thy Quietus a Writ of Ease and when Night comes and it hastens apace thou may'st lay thee down in Peace and take thy Rest for thy God hath made thy Bed for thee and He will make thee dwell in Everlasting Safety Cast not away therefore your Confidence which hath great Recompence of Reward for ye have need of Patience that after ye have done the Will of God ye might receive the Promise For yet a little while and He that shall come will come and will not tarry Heb 10.35 36 37. And when He comes He will not come empty-handed And Be not weary in well-doing for in due time ye shall Reap if ye faint not And as Jos ph said after his Advancement God hath made me forget all my Toyl and my Father's House Gen. 41.51 so when the approaching Night overtakes thee and thou shalt be gathered to Abraham's Bosom and Sleep in Jesus not so much as a frightful Dream shall interrupt thy Repose or disturb the Satisfaction of thy everlasting Rest Let the Fore-sight and Belief of this quicken thy Industry while the Day continues And remember that of Solomon Eccles 5.12 The Sleep of a Labouring Man is sweet If thou hast done if thou hast lov'd the Work of God in the Day He will not only give thee the Sleep of his Beloved at Night but the harder thou hast wrought and the more thou hast been wearyed at it the more welcome the sounder and the sweeter will thy Rest be Secondly Night is Resting Time that is a Time when they shall have no farther Opportunity to finish their Work in Justice to the Loyterers Then Time shall be no more Rev. 10.6 Now that Night above described of Death of the Setting of the Gospel Sun or God's Departure from a Soul for what follows will respect sometimes one sometimes another of them will put a Period to their Working upon a seven-fold Account First By reason of its Darkness in which they cannot see to work He call'd the Darkness Night Gen. 1.5 The Sun went down and it was Dark Gen. 15.17 You know this to be so by Experience in every Revolution of the Natural Day Darkness is nothing but Privation of Light and when Light is withdrawn Darkness must needs follow When the Evening is shut in the Black and Dark Night as Solomon calls it succeeds presently spreading its sable Wings over the whole Hemisphere So that Men can neither see their Way to guide their Feet nor their Work to guide their Hands No Phrases or Expressions of Speech are more common than these The Way of the Lord The Path of Life Walking with God Coming to Christ Going to Heaven and such like implying Motion Now How can any of these be done in the Darkness of the Night How shall we keep the Right Path that is so beset with so many By-wayes on every side By-wayes of Errour on one hand and By-wayes of Wickedness on the other if we have no Light to guide us In Reference to this is that Passage of our Saviour Walk while ye have Light lest Darkness come upon you For he that walketh in Darkness knoweth not whither he goeth St. John 12.35 Because Darkness hath blinded his Eyes 1 Joh. 2.11 And as there is great danger of losing and turning out of the Right Way so there is no less of stumbling and falling in it if we have not Light to shew us the Stumbling-blocks and Snares the Devil and his Instruments lay in our way that we may avoyd them If a Man walk in the Night he stumbleth because there is no Light in him Joh. 11.10 And we need the Light no less to guide our Hands in Working than our Feet in Walking Who but a Fool or Mad-man would attempt any curious Work in the Dark To Paint to Carve to make a Clock or Watch or but to write a Letter Now the Work we have to do for God and our Souls beyond all peradventure requires the clearest Light to see to do it well How can we believe repent obey or try these Graces by the Law or Gospel when we cannot fee the Rule by which they should be measured While Christ the Son of Righteousness shines in his Ordinances and by his Spirit there is a Day and you may see to work the Work God sets you But when that departs you are presently be-nighted and cannot take one Step or draw one Line aright The Naral Sun only enlightens the Medium discovers the Object but infuseth not a Visive Power into the Eye It opens not the Eyes it makes not blind Men see Though it makes things visible to them that can see yet make Night by setting But this Sun makes Day in an extraordinary manner it gives Light and Sight both When St. Paul was call'd and sent to Preach the Gospel his Commission ran thus I send thee to open their Eyes and to turn them from Darkness to Light Act. 26.18 How dismal a Night must therefore follow when this Sun is set which leaves Men both Blind and in the Dark That