that many turne from other sects to the Epicureans but none from the Epicureans to any other sect The reason was because nature is inclined to sensuality in all and when it is confirmed by use and doctrine Philosophy is too weak to master it But Christ calleth and saveth Epicures and Publicans and Harlots and hath cleansed many such by his grace which teacheth men to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in the world Philostratus tells us of a sudden change upon one Isaeus that turned him from Luxury to exceeding temperance so that when one asked him Is not yonder a handsom woman he answered The diseases of my eyes are cured when they askt him which dish was the pleasantest he answered Desii curare I have done regarding such things and told them the reason that marvelled at his change Because he found that he did but gather fruits out of Tantalus garden They are deceitful lusts Eph. 4. 22. And Satan himself will reproach thee for ever if he can deceive thee by them As Alexander when he had taken Darius his gallantâ—y and sumptuous Houses and Furniture reproaches him with it saying Hoccine erat imperare was this to rule so Satan would shew thee thy lusts and say was this to be a Christian and seek salvation PART VI. Directions against sinful Excess of Sleep § 1. OF this something is said already Chap. 5. Part 1. § 51. and more afterwards in the Directions against Idleness Therefore I shall say but little now 1. I shall shew you when sleep is excessive 2. Wherein the sinfulness of it consisteth 3. What to do for the Cure of it § 2. I. Sleep is given us for the necessary remission of the animal operations and of the labour or motion of the exteriour parts by the quieting of the senses or shutting them up that the Natural and Vital operations may have the less disturbance It is necessary 1. To our Rest 2. To Concoction Therefore Weariness and want of Concoction are the chief indications to tell us how much is needful for us Sleep is sinfully excessive 1. When it is Voluntarily more than is needful to our health 2. When it is unseasonable at forbidden times § 3. It is not all weariness or sleepiness that maketh sleep lawful or needful for some is contracted by laziness and some by many diseases and some by other constant causes which make men almost alwayes weary Nor is it all want of concoction that sleep is a remedy for some may be caused by excess of eating which must be cured a better way and many diseases may cause it which require other cure Therefore none must indulge excess upon these pretences Nor must a present sense of the pleasure of sleeping or the displeasure of waking be the judge For sluggards may think they feel it do them good and that early rising doth them hurt but this good is but their pleasant ease and this hurt is but a little trouble to their head and eyes and lazy flesh just at the time But Reason and experience must judge what Measure is best for your Health and that you must not exceed To some five hours is enough To the ordinary sort of healthful persons six hours is enough To many weak valetudinary persons seven hours is needful To sick persons I am not to give Directions § 4. 2. Sleep is excessive at that particular Time when it is unseasonable As 1. When we are asleep when we should be doing some necessary business which calls for present dispatch 2. Or when we should be hearing the Sermon or praying in publick or private In a word when it puts by any greater duty which we should then perform As when the Disciples slept when Christ was in his agony Could ye not watch with me one hour watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation Matth. 26. 40 41. § 5. It is a foppery and abuse of God and our selves to think that the breaking of our sleep is a thing that of it self pleaseth God or that rising to pray at midnight is more acceptable to God than at another hour usually such rising to pray is sinful 1. Because it is done in an erroneous conceit that God accepts it better than in the day time 2. Because they waste time in dressing and undressing 3. Or else hurt their health by cold in the Winter and so lose more time than they redeem by shortning their lives 4. And usually they are more drousie and unfit But to rise in the night to prayer is meet on some extraordinary occasion that calls for it as to pray with or for a dying person or such like or when an extraordinary fervour and fitness prepareth us for it and when we can stay up when we are up and not lose time in going to bed again But ordinarily that way is to be chosen that best Redeemeth time and that is to consider just how much sleep our health requireth and to take it if we can together without interruption and to rise then and go about our duties But those that cannot sleep in the Night must redeem that Time as discretion shall direct them § 6. It is the Voluntariness of the excess that the sinfulness principally consisteth in And therefore the more voluntary the more sinful In a Lethargie or Caros it is no sin And when long watching or some bodily weakness or distemper make it almost unavoidable the sin is the smaller Therefore in case of long watching and heaviness Christ partly excused his Disciples saying The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak Matth. 26. 41. But when it cometh from a flesh-pleasing sloth or from a disregard of any holy exercise that you are about it is a grievous sin And though it be involuntary just at the time and you say I would fain forbear sleeping now if I could yet if it be Voluntary remotely and in its Causes it is your sin You would now forbear sleeping but you would not forbear that pampering your body and stuffing your Guts which causeth it you would not deny the flesh its ease to avoid it § 7. II. The sinfulness of excess of sleep lyeth in these particulars 1. That it is a sinful wasting Nil temporis tam perit de vita nostra quam quod somno deputatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of every minute of that time which is consumed in it And this is a very grievous thing to a heart that is sensible of the pretiousness of time when we think how short our lives are and how great our work is it should tell us how great a sin it is to cast away any of this little time in needless sleep And yet what abundance of it with many is thus spent Almost half their whole lives is spent in bed by many drones that think they may sleep because they are Rich and have not a necessity of labouring to supply their wants I was never tempted that
opportunity But let him that can be free and possess so great a mercy accept it thankfully though to his cost As Christ said in another case Every man cannot receive the saying but he that can receive it let him § 2. There is abundance of difference between a weak unskilful unexperienced dead-hearted formal Teacher and such a one as is described in the Direction Some that are sensless or indifferent in such matters as these themselves would perswade you to be so too and look first in your settlement to your bodily conveniencies and be content with such a Teacher as accidentally you are cast upon And they 'l tell you that the work of grace dependeth not on the Preachers gifts but on the gift and blessing of the Spirit of God The Formalists and the Enthusiasts concurr in this though from different principles But though God can frustrate the fittest means and can work without means or by that which is least fitted to the end yet it is his ordinary way to work by means and that for the soul as well as for the body and to work most by the aptest means And I am sure it is the duty of every Teacher to preach in the fittest manner that he can for the peoples edification and not to do Gods work deceitfully and ineptly because God can bless the unfittest means And it is the peoples duty to attend upon the best they can enjoy though God can equally work by the weakest or by none As that pretence will not excuse the contemners of Gods Ordinances that upon every little business stay at home and attend upon no Ministry at all no more will it excuse them that refuse that help that is most suited to their edification and take up with a worse when they might have better We are not to neglect duty upon a presumptuous expectation of miraculous or extraordinary works When we can have no better we may hope for the greater benefit from the weakest but not when it is the choice of our own presumptuous irreligious hearts God can make Daniel and his companions to thrive better by eating Pulse than others that fed at the Table of the King And rather than sin against God we must cast our selves on him for unusual supplyes or leave all to his will But few would therefore be perswaded causlesly to live on Pulse when they may have better And one would think this Truth should have no contradiction especially from those men that are apt to obscure and extenuate the Spirits operations on the soul and to confess no Grace but what consisteth in a congruous ordination of Means and Circumstances When their doctrine layeth all a mans hopes of salvation upon this Congruity of Means and Circumstances should they afterwards teach men to undervalue or neglect the fittest and wilfully cast their souls upon the most unfit and unlikely means But Ungodliness first resolveth what to speak against before it resolveth what to say and will contradict Gods Word though it contradict its own and will oppose holiness though by a self-opposing § 3. But the spiritual rellish and experience of the Godly is a very great preservative to them against such deluding reasonings as these It 's harder for a Sophister of greatest subtilty or authority to perswade him that hath tasted them that Sugar is bitter or Wormwood sweet than to perswade him to believe it that never tasted them And it 's hard to make a healthful man believe that it is best for him to eat but once a Week or best to live on Grass or Straw I doubt not but those that now I speak to have such experience and perception of the benefit of a judicious and lively Ministry in comparison of the ignorant cold and lifeless that no words will make them indifferent herein Have you not found the Ministry of one sort enlighten and warm and quicken and comfort and strengthen you much more than of the other I am sure I have the common sense and experience of the faithful on my side in this which were enough of it self against more than can be said against it Even new-born babes in Christ have in their new natures a desire not to sensless or malicious pratings but to the Rational sincere milk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they may grow by it and to perform to God a Rational service Rom. 12. 