Righteousness aswell in coÌ„munication as action the world is even inlightened For God who himself is light 1 Iohn 1. 3 sendeth from himself light into the world and therefore also even the Communication and good workes of the children of Light being the fruite of the Commandements come from God are a light shining there where ever the Gospel prevaileth This considered I cannot but mervaile that the very Obedience to this injunction concerning Gods Commandements beginne among the common people wel-neere of all Nations to receive a nick name of Puritanisme But let that be spoken against which truely and deservedly is to be spoken against even the laying upon men a restreint in things wherein God hath given no such Commandement of restreint as some for singularities sake would impose when yet that which truely is Obedience may receive praise But men beginne thorowe the sides of those over-abstenious ones to give a wound even unto true obedience its selfe accounting all restreint from wickedness which is customary in Communication Puritanisme If this be suffered to goe on looke then for an over spreading againe of wickedness little if any thing at all less then under Gentilisme But shall we of the reformed Churches who haue exceeded other Churches in receiving blessings and manifold testimonies from God suffer the darkness of wickedness to overspread againe yea and to prevaile also against the true light by suffering true obedience true restreinte to become nick-named or traduced Let not this be but rather let those Congregations where most true restreinte from things truely evill is founde be accoumpted as the speciall Lights of our Nations cherished of our Magistrates as for such To coÌ„clude seing our Nations in the Churches reformed haue received by the Gospel so blessed a change as froÌ„ Darkness unto Light well might we be moved to the keeping of the Commandements by the bare Iniunction or Commandement received from them who minister unto us the Gospell For commonly they who receive good by any will be willing to doe some things at their bare Commandement or Injunction But the Lord hath not left us to the bare Iniunction onely but hath mercifully found out many powerfull Motiues or Inducements besides it that of them our passions and affections might so be moved in us as that a willing undergoing of the burden of the Commandements might be begotten in us Proceede we therefore now to consider also the other motiues or inducements learning withall to make such a manner use of them as whereby their working upon us their profitable effects may be furthered 3. Chap. THe next Motive then or Inducement which I will note unto you is The observation of the greate workes of God in signes and mervailous Acts done of him To this end Moses Deut. 4. 9. saith Take heed to thy selfe and keepe thy soule diligently that thou forget not the things which thine eyes have seene and that they departe not out of thine hearte all the dayes of thy life but teach them thy sonnes and thy sonnes sonnes Forget not the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb when the Lord sayd unto me Gather me the people together and I will cause them to heare my wordes that they may learne 〈◊〉 feare me all the daies that they shall live upon the earth and thâ—â— they may teach their children Againe he saith Deut. 1◠〈◊〉 Consider this day the chastisement of the Lord your God his greatness his mighty hand and his streatched out arme and his signes his acts which he did And what he did unto you in the wilderness untill ye came unto this place For your eyes haue seene all the great Acts of the Lord which he did Therefore shall yee keepe all the Commandements Againe Ioshua 24 16 wee read thus Then the people answered and sayd God forbid that â—e should forsake the Lord to serve other Gods For the Lord our God he brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage and he did those great miracles in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people thorow whom we came And the Lord did cast out before us all the people even the Amorites which dwelt in the landâ— Therefore will we also serve the Lord. As here the great wonders which God did are set forth as the Inducement to serve the Lord in keeping his Commandements so let us for ever expect both that the ignorance yea or neglect onely of the great wonders which God heretofore hath done will occasion a negligent observation of the Commandements and also that the often recording them in our minde and respeaking of them to our children and family will occasion the more willing serving of God in keeping of his CoÌ„mandements For the workes done are of themselves so wonderfull as that even the very thought of them joyned with a present advised considering of them will move the spirit of a man to fall into an admiration both of the thing done and of him that did it And Admiration being once stirred up then hardly can it be but that the soule will be the proaner thenceforth to be obedient to his Commandements who did such things as these Commonly we finde one thing to draw on another Power Admiration Admiration Awe Awe Attention and Attention Observation therefore needfull must it needs be to exercise the stirring up the Admiration of our Spirits by often recording re-speaking of re-marking and re-opening to our selves our children and family the great Acts of God each aparte as they are described unto us in the holy Scriptures Is it not the common experience of the world that a man receiving a Commandement yea though of a good thing from one in whom he knoweth no power no authority he will be very backward to obey to doe according to such Commandement when yet let the same man receive the like coÌ„mandement from a King whose power and authority is manifest unto him we shall finde him to rejoice that he hath received even a commandement from such a one So is it with men in the Kingdome of heaven For whilst they onely heare of the Lawe the Lawe and of God named unto them a thousand times and a thousand they not apprehending well and distinctly the great Acts and mervailous wonders done of God receive the Commandements with such an unsubjected soule as that they can haue no hearte to apply themselves to the fulfilling of them For it is the apprehension of the mighty Power of God in his workes that subjects the spirit heart of a man to yeeld to obey him in his Commandements who was able to doe such things Therefore let men more frequently then in these times they usually doe each one in his family aparte exercise themselves to speake now of one two or three an other time of as many of the great Acts of God and of Christ accustoming also themselves and those
