have no Interest in Christ who alone is able to deliver you from the wrath to come 1. That you may be sensible of your lost estate you must get a Conviction of your sin your eyes must be opened to see your selves guilty of sin before God and your mouths must be stopped so as to have nothing to say if the Lord should condemn you You must not only understand the nature of sin in the general that it is a transgression of the holy and righteous and good Law of the holy and glorious God of Heaven and Earth but also you must be particularly and thorowly convinced that you have transgressed this Law of God you must be convinced of your particular sins As to the kinds of your sins you must 1. See your selves guilty of Original sin of Adams first transgression by a just imputation you being in his loyns and parties in the first Covenant and then you must see what inherent sin there is in your nature that you were conceived and born in sin that you are a viperous brood a Serpentine generation a seed of evil doers that the Toad is not fuller of poyson than your natures are full of sin that your natures are contrary unto the nature of God and have an enmity in them against the Law of God Rom. 6. 7. You must be convinced how your natures are depraved being wholly destitute of Original Righteousness empty of all good and inclinable wholly unto evil that they are a polluted fountain from whence can proceed nothing but what is unclean that they are a bitter root from whence doth spring forth such cursed fruits of sin in your lives and you should look upon your sin of nature to be the worst because the Original of all actuall transgressions 2. You must be convinced of your actual sins how you have broken Gods Law in thought word and deed you must see your sins of Omission and your sins of Commission against the first and second Table of the Law and take notice of the number of them so far as you can remember together with their aggravations if they have been committed through ignorance when you have had means of knowledge if against light of Nature and the Word if against the reluctance of natural Conscience if against many Warnings and Reproofs if they have been committed with security hardness of heart delight greediness pride presumption obstinacy and the like and that you might be convinced of the guilt of sin you must look into the Law in which as in a glass you may see your natural face and all the spots thereof the Law will discover the sin of your natures as it requireth perfect conformity thereunto in habit disposition and inclination and forbiddeth all evil byasses of the will and heart to sin as well as external transgressions Moreover the Law will discover to you your actual sins but then you must look beyond the head Precepts of the Law which are but ten for you must take notice of the several branches belonging to every head which are many as for instance If you would finde out whether you are guilty of Adultery you must not only look upon the Precept as forbidding only the gross outward act Thou shalt not commit Adultery but as reaching to the inward desires and inclinations and so our Saviour Math. 5. 28. interprets this Precept that whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath committed Adultery with her already in his heart and so in the Precept Thou shalt not kill it is murder not only to take away the life of another by violence but also to be angry with our brother without a cause and so in the other Precepts And as you must look into the Law for Conviction of sin so you must also look into your own Consciences and read what is there registred and compare your hearts and lives with the Law and you should call to minde the places you have lived in the businesses you have been employed about and the circumstances of your lives may bring to remembrance many sins committed long ago with their aggravations You must get thus a conviction of the guilt of your sins especially if you have fallen into any grosser sin in your life as adultery drunkenness theft if you have been guilty of swearing Sabbath-breaking profaneness or the like you must see the heinousness of them and withall you must see that every sin which you have committed is heinous as it is a dishonour to the highest Majesty who is infinitely more exalted above the greatest Earthly Kings and Potentates than they are exalted above the meanest Worm or Flie and for such as you to dishonour and affront him by sin is very heinous This is the first thing a Conviction of your sins which you must endeavour after 2. That you may be sensible of your lost estate you must get a conviction of the punishment which God hath threatned and you have deserved for your sins will the Lord put up the affronts which are offered to him by his Creatures will he bear the dishonours of his great and glorious Name by sin without punishing the sinners No surely his holiness will not permit it his Justice hath been offended and must have satisfaction and therefore he threatneth to punish the offenders most severely God threatneth temporal calamities and death as the wages of sin and because through patience he forbeareth to punish many transgressions so remarkably in this life and the most dreadfull temporal Judgements which he inflicteth upon any are no wayes proportionable to the desert of their sins and the demands of his infinite Justice therefore he threatneth eternal punishment in Hell look into some places of Scripture where the Lord doth denounce severe threatnings against sinners Gal. 3. 10. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them Rom. 1. 18. The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men Eph. 5. 6. Because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience 2 Thess 1. 8 9. Christ will come in flaming fire taking vengeance on them which know not God and obey not the Gospel who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the prefence of the Lord and the glory of his power Rom. 2. 6 8 9. God will render unto every man according to his deeds to them who are contentious and do not obey the truth indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish on every soul of man that doth evil That you may see and be sensible of your lost estate you must be convinced not only in the general of the justice and equity that such Judgements should be inflicted on sinners because God himself hath denounced them in his Word who cannot be unjust toward his Creatures and because sin hath deserved them being the breach of his Law which is holy and just and good and an offence
