light of the world 'T is but an hour The Church once said This is the day of Jacob's trouble She is still militant under the Cross eclipsed with a cloud 'T is but for a day then more gloriously will her light shine forth The Pageantry of sinners will soon be over They come on the stage dazzle spectators eyes the scene will alter such as acted the part of Nobles e're long will appear as they are meer Beggars nay in a worse condition when called to account for what they profusely spent on their lust and when thrown into Hell that most hideous prison from whence there is no redemption In this vale of tears I sit down and cry Few and evil have my days been The Church said Though I am comely look not upon me I am scorched Sun-burnt and much discoloured thereby Nay all my days have been one night In perils oft and too much in fears of them 'T will be day what 's this to eternal life What 's time to eternity What 's this moment to the five thousand years past since the Creation yet that and all the time that shall be which the Lord only knows till the end of the World is nothing to Eternity all that endless eternity shall I shine forth in glory 2. At the day of Judgment when scandals they that do iniquity some that created me much disquiet and discomfort in the world shall be cast into Hell shall all my sorrow be turned into joy and my disgrace into glory Let Antiochus be Epiphanes here was not he eaten up of lice or worms and will not that greedy worm of Conscience gripe gnaw and feed upon his soul to all eternity Let Herod for his gorgeous apparel be most illustrious had not he the same Exit Act. 12 22 23. But v. 24. The word of God grew and multiplied Let Bishops at Rome come forth in their Pontificalibus and their Olympia's in gold and silver in all their gallantry and too many of our professing Gentlewomen to their shame for Ladies generally are more modest in their apish French Modes and fashions they have little else to set themselves out with Was not Dives one day clothed in fine linnen in purple clad in scarletrobes which the sumptuary Laws of the Romans allowed only the chief Magistrates to wear the next in Hell and when out of curiosity he had looked for but found not Lazarus did he not lift up his eyes and espy Abraham in Heaven with Lazarus in his bosom in his lap on his knee leaning on his bosom cheering him Thou wast as thy Saviour some time in the world and receivedst didst patiently take from the â—ands of others since thou lawest the hand of God in it and didst not bring upon thy self thine evil things thou hadst hard measure scarce a rag to thy back a crust for thy belly yonder 's one lies that had enough to spare might and ought to have relieved thee but had no heart to do it he had more respect for his hounds than a child of God Look now he 's in torments thou art and shall be comforted for ever Thy Father hath called thee into this his Kingdom of Heaven with everlasting consolation to comfort thee here shalt thou shine in glory for ever So shall shine when many Diveses shall be cast into Hell to be tormented for ever weeping wailing and gnashing of their teeth 2. 'T is time for me to beseech the concern of your comfort at present and future happiness calls you to try whether ye be righteous and shall be glorified 1. Are you born of the Word of the Spirit of God himself 1. Of the Word was you ever by the Gospel read or preached brought out of the Kingdom of Satan the World into the Church militant Has the Word of God been the power of God to your conversion Were you by any Ministers preaching Christ brought over to Christ so as you gave up your selves and your heart souls and bodies to the Lords Anointed the Messiah the Christ the great Prophet the only King Head and Saviour of his Body the Church to be taught governed and saved by him How shall ye know this why 1. If you v. 23. received the seed the Gospel into good ground I would not give you my own much less other mens but the Lord Christs characters of the Regenerate i. e. you heard the Word and understood it it made such impression and took deep root in your hearts as made you leave the world and cleave to Christ with full purpose of heart at least to be as desirous and sollicitous to be Subjects of the Kingdom of Christ in grace as to have a lot and share with the righteous in the Kingdom of glory You have known and learnt from the Word and Spirit something of Christ of his Grace and Truth and of the life and immortality that he brought to light by the Gospel Whereas the first the worst sort of hearers are all ignorant careless willfully ignorant hearers such as hear the Word without attention affect on understanding do not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their minds go along with the Word till they understand it and get grace spiritual light and wisdom by it they resisting the motions of the good Spirit God suffers the evil one to beguile them of it by casting vain at least unseasonable thoughts into their minds God gives encrease to the conscientious careful attentive hearer which he denies to the careless and negligent that will not attend and regard but thinks to give the Minister the hearing is enough to stop the mouth of Conscience to save his credit with professors yea to save his soul such a cheat he puts upon himself 2. Are you born of the Spirit how shall you clear that why if v. 23. you bear fruit as good corn doth in a fertile soil which grows and comes up in a hundred where many ears spring