thy long suit Art thou arrived at the Haven of thy Salvation hast thou received any carnest-penny of thy security hast thou heard any voice within thee which said thy sins be forgiven thee or thy faith hath made the whole or hast thou peradventure heard any other voice which said unto thee The wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the nations that forget God or Bind him Hand and Foot and cast him into utter Darkness What answer makest thou good Brother unto us Tel us something we beseech thee that we may understand by thee what is reserved for us for thy suite is now come to an end and what sentence thou shalt now receive shall never more be reversed but our casE as yet stil dependeth and looketh for sentence To which demands some answered Blessed be the Lord that hath not suffered us to be cast into the teeth of our enemies but others after a more doleful manner Miserable is that Soul that hath not fully observed his profession for now shall he well understand what is prepared for him These my dear Brother were men that did in good earnest believe the Truths of the Gospel concerning another World and being fully perswaded that the punishments appointed for wicked men are most intolerable were as fully resolved to deliver themselves from them though by the greatest pains and the severest mortifications These were men that made Use of that Faith and of that Reason and Understanding which God hath given them and since they thought it Prudence to be apprehensive of lesser Dangers and to prepare against more inconsiderable Evils they would not like the unruly Horse that starts at a Bird and runs himself into a Precipice be fearless of the greatest Dangers and suffer themselves to fall into the most insufferable Calamities And are not we concern'd my Brother to do the like and to make the like Use of that Faith and Reason which God hath given us D'os not the Fire of Hell burn as furiously now as ever it did Have those everlasting Torments had any end or period prescribed them since that time or are we more able to wrestle with them or to endure them than they were or have we any easier way of escaping them discovered to us than was known to them what easie wayes our Lusts may find out I do not know but sure I am that there is but one safe and sure way but one way of Gods appointment which was made known to them as it is to us and that is the way of serving God sincerely and with all our might in a Holy and Vertuous Life which if we fail to do we shall as certainly as God is true be condemned to these everlasting Torments Judg then dear Brother whether we have not reason to serve God and whether it be not madness to live in that careless and ungodly way which we see most men do But now because these things may seem very severe and possibly occasion in thee some hard thoughts of Almighty God I must desire thee to consider CHAP. V. Sect. 1. Containing a Fifth Argument to a Holy Life from the Consideration of those great Rewards God hath prepared for good Men in the other World the greatness of which may be in some measure estimated 1. From Gods Kindness to Good Men even in this World 2. That the Reward is not proportioned to our deserts which are very little but to the goodness of God which is infinite And 3. Is designed as the most glorious manifestation of the Divine Goodness And 4. It is the Purchase of Christ's Blood and the Reward of his Obedience and Sufferings which are of Infinite Merit THE Reward which Almighty God hath prepared in another World for those that serve him faithfully in this according to those Obligations that lye upon them both as Men and Christians And this Consideration I doubt not will be as Pleasant and Delightful as the last was Sad and Dreadful and will no less declare Gods Goodness and Mercy than that did his Justice and Severity I presume I need not tell thee that such is our condition that no Reward of right does belong to any Services we can do and therefore be the rewad great or little which God hath prepared for us we must acknowledge our selves indebted to his Infinite Goodness for it and that it is on our parts altogether undeserved how much more then must we acknowledge our selves indebted to his Goodness and what a strong obligation should we reckon it to his Service when the Reward he hath designed for us is not little like our Services but great great as we can imagine it to be as our hearts can desire it should be To give thee a little sight of the greatness of this Reward for it is not possible for thee or me to comprehend it fully I might lead thee through a multitude of Considerations but I shall restrain my self to some few which I think do deserve thy serious regard And 1. We cannot but acknowledge that Almighty God is very kind to his Servants in this World and there is not one of them can say that he serveth God for nought as to this present life God hath given them many good Promises and do's give them many good things daily according to those Promises They have a competent share in all the good things of the World and such a blessing together with them as makes them much more sweet and pleasant to them than all the possessions of the wicked and though they have their Afflictions and their Tryals yet they have their Pleasures and their Comforts they have a Peace within which none can disturb and such Joyes as none can take from them I mean the