CHAP. I.

§. 1. BEFORE I proceed to discourse of the several Particulars of the Whole Concern of Man, it will be requisite in the first place to prepare the Reader by convincing him of the Necessity of the Care which be ought to have of his Soul. For unless he be throughly perswaded of this, he will never think himself concern'd in the Directions that I shall lay down. We see daily that the greatest Care of the generality of Men, is to ward off [Page 2] dangers from their Bodies and Estates, to guard and secure these by all means possible from those Evils which they are most incident to; they very industriously take care to prevent Sickness and Poverty, and to live in Health and Ease, and to grow Rich in the World: but in the mean time they neglect a far greater and weightier Concern, and wilfully pull down all manner of Evil and Mischief upon their Best and most Con­siderable Part, their Souls. But certainly they must be reckon'd as very Unwise Persons who act after this rate, and indamage these latter to secure and save the former, namely, their Out­ward and Bodily Concerns. And on the contra­ry, this is the truest Wisdom, and the most rational Love of our selves, to prefer our Im­mortal Souls before all worldly interests and ad­vantages whatsoever. For a Mans Soul is his richest and most precious Treasure: and the whole World is too mean a Price for it. This is the sense of our Infallible Master in those Words of his, Matth. 16.26. What is a Man profiled if he shall gain the whole World, and lose his own Soul? or what shall a Man give in exchange for his Soul?

§. 2. In which Admirable Passage there is observable, First a double Supposition, and Se­condly a double Position or Conclusion grounded on those Suppositions. The things supposed are, 1. That a Man may lose his Soul. 2. That with the loss of his Soul he may gain the whole World. For it is said, If he shall gain the whole World and lose his own Soul. The Things that are positively asserted and infer'd from this two-fold [Page 3] Supposal are, 1. That the Man who gains the World and loses his Soul, receives no advan­tage or profit by such Gain. 2. That this wretched Man, having lost his Soul, cannot possibly redeem and regain it, or give or take any thing in Ex­change for it.

So then, these four following Propositions com­prehend the full meaning of our Saviour's words. The First is this, that there are some Men, and those too many in the World, who not only hazard but lose their Souls. The Second is, that it often happens that their gaining of the World is attended with this loss of their Souls. The Third is, that though Men gain the World, and yet lose their Immortal Souls, they are unspeaka­ble losers by such a Bargain. The Fourth and last is, that there can be no Satisfaction or Re­compense made for the loss of a Mans Soul.

§ 3. I begin with the First of these, namely, that there are some Men, and those too many, who not only hazard but lose their Souls. Though this be a kind of Supposition in the fore­mention'd words of our Saviour, yet it is a most Positive Truth in it self. This is too sadly Ex­perienced, that the Sinner destroys his own Soul. Prov. 6.32. Not that the Soul of Man shall cease to be, Mans Soul may be lost. nor that it shall perish, and vanish into no­thing: for it is an Immortal be­ing, and is not capable of being destroy'd, with­out the Almighty Power of God who created it. But he hath plainly declared that it is his Will and Pleasure that Souls shall always exist, and remain either in Eernal Bliss or Misery. [Page 4] By the loss of the Soul then we are not grosly to imagine any such thing as its being reduced to nothing: we cannot so lose our Souls as that they shall not continue to have a being. What is the meaning then of losing the Soul?

I Answer, this may be learnt from the Origi­ginal Word, that is, the Word which the Evange­list here uses; this signifies not only detriment or damage, but it denotes likewise privation or loss: and so it may convey to us this double notion of the Souls being lost, As given up to Sin in this Life, and Mi­sery in the next. namely First, in this Life, by the Damage it receives by Sin; Secondly, in the other Life, by the Deprivation of Glory, and exclusion from Eternal Hap­piness. There is a Temporary, and there is a Final Loss of the Soul: and it is only Sin or departing from God which procures this Perdi­tion. He that Converteth a Sinner saveth a Soul, saith St. James, ch. 5. ver. 20. Whence I gather, that if the Conversion of Sinners be the Saving of Souls; then by the Rule of Contraries, the Losing of them is when they are Perverted and drawn away, Corrupted and Debauched by Lust and Vice, when they contract habits of Sin, and persist in them, and Revolt from their Ma­ker and Redeemer, and are shut out from Com­munion with God, and incur his wrath and dis­pleasure. Then they are properly said to be lost.

§. 4. So they are said to be more signally when this displeasure follows them into the other World, and places them in the forlorn Condition [Page 5] of the Damned Spirits of Darkness. Then they are irrecoverably lost in Hell, and Mercy it self cannot retrieve them, for they are absolutely de­prived of God's Favour, debar'd of his presence, shut out from it as Reprobates and Castaways, and irreversibly destined to endless Torments. Hence our English Translators have thus rendred that paralel Place in St. Luke, in Chapter 9. ver. 25. What is a Man advantaged if he shall gain the whole World, and lose himself, or be cast away? Whereby they would let us under­stand, that then a Man may properly be said to lose himself or his Soul, when he is cast away; that is, cast out of God's favour, which alone can create Ease and happiness; when he is Fi­nally rejected by the Almighty, and utterly de­nied all tenders of Grace and Mercy. Whereup­on must necessarily follow a most dreadful Horror and distraction of Mind, and the most exquisite Pain and Torture: such as no thoughts can suf­ficiently conceive, no Tongue is able to express; for in this the Torments of Hell, and the Joys of Heaven resemble one another, that they are both Unutterable. It is impossible to tell you fully what the Damned lose, and what they suffer; what they are deprived of, and what they feel.

§. 5. Let us, before we pass to the next Par­ticular, stand a while and seriously lament and be­wail the forlorn state of lost Souls. I have gi­ven you a brief representation of it; and now let us ask our selves what can we imagine more sad and dreadful? It would be well for the Sinner, if he could lose his Soul in the Sense which I first of all mention'd, that is, if he could slide into [Page 6] nothing, and for ever cease to be. But the will not be granted him: for he must remained Last­ing Monument of the divine displeasure. This is the heighth of his Misery, that he shall have a Never-failing Existence, and his portion shall be in that Lake which Perpetually burns with Fire and Brimstone, where the Worm dieth not, and the Fire is not quenched. This the Holy and Infallible Book of God acquaints us with: and yet how Great are the Numbers of Men in the World, who throw themselves into these Flames, and wilfully plunge themselves into that horrible Lake, who not only Hazard but Lose their Souls? Broad is the gate that leads to Destruction, and Many there are that go in thereat, and so are Everlastingly excluded from all hopes of Life and Salvation. These Miserable & besotted Wretch­es, though perhaps they sufficiently understood their Duty, yet wilfully neglected the practice of it. They rush'd into danger, & seem'd to court Death & Destruction, neither minding the dread­ful Judgments of God, nor being affected with the Kindness & Obligations they daily received from him. They cared not how they were to fare hereafter, so they might be Permitted to Gratify and Indulge their desires here. They were no ways sollicitous for the Future, but it was their Present Advantage only that they busied themselves about. And in this oftentimes they are thriving and successful enough, but yet so as that they but the World with the Price of their Souls.

§. 6. Which brings me to the Second Proposition, which is this, that too often it happen [...] that Mens gaining the World is accompanied wi [...] [Page 7] the loss of their Souls. Whilst they purchase Earth, they lose Heaven: they grasp at things Temporal, and let go those that are Eternal. Or, to gain the whole World, in the fullest mean­ing of our Saviour's Words is this, To climb as high in the World as a Mans Avarice or Ambi­tion can carry him, to immerse himself as deep as he can in the delights of Sense, to attain to as ample a fruition of Earthly Possessions as is possi­ble, to live in splendor and gallantry, to be Great and Powerful, to be Rich and Wealthy, to enjoy the affluence of all sensual pleasures, and to have what heart can wish. And now I believe you perceive already, that we are in a fair way to prove the Proposition: for whilst the unbridled appe­tites of Men are let loose to the enjoyment of all they desire and covet after, it is no wonder that their Immortal Souls are hazarded. The Con­nection of the Parts in this clause of our Saviours Words, is no uncommon thing in the observation of all Intelligent Persons. The Gain of the World is joyn'd with the loss of the Soul. The frequent Examples of Mankind do too evidently evince, that Wealth and Worldly possessions are held without Vertue and real Goodness; nay, that these are too often made instrumental to the greatest Vices: they usually promote in Mens minds Lust and Pride, forgetfulness of God, and a hatred of Goodness, a Prophane and Atheisti­cal Spirit, and an utter disregard of another Life.

§. 7. Would you know (or rather be re­minded of) the Reason of this? It is no other then this, that it is hard to gain the World, and [Page 8] not let our Hearts upon it: and hence it is, that our never-dying Souls. The immode­rate gain of the World en­dangers the loss of the Soul. are in­dangered by the acquisition of these Temporal and Transitory Goods. You read of the De­ceitfulness of Riches, [...]. 13.22. This Cheat, this Delusion is too apparent in the World, and the sad effects of it redo and to the depraving and corrupting our Better Part. What do not the Immoderate care and Sollicitude about this World betray men to? What do not this Inor­dinate Love and Delight invite Men to, and even thrust them upon? so true is that of the Wise Man, [ He that maketh hasts to be Rich, shall not be Innocent.] Prov. 28.20. Which Words plain­ly import more than they express; for the per­son he speaks of, is so far from being Innocent that he unavoidably involves himself in the great­est Guilt, and runs into the worst of disorders and misdemeanors. Thus the Traytor Judas was betray'd (if I may so say) into that Execra­ble Villany of Selling his Master by his Coveting the 30 Pieces of Silver. The true cause of De­mas's forsaking St. Paul, and Apostatizing from his Christian course, was his loving of this pre­sent World. 2 Tim. 4.10. This deceitfulness of Mammon might be Demonstrated in Innume­rable other Instances, which I now forbear.

§. 8. I could Evidence to you likewise, that it not only Cheats Men of their Faith & Religi­on, but of Heaven and Eternal Happiness, which indeed necessarily follows on the other. There are Two Notable Parables left us by our Saviour, [Page 9] to put us in Mind of this. The First is of the Rich Man, Luke. 12.16. Who Built larger Barns and Granaries to Lodge his Stores and Provisions in, and then Sung this Requiem to his Soul, [ Thou hast much Goods lay'd up for many Years, Eat, Drink, and be merry.] But mark what was said unto him by God, [ Thou Fool, this Night thy Soul shall be required of thee.] The Loss of his Soul, yea and the Eternal Perdition of it, was the Lamentable close of all his Gains. The Reading or Hearing of this, should startle the Wealthiest Possessors of this Worlds Goods, and remind them to secure their Interest Above, that when their Earthly Mammon fails, they may be receiv'd into Everlasting Habitations. They have need of Repeating Our Church's Litany, In all time of our Wealth, Good Lord deliver us. They have Reason to Pray, and that most heartily, that they may not be so busy in Gaining the Riches of this World, as thereby to hazard their welfare in ano­ther.

The Other Parable is of the Wealthy Glutton, who Fared Deliciously every Day, Luke. 16.19. But in the 23. ver. You find him in Hell, lifting up his Eyes, being in Torments, beholding that Happiness which he could not come at, and Beg­ging for that Refreshment which he was never like to obtain. And what was the Reason? Name­ly, because he had wilfully Excluded himself by his Voluptuous and Luxurious Living, by Immode­rately Glutting himself with the Delights of this Life, and never thinking of another. These are very Lively Representations and Convictions of the Truth of what we have been treating of. [Page 10] Therefore let us make this Excellant Use of it, to be exceeding Careful and Watchful through our whole Lives, that we be not Deceived and Insna­red by the Things of this World, that we suffer not our Minds to be Debauched by the enjoyment of them, that (as the Apostle adviseth) we use this World as not abusing it, lest we be of the num­ber of those whom our Saviour speaks of, who Gain the World, but Lose their Souls into the Bargain.

§. 9. But these, you will say, are no Great Gamers: Which leads me to the Third Proposi­tion, viz. That though Men Gain the World, and yet Lose their Immortal Souls, they are unspeak­able Losers notwithstanding such Gain. [ What is a man Profited? That Question is a downright Denying of the Thing, and the plain meaning is, The Ballance of the Accompt in the Loss of the Soul, and Gain of the World. that a Man is not in the least Profited; If he casts up his Accompts, he will find that he is so far from having Enrich'd himself, that he is a mere Bankrupt.

§. 10. But some may say to me, How can these things be? Surely the Whole World is able to out-weigh that which you call the Soul of Man. If we can purchase the fruition of this Worlds Goods, we can't see how it is possible we should be Losers. This World certainly is no Contemp­tible Bargain; we taste the Sweetness, we behold the Beauty, we feel the Goodness of it. We have Listned, and our Ears have heard, and have been ravish'd with its Charms: we have experienced [Page 11] its Delights, and we cannot be deceiv'd: and therefore we conclude, that this World hath more worth in it then you imagine: and you vainly in­deavour to beat down the Price of it. And then as for the Soul, we cannot say such great things of that. Yea, many dispute and wrangle about it's Nature and Properties, and certain it is, that no Nan ever saw it. But let it be what you ima­gine it to be, yet it cannot stand in Competition with the whole World: surely therefore you over­value it, and set too high an Estimate upon it.

§. 11. To take off these Objections and Scru­ples, we may consider the Soul and the World apart. The Souls ex­cellent worth argued from its Nature. Let us lay these in the Scales one against another, and without doubt we shall find the former of these Two, to be most weighty and considerable. The great Worth and Value of Souls might be Evidenced from the Considerati­on of the Excellent Nature and Frame of them, for they partake not of Dull and Senseless Mat­ter, but are Spiritual, Refined and Exalted Beings. Being Immaterial, they are Immortal and never­dying Spirits. Being Free and Ra­tional, Faculties. they are able to Reflect on themselves, to Understand their own Essence & Nature, & that of all other beings; especially they are capable of Knowing, Loving, and Serving of God, in the Knowledge, Love and Service of whom the happiness of Mankind con­sisteth. And in a Word, the Souls of Men were made after the I­mage of God, Image of God they are Copies of [Page 12] that Excellent and Divine Original. Thus hu­mane Souls in their own Nature are of great Worth & Excellency. Price of your Redemption. Again, we cannot but be con­vinc'd, that they are so from the Consideration of the Great Price which was Pay'd for them. God thought Mens Souls worth the expense of the Blood of his only Begotten Son. This shews how highly they were valued by God the Father, and Christ Jesus the Merciful Redee­mer of them. This shews that they are in them­selves Precious, and that they are in the Sight of God of great Price. Attempts of the Enemy. Likewise, from the eager and busy endea­vours of the Evil Spirit, to pre­vert & seduce them, we may In­fer the great & inestimable worth of them. He is restless in his Attempts to make a Prey of us, because we carry within us so Great & Rich a Trea­sure: this makes it worth his pains & utmost care, to Spoil and Rob us. So that the Indefatigable Assaults of this our Malicious & Cunning Adver­sary, are an Argument of the Extraordinary Worth and Excellency of our Souls.

But then for the World, weigh it in the bal­lance, and it will be found Light and Worthless. The Sum Total of it is thus computed by the A­postle St. John, 1 Epist. 2 chap. 16. ver. The lust of the Flesh, the lust of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life: that is, in other terms, Pleasures, The emptiness of the World Riches and Honours. This is all that is in this World; in these are couched, whatever the Voluptuous, the Covetous, or the Ambitious [Page 13] can be Masters of. Now, we have it upon infal­lible Record, that the Wisest and most Experien­ced Man upon Earth, disparaged all these with the Inscription of Vanity and Vexation of Spirit. They entertain us with mere Shews and Appear­ances, and are not able to stint and satisfy the Ca­pacious Mind of Man: yea, they are Entertain­ments that are no ways suitable to the Soul: but thus far only they have relation to it, that they are wont to Deprave and Debauch it.

§. 12. But the most palpable disparagement and blemish, of all the things that this World affords, may be comprehended in these Two Things, First, They cannot allay or mitigate the Stings of a wounded Conscience: they cannot avail us when God withdraws the light of his Counte­nance, when he writes bitter things against us, and discovers his wrath & displeasure for our Sins. Then the World will not yield us any solace and contentment. It yields no Comfort, when we most need it. Miserable Comforters are all the Pleasures, and Profits, and Honours of the World at such a time. They are Physicians of no value, because they cannot Cure and Heal our Inward distem­pers: but they rather serve to Increase them. And Secondly, more particularly, the World can­not speak Peace to a Man when he is to leave it, and to go out of it, and consequently, it cannot be of any great value and worth, for all its worth extends no further then this Life, which is short and soon ended. But there is another Life after this, even an Endless duration, & then this World will do us no service at all. Whence we may [Page 14] rationally conclude, that it is a very Mean and Sorry thing; and hence also it followeth, that a Man is not in the least Profited, if he shall Gain the World by the Loss of his Soul.

§. 13. I might further prove this Propositi­on by the next, as thus; That the man who loses his Soul, though with the Accession of Worldly Gain, is an unspeakable Loser, may be made good by the Fourth and Last Proposition, which is yet behind, which you may remember was to this effect, That there can be no Satisfaction or Re­compence given for the loss of a Mans Soul: or, as 'tis here express'd, there is no Exchange. The Greek Word hath reference to Contracts & Bar­gains about Buying & Selling, which of Old were made not by Paying or Receiving of Money, but by Bartering or Exchanging. Whence the word is here made use of by our Saviour, to let us know, that there is no Traficking for Lost and Damned Souls, there is no Buying of them again, when they are finally Sold and Lost. And more particularly, the word is used in Good Authors to signify the Price of Redemption, and so it may very fitly be applyed here: and then this impor­tant Truth is convey'd to us, that after this Life there is an utter Impossibility of Redeeming a lost Soul. If the Sinner be once taken Captive by Satan, and bound in the Chains of Darkness, there is no hope of Redemption, there is no Counter-Price to be laid down and paid, to buy him back again. What shall a Man give in Exchange for his Soul?

[Page 15]§ 14. The Soul lost in Eternal Mise­ry, can never be Redeem'd. This being delivered by way of Question, seems to imply this, that a Man would be willing to give something, yea any-thing for the Recovery of his Lost Soul. What is there that he would not part with? What can be too dear to make this purchase? Alas! the blinded Sinner goes on Now without controll; he only attends to the pre­sent pleasure of satisfying his Lusts and Exorbitant desires. He thinks not of the Sting which must close all, he considers not of the future checks of Conscience, and that it will be bitterness in the Latter end. Now he undervalues his Soul, and rec­kons the loss of it as a thing inconsiderable: but when he shall descend into the Regions of the Damned, then (but too late) he will wish he had Lost all, so he had secured the Main Property. Then he will breathe out such Relenting Langu­age as this, O foolish and sottish wretch that I was no neglect the Only Concern I had, to pur­chase Eternal Torments for the Pleasures of Sin for a Season! O how shall I now bear the restless groanings of a Despairing Mind! how shall I suffer the gnawing of this Worm that never dieth! What? must there be No Period put to these Infernal Flames? Cannot our Flouds of incessant Tears Extinguish these Burnings? Is there no Interceding with the Judge? May not a Man be upon his Probation once again? May I not be permitted to live over my Years once more? What is there no Release from these chains of darkness? Is there no Ex­change for Souls? No; there is a flat & peremp­tory Denial couched in this Question, What [Page 16] shall a Man give in Exchange for his Soul? That is, he can tender nothing which may be in the least Available for the Retrieving of his Soul. Though he Would, he Cannot. This is a Loss which is not to be repair'd. There is no Price or Ransom that can fetch back the poor Captiv'd Sinner. All the World cannot Redeem one lost Soul.

§ 15. And this will appear to be a Propo­sition too sadly true if we consider this one thing, that there is no Proportion at all, between the thing lost and that which is offered in Exchange or Compensation. The whole World affords nothing that can Answer the Loss of a Soul; for (as I have briefly demonstrated to you) all the World in respect of the Immortal Spirit of Man is Mean and Inconsiderable. There is no Com­parison at all between these Two: therefore the Gain of the whole World will not countervail the loss of one Soul. And this also is to be con­sider'd, that there is an Irreversible Sentence past upon the Wicked as soon as they leave this World, and therefore there can be no Satisfaction or Ex­change made for them. When once the Fatal Doom is pronounced by the Judge, there is no possibility of Evading it.

Reckon then upon it as an Infallible Truth, that the Soul which Wilfully and Obstinately miscarries in this Life, shall not meet with any Relief in the Other. There is no Redemption after Death, maugre the fond opinion of the Church of Rome, which establisheth the contrary by maintaining the Fire of Purgatory. But be not deceived by such Vain Delusion; for the Enrich­ing [Page 17] of their Priests is the only fuel which main­tains that Fire. A constant Revenue comes into them from the Dirges and Masses for the dead, in hope of a Release out of those Flames. Thus this, and many other Popish doctrines are founded on their Secular Profit. They make their Gain their Godliness. To Gain the World they pretend to rescue Souls out of the Infernal Prison; whilst in the mean time by their falshoods and delusions they palbably endanger the Salvation of men, and put them into the direct way of Losing their Souls. But what can be more Plain and Peremp­tory than that of the Royal Preacher, in Eccl. 9.10. [ Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge in the grave whither thou goest?] As much as to say, the working out of our Salva­tion, is the proper and only employment of this Life, and after it there is no Redress. Whence it follows that the Loss of Souls is not to be Re­versed in another World, and consequently that it is such a Loss as is Inestimable & Irrecoverable. [ For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own Soul? or what shall a man give in Exchange for his Soul.

§. 16. Thus I have distinctly considered the several branches of our Saviours words, with the Propositions that they afford. And I have done it with this design, that we might thence be convin­ced of the Grand thing I propounded, namely, the Necessity of taking care for our Souls, and that above and before all other things whatsoever. This is the proper Inference from every one of those Particulars that I have insisted upon: which I will [Page 18] thus briefly make good. First, If the Loss of the Soul be no unusual thing, then it highly concerns us to take Care, that we be not of the number of those unhappy persons who lose their Souls. Secondly, If the Gain of the World contributes to this Loss, then we are obliged to be very cau­tious and circumspect, in the use of the enjoy­ments of this World: which we cannot be, unless we have a great Care of our Souls, unless we watch over them with much diligence, and take some pains about the regulating & well ordering of them. Especially, if we consider, Thirdly, that all the Worldly Gain & Advantage we can expect to be possessors of by our sinful and vitious behaviour, will be of no real Profit to us, this will further en­gage us to mind the welfare of our Souls, and to secure that, whatever else we fail in. And then lastly, if we consider that the Loss of our Souls is of that nature that no Exchange or Recompense can be made for it, we are yet more strongly ob­liged to the duty I have so often mentioned. If we lose our Souls, it is impossible to recover them: If by our wilful neglect we forfeit our Salvation, there is no way left to regain it.

§ 17. Wherefore let us be exhorted to value our Immortal Souls above all things else, and to think nothing too difficult to do, or too dear to part with for the ensuring and saving of these. As for our Bodies, the worth of them is, that they are the receptacles of our Souls. These are the Jewels, the others are but the Casket. And as for the World, and all things in it, they are not only vain and empty, and unable to satisfy the ra­tional mind of man, but they are wont to mold [Page 19] and disturb it, and to divert it from attending to the serious concerns of another World. There­fore that we may in good earnest mind the Inte­rest of our Souls, we must be careful not to busy our selves too much with worldly affairs, we must not set our hearts on Earthly profits & pleasures. My meaning is not that we should slight & dis­regard our Bodies and our temporal concerns. We may lawfully look after these, we have free leave to mind our secular business in a moderate and due manner, and so far as Christian Discreti­on requires of us. But that which I urge is this, that we should not so attend on our Earthly em­ployments as to forget Heaven, that we should not be so sollicitous about our bodily affairs, as to neglect the things which are Spiritual, accord­ing to the Apostle's complaint, that all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's, Phil. 2.21.

But we ought to listen to our Blessed Master's Advice, Mat. 6.33. Seek ye first the King­dom of God, and his righteousness; that is, mind Religion and your Souls in the First place, & then be not neglectful of your temporal Interest, & the things which conduce to the advantage of your bodies and outward man. Know this, that your Eternal Salvation is the main thing you are to mind: you are to prefer your Spiritual advantage before all worldly and temporal considerations. For your Souls are more considerable than the whole World, and therefore the securing of them is a matter of the greatest moment, and of the highest concern. For these are Your selves, and your most Near and Intimate Possession. There­fore [Page 20] remember what is dictated to us in the Sa­cred Oracles, If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thy self, Prov. 9 12. No man can give a greater testimony and proof of his Wisdom than his look­ing to Himself, that is his own Soul in the First place. The reason is evident, because he cannot so much as pretend to common discretion who cannot afford to regard his own proper Concern­ment. Now, it is certain that the Salvation of our Souls is such; the making sure of their Hap­piness is our own Peculiar Interest; and here we are concerned, or no where. Strive then to save your Souls, and account all Attempts mean in res­pect of this. Let it appear that you chiefly mind your future Welfare, by your early and constant prosecution of it, by your longing and breathing after it, and by your love and affection to those who tender the Salvation of your Souls.

What Our Saviour told the busy Martha, is worthy of our daily thoughts, One-thing, saith he, is needful, (absolutely necessary & indispensible) and Mary hath chosen that Good Part which shall not be taken away from her, Luk. 10.42. There lay the Excellency and Prudence of her Choice, that she pitch'd upon that for her Portion which none could deprive her of, which none could take out of her possession. And herein it is that we ought to give a Testimony of our true Christi­an Wisdom, namely that we make choice of that for our Chief Good and Treasure which is Last­ing and Durable, and which no Enemy or Cross Accident can spoil us of. That is, we must pre­fer the Favour and Love of God before all things, and no Temptation whatsoever must bribe us to [Page 21] the neglecting of what he requires of us. Our constant study and endeavour, must be to under­stand our Duty in the full extent of it, and when we know it, to pursue it with all Diligence, & to do those things which are pleasing to the most High, and agreeable to the dictates of our Con­sciences as they are enlightned and directed by the Holy Scriptures. And these are the things which I shall in the next place distinctly & fully treat of.

CHAP. II.

§. 1. THere are but these two things belong­ing to Religion, namely, the Knowledge and the Practice of it, and both are equally necessary, because one is as much our Duty as the other. Then we are truly Religious when we understand aright the things that are requisite to be believ'd in order to our salvation, and when we act according to that Understanding and [Page 22] Knowledge: and it is impossible to conceive aright of Religion, if either of these be laid aside. I be­gin with the former of these: and first, I will endeavour to shew the absolute Necessity of this Divine Knowledge, from such Considerations as these; 1. Knowledge is the foundation of Religion. 2. The want of it is the root of Errors and Heresies, and all pernicious Doctrines. 3. This hinders us from valuing and esteeming the things of God. 4. This is the source of all Practical Evil. 5. This is destructive both to Body and Soul.

§. 2. 1. Knowledge is the very foundation of Religion, and there can be no Religion with­out it. I speak of True and Real Religion, for what is false and counterfeit deserves not the name of Religion, but is abusively call'd so. It is granted indeed that Superstition, which is but an Aping of Religion, is founded in & proceeds from Error and Ignorance. There is a Zeal of God, which yet is not according to Knowledge, as the Apostle acquaints us, Rom. 10.2. And we find that the most Ignorant and Blinded wretches are the most Superstitious Bigots. But if we speak of True Religion, it is certain that that cannot be separated from a due Knowledge. My Son, give me thy heart, is a just and befitting Command of the God whom we Worship and Serve, Knowledge the foundation of Religion. Prov. 23.26. The Heart denotes the Understanding as well as the Will and Affections, and God will be served with that no less than with these. Our Religion is stiled by the Apostle, our Reasonable Service, Rom. 12.1. But how can it deserve that deno­mination [Page 23] if it be not accompanied with the Un­derstanding and with Knowledge, which are the ground-work of Reason? If you Consider things aright you will grant that no Action in Religion can be sounded in Ignorance, and where there is not the Knowledge of God there cannot be the True Service of him. For our Ignorance of God and the things belonging to Him spoils all our Duties, taints all our Performances, corrupts all our Religious Exercises, and makes us uncapable of offering up an acceptable Sacrifice to the Al­mighty. Nay, that Action which is done with­out Knowledge is so far from being acceptable to God, that it is not so much as a Moral act, be­cause it proceeds not from a rational & free Prin­ciple, & then certainly it can't possibly be an act of Religion. This may convince us of the Necessi­ty of Divine Knowledge in general, & more par­ticularly of the knowledge of the Principles of Christianity. It is absolutely requisite that our Judgments be found in matters of Faith, or else our Actions, though they seem never so good & pious, never so charitable or just, are of no value & worth, because they proceed from no True Principle and Bottom. What a Foundation is to a Building, that True Knowledge is to Christianity; it is that which sustains it, and bears it up. And ac­cordingly this is the stile of the holy Apostle, be calls these Grand Principles of Truth the founda­tion, 1 Cor. 3.10, 11. Eph. 2.20 Heb 6.1. and that very justly, because they are the Stay and Support of our Holy Religion, they are the Basis and ground-work of the Christian Structure.

[Page 24]§. 3. 2. It is to be considered that the Igno­rance of God and of the things revealed in Holy Writ, Ignorance the Root of all Error. is the root of all Heretical & Damna­ble Doctrines. Truth is but o [...]e, but Error is various, and marches in several Divisions. He that leaves the path of Truth is soon betrayed into a multi­tude of mistakes. He is inclined to sever him­self more and more from the Center, and to fly off into Irregular motions, & to entertain all sorts of Errors and Follies. Thence was there such a Swarm of Monstrous Opinions among the Hea­thens, of which some of their Philosophers com­plain. Thence also among Christians hath the Catalogue of Hereticks & False Teachers swell'd. And believe it, This is no Inconsiderable thing: for Hereticks pervert the Essentials, corrupt the Vitals, & undermine the Foundations of Religion. Heretical Seducements are like Poysoning the Wells and Fountains, which is the most Pernici­ous thing imaginable. The streams of Divine Truth are thereby corrupted, and nothing is de­rived to us but what is deadly & fatal. This is Satans employment, Mat. 13.39. The Enemy that sowed the Tares is the Devil. Accordingly Heresies & False Doctrines are call'd by St. Paul, doctrines of devils. 1. Tim. 4.1. It is the most Hellish design that can be to instill false Principles under the notion of true and sound doctrine: for you cannot give Poyson to any man so easily and so effectually as to him, who in taking it thinks he takes wholesome Food or Physick: Evil Doc­trines are then most Hurtful when they are im­braced [Page 25] without any Distrust. Those are the Worst Evils whereof we have no Knowledge or Apprehension. From whence you learn the De­plorable state of those who are led into Error by being kept in Darkness & Ignorance. Plutarch reports how the Simple Satyr, when he first of all saw Fire, would needs kiss & imbrace it, look­ing upon it as some very Harmless, nay Lovely thing. He did not know it would Burn, & that Betray'd him to that fond Rashness. Ignorance betrays men daily to the Like unadvised attempts, and causes them to hug & embrace those Errors and Evil Doctrines which will prove Destructive to them, and end in Hell-fire, as you shall hear afterwards. He that is Truth itself acquaints us with the Dangerous effects of Ignorance and Er­ror, John 12.35. He that walketh in darkness, knoweth not whither he goeth; and consequent­ly he must needs stray into every by-path, and wander into any wild opinion that depraves Re­ligion, and begets Atheism or Superstition.

§. 4. 3. Consider it is another Argument to perswade you of the Necessity of Divine Know­ledge, that the want of it hinders men from Va­luing and esteeming the things of God, the Excel­lency of Grace, and the Beauty of Religion & Ho­liness. It is an old and true Maxim, that what is not known cannot be desired & loved, & therefore it is necessary in order to the desiring or loving of any thing, that there be a Knowledge of it first. Did men know what real worth there is in Vertue, and how base & vile every Sin is, they would prize the former, & abhor the latter. The reason why Men seek not after Divine and Heavenly things, [Page 26] is, because they are not Acquainted with them. This is signified by these words of our Saviour, in John 4 10. If thou knewest the Gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. Christ himself was the Gift of God, as he tells us in John 3.16. The Great obstacle which hindred the Samaritan Woman from Asking this Gift was, that she was Ignorant of the power and vertue of it; she knew not that He who spake to her had the Bestowing of it. The same may be said concerning all the Gifts and Graces which the Gospel tenders to men: they are Underva­lued and Slighted, because the Worth of them is not known. Wherefore there is a necessity of being instructed in the Doctrine of Christ, where­by we may gain the knowledge of these things. We must labour to understand our Religion, and have an insight into the nature of Christianity, and all the parts of it. For this is most certain, that none ever yet condemned it that throughly understood it: but on the contrary, all that have attained to a right understanding of it, are ad­mirers and lovers of it.

§. 5 4 It is to be remembred that the want of Divine Knowledge is the root of all Practical Abominations. If you think fit to Observe the Connection of the 4 first verses of the 14th Psalm, you will see this Confirmed. If the Fool, i. e. the Atheist (and Atheism is one of the Highest Instances of Ignorance and Folly) saith in his [Page 27] heart there is no God, he will necessarily be guilty of visible and open Crimes in his Life: Ignorance the Root of sinful Practice. for the wilful Ignorance of a Deity must produce very Strange & Prodigious effects in his Manners. Accor­dingly you read in the same place, that such persons are Corrupt, they have done Abominable works, there is none of them that doth Good. They are all gone aside, they are all together become Filthy. And it might well be added in the next verse, Have all the workers of iniquity no Knowlege? It is the want of this that makes them so Loose & Licencious, that renders them Disorder'd and Exorbitant in their Lives. This may justly be assigned as the Great Cause of that Irreligion and Prophaneness which are to be seen in the World. The true Knowledge of God is lost among men: Many brag of their Parts & Acquirements, & yet are desti­tute of a Sound Understanding. Many men ven­ture to Dispute and manage Controversies, and are able to Wrangle and Quarrel, & yet they fall short of the attainment of those Truths which are the Vitals and Essentials of Religion, whence their miscarriages arise; for an Evil Life is fre­quently grounded on the ignorance of those Truths. Which was long ago observed by that Pious Father of the African Church, St. Augus­tine, in his Book of the City of God, & accord­ingly he hath left us there this remarkable Say­ing, Men must needs live ill, if their belief con­cerning God be not aright. Their Morals can­not but be corrupted, when their Principls are unsound. And on the other side, a Religious and [Page 28] holy Conversation is the genuine result and pro­duct of right Apprehensions of God, and of the Christian Institution which we profess.

Let me Observe to you the Dependance of those words in the first and second verses of the 4th Chapter of Hosea. The Complaint at that time was, that there was no Knowledge of God in the Land: Whereupon it immediately follows that by Swearing, and Lying, & Killing, & Steal­ing, and committing Adultery, they brake out, and blood touched blood. Ignorance of God hath these woful Consequences, these dismal ef­fects. He that knows not God, and is not in­structed in his duty, will be tempted to commit all manner of wickedness and impiety. If we look into the Body of Man, we shall find that there is a near conjunction between the Head and all the Members that are designed for action and motion: the Brain, the Seat of Understanding, constantly sends forth Spirits through all the Nerves into the whole fabrick of the body, in or­der to sense and action. This may represent or shadow out to us an higher Notion, namely, the near Tye and Union, the constant commerce and correspondence between Knowledge & Practice, between the Understanding & the Conversation. The Head being duly inform'd, affects the Heart and Life: and on the contrary, gross Ignorance and false Apprehensions defile the Manners, and pollute the whole Man. When vile Sinners ar­rive to that pitch, to say unto God, Depart from us, we may then gather, that they desire not the knowledge of his ways, as it follows in Job 21.14. And we may rationally gather, that this latter [Page 29] was the cause of the former, i. e. that the want of a due & well grounded Knowledge is the root of Apostacy, or departing from God, & revolting from Religion, because none are substantially good, & persevere in Vertue, but those that are Knowing.

§. 6. Fifthly, & lastly, to sum up all in short, our ignorance of God (notwithstanding some are pleas'd to excuse and extenuate the guilt of it) is really dangerous & destructive both to our Bo­dies & Souls, it ruines us both here and hereafter. Ignorance de­structive to Bo­dy & Soul. As to the former, it is represented as an experimented Case by the Pro­phet Isaiah, (Chap. 5. v. 13.) Therefore my People are gone into Captivity be­cause they have no Knowledge. And the same is signified to us by the Prophet Hosea, Chap. 4. v. 1.) The Lord hath a controversie with the In­habitants of the Land, because there is no Know­ledge of God (as well as no Truth, nor Mercy) in the Land. This Controversie held as long as the Captivity; and afterwards it began again, and ended at length in the final destruction of that Na­tion; of which it is probable Hosea prophetically speaks in the sixth Verse of this Chapter, My People are destroy'd for lack of Knowledge. Thus Ignorance (no less than positive acts of Sin and vitious Enormities) provokes God to send his severest Judgments on the Bodies of Men.

And that their other & better part is endan­gered is yet more evident, for that the Soul be without Knowledge it is not good, saith the Wise Man, Prov. 19.2. which is that usual way of speaking wherein more is intended & meant than is expressed: Wherefore the sense of those words [Page 30] is this, that it is a very evil and destructive thing to the Soul to be without Knowledge. For this depraves the Soul, & is the cause of many sins; and if it be obstinate, is the greatest Sin it self. This is well express'd by the Apostle in Eph. 4.18, 19. where he tells us, that the Gentiles walked in the vanity of their minds, having their understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God by the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts. Observe it, darkness, ignorance, blindness, are attended with, and are the causes of vanity of mind, & an alienation from the life of God. And if you peruse the next words, you will take notice of other dismal Consequences, viz. Being past feeling, & giving themselves over to lasci­viousness, & working all uncleanness with gre­diness, which manifestly proves this Particular which I am now upon, namely, that Ignorance is destructive to the Soul, & also is a Proof of what I said before, that Ignorance is the Root of all practical Abomination.

§. 7. We are ascertain'd that this is life eter­nal to know the only true God & Jesus Christ, John 17.13. Where though the whole Christian Religion may be included in the word knowing, yet seeing it is express'd to us by this term, it is plainly intimated, that it can't be without know­ledge; nay, that it must necessarily be attended with it, & that Life & Happiness depend upon it. Which is manifest from this, that Knowledge qua­lifies us for the Vision of God, & renders us like him, & fits us for the eternal enjoyment of him. Now, if this Knowledge of God the Father & of his Son Christ Jesus be life, it follows, that the [Page 31] wilful ignorance of them is death, that is, will end in the destruction of the Soul. Which is im­ply'd in those words of the Apostle, 1 Tim. 2.4. God will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth: Where we see both these are in Conjunction, Salvation & Know­ledge: & then by the plain Rule of Contraries it follows, that Damnation and Ignorance are link­ed together. But behold this Doctrine asserted by St. Paul in more direct and downright terms in 2 Thess. 1.7, 8. where he positively affirms, that the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels, in fla­ming fire, taking Vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. Know­ing not God, as well as not Obeying him, deserveth (you see) eternal Damnation, & shall be punished therewith. A most horrid & affrighting Thun­der-clap into those who willingly persist in their Ignorance! This is a fault that merits everlasting Burnings; & if you continue in it, it will most certainly procure them. If you have not the knowledge of God now, you may expect to hear those words from him hereafter, Depart from me, I know you not. Perswade your selves of it as an undeniable Truth, that gross and wilful Ignorance is a damning Sin.

§. 8. I grant you may be ignorant of some things which have reference to Religion without danger: Though you have no insight into several points of Speculation & Controversie, yet you do not thereby hazard your Salvation. But if you [Page 32] be destitute of the knowledgs of the great & ne­cessary Articles of Christian Faith, & if your Ig­norance be voluntary, & you refuse to be inform'd and instructed, then I may truly pronounce, that your case is exceeding dangerous, Your Igno­rance being of this quality, is inexcusable, and in plain terms damnable. If the Apostle blames those who are always learning, & yet never come to the knowledge of the truth; then sure­ly those who refuse to learn, & affect Ignorance, are much more to be blamed, & even condemned. And thus I have presented you with several im­portant Particulars, which give you an account of the Evil & Mischief, of the hazard & peril of being Ignorant of God & the things of Religion.

§. 9. I hope what I have here deliver'd will make such an effectual impression upon the Minds of those that read it, that they will for the future entertain a very mean opinion of those who main­tain it as an undeniable Proposition, that Igno­rance is a good Ingredient in Religion, & that the knowledge of the Scriptures, & Divine Truths, is a perilous thing among the People. He that would admit himself into their Society, and be­come their Proselite, must do it upon the same condition that the Ammonites would have made a Covenant with the Israelites, namely, that e­very Man should have his Right Eye thrust out, 1 Sam. 11.2. Nay, you must be content to lose both your Eyes, & to sit down in utter Blindness and Ignorance if you imi [...]race the Roman Church for your Mother, for of her I now speak: She will be sure to pursue her old Maxim, that Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion. But, a­las! what a Daughter must that be which hath [Page 33] so scandalous a Mother? One would think that such an Off-spring should be of little credit in any Church; but such is the dotage of this sort of people, that they hug & caress this Brat, & would have others to do so too for the sake of its blind Parent. Notwithstanding the Apostle directly forbids the use of an unknown Tongue in the Con­gregation except it be interpreted, and shews, that it is against the Laws of Edifying in the Church that any such thing should be tollerated; nay, he intimates, that it is a wild & frenti [...]k De­votion ( Will they not say you are mad? 1 Cor. 14 23.) yet these Men assert, that it is not ne­cessary the People should understand what they say when they Pray: It is not required in the Roman Devotion, that they should know what they supplicate God for; nor is it requisite to their Religion that they should read the Bible. But you have not so learned Christ and Religion: You are convinced, I question not, that your Un­derstandings are to be interested & employed in all the acts of Religion, in all the exercises of Pi­ety & Devotion.

§. 10. And being convinced of this, I beseech you strive to attain to that Knowledge which I have been commending to you. You may ob­serve, that the purchase of Knowledge under what denomination soever, is a thing which is much prized in the World, & it busies the minds of Men exceedingly. Arts & Sciences are greedily suck'd in by inquisite Minds, & thence every Age brings new and fresh Discoveries. My Request to you at present is, that the Divine & Spiritu­al Knowledge may be your Care also; nay, that it may be your chief Care & Business. And in­deed [Page 34] if you duly consider how this Knowledge surpasses all that which is Secular and Humane, Excelling worth of Di­vine Know­ledge. you will think it an Employment worthy of you. This is call'd by St. Paul, Spiri­ritual Understanding, (1 Col. 9.) to distinguish it from that other kind of Knowledge and Science, and to ac­quaint you that it is from the Holy Spirit, and that it is conversant about Spiritual and D [...]vine things. This I conceive, is the reason of that Epi­thet. Now it is an undoubted Truth, that the more excellent the Object is, the more excellent is our Knowledge of it: On which ground it will neces­sarily follow, that the knowledge of Spiritual and Divine matters, such as belong to our eternal Sal­vation, far exceeds the most refined Notions con­cerning other things. Thus you are invited and encouraged to enquire into the great and necessa­ry Points of your Religion, from the considerati­on of the worth and excellency of them.

Besides, you may remember it is St Peter's Advice, or rather his Command, that we be rea­dy always to give an answer to every one that asketh us a Reason of the hope that is in us, 1 Pet. 3.15. That is, we are obliged to give an Account of our Faith and Religion: And if this be our Du­ty, then Ignorance cannot be excuseable; but we must enquire into the Principles & Foundations of our Religion, and gain a sufficient Understanding of them. And assuredly, in these times of Error and Delusion this becomes our Duty more espe­cially: We must endeavour to have right Noti­ons of those great things, and the rather, because mistakes and misapprehensions about them are [Page 35] too common in this Age. Yea, we must endea­vour to advance the Knowledge of God not only in ourselves, but in others; for though we live in a Nation prosessing Christianity, yet I may tender it to you as a great, but deplorable truth, that many thousands of Souls in this Land have no more Knowledge of God than mere Heathens have; that is, they have only a general Notion of a Deity, and of some kind of Religion, but they are not able to give any particular account of either, and more especially they are very ignorant of the main Principles of Christianity. Therefore we must think it our concern to furnish ourselves and them with the necessary Doctrines of our Religion, with a right knowledge of God, and his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, and all the other Principles of true and saving Knowlege.

Having premised these things, I come now to what I chiefly design'd as the First Part of my General Task, viz. To shew you particularly and distinctly what that Knowledge of God is which is required of every Christian. I must let you see what are the main Principles of Divine and Saving Knowledge, what are those fundimental Doctrines which you must by no means be ignorant of, what are the necessary Truths which you ought to know and believe in order to your eternal Hap­piness. This I comprise [...]n these Nine Particu­lars, 1. You must know, and be fully perswaded, that there is a God. 2. That this God is but One & hat there is no other God but him. 3. That as he is One in Essence, so he is Three in Persons 4 You must know the several Attributes of God. 5 You are to know that God created Man in a state of Innocency and Uprightness. 6. That [Page 36] Man continued not in this first happy state, but fell from it by wilful disobedience, and thereby made himself miserable. 7. You are to be fully inform'd concerning the undertakings of the Son of God, in order to the delivering of Man out of this miserable condition. 8. You must be acquain­ted with the way of the Recovery of lost Man as it relates to what he is to do on his part. 9. and lastly, You are to know what is the Will of God concerning the Priviledges or Punishments you may expect both here and hereafter. These are the several Particulars which I will briefly explain, and thereby present you with the sum and sub­stance of all that a Christian is bound to know in order to his Salvation.

CHAP. III.

§. 1. THE first Fundamental and necessary Principle of Knowledge is, that there is a God. This is the foundation & ground­work of all: And the several insuing Particulars must be built on this bottom. The Author to the Hebrews makes this the first and lowest step of our Knowledge and Belief, Heb. 11.6. He that cometh unto God (that is, in any way of Re­ligious Worship) must believe that he is. It is requisite that he lay his foundation in the Know­ledge and Belief of a God. And here indeed Na­tural, as well as Revealed Religion, directs us; for the Pagan World arrived thus far, namely, to acknowledge a Supreme Being, who was before all things, and is exalted above all, & is the Go­vernour and Disposer of all. They had some no­tice of a Being that was the Author of all other Beings & is Infinite and Eternal, & void of all Imperfections whatsoever. This is God, & the truth & reality of such a Being are proved from that general Impress & universal Stamp of a Deity which are on Mens Minds. The Being of God a Dictate of Nature. All of us, as we we are Men and Rational Creatures, have this Notion naturally implanted in our Understandings, that there is a Sovereign Being that made us, & upholds us, and is continually shewing kindness to us, and is in himself infinitely good and perfect. We bring this Sentiment into the World with us, & it is [Page 38] so fast riveted into our Minds, that we cannot shake it off and be rid of it, though we would. Now, this being a perswasion fixed in all Man­kind, it follows, that it is a very Reasonable Dictate: And the voice of Nature here is to be interpreted as the Voice of God. All agree una­nimously in this Acknowledgment, & there are no Dissenters in this Point, unless they be those whose Brains are disturbed & shattered, or those who being addicted to their Lusts and Vices, dis­course against a Deity, because they would not have one to punish them for their misdemeanours. Excepting these Men, the universal suffrage of Mankind is, that there is a God.

§. 2. Again the Knowledge of a God, that is, of his real Existence is proved not only from the natural Instinct of every Man's Mind, but also from those occasional Reflections which Men are wont to make upon themselves & their Actions. How frequently do their Consciences tell them that they have done amiss? And they pronounce themselves guilty, & fear & dread possess their Minds. Now I pray tell me whence doth this proceed? Why are they afraid, & find a disorder in themselves? Is it not because they have of­fended some Being or Person who knoweth what they have done, and who will call them to an Account, and will punish them for their miscar­riages? Proved from conscience of guilt. Who is this but God? It is their consciousness of his taking notice of their faults that discom­poseth them: And we read that the greatest Tyrants and most do­mineering Persecutors, who have defied and out-braved all Mankind, yet were not able to stifle [Page 39] their Fears which they had in their Breasts of a God. The apprehension of this hath made them quake and tremble, and amidst all their Pleasures and Luxuries, they could by no means divert the torments of their own Consciences. These cried aloud to them that there was a God, a God who would severely animadvert upon their wicked Actions. Thus there are inward Evidences from Mens Souls and Consciences, which are undeniable proofs of a Godhead.

§. 3. But besides these inward proofs, there are these likewise which are outward and visible. Open your Eyes, look abroad, and you cannot but behold a God in the Frame and Fabrick of the World, From the visi­ble Frame of things. in the upper and lower Rooms of this great House, and in all the Guests & Inhabitants of it. View and consider these distinctly, and you will confess them to be no less than a demonstration of a Dei­ty. The existence of a Creator appears unto us by his Creatures. We may know the great Ar­tificer of the World by the Works of his Hands, and that as certainly as we can gather from the sight of a complete and exact Watch, that the Spring and the Wheels, and all the other parts of it, and the whole orderly motion of it, are not by chance, but are the product of some skilful Workman and Artist: Nay, we may gather this more certainly; for if such a piece of Workman­ship as a Watch, which must be wound up at a certain time, or else its Motion will fail, and the fineness and exactness of all its parts will signifie nothing, (I say) this Workmanship be not thought by any sober Man to be casual, or to be from its [Page 40] self, then much less can we imagine the Fabrick of the World to be of that nature, when we see that after some thousands of years it needs no winding up, no renewing, repairing, or recruit­ing, but continues entire and perfect, as at first, and is moved and acted in the same way, course and method that it ever was. This shews its Almighty Author, & All wise Maker, so that we have reason to establish our selves in the be­lief of a God from the consideration of the Ma­ker of the World, & all things in it. His eter­nal Power & Godhead are clearly seen & un­derstood by the things that are made, Rom. 1. 20. And more particularly & signally the Hea­vens declare the glory of God, & the Firma­ment sheweth his handy work, Psal. 19.1. And his glorious Power, Majesty, Wisdom & Good­ness, are beheld every where in the Works which we see in the World. Wheresoever you look, he is before your Eyes, he may be taken notice of in every Creature. Therefore we may, if we please, be so favourable in our Censures as to imagine, that that excellent Natural Philosopher, who in the beginning of his Natural History asserts the World to be God, meant no more than this, that God is to be discovered in all the parts of this wonderful composure of the World, & particularly in the Frame of our Bodies. Thus God is not far from every one of us, & in him [...] live, & move, and have our being. The Works of the Creation a­lone are an undeniable proof of a Deity. You must needs acknowledge a God when you take a survey of the Heavens & of the Earth, & of the excellent Furniture belonging to them, especially if you survey your selves, & consider the make [Page 41] both of your Souls & Bodies, the excellent Work­manship whereof is a pregnant confutation of Atheism. It is utterly impossible that these things should make themselves, & that they should sub­sist in that wonderful manner in which they ap­pear, without a Divine Contriver and Author.

§ 4. And here, to render this Argument yet stronger & more forcible, we are to observe and remember, that all the Works we contemplate in the World shew Design & Intention in the mak­ing of them, & therefore are not the Works of Chance, but the result of an infinite Wisdom. Behold the greater World, the whole Structure of the Heavenly & Earthly Bodies; & look into the lesser World, your selves, & you will find, that there is an excellent Harmony & Connexion of all things, you will perceive that one thing was made and fitted for another, and that there are certain Ends and Purposes to which they tend, and for which they were contrived. So that from the contemplation of the Works that are before us, we cannot but infer an All-wise Ar­chitect and Disposer.

§. 5. There are several other Arguments to prove the Divinity, as the many Revelations God hath made of himself to the Patriarchs and holy Men in the Old Testament, & to the Apos­tles and others in the New: the foretelling of future Events many hundreds of Years before they came to pass: The strange and wonderful Preservation of the Church in all Ages: The remarkable Punishing of notorious Offenders, so that the Lord is known by the Judgments which he executeth, Psal. 9.16. And lastly, the singu­lar Rewarding and Blessing of some religious [Page 42] and pious Men; which are so evident and con­vincing, that a Man shall say, Verily, there, is a reward for the righteous: Verily, there is a God that judgeth in the Earth, Psal. 58.11.

Wherefore let us firmly imbrace this leading Principle, which is the Source and Root of all the rest, and the very prop and support of Religion; for he that acknowledgeth not that there is a God, cannot worship or obey him. Let us be well grounded in this first and fundamental Point con­cerning the Being of God: Let us have a solid and rightly settled perswasion of it, founded on those clear and convictive Arguments before al­ledged.

§. 6. II. As we are to know there is a God, so we must know that he is but One, and that there is no other God but He. This Principle must be settled in us in contradistinction to the plurality of Gods which the Pagans vainly ima­gined. We must acquaint our selves, that it is a very gross & absurd thing to con­ceive, The Unity of God. that there are more Gods than One. This delusion is fre­quently struck at in the Sacred Law given by Moses, and the opposite Truth is there very often inculcated. This is the First thing which is presented to us in that Body of Precepts, which we call the Ten Commandments, Thou shalt have no other God but me. This is urged as a necessary Principle of Knowledge, Deut. 4.35. That thou mightest know that the Lord he is God, and there is none else besides him. Again, in the 39th Verse of the the same Chap­ter, this is commended as a Principle which ought to be known and considered. Know therefore [Page 43] this day, and consider it in thy heart, that the Lord he is God in Heaven above, & in the Earth beneath, there is none else. So likewise in Deut. 6.4. Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord. The same is pressed by the Apostle in 1 Cor. 8.4, 5, 6. And you may observe, that it is mention'd in that place also as a Principle of Knowledge: We know that an Idol is nothing in the World, (that is, though it be counted some­thing, nay a very Deity, by the ignorant and ido­latrous Gentiles, yet it is no such thing really): We know this, saith the Apostle, & we know that there is no other God but one: For though there be that are called Gods (as there be Gods many and Lords many) yet to us there is but one God. Answerable to which is that which the same A­postle saith in Eph. 4.5. There is one Lord: And Verse the 6th, There is one God & Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all; which is an excellent description and portraiture of that One True God.

§. 7. The Philosophers and sober Men among the Gentiles, when they had a mind to speak se­riously, & to be understood so, asserted that there was but One God: And truly they might arrive to this by the very light of Nature; for the very Notion of a God, that is, of an infinitely and transcendently Good, Wise, and powerful Being, includes this in it, that there cannot be more Gods than one. For what is Infinitely Perfect can be but One, because that which is most perfect ex­ceeds and surpasses all others, and consequently there cannot be any other of that transcendent Nature: It is impossible there should be any more than One of that Rank. Besides, the Di­vine [Page 44] Power and Majesty being Supreme, cannot, on that very account, be divided. It might be proved also, and that undeniably, that the First Cause, and such is God, can be but One. The natural reasoning of Men will conduct them to the belief of this Proposition, that there can be but One First, without any laborious proving of it.

§. 8. I might add here also, that the know­ledge of this Principle is necessary in order to the fixing and rectifying of our Devotion. For the knowledge of one God is the foundation of all our Addresses to him, it is the true Basis of our Ser­vice and Worship: For these Exercises of Religi­on arise from the excellency and transcendency of that One Being above all others. Hence we ap­propriate Divine Adoration to Him, because He, being of Infinite Perfection, and being but One, commands our entire Worship, and none else can.

§. 9. And I might observe, that this One or Only God is called the True God, John 17.3. The true God. where it is required that we know him under that Notion, that we acknowledge him to be the True God as he is distinguish'd from the False and Feign­ed Gods of the Heathens A God hath been al­ways confessed in the World, but, alas! there hath been a huge mistake and error about it: For those Nations who owned a God in general had not the happiness to own the True God, but being strangely deluded and perverted, they set up Gods of their own making. What they fancied to be a God, was presently reputed and taken to be such. The vilest and meanest Creatures, the worst of Beings have been made Gods by the Pa­gan [Page 45] Devotion and Superstition. We are told that the Egyptians Deified Dogs and Cats, and they could stoop to Worship Leeks and Onions. Their very Gardens furnish'd them with Deities. Other Nations worshipped things which had not so much as a vegetative Life, Stocks and Stones were made up into Gods by those vain and blind Bigots. The Gentile Devotionists would by all means have a God, let him be what he would. They cared not what a kind of Deity they imbra­ced, so they had one. But it is not enough to acknowledge a God, that is, something that is taken for a God; but you must assert and believe the Only True God, that Infinite Being who gave existence to all things, that Eternal Spirit who made the World out of nothing, that Divine Sub­stance which is of Infinite Perfection, which is the chiefest Good, & in the enjoyment of which our Happiness consisteth. This is the Only True God: And you see how requisite this Principle of Know­ledge is. I pass to the next, which is this.

