so a Father when he strikes as well as when he stroaks What is his Design in this Affliction Assuredly he intends me Good and not Evil by this means he would set my Heart more against Sin causing me to taste of its Bitterness And wean me more from the Creature shewing me its vanity and insufficiency for my Happiness and so draw up my Affections more to himself who is the only Soul-satisfying good this is to mortisy and spiritualize me to make me place my Happiness in God and fetch my Comfort from him and those eternal Joys with him in a word to turn me from Sin to God to raise me from Earth to Heaven And is not all this Good Is not that good Physick which is a means to cure such mortal Distempers and he a good Physician who doth prescribe and give it though in it self it be a bitter Potion But farther as his Design is Gracious in sending this Affliction so his Providence exercised about it is very Compassionate this stroke might have come with many more sad and aggravating Circumstances he might have given me a larger Dose but like a wise and merciful Phycian he considereth my Strength or he might have left me to my self to have sunk under this heavy Pressure But behold underneath is his supporting Arm he helps to bear the Burthen himself lays on And when is it so well with me when have I so much of God when do I enjoy such sweet incomes from the Spirit as then when all things look black and dark about me in the World It s ordinarily God's use to know me my felicity to enjoy him most in the time of my greatest Adversity O therefore let me kiss that Rod which is bound up with so much love 6thly God even my God is all sufficient a few serious Thoughts of this may tend much to my Satisfaction and Comfort He who is the only self sufficient independent Being is his Peoples Potion and enough for them all O how happy do ten thousand times ten thousand of his Saints justly deem themselves in him And is he not enough for me Why what 's the matter Sure either I do not know him or else my interest in him is doubtful or I am inconsiderate not truly weighing my Happiness in him Ah what a poor Creature should I be had nothing but a God left me Why what would I have more To have God is as much as to have God and all the World have I him O then I have all in him I am ready to cry out wo is me for I am broken with a grievous breach this day Ah my loss how great it is I have lost a loving tender hearted careful Father one that had not only the name and relation but the heart and bowels of a Father as well How solicitous he was for my Welfare What care he took for my temporal Welfare but especially how concerned he was for my Soul O! Methinks I have sometimes seen even his very Heart in his Prayers Counsels Warnings Reproofs yea and Corrections too but now I am at once deprived of all O sad loss Why true my loss is very Great it pincheth sore it is my Duty to be sensible of it and much affected with it But hold what is become of my God of my heavenly Father He is yet alive and behold he lives for evermore Let it be with me here as it was with Jacob of Old when he was convinced that his Son Joseph was alive the good old Man his Spirit revived within him and so let mine upon this Consideration and let me say with him it is enough Is it not he that hath cared for me all this while and may I not humbly and confidently rely upon him still Is he not the same he was Nay is he not in a more especial manner the helper of the Fatherless What though this instrument and the other be removed out of the way He never wants Instruments to do his Work he can either make use of new Ones or do his Work without them when his People are in Distress if he see it good he can and will create Deliverance for them and that 's a Work done without a Tool I but what will become of that poor Family What will become of poor Relations Why by Faith and Prayer let me commit them all to the same God who will look after and provide for them too I have great Incouragement thus to do whether I look at him or them the little knowledge I have of him may assure me that they cannot be in better Hands He wants neither Wisdom Power nor Will to do them good under his Fatherly care and custody they are sure to want no good Thing which is consistent with his Love to bestow and their real Benefit to enjoy and are secured here from all real and destructive Evils It seems on purpose to strengthen the Faith and revive the Souls of his poor Creatures under such Tryals that he hath taken upon him those sweet relative Titles of a Father a Husband Again If I look at them I have farther Incouragement having a comfortable Assurance of the special covenant Interest that the most of them have in this God and a good Hope concerning the rest now let God alone he loves and will take care of his Children Let me not at once both grieve and dishonour him and torment my self with my Distrust But farther the loss is Publick O my Father the Chariots of England and the Horse men thereof God's poor Church hath lost a judicious faithful and painful Minister how many poor Souls that may want him How will that poor Place where he lived want him Well though here is a wide gap made yet sure such a God can fill and stop it up which of the Prophets live for ever God that sends his Servants appoints them their Work and when they have done that they must away and others come in their room He will not have all his Work done by one Minister or in one Generation but by a Succession of such in his Church to the end of the World so this precious Servant of his having acted his Part is gone down to make way for such as the Lord shall send having dispatched the Work given him to do he is gone to his Great Lord and Master to receive an ample Reward And still God's Church while upheld that is so long as the World stands shall be provided for 7thly The inconceivable Happiness his Soul enjoyeth the Soul of Man is a spiritual immortal Substance and Jesus Christ hath purchased eternal Life for all true Believers and firmly entituled it upon them in the Gospel So that their Souls no sooner depart this Life but immediately they are with him It is my great Sin and Misery both that my belief of such great and comfortable Truths as these is no more firm and stable And what a shame it is that I should be so wavering
little purpose we must never think to be any body for Christians while we suffer these to Lord it over us The Devil knows this well enough and so he will give us leave to do almost any thing else while we will but keep far enough from these but touch these and we touch the Apple of his Eye he cannot endure it knowing that if we do it in good earnest his Interest in us is then like to go down apace as ever we desire to be thriving Christians we must endeavour to get rid of these 5. These Sins of ours slew our Lord Jesus Christ and then surely if we let these go if we let these live we are not Jesus his Friends this should be a very moving Consideration to us the pardon of any one of our Sins could not have been obtained but at the expence of that precious Blood of his and if we may suppose that some of our Sins gave him our dearest Lord a deeper Wound a Sore or Bruise then others of them they were these and do they not deserve a Wound from us Should we not endeavour to give them a deadly crush for this Yea it was one special End of his Death to destroy these And shall he die for us and as to us loose his labour when he hath done 6. We should be quicken'd to our Work here especially at such a time as this is for England's sake and for the Ark of God amongst us Matters seem to be at a very tickle trembling Point what the Lord intends to do we know not but really many things looks very threatning and God's faithful Ministers who are like to know most of his Mind are often droping such hints as would make a sensible Heart tremble Now this is the best way that we can take to prevent England's Ruine nay if God save us not by his Prerogative Royal it is the only way and it is unquestionably the duty of each of us to be fighting for our Country at home and thus we may do it and England hath not a worse Enemy then Sin nor better Friends at this pinch then such as do heartily and vigorously ply their work here and now shall England's Ruine ly at our doors Or shall deliverance come and we do nothing to set it forward on its way 7. This work though it be hard and difficult yet it is not impossible nay if we do sincerely apply our selves to it in God's way and strength the Victory is certain it is very true our Enemies are many and mighty but it s also as true that they are all such as have been baffled and conquered it must be confessed that we are poor weak things But withal it must be granted that our Captain is strong we may venture to set one Lord Jesus against them all this is a mighty encouragement to our work but no argument for sloth for he requires we should be active in it though in a manner he doth the work to our hands He hath overcome all the Enemies of our Souls and hath purchased that Grace for us whereby we also shall be enabled to overcome and how many Saints are there now triumphing in Heaven with Palms in their Hands who were once as deeply engaged in the Conflict and it may be under as discouraging Circumstances as we can be we have the same Captain that they had and what he hath done in and for them he is ready to do yea and will certainly and shortly do for and in us if we belong to him abide in him and continue with him so that difficulties should not be pleaded by us as discouragements in a Matter of this nature and necessity For 8. And lastly There is no other way for us here but we must either kill or die Sin as some of us lately heard is such a tyrant all whose Laws are written in the Blood of Souls It is Sin that brought Death into this World and that hath digged Hell in the next nothing so deadly as Sin and suppose but one Sin allowed and spared that one would as infallably undo us for ever as a thousand And farther suppose our Hearts be sincere and so prevailingly for God and therefore safe in the main yet if we neglect our Duty here those Sins of ours will not only keep us short both as to Grace and Peace here as was hinted before but which is a necessary consequent they will also cause us to fall short of those Degrees of glory which otherwise we might hereafter have attained unto the least degree of which should be of more account with us then all our worldly Interests laid together yea then all this whole World and will be so to us if we are indeed such as have laid up our Treasure in Heaven where we are truly our selves QUESTION III. How is the Duty of giving and receiving reproof to be managed THAT it is the Duty not only of Ministers to reprove Sin in others though to do it Ministerially is peculiar to them by Vertue of their Office and their Commission and Charge thereupon But yet that it is also the Duty of private Christians is plain Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him Now in answer to the Question how this Duty is to be managed I shall give my thoughts 1. By laying down some things which I take to be necessary Qualifications in the Person that would be a right successful Reprover 2. Some needful Cautions 3. Some general Rules and Directions The Qualifications are as follows 1. Wisdom and Prudence these are necessary because the right management of this Duty is a work of no small difficulty and for want of these some well meaning Persons marr the Work and instead of doing good do harm this way light and heat should go together otherwise the Motion will be irregular we need these to direct us in suiting our Reproofs 1. To the Persons we Reprove And that 1. With respect to their different Estates For though we must be Faithful to all yet we may not use the like freedom of Expression with all Job 34.18 Is it fit to say to a King thou art wicked Or to Princes ye are ungodly 1 Tim. 5.1 Rebuke not an Elder but entreat him as a Father 2. With respect to their Disposition and Temper For some are naturally more stubborn and hard to work on others more soft and tender Jude 22 23. And of some have compassion making a difference And others save with fear pulling them out of the fire I know it there are some of that temper and especially where any of them are also under that distemper which renders them more capable of impressions of this sort take such ordinarily I say and one shall wound them deeper with the softest Word nay with a silent Reproof in a look then some others with the most sharp and cutting Reproof 2. We need
