have him in some measure at a distance as our Saviour had when hee said that hee had nothing in him or otherwise he 'l get into his heart and so insinuate himself and sway him by his lusts insenfibly untill he overthrows him quite and he repent of what he did for God Secondly As for sin ther 's no way to destroy 1 Cor. 15. 5 6. it but by a pardon the strength of sin is the law that is so long as the guilt of sin and so the curse of the law hath hold upon the soul the soul is weak and sin is strong Therfore the Apostle sayes Heb. 9. 14. that the blood of Christ doth purge us from dead works to serve the living God So long as God is look't upon as one not reconciled what heart can any man have to his service what man will suffer or will venture any thing for one whom he accounts his enemy the secret despaire of his acceptance or of ever doing good upon 't will lay him naked to the power of the sin of his own heart to keep him off and to ingage hâ—m quite the other way It is a pardon that destroys our sins Titus 2. 12. The grace of God which bringeth salvation appearing teacheth us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Vse 1 Thus have I finished the Reasons of the Point and so the clearing of it now what remaines but that by way of Application you be exhorted to the thing The cause wherein you are ingaged is just your call to this engagement is as cleare take heed the third thing be not wanting pardon of your sinnes and peace with God Thinke upon the point that hath beene opened God hath put into your hands a worke of his the greatest that hath been on foot for God in these Islands for many hundred yeares the safety peace and welfare of the Kingdome I may say the three Kingdomes nay in a great degree of all the Kingdomes of the world wherein the true Religion is profest and that not onely in respect of temporall things but even of such as have an influence into eternity the true Religion the Gospell of our Salvation God himselfe take away Religion and the Gospell and our God is gone 2 Chron. 15. 3. Israel was without the true God when he was without a teaching Priest and without the Law God hath call'd you to the purging of the Land of those Locusts and Caterpillars I meane the Romish factours now amongst us that would not have left so Joel 1. 9. much as a meat-offering for our God I may call them Locusts the Scripture puts that name upon them In the booke of Ioel there is a Prophesie Joel 2. 11 20. of a Northerne Army that should cause a Day of darkenesse and gloominesse of clouds and of thicke Joel 2. 2 3 darknesse and that the Land which was as Eden before should be as the wildernesse behind it This Army we see was a multitude of Locusts and such like things Joel 2. 25. I will restore to you the yeares that the Locust hath eaten the Canker-worme the Caterpillar and the Palmer worme my great Army which I sent among you This was verified in the Letter to the Iewes the fruits of their Land were for a season spoyl'd by such an Army but under the type of Joel 1. 6. 2. 2 3 4 5 6 8. Locusts it is a Prophesie of the mischiefe done to the whole world especially to Europe by Popish vermine as wee see Revel 9. where wee Rev. 9. 2 7 8 9 10. Occidenta les Locustae sunt monachi monia les frater culi numerosa câ—hors religiosorum Cardinales cum tota Hierarchia pontifiâ—ia Brigh Fox Pisc c. Rev. 9. 10. Joel 1. 4. have the selfe same Locusts with the same descriptions as they are set forth in Ioel compare the places and you 'l say they are the same which by Interpreters are applyed to the Saracens in the East and to the Monkes and Fryars and whole Popish Hierarchy in these Western Kingdoms it is true the time of thejr chiefest power is past as it is said Their power should continue for such a time yet multitudes we have amongst us still and the designe is that they may againe prevaile untill there be not left so much as a meat-offering for God 't is not long since we had experience how they grew upon us so as what the Palmer-worme left the Locust eat and what the Locust left the Canker-worme eat and what the Canker-worme left the Caterpiller eate And how slender was the meate-offering left for God when as so many burning and shining lights were quite put out such a famine of the word in most places of the Kingdom and such bondage layd upon mens souls This work I say the Lord hath call'd you to the cleansing of the land from these and blessed be his Name who rayseth up your hearts to undertake it The blessing of the GOD of Heaven rest on you your Families and Children unto all Posteritie Well would you prosper in this work then say not it 's enough that both your cause and call is good and thus and thus you are in strength faile not to make your peace with God this day take heed of Israels case against the Benjamites Me thinks I heare this sad example of Gods dealing with his people speaking to you as the voice of Ioel 2. 12. God in Ioel Turne ye even to me with all your hearts with fasting with weeping and with mourning and rend your hearts and not your garments and turne unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repenteth of the evill Who knowes if he will returne and repent and leave a blessing behind him even a meate-offering and a drink-offering to the Lord your God I may say the same to you if you but doe the worke indeed that now you come about who knowes what God may doe What blessing hee may give to your proceedings what ruine he may bring upon your enemies Ps 56. 