§. 10. III. It is not sufficient to have a general Notion of a Deity, but it is necessary that our Knowledge of God be more particular & distinct, and that we believe & acknowledge this Truth, that though there be but one God, yet there are Three Persons in the Godhead, Of the Trinity and that though these three Persons are really distinguish'd from one a­nother, yet they are equal in Substance Glory and Power, & in all Divine Perfections & Excellencies. The Holy Scriptures of the Old & New Testa­ment assure us of this; but more especially this is the discovery of the New Testament. Here we are taught, that in the Divine Nature or Essence [Page 46] there are Three Persons subsisting, the Father, the Son, & the Holy Ghost, & that every one of these is God, & yet they are but one God. Thus we read the Sacrament of Baptism is commanded to be celebrated in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Mat. 28.19. which joyning of the Three Persons together in that solemn act of Divine Worship shews that these three are the same God: for no Man of so­ber thoughts can think that Baptism, being a sa­cred Ordinance, should be administred in any Name but that of God. And seeing the Father is acknowledged to be God, we cannot but own the Son & Holy Ghost to be so too, because they are joyned with the Father in this holy Instituti­on & Worship. Another clear & [...]ull Text is that of St. John in his 1st Epistle, 5th Chapter, & 7th Verse, There are three that bear record in Hea­ven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. That is, one in Nature and Essence. This is an impregnable Text, and was particularly mention'd & refer'd to by some of the ancientest Writers of the Christian Church, for the proof of the Holy Trinity.

§. 11. And moreover, the Scripture not only makes mention of Three to whom the Godhead distinctly belongs, but it gives the Name of God, and attributes the Properties of the Deity to Christ and to the Holy Spirit, as well as to the Father. Thus Christ is expresly call'd God, 1 John 1. Rom 9.5. Phil. 2.6. 1 Tim. 3 16. 1 John 5. 20. and in other places. And the Holy Ghost is called God. Acts [...].3, 4. And those three in­communicable Attributes of God, viz. his Omni­potence, his Omniscience, and his Eternity are [Page 47] ascribed to these two Divine Persons. Thus con­cerning Christ, 'tis said that he is the Almighty, Rev. 1.8. He knoweth all things, John 21.17. He was before the World was, John 17.5. Which is an Expression in Scripture to set forth Eternity. The same essential Attributes of the Deity are ascribed to the Holy Ghost in Scripture: He is call'd the Eternal Spirit, Heb. 9.4 He search­eth & knoweth all things, 1 Cor. 2.10.11. And his Infinite Power is manifest from the Miracles which we read of in the Gospel, which were acti­ons that far surpassed all natural strength, and were the immediate effects of the Holy Spirit: Which is the reason why the denying of these mi­raculous Acts to be done by the extraordinary power of this Divine Person, is call'd the the Blas­phemy against the Holy Ghost, Mat. 12.31. The sum then is this, that we find in the New Testa­ment that there are Three who are spoken of as God, & to whom the Name & the Divine Nature, and the essential Properties of God are attributed, and t [...]ence we certainly infer that every one of these three is God. And more particularly as to Christ and the Holy Ghost, we have as much rea­son and evidence to believe that they are God, as we have to believe that the Father is God. And because the same infallible Scripture assures us that there is but one God; we gather this like­wise that these Three are One; and we not only gather it, but it is expressed in plain terms. And if they are One, they are all equally God, and he that separates the Son and the Holy Ghost from the Godhead, doth in a manner also abolish the Divinity of God the Father, as St. John bears witness in his 1 Epistle, Chap. 2. ver. 3. Whoso­ever, [Page 48] saith he, denies the Son (and with him the Holy Ghost) hath not the Father; that is, he de­nies him to be God.

§. 12. As for the particular and exact know­ledge of the Generation of the Son, The Genera­tion of the Son & procession of the Holy Ghost remain Mysteries. and of the Holy Ghost's Proceeding from the Father and Him, we are not to trouble our Heads about them. The manner how God's in­finite and glorious Essence is com­municated to the other Persons in the Trinity, is wholly above our apprehensions, and is to be admired and adored by us rather than searched into and comprehended; for this is a Mystery, and therefore we must not immodest­ly prie into it. And what I say concerning the Trinity, is to be applyed to all the great and pro­found Misteries of the Christian Religion, as our Saviours Incarnation, the Resurrection of our Bodies, and some other Doctrines which are of so abstruse a nature, and accompanied with such Difficulties, that we can't expect to have a com­pleat understanding of them. You must not dive into these Secrets, which were design'd to be covered and kept close. You ought to believe these Mysteries because they are revealed to you from Heaven, but you must never think to appre­hend the manner of them. It is not requisite that you should answer all the subtile Questions that may be started about those Doctrines. If you once give way to nice Queries, they will multiply without end, and you must act the part of wrangling Sophisters rather than sober and humble Christians. Let me desire you then to forbear Disputes and strife of words, to leave [Page 49] Speculation and Controversie to the Schools. Be­lieve the Truth, although you cannot answer all vain Cavils that are made against it. Assert, maintain and defend the Principles of Christiani­ty, though you be not arrived, to a compleat and adequate knowledge of them. There are some heights in Divinity which the most exalted Heads can never reach. Nay, there are some things hid and darkned on purpose that you may not search into them. I beseech you forbear curious En­quiries here, amuse not your selves with the contemplation of those things which surpass the model of your Understandings: be not wiser than God would have you to be.

And as to the Trinity, which is the Subject I am now insisting upon, this only is required of us to be known and heartily believ'd, that the transcendent and Infinite Nature of God contains in it three distinct Persons or Subsistencies, viz. the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. This is the third Principle of your Knowledge concerning God: and it is proper & peculiar to Christianity, for neither Jews, nor Turks, nor Gentiles, nor any other profession of Men whatsoever besides the Christians acknowledge this Doctrine. You are obliged therefore more especially to own this as an undoubted Truth, and such as is confirmed and established by the word of God. You are concerned to defend this Article, because the main points of the New Testament, and of our Christianity depend upon it. For our Redemp­tion, and the whole work of our Recovery are founded on the undertaking of the Three Persons in the glorious Trinity: The several parts of our Salvation are accomplished by the peculiar con­currence [Page 50] & different operations of these distinct Persons, as is evident from the New Testament. Therefore unless we know that God is one in Essence, and three in Persons, we cannot have a true and right apprehension concerning our Re­demption and Salvation.

§. 13. IV. The Attributes of God cannot be divided and seperated from the Divine Essence, The Attributes of God. & therefore in the next place the knowledge of them is necessary. The first essential Attribute of God is his Wisdom, where­by he contrives all things for the best ends and Purposes, Wisdom. which is ground­ed on his foreseeing all the events and successes of things. All things are naked and open to his eyes, Heb. 4.3. The weak and shallow understandings of Men will not permit them to pierce very far into Objects, & therefore it is no wonder to see them puzzled & non-plus'd: But he who created all things, & gave them their Beings & Natures, cannot but have a full & per­fect insight into them, & be intimately acquaint­ed with all their Effects and Productions. He knows all things past, present, and to come, all things whether secret or open, all the thoughts and intentions as well as actions of every Creature. His eyes are in every place, beholding the evil and the good, Prov. 15 3. And this All-wise God governs the World in a most exact & accu­rate manner; there is no error or staw in his Ad­ministration, every thing is managed & conduct­ed with the greatest prudence, although our dark and distracted Minds do not always perceive it. By this unerring Wisdom he so orders and dispo­ses [Page 51] all things, that he makes every thing beauti­ful in its time, Eccl. 3.11. and directs them to such Ends as are most conducible to his Glory: And therefore he is justly stiled the only wise God, Rom, 16.27.

§. 14, Secondly, the infinite Power of God, which is another of his transcen­dent Attributes, The Power of God. is to be known by all that profess Christianity. By this it is that he doth what­soever he pleaseth both in Heaven and Earth, Psal. 135.6. and actually accomplishes whatsoe­ver he hath in his Wisdom determin'd to be. By this he brings to pass those strange & wonderful things which we see in the World & which ex­ceed the utmost Power of Angels & Men: And by this he defeats and confounds the Enemies of his Church when they are most proud & insolent. By this Attribute we are encouraged to call up­on God in the day of trouble and distress, and to expect help and deliverance, because he being of Infinite Power is able to relieve us in our great­est Streights, & to rescue us in our greatest Dan­gers. This Attribute administers comfort to us in all our Temptations, for we are assured that Satan and all the Infernal Powers are at the beck and command of this Sovereign Lord of Heaven and Earth. He can over-rule and controle them when he pleaseth, he can effectually tread Satan under our Feet, & he will do it if we trust in him, and discharge our Duty faithfully. The mighty God is our support in all our Difficulties: His Power being unlimited (as most certainly it is be­cause it is Infinite) we need not fear what Men and Devils can do unto us. By his Almighty Arm [Page 52] he first created the World out of nothing, & ever since hath continued it in its Being, upholding all things by the word of his power, Heb. 1.3. And by the same power he can, if he thinks good, re­duce all things into their first nothing. In short, there is not any thing whatsoever can prove dif­ficult or impossible to an Omnipotent Being, and such is the God whom we serve.

§. 15. Thirdly, we are to have right appre­hensions of the Justice of God: Of Justice. Which is that Attribute where­by he shews himself Righteous in all his ways, Psal. 145.17 and whereby in a more special manner he severely and impartially animadverts on wilful and obstinate Sinners, and suffers not vice and wickedness to go unpunished. For although he is pleased to let some great Of­fenders persist in their gross Impieties, and not cut them off in the Career of their Sins, yet this is no argument of Impunity: For who knows what Lashes & Torments they feel in their Breasts? Who can tell the exquisite pains and anguishes which are in the Consciences of these Men? But suppose they experience no inward regrets and remorse, no black and dismal reflections in their Minds, yet if we will have so much patience as to stay till the last Act of the Divine Tragedy wherein these persons are concerned, we shall find no cause to impeach God of Injustice: For as the end of the righteous man is peace, so the close of wicked men doth oftentimes prove trou­blesome, distressed, and calamitous, though they had some Comick mixtures at their first entring on the Stage, and acting some time upon it. But say that the Wicked go off with applause, [Page 53] and nothiag direful & fatal befals them, yet shall we question and doubt of God's Justice, because we behold things to be after this manner? There is no reason we should do so, if we consider that there is another World after this, there is a fu­ture state of Being, & in that these sinful Wretch­es shall certainly receive the recompence of their repeated exorbitancies & impieties, of their wil­ful obstinacy and impenitency. Is not God Just because he doth not remarkably punish all sins in this life? Yea, rather say that he will be very se­vere, because he delays their punishment, and will certainly double it at last.

§. 16. The fourth Attribute of God is his Mercy: For as he is just in punish­ing Offenders in due time, Of Mercy. so he shews himself merciful in p [...]ssing by offences, and not taking advantage against the Guilty. This was the illustrious Name and Ti­tle which he was pleased to be proclaimed and known by, The Lord God merciful & gracious, long suffering & abundant in goodness, keeping mercy for thousands, for giving iniquity, trans­gressions & sins, Exod. 34.6, 7. And every Mo­ment of our lives attests the realty of this Divine Goodness & Benignity. O how frequent are the Instances of Gods compassion and clemency of his favour and indulgence! He who might deserved­ly pour down the Vials of his Wrath upon our Heads, he who might utterly destroy us as soon as we offend, yet is pleased to let us experience his patience and long-suffering, and vouchsafeth to bear with our Follies, and by his forbearance designs to win us to repentance and amendment of life. O how often doth the great lover of [Page 54] Mankind extend kindness to poor Creatures, when they have nothing but their Misery to com­mend them to him! The Lord is good to all, saith the Psalmist, Psal. 145 9. There is an univer­sal Compassion in him, whereby he showers down Favours & Blessings on the whole World: There are signal Examples of the Divine Goodness eve­ry where. But especially his mercy is great towards them that fear him, as the same holy Man hath observed, Psal. 103.11. There is a favour shewed to them which is not common and ordinary, a love which is singular and peculiar. This is that which distinguishes them here from the rest of the World, and Heaven hereafter will make a greater distinction.

§. 17. Besides these Attributes of God alrea­dy named, viz, His Wisdom, Power, Justice, and Mercy, there are others which we are to have a knowledge of, as his Immensity, or Omnipresence, Of the other Attributes of God. whereby he is eve­ry where, and fills Heaven and Earth, Jer. 23.24. His Eter­nity, whereby he existeth with­out beginning or end, from everlasting to ever­lasting he is God, Psal. 90.2. His Veracity and Faithfulness, whereby we are assured, that what­ever he hath said & revealed in his Word is cer­tainly and infallibly True, so that we may rest our Souls on those sacred Truths. And as for his Promises, we are certain of the performance of them, for he is (as he is called) the Faithful God, Deut. 7.9. and will keep his Word invio­lably. Gods Holiness is a large and extensive Attribute, and takes in some of those Divine Excellencies already named, and comprehends all [Page 55] that unspotted Purity and Rectitude of the Di­vine Will which is inseperable from his Nature, and whence he is called the Holy One, Isa. 5.16.

§. 18. Likewise, unto God's Attributes may be refer'd his Providence, Providence. which ex­tends it self to all Conditions and 'States of Men, to all Kingdoms, Nations, Churches, Persons, Societies, Actions, Events, Times and Seasons: Yea, it reaches even to the most despicable Creatures, to the meanest Beings; for a Sparrow falls not to the Ground without it, & the Hairs of our Heads are num­bred by it, Matth. 10.29, 30. Wherefore it is ne­cessary that we have a knowledge of this univer­sal Divine Influence.

Lastly, We must not be Strangers to God's Unchangableness, whereby he continueth always the same, Immutability. and is subject to no Alteration. With him is no variableness, neither shadow of change, Jam. 1.17. These are the several Attributes of the Supreme Being, and we cannot without great Damage to our Souls be ignorant of them, be­cause our worshipping and serving of God aright depend upon the knowledge of them.

CHAP. IV.

sect;. 1. V. ANother Principle of Divine Know­ledge is this, That God created this World and all Things in it in an excellent manner, Of Creation. and that particularly he made Man in a State of Innocency and Righteousness, capable to serve him both with the Faculties of his Mind, and the Members & Organs of his Body. This first State of Man is thus briefly but fully represented in Gen. 1.27. God created Man in his own Image; that is, as the wise Man expound it (in Eccl. 7.29) God made Man upright: Or, as St. Paul explains it, (in Eph. 4.24.) After God (or ac­cording to the Likeness of God) in Righteousness and true Holiness. He was not only created with­out Spot and Sin, but was likewise indued with an inward and real Purity, a natural and primi­tive Goodness: And he had a power given him of standing and continuing in this State of Up­rightness. [Page 57] And he being at that time free from Sin, was free also from all Misery, from all out­ward Evils and Calamities, and from all Distem­pers of Body and Soul. He lived a most happy Life in the Enjoyment of God and of his Crea­tures. And all the future Rice of Adam are re­puted to have been in this original State of Inno­cency and Purity, because they were all in the Loins of Adam, who was their Head and Repre­sentative. And besides, there was a Covenant between God and Man in the State of Innocency, The first Covenant. which reached to the whole Race and Posterity of Adam, which appears from that Transaction which we read of in the beginning of Genesis between God and Man, and from that positive Law which God gave to our first Parents, namely, Not to eat of the Tree of Know­ledge of Good and Evil; and from the penalty which is annext to the breach of that Law, In the Day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die, Gen. 2.17. which shews that their Posterity was included in the Covenant or En­gagement, for else they would not have incurr'd the Punishment, that is, they would not have been liable to Death. This mutual Covenant or Agreement between God and Man is referr'd to in Hos. 6.7. and if our first Parents had kept their part of it, they had been happy, and so their Posterity have been; for they were reputed to be included in them, and to have enjoyed what they enjoyed. Which is plain from what the A­postle saith, Rom. 5 9. (and which I shall have occasion to qu [...]e under the next Head) By one Man sin entred into the World, & death by sin: [Page 58] For if by Adam's wilful Transgression his Poste­rity became sinful and miserable, then in him they were at first Righteous and Happy. Thus it is necessary, in order to the right apprehending what is the present State and Condition of Man­kind, to know that they were all once in a good and happy Plight.

§. 2. VI. The next thing you are to acquaint your selves with is, That man continued not in his primitive Condition of Happi­ness, The Fall of Man. but soon fell from God, and became miserable. This is repre­sented to us in that passage of the Royal Psalmist, Psalm 49.12, and last Verse; Adam (for that is the word in the Original, the proper Name of the first Man, and so this place refers more peculiarly to our first Parent) this Adam (as well as his Posterity) being in honour abideth not, understandeth not, but is like the Beasts that perish. His innocent & Happy State is comprehended in those words, being in honour; and his guilty miserable Condition is doubly ex­press'd, first, by mentioning his Sin and Aposta­cy, he understood not, he abode not; secondly, his Punishment, or the due Effect of his Fall, he became like the Beasts that perish. Now this Misery befel Man in Paradise, by his listning to the Temptations of Satan, and by yielding to his Suggestions: For you must be reminded of this, that God had created Angels as well as Man; very great numbers of those glorious Spirits were placed in Heaven by the Bounty of God; The manner of it. but even there they Re­volted and Rebelled against their Maker; and thereupon they were [Page 59] thrown down from those lofty Regions into this World below, as you read in the 6th Verse of St. Jude; The Angels kept not their first Estate, but left their own Habitation. These Angels being thrust down from Heaven, turned Devils, and being inspired with Envy, Hatred & Malice, designed to do all the Mischief they could upon Earth. God having created Man here a Blessed Inhabitant in Paradise, they forthwith contrived his Ruin and Destruction. The Chief and Head of them (as we may reasonably suppose) under­took this cursed Task, and disguising himself in the Shape and Form of a Serpent, set upon our Grandmother Eve first, as being thought more flexible and weak, and readier to comply with his Suggestions: He prevailed with her to eat of the forbidden Fruit, and she soon after acted the Serpents part, and tempted her Husband to do the same, and so they both transgressed the Di­vine Commandment, and fell from their original Righteousness and Purity by their wilful Disobe­dience, and became guilty Persons.

§. 3 Our first Parents thus falling, drew all Mankind with them into the same Sin and Guilt, and made them subject to the like Calamities that they had involved themselves in. Ever since that fatal Fall the whole Race of Adam hath been miserable. Their understandings are darkned and obscur'd, their Wills are perverted and distorted, their Affections are misled and seduced, and all the Faculties of their Souls, and Members of their Bodies are become Instruments of Un­righteousness. They take delight in Sin and Wickedness; they are easily infected with the Pollutions of the World; they are soon misgui­ded [Page 60] by the Evil Spirit, the first Author of our Misery: They are weak and infirm, apt to attend to evil Counsel, inclinable to all Evil, and averse to all Good: They unworthily prefer their Bo­dies before their Souls; they prize Time above Eternity, and value Earth above Heaven: They have an higher esteem for momentary & trifling Pleasures, than the endless Joys and Satisfactions of Glory at God's right Hand. Thus they are wretched and mi­serable; The miserable Effects of the Fall. & the more so, because they wilfully shut their Eyes, and blind their Understandings, and are perverse and obstinate. They sit on the very brink of the bottomless Pit, and yet they Sing, and think themselves as secure as if they were at the farthest distance from it. They Glory in their Shame, & whilst they are posting to eternal Tor­ments, they presume on the Mercy of Heaven. Thus this excellent Creature, who was made af­ter the Image of God, & was a lively Transcript of his Maker, is now basely degenerated, & sunk below his Species, and (as the Psalmist saith) be­come like the Beasts that perish. This is the forlorn Condition, this is the original Depravity and Misery of Mankind by Nature.

§. 4. Of the Truth and Certainty of which you may assure your selves from the infallible Testimony of God's Word. By one Man (saith the Apostle) sin entred into the World, & death by sin: and so death passed upon all Men, for that all have sinned, Rom. 5.12. And if at your leisure you peruse the following Verses, you will find that there is scarcely one of them (and there are about eight in all) to the end of [Page 61] the Chapter, wherein the sense of this 12th Verse is not again expressed. It seems it is so great and important a Truth, that the Apostle thought fit to repeat and inculcate it in almost half a score Verses together. Therefore this must be a main Principle of our Religion, and such as we ought to know in order to our Salvation. From the whole Series of the Apostle's words in that place, it is clear, that we are all Criminals even by Birth, we inherit Death and Sin from the first Man. His Corruption becomes ours, not only by imitation and example (as some would per­swade us) but by Propagation. Which is yet further asserted & confirmed by the same inspired Apostle, when he saith, We all were by Nature the Children of Wrath, as well as others, Eph. 2.3. We all, that is, Jews (for the Apostle speaks of himself and his Countrymen) as well as others, namely Gentiles, and particularly the Ephesians to whom he writes, we all, Jews and Gentiles (which comprehends the whole Race of Mankind) are by Nature, that is, by our Birth & descent Children of Wrath, liable to God's Wrath and Displeasure, obnoxious to Punishment both here and hereafter. For Adam fell, and we in him, Of Original Sin. and his Sin is become ours. He represented all Mankind, so that what he did, he did it not only for himself, but in our stead. He was our Head and our Surety; he acted in our place, and on our behalf, and thence it is that his F [...]ult is entailed upon us.

Besides, there was (as I said before) a Covenant made with Adam, not only for himself, but all his Posterity; wherefore on that account Adam [Page 62] falling, all Men fell with him; as on the other hand, if he had remained in his primitive Inte­grity, we all had shared with him in the Blessings that accrued by it. If then this latter part of the Covenant made with Man was just & equal (as we acknowledge it to be) we have reason also to assert that the former was so too. Wherefore you must remember to urge upon your Minds, as a necessary Principle of Knowledge, that upon Adam and Eve's Apostacy from God and their Duty, we who are there Off-spring are become Guilty. There is a Pollution derived from them with our Nature, and together with that a lia­bleness to the everlasting Wrath of God, as the punishment thereof. You see this is plainly and expresly deliver'd in the Scripture of Truth; and therefore attend not to the Cavils of perverse Men, who study to annul this Fundamental Point of our Faith.

§. 5. VII. Being convinced that Man's Na­ture is infected and poisoned, let us think our selves concern'd to know what is the Antidote, what is the Remedy of this Malady and Disease, what is the Method of our Recovery. And here we are to take notice, that as God in infinite Wis­dom chose a way to save Man when he was lost, so he was pleased to discover this way to Adam immediately after his Fall, in those first Gospel-tidings, Gen. 3.15. The Seed of the Woman shall break the Serpent's head. In which words is contained the Second or New Covenant, which is so call'd in contradistinction to the First, or Old Covenant, commonly stiled the Covenant of Works, made with man in the state of Innocency, but this New Covenant was made in the Lapsed [Page 63] state of Man, and is justly call'd the Covenant of Grace, because the tenor of it was that Men should be recovered, and restored to the Favour and Grace of God, not by vertue of any works of their own, but by the Meritorious Under­takings of Christ, whereby He was to make Satisfaction to God for their breach of the Divine Law, and to rescue them from Hell and Eternal Damnation, and to purchase Salvation and Ever­lasting Happiness for them. And their Duty is contained in this Covenant (it being the nature of a Covenant to include in it the Terms relating to both Parties) namely, that they believe in this Gracious saviour and Redeemer, and obey his Laws: which they are not able to do of themselves, and therefore it is part of this New Covenant that they shall have strength given them by the Holy Spirit to believe and obey. This is a brief account of the Second Covenant made by God with the Elect through the Messias, who is called the Seed of the Woman in the forecited Text. The Work of Redemption. The Reason is because he was born of a Wo­man in a signal and unusual manner, as being not the Off­spring of Man, as all others are. And after this there were several Types, Prophesies and Promi­ses concerning this Blessed Seed; and at length God the Father in the fulness of Time sent his only Begotten Son, the eternal Word; and this Word was made Flesh, took our Nature on him, and was born of a Virgin. Great is this Mystery of God­liness, Incarnation of Christ. God manifested in the Flesh, Divinity assuming Hu­mane [Page 64] Nature, the second Person in the Glorious Trinity made Man. He was the happy Author of our Deliverance and Recovery. Be very de­sirous then (as it is your Interest) to be acquaint­ed with this way of Man's being deliver'd from his miserable Condition. St. Paul briefly com­prizes it is those few words, in Rom. 5.15. If through the Offence of one many be dead, much more the Grace of God, and the gift by Grace, which is by one Man, Jesus Christ, hath abound­ed unto many. And if you read what follows, you will find that this Happy State or Condition of Man, no less than the Miserable one before treated of, is repeated and explained to the very end of the Chapter. The Judgment was by one to Condemnation, but the Free Gift is of many Offences unto Justification. If by one Man's Offence Death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of Grace shall reign in Life by one, Jesus Christ. As by the offence of one Judgment came upon all to Condemnation, even so by the Righteousness of one, the Free Gift came upon all Men unto Justification of Life. And the final Close is, As sin hath reigned unto death, even so Grace reigneth through Righ­teousness unto eternal Life, by Jesus Christ our Lord.

I rehearse this to you, to convince you of the Necessity of this Principle of Knowledge. If it were not a matter of vast Importance, and such as you must by no means be ignorant of, you can­not imagine the Apostle would urge and repeat it so often. I have not met with any Particular in the whole Bible that is mention'd over and over again in so many Verses together. Now, [Page 65] it is certain that the Apostle is not here guilty of vain and useless Repetitions, but it is the Excel­lency and Necessity of the Matter which caused him to inculcate it in so many words of the same Sense and Import. Wherefore you cannot suffi­ciently weigh and ruminate upon so worthy a Doctrine, you can never deservedly prize so pre­cious a Truth, namely, that as by the first Adam Sin & Death entred into the World, so by Christ Jesus, the second Adam, Life and Happiness are procured for us, and convey'd to us. When our first Parents, and we in them, had deserv'd ever­lasting Misery, and utter rejection from God's Favour and good Will, he then vouchsafed to think thoughts of Mercy towards us, and laid help upon one that is mighty to save us, & that to the uttermost. He open'd a Fountain of Life through the Blood of his only begotten Son, and prevented our eternal Death and Damnation: which is thus expressed by our Blessed Saviour, God so loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting Life, John 3.16.

Here it is to be observed that three Great Dig­nities or Offices are conferred upon Christ for the saving of his People. He is a Priest, to in­terc [...]de for them, and to Expiate for their Sins, and to that end to offer up himself a Sacrifice▪ He is a Prophet, to teach and instruct them in the ways of righteousness: which Moses fore­told many ages before, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto your brethren, like unto me: him shall ye hear in all things. He is a King, to rule and protect his Subjects: [Page 66] which also was foretold by the Prophet Jeremiah, 23. Chap 5, 6. v. Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a King shall reign and prosper. In his days shall Judah be saved: his name is the Lord our Righteousness. There the Angel as­sured the Blessed Virgin, Luk. 1.32, 33. The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there shall be no end: he shall always execute his Re­gal Office for the good and welfare of his Church, his Elect and Peculiar people, whom he came to recover and redeem.

§. 6. But more particularly you are to ac­quaint your selves with the singular Method of this Recovery. To explain which to you, you must know that Man having sinned, God's Mercy in­clined him to pardon him, and to receive him into Favour; but God's Justice required that Sin should not go unpunished, but that the Majesty and Force of the Laws should be kept up. But how was it possible that Man should be pardon'd, and yet at the same time Sin be sufficiently animad­verted upon? To accomplish this, God appoint­ed a Surety who should suffer in Man's stead; Christ our Surety. and this Surety, this Sponsor was to be a Man, that he might suffer, and that Sin might be punished in the same nature in which it was committed. But then he was not to be a sinful Man, that is, one involved in the same Guilt with others: for he that is himself Guilty cannot satisfie for others: And thence we read that the Surety whom we are speaking of was conceived by [Page 67] the Holy Ghost, Mat. 1.20. that he might be pure and sinless as to his Humane Nature. But suppose him void of Sin and Guilt, yet if he were a mere Man, he could not be able to save us, for it is above the strength of a Creature to redeem lost Sinners; wherefore it was requisite that this Surety should be God as well as Man: And ac­cordingly it was ordained and appointed by the Sacred Trinity that one of that number, viz. the Second Person, The Surety must be God and Man. should undertake and accomplish the Recovery and Restauration of lost Mankind, and that in order to that he should take upon him our Humane Nature.

§. 7. This is that which was foretold by the Evangelical Prophet, Isa. 7.14. Behold, a Vir­gin shall conceive, & bear a Son, and shall call his name Emanuel. The Virgin's conceiving & bear­ing him speak his Humanity; and his name Emanuel, God with us plainly tells his Divinity. And St. John expresses it thus, The Word was made Flesh, John 1.14. that is, the eternal Son of God, the Second Person in the Trinity, assumed our Nature, and united it to the Divine, and so was both God and Man, and therefore fit to be a Mediator between God and Man, and to recon­cile both. This is the great and amazing Mystery of the Gospel, the Union of the Godhead and Manhood, in order to the Redemption of lost Man; for Christ, as he was Man, suffered for us; as he was God, satisfied; as he was both God and Man, accomplish'd our Redemption. And after this gracious Redeemer had actually [Page 68] become a Sacrifice for us, and made himself an offering for sin by his meritorious Death, he de­clared himself to be the Son of God with power, by his Resurrection from the Dead, Rom. 1.4. He thereby gave undeniable proof of his Divinity, and made it evident to the World that he had accomplish'd the Work of our Salvation, and was accepted of God the Father. Of which we have a farther assurance, by his visible, and glorious Ascending into Heaven, and there sitting at the Right Hand of the Father, Christ's Ex­aliation. to make In­tercession for us, presenting him­self and his Sufferings before his Father, and of­fering our Prayers and Supplications to him, and applying the Benefits of his Passion. Thus is the work of our happy Recovery wrought by the undertaking so Christ Jesus, the eternal Son of God.

§. 8. And we are to know further, that this Redemption, and the whole Transaction of it, are from the free Bounty and Mercy of God: For he was not obliged to restore us to our pri­mitive State of Happiness after we had fallen from it; he was not bound to enter into a new Covenant with us, after we had broken the first by harkning to the Suggestions of the evil Spirit, and had thereby lost our Innocence, and were be­come Enemies and Rebels against God. We could not have accused him of Injustice, if he had left us miserable for ever. Whence it follows, that we must ascribe our Recovery to the Di­vine Compassion and Goodness only. To us a Son is given; that is the Stile of the Prophet; Salvation of pure Grace. & accordingly our Saviour calls himself the Gift of God, John 4 10. It is the free [Page 69] and undeserved Donation of Heaven to Mankind, that this Jesus, this Redeemer was sent into the World. This is said to be according to the good pleasure of his Will, to the praise of the Glory of his Grace, his free Grace & Mercy, Eph. 1.5. And what can be plainer than the same Apostle's words Chap. 2d, Verse 8th? By Grace ye are saved, and that not of your selves: This (as well as Faith which he here mentions) is the Gift of God. It was from the Divine Bounty alone that a Saviour appear'd; and all the happy Effects and Consequences of it are from his good Will and Favour. We must needs pronounce this Redemp­tion to be free, because we had to hand in it, we were utterly incapable of doing any thing tow­ards our Relief. It was without the least consi­deration of any thing in us that favour was shew'd to us, because after our Fall nothing remained in us that was lovely and desirable, nothing Praise-worthy and Excellent. Then it was that our merciful and gracious Creator was pleased to pi­ty our forlorn State, and freely to send his Son to accomplish his designs of Love to us. Here is the only Foundation of all our Happiness, this is the source of all our Comfort; and therefore let us thankfully admire and adore this free and gratuitous Dispensation of the Almighty. Let us attribute it wholly to the Favour and Indul­gence of God, that we are in a capacity of being saved: Let it be ascribed to the pure good Will and Pity of Heaven, that any of the lapsest Race of Adam, even as many as are given unto Christ by his Father, are restored to their lost Happi­ness. The Angels fell, but irrecoverably: there was no Salvation for those Apostate Spirits: but [Page 70] God hath not dealt so with Man, he hath not left him under an impossibility of Recovery. Here the Riches of Grace, and the unmeasurable Depths of Mercy are discover'd. O happy Souls, that lose themselves in the Contemplation of this Unspeakable Goodness, of this infinite Bounty!

§. 9. Moreover, you are to know, that there is no other way of Salvation than this, which is offer'd to us by Christ Jesus in the Gospel. He is the only Saviour. Jews, Mahometans & Pa­gans are all out of the way, and whilst they con­tinue such by their wilful opposing or neglecting of Christianity, are incapable of the Mercy offer'd in the Gospel for St. Peter assures us, that there is no Salvation in any other but Christ, & that there is no other name under Heaven given among Men whereby we must be saved, Acts 4.12. And we are told by another Apostle, that God is in Christ (and him alone) reconciling the World unto himself, 2 Cor. 5.19. This Blessed Atonement and Re­conciliation are wrought by Him alone: He it is that Skreens us from the Divine Wrath, having made Satisfaction to the Justice of Heaven: By him we are restored to the Favour of God, as the Apostle instructs us, Eph. 1.6 We are accept­ed in the Beloved. This is a grand fundamental Point of Knowledge, and unless we be acquainted with this, we know nothing of our Religion, we are utter Strangers to Christianity: And there­fore I have insisted the longer upon this main Principle. Nor have I yet finish'd it, because I would endeavour yet further to convince you of the absolute Necessity of the Knowledge of Jesus Christ, as he is a distinct Person from the Father, and as he undertook to be the Redeemer and Sa­viour [Page 71] of lost Men. To this end let me commend that remarkable Text to your perusal in Eph. 2.12, The Knowledge of Christ as Mediator the only saving Knowledge. 13. Remember (saith he) that at that time (that is, when they were Igno­rant Gentiles, and had no Knowledge of Christ Jesus) ye were without Christ being Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel, and Strangers to the Covenants of Promise, having no hope, and without God in the World: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off▪ are made nigh by the blood of Christ, for he is our Peace &c. I pray observe it, that the Apostle lets the Ephesians know that as long as they were without Christ, they were without God in the World. Those that have the Knowledge of a God, a Supreme and Infinite Being (and the most improved Heathens know as much) and yet are destitute of the Knowledge of Christ the Son of God, the only Mediator and Re­deemer, they are reputed to be without God very Atheists, and void of Religion. God without Christ is no God to them. The Knowledge of God the Father without the Knowlege of Jesus is rec [...]o [...]'d as Atheism. He that is ignorant of Christ, is as if he knew not a Deity. So lamentable and de­plorable is the Condition of obstinate Jews, wil­ful & h [...]dne [...] Turks, of blind & pervers [...] Pagans, ve [...]v [...]n of some who go under the name of Christians I mean pro [...] Arians and Socinians, w [...] thou [...] they acknowledge a Christ, v [...] deny his Divinity, and consequently his Sati [...]faction for us. And the whole Work of the Redemption which was wrought by him. I wish they would [Page 72] consider that peremptory decision of St. John, 1 Epist. ch. 2. ver. 23 which I had occasion to mention before, He that denieth the Son, hath not the Father: Whilst they deny Christ's Di­vinity, they do in vain assert a Deity. You see then how greatly you are concern'd to know and own this fundamental Point of the Christian Reli­gion: All your Knowledge of God the Father de­void of the Knowledge of Christ is of no value.

Nay, let me tell you, you cannot attain to a right Knowledge of the former, but through the latter. To this purpose I offer those words of the Blessed St. Paul to your Meditations, 2 Cor. 4.6. God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our Hearts, to give the light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ: As if the Apostle had said, God is a bright and glorious Sun, whom we cannot look upon directly, the Rays and Beams of his Majesty being so transcendently Illustrious. That we may therefore behold this Divine Glo­ry, and not be struck blind with it, whilst we are gazing on it, it is necessary that we take a view of it, not as it is in it self abstractly, but as it re­presents it self to us in the Face of Jesus Christ. There we may behold God in the best and safest manner. That we may know him aright, we must look on Christ who is the express Image of his Person, and in whom he is well pleased. You have it from our Saviour's own blessed Mouth, John 14.6, 7. No Man cometh to the Father but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. Be sollicitous then above all things to know God the Father in & through Jesus Christ his Son; for by him we have the [Page 73] knowledge of the way of our Recovery out of our sinful and miserable Condition, because it is for his sake alone that God vouchsafes to shew mer­cy unto Mankind, who had once been happy, but fell from that State.

§ 10. And thus I have acquainted you with the Threefold State of Man. He was spotless and innocent by his Creation: He was corrupted by Satan's Temptations, and so apostatiz'd: But he is restor'd and renew'd by the wonderful Grace and Mercy of God in Christ Jesus. Or thus, Man was created at first according to God's Image, in Righteousness and Holiness, and consequently was in a state of Happiness; but he wilfully trans­gressed God's Command, and thereby lost his first Purity and Innocence: Thence came Sin into the World, and Death by Sin. But notwithstand­ing this, God at first promised, and afterwards actually sent his Son to deliver Man out of this miserable Condition, and to Redeem him from Death and the Curse, and to confer upon him eternal Life and Happiness. And accordingly the Son of God, taking upon him humane Nature, recovered him from the state of Guilt and Mise­ry, and restored him to Life and Blessedness. It is of absolute necessity, that you inform your selves very distinctly concerning these three States, for otherwise you remain ignorant of the grand matters which are requisite to be known in order to your eternal Salvation. Therefore I dwelt the longer upon this, that you might have a thorough apprehension of this so necessary a Principle of Religion, which every Christian Man ought to furnish himself with.

CHAP. V.

§. 1. VIII. YOU must have yet a more parti­cular knowledge of the way of Recovery of lost Man, as it relates to the Alteration which is to be made in us, and as it hath respect to those things which we are to do. You must know this, that in order to Salvation and Happi­ness it is necessary you be changed in your Minds and in your whole Man: For (as you have been taught already) you were all born in a state of Nature, that is, you were corrupted and depra­ved both in your Souls and Bodies. Now, you [Page 75] cannot pass from this State unto that of Grace but by Regeneration. You must be born again: Of Regene­ration. A new Nature must be planted in you. Are they not the plain and express words of Christ, who best knew the Terms of Salvation? Except a Man be born Again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God, Joh. 3.3. He can neither ar­rive to the Kingdom of Grace here, nor of Glory hereafter. This Regeneration or new Birth is then wrought in us, when the Graces of the Holy Spirit are inwardly planted and rooted in our Hearts, and when they bring forth Fruit in our outward Conversations. For this is certain, that the internal habit of Grace and Holiness will shew it self in good Works, in all visible and apparent acts of Sobriety, Righteousness and Godliness. We must persuade our selves then of the indis­pensable necessity of having our Minds and Con­sciences, our Hearts and Lives adorned with all spiritual Endowments, for otherwise we have no marks and signs of our being born again, and we have no hopes of seeing the Kingdom of God.

§. 2. And this must needs be so, because these Graces and Vertues are express Conditions, on our part, (as hath been said before) of the new Cove­nant. And by Conditions I mean no more than this, The necessity of such a Change, in order to the benefits of the new Covenant. that they are such ne­cessary Requisites that without them none shall be partakers of the benefits and privileges of the Co­venant. Thus Believing is made a condition of being saved, Mark 16.16. and (which is the same) it is a condition or not [Page 76] perishing, but having everlasting life, John 3.16, 36. Confessing with the mouth the Lord Jesus, & believing in the heart that God raised him from the dead, is a condition of being saved, Rom. 10.9. Confession of sin (that is such as is accompanied with true Repentance) is a condi­tion of forgiveness of sins, and being cleansed from all unrighteousness, 1 John 1.9. Holiness is a conditional forerunner of seeing the Lord Heb. 12.14 Such a Righteousness as exceeds the Righ­teousness of the Scribes & Pharisees is pro­pounded as a condition of entring into the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 5.20. And in the beginning of the same Chapter, poverty of Spirit, purity of heart, meekness, mercifulness, are made conditions of Blessedness. And Repentance is ex­horted unto as a conditional assurance of our sins being blotted out; that is, forgiven, Acts 3.19. And in sundry other places Pardon is offer'd, and Heaven is proposed on the terms or doing what is commanded us. For though Christ's Righteous­ness be the only meritorious Cause of our Pardon, and of our Salvation and Happiness, yet our Faith and Repentance, and other Graces, are the previous conditions of them on our part. And we are not to wonder at this, because it is a Di­vine Appointment & Constitution; for it appears from the Holy Writ, that it was agreed from all Eternity between the Father and the Son, that Man should not be saved but in a way of Duty, and that in order to this his Sins should not be remitted but on condition of Repentance; and consequently, though the Gospel be a dispensation of Grace, yet it promises Pardon to none that persist in their Rebellion. And this is the tenour [Page 77] of the new Covenant which is made with Man, namely, that he shall perform the Conditions which are required on his part; and therefore if he neglects this, he cannot expect to have the be­nefit of the Covenant.

Or if you dislike the word Conditions, call those Graces & Duties Qualifications, because in their own nature they fir us for Heaven and Happi­ness, and the fruition of God. He that is the Author of all Grace doth hereby make us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in light, Col. 1.12. for these spiritual Endowments are the new Man, & the new Creature which the Apostle speaks of; and they are the divine Life in Man, and therefore are necessarily required to prepare and qualifie him for communion with God, and enjoyment of him.

§. 3. These Graces have like­wise the nature of Means, The Graces of the Spirit, in order to eter­nal Life, have the same ne­cessity as of Means to the End. and on that account are of absolute necessity, for the Means are in order to an End, & the end can­not be obtained without them. So we find in Scripture that there is a necessity of being Born again, of being religious and holy, and of obeying God's commands in order to the ob­taining of eternal Happiness, which is the End we aim at. Or, these divine Endowments may be called Instruments and Helps of our Salvation, because they further and advance it in that way which is peculiar to them, & which is of God's own appointment: & particularly some of them may be said to be Instruments of applying to us the Salvation wrought by Christ. Or lastly, these [Page 78] Acts of Holiness and Obedience in the Lives of the Faithful may be called Thankful Acknow­ledgments of God's Mercy to them in Christ Je­sus, they are ingenuous Retributions for the matchless kindness shew'd to them in their Re­demption. And certainly it is most highly rea­sonable that such grateful Returns should be made by those that participate of the Life of God, and feel that new Principle in their hearts which is a powerful Spring of all that is good and ho­ly.

§. 4. Thus under what consideration soever you look upon the Graces of the Gospel, it ap­pears that we lie under a necessary obligation of adorning our Lives with them. We must be daily examining the Truth & Sincerity of them, and we must strive to increase and improve them. According to St. Peter's advice (2 Epist. chap. 1. ver. 5.) we are to add unto our faith vertue, and to vertue knowledge (that is, expe­rience of the ways of goodness and piety) and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance pa­tience, and to patience godliness, and to godli­ness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kind­ness charity, and the whole retinue of Divine Graces, which I shall particularly describe to you afterwards, when I come to the second general part of my Discourse. We must shun all the Oc­casions of Sin, and embrace all the Opportunities of doing good, and abound in all Vertues, and grow in every Grace, and persevere in all Holi­ness & Godliness to the end of our Lives. This we must do, or else we can never have the Be­nefit of Christ's Redemption; all his Undertak­ings will avail nothing without this. For as it [Page 79] was Gods's Will and Appointment that Christ should suffer and make atonement for Sin so this is the will of God, even our sanctification, 1 Thess. 4.3. And we are sure that the great end and design of Christ's coming was to restore us to our primitive Holiness and Purity, and to renew the spiritual Life in us. Therefore let us not be ignorant of this great Truth, but act according to it, and commend Religion to the World by an exemplary Conversation, that others seeing our good works, may glorifie our Father which is in Heaven.

§. 5. And besides these Graces and Vertues which are to shine in our Lives, there are certain Duties & Exercises of Religion that are required of us. For though all Graces are our Duty, yet all the Duties & Performances in Christianity are not to be term'd Graces or Vertues, but they are rather to be call'd Means of Grace and Helps to Salvation. The Duties of Religion made necessary by Command. Such are holy Meditation, de­vout & ardent Prayer, a diligent reading the Scriptures, attending on the Word preached, a pious celebrating of both the Sacraments, and the like Religious Exercises which are enjoined us by our Saviour & his Apostles, of which I shall distinct­ly discourse when I come to the Practical Part of this Treatise, for that is the proper place for them to be insisted upon: but now I only offer those things to you as matter of your Knowledge. You are by no means to be strangers to this great Truth, that the Word & Sacraments, & the lest of the Institutions and Ordinances of divine Ap­pointment are to be made use of by us as means [Page 80] and helps in order to Grace and Holiness. We are to know, that as we cannot arrive at Happi­ness, unless we be furnished with inward Graces, so neither can we attain that end, unless we con­scientiously perform those outward Exercises of Religion which the Gospel requires of us. The want of this Knowledge hath caused great Mis­takes, & gross Disorders among those that have made the greatest Pretences to Religion. There are a sort of Men who think to go to Heaven a new way; they are above Ordinances, as they are pleased to boast; they despise the outward Ser­vice & Worship of God as a mean thing; every day is a Sabbath with them, & every Meal is a Sacrament; & the teaching of the Spirit ex­cludes all Preaching & Hearing. They talk of ex­alting Christ, whilst they are throwing down all Christian Duties; they are for setting up Christ by pulling down his Ordinances, by disparaging of those Means which were of his own ordain­ing.

But we are to know that God is a God of or­der, 1 Cor. 14.33.40. and what he thinks best for us, is really so; therefore we are not to pre­scribe Laws to him, but to rest in what he hath determined. Whosoever are saved, are saved in God's way and method, and consequently we are obliged to make use of all the means which he hath appointed for the enlightning and convert­ing of Sinners, and for establish­ing them in Religion. The Divine Right of a standing Mi­nistry. There is a standing perpetual Ministry in the Church of Christ; for, as he gave at first Apostles, & Pro­phets, & Evangelists, who were [Page 81] extraordinary Ministers, so likewise he hath gi- Pastors & Teachers, for the orninary & constant Work of the Ministry, & for the edifying of the Body of Christ, Eph. 4.11, 12. There is a par­ticular and distinct Order of Men, set apart to take care of Mens Soul's, there are peculiar Per­sons ordained to the Publick Offices of Praying, of Teaching, of Administring the Sacraments, of exercising Discipline & there are Rules & Injunc­tions given for the right Administration of these. Wherefore to vilifie these, is to vilifie the Holy Scriptures, yea, to despise God himself, because it is a despising of that which the wise God hath ordered & approved of. He promises no where to make void the Ministry of the Church, and to teach us from Heaven immediatly without the use of this, for this would be destroying what he had set up himself; for we read that our blessed Saviour gave Commission to his Disciples to Teach and Baptize, (which includes all the other Or­dinances of Christ) and promised to be with them always unto the end of the World, Matth. 28.20. which shews that this Promise is made also to their Successors in the Ministry; for the Apostles themselves were not to be always, or unto the end of the World: Therefore this must be meant of all the Faithful Ministers of Christ, in all the successive Ages of the World. He will be with them, to direct, assist and encourage them in their Office, and will bless their Endeavours. And if God will be with them, certainly Men ought not to be against them, It can't be al­lowable in any Man to despise and neglect their Ministry.

[...] Further, we are assured that Grace, and [Page 82] Strength, and Comfort are derived to us by hear­ing of God's Word, by Reading, by Praying, by holy Conference and Communion, and by the rest of the Exercises and Duties which God hath commanded. They are Channels in which those good things are convey'd to us, they are Means and Methods which the Divine Wisdom hath in­stituted for the transmitting of those Spiritual Benefits to us; and they are in themselves and in their own nature serviceable to the great end of Salvation. Therefore in the consciencious use of them we may expect that God will bestow Grace upon us; and that when we are employ'd about them according to his Will, we shall never fail of a Blessing; of which the whole Volume of God's Word is one continu'd Proof and Assurance. If we then tender the Salvation of our Souls, we must make it appear in pursuing the Means pre­scribed in order to it: If we sincerely desire that Happiness which Christ hath purchased, we must be sure to take the Way that leads to it.

§. 7. And I will add, that these things before mentioned are more than Means, for they are actual Exertments of Vertue, and are real Exer­cises of Religion, and Parts of Holiness. External Duties are to flow from Grace within us, and are to be Signs and Evidences of it to our selves and others. Prayer, and celebrating the Sacraments, and hearing the Word, and the like performances are not only Instruments of Religion, but Bran­ches of it: They not only dispose the Soul to Holiness, but are a portion of it. We must look upon them under this notion, if we will under­stand the nature of them aright: And this will be a powerful [...]itation and encouragement to [Page 83] the undertaking and performing of those Evan­gelical Duties, and being very frequent and fer­vent in them.

§. 8. But now concerning these Graces and these Religious Exercises which I have been speak­ing of, we must entertain these two Principles of Knowledge, First, Our Graces & Duties are not our Justifying Righteousness. That though we are to be careful to act our Graces and to discharge our Du­ties, yet this must not be so un­derstood, as if we were to be sa­ved for either, as if we merited God's Favour by our Vertues or good Works. For though it is true, that by the tenour of the First Covenant, viz. the Covenant of Works, Man was to enter into Heaven by the merit of his Obedience, yet now since that Covenant is bro­ken, and thereupon laid aside, there is no entring that way. Our own Works are not able to en­title us to Life and Happiness; it is by another's Righteousness and Merits that we must obtain the Favour of God, namely, by the meritorious Undertakings of Christ Jesus our Mediator. According to the terms of the Covenant of Grace, our own Righteousness will not avail us, as to the purchasing a Right to eternal Salvation. This is done only by our Lord's Undertakings for us: These are the only Source and Fountain of the Mercy we partake of, both here and here­after. It is not for the sake of our Doings, nor on the account of our Graces, that God is recon­ciled to us, but for the sake of his only begotten Son, in whom he is well pleased. We are saved, not because we are good and holy, but because Christ hath effectually died for us, and because [Page 84] God for his sake accepts of us. Therefore when we have done our utmost, we must own our selves to be unprofitable Servants, (as we are taught to speaki [...] Luk 17.10.) we must acknowlege the weakness and sinfulness which accompany our best Actions, and we must wholly rely on the Mercy of God, and the Righteousness of the Blessed Jesus. Though we are to be endued with an inherent and personal Righteousness, be­cause that renders us new Creatures; yet the Righteousness for the sake of which we are par­don'd, and justified, and entituled to Happiness, is the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us.

§. 9. The other Principle of Knowledge be­longing to this General Head which I am now upon, is this, that though the Graces and Duties I have been speaking of are ours, because they are exerted by us, yet none of them are the product of our own power and strength. For we can do nothing acceptably in Religion without divine Assistance, we can do no spiritual good without the Grace of God. We are not sufficient of our selves (saith the Apostle) to think any thing as of our selves, but our sufficiency is of God, 2. Cor. 3.5. And if we are not sufficient of our selves to think any good thing, surely it must be granted that we are not sufficient to will any thing that is good. Whilest a Man is Unrege­nerate and in a state of Nature, He hath a Free Will only to Sin, but hath no Will towards that which is Holy and Divine, but on the contrary is Averse to it: which proceeds from that Ina­bility which he contracted by Adam's fall. But the Apostle tells us who is the Author both of our Willing and Doing any spiritual Good. It [Page 85] is God, saith he, that worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure, Phil. 2.13 As there must be a Divine Illumination to instruct us in the Truths of the Gospel, Nor the pro­duct of our own Power. so there must be a super­natural Power to enable us to perform the Evangelical Duties. Faith and Repentance, and all other Graces are the gift of God, and the vouchsafement of the Holy Spirit, and not the result of our own abi­lity and strength. We understand but little, and are very short sighted in Religion, if we be not convinced of this. And we are to know this further, that our Graces, our Duties and all our Religious Performances are Acceptable unto God on this very account which I have now mention­ed, namely because they are the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Sanctifier. They are not only accepted for the sake of the unspotted Righteousness of Jesus (as was said before) but because they proceed from the Holy Ghost, the Author of all spiritual Life and Goodness. He gives worth & value to the Actions & Duties of Believers; so that as they come from him, they are valuable and precious in the sight of God the Father, because he delights in whatever flows from that Sacred Fountain.

§. 10. And if he thus accepts of our Services, let us be encouraged to perform them; let us carefully do what is prescribed us; let us be obe­dient to the Dictates of the Holy Spirit in all things. The great God and lover of Souls will not fail to do his part; let it be our care to dis­charge ours with diligence and faithfulness: Let us not wilfully harden our hearts, and resist the [Page 86] offers of Grace, and neglect the means of Salva­tion, and undervalue the Blood of Jesus. Let us not stand out against the invitations of our merciful Redeemer, against the promises of e­ternal Life, and against the Love and Compassi­on of a crucified Saviour: In a word, let us not by our own fault shut our selves out from Hap­piness, and voluntarily Damn our selves. Thus I have let you know what is required on our part, in order to obtaining the Fruits of Christ's Undertaking, and of arriving to endless Bliss.

CHAP. VI.

§. 1. IX THE last Principle of Knowledge is this, to know what are the [Page 87] vast Privileges, Blessings and Rewards which belong to those that are true Christians, & what are the Miseries, Curses, and Punishments that attend the Wicked. The former Rank of Per­sons were from Eternity peculiarly favour'd a­bove all others, for their names were written in the Book of Life, from the foundation of the World, Rev. 17.8. or before the foundation of the World, as it is expressed in other places, John 17.24. Ephes. 1.4. 1 Pet. 1.20. We read that they were predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will (his Eternal Will and Decree) 1 Eph. 5. and according to his good plea­sure which he purposed in himself, v. 9. and a­gain v. 11. according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. We read that they were or­dained to eternal Life, Of Election. Acts 13.48. and chosen to Salvation, 2 Thess. 2.13. And this Election had respect to the Means, as well as to the End, that is, they were predestinated to Grace as well as to Glory, to Holiness as well as to Happiness; for their Calling or Conversion is said to be according to God's purpose, Rom. 8.28. and he hath chosen them that they should be holy & without blame, Eph. 1.4. Thus they were in a peculiar manner dignified from Eternity.

§. 2. But I shall confine my self to the Consi­deration of the Blessings and Privileges which Be­lievers and holy Men partake of in this present Life, and in that which is to come. First, in this present State their Advantages are very great, and these are of a double nature; some of [Page 88] them have respect to their outward Condition, and the things of this World; others have regard to their inward Man, and the things that are spi­ritual and Divine. As to the former, our Savi­our hath assured us, that those who seek first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness, shall have all these things added to them, Mat. 6.33. If above and before all other things we look after those that are spiritual and heavenly, we shall not be denied the temporal and earthly Blessings which our gracious Father sees necessa­ry or convenient for us. If we carefully follow his Dircti­ons, The Privileges of a Christian in this Life. and obey his Will, & strive to please him in all things, he will certainly take care of us and our Concerns, and he will not suffer either Men or Devils to harm us. He will cover us with his feathers, and under his wings shall we trust: We shall not be afraid for the terrour by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noon day. There shall no evil befal us, neither shall any plague come nigh our dwelling: For he shall give his Angels charge over us, to keep us in all our ways. They shall bear us up in their hands, lest we dash our Feet against a stone, Psal. 91. 4, 5, &c. And not only the Psalmist but the A­postle lets us know that the Angels are spiritual Ministers to assist and defend us, and to do us good Offices; They are ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be Heirs of Salvation, Heb. 1.14. Nay, if we fear and love God and conscientiously mind our Duty, an U­niversal [Page 89] Blessing shall attend us, for whatsoever we do shall prosper, Psal. 1.3. All Events and Occurrences, yea even the most afflicting ones shall tend to our real advantage and benefit, ac­cording to that of St. Paul, We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose, Rom. 8.28. It is observable that he propounds it as a point of Christian Know­ledge, We know, saith he, that it is thus, and all that profess Christianity should take up this as a certain Principle.

§. 3. The Spiri­tual Bles­sings of a Christian in this Life Then as to the other sort of things, viz. those that are spiri­tual and divine, the Advantages and Blessings of the Servants and Friends of God are yet much high­er; witness their Regeneration or Conversion, or effectual Calling, for these are but terms for the same thing, Sanctification. only with some different respect We must know then that Sanctification is not only a Duty (as I consider'd it before) but our Privilege and Honour: As Ho­liness is exerted by us, it is the former; but as it is wrought in us by God, it is the latter; it is a mighty Blessing and Favour, and conferr'd only on a few. Adoption. Adoption is another inestimable Privilege, for it is the admitting us into God's Family, and making us his Children. To this purpose God sent his Son, viz. that we might receive the A­doption of Sons, Gal. 4.4. And accordingly he hath bestow'd it upon all those that receive him, and believe in him, John 1.12. To them he [Page 90] gave power (that is, Right and Privilege) to be­come the Sons of God, not only to be adopted into his Houshold, but to be taken into the number of his Children, to be entirely loved, maintained and provided for, and to have a Ti­tle to the Inheritance. And this is accompani­ed with another Privilege; for the Apostle tells us, that by vertue of receiving the Spirit of A­doption, they are enabled to cry Abba, Father, Rom. 8.15. that is, they are encouraged to make their Addresses unto God, as to a recon­ciled and loving Father. They have by Jesus Christ an access unto the Father, Ephes. 2.18. yea, in him they have boldness and access with Confidence, Ephes. 3.12. And then it is no wonder that all their Prayers are heard and gra­ciously answer'd. This Honour have all his Saints.