from the same root or sixty where fewer or thirty where the fewest corns for one as persons are wrought upon by the Word and Spirit some in and after hearing are made as much more spiritual in their thoughts meditations desires than others And yet there are some that herein very much exceed them yet all that are regenerate bear fruit Act. 20.32 of the same kind and nature with the seed sown fruits of Grace resembling the Spirit of Grace gracious thoughts desires purposes resolutions spiritual meditations holy affections gracious words and discourse the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 Love joy peace long suffering gentleness goodness faith Conformity to Christ which are fruits unto holiness Rom. 6.22 Good works works of Piety Religious acts works of honesty righteous dealings works of mercy and charity In a word all the fruits of righteousness Phil. 1.11 The Word works a wonderful change 1. In their hearts 2. In their lives and conversations coming up like Isaac's seed Gen. 26.12 in some an hundred fold Whereas the
Adam being made partakers of the Divine Nature and receiving of the Lord Christs fulness Grace for grace In Regeneration the principles and seeds of grace in Sanctification gracious dispositions and habits are infus'd and wrought He is a sinner that wanting original rectitude hath corruption of nature in lieu of it Evil dispositions inclining him instead of fearing serving and glorifying God as God to cast off the fear of God to sin against and dishonour him and instead of loving his neighbour as himself his righteous neighbour best with such a love to hate others as his enemies so he becomes more like a beast than a man and the godly most of all So he is more like a child of the Devil than a child of God So he is righteous who being created over again hath such habitual grace and good dispositions wrought in him as incline and facilitate him to serve the Lord 1. In Holiness 2. In righteousness Luk. 1.75 both in acts of piety towards God and Justice towards man and fill him with love to God and all that bear his image and to all that have as Bucer spake any thing of Christ in them So 1 Pet. 4.18 the righteous are opposed to the ungodly and sinners unrighteous ones that have not the fear of God before their eyes not the love of God in their hearts nor grace to live and act justly and honestly towards themselves or others Rom 1.29 c. Hence 2. they love righteousness as their Lord Jesus did to whose Image they were predestinated to be conformed He being perfectly righteous did perfectly love righteousness and hate inquity they receiving of his fulness do it in their measure and degree which they manifest by a constant serious purpose and endeavour to follow after holiness and righteousness exercising themselves herein to keep a conscience void of offence towards God and man and to depart from iniquity Though through remainders of corruption they may sometimes omit some duties or fail in the performance of them or be overcome and fall into the commission of some sins yet as to the constant frame of their hearts they love righteousness and as to their course 3. They do righteousness and do no iniquity Sinners being void of all grace filled with all unrighteousness commit sin work and do mischief are workers of iniquity Mat. 25. Sin-makers by the Trade they drive you may know their calling They do nothing else but sin and manifest themselves to be ungodly unrighteous by their ungodly and unjust practices By their actings they shew themselves to be men not only of loose and licentious but flagitious lives living in gross open and scandalous sins They sin like the Devil who from the first never ceased to sin was a lyar a murtherer from the beginning is and will be so 1 Joh. 1.6 c. 3.4.6.8 Es 59.6 So 1 Joh. 1.7 c. 2.29 c. 3.6 9 10. They are righteous that work righteousness making it the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the main business and employment of their lives 4. They that are righteous by acceptation in the Lords though not the Laws account i. e. though they are not legally absolutely and most compleatly righteous so as they might challenge from God and by the Law justification and life upon account of personal and perfect obedience yet are righteous Evangelically in a Gospel sense yea through the Lords gracious acceptation in Gods own account God accepts them that are truly and really righteous though they be not absolutely perfect and dignifies them with that title of honour upon account of their uprightness and sincerity which is a Jewel in the Lords eye yea all in all in his account so were Abel Noah Zachariah and Elizabeth righteous before God whereas Hypocrites are only seemingly righteous and that before men in appearance outward shew and profession Righteousness usually is defined to be a constant and perpetual desire purpose and will to give unto every one his own Observe wherein Noahs Righteousness lay when he was the only righteous person in the age wherein he lived and you 'l see what that righteousness is which God approves and accepts through Christ and the New Covenant 1. He gave to God his own that faith fear love obedience that internal and external worship which was due unto him when Gen. 6.12 All flesh had corrupted their way i. e. in worshipping God and turn'd Idolaters as the Hebrew phrase oft intends Exod. 32.7 Deut. 32.5 he knew 't was just the great the good God His God should be served in the first place most and best served