cases when they come is the present question Nay the Question is yet harder Whether to avoid such inconvenience one may contribute towards anothers sin by affording them the means of committing it Answ. 1. No man may contribute to sin as sin formally considered 2. No man may contribute to anothers sin for sinful ends nor in a manner forbidden and sinful in himself 3. No man may contribute to anothers sin when he is not naturally or morally necessitated to it but might forbear it But as it is consistent with the holiness of God to contribute those Natural and providential mercies which he knoweth men will abuse to sin so is it in some cases with us his creatures to one another God giveth all men their lives and time their Reason and Free-will which he knoweth they will abuse to sin He giveth them that meat and drink and riches and health and vigour of senses which are the usual means of the sin and undoing of the world Object But God is not under any Law or obligation as we are Answ. His own perfection is above all Law and will not consist with a consent or acting of any thing that is contrary to holiness and perfection But this I confess that many things are contrary to the order and duty of the creature which are not contrary to the place and perfection of the Creator 1. When man doth generate man he knowingly contributeth to a sinful nature and life For he knoweth that it is unavoidable and that which is born of the flesh is flesh And yet he sinneth not Ioh. 3. 6. Eph. 2. 2 3. by so doing because he is not bound to prevent sin by the forbearance of Generation 2. When one advanceth another to the office of Magistracy Ministry c. knowing that he will sin in it he contributeth accidentally to his sin But so as he is not culpable for so doing 3. A Physicion hath to do with a froward and intemperate Patient who will please his appetite or else if he be denyed his passion will increase his disease and kill him In this case he may lawfully say Let him take a little rather than kill him though by so doing he contribute to his sin Because it is but a not-hindering that which he cannot hinder without a greater evil The sin is only his that ☞ chooseth it And it is specially to be noted that that which Physically is a positive act and contributing to the Matter of the sin yet Morally is but a not-hindering the sin by such a withholding of materials as we are not obliged to withhold which is the case also of Gods contributing to the matter of sin If the Physicion in such a case or the Parent of a sick and froward Child do actually give them that which they sin in desiring that Giving is indeed such a furthering of the sin as cannot be lawfully forborn lest we do hurt and therefore is morally but a not hindering it when we cannot hinder it 4. If a man have a Wife so proud that she will go mad or disturb him and his family by rage if her pride be not gratified by some sinful fashions curiosities or excesses if he give her money or materials to do it with to prevent her distraction it is but like the foresaid case of the Physicion or Parents of a sick Child In these cases I will give you a Rule to walk by for your selves and a caution how to judge of others 1. Be sure that you leave nothing undone that you can lawfully do for the cure and prevention of others sins And that it be not for want of zeal against sin through indifference or slothfulness that you forbear to hinder it but meerly through disability 2. See that in comparing the evil that is like to follow the Impedition you do not mistake but be sure that it be indeed a greater evil which you avoid by not hindering that particular sin 3. See therefore that your own caanal interest weigh not with you more than there is cause and that you account not meer fleshly suffering a greater evil than sin 4. But yet that dishonour which may be cast upon Religion and the Good of souls which may be hindered by a bodily suffering may come into the comparison 5. And your own duties to mens bodies as to save mens lives or health or peace is to be numbred with spiritual things and the materials of a sin may in some cases be administred for the discharge of such a duty If you knew a man would die if you give him not hot water and he will be drunk if you do give it him In this case you do but your duty and he commits the sin You do that which is good and are not bound to forbear it because he will turn it to sin unless you see that the hurt by that sin is like to be so great besides the sin it self as to discharge you from the duty of doing good 2. As to others 1. Put them on to their duty and spare not 2. But censure them not for the sins of their families till you are acquainted with all the case It 's usual with rash and carnal censurers to cry out of some godly Ministers or Gentlemen that their Wives are as proud and their Children and Servants as bad as others But are you sure that it is in their power to remedy it Malice and rashness judge at a distance of things which men understand not and sin in speaking against sin Quest. 2. IF a Gentleman e. g. of 500. or 1000. or 2000. or 3000. li. per annum could spare honestly half his yearly rents for his Children and for charitable uses and his wife be so proud and prodigal that she will waste it all in house-keeping and excesses and will rage be unquiet or go mad if she be hindered what is a mans duty in such a case Answ. It is but an instance of the fore-mentioned case and must thence be answered 1. It is supposed that she is uncurable by all wise and rational means of perswasion 2. He is wisely to compare the greatness of the cvil that will come by crossing her with the good thâ—â— may come by the improvement of his estate and the forbearance of those excesses If her rage or distraction or unquietness were like by any accident to do more hurt than his estate may do good he might take himself disabled from hindering the sin And though he give her the money which she mis-spendeth it is not sinning but only not hindering sin when he is unable 3. Ordinarily some small or tolerable degree of sinful waste and excess may be tolerated to avoid such mischiefs as else would follow but not too much And though no just measure can be assigned at what rate a man may lawfully purchase his own peace and consequently his liberty to serve God or at what rate he may save his Wife from madness or some mortal mischiefs of
and Pardon Holiness and Heaven are in the other Which now wilt thou prefer If the Devil have more to give thee and bid â—â—r thee than Christ let him take thee § 27. Tempt 2 The Tempter laboureth to keep God and Christ and Heaven out of sight that they Tempt 2. 〈…〉 t the splendor of his bait and to hide those potent reasons from them by which they might eaâ—â—ly râ—pâ—l the temptation so that though they are well known and sure and Scripture be full of them they shall nâ—ne of them be ready at hand to use when the temptation cometh so that to them they shall be all as nothing and this he doth by unbelief and inconsiderateness § 28. Direct 2. Live by faith see that God the Father the Redeemer and the Holy Spirit Direct 2. dwell within you and take up your hearts and your hopes be placed all on Heaven and that these be â—our very Life and business and then you will allways have that at hand which may refâ—l the Tempter A heart taken up with God and Christ conversing in Heaven is allwaies fortified and prepared to meet every Temptation with abhorrence Let your souls be still possessed with as constant apprehensions of the evil of sin the danger of sinning the presence authority and holiness of God the wrong that sin doth him the hurt it doth our selves and others and what it did to Jesus Christ as you have of the danger of fire and water and poyson and then the Tempter will not speed § 29. Tempt 3. It is the great care of the Devil to keep out of sight that he be not seen himself Tempt 3. in the Temptation As the Angler keepeth himself behind the bush and the Fowler hideth himself from the birds or else they would fear and fly and escape so doth the Devil use all his art to hide himself from the sinners observation that the deluded soul shall little think that the Devil is so near him and hath so great a hand in the business If the ambitious or Covetous worlding saw the Devil offer him the bait and heard him say All this will I give thee he would have the smaller list to take the bait If the Devil appeared to the Whoremonger and brought him his Whore and encouraged him to his filthiness it would cool his lust Or if he appeared to the drunkard and presented him the cup he would have but little list to drink If the proud and the malicious saw the Devil at their backs rejoycing in their sin and putting them on it might affright them half into their wits Therefore the great endeavour of the Devil is to perswade men that it is not he that makes the motion to them It is such a friend or such a neighbour or gentleman or minister or wise man it is not the Devil Till the Fish is catcht and the bird is in the net and then the author of all appeareth to kill them and carry them away without any concealment § 30. Direct 3. Mark but the tendency and the manner of the Temptations and you may perceive Direct 3. the Author Who else is it that is so much against God and against your everlasting happiness Who else is it that would so abuse your Reason to preferr things temporal before things eternal and the bruitish pleasures of a corruptible flesh before the interest of immortal souls Who else so contradicteth all the word