1. § 4. And it must needs be a very proud or stupid heart that can be so insensible of its own infirmity sinfulness and necessity as to think the weakest dullest Minister may serve their turns and that they are able to keep up their life and vigour and watchfuless and fruitfulness with any little ordinary help I cannot but fear such men know not what the power and efficacy of the Word upon the heart and conscience meaneth nor what it is to live a life of faith and holiness and to watch the heart and walk with God If they did they could not but find so much difficulty herein and so much backwardness and unskilfulness in themselves hereto as would make them feel the necessity of the greatest helps And it could not be but they must feel the difference between a clear and quickning Sermon and an ignorant heartless dead discourse that is spoken as iâ— a man were talking in his sleep or of a matter that he never understood nor had experience of § 5. Alas how apt are the best to cool if they be not kept warm by a powerful Ministry How apt to lose the hatred of sin the tenderness of conscience the fervency in prayer the zeal and fulness in edifying discourse and the delights and power of heavenly Meditations which before we had How apt is faith to stagger if it be not powerfully underpropt by the helpers of our faith How hardly do we keep up the heat of Love the confidence of Hope the resolution and fulness of obedience without the help of a powerful Ministry Nay how hardly do we do our part in these in any tolerable sort even while we have the clearest liveliest helps that are ordinarily to be had And can any that are not blind and proud imagine that they are so holy and good that they are above the necessity of such assistance and that the weakest breath is enough to kindle the fire of holy Love and â—eal and keep them in the fear and obedience of God Alas we are under languishing weakness and must be dyeâ—â—ed with the best or we shall soon decay we are Cripples and cannot go or stand without our Crutches And there must be some savour of the Spirit in him that will be fit to make us spiritual and some savour of faith and love in him that would kindle faith and love in us and he must speak clearly and convincingly that will be understood and will prevail with such as we And he must speak feelingly that would make us feel and speak seriously that would be much regarded by us and
great Direct 13. a part of thy duty Is it not the sweetest employment in the world to be alwayes thinking on so sweet a thing as the mercies of God and to be mentioning them with glad and thankful hearts Is not this a sweeter kind of work than to be abusing mercie and casting it away upon fleshly lusts and sinning it away and turning it against us Yea is it not a sweeter work than to be groaning under sin and misery If God had as much fixt your thoughts upon sadning heart-breaking objects as he hath by his commands upon reviving and delighting objects you might have thought Religion a melancholly life But when sorrow is required but as preparatory to delight and chearful Thanksgiving is made the life and sum of your Religion who but a Monster will think it grievous to live in Thankfulness to our great Benefactor To think thus of the sweetness of it will do much to incline us to it and make it easie to us § 16. Direct 14. Make conscience ordinarily of allowing Gods mercies as great a room in thy Direct 14. Thoughts and Prayers as thou allowest to thy sins and wants and troubles In a day of humiliation or after some notable fall into sin or in some special cases of distress I confess sin and danger may have the greater share But ordinarily mercy should take up more time in our remembrance and confession than our sins Let the Reasons of it first convince you that this is your duty And when you are convinced hold your selves to the performance of it If you can not be so Thankfull as you desire yet spend as much time in the confessing of Gods Mercy to you as in confessing your sins and mentioning your wants Thanksgiving is an effectual petitioning for more It sheweth that the soul is not drowned in selfishness but would carry the fruit of all his mercies back to God If you cannot think on mercy so thankfully as you would yet see that it have a due proportion of your thoughts This course of allowing mercy its due time in our Thoughts and Prayers would work the soul to greater thankfulness by degrees Whereas on the contrary when men accustom themselves to have ten words or twenty of Confession and Petition for one of thanksgiving and ten thoughts of sins and wants and troubles for one of mercies this starveth thankfulness and turneth it out of doors You can command your words and thoughts if you will Resolve therefore on this duty § 17. Direct 15. Take heed of a proud a covetous a fleshly or a discontented mind for all Direct 15. these are enemies to Thankfulness A proud heart thinks it self the worthiest for more and thinks diminutively of all A covetous heart is still gaping after more and never returning the fruit of what it hath received A fleshly mind is an insatiable gulf of corporal mercies like a greedy Dog that is gaping for another bone when he hath devoured one and sacrificeth all to his belly which is his God Phil. 3. 18. A discontented mind is alwayes murmuring and never pleased but findeth something still to quarrel at and taketh more notice of the denying of its unjust desires than of the giving of many undeserved mercies Thankfulness prospereth not where these vices prosper § 18. Direct 16. Avoid as much as may be a Melancholy and over-fearful temper for that Direct 16. will not suffer you to see or taste your greatest mereits nor to be glad or thankful for any thing you have but is still representing all things to you in a terrible or lamentable shape The Grace of Thankfulness may be habitually in a timerous melancholly mind And that appeareth in their valuation of the Mercy How glad and thankful would they be if they were assured that the Love of God is towards them But it is next to impossible for them ordinarily to exercise thankfulness because they cannot believe any thing of themselves that is good and comfortable It is as natural for them to be still fearing and despairing and complaining and troubling themselves as for froward children to be crying or sick men to groan Befriend not therefore this miserable disease but resist it by all due remedies § 19. Direct 17. Take heed of all unthankful doctrines which teacheth you to deny or undervalue Direct 17. mercy Such is 1. The Doctrine of the Pelagians whom Prosper calleth the Ungratefull that denyed faith and special grace to be any special gift of God and that teach you that Peter is no more beholden to God than Iudas for his differencing grace 2. The Doctrine which denyeth general grace which is presupposed unto special and tells the world that Christ dyed only for the Elect and that all the mercy of the Gospel is confined to them alone and teacheth all men to deny God any thanks for Christ or any Gospel mercy till they know that they are elect and justified and would teach the wicked on Earth and in Hell that they ought not to accuse themselves for sinning against any Gospel mercy or for rejecting a Christ that dyed for them 3. All Doctrine which makes God the physical efficient predeterminer of every act of the creature considered in all its circumstances and so tells you that saving grace is no more nor no otherwise caused of God than sin and every natural act is and our thanks that we owe him for keeping us from sin is but for not irresistible pre-moving us to it Such Doctrines cut the veins of thankfulness and being not doctrines according to godliness the life of grace and spiritual sense of believers is against them § 20. Direct 18. Put not God off with verbal Thanks but give him thy self and all thou hast Direct 18. Thankfulness causeth the soul to enquire What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me Psal. 116. 12. And it is no less than thy self and all thou hast that thou must render that is thou must give God not only thy Tythes and the Sacrifice of Cain but thy self to be entirely his servant and all that thou hast to be at his command and used in the order that he would have thee use it A thankful soul devoteth it self to God This is the living acceptable Sacrifice Rom. 12. 1. It studieth how to do him service and how to do good with all his mercies Thankfulness is a powerful spring of obedience and makes men long to be fruitful and profitable and glad of opportunities to be serviceable to God Thus Law and Gospel Obedience and Gratitude concur A thankful obedience and an obedient thankfulness are a Christians life Psal. 50. 14 15 23. Offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy Vows to the Most High And call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Who so offereth praise glorifieth me and to him that ordereth his conversation aright I will shew the salvation of God
