judgement about the controverted part is not much to be regarded God is not so likely to direct profane ones and false hearted hypocrites and bless them with a sound judgement in holy things where their Lives shew that their practical judgements are corrupt as the sincere that obey him in that which he revealeth to them We are all agreed that Gods Word must be your daily meditation and delight Psal. 1. 2. and that you should speak of it lying down and rising up at home and abroad Deut. 6. 6 7 8. and that we must be constant and fervent and importunate in prayer both in publick and private 1 Thess. 5. 17. Luke 18. 1. Iames 5. 16. Do you perform this much faithfully or not If you do you may the more confidently expect that God should further reveal his will to you and resolve your doubts and guide you in the way that is pleasing to him But if you omit the duty which all are agreed on and be unfaithful and negligent in what you know how unmeet are you to dispute about the controverted circumstances of duty To what purpose is it that you meddle in such controversies Do you do it wilfully to condemn your selves before God and shame your selves before men by declaring the hypocrisie which aggravateth your ungodliness What a lothesome and pitiful thing is it to hear a man bitterly reproach those that differ from him in some circumstances of worship when he himself never seriously worshippeth God at all When he meditateth not on the Word of God and instead of delighting in it maketh light of it as if it little concerned him and is acquainted with no other prayer than a little customary lip service Is such an ungodly neglecter of all the serious worship of God a fit person to fill the world with quarrels about the Manner of his worship § 3. Direct 3. Differ not in Gods worship from the common sense of the most faithful godly Christians Direct 3. without great suspicion of your own understandings and a most diligent tryal of the case For if in such practical cases the common sense of the faithful be against you it is to be suspected that the teaching of Gods Spirit is against you For the Spirit of God doth principally teach his servants in the matters of worship and obedience There are several errors that I am here warning you to avoid 1. The error of them that rather incline to the judgement of the ungodly multitude who never knew what it was to worship God in The disadvantages of ungodly men in judging of holy worship Spirit and truth Consider the great disadvantages of these men to judge aright in such a case 1. They must judge then without that teaching of the Spirit by which things spiritual are to be discerned 1 Cor. 2. 13 15. He that is blind in sin must judge of the mysteries of godliness 2. They must judge quite contrary to their natures and inclinations or against the diseased Habits of their Wills And if you call a drunkard to judge of the evil of drunkenness or a whoremonger to judge of the evil of fornication or a covetous or a proud or a passionate man to judge of their several sins how partial will they be And so will an ungodly man be in judging of the duties of godliness You set him to judge of that which he hateth 3. You set him to judge of that which he is unacquainted with It 's like he never throughly studyed it but its certain he never seriously tryed it nor hath not the experience of those that have long made it a great part of the business of their lives And would you not sooner take a mans judgement in Physick that hath made it the study and practice of his life than a sick mans that speaketh against that which he never studyed or practised meerly because his own stomach is against it Or will you not sooner take the judgement of an antient Pilot about Navigation than ones that never was at Sea The difference is as great in the present case § 4. 2. And I speak this also to warn you of another error that you prefer not the judgement of a Sect or Party or some few godly people against the common sense of the generality of the faithful For the Spirit of God is liklier to have forsaken a small part of godly people than the generality in such particular opinions which even good men may be forsaken in Or if it be in greater things it is more unreasonable and more uncharitable for me to suspect that most that seem godly are hypocrites and forsaken of God than that a party or some few are so § 5. Direct 4. Yet do not absolutely give up your selves to the judgement of any in the worshipping Direct 4. of God but only use the advice of men in a due subordination to the Will of God and the Teaching of Iesus Christ. Otherwise you will set man in the place of God and will reject Christ in his Prophetical Office as much as using co-ordinate Mediators is a rejecting him in his Priestly Office None must be called Master but in subordination to Christ because he is our Master Matth. 23. 8 9 10. § 6. Direct 5. Condemn not all that in others which you dare not do your selves and practise not Direct 5. all that your selves which you dare not condemn in others For you are more capable of judging in See Rom. 14. 15. 1. Cor. 8. 13. your own cases and bound to do it with more exactness and diligent enquiry than in the case of others Oft-times a rational doubt may necessitate you to suspend your practice as your belief or judgement is suspended when yet it will not allow you to condemn another whose judgement and practice hath no such suspension Only you may doubt whether he be in the right as you doubt as to your self And yet you may not therefore venture to do all that you dare not condemn in him for then you must wilfully commit all the sins in the world which your weakness shall make a doubt or controversie of § 7. Direct 6. Offer God no worship that is clearly contrary to his nature and perfections but such Direct 6. as is suited to him as he is revealed to you in his Word Thus Christ teacheth us to worship God as Lev. 19. 2. 20. 7. 1 Pet. 1. 16. he is and thus God often calleth for Holy worship because he is Holy 1. God is a Spirit therefore they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth which Christ opposeth to meer external Ceremony or shadows John 4. 23 24. for the Father seeketh such to worship him 2. God is Incomprehensible and Infinitely distant from us Therefore worship him with Admiration and make not either visible or mental Images of him nor debase him not by undue resemblance of him The 2d Commandment Câ—â—â—â—o de Nat.
my mouth Mal. 3. 18. Psal. 1. 15. 4. Affect not a dead and heartless way of worship which tendeth not to convince and waken the ungodly nor to make men serious as those that have to do with God § 9. Direct 8. Let the manner of your worshipping God be suited to the matter that you have in hand Direct 8. Remember that you are speaking either to or of the Eternal God that you are employed about the everlasting salvation of your own or others souls that all is high and holy that you have to do See then that the Manner be answerable hereunto § 10. Direct 9. Offer God nothing as a part of Worship which is a lye much less so gross a lye as Direct 9. to be disproved by the common senses and Reason of all the world God needeth not our Lye unto his glory What worship then do Papists offer him in their Mass who take it for an article of their faith Rom. 3. 7. that there is no Bread or Wine left after the Consecration it being all Transubstantiate into the very Body and Blood of Christ. And when the Certainty of all mens senses is renounced then all certainty of faith and all Religion is renounced for all presuppose the certainty of sense § 11. Direct 10. Worship not God in a manner that is contrary to the true nature and order and Direct 10. operations of a rational soul. I mean not to the corrupted nature of man but to Nature as Rational in it self considered As 1. Let not your meer Will and inclination over-rule your understandings Read Plutarch of Superstition and say not as blind Lovers do I love this but I know not why or as Children that eat unwholsome meat because they love it 2. Let not passion overtop your Reason Worship God with such a zeal as is according to knowledge 3. Let not your Tongues lead your hearts much less over-go them Words may indeed reflect upon the Heart and warm it more but that is but the secondary use the first is to be the expressions of the Heart You must not speak without or against your hearts that is falsly that by so speaking you may better your hearts and make the words true that at first were not true unless it be when your words are but reading-recitations or narratives and not spoken of your selves The Heart was made to lead the tongue and the tongue to express it and not to lead it Therefore speak not to God either the words of a Parrot which you do not understand or the words of a lyar or Hypocrite which express not the meaning or desires or feeling of your hearts but first understand and feel what you should speak and then speak that which you understand and feel § 12. Quest. How then can a prayer be lawful that is read or heard from a Book Answ. There is in Reading the Eye and in Hearing the Ear that is first to affect the Heart and then the Tongue is to perform its office And though it be sudden yet the passage to the Heart is first and the passage from the heart is last and the soul is quick and can quickly thus both Receive and be Affected and express it self And the case is the same in this whether it be from a Book or from the words of another without book For the soul must do the same as quickly in joyning with another that speaketh before us without a book as with it § 13. Direct 11. Understand well how far Christ hath given a Law and Rule for worship to his Direct 11. Church in the holy Scriptures and so far see that you take it as a perfect Rule and swerve not from How far the Scriptureis the Law or Rule of Worship and Discipline and how far not it by adding or diminishing This is a matter of great importance by reason of the danger of erring on either side 1. If you think that the Scripture containeth not any Law or Rule of Worship at all or not so much as indeed it doth you will deny a principal part of the Office of Christ as the King and Teacher of the Church and will accuse his Laws of insufficiency and be tempted to worship him with a humane kind of worship and to think your selves at liberty to worship him according to your own imaginations or change his worship according to the fashion of the Age or the Countrey where you are And on the other side if you think that the Scripture is a Law and Rule of Worship more particular than Christ intended it you will involve your selves and others in endless scruples and controversies and find fault with that which is lawful and a duty because you find it not particularly in the Scriptures And therefore it is exceeding needful to understand how far it is intended to be herein our Law and Rule and how far not To handle this fully would be a Dâ—gression but I shall briefly answer it § 14. 1. No doubt but Christ is the only Universal Head and Law-giver to his Church and that Legislation Isa. 2. 3 1. 10. 42. 4. Mic. 4. 2. Heb. 3. â— 3 5. Heb. 10. 28. Acts 7. 37 38. Acts 3. 23. Psal. 19. 7. Isa. 5. 24. is the first and principal part of Government And therefore if he had made no Laws for his Church he were not the full Governour of it And therefore he that arrogateth this power to himself to be Law-giver to the Church universal as such doth usurp the Kingly Office of Christ and committeth Treason against his Government unless he can prove that Christ hath delegated to him this chief part of his Government which none can do There being no Universal Law-giver to the Church but Christ whether Pope or Council no Law that is made by any meer man can be universally obligatory Therefore seeing the making of all Universal Laws doth belong only to ☜ Christ we may be sure that he hath perfectly done it and hath left nothing out of his Laws that was fit to be there nor nothing at liberty that was fit to be determined and commanded Therefore whatsoever is of equal Use or Consideration to the Universal Church as it is to any one part of iâ— and to all times as it is to any time of the Church should not be made a Law by man to any part of the Church if Christ have not made it a Law to the whole because else they accuse him of being defective in his Laws and because all his subjects are equally dependant on him as their King and Iudge And no man must step into his Throne pretending to amend his work which he hath done amiss or to make up any wants which the chief Law giver should have made up § 15. 2. These Laws of Christ for the Government of his Church are fully contained in the holy Scriptures For so much as is in Nature is there also
to believe it To the first I say 1. There are many Antichrists And we must remove the ambiguity of the name before we can resolve the question If by Antichrist be meant One that usurpeth the Office of a Universal Vicar of Christ and Constitutive and Governing Head of the whole Visible Church and hereby layeth the ground of Schisms and Contentions and Bloodshed in the world and would rob Christ of all his members who are not of the Popes Kingdom and that formeth a multifarious Ministry for this service and corrupteth much of the Doctrine Worship and Discipline of the Church in this sense no doubt but the Pope is Antichrist But if by Antichrist be meant him particularly described in the Apocalyps and Thessalonians then the controversie de re is about the exposition of those dark Prophecies Of which I can say no more but this 1. That if the Pope be not He he had ill luck to be so like him 2. That Dr. Moors Moral Arguments and Bishop Downhams and many others expository arguments are such as I cannot answer 3. But yet my skill is not so great in interpreting those obscure Prophecies as that I can say I am sure that it is the Pope they speak of and that Lyra learned Zanchy and others that think it is Mahomet or others that otherwise interpret them were mistaken II. But to the second Question I more boldly say 1. That every one that indeed knoweth this to be the sense of those Texts is bound to believe it 2. But that God who hath not made it of necessity to salvation to understand many hundred plainer Texts nor absolutely to understand more than the Articles and fundamentals of our Religion hath much less made it necessary to salvation to understand the darkest Prophecies 3. And that as the suspicion should make all Christians cautelous what they receive from Rome so the obscurity should make all Christians take heed that they draw from it no consequences destructive to Love or order or any truth or Christian duty And this is the advice I give to all Quest. 5. Whether we must hold that a Papist may be saved THis question may be resolved easily from what is said before 1. A Papist as a Papist that is by Popery will never be saved no more than a mans life by a Leprosie 2. If a Papist be saved he must be saved against and from Popery either by turning from the opinion Viâ— Hâ—â— Eâ—â—l Rom. not est Christiana 〈◊〉 A Papist cannot go beyond a Reprobate and then he is no Papist or by preserving his heart from the power of his own opinions And the same we may say of every error and sin He that is saved must be saved from it at least from the Power of it on the heart and from the guilt of it by forgiveness 3. Every one that is a true sincere Christian in Faith Love and true Obedience shall be saved what error soever he hold that doth consist with these 4. As many Antinomians and other erroneous persons do hold things which by consequence subvert Christianity and yet not seeing the inconsistence do hold Christianity first and faster in heart and sincere practice and would renounce their error if they saw the inconsistence so is it with many Papists And that which they hold first and fastest and practically doth save them from the power operations and poyson of their own opinions As an Antidote or the strength of nature may save a man from a small quantity of poyson 5. Moreover we have cause to judge that there are millions among the Papists corrupted with many of their lessor errors who yet hold not their greater that believe not that none are Christians but the Popes subjects and that Christs Kingdom and the Popes are of the same extent or that he can remit mens pains in another world or that the Bread and Wine are no Bread and Wine or that men merit of God in point of Commutative Justice or that we must adore or worship the Bread or yet the Cross or Image it self c. Or that consent to abundance of the Clergies tyrannical usurpations and abuses And so being not properly Papists may be saved if a Papist might not And we the less know how many or few among them are really of the Clergies Religion and mind because by terror they restrain men from manifesting their judgement and compell them to comply in outward things 6. But as fewer that have Leprosies or Plagues or that take poyson scape than of other men so we have great cause to believe that much fewer Papists are saved than such as escape their errors And therefore all that love their souls should avoid them 7. And the trick of the Priests who perswade people that theirs is the safest Religion because we say that a Papist may be saved and they say that a Protestant cannot is so palpable a cheat that it should rather deterr men from their way For God is Love and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God And all men must know us to be Christs Disciples by loving one another And he that saith he loveth God and loveth not his Brother is a lyar And charity believeth all things credible That Religion is likest to be of God which is most charitable and not that which is most uncharitable and malicious and like to Satan To conclude no man shall be saved for being no Papist much less for being a Papist And all that are truly holy heavenly humble lovers of God and of those that are his servants shall be saved But how many such are among the Papists God only knoweth who is their Judge THe Questions whether the Greeks Abassines Nestorians Eutychians Antinomians Anabaptists c. may be saved must be all resolved as this of the Papists allowing for the different degrees of their corruption And therefore I must desire the Reader to take up with this answer for all and excuse me from unnecessary repetition As for such disputers as my Antagonist Mr. Iohnson who insisteth on that of Tit. 3. 10. A man that is an Heretick is condemned of himself when he hath proved that the word Heretick hath but one signification I will say as he doth Till then if he will try who shall be damned by bare equivocal words without the definition let him take his course for I will be none of his imitators Quest. 6. Whether those that are in the Church of Rome are bound to separate from it And whether it be lawful to go to their Mass or other Worship THese two also for brevity I joyn together I. To the first we must distinguish of separation 1. It is one thing to judge that evil which is evil and separate from it in Judgement 2. It is another thing to express this by forbearing to subscribe swear or otherwise approve that evil 3. And another thing to forbear communion with them in the Mass and Image Worship and gross or known
snares are grievous to you blame not God but your selves that made them § 11. 5. Another of Satans wayes to make Religion burdensome and grievous to you is by overwhelming â— By overwhelming fears and sorrows you with fear and sorrow Partly by perswading you that Religion consisteth in excess of sorrow and so causing you to spend your time in striving to trouble and grieve your selves unprofitably as if it were the course most acceptable to God And partly by taking the advantage of a â—imorous passionate nature and so making every thought of God or serious exercise of Religion to be a torment to you by raising some overwhelming fears For fear hath torment 1 John 4. 18. In some faeminine weak and melancholy persons this Temptation hath so much advantage in the body that the holiest soul can do but little in resisting it so that though there be in such a sincere Love to God his wayes and servants yet fear so playeth the Tyrant in them that they perceive almost nothing else And it is no wonder if Religion be grievous and unpleasant to such as thâ—se § 12. But alas it is you your selves that are the causes of this and bring the matter of your grievance with you God hath commanded you a sweeter work It is a life of Love and joy and cheerful progress to eternal joy that he requireth of you and no more fear or grief than is necessary to separate you from sin and teach you to value and use the remedy The Gospel presenteth to you such abundant matter of joy and peace as would make these the very complexion and temperature of your souls if you received them as they are propounded Religious fears when they are inordinate and hurtful are sinful and indeed against Religion and must be resisted as other hurtful passions Be better acquainted with Christ and his promises and you will find enough in him to pacifiâ— the soul and give you confidence and holy boldness in your access to God Heb. 4. 16. Ephes. 3. 12. Heb. 10. 19. The Spirit which he giveth is not the Spirit of bondage but the Spirit of Adoption of Love and Confidence Rom. 8. 15. Heb. 2. 15. § 13. 6. Another thing that maketh Religion seem grievous is retaining unmortified sensual desires 6. By unmâ—â—tified lusts If you keep up your lusts they will strive against the Gospel and all the works of the Spirit which strive against them Gal. 5. 17. And every duty will be so far unpleasant to you as you are carnal because it is against your carnal inclination and desire Away therefore with your beloved sickness and then both your food and your Physician will be less grievous to you Mortifie the flesh and Rom. 8 7 8. you will less disrelish the things of the Spirit For the carnal mind is enmity against God For it is not subject to his Law nor can be § 14. 7. Another cause of confounding and wearying you is the mixture of your actual sins 7. By actus sin dealing unfaithfully with God and wounding your Consciences by renewed guilt especially of sins against knowledge and consideration If you thus keep the bone out of joint and the wound unhealed no marvel if you are loth to work or travail But it is your sin and folly that should be grievous to you and not that which is contrary to it and would remove the cause of all your troubles Resolvedly forsake your wilful sinning and come home by Repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Iesus Christ Acts 20. 21. and then you will find that when the thorn is out your pain will cease and that the cause of your trouble was not in God or Religion but in your sin § 15. 8. Lastly To make Religion unpleasant to you the Tempter would keep the substance of 8 By ignorance of the renor of the Gospel the Gospel unknown or unobserved to you He would hide the wonderful Love of God revealed in our Redeemer and all the riches of saving grace and the great deliverance and priviledges of believers and the certain hopes of life eternal And the Kingdom of God which consisteth in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost shall be represented to you as consisting in errors only or in triâ—â—es in shadows and shews and bodily exercise which profitteth little 1 Tim. 4. 8. If ever you would know the pleasures of faith and holiness you must labour above all to know God as revealed in his infinite Love in the Mediator and read the Gospel as Gods Act of Oblivion and the Testament and Covenant of Christ in which he giveth you life eternal and in every duty draw near to God as a reconciled Father the object of your everlasting Love and Joy Know and use Religion as it is without mistaking or corrupting it and it will not appear to you as a grievous tedious or confounding thing Direct 14. BE very diligent in mortifying the desires and pleasures of the flesh and keep a continual Direct 14. watch upon your senses appetite and lusts and cast not your selves upon temptations occasions or opportunities of sinning remembring that your salvation lyeth on your success § 1. The lusts of the flâ—sh and the pleasures of the world are the common enemy of God and souls and the damnation of those souls that perish And there is no sort more lyable to temptations of this kind than those that are in the flower of their youth and strength When all the senses are in their vigour and lust and appetite are in their strength and fury how great is the danger and how great must your diligence be if you will escape The appetite and lust of the weak and sick are weak and sick as well as they and therefore they are no great temptation or danger to them The desire and pleasure of the senses do abate as natural strength and vigour doth abate To such there is much less need of watchfulness and where nature hath mortified the flesh there is somewhat the less for grace to do There needs not much grace to keep the aged and weak from fornication uncleanness excessive sports and carnal mirth and gluttony and drunkenness also are sins which youth is much more lyable to Especially some bodies that are not only young and strong but have in their temperature and complexion a special inclination to some of these as lust or sport or foolish mirth there needeth a great deal of diligence resolution and watchfulness for their preservation Lust is not like a corrupt opinion that surprizeth us through a defect of Reason and vanisheth as soon as truth appeareth But it is a brutish inclination which though Reason must subdue and govern yet the perfectest Reason will not extirpate but there it will still dwell And as it is constantly with you it will be stirring when objects are presented by the sense or fantasie to allure And it is like a torrent or a