§. 4. Forgiveness of Sins is the next thing I shall mention, Forgiveness of Sin. and it is the absolving us from the guilt of Sin, and remitting the Punishment due to it. Through Christ a­lone we share in this matchless Benefit, In him we have the forgiveness of our Sins, according to the Riches of his Grace, Eph. 1.7. To this end the Father exalted him, viz. to give for­giveness of Sins, Justification. Acts 5.31. To which is to be adjoined Justifi­cation, as an higher degree of it, for hereby we have not only our Sins pardon'd, but our Persons accounted Righteous, namely, for the sake of Christ's Righteousness reckon'd as ours. We are justified freely by God's Grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ, [Page 91] Rom. 3 24 Hereupon follow Peace and Re­conciliation with the offended Majesty of Heaven: Peace with God, and Peace of Conscience. Being jus­tified by Faith, we have Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Rom. 5.1. The Curse of the Law, the Misgivings of our Consci­ences, and the Accusations of Satan, are silenced and removed by the Merits and Satisfaction of Jesus our Redeemer, for by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which they could not be justified by Law, or by any other means, Acts 13.39. And here may be reckon'd the Witnessing and Sealing of the Spirit, Rom. 8 16 Eph. 1.13. which are follow'd with Con­fidence towards God, 1 John 3 21. full assu­rance of Hope, Heb. 6.11. and full assurance of Faith, Heb. 10 22. All these are the Pri­vileges and Dignities of the Gospel which e­very holy Man hath the experience of in this Life.

§. 5. In the next place are to be considered the Blessings and Recompen­ces which all holy M [...]n shall partake of in the other Life. The Blessings of the other Life. For that there are Benefits and Rewards belonging to that future State, as well as to this present one, is clear from the ex­press words of that Infallible Author who hath told us, that Godliness hath the promise of the Life that now is, and of that which is to come, 1 Tim. 4 8. I have already proved the former, now it remains that I make good the latter, that is, that I shew what Promises, and consequently what Advantages and Blessing are entailed up on [Page 92] the next Life. First, in order to the future Re­wards of all Pious Souls there shall be a Resurrection of their Bodies, Resurrection to Life. which is largely & [...]ully proved by the Apostle in the 15th Chapter of the 1st Epistle to the Corinthi­ans. After this Resurrection shall immediately follow the Last Judgment, which is design'd chiefly for the clearing and justifying of the Righ­teous; and therefore it is compared to a Shep­herds dividing his Sheep from the Goats, and setting the one on his right hand, and the other on his left, Matth. 25.33. to let us know that there shall be an apparent distinction at that day between the good and the bad, and that the for­mer shall in a special and signal manner be own­ed by God; for then their Names, their Credit, their Profession, their Cause, and their particu­lar Innocence shall be vindicated and asserted in the face of the whole World, and after an im­partial Tryal they shall be fully quitted, discharg­ed, and absolved, and thereupon recompensed for whatever they have done or suffered in the dis­charge of their Duty, and of a good Conscience. For as soon as the Judgment is past, the Servants of the most High shall be taken up into the Man­sions of Glory, and there shall for ever be with the Lord, in whose presence is fulness of Joy, & at whose right hand are Pleasures for evermore.

§. 6. This place and this state of eternal Hap­piness are known & called by the Name of Hea­ven, Matth. 6.20. Col. 1.5. Heb. 10.34. Heaven. because this Earth and lower World are not the Seat of Happiness, but those Regions above are designed and prepa­red [Page 93] for that purpose. Accordingly our Saviour comforts his disciples by telling them that great is their reward in heaven, Mat. 5.12: and the Apostle assures all the Godly that they have a house Eternal in the heavens, 2 Cor 5.1. This is called Paradise, Luke 23.43, and the third heaven, 2 Cor. 12.2. and the New Jerusalem, 21 Rev. 2. There is endless rest and peace, sa­tisfaction & pleasure, and freedom from all sor­rows and pain; and there is the perpetual en­joyment of all that is good, excellent and desirea­ble. There is that far more exceeding and eter­nal weight of Glory, which will counterpoise all the heaviest pressures of this Life. But the Glories of that place are rather to be admired by us, than thought to be comprehended. If I could tell you how great they are, they would not be the Joys of Heaven, that is, immense and infinite. But we are sure that there are such Mansions of never-fading Glory and Happiness in those Heavenly Regions, because the holy Scriptures, which were endited by the Spirit, expresly assert it, and because our Blessed Savi­our, who was our Head and Representative, is ascended thither. Let us then be fully perswa­ded of this Truth, that all faithful Souls, after they have left this World, shall inherit eternal Life and Happiness in another, and receive the glorious Recompences of their Faith and Obedi­ence. This is worthy to be believed, and we cannot indeed but firmly assent to it, when we call to mind what the Apostle saith, That God is a Rewarder of all them that diligently seek him, Heb. [...]1.6. The former Clause of which Verse was the First Principle of Knowledge I pro­pounded, [Page 94] and now the latter is part of the Last Principle I am offering to you: For you may remember that under the foregoing Head I told you what you are to do; and therefore now un­der this I have let you see what God will do for you. If you be stedfast, unmovable, & always abounding in the work of the Lord, your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord, 1 Cor. 15. last Verse; and you may observe that the Apostle tells the Corinthians there, that they know, or should at least know this, intimating thereby that is is a necessary Point of Christianity, and one of the main Principles of it that is to be known by us.

§. 7. And you are to know in the last place, that as there is a Reward for the Righteous both in this and another World, so there are Judg­ments & Punishments designed for, and executed upon the Unrighteous both here and hereafter. In this Life they are under a perpetual Male­diction, because they always continue what they were at first, Children of Wrath: They remain in their corrupted and defiled State, The Misery of Unbelievers in this Life. and their Sins are unpar­don'd; they are hated of God, and they have no peace in their own Breasts; they are deliver'd to Satan, and given up to evil and malicious Spi­rits, who rule in them. All things that happen to them, and every condition and state of Life are for their [...]urt. Nothing that they possess is their own, they are Robbers & Usurpers; their Riches, and Pleasures, & all earthly E [...]joyments are a Curse to them. But all this is but a fore­runner of greater and more horrid Evils [...] [Page 95] they (as well as Devils) are reserved to the Judg­ment of the great Day. In order to which they shall be rouzed out of their Graves by the last Trumpet; for we are ascertained by our Blessed Lord himself, that as they that have done good shall come forth unto the Resurrection of Life, At Judgment. so they that have done evil, unto the Resurrec­tion of Damnation, John 5.28, 29. Their ri­sing again doth but make way for the final Sen­tence and irreversible Doom that shall pass up­on them, after an impartial Examination and Tryal. And though at that great Tribunal, Sinners will be apt to contrive Excuses to palliate their Misdemeanours, yet these grace­less Criminals shall be convicted and confounded by the Testimony of their own Consciences, by the glorious Angels and Ministers of Heaven, by the Devils and forlorn Spirits of darkness, by their Neighbours and Companions who joined with them in their Sins, by those righteous Souls who endeavour'd to reclaim & reform them, by the solemn & amazing Convention of that High Court, and by their own Confessions & Acknow­ledgments.

§. 8. It is true, this Doctrine hath been deri­ded by Atheists; and we are not to wonder at it; or those that throw off the Notion of a God, will soon scoff at a Judgment to come. It hath been rejected also by some high-flown Enthusi­asts, because these Men make it their business to Allego [...]ze the Scripture, & to pervert the plain and literal Sense of it, and consequently they fan­cy the day of Jud [...]ment to be a mere Mystery. But chiefly this Doctrine is despised by prophane and debauch'd Live [...]s, whose I [...]terest it is to dis­believe [Page 96] a future Account, and by some formal and careless Professors of Religion, who, like Lot's Sons, laugh at the Destruction which is foretold. But notwithstanding this, Certainty of a future Judg­ment. it is an undoubted & infal­lible Truth, that God will one day call all Men to an Account, and that particularly he will judge the Wicked. This was the sober Senti­ment of the Patriarchs before the Flood, as that Prophesy of Enoch testifies, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints, to ex­ecute Judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their un­godly Deeds which they have ungodlily commit­ted; and of all their hard speeches which un­godly Sinners have spoken against him, Jude 14, 15. verses. This was the established Notion and Belief of the Jewish Church, as appears from Solomon's words, Know that for all these things God will bring thee to Judgment, Eccl. 11.9. And this is a Principle of the Christian Faith, as is evident from Acts 17.31. He hath appoint­ed a Day in which he will judge the World in Righteousness. We must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, 2 Cor. 5.10.

And this Judgment makes way for a final Exe­cution; for after the Sentence is pronounced a­gainst the Wicked by the righteous Judge, Of Hell. they shall go away into ever­lasting Punishment, as he himself hath told us. Matth. 25.46. They shall be cast into everlasting fire, as he expresses it in another place, Matth. 18.8. They shall forthwith be consign'd to eternal Torment and Misery in the [Page 97] infernal Dungeons of the Damned, which are known and called by the Name of Hell & Hell Fire, Matth. 5.22, 29, 30.10.28.18.9. Mark 9 47. Luke 12.5. 1 Pet. 2.4. And this is the greatest aggravation of those Torments, that they shall never have an end. This is the severe and dreadful Punishment of all those who live and die in their Sins; this is the horrid result and issue of wilful Impenitency; and no Tongue is able to express the dismal Effects of it, no not the Tongue of the Damn'd themselves, who en­dure these endless Pains, and lie for ever and ever under the Wrath of God.

§. 9. And thus I have given you a plain and brief Account of those Fundamental Principles of Knowledge which you are indispensably obli­ged to be acquainted with. You see what are the essential Truths of our Religion, and such as are absolutely necessary to Salvation; for I have not offered any doubtful and controversia [...] Points to you: The main doctrinal Principles of Chris­tianity, which are plain & intelligible, have been set before you. And from the whole Catalogue of Particulars which I have presented to you, let me observe this, that the whole Extent of a Chri­stian Man's Knowledge lies within such a com­pass, that he may with ease attain to it. All that you are to know in order to your Salvation is couch'd within a little room. You cannot then pretend that you have not leisure to study the Principles of Christianity. A little time will make you Masters of them. There is no great trouble and pains required to learn the Chief Heads of Divinity. You are not to turn over a great many Volumes, & with great Labour and [Page 98] Fatigue to search into Variety of Authors. No; the most substantial Doctrines of Christianity are contained within a very narrow compass, & there­fore it is no hard task to gain a competent Know­ledge of them; though, it is true, much more time is required to consider of them duly, to un­derstand them fully, to digest them well, to fix them on your Memories, & to make them serviceable to your Practice. Saving Know­ledge not diffi­cult to be at­tained. Let this then excite you to set about the study of your Religion, & to spend some serious Hours in the Contempla­tion of its excellent Principles, and to endeavour to attain to such a measure of Knowledge in them as you are capable of according to your Abilities. Consider, I beseech you, what I have offered to you, and employ some considerable portions of your Time in this great and weighty Affair. Take up Resolutions to meditate frequently on the several particulars which I have mentioned, and have given you a summary Explication of. I pray God enrich you with the Treasure of Di­vine Knowledge, and bless you in the laying of it out, that is, in the communicating of it to others, and in making it useful and serviceable to your selves, in order to the Practice of Christianity: Which is the next thing I am to treat of.

CHAP VII.

§. 1. HAving given you a full enumeration of the Principles of Christianity, which are required to be known by every Christian, I am now to offer to you a plain Account of all that we are bound to Practice, in order to our Salvation and Happiness. And by Practice I mean not only all outward Acti­ons of Religion, The Practice of Religion. but those like­wise that are inward, viz. the Thoughts and Desires, the Will and Affections, the good and holy Inclinations of the Mind; and, in a word, all but Knowledge of which I have distinctly spoken before. It is ne­cessary that I awe you a compleat Scheme or Platform of this Practical part of Christianity, that you may have it always before your Eyes, and be constantly examining your Lives by it, and urging upon your selves your exact confor­mity to it. And because the Apostle hath redu­ced [Page 100] all practical Christianity to Three Heads, viz. living Soberly, Righteously, and Godlily, Tit. 2.12. which comprehensive Terms express, first, that part of our Duty which relates more especially to our Selves, next that portion of it which hath an immediate respect to our Neigh­bours, and lastly that Branch of our holy Reli­gion which immediately refers to God, I will therefore follow this plain Method which the A­postle hath prescribed, and go through these Three Parts of Religion, or Practical Christia­nity.

§. 2. The first is that which hath relation to our Selves, and is called by the Apostle living Soberly. The main Offices & Branches of which part of Religion are such as these, First, To rec­tifie and moderate our Thoughts or Opinions: Secondly, our Affections: And, Thirdly, Our Actions and Behaviour.

§. 3. It is the great work of Christian Sobri­ety to regulate and moderate our Thoughts, Judgments and Opinions. We are not to think as we please, for it is evident from Sacred Writ that Religion provides for the government and management of the Thoughts, and doth not leave them, at liberty, that is, to sally forth and fix themselves on any object without distinction. Concerning the Persons of the Old Degenerate World it is complain'd that every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts was only Evil, and that continually, Gen. 6.5. And of a Wicked man in general 'tis said that God is not in all his thoughts, Psalm 104. And therefore 'tis no wonder that Solomon pronounces the thoughts of the wicked to be an abomination to [Page 101] the Lord, Prov. 15.26. because they are Athe­istical and Prophane. But on the contrary, he tells us that the thoughts of the righteous are right, Prov. 12.5. And Reason as well as Scrip­ture d [...]cta [...]es this, because such as a man is, such are his Thoughts Which makes it necessary for us to take Special care of them. And this is part of the Sobriety I am speaking of, which consists in keeping our Thoughts just and regular, in hav­ing right and due Apprehensions of Things, of these Two especially, our Selves and the World. The foremost & leading act of Sobriety is to frame due Thoughts and Conceptions con­cerning our Selves, Sobriety of Thoughts. especially our Souls, which are our better & choi­ser part. We are to think aright co [...]cerning the Nature of them, we are to be sen­sible that they are really [...]sti [...]ct from our Bodies, and that they are spiritual, immaterial & immor­tal Be [...]es; that they are made for great & [...]oble Things, that they are capable of Truth and Re­ligion, of Grace & Goodness, & are fit to co [...]v [...]rse with God▪ & to enjoy him forever. There [...]ore we ought not to stoop to [...]as [...] & mean Things, but to act worthy of our Nature & Make, & to employ our excellent Faculties & Powers in the Service of our Creator.

§. 4 Another sober Thought, and which must continually be upon our Minds, is, That we are in this Life in a state of Trial, we are here upon our good Behaviour; and as we deme [...]n our selves now, so we shall fare hereafter. Let u [...] always bear it in our Thoughts, that we are Probationers for another World, that hereby we may be re­minded of accounting it our great and Principal [Page 102] Work to please our great Master, who hath pla­ced us in this World. We are to consider that we are here in a state of Pilgrimage, we are tra­velling to the new Jerusalem, the City that hath Foundations, whose builder & maker is God; and therefore above all things we are concerned to behave our selves as Strangers & Pilgrims, that is, as the Apostle explains it, to abstain from fleshly Lusts which war against the Soul, and to have our Conversation honest, 1 Pet. 2.11. and in our whole Behaviour in the World to live as those that are passing to another.

§. 5. To think meanly and humbly of our selves, & what we do, is another essential part of Sobriety. Humility. For this teaches us to be sensible of our manifold Infirmities and Deficiencies, our great Unwor­thiness and Vileness, and thence to think of our selves as becomes such weak and vile Creatures. Wherefore it is Christianity alone that lays the Foundation of the deepest Humility, by acquaint­ing us with our fallen State,, and the true nature of our present Condition; which the wisest of the Heathens were ignorant of, and consequently knew not what true Humility was. This is taught us by the Gospel only, which gives us a sight of our selves, of the Corruption of our Nature, and of the vileness of Sin, and thereby lays us low, and causes us to abase and humble our selves. We should always govern our selves by that Aposto­lical Advice, Rom. 12.3. Not to think of our selves more highly than we ought to think, but to think soberly; that is, to judge of our selves after an humble and modest manner, and not to pretend to more than we have, or to be better [Page 103] than we are; yea, not to boast of any of the At­tainments we really are Masters of, though they be never so goodly and excellent, for they are but Gifts, they are what we have received, and why then should we glory as if we had not receiv­ed them? 1 Cor. 4 7. Though we be never so well furnished with spiritual Endowments and Graces, we must not be proud of them: But the greater our other Gifts & Graces are, the greater should be our Humility. We must always have lowly Thoughts of our selves, by reason of our Failings and Offences both past and present. Our own Sins should be thought to be the greatest, as St. Paul was the chiefest of Sinners in his own account. So as to Opinion and Judgment, a sober Christian follows that Counsel of the holy Writer, Be not wise in your own Conceits, Rom. 12.16. Do not arrogate to your selves, & fond­ly, prefer your own Judgment before that of o­thers; think this, that others may understand things as well, if not better, than your selves. Banish all Pride and Self-conceit, and be content that even others should think meanly and lowly of you. This is true Humility, and consequently Sobriety, for the humble Minded Christian is the Sober Man.

§. 6. Consideration is another part of Sobriety; Of Considera­tion. for this bids us look into our selves, & converse with our own Souls, and reflect on our past Actions, and think on our Ways (as the Psalmist expresses it, Psal. 119.59.) & freely and impartially examine our State & Condition. This is absolutely necessary, because we are so apt to deceive our selves, & to impose upon our own [Page 104] Minds and Conscience. From that fond opinion which we generally have of our selves, we are wont to entertain false Perswasions concerning our Lives and Actions: We usually take some fair appearances, some goodly shew & semblance of Vertue for real Sanctity, and so we delude our selves, and make a constant practice of it: And the worst is, we think to deceive God as well as our selves. Now then, we are concerned to take such a course as may prevent or cure this destruc­tive Folly: And what more effectual way can we apply our selves to than this, viz. to deal impar­tially with our selves, and to discover our Self­delusions, by searching narrowly into our Souls, and Ransacking our Hearts and Manners? Let us then take some opportunities of retiring from Business and Pleasure, that we may keep Compa­ny with our selves: Let us accustom our selves to retreat from the World, to be alone, and to enjoy a free & undisturbed Solitude, wherein we may mind the state of our Souls, and effectually pursue this work of Self Examination, which is a necessary Ingredient of Christian Sobriety. For it is the property of this Vertue to rectifie our Judgments concerning our selves by daily conver­sing with our own Hearts, & examining our Con­sciences, & r [...]fling our Lives & Actions. This is most seasonably performed in the close of every day, before we betake our selves to our Repose: Then let us seriously call the Actions of the past day to remembrance, let us make up our Ac­compts, and with grief and remorse beg pardon for our Follies, and sleep not in any sin unrepent­ed of.

[Page 105]§. 7. Consideration makes way for Resolution: Of Resolution. And this is a­nother Duty owing to our selves. After you have consider'd, resolve with your selves to be Religious and Holy. Thus we find Joshua resolving both for himself and his Family, As for me and my House, we will serve the Lord, Josh. 24.15. And holy David utters this resolute Lan­guage, Psal. 17.3. I am purposed that my Mouth shall not transgress: And again, I said, that is (as that word denotes in some places of Scripture) I purposed, I resolved after this manner, namely, I will take heed to my ways, Psal. 39 1. The Pro­digal Son resolved to return home, and to be a new Man; I will arise, and go to my Father, saith he, Luke 15.18. So should we fix and determine our selves by holy and religious Purposes, and not always pass our days in an unfixed posture, and so hover in uncertainty. We should be stea­dy, and come to some resolves, and notwith­standing all Impediments and Hindrances in our way, make our passage thro' them, and cleave to the Lord with full purpose of Heart. Thus you see how those that are truly Sober manage their Thoughts with respect to Themselves.

§ 8. Secondly, The Grace of Sobriety fur­nishes us with right Thoughts concerning the World, and all Things in it. These may be re­duced to Two Heads, the Crosses and the Conve­niences of this World. As to the former, Sobriety with respect to the World. the Crosses & Afflictions of this Life, we ought to have this right & sober Apprehension concerning them, that they may be made very useful and beneficial to us, if they [Page 106] be rightly improved. Then they lead us to a sight and sense of our past Miscarriages and Fail­ings, they wean us from the over-luscious Sweets of this World, and give us a relish of another, and a better State. They are Antidotes against most Vices, Of Afflictions and their Be­nefits. they are those Grains of bitter Aloes which our wise Physician makes use of to purge away our Sins. They are serviceable, by the Divine Blessing, to quicken our Prayers, to hasten our Repentance, and to promote all our Graces & Duties. Which was long since experienced by that holy Man who professed, It was good for him that he had been afflicted, that he might learn God's Statutes, Psal. 119.71. Another of later Experience declar­ed, That his Tribulations were more necessary for him than his Meal & Drink. So said the pious Martin Luther. If we have respect likewise to the future State, we shall find that Afflictions are useful to prepare us for that, because they remind us of this great Truth, that this World which we are now in is not our proper Place, this Earth is not our Center; for if it were we should find Rest and Quiet in it: If this were the Place designed for our Happiness, we should not be uneasy and troubled in it. When therefore we see that we are continually liable to Inconveniences, Distresses and Calamities in this lower World, we may thence rationally gather, that this was not in­tended to be our resting Place, that we have here no continuing City, and therefore we are put in mind of seeking one to come. Thus the adverse Accidents of this Life fit us for Heave [...], and pre­pare us for a future Life. The Rod of the Al­mighty [Page 107] blossoms into a never fading Crown of Glory. And therefore St. James, did rightly pro­nounce that Man blessed that endureth Tempta­tions, i.e. Afflictions, for when he is tried, he shall receive the Crown of Life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him, Jam. 1.12

§. 9. Let us then strive to attain to this pitch of Christian Sobriety, to think favourably con­cerning the cross Occurrences of this present Life; whether they have reference to our Bodies, or to our Estates, or Names, or to those who are near­ly allied to us; let us look upon them as they really are, when sanctified to us, Blessings from Heaven. And the rather let this found Perswa­sion prevail in us, because it will put us into an utter incapacity of envying the Prosperity and Success of our most implacable Enemies, or of over lamenting the Distresses that befal our selves or our dearest Friends, for theirs and our tempo­ral Afflictions will prove advantages to them and us, by increasing the Felicity of another World. Thus a wise and sober Man considers the true na­ture of worldly Things, and thence learns to de­spise the World, and to be reconciled to the most afflictive Things in it, and to submit all to God.

§. 10. And then on the other hand, Sobriety enables us to think a right concerning the Conve­niences & delightful Enjoyments of this World. Of Sobriety as to worldly En­joyments. And this it doth by sending us to the Holy Scrip­tures, which give us the best ac­count of these things, and impar­tially acquaint us that Vanity & Vexation of Spirit are entailed upon them all, as Solomon, who had the amplest fruition of them, assures us from his [Page 108] own Experience. And this must needs be so, be­cause most of the pleasureable Entertainments of the World are but seeming and counterfeit, airy and fantastical, for even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, Prov. 14.13. We can scarcely be said to enjoy those Delights whilst we have them; and the time of our possessing them is but short, for that of St. John is an experimented Truth, that the World passeth away, & the Lusts thereof, 1 Joh. 2.17. The sensual Accommodations and Pleasures of this Life soon forsake us, and leave us big of Desires, but void of Satisfaction: and then we find the Wise Man's words verified, The end of our Mirth is heaviness, Prov. 14.13. This is always the case of those who extreamly love this World's Delights, and then are deprived of them; their extravagant Love of them breeds an excessive Grief and Anguish, Disquietude and Tor­ment in their Minds, so that they pay dear for the short fruition of those Pleasures.

§ 11. And further, if we enter into a sober enquiry concerning these things, we shall be con­vinced that they are not only vain and vexatious, but even dangerous and harmful. It is certain, that there is a greater variety of Temptations in a plentiful Condition, than in that which is mean and afflictive. It is unanimously agreed by all understanding Men, That it is an easier Task to govern our selves in Adversity than in Prosperity; because the inconveniencies of the former are plainly seen and discover'd, but the evils of the latter are disguised, & we perish before we are aware of it. The danger of Prosperity. The Man is wounded with a Sting dipt in Honey; he is pompously [Page 109] slain, and dispatched with a gilded Dagger. His Mirth is his Bane; he laughs himself to Death, and Dances to the Grave. It is impossible to reckon up all the Evils & Mischiefs which a great Abundance of the Things of this World betrays Men to. It is generally the Mother of Pride and Arrogance, it is the Nurse of Wantonness, Lux­ury & Lewdness; it is the Parent of Sloth & Se­curity; it keeps Men at a distance from Vertue, and alienates them from Religion, & makes them forget the Almighty, for they wax sat, & kick, and forsake God, who made them. Deut. 32.15. And by this means their Fulness and Prosperity prove fatal & destructive to them. Like Haman at the Queen's Banquet, they are caressed and re­galed, but are soon hurried away to Execution. This is the true State of those that indulge them­selves in worldly Affluence, Riches & Pleasures: And therefore a Sober Man will not glut himself with them, nor prize them at a high rate, espe­cially he will not prefer them before his immortal Soul, & the Concerns of Eternity. He is one that will not be put off with the Things of this World: These are not the Things that will satisfie him. He abhors to be of the number of those wretched Creatures who have their good things in this Life, and hereafter must be miserable. He reckons not upon the outward and transitory Enjoyments of this World; he values not himself upon the Thoughts of these; for he considers that these ordinary Gifts of Providence are no Arguments of God's good will to him; nay, he is apprehensive that these common Blessings may in the issue turn into real Curses and Judgments to him. These are the sober Thoughts which he hath con­cerning [Page 110] the World: and in all other matters he hath learnt to think and judge as it becomes him, that is, to conceive of things as they really are. This is the first Part of the Sobriety which Chri­stianity requires of us.

§. 12. II. As this Grace of Sobriety regulates our Judgments, and thereby hath an influence on our Wills and Resolutions, so it moderates our Affections & Pas­sions. Of the Govern­ment of the Passions. First, Fear, so far as it is undue and unlawful, is to be sup­pressed; Of Fear. that is a base & servile Fear of Men (though they be never so great and potent) & of what they can do to us, is deservedly to be check­ed. We are not to be daunted and disheartned at the thoughts of the Indignities and Injuries we may suffer, and of the Persecutions we may un­dergo for Righteousness sake. We must be con­tent to run the risque, to venture all for Religion. We must strive to be the best Men, and yet not displeased if we be counted by some the Worst, yea, the filth of the World, and the off scouring of all things. We must live well, and walk cir­cumsp [...]ctly, and yet we must expect to suffer for doing so. We must let it be seen that we can espouse Religion without a worldly Dowry, that we take not up the Profession of it for base and sinister Ends, or upon any carnal Respect and Considerations whatsoever. But this we cannot do unless we banish Fear and Cowardize; and be like Solomon's Righteous Man, as bold as a Lion. Such we should endeavour to be in a good Cause: we must not be scared and frighted out of our Duty, but go on undauntedly, and act with that [Page 111] bold [...]ess and confidence which beseem every sober and resolved Christian.

§. 13. Secondly, Christian Sobriety is a mo­derating of Wrath and Anger, and inspiring the Soul with Meekness and Gentleness. Anger. He cannot be said to be Sober who is Wrathful and Cholerick, and is transported with Rage and Fury; but the mild and calm Christian justly Merits that Title. This is he that takes a great deal of Pains to suppress all un­lawful and undue Anger, that is, when it is on unlawful and unjust occasions, when it is excessive and immoderate, and when it produces such ef­fects as are sinful and hurtful. He takes care that his converse with Men be devoid of Bitter­ness and Passion, and that he be Master of that Charity which is not easily provoked, 1 Cor. 13 5. This excellent Temper fi [...]s him, to reprove o­thers in a mile & amicable way, and such as is like to prove beneficial to them: and it also makes him capable of taking Reproof from others with Meekness and Thankfulness, which will certainly make it advantageous to him. This Christian frame of Soul enables him likewise to receive Affronts and Injuries with a sedate & quiet Mind, with a calm and submissive Spirit, and to sup­press all thoughts of Revenge. It bids him spend his Anger upon his Vices, and shew his hot­test Passion in that Cause. It pushes him on not to fight with others, but to combate himself, and with the greatest warmth and vigour encounter his sinful Lusts. This is Sobriety; but the con­trary is a Degree of Raging and Madness.

§ 14. That we may attain to this excellent Grace, we are to use such Expedients & Methods [Page 112] as these, Let us be very little concerned for the Things of this World, and then we shall not free and vex our selves at any Disappointment. Let us remember that all things are govern'd and dis­pos'd of by Divine Providence, and therfore it is unsufferable Folly to be displeased at whatsoever happens. Let us call to mind the Reason that St. James gives why every Man should be slow to Wrath, namely, because the wrath of Man worketh not the Righteousness of God, Jam. 1.20. that is, he that is of a wrathful & angry Spirit will never be able to do that which was enjoined him by God, and the excellent Rules of the Gospel; for this Temper is no ways suitable to the Evangelical Disposition. And lastly, let us consider how slow to anger the God of Heaven is; tho' we continually provoke him by our Sins, yet he is patient and long suffering. What ground have we then to be incensed and enraged against our Brethren, what­ever their Provocations are? These are the ways to bring us to a quiet and calm Spirit.

§. 15. Thirdly, Sobriety is a moderating of those two Extreams, Grief and Joy. Of Grief and Joy. It curbs and restrains our Sorrows and Lamentations which worldly Disappointments and Bo­dily Evils are wont to call forth, and it hinders them from being extravagant and excessive. It teaches us with cheerfulness to enjoy the temporal and outward Blessings which are conferred upon us by the Divine Benefactor, but it bids us rejoice with trembling, and it checks all inordinate and profuse M [...]rth. The sober Christian, as he is not basely dejected, so he is not excessively elevated: He is neither over sad, nor over joy'd; but he [Page 113] bears all Events with an even and composed Mind, herein following the admirable advice of the Apostle, that those that weep be as though they wept not, and those that rejoice as though they rejoiced not, 1 Cor 7.30. We are to keep a true Poise of these Affections, we must never be so sor­rowful as to forget our selves, and never so lavish in our Mirth as to forget God. But our main and principal Rejoycing must be in our Duty, in the pleasures of a Godly Life, in the transports and ravishments of a good Conscience, & in the Favour of God, which is the only spring of Peace & Tran­quillity of Mind.

§. 16. Fourthly, Of Sobriety in Love and Ha­tred. Sobriety is a moderating of our Love & Ha­tred. It is true, God, the Infinite Good, cann't be loved with too great Zeal and Fervour: And Sin and Satan (which are God's Enemies) cann't be over hated: but our Miscarriage usually is about the things of this Life, we hate all Adversity and Affliction, and we entirely love Prosperity & the undisturbed Fruition of the Pleasures and Profits of the World. And what we passionately love, we can hardly suffer our selves to enjoy with mo­deration, for Love naturally betrays us to excess, because we think we cannot have enough of what we love. But Christianity forbids us to nourish this sort of Complacency; Love not the World, neither the things of the World; and the Reason is subjoined, For if any Man Love the World, the love of the Father is not in him: And further in the next Verse, For all that is in the World, the Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the Eye, and the Pride of Life are not of the Father, but of the [Page 114] World, & therefore are unlawful, 1 John 2.15, &c. And there are sundry other places of the New Testament from whence we may be through­ly convinced, that it is one part of Christian So­briety to extirpate our undue Love of the World, and the Entertainments of it. It might be a suf­ficient curb to our impetuous Affections toward them, if we considered but that one suggestion of our Saviour, Matth 6 32 After all these things do the Gentiles seek. They are such things as Men who are ignorant of the True God set their Hearts upon; they are such Objects as Men of low and base Principles, who are tied to the Earth, & look not up to Heaven, are in love with. They are good enough for Heathens & Pagans, but Christians must not set their Affections on these things, nor stoop to what is so vile and un­worthy, but they must resolve upon a generous Contempt and undervaluing of them; and they must be ready to part with them on a good ac­count. This is the Self denial which our Savi­our enjoins us, Mat. 16.24. and of which the A­postles and first Christians were so eminent an Example.

§. 17. And in order to this, our Desires and Wishes, which are so immediately subservient to our Love, Sobriety in Desires and Wishes. must be regulated and restrained, else we cannot be said to deny our selves. First, it is necessary that we sup­press our extravagant Desires after Earthly Profit and Gain: For the true Gospel Sobriety is op­posite to Coveteousness, which is an excessive de­siring and longing after worldly Advantage. No sober Christian can allow himself in this S [...] he [Page 115] is not one that is rack'd with avaritious Thoughts, but is satisfied with the Condition God hath pla­ced him in. Which is according to that Rule in Heb. 13.5. Let your Conversation be without Co­veteousness, & be content with such things as ye have. Be not sollicitous and eager about the purchase of Wealth and Abundance, be satisfied with your present allowance, sit down well plea­sed with the allotment you have. So that it ap­pears hence, that Contentment, as it is opposed to Coveteousness, is an essential part of Christian Sobriety.

§. 18. Again, as a Man of a sober and mode­rate Temper lon [...]s not after the Wealth and Pos­sessions, so not after the Preferments and Ho­nours of this World. He is not fondly tickled with Applause, his mind is not set on that gay Pomp which attends those that are in high Places. Or if he be promoted to such a Station, he affects not State and Grandeur, he chuses sometimes to pass Incognito, & shu [...]s the Acclamations of the People: But he values the Approbation of Good and wise Men, and most of all the Applause (if I may so speak) of his own Conscience. In brief, True Sobriety is opposite to Ambition, it is a check to Vain Glory, & the Affectation of Great­ness in the World.

§. 19. Moreover, by help of this excellent Vertue we are enabled to contract and stint our Desires not only of Wealth and Honour, but of bodily and sensual Pleasures, viz. to quell in us the excessive and Irregular Appetites of Eating and Drinking, and to curb and allay all impetu­ous Inclinations after those carnal Delights which are accompanied with Wantonness, Lewdness, [Page 116] and Uncleanness. These poisonous Springs are to be dammed up betimes, all impure Lusts are to be check'd. Instead of feeding and pampering those fleshly Appetites and corrupt Inclinations, we ought to starve and destroy them: and we must resolve not to give ear to any of their impor­tunate cravings. We are to get the mastery over all our sensual Desires, to keep them under as Enemies to our Happiness, and destructive to our nobler and higher Pleasures. And as to our daily Desires & Wishes, they ought to tend toward Di­vine and Spiritual Things: we must most affecti­onately breath after the Kingdom of God & his Righteousness; we must hunger and thirst after these: we must pant after Heaven, and passi­onately long for those exalted Mansions above, which are the Blessed Receptacles that shall re­ceive us when we have got clear of the dirt of this World, and have left this dark Globe behind us. In a word, we are to despise this World and to breath after another. Heavenly mindedness is an inseperable attendant of Evangelical Sobriety. And thus you see this Grace is the Governour of our Affections, it rightly orders and regulates the Passions and Inclinations of our Souls.

§. 20. III. It is not only a rectifier of our Judgments & Affections, but it hath a powerful influence on our Bodily Actions and Outward Behaviour. Of Sobriety as to outward Be­haviour. And thus Sobriety includes in it Temperance and Continency, and a Decent Deportment ac­cording to the Condition a Man is in, or accord­ing to that of the Persons he converses with. First, Sobriety contains in it Temperance, which [Page 117] is twofold, for it is not only a moderation in the use of Meats but of Drinks. Of Temperance. The Excess in the former is called Gluttony, and in the lat­ter Drunkenness; and we are equally obliged to avoid both Be not amongst Wine bibbers, amongst riotous Eaters of Flesh, Pro. 23.20. i. e. amongst Drunkards and Gluttons, as it is more plainly ex­pressed in those words, Take heed to your selves, least at any time your Hearts be overcharged with Surfeiting and Drunkenness, Luke 21.34. Be not drunk with Wine, wherein is excess, Eph. 5.18. Our merciful Father hath been pleased to in­dulge us an innocent use of his Creatures, not only for the supply of our Necessities, but for Pleasure and Delight; and particularly we cannot but ac­knowledge the Goodness and Wisdom of God in s [...] ordering our Podies, and fitting Meats and Drinks to their use, that these delight the Palate as well as nourish and sustain the whole Body. Seeing then the Divine Providence vouchsafes to give us these suitable Refreshments, let us not shew our selves unthankful, by being profuse and wan­ton in the use of them; and more especially as to the excess in Drinking, which generally proves more dangerous and mischievous than the other of Eating; we must use very great Caution, and never suffer our selves to be tempted to Excess by those false Motives and Arguments which are commonly made use of to inveigle Men to De­bauchery.

§. 21. And that we may be induced to observe a Moderation both in Meat and Drink, it will be useful and proper to consider that hereby we do our selves a great kindness both as to our Bodies [Page 118] and Souls. For it is certain, that Sobriety gives us the highest gust and quick­est Sense of Pleasure, The Benefits of Temperance. because by it we fully relish what we eat and drink; whereas Excess and Intemperance vitiate the Tast, and really de­bauch the Palate as well as the Person. So that hence it appears, that Religion is the best Master even of sensual Pleasure, so far as it is harmless and innocent. And then as to our Souls, our better and nobler part, but which depends much upon the Temper of the Body in its Operations, these are infected and depraved by the gross Steams of Intemperance and Immoderation, they lose their native Vigour and Activity, they forget their proper Work and Employment, and de­generate into Sottishness and Stupidity. But by using our selves to sober regular Meals, and more especially to Temperance in Drinking, we fit our selves for serious Thoughts and Business, we be­come grave and composed, and make way for a religious and sedate frame of Mind. And some­times Fasting is useful on this occasion, as it is a check to Excess, and a help to Humiliation, and an act of Self denial and Mortification, and conse­quently as it promotes the Welfare of the Soul as well as of the Body. But of this I shall speak afterwards, as it is to be considered as an act of Godliness.

The shortest and the most comprehensive Rules or Directions that I can give you as to the use of Meats and Drinks, and whereby you may cer­tainly know whether you transgress in either, are these [...] ▪

[Page 119]§. 22. I. Neither eat nor drink to the prejudice of your Health. Rules to ob­serve & judge of our Tem­perance. It may seem strange that any should need to be directed to this, for bodily Health is so great a Blessing, that it invites us of it self to take all care to preserve it. But such is the depraved Nature of Man, that he is careless of the Welfare of his Body, as well as of that of his Soul, and for the short Pleasure of gratifying his Appetite, volun­tarily brings upon himself Pains & Diseases. But this admirable Vertue which I am treating of, teaches you to correct this gross Folly, and high­ly to prize your Bodily Health, that it may be serviceable to that of your Souls, and that by both you may be fitted to discharge those Duties which God requires of you. Therefore you must never indulge your selves in those immoderate draughts, and that intemperate feeding which you know will disturb your Healthful Temper, and end in Sickness and Diseases: as it is certain most of the Distempers of the Body are occasioned, more or less, by the undue and irregular use of Meats and drinks. Know then and remember this, that Health is too precious a thing to be thrown away for the pleasing of an unruly Appetite, or the gra­tifying the importunity of others.

§. 23. II. Neither eat nor drink to the pre­judice of you Reasons & Understandings. Bodily Health is a great blessing, but Soundness of Mind is a far greater, and therefore you must be careful to keep and maintain this. Which you cannot do if you give way to immoderate Eating & Drinking. And hereby you may know whether you go be­yond the limits of true Sobriety, namely, when you [Page 120] so load your Stomachs as to render your selves dull and useless, and when you weaken and im­pair your Understandings by the portion of drink which you take. If you find your selves disordered in your Minds, if the free use of your Reason be hindred, so that you are not under the Command of that ruling Faculty, conclude that you feed and drink to Excess, and that you transgress the Laws of Christian Sobriety.

§. 24. III. Let your eating and drinking be so ordered, that you consume not too much of your precious Time. If there were nothing but this, namely, the loss of so many Hours, which are usually spent in the Meetings of luxurious Persons, it were enough to convince you of the Unlaw­fulness of this Exercise, and to disswade you from the practice of it. Though you proceed not so far as to distemper your Brains, or to impair your Health, yet the lavishing away of so much Time, is contrary to the Laws of Christian Sobriety. Your Time is given you for the necessary Works of your Calling, for the Business of this Life, but much more for the Concerns of another: And your Time is little enough for these. Therefore spend none of it in the Society of debauch'd Men; embezel not your precious hours, for if you do, you can't be reckon'd a sober Man, though you should avoid being drunk.

§. 25. IV. Cherish not any unlawful Passion by your eating and drinking. If you find that Wantoness, Lust and Lewd Desires are advan­ced by that quantity or kind of Meat and Drink which you take, know that it is immoderate, and learn afterwards to stint your selves. If you find that your Anger and Wrath are stirred up by the [Page 121] portions of Drink which you use your selves to, conclude immediately that you are guilty of Ex­cess, and for the future take care to restrain your selves. Briefly, then you eat and drink beyond the measures of Sobriety, when you render your selves unfit for the Service of God, and the Em­ployments of your Callings, and when you pro­mote in your selves or others any vitious Habits or Inclinations.

§ 26. Secondly, The Grace of Sobriety compris­eth in it Continence or Chastity, Of Chastity. which is not only a subduing of Lustful Desires & Affections, as you heard before, but an actual refraining from all carnal Delights that are unlawful. This Ver­tue strictly enjoins us to avoid Fornication and Adultery, and all manner of Uncleanness, be­cause these are direct Deviations from the natural End and Use of those Passions and Enjoyments which are permitted us; and therefore the recti­fied Nature and rational Part of Man allow not of them. The Body is not for Fornication but for the Lord, 1 Cor 6.13. As much as to say, our Bodies were ordained for Holy and Religious Uses, and therefore must not be prophaned by Lust. They, as well as our Souls, were made to be employed in the Service of our Lord Jesus; they are dedicated and devoted to his Honour, and therefore it is a sacrilegious Alienation of them to make them serviceable to Uncleanness. And as the Body is for the Lord, so the Apostle adds, the Lord is for the Body, that is, Christ came to sanctifie and redeem our Bodies as well as our Souls, and therefore the one as well as the other must be consecrated to his Service. And [Page 122] again, in the 15th Verse he reminds us, That our Bodies are the Members of Christ: They to­gether with our better Part are mystically united to Christ their Head, and shall we then dare to defite them by Fornication, or any other acts of Concupiscence? Shall we take the Members of Christ, and make them the Members of an Har­lot? God forbid; as the Apostle in the same place speaks.

Our care should be to be of the number of those who (as our Saviour expresses it) make them­selves Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven, Matth. 19.12. that is, such who subdue their carnal Lust, and mortifie the Flesh, as knowing that otherwise they shall never enter into the Kingdom of God. This is the meaning of that Exhortation to the Thessalonians, That every one of them should know how to possess his Vessel, that is, his own Body, in Sanctification and Hon­our, not in the Lust of Concupiscence, 1 Thess. 4.3, 4. that they preserve themselves in perfect Chastity, whether in a single or a married Life. And to this end we are to observe the Apostles Rule, to keep under our Bodies, and to bring them into subjection, 1 Cor. 9.27. to fly from the Allurements and Enticements of the Flesh, to pre­pare, and guard our selves against all its sinful Charms, and never to tread in the steps of our first Parents, who longed after no Fruit so much as that which was forbidden Yea, this Vertue which I am speaking of obliges us not only to ab­stain from the unlawful Enjoyment & Gratifications of the Flesh, but to be moderate in the lawful and innocent ones. For if we take the liberty to go to the utmost verge and extert of what we [Page 123] may do in this and the like Actions, we shall soon pass from what is innocent and guiltless to that which is not so.

CHAP. VIII.

§. 1. THirdly, Sobriety is yet larger than what I have yet represented it to be; and it takes in all the Decency & Fitness of Words and Actions &c. in a Christian's Life. This en­gages us first to exercise a Go­vernment over our Tongues, Of the Govern­ment of the Tongue. and to speak the words of So­berness, as they are called, Acts 26.25. that is, such words as be­come a sober Person, one that is Master of his [Page 124] Reason and Understanding. A sober Christian is not Talkative, & Intemperate in his Speec [...], he is careful to set a watch before his mouth, & to keep the door of his lips, Psal. [...]41 3. to utter nothing that is any ways offensive & blame-worthy. He considers that the use of Speech is an Especial and peculiar Blessing conferr'd upon Man, for of all the Creatures in the World he alone is able to utter his mind by words: and therefore 'tis reasonable that that whereby Man Excelleth, and is distinguish'd from all other Creatures should be Employ'd to some Excellent purpose, & there is none more Excellent then that of Religion. Wherefore we are to be careful about our words and speeches, and this rather because there is a general Neglect as to this very thing, & too many of those that make profession of Sobriety other­wise, are defective and faulty here.

Christian Sobriety doth likewise discover it self in the Countenance, rendring it grave and com­posed, & yet pleasant & amiable Our Saviour, upon occasion found fault with his Disciples for their sad and dejected Looks, Luke 24 17. And much more he reproved the Pharisees for disfi­guring their faces, & affecting a sad Countenance, Matth. 6.16. He would not have any thing un­natural and disguised. And if the putting on of sower Looks was condemned, then certainly the other Extreme is not allowable, namely an excess of Airiness and Mirth in the outward Aspect, such as speaks the Levity and Vanity of the in­ward Man. Both of these are disfiguring the Face, and consequently the one as well as the other is forbid by our Saviour as unworthy of those Persons who profess the strict Religion of the Gospel.

[Page 125]§. 2. The Apparel which we wear is ano­ther Badge of Christian Sobriety; Of Apparel. and these are joined together by the Apostle, 1 Tim. 2 9. That Women adorn themselves in modest Apparel, with shamefacedness & sobriety. Modesty both within and without are required: and the latter is a good sign & argument of the former. Chris­tianity concerns it self in the very Attire & Garb of the Persons; it enjoins them to wear such a Habit as is not too curious or costly, that is not above their Condition and Quality, that is not a token of Lightness and Wantonness, that is not a mark of Pride; and it forbids them to affect and study artificial Beauty, that they may seem to be younger than they are.

§. 3. Lastly, in our whole Deportment, and in all our Actions whatsoever, we ought to disco­ver a great and unblamable So­briety, Of sober Beha­viour. by doing that which is most deccat & proper for us to do, & what our particular State and Condition, and our present Circumstances require of us. Among other things that go to the Composition of Christian Sobriety, this is one, a discreet and composed Carriage. And accord­ingly we find these together, to be Sober, and of good Behaviour, 1 Tim. 3.2. because the one is an ingredient of the other. Whatever some Men think, it is certain that Incivility and Ru [...]ness, and will Conversation are not badges of that Re­ligion which teaches us to live soberly. There is no question but a comely & agreeable Behaviour is part of Christianity. We must commend our Profession, and adorn our Religion, by being [Page 126] Courteous, Affable and Obliging: We must ex­press in our Lives a Christian Candour and Com­pliance, a willing Condescention and freeness of Converse, with an Easiness and Chearfulness in all that we do. We must have a care that we mistake not Sullenness for Gravity, and Melan­cholly for Religion.

§. 4. But on the other side, to addict our selves to Gaiety and Jollity is absolutely against Christian Sobriety and Decencey, for a Christian must be staid and serious, and do nothing that argues a vain and frothy Mind. Therefore childish and foolish, trifling and unmanly Actions are unworthy of his excellent Profession, and ar­gue a light and fantastick Spirit. Much more ought he to abstain from all Diversions and En­tertainments that administer to Wantonness and Lewdness, or any thing that is immoral and vi­tious. Of Recreati­ons. He must have nothing to do with those Sports & Recrea­tions which impair his Estate, or injure his Bodily Health, or foster Idleness and take him off from his Calling. He must shun all Pastimes that are accompanied with Intemperance, Luxury, and excessive Mirth, or that stir Men up to Passion and Revenge, to Quarrels and Contentions, or to Coveteousness, and a greedy desire of Gain. He must avoid all such Diversions as take up too much Time, or carry off his Thoughts from Religion, and what­ever is serious: Such are Common Stage-Plays and the Games that are now in use among vain and dissolute Persons. They are the immediate Instruments of Vice and Folly, and in their own Nature administer to Looseness and Debauchery. [Page 127] They corrupt Men not accidentally (as some would express it) but directly, and for the most part by the design and intention of those that use them

Nay, we ought to be cautious in the use of those Recreations which are in themselves Law­ful, lest by our abusing of them they become the occasion of Sin and Folly, Though we are in the World, yet we are not to reckon our selves to be of it, and therefore we are to deny our selves as to some Customs and Practises, which though in themselves simply consider'd are not Vitious, yet are apt to betray us to what is so, and will certainly make us like the Men of the World.

§. 5. And I might add this, That we must always quit our private Accommodations, Plea­sures and Profits for the publick and common Good, and more especially for the sake of God's Church; as it is recorded of Nehemiah & Daniel, that they denied themselves for a time the use of the Comforts and Refreshments of this Life, to symphatize and condole with their afflicted Bre­thren and Nation, Neh. 5.18. Dan. 9.3.10.3. And I superadd this, with relation to these & all other Accomodations and Delights of the World, that if God shall bring us into such Circumstances that we cannot keep these things, and at the same time retain a good Conscience, we must then be willing to part with them all, that we may hold and keep the one thing necessary. This will be a convincing proof of our sober and self-denying Temper.

§. 6. Moreover, if we will acquit our selves as those that have this frame of Spirit, we must [Page 128] shake off all Sloth and Security, and be Industri­ous and Vigilant. Watchfulness. These two, Sobriety & Watchfulness are in­seperable Companions, & there­fore the Holy Ghost hath joined them together, 1 Thes. 5.6. 1 Pet. 4.7.5.8. We cannot be Sober, unless we cease to be drowzy and careless, unless we continually be upon our Guard and Watch, and be very diligent and circumspect in shunning all Temptations to Sin & Vanity. And to this end and purpose let us avoid all wicked Converse and Society, let us not associate with Jewd irreligious Persons, but join our selves to the Company of the Godly and Pious, & we shall find the Happy influence of their Conversation upon us.

§. 7. And next to our Company let us look to our Time, & be careful how we pass our Hours: Of Redeeming our Time. Of which I have partly spoken before, and now I cannot say enough of it. But this must needs be said, that he that makes no Conscience of spending his Time, will never be a sober Man or Christian. Wherefore let us ever be employed in some lawful and useful Business, either such as belongs to our particular Calling, as we are placed in the World, or such as apper­tains to our general Calling and Profession, as we are Christians. Adam in the state of Innocence, had his Work and Employment appointed him by God, Gen. 3.15. and after his Fall we read he was set to his Work and Labour, Gen. 3.19. and no Man since can plead exemption, unless he disclaims his descent from Adam. Every one must in the sweat of his Face eat Bread, as we [Page 129] find it determined in that forenamed place: he must live and subsist by his lawful Labour & In­dustry, by the sweat of the Brow or of the Brain: he much spent his Time and Pains in doing what God hath set him about. We are not allowed to throw away our Hours on unnecessary Employ­ments and impertinent Studies, which is the great fault of the World. Especially let not our Time be squandred away in idle Disputes, and needless Controversies in Religion, let us not pursue Sha­dows, whilst we let go the Substance. The Life of Religion is by this means devoured, for whilst Men are taking up with needless Matters, they neglect the doing of many a necessary Action, and such as would certainly please God, & edify their Brethren. Let us then betake our selves with all care and application to the Practice of Religion, and spend our Days in that Employment. How precious is every single Minute! And yet with what speed doth it hasten away; And when it is past it cannot be recalled, it cannot possibly be retrieved. Therefore whilst it is ours, let us im­prove it, and not be lavish of so rich a Treasure; having this always in our mind, that in this short Life is got or lost that Life which is Eternal. And because we have so ill Husbanded our past Time, let us be the more sollicitous about the right ma­naging those portions of it that are to come. Let us labour to prevent our future Revolts by our present cleaving unto the Lord with full purpose of Heart, by arming our selves against Sin by a firm and steady Resolution: for this becomes a sober and fixed Christian.

§. 8 I will mention one thing more, which necessarily relates to our Duty towards our selves, [Page 130] and that is a Christian care of our Persons and Lives, Self Preserva­tion. on which the doing of all other parts of our Duty de­pends. We must not wilfully neglect, hurt, or injure our Bo­dies: as not by Excess & Intemperance (of which I spake before) so not by denying our selves those Things that are fitting and necessary, and are for the support of our Lives and Health. But especially we are forbid by the Laws of Christia­nity and Sobriety, to lay violent Hands on our selves. Do thy self no harm, said St. Paul to the Jaylor, who drew his Sword, & would have killed himself, Acts 16.27, 28. To bereave our selves of Life, and to procure our own Death, is not only a harming and injuring of our selves, but an affront to God's Authority and Sovereignty, it is a manifest proof of an unmanly Fear & Cow­ardize, of Impatience, Distrust and Despair; and in a word, is an argument of Madness, and not of Sobriety.

§. 9. And thus I have given you a Description of that excellent Grace of Sobriety; which is ge­nerally mistaken, and therefore I have been the larger in setting forth the just Limits and extent of it. Vulgar Heads think, that to be Sober is only abstaining from Drunkenness and such like Excess; and others have a very lame and imper­fect notion of this Duty. But the true and com­pleat account of it is this, It is a rectitude of the Judgment, it is a freedom from inordinate Affec­tions, it is the Government of our Spirits, and the command of our Actions. It is that holy Discipline of the Soul, whereby its unreasonable Motions are restrained, and its unruly Appetites [Page 131] allay'd, and made to submit to the Laws of Christ. Hereby we do nothing to discompose the healthful plight of our Bodies, nothing to dull the Faculties of our Minds, nothing to excite and inrage our Passions. Hereby we are taught to be chast and temperate, to be humble, submissive and content, and to demean our selves in all Con­ditions as becomes us. Hereby we are taught modesty in Words, Looks, Apparel and Behavi­our. Hereby we learn to be moderate in the pursuit of Earthly things, and to be wary and cautious in the use of them. Hereby we gain the Art of not being disturbed with the Evils, or inveigled by the good Things of this Life. Here by we live comfortably in this World, and are fitted for a better hereafter. These are the excellent Things which this Grace is composed of; or rather, it is not to be called a Grace, if you mean by it a single one, but a complication of many.

§. 10. And this shews that those who are pos­sessors of those admirable Things, are of a most excellent Spirit, and that they are acted by most excellent Principles. And I need not prove, I think, that such Persons live a very desirable and pleasant Life; for it must needs be delightful to keep the Mind sound and clear, to be free from bomerous Passions and Lusts, to have none but wholesom and regular Pleasures, and to have our Thoughts continually in Heaven, and even here to cast of those unmixt Joys. Let the corrupt and debauched part of Mankind say what they please, it is most certain that there is no Life so pleasant and ravishing as this, none so sweet, none so de­licious. So much for this first Part of Religion, which properly relates to our Selves. For though [Page 132] some of the Things I have named are o [...] a middle nature, and may respect both our Selves and Others, yet I have considered them at present only as they refer to Us; for this was the thing which I was obliged to shew, that a Man owes a Duty to himself, and that the Vertue of Christian Sobriety is that Duty, which I have fully display­ed in its several Parts.

§. 11. The Second Part of Practical Religion consists in those Actions and Offices which re­spect our Neighbours & Brethren, and all Ranks and Qualities of Persons that we converse with in the World. The Second Part of Practi­cal Religion, of Duty towards Others. For being all Members of the same Body, we are joined to­gether by a common Tye, and are to act for the good of the whole, and of each other in Par­ticular. And hence arises the necessity, as well as the reasonableness of that sort of Humane Acti­ons and Duties, which the Apostle expresses by living Righteously or Justly. This comprehends in it not only all acts of Justice strictly so called, but likewise all acts of Mercy & Charity, and in short, our whole Duty that we owe to others. That I may the more plainly and distinctly set this Righteousness before you in its several Parts and Branches, I will begin first with those acts of our Duty toward others which relate to the par­ticular Ranks & Degrees of Persons in the World, and which have a mixture of both Justice & Cha­rity. Secondly, I will proceed to those Duties, which strictly may be said to be acts of Justice. And Thirdly, I will Discourse of the Offices of Charity properly so called.

[Page 133]§. 12. The most considerable Ranks, which also may be called Relations, of Persons are these five: 1. Kings and their Subjects; together with Subordinate Magistrates, and those that are un­der their Charge. 2. Spiritual Pastors and their Flock. 3. The Husband and his Wife. 4 Pa­rents and their Children. 5. Masters and their Servants.

