way but the scandal which is spoken against in Scripture is the laying a Temptation before men that are weak to make them sin 9. Take heed of that hypocritical and câ—nsorious temper which turneth the holy observation of the day into a Ceremonious abstinence from lawful things and censureth those as ungodly that are not of the same mind and forbear not such things as well as they Mark the difference between Christ and the Pharisees in this point Much of their contention with him was about the outward observation of the Sabbath because his disciples rubbed out Corn to eat on the Sabbath day and because he healed on the Sabbath and bid the healed man Take up his bed and walk And they said There are six dayes in which men ought to work they might come and be healed on them Luk 6. 1 5 6. 13. 12 14 15 16. Ioh. 5. 17 18. Mark 1. 21 24. 2. 23 24 25 26 27 28. 3. 2 3 5. 6. 2 5. Luk. 14. 1 3 5 6. Ioh. 5. 9 10 16. 7. 22 23 24. 9. 14 16. And a man that is of their spirit will think that the Pharisees were in the right No doubt Christ might have chosen another day to heal on But he knew that the works which most declared the power of God and honoured him before all and confirmed the Gospel were fittest for the Sabbath day Take heed therefore of the Pharisees Ceremoniousness and Censoriousness If you see a man walking abroad on the Lords day censure him not till you know that he doth it from prophaneness or negligence You know not but it may be necessary to his health and he may improve it in holy meditation If you hear some speak a word more than you think needful of common things or do more about meat and cloathing than you think meet censure them not till you hear their reason A scrupulousness about such outward observances when the holy duties of the day are no whit hindred by that thing and a censoriousness towards those that are not as scrupulous is too Pharisaical and Ceremonious a Religion for spiritual charitable Christians And the extreams of some Godly people in this kind have occasioned the Quakers and Seekers to take and use all daies alike and the prophane to contemn the sanctifying of the Lords day Tit. 2. More particular Directions for the order of holy duties § 1. Direct 1. REmember the Lords day before it cometh and prepare for it and prevent those Direct 1. disturbances that would hinder you and deprive you of the benefit For Preparation 1. Six daies you must labour and do all that you have to do Dispatch all your business that you may not have it then to hinder and disturb you And see that your Servants do the same 2. Shake off the thoughts of worldly things and clear your minds of worldly delights and cares 3. Call to mind the doctrine taught you the last Lords day and if you have servants cause them to remember it that you may be prepared to receive the next 4 Go seasonably to bed that you and your servants may not be constrained to lye long the next morning or be sleepy on the Lords day 5. Let your meditations be preparatory for the day Repent of the sins of the week past as particularly and seriously as you can and seek for pardon and peace through Christ that you come not with guilt or trouble upon your Consciences before the Lord. § 2. Direct 2. Let your first thoughts be not only Holy but suitable to the occasions of the day Direct 2. With gladness remember what a day of mercies you awake to and how early your Redeemer rose from the dead that day and what excellent work you are to be employed in § 3. Direct 3. Rise full as early that day as you do on other daies Be not like the carnal generation Direct 3. that sanctifie the Lords day but as a Swine doth by sleeping and idleness and fulness Think not your worldly business more worthy of your early rising than your spiritual imployment is § 4. Direct 4. Let your dressing time be spent in some fruitful meditation or conference Direct 4. or hearing some one read a Chapter And let it not be long to detain you from your duty § 5. Direct 5. If you can have leisure go first to secret prayer And if you are servants Direct 5. or have any necessary business to do dispatch it quickly that you may be free for better work § 6. Direct 6. Let Family-worship come next and not be slubbered over sleightly but be serious Direct 6. and reverent and suit all to the nature or end of the day Especially awaken your selves and servants to consider what you have to do in publick and to go with prepared sanctified hearts § 7. Direct 7. Enter the holy Assembly with reverence and joy and compose your selves as those Direct 7. that come thither to treat with the living God about the matters of Eternal life And watch your hearts that they wander not nor sleep not nor sleight the sacred matters which you are about And guard your eyes that they carry not away your hearts And let not your hearts be a moment idle but seriously employed all the Time And when hypocrites and distempered Christians are quarrelling with the imperfections of the speaker or congregation or mode of Worship do you rather make it your diligent endeavour to watch your hearts and improve what you hear § 8. Direct 8. As soon as you come home while dinner is preparing it will be a seasonable Direct 8. time either for secret prayer or meditation to call over what you heard and urge it on your hearts and beg Gods help for the improvement of it and pardon for your publick failings § 9. Direct 9. Let your time at meat be spent in the chearful remembrance or mention of the Direct 9. Love of your Redeemer or somewhat suitable to the company and the day § 10. Direct 10. After dinner call your families together and sing a Psalm of Praise and Direct 10. by examination or repetition or both cause them to remember what was publickly taught them § 11. Direct 11. Then go again to the Congregation to the beginning and behave your Direct 11. selves as before § 12. Direct 12. When you come home call your families together and first crave Gods assistance Direct 12. and acceptance and then sing a Psalm of Praise and then repeat the Sermon which â—â—u heard or if there was none read one out of some lively profitable book and then Pray and Praise God and all with the holy seriousness and joy which is suitable to the work and day § 13. Direct 13. Then while Supper is preparing betake your selves to secret prayer and meditation Direct 13. â—either in your Chambers or walking as you find most profitable And let your Servants have no
and all the secrets of the heart Psalm 44. 21. 94. 11. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world Acts 15. 18. His understanding is infinite Psalm 147. 5. What praise doth that Goodness and Mercy deserve which is diffused throughout all the world and is the life and hope and happiness of men and Angels His Mercy is Great unto the Heavens and his Truth unto the Clouds Psalm 57. 10. O how great is his Goodness to them that fear him Psalm 31. 10. and therefore how great should be his Praise Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord and who can shew forth all his Praise Psalm 106. 2. For great is the Glory of the Lord Psalm 138. 5. § 15. 2. It is the end of all Gods wondrous works and especially the end which man was made for that all things else might Praise him Objectively and men and Angels in estimation and expression that his Glorious excellency might be visible in his works and be admired and extolled by the rational creature For this all things were created and are continued For this we have our understanding and our speech This is the fruit that God expecteth from all his works Deny him this and you are guilty of frustrating the whole creation as much as in you lieth You would have the Sun to shine in vain and the Heavens and Earth to stand in vain and man and all things to live in vain if you would not have God have the praiâ—e and Glory of his works Therefore Sun and Moon and Starrs and Firmament are called on to Praise the Lord Psalm 148. 2 3 4. as they are the matter for which he must by us be praised O praise him therefore for his mighty acts Praise him according to his excellent greatness Psalm 150. 2. O that men would praise the Lord for his Goodness and declare his wondrous works for the children of men Psalm 107. 8 c. Yea it is the end of Christ in the Redemption of the world and in saving his elect that God might in the Church in Earth and Heaven have the praise and glory of his grace Ephes. 1. 6 12 14. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that iâ— the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name Heb. 13. 15. And let the redeemed of the Lord say that his mercy endureth for ever Psalm 107. 2. For this all his Saints are a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people that they should shew forth the praises of him that hath called them out of darkness into his marvellous light 1 Pet. 2. 5 9. § 16. 3. The Praise of God is the highest and noblest work in it self 1. It hath the highest object even the glorious excellencies of God Thanksgiving is somewhat lower as having more respect to our selves and the Benefits received But Praise is terminated directly on the perfections of God himself 2. It is that work that is most immediately neerest on God as he is Our end And as the end as such is better than all the means set together as such so are the final duties about the end greater than all the mediate duties 3. It is the work of the most excellent creatures of God the holy Angels They proclaimed the coming of Christ by way of Praise Luke 2. 13 14. Glory to God in the highest on earth peace Good-will towards men Psalm 103. 20. 148. 2. And as we must be equal to the Angels it must be in equal Praising God or else it will not be in equality of Glory 4. It is the work of Heaven the place and state of all perfection And that is best and highest which is nearest Heaven Where they rest not day nor night saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Allmighty which was and is and is to come Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Rev. 4. 8. 10. Rev. 19. 5. A voice came out of the throne saying Praise our God all ye his servants and ye that fear him both small and great verse 6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thundrings saying Allelujah for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honour to him for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made herself ready § 17. 4. It beseemeth us and much concerneth us to learn and exercise that work which in Heaven we must do for ever and that is to Love and joyfully Praise the Lord. For earth is but the place of our apprentiship for Heaven The preparing works of mortifying repentance must in their place be done but only as subservient to these which we must ever do When we shall sing the new song before the Lamb Thou art worthy For thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and hast made us Kings and Priests unto our God Rev. 5. 9 10. Therefore the Primitive Church of believers is described as most like to Heaven Luke 24. 53. with great joy they were continually in the Temple Praising and blessing God O Praise the Lord therefore in the congregations of the Saints Let Israel rejoyce in him that made him Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King Psalm 149. 1 2. Let the Saints be joyful in glory Let the high praises of God be in their mouths verse 5 6. § 18. 5. Though we are yet diseased sinners and in our warfare among enemies dangers and perplexities yet Praise is seasonable and suitable to our condition here as the greatest part of our duty which all the rest must but promote Pretend not that it is not fit for you because you are sinners and that humiliation only is suitable to your state For the design of your redemption the tenour of the Gospel and your own condition engage you to it Are they not engaged to Praise the Lord that are brought so near him to that end 1 Pet. 2 5. 9. that are reconciled to him To whom he hath given and forgiven so much 1 Tim. 1. 15. Tit. 3. 3 5. Psalm 103. 1 2 3. that have so many great and precious promises 2 Pet. 1. 4. that are the Temples of the Holy Ghost who dwelleth in them and sanctifieth them to God That have a Christ interâ—â—ding for them in the highest Rom. 8. 33 34. That are allways safe in the arms of Christ that are guarded by Angels and Devils and enemies forbidden to touch them further than their father sâ—eth necessary for their good That have the Lord for their God Psalm 33. 12. 4. 8. That have his Saints for their companions and helpers That have so many ordinances to help their souls And so
strait or penurious therefore she will dispose of it without his consent this is thievery disobedience and injustice Quest. But as the case standeth with us in England hath the Wife a joint propriety or not Quest. 1. Answ. Three wayes at least she may have a propriety 1. By a reserve of what was her own before which however some question it may in some cases be done in their agreement at marriage 2. By the Law of the Land 3. By the Husbands consent or donation What the Law of the Land saith in this case I leave to the Lawyers But it seemeth to me that his words at Marriage with all my worldly goods I thee endow do signifie his consent to make her a joynt-proprietor And his consent is sufficient to the collation of a title to that which was his own Unless any can prove that Law or custome doth otherwise expound the words as an empty formality and that at the contract this was or should be known to her to be the sense And the Laws allowing the wife the third part upon death or separation doth intimate a joynt-propriety before Quest. 2. If the Husband live upon unlawful gain as cheating stealing robbing by the high-way c. Quest. 2. is not the wife guilty as a joynt proprietor in retaining such ill-gotten goods if she know it And is she bound to accuse her Husband or to restore such goods Answ. Her duty is first to admonish her husband of his sin and danger and endeavour his repentance in the mean time disclaiming all consent and reception of the goods And if she cannot prevail for his Repentance Restitution and Reformation she hath a double duty to perform the one is to help them to their goods whom he hath injured and robbed by prudent and just means The other is to prevent his robbing of others for the time to come But how these must be done is the great difficulty 1. If she foresee or may do that either by her husbands displeasure or by the cruel revenge of the injured party the hurt of discovering the fraud or robbery will be greater than the good then I think that she is not bound to discover it But by some secret indirect way to help the owner to his own if it may be done without a greater hurt 2. To prevent his sin and other mens future suffering by him she seemeth to me to be bound to reveal her husbands sinful purposes to the Magistrate if she can no other way prevail with him to forbear My reasons are Because the keeping of Gods Law and the Law of the Land and the publick order and good and the preventing of our Neighbours hurt by Robbery or fraud and so the interest of honesty and right is of greater importance than any duty to her Husband or preservation of her own peace which seemeth to be against it But then I must suppose that she liveth under a Magistrate who will take but a just revenge For if she know the Laws and Magistrate to be so unjust as to punish a fault with death which deserveth it not she is not to tell such a Magistrate but to preserve her Neighbours safety by some other way of intimation If any one think that a Wife may in no case accuse a husband to the hazzard of his life or estate let them 1. Remember what God obliged Parents to do against the lives of incorrigible Children Deut. 21. 2. And that the honour of God and the lives of our Neighbours should be preferred before the life of one offender and their estates before his estate alone 3. And that the light of Reason telleth us that a Wife is to reveal a Treason against the King which is plotted by a Husband and therefore also the robbing of the Kings Treasury or deceiving him in any matter of great concernment And therefore in due proportion the Laws and common good and our Neighbours welfare are to be preserved by us though against the nearest relation Only all due tenderness of the life and reputation of the Husband is to be preserved in the manner of proceedings as far as will stand with the interest of justice and the common good Quest. 