a Zeal against Error and for Truth Object V. Are all these Numerous Directions to be found in Scripture Shew us them in Scripture or you trouble the Church with your own inventions Answ. 1. Are all your Sermons in the Scripture And all the good Books of your Library in the Scripture 2. Will you have none but Readers in the Church and put down Preachers Sure it is the Reader that delivereth all and only the Scripture 3. Are we not Men before we are Christians And is not the Light and Law of Nature Divine And was the Scripture written to be instead of Reason or of a Logick or other subservient Sciences Or must they not all be sanctified and used for Divinity 4. But I think that as all good Commentaries and Sermons and Systems of Theology are in Scripture so is the Directory here given and is proved by the evidence of the very thing discourst of or by the plainest Texts Object VI. You confound your Reader by Curiosity of distinctions Answ. 1. If they are vain or false shame them by detecting it or you shame your selves by blaming them when you cannot shew the error Expose not your selves to laughter by avoiding just distinction to escape confusion that is avoiding knowledge to escape Ignorance or Light to escape darkness 2. It is ambiguity and confusion that breedeth and feedeth almost all our pernitious Controversies And even those that bring in error by vain distinction must be confuted by better distinguishers and not by ignorant Confounders I will believe the Holy Ghost 2 Tim. 2. 14 15 16. that Logomachie is the plague by which the hearers are subverted and ungodliness increased and that Orthotomie or right dividing the Word of Truth is the Cure And Heb. 5. 15. Discerning both good and evil is the work of long and well exercised senses Object VII Is this your reducing our faith to the primitive simplicity and to the Creed What a toilsome task do you make Religion by overdoing Is any man able to remember all these numberless Directions Answ. 1. I pray mistake not all these for Articles of Faith I am more zealous than ever I was for the reduction of the Christian faith to the primitive simplicity and more confident that the Church will never have Peace and Concord till it be so done as to the test of mens Faith and Communion But he that will have no Books but his Creed and Bible may follow that Sectary who when he had burnt all his other Books as bumane inventions at last burnt the Bible when he grew Learned enough to understand that the translation of that was Humane too 2 If men think not all the Tools in their Shops and all the Furniture of their Houses or the number of their Sheep or Cattle or Lands nor the number of Truths received by a Learning intellect c. to be a trouble and toil why should they think so of the number of Helps to facilitate the practice of their duty If all the Books in your Libraries make your Studies or Religion toilsome why do you keep them and do not come to the Vulgar Religion that would hear no more but Think well speak well and do well or Love God and your neighbour and do as you would be done by He that doth this truly shall be saved But there goeth more to the building of a house than to say Lay the foundation and raise the superstructure Universals exist not but in individuals and the whole consisteth of all the parts 3. It is not expected that any man remember all these Directions Therefore I wrote them because men cannot remember them that they may upon every necessary occasion go to that which they have present use for and cannot otherwise remember In summ to my quarrelsome Brethren I have two requests 1. That instead of their unconscionable and yet unreformed custome of backbiting they would tell me to my face of my offences by convincing evidence and not tempt the hearers to think them envious and 2. That what I do amiss they would do better and not be such as will neither laboriously serve the Church themselves nor suffer others and that they will not be guilty of Idleness themselves nor tempt me to be a slothful servant who have so little time to spend For I dare not stand before God under that guilt And that they will not joyn with the enemies and resisters of the publication of the Word of God And to the Readers my request is 1. That what ever for Quantity or Quality in this Book is an impediment to their regular universal obedience and to a truly holy life they would neglect and cast away 2. But that which is truly Instructing and Helpful they would diligently Digest and Practice And I encourage them by my testimony that by long experience I am assured that this PRACTICAL RELIGION will afford both to Church State and Conscience more certain and more solid Peace than contending Disputers with all their pretences of Orthodoxness and Zeal against Errors for the Truth will ever bring or did ever attain to I crave your pardon for this long Apology It is an Age where the Objections are not feigned and where our greatest and most costly services of God are charged on us as our greatest sins and where at once I am accused of Conscience for doing no more and of men for doing so much Being really A most unworthy Servant of so good a Master RICHARD BAXTER THE CONTENTS OF THE First TOME Christian Ethicks The Introduction page 1 2. CHAP. I. DIrections to Unconverted graceless sinners for the attainment of saving Grace § 1. What is presupposed in the Reader of these Directions p. 3 Containing Reasons against Atheism and Ungodliness § 2 Twenty Directions p. 6 § 3. Thirty Temptations by which Satan hindereth mens conversion p. 26 Ten Temptations by which he would perswade men that their heinous mortal sins which prove them unconverted are but the pardoned infirmities of the penitent p. 33 CHAP. II. Directions to weak Christians for their establishment and growth p. 36 Direct 1. Against receiving Religion meerly for the Novelty or Reputation of it ibid. Direct 2. Let Judgement Zeal and Practice go equally together p. 38 Direct 3. Keep a short Method of Divinity or a Catechism still in your memory p. 39 Direct 4. Certain Cautions about Controversies in Religion Heb. 6. 1. opened p. 40 Direct 5. Think not too highly of your first degrees of Grace or Gifts Time and diligence are necessary to growth How the Spirit doth illuminate The danger of this sin p 41 Direct 6. Let neither difficulties nor oppositions in the beginning discourage you Reasons p. 43 Direct 7. Value and use a Powerful faithful Mininistry Reasons Objections answered p. 45 Direct 8. For Charity Unity and Catholicism against Schism Pretences for Schism confuted p. 47 Direct 9. Let not sufferings make you sin by passion or dishonouring authority p. 49 Direct 10. Take
indeed in a graceless state in which if they died they were past all hope that they would not quickly look about them and better understand the offers of a Saviour and live in continual solicitude and fear till they found themselves in a safer state If you were sure your selves that you must yet be made new creatures or be damned would it not set you on work to seek more diligently after grace than ever you have done The Devil knoweth this well enough that he could scarce keep you quiet this night in his snares but you would be ready to repent and beg for mercy and resolve on a new life before to morrow if you were but sure that you are yet in a state of condemnation And therefore he doth all that he can to hide your sin and danger from your eyes and to quiet you with the conceit that though you are sinners yet you are penitent pardoned and safe § 3. Well Sirs there can be no harm in knowing the truth And therefore will you but try your selves Whether you are unsanctified or not You were baptized into the name of the Holy Ghost as your Sanctifier and if now you neglect or mock at sanctification what do you but deride your Baptism or neglect that which is its sense and end It doth not so much concern you to know that you live the life of nature as to know whether sanctification have made you spiritually alive to God § 4. And let me tell you this to your encouragement that we do not call you to know that you are unconverted and unpardoned and miserable as men that have no remedy but must sit down in despair and be tormented with the fore-knowledge of your endless pains before the time No it is but that you may speedily and thankfully accept of Christ the full remedy and turn to God and quickly get out of your sin and terror and enter into a life of safety and of peace We desire not your continuance in that life which tendeth to despair and horror we would have you out of it if it were in our power before to morrow and therefore it is that we would have you understand what danger you are in that you may go no further but speedily turn back and seek for help And I hope there is no hurt though there be some present trouble in such a discovery of your danger as this is Well if you are but willing to know I shall help you a little to know what you are § 5. 1. IF you are persecutors or haters or deriders of men for being serious and diligent in the service Marks of 〈…〉 of God and fearful of sinning and because they go not with the multitude to do evil it is a certain sign that you are in a state of death Yea if you love not such men and desire not rather to be such your selves than to be the greatest of the ungodly See Gal. 4. 