company out of choice Christ aftâ—r his Resurrection waited for his Ascension into glory So if we will walk in newness of life we must have our conversation in heaven and be continually expecting our dissolution and our translation into glory To walk in newness of life it is to do all the actions of out life in a new manner to do alâ— religious duties to pray and to hear in a new manner Before he prayed lukewarmly and with a dull and hard and unbelieving heart but now more fervently more livelily Though the matter of his duties might be the same yet the manner is new To walk in newness of life is to be making progress in all these walking is a progressive motion it is to continue and to persevere in the waies of holiness Not to decline nor to go backwards not to return or walk back again to old wickedness SECT II. THe excellency and dignity of a new life is very great and for your greater encouragement to walk therein I shall instance in some of them 1. A new life is a life according to the New Covenant which God hath made with fallen man Men that walk in old sinful courses continue the Covenant they have made with sin and Satan But a man that walketh in newness of life is a man that hath entred into a New Covenant with God Ezek. 36.26 A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put into you I will take away the stony heart 〈◊〉 of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh Veâ— 27 And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statuâ—es and ye shall keep my judgments and do them And to walk thus in Gods Statutes is to walk in newness of life 2. A new life it is the most rational life When the Prodigal left his old waies and took up a new course he is said to come to himself Luk. 15.17 Men act most unreasonably when they act wickedly 3. A new life is the sweetest and most comfortable life There are sensual carnal brutish delights in the waies of sin but there is much terrour and bitterness in a wicked course alwaies at the end of it Such as lead a new life they have experience of the comforts of the Spirit of the joyes of the Holy Ghost All these new waies so called as opposed to his former waies else the best way is the oldest way are waies of pleasanâ—ness and all these paths are pâ—â—ce 4. A new life it is the noblest life we then live according to the highest elevation that we are capable of in this life Nay it is a life nearest to the life of glory 5. A new life is an evidencing life it is an evidence of the great and glorious things that are brought to light by the Gospel all full of delighting comfort A new lâ—fe tâ—king in all the particulars before set down shewing the things included in it is an evidence First Of our Election his new life is a fruit of Gods ancient love Eph. 1.4 Secondly Of a new robe of righteousness put upon us for our justificâ—tion Thirdly Of Pâ—râ—on of old sins Fourthly Of our Union with Christ we could not leâ—d a new life were we not engrafted into a new stock Fifthly Of the sincerity of our hearts and the truth of grace Sixthly Of our sure title to heaven to the new Jerusalem that is above 6. A new life is â—n encouraging life it will be an encouragement to a man to go â—o God in his greatest straits it will encourage a man with boldness to look death in the face when it comes 7. It is the most profitable life to our selves and to others we shall be giving to others a good example if we lead new lives whereby they may be drawn to an holy Imitation A new heâ—rt you may have and that may profit your self but a new life will be profitable to others as well as to your self 8. A new life is the only life that honours God and that doth credit the Gospel and the Profession that we make To live in an old course of swearing and lying and Sabbath-breaking is to dishonour God but if you walk in newness of life you will promote the great end for which you live i. e. the glory of God and the excellency of any thing is according to its sutableness and tendency to the attaining of a mans ultimate end it is a new life that only glorifieth God therefore a new life is the only exâ—ellent life 9. He that leads a new life hath a new guide to direct him in his holy walk the Spirit of God will be your guide to shew you the way that you ought to go Though to you it may be a new way yet you shall not lose your way because the Spirit is your guide 10. He that leads a new life is taken into new relations God is now his Father and the Son of God is now his Lord Head Redeemer Brother and all the people of God are now related to him in the bonds of grace These things and many more may be said in commendation of the excellency of a new life which appears to be so in the eyes of carnal men who have walked after their old hearts when they come to dye that they then resolve if God would spare them they would lead a new life SECT III. THe hinderances of walking in newness of life are many and very great that it is not an easie thing for any man to lead this life 1. The Old Serpent is a great enemy to this New liâ—e he hath old stratagems and old devices and snares to divert them out of this way 2. The Old Principle of corruption remaining in our hearts is a great Impediment to this new life It is working still in us to walk in the old waies of pleasures and delights the Old man within will still strive hard to hinder this New life without 3. Old sinful Company will hinder you in your new manner of life they will be tempting and enticing and perswading you to come to your old games and your old delights It will be hard to live a new life amongst old sinful Companions 4. Slavish fear of men is a great impediment of walking in newness of life it may be thou mightest displease thy Father thy Master the Friend upon whom thou dost much depend if thou shouldest forsake thy old wicked life and become a new Creature and lead a new life thou wouldest meet with new troubles but fear God and his Vengeance more if thou walk in thy old course of sin and keep thy old heart then be filled with slavish fear of men if they should deny their old favour and friendship to thee because thou walkest in newness of life 5. Flesh-pleasing and being too much over-powred by the sensitive appetite 6. Spiritual sloth For a New Life hath many new difficult duties Thus if you
