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<DATE>2012-02-01</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<P>A GLASSE AND SALVE FOR PROFESSORS Held to them.</P>
<P>By <HI>William Voile</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<BIBL>James 1. 23, 24.</BIBL>
<Q>If any be a hearer of the VVord, and not a doer, he is like unto a man be|holding his natural face in a gla&s;s. For he beholdeth him&s;elf, and go|eth his way, and &s;traight way forgetteth what manner of man he was.</Q>
<BIBL>Revel. 3. 18.</BIBL>
<Q>Anoint thine Eyes with Eye-&s;alve, that thou maye&s;t &s;ee.</Q>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for the Author, 1668.</P>
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<HEAD><HI>WILLIAM VOILE,</HI> A Servant of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> in the Mi|ni&s;try of his Go&s;pel, To all tho&s;e of His Maje&s;ties Subjects that are called <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors,</HI> becau&s;e they do profe&s;s (or practice) the <HI>Prote&s;tant</HI> Religion in a way more or le&s;s differing from the mo&s;t common way, <HI>Greeting.</HI></HEAD>
<P>BEloved, it is now above forty nine years, &s;ince I was fir&s;t a <HI>Preacher:</HI> &s;ince which time I have had &s;o much, and &s;uch communion with the <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> of <HI>England and Wales,</HI> that I have attained much know|ledge of <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> of mo&s;t wayes in the <HI>Prote&s;tant</HI> Religion, and committed very many of my Ob&s;ervations to writing, e&s;pecially the faults of them. I have preached to, <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors,</HI> and heard others preach to them, and con|&s;idered my own preaching and theirs, (what and how we have preached) and the &s;ucce&s;s of our preaching. I have hearkened, and heard, and &s;een, and con&s;ide|red, who have preached aright, or made &s;uch u&s;e as ought to be made of that which hath been preached, and <HI>who hath repented and reformed,</HI> Jer. 8. 6. The re&s;u't whereof was this: I looked on the &s;ins of <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors,</HI> as the procuring cau&s;e of their Troubles and Afflictions, and the greate&s;t let of their Prayers <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> the <HI>liberty and Peace of Profe&s;&s;ors,</HI> and judged it a work fit for Preachers, to exhort <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors, not only,</HI> to humble them&s;elves for their &s;ins and failings, <HI>but al&s;o to &s;trive and give diligence to cea&s;e from them, and to reform</HI> their wayes according to the word of God <HI>univer&s;ally, without any exception or re&s;ervation.</HI> Which Truths I did al&s;o publi&s;h about two years &s;ince in an Eminent City, and have now by this honest Treati&s;e endeavoured to make them known to others, and to &s;hew you the ends and meaning of our heavenly Father in cha&s;ti&s;ing you and me; to the end that ye may hear his Rods <HI>with under&s;tanding,</HI> and <HI>[him] who hath appointed them,</HI> (Mic. 6. 9.) and &s;o as to &s;ubmit your &s;elves to him unre&s;ervedly <HI>(Jam.4. 7.)</HI> to do and to leave undone <HI>altogether</HI> ac|cording to the Me&s;&s;age which he hath &s;ent you. And I be&s;eech you all, by the mer|cies of God, let me obtain the&s;e reque&s;ts of you. 1. Let me not be accounted an enemy to (any of) you, becau&s;e I judge rightly of <HI>the greate&s;t and mo&s;t peril|lous of your enemies, your &s;ins,</HI> and becau&s;e I tell you of them; (for I do this to warn you of your danger, that you may judge your &s;elves, and ab&s;tain from your &s;ins, that ye may not be condemned with the World, <HI>Gal. 4. 16. 1 Cor. 11. 32.</HI>) 2. Strive in your prayers unto God for me, as one of your faithful friends, that, whil&s;t I live on earth, I may be throughly willing and well able to do <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> and his Church &s;ervice. 3. For the honour of the mo&s;t high God, and the credit of his Go&s;pel, and your own good, and the good of your Po&s;terity, <HI>(Deut. 5. 29.)</HI> and of all <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> people, u&s;e the mo&s;t effectual means <HI>ye can,</HI> to per&s;wade and induce every one him&s;elf, and all tho&s;e to whom I ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">
<PB REF="5"> directed this Epi&s;tle, to peru&s;e this Treati&s;e all over, and that &s;eriou&s;ly, and in the fear of God, and in much Humility, con&s;ulting with God and one with another about it, and praying fervently unto God, to give them a right under&s;tanding and a &s;ound judgment, and <HI>re&s;olving with a &s;trong re&s;olution</HI> (by Gods a&s;&s;i&s;tance) to do the will of God unre&s;ervedly. For this is the way to know of the Doctrine, whether it be of God or not, <HI>John 7. 17.</HI></P>
<P>Beloved, I &s;hall hope, that this work of mine, will (in &s;ome mea&s;ure) help to o|pen the eyes of the blind, and to cau&s;e the lame to walk, and the dumb to &s;peak, and that, by my means (among other good works) very worthy men that are dead, &s;hall &s;peak unto you words very good to the u&s;e of edifying, which no man el&s;e will help them to &s;peak unto you. The grace of our Lord <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> be with you all.</P>
<CLOSER>Amen.</CLOSER>
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<HEAD>A GLASSE and SALVE FOR PROFESSORS.</HEAD>