peace of their Consciences and the joyes of the Holy Ghost they are either free from all Calamities or they have such support under them that they are rather matter of Joy than Sorrow to them God is good to them at all times in a great measure but sometimes more abundantly and in a measure extraordinary witness the great things that he hath done in all Ages for them What great Deliverances hath he often given them What cunning Plots and Devices against them hath he brought to naught What Wonders hath he wrought in their behalf and how Miraculously when they have been in their greatest Distress has he made them to triumph over all their Enemies So that those who have beheld it have been constrain'd to cry out in the words of the Psalmist Verily there is a reward for the righteous doubtelss there is a God that judgeth the Earth Psal 58. 11. Now if God deal thus kindly with his Servants here what kindness do'st thou think will he shew them hereafter If whilest they are in doing his work he bestows so many good things upon them what may they expect from him when his work is done and if in the time of their tryal they receive such great benefits from him
I know that it is so absolutely necessary that those who will live a Christian Life do both believe and practiss it I shall shew thee yet further that the Not-considering or the Nor-practising this Self-Denyal hath been the main cause why so many have rejected the Gospel in all Ages and why so many of these that have seemed to receive it have yielded so lame and so imperfect an obedience to it Did'st thou never read in thy Bible how few of those that heard Christ preach whil'st he was upon the earth and saw the Miracles that he wrought especially of the greater sort did truly believe in him Have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him was a choaking Question to any that would dare to speak for him John 7. c. 48. v. Those few Disciples that he had were of the poorer sort of people that had not much to trust to or much to lose for his sake if any of hte richer or greater sort were convinced that He was the Christ yet they did not dare to own it they would go by night and in secret to tell him of their Faith but publikly and openly they professed it not and what might be the Reason of this do'st thou think Had not these great men those natural Powers of judging of assenting and consenting to the truth which the others had was not their natural courage as great and woul they not have shewed it as much in other Cases as these poor people could have done Yes undoubtedly In all other matters they were the wise those the ignorant they the bold and the hardy those the poor spirited and cowardly but in this case the wise were fools and the couragious meer Dastards And how was this those great those rich and proud men could not or would not learn this one lesson which would have opened their blind eyes and have raised their poor Spirits to that degree of Boldness which they beheld in the Disciples of Christ and wondered at How can ye believe said Christ himself to them as long as ye receive Honour from one another and seek not the Honour that cometh from God only John 5. c. 44. v. They loved themselves and the Praise of men too well to approve of any thing that would lessen their Reputation in the least or bring them one step lower in the Esteem of the World and they were too covetous as appears from other places of Scripture to leave all to follow one that had not a house to put his-head in Did'st thou never observe the monstrous unbelief of many among us and the gross Hypocrisy of others did'st thou never observe what great opposition is made by some men against some of the clearest truths of Christianity who yet seem very fond of other truths that are not so clear and lye not so level to humane capacities and did'st thou never take notice how strict some men are in some things who yet allow themselves in the breach of very plain and very weighty precepts as for Instance the Doctrine of the Trinity we see unanimously acknowledged by many thousands among us when the Divine authority of Christ's Ministers and the Right of their maintenance meets with many opposers in all places and some men can preach and pray from morning till night and talk Scripture to each other with much seeming seriousness when like the Pharisees of old they will embrace any fair occasion that is offered to devour the House of a poor Widow or Orphan or to exalt themselves somewhat higher in the World And what do'st thou think is the Reason of these things The same without doubt that hindred the Jews of old from receiving Christ and if these truths which they profess to believe and these Christian duties which they are constant in did as much oppose their worldly Interests and fleshly Lusts as the acknowledging of Jesus to be the Christ did oppose the Interests and Lusts of the unbelieving Jews they would quickly discover the truth of it by falling away from those truths and those dutyes if not also from the whole Religion Not that I believe that they have been meer dissemblers from their first profession or that they are and have been so zealous in some things meerly for the compassing of worldly Ends without any conviction of the truth or goodness of them for I doubt not but many of them have meant well from the very beginning but That naughty and corrupt affections which being