when he stands ready with Strength and Assistance when he publisheth great and precious Promises when the golden Scepter is held out by God to us as it was to * Esther 5.2 Esther by Ahasuerus when gracious Offers merciful Tenders kind and loving Invitations are made and repeated and very sweet and comfortable Encouragements propounded and assured to penitent Sinners in the Ministery of the Word this is †Rev. 2.21 space given for Repentance this is a golden Season of Grace in which we may have Christ and all his precious and saving Benefits upon the reasonable Terms and acceptable Conditions of the Gospel When the Trumpet of the Jubile soundeth when Liberty to the Captives and the Opening of the Prison to them that are bound is proclaimed ‖ 2 Cor. 6. i 2. Behold now is the accepted Time behold now is the Day of Salvation O ‖ 2 Cor. 6. i 2. receive not the Grace of God in vain lose not so long and large a Season make your Advantage of the Time of the Gospel be thankful for it and faithful in the Use and Improvement of it close with the Gospel and daily and earnestly endeavour and pray that it may be made effectual to you Repent believe sincerely obey in this thy Day Repent think upon thy Waies be sorry for thy Sins hate them forsake them repent with a Repentance from dead Works never to be repented of So change thy Mind as to change thy Manners to reform and alter the Course of thy Life for the future So truly repent as to take care to bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance Believe not with a bare historical a meer intellectual Faith not with an idle dronish wholly ineffectual Assent but with a [b] Fortasse unusquisque apud seipsum dicet Ego jam credidi salvus ero verum dicit si fidem operibus tenet vera etenim fides est qua in hoc quod verbis dicit moribus non contradicit Fidei nostrae veritatem in vitae nostrae consideratione debemus agno cere Greg. Hom. 29. in Euang. Credere in Deum est credendo amare credendo diligere credendo in eum â—re membris ejus incorporari Putasne Filium Dei Iesum reputat quisquis ille est homo qui ipsius nec terretus comminationthus nec attrahitur promissonibus nec praeceptis obtemperat nec consiliis acquiescit Nonne is etiamsi fatearur se nosse Deum factis tamen negat Bernard in Octav. Pasc de tribus Testim in coelo ter serm 1. p. 88. practical active operative Belief So believe the Word of God as to take it seriously and in good earnest for the only Rule of thy Conversation in Matters necessary to Salvation So firmly receive and assent to the Divine Testimony as to have thy Heart rightly affected and thy Life powerfully influenced by it So cordially believe the Truth of the Gospel as to resolve and on all Occasions to endeavour to carry suitably to such Belief to live and act as a Person that does indeed believe it and to answer the end for which divine Truth was revealed which is the bringing us to good Lives So yield Assent to the Doctrine of the Gospel as to close and comply with the Terms of the Gospel and heartily to consent to the whole Duty of Man contain'd and delivered in the Word or God and Gospel of Christ so assent to the Commands of the Gospel as true as withal to love and like them to choose and embrace them as good and as good for thee yea as incomparably better for thee to observe than any other Rule that possibly can be respected by thee whatever they cause thee to lose or suffer here in this World So give your undoubted Assent to them as to cleave closely and stick invincibly to them against all flattering or affrighting Temptations to the contrary and still to engage and charge and provoke thy self to conform thy whole Heart and Life to them Farther So assent to the Truth of the Gospel-Promises as to take care to perform the necessary Conditions of them to trust in the Promises of the Gospel with an obediential Affiance with an obsequious and dutiful Reliance to trust in them according to the Tenour of them to trust in the Promises of Pardon and Remission in the Exercise of sincere and unfeigned Repentance and in the Promises of Sanctification in the Use of Gospel-Ordinances and Means and diligent Improvement of the Grace of God already communicated and received and in the Promises of Life everlasting in the way of new and sincere Obedience Assent to the Promises not only that they are true and real but that they are also the most valuable that can be * 1 Pet. 1 4. exceeding great and precious Promises so as to prefer the Promises of God above all the Proffers of the World as better than any thing that the Devil can offer or the World afford Farther yet So assent to the Truth of the Threatnings of the Word as to fear and stand in aw of them and to study to avoid those Sins which will put thee in Danger of temporal and eternal Sufferings and to keep thy self free from the Fear of the Menaces of Men while thou art in the way of thy Duty to God Believe the whole Word of God and Believe in all the Persons of the holy and blessed Trinity So assent to the Truth of whatsoever is spoken in the Scripture of God and Christ and the Spirit of God and Christ as deliberately to choose God the Father Son and holy Ghost for thy Portion and Treasure thy Happiness and chief Good To bring thy Heart to own love honour serve and worship God the Father as thy good and bountiful Creator and Preserver and very merciful God Redeemer by Jesus Christ and freely and gladly to consent to have God the Father for thy Covenant-Friend and reconciled gracious Father And to accept with all Love and Thankfulness even a crucified Christ for thy only Lord and Saviour to bring thee to God thy chiefest Good by reconciling thy Person and Nature to him to recover and bring thee back both in Heart and Life to God and to rest and rely upon Christ and on God only in and through Christ for Justification Sanctification and eternal Salvation according to the Promises of the Gospel Cordially receive him in all his Offices And here 1. Accept of Christ as a Priest to save thee by the offering of himself a Sacrifice in thy stead and by making Intercession on thy behalf And labour to answer the ends of his Death by Purity and Holiness of Heart and Life and to act becoming his Intercession to live so as it may be fit for Christ with Honour to present your Works and Services to his Father to be accepted by him to do nothing but what is worthy of such a Mediatour as Christ is to present unto God on your behalf Now tell me is
by their Affections encouraged by their Examples recovered by their Reproofs directed by their Counsels assisted by their Praiers instructed strengthned and comforted by their Experiences When you come in company with able godly Ministers or knowing experienced Christians you may put Cases and have them resolved propound Doubts and have them satisfied you may light your Candle by their's you may kindle your Coal at their Fire and stay and warm your self well before you go away Godly Company is an Opportunity to be prized and improved Whenever you enjoy good Company make the best of it Let not carnal Bashtulness nor a vain and worldly Heart which is apt to seek idle and unprofitable Discourse hinder and deprive you of the Profit and Benefit which may be reaped by godly Society The last Particular Opportunities to be redeemed 5. And lastly The particular Seasons of practising and performing particular Duties of getting and encreasing acting and exercising particular Graces these have a special commodious Fitness for the doing or receiving some particular Good and ought accordingly to be embraced and improved by us When we know a Person a good Man especially to be in real Necessity and great Extremity then is an Opportunity of exercising Charity in giving liberally according to our Ability When another has wronged and injured us then we have gotten a good Occasion of exercising Charity and shewing Mercy in free and full Forgiveness When a Brother is fallen into Sin at any Time then it is a Season to * Gal. 6.1 restore such an one in the Spirit of Meckness When any Person is flexible and tractable yielding and pliable being melted and mollified by an afflictive Providence or moved and enclined to hearken to us by Dependance on us Expectation from us or any Relation and Obligation to us we have a fair Opportunity to deal with such an one at such a Time for the furthering of his spiritual and eternal Good When any are cast upon Sick-beds and are somewhat awakened and softned by God's Hand then they are prepared for your Hand you may the more easily work upon them When any have newly received a Benefit from us or hope to be shortly beholden to us and so are ready to think well of us and to take all well from us then we may reprove admonish exhort them with a comfortable Hope of happy Success and good Effect The Conscience of a Man is a nice and sullen Thing and if it be not taken at fit Times there is no meddling with it And so likewise in respect of our selves when we have received any fresh Mercy from God or are actually enjoying the Blessings of God and tasting how good and gracious the Lord is then is an Occasion of stirring up our selves to Praise and Thanksgiving When we lie under an heavy Affliction then it is a Season of acting and exercising Faith Repentance Patience a convenient Season for Self-Examination sound Humiliation earnest Supplication and thorough Reformation When we find a secret Chearfulness of Spirit then it is a Season to spiritualize our Joy and Gladness to think upon God's Mercies to recount his Benefits to set forth the Praises of our Creator Preserver and Redeemer * Jam. 5 13. Is any merry let him sing Psalms When we find any Sadness growing upon our Spirits then it is a Season to spiritualize our Sorrow and Sadness to mourn and grieve for our Sins especially to weep in secret for them to confess and acknowledg them and pray against them Once more When at any Time [p] We must not measure our Time by the length but by the weight not by its greatness but by its worth Let us not in asure our Daie◠as we do by the motion of the Sun which we see but by the shining of the Sun of Righteousness upon our Souls not by the celestial Bodies but by the celestial Inspirations As to the purposes of Holiness and getting nearer to Heaven one moment when the Spirit of God is upon us and strongly possesses our Mind with good Things and breaths into us holy Affections is worth many Hours yea Daies and Years when that is not with us or doth not so powerfully incite us D. Patrick's Div. Arithm. p. 37 38. the holy Spirit of God joining with the good Word of God or concurring with the Providences and remarkable Works of God does strongly work upon our Minds and sweetly and powerfully move and stir our Hearts and Affections When the Spirit instills any good Motions into our Souls and kindles any good Desires in our Hearts and kindly draws us on to holy Purposes and good Resolutions This is a special Opportunity indeed This is Temporis Articulus the very Nick of Time which must be taken on a suddain or it 's presently lost to our great Disadvantage Do not fail to strike while the Iron is hot Step into the Pool whenever the Angel stirs the Water Lanch out immediately whiles Wind and Tide serve When you feel any gentle Gale spread open your Sail This Wind blows when and where it listeth You know not how soon this Wind may turn Whenever the Spirit knocks open the Door [q] Rara hora brevis mora O si durâsset Bernard you know not how soon he may have done how quickly he may be gone Delicata res est Spiritus Sanctus saies Tertullian The Spirit of God is a nice and delicate Thing it is soon offended and quickly grieved And therefore subject your selves to the Working of the Spirit and work with the Spirit while the Spirit is at work Gladly receive every Impression of this immediate gracious free Operator Welcome every Suggestion of this blessed Monitor Let every Inspiration find thee as the Seal does the Wax or the Spark the Tinder Kindly entertain all its Visits and readily obey all its Motions follow them home don't check and quench them stifle and smother them Never suffer them to die and decay to languish and perish and come to nothing Do the Particular Duties the Spirit calls you to Get and grow in the special Graces which the Spirit is ready to beget and encrease in you Run freely and willingly so soon as ever you feel and perceive that the Spirit draws you If you don't stir when the Spirit moves and act when it works you may drive and chase away the Spirit and so lie dull and dead graceless and helpless and hopeless for ever And thus I have open'd and explain'd the Duty and shewn you particularly both what it is to redeem the Time and what the Time is that is to be redeemed The Sum of all is briefly this that our whole Life-time and every particular Occasion afforded us in it must whatever it cost us by all means be laid hold on and improved by us for the Glory of God and our own and others spiritual Advantage CHAP. III. The Grounds and Reasons why we ought to redeem the Time The Special Reason laid down in the
Men there is no greater Pleasure in the World than a generous holy Contempt and rational religious Disdain of excessive sensual Pleasures A Life of Recreation is an absurd and ridiculous Thing to make that our constant Business which should only fit us for Business For a Man to make mere Recreations his main Actions and grand Employments is full as foolish and unreasonable as if he should make all his Diet of Physick or Sauces and his whole Garment of nothing but Fringes As we must not begin with Recreation in the first Place so when we take it we must not hold and continue it [t] Sunt exercitationes faciles breves quae corpus sine morae laxent tempori parcant cujus raecipua ratio habenda 1st Quicquid facies cito redi à corpore ad animum illum dicbus ac noctibus exerce Dandum aliquod intervallum antrno it a tamen ut non resolvatur sed remittartur Sen. op 15. too long It may seem a severe Rule but well deserves our very serious Consideration that the [u] In his serm of Red. of Time p. 20 21. Worthy Mr. Whately has given us to direct us in this Particular 'T is not lawful for man says he in an ordinary Course to spend more Time in any Recreation than he has or shall that very Day spend and employ in some Godly and chiefly private religious Exercise The Reason he gives is this We must * Mat. 6.33 first seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness first in respect of Time and first in respect of Affection primarily and principally Now he that does so can never use to bellow more Time in any Recreation whatsoever than in those Things which do directly make for the obtaining of eternal Life and that Righteousness which will certainly bring one thereunto And surely this is a most equal Thing that the most needful Duty should have the most Time bestowed upon it How very faulty then are many that spend whole Daies and Nights at Cards and Dice and in idle Pas-times who never allotted one Hour of any one Day to be spent in secret in that main Work and principal Employment for which all their Life-time was allowed them Take need of giving too much of your Time to any Recreations You may quickly lose not only your Time but your Hearts too in immoderate Recreations and may thereby so hugely unfit and indispose your selves for Duty that you may find it an hard Task and difficult Work to bring back your Hearts to their usual Temper and wonted Frame again As School-Boys after a Breaking up or Time of any extraordinary Play have much ado to settle and fall hard and close to their Books again Some good men have been so tender that they have blamed themselves for the Use of those Recreations which are apt to consume and devour to eat and swallow up too much Time And the Remembrance of Time mis-spent in immoderate Recreations has been no small Trouble nor light Burthen to the considering Minds and sensible Spirits of some very holy and eminent Christians I find in Mr. Fox his Acts and Monuments that John Huss a famous Reformer and worthy Martyr in his last Letter wrote in his Imprisonment to one Mr. Martin has these Words You know how before my Priesthood which grieveth me now I have delighted to play often-times at Chess and have neglected my Time and unhappily provoked both my self and others to Anger many Times by that Play wherefore besides other my innumerable Faults for this also I desire you to invocate the Mercy of the Lord that he will pardon me If the Recreation you use be lawful seasonable moderate then you are certainly well employed and never trouble and torment your selves with the Thoughts that you might be better employed for as one says truly if we were alwaies bound to do that which is best we could never tell whether we pleased God or no but should be engag'd and involv'd in needless Jealousies perpetual Fears and endless Doubts And here moreover without making it a distinct Head of Discourse I think among vain Recreations I may well reckon idle and needless fruitless and unprofitable Visits Man indeed is a sociable Creature made and fitted for Converse And the Comfort and Pleasure of humane Life does much consist in the desirable Enjoyment of the Familiarity and Society of prudent discreet Christian Friends And great Advantages are to be given and gotten by wise and good Discourses And due Respects and civil Kindnesses are to be paied to Friends and Neighbours and all Occasions and Oportunities to be taken and chosen of doing any considerable good Offices to them either in respect of their Souls or Bodies or Estates But as [w] Nemo se sibi vendicat c. de brev vit c. 2 Seneca complains we vainly spend and wear one our selves one upon another This Man waits upon one that Man upon another but no Man gives diligent and due Attendance upon himself and I fear there are too many to be met with whose [x] Nemiuem ex omnibus difficilius domi quâmse convenit Ex hoc malo depender illud teterrimum vitium anscultatio publicorum secretorumque inquisitio multarum verum scientia qua nec tutò narrantur nec tutò audiuutur Sen. de tranquil animi c. 12. Feet abide not in their own House as the * Prov. 7.11 wise Man speaks that wander about from House to House being Tatlers and Busie-bodies speaking Things which they ought not which is the Character the †1 Tim. 5.13 Apostle gives of them who go from Place to Place to spread any flying Report or Rumor to carry any uncertain and unconcerning News and if they may be so happy to tell the first Story of some little Accidents and petty Circumstances of Things who run here and there out of a gossiping tatling Temper or a pragmatical prying Humour and a greedy Desire to make Observations of the Affairs and Concerns of other Folks Families Or to shew their own Dresses and Tires and to see the new Fashions of others Or to drink or game and play away several Hours of the Day There are too many that are weary of their Time and weary of themselves and hate the Work and Employment they are called to in their Families and the Exercises of Devotion that should be used in their private Closets and gad abroad for a Diversion from Duty for the Prevention of melancholick Self-reflection and for avoiding or drowning the disquicting Clamours and troublesome Noises of their own guilty and stirring Consciences These weary and tire out their Neighbours that they may not be a Burthen at home to themselves never remembring or not considering that sober Advice and solid Counsel of the * Prov. 25.17 wise Man [y] Docet vitandam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non amici consuetudinem Withdraw thy Foot from thy Neighbour's House lest he
