that 't is a most dreadfull calamity to want them But this is no argument against what I have undertaken to prove seeing God hath not left himself without witness towards all so as they are without excuse upon this account viz. Because they neglected and no way improv'd the talents with which they were entrusted God as we see gives some persons more wit and others more wealth c. yet they who have less are liable to accounts for what they have because it is a trust though less than some others have As for others who are not as the Gentiles nor as Infants one would think the case as to them were much clearer For they have means as much as any ever had and yet even these have somewhat to say for themselves Obj. True we have the Gospel Preached to us and plenty of precious means as you call them to know Christ But to what purpose so long as we are one way or other shut out so as not one nor all nor any of these means shall ever have any effect on us for our salvation For this purpose they alledge 1. An absolute and irrecoverable decree of God that shuts out more than shall be received in 2. The narrowing of Christs death by some as to the extent of it that a great many may well think themselves uncapable of any benefit by it 3. The lamentable estate of all men since Adams fall under an invincible inability to recover themselves from that estate more than a dead man hath to raise and lift himself out of the dust These are the stumbling blocks which too many lay in heavens way to hinder their own salvation and I cannot pass them by without using my endeavours to remove them For these have been and still are unhappy occasions to many of putting off all the blame from themselves yea and obliquely by consequence at least to charge God himself In answering these objections I am no way bound to engage in the controversies that still are among the learned nor shall I resolve one way or other to the prejudice of any party but leave them to end their quarrels as they can All the business I have to do is to apply my self to the capacities and if the Lord so please to resolve the doubts of those that understand nothing or very little of these matters more than to make them so many stumbling-blocks to hinder themselves and others in their way to heaven and sad occasions of blessing themselves in their own hearts whiles they walk on in their own imaginations to adde drunkenness to thirst And now I come to Particulars after I have premised this one thing in general viz. That let the decrees of God be as absolute as any of the learned have made them or the death of Christ as much narrowed in the extent of it as ever it hath been by any yet my conclusion will stand firm that men only are wanting to themselves and no charge in the least can justly be laid upon God Sol. 1. In answering the first objection from Gods absolute decrees I shall say enough in this that they are to us secret things and cannot be known by us till the event declare them We will suppose every mans name who is certainly and infallibly ordained to eternal life to be recorded and all and every of themâ— and no other to be saved This I say we suppose resolving nothing in the question But this I say too that if this be granted yet there will be no excuse by it for any ungodly men And my reason is this Because no man can know himself left out of that Book of Life till he comes to lye down under the power of death and so be past all possibility of working out his salvation Whatever is said in Scripture of Gods electing some and leaving others take it in the strictest and most rigid sense of any certainly no part of holy writ hath revealed to us who those men are so as we can know them The day is yet to come when the books of Gods decrees shall be opened The written Word of God serves only to shew the revealed will of God which if any man without all exception be carefull to observe he is sure of eternal Life unless God fail of his promise which indeed he cannot do Gods decrees are his arcana imperii mysteries of state not to be pried into but in all humility to be ador'd because though never so secret yet they are alwaies most righteous In Kingdomes and Commonwealths on earth Subjects have nothing to do with reasons of State but are bound to obey the known Laws which if they be careful to observe they may justly expect to lead a peaceable and quiet life The Lord hath shewn thee O man what is good and what he requireth of thee Be carefull to do this and thou needst take no other care for thy Salvation thou mayst assure thy self that thy name is written in the book of life And for thy fuller assurance consider what is clearly revealed in Scripture viz. that the sentence of Life and Death shall pass at the last day only according to what men have done with respect to Gods Commandments Hence we read so often in Scripture of Gods rewarding men according to their works and according to what they have done in the body I need not quote the several Texts that are to this purpose The grand inquest at the great day of the Lord will not be Whether thou art elected or not but whether thou hast observed to do as God hath commanded thee If thou hast received the Lord Jesus Christ as he is tendered to thee in the Gospel and hast denied all ungodliness and worldlly lusts and lived soberly and righteously and godly in this present world there will be no question of thy Salvation in the world to come Sol. 2. I answer yet further that Gods decrees be they never so absolute and infallible do no way in the least infringe the liberty of second causes but men act as freely in all they do as if there were no decrees at all Suppose there was a decree of Adams fall we assert nothing but only suppose it yet Adam was at liberty whether to stand or fall 'T was never said by any sober man that there was ever any decree more than of permitting the fall of man For certain God did not force him to fall or cast him down but he might have stood if he would himself The Reverend and learned Davenant with others so resolves That man fell according to Gods decree but not because of it And the Schoolmen resolve unanimously That Gods decrees do not infringe mans liberty Suppose again all the actions of men to be under a decree yet no man hath said that mens actions good and bad are alike under it For if they were no man could possibly clear God from being the Author of sin But there
