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<DATE>5-7-08</DATE>
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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>THE GOOD OLD VVAY, GODS VVAY, TO SOVLE-REFRESHING REST: DISCOVERED In a Sermon Preached to the Right Honorable the Lord Maior and Court of Aldermen of the Citie of <HI>London,</HI> at their Anniver&s;ary meeting on Wedne&s;day in Ea&s;ter Weeke at <HI>Chri&s;t-Church, Apr.</HI> 24. 1644. being the day of the Monethly publike Fa&s;t.</P>
<P>By THOMAS HILL B. D. Pa&s;tor of <HI>Tychmer&s;h</HI> in <HI>Northampton-&s;hire.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL>Prov. 14. 2.</BIBL>
<P>There is a way which &s;eemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the wayes of death.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>P&s;al. 139. 23, 24.</BIBL>
<P>Search me O God, and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts: And &s;ee if there be any wick|kedne&s;&s;e in me, and lead me in the way everla&s;ting.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>I&s;a 2. 3.</BIBL>
<P>And many people &s;hall goe and &s;ay, Come yee and let us go up to the mountaine of the Lord, to the hou&s;e of the God of <HI>Jacob,</HI> and he will teach us of his wayes, and we will walke in his paths.</P></Q>
<P>Imprimatur, <HI>Charles Herle.</HI></P>
<P><HI>London</HI> Printed by <HI>Ric. Cotes,</HI> for <HI>John Bellamie</HI> and <HI>Philemon Stephens,</HI> 1644.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
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<HEAD>TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE The Lord Maior, and Court of Al|dermen, with other Citizens of the Renowned City of <HI>LONDON.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>_I</HI> Doubt not but there are many among&s;t you, Right Ho|nourable and Worthy Citizens; yea, very many who &s;eriou&s;ly &s;et their faces towards <HI>Sion;</HI> The whole Kingdome hath abundantly ta&s;ted the excellent fruites of your reall forwardne&s;&s;e in <HI>this good way.</HI> Travellers are u&s;ually as glad of <HI>Guides,</HI> as of <HI>Companions,</HI> e&s;pecially in <HI>doubtfull</HI> wayes: And wee are fallen among &s;o many <HI>Que&s;tio|ni&s;ts,</HI> and &s;uch <HI>thick mi&s;ts</HI> of <HI>&s;trange Doctrines,</HI> ob&s;curing the good way &s;o much, that we had need &s;eeke cleere <HI>direction,</HI> other|wi&s;e<NOTE PLACE="marg">Many mi&s;ts of new opinions which much puzzle Travel|lers.</NOTE> wee may &s;oone be at <HI>a lo&s;&s;e.</HI> We heare of <HI>Antinomians</HI> who deny the <HI>Law,</HI> to bee a rule of life to Saints: Wee heare of <HI>Socinians,</HI> who in a manner overthrow the <HI>Go&s;pel,</HI> denying the &s;atisfaction of Chri&s;t: We heare of <HI>Arminians,</HI> who undermine the <HI>Covenant of Free-grace,</HI> that they may gratifie Free-will: We heare of <HI>Anabapti&s;ts,</HI> who with-hold <HI>Bapti&s;me</HI> the Seale of that Covenant from the <HI>Infants,</HI> even of &s;uch as are in <HI>Cove|nant:</HI> We heare of others, who que&s;tion the <HI>Truth</HI> of our <HI>Church,</HI> and of our <HI>Mini&s;try,</HI> in and by which &s;o many thou&s;and &s;oules have been new borne to <HI>God:</HI> Yea, we heare of &s;ome grown to
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that de&s;perate height, that they &s;ay, there is <HI>no need of Mini&s;try or Ordinances,</HI> flattering us with hope of <HI>new Apo&s;tles, &amp; glo|rious di&s;coveries</HI> by them. Hereby Religion is much mangled, and well meaning minds not a little di&s;tracted, which way to take. It is the <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> worke to <HI>warne</HI> again&s;t enemies, to <HI>direct</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek 33. 7. Matth. 5. 14 Joh. 5. 35. P&s;al. 119. 105.</NOTE> again&s;t <HI>errors,</HI> to carry the <HI>Lanthorne and Candle of Gods Word,</HI> before people in the darke, that they may find the be&s;t way. What &s;parkes of light this plaine Sermon holds forth, were at fir&s;t blowne up by your de&s;ire, and now by your importuni|ty being made Publike are kept burning. The good Lord (who de|&s;pi&s;eth not the day of &s;mall things) quicken your Spirits hereby in Heaven-way; I &s;hall heartily rejoice if your <HI>attention</HI> in hearing, &s;hall be &s;econded with <HI>intention</HI> in acting over that Coun&s;ell wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ch was given you from the Word of God. This is the be&s;t commendation of a Sermon, to walke in the light and heat of it in your conver&s;ation&punc; what is wanting in the &s;trength and lu&s;tre of this Di&s;cour&s;e, will in part be &s;upplyed by its &s;ea&s;onable|ne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>In the&s;e times of Reformation we &s;hould bee often put in mind, to &s;tand, &s;ee, inquire: As in <HI>building</HI> we beware of mi&s;takes in the <HI>foundation;</HI> In <HI>Phy&s;icke,</HI> of errors in the <HI>fir&s;t concocti|on;</HI> in both the&s;e they are dangerous, becau&s;e hardly corrigible; So in journeys we &s;hould wi&s;ely watch again&s;t erring, both at our fir&s;t &s;etting out, and e&s;pecially when we come to a great turning, if then we mi&s;take the right way, we &s;hall not ea&s;ily recover. How carefull was <HI>Ezra to &s;eeke of God a right way,</HI> when he was going from <HI>Babylon</HI> to <HI>Jeru&s;alem?</HI> Hee <HI>proclaimed a Fa&s;t</HI> for that purpo&s;e at the River <HI>Ahava,</HI> and that a mo&s;t religious<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ez<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a 8. 21.</NOTE> ground, <HI>Ver. 22.</HI> We in <HI>England</HI> are now engaged in coun&s;els of <HI>Reformation,</HI> that w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e may remove further from <HI>Babylon</HI> to|wards <HI>Jeru&s;alem.</HI> And by the good hand of <HI>God</HI> upon us, we are under his owne <HI>Ordinance,</HI> an <HI>A&s;&s;embly of Mini&s;ters</HI> is called to di&s;cover the <HI>Scripture way.</HI> It is worth much importu|nity,
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in Fa&s;ting and Praying; that being come to &s;o <HI>great a turn|ing,</HI> upon &s;o <HI>grand a change</HI> in the <HI>Church of England,</HI> wee may cleerly find the <HI>good old way:</HI> Wee mu&s;t expect <HI>Satan<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach 3. 1.</NOTE> who &s;tood at</HI> Jo&s;huahs <HI>right hand to re&s;i&s;t him,</HI> when hee was about Temple-worke, will now u&s;e all his methods to p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rplexe and to mi&s;-lead us, to involve us in difficulties, and in angle us with errors: If he cannot wholly turne us out of the good way, he will indeavour to ca&s;t &s;tumbling-blocks in it, and by variety of opinions, to multiply divi&s;ions about it; yea, hee knowes how by faire pretences, and by good words, to cou&s;en us into bad wayes. <HI>New-England</HI> affords us a &s;ad in&s;tance of this policy. A <HI>wor|thy Divine</HI> of their owne tells us, by what &s;leights the <HI>Antino|mians, Famili&s;ts,</HI> and <HI>Libertines,</HI> infected the Churches there, <HI>As they would lift up them&s;elves,</HI> (&s;aith hee) <HI>&s;o al&s;o their<NOTE PLACE="marg">See Mr. Well<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Preface to a &s;hort Story of the ri&s;e, and reigne, and ru|ine of the An|tinomians, Fa|mili&s;ts, and Li|bertines which infected New-England. p. 4.</NOTE> opinions, by guilding them over with &s;pecious termes of Free grace, glorious light, Go&s;pel Truths, as holding forth naked Chri&s;t,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>and this tooke much with &s;imple hone&s;t hearts, who loved Chri&s;t; e&s;pecially with new Converts, who were lately in bondage under &s;inne and wrath, and had newly ta&s;ted the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of Free-Grace, being now in their fir&s;t love to Chri&s;t, they were exceeding glad to im|brace any thing that might further advance Chri&s;t and Free-Grace, and &s;o dranke them in readily.</HI></P>
<P>Yet be not di&s;couraged, I be&s;eech you; your wi&s;e and powerfull<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 9. 6.</NOTE> <HI>Saviour</HI> hath the <HI>Government upon his owne &s;houlders;</HI> he<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 3. 2.</NOTE> can ea&s;ily <HI>rebuke Satan,</HI> well knowing how to confute <HI>errors,</HI> re&s;olve <HI>doubts,</HI> and compo&s;e <HI>differences,</HI> hee can conquer the greate&s;t <HI>difficulties,</HI> or remove them with ad|vantage to his owne <HI>Cau&s;e,</HI> and your <HI>Soules.</HI> Doe not de&s;paire but <HI>Gods Coun&s;els</HI> are ripening towards &s;uch a time, when you may find re&s;t after your long <HI>motion, &s;tability</HI> after your many <HI>&s;hakings,</HI> and when you &s;hall reape the <HI>harve&s;t</HI> of all the prayers and good indeavours you have <HI>&s;own,</HI> and receive rich <HI>intere&s;t</HI>
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for all the blood and Trea&s;ure you have expended in his <HI>Go&s;pells Cau&s;e.</HI> Who knowes but <HI>London,</HI> by the Free-Grace of God, after all the&s;e blacke and bloody clouds, may have cau&s;e to coine Money, (as they did in worthy <HI>Mr. Farrells</HI> time, who had<NOTE PLACE="marg">S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">et. Annal. p. 384. 474. Po&s;t tenebras lux. Deus no|&s;ter pugnat pro+n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">is.</NOTE> been &s;o much oppo&s;ed and threatned in reforming <HI>Geneva</HI> and o|ther Cities?) with this Po&s;ie on the one &s;ide: <HI>Light after a long darkne&s;&s;e;</HI> and on the other &s;ide: <HI>Our God fights for us&punc;</HI> You have had many vi&s;ible <HI>Providences,</HI> as well as precious <HI>pro|mi&s;es,</HI> encouraging you to per&s;evere in the good way. Hee hath wrought wonderfully <HI>for</HI> you, and <HI>by</HI> you; his good hand re|maine upon you, till he bring you to ervela&s;ting re&s;t.</P>
<P>The Lord refre&s;h <HI>London</HI> with the comfort of tho&s;e <HI>good<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 2. 5.</NOTE> words</HI> he &s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ke unto <HI>Jeru&s;alem: I will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will bee the glory in the mid&s;t of her.</HI> So prayes heartily,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Servant wherein he may pro|mote your Soules in the good way,
THOMAS HILL.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
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<HEAD>THE GOOD OLD WAY, Gods Way, TO SOVLE-REFRESHING REST.</HEAD>
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<BIBL>Jer. 6. 16, 17, 18, 19.</BIBL>
<Q><P>16 Thus &s;aith the Lord, Stand yee in the wayes, and &s;ee, and aske for the old paths, where is the good way, and walke therein, and yee &s;hall find re&s;t for your &s;oules; but they &s;aid, Wee will not walk therein.</P>
<P>17 Al&s;o I &s;et watchmen over you, &s;aying, hearken to the &s;ound of the Trum|pet: but they &s;aid, Wee will not hearken.</P>
<P>18 Therefore heare yee Nations, and know O Congregation, what is among them, &amp;c.</P></Q>
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<P>_AMong&s;t all the <HI>objects</HI> upon which you lay out your mo&s;t &s;erious thoughts, and &s;tronge&s;t affe|ctions, there is none next to <HI>God</HI> him&s;elfe, &s;o worthy of a large &s;hare, as your immortall <HI>Soules:</HI> (one <HI>&s;oule is worth more then a world, Mat.</HI> 16. 24.) And what more de&s;irable for the be&s;t good of our Soules (e&s;pecially in &s;tormy times) then to find a <HI>Re&s;t,</HI> an haven of tranquillity, which would bee like the <HI>mountaines</HI> of <HI>Ararat,</HI> to a to&s;&s;ed Arke, as <HI>Gen.</HI> 8. 4! Behold, here is <HI>Re&s;t for your &s;oules;</HI> Who can direct you poore pilgrims in a <HI>method</HI> to find this <HI>re&s;t,</HI> while&s;t you goe up and down, feeling after God, <HI>Acts</HI> 17. 27. being in the dark, &s;tumbling at you know not what? <HI>Prov.</HI> 4. 19. None doubtle&s;&s;e &s;o well as God him&s;elfe, who is our <HI>Haven,</HI> our <HI>happine&s;&s;e,</HI> who&s;e pre&s;ence is heaven, and who be&s;t knows what path leads to the injoyment of him&s;elfe. <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord,
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&s;tand in the Way, and &s;ee, and aske for the old pvth, where is the good way, and walke therein, and you &s;hall finde re&s;t for your &s;oules.</HI> All this be&s;peakes your ingenuous entertainment of that Coun&s;el, that admonition, that here the Lord giveth, teaching <HI>viatores,</HI> how they may become <HI>comprehen&s;ores.</HI> In the words them&s;elves there is enough to per&s;wade you to &s;et open the doores of your Soules, to welcome them, as &s;ea&s;onable.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Three generall parts.</NOTE></P>
<P>Herein you have,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>A gracious expre&s;&s;ion of Gods indulgent carriage towards a &s;in|full</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1.</NOTE> <HI>and unworthy people of Judah. Thus &s;aith the Lord,</HI> &s;tand, &s;ee, ask, for the good way, &amp;c. Hee invites them mo&s;t &s;eriou&s;ly, to tho&s;e wayes, which infallibly lead to their everla&s;ting welfare, <HI>ver.</HI> 16, 17.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Judahs ungratious, and uncivill rejecting of this whol&s;ome</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> <HI>coun&s;ell.</HI> Proud <HI>Selfe-will,</HI> (a mo&s;t dangerous bo&s;ome Malignant) maintained &s;uch a <HI>potent faction,</HI> within them, again&s;t God, and their own Soules; that they repell his kindne&s;&s;e, with this unman|nerly an&s;wer; <HI>Wee will not walk therein,</HI> ver. 16. <HI>Wee will not hear|ken,</HI> ver. 17.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>The dangerous con&s;equence of their wretched carriage to|wards</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> <HI>&s;o good a God.</HI> The Lord being &s;en&s;ible of &s;o high an affront, done to his Maje&s;ty, &s;ummons up judgements again&s;t them, <HI>v.</HI> 18, 19.</P>
<P>In the fir&s;t <HI>generall part,</HI> which <HI>is Gods gracious carriage towards</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Fir&s;t generall part.</NOTE> <HI>his people of Judah,</HI> there are divers particulars.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, The <HI>Speaker, God him&s;elfe;</HI> Thus &s;aith the <HI>Lord.</HI> Good<NOTE PLACE="marg">1.</NOTE> rea&s;on wee &s;hould bee <HI>attentive hearers,</HI> when the Preface to the Ser|mon, beings with it &s;uch a <HI>commanding intimation</HI> from the Lords own mouth. Our wi&s;e and gracious God, was ever carefull to give his people monuments of that great re&s;pect hee beares towards them: And therefore in the <HI>Ark,</HI> there was, as the pot of <HI>Mannah,</HI> an evidence of Gods care to <HI>feed</HI> them, and the rod of <HI>Aaron,</HI> an En&s;igne of <HI>government,</HI> &s;hewing, that hee would <HI>rule</HI> over them; So al&s;o the <HI>Tables,</HI> in token of his <HI>teaching</HI> of them; When afterwards he &s;ent abroad his <HI>Prophets:</HI> &s;till the people &s;hould under&s;tand, that <HI>God</HI> him&s;elf was their <HI>Teacher,</HI> by a frequent repetition of <HI>Thus &s;aith the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">k. 36.</NOTE> <HI>Lord</HI> (no le&s;&s;e then foureteen times in one Chapter.) Sometimes, by way of command, &s;ometimes by way of direction, &s;ometimes for confirmation; and often for all the&s;e, and other heavenly pur|po&s;es.</P>
<P><PB N="3" REF="5">Secondly, Con&s;ider, the <HI>language God &s;peakes,</HI> the whol&s;ome coun|&s;ell<NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> hee gives them: When <HI>Jehovah preacheth,</HI> you may expect wi&s;e hints, excellent <HI>doctrine to be propounded</HI> by him. Here you have foure particular branches in a few words.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>&s;tand yee in the wayes:</HI> The lea&s;t you can doe when <HI>God</HI> &s;pea|keth, is to &s;tand &s;till, and bethinke your &s;elves, fixing your thoughts upon the wayes; Con&s;ider, ponder them, &s;uffer not your &s;elves to bee hurried away by a heedle&s;&s;e incogitancy, which undoes may thou&s;ands.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>And &s;ee.</HI> Travellers &s;hould improve their eyes: The wi&s;e mans eyes are in his head. Looke about you with deliberation,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 2. 14&punc; Luke 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 4&punc;</NOTE> <HI>Zacheus</HI> climb'd up into a Sycomore tree, to get a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ight of Chri&s;t: So take you all advantages, to &s;py out the good way.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>Aske for the old paths,</HI> where is the good way; becau&s;e po&s;&s;ibly carnall affection may bribe your judgment, and you may be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>led away with the error of the wicked:</HI> doe not onely &s;tand and &s;ee, (indeed that's one point of wi&s;dome) but make a further di&s;covery by your &s;erious inquiry. <HI>Con&s;ider by your &s;elfe, con&s;ult with others,</HI> it is as good in <HI>divinity,</HI> as in <HI>policy,</HI> knock at every doore, that you may learn the good way.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>and walke therein.</HI> When you have found out the good way, all your worke is not done, the former acts are to little purpo&s;e, without walking, which is the complement and perfection of them. You may &s;tand, &s;ee, &amp; enquire out of <HI>curio&s;ity,</HI> it is <HI>walking</HI> in the good way, which both argues your <HI>&s;incerity,</HI> and infallibly leads unto your <HI>happine&s;&s;e. This motion is the way to re&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, Con&s;ider the <HI>motive the Lord u&s;eth to</HI> engage their diligence:<NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> and you <HI>&s;hall find re&s;t to your &s;oules.</HI> Hee puts them upon the exerci&s;e of divers acts, which require much &s;erious <HI>attention</HI> of mind, and <HI>contention</HI> of endeavours: You mu&s;t bee indu&s;trious, inqui&s;itive, per&s;evering travellers; keepe your eye upon your journeyes end, looke home-ward, looke Heaven-ward; though the Journey it &s;elfe bee long from Hell to Heaven, the way narrow, full of difficulties, &s;ometimes hedged in with Thornes, yet it <HI>leads to life, M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t</HI> 7. 14. When a Sonne is going to a loving <HI>Fathers hou&s;e;</HI> when a wife is travelling towards her <HI>deare Husband,</HI> though many di&s;courage|ments in the pa&s;&s;age, yet hopes of welcome entertainment &s;weetens all. This did uphold Chri&s;t him&s;elfe, who <HI>for the joy that was &s;et be|fore
<PB N="4" REF="6">
him, endured the cro&s;&s;e, de&s;pi&s;ing the &s;hame,</HI> Heb. 12. 2. and may &s;erve to &s;upport <HI>you.</HI></P>
<P>In the <HI>&s;econd generall</HI> part, <HI>Judahs uncivill rejecting of Gods whole|&s;ome</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Second gene|rall part.</NOTE> <HI>coun&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l;</HI> you may perceive the rebellious humour <HI>of &s;elf-will</HI> (the <HI>wor&s;t of Tyrants</HI>) working very &s;trongly. The &s;pring of corrupt na|ture opened in this vent, proud <HI>&s;elfe</HI> perking up above <HI>God.</HI> They &s;peake the very dialect of all the Sonnes of <HI>Adam,</HI> when left to them|&s;elves, <HI>Wee will not:</HI> The <HI>grand que&s;tion</HI> on foot in the world, is this, <HI>who&s;e will &s;hall prevaile;</HI> whether <HI>God</HI> &s;hall have <HI>his will,</HI> or <HI>we &s;infull crea|tures</HI> our <HI>owne wills ful<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">illed.</HI> Nothing &s;o frequently <HI>di&s;puted,</HI> nothing more hotly <HI>debated;</HI> and when it comes to tryall, men will <HI>deny them&s;elves</HI> in any thing, rather then their <HI>will;</HI> yea, they will <HI>deny God him&s;elfe,</HI> rather then &s;uffer them&s;elves to bee cro&s;&s;ed <HI>therein.</HI> Wee are all ready to returne that unmannerly an&s;wer with them, <HI>Jer.</HI> 44. 16. thus they here, <HI>&V;er&s;e 16. Wee will not walke;</HI> the lan|guage<NOTE PLACE="marg">J<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">vere<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">unde re&s;ponden<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, <HI>Sanct.</HI></NOTE> not onely of dull <HI>&s;loath,</HI> but even of <HI>impudence</HI> it &s;elfe. And when God had &s;et watchmen over them (<HI>&s;peculatores) Prie&s;ts</HI> and <HI>Pro|phets,</HI> both ordinary and extraordinary, &s;aith <HI>Junius</HI> (O the admi|rable<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide quo Divi|na provehatu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Clementia, <HI>Sanct.</HI></NOTE> riches of Gods patience, towards &s;uch unthankfull rebells!) Yet <HI>&V;er&s;e</HI> 17. they adde <HI>ob&s;tinacy</HI> to their <HI>impudence,</HI> doubling it with a <HI>&s;turdy empha&s;is, Wee will not hearken.</HI> Who would have expected &s;uch an <HI>an&s;wer</HI> as this, to have been the <HI>ec<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ho</HI> to &s;uch &s;oule-refre&s;hing coun|&s;ell? Yet thus they put off the great <HI>God,</HI> as enemies <HI>to him,</HI> and their owne <HI>&s;oules,</HI> peremptorily rejecting him and his Law.</P>
<P>No wonder if according (<HI>to the third generall part) their wretched</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Third generall pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t.</NOTE> <HI>carriage towards God,</HI> bee of &s;uch dangerous con&s;equence. In <HI>&V;er&s;.</HI> 18 the <HI>Righteous God</HI> calleth the <HI>Congregation,</HI> the <HI>Nations,</HI> to take notice<NOTE PLACE="marg">Peccata quo|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">um i&s;ti pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a|guntur rei, &amp; &s;en<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">en<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters">m meam. <HI>lun.</HI> Je<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 2. 12.</NOTE> of <HI>what is among them, (&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">il.</HI>) what &s;innes, what Judgements. This is an high &s;traine of <HI>Rhetorick</HI> which <HI>God</HI> &s;ometimes u&s;eth, that hee may give a <HI>vi&s;ible account</HI> of the ju&s;tice of his proceedings, hee will make as it were a <HI>publik<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> appeale</HI> to others, how ju&s;t hee is again&s;t them. They <HI>were not a&s;hamed, (&V;er&s;e</HI> 15.) now hee will expo&s;e them to open &s;hame. Then <HI>&V;er&s;e</HI> 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. hee calleth <HI>upon the Earth t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> behold what evill hee is bringing</HI> upon them. Patience and indul|gence being abu&s;ed, is turned into fury. They &s;hall know, <HI>that it is</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. Volu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1+ letters"> &s;ert a nobis v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l de nob<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s.</NOTE> <HI>an evill and bitter thing to for&s;ake God,</HI> Jer. 2. 19. Hee will be <HI>&s;anctified</HI> either in an <HI>active way by</HI> them, or in a <HI>pa&s;&s;ive way upon</HI> them. If <HI>they will</HI> not <HI>doe</HI> what hee <HI>requires,</HI> for his <HI>honour</HI> and their <HI>good,</HI> hee <HI>mu&s;t
<PB N="5" REF="6">
