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<DATE>2013-06-14</DATE>
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<NAME>Sarah Wingo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A29178">
<STC T="W">B4199</STC>
<STC T="C">R32860</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">12774788</BIBNO>
<VID>93743</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1">
<P>A Mini&s;ter's Coun&s;el TO THE YOUTH OF HIS <HI>PARISH,</HI> When Arriv'd to <HI>Years of Di&s;cretion.</HI></P>
<P>Recommended to the Societies in, and about <HI>London.</HI></P>
<P>BY <HI>FRANCIS BRAGGE,</HI> B.D. Vicar of <HI>Hitchin</HI> in <HI>Hertford&s;hire.</HI></P>
<Q>Wherewith &s;hall a young man clean&s;e his way,
<BIBL><HI>P&s;al. 119.9.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for R. <HI>Wellington</HI> at the <HI>Lute</HI> in St. <HI>Paul</HI>'s Church-yard, 1699.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="preface">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>THE PREFACE.</HEAD>
<P>WE have of late had &s;everal U&s;eful Di&s;|cour&s;es publi&s;h'd, concern|ing <HI>the Education of Children,</HI> in order to the laying the Fir&s;t <HI>Foundation</HI> well: I pray God they may have the in|tended good Effect!</P>
<P>But, tho' a Religious and Prudent Management of Youth <HI>Betimes,</HI> is of Infinite Con&s;equence, and gives 'em many happy Prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions,
<PB REF="3">and no Care in the Conduct of it can be too great; yet, 'tis but too too often found, that All is &s;oon defeated, when young Per&s;ons become their <HI>Own</HI> Governours, and are left to their <HI>Own</HI> Di&s;po|&s;al.</P>
<P>I therefore thought it might do &s;ome Service, to carry on the &s;ame Pious De|&s;ign a little <HI>further,</HI> and give &s;ome few Advices, whereby <HI>Manhood</HI> likewi&s;e might re|ceive an early Bia&s;s to what is truly Religious and Good; and Innocence and Happi|ne&s;s run thro' all the Stages of this Life, and end at la&s;t in the Bli&s;&s;es of Eternity.</P>
<PB REF="3">
<P>What is here publi&s;h'd was prepar'd at fir&s;t for the u&s;e of tho&s;e under my own Care, and deliver'd to them in &s;everal Di&s;cour&s;es: But hopeing it might be &s;ervice|able to others too, I deter|min'd to &s;end it abroad.</P>
<P>I'm very &s;en&s;ible, That to the following Advices I might have added more; and &s;ome, it may be, will won|der that I have not; but I was loath to &s;well the Book to a <HI>di&s;couraging</HI> Bulk, con&s;i|dering that 'twas de&s;ign'd for the Peru&s;al of <HI>Young Gen|tlemen.</HI></P>
<PB REF="4">
<P>As for my Choice of <HI>the&s;e,</HI> I hope 'twill ju&s;tifie it &s;elf; and I have endeavour'd &s;o to manage them, as might be&s;t engage their Attention to whom they are addre&s;s'd, and give a right Sea&s;oning to the Minds of tho&s;e, who are the Hopes of the <HI>Pre&s;ent</HI> Age, and upon who&s;e Virtue and good Principles very much de|pends the Religion and the Happine&s;s of that which may <HI>Succeed</HI> it.</P>
<P>Happy &s;hall I be, if in any mea&s;ure in&s;trumental to &s;o great a Good as this! But 'tis God alone that gives the In|crea&s;e, tho' an <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> be the Planter.</P>
<PB REF="4">
<P>His Ble&s;&s;ing, therefore, I mo&s;t humbly beg, upon what is &s;incerely intended for his Service, and the Publick Be|nefit!</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="publisher's advertisement">
<HEAD>Adverti&s;ement.</HEAD>
<P>A Cour&s;e of Lectures on the Church-Catechi&s;m. By <HI>Thomas Bray,</HI> D.D. Recommended as proper to be Read in Fa|milies. Price Five Shillings.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD>ERRATA.</HEAD>
<P>PAge 4. line 3. r. <HI>the.</HI> p. 8. l. 7. r. <HI>implies.</HI> p. 15. l. 18. r. <HI>Temper.</HI> p. 23. l. 19. r. <HI>into.</HI> p. 31. l. 21. r. <HI>Al|tar.</HI> p. 33. l. 11. r. <HI>Complexion.</HI> p. 44. l. 22. r. <HI>De|votion.</HI> p. 55. l. 20. r. <HI>walk'd.</HI> p. 74. l. 21. r. <HI>Di&s;traction.</HI> p. 80. l. 10. after Pre&s;ent make a [:] p. 92. l. <HI>ult.</HI> before <HI>Company,</HI> r. <HI>next.</HI> p. 95. l. 14. r. <HI>News.</HI> p. 114. l. 18. af|ter <HI>wicked</HI> [:] p. 130. l. 8. r. <HI>Comport.</HI> p. 133. l. 13. after <HI>Sincerity</HI> [:] p. 141. l. 15. aftrr <HI>us</HI> r. <HI>But.</HI> p. 160. l. 8. r. <HI>keeps.</HI> p. 161. l. 4. r. <HI>Importunate.</HI> p. 170. l. 19. r. <HI>Ears.</HI> p. 174. l. 24. r. <HI>whom.</HI> p. 181. l. 7. r. <HI>his</HI> p. 183. l. 6. after <HI>Number,</HI> in&s;tead of [.] make [,] p. 186. l. 18. r. <HI>Cir|eum&s;tances.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="5">
<HEAD>ADVICE TO Young Gentlemen Arriv'd to <HI>Years of Di&s;cretion.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THE Beginnings of Manhood are &s;o be&s;et with Temptations to what is Ill, from unexpe|rienc'd Liberty, full Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of E|&s;tate, Vigour of Nature, Warmth of Pa&s;&s;ion, and the like; that more than ordinary Care is needful to manage all this well, in the mid&s;t of a World full of Wickedne&s;s, Deceit and Flattery, and as yet untry'd: And all the Aids
<PB N="2" REF="6">of Rea&s;on and Religion will not be too much, e&s;pecially when 'tis con&s;i|der'd how great an Influence the two or three fir&s;t Years of a Man's <HI>Own</HI> Go|vernment have, upon the Happine&s;s of his whole Life to come.</P>
<P><HI>Religion,</HI> no doubt, is the Rule in General, by which we All, both Young and Old, mu&s;t &s;teer our Cour&s;e, in order to our Happine&s;s; and which we &s;hall find to be the be&s;t Rea&s;on too; but becau&s;e the Age and Circum&s;tances of &s;uch as are newly freed from the In&s;pection and Re&s;traints of Gover|nours and Tutors, and beginning the World upon the Stock of their own Prudence and Di&s;cretion, require a &s;uiting and adapting &s;ome Particular Advices to them, I recommend the&s;e few that follow to their attentive Con|&s;ideration; in hopes, that by God's Ble&s;&s;ing, the employing their Fir&s;t Thoughts and Blooming Rea&s;on upon &s;uch Serious Subjects, may give their Minds a right Ta&s;te and Reli&s;h, and make &s;uch la&s;ting good Impre&s;&s;ions, as will be of un&s;peakable Advantage in their future Life.</P>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="advice">
<PB N="3" REF="6">
<HEAD>The First Advice.</HEAD>
<P>AND <HI>fir&s;t</HI> of all,
<MILESTONE N="Advice 1"> 'tis very advi&s;able for them &s;ometimes to call to mind that they are <HI>Creatures;</HI> That an Infi|nitely Wi&s;e, Powerful, and Good Be|ing made them what they are; That the Powers they have of Thinking, Acting and Enjoying, are all his Gift; and as the Life they have already Liv'd, and all the Ble&s;&s;ings of it, are owing to His Goodne&s;s and Support, &s;o every Minute of their Life to come, and all their Hopes and Expectations, depend entirely upon His Care and Providence, who Governs and Di&s;po&s;es all things which He at fir&s;t Created.</P>
<P>Such Reflections as the&s;e, if at all dwelt upon, and pur&s;u'd any thing home, will Imprint &s;o <HI>Aweful,</HI> and with all &s;o <HI>Lovely</HI> an Idea of God upon the Mind, and give a Man &s;o true a No|tion
<PB N="4" REF="7">of Him&s;elf; as will be a Great Se|curity again&s;t tho&s;e many Mi&s;carriages incident to Youth, and be the Ground|work of an Excellent Religion.</P>
<P>So long as they remember, that up|on <HI>God</HI> is their whole Dependance; that every thing they Love and Delight in is deriv'd to them from Him: The Quicker Apprehen&s;ion young Per&s;ons have of the Excellency of their Nature, and the Plenty and Happine&s;s of their Circum&s;tances; the fonder they are of their New-&s;pringing Life; the more they are &s;en&s;ible of the Ble&s;&s;ings that &s;urround and &s;mile upon them, and pleas'd with the Pro&s;pect of many Hap|py Years to come; the more Rea&s;on will they find to Admire, and Love, and Prai&s;e the Divine Author of all this, and endeavour &s;till to continue in His Favour, and by no Means to for|feit His Ble&s;&s;ing, by any In&s;tances of Di&s;obedience.</P>
<P>No Argument can be more enga|ging to Exact Duty, than &s;uch a one as this: <Q>My <HI>All</HI>'s at &s;take, I mu&s;t
<PB N="5" REF="7">be Govern'd, or I'm undone; All I enjoy I have from His Bounty who commands me this; and if I lo&s;e his Favour, he withdraws his Ble&s;&s;ings, and I &s;hall no more enjoy any thing. Be&s;ides, the Guilt of ba&s;e&s;t Ingrati|tude will &s;or ever lie heavy upon me, &s;hould I deny Obedience to my greate&s;t Benefactour; to whom I owe whatever I delight in, and even my very Life.</Q></P>
<P><Q>If Infinite <HI>Beauty</HI> and Infinite <HI>Good|ne&s;s</HI> will not command my utmo&s;t Services and &s;incere&s;t Love, what will? And where can there be more perfect Beauty and Excellency, and greater Goodne&s;s, than in Mine and the World's Creator! who hath com|municated Being and Happine&s;s to all the Univer&s;e, and by who&s;e Bounteous Hand we are all &s;upply'd, with abundant Plenty of our proper Good!</Q></P>
<P>For the &s;ame Rea&s;ons therefore that we love <HI>any</HI> thing, we &s;hall find our &s;elves &s;trongly engaged to Love our
<PB N="6" REF="8">Creator infinitely more; and <HI>Imitation</HI> and <HI>Obedience</HI> will naturally follow True <HI>Gratitude</HI> and <HI>Love.</HI> So that</P>
<P>Would Young Per&s;ons be but per|&s;waded,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 12.1.</NOTE> as the Wi&s;e King Advi&s;es, Thus to <HI>Remember their</HI> Creator <HI>in the Days of their Youth;</HI> That <HI>His Hands have made them and fa&s;hioned them;</HI> and trace their Life and their Happine&s;s up to its Eternal Spring: And would they do this &s;eriou&s;ly, and not too &s;eldom, what Religious Affections would it not excite?</P>
<P>What Self-Annihilation, and Hum|ble&s;t Thankfulne&s;s; content in every <HI>Change</HI> of their Condition, and Mode|&s;ty and Moderation in their greate&s;t Pro&s;perity! What Admiration at the Divine Wi&s;dom, and Power, and Goodne&s;s, and entire Re&s;ignation of them&s;elves to all his Di&s;po&s;als, and re|&s;olv'd Conformity to all his Plea&s;ure! And what a happy Influence upon their future Life, &s;uch a Temper of Mind as this would have, is not to be ex|pre&s;s'd.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="advice">
<PB N="7" REF="8">
<HEAD>The Second Advice.</HEAD>
<P>BUT Secondly,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Advice 2</NOTE> Let them Remem|ber too that they are <HI>Chri&s;tians;</HI> the Di&s;ciples of Je&s;us, that Eternal Son of God, <HI>the King of Glory,</HI> who is the Saviour of the World. Who, from a mo&s;t deplorable Condition into which Mankind had plung'd them&s;elves by Sin, by his Bitter Sufferings in their &s;tead, and cruel Death upon a Cro&s;s, Redeem'd and Rais'd them up to In|finitely Happy Circum&s;tances, and mo&s;t Glorious Hopes. And that upon this Rea&s;onable Condition only, that they Believe what He has done and &s;uffer'd for them to be &s;ufficient to their Salva|tion, and tru&s;t in it as the only Merito|rious Cau&s;e of it; and give full A&s;&s;ent to the Great Truths He hath made known to them, and carefully ob&s;erve what He hath commanded, in the Go&s;pel Revelation. All which was en|gag'd
<PB N="8" REF="9" MS="y">for them in their Bapti&s;m, or Admi&s;&s;ion into this Happy Society, and which they have &s;ince Agreed to and Ratified in their own Per&s;ons, at their Confirmation.</P>
<P>There is no Title in the World, that carries with it &s;o much <HI>Honour,</HI> emp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">ys &s;o much <HI>Happine&s;s,</HI> and reminds of &s;o much <HI>Duty,</HI> as that of <HI>Chri&s;tian.</HI></P>
<P>It be&s;peaks a Man a Friend and a Fa|vourite,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.14. &amp;c.</NOTE> nay a Brother of the Son of God, receiv'd by Adoption into the &s;ame near Relation to the mo&s;t High; an <HI>Heir of God, and Coheir with Chri&s;t</HI> of Eternal Glory in the Highe&s;t Heavens.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 3.2.</NOTE> Where he &s;hall be made <HI>Like</HI> to his Heavenly Father in all his Communi|cable Excellencies; and in the Bo&s;om of Je&s;us for ever enjoy the mo&s;t con|&s;ummate Felicity. And all this from a &s;tate of Enmity with God, and open Re|bellion; which had de&s;ervedly brought His Cur&s;e upon him, made him the Object of the Divine Hatred and Ven|geance; which would have made him extremely Mi&s;erable to Eternal Ages,
<PB N="9" REF="9">had not the mo&s;t Compa&s;&s;ionate Je&s;us made an Attonement with His Blood, and Introduc'd this wondrous Happy Change.</P>
<P>But then, what Va&s;t Obligations lie upon all Chri&s;tians for &s;uch Amazing Favours as the&s;e!</P>
<P>As fir&s;t, &s;o far to know them&s;elves, as to Live &s;uitable to the High Honour conferr'd on them by God; which the Apo&s;tle &s;tiles <HI>Walking worthy of the Vo|cation wherewith we are call'd,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4.1.</NOTE> and not to Degrade them&s;elves by vile and finful Cour&s;es. If God has rais'd 'em from &s;o Low and Mi&s;erable, to &s;o Glorious and Happy a Condition, 'twill be Inexcu&s;a|ble Meanne&s;s of Spirit, and contrary to all the Principles of Honour, to become Slaves and Drudges for &s;uch pittiful ba&s;e things in compari&s;on as the Objects of Sen&s;e, and the Enjoyments of Brutes; and forgetting their Trea&s;ure in Hea|ven, the Crown that awaits 'em there, employ all their Thoughts and their Di|ligence, upon the Trifles of this Earth.</P>
<PB N="10" REF="10">
<P>Again; If they are the <HI>Purcha&s;e</HI> of the Son of God, Redeem'd by the In|e&s;timable Price of His mo&s;t Preci|ous Blood, from the Extreame&s;t Mi|&s;ery; there's all the Rea&s;on in the World, that they &s;hould entirely De|dicate them&s;elves to His Service, as no longer their <HI>own,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6.20.</NOTE> and <HI>Glorify</HI> that Ble&s;|&s;ed Saviour of theirs <HI>with their Bodies and their Spirits which are his.</HI></P>
<P>Would a Slave, ran&s;om'd from the Mines or Gallies, think much for ever to &s;erve and obey his Redeemer!</P>
<P>Would a Wretch, condemn'd to the Rack or Wheel, there to be Tortur'd to Death, think any thing too much to do, for that dear kind Man, who procur'd for him his Pardon! Can his Life and his Liberty be employ'd better, than in doing him Honour, to whom he owes both! And how would our Blood ri&s;e again&s;t that ungrateful Wretch, who would take no Notice of all this; or at mo&s;t, return a few cool dry Thanks, and refu&s;e &s;ome ea&s;y rea&s;onable piece of Service that
<PB N="11" REF="10">was reque&s;ted of him, or put it off, till he had nothing el&s;e to do!</P>
<P>What Love and Duty then can be enough, to the Great Saviour of the World, from Mi&s;ery infinitely greater than the mo&s;t witty Malice upon Earth could e're invent, and which too Never, Never &s;hould have End; and who, be&s;ides, has rais'd us to a State as Glorious and Happy, as that we are redeem'd from, would have been Wretched and Mi&s;erable!</P>
<P>And can we think the mo&s;t Com|pa&s;&s;ionate Je&s;us, who underwent &s;uch barbarous cruel U&s;age, and lo&s;t his Life in Torment for our Sakes, would e're require of us <HI>unrea&s;onable</HI> Things? No, no; All His Commands are Holy, Ju&s;t and Good, contriv'd on purpo&s;e to carry on the Gracious De&s;ign of making us both now and ever com|pletely Happy; and that at length, we may have full Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of what he has purchas'd for us.</P>
<P>That he may &s;ee the Ble&s;&s;ed Effects of the Agonies and <HI>Travel of his Soul,</HI> and
<PB N="12" REF="11">conduct his little Flock (which Mens own Ob&s;tinacy does make &s;o little) into the bli&s;sful Kingdom of his Father; <HI>That where he is there they may be al&s;o,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 17.24.</NOTE> and <HI>behold</HI> and partake of <HI>his Glory.</HI></P>
<P>How can we better &s;pend the Prime and Flower of our Age, than in the Service of &s;o Good a Ma&s;ter, and who him&s;elf did lead the way; perform'd what he requires of us; and made his excellent Precepts look &s;till more lovely, by the Lu&s;tre of his own Ex|ample!</P>
<P>Nothing can more commend the True Noblene&s;s and Genero&s;ity of our Spirits, than in the mid&s;t of tho&s;e Temptations which &s;urround us at our Fir&s;t Entrance into the World, to Re|member our Obligations to <HI>Je&s;us</HI> our Be&s;t Friend; and freely lay our Fortunes, our Strength, our Rea&s;on, our Affecti|ons, our very Life, down at his Feet, to be entirely Govern'd and Directed by him; who once, as great a Per&s;on as he was, &s;ubmitted to Poverty, &s;uffer'd the greate&s;t Hard&s;hips, and e're he ar|riv'd
<PB N="13" REF="11">to <HI>half</HI> the Age of Man, became a Sacrifiee for <HI>us.</HI></P>
<P>Certainly we can't but think this highly rea&s;onable; e&s;pecially &s;ince we are &s;o firmly engag'd to it by the mo&s;t Solemn Promi&s;es and Vows; which every Chri&s;tian, we know, <HI>as &s;uch,</HI> lies under.</P>
<P>And therefore, unle&s;s we think that <HI>Youth</HI> will excu&s;e us from every thing of this <HI>Serious</HI> Nature, and that the Pro|mi&s;es we make to our Creator and our Saviour, are of le&s;s Regard than tho&s;e we make to Men; we mu&s;t, upon all accounts of Honour and Ju&s;tice, as well as the Rea&s;on of the Thing, apply our &s;elves, and that with the &s;oone&s;t, to be as good as our Word, and conform our Faith and Practice to the Go&s;pel Revelation; as being the Condition, nece&s;&s;ary to be perform'd on <HI>our</HI> Part, in order to our being finally the bet|ter for what Chri&s;t has done on <HI>His.</HI> And that &s;uch is the Condition, no grown Chri&s;tian, that has been duly in&s;tructed in his Religion, (as we all
<PB N="14" REF="12">along &s;uppo&s;e tho&s;e to be, to whom the&s;e Advices are given) can be to learn.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="advice">
<HEAD>The Third Advice.</HEAD>
<P>OUR next Advice therefore to Young Per&s;ons &s;hall be,
<MILESTONE N="Advice 3."> relating to their Chri&s;tian <HI>Faith;</HI> or in what manner they are to give their A&s;&s;ents to the Great Truths revealed to us in the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>And but too much need there is of Advice in this Ca&s;e, in an Age when 'tis accounted a great piece of Folly and Meanne&s;s of Spirit, &s;trange Credu|lity, unbecoming Rational Creatures, to <HI>Believe</HI> any thing that they cannot fully under&s;tand and <HI>Comprehend;</HI> where|by the Aweful <HI>My&s;teries</HI> of our Holy Religion, which make it to <HI>be</HI> what it <HI>is,</HI> and di&s;tingui&s;h it from all others; by the ill Arts of Sophi&s;try, far-fetch'd
<PB N="15" REF="12" MS="y">Glo&s;&s;es and Interpretations of Men over|confident of the reach of their own Under&s;tandings, are brought down even to nothing, and made Contemptible.</P>
<P>But if this be not the very Height of Prophane Arrogance, what is! 'Tis the De&s;truction of all Divine Faith, and the greate&s;t Ridiculing of Reli|gion, when the mo&s;t exalted Truths of it &s;hall be twi&s;ted about and di&s;torted according to Mens extravagant Fancies, and made to &s;ubmit to the Imperfect Rea&s;onings of every Bold Intruder, that is <HI>Wi&s;e in his own Conceit.</HI></P>
<P>The Advice of St. <HI>Paul</HI> therefore is Highly needful to be recommended to all young Per&s;ons (who&s;e forward|ne&s;s and warmth of temper makes 'em generally too apt to gra&s;p at eve|ry thing, and confide too much in their own Wit and Parts) St. <HI>Paul</HI>'s Advice, I &s;ay, is very nece&s;&s;ary for all young Per&s;ons in this Age of Reli|gious Sceptici&s;m and Infidelity, which we have in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.18. <HI>Let no man deceive him&s;elf; if any man among you
<PB N="16" REF="13">&s;eemeth to be wi&s;e in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wi&s;e.</HI> That is, they &s;hould &s;o far <HI>di&s;tru&s;t</HI> their own Rea&s;on, in things of &s;o Sublime a Na|ture as tho&s;e we are now &s;peaking of, as to move with the greate&s;t Caution and Mode&s;ty in their Enquiries about &s;uch Truths as the&s;e. And tho, as 'tis fit they &s;hould, they make the be&s;t u&s;e they can of the Under&s;tanding God has given them, and endeavour by all due Means to Brighten and Improve it; yet &s;till, <HI>Revelation</HI> &s;hould be va|lu'd as the &s;ure&s;t Guide, and all their own Notions humbly &s;ubmitted to it.</P>
<P>For, con&s;ider a little; Does not com|mon Experience a&s;&s;ure any Man that will attend to it, how very Imperfect Humane Rea&s;on is at be&s;t? Don't we daily find that every Man's Under&s;tand|ing is of a very narrow Capacity in this World, and that in things much more within our <HI>Reach</HI> than the Depths of our Religion are?</P>
<P>Now let any &s;en&s;ible Man &s;ay, which is the mo&s;t rational Cour&s;e for a Man,
<PB N="17" REF="13">contrary to his own manifold Experi|ence, and that of all the World, to centre in <HI>Him&s;elf</HI> in his Enquiry after Truths of the mo&s;t exalted Nature; or in a due Sen&s;e of the Defects of his own Rea&s;on, to be very Diligent in &s;eeking out, and making u&s;e of bet|ter Helps, and readily A&s;&s;ent to them upon the Te&s;timony of the Divine Revealer, tho' he cannot <HI>Comprehend</HI> the Immen&s;e Truth, no r &s;ay, <HI>How</HI> &s;uch things can be?</P>
<P>The things we now &s;peak of, are &s;uch, as are utterly beyond the Reach, not only of <HI>Humane,</HI> but perhaps of any <HI>Created</HI> Under&s;tanding; and which, as they cou'd never have been known by us at all, had not God been plea&s;ed to Reveal 'em; &s;o, now they are Re|veal'd, cannot be known perfectly and throughly, by any but the Divine Revealer. But now, every Man mu&s;t needs confe&s;s, that things of &s;o High a Nature, may be neverthele&s;s True, for being Incon&s;i&s;tent with a poor igno|rant Mortal's former Notions and Con|ceptions. That is in &s;hort, an <HI>Infinite</HI>
<PB N="18" REF="14">Under&s;tanding may <HI>Reveal,</HI> what a <HI>Fi|nite</HI> Under&s;tanding cannot <HI>Comprehend;</HI> which yet ought by no means to be an Argument again&s;t the Truth of the Re|velation.</P>
<P>And who that is a &s;incere Lover of Truth, but would mo&s;t willingly em|brace it, in what manner &s;oever it might come to his Notice! How glad of greater Light in this Dark World, tho' for the pre&s;ent it may <HI>Da|zle</HI> his Unde&s;tanding by its unu&s;ual Brightne&s;s, and make him the more &s;en&s;ible of the Darkne&s;s he was in be|fore! E&s;pecially, when a&s;&s;ur'd, that it proceeds from the <HI>Father of Lights, in whom is no Darkne&s;s at all,</HI> who is the Eternal Source of Truth, Infinitely Wi&s;e and Good, that can neither Deceive nor be Deceiv'd,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 36.9.</NOTE> and <HI>in who&s;e Light above it is, that we can really &s;ee Light.</HI></P>
<P>'Tis worth our while to take No|tice here of the Behaviour of our <HI>Lord</HI> and his <HI>Apo&s;tles,</HI> towads the too curious Inquirers into the Secrets of the Kingdom; who we &s;hall find have
<PB N="19" REF="14">met with a <HI>Reprimand</HI> from them, in|&s;tead of any more Particular Satisfac|tion.</P>
<P>Thus when <HI>Nicodemus</HI> hear'd our Saviour Di&s;cour&s;ing of the <HI>New Birth</HI> of a Chri&s;tian,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 3.</NOTE> and Interpos'd this Que&s;tion, <HI>How can the&s;e things be?</HI> He could have no direct Solution of his Doubt; our Lord only upbraids his Ig|norance of what his own Religion might have furni&s;h'd him with &s;ome Notion of, and again affirms the Truth of what he had before a&s;&s;erted, and then Diverts to &s;omething el&s;e</P>
<P>And at another time, when talking with the <HI>Jews</HI> about his being <HI>the True Bread, that came down from Heaven,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 6.</NOTE> and of the nece&s;&s;ity of Eating his Fle&s;h and Drinking his Blood, if they would have the true <HI>Life</HI> and Spirit of Reli|gion in them; He returns no other An&s;wer to their Que&s;tion, <HI>How can this Man give us his Fle&s;h to eat?</HI> than by Affirming, that <HI>His Fle&s;h and Blood were Meat and Drink indeed;</HI> and how exceeding happy the Effect would be,
<PB N="20" REF="15">of eating the one, and drinking the o|ther; and even to his own Di&s;ciples, all the Satisfaction he thought fit to give, &s;o far as we can learn, was only this, <HI>The Words that I &s;peak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are Life.</HI></P>
<P>When he di&s;cours'd of his being <HI>the Son of God,</HI> and <HI>One with the Father,</HI> and that from all Eternity, tho' in ap|pearance but a mean afflicted Man; which exceedingly enrag'd the <HI>Jews</HI> again&s;t him, and urg'd them to Bla&s;|pheme: His way was only again and again to a&s;&s;ert and affirm it, and demon|&s;trate that it <HI>was</HI> &s;o, by his Miracles; &s;till leaving 'em in the Dark as to their Enquires <HI>how</HI> it could be &s;o. And &s;o for the My&s;tery of <HI>Trinity in &V;nity,</HI> which is plainly enough A&s;&s;erted both by him&s;elf and his Apo&s;tles; neither he nor they, ever attempted the <HI>Expli|cation</HI> of this My&s;tery, any more than they did of the re&s;t.</P>
<P>Indeed St. <HI>Paul</HI> gives the <HI>Corinthi|ans</HI> &s;ome De&s;cription of the <HI>manner</HI> of the <HI>Re&s;urrection of the Dead;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15.</NOTE> which yet
<PB N="21" REF="15" MS="y">mu&s;t be allow'd to be One of the Great My&s;teries of Chri&s;tianity: But then we may take Notice, that to the curious Enquirer, <HI>How are they Dead rais'd up, and with what Body do they come?</HI> He u&s;hers in his An&s;wer, with this very plain Rebuke, <HI>Thou Fool.</HI></P>
<P>Now, &s;ince our <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed Lord</HI> and his <HI>Apo&s;tles,</HI> thus wav'd the giving any Particular Explications of the&s;e, and the like My&s;terious Truths, which yet they would have given, had it been <HI>needful,</HI> nay, &s;o much as <HI>expedient,</HI> e&s;pe|cially when &s;o often urg'd to do it, methinks, it &s;hould be a &s;ufficient Cau|tion to every Man el&s;e, not to Intrude too far into <HI>tho&s;e things which he has not &s;een.</HI> What <HI>they</HI> thought fit to leave as <HI>My&s;teries,</HI> to be only <HI>Believ'd</HI> and <HI>Reverenc'd</HI> by Chri&s;tians; methinks none that come after them &s;hould of|fer to unveil; but chu&s;e to exerci&s;e their <HI>Faith</HI> about 'em, rather than their weak benighted <HI>Rea&s;on;</HI> and ev'n in the nece&s;&s;ary <HI>Defence</HI> of them, follow the Scriptures as their &s;ure&s;t Guide.</P>
<PB N="22" REF="16">
<P>And how happy would it have been for the Chri&s;tian Church, had the&s;e Depths been always venerated at a Di|&s;tance! And that Quickne&s;s of Parts, and Warmth of Temper, duly employ'd in Provoking to Love and Good Works, and in <HI>Confirming</HI> more and more the Foundation of our Faith, which was abus'd in Digging up and <HI>De&s;troying</HI> it; and Ruining that <HI>Charity,</HI> without which, <HI>tho' a Man &s;peaks with the Tongues of Men and Angels, and un|der&s;tands all My&s;teries,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 13.2.</NOTE> <HI>and all know|ledge,</HI> St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ays, <HI>He is nothing.</HI></P>
<P>And if &s;uch way of Proceeding in the&s;e matters would have been the true&s;t Wi&s;dom in the Ages pa&s;t, no doubt but it is &s;o &s;till in this. The &s;ad Con&s;equences of the want of which, and crying up the contrary Practcie, of laying open all My&s;teries, are but too well known. It has indeed expos'd Re|ligion to Innumerable Wounds from all its Adver&s;aries, and tends more than we can imagine, to Athei&s;m, and all manner of Loo&s;ene&s;s and Debauchery.</P>
<PB N="23" REF="16">
<P>Highly needful therefore is it to give our young Rea&s;oners Warning of &s;o Dangerous a Rock as this, and per|&s;wade them to avoid it. And before I put an end to this Advice, which is of &s;uch mighty Con&s;equence, let me appeal to their own Unbya&s;s'd Rea&s;on, Whether a Man would not be better, much better employ'd, in humbly and thankfully embracing, what God has been pleas'd plainly to Reveal to his Church concerning the <HI>Incarnation</HI> of his Divine Son; for In&s;tance, <HI>God Ma|nife&s;t in the Fle&s;h to de&s;troy the Works of the Devil;</HI> and in &s;incerely endeavour|ing to Imitate his mo&s;t excellent Exam|ple, and pay Obedience to his Holy Pre|cepts, than in making curious and nice Enquiries into the Nature of the Per&s;onal Union, which the more it is pry'd into, the more Humane Wit will be confoun|ded, and nothing in the Conclu&s;ion but a Pernicious Brood of Here&s;ies?</P>
<P>Does it not more become us heartily to rejoyce in the <HI>Satisfaction</HI> Chri&s;t has made for Sinners by his Bitter Death and Sufferings, and continually to pay
<PB N="24" REF="17">our Humble&s;t Acknowledgements, and Devoute&s;t Prai&s;es, to God and Je&s;us for their wondrous Love, and make it our great Endeavour to perform tho&s;e Con|ditions, upon which alone we can be Sharers in his Merits? Does not this be|come us better, than to rai&s;e &s;ubtile Que|&s;tions, and be always Quarreling about the <HI>Nature</HI> of that Satisfaction; and in the Scuffle commit &s;uch Wickedne&s;s, as will render it unavailable, if per&s;i&s;ted in, to tho&s;e that are &s;o unchri&s;tianly engag'd?</P>
<P>The like may be &s;aid of the My&s;tery of the Adorable <HI>Trinity in &V;nity;</HI> con|cerning which, Thus much I may &s;ay, I hope, without Offence, That to be con|tented with what the Scriptures have plainly told us in this matter, and to give all Honour and Glory, Love and Obedience, to the Great Creator, Re|deemer, and Sanctifier of the World, <HI>God Ble&s;&s;ed for evermore,</HI> is more agree|able to the Piety and Humility of a Chri&s;tian, than to tear the Church in pieces, and give the Enemies of our Faith too much occa&s;ion to Bla&s;pheme
<PB N="25" REF="17">and Ridicule it, by &s;o fiercely oppo&s;ing one another in our Explanations, of what will be an In&s;crutable My&s;tery when we have done all.</P>
