PRACTICAL PIETY OR THE PASTOR'S Last Legacy TO HIS BELOVED PEOPLE Directing how to Walk with GOD in these Apostatizing Times WITH Two most Serious Exhortatory Epistles to Satisfie the Christian Readers concerning the Whole WORK To which is Added Morning and Evening PRAYERS for Private Families By that Reverend Divine Mr. William Thomas late Rector of the Church of Ubley in the County of Somerset after his 44 years Labours in the Ministry in that Place Acts 2. 42. And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in Breaking of Bread and in Prayer London Printed for Edward Thomas at the Adam and Eve in Little Britain 1681. To my dearly beloved the Church and Congregation belonging to my Charge inhabiting within the Parish of Ubley in the County of Somerset Grace and Peace Dearly beloved in the Lord IT was for your sakes that I first set my thoughts on this ensuing Treatise For having lived and laboured so many years amongst you already I cannot look to abide long with you and therefore have thought it meet to do my endeavour that you may be able after my decease to have those things alwayes in remembrance which you have been formerly and continually taught Divers of which you will meet with in the reading of this Book whereof because I am willing to give you a taste I shall reckon them up unto you in that order wherein you shall find them hereafter handled First You know I have laboured much with you for the reading of Scripture and to train up your children to be able to read it Let me now leave it with you not only to set your Eyes upon this Word of God but to set your Hearts unto it and as much as in you lies to draw and win the hearts of those belonging to you to it for it is your life and their life Secondly I have taken much pains both publikely and from house to house to teach you admonish you and perswade you to a reverent receiving of the Lords Supper And now shall desire you to keep in mind that which you often have been minded of which is that they who come to that Sacrament should be before God twice the first time preparing the second time receiving Neglect not to prepare for Sermons especially on the Lords-Day but double your preparation at Sacraments because there is a double work to be done in regard of the meeting of two distinct Ordinances that is the Word and Sacrament to be partaked in together Wash your hearts as you do your Vessels every day but scour them and make them bright for the Lords use on Sabbath and Sacrament-dayes Thirdly You have heard especially in late times wherein the shameful and shameless misusing of Ministers hath enforced them to plead for their Calling I say you have heard many things to move you to a due estimation of the Ministry concerning which I shall say no more here but only this Take heed of esteeming too much of such Teachers as are not lawfully called or too little of such as are If painful teaching be not continued unto you remember you had it If it be do not despise it If you cannot have it at home be not content to be without it look not one upon another but where you see there is Corn repair thither Better stir then starve Fourthly Of our Lords Sabbath-day very much hath been spoken to you the holy observation thereof being the Seed-plot and support of all Piety It is not a day of idleness but of spiritual action And you that have need to work for your Bodies and Families all the six dayes have the more need to lay all other work aside on the Sabbath-day and to look after your souls making it your great and even your only work then to labour not after the food that perisheth but the meat that endureth to everlasting life To be very diligent all the Week dayes and to idle out the Lords-day is to be good Husbands and bad Christians and such bad Christians are never good Husbands for they will be undone at last Fifthly You have still seen that I have made Catechising your Children and Servants one part of my work of which I shall say but a word now namely that it is so hard a thing to get any knowledge and sense of Religion into the heads and hearts of ancient people that therein all may see and you that are Parents and Housholders should take notice of it what a necessary thing it is to begin betimes with those that are young and to instruct them in that knowledge and fear of God which is the beginning of wisdom Sixthly Family-Prayer hath been often taught and sought amongst you for How can Housholders expect the protection and success of their persons and labours in the day or the safe keeping of themselves their children servants and substance in the night yea comfort and welfare day or night without God or How can they look to enjoy God without Prayer for He will be sought by the House of Israel and we may say by every house in Israel Zech. 12. 