of God Read Gods warnings and he will tell you who it is Take every Temptation then whoever be the messenger as if thou sawest the Devil standing by and making the motion to thee and heardest himself exhort thee to the sin suppose you saw him conducting you to the Whore-house the Play-house the ALE-house and making you entertainment as the Master of the game How then would you take it And what would you do Would you go and be angry at the precise Preacher that would hinder you And would you take the Devils part No nature hath possessed you with a fear of him and an enmity to him use it for your safety It cannot be good for you that comes from him He hath a fouler face to appear to you in than ever yet you saw when you have done his work and are where he would have you O know with whom you have to do § 31. Tempt 4. The Tempter is most careful also to hide from men the nature and tendency of the Tempt 4. Temptation it self that they shall not know that it is a Temptation when they are tempted but shall have nothing in sight but the bait which they desire The Angler doth not only hide himself from the fish but also his rod and line and hook as much as he can The Fowler covereth his nets so that either the fish and bird shall not see the snare or shall not know what it is and what it is there laid for so when the bait of pleasure and honour and wealth is presented by the Devil to the fornicator gamester proud or covetous they shall not see what the Devil is doing now and what a game he is playing for their souls They shall not perceive the connexion that there is between the pleasure and the sin and the sin and the threatning and the threatning and the judgement and the judgement and the everlasting punishment when Judas was bargaining with the Pharisees he knew not that the Devil was in him driving on the match § 32. Direct 4. Be wise and suspicious Blindness or fool-hardiness will lead you into the snare Direct 4. Be wise that you may know the tendency of every thing that is presented to your thoughts and may be able to perceive a danger Be suspicious and cautelous that you may make a sufficient trial and go upon sure grounds and avoid the very appearance of evil when it is Hell that you fear come not too near Play not as the fly about the Candle salvation is necessary but preferment or wealth or liberty or credit or life it self are not necessary to you Prove all things Flatter not your selves into the snares by foolish hopes and judging of things as the flesh would have them to be rather than as they are It no danger appear turn up all coverings and search and see that none be hidden The Devil hath his gun-powder-plots and mines which may blow you up before you are aware Not only Lawfullness and Indifferency but great Good is the pretence for greatest evil § 33. Tempt 5. It is the Tempters care to bring the tempting object near enough or draw the â—â—nner Tempt 5. near enough to it The net must come to the fish or the fish to the net The distant fire will not burn the wâ—â—d The Devils chief confidence is in the sensitive appetite which worketh strongliest at hand If he get the drunkard into the ALE-house and shew him the cup he hath half conquered him allready But if he â—e scrupulous and
but Christ that profits you § 2â— Direct 14. This is distracted contradiction To set Christ against Christ and the Spirit Direct 14. against the Ordinances of the Spirit Is it not Christ and the Spirit that appointed them Doth he not best knâ—w in what way he will give his grace Can you not preserve the soul and life without killing the body Cannot you have the Water and value the Cistern or Spring without cutting off the â—â—â—â—s that must convey it O wonderful that Satan could make men so mad as this reasoning hâ—th shewed us that many are in our dayes And to set up superstition or pretend a good heart against Gods worship is to accuse him that appointed it of doing he knew not what and to think that we are wiser than he and to shew a good heart by disobedience pride contempt of God and of his mercies Tit. 4. Temptations to frustrate holy duties and make them uneffectual § 1. THe Devil is exceeding diligent in this 1. That he may make the soul despair and say Now I have used all means in vain there is no hope 2. To double the sinners misery by turning the very remedy into a disease 3. To shew his malice against Christ and say I have turned thy own means to thy dishonour § 2. Consider therefore how greatly we are concerned to do the work of God effectually Means well used are the way to more grace to communion with God and to salvation But ill used they dishonour and provoke him and destroy our selves like children that cut their fingers with the knife when they should cut their meat with it § 3. Tempt 1. Duty is frustrated by false ends As 1. To procure God to bear with them in their Tempt 1. sin when as it is the use of duty to destroy sin 2. To make God satisfaction for sin which is the work of Christ 3. To merit grace when the imperfection merits wrath 4. To prosper in the world and escape affliction Jam. 4. 3. and so they are but serving their flesh and desiring God to serve it 5. 〈…〉 uiet conscience in a course of sin by sinning more in offering the sacrifice of fools Eccles. 5. 1 2. 6. To be approved of men and verily they have their reward Matth. 6. 5. 7. To be saved when they can keep the world and sin no longer that is to obtain that the Gospel may all be false and God unjust § 4. Direct 1. First see that the Heart be honest and God and Heaven and Holiness most desired else all Direct 1. that you do will want right ends § 5. Tempt 2. When ignorance or error make men take God for what he is not thinking blasphemously Tempt 2. of him as if he were like them and liked their sins or were no lover of Holiness they frustrate all their worship of him § 6. Direct 2. Study God in his Son in his Word in his Saints in his Works Know him as described Direct 2. before Chap. 3. Direct 4. And see that your wicked corrupted hearts or wilful forgetting him blind not your understandings § 7. Tempt 3. To come to God in our selves and out of Christ and use his name but customarily and Tempt 3. not in faith and confidence § 8. Direct 3. Know well your sin and vileness and desert and the Justice and Holiness of God Direct 3. and then you will see that if Christ reconcile you not and Justifie you not by his blood and do not sanctifie and help you by his Spirit and make you sons of God and intercede not for you there is no access to God nor standing in his sight § 9. Tempt 4. The Tempter would have you pray hypocritically with the tongue only without the Tempt 4. heart To put off God in a few customary words with seeming to pray as they do the poor Jam. 2. with a few empty words either in a form of words not understood or not considered or not felâ— and much regarded or in more gross hypocrisie praying for the Holiness which they will not have and against the sin which they will not part with § 10. Direct 4. O fear the holy jealous heart-searching God that hateth hypocrisie and will be Direct 4. worshipped seriously in Spirit and Truth and will be sanctified of all that draw near him Lev. 10. 3. and saith they worship him in vain that draw nigh him with the lips when the heart is far from him Matth. 15. 8 9. See God by faith as present with thee and know thy self and it will waken thee to seriousness See Heb. 4. 13. Hos. 8. 12 13. § 11. Tempt 5. He would destroy Faith and Hope and make you doubt whether you shall get any Tempt 5. thing by duty § 12. Direct 5. But 1. Why should God command it and promise us his blessing if he meant not Direct 5. to perform it 2. Remember Gods Infiniteness and Omni-presence and All-sufficiency He is as verily with thee as thou art there he upholdeth thee he sheweth by his mercies that he regardeth thee and by his regarding lower things And if he regard thee he doth regard thy duties It is all one with him to hear thy prayers as if he had never another creature to regard and hear Believe then and hope and wait upon him § 13. Tempt 6. Sometime the Tempter will promise you more by holy duty than God doth and make Tempt 6. you expect deliverance from every enemy want and sickness and speedier deliverance of soul than ever God promised and all this is to make you cast away all as vain and think God faileth you when you miss your expectations § 14. Direct 6. But God will do all that He promiseth but not all that the Devil or your selves Direct 6. promise See what God promiseth in his Word That 's enough for you Make that and no more the end of duties § 15. Tempt 7. The Tempter usually would draw you from the heart and life of duty by too much Tempt 7. ascribing to the outside Laying too much on the bare doing of the work the giving of the alms the hearing the Sermons the saying the words the hansome expression order manner which in their places are all good if animated with Spirit life and seriousness § 16. Direct 7. Look most and first to the soul in duty and the soul of duty The picture of meat Direct 7. feedeth not the picture of fire warmeth not Fire and shadows will not nourish us God loveth not dead carcasses instead of spiritual worship we regard not words our selves further than they express the Heart Let the outer part have but its due § 17. Tempt 8. He tempteth you to rest in a forced affected counterseit servency stirred up by a desire Tempt 8. to take with others § 18. Direct 8. Look principally at God and holy motives and less at men that all your fire be Direct 8.