patience inherited the promises They stood not arguing and whartling as many now do putting questions and framing exceptions to excuse themselves from necessary duties and to gain a little allowance to their fleshly desires They were not frighted out of Gods way by Bugg-bears of their own fancies no nor by reall fears and expectations of the greatest hazards You never read in Scripture that they made Queries about Gods Decrees or resolved as some do that if they were elected they should be saved however or that if Christ died not for them there was no hope You never read that any of those who are now in Heaven reasoned thus That they could do nothing of themselves and therefore would sit still and fashion themselves to this World because if God had any grace or mercy in store for them they should be sure to have it in his time though they never sought after it Did any of them do thus and let all the care of their Salvation lie somewhere else without ever looking after it Where do you read these things or who told you so that others may learn and know as much as you I have read much of their faith and patience and patient continuance in well-doing and how by these they possessed the Kingdom prepared for them through the grace of him that is Heir of all things But amongst them all I read not of one that took the course that so many do now adayes They were all of them humble Souls submissive in all things to the wills of God and resolv'd to walk with God in the midst of all the ungodly ones amongst whom they liv'd They denied themselves many of them to the very death and took joyfully the spoyling of their goods and would not renounce the wayes of God for all that a wicked World could do unto them or lay upon them This I say this was the way wherein they went to Heaven and they that know of any other way thither than that of Self-denial and crucifying the flesh with the affections and lusts have made a discovery such as none who are now in Heaven could make before them What remains then but that we tread in their steps do and suffer as they did if we are call'd to it and so wait for our happiness and try if we fare not as well as others that went before us 'T is sad to think how most men fool themselves out of all their hopes by their dallying about their greatest and only concernments and flatter themselves to their destruction by conceits and fancies of their own framing The way to Heaven is now as open as ever it shall be till Christs coming again and the Doctrine of our Salvation as much cleared up in all particulars as nothing can stumble us if we will but lay aside our peevish and froward humours Were we but once resolved to deny our selves and to follow Christ where-ever he goes before us whatever the way be fair or foul the work is done we need make no other question There 's as good security as can be given and we may safely build upon it But alas It is not so with us as it was with the Saints who are now in Heaven We stand blessing our selves in our own way be it never so bad and think we do well in all we do though all Scripture and Reason be against it This is the trade that Sinners drive as the Devil would have them and their own hearts incline and carry them The Devil you must know ever since he undid himself hath made it his business to undoe all the World of mankind as much as in him lieth And he is now as hard at work as ever he was and drives as great a trade for gaining Souls to himself as ever he did And what is his way to cheat the World and gull men of all they have worth saving or losing Truly the very same or very like to that which I have before discoursed He cannot by all the arts and methods he useth heighten mens sinfull corruption to the same degree of malice and madness against God that himself is guilty of But yet he hath a way that serves his turn to bring men into the same place of torment with himself for ever And what way is it It iâ— even this and no other viz. To keep men in a perswasion that their way is good and that they have no such enmity in their hearts against God as some charge them with but that they love him and all his Commandments truly and do the best they can to chuse the best way to their everlasting happiness And these conceits are strong in those that have them so as it is no easie matter to convince them of the contrary These they nourish and cherish even when they are in wayes of all ungodliness running headlong to their own destruction Now my desire is to reason the case a little further with these men and try if God may be pleased to give them Repentance that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil 1. And First I ask them If Turks and Infidel Iews are not as much perswaded that their several respective wayes are good yea and better than any other Yea do not all men of what Sort and Sect soever though