my Discourse All that may be said to manifest this truth unto you may be comprehended in those few Lines with which I concluded my former Sermon on this Text True Faith Roots all Feare out of a Christians Heart and turnes all his Expectation into Hope even through the strength of this Perswasion that All things worke together for Good to them that love GOD and also that Himselfe is One of Them I have now Finished the Doctrine I raised from this Text That Faith enables a man to draw Comfort from all the objects of his Thoughts Having shewne you Particularly how the Faithfull take Comfort in all things that concerne themselves from whence as I said in the beginning of my Former Sermon you may easily apprehend how they may also Comfort themselves in the Notice they take of other things as of all those Workes of Providence which they see in the Affaires of the World c. therefore I shall not extend my Discourse to any of them but proceed to application And here I shall speake first to the Faithfull those that have taken CHRIST'S Yoke upon them utterly renouncing the Filthy Conversation of the Wicked those who Mind Earthly things absolutely resolving to Walke with GOD in true Holinesse and Righteousnesse all their dayes And if at any time being Overborne by some sudden and impetuous Temptations as the Best of Christians often are they Fall back into any Uncleannesse not like Swine in the myre to Wallow in it but to Repent and to Cry unto God their Father to help them up to * Purifie their hearts by Faith to wash and Cleanse them by his Spirit in the * Blood of JESUS CHRIST His Sonne Then I shall speake to those that Go on in the Wayes of the Ungodly those that * Regard Iniquity in their Heart those that do not absolutely resolve never to Allow themselves in any One Knowne Sinne Praying continually that God would so strengthen them by his Grace that their Iniquities may not Prevaile against them that if they have been Drunkards they may be Drunke no more if they have beene Wantons they may be Wanton no more if they have been * Desirous of Vaine Glory provoking envying their Brethren they may be such no more if they have delighted themselves in Foolish Talking or Jesting * or that Elaborate Scurrility and Witty malice in which some men of Parts and Learning Exercise their Invention then which what can be more Opposite to The Spirit of meekenesse to the Calme and Sweet Nature of the LAMBE and the DOVE that they may do so no more Briefly to speake in the * Apostles words that Denying ungodlinesse and worldly Lusts they may live soberly righteously and godlily Those that have not taken such a resolution and such I feare are some of you I must reckon amongst the Wicked If therefore any of you are conscious to your selves that you are such as here I have Described Apply to your selves I beseech you for the good of your Immortall Soules what I shall speake in the second place but first as I said but now I shall speake to the Faithfull c. Beloved Brethren You know by Experience the truth I have spoken E're since you took CHRIST'S Yoke upon you have you not found Rest unto your Soules E're since you Bare that Easie yoke since your Hearts stood in * awe of GOD's Word Have you not found your selves most Sweetly and Gently and yet most Powerfully Restrained from Following the Track of your Lusts and Extravagant Affections from Breaking over the Inclosures of a strict and holy Conversation to * Run with the men of the world to the same excesse of Riot In a word have you not found all your Christian thoughts in what Subject soever you have imployed them to Worke Comfort for your soules Surely you have good thoughts are the Beames of the SUN's OF RIGHTEOUSNES which Stream forth continually upon the Hearts of Christians to warm Comfort them and to cherish and to make to Grow the Fruits of the Spirit Well my Brethren hath the Holy one of Israel the Great and Glorious GOD Shewne himselfe so Gratious to you Sinfull Creatures Dust and Ashes wormes and no men as to send his Beloved SON into the World to Dye for you by Faith in whose Blood you Rejoyce in some measure even in this Vale of Teares this miserable life and shall shortly even when a few dayes are past be inhabitants of Heaven see the Face of GOD * In whose presence there is fulnesse of joy and at whose right hand there are pleasures for evermore Well my Brethren hath GOD Dealt so Bountifully with you and will you not love him will you not with all the Powers of your Soule Warre against your Lusts that you may be no more as formerly you have been what ever Temptations befall you Lovers of Pleasures more then Lovers of God I beseech you Brethren by the Mercies of GOD by all that Sweetnesse Love and Favour of His towards you that your Soules have ever Tasted That you would This Day Renew your Vowes Resolve afresh To Love the LORD your God with All your Heart That