by him always according to his own will 2. He gave unto others their due when Gen. 6.18 the earth was filled with violence i. e. Injustice cousenage and oppression He took what care he could for the good the preservation and Salvation of others especially of his Family as well as of himself 3. He was perfect i. e. upright amongst a world of hypocrites his heart right with God and he was righteous before him what he did for God or others he did all as under Gods eye as in his presence Gen 6.9 4. He was righteous in his faithful discharge of duty in that office and station which God set him in as a Master of a Family a Father a Preacher of Righteousness Gen. 6.22 'T is rare but the most amiable sight to see persons Mat. 3 1◠fulfilling all righteousness in their particular callings John had need as he said to be baptized of Christ but Christ had not entred on his office John had and his office was to baptize so Christ saith Suffer it now it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness 2. As to their preferment Note 2 ly The righteous shall be glorified being regenerate justified and sanctified they walk uprightly and work righteousness They shall be taken up and admitted into the Kingdom of their Father and shall dwell there Psal 15 1 2 And 1 There they shall shine They were darkness but God bespoke them out of it and they were made light in the Lord Eph. 5.8 as in the first so in their new Creation 2 Cor. 4 6. God said Let there be light and there was light Light immediately sprang up out of darkness into their understandings and they appeared as Luminaries in the World Phil. 2.15 and gave light to others Mat 5 15 16 but they do only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appear sometimes then they shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 always shine and shine bright Here their light is a little twinkling glimmering light as the light of here and there a Star at distance one from another in a pitchy dark night look wishly and you may see here and there a Saint in his Conversation holding forth the word of life but then being fixed as thick as they can stand one by another all together an innumerable company will shine bright in one Constellation giving out their light In heaven none but Saints are
second sort of hearers by hearkening to the Word get only some notional knowledg and understanding of it and are much affected with it they receive it with joy yet taking no root in the heart brings forth no fruit though it makes impression on their memories stays long there and on their affections yet this is all the fruit which is as good as none They can only talk how well they liked such a Minister such sentences Expositions Expressions of his yet with the same breath they will speak as evil of other Ministers as well of them they receive it into their ears and memories not into their judgments into their affections not their hearrs The affections of many are much wrought upon when their wills are not else they would not run as some do from one to many seeking scratch for the Itch in their ears novelties to please their fancies but would stay most where they might profit The third sort go farther they receive the Word though not in the love of it and let it abide till it spring up in the blade in a fair profession such a liking they have of it yet there 's no corn in the ear no change in the judgment heart or conversation for the cares of the world distracting cares about worldly concerns in prosperity and the deceitfulness of deceitful riches lying vanities choak the Word when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the Word by and by are they offended and let the Word go rather than any part of their Estate especially if they espy any likelihood of gain that may accrew unto themselves thereby But new-born babes must not be forgotten 3. Are you born of God partakers of the Divine Nature then 1. Do you lay up casting up all prejudice i. e. by friendly communications acquaint your nursing Fathers how corrupt you were wherewith all carnal unregenerate persons are clogged and do abound viz. all malice guile hypocrisies envies evil speakings Do you desire the milk of the word that ye may grow thereby Where spiritual life is there will be spiritual longings for spiritual food for the preservation and nourishment of it for augmentation in each part not only in the head with notions as in children which have the Rickets such are weak in their hands and feet can't act or go one stroke heavenward Do you rellish most such particular subjects concerning Grace Christ God in Christ as your hearts were at first most wrought upon by you 'l think you can never hear enough of these Truths by which you had a taste how gracious the Lord is Sincere milk of the Word that is not adulterated with humane inventions pure Gospel is spiritual may not I say Angelical food they long bow down that with their eyes fixed upon the Propitiatory on Christ they may look into the Gospel which the Holy Ghost sends down from heaven See more of Christ and the grace of God and get a sip whereby they may be fed with light in their love admirations and praises of God blessed for ever The child of God can no more digest some mens quaint Orations others sublime Discourses than Austin could Tullies works where he found not the name of Jesus The end he proposes to himself in hearing is that he may grow in grace the knowledg of Christ conformity to him spiritual and heavenly-mindedness in likeness to God holiness in all manner of conversation 1 Pet. 1.14 15 16. in abstaining from fleshly lusts and having his conversation honest amongst others that God may be glorified Consider 1 Pet. 1.4 5 6 7. 