<P>BEloved Brethren and Si&s;ters, rich and poor, hearken. Although the great God, in who&s;e hands the times of all the Creatures are, <HI>P&s;al. 31. 15. changeth not, Mal.</HI> 3. 6. but is the &s;ame <HI>ye&s;terday, and to day, and for ever, Heb.</HI> 13. 8. and albeit, <HI>the darkne&s;s and the light be both alike to him, P&s;.</HI> 139. 12. yet the Creatures are changeable and actually changed, and their times are not all of one <MILESTONE N="1"> and the &s;ame &s;ort. To the po&s;terity of <HI>Ad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">m,</HI> there is a time to get, and a time to lo&s;e; a time to laugh, and a time to mourn; (times of health, and times of &s;ickne&s;s;) a time to live, and a time to die, <HI>Eccl. 3. 1. &amp;c.</HI> Men and Women have good dayes, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 10. and evil dayes, <HI>Eph.</HI> 5. 16. and perillous times, 2 <HI>Tim. 3. 1. &amp;c.</HI> and, in <HI>Solomons</HI> language, <HI>Eccl. 7. 13, 14. dayes of Pro&s;perity, and dayes of Ad|ver&s;ity:</HI> Where he coun&s;elleth us, <HI>ver. 14. To con&s;ider the work of God, D.</HI> We ought to con&s;ider the works of God, <HI>of all &s;orts;</HI> and <HI>v. 13. In the day of Pro&s;perity,</HI> to <HI>be joyful, D.</HI> Times of Pro&s;perity do in a &s;pecial manner call for joy; and <HI>in the day of adver&s;ity, to con&s;ider, D.</HI> meaning, that, <HI>As we ought to con&s;ider in times of all &s;orts, &s;o e&s;pecially in times of Adver&s;ity.</HI> And &s;uch is this time to this Nation, e&s;pecially to them who are called <HI>Phanaticks;</HI> and among them to us who <HI>have been Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel.</HI></P>
<P>Que&s;t. And <HI>what ought we to con&s;ider in this time of Adver&s;ity?</HI> <MILESTONE N="2"></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The&s;e nine things. 1. <HI>The &s;everals whereof our Adver&s;ity con&s;i&s;teth,</HI> Marg. 3. 2. That <HI>no part of it came upon us without God,</HI> Mat. 10. 29, 30, 31. <HI>but every part of it, according to his providence and the coun&s;el of his will,</HI> Eph. 1. 11. <HI>Marg.</HI> 11. 3. That <HI>our heavenly Fa|ther in giving way to men,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>hath not dealt unjustly with us, nor done us any wrong,</HI> Marg. 16. 4. That <HI>in afflicting us he hath done wi&s;ely, and therefore afflicted us for fit ends,</HI> Marg. 18. 5. We mu&s;t con&s;ider, <HI>Why and for what ends he hath afflicted us?</HI> Marg. 18. The&s;e five things
<PB N="2" REF="6"> we ought to con&s;ider, that we may not de&s;pi&s;e his cha&s;tening, <HI>Prov.</HI> 2. 11, 12. nor harbour hard thoughts of him: and that we may di&s;|cern what cour&s;e to take for the bettering of our E&s;tate. 6. We ought to con&s;ider, what <HI>means we have u&s;ed to better it, or to prevail with God to better it,</HI> Marg. 90. 7. We mu&s;t con&s;ider <HI>the &s;ucce&s;s and i&s;&s;ue of tho&s;e means, how far we have prevailed by u&s;ing them, and how far not,</HI> Marg. 92. 8. If our E&s;tate hath not thereupon been changed fully, according to <HI>our de&s;ires and reque&s;ts;</HI> then we are to con&s;ider, <HI>Why God hath not heard them to the full? what hath hindred them, and made them &s;o far forth uneffectual? especially, whether iniquities and &s;ins have hindred them? and, if &s;ins, who&s;e &s;ins, and which of their &s;ins?</HI> E&s;. 59. 1, 2. Marg. 93. All which things being con&s;idered. 9. And la&s;tly, it concerns us <HI>to open our eyes,</HI> to &s;ee, and to con&s;ider <HI>what cour&s;e it con|cerns us to take hereafter, and when? what to do, what to amend, and how? what to cea&s;e from,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Marg.</HI> 94.</P>
<P>Now as to the fir&s;t of the&s;e, I have known when our Trading was <MILESTONE N="3"> not (<HI>altogether</HI>) &s;o dead, and &s;o much hindered; when many of the poorer &s;ort had more work, and many of the richer &s;ort more mo|ney; when many were better able to maintain their Children, and to bind them Apprentices, and to furni&s;h them with moneys for Tra|ding, and to make them Scholars, when many were more able to pay their Rents and other debts; when Hou&s;es and Lands were &s;et and &s;old at higher Rates without wronging the Takers and Buyers; when the total of our publick Taxes and payments was not (<HI>altogether</HI>) &s;o great as now (<HI>to &s;ome</HI>) it &s;eems to be, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> When &s;o many of this Nation were not taken away by the Pe&s;tilence, and by and in Sea-actions im|poveri&s;hed, maimed, wounded, killed, and deprived of their Hu&s;|bands, Fathers, Children, and Apprentices; and when &s;o many Churches, and publick Hou&s;es, and &s;o many private Hou&s;es have not been burnt, and &s;o much (<HI>worldly</HI>) Riches de&s;troyed in <HI>London</HI> in &s;o few days as of late in 1666. have been. But all the&s;e and <HI>&s;ome other</HI> evils are common to us with others, <HI>Prov.</HI> 28. 12, 28.</P>
<P>2. Some of us have been deprived (and do continue de&s;tituted) of <MILESTONE N="4"> our places of credit and profit, and con&s;equently of our <HI>Livelihood</HI> and maintenance, and are forbidden to teach or table Scholars, (al|though (<HI>peradventure</HI>) we might in that way be &s;omewhat beneficial to the Church and Common-wealth.)</P>
<P>3. Some of us are &s;eparated from <HI>London,</HI> and all other Cities, and many Tows which are not Cities <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>4. No private Meetings, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> under the pain of Bani&s;hment into <MILESTONE N="5"> Forreign Plantations, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
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<P>5. If we Admini&s;ter either of the Sacraments, we mu&s;t pay more than &s;ome of us <HI>be very well able</HI> to &s;pare, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>6. The fellow&s;hip which we have had together in the Go|&s;pel, mu&s;t be broken oft, and the &s;piritual benefits which we might have gotten by conver&s;ing together lo&s;t, <HI>Be&s;ide the lo&s;&s;es of</HI> Luke the 8. 2, 3.</P>
<P>7. This is a time of extraordinary Temptations <HI>to us and others.</HI> Many profe&s;&s;ors, e&s;pecially Preachers, are tempted to &s;in again&s;t their Con&s;ciences, to get places of worldly profit, and to bear &s;infully with the &s;ins of Profe&s;&s;ors, le&s;t they &s;hould lo&s;e the help of their Pur&s;es, o|thers are tempted to avenge them&s;elves, to oppre&s;s, to u&s;e cru|elty.</P>
<P>8. I think, the <HI>la&s;t</HI> twenty years and upwards are part of the peril|lous times, whereof St. <HI>Paul</HI> prophecyeth, in 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3. in the fir&s;t 7 Ver&s;es, beginning with, <HI>This know al&s;o,</HI> as &s;peaking of that which is very fit to be known, and to be con&s;idered very &s;eriou&s;ly. <HI>This know al&s;o</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>that in the la&s;t dayes perillous times &s;hall come. For men &s;hall be lovers of their own &s;elves, covetous, boa&s;ters, proud. Having a form of Godline&s;s, but denying the power thereof, which words I do under&s;t and of many of tho&s;e who have gotten the name of Profe&s;&s;ors, as well as of others,</HI> and that, becau&s;e &s;o many do walk and behave them&s;elves, <HI>as if God|line&s;s were of no great power to better a mans conver&s;ation.</HI></P>
