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A52802 A Christians walk and work on earth, until he attain to heaven which may serve as a practical guide, and a plain direction in his pilgrimage thither, through his personal and relative duties : marvelously useful to all persons, and families of all ranks and qualities, both in city and country / by Christopher Nesse ... Ness, Christopher, 1621-1705. 1678 (1678) Wing N443; ESTC R3369 121,975 273

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Earthly Adam in your natural Estate If you belong to Christ and Salvation you must bear the Image of the Heavenly Adam Christianity being both the Imitation and the participation of the Divine nature is the reducing of the Image of the first and fallen Adam into the second 't is the bringing back of the Earthly Image of fallen Man into the Heavenly Image of the holy God wherein Man was first Created in Righteousness and true Holiness 1 Cor. 15. 48 49. Eph. 4. 24. This being done for you and in you you have the Right Picture of Christ your practice answering both your principles and profession 16. The true Christian is like a pair of compasses that keeps within compass the one foot to wit his principles standing fast in the Centre and the other foot to wit his practice walking round the circumference yet both feet do correspond sweetly together in paralel lines each with other Thus ought there to be a sweet Harmony betwixt your principles and your practice and your Conversation must not give the lie to your profession you must make straight your paths Heb. 12. 13. 1 Sam. 6. 12. The Kine held strait on their way to Bethshemesh So must you to the house of the Sun of Righteousness as the Word Bethshemesh signifies your Eyes must look Right on and your Eyelids look straight before you Prov. 4. 25. 'T is the crooked Serpent Esa 27. 1 that brought Man to crooked wayes Psal 125. 5. Corrupt Nature runneth in a Crooked channel but 't is Christs work to make things crooked straight Esa 40. 4. 17. Some creatures are commended for being comly in their goings Prov. 30 29 sure I am every true Christian should be so he should lead a convincing life and be of a comly and commendable conversation such an one as becomes the Gospel Phil. 1. 27 and as becometh Holiness Tit. 2. 3. both young and old Male and Female should be of a comly deportment you must walk worthy of God who hath called you to his Kingdom and glory 1 Thes 2. 12 his livery you must wear his Image you must bear and his Kingdom you are called unto and therefore you must carry as Children of a King Judg. 18. 18 and as Children of the Kingdom Remember saith Menedemus to Antigonus when he was to go to a Feast where a Famous Harlot was to be a guest that you are a Kings Son do nothing unworthy of such an Honourable Title Scipio African when solicited to filthiness by an Harlot Answered Vellem si non essem Imperator It is below an Emperor and Nehemiah said better shall such an one as I flee Neh. 6. 12. 18. A Godly conversation is very graceful to the Gospel and the Gospel gains much glory by you if you walk in the beauty of Holiness you are called not only to his Kingdom but also to his glory 1 Thes 2. 12. and therefore the Spirit of glory should rest upon you 1 Pet. 4. 14. This is the smooth bark that evidences the good Tree as well as the Root bole branches leaves and fruit to be a Tree of Righteousness the planting of the Lord Isa 61. 3 to be of Gods not of the Devils planting and watering a clear-skinn'd Tree not full of Bur-knots is the most hopeful for fruit So is the Man that hath a shining conversation as the shining of Moses face so the shining of your life doth evidence you have been with God in the Mount They took notice of the Apostles that they had been with Jesus Act. 4. 13. This makes even a Nebuchadnezzar confess these are the servants of the most high God Dan. 3. 26. Those Virgin-Souls that followed the lambe had their Fathers name Writ in their foreheads Revel 14. 1 4. though you shall be Judged according to Men in the flesh yet should you live according to God in the Spirit 1 Pet. 4. 6. and not do folly in Israel Gen. 34. 7. 19. The Levitical Law doth likewise tell you what beasts are clean and what unclean all which are a shadow of things to come Col. 2. 