THE RIGHTEOUS MANS WAY WHEREIN ARE GIVEN CERTAINE Directions how men may profitably meditate upon the Commandements of God that so through such manner of meditation the Lordes Commandements may finde place in mens hearts to serve in them as guides unto all their Actions and Thoughts DIRECTIONS MOST NEEDFVLL FOR THESE times seeing most men laying the Commandements of God aside doe leade their lives in disobedience to Gods Commandements and this not onely to the scandall of Christian Religion but also to the extreame hazard of their own salvation 1. Thes. 4. 1. Wee beseech you brethren and exhort you in the Lord Iesus that ye increase more and more as ye haue received of us how ye ought to walke and to please God Printed in the yeare 1621. THE EPISTLE to the Reader MAny of Gods servants beloved Reader having written at large upon the ten cōmandements opening them so as that men may in a great measure see how farr they branch themselves into every action speach thought of Man I thought it might be profitable to add unto their labours this my direction unto Meditation upon the Commandements For I observe in most Men a kinde of disposition willingly to heare or reade of the Commandements that so their knowledge might be increased but there is little evidence of any who meditate also of them in private that by such meditatiō upon them they may sink into their hearts there to remaine as directors unto them in all things wherein they may haue use of them The very Notion onely of Gods Commandements is surely profitable as serving to informe Men of the way they should walk in but meditation upon them rootes them within us because what our Spirit once labours upon it will not easily forgoe againe but will retaine and make use of the same and this also to the end wherefore the paines to meditate upon it was taken For if any man purpose with himselfe and set his hearte to seeke Gods Commandements that they may serve to guide and rule him in his wayes he joyning private meditation or selfe-questioning and selfe examining with the same his hearte will then affect and indeavour to come to the end of its purpose For this cause haue I chosen to direct men unto a manner of meditation upon the Lords Commandements that so through meditation the Commandements of God may not rest in the bare Notion but may branch themselves out in the actions speaches yea and private thoughts of men But because the streame of this worlds disposition runns violently against the man that would keepe Gods Commandements for such is in most men the custome to erre from the wayes of Gods commandements that he that walks in them shall hardly finde any man that is not eyther against him or at leastwise not addicted to that way he walks in And because our owne corrupt nature is hardly brought in obedience to yeeld to walke in the wayes of righteousness Therefore I haue purposely set my selfe to shewe in the first place and in severall chapters a parte certaine motives or inducements by which men may be brought on to take upon them as for a light burthen and easy yoake the holy Commandements of God which are as his burthen and yoak which he for Mans good hath put upon us I am not ignorant that the world threatens me to labour herein in vaine for such rooting in Men hath the pleasure of sinne taken that it is almost unexpectable that they should leave to sinne those sinnes by which their laughter hearts joy firmest bond of fellowship is commonly occasioned but my trust is in God that there are thousand thousands in the world who not being of the world will not goe the way of the worlde but as aymers at another world will give diligent heede to all good directions how to come to the glorious world which is to come Yea seeing there is a turning of many unto Righteousness Daniel 12 3 who walked in the wayes of unrighteousness I cannot but hope that many even in the unrighteous multitude may yet be wonn to bethinke themselves ere it be too late of the evill way wherein they walke and of the good way of Gods holy Commandements Many indeede are the inducements unto sinne and they are also very powerfull to move yonge and lusty and covetous persons to walk rather in the way of sinnes then in the way of Gods Cōmandements but alas as the pleasure of a whore ends often times in a miserable and loathsome disease when yet during the pleasure there will be no eare given to any warning of danger so men that are overcome of the inducements unto sinne doe but gather more and more matter for their own grief destruction The way of God is peace health and Glory but the way of Satan the miss-leader of the miss-led is trouble of conscience disease of body eternal Infamy In hope therefore that all wil not be so evill minded as to neglect the way of God rejecting also all Meditation upon the Commandements of God but that some will be wonn to exercise themselves in such Meditation that so they may reape the glorious fruite of righteousness I will now conclude this epistle and send my Reader to the Treatise its selfe where directions how to meditate are given Yours in the Lord THOMAS PROCTO◠The Righteous Mans way WHEREIN ARE GIVEN CERTAINE DIRECTIONS how men may profitably meditate upon the Commandements of God That so through such Manner of Meditation the Lords Commandements may finde place in Mens hearts to serve in them as Guides unto all their Actions and Thoughts WHen God had created this glorious frame of heaven and earth and had made the wonderfull and beauteous creatures therein then we reade Gen. 2. 16. that unto man God gaue a commandement saying thou shalt eate freely of every tree of the garden but of the tree of knowledge of good and evill thou shalt not eate of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death which first commandement of the Lord seemes to me as the signe of his Lordship over Men the Lord shewing herein his Lordship in that he gaue a Lawe unto Man exacting also from him even upon paine of punishment subiection unto him herein which signe of the Lordship of God remaineth in the Church even unto this day for unto this day wee Christians though wee be under the liberty of the Gospell yet are not freed from beeing in subiection to a Lawe of Commandements and Ordinances Therefore also ought we to bee sensible of the Lawe of God as of a yoke and burden even as a mark signe or evidence of a Lordship which God hath over us And indeede our Lord saying Math. 11. 30. My yoke is easie and my burden light shewes that he hath put a yoke and burden upon his Disciples though indeede it is an easy yoke and a light burden Againe our Lord saying Luk. 6. 46 But why