d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e</HI> what hee <HI>intends</HI> for his owne <HI>glory,</HI> though in their <HI>confu&s;ion.</HI> Some might po&s;&s;ibly mi&s;-interpret <HI>Gods</HI> &s;everity again&s;t them, wondring that they who had beene his <HI>darling</HI> people in a <HI>Nationall Covenant</HI> with him, &s;hould now bee <HI>broken</HI> with <HI>judgements</HI> by him: hee will let them know, the holine&s;&s;e of his Ju&s;tice now calls for it; &s;omtimes the &s;innes of a people grow &s;o great, they make them&s;elves as it were uncapable of mercy, <HI>Jer. 5. 7. How &s;hall I pardon for this?</HI> God is now re&s;olv'd to give them the wofull fruits of their owne <HI>thoughts, (&V;er&s;e</HI> 19.) Hee brings upon them, <HI>fructum cogitationum ip&s;orum, The fruit of their owne thoughts.</HI> As they did &s;ow, &s;o &s;hall they reape, <HI>Prov. 1. 31. they &s;hall eate the fruit of their owne way, and bee filled with their owne devices.</HI> They may &s;eeke to <HI>palliate</HI> their &s;innes, with &s;ome pompous, &s;pecious formalities of <HI>Religion,</HI> and fetch <HI>Incen&s;e</HI> and other mo&s;t <HI>noble fruits</HI> from farre; yet find no better entertainment, then <HI>&V;er&s;e</HI> 20. To what purpo&s;e <HI>commeth there to mee Incen&s;e from</HI> Sheba, and <HI>the &s;weet Cane from a farre Countrey?</HI> Notwith&s;tanding all the&s;e complements, <HI>God</HI> knowes the <HI>corrupt fruits of the thoughts</HI> of their <HI>hearts,</HI> and will accordingly reward them. As <HI>Jer. 17. 10. I the Lord &s;earch the heart, I try the rein<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, even to give every man according to his wayes, and according to the fruit of his doings.</HI></P>
<P>After this generall account of the words, let us more particularly enquire, what genuine and &s;ea&s;onable ob&s;ervations they tender to our con&s;ideration: Whereas the Lord here calleth on them to <HI>&s;tand in the way, &s;ee and aske for the old paths, the good way;</HI> this is obvious.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ob&s;ervat.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>In the concernments of your &s;oules, the Lord would not have you over-cre|dul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">s, but very carefully inqui&s;itive after the good old way.</HI></P>
<P>Before I produce rea&s;ons for confirmation hereof, I will for the clearing of the pa&s;&s;age, premi&s;e and re&s;olve a que&s;tion.</P>
<P>In what wayes &s;hould you &s;tand and &s;ee.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Que&s;t.</NOTE></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, it's good <HI>beginning with your &s;elves;</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ixe your thoughts at lea&s;t<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> for &s;ome time, on your <HI>owne</HI> wayes wherein you have walked. <HI>Re|ligion</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Stand in your owne wayes.</NOTE> as well as <HI>rea&s;on</HI> appeares in <HI>&s;elf-reflecting,</HI> in con&s;idering our &s;elves: in <HI>Hag.</HI> 1. 5. 7. Thus <HI>&s;aith the Lord, con&s;ider your wayes.</HI> Hebr. <HI>&s;et your heart on your wayes.</HI> Read them over, compare your <HI>actions</HI> with the rule, that you may find out your owne obliquities, and accordingly bee <HI>broken hearted</HI> for them, and <HI>broken off</HI> from them. Too many ordinarily mind their <HI>comforts</HI> more then their <HI>duties;</HI> and con&s;ider much more other <HI>peoples wayes</HI> to <HI>c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ure</HI> them, then their <HI>owne</HI> to <HI>judge</HI> them&s;elves <HI>for</HI> them.</P>
<P><PB N="6" REF="7">But you will never learne to bee happy <HI>travellers</HI> in <HI>Heaven</HI> way unle&s;&s;e you &s;ometimes looke back, even with weeping eyes, upon your owne former wayes. The Prophet <HI>David</HI> found benefit in this cour&s;e, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 59. I thought <HI>on my wayes, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d turned my feet unto thy Te&s;timonies.</HI> A &s;erious <HI>con&s;ideration</HI> is the Scripture method to a &s;ound <HI>conver&s;ion.</HI> This <HI>Jeremy</HI> commends unto the people of <HI>God, La<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> 3 4<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. let us <HI>&s;earch and try our wayes, and turn againe to the Lord:</HI> let us <HI>re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">urne into our &s;elves,</HI> that wee may <HI>returne unto the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, It's very &s;it likewi&s;e <HI>to &s;tand in the wayes of your Forefather<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Stand in your Fore fathe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s wayes.</HI> In<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">et<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">oga<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">dum de &s;emins anti|quis <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ive &s;em|piternis, quae multo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">um &s;an|cto<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">um tritae &s;unt ve&s;tigiis, <HI>Hieron. I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">m. 2. 23. H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ea 12. 4. Numb 14. 24. Acts</HI> 13. 22.</NOTE> the good old Servants of <HI>God,</HI> that you may write after <HI>their Copie.</HI> As <HI>Deut. 32. 7. Remember the dayes of old, con&s;ider the yeeres of many gene|rations, ask thy Father and he wil &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">w thee, thy Elders and they will tell thee.</HI> As what God has done <HI>for thee in his</HI> paths of <HI>truth and goodnes,</HI> &s;o proportionably what thou &s;hould&s;t do for <HI>him</HI> in <HI>thy</HI> waies <HI>of obedi|ence &amp; thankefulnes.</HI> It was a prudent direction the heathen <HI>Doctors</HI> gave to their <HI>Di&s;ciples:</HI> con&s;ider what <HI>Socrates, Cat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> &amp; other re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ined <HI>M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rali&s;ts</HI> did, and how they behaved them&s;elves: wee have better <HI>Oracles</HI> to con&s;ult with, <HI>patterns</HI> more worthy of our <HI>Imitation.</HI> Enquire what <HI>Abraham</HI> did, who was a <HI>friend of God:</HI> what <HI>Jacobs</HI> wayes were, who was &s;o <HI>potent with God him&s;elfe:</HI> what paths <HI>Galebs</HI> were, who was a man of <HI>another &s;pirit,</HI> more excellent then ordinary, <HI>following God</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Stand in the Lords wayes di&s;|covered by his Prophets.</HI> Standum in Prophetis &amp; diligenti&s;&s;ime contemplan|dum, <HI>Hieron.</HI></NOTE> <HI>fully:</HI> Aske what wayes <HI>David</HI> walked, in who was a <HI>man after Gods own heart, fulfilling all his will.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, and mo&s;t e&s;pecially, <HI>&s;tand in the &s;everall paths which God</HI> makes known unto you, as tending to the good way, and &s;eriou&s;ly con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ider them.</P>
<P><HI>Hierome</HI> hee di&s;tingui&s;heth <HI>plures &s;emitas &amp; viam unam,</HI> divers <HI>paths,</HI> but one good <HI>way.</HI></P>
<P>To the &s;ame purpo&s;e <HI>Theodoret;</HI> There are <HI>many Prophets</HI> which<NOTE PLACE="marg">Multae quidem v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ae &s;unt &s;ancti Prophetae, via au<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">em ve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e bo|na e&s;t Dominus no&s;ter. V<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ae plures &s;unt plura Dei man|data. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>point to this way.</HI> As there is the Kings high-way, which leads to great Cities, but divers le&s;&s;er paths comming from Villages which will bring you into that way.</P>
<P><HI>Hilarie</HI> makes the&s;e wayes to bee the <HI>many commandements of God,</HI> and many Prophets which lead to Chri&s;t the <HI>way, truth and life, Iohn</HI> 14. 6.</P>
<P>According to <HI>Cyrill,</HI> the&s;e wayes are the <HI>whol&s;ome writings of the Pro|phets,</HI> if any one will &s;et his mind on them, he &s;hall find the good way Chri&s;t Je&s;us.</P>
<P><PB N="7" REF="7">Doubtle&s;&s;e, there is <HI>one Soveraigne Soule-&s;aving way</HI> which leads to<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pervias patri|archa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">um &amp; prophetarum tendendum ad unam evangelii viam, <HI>Hieron.</HI></NOTE> <HI>God,</HI> the center of our happine&s;&s;e; this the <HI>Patriarchs and Prophets</HI> have beene di&s;covering from time to time, our thoughts &s;hould bee active how to find it out. Herein we mu&s;t not &s;odainly take things upon tru&s;t, but with much circum&s;pection con&s;ider and enquire after it, the nece&s;&s;ity whereof will appeare by the&s;e following Rea&s;ons.</P>
<P>The Lord would have you carefully inqui&s;itive after the good<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Rea&s;.</HI> 1 There are many by-waies</NOTE> way, <HI>becau&s;e there are &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> many wrong</HI> and <HI>by-wayes, wherein you may mi&s;|carry.</HI> Matth. 7. 13. Our <HI>Saviour</HI> tels us, the <HI>gate is &s;trait,</HI> the <HI>way is narrow</HI> which leads to Heaven, the <HI>pa&s;&s;age</HI> is &s;o <HI>difficult,</HI> the <HI>pa&s;&s;en|gers</HI> are but <HI>few:</HI> But the way to Hell is a <HI>broad</HI> way, having a <HI>d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">it|full latitude:</HI> naturally we love elbow-roome for our lu&s;ts; in this broad way there are <HI>by-paths,</HI> and &s;ecret <HI>turnings,</HI> many poore &s;oules, too too many walke herein: A thou&s;and <HI>crooked paths,</HI> into which<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 12<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc;</NOTE> deluded &s;inners turning a&s;ide, like lo&s;t Sheepe, goe wandring up and downe till at la&s;t they bee irrecoverably intangled in a Wil|derne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>It is ob&s;erved by the <HI>Learned,</HI> if you divide the world into thirty<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Breerwards</HI> en|quiry, <HI>Cap.</HI> 14.</NOTE> equal parts, nineteen of tho&s;e thirty according to their computation, are &s;till over-grown with <HI>Heatheni&s;h Idolatry.</HI> Six of the eleven remai|ning are over&s;pread with <HI>Mahumeti&s;me,</HI> then there remaine but five parts of thirty, where <HI>chri&s;tianity</HI> hath taken po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion. Among&s;t tho&s;e Chri&s;tians many &s;educed <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> who are led captive in by-wayes, and<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 17. 2.</NOTE> of the remaining <HI>Prote&s;tant</HI> Party, how few that are Chri&s;tians and <HI>Prote&s;tants indeed?</HI> Some have a <HI>forme of godline&s;&s;e, but deny the power:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 3. 5.</NOTE> others though they glory in the name of <HI>Chri&s;tianity;</HI> yet &s;carce &s;o much as any externall &s;hew of <HI>Pietie,</HI> &s;till the mo&s;t walk in a way that is not good.</P>
<P>This more fully appeares in that <HI>excellent parable</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> concer|ning the <HI>&s;ower</HI> who went out to &s;ow his &s;eed upon <HI>foure &s;orts of</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 13. 3&punc;</NOTE> <HI>ground;</HI> &s;ome fell by the <HI>high-wayes &s;ide,</HI> upon <HI>prophane Athei&s;tical</HI> &s;pirits, where it made no impre&s;&s;ion, this word &s;unke no more into their hearts, then &s;eed into a <HI>troden path, ver.</HI> 19. &s;ome fell upon <HI>&s;tony ground,</HI> they receive the word <HI>with &s;ome joy, ver.</HI> 20. yet becau&s;e they were not deeply humbled to make <HI>&s;in</HI> their greate&s;t <HI>&s;orrow,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> their <HI>greate&s;t joy,</HI> in time of per&s;ecution they are offended and fall off, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 21. &s;ome &s;eed is &s;owne upon <HI>thorny ground;</HI> a generation of Pro|fe&s;&s;ors
<PB N="8" REF="8">
that make &s;ome further progre&s;&s;e in entertaining the <HI>Go&s;pell</HI> for a time, yet at la&s;t the <HI>riches</HI> and cares of the world <HI>choakes</HI> the word in them, they become unfruitfull, <HI>pro&s;perity</HI> is as great a &s;nare to them, as <HI>adver&s;ity</HI> was to the &s;tony ground.</P>
<P>The fourth which is the <HI>good ground</HI> is but one <HI>quarter;</HI> (I wi&s;h it were &s;o much in every Chri&s;tian Congregation) few receive the &s;eed of Gods word with <HI>good and hone&s;t hearts,</HI> bringing <HI>forth fruit</HI> un|to perfection. This is but a <HI>little &s;pot</HI> in compari&s;on, look into mo&s;t <HI>Families,</HI> mo&s;t <HI>Congregations,</HI> not a <HI>fourth part</HI> ordinarily, that lookes like good ground, <HI>enclo&s;ed</HI> and &s;et apart to bring forth fruit <HI>to God,</HI> but rather like a <HI>common wa&s;t</HI> over-growne with <HI>weeds,</HI> like a <HI>Wilder|derne&s;&s;e, &s;ine cul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">u, &s;ine fructu, &s;ine ornatu.</HI> Here is a multiplicity of by-wayes; wherein the mo&s;t doe lo&s;e their <HI>God,</HI> their <HI>Soules,</HI> their <HI>Hopes,</HI> their <HI>Happine&s;&s;e;</HI> therefore you &s;hould bee careful|ly inqui&s;itive.</P>
<P>There are <HI>many fal&s;e guides,</HI> as well as crooked by-wayes, which<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rea&s;.</HI> 2. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> There are many fal&s;e guides. 2 Pet. 2. 1, 2. <GAP DESC="foreign">: <HI>praeter &s;anam Evangelii doctrinam.</HI> Pi&s;c.</NOTE> will <HI>cunningly indeavour to mi&s;lead you</HI> into &s;elf-undoing cour&s;es; upon this ground al&s;o you had need bee the more carefully inqui&s;itive after the good way. The Apo&s;tle <HI>Pete<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> a&s;&s;ures us there were <HI>fal&s;e Prophets</HI> among the <HI>people,</HI> even among the people of God, there &s;hall al&s;o be <HI>fal&s;e Teachers</HI> among you, who &s;hall privily bring in <HI>damnable here&s;ies:</HI> they mingled noi&s;ome <HI>weeds</HI> with &s;ome &s;weet <HI>flowers,</HI> &s;cattered their <HI>poi&s;on</HI> upon <HI>Go&s;pel truths.</HI> And <HI>ver.</HI> 2. many &s;hall <HI>follow their pernici|ous wayes, &s;cil.</HI> their corrupt doctrines and evill examples; they loo&s;e the reines to all manner of licentiou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the fle&s;h, under the pretence of Chri&s;tian liberty, <HI>ver.</HI> 18. by rea&s;on <HI>of whom the way of Truth &s;hall bee evill &s;poken of,</HI> the Go&s;pel much reproached by the adver&s;aries; and &s;o others diverted from the right way: as long as the <HI>Devill</HI> hath a <HI>Kingdome</HI> here, hee will &s;end abroad his <HI>Emi&s;&s;aries</HI> acting this part to draw people into pernicious wayes.</P>
<P>How came the <HI>man of &s;in</HI> to rife from &s;o &s;mall <HI>beginnings</HI> to &s;o great<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 4. 1.</NOTE> an <HI>height;</HI> looke into 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 1. the &s;pirit <HI>&s;peaketh expre&s;ly</HI> in the <HI>latter times</HI> &s;ome &s;hall <HI>depart from the faith,</HI> giving heed to <HI>&s;educing &s;pirits.</HI> The <HI>Devill</HI> and the <HI>Pope</HI> have had many indu&s;trious <HI>Chaplain<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> who boa&s;ting as if they were <HI>in&s;pired</HI> and &s;ent by God, pretending <HI>devotion;</HI> and by <HI>in&s;inuating &s;traines of Rhetorick,</HI> have fir&s;t &s;crued them|&s;elves into mens <HI>con&s;ciences,</HI> then pickt their <HI>pur&s;es,</HI> fir&s;t <HI>cheated</HI> them
<PB N="9" REF="8">
of their <HI>Religion,</HI> of their <HI>Salvation,</HI> and then <HI>con&s;ened</HI> them of their <HI>E&s;tates,</HI> got their <HI>Kingdoms</HI> to enlarge the <HI>Popes Territories:</HI> And all<NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;er&s;e 2.</NOTE> this carried on <GAP DESC="foreign">, by the <HI>Hypocri&s;ie of tho&s;e</HI> who <HI>&s;peake lies,</HI> with mo&s;t cunning devices, deluding many poore creatures,<NOTE PLACE="marg">As <HI>Eph.</HI> 4. 14&punc;</NOTE> obtruding <HI>guilded errors</HI> upon them in &s;tead of <HI>Truths.</HI> Po&s;&s;ibly you may bee &s;educed by &s;uch &s;pirits, unle&s;&s;e you bee vigilant and inqui|&s;itive.</P>
<P>It's worthy your ob&s;ervation, in 1 <HI>King.</HI> 22. 20, when ever the <HI>Lord</HI> intendeth to &s;uffer any poore creature to bee <HI>deluded,</HI> you &s;hall find the <HI>Devil</HI> is alway <HI>at hand.</HI> No &s;ooner did <HI>God</HI> &s;peak the&s;e words in <HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 20. The <HI>Lord &s;aid, Who &s;hall per&s;wade</HI> Ahab, <HI>that hee may goe up and fall at</HI> Ramoth Gilead? (God had a quarrell again&s;t <HI>Ahab,</HI> and he was re&s;olv'd to &s;uffer him to engage him&s;elf in &s;uch a Warre, and to goe up that he might be there undone.) But the Que&s;tion is now, how this &s;hould bee brought about? In <HI>&V;er&s;e</HI> 21. There came forth a <HI>&s;pirit and &s;tood before the Lord and &s;aid, I will per&s;wade him.</HI> No &s;ooner doth God expre&s;&s;e any intention, to &s;uffer any one to bee &s;educed, but the Devil is mo&s;t ready to bee imployed in the &s;ervice. The Lord &s;aith <HI>unto him, Wherewith?</HI> In <HI>&V;er&s;e</HI> 22. hee &s;aith, I will goe forth, and <HI>I will bee a lying &s;pirit in the mouth of all his Prophets;</HI> And hee &s;aid, Thou <HI>&s;hall per&s;wade him, and prevaile al&s;o, goe forth and doe &s;o.</HI> The Devill knew <HI>Ahab</HI> had a company of <HI>Trencher mercenary Chaplaines,</HI> that would ea&s;ily bee wrought upon to &s;ay any thing to the <HI>King;</HI> &s;o the <HI>Devil</HI> undertakes them, and hee knowing the length of their foot, that hee could prevaile with them; &s;aith hee, <HI>I will goe,</HI> and bee a <HI>lying &s;pirit</HI> in the <HI>mouth of all his Prophets.</HI> Hence it commeth that <HI>Ahab</HI> him&s;elfe was &s;educed to tho&s;e waies that lead to his owne de&s;truction. <HI>&V;nhappie King,</HI> hee had &s;uch corrupt <HI>Chaplaines,</HI> that were <HI>fal&s;e guides;</HI> and there was a Devill that was very ready, to make u&s;e of all advantages, how to mi&s;-lead them, that they might <HI>mi&s;&punc;guide Ahab.</HI> Such engines as the&s;e are, the Devil in all ages &s;ends abroad, who come like <HI>ignis fatuus</HI> to poore people in the darke; and carry them headlong, &s;ometimes till they &s;tumble and fall, and if not breake the neck of their &s;alvation, yet hazzard it very much, <HI>di&s;honour God, wrong them&s;elves,</HI> and ca&s;t <HI>&s;tumbling blocks</HI> before <HI>others.</HI> Therefore &s;till let us &s;ee, ob&s;erve and take coun&s;ell, not receive things upon tru&s;t, without exact inquiring, being there are many fal&s;e guides, that will mi&s;-lead you into dangerous wayes.</P>
<P><PB N="10" REF="9">Wee have all &s;o much of that <HI>&s;in</HI> within us, which <HI>doth ea&s;ily be&s;et</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">3. <HI>Bea&s;.</HI> There is that within us which will be|tray us to bee ea&s;ily mi&s;-led.</NOTE> <HI>us, betraying</HI> us into by-wayes, and unto fal&s;e guides, which may yet lay a further obligation upon us to bee vigilant, and inqui&s;itive after the good way. Three things there are within us, which expo&s;e us to bee mi&s;-led.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, there is in us much <HI>blindne&s;&s;e of mind,</HI> much ignorance<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Blindne&s;&s;e of mind.</NOTE> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and &s;oule-&s;aving My&s;teries, whereby wee are both <HI>alienated from the life of God, Ephe&s;.</HI> 4. 18. and likewi&s;e alwayes rea|dy to <HI>erre in our hearts, n<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">t knowing Gods wayes, Heb.</HI> 3. 10. As al&s;o hereby more &s;ubject to bee deluded by Satan, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 6. 12. It is an ea&s;ie matter to abu&s;e any one in the dark; you may cou&s;en him with <HI>Copper</HI> in &s;tead of <HI>Gold,</HI> with a counterfeit <HI>Jewell</HI> in &s;tead of a <HI>true one.</HI> The Devill knowes how to take advantage of the darkne&s;&s;e of our minds, to entangle us with corrupt opinions to engage us in licen|cious practices, thereby mi&s;-leading us, till at la&s;t hee hath plung'd us into <HI>utter darkne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, there is in us <HI>deceitfulne&s;&s;e of heart,</HI> as well as blindne&s;&s;e<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Deceitfulnes of heart.</NOTE> of mind, which layes us more open to bee &s;educed from the good way. It is a full expre&s;&s;ion, di&s;covering the depth of deceit in our &s;pirits, <HI>Jer. 17. 9. The heart is deceitfull above all things, and de&s;perate|ly wicked, who can know it?</HI> There are many deceitfull things in the world, fal&s;e <HI>weights,</HI> fal&s;e <HI>mea&s;ures,</HI> deceitfull <HI>coyne,</HI> deceitfull <HI>bookes;</HI> but the heart is deceitfull <HI>above all things.</HI> A deceitfull heart is the <HI>greate&s;t Impo&s;tor in the World:</HI> So many <HI>anfractus,</HI> &s;uch <HI>re<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;&s;us,</HI> &s;o ma|ny &s;ly <HI>corners, and turnings, and windings,</HI> that none can know it, none can find it out but God, who hath an all-&s;eeing, all-&s;earching eye. The ignorance of our minds fils us with <HI>&s;elf-conceit,</HI> our &s;infull heart is as full of <HI>&s;elf-deceit,</HI> as of &s;inne, and where there is a &s;elf|<HI>conceited mind,</HI> and a &s;elfe-deceitfull <HI>heart,</HI> 'tis no wonder to &s;ee &s;uch mi&s;-led.</P>
<P>Thirdly, There are al&s;o in us many <HI>prejudi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es again&s;t the go<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">d way,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Many <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 word"> prejudices in us again&s;t the good way.</NOTE> which make us more apt to bee &s;educed. It is one of the great <HI>Engines</HI> whereby the Devill manages his de&s;ignes (<HI>a part of his &s;trong <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 word"> 2 Cor.</HI> 10. 4.) to fill people with prejudicate opinions a|gain&s;t the wayes of God, as if they were either <HI>Melan<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">holy</HI> and di&s;-con&s;olate wayes, (never con&s;idering that the <HI>wayes of wi&s;dome are wayes of plea&s;antne&s;&s;e, Prov.</HI> 3. 17.) or as if they were unprofi|table wayes, not minding, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 8. That <HI>Godline&s;&s;e is profita|ble
