frequent the means of grace I mean the Ministry of the word that being the ordinary instrument whereby the Spirit of God who is the principal Author of grace doth convey grace into the hearts of sinners Whereupon the Apostle Peter affirmeth 1 Pet. 1. 23 That we are born a new not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God Where by being born a new is meant such a thorow change in us whereby we are brought out of the state of nature into the state of grace and so are made new Creatures having an infusion of new and holy habits or supernatural graces put into our hearts which blessing is ordinarily wrought in us through the Ministry of the Word Acts 2. 41. We read of three thousand sinners who had grace wrought in their souls by one Sermon Yea Acts 10. 44. It is said Whilest Peter was preaching the Holy Ghoss fell on all them that heard the Word And therefore O Young man as thou desirest true saving grace frequent the Ministry of the word take all occasions of hearing the same hoth in season and out of season And for thine incouragement know that as graceless and prophane hearts as thine have been sanctified by the Spirit of God as they have been attending upon the Ministry of the Word And who knoweth but thou maist find the same effect of the Word upon thy soul whilst thou art waiting upon it 3. Beware thou neglect not the day of grace There are certain seasons of Grace when the Lord makes tenders and offers of grace to the Souls of poor sinners Yea there is no man that lives in the bosome of the Church but probably he hath his critical day a certain time for grace which if he neglect it is a question whether ever it will be offered to him again Happy therefore and thrice happy are they who observe those seasons of grace and know in their day the things that concern their everlasting peace Now it may he God speaks home to thy Conscience now he warms thine heart and puts thereinto good purposes and resolutions It will be therefore thy wisedome carefully to observe and improve the same to thy Souls advantage not suffering them carelesly to pass away lest if thou lose the benefit of those blessed motions thou lose life and salvation for ever Luke 19. 41 42. Our Saviour tells the Jews they had a day of grace which because they slighted and neglected they should never enjoy it again the means of grace and salvation should be no more offered unto them God being a just God is it not just that he should reject them for ever who have for a long time rejected him that he should turn a deaf ear unto them crying unto him on their death beds for grace and mercy who would not hearken unto him calling upon them in the day of his merciful visitation Whilest therefore the day of grace lasteth whilest God stands knocking at the door of thine heart by the motions of his Spirit and admonitions of his Ministers speedily open to him embrace his motions be willing to follow the dictates of his Spirit in ways of obedience Thou knowest not when thy day of graee will end Though some mens day continueth to their old age some to the day of their death yet some mens day of grace may end in their youth and younger years Thy first day may be thine only day for Heaven loyter out that and thence forth it may be night with thee for ever Therefore O young man how doth it concern thee to take the first and present season Now hearken now accept and submit to mercy now give thy self unto God be his faithful servant to obey and serve him with all thy heart and strength or the day may be lost and thy soul lost for ever Behold now is the accepted time now is the day of salvation Thou knowest not what a day may bring forth thou maist suddenly be taken from the means of grace or the means of grace may be suddenly taken from thee The Sun of heavenly light which now shineth may set and thou be left in darkness The gate of mercy now opened to thee may be shut against thee The things belonging to thy peace may be hid from thee There is a time coming and we know not how near it is in which as Christ saith many shall seek to enter in and shall not be able Luke 13. 24. Oh what woful yelling what pitiful crying and earnest knocking will there be then at the gate with Lord Lord open to us But all in vain having slighted and neglected their day of grace when they should have got Oyle into their Lamps and grace into their hearts 4. Be earnest with God in prayer who is the God of all grace that be would be pleased to vouchsafe unto thee his holy sanctifying Spirit which may quicken thy dead soul infuse the grace of life and make thee partaker of his holiness whereby thou maist become a new Creature Beg of God that he would not put thee off with the things of this world but together with his outward blessings or whether thou have them or not that he would bless thee with spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus and that he would inrich thee in the Inner man with his saving and sanctifying graces What the Apostle Iames saith of Wisdom is true of all grace If any one lack it let him asâ—… of God that giveth to all men liberally and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not and it shall be given him Jam. 1. 