is but we are bidden to sing the word of Christ Col. 3. 16. not the words of David now Answer first David writ his Psalms in the Spirit of Christ 2 Sam. 23. 2. the Lord Christ had spoken by the Mouth of his servant David Act. 4. 23. 'T was the Rock Christ that spake to and by David and made him the sweet singer of Israel 2 Sam. 23. 1 3. All the holy Scriptures by which you must be guided here and Judged hereafter is wholly the words that Christ hath spoken Joh. 12. 48. So that while you sing the Psalms of David c. You do verily sing the words of Christ 2. Answer the Hebrew Titles of David Psalms be Misimorim Tehillim and Shurim which doth expresly correspond with the express phrase of the Apostle Eph. 5. 10. Col. 3. 19. Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs wherein he plainly points out the use of Davids Psalms as being also the word of Christ and richly suiting to all Conditions and such Psalms which cannot be Sung as your Experience yet may you Sing them for your Instruction Divine truth is the same in Meter that it is in Prose and may as well be Sung as Read 3. Answer Such Hymns as are composed by any now suppose they be free from the rash and raw Eructations of a private Spirit which cannot edify as it ought 1 Cor. 14. 26. yet as comming from an Ordinary gift only for God no where promised another gift it must needs infinitely fall short of those Scripture Psalms eomposed by the holy Pen-men of the Word to whom the Lord vouchsafed such an High Publick and Infallible Conduct in Composing what was Consigned to the use of the Church for ever these must excel private Hymns as much as the holy Scripture exceeds all other Books whatsoever The fift Religious duty Or walk of a Christian is Godly Conference CHAP. VII 1. NOw to manage your self in this fist walk of Christianity Consider you must first have a New heart and then you cannot want a New tongue for where Christ comes he makes all New Rev. 21. 5. 2 Cor. 5. 17. a New Constitution a New Communication and a New Conversation not only a New heart and a New life but also a New speech he turns to his Redeemed a pure Language Zeph. 3. 9. Or a lip of Excellency Prov. 17. 7. as choice Silver that hath a good sound Prov. 10. 20. So as to feed many by administring grace to all hearers Eph. 2. 29. So that this New tongue shall scatter Pearles Math. 7. 6. and cast abroad Rich Treasure Math. 12. 35. yea even Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver Prov. 25. 11. yet none of this can be till Christ cast in a cruse full of the Salt of grace into the Fountain as Elisha did 2 King 2. 20 21 22. and healed the waters for as is the Fountain so are the streams sweet or bitter the streams cannot rise higher nor run better then is the spring qualia principia talia principiaetam as is cause so are the effects good or evil as is the Tree so are the Fruits and as is the Treasure so are the Expences an evil Man out of the evil Treasure of his heart brings forth nothing but rotten and corrupt Communication Matth. 12. 35. the Bell is known by the Clapper whether it consist of good mettal or bad what kind of water is in the Well the same will be in the Bucket And what is in the Ware-house the same will be in the Shop So whatever is in the heart the same will be in the Mouth for out of the aboundance of the heart the Mouth speaketh the heart of the wicked is little worth Prov. 10. 20. till Christ renew it for and in you 2. Consider your speech also must be seasoned with Salt Col. 4. 6. even your common Communication and Conference must be seasoned with grace that you may leave the Savour of grace in all places and companies wherein you come as those meats that are most apt to putrify are most poudered So that unruly member the Tongue Jam. 3. 6. Is apt to have rotten and putrifyed Discourse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 4. 29. unless it be well seasoned with the salt of mortification and of that Christian wisdom which is from above upon this uncomely part you must put on the greatest comliness 1 Cor. 12. 23. that your Mouth be not as the unclean vessel under the Law that wanted a covering Numb 19. 15. you must have the covering of the Spirit Esa 30. 1. that will let no corrupt Communication no rotten discourse no obscene borborology nor filthy speeches come from you while God by his Spirit keeps the door of your lips Psal 141. 3. stinking breath proceeds from ulcerated lungs and such as have their Excrements come out of their Mouths have that mortal and desperate disease cal'd Miserere mei upon them 't is very unlikely that ever the holy God entred into such an House and such an heart that hath so unclean a door that hath not God 1 In their heads Psal 10. 4. nor 2 In their hearts Psal 14. 1. nor 3 In their words Psal 12. 4. no nor 4 In their works or ways Tit. 1. 16. he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Atheist Eph. 2. 