to the same sin but sin encroacheth more into the sinners heart and affections and brings him more and more into bondage to it and so makes him worse and worse as a man that was wont to take a cup too much at length is brought to frequent drunkenness till at last it brings him to Hell and to damnation irrecoverably where he is as bad as he can be 5. Sin is of a craving and unsatiable nature therefore those that would satisfie their Lusts must needs in length of time be very bad There are four things which are never satisfied and never say It is enough Prov. 30.15 16. and sin may make a fifth For though a man drudge under sin all his dayes yet it thinks the Sinner hath not done enough for it The Horse-leech hath two daughters crying Give give such a thing is sin that never leaves sucking the heart-blood of the Sinner till it hath sucked him to death Sin cannot cease to ask and sinners know not how to deny and they must be wicked indeed that will be as wicked as sin can make them I might run through the several kinds of sin and shew how they are never satisfied The Egyptians thought that the Israelites never made brick enough and sin thinks the sinner never is enslaved enough that he never doth obey enough but I will briefly instance but in three First Covetousness is unsatiable it never saith It is enough It is not satisfied with having nor in seeing what it hath Eccles 4.8 and 5.10 and therefore puts the Worldling to go drudge again Crescit amor nummi c. Secondly Revenge is unsatiable Malice never thinks it hath done enough and therefore puts on the malicious to consult to contrive and never to be at rest till he hath been more injurious to the person that is the object of his malice Thirdly Lust and uncleanness is unsatiable and therefore such as are addicted to it and would have it satisfied must be very wicked for they never do it 2 Pet. 2.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having eyes full of the Adulteress the very looks of their eye betrayes the lust of their heart and it follows And cannot cease from sin therefore will proceed to great Impiety SECT IV. II. THat wicked men will grow in sin appears from the instigation of the Devil who is unweariedly diligent to tempt unto sin and to adde one iniquity unto another and that because he rules in their hearts and takes them captive at his pleasure 2 Tim. 2.26 A man will be very wicked that will sin as often as the Devil tempts A man is never so bad but the Devil would have him to be worse Judas was an hypocrite before but yet Satan put it into his heart to be more vile in betraying Christ Joh. 13.2 Satan tempting without and sin inclining within Satan never ceasing to tempt and Sinners not knowing how to resist will be growing like the Crocodile from an Egge to a stupendous magnitude SECT V. III. THat wicked men will grow in sin appears from the absence of that which should restrain them If a man hath drunk in poyson and hath no Alexipharmacum or Antidote his sickness will grow upon him Wicked men want that which should preserve them from sin as 1. The Fear of God This is that which causeth a man to shun evil Job 1.1 Job was a man fearing God and eschewing evil Prov. 8.13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil But where the fear of the Lord is not there the flood-gates are pulled up If the Devil tempt a man that feareth not God to sport on the Lords day he will do it to omit Prayer he will doe it yea if there were no Devil to tempt him he would run on in sin This is brought in as the cause of crying sins Rom. 3.12 13 14 15 16 17 18. Many sins there are enumerated and at the close of all is There is no fear of God before their eyes Abraham dared not to trust himself with a people that did not fear God Gen. 20.11 Abraham said Because I thought surely the fear of God is not in this place and they will slay me for my Wives sake 2. Wicked men want serious Consideration that should keep them from being worse they do not seriously consider of Death and Judgement of the Wrath of God of the Torments of Hell nor of Gods Omniscience that he alwayes sees them Hos 7.2 They consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness now their own doings have beset them about they are before my face Nor of his Omnipresence that he is alwayes with them and by them they consider not If I sin I shall lose my soul and it will cost me bitter tears or bitter torments They do not weigh in their serious thoughts the greatness of their danger the heaviness of Gods wrath nor the eternity of the miseries of another world God complains of the want of Consideration as the great cause of the height of sin Isa 1.2 3 4. 