You may no more Judg of Things as the Vulgar doe amongst whom give me leave to reckon most of those that are commonly Accounted Great Scholars or Fine Gentlemen that you may not Esteem any Action Wise Prudent Noble or any way Praise-worthy and becoming a Generous Spirit but what is done To the Glory of God 1 Cor. 10.31 in Defiance of the Wicked WORLD And on the other side That you may Account nothing Base Sordid and Degenerous but what is Done in Compliance with your own Lusts or the Vaine Humours of other men contrary to the Commands of that All-Glorious Majesty to whom we Owe Homage for the Air we Breath In Him we Live and move and have our being Acts 17.28 And as for those Absurd Fellowes who own the Name of CHRISTIANS and yet Delight in scorning You and call you Puritanes and I know not what You must be so farre from being Fierce and Raging against Them from thinking of Revenge c. that you must from the heart Pity them as it may be they say they Pity you for your Weaknesse and imprudence as they terme your Wisedome and Spirituall Understanding you must I say heartily Pity such men and Pray for Them as Your Fellow Creatures yea as Your Brethren in ADAM who miserably expose Themselves to the Utmost Danger of Everlasting Destruction Ah Poore Soules What Madnesse and Folly hath possessed Them Doe They say they Believe that there is an HEAVEN and an HELL and yet esteem those for a Ridiculous sort of people Who by what they Write Talke or Do for the most part plainly Discover that their Mind is wholy Bent upon This that They may Enter into the Kingdome of GOD Poore Soules Simple Ones indeed Doe They say They Believe that the
my selfe Necessitated as it were to set his Faith on Worke to procure Comfort for him whilst Without he finds nothing but Poverty and Distresse what Spirituall Delight and Sweetnesse such a man may Suck out of these Brests of Consolations as the Scripture expression is thinke you who are true Believers Joy in the Holy Ghost in which as in effect I said but now commonly those Christians most abound who possesse least of the Things of the World No man can ever fully expresse and none but such as you can in any measure rightly conceive I come now to shew you that Sicknesse also affords matter of Comfort to any true Believer This truth I might easily make appeare unto you many wayes but because I shall hasten to the Application wherein I shall spend more time then ordinary I shall onely mention one Reason of it Sicknesse you know naturally puts a man in mind of Death and what can be more Comfortable to a Syncere Christian then the thoughts of that What can be more Comfortable to a Child of GOD then the thoughts of that happy time when he shall Goe Home to his Father when he shall fully enjoy his Maker and his Redeemer To speake more at large A Syncere Christian whose thoughts his Heart being as it were Set on Fire with Love to God continually Fly upward as Sparkes towards Heaven Usually when he Feeles any Paine presently considers the Naturall Frailty and Mortality of his Body thereupon his Soule Rejoyces in this Hope that shortly when a Few * Dayes are past She shall cast it off from her as that which so Clogs and Hinders her and deprives her of that Vigour and Quicknesse which she desires in her Spirituall Operations in the Service of her Maker which she is mainly yea wholly intent upon Now Beloved if Death be so Desirable to a true Christian Judge yee what Comfort his Sicknesse affords him which continually supplies him with fresh thoughts and strong Apprehensions of Mortality And thus I have briefly demonstrated unto you that a Christians Faith is able to extract Comfort out of those two things which are so terrible to the generality of Men Poverty and Sicknesse I am now to shew you how this Victorious Grace by which we Overcome the World softens unto us also that other Hard Thing DISGRACE or the Losse of our Good-Name and Esteem amongst men making the Sowernesse of the Worlds carriage towards us serve us as it were for Sauce at the Feast of our Good Conscience The heavyest Disgrace or Infamy which in this life a Child of GOD lyes under is occasioned by these or the like meanes A Report that he hath beene guilty of some notorious Basenesse and Impiety or a Misconceit of his good Actions which proceeding from such Principles as Carnall men who are by farre the greatest part of the World are in no wise able to Apprehend cannot but be Misconstrued Hence it is that they Nick-Name all his Vertues endeavour to render him most Odious and Contemptible for those Actions by which he knows himselfe chiefly to deserve Love and Respect from all those that are truly Noble and Heavenly-minded Thus when a Christian shewes himselfe Humble how do the men of the World mistake him for a Sneaking mean-spirited fellow when Magnanimous for Proud and selfe-conceited If the Infamy a Christian suffers