<P>Finally, I may add, That he is much the wi&s;er Man and better Chri&s;tian, who with all due Awe and Reverence, and Preparation, frequently Adre&s;&s;es him|&s;elf to the <HI>Holy Sacrament</HI> of the Body and Blood of Chri&s;t, and endeavours, in good earne&s;t, to keep the Pious Re|&s;olutions he then makes; than he who perplexes him&s;elf, and di&s;turbs and em|broyls the Church, about the <HI>manner</HI> of our Saviour's <HI>Pre&s;ence</HI> there, and of our <HI>receiving</HI> him. And I can't but think <HI>Solomon</HI>'s Coun&s;el in <HI>this,</HI> as well as other Ca&s;es, to be very excellent, and worthy of our greate&s;t Regard; <HI>Tru&s;t in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own under&s;tanding.</HI> Prov. 3.5.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="advice">
<PB N="26" REF="18">
<HEAD>The Fourth Advice.</HEAD>
<P>HAVING thus endeavour'd to &s;ecure the <HI>Faith</HI> of young Per|&s;ons;
<MILESTONE N="Advice 4."> the next thing to be taken care of, is, their <HI>Obedience.</HI></P>
<P>Now the Main Spring of this, is a <HI>Devotional</HI> Temper of Mind, and a Quick Ta&s;te and <HI>Reli&s;h</HI> of good things; whereby we become fully per&s;waded, that 'tis not only our <HI>Duty,</HI> but our greate&s;t <HI>Intere&s;t,</HI> upon all Accounts, to be Religious. This will make us em|ploy our Thoughts, our De&s;ires and Af|fections, upon Divine Objects in Good <HI>Earne&s;t,</HI> and Quicken us on in the ways of Chri&s;tian Vertue, with Satisfaction and Delight. Whereas, when Men are Cool and <HI>Indifferent</HI> to things of this Nature, Religion &s;oon degenerates into bare <HI>Formality,</HI> and from thence decays into <HI>Nothing.</HI></P>
<PB N="27" REF="18">
<P>The great Bu&s;ine&s;s then, is to engage the warm Affections of Youth upon <HI>Religion,</HI> before they are too far taken up with other things; to turn the &s;tream of their Pa&s;&s;ions into the right Channel <HI>betimes,</HI> before they are Ha|bituated to &s;ome other Cour&s;e; nothing being more Difficult than when they are &s;o, effectually to direct and keep 'em right.</P>
<P>My next Advice therefore is, That they would cheri&s;h that Natural Di&s;|po&s;ition to <HI>Devotion,</HI> which is in mo&s;t young People, before it is De&s;troy'd and Quench'd by Vice.</P>
<P>Now by <HI>Devotion</HI> I mean, <Q>A &s;et|tled Temper of Mind, ari&s;ing from a Due and Lively Sen&s;e of the Su|preme Excellency of God and Reli|gion; whereby we entirely dedicate our &s;elves to his Service in the way he has directed; and in all things endeavour, and that with Warmth and Spirit, to behave our &s;elves to|wards him, as befits both him, and our &s;elves.</Q></P>
<PB N="28" REF="19">
<P>I have given this De&s;cription of it, that we may know how to Di&s;tingui&s;h it from <HI>Super&s;tition</HI> and <HI>Enthu&s;ia&s;m,</HI> which are the two Mimicks of Devo|tion, and often borrow its venerable Name: And 'twill not be ami&s;s, if be|fore we proceed any further, we con|&s;ider a little the Several Parts of this De&s;cription, in order to our Forming right Apprehen&s;ions in a thing of &s;o great Con&s;equence.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, True Devotion <HI>is a Set|tled Frame and Di&s;po&s;ition of Mind;</HI> or &s;uch an <HI>Habitual</HI> quick Sen&s;e and Re|li&s;h of Divine Things, as is ready to exert it &s;elf in Proper Acts upon Ju&s;t Occa&s;ion, and Conver&s;e with God in Pious Thoughts and De&s;ires; or Di&s;|cour&s;e of Pious Subjects, <HI>pro Re Nata,</HI> as Things offer them&s;elves, and that with a kind of natural Freedom, Ea&s;e and Plea&s;ure, as a Man talks <HI>with,</HI> or <HI>of</HI> a Friend, or any thing el&s;e; that he Admires, Reverences and Loves.</P>
<P>Our &s;eating it in the <HI>Mind</HI> is to &s;hew,
<PB N="29" REF="19">that tho&s;e who place it in any thing that is <HI>external,</HI> are mi&s;taken in it; and the greate&s;t Bodily Severities, the Life of a Hermit, Pilgrimages, and Prayers, and Pre&s;ents, tho' made to the greate&s;t Favourite of Heaven, Pomp and Splendor in Religious Wor&s;hip to the highe&s;t Degree, and the like, all this is not <HI>Devotion,</HI> for that's &s;eated <HI>within;</HI> and if the <HI>Mind</HI> may all the while re|main <HI>Dead</HI> and <HI>Cold</HI> to Religion, as certainly it may, we mu&s;t then call it by &s;ome other Name.</P>
<P>For the &s;ame Rea&s;on <HI>Devotion</HI> does not con&s;i&s;t in <HI>Rejecting</HI> all this, and conver&s;ing with Heaven only in hollow Sighs and Groans, without any <HI>out|ward</HI> Expre&s;&s;ions of it at all; unle&s;s it be &s;ome odd convul&s;ive Motions, which are to &s;hew, it &s;eems, as &s;ome will have it, the mighty Force of the Impre&s;&s;ions made within upon their Spirits. Men may be equally devoid of a truly Pious and Devout Temper and Di&s;po&s;ition, that <HI>over-value,</HI> or utterly <HI>cry down</HI> &s;uch <HI>outward</HI> Religion as this: And 'tis always a &s;ign of Mens not
<PB N="30" REF="20">knowing what True Devotion is, or el&s;e of their real want of it, when they are fierce and eager about what is &s;o <HI>foreign</HI> to it; whether it be <HI>for</HI> or <HI>a|gain&s;t</HI> it, is all one. Again,</P>
<P>We &s;ay 'tis a <HI>&s;ettled</HI> Frame of Mind; that &s;udden <HI>Heats,</HI> and Flights of <HI>Fan|cy,</HI> and bold Pretences to great Famili|arities and <HI>Intimaces</HI> with God, ex|pre&s;s'd in long and warm Di&s;cour&s;es with him, accompanied with Melting Accents, an ea&s;y Flow of Words, and Ge|&s;tures full of Ec&s;tacy and Rapture, and it may be Tears too, that &s;uch <HI>Fits</HI> as the&s;e may not be taken for <HI>Devotion.</HI></P>
<P>If a Long Prayer would be&s;peak a Man Devout, then the <HI>Phari&s;ees</HI> were &s;o; who yet, as &s;oon as Grace was &s;ay'd, Devour'd the Hou&s;es of the Widow, and were, in our Lord's own Judgment, the very wor&s;t of Men. And as for the other <HI>Ornaments</HI> of Devotion, they are partly Nature and partly Art, for which Men are beholden to their Con|&s;titutions, and to frequent U&s;e and Prac|tice; and there are abundance of In|&s;tances
<PB N="31" REF="20">of very bad Men, who have Pray'd like Angels, when, at the &s;ame time, they were carrying on the mo&s;t Helli&s;h Practices.</P>
<P><HI>Warmth</HI> and <HI>Fervour</HI> relating to things Sacred, no doubt does highly be|come us, and will be in &s;ome mea&s;ure where true Devotion is, and 'tis what we are now per&s;wading to; and no|thing in the World can be more apt to excite it, nor de&s;erve it more, than the wondrous things of our mo&s;t excellent Religion. But then it ought to be con&s;ider'd, that even <HI>this</HI> is not <HI>Devotion,</HI> but only an <HI>Attendant</HI> of it, a Bodily Pa&s;&s;ion that is &s;tirr'd up by it; altho' it may, and does <HI>react</HI> upon the Mind, and heighten and encrea&s;e that which is truly &s;o.</P>
<P>Thus the Fire that is brought to the Altar, fir&s;t <HI>enkindles</HI> the matter to which it is apply'd; but then, that again adds <HI>Strength</HI> to the Flame, and makes it more vigorous and bright, till the Sa|crifice becomes <HI>a whole Burnt-offering.</HI></P>
<PB N="32" REF="21">
<P>All Tempers are not alike, nor are the <HI>be&s;t</HI> always equally in <HI>Tune;</HI> &s;ome are &s;o Cool and Quiet, that nothing can Warm 'em to any &s;ort of Pa&s;&s;ion; o|thers, on the contrary, immediately &s;et on fire by every thing. In &s;ome the prevailing Mixture is Heavy, Melancho|ly, and others are Lively, Brisk, and Forward, which mu&s;t needs cau&s;e great Variety in Mens outward Expre&s;&s;ions of Religion; but to draw Conclu&s;ions from hence, as to the Inward Di&s;po&s;iti|on of their Souls, is of very Dangerous Con&s;equence.</P>
<P>This indeed may be &s;aid, that tho&s;e who are naturally <HI>Warm</HI> in every thing el&s;e, as young Per&s;ons generally are, 'tis an Ill &s;ign, if they are not &s;o in <HI>Religion</HI> too; and the Colder a Man's Temper and Con&s;titution is, the more ought he to endeavour to Chafe, and Warm, and In&s;pirit it, that he may proceed more chearfully and feelingly in his Religious Duties. But after all, <HI>Sen&s;itive Pa&s;&s;ions,</HI> or the Ferment of our Blood and Spirits mu&s;t not be call'd
<PB N="33" REF="21" MS="y"><HI>Devotion,</HI> which, as was &s;aid, is a <HI>Di|vine God-like Temper of Mind,</HI> and en|tire Re&s;ignation of our whole &s;elves to God, in the mid&s;t of our coole&s;t Thoughts and calm Deliberation, nay of our greate&s;t Aridites and Dejections of Spirit. In &s;hort, as an excellent Au|thor neatly expre&s;&s;es it,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Scot.</HI></NOTE> <HI>It does not come and go like the Colours of a Blu&s;h|ing Face, but is the natural and true Comple<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">ion of the Soul.</HI></P>
<P>The La&s;t Part of the De&s;cription of True Devotion wich I gave, tells us, That the Service it pays to God is in <HI>the Way that he has directed, and in a man|ner agreeable to the Divine Nature, and our own.</HI></P>
<P>By this is excluded, in the fir&s;t Place, all <HI>Super&s;titious</HI> Expre&s;&s;ions of Religion, &s;uch as the Roman Fopperies we men|tion'd before. For tho' outward Re|verence be highly becoming in all Re|ligious Exerci&s;es, e&s;pecially in Publick; yet it &s;hould be &s;uch as is <HI>Worthy of God,</HI> and may <HI>encrea&s;e,</HI> as well as <HI>expre&s;s,</HI> the Devotion of our Minds; that &s;o
<PB N="34" REF="22">we may Glori&s;ie the Infinite Maje&s;ty of Heaven <HI>both with our Bodies and our Spirits, which are his.</HI></P>
<P>Now <HI>God</HI> is a <HI>Spirit;</HI> and <HI>Man,</HI> is <HI>Rational,</HI> and his <HI>Creature;</HI> and there|fore his Devotion and his Wor&s;hip &s;hould be <HI>Rational</HI> and <HI>Manly, in Spirit and in Truth;</HI> Sincere, and i&s;&s;uing from his very <HI>Soul,</HI> as touch'd with the mo&s;t Aweful Sence of the Infinite Ex|cellency of God, and the va&s;t Di&s;tance of even the noble&s;t Creatures from Him; e&s;pecially of a vile ungrateful <HI>Sinner,</HI> who is the Object of his An|ger and Hate, and &s;hould therefore humble him&s;elf to the very Du&s;t be|fore him, and be fill'd with deep Im|pre&s;&s;ions of Shame and Self-abhorrence in all his Addre&s;&s;es to him. Which yet, the Wondrous Expre&s;&s;ions of his <HI>Love</HI> to Mankind, in our Redemption by the Blood of Je&s;us, &s;hould clear up into Prai&s;e, and Joy, and Love, and highe&s;t Admiration at that <HI>which pa&s;&s;es Knowledge.</HI></P>
<PB N="35" REF="22">
<P>But for a Chri&s;tian &s;o far to con&s;ult the Affecting of his <HI>Sen&s;es</HI> in Religious Wor&s;hip, whether by a multitude of glittering <HI>Ceremonies,</HI> by Bodily <HI>Pain</HI> or <HI>Plea&s;ure,</HI> or any thing of <HI>this</HI> Nature, as that he can attend to little el&s;e; I can't but think to be a very odd &s;ort of a Devotion, and &s;uch as betrays un|worthy Apprehen&s;ions of the <HI>Divine</HI> Nature, in thinking he will be plea&s;ed with &s;uch Performances; and no le&s;s of our <HI>own,</HI> when we place our <HI>Devo|tion</HI> in them.</P>
<P>And no le&s;s unworthy of God, and unbecoming our &s;elves, is the other Extreme, of <HI>rejecting</HI> all <HI>Order</HI> and <HI>De|cency</HI> in Religious Exerci&s;es.</P>
<P>It deprives <HI>him</HI> of that Publick Ho|nour and Homage, which 'tis fit the Lord of Heaven and Earth &s;hould re|ceive from his Creatures and his Va&s;|&s;als; and quite takes away all <HI>Face</HI> of Religion out of the World: Which yet, when in Conjunction with the Religion of the Mind, he has often
<PB N="36" REF="23">declar'd him&s;elf well pleas'd with; and expre&s;ly <HI>commanded</HI> his Peculiar Peo|ple to pay him, and was their Director in the manner how, and never has for|bid to any &s;ince.</P>
<P>And nothing certainly more unbe|coming <HI>us,</HI> poor Sinful Du&s;t and A&s;hes! and who had been extremely mi&s;erable, but that the Mercies of our God were Infinite; nothing more unbecoming us in our Addre&s;&s;es to him, e&s;pecially in Publick, than to confine within our <HI>Brea&s;ts</HI> the Sence we have either of his Maje&s;ty or of his Mercy.</P>
<P>Rather with all humble Po&s;tures of our Bodies, and grateful Expre&s;&s;ions of our Lips, &s;hould we declare to all the World, and glad of an Opportunity to do &s;o, that there is an Infinitely Excel|lent, tho' to us Invi&s;ible, Being, to whom we owe all that we are, and have, and hope for, and to whom all po&s;&s;ible Adoration and Prai&s;e is due.</P>
<P>And till of late, this was the Sence and Practice of all the World. But
<PB N="37" REF="23">one Extreme generally produces ano|ther; and too <HI>much</HI> of outward Reli|gion in &s;ome, has been the occa&s;ion of none at all in others: Both equally un|rea&s;onable, and far from true Devotion.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Familiarities</HI> and <HI>Intimacies</HI> with God, they are likewi&s;e utterly condemn'd for the &s;ame Rea&s;ons as be|fore, being only an Argument of Mens unmea&s;urable Boldne&s;s and <HI>Confidence,</HI> and that they very little under&s;tand, or <HI>will</HI> not under&s;tand, either God, or them&s;elves. True Devotion, is the mo&s;t Humble, Mode&s;t, Decent thing in the World; and is always attended with Reverence and Godly Fear. And therefore &s;uch Men would do well to con&s;ider that Pa&s;&s;age, <HI>Luke</HI> 13.25, 26. where we find the Door is &s;hut upon tho&s;e, who, with great A&s;&s;urance, could knock and cry, <HI>Lord, Lord, open un|to us;</HI> and plead great <HI>Intimacy</HI> too, <HI>We have eat and drunk in thy Pre&s;ence, and thou has taught in our Streets;</HI> but &s;till the Door continues &s;hut, and this Killing An&s;wer given 'em, <HI>Depart from me, I know, you, not whence ye are,
<PB N="36" REF="24">
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<PB N="37" REF="24">
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<PB N="38" REF="25">ye workers of iniquity.</HI> And then it fol|lows, <HI>There &s;hall be weeping and gna&s;h|ing of Teeth, when ye &s;hall &s;ee</HI> Abraham, <HI>and</HI> I&s;aac, <HI>and</HI> Jacob, <HI>and all the Pro|phets,</HI> Per&s;ons peculiarly remarkable for their Great <HI>Mode&s;ty</HI> and Humility, and profounde&s;t Awe and Dread of the Di|vine Maje&s;ty, and that tho' the Highe&s;t Favours were &s;hown to them by God; when ye &s;hall &s;ee the&s;e in the King|dom of Heaven, who were far &s;hort of you in their Pretences to it, <HI>and you your &s;elves thru&s;t out,</HI> as Bold and Con|fident Intruders.</P>
<P>There is one more Mi&s;take in this matter, which it will not be ami&s;s to take notice of; and that is, of tho&s;e who are mightily for Blending Reli|gion with <HI>common Conver&s;ation</HI> putting every thing into a Religious Dre&s;s, and make this a great Argument of a De|vout and Heavenly Mind.</P>
<P>Now tho' I readily grant, that where there is True Devotion, innumerable Hints and Opportunities will be taken to dart up Pious Thoughts to God, and
<PB N="39" REF="25">Holy A&s;pirations, and nothing more acceptable to him, nor a more becom|ing, and grateful, and beneficial Em|ployment of a Chri&s;tian's Mind, and which I would therefore earne&s;tly re|commend to the Practice of all good People, as the Beginning of their Hea|ven upon Earth: Yet Devotion being a <HI>Rational</HI> thing, all the outward <HI>Ex|pre&s;&s;ions</HI> of it to Men mu&s;t be guided by <HI>Di&s;cretion,</HI> and made u&s;e of only in proper Times, and upon ju&s;t Occa|&s;ion. But now, <HI>every</HI> Time certainly is not proper, nor <HI>every</HI> Occa&s;ion ju&s;t for things of &s;o Sacred a nature as is this we are &s;peaking of: And at every turn, right or wrong, to wedge in a Reli|gious or Scripture-Sentence, and affect to &s;peak nothing but the Language of the Temple; is the ready way to <HI>cloy</HI> Men with Religion, and make them nau&s;eate the mo&s;t Holy Things. And what has &s;uch a Tendency as this, is a Strange kind of Devotion; very In|di&s;creet, if not much wor&s;e.</P>
<P>Having thus Con&s;ider'd the De&s;crip|tion we gave of true Devotion, in or|der
<PB N="40" REF="26">to the preventing &s;everal great and dangerous Mi&s;takes which are often made about it; before I proceed to Recommend the Practice of it to young Per&s;ons from the great Benefit and Plea&s;ure that attends it, I can't but take notice, how true the Devotion of the <HI>Church of England</HI> is; and how in|finitely to blame, and without Excu&s;e, tho&s;e of her Communion are, if not truly devout.</P>
<P>Her Doctrine relating to it, is what we have now explain'd; and 'tis foun|ded on the Nature of God and the Na|ture of Man, con&s;i&s;ting in what is highly agreeable to each, and exclu|ding Mens Private Fancies and Hu|mours, Super&s;tition and Enthu&s;ia&s;m, and every thing that is unbefitting either God or our &s;elves. And as for the Manner of expre&s;&s;ing it, in <HI>Private</HI> we are left to our Liberty, provided we keep within the Bounds of Decency and Reverence. And in <HI>Publick,</HI> there is every thing that is needful to rai&s;e and increa&s;e true Devotion, and fix it upon its due Object, and make it look
<PB N="41" REF="26">like it &s;elf; but nothing to divert the Mind <HI>from</HI> its Holy Employment, and divide and weaken its Attention, or make it degenerate either into Sordid|ne&s;s and cold Indifferency, or an un|bounded Liberty of Expre&s;&s;ion and Be|haviour.</P>
<P>How few, and how comely are her Ceremonies! Such as an humble Devoti|on would <HI>choo&s;e,</HI> were they not en|joyn'd; &s;uch as expre&s;s with Decency, tho' without <HI>Pomp,</HI> the Inward Senti|ments of a <HI>Pious</HI> Mind, and di&s;tin|gui&s;h our Religious from Common A&s;|&s;emblies, and that's <HI>all.</HI> So careful is our Church not to give Offence, that altho' &s;omething <HI>more</HI> of this nature would not be <HI>too much,</HI> yet <HI>le&s;s</HI> than &s;he pre|&s;cribes would be indeed <HI>too little.</HI></P>
<P>Her Service I may truly call <HI>Divine;</HI> it being, for the main, collected from the Holy Writings; and the re&s;t taken out of the be&s;t Liturgies of the Pri|mitive Church. Compil'd it is with excellent Judgment, expre&s;s'd in plain, but very proper Language, divided into
<PB N="42" REF="27">&s;hort, but comprehenfive Collects; with variety enough to <HI>entertain</HI> the Mind, and prevent its tiring; but not &s;o much as to &s;catter its Thoughts, and tempt it to lo&s;e it &s;elf in unprofitable Wandrings. And where all we have to do is to bear our part in it with all the Warmth and Fervour that we can, and to which the Brevity of each parti|cular Prayer does very much conduce.</P>
<P>As for the <HI>Mu&s;ick</HI> of our Church, (in Declaiming again&s;t which, many are &s;o &s;trangely Religious, as to place a great part of their Devotion and Zeal, who really are Objects of our <HI>Pity</HI> as well as <HI>Indignation</HI>) no Man can ex|pre&s;s to what a Pitch it wings Devo|tion, what Holy Flames and Ardors it excites, how it withdraws the Soul from Earth, and mounts it up to Hea|ven. Indeed, it gives the <HI>Highe&s;t</HI> Re|li&s;h to Religion, and prepares the Mind for a due Reception of every thing that's good. The Plea&s;ure it creates is &s;o Refin'd and Spiritual, that Fle&s;h and Blood can't <HI>bear</HI> it long; but faints, and almo&s;t dies away, as over|charg'd
<PB N="43" REF="27">with Heavenly Delight. In &s;hort where there is never &s;o &s;mall a Spark,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 1.6.</NOTE> either of Natural or Religious Fire, <HI>this</HI> will <GAP DESC="foreign">, awake and blow it up into a vigorous Flame.</P>
<P>And now 'tis time to recommend to young Peoples greate&s;t Care the che|ri&s;hing, and more and more increa|&s;ing that Natural Di&s;po&s;ition, which they generally have to Devotion, from the Con&s;ideration of the great Benefit and Plea&s;ure that attends it.</P>
<P>To begin with the <HI>Latter.</HI> And in|deed. True Devotion mu&s;t needs be extremely <HI>Delightful,</HI> becau&s;e the chief Ingredient of it is <HI>Love.</HI> <Q>Tis a wil|ling Dedication of ones &s;elf to God, and a Warmth and Fervour in his Ser|vice, as a Being above all others in|finitely Lovely; and both to our &s;elves and all the Creation, infinitely kind and good.</Q></P>
<P>Now there is no Pa&s;&s;ion &s;o plea&s;ing and delightful to the Soul as <HI>Love.</HI> It carries <HI>Plea&s;ure</HI> in the very Notion of
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<PB N="44" REF="31">it, and all Delight does nece&s;&s;arily &s;up|po&s;e it. And therefore, <HI>Devotion</HI> and <HI>Plea&s;ure</HI> are as In&s;eparable as <HI>Plea&s;ure</HI> and <HI>Love.</HI></P>
<P>Indeed by Accident, Love may have &s;ome Mixture in it of <HI>&V;nea&s;ine&s;s;</HI> as when 'tis plac'd upon and Object empty and unde&s;erving, and which at length does therefore balk and di&s;appoint the Soul; or when the Object lov'd as yet can't be enjoy'd, which gives a Da&s;h of Perplexity and Fear. But the <HI>Pro|per</HI> Act of Love is <HI>Complacency;</HI> and which, when <HI>God</HI> is the Object, mu&s;t needs be <HI>&V;nallay'd</HI> and Pure.</P>
<P>When, therefore, a Man has &s;o Lovely an Idea of God, as entirely to <HI>Devote</HI> him&s;elf to him; and finds, that the clo&s;er he views him, and the more he knows of him, the more Beauties he &s;till di&s;covers, and has his Devo|tion and Love &s;till more and more en|creas'd: How will his <HI>Delight</HI> Propor|tionably grow with 'em! How will he applaud his happy Choice, and &s;ay with the Seraphick P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>One day in thy
<PB N="45" REF="31">Court is better than a Thou&s;and!</HI> E&s;peci|ally when he reflects, with what Ten|derne&s;s and <HI>Endearment</HI> all his Addre&s;|&s;es are receiv'd, and repaid with the mo&s;t Affectionate <HI>Returns.</HI> No forbid|ding State and Pride, no unrea&s;onable Re&s;erves, nothing that will damp and chill the Votary's Affection; but all the Sweetne&s;s and winning Charms, that are apt to encourage and invite, and then to crown the highe&s;t Pitch of Love.</P>
<P>So that Devotion is <HI>Love Trium|phant;</HI> 'tis both <HI>De&s;ire</HI> and <HI>Fruition:</HI> De&s;ire that is &s;ure of <HI>Succe&s;s,</HI> and Fru|ition that fully &s;atisfies, but never <HI>cloys.</HI> And were the Object is &s;o infinitely lovely, the Love &s;o entire, &s;o pure, &s;o reciprocal, and the Enjoyment &s;o compleat; How truly <HI>Heavenly</HI> mu&s;t the Plea&s;ure be! For what are the Feli|cities of that Glorious Place, but the Re|&s;ult of Devotion and Love! So true is that of Holy David, <HI>Delight thy &s;elf in the Lord, and he &s;hall give thee the De|&s;ires of thine Heart.</HI> P&s;. 37.4.</P>
<PB N="46" REF="32">
<P>But, Secondly, the <HI>Benefit</HI> of a De|vout Temper of Mind is as great as the <HI>Plea&s;ure</HI> of it; and that,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Becau&s;e 'tis &s;o <HI>delightful.</HI> No doubt but whatever will fix and <HI>root</HI> Religion in the Soul, and make a Chri|&s;tian <HI>&s;tedfa&s;t and unmoveable in it, al|ways abounding in the Work of our Lord,</HI> ought to be e&s;teem'd as highly Bene|ficial; but now, nothing more cer|tain to do <HI>that,</HI> than the Plea&s;ure and Satisfaction we receive from it; when we find by our own happy Experience at pre&s;ent, that our Pious <HI>Labours are not in vain;</HI> and are a&s;&s;ur'd, that the delight we <HI>now</HI> have in Religion, tho' it be very great, is but as the Fir&s;t Fruits of the full Plenteous Harve&s;t of Happine&s;s, which we &s;hall reap from it to all Etenity in the Kingdom of God.</P>
<P>Devotion therefore making Reli|gion &s;o delightful, will make it <HI>la&s;ting</HI> too; and when its Plea&s;ures have been &s;o fully ta&s;ted by us, that the divine Reli&s;h of them is quick and lively up|on
<PB N="47" REF="32">our Spirits, all Attempts to remove us from it, will be as ineffectual, as the Da&s;hes of a Wave again&s;t a Rock.</P>
<P>But further: This devout Temper of Mind is highly Beneficial to us, becau&s;e 'tis the Living Fountain under God, of every good Thought, and Word, and Work. It warms the Heart with Sera|phick Affections, &s;ends up Heavenly Brea|things and A&s;pirations to God, and fills the Mouth with <HI>Halleluja's.</HI> It fur|ni&s;hes the Clo&s;et and the Church with Prayer and Prai&s;e, and joins us to the Angelick Choir above. 'Tis this &s;up|plies the Penitent with Groans that can't be utter'd; with Holy Sighs and Tears, and lays him pro&s;trate in the Du&s;t; and then rai&s;es him up to New and Heavenly Life. This 'tis en|kindles Zeal for the Glory of our Be|loved, and engages our be&s;t Endea|vours to promote the Intere&s;t of his Kingdom. In fine, this is the Life and Spirit of Religion, and derives it &s;elf from no le&s;s Principle than the Spirit
<PB N="48" REF="33">of God. <HI>He</HI> is the great Fir&s;t Mover, and <HI>this</HI> his Powerful In&s;trument.</P>
<P>So that the Devout Per&s;on is truly <GAP DESC="foreign">, rightly prepared and di&s;pos'd to Eternal Life, and has the Seed of God abiding in him; that ble&s;|&s;ed Principle of Spiritual Growth and Improvement, which will in due time exert it &s;elf, till he comes <HI>to the mea|&s;ure of the Stature of the fulne&s;s of Chri&s;t, and is throughly furni&s;h'd and in&s;tructed to every Good Work.</HI></P>
<P>Nothing therefore is of greater Con|&s;equence to <HI>all</HI> People, but more e&s;pe|cially to tho&s;e who are <HI>beginning</HI> their Chri&s;tian Cour&s;e, than by forming in their Minds true Apprehen&s;ions of God and Religion, and a frequent Retreat from the World, &s;pent in Meditation and Prayer, and Conver&s;ation with Books of Piety and Practical Religion; to pre&s;erve and encrea&s;e &s;uch a truly <HI>Devotional</HI> Temper of Mind, as will make 'em pur&s;ue with Life and Spirit the great Bu&s;ine&s;s of their Salvation.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="advice">
<PB N="49" REF="33">
<HEAD>The Fifth Advice.</HEAD>
<P>BUT, le&s;t Warmth of Temper <HI>alone</HI> &s;hould be taken for Piety and De|votion, (as it too often is) and Re|ligion, by this means, degenerate into <HI>Hypocri&s;ie,</HI> and outward Shew, and be|come Wordly and De&s;igning, or at be&s;t humour&s;ome and uncertain; 'tis high|ly needful to advi&s;e Young Per&s;ons, carefully to take heed of <HI>In&s;incerity:</HI> That their Affection to Religion be True and Hearty, fix'd and deep Rooted in their very <HI>Souls,</HI> and not made up of &s;udden Fla&s;hes of Pa&s;&s;ion, and a few Fits of natural Enthu&s;ia&s;m, which are often made u&s;e of to the wor&s;t of Pur|po&s;es.</P>
<P>And, fir&s;t, in General, let them con|fider, That whoever is Religious in|deed, his Aim and De&s;ign in the <HI>Prac|tice</HI>
<PB N="50" REF="34">of Religion, is &s;incerely the &s;ame with that of our Lord in <HI>Teaching</HI> it; which was no other, than to Advance God's Honour, in the pre&s;ent and eter|nal Happine&s;s of Mankind: By ma|king them Holier and Better, to ren|der their Lives ea&s;y and comfortable while upon Earth; and capacitate 'em for the Happine&s;s of Heaven, when this &s;hort Life &s;hall end. Thus the Apo&s;tle, 2 <HI>Tit.</HI> 11. <HI>&amp;c. The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation to all Men hath appear'd, teaching us, that denying &V;n|godline&s;s and Worldly Lu&s;ts, we &s;hould live Soberly, Righteou&s;ly, and Godly, in this pre&s;ent World: Looking for that Ble&s;&s;ed Hope, and the Glorious Appear|ing of the great God and our Saviour</HI> Je|&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>who gave him&s;elf for us, that he might redeem us from all Iniquity, and purify unto him&s;elf a Peculiar People, zealous of good Works.</HI></P>
<P>For this purpo&s;e then, our Holy Religion was taught us by the Son of God; and <HI>True</HI> Religion, no doubt, will effectually bring to pa&s;s that for which it was de&s;ign'd: And he that
<PB N="51" REF="34">is Religious indeed, <HI>is therefore</HI> &s;o, that the de&s;ign'd Effect may throughly be wrought upon him; in full per&s;wa&s;ion, that unle&s;s it is &s;o, his Pretences to Chri&s;tianity, however warm and for|ward they may be, will &s;ignify nothing; and he mu&s;t never expect to be really Happy here, or to give a good Ac|count of him&s;elf at the day of Judg|ment.</P>
<P>And con&s;equently, his great Care is to be Ma&s;ter of the Power and <HI>Sub|&s;tance</HI> of Religion, without which, the <HI>Form</HI> of it, tho' manag'd with ne|ver &s;o much Decency, and Con&s;tancy, and &s;eeming Zeal and Earne&s;tne&s;s, is really but a Piece of <HI>Mimickry,</HI> a Holy Stage-play, an excellent <HI>Part</HI> Acted by an Ill Man in Ma&s;querade. Which tho' perform'd never &s;o much to the Life, is &s;till without <HI>Reality;</HI> and therefore indeed puts an Abu&s;e upon Religion, and robs God of his Honour, de|feats all his Gracious Intentions for our Happine&s;s, and will be very Tragical in the Conclu&s;ion.</P>
<PB N="52" REF="35">
<P>This in General. But more particu|larly, in the fir&s;t Place, Let young Peo|ple have a care of putting on Religi|on, either as a thing of <HI>Cu&s;tom</HI> only, an Ornamental Dre&s;s, to recommend them to the Good E&s;teem of the World, and get them Reputation; or to bring on Bu&s;ine&s;s and Preferment; or, which is &s;till wor&s;e, as a Cover to vile Practices, which mu&s;t be di&s;guis'd before they can be put in excution.</P>
<P>If only the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> of the&s;e be a Man's End in his Religion,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 6.2.</NOTE> our Saviour a&s;|&s;ure us, <HI>He has his reward;</HI> a few em|pty Commendations will be all his Re|compence.</P>
<P>But what a &s;trange Religion is he of, who values the Prai&s;e of Men, more than the Applau&s;es of his own Con|&s;cience, and the Prai&s;e of God! Our <HI>Lord</HI>'s Directions are quite otherwi&s;e. <HI>Thou,</HI> &s;ays he to every one of his Di&s;ciples, <HI>&s;halt not be as the Hypocrites are,</HI> (who&s;e Character we have, <HI>Mat|thew</HI> 6.) <HI>Take heed,</HI> let Secre&s;ie and Sincerity be mingled with all thy Re|ligious
<PB N="53" REF="35">Performances, (which is the Sum of what is there diliver'd in this matter) and then, <HI>Thy Father which &s;eeth in &s;ecret &s;hall reward thee openly.</HI></P>
<P>But if he further de&s;igns it as an In|&s;trument of Wordly <HI>Gain</HI> and Ad|vancement, or a Di&s;gui&s;e for tho&s;e Ill Methods which he intends to take in order to them, this is rank Hipocri&s;ie indeed. And not only the Phari&s;ees of Old, but very many &s;ince, have ruin'd Kingdoms, as well as private Per&s;ons, by Prayer and Fa&s;ting, and the Sem|blance of an extraordinary Devotion. In &s;hort, he who&s;e Religion is not at lea&s;t as great in &s;ecret, in his Clo&s;et and his Bed, when only God can &s;ee it, as 'tis in Publick, when in the Eye of Men, ought to look upon him|&s;elf as a <HI>Die&s;&s;mbler</HI> in it; e&s;pecially if <HI>Gain</HI> he his <HI>Godline&s;s,</HI> and Religion only made u&s;e of as a Hook to draw it to him.</P>