for the soul is that which least endangereth it by being over-pleasing to the Body and in which the flesh hath the smallest interest to set up and plead against the Spirit Not but that the largest stock must be accepted and used for God when he trusteth us with it for when he setteth us the hardest work we may expect his greatest help But a dwelling as in Tents in a constant unsetledness in a moveable condition having little and needing little never feeling any thing in the creature to tempt us to say Soul take thy Rest this is to most the safest life which giveth us the freâ—st advantages for Heaven § 5. Take heed therefore as you love your souls of falling into the snare of worldly Hopes and laying designs for rising and riâ—hâ—s and pleasing your selves in the thoughts and prosecution of these things â—â—r then you are in the readiest way to perdition even to idolatrous worldliness and apostacy of heart from God and opening a door to every sin that seems but necessary to your worldly ends and to odious Hypocrisie for a cloke to all this and to quiet your guilty minds with something that is like Religion When once you are saying with worldly security as he Luke 12. 17 18. 19. I will pull down my barn and build greater and there will I bestow all my fruits and goods and I will say to my soul Soul thou hast much goâ—ds laid up for many years take thine ease eat drink and â—e mercy you are then befooling your selves and near being called away as fools by dâ—â—th â— 20 21. And when without a sense of the uncertainty of your lives you are saying as those in â—ames 4. 13 14. To day or to morrow we will go into such a City and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain whereas you know not what will be on the morrow You forget what your lives are that they are a vapour appearing a little while and then vanishing away Ver. 14. Boast not thy self therefore of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth Prov. 27. 1. Direct 20. SEe that your Religion be purely Divine and animated all by God as the Beginning the Direct 20. D 〈…〉 ma 〈…〉 dâ—â—â—â—â—â—bat â—iaâ—◠〈…〉 nem 〈◊〉 â—e◠〈◊〉 â—eâ—i 〈◊〉 sufficere quâ—dem ad bene beateque vivendum â—aeâ—erum instrumentis indigere corporis bonis robore sanitate integritate 〈◊〉 c. Exterioribus etiam opiâ—â—â—â— genâ—ris claâ—itate gloria c. Ea si non affluerint nihilominus tamen beatum foâ—â—â—apiâ—â—tem Arbitratur Deos humana câ—rnere atque curare daemones esse Porro in dialogâ—â— justitiam Divinâ—m legem â—â—bitratus est ut ad juâ—e agendum poâ—entius persuâ—deret nè post mortem poenas improbi luerent Laert. in Plaâ— .. Way and the End and that first upon thy Soul and then upon all that thou hast or dost there be written HOLINESS TO THE LORD and that thou corrupt not all with an inordinate hypâ—critical respect to man § 1. To be Holy is to be Divine or devoted to God and appropriated to Him and his Will and Use and that our Hearts and Lives be not Common and Unclean To be Godly is to Live to God as those that from their hearts believe that he is God indeed and that he is the Rewarder of them that diligently seek him that he is our God All-sufficient our shield and exceeding great reward Heb. 11. 6. Gen. 15. 1. 17. 1. And that Of Him and Through Him and To Him are all things that all may give the Glory for ever unto him Rom. 11. 36. As God is infinitely above all Creatures so Living upon God and unto God must needs advance us above the highest sensual life And therefore Religion is transcendently above all Sciences or Arts so much of God as is in you and upon you so much you are more excellent than the highest worldly perfection can advance you to GOD should be the First and Last and All in the mind and mouth and life of a believer God must be the Principal Matter of your Religion The Understanding and Will must be exercised upon him When you awake you should be still with him Psal. 139. 8. Your Meditatiâ—ns of him should be sweet and you should be glad in the Lord Psal. 104. 34 Yet creatures under Him may be the frequent less principal matter of your Religion but still as referred unto Him God must be the Author of your Religion God must institute it if you expect he should accept it and reward it God must be the Rule of your Religion as Revealing his Will concerning it in his Word God must be the Ultimate End of your Religion It must be intended to Please and Glorifie Him God must be the continual Motive and Reason of your Religion and of all you do you must be able truly to fetch your Reason from Heaven and to say I do it because it is his will I do it to please and glorifie and enjoy him God must be taken as the Soveraign Iudge of your Religion and of you and of all you do And you must wholly look to his Justification and approbation and avoid what ever he condemneth Can you take God for your Owner your Soveraign your Saviour your sufficient Protector your Portion your All If not you cannot be godly nor be saved If his Authority have not more Power upon you than the authority of the Greatest upon earth you are Atheistical Hypocrites and not truly Religious whatever you pretend If HOLINESS TO THE LORD be written upon you and all that 's yours you are devoted to him as his Own peculiar ones If your Names be set upon your Sheep or Plate or Clothes you will say if another should take them They are mine Do you not see my mark upon them Slavery to the Flesh the World and the Devil is the mark that is written upon the ungodly upon the foreheads of the prophane and upon the Hearts of Hypocrites and all and Satan the world and the flesh have their service If you are Conseerated to God and bear his Name and Mark upon you tell every one that would lay claim to you that you are His and resolved to live to Him to Love Him to Trust Him and to stand or fall to him alone Let God be the very Life and Sense and End of all you do § 2. When once Man hath too much of your regard and observation that you set too much by his favour and esteem or eye him too much in your profession and practice when mans approbation too much comforteth you and manâ— displeasure or dispraise doth too much trouble you when your fear and love and care and obedience are too much taken up for Man You so far withdraw your selves from God and are becoming the servants of men and friends of the world and turning back to bondage and forsaking your Rock and Portion and
the soul to this full subjection and Obedience to God is so Difficult and yet so How to bring the soul into subjection to God reasonable so necessary and so excellently good that we should not think any diligence too great by which it is to be attained The Directions that I shall give you are some of them to Habituate the mind to an Obediential frame and some of them also practically to further the exercise of Obedience in particular acts § 4 Direct 1. Remember the unquestionable plenary Title that God hath to the Government of you Direct 1. and of all the world The sense of this will awe the soul and help to subject it to him and to silence all rebellious motions Should not God Rule the Creatures which he hath made Should not Christ Rule the souls which he hath purchased Should not the Holy Ghost Rule the souls which he hath 〈◊〉 and quiâ—kned § 5. Direct 2. Remember that God is perfectly fit for the Government of you and all the world You can desire nothing reasonably in a Governour which is not in him He hath perfect wisdom to know what is best He hath perfect Goodness and therefore will be most regardful of his subjects good and will put no Evil into his Laws He is Almighty to protect his Subjects and see to the execution of his Laws He is most Iust and therefore can do no wrong but all his Laws and Judgements are equal and impartial He is infinitely perfect and self-sufficient and never needed a Lye or a deceit or unrighteous means to Rule the world nor to oppress his subjects to attain his Ends. He is â—ur very End and Interest and felicity and therefore hath no Interest opposite to our good which should cause him to destroy the innocent He is our dearest friend and Father and loveth us better than we love our selves and therefore we have reason confidently to Trust him and chearfully and gladly to obey him as one that Ruleth us in order to our own felicity Direct 3. § 6. Direct 3. Remember how unable and unfit you are to be Governours of your selves So blind and ignorant so byassed by a corrupted will so turbulent are your passions so uncessant and powerfull is the temptation of your sense and appetite and so unable are you to protect or reward your selves that methinks you should fear nothing in this world more than to be given up to your own hearts lusts to walk in your own seducing counsels Psal. 81. 11 12. The brutish appetite and sense hath got such dâ—minion over the Reason of carnal unrenewed men that for such to be governed by themselves is for a man to be governed by a Swine or the Rider to be ruled by the Horse § 7. Direct 4. Remember how great a matter God maketh of his Kingly prerogatives and of mans Direct 4. obedience The whole tenour of the Scripture will tell you this his precepts his promises his threatnings his vehement exhortations his sharp reproofs the sending of his Son and Spirit the example of Christ and all the Saints the Reward prepared for the obedient and the punishment for the disobedient all tell you aloud that God is far from being indifferent whether you obey his Laws or not It will teach you to regard that which you find is so regarded of God § 8. Direct 5. Consider well of the excellency of full obedience and the present benefits which it bringeth Direct 5. tâ— your selves and others Our full subjection and obedience to God is to the world and the soul as Health is to the body When all the humours keep their due temperament proportions and place and every part of the body is placed and used according to the intent of nature then all is at eâ—se within us Our food is pleasant our sleep is sweet our labour is easie and our vivacity maketh Life a pleasure to us we are useful in our places and helpful to others that are sick and weak So is it with the soul that is fully obedient God giveth him a Reward before the full reward He findeth that obedience is a Reward to it self and that it is very pleasant to do good God owneth him and Conscience speaketh peace and comfort to him His mercies are sweet to him his burdens and his work are easie He hath easier access to God than others Yea the world shall find that there is no way to its right order unity peace and happiness but by a full subjection and obedience to God § 9. Direct 6. Remember the sad effects of disobedience even at present both in the soul and in Direct 6. the world When we rebell against God it is the confusion ruine and death of the soul and of the world When we disobey him it is the sickness or disordering of the soul and will make us groan Till our bones be set in joynt again we shall have no ease God will be displeased and hide his face Conscience will be unquiet The soul will lose its peace and joy It s former mercies will grow less sweet It s former rest will turn to weariness Its duty will be unpleasant Its burden heavy who would not fear such a state as this § 10. Direct 7. Consider that when God doth not Govern you you are Ruled by the flesh the world Direct 7. and the Devil And what right or fitness they have to govern you and what is their work and final reward methinks you should easily discern If ye live after the flesh ye shall die Rom. 8. 13. And if ye saw to the flesh of the flesh ye shall reap corruption Gal. 6. 8. It will strike you with horror if in the hour of temptation you would but think I am now going to disobey my God and to obey the flesh the world or the Devil and to prefer their Will before his Will § 11. Direct 8. Turn your eye upon the rebellious Nations of the earth and upon the state of the Direct 8. most malignant and ungodly men and consider that such madness and misery as you discern iâ— them every wilful disobedience to God doth tend to and partaketh of in its degree To see a swinish Drunkard in his Vomit to hear a raging Bedlam curse and swear or a malignant Wretch blaspheme and scorn at a holy life to hear how foolishly they talk against God and see how maliciously they hate his servants one would think should turn ones stomach against all sin for ever To think what Beaâ—s or incarnate Devils many of the ungodly are to think what confusion and inhumanity possesseth most of those Nations that know not God one would think should make the least degree of sin seem odious to us when the dominion and ripeness of it is so odious Direct 9. § 12. Direct 9. Mark what obedience is expected by men and what influence Government hath upon the state and affairs of the would and what the
do They cause them to Blaspheme and reproach the godly for their sakes and say These are your Religious men You see now what their strictness is And they hinder the conversion and salvation of others They grieve the godly and wrong the Church and Cause of God much more than the sins of others do 20. Lastly They please the Devil more than the sins of other men How busie is he to have drawn a Iob to sin and how would he have boasted against God and his grace and his servants if he had prevailed when he boasted so much before in the false presumption of his success As if he could make the godly forsake God and be as bad as others if he have leave to tempt them § 19. II. I shall next give you some particular Directions besides those fore-going to help you to think of sin as it is that you may hate it For your cleansing and cure consisteth in this so far as you hate sin it is mortified and you are cured of it And therefore as I have anatomized it that you may see the hatefulness of it I shall direct you to improve this for your cure § 20. Direct 1. Labour to know God and to be affected with his Attributes and alwayes to live as Direct 1. How to hate sin in his sight No man can know sin perfectly because no man can know God perfectly You can no further know what sin is than you know what God is whom you sin against For the formal malignity of sin is Relative as it is against the Will and Attributes of God The godly have some knowledge of the malignity of sin because they have some knowledge of God that is wronged by it The wicked have no practical prevalent knowledge of the malignity of sin because they have no such knowledge of God They that fear God will fear sinning They that in their hearts are bold unreverently with God will in heart and life be bold with sin The Atheist that thinketh there is no God thinks there is no sin against him Nothing in the world will tell us so plainly and powerfully of the evil of sin as the knowledge of the Greatness Wisdom Goodness Holiness Authority Justice Truth c. of God The sense of his presence therefore will revive our sense of sins malignity § 21. Direct 2. Consider well of the office the bloodshed and the holy life of Christ His office is Direct 2. to expiate sin and to destroy it His blood was shed for it His Life condemned it Love Christ and thou wilt hate that which caused his death Love him and thou wilt love to be made like him and hate that which is so contrary to Christ. These two great Lights will shew the odiousness of darkness § 22. Direct 3. Think well both how Holy the office and work of the Holy Ghost is and how great Direct 3. a mercy it is to us Shall God himself the Heavenly light come down into a sinful heart to illuminate and 〈◊〉 it and yet shall I keep my darkness and defilement in opposition to such wonderful mercy Though all sin against the Holy Ghost be not the unpardonable blasphemy yet all is aggravated hereby § 23. Direct 4. Know and consider the wonderful Love and Mercy of God and think what he hath Direct 4. dâ—ne for you and you will hate sin and be ashamed of it It is an aggravation which makes sin odious even to common reason and ingenuity that we should offend a God of infinite Goodness who hath filled up our lives with Mercy It will grieve you if you have wronged an extraordinary friend His Love and kindness will come into your thoughts and make you angry with your own unkindness Here look over the Catalogue of Gods mercies to you for soul and body And here observe that Satan in hiding the Love of God from you and tempting you under pretence of humility to deny his greatest special mercy doth seek to destroy your repentance and humiliation also by hiding the greatest aggravation of your sin § 24. Direct 5. Think what the soul of man is made for and should be used to even to Love obey Direct 5. and glorifie our Maker and then you will see what sin is which disableth and perverteth it How excellent and high and holy a work are we created for and called to and should we defile the Temple â—â— God and serve the Devil in filthiness and folly where we should entertain and serve and magnifie our Creator § 25. Direct 6. Think well what pure and sweet delights a holy soul may enjoy from God in his Direct 6. holy service and then you will see what sin is which robbeth him of these delights and preferreth fleshly lusts before them O how happily might we perform every duty and how fruitfully might we serve our Lord and what delights should we find in his Love and acceptation and the foresight of everlasting blessedness if it were not for sin which bringeth down the soul from the doors of Heaven to wallow with Swine in a beloved Dunghill § 26. Direct 7. Bethink you what a life it is which you must live for ever if you live in Heaven Direct 7. and what a life the Holy ones there now live and then think whether sin which is so contrary to it be not a vile and hateful thing Either you would live in Heaven or not If not you are not those I speak to If you would you know that there 's no sinning No worldly mind no pride no passion no fleshly lust or pleasures there O did you but see and hear one hour how those blessed Spirits are taken up in loving and magnifying the glorious God in purity and holiness and how far they are from sin it would make you lothe sin ever after and look on sinners as on men in Bedlam wallowing naked in their dung Especially to think that you hope your selves to live for ever like those holy Spirits and therefore sin doth ill beseem you § 27. Direct 8. Look but to the state and torment of the damned and think well of the difference Direct 8. betwixt Angels and Devils and you may know what sin is Angels are pure Devils are polluted Holiness and sin do make the difference Sin dwells in Hell and holiness in Heaven Remember that every temptation is from the Devil to make you like himself as every holy motion is from Christ to make you like himself Remember when you sin that you are learning and imitating of the Devil and are so far like him John 8. 44. And the end of all is that you may feel his pains If Hell fire be not good then sin is not good § 28. Direct 9. Look alwayes on sin as one that is ready to dye and consider how all men judge of Direct 9. it at the last What do men in Heaven say of it And what do men in Hell say of
Heaven and audience with God and is dearly beloved by him in Christ. Thou seest in flesh a companion of Angels and one that hath the Divine Nature and must shortly be above the Stars in glory and must be with Christ and must love and magnifie God for ever And is not the amiableness of God apparent in such mercy bestowed upon sinful man And should we not now begin to admire him in his Saints and glorifie him in believers who will câ—me with thousands of his Angels to be glorified and admired in them at the last 2 Thess. 1. 10. O the abundant deliverances preservations provisions encouragements which all his servants receive â—â—â—â— God! Who ever saw the just forsakâ—n even while they think themselves forsaken For the Lâ—rd 〈…〉 h judâ—â—ment and forsaketh not his Saints they are preserved fâ—r ever The Law of his God is in â—â—s heart none of his steps shall slide Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end â—â— that man is peace Psal. 37. 25 28 31 37. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Psâ—lm 116. 15. Ye that love the Lord hate evil he preserveth the souls of his Saints be delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked Light is sowen for the righteous and gladness for the upriâ—ht in heart Psal. 97. 10 11. O love the Lord all his Saints for the Lord preserveth the faithful and plentifully rewardeth the prâ—ud doer Psal. 31. 23. § 32. Direct 11. Insist not so much on your desires after vision as to undervalue the lower apprehensions Direct 11. of Faith but love God by the way of Faith as in order to the Love of Intuition We are exceeding â—pt to be over-desirous of sight and to take nothing as an object fit to affect us which sense perceiveth not When we have the surest evidence of the truth of things unseen it hardly satisfieth us unless we may see or feel And hereupon our Love to God is hindered while we think of him as if he were not or take the apprehensions of faith as if they were uncertain and little differed from a dream Yea it proveth the ground of most dangerous temptations to Infidelity it self While we take that knowlâ—dge which we have of God in the way of Faith the Love and Communion which is exercised thereby to be as nothing we are next tempted to think that there is no true knowledge of God and communion with him to be attained And when we have been searching and striving long and find that we can reach no more we are tempted to think that the soul oâ— man is made but as the beasts for present things and is uncapable of those higher things which are revealed in the Gospel and that if there were indeed a life to come and man were made to enjoy his God we should get nearer to him than we are and know him more and love him better But is it nothing O presumptuous soul to see God in a Glass in order to a nearer sight Is it nothing to have the Heavenly Ierusalem described and promised to thee unless thou see it and possess it Wilt thou travel to no place but what thou seest all the way Wouldst thou have no difference betwixt Earth and Heaven What canst thou have more in Heaven than immediate intuition Wouldst thou have no life of tryal in the obedience of faith before the life of fruition and reward Or canst thou think that a life of sight and sense is fit for tryal and preparation to shew who is meet for the rewarding life Unthankful soul Compare thy state with that of bruits Is it nothing for thee to know thy Maker in the Works of his Creation and Providence and in the revelations of grace and the belief of promised immortality unless thou presently see him in his glory When these thy fâ—llow creatures know him not at all Compare thy self now with thy self as heretofore in the dayes of thy ignorance and carnality Hadst thou then any such knowledge of God as thou now undervaluest or any such communion with him as thou now accountest next to none When the Light first shined in thine eyes and thou hadst first experience of the knowledge of God thou thoughtst it something and rejoycedst in the light If then thou couldst have suddenly attainâ—d but to so much as thou hast now attained wouldst thou have called it Nothing Would it not have seemed a greater treasure to thee than to have known both the Indies as thine own O be not unthankful for the little which thou hast received when God might have shut thee out in that darkness which the greatest part of the world lyeth in and have left thee to thy self to have desired no higher knowledge than such as may feed thy fansie and pride and lust Art thou so far drowned in flesh and sense as to take Intellectual apprehensions for dreams unless thy sense may see and feel Wilt thou take thy soul thy self for nothing because thou art not to be seen or felt Shall no Subjects honour and obey their King but they that have seen his Court and him Desire the fullest and the nearest sight the purest and the strongest Love and desire and spare not the liâ—e where all this will be had But take heed of being too hasty with God and unthankful for the mercies of the way Know better the difference betwixt thy travail and thy home And know what is fit for passengers to expect Humbly submit to an obedient waiting in a life of faith And make much of the Testament of Christ till thou be at age to possess the inheritance Thou must live and love and run and fight and conquer and suffer by saith if ever thou wilt come to â—â—â—â— and to possess the Crown § 33. Direct 12. It is a powerful means to kindle the Love of God in a believer to foresee by faith Direct 12. the glory of Heaven and what God will be there to his Saints for ever And thus to behold God in his Read 〈…〉 his Prognostiâ—on Si in â—â—â—â—lis sâ—de 〈…〉 haâ— sâ—â—vatur â—aeâ—editus 〈…〉 quaedam tâ—pida pâ—oserunâ— aliqui putantes eam se percipere in teâ—rena Jerusalem Mille ann's existimant esse deliâ—iarum praemia proprietatâ— recâ—pturâ—â— Qui iâ—â—rrogandi sunt quomodo astruant delicias corporales dum dicatur hanc haereditaâ—em nec corrum â—i posse nec marcesceâ—e Didymâ— Alexand. i. Petr. 1. câ—â—â—â— Millâ—nar GLORY is the use of GRACE Though the manner of knowing him thus by faith be far short of what we there expect yet it is the same God and glory that now we believe which then we must more openly behold And therefore as that Apprehension of Love will unconceivably excel the highest which can be here attained so the fore-thoughts of that doth excell all other arguments and means to affect us here and will raise us as high as means can raise us The greatest