c. Prov. 9.8 Reprove not a scorner least he hate thee though we must use this with Caution and not falsly call and account others so and then think our selves excused from our Duty 3. The general Rules are as follow 1. In the business of Reproof we must not only have regard to the Matter and Manner of it but we must likewise take notice what are our principle Motives and Ends and see that they be right in general it is the Glory of God the Good of others with our selves that we should aim at a desire of promoting which should set us on work influence and guide us in the whole of it should we reprove others from a proud envious unquiet or malicious Spirit merely with an intent to provoke disgrace them or the like this were to say the Commandment backward which would be sad work we must be very dilligent watchful and careful to get rid of or avoid as much as possibly we can those things in our selves which we reprove in others want of due Care here we shall find exceedingly to damp our Spirits and to be a very great obstruction to the discharge of our Duty so it will also cause us and our Reproofs to be less regarded if not dispised by others they will not have that authority in them but they will be ready in Heart at least if not in words to retort that upon us Physician Practice will be found another thing hereafter then many I fear now take it for but yet also heal thy self Or that Math. 7.3 4 5. We must not forget our selves so as to leave Prayer out or rather so as to leave God out of the business for want of engaging him by Prayer it is by Prayer that this word of Reproof must be sanctified When ever we are called to this Duty we had need lift up a Prayer to God that he would put suitable Affections into our Hearts right Words which are forcible into our mouths and that he would send the Arrow home to the Mark and direct it to the White and that he would so influence and wind about the Heart of the Party reproved that our Reproof may not fail of attaining our forementioned desired end 4. If we would be profitable and successful Reprover's our selves we must then learn in like manner to receive a Reproof from others but this brings us to the Second Part of the Case or Question namely 2. How we are to manage a Reproof when it is given us by others QUESTION IV. What must the People of God do when he is testifying against them AS the Carriage of God's People towards him so his Dispensations towards them are very various sometimes he smiles and lifts them up sometimes he frowns and casts them down a right and ready compliance with God in all his providential Dispensations towards us is our plain and indiscensible Duty and that wherein much of the Excellency of a Christian lieth Now in answer to this seasonable Question which I take as chiefly aiming at the Publick God's testifying against us in his Judgments there though withal it with the answers to it may be also applied unto a private Case take my poor Thoughts in the following Particulars 1. We must see and take notice of God's Hand when it is either lifted up in his threatnings or laid on in his Judgments the great God expects as well he may to be heedfully noticed and observed by all but more especially by his own People as in what he saith so also in what he doth as in his Mercies so in his Judgments by the contrary we greatly affront and provoke him as thereby we put a great and unworthy Slight upon him This the Lord takes very ill and by it we are like to bring more and greater Judgments upon our selves Isa 26.11 Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see if we will not see his Hand we are like to feel more of it till we cannot but see and take notice of it Psal 28.5 Because they regard not the work of the Lord nor the operation of his hands he shall destroy them and not build them up This is One Part of our Duty 2. An holy awful fear and dread of our incensed God and of his Judgments the Name of the Lord is a glorious and fearful Name Deut. 28.58 and as his Attributes so his Works also are part of his Name and therefore grounds for our fear and particularly his Works of Judgment And so we read that Moses was afraid when God's displeasure was hot against the Children of Israel Deut. 9.19 And so 2 Sam. 6.19 When Uzziah was smitten it is said that David was afraid of the Lord that day and elsewhere it s he that saith Psal 119 v. 120. My flesh trembleth for fear of thee I am afraid of thy judgments It is the duty of all Men to fear him who doth but look upon the Earth and it trembleth who can and shortly will with one angry Frown make all the stout hearted Sinners in the World fear him and tremble before him but especially he expects it from his own People who are better acquainted with him and know better then others do what the Smiles and Frowns of a God mean and that especially when he is meeting them in those ways of his in which he is terrible unto the Children of Men. 3. We must justify God in his severest Dispensations towards us The Lord is righteous in all his Ways and holy in all his Works there are great depths sometimes but never any the least irregularities or excesses in any of his Judgments righteousness is the Habitation of his Throne even when Clouds and Darkness are round about him as it is the Duty so it hath been the Practice of God's People when his hand hath lain heaviest on them yet to ascribe Righteousness to him and it becomes us to look on them and do likewise to say as Ez. 9.15 O Lord God of Israel thou art righteous Neh. 9 33. Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou hast done right Dan. 9.14 The Lord our God is righteous in all his works that he doth Or as the Prophet Jeremiah in the Name of the Church Lam. 3.22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his Compassions fail not 4. We must dilligently search and try our Hearts and Ways we are not now speaking of a matter that is forreign to us alass it is our own Case the Lord hath certainly a Controversy with us if ever he had one with any People on this side utter Ruine and his Controversy hath seemed to be very much if not mostly with his own People Now methinks we should each of us be saying Lord is it I Without doubt it is Sin that hath broached this quarrel between God and us and there is none of us without that Achan in our Tents our business is to
much ado through unbelief to perswade our wretched Hearts to trust the most holy righteous God the God of Truth any farther we must strive with might and main against this evil Heart of unbelief 3. Worldliness when we have too high an opinion of worldly things when we fancy them to be that which they are not to have that in them which in truth they have not and so when our affections go out inordinately towards them it is because our affections towards worldly things are so strong this is one great reason why the Want or Loss of them is so strong and heavy an Affliction to us and why we are so weak and unable to bear it was the World instead of being in our hearts placed under our foot as it should be our work would not be so difficult we must labour hard that it may be so 4. Mistakes about the nature and end of such Providences we are very apt to misconstrue such Providences ready to think the Lord is about to undo us when he is but taking another yea and that to the wisest and best way to enrich us ready to think he is about to kill us when he is only letting us blood to save our life the afflictions and consolations of the Saints as one saith differ only in their Countenances and as we heard not long since there is a vast difference between such Providences as they are dispensed to the wicked and to the godly as to the former the Rod is turned into a Serpent but as to the latter the Serpent is turned into a Rod The Lord is still curiously working about his own eternal purpose in the Salvation of our Souls but we misunderstand him and that is one great hinderance of our bearing such dispensations as we ought 5. An over hastiness of Spirit in passing a judgment concerning such Providences this is one cause of our former misunderstanding of them they are many times very dark and misterious and our first Apprehensions about them are many times false and mistaken ones If we have observed God and our selves we may remember that many Providences of which we have had but dismal thoughts at first view our thoughts have been mightily changed about them when we have seen the beginning and end together and so have read such Providences backward but alass we are ordinarily too quick with the Lord will not give him time have not patience till he hath brought the whole wheel about and this is another thing that makes our work here so hard as it is which therefore must be corrected and amended 6. The Temptations of Satan its like he will be ready to take this opportunity of belying God to us and after this or some such manner to suggest is this the God that loves thee Is he now fulfilling his Promises and answering thy Prayers See what a kind Master thou servest and what thou gettest by his Service Thus its like he will be prompting us to distrust impatience discontent and the like we must see we be not ignorant of his Devices and as soon as we discover the Temptation wich abhorrence we must reject it This to the first General 2. We must seriously ply our hearts with suitable moving Considerations And so 1. We should consider that whatever we have lost and by what means and instruments so ever we lost it it is the Lord that hath taken it there is certainly such a thing as Divine Providence permiting ordering and bringing about whatever doth befal us here when Losses and other Afflictions befal us the Lord takes it upon himself as his own doing and God's People have been wont to see and acknowledge his hand and this is that which hath stilled and calmed them as we see in the recorded instance of Job David and others 2. We should consider that whatever the Lord hath thus taken he hath taken nothing but his own The Earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof we have nothing for enjoyment but what he gave us and we are not properly Lord's of what we have but Steward's God's right in his Creatures is such as cannot be alienated we eat his Bread wear his Wool and his Flax carry his Silver in our purses and the like and now why may not the Lord do what he will with his own 3. We should consider the Lord hath taken nothing from us but what we were unworthy of when he gave it and have since forfeited by our Sins and but a part of that neither the Lord is free when he gives and just when he takes we deserve not the least morsel of food or a ragg to cover our nakedness with and by our Sins we have forfeited all he hath thus freely given us a thousand times over yea and our very beings too and therefore we have great reason to be patient yea and thankful also under all our losses here 4. We should consider the things of this World they are other things then the most of Men yea and then we our selves ordinarily take them to be we think they look bravely at a distance beholding them with a vitiated eye and through a false deceitful medium but if indeed we will come near and know the truth of the matter we have it from him who never mis-called either person or thing that they are but vanity and vexation of Spirit things that cannot profit yea things that are not And is it not a vain thing for one extreamly to disquiet himself either about the gain or loss of a little Vanity Children and Fool 's indeed will take on mightily for the loss of a Toy but Men of understanding know better 5. Take these things at best and yet there is danger of our having too much as well as of our having too little of them yea I am apt to think more danger of the two more danger of our surfeiting through abundance then of our pineing through want and now the Lord knows better then we do what is enough too little or too much for us and we have great reason to conside in his Wisdom Love and Care herein and by our Carriage should let him and others to see that we do so 6. Be these things as good as they will and do what we can we cannot long enjoy them Death at farthest will certainly part us and all our worldly Enjoyments at once and that is upon its way and coming as fast as ever time that flying post can bring it and hath certainly taken some steps towards us even since we nam'd it Now this consideration that the Time is short should mightily moderate our affections towards these things both in the enjoyment want or loss of them 7. We should consider others of God's People have met with as great yea far greater Losses then our's are and have born them graciously Job what a loss had he who of the richest Man in all the East in one day became poor to a Proverb David driven from a