never so vile and vicious and barbarous perswade themselves that their way is good Can you light on Man Woman or Child that will not say They hope to be saved and the way they take whatever it be is as they think the ready way to Heaven Nay if you tell them they are in the broad way towards Hell will they not be ready to flie in your face and say You do them wrong Yet no sober man will say That all and every one of these is in the right but many of them whoever they be are quite beside the way to Heaven 2. I ask If any of all those Persons and Parties which are numerous and various do not so farr allow of their own respective wayes as to abhorr the different wayes that others take and count them accursed of God for abusing themselves in their mistaken wayes as to undoe their Souls for ever Do not Turks and Iews condemn all Christians to the Pit of Hell And I know but few others that are better minded towards all that are not of their own way Papists say for certain There 's no Salvation for any out of their Church And the vilest of men amongst us spare not to pass sentence upon others that dare not be so vile as themselves Now when God shall come to judge all will he think you allow of every plea that shall be made by every one of these and say Well done You are all my faithfull Servants Will he commend and reward all according as they all perswaded themselves that their way was good No certainly he will not so acquit the wicked World that condemn all besides themselves and their
my self with the bare naming of them 1 st For the First I say That the wayes wherein Atheists have gone about to undermine Scripture-Authority and so overthrow all Religion are contrary to sound Reason For is it not more rational in us to believe That one Eternal Infinite Beeing made this whole frame of Heaven and Earth than to fancy an empty infinite Space and an infinite number of Atomes coursing up and down in it and by a fortuitoâ— concourse as it were by hap-hazard no sobeâ— man can imagine how to fall into order anâ— so produce this frame of the World as now we see it I shall not dispute in the case but onâ—â— appeal to the judgement of any man that 's sobeâ— and in his senses which of those two is most creâ—dible to the apprehension of Reason And is noâ— our Faith of one eternal God as rational as â—â—thers conceit of an eternal Pre-existent matteâ—â— Not to say How precarious the Principles of â—â—thers that are against us are I add How absurd and unreasonable they are to the apprehension of any sober intelligent man and farr more incredible and improbable than what we believe of the Worlds Creation according to the written Word Let those who count so light of Scripture-Doctrine and set so highly by some alery Speculations and Notions whether of old or of late cryed up shew us somewhat more rational than what is Scriptural And whether the Phylosophy of Moses c. be not as agreeable to any sober mans reason as any opposition of Science which by some is so much admired It is not my design to engage with such Notionists who had best deal first with others that have said enough I think it enough to declare that they have done little to satisfie the sober reason of intelligent men For I say again Let all be weighed not in the ballance of the Sanctuary which they sufficiently slight but by the standard of true Reason and if they be not found too light I grant they have said somewhat to their purpose There is a World fram'd and constituted as we see and a dispute there hath been and I think still is with some How it came to be so fram'd and constituted Now I only plead That the account which Moses hath given of the Worlds beginning is much more credible to meer Reason than any other And thereupon ask Why should it seem incredible that one who had his beeing from none but of himself should make all things out of nothing They whose interest it would be to have no God are willing to perswade themselves and others too that there is none And these say That some men have for their own turns made others believe there is a God and so the World is troubled about something which is indeed nothing We who believe the beeing of one God appeal not to Scripture of which these men count nothing but ask them How this frame and all its furniture came to be first set up That this World made it self is an absurdity beyond all reason and common sense Hence some have devised wayes of fashioning the World such as I hinted some before that they may stand in no fear of any God or Devil nor live in expectation of any Hell or Heaven hereafter But herein they goe against all Reason which is the only Judge to whose sentence they are content to stand That the true notion of a Deity is most consonant to Reason and the light of Nature is excellently proved by the Learned Stillingfleet And they that deny there is a God do assert other things as he saith on farr less evidence of reason and must by their own Principles deny some things which are apparently true And he instances in these viz. That the World was as it is from all Eternity or else it was first made by a fortuitous concourse of Atomes both which Hypotheses being urged with the same or greater difficulties are more weakly proved than the existence of a Deity And whoever shall be pleas'd to enquire will find it so Therefore we contend for Religion against Atheists upon grounds of Reason And I say again That none of them all have produced any thing so rational as that which is Scriptural 2 dly And for the truth and reason of the Christian Religion the same learned Author hath said enough in the learned discourse aforesaid All