God hath set thee without weariness Rules of conversation in common life The answer of that good woman to the Prophet is excelleut 2 King 4. 14. I live among my people meaning humbly courteously loving and beloved usefully and peaceably First in our neighborhood wee are to practice innocencie and harmlesness to maintain civil offices of lending and borrowing necessaries Secondly in Towns-matters not aiming at over-ruling others treading our inferiors under-feet saveing our own purses and over-burdening others but carrying equal mindes and doing as wee would bee don to not pragmatical and busie-bodies in matters not concerning us but attending our own and keeping our bounds Thirdly in Arbitratorships not stickling for parties but for a peaceable agreement upon equal condition between them Rules for Solitariness Touching solitariness Heathens may teach us who were never less alone or idle then when private and solitarie Make solitariness a threshold for meditation Rules for Companie No man is sooner bewraied by any thing then by Companie and by the Tongue Wherefore seeing it is a great part of the wheel of our life let us first beware of a loos heart readie for all commers none amiss a sign of exceeding emptiness Then discern of our companie wisely Count it secondly a singular favor to bee rid of bad or doubtful companie Thirdly bee armed in bad Companie reproov not scorners cast not pearls before swine bee dumb before such wicked ones Among the formal sort who may sooner bee swaied them seasoned bee sure to cut off evil speech and carriage Draw on the Companie by amiable behavior and courtesie and then applie our selvs to do them good To which end first bee seasoned with good matter Secondly bring it out seasonablie Thirdly have a set aim and bent at som special object Fourthly seek truly the good of such as thou conversest with and God's glorie Lastly let not thy minde bee sickle and easily put off from good speech Rules for Libertie There are many sorts of liberties as travellings from our own homes companionship with such as pleas us recreations and pastimes feastings and the like all which are lawful in their kinde yet must bee watched too least too much precious time cost and heart bee spent upon them Rules for Familie Touching the Familie wee are to set it in order not when wee die onely but much more in our life Let Governors bee the life of order themselvs Prov. 27. 23. Let God rule your children and servants and wives and set up his throne in their conscience and then a twined thread will draw more then a cable Let thy eie bee chiefly fixed on the righteous and encourage them that they may bee guides to the rest Touching Inferiors bee wholy for the good of the Familie not your own ends Children down-right in subjection and not insolent awfull diligent Servants first seek to serv the Lord hrist that neither yee may obey men against Christ nor yet neglect the obedience to men for Christ's sake Bee earnest in business yet redeeming time to serv the Lord in secret to bee sure not unsetling the seasons of familie-worship Plead not for more libertie in gadding then is meet Rule for the Tongue It 's the chief Agent and Chapman of conversation and by it conversation utter's it self Get a wel-staied heart and ballanced with grace and this will first keep in our tongues from excess and then good matter good heart and good occasions will set them on work for good for God for our brethren Vse I. Terror 1. To all prophane persons who cross with God and turn day into night a conversation of the new creature into a conversation of wickedness 2. To all hypocrites and time-servers who make Religion a cover for their hollowness and bearing the world in hand that they believ love God fear him are verie renewed ones and new creatures yet cast dung in the face of God and religion liveing still unreformed in their conversation If yee bee such new creatures if yee have slain the Agag of old Adam what mean the bleating of the sheep and lowing of the oxen how is it that your tongues your marriages families liberties companies have shaken off God's yoke where is your inward and outward conversation with God haveing a form of godliness but hateing to bee reformed Vse II. Instruction to all God's new creatures to bethink them of their work and to stir up the grace of God in their renewing Cast off thine old mixtures do not pull back thy shoulder desire no more eas then others of God's people have felt It 's God's way the way that Abraham Isaac and Jacob David Peter Paul himself walked the way wch Jesus Christ hath chalked out if it bee tedious it is to thy old man to whom thou art a debtor Thou art redeem'd from him and his old conversation thy thoughts affections members tongue feet senses are not thine own but his that thou mightst now serv in the newness of the spirit not in the oldness of the letter Vse III. Let it provoke each good heart to seek to excell in this fruit of a new creature Vse IV. Admonition Look to those Graces which serv to prop up and strengthen the wheel of conversation here one grace is requisite there another in a cross self-denial and meekness in a blessing cheerfulness and fruitfulness in each part of life faith somtimes the armor somtimes wisdom and discerning But let no naked man com into this field nor any bare-foot to this walk for they will never hold out Secondly look to thy conscience and keep it sound and tender if thou wouldst hold a good conversation or order it well ARTIC III. The Plat-form of holie conversation is the Moral law SEe 1 Tim. 1. 