of their family to consider what a thing it is to haue such a thing as that done in this worlde For if this they use themselves unto then as on the one hand this will cause the ancient works of God to be still in the memorie of Gods people so on the other hand the works will work from the heart first a Confession of the power of God and secondly an Awe anâ— thirdly an inclinatioÌ„ to keep his CoÌ„mandements Feare not neither doubt the producing these effects if thus you use your selves to speak of the antient wonders done of God for assure your selves that these workes were done and appointed to be told unto the sonnes and sonnes sonnes purposely to produce these effects Neyther are the workes of God so slight Neither is the OrdinaÌ„ce of God concerning telling them in family after family so vaine as that the relation of such workes of God will be fruitlesse as concerning the appointed effects 4. Chap. THe third Motive or inducement which I would note unto you is the observation of the Mighty workes of God in his greate and fearefull Iudgements inflicted heretofore upon those who have been disobedient To this end Moses Deut. 11 2. saith Consider this day the chastisement of the Lord your God which he did in the mids of Egypt unto Pharaoh the King of Egypt and unto all his lande And what he did unto the hoste of the Egyptians unto their horses and to their charets when he caused the waters of the red sea to overflowe them as they pursued you the Lord destroyed them unto this day And what he did to Dathan and Abâ—am the sonnes of Eliab when the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up their housholds and their tents and all their substance that they had in the mids of all Israell Therefore shall ye keepe all the CoÌ„mandements which I command you this day And the Prophet David Psal. 119 30 saith Thy iudgements have I layd before me Againe verse 118 Thou hast troden downe all them that depart from thy Statutes Thou hast taken away all the wicked of the earth like dross therefore I love thy testimonies Againe verse 120. My flesh trembleth for â—eare of thee and I am afraid of thy Iudgments Lastly verse 115 Salvation is farr from the wicked because they seeke not thy Statutes By these scriptures it may appeare that it were an error of no small importance to conceive that a feare brought upon us by the judgements of God is not a filiall but rather a slavish feare therefore also if any should so perswade men I hope these scriptures may serve to convince such of false doctrine But now seeing we haue this testimony from Scripture that to consider Gods judgements even upon others is a Motive or Inducement to the keeping of the Commandements ought not wee so much the more diligently to set alwayes before the eye of our mynd those ancient fearefull Iudgements which God hath inflicted upon others Therefore also haue I chosen this motive among others as a speciall Motive or Inducement advising Men also to the making a very careful and customary use of the same Which that you may the more profitably also doe chuse out unto your self some convenient time wherein thinking with your self of some one or two of the special Iudgements of God you may withall say thus or to like effect with your selfe This was or seemes to me to be as if here at this present I should before mine eyes see this or this as the story relates unto you Thus if you doe this will then help your perceiving or discerning well of that which once was done and the discerning furthers much the working of that upoÌ„ our hearts which is discerned But if hereunto you add further saying Had I been in his or their steads to whoÌ„ this was done how had it been with me how fearful had been then my conditioÌ„ This would help to bring the feare of God upoÌ„ your heart For you making their case your own supposing how it would be now with your self if now the like should befall your selfe the fearfulness of the judgement would so appeare unto you as that a feare of the Lord that did it would fall withall upon your hearte Now feare is such a passion or affection of the minde as which taking holde of the heart and spirit of a man it will incline the heart to a care to doe that for the not doing whereof such punishmeÌ„ts â—s it now feareth hath fallen upon others Yea from feare â—prings also Delight for wee coÌ„monly delight in doing that â—y which we avoide or escape such Iudgements as which our heart now feareth God for Be carefull therefore that you learne not onely to say God is to be feared or wee must feare God but to feele the passion of feare of the Lord in your hearte For there is great hypocrisy lurking in a free confessioÌ„ whilst what we coÌ„fesse should be done our selves never doe Therefore to be sure to season your heart of this passion of feare doe by the judgements of God inflicted upon others as I haue aboue instructed you But it may be some will say this is very dangerous for men for men thus supposing themselves as in their steads will be ready to be deluded with a fancy that the same is done now unto themselves in deede I answere I direct men but to apprehend what was done therefore they must not fancy that now it is done And if any be so foolish yet a good thing must not be left undone by the wise for the foolish use which some may make thereof Neither in deede hurt you your selfe eyther by supposing what you should see if here in this place before your owne eyes you should see such a fearefull judgement as that whereof you reade or by supposing your selfe as in their stead considering with your self if the like judgement should befall your selfe now at the present for the judgement its selfe is nothing hereby the neerer you but rather the further off from you because you thus indeavour to teach your heart to apprehend what was done many hundred yeares since unto others for which you now through faith of the report would feare God that did it Whilst therefore this so good an intent or end of your meditation is in your soule you haue the lesse need to feare any the like judgment to be inflicted now of God upon you Wherefore be not caried away by any mans perswasion from the practising of that which aboue I haue directed you unto But indeed the Devill by his instruments will he ready to make opposition here against this to the end that you may to your owne hurt rest still in a saying onely God must be feared or we must feare God without ever feeling in your hearte the passion its selfe of â—eare And in deed all the while that you but thus doe the Divill knowes that you are still his in his