<P>9. If <HI>none</HI> of the late <HI>Decrees,</HI> and the Outings and Re&s;traints do (in <MILESTONE N="6"> <HI>any</HI> mea&s;ure, directly nor indirectly) tend unto the decay of that which <HI>the Book of Common-Prayer</HI> calls <HI>Gods true Religion and vertue;</HI> yet before the time of the <HI>Interruption</HI> there were, who, under the pre|tence of reconciling two Religions, &s;ought <HI>to undermine and de&s;troy the better of the twain:</HI> and in the time of the Interruption, Corrupters and new Lights, who did hatch Cockatrice Eggs, Ranters, (Famili&s;ts) Quakers: and part of that evil work was done (I doubt not) in Policy of purpo&s;e to undermine and de&s;troy Truths. In a word, there have been the&s;e la&s;t thirty years and more, and &s;till (I believe) are <HI>&s;ome,</HI> who&s;e working (<HI>partly in the dark</HI>) hath been and is &s;uch, that as the P&s;almi&s;t &s;aith, <HI>P&s;al. 119. 126. It is time for thee Lord to work, for they have made void God's Law:</HI> So may we well &s;ay, <HI>It is time</HI> for the Lords Servants <HI>to work for, and with God:</HI> for <HI>there are &s;ome that would gladly de&s;troy the true Go&s;pel:</HI> So that, if the plot to burn and Ma&s;&s;acre, be but <HI>a Dream, or meer imagination</HI> (as I would have Charity not to be &s;u&s;picious, and to think evil, 1 <HI>Cor. 13. 5, 7. without &s;ome ju&s;t cau&s;e:</HI>) yet there is cau&s;e enough, why Profe&s;&s;ors, yea all Prote&s;tants and An|ti-papi&s;ts &s;hould pull their eyes out of their pockets, and carry them
<PB N="4" REF="7"> in the fore-part of their heads; that they may &s;ee where to place their feet, (how to order their goings) yea (if they can) to be altoge|ther as <HI>wi&s;e as Serpents,</HI> Mat. 10. 16. [yet not to tread in the &s;teps of D. <HI>Parry,</HI> who <HI>against all Rea&s;on, did con&s;pire Trea&s;on foul and ba&s;e.</HI>] <MILESTONE N="7"> And &s;o much be &s;poken of the fir&s;t particular. (A <HI>Digre&s;&s;ion.</HI>) Be|fore I &s;peak of the &s;econd, give me leave (by the way) to &s;hew <HI>what good u&s;e</HI> ye who are Profe&s;&s;ors, <HI>may make of &s;ome things before mentioned, in respect of your &s;piritual E&s;tate;</HI> as <HI>Lot</HI> did (or might have done) of the vexing of his &s;oul with the unlawful deeds and &s;peeches of his Neighbours, the <HI>Sodomites,</HI> (2 Pet. 2. 7, 8.) for thereby he might di&s;|cern his &s;oul to be a <HI>righteous &s;oul:</HI> and &s;o may ye di&s;cern in &s;ome mea&s;ure the temper and di&s;po&s;ition of your &s;pirits, and con&s;equently your &s;piritual e&s;tate, by the movings or &s;tillne&s;s of your hearts in this time of &s;uch evils; hearken therefore I be&s;eech you, to that which I &s;hall &s;ay unto you; e&s;pecially, all tho&s;e of you who have not hither|to at any time duly tried your &s;piritual e&s;tate, <HI>which,</HI> I fear, hath been the folly of many Chri&s;tians.</P>
<P N="1">1. Let your Con&s;ciences tell you, <HI>how</HI> ye are affected with tho&s;e <MILESTONE N="8"> things which have of late befallen &s;o many godly and profitable Mi|ni&s;ters of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> with the lo&s;s of their maintenance, and their now very low condition. Are ye really grieved at it? If ye be not, ye are but mean Profe&s;&s;ors, <HI>Amos</HI> 6. 6.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>How are ye affected with their lo&s;s of &s;o many opportunities,</HI> of draw|ing &s;o many godle&s;s per&s;ons out of the Kingdom of darkne&s;s, into the Kingdom of grace, unto Gods honour, and the lo&s;t &s;heeps everla&s;ting &s;alvation? Is it nothing to you that their Pari&s;hes, and the Nation, and our Lord <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> have &s;o far lo&s;t their Mini&s;tery? <HI>Jude</HI> 5. 23. Why Brethren? our Saviour (and the &s;ame mind ought to be in you, which was in him, <HI>Ph. 2. 5. 1 John</HI> 3. 3.) he had compa&s;&s;ion on tho&s;e <HI>who were &s;cattered abroad, as &s;heep having no &s;hepherd;</HI> and there|upon &s;aid unto his Di&s;cip<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">es, <HI>The harve&s;t truly is plenteous, but the la|bourers are few:</HI> Pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harve&s;t, to &s;end forth labourers into his Harve&s;t, <HI>Mat.</HI> 9. 36, 37. Verily tho&s;e of you, friends, who are not &s;orry for the outing of &s;o many Mini&s;ters of <MILESTONE N="9"> that &s;ort in regard of their great Ma&s;ter <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> their Pari&s;hes, and the Nation, (and the Preachers per&s;onal lo&s;&s;es) all &s;uch of you are &s;orry <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>How do your hearts &s;tir within you, every one in regard of his own particular e&s;tate?</HI> Are any of you glad, that ye are likely to hord up the more money, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> do any of you fear the departure of the <HI>five miled</HI> Mini&s;ters will be a con&s;iderable dammage to you in your &s;piri|tual
<PB N="5" REF="7"> e&s;tate? For <HI>Job</HI> did e&s;teem Gods word above the <HI>nece&s;&s;ary food</HI> [of his body] <HI>chap.</HI> 23. 12. and the Lord by <HI>Amos,</HI> chap. 8. 11, 12. &s;peaks of <HI>a famine of hearing the word,</HI> as a more mi&s;chievous famine and evil, than that of bodily food: and <HI>I&s;a.</HI> chap. 30. 20. &s;aith to Gods people, <HI>And though the Lord gives you</HI> the bread of Adver&s;ity and water of Affliction; yet (&s;aith he) (to &s;weeten their &s;ufferings) <HI>thy Teachers &s;hall not be removed into a corner any more, but thy eyes &s;hall &s;ee thy Teachers:</HI> Beloved, <HI>Job</HI> dwelt where there were no great &s;tore of good Profe&s;&s;ors to coun&s;el and encourage him, and to be a good example to him. Bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> he was taught of God, to have due re&s;pect to his own &s;piritual welfare, <HI>which many have not yet learned to have.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Are ye grieved in heart, that ye have not made better u&s;e of the oppor|tunities</HI> <MILESTONE N="10"> which ye have had, or might have had of conver&s;ing and con|ferring with godly Mini&s;ters concerning your &s;piritual e&s;tate?</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>What u&s;e are ye re&s;olved to make of them hereafter,</HI> before they be en|forced to leave you? For a wi&s;e man will make u&s;e of skilful and con&s;cientious Phy&s;icians concerning his body, and of &s;uch Lawyers concerning his worldly e&s;tate, whil&s;t they dwell near him, e&s;pecial|ly, when he knows or fears, they will &s;hortly go to dwell far from him. But truly, I cannot &s;ay, I have ob&s;erved &s;uch Ant-like good Husbandry to have been much practi&s;ed of Profe&s;&s;ors, <HI>Prov.</HI> 6. 6, 7, 8.</P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>What cour&s;e do you purpo&s;e to take for your &s;piritual welfare,</HI> and the good of your &s;ouls, when &s;uch Mini&s;ters are departed and gone from you?</P>