12. that is thus without God any way every way in the World They were not Sons but two Bastards that would dare to shoot their Arrows against the dead body of their Father according to the determination of the Judg Judging which of the three was the right heir of his Fathers goods but he that was angry with them both for so doing and surely those cannot be the right heirs of Heaven that dare frequently shoot their venemous Arrows of blasphemous Oaths at the heart of God 3. Consider that God hath a Book of Rememberance wherein to write down all that men say as well as do Mal. 3. 16. in order hereunto he hearkens what Sinners say Jer. 8. 6. as well as Saints That he may make memorable mention of them at least at the last day when all shall be either justified or condemned by their words Mat. 12. 36 37. Idle as well as evil words and waste as well as wicked words must then be accounted for in that great Ampitheatre Plato thought it meet that mens speeches at Meals and meetings should be written should this Platonick proposal be put into practice O what strange Records would they be and yet though men do not Register them God doth you have need therefore to take heed to your ways that you offend not with your tongue Psal 39. 1. which was a lesson that old Pambus was 30. Years in diligently Learning it yet prosessed he could not yet take out that one Lesson God in that infinite wisdom wherein he made all things hath set a double hedge afore this unruly member the tongue to wit of teeth and lips to keep it up and in and he hath also placed
that I refer you to that Religious Duty of Meditation which followeth here there is another Conversation of your Tongue as to that I refer you to that Religious Duty of Conference which followeth also in ' its place here As to your Conversation in natural and civil Actions which is not my present Work I refer you to my Crown and glory of a Christian from Page the 78. to Page 121. Wherein you have directions to guide you therein 2. Religious Duty in the Walk of a Christian is therefore a comprehensive Word and contains in it the All of mans duty both to God and to Man as the first Table in the Decalogue is before the second Table First in Order because first in nature and Excellency I shall begin therefore with your duty to God in Religious Actions And first with Meditation which is a Scripture duty Phil. 4. 8 that all the Sons and Daughters of Abraham should live in the practice of as Isaac did Gen. 24. 63 the heir of Abraham you must walk in Abrahams and in this Son of Abrahams steps in this World If you would lodge in Abrahams bosome that Synonymon of Heaven in the World to come alas those licentious times have almost Antiquated the power and practice of this Religious Duty in which you should be conversant all your days This holy Patriarch was not of so loose a mind as those in our loose times that would spend the evening of the Sabbath in Sports and pastimes for he spent the Evening in holy Meditation 3. The Word Shuach in the Hebrew Signifies to speak with a low voice as in the heart and the Word in the Septuagins 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Signifies a satiating Soliloquy as if Isaac had his fill of Divine talking both with his God and with his own heart It was his holy Exercise and Recreation thinking the latter part of the day as fit for Acts of Holiness as the former part was It was a pleasant and delightful pastime as the Greek Version is to the Patriarch and he found more heart-Ravishing complacency in it then can be found in all the delights of the Sons of Men and no less it was to the Prophet who professes he found more transcendent sweetness in Meditating on the Word then in the honey or in the honey-comb Psal 19. 10. 94 19. 139. 17. 119. 103. he found marrow and Gold yea better in it 4. Oh then do you account it your duty and your priviledg to take a few turns daily upon this Mount Tabor of Divine Contemplation which is an Heaven upon Earth a beginning of the beatifical vision an Employment as it is in a manner without the body plainly Angelical 't is an handsel of Happiness and a Foretast of Heavenly Joy Oh who would not but be an Anchorite to be pent up in the Voluntary Prison-walls of this Religious Action and to say with Peter 't is good being here No doubt but Moses was ravished in Spirit all the 40. days he conversed with God yet longs he still for more crying I beseech thee shew me thy glory Exod. 33. 18. 5. Objection but you will say how can such a duty be so delightful that is so difficult to this I Answer by Similies difficulty and delight may be found in one and the same Action there may be difficulty in the beginning and delight in the progress and ending the root may be Bitter and the fruit Sweet 1 Simile 'T is in this duty as it is in the heating of an Oven the first kindling of the fire in it may be not only difficult but painful the fewel must be set on fire and then it must be blown up with labour into a Flame after that the Oven begins well to warm the fewel will then catch and kindle of it self no sooner is a stick thrown into the Oven but presently 't is all on a blaze So where there is but a little sparke of grace in the heart at first it requires some paines to blow it up into a Flame but when the heart is once heated with the true Flames of Love then doth it enflame all the thoughts and sets the affections on fire insomuch that then this duty will not only be without difficulty but with much delight 6. 