be occasioned by such a Report as I mentioned but now if it be true he Comforts himselfe in it upon this account that it is unto him a continuall Memento to Repent and Bemoane himselfe for the Commission of that Sin and to Rejoyce in GOD by whose Spirit he is perswaded that his Sins are forgiven him If the Report be false the Abused Christian greatly Rejoyces in the Thoughts of that Grace which Restrained him from that Action of which hee is supposed to be Guilty into which if he had been left to himselfe he might have Rushed * As the Horse Rusheth into the Battell being Naturally prone to every thing that is Evill Another Ground of the Comfort a Godly man takes in such a Case is that he finds himselfe often Stirr'd up to Pray unto GOD saying with Holy DAVID Hold up my goings in thy paths * that my Footsteps slip not upon this consideration that there are so many that would Rejoyce over him if he should but Fall These and a thousand other occasions of Comfort do the Godly apprehend to Lighten their hearts to delight their Soules whensoever they reflect upon those heavy Censures Calumnies and Revilings with which they are continually Loaden The more the World hates them the stronger apprehensions they have of the Favour of GOD He is their * Covert from storme and from raine In him they Rest secure from the Stormy Wind of all those Ill Reports Calumnies and Reproaches they heare continually raised against them with such a kind of Delight as a man hath when he lyes Warme in his Bed and hearkens to a Tempest But now as for that Misconceit which all the World hath of the Good Actions of Pious men as for that Shame which they must expect as they are Christians constantly to suffer for discovering their Zeale for GOD and their Fiery indignation against any Allowed wickednesse amongst those with whom they converse being usually accounted Phreneticke Hot-headed fellowes for contemning the things of the World Childish and Imprudent for Disdaining to be guided by mere Example in any Course they take Proud and Haughty for separating themselves from Vaine Conversation Singular and Self-conceited As for this I say it is so farre from troubling those that are Christians indeed that they exceedingly Rejoyce in it Remembring those words of their Saviour * Blessed are yee when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evill against you falsly for my sake Rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in Heaven for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you I shall now conclude this point that a true Christian takes Comfort in the Apprehension of his Present Estate shewing you to confirme you in the Apprehension of this most Usefull Truth the Generall Cause and Well-head of all those streames of Consolation which continually flow into his Soule whensoever he reflects upon the condition he is in here it is he is assur'd through Faith that The Great GOD the Author and Disposer of all things Loves him and will love him for ever and hereupon he assumes this confidence that the condition he is in is that which at This Time is Best for Him As for the last Proposition that I promised to demonstrate unto you that a true Christian through Faith takes Comfort in the Expectation of any condition he may be in for the Future I shall not need to spend many words on it it appeares so plaine in what hath been already delivered Expectation being a kind of Apprehension as I said in the beginning of
I say to the Heart of any such man and be Try'd by Him whether I do not speak Truth surely he knowes it by Woefull Experience Whenever thou hast Offended Thy GOD to satisfie the Importunity of any of thy Impetuous Lusts hath not thy Conscience Dampt thy Flaming Spirit Cool'd thy Courage as we use to speak telling thee that thou hast done Foolishly telling thee of HELL and DEATH and so Mixing thy Wine with Wormwood turning thy Delight into Vexation of Spirit Having thus briefly discovered unto you the Black and Dismall Condition of the Soules of the Wicked which Sit in Darknesse and in the Shadow of Death I shall now endeavour to discover unto you the Pleasant and Comfortable Estate of those that are truly GODLY who have the Day-star arising in their Hearts who through Faith in CHRIST walke in the Light of GODS Countenance enjoy his Favour who is KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS The Father of Mercies and GOD of all Comfort That I may give you a more clear and manifest Discovery of this Happinesse of a True CHRISTIAN I shall Point as it were as those men use to do that Shew you some Excellent Sight to make your Notice the more accurate at the Principall Parts of it Opening and Demonstrating unto you this Proposition or Doctrine True Faith enables a man c. in these three Particulars First True Faith in CHRIST inables a man to draw Comfort 1 From the Remembrance of what he hath been of the