accompanies the Word and makes it effectual And the Word quickned by the Spirit 2 Cor. 10. 5. works wonderful things For it 's mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds * Eis comparat ratiocinationibus Philo sophorumquae Evangelio opponebantur Grot. casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knâ—wledg of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ The Word of God is one piece of our Spiritual armour And Eph. 6. 17. take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God A sword is both an offensive and a defensive weapon And the Word is a two-edged sword Heb. 4. 12. For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword * Leviticus culter pervenit ad minimâ— quales sunt nerve in junctur is ad intima quales sunt medullae sic sermo Dei intima minima animi penetrat inque ea agit Grot. Isa 51. 21. De calamitatibus loquutus est nempe dubitent ut fideles non quin parata sit eis a Domino consolatio tametsi extrema quaeque patiantur Calv. in loc piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart The Word of God powerfully preacht may through the blessing of God meet with your particular condition and speak comfort to you For there is a particular and suitable word which frequently God directs his Ministers to preach and so to reach the hearts and conditions of the hearers One only Scripture I shall mention of the Prophet Isaiah Therefore hear now this thou afflicted and drunken but not with wine The meaning is that notwithstanding fore pressures and afflictions which they endured yet they should not doubt nor despair of Gods comforts there is a This i. e. a word of God to comfort the afflicted Keep close to the Word and be frequent in meditating of what you hear and in applving of it particularly to your own soul Sect. 19. 2. Receive the Lords Supper 2. To the diligent hearing of the Word of God you must join the receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper this is a great strengthning supporting and comforting Ordinâ—nce and you ought not to deny your self so great a priviledg which belongs to you As it 's a fault and a great one in many presumptuously and unpreparedly to come to the Lords Supper so it may be a fault in you who have knowledg to discern the Lords Body and your life is holy to debar your self of that choice Ordinance As you may not come unpreparedly without serious self examination so you may not stay away after due preparation For after a thorough exâ—mination follows 1 Cor. 11. 28. participation But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Neither should such who have right to this sealing Ordinance content themselves with seldom receiving but they should embrace frâ—quent opportunities for Communicating at the Lords-Table they will find many things wanting in their faith and love and repentance and therefore they should come frequently to strengthen their faith and love and to renew their repentance and to renew their covenants with God and to walk more humbly and holily in all manner of conversation The Text saith For as Vers 26. often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come The Adverb there used is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that implys 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mr. Pemble on the Sacrament often that shews that we ought to do it often At other times we ought to have an habitual preparation but for receiving of the Lords-Supper we ought to have an actual preparation we ought to act faith love repentance and other graces Now because you find sin to be burdensome and loathsome and you account your self unworthy therefore you should not deny your self the Lords-Supper you ought the rather to come and to make haste unto Christ beseeching him to prepare you for the receiving of the Ordinance and to make it effectual unto you I shall give a distinction which I hope may give you satisfaction There is a Legal and an Evangelical Righteousness As for Legal righteousness to be exact and to perform the whole Law to a tittle none could do it but Christ alone and in a legal sense none of us can come worthily to the Lords-Supper for we all come short of our duty and when we have done all we can we must confess that we are unprofitable Luk. 17. 10. Isa 64. 6. servants and that we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags But there is an Evangelical righteousness and through Christs righteousness imputed to us we are accounted righteous and accepted of God and notwithstanding infirmities which we are sensible of and mourn for them if our hearts be sincere towards God we may expect a blessing of God upon the Ordinance For though we are not as of our selves any ways worthy of receiving so great an Ordinance yet the God of the Ordinance will be pleased to accept of the uprightness of our hearts Let us then make our addresses to God as Hezekiah did for the people concerning their failings about receiving of the Passover The good Lord pardon 2 Chron. 30. 18 19 20. every one that prepareth his heart to seek the God of his Fathers though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary And the Lord hearkned to Hezekiah and healed the people 3. Labour to the utmost to be 3. Labour to be strict in the observation of the Sabbath Exod. 20. 