all Men are fallen from God and Holiness and Happiness unto Self and Sin and Misery you know that you are so far redeemed by Christ you know as to have a pardoning and saving Covenant tendered you and Christ and Mercy offered to your choice But whether you are truly penitent Believers and renewed by the Holy Ghost and so united unto Christ this is the Question yet unresolved this is the Work that is yet to do without which there is no Salvation and if thou die before it is done wo to thee that ever thou wast a Man Except a Man be Regenerate by the Spirit and Converted and made a New Creature and of Carâ—al be made Spiritual and of Earthly be made Heavenly and of Selfish and Sinful be made Holy and Obedient to God he can never be saved no more than the Devil himself can be saved And if this be so as nothing is more sure I require thee now who readest these words as thou regardest thy Salvation as thou wouldest escape Hell Fire and stand with Comfort before Christ and his Angels at the last that thou soberly consider whether Reason command thee not to try thy State whether thou art thus renewed by the Spirit of Christ or not And to call for help to those that can advise thee and follow on the search till thou know thy Case And if thy Soul be a stranger to this sanctifying Work whether Reason command thee not without any delay to make out to Christ and beg his Spirit and cast away thy Sins and give up thy self entirely to thy God thy Saviour and Sanctifier and enter into his Covenant with a full Resolution never to forsake him to deny thy self and the desires of the Flesh and this deceitful transitory World and lay out all thy hopes on Heaven and speedily whatever it cost thee to make sure of the Felicity which hath no end And darest thou refuse this when God and Conscience do command it And further I advise you X. Understand how it is that Satan hindreth Souls from being sanctified That you may know how much to resist his Wiles Some he deceiveth by malicious Suggestions that Holiness is nothing but Fancy or Hypocrisie And if God and Death and Heaven and Hell were Fancies this might be believed Some he debaucheth by the power of fleshly Appetite and Lust so that their Sins will not let their Reason speak Some he keepeth in utter Ignorance by the evil Education of ignorant Parents and the negligence of ungodly Soul-murdering Teachers some he deceiveth by worldly Hopes and keepeth their Minds so taken up with worldly Things that the Matters of Eternity can have but some loose and uneffectual Thoughts or as bad as none Some are entangled in ill Company who make a scorn of a holy Life and seed them with continual Diversions and vain Delights And some are so hardened in their Sin that they are even past feeling and neither fear God's Wrath nor care for their Salvation but hear these things as Men asleep and nothing will awake them Some are discouraged with a conceit that Godliness is a Life so grievous sad and melancholy that rather than endure it they will venture their Souls come on it what will as if it were a grievous Life to love God and hope for endless Joys and a pleasant Life to love the World and Sin and live within a step of Hell Some that are convinced do put off their Coversion with Delays and think it's time enough hereafter and are purposing and promising till it be too late and Life and Time and Hope be ended And some that see there is is a necessity of Holiness are cheated by some dead Opinion or Names or Shews and Images of Holiness either because they hold a strict Opinion or because they joyn with a Religious Party or because they are of that which they think is the true Church or because they are baptized with Water and observe the outward parts of Worship and perhaps because they offer God a great deal of Lip-Service and Lifeless Ceremony which never savoured of a Holy Soul Thus Deadness Sensuality Worldliness and Hypocrisie do hinder Millions from Sanctification and Salvation XI If ever thou wouldest be saved oppress not Reason by Sensuality or Diversions But sometimes retire for sober Consideration distracted and sleepy Reason is unuseful God and Conscience have a great deal to say to thee which in a crowd of Company and Business thou art not fit to hear It is a dolesul case that a Man who hath a God a Christ a Soul a Heaven a Hell to think of will allow them none but running Thoughts and not once in a Week bestow one Hour in Man-like serious Consideration of them sure thou hast no greater things to mind Resolve then sometimes to spend half an hour in the deepest thoughts of thy everlasting State XII Look upon this World and all its Pleasures as a Man of Reason who foreseeth the end and not as a Beast that liveth but by Sense or present Objects Do I need to to tell thee Man that thou must die Cannot Carcases and Dust instruct thee to see the end of Earthly Glory and all the Pleasures of the Flesh Is it a Controversie whether thy Flesh must shortly perish and wilt thou yet provide for it before thy Soul What a sad farewel must thou shortly take of all that Worldlings sell their Souls for And O how quickly will this be Alass Man the Day is even at hand a few days more and thou art gone and darest thou live unready and part with Heaven for such a World as this XIII And then think soberly of the Life to come What it is for a Soul to appear before the living God and be judged to endless Joy or Misery If the Devil tempt thee to doubt of such a Life remember that Nature and Scripture and the Worlds Consent and his own Temptations are Witnesses against him O Man canst thou pass one day in Company or alone in Business or in Idleness without some sober Thoughts of Everlastingness Nothing more sheweth that the Hearts of Men are asleep or dead than that the Thoughts of endless Joy or Pain so near at hand constrain them not to be Holy and overcome not all the Temptations of the Flesh as Toys and inconsiderable Things XIV Mark well what Mind most Men are of when they come to die Unless it be some desperate forsaken Wretch do they not all speak well of a Holy Life and wish that their Lives had been spent in the most fervent Love of God and strictest Obedience to his Laws Do they then speak well of Lust and Pleasures and magnifie the Wealth and Honours of the World Had they not rather die as the most mortified Saints then as careless fleshly worldly Sinners And dost thou see and know this and yet wilt thou not be instructed and be