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unto all things, having the promi&s;es of this life, and of that which is to come.</HI> This is the language too many &s;peake from this di&s;tem|per of &s;pirit, <HI>Mat. 3 14. It is vaine to &s;erve God;</HI> and what <HI>profit have wee</HI> that wee <HI>have kept his Ordin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">s?</HI> This prevailed to mi&s;|lead people in Chri&s;ts time, <HI>Job.</HI> 7. 48. Have any <HI>of the Rulers, or of the Ph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters">&s;ees beleeved on him?</HI> And afterward when <HI>Paul</HI> preached Chri&s;t cru<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;ied, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 23. Unto the <HI>Jewes</HI> hee was a <HI>&s;tumbling bl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ck;</HI> (they &s;tumbl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d, becau&s;e they did not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ind &s;o many miracles under <HI>this G<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">pell,</HI> as under the Mini&s;tery of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>) To the <HI>Gentiles</HI> hee was a <HI>r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ke of offence;</HI> they were &s;o fond of <HI>Philo&s;ophicall &s;ubtilties,</HI> and <HI>humane Eloquence,</HI> that they were offended with <HI>Apo&s;tolicall &s;impli|city</HI> in preaching <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> cruci&s;ied.</P>
<P>As there are many by-wayes, many fal&s;e guides, divers evils with|in<NOTE PLACE="marg">4. <HI>Rea&s;.</HI> The good way is not ea&s;ily found out.</NOTE> us; which betray us to mi&s;-leading; &s;o con&s;ider, the good <HI>way is not ea&s;ily found out:</HI> our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour pre&s;&s;eth this, <HI>Luke</HI> 13. 24. Strive <HI>to enter in at the &s;trait gate; for I &s;ay unto you, many &s;hall &s;eeke to enter in, and &s;hall not bee able.</HI> It is an awakening expre&s;&s;ion, if &s;eriou&s;ly min|ded; <HI>Strive to enter in,</HI> &s;trive to overcome <HI>thy &s;elfe,</HI> &s;trive to over|come the <HI>Devill,</HI> &s;trive to overcome the <HI>World,</HI> and all little enough; many <HI>&s;hall &s;eeke,</HI> and &s;hall not bee <HI>able:</HI> the <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ivill Hypocrite</HI> hee &s;eeketh by complying with duties of the <HI>&s;econd Table;</HI> and the <HI>religious</HI> Hy|pocrite, hee will &s;eeke by corre&s;pondence with duties of the <HI>fir&s;t Ta|ble;</HI> the <HI>Papi&s;t</HI> hee will &s;eeke in the wayes of &s;uper&s;titious devotion; and all kind of people in the world, that have any <HI>&s;en&s;e of a deity,</HI> and any apprehen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ion of the <HI>immortality of their &s;oules,</HI> they will &s;eeke after &s;ome kind or other; but all &s;eeking will not &s;erve, many &s;eekers &s;hall not bee able to <HI>enter:</HI> and therefore &s;aith hee,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>Strive.</HI></P>
<P>Two things increa&s;e the difficulty in finding out the good way.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Difficulty in finding out the good way. 1 The &s;ecrecy of the good way.</NOTE></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>This good way lies deepe,</HI> 'tis a hidden way: <HI>Religion</HI> is the greate&s;t <HI>My&s;terie</HI> in the world. In any ordinary trade, before a man can bee acquainted with the &s;ecrets of it, you bind him Apprentice for &s;ix or &s;even yeares; truly, there are &s;o many my&s;teries in Religion, that require the &s;ervice of divers Apprenti&s;hips to bee well acquainted with them. Religion it &s;eemes a <HI>Paradox,</HI> a <HI>Riddle,</HI> and that's the rea&s;on, that &s;o many out-&s;tand, out-&s;it &s;o many Sermons, out-live &s;o many Mini&s;ters one after another, and yet are where they were, it may bee ten or twenty yeares agone: grow
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more wi&s;e for the world, and more provident, and more politicke for their owne &s;ecular advantage: But &s;till as great &s;trangers to the power of godline&s;&s;e as ever: How commeth this to pa&s;&s;e? The way lies deepe, there&punc;s nothing in Religion, but it hath a my&s;tery in it. <HI>Paul</HI> when he &s;peaketh of cha&s;tity, u&s;eth this expre&s;&s;ion, that every one &s;hould <HI>know</HI> how to <HI>po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e his &V;e&s;&s;ell in holine&s;&s;e and honour, 1 The&s;.</HI> 4. 4. There is a virginall and a conjugall cha&s;tity not ea&s;ily lear|ned. And he tels you, <HI>Phil. 4. 12. I know both how to be aba&s;ed, and I know how to abound; every where and in all things I am in&s;tructed, both to bee full and to bee hungry; both to abound and to &s;uffer need.</HI> There was a my&s;tery in all this; to know how to <HI>avoid the &s;innes,</HI> to <HI>re&s;i&s;t the temptations,</HI> and <HI>exerci&s;e the graces</HI> of all the&s;e conditions, was a le&s;&s;on not ea&s;ily learn'd: Therefore <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith here <GAP DESC="foreign"> I am initiated in this my&s;tery. As in regard of the <HI>doctrine</HI> of the Go&s;pel, <HI>without controver&s;ie great is the my&s;tery of godline&s;&s;e, 1 Tim.</HI> 3. 16. So indeed it's very true, in <HI>practicall godline&s;&s;e,</HI> in all the duties that you and I are to practice in Religion there is a my&s;terie. To know how to <HI>live by faith,</HI> to <HI>act &s;elf<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">-deniall,</HI> to performe duties, &s;o as to enjoy <HI>communion with God therein,</HI> requires a &s;ecret and hea|venly skill. Many a man hath meerely an outward <HI>&s;hell and huske</HI> of duty, a <HI>carca&s;&s;e</HI> of Religion, but wants the <HI>kernell,</HI> and <HI>&s;oule,</HI> that &s;hould enliven it. To doe Religious duties, from <HI>Religious grounds,</HI> upon <HI>Religious motives&punc;</HI> for Religious <HI>ends;</HI> that you may plea&s;e God therewith, as well as profit your &s;elves; is &s;uch a &s;ecret, as &s;ome who have been hearers for twenty or thirty yeares, are little acquain|ted with.</P>
<P>Secondly, as the good way lies deepe, &s;o <HI>even the be&s;t guides may</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The be&s;t guides may be mi&s;taken.</NOTE> <HI>bee mi&s;taken;</HI> the mo&s;table, learned, godly Mini&s;ters in &s;ome things, may po&s;&s;ibly bee deceived them&s;elves, and deceive others. It is ob|&s;ervable, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3. 12, &amp;c. Mini&s;ters may build upon the <HI>right foun|dation,</HI> and they them&s;elves <HI>bee &s;aved,</HI> being godly; yet their <HI>worke &s;hall bee lo&s;t;</HI> becau&s;e though upon the right foundation, yet they <HI>build hay, &s;tubble, wood,</HI> &s;uch tra&s;h of errors, or ai<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y and empty &s;pecu|lations; not <HI>gold, &s;ilver, and precious &s;tones,</HI> whol&s;ome and &s;ub&s;tantiall heavenly truths; not con&s;idering that the <HI>foundation,</HI> as it is the <HI>&s;trength,</HI> &s;o it &s;hould bee the <HI>rule</HI> of the building, and all the <HI>&s;uper|&s;tructions</HI> &s;hould bee <HI>commen&s;urate</HI> to the foundation&punc; every way corre&s;pondent to the will, mind, and glory of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Lear|ning
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and goodne&s;&s;e doth not exempt men from the&s;e mi&s;takes.</P>
<P>If you looke into 1 <HI>King.</HI> 13. you &s;hall find an amazing exam|ple of an old Prophet, who di&s;covers &s;ome goodne&s;&s;e, <HI>ver.</HI> 30, 31, 32. Yet you have him <HI>ver.</HI> 18. &s;educing another Prophet, who had been zealou&s;ly active in the cau&s;e of God, as appeares in the begin|ning of the Chapter: the greater pity that hee &s;hould bee &s;o much abu&s;ed; This old Prophet &s;peakes like a grave Father to him, <HI>ver. 18. I am a Prophet al&s;o as thou art, and an Angel &s;pake unto mee by the word of the Lord, &s;aying, Bring him back wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h thee into thine hou&s;e, that hee may eate bread, and drink water; But hee lied unto him.</HI> Hee pre|tends a Revelation from God, to bring back the Prophet, ex|pre&s;&s;ely contrary to what in&s;tructions hee had received of God, <HI>ver.</HI> 9. An Angell &s;pake to me <HI>by the Word of the Lord.</HI> It is po&s;&s;ible, you &s;ee, for grave Mini&s;ters to palliate their untruths with pretended Revelations. Hereby this Prophet was mi&s;-led out of the good Way, and put upon that di&s;obedience again&s;t God, which co&s;t him his life.</P>
<P>Indeed &s;oone after (which is fit to bee ob&s;erved) <HI>ver.</HI> 21, 22. God reproves his di&s;obedience by the old <HI>Prophet,</HI> who was the occa&s;ion to bring him into error. Wee &s;peak, wee act, as God is plea&s;ed to a&s;&s;i&s;t or withdraw. When God will u&s;e a man, then hee &s;hall bee a <HI>Coun&s;ellor,</HI> a <HI>reprover;</HI> but when hee is left to him&s;elfe, then even an old Prophet may bee a <HI>&s;educer,</HI> a <HI>deceiver.</HI> No wonder to &s;ee &s;o many of our younger <HI>Prophets,</HI> and other <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> mi&s;-led in the&s;e latter dayes, when old Prophets may and do too often pretend the greate&s;t <HI>authority,</HI> abu&s;ing Gods own name, to countenance their <HI>errors.</HI> The primitive times afford us too many &s;ad in&s;tances, that the greate&s;t Lights may have a mixture of darkne&s;&s;e. <HI>Origen</HI> and<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Vincent. Lirin. c.</HI> 23, &amp; 24.</NOTE> <HI>Tertullian</HI> erred &s;o foulely, one among&s;t the <HI>Greekes,</HI> the other a|mong&s;t the <HI>Latines,</HI> that each of them was accounted in tho&s;e times <HI>Tentatio magna in Eccle&s;i&acirc;,</HI> A &s;ore temptation, a great &s;tumbling block in the Church. <HI>Augu&s;tin,</HI> upon a very weak ground, <HI>Joh&punc;</HI> 6. 53. countenanced &s;tiffely, that Infants &s;hould <HI>receive the Lords Supper:</HI> which error of <GAP DESC="foreign">, as &s;andy a bottom as it had,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Maldona<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> continued in the Church divers hundred yeeres.</P>
<P><HI>Jereme,</HI> though learned to admiration, doted on the merit of <HI>virginity.</HI> It were ea&s;ie to &s;hew the <HI>naevi,</HI> the blemi&s;hes of others, but why &s;hould wee uncover <HI>our Fathers nakedne&s;&s;e?</HI> onely thus farre im|prove&punc;
<PB N="14" REF="11">
it; being that the <HI>greate&s;t Oracles</HI> of learning and piety may in &s;undry points bee deceived, (<HI>Prophets</HI> and <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> only, who&s;e <HI>call was extraordinary, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ad an unerring &s;pirit</HI>) good men may &s;ome|times lead us out of the good way.</P>
<P>Therefore, by all this, wee are the more &s;trongly ingaged to &s;tand, &s;ee, and inquire what is the good old way, and not &s;uddenly to take things from any upon tru&s;t, in the great concernments of our &s;oules.</P>
<P>Doth the <HI>Lord</HI> call upon you to bee carefully inqui&s;itive in the<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>V&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. Direction.</HI> Bee wi&s;e to try wayes before you tru&s;t them.</NOTE> concernments of your &s;oules? O then learn to bee <HI>p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> to bee <HI>&s;erious in trying</HI> every way before you <HI>ingage</HI> your &s;elfe <HI>therein.</HI> Cer|tainly the <HI>wi&s;e God</HI> (who never thinks or &s;peaks in vaine) would not have &s;pent &s;o many &s;everall words, <HI>Stand, &s;ee, aske,</HI> had not the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e been of <HI>&s;ingular con&s;equence.</HI> I with <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> would learn of <HI>Politicians,</HI> when they have to doe with men like them&s;elves&punc; <HI>non cito credere,</HI> not to bee too credulous. It was a noble &s;traine of pru|dent piety in the <HI>Bereans, Act.</HI> 17. 11. They did receive the <HI>word with all readine&s;&s;e of mind, and &s;earched the Scriptures daily, whether th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e things were &s;o,</HI> even when <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Silas</HI> were the <HI>Teachers:</HI> How vigilant would they have been in the&s;e times, when there are &s;o many <HI>&s;u&s;picious Doctrines</HI> preached, &s;o many <HI>adulterate</HI> wayes ob|truded upon ignorant well-meaning hearers.</P>
<P>It is good coun&s;ell which is given, 1 <HI>The&s;&s;. 5. 21. Try all things, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">old fa&s;t that which i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> good,</HI> take in nothing, upon tru&s;t, who&s;oever bee the <HI>Teacher,</HI> unle&s;&s;e you bee &s;ure it bee God him&s;elfe. If God <HI>&s;peake,</HI> then wee mu&s;t never <HI>di&s;pute,</HI> but <HI>obey;</HI> But, unle&s;&s;e you know it commeth undoubtedly from God, try all things, try <HI>all practi&s;es,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Try <HI>Practi&s;es</HI> Try <HI>Doct<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">nes</HI> Try <HI>Revela+tions</HI></NOTE> that are commended to you, try all <HI>Doctrines,</HI> that are held forth as a <HI>rule</HI> of the&s;e practi&s;es; yea, try all <HI>revelations,</HI> that any man &s;hall <HI>pretend,</HI> by which hee receives the&s;e doctrines: for this you mu&s;t know, tho&s;e practi&s;es, tho&s;e evill wayes are mo&s;t dangerous, in which men are confirmed by any doctrine, by any &s;etled opinion. If a man ru&s;h &s;uddenly by <HI>incogitancy,</HI> and by temptation into a bad way, hee is more <HI>ea&s;ily recoverable;</HI> But if hee &s;hall bee <HI>rooted</HI> in a bad way, by an un&s;ound rule of doctrine, that doctrine had need e&s;pe|cially to bee con&s;idered: When the man that commends &s;uch a way, &s;hall pretend hee had this by a <HI>di&s;covery from God</HI> him&s;elfe, and that hee hath &s;uch and &s;uch a Revelation. As <HI>Montanus,</HI> and &s;ome of
<PB N="15" REF="11">
the old <HI>Hereticks</HI> in the primitive times, pretended to &s;uch opini|ons by revelation, and &s;o there was no <HI>di&s;puting</HI> again&s;t them. If a man would tell you hee is in &s;uch and &s;uch an <HI>opinion,</HI> and that for &s;uch and &s;uch <HI>rea&s;ons,</HI> po&s;&s;ibly you may overthrow his rea&s;ons, and &s;o convert him from the error of his way: But if hee &s;hall come and tell you, I hold &s;uch and &s;uch an opinion: How came you by it? I had &s;uch and &s;uch a revelation for it; It is a hard matter to convince &s;uch a man, becau&s;e hee will fondly &s;tick to his Revela|tion, and confidently obtrude it upon other<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">: But let <HI>the&s;e</HI> bee <HI>try|ed: Try every &s;pirit, 1 Joh.</HI> 4. 1. Make account there are <HI>fal&s;e Teachers gone out into the world,</HI> &s;uch as <HI>God</HI> him&s;elfe never &s;ent. <HI>Beleeve not every &s;pirit, but try the &s;pirits whether they are of God,</HI> becau&s;e many fal&s;e Prophets are gone out. <HI>True Prophets,</HI> they are &s;ent out by God, they are called out in Gods way, but fal&s;e <HI>Prophets,</HI> they goe out (are not &s;ent.) without a Commi&s;&s;ion, and without in&s;tructions from God: And therefore, becau&s;e there are many &s;uch that go abroad, great rea&s;on that people &s;hould try before they tru&s;t. You that are <HI>Trade&s;men,</HI> and who receive mony, you will have a <HI>ballance</HI> to weigh your <HI>gold,</HI> you will have a <HI>Touch&s;tone</HI> to try your metall; <HI>Kings,</HI> they<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chry&s;o&s;t.</NOTE> will have a <HI>Ta&s;ter,</HI> to try the meat, po&s;&s;ibly there may bee poy&s;on abroad, in &s;tead of good whol&s;ome food; and &s;hall not wee bee as wi&s;e for our Soules? If you were to let out a little money to u&s;e, you will bee &s;ure to have a <HI>Bond</HI> made by good advice, you will have witne&s;&s;es; why? Oh you love your money, therefore you will bee &s;ure to bee upon good termes. If you were to make a <HI>purcha&s;e,</HI> you will have the <HI>conveyances</HI> examined, and it may bee, ove<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">-looked by one <HI>Coun&s;ellor</HI> after another, becau&s;e you value your <HI>worldly e&s;tates;</HI> And are not our <HI>immortall Soules</HI> of greater concernment then any of the&s;e? And therefore in what hath reference to them, let us take this wi&s;e direction, <HI>Stand, &s;ee, inquire.</HI></P>
<P>Here you may de&s;ire re&s;olution in three particulars:<NOTE PLACE="marg">A threefold in|quity.</NOTE></P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 Who mu&s;t inquire?</ITEM>
<ITEM>2 Where mu&s;t wee inquire, or from whom?</ITEM>
<ITEM>3 To what purpo&s;e mu&s;t we inquire?</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> Fir&s;t, who mu&s;t inquire?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The Lord here directs his &s;peech to all the people. Indeed<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Who mu&s;t enquire.</NOTE> if you were to ask the <HI>Papi&s;t,</HI> who it is that mu&s;t con&s;ider and try and examine things? <HI>Bellarmine</HI> and his followers would fain per|&s;wade
<PB N="16" REF="12">
you, that belongs only to the <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> and <HI>Doctors,</HI> and the great learned men, to try, examine, and to judge things; But peo|ple, they by an implicite faith mu&s;t bee carryed hood-winkt, and pin their faith upon their leaders &s;leeves, till at la&s;t poore wretches, they bee plunged into Hell; God would have us more wi&s;e, and ex|pects that every man &s;hould make u&s;e of his rea&s;on, as carefully for the good of his <HI>Soule,</HI> as for the welfare of his <HI>body,</HI> &s;wallow not things credulou&s;ly, but con&s;ider, examine them. Whom doth <HI>Paul</HI> exhort to <HI>try all things, 1 The&s;&s;.</HI> 5. 21. not onely Mini&s;ters, but even &s;uch as were <HI>under</HI> the Mini&s;ters, <HI>ver.</HI> 12, 13. Such as were to <HI>know them, who laboured among them, and were over them in the Lord,</HI> &s;uch as had Prophets <HI>prophecying</HI> among them, whom they mu&s;t <HI>not de|&s;pi&s;e,</HI> the&s;e undoubtedly were the <HI>People, private Chri&s;tians</HI> they mu&s;t try.</P>
<P><Q>Indeed the <HI>&s;upreame judgement</HI> belongs to the Head of the Church the Law-giver <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t, Mini&s;teriall judgement</HI> and tryall belong to them who have a publicke <HI>Office</HI> from <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> to that purpo&s;e; as<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aliud e&s;t judi|care, aliud judi|cem age<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">o<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Davenant.</HI></NOTE> for a <HI>practicall judgement,</HI> a judgement of <HI>di&s;cretion,</HI> every man and wo|man is to make u&s;e thereof, it is not &s;afe for any to receive matters of Religion without &s;erious examination.</Q> This hath been taken for granted by <HI>Prelaticall</HI> Divines, &amp; was the Doctrin even of &s;uch as were too willing to lead poore people captive by a blind obedience. They acknowledged, if a thing commanded were <HI>indifferent,</HI> you might doe it, if <HI>unlawfull,</HI> you might not doe it; But how &s;hould every one di&s;cerne whether that which <HI>Superiours</HI> injoyned, were <HI>indiffe|rent</HI> or <HI>unlawfull,</HI> unle&s;&s;e they had liberty to try and examine. How otherwi&s;e &s;hould <HI>Shadrach, Me&s;hach,</HI> and <HI>Abednego,</HI> have knowne how<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 3. 3, 5. 10, 11.</NOTE> to carry them&s;elves, when the King commanded them to <HI>bow to his golden Image?</HI> had they by credulity without con&s;ideration or try|all complyed with <HI>Nebuchadnezzars</HI> injunction, they might &s;oone have committed Idolatry to e&s;cape the fiery furnace (<HI>too many have been thus unhappily &s;urprized in the&s;e later times</HI>) and &s;o have hazzarded the undoing of their &s;oules to &s;ecure their bodies. As in <HI>Philo&s;ophy,</HI> &s;o in <HI>Divinity,</HI> credulity hath bred many <HI>Heretickes,</HI> and carryed captive many thou&s;ands, becau&s;e they re&s;olve to beleeve, as &s;uch a learned man beleeveth, and will not &s;tand, &s;ee, and inquire what is the good Way.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> Secondly, Where &s;hould wee inquire, from whom?</P>
<P><PB N="17" REF="12"><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Wee need not runne to <HI>Rome,</HI> nor bee beholden to the pre|tended infallibility of the <HI>Pope</HI> for re&s;olution. The Papacy being the grand Apo&s;ta&s;ie from the Truth of God, that heavy judgement lies upon them, 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 2. 10, 11. They are given up to <HI>&s;trong de|lu&s;ions,</HI> to the <HI>power of error,</HI> and &s;o the blind leading the blind, both will fall into the ditch. Neither mu&s;t wee depend upon the <HI>Authority</HI> of the Church, for the <HI>deciding</HI> of controver&s;ies, and de|termining matters of <HI>Re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">igion;</HI> wee &s;hould looke higher. Its true, the name of <HI>Church</HI> hath evermore been very &s;pecious, and u&s;ed among all &s;orts with <HI>pompe.</HI> Come to Papi&s;ts, they will cry, The Church, the Church, though it bee but the Pope him&s;elfe, yet that mu&s;t carry all. When you were to deale with the <HI>Prelaticall party,</HI> their dialect was, The Church mu&s;t bee obeyed, &s;till the Church, (though but the Prelates them&s;elves in their &s;en&s;e) mu&s;t carry it&punc; And when the people begin but to apprehend their own liberties, they will cry, The <HI>Church,</HI> the <HI>Church,</HI> (as they thinke them&s;elves) &s;o<NOTE PLACE="marg">Coeli my&s;terium me d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ceat Deus ip&s;e qui condi|dit, non homo qui &s;eip&s;um ignora|vit: Cui magis de Deo quam Deo <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">red<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters"> <HI>Ambr. Ep 31.</HI> Audi, dien Do|minus, non dici<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Hilarius</HI> aut <HI>Augu&s;tinus,</HI> &s;ed dicit Dominus, <HI>Aug. Ep. 48.</HI></NOTE> judges, &s;o re&s;olves. But who ever bee the <HI>Church,</HI> the <HI>Authority</HI> of it is not <HI>&s;ufficient;</HI> po&s;&s;ibly the Church may erre, and therefore wee mu&s;t fly to the <HI>Throne of Je&s;us Chri&s;t the Head of the Church,</HI> for &s;a|tisfaction. <HI>Whom &s;hall wee rather beleeve concerning God, than God him&s;elfe?</HI> If there were a Councell of the mo&s;t learned <HI>Doctors</HI> that ever the world had, yea, if an <HI>A&s;&s;embly</HI> of <HI>Angels,</HI> yet in matters of Religion, concerning the Good Way, the la&s;t Re&s;olution mu&s;t bee into <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord.</HI> Here it is not, What &s;aith <HI>Hilary,</HI> what &s;aith <HI>Au&s;tin,</HI> but <HI>What &s;aith the Lord,</HI> hee only can re&s;olve and &s;a|tisfie con&s;cience, of <HI>him</HI> wee mu&s;t inquire.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> Thirdly, To what purpo&s;e mu&s;t wee inquire?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> That we may <HI>learne which is the good way werein we &s;hould walk.</HI> Something hath beene &s;poken to quicken you all to bee inqui&s;itive, and that you might bee engaged to knocke at the right doore: I hope you are now in &s;ome mea&s;ure prepared to ask. Among&s;t all by|wayes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Three di&s;cove|ries of the good way. 1 That way which comes from God.</NOTE> how &s;hall we di&s;cerne which is the good way?</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t, the good way is that way which comes from God,</HI> which God him&s;elfe hath taught and pre&s;cribed in his holy word. None knows the way to <HI>Heaven</HI> &s;o well as the <HI>God of Heaven:</HI> Its a &s;ea&s;onable prayer, <HI>P&s;al. 25. 4. Shew mee thy wayes O Lord, teach mee thy paths:</HI> wee walke &s;afely when wee follow Gods owne teaching. It is the very tenour of the Covenant of grace, by which he &s;aves his people, they
<PB N="18" REF="13">