2. Do you grow by the Word But your growth being gradual and discernable rather by others than your selves resolve this question 3. Can you clear your Regeneration to your own souls by your living a new life and conversation a new life in holiness which is called the life of God argues a new a Divine nature he is born of God that is a new man created after God after his Image and likeness in righteousness and holiness of truth compare your selves with Rom. 6.4 Eph. 4 th 5 th Chapters And Col. 3. newness of life and conversation is the best evidence of Regeneration Ye did live like men according to the course of the world in the age you live in according to the Devil in disobedience the lusts of the flesh and carnal mind the fulfilling your manifold wills and pleasures do ye now live and walk like the children of God i. e. in an holy awe of God serving him with filial reverence and out of love in ways well pleasing to him Is your fear more to displease God than man your care to please him rather than your selves or others you lived a careless secure carnal life do you live a strict a spiritual life now Ye were worldly are you heavenly-minded and your thoughts and affections set on the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things of everlasting concernments to your precious immortal souls Ye lived in the commission of such sins the omission or careless performance of such and such duties your hearts tell you what Ministers cannot therefore speak to you only in Generals do you find through grace now ye dare not do not at least will not do it Believe it a change in the heart is best discerned by a reformation in the life mens living another life than they did whilst in a state of sin nature and unregeneracy both as to their leaving known sins and living in the practise of known duties 2. Are ye righteous through reputation after ye were wrought off from a course in sin to a constant course in duty were ye brought off from resting on your own righteousness in careful abstaining from sin performance of duty to relye wholly on Christ and his righteousness for Justification All the children of God sooner or later are brought over not only from sin to duty but also from self and self-righteousness to Christ by faith united to and ingrafted into him They see their best services are impure imperfect they need Christ and his righteousness so desire Phil. 3.9 They are brought to this at last though it may be long first faith in Christ the seed of it may be wrought in regeneration long before the perceptible acting and exercise of that grace and if you will call it so the younger Twin Repentance towards God gets the start for when man has been throughly convinced he has by sin deserved hell poor creature 't is natural for him so to do he seeks by a righteousness of his own to climb up to heaven We should do duty as if we were to get to heaven by it but trust no more to it than if we were to go to hell for it for failings I mean in the performance of it Do ye know believe ye were made sinners guilty liable to eternal death upon the special verdict of the Blessed Trinity on that righteous sentence of the Law the Covenant of Works Gen. 2.15
by the disobedience of the first Adam and that ye can never be acquitted therefrom but through the obedience of Christ the second Adam by your believing on him and his righteousness have you had the sense of that sin that guilt lying up on you as much as the guilt of the want of original righteousness corruption of nature of actual sins of omission and commission have you had a sight of your need of Christ of his perfect righteousness so as to apprehend it as that wherewith alone God is and can be well pleased and satisfied and as that which is only sufficient to justifie you in his sight Have you by faith applied and appropriated this righteousness to your selves and so trusted i. e. hoped in Christ after ye heard this word of Truth Ephes 1.7 This Gospel of your Salvation Ephes 1.12 13. Do you lay the weight of all your confidence all your hopes for Salvation on this corner-stone Christ God-man on whom the Church is built The more after Regeneration ye abstain from sin perform duty the more will you see sin in your natures lives and the guilt of commissions and omissions carelesness in the performance if not neglects of duty you 'l have less sin but more light and so not have but see more sin in and by your selves and the more your sin unrighteousness and the impurity and imperfection of your own righteousness the righteousness of Christ the perfection of it are discovered to you the more will ye go on from faith to faith and live by it Rom 16.17 3. Are you righteous inchoatively i. e. in part some measure and degree purified and sanctified by the Word and through the Sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience 1. Have you righteousness inherent gracious dispositions and habitual grace the graces of the Spirit infused into and wrought in you By these is the new nature clearly evidenced The blessed God having created a new man will not leave off his work till he hath made him a real and conspicuous Saint do you find as a corrupt nature remainders of indwelling sin by evil dispositions inclining you to that which is evil so a sanctified nature by gracious dispositions inclining byassing you to that which is holy just and good Do those dispositions the blessed Spirit moving you to frequent exercise become habitual Rom. 4.5 6. 