When the Nature and Name of God is so plainly â—ngraven upon them all It is a great part of a Christians daily busyness to see and admire God in his works and to use them as steps to ascend by to himself Psal 111. 2 3 4. The works of the â—â—rd â—â—e great sought out of all them that have pleasure therein His work is honâ—urable and glâ—â—iâ—us and his righteousness endureth for ever He hath made his wonderful works to be remembred Psal. 143. 5 I meditate on all thy works I muse on the works of thy hands Psal. 77. 12. I will meditate also of all thy works and talk of thy dâ—ings Psal. 92. 4 5 6. For thou Lord hast made me glad through thy work I will triumph in the works of thy hands A bruitish man knoweth not neither doth a fâ—ol understand this As the praising of Gods works so the observing of God in his works is much of the work of a holy soul. Psal. 145. 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 17. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised And his greatness is unsearchable One generation shall praise thy works to another and shall declare thy mighty acts I will speak of the glorious honour of his Magisty and of thy wondrâ—us works And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts and I will declare thy greatness They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great Goodness and shall sing of thy righteousness All thy works shall praise thee O Lord and thy Saints shall bless thee The Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works Rom. 1. 19 20. That which may be known of God is manifest to them For God hath shewed it to them For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made Even his eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse If we converse in the world as believers or rational creatures ought we should as oft as David repeat these words Psal. 107. O that men would praise the Lord for his Goodness and for his wondrâ—us works to the Children of men And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare his works with rejoyâ—ing They that go down to the sea in ships that do busyness in great waters these see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep verse 21 22 23 24. But this is a subject â—itter for a Volume of Physicks Theologically handled than for so short a touch What an excellent Book is the visible world for the daily studies of a holy soul Light is not more visible to the eye in the Sun than the Goodness of God is in it and all the creatures to the mind If I Love not God when all the word revealeth his Loveliness and every creature telleth me that he is Good what a blind and wicked heart have I O wonderful Wisdom and Goodness and Power which appeareth in every thing we see In every Tree and Plant and Flower In every Bird and Beast and Fish In every Worm and Fly and creeping thing In every part of the Body of Man or Beast Much more in the admirable composure of the whole In the Sun and Moon and Starrs and Meteors In the Lightning and Thunder the Air and Winds the Rain and Waters the Heat and Cold the Fire and the Earth Especially in the composed frame of all so far as we can see them set together In the admirable order and cooperation of all things In their times and seasons and the wonderful usefullness of all for man O how Glorious is the Power and Wisdom and Goodness of God in all the frame of nature Every creature silently speaks his Praise declaring Him to Man whose office is as the worlds High Priest to stand between them and the Great Creator and expresly offer him the praise of all Psal. 8. 3 4 5 6 9. When I consider the Heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Starrs which thou hast ordained What is man that thou art mindful of him and the son of man that thou visitest him For thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands thou hast put all things under his feet O Lord our Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the earth O that men would praise the Lord for his Goodness and declare his wondrous works to the children of men The earth is full of the Goodness of the Lord Psal. 33. 5 6 7 8 9. Read Psalm 65. Thus Love God as appearing in the works of Nature § 27. Direct 10. Study to know God as he appeareth more clearly to sinners in his Goodness in the Direct 10. works of GRACE especially in his Son his Covenant and his Saints and there to Love him in the admiration of his Love Here Love hath made it self an advantage of our sin and unworthiness of our necessities and miseries of the Law and justice and the flames of Hell The abounding of sin and misery hath glorified abounding Grace That Grace which fetcheth sons for God from among the voluntary vassals of the Devil Which fetcheth Children of Light out of darkness and Living souls from among the dead and heirs for Heaven from the gates of Hell and brings us as from the Gallows to the Throne 1. A believing view of the Nature Undertaking Love Obedience Doctrine Example Sufferings Intercession and Kingdom of JESUS CHRIST must needs inflame the believers hearts with an answerable degree of the Love of God To look on a Christ and not Love God is to have eyes and not to see and to overlook him while we seem to look on him He is the liveliest Image of Infinite Goodness and the messenger of the most unsearchable astonishing Love and the purchaser of the most unvaluable benefits that ever were revealed to the sons of men Our greatest Love must be kindled by the Greatest revelations and communications of the Love of God And Greater Love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends John 15. 13. that is Men have no dearer and clearer a way to express their Love to their friends But that Love is aggravated indeed which will express it self as far for enemies But God commendeth his Love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us And if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Rom. 5. 8 9 10. Steep then that stiff and heardned heart in the blood of Christ and it will melt Come near with Thomas and by the passage of his wounds get near unto his heart and it will change thy unkind unthankful heart into the very nature of Love Christ is the best Teacher of the lesson of Love that
for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed The night is far spent the day is at hand let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armour of light let us walk honestly as in the day not in ryoting and drunkeness not in chambering and wantonness not in strife and envying but put ye on the Lord Iesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof 3. Time must be Redeemed from things indifferent and lawful at another time when things necessary do require it He that should save mens lives or quench a fire in his house or provide for his family or do his Masters work will not be excused if he neglect it by saying that he was about an indifferent or a lawful business Natural rest and sleep must be parted with for Time when necessary things require it Paul Preached till midnight being to depart on the morrow Act. 20. 7. The Lamenting Church calling out for Prayer saith Arise cry out in the night in the beginning of the watches pour out thy heart like water before the fac◠of the Lord Lam. 2. 19. Cleanthes Lamp must be used by such whose Sun-light must be otherwise employed 4. Time must be Redeemed from worldly business and commodity when matters of greater weight and commodity do require it Trades and Plow and profit must stand by when God calls us by necessity or otherwise to greater things Martha should not so much as trouble her self in providing meat for Christ and his followers to eat when Christ is offering her food for her soul and she should with Mary have been hearing at his feet Luk. 10. 42. Worldlings are thus called by him Isa. 55. 1 2 3. Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the water Wherefore do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfyeth not hearken diligently unto me and eat ye that which is good and let your soul delight it self in fatness 5. Time must be Redeemed from smaller Duties which in their season must be done as being no duties when they hinder Greater duty which should then take place It is a duty in its time and place to shew respect to neighbours and superiours and to those about us and to look to our family affairs but not when we should be at Prayer to God or when a Minister should be Preaching or at his necessary studies Private Prayer and Meditation and visiting the sick are duties But not when we should be at Church or about any greater duty which they hinder The Directions contemplative for Redeeming Time § 8. Direct 1. Still keep upon thy Heart by Faith and Consideration the lively sense of the Greatness Direct 1. and absolute necessity of that work which must command thy Time remembring who setteth thee on work and on what a work he sets thee and on what terms and what will be the end It is God that calleth thee to labour And wilt thou stand still or be doing other things when God expecteth duty from thee Moses must go to Pharaoh when God bids him go Ionas must go to Nineve when God bids him go yea Abraham must go to Sacrifice his Son when God bids him go And may you go about your fleshly pleasures when God commandeth you to his service He hath appointed you a work that is worth your Time and all your labour to know him and serve him and obey him and to seek everlasting life How diligently should so excellent a work be done and so blessed and glorious a master be served especially considering the unutterable importance of our diligence we are in the race appointed us by our Maker and are to Run for an immortal Crown It 's Heaven that must be now won or lost And have we Time to spare in such a race We are fighting against the enemies of our salvation The question is now to be resolved whether the Flesh the World and the Devil or We shall win the day and have the victory And Heaven or Hell must be the issue of our warfare And have we Time to spare in the midst of such a fight when our very loss of Time is no small part of the enemies conquest Our most wise Omnipotent Creator hath been pleased to make this present life to be the trying preparation for another resolving that it shall go with us all for ever according to our preparations here And can we play and loyter away our Time that have such a work as this to do O miserable sensless souls do you believe indeed the Life everlasting and that all your lives are given you now to resolve the question whether you must be in Heaven or Hell