for me and for my houshold that this Lan were kept by every of my Neighbours were it not Good for them also if I and my houshold obserue this Law towards every of them Thus if you use to question and discourse with your selfe some time of one an other time of another of the commandements of God then will not onely the Righteousnesse of the commandement appeare unto you but also your heart will inclyne within you to loue the commandement even for loue it beareth to its own particular Good which would arise by every mans observing that Commandement But if once your heart be possessed of loue to the commandement then will loue not onely make the observation of the commandement easie but also it will breed even a delight in you to keep that commandement in your Actions and Conversation with men Learne therefore to loue the Righteousnesse which is in a commandement and then assure your selfe that you will be the readier of inclination both to loue and also to obserue the commandement its selfe At any hand therefore be not negligent of your Passion or Affection but rather carefully endeavour that you fall in loue of the Commandement For unlesse one Passion or Affection be moved there will not any other be moved for the easing of the observation I meane unlesse your loue unto the commandement be won there will be no delight in the observing of the commandement and where there is not delight in the observation there no willingnesse is to keep the commandement Surely it is the Affection of loue that moues the Passion also of Deligh◠in the observing that loved and this moving of the Passion and Affections makes the observation of a Commandement easie Wherefore as you open unto your selfe by discourse in meditation the Righteousnesse and the Good which would come to every man were this of this commandement observed by every man be then also carefull of your hearts affection observing whether it yeeld in you to loue and delight in such a Righteousnesse or such a Good for if the Good doe upon evidence thereof unto your selfe prevaile over your heart to moue it to like or loue such Good then for loue of the Good the Commandement also will thenceforth be beloved and delighted in But every Commandement tending to shew us our duty either to God or to our Neighbours we must not rest in considering the Righteousnesse and Good of those Commandements onely which concerne our duty towards Man but we must consider the Righteousnesse and Good of those Commandements also which shew us our duty towards God Now to make our selues discerne the Righteousnesse of these commandements which shew us our duty towards God it will be needfull that we consider him even God that giues the Commandement endeavouring for his excellency and for the invaluable Good he doth us to confesse unto him freely saying Lord tho◠art worthy that I doe this or this in thy worship and service For doe we not see in daily experience that the greatnesse of a Commander and the Good we receiue by him make us even to loue his very service Therefore we shall be the proaner to acknowledge and loue the Righteousnesse of those Commandements which shew us our duty towards God if we use our selues sometimes to lay to heart the excellency of God and the Good which we receiue of his hand This doe therefore but doe it not with that superficiall generality of Confession which commonly men use they confessing Gods Greatnesse and Excellency and that all Good is of him but without evaer laying to heart any one particular of either for they never consider the excellency or greatnesse of God in any one particular thing neither doe they in particular consider any one Good confessing it to be Good and then beleeving withall in their heart that it is of God indeed and not of Nature or of Man onely But now if you doe sometime by one another time by another of Gods commandements as I haue aboue directed you then will the Righteousnesse and Goodnesse of Gods Commandements so appeare unto your Spirit and Heart as that even for loue unto such Righteousnesse and such Good your heart and spirit will yeeld in you to loue the Commandement it selfe also And a Commandement loved is with delight of heart also observed therefore get to loue any commandement and then be assured that the observation of that Commandement will be not onely easie but even a Delight also unto you I could willingly here for a furtherance both of your Apprehension of the Righteousnes and Good of Gods commandements and also of your dislike or hatred of those false Goods which wicked men doe flatter themselues of haue written particularly of each of the Lords commandements shewing both the Righteousnesse and Good therof and also the unrighteousnesse and Hurt of the seeming Good which the transgressors of those Commandements sooth themselues up in But the Commandements being many as branching themselues not onely into all our outward actions but also unto the inward Actions of the minde and this also both towards God and towards Man I found that I could not conveniently in this place write in that manner of them for if I should it would too too inconveniently increase this present Treatise Therfore I think fit to leaue you here to the directions in briefe which before I haue given you knowing that if you doe as I haue taught you then you will doe this even of your selues and your own soules discourse doth commonly cause things to sinke deeper into your heart then another mans telling or unfolding them unto you But now to conclude this chapter get to know and haue in minde not the ten commandements onely but also the other commandements which branch themselues out of those ten and then rest not in the knowing them onely but exercise your selfe to think now upon one or two another time upon other opening then also unto your selfe by your own discourse therupon with your selfe both the Righteousnesse of the Commandement and also the invaluable Good which would come to Mankinde if every man towards other did according to that Commandement 8. CHAP. THe seventh Motive or Inducement to the keeping willingly and with delight Gods Commandements is Their profiting them that obserue them For besides the profite of those blessings which Gods Promises Deut. 11. 8. Deut. 11. 2◠Deut. 26. 16. Deut. 28. 1. comfort us of there are other profites which the commandements themselues bring with thē to the observers of them As David saith Ps. 119. 24. Thy Testimonies are my Counsellers And Ps. 119. 22. Except thy Law had been my delight I should haue perished in myne affliction I wil never forget thy Precepts for by them thou hast quickned me Again Ps. 119. 104. By thy Precepts I haue gotten understanding And Ps. 119. 100. I understood more then the Ancients because I kept thy Precepts Againe Ps. 119. 129. The entrance into thy Word sheweth