of his Mouth but he hath it 2. In what he doth we should watch and take great notice what the Lord is doing observe gracious merciful so likewise more severe and afflictive Providences when they come that so we may answerably receive entertain and improve them both we should thus heedfully watch and observe such Providences whether dispensed to our selves or to others to our Persons Families Relations or to other particular Persons Families Societies Nations or Churches 3. We should particularly watch and observe what Answers the Lord is pleased at any time to give into our Prayers this the Lord requires of us and justly expects from us both upon his own Account and ours too whatever the Answer be if we do not thus look up and watch after our Prayers we provoke the Lord who justly looks upon himself as affronted hereby more ways then one and we likewise wrong our own Souls which are like by this means to suffer damage several ways but the contrary would both please him and be much to our own Advantage this is one way whereby we may come to enjoy more in the Mercies we so get and also to get more of them I know a Person whose experimental Observation it is that the more he doth with humility and thankfulness observe and take notice of God's gracious Answers of Prayer the more sweet Matter of that kind the Lord is wont to give him in for his Observation 2. Our watch must extend it self to others to our Neighbours but especially to our Christian Brethren those especially that we are joined with in the same Christian Society though Christianity doth not allow us to be busy bodies in other Men's matters yet neither doth it allow us to be of that wicked Persons mind who said am I my Brothers keeper But 3. It must especialy be exercised towards our selves we must see to keep our own Vineyard and so we must watch over our Thoughts Affections our Words and Actions Or thus we must watch 1. Over our inward Man 2. Over our outward Man 1. Over our inward Man And that 1. As depraved by Sin 2. As renewed by Grace 1. As depraved by Sin and here a great part of our Work lieth our worst most mischeivous dangerous and deadly Enemies ly in our own Bosoms a hellish brood of filthy Lusts which are ever ready to betray and ruine us Satan indeed hath a great hand in undoing Souls but the truth is he might spare his Pains did the Lord but stand by our own Lusts would do the work effectually themselves we have reason to conclude that we should go to Hell readily enough of our selves did but the Lord suspend withdraw his Spirit and Grace and so let us go quietly such Enemies as these sure need watching 2. As renewed by Grace alass Grace in many of our Hearts I am sure I must my self subscribe for one I say it is a poor small weak and tender thing if it be not very sickly declining and languishing this poor thing meets with great Opposition a world of enemies both within and without that it is as strange a wonder that it should be kept alive in our Souls as that a spark of Fire should be kept burning in a great quantity of Water we have need to watch our Graces if we would have them kept alive and much more if we would have them lively we must watch to the feeding and nourishing to the preserving and defending to the acting and exercising and so to the increasing and strengthening of them in our Souls we must watch over our inward Man 2. Over our outward Man over our outward Senses O how much Sin and Vanity is almost contiunally either coming in or going out that way unless streightly watched We have need to set a strict watch a strong guard upon each of them and so we read of holy Job's making a Covenant with his Eyes and of David's setting a watch at the door of his Lips And so we have need to watch as to the whole of our outward Carriage and Behaviour to see that it be such as becometh the Gospel 4. We must watch over our two grand Enemies without us Satan and the World Satan in his Temptations He is such a subtil powerful cruel and malicious Enemy hath so many Snares for us and is so good at the choosing and at the laying of them that without extraordinary care and watchfulness it is in an ordinary way impossible that our Souls should in any tollerable manner escape him And so the World is a near a present and very mischievous Enemy to our Souls we have need to watch the Men of the World and the Things of the World both good and evil for we are endangered by them all thus we must manage our watch universally 3. Diligently so the Charge runs Prov. 4.13 And the truth is our Case is such that its absolutely necessary it should be so without diligence in our watch we do nothing however that which is next to it a Town that is closely besieged by a potent Enemy that hath also within its Walls a strong treacherous Party ever watching for an opportunity to betray it to the Enemy without sure such a Town had need to keep a diligent watch the case stands thus with our poor Souls 4. Wisely and Prudentially one might instance here in many things I will hint only in a few touching the Corruptions of our own Hearts and the Temptations of Satan we must watch Sin so we must wisely observe and watch the first motions and stirrings of it to suppress them watch the occasions of Sin to avoid them watch to cut of that which feeds our Lusts we see how vigilant and industrious Men are to cut of Supplies from an Enemy with whom they are engaged in War This is a great piece of Spiritual Policy also we must watch all Sin in general but above all our special Sins so we must watch Satan in all his Temptations but especially in that which is as it were his Master-piece we must watch at all times but especially at such times as use to be most critical and dangerous ones with us with respect to the Prevalency of Corruptions and Temptations as such as are Persons of any tollerable Observation may find that there are sometimes more critical and dangerous with them this way then others 5. Prayer fully the truth is whatever Spiritual Work we take in hand humble fervent believing Prayer must come in at one End or we are like to make but poor Work of it and as to this of Watchfulness in particular if we do not thus engage the Lord to watch over our watchings all will be but labour in vain our Lord knew full well what he did when he linked these two together in his Charge watch and pray 6. And to add no more it must be constantly and perseveringly while we are here we are in our enemies Country and so are never out of danger and
therefore we should never let down our watch but here lieth the misery of it which undoes us though at sometimes we may make Conscience of this Duty yet by and by we grow careless and secure let down our watch and so we loose our selves extreamly and let our vigilant Enemies get great advantage against us and moreover some of us may find our bad Hearts most prone to this after the greatest enlargments in the exercise of Grace or after the largest incomes of the spiritual Joy and Comfort but alass this is perfect nonsense in Religion for this is one time in which we are in the greatest Danger and so a special Season for the strictest watch at such a time the Devil hath the most aking Tooth at us and bears us the greatest Malice and revengful Spite Thus we must endeavour to manage this Duty obedientially universally diligently prudently prayerfully constantly and perseveringly this is easily said but not so easily done we must remember that serious Religion is a Labour and a Mistery but withal for our encouragement that it is the most Honourable Pleasant and Profitable one and that in it we have not to do with such a hard Task-master as Pharaoh was who required full Tale of Brick yet would not allow the People Straw CHAP. X. A Preparation for Parting with RELATIONS I Am convinced that an entire humble and chearful Resignation of my Will to the Will of God manifested in the all-wise and gracious Disposals of his Providence towards me is both my Duty and great Felicity And that I am bound to labour after such a Frame when under the sadest of his Dispensations I have reason to conclude that the loss of near and dear Relations will set me hard indeed God hath hitherto wonderfully indulged me in this Matter that I have not yet known by Experience what such Tryals are But I cannot in the Course of Nature reasonably expect to be long exempted from them therefore cannot but look upon it as a great piece of Wisdom to get armed and prepared for them and here I think it may not prove an unprofitable fruitless Labour to draw up some such weighty Considerations as may tend to work up my Heart to the Frame forementioned that so I may have them in readiness against that time when I shall find my self very unfit and indisposed for such a work and here I am the more confirmed when I reflect upon the late disturbance of my Mind when the Lord was pleased to bring my dear Father exceeding low even so low that I concluded it had been just at the parting pinch whose Death I will here suppose yet would I beware of the contrary Extream a Stoical Frame and Disposition being contrary both to the Principles of Piety and Humanity Here I would consider 1st The supream full and absolute Right and Propriety which God hath in me and in all which I call mine the Earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof The World and all they that dwell therein a little while since I was not even till God made me And every moment I should drop into my Primitive nothing did he not powerfully and graciously Sustain me besides I am by Sin exposed to those Miseries which are more deplorable then Annihilation it self from which he hath by a miracle of wisdom condecension and love redeemed me from hence its evident that I am not my own but his So neither do I enjoy any thing which I can strictly and properly call my own no thing 's so mine but that he hath a clearer Right and juster Claim unto it I received all at the Hands of his Bounty and am to possess only during his Pleasure though he hath conferred many Favours upon me yet I am to remember this that he hath not given away his own Right No his Right in his Creatures is unalienable hath the Lord now resumed one of my dearest Comforts taken away my Father Is not this one Consideration enough to justify him and calm and quite me May not the Lord do what he will with his own And was he not his more then mine His Creature his Child his Minister O let me dread mutining against his Providence but be in subjection to him the Father of Spirits and live Let me think with my self it is the Lord and let his Excellency make me afraid Be still and know that he is God be dumb not opening my Mouth because he hath done it For who am I that I should stubbernly contend with my Maker who is the Lord of all 2dly The Righteousness of God in all his Dispensations towards