<P>Secondly, Let the employing our Zeal about the <HI>Circum&s;tantials</HI> of Reli|gion only, be carefully avoided, (whe|ther
<PB N="54" REF="36">in ob&s;erving or not ob&s;erving 'em is all one, as was touched before) when we neglect, and it may be vio|late, the Greate&s;t <HI>Duties</HI> of it.</P>
<P>For can any Man be &s;o weak as to believe, that the ob&s;erving or not ob|&s;erving &s;uch and &s;uch <HI>Modes</HI> of Wor|&s;hip, can clean&s;e the Soul; and make it like to God, and fit for Heaven? They &s;erve indeed for Decency and Order, when u&s;ed with Judgment and Moderation; and ought not to be &s;lighted and neglected, when enjoyn'd by Lawful Authority; but 'tis tho&s;e Duties that will <HI>renew us in the Spirit of our Mind,</HI> and work our Souls into a Divine Frame and Temper, which &s;hould be a Chri&s;tian's chief Care to practi&s;e in Sincerity of Heart.</P>
<P>Was it not Gro&s;s Hypocri&s;ie in the Phari&s;ees, to be more careful and dili|gent in <HI>Titheing Mint and Cummin, and Anni&s;e;</HI> in their Wa&s;hings and Fa&s;tings, and Attendance at the Publick Offices in the Temple, and the like; than in performing the <HI>weighte&s;t matters of the
<PB N="55" REF="36" MS="y">Law, Ju&s;tice, Mercy, and Fidelity;</HI> nay, indeed to Act quite contrary to them?</P>
<P>Would not the clean&s;ing them&s;elves from Extortion and Exce&s;s have been a much more becoming Employment for them, than to be always taken up with wa&s;hing their Hands and their Garments, and <HI>Scouring the Cup and the Platter? The&s;e things ought ye to have done,</HI> &s;ays our Lord, <HI>and not to have left the other undone.</HI></P>
<P>Let us beware therefore of Depend|ing too much upon our being of this or that <HI>Party,</HI> for or again&s;t &s;uch and &s;uch Ceremonies, going &s;o often to Prayers, hearing &s;o many Sermons, and the like: For 'tis not this that will &s;tand us in any &s;tead, unle&s;s we fol|low the Example of the Holy Je&s;us, walk as he walk<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> and adorn our Souls with the Graces of his mo&s;t excellent Religion. And if we &s;till are Envious and Malicious, Furious and Revenge|ful, Intemperate and Uncha&s;te, Unju&s;t and Uncharitable, and the like; and find our &s;elves very little careful to
<PB N="56" REF="37">mortify the&s;e vile Affections, &s;pend|ing our Zeal and Warmth upon things of infinitely le&s;s Con&s;equence; it mu&s;t be concluded, that we are not yet Chri|&s;tians in Sincerity. Our be&s;t Perfor|mances at this rate are but as a Sacri|fice without a Heart, which was always e&s;teem'd as one of the wor&s;t of <HI>Omens,</HI> and an Argument of God's great Di&s;|plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>Thirdly, 'Tis a very Ill &s;ign when People <HI>pick</HI> and <HI>choo&s;e</HI> the In&s;tances of their Obedience to the Chri&s;tian Law; and make a great Shew of, and Stir about, &s;ome Particular Duties which are agreeable to their Natural Temper, and which they have no <HI>Temptation,</HI> or it may be <HI>Ability,</HI> to Tran&s;gre&s;s; and all the while Indulge them&s;elves in the Sins they Love and Delight in, tho' never &s;o expre&s;ly forbidden in the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>As if, for In&s;tance; Becau&s;e a Man's Con&s;titution inclines him to be Tem|perate and Cha&s;te, he &s;hould therefore place the greate&s;t Part of his Religion
<PB N="57" REF="37">in Cha&s;tity and Temperance, and in the mean time allow him&s;elf to be Cen&s;o|rious, Malicious, Covetous, Unju&s;t, or the like; or, on the Contrary, becau&s;e he is hone&s;t and good natur'd, tho' he Whores and Drinks, and lives like a Brute, yet &s;hall imagine he may fare well enough, becau&s;e he has no <HI>Gall</HI> in him, wi&s;hes no body any Harm, and is no ones Enemy but his own. But this is a Religion of every Man's own making, not that which our Saviour taught the World; 'tis as various as Mens Tempers, and at this rate, every Man will change his Religion, accord|ing to the Alterations of his <HI>Con&s;titu|tion.</HI> Or rather, He will change the In&s;tances of his <HI>Impiety;</HI> for True Reli|gion is always the &s;ame.</P>
<P>Nay, not only &s;uch and &s;uch a Con|&s;titution, but a vigorous Health, and a full Fortune, are nece&s;&s;ary to the Com|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;ome Vices; and he, who in a Con&s;umption of his Body or E&s;tate, may pa&s;s for a Man of a very good Life; may yet, when Health and Plen|ty
<PB N="48" REF="38">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="49" REF="38">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="52" REF="39">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="53" REF="39">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="54" REF="40">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="55" REF="40">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="56" REF="41">mortify the&s;e vile Affections, &s;pend|ing our Zeal and Warmth upon things of infinitely le&s;s Con&s;equence; it mu&s;t be concluded, that we are not yet Chri|&s;tians in Sincerity. Our be&s;t Perfor|mances at this rate are but as a Sacri|fice without a Heart, which was always e&s;teem'd as one of the wor&s;t of <HI>Omens,</HI> and an Argument of God's great Di&s;|plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>Thirdly, 'Tis a very Ill &s;ign when People <HI>pick</HI> and <HI>choo&s;e</HI> the In&s;tances of their Obedience to the Chri&s;tian Law; and make a great Shew of, and Stir about, &s;ome Particular Duties which are agreeable to their Natural Temper, and which they have no <HI>Temptation,</HI> or it may be <HI>Ability,</HI> to Tran&s;gre&s;s; and all the while Indulge them&s;elves in the Sins they Love and Delight in, tho' never &s;o expre&s;ly forbidden in the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>As if, for In&s;tance; Becau&s;e a Man's Con&s;titution inclines him to be Tem|perate and Cha&s;te, he &s;hould therefore place the greate&s;t Part of his Religion
<PB N="57" REF="41">in Cha&s;tity and Temperance, and in the mean time allow him&s;elf to be Cen&s;o|rious, Malicious, Covetous, Unju&s;t, or the like; or, on the Contrary, becau&s;e he is hone&s;t and good natur'd, tho' he Whores and Drinks, and lives like a Brute, yet &s;hall imagine he may fare well enough, becau&s;e he has no <HI>Gall</HI> in him, wi&s;hes no body any Harm, and is no ones Enemy but his own. But this is a Religion of every Man's own making, not that which our Saviour taught the World; 'tis as various as Mens Tempers, and at this rate, every Man will change his Religion, accord|ing to the Alterations of his <HI>Con&s;titu|tion.</HI> Or rather, He will change the In&s;tances of his <HI>Impiety;</HI> for True Reli|gion is always the &s;ame.</P>
<P>Nay, not only &s;uch and &s;uch a Con|&s;titution, but a vigorous Health, and a full Fortune, are nece&s;&s;ary to the Com|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;ome Vices; and he, who in a Con&s;umption of his Body or E&s;tate, may pa&s;s for a Man of a very good Life; may yet, when Health and Plen|ty
<PB N="58" REF="42">comes, be quite another &s;ort of a Creature.</P>
<P>But now, True Religion, is <HI>an &V;ni|form State of compleat Virtue;</HI> that is, is always the &s;ame in <HI>Kind,</HI> tho' not in <HI>Degree.</HI> The &s;incere Chri&s;tian, what|ever he may do by Surprize or Inad|vertency, will not at any time, or in any Circum&s;tances, <HI>allow</HI> him&s;elf in the Commi&s;&s;ion of any known Sin|ful Action, or the Neglect of any known Duty, let his Con&s;titution or his Fortune be what it will. But is heartily griev'd, not only for his <HI>Sins,</HI> but for his <HI>Infirmities</HI> too, and in good earne&s;t endeavours, in every thing, to pre&s;erve <HI>a Con&s;cience void of offence both towards God and Man.</HI> Tho' neverthele&s;s, the <HI>Degrees</HI> of his Virtue may and will vary, that is, be &s;ometimes more Inten&s;e, and &s;ometimes more Remi&s;s, than u&s;ual, as long as he continues in this &s;tate of Imperfection.</P>
<P>Let every Man therefore have a care of a <HI>Partial, Humour&s;ome</HI> Religion;
<PB N="59" REF="42">which will prove, in the Conclu&s;ion, to be very little better than none at all.</P>
<P>And now, having Caution'd Young People again&s;t a Feign'd <HI>Hypocritical</HI> Religion, and &s;hewn 'em by what Marks it may be known; let me de&s;ire 'em to con&s;ider the Ill Con&s;equences of it.</P>
<P>And Fir&s;t, as to this World. What|ever Advantages a Pretended Religio|ni&s;t may <HI>Propo&s;e</HI> to him&s;elf, he, for the mo&s;t, <HI>Fails</HI> of them, and is at length Detected, and found to be what he is. After all the Pains he takes to act his Part dextrou&s;ly, and make his Di&s;|gui&s;e &s;it natural and ea&s;y; after all, his Fears of being out, and letting his Vi&s;our fall, and the continual Re&s;traint he's fain to put upon his Natural Tem|per, denying him&s;elf many things, which otherwi&s;e he would and might enjoy: After all this, which is really more Trouble than he need be at to be a Chri&s;tian indeed, &s;ome unlucky Ac|cident or other u&s;ually lays open all. <HI>&V;nlucky,</HI> did I &s;ay, rather the contrary,
<PB N="60" REF="43"><HI>Pro&s;perous,</HI> Hipocri&s;ie being the greate&s;t Cur&s;e that God can Inflict, as confirm|ing the Wretch in it, and &s;o &s;ealing him up to De&s;truction.</P>
<P>Ill Practices can't long be &s;o con|ceal'd, but that&s;ome body or other will find 'em out; and bad Practices, and &s;anctify'd Pretences agree &s;o very Ill, that more Notice than ordinary will be taken of &s;o <HI>great</HI> a Di&s;cord; and People have a &s;trange Itch of telling to one, and then to another, the little <HI>Mi&s;carrriages,</HI> much more the <HI>Crimes,</HI> of &s;uch as have the Repute of better Men than their Neighbours.</P>
<P>To be cheated, and it may be <HI>ru|in'd,</HI> by one whom we took for a <HI>Saint,</HI> is extremely &s;urprizing; and will rai&s;e Mens Indignation to an extraordinary heighth, and make their Complaints loud and clamorous, and &s;o the thing flies and &s;preads, and the Man is di&s;cover'd to be a Wolf in Sheeps Cloathing; and then there's an end of his <HI>Gaining</HI> by his Hypocri&s;ie; for none but a Fool will have to do with a <HI>known</HI> Cheat, e&s;pe|cially
<PB N="61" REF="43">a <HI>Religious</HI> one. So that Men are often <HI>ruin'd,</HI> rather than advanc'd by &s;uch Mock-Religion; and the Prai&s;e, that for a little while attended their fair Shews, becomes chang'd into la&s;t|ing Infamy and Contempt.</P>
<P>But &s;uppo&s;e the Cheat is carry'd on &s;o artificially, that 'tis not di&s;cover'd by Men, and as to this World the coun|terfeit Chri&s;tian has his End: The poor Wretches Condition, as was hinted but now, is then but &s;o much the wor&s;e, and really next to de&s;perate, with re|&s;pect to the <HI>Eternal</HI> World which fol|lows this. For indeed, <HI>Sincerity</HI> is all in all; 'tis that, when all's done, that mu&s;t recommend us to the Divine Ac|ceptance; for what is there el&s;e on <HI>our</HI> Part that can do it?</P>
<P>How imperfect is the Religion of both Tables, and that even of the be&s;t and mo&s;t truly good Chri&s;tian upon Earth! How full of <HI>Ill</HI> Ingredients too, thro' the Curruption o&s; &s;inful Nature, and the Temptations of the Devil! How guilty are we all of <HI>Sins</HI> innume|rable,
<PB N="62" REF="44">in all our Relations; and tho&s;e not of Surprize only and Infirmity, but too often with the Con&s;ent of our Wills, and that again&s;t the Di&s;&s;wa&s;ives of our Rea&s;on and our Con&s;cience! For this, in Vertue of Chri&s;t's Blood, <HI>Repentance</HI> is the only <HI>Remedy.</HI> But then, how imperfect even at the be&s;t is <HI>that!</HI> So that unle&s;s the <HI>Sincerity</HI> of our Religion might be accepted in&s;tead of the <HI>Perfection</HI> of it, what would be|come even of the be&s;t Man living!</P>
<P>What have they to tru&s;t to then, that have no Sincerity; who in their Intercour&s;e with God and Man are all over a Trick and a Lye? Do they think that <HI>God</HI> can't &s;ee through their Di&s;|gui&s;e, becau&s;e, perhaps, <HI>Man</HI> could not; and that they &s;hall pa&s;s undi&s;cover'd into Heaven, becau&s;e they have the out|ward <HI>Appearance</HI> of a Chri&s;tian? But 'tis the <HI>Heart</HI> that God regards, the In|mo&s;t Secrets of which lie always na|ked and open to his All-&s;eeing Eye; and to whom the faire&s;t Pretences imaginable will fignify nothing, with|out
<PB N="63" REF="44"><HI>Truth in the Inward Parts,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.6.</NOTE> as the P&s;almi&s;t expre&s;&s;es it.</P>
<P>For <HI>other</HI> Failures, merciful Allow|ances, no que&s;tion, will be made, by him who knows and pities our Infir|mities; but no Excu&s;e for the want of <HI>Sincerity: That</HI> is <HI>Ab&s;olutely</HI> requir'd of every one of us, as being perfectly in our own Power, and without which e|very other Act of Religion is turn'd into a Provocation.</P>
<P>And if this be true, Lord,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 27.8.</NOTE> <HI>What is the Hope of the Hypocrite?</HI> as <HI>Job</HI> &s;ays. <HI>His Tru&s;t is as a Spiders webb, and his Confidence,</HI> if he have any, &s;hall but <HI>bring him to the King of Terrors.</HI> For whereon &s;hould he ground his Hopes? On the Merits of our Saviour? But he is no more a Saviour? But he is no more a Saviour to the Hypocrite, than the Hypocrite is a Di&s;ciple and Ser|vant of his: He was a <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> in Name, and no more, and Je&s;us will be his <HI>Saviour</HI> in name, and no more. And this was his con&s;tant Language, while upon Earth, <HI>Wo unto you Hypocrites, and why
<PB N="64" REF="45">call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I &s;ay?</HI></P>
<P>And if he can't ground his Hopes up|on the Merits of our Saviour, where can he ground 'em el&s;e?</P>
<P>How nece&s;&s;ary therefore is it for e|very Man, as he hopes to be &s;av'd, not to re&s;t in the bare <HI>Shew</HI> and Profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;tianity, nor vilely make Reli|gion an In&s;trument of vain Glory, or a Cloak for Wickedne&s;s; but re&s;olve to be in his Heart, and in the Sight of God, what he appears to be to Men. That he who knowth all things, may know that he <HI>&s;incerely</HI> Loves him; and <HI>truly</HI> endeavours, tho' with great Mix|ture of Imperfection, to obey and &s;erve him.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="advice">
<PB N="65" REF="45">
<HEAD>The Sixth Advice.</HEAD>
<P>HAving thus endeavour'd to &s;ecure a <HI>warm</HI> and a <HI>&s;incere</HI> Sen&s;e of Religion in young Per&s;ons,
<MILESTONE N="Advice 6."> which, where it is, mu&s;t needs bring Happi|ne&s;s along with it, it will not be ami&s;s to &s;ubjoin &s;ome Cautions again&s;t a few of tho&s;e Failings and Mi&s;carriages which they are mo&s;t liable to, and which have a very unhappy Influence upon the whole Cour&s;e of their Lives.</P>
<P>And fir&s;t, Let 'em have a care of <HI>Ra&s;h|ne&s;s,</HI> and overha&s;ty choo&s;ing or act|ing in any In&s;tance of Moment what|&s;oever. That there is very much of this in the World, e&s;pecially among young People, is pa&s;t a Que&s;tion; and duly to <HI>Deliberate,</HI> tho' in things of <HI>Con&s;equence,</HI> is look'd upon, and that ju&s;tly, in &s;uch who&s;e youthful Heat
<PB N="66" REF="46">is not yet cool'd by Age, as an Argu|ment of a Per&s;on of extraordinary Hopes: This Prudent Caution, and Se|datene&s;s of Temper, and <HI>wary</HI> Manage|ment of Affairs, being, for the mo&s;t part, the peculiar Glory of the Hoary Headed. And even <HI>The&s;e</HI> mu&s;t and do confe&s;s, That they too often ob&s;erve &s;ome Remains of Juvenile Headine&s;s in their Re&s;olutions and Choices, and that more Coolne&s;s of Thought, and clo&s;er Con&s;ideration would have done much better.</P>
<P>What a Malevolent Influence &s;uch Incon&s;iderate Ra&s;hne&s;s has upon a Man's Happine&s;s, common Ob&s;ervation will inform us; and I believe I may &s;ay, there is no Man living, that has not <HI>him&s;elf</HI> &s;marted for it, as well as ob|&s;erv'd Multitudes of others to do &s;o; and very probably does &s;till, and al|ways &s;hall feel the Ill Con&s;equences of being led by a Head&s;trong <HI>Impetus</HI> of Pa&s;&s;ion, Re&s;olving and Acting on the &s;udden without Due Thought and Deliberation.</P>
<PB N="67" REF="46">
<P>And indeed, how can it be other|wi&s;e? How can Men expect things &s;hould &s;ucceed well that are done in a <HI>Heat,</HI> not examin'd half through, and &s;o mu&s;t needs have much more of the <HI>Venture</HI> in 'em, than any rea&s;onable Se|curity of the Event?</P>
<P>'Tis true, there is &s;omething of the Venture in every thing relating to this World, and the mo&s;t cautious wa|ry Men may find them&s;elves mi&s;taken; but then, this makes it &s;till le&s;s a Won|der, that tho&s;e &s;hould &s;ucceed ami&s;s, who &s;carce Deliberate at all: And what is done at <HI>random,</HI> 'tis by meer chance if it hits <HI>well.</HI></P>
<P>He that <HI>Con&s;iders</HI> well before he Acts, has time to look upon things from one end to the other, to turn and examine 'em on every &s;ide, and weigh and compare 'em together, and &s;o in all probability, will make a much better Choice, than he that chops upon what comes next, and gives it but a carele&s;s pa&s;&s;ing Glance, and knows not its Ill Qualities till he comes to u&s;e it; and
<PB N="68" REF="47">&s;marts for his Folly in making &s;o ha|&s;ty a Bargain, when 'tis gone too far to be recall'd.</P>
<P>But &s;hould a wary Man, after all, take <HI>wrong</HI> Mea&s;ures, and be <HI>over&s;een,</HI> &s;till he has this Comfort, That he did his be&s;t to prevent his being &s;o; and may, by that very Over&s;ight well ob&s;erv'd and improv'd, be the le&s;s liable to be Im|pos'd on for the future. Whereas, when a Man reflects that his Ill Choice was wholly owing to his <HI>Ra&s;hne&s;s;</HI> that if he had deliberated a while, he might have done much better, and &s;av'd him|&s;elf tho&s;e Troubles, and Vexations, and Entanglements, which now he mu&s;t e'en &s;ubmit to, and rub through as well as he can: This is a <HI>Cutting</HI> Thought, that will Exa&s;perate the Mind to great degrees of Angui&s;h, beyond the Power of ordinary Applications to alleviate.</P>
<P>Now when all this may be preven|ted, and a Man's Mind kept at Ea&s;e, and his Affairs manag'd happily, at the light expence and little trouble of a
<PB N="69" REF="47">few cool Thoughts; who would not immediately begin the Experiment?</P>
<P>When a Man fir&s;t begins to be his <HI>Own Governour</HI> every ones Eye is upon him; &s;ome with Ill de&s;ign, others with Good; &s;ome to make a Prey of him, others to expo&s;e and laugh at him; and &s;ome few others out of a kind and generous Intention to &s;et him right when he proceeds ami&s;s. So that every thing that is Dear to a Man, his For|tune and his Reputation, his Quiet and his Innocence, <HI>all's</HI> very much con|cern'd in his prudent Management of his Affairs at <HI>fir&s;t.</HI> More than ordinary Care therefore is needful to be taken, and more than ordinary Circum&s;pection, when we walk among&s;t Precipices, and are in frequent danger of dropping in|to Ruine. 'Tis not our being <HI>arriv'd to the Years of Di&s;cretion,</HI> but making Due <HI>&V;&s;e</HI> of that Di&s;cretion, which be&s;peaks us <HI>Men;</HI> and this can't be done without more than a little Thought and Pro|ceeding lei&s;urely, and making u&s;e of an experienc'd Faithful <HI>Guide</HI> too, in ways of Difficulty and Danger. And
<PB N="68" REF="48">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="69" REF="48">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="70" REF="49">no Man's Circum&s;tances can look more promi&s;ing than <HI>his,</HI> who calmly makes u&s;e of his <HI>own</HI> Under&s;tanding as far as it will direct him, and then con&s;ults wi&s;er Heads than his own, before he engages in any thing of Moment.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="7" TYPE="advice">
<PB N="71" REF="49">
<HEAD>The Seventh Advice.</HEAD>
<P>BUT Secondly,
<MILESTONE N="Advice 7."> Let all young Per|&s;ons beware of <HI>Pride</HI> and <HI>Ambi|tion.</HI></P>
<P>As to the <HI>fir&s;t,</HI> let 'em con&s;ider, That whatever makes Men <HI>Proud,</HI> is origi|nally the Ble&s;&s;ing of Heaven, be&s;tow'd upon them not for their own Advan|tage only, but for that of every one el&s;e within the Circle of their Conver|&s;ation. Greatne&s;s of <HI>Quality</HI> &s;uppo&s;e, to protect and encourage Virtue; Great|ne&s;s of <HI>E&s;tate</HI> to mini&s;ter to others Wants; the Endowments of the <HI>Mind,</HI> to qualify for good Government, and the In&s;truction of the Ignorant in all u&s;eful Knowledge; and <HI>Beauty,</HI> to ren|der us the more acceptable, and en|gage our Affections the more firmly to
<PB N="72" REF="50">one another, by &s;o <HI>Sen&s;ible</HI> an Argu|ment.</P>
<P>Now from this Ob&s;ervation, we may di&s;cover both the <HI>Vilene&s;s</HI> and <HI>Folly</HI> of this great Sin of Pride.</P>
<P>For to begin with <HI>Beauty:</HI> What can be a greater <HI>Abu&s;e</HI> of this good Gift of God, and <HI>&s;illy</HI> likewi&s;e to the la&s;t de|gree, than to be &s;o over-opinionated of it, as to carry our &s;elves high, and &s;tately, and &s;lightingly to others; and thereby turn &s;o engaging a Motive of Mens <HI>Love,</HI> into an Occa&s;ion of their Hatred and <HI>Aver&s;ion?</HI></P>
<P>And &s;o, to be Imperious and A&s;&s;u|ming, upon account of <HI>Birth, Quality,</HI> or <HI>E&s;tate;</HI> to de&s;pi&s;e and trample upon In|feriours, and make u&s;e of Power and Wealth only to exalt our &s;elves, and depre&s;s every body el&s;e: This is not only to run quite counter to the graci|ous De&s;ign of our great Benefactor, but is the ready way to make our &s;elves the <HI>Calamity</HI> of Mankind, by the Ill u&s;e of that very Bounty of Heaven,
<PB N="73" REF="50">which, if manag'd as it &s;hould be, would render us the Ble&s;&s;ed In&s;truments of making all about us <HI>Happy.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;o for <HI>Wit</HI> and <HI>Parts;</HI> to make the Advancement of ones own Reputa|tion the cheif Aim, and to pride ones &s;elf in that, and de&s;pi&s;e and <HI>expo&s;e</HI> o|thers, in&s;tead of in&s;tructing and <HI>inform|ing</HI> 'em; much more, to corrupt their Minds, by in&s;tilling <HI>fal&s;e</HI> Principles and Notions into 'em, to carry on the In|trigues of a Party, and rai&s;e a Name to our &s;elves at the Price of others Ru|ine: This is Helli&s;h indeed, the mo&s;t impious Abu&s;e of &s;uch noble Gifts, and very like the De&s;tructive Pride of <HI>Lu|cifer</HI> him&s;elf. And 'tis the greate&s;t <HI>Fol|ly</HI> too, it being the mo&s;t effectual way utterly to <HI>de&s;troy</HI> that Reputation which we de&s;ign to <HI>rai&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Be&s;ides, great <HI>Di&s;quiet</HI> and Di&s;content mu&s;t needs fill the Brea&s;t of him, who is &s;o exalted in his own Imagination, and yet finds, or at lea&s;t <HI>thinks</HI> he finds &s;o little proportionable regard from every body el&s;e. And very likely it may be
<PB N="74" REF="51">&s;o indeed; for the more a Man Idolizes him&s;elf, the le&s;s will he be re&s;pected by others, and really de&s;erves to be &s;o. And if he is &s;o full of Re&s;entment, as to <HI>di&s;cover</HI> it, and the Pride of his Heart together; this makes him &s;till more de&s;pis'd, and that vexes and en|rages him &s;till more, till &s;omething ve|ry Fatal is too often in the Conclu|&s;ion.</P>
<P>If the Proud Man is great and pow|erful; then Oppre&s;&s;ion, and Tyranny, and Revenge, with all its dire Atten|dants: If in a meaner Condition, then Envy and Hate, undermining and bla&s;ting others, and all the &s;ad effects of an exa&s;perated Spirit. And if any &s;mart Affliction befalls him; in&s;tead of Patience, Re&s;ignation and Repentance, nothing but Rage, and Fury, and wild Di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">raction, ready to <HI>Cur&s;e God and dye.</HI></P>
<P>So highly needful is it for every Man to beware of <HI>Pride;</HI> e&s;pecially tho&s;e who&s;e Age and Circum&s;tances render 'em mo&s;t in Danger of it, thro'
<PB N="75" REF="51">a full Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of what is mo&s;t apt to excite it.</P>
<P>Not but that a young Per&s;on may plea&s;e him&s;elf in reflecting upon any of his Excellencies and Endowments; for who can choo&s;e but be delighted in the Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of what is good and de&s;irable? But then, <HI>God</HI> mu&s;t have all the <HI>Glory,</HI> (for of our &s;elves we are, and have <HI>nothing</HI>) and our Brethren all due <HI>benefit</HI> and <HI>advantage.</HI> We mu&s;t not be the le&s;s, but rather the <HI>more</HI> affable and conde&s;cending; and de&s;pi&s;e and undervalue no Body. And in &s;hort, no other Affections mu&s;t be &s;uffer'd to ari&s;e in our own Souls by any thing that makes us thus differ from other Men, than Love and Thankfulne&s;s to our Divine Benefactor, and great De|&s;ires, and frequent Re&s;olutions and <HI>Con|trivances,</HI> of doing more and more good in our Generation.</P>
<P>Let a Man be thus di&s;pos'd, and thus employ'd, and he need not fear the guilt of <HI>Pride;</HI> tho' at the &s;ame time
<PB N="76" REF="52">he be very &s;en&s;ible, that <HI>he is not as other Men are.</HI></P>
<P>As for <HI>Ambition,</HI> or eager A&s;piring after <HI>Greatne&s;s;</HI> we may con&s;ider, that nothing is more common, than for Men, either to &s;ink in the Pur&s;uit of it, or to be undone by its Attainment.</P>
<P>And indeed, nothing has fill'd Hi|&s;tory with more Tragic Relations, than the Fate of <HI>Ambitious</HI> Men; who&s;e ve|ry Methods too, of <HI>rai&s;ing</HI> them&s;elves, have prov'd at length their <HI>Ruine.</HI></P>
<P>Very often Men Gra&s;p at that, which they can't tell what to do with when they have it: For every one that has Vanity enough to think fine things of him&s;elf, and bu&s;tles mightily for an Employment equal to his fanci|ed Merit, is not therefore really <HI>cut out</HI> for &s;uch Employment. Some make a very Indifferent Figure in <HI>high</HI> Stations, who look'd well enough when more within their Element; and then, their Awkward Management, and it may be <HI>In&s;ufficiency,</HI> expo&s;es 'em to &s;o much
<PB N="77" REF="52">Shame and Contempt, and the Unea&s;i|ne&s;s con&s;equent upon it, as mu&s;t needs de&s;troy their Happine&s;s.</P>
<P>But make the <HI>be&s;t</HI> of the matter, and &s;uppo&s;e <HI>Merit,</HI> and <HI>Ambition,</HI> and <HI>Suc|ce&s;s</HI> to go together; yet &s;till there are tho&s;e, who&s;e Minds are as <HI>A&s;piring</HI> to the full, and their <HI>Sen&s;e</HI> as great, and their <HI>Envy</HI> very quick-&s;ighted, prying and inqui&s;itive, re&s;tle&s;s and contrive|ing, ready to catch at and <HI>improve</HI> eve|ry little trip and mi&s;carriage: So that indeed, unle&s;s there be an equal degree of <HI>Cunning</HI> mix'd with Ambition, the Man need only be left to him&s;elf, <HI>to do his own Bu&s;ine&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>And whenever he begins to <HI>decline,</HI> either in his Fortune or his Reputation, and comes within their reach, they'll not fail to lend him their hands to bring him &s;till <HI>lower,</HI> till they have him quite <HI>down,</HI> and by trampling upon him, rai&s;e them&s;elves into his Seat.</P>
<P>In &s;hort, all <HI>Hights</HI> are un&s;afe and unea&s;y, and few Mens Heads are &s;trong
<PB N="78" REF="53">enough to bear 'em long; and how mi|&s;erable a Fall is from 'em, I need not &s;ay: And therefore to be &s;o <HI>hot</HI> in &s;crambling up to 'em, as 'tis &s;eldom <HI>in|nocent,</HI> &s;o is never <HI>wi&s;e.</HI> And when All's done, that's the mo&s;t La&s;ting and be&s;t Reli&s;h'd Promotion of any kind whatever, which is lea&s;t of a Man's own &s;eeking, and comes on by ea&s;y, quiet &s;teps. For it has none of tho&s;e <HI>Worms</HI> at the bottom, which are ge|nerally found under Advancements of too <HI>ha&s;ty</HI> Growth; and which never fail to eat out their Heart, and &s;oon reduce 'em to nothing.</P>
<P>If <HI>God's Providence</HI> de&s;igns a Man for an Eminent Station, he knows which way to <HI>rai&s;e</HI> him to it, and will <HI>capaci|tate</HI> him for it, and &s;et him <HI>fa&s;t</HI> in it; and we may have ob&s;erv'd, that tho&s;e have been the greate&s;t Ble&s;&s;ings both to the Church and State, who&s;e Pre|ferments have <HI>&s;tolen</HI> upon 'em with lea&s;t Noi&s;e and Flutter.</P>
<P>'Tis true, Men ought to have their Eyes open to <HI>&s;ee</HI> the Hand of Provi|dence
<PB N="79" REF="53">in &s;uch ca&s;es, and humbly and thankfully to be <HI>directed</HI> by it, in ma|king due u&s;e of tho&s;e Opportunities that are put into their Power to Im|prove. And 'tis as true, that what a Man may lawfully and honourable <HI>re|ceive,</HI> he may innocently <HI>ask</HI> for; and to be Above making <HI>any</HI> Applications towards the bettering ones Circum&s;tan|ces, when there is ju&s;t occa&s;ion for it, is a Spice of that <HI>Haughtine&s;s</HI> of Temper we but now condemn'd. But to be eager and re&s;tle&s;s, and always upon the <HI>Hunt</HI> in things of this nature, no Man can ju&s;tify. And tho&s;e Alterations in a Man's Condition, tho' &s;eemingly for the <HI>better,</HI> which look like the Effect of his own <HI>Bu&s;tling</HI> and <HI>Importunity,</HI> ra|ther than the De&s;ignation of <HI>Providence</HI> (which carries &s;ufficient Marks along with it whereby it may be known;) &s;eldom prove well in the <HI>Conclu&s;ion,</HI> as being, too often, not right in the <HI>Principle;</HI> at lea&s;t, they are not &s;o <HI>thoroughly</HI> happy, as tho&s;e in which <HI>Providence</HI> is more remarkable than
<PB N="80" REF="54">any thing be&s;ides; and which are therefore quite throughout <HI>Innocent.</HI></P>
<P>A &s;teady Belief of <HI>God's</HI> di&s;po&s;ing all things with Infinite Wi&s;dom and Goodne&s;s; and a full Per&s;wa&s;ion, that what Additions of Worldly Good, in any In&s;tance whatever, are <HI>fit</HI> for us to have, we &s;hall in due time have 'em; together with an Innocent Diligence in the Station we are in at pre&s;ent: This is the true Temper of a <HI>Chri&s;tian;</HI> and that alone which can render Worldly Greatne&s;s <HI>Safe</HI> and <HI>Ea&s;y.</HI></P>