resolute in performing them Know all the Sins of the Tongue that you may avoid them for your Innocency and Peace do much depend on the prudent Government of your Tongues X. Govern your Thoughts with constant skilful Diligence In this right Habits and Affections will do most by inclining them unto Good It 's easy to think on that which we love Be not unfurnished of matter for your Thoughts to work upon And often retire your selves for serious Meditation Be not so solitary and deep in Musings as to over-stretch your Thoughts and confound your Minds or take you off from necessary converse with others But be sure that you be Considerate and dwell much at Home and converse most with your Consciences and your God! with whom you have the greatest Business Leave not your thoughts unimployed or ungoverned Scatter them not abroad upon impertinent Vanities O that you knew what daily business you have for them Most men are wicked deceived and undone because they are inconsiderate and dare not or will not retiredly and soberly use their Reason or use it but as a slave in Chains in the service of their Passion Lust and Interest He was never Wise or Good or Happy who was not soberly and impartially Considerate How to be Good to do Good and finally enjoy Good must be the sum of all your Thoughts Keep them first holy then charitable clean and chaste And quickly check them when they look towards sin XI Let Time be exceeding Precious in your Eyes and carefully and diligently redeem it What haste doth it make and how quickly will it be gone and then how highly will it be valued when a Minute of it can never be recalled O what important Business have we for every Moment of our Time if we should live a thousand Years Take not that Man to be well in his Wits or to know his God his End his Work or his Danger who hath Time to spare Redeem it not only from needless Sports and Plays and Idleness and Curiosity and Complement and excess of Sleep and Chat and Worldliness but also from the Entanglements of lesser Good which would hinder you from greater Spend time as Men that are ready to pass into another World where every Minute must be accounted for and it must go with us for ever as we lived here let not Health deceive you into the expectation of living long and so into a sensless Negligence See your Glass running and keep a reckoning of the expence of Time and spend it just as you would review it when it is gone XII Let the Love of all in their several Capacities become as it were your very Nature and doing them all the Good you can be very much of the Business of your Lives God must be loved in all his Creatures his natural Image on all Men and his spiritual Image on his Saints Our Neighbour must be loved as our natural selves That is our natural Neighbour as our natural Self with a Love of benevolence and our spiritual Neighbour as our spiritual Self with a Love of Complacence In opposition to Complacence we may hate our sinful Neighbour as we must our selves much more But in opposition to Benevolence we must neither hate our Selves our Neighbour or our Enemy O that Men knew how much of Christianity doth consist in Love and doing Good With what Eyes do they read the Gospel who see not this in every Page Abhor all that Selfishness Pride and Passion which are the Enemies of Love and those Opinions and Factions and Censurings and Back-biting which would destroy it Take him that speaketh Evil of another to you without a just cause and call to be Satan's Messenger intreating you to hate your Brother or to abate your Love For to perswade you that a Man is bad is directly to perswade you so far to hate him Not that the good and bad must be confounded but Love will call none bad without constraining evidence Rebuke Back biters Hurt no Man and speak evil of no Man unless it be not only just but necessarily to some greater Good Love is lovely They that Love shall be Beloved Hating and hurting makes Men hateful Love thy Neighbour as thy self and Do as thou wouldst be done by are the Golden Rules of our Duty to Men which must be deeply written on your Hearts For want of this there is nothing so false so bad so cruel which you may not be drawn to think or say or do against your Brethren Selfishness and want of Love do as naturally tend to Ambition and Covetousness and thence to Cruelty against all that 〈◊〉 in the Way of their Desires as the nature of a 〈◊〉 to kill the Lambs All Factions and Contentions and Persecutions in the World proceed from Selfishness and want of Charity Devouring Malice is the Devilish Nature Be as zealous in doing gòod to all as Satan's Servants are in hurting Take it as the use of all your Talents and use them as you would hear of it at last Let it be your Business and not a matter on the by Especially for publick Good and Mens Salvation And what you cannot do your selves perswade other to Give them good Books and draw them to the means which are most like to profit them XIII Understand the right Terms of Church-Communion especially the Unity of the Universal Church and the Universal Communion which you must hold with all the parts and the difference between the Church as Visible and Invisible For want of these how woful are our divisions Read oft 1 Cor. 12. Eph. 4. 1. to 17. Job 17. 21 22 23. Act. 4. 32. 2. 42. 1 Cor. 1. 10 11 13. 3. 3. Rom. 16. 17. Phil. 2. 1 2 3 4. 1 Thes 5. 12 13. Act. 20. 30. 1 Cor. 11. 19. Titus 3. 10. James 3. Col. 1. 4. Heb. 10. 25. Acts 8. 12 13 37. 1 Cor. 1. 2 13. 3. 3 4. 11. 18 21. Study these well You must have Union and Communion in Faith and Love with all the Christians in the World And refuse not local Communion when you have a just call so far as they put you not on sinning Let your usual meeting be with the purest Church if you lawfully may and still respect the publick Good But sometimes occasionally communicate even with defective faulty Churches so be it they are true Christians and put you not on Sin that so you may shew that you own them as Christians though you disown their Corruptions Think not your presence maketh all the Faults of Ministry Worship or People to be yours for then I would join with no Church in the World Know that as the mystical Church consisteth of Heart-Covenanters so doth the Church as Visible consist of Verbal-Covenanters which make a credible profession of Consent And that Nature and Scripture teacheth us to take every Man's word as Credible till Perfidiousness forfeit his Credit which forfeiture must be proved before any
cannot be subject to his Law This Corruption is hereditary and is become as it were a Nature to us being the mortal Malady of all our Natures And it is easie to know that such an unholy wicked Nature must needs be loathsome to God and unfit for the happy enjoyment of his Love either here or in the Life to come For what Communion hath Light with Darkness VI. Hence then it is easie to see what Grace is needful to a Man's Salvation So odious a Creature such an unthankful Rebel that is turned away from God and set against him and defiled with all this filth of Sin must needs be both Renewed and Reconciled Sanctified and Pardoned if ever he will be saved To love God and be beloved by him and to be delighted herein in the sight of his Glory is the Heaven and Happiness of Souls and all this is contrary to an unholy State Till Men have new and holy Hearts they can neither see God nor love him nor delight in him nor take him for their chief Content for the Flesh and World have their delight and Love And till Sin be pardoned and God reconciled to the Soul what Joy or Peace can it expect from him whose Nature and Justice engageth him to loath and punish it VII And Experience will tell you how insufficient you are for either of these two Works your selves to renew your Souls or to reconcile them unto God Will a Nature that is Carnal resist and overcome the Flesh and abhor the Sin which it most dearly loveth Will a Worldly Mind overcome the World When Custom hath rooted your natural Corruptions are they easily rooted up O how great and hard a Work is it to cause a blind unbelieving Sinner to set his Heart on another World and lay up all his Hopes in Heaven and to cast off all the things he seeth for that