for ever Do you believe this Again I ask you Do you believe this I beseech you ask your Consciences over and over whether you do indeed believe it Can you believe it and yet have Time to spare what find Time to play away and game away and idle and prate away and yet believe that this very Time is given you to prepare for life eternal and that salvation or damnation lyeth on the race which now even now you have to run Is not such a man a Monster of stupidity If you were asleep or mad it were the more excusable to be so sensless But to do thus awake and in your wits O where are the brains of those men and of what metal are their hardened hearts made that can idle and play away that Time that little Time that only Time which is given them for the everlasting saving of their souls Verily firs if sin had not turned the ungodly part of the world into a Bedlam where it is no wonder to see a man out of his wits people would run out with wonder into the Streets to see such a monster as this as they do to see mad men in the Country where they are rare and they would call to one another Come and see a man that can trifle and sport away his Time as he is going to Eternity and is ready to enter into another world Come and see a man that hath but a few dayes to win or lose his soul for ever in and is playing it away at Cards and Dice or wasting it in doing nothing Come and see a man that hath hours to spare and cast away upon trifles with Heaven and Hell before his eyes For thy souls sake consider and tell thy self If thy estate in the world did lye upon the spending of this day or week or if thy life lay on it so that thou must live or dye or be poor or rich sick or well as thou spendest it wouldst thou then waste it in dressings or complement or play and wouldst thou find any to spare upon impertinent triflings Or rather wouldst thou not be up betime and about thy business and turn by thy games and thy diverting company and disappoint thy idle visiters
Treason against their King or reviled Magistrates and Superiours and perhaps attempted and done mischief as well as spoken it If you are superiours how unfit are you to judge or govern Is it not lawful for any to appeal from you as the Woman did from Philip drunk to Philip sober You will be apter to abuse your inferiours than well to govern them Also Drunkenness destroyeth civility justice and charity It inflameth the mind with anger and rage It teacheth the tongue to curse and rail and slander It makes you unfaithful and uncapable of keeping any secret and ready to betray your chiefest friend as being master neither of your mind or tongue or actions Drunkenness hath made men commit many thousand murders It hath caused many to murder themselves and their nearest relations many have been drowned by falling into the water or broke their neâ—ks with falling from their Horses or dyed suddenly by the suffocation of nature It draweth men to idleness and taketh them off their lawfull calling It maketh a multitude of thieves by breeding necessity and emboldening to Villany It is a principal cause of lust and filthiness and the great maintainer of whoredomes and taketh away all shame and fear and wit which should restrain men from this or any sin What sin is it that a drunken man may not commit no thanks to him that he forbeareth the greatest wickedness Cities and Kingdoms have been betrayed by Drunkenness Many a drunken Garrison hath let in the enemy There is no confidence to be put in a drunken man nor any mischief that he is secure from 12. Lastly Thou sinnest not alone but temptest others with thee to perdition It is the great crime of Ieroboam that he made Israel to sin The judgement of God determineth those men to death that not only do wickedness but have pleasure in them that do it Rom. 1. 32. And is not this thy case Art thou not Satans instrument to tempt others with thee to waste their Time and neglect their souls and abuse God and his creatures Yea some of you glory in your shame that you have drunk down your companions and carryed it away the honour of a sponge or a tub which can drink up or hold liquor as well as you And what is that man worthy of that would thus transform himself and others into such Monsters of iniquity § 55. IV. Next let us hear the drunkards excuses for even drunkenness will pretend to Reason and Obj. 1. men will not make themselves mad without an argument to justifie it 1. Saith the Tipler I take no mâ—re than doth me good you allow a man to eat as much as doth him good and why not to drink as much No man is fiâ—â—er to judge this than I For I am sure I feel it do me good Answ. What good dost thou mean man Doth it fit thee for holy thoughts or words or deeds Answ. Doth it help thee to live well or fit thee to die well Art thou sure that it tendeth to the health of thy bâ—dy Thou canst not so say without the imputation of folly or self-conceitedness when all the wise Physicions in the world do hold the contrary No it doth as Gluâ—tony doth It pleaseth thee in the drinking but it filleth thy body with crudities and flegme and prepareth for many Mortal sicknesses It maketh thy body like grounds after a flood that are covered with stinking slime or like fenny Lands that are drowned in water and bear no fruit or like grounds that have too much rain that are dissolved to dirt but are unfit for use It maketh thee like a leaking ship that must be pumpt and emptied or it will sink If thou have not Vomits or Purges to empty thee thou wilt quickly drown or suffocate thy life As Basil saith A drunkard is like a Ship in a Tempest when all the goods are cast over-boord to disburden it lest it â—ink Physicions must pump thee or disburden thee or thou wilt be drowned And all will not serve if thou hold on to fill it up again For intemperance maketh most diseases uncurable A Historian speaketh of two Physicions that differed in their Prognosticks about a Patient one forsook him as uncurable the other undertook him as certainly curable but when he came to his remedies he prescribed him so strict abstinence as he would not undergo and so they agreed in the issue when one judged him uncurable because intemperate and the other curable if he would be temperate Thou that feelest the drink do thee good dost little think how the Devil hath a design in it not only to have thy soul but to have it quickly that the mud walls of thy body being washt down may not hold it long And I must tell thee that thou hast cause to value a good Physicion for greater reasons than thy life and art more beholden to him than many others even that he may help to keep thy soul out of Hell a little longer to see if God will give thee repentance that thou mayest escape out of the snare of the Devil who taketh thee captive at his will 2 Tim. 2. 25 26. As Aelian writeth of King Antigonus that having great respect for Zeno the Philosopher he once met him when he was in drink and embracing him urged him to ask of him what he would and bound himself with many Oaths to give it him Zeno thanked him and the request he made to him was that he would go home and Vomit To tell him that he more needed to be disburdened of his drink than â—e himself did need his gifts The truth is the good that thou feelest the drink do thee is but the present pleasing of thy appetite and tickling thy fantasie by the exhilerating vapours And so the Glutton and the Whoremonger and every sensual wretch will say that he feeleth it do him good But God bless all sober men from such a good So the Gamester feeleth the sport do him good but perhaps he is quickly made a Beggar by it It is Reason and faith and not thy appetite or present feeling that must tell thee what and how much doth thee good § 36. Obj. 2. But I have heard some Physicions say that it is wholsome to be Drunk sometimes Obj. 2. Answ. None but some Sot that had first drunk away his own understanding I have known Physicions Answ. that have been Drunkards themselves and they have been apt to plead for their own vice Q. May one be Mâ—dicinally Drunk But they quickly killed themselves and all their skill could not save their lives from the effects of their own Beastiality even as the knowledge and doctrine of a wicked Preacher will not save his soul if he live contrary to his Profession And what if the Vomiting of a Drunkard did him some good with all the harm Are there not easier safer lawfuller means enough to do the same good without the harm He is a Bruit
8. marry than to burn 1 Cor. 7. 9. It is Gods Ordinance partly for this end Marriage is honourable and the bed undefiled Heb. 13. 4. It is a resemblance of Christs Union with his Church and is sanctified to believers Eph. 5. 1 Cor. 7. Perhaps it may cast thee upon great troubles in the world if thou be unready for that state as it is with Apprentices Forbear then thy sin at easier rates or else the lawful means must be used though it undo thee It s better thy Body be undone than thy soul if thou wilt needst have it to be one of them But if thou be marryed already thou art a monster and not a man if the remedy prevail not with thee But yet the other directions may be also serviceable to thee § 26. Direct 9. If less means prevâ—il not open thy case to some able faithful friend and engage Direct 9. them to watâ—h ever thee and tell them when thou art most endangered by the temptation This will shame thee from the sin and lay more engagements on thee to forbear it If thou tell thy friend Now I am tempted to the sin and now I am going to it he will quickly stop thee Break thy secresie and thou losest thy opportunity Thou canst do this if thou be willing If ever thy Conscience prevail so far with thee as to resolve against thy sin or to be willing to escape then take the time while Conscience is awake and go tell thy friend And tell him who it is that is thy wicked companion and let him know all thy haunts that he may know the better how to help thee Dost thou say that this will shame thee It will do so to him that it s known to But that is the benefit of it and that 's the reason I advise thee to it that shame may help to save thy soul. If thou go on the sin will both shame and damn thee and a greater â—hame than this is a gentle remedy in so foul and dangerous a disease § 27. Direct 10. Therefore if yet all this will not serve turn Tell it to many yea rather tell it all Direct 10. the Town than not be â—ured And then the publick shame will do much more Confess it to thy Pastor and desire him â—penly to beg the prayers of the Congregation for thy pardon and recovery Begin