12. Seventhly Repetition of Sermons amongst you hath been my continual custom that the things publikely delivered might be better understood better remembred better settled in your hearts and that the power thereof might be more and better expressed in your lives which you know hath been the usual Prayer before Repetition Lastly I have encouraged and excited you to the duty of Singing of Psalms And of late it hath been my manner in publike to give you a short Exposition of every Psalm before the singing of it that you might better understand and mind the matter contained in it Now all these things I do here recommend unto you and again set before you because spiritual things though delivered often to weak hearers are not quickly understood are hardly committed to memory are soon forgotten or mistaken when a printed Paper may easily be looked upon seriously thought upon and by often recourse to it a fruitful and more full use may be made of it And whatsoever the things I here communicate and do as it were bequeath to you as my dear children in the Lord shall be found in themselves yet the relation of Pastor and People under which we stand and which is now of forty and four years standing hath I trust such an endearment in it as to render what I have written more profitable to you by being more acceptable more helpful by being more grateful and by your looking upon it with an Eye of Love Having mentioned the time of my abode among you It shall not be tedious to me nor wil it I hope be grievous to you to review and run over in a generality what hath passed in it And therein will be found something to be observed and marked something to be humbled for and something to praise God for That
Teacching 199 to 202. 2. Quickning 3. Comforting 3. Commended to Christians in way of Exchange for all other delights 202. 3. Some advice is given that singing may be more profitable viz. 1. By marking the matter of the Psalm while it is singing 204. 2. By conferring of it after ibid. 4. Lamentation for the neglect and negligent performance of this duty with a close quickning thereunto In the close 204. to 208 A Family-Prayer for the Morning 209 A Family-Prayer for the Evening 214. A shorter Prayer for the Morning 220. A shorter Prayer for the Evening 224. Prayers for Children for Morning and Evening 228. to 231 ERRATA PAg. 4. marg r for c. 4. read c. 5. t read Job 10. 34. And u dele p. 6 m. b r. 1 Thess 5. 27. p. 7. line 11. r. Gen. 18. 19 m. a r. 2 Tim. 3. 15 16. p. 13. l. 14. for marks r. mark l. 22. r. Act 8. 27. p. 16. l. 27. r. Joh. 16. 19 29. p. 19. m. g r. Job 24. 17. p 20. l. 26. for we r. you p. 25. m. h r. Lam. 3. 51. p. 29. l. 34 for discerning r. not discerning p. 36. m. r r. Matth. 25. p. 37. l. 25. for Ordinance r. Ordinances p. 61. m. c r. Gen. 47. 6. p. 69. l. 21. r. more generally p. 79. m. g r. 1 Pet. 2. 2. h 1 Pet. 2. 1. p. 80 l. 7. for him r. them p. 90. l. 12. for sixth r. six p. 116. l. 7. put out not p. 143. l. 24. put in and of Chapters read c. p. 159. l. 32. for risled r. ruled p. 160 l. 17. r. in a manner p. 165. l. 3. put in meerly because c. p. 171. l. 7. r. particular Housholds p. 180. l. 19. for in r. at p. 181. l. 23. for and r. I p. 188. l. 18. for nourishing r. nourisheth p. 199. l. 22. for was r. as The Preface IT is one of those faithful and joyful sayings of Scripture that are worthy of all acceptation that Godliness is profitable to all things having the promises of the life which now is and that which is to come But then we must consider that as Godliness hath the Promises so the Promises will have Godliness and bind those that have them to cleanse themselves from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit and to perfect holiness in the fear of God The promoting of this Holiness is the purpose of this Treatise which propoundeth recommendeth and pleadeth for divers such Christian and Family-duties as are the wayes and means appointed of God for the improving of godliness Thereunto the Reading of the Word which in the first Part and place is mentioned much availeth because the Doctrine of the Word is the Doctrine which is according to godliness it is the ground and guide of godliness As also an often and prepared receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the spiritual nourishment whereof is for the growth of Godliness The Ministry likewise makes much for Piety for that 's the School of Godliness And the religious observing of the Lords-day-Sabbath for that 's the support of the Trade of Godliness as Market and Fair-dayes are of ordinary Trading The four Houshold duties described in the Second Part aim at no other but the very same end that is the advantage and advancement of Godliness For By Family-Catechising Godliness spreadeth By Family-Prayer it and every thing else prospereth By Repetition of Sermons as by whetting it is sharpened hath a better edge And by singing of Psalms it is sweetned for thereby not only the heart is more holy but all other good exercises and assistances of godliness are less heavy I hope therefore that they that look after godliness and in vain do they look for heaven who look not after it will accept of these Helps for albeit I willingly grant that some of these means of godliness may be used by those that are not truly godly Hypocrisie being the Ape of Sincerity yet I may boldly affirm on the other side that all that are truly good will be afraid to omit them and none but they can well use them Joh. 15. 