me though he sometimes doth Afflict yet he doth not he cannot wrong me had he not freely engaged himself he had been free from all Engagements to the most innocent Creatures so that he might have annihilated them or used them at his Pleasure without the least shew of wrong or injustice Hath not the Potter power over the Clay But alass I am a sinful guilty Wretch as I received all at the Hands of his free Grace and Favour so have I forfeited all into the Hands of his Justice hath the Lord now taken the Forfeiture of this choice Mercy at my Hands I ought surely to ascribe Righteousness to my Maker doubtless Righteousness establisheth his Throne the Justice and Equity of his Laws and of his Providence are equally unquestionable And therefore should I fear as by Disobedience to reflect upon the one so by Impatience upon the other would not Conscience presently step in instead of a thousand Witnesses against me should I once dare to think God Unrighteous in this sad Dispensation Will not my Relative sins besides an innumerable Multitude of others together with the Corruption of my Nature which I brought with me into the World from whence all proceedeth be enough to stop my Mouth O! Have I not rather cause humbly to admire at the abundance of Mercy that is mixed with the heaviest Afflictions that at any time light upon me here Cause to stand and wonder that I am not made as Miserable as Misery it self as Hell it self can make me Surely the Lord punisheth me far less then mine Iniquities have deserved otherwise I had long since been in Hell amongst Devils and damned Spirits as in point of Obedience the Lord is now graciously pleased to accept of far less then is his dew so in point of Suffering I have far less then is mine And therefore should I patiently submit unto humbly and thankfully accept of the present Punishment of mine Iniquities it is my Duty to bear the Indignation of the Lord graciously and good reason why I should because I have sinned against him 3dly As his Right and Righteousness are unquestionable so his Power is irresistible He doth whatsoever he will both in Heaven and Earth and there is none that may stay his Hand or say to him what dost thou Sure then it were folly and madness with a witness for me
to enter a contest with him Am I stronger then he It is my wisdom to meddle with my Match but wo unto me if thus I strive with my Maker Ah how easily he who could make the World with a word of his Mouth and doth but look upon the Earth and it trembleth how easily he could crush me I am but a little breathing dust he would surely blow me away with a blast of his Nostrils what would the combined Forces of the whole Creation be in the Hands of the omnipotent God to whom Power belongs He could frown all into a confused Chaos in a moment how easy is it then for him to deal with me Let me think soberly what the Event of the Matter will be who ever hardened himself against God and prospered what am I like to get by my impatient unsubmissive Carriage Nothing sure unless it be redoubled and heavier strokes what more like then this farther to insense him Will he put up so vile an Affront Rather will he not humble me to purpose before he hath done and make me know who I am a silly worm yea sinful dust and ashes and what it is for a Creature yea a Hell deserving wretch to fly in the Face of Omnipotency it self A principle of self Preservation is common to the very Bruits sure then the Rational Soul is not without it Where is it then am I utterly bereaft of it If not methinks that should effectually perswade me to submit and humble my self under God's mighty Hand as a course more eligible by far then by my proud and stubborn Resistance even to force him as he tenders his own honour and loveth me to spend more Rods upon my Back yea to force him from Rods to Scorpions Let sanctified Reason possess its Throne and lay a law of silence both upon Heart and Mouth that so the disorderly Motions of my unruly Passions being regulated I may instead of charging God foolishly with my Lips in this and in every thing give thanks 4thly This Dispensation though sad yet is the product of infinite Wisdom which should be a powerful Argument to move me with humble Submission to subscribe unto it The King immortal is also the only Wise God none originally essentially and infinitely Wise but he This attribute of his he hath wonderfully displayed have I not sometimes been filled with wonder and admiration at the thoughts of his Wisdom manifested in the Creation of the World Though I am such a poor shallow Creature able to comprehend so little so very little of it O what a wise intelligent Being must he needs be who hath created Heaven and Earth with all the Creatures their inhabitants in such variety excellency and harmony How great and marvellous are thy Works O Lord Thy infinite Wisdom is Engraven in plain and legible Characters upon the face of the whole Creation so that he that runs may read and now I am to consider that its the same God who at first made all things that doth order and dispose of them in his Providence and as he hath so he doth and ever will act like himself all his Works are perfect all his Ways are judgment O the Divine Misteries that are in the Works of Providence Full little do I think what the all Wise God may now be doing with me my thoughts of this sad Providence may be wonderfully altered when the Lord shall please to open the Matter more fully to me O what a day will that be when the Lord will unriddle all his Providences to his Servants and rectify all our Mistakes about them clearly discovering their sweet harmonious Contribution to his own glory and our good Thy thoughts are not our thoughts nor thy ways are not our ways O Lord how little did Joseph think of his high Advancement which the Lord was makeing way for when he was sold as a Salve into Egypt or when he was in Prison there He hath a thousand ways to bring his own Glory and his Peoples Good out of the heaviest Afflictions and most dismal Dispensations that at any time they are under and he not only can but will do it its usual with him to bring light out of darkness good out of evil meat out of the devourer sweetness out of the strong O therefore let me stand still and with silent Admiration contemplate the Wisdom of God in the various Methods of his Providence But let me not quarrel with him or find fault with any of his doings Can I mend them I dare not speak such Blasphemy as to say I can But is not my Heart full of impatient discontented fretful furious or at least dejected Thoughts If so the Lord whose sole Prerogative it is to search and try the Heart cannot but know it and knowing will certainly bring me to Judgment for them he is as well acquainted with my most inward deep and secret Thoughts as others can be with my outward Expressions and Behaviour being nearer to me then I am to my self And he takes most Notice of them they being the truest and most certain Indication of my Mind one may best judge of the Spring by the Water which doth immediately issue forth and as a Man thinketh in his Heart even so is he O foolish wretch Shall I in my Peevishnefs enter a Dispute with Wisdom it self Who am I that dare thus to darken Counsel with Words without Knowledge For this thing let me abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes And for the future be dumb and not open my Mouth because the All-wise God hath done it 5thly The consideration of that amiable Attribute of God his Goodness should work much upon me God is Love a most sweet Notification of the ever blessed Deity he is not a being that sporteth himself with his Creatures Misery He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the Children of Men much less his own Children Judgment is his strange Work but Mercy pleaseth him His tender Mercies are over all his Works and I have tasted abundantly of them O how highly Injurious I am to so sweet and amiable a Being if I entertain hard and black thoughts of him He hath caused goodness and mercy to follow me he hath done me good and not hurt all the days of my life and shall I now bury the grateful Remembrance of all former Mercies in my Father's Grave How many Mercies and Comforts he yet continues to afford me More then I can easily reckon up And shall I in my Frowardness cast away all as it was because he hath resumed Part O let me beware of such foolish Ingratitude Farther If I take a serious and impartial view of this Affliction I shall find this bitter Cup is allayed and sweetned with much Mercy it is not a Cup of Vengance the stroke not purely Vindictive it s not the Wound of an Enemy nor the Chastizement of a Cruel one No the Rod is in a Father's hand he is a God that changeth not and
it Did I so firmly believe this great Truth as I ought to do it would infallibly help me with more comfort and confidence to resign my own Soul and the Souls of departing Friends into the hands of a dear Redeemer who though he was dead yet is a live and lives for ever more therefore let me frequently and seriously think of those firm substantial Grounds which I have for my belief of this grand Article of the Christian Faith and with abhorrence reject any vain and trifling Cavils or Objections which may by any means be raised in me about it seeing the Power of the omnipotent God is here engaged by word of Promise and having once sufficiently cleared up the Matter to my Judgment let me bring it near and close unto my Heart and take to my self the comfort of it and let the thoughts hereof keep me from sinking under this heavy smarting Affliction while with weeping Eyes I am peeping into his Grave let Faith the Eye of the Soul which can see afar off have a clear and fixed view of the Resurrection 9thly My case is not singular none other Affliction hath befallen me then what is common unto Men the daily Experience of the World testifieth that it s no rare thing for Children to see your dear Parents head 's laid in the Dust And this if soberly weighed might do something towards the mitigation of my present Trouble when any Affliction befals a Man which is strange unheard of this consideration puts a signal Acerbity into it touches the very quick as it may possibly point at some signal Guilt in the Person on whom it is inflicted or may be a token of God's signal Displeasure against him but God be thanked this is not my Case I am ready in a fit of peevish unruly Passion to cry out would God I had dwelt in perpetual silence Or would God I had never lived to see this sad and doleful day Hath this Affliction of mine its paralel Is there any Sorrow like unto mine But hold a little what meaneth this great Heat Is not this strange Language to come from the Mouth of such a one as I profess my self to be Would not sober Reason utterly condemn it I am not the first by Millions that have been in this Case how many if I consider that in a short time I may reckon up and such as upon sundry Accounts might have promised themselves an exemption from this tryal of Affliction before me and yet it came upon them and yet with such aggravating Circumstances as mine doth not many have been snatched away suddenly and such as they had just cause to fear was in their natural unregenerate Estate But I have had a fair time of warning to prepare my self and as to his good Estate God-ward better assurance I could not well desire and what sayest thou How wouldest thou have escaped the stroke Why I would have gone first By the way I doubt my desires after Heaven are not rightly grounded I fear I do not truly desire Heaven and so am not like to come there ever the sooner for such desires if it be only or chiefly that I may be eased of or escape and avoid Afflictions here was I the most miserable Creature in the World yet the thoughts of being rid of Corruption and Temptation thus freed from Sin this should make Heaven more desirable to me then the being eased of all my miseries here But to return was not he more fit for Heaven by far than I more ripe for Glory more meet for the Inheritance of the Saints in light And is