world grew to no more experience and Arts and Sciences were ripened no more when now they have ripened in a shorter time How is it that Printing and Writing were not found out and that all Sciences and Arts are of so late invention and as it were but in their youth Certainly Knowledge is the daughter of Experience and Experience the daughter of Time and therefore if the world had been from eternity it must needs have been many a hundred thousand years ago at â— far higher state of Knowledge then is yet attained in the world For every age receiveth the experiences and writings of the former and hath opportunity still to make improvement of them At least the world could not have been ignorant so long of Printing Writing and a hundred things that are certainly of late invention It is therefore an incredible thing that an Eternal world should lose all the memorials and monuments of its Antiquity before the Scripture-time of the Creation And therefore doubtless it began but then Qu. 2. And if God were not the Author of the Scripture how come so many clear and notable Prophesies of it to be fulfilled How punctually doth David and Isaiah 53 describe the sufferings of Christ and Daniel foretell the very year and so of many others Qu. 3. And how comes it all to contain but one entire frame conspiring to reveal the same doctrine of grace and life at first more darkly and in types and promises and afterwards more clearly in performance when the writers lived at hundreds and thousands years distance from each other Qu. 4. And if thou hadst not a blinded prejudiced mind thou wouldst perceive an unimitable Majesty and spirituality in the Scripture and wouldst savour the spirit of God in it as its author and wouldst know by the image and superscription that it is the Word of God It beareth unimitably the Image of his Power and Wisdom and Goodness so that the blessed Author may to a faithful soul be known by the work Qu. 5. If the Scripture came not from the Spirit it could not give or cause the spirit and if it bore not Gods Image it self how could it print his Image upon the souls of so many thousands as it doth The Image of God is first engraven on the seal of his holy Doctrine and thereby imprinted on the heart There is no part of that holy change on man but what that holy Doctrine wrought If therefore the change be of God the Doctrine that wrought it is of God For both of them are the same Image answering each other as that on the seal and on the wax But it is most certain that the Holy change on the soul is of God The nature of it sheweth this For it consisteth in the destruction of our sin and the denyal of our selves and the raising the heart above this world and the total Devoting of our selves and all that we have to God and conforming our selves to his will and resting in it and seeking and serving him with all our power against all temptations and living in the fervent Love of God and of our Brethren and desires after everlasting life and a taking Christ for our Lord and Saviour to reconcile us to God and do all this in us by his Spirit And surely such a work as this must needs be of God If it be Good it must needs be Originally from him that is most Good this is undenyable And he that will say this is Evil is so much of the Devils nature and mind that it is no wonder if he follow him and be Brutified And you cannot say that the Work is good and the Doctrine bad For the Work is nothing but the Impress of the Doctrine And God doth not use to appoint or use a frame of falshoods and deceits as his ordinary means to renew mens souls and work them to his Will Perhaps you will say that you see no such change made by the Word nor any such spirit given by it unto men but only the effects of their own Imaginations But 1. The Question is Whether they are True or false Imaginations Gods truth causeth that Impress on the mind of man which you call his Imaginations For where should Truth be received but in the mind and how should it work but by cogitation They are cogitations above and contrary to those of flesh and blood that are wrought by this holy Doctrine It is nevertheless os the spirit because it moveth man by consideration 2. And if you see not a work on the hearts of the regenerate appearing in their lives which raiseth them to a far better state then others it can be no better then strangeness or malice that can so far blind you 3. But if it be so with you give leave yet to the persons that know this holy change in themselves to believe the more confidently the Word that wrought it We know that we are renewed and passed from our former spiritual death to life and therefore that it was the Truth of God that did the Work of God upon us Nothing but Truth can sanctifie But the Word doth sanctifie therefore the Word is Truth Indeed the Holy Church of Christ throughout all ages of the world hath been his living Image and so a living Witness of his Word as shewing by their lives the transcript of it in their hearts It is easie for any that know them except the maliciously blind to perceive that the true servants of Christ are a more purified refined honest conscionable holy heavenly people then the rest of the world For my part I am fully convinced of it I see it there is no comparison for all their imperfections which they and I lament I am fully satisfied that there is much more of God on them then on others And therefore there is much more of God in the Doctrine that renewed them then in any other The Church is the living Scripture the pillar and ground of the truth 1 Tim. 3. 