God and Glory which he never saw And for a hardned worldly fleshly heart to become Wise and Tender and Holy and Heavenly and abhor the Sin which it most fondly loveth And what can we do to satisfie Justice and reconcile such a rebel Soul to God VIII Nature and Experience having thus acquainted you with your Sin and Misery and what you want will further tell you that God doth not yet deal with you according to your deserts He giveth you Life and Time and Mercies when your Sins had forfeited all these He obligeth you to repent and turn unto him And therefore Experience telling you that there is some Hope and that God hath found out some way of shewing Mercy to the Children of Wrath Reason will command you to enquire of all that are fit to teach you what way of Remedy God hath made known And as you may soon discover that the Religion of Heathens and Mahometans is so far from shewing the true Remedy that they are part of the Disease it self So you may learn that a wonderful Person the Lord Jesus Christ hath undertaken the Office of being the Redeemer and Saviour of the World and that he who is the Eternal Word and Wisdom of the Father hath wonderfully appeared in the Nature of Man which he took from the Virgin Mary being conceived by the Holy Ghost and that we might have a Teacher sent from †Heaven infallably and easily to acquaint the World with the Will of God and the unseen things of Life Eternal How God bare Witness of his Truth by abundant open and uncontrouled Miracles How he conquered Satan and the World and gave us an Example of perfect Righteousness and underwent the Scorn and Cruelty of Sinners and suffered the Death of the Cross as a Sacrifice for our Sins to reconcile us unto God How he rose again the third day and conquered Death and lived forty days longer on Earth instructing his Apostles and giving them Commission to preach the Gospel to all the World and then ascended bodily into Heaven while they gazed after him How he is now in Heaven both God and Man in one Person the Teacher and King and High-Priest of his Church Of Him must we learn the way of Life by Him must we be ruled as the Physician of Souls All Power is given Him in Heaven and in Earth By his Sacrifice and Merits and Intercession must we be pardoned and accepted with the Father and only by him must we come to God He hath procured and established a Covenant of Grace which Baptism is the Seal of Even That God will in him be our God and reconciled Father and Christ will be our Saviour and the Holy Ghost will be our Sanctifier if we will unfeignedly consent that is if penitently and believingly we give up our selves to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost in those Resolutions This Covenant in the Tenor of it is a Deed of Gift of Christ and Pardon and Salvation to all the World â—f by the true Faith and Repentance they will turn to God And this shall be the Law according to which he will judge all that hear it at the last for he is made the judge of All and will raise all the dead and will justify his Saints and judge them unto endless Joy and Glory and condemn the Unbelievers impenitent and ungodly unto endless Misery The Soul alone is judged at Death and Body and Soul at the Resurrection This Gospel the Apostles preached to the World and that it might be effectual to Mens Salvation the Holy Ghost was first given to inspire the Preachers of it and enable them to speak in various Languages and infallibly to agree in One and to work many great and open Miracles to prove their Word to those they preached to And by this means they planted the Church which ordinary Ministers must increase and teach and oversee to the end of the World till all the Elect be gathered in And the same Holy Spirit hath undertaken it as his Work to accompany this Gospel and by it to convert Mens Souls illuminating and sanctifying them and by a secret Regeneration to renew their Natures and bring them to that Knowledge and Obedience and Love of God which is the Primitive Holiness for which we were created and from which we fell And thus by a Saviour and a Sanctifier must all be reconciled and renewed that will be glorified with God in Heaven All this you may learn from the Sacred Scriptures which were written by the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit and sealed by multitudes of open Miracles and contain the very Image and Superscription of God and have been received and preserved by the Church as the certain Oracles of God and blessed by him through all Generations to the sanctifying of many Souls IX When you understand all this it is time for you to look home and understand now what State your Souls are in That you were made capable of Holiness and Happiness you know that you and
wise in time XV. Think well what manner of Men these were whose Names are now honoured for their Holiness What manner of Life did St. Peter and St. Paul St. Cyprian St. Augustine and all other Saints and Martyrs live Was it a Life of fleshly Sports and Pleasures Did they deride or persecute a Holy Life Were they not more strictly Holy than any that thou knowest And is he not self-condemned that honoureth the Names of Saints and will not imitate them XVI Think what the difference is between a Christian and an Heathen You are loath to be Heathens or Infidels But do you think a Christian excelleth them but in Opinion He that is not Holier than they â—s worse and shall suffer more than they XVII Think what the difference is between a Godly Christian and an Ungodly Do not all the Opposers of Holiness among us yet speak for the same God and Christ and Scripture and profess the same Creed and Religion with those whom they oppose And is not this Christ the Author of our Holiness and this Scripture the Commander of it Search and see whether the difference be not this that the Godly are serious in their Profession and the Ungodly are Hypocrites who hate and oppose the practise of the very things which themselves profess whose Religion serveth but to condemn them while their Lives are contrary to their Tongues XVIII Understand what the Devil's Policy is by raising so many Sects and Factions and Controversies about Religion in the World Even to make some think that they are religious because they can prare for their Opinions or because they think their Party is the best because their Faction is the Greatest or the Least the Uppermost or the suffering Side And to turn holy edifying Conference into vain Jangling and to make Men Aâ—heists suspecting all Religion and true to none because of Mens diversity of Minds But remember that Christian Religion is but One and a thing easily known by its ancient Rule and the universal Church containing all Christians is but One. And if carnal Interest or Opinions so distract Men that one Party saith We are all the Church and another saith It is we as if the Kitchin were all the House oâ— one Town or Village all the Kingdom Wilt thou bâ—â— mad with seeing this Distraction Hearken Sinner all these Sects in the Day of Judgment shall concur 〈◊〉 Witnesses against thee if thou be Unholy because however else they differed all of them that are Christians professed the Necessity of Holiness and subscribed to that Scripture which requireth it Though thou canst not easily resolve every Controversie thou mayst easily know-the