plainly holds forth the duty of Christians in their whole life is uncontravertedâ— clear from the Scriptures and all Debates 〈◊〉 religious matters that have not the alone prospect of bettering and advancing of Knowledge are certainly not allowable And as your heartâ— all times ought to be over-filled with true love 〈◊〉 God and such as bears his Image so especially be respective to the Ministers of the Gospel being Ambassadors for Christ and Administrator of the Ordinances appointed by him in the Neâ—â— Testament as the Apostle enjoyns 1 Thes 5 1â—â— I beseech you brethren mark them which labour amongst you and are over you in the Lord and adminish you and esteem them very highly in Love for the works sake And let not the infirmities of any 〈◊〉 them procure in your heart any disrespect to thâ—â— holy Calling But mind what the same Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4.7 That we have this Treasure in earth en Vessels that the exeellency of the power may be 〈◊〉 God and not of us 13. As you are to have a Pity and Love eveâ— towards such as altogether wants Religion 〈◊〉 worships God not truly as he hath appointed 〈◊〉 his Word so ye would altogether avoid the least of Animosity with such as with Charity 〈◊〉 may judge differs only anent Church-government or any thing else not inconsistent with the salvation of their Souls not doubting but ye will sinâ— at the day of Judgment that the many Niceitieâ— which a great part do but too much concern themselves in are the effects of want of Charit and a gospel Frame and disposition of heart 14. The wickedness of our hearts is such as doth altogether unfit for the doing of Duty Have we any prosperity in the enjoyment of health or any thing desireable in the world we are seldom or never in a frame for rightly acknowledging God for his Mercies and improving them to the end of our having thereof And if Providence tryst our being crossed in what is delightful to us how ready are we to dejection of mind and what does unfit for Duty let every Dispensation of God to you-ward lead you to the consideration of failings in your bypast life and stir you up to a suitable walk under what you are trysted with Endeavour an equality of Temper in all your ways if Dispensations any ways prosperous be your Lot consider you have them from God and humbly acknowledge his Mercy in what ever you meet with and if what is more cross befal you repine not thereat but mind that the worst of Conditions is above your desert Seek of him with earnestness that you may truly learn his holy Will in all his Dispensations and in Prosperity or Adversity let all your care be to know what ye are called to as Duty and to endeavour with diligence the doing thereof even in things relating to this life then with chearful Submission leave the event of all your concerns to God who is wonderful in goodness to such as fear and trust in him 15. When the Lords day is come remember to keep it holy as God has expresly appointed in his 4th Command And in order thereto prepare your Heart for the Duties thereof before it approach for however a great many in this Age may contravert the Morality of that Precept for the due observation of the Sabbath yet may you be satisfied with what is fully held forth by I may say all the most serious and godly of Divines that it is from the Practise noâ— only of the Primitive Church being the mospure of Christians but even of the Appostles whâ— were immediately inspired of God and whose Example we are bound to follow And as the due Observance of the Sabbath under the Law was enjoyned under the certification of greâ—â— wrath from God as in Nehemiah 13. cap. v. 17. and 18. What evil is this that ye do and prophaâ—â— the Sabbath did not your Fathers thus and did 〈◊〉 our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this Câ—ty yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profanity the Sabbath So the Promises to the doing there of were great as in Isa 56.2 Blessed is the mâ—â— that doth this and the son of man that layeth holdâ—â— it that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it Aâ—â— 58.13 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath and from doing thy pleasure on my holy day aâ—â— call the Sabbath of the Lord a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not finding thiâ—â— own pleasure nor speaking thine own words then shaâ—â— thou delight thy self in the Lord and I will cause thâ—â— to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed the with the heretage of Jacob thy father for the mouâ—â— of the Lord hath spoken it Yea not only from History the judgments of God upon Sabbath-breakers are manifest but such as are of small Experience may evidently perceive the dreadful consequences thereof in the confession of almost all Malefactors that comes to publick Execution It is trâ—â— such as are pleased to have no respect to the dâ— Observation of the Sabbath and to object againâ— the obligation upon Christians for keeping it holy doth answer to that of its being so generally confessed by dying Penitents that the same flows but from their Education and its being inculcat in them to be so sinful but what answer will such I may say prophane Wretches give to this so palpable Evidence of God's displeasure with the profanation of that Day that He in his over-ruling Providence often permits notorious Breakers of the Sabbath to fall in such sins as even brings them to open and shameful Punishment in