15. the Law is written in their hearts Heb. 8. 10. better then it was in the Tables of stone 2 Cor. 3. 3. And by their holy Love and Works the world may know that Jesus Christ was sent of the Father and may be brought to believe in him by their Unity John 17. 21 22 23. Matth. 5. 16. God would not concurr so apparently and powerfully with a false doctrine to make so great a change in man nor so far own it as to use it for the doing of the most excellent work in all this world even the gathering him such a Church and sanctifying to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2. 14. If you say that some of the Heathens have been as good I answer 1. The Goodness found in them is but in temperance fidelity and such like and not a holy spirituality or heavenliness no nor a through-conscienciousness in what they knew 2. That good was rare in comparison of that
seeing that have eyes or from seeing the Heavens that can see the smallest dust or atome But my admiration is abated when I consider that the wit that serveth to move a poppet is not enough to Rule a Kingdom and that sleeping Reason is as none and that it is the very art and business of the Devil to charm sinners to sleep and wake at once Dormire Deo at mundo vigilare to be asleep to God and awake to the world And that present things engage the senses and call off Reason from its work And that the seeming distance of the life to come occasioneth the neglect of stupid half-believing souls till they find it is indeed at hand even as Death though certain affecteth few in youth and health as it doth when they perceive that they must presently be gone And withall that a man is not a man in act till he be considerate and that it is as good be without eyes as still to wink We know what detained our selves so long in sleep and folly and we know what makes us yet so slow and therefore we may know what it is that thus unmanneth others Reader if thou be one of these unhappy souls Whether thy brain be so sick as really to think that there is no life to come for man or that there needs no such care and diligence to prepare for it or whether thy heart be so corrupt and bad as to be against the things which thou confessest to be Good and Necessary or whether thy Reason be cast so fast asleep as never soberly to consider of the only thing of everlasting consequence and concernment to thy self or whether thy Heart be grown so dead and stupid as to be past feeling and never moved and affected with the things which thou hearest and knowest and considerest to be so great and necessary which ever of these be thy sad condition I have now this one request to thee as a friend that truly desireth thy salvation and I tender it to thee with as earnest a desire as if thou sawest me upon my knees intreating thee for the Lords sake and for thy souls sake and as ever thou hopest for the comfort of a dying man and as ever thou carest what becomes of thy soul for ever and as ever thou wilt answer it to Christ and thy own conscience with peace at last that thou neither deny me nor put me off with a careless reading nor with contempt or disregard My request to thee is but this reasonable thing That thou wilt so long make a stand in thy way and grant me so much of thy time as once to read throughout this Treatise and Sâ—â—IOUSLY to CONSIDER of what thou Readest and heartily to beg of God upon thy knees to teach thee and lead thee into the truth and then to be true to God and to thy Conscience and Resolvedly to do that which thou art convinced is Right and Best and Necessary This is all my request to thee at the present Put me not off with a denyall or neglect as thou wilt answer it to God and as thâ—â— wilt not be a wilful self-condemner Hast thou spent so many hours and dayes in vain and cannot I beg a few hours of thee to Read and Think of thy Everlasting state If thou darest not Read and Think of what can be said about such things as these it is a sign thy case is indeed so bad that thou hast more need then others to Read and Think of them I know the Devil dare not give thee leave to do it if he can binder thee for fear lest thy eyes should be opened to see and thy heart awakened to feel the things which he so laboureth to keep away from thy sight and feeling till it be too late And wilt thou grant him his desire to thy damnation or Christ and his servants their desire to thy salvation Think of it well before thou answer it by word or deed Being in hope that thou hast granted my request to Read Consider Pray for help and faithfully do what God shall teach thee I shall now begin to open thee the way to the matter of this Treatise The summe of my business is to teach thee 1 Tim. 4. 8. that bodily exercise in Religion profiteth little but Godliness is profitable to all things having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come I think it meet therefore to tell thee here in the beginning What Godliness is which the Apostle distinguisheth from bodily exercise in matters of Religion and which I have proved so Necessary and Excellent in this Treatise And this I must do 1. lest thou deceive thy soul by taking something else for Godliness 2. and lest thou lose thy labour in the Reading of this Book and hearing what Scripture and Preachers say for Godliness and 3. lest thou wrong me and thy self according to the custom of this malicious age by imagining that by Godliness I mean either Superstition or Hypocrisie or Schism or that I am perswading thee to sedition humor or needless singularity under the name of Godliness and Religion I shall therefore tell you distinctly here What Godliness is indeed and What it is not In General GODLINESS is our DEVOTEDNESS TO GOD. And all these things following are Essential to it and of ind spensible Necessity to salvation 1. That materially it contain these three things 1. The true internal Principle Soul and Life of Godliness which is the Spirit of God Rom. 8. 