Unbelief is one of the Causes of them and the sinfullest Cause § 2. And that the Article of Remission of sin is to be Believed with application to our selves is certain The Article of Remission of sin to be believed applyingly But not with the application of Assurance Perswasion or Belief that we are already pardoned but with an applying Acceptance of an offered pardon and Consent to the Covenant which maketh it ours We believe that Christ hath purchased Remission of sin and made a Conditional Grant of it in his Gospel to all viz. if they will Repent and Believe in him or take him for their Saviour or become Penitent Christians And we consent to do so and to accept it on these terms And we believe that all are actually pardoned that thus consent § 3. By all this you may perceive that those troubled Christians which doubt not of the truth of the Word of God but only of their own sincerity and consequently of their Justification and Salvation do ignorantly complain that they have not faith or that they cannot believe For it is no act of unbelief at all for me to doubt whether my own heart be sincere This is my ignorance of my self but it is not any degree of unbelief For Gods Word doth no where say that I am sincere and therefore I may doubt of this without doubting of Gods Word at all And let all troubled Christians know that they have no more unbelief in them than they have doubting or unbelief of the truth of the Word of God Even that despair it self which hath none of this in it hath no unbelief in it iâ— there be any such I thought it needful thus far to tell you what unbelief is before I come to give you Directions against it And though the meer doubting of our own sincerity be no unbelief at all yet real unbelief of the very truth of the Holy Scriptures is so common and dangerous a sin and some degree of it is latent in the best that I think we can no way so much further the work of Grace as by destroying this The weakness of our faith in the truth of Scriptures and the remnant of our unbelief of it is the principal cause of all the languishings of our Love and Obedience and every Grace and to strengthen faith is to strengthen all What I have â—ullier written in my Saints Rest Part 2. and my Treatise against Infidelity I here suppose § 4. Direct 1. Consider well how much of Religion Nature it self teacheth and Reason without Direct 1. supernatural Revelation must needs confess as that there is another life which man was made for and that he is obliged to the fullest Love and Obedience to God and the rest before laid down 〈…〉 in the world are perpetual visible Evidences in my eyes of the truth of the Holy Scriptures 1 That there should be so Universal and implacable a hatred against the godly in the common sort â—f unrenewed men in all Agâ—â— and Nations of the Earâ—h when thâ—se men deserve so well of them and do them no wrong â—s a visible proof of Adams fall and he 〈◊〉 of a Saviour and a Sanctifier 2 That all those who are seriously Christians should be so far renewed and recovered from the common corruption as their heavenly â—inds and lives and their wonderful difference from other men sheweth this is a visible proof that Christianity is of God 3. That God doth â—o â—lainly shew a particular special Providence in the converting and confirming souls by differencing Grace and work on the soul as the sanctified feel doth shew that indeed the work is his 4. That God doth so plainly grant many of his Servants prayers by special Providences doth prove his owning them and his 〈◊〉 5. That God suffereth his Servants in all times and places ordinarily to suffer so much for his Love and Service from the world and flâ—sh dâ—â—h shew that there is a Judgement and Rewards and Punishments hereafter Or else our highest duty would be our greatest losâ— and thâ—n how should his Government of men be just 6. That the Renewed Nature which maketh men better and therefore is of God doth wholly look at the life to come and lead us to â—t and live upon it this sheweth that such a life there is or else this would be delusory and vain and Goodness it self would be a deceit 7. When it is undenyable that de facto esse the world is not Governed without the Hopes and Fears of another life almost all Nations among the Heathens believing iâ— and shewing by their very worshipping their dead Heroes as Gods that they believed that their soulâ— did live and even the wicked generally being restrained by those hopes and fears in themselves And also that de posse it is not pâ—â—â—â—ible the world should be governed agreeably to mans rational nature without the hopes and fears of another life But men would be wâ—â—se than Beasts and all Villanies would be the allowed practice of the world As every man may feel in himself what he were like to be and do if he had no such restraint And there being no Doctrine or Life comparable to Christianity in their tendency to the life to come All these are visible staâ—ding evidences assisted so much by common sense and reason and still apparent to all that they leave Infidelity without excuse and are ever at hand to help our faith and resist temptations to unbelief 8. And if the world had not had a Beginning according to the Scriptures 1. We should have found Monuments of Antiquity above sâ—x thousand years old 2. Arts and Sciences would have come to more perfection and Printing Guns c. not have been of so late invention 3. And so much of America and other parts of the world would not have been yet uninhabited unplanted or undiscovered Of Aâ—heâ—sm I have spoken before in the Introduction and Nature so clearly revealeth a God that I take it as almost needless to say much of it to sober men in the Introduction And then observe how congruously the doctrine of Christ comes in to help where Nature is at a loss and how exactly it suits with Natural Truths and how clearly it explaineth them and fully containeth so much of them as are necessary to salvation and how suitable and proper a means it is to attain their Ends and how great a testimony the Doctrines of Nature and Grace do give unto each other § 5. Direct 2. Consider that mans End being in the life to come and God being the righteous and Direct 2. merciful Governour of man in order to that End it must needs be that God will give him sufficient means to know his will in order to that end And that the clearest fullest means must needs demonstrate most of the Government and Mercy of God § 6. Direct 3. Consider what full and sad experience the world hath of its pravity and great
and the enemies of Godliness to say that he is Proud and preacheth to draw disciples after him and to be admired by men for they judge of the hearts of others by their own As if they knew not that Christ and his most excellent servants have been crowded after without being thereby lifted up or chargeable with pride As the Sun is not accusable for being beheld and admired by all the world nor fire and water earth and air food and rest for being valued by all Little do they know how deep a sense of their own unworthiness is renewed in the hearts of the most applauded Preachers by the occasion of mens estimation and applause and how much they desire that none may over-value them and turn their eye from the doctrine upon the person And how oft they cry out with the laborious Apostle who is sufficient for these things And how oft they are tempted to cast off all through fear and sense of their unfitness when the envious dullards fearlesly utter a dry discourse and think that they are wronged because they are not commended and followed as much as others they think the common sense of all the faithful and the love of truth and care of their salvation must be called Pride because it carrieth men to prefer the means which is fitted best to their edification and salvation 14. If a humble Christian have after much temptation and a holy life attained to well-grounded perswasions of his salvation and be thankful to God for sanctifying him and numbring him with his little flock when the world lyeth in wickedness he will be taken for Proud by ungodly men that cannot endure to hear before hand of the difference which the judgement of God will declare between the righteous and the wicked As if it were Pride to be happy or to be thankful 15. If a man that is falsly accused or slandered shall modestly deny the charge and use that lawful means which he oweth to his own vindication he will be accused of Pride because he contradicteth proud accusers and consenteth not to belie himself yea though the dishonour of Religion and the hinderance of mens salvation be the consequent of his dishonour 16. Many of the poor do mistake their Superiours to be proud if their apparel be not in fashion and value almost like their own though it be sober and agreeable to their rank 17. Some are of a more rustick or careless disposition unfit for complement and some are taken up with serious studies and employments so contrary to complement that they have neither â—â—â—â— a incessu adâ—o gestuoâ—u compoâ—iâ—â—s ut vel â—â—nde supâ—rbissimi animi contrarerit infamiam Callimach Exper. de Attil p. 341. time nor mind for the observance of the humours of complemental persons who because they expect it and think they are neglected do usually accuse such men of Pride 18. Some are of a silent temper and are accused for Pride because they speak not to others as oft as they expect it 19. Some are naturally unapt to be familiar till they have much acquaintance and are so far from impudent that they are not bold enough to speak much to strangers and take acquaintance with them no though it be with their inferiours and therefore are ordinarily mis-judged to be proud 20. Some have contracted some unhansome customes in their speech or gestures which to rash censurers seem to come from Pride though it be not so By all these seemings the humble are judged Quod â— magnaâ—um ac procâ—â—um congressu abstinuerit Chrysanthius alieniotque â—uerit non arrogantiae aut fastui tribuendum est quin potius rusticitas quaedam aut simplicitas existimari debet in eo qui quid esset potestas ignorabat ita vulgariter minime dissimulanter cum illis verba factitabat Eâ—â—aâ—ius in Châ—â—sâ—st by many to be Proud § 8. III. There are also many counterfeits of Humility by which the Proud are taken to be Humble As 1. An accusing of themselves and bewailing their vileness through meer terror of Conscience as Iudas or the constraint of affliction as Pharaoh or of the face of death 2. A customary confessing of such sins in prayer or in speech with others which the best are used to confess and the confessing of them is taken rather to be an honour than a disgrace 3. A Religious observance of those Commandments and Doctrines of men which the Apostle speaketh of Col. 2. 18 19 20 21 22 23. which have a shew of wisdom in Will-worship and humility and neglecting of the body not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh 4. A holding of those Tenets which doctrinally are most to mans abasement but yet never humbled themselves at the heart 5. A discreet restraint of boasting and such a discommending of themselves as tendeth to procure them the reputation of modesty and humility 6. An affected condescension and familiarity with others even of the lower sort which may seem humility when the poorest have their smiles and courtesie and yet may be but the humility of â— Sam. 15. 3 4 5 6. Absolom the fruit of pride designed to procure the commendations of the world 7. A choosing to converse with their inferiours because they would bear sway and be alwayes the greatest themselves in the company Like Dionysius the Tyrant that when he was dethroned turned Schoolmaster that he might domineer among the boyes 8. A constrained meanness of apparel provisions and deportment when poverty forceth men to speak and live as if they were humble whereas if they had but wealth and honours they would live as high as the proudest of them all How quiet is the Bear when he is chained up and how little doth serve a Dog or a Fox when he can get no more 9. An affected meanness and plainness in apparel while pride runs out some other way He that is odiously proud of his supposed wisdom or learning or holiness or birth or great reputation may in his very pride be above the womanish and childish way of pride in apparel and such other little toyes 10. A loathing and speaking against the pride of others while he overlooks his own perhaps because the pride of others cloudeth him as the covetous hate others that are covetous because they are the greatest hinderers of their gain as Dogs fight for the bone which both would have Many more counterfeits of Humility may be gathered from what is said before of the seemings of Pride whereto it is contrary § 9. Direct 2. Observe the motions and discoveries of pride toward God and Man that it may not Direct 2. like the Devil prevail by keeping out of sight Because this is the chief part of my work I shall here distinctly shew you the signs and motions of it in its several wayes against God and Man Signs of the worst part of PRIDE against GOD. § 10. Sign 1. Self-idolizing Pride doth cause men to glory in their
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
to needless recreations and from the deadly plague of youthful lusts when your daily labour is a greater pleasure to you § 21. Direct 10. Get some judicious man to draw you up the titles of a threefold Common-place-Book Direct 10. One part for definitions distinctions axioms and necessary doctrines Another part for what is useful for ornament and oratory And another for References as a common Index to all the Books of that Science which you read For memory will not serve for all § 22. Ordinarily Students have not judgement enough to form their own Common-place-Books till they are old in Studies and have read most of the authors which they would remember And therefore the young must here have a judicious helper And when they have done injudiciousness will be apt to fill it with less necessary things and to make an unmeet choice of matter if they have not care and an instructer § 23. Direct 11. Highly esteem of a just Method in Divinity and in all your studies and labour to Direct 11. get an accurate Scheme or Skeleton where at once you may see every part in its proper place But remember Since the writing of this I have begun a Methodus Theologiae that if it be not sound it will be a snare and one error in your Scheme or Method will be apt to introduce abundance more § 24. It s a poor and pitiful kind of knowledge to know many loose parcels and broken members of truth without knowing the whole or the place and relation which they have to the rest To know letters and not syllables or syllables and not words or words and not sentences or sentences and not the scope of the discourse are all but an unprofitable knowledge He knoweth no Science rightly that hath not anatomized it and carryeth not a true Scheme or Method of it in his mind But among the many that are extant to commend any one to you which I most esteem or take to be without error is more than I dare do § 25. Direct 12. Still keep the primitive fundamental verities in your mind and see every other Direct 12. truth which you learn as springing out of them and receiving their life and nourishment from them And Read well Vincentius Lirinencâ—sis still keep in your minds a clear distinction between the Truths of several Degrees both of Necessity and Certainty alwayes reducing the less Necessary to the more Necessary and the less certain to the more certain and not contrarily § 26. If God had made all points of faith or Scripture revelation of equal necessity our Baptism would not only have mentioned our Belief in the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost nor should we ever have seen the antient Creed nor the ten Commandments And if all points were of equall Evidence and plainness and certainty to us we should not have some so much controverted above others Some things in Scripture are hard to be understood but not all things 2 Pet. 3. 16. To pretend that any Truth is more necessary than it is doth tend to uncharitableness and contention And to say that any is less necessary than it is doth tend to the neglect of it and to the danger of souls To pretend any point to be more plain and certain than it is doth but shew our pride and ignorance But to set up uncertain and unnecessary points and make a Religion of them and reduce things certain or necessary to them this is the method of turbulent Hereticks § 27. Direct 13. Take nothing as universally Necessary in Religion which was not so taken in the Direct 13. dayes of the Apostles and Primitive Church and take that for the safest way to Heaven which the Apostles went who certainly are there value the Apostolical purity simplicity charity and unity and follow not them that by being wise and pious overmuch corrupt our sacred pattern by their additions and fill the Church with uncharitableness and strife § 28. If it were not a thing too evident that Dominion and Riches go for Religion with them and gain for Godliness and honour and money instead of argument it would be a most stupendious wonder that so many learned men should be found among Christians in the world to hinder the peace and unity of the Church as do it vehemently and implacably in the Church of Rome when so easie a thing and so reasonable would unite almost all the Christian world as is the requiring no more as necessary to our Union than what was made necessary in the dayes of the Apostles and the obtruding nothing as necessary to salvation which the Apostles and primitive Church were saved without This easie reasonable thing which no man hath any thing of seeming sense and weight to speak against would end all the ruinating differences among Christians § 29. Direct 14. Be desirous to know all that God would have you know and be willing to be ignorant Direct 14. of all that God would have you ignorant of and pry not into unrevealed things and much less make them the matter of any uncharitable strife § 30. Abundance of contentious Volumes between the Dominicans and Jesuites and many others are stuft with bold enquiries wranglings or determinations of unsearchable mysteries utterly unknown to those that voluminously debate them and never revealed in the Word or Works of God Keep off with reverence from concealed mysteries Talk not as boldly of the Divine influx and the priority posteriority dependance or reason of Gods Decrees as if you were talking of your common affairs Come with great reverence when you are called of God to search into those high and holy truths which he hath revealed But pretend not to know that which is not to be known For you will but discover your ignorance and arrogance and know never the more when you have doted about Questions never so long § 31. Direct 15. Avoid both extreams of them that study no more but to know what others have Direct 15. written and held before them and of them that little regard the discoveries of others Learn all of your Teachers and Authors that they can teach you but make all your own and see things in their proper evidence and improve their discoveries by the utmost of your diligence abhorring a proud desire of singularity or to seem wiser than you are § 32. Most Students through slothfulness look no further for knowledge than into their Books and their learning lyeth but in knowing what others have written or said or held before them especially where the least differing from the judgement of the party which is uppermost or in reputation doth tend to hazzard a mans honour or preferments there men think it dangerous to seem to know more than is commonly known and therefore think it needless to study to know it Men are backward to take much pains to know that which tendeth to their ruine to be known but doth
use And though I cannot say that Grace immediately maketh any alteration on the senses yet mediately it doth by altering the mind and so the Will and then the imagination and so the sensitive appetite and so in exercise the sense it self We see that Temperance and Chastity do not only restrain but take down the appetite from the rage and violence which before it had Not the natural appetite but the sensitive so far as it is sinful § 2. The Sanctifying and Government of the senses and their appetite lyeth in two parts First In guarding them against the entrance of sin and Secondly In using them to be the entrance of good into the soul. But this latter is so high a work that too few are skilled in it and few can well perform the other § 3. Direct 1. The principal part of the work is about the superiour faculties to get a well informed Direct 1. judgement and a holy and confirmed will and not about the sense it self Reason is dethroned by sin and the will is left unguided and unguarded to the rapes of sensual violence Reason must be restored before sense will be well governed for what else must be their immediate Governour It is no sin in Brutes to live by sense because they have not Reason to rule it And in man it is ruled more or less as reason is more or less restored When Reason is only cleared about things temporal as in men of worldly wisdom there sense will be mastered and ruled as to such temporal ends as far as they require it But where Reason is sanctified there sense is ruled to the ends of sanctification according to the measure of grace § 4. Direct 2. It is only the high eternal things of God and our salvation objectively setled in the Direct 2. mind and will and become as it were connatural to them and made our Ruling End and interest that can suffice to a true and holy Government of the senses Lower things may muzzle them and make men seem temperate and sober as far as their honour and wealth and health and life require it But this is but stopping a gap while most of the hedge lyeth open and an engaging the sense to serve the Flesh the World and the Devil in a hansome calm and less dishonoured way and not so filthily and furiously as others § 5. Direct 3. The main part of this Government in the exercise is in taking special care that no Direct 3. sensitive good be made the ultimate End of our desire nor sought for it self nor rested in nor delighted in too much but to see that the soul having first habitually fixed on its proper higher end and happiness dâ— direct all the actions of every sense so far as it falls under deliberation and choice to serve it remotely to those holy ends For the sense is not sanctified if it be not used to a holy end and its object is not sanctified to us if it be not made serviceable to more holy objects A meer negative restraint of sense for common ends is but such as those ends are for which it s done When the eyes and ears and taste and feeling are all taught by reason to serve God to his glory and our salvation then and never till then they are well governed § 6. Direct 4. To this End the constant use of a lively belief of the Word of God and the things unseen Direct 4. of the other world must be the first and principal means by which our Reason must govern every sense bâ—th aâ— to their restraint and their right employment And therefore living by sight and living by faith are opposed in Scripture 2 Cor. 5. 7. For we walk by faith not by sight that is sight and sense is not our principal guiding faculty but subservient to faith nor the objects of sight the things which we principally or ultimately seek or set by but the objects of faith As it is before expounded 2 Cor. 4. 18. While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen For the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal Therefore Faith is described to be the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen Heb. 12. 1. Believing is to a Christian instead of seeing because he knoweth by Gods testimony that the things believed are true though they are unseen And you know that the objects of sense are all but trifles to the great astonishing objects of faith Therefore if faith be lively it must needs prevail and over-rule the senses because its objects utterly cloud and make nothing of the transitory objects of sense Therefore the Apostle Iohn saith 1 John 5. 4. Whatsoever is bâ—rn of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith And Moses by seeing him that is invisible overcame the desires of Aegypts treasures and the fear of the wrath of the King Heb. 11. 26 27. having respect to the recompence of reward Stephen easily bore his cruel death when he saw Heaven opened and Christ standing at the right hand of God Acts 7. 56. I dare appeal to that man that is most sensual and saith I am nâ—t able to deny my appetite or rule my senses whether he would not be able if he did but see at the same time what 's done in the other world If he saw Heaven and Hell the glorified and the damned and saw the Majesty of that God who commandeth him to forbear would he not then be able to let alone the Cup the Dish the Harlot the Sport which is now so powerful with him I would not thank the most beastly sensualist among you to live as temperately as to the act as the strictest Saint alive if he did but see the worlds which departed souls now see It is not possible but it would overpower his sensual desires yea and call off those senses to serve him in some enquiry what he should do to be saved Therefore if Believing the unseen world be instead of seeing it with our eyes its most certain that the means to overcome sensuality is faith and lively Belief must rule our senses § 7. Direct 5. The more this Belief of God and glory doth kindle Love to them the more effectual in Direct 5. will be in the Government of the senses Our common Proverb saith Where the Love is there is the Fye How readily doth it follow the heart Love will not alter the sense it self but it commandeth the Use of all the senses It will not clear a dimm decayed sight but it will command it what to look upon As the stronger love of one dish or one sport or one company will carry you from another which you love more faintly so the Love of God and Heaven and Holiness will carry you from the captivity of all sensual things § 8.