this World And albeit the ways of God's Providence are not to be fathomed and gross Sinners of every kind do's in things relating to this life Die without any appearing Marks of God's displeasure which may fully satisfie all rational Persons that there is a Judgment to come so the temporal Calamities sometimes trysting Sinners in this World are an Earnest of what shall be Dispensed at that dreadful Day to such and it may plainly appear to you that the Cavilling against the Obligations for keeping Holy the Sabbath of our Lord is of the Devil being that only such as want tenderness of Conscience and Love not to live in any thing according to the Rules of the Gospel do thus declare themselves whereas Persons whose hearts are God-ward however their Frailty may hinder the due performance of their Duty are ever ready to acknowledge their Obligation to the observation of that Day to be kept a Sabbath Holy to the Lord. Yea Sir Matthew Hale late L. Chief Justice of England whose Memory is Savoury to all good men that knew or heard of him in his Directions to his Children for keeping the Lords Day doth press it upon them for several Reasons and in one whereof he saith because I have found by long and sound Experience that the due observance of that
Day and of the Duties of it have been of singular comfort and advantage to me and I doubt not but it will prove so to you God Almighty is the Lord of our time and lends it to us and as it is but just we should consecrate this part of that time to Him so I have found by a strict and diligent Observation that the due Observation of the Duties of this Day hath ever had joined to it a Blessing upon the rest of my time and the Week that hath been so begun hath been blessed and prosperous to me and on the other side when I have been negligent of the Duties of the Day the rest of the Week hath been unsuccessful and unhappy to my own secular Employment so that I could easily make a◠estimat of my success in my own secular Employment the Week following by the manner of my passing this Day and this I do not write lightly and Inconsideratly but upon a long and sound Observation and Experience These being the words of that Grea◠Man are much to be considered he not only being of great Integrity but uncontrovertedly o◠a sound Judgment and great Knowledge almost in every thing 15. In the Evening of the day preceeding you would be more then ordinarly earnest with God that He may by his Grace fit you for 〈◊〉 suitable going about the Duties of the ensuin◠Sabbath And when it is come consider that as God did appoint in the Old Testament the Sacrifice to be doubled on that Day so he require◠of us Christians that we should therein double our Duties of Prayer Praise and Meditation◠and as at all times you are bound to remember the Church and People of God in your Prayers so especially in a Sabbath pray with earnestness that our Lord's Kingdom may be advanced throughout the world and that the Offers of Grace in his Gospel may be the Portion of the Land you live in Pray that God for Christs sake may send forth Ambassadors fitted for that Work and that he bless the Word and Ordinances where you are to be present in the discharge of the Duties of a Sabbath 16. Rise early that Morning and mind you are to spend the whole day in God's service When you repair to the place of Publick Worship do it so as you be there before any part of it begin and come not from the same whilest it be fully ended and in the time of Worship have your heart intent upon the Duties it is the heart especially that God requires and not only ought we to have presence of mind in hearing the Word preached but especially in Prayer and Praise for it is an intollerable contempt of God who searcheth the heart and knoweth the most secret of our Thoughts to draw near to Him in Worship and to have our hearts going out after any other Object whatsoever Yea it is a direct Saying practically that we are bruitish Fools and wretched Atheists in worshipping of God as knowing our Thoughts and doing it in that manner as evidences manifest contempt and directly draws down His Vengeance upon us 17. If the Sacrament of Baptism be administred where you are present you would not only with all your heart concur in the Petitions up to God before and after the Administration but hearken to your own Duty in what is held forth by the Minister and let such Occasions stir you up to new Resolutions to live up to your own Baptismal Engagements Mind that the whole Sabbath is to be a Mercat-day for your Soul and by dealing in the Duties thereof gain strength against the Corruptions of the ensuing part of your time 18. When occasion offers of your Communicating you are to consider that it is not indifferent to you to come or not to come to the Table of the Lord but that you are obliged to be serious in examining your self as to your Knowledge and your being otherwise fitted to partake of that Sacrament Instituted by our Saviour First in the remembrance of His Sufferings which were only able to expiate the Guilt of lost undone Sinners And next to be a Seal of Sinners Covenanting with God in Jesus Christ And 3dly to be a Mean of Communion with our merciful Lord that suffered for our Sins It is plain 1 Cor. 11.26 That the great end of the Sacrament is to hold forth to the Church the Lords Death and Suffering whilest he come again to Judgement And by the 27 28 and 29. Verses you see the absolute necessity for the worthy participating