29. Acts 26. 11. 1 Tim. 1. 13. 1 Pet. 4. 2 3 4 5. Psal. 15. 4. 1 Iohn 3. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15. Iohn 13. 35. Psal. 84. 10. § 6. 2. If you love the world best and set your affections most on things below and mind most earthly things nay if you seek not first Gods Kingdom and the righteousness thereof and if your hearts be not in Heaven and your affections set on the things that are above and you prefer not your hopes of life eternal before all the pleasures and prosperity of this world it is a certain sign that you are but worldly and ungodly men See this in Matth. 6. 19 20 21 33. Phil. 3. 18 19 20. Col. 3. 1 2 3 4. Psal. 73. 25. 1 Iohn 2 15 16 17. Iames 1. 27. Luke 12. 20 21. 16. 25. § 7. 3. If your estimation belief and hopes of everlasting life through Christ be not such as will prevail with you to deny your selves and forsake Father and Mother and the nearest friends and house and land and life and all that you have for Christ and for these hopes of a happiness hereafter you are no true Christians nor in a state of saving grace See Luke 14. 26 33. Matth. 10. 37 38 39. Matth. 13. 21 22. § 8. 4. If you have not been converted regenerated and sanctified by the Spirit of Jesus Christ making you spiritual and causing you to mind the things of the Spirit above the things of the flesh If this Spirit be not in you and you walk not after it but after the flesh making provision for the flesh to satisfie its desires and preferring the pleasing of the flesh before the pleasing of God it is certain that you are in a state of death See Matth. 18. 3. Iohn 3. 3 5 6. Heb. 12. 14. Rom. 8. 1. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13. 13. 13 14. Luke 16. 19 25. 12. 20 21. Heb. 11. 25 26. 2 Cor. 4. 16 17 18. 5. 7. Rom. 8. 17 18. § 9. 5. If you have any known sin which you do not hate and had not rather leave it than keep it and do not pray and strive and watch against it as far as you know and observe it but rather excuse it plead for it desire it and are loth to part with it so that your will is habitually more for it than against it it is a sign of an impenitent unrenewed heart 1 Iohn 3. 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 24. Gal. 5. 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 25. Rom. 7. 22 24. 8. 13. Luke 13. 3 5. Matth. 5. 19 20. 2 Tim. 2. 19 Psal. 5. 5. Luke 13. 27. § 10. 6. If you Love not the Word as it is a light discovering your sin and duty but only as it is a general truth or as it reproveth others If you love not the most searching preaching and would not know how bad you are and come not to the light that your deeds may be manifest it is a sign that you are not children of the light but of the darkness Iohn 3. 19 20 21. § 11. 7. If the Laws of your Creator and Redeemer be not of greatest power and authority with you and the will and word of God cannot do more with you than the word or will of any man and the threatnings and promises of God be not more prevalent with you than the threats or promises of any men it is a sign that you take not God for your God but in heart are Atheists and ungodly men Luke 19. 27. Matth. 7. 21 22 23 26. Dan. 3. 16 17 18. 6. 5 10. Ier. 17. 5 6. Luke 12. 4. Acts 5. 29. Psal. 14. 1 c. § 12. 8. If you have not in a deliberate Covenant or resolution devoted and given up your selves to God as your Father and felicity to Jesus Christ as your only Saviour and your Lord and King and to the Holy Ghost as your Sanctifier to be made holy by him desiring that your heart and life
to hear an Atheist proving that there is no God You may believe the Scripture to be the Word of God and Christ to be the Saviour and the soul to be immortal long before you will be fit to manage or study Controversies hereupon For nothing is so false or bad which a wanton or wicked Wit may not put a plausible gloss upon And your raw unfurnished understandings will scarce be able to see through the pretence or escape the cheat When you cannot answer the Arguments of Seducers you will find them leave a doubting in your minds For you know not how plain the answer of them is to wiser men And though you must prove all things you must do it in due order and as you are able and stay till your furnished minds are capable of the tryal If you will need read before you know your Letters or pretend to judge of Greek and Hebrew Authors before you can read English you will but become ridiculous in your undertaking § 2. II. When you do come to smaller Controverted points let them have but their due proportion of your time and zeal And that will not be one hour in many dayes with the generality of private Christians By that time you have well learned the more necessary truths and practised daily the more necessary duties you will find that there will be but little time to spare for lesser Controversies Opinionists that spend most of their Time in studying and talking of such points do steal that time from greater matters and therefore from God and from themselves Better work is undone the while And they that here lay out their chiefest zeal divert their zeal from things more necessary and turn their natural heat into a Feavor § 3. III. The Essential necessary Truths of your Religion must imprint the Image of God upon your hearts and must dwell there continually and you must live upon them as your bread and drink and daily necessary food All other points must be studied in subserviency to those All lesser duties must be used as the exercise of the Love of God or man and of a humble heavenly mind The Articles of your Creed and points of Catechism are fountains ever running affording you matter for the continual exercise of Grace It is both plentiful and solid nourishment to the soul which these great substantial points afford To know God the Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier the Laws and Covenant of God and his Judgement and Rewards and Punishments with the parts and method of the Lords Prayer which must be the daily exercise of our desires and Love this is the Wisdom of a Christian and in these must he be continually exercised You 'l say perhaps that the Apostle saith Heb. 6. 1. Leaving the Principles of the doctrine of Christ let us go on to perfection not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works c. Answ. 1. By leaving he meaneth not passing over the practice of them as men that have done with them and are past them But his leaving at that time to discourse of them or his supposing them taught already Though he lay not the foundation again yet he doth not pluck it up 2. By Principles he meaneth the first points to be taught and learnt and practised And indeed Regeneration and Baptism is not to be done again But the Essentials of Religion which I am speaking of contain much more especially to live in the love of God which Paul calls the more excellent way 1 Cor. 12. 13. 3. Going on to perfection is not by ceasing to believe and Love God but by a more distinct knowledge of the mysteries of salvation to perfect our Faith and Love and Obedience The points that Opinionists call Higher and think to be the principal matter of their growth and advancement in understanding are usually but some smaller less necessary truths if not some uncertain doubtful questions Mark well 1 Tim. 1. 4. 6. 4. 2 Tim. 2. 23. Tit. 3. 9. compared with Iohn 17. 3. Rom. 13. 8 9 10. 1 Cor. 13. 1 Iohn 3. 1 Cor. 1. 23. 15. 1 2 3. 2. 2. Gal. 6. 14. Iames 2. 3. 1. Direct 5. BE very thankful for the great mercy of your Conversion but yet overvalue not your Direct 5. first degrees of knowledge or holiness but remember that you are yet but in your infancy and must expect your growth and ripeness as the consequent of Time and Diligence § 1. You have great reason to be more glad and thankful for the least measure of true Grace than if you had been made the Rulers of the Earth it being of a far more excellent nature and entitling you to more than all the Kingdoms of the world See my Sermon called Right Rejoycing on those words of Christ Rejoyce not that the Spirits are subject to you but rather rejoyce because your names are written in Heaven Luke 10. 20. Christ will warrant you to Rejoyce though enemies envy you and repine both at your victory and triumph If there be joy in Heaven in the presence of the Angels at your Conversion there is great reason you should be glad your selves If the Prodigals Father will needs have the best Robe and Ring brought forth and the fat Calf killed and the Musick to attend the Feast that they may eat and be merry Luke 15. 23. there is great reason that the Prodigal Son himself should not have the smallest share of joy though his Brother repine § 2. But yet take heed lest you think the measure of your first endowments to be greater than it Fear is a cautelous preserving grace I aâ—rt saith of Cleanthes Cum aliquando probro illi daretur quod esset timidus At ideo inquit parum pecco is Grace imitateth Nature in beginning usually with small Degrees and growing up to maturity by leisurely proceeding We are not new born in a state of manhood as Adam was created Though those Texts that liken the Kingdom of God to a grain of Mustard-seed and to a little leaven Matth. 13. 31 33. be principally meant of the small beginnings and great encrease of the Church or Kingdom of Christ in the world yet it is true also of his Grace or Kingdom in the soul. Our first Stature is but to be New born babes desiring the sincere milk of the word that we may grow by it 1 Pet. 2. 2. Note here that the new birth bringeth forth but babes but growth is by degrees by feeding on the Word The Word is received by the heart as seed into the ground Matth. 13. And seed useth not to bring forth the blade and fruit to ripeness in a day § 3. Yet I deny not but that some men as Paul may have more Grace at their first Conversion than many others have at their full growth For God is free in the giving of his Own and may give more or less as pleaseth himself But yet in Paul himself