7.14 to the end In the unregenerate and unsanctified ones there are nothing but evil dispositions which the Devil helping on grow up into evil habits and strongly incline them to that which is evil to love it and to do it In the sanctified though there be corruption yet there is grace though there be remainders even of hypocrisie yet there is truth of grace and many gracious dispositions infused by the Spirit which by his mighty co-operation with the Word grow into habits strongly set them against all evil make them hate and abhor it and byass them unto that which is good making them to love it Rom. 7.19 they would do that good which they do not and would not do that evil which they do whereas a sinner a wicked man that good that he doth he would not do that evil which he doth he would do and he doth it in despight of God and man and his own conscience very freely very willingly indeed with all his heart Therefore 2. Doth grace in your heart frequently shew it self 1. By your hatred of sin of every false way that appears to you by the light of the Word and Spirit so to be And 2. by your love to holiness and righteousness and an universal respect to all Gods commands is the firm and full resolution of your souls and your daily endeavour to bring your hearts and lives into as near a conformity to the mind and will of God as possibly ye can Though ye too oft fail in the doing of it is it the desire of your hearts and your endeavour to be as good holy righteous as God would have you to be weaker Christians seeing many failings in their duties much sin in their hearts little good done in their lives conclude they are not regenerate they should discern and bewail that they are sanctified but in part and pray and strive that they may be wholly Had they not been regenerate they could not have seen that sin which they see nor have done duty and had they not been sanctified they could not have so hated sin which they see and so loved righteousness as to be much troubled that they do so much of the one so little of the other 3. That ye may know whether you have not only gracious dispositions but habits the graces of the Spirit in you Chiefly have an eye to your work business and employment in the world True Paul did not some good that he would did do some sin that he would not yet he did abstain from much evil do much good Who so much as he the weakest poorest Saint does some good that is not only his profession but his trade his calling Ye cannot but know what work you have been doing and done since you came into the world What good have ye done in your places and generations Joh. 5.28 29. they that should have minded things of concernment did many frivolous things or actions that should be done but not aright according to Gods appointment and many mischievous acts shall arise to condemnation and they which have done many and many a good act and deed good for their kind and the manner of their doing of them from good principles and for right ends shall arise to the Resurrection of life a life in glory remember as much as ye can of your good actions Try them by the Touchstone do you think they will abide the trial another day at the day of judgment Oh that there were a heart in all of you to do all that has been desired in the sight of God! then I am sure you will 4. Above all try whether you have in all been upright and sincere and righteous before God Do you give God his due and to men theirs and do both as under the eye in the sight of God The Formalist gives God part not his whole due his body not his soul his cap and knee but not his heart he regards not God and God regards not him The meer Moralist will give man his due he either respects or fears him but will not give God his he gives to God very little if any at all he cares but little for God and God as little for him The hypocrite pretends to give both God and man their due carries it so as if he would have others think he doth it but God sees him sees he doth all to be seen of men nothing as in the sight of God he hath his reward Only the truly righteous gives as well as he can both God and man their due and doth both as in the sight of God his
loved us he was pleased to make us vessels of grace and mercy when he might have made us vessels of wrath That ever the Lord should have thoughts of mercy on such sinful creatures such vile wretches worse than worms or Toads They have poyson in them but no enmity against God Oh that God should give his Christ for us to us and faith in Christ both work it and preserve it in us Yea he was one that lived by faith and he is gone to receive the end of it the salvation of his soul 3 ly He was no Solifidian but being sanctified in part truly righteous 1. Having infused habits of grace and righteousness in him light and love faith and hope inclining him to walk in new obedience and worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing 1. Knowledg without which the heart is not good he knew the grace of God in truth and through grace had treasured up a large stock of saving solid practical experimental knowledg which furnished him with great abilities not only to convince gain-sayers which crept in as new lights of their broaching old errors but wherein he did most delight to give knowledg and discretion to weaker Christians