that I shall say is this That if any man please to examine all the several religious perswasions that are or have been in the World beside that which Scripture hath reveal'd and warranted and weigh them in the ballance of sound Reason he need not be much puzzled about the choice of his Religion For it will soon appear even to Reason That all Religions beside the truly Christian are unreasonable If any strange at this because many in all ages who had good natural Reason have rejected the Christian Religion I answer 1. That they had Reason but made not a due and right improvement of it and therefore shewed themselves unreasonable as the Apostle proves it against them Ro. 1.19 20 c. And that God did therefore give them up to vile affections as a punishment of their unreasonable Idolatries 2. We having Scripture-light which they had not have our Reason more rectified and enlightned than they had or could have And without the light of Divine Revelation we in all probability might have been as vain in our imaginations as they But then I say both we and they had been unreasonable And God himself useth no other Argument against the Gentiles Idolatries than the absurdity and unreasonableness of them Esay 44. They that make a graven Image c. they are their own witnesses They see not nor know that they may be ashamed And after a large account of their doings about their Images and Idols v. 18 19. he saith They have not known nor understood And again None considereth in his heart nor is there knowledge or understanding c. As if he should say These Makers of Idols that know whereof they are made and how handled in the making are the best witnesses that can be brought against them For if they were not sadly besotted and void of common sense they would never imagine the stock of a Tree could be made a God The main thing to be observ'd for my purpose is this That they had light enough by their own reason to discover the vanity of making Idols For this they are charged with That they did not debate the matter with themselves nor reason the case as they might which if they had done they could never have been so bruitish and senseless as they shewed themselves to be in saying to the work of their own hands Ye are our Gods And now Let none desire me to instance in any other having spoken of Idolaters because all the World of Mankind that worship not the true and only God in the alone Mediator and no other
it lyeth when â—â—ere are so many wayes cryed up and every one is â—â—tended to be the only good way We have need of â— clue to lead us out of such a labyrinth for else 't is impossible for us to find our way Sol. This is indeed a Question worth the anâ—wering and 't will not be much beside my deâ—ign to say somewhat about it For the many various and different perswasions of men in matters of Religion are enough â—o stumble those who will be glad of any occaâ—â—on to quarrel the way of their own Salvation â—nd for their sakes I shall say what I am able â—o give them satisfaction if it may be That there are many and different perswasions 〈◊〉 men about the matters of God is that which cannot be denied But that those different perswasions ought to hinder our enquiries or are a sufficient excuse for our carelessness about the concernments of our Souls I deny and for my denial I give these following Reasons First If such differences were a ground suâ—â—â—cient to excuse us then all that went Heaveâ— way since the beginning of the World almost might plead it as well as we For what age or time can be shewed when it was otherwise Differences of Religion are indeed sad but thâ—â— are no new things Adam's Children were 〈◊〉 divided about Religion or else we had not 〈◊〉 of the Sons of God and the Daughters of men 〈◊〉 early in the World 'T is plain they all 〈◊〉 profess'd not one way or if they did they 〈◊〉 farr divided in their practices As Noah walkâ—â— with God when all flesh had corrupted his way And after the Flood were they not divided iâ— their Religions as much as in their Languageâ— Who so reads the Story recorded in Genesis may see the World was peopled with those thaâ— serv'd some one God and some another and few were they that serv'd the living and truâ— God in a right manner and yet some such therâ— were in all ages How was Israel divided abouâ— the way of worshipping God after the reâ—â— made by Ieroboam And not to be tedious in Iâ—â—stances How many Sects were there in Chrisâ— time and before Yea and presently after thâ— Gospel was published how did Sects arise anâ— swarm in every corner of the World And 〈◊〉 it hath been ever since they must be very ignâ—â—rant that do not know But what of all this God had his faithâ—ul Servants that followed him in the good old way of truth and holiness in all those times and we never read or hear of any complaints they made That there were so many opinions and perswasions as they could not tell which to follow No they did as all others ought to do apply themselves to search and enquire what way God had prescribed and seeking it in sincerity with all their hearts they found out that way wherein they found rest to their Souls For this purpose observe the resolution of Gods people as you have it Micah 4.5 Though other people pleased themselves in their superstitions and opposed themselves against them yet they resolved to stick fast to the wayes of God in his Word God indeed suffered all Nations to walk in their own wayes before Christs coming in the flesh otherwise than afterwards in that Gospel-grace was not published throughout the World equally and indifferently to the Gentiles as to the Iews And God hath since