9. The Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. The new and soft and single heart Jer. 32. 39. Ezek. 11. 19. The seed of God abiding in us 1 John 3. 9. 2. The Intention of the true ends of Godliness which is the Reward in Heaven Matth. 5. 11 12. Luke 18. 22. Matth. 6. 20 21. Rom. 8. 17 18. The Pleasing of God and the Beatifical Vision and fruition of him with Christ and his triumphant Church in the New Jerusalem for ever 3. The Reception and Observation of the true Rule of Godliness which is the Will of God revealed partly in Nature and fully in the Holy Scriptures This must be in our very hearts Psalm 37. 31. Jer. 31 33. and with delight we must meditate in it day and night Psalm 1. 2. To cast away and despise the Law of God is the brand of the rebellious Isa 5. 24. 2. It is Essential to Godliness that it formally contain these three Relations 1. It is a Devotedness of our selves as HIS OWN to GOD as our OWNER or Proprietary or Lord quitting all pretence to any co-ordinate title to our selves and resigning our selves absolutely and all that we have to him that by the right of Creation and Redemption is our Lord Psal 100. 3. 119. 94. Joh. 17. 6. 2. Godliness containeth a Devotedness of our selves as subjects to God as our Supream and Absolute Governor to Rule us by his Laws his Officers and his Spirit To give up
fear the Lord. From these and such like texts it is evident that All that are truly Godly have a special Love to those that are Godly they love and honour Christ in his Image on his Saints 8. Acts 2. 42. 4. 32. You may see that The Godly love the Communion of Saints to joyn with them in holy doctrine fellowship and prayers 9. 1 Thes 5. 17. Pray continually Luke 18. 1. Christ spake a Parable to them to this end that men ought alwayes to pray and not to wax faint Acts 9. 11. Behold he prayeth Zech. 12. 10. I will pour out the spirit of prayer and supplication Rom. 8. 26. The Spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray for as we ought c. From all these and such like it is evident that Prayer is the breath of a Godly man he is a man of Prayer When he wanteth words he hath desires with tears or groans 10. Matth. 15. 8 9. This people draweth near me with their lips but their hearts are far from me John 4. 23 24. God is Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth From such texts it is evident that Every Godly man doth make the inward exercise of his soul the principal part of his worship unto God and doth not stick in bodily exercise or lip service 11. Josh 24. 15. As for me and my houshold we wil serve the Lord. So Deut. 6. 11. 1 Pet. 2. 17 18. 3. 10. Eph. 5. 6. From many such Texts it is evident that Godly men desire the sanctification of others and make conscience of the duties of their relations and would have their housholds or friends to serve the Lord as well as they 12. Luk. 14. 26 33. 18. 22. Matth. 10. 37. Rom. 8. 17 18. From these and other texts it is evident that all things are below Christ and heaven in the practical esteem of a Godly man and that he will forsake them all rather then he will forsake him All these are Scripture Marks of Godliness HAving hastily run over these things to help you in the Tryal I will add some Directions to help you in the practice and therein yet fullyer to acquaint you Wherein true Godliness doth consist Briefly to lay before you first the meer enumeration of the chief points wherein sound Godliness doth consist to help your memories while you see them close together 1. Sound Godliness consisteth in a solid understanding of the substantial points of Religion 2. In a sound belief of the Truth of Gods word and the reality of the unseen things 3. In an adhearing to the holy Scriptures as the Divine Rule of faith and life 4. In the Love of God in Jesus Christ excited by the belief of his Love revealed by Jesus Christ 5. In true humility and low thoughts of our selves and low expectation from others 6. In a heavenly mind that most regardeth the things above and seeketh them as our only felicity at home 7. In self denyal and mortification and temperance and victory over the desires of the flesh When we can deny our own conceits and interests and wills for God and are dead to the world and are not servants to our fleshly appetites or senses or to the things below 8. In thankfulness for received Mercies and Praising the Glorious name of God 9 In the willing and diligent use of the means that God hath appointed us for salvation 10. In charity or Love to all men even our enemies and a special love to true Believers 11. In a love to the holy communion of Saints especially in publike worship 12. In a tender desire of the unity of the Saints and their concord and increase of Charity and a trouble at their discord and divisions 13. In dealing Justly in our places with all men and carefully avoiding all that may be injurious to any 14. In studying to do all the good we can and doing it to our power especially to the houshold of faith 15. In a conscionable discharge of the duties of our relations as Rulers Teachers Parents