§. 13. The First Relation is that of a King and his Subjects: and there are proper Duties belong­ing to both. The Office of Kings and Supreme Governours, or (as the Apostle calls them the Higher Powers) is thus briefly summ'd up in Rom. 13.3. They are to be a Terror to Evil works, but those that do Good are to have praise of them. It is absolutely required of Kings, The Office of a Pious Prince. that they restrain Vice by punishing it: and if there be occasion, they ought to augment the Penalties of Sin and Wickedness, and make them more heavy and grievous, that Vice may not be augmented and increased, by reason of the too easy restraints that are laid upon it. And as there is need of prudent and seasonable Severity, so on other occasions, Mildness and Clemency be­come a Prince. To crush and squeeze his peo­ple, is the most abhorrent thought imaginable, and the farthest from his practise, for he Remembers that he is the Father of his Country, & therefore is to be Compassionate and Merciful, & to bear a tender Affection to them, and to shew by the En­couragements and Rewards, which he distributes, that he hath a singular Kindness and Favour for those that are Vertuous and Worthy. A great part of his Royal work is to Preserve and Assert [Page 134] the Civil Rights, Liberties, and Privileges of his Subjects, to Defend & Protect them in their Pos­sessions and Properties; not to make his own Will the standard of his Actions towards them, but to keep the Law, as well as they. For a King is he that Rules according to the Laws, & always makes the good of his People, his Grand and Principal End: whereas a Tyrant makes his own Will his Law, and never consults the well-fare of his Sub­jects. And as a good Prince maintains the secular Rights and Properties of those over whom he is set, so in a more special manner, he upholds them in their Religion, and thinks it an Honour as well as his Duty, to promote the Fear and Worship of the most High among them. We think it well be comes our high Place and Station, said the Em­perors, Theodosius & Valentinian, to give Admo­nitions & Injunctions to our Subjects concerning Religion. And those were admirable words of Theodosius & Honorius, We do nothing else ei­ther in the heat of War, or in the cool retire­ments of Peace, but Consult and Order bow the good People of our Empire may truly Worship God, and spend their days in his Service. Thus it is the Glory of Crown'd Heads, to advance the Honour of the King of Kings, to be Guardians of the Church, to be Patrons of Religion, and to be eminently Pious themselves. And certain it is, that nothing is so dear to Heaven, and so benefi­cial to Mankind as such a Prince.

§. 14. Again, there is the Duty of Subordi­nate Magistrates, who are call'd Governours that are sent by the Supreme Power, 1 Pet. 2.14. And the Apostle there tells us, to what End and Purpose they are sent, viz. For the punishment [Page 135] of Evil doers, & for the praise of them that do well. So that from comparing this with what St. Paul had said be­fore, The general Office of Chri­stian Magi­strates. it is clear, that the design of the Supreme Ruler, and of those that are placed under him, ought to be the same, that is, to take care that Vice be effectually restrain'd and that Vertue be encouraged; that Punishments be Inflicted, and Rewards dispens'd according to the Deserts of Persons. They miserably pervert the End and Design of their bearing the Sword, if they turn the edge of it to the good, and the back of it to the Wicked. Yea certainly, because the good are not so numerous as the Wicked, those that are in Authority ought more especially to exercise this Part of severity, which consists in a­nim [...]dverting upon these latter, and punishing all obstinate Criminals and Offenders. And here in a more signal manner it is required of them that they take notice of those Sins and Enormities which prevail most in the places where they are, the reigning Sins of the Age, such as Idleness, Drunkenness, Whoredom, Swearing, Forswearing, Prophaning the Christian Sabbath, excessive Pride and Luxury, which last have been cured hereto­fore by Sumptuary Laws, but now the Disease breaks out afresh: All these should be chastised and kept under by publick Penalties.

§ 15. And it is requisite in order to this, that Magistrates be Persons of great Courage & Reso­lution, & no ways affrighted at the thoughts of that ill treatment they meet with in the discharge of of their Trust, and the faithful Execution of their Office. They are the Physicians of the Body Po­litick, [Page 136] and accordingly must remember, that it is scarce possible to oppose the Disease with great severity, and to please the Patient at the same time: And therefore they must resolve upon the unwearied performance of their Duty, although they purchase ill will, and be loaded with oblo­quy for their pains. All that I will add under this Head, is, that in Magistrates and Rulers a personal Goodness and Worthiness, and a care of their own Families are requisite to make them exactly fit for their Employment▪ for none can so effectually Rule over others, as those that have the art of governing themselves and the Persons that more nearly belong to them. Besides that, it is a shame for them to terrifie Vice abroad, and yet to cherish it within their own Doors. It is scandalous to strike with the Sword of Justice at the Sins of the Town or Country they live in, and yet suffer their own Habitations to be a Refuge of Prophaneness and Irreligion, a Nursery of Lewd­ness and Immorality. Must they check Vice only because it is open and publick, and walks the Streets and Market-places? and at the same time must it be received into their Families and lurk within their Walls, and there find Protection in­stead of Punishment? No, by no means. The first thing they are to do is to extirpate Vice out of their own Lives, & those of their Houshold, and then they may with confidence & success attempt the reforming of the Publick.

§ 16. On the other side there is the Duty of Subjects, and all such as are under Authority. There is a Fighteousness required of them toward their Rulers and Governours, and it is called Sub­jection & Submission. Thus St. Paul commands [Page 137] every Soul to be subject to the higher Powers, Rom. 13 1. and St. Peter joins with him, The Duty of Subjects. bidding us to submit to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the King as Supreme, or unto Governours sent by him, 1 Pet. 2.13, 14. But more especially with regard to the former, that is, the Person whom God and the Laws have invested with the Sovereign Power, our Duty is to pay a due Fear and Reverence to him, Prov. 24.21. for God hath communicated his Authority to the Supreme Powers, and made them his Deputies and Repre­sentatives, and therefore we ought to Reverence God in them. We are to Esteem and Honour them, according to that Precept in 1 Pet 2.17. Honour the King; which we are to shew in our Words and Demeanour: And it is certain that their high Dignity and Place challenge this of us. Nor are we bound only to give Respect & Honour to them, but to Love them, as they are Good and Vertuous, as they are Religious and Pious, as they are lovers of their People and sollicitous to promote their Welfare in every thing, & to rule them in the fear of God. It is our Duty to Pray for them, according to the pattern set us in the former part of the 20th Psalm, and according to the Injunction of the Apostle, 1 Tim. 2.1, 2. We are to implore the Almighty to preserve them as the Instruments of his Glory, the Protectors and Fathers of their Country, and that they may serve the true ends of Government and advance the Scepter and Kingdom of Jesus

It is our Duty also to pay them Taxes & Cu­stoms for the support of their Government, Rom. [Page 138] 13.7. and to aid and assist them of especially in Times of War and Danger, to secure and pro­tect their Persons in defence of our Rights and Laws, but chiefly of our Religion; for it's just we should defend him who is the Defender of our Faith. Lastly, we ought to obey all the just Commands of our Sovereign, and to shew our Loyalty to him in complying with all his lawful Injunctions. And this we must do in Obedience to God and in conformity to the Laws of our most Holy Religion, which teaches us the exact­est Subjection to our Superiours. But never let us reckon Prophaneness and Debauchery as a badge of our Allegiance: Let not Riot and Ex­cess be tokens of a Loyal Principle. We are to remember, that the Laws of the King strictly forbid these, & consequently we shew our selves Disloyal and Disobedient to him when we are guilty of Swearing and Drunkenness, of Lewd­ness, or prophaning the Lord's Day, or any other Contempt of God and Religion. This I say, that our Obedience to the Supreme Powers may be universal and compleat.

§. 17. And if Obedience and Subjection be a Duty, then Disobedience and R [...]sistance are a Crime, and a dangerous one; for if any shall be so hardy and presumptuous as to oppose and re­bel against their Lawful Sovereign, whose Cha­racter (as the Apostle tells us) is to be a Terror to the Evil, and a Praise to the Good: The same Inspired Writer will acquaint them how heinous an Offence this is, He that resisteth the Power, resisteth the Ordinance of God, Rom. 13.2 He tramples upon the Divine Institution, and flies in the Face of God himself: And his Punishment [Page 139] shall be answerable to his Crime, as we read in the same place, They that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation, the Judgment of God will attend them both here and hereafter. Wherefore let us listen to the Dictates of Christianity, which forbids us to resist the lawful Authority of Princes, and backs the Prohibition with so severe a Sanc­tion. Let us chearfully submit to our Superiours not only for Wrath, but also for Conscience sake, Rom 13.5.

CHAP. IX.

§. 1. THE second Relation, or Rank of Per­sons that I am to speak of, is that of the Pastors of the Church and their Flock. For next to Magistrates are the Guides and Governours of the Church, The Duty of Ministers. spi­ritual Instructers and Overseers of Souls, the Ministers of God's Holy [Page 140] Word and Sacraments. And these have a parti­cular Duty & Office with respect to their Charge. They whose work it is to teach others their Duty, have a peculiar one of their own, and that of a very large extent, and they, of all Men, are the most obliged to discharge it with the greatest care & exactness. A Minister, of all Persons, is more signally obliged to understand and pursue the ends of his Calling, for though all other Employ­ments are to be made use of to pious Purposes, that is, in the honest & faithful discharge of them, the respective Persons ought to glorifie God, and do some good to Mankind; yet this Calling is more eminently designed for those Ends, and more im­mediately fitted for them. The Office of publick Instructers and spiritual Pastors is expressed in Scripture by such general Terms as these, Feeding the Flock of God, & taking the oversight thereof, 1 Pet. 5.2. Waiting on the Ministry, Rom. 12.7. and taking heed to it, Col. 4 17. taking heed to themselves, and to all the Flock, Acts 20.28. First according to the Apostle's Order & Method, they are to look to Themselves, that is, their own Lives and Behaviour: Here they must begin, or else all their Labour will be in vain. Piety and Holiness must shine in their Conversations, or otherwise their Doctrine will have but little In­fluence on their Hearers. They are to addict themselves to Religion above the ordinary rate of Mankind, because those that teach others to be good and holy, ought to be much more so themselves. They are to consider that if they be Vitious, their Actions and Behaviour will do more harm than their Tongues can do good: But on the contrary, the strictness and unblameable­ness [Page 141] of their Lives, will Effectually commend their Admonitions & Precepts to the People: & there­fore they are concerned to be Examples to the Flock, 1 Pet. 5.3. To be Spotless and untainted in their manners, & to strive to out-do all others in Vertue and Goodness.

§. 2. Then as to the particular branches, of their Care and Oversight of their Flock, they are such as these, to admit Persons into the Church by Baptism, to Eject those that are Scandalous, to Restore the Penitent, to Administer the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to those that are worthy, to visit the Sick, to offer up Publick Prayers, private­ly to advise, admonish and Instruct; and publick­ly to Preach the Gospel, which is their greatest and weightiest work. Here their peculiar Office is to deliver to the People, in a Plain and Methodical way, those substantial heads of Religion, which they are to be Instructed in for their Souls health. They must lay their Foundation well, that is, ac­quaint their hearers with the Necessary Principles of Christianity, and so build them up in their most Holy Faith. They must endeavour to re­present the Christian Religion to them in its ge­nuine shape, that they may have a true account of it, and thence be throughly convinc'd of its beau­ty and excellency. They must take care to Feed the Flock of Christ with wholesome Food, with sound Doctrine, such as is grounded on the Holy Scriptures, and not on humane Invention; and following St. Pauls example, they must keep back nothing that is profitable to them, Acts 20.20. They must warn them that are unruly, & com­fort the feeble-minded, & support the weak, whe­ther afflicted in body, or under the sense of Sin [Page 142] and guilt. Every way they must apply themselves to the needs and Exigencies of their Flock.

Nor is it their employment only to Inform and Instruct mens minds, and to administer solace to them, but it is required of them, that they labour to reform their Lives, & cause them, through the assistance of the Divine Grace, to shew the vertue of their Principles in the holiness of their Practi­ces. To which purpose they ought to use their utmost diligence, joyn'd with great Zeal & Fer­vor, in laying open the faults and miscarriages of mens lives, in a Free and Impartial reproving of all Sin, and denouncing the Judgments of God against offenders, in Pathetick Exhortations to a Religious and Godly Conversation, in quickning and exciting them to the performance of all Christian Duties, and a Conscientious observance of all the Sacred Ordinances and Institutions of Christ, and a constant devoting themselves to the Service and Worship of God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost; and a humble Submission to the Discipline of the Gospel: all which are design'd by the Wisdom of God, for the advancing of his Glory in the World, & for the promoting of the Conversion and Salvation of Mankind. This in­deed ought to be the chiefest desire, Prayer & In­deavour of a Minister of Christ, to convert Sinners from the evil of their ways, and to make men Everlastingly happy, and thereby to enlarge the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviovr Jesus Christ.

§ 3. This is the nature of the Ministerial charge, this is that which the Apostle calls fulfil­ling the Ministry. Col. 4.17. And making full proof of their Ministry. 2 Tim 4.5. That is, per­forming it throughly & fully & discharging all the [Page 143] parts of that Office. There is this difference be­tween Ministers of the Gospel & others, that the latter are more especially to Look to their own Salvation, but the former are obliged by vertue of their particular Function, to make it their great business to look after the Salvation of others. And therefore they can't be said to Act Righteously, that is, to perform the task which is required of them toward others, unless they mind this great work. Yea, if they wilfully Neglect it, they are faithless & perfidious, they betray the Cause of Christ, and are false to men's Souls.

§. 4. There is also the proper and Peculiar Duty of the Flock; for the Ecclesiastical Rulers, as well as the Civil ones, call for your Obedience and Subjection: according to that of the Apostle, Remember them who have the rule over you who have spoken unto you the word of God, Heb. 137. The Duty of a Church to Ministers. Remembe [...] them so as to obey them, as the Apostle explains himself in ver. 17. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit your selves, for they watch for your Souls. Obey them in all things which they en­joyn you according to the Word of God, & that for this reason, because it is their work to watch for the good of your Souls, and to guard them from all Evil and Danger. Therefore they may rightly Challenge from you Respect and Honour: you are (as the Apostle advises 1 Cor 4.1. To ac­count of them as of the Ministers of Christ (who come not in their own Name and Authority but in Christ's) & as Stewards of the Mysteries of God, such as have the Honour to be intrusted by him with the care of his House, with the great Con­cernments [Page 144] of the Church which are full of Won­der and Mystery. This is to know them who la­bour among you, & are over you in the Lord, & admonish you, 1 Thess. 5.12. as the Apostle inter­prets himself in the following Verse, Esteem them, saith he, very highly in love for their works sake. And if you esteem & love the Pastors of the Church, you will support them with an honoura­ble Maintenance, seeing this also is of Divine In­stitution, 1 Cor. 9.14. The Lord hath ordained that they who preach the Gospel, should live of the Gospel. And St. Paul would have the El­ders that rule well, especially they who labour in the Word and Doctrine, to be counted worthy of double Honour; and he adds this Reason, For the Labourer is worthy of his Reward, 1 Tim. 5.17, 18. Thus it is the Will and Appointment of our great Master and his Apostles, that those who serve him faithfully in the Office of the Mi­nistry, should be provided for and rewarded by you, and that thereby you should shew that Re­gard which is due to them on the account of their Excellent Employment and Function.

§. 5. But in the next place I will mention your Duty toward your Spiritual Pastors, as it exactly answers to the several parts of their Of­fice towards you. Thus as they are to be Patterns to you of all Goodness and Piety, so you are to follow their Example, and to imitate them in all those Praise worthy Actions which you observe in them. As it is their task to instruct you in all the important Doctrines of Religion, so it is yours to give attention to their Religious Instruc­tions, and thereby to stock your selves with a sufficient Treasure of Knowledge in the great [Page 145] Matters of Christianity. It is your Duty and Concern to receive and imb [...]be with great wil­lingness and readiness the Principles' of the Chri­stian Faith, that Faith which was once so solemn­ly delivered to the Saints by our Saviour & his Apostles; that Faith which is the Standard of all Divine Truth, and the very Foundation of all our religious Worship and Practice. Reckon those Teachers to be an unvaluable Blessing and Gift of God to you, who are continually instil­ling into your Ears sound Doctrine, as 'tis called Tit. 1.9. and wholesome Words, as the Apostle expresses it, 1 Tim. 6.3. in opposition to errone­ous and false Doctrines, which are unsound and unwholesome, & deprave the health of the Soul. Especially in this corrupt Age you are concerned to beware of Seducers, who make it their business to unsettle and unhinge Religion, and call into question the most substantial Points of our Faith. But see that you attend to the Apostle's advice, 1 John 4.1. Believe not every Spirit (that is, every Teacher, every Doctrine that pretends to the Spirit of God) but try the Spirits whether they be of God, try them by the Holy Word im­partially expounded. Now, if ever, that Coun­sel is seasonable, Be not Children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of Doc­trine, Eph. 4 14. and so is that of the same A­postle, Be not carried about with divers and strange Doctrines, Heb. 13.9. Mark them who cause Divisions and Dis [...]entions, viz by broach­ing new Errors, or reviving the old ones, contra­ry to the Doctrine which ye have learn'd, and avoid them, Rom. 16.17. Stedfastly adhere to those Guides who hold fast the form of sound [Page 146] Words and thereby fix and establish you in the truly Primitive Christianity.

§. 6. Again as they are by their Office ob­liged to reprove and rebuke you for the omission and neglect of your Duty, and for the actual Miscarriages of your Lives, so you are bound to be thankful to them for their plain Dealing with you, & to improve those sharp Methods for your real benefit and advantage. And when Threat­nings and Judgments are denounced by them against you out of the Book of God, you ought to entertain them with that fear and dread which becomes you, and to look upon the severest Ap­plications of his Ministers as the proper means of procuring your Good and Welfare. And as it is another part of the Work of Spiritual Guides to administer Consolation to you when you are af­flicted and dejected, so it is your business not to refuse to be comforted, not to spill your Cordials, but to make use of them for your Refreshment, and in the strength of them to perform your Du­ty with greater alacrity and readiness.

§. 7. Further, as it is a Branch of the Pastoral Care and Employment to admonish, exhort, in­treat, and in Christ's Name to command you, so you lie under an obligation to hearken to & com­ply with their Admonitions, Exhortations, En­treaties & Commands, & not to hinder the happy Operations of all those Arguments, Motives and Inducements wherewith they labour to prevail upon you, and gain you to the practice of what is required of you. For this is that which their Ministry aims at all along, that your Lives may be reformed by those Divine Truths and holy Doctrines which they propound to you, & incul­cate [Page 147] upon you. This can never be more season­ably urged than in these degenerate & licentious Times, wherein Iniquity abounds, and the love of so many towards Religion waxes cold, and even is frozen and dead. Now therefore shew by your exemplary Conversations that you have Christian Heat and Life in you, that the Preach­ing of the Gospel, and the Knowledge of the Truths of it, have had an effectual Influence on your Hearts & Lives, & that you are not Chrsti­ans only in Name, but that you are really such, and resolve to evidence it by your walking ac­cording to the Rules and Prescriptions of the Gospel. And, in fi [...]e, seeing it is part of the Ministerial Office to preserve Order and Disci­pline in the Church, and seeing it may be unde­niably proved from the Apostolical Epistles that there is an Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction & Spiritual Government, think your selves obliged to obey the Laws and Constitutions of it, as they are set down in those Sacred Writings: Follow herein the Directions of the Governours of the Church so far as they are conformable to the Rules and Directions given by our Saviour and his Apos­tles.

§. 8 The third Relation that I am to Discourse of, is that between Parents and Children; and it is another eminent Instance of humane Righteous­ness, or of our Duty to others Here first I will set down particularly what is required of Parents to­ward their Children, and then what is due from these to them. The Duty of Parents is compre­hended in such Rules as these,

§. 9. 1 st. Provide for your Children: allow them all things convenient for their outward Man. [Page 148] Christianity requires & commands this, and con­demns the contrary Practice. If any Man, The Duty of Parents to Children. saith the Apostle, that is, any Man that is able, provides not for those of his own House, be denies the Faith, & is worse than an Infidel, 1 Tim. 5.8. by such Scandalous De­portment he shews himself to be no true Christi­an, but doth in effect renounce the Faith which he professes. Wherefore Parents are indispensa­bly obliged to make provision for their Children, to supply them with Food and Raiment, and all things necessary for Life, to consult their bodily Health, and endeavour to preserve them from Sicknesses and Diseases, and to take care of their Breeding and Education. There ought not only to be a present Maintenence, but a provident care for their future Sustenance according to that of the Apostle, The Parents ought to lay up for their Children, 2 Cor. 12.14. You are bound chiefly to contrive their Welfare and Support hereafter by bringing them up to some commendable Art or Employment which may administer to them means of Livelihood when you are gone. They must not be suffered to eat the Bread of Idleness, and thereby become unprofitable Burdens of the Earth, and like the barren Fig-tree cumber the Ground: but as soon as they are capable, they are to be set into some way of Action, in order to their future well-being in the World; that in some honest Calling or Station they may be able to provide for themselves when they come to the Age of Men; that in a lawful way they may eat their own Bread, and enjoy the Labour, not the Filching of their Hands. And to this purpose [Page 149] Parents should observe the Inclinations and Ten­dencies of their Children, and accordingly in due time fix them in such an Employment or way of Living as is most suitable to their Genius. But the principal care of Parents should be with re­spect to the spiritual Welfare of their Children; and therefore all the following Rules will aim at this.

§. 10. 2 ly then, Take care to Instruct your Children in the Principles of Reli­gion. Instruction. Acquaint them betimes with the necessity & fundamental Doctrines which the Holy Scriptures furnish us with. Let them have a knowledge of the State of Man's Innocency, of his Falling from God, of his Misery thereupon, and of God's merciful de­livering them out of it, and of what Returns Man is to make to God. And all the other Principles of Divine Knowledge, so far as they are able to receive them, are to be communicated to them. To which end I desire Parents to consult the first part of this Treatise, where I have set down all the necessary Articles of Religion which are to be known and believed. Let them thence furnish themselves with Principles of Religion, to im­part to their young ones; but let them take care to propound them in the most useful and edifying manner, otherwise they will be of little use to them. If you are desirous that they should effectually receive Instruction in those Divine Matters, forget not to proceed leisurely and by degrees. These Vessels have narrow Mouths, and therefore the Liquor must not be poured in­to them all at once, but by little and little. Nor must it be too strong, you must not disturb their [Page 150] Heads with difficult Points, but instil those Instruct­ions into them which are most plain and easie, Of the Educa­tion of Chil­dren. & which exceed not their weak Capacities. Pro­pound to them Generals at first, and After that lead them gently to the particular application of Things. But by no means trouble and amuze their Minds with unnecessary and doubtful Opinions. This is the way to confound them, not to edifie them. And therefore till they approach to some greater De­grees of understanding, use the utmost plainness toward them, and let them have no Doctrines propounded to them but what are very necessary and useful, and also such as they are able in some measure to apprehend.

§. 11. 3 dly, Do not only instruct your Chil­dren in the principles, but train them up to the Practice of Reli­gion: Directing the Practice of Religion. which is the end that all the Principles of Religion tend to. Call upon them and be very ear­nest with them to discharge their Duty toward their Maker and Redeemer, to serve God with all their Heart, with all their Soul, and with all their Strength; to have a fear and dread of his Majesty, to love him for his Goodness and Holi­ness, to hope and trust in his Mercy, to humble and submit themselves under his Corrections, to honour and Worship him with their Bodies and Souls, to dedicate their whole Lives to his Service, to repent unfeignedly of all their Sins, and to rely wholly on the Righteousness and Merits of Christ Jesus for Life & Salvation. Call upon them likewise to perform their Duty toward their Bre­thren [Page 151] and Neighbours with all faithfulness, to do them no hurt or injury in their Names, Bodies or Estates, Possessions or Properties, but to do them all the good they can, by speaking the Truth, by kind and courteous Words & Actions, by Acts of Justice and Equity, by works of Charity & Bene­ficence, by forgiving their Enemies, by studying Peace & Amity, and, in a word, by heartily desi­ring and endeavouring the spiritual and temporal Advantage of others. Urge it also upon your Children, as their necessary Duty, to have a mean Esteem of themselves, to be humble and lowly-minded, to be meek and gentle, to be contented with the Condition God hath placed them in to be thankful for every Mercy, though [...] so small, to be watchful against Temptations, to be moderate in the use of God's Creatures, to be di­ligent and faithful in their Callings, to accustom themselves to modesty and Self-denial, and all acts of Christian Sobriety.

§. 12. Thus the Parent should, according to Solomon's advice, Train up a Child in the way he should go, Prov. 22.6. And we may observe, that this was taken care of in the Mosaick Law: Parents were obliged to teach their Children the Contents of it, Deut. 4.10.6.7.11 9. they were commanded to Instruct them in the Princi­ples and Practice of Religion. And this all Chri­stian Parents are equally bound to observe, and to take care that their Children suck in Religion with their Milk, and be inured to Christianity from their tender Years, and that [...] the while they are with them, they be better'd by them. You that are Parents can bring this to [...] with greater success than any others besides because [Page 152] your Children continually attend upon you, and are under your eye, and daily and hourly con­verse with you: on which account you become well acquainted with their Tempers, and know how to manage them: and besides, you can take the fittest Opportunities to advise and counsel them. And what you do thus, being done sea­sonably, is doubly done.

§. 13. 4 thly, Intercede with Heaven for your Children: Make Addresses and Petitions in their behalf at the Throne of Grace, Praying for your Children for this is a proper way of deriving Blessings to them. It was Plato's Judgment that no Pray­ers were heard so soon as those of Parents for their Children. There is no doubt of it, If they be the Prayers of the Faithful; and 'tis certain that those Children rarely miscarry who are fre­quently & heartily recommended to God in the ardent & affectionate Petitions of their Parents. It cannot be, said St. Ambrose to Monica, St. Augustin's Mother, that a Child of so many Prayers and Tears should perish; and she found the Truth of it in the Conversion of her Son. If Prayers were oftner put up on this account, it would be much better for the World, & especial­ly for Parents themselves, who would find the sensible advantage of it in the holy Dispositions and religious Manners of those they have prayed for. Wherefore be frequently on your Knees for your Little Ones: Begin to sollicit for them e­ven in their Infancy; when the poor Babes cannot speak for themselves, speak to God for them. And when they are advanced to any measure of Growth, still send up your wishes to God in their [Page 153] behalf, pray as Abraham on the like occasion, O that this Child might live before Thee! O that thy Grace may always prevent and follow him, that he may faithfully serve thee, and bring Glory to thy great Name. Nor doth this exclude the personal praying of your Children on their own behalf; wherefore you must often remind them of this great Concern, namely, to pray as well as they can for themselves; and you are to take care that they every day practice it. Take it not ill if I exhort you to bring up your Children to be Beggars, that is continually to crave and beg the Mercy and Favour of God, humbly to beseech him to bestow upon them all things necessary for Life and Godliness, all Temporal and Spiritual Blessings.

§. 14. 5 thly, If you would approve yourselves faithful to your trust, Reproving their Faults. remem­ber to reprove and repre­hend, to curb and check sin in your Children betimes. This one thing would be unspeakably advantageous to you if it were constantly observed, as we may ga­ther from the contrary practise of Parents, who are the Authors of a great deal of mischief to their Children by their fond humouring of them, and suffering them to have their wills, and to say and do what they please without any control. But unless you are resolved on the Eternal ruine of those whom you profess so great a Love & ten­derness to, you must take another course. When­ever you perceive that they are in any measure guilty of Lying, or Stealing, or prophaning God's Name, or any undutifulness to you, or any other kind of Vice or Misdemeanour, forbear not to [Page 154] rebuke them sharply. If there be but the least appearance of any of these evils in their Lives, stifle and crush them in the very beginning. In their first budding and springing forth take notice of them with harsh Language, with Anger and Frowns, and severe reprehensions. Be warn'd by Old Eli, that indulgent cockener of his Sons, who could not find in his heart to snib and check them for thir soul miscarriages, but cherish'd their Sin, and favour'd their Crimes by a slight and Superficial reproving of them. But be not guilty of his fault, lest you incur as grievous a Punishment as he did.

§. 15. 6thly, If sharp Reproof will not prevail, add a greater severity, that is, fitting Correction and Chastisement: for the Rod and Reproof to­gether give wisdom, Prov. 29.15. But as the wise Man adds, A Child left to himself bring­eth his Mother to shame. Where­fore in ver 17. Correction. he gives this advice, Correct thy Son, and he shall give thee test, ye he shall give delight unto, thy Soul. These are the happy consequences of due and timely Correction. And that this is a very necessary and indispensable Duty of Parents, may be gathered from the frequent repeating of it by this Inspired Author. He that spareth his Rod (saith he) hateth his Son, but he that loveth him, chastneth him betimes, Prov. 13.24. Again in Chapter 19 & 18. Verse, Chasten thy Son while there is hope, & let not thy Soul spare for his cry­ing. So in Chap. 22.15. v Foolishness is bound in the heart of a Child, but the Rod of Correction must drive it far from him. I will mention but one place more, tho' there be several others, Pro. [Page 155] 23.13, 14. Withhold not correction from the child, for if thou beatest him with the Rod, he shall not die, that is, he shall not perish Everlastingly, thou dost wisely consult the Salvation of his Soul, and his welfare to all Eternity; as is plain from the next words, Thou shalt beat him with the Rod, and shalt deliver his Soul from Hell. There­fore let not Parents be guilty of that fondness, which will prove Fatal and Destructive to their Children: let them not be so foolish, as gently to stroke them when they deserve stripes. But yet let them remember to Correct them with prudence, and accordingly to moderate their Chastisements, and to lay aside all Passion and Fury. For they are forbid by St. Paul to provoke their children to wrath, Eph. 6 4. Namely by undue severity, by rigorous & [...]ustere usage. Some indiscreet Parents accustom their Children to brow beating, and blows on every little occasion, and are Inhumane and Barbarous in their corrections when some greater fault is committed: but this is a very blameable way of dealing with them, and will dishearten them sooner than amend them; yea oftentimes it renders them obstinate in their ways. If the crooked branches of a young­er Plant be warily & gently bent, they will grow streight: but if you handle them too roughly, you take the way to break them. Wherefore let your Chastisements favour of Pity & Affection to your Children: let your correction be accom­panied with mildness.

§. 16. 7 thly, Of Encourage­ment by Re­ward & Com­mendations. As you are to reprove & punish vice in your Children, so you are to take opportunities of Encouraging and Rewarding them, w [...]h [Page 156] their Dutifulness is very conspicuous and Eminent. This you may do by taking notice of what is well done by them, by commending and praising them for some very Laudable Actions, by vouch­safing them smiles and favourable looks, by be­stowing actual Kindness and Favours upon them. Nay, it will be requisite, not only thus to re­compense the good behaviour of your Children, but to win & entice them to it by the proposal of some Reward. You may use little Bribes to in­vite them to their Duty, and to make them love it. This is a good way of managing those Chil­dren who have a sense of Ingenuity, and therefore you may successfully use it towards such, and thereby spur them up to vertue, and encourage them to goodness, and countenance and cherish it in them, & at the same time act like true Parents, that is, such who abound with Love and Affecti­on to their own Flesh.

§. 17. 8 thly. Look to the Company and Con­verse of your Children. To keep them from bad Com­pany. Let them not herd with the Wicked and Prophane, with suc [...] [...]s are addicted to Lying and [...]earing (for Oaths are even in the mouths of young ones now a days:) let them not Associate with those that are Rude and Disorder­ly, and Disobey their Parents, and behave them­selves irrevently towards their betters, and have no sense of Modesty and Humility. If you suf­fer them to frequent the Company of such as these when they are abroad, you do in vain ply them with Admonitions when they are at home. Their loved comrades & play-fellows undo all that you have done. You must then lay restraint upon them as to this particular: If it be possible, choose [Page 157] their Company for them, and let them be those who have some awe of goodness infused into them, that thereby they may further & promote Goodness in them whom they converse with.

§. 18. 9 thly, & lastly, To give them a good Exam­ple. Though your Children sometimes meet with Evil Examples without doors (and perhaps in this Age it is impossible to prevent it) yet be sure, that they have a good Example set before them when they are at home. My meaning is, that you your selves be a pattern of all Holiness and goodness to them. Let me tell you, all your Instructions, Exhortations and Perswasions, all your Reproofs and Corrections, yea and your Offers of Rewards will signifie little without this. You will pull down more by your bad Example than it is possible you can build up by the other means. Nor indeed can you reasonably expect that your Children will be good and vertuous, when you endeavour not to be so your selves. Whilst you indulge your selves in all manner of Sin and Folly, you can't have any ground to ima­gine that they will be strict and circumspect in their Lives; for great is the force and prevalency of Example, especially among Children. It is obser­ved that they generally live by it, and even then when you think they take no notice of you, they diligently mind how you behave your selves, and what course you take, and they readily square their Manners by your Deportment. They will not fail to write after your Copy, for that they think is Authentick; and they perswade them­selves that they cannot do amiss if they imitate you, and follow your Steps. Be studious there­fore [Page 158] to frame your Lives aright, to walk exactly and circumspectly, because the Eyes of your Children are fix'd upon you. See that in the seve­ral Conditions you are in, you behave yourselves as it becomes Christian Parents; be careful that you act nothing vicious in the Face of your Chil­dren but that you go before them by your good Example. Practice before their Eyes the several Duties of Christianity: First be Religious your selves, and then there is great hope that your Children will be so too.

§. 19. And thus I have given you a short Draught of the Duty of Parents toward their Children? which may be more briefly summed up in this one thing, Religious Education. I have insisted the longer upon this, because upon it de­pend the Success & Happiness of whole Nations: for Children being the great support & Hopes of Families, and these of Churches and Kingdoms, and all publick Societies, if the former be not vertuously brought up, we may despair of the Welfare of the latter. For which reason I thought it was requisite to be very particular in laying down Rules and Directions for the pious Educa­tion of Children, that Parents might not be des­titute of Helps in this matter.

§. 20. But then I consider further, that Pa­rents generally are not so defective in their Know­ledge of what they are to do in this Affair, as they are backward and careless in performing what they know to be their Duty: And therefore I will in the next place make it my business to press and urge them to the practice of the fore­going Rules, by propounding such Arguments and Considerations as I take to be very strong and [Page 159] forcible in this case. And here likewise I shall be very copious, because I design this present Un­dertaking for the use of Families chiefly. To pre­vail with you that are Parents to discharge your Duty aright toward your children, in bringing them up in the nurture & admonition of the Lord, ( Eph. 6.4) that is, in all vertuous Discipline and Practice, as well as in the Knowledge of what is required of them, I will make use of these follow­ing Motives, which shall be the Subject of the next Chapter.

CHAP. X.

§. 1. I. YOU that are Parents are the Persons that first convey'd Sin and Corrup­tion to your Children, and therefore you are bound in an especial manner to do all you can toward the Rooting Vice out of them, & the implanting of Grace and Holiness in them. By your means Defilement was derived to their Nature, and by reason of that defiled Temper they have con­tracted a proneness to all Evil, and an averseness to whatever is good: So that you are engaged on this account to endeavour, as much as in you lies, to heal that Infection which they catched of you, to cure that contagion which you imparted to them. You set them into a sinful & miserable World, and therefore you must prevent their be­ing beguiled by it: You must labour to enlighten and rectifie their Minds, and to bring them to a love of Holiness & Piety. It must be your chiefest care that your Children may be Born again; o­therwise their first Birth will be sad & deplorable, they will have cause to Curse the Womb that bore them, and the Paps that gave them Sack.

§. 2. II. You that are Parents have the great­est Room in the Affections of your Children, and therefore on that account you have the advantage, above all others, of instructing them, and doing all Offices of Religion toward them. Your Chil­dren are prompted by the Dictates of Nature to love you, and what is there which Love will not [Page 161] excite them to do? You are their best Friends and Benefactors: They are beholding to you for their Being, and their whole allowance is gene­rally from your hand. They will therefore hearken to you, and comply with your Directions and Admonitions, when you call upon them to consider their Ways, and bring Credit both to you and to themselves by a vertuous Behaviour. Your kindnesses to them are so many & so great, that, besides the natural Instinct of Love, they will find themselves obliged to do any thing that you fairly propound to them, and to return your Kindnesses in that way which they are capable to do. The Lacedemonian Women, when their Children proved undutiful and refractory, were wont to lay open their Breasts, & to shew them their P [...]ps, to remind them of their Love & care in suckling of them & bringing them up, there­by (if it were possible) to reduce them to a sense of their Duty, & to shame them into Obedience and good Manners. And certainly with Chil­dren of any Ingenuity this is a very cogent and powerful way of dealing with them? but espe­cially if they consider further that they were not only nourished by their Parents, but have since received all manner of good things from them, they will see that they have yet a stronger Obli­gation on them to do whatever their Parents enjoin them. Wherefore on this score you have a vast Influence upon them, and may hope to prevail with them, and fix your pious Counsels and Precepts upon them.

§. 3. III. As Children are tied by the Law of Nature to love their Parents, so you that are Pa­rents are bound by the same Law to love them. [Page 162] They are part of you, and therefore the natural Affection which is in your Breasts teaches you to love them as your selves. Especially the Mo­ther's Love is reckoned as the greatest, because she is supposed to have Nursed and Suckled her Children, which is not only a sign of natural Af­fection, but a great increaser of it in that Sex. But though this be much laid aside of late by an ill Custom, yet however, there is an inbred princi­ple of Love in Mothers, as such. And moreo­ver, Christianity promotes and improves the na­tural Instinct of Love in both Parents, and also directs it to the highest end. It stirs them up not only to consult and procure the bodily good of their Issue, but it bids them love them chiefly in such a manner as is most conducible to the good of their Souls, and their everlasting Happi­ness. The active Principle of Love in them for­cibly moves them to this; for if they really love their Children, they will strive to make them possessors of the greatest Good, and of the chief­est Blessings; and such are the Favour of God, Grace and Holiness, and eternal Life. Where­fore you that are Parents must mind this in the first place, else you cannot be said to love your Children as you ought, that is, to love them with the true Love of a Parent. This we may gather from those places of Scripture where the Great God is pleased to express his Love and Care to us by Paternal Affection, yea not only by the Love of a Father, but of a Mother: For can we think that he consults only the Welfare of our Bodies? Doth he not shew his Love by his re­gard to our Souls and our future Happiness? What a poor Affection is that which extends no [Page 163] further than the outward Man?

§. 4. Say not then that you love your Chil­dren when you are not concerned in the least for their better Part, and the Welfare of their im­mortal Spirits. Say not that you love your Off­spring, when with indiscreet Fondness you con­nive at their Faults, of even allow of them. You do not love, but hate them, whilst you act thus; for the Softness and Indulgence which you use to them will but sooth them into Hell, & thus you become unmerciful and cruel to their Souls; you shew your selves more savage and barbarous than those Idolatrous Parents of old, who made their Children pass through the Fire to Moloch. Sure­ly no one will call this Love. But then you may be truly said to exert this Affection toward your Children, when, besides your care of that part of their Education which relates to their Bodies, and outward Concerns, you look to their Souls, and mind their everlasting Good, when you help them, through the divine Grace and Assistance, to the possession of the one thing necessary which cannot be taken from them, which Thieves and Invaders cannot rob them of, which Power or Policy cannot extort from them, which Poverty and Exigence cannot deprive them of, which Sickness and Diseases cannot impair in them, which Banishment and Persecution cannot spoil them of, which Death it self and the Grave can­not hinder them from, but rather help to put them into a full fruition of. This is the true Love you ought to bear to your Children.

§. 5. And the reason of it is plain, because the Souls of your Children ought to be more pre­cious to you than their Bodies and temporal Ad­vantage. [Page 164] Whence it follows, that it is an huge instance of Folly and Indiscretion to be very sol­licious about leaving an Estate to your Children, and yet not to concern your selves in the least for their spiritual Welfare and Happiness. This is a very preposterous and absurd way of acting, and such as becomes not Reasonable Agents; and yet you are every day putting it in practice. So if your Child falls into the Fire or Water, you lament and cry out most passionately, and the whole Family is disorder'd at the unhappy Ac­cident, and not without cause: but who can ob­serve that you are grieved and troubled when through your wilful negligence your Child runs headlong into Hell-fire, and drops into the bot­tomless Pit, and the Lake which burns with Fire and Brimstone? Doth not this shew that you have not a true & real Affection for those whom you pretend most heartily to love? I beseech you lay this seriously to Heart, Wherein true Parental Love consists. and for the future convince the World that you bear a True Love to your Children, whilst you la­bour to secure their eternal Bliss, by instructing them betimes in the Principles of Religion, and by being instrumental in seasoning their young Years with Grace. Promote this good & necessary Work, though it be with some Cost and Charges to you. Perswade your selves that your Money is well and wisely laid out, when you disburse it in order to Religion, and particularly when you are at some Expences to Educate your Children in the Knowledge of God and their Duty, & to procure wholesom Instruc­tions for their Souls, and to build them and your [Page 165] selves up in your most holy Faith, and to be in constant Enjoyment of those Means which thro' the Divine Blessing, will make you wise unto Salvation. For this you must always bear in your Minds, that the Souls of your Children are chief­ly to be taken care of, and that in order to that they are to be fraught with godly and vertuous Principles; and that this is the most eligible Portion & Estate that you can provide for them.

§. 6. We find that those who were most Im­prov'd among the Pagans were not void of this apprehension, as appears from what Phocion, a no­ted Athenian, used to say when he was sollicited to look after his Children, and get them Estates. If my Sons, saith he, be Vertuous, I shall leave them enough: but if they be Vitious, more would be too little. And that was an admirable saying of Xenophon, He that makes his Son a Man of worth, viz. by sound Principles and good Beha­viour, gives him much, and makes him a very Rich man, although he leaves him but a very mean Fortune. You then that are Parents may learn hence, how to shew your Affections to your Children: then you approve your selves very kind to them, & then you entail upon them the great­est Riches and Revenues when you furnish their Minds with Divine knowledge; and bring them up in the Service of God & the Exercise of Re­ligion. Set about this in good earnest, and Con­secrate your Children unto God. Let these little Images & Pictures of your selves have his Image upon them. Shew your tender Love to them by making them like to him. For that is the Motive I have been using all this while, viz. That your Natural and Inbred Love to your Offspring, in­gages [Page 166] you to the performance of what I have set before you as your Duty. The Law of natural Affection leads you to this, because if you truly love your Children, you will love them in the best way, & procure them, as far as you can, the great­est Blessings: for then you Act like Loving Pa­rents indeed.

§. 7. 4 thly, Instruct your Children in Reli­gion, & bring them up in the Fear of the Lord, because this is the Fittest Season for this work. Now you may hope to be successfull in your At­temps of Planting Grace in them, and Seasoning them with Religion. Which is not so spoken or meant, as if it were in the absolute Power of Pa­rents to Extirpate Vice out of their Children, or to Implant the vertues of the Holy Spirit in them: No, it is not Birth or Breeding that entails Re­ligion on a Family. Cain & Abel were Instruct­ed alike, as well as they were from the same womb: and so were Esau & Jacob. And in daily Instan­ces we see that Education doth not always pre­vail, Religion runs not in a Blood, is not by des­cent from the Parent to the Child. It is God's Grace that makes the distinction between Persons. But yet it is as true that God makes use of Reli­gious Parents as Instruments for the instilling of Holy Principles into those of younger years, and sowing the seeds of Grace in them betimes, and he is pleased to give a Blessing to their Endeavours. And Parents may be Excited and Animated to set about this work on this double account, 1. Be­cause it is most probable that those Instructions which they infuse into Persons in their First and Early years, will have the easiest Reception. 2. They will be the more deeply Impress'd, and last the longer.

[Page 167]§. 8 First, you are incourag'd to inform your Children concerning the Christian Faith, and the practise of Religion, and to weed out of them what you find to be Vitious & Harmful, because God hath placed them under you in that Season wherein they are most capable of receiving those Informations & Instructions, The benefit of Early Instruc­tion. and of submitting to that Nurture and Discipline which you make use of for the Rooting out of Vice. The Spring of the Year is the fittest time for Purging & Cleansing the Body, in order to the Establishing a good State of Health. It is certain, that the early and blossoming Years of Youth (which I may call their Spring-time) are the most proper and advantageous Season you can chuse to cleanse and purifie their Minds, to cure their Diseased Inclinations, and to prepare them for a sound and hale Temper of Soul in the remaining part of their Lives. Your Children are to remember the [...] Creator in the days of their Youth & Vigour, Eccl. 12.1. But lest they should neglect this, it lies upon you to be their faithful Admonitors & Remembrancers, often to remind them of this Duty, and to urge them to the prac­tice of it: And you have this to encourage you, that this is the fittest Time to begin, and set a­bout this Work, because now they are in the prime of their Years, in their budding A [...]e, which is more easily managed than that which succeeds it. You cannot then discharge this Office at any time better than now: it is not probable you will ever be more successful than in this present juncture. This Manna must be gathered in the Morning, in the Morning of Youth, in the early dawning of [Page 168] their Years; or else afterward this Manna may become unsavory, loathsome and useless. This moist & soft Clay (for that hath been the fit and proper Comparison, as well as Character, to set forth Youth) will suffer it self to be moulded and wrought as you please; but if you let this Sea­son slip, it will grow hard and dry, and you will find it a difficult, if not an impossible Task, to handle and fashion it as you would.

§. 9. Secondly, Let this encourage you, that the good and wholesome Lessons which Parents give their Children in their younger Years, are generally observed to make a deep impression up­on them, and are commonly retained by them a long time. The reason why the wise Man advi­ses Parents to train up their Children in the way they should go, is, because when they are old, they will not depart from it, Prov. 22.6. Religious and holy Admonitions bestowed upon them be­times, will not loose their vertue & power upon them, but will be happy Conducters of their Life even in old Age. There are indeed some In­stances to the contrary in all Times, but that which we can gather from them is only this, that if good and vertuous Principles suck'd in betimes are not always able to preserve Persons from A­postacy, and running into all sorts of evil, how dangerously infected must those needs be, and how unavoidable is their Sin and Destruction who in their very tender Years were brought up in the practice of Vice, and were acquainted with no other Principles but such as lead them to it? The consideration of which should prevail with the Person I am applying my self to, to devote their Children to Religion whilst they are young, to [Page 169] ground them in Knowledge and Vertue at first, as ever they desire they should adhere to God and Goodness, when they arrive to riper Years. For such is the influence and efficacy of Religious Education, that those who are dedicated to God in their early days, generally & for the most part prove very good and holy Men.

§. 10. Wherefore be perswaded to inure your Children to the Yoke of Christ in their younger Days, and then it will be easie to them after­wards; for by your suppressing and taming their youthful Lusts and Inclinations, the remaining part of their Lives will become more compliant with Religion. So that this is the best Method you can use for the fixing and establishing them in Goodness, and hindring them from revolting from it when they grow up in Years. But if you be neglectful in this point, if you take no care of your Children betimes, you do in vain promise your selves that they will do well hereafter. Children are like Arrows, saith the Psalmist, they are indeed like them in this, that if they go wrong from the String at first, they are generally shot at rovers, and reach not the mark designed. And then they will prove Arrows in another sense; they will be fatal Shafts in their Parents sides, yea, they will wound and pierce their Hearts.

§. 11. This may be sufficient to commend a pious Education to you, for it is this that through the Divine Blessing gives Parents hopes of the Welfare of their Children for the future. This hath been the true reason why all sober and con­siderate Persons, not only among Christians but others, have taken so much care about the Train­ing [Page 170] up o [...] Youth, & have so highly extolled the Practice of it. It was the usual Saying of Age­silaus, one of the Lacedemonian Kings, who made very wise Laws about the bringing up of Chil­dren, We must, saith he, teach Children now what they shall do when they are Men. And on the con­trary the Mischiefs that follow the want of a strict and vertuous Education have been noted by the wisest and most intelligent Men, insomuch that Aristotle, who was one of them, painly and boldly tells us, That by the neglect of this sort of Education & Discipline, Mankind becomes the worst of all God's Creatures. Whence we learn the absolute necessity of Disciplining of Youth unless we are content that our own kind should be trans­formed into that which is Bruitish, yea and be­come worse than that. Hence also we learn, that it is a Task worthy of a Christian Parent to insti­tute Children betimes in the way of Godliness, for this lays the Foundation of their future Life and Happiness; and the greatest Things to come are owing to this present undertaking. See as it is in Husbandry, the whole expectation of a plentiful Crop and Harvest lies upon the Sowing, Tilling and Cultivating of the Ground; so it is here, the hopes of a good and religious Life hang very much on the first Principling and Seasoning of Youth, the sowing in them the Seeds of God­liness betimes. All the future and lasting Pros­perity of your Children depends upon this pre­sent ordering and managing of them. And the reason is, because those Impressions that are made in Youth, generally remain afterwards, and are not easily defaced. The Vessel retains the smack and savour of that Liquor which it was first of [Page 171] all seasoned with. This should encourage you to furnish the Minds of young ones with pious In­structions, for as that is the Season wherein you are like to do good upon them, so the good which you do them will have a lasting effect upon them.

§. 12. V. Another Motive that I will make use of is this, viz. the Consideration of the Judg­ments & Punishments which attend the wilful neglect of this Duty. The Judgments that usually fol­low the neglect of pious Educa­tion. God generally pu­nishes those Parents who are guilty in this kind with undu­tiful & ungodly Children, Chil­dren of Belial, & such as prove unsuccessful in the World, & meet with some sig­nal Mark of the Divine Displeasure. Observe the Judgment of God upon Eli, and gather thence what it is that God expects Parents should do for their Children. That fond & indulgent Man used too much Lenity toward his Sons, he was cold and careless in his Reproofs, and thereby hardned them in their Impieties: and those grieved their Father's Heart, and at last pulled down Venge­ance on their own Persons. For so it is that God punishes the Parent in inflicting Punishment on the Children. The former suffers the latter to go on in their Sins, & some remarkable Curse lights on them, and so both become the Examples of Di­vine Severity; for the Evil which befals the one redounds to the other. You that are Parents, read that dreadful P [...]ssage in 1 Sam. 3 13 14. I will judge Eli's House for ever for the Iniqui­ty which be knoweth & [...]nisheth not, because his Sons made themselv [...] [...] & he restrained [Page 172] them not (or, as 'tis in the Original, he frowned not on them) therefore the Iniquity of his House shall not be purged for ever. Because he was so favourable to his Sons, I will be the more severe to him; I will let him know how great & crying a Sin it is in Parents to connive at the Wickedness of their Children: This too indulgent Father shall in a short time receive the uncomfortable Tidings of his Sons being cut off in Battel; & he himself overloaded with Grief shall fall from his Seat back­ward, and break his Neck, and his whole Family shall be discharged & cast oft. Let Parents often think of this remarkable Judgment of the Al­mighty on Eli and his House, and tremble at it. If they knew of the Iniquity of their Children, and restrain them not, if they do not according to their Ability hinder them from running into vile & lewd Courses, they may expect the Hand of God to be stretched out against them & their House; they and their Children shall fall under the stroaks of Divine Vengeance, For the Evil is Reciprocal: The Parents are cursed for the Childrens Miscarriage, and the Children for the Parents.

§. 13. I pray consult another very notable Passage in the History of the Old Testament, 2 Kings 2.23, &c. whence you will be convinc'd that even the Sins of Young Children do not es­cape the Wrath of God, & their Parents are sha­rers in their Punishment; for he is wont to send his Judgments on Children, to punish both them and their Parents. The Narrative runs thus, Elisha went up unto Bethel, & as he was going up by the way, there came forth little Children out of the City, & mocked him, & said unto [Page 173] him, Go up thou Bald-head, Go up thou Bald-head. And he turned back, and look'd on them, and Cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth Two She bears out of the Wood, and tare Forty and Two Children of them. As the Psalmist informs us, that out of the Mouth of Babes & Sucklings God hath ordained strength, Psalm 8.2. Even these little ones may have the Seeds of Grace Sown in them betimes, something of God and Goodness may be found in them; so on the contrary, here these little Children by Rea­son of their Natural Depravity, and Evil Educa­tion, and Ill Examples set before them, discover the Diabolical Spirit in them. As soon almost as they have the use of their Tongues they employ them against God, and jeer at his Servants. Alas poor wretches they had heard Older ones Flout at this Man of God, they had seen Prophets abused and affronted, they had learnt of their Parents at home to despise the Messengers of God, and to speak unworthily of the Aged: & now they think they may safely follow their Parents steps; there could be no fault in imitating of them.

Think of this, you that are Parents, remember how prone your Children are to do as you do, to make you their President and Example, and to look upon your words & actions as the standard of theirs. Consider this, that if Holiness be des­pised, and Religion laught at, and the Ministers and Ambassadors of Christ derided by you, you must expect that your Children will behave them­selves after the same sort. The Children cried Hosanna unto our Saviour, and here they cry, Go up thou Bald-head to that Prophet: it is pro­bable that this diversity of behaviour was shaped [Page 174] by different Education and Example. The good Prophet could not pass the way, but a Company of rude Children followed him at his heels, and abused him: and it is not to be wondred at, be­cause they were of Bethel, and consequently bred up an Idolatry from their Cradles, and by conti­nual Examples before their Eyes, were taught to mock at God's Prophets, and to vilify their Per­sons, & contemn & scorn their Function. Where­as they ought to have Reverenced this Holy Man, to have Respected his Age, and honoured his Sa­cred Profession, and that Extraordinary Spirit which he was endued with, and which was be­come Famous throughout all Israel, they on the contrary Irreverently scoff'd at him, & reproach­ed his Old Age, & hooted at him for his Years: They whose hair was scarcely grown, derided the Prophet because his was fallen by Age.

Where by the way let Parents be reminded to inculcate this betimes on their little ones, that they must by no means despise any Persons for their Years, nor mock at any for their natural Defects and Infirmities. If they be not carefully check'd as to this particular, they will in time laugh at their Parents, & scorn them when they are Old: they will upbraid them for their Weaknesses and Failings, which are the Constant and Inseperable attendants of declining Years. Let Parents there­fore Rehearse this Remarkable Story in the Ears of their Children, and cause them to Remember what was the Fate of that young crew who vili­fied the Man of God. They jeer'd him for his Old Age; and their punishment for it was, never to Arrive to it. They laugh'd at Elisha's Bald-head, and for a Recompense, were not honoured [Page 175] themselves with grey hairs. They Ridiculed his Years, and for a Reward were not permitted to live out half their Days, no not a lesser porti­on; for we read that they were forthwith devour­ed by such Savage Beasts as the next adjoyning Wood was furnish'd with. So dangerous it is to mock at the Aged, to affront our Elders and Bet­ters, especially the Messengers of God. There are Instruments ready to Execute the wrath and Displeasure of the Incensed Majesty of Heaven, so that Sin shall not go unpunished. Yea, we find that it was doubly punished here, for not on­ly the Children were severely dealt with, but the Parents were punished in the loss of them. Where­fore be seriously concern'd for the Sins and Mis­carriages of your Children, because you know not how soon you may be sharers in their punishment. You are obliged for your own sake to take care of your Children, lest you be joynt-sufferers with them, for your contributing to their Sins by your own wilful Indulgence.

§. 14. And not only at present but hereafter the neglect of your Duty toward your Children, whilest they were under your Tuition, will be accounted for; for it is certain that you must Answer another Day for the Souls of those who were so nearly related to you. It is true they must give an Account for themselves, Parents must give an Ac­count of their Children. but it is as true that you must likewise, because they are your proper Charge as you are their Parents. You are set over them on purpose to effect their reall good, and therefore you must discharge this trust with faithfulness. Read those observable words [Page 176] in Ezek. 16.20 21. Thou hast taken thy Sons and thy Daughters, & these hast thou sacrificed unto them (that is, the Idols) to be devoured. Is this of thy Whoredoms (that is, of thy Spiritual Whoredom, which is Idolatry) a small matter that thou hast slain my Children, & delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire? Where you are to take notice that your Children are God's Children and therefore are to be dis­posed of according to his will: and it is his will and pleasure that you should dedicate them to him and his Service, and nor Sacrifice them to Moloch, not devote them to Satan, and deliver them up to him to be devoured. They are my Children, saith God, but he hath appointed you to take care of them: he hath given them to you to Instruct them, and to make them better. Therefore you are not permitted to do what you will with them, you are not left to your liberty to neglect them if you please. But as the Mini­sters of the Gospel are to watch for mens souls, as they that must give an Account, so you must be watchful and careful about the Souls of your Children because you must reckon for them: and as God said to the negligent Prophet, that if any Soul perish by his carelesness, the blood of that Person shall be required at his hands, Ezek. 10.20. So if you that are Parents wilfully suffer these who are your peculiar Charge to miscarry, you must answer it to God at your peril. O that you would consider this, you that let your Children go on without controul in all manner of Vice, and restrain them not! Be it known to you, that their blood will be required of you, because it is your fault that they were such oftenders, or at least you [Page 177] have in a great measure contributed toward their guilt by your winking at them. Therefore it is just you should be call'd to an Account for what they have done, and if you have not Repented of your gross failing here, you will assuredly feel the hand of Divine Justice hereafter. But though you unfeignedly Repent of it now, yet the Reflection on such a miscarriage, which is like to prove so Fatal to any of your Children, will be very Trou­blesome and Tormenting to you as long as you live, for it must needs make you very uneasy, to consider that you have brought up any to be In­habitants of the Regions of Darkness: that by your means the number of the Damned is Increa­sed, and that any of your Offspring are gone out of your kind Imbraces, into the Arms of the Im­placable and Malicious Spirits below.