8 9 10 11. conscientious and strict in the observation of the Sabbath day The fourth Commandment preâ—ixeth a peculiar Memento for the observation of the Sabbath day Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work but the sevenâ—h day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God In it thou shalt not do any work thou nor thy son nor thy daughter thy man-servant nor thy maid-servant nor thy stranger that is within thy gates The Sabbath was to be observed the seventh day of the week from the Creation to the Resurrection of Christ since we are to observe the first day of the week in memory of Christs Resurrection and this is the Christian Sabbath commonly called the Lords-day On this day Christ rose from the dead on this day collection was to be made 1 Cor. 16. 1. Act. 20. 7. Rev. 1. 10. for the Saints on this day the Disciples came together to break bread and St. John was in an especial manner ravisht in the Spirit * Diem Dominicam vocat primam â—ebdomadis feriam qua Dominus a mortuis
discover and remove some impediments and obstructions which as a Remora to a Ship stops the sailing or as a stumbling-block laid in the way of such who run a race hinders their passage After the removal of those hinderances some Duties are commended to point of practice and for a conclusion some Grounds of Comfort are as seasonably mentioned and as necessarily to be applied to humble penitent and broken-hearted sinners It 's abundantly known to such who are no strangers to the new birth and to all such who have been train'd up in the School of affliction and have experienced the Conflicts and Antipathies between the flesh and the spirit and as Job had have the Arrows of the Almighty Job 6. 4. sticking in them that many black clouds storms and tempests even Euroclydons desertions suspensions and withdrawings of Gods gracious countenance have for a time been the lot and portion of the dear children of God whom God hath took into Covenant with himself Job David Heman St. Paul and many other precious Servants of God have met with various dispensations and variety of tryals and perplexities of spirit Their condition may be resembled to high-water and low-water ebbing and flowing and yet the water runs still and is not dryed up Christians sometimes may be in a prosperous condition other-times in an adverse condition and yet in both may have fixed and setled hearts So David had as may appear upon reading of Psal 57. 8. and Psal 108. 1. Then he was in great adversity for that 57th Psalm was pen'd when he fled from Saul in the cave The Title of that Psalm was Al-taschith Michtam of David or destroy not and then he confest that his soul was among Lyons even Psal 57. 4. among them that are set on fire even the Sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword Afterwards he was in great prosperity when he pen'd Psal 108. and yet in both Psalms David professeth O God my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise even with my glory His tongue he accounted his glory and so he imployed it in celebrating the praises of the Lord such a condition may befall the Children of God as they cannot tell how to understand it nor what to make of it at the first as we read Zach. 14. 6 7. And it shall come to pass in that day that the light shall not be clear nor dark but it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord not day nor night but it shall come to pass that at evening-time it shall be light We know that there is a considerable distance of time betwhen sowing and reaping and though the seed may be under clods and not visible to our eyes for the present yet afterwards it may fructify abundantly and yield many handfuls for the reaper Light is sown saith the Psalmist for the Ps 97. 11. righteous and gladness for the upright in heart Let us seriously consider that such as are inwardly afflicted and have wounded spirits however they may argue against themselves are not alone and without company though it so falls out that they complain amidst their heavy pressures that never was any ones case like theirs The Apostle rectifies all such mistakes For saith 1 Cor 10. 13. he there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it Many Eminent Servants of God have been encountred by Satan and through mercy have return'd with Trophies of victory It 's one of Satans master-pieces of policy to take advantages of sick beds and corporal infirmities and so to act his inveterate malice with the greatest violence Many instances might be produced as of Luther who was assaulted with such violent temptations that neither speech sense blood or heat appeared in him Mr. Bolton as it 's reported in his life much resembles Luther who when the sense of sin and the guilt thereof were set home upon his heart he roared for grief of heart and rose out of his bed by reason of the anguish of his spirit I may add the Examples of Mrs. Katharine Brettergh and Mrs. Margaret Corbet who were much assaulted by the Temptations of Satan upon their sick-beds and yet after those storms and tempests they enjoyed a marvellous calm and serenity of spirit before their dissolution But hastning to a Conclusion I shall insist only on three more Examples of men eminent for Parts and Graces One is of Mr. Peacock a Batchelor of Mr. Peacock Divinity and then Fellow of Brazen-nose Colledg in Oxford He was a great Scholar and a laborious Tutor in that Society and Divinity-Reader of Magdalen Hall His life and conversation was unblameable and notwithstanding in the sickness whereon he died he complained against himself That he had no Grace at all Dr. Ayry Mr. Dod and many others visited him in