I. RULE, Is to make a serious and hearty Resolution of Believing and adhering to this Christian Faith, whatsoever it may cost. This is that which our Saviour advises, Luk. 14.28. Which of you intending to build a towre, sits not down first and counteth the cost, whether he hath sufficient to finish it, lest hap­pily after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold him, begin to mock him. It will be no less ridi­culous for any man to profess himself a Disciple of Christ and his holy doctrine, that doth not first consider the cost he may be at, and resolve to go on with it. And the cost may be great, the loss of Father and mother, and whatsoever is nearest and dearest to us. Verse 26. If any man come to me and hates not his father and mother, and wife and children, and bre­thren and sisters, yea and his own life also, He cannot be my Disci­ple; he cannot be stedfast in the Profession of the holy Faith, which may and sometimes will put him upon this cost. Let no man so far mistake our Lord, as to think that he teaches [Page 3] disobedience to Parents, whose first commandment with promise, is, Honor thy father and mother; or that he teaches us to hate our children, who by his Apostle St. Paul tells us that they are worse than Infidels, who provide not for their family, 1 Tim. 5.8. or that he teaches us to hate our selves, who hath summed up his Commandments into these two grand precepts, Love God above all, and thy neighbour as thy self, St. Mat. 22.40. St. Lukes phrase of hating father and mo­ther, &c. is best expounded by St. Mat. 10.37. He that loves father and mother more than me. He that prefers father and mother more than me and my doctrine, and will renounce that or any part of it to save them or his own life, and whatsoever is dearest to him in this world, is not worthy of me. The sin­cere Resolution of preferring God and his holy Truth before all worldly advantages, is that which makes the honest and good heart, which affords depth of earth for the Seed of Gods Word to root in, and bring forth fruit to life eternal, St. Luk. 8.15. Let us therefore retire to our closets and frequently renew this honest purpose and resolution, especially when we come to the holy Eucharist, that we may get it seal'd and confirmed there by the Grace of the holy Spirit; let not the cost we may be at affright us; the rich pearl of the holy Faith (the end of which is the salvation of our souls, 1 Pet. 1.9.) is not dearly bought, though we sell all that we have to pur­chase it, St. Mat. 13.46.

THIS resolution will not continue stedfast, unless we purge out of our hearts all such violent lusts and passions, as will ravish our Wills from the holy Faith which we have be­lieved; let us therefore be careful to cast out them, especial­ly those which are most dangerous to the stedfastness of the Faith. As,

1. THE inordinate love of this present world, this made Demas forsake St. Paul, after he had been a long time his fellow-laborer in the preaching of the Gospel, 2 Tim. 4.10. [Page 4] There be too many such, who follow Christs doctrine for gain, who make great profession of this holy Faith, when it fills their baskets, Jo. 6.14. who run away from it as fast, to any impertinent, nay damnable Error which appears more advantageous; if we have hearts exercised with covetous de­signs, we shall certainly forsake the right way as Balaam did for the wages of unrighteousness, 2 Pet. 2.14.

2. AMBITION and Vain-glory, Diotrephes who loves to have the pre-eminence, receives not the Apostles nor their doctrine, Jo. ep. 3. Nay slights their doctrine, vilifies their persons, prating against them with malicious words, vers. 10. and all this, to get himself a name and esteem amongst the credulous vulgar. This hath made most of the Hereticks and Schismaticks in elder times, as Epiphanius and others have observed; when they thought their worth and merit not enough rewarded, when they could not be so great or power­ful as they affected to be; when they could not obtain by the regular and just wayes of preferment, such places and digni­ties, such esteem and repute, as their ambition made them covet, and think themselves to have deserved; then they broacht new Doctrines, and invented new Disciplines to draw parties after them of the weaker sort, that they might be in a Faction, what they could not be in the Church, Chiefs and Leaders. Nor doth this Ambition appear only in the Leaders, but every little member of the most ridiculous Sect is swoln with the same tumorous vain-glory, each party af­fecting to be call'd the Godly. Where this winde of Ambi­tion blows, no wonder if it carries them away to divers and strange doctrines, Heb. 13.9. How can ye believe, receiving or catching at Glory one of another, Joh. 5.44. When the Teachers court the people, and they again the Teachers for applause and reputation, when vain-glory is the end of the de [...]ign, how can men be stedfast? for when the holy Faith be­comes, as oftentimes it does, vile and contemptible in the [Page 5] eyes of the people, such men must needs forsake it, and pro­fess any new, though damnable doctrine, that grows popular. Besides, no man can hope to stand stedfast in the Faith, with­out the assistance of Gods grace, who resists the proud and gives his grace only to the Humble, Jam. 4.6. if we will be constant Disciples of Christ we must be like him, lowly in Spirit, Mat. 11.29.

