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
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
bonds because so long as your passions affections are not moved in you the kingdome of heaven is not in you with power to your salvation An other fallacy there is when some would move mens feare by their own zeale or earnestness in preaching of damnation damnatioÌ„ so putting more trust to prevaile more by their owne manner of preaching then all the power of God in his great works can prevaile But the faithfullest course is to open well unto people the fearefulness of any judgments already inflicted upon some and the fearfulness of that last judgement of eternall damnation trusting that by an apt opening unto the people the particulars of those judgements the judgements of the Lord will then worke the feare of God in their hearts And surely it is more honour to God when his owne work prevaile over men to beget a feare of him in their hearts then when mens feare is begotten in them by the earnestness or zeale onely of a preacher A third fallacy there is when some put trust in preaching the Lawe as if the word Lawe Lawe onely sounded out in their earnest manner should make men feare to breake the Lawe whereas it were better aptly to open unto them the manner of Gods Apparition when he gave the Lawe that as then so for ever upon the apt description the fearfull manner of Gods giving the Lawe may beget a feare of God in mens hearts and consequently a feare to breake his Lawe so given to men And truely it is a very great darkness yea also damnable which wil be found in men at the last day by their not being possessed with the Acts and Iudgements of God for them and through them fearing God but resting onely with a seeming feare brought on them by hearing some over-zealous preacher Zeale is good yea it must be when the people are dull and slowe of hearing and therefore I would not haue men thinke that I reprove all zealous preachers but I would haue men rather to know that I would not haue any to make a false ayme or end of their zeale They must not thinke to beare Men more downe with their zeale then all the power of God in his workes declared can doe for this is to the great dishonour of the Lord. To conclude Let no man hurt his owne soule by saying what should I fear God for any thing done by him to others heretofore for to feare God for the judgments inflicted upon others is the ready way to remove Gods judgments from your selfe And surely he that thus honoureth God by fearing him for that done by him to others shall never feele judgements but gentle corrections rather Therefore at any hand take heede of so evill a disposition as when you heare what God hath inflicted upon others you say What is that to me I am well enough I will goe on in my pleasure though it be sinfull Nay rather learne by this manner practise which I haue taught you to be able truely to say with the Prophet David Thy Iudgements have I laid before me My flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am afraid of thy Iudgements For surely the Iudgements laid before us will beget feare in us and feare in us will incline us to the keeping of the Commandements Yea as I haue said before our heart will even delight in the escaping such Iudgements by the keeping of Gods Commandements Therefore apply your selfe hereunto as you tender your owne profit Yea when you heare the Commâ—ndements receive them then as if you heard them out of the fietry flame Deut 3. 11. for so they were at first given and youâ— eye must by faith ascend to the first giving those thing which now you often reade or heare 5. Chap. A Fourth Motive or inducement which I would remeÌ„ber unto you is The love of God To this end Deut. 11. 1 we read tâ—us Thou shalt love the Lord thy God anâ— shalt keepe that which he commanded to be kept that is his Ordinances and his Lawes and Commandements alway And ouâ— Lord saith Iohn 14 vers 15. and 23 If ye love me keepe my Commandements If any man love me he will keepe my worde he that loueth me not keepeth not my worde Love is the most assured bond of any other binding men faster to a keeping of Commandements then any other thing whatsoever can doe Love knowes no rewardes for disobedience but abideth faithfull unto that which is beloved therefore the Apostle Paul 1. Cor. 13 7 saith Love doth never fall away If any man therefore would be a constant observer of Gods Commandements let him then indeavour to attayne to Love God But how should a man Love God whom he never sawe I answer this may be though it is indeede difficult because this cannot be done without faith and every man attayneth not unto faith And indeed to love God Christ whom we haue not seene is reckoned for a speciall part of that wherein the Saincts excell others as the Apostle Peter 1. Pet. 1. 8. saith whom ye haue not seene and yet Love him in whom now though ye see him not yet doe ye beleeve and reioyce with ioy unspeakeable and glorious And yet though wee see not God nor Christ with our bodily eye yet we must haue a sight both of God and of Christ or els we can not love eyther of them but this sight in deede is the sight of the soule through faith Wee cannot possibly loue any thing whereof wee haue no knowledge neyther doe men now knowe God but thorowe faith therfore as our knowledge of God is now thorowe faith so also is our Loue of God through Faith Would you therefore attaine to Love God you must then first beleeve the report of these things whereby the Lord hath reveiled himselfe to his Church If you beleeve those things then is the eye of your soule opened and thenceforth you haue a soule-fight of God and of Christ because thorowe faith of the report you now haue knowledge of those Apparitions or Reveilings of God and of Christ which they haue made of themselves to the Church Wherefore present your selfe with those Declarations set them before your selfe in Meditation and then unlesse your heart be in you wholy unbeleeving you cannot but haue thenceforth a knowledge of God Accustome your selfe therfore to heare the Ministers of Gods Word accustome your selfe to beleeue them also in that they say out of the word of God accustome your selfe to heare the word of God in Scripture read unto you or if your selfe can reade then accustome your selfe to reade the Scriptures Accustome your selfe ever likewise to beleeue what you reade in the Scriptures If thus you do then by this means you shall present your selfe with these things in the Scriptures by which God and Christ haue made themselues both known and beloved of Men. And verily the next way to attaine to a loue of God is the presenting our soule and heart with these