Direct 6. It must be well considered how powerful and dangerous things sensible are and how Direct 6. high and hard a work it is in this our depraved earthly state to live by faith upon things unseen and to rule the sense and be carryed above it that so the soul may be awakened to a sufficient fear and watchfulness and may fly to Christ for assistance to his faith It is no small thing for a man in flesh to live above flesh The way of the souls reception and operation is so much by the senses here that its apt to grow too familiar with things sensible and to be strange to things which it never saw It s a great work to make a man in flesh to deny the pleasures which he seeth and tasteth and feeleth for such pleasures as he only heareth of and heareth of as never to be enjoyed till after death in a world which sense hath no acquaintance with O what a glory it is to faith that it can perform such a work as this How hard is it to a weak believer And the strongest find it work enough Consider this that it may awake you to set upon this work with that care that the greatness of it requireth and you may live by faith above a life of sight and sense For it is this that your Happiness or misery lyeth on § 9. Direct 7. Sense must not only be kept out of the Throne but from any participation in the Government Direct 7. and we must take heed of receiving it into our counsels or treating with it or hearing it plead its cause and we must see that it get nothing by striving importunity or violence but that it be governed despotically and absolutely as the Horse is governed by the Rider For if the Government once be halved between sense and reason your lives will be half bestial And when Reason ruleth not Faith and Grace ruleth not For faith is to reason as sight is to the eye There are no such Beasts in humane shape who lay by all the use of Reason and are governed by sense alone unless it be idcots or madmen But sense should have no part of the Government at all And where it is chief in power the Devil is there the unseen Governour You cannot here excuse your selves by any plea of necessity or corstcaint For though the sense be violent as well as entising yet God hath made the Reason and Will the absolute Governours under him and by all its rebellion and violence sense cannot depose them nor force them to one sin but doth all the mischief by procuring their consent Which is done sometime by affecting the fantasâ—e and passions too deeply with the pleasure and alluring sweetness of their objects that so the higher faculties may be drawn into consent and sometime by wearying out the resisting mind and will and causing them to remit their opposition and relax the reins and by a sinful privatiâ—n of restraint to permit the sense to take its course A head-strong Horse is not so easily ruled as one of a tender mouth that hath been well ridden And therefore though it be in the power of the Rider to rule him yet sometime for his own case he will loose the reins and a Horse that is used thus by a slothful or unskilful Rider to have his will when ever he striveth will strive when ever he is crossed of his will and so will be the Master As ill-bred Children that are used to have every thing given them which they cry for will be sure to cry before they will be crost of their desire So is it with our sensitive appetite If you use to satisfie it when it is eager or importunate you shall be mastered by its eagerness and importunity And if you use but to regard it over much and delay your commands till sense is heard and taken into counsel it s two to one but it will prevail or ar least will be very troublesome to you and prove a traytor in your bosome and its temptations keep you in continual danger Therefore be sure that you never loose the reins but keep sense under a constant government if you love either your safety or your ease § 10. Direct 8. You may know whether Sense or Faith and Reason be the chief in Government by Direct 8. knowing which of their objects is made your chiefest End and accounted your Best and loved and delighted in and sought accordingly If the objects of sense be thus taken for your Best and End then certainly sense is the chief in Government But if the objects of faith and Reason even God and life eternal be taken for your Best and End then faith and reason are the ruling power Though you should use never so great understanding and policy for sensual things as Riches and honour and worldly greatness or fleshly delights this doth not prove that Reason is the ruling power but proveth the ☜ more strongly that sense is the Conquerour and that Reason is depraved and captivated by it and truckleth under it and serveth it as a voluntary slave And the greater is your learning wit and parts and the nobler your education the greater is the victory and dominion of sense that can subdue and rule and serve it self by parts so noble § 11. Direct 9. Though sense must be thus absolutely ruled its proper power must neither be disabled Direct 9. prohibited nor denyed You must keep your Horse strong and able for his works though not head-strong and unruly And you must not keep him from the use of his strength though you grant him not the Government Nor will you deny but that he may be stronger than the Rider though the Rider have the ruling power He hath more of the power called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 natural power though the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be yours So is it here 1. No man must destroy his bodily sense The quickest sense is the best servant to the soul if it be not headstrong and too impetuous The Body must be stricken so far as to be kept under and brought into subjection 1 Cor. 9. 27. but not be disabled from its service to the soul 2. Nor must we forbid or forbear the exercise of the senses in subordination to the exercise of the interior senses Heb. 4. 14. It is indeed a smaller loss to part with a right hand or a right eye than with our salvation But that proveth not that we are put to such streights as to be necessitated to either unless persecution put us to it 3. Nor must we deny the certainty of the sensitive apprehension when it keepeth its place as the Papists do that affirm it necessary to salvation to believe that the sight and taste and smell and feeling of all men in the world that take the Sacrament are certainly deceived in taking that to be Bread and Wine which is not so For if all the senses of all
men though never so sound and rational be certainly deceived in this we know not when they are not deceived and there can be no certainty of faith or knowledge For if you say that the Church telleth us that sense is deceived in this and only in this Deny not sense with the Papists I answer If it be not first granted that sense as so stated is certain in its apprehension there is no certainty then that there is a Church or a man or a world or what the Church ever said or any member of it And if sense be so fallible the Church may be deceived who by the means of sense doth come to all her knowledge To deny faith is the property of an Infidel To deny Reason is to deny Humanity and is fittest for a mad man or a Beast if without reason reason could be denyed But to deny the certainty of sense it self and of all the senses of all sound men and that about the proper objects of sense this sheweth that ambition can make a Religion which shall bring man quite below the Beasts and make him a Mushrome that Rome may have subjects capable of her Government and all this under pretence of honouring faith and saving souls Making God the destroyer of nature in order to its perfection and the deceiver of nature in order to its ☜ edification § 12. Direct 10. Sense must not be made the Iudge of matters that are above it as the proper objects Direct 10. of faith and reason nor must we argue negatively from our senses in such cases which God in nature never brought into their Court. We cannot say that there is no God no Heaven no Hell no Angels no souls of men because we see them not We cannot say I see not the Antipodes nor other Kingdoms of the world and therefore there is no such place so we say as well as the Papists that sense is no Judge whether the spiritual body of Christ be present in the Sacrament no more than whether an Angel be here present But sense with reason is the Judge whether bread and Wine be there present or else humane understanding can judge of nothing Christ would have had Thomas to have believed without seeing and feeling and blesseth those that neither see him nor feel and yet believe but he never blesseth men for believing contrary to the sight and feeling and taste of all that have sound senses and understandings in the world Their instance of the Virgins conception of Christ is nothing contrary to this For it belongeth not to sense to judge whether a Virgin may conceive Nor will any wise mans Reason judge that the Creator who in making the world of nothing was the only cause cannot supply the place of a partial second cause in Generation They might more plausibly argue with Aristotle against the Creation it self that ex nihilo nihil fit but as it is past doubt that the infallibility of sense is nothing at all concerned in this so it is sufficiently proved by Christians that God can create without any pre-existent matter Reason can see much further than sense by the help of sense and yet much further by the help of Divine Revelation by faith To argue Negatively against the conclusions of Reason or Divine Revelation from the meer negation of sensitive apprehension is to make a Beast of man We must not be so irrational or impious as to say that there is nothing but what we have seen or felt or tasted c. If we will believe others who have seen them that there are other parts of the world we have full Reason to believe the sealed testimony of God himself that there are such superiour worlds and powers as he hath told us We have the use of sense in hearing or seeing Gods revelation and we have no more in receiving mans report of those Countreys which we never saw § 13. If they will make it the Question whether the sense may not be deceived I answer we doubt not by distance of the objects or distempers or disproportions of it self or the Media it may But if the sense it self and all the means and objects have their natural soundness aptitude and disposition it is a contradiction so say it is deceived for that is to say it is not the sense which we suppose it is If God deceive it thus he maketh it another thing It is no more the same nor will admit the same definition But however it is most evident that the senses being the first entrance or inlet of knowledge the first certainty must be there which is presupposed to the certain judgement of the intellect But if these err all following certainty which supposeth the certainty of the senses is destroyed And this error in the first reception like an error in the first concoction is not rectified by the second And if God should thus leave all men under a fallibility of sense he should leave no certainty in the world and I desire those that know the definition of a lye to consider whether this ☞ be not to feign God to lye in the very frame of nature and by constant lyes to rule the world when yet it is impossible for God to lye And if this Blasphemy were granted them yet it would be mans duty still to judge by such senses as he hath about the objects of sense For if God have made them fallible we cannot make them better Nor can we create a Reason in our selves which shall not presuppose the judgement of sense or which shall-supply its ordinary natural defects So that the Roman faith of Transubstantiation denying the reality of Bread and Wine doth not only unman the world but bring man lower than a Beast and make sense to be no sense and the world to be governed by natural deceit or lyes and banish all certainty of faith and reason from the Earth and after all ☞ with such wonderful enmity to charity as maketh man liker the Devil than else could easily be believed they sentence all to Hell that believe not this and decree to burn them first on earth and to depose Temporal Lords from their dominions that favour them or that will not exterminate them from their Lands and so absolve their Subjects from their Allegiance and give their Dominions to others All this you may read in the third Canon of the Laterane General Council under Innocent 3. § 14. Direct 11. Look not upon any object of sense with sense alone nor stop not in it but let reason Direct 11. begin where sense doth end and alwayes see by faith or reason the part which is invisible as well as the sensible part by sense By that which is seen collect and rise up to that which is unseen It God had given us an eye or ear or taste or feeling and not a mind then we should have exercised no other faculty but what we had But sure he
that hath given us the higher faculty requireth that we use it as well as the lower And remember that they are not meer co-ordinate faculties but the sensitive faculty is subordinate to the Intellectual And accordingly that which the sensible creature objectively revealeth through the sense unto the Intellect is something to which things sensible are subordinate Therefore if you stop in sensible things and see not the Principle which animateth them the Power which ordereth and ruleth them and the End which they are made for and must be used for you play the Beasts you see nothing but a dead carkass without the soul and nothing but a useless senseless thing You know nothing indeed to any purpose no not the creature it self while you know not the use and meaning of the creature but separate it from its Life and Guide and End § 15. Direct 12. First therefore see that you ever look upon all things sensible as the products of the Direct 12. will of the invisible God depending on him more than the Sunshine doth upon the Sun and never see or taâ—â—e a creature separatedly from God Will you know what a plant is and not know that it is the earth that beareth and nourisheth it Will you know what a Fish is and yet be ignorant that he liveth in the water Will you know what a branch or fruit is and yet not know that it groweth on the Tree The nature of things cannot be known without the knowledge of their causes and respective parts It is as no knowledge to know incoherent scraps and parcels To know a hand as no part of the body or an eye or nose without knowing a head or a body without knowing its life or soul is not to know it for you make it another thing It is the difference between a wise man and a fool that Sapiens respicit ad plura insipiâ—ns ad pauciora A wise man looketh comprehensively to things as they are conjunct and takes all together and leaveth out nothing that is useful to his end but a fool seeth one thing and overseeth another which is necessary to the true knowledge or use of that which he seeth see God as the Cause and Life of every thing you see As a carkass is but a ghastly sight without the soul and quickly corrupteth and stinketh when it is separated so the Creature without God is an unlovely sight and quickly corrupteth and becomes a snare or annoyance to you God is the beauty of all that 's beautiful and the strength of all that 's strong and the glory of the Sun and all that is glorious and the wisdom of all that 's wise and the goodness of all that 's good as being the only original total cause of all You play the Brutes when you see the creature and overlook its Maker from whom it is whatsoever it is Will you see the Diall and overlook the Sun Remember it is the use of every Creature to shew you God and therefore it is the use of every sense to promote the knowledge of him § 16. Direct 13. See God as the Conductor orderer and disposer of all the creatures according to their natures as moved necessarily or freely and behold not any of the motions or events of the world without observing the interest and over-ruling hand of God Sense reacheth but to the effects and events but Reason and faith can see the first cause and disposer of all Again I tell you that if you look but on the particles of things by sense and see not God that setteth all together and doth his work by those that never dream of it you see but the several wheels and parcels of a Clock or Watch and know not him that made and keepeth it that setteth on the Poise and winds it up to fit his ends Ioseph could say God sent me hither when his Brethren sold him into Aegypt And David felt his Fathers Rod in Shimei's curse § 17. Direct 14. See God the End of every creature how all things are ordered for his service and Direct 14. be sure you stop not in any creature without referring it to a higher end Else as I have oft told you you will be but like a Child or illiterate person who openeth a Book and admireth the workmanship of the Printer and the order and well forming of the Letters but never mindeth or understandeth the subject sense or end Or like one that looketh on a comely picture and never mindeth either him that made it or him that is represented by it Or like one that gazeth on the Sign at an Inn-door and praiseth the workmanship but knoweth not that it is set there to direct him to entertainment and necessaries within And this folly and sin is the greater because it is the very end of God in all his works of Creation and Providence to reveal himself by them to the intellectual world And must God shew his Power and Wisdom and Goodness so wonderfully in the frame of the creation and in his daily general and particular providence and shall man that daily seeth all this overlook the intended use and end and so make all this glorious work as nothing or as lost to him Sense knoweth no End but its own Delight and the natural felicity of the sensitive creature such as things sensible afford But Reason must take up the work where sense doth end its stage and carry all home to him that is the End of all For OF Him and THROUGH Him and TO Him are all things to whom be Glory for ever Amen Rom. 11. 36. § 18. Direct 15. Besides the General Use and Ultimate End of every creature labour for a clear acquaintance Direct 15. with the particular Use and nearer End of every thing which you have to do with by which it is serviceable to your Ultimate End And suppose still you saw that special use as subserving your highest End as the Title written upon each creature As suppose upon your Bible it were written The Word of the Living God to acquaint me with himself and his will that I may please and glorifie and enjoy him for ever And upon your godly friend suppose you saw this Title written A Servant of God that beareth his Image and appointed to accompany and assist me in his service unto life everlasting Upon your meat suppose you saw this Title written The provisions of my Father sent me as from my Saviours hands not to gratifie my sensuality and serve my inordinate desires but to refresh and strengthen my body for his service in my passage to everlasting life So upon your Clothes your Servants your Goods your Cattel your Houses and every thing you have inscribe thus the proper use and end § 19. Direct 16. Know both the final and the mediate danger of every thing that you have to do Direct 16. with and suppose you still see them written upon every thing you see The final
danger is Hell The mediate danger in general is sin But you must find what sin it is that this creature will be made a Temptation to by the Devil and the Flesh. As suppose you saw written upon money and riches The bait of Covetousness and all evil to pierce me through with many sorrows and then to damn me And suppose you saw written upon great buildings and estates and honours and attendance The great price which the Devil would give for souls and the baits to tempt men to the inordinate Love of fleshly pleasures and to draw their hearts from God and Heaven to their damnation Suppose you still saw written upon Beauty and and tempting actions and attire The bait of lust by which the Devil corrupteth the minds of men to their damnation Suppose you saw written on the Play-house door The Stage of the Mountebanck of Hell who here cheateth men of their pretious time and enticeth them to vanity luxury and damnation under pretence of instructing them by a nearer and more pleasant way than Preachers do The like I say of Gaming Recreations company See the particular snare in all § 20. Direct 17. To this end be well acquainted with your own particular inclinations and distempers Direct 17. that you may know what creature is like to prove most dangerous to you that there you may keep the strictest watch If you be subject to pride keep most from the baits of Pride and watch most cautelously against them If you be subject to Covetousness watch most against the baits of Covetousness If you are inclined to lust away from the sight of alluring objects The knowledge of your temper and disease must direct you both in your dyet and your Physick § 21. Direct 18. Live as in a constant course of obedience and suppose you saw the Law of God Direct 18. also written upon every thing you see As when you look on any tempting beauty suppose you saw Rom. 7. 7. Matth 5 28. Ephes. 5. 5. Heb. 13 4. 1 John 2. 15. this written on the forehead Thou shalt not lust Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge They shall not enter into the Kingdom of God See upon the forbidden dish or cup the prohibition of God Thou shalt not eat or drink this See upon money and riches this written Thou shalt not cove◠See upon the face of all the world Love not the world nor the things that are in the world If any man love the world the Love of the Father is not in him Thus see the Will of God on all things § 22. Direct 19. Make not the objects of sense over tempting and dangerous to your selves but take Direct 19. special care as much as in you lyeth to order all so that you may have as much of the benefit and as little of the snare of the creature as is possible Would you not be gluttonous pleasers of your appetite Choose not then too full a Table nor over-pleasant tempting drinks or dishes and yet choose those that are most useful to your health Would you not over-love the world nor your present house or lands or station Be not too instrumental your selves in guilding or dulcifying your bait If you put in the sugar the Devil and the flesh will put in the poyson Will you make all as pleasant and lovely as you can when you believe that the overloving them is the greatest danger to your salvation Will you be the greatest tempters to your selves and then desire God not to lead you into temptation § 23. Direct 20. Let not the tempting object be too near your sense For nearness enrageth the sensitive Direct 20. appetite and giveth you an opportunity of sinning Come not too near the fire if you would not be burnt And yet use prudence in keeping the usefulness of it for warmth though you avoid the burning Distance from the snares of pride and lust and passion and other sins is a most approved remedy and Nearness is their strength § 24. Direct 21. Accustom your souls to frequent and familiar exercise about their invisible objects Direct 21. as well as your senses about theirs And as you are daily and hourly in seeing and tasting and hearing the creature so be not rarely in the humble adoration of him that appeareth to you in them Otherwise use will make the creature so familiar to you and disuse will make God so strange that by degrees you will wear your selves out of his acquaintance and become like carnal sensual men and live all by sense and forget the holy exercise of the life of faith § 25. Direct 22. Lose not your humble sense of the badness of your hearts how ready they are as tinder Direct 22. to take the fire of every temptation and never grow fool-bardy and confident of your selves For your holy fear is necessary to your watchfulness and your watchfulness is necessary to your escape and safety Peters self-confidence betrayed him to deny his Lord. Had Noah and Lot and David been more afraid of the sin they had been like to have escaped it It is a part of the character of the beastly Hereticks that Iude declaimeth against that they were spots in their feasts of charity when they feasted with the Church feeding themselves without fear vers 12. When the knowledge or sense of your weakness and sinful inclination is gone then fear is gone and then safety is gone and your fall is near PART II. Particular Directions for the Government of the Eyes § 1. Direct 1. KNow the uses that your sight is given you for As 1. To see the works of God Direct 1. that thereby your Minds may see God himself 2. To read the word of God Prov. 3. 21. Luk 11. 34. Mat. 6. 21. Psal. 145. 15. Psal. 123. 2 3. Prov. 28 27. that therein you may perceive his mind 3. To see the servants of God whom you must Love and the poor whom you must relieve or pity and all the visible objects of your duty To conduct your body in the discharge of its office about all the matters of the world And in special often to look up towards Heaven the place where your blessed Lord is Glorified and whence he shall come to take you to his glory § 2. Direct 2. Remember the sins which the eye is most in danger of that you may be watchful Direct 2. and escape 1. You must take heed of a Proud and Lofty and Scornful eye which looketh on your Psal. 35. 19. Prov. 10 10. Prov 30. 17. Isa. 5. 15. Isa. 3. 16. Prov. 30. 13. Prov. 23. 33. Prov. 27. 20. Eccles. 1. 8. Eccles 4. 8. Prov. 23. 5. selves with admiration and delight as the Peacock is said to do on his tail and on others as below you with slighting and disdain 2. You must take heed of a lustful wanton eye which secretly carryeth out your heart to a befooling piece of dirty flesh and
blesseth the habitation of the just Prov. 3. 33. The wicked are overthrown and are not but the house of the righteous shall stand Prov. 12. 7. The house of the wicked shall be overthrown but the Tabernacle of the upright shall flourish Prov. 14. 11. So Prov. 15. 25. The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness Prov. 21. 12. Go not into a falling house 2. A Master that feareth God will help to save you from sin and Hell and help your souls to life eternal He may do more for you than if he made you Kings and Rulers of the earth He will hinder you from sin he will teach you to know God and to prepare for your salvation Whereas ungodly Masters will rather discourage you and by mocks or threatnings seek to drive you from a holy life and use their wit and work and authority to hinder your salvation Or at best will take little care of your souls but think if they provide you food and wages they have done their parts 3. A Master that feareth God will do you no wrong but will love you as a Christian and his fellow servant of Christ while he commandeth and employeth you as his own servant which cannot be expected from ignorant ungodly worldly men § 5. Direct 5. Yet choose such a service as you are fit to undergo with the least hindrance of the service Direct 5. of God and of your souls Neither a life of idleness nor of excess of business should be chosen if you have your choice For when the mind is overwhelmed with the cares of your service and your bodies tired with excessive labour you will have little time or heart or power to mind the matters of your souls with any seriousness Yea the Lords-day will be spent with little comfort when the â—oil of the week days hath left the body fit for nothing but to sleep A service which alloweth you no time at all to pray or read the Scripture or mind your everlasting state is a life more fit for beasts than men § 6. Direct 6. If you can attain it live where your fellow servants fear God as well as the Master Direct 6. of the family For fellow servants usually converse with one another more frequently and familiarly than their Masters do with any of them And therefore if a Master give you the the most heavenly instructions the idle frothy talk of fellow-servants may blot out all from your memories and hearts And their derision of a holy life or their bad examples may do more hurt than the precepts of the Governors can do good Whereas when a Masters counsels are seconded by the good discourse and practice of fellow-servants it is a great encouragement to good and keepeth the heart in a continual warmth and resolution § 7. Direct 7. If you want any one of these accommodations be the more diligent in such an improvement Direct 7. of the rest as may make up your want If you have a good Teacher and a bad Master improve the helps of your Teacher the more diligently If you have a bad Master and good fellow-servants or a good Master and bad fellow-servants thank God for that which you have and make the best of it § 8. Direct 8. If you would be accommodated your selves with the best Masters and usage labour to Direct 8. be the best servants And then it 's two to one but you may have your choice Good servants are so scarce and so much valued that the best places would strive for you if you will strive to be such Excel others in labour and diligence and trustiness and obedience and gentleness and patience and then you may have almost what places you desire But if you will your selves be idle and slothful and deceitful and false and disobedient and unmannerly and self-willed and contentious and impatient and yet think that you must be respected and used as good and faithful servants It is but a foolish expectation For what obligation is there upon others in point of Iustice to give you that which you deserve not Indeed if any be bound to keep you in meer Charity then you may plead Charity with them and not desert But if they take you but as servants they owe you nothing but what your work and virtues shall deserve CHAP. III. A DISPUTATION OR Arguments to prove the necessity of Family-worship and Holiness or Directions against the Cavils of the Prophane and some Sectaries who deny it to be a thing required by God Whether the Solemn Worship of God in and by Families as such be of Divine appointment Aff. THat excellent speech of Mirandula is oft in my mind Veritatem Philosophia quâ—rit theologia invenit Religio possidet I do therefore with greater alacrity and delight dispute these points that are directly Religious that is immediately practical than those that are only remotely such And though I am loth we should see among us any wider Division inter Philosophum Theologum Religiosum than between the Phantasie the Intellect and the Will which never are found disjunct in any act or rather than between the habits of practical natural knowledge and the habits of practical supernatural knowledge and the practical Resolutions Affections and Indeavors into which both the former are divolved yet may we safely and profitably distinguish where it would be mortal to divide If disputing in our present case do but tend to and end in a Religious performance we shall then be able to say we disputed not in vain when by experience of the delight and profit of Gods work we perceive that we do not worship him in vain Otherwise to evince by a dispute that God should be worshipped and not to worship him when we have done is but to draw forth our learning and sharpen our wits to plead for our condemnation as if the Accuser wanted our help or the Judge of all the world did want Evidence and Arguments against us unless he had it from our own mouth Concerning the sense of the terms I shall say somewhat both as to the subject and the predicate that we contend not in the dark and yet but little lest I trouble my self and you with needless labours I. By the worship of God we mean not only nor principally obedience as such or service in common things called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but we mean a Religious performance of some sacred actions with an Intention of Honouring God as God and that more directly than in common works of obedience This being commonly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is by Austin and since him by all the Orthodox appropriated to God alone and indeed to give it to any other is contradictory to its definition This worship is of two sorts whereof the first is by an excellency called worship viz. When the honouring of God is so directly the end and whole business of the work