3. Wicked men want a firm assent to the verity of Gods Word that they doe not verily believe the truth of Gods threatnings but they have a secret hope that it shall goe well with them whatever they doe and whatever God saith They hear of the evil of sin and of the torments of Hell but they feel nothing for the present and fear nothing for the future and therefore goe on to adde drunkenness to thirst Deut. 29.19 20 21. And it come to passe when he heareth the words of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart to adde drunkenness to thirst Vers 20. The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his Jealousie shall smoak against that man and all the Curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his Name from under Heaven 4. Wicked men want a lively tender Conscience which should warn them that they sin not and accuse them and threaten them with damnation if they doe Many have cauterized Consciences 1 Tim. 4.2 Where Conscience is dead or sleepy or feared there iniquity will abound SECT VI. What are the several steps and gradations whereby sin growes from a low ebbe to its highest actings THere are ten steps to the highest actings of sin five of which are common to good and bad the other five proper to the wicked and ungodly Many Hypocrites may goe half way with the godly in that which is good but never while such goe quite thorow So too often a man that is godly goes half way with the wicked in sinning but never goes quite thorow with them in all the circumstances of sin The rounds in the Sinners Ladder to hell are these ten 1. Original Concupiscence 2. Temptation 3. Inclination 4. Consent 5. Action 6. Custome 7.
make an alteration or a change in the heart of a sinner from worse to better except God sanctifie it The Plague upon the body is not a remedy in it self to cure the Plague of the heart for men love more the plague of their hearts than they loathe the plague of the body Possibly outward Judgements may put a stop to some mens sinnings for the present but they will return to them afterwards except God speak effectually to their hearts and consciences as well as lay his heavy stroaks upon the body Judgement to a sinner may be as a Barre to a Thief it may stop him from the present act but doth not change his heart or as a storm to a Mariner may make him cast Anchour for the present but still he retains his purpose of sayling in his Voyage when the storm is over they are oftner salve for their eyes to shew them their sin than physick for their hearts to purge them out sinners in Judgements might declaim against their sin but without a setled purpose in their hearts to decline their sin where there is Grace Afflictions work patience and submission but where there is nothing but corruption they often work passion and repining not Repentance the more God sent his Judgements and his Plagues upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians the more they hardened themselves against God and his people and by Gods Judgements were not the better but the worse Exod. 7.19 to 23. Isa 1.5 Why should ye be smitten any more ye will revolt more and more Psal 78.30 They were not estranged from their Lusts but while their meat was in their mouths v. 31. the wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them V. 32. For all this they sinned still and believed not for his wondrous works And as it was with the woman that had an Issue of blood twelve years in respect of her bodily distemper after great cost and charge and use of means she was nothing bettered but rather grew worse Mar. 5. 25 26. so under Gods Judgements it is with most wicked men in respect of their spiritual state they are nothing bettered but rather grow worse And this appears First Because in time of Judgment they are not separated from their dross Ezek. 24.13 In thy filthiness is lewdness because I have purged thee i. e. God used purging Judgments and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee God hath been purging our houses but many have not been purging their hearts but retain their heart-filthiness stil and their life-wickedness stil If God in Judgement say to such You shall not be purged their case is irrecoverably miserable Secondly Because they are not more serious in Religion than they were before either they omit it wholly as before or are as dull and formal as they were before Thirdly Because they are not brought nearer unto God but are rather removed were it possible at a further distance from God than before And the Reasons of this are 1. Because When Gods hand is lifted up they will not see Isa 26.11 they look more to second Causes than to God 2. Because they search not after the sins that provoked God to so great indignation 3. Because if they do see their drunkenness and whoredoms and Sabbath-breaking yet they will not be humbled for them nor forsake them SECT IX III. WIcked men are oftentimes worse by Gods delivering them from Judgements and calamitous distresses Take a wicked man upon his sick bed when God is shaking him over the Grave and threatning him with death and affrighting him with the terrours of Hell you shall hear him acknowledge his sin confessing his drunkenness his neglect of his soul and you shall hear him it may be with tears in his eyes promising if God will raise him from his sickness and trust him with life and time a little longer he will forsake his wicked company and prophane the Sabbath no more If God will but try me saith the sick dying man how will I live and what will I doe and how obedient will I be to the Commands of God And when God answereth his desires in his restoration he performeth not his Promise in his reformation but is more wicked and more vile than before You might see this in Pharaoh when the Plagues were upon him Oh then send for Moses and let him entreat the Lord for me and then I will let Israel goe then he confesseth I and my people have sinned but the Lord is righteous Though many wicked men will not acknowledge nor confess their sin in times of Judgement so much as an hardened Pharaoh did But yet when the Plagues were removed he hardened himself more against God still Read Exod. 8.8.15.24.28.32 and 9.23.27 So Nehem. 