Condition he hath formerly been in 2. From the Apprehension of that which He is in at present 3. From the Expectation of what He may be in for the future Now these Three things What a man hath been What he is and What he expects to be are the Principall and most Usuall Objects of our Thoughts therefore if I shall be able to shew you how a True Faithfull CHRISTIAN may draw Matter of Comfort from all These I suppose you will easily apprehend how He may Comfort himselfe also in the Notice he takes of other things as of all the Workes of PROVIDENCE which he Sees in the Affaires of the World or the like therefore I shall not extend my Discourse to any of them Each of the Particulars which I have propounded unto my selfe to be insisted upon as the Subject and Ground-worke of my Discourse consists of Two Parts our Condition being Two-fold viz. of the Inner and Outward Man or as the common words are Spirituall and Temporall At present I shall speak only of the Temper and Disposition of a CHRISTIANS Spirit in reference to his Spirituall Condition Past Present and to Come As for his Temporall Condition or the Estate of his Outward Man I shall defer my Discourse of That 'till some other Opportunity The First thing that I am to Shew you is That a True CHRISTIAN one that hath taken CHRIST's Yoke upon him c. can take Comfort Find Rest unto his Soule in the Remembrance of his Life Past whether it have been Sinfull or Holy But here probably some of you may presently Object within your selves against what I say thus How Can a True CHRISTIAN take Comfort in the Remembrance of his Sinfull Estate why what then is meant by Poenitence or Godly Sorrow is not that the Sorrow which we conceive by the Remembrance of our Sins In removing this Objection I doubt not but by Gods Assistance I shall give you a full discovery of this Truth That a CHRISTIAN can Comfort Himselfe through the Help of GODS Spirit even in the Remembrance of his Sinfull Estate We grant that when He thinks of His Sinfull Estate as Sinfull to wit as it relates to GOD as that Course of Life wherein He did so often Dishonour the Name of the GOD that Made him of JESUS that Redeem'd him and Griev'd the HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD that Now Sanctifies Him I say my Brethren when a CHRISTIAN does This way look back upon his Sinfull Life He cannot chuse through Indignation against Himselfe but Rent his Heart vex his Spirit cherish and foment his own Sorrow saying with David * I will be sorry for my Sin But let us Observe that This kind of Sorrowing is but as the taking of Physick 't is not any Disease or Settled Distemper of the Soul I say when We are thus Prickt with the Sharp sense and feeling of our SINS we are not Wounded but Let Blood and this Spirituall Phlebotomy is that which Cures us of our present and Prevents future Maladies To speak more plainly This Godly Sorrow as the * Apostle saies worketh Repentance {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} worketh a Change of the Mind Alters the Temper and Constitution of the Inward Man Confirmes a man in Holinesse which is the Health and Strength of the Soule that hath formerly been Wicked that is to say that hath abounded with all manner of Infirmities with all manner of Lusts and Burnings and inordinate Affections which are as it were the Feavers and Agues and Swellings and Tumours of the Soule And thus My Brethren though the Sorrow which a True Christian a Faithfull Servant of the Living GOD conceives by the Remembrance of his Sinfull Life Past be in it selfe very Painfull and Grievous yet it worketh for him the greatest Ease and Comfort It only Roots out of the Heart all Carnall Joy all False Fading worldly Comfort to Plant in it Ioy Unspeakable The Comfort of the Holy Ghost To fix this Truth in your minds to Confirme you in the Apprehension of it I shall recite unto you that Saying of Our SAVIOUR * Blessed are they that Mourn for they shall be Comforted All that I have here said may be briefly summ'd up thus the Thoughts which a GODLY Man has in the Remembrance of His Unregenerate Estate though they do not Directly yet they doe By Consequent Continually Afford Him abundance of Comfort to wit as in effect I said but now by Fitting and Preparing His Heart to Entertain the Holy Ghost the only True COMFORTER The more a man Sorrowes after a Godly sort as the * Apostles expression is the more Entertainment He gives to the Spirit of GOD and receives the more Comfort from Him As often this way as â CHRISTIANS Spitits faile him GOD gives him a Cordiall to Revive and to Delight his Soule Having thus spoken of the Temper and Disposition of a CHRISTIANS Spirit in the Remembrance of His Sinfull Estate in relation to GOD that is as that Course of Life wherin He did so often Dishonour the Name of the GOD that Made Him c. I shall now shew you how His Spirit is Affected what kind of thoughts He hath in the Remēbrance of it as it relates to Himselfe as an Estate of Trouble of which he is Eas'd and of Danger which he hath Escaped Now my Brethren that a Sinfull Estate is Troublesome and Unquiet I have shewne you from these words There is no peace c.