grace which he hath given us 2. And by shewing us the truth of the Promise made to all believers 3. And by helping us from those Promises to conclude with boldness that we are the children of God 4. And by helping us to rejoyce therein § 12. II. I have been the longer though too short in acquainting you with the Office of the Holy Ghost supposing your Belief that he is the third person in the Trinity because it is an Article of grand importance neglected by many that profess it and because there are so many and dangerous errors in the world about it Your great care now must be 1. To find this Spirit in you as the Principle of your operations and 2. To obey it and follow its motions as it leadeth you up to communion with God Of the first I have spoken in the first Chapter For the second observe these few Directions § 13. Direct 1. Be sure you mistake not the Spirit of God and its motions nor receive instead of Direct 1. them the motions of Satan or of your passions pride or fleshly wisdom It is easie to think you are obeying the Spirit when you are obeying Satan and your own corruptions against the Spirit By these fruits the Spirit of God is known 1. The Spirit of God is for Heavenly Wisdom and neither for Foolishness or treacherous craftiness Psal. 19. 7. 94. 8. Jer. 4. 22. 1 Cor. 2. 4 5 6 7. 2. The Spirit of God is a Spirit of Love delighting to do good its doctrine and motions are for Love and tend to Good abhorring both selfishness and hurtfulness to others Gal. 5. 21 22. 3. He is a Spirit of Concord and is ever for the Unity of all believers abhorring both Divisions among the Saints and carnal complyances and â—onfederacies with the wicked 1 Cor. 12. Ephes. 4. 3 4 5 6 13. 1 Cor. 1. 10. Nâ—mo magnus sine aâ—iquo afflaâ—â— Dâ—vâ—â—o â—nquam suit â—â—â—â— 2. â—â— Nâ—â— Dâ—o 3. 3. Rom. 16 17 18. 4. He is a Spirit of humility and self-denyal making us and our knowledge and gifts and worth to be very little in our own eyes Abhorring pride ambition self-exalting boasting as also the actual debasing of our selves by earthliness or other sin Matth. 18. 3. Eph. 4. 2. 5. He is a Spirit of meekness and patience and â—orbearance Abhorring stupidity and inordinate passion boisterousness tumult envy contention reviling and revenge Math. 11. 28 29. Ephes. 4. 2. Iames 3. 1 Pet. 2. 20 21 23. Gal. 5. 20. Rom. 12. 18 19 20. Eph. 4. 31. Col. 3. 8. 6. He is a Spirit of zeal for God resolving men against known sin and for known truth and duty Abhorring a furious destroying zeal and also an indifferency in the cause of God and a yielding complyance with that which is against it Gal. 4. 18. Numb 25. 11 13. Titus 2. 14. Iames 3. 15. 17. Luke 9. 55. Rev. 3. 16. 7. He is a Spirit of Mortification crucifying the flesh and still conâ—ending against it and causeing men to live above all the Glory and Riches and Pleasures of the world Abhorring both carnal licentiousness and sensuality and also the destroying and disabling of the Body under preâ—ence of true mortification Rom. 8. 1. 13. Gal. 5. 17. Rom. 13. 13 14. 1 Cor. 9. 27. 2 Pâ—t 2. 19. Col. 2. 18 21 23. 8. The Spirit of Christ contradicteth not the doctrine of Christ in the holy Scripture but moveth us to an exact conformity thereto Isa. 8. 20. This is the sure Rule to try pretences and motions of every Spirit by For we are sure that the Spirit of Christ is the Author of that word and we are sure he is not contrary to himself 9. The motions of the Spirit do all tend to our Good and are neither Ludicrous impertinent or hurtful finally They are all for the perfecting of sanctification obedience and for our salvation Therefore unprofitable trifles or despair and hurtful distractions and disturbances of mind which drive from God unfit for duty and hinder salvation are not the motions of the Spirit of God 2 Tim. 1. 7. Rom. 8. 15. Isa. 11. 2. Gal. 5. 22. Zech. 12. 10. 1 Pet. 4. 14. 2 Cor. 3. 6. 10. Lastly The Spirit of God subjecteth all to God and raiseth the heart to him and maketh us spiritual and divine and is ever for Gods glory 1 Iohn 4 5 6. 1 Cor. 6. 11. 17 20. Ephes. 2. 18 22. Phil. 3. 3 19 20. 1 Pet. 1. 2. 4 6. Examine the Texts here cited and you will find that by all these fruits the Spirit of God is known from all seducing Spirits and from the fancies or passions of self-conceited men § 14. Direct 2. Quench not the Spirit either by wilful sin or by your neglecting of its offered help Direct â— It is as the spring to all your spiritual motions as the Wind to your Sails You can do nothing without it Therefore reverence and regard its help and pray for it and obey it and neglect it not When you are sure it is the Spirit of God indeed that is knocking at the door behave not your selves as if you heard not 1. Obey him speedily Delay is a present unthankful refusal and a kind of a denyal 2. Obey him throughly A half obedience is disobedience Put him not off with Ananias and Saphira's gift the half of that which he requireth of you 3. Obey him constantly not sometime hearkning to him and more frequently neglecting him but attending him in a learning obediential course of life § 15. Direct 3. Neglect not those means which the Spirit hath appointed you to use for the receiving Direct 3. of us help and which be useth in his holy operations If you will meet with him attend him in his own way and expect him not in by-wayes where he useth not to go Pray and meâ—itaâ—e and hear and read and do your best and expect his blessing Though your plowing and sâ—winâ— will not give you a plentiful harvest without the Sun and Rain and the blessing of God yet these will not do â—t neither unless you plow and sow God hath not appointed a course of means in Nature or Morality in vain nor will he use to meet you in any other way § 16. Direct 4. Do most when the Spirit helpeth you most Neglect not the extraordinary measures Direct 4. of his assistance If he extraordinarily help you in prayer or meditation improve that help and break not â—st so soon as at other times without necessity Not that you should omit duty till you seel his help For he useth to come in with help in the performance and not in the neglect of duty But tire not out your self with affected length when you want the life § 17. Direct 5. Be not unthankful for the assistance he hath given you Deny not his grace Direct 5. Ascribe it not to nature Remember it to encourage your future expectations
denying or contempt of the Wisdom of God as if he had unwisely made us a Law which is unmeet to Rule us 5. It is a setting up of our fâ—lly in the place of Gods Wisdom and preferring it before him as if we were wiser to know how to Govern our selves and to know what is fittest and best for us now to do than God is 6. It is a contempt of the Goodness of God as he is the maker of the Law As if he had not done that which is Best but that which may be corrected or contradicted and there were some Evil in it See Plutarcks Tract entitled That vice is sufficient to make a man wretched Si non ipso honesto movemur ut viri boni simus sed utilitate aliqua atque fructus callidi sumus non boni fi emolumentis non suapte natura virtus experitur vana erit virtus quae malitia rectè dicitur P. scal p. 744. to be avoided 7. It is a preferring our Naughtiness before his Goodness as if we would do it Better or choose better what to do 8. It is a contempt or denial of the Holiness and Purity of God which sets him against sin as Light is against Darkness 9. It is a violation of Gods Propriety or Dominion robbing him of the use and service of that which is absolutely and totally his Own 10. It is a claiming of Propriety in our selves as if we were our own and might do with our selves as we list 11. It is a contempt of the gratious Promises of God by which he allured and bound us to obedience 12. It is a contempt of the dreadful Threatnings of God by which he would have restrained us from evil 13. It is a contempt or denial of the dreadful day of Judgement in which an account must be given of that sin 14. It is a denying of Gods Veracity and giving him the lie as if he were not to be believed in all his Predictions Promises and Threats 15. It is a contempt of all the present Mercies which are innumerable and great by which God obligeth and encourageth us to obey 16. It is a contempt of our own afflictions and his Chastisements of us by which he would drive us from our sins 17. It is a contempt of all the Examples of his Mercies on the obedient and his terrible judgements on the disobedient men and Devils by which he warned us not to sin 18. It is a contempt of the person office sufferings and grace of Jesus Christ who came to save us from our sins and to destroy the works of the Devil being contrary to his bloodshed authority and healing work 19. It is a contradicting fighting against and in that act prevailing against the sanctifying office and work of the Holy Ghost that moveth us against sin and to obedience 20. It is a contempt of Holiness and a defacing in that measure the Image of God upon the soul or a rejecting it A vilifying of all those Graces which are contrary to the sin 21. It is a pleasing of the Devil the enemy of God and us and an obeying him before God 22 It is the fault of a Rational Creature that had