your actual sins your transgressions of Gods Law in the first and the second Table thereof your disobedience to the Gospel the aggravations of your sins Means 2. Reading the Word of God and other good books The rule whereby you are to examine your selves is the Word this is like a Candle which will give light in dark corners this is like a Glass which will discover spots in the face you must search the Word and try your selves hereby if you would have knowledge of sin and your spiritual state and you must search the Word if you would have knowledge and acquaintance with God and his will You may arrive to some knowledge of God by reading the Book of Nature the whole world is full of God and every Creature doth represent him but the world is full of sin too and the more immediate representations of the Creatures are sensitive things which our sense layeth hold on first and is apt there to stick without further piercing and searching to finde out God and where we have one provocation from the Creatures to love and serve him through the bewitching temptations of the world meeting with the worldly lusts of our hearts we have a thousand incitements and allurements from them to sin against God but the Word is full of God and no incitement there to sin full of perswasives to holiness and obedience God is to be seen more easily and he setteth forth himself there most conspicuously In the Book of the Scriptures you have the most glorious discoveries of God in his greatness majesty power holiness love mercy and the like and the way made known of acquaintance and communion with him if you would be acquainted with God in Christ you must acquaint your selves with the Scriptures Read the Scriptures daily and search them Joh. 5. 39. read not only the history of the Word but labour to understand the mystery of Godliness therein revealed 1 Tim. 3. 16. endeavour after a spiritual discerning of the things of the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 14. when you meet with Doctrines in your reading the Word labour to understand and believe them when you meet with Precepts labour to obey them when with Prohibitions and Threatnings be cautioned against sin by them when you meet with promises labour to apply them to draw vertue from them Read this Book as the Word of God and hide it in your heart lay it up there as a choice treasure get your hearts cast into the mould of it get it written upon your hearts and let it have an influence upon your whole conversation and that you may the better understand and apply the truths of the Word read as you have time other good books which open the Scriptures and treat of needfull points of Religion especially such as direct in the great work of Conversion and give Rules out of the Word for the ordering of your whole conversation but above all Books read and study the Scriptures Means 3. Hearing the Word Preached It is by the foolishness of Preaching that God saveth such as do believe 1 Cor. 1. 21. however the preaching of the Word is to them that perish foolishness yet unto Believers it is the power of God unto salvation therein God doth put forth his power and maketh bare his arm in bringing salvation to lost souls Hear and thy Soul shall live Isa 55. 3. Faith cometh by hearing Rom. 10. 17. Lydia's heart was opened whilest she attended upon the Word preached by Paul Act. 16. 14. Attend therefore diligently upon the Word preached by Christs Ministers as an Ordinance of his own institution for the working and increase of Grace Look upon Ministers as Christs Ambassadours he that heareth them heareth Christ and he that turneth away his ear from hearing them turneth away his ear from Christ who by his Spirit in them speaketh from Heaven unto men and how impossible it is for such to escape the wrath of God see Heb. 12. 25. Much more shall not they escape that turn away their ear from him that speaketh from Heaven Hear the Word with reverence as the Word of God as if the Lord should speak to you from Heaven with an audible voice hear the Word with diligence and attention as for your lives as for the salvation of your Souls hear the Word with faith and love without which it will not profit and work effectually in your hearts and in hearing look not so much for those things which may please as for that which may edifie I mean do not regard so much mens fancies as the wholsom Truths of the Word which tend most to conviction edification to the killing of sin quickning and increase of Grace and nourishment of the spiritual life Means 4. Meditation The Word like Food must be digested by Meditation that it may turn to spiritual nourishment you must ponder and consider in your mindes the Truths of the Word that you may both understand them and get your Hearts affected with them and your Lives ordered by them Meditation is a great help in Heavens way such as are remiss herein cannot walk so steddily nor chearfully accustome your selves unto this duty set apart time for it I know that some complain of barrenness in their thoughts when they endeavour to meditate such I would advise if they have not that fruitfulness of thoughts themselves to supply them with matter that they would make use of others help let them meditate on the Scriptures they read on the Sermons they hear moreover I would offer some general heads for Meditation which you may make use of 1. Sometimes meditate on God his Attributes his infinite Majesty power holiness omnipresence omniscience eternity unchangeableness his infinite wisdom truth faithfulness justice goodness mercy and loving-kindness his Councels especially his eternal decree of Election which is of most sweet consideration to Believers his works of Creation and Providence 2. Sometimes meditate on Christ his near relations of Friend Brother Husband his needfull Offices of Priest Prophet and King 3. Sometimes meditate on the Spirit his way and workings on the minde and heart how he enlighteneth enliveneth strengtheneth comforteth c. 4. Sometimes meditate on the Covenant of Grace and the rich free suitable sure Promises of pardon grace salvation therein 5. Sometimes meditate on the Gospel and its priviledges Justification Adoption Sanctification Assurance of Gods love peace of Conscience Joy in the Holy Ghost communications of grace c. 6. Sometimes meditate on the four last things namely Death Judgement Heaven and Hell 7. Sometimes meditate and that frequently daily of such Arguments as tend to the mortifying of your particular sins which are most strong and prevalent and to the strengthening of your graces which you finde most weak and deficient Means 5. Prayer Pray secretly retire your selves from company into your Closets or some private place and there confess your sins and make known your requests to God that seeth and heareth in secret and hath
