Promises at his hands THIS is enough to shew what a becoming and suitable posture Kneeling is at this Great Solemnity and how Naturally it follows where People entertain right Notions of it and come unto it with humble Minds Nor can I sufficiently admire that of all the Usages in the Christian Church this so Significant so Decent a Ceremony should ever become a stumbling-block and matter of Dispute Certainly it must be an ill sign of very Lofty Imaginations when there is such stiffness in Mens Knees BUT it is high time for me to proceed CHAP. XII Of our Behaviour after Receiving WHEN we have thus devoutly employ'd this blessed hour we must not imagine that our great Business is at an end that we may now drop those Religious Considerations which hitherto took up our time and thoughts that we may now go home leaving our Vows and Resolutions behind us in the Church much less may we think our selves free to fall afresh upon our former course of Life I must tell you the greatest part of our business is yet before us and to stop and rest here in the performance of those things which have hitherto employ'd our minds is the ready way to unravel our whole work and to defeat the design of this Heavenly Ordinance For this Rite of Eating and Drinking at the Lord's Table though it be of admirable use yet it is not naturally and intrinsecally good as those Acts and Dispositions of the Mind are wherein the Substance and Excellence of Religion doth consist but it iâ— a Relative thing instituted by our Saviour as a Means to promote and carry on that Noble End for which the Grace of God hath appeared unto all Men that denying all Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts we should live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World Tit. 2. 12. Here indeed we lay the Foundation of a life of Virtue by devoting unto God the Powers and Faculties of our Souls and the Members of our Bodies but as the Ground-work is in order to a Superstructure so are our Actions now in order to the further edifying and perfecting of us that we may be built up more and more in our most Holy Faith and being sitly framed together and compacted may grow and rise up by degrees to an Holy Temple for the Lord to be an Habitation of God through the Spirit THIS you will easily perceive if you observe 1. The Nature of the Ordinance it self It is first a Representation of the very Death of Christ a Representation exhibited to our Sences by the breaking of the Bread and the effusion of the Wine And what doth this mean but to awaken our Fears by shewing us the Terror of the Lord who for the expiation of the World's Guilt spared not his own Son nor would be reconciled to the World at a lower rate than by delivering him up to Torments and Death for us all What doth it mean but to set our Zeal a work upon mortifying all our Lusts and Affections and upon perfecting Holiness in the fear of God because Christ gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and Purifie unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good works What doth it mean but to make us ever watchful and circumspect lest we tread under foot the Blood of the Son of God Because if we sin wilfully after we have received the Knowledge of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for Sin Heb. 10. 26. It is secondly a Memorial of Christ's Love Love stronger than Death that made him give his life a ransom for the ungodly And what doth this mean but to kindle in our Hearts the most ardent Affections to Him again who so loved us as to die for us The greatest Affection this that 't is possible for any Mortal Man to express to lay down his Life for the Brethren But yet infinitely short of that which the Son of God expressed upon the Cross for his Enemies In this he commended his Love towards us above all proportion and comparison in that while we were yet Sinners Christ died for us the Just for the Vnjust It is thirdly a foederal Solemnity whereby we renew the Covenant we entred into at our Baptism Vowing Promising and Engaging over the Symbols of Christ's Body and Blood and Swearing as it were with our Hands laid upon the Redeemer of our Souls that we will henceforth walk in Newness of Life And what doth this mean but to bind us with the most Solemn Securities and under the most dreadful Penalties to renounce the Devil and all his Works to deny all the Lusts of the Flesh so as not to follow or be led by them and not only to offer up our Hearts and Spirits unto the God of Purity but to present even our Bodies a living Sacrifice Holy and Acceptable to him And for the farthering of all these Noble Ends this Mystery is in the Fourth place the very Means of Grace and Salvation an Instrument that conveys to us the present Possession of all necessary and suitable Assistances and a Title under Seal to all the Evangelical Promises and particularly to this that he that persevereth unto the end the same shall be saved and that to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immortality God will render Eternal Life Rom. 2. 