very comely and handsome Man Thou hast as much business upon thee says he to heal the Distempers of Mens Minds and Manners as a Physician has in a Plague-time and art thou imployed about Words be glad if thou canst be sufficient for things I have not studied for great Words nor labour'd for high Language but only sought out * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 1.13 sound wholsome healing words It may be some candid courteous Reader if he see Occasion may make the same or like Apology for me as Seneca once did for Fabianus Papyrius when Lucilius had taken no small Prejudice against certain Books of that Philosopher because his Style was not elaborate and polite but seem'd to him to be [h] Effundi verba non fingi low and mean [i] Mores ille non verba composuit animis scripsit ista non auribus c. Electa verba sunt non captata Ad profectum omnia tendunt ad bonam mentem non quaeritur plausus Sen. ep 100. He formed Manners not Words says Seneca and wrote to the Minds not Ears of Men. It does not become a Philosopher to be studious and solicitous about Language He was not negligent in his Style says he but only not over-careful about it and therefore you will find nothing sordid or slovenly in it His Words are chosen not affected His Discourses are not flat and low but pleasing and plain Look on the whole Body of the Book though it be not trim 't is honest Would you have him set himself to so small a thing as Words He addicted himself to the Greatness of Things And you may perceive by what he has perform'd that he felt what he wrote What ever he delivers tends all to Profit and a good Mind Applause is not sought for or look'd after by him I shall only speak for my self in the Words of Salvian [k] Nos qui rerum magis quà m verborum amatores utilia potiùs quà m plausibilia sectamur In scriptiunculis nostris non lenocinia esse volumus sed remedia quae scilicet non tam oriosorum auribus placeant quà m aegrotorum mentibus prosint Salvian Praefat. ad libros de Gubern Dei We that are greater Lovers of Things than of Words follow what is profitable more than what is plausible nor do we seek that the empty Ornaments of the Age but that the wholsome Emoluments of things may be commended in us We would have our Writings contain not Enticements but Remedies which may not so much please the Ears of the idle as profit the Minds of such as are sick The Design and Aim of this Discourse in its composure was not to tickle the Ear and strike the Fancy but to warm the Heart and reach the Conscience and direct the Life to teach Men how to live and how to die and how to attain a blissful Life after Death I here present you with a plain Discourse in a very learned Age. I have prepared and provided for you not fine Manchet but rather Barley Bread such as [k] Fox Acts and Mon. 2 vol p. 1456. Bucer encouraged holy Bradford for want of better to give unto the People As St. Peter said to the lame Man * Acts 3.6 Silver and Gold have I none but such as I have give I thee In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk I say to you in like manner I have no rich Present to offer you but such as I have give I unto you I would under God be a means to help you to find your Feet and walk in the way of God's Commandments and run the Race that is set before you I was induced to make these Papers publick not only to satisfy the Desires of some Friends but because I found so very little perform'd by others on this Subject which I thought deserved a larger and fuller Handling And that by my own appearing in it I might oblige my self above all others to a greater and stricter care of my own Time and might leave some wholsome Counsels and seasonable Helps to a holy Life to my own Children Friends and Acquaintance and do some lasting Service to your Souls and when I shall be dead may be these Papers continue to speak to you and yours * Phil. 1.7 8. For God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the Bowels of Jesus Christ. I have you in my Heart and †Rom. 10.1 my Heart's Desire and Prayer to God for you is that you might be saved I shall only here crave your leave to put you in mind of a few very necessary things 1. Let me earnestly exhort and beseech you that you would worthily and becomingly act the parts of Men and Christians Live as those that have rational Souls noble and immortal Spirits within you and do nothing repugnant to the Light of your own Minds and Consciences Yea live as those that have the benefit and advantage of Divine Revelation Let none that name the Name of Christ allow themselves in the constant confident Practice of any notorious scandalous Sin or Vice directly and expresly contrary to the holy Word and righteous Law of God proceeding upon a false imaginary Supposition venturing upon a fond ungrounded foolish Presumption that the Mercy of God will at last prevail against his Wisdome Holiness Justice and Truth perswading promising slattering themselves in any evil Way that God according to their Idea and Model of a Deity will never find in his heart to punish the unreclaimable Sinner and obstinate final Impenitent with everlasting Misery and eternal Torment though he has over and over threatned it in the Gospel and though it stands with * See p. 439 440 441. good and great Reason that he should do it Walk closely according to the Rule and maintain a †Phil. 1.27 Conversation becoming the Gospel of Christ. 2. If any of you upon search and enquiry into your selves shall find in your selves any decay of Piety declining in Godliness abatement of Strictness neglect of Watchfulness any slackness and remisness in Duty any vanity of Mind and carelesness of Spirit growing upon you if you can perceive you have * Rev. 2.4 5. left your first Love * Rev. 2.4 5. Remember from whence you are fallen and repent and do the first works recover maintain encrease the old Warmth †3.2 Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die Fortify natural Principles suscitate your natural Power stir up the Gifts and Graces of God in your selves [l] Herb. Poem Employment p. 71. Man is no Star but a Quick Coal Of Mortal Fire Who blows it not nor doth controll A faint Desire Le ts his own Ashes choke his Soul Look up to Heaven continually for the help and benefit of Divine Influences Illuminations Impressions and receive not the Grace of God in vain but up and be doing
go in the Strength of the Lord and work out your Salvation with fear and trembling 3. Take heed of the Prophanation and beware of a partial formal observation of the Lord's-Day Where it is partial it is likely to be formal Read attentively and frequently the earnest Exhortation to a thorough Redemption of the Lord's-Day Chap. 2. pag. 32 to 73. There you are inform'd that a due Redemption of the whole Lord's-Day is the way to redeem all other Days to the greatest Advantage * See p. 66 67. as to Spirituals and as to Temporols too And in reference to this latter I shall here confirm what is said there by proposing the Experience and producing the notable considerable Testimony of a wise and learned a great and very good Man the worthily renowned late Chief Justice Hale who was as Seneca says of good Men natus ad exemplar born to be an Example to others In a short Discourse of his about Redemption of Time I find these Words [m] Sir Mat. Hale's Contempl. Mor. and Div. 1 Part pag. 258 259. Be sure says he to spend the Lord's-Day intirely in those Religious Duties proper to it and let nothing but an inevitable Necessity divert you from it It is that which will sanctify and prosper all the rest of your Time and your secular Employments I am not apt to be superstitious says he but this I have certainly and infallibly found true that by my deportment in my Duty towards God in the Times devoted to his Service especially on the Lord's-Day I could make a certain conjecture of my success in my Secular Occasions the rest of the Week after If I were loose and negligent in the former the latter never succeeded well if strict and conscientious and watchful in the former I was successful and prosperous in the latter And again in a Godly Letter to his Children * Gal. 4.19 of whom he travail'd in birth that Christ might be formed in them he freely opens his mind in these remarkable Words to them [n] In his Directions for keeping the Lord's-Day in a Letter to his Children Ibid. p. 324. I now write something to you says he of your observation of the Lord's-Day because I find in the World much Looseness and Apostacy from this Duty People begin to be cold and careless in it allowing themselves Sports and Recreations and Secular Imployments in it without any necessity which is a sad spectacle and an ill presage And he there makes this Profession and Declaration to them I have found by a strict and diligent Observation that a due Observation of the Duties of this Day has ever had joined to it a Blessing upon the rest of my time and the Week that has been so begun has been blessed and prosperous to me And on the other side when I have been neglignet of the Duties of this Day the rest of the Week has been unsuccessful and unhappy to my own Secular Imployments so that I could easily make an estimate of my successes in my own Secular Imployments the Week following by the manner of my passing of this Day And this I do not write lightly or inconsiderately but upon a long and sound Observation and Experience You see how this was much upon his Heart and how ready he was to remark this upon all Occasions 4. Let me charge and press it upon your Consciences that on a Lord's-Day you would be so kind and charitable so true and faithful to your Souls as not to lose the Season of a Sacrament if you can by any means redeem it Let none among you live in a sinful shameful Disuse and an unwarrantable inexcusable Neglect of the holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper Let me solemnly invite you in the moving pathetical Words of the devout Herbert [o] The Invitation Come ye hither all whose taste Is your waste Save your cost and mend your fare God is here prepar'd and drest And the Feast God in whom all dainties are I do not call you to a Prophanation but to a worthy Participation of this sacred Ordinance They that do customarily live unholily must needs receive unworthily Are they fit to partake of the Lord's Supper who allow themselves in the Love and Practice of any known Sin Are they dispos'd to eat Christ's Flesh who will not abstain from fleshly Lusts but usually walk after the Flesh Are they prepar'd to drink Christ's Blood who commonly drink in Iniquity like Water and frequently drown themselves and others in Drink Are they that walk unworthy of their Baptism in a condition to venture upon the holy Communion I invite you to all that is duly previous and preparatory to the Duty and to a right and requisite manner of the performance of it Come but take God along with you whenever you intend to come By the help of God you may receive this Sacrament as you ought Excuse not your Aâ—stinence and Forbearance by pretending your Vnfitness but set your selves in good earnest with an honest willing resolved Mind under God to fit your selves and you shall quickly find that God will readily assist and enable you promote and further you in the way of your Duty Come but competently understand the nature and ends of this Ordinance and impartially try and examine your selves before you come Come with a hearty willingness to part with your Sins for him who lost his Blood and laid down his Life for you and with a firm Resolution to live to him that died for you Labour by habitual Devotedness to God and by continual circumspect walking and holy living to be in a general disposition for worthy Receiving A well-ordered Conversation is the best Preparation for the Communion and will most certainly make all other Preparations more easy Come for I tell you plainly it is not at your own liberty and choice to come or keep away There is a special Mandate for your coming * Luke 22.19 1 Cor. 11.24 25. This do in remembrance of me says Christ. He does not only simply allow or barely recommend it to his Church but as a Lawgiver strictly commands and requires it and as a dying Testator orders and enjoins the Observance of it Christ says as clearly and expresly Do this as God in any Precept of the Decalogue says Thou shalt not do this Now the Law of Christ should be more forcible and prevalent with you than any Statute or Law of the Land to accelerate the Practice of this Duty There is as much Danger in an unworthy Refusing this Sacrament as there is in an unworthy Receiving it You can go for no more than Half-Christians if you totally abstain from this Ordinance which is equally with the reception of the Sacrament of Baptism a Badg and Cognizance Note and Character of your Discipleship an Evidence and Demonstration Sign and Expression Token and Testimony of your Profession of Christianity To live in a constant Neglect of this Sacrament is a manifest