depth of this Promise we may suck and suck again at this breast and though we draw never so hard we can never draw forth all the sweetness that is in this Promise To have God to be our God it is very great it is very sweet Indeed God is the God of all his Creatures yea of his enemies and the vilest sinners but to be our God in this place sounds and signifieth more than that which is common to all it speaketh a peculiar relation a special interest and propriety in God in this promise God doth make over himself and all that he hath to us so far as we are capable of receiving he giveth himself to be our portion he engageth his Power Wisdom Goodness Mercy Love and all his Attributes to be employed for our good he promiseth to be our God here and to be our God for ever it signifieth that he will be our Father to love and cherish us to preserve and provide for us whilest we live and to take our Souls to himself when we dye and to raise up our bodies at the last day and make both perfectly glorious and happy in Heaven when time shall be no more He promiseth also that we shall be his People we cannot make our selves so but he promiseth that he will make us so he will make us his Children he will adopt us he will regenerate us give us the title and give us the disposition of Children all this and much more is contained in this Promise That God will be our God and we shall be his People even the whole work of our salvation from our effectual Calling unto our eternal Glorification 2. A second great Promise of the Covenant of Grace is That God will be mercifull unto our unrighteousness and that he will remember no more our sins and iniquities it is a promise of mercy in the free pardon and forgiveness of all our sins this is an exceeding great and precious promise without which there were no access for us unto God no attaining eternal happiness no escaping eternal misery guilt would shut us out of Heaven and sink us into Hell without a pardon This Promise is of vast extent it reacheth to all sort of sins Unrighteousness Sins Iniquities no sin is too great for God to pardon if the sinner doth believe 3. A third Promise of the Covenant of Grace is that God will give us the knowledge of himself they shall not teach every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest they shall not teach one another the knowledge of God that is they cannot or they shall not be able to do it they may and ought to teach one another instrumentally it is the duty of some to teach and the duty of others and they have need to learn but they shall not be able to teach effectually they may give instructions to one another concerning God and his wayes but they cannot give light they may set the light before them but they cannot set up the light in them they may open Truths but they cannot open the Understanding this is the work of God only to do and this he hath undertaken by Promise to do they shall all know me they shall be taught of God by his Spirit the knowledge of himself he teacheth by men instrumentally but he will teach us by his Spirit effectually 4. A fourth Promise of the Covenant of Grace is that God will put his laws into our hearts and write them in our minds the Law was written before on Tables of Stone but here he promiseth to write them on fleshly Tables of the heart which is done not with Pen and Ink but by the Spirit of the living God 2 Cor. 3. 3. this Promise is very comprehensive it includes not only the giving of a spiritual discovery of the minde and will of God but also the giving of spiritual dispositions affections and strength to perform it and by consequence the removal of indispositions the purging out of corruptions the mortifying of lust the taking away the heart of stone and giving a heart of flesh the giving a new heart the putting the Spirit within us and causing us to walk in his Statutes and to keep his Judgements and do them as this Promise is branched forth Ezek. 36. 25 26 27. These in brief are the chief Promises of the Covenant of Grace labour to understand them and apply them that you may be saved Direct 9. You must give up your selves in Covenant to God if you would be saved God hath put his hand and seal to the Covenant which he hath made through his Son with you and you should put your hand to the Covenant and engage your selves unto the Lord you were dedicated to the Lord by your Parents when you were baptized then you understood not what was done now you are arrived to years of understanding you should make it your own act and dedicate your selves to the Lord and the more solemnly you enter into Covenant with God the more strong Obligation it may be upon you to walk closely with God all your dayes Some have directed to do it under hand-writing subscribing the name and some have put words into your mouths which you may do it in if you are not so well able to express the terms your selves you have this done in Mr. Guthry and Mr. Allen's books if those Books be not at hand I shall set before you this Platform which you may make use of in entring solemnly into Covenant with God I A. B. do acknowledge my self to be the Creature and Subject of the great and glorious Majesty of Heaven and Earth in whom I live move and have my being and from whom I receive every good thing which I receive and therefore am obliged to conform my minde will and affections to order my words wayes and whole conversation according to his most wise and good most righteous and reasonable Laws Besides which natural Obligation however born in sin and thereby disenabled yet being born in the Church and Baptized in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost and by my Parents dedicated unto God when I was an Infant I am further obliged by Covenant to be the servant of the Lord. But having proved a Rebel and Traytor against the Highest Majesty breaking his Laws and Covenant-ties which have been upon me spending years of my life in a state of strangeness and enmity to God in the service of the Devil and my own Lusts I do now solemnly renew my Covenant with God that the breach may be made up which sin hath made between God and my Soul Being in the First place convinced of the guilt of my sins whereby I have affronted and offended the highest Majesty whose Justice must be satisfied and withall convinced of my own utter inability to make the least satisfaction either by doing or suffering and that my