8. he 'l put all your teares into his bottle and they shall doe more against the rebells then so mâ—ny thousand bullets from the Cannon Or otherwise who knows what God may doe against you if you neglect the making of your peace with him this day alas it may soon cost many thousand men their lives and for a season it may lose the cause doth it not make your hearts to bleed the very thought of this what will those Egyptians say what blasphemies will they belch forth and what shall the Lord our God doe for his great Name much cost and care and Iosh 7. 9. travell hath been spent in making up of strength and it is well there hath God will reward you for it a thousand fold should your indeavours prove abortive God lookes upon them
as an acceptable service to him as wee find it Cant. 5. 2 5 6. when Christ had knockt and cry'd unto his spouse to open and to let him in and shee neglected afterwards when shee arose and opened the dore shee could not find him Christ had withdrawn himselfe v. 6. yet those indeavours of the spouse were very pleasing unto Christ and full of comfort to her selfe I rose up saith she to open to my beloved and my hands dropped with myrrhe and my fingers with sweete smelling myrrhe upon the handles of the locke If God should thus withdraw himselfe from us and for a season dash our hopes it would be just for our delayes but your indeavours with such zeale and forwardnesse to let in Christ amongst us will be very sweet to Christ and sweet to you your hands drop myrrhe Isa 49. 4. and your fingers sweet smelling myrrhe upon the handles of the locke Though England be not saved yet shall you be glorious in the eyes of the Lord your judgement is with the Lord and your reward with your God Therefore I say this is well this should be done but leave not the maine undone the making of your peace with God Oh take some care and paines about that worke this day that left undone by you may possibly undoe us all thinke upon the Israelites condition God is resolv'd upon it hee will have the Locusts purg'd the land I meane so as they shall not hurt his people as he resolved here how Benjamine should smart for what he did now what was Israels case had they made their peace with God at first hee might have trusted them in doing of that work without delayes and out of love and zeale to God they had done that which afterwards from passion and desire of revenge in some respect they over did which peace when they neglected God was put upon it to let Israel be beaten that so the people being thus incensed might doe full execution upon Benjamine their brother Thus if you make your peace with God this day hee then may trust you in this worke so as you may prevaile at first without the spilling of much blood if not then least it should be done to halves God will be put upon some such device whereby to make you thorow in his worke and how sad and heavy that may prove who knows Moreover doe ye not consider how God deales with people many times according as their carriage is upon such dayes as these see what hee said to Israel once upon a like occasion Exodus 33. 5. put off thine ornaments sayes God that is humble your selves by fasting and prayer that I may know what to doe to thee he speakes it after the manner of man as if the Lord were at a stand in point of executing judgement till he saw their carriage in that duty and who knowes but God may be at such a stand with us and that his sentence shall goe forth against or for us as your carriage is this very day in turning from your evill wayes and making of your peace Now if it be demanded what is to be done the Israelites example is before us let that be your patterne 1. They humble themselves 2. They flee to Christ for pardon 3. They give up themselves in covenant with God The first thing therefore is humiliation and you must be active in your own abasements If my people humble themselves c. sayes God I will forgive their sinne and heale their Land Now be perswaded 2 Chron 7. 14. therefore and set all your strength on worke to lay your selves low before the Lord this day be not satisfied with out-sides with shadowes or with ceremonies of repentance Israel did not only fast but weepe and so must you Turne to mee saith God with fasting and with weeping and with mâ—urning and for this pâ—rpose call up to remembrance all your sins make them to appeare before you both in their number and their greatnesse and make swords and spears of them to wound your hearts call to mind your sins of youth of elder years of all sorts and take to your selvs such words in your confessions such thoughts and meditations as may cause your soules now in the presence of your God to melt and bleed I will not name particulars it would be too long I need not I will only name some few considerations in the generall which if the Lord shall throughly set home and cause to take impression though they are but two or three like Ionathan and his Armour-bearer midst an army of corruptions and sinnes yet many more things of the like importance towards this humbling of our selves will come in also and doe their part upon our soules Consider therefore sinne 1. In the Root 2. In the Fruit. 