Disposition and a stronger habitual Inclination to be and to do good A young Saint and an old Devil is a cursed and an absurd Proverb There is the greatest fear that a young Devil will prove an old Beelzebub Who can ever expect that a Tree that is [e] Aestatis tempus est fructificandi tempus Quae aestate steriles est hyeme foecunda non erit Muscul barren in the Summer should bare and bring forth Fruit in the Winter It is said of the Trees of Righteousness that they shall bring forth Fruit * Psal 92.14 in old Age not then begin to do it but shall continue still to do it †Lam. 3.27 It is good for a Man that he bear the Yoke in his Youth It is true of the Yoke of Christ They that bear it in their Youth there is hope they will count it an easie Yoke and not offer to throw it off afterwards [f] Fingit equum teuâ—râ dociteni cervice magister Ire viam quam monstrat eques Venaticus ex quo Tempore cerviuam pelem latravit in aula Militat in sylvis catulus Nunc adhibe puro Pectore verba puer nunc te melioribus offer ‖ Prov. 22.6 Train up a Child in the Way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it [g] Quo semel est imbuta recens servabit odorem Testa diu Horat. ep lib. 1. ep 2. What the Vessel is first season'd withal it will have a taste of a long Time after Remember God in your Youth and you will hardly forget him ever after 5. Consider once more 't is plain and evident some young ones have redeem'd the Time of their Youth do you follow and imitate their Example Holy David was able to say * Psal 71.5 Thou art my Hope O Lord God thou art my Trust from my Youth †1 Kings 18.12 Good Obadiah feared the Lord from his Youth It is said of Abijah the Child of Jeroboam that in him there was found some good Thing some Seeds of true Piety toward the Lord God of Israel that is in regard of the Worship of God and it is the Commendation of this young Man that he was not only truly Godly but pious and religious in a wicked and flagitious ‖ 1 Kings 14.13 Jeroboam's House You know (*) 1 Sam. 2 18. Samuel in his Childhood ministred before the Lord. And (†) 2 Tim. 3.15 1 Tim. 1.18 Timothy [h] Hoc non vulgare erat adjumentum quò là pueritia assuefactus erat Scripture lectioni nam hac longa exercitatio muitò instructâ—orem reddere hominem potest adversùs omnes circumventiones Itaque prudenter olim cautum fuit ut qui dest nâ—bantur verbi Ministerio à pueris erudirentur in solidiore pictatis doctrinâ— ad Oque sacras literas penitus imbiberet ne ad ipsum munus accederent novi adhuc tyrones Atque hoc in singulari Dei beneficio ponendum est si quis it à fuerit à teneris Scripture cognitione imbutus Cal. in in 2 ep ad Tim c. 3.15 from a Child had known the holy Scriputres He began betime in Religion in holy Learning and Knowledg and gave such Proofs of forwardness therein whence it might be and was prophesied concerning him that he would become an eminent Instrument in the Church of God in communicating to others the Light of saving Knowledg wherein himself so early had made so good a Beginning so great a Progress We read of the elect Lady's Children ‖ 2 ep Joh. 4. walking in Truth that is in Sincerity and Integrity of Faith and Manners or ordering their Actions as the Truth prescribes and living according to the Rule of the Gospel Our Saviour Christ was early about his Father's Business we find him at it * Luke 2.42 49. at twelve Years old †2 Chron. 34.1 2 3. 'T is said of that good King Josiah that in the eighth Year of his Reign which was the [i] Adolescens jam regiae administrâ—tionis factus compos nam tutela durabat and finem anni 13. simulaique ad regni gubernâ—tionem libertoren pervenit Synoâ—s Crit. in 2 Par 34.3 sixteenth Year of his Age while he was yet young he began to seek after God Certainly his Heart was seasoned with the Fear of God in his Childhood when first he began to reign But now in his Youth as soon as he could get the Reins of Government in his Hand he began to seek after God that is to endeavour the Setling of the true Religion and publicly to manifest his Faith in God and Zeal for his Glory And in the twelfth Year when he had attained to more Authority he began to act most vigorously against Idolatry And in the eighteenth Year he had quite purged the Land and the House of the Lord. v. 8. And it 's well known concerning our English Josiah King Edward the sixth that he was most exemplarily holy in the Daies of his Youth How did he honour the Bible and Word of God! [k] Fuller's Church-History 7th Book p. 424. When one of his Play-fellows proffer'd him a bossed-plate â— Bible to stand upon and heighten him to take down somewhat he desired which then stood above his Reach perceiving it a Bible with holy Indignation he refused it and sharply reproved the Owner thereof as counting it unfit to trample that under his Feet which he was to treasure up in his Head and Heart And upon the Day that he was crowned King of England when three Swords were oâ—â—ered him to signify that he was King of three Kingdoms England France and Irland [l] Wolsins Lection Memorab he is reported to have sad There is one Sword wanting yet and being asked what that was he said it was the Bible that Book is the Sword of the Spirit sa d he far to be preferred before all these He was constant fervent and successful in his private Devotions [m] Fuller loc cit p. 415. How did his faithful Prayer wonderfully recover Sr. John Cheek his School-master who by his Physicians was quite given over for a dead Man How did he promote and carry on the Reâ—ormation of Religion from Idolatry and Superscition in this Land and Nation And when the Emperour Charles the fifth sent an Embaâ—â—adour with a menacing Message of War in case his Cousin the Lady Mary should not be admitted the free exercise or the Mass and the Counc I thinking it fit to gratify the Emperour engaged arch-Bishop Cranmer and Bishop Ridley to press the King with Polâ—tick Reasons for the toleration thereof the King refused upon Scripture-Grounds to condescend there into and when he found them still urgent and very importunate with him at last he â—ilenced them with his Tears and stopt their arguing with his Weeping and forc'd them to weep in company with him It is [o] Hi Life p. 218 220. reported of the early
dealt so graciously with thee as to transfer the Punishment from thee upon his Son and so bountifully with thee as to give his own Son for thee and to thee O bless and praise God by studying to do such good Works as may provoke others to bless and glorify him And when you come home from the publick Ordinance take heed you do not entangle your selves with Businesses or Recreations which have as much Power to render the publick Duties ineffectual after as before their Performarsce But carefully spend that which is not Church-time in Meditation Praier Reading savoury Speeches heavenly Discourses and the conscionable Performance of such Duties as tend to your own and others Edification Let Magistrates redeem the Lord's-day by personally frequenting open owning and countenancing the publick Worship of God and Ordinances of Christ and by improving the utmost of their Power for the Glory of God and Honour of Religion in the zealous Prevention or speedy Reformation of the horrid Prosanation of the Lord's-day and vigorous promoting the general Sanctification of it out of serious Consideration and a strong Conviction that the Preservation and Continuance of Religion doth much depend upon the due Observation of the Lord's-day And that a Disesteem and Neglect of the Sanctification of that Day does quickly cause a lamentable Decay of Christian Piety and hasten the infliction of [s] It is somewhat remarkable and not altogether to be neglected that even in this Nation upon the publick Allowance of Sports and Recreations upon the Lord's-day which is our Christian Sabbath Civil and bloody VVars and Ruin of the Royal Family should so shortly follow and that the Hand of God should be most against those who by VVriting VVords or Practice had maintained the lawfulness of that Doctrine Lawson's Theo-Polit p. 181. fearful Judgments upon a Land and Nation Let them do this in imitation of the brave and holy-spirited * Nehem. 13. from 15. to 22. Nehemiah who testified against and contended with the notorious Profaners and Violators of the Sabbath-day and would not suffer the open selling of Victuals and Wares the trading with Commodities and carrying of Burthens and doing the servil Works of their ordinary Callings on that Day Did not your Fathers thus saies he and did not our God bring all this Evil upon us and upon this City yet ye bring more Wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath Let Magistrates see to the Observation and look to the Sanctification of this Day and so become the happy Instruments and blessed Means of the subsisting and flourishing of Religion in the World of keeping up in the Minds and Hearts of Men a Sense of God a Sense of Sin a Sense of Duty to God and Man a Sense or believing Apprehension of a certain Reward or Punishment a Sense of Heaven and Hell a Sense of Eternity of begetting and preserving a Tenderness and Quickness in Men's Consciences which are apt to be roused and awakened under every Ordinance of maintaining the Life of Religion and the Power of Godliness of upholding the outward Worship and Service of God and heightning and increasing the inward Honour and hearty Love and Fear of him All which depend in a great measure upon Magistrates securing what lies in them the due and sacred Observation of the Lord's-day Let Ministers redeem the Lord's-day not by composing their Sermons or committing them to their Memories on that Day which Toil and Task is fitter to be the Labour of other Daies but by striving to work their Sermons and Discourses upon their own and others Hearts and Consciences Let them spend that Day in [u] Dexteriùs loquentur cum hominibus qui priùs totá mente cum Deo fuerint collocuti Erasm wrestling with God in secret for Assistance in and a Blessing upon their publick Employment In first confessing their own Sins in their private Closets and in begging divine Gifts and Graces to make them able Ministers of the New Testament in setting right their aims and ends in all their Exercises and Undertakings and in imploring the special spiritual gracious powerful Presence of God with his own Ordinances And then in humbly consessing the Sins of the People in the publick Congregation in earnestly praying for their Souls and praising God for his wonderful Mercies in the Mediator for the happy Restauration of sinful and miserable Mankind and the Communications of himself to the lost World by Jesus Christ In propounding and pressing the most sound and solid Reasons the most convincing cogent Arguments to engage them to their Duties and in giving with the greatest Expression of Affection the most proper Directions and seasonable Counsels to guide them in the Way to Heaven And Let the People redeem the Lord's-day by privately reading or hearing read some Part and Portion of Scripture which would season their Hearts and make them more teachable when they hear the Word publickly read or preach'd By praying for themselves to the Shepherd and Bishop of their Souls and by praying for their Minister to the chief Shepherd that Shepherd both of Shepherd and Sheep of Pastor and People that great Prophet and Teacher of his Church that he would teach their Teacher instruct their Instructor and so lead and guid him by his Word and Spirit that he may safely conduct them by sound and seasonable Doctrine and winning Example in the Way everlasting Yea Let them redeem the Lord's-day by attending on the Lord without Distractions by joining in the publick Prayers by being present at publick Baptism that they themselves may be minded and remembred of their own Baptismal Vow and Covenant By worthy and frequent receiving the holy Communion of the body and Blood of Christ By diligent hearing the Word preacht By serious Meditation on it and conscionable Practice of it and by charging themselves and humbly desiring God to help them to walk worthy continually of the Means Mercies and Priviledges they enjoy By maintaining heart-warning Conference By charitable Visitation of and Ministration of seasonable suitable Counsel and Comfort to any sick and weak afflicted or distressed Persons By acknowledging all their Offences to God and Amendment of the same and by endeavouring heartily to reconcile themselves charitably to their Neighbours where any Difference or Displeasure has been You that are Masters and Governours of Families redeem the Lord's-day for your selves and cause your Families to redeem it The Lord of the Sabbath commandeth that thou and thy Son and thy Daughter thy Man-servant thy Maid-servant and all within thy Gate keep that Day holy Set not suffer not your Servants to work nor your Children or Servants to play on this Day Be as much ashamed to see your Child or Servant steal and take God's Time to themselves as you would be to find them pilfering or stealing from your Neighbour You can keep your Servants close to your own work all the Week-daies See that they neglect not the Work of God on the Lord's-day
their Time in slandering detracting whispering tale-bearing speaking [c] In primis provideat nesirmo vitium aliquod indicetinesse morst us Quod maxtmè tum solet evenive cum stuâ—tosè de absentibus detrahendt causâ aut per ridiculum aut severè aut maledicè contumel osèque dicitur Dicero l. 1 de Offic Evil of others when they have no lawfull Call to do it in talking uncharitably of others [d] De alterius vtta de alterius morte disputatis Seneca de vita beata c. 19. Lives and Deaths in private caracterizing judging censuring back-biting of others These are as perfect in the Enumeration of others Faults [e] Dr. Allestry's Sermons p. 35. as if their Memories were the Books that shall be opened at the Day of Judgment This is in it self a base Temper where-ever it is with the Fly to fasten now here but upon a Sore like a Cupping-Glass to draw nothing but corrupt Blood This is an ungodly Humour for any to suffer their Tongues to be busily medling with those Sins and Miscarriages Failings or Faults of other Persons which never grieved and troubled touched or came near their own Hearts and which they never secretly bewail'd and sadly bemoan'd before God To be continually judging and censuring those that were never privately and personally reprov'd lovingly and compassionately admonished nor once earnestly and heartily praied for by them This censorious Spirit is a Christless Spirit Jesus Christ is an Advocate with the Father he excuses he pleads for Sinners he makes the best of every Thing he covers a Multitude of Sins Now when we do nothing but rip open and aggravate others Faults behind their backs we are far from an Imitation of Christ This is so far from being a Christ-like that it is too evidently a Diabolical Spirit The Devil he is called an Accuser and we plainly play Satan's Part and act him to the Life and spend our Time just as the Devil does if we make it our Business to be ever prying and finding of Faults to be alwaies bringing Charges against and framing Accusations of others And the employing our Time thus is far from redeeming it Might not we spend our Time far better in meekly admonishing of others and in heartily praying for others than in rashly judging and censuring of others Let me tell you while we are alwaies pleading others guilty we do but make our selves more guilty and thus to lose our own Innocency is this to redeem our Time To render our selves uncapable of Heaven is this to work out our own Salvation * Psal 15.1 3. Lord who shall abide in thy Tabernacle who shall dwell in thy holy Hill he that back-biteth not with his Tongue nor doeth Evil Wrong Hurt or Injury to his Neighbour in this way of backbiting nor taketh up that is with his Mouth that uttereth not a Reproach against his Neighbour that does not curiously pry into the Businesses Affairs Infirmities secrets of others and then busily divulge and tell them abroad to other Persons thereby defaming disgracing disparaging and rendring Men contemptible one to another and stirring up Strife Hatred Enmity Division and Quarrels among Men. Where shall we now find the Christian who deserves the Commendation that once [i] Hieron ad Marcellam de laudibus Asellae St. Jerome gave of Asella of whom he says Sermo silens silentium loquens she was silent when she spake for she spake only of religious and necessary things not medling with other Persons or Fame How do many mis-spend their Time and talk in vain and ridiculous Self-gloriation and in uncomely affected if not false and ungrounded Commendation of themselves in complementing and flattering great Sinners to their very Faces And some very vile and wicked Wretches abuse their Time and Tongues in speaking a Multitude of Lies in frequent taking God's Name in vain in common and customary Swearing in [f] Dr. Allestry's Sermons p. 154. mingling horrid and bitter Imprecations with their sportive Talk and making the Wounds and Blood of God and other such sad Words their foolish or peevish Modes of speaking Many Mens Mouths run like an Issue nothing but Putrefaction They vent and pour out * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 4.29 putrid unsavoury rotten †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Coloss 3.8 filthy Discourse apt only to minister to a Vice instead of ministring Grace unto the Hearers Corrupt it self and tending to corrupt good Manners and to infect the Fancies and defile the Minds of those that hear it They pass the Time in uttering [g] The Apostle chargeth that Fornication should not be once named among them as becometh Saints Eph. 5.3 not meaning that the Vice should not have its Name and filthy Character but that nothing of it be named in which it can be tempting or offensive nothing tending to it or teaching of it should be named Bishop Taylor 's Sermons 1 Vol. p. 288. wanton loose lascivious Words in singing amorous and obscene Songs whereas he that is ‖ James 5.13 Private Christianâ— are to teach and admonish one another in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs Coloss 3 16 Etiaâ—n cùn htlaritati inser vimus addification is utâ—iâ—at is mutuae memores esse debemus Dav. in loc merry should sing Psalms Many mis-spend their Hours in * Ephes 5.4 inconvenient [h] Ipsum genus jocandi non profusum nec immodestum sed ingenuum facetum esse debet Vt enim puer is non omnem licentiam ludendi damus sed eam quae ab honest is actionibus non sit aliena sic in ipso joco aliquod probi ingenit lumen eluceat Cicero l. 1. de Office scurrilous immodest yea many mis-spend them in impious and profane Jesting in openly Scossing at good Men and making merry with their Imperfections and their own Slanders and in jeering the holy Waies and playing with the holy Word of God He that makes a Jest of the Words of Scripture or of holy things as a [i] Bishop Taylor 's Sermons 1 V. p. 305. learned Pen richly expresses it plaies with Thunder and kisses the Mouth of a Canon just as it belches Fire and Death he stakes Heaven at spurn-point and trips Cross and pile whether ever he shall see the Face of God or no he laughs at Damnation while he had rather lose Goal than lose his Jest nay which is the Horrour of all he makes a Jest of God himself and the Spirit of the Father and the Son to become ridiculous And is not this a monstrous cursed Improvement of precious Time to use and employ it in profanely deriding and desperately abusing the Word and Spirit of God that gave it 'T is a good Saying of the [k] Detestanda illorum insania qui hilares esse non pâ—ssunt sine Christi contumelia religionis ludibrio Dav. in Coloss 3.16 Thes if any do hilarem insaniam insanire ac per risum furere Seneca