3. May the Wife go hear Sermons when the Husband forbiddeth her Quest. 3. Answ. There are some Sermons which must not be heard There are some Sermons which may be heard and must when no greater matter doth divert us And there are some Sermons which must be heard whoever shall forbid it Those which must not be heard are such as are Heretical ordinarily and such as are superfluous and at such times when greater duties call us another way Those which may be heard are either occasional Sermons or such Lectures as are neither of Necessity to our selves nor yet to the owning of God and his publick Worship One that liveth where there are daily or hourly Sermons may hear them as oft as suiteth with their condition and their other duties But in this case the Command of a Husband with the inconveniences that will follow disobeying him may make it a duty to forbear But that we do sometimes publickly owne Gods Worship and Church-Ordinances and receive Ministerial teaching for our Edification is of double necessity that we dâ—ny not God and that we betray not or desert not our own souls And this is especially necessary ordinarily on the Lords Dayes which are appointed for these necessary uses And here the Husband hath no power to forbid the Wife nor should she formally obey his prohibition But yet as affirmatives bind not ad semper and no duty is a duty at every season so it is possible that on the Lords Day it may extraordinarily become a duty to forbear Sermons or Sacraments or other publick Worship As when any greater duty calleth us away As to quench a fire and to save mens lives and to save our Countrey from an enemy in a time of War and to save our own lives if we knew the assembly would be assaulted or to preserve our liberty for greater service Christ â—et us to learn the meaning of this Lesson I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice In such a case also a mischief may be avoided even from a Husband by the omission of a duty at that time when it would be no duty for this is but a transposition of it But this is but an act of prudent self-preservation and not an act of formal obedience Quest. 4. If a Woman have a Husband so incorrigible in Vice as that by long tryal she findeth that Quest. 4. speaking against it maketh him worse and causeth him to abuse her is she bound to continue her disswasion or to fâ—rbear Answ. That is not here a duty which is not a means to do some good And that is no means which we know before hand is like iâ— not certain to do no good or to do more harm We must not by weariness laziness or â—ensoriousness take a case to
made them your equals Remember that they have immortal souls and are equally capable of salvation with your selves And therefore you have no power to do any thing which shall hinder their salvation No pretence of your business necessity commodity or power can warrant you to hold them so hard to work as not to allow them due time and seasons for that which God hath made their duty 2. Remember that God is their absolute Owner and that you have none but a derived and limited Propriety in them They can be no further yours than you have Gods consent who is the Lord of them and you And therefore Gods Interest in them and by them must be served first 3. Remember that they and you are equally under the Government and Laws of God And therefore all Gods Laws must be first obeyed by them and you have no power to command them to omit any duty which God commandeth them nor to commit any sin which God forbiddeth them Nor can you without Rebellion or Impiety expect that your work or commands should be preferred before Gods 4. Remember that God is their Reconciled tender Father and if they be as good doth Love them as well as you And therefore you must use the meanest of them no otherwise than beseemeth the Beloved of God to be used and no otherwise than may stand with the due signification of your Love to God by Loving those that are his 5. Remember that they are the Redeemed ones of Christ and that he hath not sold you his title to them As he bought their souls at a price unvaluable so he hath given the purchase of his blood to be absolutely at your disposal Therefore so use them as to preserve Christs right and interest in them Direct 2. Remember that you are Christs Trustees or the Guardians of their souls and that the Direct 2. greater your power is over them the greater your charge is of them and your duty for them As you owe more to a Child than to a Day Labourer or a hired Servant because being more your own he is more entrusted to your care so also by the same reason you owe more to a slave because he is more your own And power and obligation go together As Abraham was to Circumcise all his servants that were bought with money and the fourth Commandment requireth Masters to see that all within their gates observe the Sabbath day so must you exercise both your Power and Love to bring them to the Knowledge and faith of Christ and to the just obedience of Gods commands Those therefore that keep their Negro's and slaves from hearing Gods word and from becoming Christians because by the Law they shall then be either made free or they shall lose part of their service do openly profess Rebellion against God and contempt of Christ the Redeemer of souls and a contempt of the souls of men and indeed they declare that their worldly profit is their treasure and their God If this come to the hands of any of our Natives in Barbado's or other Islands or Plantations who are said to be commonly guilty of this most heinous sin yea and to live upon it I intreat them further to consider as followeth 1. How cursed a crime is it to equal Men and Beasts Is not this your practice Do you not buy them and use them meerly to the same end as you do your horses to labour for your commodity as if they were baser than you and made to serve you 2. Do you not see how you reproach and condemn your selves while you vilifie them as Savages and barbarous wretches Did they ever do any thing more savage than to use not only mens bodies as beasts but their souls as if they were made for nothing but to actuate their bodies in your worldly drudgery Did the veriest Cannibals ever do any thing more cruel or odious than to sell so many souls to the Devil for a little worldly gain Did ever the cursedst miscreants on earth do any thing more rebellious and contrary to the will of the most merciful God than to keep those souls from Christ and holiness and Heaven for a little money who were made and redeemed for the same ends and at the same pretious price as yours Did your poor slaves ever commit such villanies as these Is not he the basest wretch and the most barbarous savage who committeth the greatest and most inhumane wickedness And are theirs comparable to these of yours 3. Doth not the very example of such cruelty besides your keeping them from Christianity directly tend to reach them and all others to hate Christianity as if it taught men to be so much worse than Dâ—gs and Tygers 4. Do you not mark how God hath followed you with Plagues and may not Conscience tell you that it is for your inhumanity to the souls and bodies of so many Remember the late fire at the Bridge in Barbado's Remember the drowning of your Governour and Ships at Sea and the many judgements that have overtaken you and at the present the terrible mortality that is among you 5. Will not the example and warning of neigbour Countreys rise up in judgement against you and condemn you You cannot but hear how odious the Spanish name is made and thereby alas the Christian name also among the West Indians for their most inhumane Cruelties in Hispaniola Iamaica Cuba Peru Mexico and other places which is described by Iosep. a Costa a Jesuite of their own And though I know that their cruelty who murdered millions exceedeth yours who kill not mens bodies yet yours is of the same kind in the merchandize which you make with the Devil for their souls whilst you that should help them with all your power do hinder them from the means of their salvation And on the contrary what an honour is it to those of New England that they take not so much as the Natives Soyl from them but by purchase that they enslave none of them nor use them cruelly but shew them mercy and are at a great deal of care and cost and labour for their salvation O how much difference between holy Master Eliot's life and yours His who hath laboured so many years to save them and hath translated the whole Bible into their language with other Books and those good mens in London who are a Corporation for the furtherance of his work and theirs that have contributed so largely towards it And yours that sell mens souls for your commodity 6. And what comfort are you like to have at last in that money that is purchased at such a price Will not your money and you perish together will you not have worse than Gebezi's Leprofie with it yea worse than Achan's death by Stoning and as bad as Iudas his hanging himself unless repentance shall prevent it Do you not remember the terrible words in Jude 11. Woe unto them for they have gone in the way of Cain
5. 9 10. Rev. 4. 11 8. Rev. 15. 3. Heb. 12. 9. Matth. 6. 13. thâ—u not said Behold I come quickly Even so Come Lord and let the great Marriage day of the Lamb make haste when thy Spouse shall be presented spotless unblamable and glorious and the glory of God in the New Jerusalem shall be Revealed to all his holy ones to delight and glorifie them for ever In the mean time Remember Lord thy promise Because I live therefore shall ye live also And let the dead that dye in thee be blessed And thou that art made a quickning Spirit and art the Lord and Prince of life and hast said that not a hair of our heads shall perish Gather our departing souls unto thy self into the Heavenly Jerusalem and Mount Zion the City of the living God and to the Myriads of holy Angels and to the general Assembly and Church of the first born and to the perfected Spirits of the just where thou wilt make us Kings and Priests to God whom we shall See and Love and Praise for ever For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things and for his pleasure they are and were created And O thou the blessed God of Love the Father of Spirits and King of Saints receive this unworthy Member of thy Son into the heavenly Chore which sing thy Praise who rest not saying night and day Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty who Is and Was and Is to Come For Thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen The End of the Second TOME A Christian Directory The Third Part. Christian Ecclesiasticks OR DIRECTIONS TO PASTORS PEOPLE About Sacred Doctrine Worship and Discipline and their mutual Duties With the Solution of a multitude of Church-Controversies and Cases of Conscience By RICHARD BAXTER 1 Cor. 12. 25 27 28. That there should be no Schism in the body but the Members should have the same care one for another Now ye are the Body of Christ and Members in particular And God hath set some in the Church first Apostles c. Eph. 4. 3 4 12 c. Endeavouring to keep the Unity of the SPIRIT in the bond of Peace There is one Body one Spirit one Hope one Lord one Faith one Baptism Not One Ministerial Head one God * And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ Till we all come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ That we henceforth be no more Children tossed to and fro and carryed about with every wind of doctrine by the cogging or sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in wait to deceive But keeping the Truth in Love may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ From whom the whole body compacted and cemented together by every joynt of supply according to its power in proportion of each part worketh increase of the body to the edifying of it self in Love 1 Tim. 3. 15. That thou maist know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the House of God which is the Church of the living God as A pillar and basis of the truth 1 Thess. 5. 12 13. We beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their work sake and be at peace among your selves LONDON Printed by Robert White for Nevill Simmons at the Sign of the Princes-Arms in St. Pauls Church-yard 1673. Reader THat this part and the next are Imperfect and so much only is written as I might and not as I would I need not excuse to thee if thou know me and where and when I live But some of that which is wanting if thou desire thou maist find 1. In my Universal Concord 2. In my Christian Concord 3. In our Agreement for Catechising and my Reformed Pastor 4. In the Reformed Lyturgie offered to the Commissioned Bishops at the Savoy Farewel A Christian Directory TOM III. Christian Ecclesiasticks CHAP. I. Of the Worship of God in general § 1. THAT God is to be Worshipped solemnly by man is confessed by Qui totos dies precabantur immolabant ut sui liberi sibi superstites essent Superstitiosi sunt appellati quod nomen paâ—uit postea latius Qui autem omnia quae ad cultum Deorum pertinerent diligenter pertractarent tanquam relegerent sunt dicti Religiosi ex relegendo ut elegantes ex eligendo à diligendo diligentes ex intelligendo intelligentes Superstitiosi Religiosi alterum vitii nomen alterum laudis Cicer. nat Deor. lib. 2. pag. 73 74. all that acknowledge that there is a God But about the Matter and Manner of his Worship there are no small dissensions and contentions in the world I am not now attempting a reconciliation of these contenders The sickness of mens minds and wills doth make that impossible to any but God which else were not only possible but easie the terms of reconciliation being in themselves so plain and obvious as they are But it is Directions to those that are willing to worship God aright which I am now to give § 2. Direct 1. Understand what it is to worship God aright lest you offer him Vanity and sin for Direct 1. Worship The worshipping of God is the direct acknowledging of his Being and Perfections to his honour Indirectly or consequentially he is acknowledged in every obediential act by those that truly obey and serve him And this is indirectly and participatively to worship him And therefore all things are Holy to the Holy because they are Holy in the use of all and Holiness to the Lord is as it were written upon all that they possess or do as they are Holy But this is not the worship which we are here to speak of but that which is Primarily and Directly done to glorifie him by the acknowledgement of his excellencies Thus God is worshipped either inwardly by the soul alone or also outwardly by the body expressing the worship of the soul. For that which is done by the Body alone without the concurrence of the Heart is not true worship but an Hypocritical Image or shew of it equivocally called Worship The inward worship of the Heart alone I have spoken If they that serve their God with meer word and ceremony and mimâ—ca actions were so served themselves they might be â—ilâ—â—ced with Aristâ—ppâ—â— his defence of his gallantry and sumptuâ—uâ— fare Si vituâ—â—randum ait hoc essâ—t in celebritatibus deorum profectò non fieret Laert. iâ— Aristip. So Plato allowed drunkenness only in the Feasts oâ— Baâ—châ—s of in the former Tome The outward or expressive worship