<P>Thus may we be <HI>advanc'd</HI> without <HI>Ambition;</HI> and in the mid&s;t of growing Honours, pre&s;erve that Calmne&s;s and Indifferency of Soul, which will in&s;ure to us <HI>Happine&s;s,</HI> let things go how they will: Whereas, on the contrary, a Mind High and <HI>A&s;piring</HI> will make it impo&s;|&s;ible for us to Ta&s;te it even in the mo&s;t <HI>Flouri&s;hing</HI> Condition, and render the Straits and Neglects of <HI>Low</HI> Circum|&s;tances utterly intolerable.</P>
<PB N="81" REF="54">
<P>Now who would not Infinitely va|lue that Temper of Mind, and earne&s;t|ly endeavour after it, e&s;pecially in &s;o &s;ickle a World as this; which will make him happy in <HI>any</HI> Condition, teach him <HI>how to abound and how to &s;uf|fer want,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4.11, 12.</NOTE> <HI>and in every &s;tate therewith to be content?</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="8" TYPE="advice">
<PB N="82" REF="55">
<HEAD>The Eighth Advice.</HEAD>
<P>IN the next Place,
<MILESTONE N="Advice 8."> Young Per&s;ons would be advis'd to pre&s;erve their Minds free from <HI>unclean Thoughts,</HI> and a too quick Re&s;entment of things as <HI>Injuries</HI> and <HI>Affronts.</HI></P>
<P>How very inclinable to <HI>both</HI> the&s;e, young People are, is too well known; and therefore, their Care and <HI>Watch|fulne&s;s</HI> ought to be equal to the <HI>Danger.</HI> They both proceed from that <HI>Warmth</HI> and <HI>Spirit</HI> which is in vigorous Youth, and are con&s;equently the harder to be a|voided, having <HI>Nature</HI> &s;o much of their &s;ide, which will make it nece&s;&s;ary to u&s;e the more Diligence, and begin betimes, that <HI>better</HI> Affections may have the <HI>fir&s;t Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion,</HI> and <HI>Nature</HI> become mended by <HI>Religion.</HI></P>
<PB N="83" REF="55">
<P>As for the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> of the&s;e, the keeping the Mind <HI>cha&s;te</HI> and pure from the De|filement of <HI>unclean Thoughts;</HI> be&s;ides that, 'tis the greate&s;t Security again&s;t <HI>Speaking</HI> Filthily, (the mo&s;t <HI>unbecom|ing</HI> thing in Nature to a <HI>young</HI> Mouth, e&s;pecially that of a Gentleman) and <HI>Ac|ting</HI> &s;o too; for <HI>out of the abundance of the heart the mouth &s;peaketh, and from the heart proceed adulteries and for|nications:</HI> Be&s;ides this, unclean De&s;ires, &s;hould they proceed no <HI>further,</HI> mu&s;t needs be an un&s;peakeable Plague and Di&s;quiet to the Soul.</P>
<P>This Impure Pa&s;&s;ion is expre&s;s'd in Scripture, and in our common way of &s;peaking, by <HI>Burning;</HI> becau&s;e of the <HI>uncontroulablene&s;s</HI> of it when &s;uffer'd to get Head, and Impatience of Re&s;i&s;tance. And therefore, whoever Indulges to Thoughts of Uncleane&s;s, &s;ets his Soul on a <HI>Flame;</HI> and mu&s;t either &s;uffer him&s;elf to be <HI>con&s;um'd</HI> in the Fire, and fall a &s;hameful Victim to his <HI>Lu&s;ts;</HI> or el&s;e with great Di&s;quietude <HI>re&s;i&s;t</HI> 'em, and &s;trive again&s;t an almo&s;t Remedi|le&s;s Evil, which often grows the &s;tron|ger
<PB N="84" REF="56">for being oppos'd, and rages the more for want of being &s;atisfy'd. And &s;o, be&s;ides the guilt of entertaining tho&s;e Impure De&s;ires at fir&s;t, the wretch|ed Creature has brought him&s;elf to this uncomfortable <HI>Streight,</HI> either to <HI>yeild</HI> to 'em, and &s;uffer him&s;elf to be carry'd on whither the Torrent drives, which he can't but know, will upon all Ac|counts, bring him to certain Ruine; or el&s;e mu&s;t &s;pend his time in the mo&s;t unea&s;y Employment, of checking Im|patiently &s;trong De&s;ires. But now, he that has begun to Purify his Soul <HI>be|times,</HI> and nipp'd <HI>uncha&s;te</HI> Thoughts in their very fir&s;t <HI>ri&s;e,</HI> and planted <HI>Pious</HI> Meditations in their Room, and is warm'd with the Fires of an Affectio|nate Religion; be&s;ides the Quiet and Serenity that attends Innocence, and a Conver&s;ation with the mo&s;t full and &s;atisfying Objects, there is this over and above, that in this Ca&s;e there is no need of curbing and <HI>re&s;training</HI> our De&s;ires: Devotion and <HI>Heavenly Love</HI> can never burn too bright, nor flame too high; the more vigorous they grow, the Soul is &s;till the Happier; and Happie&s;t of all is &s;he, when quite
<PB N="85" REF="56"><HI>overcome</HI> with the Divine Flame, and made a <HI>whole Burnt-offering</HI> to God. And as for the too quick Re&s;entment of things as <HI>Affronts</HI> and <HI>Injuries;</HI> he that is of this Temper, and indulges him&s;elf in it, mu&s;t bid <HI>Adieu</HI> to all Repo&s;e and Quiet. It cannot rea&s;onably be Expec|ted, that every one we conver&s;e with &s;hould think as we think, and Act as we Act, and make <HI>our</HI> Intere&s;t <HI>theirs,</HI> and jump with us exactly in Di&s;po&s;ition and Humour; and in all things ob&s;erve the Rules of Decency and good Breed|ing towards us. Innumerable things, do what we can, will fall out cro&s;s and un|towardly; and the mo&s;t <HI>Inoffen&s;ive</HI> Per&s;ons, partly thro' Mi&s;take, partly thro' Imprudence, and want of Con&s;i|deration, may make &s;uch Trips, as if Men are re&s;olv'd to catch at every thing, may be con&s;trued in an ill Sen&s;e, and made the Occa&s;ion of a Falling out.</P>
<P>But then, the Que&s;tion is, Whether 'tis not better, either by taking things by the be&s;t handle, and putting a <HI>fa|vourable</HI> Interpretation upon 'em, or el&s;e quite <HI>overlooking</HI> and pa&s;&s;ing them
<PB N="86" REF="57">by, to live in <HI>Peace</HI> and Quietne&s;s; than by every &s;uch Accident to be blown up into <HI>Pa&s;&s;ion</HI> and <HI>Fury,</HI> and great In|decencies, and it may be &s;o far tran&s;|ported as to commit what we &s;hall have Rea&s;on to repent of as long as we Live? For no Man can &s;ay before hand, how <HI>far</HI> his Pa&s;&s;ion &s;hall pro|ceed.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 17.14</NOTE> <HI>The beginnings of &s;trife,</HI> as <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;ays, <HI>being like the letting out of Water,</HI> very difficult to be &s;top'd again; and from a &s;mall <HI>Rill</HI> at fir&s;t, growing into an <HI>Inundation</HI> that bears down all be|fore it.</P>
<P>It can't be deny'd indeed, but that &s;ometimes there will be <HI>Ju&s;t</HI> Occa&s;ion for <HI>Re&s;entment;</HI> and when there is &s;o, neither Rea&s;on nor Religion does for|bid it. But even then, &s;ome <HI>bounds</HI> mu&s;t be &s;et to it; as <HI>Prudence</HI> would tell us, if there were no &s;uch thing as <HI>Chri&s;tianity.</HI> For really, a Man can't give his Adver&s;ary a greater advantage over him, than to <HI>heat</HI> him&s;elf out of the u&s;e of his Rea&s;on; he thereby lay|ing him&s;elf quite <HI>open</HI> to him, and per|fectly betraying him&s;elf into his power.
<PB N="87" REF="57">And I'd fain know whether 'tis not much better, even in ba&s;e of a <HI>con|&s;iderable</HI> Injury, to endeavour to right ones &s;elf calmly and quietly, in the Methods that Cool Rea&s;on and Good Laws direct; than by following blind <HI>Pa&s;&s;ion,</HI> and I can't tell what Mi&s;taken Notions of <HI>Honour,</HI> to be far more In|jurious to our <HI>&s;elves</HI> than ever the great|e&s;t <HI>Enemy</HI> was, that we had yet to deal with?</P>
<P>What is this but to Puni&s;h our &s;elves for other Mens Faults? To make our Lives extreamly trouble&s;ome and unea|&s;y, becau&s;e &s;uch a one is proud and haughty, another &s;illy and imperti|nent, a third behaves him&s;elf rudely and like an Ill-bred Clown, and a fourth it may be has made too bold with our Reputation, and &s;aid things of us which he cannot Ju&s;tify? And there|fore, with great Rea&s;on, did <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;ay,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 19.11</NOTE> <HI>The di&s;cretion of a Man deferreth his Anger, and it is his Glory to pa&s;s over a Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion.</HI> And in another place,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 14.29</NOTE> <HI>He that is &s;low to Anger is of great
<PB N="88" REF="58">&V;nder&s;tanding, but he that is ha&s;ty of Spirit exalteth Folly.</HI> Which wi&s;e Ob|&s;ervations I &s;hall leave to young Per|&s;ons &s;erious Con&s;ideration; and pro|ceed to</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="9" TYPE="advice">
<PB N="89" REF="58">
<HEAD>The Ninth Advice.</HEAD>
<P>ANother piece of Advice which I think very needful to be given and ob&s;erv'd,
<MILESTONE N="Advice 9."> and that is relating to the common way of <HI>Conver&s;ation</HI> now in u&s;e; that they would have a care of Conforming too much to <HI>that;</HI> which, for the mo&s;t part, is made up of <HI>Vanity</HI> and <HI>Cen&s;ure,</HI> and a treache|rous collecting &s;uch <HI>Remarks</HI> and Ob&s;er|vations in one Vi&s;it, as may be matter for Invidious <HI>Reflections</HI> the next. And this is now become an <HI>Art,</HI> and &s;et <HI>Rules</HI> there are of Learning and Practi|&s;ing it; and a great Reflection it is upon a Man not nicely to ob&s;erve 'em, e&s;pecially if he tran&s;gre&s;&s;es on the <HI>good Natur'd</HI> &s;ide. And to encourage Peo|ples Proficiency, tho&s;e that are mo&s;t ready at it, and carry it mo&s;t &s;mooth|ly
<PB N="90" REF="59">on, and with the lea&s;t &s;u&s;picion, and make mo&s;t u&s;e of it upon Occa&s;ion, are e&s;teem'd as Per&s;ons of the be&s;t Breed|ing and be&s;t Sen&s;e, and their Company <HI>Courted,</HI> as the mo&s;t agreeable and di|verting.</P>
<P>This is that which we call <HI>Glozing</HI> and <HI>Complement,</HI> Expre&s;&s;ions of Kindne&s;s and E&s;teem, without <HI>Sincerity</HI> at the bot|tom; when Mens fair &s;mooth Beha|viour, &s;et Flouri&s;hes, great Civilities, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> is nothing but <HI>Di&s;&s;imulation;</HI> and they are really upon the <HI>&s;py</HI> all the while, that they may di&s;cover &s;ome|thing in each others Di&s;cour&s;e or Be|haviour, whereby they may <HI>Expo&s;e</HI> one another when there is opportu|nity. And this, as a choice Trea&s;ure, they lay up &s;afely in their Memo|ries, and bring it out to the next Com|pany they are in, and &s;hew it with all the Advantages that may be, Comment and Inlarge upon it, and recommend it as the Subject of every ones nice&s;t and mo&s;t critical Remarks, and &s;o 'tis handed round. Which &s;eems to be mo&s;t exactly de&s;crib'd by the P&s;almi&s;t,
<PB N="91" REF="59">P&s;al. 41.6. <HI>And if he come to &s;ee me, he &s;peaketh Vanity, his Heart gathereth Ini|quity to it &s;elf, and when he goeth abroad he telleth it.</HI> So that after all, 'tis an <HI>Old Fa&s;hion'd</HI> Vice, tho' probably the World has refin'd upon't, and im|prov'd it, by long U&s;e and <HI>Practice; Wickedne&s;s,</HI> as well as other things, be|ing perfected by time.</P>
<P>Now that this is really the pre&s;ent <HI>Modi&s;h</HI> way of Conver&s;ation, every one that knows what Conver&s;ation is, mu&s;t needs be &s;en&s;ible. What a World of &s;eeming <HI>Endearment</HI> do we meet with every where? So many Fine Ex|pre&s;&s;ions of Mens extraordinary Value, Kindne&s;s and Re&s;pect, &s;uch frequent A&s;|&s;urances of ready Service and A&s;&s;i&s;tance, and the like; that did tho&s;e <HI>de&s;erve</HI> all this to whom it is given, and tho&s;e that give it &s;incerely <HI>mean</HI> as they &s;peak, we &s;hould have a Heaven upon Earth. Such great De&s;ert and Excellency on the one hand, and &s;o much Benignity and Rejoycing in each others Good, on the other, would make the World
<PB N="92" REF="60">a Family of Love, and again give Oc|ca&s;ion to the Wonder and Envy of the Enemies of our Faith, when they &s;hould &s;ee the <HI>Chri&s;tians &s;o entirely love one ano|ther.</HI> But what is at the <HI>Bottom</HI> of all this? Why truly, for the mo&s;t part, either <HI>nothing,</HI> or what is very much <HI>wor&s;e.</HI> 'Tis either a <HI>&s;et</HI> way of Con|ver&s;ation, made u&s;e of Indifferently to every body, to &s;hew the Man's <HI>Breed|ing,</HI> more than his <HI>Friend&s;hip;</HI> and tho' there is no <HI>Sincerity,</HI> there's yet as lit|tle <HI>Malice</HI> in it; or el&s;e 'tis de&s;ign'd as a <HI>Snare,</HI> to trepan People into &s;uch Di&s;cour&s;es or Behaviour, as may give Occa&s;ion for the expo&s;ing and ridicu|ling of them afterwards. And 'tis no new thing, for a Man to have as <HI>Ill</HI> a Character in good <HI>earne&s;t</HI> given of him, and by the &s;ame Per&s;on, <HI>behind his back;</HI> as he had a Fair one, in <HI>Complement,</HI> be|fore his <HI>Face.</HI> Nay, tho&s;e <HI>very</HI> things which were then &s;poken <HI>well</HI> of, and it may be <HI>de&s;erv'd</HI> it, &s;hall have quite another <HI>Glo&s;s</HI> &s;et upon 'em, in the Company where it may be Acceptable.</P>
<PB N="93" REF="60">
<P>What more u&s;ual than for People to be upon the <HI>Pump</HI> in their Vi&s;its? Ma|king u&s;e of little &s;ly Arts and Fetches, to di&s;cover one anothers Thoughts of this or that Per&s;on, &s;uch and &s;uch an Action or Occurrence, how they are inclin'd in &s;uch an Affair, and the like; and all this on purpo&s;e to make 'em the Subject of the next Di&s;cour&s;e, to di&s;play their want of Wit, or Breeding, to call in que&s;tion their Prudence, or their Principles, and not &s;eldom to make a breach between Family and Fa|mily, Friend and Friend, who&s;e good Corre&s;pondence, and right Under&s;tan|ding, they before envy'd, and would fain de&s;troy.</P>
<P>And how <HI>happy</HI> do &s;ome account them&s;elves, in Plenty of &s;uch kind of Ob&s;ervations! which, to be &s;ure, &s;hall lo&s;e nothing in their Communicating 'em to others, nor fail of their End for want of any Additions that are ne|ce&s;&s;ary. Their Company, they think, can't but be very diverting, which will make Men &s;o knowing in other Folks Matters, and furni&s;h Ill Nature
<PB N="94" REF="61">with &s;o many choice Topicks for Cen|&s;ure, and Occa&s;ion &s;o much of a <HI>Laugh.</HI> And if a loud <HI>Whi&s;per</HI> will recom|mend any thing of this Nature, and make it fly further in the Di&s;gui&s;e of a <HI>Secret;</HI> then it &s;hall be di&s;clos'd with &s;eeming <HI>Caution</HI> as a great <HI>Tru&s;t,</HI> an Argument of the <HI>Confidence</HI> they have in you; when all the while they're upon the watch what <HI>your</HI> Sentiments will be of the matter, and as officiou&s;ly carry them back to the Party concern'd, as they brought their Treacherous Re|marks of <HI>him</HI> to <HI>you.</HI> And thus is the Fire of Contention kindled, and that too often, beyond all po&s;&s;ibility of Ex|&s;tinction.</P>
<P>That this is no <HI>Feign'd</HI> De&s;cription of modern Conver&s;ation, I may Appeal to any Man's own <HI>Ob&s;ervation,</HI> and to very many's <HI>Practice.</HI> But now, one would wonder, what &s;hould Incline People to it. Whether Pride and En|vy, which prompts Men to &s;ink every Bodies Reputation but their own; whe|ther Malice and Revenge, which takes this &s;ecret undi&s;cover'd way to return
<PB N="95" REF="61">an Injury; or that Helli&s;h Temper of doing Mi&s;chief for Mi&s;chiefs &s;ake, and making &s;port with &s;etting People toge|ther by the Ears, and expo&s;ing and de|riding one another: Whether all, or any thing of this Nature, or whatever el&s;e it is that puts Men upon it; this is certain, that nothing can be &s;aid in its Ju&s;tification; and every one condemns it when <HI>him&s;elf</HI> is concern'd in it; nay, Men can't but have very ill Thoughts of &s;uch as they know are of this vile Temper, altho' not touch'd by it <HI>them&s;elves,</HI> and tho' the Newes they bring of others too, may be Ac|ceptable enough.</P>
<P>And indeed, there can be no wor&s;e Ingredients of Society, than outward &s;hews of Friend&s;hip and Endearment, where there is no <HI>Sincerity;</HI> e&s;pecially where the mo&s;t Treacherous Ob&s;erva|tion of what may be to a Man's Preju|dice is conceal'd under it, and that with an Intention of divulging it the next opportunity.</P>
<PB N="96" REF="62">
<P>The end of Society, is mutual Com|fort and A&s;&s;i&s;tance; in order to which 'tis nece&s;&s;ary, that Men heartily de&s;ire each others Good, and endeavour to promote it to their Power; whether by Coun&s;el and Advice, or by &s;ome Beneficial Actions, as occa&s;ion &s;hall re|quire.</P>
<P>And to this, a Friendly imparting one anothers Circum&s;tances is needful, &s;o far as Prudence will allow; and &s;uch Expre&s;&s;ions of Kindne&s;s to each other, as may induce &s;ome rea&s;onable A&s;&s;u|rance, of all due and &s;ea&s;onable Help. And this, every Man (being in &s;ome degree &s;en&s;ible of his own <HI>Indigence</HI> and Imperfection) does naturally <HI>ex|pect</HI> from the Society of others; and it can't but be mighty plea&s;ing to him, to meet with &s;uch, as by the kindne&s;s of their Expre&s;&s;ions, and endearing Behaviour, give him great Rea&s;on to believe, that what A&s;&s;i&s;tance they can give him, when he needs it, he &s;hall have: And nothing is more be|coming a Man and a Chri&s;tian, than &s;uch a Courteous way of Conver&s;ation.</P>
<PB N="97" REF="62">
<P>And that nothing might be want|ing to compleat the Happine&s;s of the <HI>Social</HI> Life, God gave to Man the Faculty of Speech; whereby our Thoughts and De&s;igns, what we <HI>want,</HI> and what we <HI>de&s;ire,</HI> might <HI>pre&s;ently,</HI> and with <HI>ea&s;e,</HI> be made known to one ano|ther, and which mu&s;t needs make our Intercour&s;e highly plea&s;ing, and of great Advantage. But then, there mu&s;t be <HI>Truth</HI> and <HI>Sincerity</HI> in all this, or el&s;e All's &s;poil'd. For an outward Shew of Friend&s;hip and Civilty, which is either nothing <HI>but</HI> &s;hew, or, which is Infinite|ly wor&s;e, a Cover for Treacherous and <HI>Ba&s;e De&s;igns,</HI> does indeed tend to the de&s;truction of all Society, and makes Conver&s;ation either the mo&s;t <HI>unea&s;y</HI> thing in nature, or el&s;e a <HI>Decoy</HI> into the wor&s;t of Misfortunes.</P>
<P>For Men mu&s;t be &s;uppos'd, either to believe the Civilities they receive from one another to be <HI>Real</HI> and <HI>Hearty,</HI> or the <HI>contrary.</HI> If they take them to be <HI>Real</HI> when they are <HI>not</HI> &s;o; 'twill prove a very dangerous Mi&s;take, as we
<PB N="98" REF="63">&s;hall &s;ee in the Sequel: And if they look upon 'em as <HI>hollow</HI> and <HI>de&s;igning,</HI> I need not &s;ay how <HI>grating</HI> and un|welcom they will be, and what unea|&s;ine&s;s every Man mu&s;t undergo, that's forc'd to be continually upon his <HI>Guard,</HI> as in the mid&s;t of Spies, and treacherous Ob&s;ervers of what-ever may tend to his Prejudice.</P>
<P>What more odious to a Man, than that which he <HI>knows</HI> to be <HI>Flattery,</HI> and the Fawnings and forc'd Smiles of a Perfidious Enemy! To be fain to <HI>weigh</HI> every word before one dares to &s;peak it, by no means to venture to be free and <HI>open,</HI> for fear the Enemy &s;hould take Ad|vantage by it, but always upon the <HI>Re|&s;erve,</HI> full of Care and Circum&s;pection, as in the mid&s;t of Ambu&s;cades, and walking among&s;t Boggs and Quagmires. This certainly mu&s;t needs make Conver|&s;ation the mo&s;t trouble&s;ome thing in the World. A Life led in a De&s;art would be more eligible than &s;uch Society as this; and the Prophet <HI>Jeremy</HI> very feelingly expre&s;&s;es his Re&s;entment of it, <HI>Ch.</HI> 9. <HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 2. <HI>&amp;c. O that I had
<PB N="99" REF="63">in the Wilderne&s;s,</HI> &s;ays he, <HI>a Lodging Place, that I might leave my People and go from them, for they are an A&s;&s;embly of Treacherous Men; they bend their Tongue like their Bow for lyes. Take ye heed eve|ry one of his Neighbour</HI> (or, as in the Original, his <HI>Friend) and tru&s;t not in any Brother; for every Brother will utterly &s;upplant, and every Neighbour will walk with Slanders. They have,</HI> (as 'twere artificially) <HI>TA&V;GHT their Tongue to &s;peak lyes, thine Habitation is in the mid&s;t of Deceit. One &s;peaketh peaceably to his Neighbour with his Mouth, but in his Heart he layeth his wait.</HI></P>
<P>And <HI>David</HI> thought, he need not wi&s;h wor&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">o his mo&s;t Inveterate Ene|mies, than that their <HI>Table,</HI> their Free|e&s;t Conver&s;ation, and mo&s;t Intimate Society,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 69.22.</NOTE> might <HI>become to 'em a Snare and a Trap.</HI></P>
<P>As for the <HI>Ba&s;ene&s;s,</HI> and unhappy <HI>Con&s;equences</HI> of &s;uch a Treacherous Manner of Behaviour; 'twill not be a|mi&s;s to con&s;ider both a little.</P>
<PB N="100" REF="64">
<P>With Re&s;pect to the Fir&s;t, <HI>Friend&s;hip</HI> is &s;o Sacred a thing, that to Di&s;&s;emble it for vile Purpo&s;es, and under its Co|ver to play the Devil with one another, is a mo&s;t unpardonable Crime, and like <HI>Judas</HI>'s betraying our Saviour with a Ki&s;s. From Care&s;&s;es and Endearments, to proceed immediately to &s;piteful Re|flections, Ill-natur'd Cen&s;ures, and Poi|&s;onous Malignant Whi&s;pers, &s;uch as will bla&s;t my Reputation, and blacken my good Name, or at lea&s;t make me <HI>Ridiculous,</HI> and the Subject of Mens Sport and Laughter: For a Man to Dive to the bottom of my Soul, by &s;ly In&s;inuating Arts, fal&s;e Prote&s;ts of Love, and de&s;ire of my Happine&s;s, (which Methods are but too &s;uccesful with tho&s;e that have more of the <HI>Dove</HI> than <HI>Serpent</HI> in them) and then expo&s;e me, when ever 'twill ingratiate him|&s;elf to do &s;o: This is extremely <HI>ba&s;e,</HI> beyond expre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>To &s;peak wor&s;e of <HI>any</HI> Man behind Iris Back than we would dare to do be|fore his Face, is certainly a very pitti|ful unmanly thing; and to wound an
<PB N="101" REF="64"><HI>Ab&s;ent</HI> Per&s;on's <HI>Reputation,</HI> is e'en as bad as to give his body an unexpected <HI>Treacherous Stab.</HI> In &s;o nice a Ca&s;e as a Man's <HI>Credit,</HI> every one ought to have all the <HI>Fair</HI> Play imaginable; that he may be able to defend him&s;elf, and not be inevitably expos'd to all the Dirt that every Malicious Pick-thank &s;hall rake together and throw upon him. And in ca&s;e of <HI>Natural</HI> Failings and Defects, which are more a Man's <HI>Misfortune</HI> than his <HI>Fault,</HI> to Blazon 'em about is barbarous and inhumane. But all this is &s;till much wor&s;e, if we all the while hold <HI>Fair</HI> with the Per&s;on when we <HI>&s;ee</HI> him, and are as obliging and complai&s;ant to him as to any body el&s;e. The <HI>Con&s;equences</HI> of this deceit|ful Fawning Way, are very pernicious upon all Accounts.</P>
<P>Indeed, a too ob&s;equious comple|mental way of Addre&s;s, tho' there be no <HI>Ill De&s;igns</HI> at the bottom, is yet too often of unhappy Con&s;equence, e&s;pe|cially to young People. Fir&s;t, becau&s;e 'tis &s;o apt to blind Mens Eyes as to their <HI>Failings</HI> and <HI>Imperfections,</HI> and to create
<PB N="102" REF="65">and that in&s;en&s;ibly, &s;uch fond Fancies in their Heads, as end in intollerable Pride and Self-conceit. And therefore, 'tis accounted one of the greate&s;t Misfor|tunes of Per&s;ons of great <HI>Quality,</HI> that they can &s;eldom meet with tho&s;e that will tell them the <HI>Truth;</HI> but whatever their real <HI>De&s;erts</HI> may be, they are al|ways admir'd and extold, humour'd and comply'd with in every thing, their Vices guilded over with the Arts of Flattery, <HI>great</HI> things &s;aid of what de|&s;erves but <HI>little;</HI> and nothing, of what de&s;erves <HI>Reproof,</HI> unle&s;s it be to <HI>hide</HI> and <HI>palliate</HI> it; and &s;o they are drill'd on in Ignorance of them&s;elves, 'till Death draws a&s;ide the Curtain, and &s;hews 'em what indeed they are, and too often opens a dreadful View of the then incorrigible Wickedne&s;s, which be|fore they took but little notice of, or were taught to pride them&s;elves in, as Excellencies and <HI>Accompli&s;hments.</HI> This is, no doubt, a very Deplorable Condition, and many are &s;o unhappy as to fall into it, thro' the Exce&s;&s;ive <HI>Civilities</HI> (as they are call'd) of tho&s;e whom they Conver&s;e with. But 'tis a
<PB N="103" REF="65"><HI>&s;trange</HI> &s;ort of <HI>Civility</HI> that betrays into &s;uch Fatal Deceptions as the&s;e; and <HI>Plain-dealing,</HI> would Men con&s;ider it, will prove to be the mo&s;t Obliging thing in the World.</P>
<P>Again, this over-&s;moothne&s;s of Tongue and Carriage, is apt to make an unde&s;igning Good-natur'd Per&s;on take tho&s;e for his <HI>Friends</HI> who are <HI>not</HI> &s;o; and who, though they mean him no <HI>harm,</HI> it may be when they care&s;s him &s;o, yet intend him as little <HI>good.</HI> That is, they have no further Aim or De&s;ign, than to &s;hew their <HI>Good Breed|ing;</HI> and when the Vi&s;it and the <HI>Com|plement</HI> is over, the <HI>Friend&s;hip</HI> ends with it, and they are as they were be|fore.</P>
<P>But now, &s;uppo&s;e I &s;hould be &s;o Cre|dulous, as to take all this for <HI>Real Friend&s;hip;</HI> and &s;hould therefore ac|quaint the Man with my Circum&s;tan|ces, which are &s;uch perhaps, as none but a Friend indeed &s;hould be Acquain|ted with, and de&s;ire his Advice and A&s;&s;i&s;tance: What a <HI>Blank</HI> would it be
<PB N="104" REF="66">to me to find <HI>him</HI> cool, and &s;trange, and glad to &s;hift me off, who before was &s;o full of <HI>Endearment</HI> and Prote&s;ts of his readine&s;s to &s;erve me, nay, as <HI>Importunate,</HI> it may be, for an Employ|ment, as a poor Wretch that's ready to &s;tarve for want of one?</P>
<P>How would it vex me to have un|bo&s;om'd my &s;elf to a Fawning <HI>Hypo|crite;</HI> and to lie at his Mercy for the <HI>Concealment</HI> of what would mightily prejudice me, if it &s;hould be known: And in&s;tead of receiving any <HI>A&s;&s;i&s;tance</HI> from him, be forc'd to acknowledge it as a great Favour, that he does not <HI>expo&s;e</HI> and <HI>ruine</HI> me; nay, find my &s;elf oblig'd to <HI>Buy</HI> that Favour, perhaps at a very dear rate! In &s;uch a Ca&s;e (and &s;uch Ca&s;es there have been) what &s;hould I think of that Glozing way of Behaviour which betray'd me into &s;uch unhappy Circum&s;tances?</P>
<P>But &s;uppo&s;e this Man of Comple|ment &s;hould prove my <HI>Enemy</HI> at la&s;t, and make an <HI>Ill</HI> U&s;e of my Credulity, and <HI>Lure</HI> me on to further Confiden|ces
<PB N="105" REF="66">and Intimacies, on purpo&s;e to get me more certainly into his Clutches; What a <HI>Fatal</HI> Mi&s;take &s;hould I <HI>then</HI> be under! There is nothing certainly more mi&s;chivous, nor more <HI>unavoida|bly</HI> &s;o, than a <HI>Counterfeit Friend,</HI> who is really an <HI>Enemy;</HI> nor any thing there|fore of wor&s;e Con&s;equence, than that way of Conver&s;ation which is &s;o apt to deceive People in this Matter, and incline them to take &s;uch Serpents into their Bo&s;oms.</P>
<P>Nor is it le&s;s de&s;tructive of <HI>Neigh|bourhood</HI> and <HI>Society.</HI> In Conver&s;ation, e&s;pecially when as we think among&s;t our Friends, we are apt to Indulge to an ea&s;ie <HI>Openne&s;s</HI> and <HI>Freedom;</HI> the kindly Flow of Spirits, occa&s;ion'd by agreeable Company, <HI>unlocks</HI> an unde|&s;igning Per&s;ons Brea&s;t, and &s;hews his Mind in its <HI>Pure Naturals.</HI> And this indeed it is, that gives the true Gu&s;t and <HI>Reli&s;h</HI> to Society, which pre&s;ently grows <HI>Pall'd</HI> and <HI>Flat,</HI> when every one's upon the <HI>Stiff</HI> and the <HI>Re&s;erve.</HI></P>
<PB N="106" REF="67">
<P>But now, for a fly underhand <HI>Ob|&s;erver,</HI> to feign a Compliance with all this, and it may be &s;peak much in Commendation of it, and in the mean time make it his Bu&s;ine&s;s to <HI>Remark</HI> upon every thing that's &s;aid and done, and then turn <HI>Informer</HI> where-e're he goes, and endeavour either to redicule his Company, or &s;et them and their Neighbours together by the Ears; this Turns Society into a <HI>Civil War,</HI> and makes Neighbourhood as unea&s;y as liv|ing upon the Confines of an Enemy.</P>
<P>And after all, what Advantage has the Wretch <HI>him&s;elf,</HI> by this <HI>Double</HI> Treach|ery, of &s;crewing him&s;elf Fir&s;t into <HI>this</HI> Man's Intimacy by his counterfeit Civilities, and then into <HI>that</HI> Man's Favour by his Ill-natur'd Cen&s;ures and Reflections upon him? What does he get by all this, but the lo&s;s of his own <HI>Reputation,</HI> as one that delights to make <HI>Mi&s;chief,</HI> a Betrayer of Society, and that can afford no Man a good word, and &s;ometimes 'tis more <HI>Fatal</HI> to him, and engages him in &s;uch a way of <HI>Ju&s;ti|fying</HI> him&s;elf, as co&s;ts him his Life.</P>
<PB N="107" REF="67">
<P>Which brings to my Mind that Say|ing of <HI>David, P&s;al.</HI> 55. <HI>la&s;t ver&s;e, The Deceitful Man,</HI> or Treacherous Friend, whom he was before complaining of, <HI>&s;hall not live out half his days.</HI></P>
<P>Wherefore, for a Clo&s;e of this Advice; tho' I am far from Pleading for the <HI>moro&s;e</HI> and <HI>rude,</HI> yet I can't but think, that upon all Accounts 'twould be very happy for every one to be as &s;paring of his <HI>Complements</HI> as he can, and with all as &s;paring of his <HI>Cen&s;ures.</HI> To make <HI>Truth</HI> and <HI>Sincerity</HI> the Guide of his <HI>Civilities,</HI> and choo&s;e, in his Conver&s;a|tion, to talk of <HI>Things</HI> rather than of <HI>Per&s;ons;</HI> and when of Per&s;ons, to &s;ay no wor&s;e of any one behind his <HI>Back,</HI> than he would freely do before his <HI>Face;</HI> or rather, nothing that is <HI>Ill</HI> at all, &s;ince 'tis by no means fair to fix ill things upon a Man, who is not <HI>Pre&s;ent</HI> to make his own <HI>Defence.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;ince, what we have been di&s;|cour&s;ing of is but too much the <HI>Breed|ing</HI> and <HI>Accompli&s;hment,</HI> as well as <HI>Prac|tice</HI>
<PB N="108" REF="68">of the World; 'twill be our Wi&s;|dom not to be too credulous when fine things are &s;aid to us, and to be as <HI>wary</HI> as is po&s;&s;ible in our common Inter|cour&s;e, that we give no <HI>Advantage</HI> to the Lurking Adver&s;ary; and Re&s;erve tho&s;e <HI>Freedoms,</HI> and that Innocent <HI>Openne&s;s</HI> of Conver&s;ation, (which is the Life of Society, as that's the Life of Life) for &s;uch as by long Experi|ence we <HI>know</HI> to be <HI>Indeed our Friends.</HI></P>