thus to crave the fruit of Church Discipline thy self so far shouldst thou be from flying from it and spâ—rning against it as the desperate hardened sinners do If thou say This is a hard lesson remember that the suffering of Hell is harder Do not say that I wrong thee by putting thee upon scandal and open shame It is thou that puttest thy self upon it by making it necessary and refusing all easier remedies I put thee on it but on supposition that thou wilt not be easilier cured Almost as Christ puts thee upon cutting off a right hand or plucking out a right eye lest all the body be cast into hell This is not the way that he commandeth thee first to take he would have thee avoid the need of it but he tells thee that its better do so than worse and that this is an easie suffering in comparison of Hell And so I advise thee if thou love thy credit forbear thy sin in a cheaper way but if thou wilt not do so take this way rather than damn thy soul. If the shame of all the Town be upon thee and the Boys should hoot after thee in the Streets if it would drive thee from thy sin how easie were thy suffering in comparison of what it is like to be Concealment is Satans great advantage It would be hard for thee to sin thus if it were but opened Tit. 2. Directions against inward filthy Lusts. § 1. Direct 1. BEcause with most the temperature of the Body hath a great hand in this sin Direct 1. your first care must be about the body to reduce it unto a temper less inclined to lust And here the chief remedy is fasting and much abstinence And this may the better be born because for the most part it is persons so strong as to be able to endure it that are under this temptation If your Temptation be not strong the less abstinence from meat and drink may serve turn For I I would prescribe you no stronger Physick than is needful to cure your disease But if it be violent and lesser means will not prevail it s better your bodies be somewhat weakened than your souls corrupted and undone Therefore in this case 1. Eat no Breakfast nor Suppers but one meal a day unless a bit or two of Bread and a sup or two of Water in the morning and yet not too full a dinner and nothing at night 2. Drink no Wine or strong Drink but Water if the stomach can bear it without sickness and usually in such hot bodies it is healthfuller than Beer 3 Eat no hot Spices or strong or heating or windy meats Eat Lettice and such cooling Herbs 4. If need require it be often let blood or purged with such purges as copiously evacuate serosity and not only irritate 5. And oft bath in cold Water But the Physicion should be advised with that they may be safely done § 2. If you think this course too dear a cure and had rather cherish your flesh and lust you are not the persons that I am now Directing for I speak to such only as are willing to be cured and to use the necessary means that they may be cured If you be not brought to this your Conscience had need of better awakening I am sure Christ saith that when the Bridegroom was taken from them his Disciples should fast Mar. 2. 19 20. And even painful Paul was in fasting often 2 Cor. 6. 5. 11. 27. and kept under his body and brought it into subjection lest by any means when he had Preached to others himself should be a castaway 1 Cor. 9. 27. And I am sure that the ancient Christians that lived in solitude and eat many of them nothing but bread and water or meaner fare than Act 10. 30. 14 23. â—uâ— â— 37. bread did not think this cure too dear Yea smaller necessities than this engaged them in fasting 1 Cor. 7. 5. This unclean Devil will scarcely be cast out but by prayer and fasting Mar. 9. 29. § 3. And I must tell you that Fulness doth naturally cherish Lust as fewel doth the fire Fulness of bread prepared the Sodomites for their filthy lusts It s no more wonder that a stuffed paunch hath a lustful fury than that the water runs into the Pipes when the Cistern is full or than it is wonder to see a dunghill bear weeds or a Carrion to be full of crawling Magots Plutarch speaks of a Spartan that being asked why Lycurgus made no Law against Adultery answered There are no Adulterers with us But saith the other what if
chosen this for thy good and tryeth and valueth thy obedience to him the more by how much the meaner work thou stoopest to at his Command But see that thou do it all in obedience to God and not meerly for thy own necessity Thus every servant must serve the Lord in serving their Masters and from God expect their chief reward Col. 3. 22 23 24. Ephes. 6. 6 7. Tit. 2. Directions against Idleness and Sloth § 1. HEre I must shew you what Idleness and Sloth is and what are the Signs of it and then What Sloth and Idleness is give you Directions how to conquer it Sloth signifieth chiefly the indisposition of the mind and body and Idleness signifieth the actual neglect or omission of our duties Sloth is an aversness to labour through a carnal love of ease or indulgence to the flesh This averseness to labour is sinful when it is a voluntary backwardness to that labour which is our duty Sloth sheweth it self 1. In keeping us from our duty and causing us to delay it or omit it and 2. In making us to do it slowly and by the halves And both these effects are called Idleness which is the omission or negligent performance of our duties through a flesh-pleasing backwardness to labour § 2. By this you may see 1. That it is not sloth or sinful Idleness to omit a labour which we are What it is not unable to perform As for the sick and aged and weak to be averse to labour through the power of an unresistible disease or weakness Or when Nature is already wearied by as much labour as it can bear 2 Or when Reason alloweth and requireth us to forbear our usual labour for our health or for some other sufficient cause 3. Or when we are unwillingly restrained and hindered by others as by imprisonment or denyal of opportunity as if the Magistrate forcibly hinder a Preacher or Physicion or Lawyer from that which otherwise he should do 4. Or if a mistake or sinful error only keep a man from his labour it is a sin but not this sin of sloth So also if any sensual vice or pleasure besides this love of ease take him off 5. If it be a backwardness only to such labour as is no duty to us it is but a Natural and not a vitious sloth But Voluntary averseness to the labour of our duty through indulgence of fleshly ease is the sinful sloth or Laziness which we speak of § 3. Sloth and Idleness thus described is a sin in all but aâ—far greater sin in some than in others The aggravtions of it It was one of Soloâ—s Laws Is qui sectatur otium omnibus accusaâ—e volentibus obnoxius esto Ut Laâ—rt in Sol. Num solum aquas haurio inquit Cleanthes nonne fodio rigo omnia facio philâ—sophiae causa whâ—n they asked him why he would draw water And you may thus know what sloth it is that is the most sinful 1. The more sloth is subjected in the mind it self and the less it is subjected in the Body the greater is the sin For the mind is the nobler part and immediate seat of sin 2. The smaller the bodily distempers or temptations are which seduce the mind the greater is the sin For it shews the mind to be the more corrupted and tainted with the disease of sloth He that is under an unresistible indisposition of body sinneth not at all unless as he voluntarily contracted that disease But if the bodies indisposition to labour be great but yet not unresistible it is a sin to yield to it but so much the smaller sin caeteris paribus as the bodily disease is greater He that hath some scorbutical lassitude or flegmatick heaviness and dulness doth sin if he strive not against it as much as he can and as in reason he should It is not every bodily indisposition that will excuse a man from all labour as long as he is able to labour notwithstanding that disease But if the disease be great so that he resisteth his lassitude with a great deal of labour the sin is the less But he that hath a body sound and able that hath no disease to indispose him sinneth most of all if he be slothful as shewing the most corrupted mind 3. He is most sinfully slothful who is most voluntarily slothful As he that endeavoureth least against it and he that most loveth it and would not leave it and he that is least troubled at it and least repenteth and lamenteth it and contriveth to accommodate his sloth 4. The sloth is caeteris paribus the worst which most prevaileth to the omission or negligent performance of our duty But that sloth which doth but indispose us but is so far conquered by our resistance as not to keep us from our duty or not much and often is the smaller sin 5. That is the most sinful sloth caeteris paribus which is against the greatest duties To be backward to the most holy duties as praying and hearing or reading the Word of God c. or to duties of publick consequence is a greater sin than to be lazily backward to a common toilsome work 6. That is the most sinful sloth and idleness which is committed against the greatest motives to labour and diligence Therefore in that respect a poor mans sloth is more sinful than a rich mans because he is under the pressure of Necessity And in another respect the rich mans sloth is worst because he buryeth the greatest Talents and is idle when he hath the greatest wages A man that hath many children sinneth more than another by his idleness because he wrongeth them all whom he must provide for A Magistrate or Pastor of the Church doth sin more incomparably than common people if they be slothful because they betray the souls of men or sin against the good of many As it is a greater sin to be lazy in quenching a fire in the City than in a common needless business so it is a greater sin to be slothful in the working out our salvation and making our calling and election sure when God and Christ and Heaven and Hell are the motives to rowze us up to duty aâ—d when the time is so short in which all our work for eternity must be done I say it is a far greater sin than to be slothful when only corporal wants or benefits are the motives which we resist Yet indeed the will of God is resisted in all who forbiddeth us to be slothful in business Rom. 12. 11. § 4. Sloth is a thing that is easily discerned The signs of it are 1. When the very thought of The signs of Sloth labour is troublesome and unpleasing and ease seems sweet 2. When duty is omitted hereby and left undone 3. When the easie part of duty is culled out and the haâ—der part is cast aside 4. When the judgement will not believe that laborious duty is a duty at all 5.