things by which God drew other men to fall in loue of him Doe but therefore present unto your selfe these powerfull Attractions Motiues or Inducements of Loue whereby others were drawn to the loue of God and hardly then it can be but that your selfe also will of them be drawn to the loue of God Now the speciall Motiues or Inducements which we finde in holy Scriptures I reckon to be these Fiâ—st The Apparitions secondly Thâ— heavenly Glorie which hath been shown to the Church thirdly The mighty power in Signes and wonders done fourthly the evidence of vertue and goodnesse in God towards others fiâ—tly the rich aud glorious worship of the ancient Church Lastly The benefits which you your selfe beleeving in God receiue in this life and by promise are to receiue in the life to come Euery of these is a very powerfull Motiue or Inducement of the loue of man towards God therefore these things ought you to set before your soule in Meditation that of them you with others may be drawn to fall in loue of God These things for that it were too much to write of them here at large I thinke fit to write of in severall Treatises by themselues hoping that Gods people will be desirous of these Treatises also for their further instruction what to doe therein In the meane time I will heere indeavour to moue you unto this Loue by some of these things aboue mentioned briefly here touched at in this Treatise And indeed most men come short of that loue which they ought to beare to God by reason of the neglect they haue to set before themselues in Meditation some of those speciall things wherby God draweth the loue of man unto himself Eueryman saith who should not loue God yea they will be bold to say who is there among Christians that loues not God But as I haue said before concerning Feare so I say here concerning Loue Many say that we must loue God when yet their own heart never felt the Affection it selfe of loue unto God Let theÌ„ but consider what the Affection of Loue is unto anything which they feele theÌ„selues to loue whether it be wife or child riches orreputatioÌ„ honor Princes favours imployments of Power CoÌ„mands Glory or the like then let them consider with themselues whether the like Affection bee in them towards God yea or no. But that men may attain to haue like affection towards God also it is needful that they make use of such soul-objects as Gâ—d hath provided for the winning of the soules loue unto himself Among the which I wish you to make afrequent and special use of the Apparitions heavenly Glories shown of God to his Church For as the soule of Man being delighted with faire objects yeilds readily to fal also in loue of such so the presenting it with the apparitions of God with the beauteous heavenly shining Glories shown of God to the Church is the ready way to win it to fall also in loue of God Accustome your selfe therfore to reade or heare read unto you now one theÌ„ another of the Apparitions made of God whether visibly to the eye or onely in vision for both are true Apparitions though divers in kind and then use your selfe to say thus or to like effect This was or seemes to me to be as if here I should see before me this or this as the story reportes unto you that others saw Which having for the help of your Discerning done then use your self to say further also thus or to like effect My heart what a sight was this What a kinde of Glory was this Is not this wonderfull Thus God shewed himselfe to others And now my soule here is a glimpse of the Glory of God consider now therfore this being once truely seen whom should not this moue unto loue of him who iâ— so marvellous in his Apparition so glorious Certainly the heavenly Glories shown by God to his Church upon earth are not idle but operatiue objâ—cts and therefore there lacketh but mens presenting their soules with them For did each Man by himselfe thus present or set before his foule the mervâ—llous Apparations shining Glories which God hath showne to his Church then this of the Power in theÌ„ which they receiue froÌ„ the wise coÌ„position of God would overcome the foule both to confesse that this was mervailous glorious indeed also to loue God who so gloriously made show of himself Do went see in coÌ„mon experience how MeÌ„ soon rejoyce to be favoured of them who most partake of this worlds glory And if there be any hope given of a gracious acceptance how easily then inclines the heart to loue all such Whilst therefore God hath been pleased to manifest his gracious acceptance of their loue to him who beleeue there lacketh but our setting before our soules and hearts in private meditation the faire glories and shining which God for the honour of himselfe and comfort of the Church hath caused to appeare Be not therefore disswaded by any as if your selfe informing and selfe-questioning about the Apparitions of God and about the faire and shining Glories which the Church of God hath in former times seene and to this day beleeveth were to little purpose to winne the loue of your heart to the Lord but rather be frequent in the exercise hereof Spare not to speake thus unto your own selfe in Meditation that so you may find the precious fruit which certainely your so doing will produce I know that the benefits which we receiue by the exceeding vertue and goodnesse of God toward us in Christ are also verie powerfull Inducements unto Loue but let us not therefore neglect the other depriving our selues of the precious fruit which certainly will come of them also Nay suffer me to tell yoâ—â— further that true Loue is never for the Good onely which we receiue but rather for the true Desert of that in its selfe to be Beloved which requires our loue therefore also that mans loue is truest soundest who loveth God even for the evidence made of himselfe unto others by which hee hath declared himselfe to be worthy to be beloved And certainly there were never more worthy causes of Loue given to man then the Lord God of Israel his Sonne and Spirit haue given Never such Apparitions seene but in the Churh never such true and shining Glories never such workes of Power never such vertue and Goodnesse never so rich and glorious a worship never such Gifts given as in the Church Let there be faith that those reported in â—â—ripture were indeed done Let there be a considering alâ—â— of the speciallest of them advisedly Let the Church of God still to this day continuing be considered in its rich Gifts and then let comparison be made betwixt the Lord our God and the gods of any other Nations whatsoever and whensoever But if upon comparison there be a manifest evidence of excellency in the Lord then
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