forgiven in the Blood of my Redeemer by my gracious God! May my more Judicious Brethren more able in Speaking and more able in Writing be drawn to publish their more Elaborate Directions by the good Success of these so hastily thrown together May these Lines Live when I am Dead and Speak when my Breath is Stopt and in the mean time may they Preach unto Thousands of whom I can never see the Faces till the Resurrection Amen and Amen FINIS Books Printed for and Sold by Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers Chapel A Call to Sinners such as are under Sentence of Death and such as are under any Prospect of it from the Long-suffering and Gracious but most Righteous God Three Questions resolved briefly and plainly viz. 1. What Conceptions ought we to have of the blessed God 2. What are those Truths whereof the Knowledge appeareth most indispensibly necessary unto our Salvation and therefore to be first and most learnt by us 3. What is the change wrought in a Man by God's H. Spirit before he can safely conclude himself pass'd from Death to Life Being the Summ of three Sermons A seasonable Question plainly resolved viz. What are we to judge of their Spiritual Estate who neglect the Lord's Supper And What is that discerning of the Lord's Body in it without which Men do eat and drink their own Damnation Mans whole Duty and Gods wonderful Intreaty of him thereunto Set forth from 2 Cor. 5.20 and published at the Request of some Hearers Advice to Parents and Children The Sum of a few Sermons Contracted and Published at the Request of many Pious Hearers Christian Commemoration and Imitation of Saints Departed Explicated and Pressed from Heb. 13.7 occasioned by the Decease of the Reverend Mr. Henry Hurst Lately Minister of the Gospel in London All Six by Daniel Burgess Minister of the Gospel FINIS Directions for Daily Holy Living by D. Burgess Minister of the Gospel D. 1. LImit your sleeping hours Let them not be as many as brutish Sense demandeth Let Reason fit their number to your Health and Labour Your Motion is not by the Rule of Religion if your Rest be not so Psal 139.18 I awake that I may be still with thee So some Learned read it D. 2. Consecrate your waking thoughts Let your God have those first Fruits He always Loved the first of all things The first Fruits and first Born under the Law were his Present Him with these every morning Thoughts are inward Speeches Let God hear Himself first spoken of by you still It will argue that He is your Beloved and it will make Him more so Love makes Thoughtful and Thoughtfulness makes Love A Potter is known by his Vessels and a Heart by its Thoughts and of all Thoughts by its first in the morning and last at night My voice shalt thou hear in the morning O Lord Psal 5.3 D. 3. Regulate your Bodily Dresses Long Dresses bewray large Consciences if no worse He that duly prefers his Soul above his Body would rather go like the wild Indians than dress like some Londoners The Hebrew word Beged signifies Cloathing and Covenant-breaking God seems to have taught thereby that the Cloaths on our backs should humble us for the sin of our first Parents and Persons But if they do not so and if outward Adorning be that which employs our early hours and severe thoughts it will be dearly paid for in our dying hours with tormenting thoughts 1 Pet. 3.3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning D. 4. Time well your Closet and Family Worship They be not the same things in season and out of season Let the Word be read one verse rather than none and Prayer be made the shortest rather than none both by your selves alone and with your Families If it may be worship first by your selves But needlesly tie not your selves being God hath not bound you unto such and such hours Still do as you verily think is most for Edification Mat. 6.6 Enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut the door pray to thy Father Josh 24.15 As for me and my House we will serve the Lord. D. 5. Sanctifie your worldly Business Nothing is your business but that which God your Master sets you about Dare not then do any thing but that whereto you can entitle Him Nor dare you to do it for any other chief end but to please Him When you do WHAT He sets you and supremely BECAUSE He sets it and wills that you do it knowing and hoping for his Direction in it and Blessing of it you then sanctifie it Then HOLINESS TO THE LORD is written upon it whatever it be 1 Cor. 10.31 Whether ye Eat or Drink or WHATSOEVER ye do do all to the glory of God D. 6. Moderate your Pains in your Callings Pains must be Sweat is required But by Reason and Religion they must be measured God's Laws be all Just and Good Drones that will not work must not eat He that is a sluggard in