but one of extraordinary inspiration by and intercourse with God and beyond the insuing Prophets Hebrews 11 24-28 with Acts 7.22 Deuteronomy 34.10 Daniel will not hide his family-duties when it best fits these designes though he shall thereby fall into the Lions Den Yet was he a man of an excellent spirit knowledge and understanding and in whom was the spirit of the holy Gods Daniel 6.10 with chapter 5.12 4.8 How open was Stephens Confession in that open Combination against his person and profession Acts 7. Yet was he a man full of faith and power and of that wisdom which none were able to resist chapter 6.8,10 Paul is a famous instance of all the parts and publickness of profession in the midst of the greatest persecutions Yet as no bonds or bloodiness of the persecutors or beseechings of the people upon the evidence of his perils could move him Acts 20 23,24 21.11,12,13,14 So was he a man of singular and surpassing learning of special and signal prudence with man and strangely prospered of God herein Acts 26.44 1 Cor. 3.10 QUESTION 8. How may and should we confess Christ THis Question comprehends both the meanes how and whereby we may and the manner how or wherein we must confess Christ I must speak to both touching the meanes and manner The meanes are either such whereby we may outwardly discharge and execute this duty or whereby we may be inwardly disposed and inabled to this duty Christ is vocally confessed by the lips in our speaking of him to others and for him against opposers Christ is virtually confessed by the life in serving of him sticking to him shewing our selves with his as also in suffering for him All these things have been instanced in the former discourses The meanes then whereby we outwardly fullfil and execute this duty are the members more eminently the tongue or mouth and other instruments of speech 1 Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth all inordinate affection evil Concupiscence and covetousness which are as members of the body of sin and put forth into act by the members of your sinful bodies Mortifie these as you would ever have Christ to Confess you and live in you or you would ever confess him and live with him Col. 3.5 with 1. Rom. 8.11,13 2. And let your members be yielded up as servants unto righteousness and to your redeemer whose they are by price and contract And so shall others also glorifie God for your professed subjection to the Gospel of Christ our Savior Rom. 8.13,19 1 Cor. 6.19,20 2 Cor. 9.13 3. And so magnifie the Lord Jesus in your mortal bodies as by a faithful performance of and obedience to his commands so by a cheerful preparedness to bear his Cross that both the death and life also of Jesus may be made manifest in your bodies Phil. 1.20 and Gal. 6.17 and 2 Cor. 4.10 4. Mortifie especially the evil of your tongues both as they respect God and as they respect man For how shall the same mouth both bless and curse How can the same fountain yield both salt water and fresh James 3 9-13 and Ephes 4.29 5. Mind the end of speech which is to extol God and edifie man and therewith the excellency of speech which is a singular glory that God hath put upon man to the end his tongue may glorifie his Maker Psalm 71.23,24 and 30.12 6. Model the excercise of speech to the end of speech that you do not both steal from God and spoyle your own glory Your speech should be always seasoned with Salt your tongues should be as the pen of a ready writer Awaken therefore thy glory accustome the concerns of Christ more to thy ordinary converse and so shalt thou give him praise even with thy glory Col. 4.6 Psal 45.1,2 57.8 and 108.1 The meanes whereby we are fitted and inabled to confess Christ I shall reduce to Three heads Cease from self Set your souls Be strong in the spirit First Cease from self self-denial is the first letter in the Alphabet of Confession that Christ puts his Confessors unto Mark 8.34 Luke 9.23 Here you must deny wicked worldly wise and wilful-self 1 You must deny wicked self self wickedness Sin is become another self to man and is become as near and dear as a right eye or a right hand As ever you would confess to Salvation you must Crucifie sin 2 Timothy 2.19 and Galathians 6.14 and 5.24 1. Scandalous sins will null your Confession of Christ before others who will rather believe one action of yours against Christ then ten arguments of yours for Christ and will the more blaspheme your Lord Christ and your Confessions because of the loosness of your conversations Romanes 2.24 and 1 Timothy 6.1 and Philippians 3.18,19 2 Secret sins will either null you as to the confession of our Savior so that Christ will be no longer professed to by you 1 John 2.19 and Jude 19 or null your confession as to your own salvation for that Christ at last will profess against you Luke 13.27 Mathew 7.23 II. You must deny worldly self self worldliness The love of the world will soon â—at out your love to the word of Christ and to Christ the word Whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God 1 John 2 15. and James 4.4 As ever you would be thriving and pious confessors take Pauls course consult not with flesh and blood either your own or others but immediately set about the work of God Galathians 1.16 and Psalm 119.60 Deny your relations in the world Do they draw you from Christ Disswade you from Confession Discourage you under or as concerns the Cross Give them a deaf eat at least Remembring though you must love father mother wife children brethren c. well Yet you must love your souls your Savior and his service better or you are not worthy of him nor will he own you Luke 14.26,27 and Mathew 10.37,38 Nay should good men disswade thee in this from thy duty to thy Savior though out of dearness to thy self and to secure thee from danger Yet shouldest thou refuse their councels and rebuke their corruptions as Christ and his Apostles have done in the like case when God would be better glorified by their open profession and obviousness to persecution Matthew 16.22,23 and Acts 21.12,13 2. Deny the representations of the world whatever profits pleasures preferments c. are possessed in hand or are presented to hope Alas What can any or 〈◊〉 these do for or deserve from or for thee as Christ hath done and deserved One hours communion with Christ out-bids the greatest comfort and most grateful confluence of the creatures Sirs these are the rocks and sands whereupon professours usually are split and shipwracke 1 Timothy 6.9,10 Philippians 2.21 2 Timothy 4.10 Away then with overvaluing thoughts of these poor and perishing injoyments The worst of Christ is better then the best of Creatures his reproaches then their