that 't is also a Dangerous Estate SINNERS being every moment in Danger of HEL-FIRE I presume there is none here but will readily grant And I suppose This also That men Reioyce in the Remembrance of the Troubles and Dangers they have Past is so Obvious to every ones Apprehension that to goe about accurately and Logically to Prove unto you that a CHRISTIAN may draw Comfort and Matter of Rejoying continually from the Remembrance of His Sinfull Condition as Troublesome and Dangerous would be but to Mis-spend so much time being a vaine and meer formall Labour Therefore I shall not Shew you this Truth soe as if you had never Seen it before if I may soe speake but that you might View it againe take more exact Notice of it I shall soe speake of it that I shall not seem to Bring the Truth to you but only to make you Turne the eyes of your understanding towards It being Habitually in your minds already though probably the greatest part of you did never in any measure so firmely Apprehend it so thorowly Thinke of it as you ought to doe And here I cannot but make a farther digression to speake a word against the Folly of some men who Pretending much to Polite Reason and Learning account it a vaine thing for Scholars to discourse of such Truthes as are so Commonly Confes'd As if those waters of Life Spirituall and Practicall Truthes might not lye many yeares together in a Carnall mans Head thorowly Frozen as it were and uselesse 'till by the Hearing of some more Powerfull Zealous Experimentall Expressions of the same Truth 's his Affections be so Inflamed as to Thaw and dissolve them if I may so speake that they may Flow downe continually upon the Heart to Purge and Cleanse it from all Filthinesse and Pollution as that River did AUGEAS his Stable I do not speake This for the Allusion's sake as a strained conceit but as That which I thinke Suitable to the Experimentall Notions of GODLY Men And now I come to speake of the Comfort a Christian hath when He reflects upon His Unregenerate Estate as Troublesome and Dangerous and this I shall do as briefly and pithily as I can You know it is a common saying Fessum Quies plurimùmjuvat What a Comfortable thing is it for one that hath Travelled hard to Repose himselfe for one that is Weary to Ly downe and take his Rest How doth He Rejoyce and Hug himselfe as they say in the Apprehension of His present Health that hath beene Recovered of a Long and Grievous Sicknesse Why thus it is with a Syncere Convert when He considers his Former Condition His thoughts Representing unto him the Spirituall Evils which formerly he Laboured under and opposing them to that Good and Pleasant Condition which now He is in make him the more Sensible of it more to Rejoyce in it The like Comfort we may conceive to be in the Heart of a true Believer when he Looks back upon the Danger of his Sinfull Estate When He considers that he was once in the High-way to HELL that Broad Way c. that He was once like to Perish for ever His Soule doth Magnifie the LORD and his Spirit doth rejoyce in God his Saviour How does He delight himselfe upon This Consideration in Acting his FAITH in the Contemplation of The things that are not seen HELL which he hath Escaped and HEAVEN which shortly He shall Inherit through the strong Apprehensions he hath that His SINS are Forgiven him c With what alacrity and chearfulnesse doth He Embrace the GOD that Loved Him the Physitian that Cured Him the LORD that Saved Him Such as these are the usuall thoughts of one that is truly Converted when he calls to mind the Sinfulnesse of his Life Past As in Hot and Sun-shine Dayes Swine are wont to Wallow in the Mire to Avoid the extremity of the Heat So how long did I accustome my selfe to Wallow in all manner of Uncleannesse Filthinesse of the Flesh and Spirit wherein I never found any True Comfort did only for the present Allay the Scorching Heat and Violence of my inordinate Affections being continually Troubled either with the Sollicitation and Urgency of them or with some Reflexion upon the Base and filthy Wayes I tooke to Satisfie them How long did I accustome my selfe to Drinke Poysonous Waters to Quench my Thirst to do that which I knew to be Evill to Satisfiie the Importunity of my irregular Desires Thus Missing my Way to True Happinesse the more Hast I made towards it the Farther still I went from it The oftener I Accomplisht my Desires the more Discontented I found My selfe still Vexing My Spirit to Please My Lusts But Now How Happy am I Now GOD is my Portion And what can I Desire more having Him who is All in All HIM I doe Enjoy in some measure Here and