his work is branded as Brother of the Prodigal waster Prov. 18.9 Drudges of whose Labour there is no end and who bereave their Souls of good who use themselves worse than God allows Oxen to be used Treading out the Corn and muzzling themselves these are branded by the Spirit of God as inconsiderate absurd and self-destroying fools Eccles 4.8 Diligent hands have the promise of being made rich That is Hands that be neither Drones nor Drudges Prov. 10.4 The hand of the diligent maketh rich D. 7. Strengthen your guards against your strongest Enemies Sin is our Enemy even One and All. God hates nothing but sin and man can be hurt by nothing but sin Sin 's name is Legion for it is many And of the many there is some one or other in every man that has more power than all the rest That gives strength unto all the rest And being mortified all the rest are mortified There be also beside that KING-sin in the Souls some kind of PEER-sins which of all next unto the KING-sin are by far the most dangerous The KING-sin is alway or mostly your Temperamental sin the sin of your Constitution The PEER-sins be the Radical ones of Sensuality Unbelief Hypocrisie and the way-laying ones whereunto Temptations will every day meet us in our Company and Business You can never have any but a false Peace till you can say as Psal 18.23 I am upright before the Lord I keep my self from my own iniquity Doctor Bates his little Book upon that Text is a Light and a Lamp a Rod and a Staff D. 8. Govern your Thoughts and your Words Let not your Minds or Tongues be unbridled and run whither they will You are in your Shops and your Business very often alone Reverence your Conscience and dare not in the presence of God's Vicegerent to suffer a sinful or useless self-discourse But talk with your selves of great and good Subjects and with
him and Badges of being his put upon you to the Conquest of Disobedience Sacramental Obligation is the chief Store-house and Magazine to draw Armour from in an Hour of Temptation There is none like it Rom. 6.1 2 3. What shall we say then shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein Know ye not that so many of us as were Baptized into Jesus Christ were Baptized into his death 1 Pet. 3.21 The like figure whereunto even Baptism doth also now save us not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good Conscience toward God by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 10.16 and 21. The Cup of Blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ The Bread which we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ Ye cannot drink the Cup of the Lord and the Cup of Devils ye cannot be partakers of the Lords Table and of the Table of Devils D. 17. Hear your selves daily your Catechism I mean the Summary of Religion unto which you have attained There be several set down in my Three Questions Resolved long ago Printed I advise all once a day to go over that which they have Learned and can Remember Let grown Christians ask and answer themselves how they do in their Hearts BELIEVE each Article of the Apostles Creed how they PRAY each Petition of the Lords Prayer how they PRACTISE each Commandment of both Tables how they are ENCOURAGED and ENGAGED unto all three unto the Life of Holy Faith Prayer and Practice I mean by their Holy Baptism and the Lords Table Rom. 2.21 Thou which teachest another teachest thou not thy self Psal 4.4 Commune with your own Heart Psal 16.7 My Reins instruct me D. 18. Command your last Thoughts to be fit to be your last When you compose you to sleep suppose that you may die in that sleep And if so the God unto whom you must go in that death is fit to be thought of in the entrance to it If not it will be sweet in the Morning to review last thoughts of him at Night Yea and those thoughts of Faith and Love and Trust at Night will be generative of more of the same Spirit and Goodness in the Morning Psal 63.6 I remember thee on my Bed and meditate of thee in the Night Watches He that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of Men Rom. 14.18 Motives with Directions unto Religious Discourse such as tends to promote Conversion and holy Conversation By the same Author Thus Published for the Poor THE H. Spirit setting forth the sin of all the Members of the Body insisteth longest upon the Instruments of Speech Rom. 3.13 14. Their Throat is an open sepulchre with their Tongues they have used deceit the poison of Asps is under their lips Whose Mouth is full of cursing and bitterness He declares also that our Safety depends upon the right or ill using hereof Prov. 18.21 Death and Life are in the power of the Tongue and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof And that one of the prime things that shall be brought