order to our Absolution and Communion 4. Especially so far as is necessary to subdue our fleshly lusts and tame our bodies and bring them into a due subjection to our faith and to avoid our sin for the time to come And also by 2 Cor. 7. 9 10 11. 1 Cor. 9 27. Col. 1. 5 6. Rom. 13 13 14. the exercise of sober mortification prudently to keep under all our worldly phantasies and love of this present world without unfitting our selves for duty 5. And so far as is needful by such mortification to fit us for fervent prayer especially by fasting on dayes of humiliation and to help us in our meditations of death and judgement and to further our heavenly contemplations and conversation 6. The greatest difficulty is Whether any self-revenge be lawful or due which is answered by Psal. 69. 10. Lev. 16. 29 31. â—3 27 32. Numb 29. 7. 30. 13. Ezra 8. 21. what is said already None such as disableth us for Gods service is lawful But true Repentance is an anger or great displeasure with our selves for sin and a hatred of sin and loathing of our selves for it And to judge condemn and afflict our own souls by a voluntary self-punishing is but that exercise of justice on our selves which is fit for pardoned sinners that are not to be condemned by the Lord and indeed the just exercise of Repentance and displeasure against our selves On which accounts of sober self-revenge we may cherish such degrees of godly sorrow fasting course cloathing as Sackcloth and denying our selves the pleasures of this world as shall not be hurtful but helpful to our duty And if great and heinous sinners have of old on these terms exceeded other men in their austerities and self-afflictings we cannot condemn them of superstition unless we more particularly knew more cause for it But popishly to think that self-afflicting without respect to Isa. 58. 5. such causes or necessities is a meritorious perfection fit for others is superstition indeed And â—o think as many of the Melancholy do that self-murder is a lawful self-revenge is a heinous sin and leadeth to that which is more heinous and dangerous Quest. 101. Is it lawful to observe stated times of fasting imposed by others without extraordinary occasion And particularly Lent Answ. REmember that I here meddle not with the question how far it is lawful for Rulers to 2 Chron. 20 3. Ezâ—a 8. 21. Jonah 3. 5. Zech. 8. 19. Joel 2. 15. Read Dallaeus Treatise de Iejuniis impose such Fasts on others save only to say 1. That it is undoubtedly fit for Kings to do it by Precepts and Churches by Consent in extraordinary cases of defection sin or judgements 2. That it is undoubtedly sinful usurpation for either Pope or any pretended Ecclesiastical Universal Rulers to impose such on the Universal Church Because there are no Universal Rulers Or for a neighbour Bishop by usurpation to impose it on a neighbour Church 3. And that it is sinful in all or many Churches to make by their Agreements such things to be necessary to their Union or Communion with their neighbour Churches so that they will take all those for Schismaticks that differ from them in such indifferent things But as to the Using of such fasts omitting the imposing I say I. 1. Thâ—â— so great and extraordinary a duty as holy fasting must not be turned into a meer Isa. 58. 3 5 6 7 8. formality oâ— ceremony 2. No particular man must be so observant of a publick commanded anniversary fast as for it to neglect any duty commanded him by God which is inconsistent with it As to rejoyce or keep a day of Thanksgiving in Lent upon an extraordinary obliging cause To keep the Lords day in Lent as a day of Thanksgiving and Rejoycing To preserve our own health c. It is not lawful in obedience to man to fast so much or use such dyet as is like to destroy our lives or health These being not so far put into the power of man Nor can man dispence with us as to the duty of self-preservation If God himself require us not to offer him our lives and health needlesly as an acceptable Sacrifice nor ever maketh self-destruction our duty no nor any thing that is not for mans own good then we are not to believe without very clear proof that either Prince or Prelates have more power than ever God doth use himself 3. Such an Anniversary fast as is meet for the remembrance of some sin or judgement if commanded is to be kept both for the Reason of it and for the Authority of the Commander For 1. It is not unlawful as Anniversary For 1. It is not forbidden and 2. There may be just occasion Some arbitrarily keep an anniversary fast on the day of their Nativity as I have long done and some on the day that they fell into some great sin and some on the day of the death of a friend or of some personal domestick or National Calamity and none of this is forbidden 2. And that which is not unlawful in it self is not therefore unlawful to be done because it is commanded seeing obedience to superiours is our duty and not our sin unless in sinful things 4. Whether it be lawful or meet to commemorate Christs sufferings by anniversary fasts is next to be considered II. As for Lent in particular We must distinguish 1. Between the antient Lent and the later Lent 2. Between keeping it on a Civil account and on a Religious 3. Between true fasting and change of dyet 4. Between the Imitation of Christs fourty dayes fasting and the meer Commemoration of it Which premised I conclude 1. The keeping a true Fast or Abstinence from food for fourty dayes on what account soever being impossible or self-murder is not to be attempted 2. The Imitation of Christ in his fourty dayes fasting is not to be attempted or pretended to Because his miraculous works were not done for our imitation And it is presumption for us to pretend to such a power as is necessary to Miracles or yet to make any Essayes at such an imitation any more than at the raising of the dead 3. The pretending of a fast when men do but change their dyet Flesh for Fish Fruit Sweet-meats c. is but hypocritical and ridiculous Most poor labourers and temperate Ministers do live all the year on a more flesh-denying dyet and in greater abstinence than many Papists do in Lent or on their fasting dayes And what a ridiculous dispute is it to hear e. g. a Calvin that never eateth but one small meal a day for many years to plead against the keeping of the Popish fasts and their Clergy call him voracious and carnal and an Epicure and plead for fasting as holy mortification who eat as many meals and as much meat on a Lent day or fasting day as Calvin did in three feasting dayes and drink as much Wine in
set up some kind of service to him performed by a base sort of Priests they feared the Lord and served their own Gods thinking it was safest to please all 2 Kings 17. 25 32 33. Affliction maketh bad men likest to the good § 80. 5. Good education and company may do very much It may help them to much knowledge and make them professors of strict Religion and constant companions with those that fear sin and avoid it and therefore they must needs go far then as Ioash did all the dayes of Iehojada 2 Chron. 24. 2. As plants and fruits change with the soil by transplantation and as the Climate maketh some Blâ—â—kmoors and some White so education and converse have so great a power on the mind that they come next to grace and are oft the means of it § 81. 6. And God giveth to many internally some grace of the Spirit which is not proper to them that are saved but commâ—n or preparatory only And this may make much resistance against sin though it do not mortifie it One that should live but under the convictions that Iudâ—s had when he hang'd himself I warrant him would have strivings and combats against sin in him though he were unsanctified § 82. 7. Yea the interest and power of one sin may resist another As covetousness may make much resistance against sensuality and pride of life and pride may resist all disgraceful sin § 83. Tempt 8. But saith the Tempter it is not unpardoned sin because thou art sorry and dost repent Tempt 8. for it when thou hast committed it and all sin is pardoned that is repented of § 84. Direct 8. All the foresaid causes which may make some resistance of sin in the ungodly may Direct 8. cause also some sorrow and repenting in them There is repenting and sorrow for sin in Hell All men repent and are sorry at last but few repent so as to be pardoned and saved When a sinner hath had all the sweetness out of sin that it can yield him and seeth that its all gone and the sting is left behind no marvel if he repent I think there is scarce any Drunkard or Whoremonger or Glutton that is not a flat Infidel but he repenteth of the sin that 's past because he hath had all out of it that it can yield him and there is nothing left of it that 's lovely But yet he goeth on still which sheweth that his Repentance was unsound True Repentance is a through change of the heart and life a turning from sin to a holy life and such a sorrow for what is past as would not let you do it if it were to do again If you truly Repent you would not do so again if you had all the same temptations § 85. Tempt 9. But saith the Tempter it is but one sin and the rest of thy life is good and blameless Tempt 9. and God judgeth by the greater part of thy life whether the evil or the good be most § 86. Direct 9. If a man be a Murderer or a Traytor will you excuse him because the rest of his Direct 9. life is good and it is but one sin that he is charged with One sort of poyson may kill a man and one stab at the heart though all his body else be whole you may surfeit on one dish One leak may sink a Ship Jam. 2. 10. Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point is guilty of all Sâ—e Ezek. 18. 10 11. Indeed God doth judge by the bent of thy heart and the main drift and endeavour of thy life But canst thou say that the bent of thy heart and the main endeavour of thy life is for God and Heaven and Holiness No if it were thou wert Regenerate and this would not let thee live in any one beloved chosen wilful sin The bent of a mans heart and life may be sinful earthly fleshly though it run but in the channel of one way of gross sinning As a man may be covetous that hath but one Trade and a Whoremonger that hath but one Whore and an Idolater that hath but one Idol If thou lovedst God better thou wouldst let go thy sin And if thou love any one sin better than God the whole bent of thy heart and life is wicked For it is not set upon God and Heaven and therefore is ungodly § 87. Tempt 10. But saith the Tempter it is not reigning unpardoned sin because thou believest in Tempt 10. Iesus Christ And all that Believe are pardoned and justified from all their sins § 89. Direct 10. He that savingly believeth in Christ doth take him entirely for his Saviour and Direct 10. Governour and giveth up himself to be saved sanctified and ruled by him As Trusting your Physicion implyeth that you take his Medicines and follow his advice and so trust him and not that you trust to be cured while you disobey him by bare trusting so is it as to your faith and trust in Christ It is a belief or trust that he will save all those that are ruled by him in order to salvation He is See more of Temptations Chap. 3. Dir. 9. the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5. 9. If you believe in Christ you believe Christ And if you believe Christ you believe that except a man be converted and born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven John 3. 3 5. Matth. 18. 3. and that he that is in Christ is a new creature old things are past away and all is become new 2 Cor. 5. 17. And that without holiness none shall see God Heb. 12. 14. And that no fornicator effeminate thieves covetous drunkards revilers extortioners murderers lyars shall enter into or have any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. Ephes. 5. 4 5 6. Rev. 21. 27. 22. 14 15. If you believe Christ you must believe that you cannot be saved unless you be converted It is the Devil and not Christ that telleth you you may be pardoned and saved in an unholy unregenerate state And it 's sad that men should believe the Devil and call this a Believing in Christ and think to be saved for so believing as if false faith and presumption pleased God Christ will not save men for believing a lye and believing the Father of lyes before him Nor will he save all that are confident they shall be saved If you think you have any part in Christ remember Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his CHAP. II. I have siâ—ce written a Book on this subject to which I refer the Reader for fulâ—er Direction Directions to young Christians or Beginners in Religion for their establishment and safe proceeding BEfore I come to the Common Directions for the Exercise of Grace and walking with God containing the common duties of Christianity I shall
idly or to lie will find at first some difficulty to overcome their customs and live a mortified holy life yet grace will do it and prevail Especially in point of knowledge and ability of expression be not too hasty in your expectation but wait with patience in a faithful diligent use of means and that will be easie and delightful to you afterwards which before discouraged you with its difficulties § 3. 2. And God himself will have his servants and his graces tryed and exercised by difficulties He never intended us the Reward for sitting still nor the Crown of Victory without a fight nor a â—ight without an enemy and opposition Innocent Adam was unfit for his state of Confirmation and reward till he had been tryed by temptation Therefore the Martyrs have the most glorious Crown as having undergone the greatest tryal And shall we presume to murmur at the Method of God § 4. 3. And Satan having liberty to tempt and try us will quickly raise up Storms and Waves before us as soon as we are set to Sea which make young beginners often fear that they shall never live to reach the Haven He will shew thee the greatness of thy former sins to perswade thee that they shall not be pardoned He will shew thee the strength of thy passions and corruptions to make thee think they will never be overcome He will shew thee the greatness of the opposition and suffering which thou art like to undergo to make thee think thou shalt never persevere He will do his worst to meet thee with poverty losses crosses injuries vexations persecutions and cruelties yea and unkindness from thy dearest friends as he did by Iob to make thee think ill of God or of his service If he can he will make them thy enemies that are of thine own houshold He will stir up thy own Father or Mother or Husband or Wife or Brother or Sister or Children against thee to perswade or persecute thee from Christ Therefore Christ tells us that if we hate not all these that is cannot forsake them and use them as men do hated things when they would turn us from him we cannot be his Disciples Luke 14. 26. Matth. 10. Look for the worst that the Devil can do against thee if thou hast once lifted thy self against him in the Army of Christ and resolvest what ever it coâ—â— thee to be saved Read Heb. 11. But how little cause you have to be discouraged though Earth and Hell should do their worst you may perceive by these few Considerations 1. God is on your side who hath all your enemies in his hand and can rebuke them or destroy them in a moment O what is the breath or fury of dust or Devils against the Lord Almighty If God be for us who shall be against us Rom. 8. 32 33. Read often that Chapter Rom. 8. In the day when thou didst enter into Covenant with God and he with thee thou didst enter into the most impregnable Rock and Fortress and house thy self in that Castle of defence where thou maist modestly defie all adverse powers of Earth or Hell If God cannot save thee he is not God And if he will not save thee he must break his Covenant Indeed he may resolve to save thee not from affliction and persecution but in it and by it But in all these sufferings you will be more than Conquerors through Christ that loveth you that is It is far more desirable and excellent to conquer by patience in suffering for Christ than to conquer our Persecutors in the field by force of arms O think on the Saints triumphant boastings in their God Psal. 46. 1 2 3. God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble therefore will we not fear though the earth be removed and though the Mountains be carryed into the midst of the Sea Psal. 56. 1 2 3 4 5. When his enemies were many and wrested his words daily and fought against him and all their thoughts were against him yet he saith What time I am afraid I will trust in thee In God will I praise his word In God have I put my trust I will not fear what flesh can do unto me Remember Christs charge Luke 12. 