true Religion it is that which Christ and his Apostles taught which all Christians have professed which Scripture requireth which is first pure and then peaceable most Spiritual Heavenly Charitable and Just XIX Away from that Company which is sensual and an Enemy to Reason Sobriety and Holiness and consequently to God themselves and thee Can they be wise for thee that are foolish for themselves or Friends to thee that are undoing themselves or have any pity on thy Soul when they make a Jest of their own Damnation Will they help thee to Heaven who are running so furiously to Hell chuse better Familiars if thou wouldest be better XX. Judge not of a holy Life by hearsay for it cannot so be known Try it a while and then judge as thou findest it Speak not against the things thou knowest not Hadst thou but lived in the Love of God and the lively belief of endless Glory and the Delights of Holiness and the Fears of Hell but for one Month or Day and with such a Heart Hadst cast away thy sin and called upon God and ordered thy Family in 〈◊〉 holy manner especially on the Lord's Day I dare boldly say Experience would constrain thee to justifie a holy Life But yet I must tell thee it is not â—rue Holiness if thou do but try it with Exceptions and Reserves If therefore God hath convinced thee that this is his Will and Way I adjure thee as in his dreadful Presence that thou delay no longer but resolve and absolutely give up thy self to God as thy Heavenly Father thy Saviour and thy Sanctifier and â—ake an everlasting Covenant with him and then he and 〈◊〉 his Mercies will be thine his Grace will help thee â—nd his Mercy pardon thee his Ministers will instruct â—hee and his People pray for thee and assist thee his Angels will guard thee and his Spirit comfort thee and when Flesh must fail and thou must leave this World thy Saviour will then receive thy Soul and bring â—t into the participation of his Glory and he will raise â—hy Body and justifie thee before the World and make â—hee equal to the Angels and thou shalt live in the â—ight and Love of God and in the Everlasting Pleasures â—f his Glory This is the end of Faith and Holiness But 〈◊〉 thou harden thy Heart and refusest Mercy everlasting Wo will be thy portion and then there will be no remedy And now Reader I beg of thee and I beg of God on my bended knees that these few words may sink into thy Heart and that thou wouldest read them over and over again and bethink thee as a Man that must shortly die Whether any deserve thy Love and Obedience more than God and thy thankful Remembrance more then Christ and thy Care and Diligence more than thy salvation Is there any Felicity more desirable than Heaven or any Misery more terrible than Hell or any thing so regardable as that which is everlasting Will a few days fleshly Pleasures pay for the loss of heaven and thy immortal Soul or will thy Sin and thy Prosperity be sweet at Death and in the Day of Judgment As thou art a Man and as ever thou believest that there is a God and a World to come and as thou carest for thy Soul whether it be saved or damned I beseech thee I charge thee think of these things think of them once a day at least think of them with thy most sober serious Thoughts Heaven is not a May-game and Hell is not a Flea-biting Make not a jest of Salvation or Damnation I know thou livest in a Distracted world where thou mayest hear some laughing at such things as these and scorning at a Holy Life and fastning odious Reproaches on the Godly and merrily drinking and playing and prating away their Time and then saying that they will trust God with their Souls and hope to be saved without so much ado But if all these Men do not change their minds and be not shortly down in the Mouth and would not be glad to eat their Words and wished that they had lived a holy Life though it had cost them Scorn and Suffering in the World let me bear the shame of a Deceiver for ever But if God and thy
to all the adopted Sons of God to cause them with filial Affection and Dependance to cry Abba Father Know not desire not love not any Creature but purely as subordinate to God! Without him let it be nothing to you but as the Glass without the Face or scattered Letters without the Sense or as the Corps without the Soul Call nothing Prosperity or Pleasure but his Love and nothing Adversity or Misery but his Displeasure and the Cause and the Fruits of it When any thing would seem lovely and desirable which is against him call it Dung And hear that Man as Satan or the Serpent that would entice you from him and count him but Vanity a Worm and Dust that would affright you from your Duty to him Fear him much but love him more Let Love be the Soul and End of every other Duty It is the End and Reason of all the rest but it hath no End or Reason but its Object Think of no other Heaven and End and Happiness of Man but Love the final Act and God the final Object Place not your Religion in any thing but the Love of God with its Means and Fruits Own no Grief Desire or Joy but a mourning a seeking and a rejoycing Love V. Live in the belief and hopes of Heaven and seek it as your Part and End and daily delight your Souls in the sore-thoughts of the endless Sight and Love of God As God is seen on Earth but as in a Glass so is he proportionably enjoyed But when mourning seeking Love hath done and Sin and Enemies are overcome and we behold the Glory of God in Heaven the Delights of Love will then be perfect You may desire more on Earth than you may hope for Look not for a Kingdom of this World nor for Mount Zion in the Wilderness Christ reigneth on Earth as Moses in the Camp to guide us to the 〈◊〉 and of the Promise Our perfect Blessedness will be where the Kingdom is delivered up to the Father and God is All in All. A Doubt or a strange heartless thought of Heaven is Water cast on the sacred Fire to quench your Holiness and your Joy Can you travel one whole day to such an End and never think of the Place that you are going to which must be intended in every righteous Act either notedly or by the ready unobserved Act of a potent Habit. When Earth is at the best it will not be Heaven You live no further by Faith like Christians than you either live for Heaven in seeking it or else upon Heaven in Hope and Joy VI. Labour to make Religion your Pleasure and Delight Look oft to God to Heaven to Christ to the Spirit to the Promises to all your Mercies Call over your Experiences and think what matter of high Delight is still before you and how unseemly it is and how injurious to your Profession for one that saith he hopeth for Heaven to live as sadly as those that have no higher hopes than Earth How should that Man be filled with Joy who must live in the Joys of Heaven for ever Especially rejoyce when the Messengers of Death do tell you that your endless Joy is near If God and Heaven with all our Mercies in the way be not reason enough for a joyful Life there can be none at all Abhor all Suggestions which would make Religion seem a tedious irksome Life And take heed that you represent it not so to others for you will never make them in love with that which you make theâ— not perceive to be delectable and lovely Not as the Hypocrite by forcing and framing his Religion to his carnal Mind and Pleasure but bringing up the Heart to a holy suitableness to