to Judgment are our Words Mat. 12.37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned He makes our Speech the great discovery of our Heart Mat. 12.34 O generation of Vipers how can ye being evil speak good things For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Psal 37.30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom and his tongue talketh of judgment And accordingly holy men watch against the sins of the Tongue Psal 39.1 I said I will take heed to my ways that I sin not with my Tongue I will keep my Mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me Yea and Pray unto God to assist their watch Psal 141.3 Set a Watch O Lord before my mouth Keep the door of my Lips They make conscience of expressing the Image of their hearts in holy discourses Psal 37.30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom and his tongue talketh of judgment And count it absurd to pretend to be religious if their Discourse be not governed by Religion Jam. 1.26 If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart this mans Religion is vain God for Christ's sake forgive me my trespasses And prosper unto many others with me these twelve Motives to Religious and Useful Discourse M. 1. Our Speech is given us by God for Religious Discourse Jam. 3.9 Therewith we bless God We do so it we use it to the end for which He gave it It is a Faculty most Excellent and therefore ought to be consecrated unto the holy uses for which it was by Him intended Otherwise we oppose his just Design and abuse his rich and extraordinary Gift That which He hath bestown upon no Creatures but those that are capable of Religion and bestown it on them for no use so much as of Religion M. 2. Religious Discourse is the most Honourable Doth God excel Creatures Doth Eternal Blessedness transcend momentany things As truely and plainly doth Religious discourse out-shine all other Men despise Childrens talk of their Play-things Princes contemn Subjects talk of their Shops and Farms and no less do New-born Souls slight Princes talk of Crowns and Kingdoms in comparison of talk concerning Heaven It is only holy Breath that is Nobly spent M. 3. Religious Discourse is the most Delightful It is most apt to Delight and doth actually Delight Men most when Sin corrupts not their Sense As Honey is incomparably sweeter than Whites of Eggs when no Disease hath vitiated our Palates For what is Delightful but Goodness And what is Goodness but Pleasingness unto God And what Discourse so pleaseth God as Religious And who have so much Pleasure as they in Heaven who have no discourse but Religious Prov. 15.26 The words of the pure are pleasant words M. 4. Religious Discourse is the most Profitable It trafficks in the richest Commodities God hath no richer than what it trades for Yea and its words be a wind that do always blow good unto both the Speaker and Hearer They prevent evil Words and Thoughts abundance of them if not much other Sin They awaken the Speakers Mind and affect his Heart and give him a rich promise of Gods Blessing Prov. 11.25 The liberal Soul shall be made fat and he that watereth shall be watered also himself Mal. 3.16 17. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his Name And they shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts in that day when I make up my Jewels and I will spare them as a man spareth his own Son
that serveth him They also Save and Convert some Souls and Quiet and Comfort others of the Hearers Talk of Health and of Riches will not cure the Sick nor enrich the Poor But full often hath talk of Holiness made holy and blessed the Hearers of it Who knows not many Instances M. 5. Religious Discourse is a Duty most Undoubted most Cheap and most Advantageous to do good Undoubted for no Law forbids any man to praise his God Cheap for what doth cost less than words or what will you spend for God if you will not speak for Him unto your Friends Advantageous for in Discourse you may better know any man's Capacity and so sute it better in the matter and language than in Preaching Besides you speak singly and more particularly and insinuatingly Deut. 6.7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy Children and shalt talk of them when thou fittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou lyest down and when thou risest up M. 6. Religious Discourse is a Duty of greatest opportunity Not a day but Providence gives you an opportunity for more or less of it Not any Company you ever come into but every Soul needs it Converts men Unconverted and men Doubtful whether they are Reconciled unto God or no all do need the Lips that disperse Knowledge Gal. 6.10 As we have therefore opportunity let us do good unto all men especially unto them who are of the