Light which discovers what our VVorks are can only direct how they may become such as they ought to be John 3.21 He that doth Truth cometh to the Light that his Deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God And it must be by that Light we must see to do God's Work Improve it therefore while you have it before the Night the time of Darkness overtake yea overwhelm you Secondly No Man can work in this Night because 't is incapable of any Light When the Natural Light of this World leaves us and Night draws the Curtains of Darkness round about our Habitations and the whole Space 'twixt Heaven and Earth is nothing but Obscurity we can relieve our selves with the Artificial Lights of Candles Lamps or Torches But this Night resists such Remedies and is Incurable 'T is gross Darkness like Egyptian Darkness which might be felt but not removed too thick for the faint Beams of any Candle to pierce through disperse or scatter If you lose and loyter out your Day you cannot redeem your Error or eke out your Working time by the borrowed Light of Art As in the New-Jerusalem there needs no Candle Rev. 22.5 so in the utter Darkness which seizeth on all without that Blessed Place of Light no Candle is allowed or would do any Good The Candle of the Wicked shall be put out Prov. 24. 20. 'T is observable God calls His Ministers Lights Ye are the Light of the World Matth. 5.14 John was a Burning and a Shining Light John 5.35 and the Station of his Gospel-Ordinances a Candle-stick Rev. 1.12 But Churches and Ministers and Ordinances are only for this Life there is no use of them hereafter Christ walks in the midst of them and when he with-draws they signify nothing O ye Loyterers think not to make Candle-Light-Work of your Eternal Concernments when the Sun is down Here the Candle the Sun shine both
to you all the Aâ—mour of God that you may resist the battery of this worst of Satans Engines and defeat the most dangerous of all his stratagems to involve you in Procrastination by giving up your selves speedyly to God and Christ according to what ever convictions have been upon you that you ought and resolutions that you would so do and be ready quickly I would add no more did not one word remain which may seem fit to clinch and rivet that Nail I have been forcing home with so many blows And I shall take it out of your own mouths Methinks I hear some say why so many Arguments in so clear a case and others ready to make the number occasion of their laughter and others 't was good if it had not been so long but it was cruel tedious Well be it so admit it had been delivered at this length which yet by the way it was not let me in cool blood debate the case with these Objectors before we part Is the case so clear in thy opinion that 't is superfluous to multiply Arguments to prove it Out of thy own mouth shalt thou be judged thou sloathful servant Why dost thou continue to Rebel against thy light Why dost thou still delay That 's enough which doth the work it is designed to but that 's too little which doth it not The Motives may be enough to leave thee inexcusable but they are not enow for thee till they effectually persuade thee to leave thy sin and escape thy danger And for the next must I bear your petulent scorn for remembring you of returning to God with such a number and shall it cost you nothing to forget him days without number Do you now laugh because the Motives are so many And what will you do when God shall laugh at your calamity and mock when your fear cometh because these many were too few to make you take warning To make you wise to prevent them and escape them Is it so tedious to you to hear your sins Arraigned and Condemned a long hour And what is it to God to be dishonoured and provoked by them all thy life long Is it a load which breaks the back of thy Patience to hear Motives multiplyed to turn thee Speedily And is it no dangerous tryal of Gods Patience to load him with thy multiplyed sins as a Cart is loaden with Sheaves and pressed down If it be wearisome to hear thy sins reproved How much more Just is Gods complaint They have wearied me with iniquities and made me serve with their sins In a word if I have been thought long in calling you to turn to God how long doth God think your refusing to return And how tedious will it be to bear the eternal reproaches of thy own heart and lashes of thy own enraged Conscience for that refusal Which nothing can exempt thee from but taking the Councel I have so plainly given Consider what I have said and the Lord give us understandings and hearts to close with it that when ever Christ comes He may find us Ready