Inducements by which men may be brought on to willing obedience unto the Commandements I will now proceed to shew also some of the speciall Meanes wherby to attain to keep the Commandements as the Saints haue kept them 9. CHAP. THe Meanes I account to be specially three First Gods assistance invocated by prayer Secondly Gods corrections or afflictions Lastly our own industrious Meditation For the first the Prophet David Psal. 119. 10. saith Let me not wander from thy Commandements Againe vers 12. O Lord teach me thy Statutes Againe verse 18. Open mine eyes that I may see the wonders of thy Law Again vers 27. Make me to understand the way of thy Precepts Again vers 33. Teach mee O Lord the way of thy Statutes Lastly vers 36. Incline myne heart unto thy Testimonies For the second the same Prophet Psal. 119. 67. saith Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I keep thy Word For the third he Psal. 110. 10. saith With my whole heart haue I sought thee Again vers 23. Princes also did sit and speake against me but thy servant did Meditate in thy Statutes Againe vers 48. I will Meditate in thy Statutes Though the Prophet said as in the third Meanes With my whole heart haue I sought thee And again I will meditate in thy Satutes yet you see how he invotateth of God also that Hee Let him not wander that He Teach him That He Open his eyes That He make him to understand that He inclyne his heart And truly it is in some measure a Mysterie that our Act is attributed to God as being his Act for so here though David bent his will to meditate in the Law of the Lord yet he prayeth to God that he incline his heart unto his Testimonies so likewise Exod. 18. 15. though Pharoah hardned his own heart yet chap. 10. 1. God saith I haue hardened his heart Indeed I obserue that Exod. 8. 15. it is said But when Pharoah saw that he had rest given him he hardened his heart and hearkened not unto them from whence I thinke I may gather that this hardning was not an evil quality infused by its selfe of God but was onely the permission of that Good unto this wicked one which he enjoying or feeling he would surely abuse hardening his heart unto unbeleefe and disobedience The man intreated Moses and Aaron to pray for him that the plague of frogs might be taken from him God heard Moses and Aaron praying him to take away the plague and yet even Gods Goodnesse in hearing his servants and taking away the plague was the occasion that this man feeling rest again hardned his hart Therfore though we set our hearts very industriously to be obedient to Gods commandements yet it is needfull that we pray to the Lord also to incline our hearts to his lawes for God by Meanes as by Corrections when we haue gone astray or by Gifts when we haue applyed our selues to his service inclineth our hearts to the keeping of his Commandements And truely let our Indeavours be what they will yet such are the baits of Satan such the crosses we finde in obedience as that we haue exceeding need to pray with this holy man that God suffer us not to wander that He teach us his Statutes that He open our eyes that He make us understand that He incline our hearts The wicked will peradventure be ready to say Must we pray to God that He incline our hearts unto his Lawes Then let us take our fill in the pleasures of sinne untill God incline our hearts unto his Law for if we never incline our hearts it is because He himselfe inclines not our hearts but contrariwise doth this â—â—ly Man of God doe for though he prayed unto God â—â—ying Let me not wander and Inclyne my heart unto thy Testimonies yet he also said With my whole heart haue I sought thee and I will meditate in thy Statutes And certainely it is 〈◊〉 true signe of a child of God when he sets his heart unto all godlinesse and yet prayes unto God that he inclyne his heart For as our breathing is not of our selues but it is Gods good Gift in us that as yet we can breathe the breath of life so every good thing in Religion which we doe is yet the good Gift of God in us and as for such to be asked of God our Father in prayer Yea verily every particular thing in Religion which God requireth of us that we doe may yet be asked of God that he work the same in us for though he hath sent the Meanes and such Meanes as which will work such effects in those that resist not the Meanes yet such are the snares of the devill such the inticing withdrawing of the world such the opposition or persecution of all those who resist not but embrace the word of Grace that it behooveth us that we ask of God that he inclyne our hearts to his words that he open our hearts to Beleefe and that he himselfe work that Hee requireth of us Therfore doe you finde that you shall goe as it were contrarie to all men if you liue after the Rule of Gods Commandements Doe you finde that you shall loose much gaine if you restraine your selfe to this Law Doe you finde that you shall depriue your selfe of pleasing imbracements pleasing delights in wantonnesse if you take not libertie to cover other mens beauties other mens wiues then yet consider that there will be an end no mans life lasts ever and there is a God who will take account of his creatures therefore say rather with your selfe Liue I in such an age wherein to be righteons is contrarie to all mens custome with whom I haue to doe Surely so much the more miserable are my times but yet shall I leaue such Goodnesse as this Law teacheth to make my selfe so wicked for companies sake as I see these men I will not doe it Is there no possibility to gaine unlesse I be also unrighteous in getting it God forbid yea I may Gaine and yet without coveting without stealing without oppression without swelling against God by Gaines gotten therfore for the Gaines of unrighteousnesse let it not come into my possession Let who will follow after that I will haue myne eye to the Law of God in getting it Why should I loue the unlawfull embracements Why should I loue the unlawfull liberty of a lustfull eye Will not God iudge for these things If I doe this shall I not be as he that hath stollen for whom the execution of hanging waites If myne own wife should be so coveted of another or if when I shall haue a wife I shall be so used will that please me If no then let me content my selfe with her whom I shall linke my selfe unto and though I may be conversant with other women and delighted of Gods gifts of beauty proportion wisedome and the like in them yet for Gods Lawes sake let mee abstaine