houshold of faith M. 7. Religious Discourse is a Duty helpful unto the best Ministry The Ministry has done little good upon you until it has brought you unto the use of it But when you do use it you will exceedingly further the good of the Ministry Some will not hear the fittest Ministers for them till Discourse bring them Others cannot Understand or Remember much till Discourse help them M. 8. Religious Discourse is a Duty forced upon us by Satan's party They are all of them every day speaking against Godliness How can any of the Lovers of God hold their peace therefore It is said that a dumb Child did once break silence when his Father was spoke against Our heavenly Father is spoken against every day shall he not every day be spoken for He is every where Reviled shall he not be every where Praised All sorts young Men and Maidens old Men and Children let their Tongues run out against Him shall not all sorts of his true Servants Plead for Him O Lord open the mouths of all and let them shew forth thy Praise Amen and Amen M. 9. Religious Discourse is a Duty that every good man has had the blessing of I do not think any one can say that all the good he ever reaped was from set continued Sermons Doubtless all have tasted the good of familiar Discourses All must say that gracious words dropped from one and another good man occasionally at Tables ends and by Fire sides have been worth more than a little unto their Souls And if so how Unnatural is the cruelty to see Souls about them perishing and not minister unto them as they themselves were ministred unto Not so much as dropping the words which by experience they know to be helpful Luke 24.32 And they said one to another Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the Scriptures M. 10. Religious Discourse is a Duty that is inseparable from Charity From the Love of God and of Men. If I Love God I shall Desire his Glory If I rightly Desire it I shall Endeavour it If I Endeavour it surely as I have opportunity I must Speak for it If I Love Men's Souls I cannot grudge a few words for their Conversion or Edification Love is chill where holy Discourse is scarce and dead where it is absent In all appearance dead Ephes 4.16 From whom the whole Body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of it self in love M. 11. Religious Discourse is a Duty that is a mighty Promoter of Charity Love I think is all Religion The Soul of all And who knows not this Love of God is the grace we can least spare but the grace that of all is the most subject to abate in us It is in us as Fire in green Wood that needs continual blowing And Religious Discourse is an experienced Bellows to blow it Love of one another also easily waxeth cold But what exciteth that will excite this And let Experience speak who do so Love each other as those who most edifie and are edified by each others Religious discourse I can Love no Man so intensely as him who either helps me toward Heaven or receives help from me Philem. v. 12 and 16. Whom I have sent again thou therefore receive him that is mine own bowels Not now as a servant but above a servant a brother beleved specially to me but how much more unto thee both in the flesh and in the Lord M. 12. Religious Discourse is a universal Ministry All and every one of Christ's adult Disciples are more or less Qualified for it and Commissioned unto it If thou hast not in some measure Tasted and Seen that the Lord is good thou art not a Christian If thou hast thou art able to say somewhat of that which thou hast Seen and Tasted And if thou hast such a Talent as that Ability the exercise of it is thy unquestionable Duty Who doubts but that our Saviour calleth all his Servants the SALT of the Earth and the LIGHTS of the World though one Order of them be so most eminently But what Salt are they that rarely drop a savoury word Or what Lights be they who carry it so that no body Knows or Remembers God ever the more for them Of all vile creatures the Ministers that neglect Preaching are contemned in the eyes of God and of good Men. But thus far as I say you that are Christians are Ministers And if you neglect this Ministry of yours that I speak of you are more sinful and vile than you are aware Tell me not that there be some who say that it 's not for Children Women or Unlearned men to talk of Religion I know many do say so and I know if many such Sinners entice you it will be your death to hearken consent and follow them against God's express and plain Word Young Men and Maidens old Men and Children are bid to praise God Even CHILDREN themselves It is made the praise of the Excellent Woman Prov. 31. that in her mouth was the Law of Kindness By which Commentators of the best rank do understand no less than the Law of Grace the Word of Reconciliation the Doctrine of the Kindness and Love of God towards us Whereof this rare Matron was perpetually discoursing with her Children and Handmaids To