Masters subjects and inferious 16. In watchfulness against Temptations and avoiding occasions of sin 17. In serious preparations for sufferings and death and patient bearing them when they come These are the things that Godliness doth consist in And now out of all I will draw up ten practical directions which in a special manner I would intreat you to Practice if you would be solidly Godly and not be deceived with names or counterfeits Direct 1. Be sure to live upon the substantials of Religion and let them receive no detriment by a pretence of zeal for lesser points Lay not your Religion in uneffectual opinions and let lower truths and duties keep their places and not be set above the higher Dir. 2. See that your Religion be principally seated in the Heart Understand it as well as you can lest it be taken from you but never think it is savingly your own while it is but in the brain so much you believe indeed as you Love and as hath imprinted the Image of God upon your hearts Ever see that your wills be Resolved for God and holiness and that you be able truly to say I would be perfect and I would fain be better then I am Direct 3. Be sure you take up with God alone as your whole felicity and think not that there is a necessity of the approbation of men or of liberty plenty life or any thing besides God Do not only think that there is a God and a life of Glory for you but Live upon them and be moved and actuated by them Trust to them and take them for your part Live by faith and not by sight Direct 4. Live daily upon Christ as the only Mediator without whom we have no access to God acceptance with him or receivings from him Look for all that you have from God to come by him Live on him for Reconc liation for Teaching for Preservation for Communication for Consolation and for Salvation Let Christ make your thoughts of God more familiar as now Reconciled and Condescending to us Direct 5. Obey the sanctifying motions of the spirit and if you have disobeyed Repent not despairing but returning to obedience but see that you live not in any known sin which a sanctified will can enable you to avoid Resist sins of passion but most carefully take heed of sins of interest deliberately chosen and kept up as necessary or good Direct 6. Make it the principal work of your Religion and your Lives to inflame your hearts with the Love of God as he is presented amiable in his wonderful Grace in Jesus Christ Strive no further to effect your hearts with Fears or Griefs or other troubling passions then as tendeth to the work of Love or is a just expression of it Go daily to promises and mercies and Christ and Heaven of purpose for fewel to kindle Love Be
pretend to believe the Gospel it would help to the recovery of the understandings of the Ambitious and make the proud ashamed of their glory and settle the drunken aspiring minds of those that think it worth more than their salvation to sit upon the highest pearch It would call off the covetous worldling from his immoderate seeking provisions for the flesh and save them that are drowned in the cares of this life by shewing them the true and necessary treasure It would spare them many a vexatious thought and a great deal of unnecessary labour and prevent the shame and horrour that must befall them when in the end they find their labour lost and all their expectations frustrate It would quickly stop the mouthes which prejudice ignorance malignant enmity and deliration have opened against a life of faith and serious Godliness and cause them that scorn it as a Needless thing to make it their daily business and delight It would tell the sluggish sensless sinner that he hath work of everlasting confequence upon his hand and that it is no time to dream or loyter And it would tell the brutish sensualist that there are more sweet and durable delights and the time-wasting fool that time is precious and he hath none to spare and cast away having so great a work to do It would set men on seeking with greatest diligence the Kingdom which before they did but dream of and would turn the very stream of their hearts and lives on that which before they minded but as on the by In a word it would make the earthly to become heavenly and the fleshly spiritual and the sloathful to be diligent and rotten-hearted sinners to become renewed SAINTS as all must do that ever will be saved And if these words of Christ be not thus received by you and work not such wonders on mens hearts it is not because there is any want of fitness in the Text but because mens hearts are hardned into a wilful contempt of the most precious truths which in themselves are apt to change and save them Of all waies of Teaching History is accounted One of the most effectual because it hath the greatest advantage on our apprehensions as setting our lesson before our eyes in the great character of Example and not only in the smaller letter of a naked precept And of all History What can be more powerful then I Where one of the actors is the eternal son of God and that not above our reach in Heaven but here in our flesh on the stage of this sublunary world 2. And the other actors are such as most â—itly represent the different actions of all the world at least that live within the sound of the Gospel and lay open the great question about which the world is so much divided 3. And when the matter it self is of the greatest consequence that can be imagined even concerning the present choice and resolution of our hearts and that expending of our Time and that