the Pleasures of Religion VII Watch as for your Souls against this flattering tempting World especially when it is represented as more sweet and delectable than God and Holiness and Heaven This World with its Pleasures Wealth and Honours is it that is put in the Ballance by Satan against God and Holiness and Heaven And no Man shall have better than he chooseth and preferreth The Bait taketh advantage of the brutish part when Reason is asleep and if by the help of Sense it get the Throne the Beast will ride and rule the Man and Reason become a slave to Sensuality When you hear the Serpent see his Sting and see Death attending the forbidden Fruit When you are rising look down and see how far you have to fall His Reason as well as Faith is weak who for such Fools-gawds as the Pomp and Vanitles of this World can forget God and his Soul and Death and Judgment Heaven and Hell yea and deliberately command them to stand by What Knowledge or Experience can do good on that Man who will venture so much for such a World which all that have tried it call vanity at the last How deplorable then is a Worldâ—ings case Oh fear the World when it smileth or seems sweet and amiable Love it not if you love your God and your Salvation VIII Fly from Temptations and crucify the Flesh and keep a constant Government over your Appetite and Seâ—â—â—es Many who had no designed stated Vice or worldly Interest have shamefully fallen by the sudden surprize of Appetite or Lust When custom hath taught these to be greedy and violent like a hungry Dog or a lusting Bâ—ar it is not a sluggish Wish or Purpose that will mortify or rule them How dangerous a case is that Man in who hath so greedy a Beast continually to restrain that if he do but neglect his Watch one Hour is ready to run him headlong into Hell Who can be safe that standeth long on so terrible a precipice The Tears and Sorrows of many Years may perhaps not repair the loss which one Hour or Act may bring The â—ase of David and many others are dreadful Warnings Know what it is that you are most in Danger of whether Lust and Idleness or Excess in Meats or Drinks or Play and there set your strongest Watch for your Preservation Make it your daily Business to mortify that â—ust and scorn that your brutish Sense or Appetite should conquer Reason Yet trust not purposes alone but away from the Temptation Touch not yea look not on the tempting Bait keep far enough off if you â—esire to be safe What Miseries come from small beginnings Temptation leads to Sin and small Sins to greater and those to Hell And Sin and Hell are not to be played with Open your Sin or Temptation to some Friend that shame may save you from Danger IX Keep up a constant skilful Government over your Passions and your Tongues To this end keep a tender Conscience which will smart when in any of these you sin Let Holy Passions be well ordered and selfish carnal Passions be restrained Let your Tongues know their Duties to God and Man and labour to be skilful and
sober Profession can be taken for an insufficient title Grudge not then at the Communion of any Professed Christian in the Church Visible though we must do our part to cast out the obstinately impenitent by Discipline which if we cannot do the Fault is not ours The presence of Hypocrites is no hurt but oft a Mercy to the Sincere How small else would the Church seem in the World Outward Privileges belong to Outward Covenanters and Inward Mercies to the Sincere Division is wounding and tends to Death Abhor it as you love the Churches welfare or your own The Wisdom from above is first pure and then peaceable Never separate what God conjoineth It is the Earthly sensual devilish Wisdom which causeth bitter envying and strife and confusion and every evil Work Blessed are the Peace-makers XIV Take heed of Pride and Self-conceitedness in Religion If once you over-value your own understandings your crude Conceptions and gross Mistakes will delight you as some supernatural light And instead of having compassion on the Weak you will be unruly and despisers of your Guides and censorious contemners of all that differ from you and persecutors of them if you have Power and will think all intolerable that take you not as Oracles and your words as Law Forget not that the Church hath always suffered by censorious unruly Professors on the one Hand and O what Divisions and Scandals have they caused as well as by the Prophane and Persecucutors on the other Take need of both And when Contentions are afoot be quiet and silent and not too forward and keep up a Zeal for Love and Peace XV. Be faithful and conscionable in all your Relations Honour and obey your Parents and other Superiors Despise not and resist not Government If you suffer unjustly by them be humbled for those Sins which cause God to turn your Protectors into Afflictors And instead of murmuring and rebelling against them reform your selves and then commit your selves to God Princes and Pastors I will not speak to Subjects and Servants and Children must obey their Superiors as the Officers of God XVI Keep up the Government of God in your Families Holy Families must be the chief preservers of the Interest of Religion in the World Let not the World turn God's Service into a customary lifeless Form Read the Scripture and edifying Books to them Talk with them seriously about the State of their Souls and everlasting Life Pray with them fervently Watch over them diligently Be angry against Sin and meek in your own cause Be Examples of Wisdom Holiness and Patience And see that the Lord's Day be spent in holy preparation for Eternity XVII Let your Callings be managed in Holiness and Laboriousness Live not in Idleness be not slothful in your Work whether you be Bound or Free in the sweat of your Brows you must eat your Bread and labour the six Days that you may have to give to him that needeth Slothfulness is Sensuality as well as filthier Sins The Body that is able must have fit Employments as well as the Soul or else Body and Soul will fare the worse but let all be but as the labour of a Traveller and aim at God and Heaven in all XVIII Deprive not your selves of the benefit of an able faithful Pastor to whom you may open your Case in secret or at least of a holy faithful Friend And be not displeased at their free Reproofs Wo to him that is alone How blind and partial are we in our own Causeâ— and how hard is it to know our selves without an able faithful Helper You forfeit this great Mercy when you love a Flatterer and angrily defend your Sin XIX Prepare for Sickness Sufferings and Death Overvalue not Prosperity nor the Favour of Man If selfish Men prove false and cruel to you even those of whom you have deserved best marvel not at it but pray for your Enemies Persecutors and Slanderers that God would turn their Hearts and pardon them What a Mercy is it to be driven from the World to God when the love of the World is the greatest danger of the Soul Be ready to die and you are ready for any thing Ask your Hearts seriously What is it that I shall need at a dying Hour And let it speedily be got ready and not be to seek in the time of your Extremity XX. Understand the true Method of Peace of Conscience and judge not of the State of your Souls upon deceitful Grounds As presumptuous Hopes do keep Men from Conversion and embolden