3. In the Cure 4. In the Object against whom it is committed 1. Consider it in the Root and so we find it is our nature we brought it with us when we came into the world Borne in sinne conceived in iniquity Ps 51. If any thing will breake our hearts the thought of this will doe it this originall corruption of our natures Ps 51. David when he set himselfe to humble his soule in that his penitentiall Psalme hee brings in many things whereby to doe it as that his sinne was against his God Against thee sayes hee have I sinned against his knowledge even that hidden wisdome which the Lord had given him but in a speciall manner doth hee mention his Originall corruption that he brings in with an Ecce Behold sayes he I was shapen in iniquity and in sinne did my mother conceive me And the Apostle Paul what bitter moane he makes for this hee suffered great afflictions in his time In stripes above measure in prisons frequent in deaths oft much more hee sayes but never doth hee so complaine 2 Cor 11. 23 24 25. as at the mention of Originall sinne Rom. 7. 24. having first discoursed how hee found a Law that when he would doe well evill was present with him and a law in his members warring against the Law of his mind and bringing him into captivity to the law of sinne See how he cryes out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver mee from the bodie of this death And there is reason for it why the thought of this should wound so deepe a three-fold mischief comes upon it that our natures are thus sinnefull and corrupt 1. It makes our persons odious and loathsome unto God that is it which makes a Toade a loathsome thing because poyson is the nature of a Toade poyson in a Dogge makes him an object of our pitty because 't is his disease so also sinne in Gods people is their disease therefore God pitties them the more because of sinne Psal 103 13. As a Father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him but where sinne is nature to a man which is the case of all
men unregenerate there is no Toad or Serpent so odious in the eye of man as such a man is in the eyes of God and this is every mans condition as he comes into the world as the Prophet saies no eye pitties us but wee are throwne out into the open field to the loathing of our Ezek. â—6 5 persons in the day that we are borne We are not objects of compassion but of detestation thinke upon it well and let it humble us is this a small thing in our eyes that we by nature are a lumpe of filthinesse and that the God of Heaven and Earth the righteous Iudge abhorrs our persons Secondly sinne being nature to us this also followes that it works exceeding powerfully in us so as we are the slaves of sinne it leades us captive what workes by nature workes with power therefore is it said that we are captivated to the Law of sinne that Rom. 7. 1. v. 23. is to the naturall working of it in us and that we find a Law that when we would doe well evill is present with us that is vve find an irresistible course of nature in us that way tending The courses of nature in Scripture are call'd a Law the naturall motions of the heavenly bodies are called Ordinances of Heaven Ier. 31. 36. The nature of every creature is the Law of it's creation therefore the new nature is expressed by that phrase The Law of God vvritten upon the heart Ier. 31. 33. and it is called the Law of the Spirit of life vvhich is in Christ Rom. 8. 2. So as this is our misery by nature we can as well forbeare to eate and and drinke or any duty that we owe to nature as forbeare to sinne shall not the thought of this abase and humble us What more unworthy of a man than slavery No slavery to that of sinne it sets us to the basest drudgery in the vvorld it keepes us alwayes at it and it gives us nothing for our paines What fruit had you in those things whereof yee are Rom. 6. 21 now ashamed It puts us to an endlesse toyle about a base imployment and the wages that it gives is shame and death Thirdly since it is our nature allbeit the misery be such it brings upon us farre beyond vvhat we are able to expresse yet we by nature are secure and feel no burthen nature is no burthen Wee may stand amaz'd to see how men indued with admirable gifts of reason able for to judge of matters in the world when they have heard how sinne vvill utterly destroy them soules and bodies how it vvill be bitternesse at last and sinke them into hell yet can goe on in vvickednes vvithout remorse or trouble nay can give up themselves to such notorious vvayes of sinne as they can see apparantly vvill ruine bodies and estates without an a king conscience I say vve may be well amaz'd at this but here is the reason sinne is our nature and vvhat ever nature gives us is no burthen to us of all mischiefes is not this one of the greatest to be most miserable and not to feele it this keepes a man in that his misery all the meanes of grace are fruitlesse by it to his soule and that which made our Saviour bleed upon the Crosse and brought him to his agony and sweat of blood cannot obtaine a teare from us but is despis'd and sleighted in our hearts and thus it 's vvith us all so farre as vvee are unregenerate and sinne prevailes O let the thought of this at least in this our day of Fast doe something towards the humbling of our selves before the Lord 2. Consider sinne in it's effects and Fruits it threw the Angels out of Heaven Angels of light they were Iob â—8 7. Iude v. 7. sinne entring once upon them made them heapes of everlasting darkenesse and confusion as for man it cast him out of Paradise stript him of his beauty bereav'd him of the right use of his reason and fills his heart Eccl 9. 