9.27 28 29 30. And the Reasons are 1. Because after Judgements removed they are more secure and think the bitterness of death is past 2. Because they break their promises made to God in time of Judgements and so their sin is greater and their guilt is greater and therefore they the worser of this more under another Direction 3. Because Judgement is removed from them before they are purged from their sin When the Plaister is taken off before the sore is healed it will be worse the course of physick is not continued till the vitious humours are dispersed and purged away but Gods people desire the cure may be wrought before the Affliction be removed But Pharaoh was for the removing of the Plagues but not the hardness of his heart 4. Because they adde Incorrigibleness unto all their former sins and must answer for all those Judgements that were lost upon them Wicked men shall not only answer for their Mercies but for the Judgements God sent upon them to reclaim them Sinner God sent the Plague into thy house and then he looked thou shouldest have hastened to have thrown sin out of thy heart but thou hast not done it God did cast thee upon a bed of sickness but thy bed of sickness was not to thee a bed of sorrow for thy sin thou howledst and cryedst our of thy loathsom running-sores but not of thy filthy heart and more loathsome sins thy body was pained but thy heart not broken thou hast been punished and delivered but art not reformed but know the more thou hast sinned and the more thou hast been punished here and yet sin still the more shalt thou be tormented in hell For these thou shouldest look upon as means which God doth use to bring thee to himself and the more means thou hardenest thy self against the more is thy sin and the more shal be thy misery Thus wicked men are oftentimes the worse by Gods Providences But if this be thy case that readest these Lines that wast a drunkard before and wilt be drunk more frequently now that wast a lukewarm Formalist before the Plague begun but now
few considerations to presse thee to put a stop unto thy sinnings hoping that though thou hast gone far yet thou mayst return while thou art out of Hell thou art within our call and within the reach of Exhortation and reproof God hath called often to thee to return and yet thou hast not returned but art going on unto destruction The Son of God hath called to thee and said How long wilt thou goe on in thy Rebellion against him that would redeem and save thy soul he hath told thee if thou dost proceed thou must be damned and said the Mercy of God will not save thee and my Merits they will not they shall not save thee but if thou wilt return to God and come to me here is mercy for thee here is pardon for thee and I will give eternal life unto thee The Spirit of God hath often moved upon thy heart he hath been often knocking at thy doore that thou wouldest open thy heart and let him in and he would apply the blood of Christ unto thee and he would fill thee with better joyes and better pleasures and better comforts than thou ever foundest in the way of sin But hitherto thou hast stopped thine ears and stiffened thy neck and hardened thy heart and wouldest not hearken nor obey The Ministers of God have often wooed thee and beseeched thee with tears in their eyes and sorrow in their hearts as if their happiness had been wrapped up in thine and as if they could not have gone to Heaven and been saved without thee while patience waited upon thee they have been earnest with thee and now at last one unworthy to preach the Gospel is a suiter to thy soul that thou wouldest be divorced from thy sin and be married unto Christ as yet thou art out of hell and art not yet reckoned among the dead nor numbred amongst the damned as yet thou art not irrecoverably lost this day Christ is once more tendred to thee in the name of God I once more offer thee pardon and eternall life upon thy repenting of thy sin and turning unto God Oh that I could perswade thee or if I cannot as indeed I cannot oh that God would yet perswade thee If I might be serviceable to thy soule oh how should I rejoyce if I did but know where thou dost dwell that hast been wicked all thy dayes and now art reading of these lines having a purpose in thy heart to come to Christ I would come to thee as opportunity was offered and beg upon my knees that thou wouldest cherish those purposes and be perswaded to what conduceth to thy eternall happiness if teares and prayers would do it I would endeavour though my heart is hard to shed them for thee if putting my hands under thy feet and stooping to the meanest office of love unto thy soule would excite thee to let Christ into thy heart how readily by the grace of God would I be willing to it I beseech thee by the mercies of God by the death of Christ by the coming of