suffered men to arise in the Christian Church and teach perverse things and so there have grown many Sects and Parties in matters of Religion very different and contrary But God never left men without light to discern of things that differ and to descry the good and the right way if they had pleas'd to make use of it The Apostle faith 1 Cor. 11.19 There must be Heresies or Sects and gives a good reason for it as our Saviour saith It must needs be that offences come Mat. 18.7 Yet no man hath any cause to complain and say We cannot see which is the right way because of those Heresies and Offences God by them puts us to use our best skill and endeavours for finding out the good and the right way and by those differences makes appear who are sincere and sound at heart For such there were notwithstanding those differences and such there are and will be to the Worlds end Hence nothing can be spoken more frivolous than to say There are so many Religions a man cannot tell which to chuse It is all one as for a man to say There are so many lanes and turnings in his way to such a place as he will never think of going thither though his whole Estate be in hazard and no way to help it but by such a journey What do men when they are bound to travel but resolve to goe on and make the best enquiry they can to find out the way And so should we in this case and to be otherwise minded is a very madness 2 dly The way to Heaven is not so hard to be found if we had hearts resolved to walk in it There 's a great fallacy in the Argument which had need be discovered For in truth men deceive themselves by it whiles they consider not that their hearts are naturally at enmity with God and his wayes and because they have no mind to goe where God commands and sends them they frame an excuse and pretend there are so many wayes as 't is impossible to find the right And to speak as it is this is all the cause and here lies all the fault If men were willing to goe in Gods wayes they would never complain so much of the difficulty in finding them 'T is an easie matter to find an excuse when a man wants a good will to any thing whatever it be A Lion is in all wayes where the slothful man is to goe 3 dly And for this purpose consider farther That the way to Heaven must be discern'd and discover'd by that which is the proper mark and character of it as we find it in Scripture Now in the matters of Gods Kingdom some are more essential substantial and of greater consequence than others so as they who differ about some particulars may yet be right in the main and all in Heavens way 'T were sad indeed if every difference in a punctilio should make another way to Heaven Where are there two men in all the World that are of one mind in every thing God forbid that among the different perswasions that are about some things in the way of administring Christs Ordinances we should allow of none to be in the way to Heaven that is otherwise minded in some Particulars than we our selves are There are many roads to a great City and yet they that goe the one or the other come alike to it because all those several wayes have a tendency towards it All the question is and must be Whether the way we take be such as hath a
followers Nor will he count that every man hath a right to eternal life of what Religion soever he is as some have dream'd because he seem'd to mean well in it The Lord hath shewed all men what is good and what he requireth of them and that so fully and plainly as he will have ground enough to proceed against them and to execute vengeance on all Idolaters and all other ungodly and unrighteous men whatsoever Religion they professed He will easily and suddenly find out all that have enquir'd and sought after the only true way of worship which himself had appointed and have made conscience of walking before him in holiness and righteousness with an utter abhorring of all false wayes And to these only will he say Well done good and faithfull Servants You and you only have done as I commanded you If any shall say That an allowance must be given to some because all that goe in the good way walk not at one rate but some come behind and faulter sometimes I say so too and that the righteous God will put a difference between those that are upright in the main though falling behind others in degrees of true grace others that wilfully chuse their own wayes which God hath expresly forbidden and as wilfully refus'd the good old way of Gods Commandments He knows and will own all that have denied themselves and made it their work to find and keep the way of God There are and alwayes have been such in the World though a few in comparison that knew the streight way to Heaven amongst all the crooked wayes of mens devising and set themselves to keep that way notwithstanding all opposition or temptation And these only will God look after in the great day of account For others he will have enough to answer them though they were of never so many and different perswasions in point of Religion they must be all pack'd together in that day and bound in bundles to be cast into the fire because they were all in their life time Workers of iniquity They shall prevail little by pleading then They could never see reason enough to perswade them out of the way that they took For they shall be made to see in that day there was a right and good way of holiness and righteousness wherein they should have walked and it was easie enough to be seen but they would not walk therein Nay they found fault with it and rais'd false reports of it and us'd all the Arguments they could to keep themselves and others from