5. The end of the law is love what mean's hee surely not the end of the lawe's begetting power for Christ doth that but of the directing power of it Thus Saint James call's it a royall Law Jam. 2. 8. as being the scepter whereby Christ our king rule 's us And hee tearm's it a glass of Libertie meaning to all believers in that it shewe's forth the will of God fully in the point of Moral obedience as a glass represent's the face For the Law in God's purpose served for two ends One for transgressions to convince the wicked to scare them out of their self-conceit the other to guide such as are com to Christ how to live under his government And to such the Law ceased to bee a killing letter and began to bee a direction for life Now Christ hath taken away that heavie yoke of the Law and made it easie and light to us 1. As a Priest 2. As a King 3. As a Prophet I. As our Priest five waies 1. By dischargeing us from that old fence of the Law the yoke of superfluous Cerimonies of the old cerimonial and judicial Law Col. 2. 14. 2. Hee hath freed us from the rigor of moral Laws especially the whole burthen of the
's thine and thy supplie II. The Adjunct of the Church of Christ The Adjunct of the Church is the Communion of Saints and members of this mystical bodie of Christ which is nothing els but the due entercours and holie fellowship reciprocally between member and member for the good of the whole Two things wee are to consider in this Communion of members in the Church 1. Due qualifying of the persons that are to communicate 2. Due exercise of communion among them that are so qualified 1. Qualification generally stand's in this that they bee brethren No sooner is a man a believer and a new creature born to God but hee is also a brother No bastard no stranger no Gibeonite no blemish't one may enter the temple of this Communion More specially they have the true Spirit of brethren of members by which the former is manifested to bee true Wee must know that this Spirit of Communion is the priviledg of the whole Invisible Church before it bee the spirit of any particular member for the members draw spirit from the bodie as the bodie from the head Now this spirit is flowing from Christ who hath therefore shed his blood for his Church not onely that hee might unite it together with it self but also that it might edifie it self in love And the Lord Jesus hath obteined this Spirit from his Father This Spirit of Communion may bee discovered in these two particulars First in the spirit of Preserving her self in her estate and integritie Secondly in the spirit of Furniture for the several operations whereby communion may bee supported I. In preserving Communion and this it doth 1. By separation of fals parts or contrarie which threaten ruine to her Mettals melted will go together and unite their substance but sever the dross which is of another nature from incorporateing with them the Citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem hee loathes swearers liers forswearers usurers and so of the rest No communication between Christ and Belial light and darkness 2. By gathering together of new This preserving Spirit is also a drawer of like parts to her self for the filling up and strengthening of Communion shee is still aiming at the bodies increase and therefore as the waters of the sea win upon the banks so doth this spirit of Communion seek out and enlarge her borders Our Lord Jesus the head of this communion spent his life in gathering members to this bodie Peter gathered 3000. at once and each member of it doth or ought to becom all in all to gain som 3. By preventing of any thing hurtful to herself This Spirit is warie to defeat whatsoever attempts may bee made against her communion either by opposite persons or properties II. The Spirit Furnishe's the Church with all such gifts as serv to maintain communion Such are 1. Love mother-grace of all the rest that which Saint John so magnifie's 1 Joh. 5. 1. Hee that loveth him that begat love's him that is begotten It 's the band of perfection that hold's in all the duties of Communion as the corner-stone doth the sides of the wall 2. Sociableness a compound of three coards not easily broken viz. 1. Amiableness which is that holy suavitie of spirit which opposeth tartness austeritie sowreness and sullenness whereby men are like ragged unhewen stones unmeet to couch in this holie building 2. Humbleness which opposeth pride which is a vice excommunicate from true fellowship of Saints causing men to think themselvs their parts their persons too good for communion It 's discerned by two marks peaceableness and equalness 3. Self-denial contrarie to Self-love the bane of communion when men seek their own esteem credit end profit and prais and if they fail thereof they little look how the publick welfare goe's forward 3. Tendernes and compassion Gal. 6. 