unrenounced did so fatally prejudice the Jews against the Person of Christ do as strongly prejudice them against great part of his doctrine Those corrupt affections which they should have renounced at their first setting out are like a thick cloud upon the eyes of their minds not suffering them to discern those truths which to resigned men are as manifest as the Sun at noon-day and as a strong byass upon their Wills drawing them aside from those good paths which they have a desire to walk in They purpose well in the general like the Rich man before spoken of when he came to Christ and they do well in those things that oppose not their inordinate affections but when they are to learn those Duties to which their Lusts will not be reconciled either they are not able to understand them or have not the Power to practise them as the Wolf in the Fable that was set to school to read could make no word of all the Letters but a Lamb because of his appetite to the flesh of that harmless Creature so they can understand approve and follow nothing but what they love and are inclined to or however nothing that crosses their Affections and Inclinations I will conclude therefore and I think I have good reason for it that if we desire and are resolved to be Christians we must in the first place renounce our selves and entirely put off our carnal Lusts and Worldly affections Our Desires and Resolutions will be vain and come to nought if we fail to Do it We may purpose well and perhaps do many good things though we do omit it we may make a fair Show for a while and mount up to Heaven in our own thoughts and in the opinion of the World but like as an unwise Builder that raises a very fair structure upwards not having laid a good and firm foundation will in a little time be convinced of this error by its ruine so when a time of tryal and temptation comes our own Fall will shew us ours when the Winds blow and Rains fall and the Floods come our pretty Frame of Religion will come to Ruine and our high raised hopes will perish together with it Now after this I suppose I need not tell thee that I have insisted so much upon this Particular with great Reason § 2. It remains That I endeavour briefly to beget a good opinion in thee of the duty I have been speaking of to shew thee that it is not such an
and no less unmoveable shall we be to all the temptations of the Devil if we be but perfectly mortified and resigned These are great advantages but there is yet one more no less considerable in the esteem of some men viz. that this will raise us up above all the Troubles perplexities and sorrows of this miserable World so that let what will come upon us here it shall never be able to hurt us For whence have all the evil things of the World as we are wont to call them their Sting and edge but from our unrenounced selves our unmortified lusts and passions we will be something we will do every thing and every thing must be as we will have it but in the event we find we are nothing and that we can do ntohing and the stubborn things will not comply with with us and therefore we are troubled we are in pain we are overwhelmed with grief and sorrow This is an Evil that hath no Remedy but Self-Denial and resignation to God and this is a Remedy that never fails When we have put off our selves as we ought and disengaged our affections from all earthly things and can give God leave to dispose of his own Creatures and to govern his own World then weshall be in Peace then we shall be happy and not till then then nothing can go against us because we shall be willing to comply with every thing By this time I hope I have perfectly reconciled thee to this Duty and that thou art resolved to put it in Practice It remains now that I shew thee as briefly as may be how to do it And § 3. Because thou wilt certainly meet with many and great difficulties in thy first Endeavours and the difficulties will be the more and the greater by how much the more thou hast loved thy Self and the World formerly and hast been accustomed to please thy self and to indulge thy affections it willb e necessary 1. That thou enter upon the Practice of it with the strongest convictions that possibly can be both of the necessity and reasonableness of it and that thou arm thy self with such considerations as may beat down all oppositiion and effectually encourage thee against all the difficulties thou can'st encounter with To this purpose thou may'st make Use of all that I have already said and of many other things which my Design will not permit me to give an account of And after this manner may'st thou discourse with thy own heart concerning it I am told That I must deny my self and forsake the World and take up my Cross if I will be a true Christian I am told it by Christ himself and if I do not believe him why do I call him my Lord and profess to trust in him as my Saviour I know that his words have been ocnfirmed and are confirmed dayly by a thousand Instances nay I my self am an unhappy Instance of the truth of them having made but little progress in Christian knowledge and less in Christian vertue meerly for Want of a serious Regard unto them But if I do believe them why do I not practise accordingly Does not my everlasting happiness depend upon my being a Christian indeed and can I reasonably stick at any thing that is needful for the securing my self of that Is it fit that such