thereof You must search your heart and find out all your iniquity and hate it not only as it procures Gods Curse in this life and to all Eternity but especially as it is contrare to the Commandments and holy Nature of our God and as a needy Wretch having examined your heart and found out your Wants you are in coming to the Table of the Lord to bring with you some Faith some Love and some hope c. Your Errand being for more and cry with earnestness that you may be amongst the number of such of whom the Psalmist speaks Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy Power At such Occasions make conscience of mourning for every Sin and with all your heart magnifie Gods Mercy in his Dispensations to you and seek with earnestness of heart Grace enabling you to that and every duty and beg of God for Christs sake that he give a heart in a truly fitted frame So as in the Sacrament you may by the eye of Faith behold our lovely Lord and Saviour crucified and His Blood shed to expiate the Guilt of vile sinful Wretches and in particular to stand betwixt your self a vile sinful Wretch and the Vengeance of God due to you in Justice Seek with all earnestness from God a heart filled with love to Christ our Lovely Saviour who so loved loft undone Sinners as He took upon him the nature of frail man and to satisfy Divine Justice which could not be otherways satisfied for the sins of all that would truly come to Him and by Faith rely upon Him He suffered the shameful Death of the Cross it Representation whereof is this Sacrament Institute by our Lord himself before His suffering And before and at the time of your drawing near to the Table of the Lord have your heart filled with suitable Meditations and ejaculatory Petitions to God as saying within your self O my Soul can'st thou behold Justifying Blood and not love Him that shed it for thee Canist thou behold Precious Quickening softening Bloods and not love Him that gave it to quicken and soften thy heart and to Redeem the from Sin from Hell and everlasting Wrath O my God and Saviour enable me to say if my love were better it should be thine but such as it is thou shalt have it make it greater and make it better and I firmly resolve in thy Strength it shall ever be set upon thee 19.
lawfully in a great Degree stir us up to come to Him But let your great Endeavour be that your heart may be filled with love to the only Living and True God who is wonderful in Mercy and make love to Him the great Motive to whatever you go about let the manner of your doing thereof evidence your sense of God's knowing the most secret of the thoughts of your heart It is much to be lamented that the Duty of Prayer is so generally neglected but alas How great is the guilt of such as but seemingly goes about the performance thereof in not coming aright as in the Presence of God It is the heart that God sees and requires and how wicked are its wanderings at all times especially in that Duty as you expect to be owned of God in Christ Jesus the day of your Appearance before His Tribunal Strive against this Wickedness and as an useful Help through the Blessing of God after you have been about the Duty by your self or joyning with others meditate upon your particular Failings in the motives to and manner of your Performance and hold them up to God as being hateful to you and with a full desire seek He may strengthen you against such in all time coming and this without any seeming affectation yea without being noticed even by these in company with you you may do by serious Meditation whatever be you Diversion in worldly Concerns and if you do it with earnestness you may with confidence expect the weakning of the Corruptions of your evil heart and as your subordinate ends in Duty may be His blessing you even in this Side of time but especially to all Eternity so let your great end in this and whatever else you do be His Glory 37. My heart doth much serve me in repeating my Desires that ye prize the Goodness of God in allowing wretched mankind to put up their Desires to Him in Prayer for His Mercy therein is Incomprehensible yet I incline to Caution you that your coming to Him in that Duty may not be your Snare for as there is but too many that do's slight the doing thereof so there are not wanting such who are not only hypocritical or selfish in their Ends therein but there are who mistakes the Means for the End and think their praying may and will atone for Immoralities in their Conversation and are ready too much to consider the performance of that Duty as the carnal Jews did sacrificing under the Law We ought indeed with joy to consider that our Blessed Lord was once offered a Sacrifice to satisfie for Sin and that we are not only allowed but enjoyned to apply our selves by Prayer to our Merciful God that in Him we may be accepted But as I have said to you that without being morally honest all your Endeavours to religious Duties will be but lost labour so where one of your Ends in praying is not for Grace enabling you so to live you want not Reason to regrate your doing of it for as the First and Great Command is Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul and with all thy mind so the Second is Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self And no way can a Christian more adorn the Gospel of our Blessed Lord then by such a Conversation towards all men as the Apostle enjoyns Rom. 13.14 Let us walk honestly as in the day not in Riâ—ting