§. 15. 6 thly, I will proceed next to a Motive of another & quite different na­ture, The Blessings that follow a Conscientious discharge of the Duty of pious Education. & that is the Consideration of the great Advantages & Bles­sings which attend the Faithful and Conscientious performance of the Duty which I have been discoursing of. By this means 1. You derive a Blessing upon your selves. 2. You entail one upon your Children. First, I say you take the Right course to make your selves Blessed & happy. It will be a great and Comfortable benefit to you, if your Consci­ences truly acquaint you, that you have sincerely endeavoured to Instruct your Children in the Knowledge and Fear of God, and to make them throughly apprehensive of their great Interest as they are Christians: it will be a mighty Solace [Page 178] and Refreshing to you, that you have thus per­formed what was your proper business & Concern, a you are Parents. Nay, say that your Children prove wicked, lew'd and Debauch'd, and by their vile Actions disgrace you as well as themselves, yet it will be some Alleviating and Calming of your Spirits that you have discharg'd your Con­sciences, that you have not been wanting as to your part, that you stock'd them with Religious Principles, and acquainted them with their whole Duty, and besought God for them, and by Ex­hortation and Example, and all other good means labour [...]d to establish them in the way of Vertue: it will be a great refreshing to your minds if you have thus done, whatever the event of it be.

§. 16. But then, on the other hand, if God shall vouchsafe to give a Blessing to your under­takings, and your Children prove Good and Holy, and make it their chief Study & business to serve God and obey you, then your Comfort and Joy must needs be very great and overflowing. You will then think your Labour and pains well be­stow'd upon them, and you will Reap the happy Fruit of all your Cost and Trouble. They will make you amends for all your Care and Kindness, your painful watchings and weary [...]ights: they will a succour you in your declining Age, supply your needs, consult your safe [...]y, & by their Pray­ers be unspeakably serviceable to you. All the Esteem and Renown which they acquire by their Worthy actions, yea, all the honour they bring to God, will in some sort be yours: and your Me­mory will be precious for their sake. So that if you consult your own Benefit & Advantage, you are concern'd to listen with great Attentiveness [Page 179] to the Doctrine I have been treating of. Who­soever you are, Fathers or Mothers, who Educate your Children in the ways of Holiness, you do most wisely contrive your own welfare, and that in this World. You shall Receive a sufficient Re­compense for your pious Instructions, you shall gain by your Childrens godliness. For if they o­bey God, they will be obedient to you; if they Fear him, they will Reverence and Respect you; if they serve him Uprightly, they will be True and Faithful to you; if they Love him entirely, they will be kind & Affectionate to you; and give demonstrations of it by all Acts of Filial obedience. Pleasure, Contentment and Peace shall be the Blessings of your Family: your Children shall be like Olive-plants (the Emblems of Peace & Qui­etness) round about your Table. Behold! thus shall they be Blessed that fear the Lord, and Teach their Children to do the like. Discord and dissention shall be banish'd their dwellings, and Tra [...]qu [...]lity and Love shall take place: and thus the private Felicity of a Family, shall be a step to Eternal and never failing happiness in the high­est Heavens.

§. 17. Again, as you derive a Blessing on your selves, so you convey it to your Children. To this purpose is Psalm 103 17.18 The Mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, & his Righteousness to Chil­drens Children to such as keep his Covenant and to th [...]se that remember his Commandments to do them. Here is an assurance that God will shew favour to those that fear him, & that that Favour shall be even transmitted to their Posterity, yea to Childrens Children. As God visits the Iniquity [Page 180] of the Fathers on the Children, so he shews Mer­cy unto thousands of their Posterity that love him and keep his Commandments, Exod. 20.5.6. Of the godly Man the Psalmist pronounces that his Seed is blessed, Psal. 37.26. And mark what this great Observer of Providence hath related for your comfort in the foregoing Verse, I have been young, & now am old (and therefore you may ex­pect from him some useful Experiment, and it is this which follows) yet have I not seen the Righteous forsaken, nor his Seed begging Bread. God will Bless the Righteous in their Seed; their Children shall fare the better for them; they shall be looked after and maintained; they shall find Relief in their greatest Streights & Extremi­ties. Say then that they are reduced to a very low Condition; yet some Body will take pity on them, & succour them: For the sake of a Righte­ous Parent many a Child hath found Friends and Favour. The precious Name and Memory of a pious Father or Mother have been advantageous to their Off spring. The Prayers that they put up to Heaven for them, & the Blessings they have distributed among them have procured a Successi­on of Mercies to them for many Years. Especi­ally if their Children tread in the holy steps of their Religious Parents, there is a farther assu­rance to them of a plentiful Store of Blessings. Do therefore what you can to imprint Religion on the Minds of your Children, & manage them by good Counsels & good Examples, and then it will be joyful to you to think that when you shall leave this World, you shall leave those behind you that are in the favour of the most H [...], and that as he is your God, so he will be the God of [Page 181] your Seed, and never leave them nor forsake them. Let this c [...]ear you in the midst of those Fears & Cares you are subject to in respect of your Children.

§. 18. I imagine some of you sitting down, and molesting your Minds with such Thoughts, and uttering them in such words as these; ‘Alas! we have but a poor Pittance to bequeath to our Children. Some of them are little Shittless Babes, that are scarce able to [...]spout our Names or their own, and they can hard [...]y tell that we are their Parents. And those others, who are of more Years, are like to be left in a forlorn Condition, when we, who are their best, it not their only Friends, shall be taken from them. We next to God, the Father of all, gave them their Being, and we would fain contribute to­wards their well being. We first brought them on the Stage of the World, and we fear the Parts they are to act on it may be too trouble­some and even Tragical. It is certain we must in a short time be summoned into another World, and it grieves us to think how our Chil­dren will sh [...]t in this We cannot carry them along with us, and yet they can hardly stay be­hind us; for they poor silly Creatures are un­provided of M [...]an [...]s and Livelihood. We can't guess what hazards and difficulties they may be liable to when we are gone. Who knows but that Rags and Begg [...]ry may be their Portio [...]? In brief, it will be sorrow enough to part from them, but this will be more s [...] and u [...]su [...]era­ble that we must leave them to the wide World, and that we cannot [...]ve to see them settled and provided for.’

[Page 182]But enough, nay too much of this distrustful Language. If your Children truly fear God, they have a sufficient Portion. Do what you can to secure to them the Divine Favour and Blessing, and then you need not be sollicitous about what may befall them after your Death. The more helpless they are, the more signal and remarkable will the Providence of God be towards them. Question not God's Goodness, but be careful to do your Duty towards him, and towards your Children whilst you are with them. I pray pe­ruse that notable place of Scripture, Jer. 49.11. Leave thy fatherless Children: I will preserve them alive; and let thy Widows trust in me. The strange Situation of which words is worth our taking notice of, for in the four preceding Verses, & in the twelve following ones, nothing but Calamity, Ruine & Destruction are threatned: So that there seems to be no connection or depen­dance of this Passage on the Context; and there­fore one would be apt to wonder how this Verse is brought in and inserted in this place. But you may suppose with me that the words were ut­tered on this or the like occasion: Some good Man or other in the midst of the publick Cala­mities and Judgments, foreseeing yet greater and more grievous Plagues which were to come, and being deeply affected with his Countries Mise­ries, and overcome of Grief, was weary of living any longer: But that which in a more particular manner took up his Thoughts at this time, was the Concern which he had for his dear and near Relations. What will become of them, saith he, when I am departed from them? Who is there that I can leave them too, and expect they [Page 183] shall meet with good usage? Who will be so kind as to look after them? Whom can they trust and rely upon in these evil Times? Whilst thus the good Man is starting of Questions, and raising Scruples, and vexing himself with his present Cir­cumstances, he that hath stiled himself a Father to the Fatherless, and a Husband to the Widow, silences all his Doubts, removes all his Scruples, and gives a gracious Answer to his Demands, say­ing, Leave thy fatherless Children to me, I will be their Father, their Guardian and Protector. Commit your Orphans and Widows to my care, and I will secure them; though they be poor and shiftless, I will provide for them; though they have no Friends, I will be a Friend and a Parent to them, if they will trust in me. I feed the young Ravens, and shall I suffer the Seed of the Righteous to famish? I cloath the Grass of the Field, and shall I let my Children go naked? Wherefore comfort ye one another with these words, & distrust not the divine Care & Goodness; only let this be your care, that your Children be brought up in the fear of the Lord, that they be taught to serve & obey him; and then you secure the Favour of God to them. I bese [...]ch you consi­der what I now say, for the sake of your Off­spring & Families, that those that proceed from your Lords may stand up & call you Blessed. For they will have great reason to do so, if you put them into an effectual way of purchasing God's Blessing, which is the thing I have propounded, and so often explain'd to you, and inculcated upon you. Thus you are surrounded with Arguments & Per­swesives to excite you to the practice of this excel­lent Duty. Look which way you will, you are powerfully invited to this necessary Task.

CHAP. XI.

§. 1. FOR the farther Encouragement of Pa­rents, I will in the last place set before them some Examples of Holy Men and Women, who are renowned upon this account, viz. for their Instructing and Educating their Children in the ways of God. Abraham the Father of the Faithful is the first eminent Pattern of this kind; concerning whom God himself said, I know him that he will command his Children and Hous­hold, to keep the way of the Lord, Gen. 18.19. [Page 185] and accordingly he took care to bring them up in the practice of Godliness, as appears from the pious care he had about his Son Isaac's Marriage, and from the happy propagation of Religion in that Race and Family. Another illustrious In­stance of a Godly Parents concern for his Children is holy Job, of whom it is thus recorded, Job. 1. [...], 5. His Sons went & feasted in their Houses, every one his day, and sent and called for their three Sisters, to eat & drink with them. And it was so when the Days of their Feasting were gone about, that Job sent & sanctified them, & rose up early in the Morning, & offered burnt offer­ings according to the number of them all: For Job said, i [...] may be that my Sons have sinned and cursed God in their Hearts. Thus did Job con­tinually. It is evident, that Job's Piety was not only Personal, Chap 1. Verse 1. but relative, that is, extended to his Children; of which here is a very singular proof from his godly Fear and Jealousy. He was afraid his Children had too freely indulged some unlawful practice in the time of their Feasting & Mirth, and ha [...] thereby offendad God. Or, suppose they were not out­wardly and visibly prophane, but had been so se­cretly and in their Thoughts, for that may be the meaning of Cursing God in their Hearts: Al­though their Words and Actions did not betray any Irreverence towards the Majesty of God, yet he fear'd their Minds might inwardly conceive something unworthy of him. Which excellent Pattern should remind all Parents of rendring the good of their Childrens Souls, & taking care that they offend not God in any thing. They are usu­ally heard to say when their young ones are long [Page 186] out of their sight, It may be the are come to some harm, it may be some Evil hath befallen them, they have been beaten, or abused, or the like. Thus do Parents express their Fears con­cerning their Children, but seldom or never in the Language of this good Man, It may be they have sinned, & cursed God. Observe the Stile, It may be: a possibility of the thing, and a mere suspicion were ground enough, you see, for his Godly care and fear; so extreamly tender was he of his Childrens good.

Which also appear'd from the Means he used for their safety, He offered burnt-offerings ac­cording to the number of his Children, & in order to this he sanctified them, that is, he solemnly pre­pared them for that sacred performance, that it might prove successful. Job's Children had re­freshed themselves with free Eating & Drinking at one anothers Houses: Now he takes care that their Minds be intent upon Religion. Friendly Re­past is followed with Piety & Devotion. As they Feasted together, so Job would have them meet and Pray together, and lament their past Miscar­riages, and thankfully acknowledge the Mercy and Goodness of God to them, and jointly endea­vour by Sacrifice to avert his Displeasure. Thus did Job continually, that is, as often as his Sons and Daughters met together, he never forgot to call upon them to examine their Hearts, & search into their Ways, & to make their Peace with God. The same Principle that set him on work at first, carried him through it, and caused him to perse­vere to the End. May all Parents imitate this holy Man in his Religious and pious care of his Children.

[Page 187]§. 2 I will Instance next in Solomon's Parents, from whom (as he tells us himself) he receiv'd such Instructions as these, Get wisdom, get Un­derstanding: Wisdom is the Principal thing, therefore Get Wisdom, and with all thy getting get Understanding. Prov. 4.4, &c. And in other places he lets us know what excellent Lessons they instilled into him. Not only his Father, but his Mother took upon her the care of Instructing him in his Younger years, as is evident from the last Chapter of the Proverbs, the former Part of which is the Prophecy that his Mother taught him. ver. 1. She infused into her Son the Reverence of a Deity betimes, and constantly pray'd that God would be with him, whence perhaps he is sti­led Lemuel, and she furnish'd him with Divine Sayings and Proverbs to settle his Judgments and direct his Practice. Thus Bathsheba was both Mother and Tutouress to Solomon: and in part of requital he endited a Panegyrick of her praise, and in the Commendation of all those of her Sex who imitate so Royal and Religious a Pattern, as you my read at the 10th ver. of the last Chap­ter of the Proverbs, to the End. Happy had he been if he had always listned to so Excellent a Teacher and Councellor, especially if in his Ri­per years he had call'd to mind and practised her holy Admonitions. But this is the thing which at present we are taking notice of, that both Fa­thers and Mothers ought to be Exemplary in their Religious Educating of their Children. My Son hear the Instruction of thy Father, & for sake not the Law of thy Mother, Prov. 1 8. Where we see that not only the Fathers Instruction but the Mo­thers Law is mentioned, that Law which contains [Page 188] all those wholesome Lectures which she gives her Children, for the right framing of their Lives and ordering of their manners: these have the force of a Law, and oblige the consciences of their Chil­dren.

§. 3. It is plain then that the Instructing and Educating of these in Religion are the Duty of a Wife, Education the Womans care as well as the Mans. as well as of a Husband; nay, they seem to be more particularly the Care and Employment of the former be­cause she is most Conversant with these young ones, & hath the opportunities of informing their minds, and sh [...]ping their man­ners. And it is as true likewise that Mothers, if they be vitiously inclined, are by reason their more intimate and frequent converse with their Children, capable of doing them the greater harm by Instilling of corrupt Principles into them. And therefore it is perhaps that in the History of the Kings of Judah their Mothers names are mention­ed, both of the Religious & Irreligious Kings, as bearing a part in the Commendation of their Sons that were Good, and in the Disgrace and Infamy of them that were wicked, because they were so Instrumental and Serv [...]ceable towards either. The extraordinary piety of King Hezekiah may perhaps be partly Attributed to the wholesome Admonitions of his Mother Abijah, 2 Chron. 29.1. As on the contrary, King Ahaziahs Government was the worse by reason of his wicked Mother A­thaliah, who was his Councellor to do wickedly, as 'tis expresly said, 2 Chron. 22.3.

§, 4. If we pass to the New Testament, we shall meet with other Examples of Parents who [Page 189] have been careful about the Religious Educating of their Children. There also we shall find that this hath been the Employment of the Female Sex: thus of Timothy it is said that from a Child he knew the Scriptures, 2. Tim. 3.15. Which was owing to the pious care of his Grandmother Lois, & his Mother Eunice, 2 Tim 1. 5, who nou­rish'd him up in the words of Faith, & good Doc­trine, 1 Tim. 4.6. and thereby fitted him for the practice of Godliness. St. Johns 2d. Epistle is addressed to the Elect Lady & her Children, be­cause the former was so Famous for her Instruct­ing & Educating of the latter. This St. John highly commends her for, & greatly Rejoyces in, that he beheld the Fruits of her Godly care, that be found her Children walking in the truth, ver. 4. That is, according to the holy Rules and Pre­cepts of the Gospel of Truth, which she had in­stilled into them.

§. 5. Besides the Examples mentioned in the Inspired Writing, I might name others, as that of the Mother of the Seven Sons spoken of in the 2d Book of Maccabees, where we Read how Zea­lously and Affectionately she Instructed and Ad­monished them, Confirming them in their Duty, and Encouraging them to suffer Death for the Truth. Among the Primitive Christians the Pious Industry of several Women in the bringing up of their Childern, & those of Noble Birth and Families, Examples of Pious Educa­tion. is Re­corded by the Writers of the Church. In order to which they were wont to consult the gravest Divines and Guides of Souls; and these most readily furnished them with proper Rules & Do­cuments, [Page 190] witness St. Jerom's Directions to Laela about the educating of her Daughter Paula, where­in he advises her to season her Mind first of all with Piety and the Fear of God, with Medita [...]on and Prayer, and Reading the Scriptures, and such like holy Exercises. So we read that Macrina, the Mother of Gregory Nyssen & Basil, took care to instruct them in the Faith, & to initiate their young Years in Religion & Holiness, as they them­selves testifie. Nay, let me adjoin an Instance or two out of the Pale of the Church. One of the Antient Philosophers had his [...]. Laert. in Aristip. Sur­name from his being taught of his Mother. Roman History acquaints us that the Graechi were fashion­ed betimes to all moral Vertue by their excellent & accomplished Mother Cornelia. Of which Roman Lady it is likewise said, that when she had any great Personages came to her House to pay her a visit, she used to make a Shew of her Children, as of the choisest Ornaments of her House, whilst it was the Custom of others o [...] her Sex to boast of their Attire, to expose their Plate and Jewels, and to vaunt the Images and Statues belonging to their Families. The excel­lent Emperor Antoninus tells us that he (like a­nother Solomon) learnt of his Royal Mother the study of Piety and Religion. We read that Alex­ander Severus, another of the Roman Emperors, proved mild and courteous to the Christians on the account of his being instructed and tutour'd by his Mother Mammea, who was brought to a good Opinion of the Christian Religion by the pious Doctrine which she had received from Ori­gen, who nourished at that time.

[Page 191]§. 6. And if Mothers can thus prevail on their Sons when they are arrived to some Maturity of Age, and are as it were at their own disposal, much more are they able to influence upon them when they are younger, and under their Wings, and wholly at their Command. Wherefore let Mothers make use of their Authority, & whilst they have their Children at their Becks, train them up to what is good & holy, instruct them in the Law of God and the necessary Matters of Salva­tion, inure them to pious Discipline, and order their Lives aright. Remember that this is a work that properly belongs to you, it is your particular Office, and therefore discharge it faithfully; and thereby you will both save your selves, and those that are so nearly related to you. Let the Apo­stles words in 1 Tim. 2.15. be your Encourage­ment: It [...] place well worth your taking notice of, and I mention it the rather because I would clear it from some mistaken Interpretations of it. She (that is, the married Woman) shall be saved in (or by) Child bearing, if they continue in Faith, Charity & Holiness, with Sobriety. Which some Learned Divines of our own, as Dr. Jackson and Dr. Hammond, understand concerning the Virgin Mary's bearing of the Child Jesus: But I conceive it is improbable that this is meant here, because the Apostle speaks of the Womans Salvation only, and of the particular Conditions required of her in or let to her being saved, but by the Virgin Mary's Child bearing, that is her bearing and bringing forth the promised Seed Christ Jesus (which was the means foretold for breaking the Serpents Head) not only Women but Men are saved. Therefore I do not see there is any reason to in­terpret [Page 192] these words concerning the blessed Fruit of the Virgin's Womb. Others understand the place concerning Womens escaping safe from the pains and perils of Child-birth, but this cannot be the meaning because very few of that Sex are ex­empted from the pains and difficulty of Child-bearing, and because several of them are not sa­ved from that Fatal Peril which sometimes attends it. And besides, to be saved or delivered in this Sense, is a favour granted not only to the Faith­ful, but others; whereas this Text speaks of some particular Act or special Behaviour which is pe­culiar to some Women only, and that is bringing up their Children in the fear of the Lord.

This I take to be the true sense of the Words, for it is likely that Child bearing is here put for the whole discharge of the Office required of a Married Woman in her domestick Capacity, which is usually most exercised & seen in bringing forth and breeding up of her Children. By Child bear­ing, as I apprehend, is chiefly meant Educating of Children, because in vain are they Born, unless they be Instituted & Educated; the one is wholly in order to the other, and therefore it is no won­der that it is mentioned in the place of it. To strengthen the Interpretation it may be observable, that it is usual in Scripture to mention and assign one particular thing instead of all the rest of that kind and sort: And so here, conformably to that way of speaking, Child bearing is named, but it comprehends under it all other Duties that belong to the Mistress of a Family, and especially with relation to the Children of it, who are to be brought up by her in a religious Manner. S [...]e is to take especial care of this, as she expects Salvation [Page 193] and Happiness. For so here we are told by the Apostle that the wedded Woman by her bringing up her Children after she hath borne them, by her careful looking to them, and consulting the good of their Souls as well as their Bodies, by this religi­ous Course, I say, as well as by other Christian means and ways, the Woman shall be saved And that the bearing of Children is here put for breeding them up, is manifest from the next Clause of this Verse, If they continue in Faith, &c. where the word they refers to the Children so bred up and continuing in Faith, and all other Vertues: And then the sense is, If Mothers take care that their Children be taught their Duty, and be religiously brought up, and thereby conti­nue in Faith, Charity and Holiness with Sobri­ety, they shall be happy both here and hereafter, for that is meant by their being saved. Thus it is manifest that Religious Education equally con­duces to the Salvation both of Parents & Chil­dren.

§. 7. And so much for the Description of the Duties which concern Parents, & the Helps and Encouragements to them, which I have fully and amply treated of, because there is very great need of it in this dissolute Age, and because if Parents can be prevailed with to perform their p [...]t with great Industry and Vigour, that of their Children towards them will be the more easily accomplish­ed. If the former would conscientiously discharge their Duty, the latter would have the less need to be taught what is theirs: of which I come now to speak.

§ 8. The Duties of Children towards their Parents are such as these, First, Reverence. Ye [Page 194] shall fear every one his Mother and his Father, Lev. 19.3. Duty of Chil­dren to Pa­rents. The filial awe which is due to them is grounded on their Authority over their Chil­dren. By the Law of Nature Parents have a Command and sway over them; Reverence. and therefore all Children ought to have a dread of them, and to be under a continual fear of offending them. Honour must always be the Companion of Fear & Reverence, & accordingly the Fifth of the Ten Moral Precepts runs thus, Honour thy Father & thy Mother, Exod. 20 12. which is repeated by our Saviour, Matth. 15 4. and by the Apostle Eph. 6.2.

§. 9. Secondly, Love is due to our Parents, as well as Honour and Respect: Love. For as these latter are a Tribute that we ought to pay them by reason of their Authori­ty, so the former is justly owing to them for their Tender heartedness and Kindness, to us. Love begets Love and therefore we cann't but answer their endearing Carriage towards us with a most [...]earty affection. To which end we ought often to recount how they softe [...]'d and cherish'd us when we came naked and shiftless into the World, and how ever afterwards their compassi­onate Eyes and Hands have been towards us to support and succour us, how they have in [...]ured our Peevishness and Fro [...]ardness, how they have compiled with our [...] and [...], how they [...]ave sympathized with our Gr [...]s and Pains, and how they have made both our M [...]ery and Wel [...]re their own. How can we but love them when we consider these things? Though it is true [Page 195] none can so well judge of and estimate the Affec­tion of Parents to their Children as Parents them­selves, yet Children, if they be not void of Sense, cannot but own their Affection to be exceeding great, when they behold so great effects and fruits of it, so clear tokens and demonstrations of it. Thus they are tied to their Parents by the Bond of Love and Gratitude, and the very dictates of Natural Affection; & it is certain that that Knot which Nature hath [...]uit, is made yet faster & surer by Grace and Christianity.

§. 10. Thirdly, Children are to listen atten­tively to the wholesom Instructions and Admoni­tions of their Parents, and to suffer these to take deep Root in their Minds. A wise Son heareth his Father's Instruction, Prov. 52.1. by this he not only shews that he hath attained to some de­gree of Wisdom, but that he is desirous to have a greater measure of it, and therefore he hearkens with the greatest diligence to those Rule & P [...]e­cepts of Wisdom which direct [...] to the p [...]ct [...]e of Religion, and the lea [...]ing [...] holy [...]. Nor is he backward to give ear to their [...] Re­proofs & sharpest Rebukes [...] remind him of his neglect of the [...]or [...] Instructions and Precepts. Nay, he patiently submits to [...] [...]stise­ment and Correction, because he [...] these are the just Recompense of his N [...]gligence and Folly, and that they are designed for his good and ad­vantage.

§. 11. Fourthly, Actual O­bedience. Actual Obedi­ence and Subjection [...] from Children to the [...] [...]. They are not to [...] of Commands, but to obey them. Which they will readily do, if they con­sider [Page 196] that it is not only their Parents Injunction, but God's that they be Duti [...]ul. Therefore the Apostle thus expresses it. Children, ob [...]y your Pa­rents in the Lord, Eph. [...].1. Your Obedience must be for his sake, and you ought to remember that in pleasing your Parents you please H [...]m. But yet your Obedience must be in the Lord in this respect also, that it be in Subordination to Him, who is the Great Parent, & that it be con­sistent with your Obedience to Him. T [...]u [...] obey your Parents in all things. Col. 3.20. that is, all things that are of a lawful and innocent, or of an indifferent Nature, all things that are not forbid­den by the Word of God. Thus let your Obedi­ence be universal and unlimited; conscienti [...]sly observe what either of your Parents enjoin you. There are some Children that pretend a reverend Regard to the Admonitions of their Fathers, whose austerer Carriage keeps them more in awe, but they light and disrespect the advice of their Mothers who for the most part are indulgent to them. [...] let it be you [...] [...]re to pay an equal Obedience to both, and to shew the sincerity of your Obedience by it; for i [...] you [...]earken to your Father with a real desire to please God, you will likewise regard the Cou [...]sels and Commands of your Mother, for God [...] one no less than the other; and he that obeys not both, doth tru­ly obey neither.

To succour them in their Poverty if they are able.§ 12. Fifthly, You are ob­liged to support and maintain your Parents i [...] they be in want, and you be able. When the Patriarch Jacob was forced to fly into the Land of Egypt, it is recorded that his [Page 197] Son Joseph nourished his Father & all his Hou­should with bread, Gen. 47.12. And the case is the same when any other Parents are reduced to Streights and Necessities; their Children are then obliged to relieve them and succour them: And, if being in a capacity to do it, they refuse it, they shew themse [...]ves unnatural & inhumane. Where­fore our Saviour acquainted the Jews that no pre­tence whatsoever, [...]o not of a Vow (such as that of giving to the Corhan) could excuse them from their Duty in this particular, Mark 7.10, &c. but he urged upon them the necessary Obligation of the Fifth Commandment, Honour thy Father and thy Mother, which includes in it Relief and Maintenance. And Christians as well as Jews are under the same Law as to this, for even according to the Prescripts of Christianity Children are to requite their Parents, 1. Tim. 5.4. that is, thank­fully to repay their care and love to them, which implies more than bare relieving of them: and the Apostle adds, that this is good & acceptable before God.

§. 13. Sixthly, To Pray for them, and fol­low their good example. Another thing required of Children is to Pray for their Parents, to beg Mercy for those who have been Instru­ments of so much kindness to them, and have so often sollicited Heaven on their behalf. And lastly, They must not forget to follow the good Example of their Parents, and to think it an Honour to do so. And in a word, the Duty of Children answers to the several parts of the Parents Duty, which I have before describ­ed.

§. 14. It remains now that I offer such Rea­sons [Page 198] & Motives as will be most serviceable to ex­cite Children to the practise of what I have com­mended to them. St. Paul exhorts them to obey their Parents, because this is right, Eph. 6.1. it is due by God's Law, and the Law of Nature, and therefore is most just and right. Parents, next unto God, are the Authors of our Lives, and the preservers of them, and is it not highly reasonable that we should Honour and Love them on that account? Doth not natural Justice tell us, that we ought to obey those who begot us, & brought us up? That we ought to have a great Passion and Zeal for those who have provided and taken care for us from the beginning, and have expressed a tender concernedness for us all our Days? Where­fore I reckon our Duty to our Parents among the Acts, of Righteousness & Justice which are requi­red of us. But I have already shew'd how Rati­onal, and how suitable to the natural Dictates of Mankind this is, and therefore I proceed to ano­ther Motive.

§. 15. Children are to consider that God who is their Great and Sovereign Parent, hath com­manded them to Honour and Obey their Natural Parents, and consequently if they disobey them, they disobey Him. What is done to the Parent is judged to be done to God himself. A Disobe­dient and Undutiful Child is a Rebel against his Maker. He that despises his Parents Admoni­tions, despiseth not Man, but God. Consider this you that are disrespectful to your Parents, you that scorn their Instructions, & laugh at their Counsels, and deride their Old Age, if they have arrived to that.

§. 16. The Apostle makes use of another Rea­son, and a very weighty one it is, Honour thy Fa­ther [Page 199] & thy Mother, saith he, because this is th [...] First Commandment with Promise: And he explains himself in the next words, That it may b [...] well with thee, & that thou mayst live long on th [...] earth, Eph. 6.2, 3. as much as to say, there is a promise of long Life and Happiness to those tha [...] Honour & Regard their Parents: therefore if you love Life and would see many Days, if you would be blessed and prospered upon Earth (as well as qualified for Heaven) faithfully perform this Du­ty.

But on the contrary we are to know that all ill Things at­tend Disobedience; Examples of the Punishment of Disobedience. there have been & [...]re daily fearful Instan­ces of God's Judgments on Wicked and Unduti­ful Children. In History there are eminent Ex­amples of the Divine & Severity upon them: but because the Bible is of unquestionable Autho­rity, I will only select some thence. We read that Cham was Cursed for mocking and deriding his Father; we read that Ishmael & Esau, whose Irreverence and Disobedience to their Parents are particularly taken notice of, were Accursed both in their Persons and in their Seed, and were sepe­rated from the Church of God. Onan, one of the Sons of Judah, was kill'd by God's own hand for Disobeying the Command of his Father, Gen. 38 9, 10. For the same offence the Sons of Eli were Slain both in one Day. Absalom's days were shortned, who shewed himself so un [...]utiful to his Father, and even Rebelled against him. And without doubt this Sin, which is so common and crying in our times, hath brought down the like Judgment of God on many young Persons.

[Page 200]§. 17. Finally, I suggest this as another Con­sideration and Motive, that the more Holy any Persons are, the more Dutiful they are to their Parents. This is an Observation that will never fail, and it hugely Commends unto us the Excel­lency of this Duty, and convinces us that it is an high strain of Goodness and Religion. It is re­corded of our Blessed Saviour himself that he was Subject to his Parents, Luke 2.51. And when he was on the Cross, and leaving the World, he took particular care of his Mother, & commend­ed her to the care of the Apostle St. John who accordingly look'd after her, & provided for her, and used her as kindly as if she were his own Mo­ther, John 19.27. Behold an eminent Example of Filial Piety! Our Lord in the midst of his un­speakable Agonies and Torments shew'd his Res­pect and Love to his dear Mother. This proves what I said, that the holiest Persons are most ob­servant of their Parents: as on the contrary, there is no greater sign of profligate mind than a Con­tempt of them. And we find that those that are Disobedient to Parents, are reckoned among the most Heinous Sinners and Offenders, Rom. 1.30. 2 Tim. 3.2 Such as are justly to be hated both of God and Man. This I hope is sufficient to de­ter all those who are in the Relation of Children from being guilty of this Sin.

The Duty of Masters.§. 18. The Fourth Relation that I shall speak of is that be­tween Masters & Servants; for this must not be omitted when I am Discoursing of Acts of Righteousness, or our Duty to others. I begin then with the Duty of Masters & Mistresses (for they are both concern'd [Page 201] in a Family, and therefore may be mentioned to­gether) and what I have said concerning the Of­fices of Parents, may be applyed to these with a little alteration. You then that are Masters or Mistresses ought to take care of your Servants, and especially of their Better Part. After you have laid a good Foundation, and Instructed them in the necessary Doctrines of Religion, and the grand points of Christianity, you are to look to their Lives and Manners, and by Admonitions and Exhortations to acquaint them with and stir them up to their Duty. And more especially you are to call upon them to Read those Portions of Scripture which contain their particular Duty towards you (which I shall mention anon,) & se­riously to meditate upon them, and pray unto God that they may be inabled to practice them. To these you must add Reproof, for Sin is to be check'd in your Servants, as well as in your Chil­dren. The old Spartans, forc'd their Slaves to drink to Excess, that their Children thereby might be brought to a d [...]slike of Drunkenness, when they saw how Base and Loathsom a thing it was in their Servants: but you must not suffer either Servants or Children to be guilty of that fault or any other, without severe Rebuke and Control. And by all other ways, you must shew your selves desirous to promote the Spiritual welfare of your Servants, and the good of their Souls. To which end, it will be requisite to enquire what Compa­ny they keep, for this hath a mighty Influence on their Lives and Practices; and all your Almoni­tions and Precepts of Religion will be quite lost without this. Warn them against Vicious and Ungodly Associates, deba [...] them converse with [Page 202] Drinking, Gaming, Swearing & Lascivious Com­panions, for nothing marrs Religion and Manners more than Evil Company.

§. 19. Again, you must consult not only the good of your Servants Souls, but of their Bodies. Wherefore you must provide for these latter, and let them have convenient Food, and whatever else is necessary and fitting for them. They are part of the Family, and therefore you must make provision for them, and not imitate the scandalous practise of some House-holders, who though they are kind to their Children, yet almost starve their Servants, and allow them not such conveniencies as are proper for them, especially in time of sick­ness. This is not only Unjust but inhumane. And you are concern'd also to provide for their Future Livelyhood, by Teaching them that Art or Myste­ry which you have Undertaken and Engaged to Instruct them in, and to which end they were En­tred into your Family, and became your Charge. Too many Masters make no Conscience of this, and thereby the Money which was given with the Servants and Apprentices is lost, and their time is spent in vain, & the Youths are disappointed of a Livelyhood. This is both Unjust & Uncharitable, and indeed down-right defrauding of them: there­fore no Man of Conscience will allow of such a Practice.

§ 20. Further, you that are Masters ought to Correct and Humble those Servants who stand in need of such Discipline. For if you forbear to do it, this likewise may be called a defrauding them of what is their due. If they will not be Re­claimed by Admonitions and Reproofs, you are permitted to use a severer course, and to Chastise [Page 203] them for their Follies, especially if they be of younger years, & if their Parents have transmitted that Power which they had over them unto you. Solomon hath well observed in Prov 20. [...]9. A Servant will not be Corrected by words: that is, sometimes these will not work upon him, & then a Moderate & Discreet Correction is become his Right, and you can no more detain it from him then you can deny him his daily Food. And cer­tainly if you Exercise such Discipline, & that Just­ly, towards your own Children, it can be no harsh­ness (whatever some think) to treat your Servants after that manner. For nothing Inhumane and Cruel is meant by this; the Divine Law command­ed the Jews to be merciful to their Servants, and not to Rule over them with Rigour, Lev. 25.43. and Christianity, which is a gentle Institution, much more requires it. You must by no means delight in Severity towards them; you must ne­ver Chastise them without a necessary cause; and when you are forced to it, your Correction must be mixed with mild Admonitions and Instructi­ons. The short is this, avoid this severe method as much as you can: but lest your Authority should be wholly neglected, make use of it when there is occasion, towards those who by Reason of their Age are not above it, and who have ob­liged themselves by free Submission and Compact to be at your Command and Disposal. If these will not obey you out of a Principle of Love, they must be made sensible of your Power, & comply with your commands out of Fear and Dread.

§ 21. This also must be added that Encou­ragement is due to Good and Faithful Servants. When you find such, remember to put the A­postles [Page 204] advice in practice, forbear threatning, Eph. 6.9. That is, use not harsh Language and rigorous Behaviour, but deal with them in a kind and obliging manner, not Roughly and Angrily. There is this Justice owing to Servants, to take notice of their Care and Industry, and to Encou­rage them. And this will be Advantagious to Masters themselves, because it will be an Encite­ment to their Servants future Diligence.

§. 22. Lastly, you are wanting in your Duty towards your Servants, if you do not set them a Good Example, especially seeing they are some­times very much enclined to follow it. If you would have them live in the Fear of God, and the Practise of Holiness, you must reform & re­trench your own Lives if they be amiss; & then by your Exemplary Behaviour you will produce the like in those that are under your Roof. This will be an effectual means of winning those to Goodness & Vertue who are daily observers of your Lives. But on the contrary, it is fond and unreasonable for a prophane & dissolute Master, to expect a Religious and Well-ordered Servant. Nay, assure your selves that if you be Vitious and Wicked, they will think that all their Crimes are justifiable. Wherefore above all things order your Conversations aright.

§. 23. Thus briefly I have told you what is required from you towards your Servants. The Advanta­ges of keeping Religious Ser­vants. The sum of all is, that you are obliged to do them good both with respect to Religion, and to their outward concerns: but more especially take care to train them up to the former, and that for these [Page 205] three Reasons; First, because those Servants who are most Religious towards God will prove most faithful to you. If their care of your Busi­ness be founded on an upright Conscience, and a true sense of the Obligations which are laid upon them by Christianity, they will then behave them­selves in their places as it becomes true Christian Servants. Think not that any will do their Duty aright, & persevere in it, unless the Principles of Godliness & Righteousness have taken fast hold of their Hearts. We read in Gen. 39 9. what it was that made Joseph so true to Potiphar, his Mast­er: how can I do this great Wickedness, saith he, and sin against God? As much as if he had said, I cann't be false to my Master who hath entrusted me with his Houshould Affairs and all his Estate: I cann't be injurious to my Mistress by comply­ing with her Temptations, I cannot be unfaithful to either, because I have a greater Master to serve, and I dare not displease & offend him. St. Paul was urgent with Philemon to take Onesimus a­gain into his Service, because being Converted he would be profitable to him, Ver.11. he being now a good Christian, would prove a good and use­ful Servant. You then that are Masters and Mis­tresses of Families, be exhorted to instruct your Servants in Religion, call upon them to make Conscience of their ways, and to be truly Vertu­ous, because thereby they will be in a capacity to serve you faithfully. It is your Interest to ac­quaint them with the Will of God, and to allure them to the love of it: Your very worldly Ad­vantage obliges you to this, for you will find a present Benefit accruing to you by it, and you will be abundantly recompensed for your Care and [Page 206] Pains; for most certainly Religion makes the best Servants; and they are always found to serve their Masters best, who serve them for God's sake.

§ 24. Secondly, This is another Reason to be thought of, That pious Servants derive a Bles­sing on a Family. Joseph, whom I mentioned before, is an eminent [...]t [...]ce of this; Gen. 3 39. The Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand: and Ver. 5 It came to pass from the time that Potiphar had made him overseen in his b [...]use, and over all that he had that the Lord blessed the Egyptians house for Joseph's sake, and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had, in the house and in the field. How instrument­al was Naaman's Servant (who it is probable was a Proselyte to the True Religion) in promoting the Welfare and real Good of his Master; How profitable even in this sense was Onesimus to his Master Philemon? You that have Servants under you, use your utmost endeavours to further Reli­gion & Goodness in them, for one Religious Ser­vant may bring down a Blessing upon a whole House. By minding the Spiritual Good of your Servants you may be rewarded in your secular and wordly Affairs. As on the contrary, you may be blasted in your worldly concerns for the sake of one or more impious Servants that you keep in your Families. For as I observed before that Parents and Children mutually derive a Blessing or Curse on one another, so it is as tru▪ that Masters & Servants do the like.

§. 25. Thirdly, Let this be considered, That wicked Servants will corrupt your Children, and set back all the Instructions you gave them, and [Page 207] therefore on this account endeavour to check all Vice, and nourish all goodness in your Servants. As you desire that your Care and Pains about your Children may prove successful, see that you promote Religion among your Servants, take care that they serve the Lord as well as you. Encou­rage Piety in them as much as Industry and Di­ligence. Nay, you should be more troubled at their offending of God than your selves. And you ought more sharply to check and reprove them for Irreligion and Prophaneness towards Him, than for Dishonesty or Disobedience towards you.

CHAP. XII.

The Duty of Servants to their Mast­ers.§ 2 NExt I am to speak of the Duty of Servants to their Masters: and this is set down very particularly in Eph. 6.5. &c. Servants, be obedient to them that are your Masters according to the Flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your Heart, as unto Christ: Not with eye service, as men pleasers, but as the Servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart: With good will doing Service as to the Lord, and not to Men: knowing that whatsoever good thing a­ny Man doth, the same shall be receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And this ac­count of their Task is enlarged and amplified by the same Apostle, Tit. 2.9, 10. Exhort Ser­vants to be obedient to their own Masters, & to please them well in all things, not answering a­gain: Not purloining, but shewing all good Fi­delity, that they may adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. If we should search all the Moral Philosophers that ever writ, and rifle all the Precepts & Rules of the most improv­ed Masters of Ethicks, we shall find that there is more deliver'd in these few Verses by St. Paul concerning the Duty of Servants, than in all the Writings of those men about it. So full and ac­curate is Christianity in giving Directions con­cerning this Matter. From these Texts & some [Page 209] others that treat of the same Subject, we may ga­ther that some part of the Duty of Servants to their Masters is the same with that of Children to their Parents; but other Parts of their Duty are proper & peculiar to themselves.

§. 2. The Duties that are com­mon to both are these two, Reverence. I. Reve­rence; and therefore in the foregoing Directions it is said, That Servants are to discharge the Office of their Places with Fear and Trembling, with Reverence and Awe of their Masters, so as to be afraid of incurring their Displeasure. Which is the Sense of another Apostle, 1 Pet. 2.28. Be subject to your Masters with all fear. And this Passion is always attended with a due respecting and honouring of them; They must count their Masters worthy of all honour, 1 Tim. 6.1. And they must take care to shew it by their respectful Carriage & Behaviour. Obedience. II. Obedience; and this must be uni­versal, Col. 3.22. Servants, obey in all things your Masters, submit to all their lawful Injuncti­ons, do whatever just Thing is commanded you by them. The Apostle acquaints us, That the ready compliance of Servants with their Masters Will must be testified by their not answering a­gain, by their not disputing or contradicting their Commands: But especially a sawcy and rude Re­plying or Answering again is here forbidden. They must not use such words as betray an im­pudent Spirit, and signifie that their Will not their Masters, shall take place. This is wholly in­consistent with that Obedience which is required of them.

Industry. [Page 210]§. 3. The peculiar Duties of Ser­vants are these that follow, First, In­dustry and Diligence in their respective Callings and Employments. Abraham's chief Servant, whom he sent on Business, would not eat or drink, when he came to his Journeys end, before he had done his Master's Message, before he had told his Errand, Gen. 24.33. So likewise a Servant is to mind the Work he is set about, or the proper Charge which is incumbent on him, as he is of such or such a Trade or Profession. Here then Negligence is to be condemned in one of this Relation. All Carelesness and Sloth & Idleness, yea and even that Sanntring Humour which pos­sesses some Servants, are unsufferable; for it is of the very Essence of a good Servant to have his Thoughts upon his Business, and industriously to pursue it.

§. 4. Secondly, Faithfulness or Honesty is a­nother peculiar Requisite in one of this Relation. Fidelity He must shew all good Fide­lity, he must in every thing be True and Trusty. And more particularly the Apostle con­demns all Purloining in a Servant, that is, keep­ing back & detaining to himself any part of that profit which belongs and is due to his Master. Honesty requires of him that he waste not or Im­bezel his Masters Goods, that he no ways Cheat and Defraud him, or be privy to others doing so; but that he consult his Masters advantage in all things, and prefer his Interest before his own private concerns, In short he must remember that he is under an Obligation to do his Master True and Faithful Service, and he must be care­ful to perform his Engagements.

[Page 211]§. 5. Thirdly, Sincerity is another qualifica­tion, for you see this it often menti­oned, Sincerity. and that in variety of Expressi­ons. Servants are bid to Obey their Masters in Singleness of heart, or (as 'tis in the Greek) in simplicity of heart, out of a Simple and Uncorrupt Principle, out of a hearty desire and Intention to do their Duty, and to discharge a good Conscience. And they are enjoyn'd to do Service unto their Masters as unto Christ, as if he were the Immediate Master under whom they serv'd. And the Apostle adds that they must look upon themselves as the Servants of Christ, they must own his Authority in that of their Masters, & they must chiefly indeavour to please Him, & not Act as men-pleasers, that is, for Base and Sinister ends; they must not obey with Eye-Service, that is, do the Part of Servants only when their Master or Mistress is present, and hath an Eye upon them: but they ought to Act out of a sense of their Duty, & therefore do it Faithfully, whether any takes notice of them or no. With good will they do Service, they perform it Free­ly and Chearfully, because God hath enjoined it, and it is pleasing to him. Thus you see what is required of Servants as to the Principle and man­ner of their Behaviour towards those who are set over them: it must be with Sincerity & Upright­ness of heart. And they may consider further, that the Apostle in [...]ers from their serving the Lord Christ, that they shall Receive the reward of the Inheritance, Col. 3.24. They serve a Good Master, who will abundantly Recompense them for their Faithfulness and Integrity; he will cer­tainly Reward them, though it should happen to [Page 212] be their Lot to be Ill requited by their Earthly Masters. And so much for the Duty of Masters and Servants.

The Duty of Husbands and Wives.§. 6. The Fifth and last Re­lation is that of Husband and Wife: & there we shall see what are the mutual Acts of Righte­ousness & Justice, mix'd with Charity, that they owe to each other. If this pair of Relatives do not discharge their Duty a­right, the rest of the Family never can; yea, the miscarriage of Persons in this State of Life may not unfitly be Assigned as a main cause of their mis­behaviour in those other Conditions and Capaci­ties before mentioned; and therefore it is necessa­ry that I speak particularly concerning these, that the good Deportment of these Chief Heads of the Domestick Body may be secured. In order to this a Good Foundation is to be laid at first: the Married Life must be commenced Wisely and Discreetly, with great Deliberation & Thought­fulness. The Man must make choice of a Meet Help, one that is Religious & Vertuous, and sui­table to him as to his Estate, Age, Calling, and other Circumstances. And the Woman must make choice of a Godly and Prudent Guide, and faith­ful Yoke-fellow, else the State of Matrimony, like an Error in the first Concoction, will never, or very rarely be mended. Here then great Care and Study, Prayers and Endeavours are to be made use of, that a condition of Life which is of so vast moment and importance, may be blessed with a good beginning and afterwards prosper'd with a constant Happiness. And this cannot he otherwise than in the careful practising of those [Page 213] Duties which are required of these Persons. And these Duties are either Proper or Common.

§. 7. The Duty proper and pe­culiar to the Man, is, The Duties proper to the Man. to Maintain and Provide for his Wife. For, ac­cording to his solemn Ingagement, he is to make her partaker in his worldly Goods: And by help of that Calling or Employment which Providence hath determined him to, or of the Estate and Revenues which he either brought to her, or had with her, or by both, it is incumbent upon him to make sufficient Pro­vision for her, that they may jointly share in that comfortable Subsistence which their Station and Rank in the World call for. But yet this is to be taken with some Limitation; for if the Con­dition and Circumstances of the Woman be such, that she is in a capacity to contribute personally towards the maintenance of the Family, by some Skill in a lawful Employment of her own, or by giving assistance to her Husband in his, she then is engaged to be serviceable in the support of her Houshould. But however, she is always obliged to be instrumental in adding to the Incomes of the Family by her good House-wifery & Frugality. Hence in Solomon's Character of a good Wife, it is said, She worketh diligently with her hands, Prov. 31.13. She gives meat to her houshould, and a portion to her maiden, Ver. 15 She layeth her hands to the Spindle, and, her hands holdeth the Distaff, Ver. 19. She looketh well to the ways of her Houshould, & eateth not the Bread of Idle­ness, Ver. 27. But still the great care of the Houshold lies upon the Man, & it is his peculiar Task, namely, by reason of that converse & skill [Page 214] he [...] to [...] wordly [...] & [...]ff [...]ns, which the other Sex generally [...]e not to capable of, or fit for. It is his proper Task, I say, to manage his Calling or Estate with that Wisdom and Industry that, by the Divine Blessing upon them, he may continually be able to supply his beloved Yoke-fellow with what is convenient for her comfor­table support in the World. This is what the Apostle means by giving honour to the Wife, as to the weaker Vessel, 1 Pet. 3 7. That is, having a tender & honourable respect to her, and taking special care of her, and providing for her, because or her inability to shift so well in the World as Men do.

§ 8. The Duty that is proper to the Wo­man is reverential Obedience and Subjection. The Duties par­ticular of the Woman. Let the Wife see that she Peverence her Husband, Eph 5 33 Wives, be in subjection to your own Husbands, 1 Pet. 3 1. The reason is rendred by the other Apostle, 1 Cor. 11 3 The head of the Woman is the Man: And that this [...]uperiority of the Man may be the more taken notice of, he re­peats it in Eph 5.23. as a sufficient ground of the Woman's subjection, For the Husband, saith he, is the head of the Wife He is so in respect of the Preheminence of the Sex, and more [...] of the Dignity and Authority which God involved him with when he first made him. So that it is evident from Sacred Scripture, That the Wife is to own her Husband as her Head and Governour, her Guide & Director, and accordingly to submit to his Conduct, that is, if he be wise & prudent, are be able to give good Counsel, and to order [Page 215] Affairs, and superintend in the Family. But if the Man be weak and shallow, or dissolute and regardless of all his Concerns, and supposing the Woman to be wise and prudent, in such cases it was never intended that the Man should give Rules, & under colour of his mere H [...] [...]sh p [...]ruine his Wife and whole Family. And [...] is to be added, That Wives have a particular [...]p [...]ere of their own to act in, namely in Arts is o [...] the Family that are their peculiar concern; and this is called by the Apostle, Guiding the House, 1 Tim. 5.14. which he declares to be the proper Office of the Married Woman, and the Husband is not to intermeddle in it. But otherwise, the Order and Government, founded on the Man's Superiority, ought to be duly observed by the Wife; and these to remember that she is forbid by the Laws of the Creation, & the appointment of Heaven to be imperious and to domi [...]eer over her Husband. Nay, the Laws of Christianity for­bid the same; I suffer not a Woman (saith the Apostle) to usurp Authority over the Man, 1 Tim. 2 12.

Having assigned the Proper Duties of the Hus­band & Wife, I am next to mention those which are Common to them both, and they are such as these.

§. 9. I. Mutual Fidelity and Chastity. Mutual Fide­lity and Cha­stity. They are both equal­ly obliged by that solemn Vow which they entred into a Marri­age to be true and faithful to each other, and to preserve entire the Bonds of Wedlock. Marri­age is honourable in all, saith the Apostle, it is by no means to be despised by any Persons, but is [Page 216] to be highly esteemed and respected by all, and so is the Bed undefited, the Bed that is kept free from Adultery; but on the contrary, the violati­on of the Conjugal Vow is to be abhorred and avoided by all, not only because it is a perfidious breach of a solemn Promise made to each other, but because it will certainly be attended with a Curse, as the Apostle in the same place adds, Whoremongers & Adulterers God will judge, Heb. 13.4. Therefore let not only the Justice and Equity of the Duty I am speaking of, but also the Penalty that attends the breach of it be seriously consider'd, & prevail with those that are in Wed­lock to keep themselves from undue and unchast Communications.

§. 10. II. Mutual Love is another requisite in every Married Couple. And indeed it is necessary on the for­mer account, Mutual Love. namely for the pre­serving of mutual Fidelity: for where there is an entire Affection, there will be no Infringement of the Conjugal Faith. Wherefore let a strong tie of ardent Love strengthen and confirm the Matri­monial Knot, according to that Apostolical Coun­sel. Husbands, Love your Wives, Eph. 5.25. and to shew that this Passion must be great and vehe­ment, he adds, Even as Christ loved the Church. And in Ver. 28, he expresses it thus, So ought Men to love their Wives as their own Bodies; he that loveth his Wife, loveth himself; for no Man ever yet hated his own Flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, Eph. 5.29. Therefore seeing Man and Wife are but one Flesh (as was pronounced at the first Institution of Marriage, Gen. 2.24.) their Amity and Friendship ought to be most intimate, [Page 217] sincere and compleat. When the Apostle had ex­horted the Husbands among the Colossian Converts to love their Wives, he adjoins this, Be not bitter against them, Col. 3.19. As much as to say, If you would maintain that passionate Love to your near Relations which I commend to you, see that you be not harsh and rigorous in Word or Behavi­our, use no froward or angry Language, be not cross and peevish, give not way to Strife and Con­tention, but bear with one another's Infirmities, cherish Peace, Agreement and Compliance; and study to be friendly, kind and obliging. And to prevent all bitterness, yea & to sweeten this State of Life, you are permitted & authorized to make use of the lawful Gratifications and Endearments which are proper to it: Let the Husband render unto the Wife due benevolence, and likewise the Wife unto the Husband, 1 Cor. 7.3. And the neglect or denial of it is said to be a defrauding one another, Ver. 5.

§. 10. III. Care of each other's Souls. A tender care of one another's Souls, & their ever­lasting Welfare is the chiefest Con­cern of those near Relations, and they ought to improve the intimacy of their Conversation to this very end; for 'tis certain that this great near­ness and familiarity may exceedingly contribute towards the promoting of Piety, and is an advan­tage to be made use of to religious & Holy Pur­poses. If the Husband be better instructed in mat­ters of Religion, he is to inform & teach his Wife; and they are both of them to reprove and exhort one another, to remind each other of their Duty, and effectually to excite to it; and (that all their endeavours may be successful) to recommend [Page 218] themselves to God in their constant Addresses to him, and most devoutly and heartily to pray for one another: That so as they live together here, they may be undivided Companions in the heaven­ly Mansions hereafter. Thus they are to sanctifie the state of Wedlock, thus they are to be helpful to one another in the ways of Vertue and Godli­ness; yea, they are to strive & contend which of them shall serve God most entirely and faithfully. This is a happy Contest between Man and Wife, this is a commendable Strife, and will prepare their way to the Regions of undisturbed Peace and Happiness.

§. 11. Thus I have given you an account of the several distinct Relation, wherein the particu­lar Acts of Justice or Righteousness, together with those of Charity, are plainly discerned. And (to close this Head) we must know that True Good­ness is always accompanied with unfeigned Desires and Endeavours of glorifying God in our Relative Capacities. We can neither satisfie our selves concerning the realty of Grace in us nor give an evidence to others of the true sense of Religion on our Minds and Consciences, unless we let them be seen in the Government of our selves as we are related to others.

§. 12. But besides the Duties Founded in these Individual Relations, there are General ones, which refer to all Persons whatsoever. And ac­cordingly we may observe that after the Apostle had acquainted the Roman Christians what was due from them and all others toward their Supe­riours, he proceeds to an universal display of their Duty & informs them that they stand obliged by Christianity to render to all Men their dues, Rom. [Page 219] 13.7. They must deal justly and rightly with every one, for Justice is giving to every one his due. And here I shall pass to the Second Part of my proposed Method: viz. to mention those Acts and Performances which in the strictest sense are Branches of Justice, and therefore are carefully to be observ'd by us. For tho' the word Justice be not in this New Testement, yet the Exact Rules and Measures of this Vertue are there set down, and we are not only forbid by the Evangelical Laws to Injure others, but we are commanded to per­form positive acts of Justice, and they are such as these,

§. 13. First, Of Honesty. it is necessary that you be righteous & Just in all mat­ters of Traffick, in all your Commerce, Contracts, and Covenants. Do all things fairly & honestly, without couzening & over-reaching, without en­deavouring to go beyond & defraud your Bre­thren in any thing, 1 Thess. 4 6. In buying and selling, in Trading and making of Bargains addict your selves to honest Dealing; and that Golden Rule of Justice prescribed us by our Saviour, will carry you safe through all Cases and Emergencies of this nature; Whatsoever ye would that Men should do unto you, do ye even so to them, Mat. 7.12. This alone, if conscientiously and imparti­ally attended to, will direct you in all Matters of Traffick & Commerce with your Neighbours, and is certainly the exact and unerring Standard of all your Dealings with them. if you be a Buyer, it will not suffer you to disparage and vilifie other Mens Wares, on purpose to bring down the price of them. If you be a Seller, it will not allow you to Deceive any by hiding the Faults of what [Page 220] you sell: It will not permit you to Screw up a Chapman, to get as much as you can of him. It will instruct you to demand no more for your Goods than they are really worth, and above all things to hate False Weights & Measures, which are so particularly forbidden in the Holy Scrip­tures. If you he guided by this Rule, you will never be immoderate & griping, you will not pursue any Methods of beguiling & imposing upon your Brethren, be they never so weak & ignorant, ne­ver so careless and neglectful of what they do: you will not take Advantage of the Poverty or the Ignorance of any Man, but in all your Deal­ings you will be just and Upright.