WORDS WHEREBY We may be Saved By THOMAS VINCENT sometime Minister of Maudlins Milk-street LONDON Act. 11. 14. Who shall tell thee Words whereby thou and all thy House shall be saved Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which began to be spoken of by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him LONDON Printed for the use of the Poor and freely given to them by some worthy Benefactors who desire their Salvation 1668. To the POOR THese few sheets were chiefly intended for you and therefore I thought fit in a few lines to dedicate them unto you Some Benefactors give you Food others give you Raiment others give you Money all which gifts are for the relief of your temporal necessities and of concernment only to your bodies Here you have a gift in order to the relief of your Spiritual necessities a Soul-gift which doth concern your salvation And as the Soul is more excellent than the Body and the Salvation here treated of is of ten thousand times more value than all earthly Riches So in some measure of proportion you should prize such gifts chiefly as are for the good of your Souls and may be through Gods blessing a help to you in the attaining of Salvation Your souls are as precious as the souls of the most honourable and your souls whilest in a state of nature are in as great danger of ruine as the souls of the most sinfull and though you should be as yet out of a state of Salvation you are as capable of obtaining salvation as the most holy before Conversion And for your further encouragement I may tell you that you may get to Heaven without so great difficulties as the Rich See Matth. 19. 24. and Jam. 2. 5. you have not those snares and temptations in your way as the Rich have which as it should quicken your endeavours after so it will aggravate your sin if you should neglect your salvation Wicked rich men have their good things here some kinde of Portion in this life and their evil things are chiefly reserved untill hereafter But you which are Poor have little portion of good things in this life and if you do not obtain salvation you will have no good things reserved for you in the other World nothing but treasures of wrath according to your treasures of sin and so besides the miseries you undergo here you will be miserable hereafter and miserable for ever My hearts desire and prayer for you is That you may be saved therefore have I written these things You have this little Book freely given unto you by some Worthy Persons who hope for a fuller reward than the price of any Books can amount unto especially if this Book be made use of by the Lord as a means for the conversion and salvation of any of your souls their reward will be the greater that have been instrumental herein therefore accept of this Gift read it in your Families or get it read to you where you cannot read your selves But chiefly accept of the Salvation this Book speaketh of which however dearly purchased by the blood of Christ is freely tendered unto you Salvation is a Gift and the greatest most excellent and most necessary Gift to move and guide you in the obtaining of which is the design of these sheets which that they may be successfull is the Prayer of a dear Lover of and Well-wisher to the Poor Thomas Vincent CHAP. I. THE chief end which every one ought to intend in his Life is the Glory of God and the Salvation of his own Soul The chief work of Ministers is to tell People words whereby they may be saved Such words Peter speaketh to Cornelius Act. 11. 14. and such words I shall endeavour in these sheets to tell sinners In order to your salvation I shall speak 1. Some Words to try you whether you be in a state of Salvation 2. Some Words to move you to endeavour after your Salvation 3. Some Words to guide you in the way to attain Salvation I. The first words shall be to try you whether you be in a state of Salvation and here I must put you upon the tryall of your selves wherein I may give you some help take the Exhortation of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves Examine your selves by the Rule of the Word And because these Words are chiefly intended in order to the salvation of such as have not yet attained it to prepare them for the following Motives and Directions which if they mistook themselves to have already attained to a state of salvation would likely do them no good Therefore I shall briefly out of the Word of God give Some Characters of such as are not in a state of Salvation 1. Ignorant persons are not in a state of salvation See this Isa 27. 11. It is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Those that are grosly ignorant of the Fundamental Truths of Religion concerning God and Christ the lost estate of Man since the fall the way of Salvation Repentance Faith the Resurrection from the dead the last Judgement and the future Rewards and Punishments in Heaven and Hell and the like Principles of Religion which are necessary to be known in order to salvation they cannot for the present be in a state of Salvation the meanest understanding is capable of knowing these things by the teachings of the Word and Spirit therefore such as do neglect the means of Instruction and do not search the Word and cry to God for it but nuzzle up themselves in an affected ignorance in these things are inexcusable in their fault and will bring unavoidable destruction upon themselves Hos 4. 6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge 2. Negligent persons are not in a state of salvation I mean such as neglect their salvation Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation Such as do not value and prize this great salvation purchased by Christ and published in the Gospel such as never were made sensible of their need hereof such as never had any great desires after it such as never took any pains in the use of means to obtain it all which are evidences of their neglect they cannot escape the dreadfull punishment of Hell which is prepared for such persons Such as are diligent to make provision for their Bodies but neglect the salvation of their souls if they persevere in this negligence they must needs miss of salvation 3. Impenitent persons are not in a state of salvation Luk. 13. 3. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish All are guilty of sin original and actual and have matter for repentance such as have an obdurate and impenitent heart which never was broken and melted and humbled which never