a poor derivative thing as I am should take upon me to be absolute and independent What have I done for my self heretofore and what can I do for my self hereafter that I should prefume to please my self or seek my self in any thing I cannot add one Inch to my Stature I cannot make one hair white or black I cannot do my self the least Good nor remove from my self the lightest Evil and shall I take upon me to do my own Will without respect to him by whom alone I am and without whose influence and Blessing I can do nothing And what is the World that I should set my heart upon it and prefer it before my God and Saviour did my Love of it ever do me any Good or will it do me any without God's Blessing or when I am to leave it that I should cleave at present so close unto it I know that it is God alone that give me any portion in it that gives me any comfort by it and I Know that he can deprive me of both when he pleases And there fore I shall be not only a Rebel but a fool if I resign not my self and it to him and say not whatever is laid upon me It is the Lord let him do whatsoever seemeth good unto him Come therefore O my heart let us be no longer Rebels against Heaven and enemies to our own Happiness we are not our own we are not the Worl's but we are God's we are Christ's and therefore let God dispose of us as he will and let him give those worldly things to whom he pleases so that we may have his favour and enjoy it for ever O naughty self how do I detest thee for taking so mcuh upon thee as thou hast done hitherto O vain O transitory World I abhor thee I renounce thee utterly court me no more with thy sottish Pleasures withthly glittering bravery with thy deceitful Shows I am now dying and I will be for ever dead unto thee that I may follow Christ and live unto my God Favour these good desires favour them with thy Grace O my god and suffer not a Soul that earnestly aspires towards thee to fall short of thee With these and such like thoughts thou wilt do well to enter upon the Practice of this duty But then I advise thee 2. To do as much as thou can'st to keep these and the like thoughts continually in thy mind However sail not to begin every day with them When thou first beholdest the light in the morning after thou hast sent up thy heart to God in some short acknowledgements of his mercy towards thee tell thy heart That thou hast by God's goodness another dayadded to thy life which thou must imploy for him and his service who hath bestowed it on thee and not for the pleasing of thy self and the satisfying of thy Lusts and charge it as it will answer for it at the great day that it take care to do it accordingly The like thoughts and resolutions will do well again about noon and indeed at any time of the day and the oftner they return into thy mind the more easily and speedily wilt thou come to that perfect resignation which thou art concerned to aim at But yet further 3. It will behove thee to be frequent in Exercises of Mortification and Self-Denyal Restrain thy wonted Liberties and deny thy self thy accustomed Satisfactions acquaint thy self sometimes with hardships and turn not alwayes away from sufferings remembring that thou art a Soldier under the Ensign of the Cross and therefore must not be nice and tender soft and delicate Mortifie thy Senses and accustome them
taken Possession of thee by his Holy Spirit who is continually working in thee to dispose thee by putting off thy self and all selfish Inclinations and Desires and by abandoning all that is dear to thee to offer up thy self as Abraham offered up his Isaac a Sacrifice unto God And therefore thou can'st not without the Guilt of the most abominable Sacrilege take upon thee to be any thing or to do any thing but for God and to God See 1. Corinth 6.19 20. 5. Thou hast made a Show an outward profession of giving up thy self to God and being God's long agoe This thou did'st at thy Baptisme when renouncing the Devil the World and the Flesh thou did'st give up thy self to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and this profession thou hast probably renewed often at the table of the Lord where commemorating and giving thanks to God for the greatest expression of the greatest Love to Man that ever was thou did'st offer and present thy self thy Soul and Body to be a Reasonable Holy and Lively Sacrifice to the Lord and thou hast seemed to the World to this very day to own all this And therefore if thou art not if thou wilt not be God's after all this by the full consent of thy heart thou art the falsest and vilest Hypocrite upon Earth and an accursed Traytor to thy great Creator to thy Gracious and Loving Saviour To all this thou may'st add 6. That this is that Holiness which the Scriptures so frequently recommend unto thee and without which thou can'st not hope to see the Lord. When things are separated from common Uses and are given up to God so as never to be made Use of but for him or in his Worship and Service they are called Holy things and so indeed they are so far as things can be Thus when thou hast separated thy self taken off thy heart from all created things and hast given up thy self to God to be his and only his in faithful Service and Obedience for ever thou art holy and not till then and if thou thinkest otherwise thou do'st dangerously deceive thy self Add to this 7. That this is thy perfection and the greatest perfection