16 17. Whereby Israel was taught to study purity and to know that the very Creatures are all defilled with Mans Sin Those beasts were accounted clean that both chewed the Cud and divided the hoof Therefore the Camel was numbred amongst the unclean though he chewed the Cud becausehe divided not the hoof by all which you must understand in Levit. 11. 3. c. That it is not enough for you to ruminate upon the word of God in your most serious Meditations which is your Spiritual chewing of the Cud but you must part the hoof too in putting a difference betwixt good and bad Actions You must not only think on the Commandments of God but so think on them as to do them Psal 103. 18. Cleansing your self from all filthiness hoth of flesh and Spirit 2 Cor. 7. 1. you must not only profess the word but you must practice it also you must add to your Faith Virtue Temperance c. 2 Pet. 1. 5. and then are you accounted a clean Sacrifice to the Lord. To practice Sermons you hear is the best kind of Repeating Sermons live Sermons as well as hear them 20. As the Law concerning clean beasts Levit. 11. 6 doth teach you that good Meditation should end in a good Conversation for a Copy is not only to be Read over by him that learns to Writ but it must be Written after also and Lessons of Musick must be practiced by those that would learn it So the Law concerning clean Fishes teachs you the same they must have Fins and Scales First Fins to steer their motion so must you have the Fins of knowledg Faith and Divine dispositions to direct you and to set you forward in the things of God And secondly Scales for smoothing their passage for their Ornaments and safety So your Scales of good works must be set so close and so neer one another that no Air of Temptation may come between them as Job 41. 15 16 17. Levit. 11. 9. You must have the Scales of Piety Patience and the Fins which are as Wings of Divine affections to carry you cheerfully end ways into Divine Actions that you may be holy as God is Ver. 44. which is the end of this Law and clean meat to Gods sight and palate Now of a Religious Godly and Christian Conversation in particular And first of Meditation CHAP. III. 1. HItherto of Conversation in General which is the Practick part of Religion Godliness and Christianity now of a Religious Godly and Christian Conversation in particular which is a large Field of discourse You have here a breviary thereof contracted into a narrow compass wherein you may View the whole Duty of Man to God and Man in Respect of the Conversation the Agenda or things to be done besides the Credenda or things to be believed I told you before there is the Conversation of your thoughts as to
their Lord their founder and their finisher bring forth your bravery to entertain Christ 9. The second thing required in the Ordinance is self-excitation you must stir up your self as Deborah did calling up her own Soul saying awake awake Deborah awake awake Judg. 5. 12. open there all the Springs of your Soul for Christ as Christ opened all the veines of his heart for you 1. Open all your desires and affections for him come to this Ordinance as Behemoth to Jordan with a mighty and an all exhausting thirst upon you Job 40. 23. bring strong affections and a lusty appetite to this Supper where 't is a vertue Sublime to to be an holy glutton and to drink hearty draughts of the blood of Christ that you may go away from the Supper as Christ did from his Baptism filled with the Holy Ghost Mat. 3. 16. you must consider what is before you as Prov. 23. 1. but in that duty 't is not your work to restrain but to provoke appetite and the rather because Christ so exceedingly thirsted after your Salvation Luke 12. 50. though he knew it would prove so costly to him Christ saith with desire I have desired to Eat this Supper with you Luke 22. 15. that had no need for himself of either you or it how much more should you say with desire I have desired to Eat this Supper with Christ who is at all the charges pain and pains himself and all for your Eternal profit 10. Secondly excite and quicken up all your faculties as the affections those hand maids of the Soul give attendance to meet Christ the mistical David just as the Virgins of Israel met literal David in their Singings and dancing 1 Sam. 18. 6 7 8. every one Singing their part appointed them accordingly hope is sent out to wait for this King of glory and if he come not desire is sent out to fetch him Love Delight and Joy receives and entertains him all these Virgins go out to meet this blessed bridegroom Mat. 25. 1. having first swept the House clear and cast all the filth away into the brook Kidron 2 Chron. 