and Drunkenness not in Chambering and Wantonness not in Strife and Envying but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof And as hating what the same Apostle dehorts 2 Cor. 12.20 Debates Envyings Wraths Strifes Backbitings Whisperings Swellings Tumults and let us mind that it is our Duty what he says 2 Tim. 2.19 And let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from Iniquity 38. You know the summ of the whole Commands is to love the Lord your God with all your Soul c. and to love your Neighbour as your self A due Consideration of this great Precept and making use of that short Rule of doing as we would be dealt by and that in every thing that may relate to our Neighbour might be instead of Advice to you upon that head 39. Be tender of his Goods and Good Name as of your own in so far as ye have access to interess your self therein and hate in your self or others detracting or speaking to the prejudice of any for Charity towards your Neighbour and being charitable in order to the Relief of his wants are Duties then which there are none more clearly and positively held forth in Scripture We are called to judge charitably of every thing our Neighbour does or says and ever to put the best Construction upon the same that it will suner The Apostle in the 3. to the Col. 14. Exhorteth thereto and presseth that above things ye may put on Charity which is the Bond of Peace The said 3 to the Col and 12. to the Rom. Ye often would read they containing many excellent Precepts And a charitable relieving of your Neighbour in his wants is as fully enjoyned and as great Promises annexed thereto as almost any other Duties in the Scriptures It is true as we are required to give liberally so we are to do it with discretion and not only to give what is our own alanerly but even what in our Stations our Circumstances being considered we may spare but what we do therein we are to do it with a liberal and chearful heart You shall know that there are no sort of Duties which God hath more expresly commanded than that of Bounty and Mercy toward our Brethren whence evidently the high value thereof in God's Esteem may be inferred in the Old Testament it is said Deut. 15.7 Thou shalt not harden thine heart nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother and in Vers 11. Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy Brother unto thy Poor and unto thy Needy in the Land And when Daniel would prescribe to King Nebuchadnezzar the best way of Amendment and the surest Means of averting God's Judgements impendent on him he says to him Dan. 4.27 Wherefore O King let my counsel be acceptable unto thee break off thy sins by righteousness and thine Iniquities by shewing mercy to the Poor this he pitched upon as chiefly grateful to God and clearly testifying Repentance Yea we not only have a positive Command from God for being charitable but we have in Prov. 19.17 His express Obligation for its repayment He that hath pity upon the Poor lendeth unto the Lord and that which he hath given will he pay him again Men are rationally satisfied when their Stook is intrusted in the hands of an apparent sufficient Creditor and certainly the only true Wisdom and reasonable improving of what is within our Power must be in the disposal thereof so as that we have our God who is
God may enable you to the sanctified use of every mean of Grace and bless the same to his glory in your eternal Wel-being is and my God enabling me shall be whilst I live the Prayer of Your affectionat Father January 8. 1691. SON WHat I have written to you in thir few Sheets I intreat you do not neglect the perusal thereof as I have desired it is far from my intention to do what may agravat guilt in you but if you consider not seriously what I have written with a full resolution and endeavour to put the same in practice however imperfect it may be yet it will witness against you in the day of your appearance before Gods Tribunal But I hope our good God will by his Grace enable you so to live as the most desireable and only Saviour of Sinners in that day will be found to be your Portion you know I have sometimes endeavoured to hold forth to you your Engagements in Baptisme and you may remember what partciularly you engaged your self to in Write under your hand that day I did with your dear and most tenderly affectionat Mother whose Rememberance ought ever whilst you live to be savourie to you I say when we did joyntly endeavour in Prayer cordially to devote you to God and lest ye may not have kept by you the Double of what by writ you have engaged your self to I send you the words thereof under-written â— A. B. having it represented to me by my Parents the Engagements I am under by my being baptized That I shall renounce the Devil the World and the Flesh and live Godly and Righteously and soberly do here declare I believe in one God the Father and Son and Holy Ghost and does devote my self to him my Creator and reconciled Father in Jesus Christ who 's Blood signified by the Water in my Baptism can only cleanse me from Sin And I promise in his Strength He for Christ's sake enabling me to live up to my Engagements in Baptism to strive against all sinfull inclinations in me a wicked and corrupt Creature and to hate every Sin not only because it procures a temporal Curse and the ruine of my Soul to Eternity but especially because it is hateful to and contrair the holy Nature and Precepts of my blessed God And I do hereby expresly promise He by his Grace strengthening me to live in obedience to His holy Will revealed in the Scriptures and explained in the Confession of Fath and Catechism presently professed in this Church and I humbly beg O my most merciful God! for Christ's sake that thou would enable me to the performance of what I have hereby engaged to and to every Duty required of me in my Station and that I may ever have thy Grace in my heart and for my Portion here and to all Eternity an Interest in Christ thy Son my Blessed Glorious and lovely Lord and Saviour A. B. November 28. 