Amen A DISCOURSE Shewing the Sinfulness and Danger of Putting-off our Great WORK BEING The Substance of a Sermon deliver'd at the Funeral of Mr. David Geer at St. Botolph's Aldgate Upon St. JOHN ix.iv. I must work the Works of Him that sent me while it is Day The Night cometh when no Man can work THis Chapter contains the History of one of the chief Miracles which our Blessed Saviour wrought whil'st He was in this World That is His opening the Eyes of the Man which was born Blind And it is Recorded more largely than any of his wonderful Works except his Raising Lazarus from the Dead for it fills a whole long Chapter to declare the Occasion of it the Work it self and what followed upon it and affords Matter of so many useful and choyce Observations 't is some difficulty to pass them by For it did not only Confirm his Mission and Doctrine to be from God but the very Miracle it self was Doctrinal the Man 's being born Blind figuring that Spiritual Blindness under which we are all Born and Christ's Healing him and the Manner of it shewing from whence we must expect the true Eye-Salve But I must confine my self to what the present Solemn Occasion directly minds us of The Words I have read were pronounced by our Lord as an Introduction to the Work when he address'd himself to the Performance of it and discover his Faithful Obedience and Excellent Wisdom in improving the Seasons for fulfilling the Works his Father sent him into this World for And commend to us a Truth of general Use and universal Obligation tho our Lord vouchsafes to apply it to Himself in this particular Case I confess the Words have not the Form of a Precept but they have the Force yea more than the Force of a single Command press the Duty more Home than if it had been said expresly Work while it is Day For First They are an Example given in the Person of him whom we are bound to imitate and follow whose Works are Vocal and whose Actions are our Instructions He being the Son of God and our Lord and Master saying I must work 't is as if a Son in the Family should say to the Servants or a Wealthy fore-handed Man to his poor Neighbours who have nothing but their Hands to Live on What ever you do I must mind my Business I must labour and not squander away one Day after another my Father will not suffer it in me and I should quickly be undone by such a Course Such Words spoken in their own Persons are more awakening more pungent than if they only bid them mind their Business For they smartly and sarcastically reproach their Sloath and upbraid them for their Loytering For if the Master of the Family will not bear it in a Son much less will he in a Servant and if he that 's well before-hand must be industrious to prevent Poverty and Want much more must he that hath but from Hand to Mouth But the quickning Influence of the Example is not all For Secondly The Reason by which it is inforced shews it extends to many For when He had said I must work c. while 't is Day when he comes to give the Reason of it he saith not The Night cometh when I can't work but When no Man can work 't is St. Chrysostome's Note thereby clearly implying that the Duty reaches all whom the Reason of the Duty reaches and amounts to thus much That every Man who hath Work to do which must be done by Day and cannot be done by Night must hasten to dispatch it while the Day lasts lest he be surprized and prevented by the Nights Approach Having thus briefly clear'd my Passage to what I design by shewing that the Words tho spoken by our Lord of Himself yet are fairly Applicable unto others and may have Efficacious Influence both upon
tells you It comes apace it comes quickly Time is painted with long Wings and no Wings are pruned for so swift a flight It flows like a Torrent and sweeps us away with it There 's no stemming this Tyde And 't is as Uncertain as 't is Swift Thy Pulse beats incessantly and thy Breath is puffing out and drawing in each Moment and thou knowest not that the One shall repeat its Stroaks or the Other be Restored thee once more This Night comes like a Thief in the Night When we lye still and sleep that wakes and is in perpetual Motion And this may suffice for the Proof of this Observation That the Consideration of the Work we have to do and the Time allowed and limited for the Doing of it should engage us to the Vtmost Diligence and Speed in doing of it I now proceed to the Vseful Improvement of this Weighty Truth with equal Plainness And if the Work we have to do and the Season allowed and limited for the doing of it in engage us to such Diligence and Speed in the doing of it This serves 1. To Justify those