§. 14 We are to be guided also by the Cus­tom and Practice of the most understanding and upright Persons: which perhaps one of the An­tients referred to when he defined Justice to be a Vertue consisting in Mediocrity, as a wise Man shall determine it. Likewise in matters relating to publick Commerce and Justice, we are to have respect to the Law of Nations, namely, what whole Countries and Kingdoms have agreed upon and practised as most conducible to the good of Society. Moreover, we must govern our selves by the known Laws & Constitutions of the place we live in, they being generally most agreeable to our Circumstances; but especially we must act according to the dictates of our Reasons and Con­sciences as they are improved by the Sacred Laws prescribed us in the Writings of the New Testa­ment, for the Gospel requires of us an exact, Ho­nesty and Integrity in matters of Traffick.

§. 15, And as in making, so in keeping and performing your Bargains and Contracts you must [Page 221] be very Just and Righteous. You must use no Arts and Fetches to bring you off from the dis­charge of your Promises & Engagements. Strict­ly keep your Faith, although you are losers by it: In some cases, though it be to your own hurt, you must not change, Psal. 15.4. If that were Righ­teousness and Justice under the Old Testament, it is certainly so now under the New, which obliges Men to stricter Rules of Vertue. Christianity requires that you be very punctual, that you stand firm to your word, and that you perforn the ve­ry same Things you engaged your selves to do.

§. 16. Under this performing of Contracts (which is one of the most essential Parts of Jus­tice) I might reckon the paying of Debts. Not to discharge these according to our known Obli­gations, is a gross injury to the Creditor, and an high act of Injustice. So to detain the Wages or Hire of Workmen and Labourers, is a signal in­stance of Unrighteousness and unjust Dealing; for though in such cases sometimes there be no so­lemn Obligation and Contract, yet by Conscience and Custom, and the Reason of the thing it self, Persons are interpreted to have bound themselves to satisfie those whom they so employ, & set a­bout their work, insomuch that to deny them Payment is a palpable detaining of their Dues, and an open violation of Honesty.

§. 17. Of Restituti­on. Among the several In­stances of just Dealing I must not forget this, That there is Reva­ration to be made for any wrong or damage we have done to our Neighbours. As we must make Restitution of what was taken away from them unlawfully, so if we have wronged them in any [Page 222] other kind whatsoever, we must make them what Satisfaction we are able. This I may call an Af­ter-Justice, a making some Amends and Recom­pense after we have been guilty of unjust Acts: and we find it expresly commanded by God in the Law, Lev. 6.2, 3, &c. Num. 5.6.7. and practised by a Gospel-Penitent, Luke 19.8.

§. 18. And lastly, under this Head, I cannot but mention Speaking the Truth, as another ne­cessary part of Justice to Mankind. If we must give every one his own, then it is certain we ought not to detain the Truth from them, for this is their own, and they may claim it as their due. Be­sides the contrary may prove very hurtful to them, and so we shall be injurious to them. For a Lyar, one that loveth and maketh Lyes, wrongs and injures his Brethren; yea, he spoils all Socie­ty and Converse, for there can be no Faith or Cre­dit among Men (which is the support of all Hu­mane Society) if Truth be laid aside, and Fals­hood takes place. Speech was given us by God to declare our Minds and Thoughts to others, that thereby a mutual Converse and Communion might be maintained: But Lying, which is speak­ing contrary to what we think or know, perverts this end and design of Speech, and therefore must needs prove very destructive. Wherefore follow the Apostolical advice, Col. 3.9. Lye not one to another, do not utter and deliver that as Truth which you know to be false; but putting away Lying, speak the Truth every Man with his Neighbour, Eph. 4.25. And the Apostle there adds this Reason, For we are Members one of a­nother: As much as to say. All Men are fellow-Members, they belong all to the same Body and [Page 223] Society of Mankind: Therefore it is unatural and monstrous for one Member to defraud & deceive another. On this account we must not Lye to any Man in the World. And not only as we are Men, but much more as we are Christians, we are Mem­bers of one another, being united unto Christ Jesus our Head: & therefore we must not dare to Lye, and thereby deceive & hurt our Brethren to whom we are so nearly related. Nay we are not permit­ted to tell a Lye, though we were sure it would hurt no Body, nay, though we were certain it would tend to our own or others Safety and Advantage: And the reason is this, because we are forbid to do evil, that good may come of it, Rom. 3.8.

§. 19. Next unto Lying is Flat­tery, which is no less pernicious and hurtful in the Life of Man, Flattery. for they that use themselves to this sort of Communicati­on never speak as they think, and they endeavour to make others think contrary to the Truth and Reality of things; which are both very mischie­vous. The Complimenting Humour of this Age may be reckon'd under this Head. Who sees not fair and plausible Words & mere Flourishes sup­ply the place of what is real? It is now grown a modish Thing, under the Notion of being Genteel and Civil, to forget to utter what is True. Their Language hath nothing of their Heart; & Cere­mony & Dissimulation have almost banish'd Truth and Sincerity out of the World. Wherefore it is high time to retrieve our selves, and to become true and hearty in Conversation, especially when it is that which the very Laws of Justice & Righ­teousness challenge of us.

[Page 224]§. 10. Besides these Acts of Justice which re­late to Commerce, there are several other parts of it which we owe to our Neighbours. The next I will mention is our Duty to them in respect of their Name and Credit. If detaining of Truth from our Brethren be a great act of Injustice and Wrong, then we shall be much more unjust if we speak Evil of them. Of Injustice to our Neighbours good Name. Therefore it is one of St. Paul's excellent Directions for Conversation, That we speak evil of no Man, Tit. 3 2. which is backed by St. James, ch. 4. ver. 11. Speak not evil one of another. And St. Peter gives the same advice, namely, That we lay aside all evil speakings, Epist. 1. chap. 2. ver. 1. Thus those three great Apostles call upon us to observe that useful and necessary Rule of Righteousness, whereby we are forbid to hurt or endamage our Neighbours good Name by any of our Words and Speeches. We are apt to cherish too high Thoughts of our selves, and to applaud our own Actions, but we are too forward to indulge groundless Suspicions concern­ing others, and to speak meanly of their Perfor­mances, yea, to censure and condemn them: but herein we act very unjustly, because generally this passing of a rash Sentence upon others, redounds to their prejudice and harm. It is unworthy of a Christian to make the worst of Mens Actions, and to represent them to others as such; but it is much more base and unworthy, ye utterly to be abhorred, to detract from our Neighbours Credit out of a Principle of ill Will & Malice toward them. It is abominable either to invent or to take up false and evil Reports concerning others, and to [Page 225] Back-bite & Slander them, & say those ill things of them which they no ways deserve, merely be­cause we bear a hatred to them. This is highly unjust; and hence it follows, that it is an Act of Justice to have a tender regard to the Reputation of our Neighbours, and to preserve their good Name & Credit as far as in us lies, and when we know them to be Reproached & Defamed, to vin­dicate their Reputation. And our hearts must con­cur with our Tongues in this work.

§. 21. Next, Of Theft. according to the Laws of Justice and Righteousness, we are obliged not to injure others in their world­ly goods and possessions. For they have a just Ti­tle to what is their own, and it is not Lawful for any man to invade it. Wherefore if either privily or openly we take away or detain from another, without his consent, what is his proper Goods, we are guilty of the Sin of Stealing. The most heinous kind of Theft is Sacriledge, which is a taking away or misemploying of those Goods or Lands which were given to charitable uses, Of Sacriledge. and set apart for Religious purposes, and even conse­crated to God and his Service. This is a great Prophanation, as well as Injustice, & therefore is deservedly condemned in the Word of God. Prov. 20.25. Mal. 3.7, 8. Rom. 2.22. And indeed it must needs be a Sin of a very high nature, to alienate and abuse sacred things, and such as were peculiarly Devoted to Pious and Holy uses; for this is properly Robbing of God; but because the things are in the possession of, and for the use of Men, I bring it under this head.

[Page 226]§. 22. To Stealing may be reduced Unlawful Usury, against which the Scripture so often speaks: Of Unlawful Usury. for by Usury in the Sacred Writings, is always meant that which is Griping and Unlawful. And the reason is, because the Usury that was generally then in practice was Unmerci­ful and Cruel. It is this that is forbid, and no other absolutely. For it can't be Unlawful and Sinful in it self, for a man to demand a moderate benefit for the use of his money, if he hath let it out to one to whom the lending of it was a kind­ness. He may without doubt lawfully take some Allowance for the courtesy he hath done. And the borrower finding this Beneficial to him, may Lawfully recompense the Lender. Even Grati­tude dictates this; besides that Justice and Equity require it of him. So that it is plain, that Usu­ry is no Sin when it is not against Charity & Jus­tice.

§. 23. But when it offends against both these, or either of them, it becomes Sinful and Wicked, and no good man ought to plead for it, nay, he ought to detest & abhor it, and to declare against it. Usury is always Unlawful and Vitious when it is exercised towards the Poor and Necessitous, for to such we must freely Give, or Lend without looking for any thing again, as our Saviour hath enjoyned us, Mat. 5.42. Luke 6.35. Again, it is unlawful to require Increase for the use of mo­ney, when it appears that there hath been a Sin­cere & Honest Endeavour in the Borrower, to im­prove What he borrowed, and yet he hath been hindred by something that hath happened to him not by his own fault. It is certain that Rigour [Page 227] and Exaction in demanding the Interest, where there have been unavoidable Losses and Disap­pointments, is Unjust and Inhumane. We must ever make Abatements, as we see occasion: other­wise we Act unchristianly, and against that Law, Do as ye would be done to. We must never use Extremity and Severity, or take advantage of the Disability and Necessity of the Borrower. In short, let us be firmly perswaded of this, that it is absolutely Unlawful & Sinful to retrieve Increase for money lent if there be any Injustice & Extor­tion used in it. This is Biting and Oppressing Usury, and may well be ranked with Stealing and Thieving.

§. 24. And so may all the ways of Defrauding and Cheating our Neighbours, as Falsifying and Counterfeiting of Writings and Instruments, the making or putting off of False Coyn, all Unlaw­ful Gaming, all over-reaching of others by Tricks of Law, and all the Arts of Trapanning, which are now so numerous & so frequent in the World. These are plain Transgressions of that Command­ment, Thou shalt not Steal.

§. 25. But there is likewise a Positive part of our Duty which hath Relation to this Command­ment, and that is to do what lies in our power to preserve and secure the Goods and Possessions of our Neighbours. It their Right be invaded, we are according to our ability to help them to regain and recover it: and in all our Dealings and Converse with them we are to maintain and pro­mote their just claim and property.

§. 26. As we must not injure our Neighbours as to their Goods and Estates, so not as to their Lives and Persons. Therefore all maiming and [Page 228] wounding, or any other way of hurting the Bo­dies of others, but especially the shedding of their Blood, and bereaving them of their Lives are ma­nifest Acts of Injustice. The lat­ter of these, Of Murder and Personal Abuses. if it be wilful, is the horrid Sin of Murder. The Hei­nousness of which is sufficient to deter us from the Acting of it: For it is in its own nature the most Execrable Fact that we can be guilty of, and hath always been reckoned such by those that have any sense of Humanity or Religion. This is a Crime that for the most part meets with a severe Punishment e­ven in this Life. Murderers have seldom escaped the Judgment of God in this World. And ac­cordingly it is confirmed by the Experience of all Ages, that this Crying Sin hath been discovered and brought to light in a most Strange and Won­derful manner. Let our hearts then be wholly set against this soul sin, which is so heinous in it self, and which God hath made such provision a­against, and which he so severely punishes.

§. 27. The best Direction that I can offer to you is this, Be careful to suppress & avoid those sinful desires and corrupt Inclinations which are the Root of this Vice: as first, Lust & Lewdness, which have frequently betray'd men to this wick­ed practice, as we see in the Example of David, who contrived the Death of Uriah, that he might Accomplish his lustful desires. Again if you would guard yourselves from this sin, you must avoid Drunkenness & Intemperance, & Excessive heating of your Blood by Wine and other strong Drinks; for the World can witness that these have [Page 229] oftentimes ended in Slaughter and Bloodshed. Likewise, Anger & Excess of Passion, which push men on to Contentions and Quarrels, are the fre­quent occasions of this Bloody Crime: and there­fore we are concerned to cherish a meek & pea­ceable temper, and to Banish all Wrath and Fury. Further, we are to be sensible that Covetousness and Love of Riches have stirr'd up some to this wickedness: and others have been moved to it by Ambition and a greedy desire of Greatness & Do­minion: for which reason both these vitious In­clinations are to be kept under & subdued. And so is that dangerous sin of Pride, which hath often been the spring & cause of Bloodshed. For a Proud and Haughty Spirit thrusts men on to Revenge, and will not suffer them to think of any such thing as passing by of affronts, and forgiving of inju­ries: and then it is no wonder that the effects of Rage and Fury are seen, and that Blood toucheth Blood.

§. 28. Of Duelling. Hence arises the com­mon practice among us of Fight­ing of Duels. The Persons who are concerned in this Bloody Enterprize, are not acquainted with the Christian Duties of Forhearing & Forgiving: but their minds are possessed with this strange and unchristian apprehension, that it is base & Ignoble, and unbecoming a Gentleman to put up Affronts and Injuries: and therefore, rather than they will do so, they venture on a Combate, with the ap­parent hazard of their own and other mens Lives. But if their minds were furnish'd with the true sense of things, they would pronounce it a scan­dalous and dishonourable thing either to give or accept a Challenge; for that must needs be so, [Page 230] which outbraves not only the Laws of the Nati­on but of Christianity. Such an enterprize cer­tainly is very Base and Reproachful, and hath no­thing of True Valour and Fortitude in it: for no man can be said to be Valiant in affronting the Laws & Religion. And as for the Commonness of the Fact, let no man think that the Heinousness or Scandal of it are thereby abated, but rather that they are Increased and Aggravated: as most certainly they are. Briefly, to conclude this Par­ticular which we are now Discoursing of, this is a standing Rule of Righteousness towards men, that we are not to Injure and hurt their Bodies, much less to Endanger their Lives, or to take them a­way; but that we are bound to presv [...]ve & pro­mote their safety, Health and Life.

§. 29. Lastly, Continence or Chastity is another Act of Righteousness which Res­pects our Neighbours. Of Chastity. For though (as I shewed before) this is a Duty we owe to our selves, yet it is as true that it hath regard to others, and may deservedly be stiled an Act of Justice towards them: and the contrary, viz. Incontinence & Uncleanness are Acts of In­justice and Unrighteousness, for it is plain that these are Injuries to others. Fornication, which is the Corrupting of an unmarried Woman, in­volves her as well as the man himself in guilt, and thereby is Wrongful to both, Of Fornication and Adultery. and is indeed a Crime of that high nature that they forfeit their Christianity by it, & ex­clude themselves from the Society of Christians. Their own Consciences Excommunicate them, and tell them that they have no part with the [Page 231] true Servants of God here, and Dying Impeni­tently they shall be for ever shut out of the King­dom of Heaven. This is the plain Truth with­out any Disguise, notwithstanding the too com­mon and Fashionable Custom of this Age of pal­liating this Vice under the stile of keeping a Mi­stress.

§. 30. And as for Adultery, which is the De­bauching of a Married Woman, that is a Fact which is yet much more Unjust and Unrighteous, for besides the stain of Lewdness there is a breach of Faith, and a perjurious violating of the Bond of Matrimony. Therefore of the Adulteress it is said, Prov. 2.17. She forgetteth the Covenant of her God, that is, she prophanely breaks that So­lemn and Sacred Covenant which she made at Marriage. For the Conjugal Bond is fitly cal­led the Covenant of God, because it was at First Instituted & Ordained by him, And as God is the Author of it, so he is the witness to it, his Sacred Name being called upon for the Confirm­ing and Ratifying of it. Further, it will appear that Adultery is an high Act of Injustice because it is an Invading and Encroaching upon the Rights of the Conjugal state, which should remain firm and untouch'd: it is a Robbing of the offended party of his Rightful Possession, which is such an Injury as can never be repaired. And where this sort of Lewdness is tolerated, it must needs be very injurious to the Community, for by this means it often happens, that Children are not owned, nor provided for, Husbands are hated or despised, Women become cotemptible as soon as their Beauty fades, or their Youth declines, or Lust is satisfied, and so a great part of humane [Page 232] kind will be rendred miserable, and many other Instances of Disorder and Confusion might be na­med.

§. 31. There is likewise Injustice in all Incest, which is then committed when those are Married together, Incest. who are too near one another by the Laws of nature & blood, or by Affinity and Marriage, or when there is an Abusing and Defiling any such without Marriage. I say there is Injustice in these and such like In­stances of Boundless and Extravagant Lust, for where this is unbridled and unlimited, there can­not but be a great deal of Wrong & Mischief en­suing upon it. Wherefore it is reasonable & fit­ting that Carnal Commerce be kept within the bounds of Lawful Marriage, for this gives a due check & confinement to Concupiscence, and is a Legitimating of those Desires, which othewise would be exorbitent: For this reason it is impossi­ble to exert or enjoy the Carnal Delight in a due and lawful manner, unless in a state of Wedlock. And 'tis as true, that it is impossible to observe the Laws of Justice between one another in that State, unless the Contract of Marriage be faithfully kept, & none defile his Neighbour's Bed, or wrong anothers Chastity.

Now, that you may be thus Chaste, Pure and undefiled, observe these following Directions,

§. 32. I. Keep a vigilant Guard over your bodily Senses. As these may be made serviceable to Religion by a due ordering of them, so it is as true, that they may be, & usually are made instru­mental to Vice by taking no care of them. Par­ticularly, where these are not look'd after, there is a Door set open to Wantonness, and all man­ner [Page 233] of Lewdness and Lustful Practises. He that takes no care of his outward Senses, will soon be­tray his Chastity. When the Eye and Ear are al­ways kept open, Lust will easily enter. There­fore shut these Doors, upon occasion, if you are desirous to keep it out.

§. 33. II. That you may abstain from those impure and unlawful Pleasures which attend For­nication and Adultery, shun all the Occasions of Lust, fly from the Temptations which lead to it. Carefully observe that Rule of the Apostle, Make no provision for the Flesh, to fulfil the Lusts there­of, Rom. 13.14. Do not by Idleness, or Luxury, or vain Company, or any other way cherish the Seeds of Lust. Avoid all Incitements and Provo­cations to it: remove the Fewel from the Fire, left it end in everlasting Burnings.

§. 34. III. Keep up & maintain that Modesty and Shamefacedness which are so great a preserva­tive against this vile Sin. Modesty is fitly stiled by one, the Faces Chastity: and it ought to appear most signally in the Female Sex. Blushes are the only Paint that becomes them, & which will cer­tainly be helpful to secure their Innocence, There­fore the Apostle exhorts Women to adorn them­selves with Shamefacedness and Sobriety, 1 Tim. 2.9. In a word, Modesty is not only a sign of Vertue, but a help to Chastity in particular.

§. 35. IV. Weigh well the Danger and Mis­chief of the Sin of Uncleanness & Whoredom. It hath this peculiar to it, above some other Vices, that is so blinds and besots those that are addicted to it, that they seldom return unto God by Re­pentance. Which Solomon long since observed, Prov. 2.19. None that go unto her (that is, to the [Page 234] Harlot) return again, neither take they hold of the paths of Life. As much as to say, Those that give themselves up to Lewdness, do not easily and speedily return into the Ways of Vertue: If they be restored and recovered, it is with great diffi­culty: With many Tears and long Importunities they obtain their Pardon in the Court of Heaven. It is a signal act of Grace that they are admitted into Favour at last. So few are the Persons that are pardon'd and saved, in comparison of the great Multitudes that perish in this Sin, that they are here said to be none. Such is the Nature of this heinous Vice, when persisted in, that it is attend­ed generally with Impenitence. For (as the Pro­phet tells us) Whoredom (no less than excess of Wine) takes away the heart, Hos. 4.11. that is, it is a Sin of that quality that it deprives the mind of all sense of Goodness, it stupifies the Conscience, and naturally hardens those that commit it. It makes them insensible of their Guilt, though it is the greatest imaginable; and it causes them to take no notice of their Danger, which yet is as great as can be. For thus Solomon expresses the miserable Condition of a Lewd Woman, and those that have sinful Converse with her, Her house enclineth un­to death, & her paths unto the dead, Prov. 2.18. And again, in the Fifth Chapter, and the 4th and 5th Verses, Her end is bitter as W [...]rmwood, sharp as a two-edged Sword: her feet go down to death, her steps take hold on hell. And the New Testa­ment is yet more express and positive, for there we are assured, That Whoremongers and Adul­terers God will judge, Heb. 13.14. Neither For­nicators nor Adulterers shall inherit the King­dom of God, 1 Cor. 6.9, 10. No Whoremonger [Page 235] nor unclean Person hath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God, Eph. 5.5. And concerning these vile Offenders it is peremptorily denounced, That they shall have their part in the Lake which burns with Fire and Brimstone, Rev. 21.8. These Things being seriously thought of and laid to heart, will, by the Divine Grace, make such an impression on your Minds, that you will be powerfully enclined to hate all Uncleanness and Lewdness, and to addict your selves to a chaste and pure Conversation.

CHAP. XIII.

[Page 236]§. 1. I Proceed now to the Third Thing I un­dertook to speak of, viz. that Branch of Righteousness which is commonly known by the Name of Charity or Mercifulness. Of Charity. By Vertue of which we are bound to do all the good we can to our Neighbours whether they stand in need of our Spiritual or Temporal Aid. Our Charity which respects their Spiritual Good, consists first in teaching and instructing those poor Souls that are blind and ignorant and are not acquainted with their State or with their Duty. We must endea­vour to enlighten those who sit in darkness, Of Charity to Mens Souls. and in the shadow of Death, and to bring them to the acknowledgment of the Truth, which will be both Light and Life to them. Instructing the Ignorant. It is not enough, That no corrupt Communicati­on proceed out of your Mouths, but that moreo­ver your Discourse be good to the use of edifying, that it may minister Grace unto the Hearers, Eph. 4.29. that it may be such Communication as is serviceable to infuse divine Knowledge into their Minds, and to make them fall in love with that which is vertuous and good. If you meet with poor ignorant People (and there are too many of that sort every where) take occasion to instruct them in the great Fundamentals of the Christian Religion, acquaint them with the things of another World, direct them into the Way that leads to Happiness. Where you see any making profession of Religion, but denying the power of it, placing the whole business of Godliness in Words & Shew, labour to undeceive such Persons, and to convince them of the true Nature of Christianity, which re­quires [Page 237] a Practice proportionable to our Knowledge, and forbids us to usurp the Title of Christians, when we are Strangers to the Temper and Genius of the Gospel.

§. 2. Secondly, Reducing them that go astray. Your Chri­stian Charity must be discover­ed, not only in your directing Sinners into the right way, but by bringing them back again when you see they are gone out of it, and wander in the ways of Error and Vice. This is best of all managed by severe Reproofs & Re­bukes. The Man who is in a Swoon, must not be gently stroked: It is a courtesie to use him roughly, and so he will esteem it when he is come to himself. Let the Righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent Oil, which shall not break my head, Psal. 141.5. If we would effectually recal and reclaim Sinners by our Admonitions, we must be downright & severe with them, we must come home to them (as Nathan did) with a particular Application, Thou art the Man. If we deal not thus with them, we spare their Sins, and thereby endanger their Souls, and so under the pretence of being tender & compassionate we prove most cru­el to them. And yet I do not mean that he who reproves Sin, should not do it courteously, meekly and lovingly, that the Party who is the Delinquent may plainly see that he bears a love to his Soul. If the Reproof should be otherwise, it would ma­nifestly offend against the Apostle's Rule in Gal. 6.1. If any Man be overtaken in a fault, you that are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. But this doth not hinder you from a bold and impartial correcting of Vice, for you [Page 238] shew your compassionate Meekness in your free Reprehending and Rebuking of your Brother for his Faults. To this purpose we may take notice of the Connection of those words in Lev. [...]9.17. Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy Neighbour, and not suffer Sin upon him. If you would shew that you hate not your Brother, but that you tru­ly love him, you must rebuke him. Some think it unneighbourly and unkind to reprove others for their Miscarriages; they pretend that they shall disoblige them, & be thought to shew themselves uncivil to them, if they find fault with their Ac­tions: But this is a false Notion, for we never ob­lige our Neighbours more than when we freely lay open their Faults before them. And truly I look upon it as one great cause of the General Cor­ruption in the Lives of Men, that we are negli­gent as to this matter, that we do not take the boldness to check Vice, and thereby give a Proof of our Charity to our Brethren. And we may shew this Charity further, in adding pathetical Perswasions to our Reproofs, and in an earnest Exhorting them to leave their Sins, and to return to the Ways of Vertue and Godliness.

§. 3. A Third act of Mercifulness in respect of Mens spiritual Condition is to comfort the Weak and Discon­solate, Comforting the Disconsolate. to chear and encourage those that are drooping, to re­solve & satisfie the Scrupulous, to support & suc­cour the Desponding. This & the two former In­stances of Charity to the Souls of Men are, as I have shew'd before, the more especial concern of those that are Dispensers and Preachers of the [Page 239] Gospel: But yet they are in some measure to be the design and endeavour of you all. This more particularly, which I'm now speaking of, is an universal Duty: When you see any of your Chri­stian Brethren dejected, reckon them the deserved Objects of your Christian Pity and Compassion. Labour to be instrumental, by that Knowledge and Experience which you have, toward the com­forting of them; excite their slagging Spirits; pour Oil and Balsams into their wounded Consciences, and tell them what God hath done for your Souls, and what they may expect God will do for theirs. According to Christ's own method of dealing with such, you must not break these bruised Reeds, but strengthen and confirm them, you must not quench this smoaking Flax, but blow it up into a flame.

§. 4. To pray for the Miserable. It is another indispensa­ble Act of Compassion and Cha­rity to Pray for others, to make your humble & ardent Addresses to Heaven in their behalf, to beseech God to alleviate their Sorrows, to supply their spiritual Wants, & to be every way gracious & merciful to them. Pray one for ano­ther, Jam 5, 16. Here is a way for even Beggers to give Alms, for the poorest & meanest to shew their Love to their Brethren. If they can't relieve them with their Purses, they may with their Pray­ers; and thus they may be considerable Benefac­tors to others, even when they are indigent them­selves.

I might add in the next place, that to the Cha­rity I am now speaking of belongs the Communi­on of Saints. If there be a true Love stirring in us, it will put us upon conversing together in the [Page 240] way of Religion. We shall maintain a holy Fel­lowship, & be Companions of them that fear God, and our delight will be in the Saints, & in the Ex­cellent. Particularly we ought to demonstrate our Charity to others, by conferring with them about the matters of Religion, by frequent discoursing concerning the Principles of Divine Truth, & the Practice of Holiness. This is the meaning of that Command in Deut. 6.7. Thou shalt talk of them (that is, of the Laws & Precepts of God) when thou fittest in thy House, & when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. As much as to say, Religion and the concerns of it ought to be the matter of your daily Conference; you must take all Occasi­ons & Opportunities of discoursing about them, and of being thereby beneficial to the Souls of your Brethren.

§. 5. And if you have arrived thus far, you will not forget to evidence your Love and good Will to the Souls of your Neighbours, as well as to your own, by putting in practice that large and comprehensive Duty commended to us by the A­postle in 1 Tim. 5.22. Be not partakers of other Mens sins; be not sharers in their sins, by advi­sing and counselling, by perswading or enticing them to what is Vitious: Partake not of other Mens Guilt, by assisting and aiding them, or by setting them an ill Example; no nor by sinful si­lence and connivance. But, in brief, take all occa­sions of advancing the Welfare of Mens Souls, that so by all means you may save some. Endeavour the promoting of Goodness in the minds of Men, labour that the Image of God may be more visi­ble and prevailing in the World; do what you [Page 241] can to make them Serious and Pious, and discover unto them the Excellency of that Religion where­in you find so much content and satisfaction your selves.

§. 6. And to excite you to this work, let me remind you that there is great need of it every where. For want of this so few are saved, and the most go to Hell. Because this Duty is so seldom practised, the Devil hath a very numerous Retinue, and a great multitude of Servants and Votaries. How necessary a work then is it to snatch Men out of Satans Hands, to pluck these Firebrands out of the Fire, to bring seduced and perishing Sinners into the right way, and secure their Everlasting Happiness? And farther to stir you up, let me remind you of this also, that this is a Divine and Heavenly Employment, and such as is truly worthy of a Christian. To shew Mer­cy to the Souls of Men is the greatest and noblest Charity, The saving of one Soul is infinitely pre­ferable to the Gain of the whole World. I will shut up all with the words of the Prophet Dani­el, chap. 12. ver. 3. They that are wise (or, as it is in the Original, they that are Teachers, whe­ther Ministers or People▪ who endeavour to re­claim & convert others) shall shine as the bright­ness of the Firmament; & they that turn many to Righteousness as the Stars for ever & ever.

§. 7 Again, we are engaged not only to ad­vance the spiritual but the tem­poral benefit of our Brethren. Charity to the outward Man. Charity [...]xtends it self not only to the Souls, but to the Bodies and outward Concerns of others. As it is consi­der'd in this latter Sense, it is either inward or [Page 242] outward. First, it is the inward Disposition of the Mind, whereby we resent the bodily Wrongs and Injuries that befal others, and are griev'd and troubled at it; To Symphatize with their Mi­sery. whereby we have a compassion towards all those that are in Want and Necessity, whereby we are nearly concerned in the outward Welfare of all Mankind; whereby we are so far from fostering any Hatred or Envy, any Spight or Malice against them, that we wish them well from our Hearts, and desire & pray for their bodily Good, & rejoice in it, & find Contentment in the Success & Pros­perity of others. All this is briefly comprehended in the Apostles words, Be ye kindly affectioned one to another, Rom. 12.10. There is required of us a kind & benign inclination of the inward Man, a compassionate Affection toward all that are in a necessitous Condition.

§. 8. Secondly, To the inward Disposition or Habit of Charity, must be added the outward works of it, To Communi­cate to their Necessities. viz. To do good & to communicate, to re­lieve the Necessities of the indi­gent and distressed, to feed the Hungry and to clothe the Naked, to give to him that asketh thee, & from him that would borrow of thee not to turn away, Matth 5.42. To shew kindness to the Widow & the Fatherless, the Poor and the Stranger, and to do all Offices of Love to our necessitous Brethren. But especially those who are blessed with an abundance of this World's Goods, are concerned in this Duty, 1 Tim. 6.17 Charge them that are rich in this World to do good, to be rich in good Works, to be be ready to distribute, [Page 243] and willing to communicate. This Rank of Per­sons are particularly charged to make their Plenty serviceable to the Relief of those that are in want: for it is not fit that these should starve whilst the other are glutted. It is just and equal that those who enjoy the freedom of a Festival, and the plenty of a well-furnish'd Table, should not forget the empty Bellies of the Poor. The Rich Man mentioned in the Gospel is signally described by his Purple & fine Linnen, by his costly Provision, and faring deliciously every day: But this had not been objected against him as a Crime, if Lazarus, poor Lazarus, had not laid almost famish'd at his door. That was it which heightned his Fault, and inhaused his Doom, that he enjoyed so much of this World's Goods, and yet had no heart at all to part with any thing to the Poor: That he could keep a great House, and have abundance of costly Fare, and seed a great Retinue of Servants, and of Dogs too (as appears from that Story) and yet a poor distressed Begger could not find an Alms at his Gate, no not so much as the Crume which sell from his Table. His Quality and Estate allow'd him to eat and drink freely, and to be richly clad; but then he was bound to relieve his necessitous Neighbour, to feed and clothe him, and to save him from perishing. God gave him plenty & a­bundance, not to maintain his Wantonness & Lux­ury, but to enable him to abound in Charity and good Works toward the Distressed.

So must it be with you, whoever you are that God hath blessed with great Revenues & Incomes; if he hath prepared a Table for you (as the Psal­mist expresses it) you must remember to prepare and provide something for the Poor: Or else your [Page 244] Plenty will prove a Curse and Judgment to you: And when you come to sit down and consider of it, it will be a bitter and tormenting Reflection to you; especially if God shall be pleased to blast your Estates, and suffer you to fall from great a­bundance into grett penury. How sad and aggra­vating will it be for a Man to reflect thus upon himself, and say, I had once the Blessings of this Life in a considerable measure, I enjoy'd the afflu­ence of this World, I might then have spared my poor necessitous Neighbours many an Alms, I might have clothed some naked Orphans, I might have cheared some sorrowful Widows, & many a good Action lay fair in my way. But I passed them by, and pamper'd my self, and indulged my Folly. I threw away Pounds upon [...]le and disso­lute Companions, I expanded my Revenues in the maintaining of my Pleasures, but I could not afford to part with the smallest Sums to those whose low and indigent Condition cried aloud for Relief. I spent that in Sin & Vanity which I might, and ought to have employed in charitable Undertak­ings. That which I should have bestow'd on the Needy, I squander'd away in Gaming and Drink­ing, in Pride and Lewdness, in contentious Suits and Controversies, in pleasing my own extravagant Fancies, or that of others. What comfort now can there be in such Reflections as these▪ Nay, how great most the Anguish and Torment be which always accompany such Thoughts? For when a Man thinks with himself that he had an opportu­nity to do good, and yet that he wholly neglected it, it is the most dreadful Sting of Conscience ima­ginable. The Exhortation therefore of the Apo­stle takes place here, As we have opportunity, let [Page 245] us do good, Gal. 6.10. Let every one to whom God hath given this World's Riches and Plenty, remember to give again, for he knows not how soon he may be deprived of them, for his abusing them.

But the greatest and most powerful Motive to Brotherly Charity, is that which the Gospel fur­nishes us with, and which was unknown to the most improved Moralists among the Heathens, viz. the transcendend Love which Je­sus Christ shew'd to us. The Love of Christ the most powerful mo­tive to Charity. Seeing he was so compassionate as to lay down his precious Blood and Life for us, let us not think it too much to part with some Portions of our earthly Goods to our afflicted Brethren.

§. 9. Put because we learn from the Apostle, That a Man may bestow all his Goods to feed the poor, and yet have not Charity, 1 Cor 13 3. He may be very kind to those that are in Necessity, and do many things that are beneficial to them, and yet they may [...]ot amount to that which is truly Charitable, because they are defective either as to Matter or Manner: Wherefore in the first place we must see that our good Works and Be­neficience toward the Poor be Righteous as to their Matter; by which I mean this, that what we give and bestow on these accounts, must not be the Fruits of any Evil Gettings and Unlawful Pur­chasings, but must be acquired by honest and law­ful Means. The Hire of a Harlot was not per­mitted by the Law to be brought into the Temple; nor is it lawful to make any Lust, or any undue Practice whatsoever, to administer to Charity and [Page 246] Alms-deeds. Some scrape together great Reve­nues by their base, sordid and parcimonius way of Living, and then at last make the Poor their Heirs, but this is not true Charity, for the Materials of it were ill got; and it is certain, That Covetous­ness ought not to be the Foundation of Liberality. Others gripe and oppress their Neighbours, and by their unjust Dealings with them squeeze out an Estate; but if these should build Alms-Houses, and turn Benefactors to the Poor, they cannot be said to be Charitable, for we must not call that Charity which was gotten (and perhaps partly from the Poor) by Extortion and Oppression. We are not to think that Charity is to be built upon Injustice: but in such a case as this, Restitution ought to be made. And so as to any other un­lawful Ways of getting Gain, we must never reck­on these as the Basis of Charity and Good Works; but if we are desirous that our Charity should be of the true and right Kind, we must be careful that the Springs which feed and supply it be good and lawful.

When you have thus taken care about the Mat­ter of your Charity, the next Thing is to look to the Manner of it. Accordingly,

The true Noti­on of Charity: It must be free.§. 10. I. Let it be free Thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unt [...] thy po [...]r Bro­ther, Deut. 15 10. And if this was a Qualification of Charity under the Law, it must needs be [...] u [...]der the Gos­pel, and thence we are enjoined to given t [...] grudg­ingly, 2 C [...]r. 9 [...] ▪. and t [...] use Hospitality one to another without grudging, 1 Pet. 4 9. Some Mens Alms [...] choiced & ex [...]ted from them by [Page 247] a vehement Importunity, & as it were Violence; but this is a very great Blemish to their best Deeds, and in a manner spoils the very Nature of them, for it is improper to call that Charity which is not free. Let our good Deeds therefore flow from a willing Mind, and then they will be of the right kind, and they will be acceptable to God, for he loveth a cheerful giver, 2 Cor, 9 7.

§ 11. II. With a good Intention. Let your Works of Charity be perform'd with a good and right Intention. The Charity of Papists is founded on the Opinion of Merit: I do not say all their Charity, but they generally do it to expiate some great Sins, and to merit Heaven: Which undue Intention is the bane of their best Works. Others give Alms, & are very beneficial to their distressed Neighbours, but it is out of a love of Applause and Vain-glory, and thereby they marr all they do. Which g [...]ve occa­sion to our Saviour's advice, Take heed you do not your Alms before Men, to be seen of them, other­wise ye have no reward of your Father which is in Heaven. Therefore when thou dost thine Alms, do not s [...]u [...]d a Trumpet before thee as the Hy­pocrites do, in the Synagogues & in the Streets, that they may have glory of Men, Matth. 6.1, &c. Where Christ alludes to Players and Actors on the Stage, & that very fitly, because the Greek word he uses, and the name he calls those Vain-glorious Men by, signifies both Disemblers or Hy­pocrites, & also Stage Players; and he condemns the Vain Ostentation of those, who, when they do a [...]ct or Charity, appear as upon a Theater, and do all to be seen of Men: they do as it were [Page 248] blow a Trumpet, and hang out a Flag to draw Company in to be Spectators of what they do, to see the Shew of their Alms. Our Saviour lets such know that he hath a great abhorrence of this Histrionical kind of Acting, and that what is gi­ven to the Poor out of a principle of Vain-glory is of no value, and that a Man loses his Gift, and nulls all his Charity by proclaiming it, and that his being applauded, is all the Reward that he shall ever have.

Wherefore it highly concerns us to act with a good Design and Intention when we bestow our Alms, and relieve the Necessities of our Brethren. These things must be done for God's Glory, & not for our own. And tho' they may be done before Men (as our Saviour would have our Light shine before them) yet not with this design & aim, to be seen of them. But they must be done to set forth the Praise of our Maker to exalt the Honour of our Master, to credit Religion, to grace & adorn our Professi­on, to stop the Mouths of Gainsayers, to win upon the Wicked and Depraved, and to gain Proselytes to the best Religion in the World: and the Root of all must be an hearty Love of God and of our Brethren. Let Love be with us dissimulation, Rom. 12.9. in opposition to Hypocritical Appear­ances and mere Shews of Charity. Do what you do cordially, sincerely, uprightly. He that giveth ▪ saith the Apostle, let him do it with simplicity▪ Rom. 12.8. with a good and upright Design. T [...]is will make it acceptable to God, this will render it comfortable to our selves, and this will make it most successful to our Brethren.

§. 12. 3. Let your Charity be Full & Liberal: shew your selves Bountiful & Generous when you [Page 249] see occasion. When great necessity calls for it, give with both hands, and though some Persons of mean and Contracted Spi­rit should blame you for it, It must be full & Li­beral. yet per­severe in so noble a Work. It is true the Apostle hath told us that if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath (though it be never so little) and not according to what be hath not, 2 Cor [...].12. And we read in the Gospel of St. Mark (Chap. 12 42. ver.) of a Poor Widow that cast in bu Two mites into the Treasury, which was the Poor mans Box that held the Gifts and Alms which the peo­ple offer'd in the Temple: it was placed in the Womens Court, and so this Widow stood in her own Apartment when she distributed her Charity, which though it was but Two Brass half-farthings, yet our Saviour tells us, that she cast in more than all the great and Liberal Givers; though not more in quantity, yet more in Respect of the inward and hearty Affection which she had, and also as to the proportion of her Gift, for she gave all that she had at that present time. Which is unspeak­able Encouragement to all those who are desirous to do works of Charity: for if they do them ac­cording to their Ability, though they be never so mean, they are Accepted and Applauded. A cup of cold water shall be Reckoned and Rewarded, as if it were a draught of Generous Wine or a Rich Cordial.

§. 13. But though this be true, yet it as true that if God hath Blessed you with Abundance, then you are not Excused from giving Liberally and Largely, and according to the proportion of your Estate. Thou shalt open thy hand wide unto [Page 250] thy Brother, Deut. 15.8, 11. And this the mean­ing of what the Wise man saith, Eccl. 11.2. Give a portion to Seven, & also to Eight. Where that precise Number of Seven or Eight is not strictly to be understood, as if we were com­manded to bestow our Charity on just such a num­ber of Persons. No: this is the thing which is meant by these words, that we ought to be Cha­ritable not only to a few but to many. For that is the meaning, of giving to Seven & also to Eight, as is clear from the like way of speaking in other places of Scripture, Psalm 12.7. Prov. 24.16. Mic. 5.5. The Extent & Largeness of our Cha­rity are to be such as God requires. We must not be Niggards, but stretch out the circle of our Charity as wide as we can, and take in as in many as we can into its Circumference. But when I speak thus, I do not advise you to any thing that is Im­moderate and Extravagant, & unsuitable to your Condition & Circumstances, and therefore,

§. 14. 4 thly, I add this, let your Charity be Discreet, It must be dis­creet, directed by Christian Prudence. let it always be directed by Christian Prudence & Wisdom. And accord­ingly I will offer these following Rules to you: First, let not your Charity exceeed your ability. You are not obli­ged to impoverish your selves, to Accommodate others. Indeed it is recorded that the Collection for the Service of the Tabernacle was to be levi­ed o [...] the Rich & Poor equally, Exod 30.15, 16. The Rich shall not give more, & the poor shall not give less than half a sh [...]kel. Bur there is a Mys­tical sense of that Order, for it was done to Teach us that in Spiritual things there is an Equality, be­cause [Page 251] the Souls of the poor & the Rich are alike. But this is no standing Rule in o­ther cases, Some Rules of Discretion in dispensing Cha­rity. & particularly in the commmon Offices of Charity. It is Indiscreet and no ways Allow­able to give beyond our propor­tion. If you be of a narrow and mean Estate, it is Folly for you to vie with weal­thy Persons. When it is said, that the Primitive Christians of Macedonia were charitable beyond their Power, 2 Cor. 8 3. We can only gather this, that in a v [...]ry great and urgent necessity we may do that which at other times is not fitting for us to do. We may strain our Charity upon an Extraordinary Account. But the usual and ordi­nary standard of it is that of our Lord, Luk. 21.41. Give Alms of such things as ye have, or, as ye are able, for so it is rendred in the Margin: re­lieve the needs of the poor according to the pro­portion of that Estate or those Incomes which God hath Blessed you with, for Religion doth not Teach men to be Ill managers and Bad Husbands of what they have: it directs them to provide for themselves and their own Families, and then to take notice of the condition of others, and to help and support them according to their power: for though Christianity bids us be Charitable, yet it forbids us to be Profuse & Lavish. The Apostle hath left us an Excellent Rule to go by in this mat­ter, 2 Cor. 8.13. So to give as others be not Ea­sed, and we Burdened, that is, we are to be Bounti­ful in supplying the wants of others, but not so as to streighten our selves; especially we are not to nourish Idleness in others, and bring want upon our selves. This is a Right measure of Giving.

[Page 252]§. 15. Again, this is another Rule to be obser­ved, Learn to Judge concerning Persons. For this is certain that all are not the Equal Objects of our Charity, though they be Poor and Indigent. It is so far from Charity, that it is a Fault to Relieve Common and Lewd Beggars, because thereby we Encourage and Uphold them in their wicked ways of Living, and because we throw away that upon them which should be given to others, who really deserve it. Here we are to Remember not to Judge always of mens Necessities and Wants by their Low'd and Clamarous Complaints, for there is Poverty that is silent, and it is the part of our Christian Discretion to make search after this, and to relieve those who are ashamed to Beg. And when we have found out the Right Objects of our Charity, we must then make use of our Christian Prudence in distributing our Alms according to the wants of the Persons, and not to all alike, for this was the Rule observed by the Primitive Chri­stians, Acts 2.45. They parted their Goods to all men, as every one had need they proportioned their Charity to the Needs & Exigencies of those that wanted it.

§ 16. Furthermore, when you have found who are to be Relieved, then enquire who of those are in the greatest want, for these are to be pre­ferred in your Charity before the rest. Here your Prudence will direct you to choose out a­mong the Maimed and the Cripples, the Aged and Decrepid (now past working, but not past Eating, no not by the known Rule of the Apostle) the Sick and Diseased, the Oppressed & Persecuted, &c. To choose our, I say, among all these sorts of Necessitous Persons such whose wants & grie­vances [Page 253] are most Urgent and Pressing. And then Prudence will also advise you to a seasonable Re­lieving of them, it will prompt you to make your Benevolence the more Welcome and Grateful by your Right Timing of it: and that generally is by not delaying it. And thus you have a parti­cular, but brief Account of the Manner how you ought to exert this Noble Grace, how you are to discharge this Excellent Duty of Charity as it de­notes Alms-deeds. But besides these Acts of Christian Charity, at it hath Relation to the wants and necessities of our Neighbours, there are yet other Instances of this Vertue, which I will Re­duce to these Following Heads.

§. 17. I. Charity ma­keth Peace. Charity is a Peace ma­ker. It suffers us not to provoke and Exasperate any, but helps to Reconcile differing parties, and to promote Unity and Concord, and as much as in us lies, to Live Peaceably with all Men. Rom. 12.18 And to that end not only to seek peace, but ensue it, 1 Pet. 3.1 [...]. And though we cannot in all points come up to an agreement with one another, yet let us agree in the main, and be perfectly united in Bro­therly Affection. Let all Names and Titles of Reproach be [...]id aside, and let us Embrace one a­nother as Christians & Brethren, and as Members of the same Mystical Body whereof Christ is the Head. Is it not sad and Deplorable that some who call themselves Christians, & would be Ac­counted such, have a greater Antipat [...]y to one a­nother than they have to Jews or Turks, or mere Infidels? So it is, all but those of their own par­ticular perswasion and humour are Barbarians in their esteem. But let us consider how shameful [Page 254] and scandalous this practice is: and let us attend to St. Johns reasoning, 1 John 4.11. If God so Lo­ved us (so signally as to send us his Son, which he mentioned in the foregoing verse) we ought al­so to love another. If our Blessed Lord came in­to the World with a message of Peace and Love to mankind, we are necessarily obliged to shew an universal Love and good will to one another, and to lay aside all Hatred and Discord. Let it then be known whose Disciples we are by our strong Inclinations to Peace and Amity, and by our zea­lous indeavours after them. And to Encourage us to this, let us be sensible that Envying and Strife and Divisions are a sign of mens being Carnal, 1 Cor. 3 3. But Entire Love and Peace are marks of a Spiritual, Divine and Heavenly temper.

§ 18. Under this head of Peacea­ble Charity I will add a few words concerning going to Law. Of Law Suits. This without doubt is not Sinful and Unlawful in it self, which is evident from this one Consideration, that the Office of Judges and Magistrates is allow­ed of by God in the Holy Scriptures. Where­fore when we are wrong'd and Injur'd, we may Justly and according to the Rules or Christianity secure our Rights and Properties by Appealing to the Law, and by having our Case tr [...] in some Court of Judicature. But then, we must Remem­ber to follow these Directions, we must observe the Wise mans advice, Prov. 3 30. Strive not with a man without cause, that is, without a just and Lawful cause, and such as is necessary and ur­gent. Therefore those are to be blamed who con­tend with their Neighbours for every little trifling [Page 255] matter. Or, if the quarrel be about something of Weight & Importance, yet we must take care that we first Debate the Cause between our selves and indeavour with the Assistance of our Friends to put an end to the Controversy. But if at last we are forced to Repair to a Publick Court of Justice, let us lay aside all Hatred, Spight and Malice, and let us not design and purpose the Ruine of our Adver­sary as some are wont to threaten. We must not do any thing out of a Principle of Revenge, or with a Love of Contention, merely to vex and Trouble others with Law suits; as is the practice of too many, who delight to grieve. Disturb and molest their Neighbours, and to make their Lives unquiet and uncomfortable. Whosoever thus goes to Law, offends in a high manner against the Rules of Charity and Christian Peaceableness.

§. 19. II. As Charity is Peaceable, so it is Humble. And our Humility to­wards our Brethren will cause us to comply with such Apostolical Injunctions as these, Charity begets Humility. Submit your selves one to another in the fear of God, Eph. 5.21. that is, chearfully and humbly perform those mutual Duties one to another, which belong to you according to your different Places & Stations. Honour all Men, 1 Pet 2.17. that is, give that respect which is due to them according to their Condition; but despise not any one because he is inferiour to you Vilifie and scornment, though they be of never so mean quality. Listen to the Judgment and and Advice of others, acknowledge what is worthy in them; own & esteem the Worth and Gifts the Graces and spiritual Attainments of your Brethren, Mind not high things, but [Page 256] condescend to men of low estate, Rom. 12.16. that is, be willing to stoop to the meanest Offices and Employments, to do them good In honour prefer one another, Rom. 12.10. that is, strive who shall shew most Christian respect & kindness to each other. And St. Peter hath summed up all in that comprehensive Exhortation, All of you be subject one to another, and be cloathed with Humility, 1 Pet. 5.5. And that you may be so, set the Example of Christ Jesus before your Eyes, for he came to teach us this Grace especially; and he taught it effectually by his own Practice; for never was there such Humility as his. There­fore let us endeavour to tread in the steps of our Blessed Lord and Master, who was the great Pat­tern of Condescention, and had us learn of him, for he was meek and lowly in heart. If you have a true Christian Love to your Brethren, this lowly Spirit will shew it self in a humble Behaviour towards them: For that Humility towards them, which is required of you, is founded in Brotherly Love and Charity.

§. 20. III. Charity is careful not to give Offence to others. It avoids gi­ving Offence. If we be inspir'd with this noble Principle, we shall be sollicitous not to offend one of the little ones, that is, those of our Brethren that seem most mean and incon­siderable, Luke 17.2. We shall according to the Apostle's Direction, not do any thing whereby our Brother may bave occasion to stumble, or to be offended, or to be made weak, Rom. 14.21. The meaning of which is, that we are to have re­gard to other Mens Consciences as well as our own; we must not be any ways instrumental to­wards [Page 257] others into falling into Sin, no not by Matters indifferent in themselves. Out of a charitable co [...]descention to our scrupulous and weak Brother, we must not use the Liberty which otherwise we might. This is the Sense of the Apostle in 1 Cor. 10, 23. All things are lawful for me, but all things edifie not. There are some things that a Men may lawfully do as to himself, but he can't with a good Conscience do them in respect of o­thers, because they will be scandalized at it. In a case where I am at Liberty to do or not to do a thing, if I see that by doing it I shall offend my Brother, I am to restrain my Liberty: For I must consult the good and edification of others as well as my own satisfaction; & consequently in things of an indifferent nature, I ought not to indulge too great a freedom and latitude. I am to be so self-denying and circumspect in my Life, as not to administer any ground of Scandal, or to coun­tenance or strengthen any Persons in that which hath the least appearance of Evil. This is the work of true Evangelical Charity.

§. 21. IV. It conceals the Faults of o­thers. It conceals the Faults of others. Which is the meaning of St. Peter, Epist. 1. ch. 4 ver 8. Charity shall cover the multitude of Sins. It will be so far from laying open the Fallings and Infirmities of others (which is the common practice of the busie and prying World) that it rather hides them. If brotherly Love Reigns in Mens Breasts, they are most wil­ling and forward to put the best construct [...] up­on others Actions, to interpret them i [...] the most favourable Sense, to mitigate rather than a [...] [...]a­vate their Follies, to cast a Veil over their Na [...] ­ness [Page 258] rather than [...]ver it, as Constantine the Great was wont to say, If he saw an Ecclesiastical Per­son offending, he would throw his Robes over him, and conceal his Faults.

§. 22. V. Another act of Cha­rity is forgiving our Brethren, It forgives Offences. pas­sing by their Offences against us, up­on their Acknowledgment and Sor­row for them. Be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, Eph. 4.32 Where there is Brotherly kindness & tender heartedness, there will be a forgiving of the Failings of others; especially seeing it is a sign of our Love to God, and of our sense of his Love to us, for we are en­join'd to forgive one another, as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us, Eph. 4.30. And the forgi­ving of those that Trespass against us is made the condition of our being forgiven by God, in the last Petition but one in the Lord's Prayer. There is no Man then can pretend to that Brotherly Love and Charity which the Gospel requires, if he be failing in this particular.

§. 23. VI. Charity proceeds yet further, It teaches us to return good for evil. and teaches us to re­turn Good for Evil. Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you, Mat. 5.44. And St. Paul enlarges upon this Doctrine of our Saviour, Rom. 12.19, 20, 21. Avenge not your selves, but rather give place unto wrath; submit to the bearing of more Abuses and great­er Injuries, rather than attempt to right our selves on an unlawful manner. If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: he not [Page 259] overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Requite good for evil, and conquer your Enemies by Kindness and Patience. And 'tis observable, that when St. Peter exhorts us to have compassion one of another, and to love as Brethren, he im­mediately adds this, as the natural result of it. Render not evil for evil, or railing for railing, but contrariwise, blessing, 1 Pet. 3.8, 9. Shew that you are real Masters of Christian Love and Charity by complying with this great Precept of the Gospel, viz. of loving all Men, even our Ene­mies and returning to them Kindness for their ill Will.

§. 24. Lastly, It excites to universal Be­nevolence & Kindness. To comprehend all in few words, Charity bids us undertake & perform what we can for the Benefit of Mankind. As Love worketh no ill to its Neigh­bour, Rom. 13.10. so it doth all the good it can to him. In our whole converse in the World, in every Capacity and Station we are placed in, we must be mindful of that excellent Advice, By Love serve one another, Gal. 5.13. Let your Love be seen to be an effectual and powerful Principle, by making you actually serviceable for the good and advantage of your Brethren.

§. 25. And this concerns you the rather, be­cause of the deplorable Practice of Men in this Age we live in. An inhumane Self-Love hath invaded their Minds, and influences all their Acti­ons. They are not in the least concern'd for others, they live as if they had no duty to perform tow­ard their Brethren. Nay, which is much worse, their Lives tell the World that they think they may deal as injuriously with their Neighbours as [Page 260] they please. It is high time therefore for you to give good Example to an evil World, and to be useful in checking the growing Evils that attend the almost universal Deficiency of Charity. Our Saviour's Prediction being now fulfilled, That the Love of many shall wax cold, you must besti [...] your selves, and endeavour to bring Heat & Life into them again by your exemplary Love and Charity. Your nobler Fire may warm others, and kindle those Flames in their Breasts which are so much wanting there. It is to be hoped that others will fall in Love with Charity, by see­ing it shine so beautifully in you. At least you may upbraid their hard-heartedness by your Com­passion and Christian Commiseration. You may expose unmerciful Men to Shame by your readi­ness to do all Offices of Love to your Brethren: You will condemn their cursed Baseness by your Swe [...]ness and Generosity.

§. 26. You may more particularly be exci­ted to the Love of your Neighbours, and to works of Charity towards them, from the consideration of the Worth and Excellency of this performance There is nothing so amiable and graceful in the Life of Man, as the prudent exercise of this Ver­tue, nothing renders him so useful and beneficial, especially if you take it in its full extent. This conciliates him Respects, and causes him to be be­loved; but without this a Man is a mischievous Creature, a kind of noxious Vermine, & deserves to be loathed and abhorred. Let then the Beau­ty and Excellency of this Grace prevail with you, and move you to listen to those Exhortations, Above all things have fervent Charity among your selves, 1 Pet. 4.8. Above all things put on [Page 261] Charity, Col. 3.14. Which seems to be a man­ner of Expression taken from Cloaths & Apparel, no unusual Metaphor with the Sacred Writers. Charity is that excellent rich Upper-Garment, which is to be worn over or above all the rest, that is, all other Vertues and Graces. It is (as this sort of Garments is) the biggest and widest, it is a Grace of a large extent, & encompasses all the others. My Faith & Hope do my self good, but my Charity doth good to others, Thus the transcendent Worth of this Grace may commend it to us.