shall Enjoy HIM Fully Perfectly hereafter in HEAVEN Yea methinkes I am in HEAVEN already I find My selfe Above the World I am Free from those Earthly Affections wherein formerly I Ingaged My Soule I Envy no mans Honour or Covet his Estate or Hate his Person or Feare his Power All that I would Avoid is SIN All that I Desire is God For ever Blessed be His SPIRIT which hath thus Reformed Mee I can say unto God with DAVID * Whom have I in Heaven but Thee And there is None upon Earth that I Desire besides Thee And now I am come to this Point That a CHRISTIAN exceedingly Rejoyces in the Remembrance of His Life Past if he have been Sanctified from the Wombe if He have been Godly all his Dayes Here I shall not Use many words the Subject I suppose to be so Plaine that your Thoughts would Run on in it that I may so speake without any Interruption if I should but shew Them the Way should but Mention it I shall onely endeavour to set forth this Truth That the Remembrance of Time Spent in the Service of God is most Comfortable and Pleasant by This Similitude As one that hath been Delivered out of many Dangers Relieved in many Distresses and made Rich and Great by some Eminent and Noble Person Pleases Himselfe in the thoughts of these Benefits not onely as Enjoyed by himselfe but as Received from such a Person whose Love is no less Honourable then such Obligations as I mentioned the Evidences of it Bountifull So one that hath been Godly from his Youth when he remembers those many Spirituall Troubles and Dangers from which his God who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords hath continually preserved him those many straits and distresses in which he hath relieved him and how He hath made him Rich in Grace c. How exceedingly does he Rejoyce in the God of his Salvation filling himselfe with Confidence that he who hath continued his Loving kindnesse so long time will be still unto him * A very present help in Trouble Suitable to the thoughts of
SON of the Living God that Glorious Person Shed His most pretious Blood for You and Them and yet will not suffer You to Love Him to talke of Him and upon all Occasions to Discover Your Zeale for the Honour of his Name without Taunts and Flouts Calumnies and Reproaches I shall only speake a word or two more to heighten your Commiseration of these foolish men miserable Creatures and then I shall proceed to the other Part of my Application Dearly Beloved when ever any of these Phantasticall Things that walke in the vanity of their Minds and Delight in nothing more then in Foolish Jesting c. Continually Scoffing or Railing at any one in whom They Discover the Power of Godlinesse The true Light of CHRISTIANITY whilst They no more Understand it being so Rare and strange in these Daies of Sin and Darknesse then a Dog doth the Light of the Moone which he Barks at as they at this I say my Brethren when ever any of these men If Things so Irrationall may be call'd Men Raile on you and give out False Reports of you or to your face scorn and deride you let your Hearts Pity them considering that the time drawes on apace when Their laughter shall be turn'd to mourning and their joy to heavinesse He that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have Them in derision Psal. 2.4 And what now remains but that I Exhort you in the words of the Apostle To rejoice evermore 1 Thes. 5.16 Be Glad in the LORD and Rejoyce ye Righteous and shout for Joy all ye that are upright in Heart And now I shall speake to you who are Conscious to your selves that you have not taken Christ's Yoke upon you that you still Do Wickedly and Talke Vanity That the things you have or aime at are Vexation of Spirit vaine and Dissatisfactory to your Immortall soules sure I am you will hardly deny Nay if you have but an Historicall Beliefe of the word of God as I presume you have you cannot deny it when ever you reflect on your vain Conversation and Consider your Designes meane and Low being such as These To make your selves acceptable to some Merry Companions Such it may be as have acquired some civill Accomplishments and Humane Learning that you may gaine from them the Name of Ingenious Men c. or to Jeare and Grin at those whom you Maligne and Envy or to Drink and Droll with your Cronies or and this you think most Prudent and Manly To Get a great Estate in the World that you may Weare Brave Cloathes and keep Company with the Best as they say not to name your more Abominable Intentions which are themselves Anxiety and Labour and the Effects of them Horrour and Anguish I say Sirs when you Consider the things you enjoy or Aime at pittifull meane things at best are you not fill'd with Vexation of Spirit do you not Abhor as it were and Loath your selves for the Guilt and Filth of your SINS which you resolve still to wallow in Base and Degenerate Creatures who being Made after the Image of God have