deep rooted sins that are not easily pluckâ— up All the teaching and diligence and watchfulness that you can use is little enough and may prove too little They are obstiâ—â—te vices that have possessed them They are not quickly nor easily cast out and the remnants and roots are apt to be still springing up again when you thought they had been quite destroyed O then what wisdom and diligence is requisite to so great and necessary a work § 9. And now let me seriously speak to the hearts of those careless and ungodly Parents that neglect the holy education of their Children yea and to those Professors of Godliness that slubber over so great a work with a few customary formal duties and words that are next to a total omission of it O be not so unmerciful to the souls that you have helpâ— to bring into the world Think not so bâ—sely of them as if they were not worth your labour Make not your Children so like your Beasts as to make no provision but only for their flesh Remember still that it is not Beasts but men that you have begotten and brought forth Educate them then and use them as men for the Love and Obedience of their Maker O pity and help the souls that you have defiled and undone Have mercy on the souls that must perish in Hell if they be not saved in this day of salvation O help them that have so many enemies to assault them Help them that have so many temptations to pass through and so many difficulties to overcome and so severe a judgement to undergo Help them that are so weak and so easily deceived and overthrown Help them speedily while your advantages continue before sin have hardned them and Grace have forsaken them and Satan place a stronger Garrison in their hearts Help them while they are tractable before they are grown up to despise your help Before you and they are separated asunder and your opportunities be at an end You think not your pains from year to year too much to make provision for their bodies O be not cruel to their souls Sell them not to Satan and that for nought Betray them not by your ungodly negligence to Hell Or if any of them will perish let it not be by you that are so much bound to do them good The undoing of your childrens souls is a work much fitter for Satan than for their Purents Remember how comfortable a thing it is to work with Christ for the saving of souls You think the Calling of Ministers honourable and happy and so it is because they serve Christ in so high a work But if you will not neglect it you may do for your children more than any Minister can do This is your preaching place Here God calleth you to exercise your parts even in the holy instruction of your families Your charge is small in comparison of the Ministers He hath many hundred souls to watch over that are scattered all abroad the Parish and will you think it much to instruct and watch over those few of your own that are under your Roof You can speak odiously of unfaithful soul-betraying Ministers and do you not consider how odious a soul-betraying Parent is If God intrust you but with earthly Talents take heed how you use them for you must be accountable for your trust And when he hath entrusted you with souls even your childrens souls will you betray them If any Rulers should but forbid you the instructing and well-governing of your families and restrain you by a Law as they would have restrained Daniel from praying in his house Dan. 6. then you would think them monsters of impiety and inbumanity and you would cry out of a Satanical persecution that would make men Traytors to their childrens souls and drive away all Religion from the earth And yet how easily can you neglect such duties when none forbid them you and never accuse your selves of any such horrid impiety or inhumanity What hypocrisie and blind partiality is this Like a lazy Minister that would cry out of persecution if he were silenced by others and yet will not be provoked to be laborious but ordinarily by his slothfulness silence himself and make no such matter of it Would it be so heynous a sin in another to restrain you and is it not as heynous for you that are so much obliged to it voluntarily to restrain your selves O then deny not this necessary diligence to your necessitous children as you love their souls as you love the happiness of the Church or Commonwealth as you love the honour and interest of Christ and as you love your present and everlasting peace Do not see your children the slaves of Satan here and the firebrands of Hell for ever if any diligence of yours may contribute to prevent it Do not give Conscience such matter of accusation against you as to say All this was long of thee If thou hadst instructed them diligently and watched over them and corrected them and done thy part its like they had never come to this You till your Fields you weed your Gardens What pains take you about your grounds and Cattel and will you not take more for your childrens souls Alas what creatures will they be if you leave them to themselves how ignorant careless rude and beastly O what a lamentable case have ungodly Parents brought the world into Ignorance and selfishness beastly sensuality and devilish malignity have covered the face of the earth as a deluge and driven away wisdom and self-denyal and piety and charity and justice and temperance almost out of the world confining them to the breasts of a few obscure humble souls that love vertue for vertues sake and look for their reward from God alone and expect that by abstaining from iniquity they make themselves a prey to Wolves Isa. 59. 15. Wicked education hath unman'd the world and subdued it to Satan and made it almost like to Hell O do not joyn with the Sons of Belial in this unnatural horrid wickedness CHAP. VII The mutual Duties of Husbands and Wives towards each other § 1. IT is the pernicious subversion of all societies and so of the world that selfish ungodly persons enter into all Relations with a desire to serve themselves there and fish out all that gratifieth their flesh but without any sense of the Duty of their Relation They bethink them what honour or profit or pleasure their Relation will afford them but not Gen. 2 18 Prov. 18. 22. what God and man require or expect from them All their thought is What they shall have but not What they shall be and do They are very sensible what others should be and do to them but not what they should be and do to others Thus it is with Magistrates and with People with too many Pastors and their flocks with Husbands and Wives with Parents and Children with Masters and Servants and all other Relations Whereas our
â—ordidst garb of a cold and careless heart and life 10. When you grow hottest about some Controverted smaller matters in Religion or studious of the interest of some private opinion and party which you have chosen more than of the interest of the common Truths and Cause of Christ. 11. When in joyning with others you rellish more the fineness of the speech than the Spirit and weight and excellency of the matter and are impatient of hearing of the wholsomest truths if the speaker manifest any personal infirmity in the delivery of them And are weary and tired if you be not drawn on with novelty variety or elegancy of speech 12. When you grow more indifferent for your company and set less by the company of serious godly Christians than you did and are almost as well pleased with common company and discourse 13. When you grow more impatient of reproof for sin and love not to be told of any thing in you that is amiss but love those best that highliest applaud you 14. When the renewing of your Repentance is grown a lifeless cursory work When in preparation for the Lords Day or Sacrament or other occasions you call your selves to no considerable account or make no greater a matter of the sins which you find on your account than if you were almost reconciled to them 15. When you grow more uncharitable and censorious to brethren that differ from you in tolerable points and less tender of the names or welfare of others and love not your neighbour as your selves and do not as you would be done by 16. When you grow less compassionate to the ungodly world and less regardful of the common interest of the Universal Church and of Jesus Christ throughout the earth and grow more narrow private-spirited and confine your care to your selves or to your party 17. When the hopes of Heaven and the Love of God cannot content you but you are thirsty after some worldly contentment and grow eager in your desires and the world groweth more sweet to you and more amiable in your eyes 18 When sense and appetite 1 Cor. 7. 31. and fleshly pleasure is grown more powerful with you and you make a great matter of them and cannot deny them without a great deal of striving and regret as if you had done some great exploit if you live not like a beast 19. When you are more proud and impatient and are less able to bear disesteem and slighting and injuries from men or poverty or sufferings for Christ and make a greater matter of your losses or crosses or wrongs than beseemeth one that is dead to the flesh and to the world 20. Lastly When you had rather dwell on Earth than be in Heaven and are more unwilling to think of death or to prepare for it and expect it and are less in love with the coming of Christ and are ready to say of this sinful life in flesh It is good to be here All these are signs of a declining state though yet you are not come to apostacy § 15. But the signs of a mortal damnable state indeed are found in these following degrees 1. When a man had rather have worldly prosperity than the â—avour and fruition of God in Heaven Signs of a graceless state 2. When the interest of the flesh can do more with him than the interest of God and his soul and do more rule and dispose of his heart and life 3. When he had rather live in sensuality than in Holiness And had rather have leave to live as he list than have a Christ and Holy Spirit to sanctifie and cure him or at least will not be cured on the terms proposed in the Gospel 4. When he loveth not the means that would recover him as such The nearer you come to this the more dangerous is your case § 16. And these following signs are therefore of a very dangerous signification 1. When the Dangerous signs of impenitency pleasure of sinful prosperity and delights doth so far over-top the pleasures of holiness that you are under trouble and weariness in holy duties and at ease and merry when you have your sinful delights 2. When no perswasion of a Minister or friend can bring you so throughly to repent of your open scandalous sins as to take shame to your selves in a free confession of them even in the open Assembly if you are justly called to it to condemn your selves and give warning to others and glorifie the most Holy God But you will not believe that any such disgraceful confession is your duty because you will not do it 3. When you cannot bring your hearts to a full Resolution to let go your sin but though Conscience worry and condemn you for it you do but sleightly purpose hereafter to amend but will not presently resolve 4. When you will not be perswaded to consent to the necessary effectual means of your recovery as to abstain from the bait and temptation and occasion of sin Many a Drunkard hath told me he was willing to be reformed but when I have desired them then to consent to drink no Wine or Ale for so many months and to keep out of the place and to commit the Government of themselves for so many months to their Wives or some other friend that liveth with them and to drink nothing but what they give them they would not Consent to any of this and so shewed the hypocrisie of their professed willingness to amend 5. When sin becometh easie and the Conscience groweth patient with it and quiet under it 6. When the judgement taketh part with it and the tongue will plead for it and justifie or extenuate it insteâ—d of repenting of it These are dangerous signs of an impenitent unpardoned miserable soul. And the man is in a dangerous way to this 1. When he hath plunged himself into such engagements to sin that he cannot leave it but it will cost him very dear as it will be his shame to confess it or his undoing in the world to forsake it or a great deal of cost and labour must be lost which his ambitious or Covetous projects have cost him It will be hard breaking over so great difficulties 2. When God letteth him alone in sin and prospereth him in it or doth not much disturb him or afflict him This also is a dangerous case § 17. By all this you may perceive that those are no signes of a backsliding state which some False signs of declining poor Christians are afraid are such As 1. When poverty necessitateth them to lay out more of their time and thoughts and words about the labours of their callings than some richer persons do 2. When age or sickness causeth their memories to decay so that they cannot remember a Sermon so well as heretofore 3. When age or sickness taketh off the quickness and vigor of their spirits so that they have not the lively affections in prayer or holy
thing in it steal again into your hearts and seem Direct 7. too sweet to you If your friends or dwellings or lands and wealth or honours begin to grow too pleasant and be over-loved your thoughts will presently be carryed after them and turned away from God and all holy affection will be damped and decay and grace will fall into a consumption It is the Love of money that is the root of all evil and the love of this world which is the mortal enemy of the Love of God Keep the world from your hearts if you would keep your graces § 19. Direct 8. Keep a strict Government and watch over your fleshly appetite and sense For the Direct 8. loosing of the reins to carnal lusts and yielding to the importunity of sensual desires is the most ordinary Rom. 8. 13. Rom. 13. 13 14. way of wasting grace and falling off from God § 20. Direct 9. Keep as far as you can from Temptations and all occasions and opportunities of sinning Direct 9. Trust not to your own strength And be not so fool-hardy as to thrust your selves into needless danger No man is long safe that standeth at the brink of ruine If the fire and straw be long near together some spark is like to catch at last § 21. Direct 10. Incorporate your selves into the Communion of Saints and go along with Direct 10. them that go towards Heaven and engage your selves in the constant use of all those means which God hath appointed you to use for your perseverance Especially take heed of an idle slothful unprofitable life And keep your graces in the most lively exercise For the slothful is Brother to the waster And idleness consumeth or corrupteth our spiritual health and strength as well as our bodily Set your selves diligently to work while it is day and do all the good in your places that you are able For it is acts that preserve and increase the habits And a Religion which consisteth only in doing no hurt is so lifeless and corrupt that it will quickly perish § 22. Direct 11. Keep alwayes in thine eye the doleful case of a Backslider which I opened Direct 11. before O what horror is waiting to seize on their consciences How many of them have we known that on their death-beds have lain roaring in the anguish of their souls crying out I am utterly forsaken of God because I have forsaken him There is no mercy for such an apostate wretch O that I had never been born or had been any thing rather than a man Cursed be the day that ever I hearkned to the counsel of the wicked and that ever I pleased this corruptible flesh to the utter undoing of my soul O that it were all to do again Take warning by a mad besotted sinner that have lost my soul for that which I knew would never make me satisfaction and have turned from God when I had found him to be good â—nd gracious O prepare not for such pangs as these or worse than these in endless desperation § 23. Direct 12. Make not a small matter of the beginnings of your backsliding There are very Direct 12. few that fall quite away at once the misery creepeth on by insensible degrees You think it a small matter to cut short one duty and omit another and be negligent at another and to entertain some pleasing thoughts of the world or first to look on the forbidden fruit and then to touch it and then to taste it but these are the way to that which is not small A thought or a look or a taste or a delight hath begun that with many which never stopt till it had shamed them here and damned them for ever CHAP. XXVII Directions for the Poor THere is no condition of life so low or poor but may be sanctified and fruitful and comfortable to us if our own misunderstanding or sin and negligence do not pollute it or imbitter it to us If we do the Duty of our condition faithfully we shall have no cause to murmurr at it Therefore I shall here direct the Poor in the special Duties of their condition and if they will but conscionably perform them it will prove a greater kindness to them than if I could deliver them from their poverty and give them as much riches as they desire Though I doubt this would be more pleasing to the most and they would give me more thanks for money than for teaching them how to want it § 1. Direct 1. Understand first the use and estimate of all earthly things that they were never made Direct 1. to be your portion and felicity but your provision and helps in the way to Heaven And therefore they Prov. 28. 6. Jam. 2. 5. are neither to be estimated nor desired simply for themselves for so there is nothing good but God but only as they are Means to the Greatest Good Therefore neither Poverty nor Riches are simply to be rejoyced in for themselves as any part of our happiness But that condition is to be desired and rejoyced in which affordeth us the greatest helps for Heaven and that condition only is to be lamented and dislikt which hindereth us most from Heaven and from our duty § 2. Direct 2. See therefore that you really take all these things as matters in themselves indifferent Direct 2. and of small concernment to you and as not worthy of much love or care or sorrow further than they conduce to greater things We are like runners in a race and Heaven or Hell will be our End and therefore woe to us if by looking aside or turning back or stopping or trifling about these matters or burdening our selves with worldly trash we should lose the race and lose our souls O Sirs what greater matters than poverty or riches have we to mind Can those souls that muâ—â— shortly be in Heaven or Hell have time to bestow any serious thoughts upon these impertinencies Shall we so much as look at the temporal things which are seen instead of the things eternal that are unseen 2 Cor. 4. 18. Or shall we whine under those light afflictions which may be so improved as to work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory v. 17. Our present life is not in the abundance of the things which we possess Much less is our eternal life Luke 12. 15. § 3. Direct 3. Therefore take heed that you judge not of Gods Love or of your happiness or misery by Direct 3. your riches or poverty prosperity or adversity as knowing that they come alike to all and Love or hatred Eccles. 2. 14. 9. 2. 9. 3. is not to be discerned by them except only Gods Common Love as they are common mercies to the body If a Surgeon is not to be taken for a hater of you because he letteth you blood nor a Physicion because he purgeth his Patient nor a Father because he
when the next sickness cometh to remember that they were unthankful for their last recovery and how falsly they dealt with God in the breaking of their promises Foresee this that you may prevent it Tit. 3. Directions for a Comfortable or Peaceable Death COmfort is not desirable only as it Pleaseth us but also as it strengtheneth us and helpeth us in our greatest duties And when is it more needful than in sickness and the approach of death I shall therefore add such Directions as are necessary to make our departure comfortable or peaceful at the least as well as safe Direct 1. Because I would make this Treatise no longer than I needs must in order to overcome Direct 1. the fears of Death and get a chearful willingness to dye I desire the sick to read over those twenty Considerations and the following Directions which I have laid down in my Book of Self-denyal And when the fears of death are overcome the great impediment of their comfort is removed § 2. Direct 2. Misunderstand not sickness as if it were a greater evil than it is but observe how Direct 2. great a mercy it is that Death hath so suitable a harbinger or fore-runner That God should do so much before he taketh us hence to wean us from the world and make us willing to be gone that the unwilling flesh hath the help of pain and that the senses and appetite languish and decay which did draw the mind to earthly things and that we have so lowd a call and so great a help to true Mr. Vinâ—s Mr. Capell Mr. Holli gâ—orth Mr Aâ—hhâ—ost Mr A bâ—osâ— M 〈…〉 Bâ—raell c. repentance and serious preparation I know to those that have walked very close with God and are alwayes ready a sudden death may be a mercy as we have lately known divers holy Ministers and others that have dyed either after a Sacrament or in the Evening of the Lords Day or in the midst of some holy exercise with so little pain that none about them perecived when they dyed But ordinarily it is a mercy to have the flesh brought down and weakned by painful sickness to help to conquer our natural unwillingness to dye § 3. Direct 3. Remember whose Messenger sickness is and who it is that calleth you to dye It is Direct 3. he that is the Lord of all the world and gave us the Lives which he taketh from us And it is he that must dispose of Angels and Men of Princes and Kingdoms of Heaven and Earth and therefore there is no reason that such Worms as we should desire to be excepted You cannot deny him to be the Disposer of all things without denying him to be God It is he that Loveth us and never meant us harm in any thing that he hath done to us that gave the life of his Son to Redeem us and therefore thinketh not Life too good for us Our sickness and death are sent by the same Love that sent us a Saviour and sent us the powerful Preachers of his Word and sent us his Spirit and secretly and sweetly changed our hearts and knit them to himself in Love which gave us a life of pretious mercies for our souls and bodies and hath promised to give us life eternal And shall we think that he now intendeth us any harm Cannot he turn this also to our good as he hath done many an affliction which we have repined at § 4. Direct 4. Look by faith to your dying buryed risen ascended glorified Lord. Nothing will Direct 4. more powerfully overcome both the poyson and the fears of Death than the believing thoughts of him that hath triumphed over it Is it terrible as it separateth the soul from the body So it did by our Lord who yet overcame it Is it terrible as it layeth the body in the grave So it did by our Saviour though he saw not corruption but quickly rose by the power of his Godhead He dyed to teach us believingly and boldly to submit to death He was buried to teach us not overmuch to fear a grave He rose again to conquer death for us and to assure those that rise to newness of life that they shall be raised at last by his power unto glory and being made partakers of the first resurrection the second death shall have no power over them He liveth as our Head that we might live by him and that he might assure all those that are here risen with him and seek first the things that are above that though in themselves they are dead yet their life is hid with Christ in God and when Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in glory Col. 3. 1 2 4 5. What a comfortable word is that John 14. 19. Because I live ye shall live also Death could not hold the Lord of life Nor can it hold us against his will who hath the keyes of death and Hell Rev. 1. 18. He loveth every one of his sanctified ones much better than you love an eye or a hand or any other member of your body which you will not lose if you are able to save it When he ascended he left us that message full of comfort for his followers John 20. 17. Go to my Brethren and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father to my God and your God which with these two following I would have written before me on my sick-bed John 12. 26. If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there also shall my servant be And Luke 23. 43. Verily I say unto thee to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise O what a joyful thought should it be to a Believer to think when he is dying that he is going to his Saviour and that our Lord is risen and gone before us to prepare a place for us and take us in season to himself Iohn 14. 2 3 4. As you believe in God believe thus in Christ and then your hearts will be less troubled Ver. 1. It is not a stranger that we talk of to you but your Head and Saviour that loveth you better than you love your selves whose office it is there to appear continually for you before God and at last to receive your departing souls and into his hand it is that you must then commend them as Stephen did Acts 7. 59. § 5. Direct 5. Choose out some Promises most suitable to your condition and roll them over and over Direct 5. in your mind and feed and live on them by faith A sick man is not usually fit to think of very many things and therefore two or three comfortable promises to be still before his eyes may be the most profitable matter of his thoughts such as those three which I named before If he be most troubled with the greatness of his sin let it be such as these Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the world
taken upon a particular occasion must be generally or strictly interpreted Rule 44. unless there be special reasons for a restraint from the Matter End or other evidence As if you are afraid that your Son should marry such a Woman and therefore swear him not to marry without your Consent He is bound thereby neither to marry that Woman not any other Or if your servant haunt one particular Alehouse and you make him forswear All Houses in General he must avoid all other So Dr. Sanderson instanceth in the Oath of Supremacy p. 195. § 67. Rule 45. He that Voweth absolutely or implicitly to obey another in all things is bound to obey Rule 45. him in all lawful things where neither God nor other superiour or other person is injured unless the nature of the relation or the ends or reasons of the oath or something else infer a limitation as implyed § 68. Rule 46. Still distinguish between the falshood in the words as disagreeing to the Thing sworn and Rule 46. the falshood of them as disagreeing from the swearers mind The former is sometime excusable but the later never There are many other Questions about Oaths that belong more to the Chapter of Contracts and Justice between man and man and thither I refer them CHAP. VI. Directions to the People concerning their Internal and Private Duty to their Pastors and the improvement of their Ministerial Office and Guifts THe Peoples Internal and Private duty to their Pastors which I may treat of without an appearance of â—ncroachment upon the work of the Canons Rubricks and Diocesans I shall open to you in these Directions following § 1. Direct 1. Understand first the true Ground and Nature and Reasons of the Ministerial Direct 1. Office or else you will not understand the Grounds and Nature and Reasons of your duty to them The Diâ—â—â—â— 2. of Church-Government Ch. 1. And universal Coâ—coâ—d Nature and Works of the Ministerial Office I have so plâ—inly opened already that I shall referr you to it to avoid repetition Hâ—re are two sorts of Reasons to be given you 1. The Reasons of the necessity of the Ministerial work 2. Why certain persons must be separated to this work and it must not be left to all in common § 2. 1. The Necessity of the work it self appeareth in the very Nature of it and enumeration of the parts of it Two sorts of Ministers Christ hath made use of for his Church The first sâ—rt was for Of the differencâ— between fixed and uâ—fixed Ministers see my Disp. 2. 〈…〉 Church-Government and Ios. Acoâ—â—aâ— 5. â— 21. 22. dâ— Missionibus the Revelation of some New Law or Doctrine to be the Churches Rule of Faith or Life And these were to prove their authority and credibility by some Divine attestation which was especially by Miracles and so Moses revealed the Law to the Jews and Christ and the Apostles revealed the Gospel The second sort of Ministers are appointed to Guide the Church to salvation by opening and applying the Rule thus already sealed and delivered And these as they are to bring no new Revelations or Doctrines of faith or Rule of life so they need not bring any Miracle to prove their call or authority to the Church For they have no power to deliver any new Doctrine or Gospel to the Church but only that which is confirmed by Miracles already And it is impudency to demand that the same Gospel be proved by new Miracles by every Minister that shall expound or preach it That would make Miracles to be no Miracles § 3. The work of the ordinary Ministry such as the Priests and Teachers were under the Law The Work of the Ministry and ordinary Pastors and Teachers are under the Gospel being only to Gather and Govern the Churches their work lay in Explaining and Applying the Word of God and delivering his Sacraments and now containeth thâ—se particulars following 1. To Preach the Gospel for the Conversion Rom. 10. 7 14. Mar. 16. 15. of the unbelieving and ungodly world And that is done partly by expounding the words by a Translation into a tongue which the hearers or readers understand and partly by opening the sense Matth. 28. 19 20. and matter 2. In this they are not only Teachers but Messengers sent from God the Father Son and Holy Ghost to charge and command and intreat men in his Nâ—me to Repent and believe and be reconciled 2 Cor. 5. 19 20 21. to God and in his Name to offer them a sâ—alâ—d pardon of all their sins and title to eternal life 3. Those that become the Disciples of Christ they are as his Stewards to receive into his Acts 26 17 18. Eph. 2. 19. house as fellow Citizens of the Saints and of the Houshold of God and as his Commissioned Officers Acts 2. 37 38 39 40. to solemnize by Baptism their enterance into the holy Covenant and to receive their engagement to God and to be the Messengers of Gods Engagement unto them and by Investiture to deliver them by that Sacrament the pardon of all their sin and their title by Adoption to â—ternal life As a house is delivered by the delivery of a Key or Land by a Twig and Turfe or Knighthood by a Sword or Garter c. 4. These Ministers are to gather these Converts into solemn Assemblies and ordered Churches Tit. 1. 7. 1 â—or 4. 1 2. Matth 28. 19 20. for their solemn worshipping of God and mutual edification communion and safe proceeding in their Christian course 5. They are to be the stated Teachers of the Assemblies by expounding and applying that Word which is fit to build them up 6. They are to be the Guides of the Congregation Acts 20. 32. 1 Cor. 3. 11 12. in publick Worship and to stand between them and Christ in things pertaining to God as subservient to Christ in his Priestly Office And so both for the people and also in their names to put Acts 14. 23. 2 Tim 2. 2. Acts 13. 2. 2. 41 42. 6. 2 Acts 20. 7 28. 1 Tim. 5. 17. Titus 1. 5. Acts 20 20 31. â—ol 1. 28. Eph 4 11 12. Mal. 2. 7. 1 Tim. 5. 17. up the publick Prayers and Praises of the Church to God 7. It is their duty to Administer to them as in the Name and stead of Christ his Body and Blood as broken and shed for them and so in the frequent renewals of the holy Covenants to subserve Christ especially in his Priestly Office to offer and deliver Christ and his benefits to them and to be their Agent in offering themselves to God 8. They are appointed to Oversâ—e and Govern the Church in the publick Ordering of the solemn Worship of God and in râ—buking any that are there disorderly and seeing that all things be done to edification 9. They are appointed as Teachers for every particular Member of the Church to have private