our Lord by the love thou bearest to thy self as ever thou wouldest see the face of Christ with comfort as ever thou wouldest escape the damnation of Hell return at last and though it be late yet return at last But if thou wilt not let God be my witness let as many as read these lines be my witnesses let thy own Conscience be my witness that thou hast been asked entreated yea earnestly entreated to reform and mend and turn to God But in hopes that I may prevail I beseech thee in the fear of God give in a sober and deliberate answer unto these following Questions First Whether art thou going while thou art waxing worse and worse Dost thou know that Hell is at the end of the way in which thou art daily walking Dost thou know that if thou dost proceed a little further a little longer in this course thou wilt be among the Devils those cursed Fiends of Hell Or dost thou know it and yet wilt venture to dance about the brink of a bottomless pit who hath bewitched thee or what hath made thee mad that thou seest thou art going unto Hell and yet wilt venture on Secondly Dost thou believe the Scripture to be the Word of God or dost thou not And are the threatnings contained therein true thinkest thou or are they not Wilt thou say they be false or that they were found out by some Precisians or are the workings of some melancholly brain or that they were found out by some Politician to keep the world in awe I would have thee know that to thy eternal sorrow thou shalt finde them all true even to a tittle and to thy everlasting woe shalt know the truth of Gods Word When thou art shrieking in the flames of Hell and roaring hideously among the damned because of Gods eternal wrath thou shalt be convinced that the wicked shall be turned into Hell that the Unbeliever shall be damned and that it was true which thou wast told that without repentance there was no deliverance from eternal condemnation But if thou dost believe this Word to be true what aileth thee then to live as thou dost that thou actest quite contrary to what is contained in the Word of God Doth not the Word of God in a thousand places cry down sin and press to holiness doth it not tell thee the drunkard the covetous the unbelieving the lyar shall be damned If thou never didst observe such places take thy Bible and turn unto them 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Rev. 21.8 Heb. 12.14 Gal. 5.20 to 25. Col. 3.5 6. Eph. 5.5 6. Mar. 16.16 Mat. 18.3 Luk. 13.3 5. Canst thou read and believe these Scriptures to be true and yet goe on in the practice of those things that the eternal holy God doth forbid upon pain of eternal torments Wilt thou be worse than thy very beast which thou canst not force into the fire when he seeth it before him Shall I call out thy Neighbours to behold a dreadful sight viz. A man that knowes he is in the way to Hell and yet will goe on Thirdly With what face or heart canst thou hope as thou dost that God will pardon thy sin or save thy soul while thou persistest in thy wickedness and encreasest therein Shew me an instance of any one man in all the Word of God that was pardoned and saved who repented not and I will be thy slave for ever I know great sinners have been saved and I know those that have gone far have obtained mercy Manasseh did 2 Chron. 33.12 13. Mary Magdalene did Luk. 7. But then they turned unto God Canst thou say there is any one now in Heaven that did not repent and believe before he dyed or dost thou think that thou shalt be the only man Fourthly Whom dost thou set thy self against Or who is it that thou dost provoke whose anger and indignation art thou daily kindling against thy self What
preserved you from secret and invisible danger that you have been in If you would live in some measure answerably to so great a Mercy you must have a special care of minding the secret and invisible things in Christianity and abstain from secret and invisible sins DIRECTION VI. HAth God spared you in time of Pestilence Then be dead unto the World and to things below Take heed that you do not returne with too great an eagerness after the Affairs of this world as if you had not seen such sights as you have seen of Death and the vanity of the World You are not dead in your Grave let this Mercy move you to be dead to the World and sinful Affections You are living in the World but you must be dead to the World It is to be feared that there are many will be as eagerly bent after the things of this World as they were before notwithstanding the Course that God hath taken by smarting Judgments to weane them from the World That will be like unto a Stream stopped and dammed up when it gets over the Bankes and the obstruction is removed runneth down with greater force God hath put many by their way of Trade for some Moneths Now take heed that through over-much eagerness to regain what loss you have sustained by the forbearance of your Calling you do not let out too much of your heart and affections upon these things nor give them more of your time than you can well allow from the necessary Duties of Gods immediate Worship and the things that do concerne the state of your Soules in the life to come Be dead to the Profits Honours Pleasures Wisdom of this World SECTION I. 1. SHould not you be dead to and take heed of returning in your love back again unto the Riches of the World after such a Judgment as this hath been To prevent an over-eager pursuit of the Riches and Profits of this World when by the removal of this