who act according to these Engagements 2. To Condemn those who neglect them or act contrary to them 3. To Exhort and Excite us all to act suitably to them by shewing all Diligence and Speed about our Great Work First This Justifyes the Wisdom and Zeal of those who Live up to and act according to these Engagements And I wish to God the Number were Greater that deserves such Encouragement But because they are so few therefore do they need it the more For Good Company confirms Good Resolutions and when many walk together they embolden each other and mutually strengthen one anothers Hands and Hearts But the Narrow-Way which leads to the Streight-Gate being found and trodden by so few and they meeting with so much Opposition to stop them in it or divert them out of it do greatly need all the Encouragements that can be given them For Prophane Ungodly Men hate them and Proud and Formal Pharisees despise them and reproach them And all that are so busy in doing the Work of another Master are mad against them for their Diligence about their Master's and their Father's Business He that departeth from Evil maketh himself a Prey Isa 59.15 God's Heritage is a Speckled Bird the Birds about her are against her Jer. 12.9 The Law of Enmity betwixt the Two Seeds is more unalterable than the Laws of Medes and Persians It discovered it self betimes in Cain and Abel in Ishmael and Isaac the Two signal Types of the Two Visible kinds of Persecution which have prevailed in the World ever since by the Mouth of the Sword or the Sword of the Mouth Cain who was of that Wicked One slew his Brother and wherefore slew he him Because his own Works were Evil and his Brothers Righteous 1 Joh. 3.12 And Ishmael Mocked Gen. 21.9 which in St. Paul's Language is He that was Born after the Flesh persecuted him that was Born after the Spirit Gal. 4.29 And as the Apostle added for the time in which he wrote as it was then so is it now So may we for the times in which we Live and so will they have cause to do who shall Live after us For the Rule 2 Tim. 3.12 All that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer Persecution is as Universal for Ages and Places as Persons no Temporary one to expire like an Antiquated Law but will last while this Evil World lasts and they shall find it in one kind or the other And where the Laws pinion the Hands of Cain the Tongue of Ishmael will be Lawless and where they dare not kill their Bodies their Throats those open Sepulchres will swallow them alive like the Grave and with Black Mouths full of Lyon's Teeth will rend their Names and tear their Reputations till they wound their very Souls If a Volly of Lyes or a Shower of those invenom'd Arrows bitter railing and opprobrious Words will stop you in or fright you from your Work The Father of Lyes hath more Tongues than Argus had Eyes or Briarius had Hands and will find Monstrous Heads enough both whose Ears grow upon one side But let none of these Things move you neither count your Lives nor your Names dear to you so that you may Finish your Course with Joy Act. 20.24 St. James urges to Patience thrice in a Breath with one of the Arguments in our Text. Jam. 5.7 8 9. Be patient Brethren unto the Coming of the Lord. Be patient stablish your Hearts the Coming of the Lord draweth nigh Grudge not behold the Judge standeth at the Door Gratify not the Devil or his Instruments so much as to grow Remiss at your Work for fear of their Reproaches But keep on your Way though the Dogs bark thou 'lt soon be past them and out of the Noise It would be a dear Purchase to buy their Silence at the Price of abating thy Zeal for God St. Peter teaches you a safer and better Way to do it even by Well-doing and by a good Conversation in Christ to make them ashamed to speak Evil of you This is the most Innocent Revenge you can take on them to resolve the more they deride you or reproach you for your Work the more earnestly to mind it and to follow it the more diligently And 't is the best Security for your selves to prevent being disturbed He that minds his Business intently hath no Ears to hear nor Leisure to take notice of what is design'd to interrupt him Convince them you are led by a better Spirit by being able to bear with Meekness their loudest Slanders most spightful Reproaches While they cannot bear the Silent and undesigned Reprehension your Diligence and Zeal reflects upon their Sloath Trifling in the Work of God and their own Souls 'T is an Immutable and Eternal Truth that the glorifying God and saving our own Souls is our Supream Concern and deserves our First and Highest Care and who ever acts according to it shall