Reason given him to do better 23. It is all Willingly done and Chosen by a free-agent that could not be constrained to it Voluntarium est omne peccatum Tolle excusationem Nemo peccat invitus Martin Dunilens de Morib Nihil iuterest quo animo facias quod fecisse vitiosum est quia â—cta cernuntur animus non videtur Id. ibid. 24. It is a robbing God of the Honour and Pleasure which he should have had in our Obedience and the Glory which we should bring him before the world 25. It is a contempt of the omnipresence and omniscience of God when we will sin against him before his face when he stands over us and seeth all that we do 26. It is a contempt of the Greatness and Almightiness of God that we dare sin against him who is so Great and able to be avenged on us 27. It is a wrong to the Mercifulness of God when we go out of the way of mercy and put him to use the way of Justice and severity who delighteth not in the death of sinners but rather that they obey repent and live 28. It is a contempt of the attractive Love of God who should be the End and Felicity and Pleasure of the soul. As if all that Love and Goodness of God were not enough to draw or keep the heart to him and to satisfie us and make us happy or he were fit to be our full delight And it sheweth the want of Love to God For if we Loved him rightly we should willingly obey him 29. It is a setting up the sordid creature before the Creator and dung before Heaven as if it were more worthy of our Love and Choice and fitter to be our Delight and the Pleasure of sin were better for us than the Glory of Heaven 30. In all which it appeareth that it is a practical Atheism in its degree A taking down God or denying him to be God and a practical Idolatry setting up our selves and other creatures in his stead 31. It is a contempt of all the means of Grace which are all to bring us to obedience and keep us or call us from our sins Prayer Sacraments c. 32. It is a contempt of the Love and Labours of the Ministers of Christ a disobeying them grieving them and frustrating their hopes and the labours of their lives 33. It is a debasing of Reason the superiour faculty of the soul and a setting up of the flesh or inferiour faculties like setting-dogs to Govern men or the horse to rule the rider 34. It is a blinding of reason and a misusing the noblest faculties of the soul and frustrating 〈…〉 them of the use and ends which they were made for And so it is the disorder monstrosity sickness or death of the soul. 35. It is in its measure the Image of the Devil upon the soul who is the Father of sin and therefore the moss odious deformity of the soul And this where the Holy Ghost should dwell and the Image and delight of God should be 36. It is the moral destruction not only of the soul but of the whole Creation so farr as the Creatures are appointed as the Means to bring or keep us unto God For the Means as a Means is destroyed when it is not used to its End A ship is useless if no one be carried in it A watch as such is useless when not used to shew the hour of the day All the world as it is the Book that should teach us the will of God is cast by when that use is cast by Nay sin useth the Creature against God which should have been used for him 37. It is a contradicting of our own Confessions and Professions a wronging of our Consciences a violation of our Covenants
observest thy danger Nor perceivest that this very desire to have the Power to do evil sheweth a degree of the evil in thy heart and that thou art not yet sâ—t so far from it as thou must be if thou wouldst be safe Contrive thy self if thou be wise and love thy self into the greatest difficulties of sinning that thou canst Make it Impossible if it may be done The Power is for the act Desire not to be able to sin if thou wouldst not sin Not that Natural power to do goâ—d should be destroyed because it is also a power to do evil but cast as many blâ—cks in the way of thy sinning as thou canst till it amount to a moral impossibility Desire the strictest Laws and Gâ—vernâ—rs and to be still in the eye of others and contrive it that thou maist Psal 101. 3. have no hope of secrecie Contrive it so that it may be utter shame and lâ—ss to thee if thou sin If thou be tempted to fornication never be private with hâ—r or him that is thy snare If thou be tempted to deceive and rob those that trust thee avoid the trust or if ever thou have done it restore and confess that shame may preserve thee § 37. Tempt 7. Next the Tempter importunately soliciteth ouâ— Thoughts or fantasies to feed upon Tempt 7. the tempting thing That the lustful person may be thinking on the objects of his lusts and the ambitious man thinking on his desired honour and the coveteous man of his desired wealth his house or lands or gainful bargains and the malitious man be thinking of all the real or imaginary wrongs which kindle malice § 38. Direct 7. Keep a continual watch upon your thoughts Remember that this is the common Direct 7. entrance of the greatest sins And if they go no further the searcher of hearts will judge thee for the adultery murder and other sins of thy heart But especially see that your thoughts be so employed on better things that sin may never find them vacant § 39. Tempt 8. The Tempter also is diligent to keep the end from the sinners eye and to perswade Tempt 8. him that there is no danger in it and that it will be as good at last as at first He cannot endure a thought a word of death or judgement unless he can first fortifie the sinner by some presumptuous hope that his sons are pardoned and his case is good either he will make them believe him that there is no such danger to the soul as should deterr them or else he keepeth them from thinking of that danger He is loth a sinner should so much as look into a grave or go to the house of mâ—urning and see the end of all the living lest he should lay it to heart and thence perceive what worldly pleasure wealth and greatness is by seeing where it leaveth sinners If one do but talk of death or judgement and the life to come the Devil will stir up some scorn or weariness or opposition against such dâ—scourse If a sinner do but bethink himself in secret what will become of him after death the Devil will either allure him or trouble him and never let him rest till he have cast away all such thoughts as tend to his salvation He cannot endure when you see the pomp and pleasure of the world that you should think or ask How long will this endure And what will it prove in the latter end § 40. Direct 8. Go to the holy Scriptures and see what they foretel concerning the end of Direct 8. Psal. 1. 15. Mat. 25. Godliness and sin God knoweth better than the Devil and is more to be believed You may see in the word of God what will come of Saints and sinners Godly and ungodly at the last and what they will think and say when they review their present life and what Christ will say to them and how he will judge them and what will be their reward for ever This is the infallible Prognostication where you may foresee your endless state In this glass continually foresee the end Never judge of any thing by the present gust alone Ask not only how it tasteth but how it worketh and what will be the effects Remember that Gods Law hath inseparably conjoyned Holiness and Heaven and sin unrepented of and Hell and seeing these cannot be separated indeed let them never be separated from each other in your thoughts Otherwise you will never understand Christ or Satan When Christ saith wilt thou deny thy self and take up the Cross and follow me his meaning is shall I â—eal thy carnal worldly heart and life and bring thee by grace to the sight of God in endless Glory You will never understand what prayer and obedience and holy living mean if you see not the End even Heaven conjoyned to them When the Devil saith to the Glutton eat also of this pleasant dish and to the Drunkard take the other cup and to the Fornicator take thy pleasure in the dark and to the Voluptuous go to the Play-house or the Gaming-house come play at Cards or Dice his meaning is Come venture upon sin and fear not Gods threatnings and refuse his word and spirit and grace that I may have thy company among the Damned in the fire which never shall be quenched This is the true English of every temptation Open thy ears then and when ever the Devil or any sinner tempteth thee to sin hear him as if he said I pray thee leap into the flames of Hell § 41. Tempt 9. If the Tempter cannot quickly draw men to the sin he will move them at least to Tempt 9. abate their resolution against it and to deliberate about it and hear what can be said and enter into a dispute with Satan or some of his instruments telling them that it is a sign of falshood which will not indure the trial and that we must prove all things And while the sinner is deliberating and disputing the vâ—â—â—â—me is working it self into his veins and sense is secretly undermining and betraying him and deceiving his mind brâ—bing his reason and seducing his will Iust as an enemy will treat with those that keep a Garrison that during the treaty he may send in spies and find out their weakness and corrupt the souldiers So doth the Devil with the sinner § 42. Direct 9. Remember that it is Christ and not Satan that you are to hear Truth is strong and Direct 9. can bear the tryal before any competent judge but you are weak and not so able to judge as you may imagine Ignorant unskilful and unsetled persons are easily deceived be the cause never so clear If it be a cause untryed by you it is not untryed by all the godly nor unknown to him that gave you the holy Scriptures If it be fit to be called in questim and disputed take the help of able godly Teachers or friends and hear what they