his sickness and imparted spiritual counsels and comforts to him and he told Mr. Dod That he had no love for Gods children and a little after he said so he manifested his love to Mr. Dod by the great care he took for him for he gave charge that something should be provided for the refreshment of Mr. Dod and that his Clothes should be dried because they were wet with the rain After a dark night light appeared and God graciously setled the heart of this good man in a holy tranquillity and peace as it 's published in Print For said he a little before his See Mr. Peacock's Visitation death you all expect that I should declare what I think of my own Salvation God is so indulgent to those whom he hath ever loved that he never forsakes them and therefore I am assured that I shall go to Heaven Most happy are those fetters into which I was cast by a most merciful God I shall add another instance of Mr. Mr. Pemble of Magdalen Hall Oxon. Pemble a man of great learning and of a holy life and conversation He was Divinity-Reader and a Tutor in Magdalen Hall and the Ornament of that flourishing Society where he lived many years He went to visit his learned and religious Tutor Mr. Capel at his house in Estington in Glocestershire where he ended his days In his last sickness Satan assaulted him with vehement disputations and as a Reverend Divine whose memory I honour informed me that the Devil urged Dr. Robert Harris late Pastor of Hanwell in Oxfordshire many perplexing arguments and managed his disputations like an old crafty sophister and shot his fiery darts against the said Mr. Pemble Satan knew his fittest season to catch advantages and that now or never he must act his part for the time of sickness and extremity was the fittest season for Satan to play his last game But
Mr. Pemble entered the lists and fought against that inveterate and subtel adversary and in the strength of Christ overcame him And the said Mr. Pemble as a valiant chamption won the field and died in peace with God and his Conscience His rare works declare him to be an eminent Saint on earth and give us great hopes to believe that he is now a glorified Saint in Heaven A third instance and so to conclude I shall produce is of Mr. Dyer for a Mr. Dyer long time a Schoolmaster in Aldermanbury in London He when he was in the Vniversity was for some years addicted to vain Company with whom he mispent many precious hours in drinking and in gaming not only on other days but on the Lords day But his Conscience was awakened and flew in his face and he felt the flashings of Hell-fire in his conscience He went for advice to a Physician who gave him wicked counsel to go to his companions and bid them make him merry He did so and found that remedy far worse than his disease For though on the day-time he drank largely and gamed with his companions yet at night he could not sleep for horrour of spirit renewed on him Vpon advice he went to old Mr. Dod that eminent Saint of God and he gave him spiritual counsels which he followed and through the Grace of God became a very gracious Christian and after he was converted he laboured to convert others and obtain'd good success in his labours This story he himself long since told me and I had intimate acquaintance with an old Disciple of whose conversion the said Mr. Dyer was eminently instrumental who confirm'd the truth of this story I am now at length come to a close and I will not detain the Reader from perusing the following Treatise If any one shall be a gainer for the settlement and establishment of his spirit by what I have written I shall rejoice and ascribe the praise of all to God who is able to do great things by weak and despised instruments My design is to do what good I can whilst I have day before me for there 's a night coming Joh. 9. 4. when no man can work I am sensible that my glass is near run out and gray and hoary hairs are upon me My hearts desire is to improve that one talent which God hath given me for his glory and the good of my own and others souls One request I earnestly beg of thee Reader is that thou wouldst remember me in thy Prayers that I may grow in Grace and in the knowledg of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ I commend these lines Reader to thy serious perusal and acceptance and I commend thee to Gods gracious Providence and remain From my Study in Great Cornherth in Suffolk near Sudbury June 17. 1679 Thy Souls Servant Henry Wilkinson A Letter of Advice and Consolation to a Friend troubled in Conscience Christian Friend Sect. 1. SINCE you have been pleased to communicate your present condition to me I have seriously laid it to heart and I have studied what answer to return unto you as I desire and hope for your satisfaction And after seeking of God in your behalf and after mature deliberation I offer to you my retired and studied Counsel and Comforts which my hearts desire is may be so seasonably administred unto you as through the blessing of God you may apply them as Solomon saith A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver Prov. 25. 11. Which if God vouchsafe to set home upon your heart and give to you an answer of peace and comfort you may through riches of mercy obtain the same blessed success after your prayers as Hannah did after she had poured out her soul unto the Lord. We read that after Eli had retracted his former censure and prayed for her The God of Israel grant thee thy 1 Sam. 1. 