7. And what doth this mean too but that we should grow in Grace that we must not grieve the good Spirit of God whereby we are Sealed to the day of Redemption but that we should be strong in the Lord and in the power of his Might and give all manner of diligence to make our Calling and Election unto Grace sure and effectual by adding to our Faith Virtue or Courage and to Virtue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godliness and to Godliness Brotherly Kindness and to Brotherly Kindness Charity Charity in the highest degree to all Mankind and even to our Enemies Thus you see the nature of the Ordinance it self is such that it is not only highly useful for the present but of mighty Importance for the future it hath a tendency forward and it drives at mighty Ends which our endeavours are to be employ'd about after the Celebration of it is over that we may be more and more Partakers of the Divine Nature and come every day nearer and nearer to the Life of God TO confirm this still we may observe Secondly That those very Preparations which are required in order to our worthy Communicating do all look the same way and have a direct tendency to the same purpose Thus Faith or the hearty belief of the truth of our Religion upon those Evidences and Motives it carries with it is naturally productive of constant Obedience to the Precepts of it throughout the whole course of our lives For as it discovers to us the Folly the Shamefulness and the bitter Fruits of Sin so it shews
us on the other hand the excellence of Virtue and the beauty of Holiness It proposes Christ's Yoke as an easie thing especially to such as make a due use of the Spirits Assistance and accustom themselves to the familiar practice of Religion And though at the first entrance upon a Life of Holiness there may be many difficulties for us to grapple with Affections to be regulated evil Habits to be eradicated Pleasures and secular Advantages to be denied when they stand in competition with our Duty and though in the progress of our life many temptations from within and without us are to be resisted many hardships and tryals to be expected and abundance of discouragements of several kinds to be met with before we die yet we learn from our Religion that the present satisfactions which attend a course of Virtue are so great and the future Rewards which are to crown it are so endless and unspeakable that upon weighing the one against the other we cannot but conclude that neither the Pleasures nor the Sufferings of this life are worthy in the least measure to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed Now if we bring such a Faith as this with us to the Sacrament if we be strong and stablish'd in it this alone will naturally serve to defend us as with a Shield from all Fiery Darts of the Devil and to render us puissant enough to overcome the World 1 Joh. 5. But to prepare us the better still for an uninterrupted course of Virtue we are moreover to repent us throughly for all our past Sins and to present our selves before God with new Hearts and new Spirits which is not required as a Temporary Disposition to be brought only at this time before the Altar there to languish and die with Vows that are Abortive and that yield either no Fruits at all or at least no perfect Fruits of Repentance No this is to be the beginning of a new life the first rise and starting towards the Race that is set before us and as we run it our Repentance must improve and grow from Shame and Sorrow for Sin to an Hatred of it from this Hatred of it to strong Resolutions against it and from those Resolutions against it to an utter abandoning and forsaking of it abstaining not only from all sorts but as far as 't is possible from all appearance of evil 1 Thes 5. 22. In like manner those Bowels of Mercy and Kindness which we put on at this time are to entender our Nature for ever and to produce in us such large and generous Affections as may extend not only to our Brethren and Friends and to the Family of Christ but to the whole Offspring of Adam to whom we are so to open our Compassions that such as are within our reach may participate those of our Bread those of our Instructions all of our good Wishes and Prayers in imitation of that most blessed Pattern and Idea of Charity who went about doing Good Heb. 10. 38. Briefly all other Spiritual Graces as Humility Meekness Patience Self-denial Heavenly-mindedness and the like wherewith our Souls are to be arrayed and adorned at this Solemnity if we consider the tendency of them they are so many initial Virtues to be improved and heightned still by the continual practice of them so that from Acts they may turn into Dispositions and from Dispositions may grow into Habits which will quite change purifie and raise our Nature till we all come in the Vnity of the Faith and of the Knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect Man unto the measure of the Stature of the fulness of Christ Ephes 4. 13. I have the more particularly insisted upon this to shew you the necessity of your Watchfulness and Industry after this blessed Solemnity is over You must not by any means sit down presently as if the work of the Day and the business of your Souls were quite done You must ever bear it in your minds that Christianity requires a life of Virtue You must carry a steddy Eye upon the Scope and Design of our Holy Religion and employ all your utmost endeavours in the vigorous pursuit of its noble End Brethren saith the Apostle I count not my self to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things wich are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus Phil. 3. 13 14. And as it follows there Let us as many as be perfect be thus minded still running and stretching as hard as we can towards the end of our Faith and Hope by an earnest pursuit of whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely and whatsoever things are of good Report Phil. 4. 