<P N="7">7. <HI>How oft, and how heartily have ye hitherto pray'd for them, and given</HI> <MILESTONE N="11"> <HI>thanks to God for them,</HI> as <HI>men</HI> who have broken to you the bread of everla&s;ting life? What have ye asked of God for them? Are ye re|&s;olved to pray for them hereafter? What, and how frequently do ye purpo&s;e &s;o to do?</P>
<P N="8">8. <HI>Have any of you blamed any of them for not dealing more faithfully, or more plainly with you concerning your &s;ins? Col. 4. 17. 2 Tim.</HI> 5. 1. So much by the way for your good.</P>
<P>2. <HI>In the &s;econd place,</HI> we are all to con&s;ider, that all the afore&s;aid evils came upon us, not without our Heavenly Father, but accor|ding to his Government. 1. <HI>Affliction cometh not forth of the du&s;t, nei|ther doth trouble come out of the ground, Job</HI> 5. 6. 2. God is pre&s;ent every where, in all places, and &s;ees, hears, and knows all the words, and thoughts of the children of men, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 139. 7. to the 12. <HI>Heb.</HI> 4. 13. So that he cannot be ignorant of any thing which is done, &s;poken, or devi&s;ed concerning us, or any of us. 3. <HI>Power be|longeth
<PB N="6" REF="8"> unto God, P&s;al.</HI> 62. 11. and &s;o belongs unto him, that in the ho|ly Scriptures, <HI>the Kingdom and the power is</HI> &s;aid to be his, <HI>Mat.</HI> 6. 13. and &s;o, that he is called <HI>the only Potentate, 1 Tim.</HI> 6. 15. and all the Nations of the earth, compared to him, &s;aid to be <HI>as a drop of a Bucket, or as the &s;mall du&s;t of the ballance, yea before him, as nothing, yea to him counted le&s;s than nothing, and vanity,</HI> E&s;. 40. 15, 16, 17. and his <HI>hand is not &s;hortened</HI> (or weakened) <HI>that it cannot &s;ave,</HI> E&s;. 59. and, when he is <HI>plea&s;ed to work, none can turn it back and hinder it,</HI> E&s;. 59. 1. &amp; 43, 13. and <HI>if he be for us, none can</HI> prevail <HI>again&s;t us, Rom.</HI> 8. 31. neither can God be compelled to do any thing, or to leave ought undone, or to yield or give way to the de&s;ire or purpo&s;e of any creature or crea|tures, <MILESTONE N="12"> to do any thing. 4. Neither can any thing befall us without God, without his Providence All our <HI>times are in his hand, P&s;al.</HI> 31. 15. All good things and all. Afflictions do proceed <HI>out of</HI> his <HI>mouth, Lam.</HI> 3. 38. that is, according to his &s;ecret appointment, either acting them, or voluntarily permitting them, and giving way to the de&s;ires and purpo&s;es of creatures to act them. Neither is there any evil that is Affliction) <HI>in a City</HI> [or in the Country] which the LORD hath <HI>not done, Amos</HI> 3. 6. Even Satan (with all his &s;trength and cunning) could not afflict <HI>Job</HI> in any kind, in the lea&s;t mea&s;ure, without a Com|mi&s;&s;ion from the Almighty, nor when he had a commi&s;&s;ion from him, go one inch beyond it, <HI>Job.</HI> 1. and 2. Neither could the Devils <MILESTONE N="13"> enter into the Swine, untill <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> gave them leave, <HI>Mark</HI> 5. 12, 13. And the Government of God is extended to the &s;malle&s;t matters; as <HI>Lots, Prov.</HI> 16. 33. a Sparrow falls not <HI>to the ground without him, Mat.</HI> 10. 29. and the very hair of our head are all numbred, <HI>v.</HI> 30. and do not fall from us without him. The LORD al&s;o, <HI>E&s;.</HI> 45. 7. &s;aith, <HI>I form the light, and create darkne&s;s, I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all the&s;e things;</HI> and <HI>Lam.</HI> 3. 37. We &s;ee, that who&s;oever &s;aith, this or that &s;hall come to pa&s;s, it cometh not to pa&s;s, unle&s;s the Lord commandeth it: as <HI>David</HI> &s;aid of <HI>Shimei, The LORD hath bidden him, &s;aying, cur&s;e</HI> David! 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 16. 10, 11. and what&s;oever <HI>the LORD plea&s;ed, that he did</HI> (&s;aith the P&s;almi&s;t) <HI>in Heaven, and in Earth, in the Seas, and in all deep places, P&s;al.</HI> 135. 6. He is able to give a new heart, and a new &s;pirit to the greate&s;t &s;inners; to bla&s;phe|mers, oppre&s;&s;ors, perjured per&s;ons, and per&s;ecutors, as he did to <HI>A|dam</HI> and <HI>Mana&s;&s;es,</HI> and to <HI>Saul,</HI> afterwards called <HI>Paul;</HI> yea <HI>of &s;tones to rai&s;e up Children to</HI> Abraham, <HI>Mat.</HI> 3 9. and, without that ble&s;&s;ed change, to re&s;train and repre&s;s the lewd de&s;ires, and affections, and purpo&s;es of Heathens, and Idolaters, during what time &s;oever he plea&s;eth. For he promi&s;ed <HI>the I&s;raelites,</HI> that at the three high
<PB N="7" REF="8"> Fea&s;ts of the year, when all their Males were to appear before the LORD, <HI>no man &s;hould de&s;ire their land,</HI> Exod. 34. 23, 24. and <HI>Solo|mon</HI> &s;aith, when <HI>a mans wayes plea&s;e the LORD,</HI> he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him, <HI>Prov. 16. 7. [Job</HI> 1 21. &amp; 2. 10. 2 <HI>Sam. 12. 11, 12. 1 Kings 22. 19, 24. P&s;al.</HI> 39. 9. &amp; 75. 6, 7. <HI>Prov.</HI> 16. 1, 9, 33. &amp; 21. 30. <HI>Jer.</HI> 10. 23. &amp; 34. 22.] <HI>It is not</HI> then <HI>without the determinate coun&s;el and the providence of God, that the&s;e afflictions be come upon us.</HI></P>