in spight of Men and Devils be justifyed as a Wise and good Man in so doing And their Master 's Euge Well done good and faithful Servant enter thou into thy Master's Joy will put it out of doubt and controversy for ever And Wisdom shall be Justifyed of her Children though Fools condemn and the Sons of Belial Blaspheme both the Mother and her Off-spring He that hath Truth on his side and Reason on his side and a well-guided Conscience on his side hath God Himself on his side and need not trouble himself who or what-ever is against him And thus 't is certainly with every one who makes Religion his Business in good Earnest And even the Men whose Mouths Reproach you in their Hearts must Reverence you And their Consciences will approve what the Interest of their Lusts provokes them to condemn in others that they might escape being condemned of themselves Be not
Work effectually in others Convince them thou believest thy self the Truth and the Necessity of what thou pressest on them Secondly Ye that are Parents labour to season early the tender Hearts of your Children with a Sense of Religion and their Great Work Youth is the Age of Discipline and the Seed-time for their whole Life Train up a Child in the Way wherein he should go and when he is Old he will not Depart from it The First Impressions are most Lasting 'T is a great Honour to be entrusted with the Education of one Child and to have Opportunity to form it for God's Service As you were the means of their being Born and the Occasions of their being Born in Sin you owe them both in Love and Justice your Best Endeavours that they may be Born again and made Saints The Third and Last Branch of the Exhortation is to All in general though more especially to Young Persons 1. To a Speedy Setting about their great Work 2. To a Diligent Progress in it when it is Begun First To a Speedy Setting about this Work Young Man I say unto thee Arise And Oh! that Christ would vouchsafe to accompany this Word with such a Power of His Spirit as might render it as effectual to some Dead Soul as they were upon the Dead-Son of the Widdow of Naim Luk. 7. Awake thou that sleepest stand forth from the Dead and Christ shall give thee Light Suppose thou heardest God say to thee as in the Parable Son go work to day in my Vineyard this present Day and though thou hast neglected His Call heretofore yet now Repent and go But because it often is with Young Persons if I may make such an Allusion as it was with Lazarus when Christ call'd him forth of his Grave Joh. 11.44 He that was Dead came forth bound Hand and Foot with Grave-Cloaths and his Face bound about with a Napkin Therefore Jesus said unto them Loose him and let him go When they begin to be quickned and have some Sense of the Necessity of speedy Walking in the Wayes of God yet their Heads are bound about they are muffled and blind-folded with Prejudices and cannot see their Way and bound Hand and Foot with Grave-Cloaths hamper'd and shackled with former Customs and Objections that they can neither walk in God's Way nor work for Him I will endeavour to loose them and knock off their Fetters and remove the Lets and Hinderances of their Motion and their Speed and I shall do it briefly For though there may be many Foolish Cavils there can be neither wise nor strong Objections against the present Setting about God's Work that they should either need much Time or Pains to Remove them First then 't is Objected That Religion is too serious a Work for Young People as the Philosopher said Young Men were not fit Hearers of the Precepts of Morality but Postquam deferbuit aetas after the Heats of Youth are boyl'd over after their Lusts and Passions have spent themselves and they have Sow'd their Wild Oats as your Common Phrase is The Heat of Youth is a kind of Sickness and no wise Physitian administers in the Heighth of the Paroxisme but stayes till the Fit be over 'T is a Degree of Drunkenness and we Reprove not the Drunkard 'till he be Sober and come to himself Answer These Comparisons prove nothing and are as easily sleighted as produced For the main Objection 'T is true Religion is a very serious Thing and therefore the fitter to restrain the Extravagancy of Youthful Lusts which by how much the more Impetuous they are by so much the stronger Curbs they need to restrain and keep them in Order And 't is the Excellency of the Word of God and its high Commendation that 't is an Antidote strong enough to purge out such a Poyson Where-with-all shall a Young Man cleanse his Ways By taking heed thereto according to thy Word Psal 119.9 For a Man to indulge his Lusts and profess Religion I