17 18. petition that thou hast asked of him so the woman went her way and did eat and her countenance was no more sad May the like happy issue befall you as to the Settlement of your spirit the same Omnipotent God is as able to comfort and quiet your spirit as he did the spirit of Hannah after her earnest prayers and supplications What I am to write for your better Method propounded retaining of it in your memory I shall digest into a plain and easie method which is 1. To premise something for the information of your judgment 2. I shall premonish you of some obstructions and impediments which you ought to avoid 3. To direct you to the practice of particular Duties 4. To give an Answer to a question or two And then 5. To conclude with a word of Consolation and I hope so to conclude by the Grace of God as your spirit may be quieted and comforted in God so that after storms and tempests the Lord in mercy may send a calm and serenity upon your spirit Sect. 2. 1. In pursuance of the Method propounded 1. I shall premise a few Particulars for the Information of your judgment and that in four Particulars only 1. You are to understand that to 1. Head for Information of the judgment 1. It 's a good sign to be sensible of sin be thoroughly awakened from security and stupidity and to be sensible of and mourn for sin is a very good sign and a characteristical note of a hopeful condition On the contrary to be lull'd asleep in the cradle of security and to be stupified and senseless is a sign of a dangerous estate For such as sleep in the cradle of security have the Devil to be their Rocker who afterwards if mercy interpose not will be their destroyer But to complain of sin and to be affected with godly sorrow for it and to cry out for a deliverer this was Saint Paul's condition O wretched man that Rom. 7. 24. I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death By the body of death comprehensively he meant Original sin as the fountain and actual sins as the streams flowing from it The Apostle was questionless a truly converted and regenerate person and his sensibility of the body of sin and vehement crying out for a deliverer discovers him to be a regenerate person And those antipathies and conflicts between the flesh and spirit mentioned in the precedent verses are frequently incident unto Vers 20 21 22 23. the dearest children of God For as in nature a crying child declares that there is life so in grace where is a spiritual life and mourning for sin there holds the same rule of proportion And to have heart compunction and to be affected with and afflicted for sin is an evident sign of a regenerate estate Sect. 3. 2. Heart-wounding usually goes before heart healing Vna eademque manus vulnus opemque tulit Act. 2. 37. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dolorem sensere Grot. The word
meditation and particular application and I hope and my hearts desire is that through the Grace of God some word or other may leave such deep impressions upon your heart both for instruction and consolation as that you may be better for them all your days Sect. 15. Duty 2. Be much in heartstudying 2. Be much conversant in the studying of your own heart It 's very needful to be well acquainted at home For this self-acquaintance and knowledg of a mans own heart is a very necessary knowledge and a profitable acquaintance This is a great business and an useful imployment for every one to busie himself in searching of his own heart and he that is thus imployed and makes it his business to know and understand himself will know more evil by himself than all the world can tell him of I have read of Heraclitus a weeping Philosopher who being askt what he studied he answered To know himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And it was the saying of one of the wise men of Greece Know thy self And this knowledg we shall never attain unto unless we study our own hearts This was the resolution of the Church though at that time under hatches Let us search and try Jer. 3. 40. our ways and turn again to the Lord. First there must be searching and trying and then follows a turning to God And in this turning there are two terms one is from what we Terminus à quo terminus ad quem turn and this is from sin and the other is to whom we should turn and this is to God The heart is exceeding filthy and defiled and therefore frequent washings and cleansings are required So runs the word of command O Jerusalem wash thy heart Jer. 4. 14 from wickedness that thou maist be saved How long shall thy vain thoughts lodg within thee In the Levitical Law when a beast was slain for sacrifice there was a special command for the washing of the inwards and the legs Lev. 1. 9. These washings were typical and put us in remembrance of washing of our hearts and lives For both inward and outward pollution ought to be avoided and we ought to cleanse our selves from both For 2 Cor. 7. 1. saith the Apostle having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God And both outward and inward purity ought to be endeavoured after It 's the Apostles command Let us draw near Heb. 10. 22. with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed wiâ—h pure water Now let the heart be washt first then the conversation will be purified The heart may be compared to a fountain if that be pure the conversation as so many streams flowing from that fountain will be pure The more we search our hearts the more pollution we shall find in them We shall find them to be a cage of unclean birds and a cinque of all manner of impurity Wherefore above all keepings we ought to keep our hearts for so saith the Wiseman Keep thy heart with all diligence for Prov. 4. 