it § 52. Direct 14. If God so much regard us as to make us and preserve us continually and to become Tempt 14. our Governour and make a Law for us and judge us and Reward his servants with no less than Heaven than you may easily see that he so much regardeth us as to observe whether we obey or break his Laws He that so far careth for a Clock or Watch as to make it and wind it up doth care whether it go true or false What do these men make of God who think he cares not what men do Then he cares not if men beat you or râ—b you or kill you for none of this hurteth God And the King may say if any murder your friends or children why should I punish him he hurt not me But Iustice is to keep order in the world and not only to preserve the Governour from hurt God may be wronged though he be not hurt And he will make you pay for it if you hurt others and smart for it if you hurt your self § 53. Tempt 15. The Tempter laboureth to extenuate the sin and make it seem a little one and if Tempt 15. every little sin must be made such a matter of you 'll never be quiet § 54. Direct 15. But still remember 1. There is deadly poyson in the very nature of sin as Direct 15. there is in a Serpent be he never so small The least sin is worse than the greatest pain that ever man selt and would you choose that and say its little The least sin is odious to God and had a hand in the death of Christ and will damn you if it be not pardoned and should such a thing be made light of And many sins counted small may have great aggravations such as the knowing deliberate wilful committing of them is To love a small sin is a great sin specially to love it so well that the remembrance of Gods Will and Love of Christ and Heaven and Hell will not suffice to resolve you against it Besides a small sin is the common way to greater James 1. 14 15. When lust hath conceived it brings forth sin and sin when it is finished brings forth death James 3. 5. Behâ—ld how great a matter a little fire kindleth The horrid sins of David and Peter had small beginnings Mortal sicknesses seem little matters at the first Many a thousand have sinned themselves to Hell that began with that which is accounted small § 55. Tempt 16. Also the Devil draweth on the sinner by promising him that he shall sin but once Tempt 16. or but a very few times and then do so no more He tells the Thief and the Fornicator that if they will do it but this once they shall be quiet § 56. Direct 16. But O consider 1. That one stab at the heart may prove uncurable God may Direct 16. deny thee time or grace to repent 2. That it is easier to forbear the first time than the second For one sin disposeth the heart unto another If you cannot deny the first temptation how will you deny the next When you have lost your strength and grieved your helper and strengthened your enemy and your snare will you then resist better wounded then now when you are whole § 57. Tempt 17. But when the Devil hath prevailed for once with the sinner he makes that an argument Tempt 17. for a second He saith to the Thief and Drunkard and Fornicator It is but the same thing that thou hast done once already and if once may be pardoned twice may be pardoned and if twice why not thrice and so on § 58. Direct 17. This it is to let the Devil get in a foot A spark is easier quenched than a flame Direct 17. but yet remember that the longer the worse the oftner you sin the greater is the abuse of the Spirit of God and the contempt of grace and the wrong to Christ and the harder is repentance and the sharper if you do repent because the deeper is your wound Repent therefore speedily and go no further unless you would have the Devil tell you next It 's now too late § 59. Tempt 18. The Tempter maketh use of the greater sins of others to perswade men to venture Tempt 18. upon less Thou hearest other men curse and swear and rail and dost thou stick at idle talk How many in the world are enemies to Christ and persecute his Ministers and Servants and dost thou make so great a matter of omitting a Sermon or a prayer or other holy duty § 60. Direct 18. As there are degrees of sin so there are degrees of punishment And wilt thou Direct 18. rather choose the easiest place in Hell than Heaven How small soever the matter of sin be thy wilfulness and sinning against conscience and mercies and warnings may make it great to thee Are great sinners so happy in thy eyes that thou wouldst be as like them as thou darest § 61. Tempt 19. Also he would embolden the sinner because of the Commonness of the sin and Tempt 19. the multitude that commit either that or worse as if it were not therefore so bad or dangerous § 62. Direct 19. But remember that the more examples you have to take warning by the more Direct 19. unexcusable is your fall It was not the number of Angels that fell that could keep them from being Devils and damned for their sin God will do Justice on many as well as on one The sin is the greater and therefore the punishment shall not be the less Make the case your own Will you think it a good reason for any one to abuse you beat you rob you because that many have done so before He should rather think that you are abused too much already and therefore he should not add to your wrongs If when many had spit in Christs face or bufletted him some one should have given him another spit or blow as if he had not enough before would you not have taken him to be the worst and cruellest of them all If you do as the most you 'll speed as the most § 63. Tempt 2â— â—â— is a dangerous Temptation when the Devill propâ—seth some very good end and â—â—â—â—t 2â— mâ—kâ—t◠〈…〉 the 〈◊〉 or the necessary means to accomplish it when he blindâ—th men sâ— farr as tâ—â—â—â—â—k tâ—â—â—â— it is necessary tâ— their salvation or to other mens or to the wellfare of the Church or pro 〈…〉 oâ— the pleasing of God then sâ—n will be commited without regret and continued in â—â—â—â—â—◠〈…〉 Oâ— this account it is that â—â—reâ—â—e and will-worship and superstition are kept up â—â—â—â— 2. 18 21 22 23. Having a shew of wisdom in will-worship and humility and neglecting the body It is for God that much of the wickedness of the world is done against God It s for the Church aâ—â— Truth that Papists have murdered and persecuted so
the respects of his Goodness and Love as to our selves but highliest regarding himself for himself as carried to him above our selves § 10. 11. Though Love in its own Nature be still the same and is nothing but the Rational appetite of Good or the Wills Volition of Good apprehended by the understanding the first motion of the Will to Good arising from that Natural inclination to Good which is the Nature of the Will and the pondus animae the poise of the soul or from healing Grace which repaireth the breach that is made in nature Yet Love in regard of the state of the Lover and the way of its imperate acting is thus differenced 1. Either the Lover is in the Hopeful pursuit of the thing beloved and then it is DESIRING SEEKING LOVE 2 Or he is or seemeth to be denyed destitute and deprived of his beloved in whole or in part and then it is a MOURNING LAMENTING LOVE 3. Or he enjoyeth his beloved and then it is ENJOYING DELIGHTING LOVE 1. The ordinary Love which Grace causeth on Earth is a predominancy of seeking desiring Love encouraged Nobâ—â—us praestaâ— ius est Charitatem exertere in Deo quam virtures propter Deum Châ—â—â—â—tâ—s compâ—ndiosissima ad Deum via est per quam celeâ—â—ime in Deum perveniâ—ur nec sine Charitate aliqua viâ—tus supernaturaâ—ter homini sapit Charitas enim forma omnium virtutum est Per hoc Charitatis exercâ—tium homo ad tantâ—m 〈◊〉 aâ—ominationem venit ut non solum seipsum contemrat verum etiam se ab aliis contemni aequo animo ferat imo etiam ab aliis contemptus gaudâ—aâ— Thaulâ—rus flor c. 7. p. 114. by some little fore-tastes of enjoying delighting Love and in a great measure attended with Mourning Lamenting Love 2. The state of deserted dark declining relapsing and melancholy tempted Christians is A predominance of Mourning Lamenting Love assisted with some help of seeking desiring Love but destitute of enjoying delighting Love 3. The state of the Glorified is Perfection of enjoying delighting Love alone And all the rest are to bring us unto this III. The Reasons why Love to God is so great and high and necessary a thing and so much esteemed above other Graces are 1. It is the motion of the soul that tendeth to the End And the End is more excellent than all the Means as such 2. The Love or Will or Heart is the Man where the Heart or Love is there the Man is It is the fullest resignation of the whole man to God to Love him as God or offer him the Heart God never hath his Own fully till we Love him Love is the grand significant vital motion of the soul such as the Heart or Will or Love is such you may boldly call the man 3. The Love of God is the perfection and highest improvement of all the faculties of the soul and the End of all other Graces to which they tend and to which they grow up and in which they terminate their operations 4. The Love of God is that Spirit or life of moral excellency in all other Graces in which though not their form yet their acceptableness doth consist without which they are to God as a lifeless Carrion is to us And to prove any action sincere and acceptable to God is to prove that it comes from a Willing Loving mind without which you can never prove it 5. Love is the commander of the soul and therefore God knoweth that if he have our Hearts he hath all For all the rest are at