from sinne Let there not be Adulterie let there not be uncleanenesse let there not be secret coveting Surely sâ— many are the baites of sinne as that it is so difficult a thing not to wander in this world from the Law of God that we may well pray and pray earnestly and frequently with this Prophet unto God saying Let me not wander from thy Commandements But though you pray that God let you not wander yet you must not take hold of every occasion of wandering leaving it to God to keep you that you wander not for if with such a heart you pray to God you may assure your selfe that God will not heare the prayer of such a one but if you put on a resolution of minde to seek God with your whole heart and bend your will to the Law of God putting from you the occasions of unrighteous Gaines and drawing your eye from an evill or lustfull looking then God will second you as he did David that the baites of this life shall not intise you to your perdition A mans own resolution of minde as it is a precious thing and acceptable of God so it is very powerfull against those things against which it is setled Therfore doe but put on this resolution that with your whole heart you will seek God his righteous wayes that you notwithstanding the foolish occasions of sin which daily will offer themselues unto you in this life will yet keep your selfe to doe as Gods Commandements direct you and you shall feele that it is not so difficult a thing to withstand sinne as at the first apprehension a man would thinke True it is that the heate of youth as it tendeth to Lust and to Ambition and to oppression and to wantonnesse so it is a warfare to restrain it but consider with your selfe that there is a continuall warrfare in the world which even by Mens Lawes is occasioned and yet who condemnes not him that will not restreine his Appetite or Inclination but will expose himselfe for the satisfying of it unto Carting unto loosing of eares of nose or the like unto hanging and unto quartering how hardly doth a strong man restraine the use of his strength that he woundes not this man and kils not that man upon everie displeasure And yet for the Lawes sake of his Prince he restraines the disposition of his strength and shall we doe lesse for Gods Lawes sake How difficult a thing is it for yong and lustfull men to keep themselues from deflowring of Virgines from abusing every mans wife and yet partly for the feare of men whose displeasure should be moved thereby partly for feare of the Law of the Land they doe restraine their heat and doe not all that youth would easily incite and inable them unto and shall we not then indure the same warfare of restraint for the Lawes sake of God How many are able to steale and yet indure want rather then they will steale and is not this a warfare Surely yes But if for feare of Princes punishments men endure this warfare why should they not for Gods punishments endure the same But indeed the Princes punishment is Gods punishment though God can and will punish them so who will not be restrained for the punishment of their Princes as no Prince can possibly punish any God can punish in this world with blinding of the minde hardening of the heart and with â—ending into swinish or wicked Men evill spirits to leade them into further and further evill this cannot Princes doe and yet they are most fearefull judgements and plagues of God even in this life Besides this he can even in this life punish with a finall casting away or Reprobation and in the life to come with a keeping men in an eternall living in paines in torments gnashing of teeth word and never quenchable burning Therefore though occasions unto sinne may offer themselues daily unto you yet put on a setling of your minde to keep Gods Law animating your selfe therto by the invaluable benefits of Obedience and frighting your selfe from sinne by setting before your selfe with faith the fearefull punishments of Disobedience and joyne herewithall an invocating of Gods assistance and then you shall surely much the more easily yea not without delight feele this a very powerfull Meanes of keeping the commandements of God To which if you joyne a desire of heart and prayer unto God that you may discover the Goodnesse and Utilitie of his Lawes praying with the Prophet that God teach you his Statutes that Hee open your eyes that you may see the wonders of his Law that Hee make you understand the way of his Precepts you shall surely greatly further your keeping of the commandements God For it is no small provocation to the keeping of a Law when our understanding is opened to discerne the goodnesse utility and righteousnesse of a Law Wherefore though you set your selfe industriously to the keeping of the Law of God as â—â—ling or guiding and restraining in all your Actions Communications yea and Thinkings brideling them in when they would take liberty to wander from the commandement yet use your self withall to pray with this holy Prophet unto God that God assist you also keeping you that you wander not from his Commandements teaching you opening your understanding and inclyning your heart unto his Testimonies For the second Meanes which was Affliction we haue also very great need thereof therefore if after we haue been loose in any thing following after some sinne casting the Lords holy commandement behind our backs for that time the Lord then send upon us some Affliction let us consider that this Affliction as it may be a gentle Correction sent us of the Lord so it may be also a Meanes that we stray not still from his Commandements And indeed we are commonly so apt if God but blesse us with such a portion of this world wealth as that we can with credit and boldnesse hold societie with the rich and those of good place in Authority then to take liberty either to neglect all dependance on God or to doe violence to some whom we maligne or to entise the faire or beautifull women in our company to be dishonest with us as that there is need that God send upon us either dejection of estate or else infirmity of bodie that so even of Disability to be any longer bold to commit such sinns we may both turne in our hearts from doing such evill and also turne again to the Lord yeelding obedience to his words Surely if this holy Prophet could say Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I keep thy words much more haue other men need of this restraint from eviâ—â— by affliction Wherfore learne you also when you feeleâ—â—â— to make this godly use of them that they not onely stay you from further straying but also work you to a keeping now yet the word of your God Say with yourselfe I am now in adversitie shall I