walking in it They would never stoop their high Spirits to enter into the strait gate nor would they bear the contempt of the World and the reproach that must be undergone for Christs sake and the Gospels They thought to be religious was to be melancholick and thought it an hard bargain to part with the pleasures of sin for somewhat that some crack-brain'd people talk'd much of in another World to be had but no man knew when or where They were such as would be merry while they might and take as much of this World as they could and for Religion in respect to another World they could never well understand it There were indeed some that talk'd much that way but they could not well agree among themselves and therefore they left them to quarrel about it and took the way that themselves best liked For the Religion which some cried up as the only way to Heaven they conceiv'd it very strait and narrow nor could they see so much in it as might perswade them to it In a word they never liked any Religion that would tie them to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts And hence it is easie to conceive how God will proceed against all Sects and Sorts of men of what perswasion soever that never were perswaded to deny themselves for God and the Gospels sake It should be also considered That though all men have not Talents alike as that may be granted either for weight or number yet all have enough to shew them a better way than what the most take and that their way is not good before the Lord. Hence it will be clear That there hath been a wilfull neglect of the trust that was committed to them and so without further evidence the verdict will pass against them They all know though not all alike their Masters will and yet do it not and therefore must be all beaten though not with the same number or measure of stripes This the Devil knows well enough and that no plea such as men frame many to themselves now will then find place And therefore his work is to blindfold men with such conceits as were mention'd before and so fill them with as many prejudices against God and his wayes as they can possibly hold that when they are hood-wink'd he may carry them whither he pleaseth Men are not easily if possibly brought to despite God as the Devil doth Therefore they must be deal◠with so as to be perswaded there is some cause without them and without any fault of theirs which puts them upon those vain and vile waye◠and courses wherein they walk What those pretences are you have heard before and I need not repeat them Only I say That so lon◠as the Devil can hold men under such mistake◠and prejudices or the like he hath them fast enough and doth not fear an escape Men I say will have excuses for the worst of their evil wayes and this is one and a great one That the way they are in is the best they can see and they could never meet with any that could shew them a better They are willing enough to save their Souls and have done as much as lieth in them for that end They love God heartily and abhorr that any should say They hate his Commandments which they labour to keep as well as they can And all this serves to clear themselves and cast all upon God But he will not bear all that men cast upon him nor will he say in the great day of account Alas poor Souls you were willing enough to be saved 〈◊〉 loved me and my wayes well enough and would have walked in them if I had tendred your souls as much as you your selves did Will the Lord think you at that day take upon himself all the blood of so many as shall then be condemned to Hell for ever and say If I had done for these as I might and ought to have done they had never come into this place of torment Will the Lord say That he made men as he pleased and then cast them away and left them to suffer shame and confusion of face for no fault of theirs but only because he had a mind to see his Creatures slain and tormented before him for ever Will he say It was in his heart to damn them before they were born and that for nothing but because it was
tendency towards Heaven And by the way I think it the great mistake of some to value men mostly according as they are affected to their own private way whatever it be whereas the valuation ought to be according to what men are in the main and great matters of Godliness viz. Faith Hope Love and all the fruits of them Righteousness Mercy c. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men Ro. 14.18 There are some Foundation-truths of the Gospel wherein to mistake deliberately and constantly is of desperate consequence And there are the great matters of the Law wherein a willful constant neglect is inconsistent with true Holiness Yea though the errour or evil be in it self none of the greatest yet when there is a persisting in them after conviction and against admonition out of malignancy I know not what to resolve better than that the way of such men is not safe But when there is an unfeigned desire and an earnest endeavour to know the good and right way and a constant course in the practice of all services and duties to God and men with a conscionable carefulness to avoid offence towards all I know no reason why such though under different perswasions in some Particulars of no great concernment should be otherwise looked on than as the Children of our Father in Heaven Therefore as for the different perswasions of so many divided about some things for want of light they need be no occasion of stumbling to any The way to Heaven is easie to be seen notwithstanding those differences For whoever they be among those Parties that in obedience to Christ have learn'd