<P>Qu. <HI>What &s;hall we &s;ay then of tho&s;e men that afflict us?</HI> <MILESTONE N="14"></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> What &s;hall we &s;ay? why, that which the Spirit of Truth teacheth us to &s;ay: and he in the holy Scriptures &s;aith, that <HI>Shi&s;hak,</HI> King of <HI>Egypt,</HI> came up again&s;t <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>Rehoboam</HI> (King of <HI>Judah</HI>) and his &s;ubjects had <HI>tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed again&s;t the LORD, 2 Chron.</HI> 12. 1, 2, 3, 4. and God calls the <HI>A&s;&s;yrians the Rod of his anger</HI> (to <MILESTONE N="15"> wit, again&s;t his <HI>own</HI> people, whom they did mole&s;t and per&s;ecute) and &s;aith, <HI>That the &s;taff in their hand, is his indignation,</HI> [to wit, again&s;t his own people.] <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 10. 6. &amp;c. &amp; <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 17. 13, 14. The holy Spirit of God by the P&s;almi&s;t calls wrong-doers, <HI>Gods hand, and Gods &s;word,</HI> becau&s;e they be managed, led, and over-ruled of God, as a mighty man <HI>manageth his own hands, or a &s;word, club, &s;taff or rod in them:</HI> So that they cannot &s;o much as hurt any one of their neighbours, ei|ther godly or ungodly, or their cattel, but when the mo&s;t high God hath (&s;ecretly) bidden them do it, as <HI>David</HI> &s;pake of <HI>Shemei, 2 Sam.</HI> 16. 10, 11. And what is the meaning of <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 10. 15? Is it not this, That the <HI>A&s;&s;yrians,</HI> in the works which they did again&s;t the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> were to the Almighty, no other than, as the Ax to him who <HI>heweth</HI> with it, <HI>the &s;aw</HI> to the <HI>Sawier</HI> who <HI>&s;aweth</HI> with it, and <HI>the rod and &s;taff</HI> to them who <HI>whip and beat</HI> o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hers with them? Who can deny this con&s;truction of that ver&s;e? And &s;o much of the &s;econd particular.</P>
<P>3. <HI>Thirdly,</HI> That we may go forward to the end of this bu&s;ine&s;s, <MILESTONE N="16"> <HI>without hard thoughts of God,</HI> or charging him fooli&s;hly (<HI>Job</HI> 1. 21.) let us &s;tedfa&s;tly believe, and &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider, That <HI>he, in giving way &s;o far to the de&s;ires, purpo&s;es, devices and enterpizes of men, hath not dealt unju&s;tly with any of us, nor done any of us any wrong.</HI> For, 1. <HI>He is righteous in all his wayes and works,</HI> P&s;al. 145. 17. <HI>and doth not afflict or grieve</HI> any of the children of men, <HI>cau&s;le&s;s,</HI> or <HI>meerly for his plea&s;ure.</HI> (&s;o we are to under&s;tand the words of <HI>Jeremy,</HI> Lam. 3. 33.) 2. They who now are converted came into the world, as the Reprobates did. They were <HI>&s;hapen in iniquity, and conceived in &s;in (P&s;al.</HI> 51. 5.) and born <HI>fle&s;h, Joh.</HI> 3. 6. That is, wholly and altogether carnal and fle&s;hly, and corrupt, <HI>dead in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es and &s;ins,</HI> Eph. 2. 1, 5. and prone and apt
<PB N="8" REF="9"> by nature to conceive <HI>evil</HI> de&s;ires, purpo&s;es and imaginations, and <HI>only</HI> &s;uch <HI>continually,</HI> Gen. 6. 5. and to tre&s;pa&s;s in the mo&s;t mon&s;trous and horrible &s;ins that are, and that in the gro&s;&s;e&s;t and foule&s;t manner that can be, without any &s;hame, or fear, or remor&s;e of con&s;cience, and even to de&s;pite the &s;pirit of Grace, and to commit the &s;in again&s;t the holy Gho&s;t, and &s;o <HI>were by nature the children of Gods wrath,</HI> even as others, <HI>Eph.</HI> 2. 3. &s;ubject and obnoxious to the everla&s;ting cur&s;e and endle&s;s wrath of God. 3. Neither Ju&s;tification, nor the new. Birth, doth bring with it an inward &s;anctification which is perfect in <MILESTONE N="17"> degrees, <HI>Phil. 3. 12, 13. Prov.</HI> 20. 9. but the forementioned ba&s;e pronene&s;s unto &s;in remaineth, in &s;ome mea&s;ure, in the be&s;t Chri&s;tians; and all graces are &s;omewhat imperfect, unto the end of this life, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7. 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 24. neither do the mo&s;t knowing Chri&s;tians know otherwi&s;e than in part, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13. 12. &amp; 8. 2. 4. And hence it comes to pa&s;s, that <HI>we offend,</HI> actually, <HI>in many things, all</HI> (of us) <HI>Jam. 3. 2. 1 Joh. 1. 8, 10. Mat.</HI> 6. 11, 12. even the holie&s;t, and, for &s;pi|ritual &s;trength, the &s;tronge&s;t of us; and that the holie&s;t &s;ervices and actions of the holie&s;t per&s;ons be mingled with &s;ome corruptions and &s;in, and &s;o none of them perfectly well performed, but all imper|fectly, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 96. We have all cau&s;e to &s;ay, as <HI>Ezra,</HI> Chap. 9. 13. <HI>Our God hath puni&s;hed us le&s;s than our iniquities de&s;erve;</HI> yea, that he or &s;he of us who hath &s;inned lea&s;t, hath de&s;erved much more tribulati|on, than our mo&s;t gracious God hath laid on any of us. What may be &s;aid more of Gods wrath, as de&s;erved by Profe&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rs: See <HI>Marg.</HI> 30.</P>
<P>4. <HI>Fourthly,</HI> We mu&s;t believe and con&s;ider, That God, who doth <MILESTONE N="18"> all his works in wi&s;dom, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 104. 24. hath done wi&s;ely in afflicting us, and therefore afflicted us for good and fit ends.</P>
<P>5. <HI>The fifth thing</HI> to be con&s;idered is, why and <HI>for what cau&s;es and ends</HI> the Lord our God hath &s;uffered all the evils before mentioned to come upon us? For he doth not &s;o much as give way to the de&s;ires of men, without &s;ome &s;ufficient cau&s;e, (<HI>as it were,</HI> moving him there|unto) nor without &s;ome fit ends whereat he aimeth, and for which he giveth way to them. By fit ends, I mean, fit in re&s;pect, either of his own honour and glory, or of the good of God's people, or of &s;ome of them. Now concerning this matter, I be&s;eech you, Friends, as ye de&s;ire to e&s;cape, and to have your Brethren e&s;cape God's wrath, hear|ken to, and con&s;ider, what I &s;hall &s;ay unto you.</P>
<P>Take heed ye be not deceived by the grand Impo&s;tors; <HI>Satan, the Fle&s;h, Sin, the World and your own hearts.</HI> For, 1. <HI>Satan</HI> did beguile <HI>Eve through his (Serpentine) &s;ubtilty,</HI> Gen 3. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. 3. even when