§. 27. If you want any farther Incitement to this Duty, consider not only the great Excellency but Necessity of it. It is no arbitrary Thing, and left to our determination whether we will observe it or no, but it is absolutely requisite, & is indeed one of the greatest Acts of Justice that we can perform. Towards the proving of which it is re­markable that Mercy or Beneficence to the Poor is usually call'd by the Hebrew Writers, Justice or Righteousness: and accordingly in the Stile of Scripture it is to be observ'd, that Righteousness & Mercifulness are words sometimes of the same sig­nification. Thus of the Godly man, David saith, He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor, his Righteousness endureth for ever. Psal. 112.9. The Connection of which Clauses shews that Charity is meant by Righteousness. And so the word is taken in Prov. 11.18, To him that soweth Righte­ousness (that is, to him that is Merciful, and dis­penseth, is Alms to the needy) shall be a sure Re­ward. And the same Judgment you may make of those words, Dan. 4.27. Break off thy sins by Righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing [Page 262] Mercy to the Poor: Where the latter Clause ex­plains the meaning of the former. So Joseph, the Virgin Mary's supposed Husband, is called a Just Man, Mat. 1.19. that is, a good, kind & charita­ble Man, as appears from the subject Matter in that place. And in Mat. 6.1. according to some Copies, Righteousness is put for Alms deeds, af­ter the usual manner and stile of the Jews.

§. 28. And this interchanging of the Words is founded on the thing it self, for Justice or Righ­teousness is a part of Charity, as appears from this, that if we act injuriously toward others, we are uncharitable to them: If we grind the Faces of the Poor, and wrong the Fatherless & Widows, nay, if we deny them convenient Relief, no Man will say we are Charitable, for Injustice is a noto­rious Breach of Charity; and therefore it follows on the contrary, that we shew our selves Chari­table in doing the Poor Right, and in being Just to them.

§. 29. And further, it is manifest also, that Charity is built upon Justice, because whilst we shew our selves Charitable and Merciful to our Brethren, we do but give them what is their due, and what is indeed their own. This Solomon was fully perswaded of when he gave us that Lesson, Prov. 3 27. (with reference to the Poor and Needy, as the next Verse makes it evident) With­hold not good (that is, Relief or Charity) from them to whom it is due, The Poor are those to whom our Alms are due: Charity to them is a Debt, and when we supply their Necessities, we may truly be said to pay our Debts. But there is yet a higher sense of this Passage of the Wise Man, as we render it strictly according to the Original, [Page 263] which must be thus, Withhold not good from the Owners or Masters thereof, as if he had said, Keep not back your Alms from those who have so just a Right & Title to them, that they may be said to be Masters & Lords of them, whereas you that are Rich are only Dispensers of them. Which is agreeable to the Language of St. Peter, who lets us know that we are but Stewards of those Gifts and good Things which we have received from God, 1 Pet. 4.10. and consequently we are ob­liged to distribute them according to our Master's direction. We are but Receivers and Trustees for the Poor, & therefore we must dispose of those Portions of our Riches to them which were de­signed for their use, & of which they may be said to be Owners and Proprietors. If we fail here, we are unjust Stewards, and we detain that which is anothers due.

§ 30. That is a remarkable Injunction of St. Paul, Rom 13.8. Owe no Man any thing, saith he, but to love one another: Intimating to us that Brotherly Love and Charity is a just Debt which we must ever be paying, and yet always owing. For we have every day fresh obligations on us to discharge this Duty. Our Nature and our Reli­gion, and our Brother's Wants have laid it upon us, and so it becomes necessary and indispensable. Let this consideration then stir us up to do good to our distressed Brethren: Let us remember that they ought to have a share in our Goods; & that to deny them is defrauding them of their Right; it is downright Theft and Robbery. For Justice and Charity are nearly allied, and partake of one another: and both of them together express to us [Page 264] all our Duty that is required of us toward others.

CHAP. XIV.

§. 1. THE Third and Last Branch of the Christian Religion, as it respects our Practice, is our more especial Duty toward God. For though all those Duties of Christianity before-named have relation unto Him (it being impos­sible there should be any acts of Religion with­out it) yet this which I am now to speak of hath a more immediate and direct regard to Him, and therefore from the speciality of its Object it is called Godliness, to distinguish it from the other [Page 265] two Branches of Practical Religion already treat­ed of. And truly This is the noblest and most exalted part of Religion, because thereby we so nearly and intimately converse with God. Whereas, on the contrary, Ungodliness and Pro­phaneness are the most elevated Crimes, and the blackest Imputation that any Man can be charged with, because hereby we wilfully alienate our selves from God, and are Strangers to all Com­munion with him. What the nature of this part of Religion is, and wherein it consists, I will distinctly shew you in these following Particulars.

§. 2. I. It requires of us to acknowledge God and his Pro­vidence in the Universe, Of Godliness, and wherein it consists. and to live in a constant sense of them. If you be truly Godly, you will every where observe the Foot­steps of the Divine Being and his Conduct, Acknowledge­ment of God and his Pro­dence. the traces of which are all the World over. These you will plainly discern in all the pub­lick Transactions of Kingdoms, and Nations, and Churches, in the [...] and Occurrences that Fa­milies are subject to, and in all your personal Concerns: Through the World hath very great numbers of Men at this day who in this respect may be said to [...] without God in the World, a cursed Race of Man, whose converse you must abhor and detest. But it is not enough that you entertain in your Minds the Doctrine of a Divine Being and [...], as it is barely a Principle (under w [...] N [...] I spake of it before) but your whole [...] be spent in a deep & sensi­ble Admiraties of this Sovereign and Divine Ad­ministration [Page 266] which you are convinced of. You must own it to be a great ease and satisfaction to your Minds, to consider that the All-wise Creator concerns himself with the World, that it is filled with his Presence, and govern'd by his Care, and that nothing comes to pass without his disposal. This is the first part of our immediate Duty to­wards the most High, and it is the Foundation of all the rest that I shall name.

§. 3. II. Just thoughts concerning God. It is contain'd in our immediate Duty toward God, that our Thoughts be employ'd in the Contemplation of him. We must fre­quently represent his Excellencies to our Minds, and possess our Hearts with such high & worthy Conceptions of him as these, namely, that he is infinitely Powerful, Just, Wise and Good, that all his ways are holy, and that he can do nothing a­miss, and that we ought to acquiesce in his Word and Works as most Reasonable and Righteous. But because his ways are not like Man's ways, but are in many things unsearchable & past find­ing out, therefore we must not too boldly pry into them, and call them into question. When we think of God, we must lay aside all audacious Curiosity, as becometh poor weak Creatures who are not able to comprehend an Infinite Being. Such Thoughts and Resolves are necessary in order to the right discharging of our Duty toward God. We must not only acquaint our selves with his manifold Perfections, which was the Subject of the First Part of this Treatise, but (which is the thing that I now urge) we ought to call them to mind frequently, to revolve them in our Thoughts, constantly to meditate upon them, and regulate [Page 267] our Lives by them. This is matter of Practice.

§. 4. III. Godliness requires that we shew a Reverence to the Supreme Being in our Words and Speeches. Express Re­verence to his Name and Being. As the Mind and Thoughts, so the Tongue must be concerned in our Duty towards God. There must be no irreverend and undecent mentioning of his Name, no Presumptuous and rude Language concerning spiritual Mysteries; no vain, light and foolish Words concerning Things that have relation to Religion; no treating the Holy Scriptures with Disrespect and Irreverenec; no wresting and distorting of them; no speaking Irreligiously concerning any of God's Works; no prophane and blasphemous Expressions; nor any Words that are derogatory to God's Honour: for all this is taking the Name of the Lord God in vain, which is absolutely forbidden.

§. 5. Again, all unlawful & prophane Swear­ing, and even the use of vain and sight Oaths are to be detested and shun'd as another Instance of Ungodliness in Words. A Modern Author tells us, That this wicked Interjection of Speech is so much practised & approved of, that some Masters of Language in France make it their Third Les­son to their Scholars, to get by heart so many Oaths, old & new. One would think that England (as well as our Neighbouring Country) had some of these Tutours, were it not that we find many so ready to Swear, that they need not be taught. The Streets and Markets, and pub­lick Houses, & Places of Converse, Ungodliness of Prophane Swearing. and even private Dwellings, and A­partments testifie the Truth of this, [Page 268] and bear witness to the common Guilt which is now grown so crying, and, if not speedily suppressed, will bring down Judgments on this Nation of a very high quality. For cer­tainly it is the most unreasonable thing imaginable that poor dependent Creatures, who cannnot sub­sist one moment without the special support and immediate influence of the Almighty, should dare to prophane his Holy Name by rash and impious Oaths: This is one of the most unaccountable and strange Enormities that the Inhabitants of a Land can be guilty of, and therefore, if it be persisted in, it will meet with some strange and unusual Punishment.

Perjury.§. 6. With this may be joined all False and Deceitful Swearing, which is generally known by the Name of Perjury, and is too frequent a practice in these days. But it is a direct Violation of that Divine Law, Thou shall not for swear thy self, Mat. 5 33. and is the Root of infinite Mischief in the World. And here I will also mention that Hellish Practice which so much prevails amonst us, namely, the u­sing of God's Name in Cursing & Ex­ecrations. Cursing. We daily hear Men crying out to Heaven to inflict the greatest of Plagues and Judgments not only on others, but up­on themselves. Is it not most amazing and pro­digious that in a Civilized Nation, professing Re­ligion, there should be Persons who every Mi­nute call on God to Damn them? All these Acts of Ungodliness we are perfectly to abhor and a­void, & to do what we can to prevent the spread­ing of them.

[Page 269]§. 7. More especially as to the Sin of Com­mon and Prophane Swearing (which prevails so much every where at this day) Remedies a­gainst prophane Swearing. be careful to secure your selves from the Commission of it by such helps and means as these, First, Check your selves at the first Tendencies to this Sin. The neglecting of this hath proved very pernicious to many Persons: they instead of stifling and suppressing their Incli­nations to this vice, give way to it, and so it grows up into a Habit and Custom, which they can never afterwards master. And they generally are so free as to own this, that by a Continued Practice they have so fixed themselves in this way, that they can't rid themselves of it: though they are not so Ingenuous as to confess that this Excuse adds to their fault. Wherefore be careful to use an early Discipline upon your selves; resist this sin betimes, and you will get the conquest of it.

§. 8. Secondly, Avoid all the Occasions of Swearing. Among which Anger & Passion may be mentioned in the first place, for it is evident that those who are of a Wrathful temper are most inclinable to Rash & Prophane Swearing. Their Choler supplies them with this Hellish Rhetorick, and they never more abound with it than when they are Incensed and enraged. Therefore it is your concern to nourish Meekness and Patience, and to promote in your selves a quiet and pla­cid temper, and to banish from your breasts all undue Anger, that it may not become the fuel of this Vice.

[Page 270]§. 9. Again, Drunkenness is another Occasion of this wicked Practice, as is too frequently obser­ved. The Clubs of the Debauched and Intem­perate ring aloud with this Cursed Noise. It is as 'twere natural to those who constantly inflame themselves with Wine to be guilty of this disor­der, because then they have no guard upon their lips, & their Tongues usually are as distempered as their Brains. So that it will be absolutely re­quisite, in order to your not being liable to this fault, to abhor all Excess in Drinking, and to ad­dict your selves to Moderation and Temperance, and to keep your selves always Cool and Sober. Gaming is another Incentive to this Sin, accord­ing to that old saying, a Gamester is presumed to Curse & Blaspheme. It is an Essential part of the Character of such a man, that he is given not only to Lying, but Swearing and For-swearing. Wherefore let no Temptation prevail with you at any time to comply with this Unlawful and Scandalous practice.

§. 10. Moreover, that you may not be in­fected with this deadly Poison, carefully avoid the Company of those that are. For the Society of Swearers is Contagious, & will certainly have a Fatal influence upon you if you joyn your selves to them. Therefore firmly resolve to keep always at a distance from them, and never to have Com­munion with any that are addicted to this Pro­phaness. Lastly, let me add this, be careful that you rehearse not other mens Oaths. This is a fault in many, who though they will seldom or never swear themselves, yet they will not refuse to repeat other mens Swearing. But this may in time prove an Occasion of Greater Evil: by ex­pressing [Page 271] the impious words of others, they may come at last to imitate them. Be very cautious then in this particular: be not easily induced to pronounce expressions that were evil in the first uttering; especially if they be Oaths, take them not into your mouths: for whilst you Repeat and Recite others unnecessary & prophane Swearing, you make it your own, and will in time learn to do the same.

§. 11. Thus you see what Ungodliness is as it hath reference to our words and Speeches: and I need not add that it is our Indispensable Duty to Hate and Shun every part of it. Nor is this enough, for we are to promote the opposite prac­tices both in our selves and others. We must not only never venture to be so impious as to invoke the Sacred Name of the most High in prophane Wishes and Execrations, but we are to observe that injunction of the Apostle, Bless and Curse not, Rom. 12.14. We must not only hate all Rash and vain Swearing in common discourse and ordinary Communication, which is the fashiona­ble vice of this prophane Age; but whenever we have a lawful call to swear before a Magistrate, we must be very careful to swear in Truth, in Judgment, and in Righteousness, Jer. 4.2. Of taking a solemn Oath. The taking of an Oath ought to be a matter of Consci­ence with us, and not to be done out of Custom or ill Design.

§. 12. Also, Keeping of Vows and Oaths. we must be consci­entious in keeping our Oaths which we Lawfully make with Relation to others, & likewise those Solemn Vows which we at any time make to God of a [Page 272] Religious and Holy Life, whereby we oblige our selves in a most Sacred manner to adhere to God and our Duty, and especially to some particular part of it. As the making of these Vows to God is a great help to Godliness, so it is a part of it, and is due from us to God, when there is occasion for it. When we find our selves very much en­clined to shrink from our duty, we are to make use of this as a Remedy against our Inconstancy; we are by this means to settle and establish our selves in the practice of Holiness, for it will be of great advantage to us to tye our selves by a Sa­cred promise in the presence of God to undertake and perform this or that particular Duty, or to forsake this or that vice. For this we have the Example of the holiest men: thus Job made a Covenant with his Eyes, Job. 31.1. That is, he bound himself by a Solemn Engagement & Vow before God not to offend with his Bodily sight. I have sworn, saith the pious Psalmist, that I will keep thy Righteous Judgments, Ps. 119.106. He calls it Swearing because there is a Solemn calling of God to witness in this Act of Religion, and therefore so far it is of the nature of an Oath. We must be exceeding careful that we Live and Act according to the tenour of these Solemn Pro­testations and Vows; or else we Increase our guilt by the breach of them Wherefore let us take up that resolution in Psal 66.14 I will pay thee my vows which my lips have uttered. And so as to all other Sacred Engagements and Oaths we must Remember to keep them as Religiously as we made them. Thou shalt perform unto the Lord thy Oaths, Mat. 5.33 And if we observe not this, we Dishonour & Prophane God's name [Page 273] and wound our Consciences by our Oaths & Vows. The short is, we are bound to make use of God's Name, and to mention his word and works, and all that belongs to him with Holy Fear and Re­verence: Religion must sanctify and govern our Tongues: and all our Words should savour of Pi­ety and Godliness. I proceed to other Acts of Godliness, and those that are more Spiritual and sublime, as

§. 13. IV. Faith, Of Faith its nature & Acts. which is indeed the Root of all Godliness, and without which no man can please God. By this we firmly assent to all the Truths that appertain to our Religion, and espe­cially all the Doctrines of the Gospel, be they ne­ver so difficult, and to humane reason impossible. For Faith doth not enquire whether they be hard to be assented to, but whether they be Asserted and delivered by God himself; and being perswa­ded of this, it readily believes them to be true; because the Testimony of God is Infallible, and therefore commands our Assent. An other act of Gospel Faith is an hearty Approving of the Truths of the Gospel, for it is an Act of the Will, as well as of the Understanding. Faith is therefore a sincere Accepting of Christ in that manner as he offer'd in the Gospel, and as he hath shewed himself in his distinct Offices of King, Priest, and Prophet. In true and saving Faith is included a voluntary submitting to all the Laws and Precepts of Christianity, and shewing our readiness to practice them. Thus Evangelical Faith doth not only denote our Assenting to the Doctrines of the Gospel, but our hearty Allowing and Approving of them. We not only believe [Page 274] them as True, but embrace them as Good, and worthy to be received by us.

§. 14. Both these are comprehended in that excellent definition of Faith which the Apostle gives us in Heb 11.1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen. Where by the things not seen are meant all those Spiritual and Divine things which are Revealed and Discovered to us by God, and which the Sa­cred Writings treat of. These are invisible, and fall not under the Cognizance of Sense, but they are the greatest Realities that can be, and it is by Faith that they are made so to us: for though these Heavenly things are at a distance from us whilst we are here below, yet Faith brings them near to us: and as [...]or the more perfect fruition of them hereafter, this makes us as sure of it as if we Actually enjoyed them. Thus it is the evidence of things not seen. And by m [...]a [...]s of this Grace we hav [...] an inward Tast & Conviction of the real worth, Goodness and Excellency that are in these things, so that whilst to others they are but mere Notions and Words, and afford them only mat­ter o [...] Speculation, or serve them to talk of, we have by Faith a sense and seeing of these things, for which reason this Grace is called the substance of them.

§. 15 Another Act of saving Faith is Trust­ing in God, and [...] m [...]y relying on him for the good things of his world, and of another. Trust in God at all times Psal. 62.8. Cast thy burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain thee, Psal. 55.22 If thy burden be to be [...] canst not bear it, thou art hid to throw it of upon the Al­mighty, viz. by Faith and Trust in him. Cast all [Page 275] your care upon him, for he careth for you, 1 Pet. 5.7. It is the proper Office of this Divine Vertue to ease us of all our immoderate and unnecessary Care about the things of this World, to cure us of all anxious and sollicitous Thoughts, which prove so uneasie to the Mind. That advice of our Blessed Saviour, Let not your hearts be trou­bled: ye believe in God, believe also in me, John 14 1. shews plainly that it is the work of Faith to remove the Troubles and Cares that lie heavy on our Hearts: which it doth by letting us see that these are unworthy of a Christian, who lives every moment on the allowance of Heaven, and owes his subsistence to him who hath promised to withheld no good thing from those that walk uprightly and w [...]o [...]ath assured them that if they seek first the Kingdom of God and his Righte­ousness, all N [...]cessaries & Conveniencies shall be added unto them. So that it must needs be very unreasonable, as well as unchristian, to distrust God, and to disturb our selves about the Affairs of the World.

§. 16. But the Faith of a Christian is most eminently discovered in his trusting and relying on God for Salvation and Eternal Happiness. And because these are wrought for us by the mer­ciful Undertakings of Je [...]us Christ, the only be­gotten Son of God, therefore He is the most pro­per & peculiar O [...]ect of our Faith. And that is the reason why it [...] Faith toward our Lord Jesus Chri [...]t [...] namely, because a firm Trusting o [...] [...] for Redemption & Salvation is absolutely and [...] re [...]uired of all true B [...]liever [...], & con­ [...] in this [...] your, [...] a shame­ful [Page 276] and an accursed Death to save us from eternal Death and Destruction. Though we were born Children of Wrath and Enemies of God, yet by Him we are reconciled, & made the Sons of God, and Heirs of everlasting Glory. Here, here is the stable Basis, and the immoveable Foundation of our Blessedness, & therefore on this we must rest and rely, otherwise we can't be reckon'd in the number of the Faithful. Here we must fix and place our Trust, viz. in Christ Jesus, the only Author of our Salvation and Happiness. Seeing we can do nothing that will be acceptable without the Merits of this our Blessed Surety and Under­taker, let us not rest on any of our most religious Performances, but have recourse to his All-suffi­cient Righteousness, and his meritorious Death and Sufferings. For the sake of these alone we can find acceptance with the Father, and obtain the Pardon of our Sins: and it is by Faith alone that the vertue of these is applied to us. Where­fore let us exert this Grace with great Vigour, and lay hold with this Hand on our Blessed Lord; that so (as the Apostle speaks) Christ may dwell in our Hearts (that is, live and operate in us) by Faith. Eph. 3 17. by our continual exercising it upon him, he being the most immediate & spe­cial Object of this Grace.

Hope.§. 17. V. Another immediate Duty owing unto God is Hope, which is there­fore stiled hope towards God, Act. 24.15. By vertue of this Endowment a Godly Man is filled with comfortable expectations of Good even in the midst of those Evils which surround him: he desponds not of God's favour to him though he feels the smart of his severest Rod. Yea, the [Page 277] more he find himself destitute of worldly helps, with the stronger confidence doth he wait upon the Great Jehovah. In his most pressing Streights and Difficulties he can in the Holy Psalmists Lan­guage expostulate thus with himself, Why art thou cast down, O my Soul, & why art thou so disqui­eted within me? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my Counte­nance & my God. But the more especial Object of our Hope, as we are Christians, is the Lord Je­sus, who for that reason is called our Hope, 1 Tim. 1. for his Merits are the only ground we have to expect Salvation. Because of the infinite value and worth of his Righteousness we may entertain sure hopes of Mercy and Favour with God. And all the precious Promises of the Gospel were made to this very end, namely, to get & strengthen this comfortable Grace in us. These are that strong Consolation the Apostle speaks of, which he calls the Hope set before us, Heb. 6.18. Which Hope, he saith, we have as an Anchor of the Soul both sure & stedfast, v.19. This is that Anchor which will never fail us, but hold us steady, and keep us safe, against all the Storms of Temptations. Where­fore having such a strong support for our Hope, let us rely upon the Mercy of God through Jesus Christ, & let us look & wait for the Eternal Re­compenses & Rewards of another World; for if we be genuine Christians, we are begotten again unto a lively Hope, 1 Pet 1 3. that is (as the A­postle explains it in the next Verse) to the hope of an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for us.

§. 18. The two Oposites or Extreams of [Page 278] Hope are Presumption on the one Hand, & Despair on the other: Presumption. and we must carefully aaoid them both. The former of these is exercising of Hope where there is no ground for it: As when Men hope for God's Blessing in this World, and Life and Salvation in the other, and yet continue in their Sins & never think of obeying the Laws and Precepts which Christ hath enjoined. They sooth & flatter them­selves with the Thoughts of God's Mercy; but never consider that he is Just as well as Merciful. This is no other than an abusing of the Divine Goodness and Mercy, and making it administer to Security & Licentiousness. But we must not forget this, That the Hope I'm speaking of is a purifying Hope, 1 John 3.3. The Apostle tells the Hebrews that they must shew diligence to the full assurance of Hope unto the end, Heb. 6.11. That is, they must persevere in a diligent dis­charge of their Duty, if they desire to be fully. confirmed in their Hope of future Blessedness. If we cleave with full purpose of Heart unto God, and dedicate our Souls and Bodies, & all the Fa­culties & Powers of them, to his Glory, and if in the whole course of our Lives we conform our selves to the Life of our Blessed Master, then, and not otherwise, we have comfortable ground for our Hope, & we may exert this Grace with great chearfulness and boldness.

Despair.§. 19. Another Extreme is Des­pair, which is a refusing to lay hold on the Mercy of God, and a neglect­ing of those Things that may make us capable, on our part, of the Favour of God. So that it ap­pears to be a very great Sin, in as much as it is a [Page 279] wronging of God's Mercy, and a w [...] neglect of our Duty. Wherefore, to prevent or cure this black and horrid Sin, we must faithfully and im­partially represent to our selves the merciful and loving Nature of God, and the matchless Love and Compassion of Christ Jesus who came down from Heaven on purpose to save & redeem Man­kind. And hence we must ascertain our selves, That Mercy is intended for us, and that we shall be partakers of it, if it be not our own Fault. There is help laid upon one that is Mighty, one that is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him. And this compassionate Saviour invites all to come unto him that labour and are heavy laden: and he further assures us, That those that come unto him, he will in no wise cast out. Wherefore we have all the Reason and Ground imaginable to lay hold on this Merciful Jesus, and to hope in his free and infinite Good­ness to lost Sinners. We must not be too severe to our selves, when we have so Kind & Indulgent a Saviour: but we are to support our desponding Minds with this, that though we have a long time been in Rebellion against Heaven, yet, if we return by sincere Repentance, we shall be pardon'd and accepted. And that we may not in the least doubt of this, it is confirm'd to us by an Oath, As I live, saith the Lord, I have no plea­sure in the Death of the Wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, & live, Ezek. 33.11. Wherefore let us comfort our selves with these words, which are the Foundation of a strong and lively Hope.

§. 20. VI. Humility. Another Duty to­wards God is Humility. For (as [Page 280] I suggested before) there are some Graces & Du­ties that have different Aspects and Relations; they refer not only to our selves, or our Neigh­bours, but to God. The Grace I am now to speak of is of that sort, it is not only a part of our Duty to our selves and our Brethren (as I have shew'd already) but it is that disposition of Soul, and that composure of Manners which we owe to the Divine Being. Thus to be Humble is to act according to the true nature of the State and Con­dition He hath placed us in, it is to live according to that dependance which we have upon him, and that absolute Authority and Dominion which he hath over us. Humility teaches us to assent most readily to all that God saith, to acquiesce in all that he doth, & to behave our selves submissively under the Afflictions and Calamities which he thinks fit to exercise us with. All this is couch'd in those short Admonitions of St. James, Submit your selves to God, James 4.7. Humble your selves in the sight of the Lord, ver. 10. and of St. Peter, Humble your selves under the mighty hand of God, 1 Pet. 5.6. By Humility we are taught how great, how powerful, how dreadful the Divine Majesty is. All nations before him are as nothing: and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity, Isai. 40.17. And we are taught how vile, how poor, how inconsidera­ble we are, He hath made our Days as an hand breadth, and our Age is nothing before him: verily every Man at his best state is altogether vanity, Psal. 39.5. Nay, Humility gives us a sense of our Vileness, not only as we are Crea­tures, but as we are Sinners and Transgressors: It puts us upon a constant reflecting on our past [Page 281] Miscarriages in the several Stages of our Lives, and by such a sad Review of our selves we are humbled in the Dust.

§. 21. There is Humility likewise in respect of the Mercies and Blessings, the Gifts & Graces bestowed upon us by God: we are to acknow­ledge that we are beholding to Heaven for what­ever good thing we have, that we owe all to the Divine Riches and Bounty; and therefore we are to cast away all fond conceits of deserving any thing at God's hands. It becomes us humbly to confess our utter inability to merit in the least of the Almighty. Such language as that of the Psal­mist will fit our mouths, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name be the praise. What­ever we have or hope for is not the Fruit of our deservings, but of God's free Bounty. Our pre­sent measures of Grace and our expectation of a future felicity must be reckoned as the product of the unmerited favour of our Merciful God, who out of mere compassion to mankind gave his Son to redeem them and make them happy. Hence it follows that we ought to bear down all Pride and Arrogance, and to be throughly sensi­ble of our weakness and it sufficiency, and always to distrust our selves. This is to walk humbly with God.

§. 22. VII. Patience. Patience hath Res­pect to God (as well as to men and to our selves) and consequently is a part of God­liness. It is the peculiar Office of this Christian vertue to shew it self under Afflictions and Suf­ferings, which it looks upon as the hand of God, and the dispensation of Heaven and there [...]ore bears them with a contented and quiet mind. On [Page 282] this Consideration, Aaron held his peace, when the Fiery Judgment befel his Sons; Lev. 10.3. Eli could suffer a Child to tell him his doom, and he patiently underwent it, because it was a message from Above. It is the Lord saith he, therefore let him do what seemeth him good. 1 Sam. 3.18. This made David moderate and qui­et when Shimei raved at him, the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David, 2 Sam. 16.10. And at other times he made use of this Argument under his pressing troubles and grievances. I was dumb, saith he, I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it. Psalm 39.9. And even this comfort­ed our Dear Master when he was a sufferer under Pilate, thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above. John 19.11. Learn hence how to deport your selves when the Afflicting hand of the Almighty is up­on you: be not mutinous and clamorous, be not disturbed with angry or distrustful apprehensions of Providence, but be willing to submit your selves and all your concerns to the will and dispo­sal of that Omnipotent and Wise Being that go­verns the World. Learn that excellent Lesson of turning unto him that smites you, Isa. 9.13. address your selves unto him with free acknow­ledgments of your own Guilt; and of his Justice in your Punishment.

§. 23. To further & promote your Patience under the Crosses and Troubles that befal you, it is necessary that you reflect seriously on the End and Design of God's chastising you, which is no other than to do you good, upon your improving of it. It is no small kindness that God is thus mindful of you, and vouchsafes to visit and try [Page 283] you, Job 7.18. Psalm 8.4. that he suffers you not to go on in the full career of your Sins with­out check and controul, that he is pleased to curb you for your licentious Actions. This is a signal Token of God's Goodness, & you ought to enter­tain it with a becoming Gratitude. You let the Physician and Chirurgeon, when there is occasi­on, deal roughly and severely with you, and you think you have no reason to complain of them, because they intend your Health and Recovery. And is it not as reasonable to undergo with Pati­ence what the Divine Hand lays upon you when you consider that it is for the good and welfare of your Souls? You are sick, you [...]re out of order, you are distemper'd and maim'd by your Vices: and therefore that you may be healed and resto­red, that you may be set right, and be made sound again, it is requisite that you undergo some Pain and Torment, for these are to make way for the other. Be perswaded therefore quietly to submit to the harsher Providence of God, as knowing that he would not deal thus with you, unless it were conducing to your Souls Health. He designs to amend and reform you, that you may be partakers of his Holiness, that your Af­flictions may yield the peaceable fruit of Righ­teousness, Heb. 12.10, 11. Despise not then the chastning of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked of him, Prov. 3.1 [...]. Heb. 12.5. Chear your selves on this account, that these Chastnings and Rebukes are for your real Advantage & Be­nefit. On this Consideration be prevailed with not to Murmur and Repine at Providence, but to sit down with a patient and contented Spirit, and willingly submit to the pleasure of the Al­mighty [Page 284] Governour of the World.

§. 24. Again, remember this, to support and fortify your Patience, that these Corrections are the lot of the most Holy persons, the very Fa­vourites of God. The Sacred Records acquaint us that the most Religious Men have been the greatest Sufferers, and the History of all Ages bears testimony to this. Yea, Christ Jesus him­self, the unspotted Lamb of God, was a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with Grief, he under­went all the Miseries of a poor and persecuted State, and even a violent and painful Death it self, and that with a Submission which was as great as his Sufferings. He was oppressed, & he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he was brought as a Lamb to the Slaughter, & as a Sheep b [...]fore her Shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth, Isai. 53.7. And shall not we then be silent & subm [...]ssive, we for whom Christ suffered all those things? Shall we not, like good Soldiers of J [...]sus Christ, follow our Captain and Commander? Yea, shall we not count it our Ho­nour to be made comfortable to him in his Suffer­ings? Let us then be ambitious to be like our Head, our Master & Saviour, & chearfully indure that which he hath sanctified by undergoing it. More­over, to strengthen our Patience, we ought to bear this in our Minds, that fretting and impa­tience render our Burden the more intolerable: But on the contrary, by Submission and Patience we make our Burden light. Further, that Patience may have its perfect work, let us remember that we deserve what we suffer, because by our mani­fold Sins we have provoked God to afflict us. Nay, let us consider that our Crosses and Punish­ments [Page 285] are less than our Iniquities deserve. On these several Considerations let us be well pleased with Providence under all the cross Circumstances of our Lives, and be satisfied with the good Will and Pleasure of the Supreme Lord and Disposer of all Things. Let us with meek and submissive Minds entertain the sorrowful Accidents which we are liable to in this World; let us with a quiet and sedate Spirit conform our Wills to the Will of Heaven, and wait with Christian Patience for a redress of our Evils.

CHAP. XV.

§. 1. VIII. Fear of God. FEAR is also due to God. Which we learn both from the Old Testament, Deut. 6.13. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God? & from the New, where we are exhorted to serve God with Reverence and Godly fear, Heb. 12. last ver. And this we must do as he is our Lord and Sovereign, & hath an absolute command over us, There is none lik [...] unto Th [...]e, O Lord: Thou are great, and thy Name is great in might. Who [Page 286] would not fear thee, O King of Nations? Jer. 10.6, 7. His Glorious and Divine Majesty should create in us an unspeakable awe and Reverence. Again, God is to be feared as he is Just, as he is inclined by his holy and pure Nature to punish evil Doers. Thence we hear such Language as that of the Psalmist, My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy Judgmenns Psal. 119.120. And even now under the Gospel, since there have been made by it plainer Discoveries of God's everlasting Vengeance which he will shew towards the Damned in Hell, we are to fear God as a Judge, and (as he is called by the Apostle) A consuming Fire. Our Saviour himself commands us to fear him who is able to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell, Mat. 10 28. And it is certain, that this dread & awe of the Almighty is an ex­cellent Preservative against all Sin.

Further, his Omniscience may justly create in us a holy Fear of him: He is of infinite Know­ledge, and all Things are naked and open to him, and therefore when we consider this, we can't but live under an awe of his All searching Eye, we are obliged to the practice of Holiness even in secret, and we are concerned to take care of our Thoughts and inward inclinations; for God, who sees all Things, se [...]s and knows these, as well as what is done publickly, and acted in the Face of the World. So that this holy Fear being found­ed on God's Univers [...]l Knowledge, cannot but administer to Religion, and be subservient to Piety and Holiness: It cannot but be a great excitement to an entire and sincere Obedience, and it will never suffer us to do any thing un­seemly & unworthy before him who is no Stran­ger [Page 287] to the most retired Thoughts of Mens Hearts.

Furthermore, God is to be feared as he is Good and Merciful. Which may partly be the mean­ing of the Psalmist's words, There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared, Psal. 130.4 God's Goodness and Clemency towards Sinners call for Reverence. Seeing he is so kind and in­dulgent as to pardon Mens Sins, they should be under a great dread of committing them; they should be afraid of provoking their gracious Bene­factor, and losing thereby the Benefits that accrue to them by his Favour. We are obliged to fear God as he is our Father, as well as our Judge. This Passion in us is to spring from Love; that is, we are to make it appear in the whole course of our Lives, that we are afraid of displeasing and offending him who hath been and continues to be so loving and gracious to us. This is walking in the fear of the Lord, Acts 9 31.

§. 2 IX. Our Love of God is next to be discoursed of, Love of God. for that is one of the most eminent Parts of Godliness. It is that ravishing Complacency and Satisfaction which we take in the Divine Being, whether we contemplate his Nature or his Works. The ex­cellency of his Nature, which is display'd in his Attributes and all the Perfections which belong to him, is sufficient to raise our Affections, and engage our Hearts, and k [...]ndle them into a flame of Love: For every thing in God is beautiful and Lovely, and cannot be satisfie and delight us. And he is not only Lov [...]ly in himself, but he hath given all possible demonstrations of his Love to us, which makes him yet more amini [...]e. It was [Page 288] the over flowing redundancy of his Love which brought us into being: Our first rise and existence were from the mere Goodness of God. This World was made, this mighty Fabrick was erect­ed, and Angels and Men created, that thereby the infinite Love of the Deity might be disco­vered to his Creatures, and that the free and un­forced streams of his eternal good Will might be derived to them. And we daily and hourly find that they are really derived and conveyed to us, we have constant experience of the Divine Fa­vour towards us. Every where there are Marks and Testimonies of God's Kindness to us. He hath done abundantly more for us than all our Friends & Benefactors; nay, what they have done is from Him; and by all the Indearments imagi­nable he hath invited us to love him. And shall we not love him who is the Author of our Beings, the Father of our Mercies, and the God of all our Blessings?

§. 3. But more especially he hath shewed his superlative Love and Goodness to us in the Re­stauration of Mankind, when they had plunged themselves into Ruine by their Disobedience. That the incensed Majesty of H [...]a­ven should vouchsafe to cast a gracious Eye upon Apostates and Rebels, Redemption by Christ the great­est instance of God's Love. this infinitely tran­scends all the other Acts of Goodness and must needs in­flame our hearts with Love, and call forth our warmest P [...]ssions, God so loved (so vehemently, so immensely loved) the World, that he gave his only begotten S [...]n, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting Life, Jo [...] [Page 289] 3 16. Lo! the mysterious Riches of Grace, and the unmeasurable depth of Mercy in the Redemp­tion purchased by the Son of God! He that is the Mighty God takes our Weaknesses and Infirmi­ties upon him: He that is the Brightness of his Father's Glory, and the express image of his Per­son darkens & obscures himself, and becomes of no Reputation; he that is Rich, for our sake [...] be­comes Poor, he that is Lord of all, takes upon him the form of a Servant, and is content to be Persecuted, Reviled, Buffered, Spit upon, Scour­ged, Crucified. Verily, there is no Love like unto this, and therefore let us return a Love that is according to our measure as matchless: Let us never think that we can shew too great and ardent an Affection to God the Father and his Eternal Son, for the Tokens of their infinite Good­ness to us. Let this win our hearts, that we have been so unspeakably beloved by them; for cer­tainly the most powerful Motive of Love is Love.

And that we may give an evidence to our selves, and others of Truth & Reality of our Love to God, let us shew it by such undoubted Marks as these, namely, by our hearty desiring and endeavouring to please God in all things, by our earnest striving to be like him, by our long­ing for the full Enjoyment of him, by our delight in Converse and Communion with him, by our constant thinking and speaking of him, & lastly by our obeying of his holy Laws, for this is our Saviour's Rule, If ye love me keep my Command­ments, John 14.15.

§. 4. I might add under this Head, Rejoycing in God. that Love is always attended with [Page 290] Joy: Wherefore if you love God, let not Sorrow and Pensiveness sit on your Brows; put on a joy­ful Look; Let the Light of God's Countenance add a brightness and Lustre to yours. If you are blessed with God's Favour, you have no reason to Repine and live Discontentedly. If the Lord be your Shepherd, you cannot want. Though your measure of worldly Enjoyments be but small, yet there may be a compensation for that by larger communications of inward comfort. A little of the World will content him, who hath God for his Portion. Satisfie your selves then in the En­joyment of the Chief Good, rejoice in the Lord, and Joy in the God of your Salvation. Hab. 3.18. This is no mean part of that Godly Dispo­sition and Affection which are required of us.

§. 5. X. Repentance is the next Duty, Repentance. for it is called Repentance towards God, Acts 20.21. And therefore it is necessary that we exercise it toward him, by an unfeigned Grief and Remorse for the manifold Sins committed against him, by a re­flecting on our past and present Actions with Shame and Blushes, by a serious lamenting of our former Follies, by a deep mourning for that Dis­honour which is done to God by them. For this is necessary unto Godly Sorrow that we grieve for Sin as it is a Dishonouring of the most High, as it is an opposing of Divine Soveraignty, Wis­dom, & Holiness. Yea, we must weep bitterly that we have more particularly dishonour'd, abused and injured our Lord Jesus Christ, that we have by our persisting in our Sins crucified the Son of God afresh, and trampled his Blood under our Feet. Nor is this enough, all our Sorrow and [Page 291] Compunction, all our Grief and Anguish of Spirit must spring from a hatred of Sin, and a love of Goodness; else it is not Evangelical Repentance. Nor do I mean here by Repentance only a true Mourning for our former evil Ways and our pre­sent Miscarriages, but a betaking our selves to the Practice of the contrary Duties: For compleat Repentance is a turning from Sin and Vice to all that is holy & good, Its Nature. or, as the Apostle expresses it, a turning from the power of Satan unto God, Mat. 26.18. It is a change of the Heart and of the whole Life, it is an universal Renovation of the inward and outward Man.

§. 6, Means of ob­taining true Repentance. In order to the begetting of this Repentance (both as it de­notes a Sorrow for Sin, and a For­saking of it) you must in the first place call your selves to an account, and take an impartial view of your Lives and Actions: and to that purpose draw up in Writing a Catalogue of all our particular Sins and Offences, and set it be­fore you, and ponder it with great seriousness. And that you may be throughly sensible of the E­vil and Misery which are the Fruit of your Mis­carriages, and that you may abhor your selves for them, meditate on the Sufferings of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for in them you may see the horrid Nature of all Sin, which cost him so dear to atone and expiate. If the Blood of Jesus will not fetch Tears from thine Eyes, nothing will. Here then let us fix our Thoughts, and look upon our Saviour on the Cross, and thence learn to crucifie our Sins. Let his Passion invite us to deal severely with them, let his Death prevail with us [Page 292] to mortifie our Lusts effectually, and to serve and obey him who hath bought us with his own Blood. What can be more prevalent with us than the A­gonies and Suffering of our Lord? Of all the Mo­tives and Arguments to induce us to Obedience, this is the most powerful, namely that the Son of God shed his blood for us: for now, as the Apostle argues, we are not our own, because we are bought with a price. 1 Cor. 6.19, 20. Therefore, as he adds, we must glorify God in our Bodies and in our Spirits, which are Gods. They being his, and Dedicated to his Use & Service, we must not presume to alienate them, for that is no less than Sacriledge, and a bold Robbing of God, who is their right Owner.

§. 7. And let us be further encouraged to re­pent of our sins from the consideration of the greatness of this Mercy vouchsafed to us: for under the First Covenant which was made with mankind there was no such thing as Repentance allowed. If Man fell, he was to perish & there was no provision for after-thoughts. But now under the Second Covenant, God hath declared his willingness to receive to mercy all penitent returning Sinners, through the Lord Jesus our Me­diator, in whom he is R [...]conciling the World u [...]to himself. Now he commandeth all men every where to repent, Acts 17 30. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to re­pentance, 2 Pet. 3.9 And to this end the Gos­pel is full of comfortable and gracious promises of Pardon and Forgiveness of sins through the Blood of Jesus Let it be our great care to em­brace these offers of Mercy, these tenders of Life and Salvation, for this is the true Foundation of Gospel-Repentance.

[Page 293]Moreover, to advance and set forward our Re­pentance, let us sincerely attend to and improve the several Invitations and calls to it. God calls us by his Judgments, by every sad and afflictive circumstance of our Lives. The Rod hath a voice, every punishment cries aloud to repent: where­fore let us hear the Rod, and who hath appointed it. God calls likewise by his Mercies: those are a softer and gentler voice: let us attentively listen to it, and be reformed by it. He calls to us by the Ministers of the Gospel, whom he hath sent to Preach Repentance in Christ's name Luk. 24 47. And therefore we are diligently to hearken to their earnest Admonitions & Exhortations. He calls by the various dispensations of his Providence in the world, and by all occurrences wh [...]oever, by every bill of Mortality, by every clap of Thun­der, by every Tole of a Funeral Bell, by every Sad story that we hear related, by every thing that befalls us in our Lives, by every thing that hap­pens to our selves or others. Let it be our care to make all these serviceable to our Conversion and Repentance. God calls upon us by those na­tural faculties which he hath endued our Souls with, Various calls to Repentance. and by that dominion which he hath given us over our outward man: both which kinds of powers are implanted in us on purpose that they may be made use of to the curb­ing of our Lusts & reforming of our Lives. For though we cannot infuse vertue into our Souls, yet we can restrain them in some degree from vice: though we cannot change our hearts, yet we have power to regulate our Bodies, and to order our outward Conversation & manners. Though we [Page 294] cannot render our selves inwardly holy, yet we can in some measure do the outward Acts of Re­ligion, & shun the Occasions of Sin. We cannot make out selves good, but we can hinder our be­ing extreamly bad, if we employ and improve the powers that God hath given us: which is therefore our indispensable Duty and highest In­terest.

But chiefly God calls us to Repentance by his Spirit, by the seasonable Admonitions & checks of that Holy Instructer and Monitor: wherefore let us be careful not to withstand his motions and suggestions, but most willingly to comply with them, & to imbrace all his tenders of grace. If we wilfully give a repulse to him, he may justly re­fuse to visit us again, & then our case is unspeak­ably miserable. Let us then kindly entertain and make much of this Holy Spirit: when he stirs us up to Prayer, let us cherish that good motion; when he invites us to read the word of God, let us comply with that seasonable invitation; when he calls upon us to Meditate, let us betake our selves to that employment; when he solicits us to do any other Religious action, let us be glad that we are thus moved by the Spirit of grace, who is so desirous of our Repentance & Sanctification, and conformity to the Divine will, for these are the designs of his visiting us, if we belong to the Election of Grace. And truly there cannot be a nobler one, nor can we desire any thing greater, for Holiness is the highest Exaltation of mans na­ture, this is the choisest Accomplishment we are capable of, because this renders us like unto God, and makes us partakers of the Divine nature.

[Page 295]§. 8. XI thly, and lastly, Of outward honour and worship. Piety towards God consists in paying him that Outward Honour & Worship which are due to him, & in a con­scientious use of all the Sacred Ordinances pre­scribed by him. As first, Devout Prayer, where­in we have the happy freedom of laying open our Sins by humble Confession. Of Prayer. We must acknowledge all our offences without the least Extenuating and Excusing of them, if we hope for Pardon and Forgiveness. Confession. We must own our Debts, if we will have them Cancelled: we must discover our Diseases & ma­ladies if we expect to have them cured. This is the Law of the Old & New Testament: he that cover­eth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confes­seth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Prov. 28 13. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, & to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1.9. And besides that this is a condition of Pardon, it is also a great Preservative against sin for the future, for by Con­fessing our Transgressions & Lamenting them be­fore God, we possess our minds with an aversion to them, & declare our resolves & purposes never to commit the like again. On which account this part of Prayer cannot but be very useful and ad­vantageous to us.

§. 9. Petition and Intercession. Next follows Petition or Supplication, which is a begging of God those Mercies & Blessings which we stand in need of. With which may be joyned Intercession, which is requesting the like favours for others, according as their wants & oc­casions [Page 296] are. The greatest and choisest of all Bles­sings are those that relate to our souls, and there­fore we are to beseech the Divine goodness to be­stow these upon us in the first place. If any of us lack wisdom, or any other Spiritual good thing, let us ask it of God, James 1.5. for that is the only way to obtain it. Since the universal cor­ruption of mankind, whereby we are all by na­ture in a state of sin, we cannot get out of this mi­sery of our selves: there is an utter inability to be freed from it without Divine help. Regene­ration and the Divine Life are the immediate work of a Supernatural power. No man was e­ver called off from his depraved and corrupt tem­per, and from his former wicked life but by [...] Heavenly voice. No man was ever converted by his own strength, no man can walk acceptably be­fore God, and discharge the Duties [...] Religion in a right manner by his natural power. This must be effected entirely by the operation of the Holy Ghost. We must be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, Deut. 33.27. Which shows how necessary a duty it is to pray and beg with all earnestness for the divine strength & as­sistance. We must implore the Holy Spirit, the Author of all grace, to enlighten our dark minds, to rectify our stubborn wills, and to order our Affections and actions aright towards God. We must be continually supplicating the Almighty to prevent and follow us with his omnipotent grace, and to enable us to yield entire obedience to him, and to persevere in holiness to the end of our lives.

And as we must thus petition for Spiritual mer­cies, 'tis sitting we should not forget to ask bodi­ly [Page 297] & outward ones of the same bountiful Father. From him are Life & Health, from him is peace, from him is plenty, and from him all other ne­cessaries and conveniences of this life, which are summed up in the Fourth Petition of that Pray­er which our Lord hath taught us, Give us this day our daily Bread. Whence we learn that all Temporal and Bodily blessings are to be sought for by devout and earnest prayer.

§. 10. Thanksgiving. And when we have obtained them, we are to return Thanks for them, for we find that is to be added to Supplication, Phil. 4.6. As we are daily receiving outward and Temporal good things from our gracious Benefactor so we must extol his bounty and munificence towards us, we must Thankfully acknowledge with the Psalmist that he hath prepared a Table before us, that he hath anointed our heads with oil, and that our cup runneth over, Psalm 23.5. Yea, if we have but a competent & moderate allowance of Earth­ly conveniences, we are to praise God for them, for it is the result of his Infinite Goodness that we have any of the least portions of these Accommo­dations, seeing we have so often forfeited them by our unworthy behaviour: and if he shall be plea­sed to deprive us of these, and to exercise us with his severest Corrections and Chastisements, we are then to Praise & Bless his holy name, for (as I have shewed before) there is a design of Mercy even in these.

But our greatest Thanks and Praises are due for the Spiritual Favours and Blessings we are sharers in; we are to Laud and Magnify the Eternal Fa­ther that he was pleased to send his Son for the [Page 298] Redemption and Salvation of lost Sinners, that he so graciously shewed kindness unto fallen Man, whereas the Apostate Angels (whose number per­haps is not fewer than that of Men) were irreco­verably lost. Christ Jesus took not on him the nature of Angels, Heb. 2.16. He came not to save them, but he let them sink into Eternal ruine and perdition. He dealt not so with lost Men, but condescended to take on him the seed of A­braham, as the same Inspired Author speaks, he mercifully restored his Chosen to their former happiness, yea to a much greater then they had before. Our Merciful God hath not only forgiven us our old debts which we contracted when we were all bankrupts in Adam, but he hath set us up again with a better stock, and bestowed new favours upon us. Wherefore in our daily addres­ses to him let us let forth his praises, and Com­memorate the Blessings which his Son hath pur­chased for us, and let us heartily Extol and Mag­nify the whole Glorious Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Three distinct Persons, but one ever glorious Lord God, for the gracious discoveries of their good will to mankind, for all the several ways & methods of procuring our happiness, and of assuring a lasting kindness to us. Thus we are to be concerned in the different parts & branches of Prayer, viz. Confession, Petition, and Thanks­giving.

§ 11. And further we must be reminded of this, that the Duty of Prayer ought not only to be per­formed in secret, when according to our Saviours command we enter into our Closets & Retirements, Mat.6 6. But we are to pray in our Families, for which there is a particular direction given to [Page 299] Masters of Families▪ Col. 4 [...] Continue in Prayer. And we are likewise obliged to joyn with the Publick Devotions of the Church, to pray toge­ther in the Solemn Assemblies, of which there are several instances and patterns in the Acts of the Apostles. And it is observable that our Saviour himself is a Pattern of all those kinds of Prayers: he prayed alone by himself, he prayed with his Apostles and Disciples, who were as it were his Family; & he pray'd on more publick Occasions. Wherefore let us be encouraged from so perfect an Example to perform this great and necessary Office of our Religion, which is so considerable a part of Christian Godliness. But especially let us labour for the true Spirit of Prayer, that is, to put up our addresses with an inward and deep sense of our wants, with the utmost Humility and Re­verence, with all earnestness of mind, with Faith and Trust in God, and with a Resignation of our selves to God's will, and renouncing our own. And lastly our prayers must be all offered up in Christ's name, for we cannot have access unto the Father but by his Son Jesus Christ, Eph. 2.18. And our prayers will not be heard but through his prevailing Mediatio [...] & Intercession.

§ 12. Reading the Word. The next Duty to God is a frequent Reading of his Word. Seeing it was his pleasure that the True Religion & the right way of Worship should be delivered & preserved in the Holy Scriptures, and so transmitted in this sure manner from one generation to another, seeing I say) he hath been pleased thus to provide for his Church, it is no less than a blaspheming of God's Goodness and Wisdom to speak against the use of this Means [Page 300] of his own providing, and it is a great Act of Ungodliness to neglect and disregard this way of God's own appointment. But besides this, those who act thus, shew themselves very sottish and stupid in vilifying of that which would be of the greatest advantage to them, and without which they cannot be happy. For even of the Scriptures of the Old Testament it is said that they were able to make men wise unto Salvation, 2 Tim. 3.15. And therefore much more are the Writings of the New Testament able to effect this, for these are a more perfect Transcript of the Divine Will, and more fully acquaint us with the Nature of God and his Attributes, and his gracious dealings with the Sons of men: these furnish us with the parti­cular manifestations of his Compassion and good will through Christ Jesus the Son of his Love. Here we learn how to discover our sins, and to a­void them, how to know our Duty & to practice it. Here we are throughly taught how to Serve and Obey our Maker and Saviour, and here we have a full insight into all those things which belong to this particular part of Religion which I am now treating of, & which is stiled Godliness. This may excite us all to read the Sacred Scriptures, to con­sult them often, to study them diligently, and to prize them above all Books whatsoever. For these are the Infallible Guide and Conduct of our Prin­ciples & Lives, these are the standing rules of our Belief and Practice; and we are not to doubt but that he who reads and loves these Holy Writings, will love Goodness and Holiness themselves, and do what this Inspired Volume dictates to him.

§. 13. And with Reading of God's Word I will join the use of Catechizing, and the Hearing [Page 301] of the Word Preached. Catechizing, and Hearing the Word Preach'd. The former of these is for the benefit of the younger sort, and is a plain and brief in­structing of them in the chief Heads of Religion. This was practised in the Apostles Times, as ap­pears from Heb. 5.12.6.1, 2. Gal. 6.6. where we find that young Beginners were taught the first Principles of the Oracles of God, they were fed with Milk, they were instructed in the word of the beginni [...] of Christ they had the Foundation laid them. Wherefore this being an Apostolical Ordinance, we must by no means neglect it. The latter, namely Preaching, is a more large and co­pious way of handling the Principles & Doctrines of Christianity▪ and is chiefly, though not wholly, designed for those that are of riper Years: And this is appointed as the ordinary means of Grace and Salvation. The Apostle lets us know that it hath pleased God by this way of Teaching, to save them that believe, 1 Cor. 1.21. And thence we may gather that those who neglect & despise this Ordinance can neither believe not be saved. Where­fore it nearly concerns us to have a high esteem of the Word preached & applied by the Ministers of the Gospel. Though our own Consciences di­rect and inform us, yea though the Holy Spirit be our Instructor, yet we must make use of this. This is not a matter of an indifferent Nature, and such as we may chuse whether we will observe or no, but it is of absolute necessity, because Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, Rom. 10.17. Yea not only Faith, but all Grace is conveyed unto us in the Ministry of the Word. Wherefore prize the publick Instructers [Page 302] and Guides of Souls, and look upon them as the Messengers and Embassadors of Christ: Hear them with Attention and Reverence as the Helpers of your Faith, as the Instruments of your Salvation, as the Friends of your Souls, as the furtherers of your eternal Happiness. But much more let us Reverence the Word itself, which is delivered by them; having prepared ourselves for it by lay­ing aside all Prejudice, let us receive it with Un­derstanding and Judgment, and a firm assent to it, with Humility and Godly Fear, with Affection and Delight, with a good and [...]. Heart, sin­cerely disposed to retain the Truth, and to make use of it in our Lives and Conversations. And let us not look upon it as an Ordinance of Man, but as a Divine and Heavenly Institution, & therefore let us expect a Blessing to be convey'd to us by it; and finally, let us always attend upon it as the Word by which we must be judged at the last and terrible Day. And after we have heard it, let us meditate upon it, and let us pray that we may have Grace to practice it, that we may be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving out own selves, James 1.22.

CHAP. XVI.

§. 1. Of Baptism. I Pass next to the reverent use of the Sacraments, which is another famous instance of Godliness. Baptism (which is the first Christian Sacrament) is the Leading Ordinance of Christ's Church, it is the Door that opens to all the rest, it is the Foun­dation of the whole Christian Building. This must be first laid before you undertake any part of the Superstructure. For we read that our Saviour blessed the little Children that were brought to him, Mat. 10.16. and shew'd thereby that it was his Intention that these should be admitted into the Church by Baptism, which is a Sign & Seal of the greatest Spiritual Blessing, viz. The inward washing of Regeneration, which accompanies that outward Rite or Ceremony in those for whom it was designed. This we must grant; otherwise we cannot think that our Saviour, who did all things wisely and to some real purpose, would have Instituted the External and Bodily Washing; for what doth this avail without the inward one? Seeing then that it was the will of Christ that young ones should not be debarr'd from partaking of the Blessing which attends this Sacrament, when it is rightly Administred; you that are Pa­rents ought to take care that your Children be [Page 304] admitted into the Church of Christ by this Or­dinance, that they may be entred into the New Covenant, and made Disciples of Jesus.

2. And all o [...] you that have been thus initiated into the said of Christ, ought through your whole Lives to be mindful of that Sacred Vow and Co­venant wherein you stand bound to God by being Baptized, and to shew your Faithfulness in keep­ing your Solemn Promise. You have been Con­secrated to God, therefore do not prophane your selves. You are washed, do not defile your selves. O be not of the number of those vain people who boast of their being Baptized, and yet have no o­ther claim to Christianity but this, & they seem to desire no other. They rest in the bare Ele­ment, they satisfy themselves with the external Performance, and think that this will be a suffi­cient preservative against all danger both here and hereafter. They are so fond as to imagine that the Cross on their Fore [...]e [...]ds when they were Christned will fright away the D [...]vil for ever, and that the Baptismal Water will quench the flames of Hell. But he not deceived with vain Words and Imaginations, let it not suffice that you were brought to the Font when you were Babes (which was an Action that you could nei­ther hinder nor promote) and there were parta­kers of the outward Washing or Sprinkling, con­tent not your selves with this bare Solemnity, but aspire chiefly to the inward Graces which were to be convey'd by it. For what is the Baptism of Water, without being Baptized with the Ho­ly Ghost? Mark 1.8. To what purpose is the visible Sign, if you want the invisible and spiritual Benefits which are signified by it? These, these [Page 305] you ought to look after as the principal Things, and your care must be to walk answerably to that singular Mercy of being adopted into the Church by the Sacrament of Baptism. This is a great Honour, and it engages you to walk worthy of it. Now God hath set his own Mark on you, now you have a distinct Badge & Cognizance, a pecu­liar [...]ivery, and therefore you must own and ac­knowledge God to be your sole Lord and Master, as well as he hath owned you to be his Servants. You must endeavour rightly to understand and carefully to perform the Duties to which by Bap­tism you are bound, namely in Heart and Life to renounce the Devil and all his Works, the Lusts of the Flesh, & the Pomps & Vanities of the World, and to remain Christ's faithful Servants unto your lives end.

