hopes of a little sordid gain or pleasures mayst thou not remember how deeply thou makest thy own and others Souls guilty of abundance of sin vanity and prophaneness and then think how dear bought thy mirth would be if that nights laughter should as it may for any thing thou knowest end in weeping and gnashing of teeth As also how little gainer thou wilt be when thou hast staked and lost if not the maintenance of thy family yet thy time reputation and the credit of religion and therewith the favour of God the peace of thy conscience and the happiness of thy Soul 4. Moreover how powerfully should the same consideration perswade each one to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the spirit 1 Pet. 2. 11. As also 5. not to covet to be rich in a sinful way because they that do so fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition For the love of money is the root of all evil which while some have coveted after they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows 1 Tim. 6. 9 10. And again Jerem. 17. 11. As the Partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not so he that getteth riches and not by right shall leave them in the midst of his days and at his end shall be a fool The next temptation that comes to draw thee like Esau Judas Ahab or Achan to gain some little trifle or to get some swinish pleasure Thy conscience may tell thee that if thou dost deliberately commit such a sin thou dost at the same time wilfully in a manner sell or pawn thy Soul which is of so great value or at the best dost for a small matter most sadly venture the loss of it For thou knowst that the sin is damning in its own nature and thou canst not tell but thou mayst dye with the guilt of it upon thy conscience being thou canst not tell whether God will give thee time or an heart to repent of it or no. Which of us should not be afraid to consent to any wilful sin if we verily thought we should dye presently upon the doing of it Should the Tempter offer us all the Kingdomes of the world as a reward of our iniquity surely we should see sufficient reason like our Saviour to refuse to fall down and worship him or any ways to yield unto him considering that by dying instantly upon the deed done we might lose a Soul as our Saviour tells us more precious then the world Or as in an ancient inscription upon a certain monument in this Land Who so him bethoft Inwardly and oft How hard it were to flit From bed unto the pit From pit into pain That nere shall cease again He would not do one sin All the world to win If therefore tempted to any of the fore-mentioned evils or any other think seriously with thy self would I now do this if I were to leave this world presently and my Soul call'd to an account as soon as it is done And then think further with thy self that thus it may be for ought thou knowest for thus in Gods just judgment it hath been with many a one Many like Belshazzar Elah or Amnon have dyed in the midst of their drunken Cups Dan. 5. 6. 1 Kings 16. 9 10. 2 Sam 13. 26. More like Corah and his company have been swept away in their rebellious courses either against Minister or Magistrate Others like Zimri or Cozbi have been smitten with death in the act of their uncleanness Not a few have begun frivolous and malicious law-suits and dyed in the prosecution of them In some peoples mouths a lye a curse or a rash oath have been their last words In other peoples lives a fraud or oppression have been their very last actions Christian Reader surely this should lay a constant restraint upon thee and make thee watchful against all vicious practices least thou be tempted so to sin against thy own Soul at any time that on the morrow it will be too late to repent thee of it least on any worldly account for a thing of nought thou hazard thy Soul more worth then a thousand worlds Oh resolve henceforth stedfastly with thy self however tempted to any destructive wickedness of life by Gods assistance to keep thy precious Soul safe and innocent whatever thou gettest or whatever thou losest in this worthless and perishing world Use 3. Is the Soul so precious and the loss of it so dreadful Let this then be further improved to make every faithful Christian watchful against errour in Judgment as well as against wickedness of life and conversation Heresies are reckoned by the Apostle among the works of the flesh Gal. 5. 19 20. And some are said to be damnable 2 Peter 2. 1 2 3. and 2 Thes 2. 10 11 12. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved For this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lie That they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness This Use much concerns thee if thou livest near or among Seducers who by their often gainsaying in private what thou hearest in publick by their interest and familiarity with thee by their seeming piety and sheeps-cloathing by their confident assertions and proud pharisaical boastings by their cunning reasonings their fair flattering words or their terrible threats would bear thee down from truth and unity But to keep safe thy Soul be intreated to these few things 1. Forget not how errour leads to schism and separation which is full of horrible impiety For is not schism or causless dividing from the congregations of Christian people a breach of peace and so a violation of the very Testament of our Lord St John 14. 27. As also of love and so a disowning the Chief badge whereby Christs disciples are known from the infidel world S t John 13. 35. Is not schism further a subdividing of the Church into factions and parties who expose and discover each others infirmities to the wicked and to the common adversary so that they are scandalized and entertain hard thoughts of religion and of God the Authour of it and are prejudiced against all the perswasions of the Gospel though designed for their own good Oh how heavy an account will such discredit of religion such dishonour of God such frustrating of Christs Gospel-designs and the miscarriage of such a multitude of Souls amount to Again is it not schism and division that lessens the Common strength by dispersing it into many smaller societies Did those who withdraw from us joyn with us and strengthen our hands as they may do and be never the lesse holy but the more we might hinder more evil and more convince the ungodly and do much more good But now separating from us and speaking all the evil they can against us and against what