5. O young man may grace be had for asking Ask and ask again never keep silence nor let fall thy suit till thou hast obtained And in thy Prayers plead that gracious promise Isa. 44. 3. I will pour Water upon him that is thirsty and flouds upon the dry ground That is where there is no sap of grace nor moisture of goodness upon such saith the Lord will I pour out my water my living water my grace shall flow down upon him and his soul shall be as a well watered garden Go therefore thou poor sinful soul who never yet to this day hadst one drop of grace within thee go thou to the Throne of Grace go to the Fountain of Grace lament thy sinful barren heart before God and plead his promise of pouring the spiritual water of grace upon the barren thirsty soul say unto him Lord make good this good promise unto me behold the dry and barren heart upon which no dew or rain from above hath ever fallen pity this hard and parched soul a drop Lord a drop from the fountain of living water God of grace give grace unto me and effectually work it in me And know for thy comfort that if God hath given thee a sense of the want of grace and an heart to pray for it it is an hopeful sign that he intends to bestow it on thee 5. Stir up in thy soul an earnest longing desire after grace To that
of Christ and of God Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleanness inordinate affection evil concupiscense for which things sake the wrath of God cometh upon the Children of disobedience Col. 3. 5 6. Where the Apostle assures us that men living and continuing impenitently in filthiness and uncleanness shall not escape the wrath of God whose wrath is a consuming fire which shall burn to the bottom of Hell And Heb. 13. 4. Marriage is honourable in all and the Bed undefiled but Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge And Rev. 21. 8. it is said Whoremongers and Adulterers shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Thus you see how sorely this sin is threatned in the Word of God 3. The Iudgments God hath executed upon men for this sin of uncleanness shew the heynousness thereof For this sin the Lord brought a flood of water upon the old World Gen. 6. 2 3. For this sin the Lord rained Fire and Brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah Gen. 19. 5 24. God saw it meet that they who burned with the fire of Lust should be consumed with the fire of Vengeance We read this sin cut off three and twenty thousand of the Israelites in one day 1 Cor. 10. 8. Neither let us commit Fornication as some of them committed and fell in one day three and twenty thousand As there is no resolved sinner but God follows him with his Judgments so he follows Whoremongers and Adulterers with strange punishments Witness that strange loathsom disease so common amongst them which was not heard of till these latter Ages O Young Man let the many threatnings in Gods Word and the various judgments he hath executed upon Whoremongers and Adulterers make thee afraid and turn this filthy pleasure into a dread and terrour to thee Come not near the house of the strange Woman remember that the dead are there and that her Guests are in the depths of Hell Prov. 9. 18. 4. There is no sin that is so directly opposite to holiness and to the holy Spirit of God as this Nor any sin that makes us so like the Devil who is often in the Evangelists called the unclean Spirit Matth. 10. 1. and 12. 43. Both because he very much delighteth in uncleanness and likewise maketh it his chief design to intice and draw men thereunto III. The danger of this sin appeareth from the sad effects and consequents of it some whereof are these 1. It bringeth judgements on the body destroying its health and strength filling it with rotteness it is the seminary of many incurable diseases For the flame of Lust consumeth the Vital moisture and the unnatural fire of burning Concupiscence extinguisheth the natural heat which two are the Fountain of Life and Strength An Incontinent person is the sink of all Corruption a bag of Filth and Rotteness and hath more diseases attending him than an Hospital For the righteous God hath appointed that they who sow to the flesh should of the flesh reap a plentiful Harvest of Corruption 2. As it causeth a Corruption in the body so likewise a Consumption in the goods and estate of a man Who so keepeth company with Harlots spendeth his Substance Prov. 29. 3. Lust not therefore saith Solomon after a strange woman in thine heart for by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread Prov. 6. 26. Thus it was with the Prodigal who no sooner fell into the company of Harlots but presently consumed and wasted all his substance and was reduced to such extream Poverty that his desire was but to be fellow-Commoner with the Swine of all Creatures the most nasty and filthy that he might fill his belly with their husks Wantonness is usually accompanied with want partly because it is a sin which bringeth the curse of God upon a mans estate and partly because it is many wayes a costly sin much being spent in feasting and Revelling besides gifts and rewards When Lais that famous Curtizan of Corinth asked Demosthenes a great sum of money to lye with her one night he answered her wisely that he would not buy repentence at so dear a rate 3. As this sin bringeth a Consumption on the body and goods so likewise doth it bring a rotten reputation on the name and a reproach never to be done away For be his proper name what it will a Whore-master will be his common name Prov. 6. 