1. If any bee prevented by error ignorance Satan sudden temptation let him that is stronger set him in joint again so the word is and restore him in the spirit of meekness II The Exercise of Communion stand's in three things 1. Graces 2. Means or Ordinances 3. Services or Duties I. In Graces In the tradeing whereof these rules must bee observed First bring in thy stock into this bank each member in this staple of Communion must get the gift of exchange hee must maintain a due entercours Secondly Humilitie is an excellent mean to exercise communion in graces condescending to men of low degree Proud ones get little and do little in this communion of Saints Thirdly Covet others graces 1 Cor. 12. 31. Covet the things that are most excellent Appetite after the graces of communion is the instinct of God's spirit for the growth of Graces Men that hunt the Bezar seek not her flesh but that which is precious in her the stone which is so cordiall Base respects are nothing to the Saints in regard of this jewel Fourthly extract graces from others Solomon saith Prov. 20. 6. There is wisdom in the heart of the wise and a man of understanding will get it out Delilah lay at Sampson till hee had told her his whole heart So should'st thou that seekest the grace of others First by putting thy case in their persons whom thou tradest with as if thou wouldest learn what patience in sickness and pain is or how thou mightest die well ask others how should yee do in this case make mine your own Secondly observ wisely what fall's from the godly in their communion and conversation over-see not their words behaviors affections zeal scopes Thirdly let faith bee the chief extractor All things are yours saith Paul meaning all graces in all the members it 's a great help of profiting when as wee believ all the graces of others are ours allotted us by priviledg from Christ whose wee are Fifthly Rest not onely in the outward object but pierce into the inward There is more in a Saint then a bare sentence or carriage will express Look into the bottom as the Cherub into the mercie-seat Sixthly Bee wise to chuse thy object Each man excell's not in each grace or gift And when wee meet not with that wee look for wee think meanly of men as Naaman did beeing crossed by Elisha But the Graces of God are to bee marked as they bee most eminent As in Moses his meekness in Phinehas his zeal in Abraham faith II. In Meanes or Ordinances These edifie the Church First as they are ties and bands of Communion Secondly as they are active instruments or helps to beget and nourish it 1. As ties and bands Psal 122. Jerusalem is called a compacted Citie knit together by the Assemblies by the Sacrifices by the Thrones of Judgment Act. 2. 46. The Church continued and â—lave together in the use of the Ordinances the sacrament especially of the Supper Experience teacheth that the fellowship of the Word Praier and the like is the life strength blood and marrow of communion Wee see that the common ties of nature education and place do much tie
the example of the Lord Jesus in all the whole conversation of his affections 3. Learn to take a right mark of the right objects of our affections and that will shame us when by loosing or mistakeing our right mark wee do fasten them bafely and indirectly Our anger is too good to bee set on carnal revenge our love too good for base lusts c. 4. Get the soul setled in peace and this will rule our spirits that neither fear nor hope shall much unsettle us but wee shall possess our souls with patience in the mid'st of all distempers III. Actions Touching which observ four rules 1 Rule They must bee warranted by the Word either in doing not doing or suspending Without knowledg the heart is not good Pro. 19. 3. 2 Rule They must bee don in a right manner or els wee sin And this manner of doing require's two things First that they bee don in the state of wel-pleasing Secondly welpleasingly The former is an assurance that the person please's God The later is a cleaving to the qualitie of performance that it bee pure 3 Rule They must bee don in a right measure The Lord must bee served with the best of us Within by the best of our souls Without by the best extent of our abilities And that wee keep no fals measure within us 4 Rule They must bee don to a right end viz. The glorie of God good of his brethren and peace of his own heart â— 3. The Object of our conversation which is two-fold 1. Spiritual with God himself 2. With man in common life 1. With God himself Godly conversation is that communion which a renued soul hath with God And it is twofold Inward Outward Inward stand's in two things 1. Either the life of faith 2. The exercise of the graces of the spirit within the soul I. In the life of faith which is soul's enjoying of God Christ our sanctification by all his promises concerning life and godliness The particular objects of the life of faith are reduced to four heads 1. Estates viz. 1. Prosperitie The soul cleav's to God in the promise of his All-sufficiencie Gen. 17. 