and dead formality and offer God a Carrion for a Sacrifice and yet their Consciences are so far from checking them for this heynous sin that they are much pleased and quieted by it as if they had deserved well of God and proved themselves very godly people and by this sin had made him amends for the common sins of their lives Is it God himself and his sanctifying grace that those men seek after in his Worship who hate his grace and scorn sanctification and can leave God to be enjoyed by others if they may but enjoy their fleshly pleasures and riches and honours in the world Even the Haters of God and Holiness are so blinded as to perswade themselves that in his Worship they are truly seeking that God and Holiness which they hate And O what a deal of pains is many a formal Hypocrite at to little purpose in spending many 2 Tim. 3. 5. 1 Tim. 4. 7. hours in outside heartless lifeless worship while they never thirsted after God nor after a holy conformity to him communion with him or fruition of him in all their lives O what a deal of labour do these Pharisees lose in bodily exercise which profiteth nothing for want of a right end in all that they do because it is not God that they seek when Goliness is profitable to all things 1 Tim. 4. 8. And what is Godliness but the souls devotedness to God and seeking after him We have much adoe to bring some men from their diversions to Gods outward worship But O how much harder is it to bring the soul to seek God unfeignedly in that Worship where the Body is present When David in the Wilderness was driven from the Sanctuary he cryeth out in the bitterness of his soul As the Hart panteth after the water Brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God My soul thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appear before God My tears have been my meat day and night while they continually sâ—y unto me where is thy God You see here that it was God himself that David thirsted after in his Worship Alas what is all the outward pomp of Worship if God be not the end and life of all Without him how vain a thing would the words of prayer and preaching and the administration of the Sacraments be It is not the dead letter but the quickening spirit that maketh the dead in sin to live that convinceth or comforteth the soul or maketh the worshipper holy or happy Nay it is some aggravation of your misery to be destitute of true Communion with God Isa. 29. 13. Matth. 15. 8. Matth. 11. â—3 Matth. 10. 15. Matth. 11. 23 24. 2 Sam. 15. 25 28 29. while you seem to worship him and to be far from him in the Heart while you draw so near him with the lips To boast of the Temple of the Lord and be forsaken by the Lord of the Temple That Capernaum shall be cast down to Hell that is but thus lift up to Heaven And it will be easier for Sodom in the day of judgement than for such as had the publick ordinances without God David left the Ark with Absalom at Hierusalem but God was not with Absalom but with David No marvel if such Hypocrites grudge at all that is costly in Gods service even the necessary maintenance of the Ministers For if they have only the shell of Ordinances without God it will scarce requite them for their cost No marvel if they think all their pains too much when they take up with the chaff which is scarcely worth their pains No wonder if they find small pleasure in Gods Service For what pleasure is there in the husks or chaff or in a deaf nut No wonder if they grow no better no holier or stronger by it For what strength will chaff and shadows breed No marvel if they are quickly weary and if a little of such Religion seem enough when the life and spirits and strength and sweetness is neglected O sinners remember that God desireth not yours but you and all your wealth and service is as nothing to him if he have not your selves when yet you are so little worth the having Nay how earnestly doth he sue to have you How dearly hath he bought you he may challenge you as his own Answer this kindness of God aright Let no ordinance nor no common mercy satisfie you if you have not God himself And to encourage you let me further tell you § 24. 10. If it be God himself that thou seekest in his worship sincerely thou shalt find him Because thou hast chosen the better part it shall not be taken from thee Because thou hungrest and Luk. 10. 42. thirsteth after him thou shalt be satisfied What joyful news is this to the thirsty soul 2. Thou art most welcome to God with these high desires This holy ambition and aspiring of Love is only acceptable to him If all ordinances be nothing to thee without God he will see that thou understandest the true use of ordinances and put down thy name among his Lovers whom he cannot despise He loveth not to see men debase their souls to feed on husks and chaff with hypocrites no more than to feed on filth and dirt with sensualists and worldlings As he accepted Solomons prayer â— Chron. 1. 11 12 13. because he asked not for little things but for great so he is very much pleased with the soul that is unsatisfied with all the world and can be content with nothing lower or worse than God himself 3. Nay because thou seekest God himself thou shalt have all things with him that are worth the having Matth. 6. 33. Rom. 8. 28. When hypocrites have but the carkass and shadow it 's thou that shâ—lt have the substantial food and joy As they that were with Paul when he was Converted did hear the voice but saw no man Act. 9. 7. so others shall hear the sound of the word and the name of God but it is thou that shall see him by faith that is invisible and feel the power and efficacy of all Thou shalt hear God speak to thee when he that sitteth in the same seat with thee shall hear no more than the voice of man It is he that seeketh after God in his Ordinances that is Religious in good sadness and is employed in a work that is worthy of an immortal rational soul. The delights of Ordinances as they are performed by man will savour of his imperfections and taste of the instrument and have a bitterness often mixed with the sweet when the delight that cometh from God himself will be more pure Ordinances are uncertain You may have them to day and lose them to morrow when God is everlasting and everlastingly to be enjoyed O therefore take not up short of God in any of his worship but before you set upon it call up your souls to mind the end and tell them
which are commonly supposed to be the Responses of the people or repeated by them And in Rev. 14. 2 3. the voice as of many waters and as of a great thunder and the voice of Harpers harping with their harps who sung a new song before the Throne and before the four beasts and the elders a song which noâ—e could learn but the hundred forty and four thousand which were redeemed from the Earth which were not defiled with women who were Virgins and followed the Lamb c. doth seem very plainly to be spoken of the praises of all the Saints Chap. 17. 15. by waters is meant people multitudes c. And Chap. 1â— 5 6 7 8. there is expresly recited a form of praise for all the people A voice came out of the Throne saying Praise our God all ye his servants and ye that fear him both small and great And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waâ—â—rs and as the voice of mighty thundrings saying Alleluja for the Lord God omnipotent reigâ—eth Let us be glad and rejoice and give honour to him for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made her self ready and to her was granted c. And indeed he that hath stiled all his people Priests to God and a holy and royal Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ and to shew forth the praises 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the virtues of him that hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light doth seem not to take them for so prophanâ— a generation as to be prohibited from speaking to God in publick any otherwise than by the mouth of a Priest And it seemeth to be more allowed and not less under the Gospel than under the Law because Numb 1. 5â— 3. 10 38. Exod. 20. Heb. 4. 16 17. Eph. 2. 13. Heb. 12. 18 21 22 23. then the people as under guilt were kept at a greater distance from God and must speak to him more by a Priest that was a type of Christ our intercessour But now we are brought nigh and reconciled to God and have the spirit of soâ—s and may go by Christ alone unto the Father And therefore though it be true that Ministers yet are sub-intercessours under Christ our high Priest yet they are rarely called Priestâ— but described more in the new Testament by other parts of their office Obj. But the peoples responses make a confused noise in the Assemblies not intelligible Answ. All things are ill done that are done by ill men that carnally and formally slubber it over But if the best and holiest people would unanimously set themselves to do it as they do in singing Psalms so that they did not only stand by to be the hearers of others it would be done more orderly and spiritually as well as singing is Quest. 84. Is it not a sin for our Clerks to make themselves the mouth of the people who are no ordained Ministers of Christ Answ. 1. IN those places where ordained Deacons do it this objection hath no place 2. The Clerks are not appointed to be the mouth of the people But only each Clerk is one of the people commanded to do that which all should do lest it should be wholly left undone If all the Congregation will speak all that the Clerk doth it will answer the primary desire of the Church-Governours who bid the People do it But if they that will not do it themselves shall pretend that the Clerk doth usurp the Ministry because he ceaseth not as well as they they might as well say so by a few that should sing Psalms in the Church when the rest are against it and forbear May not a man do his duty in singing or saying when you refuse yours without pretending to be your mouth or usurping the Ministry Quest. 85. Are repetitions of the same words in Church-prayers lawful Answ. 1. IT is not lawful to affect them as the Heathens who think they shall be heard for their Maâ— 6. 18. Battologie or saying over the same words as if God were moved by them as by a charm 2. Nor is it lawful to do that which hath a strong appearance of such a conceit and thereby to make Gods worship ridiculous and contemptible As the Papists in their Psalters and Prayer Books repeating over the name of Iesus and Mary so oft together as maketh it seem a ludicrous Canting But 1. It is lawful to speak the same words from fulness and fervency of zeal 2. And when we are afraid to give over lest we have not yet prevailed with God 3. And in Gods solemn Praises sung or said a word or sentence oft repeated sometime hath an elegancy and affecting decency And therefore it is so often used in the Psalms yea and in many Scripture Prayers 4. In such cases to Psal. 136. 