§. 3. The Lord's Supper. The other Christian Sa­crament is that of the Lord's Sup­per, which he himself instituted a little before his Death, and commanded us to ce­lebrate it in remembrance of him, Luke 22.19. We must have a right apprehension concerning the Nature of this Sacrament, which in short is this, that our Saviour's Intention was, that by the visible Elements of Bread & Wine, & the break­ing and pouring them forth, we should be put in mind of his Body broken for us, and his Blood shed for us on the Cross. For this reason the Bread and Wine are call'd the Body and Blood of Christ, namely, because they represent and si [...]ni­fie these to [...]. As often as we eat this Bread, and drink this Cup, we do shew the Lord's Death till he come, 1 Cor. 11.26. we declare our belief [Page 306] of the efficacy of our Saviour's meritorious Death, whereby our Redemptiom was wrought, and whereby a New Covenant, namely, that of Grace and Mercy & Pardon was established, and there­fore the Cup in this Sacrament is called the New Covenant in his Blood, Luk. 22.20. as much as to say, it is a Confirmation of all the Benefits and Advantages which are convey'd by the New Co­venant, sealed with the Blood of Christ. And consequently this Sacrament was appointed on purpose to confirm our Faith, & to assure us of the reality of all the great Things promised to us in the Gospel, and thereby to establish our Joy and Comfort. Moreover, this Ordinance was instituted as a Bond of Love and Union among Christians. Our Saviour intended to unite us together in Communion & Brotherly Affection, when we solemnly call to mind his Passion and Death, which were such undeniable Demonstra­tions of his infinite Love to us. Yea, for the right understanding of the nature and design of this Sacrament, we must know that the due Cele­bration of it contains in it All Exercises of Piety and Devotion, for here we have occasion to act all our Graces, to renew all our Duties, and to exert all the Parts of Christianity, and here it is that we are strengthned and confirmed in them all. This is the Nature and Excellency of this Evangelical Sacrament.

§. 4 And now we must have a great care that we avoid these two Extremes, The Sin of o­mitting it. the neglect & the Prophanation of this Ordinance. First, we must by no means neglect and omit it, for it is Christ's Institution, and therefore it be­comes [Page 307] our absolute Duty, & is continually to be practised as long as all the other Means of Grace are made use of, for we are bid to remember our Saviour in this Sacrament till he cometh, at the end of the World. So that this is not only a Chris­tian Duty, but a durable one, it is to last in the Church of Christ till the Consummation of all Things. If we think otherwise, we bely our Rea­sons & Consciences, as well as the Holy Scriptures. Wherefore let not those who pretend to be Chris­tians stain themselves with so gross a Crime as the refusing to comply with a plain and peremp­tory Command of Christ. Let them not pretend to be his Followers, & yet despise that which he intended to be one great Mark and Character of those of his Religion, for this (as well as the other Sacrament) is to distinguish us from Pagans and Jews, & all others that dissent from the Christian way of Worship.

§. 5. And we are to consider that our refu­sing to come to the Lord's Table is not only a de­spising of Christ's Institution and positive Com­mand, but it is also a swerving from the practice of the Apostles and the primitive Saints, it is a disregarding and undervaluing of the Testimony of Christ's Love to us; it is a forsaking of our own Mercies; it is a disowning the Communion of Saints; it is a slighting of the Invitations of God's Messengers, who bid us to this holy Feast; it is an affronting of his Church and Ministers; and in a word, it is a rejecting of that Ordinance which is one of the appointed Means of Salvation. I hope those who have been careless & negligent in this matter, will from what I have thus briefly suggested, entertain better Thoughts of this Sa­crament [Page 308] than they have hitherto one: and I hope they will lament their former [...]ligence, & [...]ow at length betake themselv [...] [...] all seriousness to their indispensible [...].

§. 6. But as we must not be guilty of the Omission of this solemn Act of Religion, The Sinfulness of Prophaning the Lord's Supper. so not of the Prophanation of it. As we must not refuse to come to the Holy Table, so we must not come unworthily, for we are assured that they who do so, eat and drink Damnation to themselves, 1 Cor. 11.29. that is, they not only provoke the Almighty to visit them with outward and bodily Judgments (as the Apostle explains himself in the next Verse, For this cause many are weak and sickly, and many sleep) but they may expect a severer Punishment hereafter, with respect both to their Souls & Bodies. Which is a thing that ought to be well weigh'd & consider'd by all these that approach to the Lord's Table, l [...]st that coming with their Consciences defiled, & their Sins unpardoned, they not only pull down Judg­ments upon themselves in this World, but make themselves liable to everlasting Torments in the World to come. For this we must know, that not only the wilful despisi [...]g and neglecting of this holy Ordinance (which is the fault I took notice of before) will procure the Wrath of God, and bring down Punishment upon us, but the Un­worthy partaking of it will prove as dangerous to us. We read in Mat. 22.7, 13. That he who came to the Marriage Supper without his Wed­ding Garment, was punished as well as those that refused altogether to come to the Supper. Thus [Page 309] our appearing is as blameable as our absence: our coming Unworthily is as sinful, and in some respect much more sinful than our not coming. For those holy Things are not for prophane Per­sons, those Pearls are not to be cast before Swine, those who wallow in their soul & brutish Vices. Here is no place for the Debauch'd & Dissolute. He that addicts himself to Gluttony & Drunken­ness must not presume to tast of this holy Repast, nor drink of this Sacred Cup. He that Swears and Curses, and makes mention of the Blood of Christ to no other Purpose, must not be admitted to partake of the Sacramental Blood. He that lives in Wantonness, Lewdness and Uncleanness, must not dare to touch those pure and sacred My­steries. The uncharitable malicious and revenge­ful Person must not approach This Feast of Love. In short, none must venture to come to the Lords Table with impure Hearts & Lives.

Wherefore our great care and business must be to Prepare our selves for this solemn Communion with God, before we enter upon it. Preparation for We are en­joined to examine our selves before we eat of that Bread, & drink of that Cup, 1 Cor. 11.28. that is, we must search into our Hearts & Lives, and call all our Sins, whether secret or open, to remembrance: we must heartily confess and be­wail them before God with all their aggravating Circumstances, we must importunately beg for sincere Contrition & Humiliation, Godly Sorrow and Repentance, and [...]ctually exercise these; to­gether with a perfect Hatred and Abhorrence of all our evil Ways, and firm Resolves of Obedi­ence for the future. We must fit our selves for [Page 310] that holy Undertaking by a sufficient Knowledge of all the necessary Principles of our Religion, by a hungring and thirsting after the Bread of Life, by a stedfast Faith in Jesus, by a Love to God as great and extensive as our Hearts are capable of, by an universal Love & Affection to our Brethren, by ardent Prayer for the Divine Help and Assist­ance, and by an exciting and quickning of all our Graces.

§. 7. After we have done what we can to fit our selves for partaking of this Supper of the Lord to which we are invited, we ought to approach to it with Reverence & Godly Fear, with a hum­ble sense of our Infirmities and Weaknesses, and with an unfeigned desire to be strengthened with might in our inward Man. Behaviour in At the time of Receiving we ought more especially to stir up all our spiritual strength, to recollect our Forces, and to renew with great vigour the Vow and Covenant which we made with God at our Baptism, & all other Vows, Promises and Resolutions which at any time we have made of holy Living. But the chief work of all, and that which is most proper and peculiar to this Juncture is our possessing our Thoughts with the bitter Sufferings and Death of our Blessed Saviour, and from warm Meditations concerning those to promote in us a deep Sor­row for all our Sins, a hearty Love of Jesus Christ who did and suffered so great Things for us, a lively Faith and Reliance on his Merits and Satisfaction, a Thankfulness unto him for all his glorious Undertakings in our behalf, and an entire Resigning of our selves to his Service and Glory. If we thus come to the Lord's Table, [Page 311] we shall be welcome Guests, and return with a Blessi [...]g.

§. 8. It now remains that I speak [...]our Duty After Receiving the Sacrament: Duties After Receiving. which may be comprised in these Particulars. First, Thank the Master of the Feast, the merciful Jesus, who hath entertain'd you at his Table, and refreshed you with his own Body and B [...]ood. Bless God for the opportunity you have had of sharing in so great a Benefit, so extraordinary a Favour. Secondly, look back upon your Behaviour at this spiritual Feast, & examine whether it was such as became that solemn Exercise, whether you were filled with all those holy Affections which are suitable to it. Thus take an account of your selves, that you may lament what was amiss, & reform your selves for the future. Thirdly, Live as those that have been entertain'd at the Table of the Lord, and have by Faith been partakers of his Body & Blood. Your Conversations must not be after the rate of other Men. It must be seen in your Countenances, in your Speeches & Discour­ses▪ in your Callings, and Employments & Com­merce amongst Men, and in your whole Practice and Behaviour, that you have been with Jesus, that you have intimately conversed with him, and that now you have the greatest Obligations on you of living to the Honour of your dear Master.

§. 9 Another Godly Exercise is Fasting; Fasting. which is either publick or private. O [...] t [...]e former sort is that which we read in 2 Chron 2 1. Esther 4.16. and from other Instances in the Old Testament we gather, that it [Page 312] was the Practice of the Church of God to betake themselves to publick Fasting and Humiliation when great Calamities threatned or fell upon them. Of Anna, a Religious Prophetess, 'tis recorded, that she served God with Fastings, Luk 2.37. namely, at the usual set Seasons for that Duty. We read in Acts 31.1, &c. 14.23. that on some very solemn Occasions, when publick Prayers were to be put up by the Christian Church, they fasted. And our Saviour foretels that his Followers shall have occasion to perform this Exercise of Religion in times of Distress & Trou­ble, then shall they fast in those days, Mark 2.20. The latter sort of Abstinence namely, that which is more private, is approved of by the Apostle in 1 Cor. 7.5. where also it appears that this Exer­cise was used by pious Christians in their Families a [...] set Times. And our Lord himself directs us to this Practice when we would sollicit God for some very great and very desirable Blessing; for he tells us it cannot be obtained but by Prayer and Fasting, Mat. 17.21. Wherefore we should not neglect to observe solemn Times of Fasting and Humiliation, when the condition of the Church or Nation, or of both requires it: and we should accustom our selves to private Abstinence in a Religious manner, humbling our Souls (as well as our outward Man) with secret Mournings & La­mentations before the Lord: For this Duty must be directed to him, and it must be done to fit us for his Service, because it is a proper act of God­liness.

§. 10. On other Occasions of a different nature, Thanksgiving. Publick Thanksgiving, attended with [Page 313] Innocent Refreshments, is not [...]u [...]coming Religi­ous Men, and may justly be reckon'd as another exertment of Piety. For that vertuous and Re­ligious Joy which hath it Scene chiefly in the Heart, will natur [...]lly discover it self in some out­ward and visible Exp [...]ssions. This is commend­ed to us by the practice of Godly Persons in the Old Testament, Neh 8.10. Esth. 9.20. [...]nd so far as it is an Exercise of Religious Thankfulness to God, it is allow [...]ble under Christianity, for this enjoins us to offer the Sacrifice of Praise to God continu [...]lly, that is, the fruit of our Lips, giving Thanks to his Name, Heb. 13.15. Singing of Psalms & Hymns is a part of the publick Wor­ship under the Gospel, as we learn from the Ex­amples of Christ and his Apostles. Mat. 26 30. Thus singing of Psalms & Hymns, & spiritual Songs is enjoin'd as a necess [...]y Duty, Eph. 5·18.19. Col. 3.16. And it is also or private use a­mong Christians, by thems [...]v [...]s, to which it is probable that Injunction belo [...], Is any Man merry, let him sing Psalms James 5.13 Only let us not forget with our Ton [...]ues to off up our Hearts to God. To the outward Singing add the inward one, which the Apostle calls making Me­lody in the Heart to the Lord, Eph. 5.19. This Godly Exercise is certainly of very great use and advantage in Religion, for i [...] kindly m [...]v [...]s and warms our Aff [...]ctions, it quickers & ex [...]iterates our Spirits, it i [...] fl [...]m [...]s & [...]v [...]t [...]s our Devotion; it renders Reli [...]ion chear [...]u [...] & delightful; and in a word, by this we both stir up our selves and o­thers to Praise God.

§. 11. In the next place, That you may have Time and Opportunity for the exercising of all [Page 314] the Parts of Devotion, and that you may more solemnly addict your selves to Religion, it is ne­cessary that I add this, Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. Keeping the Sabbath. Though all Days in themselves are alike, though there is no more in­trinsick Holiness in one than another, yet God can set apart and sanctifie a Day if he pleases: and we find that he hath done so, by commending one day in Seven to us, & by the Example of the Apostles and Primitive Christians, who kept one day in seven(but with an alteration as to the par­ticular Day which was observed before) in com­memoration of our Saviour's Resurrection, and therefore that Day is expresly called the Lord's Day, Rev. 1.10 to distinguish it from other Days of the Week. Upon this day we are to do no manner of Work, we are prohibited all secular Employment whatsoever, except Works of Mer­cy, or of Necessity, and for the comfortable sup­port of Life. And this is a day on which we must Rest not only from all worldly Business but Plea­sure also. This is not a time for g [...]dding up and down, for needless V [...]s [...] and idle Cour [...]ships; this is not a Day to be thrown away in superflu­ous Eating and Drinking; this is not a Season to be spent in foolish Diversions, and idle Past times: nay, it is not a Season for that Mirth which at other times is allowable, nay is needful & useful. For God requires, that we do not our Pleasure on his Holy Day, Isai. 58.13. and consequently no Recreations are lawful on that Day. And tru­ly, if we consider that we are forbid to Work, and to follow the Duties of our secular Callings on this Day, we must needs grant that Recreations [Page 315] and Pleasures are forbid, for these are a greater Impediment to the Service and Worship of God (which this Day calls for) than Labour in our Callings. And we are to take this as a general Rule, that all things which hinder us from the duty of the Day are unlawful on that Day. We cannot then but acknowledge that the Christian Sabbath is to be spent wholly in Religion, that i [...] is to be sanctified by our attending on the publick Service of God, and all the Evangelical Ordinan­ces which relate to it, & moreover by perform­ing all acts of private Worship & secret Devotion. We are to be free this Day from all worldly Avo­cations, that we may wholly employ our selves about the Things which are heavenly & spiritual, which have respect to our Souls and to their e [...]ernal Welfare. Wherefore let us be very conscien­tious in observing this Day, which is so solemnly set apart for Religion.

§ 12. Publick Worship. In order to the discharging of all the Duties toward God before mentioned, which are of a publick nature, we must not forget the assembling of our selves together, as the Apostle adviseth, Heb. 10.25. We must solemnly and publickly meet together to Pray, to hear the Word, to ce­lebrate the Sacraments, to humble our selves by Fasting, to praise God and sing Psalms, to cele­brate the Lord's Day, and to perform all the publick Offices of Religion. For by vertue of the fore-mentioned Injunction of assembling our selves together, we are bound to maintain a Fel­lowship and Communion in Divine Worship. We are to join with the Assemblies of those that call upon God and his Son of Jesus Christ, we are to [Page 316] unite with them in all parts of Religious Worship, so far as we are convinced that they are accord­ing to the Will of God. Where, I say, there is this Conviction and Perswasion, it is not suffi­cient for us to profess the Christian Faith, but we must unite together in Worship, and in cele­brating of the publick Ordinances; for to this end they and a publick Ministry in the Church were instituted. Where there is a Church, and this Ministry, there ought to be Communion: o­therwise Schism, which is an unwarrantable sepa­rating from the Communion of the Church, would not be unlawful, and therefore condemn'd by the Apostles, as we find it is, 1 Cor. 11.18. Jam. 4 1. Nor would Unity be so earnestly p [...]ss [...]d, as we see it is, 1 Cor. 1.10. Eph. 4.3. Phil. 1.27. and in other places. Wherefore let us agree in the joynt-exercise of Religion, & in frequenting the Publick Congregations, and attending on the Or­dinances of the Gospel as they are administred in Publick: for these are the usual Chanels where­in Grace is conveyed and derived to us. These are those Institutions of Divine appointment in the due use whereof we may expect the influen­ces of the Heavenly Benediction Wherefore let every Christian be sensible that he is under an ob­ligation to joyn in Church, society with others, it being his Duty to serve God in tha [...] way which is most for his honour, and the setting forth of his praise. Let us then thank God for the con­tinuance of this inestimable Priviledge, and let us walk worthy of it; that after we have with one consent Worshipped and Served him here on Earth, we may joyn with all the Blessed Compa­ny of Heaven in Praising and Glorifying his holy came unto Eternal Ages.

[Page 317]§ 13. And here let me add this to what I before [...]uggested concerning the Duty of Christian Parents & Governours of Families, namely that it is incumbent upon them to take care that those who are of their houshold resort to the Publick Worship. It is not enough that they instruct their Children and Servants at home, and bring them up to Prayer, & reading God's Word, and observing the Lord's day in private, but it is fur­ther required of them that they call upon their Families to resort to the Publick Instructions of Christ's Ministers, and to joyn with the solemn assemblies of God's people in Prayer and all other Duties that are publickly performed by them. It is observable that at the Reading of the Law the Israelites brought their Children and little ones with them, Jos. 34. These were to be Auditors of it as well as themselves. And from Joel 2 16. You may inform your selves that the Jewish Chil­dren were present at their Solemn Congregations, and serving of God, as well as those of Riper years. The reason holds as valid for the bring­ing of Christian Children to the Publick Congre­gations, to be present at the Prayers & Thanksgi­vings of the Church, and to be partakers of the sincere milk of the Word. It is recorded of Cor­nelius that when he was to hear St. Peter preach, he caused his whole houshold to be present, Now therefore are we all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. Acts 10.53. That all refers to his Friends and Kinsfolk spoken of in that chapter, and to all the members of the Family whereof he was Mas­ter.

[Page 318]§. 14. You see then what Authority you have to encourage you to give orders to those that are under your charge, to repair to the Publick Meet­ings of Devout Christians. And truly without consulting your Bibles, you may find ground and reason enough for this practice in the very nature of the thing it self, for it is fitting and necessary that you should inure your Children and Servants betimes to a reverence of the Publick Ordinan­ces, and that they should have an early knowledge and sense of their Duty towards God, not only as it respects their private but their Publick De­votion; and that they should be taught that this latter is as requisite as the former.

This then is the method and course which you ought to follow, first you must worship God in secret, in your Chambers and Closets, where no Eye sees you: then you must keep up Family▪ Religion and Worship: and then come forth pre­pared to serve God in the Publick Assemblies, and be sure to bring your Family with you. To conclude, take this for a Rule, you must not stay at home, when you should be at the house of God, though you are never so well employ'd in your own houses.

§. 15. Nor is it sufficient to perform and ce­lebrate all these Religious Duties which I have commended to you as puts of Godliness, unless you do them in a right manner. Therefore you must be very careful as to this, and in all your attendance on God in his holy Ordinances, espe­cially in the Publick Assemblies, you ought first to shew all lowliness both of Body and Soul. In solemn exercises of a visible and audible Devotion we must use external significations of Respect and [Page 319] Reverence, we must observe such humble gestures as denote our inward submission and humility, and commend Religion unto others, and stir up their Devotion. The Apostle thought fit to take notice of and to censure some persons for their praying & prophesying with their heads covered, (1 Cor. 11.4) either as they were speakers or hearers, to let us know how cautious we should be even as to our bolily behaviour in that kind in the time of Publick Worship. So without doubt to talk or whisper one to another about worldly matters, or to let the eyes wander and rove, and to feed our vain and rambling thoughts by gazing and looking about, is a very irreverent behavi­our, and no ways suitable to the service of our maker.

§. 16. And for sleeping, it is yet more blame­able and offensive, because it argues a greater neg­lect & disregard of the Service of God, whether it be by Praying or Preaching; & it hinders those who are addicted to it from reaping benefit by either of them. Wherefore we must beware of this rule and careless practice, and resolve when we come into the Congregation, not to be idle and unconcerned, but to be attentive to the holy performances we are called to, & are at present at. We must mind that sacred employment we are engaged in, we must be intent upon, what we do, and depart our selves Decently & Religiously, as those who are in the presence of the All-seeing God, and are more immediately interested in his Service and Worship: remember this, that he will be sanctified in all them that draw high unto him.

§. 17. Zeal. Another Qualification of all [Page 320] our Religious performances is Zeal. For unless Religion be warm, we can't know that it is alive: and besides, our Duties are of that weighty and important nature that they require the greatest servency and vigour. Therefore it is necessary to be Zealous, that we may act suitably to that Re­ligion which we make profession of. This also is to be considered, that our Everlasting Concern and Happiness call for the most exalted heat & earnest­ness of Spirit: and the God whom we serve de­serves the utmost heigth of our affections, and consequently whatever is saint and languid in Re­ligion, whatsoever is superficial and lukewarm, is unworthy of God. We must then banish all care­less Indifferency and Coldness in Religion; our acts of vertue and our exercises of Devotion must be done with our might, Eccl. 9 10. We must be fervent in Spirit, Rom. 12.11. And this fervour will push us on to make continual Advances in Religion, to cultivate and improve all our graces, and to obtain a full and entire conquest over our sins. If we be truly ardent and z [...]alous in Reli­gion, we shall not rest in a low degree of grace, in moderate attainments of Holiness: we shall not be content to be dwarfs in Religion, we shall not satisfy our selves with a low and mean stature in Grace, but we shall earnestly endeavour to arrive to Christian Perfection, that is, the fullest growth that we are capable of in this mortal state: and we shall strive to make nearer approaches to those Divine Perfections which we see in God.

§. 18. Lastly, Sincerity is re­quisite in all our Religious Exer­cises (for there is a Sincerity to­ward God, Sincerity to­ward God. as well as toward Men, [Page 321] of which latter I spake before) we must not dis­semble with our Maker, & act a part before him who hath a Casement into our hearts, and sees whatever is transacted there. He takes notice of all that we do, yea of all that we think or devise. Wherefore let us abhor all Pharisaical formalities and shews in Religion; and in all our words, In­tentions and Actions be Upright. Let us not act out of undue principles, or for sinister ends, not for custom or fashion sake, or merely to satis [...]y the clamours of Conscience or because we shall otherwise be uneasy, but let us behave our selves Religiously because we love God and his Service, and are convinced that it is most reasonable to do so. Thus let us aim at real Goodness, and not the appearance of it only. Especially our Sincerity must shew it self in designing all for the Glory of God. 1 Cor. 10.31. Eph. 1.12. 1 Pet. 4.11. This is to be made our Chief and Ultimate End, or else all the Duties before spoken of are not acts of true Piety, and though we have a form of Godliness, yet we deny the power thereof.

Thus I have described Godliness in its several members and parts, or, which is the same thing, I have set before you your Duty as it more im­mediately respects God, & co [...]sists in those things which directly relate to him. And in this part of my Discourse and what went before I have endeavour'd to [...]ive the true and plain Character of a Christian Man, in the several lines & strokes of an Holy Life.

§. 19. Of Dying well▪ There is now only one thing remaining to comple [...]t the lineaments & pourtraiture of the Wh [...]le Concer [...]s [...] of Man, namely, to discourse of Holy Dying, and [Page 322] the right Methods of fitting our selves for it. It is true a Religious Life is the best Preparative, and I have given you an account of that: but there are some more Particular Rules and Directions that are necessary for the per­fecting of this work, Rules particu­lar to that de­sign. and with­out which it is impossible we should accomplish it aright. These Rules I proceed now to let down in the last place, & they have reference to the three forementioned objects of our Duty, namely God, our Brethren, and our selves.

§ 20. I. The Preparation which we are to make for our leaving this World hath respect un­to God, and so is an act of Piety. Thus it is ne­cessary that we earnestly beg of God so to teach us to number our days, To number our days. that we may be enabled to apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psal. 90.12. The Divine and saving Wisdom, which is to work out our Salvation with fear and trembling. It is from him alone that we can be taught that Divine Arithmetick, and therefore let us make our humble and importunate address to him, that he would vouchsafe us the Heavenly skill to compute our years, and so to cast up the number of our short days, that we may be provided for Eternity, and be in readiness to enter on ano­ther World, whose duration is endless and num­berless.

§. 21. Another act of this Preparation, as it hath regard to God, is to be ready to submit our selves to his disposal as to the manner and time and all other circumstances of our Death. Who should determine these but the great Ar [...]iter of [Page 323] Life & Death, To submit to Gods Dispo­sal. and in whose hand is the Soul of every living thing? Job 12.10. And therefore whe­ther we die in our younger years, or our life be prelonged till Old Age; whether we be visited with tedious sickness, or be called away on a sudden; whether a natural or a vio­lent death be our portion, we ought to acquiesce in the wise Providence of God, and not to mur­mur at the Divine dispensation.

§. 22. Again, Repair to Christ the Conqueror of Death. another effec­tual way of providing for our last end, is to repair unto Jesus as the Sole Conqueror of Death, and by a steady & unshaken Faith make our selves capable of sharing in the vertue of his Conquest. He by his meritorious Passion and Death hath re­conciled all sufferings, & even Death it self to us. When he expired on the Cross he disarmed this Serpent of his venemous and deadly Sting, so that he is not able now to hurt us. He hath consecra­ted the Grave by lying in it, he hath sweetned the stench and perfumed the rottenness of our Se­pulchres. Wherefore let us be incouraged to dye by our Saviours dying: seeing he hath laid down his Life for us, let us be willing to lay down ours to go to him: yea let us by the Eye of Faith look up, and behold Christ reaching forth his Arms to imbrace us, & to take us to himself. Let us then, upon such a view, cry out with holy Simeon Now let [...]est thou thy Servant depart in peace, for mine Eyes have seen thy Salvation. Nothing is so comfortable and ravishing at Death as the sight of Jesus, and the sense of his being that Saviour who [...]ame to dye for us, and thereby to purchase [Page 324] Everlasting Life and Glory for us. There is no such effectual provision against the assaults of Death as this is; and therefore let us firmly be­lieve in this Blessed Saviour: let us, when our hour approaches, vigorously exert our Love & Repen­tance, and all our other Grac [...]s, but especially our Faith, and lay hold on the all-sufficient Righteous­ness & merits of our Lord for the pardon of our sins, and so resign our Spirits into his hands, and peaceably expire in the favour of God.

§. 23. II. To prepare and provide our selves for Death is our Duty as it hath reference to other Men. For, First, we cannot be fit our selves to leave this World, unless we remind others of their latter end, and call upon them to prepare for the same common Allotment of mortal Men. For this being a matter of so great Concernment, if we truly love our Neighbours, & have a sense of their future Welfare; we cannot but be Moni­tors to them of their Dissolution, and be glad that they will hearken to our Admonitions. Es­pecially, when we see our Brethren wholly for­getful of their departure hence, and every day giving too manifest proofs of that stupid forget­fulness, we are obliged to rouze and awaken their Memories, and to represent to them the danger of their stupidity; otherwise we cannot die our selves with peace of Conscience.

To set our House and Estate in Or­der.§. 24. Secondly, There is a Preparation due in respect of others upon this account, that we are obliged to take care about our Estate and se­cular Affairs before we die. When the Summons of Death were sent to good King Hezekiah, he [Page 325] was bid at the same time to set his House in or­der, 2 Kings 20.1. And this is incumbent on all others whom God hath Blessed with a competent Portion of the good Things of this World: Or else it is probable they will by their Negligence be injurious to others, even to those that are near­ly allied to them, and most concern'd in them. Their Families and Relations, and those they de­sign'd their Benevolence for, may thereby be de­frauded, and their Revenues may be thrown away upon unfit Persons, yea, a great part may be spent in Contention and Law Suits. Wherefore it is both Justice and Charity to settle and dispose of their Estates, whilst they are Masters of Health and reason, that there may be no Controversie a­bout this matter after their Decease. This is to be done by a formal Will and Testament: and if they make the Will of God the Rule of their Last Will (as Mr. P [...]rkins advises in his Ser­mon of Dying well) they may with the more com [...]ort and satisfaction bid adieu to the World.

§. 25. Thirdly, To behave our selves decently under Sickness. It is another part o [...] our Preparatory Work to behave our selves toward others with Decency & Religion in the time of our Sickness & Languish­ment, or whenever we are under the expectation of Death. Those that wait and attend upon us, and administer to our needs, those that are our Relations and Acquaintance, and all that come to visit us at such a Season are to be treated with be­coming Language and Christian Behaviour; and we are to refrain (as much as in us lies) from all Anger & wilful Peevishness, from all Murmur­ing and Impatience, & to resign our selves to the [Page 326] Will of Heaven, and to take our leave of our Friends with a quiet and sedate Spirit, exhorting them to live so Religiously and Piously, that we may see them again in a better World. But our Pre­paration for Death hath a more immediate res­pect to our selves, and of that I will speak in the next Chapter.

CHAP. XVII.

§. 1. III. OUR Spiritu [...]l Provision a­gai [...]t Death hath more immediate respect to our selves, Sense of the brevity of Life. and i [...] consists chi [...]f [...]y in these two Things, 1. A continual Sense [Page 327] of the Brevity of our Lives. 2. A right Appre­hension of the Nature of Death; with a Behaviour agreeable to that Sense and Apprehension. First, There must be a constant Sense of the Shortness and Uncertainty of our Lives. That of the Apo­stle, 1 Cor. 7.29. The time is short, ought to be fixed on our Minds, and to have influence on all our Actions. The words in the largest Sense, may be meant of the whole extent and compass of Man's Life, & his duration here in this World. In this most comprehensive acceptation, The Time is short; For what is our Life? It is even a Va­pour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanishes away, James 4 14. Or it may be meant of the particular & peculiar Seasons of Man's Life, and of the time of his Using and Enjoying those Things which are vouchsafed to him in this World, which is far shorter than Time in the Gross and Bulk, because that other is but a parcel of this. Thus if we take a view of the particular Portions and Seasons of Time which are granted to us, we shall fi [...]d that they are very fading and transitory. Such is the time of Youth and Vigour, and such is that of Health and Strength: And so the days of Prosperity and outward Abundance prove very short to many: and perhaps the Opportunities of Grace and spiritual Good are shortest of all to some Persons. These fair & hopeful Seasons do soon expi [...]e and come to an end: and he is a fond Person [...]h [...]t of himself undertakes to ascertain the uninterrupted Enjoyment of them.

Wherefore let us understand our selves aright, and seeing our whole Life, and Abode here on Earth, as well as the more particular Portions of it, are so short and uncertain, let us husband all [Page 328] our Time to the best Advantage, and prosecute the Concerns of a future and never-failing Life. And this we must do with all speed and expedi­tion, because we cann't promise our selves a con­tinuance here, we have not so much as the com­mand of the next moment. And therefore we ought to make use of this, and not to follow the example of those men who adjourn all their good deeds to the day of their death. When they are putting off their Bodies, then they begin to think of their Souls. They imagine that that Repen­tance is good enough which bears date with their Last Will and Testament. But be not deceived with such imaginations and practices, for God expects you should turn unto him forthwith, and speedily betake your selves to your duty, and not put him off at last with the weak and sickly ef­forts of a Death-bed Repentance. This is a truth of the highest importance, and upon the serious consideration of which depends your Happiness both here and hereafter. Be prevail'd upon then to seek the Lord whilst he may be found, to call upon him whilst he is near, to accept of the ten­ders of grace and mercy whilst it is called to day, to be serious about the salvation of your Immor­tal Souls, to be chiefly sollicitous about the affairs of another world, to break off your sins by hearty Repentance, and to improve all that happens to you to the great purposes of a holy Life. Turn not the grace of God into wanton [...]ess, be careful that you grieve not the Holy Spirit, or reject the counsel of God against your own Souls. Live al­ways in an awful sense of the Divine Majesty, be very mindful of the great day of Accompts, and be preparing for it.

[Page 329]This do, but do it without any delay, that you may have time to unlive your past life which hath been spent to so ill purposes. Make haft lest the day of Mercy expire by your continual a­busing of it. Now is your Time, and if you neg­lect it, God may justly reject you for ever. Now is the Season, but it is passing, and you may sud­denly be called to take your farewel of the World. Therefore be very vigorous and active, fill up all the spaces of your Life, and be ever doing or de­signing some good with your Heart, or Head, or Tongue, or Hand. Labour to attain to that ex­cellent Art of making one single day to be of the same extent with your whole Life, namely, by living so exactly & circumspectly to day as if you were sure to dye the next. This will be the happy fruit of your serious and daily meditating on the shortness of your Liv [...]s: which how useful it will be towards fitting you for Death, (which is the thing I am speaking of) you cannot but be very sensible.

§. 2. Secondly, Understand the nature of Death. Understand aright the nature of Death. This is the other necessary In­gredient in the Preparation which you are to make for your departure hence. Some have [...]tran [...] notions of Dying; they perswade themselves [...] there is an end of them when the Body beco [...] Lifeless: they shall perish as Beasts and the vile, of Animals, and shall never live again. But th [...] is a ve [...] [...]alse and groundless conceit, and arg [...] the [...] of it to be very bruitish and stupi [...] for if we would but adhere to the light of Natur [...] and the dictates of humane Reason, we should be informed by these, that the Soul of man is of an [Page 330] Immortal nature: and besides, the Holy Scriptures assure us of a Future state, and let us know that there is a life to come, 1 Tim. 4.8. And that as it is appointed to all men once to dye, so after that will be the Judgment. Wherefore we ought to look beyond Death, and to think of what will follow after it, and to consider of the sad & dis­mal period which must at last shut up all the im­moderate & extravagant pleasures of this World. The Close of them will be unspeakably miserable. If you would then prepare your selves for your latter end, be often meditating on the future State of things, of the Last Judgment, of Heaven, and of Hell; and be stirred up thence to order your con­versations aright, that you may see the Salvation of God; and to mortify your sins, that you may prevent the Endless Torments among the Dam­ned

§. 3. Others, though they believe there is a Life after this, yet are so presumtuous as to fan­cy that a small matter will fit them for it, that their bare wishes to dye the Death of the Righte­ous, or some saint desires to life the Life of such persons will be acceptable to God, & effectually translate them to Heaven & Happiness. But this is a wild & extravagant notion, & contradicts the [...]hole Go [...]pel, where we are informed that pray. [...] & wishes, if they be not backed with some­ [...]ing else, are insignificant; a mere outward pro­cession & some slight endeavours will avail us [...]thing. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, [...]ord, shall enter into the Kingdom of He [...]ven, [...]ut he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven, saith our Saviou [...], Mat 7 21. And afterwards he declares that the Kingdom of Hea­ven [Page 331] suffers violence, and the violent take it by force, Matt. 11.12. We must seek after Sal­vation with great earnestness, and be as vehement and concerned in obtaining Heaven as Soldiers are in storming a Town, for unto that the words allude.

§. 4. There are others who by vertue of that natural impression of Fear and Dread which the thoughts of Death are wont to possess them with, entertain a false opinion concerning it, as if it were the most Injurious thing that could happen to them, for it deprives them of all the pleasures and enjoyments of this Life, snatches them from their Friends and dearest Relatives, spoils them of Life the greatest of Blessings, and therefore they pro­nounce it to be their greatest Enemy, and most to be dreaded. But this likewise is a false Idea and Representation of Death; and as long as any man retains it, it is impossible he should prepare him­self for it. Wherefore we are to urge this on our minds, as an undeniable truth that this World is a stage of vanity, Folly and Misery, and is no­thing worth in comparison of the other, that all its Enjoyments and Possessions are mean and con­temptible in respect of the Glories of the future state. I we dye in the Lord, Happiness of Dying well. we shall change the comforts of this Life for those that are Infinitely more excellent, we shall pass from a short, troublesome, Dying Life, to one that is Eternal and never failing, and which abounds with e [...]dless pleasures that are pure and unmixed. We leave the Company of our Earthly Friends and Acquaintance, to be admitted into the presence and [...]uition of the whole Sacred Trinity, and of [Page 332] all the glorified Angels, Saints & Servants of the Blessed Jesus. And if any of our Relations and Friends be of the number of these latter, when we cannot be properly said to leave them, because we shall meet them in the mansions of happiness, and enjoy them with greater delight than ever. There we shall rest from our labours, and be free from all the calamities of this World. There shall be no sad objects to grieve us, no Enemies to invade us, no Wars and Alarms to aff [...]ight us, no poverty or sickness to wast us, no disputes and controver­sies to discompose us. In a word, God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes, and when they are thus clear'd, they are fitted for the Beatifical Vi [...] ­sion of the ever-glorious and undivided Trinity.

§. 5. These are the conceptions we ought to have concerning the Death of those that sleep in Jesus: and if these thoughts dwell with us, and make a deep impression on our minds, we shall contentedly wait all the days of our appointed time, till our Change comes: we shall bear sickness and pain, & all bodily infirmities with patience. Yea, these and all other u [...]si [...]sses of our pre­sent state will but serve to reconcile us unto Death, and to make us stand with open Arms to [...]mbrace it, If with the Apostle we are on good grounds persw [...]ded that to dye is gain t [...] us (Phil. 1.21.) we shall easily Co [...]quer t [...]e fear [...] Dea [...]h, & desi [...]e to depart, that we may be with Chr [...]st.

§. 6. And when such suitable thoughts of Death as I have mentioned, bec [...]me familiar to us, we shall soon experience the happy [...] and consequence of them, in their eff [...]ctual exciting us to make it the grand business of our [...]ves to keep our Consciences pure and unstain'd; for these on­ly [Page 333] next unto the Blood of Jesus, can speak com­fort to us when we are launching out into another world. Then a Good Conscience will be our best Friend, A pure Consci­ence, means of dying well. and our greatest Solice, as we see in the example of Hezekiah, who when he was under the apprehension of approaching death, comforted himself with the reflection on his walking before God in truth, and with a perfect heart, & having done that which was good in his sight, Isaiah 38.3. So it cheer'd St. Paul, when he considered the time of his de­parture was at hand, that he had fought a good fight, and finished his course, 2 Tim. 4.6. This was a comfortable reflection to our Saviour, when he was leaving the world, that he had glorified his Father on Earth, and that he had finished the work which he gave him to do. John 17 4.

§. 7. Nothing is more certain then that the thoughts of Dying are usually very dismal to un­sanctified minds, whence it is that all ways ima­ginable are made use of to divert, and, (if it be possible) quite to expel such black methods of thinking: but when sinners come to leave the world, they cannot with all their Artifices put these sad apprehensions by? the King of Terrors will then stare in their Faces, and urge their sins and enormities upon their Consciences. At such a time what will it profit a man to look back upon the Riches, or Honours, or Pleasures which he hath enjoyed? what advantage can these things bring to him now when he is to be deprived of them, and that for ever? What do they signifie to a Man that is dying, and passing into the in­fernal Flames? It is such a thought as this that [Page 334] makes Death look with so ghastly and formidable a countenance on him.

But it is otherwise with the Righteous Man, he is willing to resign his Breath, and to quit the World, and to go to him whom he hath sincere­ly (though with great Imperfection) served. Now his Language is that of the Psalmist, Whom have I in Heaven but thee? and there is none upon Earth I desire besides thee. My Flesh & my Heart Faileth (Death is now entring upon them) but God is the strength of my Heart. and my portion for ever. And in the joyful Sense of this he gives up the Ghost, and takes his fli [...] to Heaven, and triumphantly passes to the Regions of Glory. This he gains by his being always provided for Death and the Consequences of it: This is the Be­nefit and Privilege of a due Preparation.

And thus I have finished the Practical Part of Christianity, with all its Branches and Members, whether they belong to the inward or the out­ward Man, the Heart or Life, the disposition of the Mind or external Performances and Actions, And I have all along endeavour'd to give you the right and just Measures of every Grace & of eve­ry Duty, and not to blend and confound one with another.

§ 8. After all, let me add somt pertinent and useful Reflections on the whole, as,

1. Here is justly grounded a Reproof of those that are Partial in their Religion, who separate these three Parts of Christianity (which I have been treating of) from one another. Some we see are inquisitive and precise only as to [...] sert of Common is, but wholly [...] the rest. Thus the Two Tables are knock'd one against another, [Page 335] and are set at opposition to each other. First, they are justly to be blamed who pretend to live Soberly and Righteously, but take no care of be­ing Godly: Secondly, those that make a shew of living Godlily, but neglect Sobriety and Righte­ousness. I will speak of these distinctly.

§. 9. First, Some seem to lead their Lives Soberly and Justly, but in the mean time neglect Godliness. They run not into Intemperance, they are Chast, Modest, and Grave, they injure not their Neighbours, but carry themselves very lov­ingly and obligingly toward all Men, but yet they wholly forget their Duty to God. These Men are to be reminded that Temperance, and Justice, and loving their Neighbours, if they be devoid of Godliness are but empty & insignificant Names: They are but outward Shews and Appearances, and utterly destitute of an inward Principle to actuate and guide them, & to make them accep­table. For a Sense of God is the spring of all due Behaviour rewards our selves and others. Such then are grosly mistaken who ima­gine that there is [...]o other Good but that wh [...] respects humane Righteousness, The Sin and Danger of being Partial in Religion. and therefore they have no regard of any Duty to God. These Men are to be in­form'd of this gran [...] Truth, that ill Righteousness abst [...]cted from Godliness is false and [...], and of no value. It is not a real part of Religi­on, but a [...]t semblance and [...] of it only. The fear of the Lord, saith [...] is the Head or principal P [...] ( [...] sig­nifies) of Knowledge, [...], Prov 1.7 it is the chief thing in Religion: Yea, it is the Heart [Page 336] and Life of it; whereas Justice and Judgment and Equity make up but the Body of it. If the Bo­dy be divided from the Head, or from the Heart, which are the sources of Life and Action, what is it but a senseless Trunk, and an unactive Mass of Matter? In like manner if Men pretend to be Righteous, and yet are destitute of this vital Prin­ciple of Godlines, it may be said of them as of the wanton Widow, They are dead whilst they live, or, as it was said of the Church of Sardis, They have a name that they live, they have some shew and appearance of Spiritual Life, but they are really dead. Acts of Sobriety, and Justice, and Honesty separated from Piety are mere Car­kasses of Religion: But then they may be said to have Life put into them when they issue from and are grounded upon our Duty to God, and when they all refer to this: For we must do them all for God's sake: In the performing of them we must discharge our Consciences towards him, we must make him our principal Object & ultimate end in them: Briefly, we must serve and honour him by them. Wherefore this reproves, and at the same time baffles the Folly of those Persons who place all their Religion in the Second Table, and perswade themselves that if they live tempe­rately and soberly, and give every Man his own, they are compleat Christians, and they shall be excus'd tho' they deny God his due. They think that their Temperance & Justice, their fair Deal­ing and Converse in the World, their laudable Be­haviour towards Men will compound for their Atheism, or Idolatry, or Superstition, or Pro­phaning God's Holy Name or Day: This is the notorious Folly and Sottishness of a considerable [Page 337] part of Men amongst us, but the foregoing Dis­course is a sufficient Con [...]utation of it.

§. 10. Secondly, Those are to be reproved who co [...]t themselves with a shew of living Godlily, whilst they are Unjust and Unrighteoas towards their Neighbours. These pretending to be carried away with an ardent desire of Piety, bid farewel to all other Duties. They think that Acts of Devotion towards God ex [...]se their Unrighteousness towards Men. They resemble the Harlet whom Solomon speaks of, that ima­gined her Religious Offerings would make satis­faction for her living i [...] Uncleanness: Yea, she made her Vows P [...]le [...]s to her Whoredom, Prov. 7.14. The Pharisees were egr [...]g [...]sly gui [...]y in this kind: they would seem to afflict themselves to Piety, whilst it was easily t [...] [...] of that they neglected Honesty [...] Justice. Those vain Man thought that the Vow of Corban, which ob­liged them to works of Piety, exempted them from their Duty to their Parents, Matth. 15.5, 6. We read that at another time these Phari­sees were lightly disturbed and enraged▪ because Christ healed a Person on the Sabbath day: They cried out against this as a great Sin, this was an unpardonable Prop [...]n [...]ion; but these Men were ready to comm [...]t M [...]er at the same time, and were not st [...]tled at it, for the Evangelist tells us, that they sought to take away Christ's [...] be­cause of this; They held a Council against him how they might [...] him, Mat. 12.14. And at other times [...] will find our Saviour inveigh­ing against those Men on this very account, name­ly, because of their P [...]ri [...]ty is R [...] because they so exactly paid Tythe of Mint, Arise and Cummin, & fosted twice a Week, & made long [Page 338] Prayers, but omitted the weightier Matters of the Law, Judgment, Mercy, and Faith, & pal­pably violated the Laws of Righteousness & Ho­nesty, by devouring of Widows Hoases, Mat. 23.14, 23. Again, we are told that these very Per­sons would not enter into the Judgment Hall, left they should be defiled, & so make themselves un­fit to eat the Passover, John 18.28. Here was a great sh [...]w of Godliness, but at the same time they could hale the Innocent Jesus into that place of Judicature, and they accused him, and sought his Blood. We read likewise that the Chief Priests, who gave the Sum of Thirty pieces of Silver to betray Christ, when it was returned, would by no means put it into the Church-Treasury. The Price of Blood must not be among the Gifts off­ered to God, Matth. 27.6. and yet behold! at the same time it was no sin with them to shed Innocent Blood, even that of the Blessed Messias.

I might add to these the Instance of Herod, who pretended he was bound by his Oath a very Religious Tye, to accommodate Herodias's Daugh­ter with John Baptists head, Mat. 14.9. But he considered not what a horrid sin it was to take away the Life of a Prophet, to behead such a Saint of God. He would seem to be very observant of a Duty of the First Table, but with an utter dis­regarding of an indispensable Duty of the Second. This hath been the absur'd practice of men in all Ages, & Christians (I mean those who own that Name, and make a profession of that Religion, but are not sincere Vota [...]i [...]s of it) have offended in this kind as well as others. Some of them have seemed to be very Pious, but they have had but a mean opinion of that part of their Duty [Page 339] which concerns themselves and their Neighbours. They make the Second Table truckle to the First, and their seeming Holiness toward God compounds for all their visible offences against Men. They cry up Religion, but they mean a part only of it, and they stickle for that one part, whilst they neg­lect the others. They magnify some Graces and Duties, but never think of the rest: they cry out against some Vices, but hug others that are as bad. They lye & [...]ssemble, cheat & defraud, & tram­ple down Justice & Honesty, & yet retain a form of Godliness. Now such Partial & Counterfeit Religion, such a shew of some acts of Piety mixed with a plain violation of the Laws of Righteous­ness & Justice, is a thing most Abominable in the Eyes of God.

Hence you hear him complaining of the Jews, and upbraiding them after this manner, Isa. 1.11, &c. [ To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? Bring no more vain oblati­ons, incense is an abomination to me. The new-moons & Sabbaths, & the calling of Assemblies I cannot away with: it is iniquity, even the so­lemn meeting. Your new-moons & your appoint­ed Feasts my soul hateth, they are a trouble un­to me, I am weary to bear them: and when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not bear.] What is the reason that all these Offices of Piety are thus disregarded & loathed? how come their Sacrifices & Oblations, the New-moons & Sabbaths, their Assemblies & Solemn meetings, their appointed Festivals, & even their Prayers (all of them great Instances of Religion and Devotion) to be even an abomination? The [Page 340] next words give the true account of this, your hands are full of blood: as much as to say, not­withstanding your great pretences of Godliness which you think you make a great shew of by your Sacrifices, & all the other acts of Religious Worship, you take no care to observe the rules of Righteousness, you are guilty of Violence and Oppression, of Unmercifulness & Cruelty (for these are meant by blood here, as appears from the fol­lowing words, where they are exhorted to seek judgment, & relieve the oppressed, to judge the Fatherless, & plead for the Widow: which shews that these were the heinous crimes they were guil­ty of. Till you wash your hands of these, saith God, till you put away the evil of th [...]se doings from before mine eyes, you must never expect that I will have regard to your most Solemn Worship. Your neglect of your Duty to your Brethren ren­ders all your Service to me unacceptable, yea de­testable.

Thus God not only reproves but denounces and abhors this sort of men. There is ground there­fore for this Reproof of mi [...], which I wish may have effect upon those deluded Christians who se­parate those things which God hath joyned, who divorce those Duties which reason and Scripture and Christianity it self have matched together, who are pretenders to Godliness, and make to consci­ence of Justice & Charity. I will only desire these persons to consider seriously those words of St. John (with which I will conclude this first Infe­rence) 1 John 4.20. If any man say, I love God, and hateth his Brother, that is, if he pretends to Piety, and yet is neglectful of his Duty to his bre­thren, he is a lyar, his Religion is a Lye and a [Page 341] Cheat, and a down right Imposture: and it will soon appear to be such when it comes to the Trial.

§. 11. 2 dly then, Impartial com­plyance with God's will, the standing Test of practical Christianity. let the foregoing Discourse of Prac­tical Religion be a standing Test to try your selves and others by. For I have there laid down evident & [...]ering Signs or Testimonies of mens being entirely Good and impartially Religious: so that thence you may be able to correct the mistaken Judgments of men about Religion and Goodness. You shall hear it said of such or such a man, He is a very sober person, he was never seen drunk, he is known for his chastity, and leading a Life free from wanton­ness and lewdness, therefore without doubt he is a Good man. But this is not ground sufficient to build such a Conclusion upon, for you are to in­quire further whether he minds that part of Re­ligion which enjoyns Justice and Charity: is he kind and loving to the poor, and doth he give eve­ry one their due? Or, if these things be practised by him, still you cannot pronounce him a man en­tirely Good till you ask further whether Piety be visible in his Life: is he one that fears God and devoutly worships him? doth he privately addict himself to Religion, and doth he duly attend on the more Solem and Publick service of God? and can you dis [...]ern that he aims at the Glory of the most High in all that he doth? then (so far as you or any one else can judge) he is a good and holy man indeed.

§. 12. You shall hear it said of another man, He is very [...]st [...] nobody, he was never [Page 342] charged by any one with violence and oppression but on the contrary he is very eminent for his acts of Charity and Benevolence, therefore cer­tainly he is a Good man. But this likewise is a groundless conclusion, for there are other things besides these to constitute a Good man. You must satisfy your selves therefore whether his Life be Sober and Godly, as well as Just, and if you find it to be so you have reason to believe he deserves that Character.

§. 13. Again, it is said of another man, that he is very Devout and Pious, he constantly resorts to his Parish Church, he frequents the Publick Prayers, & behaves himself there with great signs of Godly zeal, and is careful that those of his Fa­mily should do as he doth; accordingly he sees that they also be present at the Service of God, and there demean themselves devoutly & piously: this m [...] therefore must needs be a Good man, and one that is accepted of God. Here again I deny the Consequence, for though in all this he doth well, yet till I am informed how he stands affected to the other parts of his Duty, I cannot fix that Character on him. Is he Seb [...]r as well as Devout? He seems to hate Impiety, but doth he not practice Debauchery? He observes very Re­verent Postures at Church, but is he not seen some­times to Reel in the streets? doth he not bow at the Name of Jesus, and swear by it likewise? though he seems Humble at his Prayers to God, yet doth he not carry himself Proudly towards his Brethren; It is thus oftentimes: in the Church, there is nothing but Divinity, but out of it there is scarce Humanity. He duly attends at the Lord's Supper, and is much offended that that Sacred Or­dinance [Page 343] is so neglected: but doth he not come a­way thence the same man that he went? do you see that he remains from Lasciviousness or Drunk­enness, or prophane Oaths afterwards, yea on that very day.

§. 14. You shall hear Others say, such a one is a Godly man he goes to a Select Meeting, he is of a Particular Congregation, of a Purer way then others. He cannot submit to the use of the Common Prayer and the Ceremonies, he dislikes all things in the National Church, and therefore in conscience he seperates from it, and betakes him­self to a stricter form of Doctrine and Worship. This man without controversy is a Good man, say they, if there be any such in the World. But I cannot [...]ss [...]t to this Proposition, because to true Good [...]ss or S [...]ct [...]y are required all the essential parts of it: therefore (waving at present his par­ticular Pers [...]sion and Practice with relation to the [...]) I ask, doth this man you speak of act [...] Righteously? doth he moderate [...] affections and desires, doth he suppress [...] the World? doth he sub­due [...] doth he quell pride and [...] not uncharitably cen­sure, [...] his brethren? is [...]e honest and [...] & commerce? is he true and [...] words and promises? is he very careful not [...] and injure his neighbours? doth he [...] others [...]s he would be dealt with himself? [...] a quiet, humble & [...] ­ble Spirit, & willing to maintain Amity & Friend­ship with those that [...] in some les­ser matters of Religion▪ And many other things relating to his Duty towards his brethren (of which [Page 344] I spoke before) must be found in that person who is to be called and thought a Good man. Deceive not therefore your selves or others as to this mat­ter, mistake not one part of Religion for the whole. But when you set about the great work of Self-Examination, remember to try your selves by this Complete Test, lay the whole Rule to your Lives, and ask your selves, whether you have lived not only Soberly, but Righteously, and not only Righ­teously but Godlily.

§. 15. 3 dly, Be exhorted to shew your selves thus Impartial in Religion. See that you evince the Truth and Reality of it by your being Uni­versally Holy, by being Uniform and Entire in the performance of your respective Duties. Be good Christians on all accounts; be severe towards your selves, be just towards Men, and be pious towards God. Walk not as if Morality were no part of the Christian Religion, & yet do not confine Chri­stianity to that; but let the fear of God and the sense of his Divine Majesty inspire you in all your Actions: especially now, in these Days of Aposta­cy and Prophaneness, engage your selves to the se­rious Practice of what I have said. There is a great variety of Duties, you see, before you, a wonder­ful diversity of Graces and Vertues. Let it be your study and endeavour to practice them all without Exception and Reserve. Wherein you have offended and miscarried as to any of them, humbly beg Pardon of God, and implore the Di­vine Assistance that for the future you may be enabled to discharge the Duty towards your selves with greater Sobriety▪ towards your Brethren with more Righteousness and Charity, and tow­ards God with greater Devotion and Piety.

[Page 345]§ 16. Nor do I shut up all here; it remains still, in the last place, nor you be exhorted to join both Parts of this Treatise [...] [...]ther, viz. Know­ledge and Practice, for these are the Two great Things that ma [...] up the Whole Concern of Man. Therefore here in the final close of all let me re­quest you to unite both these, that you may be every way compleat in your Religion. Observe the Connection of the Apostle St. Peter's Words in his Second Epistle, Third Chapter, and last Verse, Grow in Grace, & in the Knowledge of our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ. This is a happy Conjunction, and let it be observed in the whole course of your Lives, let your Knowledge be ever attended with growth in Grace. And indeed all the Principles of our Religion, even the most My­sterious of them, have a tendency to this, namely, an increase in Grace and Holiness. There is no­thing in Christianity but what is productive of Purity of Life, of a vertuous and godly Conversa­tion. Yea, if our Knowledge doth not contribute towards this, it is of no worth at all, it is empty and insignificant, and doth not deserve the Name of True Christian Knowledge. Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his Commandments, 1 John 2.3. He can give but little Proof of his Knowledge of God, whose Soul is not earnestly devoted to Obedience & a holy life. And it fol­loweth. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his Commandments is a Lyar, & the Truth is not in him The Apostle (you bear) is down­right and peremptory: He plainly tells you, that you Lye against your own Consciences, you Cheat and Deceive your selves, if you pretend to true Knowledge of God, and yet are not careful to ob­serve [Page 346] the Divine Commandments. Your Know­ledge, if it be right, will be accompanied with Piety and good Works; but if it be void of these, it is Knowledge falsly so called, & no ways wor­thy of a Christian.

§. 17. I appeal to you, what Advantages can you hope to reap from a barren & fruitless Know­ledge? What will it avail you to have Bibles by you, and to be able to turn very dexterously to Chapter & Verse, & thence to inform your selves of your Duty in all kinds, if you perform it not? What will it profit you to understand the Doc­trines contained in that holy Book, if you discover nothing of them in your Lives? What will it ad­vantage you to Discourse of those excellent Truths, unless you practice the Contents of them? O then be perswaded, that That is the only Advantageous Knowledge which makes you better. They that knowing God aright, do sincerely serve him through their whole Lives, are the Persons that know and understand to purpose. If then you be well informed concerning God, his Nature, At­tributes, Works, and all the Doctrinal Part of Christianity, see that you add the Practical Part to it, and thereby secure your Salvation and Hap­piness, according to what our Saviour hath deli­vered, John 13.17. If you know these things, Happy are you if you do them.