33. Whoso committeth Adultery lacketh understanding a wound and dishonour shall he get that is He shall be wounded in his name and credit and his reproach shall not be wiped away that is the disgrace which he hath brought upon himself by his filthiness and uncleanness shall abide upon him Though the wound may be cured by repentence and the pouring into it the precious balm of Christ's blood yet the scar in his name and reputation will remain 4. It brings destruction on a mans soul hurrying it into eternal torments in Hell the fire of Lust is fuel for the fire of Hell He that committeth Adultery with a woman destroyeth his own soul saith the Wise man Prov. 6. 22. that is casteth himself headlong both body and soul into that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Sinner that fire below as hot as 't is would if it be well considered be a cooler to this fire of Lust. When thou feelest Lust burn within thee then think of everlasting burnings O young man dost thou love thy self or any thing that thou hast Dost thou love thy body abstain then from Fornication and uncleanness whereby thou sinnest against thine own body and bringest a Consumption and Rottenness upon it Dost thou love thy goods then flee Fornication which is like to leave thee a beggar Dost thou love thy credit abstain for it is a dishonourable sin and will mark thee for one of the fools in Israel and cause thy name to rot and stink above ground Lastly dost thou love thy soul abstain for that it 's carrying down to the depth of hell IV. For the Remedies against this sin the Scripture affordeth many I shall hint some of the most principal 1. Resist those wanton and unclean thoughts which do either arise from thine own wicked heart or are cast in by Satan Do not revolve them in thy mind nor suffer them to lodge within thee but with detestation presently reject them and cast them away If thou canst not prevent them in their conception let it be thy care to destroy them in their birth that so they may prove abortive If thou suffer them to live they will receive growth and strength to thine utter perdition Who having fire cast into his bosome will not so soon as he discerneth it cast it out Quench these sparks at their first kindling lest they break out into such a flame which will not be quenched 2. Be very watchful as over thy outward senses so especially over thine eyes which are the
Oh how sad a sight is it to see men making a Profession of Religion instead of adorning the same with a godly life disgracing it and denying the power thereof in their loose and carnal conversation Let such talk what they will of their Faith that they do believe in Jesus Christ and therefore doubt not their condition is as good as the best yet let them know that that Faith will not save them which brings not forth a godly life Though Faith alone justifies yet Faith which is alone not accompanied with good works doth not justifie nor save It is a dead Faith Jam. 2. 20. Wilt thou hope to live by that Faith which is dead Young men let it not content you to be only believing but be doing Christians be not professing only but be living Believers Hast thou Grace prove that thy Grace is true by this that thou hast not received the Grace of God in vain Let thy love prove thy Faith and thy labours of love prove thy love and the fruit of thy labours prove that thou hast not either believed or laboured in vain Be a Christian for action let Religion be not only thy Profession but thy business Let it not be the business of thy Sabbaths or of thy praying times but let it be the ordinary business of thy life let thy whole course evidence that Godliness is not an Airy or empty notion an insignificant and useless form or shew but that there is a spirit of life and power in it which worketh in thee mightily That thy actions and the way of thy life may be according to Godliness I shall give thee 1. Some general 2. Some particular Directions General Directions are these 1. Ingage thy self deeply in a design for Eternity Resolve for Heaven and the way that leads to it Be not longer a man for this world but for the Everlasting Kingdom and study out with plainness of heart what is the surest way to the blessedness to come and what ever thou findest it to be what ever Objections thou meetest with against it let that be thy way Studiously consider how thou mayst get into that way and contrive and cast about how thou mayst effectually make progress in it Godliness is the way to blessedness and therefore let that be thy great study how thou mayst live godly Till thou hast in good earnest taken up a godly design thou wilt never do any thing to purpose in it The most of men are so far from living a godly life that they have not yet designed any such thing Some good may be done at times by them but it is only as it falls in their way by accident rather than upon any serious good intent This God regards not at all nothing is acceptable