de vita beata c. 12. Reverend Bp. Davenant Their Mandness is to be detested and abominated who know not how to be cheerful and merry without doing Disgrace and Dishonour to Christ anal putting a Mock and Scorn on Religion Mr. Herbert [l] Church-porch p. 16. plainly tells you their Doom None shall in Hell such bitter Pangs endure As those who mock at God's way of Salvation Whom Oyl and Balsams kill what Salve can cure They drink with Greediness a full Damnation How few of us all have ordinarily been considerate and watchful wise and material useful and prudent in our Discourses and have frequently used our Tongues as Instruments of Piety and spiritual Charity of the Glorisication of our Creator and Redeemer and the [m] It must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good Speech such as is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Edification of Necessity Eph. 4.29 The Pâ—râ—se is an Hebraism where the genitive Case of a Substantive is pur for the Adjective and means that our Speech be apted to necessary Edification or such Edification as is needful to every man's particular Case Bishop Taylor 's Sermons 1 V. p. 324. necessary Edification and Soul-advantage of our Brethren How seldom has our Speech been design'd and directed to the real Profit and best benefit of our Neighbour and our Communication been so ordered and managed by us that it might be [n] Idâ—m ibid. apt to instruct the Ignorant to strengthen the Weak to recal the Wanderer to restrain the Vicious to comfort the Disconsolate and to afford a seasonable Word to every Man's Necessity Where is the Man whose Tongue is as * Prov. 10.20 choice Silver whose Words are of real Worth and great Price in whose Lips †Ibidem 10.13 Wisdom is found whose Lips * Prov. 14.7 of Knowledg †Ibidem 15.7 disperse Knowledg and ‖ Ib. 10.21 feed many the Words of whose Mouth are (*) Eccles 10.12 gracious (†) Prov. 10.32 whose Lips know what is acceptable whose Tongue is (‖) Ib. 12.18 Health whose Mouth is a [*] Ib. 10.11 Well of Lite whose wholesome Tongue is a [†] Ib. 15.4 Tree of Life whose instructive Speeches and edifying Discourses and warm affectionate Converses have happily helped others to Life Where is the Man who speaketh Words [‖] Ib. 15.23 in due Season whose Words are * ib. 15.26 pleasant Words grateful to God and good Men Where is the Woman that †Ib. 31.26 openeth her Mouth with Wisdom and in whose Tongue is the Law of Kindness or gracious Instruction or [o] Vide Catwright in loc serious Discourse to Children and Servants of the Word of God and holy Things Oh how many Men and Women are there who have not a savoury gracious Speech in the whole Day or Week or Month or Year no not in their whole Lives We may complain of the constant Discourses of most Persons in the Words of [p] Nihil de Scriptur is nibil de salute agitur animarum sed nugae risus verba proferuntur in ventum Inter prandendum quantum fauces dapibus tantum aures pascuntur rumoribus Bernardi Apologia ad Guilhelmâ—m Abbatem cap. 8. St. Bernard Not q Word of Scripture drops from them nothing relating to the eternal Salvation of Mens Souls can be heard among them nothing but toying and laughing and light and frothy talking takes up their Time Mens Communications are generally so unprositable and so corrupt that the Consideration hereof made a contemplative Person cry out [q] Dixit quidam Quoties inter homines fui minor home redis Hoc saepius experimur quando diu confabulamur Faciliùs est omnino tacere quà m verbo non excedere A Kempis de imitatione Christi l. 1. c. 20. n. 2. As often as I have gone among Men I have return'd the less Man And drew these VVords from another devout Person [r] Vellem me pluries tacutsse inter homines non fuisse Sed quare tam libenter loquimur invicem fabulamur cùm tamenrarò sine laesione conscientrae ad silentium redimus Ibidem c. 10. n. 1. I wish I had oftener held my Tongue would I had not so frequently gone into Company But why do we so willingly talk and converse together says he when if we talk any thing long we rarely come off without loss and seldom give over communing together without some Hurt first done to our own Consciences VVe have all of us often offended in VVord not remembring and considering that even * Mat. 12.36 of every idle Word that Men shall speak they shall give Account in the Day of Judgment And that as a learned [s] Bishop Taylor 's Sermons 1 V. p. 292. Bishop clears the Text the Judgment then shall fall upon our VVords if not upon our Persons the Fire shall consume such Hay and Stubble and though the Person himself escape he shall sustain and suffer that Loss VVe shall have no Honour no fair Return for idle useless unprofitable Discourses but they shall with Loss and Prejudice be rejected and cast away And therefore take [t] Nemo parvi aestimet tempus quod in verbis consumitur otiosis Bernardus sermone de triplici custodia St. Bernard's Caution Let no Man count it a light Matter to spend valuable Portions of his precious Time in idle Words And labour to imitate the ancient Christians of whom Tertullian gives this Character [u] It a fabulantur ut qui sciant Dominum audire Tertulliani Apologia c. 39. They discourse as those that well know that God hears every Word they say Henceforth let us have a care of our VVords let us give our Tongues to Wisdom ever speak to some Useful profitable Purposes and on all just and fit Occasions open our Mouths with boldness in the Cause of God and Goodness and spend as much of our Time and [w] Mr. John Carter Pastor of Brainford in Suffolk did much addict himself to savory Speeches and heavenly Discourses in which God did so own and bless him that by the holy Discourse that dropped from his mouth a godly woman was first won to Christ while she was waiting on him in his Chamber and warming his Bed In his Life written by his Son Mr. John Carter inferted in Mr. Clark's Collection of the Lives of ten Eminent Divines p. 13 as many of our Words as prudently may be in matters of Religion in Prayers and Praises and pious Discourses in aptly accommodating and seasonably producing the wise and weighty Sayings of Scripture and holy Men and in taking Occasion from ordinary Occurrences to raise and promote spiritual Discourses A sixth Sort of Persons reproved Such do justly fall under severe Censure who Profusely spend their Time in vain Pleasures 1. In [a] Vbi magna corpor is cura ibi magna ment is incuria Dictum Catonis Curiosity about dressing and trimming the
of it but fail in the Principle and Manner of the Duty and never look to the [g] The end of all Exercises of Piety and Devotion is more and mine to dispose our Hearts to the Love and our Wills to the Obedience of our blessed Creatour and Redeemer And busying our selves in any of them without this Design may well be counted in the Number of the fruitless and unaccountable Actions of our Lives Thus to do is prodigally to waste and mis-spend our Time as the Jews were upbraided by one of their Adversaries with doing upon the account of their Sabbath saying They they lost one Day in seven Dr. Fowler 's Design of Christianity pag. 186. End of the Duty have no real Design and hearty Intention to please and glorify God thereby and to gain and encrease in true Holiness of Heart and Life If you act not out of a Principle of Love and inward Life and Liking but only out of some external respect If you perform your Services not out of a filial ingenuous Disposition but merely out of a Slavish Fear of being beaten or of losing the Wages you expect for your Work If you use only a careless and supine Devotion If you matter not at all how little you do for God or what is the Frame of your Minds and Hearts in what you do If you give way to vain Thoughts in holy Duties If you be not intent in your religious Services but instead of using the World as if you used it not you use good Duties as if you did not use them observe the Lord's-Day as if you observ'd it not confess and repent as if you did no such thing hear as if you heard not and pray as if you prayed not If you pray only out of Custom and do not mind and well consider what you say nor are affected with what you speak nor desire what you ask If you pray and reade and hear only because you are brought up so to do and have taken up such a Practice or because you would satisfy natural Conscience and have the good Opinion and Word of all in your Families and be commended by your Neighbours for religious Persons and do not pray to this necessary End that so you may enjoy Communion with God and get and obtain Pardon and Grace and Strength from God nor reade the Scripture and good Books and hear the Word preached that so you may know your Duty in Order to the Practice and Performance of it all the Time that is thus spent in Duty is in a manner Time lost and mis-spent in so doing you lose your Duties and you lose your Time too But especially if any shall dare to do nothing but whisper and talk and laugh to mock and jeer at the Word and the Minister of it to be undecent and rude and profane in their Carriage and Behaviour in a Christian Assembly in the Time of Divine Worship in the [i] Vae mihi quia ibi pecco ubi peccata emendare debeo Bernard de interior Domo c. 33. Presence of the great God and in the Sight of the holy * 1 Cor. 11.10 Angels This is to lose the Time of publick Duty if it be to be lost at all This is to lose the Time of Duty with a Witness And so I have done with the third Vse namely of Reproof and Rebuke to several Sorts of Persons who are guilty of the Loss the lamentable Loss of their precious Time and unvaluable Opportunities CHAP. VI. The fourth and last Vse is of Exhortation to Magistrates Ministers the People in general Six quickening Motives to press the Duty of Redemption of Time 1. Consider how notably Jesus Christ redeem'd the Time when he was here in the World 1. He redeem'd the Time to save us 2. He redeem'd the Time to be an Example to us 2. Consider further that as Christ did once redeem the Time to save us So the Devil does daily redeem the Time to destroy us 3. Consider how very notably many of the Saints and Servants of God have improved and redeemed their Time 4. Consider that it is an Act of spiritual Wisdom to rodeem the Time and mere Madness and gross Folly not to redeem the Time 5. Consider that if now thou losest and squanderest away thy Time thou wilt at last be forced thy self to condemn thy foolish Neghgence and to justify the Care and Diligence of others that were wiser for their own Souls then thy self 6. Consider that do what we can to redeem our Time we shall never repent at last of any Care we have had to redeem it but shall certainly blame and find fault with our selves for being so careless of our Time so negligent of good Opportunities as we have been Serious considerative Christians do blame themselves for their Loss of Time even in their Life-time but they are especially sensible of it and exceedingly ashamed of themselves for it at their Death THe fourth and last use shall be of Exhortation to put you upon the Duty of Redeeming Time Let Magistrates vigorously redeem the Time in the faithful Execution and impartial Administration of governing Justice and in being active and zealous bold and couragious in the Cause of God and Goodness * Rem 13.3 in being a Terrour to Evil and not to good Works and in acting for the †i Pet. 2.14 Punishment of Evil-doers and for the Praise of them that do well in repressing Vice and checking Profaneness and daily dashing Sin out of Countenance and in countenancing and encouraging nourishing and cherishing Sobriety and Temperance Vertue and Godliness Holiness and Religion Let Ministers industriously redeem the Time in ‖ Acts 20.27 not shunning to declare to the People all the Counsel of God in urging Truths upon their own Hearts and pressing and enforcing them upon others Souls in labouring abundantly in the Lord's Vineyard in (*) Verse 28. taking heed unto themselves and (†) 1 Tim. 4.16 to their Doctrine and to all the Flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made them Over-seers in feeding the Church of God with the wholsome Food of sound Words in (‖) Heb. 13.17 watching for Souls as they that must give Account in [*] Acts 20.31 daily warning Sinners with Tears in perswading Men with Earnestness and Importunity as those that well [†] 2 Cor. 5.11 know the Terrour of the Lord in endeavouring to [‖] 1 Tim. 4.16 save themselves and them that hear them to () Jude 23. save some with Fear pulling them out of the Fire in taking all possible Care lest they [] 1 Cor. 9.26 beat the Air and * Gal. 2.2 Phil. 2.16 run in vain and labour in vain left their Peoples †Ezek. 3.18 Blood be required at their Hands and lest when they have preached to others they themselves should become * 1 Cor. 9.27 Cast-aways in discharging their Duty so painfully and faithfully that though
lib. p. 1690. When Dr. Cranmer was made Arch-Bishop of Canterbury he evermore gave himself to continual Study not breaking the order that in the University he commonly used that is by five of the clock in the Morning he was at his Book and spent his Time in Study and Prayer till nine of the clock By reason of other private Studies and by means of useful proper Employments he was never idle no Hour of the Day was spent in vain by him but was so bestowed as tended to the Glory of God the Service of his Prince or the Commodity of the Church The excellent Bp. Juel read much and wrote much besides his publick Employments Scarce any Year in all the Time of his Bishoprick passed wherein he published not some famous Work or other At nine a clock at Night he used to call all his Servants to an Account how they had spent that Day and after Prayer to admonish them accordingly Then he returned to his Study where often he sate till after Midnight * Dr. Humphr in the Life of Bp. Jewel When he was very weak a Gentleman meeting him as he was riding to preach at Lacock in Wiltshire earnestly desired him to return home for his health's sake telling him that it was better the People should want one Sermon than be altogether deprived of such a Preacher To whom he replied [u] Oportet Episcopum concionantem mori That it best became a Bishop to dy Preaching alluding to that of Vespasian [a] Oportet Imperatorem stantem mori It becomes an Emperour to dy standing and thinking upon his Master's Saying * Mat 24.46 Blessed is that Servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing And presently after that very [b] On Gal. 5 16. Walk in the Spirit Sermon by reason of his Sickness encreasing upon him he was forced to take his Bed from which he never came off till his Soul quitted his frail Body and was translated to everlasting Glory He said in his last Sickness That seeing God had not granted his Desire to glorify him by sacrificing his Life for the Defence of his Truth yet he rejoiced that his Body was exhausted and worn away in the Labours of his holy Calling It was the Motto of the pious and painful Mr. Perkins that which he used to write in the Frontispiece of all his Books Minister verbi es hoc age Thou art a Minister of God's Word mind thy Work and attend thy Business It was also the Motto of [c] His Life among Mr. Clark's Lives of 10 Eminent Divines Mr. Samuel Crook Impendam expendar I will spend and be spent It was moreover the Motto of [d] Bp. Usher's Life written by Dr. Bernard p. 52. Bp. Vsher's Episcopal Seal when he was Bishop of Meath which he continued in the Seal of his Primacy also Vae mihi si non euangelizavero Wo is unto me if I preach not the Gospel All which they severally answer'd and made good in an eminent and very exemplary Manner The learned and religious Dr. John Rainolds was so very careful to redeem the Time that when the Heads of the Houses in Oxford came to visit him in his last Sickness which he had contracted merely by excessive Pains in his Study whereby he brought his Body to be a very Sceleton and earnestly perswaded him that he would not [v] Perdere substa etiam propter accidentia lose the Substance for the Accidents not lose his Life for Learning He smiling answered with those excellent Words of the Prince of Satyrists [w] Nec propter vitam vivendi perdere causas Juv. sat 8. That to save his Life he