3. with madnesse whilst he lives the wisdome of God is foolishnesse unto him it destroyes the tendernesse of 1 Cor. 2 7 14 Heb. 3. 12 Ro. 1. 31 Ioh. 3. 36. his heart and by degrees extinguisheth his naturall affection and eats out all good nature in him it layes him for ever naked to the wrath and curse of God and sinkes him downe to hell that which is worst of all it makes a man despise a pardon and to trample under foot the sonne of God how oft would I have gathered you saith Christ as an hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not Who would nourish such a viper in his bosome this do we but shall it not afflict our soules whilst we consider how 't is with us and what miseries we have brought upon our selves thereby if all this will not make our hearts relent let us a little turne our thoughts upon the temporall afflictions that it brings there we have an object of affinity with sense which is a great advantage unto teares Looke upon the miseries of Ireland the blood which there is spilt by cruell blood-thirsty and deceitfull men the dolefull miseries we feare in this our Land from warre me thinks I heare the little children the infants now unborne to call for teares this day from parents trying if possibly the Lord will be intreated by us and such woe and misery may be prevented but what ever is already or hereafter comes upon us in that kind should it be which God forbid the ruine of our Cities destruction of the people corruption of Religion losse of all that 's dearest to us and the overthrow of Kingdomes all is the fruit of sinne Looke upon it therefore in the miseries and desolations it has caus'd in all the world and let it so provoke your soules to mourne before the Lord this day 3. Let sinne also be considered in the cure The pretious blood of Christ that surely will make our hearts to yeeld the blood of Abel cry'd against the wicked Cain much more the blood of Christ against our sinnes such is the vilenesse of it as no other sacrifice but Christ could pacifie the wrath of God all the creatures in the world Angells and men could not make up the price of mans redemption Psal 49. 7 8. None of them can by any meanes redeeme Rom. 5. 9 10. Gal. 3. 13 his brother nor give unto God a ransome for him for the redemption of the soule is precious but was not the holy life of Christ enough No he must dye and it must be a cursed death nor will his body's death suffice his soule must dye Isa 53. 10. His soule Mat. 26 38. was made an offering for sinne and v 12. He powred out his soule to death nor had all this been sufficient had not the blood of Christ been the blood of God Act. 20. 28. God purchased his Church by his
1 Joh. 3. 16. own blood Well have our sinnes cost Christ his blood and shall they not cost us some teares think upon him how he bled upon the crosse and how he hung while all was finished and for shame let it doe something towards the breaking of our hearts It will wound the deeper if 4. In the last place we consider who it is we have Act. 17. 28 Mich. 7. 15 Ezech. 33. 11. Ezech. 18. 31. Jer. 13. 17. Luk. 15. 10. Luk. 19. 41. offended even this Christ who thus hath shed his blood upon the crosse for sinners that God in whom we live and move that makes our lives so sweet by many mercies that pardoneth iniquity and reteineth not his anger for ever because he delights in mercy that calls upon you with such tender bowells of affection why will ye dye and will ye not be made cleane when shall it once be that when you are converted unto life rejoyceth when you stand it out by unbeleefe weeps over you To you who are his people I may say that God who hath ingag'd himselfe to love you and to be your portion husband friend and father Well shall not all this love of his make us relent and mourne for sinne whereby we have abus'd him shall he weep for us and we not for our selves his Spirit grieveth when his people sinne what hearts have we that are so little moov'd for what we doe against him Thus have we dispatcht the first thing in the making of our peace this humbling of our selves I have stood the longer upon this because it is a principall and main part of the duty of this day and that indeed on which the rest will much depend You heard in opening of the Text there is no peace to an unbroken heart therfore we find it in the first place called Lev. 23 27 2 Chro. 7. 14. for by God in dayes of Fast and the first thing put in practice here by Israel his people The second is our fleeing unto Christ for pardon let Jer. 31. 32 33. Ps 89. 33 34. Ps 16. 5. Eph. 5. 32. Joh. 15. 15. Isa 9. 6. Act. 8. 