in common experience that men living under Governments doe usually informe themselues before every Act of Importance whether the Law permit it or no so that they will not so much as cut a tree break open a hedge or the like but they will informe themselues first saying May I lawfully doe this Why should we not be as carefull of the Law of God consulting with it also before any Act Speach or Thought informing our selues whether we may doe such or such a thing or no If men doe not thus consult with the Law of God before-hand unvailing by its help the sinns which they are about it is their fault and such a fault as giues advantage to sinne so that it is committed before a man is aware of what it is he is about But the child of God that looketh for the rich Gifts of God in Christ may not be so negligent of the Law of God but rather with the Prophet David to make it his studie to thinke on the Commandements meditating also on them some now some another time for thus doing not onely the sinnes will appeare to the soule in their own vilenesse but also the soule will be fore-possessed with a dislike and loathing of them and this to the abating of the force of all occassion which shall be offered to commit or fulfill them Thus if you would use your selfe to look every sinn a in the face umasked wistly that so you may be discouraged from committing the same then would the incouragements or exhortations unto Righteousnesse and Godlinesse given us by the Apostles of our Lord Iesus Christ the more prevaile over us to divert us from sinning And truely we ought never to be unmindefull of our deliverance from the bondage of sinne by the conversion of us unto Christianity we ought never to forget the blessed benefite we received by our fore-fathers conversion from Heathenisme to Christianity Wherfore that you may as a fresh be put in minde hereof and the exhortations of the Apostles hearkened unto by you I thinke fit in this place to set before you some of them that so they may work upon you to dispose you to a willing keeping of the commandements of God Ephesiaus 2. 1. the Apostle saith thus And you hath hee quickened that were dead in trespasses and sinnes wherein in time past yee walked according to the course of this world and after the Prince that ruleth in the aire even the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Among whom also we had our conversation in time past in the lusts of our flesh in fulfilling the will of the flesh and of the minde and were by nature the children of wrath as well as others But God who is rich in mercy through his great loue wherewith hee loved us even when we were dead by sins hath quickened us together in Christ by whose grace yee are saved And chap. 4. 1. I therefore being prisoner in the Lord pray you that you walke worthy of the vocation whereunto yee are called with humblenesse of minde and meekenesse with long suffering supporting one another through loue endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace And chap. 5. 8. Yee were â—nce darkenesse but are now light in the Lord walke as children of light approving that which is pleasing to the Lord. And having no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darkenesse but even reprooue them rather For it is a shame even to speake the things which are done of them in secret But all things when they are reproved of the light are manifest for it is light that maketh all things manifest Wherefore he saith Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead and Christ shall giue thee light Take heed therefore that yee walke circumspecâ—tly not as fooles but as wise Redeeming the season for the daies are evill Wherfore bee yee not unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is These exhortations are exhortations which ought ever to be sounding in the eares of them of those Nations which in antient time were heathens therefore remember still that you are Nations whose fore-fathers were carryed away after dumbe Images and false Gods yea devils and knew not the true Lord God of Israel Creatour of all things and the giver of life and all blessednesse Forget not therfore this Grace of your conversion shown unto you but rather apply your hearts to his Commandements who hath shown you this invaluable Mercy Put on a Resolution of heart that neither for pleasure not for profite nor for fellowship sake nor for Custome no nor for Displeasure oâ— Losse you will leaue the good waies of Gods Commandements to walke in the wickednesse which is contrary to the same and too too usuall in the world In which Resolution two things may strengthen you the one Good Education the other the Spirits Assistance Good or truely Christian education in children is truely a most needfull help unto righteousnesse therefore where Parents are negligent there the Magistracy should help to discerne what customes corrupt the youth leading it into things evill and then to suppresse and to allienate the youth 〈◊〉 these things for verily Magistrates are also Parents unto youth little lesse then they by whose generation they come into the world Therefore if the Parents care not what company their children keep or care not what evill they commit there in their jollity nor what wickednesse and prophanenesse their conversation or communication be corrupted with yet Magistrates owe to God a duty to take account of those houses or places where youth take liberty to be bold in such evill things Some fondly think that unlesse youth be suffered in evill conversation and evill actions they will never be bold and manly or valiant but we may see in the children of some Princes and Nobles that children become manly and valiant and yet without such liberty so that these evils doe but steale upon such to corrupt them and weaken them nothing furthering their Manliness or Valour I note this the rather because it is the errour of some mindes to thinke that a godly restraint of youth is the depression of the spirits and the cause of pusillanimity but whilst all exercises stirring the body and refreshing the mind and spirit may even by Gods lawes be practised the use of such things will increase the strength and magnanimity of youth and yet without admitting also the abuse And indeed the abuse of such exercises brings upon men first a mischieving and ruining one another and secondly a taking away the hearts of men by Gods not prospering the warres of such Though indeed sometimes as for punishments God lets out evill spirits giving way to their prevailing also so wicked Powers composed of wicked men are let loose of the Lord and suffered to prevaile in the world But the Kingdome of heaven even the victorious Church hath not its fortitude in wickednesse but in Righteousnesse and what