<P>And if to this we add all the Di&s;|couragement we can to &s;uch who&s;e trade it is to be <HI>Bu&s;y-Bodies,</HI> and to fetch and carry Stories and Reports, not at all to li&s;ten to, or &s;hew our &s;elves pleas'd with 'em, but rather Re|prove and Check 'em, and &s;hun their Company, and fairly acquaint the Par|ties concern'd, how bold &s;uch and &s;uch have been with their Reputation, and caution 'em again&s;t them for the Fu|ture; this would &s;oon break the neck of this vile Practice, which is kept up by that <HI>Countenance</HI> which is given to it, and the &s;atisfaction too many &s;hew in hearing others cen&s;ur'd and expos'd,
<PB N="109" REF="68">and the great Curio&s;ity they have of prying into the Concerns of their Neighbours.</P>
<P>Let us therefore take the Apo&s;tles excellent Advice, and <HI>study to be quiet,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 4.11. Rom. 12.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>and to do our own Bu&s;ine&s;s; to Love one a|nother without Di&s;&s;imulation;</HI> to be can|did in our Cen&s;ures and Interpretations; and in all things re&s;olve to <HI>do as we would be done by:</HI> And then, we &s;hall find So|ciety, not only more <HI>Safe,</HI> but really more <HI>Ple&s;ant</HI> and <HI>Endearing,</HI> than all the <HI>Addre&s;s,</HI> and Modi&s;h <HI>Court&s;hips,</HI> po&s;&s;ibly can make it.</P>
<P>Nothing does <HI>&s;weeten</HI> a Di&s;po&s;ition more, than True Religion, and which is All in all; it makes a Man <HI>Sincere</HI> in his Civilities; and from the Heart as obliging both in Words and Actions, as Truth and Innocence will Permit. This is true Chri&s;tian <HI>Good Breeding;</HI> and whatever is <HI>more</HI> or <HI>le&s;s</HI> than this, <HI>cometh of Evil. More,</HI> is but Fawning and Flattery, and as we have &s;een, of very Dangerous Con&s;e|quence; and <HI>Le&s;s,</HI> is Salvage and Bru|ti&s;h,
<PB N="110" REF="69">and unbecoming a Man and a Chri&s;tian: He only that keeps the <HI>Middle</HI> Way, is a Man of Temper, and fit to be a <HI>Friend.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="10" TYPE="advice">
<PB N="111" REF="69">
<HEAD>The Tenth Advice.</HEAD>
<P>AND now,
<MILESTONE N="Advice 10."> becau&s;e the Happie&s;t of us all, <HI>Young</HI> as well as Old, can't but think it very po&s;&s;ible for the Scene to be chang'd, and it may be &s;ud|denly, and a &s;ad Alteration made in our Circum&s;tances; and the <HI>be&s;t</HI> of us all mu&s;t Acknowledge (and the better we are, the more readily &s;hall we do it) that &s;uch a Change would be no more than we <HI>De&s;erve:</HI> It will not be ami&s;s &s;ometimes to <HI>re|mind</HI> our &s;elves of it, and Arm our &s;elves <HI>before-hand</HI> with &s;uch Con&s;i|derations, as may Enable us to bear what Trouble may come upon us, as becomes Men and Chri&s;tians.</P>
<P>When we are ea&s;y and happy, our Thoughts are our <HI>own,</HI> and we can
<PB N="112" REF="70">without Di&s;turbance weigh and com|pare things together; but when <HI>Af|fliction</HI> is either actually upon us, or very near approaching, the <HI>Surprize,</HI> and Confu&s;ion of Thought that is caus'd by it, is apt to make us very uncapable of thorough Rea&s;oning and Con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>The proper Time therefore to lay in Arguments again&s;t immode|rate Trouble, and which, by our often revolving 'em in our Thoughts, may make &s;o la&s;ting an Impre&s;&s;ion as to become our <HI>own,</HI> and &s;ervice|able to us upon Occa&s;ion; the Time for this &s;o Nece&s;&s;ary a Provi&s;ion is <HI>before the Evil Days come.</HI> And this is &s;o far from being an <HI>un&s;uitable</HI> Em|ployment for Young Per&s;ons, that no|thing can be more needful upon all Accounts. 'Twill be a good <HI>Allay</HI> &s;ometimes to that <HI>Levity</HI> of Temper, which very often proceeds too far, and Tran&s;ports 'em to great Irre|gularities, and <HI>ha&s;tens</HI> Misfortunes &s;ooner than otherwi&s;e they would
<PB N="113" REF="70">come; and 'twill quiet and <HI>&s;ettle</HI> their Spirits, and induce that <HI>Seriou&s;|ne&s;s</HI> of Mind, which is nece&s;&s;ary to their &s;ucce&s;sful Management of any of their Affairs, and that Good Coun&s;el in any In&s;tance, may take place and be effectual. And be&s;ides, if we con&s;ider how very apt Trouble is to ri&s;e to <HI>ex|ce&s;&s;ive</HI> degrees, and get too great a Head to be ma&s;ter'd by us; no doubt but 'tis our Wi&s;dom to make <HI>early</HI> Provi&s;ion again&s;t it, &s;uch as both <HI>Rea|&s;on</HI> and <HI>Religion</HI> will plentifully fur|ni&s;h us withal; that &s;o tho&s;e fatal Exce&s;&s;es of Trouble may be prevented, which have prov'd to very many the Ruine both of Body and Soul.</P>
<P>And in order to this, let us fir&s;t con&s;ider, how <HI>unrea&s;onable</HI> a thing it is to indulge and <HI>give way</HI> to Trouble, and lay Afflictions &s;o extreamly to Heart, as we are apt to do, when from ea&s;ie and pro&s;perous Circum&s;tan|ces we fall into them.</P>
<PB N="114" REF="71">
<P>The proper bu&s;ine&s;s of <HI>Rea&s;on,</HI> is &s;o to regulate the Pa&s;&s;ions, as to make them <HI>&s;erviceable,</HI> but by no means &s;uf|fer them to be <HI>prejudicial</HI> to us. Now all the Good that <HI>Trouble</HI> can do a Man, when he &s;ees an Evil approach|ing, or feels the pre&s;ent Weight and Pre&s;&s;ure of it; is, that 'twill rou&s;e and excite his Endeavours to <HI>prevent</HI> and <HI>remove</HI> it; or, at lea&s;t, to <HI>alleviate,</HI> and make it more &s;upportable. But, when in&s;tead of this, we &s;uffer it to grow &s;o much upon us, as either in that de|gree to <HI>&s;ink</HI> our Spirits, as to make us lie down under our Burthen as utterly without Hope; or el&s;e to rai&s;e 'em to the pitch of <HI>Frenzy,</HI> and engage us in Cour&s;es that are de&s;perate and wicked: This certainly is no likely way to bring our Troubles to an end, unle&s;s it be a very <HI>fatal</HI> one.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e a Man has lo&s;t one, or a <HI>few</HI> Ble&s;&s;ings, therefore to take no no|tice of tho&s;e <HI>many</HI> others that re|main; becau&s;e, in &s;ome re&s;pects, he
<PB N="115" REF="71">is <HI>le&s;s</HI> happy than he was, therefore to re&s;olve not to be happy <HI>at all,</HI> and give way to a Pa&s;&s;ion, which, he knows, will make him very mi&s;era|ble: Becau&s;e his Troubles are great, therefore to refu&s;e to be comforted, and mu&s;e continually upon the <HI>Dark</HI> &s;ide of his Condition, and make it doubly Afflicting by Impatience; be|cau&s;e the Weight is heavy, therefore to add to it &s;till more and more, by all the Aggravations he can think of: To indulge and cheri&s;h what we com|plain of and groan under, and to hug Mi&s;ery &s;o clo&s;e, that neither Rea&s;on nor Religion, God nor Man, &s;hall per|&s;wade us to part with it and let it go; to &s;uffer neither Time nor Sleep to do their proper Offices, and calm the Boilings of our Spirits, but ince&s;&s;antly add Fuel to that Flame, under the Scorchings of which we at the &s;ame time cry out, and which we can't but know will at length con&s;ume and burn us up. Let any Man in his Sen|&s;es &s;ay, whether this (which is but too much the way of People in Affli|ction)
<PB N="116" REF="72">is not again&s;t all the <HI>Rea&s;on</HI> in the World.</P>
<P>Nor is it le&s;s contrary to <HI>Religion;</HI> which con&s;i&s;ts in nothing more than a firm Belief and Tru&s;t in Divine <HI>Pro|vidence,</HI> patient Submi&s;&s;ion to God's Will, Contempt of the World, and careful Imitation of our Lord's Exam|ple; with each of which immoderate Trouble is utterly incon&s;i&s;tent.</P>
<P>For, <HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> Who that has a lively &s;trong Per&s;wa&s;ion, that a Being infi|nitely Wi&s;e and Good does con&s;tantly take Care of him, and order all things relating to him; but will <HI>check</HI> rather than <HI>cheri&s;h</HI> the Unea&s;ine&s;s of his Mind under any of <HI>his</HI> Di&s;po&s;als: And how|ever irk&s;om it may be to him at fir&s;t, make it his Bu&s;ine&s;s to <HI>reconcile</HI> him|&s;elf to it, and fully acquie&s;ce in it, as being the Re&s;ult of Infinite Wi&s;dom and Goodne&s;s, and therefore for the <HI>be&s;t,</HI> tho' he can't at all di&s;cern, per|haps, at pre&s;ent, how it &s;hould be &s;o.</P>
<PB N="117" REF="72">
<P>And this he will find &s;till greater Rea&s;on to do, when he con&s;iders, That as he believes <HI>God</HI> to be Infi|nitely <HI>Wi&s;e</HI> and <HI>Good,</HI> &s;o by con&s;tant &s;ad Experience he finds, that <HI>Him&s;elf</HI> is very &s;hort-&s;ighted and ignorant, fooli&s;h and wicked; can &s;ee but a lit|tle way into the Con&s;equences of Things, is very much mi&s;taken and corrupted in his Choices, and would be very mi&s;erable, &s;hould God be&s;tow upon him every thing that he de&s;ires. And therefore, tho' &s;uch a Lo&s;s, or &s;uch and &s;uch an Infliction may at fir&s;t touch him to the very <HI>quick;</HI> yet he quiets all again by con&s;idering, that taking all things together, 'tis what <HI>ought</HI> to be, and will be for the <HI>best,</HI> and that Time will evidently de|mon&s;trate it to be &s;o, and that it can|not <HI>but</HI> be &s;o, &s;ince 'tis order'd by him who is infinitely <HI>Wi&s;e</HI> and <HI>Good,</HI> and withall &s;o <HI>Powerful,</HI> that no <HI>Affli|ction</HI> can be too great for him to re|move, when his Wi&s;dom and his Goodne&s;s &s;ee it fit to do &s;o.</P>
<PB N="118" REF="73">
<P>Infinite <HI>Wi&s;dom</HI> knows be&s;t <HI>when;</HI> and Infinite <HI>Goodne&s;s</HI> will not &s;uffer it to la&s;t a Moment longer; and In|finite <HI>Power</HI> can remove it with a <HI>Word.</HI></P>
<P>Again, (as is evident at the fir&s;t Glance) exce&s;&s;ive Trouble is very un|becoming a Chri&s;tian, becau&s;e 'tis ut|terly incon&s;i&s;tent with <HI>Patience;</HI> which is that Temper of Mind, whereby a Chri&s;tian calmly and quietly bears all Pre&s;&s;ures, however heavy and affli|cting, with entire Submi&s;&s;ion to the Divine Will, as being a&s;&s;ur'd, that God's great De&s;ign, tho' by various Methods, is to make us compleatly happy. He that thus <HI>evenly</HI> behaves him&s;elf under the Di&s;cipline of Pro|vidence, and will not be tempted to think ill of God, or De&s;ert his Service, tho' he &s;marts under his Corrections, nor take <HI>Ill</HI> Cour&s;es to remove his Trouble; this is the <HI>Patient</HI> Chri|&s;tian: And the more he may be <HI>&s;en|&s;ible</HI> of Affliction, in other re&s;pects,
<PB N="119" REF="73">the greater is his Patience, if he thus calmly and quietly <HI>&s;ubmits.</HI></P>
<P>Very remarkable are our Saviour's Words to his Apo&s;tles, when he fore|told them what they &s;hould &s;uffer for his &s;ake, and &s;uch as be&s;peak this qui|et &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive Temper to be the Great Security of all our other Duty;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 21.19.</NOTE> <HI>Po&s;|&s;e&s;s ye your Souls in Patience.</HI> As if without it ev'n a Man's <HI>Soul,</HI> all the Powers of it, not only his Will and Affections, but his very <HI>&V;nder&s;tanding</HI> could not be his own; but perfectly at the Command of any other, who could lay more Troubles on him than he had Patience to bear. And there|fore the Scripture frequently joins <HI>Faith</HI> and <HI>Patience</HI> together,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 6.12. &mdash;10.36.</NOTE> as each others <HI>Mutual Support.</HI></P>
<P>And indeed, in a World &s;o thick &s;et with Troubles and Vexations,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 2.15.</NOTE> <HI>Woe be to him,</HI> as the Wi&s;e Man &s;ays, <HI>that has lost Patience; and what will he do when the Lord &s;hall vi&s;it him?</HI> That is, when God &s;hall lay any great Ca|lamity
<PB N="120" REF="74">upon him, how will he do to bear it, who can bear nothing with any tolerable Temper, not &s;o much as com|mon Cro&s;&s;es and Di&s;appointments!</P>
<P>Another great Duty of our Holy Religion, is, <HI>Contempt of the World;</HI> or at lea&s;t &s;uch an <HI>Indifference</HI> to it, as that we may hang loo&s;e from things below, and employ our chief Care and Endeavour, to make &s;ure of our Glorious Rever&s;ion above.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> 19.26.</NOTE> <HI>Lay not up for your &s;elves Trea&s;ures upon Earth,</HI> &s;ays our Lord, <HI>but in Heaven; for where your Trea&s;ure is, there will your Hearts be al&s;o.</HI> What &s;hall we think then of their <HI>Religion,</HI> who are &s;o in|&s;eparably fa&s;tned to the World in their Affections, as not to be able to bear any of its Frowns, without an exce&s;|&s;ive Concern, as if their whole Hap|pine&s;s was torn from them, and no|thing worth their Notice left, to hope for or expect! What we lightly e|&s;teem, we can ea&s;ily part with, and live contentedly without; e&s;pecially if what we value mo&s;t of all, be &s;ecure
<PB N="121" REF="74">and &s;afe. If therefore we had Reli|gion enough to fix our Hearts there, where our Heavenly Trea&s;ure is, and &s;et a due E&s;timate upon it, and belie|ved it as <HI>certain</HI> to the Sincerely Good, as it is <HI>Glorious</HI> and <HI>Everla&s;ting,</HI> and look'd upon the World as empty in Compari&s;on and of no E&s;teem; we &s;hould with much le&s;s <HI>Regrett</HI> part with the <HI>Enjoyments</HI> of it than we do, and bear its <HI>Troubles</HI> with more <HI>Sedatene&s;s</HI> and Evenne&s;s of Temper.</P>
<P>I don't &s;ay with <HI>no Concern at all,</HI> for that's Impo&s;&s;ible; and du|ring our Abode in the &s;tate of Mor|tality, there are many things &s;o ne|ce&s;&s;ary to our Support and Comfort in it, that as we may and ought to <HI>Pray</HI> for 'em, and be thankful when we receive 'em, &s;o may we in Due Degree de&s;ire to <HI>keep</HI> them, and be <HI>Loath</HI> to part with 'em; and when they're gone, re&s;ent their Lo&s;s. But then, all this mu&s;t be Temper'd with &s;o prevailing a Mixture of <HI>Hea|venly-mindedne&s;s,</HI> as may &s;oon make
<PB N="122" REF="75">us lo&s;e our Re&s;entment of any World|ly Cro&s;&s;es, in the cheering Thoughts of what a Glorious <HI>Rever&s;ion</HI> we have in the Kingdom of God.</P>
<P>This is the True Noble Spirit of Chri&s;tianity, which makes a Man &s;o much <HI>Above</HI> the&s;e little things of Earth, as to permit no more than a <HI>Tran&s;ient</HI> Unea&s;ine&s;s to affect him, at the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;s of any of them; reflecting pre&s;ently upon there Immen&s;e Trea|&s;ures of Eternal Happine&s;s, which are <HI>Re&s;erv'd in Heaven for Him,</HI> and which his Comparatively <HI>Light Afflictions</HI> Here, do only &s;erve to rai&s;e his Value of, and increa&s;e his De&s;ire of enjoying.</P>
<P>Nothing more demon&s;trates the Strength and <HI>Power</HI> of Religion than this, nor does any thing more betray the Weakne&s;s and <HI>Infirmity</HI> of it than the contrary.</P>
<P>In the La&s;t Place, <HI>Immoderate</HI> Trou|ble removes a Man to a va&s;t di&s;tance
<PB N="123" REF="75">from the Temper and Example of <HI>Je&s;us</HI> our Ble&s;&s;ed Saviour.</P>
<P>For if we enquire how he behav'd him&s;elf under tho&s;e almo&s;t continual Troubles which he met with, we &s;hall find no Turbulency of Pa&s;&s;ion, no Murmurings and Repinings, but a quiet Re&s;ignation of Soul, a Calm Sedatene&s;s of Demeanour, an entire Tru&s;t in God, and an Admirable Cha|rity to the wor&s;t of his Enemies. This, the Story of his whole Life will Witne&s;s; and when his Days grew near their End, with what in|comparable Patience and Submi&s;&s;ion to the Divine Will, did he receive the bitter Cup of his approaching Sufferings!</P>
<P><HI>Father, if it be po&s;&s;ible, let this Cup pa&s;s from me;</HI> there are expre&s;s'd the feeling Re&s;entments of relucting Na|ture: <HI>Neverthele&s;s, not as I will, but as thou wilt;</HI> there is his entire Ac|quie&s;cence in God's Will concerning him.</P>
<PB N="124" REF="76">
<P>And when he Actually <HI>Sufferd</HI> what was &s;o Dreadful to him in the <HI>Ex|pectation,</HI> with what Mee<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">s, and Silence, and Wondrous De<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ency, and Pre&s;ence of Mind did he demean him|&s;elf, and that under the &s;harpe&s;t Af|flictions both of Body and Soul! And when, in the mid&s;t of his Agonies upon the Cro&s;s, he was Barbarou&s;ly In&s;ulted by the Me<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">cile&s;s Spectators; all they could Provoke him to utter was this &s;trangely Good Prayer, <HI>Fa|ther forgive them, they know not what they do.</HI></P>
<P>This is our <HI>Lord</HI>'s Example in this matter, and which, in &s;ome mea&s;ure at lea&s;t, he expects that we &s;hould Imitate; and 'tis a great part of our Religion to do &s;o.</P>
<P>But now, if we're &s;o far from this, as to <HI>Indulge</HI> that Pa&s;&s;ion to <HI>Exce&s;s,</HI> which our Lord's Practice, as well as Precept, engages us to keep under and <HI>Controul;</HI> if <HI>we</HI> lo&s;e all Patience
<PB N="125" REF="76">when we're afflicted, tho' our <HI>Lord</HI> when he was &s;o, was a Perfect <HI>Lamb;</HI> if <HI>we</HI> can bear <HI>nothing,</HI> when our great <HI>Ma&s;ter</HI> with admirable Temper did bear &s;o <HI>much,</HI> and that too, for our <HI>&s;akes,</HI> and in our <HI>&s;tead:</HI> If Chri&s;t and Chri&s;tians are &s;o very much unlike in this Re&s;pect, what is their Reli|gion!</P>
<P>Such Con&s;iderations as the&s;e, if we go no further, will let us &s;ee both how unrea&s;onable and unchri&s;tian a thing it is, to &s;uffer Trouble to pro|ceed without Re&s;traint.</P>
<P>But 'twill not be ami&s;s to endea|vour to prevent &s;o great an Evil, by one Reflection more upon the Nature and De&s;ign of all Affliction; which is intended by God as a Means to Cure the Di&s;ea&s;es of the Soul, and a Fatherly Correction for former Faults.</P>
<P>But now, <HI>Exce&s;&s;ive</HI> Trouble, utter|ly hinders the Operation and good
<PB N="126" REF="77">Effect, and turns the Medicine into Poi&s;on, and gentle Cha&s;ti&s;ement in|to Ruine and De&s;truction. A &s;trange Ill Di&s;po&s;ition this! and which we can't begin too &s;oon to rectify.</P>
<P>When the Rod is in the Hand of Infinite Love, and Kindne&s;s infinite|ly greater than we bear unto our &s;elves, proportions the Weight and Number of the Strokes; in the Name of God, what Cau&s;e is there for &s;uch great Degrees of Trouble? I believe there are but very few &s;o In|tirely Heedle&s;s of the Methods of Divine Providence, as not to have Ob&s;erv'd, and to Remember the Wondrous Mixture of God's Good|ne&s;s with his Puni&s;hments; what an A&s;cendant his Mercy hath had over his Ju&s;tice, and how Happily, and &s;ometimes Unexpectedly, he hath put an End to his Publick and Private Corrections!</P>
<P>Which of our <HI>&s;elves</HI> have not en|joy'd much more of Happine&s;s than
<PB N="127" REF="77">we have felt of Trouble and Afflicti|on?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 94.19.</NOTE> And even <HI>in the mid&s;t of Sorrows of our Hearts,</HI> how have God's Divine <HI>Comforts</HI> in an unaccountable manner <HI>Refre&s;h'd our Souls!</HI></P>
<P>What unthought of Happy Events have prevented, or put an <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">nd to, former Misfortunes that have Threatned or been upon us; and many things brought about by a &s;trange <HI>Series</HI> of good Providences, which have Sur|priz'd us into full Happine&s;s before we were aware!</P>
<P>Let any Rea&s;onable Man there|fore &s;ay, whether it is not the Wi|&s;e&s;t and mo&s;t Chri&s;tian Cour&s;e, af|ter Humbly Acknowledging <HI>God</HI>'s Hand in every Affliction, and &s;earch|ing out Diligently for the Cau&s;e of it; to endeavour, by &s;incere Repentance and Amendment, to Clo&s;e with the Gracious De&s;ign of it; and &s;o, either keep it off when it only Threatens, or encline God to Re|move it, if Actually upon us; and
<PB N="128" REF="78">then <HI>Buoy</HI> up our Spirits in a full Per&s;wa&s;ion that all will end in our Good?</P>
<P>That Ble&s;&s;ed Being, who for|merly &s;o Graciou&s;ly, and Surpriz|ingly, Diverted, or put an End to my own, or others Afflictions, is as Good, and Wi&s;e, and Powerful as ever; why then &s;hould I De&s;pair of the like Mercy again, (tho' I can't fore&s;ee it may be <HI>how</HI> it &s;hould be,) from him who changeth not, and can do what he plea&s;eth?</P>
<P><HI>The Spirit of a Man,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 18.14</NOTE> &s;ays Solo|mon, <HI>will &s;u&s;tain his Infirmity;</HI> and &s;uch Thoughts as the&s;e will &s;u&s;tain the Spirit of a Man, and enable him with a Chri&s;tian Steadine&s;s of Mind, to bear what God &s;hall plea&s;e to lay upon him. <HI>But a wounded Spirit who can bear!</HI> A mind pierc'd through with Impatience and Di&s;|tru&s;t of Providence, is it &s;elf a Bur|then more intollerable than any o|ther Affliction in the World.</P>
<PB N="129" REF="78">
<P>But after all, that what has been al|ready &s;aid may be throughly effe|ctual, let us not forget to take St.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Jam.</HI> 5.13.</NOTE> <HI>James</HI>'s Advice along with us, and <HI>if any man be afflicted, let him Pray.</HI> Excellent Advice indeed it is, and no greater Con&s;olation can a wound|ed Spirit receive, than in <HI>Calling upon God in the Time of Her Trouble.</HI> For He is the Fountain of Comfort, and the Great Di&s;po&s;er of all Things; 'tis His Grace and Holy Spirit that mu&s;t teach us Re&s;ignation and Submi&s;&s;i|on to His Will; and if we make devout Addre&s;&s;es to Him, and with a calm and even mind await His <HI>Lei|&s;ure;</HI> we may in his Good Time ex|pect to &s;ee our Troubles have a Happy end: <HI>For God will not always be Puni&s;hing, neither keepeth He his Anger for ever.</HI> Wherefore to clo&s;e this Advice; &s;ince there is no Man living that is &s;ecure again&s;t <HI>Affli|ction,</HI> and <HI>Comfort</HI> in it is what e|very one De&s;ires; and very few when Trouble is actually upon 'em, are either able to give it to <HI>them|&s;elves,</HI> or <HI>capable</HI> of Receiving it from
<PB N="130" REF="79"><HI>Others;</HI> I could not but think it, as I &s;aid, of great Advantage to Young Per&s;ons, to furni&s;h 'em with &s;uch Con&s;iderations <HI>before-hand,</HI> as may be of u&s;e to prevent exce&s;s of <HI>Melan|cholly</HI> and Dejection, or any <HI>De&s;pe|rate</HI> and unju&s;tifiable Undertakings; and Prepare 'em to Com<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ort them|&s;elves, under the &s;evere&s;t Di&s;pen&s;a|tions of Providence, with that pa|tience and <HI>evenne&s;s</HI> of Temper, which becomes the <HI>Rea&s;on</HI> of a Man, and the <HI>Faith</HI> of a Chri&s;tian.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="11" TYPE="advice">
<HEAD>The Eleventh Advice.</HEAD>
<P>HAving in the Foregoing Ad|vices endeavour'd to <HI>Prevent</HI> &s;uch Errors and Mi&s;takes in Young Gentlemens <HI>Faith</HI> and <HI>Practice,</HI>
<MILESTONE N="Advice 11."> as they are mo&s;t <HI>Apt</HI> to fall into, and which are of un&s;peakable ill Con|&s;equence; give me leave now to &s;up|po&s;e, that things have not been ma|nag'd
<PB N="131" REF="79">by them as they <HI>&s;hould</HI> be, and &s;ome of tho&s;e many Tempta|tions they are &s;urrounded with, have been too Succe&s;sful, and robb'd 'em of their Innocence, and engag'd them in &s;ome Cour&s;es that cannot be ju&s;ti|fied: So that to the former <HI>Pre&s;er|vatives,</HI> 'twill be needful to add &s;ome few. Advices more, in order to their <HI>Recovery.</HI></P>
<P>And Fir&s;t, let me earne&s;tly Re|commend to them a frequent &s;erious <HI>&s;elf-Examination;</HI> a Particular enqui|ry into their Thoughts, Actions, and Di&s;cour&s;es, what they are, and have been, and whether they are and have been as they <HI>&s;hould</HI> be, and to what <HI>end</HI> and Conclu&s;ion they <HI>tend.</HI></P>
<P>And this is not only a highly <HI>Be|neficial</HI> Employment, as we &s;hall &s;ee by and by, but 'tis a very <HI>Ea&s;ie</HI> one too; for there is no Rea&s;onable Man's Memory &s;o extreamly treacherous, but if duly Con&s;ulted, will inform Him of matters of <HI>Fact</HI> which are His <HI>Dayly</HI> Practice, that is, in the <HI>Main;</HI>
<PB N="132" REF="80">for &s;ome Particulars no doubt may e&s;cape the nice&s;t Examination. And when the enquiry is made, there is &s;omething <HI>within</HI> that will <HI>Accu&s;e</HI> or <HI>Excu&s;e,</HI> Acquit or Condemn <HI>imme|diately;</HI> and let us &s;ee the Tendency of our Good or Bad Actions re&s;pe|ctively, without any <HI>Tedious Proce&s;s,</HI> or long &s;eries of Argumentation.</P>
<P>For the plain Truth, and which we all of us know very well, is in &s;hort <HI>this.</HI> If we Guide our &s;teps to the be&s;t of our Power and Know|ledge by the Rule of Rea&s;on and Religion, and endeavour to follow where our Saviour has gone before; and are willing to li&s;ten to, and be Directed by the Guides that God has Provided us when we are at a Lo&s;s, or have mi&s;taken our Path; then we need not Que&s;tion but we're in the way that Leads to <HI>Life</HI> and <HI>Glory:</HI> And if we per&s;i&s;t and go on in it, let it be Broad or Narrow, Rough or Smooth, upon the Mountains or in the Valleys, or the like; and tho' we &s;ometimes, nay often make a <HI>fal&s;e
<PB N="133" REF="80">&s;tep,</HI> yet thro' the Merits of our Sa|viour, and the Guidance of his Ble&s;|&s;ed Spirit, we &s;hall at length arrive at a Happy Journey's end.</P>
<P>But if on the contrary, we find that our Di&s;po&s;itions are <HI>earthly, &s;en|&s;ual, and devili&s;h,</HI> that we live <HI>with|out God in the World,</HI> are Licentious and Unchri&s;tian, directly oppo&s;ite to Chri&s;t's Precept and Example, in open Defiance to Religion, or if more Fair in outward &s;hew, yet without <HI>Sincerity:</HI> Such ways as the&s;e are the ways that lead to <HI>Mi&s;ery</HI> and <HI>Ruin,</HI> not only in the World to <HI>come,</HI> but ev'n in <HI>this</HI> too. And whoever goes on in 'em without controul, and will not be recall'd, will at length, and very likely before He is aware, after all the Misfortunes he has run through here, find him&s;elf a mi&s;e|rable Inhabitant of the Place <HI>prepa|red for the Devil and his Angels.</HI></P>
<P>Now by <HI>Frequent</HI> Self-Examinati|on, I mean no le&s;s than <HI>Daily;</HI> that every Night when we're retir'd from
<PB N="134" REF="81">the World, and the noi&s;e and hurry of that day's Stage is over, and we have taken up our Lodging to Re|fre&s;h our &s;elves for the next; then, as <HI>David</HI> expre&s;&s;es it,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 4.4.</NOTE> <HI>to commune with our own Hearts in our Chamber and be &s;till.</HI> That is, without Prejudice or Pa&s;&s;ion, to Con&s;ider quietly and &s;eri|ou&s;ly, as in the Pre&s;ence of God Om|ni&s;cient,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 139.</NOTE> <HI>who is about our Path, and a|bout our Bed, and &s;pyeth out all our ways,</HI> what our behaviour that Day actually <HI>hath</HI> been, and what it <HI>&s;hould</HI> have been, and Con&s;equently to which <HI>State</HI> we have been Travelling, to the Kingdom of Life and Glory, or to the Regions of Eternal Death?</P>
<P>And this Daily Scrutiny into our Lives and Conver&s;ations is &s;o agree|able to <HI>Rea&s;on,</HI> that Heathen Philo|&s;ophy did particularly Recommend it, and 'tis one of the Golden Precepts, as they are de&s;ervedly call'd, of the School of <HI>Pythagoras; Admit not &s;leep to clo&s;e your eyes, till you have recol|lected thrice each &s;ingle Action of the day, and ask'd your &s;elves &s;uch Que&s;ti|ons
<PB N="135" REF="81">as the&s;e. Wherein have I tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ed? What have I done? What Duty have I omitted? Run over the&s;e things, beginning at the Fir&s;t, and then, if you have done ill, be Troubled; if well, Re|joyce.</HI></P>
<P>What can be more excellently &s;aid than this? What more u&s;eful Pra|ctice can there be in this our <HI>Pilgri|mage,</HI> (as the Scripture calls our Life, and really it is no other) than at the clo&s;e of every Stage thus to look back upon our Goings, ob&s;erve where we have err'd and wandred, at what we &s;tumbled and fell, upon what Motives and Temptations, that &s;o we may Prevent the next Day the mi&s;carriages of this, &s;ee our Error before it is too late, return before we have wandred too far, &s;et a greater value upon our Guides, more heed|fully ob&s;erve their Directions, and be the more wary and circum&s;pect in our future Journeys, for being &s;o ea&s;ily thrown down, deceived and led a&s;ide in tho&s;e that are pa&s;t. How much ea&s;ier is it to Recollect and
<PB N="134" REF="82">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="135" REF="82">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="136" REF="83">Amend the mi&s;carriages of a <HI>Day,</HI> than of <HI>Months,</HI> or <HI>Years?</HI> And Con|&s;equently, how much &s;afer is it for every Man thus to Con&s;ider his ways whil&s;t his Memory can tell Him what they were, and whil&s;t 'tis in his Power with &s;o much ea&s;e to amend them if they are <HI>ami&s;s;</HI> than to go carele&s;ly on, till for want of Examin|ing, he takes the Wrong way for the Right, gets a habit of going a&s;tray, and &s;o becomes not &s;en&s;ible of his Error, till 'tis too late to Mend it; or at lea&s;t has wandred &s;o long, that the difficulty of Recovering the right way is almo&s;t In&s;uperable!</P>
<P>No better Office certainly, than to direct a Stranger in the Road that He &s;hould take, to warn Him of Dangers that He may meet with in it, and to lead Him back and &s;et Him Right, when He has lo&s;t his Way: E&s;pecially when He is in <HI>Ha&s;te,</HI> and <HI>Night</HI> is coming on, and the Bu&s;ine&s;s he goes about of great|e&s;t <HI>Con&s;equence.</HI></P>
<PB N="137" REF="83" MS="y">
<P>Now nothing can be of greater Con&s;quence than the Journey of a Chri&s;tian through the World; He Travels upon <HI>Eternal Life and Death;</HI> His Journey is Great, and therefore He had need to lo&s;e no Time; and the Night with every Man is com|ing on apace, and no Man can tell how &s;oon it may be Night with <HI>Him;</HI> and 'tis a <HI>long</HI> Night too, and may be <HI>Eternal,</HI> and will certainly put an end to His Journey whenever it o|vertakes Him, whether it be to Hea|ven or to Hell. And therefore tho&s;e Con&s;iderations that will &s;et us right in our way, and expedite our Great Bu&s;ine&s;s, and help to Conduct us &s;afe|ly to that Happy Place where we all would be, are no doubt well employ'd.</P>
<P>But for all this, Young People I'm afraid will not be very ea&s;ily Per|&s;uaded to put this Advice in Pra|ctice; and therefore the more need to pre&s;s it earne&s;tly upon them. They look upon it as a very uncomfortable
