooden wheels will be when one part rubbeth too hard and long upon the other Yea if the Prince be never so good and blameless the cruelty of the Nobles and the rich men of the Land may have the same effects And in these combustions the peace of the Kingdom the lives and souls of the seditious are made a sacrifice to the lusts of the Oppressors § 15. Direct 2. Consider with fear how Oppression turneth the groans and cryes of the poor to the Direct 2. God of revenge against the Oppressors And wo to that man that hath the tears and prayers of oppressed innocents sounding the alarm to vindictive Justice to awake for their relief And shall not God avenge his own elect which cry day and night to him though he bear long with them I tell you that he will avenge them speedily Luke 18. 7 8. The Lord will be a refuge to the oppressed Psal. 9. 9. To judge the fatherless and the oppressed that the man of the earth may no more oppress Psal. 10. 18. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed Psal. 103. 6. 146. 7. Yea God is doubly engaged to be revenged upon oppressors and hath threatned a special execution of his judgement against them above most other sinners Partly as it is an act of mercy and relief to the oppressed So that the matter of threatning and vengeance to the oppressor is the matter of Gods promise and favour to the sufferers And partly as it is an act of his Vindictive Iustice against such as so heinously break his Laws The oppressor hath indeed his time of Power and in that time the oppressed seem to be forsaken and neglected of God as if he did not hear their cryes But when his patience hath endured the tyranny of the proud and his wisdom hath tryed the patience of the sufferers to the determined time how speedily and terribly then both vengeance overtake the oppressors and make them warnings to those that follow them In the hour of the wicked and of the power of darkness Christ himself was oppressed and afflicted Isa. 53. 7. and in his humiliation his judgement taken was away Acts 8. But how quickly did the destroying revenge overtake those bloody Zealots and how grievous is the ruine which they lye under to this day which they thought by that same murder to have scaped Solomon saith Eccles. 4. 1. he considered all the oppressions that are under the Sun and behold the tears of such as were oppressed and they had no comforter and on the side of the oppressors there was power but they had no comforter Which made him praise the dâ—ad and the unborn But yet he that goeth with David into the Sanctuary and seeth the end of the oppressors shall perceive them set in slippery places and tumbling down to destruction in a moment Psal. 37. 73. The Israelites in Aegypt seemed long to groan and cry in vain But when the determinate time of their deliverance came God saith I have surely seen the affliction of my people and have heard their cry by reason of their task-masters for I know their sorrows and I am come down to deliver them Behold the cry of the children of Israel is come up unto me and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Aegyptians oppress them Exod. 3. 7 8 9. Deut. 26. 6 7. The Aegyptians evil intreated us and afflicted us and laid upon us hard bondage and when we cryed to the Lord God of our Fathers the Lord heard our voice and looked on our affliction and our labour and our oppression See Psal. 107. 39 40 41 42. So Psal. 12. 5 6. For the oppression of the poor for the sighing of the needy now will I arise saith the Lord I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him or would ensnare him Thou shalt keep them O Lord thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever Trust not therefore in oppression Psal. 62. 10. for God is the avenger and his plagues shall revenge the injuries of the oppressed § 16. Direct 3. Remember what an odious name Oppressors commonly leave behind them upon earth Direct 3. No sort of men are mentioned by posterity with greater hatred and contempt For the interest of mankind directeth them hereunto and may prognosticate it as well as the Iustice of God However the power of proud oppressors may make men afraid of speaking to their faces what they think yet those that are out of their reach will pour out the bitterness of their souls against them And when once death hath tyed their cruel hands or any judgement of God hath cast them down and knockt out their teeth how freely will the distressed vent their grief and same will not be afraid to deliver their ugly picture to posterity according to their desert Methinks therefore that even Pride it self should be a great help to banish oppression from the world What an honourable name hath a Trajan a Titus an Antonine an Alexander Severus And what an odious name hath a Nero a Caligula a Commodus a D' Alva c. Most proud men affect to be extolled and to have a glorious name survive them when they are dead and yet they take the course to make their memory abominable So much doth sin contradict and disappoint the sinners hopes § 17. Direct 4. Be not strangers to the condition or complaints of any that are your inferiours It Direct 4. is the misery of many Princes and Nobles that they are guarded about with such as keep all the lamentations of their Subjects and Tenants from their cars or represent them only as the murmurings of unquiet discontented men So that Superiours shall know no more of their inferiours case than their attendants please nor no