36. this also be a part of this dayes worke Are we sensible in any measure of the misery of sinne and weight of Gods eternall wrath let us then stirre up our selves to take hold of his mercy which he freely offers let every one of us thus reason with himselfe as once the Eunuch said to Philip loe here is water what hinders me to be baptized so let us say see here is a Christ a Saviour a pardon offered why should not I beleeve a fountaine for sinne and for uncleannesse Zach. 13. 1 2 King 5. 13. what hinders me from stepping in had he commanded me some great thing to be done for life eternall should I not have done it how much rather when hee saith wash and be cleane believe and be saved and why should I deferre a work of such importance that may now be done more easily than ever should I live a thousand yeares since every day without repentance addes something to the hardnesse of my heart and why doe I neglect eternity and dote upon these transitory things below when Jesus Christ hath shed his blood for pardon why doe I refuse to sue it out thus let us plead and overcome our selves and runne to Christ for mercy and forgivenesse nor doe I speake this only unto such who are yet strangers to the life of God but even to all The Num. 28. 3. burnt-offering was the daily sacrifice morning and evening it was renew'd and it is the businesse of our morning and evening prayer to renew our peace from time to time with God repentance is the constant work of every believer especially it must be done upon a day of fast Thirdly give up your selves in Covenant with God that is the peace offering or thank offering he expects this day even your selves given up to him a living Rom. 12 1 Rom. 6. 13. sacrifice your members as instruments of righteousnesse to God to be possessed by his Spirit to be govern'd by his will give up your hearts into his hands and let him worke his will upon them let him bring what light he please into your understandings let him kindle what affections he desires in your hearts let godly sorrow have a perfect worke and let him bring into your soules the strongest cosolations of his Spirit doe not put them by however heretofore you have neglected this salvation yet now betake your selves to Christ and venture life and soule and all upon his mercy say if we perish we perish Jesus Christ shall be our stay his service our employment there we will set up our rest for ever we will be his servants he shall be our God Thus in these three things we see what must be done in making of our peace oh that the Lord would now perswade your hearts to doe it You especially that never tasted of the sweetnesse of a pardon God is about to doe great things for the Kingdom yea for the whole world it is a time of bounty with him put you in for mercy for your soules And why should any heart refuse what is the cause doe we doubt his willingnesse to pardon he is more ready to embrace than we to come Have you not consider'd what complaints he made about his casting off an unrepenting apostatizing people Hos 11. 8. How shall I give thee up O Ephraim sayes God how shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zeboim that is as the Cities which the Lord destroy'd with Sodom and Gomorrha My heart is turn'd within me my repentings are kindled together he sayes as much of you that stand demurring and pretending yeelding to the secret desperate misgivings of an unbeleeving heart whilst you cry out O how shall God accept of us he cryes as fast how shall I cast off such a people such a soule doth he not intreat you to be reconcil'd what can you desire more 2 Cor. 5. 20. We are Ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God Doe ye thinke ther 's no contentment in the wayes of God and you must live a sad uncomfortable life like those in Malachy that say It is in vaine to serve the Lord and what profit is it Is Mal. 3. 14. this the matter then what think you of all those glorious things the Scripture speakes of joy unspeakeable 1 Pet 1. 8. 1 Cor 2. 9 10. and full of glory that which neither eye hath seene nor eare heard nor hath entered into mans heart to conceive what God hath prepared for them that love him and reveales unto his people by his Spirit what thinke you of Christ did he dye to delude his people with Joh. 6. 55. a phansy no they know his flesh is meate indeed and his blood
drinke indeed Aske among the Saints if ever any of his servants yet repented him of his condition or employment they 'l tell you that the comforts which they have in Christ are more worth than a world of sensuall delights 'T is true some prove Apostates They went out from us but they were 1 Joh. 2. 19. not of us sayes the Apostle Iohn if they had bin of us they had no doubt continued with us Doe but try once if it be not thus tast and see as the Psalmist sayes that the Lord is good You are like to Solomons buyer Ps â—4 8. Prov. 20 â—4 it is naught it is naught saith the buyer but when he is gone his way he boasteth so let what can be said in praise of Christ he is but low in your esteeme till you have made your covenant with Christ and then you boast and say you could not have thought that Christ had been so good and his wayes so sweet as now you find them then you 'l say that all his wayes are pleasant and his commandements sweeter then the Pro. 3. 17. Ps 19. 