23. out of it are the issues of life Let it be therefore your greatest care and endeavour to approve your heart unto God in sincerity and in truth Sincerity is that which constitutes a Christian and distinguisheth a child of God from an hypocrite Look then especially to the inclination vergency frame and propension of your heart whether it tend directly towards God or obliquely toward the world The difference upon Scripture-record is very great between Asa and Amaziah although neither one nor other were without their failings Asa fail'd in several things yet the root of the matter was in him for his heart was upright toward God so it 's evidenced in the Scripture Nevertheless the heart of 2 Chron. 15. 17. Asa was perfect all his days As for Amaziah though he went a great way yet he came far short of the main thing requir'd for this brand of infamy is left upon record And he did that which was right in 2. Chron. 25. 2. the sight of â—â—â— Lord but not with a perfect heart It 's the common lot of Gods dearest children to have Infirmities yet notwithstanding they can take comfort in the integrity of their hearts So the Spouse confest I sleep but my heart waketh Cant. 5. 2. The sleeping of the Spouse imply'd that she had her Infirmities but her heart waking declar'd her sincerity Sect. 16. Duty 3. Be frequent and fervent in secret prayer Prov. 18. 1. 3. Be frequent and fervent in secret prayer Though separation from the Assemblies of Saints is unwarrantable yet there is a warrantable separation of which the Wiseman makes mention Through desire a man having separated himself seeketh and intermedleth with all wisdom There is a time for retiredness into our Closets of this our Saviour speaks But thou when thou prayest Mat. 6. 6. enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly For this retirement God Isa 26. 20. calls upon his people Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be over-past Wherefore in your short recesses and retirements which you must take frequently pour out your heart unto God and when you are remotest from company and from the hearing of men then be more earnest in wrestling with God in prayer and supplication Sometimes you may find a listlesness and indisposedness upon your spirit and by reason of such dulness and deadness you may be afraid of venturing upon any holy duty yet you must take heed of neglecting any duty For dulness deadness and indisposedness of spirit are no warrants to neglect any duty but you ought the rather to be more sollicitous unto the throne of Grace for quickning-vertue that God would raise and dispose your heart for his service Although at some time you may be so straitned in your spirit as you may not be able to utter a word yet you may sigh and mourn and groan and breathe after God and these sighings breathings groanings and mournings are all known to God and as for the compunctions of the heart God takes notice of them all We read that the Lord said unto Moses Why cryest thou unto me The Exod. 14. 15. time that Moses thus cryed was when Pharoah and his host pursued the Children of Israel A potent furious Enemy was behind them and the Red-sea before them and whether they went forward or backward their danger was exceeding great either to be drown'd in the Water or slain with the Sword of the Enemy It 's worth our observation that there is no particular word
working prayer a heart-prayer inditâ—d by the Spirit of God Go 〈◊〉 to God in the name of Christ and be an importunate beggar at your Fathers dore Resolve not to be driven from your Fâ—thers dore nor to take any repulse Though God seems not to hear you must cry the louder though he forbears to open you must knock the harder It was an hâ—roiâ—al resolution of Queen Hester in a good cause I also and my maidens will fast likewise and so will go in unto the King which is not according to the law and if I perish I perish Resolve through the strength of God to go on in your duty and if you perish you will perish in the arms of Christ And in his arms there 's security Resolve I will go on in Prayer though I meet with many repulses Jacob was a gainer by his wrestlings for notwithstanding his lameness and halting he obtain'd a blessing which made amends It was an excellent resolution of Job Though Job 13. 15 he slay me yet will I trust in him Consider your interest in adoption and this consideration will set the spirit of prayer a working And because Gal. 4. 6. ye are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father Go to God as a Child to a Father and cry earnestly for grace and mercy God is a tender and compassionate Father and he will open his bowels and regard the cryes of his Children 5. Always remember that what 5. Prayer must be according to Gods Will. you pray for must be according to Gods will Consider therefore in your most serious and deliberate thoughts whether you pray for lawful things such as God commands you to pray for and promiseth to grant them For there 's no promise of hearing and accepting of any Prayer unless it be according to the Will of God And this saith the 1 Joh. 5. 