Judgment you have opportunity of returning to your Callings consider 1. The Riches of this world are corruptible riches they are perishing treasures Silver and Gold are things corrupting others and are corruptible in themselves 1 Pet. 1.18 19. But you have an incorruptible Kingdom and Crown before you to strive after reserved in Heaven for believers and for those that are so vehemently set for Heaven that they will take it by force 2. The riches of this world are unprofitable riches therefore be not too eager in your pursuit of unprofitable profits They cannot profit you in timâ— of gâ—eatest need Have not you had the experience of the unprofitableness of riches that they are unprofitable 1. For diverting of Judgments or removing evils that come upon you whether temporal as Sickness Plague Death or spiritual as Hardness of Heart Blindness of Minde Terrors of Conscience none of all these can be removed by worldly riches 2. For the procuring of good whether temporal for the Body as Health in time of Sickness or Ease in time of Pain or spiritual for the Soul either Grace or Comfort or Glory if Conscience be wounded they cannot heale your Consciences nor comfort your Hearts 3. The riches of this world are oftentimes hurtful to the owner and possessor of them Eccles 5.13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the Sun namely riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt Grace and Christ can never hurt you but your riches may by being clogs to your affections in holy duties by being snares and temptations to you in your converse in the world by increasing your account when you have not well improved them 4. The riches of this world are uncertain riches 1 Tim. 6.17 after you have got them you may presently lose them The loss of outward riches may arise 1. By Men by Force and Power by fraud and deceit 2. By Casualty your Houses may be consumed with flames of Fire 3. By Gods secret Curse Hag. 1.6 He that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes 5. The riches that Men get in this world are easily valued A Mans Estate is easily computed But there are riches in Christ which are unsearchable seek and search after more of them Ephes 3.8 6. When you have got them they will not satisfie your desires Eccles 5.10 II. Should not you be dead to the honours of this World which will be a bait to many after such a Judgment Should not you who are yet alive to behold the Graves of some Honourable Persons now in the dust call off your heart from seeking after them Have you not seen that Death respects not the Honourable more than the Ignoble the Reverend and Esteemed no more than the Mean and Contemptible Those that have Honourable Names and Titles Honourable Friends and Relations Honourable Callings and Imployments Honourable Preferments and Enjoyments are equalized in the Grave with others And have not you seen some fall and heard of others in this Judgment and yet after all this set your heart upon the Honours of this world III. Should not you be dead to the pleasures of this World which will be snares for others Should you after such a Judgment as this give your self to live a sensual flesh-pleasing life and spend your time in needless delights and recreations when you have heard so many dying Men complain of the loss of time when they were well and the want of time when they came to die Consider what these Pleasures be that you are so much addicted to that such sadning sorrowful sights that you have seen will not weâ—n you from them Nay when Gods smarting Rod upon your own body by the Plague will not imbitteâ— your worldly pleasures and delights but you will go out of such a dreadful Judgment of God to your Gaming 's and Sports to the pleasing of the flesh in satisfying the lusts and desires thereof in acts of uncleanness Consider these 1. are short pleasures they are but for a little while they are passing away while you are at them But these short pleasures may bring you to eternal torments and endless woe Heb. 11.25 Choosing rather to suffer afflictions with the People of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season 2. By giving up your selves unto these Pleasures you deprive your selves of the Pleasures of Gods House in his Ordinances which others drink of Psal 36.8 3. You deprive your self of the Pleasures of Gods House above in Heaven of the Rivers of Pleasures which are at Gods right hand for evermore Psal 16.11 4. These pleasures are more brutish pleasures and do but delight the more brutish i. e. sensitive part in Man The rational Soul as such is not delighted in the pleasures of the Flesh in eating and drinking a Horse doth find pleasure in this as much as you and some unreasonable Creatures herein do excel you 5. They are