&s;hall bee all <HI>taught of God, Joh.</HI> 6. 45. hence hee commands us to<NOTE PLACE="marg">Non de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">emus a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">endere, quid a|liquis ante nos faciendum p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ta|ve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">is, &s;ed qui an|te omnes e&s;t, Chri&s;tus prior fecerit, <HI>Cypr. l. 2. Ep. 3.</HI></NOTE> heare what his <HI>beloved Sonne</HI> &s;aith, in <HI>whom bee is well plea&s;ed; Heare him, Matth.</HI> 17. 5. where doth Chri&s;t &s;peake to us but in his word, and by his &s;pirit? The <HI>holy Gho&s;t</HI> is the <HI>Tutour,</HI> the booke in which hee reads <HI>Lectures</HI> to his Scholars, is the <HI>Bible;</HI> therefore if you de|&s;ire to know which is the right way, to the <HI>word and to the te&s;timonies, I&s;a.</HI> 8. 20. Is it there pre&s;cribed or no?</P>
<P>Judge then of the goodne&s;&s;e of the way, by the <HI>Rules</HI> of <HI>holy Scrip|tures,</HI> and not onely by the &s;eeming light of your <HI>owne con&s;cience. Con&s;cience</HI> may conclude that to bee a lawfull way which is unlawfull,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Ames</HI> gives five &s;trong rea|&s;ons why an erroneous con|&s;cience cannot oblige us. <HI>Ca&s;. Cen&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. l. 1. c. 4. &s;.</HI> 10.</NOTE> and in &s;uch a ca&s;e it <HI>doth not oblige thee to practice, neither can it warrant thee therein.</HI> Yet among many other noy&s;ome weeds which &s;pring up in the garden of the <HI>Church</HI> in the&s;e <HI>luxuriant times;</HI> this is one very dangerous principle, and indeed the more dangerous, becau&s;e the language &s;eemes plau&s;ible: <HI>I am per&s;waded in my con&s;cience it is the right way, and therefore I may walke in it.</HI> But &s;tay a while! Doe you find this held forth in <HI>Scripture,</HI> that your con&s;cience is an adequate and &s;ufficient Rule for your actions? No &s;uch matter, rather thy <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> by the fall of <HI>Adam</HI> was <HI>defiled, Tit.</HI> 1. 16. and even in the regenerate is <HI>&s;anctified but in part,</HI> not freed wholly from <HI>darkne&s;&s;e</HI> and <HI>error;</HI> and &s;o cannot bee a <HI>pure</HI> and<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. Ames Ca&s;. Con&s;c. l. 3. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 17. &s;. 20.</NOTE> <HI>perfect rule.</HI> If you make your con&s;cience your only guide, you will &s;oone bee mi&s;-led into gro&s;&s;e offences, as <HI>Jo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 16. 2. Act. 26. 9. I verily thought with my &s;elfe</HI> (&s;aith Paul) <HI>that I ought to doe many things contrary to the Name of Je&s;us of Nazareth:</HI> who will &s;ay, (unle&s;&s;e they be &s;hamefully ignorant) that <HI>Paul</HI> did well herein, though he might follow pre&s;ent <HI>light,</HI> which too often proves indeed but <HI>darkene&s;&s;e?</HI></P>
<P>If you were to deale with a <HI>Papi&s;t,</HI> and &s;hould aske him, Why doe you pray to <HI>Images?</HI> why doe you goe to <HI>Ma&s;&s;e?</HI> were this a &s;atis|fying<NOTE PLACE="marg">Such Divinity will helpe to patronize and protect Papi&s;ts, Jewes, Turkes, and whom not?</NOTE> an&s;wer, <HI>I am per&s;waded in my con&s;cience it is lawfull to goe to Ma&s;&s;e,</HI> and therefore I may doe it? The good Lord di&s;cover and confute &s;uch poy&s;onfull opinions! Doubtle&s;&s;e &s;uch an <HI>erring Con|&s;cience</HI> doth not <HI>warrant,</HI> will not <HI>excu&s;e and ju&s;tifie thy &s;infull practice.</HI> Con&s;cience is but a <HI>&s;ubordinate rule,</HI> and a rule to thee onely &s;o farre as it receives <HI>information</HI> from the word of God; when the &s;ubordi|nation is maintained, con&s;cience acting according to punctuall in|&s;tructions from God him&s;elfe; the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> thou mai&s;t goe on with com|fort and confidence: But whil&s;t thou art under an <HI>erroneous Con&s;ci|ence,</HI>
<PB N="19" REF="13">
thy duty is not to <HI>follow</HI> it, but rather to <HI>&s;eeke cleare</HI> and full <HI>information,</HI> that thou mai&s;t bee delivered from all thy &s;educing er|rors,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Obligatur home ad talem con&s;ci|entiam dep<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ne<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n, <HI>Ames.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Rom.</HI> 12. 2. Learned Divines ob&s;erve that in <HI>Negatives</HI> con&s;ci|ence may bee more ob&s;erved then in <HI>Affirmatives.</HI> When it doth judge a thing not to bee lawfull which is lawfull in it &s;elfe, wee are not to doe it, <HI>Rom.</HI> 14. 23. wee may &s;ometimes ab&s;taine from a <HI>lawfull thing</HI> without &s;in; but wee can never doe an <HI>unlawfull</HI> thing (though con&s;cience affirme and conclude it) but we <HI>offend God</HI> therein.</P>
<P>O then, that <HI>you and I,</HI> when &s;o many new and &s;trange wayes are commended, may forme a right judgment concerning the good way, let us looke above the <HI>examples</HI> of others, not &s;etting our <HI>watches</HI> by their <HI>clocks,</HI> let's looke higher then the meere <HI>dictates</HI> of our owne <HI>Con&s;ciences:</HI> Let us appeale to the <HI>holy Scripture</HI> as the perfect and <HI>ultimate rule of our actions,</HI> and <HI>judge</HI> of all our <HI>controver&s;ies,</HI> let that<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ba&s;il. Ep. 80.</NOTE> umpire and arbitrate all. Onely here remember an excellent rule of one of the <HI>Ancients. Hee is the be&s;t reader of Scripture, who fetcheth</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Optimus Scrip|turae lect<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r qui &s;en &s;um non a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tu|lerit, &s;ed retule|rit, <HI>Hilat.</HI></NOTE> <HI>the &s;en&s;e out of Scripture, not who carrieth the &s;en&s;e unto Scripture.</HI> On the&s;e termes let all the <HI>opinions</HI> and <HI>practices</HI> which are now on foot in <HI>London,</HI> in <HI>England,</HI> yea, in the <HI>whole World,</HI> be tryed by <HI>Scripture.</HI> When wee read <HI>Gods word,</HI> could we &s;ingly and humbly enquire the mind of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and li&s;ten impartially what language hee &s;peaks therein; and not, as too many doe, with <HI>minds engaged to &s;uch a &s;en&s;e,</HI> which they mu&s;t either <HI>find</HI> in Scripture, or will <HI>impo&s;e</HI> upon it; wee might much more readily learne the good way. Heretofore indeed too many of the <HI>Prelates</HI> and their <HI>factors,</HI> that they might the bet|ter put off their adulterate wares, having fir&s;t re&s;olved to practice &s;uch <HI>Ceremonies,</HI> and bring in &s;uch <HI>Innovations,</HI> would then read <HI>Scriptures</HI> and <HI>Fathers,</HI> to &s;ee what expre&s;&s;ions they could thence draw to countenance them. Let us all now beware of that which wee con|demned in others: what way &s;oever of <HI>Doctrine, Practice,</HI> or <HI>Di&s;ci|pline</HI> we are engaged into in our pre&s;ent thoughts, whether to a <HI>con|gregational</HI> or <HI>cla&s;&s;ical,</HI> whether to this or that way, let us not &s;tudy and di&s;pute, that wee <HI>may bring downe the Scripture</HI> to <HI>our owne &s;en&s;e,</HI> but rather endeavour to &s;hape, frame, and <HI>rai&s;e</HI> all our <HI>opinions, de&s;ires</HI> and <HI>practices</HI> to the genuine <HI>&s;en&s;e of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">holy Scripture,</HI> and according to the mind of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> therein di&s;covered; that will prove the <HI>good way</HI> which <HI>God</HI> him&s;elfe <HI>makes knowne.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> the good way is that which <HI>leads directly unto God him&s;elfe,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">3. That way which leads unto God.</NOTE>
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to <HI>intere&s;t</HI> in God, <HI>&s;ervice</HI> of God, and <HI>communion</HI> with God. The<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> ad <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e, &amp; inquie|tum e&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">or no|&s;trum don<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> re|quie&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">at<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e. <HI>Aug. Heb. 11. 6. Joh. 6. 44.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Lord</HI> at <HI>fir&s;t</HI> made us for him&s;elfe, our <HI>immortall &s;oules</HI> will never find &s;olid &s;atisfaction, till they <HI>returne backe</HI> unto him. It is the proper worke of <HI>true Religion,</HI> the good way, to bring back the wandring &s;oul unto it&punc;s Maker; What is <HI>Religion but a comming unto God in Chri&s;t, with engagement of the heart to &s;tay with him?</HI> And the more &s;teps wee take in this good way of pure Religion, the neerer &s;till wee come unto God.</P>
<P><Q>The prophane <HI>Athei&s;t</HI> hee wallowes in his &s;inne, pro&s;tituting his precious &s;oul to this ignoble &s;ervice, to make <HI>provi&s;ion for his lu&s;ts,</HI> that is his <HI>Element;</HI> and all this while (poore creature) without <HI>God in the World, Ephe&s;.</HI> 2. 12. at a great di&s;tance from him, and his owne Salvation.</Q> The carnall <HI>Worldling</HI> hee would bee content <HI>uti Deo,</HI> to make u&s;e of God, but then hee mu&s;t <HI>f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ui creatu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">is,</HI> enjoy the crea|tures; hee &s;erves <HI>God</HI> no more then may <HI>&s;erve</HI> his owne turne, grati|fie his owne carnall purpo&s;es; neither minds hee, in this way, <HI>fel|low&s;hip</HI> with <HI>God.</HI> The lukewarme <HI>Politician</HI> hee would by his <HI>poli|tick</HI> reconcilements, <HI>arbitrate</HI> betweene <HI>God</HI> and <HI>&s;elfe,</HI> hoping there|by to drive on his owne de&s;ignes, but in conclu&s;ion he likewi&s;e in this way, falls <HI>&s;hort of Heaven,</HI> lo&s;ing his <HI>God</HI> in the inordinate pur&s;uing of <HI>Carnall-&s;elfe.</HI> But the good way will lead <HI>us off</HI> from our <HI>&s;ins, above</HI> creature <HI>comforts, out of our &s;elves</HI> unto God. Some may take di|vers &s;teps towards God, in&s;omuch that it may bee &s;aid of them, as of him, <HI>Mark 12. 34. Thou art not farre from the Kingdome of God,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> 2. 12.</NOTE> the good way carryes thee further, it leads thee <HI>even unto God</HI> into the wayes of <HI>nell-plea&s;ing &s;ervi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e,</HI> into <HI>union</HI> and <HI>communion</HI> with <HI>him|&s;elfe.</HI> It brings thee not onely to <HI>&s;erve God,</HI> but al&s;o to <HI>enjoy God</HI> in an <HI>Ordinance;</HI> not onely to <HI>obey</HI> him in doing a duty, but al&s;o to <HI>have a &s;w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">et communion</HI> with him in the performance thereof. Hence it is that a <HI>Saint</HI> who travels in this good way is not &s;atisfied, unle&s;&s;e he <HI>find</HI> and <HI>enjoy</HI> his God in the duties of his wor&s;hip; he re&s;ts not in attending upon &s;o many &s;ermons, in making &s;o many prayers; but he ob&s;erves what <HI>conver&s;e</HI> his &s;oule hath with <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> therein, what God <HI>lookes</HI> from <HI>him,</HI> what <HI>influence</HI> from Heaven, what <HI>holy im|p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">on</HI> upon his &s;pirit by duty. Hee knowes that in this good way, <HI>God brings downe</HI> part <HI>of Heaven</HI> into his people before <HI>hee advance them unto Heaven:</HI> Hee hath happily ta&s;ted, that a day of <HI>Humiliation</HI> may prove a <HI>&s;oule-melting</HI> day, a day of <HI>Thanke&s;giving</HI> a <HI>&s;oule-cheering</HI>
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day, a <HI>Communion</HI> day, a <HI>healing and healing</HI> day&punc; a <HI>Sabbath,</HI> a day of <HI>ble&s;&s;ing and &s;anctification;</HI> &s;o directly doth the good way lead unto <HI>God.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> the good way comming from God, leads unto God, and<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. The good way is accor|ding unto God.</NOTE> that <HI>according unto God,</HI> according to the <HI>will</HI> of <HI>God;</HI> tending unto his <HI>Honour,</HI> and the <HI>magnifying of his Name.</HI> That is undoubtedly the be&s;t way which leads to happine&s;&s;e by holine&s;&s;e, <HI>He<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r.</HI> 12. 14. The <HI>&s;oule|&s;aving</HI> way will bee a <HI>&s;oule-&s;anctifying</HI> way. In 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2. 13. God cho&s;e the <HI>The&s;&s;al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nians</HI> to &s;alvation <HI>through the &s;anctification of the &s;pirit and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e of the Truth.</HI> In the execution of his eternall coun&s;els, this is the Method. No &s;atisfying evidence to us, that we were cho&s;en to &s;alvation from eternity, unle&s;&s;e wee have within us this undoubted pledge of his electing love and &s;pirit of &s;anctification. That way which is not a way of <HI>&s;anctification</HI> as well as of <HI>Ju&s;tification,</HI> is not the good <HI>Scripture</HI> way to <HI>Salvation.</HI> It lies as a great <HI>di&s;paragement</HI> upon any <HI>new way</HI> (however many may ignorantly cry it up) when<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 2. 11, 12.</NOTE> peoples <HI>opinions</HI> marre their <HI>practi&s;es&punc;</HI> if whil&s;t they <HI>contend</HI> for <HI>ju&s;tifi|cation,</HI> they weoken the power of <HI>&s;anctification;</HI> if in their entertai|ning<NOTE PLACE="marg">Beware of tho&s;e bookes which lead you into &s;uch dangerous wayes.</NOTE> the <HI>Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t,</HI> they turne out the holy love of <HI>God from be|ing a rule of life;</HI> without que&s;tion that is not the good way, wherein peoples &s;pirits <HI>grow dry</HI> and <HI>barren,</HI> which opens a back-doore to <HI>Sab|bath-breaking</HI> and other <HI>licenciou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> Su&s;pect your &s;elves and wayes, I be&s;eech you, if by any of your <HI>opinions</HI> practicall Chri&s;tanity <HI>wither,</HI> if therby you become <HI>formall</HI> and loo&s;e in the duties of your <HI>places</HI> and <HI>relations.</HI> The good way is a <HI>&s;oul-emproving,</HI> a <HI>&s;pirita<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lizing</HI> way.</P>
<P>In the 1 <HI>Tim. 6. 3. Paul</HI> directs <HI>Timothy</HI> thus to judge of Teachers and their Doctrines, and accordingly to owne or decline them, as they teach and con&s;ent unto the whol&s;ome words of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>the Doctrine</HI> which is <HI>according unto godline&s;&s;e;</HI> clearly holding forth that <HI>Chri&s;ts words</HI> are <HI>whol&s;ome, &s;oule-&s;aving words,</HI> his doctrine purifies the heart, it is <HI>according to godlines.</HI></P>
<P>This age is very fruitfull in multiplicity of opinions. If you would know how to judge of them, together with your examining of them by the <HI>word of Truth,</HI> ob&s;erve diligently what <HI>influence</HI> peo|ples <HI>opinions have upon their &s;pirits, and upon their conver&s;ation.</HI></P>
<P>Under the <HI>Tyranny of the Prelates</HI> many congregations had almo&s;t lo&s;t the <HI>power of Religion</HI> in a crowd of needles <HI>Ceremonies;</HI> and now in too many places the <HI>vigour</HI> of <HI>practicall piety</HI> is much <HI>abated</HI> (to &s;ay no more) by multitudes of <HI>di&s;pute</HI> about &s;ome &s;uch <HI>opinions</HI> as might
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well bee <HI>&s;pared;</HI> This renders the way very <HI>&s;u&s;pitious,</HI> becau&s;e it is no more <HI>according unto godline&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>I confe&s;&s;e if wee &s;hould judge of peoples way by their <HI>language</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Semper in o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e habent <HI>Evange|lium Evange|lium,</HI> cum tota vita di&s;c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">pet ab Evangelii prae&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters">p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters">, <HI>Cy|prian.</HI></NOTE> onely, good words are very frequent, many mouths are full of <HI>Chri&s;t, Free-grace, light, liberty,</HI> &amp;c. God forbid that &s;uch &s;weet and precious words &s;hould bee abu&s;ed to countenance either <HI>darkne&s;&s;e</HI> of <HI>error,</HI> or <HI>licenciou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI> of <HI>practice.</HI> Yet ala&s;&s;e, how many &s;peake the <HI>highe&s;t Go&s;pell</HI> language, who live farre <HI>below Go&s;pell priviledges,</HI> and below Go&s;pel <HI>hopes!</HI></P>
<P>The &s;ubtill <HI>Devill</HI> knowes how to hide his &s;nares under the mo&s;t <HI>&s;peci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">us,</HI> even under <HI>Scripture words;</HI> Try therefore over and over, it much concernes you; O that it might appeare that the way wherein you walke is the good way, being <HI>according unto God,</HI> expre&s;&s;ing the <HI>reality</HI> of godline&s;&s;e in the cour&s;e of your conver&s;ation.</P>
<P>The&s;e things being laid downe for the awakening of your vigi|lancy in enquiring after the good way, &s;omething mu&s;t be added, concerning your <HI>asking for the old paths;</HI> Herein you &s;hall doe like wi&s;e <HI>travellers,</HI> to <HI>con&s;ult</HI> with &s;uch as have di&s;covered and <HI>trodden</HI> the good way before you. <HI>The good way is an old way.</HI> Aske then,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, what is the good old way of <HI>Doctrine,</HI> what is the old<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 What is the good old way of Doctrine.</NOTE> patterne of <HI>whol&s;ome</HI> words? 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1. 13. Enquire what Truth <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> who is the <HI>&s;ame ye&s;terday, and to day, and for ever, Hebr.</HI> 13. 8. did reveale unto his &s;ervants; and <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 9. hold that fa&s;t, and bee <HI>not carried about with divers and &s;trange doctrines,</HI> new and uncouth Do|ctrines,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Sanam Evangelii do|ctrinam t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ae fi|dei commi&s;&s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> eam in eccle|&s;ia admini&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">es,</HI> Pi&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. <HI>Vincent. Li<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">in.</HI></NOTE> not recommended to us by the Apo&s;tles. O <HI>Timothy,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Paul, 1 Tim. 6. 20. keep that which is committed to thy tru&s;t.</HI> Depo&s;itum &s;er|va; that <HI>which hath beene committed to thee, not what thou ha&s;t in|vented; that which thou ha&s;t received, not that which thou ha&s;t found out, wherein thou mu&s;t not bee an Author, but whereof thou art a Guardian; not an ordainer, but a Di&s;ciple, not a guide, but a follower; what t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ou ha&s;t received in gold, re-deliver the &s;ame in gold, &amp;c.</HI> Hee had this tru&s;t for the Churches u&s;e, let us diligently enquire after it, that wee may bee guided by it.</P>
<P>Secondly, what is the <HI>good old way of divine Wor&s;hip.</HI> Here you mu&s;t<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. What is the good old way of Gods wor|&s;hip. I&s;a. 29. 13, 14.</NOTE> con&s;ult, not with the <HI>precepts</HI> of <HI>men,</HI> but with the <HI>word of God</HI> re|vealed of old unto his Church. The not minding of this <HI>ancient Land-marke,</HI> hath brought in many &s;uper&s;titious Innovations into
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Gods &s;ervice, and mi&s;-led thou&s;ands of &s;imple &s;oules out of the good way. A <HI>State&s;man</HI> of our owne could ob&s;erve divers cau&s;es of &s;uper|&s;tition. 1. <HI>Plea&s;ing and &s;en&s;uall Rites and Ceremonies. 2. Exce&s;&s;e of out|ward</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Bacons E&s;&s;ay of Super&s;tition.</NOTE> <HI>and Phari&s;aicall holine&s;&s;e. 3. Over great reverence of Traditions. 4. The Stratagems of the Prelates for their owne ambition and lucre. 5. The favouring too much of good Intentions, which opens the gate to conceits and novelties. 6. The taking an aime at Divine matters by hu|mane, which breeds mixture of imaginations.</HI> In all which there was a neglecting of the holy will of God, the onely rule of pure Wor|&s;hip. And all this while, ala&s;&s;e poore hearts! people taking much paines to little purpo&s;e. <HI>In vaine doe they wor&s;hip mee, teaching for doctrines the commandements of men, Matth.</HI> 15. 9. They over|looke Gods will, hee over-lookes their devices, &s;o indeed the new way proves a bad and uncomfortable way; you mu&s;t enquire for the good old way, if you de&s;ire to plea&s;e God in his Wor&s;hip.</P>
<P>Thirdly, what is the <HI>good old way of practicall piety.</HI> The beauty<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. What is the good old way of practicall pi|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ty.</NOTE> of Religion much appeares in the duties of our places and relations; to have &s;uch a conver&s;ation as <HI>Paul</HI> expre&s;&s;ed, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 12. in <HI>&s;impli|city and godly &s;incerity, not with fle&s;hly wi&s;dome, but by the grace of God,</HI> would much commend the Go&s;pel, and fill us with rejoycing in the <HI>te&s;timony of our own con&s;cience;</HI> much of this practicall godline&s;&s;e might bee learned, as from <HI>Scripture precepts and practices,</HI> &s;o both from the <HI>Doctrine</HI> and <HI>examples</HI> of <HI>Ancient Worthies.</HI></P>
<P>Among&s;t others there are two very good advantages by the wri|tings of the <HI>Ancient Fathers;</HI> They will afford us <HI>light in points of Faith,</HI> and <HI>heat in matters of practice.</HI> I wi&s;h wee were better ac|quainted<NOTE PLACE="marg">See an excel|lent di&s;cour&s;e of Mr. <HI>Youngs,</HI> called <HI>Dies Domini<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a. l. 2. c. 16. p.</HI> 128, 129.</NOTE> with tho&s;e old &s;trains of piety, which <HI>Origen, Chry&s;o&s;tome, B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;il,</HI> put their hearers upon for &s;anctifying the Lords day, recoun|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing Sermons, holy conference, they had their <HI>Men&s;arii Sermones, their Table di&s;cour&s;es to feed their &s;oules,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>It were a worke worthy of a <HI>&s;econd Jewell,</HI> to make an <HI>Apology&punc;</HI> for the <HI>&s;trictne&s;&s;e and purity of practicall piety</HI> out of the Ancient Fathers, again&s;t prophane <HI>Athei&s;ts,</HI> as that learned <HI>Bi&s;hop</HI> did out of their writings Apologize for our <HI>Doctrine</HI> again&s;t the <HI>Papi&s;ts;</HI> &s;o might wee better learne the good old way of &s;ound Chri&s;ti|anity.</P>
<P>Thirdly, forget not to enquire what <HI>i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the good old way of di&s;cipline.</HI>