thou art capable of Thou can'st do nothing better than to resign thy self to God and thou can'st not possibly be in any better State than in a State of pure resignation to him And therefore in the last place 8. Thou may'st safely believe that this is thy happiness and the greatest happiness thou can'st attain unto The truth is these three words Holiness Perfection and Happiness though they differ in sound are all the very same in sence and signification He that saies that the Saints in Heaven are blessed saies no other thing than this that they are made perfect and he that saies that they are made perfect saies no other thing than this that they are fully compleatly Holy and he that speaks this saies no more than that they are entirely God's that they are perfectly disengaged from every thing that might withhold them in the least from him and so united to him that nothing can separate or dissolve the Union so that all that I would now persuade thee to is but to make thy self as periect and happy as thou can'st be and methinks in this case it should be no hard matter to prevail with thee when thou can'st not but see thy Interest in that which is recommended to thee as thy Duty it is impossible if thou art the Man I now suppose thee to be but thou must yield thy full Consent unto it And therefore I leave these things to thy serious thoughts and proceed to give thee some Directions how to perform this good and happy Work § 2. That thou art concerned to take the greatest Care that may be to do it well I presume I need not tell thee and therefore as I do earnestly recommend the following Directions to thee so I hope thou wilt not sail to practise them And because it is a matter of great moment in every thing to begin well I advise thee 1. To separate thy self for some time from the World Retire into thy Closet or into some secret place where no Eye may see thee and nothing divert or disturb thee And when thou art there consider that thou art come thither about a business of the greatest Importance to thee thou art to give thy self to God to unite thy self most firmly to him but of thy self and without God's special Grace thou art not able to do it if he does not draw thee if he does not overcome thy sorry Heart by the sweet and powerful Influences of his Love thou wilt make but faint and fained Offers of thy self unto him And therefore thou must not fail in the first place 1. To fall upon thy Senses and with the greatest Reverence and Submission to acquaint him with the Desires of thy Soul and to beg his favourable acceptance of them and his Blessing upon them And if thou knowest not how to do it better thou may'st make Use of this form of words My Lord and my God thou knowest the very bottom of my heart and my Desires are not hid from thee I am encouraged by my own happy experience of thy Goodness as well as by thy gracious declarations of thy Will to present my self before thee notwithstanding I know my self to be unworthy of the least Favour from thee I am ashamed when I think how I have demeaned my self hitherto towards thee and that I have lived so long a Stranger yea an Enemy to thee taking upon me to dispose of my self and to please my self in the main Course of my Life without the least Regard to thee I abhor my self for it and acknowledge that I deserve for ever to be abandoned by thee but thou hast not dealt with me according to my deserts blessed be thy Goodness for it and therefore I now desire unfeignedly to return unto thee and renouncing all Interest and Propriety in my self and detesting all my former ungodly Practices I desire to give up my self wholly and entirely to thee I would be thine and only thine in all Love and Service in perfect Submission and Obedience for ever but I know I am nothing and can do nothing of my self and if ever I am thine as I desire to be I must be indebted wholly to thy Goodnes for it O my God my Saviour and my Sanctifier turn not away thy face from a poor Soul that seeks thee and places all his Confidence and Comfort in thee but as thou hast kindled these good Desires in my heart so favour them with thy Blessing and confirm encrease and satisfie them Reject not that poor Gift which I would make of my self unto thee and enable me to make it in such a manner that it may be pleasing and acceptable in thy sight Lord hear me help me and shew mercy to me for Christ Jesus's sake Amen When thou hast thus offered
do with a God that knows thy frailty and abounds in Mercy and Compassion towards thee and as long as thou do'st not withdraw thy heart from him nor slack thy Endeavours to make good thy Resolutions and Vowes thou may'st rest thy self assured that thou shalt not want the choicest Tokens of his Love I mean a dayly Supply of Grace and strength to obey and please him Thou may'st feel thy self at first to be weak as a little Child but be not dismayed at it for thou wilt find in a little time that That Spirit which first breathed into thee this new life will preserve and cherish it and make thee to grow up to a perfect man unto the measure of the Stature of the fulness of Christ Ephes 4.13 Thus have I shewed thee my dear Brother how thou may'st become a real Christian i.e. in the Language of the Scripture a new Creature in Christ Jesus 2. Corin. 