10. hony and the hony comb Be perswaded therfore beloved and set upon this work this day 't is true the heart will hold off no other is to be expected else we need not so to strive to enter in at the straight gate the Apostle Paul sayes of himselfe that when he would doe well evill was present with him it is the case of all the Rom. 7. 21. Saints of God you heard before the sinne of our own hearts will certainly oppose in any thing we doe for God Set therfore to the work and drive along the heart with violence say not you shall ne're doe good upon 't because you find your selves so listlesse and so backward make once your peace with God this work shall also prosper in your hands even the destruction of your sinnes and cleansing of your hearts from wickednesse God shall disarme that wicked and malignant party in your soules the strong holds of sinne shall fall before the weapons of our 2 Cor. 10. 4. Rom. 8. 26. Ps 57. 2 Rom. 8. 2. warfare they shall be mighty through him to overthrow all carnall reasonings and to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ he 'l help your infirmities he 'l teach you how to pray and what to pray for he 'l performe all things for you he 'l dwell in your hearts and the spirit of life which is in Christ shall make you free from the law of sinne and death Oh that you did Luk. â—9 42. but know even you who are the greatest strangers unto God that live without him in the world at least in this your day though you have despis'd his mercies many yeares and would not be reformed the things which belong unto your peace how ready Christ is to receive you how sweet his embraces are how helpfull to you in his service And me thinks in case you should forget your own soule your love unto your country your desire of a good successe of that great work you have in hand should even ingage you not to rest untill ye find your sinnes are pardoned and Christ is yours this gives increase of fortitude and wisdome it makes you to be imploid for God fit to encounter Satan and histroopes and to resist the sinne of your own hearts that will betray you and the cause if it be suffer'd but whenas together with so great a blessing the salvation of your soule and life eternall is compris'd what heart would not be gain'd by such an argument and who knows but some of you the Lord hath thus ingaged in his worke that so by being thus as it were constrain'd to seeke him you may be brought to his acquaintance and an happy closing with him to eternall blisse and glory otherwise suppose you have the day yet if what hath bin said will not prevaile and you neglect your peace with God alas when you shall stand before the righteous Judge of all how sadly will the soule complaine woe is me will that cry out such pains and care was taken for my country my estate my family but none at all for me such hazzards did I runne such noble acts I did such honour and renown I got but now I see I perish and must for ever lye in hell O what pitty is it such as doe such things for God should not be saved what shall it profit a man if he gaines the whole world and lose his own Mar. 8. 36. foule And let me adde yet one thing more either make your peace with God this day or else this worke which here you are about will no way prosper with you this your comming here together will not be for the better but the worse by such fasting and praying 1 Cor. 11. you shall lose much of the tendernesse of your hearts and set your selves at greater distance from repentance You heard before what God sayes by his Prophet The wayes of the Lord are right and the Hos 14. 9. righteous shall walke in them that is they shall goe on and prosper they shall not be the worse for prayer nor hearing of the word nor any duty but the trnsgressours shall fall therein The good Lord deliver us from such a doome I will stay no longer in this exhortation the Lord perswade your hearts to listen to it Vse 2 Is it so that the work of God doth prosper best in those mens hands whose peace is made with him then having made your peace take heed that in your doing of his worke it be not broken It is true that ordinarily what care you take in seeking to be reconcil'd you 'l take to keep it being gotten because thereby your strength and resolution will increase the having of a pardon teacheth us to prize it therfore I said before that such the Lord may trust in doing of his worke but yet because of humane frailty since there is flesh as well as spirit in the best there is also place for this advise beware that what ye doe for God ye doe it so as you offend him not in doing of it Three wayes especially that may be done 1. It will offend him much if you especially in matters of Religion take up things on trust from men and shall not search into the truth your selves and labour by your own light to discern the mind of God Call no man your Father upon earth saith Christ Mat. 23. 9. not but that our parents must be honoured our Saviour meanes not them it 's meant in matters of faith that no man should impose upon us by his own or any mans authority therefore it follows neither be ye called Master that is expect it not from others that they should take up things on trust from you our Saviour addes the reason v. 9. for sayes he ye have one Master even Christ that is his word