of damnation and did not know it I have been dancing about the brinks of Hell and did not perceive it I have been affronting God all my daies by my sins now I see that God is highly offended with me for those sins I made light of I am the covetous person whom the Lord abhorreth Psal 10. 3. I am the deceiver whom he curseth Mal. 1. 14. I am the Adulterer whom he will judge Heb 11. 4. I have greatly sinned and now I see God is greatly angry and his anger burns like fire he frowns and his frowns are most dreadfull and I fear he will cast me to Hell and make me feel the power of his anger in my everlasting ruine I fear I must dwell with devouring fire and take up mine eternal abode with the Devil and my fellow-damned sinners O I fear I am damned I am damned O happy is the Dog and the Horse yea the Worm and the Toad who ere long shall be anihilated but I am cursed and I fear that I shall eternally be tormented O I am lost I have lost my God and I fear I am lost and shall be lost for ever O I am undone undone vile and miserable sinner O wo be to me that ever I was born that ever I sinned and provoked God to such displeasure But is there no spark of hope yet is there no escaping no reconciliation attainable O what shall I do to be saved I cannot save my self and no creature can help me but is there no other way Thus you must see and be sensible that you are lost in your selves if you would be saved Direction 2. You must mourn for sin if you would be saved except ye repent saith our Saviour ye shall all likewise perish Luk. 13. 3. Those that laugh and rejoyce now in a way of sin shall mourn and weep for it for ever to no purpose Luk 6. 25. But blessed are they that mourn for sin now for they shall be comforted and saved Matth. 5. 4. The seed time of repentance accompanied with the showers of tears will return with the harvest of salvation and sheaves of joy and comfort Psal 126. 5 6. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy he that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoycing bringing his sheaves with him Therefore see what the Apostle exhorteth unto which is necessary to your salvation Jam. 4. 9. Be afflicted and mourn and weep let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into heaviness Humble your selves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up Sinners you have delighted your selves in sin you must now be afflicted for it sin hath been sweet in your mouth it must now be bitter to your heart God calls you to salvation by his Son but withall he calls you to weeping and mourning and deep humiliation in order hereunto not that your tears can wash off the guilt of your sins nothing can do this but the blood of Christ not that God delights in your griefs and sorrows as such but because mourning is needful for you to prepare you for Christ and Salvation by him whilst sin is sweet unto your taste you will roll it under your tongue and hug it in your bosom you will spare it and nothing will perswade you to part with it but when you taste the bitterness of sin in compunction and sorrow for it then you will spit it out when you perceive the gall and the worm wood then your mouth will be put out of rellish then you will desire no longer to suck at the breast of sin whilst you are insensible of sin you will be insensible of your need of a Saviour None but sick persons do prize and send for the Physitian and none but such as are sick of sin and groan and mourn under the burden of this sickness do prize a Christ who is the soul-Physician Matth. 9. 12. Were you made sensible of sin indeed you would eagerly enquire after Christ and greedily hearken unto the glad tydings of salvation which he hath purchased what shall I do to get an interest in Christ where is he to be found how is he to be received what are his terms what are his commands do any thing part with any thing you would not then think much to lay down your selves and all that you have at his feet so you might have him none but Christ none but Christ would you then desire and if you might have all the world without him you would not be contented Sinners would you be saved by Christ get your hearts affected with godly sorrow for sin and that you may mourn deeply and kindly you must get not only a conviction of the guilt of sin and the punishment which is due for it which you cannot escape but you must look further into the nature of sin and get a sight and sense of the evil of sin you must look not only to the consequential evil of sin but also to the intrinsecal evil of sin not only to the Hell which is like to follow upon it but also to that Hell which there is in it look to the evil of sin not only as it is like to burn you but as it hath blackt and smutted you as it hath depraved and deformed your souls which are of heavenly original as it hath degraded and debased you polluted and defiled you But chiefly look upon the evil of sin as it reflecteth dishonour upon God upon God that is so holy and glorious and that is so good and gracious as it displeaseth that God that made you that hath exercised so much patience towards you when he could so easily have cut you off in the act of sin and appointed you your place and portion amongst the damned in Hell long ago and that hath moreover been so bountiful to you though sinners and his enemies that he hath maintained you at his cost and charges all your daies but especially see the evil of sin as it offendeth that God who is ready to be reconciled and hath made such provision for reconciliation which you could never have thought of namely through the death and mediation of his Son whom he hath given for you and proffers to give to you and in him doth treat with you and by us Ministers doth send intreaties to you that you would accept of this reconciliation lay down your weapons and be reconciled unto him 2 Cor. 5. 20. Break break ye rocky hearts at this what is God willing indeed to put up such high affronts and to forgive such great sins and doth he stoop to entreat and beseech such mean creatures and wretched sinners as you to be reconciled O be filled with astonishment and admiration and go cast your selves down at his feet with self-loathing and abhorrency at the hideous nature and monstrous ingratitude and baseness of your sins let your hearts melt within you like Wax or Snow when