30. 14. Math. 13. 14. Jam. 1. 21. and brought forth their best bravery Arras hangings Persian Carpets rich stools all their Plate and Jewels to wit all the graces of the Spirit far surpassing Aarons rich garments that were for glory and beauty all to prepare a large upper-Room for entertaining the King of glory even so all the faculties of the Soul must be stirred up to Improve their Interest in such a blessed guest as 1. your understanding must look round about him and behold him altogether lovely from this Sycamore-Tree as Zacheus Luke 19. 3 4. Cant. 5. 16. 2. Your will must offer up both Sword and Keyes c. As the Major doth to his Prince at his entertainment 3. Your memory must be ready to Register every act of love to your Soul remembring his loves more then Wine Cant. 1. 4. In a word Christ must be led into every Room of your heart and Lastly all your graces must be excited and made ready to receive each their Alms from Christs fulness as saving knowledg justifying Faith sincere Repentance servent love c. All come to touch him for healing vertue well knowing that Christ comes with a Royal heart into the Soul to give abundantly and like himself no mean gift can come from so noble an hand and heart and that all this may be done you must use the third thing required to wit strong Invocation coming as a Prince to him Job 21. 37. and begging his grace in all with your whole heart Psal 119. 58. 11. The third general is your Improvement after all When Faith and all your other graces together with your affections and the faculties of your Soul have plaid their part in the Mount and brought you even to a Transfiguration as was done both to Moses and to the Messias Exod. 34. 29. Luke 9. 29. then 1. You must tremble to lose that luster and glory that God hath put upon you by your conversing with him If he hath made you one of his Jewels by communicating his presence to you Mal. 3. 17. then shine as a Jewel in all your Relations that all which see you may acknowledg you to be a seed the Lord hath been blessing Isa 61. 9. 2. Be thankful to your Lord for this inestimable benefit Psal 116. 12. be of a rendring disposition and that in your life as well as with your lip If Davids condescension to such a dead Dog as Mephibosheth accounted himself was so admired by him 2 Sam. 9. 7 8. how much more by you that in rigour of Justice might be fed with Wormwood and have the waters of gall to drink Jer. 9. 15. yet the Lord gives you the flesh of his own Son to be meat indeed to you and his blood to be your drink indeed Joh. 6. 55. that might say I will not feed you at all Zech. 11. 9. 3. Let it be an everlasting obligement on you to keep far from every evil matter Exod. 23. 7. The Oath of God no less is a Sacrament is upon you lay Gods charge upon all your corruptions Cant. 2. 7. you are Vas Signatum shall you Sin Neh. 6. 12. your all is for the Prince Ezek. 44. 3. do singular things for Christ that doth singular things for you Mat. 5. 47. The seventh Walk of a Christian wherein all the other Walks do meet is the Lordy-Day CHAP. XI 1. COnsiderations and 2. Directions before in and after it 1. Consideration Remember to keep holy the Sabbath-day Exod. 20. 8. you must first Consider the Number of it Before the fall when Mans nature was pure that the Lord God gave Man but one Commandment to wit that of not eating the forbidden Fruit but after the fall when Mans nature was defiled God gave him ten Commandments and those mostly prohibitive to stop his proneness and strong Inclinations unto evil The first of the tenth doth teach you the Object of Worship The second the matter of Worship the third the manner of worship both of outward and inward worship in all these as the fourth teaches you the time of worship inwardly and outwardly also The time of worshipping God is not left to mans own liberty for then the loose heart of man would keep no time at all though time of worship as well as that God is to be worshipped is Juris naturalis written on the Tables of mans heart yet one of seven is Juris positivi and written on the Tables of stone both which are the Writings and the workmanship of God as Exod. 32. 16. The fourth Commandment closes up the first Table 1 As the most powerful means to keep all the three former and 2 As it draws into one the whole worship of God and lastly as it makes Gods worship known to the World which otherwise would not be so well known as it is by keeping a day