these H. Scriptures I resolve to Live and Die by them And I engage my self here in presence of their blessed Author that I will as daily read this his Word as I eat his Bread Joh. 5.39 Col. 3.16 Psal 119.97 D. 7. Esteem Godliness God-likeness You know little of God's Word till you do so It 's true Flesh and Blood and the World and the Lyar from the beginning do give Godliness another report Even a very black Character They represent it as a very Hell upon Earth But God's Word says the clean contrary as his Children also feel the clean contrary Godliness all agree is nothing but Imitating and Obeying of God Now to Imitate him in Wisdom Truth and Goodness can be nothing but Beauty and Pleasure and Benefit and Honour And to Obey him is no other Being He is too Great to have his service any disparagement unto Angels and too Good to let it go unrewarded unto Men. Nor puts He his Children on Earth upon any thing but what He put his Son in Heaven upon whiles he was here Will He have us Suffer as well as Labour for him Beside that we may thank our Sin for it let us consider The Natural Son of God suffered the Curse of the Law the Adopted Children of God suffer nothing but the Chastisements of Grace He was made perfect by vastly greater Sufferings Add hereto what are light Sufferings and but for a moment for an exceeding great Crown and Eternal And think too Can the Devil name any thing in Holiness so hard as we can prove all things in Sin to be And all places in Hell to be Love is all Religion and all Pleasure is Love God only is more blessed than a Man Godly Conclude thou thus Reader and say Henceforth will I seek Fish in the Air and Fowls in the Sea as soon as seek Pleasure or Honour any where but in Godliness Psal 119.92 Prov. 3.13 14 15 16 17 18. D. 8. Beware of the Mill and the Circle Of the Mill of worldly Business and of the Circle of Sensual Pleasure They be the Traps that take most Souls and are the Death of all that they take The Mill doth store Hell with you poor Tenants and the Circle stores it with your Rich Landlords You have but one Soul and can Love best but one thing if the Worlds Profits or Pleasures get the Throne of your one Soul you have no other for God and He will sit no where but on the Throne and in your BEST Love Nor have you but one Life-time for working out your Salvation If this one be eat up by the foresaid Vulturs your Salvation is lost Say then Reader if thou carest to be saved Heart and Life-Religion shall be my prime Mill and Circle my chief Business and Pleasure Worldly ones will follow me but I will follow these And of all things in the World I will keep the Throne of my Heart from Worldly Business and Pleasures The Bloodiest Tyrants and Butchers of Humane Souls 1 Joh. 2.15 16 17. 1 Cor. 7.29 30 31. D. 9. Keep out of Pest-houses Out of the Company of 1 Men falsely so called 2 Men that know not their God 3 Men that love death and wrong their own Souls 4 Men that look not into any World but this 5 Men that mind not Times End and Vse 6 Men that value Bibles no more than Plutarch 's Morals 7 Men that fancy God's Service wretched Bondany 8 Men like Bees either busie in gathering Honey or Drowned in it Wisdom hath said it Justice hath ordered it and Goodness hath warned you of it A Companion of Fools shall be destroyed Come not of choice therefore near unto their Doors The choice of Company is in a great degree the choice of your State of Sin and Misery or of Grace and Salvation I mean Say if thou art Wise or if thou ever wouldst be Wise say and hold I will henceforth chuse to associate with Frogs and Toads rather than with Gods Enemies I will have no Bosom Friend that hath not some Holiness to the Lord wrote on his Forehead 2 Chron. 19.2 2 Thes 3.6 Psal 139.21 D. 10. Have a care of your Eyes In Nature you may be Blind and Live in Grace you cannot Ignorance and Error Damn Souls as surely as Sins against Light and Knowledge Especially where there is plenty of means of Knowledge Heaven 's a far Countrey Holiness is a narrow way to it And is a Blind Man like to hit it do you think Besides Darkness is that whereof Satan is the Prince aâ—â—â—â—orance is called the Power of the Devil and Christ is said to be coming to take vengeance of all that KNOW NOT God and that do not more than Know that OBEY not the whole GOSPEL Reader go beg Gods Eye-salve say presently Grace is called Light and Glory is called Light I will no more endure this dark Heart of mine I will never be quiet until I get to understand all the Fundamental TRUTHS GRACES and DUTIES of Christianity For thy Life get