their everlasting peace 6. That which I would chiefly and in the last place intreat for thy Souls safety is this Expose not thy self to the temptations of Seducers The Soul is more precious then to be hazzarded upon the mistaken sense of the Apostles words 1 Thess 5. 21. To trie all things thou needst not be of all religions how false or dangerous soever Among several poysons thou wouldst not trie any of them whether it would kill thee or no. Therefore the meaning of this place must be that we are to examine the Doctrines that are delivered unto us by the Scripture whether they are built thereon or no. Like the Bareans commended Acts 17. 11. who searched the Scriptures whether those things were so that were delivered to them for the truths of God And let that place Rom. 14. 1. be considered by all such as are not throughly grounded in the Principles of Christianity Him that is weak in the faith receive but not to doubtful disputations Every private Christian is not fit to cope with hereticks and such as are skilful to destroy the faith of others You would not allow a man to come and undermine the foundation of your house This do they and worse that go about to undermine your Faith and labour to shake and unsettle you in the grand truths of the Gospel Therefore I say again Expose thy Soul as little as may be to the temptations of seducers 'T is in vain for any to pray to God to keep them from the infection of errour if they wilfully against the express word of God and without any just warrant and call run into the company of Seducers and read their Books Observe well how God in the Scripture bids us To beware of them S t Mat. 7. 15. not to go after them S t Luke 21. 8. To avoid them Rom. 16. 17. To turn away from them 2 Tim. 3. 5. If they come to us not to receive them or bid them God speed or encourage them 2 Ep. Joh. 10. Though they come with seeming zeal Gal. 4. 17. They zealously affect you but not well Yea they would exclude us that you might affect them Though they come with pretences of Gods Spirit this they may easily do who are led by their own spirit or a worse 2. Cor. 11. 3. But I fear lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity which is in Christ v. 4. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus whom we have not preached or if ye receive another spirit which ye have not received or another Gospel which ye have not accepted ye might well bear with him v. 13. For such are false Prophets deceitful workers transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ v. 14. And no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of light v. 15. Therefore it is no great thing if his Ministers also be transformed as the Ministers of righteousness whose end shall be according to their works And to this we may adde but two Scriptures more and so finish this use The one 2 Pet. 3. 17 18. Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know these things before beware lest ye also being led away with the errour of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ The other Jude v. 24 25. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his Glory with exceeding joy To the only wise God our Saviour be Glory and Majesty Dominion and Power now and ever Amen Use 4. Is the losse of the precious Soul so exceeding great and dreadful How very careful then so far as concern'd should we be of the welfare and salvation of the Souls of others And how fearful should we be to have any hand in their utter undoing If thy friend after thou hast warned him will take such ways as but to ruine his estate dost thou not think it well when thou canst say praised be God in that I am not guilty of it Much more if any of thy relations neighbours or acquaintance after thou hast endeavoured thy duty towards them will follow such courses as to ruine their Precious Souls is it not a great mercy when thou canst say blessed be the Lord in that I have had no hand in it In a Country a Parish a neighbour-hood a family by setting a good example and so furthering the work of Christ in the hands of his Ministers thou mayst not only benefit thy self but be always doing good to others as long as thou livest and the Souls of those whom time after time thou hast encouraged in the ways of holiness may come to bless God for thee and with thee for ever Whereas by shewing a bad exampl thou hinderest the messengers of Christ in his work and service and art continually doing mischief to thy self and others about thee all thy life long And the perishing Souls which thou hast any way drawn to sin and ruine may curse thee eternally as a wretched miscreant doing more hurt then if thou hadst ruined a whole Kingdome as to the outward estate of it Oh therefore if thou hast inticed any to sin and they be yet a live seek to do their Souls as much good as thou hast been a cause of evil But if they be dead and swallowed up in the torments of Hell think what a case thou art in and how justly thou mayst fear to follow them if a great repentanee prevent it not But this chiefly concerns those who in a more special manner are entrusted with the Souls of others whether Ministers or Parents and Family governours 1. As for every faithful Minister of Christ how exceeding careful should they be for the Souls committed to their charge How exceeding careful should they be to save themselves and those that hear them And to keep themselves as S t Paul says he did pure from the blood of all men 'T is true God hath made our Calling excellent and honourable but people would see little cause to envy us that double honour of respect and maintenance which the Apostle would have given 1 Tim. 5. 17. did they rightly consider how weighty our charge is how dangerous our condition how many and difficult our duties and how troublesome our fears and cares touching the estate of their Souls I know some may think we take more care then needs wishing we would meddle less with them in their ignorant careless and secure ways which we could wish too if it would consist with Gods honour the credit of religion and their and our own safely But I besech you consider if any of you was intrusted with a Jewel of five or ten thousand pound price would you not see it needful to watch all ways and by all means to keep it safe and secure and if you had many such in your