5. I shall not detain the Reader with a longer Preface having said so much already in the precedent Epistles but hasten to that which comes first in order to be handled The First Part. CHAP. I. The sum of this Chapter is nothing else but A Call to Christians c. as in the next page PART I. CHAP. I. A Call to Christians to the Reading of Scripture IT is a true and a useful Observation that Every man hath as it were two men one inward the other outward The inward man is the Soul made after the Image of God The outward man is the Body made out of the dust of the Earth These two men live and subsist by a different nourishment the body by receiving natural food the soul by reading and receiving the Word of God which goes in Scripture under the name of Nourishment for it speaks of being nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine He that neglects the nourishment of his body neglects himself and his life he that neglects the nourishment of his Soul neglects his God whose Image shines most especially in the Souls of men Shall we take so much care of the body which is to be laid in the Grave and devoured of Worms and suffer the immortal Soul as the basest Slave to pine away for want of the food of the Word of God That you that are of my charge wherein also I speak to every other Christian Reader may not be guilty of so unreasonable a sin I shall endeavour to stir you up to the reading of the Soul-sustaining Word of God by setting before you both Scripture-Commands and Scripture-Reasons perswading and pressing you thereunto 1. Scripture-Commands Reading Scripture is injoyned on Magistrates Ministers and all Christians generally First on Magistrates For this is the charge recorded in Scripture concerning the King When he sitteth upon the Throne of his Kingdom he shall write him a Copy of this Law out of that which is before the Priests the Levites And it shall be with him and he shall read therein all the dayes of his life Object That Command is for the Kings not for me Answ 1. It 's more wise to say If a King must read the Law whose imployments are so many and weighty then I much more who may gain time better 2. Wheresoever a command is confirmed by a general reason that binds all there the command it self hath a general binding force and reacheth as far as the reason doth Now the reason of the Kings reading the Law is of that nature for this it is That he may learn to fear the Lord his God to keep all the words of the Law and the Statutes to do them that his heart be not lift up above his brethren which
Quest Is nothing required in Christians but faith Answ Yes we are to know also that we are bound to lead a godly life that is a life ordered according to the Word of God in righteousness and holiness without which none shall see the Lord 19. Quest But in many things we offend all What are we therefore to mind further in regard of our sin and manifold disobedience Answ In regard of our sinful estate naturally and our failings continually we are further to know that Repentance is necessarily required for without that we must perish And is to be still renewed for in that way we must look for pardon and yet ever come to Christ for procuring life Joh. 5. 40. Mat. 11. 28. 20. Quest What are we to know concerning our estate after death Answ That the souls of the faithful do immediately after death live with Christ in blessedness but the souls of the wicked go immediately into Hell-torments 21. Quest And what shall become of the bodies of both Answ There shall be a resurrection of the bodies of the just and the unjust at the last day at which time all shall appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ in their own persons to receive the things done in their bodies according to that they have done whether it be good or bad 22. Quest What doth the Scripture declare concerning the last and everlasting disposal of the persons of men at that day Answ As they are and as they die so they shall be disposed of hereafter The wicked therefore and such as would do nothing for Christ shall go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternal Having spoken thus far concerning the General Doctrine of Scripture and the Main Points of Religion the knowledge whereof is more necessary to Salvation I shall now proceed to speak more particularly of the Sacraments and in special of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper of which I should have made mention and inserted them in the fore-going general Instructions but that I purposely reserved them to a peculiar and larger Explication in the now ensuing Questions and Answers An help for unlearned Christians that they may not be unworthy Receivers 1. Quest What is mans chiefest happiness and only blessedness Answ To approach unto God in and through Jesus Christ and to partake in a near acquaintance and fellowship with him Job 22. 21. 