2 Simile 'T is with your heart as it is with that wax which hath been laid in cold places it thereby becomes hard and unpliable to your hand insomuch that it will break rather then bend but if laid a while in the Sun or by the fire or if wrought a while in your warm hand then doth it soften and become pliable and so capable of any Impression Thus will it be with you in this Divine duty the greatest difficulty lyes in your entrance into it for corrupt nature and carnal principles will put forth a repugnancy against it and therefore flesh must be put to silence in this blessed duty which is mainly the exercise of the Spirit in you the experience of all ages tells you as well as your own 3 Simile that the entrance into Learning is attended with difficulties and discouragements but when once the Nut-shell is crack'd and the sweetness of the Kernel tasted then do youth pass through all difficulties with delight till at last they become Famous Instruments in Church or State 7. 4 Simile This duty is indeed as the climbing upon some high Tree Monument or Mountain all hard Work but then there is a blessed compensation for all your paines at the top of all these First at the top of this Tree of life there be the choicest fruits to nourish up your Soul to eternal life Secondly at the top of this Monument of mercy you have the most lovely and Soul-refreshing and heart ravishing prospect even transforming and transfiguring you into the glory of it Thirdly at the top of this Mountain of God and of Holiness you may behold not only the Kingdomes of this lower World and the Vanity of them quite contrary to the Devils land-skip showed to your Lord but also the glories of a better World as Moses from the Top of Pisgah the upper land of Canaan that transendently flows with Milk and Honey Digging in Mines of the Earth a pressing of grapes in the Wine press c. Are both hard works yet finding fine Gold in the Mines of the Scriptures by this Spiritual digging and a rich Wine flowing from this blessed Wine-press of Divine Meditation will make a satisfactory Amends for all your paines at last 8 Having removed this Objection out of your way as Amasa's body was out of the Armies way that their March might not be hindred 2 Sam 20. 12 13. Let us now proceed to shew as I st how pleasant this duty is so 2ly how profitable both to your self and to others 1. Io your self upon a twofold account 1. For preventing evil Belzebub that Prince of Flies cannot Fly blow your heart so long as it is boiling a good matter
Prayer As this review of your frailty in Prayer may humble you so it may help you against both resting in and trusting to your Prayer alas in so doing you have been drawing nigh to Prayer not drawing nigh to God which is the true notion of Prayer and you do verily rest in it and trust upon it when your admiring thoughts do after duty run out more upon your prayer then upon your God hearing prayer Psal 65. 3. you must forget your Prayer and remember your God can you but Consider the iniquity of your holy things then Prayer will be your nothing and Christ your all and in all Col. 3. 11. If it stand for any thing It must be only for an Evidence not a Saviour 32. The second rule or direction is wait patiently for an Answer to your Prayer When David had Marshald as the Hebr. Gnarach signifies his Petitions and set them in good Order in Battel-aray then did he Saphah look up Speculando Spectavit as a Spy on the Watch-Tower to see whether he carryed the day and prevailed Psal 5. 3. you must mind your Arrow you shoot up to Heaven whether it fall short or over as Jonathan did his 1 Sam. 20. 21. what becomes of your Rich-Ship you adventure to the Cape of good hope as the Merchant doth his how it fares with your precious seed so Prayer is called Psal 126. 6. that you sow upon the Throne of grace a far more fruitful Soil then that of Isaac which brought forth an 100. sold Gen. 26. 12. as the Husbandman doth with his Noah minded what tidings his Dove brought him and every Man minds what message his messenger brings him you may not cast the Angling rod of Prayer into the vast Ocean of Divine love and never observe what it brings to your hand if rightly hooked and bated you may not be as Pilate who scoffingly asked what is truth but waited not for an Answer Joh. 18. 38. 33. You must therefore look up after Prayer and observe what becomes of your Prayer what access it hath to God what acceptance it hath with God and what returns it brings from God If you believe that God hearkens what you speak to him Mal. 3. 16. there is much Reason that you should also hearken what God will speak to you Psal 85. 8. you must look out of yourself and up to God that looks out of himself and down to you Psal 113. 6. and though this posture of looking up be a wearisom posture yet must you not be weary of it wait patiently Psal 40. 1. as those that wait for the morning Psal 130. 