promised an open reward to such as secretly and sincerely seek him Pray frequently be often upon your knees give your selves unto Prayer begin the day conclude the day with Prayer and recover some other time to visit and speak to God at least mingle ejaculatory Prayer with every other work and labour that your minds may be always in a praying frame and do not withdraw but be glad when an opportunity offereth it self to come to the throne of grace Pray fervently pour forth your hearts before God in the duty wrestle with God in Prayer like Jacob be earnest in your Petitions as for your lives be instant and importunate take no denyal follow hard after God stir up your selves to take hold on him use arguments in Prayer to plead with him Pray believingly mingle your prayers with Faith make use of the name and mediation of Jesus Christ and make application of the Promises which God hath made to his People which he hath made to Faith and which he hath made to Prayer Means 6. Christian Conference Take heed of the company of the wicked from such turn away if you are under tyes to be in such company converse with them as infected persons with an Antidote lest you receive hurt by them and with endeavours of doing them good But choose the company of them that fear God they are the excellent persons the wicked are the Dross of the Earth they are the Gold let your delight be in their society associate chiefly if you have opportunity with such as have most of the power of godliness and labour to improve by their company whenever you come into it endeavour to get light and life and warmth and strength from them take heed of unprofitable discourse but let it be with grace for edification Means 7. Watchfulness Watch unto duty there are some golden seasons for some duties some choice opportunities of doing and receiving good which if once slipt you may never have the like again so long as you live watch that you may know them watch that you may improve them understand the day of your visitation sow your seed whilest the weather lasteth hoist up the sail when the wind bloweth watch the breathings of the Spirit and comply with its motions Watch against sin and therefore keep your hearts with all diligence guard your senses take heed of Satan get on the Spiritual Armour especially the shield of Faith and fight the good fight of Faith that you may lay hold on eternal life Means 8. Sanctification of Fasting-dayes Set apart times to humble your Souls before God in Fasting and Prayer and therein rend your hearts and not your garments labour to afflict your Souls for sin meet God with weeping and supplication cloathe your selves with humility lie in the dust cover your selves with shame loath and abhorr your selves in his sight for your iniquities mourn for your own sins and for the great dishonours of his Name by the sins of others And seek to the Lord both for your selves and for his Church Means 9. Sanctification of Sabbath-dayes Remember to keep holy the Sabbath-day break off timely the day before from worldly employments and be earnest with God to prepare your heart for the day and when the day is come begin and hold on with God from Morning to Night in the publick private and secret duties of his immediate Worship except what time works of necessity and mercy do call for Labour to be in the Spirit and in the fear of God all the day long lay aside worldly business take heed of vain and unprofitable discourse let not the Duties of Religion seem tedious but call the Sabbath your delight begin Heaven-work on such dayes that you may be fitted by these Sabbaths for the Eternal Rest Praise God on these dayes for the works of Creation especially for the work of Redemption and labour to grow in grace by the dews of the Word which fall upon you most plentifully on such dayes Means 10. Improvement of Sacrament-dayes Come frequently to the Table of the Lord if you have opportunity to celebrate the Memorial of Christs Death and come preparedly examine your selves pray for the Wedding-garment read the history of Christs Passion consider such arguments as may be a means to draw forth your graces into exercise and when you are there labour to mourn for sin which hath pierced the Lord to hunger after his righteousness to receive him by Faith to apply the Promises of the Covenant of Grace whereof the Sacrament is a Seal endeavour after a burning love to him whose love hath been so great as to dye for you and let your hearts be filled with joy and your mouths with Praises and deliver up your selves in Covenant unto the Lord in this Ordinance After you come from the Lords Table reflect upon your carriage towards the Lord if you have been straitened endeavour to find out the cause mourn and by after-pains and application of Christ endeavour to get some benefit and prepare better against the next time if you have been enlarged be humble be thankfull be watchfull live up to Obligations draw vertue from Christs death for the crucifying more and more of your flesh with its affections and lusts and fetch influences of grace and spiritual nourishment that you may encrease with the encreases of God Finally be diligent in the use of these and all other means and helps and so at length you shall attain the ultimate end for which they are appointed even your Salvation and Eternal Happiness FINIS
