the body than to enjoy bodily comforts and have none for the soul Jobs friends could do no less than come to comfort him yet when they came they did nothing less than comfort him 'T is very rare that God takes outward comforts from them who are not taken with their comfort but if he take them that shall be their Comfort Company Many are pleased with the company of them who are good that are not pleased with the good of the company 'T is to be feared that they that love wicked men doe not hate the wickedness of men or That they that love the company of the wicked do not hate the wickedness of the company He that loves ill company will learn it if not the ill of the company No man should do ill for company nor good onely for company Communion Communion with God is more in conversation with God than in contemplation with God That God might have communion with us Christ was made partaker of the humane nature and that we might have communion with God we are made partakers of the divine nature Complement Compleat speech is no Complement if men speak as they intend and intend as they speak Complaint Saints have not such often occasion to complain that what they have done is ill as that what they have done is ill done Many complain of their sufferings without a cause wherein they should rather rejoyce for 't is better to suffer without a cause than that there should be a cause for our sufferings Confusion That which is confusion to us is no confusion to God for God hath the ordering of and an order in all confusion Commandements All Gods Commandements are alike holy just and good and therefore we should like them all Condemnation If that servant was condemned that gave God his own what will become of them that rob God of his own Conscience A good conscience without a good name is better than a good name without a good conscience A Saint will hazard his credit to save his conscience rather than hazard his conscience to save his credit Contentation We should be so content with every condition as to think the present best yet many times it 's best to think it so but for the present Contentment without the world is better than the world without contentment The lowest condition in the world with the love of God is better than the highest condition in the world without the love of God A Saint is content not onely that the will of the Lord should be done but that it should be also done to Gods content How little soever we injoy there is great reason we should be contented and how much evil soever we undergo there 's no reason we should be discontented Conversion Before conversion men are willingly willing to sin but after conversion men are willingly unwilling to sin There are many convictions without conversion but there is no conversion without convictions Before conversion sin hath dominion over us but after conversion we have dominion over sin and we lead that into captivity which did before lead us captives Covetous Usually covetous men need money least yet most affect it and prodigals who need it most do least regard it Covenant The tie of the Covenant is sure for Christ is the surety of the Covenant In the Covenant of works God did first accept of the works and then of the person but in the Covenant of grace God doth first accept the person and then the work Contradictions It seems to many that there are contradictions in the Scriptures but they are not but so many seeming contradictions Creation In creation God gave us to our selves but in redemption he gave himself to us Creature-Comforts When we take comfort in Creatures without God he takes away the Creatures or the comfort of it Crosse Christ did bear the curse and therefore 't is but reason that we should bear the cross Crosses See Afflictions Changes of conditions are but exchanges of mercy to a gratious soul Crucified If we be not crucified with Christ Christ being crucified will not deliver us from death for we may die in our sins and be damned notwithstandihg if we do not rise with Christ Christs resurrection will not save us it is not Christ without us but Christ within us who is our hope of glory Col. 1. 27. D Death That man can never die an evill death at least no kind of death can be evill to that man who hath lead a good life Death comes in by sin and sin goeth out by death The death of the body frees us from the body of death Death hath nothing terrible in it but what our life hath made so When Saints die they leave all their bad behind and carry all their good with them but when a Sinner dieth he leaves all his good carries all his bad the one goes from evil to good the other from good to evill Our sin delivered Christ to death and Christ's death delivers us from our sin It s appointed for all men once to die and to some men its appointed to die but once the rest shall have their share in a second death wherein they shall find no rest The natural death is the separation of the soul from the body the spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God and the eternal death is the eternal separation of the soul and body from God Think of death as a thing thou must meet with and of life as a thing thou must part with and therefore not to love that life too well that keeps thee if a Saint from a better nor at all to fear that death that leads thee to a better life Deeds That deed is ill done wherein God is no sharer No evill action can be well done but a good action may be ill done Debts paying While we are paying Gods due debts we make our selves the more his debtors Lord let me be thus in debt The more we pay God the more we owe him seeing we give nothing to him but what he first gives to us Last Dayes A Christians last dayes should be his best dayes and his fruits at last more than at first Defie Deifie Many defie the devil sin and the world with their mouthes but deifie them in their lives Die He that 's fittest to die is fittest to live and he that 's fittest to live is fittest to die When a Saint comes to die his greatest grief is that he hath done no more for God and his greatest joy is that God hath done so much for him Dead-living Some are alive and dead at the same time for they that live in sin and the pleasures of sin are dead while they live Saints are living dead men Gal. 2. 19. 20. and sinners are dead living men Ephes 2. 1 2. yea they are both dead and alive alive and dead at the same time Delayes Denials Delayes are not denials and denials are not alwayes refusals