and to illuminate and instruct the righteous Many able Ministers loved to sit at his feet for they received by one Sermon of his those instructions which they could not get by many Books or Sermons of others His heat and zeal for the honour of God and the good of souls was proportioned to his light he was as much a burning as a shining light 2 ly As for his sparkling love he had bowels of compassion for sinners to snatch them out of the flames and for Saints to direct them into the love of Christ of holiness and righteousness I need not speak unto you of his Preaching How oft went he to children of light walking in darkness to cheer and revive them with cordials wherewith the Lord had usually refreshed him This great Physician of souls had great practice and was rarely found out of his study where he was commonly immured five days in the week twelve hours each of those days I will not say as some to make one Sermon I know he had other work there unless gone to visit and relieve his Patients 3. For his Hope he might appeal to God and say with David Lord I have hoped for thy salvation the great and glorious the promised rewards eternal life and glory and so have done thy commandment as the righteous have he had hopes in his death 'T was his longing desire and his hopes were that he should shortly be in that sinless estate in Heaven where there is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the perfection of grace and holiness Hypocrites fancying something they know not what of the glory and happiness of that place I believe sometimes have desires to go to Heaven when they die and hopes they shall go thinking themselves too good for hell and better than many others but sure they would reach and pursue more after holiness and perfection were their desires after and hopes for Heaven real and sincere but as to Mr. Charnock these gracious dispositions inclin'd him 1 ly To love righteousness to cherish countenance and encourage holiness and to hate iniquity to reprove sin where he found it thouâ—h in his dearest friends imitating his Father in Heaven who is not only an all seeing God that espies sin where ever it is but so holy pure and perfect that he hates sin where ever he finds it yet his reproofs never brake the head but heal'd the heart went down smoothly like precious oyl being compounded of such ingredients much Christian meekness prudence compassion love as well as zeal Yea 2. Grace in the heart set his hands at work the work of righteousness made him only mind that work and so much abound in it Should you bring me many eminent Saints choice Ministers yet I believe I may say without adulation Mr. Charnock did labour more than them all I am sure though I do not particularize them his works will be had in remembrance and praise him in the gates So I question not but the Lord did accept him 3 ly As Righteous in his own eye though I say it may be you observed some failings in him That which I wishly looked for and am perswaded I found in him for so far as 't is in man to judg it seemed to me the most sparkling Jewel in the Crown of Glory which he wore upon his head was sincerity he would give God his own himself soul and body a living and an acceptable sacrifice his whole heart his life which he spent in the service of God and of the faith of his people I remember if I mistake not something he reply'd to one that told him If he studied so much 't would cost him his life to this effect Why it cost Christ his life to redeem and save me His time which he husbanded best to that end his Talents Parts Gifts and Graces He was careful to watch over his heart that he knew too well to trust and against spiritual pride 'T was apparent he had frequently been with God in the Mount especially at Sacramâ—nt-seasons when Christ is as it were transfigured lively crucified before his people and looks with a most amiable countenance white and ruddy his face then and after his conversation shone in holâ—nâ—ss yet such was his humility he himself took no notice of it though others did observe it with admiration he would adhere to Christ observe his Ordinances according to his prescription And his main care was always to worship God in spirit and in truth 2 ly As to himself he watched and kept his garments as he kept himself unspotted from the world 3 ly He gave others their due one instance whereof he was a Preacher of Righteousness He or rather Christ in him by the blessed Spirit preached in season and out of season sometimes to such as would not be perswaded But 4 ly Especially to his Flock whether many others came flocking like Doves unto the windows that he might better fulfill this righteousness of his Office He did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which as Plato affirms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or rather as the Apostle exhorts he did study to be quiet and to mind and do his own business and all his care was to work out the salvation of himself and of his people Indeed not long after he had received light himself when the Lord by his blessing on his endeavours had qualified him for it such such was his love he gave forth light unto others inviting them and saying Come and see Jesus 1. In Southwark where seven or eight in that little time Providence continued him there owned their conversion under God to his Ministry and were the seal and Letters Testimonial thereof Then in the University of Oxford and adjacent parts After in Dublin where it might be said of