would not lose the Ends of living I may well apply to [e] Reade the Lives of Mr. Joseph Allein and Mr. John Janeway these Worthies those words of A Kempis [x] Dati sunt in exemplum omnibus Religiosis plus provocare nos debent ad bene prosiâ—tendum quà m tepidorum numerus ad relaxandum T. a Kempis l. 1. c. 18 n. 4. These are given for an Example to all pious Persons and should be more powerful to provoke us to profit well than a number of lazy lukewarm Persons to draw us to Slackness and Remisness Let us follow these fair and bright Exemplars in the main of their tendency to teach us to live serviceably to God and usefully and profitably to our selves and others We have hitherto been ingentium Exemplorum parvi Imitatores to use Salvian's Expression small Imitators of great Examples O how short do we come of many of the eminent Saints and faithful Servants of God who redeemed their Time and served their Generation by the Will of God in former Ages Yea may not our own personal Knowledg and particular Observation of the Labour and Diligence Improvement and Growth of other Christians put our selves to the blush Many that have liv'd in the same Times and Places in the same Parishes and Families with our selves Many that have sate under the same Ordinances enjoyed no better Means received no greater Helps than our selves have yet surpassed and excell'd us in the gracious Frame of their Hearts out-strip'd and out-shined us in the Holiness and Exemplariness of their Lives To what a pitch are others gotten to what an height have they arriv'd and attain'd What right apprehensions have they gotten of the Nature of God and Undertaking of Christ for the promoting of Holiness What a good Understanding of the Word of God What Insight into the various Providences of God What warm and good Affections suited to true Notions of Things How have they proceeded in Knowledg grown in Grace profited in Experience increased in Strength abounded in Comfort What Power have they gotten over their Corruptions what Strength against Temptations What Government of their Senses What Command of their Passions What Freedom and Enlargement and Delight in Duties How useful are they in their Places How serviceable to God and their Generations What Evidence have they gotten of the Goodness of their State of the Truth and Sincerity of their Love to God and of the special Love and Favour of God to them What good grounds for their Hopes of Heaven and Happiness How sit are they to live How ready and prepared to dy How meet to be Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light Alas how far do we fall short of them and come behind them What Fools have we been when others have been wise for their own Souls When others shine as Lights and as bright Stars in the World are not we as dark as a Coal or as dim as a Glow-worm Are not we who are planted in the same Soil dressed and cultivated with the same Hand watered with the same River of God wetted with the same heavenly Dew and refreshed with the same Droppings of the Sanctuary yet notwithstanding as barren and as unfruitful as may be when others of our Neighbours
assisted him [l] In his Life centracted and translated out of French by Mr. Edward Stern Fellow of P. Hall in Cambridg among Mr. Clark's Lives p. 74. fol. I have a great Account to make having received much and profited little So the painful and pious Dr. Robert Harris when a Friend told him in his Sickness Sir you may take much comfort in your Labours you have done much good His Answer was [m] In his Life written by Mr. W. Durham p. 55 56. Oh! I am an unprofitable Servant I have not done any thing for God as I ought Loss of Time sits heavy upon my Spirit Work work apace Assure your selves nothing will more trouble you when you come to dy than that you have done no more for God who has done so much for you Yea the Reverend and holy Bp. Vsher a most laborious and sedulous Servant of God a Prodigy of Industry a Person that never was known to lose an Hour by was ever employed in his Master's Business either praying preaching studying writing reading or hearing others reade to him either resolving of Doubts or exhorting instructing giving good wholsome and holy Counsel to such as came to visit him yet as [n] Pag. 110. Dr. Bernard relates in his Life the very last Words that ever he was heard to utter in praying for Forgiveness of Sins were these But Lord in special forgive my Sins of Omission If the choicest Saints on Earth the faithfullest Servants of God in the World who have surpassed and transcended us by many Degrees do close and end their Lives with an humble Confession and earnest Petition for Forgiveness and Pardon of their Sins of Omission Surely then we have reason to conclude that we our selves do what we can shall repent at last of doing too little and not repent and complain of having done too much And if those that have well redeem'd their Time complain especially at the Hour of Death that they have lost too much of it What a case then will the careless negligent World be in when their sleepy Consciences shall be roused and awakened and they be hastened and hurried out of this world and their Souls and Bodies shall be just a parting and they shall look behind them upon an idle loose and lazy Life and look before them upon a dreadful horrible terrible Judgment I have done with the Motives to press you to the Duty In the next place I shall give you some Directions which may be so many Means to help you to regain the Time and redeem the Opportunity Take these twelve following CHAP. VII Direction 1. If ever we would redeem the Time we must endeavour to be throughly convinc'd of the great value and real worth of Time In respect of the Price paid for it In regard of the use and end to which it serves Considering what precious Thoughts the more improved Heathens had of Time And what damned Spirits and dying Persons who have not made their Peace with God think of Time Direct 2. If we would well redeem the Time we must often examine our selves and call our selves to a serious strict Account for the spending of our Time This was the Precept of Pythagoras and Cicero and the Practice of Sextius Seneca and Titus Vespasian Direct 3. That we may rightly redeem our Time let Conscience have some Authority with us and procure some reverence from us Stand much in aw of thy own Conscience which will either acquit and absolve thee or surely judg and condemn thee Direct 4. If ever we would redeem the Time we must live and act and do every thing as in the sight and presence and under the eye and inspection of God The apprehension of God's all-seeing all-searching Eye will be of excellent Vse and Advantage to us at 4 times especially 1. Actually consider that God sees you when you ordinarily visit one another and at any time feast and make merry together 2. When Buying or Selling remember you are manifest in God's Sight that God stands by and sees your dealings 3. Consider this in your secret Retirements and in your private Families 4. Whenever we come to the publick Worship of God let us seriously consider that we stand in his Presence and are in his eye Direct 5. That we may wisely redeem the Time let 's be sure to propound a good end to our selves in all our Actions and do nothing deliberately but what we can safely and freely warrantably and comfortably ask God's Assistance in and Blessing upon when we go about it Direct 6. We must be sure to give our selves to Prayer as a special way in which and principal means and help by which we may redeem and improve our Time aright And here 1. Be careful to keep up set and stated times of Prayer of secret Prayer and Family-Prayer 2. Be ready to betake thy self to Prayer upon special extraordinary emergent Occasions 3. Vse thy self to frequent suddain ejaculatory Prayers to God This is the Priviledg of Ejaculation that it is a gaining of Time for the Exercise of Religion without any prejudice or hindrance to your Calling Direct 7. We must set our selves to the frequent diligent reading and serious studying of the sacred Scriptures For 1. This is a gaining and making advantage of all that Time past which the Scripture gives us the History and Account of 2. Our reading the holy Books of Scripture is a well improving the present time that is imployed in this religious Duty for 't is an honouring of God and a means of attaining divine Knowledg heavenly Grace and spiritual Comfort 3. It is moreover a means and help to the right redeeming of our Time for the future Direct 8. If we would effectually redeem the Time we must give our selves to frequent and serious Meditation Set some Time apart for this Duty Think of the 4 last things especially 1. Of Death of the Day of thy own particular Death and of the Time of the General Dissolution of this World 2. Of the Day of Judgment 3. Of the Joys of Heaven 4. Of the Torments of Hell Direct 9. If you would redeem the Time you must labour to spiritualize even your ordinary worldly Employments and must take care that your natural as well as civil Actions partake of Religion Direct 10. if we would wisely redeem the Time we must make a good Choice of our Friends and Acquaintance and a good Improvement of our Company and Society with them Direct 11. We must remember and consider perform and answer our solemn Sacramental Vows and Sick-bed-Promises and Resolutions Direct 12. Lastly If we would redeem the Time we must not give way to any Delay but strengthen and settle our Resolution against any farther procrastination The First Direction IF ever we would redeem the Time we must endeavour to be throughly convinced of the great Value and real Worth of Time Consider 1. How precious Time is in respect of the Price paid for it That
Devotion but his loving and longing Soul disdaining to be confin'd within Canonical Hours is frequently soaring in some heavenly Raptures or other and sallying forth in holy Ejaculations If thou beest a truly regenerate Person such Ejaculation was thy first and will be thy last Breathing O see that it be the most usual Exercise of thy Life Great is the Benefit of holy and heavenly Ejaculation which is like the keeping alive and quickning the Fire for the Use and Service of the daily Sacrifice If by neglect of this spiritual Exercise we unhappily suffer the holy Fire to go out we can't expect that God should kindle it anew when we go to offer the Sacrifice of solemn Prayer to God By our much using Ejaculatory Prayer and familiarizing our selves to praying Thoughts and Desires and exercising our selves in spiritual Pleadings with God our Hearts will be generally [w] Such as will be ever and anon thus whetting their praying Spirits and Graces will make Work of it when they come to it They that are good at these running Pulls and Trips are surely good Wrastlers with God Cobbet of Prayer p. 47. fram'd and sitted and by immediatly previous Ejaculatory Prayer our Hearts will be particularly disposed and prepared for performance of set and solemn Prayer We shall also [x] All the Prayers of a gracious Suppliant are not ended with his continued Speech in Prayer no his heart is lifting and lifting as you see a Bell-rope oft hoysing up after you have done ringing the Bell. When a gracious Person 's Heart is left in Heaven uttering its after Requests now Prayer was well carried on These shorter Post-scripts written after the other longer Letter have ever something of note and worth Id. ib p. 33 34. When men part with men they use to give one another a Faâ—ewell and not bluntly deliver their Mind one to another and so turn their backs one upon another Neither may a man when a Duty is done go away bluntly from God but give him a Farewell by holy Meditation It 's an unseemly kicking of a Duty as most men do when they are come to the end of their Prayers to whom with the Father and Holy Spirit be ascribed all Praise and Glory Amen Come is Dinner ready or What news do you hear This is unmannerliness towards the Ordinances of God Fenner of the Vse and Ben. of Divine Medit. p. 25. fol close and come off well from continued Prayer with the greater Spirituality and Ardency of Devotion by following at last our larger and longer Prayers with several short strong Desires earnest and affectionate good Wishes lively and vigorous Heart-lifts such like as these Lord forgive the Iniquity of my holy Things O Lord hear O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and do defer not for thine own sake O my God Let the Words of my Mouth and the Meditation of my Heart be acceptable in thy Sight O Lord my Strength and my Redeemer Good Lord help me to live over my Prayers and let me not destroy my Prayers by a careless Christless wicked loose and ungodly Life Amen Amen Yea often retire address and apply thy self to God in short Prayers and cordial Ejaculations and these may [y] Bp. Taylor 's Rule and Exerc. of Holy Living c. 1. §. 1. Rule 7. The want of the solemn Morning-Prayer in case that some necessary work of Charity do hinder us may be supplied by some frequent Ejaculatory Prayers and frequent inward spiritual Admirings and Adorings of God but the want of these cannot be supplied by the other White 's Power of Godl p. 97. If the case were so that we must omit one of them it were better to omit our solemn Prayer in the Morning and to have our Heart sending up continually Ejaculatory Prayers and Breathings after God than to spend an Hour in the Morning in solemn Prayer and Meditation and all the rest of the Day not to have so much as one Thought of God Id Ib. p. 202. You must not leave off solemn Duties and think to supply the want thereof by Ejaculatory Prayers for they are not to justle out but help one another This is as if the Priests should content themselves with keeping the Fire burning alwaies on the Altar and neglect their Morning and Evening Sacrifice Id. ib. p. 2 9. supply the Lack of those larger Portions of Time which thou desirest and covetest for thy Devotion and in which it may be thou thinkest others have advantage of thee Again This is the readiest surest way to improve any spiritual Warmth holy Affection or good Motion wrought in thy Heart in the Use of Christian Conference in Hearing Reading Meditation or the like To send up sudden suitable seasonable Ejaculatory Prayers or Praises while thou art under such a lively Sense and in such a Godly Frame Farther Our often using and daily maintaining a frequent Converse with God in the way of these holy devout Ejaculations these Aspirations and Emigrations of Soul after God this will prove a special Help to keep our Hearts very spiritual and savoury and close with God and to get more intimate Acquaintance with him and to secure the continuance of his gracious friendly Presence with us This moreover is a sit and proper Means to call in and engage Divine Assistance to inable us meetly to manage any temporal or spiritual Employment and rightly to improve any Ordinance or Providence a direct Means to procure from God Wisdome and Grace suitably to entertain any notable Mercy newly received to get Ease and Relief in any sudden strait or want Patience under and the Sanctification of a surprising and unexpected Affliction a present and approved Means to throw out the Injections and to repel the fiery Darts of the Devil to gain Help from Heaven against any sudden strong Temptation or rising and working of any Corruption and Strength against our Bosom Master Sin which is so apt so easily to beset us A Means to prevent our being unwarily ensnared and entangled in the Use and Exercise of our lawful Labours or Recreations To be preserved effectually from Sin and Folly when cast unawares into profane or carnal Company to obtain Mercy and Pardon speedily upon apprehension of any Insirmities Slips or Failings To lift up our Hearts in such Cases in the Way of sudden Ejaculatory Prayer to God This will save our solitary Hours in the Day-time and well improve our wakeful Hours in the Night-season when we cannot take our natural Rest and Sleep then to awaken and call upon our Souls to return unto their spiritual Rest to raise and lift up our Hearts to Heaven and to present the Desires of our Souls to God [z] In hard Havens so choaked up with the envious Sands that great Ships drawing many Foot Water cannot come near lighter and lesser Pinnaces may freely and safely arrive VVhen we are Time-bound Place-bound or Person-bound so that we cannot compose our selves to make a large