1689. MInd that you have thus engaged your self and I intreat you may not by your being forgetful thereof and not living up there to draw down a Curse upon you You would at least every Sabbath set some short time apart for thinking upon your Baptismal Engagements and read over the Double of what you have subscribed and in a humble sense of your Sin anâ— Unworthiness upon your Knees seek by Prayer with earnestness of heart that God for Jesâ— Sake may enable you to every Duty I am seâ—sible I have written to you more in some thing then is at this time necessar and that I have not in what is more necessar suitably presse your Dut under your present Circumstance which makes me again require your remembriâ— my desire to you in forbearing bad Company Neglect not private Prayer and know that you unreverent going about that Duty with a waâ—â— dering faithless loveless heart and the was of a due consideration of what a wretched Sinnâ—â— you are and what God is whose Presence yoâ— dare to approach will but aggravat your Guilâ—â— in stead of procuring to you a Blessing And also desire you mind your being moderate 〈◊〉 the time you allow for your Recreations 〈◊〉 them be so harmless as may be vindicable in 〈◊〉 sight of God and Man and you would your seâ—â— not only forbear altogether the going to drink Taverns or Ale-houses but even forbear 〈◊〉 Company of such as do's it for often is thâ— Practice an In-let to and the beginning of avitice and debauched Life yea shun all appearance of Evil for the bent of the Inclination in frâ—â— Man is ready where there is the least of yieâ—â—ing to hurry us forward to every Wickedness and whatever may be the desirableness of the humour of any Comerade or complacency in his Converse if there be in his fellowship any thing inducing to the slghting of the due attendance upon your Book but especially to the doing of what is sinful and so dishonourable to God I do strictly enjoyn your forbearing all familiarity with such I have written to you more then I intended and shall now end again intreating you may unbyasedly enquire in what may be your Duty in all your Concerns and therein debar Self which is almost undecernable in its workings to our ruine and may be truly said to be the Devils Bait for the destruction of Soul and Body and that ye so live as in your whole Conversation you evidence the due apprehension you have of the certainty of Death the uncertainty of the time thereof and that you have an Immortal Soul that will be miserable to all Eternity unless you so walk as Christ may be your Portion and in your so doing you have even whilst in the World the advantage of the Crowd therein that pursues so eagerly after what is truly and undeniably Vanity for your heartily and humbly endeavouring after what is Duty in the sight of God and your being content with what He in His Providence is pleas'd to tryst you with and your using it to the end of His giving thereof is what the World reaches not as is apparent to those that has but the use of little Reason for almost every man be he Great or Mean in the World is grasping at what when obtained proves but a Shaddow and yields nothing of what he proposed as the end of his having it Ask the Ambitious man why he covets Honour and the Covetous Riches the Voluptuous and Carnal their Pleasures suitable to their Desires and Appetites And all will be answered that they may have Contentment and their Minds satisfied in having and using according as they project to themselves what they so eagerly seek after and how Notour and uncontraverted a Truth is it that when their Projects are attained they are not nearer but surther from Contentment and Satisfaction of mind then before their seeking after them I pray God in Christ may be your Portion I am c. SON YOu may believe what I have written to you to be
larger then was intended yet I have this day before its coming to your hand received the Lord Capels Apothegms or Contemplations and am so satisfied with concise Sayings of that Kind that I recommend your reading them and the like as very conducive to the improving of and rectifying the Judgment their Brevity Independance one upon another the Quaintness and Pertinency of Expression being not only Taking to Readers but to Persons not intent upon reading and but of ordinar Comprehension and Memorie more easily comprehended and some of them with some others written by other persons which I desire ye may imprint in your Memorie I have herein set down that as you read what I have written in thir Sheets they may be the more obvious to you 1. Nothing can hurt us but Sin and that shall not hurt us if we can repent of it and nothing can do us good but the Love and Favour of God in Jesus Christ and that we shall have if we humbly and in sincerity seek it 2. So much Sin so much Sorrow so much Holiness so much Happiness 3. Make thy Sin thy greatest Sorrow so