14. Apostle is the confidence that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us Many things we ask for which would be a judgment if they were granted As for instance we ask for satisfyings of our carnal lusts and sensual appetites or when we ask for satisfaction of our pride malice revenge and inordinate passions and for superfluities and things unnecessary and inconvenient it 's just with God that we should miss and be frustrated of such things which we desire and expect when we ask amiss For saith the Apostle ye Jam. 4 3. ask and receive not because ye ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts Our duty is to study the revealed Will of God in the Holy Scriptures and accordingly we must frame our petitions submitting our wills in all things unto the Will of God The matter of our Prayer must be lawful things the manner of our praying must be with faith and fervency and the end must be for the Glory of God and the eternal good of our precious and immortal Souls and the time of answering of our prayers we must wholly refer unto the Will of God for he knows what is better for us than we know for our selves and he will do abundantly for us more than we can ask and think 6. And Lastly You must pray 6. Prayer must be with perseverance with perseverance As it 's your duty to pray so you must hold out and persevere in Prayer Concerning the Hypocrite Job saith Will he delight Job 27. 10 himself in the Almighty will he always call upon God Wherefore be sure that you omit not secret Prayer though you find your heart disordered dull and indisposed yet you must pray that God would set your heart in order and quicken and dispose your heart for his service Notwithstanding that you are perplexed with tumultuous perturbations and fluctuating thoughts and variety of fancies which are a grief and vexation unto your spirit it 's a good sign and character that your heart is right with God when through the Grace of God you continue praying and although at present your desires are not answered yet you have good ground for hope that God intends good to you because he keeps your heart in a praying-frame You must not only pray but continue instant in prayer for so saith the Apostle Continuing instant in prayer The Rom. 12. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thess 5. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 original word implies strength and valour Neither must we pray by fits and starts but we must pray without ceasing i. e. We must readily embrace all opportunities of praying and be in a praying-disposition Sect. 18. 4. Duty Keep close to all Gods Ordinances A fourth particular duty is To. keep close unto all the Ordinances of God As I have insisted in the last particular on the Duty of Prayer which is a choice Ordinance and is both the priviledg and duty of Gods Children so I shall mention other Ordinances which you ought conscientiously to observe Three only I shall instance in not excluding any other Ordinance And they are Hearing of the Word receiving of the Lords supper and the strict observation of the Sabbath 1. You must be swift to hear the 1. Be swift to hear the Word of God Word of God preached You must not content your self with reading of Gods Word in your Closet but you must stir abroad to hear the word faithfully preached this is the arm of the Lord revealed and it Isa 53. 1. Rom. 1. 16 is the power of God unto salvation Attend therefore at the Posts of Wisdoms gate Lie in this way where Christ comes by wait as the impotent creeple did at the Pool of Bethesda multitudes of impotent folk Joh. 5. 4. lay there waiting for the moving of the water for an Angel went down at a certain season into the Pool and troubled the water whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had Neglect not therefore the diligent hearing of faithful Ministers whose endeavours are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. to divide the word aright and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. to walk rightly From such as are sound in Doctrine and holy in life and conversation absent not your self the word preached and delivered viva voce with warm affections and in the demonstration of the spirit and power mirabiles effectus habet for it 's instrumental to humble the proud heart to soften the hard heart and to level mountains as low as the valleys now every instrumental-cause must be reduced unto its efficient cause It was not Elijah's Mantle that parted the waters of Jordan but the Lord God of Elijah Elisha took up the 2 King 2. 13 14. mantle of Elijah that fâ—ll from him and went back and stood by the bank of Jordan and smote the waters and said where is the Lord God of Elijah So it 's the powerful operation of the Spirit of God which
resurrexerit c. Pareus in loc I was in the spirit on the Lords day This day is the souls market-market-day the souls harvest-harvest-day the souls rejoiâ—ing-rejoiâ—ing-day Prepare for this day before it comes meditate of the duties of the day and sanctifie your souls for the sanctification of the Lords own day The word Remember necessarily implys prepartion and a previous consideration of performing the works of the day in its own day This day ought seriously to be remembred before it comes and the heart ought to be prepar'd and sequestred from all worldly intanglements On this day we should rise earlier in a morning than other days Mary rose early that day and had a joyful sight of the Lord Jesus Shake off sloth and drowsiness and beware of idleness for spiritual idleness on this day is as bad as bodily labour give unto God his own day a whole day and imploy your soul in the works of the day and the works are works of piety mercy and necessity and beg of God a Sabbath-frame and temper of spirit As for such works as concern our secular calling though they are lawful and necessary on other days of the week yet on this day they are neither necessary nor lawful much less are corporal-recreations as games or sports c. to be allowed on this day On this day double diligence ought to be used for the performing of double duties to hearing of the Word in publick add reading in private and to reading add secret prayer and to prayer add meditation and to meditation add conference as next is to be mentioned Sect. 20. Duty 5. Communicate your Doubts to experienced Christians Mal. 2. 