2. Quest Why should all happiness be summ'd up in the enjoyment of God Answ If they were blessed who continually stood before Solomon how much more they who enjoy the only wise God with Jesus Christ his Son and together with him all things also which are laid up in him which we shall have here as is needful from him and shall have for ever hereafter in all fulness with him 3. Quest Who are they that are partakers of this blessedness Answ They whom God is pleased to choose and to take into Covenant with himself not only as persons called but as persons chosen 4. Quest What are the means whereby we are partakers of the benefit of the Covenant of Grace for our everlasting blessedness Answ This is done by the Ordinance of God and more especially by the Word and the Sacraments 5. Quest What difference is there between these two Ordinances Answ The Word is the Writing reporting and declaring and the Sacraments are the Seals confirming and assuring the benefits of the Covenant unto us 6. Quest Shew more fully what a Sacrament is Answ It is a special Ordinance of God signifying and setting before our eyes sealing unto our hearts and conveying into our souls through the Spirit the singular and saving benefits of the Covenant of Grace 7. Quest What be the parts of a Sacrament Answ The outward sign which we see and the inward grace which we do not see unless by the eye of faith As in our bodily sustenance there is the food upon the Table which we see but the strength and life which that food gives us we see not but yet feel and find it afterward 8. Quest How many Sacraments be there Answ No more then Christ hath appointed for Sacraments that is to say Two only Baptism and the Lords Supper 9. Quest What is the difference between these two Answ By Baptism there is an ingrasting into Jesus Christ and a right solemnly manifested unto the Covenant and so the whole benefit thereof is in Gods good time enjoyed by every Infant that belongs to Him and by all them that keep the vow of their Baptism By the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the same Covenant is renewed and the good things thereof are more abundantly afforded to all that are by Baptism received into Christ and his Church for their spiritual nourishment and increasing with the increases of God 10. Quest Since there is so much good continually coming in by the Sacrament of the Lords Supper What course is to be taken that we may enjoy it Answ The course which God hath prescribed and which therefore shall certainly be blessed to make this Sacrament beneficial to us is this Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup 1 Cor. 11. 28. 11. Quest What are the things belonging to this Examination Answ We are to be taught and to learn these two things especially What we are to receive and how we are to receive it And then to examine whether those things be in us that are in worthy Receivers of so great mysteries 12. Quest What is it that we do receive in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Answ We receive Bread and Wine as the outward signs and together with them if we receive as we ought the Body and Bloud of Christ as the thing signified 13. Quest Since Christ's natural Body and Bloud are not to be looked for in the Sacrament shew more plainly what is meant when it is said We receive his Body and Bloud Answ The meaning is that every worthy Communicant receiveth Jesus Christ with all his benefits He receiveth not only the benefits but Christ himself crucified for As in our bodily nourishment we have not only sustenance by it but receive into our bodyes the substance of it And as the Graffe wholly lives the same life with the Stock to which it is united so we being united to Christ do so eat his flesh and drink his bloud and by our faith feed so upon him as to live the same life with him partaking in all his benefits for our spiritual relief because we have communion with Him first For we must have the Son before we have life 1 Joh. 5. 12. 14. Quest Declare yet more fully how we can receive Christ since we are here on Earth and he is in heaven Answ
Though we receive Christ really and truly yet not corporally and carnally but spiritually We take not his flesh and bloud into our mouths and stomacks as we do the Bread and Wine but into our souls by faith through the Spirit of God whereby we dwell in him and he in us And thus we may receive him though he be in Heaven and we here for Faith goes as it were from Earth to Heaven and there fastens on him and the Spirit on the other side descends down from the head still to supply us with more and more of that fulness which is in Jesus Christ for us 16. Quest Declare more particularly those benefits of the death of Christ which we receive in this Sacrament Answ They are principally and plainly these Forgiveness of sin Strength to do God service And to overcome our spiritual Enemies the Devil the World and the flesh And nourishment for our souls to eternal life 17. Quest How doth it appear that forgiveness of sin is to be expected and enjoyed in the holy use of this Sacrament Answ Because I see the Wine on the Lords Table which shews that if I receive as I ought I receive the Bloud of Christ which is shed for me and for many for the remission of sins 18. Quest What is there that sheweth that we receive strength