and solemn-Prayer this is the right instant for Ejaculations whether orally utter'd or only poured forth inwardly in the Heart Fuller's Medit on all kind of Prayers p. 77. This is an excellent way to redeem the Time in the want of a proper Place for larger Prayer Wherever thou art though never so far from a Church or Oratory yet as to the Use of this kind of Prayer thou maiest be the Temple of God thy self and pray within thy self Yea once more This is an admirable way to redeem the Time in the greatest straits of Time in the midst of much Company in the Multiplicity Croud and Hurry of worldly Businesses and Employments For this is the Advantage and rare Priviledg of Ejaculation that the Work of God is performed in it and [a] Media inter praelia semper Stetlarum coe ique plagis superisque vacavi Caesar apud Lucan l. 10. v. 185. no secular Affair or worldly Occasion hindred or retarded impeded or interrupted by it It is a gaining of Time for the Exercise of Religion without any Prejudice Let or Hindrance to your Calling It is a taking Time for a spiritual Duty without taking it away from your civil Employment [b] The Field wherein Bees feed is no whit the barer for their biting when they have took their full repast on Flower or Grass the Or may feed the Sheep fat on their Reversions The reason is because those little Chymists distil only the refined part of the Flower leaving the grosser Substance thereof So Ejaculations bind not men to any bodily Observance only busy the spiritual half which maketh them consistent with the prosecution of any other Employment Fuller loc cit p 78. VVe should make some improvement of that Time in which we do the works of our particular Callings to some spiritual Advantage if our Employments be such as exercise the Hand and not the Head by some useful Meditations as some will plant their Hedg-â—owes with fruit-trees reckoning that what they get thereby is clear Gain because they take up no room which might be put to any other Use so what we get by such Meditations is clearly gained because it doth not hinder any other Employment Lukins Pract. of Godl p. 53 54. Art thou as much against this that worldly thoughts should mingle themselves with thy solemn Prayers as that holy thoughts should be mingled with thy worldly Business This shews the rottenness of thy Heart that thou wilt admit the VVorld to come and speak with thee in the midst of thy solemn Duties or converse with God but wilt not afford God a word or a look while thou art conversing with the VVorld White 's Power of Godl p 214. You may at the same instant follow your particular proper Vocation and send up an holy Ejaculation The Husbandman may dart forth an Ejaculation and not make a Balk the more The Tradesman may mind his Shop never the less for minding God in such a way as this Thy Ejaculatory Prayers will sanctify instead of hindring thy Employments will influence thy Conscience and keep thee from sinning in thy Calling and will draw down a Blessing upon every Business and Undertaking In a Word To give our selves to holy and heavenly Ejaculation this is the way * 1 Thess 5.17 to pray without ceasing And surely the Frequency and Number of Ejaculatory Prayers will bring us in very great and large spiritual Gains and notable rich Returns 'T is a noted and approved Saying That much Meditation short Prayers and often make an excellent Christian The eminently learned and holy Andrew Rivet did much accustome and inure himself to these short Prayers He used in his old Age as he himself declares [c] Ego sanè mi srater à multis annis hanc orationem singults diebus saepe hor is repoto qui sentio mihi haec eadem convenire Andr. Rivet ep ad Guil. Fratr De Senect bon p. 1260. in an Epistle to his Brother for many Years every Day and often every Hour to repeat * Psal 71.17 18. those Words of the divine Psalmist which were suitable to the Circumstances of his own Condition O God thou hast taught me from my Youth and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous Works Now also when I am old and gray-headed O God forsake me not until I have shewed thy Strength unto this Generation and thy Power to every one that is to come The seventh Direction If we would redeem the Time we must set our selves to the daily frequent diligent Reading and serious studying of the sacred Scriptures for 1. This is a gaining and making Advantage of all that Time past which the Scripture gives you the History and Account of Seneca advises his Friend Lucilius by the Peregrination of his Mind to go to the ancient Worthies and renowned great Men and by Cogitation to behold them in order to an Imitation of them This he proposes to him as a prudent way to get Vice extirpated and Vertue farther planted in him He would have him by Contemplation go live and converse with the Cato's with Laelius Tubero Socrates Zeno Chrysippus Posidonius These will instruct you saies [a] Hi tibi tralent divinorum humanor â—â—mque netitiâ—â—m Hi juâ—tbunt in opere esse Sen. ep 104. he in the knowledg of things divine and humane and will command and enjoin you to be busied and employed in some good Action Let me advise and counsel you that are Christians to travel srequently through the holy Scriptures to keep a constant Course of attentive reading those sacred Writings and they will give you the happy Advantage of spiritual and fruitful Converse with the Patriarchs and Prophets with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob with Moses and Elias with Noah Job and Daniel with David and Solomon with St. Peter and Paul and James and John with Christ and his Apostles and the Primitive Christians There you may get Acquaintance with and make use of those rare Persons that have been most exemplary and serviceable in their Generations and most deservedly famous in the several Ages of the Church of God and Christ and may take the Benefit of their holy Discourses their excellent Lives and vertuous Actions And what the same Philosopher wisely Discourses in his excellent Book of the Brevity of Life encouraging Persons to a daily familiar Acquaintance with Zeno Pythagoras Democritus Aristotle Theophrastus What he saies there to invite and engage Men to reade the Writings of such as excess in useful Philosophical Learning and good Arts is more truly applicable by way of Motive to prevail with Men to give themselves to the reading of the Pen-men of the sacred Scriptures and of the Sayings of those wise and holy Persons that are introduced discoursing therein [b] Nemo horum nen vocabit nemo non venientem ad se beatiorem ama 〈◊〉 émque sui dimittit Hi tibi dabunt ad aeternitatem iter te in iâ—um iocum ex
quo nemo te eji iâ—t sub evabunt Sen. de brev vit c. 14 15. There is not one of these but will call thee to hear them speaking to thee not any one of them but if you come to them will send you away more happy and more in love with them none of them will suffer you to go empty-handed away from them They may be met and spoken with visited and conversed with by all both Day and Night None of these will press you to die presently but all will teach you to die well at last None of these will waste your Years but will readily contribute and give their own to you for your Use and Service Profit and Benefit None of their Discourse will ever be dangerous none of their Friendship will prove pernicious your Acquaintance with them and Observance of them will not be costly and chargeable to you You may receive what you want and carry away what you will from them They will never hinder you from drawing as much out of them as you are capable of containing What an happy and lovely old Age is like to befal him who has given himself into their Tuition He will have those continually at hand with whom he may deliberate both of the smallest and greatest Matters whom he may daily advise with about himself from whom he may hear the Truth without Reproach by whom he may be commended without Flattery and after whose Similitude he may form and fashion himself These will set you in the way that will surely bring you to an happy Eternity and will mount you up into that Place out of which none shall be able to eject you This is in a sense a gaining of a great deal of Time that is past and an happy converting it to our own spiritual Profit and Use Our perusing the notable useful Histories and instructive Passages of the sacred Pages will after a sort make all that Time [c] Animus humanus arctam aetatem sibi dari non sinit Omnes inquit anni mei sunt nulium saecalum magnis ingentis clusam est nullum non cogitationi pervium tempus Seneca epist 102. ours and serve in a manner as much to our advantage as if we our selves had liv'd in the several Ages in which those eminently pious Persons appeared and acted that are recorded in sacred Writ 2. Our Reading the holy Books of scripture is a proper redeeming that Time in particular which is denied to worldly Profit or Pleasure and applied to such a spiritual Use It is a good husbanding and well improving the present Time that is spent and employed in this religious Duty for this is our Attendance on an Ordinance of God and in that respect an honouring of God It is also a Means of attaining divine Knowledg heavenly Grace and spiritual Comfort 1. Divine Knowledg By reading the Scripture we may be taught of God and come to be acquainted with the Mind and Will of our supreme Ruler and Governour with the righteous Laws of our Creator and Redeemer There we may sind * Ps 119.105 a Light unto our Feet and a Lanthorn unto our Paths a Pillar of Fire by Night to conduct us through the Wilderness unto Canaan a Star still before us to lead us unto Christ From thence we may receive suitable and seasonable Information Resolution Direction if with holy David we take God's Testimonies for our * Ps 119.24 Counsellers The Scriptures are apt to preserve and powerful to reduce Men from erroneous Opinions as Junius was mightily wrought upon and with clear Conviction and full Satisfaction recovered out of Atheism and converted to the Truth by reading the Beginning of [d] Lego partem capitis ita commoveor legens ut repentè divinitatem argum nti ser pti majest tem authoritatémque senserim longo intervabo omnibus eloquentiae humanae sluminilus praeeantem c. Junius ipse in descript vit suae St. John's Gospel The Scriptures are †2 Tim. 3.15 able to make us wise unto Salvation to make us so wise as to become truly good For 2. Our reading the Scripture is a means of obtaining heavenly Grace The holy Scripture is apt to terrify and affright the Sinner out of the Way of Sin The pure and clean Word of God is able to make thee pure and clean The holy just and good Law of God is able to make thee holy just and good St. Austin in his younger Years was an incontinent Person but being at length admonished by this Voice Tolle lege tolle lege take up the Book and reade he presently caught up and opened [e] Cod. cem Apestols St. Paul's Epistles and happily first cast his Eyes upon those Words in the thirteenth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans ‖ Rom. 13.13 14. Not in Rioting and Drunkenness not in Chambering and Wantonness not in Strife and Envying But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not Provision for the Flesh to fulfill the Lusts thereof With which his Heart was powerfully affected and touched to purpose [f] Nec ultra volui legere nec epus erat c. Jam liber erat animus meus à curis mordacibus ambiends acquirendi volutandi atque scalpendi scabiem libidinum Aug. Conf. l. 8. c. 12. §. 3. l. 9 c. 1. §. 2. I had no need to reade any further saies he How sweet and pleasant did I presently find it to want those trifling Pleasures of Sin How glad was I now to let go quite what a little before I was so much afraid to lose Thou didst make those seeming Sweetnesses vanish O Christ Jesus who art the true and highest Sweetness and didst come thy self in their Room and Stead sweeter than all the Pleasures in the World The Word of God's Grace is that holy * 1 Pet. 1.23 Seed of which you may be born again and is able when once you are truly converted from Sin and the World to God to †Acts 20.32 build you up and to give you an Inheritance among all them which are sanctified 3. Out reading the Scripture is a ready Way and proper Means of finding spiritual Peace and Comfort [g] Locus ille Pauli suit mihi verè porta Paradisi That Place of Paul was truly to me the Gate of Paradise So said Luther of the 17th Verse of the first Chapter to the Romans The Righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel from Faith to Faith as it is written The Just shall live by Faith Mr. Bilney or rather St. Bilney as [h] In his first Sermon before the Dutches of Suffolk fol. 5. Fox Act. and Mon. 2 v. p. 919. Father Latimer did not stick to stile him that holy and blessed Martyr of God that suffer'd Death for God's Word's sake was raised and revived cheered and refreshed by the 15th Verse of the first Chapter of the first to Timothy He confesses of himself
that when the New Testament was first set forth by Erasmus he was drawn to buy it more in consideration of the good Latine of that Edition than out of any regard to the Word of God of which he was utterly ignorant at that Time And by the Providence of God he fell at first reading on this Sentence This is a faithful Saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the World to save Sinners of whom I am chief [h] O mihi suavissimam Pauli sententiam Haec una serâ—â—â—ntia Deo iatus in corde meo docente sic exhilaravit pectus meum c. Biln ep ad Cutb. Tonstallum Lond. Episc Fox Act. Mon 2 v. p. 915. O this Saying of Paul was a sweet and comfortable Saying to me saies he This one Sentence God inwardly teaching and instructing me did so exhilarate and comfort my Heart which before was wounded and ready to despair through the Conviction and Sense I had of my Sins that I felt immediatly such a marvellous Tranquillity and Gladness within me that the Bones which had been broken did rejoice and from this Time the Scripture began to be sweeter to me than the Honey and the Honey-comb As Adam and Eve went about in vain to cover their Nakedness with their Fig-leaves and were never quieted till they had believed the Promise of God that the Seed of the Woman should break the Serpents Head so neither could I be healed saies he of the Stings and Bitings of my Sins before I was taught of God that Lesson of which Christ speaks Joh. 3.14 15. As Moses listed up the Serpent in the Wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal Life Thomas à Kempis is said to have uttered and to have written this Sentence in his Books [i] In omnibus requiem quaesivi sed nusquam inveni praeterquam in angulo cum libello S. Torshel exercit in Malach. I have sought for Rest every where but have found it no where except in a Corner alone with a little Book The Bible is that blessed Book which will either alone or above all other Books afford a suitable seasonable Rest unto our Souls And now these Things considered is it not well worth the while to bestow your Time and Pains in reading and studying the sacred Scriptures 3. It is moreover a Means and Help to the right redceming of our Time for the future For here in the Scripture we have the plainest Precepts given us to oblige us to take due Care of our Time the best Examples and worthiest Patterns of Redemption of Time set before us in the Servants of God and in the Son of God and have here afforded us the strongest Motives and Encouragements to it and the most prudent Instructions and proper Directions about it For all that has been hitherto discoursed concerning it has chiefly been fetch'd from and drawn out of the holy Scriptures And these divine and sacred Writings will not only teach and instruct you but also inwardly dispose and qualify sit and enable you to make the best Improvement of your remaining Time by converting and transforming regenerating and renewing purifying and sanctifying you By giving you a new Nature they will enable you to lead a new Life And therefore be sure to redeem some competent Time for reading of the Scripture that you may the better redeem the Remainder of your Time by reading of the Scripture The noble Aethiopian * Acts 8.28 Eunuch would lose no Time but as he was travelling and sitting in his Chariot he read Esaias the Prophet And as St. Chrysostom well notes if he was so religiously employed in a Journey what a diligent Student of the Scripture was he at home yea though he found what he then read to be to him difficult and [k] Quae aperta sunt in quibus mentem suam Deus aperit avidè prompto animo susâ—ipere decet quae adhuc nobis obscura sunt praeterire couvenit donec plentor lux affulgeat Quod si legendo non satigabimur fiet tandem ut scriptura assiduo usu familiaris nobis reddatur Calv. in loc obscure yet he would not lay that holy Book away which he did not at present well understand We must esteem reverently of the Word saies the judicious [l] Mr. Arthur Hildersam Lecture 1. on the Title of Psal 51. pag. 2. The obscurity of any Place should increase our Diligence in searching the meaning of it and teach us to acknowledg the necessity of a learned Ministry and of that Gift of Interpretation God hath given unto his Servants Act. 8.31 And to see the Necessity of joining with our reading humble Prayer unto God that he would open our Understanding Ps 119. 18. And cause us to come to the reading of the Word with an Heart that is humbled and fearful to offend God For the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant Ps 25.14 And this should move us to mark and lay up in our Hearts even those things which we understand not because they may do us good hereafter Luke 2.50 51. Joh. 2.22 Id. ib. pag. 2 3. Hildersam though we cannot at the first reading or hearing of it profit by it or discern what use it may serve us unto The Jews were so exactly versed in the Old Testament that [m] Contr. Appion l. 2. Josephus gives this Testimony of them Every one of our Nation being demanded of our Laws can answer as readily as he can tell his own Name * Acts 17.11 The Bereans are commended for spending their Time every Day in searching the Scriptures It is the honourable Character of Apollos that he was * Acts 18.24 mighty in the Scriptures one that had a great Insight and Skill in the Scriptures of the Old Testament But †Verse 26. Aquila and Priscilla ordinary Tent-makers had attained to such a measure of Knowledg in the Gospel that they were able to instruct an eloquent Apollos and to expound unto him the Way of God more perfectly ‖ 2 Tim. 3.15 Timothy had known the holy Scriptures from a Child Tertullian after his Conversion was taken up night and day in reading of the Scriptures and did with great Pains get much of them by heart and that so exactly that he knew each Period Origen having this daily Task set him by his Father to rehearse unto him some Portion of Scripture He though a Child not only committed the Words unto his Memory but inquired into the Sense and Meaning of them and diverse Times would gravel his Father with the Questions which he propounded to him And when he was grown to riper Years he spent much of the Night in meditating on the holy Scriptures [n] Quis sic universam divinam Scripturam edidicit imbibit concoxit versavit meditatus est Erasm ep