it not a thing very fitting and equal that he should go first Since he hath been so hard at work and so quick in the dispatch of it why should I think much that the Lord should give this his laborious Servant a writ of ease admitting him into his rest before such an idle lazay loiterer as I Your young Scholars who have made some good proficiency in Learning at your Country Schools are sent to the University But what should dull raw School boy's do there They must be whipt and whipt again before they will learn to say their Lessons just so it s here The Lord Jesus Christ the great Doctor of his Church hath kept him a considerable time at his School here on Earth and very teachable he was he had learnt to take out his Lesson exceeding well few so good at it as he he had learnt Christ indeed and so being ripe he is gone to take his Degrees in the University of Heaven Whereas such a dull blockish sot as I such a loiterer who love my ease and my play better then my book am like to have many a frown and many a blow many a whiping bout before I can follow him or come where he is if ever I come there if I hold on this idle lazy rate Thousands will get the start of me will get to Heaven before me while I lie loitering behind if I do not in the end fall short of it why true I must grant that he was more fit for Heaven then I and that God's ways are equal in taking them first who are most speedy in their Preparations But O that he would have spared him a little longer Would he but have lengthned out his Life one Year more Yea how thankful would I have been for one Month or one Week more But one Day one Hour will not be granted He is gone so that I must never see his Face more here in the land of the living the dark and silent Grave hath inclosed and shut him in and that he should be snatched away so hastily and at a time when I could so ill have parted with him is not this sad Do I not well if not to be angry yet to grieve to purpose Is not this a sufficient Apology for me was my Heart more imbittered with grief by many degrees then it is let me here a little expostulate the case with my self And I must needs say this that fretful Anger and immoderate Grief are each of them both highly sinful and unreasonable I beg nay I command a true and sober Answer to these few Queries hath not the Lord indulged me with him a considerable time and that since I was in a capacity to have improved him Methinks so many years Mercy of this Nature should seem something to me who would now be so glad of one Day have I not had many and many an opportunity of geting good by him which I have carelesly let slip Such a time he was preaching to me and such a time he was praying with me and many a time he hath been privately at work for my good reproving exorting directing and comforting me both by word of mouth and writing how fain would he have had me been some body for a Christian But alass I have not known the day of my visitation O that I had been wise in time I may well
be more seriously affected with your Case then I am with mine who have more cause O if ever poor Creature had need to make such complaints it s I Well but do we not hear Persons most eminently Pious making such complaints very frequently We should not be quite discouraged as though our case was singular How often doth warm hearted David pray for quickning which argues a sense of his want Sensible we should be but not discouraged O that we could confess and bewail our deadness more sensibly more lively But all our work lieth not in complaining but we must use the means God hath appointed for our quickning I verily believe our greatest work lieth in prevailing with our own Hearts to the diligent constant and believing use of the means certainly quickning enlivening Grace is purchased for us by the Lord Jesus and now he hath gone through the most painful part of his Work is he not willing to apply to our Souls what he hath purchased O let us not once question this O let us not wrong a dear Redeemer so much as to think otherwise of him O methinks was I but once made a meet recipient of these influences of his Spirit I should not doubt but I should have them Well it is Grace that must make us so and we have a gracious God to deal with who delights in Communicating of his grace and goodness to his Creatures let us call to mind what we heard of this Subject when we was last together let us ply our Hearts with the serious Consideration of the Sin and Evil of such a Frame together with the necessity reasonableness excellency and usefulness of the Contrary let us pray hard for it and use other means But pray S. take heed of that ungrateful Partiality as to judge and conclude from the remainders of Sin in you that you are in a state of Sin and Death the best on Earth complain of deadness and they do not Complement but have real Cause for it a perfect freedom from all Sin and its Effects remember that is reserved for Heaven Have you not a principle of Spiritual life Else whence comes the Sense you have of your deadness Methinks if I was with you and you would be faithful to your self I should not doubt but I could convince you think as ill of Sin as you will as you can but acknowledge and honour Grace joyfully and thankfully entertain any quickning Motions you have as you would have more what I say to you I would speak home to my own Soul the Lord help me that I may The Lord who is all perfect Spirit and Life make us more like unto himself I am your truly Affectionate Loving Brother I. B. LETTER VIII To S. E. December 15. 1684. Dear S. I Receiv'd both your's and owe you more then thanks for them I would bless the Lord that hath directed us to this way of Correspondence by Writing and that about the great Concernments of our Souls which I hope may prove profitable to each of us and very comfortable in the review I am sorry to hear of the bodily grievances you are under but stormy and pationate at the providential Dispensations of our wise and good God I dare not I would not be certainly if there be any true rest and satisfaction for the Creature it is in the will of its Creator who is goodness it self and I am glad to hear of the calmness of your Spirit my daily Prayers to God are for your spiritual and eternal Welfare and that you may not want any good thing here that the Lord would rebuke Distempers and lengthen out your Life but in that you are mindful of Death I rejoyce for to tell you true I love in my Heart to read and hear and think of Death my self indeed I have now out-lived my self my own expectation some Years But O the unaccountable folly that I am guilty of in that I am yet no more fit to die O strange almost incredible I Profess to believe a Future Judgment that there is a day wherein the great God by Jesus Christ will Judge me with all the World for all my Thoughts and Words and Actions whether they have been good or bad and so sentence me to my final State But O how unaffecting are my Apprehensions of this certain great and dreadful Truth and how inconsistent is my Practice to the belief hereof I am daily running on in my Errors heaping one Sin upon the back of another so laying my self under an unavoidable necessity either of bitter Repentance here or else exposing my self to the condemning Sentence of a most just and righteous Judge hereafter to a State of inconceivable and endless Misery which is enough to make any Heart except such a Flint as mine to tremble if seriously thought of Well shall I go on in this careless Frame and Course I fear I fear I shall but God forbid Well there are two things I would commend to my self and you in order to our Preparation for Death and Judgment 1st Let us make sure of a true and thorough work of Sanctification upon our Hearts O how shall we dare to look Death in the Face if found in an unsanctified Estate Sin is the sting of Death but then how may we with undanted Courage look it in the Face and as it were play with it when the Sting is taken out when we are passed from Death to Life if Sin be dead to be sure it s pardoned so otherwise how shall we think of Judgment to which Death immediately carries our Souls Will God clear the Guilty The turning point at that Day will be whether we be such as have come up to the Terms required of us in the remedying Law of Grace all are Sinners that is certain but all are not impenitent unbelieving Sinners O Sister penitent believing holy Souls and they alone shall be able to stand in Judgment shall obtain Mercy from the Lord in that Day and none but such have real ground of Comfort in the forethoughts of it 2dly Let us labour after clear and certain Evidences of our sincerity O how sweet a thing is Assurance of God's Love peace of Conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost How would these chear and revive our Souls in a dying Hour Sure I am a well grounded Assurance would then pay us our own with Interest though we should be at never so much pains to attain it but how sad to be sent to bed in the Dark it must needs be very uncomfortable to a gracious Soul to leave this World uncertain how it shall go with it in the next therefore let us study the Word more which is the Rule by which we must be judged and impartially compare our Hearts and Lives therewith by which means through God's help we may come to know how it will go with us then Blessed be God for that Revelation of his Will Well that our mortality and immortality may
am one that would fain be your Companion in the path of Holiness here and joint Possessor with you of Happiness hereafter I. B. LETTER XVI To C. H. Dear Cozen I Received your's and the doubt which troubles you I find to be the same that I have been exercised with my self so I shall give you a few of my Thoughts although I am under discouragements and have much ado to perswade my Pen to write when I think I have more need to seek advice then to give in this Case so sar as I understand it the matter stands thus with us we fear we are not sick enough for Christ to heal we are not humbled enough our hearts not broken enough for Christ to bind them up now it s true those are deceitful flatterers that would teach us to slight Humiliation for Sin this is a dangerous deceit they will prove but unsound believers that were never soundly humbled but we must consider all Christ's Patients are not sick to the like degree The wounds of such are not all of a like depth some the Spirit deals more gently and tenderly with draws them with the cords of love when others he snatcheth as brands out of the Fire if the Lord hath done his Work shall we peevishly quarrel with him because he hath not done it just as we desire O let the Lord take his own method so he will but save our Souls from Sin and Wrath But it s well if there be not Pride in the bottom when we are so thoughtful about these preparatory Humiliations we would fain bring something to Christ that might make us more acceptable O deceitful Hearts wicked Hearts As one saith why do we not complain more of our want of Faith These preparatory Works are of no worth but as they are means to promote a saving closure with Christ our business is to enquire whether our Humiliation for Sin hath attain'd its end and that Humiliation is sufficient as to its End which prevails so far as that we cannot rest satisfied without Christ when the Soul is so sick that it cannot but cry out give me Christ or I die either we see our need of him or not if not why then do we complain of our selves as lost without him Either we are willing to be saved by him in his own way or not if we are it is a great dishonour and wrong to him to doubt of his Willingness He is more willing to save us then we are to be saved by him when you object your want of Tears that you cannot mourn for Sin I can tell you a sadder Story which makes me write with wet Eyes I say I have more reason to complain of hypocritical Tears then you have for the want of them Humiliation and Repentance lieth chiefly in your Will I remember a saying of Mr. Baxter's there is more Humiliation saith he in a base esteem of ones self