4. Fear not them that can kill the body and after that have no more that they can do But I will fore-warn you whom you shall fear Fear him which after he hath killed hath power to cast into Hell yea I say unto you fear him If all the world were on thy side thou might yet have cause to fear but to have God on thy side is infinitely more § 6. 2. Jesus Christ is the Captain of thy salvation Heb. 2. 10. and hath gone before thee this Securus ego â—um de Christo Deâ— domino meo Haec Regi dicatis Subigat ignibus adigat bestiis excrucieâ— omnium tormentoâ—um generibus si cessero fâ—ustra sum in Ecclesiâ— Catholica baptizatus Nam si haec praesens vita sola esset aliam quae vera est non speraremus aeternam nec ita facerem ut modicum temporaliâ—er gloriarer ingratus existerâ—m qui suam fidem mihi contulâ—t Creatori Victorianus ad Hunnerychum in Vict. Utic p. 461. Victor Uti eusis saith that before the persecution of Hunnerychus these Visions were seen 1. All the Lights put out in the Church and a darkness and stink succeeded 2. The Church filled with abundance of Swine and Goats 3. Another saw a great heap of Corn unwinnowed and a sudden Whirlwind bâ—ew away all the Chaff and after that one came and cast out all the stricken dead and useless Corn till a very little heap was left 4. Another heard one cry on the top of a Mount Migrate Migrate 5. Another saw great Stones cast from Heaven on the Earth which â—lamed and destroyed But he hâ—d himself in a Chamber and none of them could touch him Pag. 405. Sed hoc aedificium ubi construâ—r visus est diabolus statim illud destruere digâ—atus est Christus Id. ib. way himself and hath conquered for thee and now is engaged to make thee Conquerour And darest thou not go on where Christ doth lead the way He was perfected through suffering himself and will see that thou be not destroyed by it Canst thou draw back when thou seest his steps and his blood § 7. 3. Thou art not to conquer in thy own strength but by the Spirit of God and the power of that grace which is sufficient for thee and his strength which appeareth most in our weakness 2 Cor. 12. 9. And you can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth you Phil. 4. 13. Be of good cheer he hath overcome the world John 16. 33. § 8. 4. All that are in Heaven have gone this way and overcome such oppositions and difficulties Iâ— ib saith that an Aâ—â—â—â—an Bishop being put over a City all that could take Ship fled
decent and editying determination of the outward circumstances of Religion and the right ordering of Worship is a needless thing or sinful or that a form of prayer in it self or when imposed is unlawful But let the Soul and Body of Religion go together and the alterable adjuncts be used as things alterable while the life of Holiness is still kept up Direct 19. PRomise not your selves long life or prosperity and great matters in the world lest it entangle Direct 19. your hearts with transitory things and engage you in ambitious or covetous designs and steal away your hearts from God and destroy all your serious apprehensions of Eternity § 1. Our own experience and the alterations which the approach of death makes upon the most doth sensibly prove that the expectation of a speedy change and reckoning upon a short life doth greatly help us in all our preparation and in all the work of Holiness through our lives Come to a man that lyeth on his death-bed or a prisoner that is to dye to morrow and try him with Nemini exploratum potest esse quomodo seâ—e habiturum sit corpus non dico ad annum sed ad vesperum Câ—ceâ—o 2. de fit Dii boni quid est in hominis vita diu Mihi ne diuturnum quidem quicquam videtur in quo est aliquid extremum Cum enim id advenit tum illud praeterâ—it eâ—fluxit tan tum remanet quod virtute recte factis fit consecutus hoâ—ae quidem â—edunt diâ—â— meâ—ses anni nec praeteritum tempus unquam revertitur nec quid sequatur sciri potest Cic. in Cat. Maj. Quem saepe transit casus aliquando invenâ— discourse of riches or honours or temptations to lust or drunkenness or excess and he will think you are mad or very impertinent to tell him of such things If he be but a man of Common Reason you shall see that he will more easily vilifie such temptations than many religious persons will do in their prosperity and health O how serious are we in repenting and perusing our former lives and casting up our accounts and asking What we shall do to be saved when we see that death is indeed at hand and time is at an end and we must away Every sentence of Scripture hath then some life and power in it Every word of Exhortation is savoury to us Every reproof of our negligence and sin is then well taken Every thought of sin or Christ or Grace or Eternity goes then to the quick Then time seems precious and if you ask a man whether it be better spent in Cards and Dice and Playes and Feastings and needless recreations and idleness or in prayer and holy conference and reading and meditating on the Word of God and the life to come and the holy use of our lawful labours How easily will he be satisfied of the truth and confute the Cavils of voluptuous time-wasters Then his judgement will easilier be in the right than Learning or Arguments before could make it In a word the expectation of the speedy approach of the soul into the presence of the Eternal God and of our entring into an unchangeable endless life of joy or torment hath so much in it to awaken all the powers of the soul that if ever we will be serious it will make us serious in every thought and speech and duty And therefore as it is a great mercy of God that this life which is so short should be as uncertain and that frequent dangers and sicknesses call to us to look about us and be ready for our change so usually the sickly that look for death are most considerate and it is a great part of the duty of those that are in youth and health to consider their frailty and the shortness and uncertainty of their lives and alwayes live as those that wait for the coming of their Lord. And we have great reason for it when we are certain it will be ere long and when we have so many perils and weaknesses to warn us and when we are never sure to see another hour and when time is so swift so quickly gone so unrecoverable and Nothing when it is past Common reason requireth such to live in a constant readiness to dye § 2. But if youth or health do once make you reckon of living long and make you put away the Nihil tam sirmum câ—â— periculum 〈◊〉 sâ—â— etiam â—â—â—â—vilido day of your departure as if it were far off this will do much to deceive and dull the best and take away the power of every truth and the life of every good thought and duty and all will be apt to dwindle into customariness and form You will hardly keep the faculties of the soul awake if you do not still think of death and judgement as near at hand The greatest Certainty of the greatest Change and the greatest Joy or Misery for ever will not keep our stupid hearts awake unless we look at all as near as well as certain This is plain in the common difference that we find among all men between their thoughts of death in health and when they see indeed that they must presently dye They that in health could think and talk of death with laughter or lightly without any awakening of soul when they come to dye are oftentimes as much altered as if they had never heard before that they are mortal By which it is plain that to live in the house of mirth is more dangerous than to live in the house of mourning and that the expectation of long life is a grievous enemy to the operations of grace and the safety of the soul. § 3. And it is one of the greatest strengtheners of your temptations to luxury ambition worldliness and almost every sin When men think that they shall have many years leisure to repent they are apt the more boldly to transgress when they think that they have yet many years to live it tempteth them to pass away Time in idleness and to loiter in their race and trifle in all their work and to over-value all the pleasures and honours and shadows of felicity that are here below He that hath his life in his House or Land or hath it for inheritance will set more by it and bestow more upon it than if he thought he must go out of it the next year To a man that thinks of liveing many years the favour of great ones the raising of his estate and name and family and the accommodations and pleasing of his flesh will seem great matters to him and will do much with him and will make self-denyal a very hard work § 4. Therefore though Health be a wonderful great mercy as Enabling him to duty that hath a heart to use it to that end yet it is by accident a very great danger and snare to the heart it self to turn it from the way of duty The best life
acceptance of their work O that we would do that honour and right to true Religion as to shew the world the nature and use of it by living in the cheerful Praises of our God and did not â—each them to blaspheme it by our mis-doings I have said the more of the excellency and benefits of this work because it is one of your best helps to perform it to know the Reasons of it and how much of your Religion and Duty and comfort consisteth in it and the forgetting of this is the common cause that it is so boldly and ordinarily neglected or slubbered over as it is § 23. Direct 2. The keeping of the heart in the admiration and glorifying o◠〈◊〉 according to Direct 2. the forâ—-going Directions is the principal help to the right praising of him with 〈…〉 ps For out of the hearts abundance the mouth will speak And if the Heart do not bear itâ— part no praise is mâ—lâ—dious to God § 24. Direct 3. â—ead much those Scriptures which speak of the praises of God especially the Psalms Direct 3. and furnish your memories with store of those holy expressions of the excellencies of God which he himself hath taught you in his Word None knoweth the things of God but the Spirit of God who teacheth us in the Scriptures to speak divinely of things divine No other diâ—lâ—ct so well becometh the work of praise God that best knoweth himself doth best teach us how to know and praise him Every Christian should have a treasury of these sacred materials in his memory that he may be able at all times in Conference and in Worship to speak of God in the words of God § 25. Direct 4. Be much in singing Psalms of praise and that with the most heart-raising cheerfulness Direct 4. and melody especially in the holy assemblies The melody and the conjunction of many serious holy souls doth â—end much to elevate the heart And where it is done intelligibly reverently in conjunction with a rational spiritual serious Worship the use of Musical Instruments are not to be scrupled or refused any more than the Tunes and Melody of the Vâ—ic◠§ 26. Direct 5. Remember to allow the praises of God their due prâ—portion in all your prayers Direct 5. Use not to shut it out or forget it or cut it short with two or three words in the conclusion The Lords Prayer begins and ends with it and the three first Petitions are for the glorifying the Name of God and the coming of his Kingdom and the doing oâ— his Will by which he is glorified and all this before we ask any thing directly for our selves Use will much help you in the Praise of God § 27. Direct 6. Especially let the Lords Day be principally spent in Praises and Thanksgiving for the Direct 6. work of our Redemption and the benefits thereof This day is separated by God himself to this holy work And if you spend it ordinarily in other Religious duties that subserve not this you spend it not as God requireth you The thankful and praiseful Commemoration of the work of mans Redemption is the special work of the day And the celebrating of the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ which is therefore called the Eucharist was part of these laudatory exercises and used every Lords Day by the Primitive Church It is not only a holy day separated to Gods Worship in general but to this Eucharistical Worship in special above the rest as a day of Praises and Thanksgiving unto God And thus all Christians ordinarily should use it § 28. Direct 7. Let your holy conferâ—â—ce with others be much about the glorious Excellencies Direct 7. Works and Mercies of the Lord in way â—f praise and admiration This is indeed to speak to Edification and as the Oracles of God Eph. 4. 29. that God in all things may be glorified 1 Pet. 4. 11. Psal. 29. 9. In his Temple doth every one speak of his glory Psal. 35. 28. My tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praises all the day long Psal. 145. 6 11 21. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts They shall speak of the glory of thy Kingdom and talk of thy power to make known to the Sons of men his mighty acts and the glorious Majesty of his Kingdom My mouth shall speak of the praises of the Lord and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever Psal. 105. 2 3. Talk ye of all his wondrous works glory ye in his holy name § 29. Direct 8. Speak not of God in a light unreverent or common sort as if you talkt of common Direct 8. things but with all possible seriousness gravity and reverence as if you saw the Majesty of the Lord. A common and a holy manner of speech are contrary That only is holy which is separated to God from common use You speak prophanely in the manner how holy soever the matter be when you speak of God with that careless levity as you use to speak of common things Such speaking of God is dishonourable to him and hurts the hearers more than silence by breeding in them a contempt of God and teaching them to imitate you in sleight conceits and speech of the Almighty Whereas one that speaketh reverently of God as in his presence doth ofttimes more affect the hearers with a reverence of his Majesty with a few words than unreverent Preachers with the most accurate Sermons delivered in a common or affected strain When ever you speak of God let the hearers perceive that your hearts are possessed with his Fear and Love and that you put more difference between God and man than between a King and the smallest Worm so when you talk of death or judgement of Heaven or Hell of holiness or sin or any thing that nearly relates to God do it with that gravity and seriousness as the matter doth require § 30. Direct 9. Speak not so unskilfully and foolishly of God or holy things as may 〈…〉 pt the hearers Direct 9. to turn it into a matter of scorn or laughter Especially understand how your p 〈…〉 are suited to the company that you are in Among those that are more ignorant some weak discourses may be tolerable and profitable For they are most affected with that which is delivered in their own Dialect and Mode but among judicious or captious hearers unskilful persons must be very sparing of their words lest they do hurt while they desire to do good and make Religion sâ—em ridiculous We may rejoyce in the scorns which we undergo for Christ and which are bent against his holy Laws or the substance of our duty But if men are jeered for speaking ridiculously and foolishly of holy things they have little reason to take comfort in any thing of that but their honest meanings and intents Nay they must be humbled for being a dishonour to the name of godliness