them to sin so causless Fears do hinder our Love and Praise of God by obscuring his Loveliness And they destroy our Thankfulness and our Delight in God and make us a Burden to our selves and a grievous Stumbling block to others The general Grounds of all your Comfort are 1. The gracious Nature of God 2. The sufficiency of Christ And. 3. the Truth and Universality of the Promise which giveth Christ and Life to all if they will accept him But this Acceptance is the Proof of your particular Title without which these do but aggravate your Sin Consent to God's Covenant is the true Condition and Proof of your Title to God as your Father Saviour and Sanctifier and so to the saving Blessings of the Covenant Which Consent if you survive must produce the Duties which you consent to He that heartily consenteth that God be his God his Saviour and Sanctifier is in a state of Life But this includeth thâ—â— rejection of the VVorld Much Knowledge and Memory and Utterance and lively Affections are all very desirable But you must judge your state by none of these for they are all uncertain But 1. If God and Holiness and Heaven have the highest estimation of your practical Judgment as being esteemed best for you 2. And be preferred in the Choice and Resolution of your Wills and that habitually before all the Pleasures of the VVorld 3. And be first and chiefly sought in your Endeavours This is the infallible proof of your Sanctification Christian Upon long and serious study and experience I dare boldly commend these Directions to thee as the VVay of God which will end in Blessedness The Lord resolve and strengthen thee to obey them This is the true Constitution of Christianity This is true Godliness and this is to be Religious indeed And all this is no more than to be seriously such as all among us in general VVords profess to be This is the Religion which must difference you from Hypocrites which must settle you in Peace and make you an Honour to your Profession and a Blessing to those that dwell about you Happy is the Land the Church the Family which doth consist of such as these These are not they that either Persecute or Divide the Church or that make their Religion a servant to their Policy to their ambitious designs or fleshlâ— Lusts nor that make it
Death they shall be gloriâ—â—ed with him in Heaven for ever And the Unbelievers Impenitent and Ungodly shall go to everâ—â—sting Punishment And having commanded his Apostles to Preach the Gospel to all the World and promised his Spirit he ascended into Heaven Where he is the Glorified Head over all Things to the Church and our prevailing Intercessor with the Father who will there receive the departed Souls of thâ— Justified and at the end of this VVorld will come again and raise all the Dead and will Judge all according to their VVorks and justly execute his Judgment III. I believe that God the Holy Spirit was given 〈◊〉 the Father and the Son to the Prophets Apostles 〈◊〉 Evangelists to be their Infallible Guide in Preachâ—â—â— and Recording the Doctrine of Salvation and the Witness of its certain Truth by his manifold Divine Operations and to quicken illuminate and sanctifie all true Believers that they may overcome the Flesh thâ— VVorld and the Devil And all that are thus sanctified are one holy Catholick Church of Christ and mâ—â—â— live in holy Câ—mmunion and have the pardon 〈◊〉 their Sins and shall have everlasting Life Believing in God the Father Son and Holy Spirit do presently absolutely and resolved 〈◊〉 give up my self to him my Creator and reconciled God and Father my Saviour and Sanctifier And repenting of my Sins I renounce the Devil the World and the sinful desireâ— of the Flesh And denying my self and taking up mâ— Cross I consent to follow Christ the Captain 〈◊〉 my Salvation in hope of his promised Grace and Glory A Short CATECHISM for those that havâ—â— Learned the first Quest 1. WHat do you believe concerning GOD 1 Assent Answ There is one onely God aâ— Infinite Spirit of Life Understanding and Will mâ—â—â— perfectly Powerful Wise and Good The Father the Word and the Spirit The Creator Governour and end of all things Our Absolute Owner our most Just Ruler and our most Gracious and most Amiâ—ble Father Quest 2. What believe you of the Creation and the nature of Man and the Law which was given to him Answ God created all the World And made MAN in his own Image an imbodied Spirit of Life Understanding and Will with holy Liveliness Wisdom and Love to know and love and serve has Maker here and for ever and gave him the inferiour Creatures for his use But forbad him to eat of the Tree of Knowledge upon pain of Death Qu. What believe you of Man's fall into sin and misery Ans Man being tempted by Satan did by wilful sinning fall from his Holiness his Innocency and his Happiness under the Justice of God the condemnation of his Law and the slavery of the Flesh the World and the Devil whence sinful guilty and miserable Natures are propagated to all Mankind And no meer Creature is able to deliver us Quest 4. What believe you of Man's Redemption by Jesus Christ Answ God so loved the World that he gave his only Son to be their Saviour Who being GOD and One with the Father took our Nature and became MAN being conceived by the Holy Ghost Born of the Virgin Mary and called JESUS CHRIST who was perfectly holy without sin fulfilling all Righteousness and overcame the Devil and the World and gave himself a Sacrifice for our Sins by suffering a Cursed Death on the Cross to ransom us and reconcile us unto God and was buried and went among the Dead the third day he rose again having conquered Death and having sealed the New Covenant with his Blood he commanded his Apostles and other Ministers to Preach the Gospel to all the World and promised the Holy Ghost And then Ascended into Heaven where he is God and Man the Glorified Head over all things to his Church and our prevailing Intercessor with God the Father Quest 5. What is the New Testament or Covenant 〈◊〉 Law of Grace Answ God through Jesus Christ doth freely give to all Mankind himself to be their Reconciled God and Father his Son to be their Saviour and his Holy Spirit to be their Sanctifier if they will believe and accept the Gift and will give up themselves to him accordingly Repenting of their sins and consenting to forsake thâ— Devil the World and the Flesh and sincerely though not perfectly to obey Christ and his Spirit to the end according to the Law of Nature and his Gospel Institutions that they may be glorified in Heaven for ever Quest 6. What believe you of the Holy Ghost Answ God the Holy Spirit was given by the Father and the Son to the Prophets Apostles and Evangelists to be their Infallible Guide in Preaching and Recording the Doctrine of Salvation and the Witness of its certain Truth by his manifold Divine Operations And he is given to quicken illuminate and sanctifie all true Believers and to save them from the Devil the World and the Flesh Quest 7. What believe you of the Holy Catholick Church the Communion of Saints and the Forgiveness of Sins Answ All that truely consent to the Baptismal Covenant are one sanctified Church or Body of Christ and have Communion in the same Spirit of Faith and Love and have the forgiveness of all their sins and all that by Baptism visibly Covenant and that continue