of an infinite Majesty whose Justice is infinite and must be satisfied with a proportionable punishment unto the offence but also you must be convinced that you are such sinners that you have committed such and such sins that you have broken the Law in such a point and such a point and in every point that you are guilty of fornication or drunkenness or theft or covetousness or lying or profaneness and it may be of all these and more than these The first is the conviction of the Law the second the conviction of the Fact then follows the third conviction which is of the State that therefore you are under the Curse that you are condemned that the wrath of God hangeth over your head and that you must be tormented for sin most horribly and eternally in Hell It is the conviction of the dreadfull punishment of Hell which God hath threatned and unto which you are exposed for sin that will awaken you to a sense of your lost state when the conviction is imprinted deep upon you by the Spirit when you believe that Hell is no Fiction but a reality as certainly prepared for the wicked as God is above preparing places in Heaven for his people and you have a peep-hole as it were into Hell and imagine something of the torments which the damned there do and shall endure for such sins as you have committed how they roll and tumble in flames of brimstone how they are lashed by an accusing Conscience tormented with and by the Devil and even consumed by the wrath of a sin-revenging God how they cry roar and howl how they weep and wail and gnash their teeth and that this must be their condition for ever and when withall you think that you are walking upon the brink of this pit and hastening towards the place of these flames that Hell doth belong to you that you are in the number of the cursed crew some of whom have already taken up their lodging in Hell and that you are like to come thither shortly that you are lyable every moment to drop into the burning Lake then you will perceive that you are lost and undone 3. That you may be sensible of your lost estate you must be convinced of your insufficiency to satisfie Gods Justice for your sins if you could do this you might do well enough but this you cannot do Gods Justice is infinite and requireth infinite satisfaction which you being finite are insufficient to give what can you offer to God thousands of Rams rivers of Oyl Mines of Silver Mountains of Gold Rocks of Pearl yea the whole Creation if it should offer it self to be annihilated could not make compensation to Gods Justice for one sin nothing less than infinite must be the satisfaction and therefore this should make you further sensible of your lost estate in your selves 4. You must get a conviction of your inability to resist and defend your selves against God who hath threatned so severely to punish you for sin as Gods Justice is infinite and therefore you cannot satisfie it so his Power is infinite and you cannot resist it who can stand in his sight when once he is angry who can defend himself against an Omnipotent arm If God whet his glittering Sword and his hand take hold on vengeance what Powers of Earth are strong enough to make resistance Read how God expresseth himself concerning such as set themselves against him Isa 27. 4. Who would set the bryars and thorns against me in battel I would go thorow them I would burn them together Look upon your selves as briars and thorns yea as dryed stubble before a consuming fire which hath no power to resist the flame and therefore that you are lost and undone in your selves because of your sins 5. You must get a conviction of the impossibility of your fleeing from and escaping Gods wrath which hath you in pursuit whither can you go from his presence or whither can you flee from his anger and indignation See Amos 9. 2 3. Though they dig into Hell thence shall mine hand take them though they climb up into Heaven thence will I bring them down and though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel I will search and take them out thence and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the Sea thence will I command the Serpent and he shall bite them You cannot flee into any place but God will follow you you cannot hide your selves in any place but God will finde you there is as little hopes of escaping Gods Wrath as of resisting his Power See Psal 21. 8 9. Thine hand shall finde out all thine enemies not only some but all sinners thy right hand shall finde out them that hate thee Thou shalt make them as a fiery Oven in the time of thine angers the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath and the fire shall devour them By this time sinners methinks you should perceive your selves to be lost and un-done all refuge now fails you there is no escaping for you 6. But lastly that you may fully know that you are in a lost estate you must get conviction that as yet you have no interest in Christ who alone can deliver you from the wrath of God which is to come upon the ungodly Indeed Christ can and doth deliver his people from wrath and the punishment their sins have deserved but when you know that you are out of Christ then you may know you are in a lost estate if you suppose that you have an interest in him without good grounds you are like to be lost irrecoverably and not know it till it be too late therefore you must know that as yet you have no interest in him that all your pretensions to him have been presumptuous conceits that so you may be lost in your own apprehensions Can you think you have an interest in Christ that never truly mourned for sin that never hungred after Christ that have no true Faith to apply him have you interest in Christ that have no true Love to Christ and never yielded subjection to Christ Have you interest in Christ that have no Influence from Christ have you Union to Christ that have no Communion with him No no all you that are Unbelievers and have persisted hitherto in a sinfull course are strangers unto Christ and therefore be convinced that you are in a lost estate And O how should fear and trembling possess you through the apprehensions of the dreadfull wrath of God how should you go up and down like condemned malefactors that are condemned to Hell and know not how soon they may be dragged to execution O what reason have you to lye down in terrour and rise up in terrour and feed upon terrour all the day long Such thoughts as these are suitable to the condition of such as you It may be the next step I take I may step into Hell Alas Alas I am in a state