understanding of the Assemblies Catechism Of the Summaries of Truths in my Three Questions resolved c. Prov. 4.5 7 8 9. Prov. 7.4 The Grand Charter Issued out and Granted by Jesus Christ for the Plantation of the Christian Faith in all Nations By George Lawson Rector of More in the County of Salop. D. 11. Highly prize Sunshine and Thunder Plain and clear Rouzing and piercing Sermons How dull are your Heads What can Benefit you that doth not Inform you And what can Inform you that is not as plain as the Sun Your Hearts be likewise cold and frozen desperately What besides Thunder-bolts can break ' em What besides Flashes of Fire can thaw them Believe it dark and dull Preachers be fearful Judgments and Curses to such as I suppose you Ignorance makes some Preachers dark Pride maketh others but Sin makes both and both do promote Sin Say thus thou that valuest thy Soul I will pray God to direct me to a Ministry both Shining and Burning Plain for my dull Mind Powerful for my rocky Heart Clear to inform my Vnderstanding and as Cutting and Searching to excite me Affection Isa 58.1 Hos 6.5 D. 12. Beg of God Golden Snuffers We do all need Reprovers And so peevish we all are that unless they be excellent ones very Compassionate and very Discreet and very Innocent themselves we cannot bear them when they reprove us We receive no good from the Snuffers except they be of pure Gold it is seldom that we ever do Great need therefore there is that thou Prayest the Over-ruler of all things to bestow upon thee some Righteous ones to smite thee Some Skilful Friends and Faithful and of excellent Holiness to tell thee ever and anon of thy Miscarriages Such as thy Minister never hears of and can but generally reprove Psal 141.5 1 Thes 5.14 Exod. 37.23 D. 13. Suppose the worst of your Selves Your own Hearts will be forward to Presume all
designs of great and good Effects upon your hearts by them When you are in company consider your Tongue 's need of Government All its words be Meat or Poison to your Hearers and your selves They do still holily make for Edification or subserviently for Recreation or contrarily for Corruption Prov. 24.9 The THOUGHT of foolishness is sin Mat. 12.36 Of every idle WORD that men shall speak they shall give account in the day of Judgment D. 9. Preserve the Prerogative of your King I mean of your Love Your Love of God of Angels of Men That is your Principal Grace your Prince Keep that Prince on horse-back let that ride and reign and rule you in all you do Let not any thing lower move and sway you more in any of your ways Remember still it is Love that is the highest improvement of our Faculties the End of all other Graces the Excellency in all other Graces For this is the Word of God given for this is the Spirit given for this was his Son given that we might Love Never please your selves therefore with any Quality or any external Duty without Love internal Love animating enlivening exalting it Rom. 13.10 Love is the fulfilling of the Law D. 10. Value highly your Time Do so really in more than empty pretence And do so apparently also Apparently unto your own Conscience Family Friends Neighbours Tell all in the Language of Practice you account them as the worst of Thieves who rob you of your Time Say as Mr. Fowler My Time and Strength is God's and he shall have it And as Mr. Calvin Christ shall not find me idle Esteem every small moity of Time as you do of Gold Expend none at all of it but in mowing and whetting your Sythe in very Duty and necessary Recreation Buy a great deal of it I mean part with much vain pleasure secular profit fools favour and kindness and good men's too sometimes to save your Time To save it from doing of evil and from doing of lesser good when you may do greater That is indeed as we are bid Eph. 5.16 To Redeem the Time D. 11. Exercise Christian Temperance in all your Meals Brutes are more temperate in use of food than many men And may I not say that some unregenerate men are more temperate than here and there a well reputed Christian appears This is a shame Excess in Meat and Drink is not the least fruitful sin against Body or Soul To be abstemious and sparing for Health's sake is to be as wise as Brute creatures and some men graceless Abstinence for Conscience sake of love to God and Christ to our own Souls and others of faithfulness unto our Baptismal Engagement this is Christian Temperance Ezek. 16.49 Behold this was the sin of Sodom Pride FULNESS of BREAD and abundance of IDLENESS was in her Sin came in by eating remember then Prov. 23.2 Put a knife to thy throat if thou be a man given to Appetite And Be not desirous of Dainties for they are deceitful meat Rom. 8.13 If ye live after the flesh ye shall die D. 12. Hasten your Recoveries