Power did ever so truely prevaile indure so long or was so glorious Therfore lâ—t us Christians vigilantly watch over our youthes abusing those exercises of fellowship and Activity by which the strength of a Land is nourished and â—he spirits refreshed maintayning the use but punishing the abuse of things Therefore if any youth grow prophane or wicked in its usuall communication or bold to doe this or that injury to men let Parents in their houses and Magistrates in their jurisdictions haue an eye betimes upon this and restraine wickednesse betimes in youth that so God be not moved to plague us for suffering our youth to practise nothing more nor nothing more to take pleasure in then in breaking continually the Commandements of God If we be carefull herein then let us nothing doubt of the Assistance also of the Spirit of God disposiâ—â— our youth unto Godlinesse and Righteousness And truely Christians haue through the Spirit a kinde of inclination unto Righteousnesse so that not so much of a forced observation as of a minde and heart even disposed or inclyned of the Spirit they are keepers and observers of the commandements of the Lord. Yea the Apostle Ephes. 5. 9. saith For the fruits of the Spirit is in all goodnesse and righteousnesse and truth so accounting these things the fruits of the Spirit in us rather then our workes or our industry Wherefore Righteousnesse is not in the Saints or their children a bondage but rather they are inclyned by the Spirit of God thereunto Therfore so much the rather we ought to watch that wicked customes bring not us and our children into such a bondage as that to be righteous they must struggle against the common customes of the time for if this be suffered then indeed wickednesse brings our youth into a bondage yea and the Spirit of the Lord forsakes them Let us looke upon any Nation where the Church is or hath bene and see their condition what it was whilst they made conscience of the commandements of God obserue their prevailing against their enemies their multiplying their inriching and their matchlesse valour and magnanimity Again let us look upon them after they had suffered the breakings of Gods commandements to sway among them and obserue then their miseries and calamities Let us take them for our example for it is a sure Rule unto us Doe as they did and haue as they had Wickednesse growes more and more in time of prosperity and creeps upon a Nation under very faire and plausible pretexts but it is bitternesse in the end and the subversion of States and Thrones Stâ—p it therfore betimes and be vigilant against its growing into Custome among your people and Officers as you dâ—sire the growing or stablishing of the welfare and glory of your Nations or Dominions Verily it is lamentable to obserue that if Gaine come in or the warres be managed by any such seeme as free to be godlesse and to breake frequently in their life and conversation the commandements of God They seeme as the wheeles whereon the prosperity of a Land runnes or as the cause therof or if not causes yet then as the pillars of the same and therfore they are suffered to liue disorderly without any requiring of them to liue as beseemeth Christians The Gifts which God hath given them by which they excell many and are very serviceable to a Nation seeme to beare thâ—â— out in living in disobedience to the commandements of God Yea when a people being in some bondage hath in time of that bondage cryed unto God to be delivered and in the time of such cryiâ—g hath been diligent in resorting to Church reading Gods word as also in Prayer and in using religious duties in their families then God in his Goodnesse delivering them and granting them the blessings of Prosperity even within a few yeares after wickednesse abounds in that people and nothing is done less then that which was done before and some little time after the deliverance Then even sinne against God â—eemes as the evidence of Gods blessings upon the land for the most part of the people doe not otherwise expresse or shew thâ—ir liberty wealth and prosperity then by words or actions â—ontâ—ary to Christian Religion If prosperity increase evill houses increase withall where as â—n â—afe castâ—ls men take libeâ—ty in all ungodlinesse But what will be the end of this What will be the issue of this forgetting the deliverances which God hath sent us Surely a new plunging us into adversities Were it not that God hath a more graeious eye upon the good Lawes of Nations and the intention and indeavour of Governours to rule the people according to them then he hath a revengefull hand to avenge upon Nations the frequent breach of his Commandements it were not possible that we should thus continue as hitherto we doe without great and fearefull Visitations But now if the wicked be accounted as the enemies of the Lands prosperity inas much as through thâ—m God is moved to anger against the land and as for such eyâ—d with some measure of indignation by Governours And if they that feare God and waâ—k in the wayes of his commandements be accounted as the safety of the Land and as for such be eyed with fâ—uour by Governours and incouraged in their obedience thâ—n surely we shall both râ—moue from us the judgements which hang over our heads and also bring upon ouâ— I and manifold blessings Therefore the Lord giue hearts to them that are in Authority that every Pastor in his Paâ—ish every Officer in his allotted portion every King in his Kingdom may in this indeavour to serue God even in being a disliker and discourager of the wicked and a likâ—r and incourager of them who walk in the wayes of Gods commandemâ—nts I grant that any gift given to 〈◊〉 wicked man wherby he may be serviceable to the Church and Common-wealth is not therfore not to be made use of because the party is wicked for this were to suppresse the gift of God but that â—or the wickednesse which such a one committeth he may perceiue that he hath some disgrace or dishonour which but for that he should not haue For this would surely turne many from ungodlinesse because most men seeking the favour and good liking of those that are in Authority in eveâ—y Land they will in the greater measure forbeare those things which they finde to disgrace thâ—m in their presence As for those places where the chiefest Officers of Rule are themselues vicious and to please them many become vicious they truely haue a fearefull judgement from God therein upon them and therfore by prayer to God Gods people there should seek of God his inclyning the hearts of those in Authority unto his Commandements Many are the shining and profitable vertues of many very vicious Princes neither may they be suppressed or the Princes disobeyed in the exercise of them for God hath given them these Gifts fitting them thereby