the Wayes of Gods Commandements 1. You must be stedfast and persevere in the wayes of Truth in the belief of the Truths of the Word without turning aside into wayes of Errour there are wayes of Errour which will lead you as certainly and more securely to Hell than the wayes of open profaneness The Apostle tells us of damnable errours as well as open damnable sins 2 Pet. 2. 1. and we read of some that are damned for believing a lye that their delusion hath been the cause of their damnation 2 Thess 2. 11 12. The Devil leads as many as he can in the cords of more gross and known sins towards the place of endless misery but if any of them begin to perceive their thraldom and danger if their eyes be a little opened and Conscience awakened and hearts affected and they are perswaded to look after their salvation then he endeavours to draw them into wayes of Errour he hath his Agents and Ministers who are very subtle and crafty and lye in wait to deceive who with good words and fair speeches insinuate poysonous doctrines and pretending more glorious discoveries higher and more excellent wayes draw them out of the way of the Word and Ordinances into paths of darkness where they wander and lose themselves for ever where they are tossed up and down and beaten to and fro with every winde of doctrine unto the shipwrack of their Faith and their Souls As you hope for salvation you must take heed of Errour diligently inquire after Truth search for it as for silver and digg for it as for hidden treasures digg for it in the golden Mines of the Scriptures let the Word of God be the only Rule of your Faith and having found the Truth keep it hold it fast labour to fix it in your mindes let it be as a girdle about your loins lay it up in your heart let it be rooted there apply your selves to Christ as a Prophet to lead you by his Word and Spirit into all Truth and to keep you from being deceived and deluded and keep close to the Ministery and Ordinances of Christs Institution which the Lord hath appointed to continue unto the end of the World for the edifying establishment and perfecting of the Saints Eph. 4. 11 12 13 14. 2. You must be stedfast and persevere in the wayes of Gods Commandements you must patiently continue in well-doing if you would obtain immortal glory Rom. 2. 7. you must endure to the end if you would be saved Matth. 10. 22. you must be faithfull unto the death if you would gain the Crown of life Rev. 2. 10. It is absolutely necessary unto salvation that you hold out in the wayes of God none but such which come to the end of the race will obtain the prize the Gate of Heaven lyeth at the further not the hither end of the Holy Path therefore you must stedfastly persevere in this way if you should fall down you must rise again and go on if you should fall back or through mistake turn aside you must return again and make the more haste but if you should fall off if you should fall away as some have done who have seemed very zealous and forward Christians as to the outward Profession you are lost you are cast-awayes and you will tumble and fall down into the bottomless Pit from whence there is no returning Be not then followers of them that draw back to perdition but of them that believe to the saving of the Soul Heb. 10. 39. Be followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the Promises Heb. 6. 12. It is a glorious Inheritance that is before you that is promised and prepared in Heaven let this encourage you to diligence and perseverance unto the end I shall conclude with the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 58. Therefore my beloved Brethren be stedfast unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Thus I have given you Directions What things you must do that you may be saved CHAP. VI. II. THE Second and last thing for your guidance in the way of Salvation is To shew you what Means you must make use of to help you in these things There are Ten Means to be used in order to the attaining of Salvation 1. Self-examination 2. Reading the Word of God and other good books 3. Hearing the Word Preached 4. Meditation 5. Prayer 6. Christian-conference 7. Watchfulness 8. Sanctification of Fasting-dayes 9. Sanctification of Sabbath-dayes 10. Improvement of Sacrament-dayes Means 1. Self-examination You must examine your selves if you would see your selves lost you may read the mistake of the Laodiceans Rev. 3. 17. Thou sayest I am rich and encreased in goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched miserable and poor and blinde and naked You must examine and prove your spiritual state that you may have a right judgement thereof that you may perceive how poor and wretched and miserable you are whilest you are in a state of Nature You must examine your selves that you may get a sight and sense of sin Jer. 8. 6. I hearkned and heard but they spake not aright no man repented him of his wickedness saying What have I done every one turned to his course as the Horse rusheth into the battel You must examine what you have done if you would repent of your sins you must search and try your wayes if you would turn from your evil wayes you must commune with your hearts and come to your selves with the Prodigal if you would return unto God and turn your feet unto his Testimonies Be serious then in this great duty of Self-examination and that you may be so I would advise that you would set apart time for it when your thoughts are most free and affections most sedate and quiet get out of the hurry of the world and lay aside other business for a while and withall separate your selves from company and retire into secret where you may be free from external disturbances and interruptions whatever indispositions and withdrawments of heart you finde force your selves to the work resist Satan who will endeavour to divert and discourage you Set your selves in the presence of God desire him to search you beg his help in the duty labour to keep your minde close to it if vain thoughts arise and would hurry you away look up to Christ to rebuke them and to bring them into captivity and obedience unto himself And then sit down and seriously consider what you have done ever since you came into the World and withall think with your selves what you will do when your life and this world shall come to an end Take a review of your sins they are noted down upon the book of your Consciences peruse this book and if you extracted a Catalogue of your sins it might be a help to you Note down your original sin