also to do God service Answ That both the Bread and Wine may put us in mind of for even as Bread strengthens mans heart and Wine makes it glad and both make a man fit and able for his ordinary business so doth the grace of Christ reached forth in this Ordinance strengthen the soul for the performance of every part of Gods service for his flesh is meat indeed and his blood drink indeed and therefore doth what meat and drink do in a spiritual and soul-sustaining way 19. Quest How appeareth it that strength is received here against spiritual Enemies Answ We may easily conceive it because we find that Bread and Wine and such ordinary food do not only enable a servant and any other man to labour but a souldier also to fight who otherwise would soon faint whence we may collect that there is such a vertue in the Body and Blood of Christ received by faith as not only to make us able to do God service ' but also to fight with and get victory over all the Enemies of our Salvation whom by the strength of Christ we overcome 20. Quest How is it made plain that we receive at the Lords Table that food which nourisheth our souls to eternal life Answ Because Bread and Wine and such ordinary food maintain the life of the body for many years together As therefore this perishing food maintains a perishing life so the meat which the Son of Man gives unto us in the Word and Sacrament nourisheth the soul to eternal life for it is not a food that perisheth but which indureth in us unto everlasting life Joh. 6. 27. 21. Quest What reason have we to gather from the signs in the Sacrament that these several benefits are in it and by it as by an Ordinance of God bestowed upon us Answer Because God sets such familiar signs before our eyes for this purpose that we who are otherwise weak to conceive of heavenly things may collect and gather what in this blessed Sacrament is done for the Soul by what we know by experience this our ordinary food doth for the Body Christ speaks and that in his Sacrament-Institutions earthly things to lead us and that in our own way to the understanding of things heavenly Joh. 3. 12. 22. Quest Open this a little more fully Answ It will be yet more clear by considering that as John the Baptist was a Prophet and more then a Prophet so the Sacraments are signs and more then signs that is they are appointed of God to be a means of conveying those heavenly things which they do represent unto us and of putting us into actual possession thereof 1 Cor. 10. 16. 12. 13. yet not by any power in themselves but only by the working of the Holy Ghost and the blessing of Christ on his own Institution Act. 8. 13. with ver 21. 23. Quest Thus much for what we do receive in the Sacrament Declare now how we ought to receive it Answ These five things Knowledge Desire Repentance Faith and Charity are things needful for a right and worthy receiving 24. Quest What is that we ought to know when we come to Communicate in this Sacrament Answ It is needful for us to know in general two things First our selves and our own estate that is that we are all by nature and in our selves vile and wretched creatures deserving nothing but death and damnation Secondly That there is no way to be saved but only by Christ and that therefore we come to the Word and Sacrament to receive him because we cannot be saved without him 25. Quest In what manner must we know this Answ We must know both these not sleightly but feelingly We should know our sin with such feeling and sorrow as a wounded man knows his wound who knows it as we say with a witness And we should know Christ with such feeling desire and joy as the wounded man knows the Surgion by whom he is to be cured whom he knows with another kind of knowledge then he doth an ordinary man In these two to wit the feeling knowledge of sin as the worst thing and of Christ as the best and only desirable thing consists the substance of saving Religion 26. Quest Is there nothing else to be known Answ Yes we should more particularly know in some measure the nature of a Sacrament and be able to discern what we have to do withall in the Lords Supper to wit not only with Bread and Wine but with the Body and Blood of Christ that we may not dishonour him nor indanger our selves by an unworthy medling with it 27. Quest What is the next thing required in a worthy Receiver Answ That which is the mark and fruit of the former knowledge and which shews the necessity of it that is Desire or an holy hungring and thirsting after that Bread and that Cup For None are invited but the thirsty None can be thirsty but the knowing and None can know the gift of God but they will thirst and seek after it and in that way there is a promise they shall have it Joh. 4. 10. 28. Quest What else is required of us when we come to the Lords Table Answ Another and a special thing is Repentance For every sinner coming to the Lords Supper in his sin pollutes unto himself the Lords holy Table and provokes the Lord to abhor and plague him by that Sacrament-service wherein he expects he should approve and bless him 1 Cor. 11. 29 30 31 32. 29. Quest By what means