6. in due season you shall Reap if you faint not Gal. 6. 9. for God waiteth on you that he may be gracious in the best season Isa 30. 18. your waiting on God is there called blessed work and if the great God wait on such a worthless worm as you tantus tantillum Job 25. 6. how much more must you wait on him and not offer up Bethulian Prayers as in the Apocryphal Judeth Chap. 7. 30. limiting God to 5. days or give up all which ought not to be done Psal 78. 41. to limit God is but to Tempt him his delaying is not denying 't is but a commending his mercy you beg to you Cito data Vilescunt Mercies lightly Obtained are but lightly esteemed and it may be God stays to bring a great many mercies together and you will surely look up and not lose that mercy which long waiting hands in to you 34. The third Direction is work diligently in the use of the means that leads to the end ora labora is the Christians Rule and the very Heathens could say admotá manu Invocanda est Minerva you must do your part if you expect God to do his David will set a Watch over his lips Psal 39. 1 2. though he beg of God to do it for him Psal 14 1. 3 the duty is yours but the ability is the Lords the care of the means belong to you but the care of the end to God and 't is not only careless oscitancy but a plain tempting of God to neglect any means that God gives you to accomplish the end you may not expect to stumble upon mercy you do not so for the body sometimes overusing means why should you for your Soul You are bid to Aske seek and knock Matth. 7. 7. you must Aske with confidence seek with diligence and knock with perseverance In the sweat of your brows you must eat your Spiritual bread as well as Corporal as you lift up your hands in Praying for the end so you must lift up your hands in practising the means that have a tendency to the end be sure you do not first pray against your Sins and then go away and Sin against your Prayers this is but a mocking of God and he will not be so Gal. 6. 7. 35. The fourth Direction is wear thankfully all that you win by Prayer what you win by Prayer you must wear with thanksgiving as you have made Prayer your refuge so must you make praise your Recompence Davids Psalms were not all Hosannah's or Prayers to God but he had his Hallelujahs also his Psalms that were praises of God as before Prayer is the seed of praise and ' its pity that when the joy of harvest which is paralel to the joy of Marriage and to the joy of Victory doth come that the God of all joy and comfort should not have his thank-offering God took it unkindly from Hezekiah that he Rendered not to the Lord according to his loving kindness to him 2 Chron. 32. 28. and he took it kindly from David that he made it his Spiritual Study and project how to render to the Lord what shall I Render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me Psal 116. 12. the blessed Man was in an holy Extasy and in a deep demur with himself what he might do best for so good a God He had nothing to give so faith what shall I Render and he had nothing good enough to Render to him who is the chiefest good Ten Lepers cryed for healing Luke 17. 12 17. But when all were healed but one returned to praise Christ and he is praised of Christ God hath but the tenth of praises and 't is ten to one whether you practice his praise 1 Pet. 2. 9. Of Hearing the Word CHAP. V. 1. THe third Religious duty wherein you must serve God is the Hearing and Reading of his Word that you have the word of God to Read and Hear you must prize as a precious priviledg and praise the Lord for it with your heart lips and life God hath deposited a Rich Treasure with you in lending you his Word and Gospel You might have been begging drops of mercy in Hell at this time when behold God offers you Oceans of grace on Earth in his Word and Gospel O what would the damned give even ten thousand Worlds if they
the Manna hence is that promise of hidden Manna Revel 2 17. when the dew was gone the Manna remained for the people to gather O get an Omer full of this Angels food put it into the Golden Pot of a Sanctifyed memory and lay it up before the Lord. Ver. 33. 34. Heb. 9. 4. 26. You must with Mary Luke 25. 51. lay up all Christs sayings in your heart though there be but a little distance betwixt the head and the heart yet 't is a long time ere the Word get down from the former to the latter yet this must be done Luke 9. 44. let my sayings saith Christ not only Sink down into your ears and heads but also into your hearts the Word should be hid there Psal 119. 11. If you desire a preservative from Sin You must treasure it up there till it be kindly wrought upon your heart and become an Engrafted Word Jam. 1. 21. till you have an Inclination to it and a delight in it when it Incorporates and becomes one with you and you with it Thus the Word must Sink as well as Swim 't is not enough that it Swim in the head but it must also Sink down into the heart God promiseth to give an heart to know him Jer. 24. 