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When you have found the good old way of Doctrine, of Wor&s;hip,<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. Wha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> is the good old way of Di&s;cipline.</NOTE> and of practicall piety, you will need an <HI>hedge of Di&s;cipline</HI> to fence it, le&s;t <HI>dogs</HI> and <HI>&s;wine</HI> creepe in, and &s;o marre and pollute it with their defilements. There may bee indeed an extremity, in laying out more thoughts about the hedge, then upon the <HI>Corne,</HI> (too many<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 7. 6.</NOTE> are ready to &s;light the power of godline&s;&s;e in their vehement enqui|ries after &s;ome points of Di&s;cipline) yet &s;uffer not I be&s;eech you good corne to bee &s;poiled for want of an <HI>hedge</HI> of <HI>Di&s;cipline</HI> about it. Let us &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ult what was the good old Scripture <HI>Order. Paul</HI> joyed when hee beheld the <HI>Colo&s;&s;ians order, and the &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;&s;e of their faith in Chri&s;t,</HI> Col. 2. 5. The Lord grant that after all our en|quiring, con&s;ulting and debating, wee may find that good <HI>old Order</HI> in the Churches of Chri&s;t among&s;t us; This will be great matter of rejoycing to us.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But how farre may we in enquiring after the good way con|&s;ult with antiquity, and ob&s;erve the old paths wherein the Ancient Fathers have troden?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Though many make <HI>Antiquity</HI> their <HI>Diana,</HI> adoring too much every fragment of the Ancients, not minding that there are &s;ome <HI>gray-headed errors,</HI> the <HI>my&s;terie of iniquity working</HI> in the very Apo&s;tles times, 2 The&s;. 2. 7. though others, e&s;pecially the <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> u&s;e the <HI>Fathers,</HI> as Merchants u&s;e their <HI>counters,</HI> &s;ometimes they &s;tand with them for <HI>pence,</HI> &s;ometimes for <HI>pounds,</HI> as they be next and readie&s;t at hand to make up their <HI>account.</HI></P>
<P>Yet doubtle&s;&s;e in &s;earching after the good way, wee may &s;afely con&s;ult with Antiquity; the <HI>newe&s;t Philo&s;ophy</HI> may excell, having the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Optimum e&s;t majo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">um &s;equi ve&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">gia, &s;i recte praece&s;&s;erunt. <HI>Cato.</HI></NOTE> advantage of <HI>new experiments,</HI> but the <HI>elde&s;t Divinity</HI> is the <HI>be&s;t;</HI> there can bee no better way to Heaven, then that which the <HI>Ancient of dayes</HI> hath di&s;covered: and without que&s;tion there were in the Primitive Church many glorious lights, whom the Lord acquainted with his <HI>Go&s;pel &s;ecrets,</HI> and u&s;ed them as &s;peciall <HI>In&s;truments</HI> to convey much <HI>precious Truth</HI> unto us.</P>
<P>For better direction herein, I will take leave to &s;ugge&s;t the&s;e few hints, (which in &s;ome Auditories I &s;hould much enlarge) That when you advi&s;e with the Ancient Writers about the good way, you mu&s;t not credulou&s;ly embrace their good <HI>Intentions,</HI> their received <HI>Cu&s;tomes,</HI> nor &s;wallow all their free <HI>expre&s;&s;ions,</HI> which after ages have wretchedly abu&s;ed, emproving them to ju&s;tifie their owne errors and &s;uper&s;titions. But wi&s;ely con&s;ider;</P>
<P><PB N="25" REF="16">Fir&s;t, that the mo&s;t ancient and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">earned Fathers &s;hould be re|ceived<NOTE PLACE="marg">See <HI>Mo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y</HI> of the <HI>Sacrament</HI> in the end of the Preface.</NOTE> and read&punc; as expounders, not as Law-givers. Secondly, you &s;hould labour to di&s;cerne what bookes of theirs are &s;purious, and what legitimate. Thirdly, ob&s;erve diligently whether the Doctors you con&s;ult with, under&s;tood the originall language of the holy Scriptures, whether the Tran&s;lation they followed was &s;ound. Fourthly, enquire what con&s;ent and concurrence there was among&s;t them in this particular. <HI>Preferre that which they have &s;poken, either all, or t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e greate&s;t part of them, and that very manife&s;tly, often, con&s;tantly, a&s;&s;u|redly,</HI> &amp;c. Fifthly, and &s;till all they &s;ay, mu&s;t bee weighed in the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vincent. Lirin. c. 39. Hac lege creden|dum e&s;t, quio|quid omnes, vel plures, manife|&s;te, frequenter, pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;everanter firmaverint, &amp;c</NOTE> ballance of the Sanctuary, examined by the Scriptures, the true&s;t and be&s;t Antiquity.</P>
<P><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Perkins his Prepara<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. De|mon&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">at. Pro|blem&punc; beg.</NOTE> <HI>Reverend</HI> and <HI>Learned Mr. Perkins</HI> will give you a very rationall account, how it came to pa&s;&s;e that the Ancient Fathers &s;pake of|tentimes <HI>incommode,</HI> letting fall many <HI>unapt and unhappy expre&s;&s;ions:</HI> Fir&s;t, &s;ometimes they were carryed too farre, even into another ex|treme, by <HI>heat of di&s;putation.</HI> Secondly, at other times, in their ex|hortations you &s;hall find them tran&s;ported by &s;ome <HI>vehement &s;traines</HI> of <HI>Rhetorick;</HI> not alwayes &s;o cautelous in the <HI>Pulpit,</HI> as in the <HI>Chaire.</HI> Thirdly, before controver&s;ies were &s;tarted, they &s;poke more <HI>&s;ecurely,</HI> and too <HI>loo&s;ely</HI> in &s;ome points, till they were <HI>quickned</HI> to cir|cum&s;pection by the <HI>vigilancy</HI> of an <HI>Adver&s;ary.</HI> Fourthly, they bor|rowed too many <HI>formes of &s;peech from the people,</HI> &amp; &s;peaking often <HI>popu|lariter,</HI> giving too much credit to <HI>rumours,</HI> they may mi&s;lead their Rea|ders. Fifthly, &s;ometimes you &s;ee them caried away with the <HI>&s;treame</HI> of the <HI>multitude,</HI> even into &s;uper&s;tition. Sixthly, and you have them often &s;peaking of things <GAP DESC="foreign"> rather then <GAP DESC="foreign">, onely <HI>hi&s;to|rically</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>See Dr. Rive<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> in Crit. Sacr. c.</HI> 11. to this purpo&s;e.</NOTE> relating, not <HI>a&s;&s;erting</HI> what they &s;ay. Therefore when you looke <HI>through them,</HI> yet withall looke <HI>above them,</HI> unto <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us</HI> in his holy word, that you may certainly find the good way.</P>
<P>And &s;o much for the fir&s;t Ob&s;ervation, in the &s;econd I will joyne the motive and the duties together.</P>
<P><HI>When you have found out the good old way, walking therein i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Gods</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Ob&s;ervat.</NOTE> <HI>method for you to obtaine &s;oule-refre&s;hing Re&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>You have a great journey to take, from Hell to Heaven, from <HI>Egypt</HI> to <HI>Canaan,</HI> through the wilderne&s;&s;e of this World; you had need have a good guide; and after &s;o long, &s;o weari&s;ome, and &s;uch a conflicting pa&s;&s;age, mee thinkes a re&s;ting place &s;hould bee very wel|come;
<PB N="26" REF="17">
It is Gods indulgence thus to offer him&s;elfe to poore Travel|lers, allowing them this &s;overaigne cordiall in the way, that going on they &s;hal find <HI>re&s;t for their &s;ouls.</HI> There is rich encouragement in that place of the Prophet, <HI>I&s;a. 57 18 I have &s;eene his wayes, and will heale</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Deus &s;e exhibe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> ducem &amp; medicum&punc; <HI>Sanct.</HI></NOTE> <HI>him; I will lead him al&s;o, and re&s;tore comfort to him.</HI> God tenders him&s;elfe as a Guide, as a Phy&s;itian, and as a Comforter; blacke clouds &s;hall bee blown over, the &s;torme &s;hall cea&s;e, travellers towards Sion &s;hall enjoy an haven of tranquillity</P>
<LIST>
<HEAD>Here I will con&s;ider three things.</HEAD>
<ITEM>1. <HI>The nature of this walking.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>What re&s;t is here to bee found.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. <HI>What evidence: That walking in this good old way, is Gods method to &s;oul-refre&s;hing Re&s;t.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>For the fir&s;t of them, walking in this good way. 1. It pre&s;up|po&s;eth<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. It pre&s;up|po&s;eth a re|nouncing of our owne for|mer evill way.</NOTE> that <HI>you have renounced your former evill wayes,</HI> and are now come into Gods way, into this good way. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 55. 7. Let <HI>the wicked man for&s;ake his way,</HI> and the <HI>unrighteous man his thoughts;</HI> for&s;ake his wicked wayes, and his owne thoughts. There is no wicked man in the world, but hee hath &s;ome way of his owne wherein hee wal|keth, and hee hath &s;ome &s;tocke of carnaol principles, that are, as it were, the Lanthorne, and the Candle to guide him in that way; you can never convert a man, till you have confuted his principles, over-turned his thoughts, and then you may &s;oone per&s;wade him to for&s;ake his wayes; and both the&s;e mu&s;t be done before he come into the good way. Therefore you &s;hall find in <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 65. 2. the Lord tells you, <HI>I have &s;pread out my hands all the day long to a rebellious people,</HI> that <HI>walke in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts.</HI> There is not a man or woman in this Congregation, that hath out|&s;tood the mini&s;tery all this while, and per<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;ted in their owne wicked wayes, but they <HI>walke</HI> &s;till after their <HI>own thoughts,</HI> and let the Mini&s;ter &s;ay what hee will, they will hold the conclu&s;ion, and re&s;olve to keepe to their owne principles, and their owne thoughts. Now when you are come to this re&s;olution, My own thoughts &s;hall not guide mee, my own way cannot &s;ave mee; but I will apply my &s;elfe to Gods way; this is the fir&s;t &s;tep towards walking; This is pre&s;uppo&s;ed indeed, before you can walke in this good way, it mu&s;t be done. You mu&s;t turne your backe upon your own evill waies.</P>
<P><PB N="27" REF="17">Secondly, Walking is a <HI>moving forward,</HI> taking &s;tep after &s;tep, as travellers u&s;e to doe, &s;o that you make <HI>&s;ome progre&s;&s;e:</HI> Though you<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Walking im|plies a progre&s;s in the good way.</NOTE> bee in the right way, yet if you &s;tand &s;till, you doe not walke; But in that you hold compliance with the Commandements of God, and go along with them, maintaining a corre&s;pondency to Gods will, this is walking.</P>
<P><HI>En<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">h walked with God,</HI> in <HI>Gen.</HI> 5. 24. And &s;o likewi&s;e in the E|pi&s;tle<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 6. 9.</NOTE> to the <HI>Hebrewes,</HI> 11. 5. Hee was then tran&s;lated, going <HI>along</HI> with <HI>God</HI> in <HI>well-plea&s;ing</HI> wayes: What&s;oever duty God pre&s;cribed him, his Spirit clo&s;ed with it, what&s;oever le&s;&s;on was commended to him, hee tooke it out, acted over the truthes that were propo&s;ed; And this is indeed <HI>walking</HI> with God in the good way, continually improving of his Ordinances, ob&s;erving of his daily providences, obedientially delivering up your &s;elves to his Commands, moving according un<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o them.</P>
<P>Thirdly, This walking mu&s;t bee a voluntary, a willing motion.<NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Walking is a voluntary mo|tion.</NOTE> There is much in that expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>Prov. 20 7. A righteous man walk|eth in his integrity:</HI> it is in that conjugation in the Hebrew, that<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> &s;ignifieth hee &s;ets him&s;elfe going. Every godly man hath an <HI>inward principle,</HI> hee moveth not like a terrifyed hypocrite, from outward motives, hee is not whipped to duties by <HI>feare,</HI> hee is not carryed on onely by carnall hopes (as many a man doth wor&s;hip the ri&s;ing Sunne, and love reformation when it is a plau&s;ible thing) but now a godly man hath a new nature, and there is an internall principle, and a motive within him&s;elfe, that hee walketh in this way, hee is not <HI>drawn</HI> nor <HI>driven,</HI> but he &s;pontaneou&s;ly moveth: and this it is that God here expects, therefore you &s;hould inquire what is the good and the right way, and then walke in it. Gods people are <HI>vo|luntiers,</HI> a <HI>willing people:</HI> And the very tenor of the Covenant is this,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 110. 3.</NOTE> Gods people &s;hould bee a <HI>repenting</HI> people, a <HI>beleeving</HI> people, an <HI>o|beying</HI> people. By repentance wee <HI>&s;eek</HI> the way, by faith wee <HI>finde</HI> the way, and by obedience wee <HI>keepe</HI> the way: this would di&s;cover you indeed to bee &s;uch a people, as walk with God, had you but the ex|erci&s;e of the&s;e three <HI>Cardinall &s;ub&s;tantiall graces,</HI> &s;uch repentance as to renounce your &s;ins, your former wayes, and &s;eeke the way of God, &s;uch faith that you <HI>clo&s;e</HI> with Gods way, and then withall, &s;uch obedience as to <HI>fix,</HI> and continue in the way: and all this with a <HI>willing mind,</HI> as <HI>David</HI> directed <HI>Solomon, 1 Chron.</HI> 28. 9. This is walk|ing in the good way.</P>
<P><PB N="28" REF="18">After the di&s;covery of the nature of this <HI>walking,</HI> the next thing is, what <HI>Re&s;t</HI> is here offered: Here is a plai&s;ter every way as broad<NOTE PLACE="marg">VVhat Soule|refre&s;hing re&s;t to be found by walking in the good way. 1 Re&s;t from ter|rors of Con&s;ci|ence.</NOTE> as the wound, a &s;atisfaction proportionable to the exigents and ne|ce&s;&s;ities of poore travellers towards <HI>Canaan.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Re&s;t from terrours of Con&s;cience:</HI> Sometimes a Servant of God lyeth under &s;uch, and tho&s;e are &s;ad and blacke troubles indeed, to bee under the accu&s;ing of a condemning con&s;cience; you need not di&s;pute <HI>where hell is,</HI> for they that know what terrours of con&s;cience meane, they will tell you. <HI>God can make a Hell in a mans bo&s;ome, in his heart;</HI> if any &s;park of <HI>Gods wrath fall on Con&s;cience, there is an Hell.</HI> Who giveth re&s;t from the&s;e terrours of con&s;cience? God him&s;elfe, hee being &s;atisfyed by the blood of Chri&s;t, can ea&s;ily &s;atisfie con|&s;cience; If <HI>our owne hearts condemne us, 1 Joh.</HI> 3. 20. God is <HI>greater then our hearts, who knoweth all things.</HI> Oh, it is a &s;ad thing, when wee have a condemning con&s;cience. Our blind con&s;ciences know but little evill by our &s;elves, in compari&s;on of what God &s;ees, and if that condemne us, what will God doe then, that is much greater then our con&s;ciences, and knoweth all things? On the other &s;ide, If <HI>our con&s;cience condemne us not, then have wee confidence towards God,</HI> as it is there expre&s;&s;ed, <HI>ver.</HI> 21. Here is heaven on earth, here is &s;weet re&s;t, walking in the <HI>good way,</HI> thou ha&s;t a <HI>good con&s;cience, purity</HI> is the rea|dy way to <HI>Peace;</HI> When thou ha&s;t a con&s;cience that doth not con|demne thee, but a con&s;cience that doth ab&s;olve thee, and a con&s;ci|ence that doth approve thee, a con&s;cience that is &s;prinkled with the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, then ha&s;t thou confidence towards God, &s;uch a &s;oule dares come to <HI>Prayer</HI> with boldne&s;&s;e, and come to <HI>Gods Ta|ble</HI> with confidence, &s;uch a &s;oule is not afraid of <HI>death,</HI> nor terrifi|ed with thoughts of the day of <HI>Judgement.</HI> If all bee well at home, it argues all is well in Heaven, if con&s;cience bee at peace upon good grounds, then thou maye&s;t bee &s;ure God is at peace. Here is &s;weet Re&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly, as there is re&s;t from <HI>terrours of con&s;cience,</HI> &s;o there is<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Re&s;t from &s;cruples and feares in our minds.</NOTE> <HI>re&s;t from &s;cruples, and doubts, and feares.</HI> Sometimes though the mind lye not under &s;uch <HI>Helli&s;h terrours,</HI> yet it is in a &s;ad, dejected, &s;cru|pulous, un&s;etled condition, knoweth not what to doe, nor what cour&s;e to take. Con&s;cience is a tender part: a little bit of gravell in a narrow &s;hoo, oh! it will much pinch and trouble the foot; and &s;o a little &s;cruple in con&s;cience, much perplexeth the &s;pirit.</P>
<P><PB N="29" REF="18"><HI>Scruples</HI> are indeed like <HI>Thi&s;tles,</HI> though very bad weeds them&s;elves, yet they argue the ground to bee good where they grow: in many hone&s;t hearts there may bee abundance of them. Poore &s;oules! &s;ome|times they are &s;o mi&s;erably puzzled, they dare not <HI>pray,</HI> they dare not come to the <HI>Lords Table:</HI> Where &s;hall they now find Re&s;t? The more they yeeld to &s;cruples, the more they are involved. Why, the knowledge of the good way revealed in the Scripture, the <HI>Do|ctrine of grace &s;tabli&s;heth the heart</HI> in the mid&s;t of all doubts, <HI>Heb.</HI> 13.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neque hoc e&s;t a|gere contra con|&s;cientiam, &s;ed &s;ecundum con&s;ci|entiam. Scrupu|lus enim e&s;t for|mido temeraria, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">que adeo non pote&s;t obligare. <HI>Ame&s;. ca&s;c. con&s;c. l. 1. c. 6.</HI></NOTE> 9. The more wee walke in this way, the more wee conquer &s;cruples. <HI>Wee mu&s;t not give way to &s;cruples again&s;t a duty, but rather doe duty, even contrary to &s;cruples; neither is this to doe again&s;t con&s;cience, but according unto con&s;cience:</HI> This will bring re&s;t and &s;weet tranquillity of &s;pirit, when Gods way, the good way, is walked in. Sometimes a poore Soule that goes to prayer, hanging the wing, in a drooping e&s;tate, God breakes in upon him in prayer, and hee goeth out of the pre|&s;ence of God, as one in another world; Why, God hath given him re&s;t, and God hath met him, walking in the good way, con|founded tho&s;e &s;cruples and feares that did po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e him; <HI>Through cu&s;tome of doing again&s;t &s;uch like &s;cruples, con&s;cience it &s;elfe is made more &s;trong and &s;etled.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>Re&s;t</HI> likewi&s;e under the <HI>impetuou&s;ne&s;&s;e of inordinate pa&s;&s;ions,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Re&s;t under &s;pirituall a&s;|&s;aults.</NOTE> under the buffettings of <HI>Satan and our own corruptions.</HI> Sometimes a godly man, or woman, find them&s;elves like a troubled &s;ea, tran|&s;ported with pa&s;&s;ion, hurryed away with lu&s;t, and it may bee feele a <HI>Thorn in the fle&s;h,</HI> as <HI>Paul him&s;elfe did to keep him low,</HI> in 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 7. A thorne in his <HI>fle&s;h</HI> indeed, a me&s;&s;enger <HI>from Satan,</HI> the devill &s;o farre let loo&s;e, as to exa&s;perate, to &s;tirre up the corruption of na|ture that is in him, that might bee a daily affliction to him, here was the great trouble that <HI>Paul</HI> had, how did God give him re&s;t? with &s;uch an an&s;wer as this from Heaven, <HI>My grace is &s;ufficient for thee.</HI> That God that quiets a terrified con&s;cience, that God that &s;atisfieth a &s;crupulous mind, that God can likewi&s;e &s;ubdue an un|ruly lu&s;t, and moderate an inordinate affection, &s;upport under a furious temptation, according to his word; and thus doth hee di&s;|pen&s;e him&s;elfe to &s;uch as walke in the good way of obedience to him, and dependance on him, either hee <HI>removes</HI> the evill, or gives them this <HI>refre&s;hing</HI> under it; His grace &s;hall bee &s;ufficient for them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">4 Re&s;t from out&punc; ward enemies.</NOTE></P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>Re&s;t from Tyrannicall enemies.</HI> The Church hath ma|ny
<PB N="30" REF="19">
bad neighbours, many <HI>Canaanites,</HI> who de&s;ire to bee <HI>prickes in her eyes,</HI> and <HI>thornes in her &s;ides.</HI> Sometimes it is the portion of Gods Servants, to bee hunted up and down like a <HI>Partridge upon the moun|taines,</HI> per&s;ecuted from place to place, as <HI>David</HI> and <HI>Paul,</HI> and o|ther of the Worthies have been. God knoweth how to chaine up enemies, hee knoweth how to &s;weeten the greate&s;t troubles, and to give in &s;o much comfort as may &s;upport and &s;atisfie the &s;oule under all per&s;ecution, and in his good time to give re&s;t from them. Con|&s;ider that excellent place, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 81. 13, 14, 15. O that my people had <HI>harkned unto mee, and I&s;rael had walked in my wayes! I &s;hould &s;oone have &s;ubdued their enemies, and turned my hand again&s;t their adver&s;aries. The haters of the Lord &s;hould have &s;ubmitted them&s;elves unto him; but their time &s;hould have indured for ever: England</HI> as well as <HI>I&s;rael</HI> might obtaine victory over cruell and bloody enemies, could wee learn to walk in Gods wayes.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Re&s;t in <HI>Heaven.</HI> In <HI>Heb.</HI> 4. 9. you find, there remaineth<NOTE PLACE="marg">5 Re&s;t in Hea|ven.</NOTE> a <HI>re&s;t to the People of God.</HI> In this Chapter is mentioned a threefold re&s;t:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, The re&s;t of the holy Sabbath, <HI>v.</HI> 4. (where diver&s;e ob&s;erve a &s;trong Argument in the New Te&s;tament for the in&s;titution of the Sabbath from the beginning.)</P>
<P>Secondly, a Re&s;t of <HI>Canaan, v.</HI> 5. 8.</P>
<P>Thirdly, A remaining re&s;t, a divine and heavenly re&s;t, from the troubles of this life, to live wholly <HI>to God, and with God;</HI> This is called a Re&s;t from labours, all the labour of this world that thou groane&s;t under, <HI>Rev. 14. 13. Ble&s;&s;ed are they that die in the Lord,</HI> or dye for the Lord, they &s;hall <HI>re&s;t from their labours, and their works &s;hall follow them;</HI> here you mu&s;t bee Souldiers, you mu&s;t &s;erve out your generation in a conflicting cour&s;e, you mu&s;t labour night and day, God will have none of his &s;ervants idle, the time will come, when you &s;hall have re&s;t from all your labours, and then all your good workes will follow you: many good workes thou ha&s;t done, are now forgotten by thee, thou &s;halt heare of them then, at the day of<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25. 36. &amp;c.</NOTE> judgement, they will then appeare: Je&s;us Chri&s;t knowes more good by them, then they doe by them&s;elves, you did vi&s;it me, you did refre&s;h mee when I was in pri&s;on, and refre&s;h mee when I was hun|gry, and all the&s;e good works &s;hall follow you, not a good worke you have done, not a good word you have &s;poken, but they &s;hall fol|low
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you. Here is the happy re&s;t your &s;oules &s;hall find at your jour|nies end, having walked in this good way.</P>
<P>It follows now that evidence bee produced, whereby it may ap|peare, that walking in this good way, is <HI>Gods Method</HI> to obtaine &s;weet Soule-refre&s;hing Re&s;t.</P>