against it at large before Chap. 3. Direct 6. 8. but shall add these â—ew § 2. Direct 1. Remember the Majesty and presence of that Most Holy God with whom we have to dâ— Direct 1. Heb. 4. 13. Nothing will more affect and awe the heart and over-rule it in the matters of Religion than the true knowledge of God We will not talk sleepily or contemptuously to a King How much less should we be stupid or contemptuous before the God of Heaven It is that God whom Angels worship that sustaineth the world that keepeth us in life that is alwayes present observing all that we think or say or do whose commands are upon us and with whom we have to do in all things and shall we be hardned against his fear Who hath hardned himself against him and hath prospered Job 9. 4. § 3. Direct 2. Think well of the unspeakable greatness and importance of those Truths and Things Direct 2. which should affect you and of those duties which are required of you Eternity of Iâ—y or Torment is such an amazing thing that one would think every thought and every mention either of it or of any thing that concerneth it should go to our very hearts and deeply affect us and should command the obedience and service of our souls It is true they are things unseen and therefore less apt in that respect to affect us than things visible But the Greatness of them should recompence that disadvantage a thousand fold If our lives laâ— upon every word we speak or upon every step we go how carefully should we speak and go But O how deeply should things affect us which our everlasting life is concerned in One would think a thing of so great moment as dying and passing into an endless life of pain or pleasure should so take up and transport the mind of mâ—n that we should have much ado to bring our selves to mind regard or talk of the inconsiderable interests of the flâ—sh How unexcusable a thing is a sensless careless negligent heart when God looketh on us and Heaven or Hell is a little before us Yea when we are so heavily laden with our sins and compassed about with so many enemies and in the midst of such great and manifold dangers to be yet sensless under all is so far to be dead Will not the wounds of sin and the threatnings of the Law and the accuâ—â—tions of conscience make you feel He that cannot feel the prick of a Pin will feel the stab of a Dagger if he be alive § 4. Direct 3. Remember how near the time is when stupidity and sensless neglect of God will be banished Direct 3. from all the world and what certain and powerful means are before you at death and judgement Lento gradu ad vindictaâ—â— suâ— Divina procâ—dit ira â—arditatemque supplâ—â—iâ— gravitare compensat Valerius Maâ— de Dioâ—ys l. 1. c. 2. to awaken and pierce the hardest heart There are but few that are quite insensible at Death There are none past feeling after death in Heaven or Hell No man will stand before the Lord in the day of Judgement with a sleepy or a sensless heart God will recover your feeling by misery if you will lose it by sin and not recover it by grace He can make you now a terror to your selves Ier. 20. 4. He can make conscience say such things in secret to you as you shall not be able to forget or slight But if conscience awake you not the approach of Death its likely will awake you when you see that God is now in earnest with you and that dye you must and there is no remedy will you not begin to think now whither must I go and what will become of me for ever Will you then harden your heart against God and his warnings If you do the first moment of your entrance upon Eternity will cure your stupidity for ever It would grieve a heart that is not stone to think what a feeling stony hearted sinners will shortly have When God will purposely make them feel with his wrathful streams of fire and brimstone When Satan that now hindereth your feeling will do his worst to make you feel and Conscience the never dying Worm will gnaw your hearts and make them feel without ease or hope of remedy Think what a wakening day is coming § 5. Direct 4. Think often of the Love of God in Christ and of the bloody sufferings of thy Redeemer Direct 4. for it hath a mighty power to melt the heart Iâ— Love and the Love of God and so great and wonderful a Love will not soften thy hardned heart what will § 6. Direct 5. Labour for a full apprehension of the evil and danger of a Hardned heart It is Direct 6. the Death of the soul so far as it prevaileth At the easiest it is like the stupidity of a paralytical member or a seared part Observe the names which Scripture giveth it The Hardning of the heart Prov 28. 14. The hardning of the neck Prov. 29. 10. which signifieth Inflexibility The hardning the face which signifieth impudency Prov. 21. 29. The seâ—redness of the Conscience 1 Tim. 4. 2. The Impenitency of the heart Rom. 2. 5. Sometime it is called sottishness or stupidity Ier. 4. 22. Sometime it is called a not caring or not laying things to heart and not regarding Isa. 42. 25. 5. 12. 32. 9 10 11. Sometime it is denominated metaphorically from inanimates A face harder than a rock Jer. 5. 3. Stony hearts Ezek. 11. 19. 36. 26. A neck with an Iron sinew Isa. 48. 4. and a brow of brass It is called sleep and a deep slumber and a Spirit of slumber Rom. 13. 11. 11. 8. Matth. 25. 5. and Death it self 1 Tim 5. 6. Ephes. 2. 1. 5. Col. 2. 13. Jude 12. § 7. Observe also how dreadful a case it is if it be predominant both symptomatically and effectively It is a fore-runner of mischief Prov. 28. 14. It is a dreadful sign of one that is far more unlikely than others to be converted when they are alienated from the life of God by their ignorance and are past feeling they are given up to work uncleanness with greediness Ephes. 4. 14. Usually God calleth those that he will save before they are past feeling Though such are not hopeless their hope lyeth in the recovering of the feeling which they want And a hardned heart and Iron neck and brazen forehead is a sadder sign of Gods displeasure than if he had made the Heavens as Brass and the Earth as Iron to you or let out the greatest distress upon your bodies When men have eyes and see not and ears and hear not and hearts but understand not it is a sad prognostick that they are very unlikely to be converted and forgiven Mark 4. 12. Acts 28. 27. A hardned heart prâ—dominantly is garrisoned and fortified by Satan against all the means
distress that if he would but spare them and try them once again they would amend their lives and live more holily and spend their time more carefully and diligently for their souls and shew all about them the truth of their Repentance by the greatness of their change and an exemplary life O it is a most dangerous terrible thing to return to security sloth and sin and break such promises to God! such are often given over to woful hard-heartedness or despair for God will not be mocked with delusory words § 70. Thus I have opened this great duty of Redeeming Time the more largely because it is of unspeakable importance and my soul is frequently amazed with admiration that the sluggish world can so insensibly and impenitently go on in wasting precious time so near Eternity and in so needy and dangerous a case Though I bless my God that I have not wholly lost my Time but have long lived in a sense of the odiousness of that sin yet I wonder at my self that such over-powring motives compell me not to make continual haste and to be still at work with all my might in a case of everlasting consequence CHAP. VI. Directions for the Government of the Thoughts I Have shewed you in my Treatise of walking with God how much mans Thoughts are regarded by God and should be regarded by himself and what agents and instruments they are of very much Good or Evil This therefore I shall suppose and not repeat but only Direct you in the Governing of them The work having three parts they must have several Directions 1. For the avoiding of evil thoughts 2. For the exercise of good thoughts 3. For the improvement of good thoughts that they may be effectual Tit. 1. Directions against evil and idle Thoughts § 2. Direct 1. KNow which are evil Thoughts and retein such an odious Character of them continually Direct 1. on your minds as may provoke you still to meet them with abhorrence Evil thoughts are such as these 1. All thoughts against the Being or Attributes or Relations or honour or works of God Atheistical and Blasphemous Idolatrous and unbelieving thoughts All thoughts that tend to disobedience or opposition to the will or word of God And all that savour of unthankfullness or want of Love to God or of discontent and distrust or want of the fear of God or that tend to any of these Also sinful selfish covetous proud studies to make a meer trade of the Ministry for gain To be able to overtalk others Searching into unrevealed forbidden things Inordinate curiosity and hasty conceitedness of your own opinions about Gods Decrees or obscure Prophecies Prodigies Providence mentioned before about Pride of our understandings All thoughts against any particular word or truth or precept of God or against any particular duty against any part of the worship and ordinances of God that tend to unreverent neglects of the name or Holy Day of God All impious thoughts against publick duty or family duty or secret duty and all that would hinder or marr any one duty All thoughts of dishonour contempt neglect or disobedience to the authority or higher powers set over us by God either Magistrates Pastors Parents Masters or any other Superiors All thoughts of Pride self-exalting ambition self-seeking Covetousness Voluptuous sensual Thoughts proceeding from or tending to the corrupt inordinate pleasures of the flesh Thoughts which are unjust and tend to the hurt and wrong of others Envyous malicious reproachful injurious contemptuous wrathful revengeful thoughts Lustful wanton filthy thoughts Drunken gluttonous fleshly thoughts Inordinate careful fearful anxious vexatious discomposing thoughts Presumptuous and secure despairing and dejecting thoughts Slothful delaying negligent and discouraging thoughts Uncharitable cruel false censorious unmerciful thoughts And idle unprofitable thoughts Hate all these as the Devils spawn § 3. Direct 2. Be not insensible what a great deal of Duty or sin is in the Thoughts and of how Direct 2. dangerous a signification and consequence a course of evil thoughts is to your souls They shew what a Man is as much as his words or actions do For as be thinketh in his heart so is he Prov. 23. 7. A good man or evil is denominated by the good or evil treasure of the heart though known to men but by the fruits O the vile and numerous sins that are committed in mens thoughts and proceed from mens thoughts O the pretious Time that is lost in idle and other sinful thoughts O the good that is hindered hereby both in heart and life But of this having spoken in the Treatise aforementioned I proceed § 4. Direct 3. Above all be sure that you cleanse the Fountain and destroy those sinful inclinations Direct 3. of the heart from which your evil thoughts proceed In vain else will you strive to stop the streams Or if you should stop them that very Heart it self will be lothsom in the eyes of God Are your Thoughts all upon the world either coveting or caring or grieving for what you want or pleasing your selves with what you have or hope for Get down your deceived estimation of the world cast it under your feet and out of your heart and count all with Paul but as loss and dung for the excellent knowledge of God in Christ For till the world be dead in you your worldly thoughts will not be dead But all will stand still when once this poise is taken off Crucifie it and this breath and pulse will cease So if your thoughts do run upon matter of preferment or honour disgrace or contempt or if you are pleased with your own preheminence or applause Mortifie your Pride and beg of God a humble self-denying contrite heart For till Pride be dead you will never be quiet for it but it will stir up swarms of self-exalting and yet self-vexing thoughts which make you hateful in the eyes of God So if your thoughts be running out upon your back and belly what you shall eat or drink or how to please your appetite or sense Mortifie the flesh and subdue its desires and master your appetite and bring them into full obedience unto reason and get a habit of temperance or else your thoughats will be still upon your guts and throats For they will obey the ruling power And a violent passion and desire doth so powerfully move them that it is hard for the reason and will to rule them So if your thoughts are wanton and filthy you must cleanse that unclean and lustful heart and get Christ to cast out the unclean spirit and become chast within before you will keep out your unchast cogitations So if you have confusion and vanity in your thoughts you must get a well-furnished and well-composed mind and heart before you will well cure the maladie of your thoughts § 5. Direct 4. Keep at a sufficient distance from those tempting objects which are the fuel and incentives Direct 4. of your evil
you of such a crazed wit If you say Yea Then believe and trust that person and resolve to follow his Direction And I would ask you were you not once of another judgement concerning your self If so then were you not as sound and able to judge and liker to be in the right than you are now § 25. Direct 21. My last advise is to look out for the cure of your disease and commit your Direct 21. self to the care of your Physicion and obey him And do not as most melancholy persons do that will not believe that Physick will do them good but that it is only their soul that is afflicted For it is the spirits imagination and passions that are diseased and so the soul is like an eye that looketh through a coloured glass and thinks all things are of the same colour as the glass is I have seen abundance cured by Physick and till the body be cured the mind will hardly ever be cured but the clearest Reasons will be all in vain Tit. 6. Directions for young Students for the most profitable ordering of their studying Thoughts § 1. Direct 1. LET it be your first and most serious study to make sure that you are Regenerate Direct 1. and sanctified by the Holy Ghost and justified by faith in Christ and Love God above all as your reconciled Father and so have right to the Heavenly inheritance § 2. For 1. You are nearest to your selves and your everlasting happiness is your nearest and your highest interest what will it profit you to know all the world and to lose your own souls To know as much as Devils and be for ever miserable with Devils § 3. 2. It is a most doleful employment to be all day at work in Satans Chains To sit studying God and the Holy Scriptures while you are in the power of the Devil and have hearts that are at enmity to the Holiness of that God and that Scripture which you are studying It is a most preposterous and incongruous course of study if you first study not your own deliverance And if you knew your case and saw your chains your trembling would disturb your studies § 4. 3. Till you are renewed you study in the dark and without that internal sight and sense Act. 26. 18. Eph. 1. 18 19. Col. 1. 13. 1 Pet. 2. 9. Rom. 8. 7. 1 Cor. 2. 14 15. by which the life and spirit and kernel of all that you study must be known All that the Scripture saith of the darkness of a state of sin and of the illumination of the spirit and of the marvellous light of regenerate souls and of the natural man 's not receiving the things of the spirit and of the carnal mind that is enmity against God and is not subject to his Law nor can be all these and such other passages are not insignificant but most considerable truths from the spirit of truth You have only that Light that will shew you the shell and the dead letter but not the soul and quickening sense of any practical holy truth As the eye knoweth meat which we never tasted or as a meer Grammarian or Logician readeth a Law book or Physick book who gather nothing out of them that will save a mans estate or life so will you prosecute all your studies § 5. 4. You are like to have but ill success in your studies when the Devil is your Master who hateth both you and the holy things which you are studying He will blind you and pervert you and possess your minds with false conceits and put diverting sensual thoughts into you and will keep your own souls from being ever the better for it all § 6. 