to profess Christianity and Holiness are the universal visible Church on Earth and must keep holy Communion with Love and Peace in the particular Churches in the Doctrine VVorship and Order Instituted by Christ Quest 8. What believe you of the Resurrection and Everlasting Life Answ At Death the Souls of the Justified go to Happiness with Christ and the Souls of the Wicked â—o Misery And at the end of this World Christ will â—ome in Glory and will raise the Bodies of all Men â—rom Death and will Judge all according to their Works And the Righteous shall go into Everlasting Life where being made perfect themselves they shall 〈◊〉 God and perfectly Love and Praise him with Christâ— and all the glorified Church and the rest into Everâ—asting punishment Quest 9. You have told me what you Il. Consent Believe Tell me now what is the full Resolution and Desire of your Will concerning all this which you Believe Answ Believing in God the Father Son and Holy â—pirit I do presently absolutely and resolvedly give up my self to Him my Creator and reconciled God and Father my Saviour and my Sanctifier And Repenting of my Sins I renounce the Devil the World and the sinful desires of the Flesh And denying my self and taking up my Cross I consent to follow Christ the Captain of my Salvation In hope of the Grace and Glory promised Which I daily desire and â—eg as he hath taught me saying Our Father which 〈◊〉 in Heaven c. Quest 10. What is that Practice which by this Covenant 〈◊〉 are obliged to Answ According to the Law of Nature and Christs â—nstitutions I must desiring Perfection sincerely Obey him in a Life of Faith and Hope and
Loveâ— Loving God as God for himself above all and loving my self as his Servant especially my Soul and seeking 〈◊〉 Holiness and Salvation and Loving my Neighbour 〈◊〉 my self I must avoid all Idolatry of Mind or Body â—nd must Worship God according to his Word by â—earning and Meditating on his Word by Prayer Thanksgiving Praise and use of his Sacrament I must not profane but holily use his holy Name I must keep holy the Lord's Day especially in Communion with the Church Assemblies I must Honour and Obey my Parents Magistrates Pastors and other â—â—lers I must not wrong my Neighbour in thought word or deed in his Soul his Body his Chastity Estate Right oâ— Propriety but do him all the good I can And do as I would be done by which is summed up in the Ten Commandments God spake these words saying c. A Prayer for Families in the method of the Lords Prayer being â—ut an Exposition of it MOST Glorious GOD who art Power and Wisdom and Goodness it self the Creator 〈◊〉 all things the Owner the Ruler and the Benefactor of the World but especially of thy Church and Chosen Ones Though by sin original and actual we were thy Enemies the Slaves of Satan and our Flesh and under thy displeasure and the condemnation of thy Law yet thy Children Redeemed by Jesus Christ thy Son and Regenerated by thy Holy Spirit have leave to call thee their reconciled Father For by thy Covenant of Grace thou hast given them thy Son to be their Head their Teacher and their Saviour And in Him thou haâ—t pardoned adopted and sanctified them sealing and preparing them by thy Holy Spirit for thy Câ—â—lestial Kingdom and beginning in them that holy life and light and love which shall be perfected with thee in Everlasting Glory O with what wondrous love hast thou loved us that of Rebels we should be made the Sons of God! Thou hast advanced us to this dignity that we might be devoted wholly to Thee as Thine Own and might delightfully obey Thee and entirely love Thee with all our Heart and so might glorifie Thee here and for ever O cause both us and all thy Churches and all the World to hallow thy great and holy Name And to 〈◊〉 to Thee as our Ultimate End that thy shining 〈◊〉 on Holy Souls may Glorifie thy Divine Perfection And cause both us and all the Earth to cast off the Tyranny of Satan and the Flesh and to acknowledge thy Supream Authority and to become the Kingdomâ— of Thee and Thy Son Jesus by a willing and absolute subjection O perfect thy Kingdom of Grace in our selves and in the World and hasten the Kingdom of Glory And cause us and thy Churches and all people of the Earth no more to be ruled by the Luâ—â—s of the Flesh and their Erroneous Conceits and by Self-will which is the Idol of the Wicked but by thy perfect Wisdom and holy Will revealed in thy Laws Make known thy Word to all the World and send them the Messengers of Grace and Peace and cause Men to understand believe and obey the Gospel of Salvation and that with such Holiness Unity and Love that the Earth which is now too like to Hell may 〈◊〉 made liker unto Heaven and not only thy scattered imperfect Flock but those also who in their carnal and ungodly minds do now refuse a holy Life and think thy Word and Ways too strict may desire to imitate even the Heavenly Church where Thou art obeyed and loved and praised with high Delight in Harmony and Perfection And because our Being is the subject of our well-being maintain us in the Life which thou hast here given us until the work of Life be finished and give us such health of Mind and Body and such protection and supply of all our wants as shall best 〈…〉 our Duty and make us contented with our daily Bread and patient if we want it And save us from the love of the Riches and Honours and Pleasures of this World and the Pride and Idleness and Sensuality which they cherish And cause us to serve thy Providence by our diligent Labours and to serve thee faithfully with all that thou givest us And let us not make provision for the Flesh to satisfie its desires and lusts And we beseech thee of thy Mercy through the Sacrifice and Propitiation of thy Beloved Son forgive us all our sins original and actual from our Birth to this Hour our omissions of Duty and committing of what thou didst forbid Our sins of heart and word and deed our sinful thoughts and affections our sinful passions and discontents our secret and our open sins our sins of negligence and ignorance and rashness but especially our sins against Knowledge and Conscience which have made the deepest guilt and wounds Spare us O Lord and let not our sins so find us out as to be our ruin but let us so find them out as truely to repent and turn to thee Especially punish us not with the loss of thy Grace Take not thy Holy Spirit from us and deny us not his assistance and holy operations Seal to us by that Spirit the pardon of our Sins and lift up the light of thy Countenance upon us and give us the joy of thy Favour and Salvation And let thy Love and Mercy so fill us not only with Thankfulness to Thee but with Love and Mercy to our Brethren and our Enemies that we may heartily forgive them that do us wrong as through thy Grace we hope we do And for the time to come suffer us not to cast our selves wilfully into Temptations but carefully to avoid them and resolutely to resist and Conquer what we cannot avoid And O mortifie those inward Sins and Lusts which are our constant and most dangerous Temptations And let us not be tempted by Satan or the World or tryed by thy Judgments above the strength which thy Grace shall give us Save us from a fearless confidence in our own strength And let us not dally with the snare nor taste the bait nor play with the Fire of thy wrath But cause us to fear and depart from evil lest before we are aware we be entangled and overcome and wounded with our Guilt and with thy Wrath and our End should be worse than our Beginning Especially save us from those radical Sins of Error and Unbelief Pride Hypocrisie Hardheartedness Sensuality Slothfulness and the love of this present World and the loss of our love to Thee to thy Kingdom and thy Ways And save us from the malice of Satan and of wicked Men and from the Evils which our sins would bring upon us And as we crave all this from thee we humbly render our Praises with our future Service to thee Thou art the King of all the World and more than the Life of all the Living Thy Kingdom is Everlasting Wise and Just and Merciful is thy Government Blessed are they that are thy faithful Subjects