is the sincere Milk and strong Meat by which you may grow and be daily nourished the Wine with which you may be refreshed when weak the Physick with which you may be cured when sickâ— the Sword of the Spirit with which you may defend your selves when assaulted and resist and repel your spiritual Enemies Will you not readily and gladly repair to the Precepts which counsel you in all your Doubts and quicken you in all your Deadness and get and keep a spiritual Acquâ—lâ—tance with those exceeding great and precious Pronâ—â—ses that strengthen and stay relieve and refresh support and comfort you in all your Sorrow and Afflictions Troubles and Trials Dejection and Heart-breakings Disquietments and Discouragements Me-thinks a Man should never take up the Bible when he reads in private but with the greatest Comfort and Joy that can be and should say within himself Here 's that which very plainly proposeth the most excellent End and withal the most proper and sure Means to reach and attain it which clearly holds forth a sufficient Rule of Faith and Life which plentifully affords me most admirable Precepts and most select exact Patterns of exercising Graces and performing Duties most rare Exemplars of strong believing and holy Living Here 's that which contains the grand Charter of all my Spiritual and Heavenly Priviledges Here 's that that keeps me from Horrour and Despair notwithstanding all my Sin and Guilt Here 's that that teaches me how to live and that makes me able to think of Death without sinking and dying at the Thoughts of it Here 's that that makes me hold my Head above Water in the blackest Hour and saddest Condition that can befal me Love and delight in the Scriptures chiefly and especially for their Sanctity and Purity because they reveal and discover the holy Nature and Law of God the Necessity and Beauty of Holiness the Evil and Folly and Danger of Sin and are apt to win and draw us off from Sin and to bring us to a real universal Conformity to the Will of God and to a Participation of the Divine Nature an happy Participation of God's Holiness And apply thy self to the daily reading and diligent studying of the holy Scriptures with a sincere Desire to [b] This is the thankful Glass that mends the Lookers Eyes this is the VVell that washes what it shews Herb. Poem H. Script be made really holy in Heart and Life by them to be transform'd and renewed assimilated and made like to God by them to be conformed to Scripture-Precepts and Examples and to gain a Frame of Heart and a Conversation and Course of Life every way becoming the Gospel of Christ Whenever thou takest the Bible into thy Hand to reade a Chapter or any Portion of Scripture lift up thy Heart to God and say Now let me be made * Jo. 15.3 clean through the Word which thou shalt speak unto me Now let me be †17.17 sanctified through thy Word of Truth and Holiness Now let me gain some Degree of Grace and make some Improvement and Proficiency in Holiness by thy holy Word by this sacred Writ Allot and allow and ordinarily employ some Portion of Time every day for reading and considering the holy Scriptures If we don't in a manner task our selves usually to observe some certain set Times for this Use and Purpose our slothful Hearts will easily admit yea catch at any trifling Excuse to put by the Performance of this Duty and by Degrees we shall be drawn to an habitual Neglect of it We should therefore charge and enjoin our selves not to dispense with our stated Hours but upon very necessary and just Occasions and in such Cases be very careful that what we were forc'd to omit at such a Time we faithfully and honestly endeavour to supply and make up another It is convenient to reade commonly if it may be some portion of Scripture every Morning and every Evening [c] Luxin's Introduct to the holy Script p. 28. A worthy Divine well observes that our reading some Scripture in the Morning will be a good Antidote against the Infection of those Corruptions which we live amongst and is apt to fortify us against the Temptations of the ensuing Day as those who live where there is any Contagion do usually drink something in the Morning to prevent Infection And our reading Scripture in the Evening will be a means to compose our Minds and furnish us with matter of Meditation for the Night-season as Cattel feed towards the Evening that they may have something to ruminate or chew over again when they lie down to take their Rest That nothing may prove an Hindrance and impediment in this Employment 1. Redeem the Time from unnecessary wordly Businesses Nay let no ordinary Occasions of your Calling make you generally careless and negligent of the sacred Scriptures Do not idly pretend want of Leisure to reade the weightiest Matters in the World things of greatest Importance and nearest Concernment to your immortal Souls They that enjoy much Leisure from worldly Assairs God expects that such should employ and bestow more of their Time in this spiritual Exercise Yet they that have fullest Business and fewect Spare-hours cannot wholly be exempted from this Duty 'T is very remarkable that the * Deut. 17.18 19 20. King himself was expresly commanded to write him a Copy of the Law in a Book to write out the Book of Deuteronomy which is a Compendium of the Law yea to write out the whole Pentateuch saies [d] Totum Pentateuchum tenebatur describere primùm ut Israel ta quivis deinde iterum ut Rex ut sciret in privatis in publicis negotiis Legem sibi sequendam Sic legere eam debebat sibi peivatim in Templo audiente populo ut sciret populus neminem à lege excipi Grot. in loc Grotius to write it with his own Hand saies Philo that the divine Precepts might be the better imprinted and fastened in his Mind It was to be with him and he was to reade therein all the Daies of his Life notwithstanding the Multiplicity and Greatness of the Affairs of his Kingly Office 2. Redeem the Time from fruitless Pleasures from Play-Books Romances Fansyful Poems feigned Stories common Histories witty or elegant Speeches Never suffer these or the like to fill your Hands to entertain your Eyes to please your Phansies to get into your Hearts so as to keep the sacred Scriptures and divine Oracles out of your Hands and Hearts Alexander would find Time to reade Homer even in the Camp and chose to lay up Homer's Poems in a most precious Casket taken out of the Spoils of Darius And the Emperour Aelius Verus was so in love with Ovid de arte amandi as to reade it in his Bed and to lay it under his Pillow when he went to sleep But these were utterly ignorant of the Scriptures O let not us Christians have
which are of so strange and weighty an importance that the * 1 Pet. 1 1◠Angels themselves desire [o] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 'T is an Allusion to the Cherubims which were made with their Eyes looking down towards the Mercy-Seat slooping down to look to peep and pry into them In gaining Knowledg and Understanding of the Wisdome Counsel Mind and Will of God In acquainting our selves with the Rule of our Lives in learning the Laws of the Kingdome and studying the Statutes of Heaven in using the Means of getting and growing in saving Grace in opening and reading our Elder Brother's Will and Testament in sucking those full Breasts of strong Consolation and in drawing the refreshing Water of Life out of those Wells of Salvation Let it be the shame and sorrow and trouble of our Souls that we have been careless of the Scriptures in any part of our whole Lives [p] In his Life written by Mr. W. Durham p. 2. Dr. Robert Harris President of Trinity-Colledg in Oxford was not a little afflicted to his dying day that even in his Childhood he was more willing of play than of reading the Scriptures to his pious Parents at their Call And let 's lament and sadly lay to heart the slight Thoughts that too many have of the holy Scriptures and their gross neglect and great disregard of the precious and venerable Book of God Mr. Fuller in his [p] Pag. 148. History of the University of Cambridge does give us a Relation of an excellent Meditation of the Reverend Dr. Richard Holdesworth which the Relater himself heard drop from him a little before his expiring I admire saies he at David 's gracious Heart who so often in Scripture but especially in the 119th Psalm extolleth the Worth and Value of the Word of God and yet Quantillum Scripturae how little of the Word had they in that Age the Pentateuch or five Books of Moses the Book of Job and some of the Hagiography a little of other holy Writ How much have we now thereof since the accession of the Prophets but especially of the New Testament and yet alas the more we have of the Word of God the less it is generally regarded Lastly let 's do our honest and utmost endeavour to win and draw others on to the Love and Liking to the Reading and Studying of the sacred Scriptures * Deut. 6.6 7. Let them be in thine Heart and teach them diligently unto thy Children and talk of them when thou sittest in thine House and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thon risest up †4.9 Teach them thy Sons and thy Son's Sons ‖ Gen. 18.19 Command thy Children and engage thy Houshold and Servants to reade the Scriptures and to mind what they reade and allow them Time for so necessary a Duty and let not any in thy Family want a Bible for their Use and Benefit [q] The Life of Dr. Rob. Harris written by Mr. W. Durham pag. 57. In all the Wills made by the forementioned Dr. Robert Harris this Legaey was alwaies renewed Item I bequeath to all my Children and their Childrens Children to each of them a Bible with this Inscription None but Christ The eighth Direction If we would effectually redeem the Time we must give our selves to frequent and serious [a] Meditatio soror lectionis nutrix orationis directrix oporis emntumque pariter perfectio consummatrix Gerson Meditation Meditation is more excellent than mere Study for the End of Meditation is not the filling our Heads with Notions but the quickening of our Affections and strengthning of our Resolutions the warming of our Hearts and putting them upon Duty the bringing them to an inward lively Sense of God to the Love and Fear of God to Thankfulness and Obedience to him to the Enjoyment of him and Fellowship and Communion with him Let 's use and inure our selves [b] See Dr. T. Goodwin of the Vanity of Thoughts pag. 8 9 10. to raise and extract holy Observations and spiritual Considerations from all ordinary Occurrences and Occasions and as the Bee sucks Honey out of every Flower let 's endeavour to distil heavenly and savory sweet and useful Meditations out of all God's Dealings with us and Dispensations towards us out of all Accidents that befall us or any about us out of the Things we see hear or hear of and out of all the Objects that any way come into our Thoughts This was the Practice of our blessed Saviour when he came to * Joh. 4. a Well he took occasion to discourse of the Water of Life And this has likewise been the Vsage of the most eminent practical Christians The Reverend and holy [c] His Life among Clark's Lives of ten em Div. p. 166 167. Mr. Jeremy Whitaker as he was riding with one of his intimate Friends by Tiburn which he had not seen or not observ'd before he asked what that was and being answered that it was Tiburn where so many Malefactors had lost their Lives he stop'd his Horse and utter'd these Words with much Affection O what a shame is it that so many thousands should die for the Satisfaction of their Lusts and so few be found willing to lay down their Lives for Christ Why should not we in a good Cause and upon a good Call be ready to be hanged for Jesus Christ It would be an everlasting Honour and it is a thousand times better to die for Christ to be hanged or to be burn'd for Christ than to die in our Beds When we are riding walking sitting alone in the day time or when we are awake in the night season let us commune with our own Hearts and fill up such spaces of Time and employ such Spare-Hours in holy Thoughts of the best Things yea let us set some Time apart for the solemn Duty of Meditation That which comes into our Souls by Meditation is like a Shower of Snow which falls soft and sinks deep 'T is a good Saying of St. Austin Intellectus cogitabundus principium omnis boni A thinking Mind is a Principle productive of all good [d] Dr. Annesly M. E. Serm. i. p. 9. The Father of a Prodigal lying on his Sick and Death-bed straitly charg'd his only Son that he would spend a Quarter of an Hour every day in serious solitary Thoughts leaving to himself the particular Subject of his retired Meditation The Son accordingly following this Advice at last cast in his Thoughts what might be his Father's Intention in such Injunction He concluded that his Father being a wise and a good Man designed to direct and lead his Thoughts to the consideration of somewhat of Religion which did so mightily operate upon him that he quickly became rationally religious Upon all Occasions particularly and especially often meditate and frequently think of the four last Things Death Judgment Heaven and Hell the serious Thoughts of which
think yet farther That it will be an Act of Justice for God to do this That though he Sin yet he does not revoke the Sentence but in due Time will execute Judgment and Vengeance upon it for the first Sin that Man committed and for all the rest that have been acted in it That Man not only being a Tenant at will but having unworthily broken his Covenant and forfeited his Possession by breaking the Articles of his Lease his Lord at last will turn him out of Doors or rather pull down his House about his Ears and not suffer it to be alwaies a Nest of Rebels and Covenant-breakers That this World the Creature made for the Use of Man being defiled and abused by him to serve him in his Sin when the Sins of the Inhabitants of the Earth as of the * Gen. 15.16 Amorites of old shall arrive to a * Gen. 15.16 Fulness when once the rebellious Generations of Adam shall have fill'd up the Measure of their Iniquities and are ripe for Judgment the Day of Dissolution will then certainly come called expresly †2 Pet. 3 7. the Day of Judgment and Perdition of ungodly Men That then the wicked and abominable Men shall be burnt in the Place of their Wickedness and the Objects and Instruments of their Sin shall be destroyed with them and become the Instruments of their Punishment For so the Garden of Eden wherein Man was at first plac'd was destroyed and defac'd when once he had sinned in it And what more usual even among Men than to order the Execution of notorious Malefactors in the Places where they have committed their Wickedness and to sentence the Houses wherein themselves and their Families liv'd to be demolished ‖ Dan. 3.29 Their Houses shall be made a Dunghill You have heard of great and terrible Fires in the World and of famous Cities consum'd thereby and have seen not many Years since the devouring desolating Flames of London the Metropolis and chief City of our Nation But think with thy self that all this is nothing at all to that great Fire which one Day God will kindle at once setting Heaven and Earth in a Flame together Let me here assist your Meditation by proposing and presenting to you a notable Description given by a very learned [k] Dr. More 's Myst of Godl p. 238. Concerning the Partibility of the Conflagration of the Earth See there Book 6 c. 7 8. Doctor of the general and final Conflagration of the Earth Christ will cause saies he such an universal Thunder and Lightning that it shall rattle over all the Quarters of the Earth rain down burning Comets and falling Stars and discharge such Claps of unextinguishable Frie that it will do sure Execution wherever it falls so that the Ground being excessively heated those subterraneous Mines of combustible Matter will also take Fire which inflaming the inward Exhalations of the Earth will cause a terrible Murmur under Ground so that the Earth will seem to thunder against the tearing and ratling of the Heavens and all will be fill'd with sad remugient Echo's Earth-quakes and Eruptions of Fire there will be every where and whole Cities and Countries swallowed down by the vast gapings and wide Divulsions of the Ground And this fiery Vengeance shall be so thirsty that it shall drink deep of the very Sea nor shall the Water quench her devouring Appetite but excite it Wherefore the great Channel of the Sea shall be left dry and all Rivers shall be turned into Smoak and Vapour so that the whole Earth shall be inveloped in one entire Cloud of an unspeakable Thickness which shall cause more than an Egyptian Darkness clammy and palpable to be felt which added to this choaking Heat and Stench will compleat this External Hell Consider how the Scripture testifies that God will do this and the Power of God assures us that he can do it for nothing is hard or difficult to him much less impossible Think of the Creation God's raising and building this Frame of the World out of nothing and reason thus with thy self Cannot he that made it by the Word of his Power easily dissolve it And argue further in this manner Cannot he that destroyed the old World by a Floud of Waters destroy this by Fire and cause this to die of a Feaver as the did of a Dropsy Cannot he that turned Sodom and Gomorrah into Ashes do the like with the World it self also Is not he that made Mount Sinai shake and smoak at the giving of the Law able to dissolve all these Things The close and intent Meditation of this general Dissolution will clearly convince thee that Sin is an evil and a bitter Thing and will move thee to hate and abhor to shun and avoid Sin which is of a Nature so mischievous and destructive which is the meritorious procuring Cause of so dreadful a Judgment which not only of old brought the Floud of Water upon the World of the Vngodly and forced down Gehennam de Coelo as Salvian speaks caused God to rain Hell-sire and Brimstone from Heaven * Jude 7. 