to deny themselves and all ungodliness c. and to take up Christs Cross and to live in the constant exercise of mortification and crucifying the flesh and do indeed lead their lives in the main according to the only rule of righteousness they are in Heavens way Thou it may be dost not like the perswasions of some of them And I say If thou lik'st them not for me thou mayest let them alone But thou perhaps likest not Holiness Self-denial and crucifying of thy Lusts neither but art resolved to take thy full swinge in the pleasures of sin and thy daily practice is to serve thy fleshly desires to the utmost Thou art may be a Drunkard a common Swearer an unclean Beast living lying down and wallowing in the mire Now to thee I say Whoever be in Heavens way to be sure thou art out of it And thou must certainly resolve to change thy way or perish for ever Thou sayest There are so many Religions a man cannot tell which to chuse But in the mean time thou art of no Religion thou hast not so much as a form and face of it Set aside thy going to Church on Sundayes with what mind thou thy self best knowest what is there of Religion to be seen in thee In thy Family there is no shew of it in Prayer and Praise and reading the Scripture and Catechizing thy Children and Servants There is to be seen all the Week labouring for the food that perisheth by early rising and late going to bed There a man may hear Oaths and Curses and Lyes and filthy Communication and the best but vain and idle discourses but not a savory word to shew any sense of God and his goodness from morning to night There 's Provision for the necessities of Nature to cloath the back and fill the belly and Provision too for the flesh to fullfil the lusts thereof But there 's nothing of God and Godliness to be seen no conscience made of sin to shun it or of any thing that 's good to practice it Now whoever thou art that leadest such a life I tell thee Whatever becomes of others it cannot be well with thee in these wayes of ungodliness Thou vain foolish man thinkest thou that any Religion can be worse than thine Thou hast none at all no not so much as a shew of it Even Turks and Pagans may be and some of them are sober temperate just and honest in their doings and dealings with others which thou art not Wherefore let there be never so many Religions I 'le rather chuse the worst of them than to do as thou dost And this I assure thee Whatever becomes of those many Sects and Parties thou art in a sad condition and hadst need think of changing it as soon as thou canst And if thou ask Which way thou shalt take among so many I answer thus That I will not perswade thee any way but what I am sure is right viz. To be honest and godly and to forsake those wayes wherein whoever walks shall never find rest To follow peace and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. To repent of all thy ungodly courses and wayes of wickedness whether open or secret To walk circumspectly and make straight steps to thy feet To be holy and unblameable in all conversation and to make conscience of every duty according to the rule of the Word And this thou mayest do without much adoe or dispute except it be with thine own wicked heart For those many Parties that are I am bold to tell them all and every one of them That they will find no comfort one day in being of this side or that if they be not found in wayes of righteousness and holiness And these are the wayes I would have thee take and these thou mayest soon learn from Scripture where they are so plain as a man may run and read them But one thing I must mind thee of again viz. That thou who so quarrell'st at the many Religions abroad hast perhaps a quarrel in thy heart against God and Godliness and thou canst not endure any Religion so as to be tyed to any Rule or Law more than thine own Lusts. Thou lovest to live at ease and pleasure and likest no Religion but such a one as will give thee leave to be licentious To thee I say again dipp and chuse thou canst never change thy Religion for a worse And to change it thou hast need as soon as may be For 't will be sad with thee to dye in such a Religion which is indeed none at all or good for nothing Do not thou look how many Religions and Opinions there are for that 's nothing to thee But look to thy conversation and see whether that be such as becomes a Christian. Do thou love Christ and fear to sin as much as any of all those different perswasions and shew thy self as humble as honest as upright as conscionable and every way as carefull to please God as any of them all and then thou dost well indeed Alas poor Soul what will it avail thee to say There are so many Religions thou knowest not which to take so long as thou art resolved to walk in wayes of ungodliness and to serve divers lusts and pleasures and deny