5. You will want the true end of all right studies and set up wrong ends and therefore whatever be the matter of your studies you are still out of your way and know nothing rightly because you know it not as a Means to the true end But of this anon § 7. Direct 2. When you have first laid this foundation and have the true Principle and End of Direct 2. all right Studies be sure that you intend this End in all even the Everlasting Sight and Love of God and the promoting his Glory and pleasing his holy will And that you never meddle with any studies seperated from this end but as a means thereto and as animated thereby § 8. If every step in your journey is but loss of time and labour which is not directed to your journeys end and if all that you have to mind or do in the world be only about your End or the Means and all creatures and actions can have no other moral Goodness than to be the means to God your ultimate end then you may easily see that when ever you leave out God as the End of any of your studies your are but sinning or doting for in those Studies there can be no Moral Good though they may tend to your knowledge of Natural Good and Evil. And when you think you grow wise and learned men and can dispute and talk of many things which make to your renown while your wills consent not to the wholsom words of our Lord Iesus Christ and the doctrine which is according 1 Tim. 6 3 4 5 6. to Godliness you are proud knowing nothing but doting about questions and strifes of words whereof cometh envy strife railing evil surmisings perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds supposing that gain is Godliness from such turn away As there is no knowledge but from God so it is not knowledge but dotage if it lead not unto God § 9. Direct 3. See therefore that you choose all your studies according to their tendency to God Direct 3. your end and use them still under the notion of means and that you estimate your knowledge by this End and judge your selves to know no more indeed than you know of God and for God And so let practical Divinity be the soul of all your Studies Therefore when Life is too short for the Studies of all things which we desire to know make sure of the chief things and prefer those studies which make most to your End spend not your time on things unprofitable to this end And spend not your first and chiefest time on things unnecessary to it Noâ— aâ—â—em nec subâ—to câ—â—imus philosoâ—hari nec mediocrem a primo tempore aetatis in co studio operam curamque consumpsimus cum minime videbamur tum maxime philosophebamur Cicero 〈…〉 r. pag. 5. For the near connexion to God the end is it that enobleth the matter of your studies All true knowledge leads to God but not all alike the nearest to him is the best § 10. Direct 4. Remember that the chief part of your growth in knowledge is not in knowing Direct 4. many smaller things of no necessity but in a growing downwards in a clearer insight into the foundation of
ability opportunity and a Call may be excused by Religion from worldly labours as Ministers but not from such spiritual labours for others which they can perform He that under pretence of Religion withdraweth from converse and forbeareth to do good to others and only liveth to himself and his own soul doth make Religion a pretense against Charity and the works of Charity which are a great part of Religion For pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted of the world Jam. 1. 27. Even when sickness imprisonment or persecution disableth to do any more for others we must pray for them But while we can do more we must § 4. Quest. 4. Will not Riches excuse one from labouring in a Calling Answ. No but rather bind Quest. 4. them to it the more For he that hath most wages from God should do him most work Though Wâ—â—l not Riches excuse they have no outward want to urge them they have as great a necessity of obeying God and doing good to others as any other men have that are poor § 5. Quest. 5. Why is labour thus necessary to all that are able Answ. 1. God hath strictly commanded Quest. 5. â—â—y Labour is necessary it to all And his Command is Reason enough to us 2 Thess. 3. 10 11 12. For even when we were with you this we commanded you that if any would not work neither should he eat For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly working not at all but are busie-bodies Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Iesus Christ that with quietness Ezek. 46. 1. Deut. 16. 15. Deut. 2. 7. Exod. 34. 21. they work and eat their own bread See vers 6. 14. 1 Thess. 4. 11. We beseech you brethren that ye study to be quiet and to do your own business and work with your hands as we commanded you that ye may walk honestly or decently towards them that are without and that ye may have lack of nothing Gen. 3. 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground And in the fourth Commandment Six dayes shalt thou labour So Ephes. 4. 28. Prov. 31. 31 33. § 6. 2. Naturally action is the end of all our Powers and the Power were vain but in respect to the act To be able to understand to read to write to go c. were little worth if it were not that we may Do the things that we are enabled to § 7. 3. It is for Action that God maintaineth us and our abilities work is the moral as well as the natural End of power It is the act by the power that is commanded us § 8. 4. It is action that God is most served and honoured by not so much by our being able to do good but by our doing it who will keep a servant that is able to work and will not Will his meer ability answer your expectation § 9. 5. The publick welfare or the good of many is to be valued above our own Every man therefore is bound to do all the good he can to others especially for the Church and Commonwealth And this is not done by Idleness but by Labour As the Bees labour to replenish their hive so man being a sociable creature must labour for the good of the society which he belongs to in which his own is contained as a part § 10. 6. Labour is necessary for the preservation of the faculties of the mind 1. The labour of the mind is necessary hereto because unexercised Abilities will decay as Iron not used will consume with rust Idleness makes men fools and dullards and spoileth that little ability which they have 2. And the exercise of the Body is ordinarily necessary because of the minds dependance on the body and acting according to its temperature and disposition It is exceedingly helped or hindered by the body § 11. 7. Labour is needful to our health and life The Body it self will quickly fall into mortal Socrates was mightâ—ly addicted to the exercise of his body as necessary to the health of body and mind Laert. Plâ—tarch out of Plato saith that soul and body should be equally exercised togâ—ther and driven on as two Houses in a Coach and not either of them overgo the osher Prâ—â— of Health diseases without it except in some very few persons of extraordinary soundness Next to abstinence labour is the chief preserver of health It stirreth up the natural heat and spirits which perform the chief offices for the life of man It is the proper bellows for this vital fire It helpeth all the concoctions of nature It attenuateth that which is too gross it purifieth that which beginneth to corrupt it openeth obstructions it keepeth the mass of blood and other nutritious humours in their proper temperament fit for motion circulation and nutrition it helpeth them all in the discharge of their natural offices It helpeth the parts to attract each one its proper nutriment and promoteth every sermentation and assimilation by which nature maintaineth the transitory still consuming Oyle and mass It excelleth art in the preparation alteration and expulsion of all the excrementitious matter which being retained would be the matter of manifold diseases and powerfully fighteth against all the enemies of health In a word it doth incomparably excell the help of the most skilful Physicions and excellent Medicines in the world for the preventing of most diseases incident to man and consequently to the benefit of the soul it self which cheerfully useth a cheerful and well tempered body and useth a languishing sickly body as the Rider useth a tired Horse or as we use a sick or lazie servant or a blunted Knife or a Clock or Watch that is out of order I speak all this of Bodily labour which is necessary to the Body and consequently to the mind For want of which abundance grow melancholly and abundance grow sluggish and good for nothing and abundance cherish filthy lusts and millions yearly turn to earth before their time For want of bodily labour a multitude of the idle Gentry and rich people and young people that are slothful do heap up in the secret receptacles of the body a dunghill of unconcocted excrementitious filth and vitiate all the mass of humours which should be the fewel and oyle of life and dye by thousands of untimely deaths of Feavors Palsies Convulsions Apoplexies Dropsies Consumptions Gout c. more miserably than if Thieves had murdered them by the High-way because it is their own doing and by their sloth they kill themselves For want of bodily exercise and labour interposed abundance of Students and sedentary persons fill themselves with diseases and hasten their death and causelesly blame their hard studies for that which was caused by their bodily sloth The hardest studies will do
the week IT somewhat tendeth to make a holy life more easie to us when we know the ordinary course and method of our duties and every thing falleth into its proper place As it helpeth the Husbandman or Tradesman to know the ordinary course of his work that he need not go out of it unless in extraordinary cases Therefore I shall here give you some brief Directions for the holy spending of every day § 1. Direct 1. Proportion the time of your sleep aright if it be in your power that you waste Direct 1. not your pretious morning hours sluggishly in your bed Let the time of your sleep be rationally fitted to your health and labour and not sensually to your slothful pleasure About six hours is meet for healthful people and seven hours for the less healthful and eight for the more weak and aged ordinarily The morning hours are to most the preitousest of all the day for all our duties especially servants that are scanted of time must take it then for prayer if possible leâ—t they have none at all § 2. Direct 2. Let God have your first awaking thoughts Lift up your hearts to him reverently Direct 2. and thankfully for the rest of the night past and briefly cast your selves upon him for the following day and use your selves so constantly to this that your consciences may check you when common thoughts shall first intrude And if you have a Bed-fellow to speak to let your first speech be agreeable to your thoughts It will be a great help against the temptations that may else surprize you and a holy engagement of your hearts to God for all the day § 3. Direct 3. Resolve that pride and the fashions of the times shall never tempt you into such a Direct 3. garb of attire as will make you long in dressing you in the morning but wear such cloathing as is soon put on It 's dear-bought bravery or decency as they will needs call it which must cost every day an hours or a quarter of an hours time extraordinary I had rather go as the wilde Indians than have those morning hours to answer for as too many Ladies and other gallants have § 4. Direct 4. If you are persons of quality you may employ a child or servant to read a Chapter Direct 4. in the Bible while you are dressing you and eating your breakfast if you eat any Else you may employ that time in some fruitful meditation or conference with those about you as far as your necessary occasions do give leave As to think or speak of the mercy of a nights rest and of your renewed time and how many spent that night in hell and how many in prison and how many in a colder harder lodging and how many in grievous pain and sickness aweary of their beds and of their lives and how many in distracting terrours of their minds and how many souls that night were called from their bodies to appear before the dreadful God And think how fast days and nights â—oul on and how speedily your last night and day will come And observe what is wanting in the readiness of your soul for such a time and seek it presently without delay § 5. Direct 5. If more necessary duties call you not away let secret prayer by your self alone or Direct 5. with your chamber-fellow or both go before the common prayers of the family and delay it not causlesly but if it may be let it be first before any other work of the day Yet be not formal and superstitious to your hours as if God had absolutely tyed you to such a time nor think it not your duty to pray once in secret and once with your chamber-fellow and once with the family every morning when more necessary duties call you off That hour is best for one which is worst for another To most private prayer is most seasonable as soon as they are up and cloathed To others some other hour may be more free and fit And those persons that have not more necessary duties may do well to pray at all the opportunities before-mentioned But reading and meditation must be allowed their time also And the labours of your callings must be painfully followed And servants and poor people that are not at liberty or that have a necessity of providing for their families may not lawfully take so much time for prayer as some others may especially the aged and weak that cannot follow a calling may take longer time And Ministers that have many souls to look after and publick work to do must take heed of neglecting any of this that they may be longer and oftener in private prayer Allwayes remember that when two duties are at once before you and one must be omitted that you prefer that which all things considered is the greatest And understand what maketh a duty greatest Usually that is greatest which tendeth to the greatest good yet sometime that is greatest at that time which cannot be done at another time when others may Praying in it self considered is better than Plowing or Marketting or Conference And yet these may be greater than it in their proper seasons because prayer may be done at another time when these cannot § 6. Direct 6. Let family-worship be performed constantly and seasonably twice a day at that hour Direct 6. which is freest in regard of interruptions not delaying it without just cause But whenever it is performed be sure it be reverently seriously and spiritually done If greater duty hinder not begin with a brief invocation of Gods name and craving of his help and blessing through Christ and then read some part of the holy Scripture in order and either help the hearers to understand it and apply it or if you are unable for that then read some profitable Book to them for such ends and sing a Psalm if there be enough to do it fitly and earnestly pour out your souls in Prayer But if unavoidable occasions will not give way to all this do what you can especially in prayer and do the rest another time but pretend not necessity against any duty when it is but unwillingness or negligence The lively performance of Family-duties is a principal means to keep up the power and interest of Godliness in the world which all decays when these grow dead and slight and formal § 7. Direct 7. Renew the actual intention and remembrance of your ultimate end when you set your Direct 7. selves to your days work or set upon any notable business in the world Let HOLINESS TO THE LORD be written upon your hearts in all that you do Do no work which you cannot entitle God to and truly say he set you about And do nothing in the world for any other ultimate end than to Please and Glorifie and Enjoy him And remember that whatever you do must be done as a means to these and as by one that is that way going