to him no nor like to be profitable to us but what is done upon design upon this godly design When the series or course of our actions do as the several Links in a Chain all hang together and draw all one way then there 's like to be something done to purpose When there is only some little good scattered up and down here a Link of the Chain and there another but not joyned in a Chain together they will not help us on our way Let that therefore be your first care take up an heavenly design and therein let all your particular acts of Religion hang together 2. Let thy whole life be a prosecuting and serving thy godly design And that thou mayst the more effectually prosecute it and prosper in it 1. Let Faith and Love be the Root of thy life and the several actions of it 2. Let the Word and Will of God be the rule of thy actions 3. Let the glorifying and injoying God be the end of them 1. Let Faith and Love be the root of thy actions 1. Let Faith be the root of them 1 Tim. 1. 5. The end of the Commandment is Charity out of a pure heart and a good Conscience and Faith unfeigned Heb. 11. 6. without Faith it is impossible to please God Our persons must be accepted first before our actions and neither the one nor the other will be accepted without Faith in Christ Heb. 11. 4. A godly life and a life of Faith are the same A life of Faith hath its Original from above is fetch'd down from Christ and is maintained and carried on by a continual supply of fresh influences from him without whom we can do nothing If thou wilt live godly thou must look to Christ and lean on Christ and go to Christ for all thy strength and motion A Christian is beholding to Christ for every good motion he moves for every Grace he hath and for every good duty he doth Carnal Professors are beholding only to their Books or their Teachers or their Acquaintance or their Parts their Understanding their Memories c. Nay it may be to their Flesh and their Lusts for all their Religion they would not pray as they do nor take such pains to hear as they do nor profess as they do did not their pride or their covetousness or their company prompt and press them to it But the Religion of a sincere Christian whatever advantage it may have from Books or Teachers or good Society yet it springs and rises all from Christ. That Faith which is their Root uniting them to Christ doth also as their root suck such spirits and sap and strength from Christ and convey it to their Souls that they are thereby furnished for and quickned to every good 〈◊〉 Let it be thus with thee O Soul let thy Faith iâ—… Christ be the root from whence all thy actions and 〈◊〉 strength for action comes 2. Let Love be the root of thy life Let thy duties be the works of Faith and labours of Love The love of Christ constraineth us 2 Cor. 5. 14. Christians love Christ both his Person and holy ways and thence 't is they follow him so fast They love to be holy and therefore follow Holiness they love to pray and love to hear and love to labour for Christ and to watch with Christ and walk with him and therefore 't is they live a Praying Hearing Labouring Watchful life Love quickens them to duty and love sweetens every duty Young Man thou wilt never bear through the hard services and great severities of a godly life thou wilt never â—…old out in that constant care labour watchfulness self-denial which Religion will put thee upon unless thy love to Christ do quicken thee on and sweeten all to thee Carnal Professors whatever they do they do all for fear or from force or fashion they would be bad enough or do little enough if they did dare if they were not afraid or ashamed or were it not from the influence of some things external upon them Though thou also must make use of fear and all manner of Arguments and helps to lead and press on thy backward heart yet see to it that thy love
special relative duties which are incumbent upon Masters and Governours of Families in reference to those under their charge A. 1. Let your houses be daily perfumed by a Morning and Evening Sacrifice of Prayer and Praise unto God Both which were appointed under the Law Exod. 29. 38 39. and this shadowed what was to be performed under the Gospel God renews his mercies to you every Morning and protects you every night from manifold dangers whereunto you are subject and can you be so ungrateful and unmindful of him who is every moment so mindful of you as not to offer up unto him a Morning and an Evening Sacrifice 2. Let the Word of God be frequently read in your Families which is not only the Foundation of Faith and the Well-spring of Saving Wisdom but also the ground of Godliness and the Guide of Practice able to make you wise unto Salvation 2 Tim. 3. 