made your selves Earthly and Sensuall Well Sirs you see that Sins are Troubles and Sinners of all men most Miserable even whilst They are in their proper Element that I may so speak in this present World but what will become of them Wretches when this Life is ended and sure I am our Last Houre draws on apace Could I but expresse the thousandth part of those everlasting Paines They shall then beginne to Feele in HELL it would make the most Stif-necked Sinner in the world to Bow if he should Hear mee Ah! Sirs is This true indeed that if you take not CHRISTS Yoke upon you that is if you do not strongly and sincerely Resolve to Breake off from every Known Sin you shall never finde any Rest unto your Soules You shall be Everlastingly Miserable Is this true I say and will ye acknowledg it so to be as you must needs doe If you have so much as an Historicall Beliefe of the Word of GOD as I said but now And yet not Resolve no more to Allow your selves in any Way of Wickednesse c. no more to Deride those who having their Hearts possest with the thoughts of Eternity can in no wise suit themselves to your worldly Conversation But having once found Rest in CHRIST will no more returne to that Labour and Toile which the Generality of Men Continually Undergoe in the Pursuite of that They call Happinesse Now Sirs if you are no whit moved at what hath been spoke but Stick close to your Beloved Sinnes though our Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST who is Over all God blessed for ever so lovingly invites you to Come over unto him assuring you that The waies of wisdome are waies of pleasantnesse and all her paths are peace assuring you that if you take HIS YOKE upon you it will not Gall your Necks and be Troublesome unto you but onely Restraine you that you may Find rest to your Soules from Breaking over His Inclosures the Bounds of True Reason and Holines To Follow your Lusts and exorbitant Affections If you be not Moved at this but Stand fast in the Way of Sinners and will for ever remaine Lovers of pleasures more then Lovers of GOD of GOD that made you of GOD who for your sakes sent his BELOVED sonne into the world to be Mocked Scourged Crucified AH Srs If you are not Moved at This nor ever will be I must tell you in the Name of GOD you shall never finde Rest unto your Soules you shall never Tast one Dram of True Comfort Sweetnesse of Spirit all your dayes And when your Dayes on the Earth which as David saith are as a Shadow shall Vanish away you shall Certainely be Tormented with the Devill and his Angells Yea perhaps within a Weeke or two for how many Young Men have your selves knowne in this place that have beene Healthy and Dead within the compasse of far lesse Time then that I say Srs within a Weeke or two you may be seized on by some Disease or other the Small Pox or a Feaver or a Surfeite or the like and be Cutt off from the Land of the Living and be turned into Hell Consider this you that forget God you that talke vanity But now if any of you finde your selves Moved at what you have Heard and what manner of Men are you if you doe not if you finde your Hard Hearts in the least measure Softened I beseech you Srs for your Soules sakes for the GOD OF LOVES sake Pray earnestly that the LORD would Perfect the Good worke He hath Begunne in you that he would Continually Warme and Soften you and Supple your hearts with the BLOOD OF IESVS CHRIST that they may be Pliable to his will in All things to speake more plainely that Hee would make you so Tenderly and Affectionately to Apprehend His Everlasting Kindnesse towards you that you may forever LOVE Him and Keepe His Commandements that you may Live Precisely Walke with GOD all your Daies Despising the shame of the Wicked world not fearing the Reproaches and Revilings of this Base and Filthy Generation I shall hold you with no longer Discourse If yee Doe these things HAPPY are yee FINIS ERRATA Page 3. lin. 13. for A Good man is only a Friend to Himselfe read A good man only is c. Page 4. l. 16. for rash read vain p. 15. l. 18. adde Hoc est p. 32. l. 13. for SVN's read SVN As for the false Points the intelligent Reader may Correct them himselfe * Eccl. 1.14 * Prov. 3.17 Isa. 58.21 * Psa 38.18 * 2 Cor 7.10 * Matt. 5.4 * 2 Cor. 7.11 * Psal. 73.25 * Psal. 46.1 * Psal. 74.12 * Psal. 119.52 * Psal. 22.10 * Mart. * 2 Cor. 12.9 * Ps. 119.113 1 Iohn 5.19 * Ps 116.1 * Ps 18.1 * Heb 7.25 * 1 Cor 10.13 Ps 27.11 Rom 8.28 * {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} * Ps. 107.43 Mat 5.16 * Mat. 19.24 | Mistake me not I doe not speak against the Vse of these things but against those Persons who are so Madd as to set their Hearts on them * Luke 6 20. * Iob. 14.1 1 Iohn 5.4 * Ier 8.6 * Ps. 17.5 * Isaiah 4.6 * Mat. 5.11.12 2 Pet. 2.7 * Acts. 15.9 * 1 Iohn 1.7 * Ps 66.18 * Gal. 5.26 * Eph 5 4· Gal 6.1 * Titus 2.12 * Ps. 119.101 * 1 Pet. 44. * Psal. 16.11