sight the same industry that is necessary to a thorough acquaintance with other History is necessary to the same acquaintance with this 4. That the common beginning of receiving all such historical truths is first by Believing our Teachers so far as becometh Learners and in the mean time going on to Learn till we come to know as much as they and upon the same historical Evidence as they 5. That if any man be here necessitated to take more than others upon the trust or belief of their Teachers it is long of their Ignorance and therefore if such cry out against their taking things on trust it is like a mad mans raving against them that would order him or as if one should reproach a Nurse for feeding Infants and not letting them feed themselves Oportet discentem credere He that will not believe his Teacher will never learn If a Child will not believe his Master that tells him which are the Letters the Vowels and Consonants and what is their power and what they spell and what every word signifieth in the Language which he is teaching him will he be ever the better for his teaching 6. That he that knoweth these historical matters no otherwise than by the belief of his particular Teacher may nevertheless have a Divine and saving faith For though he believe by a humane faith that these things were done that this is the same Book c. yet he believeth the Gospel it self thus brought to his knowledge because God is true that hath attested it Even as it was a saving faith in Mary and Martha that knew by their eyes and ears and not only by Belief that Lazarus was raised and that Christ preached thus and thus to them but believed his Doctrine to be true because of Gods Veracity who attested it 7. That it is the great wisdom and mercy of God to his weak and ignorant people to provide them Teachers to acquaint them with these things and to â—ou chsafe them such a help to their salvation as to make it a standing Office in his Church to the end of the world that the Infants and ignorant might not be cast off but have Fathers and Nurses and Teachers to take care of them 8. But specially mark that yet these Infants have much disadvantage in comparison of others that know all these matters of fact by the same convincing evidence as their Teachers And that he that followeth on to learn it as he ought may come to prove these subservient matters of fact by such a concurrence of evidences as amounteth to an infalibility or moral certainty beyond meer humane faith as such As e. g. an illiterate person that hath it but from others may be certain that it is indeed a Bible which is ordinarily read and preached to him and that it is so truly translated as to be a sufficient Rule of faith and life having no mistake which must hazard a mans salvation Because the Bible in the Original tongues is so commonly to be had and so many among us understand it and there is among them so great a contrariety of judgements and interests that it is not possible but many would detect such a publick lye if any should deal falsly in so weighty and evident a case There is a Moral certainty equal to a Natural that some actions will not be done by whole Countreys which every individual person hath power and natural liberty to do As e. g. there is no man in the Kingdom but may possibly kill himself or may fast to morrow or may lye in bed many dayes together And yet it is certain that all the people in England will do none of these So it is possible that any single person may lye even in a palpable publick case as to pretend that this is a Bible when it is some other Book or that this is the same Book that was received from the Apostles by the Churches of that age when it is not it c. But for all the Countrey and all the world that are competent witnesses to agree to do this is a meer impossibility I mean such a thing as cannot be done without a Miracle yea an universal Miracle And more than so it is impossible that God should do a Miracle to accomplish such an universal wickedness and deceit whereas it is possible that natural causes by a Miracle may be turned out of course where there is nothing in the nature of God against it as that the Son should stand still c. We have a certainty that there was a Iulius Caesar a William the Conquerour an Aristotle a Cicero an Augustine a Chrysostome and that the Laws and Statures of the Land were really enacted by the Kings and Parliaments whose names they bear because the Natural and Civil interestâ— of so many thousands that are able to detect it could never be reconciled here to a deceit When Judges and Counsellors Kings and Nobles and Plaintiffs and Defendants utter enemies are all agreed in it it is more certain to a single person than if he had seen the passing of them with his eyes So in our case when an Office was stablished in the Church to read and preach this Gospel in the Assemblies and when all the Congregations took it as the Charter of their salvation and the Rule of their faith and life and when these Pastors and Churches were dispersed over all the Christian world who thus worshipped God from day to day and all Sects and enemies were ready to have detected a falsification or deceit it is here as impossible for such a Kind of History or Tradition or testimony to be false in such material points of fact as for one mans senses to deceive him and much more § 29. Thus I have at once shewed you the true order of the Preaching and proofs and receiving of the several matters of Religion and how and into what our Faith must be resolved and how far your Teachers are to be Believed And here you must specially observe two things 1. That there can be no danger in this Resolution of faith of derogating either from the work of the Holy Ghost or the Scriptures self-evidence or any other cause what ever Because we ascribe nothing to History or Tradition which was ascribed to any of these causes by the first Christians but only put our Reception by Tradition instead of their Reception immediately by sense Our receiving by infallible history is but in the place of their receiving by sight and not in the place of the self-evidence of Scripture or any testimony or teaching of the Spirit The method is exactly laid down Heb. 2. 3 4. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by them that heard him God also â—earing them witness both with signs and wonders and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will
nothing home at last but repentance and shame Truth which is the means of the good of souls must not be betrayed as for the good of souls § 37. Direct 26. Doubt not of well proved Truths for every difficulty that appeareth against them Direct 26. There is scarce any truth in the World so plain but in your own thoughts or in the câ—vâ—ls of a wrangling wit there may such difficulties be raised as as you can hardly answer And there is scarce any thing so evident that some will not dispute against You see that even the learnedst Jesuits and all the Clergy of the Roman Kingdom will not stick to dispute all the World if they could out of the belief of all their senses while they maintain that Bread is not Bread and wine is not wine And yet how many Princes Lords and Rulers follow them and many millions of the people because they be not able to confute them If they had said that a man is no man but a warm Psal. 22. 6. they might in reason have expected as much belief § 38. Direct 27. Abuse not your own knowledge by subjecting it to your carnal interest or sensuality Direct 27. He that will sin against his Conscience and will not obey the Knowledge which he hath doth Maâ—â—5 29. Rom. 14. 22. deserve to be given over to blindness and deceit and to lose even that which he hath and to be forsaken till he believe and defend a lye that all they might be damned who obeyed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes. 2. 10 11 12. God will not hold him guiltless who debaseth his sacred truth so far as to make it stoop to his commodity and â—ust where he is a Teacher he will be a King and sendeth his Truth as the instrument of his Government and not as a slave or pandor to the flesh He that will do Gods will shall know it Joh. 7. 17. But the carnal mind that cannot be subject to Gods Law is unfit to receive it because it is spiritually discerned Rom. 8. 7. 1 Cor. 2. 14. CHAP. VIII Directions for the Union and Communion of Saints and the avoiding unpeaceableness and Schism THE PEACE and CONCORD of Believers is a thing that almost all those plead Of this subjâ—ct I have written already 1. My Univâ—â—sal Concord 2. My Catholiâ—k Unity 3. Of the True Catholick Châ—râ—h 4. My Châ—istiaâ— Coâ—â—ord for who call themselves Believers and yet a thing that almost all men hinder and resist while they commend it The Discord and DIVISIONS of believers are as commonly spoken against and by the same men as commonly fomented The few that are sincere both Rulers and private men desire Concord and hate Divisions in Love to Holiness which is promoted by it and in Love to the Church and good of souls and the honour of Religion and the Glâ—ry of God And the few of those few that are experienced wise judicious persons do choose the means that is fittest to attain these ends and do prudently and constantly prosecute them accordingly But these being in the World as a spoonful of fresh water cast into the Sea or a spoonful of water cast into the flames of a house on fire no wonder if the brinish Sea be not sweetened by them nor the consuming raging fire quenched by them The other Rulers of the world and of the Churches are for Concord and against Division because this tendeth to the quieting of the people under them Read over Sr. Fr. Bacoâ—s third Essaâ— and Hales of Schism and the making of men submissive and obedient to their wills and so to confirm their dignities dominions and interests And all men that are not Hâ—ly being predominantly SELFISH they would all be themselves the Center of that Union and bond of that concord which they desire And they would have it accomplished upon such terms â—â—d by such means as are most agreeable to their principles and Ends In which there are almost a many minds as Men so that among all the Commenders of UNITY and concord there are none that take the way to attain it but those that would center it all in GOD and seek it upon his terms and in his way The rest are all tearing Unity and Peace in pieces while they commend it and they fight against it while they seek it every man seeking it for Himself and upon his own terms and in his own way which are so various and inconsistent that East and West may sooner meet than they § 2. Yet must the sons of God be still the sons of Peace and continue their prayers and endeavours for UNITY how small soever be the hopes of their success If it be possible as much as in us lyeth Rom. 12 18. we must live peaceably with all men So far must they be from being guilty of any Schismes or unlawful Divisions of the Church that they must make it a great part of their care and work to preserve the Unity and peace of Christians In this therefore I shall next Direct them § 3. Direct 1. Understand first wherein the Unity of Christians and Churches doth consist Or else Direct 1. you will neither know how to preserve it nor when you violate it Christians are said to be United In vâ—ste Christi varietas siâ— sâ—issura non sit They be two things Unity and Uniformity â— Bacoâ— Essay 3. to Christ when they are entered into Covenant with him and are become his Disciples his Subjects and the members of his Political Body They are united to one another when they are united to Christ their common head and when they have that spirit that faith that Love which is communicated to every living member of the body This Union is not the making of many to be One Christian but of many Christians to be one Church which is considerable either as to its Internal Life or its external order and profession In the former respect the bonds of our Union are 1. The heart-Covenant or faith 2. And the spirit The Consent of Christ and of our selves concurring doth make the match or marriage between us and the spirit communicated from him to us is as the nerves or ligaments of the body or rather as the spirits which pass through all The Union of the Church considered Visibly in its outward Policy is either that of the whole Church or of the Particular Churches within themselves or of divers particular Churches accidentally united 1. The Union of the whâ—le is Essential integral or accidental The essential Union is that Relation of a Head and members which is between Christ and all the visible members of his Church The foundation of it is the mutual Covenant between Christ and them considered on their part as made Externally whether sincerely or not This is usually done in Baptism and is the chiefest act of their Profession of the faith Thus the Baptismal Covenant doth constitute us
and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell even together in unity It is like the pretious oyntment upon the head that ran down upon the heard even Aarons beard that went down to the skirts of his garment As the dew of Hermon and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion for there the Lord commanded the blessing even life for evermore The Translators well put this as the Contents of this Psalm The benefit of the communion of Saints § 53. 5. The concord of Believers doth greatly conduce to the successes of the Ministery and propagation of the Gospel and the conviction of unbelievers and the conversion and salvation of ungodly souls When Christ prayeth for the Unity of his Disciples he redoubleth this argument from the effect or end that the world may believe that thou hast sent me and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them c. Joh. 17. 21 23. Would this make the world believe that Christ was sent of God Yes undoubtedly if all Christians were reduced to a Holy Concord it would do more to win the Heathen world than all other means can do without it It is the Divisions and the wickedness of professed Christians that maketh Christianity so contemned by the Mahometanes and other Infidels of the world And it is the Holy Concord of Christians that would convince and draw them home to Christ. Love and Peace and concord are such vertues as all the world is forced to applaud notwithstanding natures enmity to good When the first Christian Church were all with one accord in one place and continued daily with one accord in the Temple and breaking bread from house to house partook of food with gladness and singleness of heart and when the multitude of believers were of one heart and of one soul c. Act. 2. 1 46. 4. 32. then did God send upon them Act. 2. 41. Act. 4. 33. the Holy Ghost and then were three thousand converted at a Sermon And with great power gave the Apostles witness of the Resurrection of the Lord Iesus and great grace was upon them all How our Concord would promote the Conversion of Infidels Our Concord in Religion hath all these advantages for the converting of unbelievers and ungodly men 1. It is a sign that there is a constraining evidence of truth in that Gospel which doth convince so many A concurrent satisfaction and yielding to the truth is a powerful testimony for it 2. They see then that Religion is not a matter of worldly Policy and design when so many men of contrary interests do embrace it 3. And they see it is not the fruit of a Melancholy constitutions when so many men of various temperatures entertain it 4. They may see that the Gospel hath Power to conquer that self-love and self interest which is the most potent thing in vitiated nature Otherwise it could never make so many unite in God as their common interest and end 5. They may see that the Gospel and spirit of Christ is stronger than the devil and all the allurements of the flesh and world when it can make so many agree in the renouncing of all earthly vanities for the hopes of everlasting life 6. They will see that the Design and doctrine of Christianity is Good and excellent beseeming God and desirable to man when they see that it doth produce so good effects as the Love and Unity and Concord of manking 7. And it is an exceeding great and powerful help to the Conversion of the World in this respect because it is a thing so conspicuous in their sight and so intelligible to them and so approved by them They are little wrought on by the doctrine of Christ alone because it is visible or audible but to few and understood by fewer and containeth many things which nature doth distaste But the holy Concord of Believers is a thing that they are more able to discern and judge of and do more generally approve The HOLY CONCORD of Christians must be the CONVERSION of the unbelieving world if God have so great a mercy for the world which is a consideration that should not only deter us from ☜ Divisions but make us zealously study and labour with all our interest and might for the healing of the lamentable Divisions among Christians if we have the hearts of Christians and any sense of the interest of Christ. § 54. 6. The Concord of Christians doth greatly conduce to the ease and peace of particular Believers The very exercise of Love to one another doth sweeten all our lives and duties We sail towards Heaven in a pleasant Calm with wind and tide when we live in Love and peace together How easie doth it make the work of Godliness How light a burden doth Religion seem when we are all as of one heart and soul § 55. 7. Lastly Consider whether this be not the likest state to Heaven and therefore have not in it the most of Christian excellency and perfection In Heaven there is no discord but a perfect consort of glorified spirits harmoniously loving and praising their Creator And if Heaven be desirable holy Concord on earth is next desirable § 56. III. On the contrary consider well of the Mischiefs of Divisions 1. It is the killing of The Mischiefs of Division the Church as much as lyeth in the dividers or the wounding it at least Christs Body is One and it is sensible and therefore Dividing it tendeth directly to the destroying it and at least will cause its smart and pain To Reform the Church by Dividing it is no wiser than to cut out the Liver or Spleen or Gall to cleanse them from the filth that doth obstruct them and hinder them in their office you may indeed thus cleanse them but it will be a mortal cure As he that should Divide the Kingdom into two Kingdoms dissolveth the old Kingdom or part of it at least to erect two new ones so he that would divide the Catholick Church into two must thereby destroy it if he could succeed or destroy that part which divideth it self from the rest Can a member live that is cut off from the Body or a branch that is separated from the tree § 57. Quest. O but say the Romanists why then do you cut off your selves from us The Division Quest. is made by you and we are the Church and you are dead till you return to us How will you know which part is the Church when a Division is once made Answ. Are you the Church Are you the Answ. Whether Papists or Protestants are Schismaticks only Christians in the World The Church is all Christians united in Christ their Head You traiterously set up a new usurping Head and proclaim your selves to be the whole Church and condemn all that are not subjects to your new Head We keep our station and disclaim his Usurpation and deny subjection to
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
was not And so I answer 1. He that seemed Ordained and indeed was not is not Re-ordained when he is after Ordained 2. It is needful therefore to know the Essentials of Ordination from the Integrals and Accidentals 3. He that was truly Ordained before may in some cases receive again the Repetition of the bare words and outward Ceremonies of Ordination as Imposition of hands Where I will 1. Tell you in what Cases 2. Why. 1. In case there wanted sufficient witnesses of his Ordination and so the Church hath not sufficient means of notice or satisfaction that ever he was ordained indeed Or if the witnesses die before the notification Whether the Church should take his word or not in such a case is none of my question but Whether he should submit to the Repetition if they will not 2. Especially in a time and place which I have known when written and sealed Orders are often counterfeited and so the Church called to extraordinary care 3. Or if the Church or Magistrate be guilty of some causeless culpable incredulity and will not believe it was done till they see it done again 4. Or in case that some real or supposed Integral though not essential part was omitted or is by the Church or Magistrate supposed to be omitted And they will not permit or receive the Minister to exercise his office unless he repeat the whole Action again and make up that defect 5. Or if the person himself do think that his ordination was insufficient and cannot exercise his Ministry to the satisfaction of his own Conscience till the defect be repaired 1. In these cases and perhaps such others the outward Action may be repeated 2. The Reasons are 1. Because this is not a being twice ordained For the word Ordination signifieth a Moral action and not a Physical only As the word Marriage doth c. And it essentially includeth the new Dedication and Designation to the Sacred office by a kind of Covenant between the Dedicated person and Christ to whom he is consecrated and devoted And the external words are but a part and a part only as significant of the action of the mind Now the oft expressing of the same mental dedication doth not make it to be as many distinct dedications For 1. If the Liturgy or the persons words were tautological or at the Ordination should say the same thing often over and over or for confirmation should say often that which else might be said but once this doth not make it an often or multiplyed Ordination It was but one Love which Peter expressed when Christ made him say thrice that he Loved him nor was it a threefold Ordination which Christ used when he said thrice to him Feed my Lambs and Sheep 2. And if thrice saying it that hour make it not three Ordinations neither will thrice saying it at more hours dayes or months or years distance in some Cases For the Time maketh not the Ordinations to be many It is but one Moral Action But the common errour ariseth from the custom of calling the outward action alone by the name of the whole moral Action which is ordinarily done to the like deceit in the case of the Baptismal Covenant and the Lords Supper 3. The common judgement and custome of the World confirmeth what I say If persons that are marryed should for want of witness or due solemnity be forced to say and do the outward action all over again it is by no wise man taken in the proper moral full sense for a second Marriage but for one marriage twice uttered And if you should in witness bearing be put to your Oath and the Magistrate that was absent should say Reach him the Book again I did not hear him swear The doing it twice is not Morally two witnessings noâ— Oaths but one only twice Physically uttered If you Bind your Son Apprentice or if you make any Indentures or Contract and the Writings being lost or faulty you write and sign and seal them all again this is not morally another Contract but the same done better or again recorded And so it is plainly in this case 4. But Re-ordination morally and properly so called is unlawful For 1. It is or implyeth a lyâ— viz. that we were not truly Dedicated and Separated to this office before 2. It is a Sacrilegious renunciation of our former dedication to God whereas the Ministerial dedication and Covenant is for Life and not for a tryal which is the meaning of the Indelible Character which is a perpetual Relation and obligation 3. It is a taking the Name of God in vain thus to do and undoe and do again and to promise and renounce and promise again and to pretend to receive a power which we had before 4. It tendeth to great confusions in the Church As to make the people doubt of their Baptism or all the Ministerial Administrations of such as are re-ordained while they acted by the first Ordination 5. It hath ever been condemned in the Churches of Christ as the Canons called the Apostles and the Churches constant practice testifie 5. Though the bare Repetition of the outward Action and words be not Re-ordination yet he that on any of the forementioned occasions is put to repeat the said words and actions is obliged so to do it as that it may not seem to be a Re-ordination and so be a scandal to the Church Or if it outwardly seem so by the action he is bound to declare that it is no such thing for the counterpoising that appearance of evil 6. When the Ordainers or the common estimation of the Church do take the Repetition of the words and Action for a Re-ordination though the Receiver so intend it not yet it may become unlawful to him by this accident because he scandalizeth and hardeneth the erroneous by doing or receiving that which is Interpretative Re-ordination 7. Especially when the Ordainers shall require this Repetition on notoriously wicked grounds and so put that sense on the action by their own doctrines and demands As for instance 1. If Hereticks should as the Arrians say that we are no Ministers because we are not of their Heresie or Ordained by such as they 2. If the Pope or any proud Papal Usurpers shall say You are no Ministers of Christ except we ordain you And so do it to establish a trayterous usurped Regiment in the Church It is not lawful to serve such an usurpation As if Cardinals or Arch-bishops should say none are true Ministers but those that we Ordain Or Councils or Synods of Bishops or Presbyters should say None are true Ministers but those that we Ordain Or if one Presbyter or one Bishop without Authority would thus make himself master of the rest or of other Churches and say You are no Ministers unless I Ordain you we may not promote such Tyranny and Usurpation 3. If Magistrates would usurp the power of the Keys in Ecclesiastical Ordination and say that