of a distinct order the Reader must not expect that I here determine For 1. The Power is by Christ given to them as is before proved and in Tit. 1. 5. 2. None else are ordinarily able to discern aright the Abilities of a man for the sacred Ministry The people may discern a profitable moving Preacher but whether he understand the Scripture or the substance of Religion or be â—ound in the faith and not Heretical and delude them not with a form of well uttered words they are not ordinarily able to judge 3. None else are fit to attend this work but Pastors who are separated to the sacred office It requireth Act. 13. 2. Rom. 1. 1. 1 Tim. 4. 15. more time to get fitness for it and then to perform it faithfully than either Magistrates or people can ordinarily bestow 4. The power is no where given by Christ to Magistrates or people 5. It hath been exercised by Pastors or Church-officers only both in and ever since the Apostles dayes in all the Chuâ—ches of the World And we have no reason to think that the Church hath been gathered from the beginâ—â—â—â— till now by so great an errour as a wrong conveyance of the Ministerial power III. The word Iurisdiction as applyed to the Church officers is no Scripture Word and in the common sence soundeth too bigg as signifying more power than the servants of all must claim For Isa. 33. 2â— Jam. 4. 1â— there is One Lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy But in a moderate sence it may be tolerated As Jurisdiction signifieth in particular 1. Legislation 2. Or Judicial Process or Sentence 3. Or the Execution of such a sentence strictly taken so Ordination is no part of Jurisdiction But as Iurisdiction signifieth the same with the power of Government Ius Regendi in general so Ordination is an Act of Jurisdiction As the placing or choosing of Inferiour officers may belong to the Steward of a Family or as the Calling or authorizing of Physicions belongeth to the Colledge of Physicions and the authorizing of Lawyers to the Judges or Society or the authorizing of Doctors in Philosophy to the Society of Philosophers or to particular rulers Where note that in the three last instances the Learning or Fitness of the said Persons or Societies is but their Dispositio vel aptitudo ad potestatem exercendam but the actual Power of conveying authority to others or designing the Recipient person is received from the supream power of the Land and so is properly an Act of Authority here called Jurisdiction So that the common distinguishing of Ordination from Iurisdiction or Government as if they were totâ specie different is unsound IV. Imposition of hands was a sign like the Kiss of peace and the anointing of persons and like our kneeling in Prayer c. which having first somewhat in their nature to invite men to the use was become a common significant sign of a superiours benediction of an inferiour in those times and Countreys And so was here applyed ordinarily for its antecedent significancy and aptitude to this use and was not purposely Instituted nor had its significancy newly given it by Institution And so was not like a Sacrament necessarily and perpetually affixed to Ordination Therefore we must conclude 1. That Imposition of hands in Ordination is a decent apt significant sign not to be scrupled by any nor to be omitted without necessity as being of Scripture ancient and common use 2. But yet that it is not essential to Ordination which may be valid by any fit designation and separation of the person And therefore if it be omitted it nullifieth not the action And if the Ordainers did it by Letters to a man a thousand miles off it would be valid And some persons of old were ordained when they were absent V. I add as to the need of Ordination 1. That without this Key the office and Church doors would be cast open and every Heretick or Self-conceited person intrude 2. It is a sign of a proud unworthy person that will judge himself fit for so great a work and Act. 13. 2. Heb. 5. 4. 10. intrude upon such a conceit when he may have the Judgement of the Pastors and avoideth it 3. Those that so do should no more be taken for Ministers by the people than any should go for Christians that are not Baptized or for marryed persons whose marriage is not solemnized Quest. 20. Is Ordination necessary to make a man a Pastor of a particular Church as such And is he to be made a General Minister and a particular-Church-Elder or Pastor at once and by one Ordination I Have proved that a man may be made a Minister in general yea and sent to exercise it in Converting Infidels and baptizing them before ever he is the Pastor of any particular Church To which I add that in this General Ministry he is a Pastor in the universal Church as a Licensed Physicion that hath no Hospital or Charge is a Physicion in the Kingdom And 1. As Baptism is as such our Enterance into the universal Church and not into a particular so is Ordination to a Minister an enterance only on the Ministry as such 2. Yet a man may at once be made a Minister in general and the Pastor of this or that Church in particular And in Kingdoms wholly inchurched and Christian it is usually fittest so to do Lest many being ordained sine titulo idleness and poverty of supernumeraries should corrupt and dishonour the Ministry Which was the cause of the old Canons in this case 3. But when a man is thus called to both at once it is not all done by Ordination as such but his complicate Relation proceedeth from a complication of Causes As he is a Minister it is by Ordination And as he is The Pastor of this People it is by the conjunct causes of appropriation which are 1. Necessarily the Peoples Consent 2. Regularly the Pastors approbation and recommendation and reception of the person into their Communion 3. And sometimes the Magistrate may do much â—â— oblige the people to consent 4. But when a man is made a Minister in general before he needeth no 〈◊〉 Ordination to fix him in a particular charge but only an Approbation recommendation particular Investiture and Reception For else a man must be oft ordained even as oft as he removeth But yet Imposition of hands may fitly be used in this particular Investiture though it be no proper ordination that is no collation of the office of a Minister in general but the fixing of one that was a Minister before Quest. 21. May a man be oft or twice Ordained IT is supposed that we play not with an ambiguous word that we remember what Ordination is And then you will see Cause to distinguish 1. Between entire true Ordination and the external act or words or ceremony only 2. Between one that was truly ordained before and one that
a Lent as he in twenty years Sure I am I know many such on both sides Some that eat but a small meal a day and never drink Wine at all and others that drink Wine daily and eat of many dishes at a meal and that to the full and of the sweetest as Fish Fruits c. yet rail at the former for not fasting as they do So delusory are the outward appearances and so â—alse the pretensions of the carnal sort 4. The antient Lent consisted first of one day Good-fryday alone and after that of three dayes and then of six and at last it came up to fourty Of which read Dallaeus ubi supra at large 5. None can question the lawfulness of an obedient keeping of such a Civil Lent fast as our Statutes command for the vending of Fish and for the breed of Cattle so be it no bodily necessity oâ— greater duty be against it 6. It is not unlawful for those that cannot totally fast yet to use more abstinence and a more mortifying sort of dyet than ordinary for the exercises of repentance and mortification in due time 7. If Authority shall appoint such a mortifying abstemious course upon lawful or tolerable grounds and ends I will obey them if they peremptorily require it when my health or some greater duty forbiddeth it not 8. As for the Commanding such an Abstinence as in Lent not in Imitation but bare Commemoration of Christs forty dayes fast I would not command it if it were in my power But being peremptorily commanded I cannot prove it unlawful to obey with the fore-mentioned exceptions 9. It was antiently held a crime to fast on the Lords dayes even in Lent And I take that day to be separated by Christ and the Holy Ghost for a Church Festival or day of Thanksgiving Therefore I will not keep it as a fast though I were commanded unless in such an extraordinary necessity as aforesaid OF Pilgrimages Saints Relicts and Shrines Temples of their Miracles of Pray 〈…〉 to Angels to Saints for the Dead of Purgatory of the Popes Pardons Indulgences Dispensations of the Power of true Pastors to forgive sins with a multitude of such cases which are commonly handled in our Controversal Writers against the Papists I must thither refer the Reader for a Solution because the handling of all such particular Cases would swell my Book to a magnitude beyond my intention and make this part unfuitable to the rest Quest. 102. May we continue in a Church where some one Ordinance of Christ is wanting as Discipline Prayer Preaching or Sacraments though we have all the rest Answ. DIstinguish 1. Of Ordinances 2. Of a stated want and a temporary want 3. Of one that may have better and one that cannot 1. Teaching Prayer and Praise are Ordinances of such necessity that Church Assemblies have not their proper use without them 2. The Lords Supper is of a secondary need and must be used when 〈…〉 but a Church-Assembly may attain its ends sometimes without it in a good degree 3. Discipline is implicitly exercised when none but the Baptized are Communicants and when professed Christians voluntarily assemble and the preaching of the Word doth distinguish the precious from the vile Much more when notorious scandalous sinners are by the Laws kept from the Sacrament As our Rubrick and Canons do require 4. But for the fuller explicite and exacter exercise of discipline it is very desirable for the well being of the Churches but it is but a stronger fence or hedge and preservative of Sacred Order And both the being of a Church and the profitable use of holy assemblies may subsist without it As in Helvetia and other Countreys it is found I conclude then 1. That he that consideratis considerandis is a free man should choose that place Acts 28. ult 11. 26. 20. 7 20 c. 1 Cor. 14. Acts 2. 42. 1 Tim. 4. 13 14 2 Tim. 4. 1 2. 2 Tim. 3. 16. Heb. 10. 25 26 Col 4. 16. Acts 13 27. 15 2â— â— Theâ—s 5 27. 1 Cor. 5. 3 4 c. where he hath the fullest opportunities of worshipping God and edifying his soul. 2. He is not to be accounted a free-man that cannot remove without a greater hurt than the good either to the Church or Countrey or to his family his neighbours or himself 3. Without Teaching Prayer and Divine Praises we are not to reckon that we have proper Church-Assemblies and Communion 4. We must do all that is in our power to procure the right use of Sacraments and Discipline 5. When we cannot procure it it is lawful and a duty to joyn in those Assemblies that are without it and rather to enjoy the rest than none Few Churches have the Lords Supper above once a moneth which in the Primitive Church was used every Lords day and ofter And yet they meet on other dayes 6. It is possible that Preaching Prayer and Praise may be so excellently performed in some Churches that want both Discipline and the Lords Supper and all so coldly and ignorantly managed in another Church that hath all the Ordinances that mens souls may much more flourish and prosper under the former than the later 7. If forbearing or wanting some Ordinances for a time be but in order to a probable procurement Matth. 26. 31. Acts 8. 1. of them we may the better forbear 8. The time is not to be judged of only by the length but by the probability of success For sometime Gods Providence and the disturbances of the times or the craft of men in power may keep men so long in the dark that a long expectation or waiting may become our duty Quest. 103. Must the Pastors remove from one Church to another when ever the Magistrate commandeth us though the Bishops contradict it and the Church consent not to dismiss us And so of other Cases of disagreement Answ. 1. AS in mans soul the Intellectual Guidance the Will and the executive power do concur so in Church Cases of this nature the Potestative Government of the Magistrate the Directive Guidance of the senior Pastors and the Attractive Love of the people who are the chief inferiour final Cause should all concur And when they do not it is confusion And when Gods order is broken which commandeth their concurrence it is hard to know what to do in such a division which God alloweth not As it is to know whether I should take part with the Heart against the Head or with the Head against the Stomach and Liver on supposition of cross inclinations or interests when as Nature supposeth either a concord of inclination and interests or else the ruine sickness or death of the person And the Cure must be by reconciling them rather than by knowing which to side with against the rest But seeing we must suppose such diseases frequently to happen they that cannot cure them must know how to behave themselves and to do their own duty For my
fruits without partiality and hypocrisie and to speak evil of no man And where this is obeyed how quietly and easily may Princes govern § 97. 14. Christianity setteth before us the perfectest pattern of all this humility meekness contempt of worldly wealth and greatness self-denyal and obedience that ever was given in the world The Eternal Son of God incarnate would condescend to earth and flesh and would obey his Superiours after the flesh in the repute of the world and would pay tribute and never be drawn to any contempt of the Governours of the world though he suffered death under the false accusation of it He that is a Christian endeavoureth to imitate his Lord And can the imitation of Christ or of Luke 20 18. Matth. 21. 42 44. Acts 4 11. 1 Pet. 2. 7. 8. Zâ—ch 1â— 3. his peaceable Apostles be injurious to Governours Could the world but lay by their Serpentine enmity against the holy doctrine and practice of Christianity and not take themselves engaged to persecute it nor dash themselves in pieces on the stone which they should build upon nor by striving against it provoke it to fall on them and grind them to powder they never need to complain of disturbances by Christianity or Godliness § 98. 15. Christianity and true Godliness containeth not only all these Precepts that tend to peace and order in the world but also strength and willingness and holy dispositions for the practising of such precepts Other Teachers can speak but to the ears but Christ doth write his Laws upon the heart so that he maketh them such as he commandeth them to be Only this is the remnant of our unhappiness that while he is performing the Cure on us we retain a remnant of our old diseases and so his work is yet imperfect And as sin in strength is it that setteth on fire the course of nature so the relicts of it will make some disturbance in the world according to its degree But nothing is more sure than that the Godliest Christian is the most orderly and loyal subject and the best member according to his parts and power in the Common-wealth and that sin is the cause and holiness the cure of all the disorders and calamities of the world § 99. 