<P>Here three con&s;iderations.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That God who bids you <HI>Stand, &s;ee, and inquire</HI> after the<NOTE PLACE="marg">1.</NOTE> good way, is a <HI>God of Peace, 1 The&s;&s;.</HI> 5. 23. who hath made known<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eviden<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">s that walking in the good way leads to Re&s;t.</NOTE> an unmoveable <HI>Covenant of peace, I&s;a.</HI> 54. 10. Ingaging him&s;elf there|by to imbrace all tho&s;e who waite upon him in his own way. Yea, <HI>I&s;a. 64. 5. The Lord meeteth him, who rejoyceth in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &s;uch as remember him in his wayes.</HI> Walking in the good way, leads undoubt|edly to communion with God, and a &s;weet injoyment of him. As in <HI>Luk.</HI> 15. 20. When the Prodigall Sonne was a great way off, his Father &s;aw him, and had compa&s;&s;ion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and ki&s;&s;ed him; which di&s;covers what God is ready to doe; to meet them with the deare&s;t imbraces who travell towards him in the good way.</P>
<P>Secondly, Je&s;us Chri&s;t is a <HI>Prince of Peace, I&s;a.</HI> 9. 6. and in the<NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> Go&s;pel of Peace hath &s;eriou&s;ly invited all that are weary, and <HI>heavy laden,</HI> to come unto him, and <HI>hee will give them re&s;t, Matth.</HI> 11. 28. Yea, the Soule comming unto him in this good way finds peace and re&s;t, <HI>Rom.</HI> 5. 1, 2. and &s;uch peace in his Kingdome, and under his government, of which <HI>there &s;hall bee no end, I&s;a.</HI> 9. 7. Fir&s;t, the Soule finde <HI>re&s;t in him,</HI> by <HI>re&s;ting upon him,</HI> and <HI>then re&s;t with him for eternity:</HI> This Chri&s;t di&s;covers to his Di&s;ciples with much &s;weet, ingenuous, loving faithfulne&s;&s;e, <HI>Joh. 14. 2, 3, 4. In my Fathers hou&s;e are many Man&s;ions: if it were not &s;o, I would have told you; I goe to prepare a place for you. And if I goe and prepare a place for you, I will come againe, and receive you unto my &s;elfe, that where I am, there yee may bee al&s;o. And whither I goe yee know, and the way yee know.</HI> The good way which hee hath pre&s;cribed, will infallibly bring you unto it. Now &s;ome little joy <HI>enters into you</HI> by drops, the time is comming when you &s;hall enter into <HI>your Ma&s;ters joy,</HI> dwelling in joy and re&s;t for ever; you are not &s;o ready to come unto <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> as hee is to come into <HI>you.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, walking in the good way, will according to the very te|nour<NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> of the <HI>Go&s;pel,</HI> undoubtedly lead you into <HI>the new and living way,
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Heb.</HI> 10. 20. into Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and communion with him, who is the onely meanes of reconciling us unto God, and by him to Hea|ven it &s;elfe. This way to an eternall Re&s;t in the fruition of Gods incarnation, is indeed new. Fir&s;t, comparatively, in regard of the more cleere manife&s;ting of the way to Heaven under the Go&s;pel. Secondly, new, becau&s;e it waxeth not old, it is now e&s;tabli&s;hed, and never to bee altered, and withall it is a living way; Herein Je&s;us Chri&s;t is found, who is the fountaine of life, who lives for ever, to quicken dying, and refre&s;h weary Travellers. They who walke in the good old way by repentance, faith, and obedience, may with boldne&s;&s;e, with liberty, expect hereby to enter into the Holie&s;t, into the place where Gods Holine&s;&s;e dwelleth, into the Heavenly Sanctu|ary. Je&s;us Chri&s;t came <HI>downe from Heaven,</HI> to open this new and li|ving way to <HI>advance them to Heaven.</HI></P>
<P>Let us now &s;ee what emprovement may bee made of this Truth, in the application of it, to provide you in your journey to|wards Sion.</P>
<P>Behold, here, Beloved brethren, and behold it with admiration,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. <HI>V&s;e. In&s;truction.</HI> The good way mo&s;t advanta|gious; the neg|lect of it very dangerous.</NOTE> the rich advantage that poore &s;inners have by comming into this good way: It leads unto God him&s;elf, and &s;oule-refre&s;hing re&s;t, in the enjoyment of him: what&s;oever God is, what&s;oever God hath, what&s;oever &s;weetne&s;&s;e there is in God to &s;atisfie a poore troubled &s;oule, that is to bee expected, if you come to God, in Gods own way; and therefore doubtle&s;&s;e they are much their owne enemies, that keepe at a di&s;tance from God, they that will not bee taken off from their old wicked wayes, tho&s;e haunts of &s;inne in which they have walked all this while; they that repul&s;e the&s;e offers, tho&s;e admo|nitions which God giveth; the time may come that they will be|foole them&s;elves, and bemoane their owne unhappine&s;&s;e, that they did not choo&s;e the wayes of Gods feare. Con&s;ider that of <HI>Wi&s;dome,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov 1. 25. 26, 27, 28.</NOTE> and tremble; what if calamity come on you? who &s;hall helpe you? God will laugh when your calamity commeth, and mocke when your de&s;truction, and de&s;olation, and feare &s;hall &s;ei&s;e on you; Why? becau&s;e you would have none of his Coun&s;ell, you would have none of his reproofe; You did not choo&s;e the feare of the Lord. I wi&s;h you would all expo&s;tulate the ca&s;e with your &s;elves, now, &s;eriou&s;ly in the pre&s;ence of God.</P>
<P>What <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">is <HI>this</HI> true doctrine, <HI>that</HI> the good old way, is that which leads
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to the re&s;t of my Soule? What an enemy have I been to my &s;oule that have in&s;laved my &s;elfe to my lu&s;ts all this while, that have turn|ed my back on God and his wayes, and will not by any importuni|ty, though God him&s;elf &s;peaks from heaven, bee brought into this good way? Many plea&s;e them&s;elves, if they walke in &s;uch wayes as lead to their own profit, and to their owne worldly plea&s;ures, O but what will bee the i&s;&s;ue? Why, look into the 4 of <HI>Judges, ver.</HI> 18, 19. You &s;hall finde the other wayes wherein you walked, are tho&s;e that deceived, that promi&s;ed good intertainment, who will<NOTE PLACE="marg">Judg. 4. 18, 19. 21.</NOTE> deale with you ju&s;t as <HI>Jael</HI> did with <HI>Si&s;era,</HI> &s;hee came out indeed in the 18 <HI>ver. Turne in my Lord, turne in to mee, feare not;</HI> Oh what flat|tering language doe the profits, and plea&s;ures of the world &s;peake to ingage young people, and to intice others, Turne in; And when hee is come in hee &s;aith unto her, Give mee, I pray thee, a lit|tle water to drinke, for I am thir&s;ty; &s;hee opened a bottle of milke, and gave him drinke and covered him.</P>
<P>The world hath bottles of milke, &s;weet plea&s;ures, &s;atisfying con|tentments, men may &s;uck out of the brea&s;ts of the world a great deale of &s;atisfaction for a time, but when you are wrapped warme in the world, and fall a&s;leepe in the very armes of creature comforts, what will bee the i&s;&s;ue? See how &s;hee deales in the 21 <HI>ver. Shee tooke a nayle of the Tent, and tooke an hammer in her band, and went &s;oftly unto him, and &s;mote the nayle in his Temple, and fa&s;tned it into the ground (for hee was fa&s;t a&s;leepe, and weary) &s;o hee dyed.</HI> This is the intertainment that worldly Temptations give to many people; They will hugge you for a time, and they will give you milke, and they will &s;eeme to cover you, and wrap you warme, but when once you are gotten into a dead &s;leepe, a nayle is driven into your Temples, and there is an end of an old worldling, there is an end of &s;uch a deluded &s;in|ner, that would not come into Gods wayes, but gratifie the devill, and &s;till continue in &s;uch &s;oule-deceiving wayes: (I wi&s;h rather there were many among you, that had <HI>Jo&s;hua's</HI> Heroicall re&s;olution this day, (for a day of humiliation, it is a day to renew your re&s;oluti|ons, and to renew your Covenant with your God) that would<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo&s;h. 24. 15. <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> an ex|cellent Coppy.</NOTE> &s;ay in defiance to all bad examples, with an holy &s;ingularity, what|&s;oever others doe, <HI>I and my hou&s;e will &s;erve the Lord. Jo&s;hua</HI> did not &s;ay onely, I <HI>mu&s;t</HI> &s;erve the Lord, &s;o a terrifyed hypocrite will &s;ay; or I <HI>ought</HI> to &s;erve the Lord; &s;o a dull hearer, it may bee, will yeeld a
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formall a&s;&s;ent &s;ometimes, or I <HI>would</HI> &s;erve the Lord, &s;o a lazi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> pro|fe&s;&s;our will &s;ay, I would fain &s;erve the Lord: But <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> &s;aith, what&s;oever others doe, if they will go to hell, let them goe along for me, for I am re&s;olved, I and my hou&s;e <HI>will</HI> &s;erve the Lord: Come therefore, I be&s;eech you into this way of God, this good way: I would bee glad, if the Lord would plea&s;e to pro&s;per my weake and unworthy indevours &s;o farre, as to per&s;wade but any one Soule, that hath yet been a &s;tranger to the&s;e wayes, to come and begin to try conclu&s;ions; It may bee thou ha&s;t &s;erved three or foure apprenti|&s;hips in wicked wayes, and followed the devill and thy deceitfull heart, twenty or thirty yeeres together, wilt thou intertaine the Coun&s;ell of a Mini&s;ter of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;o as to come and try? ven|ture &s;ome paines, and venture &s;ome &s;teps in this way of God, po&s;|&s;ibly thou may&s;t find &s;o much &s;weetne&s;&s;e in the way, and advantage by the way, that if once you did but ta&s;te it, you would not for ten thou&s;and worlds, turn your backs on this way againe; It is a good daies worke, even to &s;et your faces on this day toward God, to begin to look toward this good way; Doe not mind your own profit, and your own advantages, your owne ends, your owne ea&s;e, let this bee the great bu&s;ine&s;&s;e you have to doe, you have an immortall Soule, that is capable of an eternall condition, that mu&s;t<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 16 24.</NOTE> either eternally triumph in Heaven, or everla&s;tingly fry in Hell. Thou can&s;t not &s;ay but God hath &s;ent from Heaven this day, by his owne word to call thee, to &s;tand, to con&s;ider, to looke about thee, and to make provi&s;ion for thy &s;oule; Doe not now heare what worldly profit &s;aith, or li&s;ten only what &s;ecular advantage, but hearken what God &s;aith, for the good of thy &s;oule: It may bee if you were now to make your wills, &s;ome rich man among you, hath &s;o many hundreds for &s;uch a Childe, and &s;uch a pro|portion for Wife, and &s;uch Legacies for Friends, O but what hath your poore <HI>Soule</HI> all this while? Oh! you will bequeathe your bodies to the ground, and &s;o much to &s;uch and &s;uch good pur|po&s;es; and you will give your Soules to God; O but what if God will not <HI>accept</HI> of your &s;oules, then thou art utterly and ever|la&s;tingly undone; This you &s;hould know and con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly. The fir&s;t meeting between God and the Soule mu&s;t bee here on earth in this Good way; they runne a de&s;perate hazzard, that will ven|ture an immortall Soule, and hope of Heaven upon a Lord have
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Mercy upon them, at the la&s;t day, when they know not, whether God will then accept of it, or imbrace and owne their Soules; yea, or no? Oh it is a &s;ad thing to think wee &s;hould put off God with the dregges of our old age, and after our Soules have beene drenched and &s;teeped in prophanene&s;&s;e, and covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and ungodly cour&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, forty, fifty yeares together, then to think hee ownes our prayers, &amp; to be as cock-&s;ure of Heaven as any: Doe not deceive thy &s;elfe on &s;uch uncertaine termes, if thou wilt have the right Method to obtaine indeed re&s;t for thy &s;oule, Oh! come into Gods way, and the &s;ooner you come the better: What&s;oever competition com|meth betweene thee and &s;ecular advantage, let all &s;tand by and re&s;olve fir&s;t to provide for the re&s;t of thy Soule.</P>
<P>There is a Story of one <HI>Marinus,</HI> a Souldier, having hopes of preferment to &s;ome place, being a Chri&s;tian; It was &s;ugge&s;ted to him, that hee mu&s;t fir&s;t for&s;ake his <HI>Religion,</HI> before hee &s;hould bee inve&s;ted in his preferment; It was &s;o &s;trong a temptation to him, that hee beganne to &s;tagger between his preferment, and his Chri|&s;tianity: But by the providence of God, there commeth one <HI>Theo|di&s;tus</HI> to him, brings him into the <HI>Temple,</HI> and layeth by him a <HI>Sword</HI> and the <HI>Go&s;pell,</HI> the Sword was the En&s;igne of his place and preferment, hee was to have but one; now &s;aith hee, whether will you have rather, the <HI>Bible</HI> or the <HI>Sword?</HI> and dealt &s;o &s;eri|ou&s;ly with him, that it plea&s;ed God at la&s;t to overcome him, hee would rather have the <HI>Bible,</HI> and let goe the <HI>Sword,</HI> and prefer|ment, and hopes, and all worldly pompe, and cho&s;e the <HI>Go&s;pell,</HI> that &s;o hee might &s;ave his Soule; Oh that there were many in this Congregation, rai&s;ed to this Heroick re&s;olution this day, what|&s;oever the competition bee, Is it a place, is it preferment, is it an Office? Lay the <HI>Te&s;tament</HI> by it, and thinke, if ever thou wilt &s;ave thy Soule, thou mu&s;t let goe thy hopes, preferment, and po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ion, and deny thy &s;elfe in them, rather then let goe thy &s;hare in the Go&s;pell, whereby thou ha&s;t a title for the eternall happine&s;&s;e of thy immortall &s;oule; Let &s;oule bee more deare and precious to thee, and the injoyment of God, and finding communion with him, then all other worldly ble&s;&s;ings what&s;oever.</P>
<P>It was a rare di&s;po&s;ition worthy of imitation in that great Souldi|er <HI>Terentius,</HI> when hee might have asked what he would of the Em|perour,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Theodor.</HI> l. 4. <HI>c.</HI> 29.</NOTE> this petition hee would onely beg, a Temple for the Ortho|dox
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Chri&s;tians, when the <HI>Arian</HI> per&s;ecution did &s;o much prevaile; the Emperour denying him that in the behalfe of Chri&s;tians, though he had leave, he would not ask any thing more for him&s;elf: here is a man that did value Religion, and the good of &s;oules at an high rate, what ever becommeth of his own preferment, of his own dignitie: Let us &s;ay, let Religion flouri&s;h, let the Go&s;pell of Chri&s;t runne, and bee glorified, in the power and purity of it, what ever become of our<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 3 1.</NOTE> preferment. And truely did you know the excellencie, the &s;weet|ne&s;&s;e, the goodne&s;&s;e of walking in the wayes of God, you would not now like lukewarme reconcilers and moderators accept of a reformation upon any termes, &s;o you might &s;ave your owne advan|tages, and promote your owne de&s;ignes: there is many a <HI>Ca&s;&s;ande</HI> that would bee &s;uch a reconciler, that would undertake the arbitra|tion betweene God and man, &s;o hee might drive on his project, hee would be content to abate &s;omewhat in Religion, &s;o hee might &s;erve his owne carnall purpo&s;e. But let us not bee thus penny wi&s;e and pound fooli&s;h, and in the meane time neglect comming into Gods way; this is the onely method that leads to this great advantage; to &s;oul-refre&s;hing re&s;t.</P>
<P>If walking in the good way be Gods method to find &s;oule-refre&s;h|ing re&s;t; then &s;hew your &s;elves good travellers, and bee &s;ure you doe<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. <HI>&V;&s;e. Direction.</HI> Approve your &s;elves good travellers in this good way.</NOTE> indeed walke in this way; doe not &s;atisfie your &s;elves in that you know the way, but rather &s;ay as they in <HI>Micah</HI> 4. 5. every one will walke in the name of his God, Come, we will walke in the name of our God for ever and ever, you mu&s;t bee walking, &s;tirring, moving on; many people if they have but got a little &s;mattering knowledge, and have their tongues tipped with &s;ome Go&s;pell Language, that they are able to di&s;cour&s;e of Religion, they thinke they have made great progre&s;&s;e therein, wee know indeed &s;o much as wee practi&s;e, they onely are good Schollers in Chri&s;ts Schoole, that have learned to turne the knowledge into action, and turne precepts into practice, to draw confidence out of promi&s;es, and imitation from good ex|amples. Neither is it enough to come into the way, when known, and to &s;tand &s;till there.</P>
<P>Many men if they bee once got into a religious forme, if they bee but accounted profe&s;&s;ors, they move in &s;uch a track of duty, and goe plodding on from yeare to yeare&punc; and if you had a picture drawne of them now, and a picture &s;even yeares agoe, no more light nor no
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more heate, nor no more &s;pirituall vigour then formerly they had, this is not to walke in Gods way: what progre&s;&s;e make you? what addition to the &s;tock of graces, what fruit bring you forth, the Apo|&s;tle giveth this coun&s;ell in 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 5. Adde to your <HI>faith v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1+ letters"> &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t indeed, if you would be good Chri&s;tians, you mu&s;t have <HI>faith,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1. 5, 6, 7.</NOTE> for the ju&s;tification of your per&s;ons, faith for the warranting of your duties, faith to carry you to <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> to fetch &s;trength to inable you to your duties; But then adde to your faith <HI>vertue,</HI> there mu&s;t bee grace conforming the dutie to the rule of <HI>Gods Word,</HI> doe it in a gra|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ious manner, vertue; adde to your vertue <HI>knowledge,</HI> you mu&s;t rightly circum&s;tantiate your actions, doe them with a proper <HI>hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &amp; nune;</HI> and adde to your knowledge, <HI>temperance,</HI> you mu&s;t bee &s;ober and temperate, in the exerci&s;e of gifts, and in the injoying of com|forts; and adde to your temperance, <HI>patience,</HI> as you mu&s;t have &s;o|brietie in the u&s;e of comforts, &s;o you mu&s;t have patience in your tryals; and adde to your patience <HI>Godline&s;&s;e,</HI> you mu&s;t not have a &s;ullen Stoicks patience, be patient of affliction, be impatient of &s;inne, and therefore adde to your patience godline&s;&s;e; and then further adde to your godline&s;&s;e, <HI>brotherly kindne&s;&s;e:</HI> Oh, love all the members of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, 1 <HI>Pet. 2. 17. Love the brotherhood,</HI> the corporation, the &s;ocietie of Saints; And what? mu&s;t you have no love to them that are not yet Saints? adde to your brotherly kindne&s;&s;e <HI>charity,</HI> you have a love of complacencie to them that are Saints, but you have a love of pitie to them that are without; what though they &s;coffe at you? pray for them; what if they cannot afford you a good word? go mourne over them, and if it bee po&s;&s;ible, by a contribution of prayers reco|ver their &s;inking &s;oules, this is to bee Chri&s;tians indeed, adde to your brotherly love charity, lay not out all your love to the Saints, there is a love due to them as members, but when you delight in the people of God, the hou&s;ehold of faith, yet withall pity them that goe a&s;tray and bee charitable to them, and trie all conclu&s;ions how you may winne them on, and ingage them in the good&punc; way: Chri|&s;tianity is &s;ometimes called a <HI>way,</HI> it is other times called a <HI>race, Heb. 12. 1. Let us runne with patience the race that is &s;et before us,</HI> a Chri&s;tian &s;hould move &s;o fa&s;t that hee &s;hould be <HI>running,</HI> making &s;wift progre&s;&s;e that were walking to purpo&s;e; The Lord knoweth how many, even among tho&s;e that would bee accounted good Chri&s;tians, are &s;till
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dwarfes in <HI>Religion,</HI> &s;till novices, children to&s;&s;ed to and fro with every wind, and many that thinke their penny good &s;ilver, yet it appeares they are but <HI>dead</HI> creatures, they are but <HI>hypocrites</HI> in that they doe not grow; as a <HI>Picture</HI> though never &s;o lively drawne, it <HI>groweth</HI> not, it &s;tands at a &s;tay, &s;o many that are formall profe&s;&s;ors, they &s;hew indeed they are but pictures, they doe not increa&s;e, not <HI>out-grow</HI> corruptions, nor <HI>over-grow</HI> their wonted pa&s;&s;ions, nor <HI>grow above</HI> common temptations.</P>
<P>If you would approve your &s;elves good travellers in the way to <HI>Sion,</HI> you mu&s;t bee walking, it were an excellent thing, that now as wee have monethly Sacraments, and monethly dayes of humiliati|on, to be drawing pictures of your &s;elves, compare your &s;elves with your&s;elves, ob&s;erve how much more humble and broken hearted you are, how much more weaned from the world you are, and what <HI>fruitfull</HI> walking you expre&s;&s;e after &s;o many <HI>heavenly &s;howers</HI> falling upon you.</P>
<P>Thou&s;ands in <HI>England</HI> would bee glad of the very crummes of <HI>your Go&s;pel comforts.</HI> The more &s;ad will your account bee, if when the Lord &s;hall reckon with you for &s;o many yeares <HI>&s;oule-quickning-liber|ties,</HI> it &s;hall appeare that neither <HI>Sabbath</HI> nor <HI>Sacrament-opportunities,</HI> nor dayes of <HI>Humiliation,</HI> nor dayes of <HI>Thanksgivings</HI> have engaged your hearts to walke on in this good way. The <HI>Lord</HI> per&s;wade your &s;pirits, that in an holy revenge of your former negligence, you may now mend your pace, and double your diligence in <HI>Sion way,</HI> yea and quicken not onely your &s;elves, but one another, as they in <HI>Jer. 50. 5. Come and let us joyne our &s;elves to the Lord in a perpetuall Covenant that &s;hall not bee forgotten.</HI> Let us endeavour as tho&s;e that have a minde to dwell in heaven together, hand in hand to make con&s;tant pro|gre&s;&s;e in this good way.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> Is there but one good way to &s;oul-refre&s;hing re&s;t, mu&s;t all travellers towards <HI>Sion</HI> come into the very &s;ame way?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Without doubt <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> is the one <HI>way, Joh.</HI> 14. 6. by his blood that one <HI>new and living way</HI> is opened, <HI>Heb.</HI> 10. 20. there is one way of <HI>repentance</HI> for our <HI>&s;innes,</HI> of <HI>faith</HI> in <HI>Gods promi&s;es,</HI> of <HI>obedience</HI> to his <HI>commands,</HI> in which all Chri&s;tians &s;hould walke, as being the onely way that leades to <HI>communion</HI> with <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and to an <HI>heavenly re&s;t</HI> by him. It concernes all Chri&s;tians of all rankes, of all &s;orts, to come into this one way, and with <HI>onene&s;&s;e</HI> of heart to
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walke herein. In it &s;elfe it is a mercy very de&s;irable, that w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e might injoy the ble&s;&s;ed fruit and accompli&s;hment of that promi&s;e, in the full extent of it, <HI>Jer. 32. 39. I will give you one heart, and one way.</HI> This being part of the Covenant, you &s;hould have it in your <HI>eyes,</HI> make it the matter of your <HI>Prayer,</HI> and the object of your <HI>indea|vour.</HI></P>