3. THERE is in our nature a softness or tenderness that is apt to betray our constancy. As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, [...], that would ap­pear with a fair face without a skar, renounce their Christia­nity and turn Jews; only lest they should suffer persecution for the Cross of Christ, Gal. 6.12. This tenderness made the Apo­stles, St. Peter and all, once forsake their Lord; and the same hath made too many forsake the Lords holy Truth. It may not perhaps be thought needful to urge this any further at this time, when God be thankt, there is no present dan­ger of suffering persecution for the Faith of Christ, it being now defended by the Defender of the Faith; but though Con­fessors of the Faith and Doctrine of our Lord be not perse­cuted by the sword of Authority, it is, at least some part of it, curstly persecuted by the spears and arrows, and sharp swords of slanderous tongues, who like the Donatists of old, cry out of persecution, even then when they are thus sharply persecuting those who profess and preach the holy Truth and Faith of Christ. To instance in a few particulars, let any man preach or practise Decency and Order in the Service and Worship of God, which is a direct command in Christs holy Doctrine, 1 Cor. 14.10. Let him preach or practise Loyalty and Obedience to the King and his Laws, which is part of the same holy doctrine, Rom. 13.5. 1 Pet. 2.13. Let him preach or practise obedience to the Church, according to our Lords direction, Mat. 18.17. And submission to the guidance of those, who by God and mans Laws are set over [Page 6] us to watch for our Souls, Heb. 13.17. and he shall soon find the truth of that which I have said, his doctrine slandered, and his person reproached and persecuted by malicious tongues. The fear of this persecution we see, hath made some, who are too tender, follow our Lords doctrine as St. Peter did his Master, at a distance; it is not amiss to re­member, what the Holy Ghost hath observed for our instru­ction in St. Peter, that soon after he drew back and followed at a distance, he forsook, nay forswore his Lord, Mat. 26.58,74. from all which we may certainly conclude, that we shall never stand stedfast in the Doctrine and Faith of our Lord, unless we indeavour to harden our faces and strengthen our foreheads against all such fear of the looks or tongues of men, Ezek. 3.8,9.

4. AS there is a tenderness, so there is a fickleness and love of change in our corrupted nature; St. Paul calls it chil­dishness, Eph. 4.14. loving much but not long, delighting in change, not only in ordinary matters, dresses and fashions, but even in Religion too; new Prayers, new Doctrines, new Governments; many men having itching ears, heap to them­selves Teachers, 2 Tim. 4.3. after their own lusts, such as may rub their ears, and gratifie their lusts and several hu­mors, with doctrines suitable, and please their childishness with novelties; new Revelations, new Truths are by many much affected and daily expected: I pray God we come not to the Jews Innovation, New Gods which our Fathers never heard of, Deut. 32.17. We seem weary of the old garment, the old Religion, and love to put new peices to it, though thereby we make it much worse, Luk. 5.36. Nothing can be more directly opposite to our stedfastness in the Truth, then this love of change; since the holy Faith and Christian truth is like Jesus Christ who taught it, the same yesterday and to day, the same for ever, Heb. 13. Let us labor therefore to correct this childishness, to quit our selves like [Page 7] men, and earnestly contend for that Faith which was once and but once delivered, Jude 3. By the means aforesaid we may, by Gods grace, secure our selves against our selves, that our own hearts shall not mislead us; but though our hearts be sincere, our understandings may be weak, and we may be daily in danger of being seduced by the various arts and subtilties of cunning and busie seducers, who lie in wait to deceive; and therefore I shall offer this SECOND Cauti­on, which our blessed Lord hath taught us, Mat. 7.15.