business and employment of our lives on which our Endless life dependeth All this you have here set out even to the life before your eyes in the glass of this example in my Text And the Lord of Life doth call you all to see your faces in it and here plainly sheweth you what will be expected from you and what you must be and do and trust â—o and this not in any long and â—edioâ—â— discourse that might overcharge your memories or weary your attentions but in very brief though full expressions As Jesus entred into Bethany Martha who it seems was the Owner of the house received and entertained him No doubt but a great company followed Jesus or his Disciples that ordinarily accompanyed him at the least Martha thinks that having entertained such a guest it were a great neglect if she should not provide for him and for his followers and therefore she is busie in doing what she can but the number is so great that she is oppressed with the care and trouble and findeth that she hath more to do then she is able Her sister that she thought should have helped her in such a case is sitting with the Disciples at the feet of Christ to hear his Word Martha seeing this is offended at her sister and seems to think that Christ himself is too neglective of her or partial for her sister and therefore thus â—â—eâ—â—s her cause with Christ Lord dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone bid her therefore that she help me As if she had said Is it a fit thing that both thy self and all this company should be unprovided for and have neither meat noâ— drink Oâ— is it fit that all should be laid on me even more then I can do while she sits hearing with the Disciples Deal equally and mercifully and bid her help me And indeed most people would think that this was but a reasonable motion and that when Christ was made the Judge between them he should have decided the case on Martha's side But he did not so But 1. instead of commending Martha for her care and diligence he sheweth her errour by a gentle but yet a close reproof Martha Martha thou art careful and troubled about many things 2. Instead of reproving Mary for negligence of her duty in the house he highly commendeth her for the seasonable doing of a greater work Mary hath chosen the good part 3. He groundeth the Reason of his Judgement on the different Nature and Use of their employments One thing is Needful in comparison of which the rest were all unnecessary things and such as then might have been neglected 4. And so he passeth sentence on Marie's side that the good part which she hath chosen shall not be taken away from her In which â—e not only answereth Martha with an express denyal as if he should say I will not take off Mary from the work which she hath chosen but also on that occasion doth point out the durable nature of the Good which she had chosen and promise the continuance of it Concerning Martha some expositors run into two extreams â—…e think that she was an unregenerate worldling and savourâ—… only fleshly things and that these words of Christ describe 〈…〉 state as one that had not yet made choice of the one thing â—…edful and the better part But it is only her present action that Christ doth reprehend and censure and not her state Her entertainment of Christ and speeches to him and other passages â—…we us great probability that she was a true disciple as after it is â—aid that Jesus loved her John 11. 5. On the other side One Learned Annotator thus Paraphraseth â—…e words of Christ to Martha Thou takest a great deal of unnecessary though not culpable pains as if Christs words were â—o reprehension of her nor her course blame-worthy But the plain truth lieth between these two extreams Martha though most probably a true Disciple was
Let him take all there is no living quietly by 〈…〉 A dog at his carrion or a swine in his trough is not more greedy then many of these sensualists that labour of the Caninus appâ—titus to their trash But to Holiness they have no appetite and are worse then indifferent to the things that are inâ—…sirable They have no covetousuess for the things which 〈…〉 commanded earnestly to covet 1 Cor. 12 31. They have â—…tle hunger and thirst after righteousness that a very little or none will satisfie them Here they are pleading alwayes for â—â—deration and against too much and too earnest and too long And all is too much with them that is above stark naught or dead hypocrisie and all is too earnest and too long that would make Religion seem a business or would engage them to seem serious in their own profession or put them past jeast in the worship of God and the matters of their salvation Let but their servants or children neglect their worldly business which I confess they should not do and they shall hear of it with both ears But if they sin against God or neglect his Word or Worship they shall meet with more patience then Eli's sons did A cold reproof is usually the best and it is well if they be not encouraged in their sin and if a child or servant that begins to be serious for salvation be not rebuked derided and hindred by them If on their dayes of labour they over-sleep themselves they shall be sure to be called up to work and good reason but when do they call them up to prayer When do they urge them to read or consider or conferr of the things that concern their everlasting life The Lords own day which is appointed to be set apart for matters of this nature is wasted in idleness or worldly talk Come at any time into their company and you may have