cursing the time that ever they came into thy family where they saw so much wickedness where there was no worshiping of God or means to come to the knowledge of him whereupon they went on securely in sin and are now swallowed up in the bottomless pit of destruction Or suppose any of thy children following thy steps in wickedness and contemning Gods word and worship as they saw thee do should now be sunk down to eternal misery there cursing the day that ever they were born of such a Parent or crying out against thee for neglecting them for suffering them to swear lye and do evil without severe rebukes for letting them prophane the Lords-day for neither instructing them thy self nor causing them to be instructed by others in the waies of God Were this so it might make the most flinty heart to ake and tremble Therefore that it may never be so with thee resolve duly to promote godliness in thy family however thou standest therein related Dwell with thy wife as a man of knowledge as heirs together of the grace of life that your prayers be not hindred 1 Pet. 3. 7. Labour that thy servants may know and serve God they will be to thee more faithful Bring up thy children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord they will be to thee more dutiful Pray with them and for them put them upon learning such verses of Scripture as will further their holy walking Encourage all under thy roof to observe better the Lords day Suffer them not to mis-spend so much of that precious time in such idle trifling and unlawful practices as too many do Thou hadst need chuse a right path that hast thy servants and children or others near thee following thee to heaven or hell Be therefore exact in thy actions that they may have the fairer copy to write after Weigh thy words considering that they will learn thy language Remember that Faith and Troth sound not so well as yea and nay our Saviour being Judge S t Mat. 5. 37. Be afraid to have the Devil so often in thy mouth lest others about thee have him both in their tongue and their heart too Repeat not others oaths nor speak irreverently of the great God and his Word Let no corrupt communication proceed out of thy lips but that which some ways tends to good In all thy religious performances be very serious and sincere that they may see thou art in good earnest about Soul-affairs and matters of eternity Oh be careful thus if it be possible by thy pious exhortations thy devout prayers and thy exemplary behaviour to bring the Souls of all under thee and near thee unto Christ And make that still thine which once was good Joshua's resolution and practice Josh 24. 15. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Use 5. Is each ones Soul of so great worth and the losse of it to them so dreadful and undoing as not to be recompenced with the gaining of the whole world See then further how exceeding careful we should every one of us be of our own Souls and how we may not always count them the happiest people who have all worldly things here for a while that heart can wish but those rather who are most careful of their precious Souls everlasting happiness in the world to come Now if thou wouldst understand whether thou thy self art herein rightly careful or no thou mayst know it by looking to the sincerity of thy conversion or thy due care of believing such truths exercising such graces and performing such duties as God requires of all regenerate Christians And which thou mayst find set down in the Directions Questions and Answers of the foregoing Book especially from page 84 to page 93. As also in the prayers thereof which teach us at once both what to ask and what to do and be in order to the Souls eternal welfare For having such prayers to use we may study our petitions before and so the sense of our minds may keep pace with our words and our affections go along with our sense Thus Gods Spirit assisting our devotion would beenlivened and our prayers become the rule of our conversation when we swarve from them they would make us blush into amendment But more particularly to know that thou art in good earnest desirous to save thy Soul 1. Being Christ the Physician of Souls works not a cure upon one every whit whole nor is prized by them that feel no need of him S t Mat. 9. 12 13. hast thou had an imbittering sense of the evil and danger of sin and an humbling sight of thy Souls lost condition by nature as fallen from God and inordinately set upon worldly vanities Hast thou seen that this is not a state to be rested in and therefore been solicitous after a better carefully in effect asking like them Acts 2. 37. what shall I do to be saved 2. Hast thou hereupon been heartily willing to receive Christ as offered in the Gospel for thy Lord as well as thy Jesus or Saviour And as thy Lord dost thou yield to the sanctifying work of his word and spirit and art thou so guided by his Laws as ordinarily to practice the most strict holy costly and self-denying duties which thou knowest him to require of thee And again as thy Jesus dost thou feel the power of his death killing sin in thee doth he by his bloodshed not only pardon thy sins but also save and deliver thee from them so that thou heartily strivest against all known sin and overcomest all grosse sins and when fallen under any prevailing temptation risest again by repentance begging forgiveness of God in his blood and resolving by his grace to watch and resist more carefully for the time to come Acts 16. 30 31. Ezek. 36. 25 26 27 Acts 3 26 Tit. 2. 11 12 14. 3. Art thou so sensible of what Christ thy Redeemer hath done and suffered for thee and of thy many engagements to him upon that account as to love him above all and constantly to cleave unto him in every condition And hath Christ so brought thee back again to God that thou takest him for thy portion and lovest him with all thy heart Soul and strength and chusest to live with him in his favour and glory without sinning or offending him any more rather then sinfully to enjoy the delights of the world and want the favour of God Eph. 6. 24. Phil. 3. 8. S t Mat. 22. 38. Psa 73. 25 26 27 28. 4. Moreover art thou so convinced of the Souls worth and the worlds vanity of the certainty and excellency of heavenly glory and the intollerableness of eternal misery of the goodness of the Divine precepts and the need of obeying them art thou I say so convinced of this as sincerely to set thy self to perform all those holy spiritual duties in heart and life which God hath absolutely commanded thee being sorry thou canst perform them no better