107. 8 13 21 c. bring a serious urgency of spirit to the repeated words and not to quarrel with the repetitions is the duty of one that joyneth with true Christian Assemblies as a son of piety and peace Quest. 86. Is it lawful to bow at the naming of Iesus Answ. THE question either respecteth the Person of Jesus named by any of his names or else Mic. 6. 6. Jer. 23. 27. Isa. 52 5 6. Isa. 29. 24. Isa. 42. 8 9. Psal. 2. 10 11. Phil. 2. 9 10 11 12. Psal. 34. 3. 66. 2. 68. 4. 72 19. â—6 1 2. 96 2. 100. 4. 111. 9. 148. 13. 149. 3. Isa. 9. 6 7. 12. â— Psal. 138. 2 3. Rev. 15. 4. 1 Chron. 29. 20. 2 Chron. 29. 30. this name Iesus only And that either simply in it self considered or else comparatively as excluding or not including â—â—â—â—er names 1. That the person of Iesus is to be bowed to I never knew a Christian deny 2. That we may lawfully express our reverence by bowing when the names God Jehovah Jesus Christ c. are uttered I have met with few Christians who deny nor know I any reason to deny it 3. Had I been fit to have prescribed directions to other Ministers or Churches I would not have perswaded much less commanded them to bow at the Name of Iesus any more than at the name of God Iehovah Christ c. For many Reasons which the Reader may imagine though I will not now mention them 4. But if I live and joyn in a Church where it is commanded and peremptorily urged to bow at the name of Iesus and where my not doing it would be divisive scandalous or offensive I will bow at the name of God Iehovah Iesus Christ Lord c. one as well as the other seeing it is not bowing at Christs name that I scruple but the consequents of seeming to distinguish and prefer that name alone before all the rest Quest. 87. Is it lawful to stand up at the Gospel
Motive 7. are our fellow Souldiers and Travellers with whom only we can have sweet and holy converse and a Heavenly conversation when the carnal favour not the things of God Mot. 8. Consider how serviceable their graces render them for the pleasing of God and the good of Motive 8. men They are the work of God created to good works Ephes. 2. 10. They are fitted by grace to Love and praise their Maker and Redeemer and to obey his Laws and to honour him in their works as shining lights in a dark generation They are the blessings of the place where God hath planted them They pray for sinners and exhort them and give them good examples and call them from their sins and lovingly draw them on to conversion and salvation For their sakes God useth others the better where they live Ten righteous persons might have saved Sodom They are lovely therefore for the service which they do Mot. 9. All their graces will be shortly perfected and all their infirmities done away They are Motive 9. already pardoned and justified by Christ and every remaining spot and wrinkle will be shortly taken away Ephes. 5 26 27. and they shall be presented perfect unto God And they that shall be so perfect then are amiable now Mot. 10. They shall see the Glory of God and live for ever in his presence They shall be employed Motive 10. in his perfect Love and praise and we shall be their companions therein And those that must sing Halleluja's to God in perfect amity and concord in such an harmonious blessed chore should live in great endearedness in the way Tit. 4. The Hinderances and Enemies of Christian love Enemy 1. THE first Enemy of Christian Love is the inward unregeneracy and carnality of the mind Enemy 1. For the carnal mind is enmity to God and neither is nor can be subject to his law Rom. 8. 6 7. And therefore it is at enmity with Holiness and with those that are seriously holy The excellency of a Christian is seen only by faith believing what God speaketh of them and by spiritual discerning of their spiritual worth But the natural man discerneth not the things of the spirit but they are as foolishness to him because they must be spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2. 14. There must be a suitableness of nature before there can be true love And he that will love them as holy must first love holiness himself Enemy 2. Another Enemy to Christian Love is selfishness or inordinate self-love For this will Enemy 2. make men love no one heartily but as they serve or love or honour them and according to the measures of their self ish interest If a Godly man will not flatter such persons and serve their proud or covetous humours they cannot love him A selfish person maketh so great a matter of every infirmity which crosseth his interest or every mistake which crosseth his opinon or every little injury that his done him that he cryeth out presently O what wicked and unconscionable people are these What hypocrites are they Is this their Religion Is this justice or charity All virtues and vices are estimated by them according to their own ends and interests chiefly They can think better of a common Whoremonger or Swearer or Atheist or Infidel that loveth and honoureth and serveth them than of the most holy and upright servant of God who thinketh meanly or hardly of them and standeth in their way and seemeth to be against their interest It is no commendations to him in this mans account that he loveth God and all that are godly if he seem to injure or cross a selfish man A carnal self-lover can love none but himself and for himself and maketh all faults which are against himself to be the characters of an odious person rather than those which are committed against God Enemy 3. Christian love is often diminished and marred by Degenerating into a Carnal sort of Enemy 3. Love through the prevalency of some Carnal Vice Thus they that loved a man for Godliness turn it into a selfish love for some honour or favour or benefits to themselves And young persons of different Sexes begin to love each other for piety and by undiscreet and unwary and sinful familiars are drawn before they are aware to carnal fond and sinful love And these persons think that their holy love is stronger than before when as it is stifled consuming and languishing as natural heat by a burning Feavor and is overcome and turned into another thing Enemy 4. Passion and Impatiency is a great enemy to Christian Love It is stirring up displeasing Enemy 4. words and carriage and then cannot bear them It meeteth every where with matter of displeasure and offence and is still casting water on this sacred fire and feigning or finding faults in all Enemy 5. Self-ignorance and partiality is a great enemy to love when it maketh men overlook Enemy 5. their own corruptions and extenuate all those faults in themselves which in others they take for heinous crimes And so they want that compassion to others which would bear with infirmities because they know not how bad they are themselves and what need they have of the forbearance of others Enemy 6. Censoriousness is an enemy to brotherly love as is aforesaid A censorious person will Enemy 6. tell you how dearly he loveth all the godly But he can allow so few the acknowledgement of their godliness that few are beholden to him for his love His sinful humour blindeth his mind that he cannot see anothers godliness He will love them for their sincerity when he can see it but that will not be till he hath better eyes Timon was a great lover of wisdom but a hater of all men because he took no man to be wise Enemy 7. Faction and Parties or siding in Religion is one of the greatest enemies of Christian Enemy 7. love For this causeth Censoriousness and maketh men so overvalue the Opinions which they have chosen and the interest of their party that they hardly see goodness in any that are not of their mind and quickly find faults or devise them in those that are against them Enemy 8. Conversing with malicious wicked or censorious persons is a great hinderance of the love Enemy 8. of godly men For he that heareth them daily slandered and represented as brainsick seditious self-conceited humorous hypocritical people will easily take them as odious but hardly as amiable unless he come nearer them and know them better than by a lyars words Enemy 9. Too high expectations is a great enemy to love When men either look that Saints on Enemy 9. earth should be like Saints in Heaven who have no infirmity or look for greater parts of nature or art ingenuity or excellency of speech than is in other persons or when selfishness and covetousness or pride doth make men look for great respect and
Essential Truths by errors of their own nor the doctrine of Godliness by wicked malicious applications 4. Such as drive not on any ambitious tyrannical designs of their own but deny themselves and aim at your salvation 5. Such as are not too hot in proselyting you to any singular opinion of their own it being the prediction of Paul to the Ephesians Acts 20. 30. Of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them 6. Such as are judicious with holy zeal and zealous with judgement 7. Such as are of experience in the things of God and not young beginners or Novices in Religion 8. Such as bear reverence to the judgements of the generality of wise and godly men and are tender of the Unity of the Church and not such as would draw you into a Sect or party to the contempt of other Christians no not to a party that hath the favour of Rulers and the people to promote them 9. Such as are gentle peaceable and charitable and not such as burn with hellish malice against their Brethren nor with an ungodly or cruel consuming zeal 10. Such as not live not sensually and wickedly contrary to the doctrine which they preach but shew by their lives that they believe what they say and feel the power of the truths which they preach § 4. And your familiar companions have great advantage to help or hinder your salvation as well Imperat Reâ— ut nostrae religionis illorum mensa nullum communem haberent neque cum Catholicis omino vescerentur Quae res non ipâ—â—s aliquod praestitit beneficium sed nobis maximum conâ—ulit lucrum Nam si sermo â—oâ—â—m sicut cancer consuevit serpere quanto magis communis mensa ciborum potuit inquinare cum dicat Apostolus cum nefariis nec cibum habere communem Victor Utic p. 418. Magnum virtutis praesidium societas bonoâ—um socius exemplo excitat sermone recreat consilio instâ—uiâ— orationibus adjuvat autoritate continet quae omnia so itudini desunt Ios. Acosta l. 4. c. 13. Dicunt Stoici Amicitiam solos inter bonâ—s quos sibi invicem studiorum similitudo conciliet posse consistere Porro amicitiam ipsam societatem quandam esse dicunt omnium quae sunt ad vitam necessaria cum amicis ut nobismet ipsis utamur atque ob id amicum eligendum amicorumque multitudinem â—â—â—â—er expetenda ponunt inter malos non posse constare amicitiam Laert. in Zenone