talk enough and too much of news or of other mens matters of their worldly business sports and pleasures But about God and their salvation they have so little to say and that so heartlesly and on the by as if they were things that belonged not to their care and duty and no whit concerned them Talk with them about the renovation of the soul and the nature of holiness and the life to come and you shall find them almost as dumb as a fish or as dry as a chip or as erroneous or insensible as those that speak but words by rote to shew you how little they savour or mind the things of the Spirit The most understand not matters of this nature nor much desire or care to understand them If one would teach 〈…〉 personally they are too old to be catechized or to learn though not too old to be ignorant of the matters which they were made for and are preserved for in the world They are too wise to learn to be wise and too good to be taught how to be good â—…ough not too wise to follow the seducements of the Devil â—…he world nor too good to be the slaves of Satan and the deâ—…rs and enemies of goodness If they do any thing which theâ—… a serving of God it is some cold and heartless use of wordâ—…ake themselves believe that for all their sins they shall be saved so that God will call that a serving of their sins and abomination which they call a serving of God Some of them will confess that Holiness is good but they hope God will be merciful to them without it And some do so hate it that it is a displeasing irksom thing to them to hear any serious discourse of holiness and they detest and deride those as fanatick troublesome Precisians that diligently seek the One thing necessary So that if the Belief of the most may be judged by their practices we may confidently say that they do not practically believe that ever they shall be brought to Judgement or that there is any Heaven or Hell to be expected and that their confession of the truth of the holy Scriptures and their profession of the Articles of the Christian Faith are no proofs that they heartily take them to be true Who can be such a stranger to the world as not to see that this as the case of the greatest part of men And which is worst of all they go on in this course against all that can be said to them and will give no impartial considerate hearing to the truth which would recover them to their wits but live as if it would be a felicity to them in Hell to think that they came thither by wilful resolution and in despight of the remedy And is it not a sad prospect to a man that believeth the Word of God and the life to come to look upon such a distracted world O Sirs if Jesus Christ be wise that condemneth their course and them then certainly all these men are fools And if Christ knew what he said we must needs think that they know not what they do O what is the matter that reasonable men should have no more use of their reason in things of such importance then thus to neglect their everlasting state for a thing of naught Did God make them unreasonable or give them understandings uncapable of things of such high concernment Or rather have 〈…〉 not drowned their reason in sensuality and wilfully poisoâ—…th malicious aversness to God and Holiness What is â—…ter that the One thing needful is no more regarded Hath God made them believe that they shall dwell here for ever and never die No surely this is so gross a lye that the Devil himself cannot make them believe it They know that they musâ—… sure as they are alive And yet they prepare not but wâ—…eir dayes in scraping in this dunghill world as if they werâ—…o no further Did God never warn them by a Sermon or 〈…〉 to prepare for the life which they must live for ever Yes â—…y a time but they would take no warning Did God never â—â—ll them that after this life there is another where they must live in endless joy or torment Yes and they professed that they did believe it They heard it an hundred times over till they were weary of hearing it Did God make them believe that they shall die like beasts that have no further to go nor any other life to live No if they do believe this it is the Devil and not God that maketh them believe it What then is the matter that the One thing needful is no more regarded Hath God shut up their souls in desperation so that it is in vain to seek or trouble themselves for that of which there is no hope Oh no! his compassion hath provided them a full remedy by the death of his Son Redemption is procured and he hath made them a deed of gift of Christ and pardon and eternal life and tendred it to them that upon theâ—â— acceptance it may be
never studied them with that diligence and patience as those must do that will attain a certain satisfying knowledge Quer. 5. Moreover if you are so uncertain of a Life to come I would ask you Whether in all your search and study you have behaved your selves as Learners or rather as proud self-conceited men that think themselves wise enough before they learn to try and judge their Books and Teachers If this be your case no wonder if you be Infidels If you come with such a disposition to read a Book of Astronomy or Physick you will never learn If you go to any Schoolmaster or to learn any language or science and think your selves able before you have learnt them to try and judge your Teacher and all the Books you read and so will reject all that you do not understand or agreeth not with you former conceits you will sooner prove doting fools then Schollars and sooner be the derision of