16. Lastly Consult with experience it self and you will find that all this which I have spoken hath been ordinarily verified What Heathenism tendeth to you may see even in the Roman Government for there you will confess it was at the best To read of the tumults the cruelties Read the lives of all the Philosophers Orators and famous men of Greece or Rome and try whether the Christians or they were more for Monarchy Arcesilaus Regum neminem magnopere coluit Quamobâ—em legatione ad Antigonum fungens pro patria nihil obtinuit Hesich in Arces It s one of Thales sayings in Laert. Quid difficile Regum vidisse tyrannum senem Chrysippus videtur aspâ—rnator Regum modice fuisse Quod cum tam multa scripserit libros 705. nulli unquam regi quicquam adscripserit Senâ—ca faith Traged de Herc. fur perillously Victima haud ulla amplior Potest magisque opima mactari Jovi Quam Rex iniquus Cicero pro Milon Non se obstrinxit scelere siquis Tyrannum occidat quamvis familiarem Et 5. Tusc. Nulla nobis cum Tyrannis societas est neque est contra naturam spoliare eum quem honestum est necare Plura habet similia the popular unconstancy faction and injustice How rudely the Souldiers made their Emperours and how easily and barbarously they murdered them and how few of them from the dayes of Christ till Constantine did dye the common death of all men and scape the hands of those that were their subjects I think this will satisfie you whither mens enmity to Christianity tendeth And then to observe how suddenly the case was altered as soon as the Emperours and Subjects became Christian till in the declining of the Greek Empire some Officers and Courtiers who aspired to the Crown did murder the Emperours And further to observe that the rebellious doctrines and practices against Governours have been all introduced by factions and heresies which forsook Christianity so far before they incurred such guilt and that it is either the Papal Usurpation which is in its nature an enemy to Princes that hath deposed and trampled upon Emperours and Kings or else some mad Enthusiasticks that over-run Religion and their wits that at Munster and in England some lately by the advantage of their prosperity have dared to do violence against Soveraignty but the more any men were Christians and truly Godly the more they detested all such things All this will tell you that the most serious and Religious Christians are the best members of the Civil Societies upon Earth § 100. II. Having done with the first part of my last Direction I shall say but this little of the second Let Christians see that they be Christians indeed and abuse not that which is most excellent to be a cloak to that which is most vile 1. In reading Politicks swallow not all that every Author writeth in conformity to the Polity that he liveth under What perverse things shall you read in the Popish Politicks Contzen and abundance such What usurpation on Principalities and cruelties to Christians under the pretence of defending the Church and suppressing Heresies 2. Take heed in reading History that you suffer not the Spirit of your Author to infect you with any of that partiality which he expresseth to the cause which he espouseth Consider in what times and places all your Authors lived and read them accordingly with the just allowance The name of Liberty was so pretious and the name of a King so odious to the Romans Athenians c. that it is no wonder if their Historians be unfriendly unto Kings 3. Abuse not Learning it self to lift you up with self-conceitedness against Governours Learned men may be ignorant of Polity or at least unexperienced and almost as unfit to judge as of matters of Warr or Navigation 4. Take heed of giving the Magistrates power to the Clergy and setting up Secular Coercive power See Bilson of Subject p. 525 526. proving from Châ—ysost Hilary Oâ—â—gen that Pastors may use no force oâ— terror but only perswasion to recover their wandering sheep Bilson ibid. p. 541. Parliamenâ—s have been kept by the King and his Barons the Clergy wholly excluded and yet their Acts and Statutes good And when the Bishops were present their voices from the Conquest to this day were never Negative By Gods Law you have nothing to do with making Laws for Kingdoms and Common-wealths You may teach you may not command Perswasion is your part Compulsion is the Princes c. Thus Bishop Bilson So p. 358. under the name of the power of the Keys And it had been happy for the Church if God had perswaded Magistrates in all ages to have kept the
escape Direct 6. that need or poverty which is the temptation to this sin of theft Idleness is a crime which is not to be tollerated in Christian Societies 2. Thess. 2. 6 8 10 11 12. Now we command you brethren in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that ye withdraw your selves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not after the tradition which he received of us For you know how ye ought to follow us for we behaved not our selves disorderly among you neither did we eat any mans bread for nought but workt with labour and travail night and day that we might not be chargeable to any of you Not because we have not power but to make our selves an ensample to you to follow us For when we were with you this we commanded you that if any would not work neither should he eat For we hear that there are some among you which walk disorderly working not at all but are busie bodies Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Iesus Christ that with quietness they work and eat their own bread Eph. 4. 28. Let him that stole steal no more but rather let him labour working with his hands the thing which is good that he may have to give to him that needeth He that stealeth to maintain his Idleness sinneth that he may sin and by one sin getteth provision for another You see here that you are bound not only to work to maintain your selves but to have to give to others in their need § 8. Direct 7. Keep a tender conscience which will do its office and not suffer you to sin without Direct 7. remorse A feared sensless Conscience will permit you to lye and steal and deceive and will make no great matter of it till God awaken it by his grace or vengeance Hence it is that servants can deceive their masters or take that which is not allowed them and buyers and sellers over-reach one another because they have not tender Consciences to reprove them § 9. Direct 8. Remember alwayes that God is present and none of your secrets can be hid from him Direct 8. What the better are you to deceive your neighbour or your master and to hide it from their knowledge as long as your Maker and Judge seeth all When it is him that you most wrong and with him that you have most to do and he that will be the most terrible avenger What blinded Atheists are you who dare do that in the presence of the most righteous God which you durst not do if men beheld you § 10. Direct 9. Forget not how dear all that must cost you which you gain unlawfully The reckoning Direct 9. time is yet to come Either you will truly Repent or not If you do it must cost you remorse and sorrow and shameful confession and restitution of all that you have got amiss And is it not better forbear to swallow that morsel which must come up again with heart-breaking grief and shame But if you Repent not unfeignedly it will be your damnation It will be opened in Judgement to your perpetual confusion and you must pay dear for all your gain in Hell Nâ—ver look upon the gain therefore without the shame and damnation which must follow If Achan had foreseen the stones and Gehezi the Leprosie and Ahab the mortal arrow and Iezebel the licking of her blood by Dogs and Iudas the hanging or precipitation and Ananias and Saphira the sudden death or any of them the after misery it might have kept them from their pernicious gain Usually even in this life a curse attendeth that which is ill gotten and bringeth fire among all the rest § 11. Direct 10. If you are poor consider well of the mercy which that condition may bring you and Direct 10. let it be your study how to get it sanctisied to your good If men understood and believed that God doth dispose of all for the best and make them poor to do them good and considered what that good is which poverty may do them and made it their chief care to turn it thus to their gain they would not find it so intolerable a thing as to seek to cure it by fraud or thievery Think what a mercy it is that you are saved from those temptations to overlove the world which the Rich are undone by And that you are not under those temptations to intemperance and excess and pride as they are And that you have such powerful helps for the mortification of the flesh and victory over the deceiving World Improve your poverty and you will scape these sins § 12. Direct 11. If you are but willing to escape this sin you may easily do it by a free Confession Direct 11. to those whom you have wronged or are tempted to wrong He that is not willing to forbear his sin is guilty before God though he do forbear it But if you are truly willing it is easie to abstain Do not say that you are willing till necessity pincheth you or you see the bait For if you are so you may easily prevent it at that time when you are willing If ever you are willing indeed take that opportunity and if you have wronged any man go and confess it to him in the manner as I shall afterward direct And this will easily prevent it For shame will engage you and self preservation will engage him to take more heed of you Or if you have not yet wronged any but are strongly tempted to it if you have no other sufficient remedy go tell him or some other fit person that you are tempted to steal and to deceive in such or such a manner and desire them not to trust you If you think the shame of such a Confession too dear a price to save you from the sin pretend no more that you are truly willing to forbear it or that ever you did unfeignedly repent of it Tit. 2. Certain Cases of Conscience about Theft and Injury § 1. Quest. 1. IS it a sin for a man to steal in absolute necessity when it is meerly to save his Quest. 1. life Answ. The case is very hard I shall 1. Tell you so much as is past controversie and then speak to the controverted part 1. If all other unquestionable means be not first used it is undoubtedly a sin If either labouring or begging will save our lives it is unlawful to steal Yea or if any others may be used to intercede for us Otherwise it is not stealing to save a mans life but stealing to save his labour or to gratifie his pride and save his honour 2. It is undoubtedly a sin if the saving of our lives by it do bring a greater hurt to the Common-wealth or other men than our lives are worth 3. And it is a sin if it deprive the owner of his life he being a person more worthy and useful to the common good These cases are
thus oppression destroyeth Religion and the peoples souls as well as their estates § 14. 5. Oppression further endangereth both the souls of men and the publick peace and the safety of Princes by tempting the poor multitude into discontents sedition and insurrections Every man is naturally a lover of himself above others And the poor as well as the rich and Rulers have an interest of their own which ruleth them And they will hardly honour or love or think well of them by whom they suffer It is as natural almost for a man under oppression to be discontented and complain as for a man in a Feavor to complain of sickness heat and thirst No Kingdom on earth is so holy and happy as to have all or most of the subjects such confirmed eminent Saints as will be contented to be undone and will love and honour those that undo them Therefore men must be taken as they are If oppression maketh wise men mad Eccles. 7. 7. much more the multitude who are far from wisdom Misery maketh men desperate when they think that they cannot be much worse than they are How many Kingdoms have been thus fired as wooden wheels will be when one part rubbeth too hard and long upon the other Yea if the Prince be never so good and blameless the cruelty of the Nobles and the rich men of the Land may have the same effects And in these combustions the peace of the Kingdom the lives and souls of the seditious are made a sacrifice to the lusts of the Oppressors § 15. Direct 2. Consider with fear how Oppression turneth the groans and cryes of the poor to the Direct 2. God of revenge against the Oppressors And wo to that man that hath the tears and prayers of oppressed innocents sounding the alarm to vindictive Justice to awake for their relief And shall not God avenge his own elect which cry day and night to him though he bear long with them I tell you that he will avenge them speedily Luke 18. 7 8. The Lord will be a refuge to the oppressed Psal. 9. 9. To judge the fatherless and the oppressed that the man of the earth may no more oppress Psal. 10. 18. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed Psal. 103. 6. 146. 7. Yea God is doubly engaged to be revenged upon oppressors and hath threatned a special execution of his judgement against them above most other sinners Partly as it is an act of mercy and relief to the oppressed So that the matter of threatning and vengeance to the oppressor is the matter of Gods promise and favour to the sufferers And partly as it is an act of his Vindictive Iustice against such as so heinously break his Laws The oppressor hath indeed his time of Power and in that time the oppressed seem to be forsaken and neglected of God as if he did not hear their cryes But when his patience hath endured the tyranny of the proud and his wisdom hath tryed the patience of the sufferers to the determined time how speedily and terribly then both vengeance overtake the oppressors and make them warnings to those that follow them In the hour of the wicked and of the power of darkness Christ himself was oppressed and afflicted Isa. 53. 7. and in his humiliation his judgement taken was away Acts 8. But how quickly did the destroying revenge overtake those bloody Zealots and how grievous is the ruine which they lye under to this day which they thought by that same murder to have scaped Solomon saith Eccles. 4. 1. he considered all the oppressions that are under the Sun and behold the tears of such as were oppressed and they had no comforter and on the side of the oppressors there was power but they had no comforter Which made him praise the dâ—ad and the unborn But yet he that goeth with David into the Sanctuary and seeth the end of the oppressors shall perceive them set in slippery places and tumbling down to destruction in a moment Psal. 37. 73. The Israelites in Aegypt seemed long to groan and cry in vain But when the determinate time of their deliverance came God saith I have surely seen the affliction of my people and have heard their cry by reason of their task-masters for I know their sorrows and I am come down to deliver them Behold the cry of the children of Israel is come up unto me and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Aegyptians oppress them Exod. 3. 7 8 9. Deut. 26. 6 7. The Aegyptians evil intreated us and afflicted us and laid upon us hard bondage and when we cryed to the Lord God of our Fathers the Lord heard our voice and looked on our affliction and our labour and our oppression See Psal. 107. 39 40 41 42. So Psal. 12. 5 6. For the oppression of the poor for the sighing of the needy now will I arise saith the Lord I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him or would ensnare him Thou shalt keep them O Lord thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever Trust not therefore in oppression Psal. 62. 10. for God is the avenger and his plagues shall revenge the injuries of the oppressed § 16. Direct 3. Remember what an odious name Oppressors commonly leave behind them upon earth Direct 3. No sort of men are mentioned by posterity with greater hatred and contempt For the interest of mankind directeth them hereunto and may prognosticate it as well as the Iustice of God However the power of proud oppressors may make men afraid of speaking to their faces what they think yet those that are out of their reach will pour out the bitterness of their souls against them And when once death hath tyed their cruel hands or any judgement of God hath cast them down and knockt out their teeth how freely will the distressed vent their grief and same will not be afraid to deliver their ugly picture to posterity according to their desert Methinks therefore that even Pride it self should be a great help to banish oppression from the world What an honourable name hath a Trajan a Titus an Antonine an Alexander Severus And what an odious name hath a Nero a Caligula a Commodus a D' Alva c. Most proud men affect to be extolled and to have a glorious name survive them when they are dead and yet they take the course to make their memory abominable So much doth sin contradict and disappoint the sinners hopes § 17. Direct 4. Be not strangers to the condition or complaints of any that are your inferiours It Direct 4. is the misery of many Princes and Nobles that they are guarded about with such as keep all the lamentations of their Subjects and Tenants from their cars or represent them only as the murmurings of unquiet discontented men So that Superiours shall know no more of their inferiours case than their attendants please nor no