as your Teachers The matter is not so great whom you meet by the way or travell with or trade and buy and sell with as whom you make your intimate or familiar friends For such have both the advantage of their interest in your affections and also the advantage of their nearness and familiarity and if they have but also the advantage of higher abilities than you they may be powerful instruments of your good or hurt If you have a familiar friend that will defend you from error and help you against temptations and lovingly reprove your sin and feelingly speak of God and the life to come inditing his discourse from the inward power of faith and love and holy experience the benefit of such a friend may be more to you than of the learnedst or greatest in the world How sweetly will their speeches relish of the Spirit from which they come How deeply may they pierce a careless heart How powerfully may they kindle in you a love and zeal to God and his Commandments How seasonably may they discover a temptation prevent your fall reprove an error and recover your souls How faithfully will they watch over you How profitably will they provoke and put you on and pray with you fervently when you are cold and mind you of the Truth and duty and mercy which you forget It is a very great mercy to have a judicious solid faithful companion in the way to Heaven § 5. But if your ears are daily filled with froth and folly with ribaldry or idle stories with Oaths and Curses with furious words or scorns and jears against the godly or with the Sophistry of deceivers is it likely this should leave a pleasant or wholsome relish on your minds Is it likely that the effect should not be seen in your lean or leprous hearts and lives as well as the effects of an infected or unwholsome air or diet will be seen upon your diseased bodies He is ungodly that liketh such company best And he is proud and presumptuous that will unnecessarily cast himself upon it in confidence that he shall receive no hurt And he is careless of himself that will not cautelously avoid it And few that long converse with such come off without some notable loss except when we live with such as Lot did in Sodom grieving for their sin and misery or as Christ conversed with publicans and sinners with a holy zeal and diligence to convert and save them or as those that have not liberty who bear that which they have not power to avoid § 6. Among the rest your danger is not least from that are eager to proselite you to some party or unsound opinion that they think they are in the right and that they do it in love and that they think it necessary to your salvation and that Truth or Godliness are the things which they profess all this makes the danger much the greater to you if it be not Truth and Godliness indeed which they propose and plead for And none are in more danger than the ungrounded and unexperienced that yet are so wise in their own esteem as to be confident that they know Truth from Error when they hear it and are not afraid of any deceit nor much suspicious of their own understandings But of this before § 7. The like danger there is of the familiar company of lukewarm ones or the prophane At Non tamen at corporum sic animorum moâ—bi transseunt ad nolentes Imo vero nobilis animus viâ—iorum odro ad amorem vâ—rtutis accâ—nditur Petraâ—â—h Dialog de aâ—iâ— moriâ— first you may be troubled at their sinful or unsavoury discourse and make some resistance against the infection But before you are aware it may so cool and damp your graces as will make your decay discernable to others First You will hear them with less offence and then you will grow indifferent what company you are in and then you will laugh at their sin and folly and then you will begin to speak as they and then you will grow cold and seldomer in prayer and other holy duties and if God prevent it not at last your judgements will grow blind and you will think all this allowable § 8. But of all bad company the nearest is the worst If you choose such into your families or into your nearest conjugal relations you cast water upon the fire you imprison your selves in such â—etters as will gall and grieve
you if they do not stop you you choose a life of constant close and great temptations Whereas your grace and comfort and salvation might be much promoted by the society of such as are wise and gracious and suitable to your state To have a constant companion to open your heart to and joyn with in prayer and edifying conference and faithfully help you against your sins and yet to be patient with you in your frailties is a mercy which worldlings neither deserve nor value Direct 16. MAke careful choice of the Books which you read Let the Holy Scriptures ever have Direct 10. the preheminence and next them the solid lively heavenly Treatises which best expound and apply the Scriptures and next those the credible Histories especially of the Church and Tractates upon inferiour Sciences and Arts But take heed of the poyson of the Writings of false Teachers which would corrupt your understandings and of vain Romances Play-books and false Stories which may bewitch your fantasies and corrupt your hearts § 1. As there is a more excellent appearance of the Spirit of God in the Holy Scriptures than in any other Book whatever so it hath more power and fitness to convey the Spirit and make us spiritual by imprinting it self upon our hearts As there is more of God in it so it will acquaint us more with God and bring us nearer him and make the Reader more reverent serious and Divine Let Scripture be first and most in your hearts and hands and other Books be used as subservient to it The endeavours of the Devil and Papists to keep it from you doth shew that it is most necessary and desirable to you And when they tell you that all Hereticks plead the Scriptures they do but tell you that it is the common Rule or Law of Christians which therefore all are fain to pretend As all Lawyers and wranglers plead the Laws of the Land be their cause never so bad and yet the Laws must not be therefore concealed or cast aside And they do but tell you that in their concealment or dishonouring the Scriptures they are worse than any of those Hereticks When they tell you that the Scriptures are misunderstood and abused and perverted to maintain mens errors they might also desire that the Sun might be obscured because the purblind do mistake and Murderers and Robbers do wickedly by its light And that the earth might be subverted because it bears all evil doers and High-wayes stopt up because men travell in them to do evil And food prohibited because it nourisheth mens diseases And when they have told you truly of a Law or Rule whether made by Pope or Council which bad men cannot misunderstand or break or abuse and misapply than hearken to them and prefer that Law as that which preventeth the need of any judgement § 2. The Writings of Divines are nothing else but a preaching the Gospel to the eye as the voice preacheth it to the ear Vocal preaching hath the preheminence in moving the affections and being diversified according to the state of the Congregations which attend it This way the Milk cometh warmest from the breast But Books have the advantage in many other respects you may read an able Preacher when you have but a mean one to hear Every Congregation cannot hear the most judicious or powerful Preachers but every single person may read the Books of the most powerful and judicious Preachers may be silenced or banished when Books may be at hand Books may be kept at a smaller charge than Preachers We may choose Books which treat of that very subject which we desire to hear of but we cannot choose what subject the Preacher shall treat of Books we may have at hand every day and hour when we can have Sermons but seldom and at set times If Sermons be forgotten they are gone But a Book we may read over and over till we remember it and if we forget it may again peruse it at our pleasure or at our leisure So that good Books are a very great mercy to the world The Holy Ghost chose the way of writing to preserve his Doctrine and Laws to the Church as knowing how easie and sure a way it is of keeping it safe to all generations in comparison of meer Verbal Tradition which might have made as many Controversies about the very terms as there be memories or persons to be the preservers and reporters Books are if well chosen domestick present constant judicious pertinent yea and powerful Sermons and alwayes of very great use to your salvation but especially when Vocal preaching faileth and Preachers are ignorant ungodly or dull or when then they are persecuted and forbid to preach § 3. You have need of a judicious Teacher at hand to direct you what Books to use or to refuse For among Good Books there are some very good that are sound and lively and some are good but mean and weak and somewhat dull and some are very good in part but have mixtures of error or else of incautelous injudicious expressions fitter to puzzle than edifie the weak I am loth to name any of these later sorts of which abundance have come forth of late But to the young beginner in Religion I may be bold to recommend next to a sound Catechism Mr. Rutherfords Letters Mr. Robert Boltons Works Mr. Perkins Mr. Whateleyes Mr. Ball of Faith Dr. Prestons Dr. Sibbes Mr. Hildershams Mr. Pinkes Sermons Mr. Io. Rogers Mr. Rich. Rogers Mr. Ri. Allen's Mr. Gurnall Mr. Swinnocke Mr. Ios. Simonds And to stablish you against Popery Dr. Challoners Credo Eccles. Cathol Dr. Field of the Church Dr. Whites Way to the Church with the Defence Bishop Ushers Answer to the Jesuite and Chillingworth with Drelincourts Summary And for right Principles about Redemption c. Mr. Trumans Great Propitiation and of Natural and Moral Impotency and Mr. William Fenner of Wilful Impenitency Mr. Hotchkis of Forgiveness of Sin To pass by many other excellent ones that I may not name too many § 4. To a very judicious able Reader who is fit to censure all he reads there is no great danger in the reading the Books of any Seducers It doth but shew him how little and thin a cloak is used to cover a bad causâ— But alas young Souldiers not used to such Wars are startled at a very Sophism or at a terrible threatning of damnation to diffenters which every censorious Sect can use or at every confident triumphant boast or at every thing that hath a fair pretence of truth or godliness Injudicious persons can answer almost no deceiver which they hear and when they cannot answer them they think they must yield as if the fault were not in them but in the cause and as if Christ had no wiser followers or better defenders of his truth than they Mâ—ddle not therefore with poyson till you better know how to use it and may do it with less danger as long