2 Pet. 2.5 6. upon Sodom and Gamorrah and miserably destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and turned their fruitful Land into a barren Wilderness but will one Day set this World on fire and put it in a flame and turn this stately Structure and beautiful Frame into a rude confused Chaos The deep and earnest Thoughts of this will affect and influence thy Heart and Life and quicken thee exceedingly to all Sincerity Diligence and Zeal in the Exercise of Godliness to an holy Fear and Aw of him who can and will destroy the World 'T will constrain thee to use the Words of the Apostle and to say in good Sadness * 2 Pet. 3.11 Seeing then that all these Things shall be dissolved what manner of Person ought I to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness Seeing this Destruction shall thus involve all what an engagement does this lay upon me to live the most pure strict Life that ever Man liv'd It will incite thee by a constant course of true Piety wisely to provide for thy Escape in that Day to save and secure thy self from the Evil and Danger of it that thou maiest not be undone by this general Dissolution nor suffer Loss in this Conflagration nor perish in this Burning 'T will put thee in mind to sit thy self for this Day of Dissolution of all Things by getting the Works of the Devil throughly dissolved in thee and the Kingdom of God set up and established in thy Soul The due Consideration of this general Dissolution and final Conflagration will certainly keep thee from setting thy Heart inordinately upon any outward earthly Things from heaping up Treasure to thy self here from dreaming that any of thy Houses here shall continue for ever from having unlimited everlasting Affections for flitting fugitive transitory Things for the World the †1
one another's sinning and to promote the Work of Grace and Holiness in one another's Hearts Take Occasion to warm not so much one another's Houses as one another's Hearts Visit one another in the Evening meet together and confer one with another at leisure hours and on daies of Recreation * Mal. 3.16 Speak often one to another concerning the things that belong to the Peace of one another's Souls and concern the Conditiion of the Church of Christ Build up †Jude 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one another on your most holy Faith ‖ 1 Thess 5.11 Comfort your selves together and edify one another (*) Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another daily while it is called To day Let your Exhortation be mutual and reciprocal frequent and continual seasonable and speedy lest any of you be hardened through the Deceitfulness of Sin Take the first Opportunity of dealing with thy Friend as the case and need of his Soul requires lest Death remove him unexpectedly out of the reach of thy Charity to all Eternity Consider with thy self that should thy Companion live longer yet he may continue in the omission of some Duty because you only purpose to put him upon it Or he may go on in the commission of some Sin grow more and more in Love with it and fall more under the Power of it because you have only some thought and intention to turn him from it Support preserve and keep one another from falling and in the Spirit of Meekness raise and recover (†) Gal. 6.1 restore and (‖) Jam 5.19 convert one another when overtaken and fallen in any degree and measure either into Sin or Errour * Le◠19 17. Hate not your Friend or Brother in your Heart in any wise rebuke your Neighbour and never suffer Sin upon him when you find him offending against God or Man And * Mat. 18.15 if a Friend or Brother shall plainly trespass against thee go and tell him his Fault between thee and him alone not seeming to reproach him by chiding and reprehending him in publick nor offering to back-bite him by talking privately to others against him †Col. 3.16 Rom. 15 14. Teach and admonish one another and let it appear that you practise your own Precepts and take your selves the Counsel you give to others Follow Tertullian's excellent Advice [p] Oportet constantiam commenend proprtie conversationis autheritate dertgere ne icta faciis aesictent thus crubescant Tert. de patientia initio strengthen your friendly Admonition and Exhortation with the Authority of your own Conversation that your want of Deeds may not make you blush at your own Words and let me add that your Friend and Companion may not neglect and reject your Sayings because he knows too well your Doings As oftentimes you thrust away the good Light of a Candle for the ill savour which the stinking Tallow yields Let none have reason to retort and say ‖ Luke 4.23 Physician heal thy self (*) Rom. 2 21. Thou which teachest another teachest thou not thy self What Mr. Herbert speaks of Ministers may be sitly accommodated to the Exhortations and Admonitions of Christian Friends [q] The Windows Doctrine and Life Colours and Light in one When they combine and mingle bring A strong Regard and Aw but Speech alone Doth vanish like a flaring thing And in the Ear not Conscience ring (†) Heb 10 24. Consider one another to provoke unto Love and to good Works or to [r] Dr. Ham of frat Admon or Correp p. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sharpen or provoke in one another Charity and good or laudable Works You are apt to forget and prone to neglect your selves you have need enough of one anothers spiritual Care and Help 't is necessary that others should watch and observe incite and assist you be at some trouble and take some pains with you your own and others Consideration and Provocation of you is little enough to stir and move you Ponder and [s] Dr. Hum. Par. in loc weigh all Advantages that you can have one upon another to excite and extimulate to engage and quicken one another to the Exercise of Charity and all Actions of Piety whensoever you find any thing of fainting or growing cold in one another Search and enquire into one anothers spiritual Estates mind and study the Cases and Conditions of one anothers Souls the Causes and Cures of one another spiritual Distempers Be very solicitous for one anothers present and future Good carefully consult the spiritual Prosperity and eternal Welfare of one another Consider one another to provoke one another not to Sin and Wickedness to Vanity and Folly to uncertain Opinions to Faction and Division to Siding and Party-taking not to that which is highly provoking but exceeding well-plealing to God not to Wrath but to Love not to Evil but to Good Works Consider and provoke one another not as the Devil considers and provokes Men by his Temptations but as God considers and provokes Men who watches over us continually prevents us daily with his Grace strengthens us against Temptations affords us his Counsel instils many good Motions into our Minds and often incites and stirs us up to the Duties incumbent on us And as Christ consider'd and provoked Sinners when he was here on Earth to Faith and Repentance good Works and Obedience who went about doing Good doing good to Mens Souls as well as Bodies who freely convers'd with them frequently instructed them affectionately exhorted them powerfully press'd them plainly reprov'd them was grieved for the Hardness of their Hearts lamented and wept over their Impenitency and Insidelity Consider thy Companion at such a season when it is most likely that he may consider what you say to him Provoke him to Good when in all probability it may do most good Remember to consider and provoke one another in a serious manner Never offer to utter a few cold dull dead Words between Jest and Earnest but earnestly perswade and pathetically expostulate one with another and let one another plainly see that every Application does arise and proceed from Love and Compassion and that it is the Desire of your Souls to save one another's Souls Let your Words be as * Eccl. 12.1 Goads as the Wise Man speaks to prick one another forward in the way of Religion Instead of detaining one another unnecessarily from the Publick Assembly stir up one another with an holy Zeal and say one to another in the Words of the Prophet * Zech. 8.21 Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of Hosts I will go also Be not Quench-coals but as live Coals begetting Heat in those that are next you Let Christian Acquaintance use their utmost Endeavours to bring one another more acquainted with God and with their own spiritual States and Conditions Let Christian Neighbours study
did so early and so solemnly dedicate our selves Souls Bodies and Interests to God and vow to give our Time and Opportunities to his Service We are in Justice obliged to keep this Promise to pay this Vow which if we fail to do we are miserably perjured and forsworn 2. And then for the other Sacrament that of the Lord's Supper In our preparations for the receiving of it we have it may be searched and tried proved and examined our selves inquired into our hearts and waies taken special notice of many passages of our misled Lives and mis-spent Time seriously considered our many partial Covenant-breaches renew'd and repeated our Baptismal-contract with God and our Lord Jesus Christ determined to mortify those hateful Sins which crucisied our Saviour setled our purposes of returning to our Duty with greater care and diligence than ever strengthned and reinforced our Covenant of reforming our Lives and redeeming our Time and resolved upon a stricter Observance of God's Laws for the rest of our daies And at every time of our participation of the holy Communion we openly offer'd and publickly presented ourselves our Souls and Bodies to be a reasonable holy and lively Sacrifice unto God O let 's remember and stand to our Word and take care in God's Fear through Christ strengthning us to perform the Covenant we have so often ratified and frequently reiterated 2. And then again When God hath roused and startled us by some awakening Ordinance or Providence When some * Mark 3.17 Son of Thunder has plainly preach'd as if Death were at our backs which was the Character King James once gave of a lively Minister that preached before himself Or when some affectionate zealous Ambassadour of Christ coming to us in the Spirit of St. Paul has so convincingly reason'd of the Judgment to come and brought his Discourse so close and home to our very Consciences as to cause us to tremble again with Felix we then came to sudden Resolutions and speedy Purposes of Emendation of our Waies Or when at any time God has cast us upon Beds of Sickness brought us to the very brink of Death the very Mouth of the Grave when Friends and Physicians have been doubtful of our Lives when all our own Hopes of Life sickned and died when our Souls have almost sat upon our Lips O then what [a] Si aliqua nos aegritudo corripiat si signa aegritudinis vicinam mortem denuncient inducias vivendi quaerimus ut peccata nostra desleamus eas cum magno aestu desiderit setimus quas acceptas modô pro nihilo habemus Gregor Homil. 12. in Euang. fair and large Promises and specious goodly Resolutions have we made if God should ever restore us lend longer Life to us and try and trust us once again to become new Men to turn over a new Leaf to lead a new Life to improve our Time to all possible Advantage to do God more Service in a Day than we did him in a Month before Have we not been sometimes so sick that we verily concluded we were really seized by the Arrest of Death and seemed to hear God saying to us in particular * Luke 16.2 Give an account of thy Stewardship for thou maiest be no longer Steward and thought of nothing but the tolling of the Bell and expected some of us that the several parts of us within a few daies or hours should be shared and divided between the Grave and Hell Then we experienced in our selves Philosophantes metus aegrae fortunae sana consilia to use the elegant expressions of the most ingenious [b] Sen. ep 94. in fine Nam quasi ista inter se contraria sint bona fortuna mens bona ita melius in malis sapimus secunda rectum auferunt Ibid. Moralist Then our Fears read Lectures of Philosophy Lectures of Divinity to us and the sad and sorrowful circumstances of a sick and declining and dangerous condition did minister salutary Counsels and healthful Advices to us Let 's recollect and remember what were our serious secret Thoughts the inward workings of our Hearts the lively stirrings of our Consciences yea our open Confessions free Professions and large Promises and Protestations at such a time as that Men are too commonly of a Temper much like that of Naevolus in Martial of whom we find there this [c] Securo nihil est te Naevole pejus eodem Sollicito nihil est Naevole te melius c. Esto Naevole sollicitus Martial l 4. Epigr. 83. Character that when he was secure and prosperous none was more arrogant and insolent but when he was solicitous and press'd with care none was more modest and humble and of better condition and carriage than he We generally appear sensible and serious ready to reform and forward to enter into Vows and Engagements in Affliction and Adversity in grievous Calamities and deep Distresses and to do this especially when confin'd to our Chambers by malignant Distempers violent or painful Diseases and forced by Sickness to take and to keep our Beds Plinius Secundus writing to his Friend Maximus acquaints him with this observation of his The late languishing Condition of a Friend of mine taught me thus much saies he that we are usually [d] Optimos esse nos dum insirmi sumus best when we are sick and weak for what infirm sick Person is amorous or lascivious ambitious of Honour or covetous of Riches How little soever such a Person possesses he reckons he has enough because he supposes he must shortly relinquish what ever he has Then a Man remembers that there is a God saies he and that he himself is but a Man Then he envies admires despises no body then he does not hearken to nor feed upon uncharitable Discourses nor is he malicious or injurious to any but only designs if he should continue longer in the World to lead an innocent and a happy Life And he ends that notable Epistle with this very wise and wholsome Counsel What Philosophers endeavour to deliver in many Words and Volumes * Vt tales esse sani perseveremus quales nos futuros profitemur infirmi Plin. l 7. Ep. 26. that I may thus briefly hint by way of Instruction to thee and to myself saies he * Ps 85.8 That we continue to be such when we are well as we promise we will be when we are sick When Sigismund the Emperour enquired of the Bishop of Colen what he should do to be happy eternally he only advised him to take care to live as he promised to do the last time he had the Gout or Stone O let 's but pay our Sick-bed Vows and we shall redeem the Time indeed Let 's be the [e] Ille promissum suum implevit qui cùm videas illum cùm audias idem est Sen. ep 75. same when our Actions are seen as when our Words are heard Let 's never offer when we recover