<PB N="9" REF="9"> he had nothing in her (<HI>Joh.</HI> 14. 30.) and doth blind the eyes of many, le&s;t the light of the Go&s;pel &s;hould &s;hine unto them, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 4. 2. The fle&s;h lu&s;teth again&s;t the &s;pirit, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5. 17. as it were, continually, and our worldly lu&s;ts are to the eyes of the mind, as du&s;t (&s;tirred up by a Regiment of Hor&s;e marching) (1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. 11.) or &s;moak to the eyes of the body; keeping us from di&s;cerning &s;o clearly as otherwi&s;e we might, between truth and error, and hiding the truth from us; and <HI>Eph.</HI> 4. 32. the old man is &s;aid to be <HI>corrupt according to the deceitful la&s;ts.</HI> 3. Becau&s;e &s;in is very deceitful, therefore the Apo&s;tle calls on us, to exhort one another daily, <HI>le&s;t any of us be hardened through the deceitfulne&s;s of &s;in,</HI> Heb. 3. 13. 4. The world al&s;o (if ye take not great heed) will hide your eyes from your own &s;ins, and deceive you, as it did <HI>Demas, 2 Tim.</HI> 4. 10. 5. La&s;tly, the heart of man <HI>is deceit|ful above all things,</HI> Jer 17. 9. &s;o that <HI>he that tru&s;teth in his own heart, is a fool,</HI> Prov. 28. 26.</P>
<P>Verily, Friends, we are (through &s;elf-love and folly) apt o im|pute <MILESTONE N="19"> our afflictions to many things, rather than to our &s;ins, and every man, in a time of common calamities, to the &s;ins of others, rather than to his own, and we who are called Phanaticks, <HI>to impute</HI> the af|flictions which are common to us with others, <HI>wholly to the &s;ins of others, and in no mea&s;ure to our own &s;ins.</HI> And I believe, many a man and wo|man of you doth not know, and duly con&s;ider, how far forth the af|flictions of this time be to be imputed to his and her &s;ins: and there|fore I be&s;eech you again, yea, <HI>I charge</HI> you <HI>before God, and the Lord Je|&s;us Chri&s;t, who &s;hall judge the living and the dead at his appearing, and his Kingdom;</HI> all of you, take all due care, and give all diligence, to know why, and to what ends it is, that God hath and doth afflict us; and particularly, every one of you, to di&s;cern what hand his &s;ins and failings have had in bringing the &s;aid afflictions upon us, and to <HI>hear the Rod, and [him] who hath appointed it,</HI> Mic. 6. 9.</P>
<P>Now, if ye would know, what ends God aimeth at in afflicting us, <MILESTONE N="20"> let us fir&s;t know, <HI>what ends he aimeth at in afflicting men</HI> (indefinitely) Profe&s;&s;ors, or not Profe&s;&s;ors. And for this;</P>
<P>1. As all things are of him, and for him, <HI>Rom.</HI> 11. 36. as he made <HI>all things</HI> for him&s;elf, <HI>Prov.</HI> 16. 4. &s;o, being a God of judgment, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 30. 18. he doth all his works in wi&s;dom, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 104. 24. and in them all, aimeth at his own glory, or the good of tho&s;e whom he hath gi|ven to his Son, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. 28. or both. 2. But, &s;peaking more particu|larly, God &s;ends men puni&s;hments, cha&s;ti&s;ements and troubles, for the&s;e cau&s;es and ends:</P>
<P N="1">1. That men may know and acknowledge, That the Kingdom <MILESTONE N="21">
<PB N="10" REF="10"> over all the creatures, is his, and that he ruleth all the earth, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 58. 12. &amp; 59. 13. <HI>I&s;a. 2. 17. Ezek.</HI> 6. 12, 23. &amp; 22. 49.</P>
<P N="2">2. To manife&s;t his power, and that his threatnings recorded in the holy Scriptures be not in vain and of none effect, <HI>Exod. 9. 16. Rom. 9. 17. Lev. 10. 1, 2, 3. Ezek. 29. 49. Joh. 9. 2, 3. Rom. 11. 22. Ezek.</HI> 6. 10.</P>
<P N="3">3. As a &s;ure and certain te&s;timony of his righteous judgment to come, 2 <HI>The&s;s. 1. 4, 5. 1 Pet.</HI> 4. 17, 18.</P>
<P N="4">4. That by them the &s;ins of tho&s;e who are afflicted, may be broken off, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 16. 41. &amp; 23. 47.</P>
<P N="5">5. That the hypocri&s;ie and rottenne&s;s of &s;ome Profe&s;&s;ors may be made manife&s;t, 2 <HI>Tim. 3. 9. Jud.</HI> v. 12. <HI>Mat.</HI> 13. 5, 6, 20, 21.</P>
<P N="6">6. To make men call their &s;ins, it may be <HI>old &s;ins,</HI> to remem|brance, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 38. the title, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> to &s;earch and try their wayes, to find out their &s;ins, <HI>Lam.</HI> 3. 40. and to make them fear God, and &s;eek un|to him for mercy and favour, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> to take heed of &s;inning again&s;t him, and of provoking him to anger, <HI>Prov. 3. 12. Heb. 12. 6. Rev. 3. 19. P&s;al. 94. 12. Ho&s;.</HI> 5. 14. 15. with 6. 1, 2. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 61, 71, 75. This u&s;e a man ought to make, even of God's Judgments and plagues on others, 1 <HI>Cor. 10, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. P&s;al.</HI> 52. 5, 6.</P>
<P N="7">7. That the Saints may be made <HI>conform</HI> to their Head, our Lord <MILESTONE N="22"> Je&s;us Chri&s;t in his &s;ufferings, <HI>Rom. 8. 17. Phil. 3. 10. Col. 1. 24. 1 Pet.</HI> 2, 21. &amp; 4. 13, 15, 16.</P>
<P N="8">8. For the trial of their graces, faith in Gods promi&s;es, love to Chri&s;t, fear of God, patience, <HI>&amp;c. Jam. 1. 2. 12. Gen. 22. 10, 12. Job</HI> 1. &amp; 2. &amp;c. <HI>Jam.</HI> 5. 11. which if they be real and &s;trong, are un|to the honour and glory of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t, 1 Pet.</HI> 1. 6, 7. and to make them know, what naughty things be in their hearts. To which end God once left <HI>Hezekiah, 2 Chron.</HI> 32. 31.</P>
<P N="9">9. For the bettering of our &s;piritual e&s;tates, <HI>Rom. 8. 28. Heb. 12. 9, 10. P&s;al.</HI> 94. 12.</P>
<P N="10">10. That the courage and patience of &s;ome Saints under the Cro&s;s, may be a good example to their fellow-Saints; that, their faith, comfort, courage and &s;piritual &s;trength being augmented, they al&s;o may &s;eek for glory, and honour, and immortality, by the like patient continuance in well-doing, 2 <HI>Cor. 1. 6. Col.</HI> 1. 24.</P>