<PB N="138" REF="84">Way of Travelling, to be &s;till <HI>Doubt|ing</HI> whether they are right or no, continually <HI>Enquiring,</HI> and li&s;t'ning to every melancholly or de&s;igning Per&s;on, that &s;hall pretend to give them better Directions. If now and then a mi&s;giving Thought ari&s;es, 'tis &s;mother'd pre&s;ently by Bu&s;ine&s;s or Plea&s;ure; and when a Guide of Souls is met with who Faithfully informs them of the way they ought to take, tells them they're in the wrong, and mu&s;t turn back if they would &s;ee their wi&s;h'd for Journey's end, and that <HI>That</HI> Path will lead them to their Ruin: They look upon this as a Greeting of <HI>Cour&s;e</HI> from Men of their <HI>Profe&s;&s;ion,</HI> and make it their endeavour to Per&s;uade Him to go a|long with <HI>Them,</HI> rather than think of turning back with <HI>Him.</HI> How|ever, let Him take his <HI>own</HI> Cour&s;e, they are re&s;olv'd &s;till to follow <HI>theirs;</HI> 'tis the way they have been us'd to, and which offers it &s;elf readye&s;t and faire&s;t to them, and is &s;mooth and plea&s;ant, the Entertainment good, and mo&s;t of their Friends and Ac|quaintance,
<PB N="139" REF="84">it may be, do bear 'em Company in it; &s;o that very loath they are to make too nice Enquiries, le&s;t they &s;hould be made &s;en&s;ible of the nece&s;&s;ity of Performing &s;o un|grateful a Task, as with many a weary &s;tep to beat the Hoof back again, and turn their Feet into a Track they have no Mind to.</P>
<P>But in &s;hort, would this be Pru|dence in our Journeyings here in <HI>this</HI> World? And why &s;hould not our Judgment be the &s;ame with Re|&s;pect to the <HI>Other?</HI></P>
<P>We need not be told, I &s;up|po&s;e, that here we are Strangers, <HI>have no abiding City, but &s;eek one to come;</HI> where when we once Arrive, we &s;hall be for ever fix'd as in our proper Place of Abode, our <HI>Home.</HI></P>
<P>That other World con&s;i&s;ts of <HI>Two,</HI> and <HI>but</HI> two States, the one Infinite|ly Happy, the other as Infinitely Mi&s;erable.</P>
<PB N="140" REF="85">
<P>To the&s;e two States there are two Highways that lead, which tho' they meet in a <HI>Point</HI> at the begin|ning, yet <HI>Widen</HI> In&s;en&s;ibly and In|finitely, and at length, become as far di&s;tant from each other, as Hea|ven is from Hell.</P>
<P>And therefore in all Rea&s;on, as our <HI>Fir&s;t</HI> Care &s;hould be to <HI>&s;et out</HI> Well, &s;o our <HI>next,</HI> immediately to turn <HI>Back,</HI> if we perceive that we have gone <HI>ami&s;s.</HI> For every &s;tep that we then take, carries us further and further wide from Heaven, and nearer to De&s;truction.</P>
<P>Well then, if this Daily Self-Ex|amination be of &s;uch va&s;t Con&s;e|quence, what ever will make us <HI>unca|pable</HI> of it, &s;hould carefully be avoided, Particularly <HI>&V;n&s;ea&s;onable</HI> and <HI>Intempe|rate</HI> Drinking. How can He clo&s;e his Day with &s;uch a &s;erious <HI>Scrutiny</HI> as we have now been &s;peaking of, who has <HI>&s;taid &s;o long at the Wine,</HI> as to be able to think coherently of <HI>nothing,</HI>
<PB N="141" REF="85" MS="y">and who is fitter for a <HI>Frolic,</HI> or for &s;leep than <HI>Meditation?</HI> A con&s;tant Practice of <HI>Night-Revels</HI> is upon all Accounts a mo&s;t unhappy thing, but upon none more &s;o than becau&s;e it unfits a Man for this great Duty; whereby He becomes a Stranger to him&s;elf, and his own Proceedings, and that in matters of the greate&s;t Mo|ment; and all this for a Belly-full of Liquor, and empty frothy Mirth.</P>
<P>Moderate Wine, and &s;ea&s;onable well cho&s;en Conver&s;ation, are Ble&s;|&s;ings which our Holy Religion does by no means Envy us. Certainly, I may enjoy my <HI>Friend</HI> without for|getting my <HI>&s;elf,</HI> and have the &s;atis|faction of <HI>others</HI> Company, without making my &s;elf unfit for my <HI>own.</HI></P>
<P>And I Que&s;tion not, but upon try|al, any Man will find tho&s;e Days &s;pent mo&s;t to his Satisfaction, which are clos'd with a &s;erious Reflection upon his ways at Night: And all that I further de&s;ire of Young Per|&s;ons upon this Particular, is, that
<PB N="142" REF="86">they would immediately try the Ex|periment, and beg the A&s;&s;i&s;tance of God in tho&s;e excellent Words of the 139 <HI>P&s;. ult. Try me O God, and &s;ee the ground of my Heart, Prove me and ex|amine my Thoughts; look well if there be any way of wickedne&s;s in me, and lead me in the way Everla&s;ting.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="12" TYPE="advice">
<HEAD>The Twelfth Advice.</HEAD>
<P>WHEN upon &s;uch <HI>Enquiry,</HI>
<MILESTONE N="Advice 12."> or by the kind Admonition of their Friends, or both, Young Per|&s;ons begin to &s;ee their Errors; let 'em above all things have a care, upon any Account whatever, of &s;hut|ting their Eyes again&s;t &s;uch Con|victions of their own Minds, and of being Deaf to good Coun&s;el and Ad|vice. That is, let 'em beware of <HI>Stubborne&s;s</HI> and <HI>Ob&s;tinacy,</HI> and <HI>wilful Ignorance,</HI> or non-Attention to the great Obligations that Religion and
<PB N="143" REF="86">their own true Intere&s;t do lay upon them.</P>
<P>None are &s;o Deaf, we &s;ay, as tho&s;e that <HI>will</HI> not Hear; none &s;o <HI>Pro|vokingly</HI> Wicked and hard to be Re|form'd, as tho&s;e who Indu&s;triou&s;ly &s;et them&s;elves to keep out any Thought that may check them in their Carreer, and incline 'em to Re|turn; whom no Calls will awaken, no Arguments Per&s;uade &s;o much as to <HI>think</HI> of Amendment; and who <HI>like the deaf Adder, &s;top their Ears to the voice of the Charmer, charm he never &s;o wi&s;ely.</HI></P>
<P>This &s;ort of Men, think they &s;hall be undone, if they once give ear to Per&s;ua&s;ives to Religion; that 'twill Deprive them of what they e&s;teem as their Happine&s;s, and draw 'em into the &s;nare of a few de&s;igning Men, who will Lord it over their Liberty, hamper 'em with &s;evere Impractica|ble Rules, turn 'em into Mopes, and in&s;tead of allowing them their for|mer Plea&s;ures, be continually read|ing
<PB N="144" REF="87">Lectures to 'em of <HI>Self-denyal, Mortification,</HI> and <HI>Repentance,</HI> and all in Hopes of an <HI>un&s;een</HI> Reward, no Body knows <HI>when</HI> nor <HI>where.</HI> And becau&s;e they can't but own, howe|ver, that &s;omething very powerfully moving is in &s;uch Di&s;cour&s;es, &s;ome|thing that touches 'em in an unac|countable manner, ev'n forces Ap|probation from them, and as 'twere <HI>Charms</HI> 'em into a Compliance; there|fore they're Re&s;olv'd they'l <HI>&s;top their Ears,</HI> and &s;o defeat the Holy <HI>Magic</HI> of the&s;e <HI>Mercenary Charmers;</HI></P>
<P>This is that wilful Spiritual <HI>Deaf|ne&s;s</HI> &s;o often mention'd in Scripture; when, as our Lord expre&s;&s;es it, Hearing the Sermons of the Go&s;|pel, <HI>Men hear not, neither do they un|der&s;tand,</HI> (or Attend and Con&s;ider, as 'tis in the Original) in order to their &s;uitable Practice; and there|fore He &s;o often u&s;eth this Expre&s;|&s;ion, <HI>He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.</HI> There is likewi&s;e a wilful Blindne&s;s of the Soul, whereby the Scripture Repre&s;ents to us Wicked
<PB N="145" REF="87">Mens Di&s;regarding all <HI>Inward Con|viction</HI> of their own <HI>Minds,</HI> and keep|ing them&s;elves as <HI>Ignorant</HI> as they can of their <HI>Guilt</HI> and of their <HI>Duty,</HI> and the nece&s;&s;ity of a Reformation; and which is very emphatically ex|pre&s;&s;ed, <HI>Mat.</HI> 13.15. <HI>This Peoples heart is waxed gro&s;s,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, grown <HI>Callous</HI> and In&s;en&s;ible, thro' an overcharge of the Plea&s;ures of the World, <HI>and their Ears are dull of hearing,</HI> as before explain'd, <HI>and their eyes have they clos'd,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, they have <HI>wink'd hard;</HI> as we &s;hut our Eyes ha&s;tily and &s;trongly, when we fear the approach of a|ny thing <HI>offen&s;ive</HI> to them; <HI>le&s;t at any time they &s;hould &s;ee with their Eyes, and hear with their Ears, and under&s;tand with their Heart, and be Converted, and I &s;hould heal them.</HI></P>
<P>Now the <HI>&V;nder&s;tanding</HI> is the <HI>Eye</HI> of the <HI>Soul,</HI> or that Faculty where|by the Mind receives the Light of Truth and Knowledge; of which Light there is now, thanks be to God, abundant Plenty &s;tream'd
<PB N="146" REF="88">down from Him who is the <HI>True Light that enlightneth every Man that cometh into the World;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 John 9.</NOTE> and which who&s;oever will <HI>receive</HI> may <HI>enjoy,</HI> and that according to his <HI>full ca|pacity.</HI></P>
<P>But as the <HI>Material</HI> Light may be intercepted by the interpo&s;ition of Bodies too clo&s;e for it to penetrate; or, as the Eye may be <HI>incapabable</HI> of receiving its Rays, or wilfully &s;hut and clo&s;e it &s;elf, and deny ad|mittance to them, tho' &s;hining in full lu&s;tre round about; and upon ei|ther of the&s;e Accounts the Body may remain in Darkne&s;s: So the Soul may not enjoy <HI>its</HI> proper Light, either thro' the Under&s;tanding's being not capable of <HI>receiving</HI> it, (which is <HI>unavoidable</HI> Ignorance, the ca&s;e of <HI>Natural Fools</HI>) or el&s;e for want of a due <HI>medium,</HI> thro' which it may be tran&s;mitted, &s;uch as is Good and Competent <HI>In&s;truction;</HI> (which yet, if by our own <HI>neglect</HI> we want, we cannot plead as an Excu&s;e) or el&s;e, our Minds are Ignorant and Dark,
<PB N="147" REF="88">becau&s;e we wilfully <HI>Refu&s;e</HI> to let in any Light or Knowledge to them, will not <HI>admit,</HI> or <HI>attend</HI> to any thing that would Di&s;pel tho&s;e mi&s;ts of Er|ror and Delu&s;ion, which hang over them as a Dark pitchy Cloud: And <HI>this</HI> is a Blindne&s;s altogether owing to a Mans <HI>&s;elf,</HI> a <HI>Rebelling again&s;t the Light,</HI> as <HI>Job</HI> Expre&s;&s;es it, <HI>Job</HI> 24.13.</P>
<P>But is it not &s;trange, that Men &s;hould &s;o delight in this Spiritual <HI>Blindne&s;s,</HI> as to <HI>force</HI> it upon them|&s;elves! That a Rational Creature &s;hould be better pleas'd with the <HI>Darkne&s;s</HI> and <HI>Confu&s;ion</HI> of his Under|&s;tanding, as to the things of Religion (tho' of all the noble&s;t Furniture of our Souls) than with a Bright, Clear, <HI>Godlike</HI> Mind! Nay, &s;o <HI>much</HI> better pleas'd as &s;tudiou&s;ly to <HI>keep out</HI> all new acce&s;s of Light, to &s;top up every <HI>A|venue,</HI> every chink and cranny, thro' which it unawares might &s;teal into his Soul! This is &s;trange indeed! and the more we Con&s;ider it, the
<PB N="148" REF="89">more we &s;hall wonder at it, but yet it is no News.</P>
<P>An <HI>&V;nthinking</HI> Life guided by the fal&s;e Lights of Humour and Cu&s;tom, every one may ob&s;erve is the Life that too great numbers of Young People lead; and the great Truths of Reli|gion, and the obligations they derive upon our Practice, if medled with at all, 'tis but <HI>&s;lightly</HI> and &s;uperfici|ally, one <HI>Glance</HI> and away, and then all is well, if their Hearts are but <HI>Gro&s;s</HI> enough to give them no di|&s;turbance by &s;ecret <HI>mi&s;givings,</HI> and in|ward <HI>gripes</HI> and <HI>twinges.</HI></P>
<P>And what's the Rea&s;on of all this, but <HI>Guilt</HI> and the Impurities and De|filements of their Souls? To make too nice Enquiries into their Religi|ous Obligations, would be trouble|&s;ome they think to <HI>do,</HI> and much <HI>more</HI> &s;o when <HI>done;</HI> and therefore better be <HI>quietly</HI> blind and ignorant in the&s;e matters, than to have their Eyes <HI>opened</HI> to behold their <HI>mi&s;ery</HI> and <HI>&s;hame.</HI></P>
<PB N="149" REF="89">
<P>Light is the great Di&s;coverer of <HI>&V;ncleanne&s;s,</HI> and &s;hews it to <HI>be</HI> what <HI>it is;</HI> and who, that <HI>&s;o</HI> beholds it, but will for <HI>&s;hame,</HI> if nothing el&s;e, endeavour to <HI>remove</HI> it! When the <HI>Light of the glorious Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t &s;hines in</HI> upon the Soul of a Sinner, what <HI>&s;hameful Di&s;coveries</HI> will then be made! How <HI>foul</HI> will it appear even to the wretch <HI>Him&s;elf!</HI> How exceeding <HI>vile</HI> and &s;inful, that which before was cheri&s;h'd as his <HI>Darling!</HI></P>
<P>But &s;uch Di&s;coveries as the&s;e the Sinner does by no means De&s;ire &s;hould be made; and therefore in|deed it is, that He excludes this <HI>Light. This is the Condemnation,</HI> &s;aith our Lord, <HI>that Light is come into the World, and Men love Darkne&s;s rather than Light, becau&s;e their Deeds are E|vil; for every one that doth evil ha|teth the Light,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Joh. 19.20.</NOTE> neither cometh to it, le&s;t his Deeds &s;hould be</HI> Di&s;cover'd and <HI>Reprov'd.</HI></P>
<PB N="150" REF="90">
<P>There is &s;uch Deformity and <HI>Gha&s;tline&s;s</HI> in the face of Sin, when &s;een without its Mask in a True Light, as mu&s;t needs Create infinite <HI>Horror</HI> and <HI>Aver&s;ion</HI> in the Soul: Witne&s;s the Opinion a <HI>Dying</HI> Sin|ner has of it; for then it appears to him Naked and without Di&s;gui&s;e. And therefore, <HI>the God of this World, that</HI> great Deceiver, fir&s;t <HI>blinds the Minds of tho&s;e that are Lo&s;t, darkens their fooli&s;h Hearts,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4.4. Rom. 1.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">1.</NOTE> as the Apo&s;tle expre&s;&s;es it, and then drills 'em on from one Vice to another with fal&s;e <HI>Appearances</HI> of Good, that &s;o Wick|edne&s;s and Ignorance may quietly go hand in hand together. And the poor bewitched Creatures are &s;o Pleas'd with this infernal State, and &s;o us'd to it; that they Con&s;pire with their Deceiver to lengthen out this fatal Darkne&s;s till it becomes Eternal.</P>
<P>This is a very <HI>di&s;mal</HI> Condition, and into which People are very apt <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;lide before they are <HI>aware,</HI> and
<PB N="151" REF="90">which we are now endeavouring to <HI>&s;ecure</HI> Young Per&s;ons <HI>from,</HI> or <HI>Re|cover</HI> 'em <HI>out of,</HI> if betray'd into it; and they may know when they are &s;o, by asking them&s;elves &s;eriou&s;ly the&s;e few Que&s;tions.</P>
<P>When I feel &s;ome good Motions &s;pringing up in my Mind, in order to my leaving &s;ome ill Cour&s;es that I am engag'd in, don't I pre&s;ently <HI>check</HI> 'em, and Divert my Thoughts to &s;omething el&s;e?</P>
<P>When I have had a <HI>Glimps</HI> of the <HI>foulne&s;s</HI> of Sin, and the <HI>Mi&s;ery</HI> that will at la&s;t attend it, by a gleam of Light from above &s;hot, unexpe|ctedly into my Soul; how have I be|haved my &s;elf under &s;uch beginnings of Conviction? Have I been <HI>glad</HI> of that Di&s;covery, and endeavour'd to let &s;till <HI>more</HI> Light in, by opening the Eye of my Under&s;tanding, weigh|ing and Con&s;idering things more thoroughly than formerly, &s;earch|ing the Scriptures, Advi&s;ing with good Books, and good Men, and
<PB N="152" REF="91">Praying God <HI>to make my Darkne&s;s to be Light;</HI> or have I not rather been in <HI>pain</HI> till I had <HI>chas'd</HI> the Light <HI>away,</HI> and <HI>skreen'd</HI> my Soul from its unwelcome Rays, by clapping the <HI>World</HI> between, thru&s;ting my &s;elf into bu&s;ine&s;s or Company, or any thing that might keep out &s;uch un|ea&s;y Thoughts, as the Di&s;covery of my inward Pollutions would rai&s;e within me? And &s;peak &s;incerely, is not a fondne&s;s for Sin, a &s;ecret Re&s;olution to continue in it, and a fear of being too Powerfully inclin'd to mortifie and de&s;troy it; is not <HI>this</HI> at the bottom of all?</P>
<P>The An&s;wer that every Man's own Con&s;cience will make to the&s;e few Que&s;tions, will inform him whether he is of the Number of the &s;piritually <HI>Blind</HI> or not, and who be&s;ides are always <HI>Deaf,</HI> as was &s;aid, to what Advices may be given for their Recovery. And their Condition is really &s;o Deplorable (as we &s;hall &s;ee pre&s;ently) that nothing more near|ly concerns every Man than to u&s;e
<PB N="153" REF="91">his utmo&s;t endeavours to &s;ecure him|&s;elf from it.</P>
<P>By what has been hitherto &s;aid, concerning a &s;tubborn Ob&s;tinacy in wicked Cour&s;es, we &s;ee the Scrip|ture repre&s;ents &s;uch Per&s;ons, as &s;pi|ritually both <HI>Deaf</HI> and <HI>Blind;</HI> as is the Condition then of tho&s;e that are <HI>Naturally</HI> &s;o, <HI>&s;uch,</HI> tho' infinitely <HI>wor&s;e,</HI> is theirs that are &s;o to <HI>Religion.</HI> And 'twill not be ami&s;s to con&s;ider this Repre&s;entation a little.</P>
<P>To be <HI>Blind</HI> is certainly a very great Misfortune, and to be <HI>Deaf</HI> perhaps a greater; and how helple&s;s and di&s;|con&s;olate the Condition of either is, we may a little imagine from what we have ob&s;erv'd of the Circum|&s;tances of each, and from the&s;e Mens own moanings and Complaints.</P>
<P>Sen&s;es that are &s;o <HI>Recreating,</HI> and &s;o <HI>In&s;tructive,</HI> that convey &s;o much <HI>Plea&s;ure</HI> and &s;o much <HI>Knowledge</HI> to the Soul; Plea&s;ure of a Refin'd and Spiritual Nature, and Knowledge
<PB N="154" REF="92">the mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary and Beneficial: the lo&s;s of <HI>either</HI> mu&s;t needs make a &s;trange alteration in a Man, and be an un&s;peakable Affliction.</P>
<P>How <HI>Deplorable</HI> then is the Con|dition of tho&s;e that have lo&s;t 'em <HI>both!</HI> Our imagination is quiet <HI>Con|founded,</HI> when we would frame an <HI>Idea</HI> of it.</P>
<P>Neither to <HI>hear,</HI> nor to <HI>&s;ee,</HI> is in effect to be out of the <HI>World;</HI> 'tis as if a Man &s;hould be &s;hut up in a dark Cave, in the mid&s;t of an un|frequented De&s;art, without other Company than his own &s;ad Thoughts and di&s;mal Reflections. For conti|nual Darkne&s;s, and Silence, and So|litude, is the &s;ad Portion of the <HI>both Deaf</HI> and <HI>Blind,</HI> tho' in the mid&s;t of their neare&s;t Relations and be&s;t Friends.</P>
<P>The lo&s;s of but <HI>one</HI> of the&s;e no|ble Sen&s;es, may be very much made up by the free u&s;e and Enjoyment of the <HI>other,</HI> together with the cha|ritable
<PB N="155" REF="92">a&s;&s;i&s;tance of good Per&s;ons who enjoy them <HI>both.</HI> The <HI>Eye,</HI> by the help of Books and Writing, may let in tho&s;e Di&s;cour&s;es to the Mind, which us'd to be tran&s;mitted thro' the <HI>Ear;</HI> and <HI>&s;igns</HI> may keep up that Friendly intercour&s;e and Socie|ty, and communicate tho&s;e Thoughts to one another which us'd to be convey'd in <HI>Sounds.</HI></P>
<P>And the <HI>Ear,</HI> &s;o far as concerns the Improvement of the Mind, may by others Reading and Di&s;cour&s;e mightily &s;upply our want of Ability to Con&s;ult Books our &s;elves. Such <HI>&s;hifts</HI> as the&s;e, may in &s;ome mea&s;ure alleviate the Misfortune of being ei|ther Blind or Deaf, and make it tollerable; But what, unle&s;s a mi|racle can help him, that is <HI>Both</HI> He is quite excluded, not only fro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> the <HI>Advantages,</HI> but the <HI>Comforts</HI> o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> Society; uncapable of any thing tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> might <HI>Divert</HI> the &s;adne&s;s of hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> Thoughts, or <HI>mitigate</HI> his Trouble He lives at mo&s;t but the lowe&s;t &s;ort of <HI>Animal</HI> Life, but one degree a|bove
<PB N="154" REF="93">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="155" REF="93">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="156" REF="94">the <HI>Vegetative,</HI> &s;ave that He can <HI>think,</HI> and <HI>reflect</HI> upon his <HI>Mi|&s;ery,</HI> (and that with great <HI>Confu&s;ion</HI> too, and which will <HI>Aggravate</HI> it much) and Pray to God by <HI>Death</HI> to take Him from it; the Hopes of which Deliverance in Time, is all the Comfort that he hath. He is indeed <HI>Seal'd</HI> up to the mo&s;t di&s;|mal Condition that can be imagin'd in this World; expos'd inevitably (as to any of his own help) to the <HI>Dangers</HI> of it, <HI>uncapable</HI> of its <HI>Com|forts</HI> and Enjoyments, and had a|bundantly better be out of it, than thus bury'd alive as 'twere in it.</P>
<P><HI>Like</HI> this, tho' Infinitely <HI>wor&s;e,</HI> as we &s;hall &s;ee pre&s;ently, is the Con|dition of the <HI>Spiritually</HI> Blind and Deaf, as before de&s;cribed; and tho' I never <HI>knew,</HI> or upon enquiry could <HI>Hear</HI> of any <HI>Naturally</HI> &s;o, (which as often as I think on, I can't but ad|mire God's Wonderful good Provi|dence and care of Mankind, in &s;uf|fering &s;o very <HI>few,</HI> if <HI>any,</HI> to be &s;o <HI>extreamly</HI> mi&s;erable; when yet, the
<PB N="157" REF="94">one Sen&s;e is as &s;oon lo&s;t as the o|ther, and he that to Day lo&s;t his Sight, might the next Day lo&s;e his Hearing, as well as one Man <HI>this,</HI> and another <HI>that,</HI> and when one and the &s;ame Accident or Di&s;temper might ea&s;ily deprive of both at <HI>once;</HI>) tho' I never knew, as I &s;aid, or could hear of any <HI>Naturally</HI> both Deaf and Blind, yet <HI>Spiritually</HI> there are, God knows, abundance. But 'tis their own Act and Deed, God's care be|ing equal to Pre&s;erve Men from be|ing &s;o in the one Sen&s;e, as well as the other.</P>
<P>Now the <HI>extream Mi&s;ery</HI> of the Spiritually Deaf and Blind, (or in other words the Ob&s;tinate and Irre|claimable) con&s;i&s;ts in the following Particulars.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, As the Naturally &s;o are in Effect out of the World, and Dead while they Live; &s;o <HI>the&s;e</HI> are out of the <HI>Church,</HI> receive no Benefit by the Communion of Saints; have none of the Comforts and Advan|tages
<PB N="158" REF="95">of that Holy Society; no Com|merce with, nor influences from the Divine Head of it Chri&s;t Je&s;us; have the <HI>Name</HI> of Chri&s;tians, and that's all, but live like Infidels in the Darkne&s;s of their Mind, and the Vilene&s;s of their Practice, as if there were no God, no Religion, no <HI>fu|ture</HI> State, or no Account then to be given of our Actions in <HI>this.</HI></P>
<P>And what &s;ad circum&s;tances mu&s;t tho&s;e needs be in, who thus deprive them&s;elves of all the <HI>means of Grace</HI> and Salvation in <HI>this</HI> World, and of all <HI>Hopes</HI> of Happine&s;s in the <HI>next!</HI></P>
<P>For, Secondly, tho&s;e that are in this Condition are expos'd to Ruin &s;o far as we can &s;ee, <HI>unavoidably.</HI></P>
<P>A Charitable <HI>Friend</HI> may pre&s;erve a Man <HI>Naturally</HI> Blind and Deaf from approaching Dangers, and &s;natch him from imminent Perils, which He knows nothing of him&s;elf, nor can receive Information of from o|thers,
<PB N="159" REF="95">much le&s;s tell how to avoid; but who can do this for one that is <HI>Spiritually</HI> &s;o? <HI>Man</HI> cannot; and to ex|pect that <HI>God</HI> &s;hould, is groundle&s;s Pre&s;umption.</P>
<P>He that has &s;top'd his Ears, and &s;hut fa&s;t his Eyes, and that for this very <HI>Rea&s;on,</HI> le&s;t He &s;hould hear and &s;ee, be inform'd of his Duty, and made &s;en&s;ible of his Errors, and in|clin'd to Reform 'em; how can <HI>this</HI> Man of all Men, expect that God &s;hould make him Hear and See, and Convert and Save him whether He <HI>will or no?</HI></P>
<P>As our Lord &s;aid to the willfully Blind <HI>Phari&s;ees,</HI> (and the ca&s;e is the &s;ame with the <HI>Deaf) if ye were Blind indeed, ye &s;hould have no Sin, but now ye &s;ay, we &s;ee,</HI> and yet &s;ee not, (as 'tis el&s;e|where laid to their charge) <HI>therefore your &s;in remaineth,</HI> John 9.41.</P>
<P>The Blindne&s;s of our Under&s;tand|ings which is not <HI>wilfull,</HI> and the defects of our Obedience con&s;equent
<PB N="160" REF="96">upon it, God will pa&s;s by; and af|ford us, if not a <HI>perfect</HI> Light, yet &s;uch as &s;hall be &s;ufficient to guide us, if we will follow it, into the ways of Peace. But He that <HI>can</HI> &s;ee, and <HI>will</HI> not, or He that <HI>once</HI> could &s;ee, but has willfully put out his Eyes, or keep<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> them fa&s;t &s;hut and clos'd on purpo&s;e that He may not &s;ee his Duty, becau&s;e He has no mind to do it; God has no where &s;aid that He will <HI>force</HI> open his Eye|lids, or re&s;tore him his Sight by <HI>Mi|racle,</HI> and convince and reform Him <HI>irre&s;i&s;tibly;</HI> but rather, and 'tis but ju&s;t, that <HI>the Blackne&s;s of Darkne&s;s is re|&s;erved for him for ever.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">St. Jude.</NOTE></P>
<P>Thirdly, to be thus Spiritually Blind and Deaf, is a Condition ex|treamly Deplorable, becau&s;e it ad|mits of no <HI>Comfort</HI> or <HI>Con&s;olation;</HI> the Man has made him&s;elf not <HI>capa|ble</HI> of receiving it from <HI>others,</HI> nor can his <HI>own</HI> Thoughts &s;ugge&s;t any thing but what will make him &s;till <HI>more Mi&s;erable.</HI></P>
<PB N="161" REF="96" MS="y">
<P>For <HI>Con&s;cience,</HI> do what we can, will &s;ometimes be <HI>awake,</HI> and when it is &s;o, its clamours and upbraidings are &s;o importan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> and loud, that they <HI>will</HI> be heard, and its Convictions are written upon the very <HI>Mind it &s;elf.</HI> Like &s;o many fla&s;hes of <HI>Light|ning,</HI> they at once Di&s;pel the <HI>Dark|ne&s;s</HI> of the Soul, and &s;hew it its Condition, and by intollerable <HI>&s;corch|ings</HI> begin Hell upon Earth; as the Regions of the Damned have no other Light, than is caus'd by the flames that torment them. A Light that will <HI>convince</HI> indeed, but not <HI>Convert,</HI> and only &s;erve to cau&s;e a quicker Sen&s;e of the Horror of that di&s;mal State they're in.</P>
<P>No Man can expre&s;s, what Ago|nies ob&s;tinate irreclaimable Sinners &s;ometimes feel; what dire forebode|ings of <HI>the Wrath to come!</HI> Which tho' they endeavour never &s;o indu|&s;triou&s;ly to &s;tifle, will yet revive a|gain, to their un&s;peakable, <HI>unallay'd,</HI> Terror and Confu&s;ion.</P>
<PB N="162" REF="97">
<P>The <HI>Naturally</HI> Deaf and Blind, if their <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> be quiet, may think upon <HI>God,</HI> and <HI>Pray</HI> to Him, and receive <HI>Comfort</HI> from Him, and hope that <HI>tho' heavine&s;s may endure for this</HI> di&s;con&s;olate dark <HI>Night,</HI> yet the <HI>Morning,</HI> the Dawning of Eternal <HI>Day</HI> will bring <HI>Light,</HI> and <HI>Joy, and Healing under its wings;</HI> and their &s;ad <HI>lonely</HI> &s;ilence be exchang'd for the ravi&s;hing Sounds of Heavenly Halle|luja's, and the ble&s;t Society of the Spirits of Ju&s;t Men made Perfect; till the long wi&s;h'd for Time, when the Happy <HI>Euge, well done Good and faithful Servant,</HI> &s;hall fix them for ever in the Joy of their Lord.</P>
<P>But to the <HI>Spiritually</HI> &s;o, to think upon <HI>God</HI> is to begin their <HI>Hell,</HI> for to &s;uch He is a <HI>con&s;uming Fire;</HI> and to think upon <HI>Death,</HI> is to open to them&s;elves a horrid Pro&s;pect of the Torments they &s;hall for ever Suffer after it. Death indeed, will open their Eyes and their Ears, (and the Thoughts of it too, will do it in
<PB N="163" REF="97">&s;ome mea&s;ure) but to &s;uch <HI>Objects,</HI> as they had better never have been born, than e're acquainted with.</P>
<P>Thus does our Lord mo&s;t feeling|ly Repre&s;ent to us the mi&s;erable Con|dition of an ob&s;tinate Sinner, by the greate&s;t Misfortune that can befal us upon Earth. And now, if this be &s;o, how nearly does it Concern us every one, with the greate&s;t Care and Diligence to prevent this grow|ing Calamity, which is &s;o apt to &s;teal upon us without our Ob&s;erva|tion!</P>
<P>The Plea&s;ures and Pro&s;perities of the World, e&s;pecially in the days of Youth and vigour, &s;eem to bid fair for Happine&s;s; and we are apt to be &s;o mightily delighted with 'em, as to Drink <HI>deep</HI> of 'em and <HI>often,</HI> till at length we grow <HI>in&s;en|&s;ible</HI> of <HI>Spiritual</HI> things, and then comes on that <HI>Blindne&s;s</HI> and <HI>Deaf|ne&s;s</HI> to Religion which we have now di&s;cours'd of; and what is the &s;ad Con&s;equence we have ju&s;t now &s;een.</P>
<PB N="164" REF="98">
<P>The greater therefore our <HI>Danger</HI> is in this matter, the greater in all Rea&s;on &s;hould be our Care to <HI>pre|vent</HI> it; and &s;ince all proceeds from too much love of the World, there|fore in the fir&s;t place to re&s;olve to love that <HI>le&s;s;</HI> and begin in Time to work our Hearts into a <HI>Pliant, Ductile</HI> Temper, &s;uch as may keep our Ears open to fair Warnings, charitable Reproofs, and good Ad|vice. And then, if we look upon the <HI>unea&s;ine&s;s</HI> we feel at &s;uch Di&s;cour&s;es as an <HI>ill Symptom,</HI> and make it an Argument for our &s;till greater at|tention to them; and &s;o far embrace every Conviction of our Con&s;ciences, as to let it <HI>continue</HI> with us and be|&s;tow &s;ome <HI>Thoughts</HI> upon it; if we do this, and do it <HI>Sincerely,</HI> and in <HI>Time,</HI> we &s;hall find the Cloud be|gin to remove from our Under|&s;tandings, and Spiritual <HI>Light</HI> and <HI>Knowledge</HI> will flow in apace; we &s;hall plainly di&s;cover the Cheats that were before put upon us, the fatal Mi&s;takes we were under; and
<PB N="165" REF="98">this will <HI>un&s;top our Ears,</HI> and make us &s;till more and more Attentive to the <HI>Words of &s;ound Wi&s;dom,</HI> the faith|ful Coun&s;els of tho&s;e that wi&s;h our Happine&s;s; and that will make our Hearts &s;till more and more Tender and <HI>Impre&s;&s;ible,</HI> &s;en&s;ible of our true Intere&s;t, our Duty, and our Dan|ger, which will excite our utmo&s;t Diligence to <HI>&s;ecure</HI> the <HI>one,</HI> and <HI>avoid</HI> the <HI>other,</HI> crying unto God for help; who never Rejects that Prayer which begs his A&s;&s;i&s;tance, that we may &s;erve him better, and to which we add our own Sincere Endea|vours.</P>
<P>Now who that's <HI>Blind</HI> or <HI>Deaf,</HI> or but in <HI>Danger</HI> of being &s;o, would refu&s;e an ea&s;ie certain Cure? And when He knows how much he may contribute to it <HI>him&s;elf,</HI> d'ye think He would delay to do his <HI>utmo&s;t</HI> towards it? And how overjoy'd would the <HI>Blind</HI> be, to be &s;en&s;ible of the <HI>fainte&s;t Glimmerings,</HI> and open wide his be-nighted Eyes, to let in more and more of chearful Light!