shall Sorrow never hurt thee make Jesus Christ thy greatest Joy so shalt thou never want Joy 4. It may be learned by experience that seriousness is the greatest Wisdom Temperance the best hysick a good Conscience the best Estate and the time will certainly come that Men and Women will repent of all their life but that part they spend in Communion with God and doing good 5. There is an odious Spirit in many who are better pleased to detect a Fault than commend a Vertue 6. Such a man is to be honoured and imitated that will rather suffer Injurie than do it 7. Wise and happy is that Man that will not be drawn to commit either an undecent or dishonest Act for Love Hatered or Gain 8. A wise Man will not speak the Truth at all times nor an honest Man speak an Untruth at any time 9. A wise Parent more patiently suffers the death of his Children than their wicked and debauched Actions 10. Moderation in Dyet Sleep and Exercise are especial means to prolong and make healthfull our days 11. It is worth the Observation to hear the labouring man sing at his Plough and the Rich man fret in his Palace this shows it is the Mind not Riches that makes us happie I thought to have sent you some more of these but the Paper of this sheet being ended I shall delay it whilst after this I write to you SON I Have Reason as minding I am in the presence of my good God to acknowledge the great Corruption and Pravitie of my nature and unfitness for performing of any Duty required of me yet have I ground to bless his Name that there is in my heart any earnestness of desire that he may be glorified in the Salvation of Sinners I do seek of him in Christ Jesus that he may bless you so as your Lot in the World may be comfortable not in having great Riches which does but too often nourish Corruption and destroy Souls but in your having such competent means of Subsistance and that without perplexed involving your self in worldy concerns as may enable you to live with a comfortable Tranquilitie of mind in the Station that he shall call you to live in but above all the earnest desire of my Soul in your behalf is that Christ may be your Portion and that in Him and through his Strength you may so live in this World as that when death comes you may immediately beholding his Glory live with him to all eternity I have in the Sheets I wrot for your use given you such Directions as did occur to me and minded you of your Engagments to serve God which I intreat may be your great work indeed the generallitie even of such as owne themselves to be Christians does directly in all their Walk speak forth their misbelief of the manifest Truths contained in God's Word but go not you in the broad way with the Multitude for it undoubtedly tends to Destruction Our God in the Scriptures has plainly held forth the Duty of Man and if we could come cordially to resolve to close with him in the Terms offered therein we would see the Conditions of our Salvation in and by Christ to be neither unintelligible nor unpracticable In order to your so doing I desire your Diligence in improving the Means ye are trysted with I intreat you rejoyce in your enjoyment of Sabbaths and so live on these days as may evidence your heart being filled with the fear of and love to our great God who set a-part the seventh Day for his Service when you approach him in the publick Ordinances have your heart intent upon the Duties ye go about especially Prayer and Praise indeed wandering of heart whilst we pretend to hear the Word preached is grosly sinful in the sight of God but in prayer or Praise our hearts going out after any other Object is a direct contemning of Him and a dreadful Mean for drawing down his everlasting Wrath and Curse I advise you to follow my Directions anent your meditating upon what you have heard so soon as ye can have occasion after Sermon and write the same in so far as your Memorie will serve you and that what ye write of that kind may be useful for your own reading at other times and that I may be satisfied of your diligence herein when I see you I desire you buy for your self a Quair or half Quair Book bound in a long Octavo and write thereupon not in time of Sermon but after the ending thereof the day of the Month the Preacher's Name the Text and whatever you are able to remember of the Sermon write it so as it may be distinctly read be diligent and attentive in hearing mind the Doctrines raised and and forget not the Uses and Application thereof endeavour with all your might to see your Sins whereby your Condition is for ever lost and undone without Christ and with humility of heart depend upon God that he may direct and strengthen you to every Duty I have been sometimes much inclined to wonder at the Actions of almost all Men in their whole Converse and dealing that does constantly sin in Thought Word and Actions and very often without any reasonable Prospect of the least even shadow of temporal Advantage But this is the Effect of our dreadful Fall in our first Parents which Fall did so much destroy the Original Purity of Mankind and fill him with an unresistable Inclination to every Evil that the wonder is that all of us are not always committing the worst of Evils which that we do not is of Gods great Mercy I obtest that the consideration of your miserable State through Sin and of God's wonderful Condescension in offering Mercy in and through Christ may stir you up to a Christian-walk which I humbly for Christs sake beg of