confess were a way to desecrate and pollute so Holy a thing But Religion minded in Sincerity will subdue and mortify them And give Subtilty to the Simple to the Young Man Knowledge and Discretion Prov. 1.4 Though Youth hath its Inconveniences which Religion will Correct it also hath its Advantages which Religion will Improve 'T is more Vigorous and Active more Susceptive and Retentive more Free and Dis-engaged more Unprejudiced and Dis-incumbred than the following Stages of Life And therefore most acceptable to God and fittest to be Consecrated to His Work Religion will Relieve against the Incommodities of Youth and give the Prerogatives of Age and make them Men in Knowledge and Gravity who are but Youths in Years For Honourable Age is not that which standeth in Length of Time nor that is measured by Number of Years But Wisdom is gray Hair unto Men and an unspotted Life is Old Age. Wisd 4.8 9. yea gives Prerogatives above it For Young David was Wiser than his Teachers and had more Vnderstanding than the Antients because he kept God's Precepts Yea the Wise King carries the Disproportion very high when he tells us Eccles 4.13 That a Poor and Wise Child is better than an Old and Foolish King Religion therefore is not too serious even for a Child seeing it can make a Child Serious nor in danger to to be prejudiced by the Levity of Youth seeing it can Cloath even Youth with Gravity Secondly A Second Objection against Early Piety is suggested by Superstitious Fear that they shall Dye presently if they grow Devout as some Fools think they must if they once make their Wills Answ How absurdly do Sinners suffer themselves to be abused by the Devil and their own vain Hearts They now begin to be fit to Live therefore they must presently Dye How inconsequent is this Conclusion How Unreasonable such Reasoning As if God would suffer none but Fools and Knaves to Live and those Wicked Men with whom He is Angry every Day and for whom He hath Prepar'd the Instruments of Death and Hath whet His Sword and bent His Bow and made all ready for speedy Execution if they turn not Psal 7.11 12 13. God calls the Righteous Lights and he hath more use for them to Shine in the World than to whelm them Vnder the Bushel of Death as soon as he hath set them up to Shine in a Crooked and Perverse Generation 'T is Bloody and Deceitful Men against whom the Sentence is pronounc't That they shall not Live out half their Dayes But of Wisdom it is said that Length of Dayes is in her Right Hand and in her Left Hand Riches and Honour Prov. 3.16 And St. Peter 1.3 10. He that will love Life and see good Dayes let him refrain his Tongue from Evil and his Lips from speaking Guile Let him eschew Evil and do Good Finally We find this Encouragement given to the Good Man Job 5.26 That he shall come to his Grave in a
easie to prevail with men to practise as 't is obvious to be discovered would alone save us or put a blessing upon what ever else might be innocently propounded to bring us unto safety and no good man need be afraid or ashamed to propound it and he must be a very bad man who will not be ashamed to reproach it or reject it And 't is what Christ gives to the Church of Laodicea Rev. iii. 19. Be zealous and repent 'T is that which St. John Baptist gave when wrath was coming apace and the Axe was laid to the Root of the Tree St. Matth. iii. 8. Bring forth fruits meet for repentance 'T is that which our present Parable suggests If it bear fruit Well this will cause an Arrest of Judgment this will procure the Repeal of the pronounced Sentence In what words shall I propound this Counsel with what Arguments may I so press it as to render it effectual with what Motives shall I inforce it that it may be prevalent I have many things to say when I come to apply the Parable personally to urge you to repent to save your souls And surely 't is a great word to save our Souls but may I not say 't is a greater word to save a Church to save our Religion in which and by which our Souls must be saved and thousands and millions of Souls may be saved if that be saved and may humanely speaking be lost for ever if true Religion be lost and if it be lost by our default where shall the loss of all those souls be charged How warmly how Pathetically doth the great Apostle warn his dear Timothy in this affair in a case of like concernment And how doth he reiterate the charge to make all sure O Timothy keep that which is committed to thy trust 1 Tim. vi 20. And 2 Tim. i. 13 14. Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love And That good thing which was committed to thee keep by the holy Ghost And he must transmit to others what was committed unto him 2 Tim. ii 2. The things which thou hast heard of me among many witnesses the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also We owe to Posterity what we received from our Progenitours He leaves his name as a blot nay as a curse to his descendents who intercepts and robs them of the Care and Providence and noble acquisitions of their common Ancestours And he deserves in the Prophets Phrase to be esteemed the Tayl and not the Head whose Lusts cut off what the Wisdom and Industry of great Grand-Fathers intayled of late and far removed Nephews for support and Honour And how shall we answer it to God our Consciences and the succeeding Ages If we sin away that Holy Truth that excellent Religion which God vouchsafed to Plant in this Nation with his own Right Hand and those from whom we had our lives transmitted to us verdant and flourishing being watered by their Pious Tears and fatned with their dearest Blood A Religion not patcht up of cunningly devised Fables nor devised by cunning men to gratifie their Lusts and serve their base and worldly Interests But the Everlasting Gospel brought by the Eternal Son from the bosom of him who is Truth it self and the Fountain of it and adapted to the promoting of his Glory and the true Interest of Souls the repairing and restoring them to their highest perfection Conformity to the Divine Image participation of the Divine Nature and full and endless injoyment of God A Religion founded upon the Prophets and Apostles having Jesus Christ for the chief Corner-Stone A Religion that dare bear the test of the true Lydian-Stone The Law and Testimony because it is not conscious to it self of any counterfeit metal stampt and imposed on unwary minds by its Authority to pass for good Coyn and currant mony A Religion which takes not away the Key of knowledg nor deprives its Children of the Scriptures the only Records of Divine Truth and Rule that God hath given mankind of Faith and Manners That cryes not up Ignorance for the Mother of Devotion seeing Solomon hath told us that without knowledg the heart cannot be good And a greater than Solomon That life eternal is to know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent And one of his Apostles hath informed us that The new man is renewed in knowledg and another hath described the Beasts Kingdom by its being full of Darkness And our Lord in the beginning of his Ministry laid down this early Aphorism to direct his Followers to distinguish betwixt Truth and Falsehood the way of Salvation and condemnation John iii. 19 20 21. This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil For every one that doeth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved But he that doth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God A Religion that blots out none of Gods Commandments for fear the very Children should drink in with their Catechism an Antidote against that gross Idolatry which diffuses it self through more than half the Worship they are called to practise all their lives A Religion which directs your Prayers to him whose title is A God hearing Prayer and your Worship to him to whom alone it appertains and whom only we must serve if either Moses or Christ are to be believed in such matters And that teaches you to Pray to him in his name whom Saint Paul calls the One Mediatour betwixt God and Man being both in his own person A Religion that allows you to serve this God with reasonable service as becomes reasonable Creatures Praying with your Spirits and your Vnderstandings not like Pyes or Parrots not with noise and sounds of a Language you understand not A Religion that delivers Christs Institutions as his Apostles received them from him not disguising a Sacrament appointed for the living into an expiatory Sacrifice for the dead nor bidding you Worship what Christ bid you eat Nor giving the lye to all your Sences your Reason and your Faith together For Gods word which is the object of our Faith calls it Bread most frequently after Consecration nor robbing you of one half the Cup with a non obstante that Christ Instituted and the Primitive Church Administred in both Kinds And so avowing their presumption with an impudence as villanous and hateful as their theft A Religion which hath no Mint-house to Coin new Articles of Faith or make that needful to be believed in order to Salvation this year which the year before and ever before that was never thought on A Religion which dares neither add nor detract from our Lords Will. Nor clap seven Seals to that Testament to which he annexed but two Labels A Religion which will