8. Remember I beseech you that this and other instituted Ordinances though they bring great Peace and Comfort to pious Souls by the present Administration of them they are still instrumental Helps to carry on the main Purpose and Will of God even our Sanctification So that if we do not use this Ordinance as an Instrument of improving and perfecting Holiness and as a Means pursuant thereunto whatever Relish and Pleasure it carries with it for the present it will not avail us as to the main FOR the benefits which are conveyed to all well-disposed Hearts by this Sacrament are not only the enlivening Influences of Christ's Spirit called Christ's Spiritual Body and Blood because they flow and are derived from him as he is the Head of his Church and the Disposer of all those Blessings which are the Fruits of his Intercession but moreover the Pardon of Sin past and a Title to an happy Resurrection and Eternal life to come Now as the First of these the Influences of Christ's Spirit are intended to transform us into the Image of God and to con-naturalize our Spirits to the Nature of God so are the latter the Effects of his pure Love and Goodness whereby he rewards those that resemble him by a similitude of Nature I speak now not of God's general love of Benevolence which moves him to do good to us as we are meerly his Creatures without any regard had to our probity or improbity in which sence he is said to have loved the World Joh. 3. 16. But of that particular Love which Divines call Love of Friendship and Complacency the formal Object whereof is Righteousness or a Rectitude of Nature conformable in a great measure to his own as the Psalmist tells us Ps 11. 7. The Righteous Lord loveth Righteousness his Countenance doth behold the upright This is a ray of his own Glory and the Correspondence thereof to his own Divine Perfections is the true Ground and Reason of that especial Love he bears to some more than he bears to others because it is impossible but he must love the Image of
not now in a due manner Nay 2dly such Bold and Presumptuous Persons do draw a Curse down upon their Heads even in this World For this Cause saith St. Paul many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep Whence come many lingring Diseases many sudden Deaths Why it is very probable that many of them are owing to the Irreverent use of this Bleâ—â—ed Sacrament Certain it is that as God threatned under the Law Exod. 12. 15. to cut off those Souls that should eat Leavened Bread at the Passover so in the Primitive times of Christianity many were remarkably visited with Plagues and sundry kinds of Death and some People were possest with the Devil too by Reason that they came not to this Mystery well Prepared and Qualified for it as they ought to have been I shall say no more upon this Theme supposing that what hath been delivered now is sufficient to Convince Men of the Necessity of due Preparation And I had scarcely said so much but that it is a thing which lyeth before us in our way and I could not leap over it with an Honest Conscience In many other Cases Men need a Bridle rather than a Spur but in this Case a Spur seems to be more necessary than a Bridle because such is the shameful neglect of this Ordinance which many are Guilty of that we should rather use Protrepticks to provoke Men unto their Duty than Threats and Menaces to deter them from Receiving However that they may not make more haste than good speed it behoved me to shew what Cautions they are to take along with them lest they take a step towards their Perdition Keep thy foot when thou goest to the House of God and be more ready to hear than to give the Sacrifice of Fools as the Royal Preacher said Eccles 4. 1. Thus having made it appear that we are strictly bound to Communicate and to Prepare our selves rightly and duely in order to a Profitable Communion which was the first thing I was to discourse of upon this point I shall now go on according to this plain Method and Treat in the next place of the Nature and Quality of this Preparation and shew you wherein that doth consist CHAP. IV. Of the Nature of Preparation in general and in particular THIS is a Matter of great weight and Consideration though a very slight account is made of it by those whose great care and solicitude seems to be to whisper their Crimes to the Ear of a Confessor and to undergo or Promise some trifling Pennance and if after these little Practices they have the Absolution of a Priest who yet perhaps is equally involved in the Communion of Guilt with his Penitents they think themselves sufficiently purged from the Conscience of Sin and to be perfectly Innocent And this naturally followeth from the Principles of those Doctors who Teach that Confession and Penance are the necessary Preparatives before the Sacrament without making any the least mention of a Lively Faith in Christ And although they speak of the Necessity of Contrition or Attrition at least yet by those words they understand no more but a little grief for Sin with some few purposes at present to amend hereafter which they think to be sufficient because according to their Fancy the work of the Priest supplies and makes amends for the want of a true and Manly Repentance of the Heart Now this is so far from being a due Preparation for the Sacrament that 't is a Ridiculous and trifling Method made up of lucrative Arts and absurd