15. We cry out against the Pope and Popish Clergy for locking up the Scriptures in an unknown Tongue from the Laity not suffering them to have a Bible in their Mother-tongue whereas many Masters amongst us deal much alike with those under their charge who if they do not lock up the Scriptures from them yet neither do they unlock them to them by causing them to be read among them Certainly did you seriously consider the benefit that might redound to your servants by a frequent hearing the Word read you could not but be more frequent therein Are any of them addicted to Drunkenness Lying or Swearing who knows but upon hearing the threaâ—…nings in Gods Word denounced against those sins they mâ—…y for the â—…ime to come abhor and avoid the same Or are any of thy servants unprofitable and disobedient unto thee who knows but upon hearing the duties of servants read out of the Word of God where they are commanded to be obedient to their Masters in all things and to serve them not with eye-service as men-pleasers but as the servants of Christ with singleness of heart as Ephes. 5. 5 6. they may become more obedient and profitable unto thee So that methinks for thine own good as well as theirs thou shouldst cause the Word to be frequently read in thy Family 3. Set some time apart in every Week to Catechize those under thy charge teaching them the chief Principles of Religion than which there is no better means to keep them from the errours of the times If he be worse than an Infidel who provides not for the bodies of those in his Family what then is he who takes no care of their Souls neglecting to instruct them in the Principles of the Oracles of God Content not thy self with a dead distracted manner of serving God but stir up thy self to a lively spiritual performing those holy duties thou takest in hand To draw near unto God with our bodies and honour him with our lips when our hearts and spirits are removed from him is no better than a mocking of God which he abhors and detests V. As a means and help for the constant performing these Family-duties have special care of the choice of thy Yoke-sellow that thou marry a Vertuous woman one who is related to Christ at least one that liketh and approveth the best things If thy Wife be not a promoter of Godliness in the Family she will be a hinderer thereof The Scripture in setting forth the wickedness of Iehoram renders this as the reason thereof that he had the Daughter of Ahab to Wife 2 Chron. 21. 6. Therefore O Young Man in seeking after a Wife it will be thy wisdom 1. To look more after righteousness than after riches to inquire more after her Piety than after her Portion to know rather with what Religion she is indued than with what Estate she is indowed Alas what is the richest Portion the most exquisite Beauty and the rarest parts in comparison of a mind inobled with Grace and Verâ—…ue A Wife as well as an Husband is the greatest outward comfort or cross in the world So that to err once in the choice of a Wife is in a manner to be undone for ever Therefore O Young Man be sure thou seek unto God by Prayer for his direction and assistance in this great work upon which much of thy future happiness or misery doth depend 2. Next to Piety Prudence and Discretion is to be looked at in a Wife For wisdom exceeds solly as much as light exceeds darkness Eccles. 2. 13. And indeed what is Beauty without discretion but as a Iewel of Gold in a Swines snout Prov. 11. 22. And Solomon by way of commendation setteth forth a prudent Wife to be a special gift and principal blessing of God such as excelleth all other temporal blessings whatsoever 3. Marriage-affection requires some external amiableness that she be a pleasing person in whom thou mayst delight Though as the Wise Man speaketh Prov. 31. 30. favour be deceitful and beauty vain because they are subject many ways to decay and vanish away yet favour and beauty may serve for the rooting and settling of affection at the first 4. In regard that Marriage is the Foundation of a Family and Posterity a Portion is not to be contemned though not chiefly to be desired Therefore in seeking a Wife let not wealth and riches be chiefly in thine eye as if thou wert going about a Purchase and wert to Wed not the Woman but her Wealth but look more to her inward goodness than to her worldly goods Lastly For a conclusion of the whole In the careful observation of all these directions give diligence to make thy Calling and Election sure It will not suffice me to press thee to do something that so thou mayst have hope I would perswade thee to thy whole duty that so thou mayst have assurance that it shall be well with thee And less than I have here advised thee to will not suffice thee to make sure for everlasting He must be an Universal Christian that will be an assured Christian there is as much required to assurance as is required in the whole Scripture Well what sayst thou wilt thou henceforth adventure thy Soul on conjectural and deceitful hopes or wilt thou set to it to make sure for Heaven What shall I say more to perswade thee Give me leave e're I dismiss thee to urge upon thee an argument or two Whatever thou hast to do here make sure for hereafter For. 1. Nothing temporal can be made sure 2. If things eternal be made sure it 's no great matter though things temporal remain at the greatest uncertainties 1. Nothing temporal can be made sure This World is a World of uncertainties The riches of it are uncertain riches 2 Tim. 6. 17. The pleasures of it are uncertain pleasures worldly Friends are uncertain Friends The Wheel of Providence is ever turning Now one 's at the top of the Wheel and then another and another and he that was just now at the top by