Saint is not so far above the lowest as the lowest Saint is above the highest of men Every Saint is like God in a degree though not in a perfection and yet he is like God in a perfection of sincerity though not of degrees God expects that Saints should do more for him than for others because God hath done more for them than for others Though it sads us that he is no better yet it glads him that he is no worse The world sees not a Saint though they look him in the face for the Saint is the hidden man of the heart or the man in the Spirit Seeking Though that which thou seekest for be good yet while the way by which thou seekest for it be evill thou shamest the end by the way and by the way wilt thou shame thy self in the end Self-seeking Many men do but seek themselves in seeking God and serve him that they may serve themselves of him Flesh is the Anagram of self and in Scripture it s all one to walk after the flesh and to seek ones self if then men walk after the flesh they shall die for every mans perdition is of himself Self-searching It concernes all men to search themselves and that quickly but withall to take heed they be not so quick in searching as not to search to the quick Secret They who are most with God in Secret know most of Gods secrets Seeing God 'T is good to see God in all things and all things in God Scriptures We may do well enough with the Scriptures though we had no traditions but could not do well enough with traditions if we had not the Scriptures The Scriptures shew us what God hath done for man and what man is to do for God Some men try the Scriptures by the Fathers but men should try the Fathers and all other men by the Scriptures Salvation See Workiâ—g Their salvation may be sure who yet may not be sure of their salvation Faith is as clear a proof that men shall be saved as salvation is a clear proof that men have beleived Scorners They who scorn others are usually scorned by others Service God takes that service most kindly which is most kindly service Sermon To practise the Sermon we hear is the best way of repeating the Sermon Servants If we are unprofitable servants when we have done our duties how unprofitable are we when we do not do our duties When we have done our duty we are but unprofitable servants for our best is so bad and our all so little that it is but little more than nothing at all Though the best of men they being at the best but unprofitable servants deserve nothing at the hands of God yet they may deserve much at the hands of man and if they have not the recompence which they deserve yet 't is a kind of recompence to have deserved Sanctified The Saints even in this life are sanctified throughout that is in every part though every part be not throughout sanctified in this life Sufferings 'T is an high strain of spiritualness in the sufferings we bear or in our bearing sufferings when we can say though I love not that which I suffer and though I love not the burden I bear yet I love to bear the burden There are many that suffer long who are not long-suffering Satan accusing Satan the great accuser doth not onely accuse the Brethren unto God but doth also accuse God unto the Brethren Sin The industrious man hath no leisure to sin the idle man hath no leisure to avoid sin It s one thing to sin another thing to be overtaken with sin another to be overcome by sin Private sins are oft punisht with publick shame Every man brought sin enough into the world to repent of all his dayes though he should never actually sin and sins enough actually every day to sorrow for though he had brought none with him into the world Sin will prove that sinners downfall who falls not down to confess his sin and to give glory to God The sin of man filled the Creature with vanity and the vanity of the Creature fills man with vexation of Spirit Nothing disgraceth a man so much as sin and nothing honours a man so much as grace Some men when they have prayed against sin go and sin against prayer The greatest of sins repented of is pardonable and the least of sins not repented of is damnable Great sinnes forgiven by God must not be forgotten by us God doth not onely take off sin from his people which is justification but God takes his people off from sin which is sanctification Sin Sinners It stands with the justice of God to visit man with a perpetual penalty who if he might would live perpetually in iniquity The wicked sin but for a time because they live but for a time By their good wills they would never die that they might ever sin for they shew they would ever live in sin because they never leave sinning so long as they live Although the lowest beleiver is above the power of sin yet the highest beleiver is not above the confession of sin because not above the practice of sin Every sin against God is great because it is against a great God When our sin is increased Gods grace is not decreased though we may be worse than we were yet God is as good as ever he was Nothing deforms a man so much as sin nothing reforms or adorns a man so much as grace Many men see the evills of their sinâ— who do not see the sin of their evils Many men sin with content and are not content with sin By reason of our sins we have cause to be sorrowful in the midst of our joyes but by reason of Gods mercy we have cause to rejoyce in the midst of our sorrows A Christian hates sin for sins sake and forsakes sin for Gods sake The evill of sin will never deliver us from but alwayes deliver us to the evill of sufferings Sinners Scarlet sinners may by grace be made milk-white Saints The vilest sinners once converted become the strictest Saints 'T is better being in hell with Christ than in heaven with sin If sinners cast not away their sins for Gods sake God will cast them away for their sinnes sake Singing Saints In heaven the Saints shall sing notes of the highest strains but they shall not strain for the highest notes here their prayses are noted with Selah there their prayers shall be a note above Elah Soul and Body In this world the body was first and then the soul but in heaven the soul is first and then the body Sorrow Sorrow for sin is to last as long as there is any sin to sorrow for A true Christian had rather that Christ should take away his sin and leave his sorrow than take away his sorrow and leave his sin That sorrow for sin that keeps us from beleiving and rejoycing in Christ is sinful