Performances and serveth to Corrupt and Debauch Christianity and to encourage People in a Wicked and Irreligious course of Life as any Man may discern that will but observe the Natural Consequences thereof 1. THEREFORE for the Resolution of this point and for the Satisfaction of Mens Consciences in this particular we are first to Note in the general that Universal Sanctity and Purity of Mind is required of us in order to a Profitable and Comfortable Communion It was the Opinion even of a Pagan that such as meddle with things Sacred ought to be Chaste and Holy not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Demoth Cont. Timocrat for a certain number of days only but throughout their whole Life And certainly a constant course of Holiness is the best Prepaparative for a due Celebration of this Mystery because nothing can be presumed to be so acceptable unto God as a Life of Innocence Yet if a Man hath lost his Innocence either through the Practice of Habitual Sin or through the Commission of some Unlawful Acts his Repentance nevertheless is for Christ's sake accepted of in lieu of it if that Repentance be Hearty and Sincere NOW Repentance cannot be right unless the Heart be entirely good so as to be out of Love with every thing that is base and inconsistent with the Laws of Christ's Religion And therefore a Communicant's mind and purpose must be resolutely fixt upon the Practice of Vniversal Christian Piety Though some particular Virtues are here more especially to be Exercised because there are at this time particular Reasons and special Objects to Exercise his Faith Charity and the like yet there ought to be an Habitual Presence of other Virtues too the frame and disposition of our Spirits must be such as is Answerable to the whole Tenor of the Gospel Bonum ex integris malum ex quolibet defectu He cannot be said to be an entire Good Man nor a right Good Communicant that has not an entire and Universal Love of Religion in such a measure as by the Mercies of the New Covenant is now accepted of Each Divine Grace must contribute something to make up our Wedding Apparel the covering of Charity the Ornaments of a meek and gentle Spirit the clothing of Humility the sackcloth of Repentance and self-denyal the long Robe of Patience and Constancy the New Apparel of Mercy and Forgiveness In a word we ought to be so Perfect as to be Sincere and to be ready unto every good work according to the best of our Knowledge and to the uttermost of our Power All Affection and Love to Sin must be cast off and Mens Hearts must be Devoted to the observation of all the Laws of our Redeemer as his Spirit shall enable us by working in us and with us and by helping our Infirmities He that is not thus disposed cannot Communicate Worthily and so as to obtain a Blessing And the Reason is clear because as I have shewed at large this is a Covenant Feast under the Gospel as the Paschal Supper and other Sacrifical Banquets were under the Law By tasting of this Bread and Wine we enter into Solemn Engagements unto God as the Jews did by Eating of the Lamb. As they did by that Holy Rite addict themselves to the Worship of God and engage their Obedience to him conformable to those Laws and Ordinances which were Enacted then even so do we Christians
Faith is as unalterable as the Author of it who is the same yesterday and to day and for ever And if in that plain and easie Belief the Church went to Heaven of Old why may we not do so still And why may we not go to the Sacrament as to Heaven-gate by that Faith whereby so many Thousands have all along entered into Paradise 3. ESPECIALLY if we Consider in the 3 d place the Nature and Reason of this present Solemnity It is the Evangelical Feast by partaking whereof we do Renew our Covenant with God as the Jews did by Eating of the Passover And hence we may conclude that which Capacitates a Man to enter into Covenant with God first of all is sufficient to Qualifie and Fit him for the Renewing of that Covenant now because the Terms of the Covenant are all along the same and what we did at our Baptism and do now again is but the same thing acted over and over Now it is evident from the Holy Scriptures that the cordial belief of the Authority and Merits of Christ was accounted enough in the Apostles days for the admission of People unto Baptism which is the Initiating Mystery at which God and Men do interchangeably Seal Indentures first of all In Act. 8. we find Philip Preaching to the Ethiopian Eunuch and requiring a Confession of his Creed that he might be Baptized and when the Eunuch made this short Confession I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God it was thought enough to give him a right to the Seal of the Covenant and so straightway Philip went down into the Water and Baptized him v. 38. The like we Read of Paul and Silas how they directed the frighted Jayler to believe on the Lord Jesus Act. 16. 