<P N="11">11. <HI>God afflicteth both godly and ungodly per&s;ons, becau&s;e of their &s;ins, I&s;a. 59. 1, 2. Jer. 5. 25. P&s;al.</HI> 38. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. and that &s;ome|times <HI>for old &s;ins,</HI> Job 20. 11. &amp; 13. 26. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 25. 7. and, I think, hath afflicted &s;ome of us <HI>for &s;ins committed in the late time of our exal|tation,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P N="12"><PB N="11" REF="10">12. God afflicts men of both &s;orts for their &s;ins; that, their &s;ins be|ing <MILESTONE N="23"> bitter to them, they may reform their wayes according to Gods word, and the mind of Chri&s;t, and be made in a greater mea&s;ure par|takers of Gods holine&s;s, <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 5. 14, 15. &amp; 6. 1, 2, 3. <HI>P&s;al. 119. 75, 71. Heb.</HI> 12. 8, 10.</P>
<P N="13">13. And, that the Saints may not be condemned with the world, <HI>Heb. 12. 9. 1 Cor.</HI> 11. 32.</P>
<P N="14">14. As al&s;o to encrea&s;e our patience, experience and hope, <HI>Rom.</HI> 5. 3, 4, 5. and humility and meekne&s;s, to endure the wrath of God and rage of men, with a contented, quiet and calm &s;pirit, and that we may be e&s;tabli&s;hed, &s;trengthened, &s;etled; which work is &s;eldom done thorowly without &s;uffering a while, as <HI>Peter</HI> &s;eems to intimate, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 5. 9, 10. as a hedge-maker &s;hakes the &s;takes, that he may fa&s;ten them in hedges.</P>
<P N="15">15. Furthermore, we are troubled by the world, that we may not expect favour and peace from it, <HI>Joh. 16. 33. Luke</HI> 7. 31, 32, 34.</P>
<P N="16">16. That we may not tru&s;t in our &s;elves, but in God, <HI>Deut.</HI> 8. 3. <MILESTONE N="24"> 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 9, 10.</P>
<P N="17">17. That effectual fervent petitions may be put up to God for them who are afflicted, by them&s;elves and others, <HI>Act. 12. 5. 2 Cor.</HI> 1. 11.</P>
<P N="18">18. That, comfort and deliverance being be&s;towed on them by the means of many, prai&s;e and thanks may be given to God on their behalf by many, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 11.</P>
<P N="19">19. Our heavenly Father doth by our afflictions and the gracious operation of his <HI>holy Spirit,</HI> as it were by fire, con&s;ume, and &s;coure, and clean&s;e away, out of us, our dro&s;s, &s;cum, dirt, dung and all our &s;piri|tual filthine&s;s, <HI>I&s;a. 27. 9. 1 Cor. 3. 15. 1 Pet.</HI> 1. 7. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 12. 6. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 66. 10, 11. &amp;c. <HI>I&s;a. 1. 25. Ezek. 24. 6. 12. Mal. 3. 2, 3. Mat.</HI> 3. 11. that &s;o holine&s;s may be perfected in us.</P>
<P N="20">20. He afflicts &s;ome who have not given due diligence to be a&s;&s;u|red of his fatherly love, (I believe) to make them more &s;en&s;ible of the want and benefits of that a&s;&s;urance, and to make them be&s;tow more time and care to attain it.</P>
<P N="21">21. God plagues the ungodly &s;ometimes, that the Saints may re|joyce in and before God, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 52. 5, 6. &amp; 68. 4.</P>
<P N="22">22. Sometimes the Saints do &s;uffer afflictions to &s;eal and confirm <MILESTONE N="25"> Go&s;pel-truths (<HI>John 3. 33. Mar. 16. 20. Heb.</HI> 2. 4.)</P>
<P N="23">23. God doth &s;ometimes afflict men, <HI>to drive their pride out of them;</HI> &s;o preparing and fitting them for &s;ome great exaltation and pro&s;perity, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 27. 7, 8, 9.</P>
<PB N="12" REF="11">
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But <HI>for which of all the&s;e cau&s;es or ends doth God afflict us that go under the name of profe&s;&s;ors.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. If any man thinks that God doth afflict &s;ome of us for the fir&s;t five things, I &s;hall not peremptorily reject his opinion; and that partly, becau&s;e, I believe many of our profe&s;&s;ors be <HI>meer Forma|li&s;ts,</HI> and wholly de&s;titute of true godline&s;s: which therefore I believe, &s;ee <HI>Marg.</HI> 125, 126, 127, 128.</P>
<P>2. I believe God hath, and doth afflict many godly per&s;ons for all the re&s;t of the ends, excepting the 21 and 22. And if any think God hath done it to drive pride out of very many of us, I &s;hall <HI>readily and chearfully</HI> &s;ub&s;cribe to that, but with this earne&s;t reque&s;t to every one that is of that opinion, to con&s;ider <HI>as wi&s;ely as he po&s;&s;ibly can, whether he be one of them:</HI> but whether we &s;hall be exalted or no, I know not.</P>
<P>To &s;peak more plainly;</P>
<P>True it is, &s;peaking in a general manner, the &s;ins of the Nation <HI>in general,</HI> may well be looked on as the cau&s;e of the common calami|ties of the Nation. But</P>
<P>As for the <HI>afflictions and grievances</HI> which are <HI>peculiar to us</HI> who are <MILESTONE N="26"> called <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> and <HI>Phanaticks,</HI> the mo&s;t forcible and prevalent cau&s;e of the beginning and continuance of them, the &s;tronge&s;t impediment of our Petitions for Liberty, Peace, and Pro&s;perity (the <HI>cau&s;a &s;ine qua non</HI>) the cau&s;e without which things would not be with us, as they be, and that hath the mo&s;t con&s;iderable hand in with-holding good things from us; is (I believe) <HI>the &s;ins of Profe&s;&s;ors.</HI></P>
<P>And becau&s;e men be ap<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> to look on the faults of others too much, and <HI>on</HI> their own too little, and to impute calamities common to them&s;elves with others in too great a mea&s;ure, to the &s;ins of others, and in too &s;mall a mea&s;ure (or not in any mea&s;ure at all) to their own &s;ins; Therefore I be&s;eech all you who are Profe&s;&s;ors, to u&s;e great di|ligence to find out your &s;ins, and to know every one of you in par|ticular, what hand his or her &s;ins have had in this evil work.</P>