then in a thousand Tears more of it in a will and desire to Weep then in the greatest abundance of Tears that come either from the force of Terrour or from the moistness of the Brain could I sind more of this inward Soul humiliation I could take abundantly more comfort in that then in abundance of Tears while my Heart is thus Senseless and feels little when you speak of Reformation consider the terms of the Covenant Sincerity is accepted instead of sinless Perfection and our dear Redeemer sees not only what his Servants are but what they should be and what they shall be O happy time when we shall all see him as he is and be like him I take little notice of what you say of that Expression in my last I am still ready to say as much subscribing my self a Scholar in the lowest Form in the School of the Lord Jesus I. B. LETTER XVII To C. H. Dear Cozen THE reading of your last wherein you did acquaint me with the good Success of my poor worthless Paper did much refresh my Spirit indeed I cannot but look upon your Estate as you describe it to be safe and happy O how glad should I be many times of clear Evidences of so much What Comfort may be safely drawn from such Premises As to what you say that you fear its only a good Mood that you are in it must be granted that natural unregenerate Persons have their good Moods sometimes but I think they never come in them to a sincere willingness and resolution to close with a Gospel Christ on Gospel Terms they may have some faint Wishes and Desires but the Mood is off them before any change is wrought upon their Hearts and Wills and when it leaves them they are more hardened and secure then before and while they are in such a Frame they are out of their Element like Fishes in the Air but I am confidently perswaded that you find it otherwise with your self when you find your Heart in a holy good Frame you are where you would be and when you find it otherwise it is your grief and burthen O how glad you would be was there no such sad and sinful interruptions in your Communion with God and a dear Redeemer Such a happiness as this is well worth dying for and why should you be discouraged at that which is the common Case of all God's Children upon Earth Go to the holiest Saint you know and I warrant you he will freely acknowledge that he hath his up's and down's if it be not so then wo to such as I who alass can seldom find my Heart in any good Frame while we have Flesh as well as Spirit we must expect that-the Flesh will be acting its part and it s well that we have a spiritual Principle to oppose it and happy they who have Faith and Patience to continue this Conflict such shall certainly come off conquerors at last but I would not be too tedious upon any occasion no Friend you have shall be more ready to communicate Experiences or shall more rejoyce in being any way instrumental of the Good of your Soul then my self who though very weak yet am truly willing the Lord be your Guide and Portion I am affectionately your's I. B. LETTER XVIII To C. H. Dear Cozen IN compliance with your request I will tell you what it was that moved me to give you those my Sentiments of your Condition it was this that your Humiliation had this Fruit that nothing could content you without Christ and that as far as you know your own Heart you are willing to be saved by him in his own Way and in his Strength to mortify Corruption which I am sure is more then Flesh and Blood could teach you I desire you may be truly serious sensible and humble but I would not have you turn an unmerciful false Accuser of your self Assurance is a great Mercy where vouchsafed and improved but it is of far greatter moment to us that we have Grace and use and exercise it then
would not have one praying Hour intermitted and yet I am loath my Pen should go the round a second time before I have somthing from you I beg you would be urgent with your worthy Ministers for a second Call to the whole Kingdom which I shall in impatiently long for not to ease my Pains but to do the Work much more universally and effectually and to encourage them to it let them know that the Iron is now hot with many of us by the experiments I have made I find a great readiness of Mind to the Duty and dare almost promise them a general universal Correspondence with the thing by those whose Prayers are likely to stand poor England in any stead at this dark and trembling Point of Time though it cannot be expected that all should fall in exactly with every Circumstance the good Lord give them an one-rest of Heart in this Affair and the whole Nation in complying with them If the Lord should encline their Hearts to do any thing this way I shall hope for some Copies I shall think the time long till I hear from you but I know not when to end it s well I have a Man of Patience to deal with I am dear Sir your very affectionate humble and much obliged Servant Jo. Barrett LETTER XXXVI To Mr. L. May 25. 1696. SIR I Cannot but eagerly take hold of the first Opportunity to let you know how well I was pleased with the short hint you gave me in the close of your last the Lord help me to do it so as may be to your eternal Advantage Since you took the little good Advice I gave you so well I am encouraged thereby to tell you more of my Heart I do not dissemble with you in telling you that yon have a great share of my Affections if you was my own Brother I think I could not love you better and I am well satisfied that as we use to say there is no love lost between us that you bear the like Affection unto me now I would endeavour to make the best improvement of the Interest I have in you and surely that cannot be better done then by doing my utmost to in-title my great Master a dear and lovely Jesus to it I do heartily rejoyce in your outward prosperity but more earnestly desire the Prosperity of your Soul and should exceedingly rejoyce might I any way be an instrument in promoting it the thing I aim at is not so much the proselyting you the bringing you over to my way and party but the engaging you in a course of serious Godliness though as I have found G. in the way that I am in I dare not forsake it my self so far as I am satisfied it is according to his Word yet I am far from thinking that Religion lies in Notions and Opinions and I doubt not but that there are many serious Christians that differ from me in their Opinions about lesser Matters but this all serious Christians in the World are agreed in that without conversion regeneration true repentance faith and real holiness both of Heart and Life there is no hopes of Salvation Now this is the Business you and I must look after to see that we have past the new birth are throughly changed from what we were by Nature and truly Grace makes a mighty great Change where it comes it is a thing above Morality common Civillity above a formal Profession above outward Attendance or Ordinances above the common Works of the Spirit in the Hearts of Men it is an inward deep powerful abiding thing The Lord give us to experience it in and upon our own Souls without which its impossible that all the Words in the World should make us rightly understand it The poor miserable deluded World thinks all this is meer Phancy but assure your self it s otherwise I know you will meet with a great many Objections arising from Satan and your own Heart as I and all others who have experience of a saving work of G. upon their Souls have done before you He will its like endeavour to make you shy of Convictions of your sin and misery by Nature which in some degree or other ever goes before a sound Conversion but as you love your Soul when ever you feel the holy Spirit of G. this way at work do not stifle but encourage them all you can when you feel your self pained this way take the first opportunity you can to retire into some private Place and there pour out your Complaint before the Lord acknowledge your sinfulness lament your misery cry to him for Mercy cast your Soul at his Feet and though you should not have ease and satisfaction at first yet be not discouraged but hold on seek him in good earnest and my Soul for your's he is found of you And its like he will endeavour to prejudice you against Religion as too strict as a moross dull melancholy Thing as that which would deprive you of all the Comfort of your Life but this is notoriously False I would not delude you and I do and must seriously profess to you this in just commendation of my dear Master and his Service that I am fully satisfied upon the little trial I have made that a religious godly Life is the most pleasant Life in all the World again Wisdoms Ways are ways of Pleasantness and all her paths are Peace I have now been acquainted with Him and his Service many Years and still the more I know of Him and his Service the better I am pleased with both and that upon solid substantial Grounds really I speak my very Heart to you in these things and nothing but what you shall certainly find your Self if you will but come and see if you will but make trial as I have done Indeed Religion doth forbid all beastly Pleasures but it doth not need them for it brings others infinitely better in their room which are peculiar to it self which strangers intermeddle not with and then as to sober manlike Pleasures it s so far from depriving of them that it gives the best right unto the sweetest Enjoyments and the surest hold of them And the best is still behind even those Rivers of Joys and Pleasures at God's right Hand for ever more where others must ly down in endless Sorrow but I am afraid you will think me too tedious do not take it ill from me I verily think you will not God is my witness that love to my Master whom I can never admire never commend never save so much or so well as he deserves I should and love to your Soul a longing desire that you two may come to be savingly acquainted together hath set my Pen on work let him give it good speed I greatly delight in you here but I would very fain take you along with me to Heaven let us not part But I dare not for a World delude and flatter you here without a sound Conversion
News the next day's Post brought us was very surprizing to me O how loath the Lord is to leave us How shall I give thee up O England Methinks now here is that in this late gracious providential Dispensation which shall wonderfully facillitate your affecting that Business I have again and again earnestly recommended to your care methinks its a very fruitful Call to that Duty how many Heads of Arguments it affordeth Some very encouraging others as awakning for amongst other things believe me Sir if this Deliverance hath not a better effect upon us and be not followed by us at another rate then former any have been we may well fear to think what comes next we are upon our good behaviour and who knows whether this be not the last Tryal the Lord will make Your Reverend Ministers upon whom the Eye of the Nation is much fixed never had a fairer opportunity for a general and successful Call to Prayer To the whole Kingdom which I sent my last to beg for we are now generally alarmed a great number of pious Souls that have for some Months been hard at work in seeking G. in an extraordinary Manner that way have now I doubt not fresh Life put into them but your long silence makes me fear least the Business should some way miscarry at least that you have some unhappy rubs thrown in your way I beg a few lines for my satisfaction though you cannot give me so full and good an Account as you would and let me have a fuller one afterwards who am dear Sir your obliged Servant Jo. Barrett LETTER XL. To Mr. L. E. June 15. 