<P>The happy conjunction of <HI>purity</HI> and <HI>unity, Zeph.</HI> 3. 9. was an ar|gument that God was making a re&s;tauration of his <HI>I&s;rael. Then I will turn to the people a pure language, that they may call on the name of the Lord to &s;erve him with one con&s;ent.</HI> In the Hebrew <HI>pure lip,</HI> and <HI>one &s;houlder.</HI> This is mo&s;t lovely, to &s;ee the people of God, having a <HI>pure lip</HI> in his Wor&s;hip, and <HI>one &s;houlder,</HI> in doing his Worke. This promoted <HI>Temple worke</HI> not a little, after the return from the <HI>Cap|tivity,</HI> when the people gathered them&s;elves together <HI>as one man to Hieru&s;alem, Ezra</HI> 3. 1. This was the beauty of the <HI>Primitive Church,</HI> that there was &s;uch an <HI>Harmony</HI> of &s;pirits among&s;t the Chri&s;tians of tho&s;e times, <HI>Act.</HI> 2. 1.</P>
<P>It is an ob&s;ervation of a <HI>Learned Divine,</HI> from that pa&s;&s;age in 1 <HI>Kin.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Quam maxime curandum e&s;t ut ne in Eccle&s;ia &s;trepitus conten|ti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters"> a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t &s;chi&s;|matu~ audiantur. &V;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">inam hoc De|us tandem elar|giatur ut omnes in domo &s;ua i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> dem dicamus &amp; &s;entiamus. <HI>P. Mayr. in 1 Reg. 6. 7&punc;</HI></NOTE> 6. 7. while the Temple was in building, there <HI>was neither hammer, nor axe, nor any toole of iron heard in the hou&s;e;</HI> that thence wee &s;hould learn, in <HI>Church affaires,</HI> in matters of <HI>Religion,</HI> to manage all with &s;weet <HI>peace</HI> and <HI>unanimity;</HI> That no noi&s;e <HI>of contentions and &s;chi&s;mes</HI> (&s;aith hee) <HI>might be heard, O that God would grant this mercy, that in his hou&s;e wee might all thinke and &s;peake the &s;ame thing.</HI></P>
<P>But it was a great blemi&s;h to the <HI>Church</HI> of <HI>Corinth,</HI> that the <HI>Church</HI> which &s;hould have pre&s;erved <HI>unity</HI> within it &s;elfe, broke into <HI>divers parties,</HI> into &s;everall little <HI>Corporations,</HI> &s;ome crying up <HI>Paul,</HI> others <HI>Apollo,</HI> others adhering to <HI>Cephas, 1 Cor.</HI> 1. 12. notwith&s;tanding tho&s;e &s;trong rea&s;ons again&s;t divi&s;ions, mentioned, <HI>ver. 13. Is Chri&s;t divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were yee baptized in the name of Paul?</HI> how uncomely then are &s;uch divi&s;ions among&s;t you? <HI>Paul</HI> was very &s;erious and affectionate, <HI>Rom. 16. 17, 18. I be&s;eech you Bre|thren marke them which cau&s;e divi&s;ions and offences, contrary to the do|ctrine which yee have learned, and avoyd them, for they are &s;uch as &s;erve not our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, but their owne belly, and by good words, and faire &s;peeches, deceive the hearts of the &s;imple.</HI> Church divi&s;ions doe both <HI>weaken friends,</HI> and <HI>&s;trengthen enemies,</HI> and &s;o much di&s;parage <HI>Religion,</HI> that they <HI>di&s;courage commers</HI> on to it; and make &s;ome <HI>can|didates,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 14. 23.</NOTE>
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&s;ome <HI>probationers,</HI> fly off. Yea, too many are ready to re&s;olve to bee of no <HI>Religion,</HI> becau&s;e they &s;ee &s;o many <HI>Religions</HI> in <HI>England.</HI> It were worth rivers of teares, could wee obtaine that mercy from God, that the&s;e differences among&s;t us might bee recon|ciled, that all you in <HI>London,</HI> who inquire after the <HI>good way,</HI> might once come into the <HI>&s;ame way.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> Though unity joyned with purity bee very de&s;irable, yet what if there &s;hould bee a toleration of divers ways in a Church, in a Kingdom? why not?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Fir&s;t, Here wee mu&s;t wi&s;ely di&s;tingui&s;h betwixt <HI>opinions</HI> and <HI>practices;</HI> It cannot bee expected that all good men &s;hould ever come to bee of the &s;ame opinion in every thing. Neither indeed doe all <HI>Truths</HI> equally <HI>concern</HI> us; There are &s;everall degrees of ne|ce&s;&s;ity about matters of <HI>Religion,</HI> which will admit variety of opi|nions in &s;ome of them.</P>
<P>1. Some things are alwaies and <HI>&s;imply nece&s;&s;ary,</HI> as nece&s;&s;ary <HI>meanes</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Nece&s;&s;itas, 1. Cau&s;ae. 2. Conditionis. requi&s;itae. 3. P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aecep<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">i.</NOTE> and <HI>cau&s;es</HI> by which wee mu&s;t bee &s;aved; Thus faith in the <HI>Trinity.</HI></P>
<P>2. Other things are <HI>nece&s;&s;ary, as requi&s;ite conditions,</HI> without which a man cannot bee &s;aved; Thus <HI>conver&s;ion</HI> from &s;in to <HI>God.</HI></P>
<P>3. Some other things are onely nece&s;&s;ary, in that they are <HI>com|manded</HI> by God, or may bee <HI>deduced from his Word,</HI> and therefore are to bee obeyed according to that knowledge a man hath, or may have of them; About &s;ome of the&s;e, &s;uch as are of the lowe&s;t de|gree, not beeing fundamentall, <HI>godly and learned Divines</HI> may differ in &s;ome opinions.</P>
<P>Againe, the&s;e opinions are either kept <HI>private</HI> or made <HI>publicke.</HI> Doubtle&s;&s;e when they are not publi&s;hed and propagated to the di|&s;turbance of others, much <HI>indulgence</HI> may bee &s;howne to <HI>di&s;&s;enting Brethren,</HI> who <HI>peaceably</HI> injoy their owne opinions. And as divers <HI>Truths</HI> admit a <HI>latitude,</HI> &s;o likewi&s;e &s;ome <HI>practi&s;es,</HI> into which tho&s;e Truths lead, in both which &s;ome <HI>differences</HI> may bee borne. It is ob&s;erved, <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Barnabas</HI> jarred, yet both Preached the <HI>Go&s;pel; Cyprian</HI> and <HI>Cornelius</HI> differed in judgement, yet both <HI>pillars</HI> of the <HI>Chri&s;tian Faith; Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> and <HI>Epiphanius</HI> di&s;agreed, yet both <HI>E|nemies</HI> to the <HI>Arians.</HI> Indeed if men will vent their own conceits, (as commonly they are bigge with them, longing to bee delivered) whereby they puzzle and di&s;tract others, it much alters the ca&s;e, and makes them more <HI>uncapable of connivence,</HI> and that e&s;pecially
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when their opinions tend to &s;uch practi&s;es, as undermine the <HI>power of godline&s;&s;e, or peace of the Church. Chri&s;t</HI> blamed it in the Church of <HI>Pergamus,</HI> that &s;uch were <HI>&s;uffered there, Rev.</HI> 2814. who held &s;uch <HI>doctrine,</HI> as taught one to <HI>ca&s;t &s;tumbling-blocks</HI> before others.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> May any compul&s;ion bee u&s;ed by Magi&s;trates, to draw people into the one good way?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It is concluded by mo&s;t able, godly, and &s;ober <HI>Divines,</HI> that in &s;ome ca&s;es <HI>power</HI> may lawfully and &s;ea&s;onably bee imployed in matters of <HI>Religion.</HI></P>
<P>1 Power may and mu&s;t indevour to hinder the <HI>bla&s;pheming</HI> of the <HI>True Religion,</HI> and to &s;uppre&s;&s;e the propagating of a fal&s;e Religi|on.<NOTE PLACE="marg">See Dr. Ames his ca&s;es of Con|&s;cience. l. 4. c. 3. que&s;t. 9.</NOTE> Con&s;ider <HI>Deut.</HI> 13. Inticers to Idolatry were to b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e <HI>&s;toned</HI> to death, and that doubtle&s;&s;e in a judiciall way.</P>
<P>2. Though men cannot bee compelled to the <HI>profe&s;&s;ion</HI> of the <HI>True faith;</HI> yet by <HI>Authority</HI> they may bee even con&s;trained to <HI>attend upon the meanes of knowing God,</HI> and that good way which leads to him.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider zealous <HI>Jo&s;iahs</HI> example, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 34. 33. If you can|not per&s;wade men to bee <HI>good Prote&s;tants,</HI> yet &s;trive to keepe them from <HI>acting Popery,</HI> bring them into the light of the <HI>Sunne of Righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> po&s;&s;ibly they may learne thereby to abhorre Popi&s;h dark|ne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>And now e&s;pecially when wee have &s;o <HI>&s;olemnly Covenanted</HI> for the extirpation of <HI>Popery,</HI> far bee it from any to di&s;pute for a <HI>tolerati|on</HI> thereof, or to give way to any &s;uch Principles as will by naturall con&s;equence infer it.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> What then &s;hall wee doe with all tho&s;e in <HI>England,</HI> who are ingaged in different waies, both in regard of their opinions and practi&s;es?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It &s;hould make us lye in the du&s;t and melt into teares, that wee have &s;o many di&s;tractions in the Church by rea&s;on of diffe|rences among&s;t us. <HI>One extremity hath begotten another.</HI> Many de&s;iring to runne farre from <HI>Popery</HI> and <HI>Prelacy,</HI> (which formerly oppre&s;&s;ed their &s;pirits) have now before they were aware, <HI>ingaged</HI> them&s;elves in the very quarters of the <HI>Arminians</HI> and <HI>Socinians,</HI> joyning with them to undermine the <HI>Civill Magi&s;tracy,</HI> the <HI>calling</HI> and <HI>power of the Mini&s;tery,</HI> to enervate the <HI>Sacraments,</HI> and que&s;tion the <HI>immortality</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">See Peltz. Har|mon. A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters">c. 17. 19, 20, 21.</NOTE> <HI>of the &s;oule.</HI> (Witne&s;&s;e a <HI>dangerous Book</HI> lately written, pleading for the mortality of the Soule, which will open the flood-gates of pro|phanene&s;&s;e,)
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and &s;o poore hearts are in <HI>danger to lo&s;e the good way&punc;</HI> Yet ala&s;&s;e, how much doe they perplex them&s;elves and di&s;courage others, as if the <HI>Reformers in Parliament, and A&s;&s;embly</HI> were acting the part of the Hornes, <HI>Zach.</HI> 1. 21. to &s;catter <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>Hieru&s;a|lem,</HI> uttering the&s;e &s;ad expre&s;&s;ions, Wee &s;hall not bee <HI>tolerated,</HI> wee mu&s;t bee <HI>bani&s;hed,</HI> the per&s;ecution is like to bee as hot as under the Prelates, and &s;o much more inflame the pre&s;ent troubles? I &s;hall brief|ly &s;ugge&s;t two things for re&s;olving this great doubt propo&s;ed, which puzzles &s;o many.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Before wee &s;peake or think of <HI>tolerating</HI> or <HI>bani&s;hing,</HI> let us all, both Mini&s;ter and people, labour to <HI>reduce</HI> all tho&s;e <HI>from their er|rors,</HI> who are gone <HI>out</HI> of the <HI>good Way.</HI> Too many weary them|&s;elves and others, in projecting what &s;hall become of people, who are of this and that way, but rather let us lay out our mo&s;t &s;erious thoughts, how wee may <HI>recover</HI> them who are <HI>&s;educed, Jam.</HI> 5. 19, 20. It is an high act of Mercy to convert a &s;inner <HI>from the error of his way,</HI> wee &s;hall &s;ave <HI>a &s;oule from death, and &s;hall hide a multitude of &s;ins,</HI> doe what you can to &s;ave them, as <HI>Jude</HI> directs, <HI>ver.</HI> 22 23.</P>
<P>Secondly, Let us indevour not onely to <HI>reduce</HI> &s;ome from their gro&s;&s;e errors, into the good way, but al&s;o &s;eek &s;uch a <HI>reconciliation</HI> of le&s;&s;er <HI>differences,</HI> with others, that <HI>Brethren</HI> who hope to &s;pend eternity in Heaven together, may walke peaceably and lovingly in <HI>this good way.</HI> Inquire what <HI>latitude in opinion and practice</HI> the Scrip|ture allows. <HI>No good Chri&s;tian will de&s;ire more.</HI> Some things the A|po&s;tles <HI>commanded</HI> as being <HI>nece&s;&s;ary,</HI> &s;ome things they <HI>commended</HI> and <HI>advi&s;ed</HI> as being <HI>expedient,</HI> &s;ome other things which were meere|ly <HI>indifferent,</HI> they left indifferent without the lea&s;t <HI>violation</HI> of the <HI>Churches Liberty.</HI> Let every one <HI>of us plea&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> neighbour for his good to edification, Rom.</HI> 15. 2. O that wee could all indevour <HI>to keepe the u|nity of the Spirit in the bond of pea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">! Paul</HI> pre&s;&s;eth this upon us by &s;even &s;trong rea&s;ons in three &s;hort <HI>ver&s;es, Eph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;.</HI> 4. 4, 5, 6. and indevours to ingageus hereunto with mo&s;t &s;weet affectionate expre&s;&s;ions, in <HI>Phil. 2. 1, 2. If therfore any con&s;olation in Chri&s;t, if any comfort of love, if any fellow|&s;hip of the &s;pirit, if any bow<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ls and mercies, fulfill yee my joy, that yee may bee like minded, having the &s;ame love, being of one accord, of one mind.</HI> A <HI>reducing</HI> of &s;ome <HI>into</HI> the good way, that leads to Soule-refre&s;h|ing re&s;t, a <HI>compo&s;ing</HI> of differences among&s;t others who walk therein, will &s;o an&s;wer this que&s;tion, as to <HI>prevent</HI> the <HI>inconvenience</HI> of &s;uch a
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<HI>toleration</HI> as &s;ome <HI>de&s;ire,</HI> and the <HI>danger</HI> of that <HI>bani&s;hing</HI> which others <HI>feare.</HI></P>
<P>Give me leave, Right Honorable and beloved, to be&s;peake the <HI>im|provement</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">3. <HI>V&s;e. Exhortation.</HI> Endeavour to bring others into that good way which leades to &s;oule|refre&s;hing <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;t.</NOTE> of your <HI>wi&s;edome</HI> and zeale, of your <HI>intere&s;t</HI> and <HI>influence,</HI> for the carrying on of this <HI>&s;oule-refre&s;hing de&s;igne&punc;</HI> Doe not &s;atisfie your &s;elves, that <HI>God</HI> hath <HI>brought you into</HI> the good way. It is indeed an admirable mercy, worthy of everla&s;ting prai&s;es, that when your faces were <HI>Devill-ward</HI> and <HI>Hell-ward,</HI> hee hath turned &s;o many of them <HI>Chri&s;t-ward</HI> and <HI>Heaven-ward.</HI> I hope you love the &s;oules of your <HI>children, friends, &s;ervants</HI> and <HI>people,</HI> &s;o well, that you wil ea&s;ily be per&s;waded to be&s;tirre your &s;elves &s;eriou&s;ly how to bring them who yet goe a&s;tray by <HI>ignorance, prophanene&s;&s;e</HI> or <HI>&s;ecurity,</HI> into the good way, that they may all find <HI>re&s;t</HI> with you <HI>therein.</HI></P>
<P>It will &s;tand upon record for the honour of this <HI>renowned Citie</HI> what you have done &s;ince the&s;e publique troubles began for the good of the Church, and for the good of the State, what you have given to quench the&s;e &s;parkes ere they brake out into devouring flames; And I que&s;tion not but when ever the <HI>Chronicles</HI> of the&s;e times &s;hall come to be written, the zeale, the fidelity, the &s;elf-deniall, the cou|rage, the diligence of this famous Citie will fil whole Pages with your ju&s;t and due commendation. Not only <HI>families,</HI> but hou&s;es of <HI>Par|liament;</HI> not onely Countries, but <HI>Kingdomes</HI> are &s;en&s;ible of your forwardne&s;&s;e; and (doe daily) ble&s;&s;e God for it. Well! give mee leave now as a poore Mini&s;ter of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to pre&s;&s;e one thing more upon you, <HI>viz.</HI> that you would erect &s;ome further <HI>monument,</HI> holding a proportion with what you have done already; &s;ome|thing <HI>worthy</HI> of this religious, this renowned Citie, That you would lay a traine how to reduce poore &s;oules that goe a&s;tray, and how to bring them into a good way, that leads to eternall re&s;t. It is my advantage that I have the opportunity to &s;peake in &s;uch an auditory, upon &s;uch an argument.</P>
<P>There is great rea&s;on that wee &s;hould take notice of what co&s;t and<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 122. Maimed Souldiers and other di&s;ea&s;ed per&s;ons cured this la&s;t yeare in Saint Bar|tholomews Ho&s;pitall.</NOTE> charges you have beene at this la&s;t yeare <HI>in the foure Ho&s;pitalls of this Citie,</HI> and in the maintenance of the great number of poore chil|dren and others; I need not goe over all the particulars, they have been read againe and againe to your honour; many who&s;e wounds have been healed by you, are ble&s;&s;ing God for you, and many hungry bellies which you have fed, are magnifying him, and many chil|dren
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I hope are learning to ble&s;&s;e the name of that God that hath put it into your hearts, to do &s;o much good for them: and I am con|fident<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25. 42, 43, 46.</NOTE> you will heare comfortably of it hereafter at the day of Judg|ment: Po&s;&s;ibly all this may be done, and yet &s;ome further care to bee<NOTE PLACE="marg">Directions for the bringing others into this good way.</NOTE> taken for the reducing of &s;oules into &s;uch a good way, that might lead them to their eternall re&s;t; and to this purpo&s;e I will be bold to &s;ugge&s;t &s;ome few directions.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Lay a traine for the education of youth in the knowledge of</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Lay a traine for educating Children in the good way.</NOTE> <HI>this good way,</HI> for the multiplying of &s;uch faithfull guides as may di&s;cover and lead others into this way. It is a peece of <HI>Luthers</HI> coun&s;ell: if ever you would have a good Reformation, looke to the education of Children; You cloath their bodies, and you feed them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 22. 6.</NOTE> It is mercifully done, it is good Go&s;pel fruit, it is worthy of Chri&s;ti|anity: But I be&s;eech you withall take care for their precious &s;oules; Acquaint them betimes with Gods wayes.</P>
<P>And you more e&s;pecially, that have the government of this famous City, look to your <HI>Citie Schooles;</HI> looke that there be principles of<NOTE PLACE="marg">Look<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o your School<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, and Schoo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e&punc; ma&s;te<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> Religion, as well as Learning, laid, and &s;own, and &s;cattered among the&s;e young Generations. So you will lay a traine indeed to bring their &s;oules into the good way; and to this purpo&s;e, provide that there may bee more faithfull guides to &s;teere and direct them in this way: That were indeed an enterpri&s;e worthy of &s;uch a Citie as this is. Let us not bee a&s;hamed to learne any thing from the Je&s;uites, (which is fit to bee learned from them) who are mo&s;t &s;tudious in this<NOTE PLACE="marg">Je&s;uites <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">y.</NOTE> art; they goe up and downe, and ob&s;erve what youths are mo&s;t preg|nant, who are likely to bee good di&s;putants, and who are likely to bee good State&s;men, and who are likely to bee good Oratours; and out of each of the&s;e, they will take a number, whom out of the publique charge they will maintaine, that their parts and abilities may bee improved to the greate&s;t advantage, both to them&s;elves, and the Common-wealth. I doubt not, but this City might honour God, and honour them&s;elves, in &s;ome &s;uch cour&s;e as this is: In all your Ho&s;pitalls, in all your Schooles, let there bee a wi&s;e ob&s;erving by tho&s;e that are able to di&s;cerne what is the proper genius, &s;pirit, and di&s;po&s;ition of young Youths, where is any of &s;peciall parts, that hath not onely &s;eeds of piety, but &s;ingular indow|ments of nature: And though I would bee loath to pre&s;&s;e upon &s;o bountifull a City as this, any thing that might adde to your va&s;t
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charges which you have been already at, yet I could wi&s;h with all my heart, that &s;ome publique Stocks were rai&s;ed, in &s;ome way mo&s;t &s;uitable; that &s;uch as I &s;peake of, might bee maintained and con&s;e|crated to the &s;tudy of Learning; and being &s;ent to the Univer&s;ities, might prove in their generations, faithfull guides in this good way.</P>
<P>God hath beene plea&s;ed already to &s;hine upon us in the hopefull beginning of Reformation of Univer&s;ities; and every one of us in our way and place, are to further that worke wherein we are all, more or le&s;&s;e, e&s;pecially concerned. This will mo&s;t Succesfully bee done, by &s;ending &s;uch per&s;ons <HI>thither,</HI> as may bee mo&s;t capable of im|provement there; which may not for want of parts bee di&s;coura|ged from following tho&s;e &s;tudies which &s;hall there bee required of them; and then for want of imployment in their &s;tudies, runne|out into &s;uch vicious cour&s;es, as may make them to rue the day that ever they came thither. The rule which Parents have gone by formerly, in making &s;uch and &s;uch Children Scholars, has beene a re&s;pect to their owne education; They have been Scholars it may be them&s;elves, and therefore thinke that their Sonnes (however qualifed) mu&s;t needs be &s;o al&s;o; and others, by very &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pects; Gentlemen, if they have divers Children, to make Scholars of tho&s;e which are the younge&s;t, as a <HI>&s;hift,</HI> rather then a <HI>calling,</HI> and &s;omewhat whereby they might rather provide for their worldly &s;ub|&s;i&s;tence, then for the &s;ervice of the Church &amp; Common-wealth. Now that which I commend to your Wi&s;domes in this point of publique Education, is to bee carryed by another Con&s;ideration; <HI>to wit,</HI> of the pregnancy of parts and capacity in Children; &s;uch being che|ri&s;hed and promoted in Learning, they may by Gods ble&s;&s;ing prove able guides to bring others into the good way.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>looke to your Family Religion:</HI> For as your Schools have<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Looke to Religion in your Families.</NOTE> a &s;ubordination to Univer&s;ities; &s;o Families to Schooles. The reformation of the one, will not &s;o much availe, without refor|mation of the other. And both have a &s;ubordination to the Church.</P>
<P>To this intent, let Ma&s;ters, let Parents, (Oh that Husbands and Wives likewi&s;e would love one anothers Soule, &s;o well as to bee quickning and helping forward one another in this good way!) I &s;ay, let Ma&s;ters, let Parents catechi&s;e their Children, and Servants, and in&s;truct them in the principles of Religion: Doubtle&s;&s;e this is the