But who hath hardened himself against thee and hath prospered The whole Creation proclaimeth thy Perfection But it is Heaven where the Blessed see thy Glory and the Glory of our Redeemer where the Angels and Saints behold thee admire thee adore thee love thee and praise thee with triumphant joyful Songs the Holy Holy Holy God the Father Son and Holy Ghost who was and is and is to come Of Thee and through Thee and to Thee are all things To Thee be Glory for ever Amen A short Prayer for Families MOst Glorious Ever-living God Father Son and Holy Ghost Infinite in thy Power Wisdom and Goodness Thou art the Creator of all the World the Redeemer of lost Mankind and the Sanctifier of thine Elect. Thou hast made us living reasonable Soulâ— placed a while on Earth in Flesh to seek and know and love and serve thee which we should have done with all our Soul and Might For we and all things are Thine own and Thou art more to us than all the World This should have been the greatest Businesâ— Care and Pleasure of our Lives We were bound to 〈◊〉 by thy Law and invited by thy Love and Mercy and the Promise of a Reward in Heaven And in our Baptism we were devoted to this Christian Life of Faith and Holiness by a solemn Covenant and Vow But with Grief and Shame we do confess that we have been too unfaithful to that Covenant and too much neglected the Lord our Father our Saviour and our Sanctifier to whom we were devoted And have too much served the Flesh and the World and the Devil which we renounced We have added to our Original Sin the guilt of Unthankfulness for a Saviour and resisting his Spirit and Grace that should have renewed governed and saved us We have spent much of our Lives in fleshly and worldly Vanity and finfully neglected the greatest work of making a sure Preparation for Death and Judgment and our endless State In a Custom of sinning we have hardened our Hearts against thy Word and Warnings and the Reproofs of thy Ministers and of our Consciences that have oft told us of our Sin and Danger and called us to Repent And now O Lord our convinced Souls confess that we deserve to be forsaken by thee and left to our own lust and folly and to the deceits of Satan and untoendless Misery But seeing thou hast given a Saviour to lost Man and a pardoning Covenant through the Merits of Christ promising Forgiveness and Salvation to every true penitent Believer we thankfully accept thy offered Mercy and penitently bewail our Sin and cast our miserable Souls upon thy Grace and the Sacrifice Merits and Intercession of our Redeemer Forgive all the sins of our Hearts and Lives and as a reconciled Father take us as thy adopted Children in Christ O give us thy renewing Spirit to be in us a powerful and constant Author of Holy Light and Love and Life to fit us for all our Duty and for Communion with thee and for Everlasting Life And to dwell in us as thy Witness and Seal of our Adoption Let him be better to our Souls than our Souls are to our Bodies Teaching us thy Word and Will and bringing all our love and will to a joyful compliance with thy Will and quickening our dull 〈◊〉 drowsie Hearts to a Holy and Heavenly Conversation Let him turn all our sinful Pleasures and Desires into the delightful love of thee and of thy Ways and Servants Save us from the great Sins of Selfishness Pride and Worldliness and give us Self-denial Humility and a Heavenly Mind That while we are on Earth our Hearts may be in Heaven where we hope to live in thy joyfull Love and praise with Christ and all his Holy Ones for even Let us never forget that this Life is short and that the Life to come is endless That our Souls are precious and our Bodies vile and must shortly turn to rottenness and dust that Sin is odioâ—s and Temptationâ— dangerous and Judgment dreadful to unprepaved guilty Souls and that without a Saviour and his Grace and Spirit there is no Salvation Cause us to live as we would die and let no Temptation Company or Business draw us to forget our God and our everlasting state Lord bless the World and specially these Kingdoms â—ith Wise Godly Just and Peaceable Princes and â—nferiour Judges and Magistrates and guide protect â—nd prosper them for the common good and the proâ—oting of Godliness and suppressing of sin And blesâ—â—ll Churches with able godly faithful Pastors that are â—ealous Lovers of God and Goodness and the Peoples â—ouls And save the Nations and Churches from Opâ—essing Tyrants and Deceivers and from melignanâ— Enemies to serious Piety And cause Subjects to live in just Obedience and in Love and Peace Bless Families with wise religious Governours who will carefully instruct their Children and Servants and restrain them from Sin and keep them from Temptation Teach Children and Servants to fear God and honour and obey their Governours O Our Father which art in Heaven Let thy Name bâ— hallowed Let thy Kingdom comâ— Let thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven 〈◊〉 in this day our daily Breâ—d Forgive us our Trespasses as 〈◊〉 forgive them that Trespass against us Lead us not into Temptation but Deliver us from Evil For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever Amen Before Meat MOst Gracious God who hast given 〈◊〉 Christ and with him all that is necessary to Life and Godliness We thankfully take this our Food as the Gift of thy Bounty procured by his Merits Bless it to the Nourishment and Strength of our frail Bodies to fiâ— us for thy chearful Service And save us from the abuse of thy Mercies by Gluâ—tony Drunkennesâ— Idleness or sinful fleshly Lusts for the sake of Jesus Christ our only Saviour and Lord. Amen After Meat MOst Merciful Father Accept of our Thanks for these and all thy Mercies And give us yet more thankful Hearts O give us more of the great Mercies proper to thy Children even by Sanctifying and Comforting Spirâ—â— assuâ—â—nce of thy Love thrâ—ugh Christ and a â—reasure and 〈◊〉 Conversation in Heaven And bring and keep 〈◊〉 in a constant readiness for a safe and Comfortable Death For the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour Amen FINIS a Mar. 8. 36. Mat. 6. 33. Job 21. 14. and 22. 17. Psal 1. 2 3. Psal 14. and 12. b Psal 8. 4 5 6. Gen. 1. 26 27 Gen. 9. 6. Col. 3. 10. c Joh. 17. 3. 1 Joh. 4. 6 7. Jer. 9. 24. d Luk. 12. 4 5. e Psal 16. 5 to 11. f Isa 45. 18. g Psal 14. 1. Gen. 1. 1. Rev. 1. 8. Rom. 1. 19. 20. Psal 46. 10. Psal 9. 10. Psal 100. and 23. Psal 19. 1 2 3. Psal 47. 7. Ezek. 18. 4. Gen. 18. 25. Mal. 1. 6. h Matth. 22. 37. Jer. 5. 22. 2 Cor. 5. 8 9. Titus 2. 14.