1696. SIR YOU will understand by my former Letter that your's came safe to hand and was to the rejoycing of my Heart blessed be G. for the great satisfaction therein given of your sense of matters of the highest Concern I hope the Lord hath in some measure made you sensible of the worth of your Soul of your Sin and Danger of your need of Christ and Grace in order to eternal Life and Glory and that he hath also enclined you seriously and presently without delay to mind the things which concerns your everlasting Peace the good Lord keep this for ever in your imagination of the thought of your Heart and establish your Heart unto him Indeed as you hint sincerity and heartiness in Religion is worth all and meer pretences to it how fair and specious soever never did nor will save one Soul but will aggravate the Condemnation of many when others great care is to seem better then they are the Lord help us that our's may be to be better then we seem this is right in the sight of the Lord O that I could find more of this temper in this Soul of mine As to that which you hint at which hath been a great disadvantage to you the unsuitable Carriage of Professors It is a common Case and a sad one wo to the World because of such Offences and wo to those by whom such Offences come It doth very much prejudice the World against serious Religion and Godliness when they see such as are high pretenders to it can be as loose as others though indeed if you observe you will find the World watcheth such most critically to spy any thing amiss in them and sometimes they do falsly accuse and at other times aggravate Matters at a high rate out of an hatred if the truth was known of Religion and Godliness it self but alass it s too true God knows that many that are high pretenders to these are but meer pretenders and no wonder if these miscarry and become a reproach to Religion and truly though I do not think you aimed at me in it yet I must acknowledge that in many things I act so unsutably to my Profession many times that I am e'en ashamed the World should know who am I for fear that blessed Name and Cause I bear and stand up for should suffer by me but as to this you have prevented me in saying that in short that I should have done that this should not hinder others and make them think worse of Religion its blessed Authors ways and end but rather quicken them the more to see to soundness at the bottom that they take up a Profession on right Grounds that they have a right Principle within and make them more chearful afterwards to live up unto it and back it with a sutable Practice As to what you further hint about Dissenting Ministers if you heard them but speak for themselves you would soon understand that it was not a proud sturdy refractory Humour that made about two Thousand of them wise learned and pious Persons at once quiet their Places run the hazard of Imprisonment Banishment and in all probability the utter undoing of themselves and families as to this World and which was yet dearer to them deny themselves the publick Advantage they had of doing good to Souls but the truth is such things was imposed on them which how indifferent and lawful soever they appeared to others after the diligent use of the best means for Satisfaction did not appear so to them which therefore they could not comply with without sinning against God and wounding their own Consciences which they durst not deliberately and wittingly do tho' it had been to save the World and their Arguments are such as their Opposers could never yet Answer satisfactorily in the Judgment of judicious impartial Men and sober Conformists though they are satisfied with the lawfulness of them yet bear them as their Burthen and some of them have pleaded the Nonconformists Cause But as I do not much trouble my own Head so neither would I trouble your's with matters of Controversy though if you desire it I will give you further satisfaction in this Point for my own Part I can freely join with the Church of England in their Worship as our Ministers frequently do so far as I am not obliged to join in that which I look on as a Corruption in it and where I can see any of them that appears to be sincere a truly God-fearing Man I speak my Heart that Man I can put in my bosom as well as any of my own Party we are both agreed in the main and I believe we shall never be all of one Mind in every Point while in this imperfect State where we cannot assent in Judgment let us dissent with Affection O that there was more of this Disposition on both sides And that we could mutually study and endeavour to outstrip one another in promoting the Common but glorious Cause of Christ and Christianity in the World making Religion our Business being careful to adorn our Profession with sutable Conversations then I doubt not but we shall all meet in the same Heaven in the end and the glorious Light which then beams forth from the Father of Lights will discover all our Mistakes and perfectly agree us I am your's I.
B. LETTER XLI To Mr. F. Chesterfield Aug. 26. 1696. about Mr. Law Reverend Sir I Am frequently thoughtful about that poor People of Elton Midleton c. and having again and again of there flocking into the outward means which the Lord hath pleased now to send among them may they indeed flock in apace to our dear Lord Jesus as also of their diligent attention and affection under them as to many of them I have been encouraged to attempt doing something farther for them in order to their enjoying more frequent Opportunities which blessed be G. I have now effected but they have been something quicker then I thought of in fixing upon one to sit down among them a young Man that lives some where near good Mr. Bagshaw I have nothing to say against their Choice I have very little knowledge of the Person but it being a Matter of greater Importance then its like they are aware of I should desire a little satisfaction about him and supposing you to have knowledge of him I entreat the Favour of a few Lines to inform me what he is as to his Judgment and Practice and whether you look on him as a fit Person to fix among them I greatly desire that they may have one that is a plain warm Preacher one sound in Judgment and of a strict and holy Life such a one I should be well satisfied in as a likely Instrument to do good among them though he should come behind in other things And I suppose you are well acquainted with that poor Country and so desire you would be casting about in your thoughts if it may be to find us out another Place where Charity of this Nature may be duly and advantagiously placed if it may be obtained as I have some hopeful prospect that it might if I could but tell where to fix it and was but enabled to give some good account of it let your thoughts be at work for me this way for me did I say nay for you and let me also say my dear Lord and Master and for precious Souls that are upon the point of perishing whose Condition calls for our tenderest bowels of compassion and help though through want of Sence they do it not for themselves But I forget my Self in thus bespeaking you and as to my Self possibly may deceive you making you think that my Love to Christ and Souls is more then alass it is a poor thing even next to nothing sad sad this is but true and as soon as you can fix and have an opportunity let me hear from you but let me have a line concerning the former Business by my Friend the Bearer hereof for I intend God willing for Elton next Week and then it will be expected that the business be concluded which now blessed be G. I am prepared for in case your character of Mr. L. encourage me I write in hast and will not detain you longer only in begging a remembrance in your Prayers some of my mistaken Friends that are least acquainted with me may possibly think me some body for Religion but alass the truth is I make e'en nothing on 't Help me who am dear Sir your very affectionate Friend and Servant I. B. LETTER XLII To Mr. F. Chesterfield September 18. 1696. Dear Sir YOUR'S by good Mr. P. came safe to hand and was welcome to me indeed I would fain be doing something and with Submission to my great Master will have deliberately and delightfully chosen that which is more directly Charity to Souls for my more especial Province desiring herein to lay out and improve my poor but utmost Capacities and Interest so far as I may without breaking rank but alass it s but very little that I can do and the best of that very poorly done I speak my Heart I fear you think too well of me as to the Substance of your Letter Sir I have not at present in my Hands any thing of publick Charity but what is already determined of as to persons places and uses but having some of Mr. Alleins Books by me I intend to send you some of them on my own account as soon as opportunity offers if you have an opportunity first please to send in hast I remain your affectionate Friend and Servant I. B. LETTER XLIII To Mr. B. Ford November 12. 1696. Reverend and dear Sir I Received your's by good Mr. A. but being surprized with his unexpectedly sudden Return I had no time to Answer it I bless the Lord who enclined and enabled you to come to us at Midleton so that I have once seen your Face and had an opportunity of joining with you in Prayer and that in the heavenly Part of it O how sweet will Heaven be You are great in the Eyes of others but little in your own how happy are you in this that your Face shines and you know it not Dear Sir I thank you for your Letter My Father and I were both concerned that it fell out so that we could not take the opportunity of getting a tast of Mr. A. one in whom methinks one may see something extraordinary even in his Countenance one by appointment six Weeks before coming on purpose from a great distance to preach the Lecture that Day We got a little hold on him by promise to come again pray Sir put him in mind of it when you see him I had great hopes concerning Mr. L. from the time I first see him and heard how the People were generally affected under his Ministry and have my hopes the more confirmed by the account you have once and again given me of him I am sometimes in pain about them fearing least the Adversary by stirring up a Spirit of Division among them should much hinder the Work we are not ignorant of his Devices the good Lord rebuke him I beseech you Sir remember them on that account I shall do what I can to cut off all occasion by procuring something farther for Mr. P. to dispose of as he pleaseth I am in hopes of something out of my Lord Wharton's Charity but cannot yet get a possitive Answer I wonder sometimes that the Lord should encline you to take notice of such a one as I to write to me so oft as you have done but will you indeed bear me upon your warm Heart when you are at the Throne of Grace I seriously beg you would surely I am greatly needy though unworthy of such a Favour I have been smattering at Religion indeed trifling with it for many years for alass the truth is I make e'en nothing of it to this day O what a reproach am I to a dear Jesus a head so full of influences a root so full of sap and to his Ministers and Ordinances I sit under Corruptions and Temptations strong and oft prevailing Grace ordinarily low and languishing nay useless and unprofitable poor and yet upon all occasions I should rather say without any thing that looks like a