7. Isa 50. 4. A fifth Duty is to communicate your Doubts and perplexities to such experienced Ministers or people who are able and willing to administer spiritual comfort unto you The Prophet tells us For the Priests lips should keep knowledg and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts Impart your case to faithful Ministers to whom God hath given the tongue of the Learned and to other experienced Christians who through the Grace of God may speak both by way of counsel and comfort something for the settlement and establishment of your spirit Frequent the society of such who fear God and be a companion to such here on earth whose company you hope to enjoy to all eternity It was the saying of an eminent servant of Jesus Christ upon his Death-bed Mr. Robert Bolton I shall change my place but not my company Be therefore ready and willing to lay hold upon those opportunities which are offered for spiritual conference and be glad of the prayers and counsels of such as are Mnasons and old Disciples and experienced Christians and Practitioners of Religion Spiritual conference is no new practice for it is of great antiquity and I heartily wish that it were more revived and put in practice than it is now-a-days The Prophet Malachy makes mention of such Religious meetings Then they that feared the Lord spake Mal. 3. 16. often to one another and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name Upon perusal of those words it 's evident that the people of God met together and confer'd about each others spiritual estate And there ought to be a great deal of care and conscience in the managing of such meetings for God takes notice of all that 's done or spoken and puts them upon record O! how much and abundant soul-satisfaction may be gain'd by the society of such as are godly to such you ought to unbosom and unburthen your soul they may be instrumental for the good of your soul And as I advise unto conference and correspondence with godly Christians so I advise you to the making choice of godly Writers and to peruse them with diligence and seriousness of spirit Let the holy Scriptures always have the preheminence both in your judgment and affections Next to them I commend unto your frequent reading sound and orthodox Writers such as are Calvins Institutions Greenham Perkins Dod Dyke on the Deceitfulness of the heart Scudder Burroughs gracious spirit and in an especial manner because it 's very suitable to your condition I commend to your reading Dr. Sibs of the souls conflict The precious Author is dead but his memory is blessed and both the Author and his Works are like precious ointment poured forth The sixth and last particular Duty Duty 6. Wait upon God which I advise you unto is to wait silently patiently and submissively upon God Labour therefore to bring your will to Gods will God is infinite in Wisdom and knows what 's better for you than you know for your self and better than you can either ask or think And believe that Gods time is always the best time and therefore wait on God till he be pleased to speak a word of peace to you Let faith and patience hold out and joyn them both together and imitate those who Heb. 6. 12. through faith and patience have inherited the promises The Church of God though under hatches and in a very low condition yet did exercise faith and patience And I Isa 8. 17. will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Jacob and I will look for him The Church of God was much afflicted and vexed with briers and thorns and was neither quiet at home nor abroad yet notwithstanding we read of an Heroical resolution of the Church Therefore I will look unto the Lord Mic. 7. 7. I will wait for the God of my salvation my God will hear me In this verse Faith Patience and Assurance are all joyn'd together for looking implys that there was an eye of faith and waiting implys the exercise of patience and that God would hear was a strong ground of assurance that the faith and patience there mention'd were successful In Habbakkuks time the Vision was very dark For said Hab. 2. 3. the Prophet the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Waiting-Christians are exceeding much gainers by all their waiting so saith the Prophet The Lord is good to them that wait Lam. 3. 25 26. for him to the soul that seeketh him It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Wherefore if God speak not comfort so soon as you desire and expect yet know that it is your duty to hold out and continue waiting and not in the least to presume to limit the holy one of Israel to any time or means Let God as an ancient Eligat opportunitatem qui libere dat misericordiam Aug. Father saith chuse the opportunity who freely gives thee mercy