33. and instantly upon that Confession Baptized him Now we do not any where read or find any Reason to conjecture that the Apostles demanded any other Faith of their Converts before the Communion than what they had delivered unto them to prepare them for Baptism The same Belief which qualified them for that did also Qualifie them for this other Sacrament for in Act. 2. where we meet with the first Converts and a great number of them even three Thousand Souls St. Luke relates that they were Baptized and continued stedfast in the Apostles Doctrine and in breaking of Bread v. 42. And by the Story it seems to be intimated that in a very short time after they were Baptized they were all admitted to the Lord's Table I add to this in the last place that the Primitive Church of Christ required this of Communicants that they should believe those things to be True which were taught them by their Pastours for so Justin Martyr expresly tells us and those things were no other than the common Faith of all true Christians in all Ages and which in the Athanasian Creed is called the Catholick Faith consisting of the Fundamental Articles of our Religion which were antiently drawn up into short Summaries And by a passage in St. Ambrose it doth appear that Baptised Persons were not prohibited from coming to the Communion but for the space of a few days after their Baptism And this Prohibition was intended not that they might in that time learn a New Creed but only gain some further Knowledge touching the Nature and Ends of this Religious Mystery still the Faith was one and the same even a comfortable belief in Jesus Christ and him Crucified TO all which I shall only add the Judgment of the Church as to the Nature of that Faith which is necessary for Baptism c. as it appears in the Office of Publick and Private Baptism in the Visitation of the Sick in the Exposition of the Creed in the Catechism as also in that old useful Book called the Institution of a Christian Man In all which no more is lookt upon as necessary but an hearty assent to the Truth of those common Doctrines of Christianity contained in the Apostolical Symbol BY what then hath been thus particularly shew'd any ordinary Communicant may easily discern whether his Faith be genuine and right and approved and such as the Gospel doth require In short do you believe that the Holy Jesus was the Son of God That he came into the World by the Appointment of his Father That his great Errand was to Redeem an undone and without him a lost World That he Dyed upon the Cross for this purpose That his Blood was shed as a Ransom for all That he paid a Price even for thy poor Soul And that for his sake thou may'st find Mercy at the hands of God If this be thy Faith thou may'st be assured that thy Faith is as right and true as ever was the Faith of an Apostle tho' thou canst not Remove Mountains nor Heal the Sick with thy shadow And therefore thou art thus far well Prepared to be a Receiver because this is the proper Object of every Christian's Faith That Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the World and to believe thus much with a particular application of Christ's Merits to thine own Soul so that thou canst believe it with Joy and cast thy self on him with an Humble Confidence and trust to him for thy present Pardon and future Felicity this is the proper Act of a Worthy Communicant CHAP. V. Of Repentance THERE is another Special Act of Religion which not only every Communicant but indeed every Christian ought to employ the utmost of his Care about and that is Repentance from dead works the Natural Fruit of Faith towards God In discoursing of this 't is requisite for me to shew 1. First the true Nature of Repentance wherein it doth consist 2dly Upon what Special Grounds and Reasons it is necessary before we go to the Communion And 3dly how far and in what Degree it is necessary 1. FOR the right understanding of the Nature of Repentance we must not rely upon the groundless nay Superstitious Conceits of the School-men who place the whole Work of Repentance in Contrition Confession and Satisfaction meaning that though a Man be never so broken in Heart yet he is not a right Penitent nor fit for the Communion till he hath privately made an enumeration of his Sins to a Priest and doth undergo at least doth Vow and Promise to undergo some Ritual Penance to Expiate his Offences At the bottom of this Doctrine there is a great deal of Trick and Artifice which is quite Foreign to the design and business of Christianity For Christ's Religion is a plain and admirable Method to make Men universally Good and to bring us to the Love of solid and substantial Vertue that we may Live the Life of Angels Pure and Holy as far as it is consistent with the Nature and Condition of Mortal Men. Accordingly Repentance means a Zealous and Passionate Abhorrence of every thing that is Evil in the Eye of God The common Notion of Repentance implyeth thus much that
any anxious thought for your life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink nor yet for your body what ye shall put on Matth. 6. 25. But use this World as those that use it not for the Fashion of this World passeth away Heb. 7. 31. INSTEAD of this set your Affection Heavenly-Mindedness on things above Col. 3. 2. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness Matth. 6. 33. Let your Conversation be in Heaven Phil. 3. 20. Walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith ye are called and put off concerning the former Conversation the old Man which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts and be renewed in the Spirit of your mind Ephes 4. 22 23. For to be carnally minded is Death but to be Spiritually minded is Life and Peace Rom. 8. 6. FROM this Heavenly-mindedness naturally Contentment springs another great Duty viz. to be satisfied with such a share and Portion of this World as it shall please God to dispense to us to be pleased with such things as we have Heb. 13. 