Colour for it prone to be Proud Will you not pity and pray for such an one Alass Sir the Lord knows I have told you true And when you have leisure and opportunity further refresh me with a line But I will not detain you further but conclude here remaining dear Sir very affectionately Your's I. B. LETTER XLIV To Mr. F. November 14. 1696. Reverend and dear Sir YOUR'S dated the 6th came safe to hand I have not had any opportunity of sending any Books to you and have been a little thoughtful because I did not hear from you send with great freedom and the Lord prosper your pious Design As to Midleton my Father having an Interest in Mr. White one concerned in disposing of my Lord Whartons large Charity I got him to write to him for some help there His answer to my Father was that as far as his Interest would go it should be laid out for us at their next meeting which would be shortly I also wrote to him my Self about ten day's or a fortnight since to put him in mind of it I hope we shall speed and as soon as I can hear from him Mr. P. shall know I wrote to him about three weeks since but perceive by yours that mine was not come to his Hands Upon your advice I wrote to them to put Six poor Children to School I suppose thus is Three at Elton I would have them continue and will pay for them and when we see how we speed at London shall know what to do more that way Some things have been but imprudently managed which hath been a trouble to me methinks if Mr. P. had concerned himself a little more in Matters and informed me it might have been prevented I have been oft concerned for them of late least our subtil Enemy should take the advantage to make any breach to the great prejudice of the Interest of the Gospel amongst them dear Sir way lay him with your Prayers and good Advice when you are among them if you see any thing that looks that way I write in hast and will not detain you longer but am very affectionately yours I.B. LETTER XLV To Mr. L. April 30. 1697. Dear Sir I Was in hopes to have heard from you before this but however I make bold to trouble you with a few lines to intimate our Friends desire at Elton together with my own that you would please to think of settling among them methinks your private Converse among them might be many ways setting forward your Masters work I know it will be grievous to you to think of loosing the frequent advantages you now have of enjoying that holy Man's Company who I question not hath most of your spare Hours and possibly there may be other Reasons too that may be ready to cast in a vote against it but I need not tell you whose Interest must give way when the great God's and our's comes to stand in Competition and that when we sincerely serve him at the most self-denying rate he will not yet see us loosers by it in the End And I do also with Submission heartily wish you would think of setting upon a Course of Catechising and Expounding it there are divers good things extant that may make your Work easy and in my Thoughts its a thing very needful and which through the divine blessing might be of exceeding Advantage to them You might these long Day 's make room for it by cutting your Afternoons Sermon a little shorter The Lord direct and encline you that way which shall be most pleasing to him and most profitable to precious Souls and crown your endeavours with abundant Success I should be glad to hear from you who am your affectionate Friend and Servant I. B. LETTER XLVI To Mr. C. May 11. 1697. Good Mr. C. I Must acknowledge that I am a debter to you of a few Lines I have not time now to write many and alass it was well for me if my justly grounded fears did not give me cause to say that by taking up but a little time in writing I shall thereby occasion you to throw away the less It s sad indeed that a borderer upon Eternity as I have reason to look upon my self should have reason to talk at such a rate but this though it make it more sad it doth not make it less true While I complain of my Self I may not flatter you but give me leave to say this that both formerly and when I was last with you I could not but observe that in you which gave me cause to think you was got before me alass How many could I name and that such too as have not had my advantages nor any thing near them whom I once thought at least to have been some steps behind who are now put before me But I must tell you you have fresh ground enough before you still therefore put on you will have better company then by laging behind with such as I. I am just now thinking what a change there is in the Season of the Year since I saw you Then one had occasion to be thinking of that He giveth Snow like Wool he scattereth his Hoar frost like Ashes He casteth forth his Ice like Morsels who can stand before his Cold But lo now the Winter is past the Rain is over and gone the Flowers appear on the Earth the time of the Singing of Birds is come and the Voice of the Turtle is heard in our Lands O that I could say so much of my Soul But alass though when I look into my Garden or walk abroad the verdure and fragancy of a variety of Objects inviting to entertain my outward Senses with delight as also to raise my dull and heavy Heart to much more sweet excellent and amiable ones though these I say tell me after another manner then my Almanack doth when I look without doors that its May yet I am forced to think of another Month alass when I look within sadly to complain of a long Winter still at least of a very backward Spring the Vines do not florish the tender Grapes appear nor the Pomgranets bud forth as the Lord might justly expect after so much expence as he hath been at with me nor any thing near it When I examin Matters closly what a poor little is that which I have to shew for my being a Garden more then bare Enclosure But if I should proceed on this melancholy Subject as I might I should weary you or possibly tempt you to think I do but counterfeit Complaints or that Pride was but working in a more close and cunning way Indeed who knows the depths of Deceipt that there are in such Hearts May my Complaints be an occasion of your humble chearful Praises upon your own Account may they also engage your fervent Prayers on mine Arise O Son of righteousness with healing in thy Wings Awake O North wind and come thou South blow upon our Gardens that
the Spices thereof may flow out Then let our beloved come into his Garden and eat his pleasant Fruits My true hearty Respects and Service to good Mr. C. accept the tender of the same your Self I do not forget you and should be glad to hear how it pleaseth the Lord to deal with you who am your affectionate Friend and Servant I. B. LETTER XLVII To Mr. W. July 20. 1697. Dear Sir I Was happily surprized last Lord's day Mr. W. going over those excellent close heart searching Truths again which I was not long since speaking to you of But I find this hath not satisfied my desire but more encreased and enlarged it and so both by my Father and self I did earnestly request his Publishing this Discourse which he neither granted nor denied Now this comes earnestly to entreat you to take my part herein I never begged such a thing of him before and shall be very loath to be denied Indeed it would be a fond Conceit should I imagin that my Judgment or Opinion should any way influence him in such a thing as this I should be ashamed to pretend to it but methinks this excellent universally useful thing doth abundantly speak for it self and I hope he will not by withholding rob the Church of it I hope that which set him on work in studying and preaching hath also set me on work in desiring its Publication I am loath to give offence by my rudeness and yet shall not be easily denied but if he will deny me I must take leave to set others on successively such as I shall think more likely to speed I am dear Sir your very affectionate Friend and Servant I. B. LETTER XLVIII To Mr. Edmund B. August 30. 1697. SIR I Have received your kind Letter full of good advice relating to that Affair I applyed my self to you about when I was in L. wherein you also put me in hopes of some Papers in a short time which will be further helpful for which I return hearty thanks Since my return from L. I have for some days been abroad in the Country and since have been confined by bodily Distemper so that I have had but little time but have taken a few steps in that Business and as soon as able shall endeavour to proceed according to your direction My greatest discouragements are in and from my Self when ever I set about any piece of Service I am such a very sorry unworthy Instrument that I am ready to fear that the Lord should utterly reject and throw me by as one in whom he hath no Pleasure though I must confess he hath sometimes graciously surprized me with the Country and so I would encourage my Self humbly to attempt this also earnestly begging that you and the Society would help me by your Prayers Such a Master indeed deserves all the Service that we can ever do him but such as I if any such be are unworthy of the Honour of being employ'd in the meanest Part of it The first tidings I had of your pious undertaking was very pleasing to me and the more so because of that happy Union of Persons of different Perswasions in your Societies and truly in my small observation of the rising Generation looking towards Religion this is one thing which methinks looks not a little comfortably that they seem to be laying aside much of that narrowness of mind which truly both sides have generally been too chargeable with and to be approaching to a more truly Catholick temper a thing which bodes no small good I hope to our Church and Nation But herein which is a ground for a further discouragement you have much the advantage of us in the Country however if the God of Heaven will but be with us to prosper us we may thence take Heart to arise and build I thank you for the liberty you give me of holding a correspondence with you about this Affair I shall make bold to trouble you as no doubt we shall have frequent occasion especially at first and shall be glad to hear of your Affairs But I am afraid you will think me tedious so heartily wishing that Heavens blessing may abide upon your Persons and pious Undertaking I conclude remaining Sir your affectionate and obliged Friend and Ser. I. B. LETTER XLIX To Mr. B. January 5. 1697 8. Reverend Sir AS to the Affairs of your Society for Reformation here in this place blessed be God they go on pretty well fresh Members are almost weekly added to us and a considerable Number of Prophane Persons have been brought to legal Punishments the good Effects of which do already begin to appear we are resolved the Lord enabling of us to prosecute this Matter with utmost vigour and hope in about a Months time to set up a publick Lecture on this occasion designing to have eight Sermons preached to us in the Year by Conformists and Nonconformists in their turns and think to have our Sermons printed as that may be a means further to spread and propagate the thing And being now blessed be God pretty well settled in our gears here I look on it as my Duty to use my utmost endeavours to promote this highly necessary good Work else where also and among other Places hath for some time been in my Eye Now dear Sir I entreat you to move this Business to some of your People with pressing Importunity and may they not as well hear the Lord thus bespeaking them who is on my side who And let none of them be backward to come forth to his help and if a few hearty prudent active Persons would but appear they may promise themselves all the brotherly Assistance that poor I am capable of giving them as to Rules both for the forming and govourning a Society of this nature with some other things that may be serviceable to them according to our Practice here and the best Instructions I have had from the Societies in London Formidable difficulties will I doubt not present themselves but let not these discourage them hearten them on the Lord can easily help them through them I speak from mine own and others experience who have adventured before them and I durst give it under my Hand that he will I doubt not but to put them into a Method to engage both Magistrates and Clergy to own and countenance them in it bid them not fear but be strong and work for the Lord our G. is with us and will own and prosper us in this thing I promise my self an easy pardon for this Trouble and shall hope for your speedy Answer the Lord send a comfortable one And if so I shall speedily give you my Thoughts more particularly about this Affair I have written to York to the same effect and hope I shall have a demonstration of the greater forwardness of our Friends at Hull in a more ready Compliance I have a Letter from Mr. Fern yesterday inintimating their ready Compliance with the like motion at Chesterfield and importuning help I hope I shall be able in a short time to give you an account of its being actually set on Foot there and in divers other places here abouts and I would not have my Hull Friends the last that engage in this most noble Quarrel I am dear Sir your affectionate Friend and Servant I. B. FINIS