7. in that New Covenant 't is not head to know him though the head be the seat of notional knowledg yet the heart is the seat of that which is practical and experimental The seed of the word abideth 1 Job 3. 9. only in honest and good hearts Luke 8. 15. there be three bad sorts of hearers to one good how oft doth Satan that Prince fowle of the Air pick up that seed which is sown on the high-way of the head and not in the heart 27. None ever that was wise went to the Well for a Pitcher of Water to spill it by the way Jewels are to be lock'd up carefully and not cast at our heels for fear of Theeves no wonder if the grand Thief Satan steal away that word you are careless of your self he is to blame for robbing you of your best Riches but who is blame-worthy that leaves ope the door The Samaritan Woman went to the Well for water to carry it home Joh. 4. 7. and Ruth gleaned in Boazs field to carry home to her aged Mother at Home Ruth 2. 19. Is the Lord kinder to you then Boaz was to Ruth who let her glean among the sheaves and bid his servants let fall handfulls on purpose that she might gather them Ver. 15. 16. be sure you beat out what you gather of the Corn of Heaven and carry it home with you and Scatter it not by the way our Memory must not be as the Sieve or broken Vessel that lets all the liquor of life run out if it be so naturally and in Worldly things as well as Heavenly yet know for your Comfort the oftner that the Vessel hath water in it though all the water run out yet it leaves the Vessel cleaner then it found it A retentive faculty is necessary to an healthful body until there be a due segregation and no less is it necessary to an healthful Soul yet must not your memory be as the Spunge to suck up puddle-water as well as purest Wine but rather like the Fan that blows away the chaff while the solid Wheat abideth and like those in Mat. 13. 48. you must gather the good fish into this Vessel of a Sanctified memory and cast the bad away as Moses slay the Egyptian when you meet him but save the Israelite alive wise Virgins distinguish 'twixt meat of Gods sending and that of the Devils cooking 28. The consequent duties after hearing be 1. What concerns your self keep in everlasting remembrance Prov. 4. 20 21 22. as you must not be like the hour-glass that runs out one way as it comes in the other way or as the Hogshead that lets go the Wine but retains the dregs So you must be like those Vessels that let go the bran but retain the pure Wheat 't is your Spiritual health and life Ver. 21. 22. 2. Meditate upon what you thus remember 1 Tim. 4. 15 which is as the bellows of the Soul that kindles holy affections if you chew the Cud you are a clean Sacrifice 3. Repeat it the whole Book of Deuteronomy is but a Repetition of Moses former Sermons in his foregoing Books as a man that comes into a Garden of Flowers and Spices is not content with the present fragrancy thereof but carries home some of them in a Nose-gay for his future Refreshment when you have been in the Garden of Spices and felt the Savour of Christs ointments carry some home and pound them for use Repeating yea and Conferring is as the pounding of those Spices this makes them smell sweeter indeed 4. Turn all into Prayer that you may not only repeat it in your lips but especially in your life Luke 11. 28. Ezek. 33. 32. Jam. 1. 23. The best Repetition of Sermons is in the life Sermons should be felt and lived as well as heard then is the root of the matter or word Hebr. indeed in you Job 19. 28. when it brings forth fruit Col. 1. 6. and the stalk of wickedness Ezek. 7. 11. Will be out grown The fourth Religious duty another walk of a Christian is the Singing Ordinance CHAP. VI. 1. SEeing the Saints are called Singing Birds Cant. 2. 10 12. the time of the Singing of Birds is come 'T is a thousand pitties that any of those Singing Birds should lose this Singing Ordinance as if it were still Winter with them and as if the Spring-time of grace were not come upon them or as if it were the mowting Month with them as it is with some Singing Birds which having some dist emper in their Voices Tongues or Breasts Sing not at all in that Month. The Saints of the most high God should rather be as the Canary-Birds that warble out their pleasant Notes all the Months of the Year seeing the time of the Singing of Birds is come upon them And they are made able to say in the witnessings of the Holy Ghost Rom. 9. 1. that their Sins are pardoned their persons are accepted off and their names are writ in the Lambs Book of life This is the true Singing time and they should rejoice in this Luke 10. 20. and rejoice evermore 1 Thes 5. 16. yea in every thing give thanks Phil. 4 4 6. always warbling out the high praises of the most high God which is ever comely for the upright Psal 33. 1. 8. The Method of my discourse upon this Subject shall in Gods strength be thus managed 1. In showing you the grounds reasons and Arguments at least some of them that may be alledged for it 2. The Answers to those Objections that are usually urged against it and of both briefly First of the first of those The first Argument to enforce this Religious duty is taken from the Divine precept all