its command For it is as it were the nature of the Will which is the commanding faculty and its Object is the Vltimate End which is the Commanding Object Love setleth the mind on Thinking the tongue on speaking the hands on working the feet on going and every faculty obeyeth its command 6. The obedience which Love commandeth participateth of its nature and is a ready chearful sweet obedience acceptable to God and pleasant to our selves 7. Love is a pure chaste and cleansing grace and most powerfully casteth out all creature Austi◠〈…〉 all 9. iâ— Iohn having shewed that among men it makeeth no one beautiful to Love one that is beautiful saith Anima nostio soeda est per inâ—quitatem amando Deum pulchra â—fficiâ—ur Qualâ—s amâ—r qui â—eddaâ— pulchrum amantem Deus semper Pater est amavit nos faedos ut ex saedis faceret pulchros Pulchri erimus amando enim qui pulcher est Quantum in â—e crescit Amor tantum crescit pulchritudo Quia ipsa Charitas animae pulchritudo est pollution from the soul The Love of God doth quench all carnal sinful love and most effectually carryeth up the soul to such high delights as causeth it to contemn and forget the toyes which it before admired 8. The Love of God is the true acknowledging and honouring him as good That blessed Attribute his GOODNESS is denyed or despised by those that Love him not The Light of the Sun would not be valued honoured or used by the world if there were no eyes in the world to see it And the Goodness of God is to them that Love him not as the Light to them that have no eyes If God would have had his Goodness to be thus unknown or neglected he would never have made the Intellectual creatures Those only give him the glory of his Goodness that truly Love him 9. Love in its attainment is the Enjoying and delighting Grace It is the very content and felicity of the soul Both as it maketh us capable to receive the most delightful communications of Gods Love to us and as it is the souls delightful closure with its most amiable felicitating object 10. Love is the Everlasting Grace and the work which we must be doing in Heaven for ever These are the the Reasons of Loves preheminence § 12. IV. The Love of Creatures hath its Contraries on both extreams in the excess and in the Defect But the Love of God hath no contrary in excess For infinite Goodness cannot possibly be Loved too much unless as the passion may possibly be raised to a degree distracting or disturbing the brain The odious Vices contrary to the Love of God are 1. Privative Not loving him 2. Positive Hating him 3. Opposite Loving his creatures in his stead All these concurr in every unsanctified soul. That they are all void of the true Love of God and taken up with creature Love is past all doubt But whether they are all Haters of God may seem more questionable But it is as certain as the other Only the hatred of God in most doth not break out into that open opposition persecution or blasphemy as it doth with some that are given up to desperate wickedness Nor do they think that they hate him But the Aversation of the Will is the Hatred of God And if men had not a great aversation to him they would not forsake him and
or in some other Covenant or in no Covenant If they be under no Covenant or promise or under some other promise or Covenant only and not the same they are not to be Baptized For Baptism is a mutual Covenanting where the Minister by Christs Commission in his name acteth his part and the believer his own and his Infants part And God hath but one Covenant which is to be made sealed and delivered in baptism Baptism is not an equivocal word so as to signifie divers Covenants of God Obj. But the same Covenant of God hath divers sorts of benefits The special God giveth to the sincere and the Common to the common and hypocritical receiver Answ. 1. God indeed requireth the Minister to take Profession for the Visible Church-title And so it being the Ministers duty so far to believe a lyar and to Receive dissemblers wh 〈…〉 had no right to lay that claim you may say that God indirectly and improperly giveth them Church-priviledges But properly that is by his promise or Covenant-deed of gift he giveth them nothing at all For his Covenant is one and undivided in its action though it give several benefits and Though Providence may give one and not another yet the Covenant giveth all or none God saith that Godliness hath the promise of this life and of that to come but he never said that I know of To the bypocrite or unsound Act. 2. 39. Gal. 3 22 29. 1 Tim. 4. 8. Eph. 2. 12. 2 Tim. 1. 1. Heb. 4. 1. 6. 17. 9. 15. 10. 36. 8. 6. 2 Pet. 1. 4 5. Act. 2. 38. Act. 26. 18. Luk. 24. 47. believer I promise or give right to common mercies 2. But suppose it were otherwise yet either the Children of true believers have the true Condition of Right to the special blessings of the Covenant or they have not the condition of any at all For there can no more be required of an Infant as to any special blessings of the Covenant than that he be the Child of believing Parents and by them Dedicated to God Either this condition entitleth them to all the Covenant promises which the adult believer is entitled to as far as their natures are capable or it entitleth them to none at all Nor are they to be baptized For God hath in Scripture instituted but one baptism to profess one faith And that one is ever for the remission of sins He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved Mark 16. 16. 3. Or if all the rest were granted you yet it would follow that all Infants in the World even of true believers are left out of Gods Covenant of Grace that is the Covenant or promise of pardon of life and are only taken in to the Covenant of Church-priviledges And so 1. You will make two Covenants which you denyed and not only two sorts of benefits of one Covenant 2. And two species of Baptism while all Infants in the World are only under a Covenant of outward priviledges and have no baptism but the seal of that Covenant while believers have the Covenant promise and seal of pardon and life 2. And this is my second Reason Because then we have no promise or certainty or ground of faith for the pardon and salvation of any individual Infants in the World And so Parents are left to little comfort for their Children And if there be no promise there is no faith of it nor no Baptism to seal it and so we still make Antipaedobaptism unavoidable For who dare set Gods seal to such as have no promise Or pretend to Invest any in a neer and saving Relation to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost which is the very nature of Baptism when God hath given no such commission Obj. Yes Baptism and the Covenant of special promises are for all the Elect though we know not who they are Answ. 1. I deny not Gods Eternal antecedent Election But I deny that the Scripture ever mentioneth his pardoning or Glorifying any upon the account of Election only without certain spiritual conditions which may be given as the reason of the difference in judgement God may freely give the Gospel to whom he will and also faith or the first grace by the Gospel without any previous condition in man but according to his free Election only But he giveth pardon and Heaven as a Rector by his equal Laws and judgement and alwayes rendereth a reason of the difference from the qualifications of man 2. And if this were as you say it would still overthrow Infant baptism For either we must baptize all indifferently or none or else know how to make a difference All must not be baptized indifferently And Election is a secret thing to us and by it no Minister in the World can tell whom to baptize Therefore he must baptize none if there be no other differencing note to know them by Obj. God hath more elect ones among the Infants of true believers than among others And therefore they are all to be baptized Answ. 1. It will be hard to prove that much that he hath more if there be no promise to them all as such 2. If he have more yet no man knoweth how many and whether the Elect be one of ten twenty forty or an hundred in comparison of the non-elect For Scripture tells it not So that no Minister of a Church is sure that any one Infant that he ever baptized is elect 3. And God hath given no such rule for sealing and delivering his Covenant with the benefits as to cast it hap hazard among all because it is possible or probable it may belong to some Object You have no certainty what adult professor is sincere nor to which of them the special benefits belong no not of any one in a Church And yet because that there is a probability that among many there are some sincere you baptize them all Take then the birth priviledge but as equal to the profession of the adult Answ. This partly satisfied me sometimes But I cannot forget that A visible false or hypocritical profession is not the condition of Gods own Covenant of Grace nor that which he requireth in us to make us partakers of his Covenant-benefits Nay he never at all commandeth it but only commandeth that profession of Consent which followeth the real consent of the heart He that Rom. 10. 9. Acts 8. 37. condemneth lying maketh it neither the condition of our Church-membership as his gift by promise nor yet our duty And mark well that it is a Professed Consent to the whole Covenant that God requireth as the condition of our true right to any part or benefit of it He that shall only say I consent to be a visible Church-member doth thereby acquire no right to that membership no not in foro Ecclesiae But he must also profess that he consenteth to have God for his God and Christ for his Lord and Saviour and the Holy