5. And with that Food which God shall judge convenient for us Prov. 3. 8. And having Food and Raiment therewith to be content 1 Tim. 6. 8. WHOSOEVER will come after me Self-denial let him deny himself saith our Saviour Mark 8. 34. And these are necessary Acts of Self-denial to cast down Imaginations and every thing that exalteth it self against the Knowledge of God and to bring into Captivity every thought to the Obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10. 5. To count all things but loss for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus Phil. 3. 8. Not to trust in your selves that ye are Righteous Luke 18. 9. But to renounce your own Righteousness Phil. 3. 9. To deny all Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts Tit. 2. 12. To part with a right Hand and right Eye Matth. 5. 29 30. that is with every the dearest and most useful thing when it is an occasion of Sin or an hindrance to Virtue and to forsake Houses Lands Father Mother and all that a Man hath for the sake of Christ Luke 14. 33. TO this add that other Evangelical Grace of Purity of Heart which is Purity of Heart when you mortifie your Members which are upon the Earth Fornication Uncleanness inordinate Affection and evil Concupiscence and when laying aside all Naughtiness and all Guile and all Hypocrisie as new born Babes you desire the sincere Milk of the Word that you may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2. 1 2. IN order to this Temperance is a very Temperance necessary Virtue Every Man that striveth for the Mastery is Temperate in all things 1 Cor. 9. 25. And to this purpose are those Directions that we should cast off the works of Darkness that we should walk honestly as in the Day not in Rioting and Drunkenness not in Chambering and Wantonness Rom. 13. 12 13. Not in Excess of Wine Revellings and Banquetings 1 Pet. 4. 3. Not to suffer our Hearts to be overcharged with Surfeiting Luke 21. 34. But to abstain from such Fleshly Lusts as War against the Soul 1 Pet. 2. 11. To add to our Knowledge Temperance 2 Pet. 1. 6. To keep under the Body and bring it into Subjection 1 Cor. 9. 27. AND for the Improving and perfecting Fortitude of all these Virtues we are to arm our selves with Resolution and Courage to watch to stand fast in the Faith to quit our selves like Men to be strong 1 Cor. 16. 13. To resist the Devil Jam. 4. 7. To endure Temptation Jam. 1. 12. Not to fear them which kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul but rather to fear him which is able to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell Mat. 10. 28. Finally to be strong in the Lord and in the Power of his Might and to put on the whole Armour of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil and having done all to stand Ephes 6. 10 11 13. AS for those Christian Virtues which have reference to others they are of great Variety according as we stand related differently unto them SOME more immediately concern our Virtues concerning private Families respective Families So Husbands are to love their Wives even as Christ loved the Church Ephes 5. 25. Not to be bitter against them Col. 3. 19. But to dwell with them according to Knowledge giving Honour to the Wife as to the weaker Vessel and as being Heirs together of the Grace of God that their Prayers be not hindred 1 Pet. 3. 7. Wives are to submit themselves to their own Husbands as unto the Lord Ephes 5. 22. Not learning to be Idle or to wander about from House to House neither to be Tatlers or Busie-bodies speaking things which they ought not 1 Tim. 5. 13. But to be in Behaviour as becometh Holiness to be Discreet Chaste Keepers at home Good Obedient to their own Husbands that the Word of God be not Blasphemed Tit. 2. 3. 5. Parents must not provoke their Children to Wrath but to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Ephes 6 4. And to lay up for them 2 Cor. 12. 14. Children on the other hand to obey their Parents in the Lord for this is right Honour thy Father and Mother which is the first Commandment with Promise that it may be well with thee and thou may'st live long on the Earth Ephes 6. 1 2 3. Servants to be subject to their Masters with all fear not only to the good and gentle but also to the froward 1 Pet. 2. 18. Not answering again not purloining but shewing all good Fidelity Tit. 2. 9. 10. Being Obedient with Fear and Trembling in singleness of Heart as unto Christ not with Eye-service as Men-pleasers but as the Servants of Christ doing the Will of God from the Heart With good will doing service as unto the Lord and not to men And ye Masters do the same things unto them forbearing threatning knowing that your Master also is in Heaven neither is there respect of Persons with him Ephes 6. 5 6 7 9. SOME Virtues relate to larger Societies Larger Societies Justice as Righteousness and Equity in your Dealings He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly Mich. 6. 8. Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you do ye even the same to them Matth. 7. 12. To do violence to no man Luc. 3. 14. Not to make haste to be rich Prov. 28. 20. By divers Weights and Measures both which are alike abomination to the Lord Prov. 20. 10. Not to go beyond or desraud our Brother in any matter 1 Thes 4. 6. Not to do wrong but rather to take it 1 Cor. 6. 7. But to have an honest conversation 1 Pet. 2. 12. In sâ—mplicity and godly sincerity 2 Cor. 1. 12. Because he that doth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done and