out of your wilful sins For sins of unavoidable Infirmity God threatens not Eternal Plagues or Temporal Judgments on you Sincere and constant Humiliation for them is indeed necessary and natural to Lovers of God and Christ But sins that are not of common and insuperable Infirmity they make fearful breaches of your Peace with God and sore wounds in your Souls They sadly lessen God's Love of Complacence in you and your Love and all graces towards God When you fall into these dare not to lie one minute in them Lament them presently Confess them presently to God and if need be unto man also Repent rent your hearts for them and rent them also from them without delay Cry for the Balm of Christ's Blood to be presently dropt into your wounds and for the clean Water of his Spirit to be presently poured on you Cry mightily for Pardon of them and Assistance against them Every minutes delay may cost you so many days weeks and months dolor and anguish Chosen delays may make so many Spira's of you for ought I know Psal 32.3 While I kept silence i. e. would not confess my sin my bones waxed old i. e. I suffered dearly D. 13. Examine strictly your Relative Duty Often say What Subject am I What Fellow-Subject What Observer of Magistrates and Ministers What Friend am I How do I carry it toward my Enemies For a Christian can be no one's Enemy as far as he is a Christian he cannot What Husband or Wife am I What Parent or Child am I What Master or Servant am I What Superior what Inferior what Equal am I Sincerity or Hypocrisie is for the most part specially seen in these things 2 Pet. 3.11 What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy Conversations and Godlinesses Psal 119.6 Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandments D. 14. Repeat every Evening your double use of the WORD and PRAYER I mean in your Closet and Family Dare not for the gain of a Kingdom to omit it of choice Nor to perform it without greatest Seriousness Willingness Thankfulness Psa 55.17 Evening and Morning and at Noon will I pray and cry aloud and he shall hear my voice D. 15. Repair every days Losses and be chary of every days Gains I mean your extraordinary ones The Womb of some days doth bring you forth huge Hindrances of Duty to God to your selves and to your Families III Persons or Things obstruct your Solemnities When they do so consider and consult and strain hard to make it up the next day Read Pray Meditate c. so much the more Another day brings forth huge Helps A Lecture a Fast or Publick Thanksgiving a Funeral Sermon a meeting with some Servants of God of extraordinary Talents apt to Teach and forward so to do When such a day comes lay up and lock up your Spiritual Gains Rost what you take as Solomon speaks keep feed on it enjoy it Eph. 5. v. 16. Redeeming the time because the days are evil John second Epistle verse 8. Look to your selves that we lose not those things that we have wrought but may receive a full reward D. 16. Improve both of the holy Sacraments Most lamentably these are neglected among us The God of all Grace that hath condescended to extremity in the ordaining of them awaken Ministers and People to better use of them On God's part they are Signs and Seals on our part they are Bonds and Badges Baptism and the Lords Supper are the utmost confirmations God giveth us of his Promise to be our God and the utmost we give of our Engagement to be his Forget not this nor vainly remember it Plead with God for your Souls his Signed Sealed Promises unto you to the expulsion of Distrust And plead with your Souls for God your Sacramental Bonds given unto
Relations of Souls under your own Roofs Unless you exercise this Charity at home it will justly enough be concluded Vain-glory that sets your Tongue going religiously abroad And by and by you shall be told what is true Prov. 26.7 The legs of the lame are not equal so is a Parable in the mouth of fools Pious speeches out of a fools mouth make the fool ridiculous and become themselves contemptible D. 9. By Counsel and with good Advice order your religious Discourse It is War against Sin and Satan Offensive For Gods Glory and Mens Salvation Defensive It well deserves good thinking and will requite it well Wherefore rush not into it rashly And do not fancy that extemporary suggestions are all you need bestow upon it I would that upon the walls of your houses you had written Heb. 10.24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works The Duty required is provocation of one another by religious Discourses unto Love and good Works The Means prescribed as necessary for its right performance is Consideration of one another to wit of one anothers Circumstances Conditions Estates Lives Virtues Faults Wants c. Even that we may suit