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way to make them fit to bee u&s;efull Church-members. You expect the Mini&s;ter &s;hould doe all, truly there will not &s;o much bee done, un|le&s;&s;e you maintaine <HI>an harmony of Ordinances.</HI> When a Mini&s;ter &s;hall Preach, and Catechi&s;e, and in&s;truct in <HI>Publique;</HI> and when a Father &s;hall deale with his Children when hee commeth home in private, and call them to an account of their profiting by the publike ad|mini&s;trations; Oh this harmony being maintained, it will &s;till lay a better traine, how to reduce tho&s;e that goe a&s;tray. It is a mo&s;t un|happy thing, that many times the Ma&s;ter and Mi&s;tris come to Church them&s;elves, when it may bee the &s;ervants in the mean while, are in Tavernes and Ale-hou&s;es, and up and downe in one corner of the Suburbs or other, and po&s;&s;ibly you never &s;o much as que&s;tion them at night, where they have beene, and what accompt they can give of the Sermon which has been Preached, what Manna they have gathered this day; if you would reduce your Servants Soules, if you would have them obtaine happy re&s;t, love them &s;o well as to bee preparing them by Religious principles, to walke in this good way. D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ale not with your Servants, as you doe with your Hor&s;es; let them work out their &s;trength &amp; &s;pirits, &amp; when they have &s;erved you &s;o long, there is an end; what becomes of their <HI>&s;oules</HI> and <HI>eter|nall condition,</HI> many of you care very little; whereas indeed you &s;hould rather con&s;ider, you are as well <HI>intru&s;ted</HI> with their <HI>Soules,</HI> as they <HI>intru&s;ted</HI> with your <HI>E&s;tates;</HI> may bee thy Servants <HI>Sinnes</HI> &s;tand upon <HI>thy account,</HI> &s;ome of them may now bee <HI>roaring in Hell,</HI> for tho&s;e offences, which either they learnt <HI>from thee,</HI> or were borne <HI>in by thee.</HI> O bee intreated to have an eye upon your Families; too many of them looke too like the <HI>Devils Chappels;</HI> give diligence<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo&s;h. 24. 15.</NOTE> rather that they may bee <HI>little Churches</HI> to the <HI>great God.</HI> How &s;weet will this <HI>Re&s;t</HI> bee, if after thy praying and u&s;e of all good meanes, that thy <HI>Children</HI> may bee found <HI>Gods Children,</HI> thy <HI>Servants, Gods Servants,</HI> walking in the good way; <HI>Parents</HI> and <HI>Children, Ma&s;ters</HI> and <HI>Servants</HI> may keep hou&s;e together <HI>eternally in heaven?</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>incourage your faithfull Mini&s;ters,</HI> not onely in <HI>Preaching;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">3. Incourage your Mini&s;ters who are your guides in this good way, to Catechi&s;e and to expound the Scriptures.</NOTE> but in &s;hort <HI>Catechi&s;ing &amp; briefe expounding the Scriptures;</HI> &s;uch exerci&s;es might prove a very compendious method to lead many into the good way: Let able Mini&s;ters &s;tudy to Preach plainly, yet ordina|ry hearers are not at the fir&s;t capable of the <HI>&s;eries</HI> of a &s;et Di&s;cour&s;e, unle&s;&s;e they bee prepared for this, by teaching them the <HI>A. B. C.</HI> of
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Chri&s;tanity in the very principles, and by giving them <HI>line upon line,</HI> and <HI>precept upon precept</HI> in &s;ome ea&s;ie and familiar manner. If the Lord plea&s;e to ble&s;&s;e us with this fruit of Reformation, that <HI>reading of long Liturgies,</HI> bee turned into <HI>&s;hort expounding of Scriptures, when they are read in the publike A&s;&s;emblies;</HI> by &s;ome briefe hints to <HI>cleare difficult,</HI> and <HI>pre&s;&s;e</HI> mo&s;t <HI>&s;ea&s;onable places</HI> upon the hearers; doubtle&s;&s;e it might reduce many, and much <HI>edifie</HI> other peoples &s;oules in the good way. Many parts of <HI>England</HI> have already ta&s;ted the &s;weetne&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of this ex|change. I know no place which might more ea&s;ily obtaine this<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2. 15.</NOTE> precious advantage then this City, where you have &s;o many able Tea|chers, who know how <HI>to divide the word aright. Why &s;hould not you</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">We&s;tmin&s;ter Abbey.</NOTE> <HI>have &s;uch morning Exerci&s;es in</HI> London, as are lately &s;et up <HI>in your Neighbour City;</HI> wherein your <HI>good Scribes</HI> might open their Trea|&s;ures,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 13. 52.</NOTE> <HI>bringing forth new and old, to the enriching of your &s;oules?</HI> Hereby you might recover much precious time, out of the hands of &s;leepe and &s;loathfullne&s;&s;e, and without making any great breach in your ordinary employments, get a good <HI>Go&s;pell breakefa&s;t</HI> next your heart in the morning: You would trade the better all the day, if you begin fir&s;t to <HI>trade with Chri&s;t</HI> in the morning: Yea hereby your <HI>Soule-Nur&s;es,</HI> giving you the &s;incere <HI>milke</HI> of Gods word, drop by drop, you would be better prepared for <HI>&s;trong meat,</HI> and inabled to walk actively in the <HI>good way.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, forget not to <HI>throw &s;tumbling blocks out of the good way.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Throw all &s;tumbling blocks out of the good way. 1 Pet. 2. 12.</NOTE> If ever you would reduce &s;oules, <HI>repre&s;ent Religion,</HI> as a lovely and beautifull thing, that &s;o you may commend it to the hearts and con|&s;ciences of them among whom you live: O this might <HI>gaine many</HI> into the good way. People judge of <HI>Religion</HI> as they find; you may &s;pend many houres in your <HI>Clo&s;et,</HI> and they ta&s;te it not; You may &s;pend many dayes in publike Fa&s;ts, they ta&s;t not that pre&s;ent|ly; but now if your Religion makes you al&s;o <HI>ju&s;t,</HI> and maketh you <HI>mercifull,</HI> and <HI>good Neighbours,</HI> and good <HI>Landlords,</HI> and good in your <HI>Relations,</HI> all you deale with will ta&s;te of your <HI>Religion;</HI> but though &s;uch a man or woman heareth &s;o many Sermons, and &s;uch a Lord and Lady frequents &s;o many Fa&s;ts, if &s;till as hard hearted, and as proud, and as cen&s;orious, and as vaine, as ever; here you ca&s;t a <HI>&s;tum|bling blocke</HI> in the way of Religion. O that this might be the var|ni&s;h of every ones Religion; the more you profe&s;&s;e the Go&s;pell, la|bour to bee the more exact and ju&s;t in your walking, expre&s;&s;ing a<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 1. 27.</NOTE>
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Go&s;pell conver&s;ation: It is a great &s;candall to the Go&s;pell when eve|ry good man is not a good husband to his wife, and every good wo|man is not a good wife to her husband, nor every good man when he is called to it is not a good governour, nor every good Chri&s;tian in his place is not a good &s;ervant; why, there are graces fit for every con|dition, there are <HI>conjugall</HI> graces, a &s;pirit of <HI>government,</HI> a <HI>mini&s;teriall</HI> &s;pirit; now I heartily commend this to you, as you would com|mend Religion, and winne reputation to it, throw all &s;tumbling blocks out of the good way, expre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ing &s;uch a gracious carriage as your relation and condition requires. In <HI>Col.</HI> 3. 12, 13. &s;ee what a chaine of graces there the Apo&s;tle linkes together; Put on as the elect of God bowels of <HI>merci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s;</HI> It were an excellent thing for al good Chri|&s;tians to have a mercifull di&s;po&s;ition: Oh pity poore wounded men, pitie poore blind &s;oules, pitie tho&s;e that go a&s;tray: And as you &s;hould have bowels of mercy, &s;o <HI>kindne&s;&s;e,</HI> have not onely a meere pitie of them, but al&s;o do kindne&s;&s;e to them; And withall put on <HI>humblene&s;&s;e of mind</HI> towards them. It may bee if you are able to doe them good and kindne&s;&s;e, you will proudly in&s;ult over them, therefore put on humblene&s;&s;e of mind; and if you bee kind to them, and they injuri|ous to you, adde <HI>meekne&s;&s;e</HI> to it; and what if they bee very injurious? put on <HI>long-&s;uffering;</HI> here is Chri&s;tianity in that you will have bowels of mercy, and kindnes, and though you be able to be kind you will not bee proud of it, and if they bee not &s;o thankefull as they &s;hould, yet you will bee meeke, and if they goe on to adde injury to injury, you will bee long-&s;uffering: And I pray forget not the re&s;t, and <HI>forbearing</HI> one another, and <HI>forgiving</HI> one another, if any man have a quarrell again&s;t any, even as Chri&s;t forgave you; you will &s;ay you will forbeare at lea&s;t for a time; but though you forgive you will not forget, but you will watch an opportunity to revenge: Oh but you mu&s;t both <HI>forbeare</HI> and <HI>forgive</HI> one another, thus to repre|&s;ent Religion that it may bee knowne; In &s;uch an hou&s;e there dwels &s;uch a people, they are famous for Religion, and (ble&s;&s;ed bee God) not onely religious, but ju&s;t, and mercifull, and meek, and not ra&s;h, and cen&s;orious, and precipitant, and the like: doubtle&s;&s;e this will contribute much to draw poore &s;oules into the good way.<NOTE PLACE="marg">5. Maintaine a &s;trict and holy ob&s;ervati|on of the Lords <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">.</NOTE></P>
<P>Fiftly, there is another thing that mu&s;t be remembred, <HI>Improve your power, you wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> are Magi&s;trats and governours in families,</HI> &amp; others; <HI>Improve y<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ur power to keepe up the honour of the Lords day,</HI> our Chri&s;tian Sab|bath,
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ble&s;&s;ed bee God that put it into the hearts of the great Coun&s;ellers in the high Court of Parliament lately to &s;et forth an Ordinance for the<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Church in England hath been famous for family <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e|ligion, and Sabbath Reli|gion&punc; and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ound much ble&s;&s;ed fruit thereof&punc; Exod. 20. 11.</NOTE> &s;trict and &s;olemne ob&s;ervation of the Lords day&punc; I hope you will act it, and indeed if ever you would maintaine Religion in a place, main<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ine the Lords day, and the &s;olemne and holy ob&s;ervation of it; God hath gi|ven a &s;petiall item to that precept <HI>Remember, Exod.</HI> 28. 8. he would have all other Commandements remembred no que&s;tion, but he knoweth we are ready to <HI>forget</HI> that, and it is of much con&s;equence to be <HI>remembred;</HI> It is a day of <HI>ble&s;&s;ing</HI> and of <HI>&s;anctification:</HI> If you would have your peoples hearts <HI>&s;anctified,</HI> Oh traine them to <HI>&s;anctifie Gods day,</HI> and to attend on Gods Ordinances; It may be that hee may drop the grace of <HI>&s;anctificati|on</HI> into them, Let the feare of God, I be&s;eech you, and con&s;cionable ob&s;er|vance of this pious Ordinance, &s;et all the wheeles of Authority on going, and moving regularly in their &s;everall &s;pheares, that the Lords day may be more carefully ob&s;erved; &s;uffer not (as many governors doe) <HI>buying</HI> and <HI>&s;elling,</HI> not <HI>&s;porting</HI> and <HI>playing</HI> on that day, whereby &s;o many are hardned in prophane and ungodly waies, you will finde the comfort of it, Religion have a &s;en&s;ible progre&s;&s;e, God delights to &s;hew him&s;elfe to his people on that day. And therefore doe what you can to ingage all others to at|tend on publique ordinances that day, doubtle&s;&s;e many, many &s;oules may bee reduced to the good way, if this method be wi&s;ely ob&s;erved.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, remember your <HI>&s;olemne Covenant</HI> whereby you are ingaged<NOTE PLACE="marg">6. Promote the keeping as well as the taking of the &s;olemne Covenant.</NOTE> to &s;uch per&s;onall and publike reformation, as would bring many into that way which lead<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> to re&s;t, wee are happily brought under the bond of it, the three kingdomes were united among our &s;elves and to our God hereby: Oh be as carefull <HI>to keepe it,</HI> as you were cheerefull in <HI>the taking of it; Re&s;t</HI> is the pretious fruit of the <HI>Covenant, 2 Chron.</HI> 15. 15. they tooke the Covenant cheerefully, and God gave them <HI>Re&s;t,</HI> let us not onely <HI>take it</HI> but <HI>keepe it,</HI> and ingage others what we can thereto; let us all bee Co|venanters indeed according to our obligation, and walke in the good way of obedience to God, that &s;o this Covenant may bee a Covenant of peace, and a Covenant of re&s;t to <HI>us;</HI> a Covenant of re&s;t to all <HI>our &s;oules,</HI> a Covenant of re&s;t to the <HI>Church,</HI> a Covenant of re&s;t to <HI>the kingdome;</HI> yea to all the <HI>three kingdomes</HI> which are united together in it.</P>
<P>I &s;hould now come to the third ob&s;ervation drawne from the 18. and<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 18, 19.</NOTE> 19. Ver&s;es, from the la&s;t generall part of the Text, the <HI>wofull fruit of their wretched &s;elfe-will.</HI> We <HI>will not</HI> (&s;ay they) we <HI>will not hearken,</HI> but what &s;aith God, he calleth the <HI>nations,</HI> hee calleth the <HI>earth</HI> to take notice of it what <HI>he will doe again&s;t them,</HI> hee <HI>will bring evill upon this even the fruite of their thoughts, becau&s;e they have not hearkned unto my words, nor to my Law, but rejected it.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="50" REF="30"><HI>The wilfull rejecting of Gods gracious admonition is a mo&s;t provoking evill,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Ob&s;ervat.</NOTE> <HI>which betrayes a people into the hands of heavy judgements.</HI></P>
<P>The more of <HI>God</HI> there is in any <HI>admonition,</HI> in any of his <HI>di&s;pen&s;ations,</HI> the more <HI>glorious</HI> they are; The more of our <HI>&s;elf<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">-will</HI> there is in any of our carriages, the more <HI>odious</HI> &amp; <HI>abominable</HI> they are in the &s;ight of God; When<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Matth 7. 1. Rom. 12. 19. I&s;a. 42. 8.</HI> Tres h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">min<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;pe|cies ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">im<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Deo faciunt in|juriam: Regidi <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">i anf<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">runt ei <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">udicium, i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a|cundi, qui vin|dictam&punc; &s;uper|bi, qui gloriam. &V;&s;e.</NOTE> our proud &s;pirits boyle up to &s;uch an height of de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">iance again&s;t him (as here they did) the <HI>Lord</HI> &s;eeing him&s;elfe &s;o much <HI>affronted,</HI> is ingaged to <HI>vindicate</HI> his honour by bringing &s;ome great evill upon them. God hath <HI>three Prerogatives</HI> which he will not part with; <HI>judgement</HI> is his, hee will not allow us <HI>to judge one another; vengeance</HI> is his, he will not allow <HI>us to revenge our &s;elves,</HI> his <HI>glory</HI> is &s;o deare to him, that he will not <HI>give it to another;</HI> when any one through pride &s;hall incroach upon that <HI>royall</HI> prerogative, he will make it appeare <HI>that he re&s;i&s;ts the proud</HI> by bring|ing &s;ome breaking evill upon them, as <HI>Exod.</HI> 18. 11.</P>
<P>One word to end all is this, and it is a proper worke for the day, <HI>This ju&s;tifieth God in all the judgements,</HI> and <HI>calamities that now lie on &s;infull Eng|land,</HI> a day of humiliation &s;hould be a day of <HI>&s;elfe-aba&s;ing,</HI> and a day of <HI>ju&s;tifying</HI> our <HI>God,</HI> and when we con&s;ider how Gods gratious admoniti|ons have been &s;leighted, what unan&s;werable entertainment they have had in England, how ill we have requited all the gratious offers, and tenders he hath made unto us, we may all goe mourning home, and even bemoa|ning the &s;ad fruit of our own wretched carriage that now lieth on us, and &s;till all mu&s;t &s;peake this language, The Lord is mo&s;t righteous, it is Gods mercy that <HI>England</HI> hath not beene in <HI>Irelands condition</HI> before this day, &s;o many gratious, &s;o many loving admonitions have beene &s;leigh|ted, and that with &s;o high affronts, when God hath &s;ent to us by his Pro|phets, when God hath called upon us, when God hath &s;ent mercies Am|ba&s;&s;adours, when God hath preached from heaven by his judgements, yet we have &s;till given him a negative, a proud and <HI>&s;tubborne negative,</HI> we have againe and againe an&s;wered him, Wee will not: mee thinkes wee may looke upon our &s;elves if God would deale with us according to our de&s;er|vings, even in <HI>Jeru&s;alems</HI> ca&s;e, and we might even weepe over poore Eng|land<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk 1 9. 41, 42.</NOTE> as our <HI>Saviour wept over Jeru&s;alem,</HI> that becau&s;e they were not &s;en&s;i|ble of <HI>the day of their vi&s;itation,</HI> they did not con&s;ider and know tho&s;e things that belonged <HI>to their peace,</HI> now they are <HI>bid from their eyes,</HI> now thy hou&s;e &s;hall be left unto thee de&s;olate. It is a miracle of patience and goodne&s;&s;e, that God &s;hould beare with us all this while, when hee hath had &s;uch high affronts; when his own Name, when his deare Son, when his ble&s;&s;ed Spirit, when his Covenant, when the Mini&s;ter of the Cove|nant, when the &s;eales of the Covenant, when all the&s;e di&s;pen&s;ations of
<PB N="51" REF="30">
God, have bin &s;o affronted, &s;o contemned in <HI>England;</HI> and when wee have &s;o much &s;leighted the day of our Vi&s;itation: it is a wonder that Coun|tries, that Cities, that al is not left de&s;olate before this time. Yea, when we con&s;ider that in <HI>Ezek. 24. 13, 14. In thy filthines is lewdnes, becau&s;e I have pur|ged</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 24. 13. 14</NOTE> <HI>thee, and thou wa&s;t not purged, thou &s;halt not be purged from thy filthine&s;&s;e any more, till I have cau&s;ed my fury to re&s;t upon thee;</HI> It might &s;ad our hearts to think, Oh! if this &s;hould be unworthy, &s;inful <HI>Englands</HI> portion; in thy fil|thine&s;&s;e is lewdne&s;&s;e, and becau&s;e I have purged thee, and thou wa&s;t not purged, God hath put us into the fire, to &s;ee if we will let goe our dro&s;&s;e, but the Lord knows we are not purged: what if God &s;hould throw <HI>Eng|land</HI> off, and give us up to <HI>Popery</HI> and <HI>Slavery,</HI> and leave us as a <HI>prey to blood|thir&s;ty men?</HI> What if God &s;hould cau&s;e his fury to re&s;t upon us? O &s;till wee &s;hould ju&s;tifie him in the&s;e &s;ad tokens of his di&s;plea&s;ure, for we have per|emptorily, out of proud, rebellious &s;elfwill, denied to &s;ubmit to God, &amp; to &s;toop to him, &amp; to come into the good way, when he hath called us. This <HI>City</HI> hath been an <HI>Arke</HI> to this poor Kingdome, and many of his faithfull Servants have been &s;heltred in this <HI>Arke:</HI> You have &s;ent out (it's true) your <HI>Doves;</HI> you have &s;ent out <HI>Regiment</HI> after <HI>Regiment,</HI> and one Me&s;&s;enger after another, and though God hath brought them back againe with Songs of pre&s;ervation&punc; and victory, and deliverance, yet they have not brought an <HI>Olive branch of peace,</HI> yet we cannot heare that welcome newes: Me thinks we may take up the &s;ad complaint in <HI>P&s;al. 74. 9. We know not how long,</HI> there is no <HI>Prophet among&s;t us, that can tel us how long</HI> It would po&s;e all the Prophets in <HI>England</HI> to tell you, when the&s;e unnaturall &s;parkes &s;hall bee quenched; and when God will call backe the Commi&s;&s;ion hee hath given to this Sword, to doe that execution in &s;everall parts; &s;till there are abroad <HI>Nimrods,</HI> Sons of violence, that drive apace, even after <HI>Hannibals</HI> cruelty; That when he &s;aw a pit filled with mans blood, he cry|ed, <HI>O formo&s;um &s;pectaculum, O beautifull &s;ight!</HI> The Lord if it be his will, put a check on tho&s;e that are &s;o barbarou&s;ly cruell: yet, how&s;oever the malice, and the fury of men may bee let out, we mu&s;t &s;till ju&s;tifie God in all this; and let us begin at home, and let you and I now lay our hands on our hearts in particular; O my &s;elf-will, &amp; my rebellion again&s;t my God, and my checking the motions of his Spirit, and my &s;lighting Gods gracious offers! I have gathered &s;ome &s;ticks to kindle this fire.</P>
<P>That fire that is in the <HI>North,</HI> and that fire that is in the <HI>We&s;t,</HI> and that fire that hath been in &s;everall parts of the <HI>Kingdome;</HI> and there's not a man nor woman here pre&s;ent, but hath given in &s;ome fuell to tho&s;e fires, by their <HI>&s;elf-will:</HI> O now let us aba&s;e &amp; humble our &s;elves, and honour our God in ju&s;tifying him, and let us <HI>accept of the puni&s;hment of our iniquities,
<PB N="52" REF="31">
that the Lord may remember his Covenant,</HI> and remember the Land. It is tree, the Lord hath been plea&s;ed to &s;hew <HI>various di&s;pen&s;ations</HI> towards us, he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lev. 26. 41, 42</NOTE> hath been calling upon us, wooing and &s;oliciting <HI>England</HI> to come into this good way. Sometimes he hath given us <HI>Phy&s;icke,</HI> many potions; we<NOTE PLACE="marg">Divers meanes u&s;ed by God for our recove|ry.</NOTE> have had a great deale of &s;trong Phy&s;ick, he hath made us &s;icke at heart, many great &s;hakings there have been; he hath not only given us &s;trong potions, but he hath likewi&s;e let us <HI>blood,</HI> and he hath <HI>opened</HI> many vei<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters"> we have lo&s;t <HI>Noble blood,</HI> and precious blood, a great deale of blood of the Gentry; and a great deale of precious <HI>City</HI> blood too, and a great de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> of blood in the Country. Yea, and as God hath given us potions, and &s;trong Phy&s;ick, and let us blood; &s;o he hath given us <HI>Cordials,</HI> we have<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ye&s;terday, <HI>Aprill.</HI> 23. 1644. A day of Thank<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;gi|ving for the good &s;ucce&s;&s;e the Lord gave at <HI>Sel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y</HI> in <HI>York-&s;hire.</HI></NOTE> had good &s;ucce&s;&s;e, witne&s;&s;e our &s;olemn <HI>dayes of Thanke&s;giving;</HI> God hath vi&s;ibly owned his cau&s;e in time of need; and though wee bee not <HI>ripe</HI> for <HI>mercy,</HI> God will not &s;uffer us to be <HI>ruined,</HI> he giveth &s;uch and &s;uch <HI>&V;ictorier&punc;</HI> that &s;hall at lea&s;t be <HI>pre&s;ervations</HI> of us. O let us take heed that we provoke not our God to withdraw his loving kindne&s;&s;e from us; and if he let ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> more blood, that City and Country both &s;hould &s;wim in blood, let us ra|ther &s;tir up our&s;elves, and one another&punc; That we may get into &s;uch a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Humiliation, into &s;uch a Reforming po&s;ture this day for our particulars, (and beg the like mercy for all the Congregations in <HI>England</HI>) that wee may find God turning his gracious hand on us, and making good that place of Scripture to us, <HI>I&s;a. 1. 25. I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 1. 25, 26. 27.</NOTE> <HI>purge all thy dro&s;&s;e, and take away all thy tinne, and will re&s;tore thy Judges <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the fir&s;t, and thy Coun&s;ellors as at the beginning,</HI> afterwards thou &s;halt be called <HI>the Citie of righteou&s;nes, the faithfull Citie; Sion &s;hall bee redeemed with judge|ment, and her converts with righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> Were not this worth rivers of teares, worth many more dayes of humiliation, and &s;eeking of our God&punc; That the Lord would be merciful to the Countrey, and mercifull to ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Armies, and mercifull to our Coun&s;ellors, and mercifull to this City&punc; that the Lord would grant us to bee &s;o purged, that it might bee an evi|dence to us that we &s;hould be redeemed; that this City of <HI>London</HI> migh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> become a City of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, a faithfull City; that being a righteous City&punc; and a faithfull City, it might bee a City of Peace, both within her &s;elfe, and towards all others that &s;eek it of her; that &s;hee may be alwayes a terrour to the Churches enemies, and their adherents; but a friend and &s;upport to all tho&s;e that love the truth, as the truth is in Je&s;us? And to this (I hope) you will all &s;ay,<HI>Amen.</HI></P>
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