II. BEWARE of false Prophets or false Teachers, as St. Peter calls them, 2 Pet. 2.1. and you will readily grant the Caution to be most seasonable and necessary, if you will consider, the Crafts they use to deceive you, and your own danger if you be deceived; inwardly, saies our Saviour, they are ra­vening Wolves, whose aim and design, is no less then the ruine and damnation of your souls. What danger can be greater? This cruel and malicious design they hide and cover under Sheeps clothing, soft and fair pretences of meekness and humility, professors of extraordinary holiness, great care of souls, singular love of Gods glory, to which they add good words; kind and flattering speeches, Rom. 16.18. and (which is the master piece of cunning) they promise them liber­ty, 2 Pet. 2.19. Simon Magus, Basilides, Carpocrates of old, taught their Disciples to live as they listed, and to do what­soever they pleased; Marcion taught his Disciples to believe that Christ came into the world to deliver men from the ser­vice of the Creator; Meletius gave his followers a licence to live without fear, and to be rul'd and govern'd by none. I might instance in many more such false teachers of the same leaven, but I need not, since St. Peter in the place aforesaid, assures us, that it is the wont of false Teachers of what sort soever, to promise their followers liberty; this sweet pro­mise of liberty, or rather licenciousness being the most catching argument in the world to entice itching ears and [Page 8] lustful hearts to their party. It is not unworthy of our ob­servation, that St. Peter saies they promise them liberty, but indeed, they neither do nor can, by these means make them free, for whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin. What liberty then can it be, to be exposed and tempted to the deadly slavery of Error and sin?

FALSE Teachers having all of them such malicious de­signs of ruine and such cunning artifices to deceive; it be­hoves us very much to remember our Lords Caution, Beware of false Prophets. But how shall we discern them to be such? Their inward designs we cannot see, and their outward ap­pearance is innocent and harmless, fair and plausible, sheeps clothing, By their fruits you shall know them, saies our Saviour; they may act the sheep for a while, but if you heed and mark them well, you shall see the Wolf appear, by their fruits you shall know them. When you see some creeping into houses, and instilling doctrines into the weaker sort; by this you have just cause to suspect them for false Teachers, 2 Tim. 3.6. of this sort are they which creep into houses, from such turn away. There shall be false Teachers among you, who privi­ly shall bring in damnable doctrines, 2 Pet. 2.1. when they who offer themselves to be your Teachers, shall forsake the lawful and publick assemblies established by just authority in the houses of prayer, by this fruit you may know them. Be­loved remember the words which were spoken before of the Apo­stles of our Lord Jesus Christ, How that they told you there should be in the last time Mockers or Deceivers, Jude 17, 18. These be they who separate themselves; beware of such therefore, by these fruits you shall justly suspect them to be false Teachers; but there is one Character or mark by which you shall undoubtedly know them, St. Paul, St. Peter, St. Jude, and all tell us for certain, those are false Teachers, by all means to be avoided, who despise Government, and speak evil of dignities; when therefore you hear any Teachers blas­pheming [Page 9] and reviling their Governors Civil or Ecclesiastical, when you see them contemning their Laws, confronting their Authority, refusing to come at Moses and Aarons call, to the Assemblies appointed by their Laws; and setting up Meetings, gathering assemblies against Moses and Aaron, the Civil and Ecclesiastical authority; come not neer, lest ye perish in their sin, Num. 16. It is Gods own caution there, vers. 26. and in the like case too, for what else was the sin of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, but refusing to come at the call of Mo­ses and Aaron, Num. 16.12. We will not come up; and the Ga­thering Congregations against them, vers. 19. And certainly to gather Congregations contrary to the Laws and com­mands of Moses and Aaron, is to gather against THEM, for it is the Authority that makes the King and the Priest; Mo­ses and Aaron so sacred that no man must rise against them, when therefore you see or hear any so gathering Congrega­tions contrary to the Laws; Depart from them; when you hear any Teachers thus despising Dominion, remember that the Apostles have told us, they are false Teachers, and forget not our Lords own Caution, Beware of false Prophets; if any man after all this monition will still be bold to receive such, because they come in sheeps clothing, he deserves more blame then pitty, if he be ruined and devoured.

III. OBEY your spiritual Guides, and submit your selves to their conduct and direction, Heb. 13.17. This Rule is given us to this very purpose, that we may stand fast in the faith. For after the Apostle had forewarned us, vers. 9. Be not carried about with diverse and strange doctrines; he prescribes this as the best prevention of such giddiness and lightness to obey them that have the Rule over us, and submit our selves to them who watch for our souls. Almighty God in infinite goodness to man, knowing the weakness of the peoples un­derstanding, together with the want of time and means for the study of Truth, hath provided some Pastors and Teach­ers [Page 10] for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the Mini­stry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, Eph. 4.12. That we henceforth be no more children, toss'd to and fro, and carried about with every winde of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cun­ning craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, Vers. 14. God hath you see appointed you Pastors and Teachers to keep you from being deceived by false Teachers, and if you will not submit to their direction, you expose your selves to the danger of being deceived, and frustrate the merciful in­tendment of Gods goodness towards you, to keep you sted­fast in the Truth. I know not what excuse any man can make why he doth not readily submit to the guidance of these Pastors and Teachers, but only this, That first he does not cer­tainly know whom Christ hath appointed for his Guides now, since the Apostles themselves are dead long since.