thy self in nothing that will serve to please the flesh This to be sure is not Heavens-way whatever it be And therefore make no more question about the many Religions that are in the World till thou art better resolved for that Religion which is plain and easie enough to be learn'd by any that hath not a wicked heart against God and all that is good Resolve once to serve Sin no more and thou wilâ— presently see the way to Heaven as plain before thee as thou knowest the way to thine own house or home AND now I shall make some Application â—f all that hath been said after I have givâ—n one Proviso to prevent a mistake that may be I have hitherto shewed How willful the wickâ—â— World is and how apt to take offence even tâ— contend with God himself about the wayes and workings of his Grace and Providence Say and do what you can or will they will not be perswaded but perhaps the more hardned Buâ— though it be so with most of the World yet beware whatever you do you give them no occasion of falling or stumbling Say not in thine heart They are such as will perish and it matters not how we carry our selves towards them if they will be offended let them be offended we cannot help it Some yea too many will be offended yet take heed of giving them the least occasion of offence For so hath the Lord commanded Levit. 19.14 Thou shalt not put a stumbling-block before the blind but shalt fear thy God Yea Deut. 27.18 There is a curse upon him that maketh the blind to wander out of the way And our Saviour denounceth a woe to him by whom the offence cometh Mat. 18.7 They are blind and out of the way but in that they deserve the rather to be the object of thy pity and prayers and endeavours to turn them from the errour of their way What knowest thou that they may not recover themselves and come to repentance Secret things belong to the Lord Deut. 29.29 That we are to labour their repentance and by all possible means to endeavour it in our capacities and relations is revealed to us as our duty and if they will perish notwithstanding we have delivered our own Souls their blood will be upon their own heads Our Saviour indeed said of some Let them alone c. Mat. 15.14 i. e. Have no regard to them trouble not your selves about them if they be offended be not you offended however because of them But he allows not his Disciples to offend them in the least If men shew themselves contentious malicious and wilfully contumacious as the Scribes and Pharisees some of them were Let them alone pass them by but yet provoke them not to be more wicked than they are True we cannot do what is our duty but some will be offended as the Scribes and Pharisees were at Christ for doing the will of him that sent him But the offence was only taken by them there was none given by him He prov'd to be by accident a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence but never offended any If we cannot do what is our duty without offence to some the fault is theirs not ours because we may not to please them offend God by disobeying his commands Some will be offended if we will not pledge them in a drunken health Let them be offended it need not trouble us If we tamely do as they do we encourage them in their debaucheries and so we offend them indeed by helping them on towards the pit of destruction Wicked men make too much hast to the Devil we need not provoke or put them forward Indeed we have need be very careful and as the Apostle Iude v. 22. adviseth To put a difference Some perhaps will rage if we will not run to the same excess of riot with them But better they rage than we by doing what they would have us to provoke Gods wrath against our own Souls A patient forbearance to do as they do and a with-drawing from them may be an effectual reproof and work upon them afterwards If there be no hope to fasten an admonition Solomon hath resolv'd the case for us Pro. 9.8 Reprove not a Scorner However comply not with him to allow of his wickedness in the least But be sure not to give any occasion of falling to such as are weak Lest thy poor Brother perish for whom Christ dyed Ro. 14.15 The Apostle was a singular Precedent for this He would eat no flesh whiles he lived rather than offend his Brother 1 Cor. 8. fin How did he yield upon occasion to avoid offence to the weak But as farr as I can remember not otherwise He yielded in those things wherein he was fully satisfied in his own conscience and judgement But how and upon what terms Never as I remember but to prevent the offence that might be taken by weak Brethren lest they might take occasion by his not yielding in some things to cast off all and turn back again with the Dogg to his vomit We do not read of his so yielding to wicked willful Sinners that would have made no other use of it than to reproach him and which is worse the Gospel too by saying He was a man of no Principles that would comply with any thing to save his skin We have a notable Instance for this in Galat. 2.3 4 5 When false Brethren went about to infringe the liberty of Christians and bring them into bondage 〈◊〉 gave no place by subjection no not for an hour For therein he had built again the things that he had destroyed and encouraged the enemies of the truth in their opposition against it Yield iâ— any thing thou canst to save a Soul to draw men on to a good liking of Gods wayes and putting them forward in them But not one hairs breadth to encourage them in their ungodliness For that 's offending them contrary to the command of Christ. And now I must call loud upon many and even conjure them to consider their wayes whereby they have given so great occcasion of offence to such as are openly and avowedly wicked O! Do not say or think Such ungodly men shew themselves what they are when they declare their sin as Sodom they are past shame and past hope Let them dye and be damn'd who can help it It may prove so that they will dye and be damn'd and nor thou nor any man else can help it because they will not help themselves But thou hast need look to it that their death and condemnation add nothing to thine account They perish for their contempt or neglect of that which they should more carefully have look'd after But what if your careless and loose walking have been the occasion of making them to think they need not be so carefull yea perhaps of slighting and setting at nought all the wayes of Gods Commandments Surely if it be so the best that can be made