been in sickness God hath restored thee and if it be good for thee he will do so again 2. Will not you trust in God that is All sufficient and Allmighty able to deliver you from any evil able to bestow upon you any thing that is good He can remove your feares and he can fill your desires According to your perswasions of a Mans ability to help you caeteris paribus will your trust be in him 2 Cor. 1.9 For we had the sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead That God that can raise the dead may be trusted in any case or condition You have found him able 3. Will not you trust in God that is so willing to do you good you may acknowledge Gods all-sufficiency to be a support for your trusting in him but the doubts that you find in your Soul whether God be willing to do you good is a cause of your too frequent distrust in him You must believe that God is a God of mercy and ready to do for his People whatsoever he seeth conduceth to his glory and their good and you may know his willingness by his promises which are various according to the condition that you are or may be in You have found him willing and yet will you not trust him 4. Will not you trust in a God that is faithfull in all he saith He declares his willingness to do you good to supply your wants to preserve you in dangers by his promise for a Promise of God is a declaration of his will for the bestowing of some good thing upon his People through Christ and his will and purpose he will never change and his Promise he will not suffer to faile Will you trust a Man that is faithful to his word and not God especially after you have found him faithful in performing promise unto you 5. Will not you trust in God that is infinite in Wisdom and knowes how to order all your affaires when your condition is altogether intricate and you know not how to winde your self out of difficulties then your wise God can do it 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation And will you not trust a God that is able and willing and faithful and wise especially after you have experienced all these in God in the late dangers and feares of death that you have been in or shall these qualifications of power willingness faithfulness and wisdom in Men in their measure be a ground of your putting civill trust in them and shall not all these that be in God without measure be a ground of your putting Religious trust in him 6. Will not you put your trust in God since it is his due it belongs to him of right it is a part of your Spiritual Homage which you owe to God Religious trust doth so belong to God that it will be Idolatry to place it in any thing besides Psal 115.7 8 9 10 11. It doth so properly and solely belong to God that it is a Periphrasis of God to be the confidence of all the ends of the earth Psal 65.5 Give to God the things of God and give to the Creatures no more than belongs unto them You have nothing else to trust to you must not place Religious trust in men not in great Men and Nobles Psal 118.8 9. nor in Riches 1 Tim. 6.17 not in Horses and Chariots Psal 207. not in your own Righteousness and Religious duties Ezek. 33.13 7. Will not you trust in God who is so nearly related to you Men are apt to trust too much in thâ—ir eâ—rthly Friends and Relations We put civil trust and confidence in our neer Relations because of the affection that they bear unto us Thus Children trust to their Parents and Wives in their Husbands and one Friend in another God is your Father your Husband and your Friend and yet will you not put your trust in him 8. Will not you put your trust in God for smaller things since you trust him for the greatest you trust in God to deliver you from the torments of Hell and will not you trust him to deliver you from farr lesser evils you trust in him for Pardon and for eternal life and will you not trust in him for smaller matters Will you trust him wiâ—h your Soul and not with your Body for Eternal Life and not for Temporal would you trust a Man for thousands and not for Pence especially when the Providence of God extends to the smallest concernments of his children even to an hair of their heads Mat. 10.30 When must we put our trust in Goâ— In general I answer At all times Psal 62.8 Trust in him at all times ye People pour out your hearts before him God is a refuge for us In Particular trust in God 1. In time of Sickness and Affliction upon your Body Job 13.15 Though he slay me yet will I trust in him 2. In time of outward Wants in the losse of all things 1 Sam. 30.3 to 7. Hag. 3.17 3. In time of Desertion when you have not the smiles of his Face Isa 50.10 4. At the hour of death commit your Soules to him trust him with your Soul Psal 31.5 6. 5. In times of greatest inconstancy Psal 46.1 2 3. 6. In times of Evil Tidings Psal 112.7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. Thus if you trust God more because of the experience you have had in Gods keeping of you you do in this improve this Mercy DIRECTION XIII HAth God spared you in time of so great Mortality Then give thankes to God and the Praises that are due unto him for so great Preservation Every Person should be very thankful unto God that hath kept him alive and every Family should sound forth his Praises You spent time extraordinary in seeking God by Prayer in your Closet in your Family that he would preserve you and hath God done so in answer to your Prayers and will you not spend some time extraordinary in and with your own Family in thankful acknowledgments of Gods love unto you and his care over you Oh set some time apart every Family whom God hath preserved or so many that are left in every Family in solemn praisings of God for his signal preservation vouchsafed unto you In the time of your trouble you called upon God he hath delivered you and now you should glorifie him Psal 50.15 and God is glorified by you when you offer praises to him Ver. 23. In the pressing you to the practice of this Direction I shall do three things 1. How or with what must those that are preserved from death in time of Plague give thanks to God or glorifie God for this mercy 2. With what Arguments should the people of God that are spared press themselves to give praises to God 3. What course must such take