AND if he does know them, yet he cannot confidently relie upon their guidance, since they are not infallible in their doctrines, as the Apostles were, and therefore may possibly be deceived them­selves, and deceive him that submits to them.

TO the first I answer.

1. YOU may as certainly know who are your Spiritual Guides, as who are your Civil Governors; namely by the Laws of Church and Kingdom, and their solemn Investiture in their several places and charges; Which is a greater and surer evi­dence then any man can have of his natural Parent, whom you cannot otherwise know then by the common repute of the neighbourhood, and the Testimony of your Mother, who is bound in reputation to call her own husband your father; since God hath commanded you, upon pain of damnation to obey him, who is thus reputed your Father; why should you not fear the same penalty for disobeying your Guides of souls, whom God hath equally commanded you to obey, and given you a greater evidence and assurance of their authority over you.

TO the second scruple I answer, that I assert no Infallibility in your Spiritual Guides. They are men, and may be de­ceived, they may be cunning men and lie in wait to deceive. And may not those be such, whom you heap to your selves, and so willingly run after? Those who are set over you, are restrain'd by the Laws, and accountable to their Superiors, so that they cannot publish dangerous Errors without their own danger and the censures of the Laws, if they be discover­ed; and being allowed to preach only in the Church, cannot promise themselves any safety from secrecy. And it is not so probable that they will willingly deceive you, who are in danger to lose by their fraud, as they who by false doctrines make parties to their no small advantage. Besides, God al­ways assists his own Institutions, and blesses his own appoint­ments. God hath forewarned you to avoid strangers, to heap to your selves Teachers, 2 Tim. 4.3. and who can reasonably expect Gods assistance in Disobedience? It is just with him to suffer us to be deceived by those whom he hath warned us to avoid; but it is most reasonable to expect his blessing and assistance in obedience to his own order. He hath commanded us to submit to them who are set over us, and will not suffer us to perish by obedience; If we shall be mislead by our own Guides into small Errors, he will graciously accept our obe­dience, and not impute those Errors to our condemnation; and he will never suffer us to be led by them into damnable Errors, unless it be our own fault, 1 Cor. 10.13. God is faith­ful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able to bear, but with the Temptation will make way to escape; This pro­mise would fail, if having commanded us to be guided by them, he should not, either certainly withhold them from Teaching Damnable doctrines, or else afford us some means for the avoidance and discovery, if we be watchful, and not willfully refuse them.

1. OBSERVE this Rule of our Saviour, S. Jo. 5.39. Search [Page 12] the Scriptures, acquaint your selves with the plain and evident texts which need no interpretation, and if your Teachers commend any doctrine to you contrary to those, believe them not. It is an old observation and daily experience confirms it, that false Teachers use to build their doctrines upon some few hard and obscure texts, that under the colour of the holy text they may obtrude upon their unwary Disciples, their own pernicious Glosses, Interpretations and inferences; so that their disciples belief rests only upon the Interpretation of the preacher who may be deceived, or which is worse, may indeavor to deceive; but when the sober and wary Chri­an grounds his belief upon the evident Texts which are so plain that they cannot be more plainly expressed or interpre­ted, he relies undoubtedly upon Gods own word who cannot deceive or be deceived. This is the best way to secure our selves against the damnable doctrines of your own false Teachers; as for example, when you are by any of them taught to rebel against the King, or to oppose his Laws, to contemn the Church, and separate from her Communion; Guard your faith against their crafty insinuations of Rebelli­on by pretence of obscure Scriptures, by such plain Texts as these, Let every Soul be subject to the higher powers, to him that bears the fword not only for wrath but also for consci­ence sake, and whosoever resists shall receive damnation, Rom. 13. Be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake, whe­ther it be to the King as Supreme, or unto Governors, who are sent by him, 1 Pet. 2.13. which are words as plain as can be spoken, and cannot admit of any other interpretation. These are enough to secure you against the damnable doctrine of Rebellion, and against contempt of the Church and Schis­matical separation from her Communion; take these plain Texts, St. Mat. 18. He that will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as an Heathen man and Publican. Keep the unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace, Eph. 4.3. Not forsaking the [Page 13] publick assembling of our selves, Heb. 10.25. according to the commands of those who are our Governors, Heb. 13.17.