it unlawful to make so promiscuous an Adoption of children or of choosing another to be a Covenanter for the child instead of the Parent to whom it belongeth or to commit their children to anothers either propriety or education or formal promise of that which belongeth to education when they never mean to perform it nor can do 2. Because they take it for an Adding to the Ordinance of God a thing which Scripture never mentioneth To which I answer 1. I grant it unlawful to suppose another to be the Parent or proprietor that is not Or to suppose him to have that power and interest in your child which he hath not Oâ— to desire him to undertake what he cannot perform and which neither he nor you intend he shall perform I grant that you are not bound to alienate the propriety of your children nor to take in another to be joint-proprietors nor to put out your children to the God-fathers education So that if you will misunderstand the Use of Sponsors then indeed you will make them unlawful to be so used But if you take them but as the antient Churches did for such as do attest the Parents fidelity in their perswasion and do promise first to mind you of your duty and next to take care of the childrens pious education if you dye I know no reason you have to scruple this much Yea more it is in your own power to agree with the God-fathers that they shall represent your own persons and speak and promise what they do as your deputies only in your names And what have you against this Suppose you were sick lame imprisoned or banished would you not have your child baptized And how should that be done but by your deputing another to represent you in entring him into Covenant with God Object But when the Church-men mean another thing this is but to juggle with the world Answ. How can you prove that the authority that made or imposed the Liturgie meant any other thing And other individuals are not the Masters of your sense 2. Yea and if the Imposers had meant ill in a thing that may be done well you may discharge your conscience by doing it well and making a sufficient profession of your better sense 2. And then it will be no sinful addition to Gods Ordinance to determine of a lawful circumstance which he hath left to humane prudence As to choose a meet Deputy Witness or Sponsor who promiseth nothing but what is meet Quest. 40. On whose account or right is it that the Infant hath title to Baptism and its benefits Is it on the Parents Ancestors Sponsors the Churches the Ministers the Magistrates or his own Answ. THe titles are very various that are pretended Let us examine them all I. I cannot think that a Magistrates Command to baptize an Infant giveth him right 1. Because there is no proof of the validity of such a title 2. Because the Magistrate can command no such thing if it be against Gods Word as this is which would level the case of the seed of Heathens and believers And I know but few of that opinion II. I do not think that the Minister as such giveth title to the Infant For 1. He is no proprietor 2. He can shew no such power or grant from God 3. He must baptize none but those that antecedently have right 4. Else he also might levell all and take in Heathens children with believers 5. Nor is this pretended to by many that I know of III. I cannot think that it is a particular Church that must give this Right or perform the condition of it For 1. Baptism as is aforesaid as such doth only make a Christian and a member of the Universal Church and not of any particular Church And 2. The Church is not the proprietor of the child 3. No Scripture Commission can be shewed for such a power Where hath God said All that any particular Church will receive shall have right to baptism 4. By what act must the Church give this right If by baptizing him the question is of his antecedent right If by willing that he be baptized 1. If they will that one be baptized that hath no right to it their will is sinful and therefore unfit to give him right 2. And the baptizing Minister hath more power than a thousand or ten thousand private men to judge who is to be baptized 5. Else a Church might save all Heathens children that they can but baptize and so levell Infidels and Christians seed 6. It is not the Church in general but some one person that must educate the child Therefore the Church cannot so much as promise for its education The Church hath nothing to do with those that are without but only with her own And Heathens children are not her own nor exposed to her occupation IV. I believe not that it is the Universal Church that giveth the Infant title to baptism For 1. He that giveth title to the Covenant and baptism doth it as a performer of the Moral Condition of that title But God hath no where made the Churches faith to be the condition of baptism or salvation either â—o Infidels or their seed 2. Because the Universal Church is a body that cannot be consulted with to give their Vote and Consent Nor have they any Deputies to do it by For there is no Universal Visible Governour And if you will pretend every Priest to be commissioned to act and judge in the name of the Universal Church you will want proof and that 's before confuted 3. If all have right that the Universal Church offereth up to God or any Minister or Bishop be counted its Deputy or Agent to that end it is in the power of that Minister as is said to levell all and to baptize and save all which is contrary to the Word of God V. I believe that God-fathers as such being no Adopters or Proprietors are not the performers of the condition of salvation for the Infant nor give him right to be baptized 1. Because he is not their Own and therefore their will or act cannot go for his Because there is no Word of God for it that all shall be baptized or saved that any Christians will be Sponsors for Gods Church blessings be not tyed â—o such inventions that were not in being when Gods Laws were made Where â—here is no promise or word there is no faith 3. No Sponsors are so much as lawful as is shewed before who are not Owners or their Deputies or meer secondary subservient parties who suppose the principal Covenanting party 4. And as to the Infants salvation the Sponsors may too oft be ignorant Infidels and Hypocrites themselves that have no true faith for themselves and therefore not enough to save another 5. And it were strange if God should make no promise to a wicked Parent for his own child and yet should promise to save by baptism all that some wicked
honour the memory of Learned Great and Virtuous persons Saints and Ut Bezae Iconâ—â— Viror illustrium Martyrs by keeping their Images and by the beholding of them to be remembred of our duty and excited to imitation of them 11. It is lawful to use Hieroglyphicks or Images expressing Virtues and Vices As men commonly make Images to decipher Prudence Temperance Charity Fortitude Justice c. and Envy Sloth Pride Lust c. As they do of the five senses and the four seasons of the year and the several parts of mans age and the several ranks and qualities of persons c. 12. Thus it is lawful to represent the Devil and Idols when it tendeth but to make them odious For as we must not take their names into our mouths Psal. 16. 4. Exod. 23. 13. Ephes. 5 3. that is when it tendeth to honour them or tempt men to it and yet may name them as Elias did in scorn or as the Prophets did by reproof of sin so is it also in making representations of them Even as a Drunkard may be painted in his filth and folly to bring shame and odium on the sin 13. It is lawful to use Hieroglyphicks instead of Letters in teaching Children or in Letters to friends or to make Images to stand as characters in stead of Words and so to use them even about sacred things 14. As it is lawful to use arbitrary Professing signes even about Holy things which signifie no more than words and have by nature or custome an aptitude to such a use while it is extended no farther than to open our own minds so it may be lawful to use such a characteristical or hieroglyphical image to that end when it hath the same aptitude but not otherwise As a circular figure or ring being a hieroglyphick of perpetuity and so of constancy is used as a significant profession of constancy in Marriage And so the receiving of each others picture might be used And so in Covenanting or taking an Oath the professing sign is left to the custome of the Countrey whether we signifie our consent by gesture words action writing And as it is lawful to make an Image on a seal which hath a sacred signification as a flaming heart on an Altar a Bible a Praying Saint c. as well as to write a Religious Motto on a seal so is it lawful to put this seal to a subscribed Covenant with Neh. 9. 38. Esth. 8. 8. God and his Church or our King and Countrey when we have a Lawful call to seal such a Covenant But if Law or Custome would make such a seal to be the common publick badge or symbol of the Christian Religion I think it would become unlawful As the Crucifix for ought I know might thus have been arbitrarily used as a seal or as a transient arbitrary Professing sign as the Cross was by the ancients at the beginning If any man had scorned me for believing in a Crucified Christ I know not but I might have made a Crucifix by art act or gesture to tell him that I am not ashamed of Christ as well as I may tell him so by word of mouth But if mens institution or custome shall make this a symbol or badge of a Christian and twist it in Baptism or adjoyn it as a Dedicating Sign and as the Common professing Symbol that every baptized person must use to signifie and declare that he is not ashamed of Christ crucified but believeth in him and will manfully fight under his banner against the flesh the world and the Devil to the death Though he call it but a Professing Sign and say He doth but signifie his own mind and not Gods act and grace I should wish him to distinguish between a private or arbitrary act of Profession and a common publick badge and professing Symbol of our Religion And tell him that I think the instituting of the latter belongs to God alone And that he hath made two Sacraments to that end which Sacraments are essentially such symbols and badges of our Profession and are dedicating signs on the receivers part And that Christ crucified is the chief Grace or Mercy given to the Church and his Sacrifice is his own act And therefore objectively the Grace and Act of God also is here signified And therefore on two accounts set together I fear this use of the Câ—ucifix is a sin 1. As it is an Image though it should be transient used as a medium in Gods Worship and so forbidden in the second Commandment For it is not a meer circumstance of Worship but an outward act of Worship 2. Because it is a new humane Sacrament or hath too much of the Essence of a Sacrament and so is an usurpation of his Prerogative that made the Sacraments For as I said It belongeth to the King to make the common badge or symbol of his own subjects or any Order honoured by him And the General giveth out his own Colours And though one may arbitrarily wear another Colour yet if any shall give out common Colours to his Army Regiment or Troop beside his own to be the symbol or badge of his Souldiers I think he would take it for too much boldness Yet if only an inferiour Captain gave but subordinate Colours not to notifie a Souldier of the Army as such but to distinguish his Troop from the rest it were not so much as the other So if a Bishop or Ruler did but make such a symbol by which the Christians of his charge might be discerned from all others and not as a badge of Christianity it self though I know no reason for such distinction and it may be faulty otherwise yet would it not be this usurping of Sacramental Institution which now I speak of All Professing signs are not symbols of Christianity Christ hath done his own work well already His Colours Sacraments or Symbols are sufficient we need not devise more and accuse his institutions of insufficiency nor make more work for our selves in Religion when we leave undone so much that he hath made us 15. All abuse of Images will not warrant us to separate from the Church which abuseth them nor is all such abuse Idolatry If the Church or our Rulers will against our will place Images inconveniently in Churches we may lawfully be there so that they be not Symbols of Idol Worship or of a Religion or Worship so sinful in the substance as that God will not accept it and so be it we make no sinful use of those inconvenient Images our selves Though meer Temptation and Scandal make them sinful in those that so abuse them and set them up yet he that is not the author of that Temptation or Scandal may not forsake Gods Worship because that such things are present nor is not to be interpreted a Consenter to them while he cometh only about lawful Worship and perhaps hath fit opportunity at other times to profess his dissent 16. It
absolutely subjected to God will obey none against him whatever it cost them as Dan. 3. 6. Heb. 11. Luk. 14. 26 33. Matth. 5. 10 11 12. therefore it hath proved the occasion of bloody persecutions in the Churches by which professed Christians draw the guilt of Christian blood upon themselves 12. And hereby it hath dolefully hindered the Gospel while the persecutors have silenced many worthy Conscionable Preachers of it 13. And by this it hath quenched Charity in the hearts of both sides and taught the sufferers and the afflicters to be equally bitter in censuring if not Rom. 14 15. detesting one another 14. And the Infidels seeing these dissensions and bitter passions among Christians deride and scorn and hate them all 15. Yea such causes as these in the Latine and Greek Churches have engaged not only Emperours and Princes against their own subjects so that Chronicles and Books of Martyrs perpetuate their dishonour as Pilate's name is in the Creed but also have set them in bloody Wars among themselves These have been the fruits and this is the tendency of usurping Christs prerogative over his Religion and Worship in his Church And the greatness of the sin appeareth in these aggravations 1. It is a mark of pitiful Ignorance and Pride when dust shall thus like Nebuchadnezzar exalt it self against God to its certain infamy and abasement 2. It sheweth that men little know themselves that think themselves fit to be the makers of a Religion for so many others And that they have base thoughts of all other men while they think them unfit to Worship God any other way than that of their making And think that they will all so far deny God as to take up a Religion that 's made by man 3. It shews that they are much void of Love to others that can thus use them on so small occasion 4. And it sheweth how little true sense or reverence of Christian Religion they have themselves who can thus debase it and equal their own inventions with it 5. And it leaveth men utterly unexcusable that will not take warning by so many hundred years experiences of most of the Churches through the World Even when we see the yet continued divisions of the Eastern and Western Churches and all about a humane Religion in the parts most contended about When they read of the Rivers of Blood that have been shed in Piedmont France Germany Belgia Poland Ireland and the flames in England and many other Nations and all for the humane parts of mens Religion He that will yet go on and take no warning may go read the 18th and 19th of the Revelation and see what Joy will be in Heaven and Earth when God shall do Justice upon such But remember that I speak all this of no other than those expresly here described Quest. 135. What are the mischiefs of mens error on the other extream who pretend that Scripture is a Rule where it is not and deny the foresaid lawful things on pretence that Scripture is a perfect Rule say some for all things Answ. 1. THey fill their own minds with a multitude of causeless scruples which on their principles can never be resolved and so will give themselves no rest 2. They make themselves a Religion of their own and superstition is their daily devotion which being erroneous will not hang together but is full of contradictions in it self and which being humane and bad can never give true stability to the soul. 3. Hereby they spend their dayes much in melancholy troubles and unsetled distracting doubts and fears instead of the Joyes of solid faith and hope and love 4. And if they escape this their Religion is contentious wrangling censorious and factious and their zeal flyeth out against those that differ from their peculiar superstitions and conceits 5. And hereupon they are usually mutable and unfetled in their Religion This year for one and the next for another because there is no Certainty in their own inventions and conceits 6. And hereupon they still fall into manifold parties because each man maketh a Religion to himself by his mis-interpretation of Gods Word So that there is no end of their divisions 7. And they do a great deal of hurt in the Church by putting the same distracting and dividing conceits into the heads of others And young Christians and Women and ignorant well meaning people that are not able to know who is in the right do often turn to that party which they think most strict and godly though it be such as our Quakers And the very good conceit of the people whom they take it from doth settle so strong a prejudice in their mind as no argument or evidence scarcely can work out And so Education Converse and humane estimation breedeth a succession of dividers and troublers of the Churches 8. They sin against God by calling good evil and light darkness and honouring superstition which is the work of Satan with holy names Isa. 5. 20 21. 9. They sin by adding to the Word of God while they say of abundance of Lawful things This is unlawful and that is against the Word of God and pretend that their Touch not taste not handle Col. 2. 22 23. not is in the Scriptures For while they make it a Rule for every Circumstance in particular they must squeeze and force and wrest it to find out all those Circumstances in it which were never there and so by false expositions make the Scriptures another thing 10. And how great a sin is it to Father Satans works on God and to say that all these and these things are forbidden or commanded in the Scripture and so to belye the Lord and the Word of Truth 11. It engageth all Subjects against their Rulers Laws and Government and involveth them in the sin of denying them just obedience while all the Statute Book must be found in the Scriptures or else condemned as unlawful 12. It maintaineth disobedience in Churches and causeth Schisms and Confusions unavoidably For they that will neither obey the Pastors nor joyn with the Churches till they can shew Scriptures particularly for every Translation Method Metre Tune and all that 's done must joyn with no Churches in the world 13. It bringeth Rebellion and Confusion into families while Children and Servants must learn no Catechism hear no Minister give no account observe no hours of prayer nay nor do no work but what there is a particular Scripture for 14. It sets men on Enthusiastical expectations and irrational scandalous worshipping of God while all men must avoid all those Methods Phrases Books Helps which are not expresly or particularly in Scripture and men must noâ— use their own Inventions or prudence in the right ordering of the works of Religion 15. It destroyeth Christian Love and Concord while men are taught to censure all others that use any thing in Gods Worship which is not particularly in Scripture and so to censure
those doctrines against which no Minister shall be allowed to preach and according to which he is to instruct the people 3. To be a testimony to all neighbour or forreign Churches in an heterodox contentious and suspicious age how we understand the Scriptures for the Confuting of scandals and unjust suspicions and the maintaining Communion in Faith and Charity and Doctrine Quest. 144. May not the Subscribing of the whole Scriptures serve turn for all the foresaid ends without Creeds Catechisms or Confessions Answ. BY Subscribing to the Scriptures you mean either Generally and Implicitly that All in them is True and Good though perhaps you know not what is in it Or else particularly and explicitly that every point in it is by you both understood and believed to be true In the first sense it is not sufficient to salvation For this Implicite faith hath really no act in it but a Belief that all that God faith is true which is only the formal object of faith and is no more than to believe that there is a God for a Lyar is not a God And this he may do who never believed in Christ or a word of Scripture as not taking it to be Gods Word yea that will not believe that God forbiddeth his beastly life Infidels ordinarily go thus far In the second sense of an explicite or particular Actual belief the belief of the whole Scriture is enough indeed and more than any man living can attain to No man understandeth all the Scripture Therefore that which no man hath is not to be exacted of all men or any man in order to Ministration or Communion While 1. No man can subscribe to any one Translation of the Bible that it is not faulty being the work of defectible man 2. And few have such acquaintance with the Hâ—brew and Chaldee and Greek as to be able to say that they understand the Original Languages perfectly 2. And no man that understands the words doth perfectly understand the matter It followeth that no man is to be forced or urged to subscribe to all things in the Scriptures as particularly understood by him with an Explicite faith And an Implicite is not half enough 2. The true Mean therefore is the antient way 1. To select the Essentials for all Christians to be believed particularly and explicitely 2. To Collect certain of the most needful Integrals which Teachers shall not preach against 3. And for all men moreover to profess in General that they implicitely believe all which they can discern to be the holy Canonical Scripture and that all is true which is the Word of God Forbearing each other even about the number of Canonical Books and Texts And it is the great wisdom and mercy of God which hath so ordered it that the Scripture shall 1 Cor. 8. 1 2. 13. 1 2 3 4. 1 Cor. 8. 3. Rom. 8. 28. have enough to exercise the strongest and yet that the weakest may be ignorant of the meaning of a thousand sentences without danger of damnation so they do but understand the Marrow or Essentials and labour faithfully to increase in the knowledge of the rest Quest. 145. May not a man be saved that believeth all the Essentials of Religion as Coming to him by Verbal Tradition and not as contained in the holy Scriptures which perhaps he never knew Answ. 1. HE that believeth shall be saved which way ever he cometh by his belief So be it it be sound as to the object and act that is If it contain all the Essentials and they be predominantly Believed Loved and practised 2. The Scriptures being the Records of Christs Doctrine delivered by Himself his Spirit and his Apostles it is the Office of Ministers and the duty of all Instructers to open these Scriptures to those they teach and to deliver particulars upon the authority of these Inspired sealed Records which contain them 3. They that thus receive particular truths from a Teacher explaining the Scripture to them do receive them in a subordination to the Scripture Materially and as to the Teachers part though not formally and as to their own part And though the Scripture authority being not understood by them be not the formal object of their faith but only Gods authority in general 4. They that are ignorant of the being of the Scripture have a great disadvantage to their faith 5. Yet we cannot say but it may be the case of thousands to be saved by the Gospel delivered by Tradition without resolving their faith into the authority of the Scriptures For 1. This was the case of all the Christians as to the New Testament who lived before it was written And there are several Articles of the Creed now necessary which the Old Testament doth not reveal Matth. 16. 16. Rom. 10. 9 10 13 14 15. 2. This may be the case of thousands in Ignorant Countreys where the Bible being rare is to most unknown 3. This may be the case of thousands of Children who are taught their Creed and Catechism before they understand what the Bible is 4. This may be the case of thousands among the Papists where some perverse Priests do keep not only the Reading but the Knowledge of the Scriptures from the people for fear lest they should be taught to resolve their faith into it and do teach them only the Articles of Faith and Catechism as known by the Churches tradition alone Quest. 146. Is the Scripture fit for all Christians to read being so obscure Answ. 1. THe Essentials and points necessary to salvation are plain 2. We are frequently and vehemently commanded to delight in it and meditate John 5. 39. Psalm 1. 2. Deut. 6. 11. Psal. 19. 7 8 9 10 11. 2 Tim. 3. 15. Psal. 119. 98 105. 133. 148. Acts 17. 11. Acts 8. in it day and night to search it to teach it our very children speaking of it at home and abroad lying down and rising up and to write it on the posts of our houses and on our doors c. 3. It is suited to the necessity and understanding of the meanest to give light to the simple and to make the very foolish wise 4. The antient Fathers and Christians were all of this mind 5. All the Christian Churches of the world have been used to Read it openly to all even to the simplest And if they may Hear it they may Read the same words which they hear 6. God blessed the ignorant Ethiopian Eunuch when he found him Reading the Scriptures though he knew not the sense of what he read and sent him Philip to instruct him and convert him 7. Timothy was educated in the knowledge of the Scriptures in his childhood 2 Tim. 3. 15. Rom. 15. 4. Mat. 12. 24. 8. That which is written to and for all men may be read by all that can But the Scripture was written to and for all c. Object But there are many things in it hard to be understood Answ.
preservation of the family in peace If children cry or fight or chide or make any fowle or troublesome work the mother will not therefore turn them out of doors or use them like strangers but remember that it is her place and duty to bear with that weakness which she cannot cure The proud impatience of the Pastors hath frequently brought them into the guilt of persecution to the alienating of the peoples hearts and the distraction and division of the Churches when poor distempered persons are offended with them and it may be revile them and call them seducers or antichristian or superstitious or what their pride and passion shall suggest or if some weak ones raise up some erroneous opinions alas many Pastors have no more wit or grace or pity than presently to be rough with them and revile them again and seek to right themselves by wayes of force and club down every errour and contention when they should overcome them by evidence of truth and by meekness patience and love Though there be place also for severity with turbulent implacable impenitent hereticks § 55. Direct 33. Time of learning and overcoming their mistakes must be allowed to those that are Direct 33. mis-informed We must not turn those of the lower forms out of Christs School because they learn not as much as those of the higher forms in a few weeks or years The Holy Ghost teacheth those who for the time might have been Teachers of others and yet had need to be taught the first Principles Heb. 5. 11 12. He doth not turn them out of the Church for their non-proficiency And where there is ignorance there will be errour § 56. Direct 34. Some inconveniences must be expected and tolerated and no perfect Order or Concord Direct 34. expected here on earth It is not good reasoning to say If we suffer these men they will cause this or that disorder or inconvenience But you must also consider whither you must drive it if you suffer them not and what will be the consequents He that will follow his Conscience to a prison will likely follow it to death And if nothing but death or prison or banishment can restrain them from what they take to be their duty it must be considered how many must be so used and whether if they were truly faulty they deserve so much and if they do yet whether the evils of the Toleration or of the Punishment are like to be the greater Peace and Concord will never be perfect till Knowledge and Holiness be perfect § 57. Direct 35. You may go further in restraining than in constraining in forbidding men to Direct 35. preach against approved doctrines or practices of the Church than in forcing them to preach for them or to subscribe or speak their approbation or assent If they be not points or practices of great necessity a man may be sit for the Ministry and Church-communion who meddleth not with them but Preacheth the wholsome truths of the Gospel and lets them alone And because no duty is at all times a duty a sober mans judgement will allow him to be silent at many an errour when he dare not subscribe to or approve the least But if here any proud and cruel Pastors shall come in with their lessâ—â— selfish incommodities and say If they do not approve of what we say and do they will secretly foment a faction against us I should answer them that as good men will foment no faction so if such Proud impatient turbulent men will endure none that subscribe not to all their opinions or differ from them in a circumstance or a Ceremony they shall raise a greater faction if they 'l call it so against themselves and make the people look on them as tyrants and not as Pastors and they shall see in the end when they have bought their wit by dear experience that they have but torn the Church in pieces by preventing divisions by carnal means and that they have lost themselves by being over zealous for themselves and that DOCTRINE and LOVE are the instruments of a wise Shepheard that loveth the flock and understands his work § 58. Direct 36. Distinguish between the making of new Laws or articles of belief and the punishing Direct 36. of men for the Laws already made And think not that we must have new Laws or Canons every time the old ones are broken or that any Law can be made which can keep it self from being broken Perversness in this errour hath brought the Church to the misery which it endureth God hath made an Universal Law sufficient for the Universal Church in matters of faith and holy practice leaving it to men to determine of necessary circumstances which were unfit for an universal Law And if the sufficiency of Gods Law were acknowledged in mens practices the Churches would have had more peace But when particular Countreys have their particular Volumes of Articles Consessions Liturgies and I know not what else to be subscribed to and none must Preach that will not say or write or swear that he believeth all this to be true and good and nothing in it to be against the Word of God this Engine wracks the limbs of the Churches all to pieces And then what 's the pretense for this epidemical calamity Why no better than this Every Heretick will subscribe to the Scriptures and take it in his own sense And what followeth Must we needs therefore have new Laws which Hereticks will not subscribe to or which they cannot break It is the Commendation of Gods Law as fit to be the means of Unity that all are so easily agreed to it in terms and therefore would agree in the sense if they understood it But they will not do so by the Laws of men All or many Hereticks in the primitive times would profess assent to the Churches Creed no doubt in a corrupt and private sense But the Churches did not therefore make new Creeds till above 300 years after Christ they began to put in some particular words to obviate Hereticks which Hilary complained of as the Cause of all their divisions And what if Hereticks will subscribe to all you bid them and take it in their own corrupted sense Must you therefore be still making new Laws and Articles till you meet with some which they cannot mis-understand or dare not thus abuse What if men will mis-interpret and break the Laws of the Land Must they be made new till none can mis-expound or violate them Sure there is a wiser way than this Gods word containeth in sufficient expressions all that is necessary to be subscribed to Require none therefore to subscribe to any more in matters of faith or holy practice But if you think any Articles need a special interpretation let the Church give her sense of those Articles and if any man Preach against that sense and corrupt the Word of God which he hath subscribed let his fault be