Rational men then come to the knowledge â—â—â—ch you pretend to seek Come to Christs School as little children in meekness and humility and a willingness to be taught and patiently continue in the use of means till Learning can be attained before you think your selves fit to censure the Truth of God which you are learning and then tell me whether God doth not resolve you Quer. 6. Moreover I would know of you that doubt so of the life to come Whether you have been true to so much Light as you received and have lived in obedience to the Truth which God revealed to you Or rather whether you have not wilfully and knowingly lived in some secret or open sin and striven against the Light and Spirit of Christ and abused the truth which you have known and used violence with your own conscieâ—â—â—â— If so which it s ten to one is your case it is no wonder 〈◊〉 are Infidels forsaken of God whom you first forsook and given up to Pride and Self-deceit Quer. 7. If Man have no Life to live but this and no further End of his Actions then a Beast nor any further account to give then he is indeed but one of the higher sort of Beasts differing but gradually from a Dog as a Dog doth from a Swine And if this be indeed thy judgement of thy self I demand Whether or no thou be content to be used as a Beast Wilt thou not take it ill to be called or judged a Beast by another Or wouldst thou have others judge better of thee then thy self Wouldst thou have no man regard thy Propriety or Life any more then a Beast is to be regarded A Beast hath no Propriety no not of that which Nature hath given him You accuse not your selves of doing him any wrong when you deprive the sheep of his fleece nor when you make a constant drudge of your Horse or Ox. And do you think it lawful before God for any one that can but master you to do the like by you to strip you naked and to make pack-horses of you and use you as their slaves We take it to be no sin to take away the lives of Beasts if it be but for our own commodity We kill Oxen and calves and sheep and swine and fowle and fishes for our daily food And is it lawful before God for others to do so by you Should nothing restrain them but want of Power to overcome you If you say that you are Beasts as Beasts you should be used Quer. 8. Moreover I would know of you Whether you think that there is any other world which spiritual inhabitants do possess If you say No you go against all Reason and experience Against Experience because that many a hundred Witches and many Apparitions and haunted houses have put the matter out of question for all that many reports of such things have been false And against all Reason because we see that this inferiour world is everywhere replenished with inhabitants The earth hath men and beasts the aire hath birds the water hath fishes And can a man of common Reason then think that the superiour Regions which we see and which we see not which for greatness and for spendor and excellency are a thousand fold above this earth should all be uninhabited and destitute and that there are not creatures also there for excellency and Number incomparbly beyond the inhabitants of this lesser lower world Certainly nothing is made in vain nor are the works of God so monstrously disproportioned and discomposed as for the Nobler parts to be only for the baser The Heavens that are over us and all the vast and most excellent parts of the Creation have a use that is answerable to their excellency God makes not cottages to be inhabited and Pallaces and Cities to lie wast and desert to no use But if you grant there is another world proportionaby thus replenished with creatures you may easily see from thence a Probability that man shall be translated thither Why not the soul of man as well as those spirits that in assumed shapes have made their appearances unto man As all things ripen to their perfection why should it seem any more improbable that the soul shall pass hence into the world of spirits then that the chicken shall come out of the shell and the infant out of the wombe into so wide and light a world as this when before they were shut up in a narrow darkness and never heard nor knew any thing of that world which they enter into Quer. 9. Do you know why it is that God hath given man that knowledge and free-will and capacity to seek another life which beasts have not if he be intended for no other life then beasts If God be no most Wise he is not God If he be then he maketh not so excellent faculties as these in vain but fitteth all his Creatures to their uses Every workman will do so by his work Why is a knife made keen but to cut with And what are the wheels of your watch or clock made for but to shew you the hour of the day Look now into the whole frame of the soul of man and judge by its aptitude what it is made for 1. Man is capable of Knowing that there is a God and knowing his Attributes which Beasts are not because they be not made to enjoy him 2. Man is capable of knowing his Relation to this God that he is our Creator and we his Creatures he our Lord and we his Own he our Ruler and we he Subjects he our Benefactor and we his Benificiaries And we are capable of Knowing our Duty in these several Relations And certainly all this is not in Vain 3. Man is capable of Knowing that the Everlasting Love of God is that alone that can make him Happy And why would God shew him this if he were not capable of enjoying it Reason tells men that nothing here can make us Happy and that 〈…〉 do it 4. Man is capable of