1. and 1 Cor. 3. end All things are yours c. 2. Adversitie The soul cleav's to God in the promise of his protection redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. 2. Means-useing The soul cleav's unto God by the promise for the power and blessing of and upon all his ordinances 3. Duties The soul cleav's to God by a promise for strength to give us the grace to do what hee commandeth 4. Graces The soul cleav's to God in the promise and the grace of the Lord Jesus for a supplie of grace convenient for it self both for number and measure Joh. 1. 17. From his fountain wee receiv grace for grace like for like so many for so many II. In the exercise of the graces of his spirit For as Merchants and chapmen have the policie and traffique for wares and money so the godly have their commerce with the Lord for Grace Phil. 3. 19. And this stand's in these three things 1. In the increas of their Graces 2. In the rejoicing in the growth and increas they have had 3. And especialiy their tradeing is in heaven by that precious hope which is an earnest-pennie of their inheritance and therefore they never think of it but it glad's their hearts So much of the inward convers with God Outward convers of the soul with God is that holie correspondencie which it hold's with God in outward services These are of two sorts 1. Ordinarie 2. Occasional 1. Ordinarie viz. 1. First a satisfying of the soul with the Lord's image at our awakeing with a saluteing of his promise for renewed pardon and grace 2. A seeking of his face as oft in the day as may bee for renewed humiliation for pardon of renewed â—ins grace to purge and season the soul thanks for renewed compassions 3. A reviveing of covenant with him for closer purpose and bent of heart towards him 4. A daily recording of God's peculiar administrations and providence to us in patience c. 5. A finishing of each day so as wee viewing it over may bee humbled or comforted and so lie down in peace 2. Occasional is the service of the time Act. 13. 36. by which wee rest not onely in our ordinarie service of God but reach our souls to the condition of the times wee live in accordingly carrying ourselvs either in affliction or thanksgiveing as occasion require's II. Branch viz. our conversation with men in common life This the Psalmist call's the ordering of conversation aright and it is the wise accommodation of a Christian to the several passages that befall us unavoidably in this our common cours of life as marriage companie or solitariness liberties earthlie business calling familie-government common talk c. Generul rules for all Generally touching all note this That God abhorr's all common prophane usages of the world in these things and will have his people carrie about them the cognizance of new creatures and holy ones that they may not make religion odious by their corrupt behavior and makeing use of each other therein for their own ends but that the graces of God may break out and shine in the order of their conversation to the glorie of our profession Special rules for Marriage Beeing married first in the Lord they loath to make it a common thing for the use of each other but first improoving it chiefly for God and the mutual good of their souls worshipping God together makeing him umpire of all their differences nourishing matrimonial love as a sacred knot and to that end observing each others graces for the strengthening thereof Cutting off all jars in the begining and yet not agreeing together for base ends but for holy If these rules and the like were observed how might the order of this one part set in order all other parts of our cours Whereas the disorder of this wheel cause 's all other to bee distempered children unrulie servants ungoverned and all out of frame Rules for mens Callings First beware of an unlawful Calling Then of picking quarrels with your callings Change not your Calling at your pleasure but cling to thy Calling to keep thee from noisom lusts eas sloath and lewd companie which nothing but a Calling will prevent As that Martyr blessed God for holy wedlock so do thou for an honest Calling Secondly use it not for base ends of gain money and the like but to serv providence mortifie thy lust and prepare thee for duties of worship Thirdly let an order bee set in thy Calling that it hinder not Religion in thy Familie neither let Religion hinder thy Calling but both know and keep their bounds Fourthly Neglect not thy Calling suddenly to attend upon needless pleasure travels companies drinkings to leav thy familie in a distemper without either provision or government but instead of these abide diligently in the Calling in which