also are distinguishable by the effects which are such as these 1. Some Scandals do tempt men to actual infidelity and to deny or doubt of the truth of the Gospel 2. Some scandals would draw men but into some particular error and from some particular Truth while he holds the rest 3. Some scandals draw men to dislike and distaste the way of Godliness and some to dislike the servants of God 4. Some scandals tend to confound men and bring them to utter uncertainties in Religion 5. Some tend to terrifie men from the way of Godliness 6. Some only stop them for a time and discourage or hinder them in their way 7. Some tend to draw them to some particular sin 8. And some to draw them from some particular duty 9. And some tend to break and weaken their spirits by grief or perplexity of mind 10. And as the word is taken in the Old Testament the snares that malitious men lay to entrap others in their lives or liberties or estates or names are called scandals And all these wayes a man may sinfully scandalize another § 19. And that you may see that the scandal forbidden in the New Testament is alwayes of this nature let us take notice of the particular Texts where the word is used And first to scandalize is used actively in these following Texts In Matth. 5. before cited and in the other Evangelists citing the same words the sense is clear That the offending of a hand or eye is not displeasing nor seeking of ill report but hindering our salvation by drawing us to sin So in Matth. 18. 8. Mar. 9. 42 43. where the sense is the sâ—mâ— In Matth. 17. 27. Lest we should offend them c. is not only Lest we displease them but lest we give them occasion to dislike Religion or think hardly of the Gospel and so lay a stumbling bloâ—k to the danger of their souls So Matth. 18. 6. Mark 9. Who so shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me c. that is not who shall displease them but who so by threats persecutions cruelties or any other means shall go about to turn them from the faith of Christ or stop them in their way to Heaven or hinder them in a holy life Though these two Texts seem nearest to the denyed sense yet that is not indeed their meaning So in Joh. 6. 6. Doth this offend you that is Doth this seem incredible to you or hard to be believed or digested Doth it stop your faith and make you distaste my doctrine So 1 Cor. 8. 13. If meat scandalize my brother our Translators have turned it If meat make my brother to offend So it was not displeasing him only but tempting him to sin which is the scandalizing here reproved § 20. View also the places where the word Scandal is used Mat. 13. 41. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all scandals translated all things that offend doth not signifie all that is displeasing but all temptations to sin and hinderances or stumbling blocks that would have stopt men in the way to Heaven So in Matth. 16. 23. a Text as like as any to be near the denyed sense yet indeed Thou art a scandal to me translated an offence doth not only signifie Thou displeasest me but Thou goest about to hinder me in my undertaken Office from suffering for the redemption of the world It was an Aptitudinal scandal though not effectual So Matth. 18. 7. It must be that scandals come translated Offences that is that there be many stumbling blocks set before men in their way to Heaven So Luke 17. 1. to the same sense And Rom. 9. 33. I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of scandal translated of offence that is such as will not only be displeasing but an occasion of utter ruine to the unbelieving persecuting Jews according to that of Simeon Luke 2. 34. This child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel Rom. 11. 9. Let their table be made a snare a trap and a stumbling block The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not signifie a displeasure only but an occasion of ruine So Rom. 14. 13. expoundeth it self That no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his Brothers way The Greek word is or a scandal This is the just So Rev. 2. 14. Balaam did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lay a scandal or stumbling block before the Israelites that is a temptation to sin exposition of the word in its ordinary use in the New Testament So Rom. 16. 17. Mark them which cause divisions and scandals translated offences that is which lay stumbling blocks in the way of Christians and would trouble them in it or turn them from it So 1 Cor. 1. 23. To the Iews a stumbling block that is a scandal as the Greek word is as before expounded So Gal. 5. 11. The scandal of the Cross translated the offence doth signifie not the bare reproach but the reproach as it is the tryal and stumbling block of the world that maketh believing difficult So 1 John 2. 10. There is no scandal in him translated No occasion of stumbling These are all the places that I remember where the word is used § 21. The passive Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be scandalized is used often As Matth. 11. 6. Blessed is Luke 7. 23. he that is not scandalized translated offended in me that is who is not distasted with my person and doctrine through carnal prejudices and so kept in unbelief There were many things in the person life and doctrine of Christ which were unsuitable to carnal reason and expectation These men thought to be hard and strange and could not digest them and so were hindered by them from believing And this was being offended in Christ So in Matth. 13. 57. Mar. 6. 3. They were offended in or at him that is took a dislike or distaste to him for his words And Matth. 13. 21. Mark 6. 3. When persecution ariseth by and by they are offended that is they stumble and fall away And Mark 4. 17. Matth. 15. 12. The Pharisees were offended or scandalized that is so offended as to be more in dislike of Christ. And Matth. 24. 10. Then shall many be offended or scandalized that is shall draw back and fall away from Christ. And Mat. 26. 31 33. Mar. 14. 27 29. All ye shall be offended because of me c. Though all men shall be offended or scandalized yet will I never be scandalized that is brought to doubt of Christ or to forsake him or deny him or be hindered from owning their relation to him So John 16. 1. These things have I spoken that ye should not be offended that is that when the time cometh the unexpected trouble may not so surprize you as to turn you from the faith or stagger you in your obedience or hope Rom. 14. 21. doth exactly expound it It
tempted to Popery or Infidelity In some Countreys they learn to drink Wine instead of Beer and arising from the smaller sort to the stronger if they turn not drunkards they contract that appetite to Wine and strong drink which shall prove as Clemens Alexandrinus calleth gluttony and tipling a Throat-madness and a Belly-devil and keep them in the sin of gulosity all their dayes And in some Countreys they shall learn the art of Gluttony to pamper their guts in curious costly uncouth fashions and to dress themselves in novel fantastical garbs and to make a business of adorning themselves and setting themselves forth with proud and procacious fancies and affections to be lookt upon as comely persons to the eyes of others In some Countreys they shall learn to waste their precious hours in Stage-playes and vain spectacles and ceremonious attendances and visits and to equalize their life with death and to live to less use and benefit to the world than the Horse that carryeth them In most Countreys they shall learn either to prate against Godliness as the humour of a few melancholy fools and be wiser than to believe God or obey him or be saved or at least to grow indifferent and cold in holy affections and practices For when they shall see Papists and Protestants Lutherans and Calvinists of contrary minds and hear them reproaching and condemning one another this cooleth their zeal to all Religion as seeming but a matter of uncertainty and contention And when also they see how the wise and holy are made a scorn in one Countrey as Bigots and Hugonots and how the Protestants are drunkards and worldlings in another Countrey and how few in the world have any true sense and savour of sound and practical Religion and of a truly holy and heavenly life as those few they are seldome so happy as to converse with this first accustometh themselves to a neglect of holiness and then draweth their minds to a more low indifferent opinion of it and to think it unnecessary to salvation For they will not believe that so few shall be saved as they find to be holy in the world And then they grow to think it but a fancy and a troubler of the world And it addeth to their temptation that they are obliged by the carnal ends which drew them out Read Bishop Halls Quo Vadis on this subject to be in the worst and most dangerous company and places that is at Princes Courts and among the splendid gallantry of the world For it is the fashions of the Great ones which they must see and of which when they come home they must be able to discourse So that they must travel to the Pesthouses of pomp and lust of idleness gluâ—â—ony drunkenness and pride of Atheism irreligiousness and impiety that they may be able to glory what acquaintance they have got of the grandeur and gallantry of the Suburbs of Hell that they may represent the way to damnation delectable and honourable to others as well as to themselves But the greatest danger is of corrupting their Intellectuals by converse with deceivers where they come either Infidels or jugling Iesuits and Fryars For when these are purposely trained up to deceive how easie is it for them to silence raw unfurnished Novices yea even where all their five senses must be captivated in the doctrine of Transubstantiation And when they are silenced they must yield or at least they have deluding stories enough of the Antiquity Universality Infallibility Unity of their Church with a multitude of lyes of Luther Calvin Zuinglius and other Reformers to turn their hearts and make them yield But yet that they may be capable of doing them the more service they are instructed for a time to dissemble their perversion and to serve the Roman Pride and Faction in a Protestant garb and name Especially when they come to Rome and see its glory and the monuments of antiquity and are alluned with their splendour and civilities and made believe that all the reports of their Inquisitions and cruelties are false this furthereth the fascination of unexperienced youths 2. And usually all this while the most of them lay by all serious studies and all constant employment and make Idleness and Converse with the Idle or with Tempters to be their daily work And what a mind is like to come to which is but one half year or twelvemonth accustomed to idleness and vain spectacles and to a pleasing converse with idle and luxurious persons it is easie for a man of any acquaintance with the world or with humane nature to conjecture 3. And they go forth in notable peril of their health or lives Some fall into Feavors and dye by change of air and drinks Some fall into quarrels in Taverns or about their Whores and are murdered Some few prove so steadfast against all the temptations of the Papists that it is thought conducible to the holy cause that they should be killed in pretence of some quarrel or be poysoned Some by drinking Wine do contract such sickness as makes their lives uncomfortable to the last And the brains of many are so heated by it that they fall mad 4. And all this danger is principally founded in the quality of the persons sent to travel which Peregrinaâ—io â—evia taedâ—a quaedam animorum veâ—uâ—i nause as toâ—â—â—â—t Non tollâ—t mâ—rbos quâ— altiuâ— penetrarunt quam â—t externa ulla m dicina huc pâ—râ— ngâ—t Id. eb are ordinarily empty Lads between eighteen and twenty four years of age which is the time of the Devils chief advantage when naturally they are proâ—e to those Vices which prove the ruine of the most though you take the greatest care of them that you can 1. Their lust is then in the highest and most untamed rage 2. Their appetites to pleasing meats and drinks are then strongest 3. Their frolick inclinations to sports and recreations are then greatest 4. And ignorant and procacious Pride beginneth then to stir 5. All things that are most Vile and Vain are then apt to seem excellent to them by reason of the novelty of the matter as to them who never saw such things before and by reason of the false esteem of those carnal persons to whose pomp and consequently to whose judgement they would be conformed 6. And they are at that age exceedingly inclined to think all their own apprehensions to be right and to be very confident of their own conceptions and wise in their own eyes Because their juvenile intellect being then in the most affecting activity it seemeth still clear and sure to them because it so much affects themselves 7. But above all they are yet unfurnished of almost all that solid wisdome and setled holiness and large experience which is most necessary to their improvement of their travels and to their resistance of all these temptations Alas how few of them are able to deal with a Jesuite or hold fast their Religion against
nature of Carnal-selfishness and it is no better § 4. 3. SELFISHNESSE is the corruption of all the faculties of the soul. It is the sin of the mind by self-conceitedness and pride It is the sin of the will and affections by self-love and all the selfish passions which attend it Selfish desires angers sorrows discontents jealousies fears audacities c. It is the corruption of all the inferiour faculties and the whole conversation by self-seeking and all the forementioned evils § 5. 4. Selfishness is the commonest sin in the world Every man is now born with it and hath it more or less And therefore every man should fear it § 6. 5. Selfishness is the hardest sin in the world to overcome In all the unregenerate it is predominant For nothing but the sanctifying Spirit of God can overcome it And in many thousands that seem very zealous in Religion and very mortified in all other respects yet in some way or other selfishness doth so lamentably appear yea and is so strong in many that are sincere that it is the greatest dishonour to the Church of Christ and hath tempted many to infidelity or to doubt whether there be any such thing as true sanctification in the world The persons that seemed the most mortified Saints if you do but cross them in their self-interest or opinion or will or seem to slight them and have a low esteem of them what swellings what heart-burnings what bitter censurings what proud impatience if not Schisms and separations will it cause God hath better servants but too many which seem to themselves and others to be the best are no better How then should every Christian abhor and watch against this Universal Evil § 7. Direct 2. Consider oft how amiable a creature man would be and what a blessed condition the Direct 2. world and all societies would be in if selfishness were but overcome There would then â—e no pride no covetousness no sensuality no tyranny or oppressing of the poor no malice cruelty or persecution no Church-divisions no scandals nothing to dishonour Religion or to hinder the saving progress of the Gospel no fraud or treacheries no over-reaching or abusing others no lying noâ— deceit no neglect of our duty to others In a word no injustice or uncharitableness in the world § 8. Direct 3. Iudge of good and evil by sober Reason and not by bruitish sense And then oft Direct 3. consider whether really there be not a more excellent end than your self ish interest Even the publick good of many and the pleasing and glorifying of God And whether all mediate good or evil should not be judged of principally by those highest ends Sense leadeth men to selfishness and privateness of design But true Reason leadeth men to prefer the publick or any thing that is better than our self-interest § 9. Direct 4. Nothing but returning by converting Grace to the true Love of God and of Man for Direct 4. his sake will conquer selfishness Make out therefore by earnest prayer for the Spirit of Sanctification And be sure that you have a true apprehension of the state of Grace that is that it is indeed The Love of God and Man Love is the fulfilling of the Law Therefore Love is the Holiness of the soul Set your whole study upon the exercise and increase of Love and selfishness will dye as Love reviveth § 10. Direct 5. Study much the self-denying example and precepts of your Saviour His life and Direct 5. doctrine are the liveliest representation of self-denyal that ever was given to the World Learn Christ and you will learn self-denyal He had no sinful selfishness to mortifie yet natural-self was so wonderfully denyed by him for his Fathers Will and our Salvation that no other Book or Teacher in the world will teach us this lesson so perfectly as he Follow him from the Manger or rather from the Womb to the Cross and Grave Behold him in his poverty and contempt enduring the contradiction and ingratitude of sinners and making himself of no reputation Behold him apprehended accused condemned crowned with thorns clothed in purple with a reed in his hand scourged and led away to execution bearing his Cross and hanged up among Thieves forsaken by his own Disciples and all the world and in part by him who is more than all the world And consider why all this was done For whom he did it and what lesson he purposed hereby to teach us Consider why he made it one half the condition of our salvation and so great a part of the Christian Religion to Deny our selves and take up our Cross and follow him and will have no other to be his Disciples Luke 14. 26 31 33. Were a Crucified Christ more of our daily study and did we make it our Religion to learn and follow his holy example self-denyal would be better known and practised and Christianity would appear as it is and not as it is misunderstood adulterated and abused in the world But because I have long ago written a Treatise of Self-denyal I shall add no more CHAP. XXVII Cases and Directions for Loving our Neighbour as our selves Tit. 1. Cases of Conscience about Loving our Neighbour Quest. 1. IN what sense is it that I must love my neighbour as my self Whether in the kind of Quest. 1. love or in the degree or only in the reality Answ. The true meaning of the Text is You must love him according to his true worth without the diversion and hinderance of selfishness and partiality As you must love your self according to that degree of Goodness which is in you and no more so must you as impartially love your neighbour according to that degree of Goodness which is in him So that it truly extendeth to the reality the kind and the degree of love supposing it in both proportioned to the goodness of the object But before this can be understood the true nature of Love must be well understood Quest. 2. What is the true Nature of Love both as to my self and neighbour Quest. 2. Answ. Love is nothing but the prime motion of the Will to its proper object which is called Complacence The object of it is simple Goodness or Good as such It ariseth from suitableness between the Object and the Will as appetite doth from the suitableness of the appetent faculty and the food This GOOD as it is variously modified or any way differeth doth accordingly cause or require a difference in our Love Therefore that Love which in its prime act and nature is but one is diversly denominated as its objects are diversified To an object as simply Good in it self it followeth the Understandings Estimation and is called as I said meer Complacence or Adhesion To an Object as not yet attained but absent or distant and attainable it is called Desire or Desiring Love And as expected Hope or Hoping Love which is a conjunction of Desire
grace and hopes which he hath given you through Christ I know that a pained languishing body is undisposed to express the comforts of the soul But yet as long as the soul is the Commander they may be expressed in some good measure though not with such vivacity and alacrity as in health Behave your selves before all as those that are going to dwell with Christ If you shew them that you take Heaven for a real felicity it will do much to draw them to do so too Shew them the difference between the death of the righteous and of the wicked and that may so draw them to desire to dye the death of the Righteous that it may draw them also to resolve to live their lives How many souls might it win to God if they saw in his dying servants such confidence and joy as beseemeth men that are entering into a world of joy and peace and blessedness If we went out of the body as from a Prison into liberty and from a tedious journey to our desired home it would invite sinners to seek after the same felicity and be a powerful Sermon to convert the inconsiderate § 4. Direct 3. Now tell poor sinners of the vanity of the world and of all its glory wealth and pleasure Direct 3. and of the mischief and deceitfulness of sin Say to them O Sirs you may see in me what the world is worth If you had all the wealth and pleasure that you desire thus it would turn you off and forsake you in the end It will ease no pain It will bring no peace to a troubled soul It will not lengthen your lives an hour It will not save you from the wrath of God It maketh your death the sadder because you must be taken from it Your account will be the more dreadfull O Love not such a vain deceitful world Sell not your souls for so poor a price Forsake it before you are forsaken by it O make not light of any sin Though the wanton flesh would have you take it for a harmless thing you cannot imagine when the pleasure is gone how sharp a sting is left behind Sin will be then no jeasting matter when your souls are going hence into the dreadful presence of the Most Holy God § 5. Direct 4. Now tell those about you of the Excellency and Necessity of the Love of God of Heaven Direct 4. of Christ and of a holy life Though these may be made light of at a distance yet a soul that is drawing near them will be more awakened to understand their worth say to them O friends I find now more than ever I did before that it is only God that is the end and happiness of souls Nothing but his favour through Iesus Christ can comfort and content a dying man And none but Christ can reconcile us to God and answer for our sins and make us acceptable And no way but that of faith and holiness will end in happiness Opinions and customary forms in Religion will not serve the turn To be of this or that Party or Church or Communion will not save you It is only the soul that is justified by Christ and sanctified by his Spirit and brought up to the Love of God and holiness that shall be saved What ever Opinion or Church you are of without Holiness you shall never see God to your comfort as without faith it is impossible to please him Heb. 12. 14. 11. 6. Rom. 8. 6 7 8 9. O now what a miserable case were I in if I had all the wealth and honour in the world and had not the favour of God and a Christ to purchase it and his Spirit to witness it and prepare me for a better life Now I see the difference between spending time in Holiness and in sin between a godly and a worldly fleshly careless life Now I would not for a thousand worlds that I had spent my life in sensuality and ungodliness and continued a stranger to the life of faith Now if I had a world I would give it to be more holy O Sirs believe it when you come to dye sin will be then sin indeed and Christ and Grace will be better than riches and to dye in an unregenerate unsanctified state will be a greater misery than any heart can now conceive § 6. Direct 5. Endeavour also to make men know the difference between the godly and the wicked Direct 5. Tell them I nâ—w see who maketh the wisest choice O happy men that choose the joyes which have no end and lay up their treasure in Heaven where rust and moths do not corrupt and thieves do not break through and steal and labour for the food that never perisheth Matth. 6. 19 20. John 6. 27. O foolish sinners that for an inch of fleshly filthy pleasure do lose everlasting Rest and joy What shall it profit them that win all the world and lose their souls § 7. Direct 6. Labour also to convince men of the pretiousness of Time and the folly of putting off Direct 6. Repentance and a holy life till the last Say to them O friends it is hard for you in the time of health and prosperity to judge of Time according to its worth But when Time is gone or near an end how pretious doth it then appear Now if I had all the Time again which ever I spent in unnecessary sleep or sports or curiosities or idleness or any needless thing how highly should I value it and spend it in another manner than I have done Of all my life that is past and gone I have no comfort now in the remembrance of one hour but what was spent in obedience to God O take Time to make sure of your salvation before it s gone and you are left under the tormenting feeling of your loss § 8. Direct 7. Labour also to make them understand the sinfulness of sloth and of loytering in the Direct 7. matters of God and their salvation and stir them up to do it with all their might Say to them I have often heard ungodly people deride or blame the diligence and zeal and strictness of the godly But if they saw and felt what I see and feel they could not do it Can a man that is going into another world imagine that any thing is so worthy of his greatest zeal and labour as his God and his salvation Or blame men for being loth to burn in Hell Or for taking more pains for their souls than for their bodies O friends let fools talk what they will in their sleep and frenzy as you love your souls do not think any care or cost or pains too great for your salvation If they think not their labour too good for this world do not you think yours too good for a better world Let them now say what they will when they come to dye there is none of them all that is not quite forsaken of
sense and reason but will wish that they had Loved God and sought and served him not formally in hypocritical complement but with all their heart and soul and might § 9. Direct 8. Labour also to fortifie the minds of your friends against all fears of suffering for Direct 8. Christ and all impatience in any of their afflictions Say to them The sufferings as well as the pleasures of this life are s◠short that they are not worthy once to be compared with the durable things of the life to come If I have past through a life of want and toil if my body hath endured painful sickness if I have suffered never so much from men and been used cruelly for the sake of Christ what the worse am I now when all is past Would an easie honourable plentiful life have made my death either the safer or the sweeter O no! It is the things eternal that are indeed significant and regardable Neither pleasure nor pain that is short is of any great regard Make sure of the Everlasting pleasures and you have done your work O live by faith and not by sense Look not at the temporal things which are seen It is not your concernment whether you are rich or poor in honour or dishonour in health or sickness but whether you be justified and sanctified and shall live with God in Heaven for ever Such serious counsels of dying men may make their sickness more fruitful than their health CHAP. XXXI Directions to the Friends of the Sick that are about them § 1. Direct 1. WHen you see the sickness or death of your friends take it as Gods warning Direct 1. to you to prepare for the same your selves Remember that thus it must be with you Thus are you like to lye in pain and thus will all the world forsake you and nothing of all your honour or wealth will afford you any comfort This will be the end of all your pleasures of your greatness and your houses and lands and attendance and of all your delicious meats and drinks and of all your mirth and play and recreations Thus must your carkasses be forsaken of your souls and laid in a grave and there lie rotting in the dark and your souls appear before your Judge to be sentenced to their endless state This certainly will be your case and O how quickly will it come Then what will Christ and Grace be worth Then nothing but the favour of God can comfort you Then whether will it be better to you to look back on a holy well-spent life or upon a life of fleshly ease and pleasure Then had you rather be a Saint or a Sensualist Lay this to heart and let the house of mourning make you better and live as one that looks to dye § 2. Direct 2. Use the best means for the recovery of the sick which the ablest Physicions shall advise Direct 2. you to as far as you are able Take heed of being guilty of the Pride and folly of many self-conceited ignorant persons who are ready to thrust every Medicine of their own upon their friends in sickness when they neither know the nature of the sickness or the cure Many thousands are brought to their death untimely by the folly of their nearest friends who will needs be medicining them and ruling them and despising the Physicion as if they were themselves much wiser than he when they are meerly ignorant of what they do As ignorant Sectaries despise Divines and set up themselves as better Preachers so many silly Women despise Physicions and when they have got a few Medicines which they know not the nature of nor how to use they take themselves for the better Physicions and the lives of their poor friends must pay for their pride and folly No means must be trusted to instead of God but the best must be used in subservience unto God And one would think that a small measure of wit and humility might serve to make silly women understand that they that never bestowed one year in the study of Physick are not so likely to understand it as those that have studied and practised it a great part of their lives It is sad to see people kill their dearest friends in kindness even by that ignorance and proud selfconceitedness which also maketh them the destroyers of their own souls § 3. Quest. But seeing God hath appointed all mens time what good can Physick do If God hath Quest. appointed them to live they shall live and if he have appointed them to dye it is not Physick that can save them Answ. This is the foolish reasoning of wicked people about their salvation If God have appointed Answ. me to salvation I shall be saved if he have not all my diligence will do no good But such people know not what they talk of God hath made your duty more open and known to you than his own decrees And you separate those things which he hath joyned together As God hath appointed no man to salvation simply without respect to the means of salvation so God hath appointed no man to live but by the means of life His Decree is not Such a man shall be saved or Such a man shall live so long only But this is his Decree Such a man shall be saved in the way of faith and holiness and in the diligent use of means and Such a man shall live so long by the use of those means which I have fitted for the preservation of his life So that as he that liveth a holy life may be sure he is chosen to salvation if he persevere and he that is ungodly may be sure that he is in the way to Hell so he that neglecteth the means of his health and life doth shew that it is unlike that God hath appointed him to live and he that useth the best means is liker to recover though the best will not cure uncurable Diseases nor make a man immortal The reasoning is the same as if you should say If God have appointed me to live so long I shall live though I neither eat nor drink But if he have not eating and drinking will not prolong my life But you must know that God doth not only appoint you to live that is but half his Decree but he decreeth that you shall live by eating and drinking § 4. Direct 3. Mind your friends betimes to make their Wills and prudently by good advice to settle Direct 3. their estates that they may leave no occasion of contending about it when they are dead This should be done in health because of the uncertainty of life But if it be undone till sickness it should then be done betimes The neglect of it oft causeth much sinful contending about worldly things even among those near relations who should live in the greatest amity and peace § 5. Direct 4. Keep away vain company from them as far as you can conveniently