<PB N="166" REF="99">How Ravi&s;hing would the lea&s;t <HI>Sound</HI> be to the <HI>Deaf</HI> Ear, and ex|cite its utmo&s;t Attention to receive &s;till more! And how much great|er would be the Joy, of the <HI>both Deaf and Blind,</HI> to recover either Sen&s;e &s;o far, as to have tho' but the lea&s;t Intimation, that there was &s;ome Hopes of their enjoying both again; that it lay very much in their own Power to effect it, and that the blame mu&s;t be their own if they did not!</P>
<P>How <HI>eagerly</HI> would they do every thing they could, to make a free entrance for Light and Sounds, and welcome every new Acce&s;&s;ion of ei|ther with Tran&s;ports of Delight! How earne&s;t their Prayers to God for his Ble&s;&s;ing, and how unfeign|ed their Thanks and Prai&s;es for Succe&s;s! What a quick Grateful Reli&s;h would they have of the al|mo&s;t forgotten <HI>Plea&s;ures</HI> of the Eye and Ear, and how would they <HI>Im|prove</HI> the <HI>Advantages</HI> of both! How feellingly &s;en&s;ible would they be of
<PB N="167" REF="99">their former Mi&s;erable State; and how would they dread and avoid every thing, tho' never &s;o remote, that might lead to it again!</P>
<P>If we may &s;uppo&s;e all this of the <HI>Naturally</HI> Blind and Deaf, how much more &s;hould it be verified by the <HI>Spiritually</HI> &s;o, who&s;e ca&s;e as we have &s;een is infinitely more deplorable, and who&s;e De&s;ires therefore of re|covery in all Rea&s;on &s;hould be &s;trong|er far, their Prayers more Importu|nate, their Joy greater in the Hopes of it, and their endeavours more earne&s;t to bring it to Perfection! And He that is &s;o &s;tubborn and ob|&s;tinate, as wilfully to <HI>continue</HI> in this &s;ad &s;ttate, into which too he has brought <HI>Him&s;elf;</HI> where &s;hould the blame of his Ruin be plac'd but <HI>upon Him&s;elf?</HI></P>
<P>Let every Sinner therefore, in&s;tead of impiou&s;ly and ungratefully accu|&s;ing <HI>God</HI> of Tyranny and Inju&s;tice, Arbitrary Power, and mercile&s;s <HI>De|crees,</HI> and the like; as if He fir&s;t
<PB N="168" REF="100">hardned their Hearts and took away their Hearing and their Sight, and &s;o &s;ealed them up to De&s;truction, and then re&s;olv'd to inflict Eternal Puni&s;hments upon them, becau&s;e they did not do <HI>Impo&s;&s;ibilities;</HI> hear and &s;ee, when He had made them Deaf and Blind, and have a tender Sen&s;e of Religion, when He had made their Hearts callous and pa&s;t feel|ing: In&s;tead of &s;uch horrid Bla&s;phe|my as this, let every Sinner give Glory to God, by humbly acknow|ledging that 'tis his <HI>own</HI> doing, and the Con&s;equence of his li&s;tning to the <HI>De&s;troyer,</HI> rather than the <HI>Savi|our</HI> of Mankind. Whoever peri&s;hes, I &s;ay it again, mu&s;t blame <HI>him&s;elf</HI> for it; for 'tis his own wilful Blindne&s;s, Stubborne&s;s and Ob&s;tinacy, that has depriv'd him of the means and po&s;|&s;ibilities of Salvation. To &s;ave &s;uch a one, God mu&s;t proceed quite con|trary to the Nature of Virtue and Vice, and the e&s;tabli&s;h'd Rules of his Word, and <HI>force</HI> him to be Good and Happy, notwith&s;tanding all his <HI>Re&s;i&s;tances</HI> and Refu&s;als. But a <HI>forc'd
<PB N="169" REF="100">Virtue,</HI> and a <HI>forc'd Heaven,</HI> are &s;trange new things that one &s;hall &s;eldom hear of.</P>
<P>When a Sinner is arriv'd to that degree of Ob&s;tinacy, that nothing but <HI>extraordinary,</HI> nay <HI>miraculous</HI> Grace, can &s;often and Reform him, God's not giving him that <HI>ex|traordinary</HI> Grace, but leaving him to the <HI>u&s;ual con&s;tant</HI> A&s;&s;i&s;tances of his Holy Spirit, and Methods of the Go&s;pel, which his Ob&s;tinacy has made <HI>Ineffectual</HI> to him; (for what In&s;tru|ctions and Advices can take Place upon the Deaf and Blind?) this &s;eems to be the mo&s;t Intelligible Account of God's <HI>hardning</HI> any Man. 'Tis only Permitting him &s;till more and more to harden <HI>Him&s;elf,</HI> by not u&s;ing <HI>extraordinary</HI> Means to Prevent it; and which is but a Ju&s;t Puni&s;h|ment for his former <HI>Stubborne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>As in the Story of <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> He hardened his <HI>own</HI> Heart &s;o far, as to receive no Impre&s;&s;ion either by God's <HI>Severity</HI> in inflicting, or his
<PB N="170" REF="101" MS="y"><HI>Goodne&s;s</HI> in Removing <HI>Seven</HI> of the <HI>Ten</HI> Plagues; and then <HI>God</HI> is &s;aid to harden his Heart, or to give him up to his own Fatal <HI>Ob&s;tinacy.</HI> So in <HI>I&s;aiah, chap.</HI> 6.9, 10. <HI>ver.</HI> where God commands the Prophet to De|nounce to his Rebellious People, the Judgment of making their <HI>Hearts fat, and their Ears heavy,</HI> &amp;c. which our Lord &s;aid was fulfill'd in the <HI>Phari&s;ees, Mat.</HI> 13.14, 15. The Rea|&s;on of this Threatning is, becau&s;e they had made <HI>them&s;elves Deaf and Blind</HI> before: <HI>Ye Hear indeed, but &V;nder|&s;tand not,</HI> or do not attend and Con|&s;ider; <HI>and ye See indeed, but do not Per|ceive,</HI> or take Notice; <HI>therefore,</HI> as by way of <HI>Puni&s;hment, make this Peoples Heart fat, and their <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> heavy, and &s;hut their Eyes,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Wherefore, to Conclude this Ad|vice; the way for us not to Peri&s;h, is not to De&s;troy our <HI>&s;elves</HI> by our incorrigible <HI>Ob&s;tinacy:</HI> and He that does not make <HI>him&s;elf</HI> Blind and Deaf, and in&s;en&s;ible to Religion, need ne|ver fear that <HI>God</HI> will make him &s;o;
<PB N="171" REF="101">who&s;e Solemn <HI>Prote&s;tation</HI> is, that He <HI>de&s;ires not the Death of a Sinner,</HI> and who&s;e con&s;tant <HI>Call</HI> is, <HI>Turn ye, Turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye dye, O Hou&s;e of I&s;rael!</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="13" TYPE="advice">
<HEAD>The Thirteenth Advice.</HEAD>
<P>AND now,
<MILESTONE N="Advice 13."> having &s;een the Dan|ger of Ob&s;tinate <HI>continuing</HI> in &s;uch ill Cour&s;es as Young Per&s;ons may have faln into; the next Ad|vice will be, that they endeavour to Recover them&s;elves by a &s;incere and &s;peedy <HI>Repentance.</HI></P>
<P>And here, to prevent Mi&s;takes in this matter, which are very of|ten made, and of very fatal Con&s;e|quence; 'twill be needful briefly to &s;hew what true Repentance is. 'Tis &s;uch a Sen&s;e of Sin as fills the Soul with <HI>Shame</HI> and bitter <HI>Remor&s;e</HI> for having Committed it, utterly con|demning
<PB N="172" REF="102">it, as the greate&s;t Ba&s;ene&s;s, Ingratitude, and Folly; Re&s;olving for the Future no more to be Guilty of it, and keeping that Re&s;olution to the be&s;t of our Power. Or in other Words, 'tis a Mans <HI>willing A|mendment</HI> of his former Faults, pro|ceeding from a thorough Change of his <HI>Judgment</HI> concerning them; at|tended with great Sorrow and com|punction of Spirit, for his acting &s;o contrary to His own Rea&s;on and be&s;t Intere&s;t, and violating the Ju&s;t Commands of God, who&s;e innume|rable Benefactions to Him, make his utmo&s;t Services but a Ju&s;t Debt.</P>
<P>Now from this De&s;cription of Re|pentance, we may take Notice that 'tis not every Religious <HI>fright,</HI> oc|ca&s;ion'd either by &s;ome awakening Di&s;cour&s;es of the Dreadful Puni&s;h|ments that will overtake a Sinner in the other World, back'd with the Terrors of his own guilty Con&s;cience, or by a fit of Sickne&s;s, when the near Approaches of Death open His Eyes, and give him a Sight of tho&s;e Tor|ments,
<PB N="173" REF="102">and never dying Flames, which He is like to &s;uffer, and &s;eem to be ju&s;t ready to take hold of Him: Much le&s;s is it a few forc'd Sighs and Tears, <HI>a Lord have mercy upon us,</HI> and a heedle&s;s unaffectionate Repetition of &s;ome Penitential Forms, the Sen&s;e of which we do regard but little. Notwith&s;tanding all this, a Man may retain the &s;ame Affecti|on to Sin, and be as Bad again as ever; and &s;uch &s;ort of Penitents, al|ways are &s;o, and very often Wor&s;e. This &s;ort of Sorrow for Sin, is like that of a Traytor at the Gallows; He Repents him, it may be, that He was engag'd in &s;uch and &s;uch Practices, becau&s;e they brought Him thither, and the Time of his Exe|cution is come; but at the &s;ame time He is as much an Enemy to his Prince as ever, and would glad|ly Repeat his Trea&s;on, could He do it with Impunity.</P>
<P>Let every one therefore have a Care of taking any thing of this Nature for Repentance. The great|e&s;t
<PB N="174" REF="103">and mo&s;t pungent remor&s;e for Sin, unle&s;s 'tis follow'd by a thorough a|mendment of Life, is nothing but what we call trouble of Mind, and the la&s;hes of Con&s;cience; which tho' they are apt to put Men upon making &s;erious Reflections upon their ill Cour&s;es, and by Degrees may bring them to a true &s;en&s;e of the <HI>Wicked|ne&s;s</HI> of their Sin, which is a good &s;tep towards Repentance, yet 'tis but a <HI>Step:</HI> And a great deal more mu&s;t be done by him that will repent indeed. His Mind and Judgment mu&s;t be intirely chang'd, his Temper and Di&s;po&s;ition alter'd; ill habits mu&s;t be rooted out, and the contrary good ones E&s;tabli&s;hed in their Room: And his &s;orrow for Sin, which at fir&s;t was for his <HI>own</HI> &s;ake, and for fear he &s;hould &s;uffer what God had threat|ned to inflict; mu&s;t be improv'd in|to a true <HI>godly &s;orrow,</HI> &s;uch as re|&s;pects that infinitely good Being who he &s;o ungratefully rebell'd again&s;t; and melts him down into all the pa&s;&s;ions of <HI>Shame</HI> and <HI>Confu&s;ion,</HI> and &s;elf <HI>Abhorrence</HI> and <HI>Condemnation,</HI>
<PB N="175" REF="103">which attend a deep &s;en&s;e of doing ba&s;ely by one who is infinitely kind and good to us. 'Tis <HI>this</HI> alone that will <HI>work Repentance to Salvation,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7.10.</NOTE> <HI>not to be repented of,</HI> (i. e.) a con&s;tant <HI>Better Life.</HI></P>
<P>Now from this &s;hort Account of the Nature of true Repentance, we may &s;ee plainly, that 'tis a Work which mu&s;t be &s;et about <HI>Immediately,</HI> if we would bring it to Perfection. 'Tis as Difficult as Nece&s;&s;ary, and requires very great Re&s;olution, Watchfulne&s;s and Diligence to carry it on &s;uccesfully; and is indeed, the proper bu&s;ine&s;s of <HI>Youth.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat.</HI> 5.25.</NOTE> <HI>A|gree</HI> therefore <HI>with thine Adver&s;ary quickly,</HI> as our Lord advi&s;eth, and with all the &s;peed imaginable &s;et a|bout that great Work, without which our Ruine will be inevita|ble.</P>
<P>And that young Per&s;ons may be the more effectually Per&s;waded to &s;o ungrateful a Task, &s;o Melan|cholly an Employment; they may
<PB N="176" REF="104">plea&s;e to attend to the following Con&s;iderations.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> Every deferring this great Duty to &s;ome other time, is a re&s;olv'd Continuance in a &s;tate which we know God infinitely hates, and a new &s;tep to final Impenitency.</P>
<P>No Mans Con&s;cience is &s;ear'd and benum'd in an in&s;tant; there mu&s;t be frequent Acts of Violence done to it to &s;ilence its Clamours, and make it &s;tupid and in&s;en&s;ible. Now every time we <HI>put off</HI> our Repentance, we re|new that <HI>Violence;</HI> our Con&s;cience has le&s;s and le&s;s of feeling; &s;in grows more and more habitual, and there|fore &s;eems to &s;it lighter and ea&s;ier upon us; and that makes us &s;till more Confident and Carele&s;s, and &s;o we go &s;moothly on in the way of Ruine, till we become <HI>pa&s;t feel|ing,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 4.19.</NOTE> as the Apo&s;tle Phra&s;es it, and then pa&s;t <HI>Cure.</HI></P>
<P>Thus the Sinner, if let alone, will certainly in the end become his own
<PB N="177" REF="104">Executioner. Every Permi&s;&s;ion of Sin to abide with us without Di&s;tur|bance, has it's Proportion of the Guilt and Mi&s;ery of that hardned State, which St. <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> thought was the &s;in again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t. And the longer 'tis Permitted, the greater is that Guilt,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.28.</NOTE> and 'twill in|&s;en&s;ibly grow into a <HI>Reprobate</HI> Mind; and then, without Remedy, will follow the intollerable Puni&s;hment. And therefore, unle&s;s we can <HI>dwell with Everla&s;ting Burnings,</HI> it nearly con|cerns us, without further delays, to de&s;troy Sin in its Embryo, and very fir&s;t Beginning, le&s;t before we think on't it arrive to this fatal Perfecti|on, and bring forth this Death.</P>
<P>But <HI>Secondly,</HI> tho' by God's &s;peci|al Care and A&s;&s;i&s;tance, a Sinner <HI>may</HI> be awaken'd before he comes to this &s;ad Period (which yet, becau&s;e no Man can be &s;ure of 'tis a very great Madne&s;s to tru&s;t to) yet the long|er we delay our Repentance, the difficulty of it will Proportionably increa&s;e upon us.</P>
<PB N="178" REF="105">
<P>When length of time has made Sin habitual to a Man, and it be|comes fix'd and rooted in his Na|ture; it mu&s;t needs be a very hard task to de&s;troy tho&s;e inveterate in|grain'd Habits, and pluck up tho&s;e &s;preading Roots of Bitterne&s;s, which have &s;o long over-run, and taken Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the Soul. The Prophet <HI>Jeremy</HI> &s;ays, 'tis as ea&s;ie for <HI>an Ethio|pion to change his skin, and a Leopard his &s;pots,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 13.23.</NOTE> <HI>as for tho&s;e to do good that are ac|cu&s;tomed to do evil;</HI> which &s;ignifies at lea&s;t that 'tis the greate&s;t <HI>Difficulty,</HI> and requires an almo&s;t endle&s;s la|bour to perform.</P>
<P>Now what &s;trange folly is it, to &s;uffer &s;o fatal and &s;preading a Di&s;ea&s;e as Sin, to go on for many Years without controul, when even now at <HI>fir&s;t</HI> 'tis hardly to be cur'd, and will give us a full Employment to keep under even to the la&s;t of our Days, tho' we take it in time, and begin with it immediately!</P>
<PB N="179" REF="105">
<P>Be&s;ides, as much as Youth is apt to depend upon the future, and &s;till defer till <HI>to Morrow;</HI> how uncer|tain is it whether to morrow will be <HI>Theirs!</HI> We can only be &s;ure of the <HI>Pre&s;ent</HI> Moment, ten thou&s;and Accidents may deprive us of the <HI>Next;</HI> Accidents as unfore&s;een and unprovided for, as are the Mi&s;e|ries of humane Life to an unborn Infant. Now what extream Mad|ne&s;s is it for Creatures in &s;uch pre|carious Circum&s;tances, to &s;lumber and drou&s;e away their Opportunity; and defer a Bu&s;ine&s;s of &s;uch infinite Con&s;equence, when none but God can tell what the next Hour may bring forth!</P>
<P>But <HI>Thirdly,</HI> of all times the time of <HI>Sickne&s;s</HI> and approach of Death is the mo&s;t Improper and Un&s;ea|&s;onable for this great Work of Re|pentance.</P>
<P>For <HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> 'Tis then more <HI>Difficult</HI> than at any time before; our evil
<PB N="180" REF="106">Habits, are then more deeply Root|ed Sin more Predominant than e|ver by rea&s;on of long Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion; and God more than ever di&s;pleas'd, and his Spirit more than ever griev'd, and nearer being quench'd by tho&s;e often repeated Delays, which the Sinner has then &s;pun to their ut|mo&s;t length. Now in other mat|ters, we think it a very odd Con|trivance, for a Man that has a great Work to do, to neglect all <HI>Favour|able</HI> Opportunities, and pitch upon a time, which of all others will lay the mo&s;t and greate&s;t Hard|&s;hips in his way; and why &s;hould it not be at lea&s;t <HI>as</HI> unrea&s;onable in this Ca&s;e of Repentance?</P>
<P>No Work I'm &s;ure can be of great|er Importance than this is, nor are any Difficulties more Pre&s;&s;ing than tho&s;e a true Penitent mu&s;t over|come; and therefore, to defer it till a time when 'twill be more diffi|cult than ever, and our Ability to &s;trive again&s;t that Difficulty le&s;s than ever, (as we &s;hall &s;ee pre&s;ently)
<PB N="181" REF="106">is certainly the greate&s;t Madne&s;s in the World.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Be&s;ides, the Devil is then more than ever bu&s;ie to &s;ecure a Sinner to him&s;elf; makes u&s;e of all his Wiles and Cunning, either wholly to prevent his Repentance, or make it ineffectual as knowing Men are then le&s;s than ever able to Di&s;|cover and Re&s;i&s;t 'em.</P>
<P>If the Sinner be of a <HI>chearful</HI> Temper, apt to believe the <HI>be&s;t</HI> of his Condition, (which is the Ca&s;e of the generality of Men) he clo&s;es with him pre&s;ently, and endeavours to work him up to <HI>Carele&s;ne&s;s</HI> and <HI>Pre&s;umption.</HI> Repre&s;ents to his mind a di&s;play of the great <HI>Goodne&s;s</HI> of God, his <HI>Tenderne&s;s</HI> over Mankind, that his <HI>Mercy is above all his Works,</HI> and Triumphs over his Ju&s;tice, and is always ready to forget and to forgive; but carefully diverts all Thoughts of what we are to perform fir&s;t, that we may be capable of this Mercy. If the Man's Con&s;cience
<PB N="182" REF="107">&s;hould &s;ometimes be awake, and tell him the Truth in this Matter, that Repentance mu&s;t go before Pardon, and that this is a very dif|ficult Work, e&s;pecially upon a Bed of Langui&s;hing; He pre&s;ently lulls him a&s;leep again, by in&s;inuating, that were there not a Saviour, things would be bad indeed; but Chri&s;t has &s;uffer'd for Sinners, and wholly &s;atisfy'd God's Wrath, His Righte|ou&s;ne&s;s was Perfect and Redundant and &s;hall be <HI>Imputed</HI> to 'em, if they'l intirely <HI>Roll</HI> them&s;elves upon Him, and being Cloathed with his Me|rits they need not fear acceptance. Mi&s;applying the Words of St. <HI>Paul,</HI> that <HI>a Man is ju&s;tified by Faith, with|out the deeds of the Law;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.28.</NOTE> and conceal|ing tho&s;e of St. <HI>James,</HI> what <HI>doth it profit a Man to &s;ay he has faith if he have not works,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Jam. 14.17.</NOTE> <HI>can faith &s;ave him?</HI> For <HI>faith without works is dead, being alone:</HI> And tho&s;e of our Saviour too, <HI>Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I &s;ay?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 6.46.13.3.</NOTE> <HI>And, &V;nle&s;s ye repent, ye &s;hall all peri&s;h.</HI> And as for the Terrors of God's <HI>Vengeance,</HI> 'tis true, He will
<PB N="183" REF="107">indeed inflict them, but 'tis upon the <HI>Reprobate,</HI> whom He has from all E|ternity Prede&s;tin'd to De&s;truction; but the <HI>Elect</HI> are not at all Concern|ed in them, and that He is one of that Happy Number, His ground|le&s;s Confidence, and the Numbne&s;s of his Con&s;cience, &s;hall be made an Ar|gument.</P>
<P>Thus will this wicked Spirit, by cunningly blending things Fal&s;e and True together, drill a &s;ick Man on in this plea&s;ant Slumber, and length|en out this unhappy Dream, till his Opportunity, is gone and his Oyl &s;pent, and in the mid&s;t of his A&s;&s;uran|ces He becomes a Prey to the Prince of Darkne&s;s, who will carry him in Triumph to the place of his Mi&s;e|rable Abode.</P>
<P>And as to this &s;ort of Men He thus appears like <HI>an Angel of Light,</HI> all Smiles, and Sweetne&s;s, and Comfort; &s;o to tho&s;e of a more <HI>Melancholly, diffident</HI> Temper, He &s;hews him&s;elf as He <HI>is,</HI> with all his Horrors and his Flames
<PB N="184" REF="108">about him. He continually fills their Minds with dreadful Ideas of the In|exorable <HI>Ju&s;tice,</HI> and <HI>Severity</HI> of God, of the Impo&s;&s;ibility of plea&s;ing him, of their being <HI>Reprobated</HI> by him; and repre&s;ents to them their Sins in their full numbers, and wor&s;t a&s;pect, and heightned with all imaginable Aggravations. And it may be, ter|rifies them with Helli&s;h Dreams, fills their Fancy with &s;trange Scenes of Horror; and lets 'em know how ready he is to &s;eize their guilty Souls, as &s;oon as ever parted from their Bodies; till he finally makes 'em, what he would have them be, quite <HI>De&s;perate.</HI></P>
<P>If by the&s;e means he finds, that he can't wholly <HI>Prevent</HI> the Repen|tance of a &s;inner, (which yet a mi|&s;erable Experience tells us he too often does) yet it &s;hall go hard, but he will hinder its being throughly <HI>Effectual.</HI> And to this end, he one while [di&s;tracts the Sick Man's Mind with endle&s;s <HI>Scruples</HI> and Difficulties concerning it; not &s;uch as will at all
<PB N="185" REF="108">Conduce to Promote and further it you may be &s;ure, but &s;uch as are fruit|le&s;s and unnece&s;&s;ary, and of endle&s;s Controver&s;ie, &s;uch as will Amu&s;e and Confound him, and wa&s;te much Time, and keep him wavering and in Su&s;pen&s;e, and negligent of what is indeed <HI>Repentance to Salvation.</HI></P>
<P>Sometimes he interrupts his Serious Thoughts by thru&s;ting in Affairs of the World, un&s;ea&s;onably and im|pertinently; and often &s;o Troubles and <HI>Perplexes</HI> tho&s;e things which 'tis nece&s;&s;ary for him to take <HI>&s;ome</HI> Thought about, that they become greater hinderances, to the <HI>one thing needful,</HI> than one would imagine.</P>
<P>When the Sick Man <HI>Prays,</HI> He will cool the fervour, and break the In|ten&s;ene&s;s of his Devotion, by throw|ing into his Mind trifling and it may be Prophane Fancies; when he &s;hould <HI>Communicate,</HI> he Tempts him to de|fer it under pretence of being unpre|pared, and unworthy to partake of tho&s;e Holy My&s;teries. Such Sins as
<PB N="186" REF="109">he ought mo&s;t of all to be afflicted for, he will help him to Palliate and Excu&s;e; and if they cry too loud not to be heard, he'l endeavour to con|tract and le&s;&s;en the Mea&s;ures of Re|pentance: And &s;ome Devili&s;h De|vice or other he has ready upon all occa&s;ions, to make a Dying Man's Penitence imperfect and unavailing.</P>
<P>Now, tho' this great Deceiver is ready, thro' the whole Cour&s;e of our Lives, thus to Circumvent and Cheat us of our Happine&s;s; yet is he more than ordinary Indu&s;trious to &s;ecure a Sinner when leaving the World, and upon the Brink of Eternity; for <HI>then,</HI> if he has him not, he mu&s;t for ever lo&s;e him. And the circum&s;tance of a Dying Condition give him great Advantages over a Poor Langui&s;hing, Amaz'd, Di&s;pirited, Affrighted Crea|ture, and 'tis but too too often that he is Succe&s;sful again&s;t tho&s;e that madly <HI>while</HI> their Repentance off till then.</P>
<P>For <HI>Thirdly,</HI> The in&s;eparable Atten|dants upon a <HI>Death Bed</HI> are &s;uch, as if
<PB N="187" REF="109">there were no &s;uch <HI>Adver&s;ary</HI> to deal with, would render it a very unapt &s;ea&s;on for &s;o great a Work as this.</P>
<P>Our Powers and Faculties both of Soul and Body, are then generally mightily Di&s;order'd and very little Serviceable; our Apprehen&s;ion dull'd, our Under&s;tanding and Judgment, and Memory, weakned and Impair'd; our Minds Di&s;tracted by fears and uncertainties, and our Bodies Langui&s;hing, full of Pains and great Di&s;compo&s;ures. Some Di&s;ea&s;es make the Patient &s;tupid, and utterly Inap|prehen&s;ive; others heat Him into Frenzy and Di&s;traction; and &s;ome keep Him continually upon the <HI>Rack,</HI> and will not &s;uffer him to attend to any thing but his pre&s;ent Mi&s;ery: And even the mo&s;t <HI>favourable</HI> have enough in 'em, mightily to hinder our Pro|gre&s;s in this great Duty, for which a whole Life of Youth and Health, and perfect &s;oundne&s;s of Mind and Body will not be too much. No wonder therefore, if the weakne&s;&s;es and Infir|mities of Sickne&s;s, and the Approach
<PB N="188" REF="110">of Death, which make a Man &s;carce capable of &s;ettling his worldly Af|fairs, &s;hould be a very unfit Time for him to begin to make his Peace with God, and Prepare him&s;elf for Eternity.</P>
<P>But in the la&s;t place, Let us &s;up|po&s;e all that can be de&s;ir'd in &s;uch a Ca&s;e as this; that the Di&s;temper is not &s;o Violent, but that it leaves a Man the free u&s;e of his Rea&s;on and all his Faculties, and the decays of his Body are gradual, and without exce&s;&s;ive Pains; and Death comes on by ea&s;ie gentle &s;teps: 'Twould yet be a very great Folly to put off Repentance ev'n to &s;uch a Death Bed as <HI>this,</HI> becau&s;e 'tis &s;o hard a Matter to have any to|lerable A&s;&s;urance that the utmo&s;t we can then do, is Hearty and Sincere, and will be to any purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>'Tis the <HI>Fruits</HI> of Repentance that Prove the &s;incerity of it; and Sorrow and Regret for pa&s;t &s;ins, and wi&s;hes that we had never committed them, and the like, how pungent, and how earne&s;t &s;oever they may be, are not
<PB N="189" REF="110">Repentance, but only a &s;tep in or|der to it. For Repentance, as was &s;aid, is a thorough Change of a &s;in|ner's <HI>Mind</HI> and <HI>Life;</HI> which, whether &s;uch Sorrow will really effect or not, nothing but Time can &s;hew. And therefore, the Man that Repents not till his Time is ju&s;t Expiring, that has no Temptation to his former Vi|ces, nor Ability to Commit them if he had, mu&s;t needs be very uncer|tain whether He indeed <HI>Repents,</HI> or is only &s;car'd and frighted with the near Pro&s;pect of the endle&s;s Mi|&s;eries that attend a &s;inner after Death. That it is too often, thus with dying Penitents, their returning to their Vices when God has Re&s;tor'd to them their Health, is Proof &s;ufficient; and whether it is not &s;o in any par|ticular Man's Ca&s;e, no one can &s;ay, unle&s;s he Lives to make the Tryal.</P>
<P>Now what a Comfortle&s;s di&s;heart|ning thing is it, for a Man to Breath out his Soul in &s;uch great uncertain|ties! How mi&s;erably anxious mu&s;t his Brea&s;t needs be, about the &s;afety
<PB N="190" REF="111">of his Condition and his Acceptance with God, which yet he can have no A&s;&s;urance of, till his Condition is fix'd and become unalterable!</P>
<P>The only Remedy is to Repent <HI>Immediately;</HI> that we may have time to approve the <HI>Sincerity</HI> of our Re|pentance, and enjoy the un&s;peakable Comforts both in Life and Death, that will attend our being at Peace and Reconcil'd to God.</P>
<P>Wherefore, as the Wi&s;e <HI>Ben Sirach</HI> excellently advi&s;eth, <HI>make no tarry|ing to turn unto the Lord,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 5.7.</NOTE> <HI>and put not off from day to day, for &s;uddenly &s;hall the wrath of God come forth, and in thy &s;ecurity thou &s;halt be de&s;troyed, and peri&s;h in the day of vengeance.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="conclusion">
<HEAD>The La&s;t Advice.</HEAD>