5.17 And let me tell thee for thy Comfort that when these things are done thou may'st safely account thy self to be one and all those Privileges which the Holy Scripures assure thee do belong to real Christians thou may'st justly challenge as belonging to thy self Are they one with Christ so art thou Have they the Spirit of Christ so hast thou Have they fellowship with the Father and the Son so hast thou Are they the Children of God Heirs of God and Coheirs with Christ so art thou This is an happy and Honourable Estate no ambitious Soul can aim at any thing higher no heart can desire any thing better It is that to which all that call themselves Christians do pretend but they and they only that have thus resigned themselves to God have attained to it But now I must tell thee that by how much the greater thy happiness is in this Estate by so much the more thou art concerned to take Care that thou fall not away from it and to use all diligence to keep thy self in a firm possession of it remembring that thou art not yet in Heaven where there is no Falling away from God but in a place of Manifold Temptations where many do draw back and after they have known the way of Righteousness do turn from it 1 Pet. 2.21 for which purpose I must proceed to give thee some further Directions but contracting my thoughts as much as may be that I may not burden thee with too big a Book CHAP. IV. Sect. 1. Containing the Fourth Advice To grow in the Knowledge of God and of the things of God Sect. 2. Countaining several Directions how to improve in all Divine Knowledge § 1. THou must endeavour dayly to grow in the Knowledge of God and to get more clear distinct firm well-setled apprehensions of the things of God The Reason of this Advice is very plain viz. That the more thou knowest of God and the more clear they apprehensions of Divine things are the better thou wilt love God and the more closely will thy heart cleave unto him There are some things indeed of such a nature that the less men know them the more they esteem and love them whil'st they look upon them at a distanced and know them but imperfectly they seem great and good worthy of their Esteem and Love but when they come to handle them and know them throughly they are convinced that they deserve neither But now the things of God are of another Sort such is the Perfection of their Nature that the more they are unfolded to us the more we admire them and the more strongly do they draw our Souls towards them and if there by any men that do not value them or are not in Lore with them we may be confident that they do not know them Is it I that speak this or doth not the Scripture also speak the same Why then doth it so often tell us of wicked men That they know not God that they know not the way of the Lord nor the Judgments of their God Jerem. 5.5 and cap. 9.4 v. And what is it that St. John means when he tells us That by this we know that we know him if we keep his Commandements he that saith he knoweth him and keepeth not his Commandements is a Lyar and the truth is not in him 1 John 2.3 4. Doth not this imply plainly that they who know God truly will obey him and that the Reason why they do not love and obey him is their Ignorance of him or the Imperfection of their Knowledge either they know not God at all or their Knowledge is so weak so sleight so Imperfect that it makes little or no Impression upon their hearts their Conceptions of God are like those Conceipts which we have of some things in our sleep which either affect us not at all or are forgotten by us as soon as we awake We believe and we believe rightly That the Saints in Heaven shall never fall from God but will love and serve him for ever without the least Failing or Imperfection and what is the Reason of it Surely it is because they know his as they are known of him 1 Corinth 13.12 Or as St. John speaks they see him as he is 1 John 3.2 i.e. they have the clearest firmest the most full and comprehensive Knowledge of him that Creatures can have by which they are transformed into his Image and made like unto him He that does know God truly does also know himself and he that does know God and himself truly cannot but keep himself in a State of Resignation and Subjection to God continually He will feel those Impressions upon himself which holy Job did when God had made himself a little better known unto him than he was before See Job 38.39 and will say from the very bottom of his heart as holy Job did Behold I am vile chap. 40.4 v. he will know that it is not for a Worm to contend with the Creator of all things not for him that was born like a wild Asses Colt as one of Job's Friends speaks to presume to find out the Almighty to perfection He will feel the truth of what the Psalmist saies Psal 9.10 They that know thy Name will put their Trust in thee and will heartily assent to that Saying of a great man That the more we reject our selves Mich. de Montaign and commit our selves to God the better it is for us He will say as a devout man once did What art Thou O Lord and what am I He will be continually admiring his Sovereign Greatness andwill be no less sensible of his own worthlesness and nothingness He that knows God truly will also know the World and he that knows God and the World aright will never be drawn from God by any of the World's Allurements he will know that the World is nothing of it self And will he set his heart upon that which is not He will know that without God it can contribute no more to his happiness than it