our Ministrations unto them with a due heedfulness And take the most proper Matter Language Method Time and every thing else to do them good Thus do and many shall say unto you as David to Abigail 2 Sam. 25.32 33. David said to Abigail Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me And blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood and from avenging my self with mine own hand D. 10. Let the one thing Needful be the main one in all your religious Discourse Even RIGHTEOUSNESS Imputed Inherent and Practical HOLINESS to the Lord the Principle of it the Practice of it the Progress and the Perseverance As high as they sour in notions in profession and in vogue they be not the true Eagles of Heaven that spend their time in catching at Flies The Kingdom of God is not in Meat and Drink i. e. Christianity consists not in the Circumstantials of Religion Wo to them whose Discourses consist of little beside You shall not repent it if you determine as St. Paul 1 Cor. 2.2 For I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified The Converting Edifying Comforting Knowledge of Jesus Christ Crucified and Glorified Doubtless so meant the Apostle D. 11. Believe Reproaches for truly religious Discourses to be honours and treasures Otherwise you will soon faint But you know who thought it their Honour to suffer more than Reproach Acts 5.41 42. And they departed from the presence of the Council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his Name And daily in the Temple and in every house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ And who thought it Treasure even richer than Egypts Heb. 11.26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward Neither may you expect to reach their Heaven if you possess not their Temper and walk not in their way And this remember it is dangerous to be without sinners Reproaches and more dangerous to have their Applause 'T is its own that the World loveth The Witnesses of Christs Truth are said to have tormented them that dwelt upon the Earth or earthly sensual lives Solomons Throne was supported by Lions and truely so must Christs Kingdom and Interest be Dastardly Spirits will never be Trumpets of his praise for the fear of man brings such a snare on the heart as tyeth the tongue it self D. 12. Be Companions of them that best maintain Religious Discourse With best Vnderstanding Zeal Humility and Success Have no other Company of choice but that which will either Teach you or Learn from you What will be your Physicians or your Patients Let all your Delight be in these as the excellent ones of the Earth And be always willing to Borrow and to Lend To Lend to those that know less than you do and to Borrow from such as know more than you Otherwise whatever company you keep it is little by them that you are like to gain For there is no Edification where men too Ignorant to Teach are too Proud to Learn and they who have very much knowledge have too little humility and grace to draw it forth except it be in publick places where they expect applause and acceptation with multitudes Pious Humility makes us both Communicative of the knowledge we have and Inquisitive after more And it is certain that by communicating the wisess do grow wiser and by enquiring the weakest do get to be wise Eccles 10.15 The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them because he knoweth not how to go to the City The sense is this I judge Because a Fool is to proud or too bashful and fearful to go and enquire in the City of one able to Direct him to dispose of his Labour therefore doth he unprofitably throw it away that it doth but Weary him and not Benefit or Enrich him Let the Learned see in l. Ludov. de Dieu in Po. Synopâ— POSTSCRIPT Reader The Serpents Seed will Hiss and especially against such Arguments as those and such Management of them I pray God they may but Hiss and no Sting thy Soul for their Venom cast on my Name is worthy of no complaint or fear Very probably thou wilt be told this Discourse is rankly Fanatical Let such as do suggest so be told that godly Learned Episcopal Men have praised this Fanaticism Have Encouraged the printing it do buy it and communicate it And Bishop Wilkins the late honour of his Order in a Sermon published by Dr. Tillotson a Dean of a thousand hath these words which are full out as Fanatical as any of mine Practical Religion wou'd be much advantaged if men were but more free towards one another in communicating their Doubts Temptations Comforts warming their Affections and building up one another by MVTVAL CONFERENCE O that we Dissenters may make good use and not evil of the honour put upon us in this Nation by Mens calling all serious practical CHRISTIANITY Fanaticall Presbyterian c. FINIS