<P>AND now for a Conclu&s;ion of all;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">La&s;t Ad|vice.</NOTE> Let me Advi&s;e Young Per|&s;ons, when by God's A&s;&s;i&s;tance they
<PB N="191" REF="111">are become &s;o Sen&s;ible of their Mi&s;|carriages, as &s;incerely to Repent of them, and re&s;olve to <HI>Reform:</HI> Let me then Advi&s;e them to <HI>&s;eal</HI> and ratifie tho&s;e Pious Re&s;olutions, with a De|vout Reception of the Holy Com|munion, and Confirm, and <HI>&s;trengthen</HI> them &s;till more and more, and bring 'em to Perfection, by a <HI>frequent</HI> at|tendance at the Table of our Lord.</P>
<P>The Sacrament of our Lords Sup|per, as 'tis one of the great <HI>My&s;teries</HI> of our Holy Religion, and therefore requires of us the profounde&s;t <HI>Awe</HI> and Reverence, and Religious <HI>Fear;</HI> &s;o is it a Trea&s;ury of <HI>Ble&s;&s;ings</HI> al&s;o, a Channel flowing with Divine Grace and Bounty, and therefore calls for the highe&s;t Degrees, and expre&s;&s;ions of <HI>De&s;ire</HI> and <HI>Love.</HI></P>
<P>'Tis like the Pillar of a Cloud and of Fire, that accompanied the Peo|ple of God in the Wilderne&s;s; Dark and My&s;terious indeed on one &s;ide, and apt to Imprint a Holy Dread up|on our Spirits: But on the Rever&s;e
<PB N="192" REF="112">there is <HI>Light</HI> and <HI>Heat</HI> to inflame our Love, and enkindle our Devotion, to enlighten our Under&s;tandings and direct our Wills, to purifie and re|fine us, and render us <HI>an Offering of a &s;weet &s;melling &s;avour, acceptable to God by Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>And thus was it e&s;teem'd by the Holy Men of the <HI>Fir&s;t</HI> Ages of Chri|&s;tianity; when the Fires of Devotion burnt bright, and the Church was Acted by the Spirit of Love and Pu|rity. Many excellent Things were then &s;poken of this My&s;tery, and great was the <HI>Reverence</HI> that was given to it; but then their <HI>Love</HI> to it likewi&s;e was very great, their de&s;ires of it ar|dent, and frequent and con&s;tant was their Reception of it. They call'd it a <HI>My&s;tery,</HI> and as &s;uch they rever'd it; they call'd it too, a <HI>Fea&s;t</HI> of Thankful|ne&s;s and Love, and as &s;uch they re|joyced in it, and thir&s;ted after it. And the Effect of this was Exemplary Piety and Holine&s;s of Life, and &s;teady Profe&s;&s;ion of the Faith of Je&s;us, even to the Death.</P>
<PB N="193" REF="112">
<P>Afterwards, when <HI>the Love of ma|ny did wax cold,</HI> this Sacred Duty grew more and more neglected, two or three times a Year was thought &s;ufficient to Communicate, and &s;ome|times <HI>once</HI> would &s;erve the turn, and &s;o 'tis &s;till with <HI>mo&s;t</HI> among&s;t our &s;elves; and the Wickedne&s;s, Ignorance, and Stupidity of the <HI>middle</HI> Ages, and the open Prophan|ne&s;s and &s;candalous Debauchery of the&s;e la&s;t Times, are the mi&s;era|ble Con&s;equences of &s;o great an Impiety.</P>
<P>And indeed, no wonder if the Di&s;ea&s;e get head, when Men omit to apply the Remedy. The Ho|ly Je&s;us, that great Phy&s;ician of the Soul, who be&s;ts knows its Di|&s;tempers, and the Methods of their Cure, left <HI>this</HI> as his Dying Secret, to be ob&s;erv'd by all Ages of the World, for the Recovery and Con|firmation of their Spiritual Health. Now if after all this Care and
<PB N="194" REF="113">Kindne&s;s, and excellent Provi&s;ion on <HI>His</HI> part, we &s;light his Directi|ons, reject his Medicines, and refu&s;e Life when 'tis &s;o Charita|bly offer'd us, and upon &s;uch <HI>ea|&s;ie</HI> terms; we may thank our &s;elves if we are, as we de&s;erve to be, Di&s;|eas'd and Mi&s;erable.</P>
<P>I hope we are Sen&s;ible, that with|out God's Grace and Divine A&s;|&s;i&s;tance, we can do nothing that is Good; which Grace being His free Gift, 'tis nece&s;&s;ary that we make u&s;e of tho&s;e Means, and ob|&s;erve tho&s;e Times and Sea&s;ons which he hath made choice of, in order to our Receiving that his Charity and Bounty. Now the Chief of the&s;e, is the Sacrament of the Lords Supper; by which, <HI>we are made one with Chri&s;t, and Chri&s;t with us, and he dwelleth in us, and we in him,</HI> as our Church expre&s;&s;es it in the Exhor|tation at the time of the Celebra|tion.</P>
<PB N="195" REF="113">
<P>That is, 'tis the great Convey|ance of every thing that is need|ful to the <HI>Strengthning and Refre&s;h|ing</HI> the Soul of a Chri&s;tian, and making him run with chearfulne&s;s the Race that is &s;et before him.</P>
<P>This then being the great Di|&s;pen&s;atory of the Riches of God's Goodne&s;s, hither mu&s;t we come if we would be Partakers of it; and wilfully to <HI>Ab&s;ent</HI> our &s;elves, is &s;o great a <HI>Slight</HI> both of the Dying In&s;titution of our Saviour, and the Ble&s;&s;ings that will attend the due ob&s;ervance of it, as is utterly in|excu&s;able, and will be of very Melan|cholly con&s;equence.</P>
<P>But I &s;hall not Proceed further upon this Particular, either in giv|ing an Account of the Nature of this great Duty, or the Manner of Performing it, and the Preparati|on requi&s;ite in order to it; there being &s;o many excellent Books already written upon this Subject.
<PB N="196" REF="114">Only give me leave to make one Ob&s;ervation or two,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>For the true mean|ing of which Words, See Archbi&s;hop</HI> Tillot&s;on's <HI>Seventh Sermon, Vo|lume the third, Prin|ted before his Death.</HI></NOTE> in An&s;wer to the u&s;ual Plea for Mens neglect of this Holy Sacrament, <HI>viz.</HI> That they are <HI>unfit</HI> for, and <HI>unworthy</HI> of it; and fear therefore, that if they do Receive it, they &s;hall Receive it <HI>unworthily,</HI> and <HI>eat and drink their own damnation.</HI></P>
<P>As for the latter part of this Plea, it proceeds from a great Mi&s;take, namely, the confounding the&s;e two very different things, <HI>being unwor|thy to Receive,</HI> and <HI>Receiving unwor|thily:</HI> And which, when rectified, the thing will &s;tand in a clear light.</P>
<P>'Tis True, every Man as a Sin|ner, is <HI>unworthy,</HI> not only of &s;o great a Favour as the Sacrament at the hands of God, but of every breath of Air he breaths, of every Crumb of Bread he eats, in &s;hort, of every the lea&s;t Ble&s;&s;ing he en|joys; and 'tis very fit he &s;hould
<PB N="197" REF="114">be intimately &s;en&s;ible of this his <HI>&V;nworthine&s;s;</HI> but yet for all this, he that u&s;es any of the&s;e Ble&s;&s;ings &s;oberly, and gives God thanks, may very <HI>Worthily</HI> partake of and enjoy them.</P>
<P>So here, in this Ca&s;e of the Sa|crament, the be&s;t Man living can't &s;ay he is <HI>Worthy</HI> to Receive it, but yet may neverthele&s;s Receive it <HI>Worthily,</HI> or in a manner becom|ing &s;o &s;acred a Duty. Nay, the more deeply &s;en&s;ible he is, of his not being <HI>Worthy</HI> to Receive, the more <HI>Worthily,</HI> no doubt, he will Receive it. And 'tis he that Re|ceives <HI>&V;nworthily,</HI> not he that is <HI>&V;nworthy</HI> to Receive, that incurs the Guilt and the Puni&s;hment which the Apo&s;tle mentions, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.29.</P>
<P>As for Mens being <HI>unfit</HI> to Re|ceive, or unprepared; (not to take Notice of the <HI>oddne&s;s</HI> of the Ex|cu&s;e, which is in effect the &s;ame, as to make carele&s;ne&s;s and idlene&s;s a
<PB N="198" REF="115">Plea for Di&s;obedience;) I only de|&s;ire, they would ask them&s;elves upon what terms they hope to go to Heaven? If they know any thing of Chri&s;tianity, they mu&s;t an&s;wer thus; <HI>I hope to arrive at that hap|py place, thro' the Merits of Je&s;us my Saviour, upon Condition of my own true Faith and &s;incere Repen|tance.</HI></P>
<P>Now if this be thus ab&s;olute|ly nece&s;&s;ary to our Salvation, we mu&s;t either quit our Hopes of be|ing &s;av'd, or el&s;e &s;incerely <HI>Believe</HI> and <HI>Repent;</HI> that is, have &s;uch a Faith as purifies the heart, and works by love, and re&s;embles us to Je&s;us, and makes us partakers of a Divine Nature; and &s;o Re|pent as thoroughly to amend, and reform our lives, and entirely to turn from Sin to God.</P>
<P>This we &s;ee is indi&s;pen&s;ibly re|quir'd of us in order to our fu|ture happine&s;s; and was &s;o before
<PB N="199" REF="115">the Sacrament was In&s;tituted, and would have been &s;o, had it never been In&s;tituted at all.</P>
<P>Now, that which is &s;o nece&s;&s;a|ry, as on our part, to bring us to <HI>Heaven,</HI> is the very Preparation that is requi&s;ite, to fit us for the <HI>Sacrament;</HI> the Qualifications for both are exactly the &s;ame. And therefore, he that hopes to be <HI>Sa|ved, mu&s;t</HI> &s;o Believe and Live, as to be fit to Receive the <HI>Sacra|ment;</HI> (unle&s;s we'll &s;ay, that more is requir'd to our Receiving the Sacrament Worthily than to Eter|nal Salvation) and he that makes his <HI>&V;nfitne&s;s</HI> the Excu&s;e of his neglect of it, either knows not what he &s;ays, or el&s;e mu&s;t know that he mu&s;t cure that Fault, or be for ever mi&s;erable.</P>
<P>A Good Life, as we all mu&s;t own, if we believe the Scriptures, is ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary to the Hap|pine&s;s we hope for in the other
<PB N="200" REF="116">World; for <HI>without Holine&s;s no Man &s;hall &s;ee the Lord;</HI> and a Good life is without doubt the be&s;t Pre|paration for the Sacrament. So that he that lives like a Chri|&s;tian is fit to <HI>Communicate,</HI> and he that does not is fit for nothing but ruine. How &s;trange an Ex|cu&s;e then is this, which is &s;o of|ten made for Peoples neglect of the Sacrament! For with the very &s;ame Breath they conclude them|&s;elves to have no rea&s;onable Hopes of being Sav'd! And &s;o long as they continue unfit for the one, they are uncapable of the other! And dare they continue in &s;uch a &s;tate as this? Would not &s;uch thoughts as the&s;e therefore be more becoming every one that names the Name of Je&s;us? <Q>I am unfit for Heaven, therefore will I frequent the Sacrament: Tho' I am Young, and proba|bly may live for many Years to come, yet &s;ince 'tis &s;o un|certain whether I &s;hall or no,
<PB N="201" REF="116">and I can't begin too &s;oon to fit and prepare my &s;elf for a happy future &s;tate, therefore will I addre&s;s my &s;elf to the Rece<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">tion of tho&s;e conveyances of the Divine Grace and A&s;|&s;i&s;tance, <HI>without</HI> which I can do <HI>nothing,</HI> and <HI>with</HI> which I &s;hall be able to do every thing that's <HI>needful</HI> to be done to my Salva|tion, <HI>thro' Chri&s;t that &s;trength|neth me.</HI> This will compleat my Repentance, confirm and enliven my Faith, and in every re&s;pect make my Obedience more &s;in|cere and full; the more Defects therefore in each of the&s;e I am &s;en&s;ible of, the more need have I to approach that Holy Table, where all my Spiritual wants &s;hall be &s;upplyed.</Q> <HI>To thee there|fore, Ble&s;&s;ed Saviour, I humbly come for help; that my &s;inful Body may be made clean by thy Body, wounded and torn for my Offences, and my Soul wa&s;hed by thy mo&s;t precious Blood, which thou did&s;t &s;hed for the
<PB N="202" REF="117">remi&s;&s;ion of my Sins. I am not wor|thy that thou &s;hould&s;t come under my polluted Roof; but prepare for thy &s;elf an Habitation, by the Influen|ces of thy Ble&s;&s;ed Spirit, and then, come Lord Je&s;us, come quickly.</HI></P>
<P>Having thus Conducted Young Per&s;ons to the Holy Altar, which, unle&s;s they are extreamly want|ing to them&s;elves, is next to Con|ducting them to <HI>Heaven;</HI> I &s;hall leave them there to the ble&s;&s;ing of God and our Saviour, who is ready to embrace them with the Arms of his Mercy, and <HI>&s;eal</HI> them with his life-giving <HI>Spirit to the Day of Eternal</HI> Redemption.</P>
<P>Only to their own Pious Medi|tations and Prayers, they may, if they plea&s;e, add the following <HI>Li|tany.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="prayer">
<PB N="203" REF="117">
<HEAD>A LITANY FOR Young Gentlemen.</HEAD>
<P>O <HI>God the Father of Heaven, of Angels and of Men; have Mer|cy upon us Mi&s;erable Sinners!</HI></P>
<P><HI>O God the Son, who ha&s;t Redeem'd the World with thy mo&s;t Precious Blood; have Mercy upon us Mi&s;erable Sin|ners!</HI></P>
<P><HI>O God the Holy Gho&s;t, the Lord and giver of Spiritual Heavenly Life; have Mercy upon us Mi&s;erable Sinners!</HI></P>
<P><HI>O Holy, Ble&s;&s;ed, and Glorious Tri|nity, who&s;e Wi&s;dom and Power, and
<PB N="204" REF="118">Goodne&s;s is Infinite; have Mercy upon us Mi&s;erable Sinners!</HI></P>
<P><HI>Remember not, Lord, the Sins and Offences of our Youth, nor be extream to mark what we have done ami&s;s; Spare us, good Lord, &s;pare us a little, that we may recover our &s;trength, and according to thy Mercy think thou upon us for thy goodne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>Spare us, good Lord.</P>
<P><HI>From forgetting our Creator in the Days of our Youth; from wa&s;ting the flower of our age in vanity and folly, and re&s;erving our decrepid Years for the Service of God;</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord deliver us.</P>
<P><HI>From valuing the Ble&s;&s;ings we enjoy more than the Giver of them; from tru&s;ting in any thing more than in Pro|vidence; and from loving Plea&s;ure more than thee our God;</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord deliver us.</P>
<PB N="205" REF="118">
<P><HI>From di&s;honouring our Bodies with Intemperance and &V;ncleanne&s;s; from polluting our Souls with impure Ima|ginations; from defiling our Mouths with prophane and impious, or ob&s;cene Di&s;cour&s;es;</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord deliver us.</P>
<P><HI>From abu&s;ing our Rea&s;on in oppo&s;ing Religion; from deba&s;ing our Wit to the &s;ervice of our Lu&s;ts; from living like Bea&s;ts, when thou ha&s;t made us Men and Chri&s;tians;</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord deliver us.</P>
<P><HI>From exce&s;&s;es of Pa&s;&s;ion, and a tur|bulent Spirit; from tormenting our &s;elves becau&s;e others mi&s;u&s;e us; from the guilt and the mi&s;ery of Malice and Revenge;</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord deliver us.</P>
<P><HI>From Conceit and Pride, Envy and Ambition; from fooli&s;h Ra&s;hne&s;s, and incon&s;iderate Heat; from de&s;pi&s;ing our
<PB N="206" REF="119">Guides, and following our own Coun&s;el only;</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord deliver us.</P>
<P><HI>From &s;tubborn Ob&s;tinacy, and deaf|ne&s;s to Advice; from contempt of Re|proof, and anger at the Reprover; from a blinded Mind, and a &s;eared Con|&s;cience;</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord deliver us.</P>
<P><HI>From deadne&s;s in thy Service, and a formal Religion; from obedience that is fanciful, humour&s;ome, and uncertain; from a &s;uper&s;titious u&s;e, or neglect, of the Ornaments of Wor&s;hip;</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord deliver us.</P>
<P><HI>From forgetting Thee, or our &s;elves, in raptures of Enthu&s;ia&s;m; from pre|tending to Piety for the &s;ake of the World; and from all the Paths that lead to the Portion of Hypocrites;</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord deliver us.</P>
<P><HI>From conforming to the World in the Arts of Deceit; from fawning and flat|tery;
<PB N="207" REF="119">Cen&s;ure and Detraction; from fal&s;e Smiles and treacherous Friend|&s;hip;</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord deliver us.</P>
<P><HI>From impatience in Trouble, and ex|ce&s;&s;ive Dejections; from di&s;tru&s;t of thy Providence, and De&s;perate Cour&s;es; from fretting again&s;t God, for what we bring upon our &s;elves;</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord deliver us.</P>
<P><HI>In all time of Temptation, by Pro|&s;perity or Adver&s;ity; in all &s;udden Surprizes and imminent Dangers; in the hour of Death, and in the Day of Judgment;</HI></P>
<P>O Ble&s;&s;ed Je&s;us! by all that thou ha&s;t done and &s;uffered for us, then &s;uccour and deliver us.</P>
<P><HI>And tho' unworthy, as we are, and mi&s;erable Sinners, yet encouraged by thy boundle&s;s Mercy and Goodne&s;s, we be|&s;eech thee farther to hear us; and as the Guardian and guide of our Youth,
<PB N="208" REF="120">&s;hew us the way that we &s;hould walk in, for we lift up our Souls unto thee;</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord, we be&s;eech thee to hear us.</P>
<P><HI>O that our ways might be directed by thy Commandments, and our foot&s;teps never wander from them! that we might meditate upon thy Precepts, and de|light our &s;elves in thy Service, and ne|ver forget thy Word;</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord, we be&s;eech thee to hear us.</P>
<P><HI>Thy Hands have made us what we are, from thee comes all we have or hope for; O give us the &V;nder&s;tanding that we may entirely Prai&s;e and Love thee, and not be &s;tupid and in&s;en&s;ible as the Bea&s;ts that peri&s;h!</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord, we be&s;eech thee to hear us.</P>
<P><HI>That it may plea&s;e thee to in&s;pire us with Affections becoming Chri&s;tians; that we may live worthy of that mo&s;t
<PB N="209" REF="120">Holy Profe&s;&s;ion, as Di&s;ciples of Je&s;us, and de&s;ign'd for Glory!</HI></P>
<P>We be&s;eech thee to hear us, good Lord.</P>
<P><HI>That our Saviours life may be the rule of ours, that we may tread in his &s;teps, and become like him in temper, and &s;pend our days as he did, in advancing thy Glory, and doing good in our Generation!</HI></P>
<P>We be&s;eech thee to hear us, good Lord.</P>
<P><HI>That we may employ our Youth and our Strength, in the great work of our Salvation, and run the way of thy Com|mandments with vigour and &s;pirit, and the warmth and fervour of a chearful Mind!</HI></P>
<P>We be&s;eech thee to hear us, good Lord.</P>
<P><HI>That Religion may be e&s;teem'd by us as our chief good; that all things el&s;e may be &s;ub&s;ervient to it, as the delight and the joy of our hearts!</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord, we be&s;eech thee to hear us.</P>
<PB N="210" REF="121">
<P><HI>That our Faith may be irreproveable, &s;teady and mode&s;t; &s;uch as may work by Love and purifie our Hearts, and bring down every thing that exalts it &s;elf again&s;t obedience to Chri&s;t!</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord, we be&s;eech thee to hear us.</P>
<P><HI>That with our whole Heart we may devote our &s;elves to thy Service; and be &s;incerely what we do Profe&s;s; and value the Joys of a quiet Con&s;cience, above thou&s;ands of Gold and Silver!</HI></P>
<P>We be&s;eech thee to hear us, good Lord.</P>
<P><HI>That our Bapti&s;mal Vow may be kept Inviolate, the Promi&s;es we have &s;ince made to thee faithfully perform'd, and all our Pious Re&s;olutions made good!</HI></P>
<P>We be&s;eech thee to hear us, good Lord.</P>
<P><HI>O let us not go wrong, thou guide of our &s;teps! O let us not fall, thou
<PB N="211" REF="121">that art our Support! Di&s;cover to us the &s;nares that are laid for our Souls, and grant that we may ever e&s;cape them!</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord, we be&s;eech thee to hear us.</P>
<P><HI>And when we are down, Lord, do thou rai&s;e us up! When we go a&s;tray like Sheep that are lo&s;t, O &s;eek thy Servants, pity our &s;ad &s;tate, and bring us back unto thy fold again!</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord, we be&s;eech thee to hear us.</P>
<P><HI>We will think on our ways, and turn our feet unto thy Te&s;timonies; we will make ha&s;te without delay to keep thy righteous Judgments; with thy a&s;|&s;i&s;tance, which we humbly beg, and</HI></P>
<P>Be&s;eech thee to hear us, good Lord.</P>
<P><HI>But who can tell how often he of|fendeth! Clean&s;e thou us therefore from our &s;ecret faults, and keep us from
<PB N="212" REF="122">pre&s;umptuous Sins, le&s;t they get the Do|minion over us!</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord, we be&s;eech thee to hear us.</P>
<P><HI>May we never de&s;pi&s;e the Riches of thy long-&s;uffering and forbearance; nor by our continu'd impenitence, trea&s;ure up Wrath again&s;t the day of Wrath; but be intirely &s;oftned by thy goodne&s;s, and &s;peedily led to Repentance!</HI></P>
<P>We be&s;eech thee to hear us, good Lord.</P>
<P><HI>And may it plea&s;e thee to give us that which is Repentance to Salvation, a Godly &s;orrow working a thorough a|mendment of every evil Thought, and Word, and Work!</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord, we be&s;eech thee to hear us.</P>
<P><HI>That it may plea&s;e thee to a&s;&s;i&s;t us in our Addre&s;&s;es to thy Holy Altar, where we will again dedicate our &s;elves in|tirely
<PB N="213" REF="122">to thee, and do thou verifie our Offering!</HI></P>
<P>We be&s;eech thee to hear us, good Lord.</P>
<P><HI>Pity our Infirmities, and prepare our Hearts for the reception of our deare&s;t Saviour; hearken to the good de&s;ires which thou thy &s;elf ha&s;t put in|to our Minds; and grant that by thy help, they may be brought to good ef|fect, thro' Je&s;us Chri&s;t our Lord!</HI></P>
<P>Good Lord, we be&s;eech thee to hear us.</P>
<P><HI>And thou, Eternal Son of God, we mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech thee to hear us!</HI></P>
<P><HI>O &s;potle&s;s Lamb of God, that take&s;t a|way the Sins of a wretched wicked World, have Mercy upon us, and now and ever grant us thy Peace; we are thine, O therefore &s;ave us for thy Mercies &s;ake!</HI></P>
<Q><L>Lord have mercy upon us.</L>
<L><HI>Chri&s;t have mercy upon us.</HI></L>
<L>Lord have mercy upon us</L></Q>
<PB N="214" REF="123">
<P><HI>Our Father which art in Heaven; hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this Day our daily Bread. And forgive us our Tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, as we forgive them that Tre&s;pa&s;s again&s;t us. And lead us not into Temptation; but deliver us from evil: For thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, for ever and ever.</HI> Amen.</P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
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<PB REF="123">
<HEAD><HI>BOOKS newly Printed for, and Sold by</HI> Richard Wellington, <HI>at the</HI> Lute <HI>in St.</HI> Pauls Church-yard.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM>A Di&s;cour&s;e of the Nature and Faculties of Man, in &s;everal E&s;&s;ays, with &s;ome Con&s;iderations of the Occurrences of Humane Life. By <HI>Timothy Nour&s;e,</HI> Gent. price 4 Shillings.</ITEM>
<ITEM>A Treati&s;e of Education, e&s;pecially of Young Gent. in 2 parts. By <HI>Obadiah Walker,</HI> D. D. the Sixth Edition, much enlarged, price 3 <HI>s.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Reflections upon Ancient and Modern Learning, the Second Edition, with large Additions. By <HI>William Wooton,</HI> B. D. Chaplain to the Right Honourable the Earl of <HI>Nottingham,</HI> price 6. <HI>s.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>A Brief and Ea&s;ie Method to under&s;tand the <HI>Roman</HI> Hi&s;tory, with an exact Chronology of the Reigns of the Emperours, an Account of the mo&s;t Eminent Authors, when they flou|ri&s;hed, and an Abridgment of the <HI>Roman</HI> Antiquities and Cu&s;toms, by way of Dialogue, for the u&s;e of the Duke of <HI>Burgundy.</HI> Tran&s;lated from the <HI>French,</HI> with large Additions, By Mr. <HI>Tho. Brown.</HI> Very proper to be read in Schools, price 2 <HI>s.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The whole Works of that Excellent Practical Phy&s;ician Dr. <HI>Tho. Sydenham;</HI> wherein not only the Hi&s;tory of Acute Di&s;ea&s;es are Treated of after a New and Acurate Method; but al&s;o the &s;horte&s;t and &s;afe&s;t way of Curing mo&s;t Chronical Di&s;|ea&s;es. Tran&s;lated from the Original Latin, By <HI>John Pechey,</HI> of the College of Phy&s;icians.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Travels in and thro' <HI>Italy,</HI> De&s;cribing the Libraries, Mona&s;te|ries, Nunneries, Temples, and Palaces of Princes, with an Account of their Habits, Cu&s;toms, and Laws. By Mr. <HI>La&s;|&s;els,</HI> Gent. The Second Edition enlarged, price 5 <HI>s.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Hi&s;tory of <HI>Polybius</HI> the Megalopolitan, Containing an Account of the Tran&s;actions of the whole World, but prin|cipally of the <HI>Roman</HI> People during the fir&s;t and &s;econd <HI>Punick</HI> Wars, in three Volumes. Tran&s;lated by Sir <HI>Henry Sheers,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Dryden.</HI> The third Volume never before Printed, price 10 <HI>s.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Sir <HI>Thomas Pope Blount</HI>'s E&s;&s;ays upon &s;everal Important Subjects. The third Edition enlarged. To which is added a New E&s;|&s;ay of Religion, and an Alphebetical Index to the whole, price 3 <HI>s.</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="124">
<ITEM><HI>De Re Poetica:</HI> Or Remarks upon Poetry, with Characters and Cen&s;ures of the mo&s;t Con&s;iderable Poets, whether Ancient or Modern. By Sir <HI>Thomas Pope Blount,</HI> price 5 <HI>s.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>A Natural Hi&s;tory containing many, not common, Ob&s;ervations. By Sir <HI>Thomas Pope Blount,</HI> price 3 <HI>s.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>A &s;hort Hi&s;tory of Mona&s;tical Orders, in which the Primitive In&s;titution of Monks, their Temper, Habits, Rules, and the Condition they are in at pre&s;ent, are treated of by the Author of Frauds of the Monks.</ITEM>
<ITEM>The Art of Knowing ones Self, or a Diligent &s;earch after the Springs of Morality, price 2 <HI>s.</HI> 6 <HI>d.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lilly</HI> Improv'd, Corrected, and Explained with the Etymolo|gical part of the common Accidence. By <HI>W. T.</HI> Ma&s;ter of a Boarding-School at <HI>Fulham</HI> above 22 years, price 1 <HI>s.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Five Love-Letters, Written from a Nun to a Cavaleer, with the Cavaleer's An&s;wer. Tran&s;lated by Sir <HI>Roger L'E&s;trange,</HI> price 1 <HI>s.</HI> 6 <HI>d.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>A Di&s;cour&s;e of Plurality of Worlds. Tran&s;lated from the <HI>French,</HI> price 1 <HI>s.</HI> 6 <HI>d.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Dialogues of the Dead, in two parts. Tran&s;lated from the <HI>French.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>French</HI> Common-prayer in 12<HI>s.</HI> or in large 8vo.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mauger's</HI> French Grammar. The Sixteenth Edition, price 2 Shillings.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Where you may be Furni&s;h'd with all &s;orts of Novels.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="124">
</DIV1>
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</TEXT>
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