wiser than others who indeed are otherwise for the most self-wise are very fooles Wicked Godly Wicked men are dead while they live but godly men live when they are dead Wicked men have what they enjoy but from the providence of God but godly men have what they enjoy from the promise of God The wicked man saith what I will is lawful but the good man saith what is lawfull I will Wife 'T is better to have a Wife without a portion than a portion without a Wife They who marry where they like not and love not are like to love where they marry not Will. God finds in every man a will to work upon but he finds not but makes any man willing to be wrought upon Judas Herod and Pontius Pilate fulfilled Gods will in be traying and crucifying Christ and so sinned not but they did it not to fulfill Gods will but their own and that was their sin That man hath no good will that wills no good God will accept the will for the deed when we are as willing to doe as to will the deed A Christian may desire that which God wills not and not sin in that desire and he may sin in desiring that which God wills 'T is not mans free will but Gods free grace which makes one man to differ from another in goodness Women See Young Word of God Some can read the Word of God who do not understand it and some do understand it who cannot read it The Word of God is not onely a pure but purifying not onely a clean but a cleansing Word 'T is not the word that man speaks nor the man that speaks the word which can convert a soul Word Works The word of life is best held forth in the works of our life Word In many their words are more than their intentions and their actions lesse than their words Word Sword The Word is Gods Sword and the Spirit is Gods Arme now as that famous Captain that had lost his sword told his enemies 't is not so much the sword as the arme unless the arme of the Lord be revealed the report will not be beleived The Spirit can save without the Word but the Word cannot save without the Spirit Blessed are they to whom the Gospel cometh not onely in word but in power in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit Words fit Fit words are better than fine for fit words are alwayes fine but fine words are not alwaye fit Writing Men should rather do things worthy to be written than write things worthy to be done though both are worth the doing World 'T is a sad thing for a man to be taken out of the world by death before he be taken out of the world by grace 'T is a mercy to have a portion in the world but to have the world for a portion is a misery He that loves the world much can love God but little They will buy the world at too dear a rate that pay but one sin for it The world is not answerable to nor able to answer our expectations 'T is not the having the world nor having an hand in the world but having an heart in the world which God disalowes Be wisely-worldly be not worldly-wise Works A Saint doth not so much do good works to live as live to do good works 'T is better that a mans own works than that another mans words should praise him The works which many men do do honour God when yet the men that do the works may dishonour God We work not our selves into Christ but Christ works us into himself Worth That place is worth the looking after which will make one lovely in the eyes of God Y Young Women If young Women were clothed but with the Silk of Piety the Sattin of Sanctity and the Purple of Modesty God himself would be a Suitor to them Z Zeal Many men have much zeal and little knowledge and many others who have much knowledge have but little zeal FINIS AN HOLY ALPHABET FOR YOUNG CHRISTIANS Being the principall points of Religion laid down in entire Propositions and express words of Scripture for the more Authority Whereunto is annexed THE FAITHFUL SHEPHEARD Guiding his FLOCK in a way of walking with God dayly By ROBERT PORT Minister of the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST London Printed by G. Dawson for George Sawbridge at the Sign of the Bible upon Ludgate-hill 1658. AN Holy Alphabet For Young CHRISTIANS The Principles of Religion IT 's onely asking the Question what is taking thereto the first words of the Proposition and the Proposition returns you the Answer Instance Q. What is Adoption A A Adoption is an act of Godsfree Grace whereby we are received into the number and have right to all the priviledges of the sons of God Proofe 1 John 3. 1. John 1. 12. B Baptism is a Sacrament wherein the washing with water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost doth signifie and seal our ingrafting into Christ and partaking of the benifits of the Covenant of Grace and our engagement to be the Lords Matt. 28. 19. Rom. 6. 4. Gal. 3. 27. The Body is the outward and earthly part of Man made of the begining of the dust of the earth Gen. 2. 7. Ch. 3. 19. C Calling effectuall is the work of Gods spirit whereby convincing us of our sin and misery inlightning our minds in the knowledge of Christ and renewing our wils he doth perswade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the Gospel 2 Tim 1. 9. 2 Thes 2. 13 14. Acts 2. 37. Chap. 26. 18. Ezek. 36. 26 27. Joh. 6. 44 45. Psal 2. 13. Creation is Gods making all things of nothing by the word of his power in the space of six daies and all very good Gen. 1. Exod. 20. 11. Heb. 11. 2. D Decrees of God are his eternal purpose according to the councell of his will whereby for his own glory he hath fore-ordered whatsoever comes to pass Ephes 1. 4. 11. Rom. 9. 22 23. E Election is the eternal and unchangeable decree of God whereby of his free Grace and mercy he hath made choice of some rather than others to bestow upon them eternal life and happiness and that for the glory of his free grace Ephes 1. 4. Rom. 11. 2. 5 6. Ephes 1. 5. F Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving Grace whereby we rejoice and rest upon him alone for salvation as he is offered unto us in the Gospel Heb. 10. 39. Joh. 1. 12. Isa 26. 3 4. Phil. 3. 9. Gal. 2. 16. An holy Fast is a religious abstinance from all the labors of our calling and comforts of this life so far as comliness and necessity will permit that we might be more seriously humble before God and more fervent in prayer Ecle 4. 16. Levit. 23. 27. Dan. 9. 9. 11. An holy Feast is an extraordinary thanksgiving for some notable diliverance out of some