IF it be objected that all these Texts do suppose the Kings and the Churches commands to be lawful, otherwise I may, nay I must refuse to obey the King, I must not hear the Church, I must forsake those Assemblies if unlawful. The answer is easie, That I cannot be safe in going contrary to these plain texts, till I can find, that those particular Commands of my Superiors, and those Assemblies, be as plainly forbidden in some other Texts; It is not safe to say, I will not obey the the King, nor hearken to the Church, nor frequent those publick Assemblies, because I think, and some powerful Preachers tell me, these ordinances and Assemblies are un­lawful.

REMEMBER, it is God who commands in those plain Texts before mentioned, and none but himself can discharge my obedience, and therefore you must obey till you find the particular commands of your Superiors forbidden by as plain Texts, as those which in general require you to obey. If you observe this rule, you cannot be cheated into Rebellion and Schism, and if you do not, it is your own fault, that you are deceived.

THIS Rule is certain, but perhaps not large enough to se­cure us from all damnable Errors, there being some such, which may not seem flat contrary to the express words of Scripture; the necessary Truths of which those errors are destructive, not being delivered in express terms in the holy Scriptures, yet sufficiently contained therein, and may be undoubtedly proved out of them by comparing of Texts, ob­serving the context, and scope of the Text, and other rules of Art; Which the people not being so well able to do, let them observe this second rule.

2. KEEP stedfast in the Faith of all such Truths as the Catholick Apostolick Church hath believed and delivered as [Page 14] necessary, and believe not your particular Guide, when he teaches contrary to these. The Church is the ground and pillar of Truth, 1 Tim. 3.5. into her bosome and Registry, the Apostles committed all necessary Truths as our Lord com­manded them, Mat. 28.19,20. Go teach all Nations to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, they knew their Lords Commands and were true to their trust in teaching them accordingly. These necessary truths thus laid up in the Treasury of the Church are Domestick hou­shold doctrines, which all of that Family should hold fast, and not be carried about with every winde of strange or forein doctrine, Heb. 13.9. These necessary truths, committed by the Apostles to the Churches of their own plantation, God hath promised, Mat. 28.20. should be delivered down through all succession to the end of the world, Lo I am with you (namely in the teaching all that I have commanded) to the end of the world. What therefore hath been constantly de­livered and believed as commands of Christ, by the general Testimony of the universal Church in all ages, ought to be firm­ly believed; upon the same consentient Testimony we re­ceive and believe the Canonical Scriptures to be the word of God, and why should we not be satisfied with the same Te­stimony of all other necessary Truths? But how shall the peo­ple be able to know which Truths are so generally delivered from the first ages till now; they cannot themselves search and finde them, and perhaps their own Teachers may tell them that their Errors are such.

I ANSWER, you may finde and know these necessary truths, by the publick doctrine of our own Church, delivered in her Liturgy and Articles of Religion, by the unanimous consent of all your spiritual Guides. Acquaint your selves throughly with that publick doctrine and adhere to that, and if your own Teacher teach otherwise, believe him not. If to these dire­ctions here given, you carefully attend, adding your constant [Page 15] humble prayers to that Merciful God who would have no man to perish, but that all should come to the knowledge of the Truth, 1 Tim. 2.4. He will certainly preserve you from all damnable Errors, and keep you stedfast in the holy Faith; That faith which is the ground and foundation of the lively hope of an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fa­deth not away, reserved in Heaven for you, 1 Pet. 1.3,4. that Faith by which through the power of God ye are kept unto Salvation, vers. 5. that faith, which being preserv'd firm and stedfast, after it hath been tried by manifold temptations will be found unto Praise, and Honour, and Glory at the appear­ance of Jesus Christ, Vers. 6, 7. That faith which makes us here in this life to rejoyce with joy unspeakable, and full of Glory, Vers. 8. and in the end brings us to the salvation of our souls, Vers. 9. which God of his infinite mercy grant us all, for Jesus Christs sake, to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and Glory, world without end. Amen.