<P>Now <HI>for the ends whereat our heavenly Father &s;hoots in the Afflictions</HI> <MILESTONE N="27"> <HI>and Troubles which are peculiar to us;</HI> I verily believe, they be the&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1. By them to exerci&s;e and try our Faith, Zeal for Chri&s;t, Humili|ty, Patience, and other graces, and our &s;piritual gifts, <HI>Lam.</HI> 3. 39. <HI>&amp;c. Heb.</HI> 12. 11. <HI>P&s;.</HI> 11. 5. <HI>Jer.</HI> 20. 12. <HI>Dan.</HI> 12. 10. <HI>Zech.</HI> 13. 9. <HI>Job</HI> 1. &amp; 2. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 5. 6. that we may know, whether our graces be true graces or not, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. To make us &s;ee the benefits and u&s;e of grace, and of the a&s;&s;u|rance of Gods favour, more di&s;tinctly and clearly, than we have &s;een them in the times of our pro&s;perity.</P>
<P N="3"><PB N="13" REF="11">3. To purifie and make us white, <HI>Dan.</HI> 12. 10. <HI>Mal.</HI> 3. 2, 3.</P>
<P N="4">4. To work in us patience and experience of Gods love and graci|ous a&s;&s;i&s;tance, and hope, a well-grounded and &s;olid hope, whereof we &s;hall not be a&s;hamed. (For tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Rom. 5. 3, 4, 5. <HI>Jam.</HI> 1. 3.) and to <HI>&s;tabli&s;h, &s;trengthen, and &s;ettle us,</HI> 1 Pet. 5. 10. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> we may cleave to our Saviour <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> with <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> purpo&s;e of heart, <HI>Acts</HI> 11. 23. and <HI>&s;eek for glory, and honour, and immortality, by patient, con|tinuance in well-doing.</HI> Rom. 2. 7. following the Captain of our &s;alva|tion through thick and thin, whither&s;oever he goeth, not being over|come by either fair words or frowns; and to make it appear to the world that our Lord <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> hath &s;uch faithful &s;ervants which will be unto his prai&s;e, and honour, and glory, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 7. and unto the credit of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P N="5">5. By the Rods wherewith God hath been, and is plea&s;ed to whip <MILESTONE N="28"> and &s;courge us, he calls upon us (<HI>Mic.</HI> 6. 9.) To con&s;ider our wayes and hearts exactly, to accompli&s;h a diligent &s;earch, to find out our &s;ins and corruptions, <HI>Lam.</HI> 3. 39. 40. <HI>P&s;.</HI> 119. 59. and, con&s;idering, what evil and bitter fruits they have brought forth to God, and to us, to <HI>humble</HI> our <HI>&s;elves under the mighty</HI> and correcting hand of God, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 6. more particularly, and more deeply, than formerly, and <HI>accepting the puni&s;hment of our iniquities</HI> with the whole heart, <HI>Lev.</HI> 27. 41.</P>
<P N="6">6. To reform our conver&s;ings with God and man, and our beha|viour univer&s;ally, without exceptions or re&s;ervations, and e&s;pecially <HI>to purge and drive away our pride;</HI> all this unto the honour of God, and the bettering of our &s;piritual e&s;tate, and the encrea&s;ing of our con|&s;olation.</P>
<P N="7">7. To (learn to) u&s;e liberty and peace, and all kinds of pro&s;perity <MILESTONE N="29"> well, <HI>Phil.</HI> 4. 12. to make better u&s;e of them, than <HI>many of us</HI> have heretofore, and altogether as we ought to u&s;e pro&s;perity.</P>
<P N="8">8. To <HI>give</HI> due <HI>diligence</HI> (which, I fear, <HI>many of us have not yet done</HI>) to <HI>make our</HI> (effectual) Calling and Election (unto everla&s;ting life) <HI>&s;ure,</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. and to know a&s;&s;uredly, that God is our Father, and that tho&s;e of us, <HI>who have no true Holine&s;s,</HI> may exer|ci&s;e them&s;elves more frequently, and more &s;eriou&s;ly in the means, to get &s;ome.</P>
<P N="9">9. It may be, God exerci&s;eth &s;ome of us by light Afflictions, to pre|pare and fit us for greater and &s;orer &s;ufferings, 2. <HI>Tim.</HI> 3. 12. <HI>Acts</HI> 14. 22. <HI>Rom.</HI> 2. 7. or to pre&s;s us, to cry mightily unto God, to pre|pare the <HI>called, cho&s;en, and faithful,</HI> &s;poken of <HI>Rev.</HI> 17. 14. that &s;o we may have a hand in the ruine of <HI>Babylon,</HI> or peradventure to prepare
<PB N="14" REF="12"> <HI>us or our Children</HI> to be members of the Church of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> when its <HI>glo|ry and &s;plendor</HI> &s;hall <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> that of Heaven.</P>
<P>Hitherto of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> our Afflictions. Now for this, that <HI>Pro|fe&s;&s;ors</HI> <MILESTONE N="30"> <HI>&s;ins be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> greate&s;t hinderance of Profe&s;&s;ors Petitions for liberty, and peace, &amp;c.</HI> I have thought good to &s;hew the Rea&s;ons of my belief thus, (re&s;erving to the la&s;t place, tho&s;e, which &s;ome will look on, as having mo&s;t of rea&s;on in them.)</P>
<P N="1">1. (Fir&s;t) con&s;ider, I pray, what I have already &s;aid (<HI>Marg.</HI> 16.) of the Birth, iniquity, and the unavoidable fruits of it, to &s;hew, that God hath not dealt unju&s;tly with us in afflicting us: but con&s;ider fur|ther concerning &s;in in general.</P>
<P N="2">2. Every &s;in is a tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the Law of the mo&s;t high God, 1 <HI>John</HI> 3. 4. which Law, becau&s;e he made it, cannot but be <HI>holy, and ju&s;t, and good, Rom.</HI> 7. 12. and <HI>all his precepts concerning every thing right, P&s;al.</HI> 119. 128. and for the &s;ame rea&s;on, becau&s;e he is the Lawgiver, therefore what&s;oever &s;in is committed again&s;t his Law, is committed again&s;t him, and (if I may &s;peak &s;o as they &s;peak of earthly Kings) again&s;t his Crown and Dignity, and the true God being no little God, but infinitely great; therefore, although, &s;ins being compared one with another, &s;ome of them be le&s;&s;er than other; yet <HI>the lea&s;t</HI> of them <HI>is a great &s;in, and a great evil,</HI> becau&s;e committed again&s;t a great God. Yea, beloved, as wrongs done to men, are judged to merit le&s;&s;er or greater puni&s;hments, according to the wor|thine&s;s, <MILESTONE N="31"> Authority, and merit, of the party wronged, whether he be a Con&s;table, Ju&s;tice of the Peace. Privy-Coun&s;ellor, or of &s;ome other Rank: &s;o whereas <HI>all the Nations</HI> of the earth, compared to God be <HI>as a drop of water of a Bucket, and as the &s;mall du&s;t of the ballance, yea as no|thing, yea as le&s;s than nothing and vanity, E&s;.</HI> 40 15, 17. and whereas his Kingdom is over all the Creatures, and an ab&s;olute Kingdom, and his dignity infinite, <HI>and he doth abundantly de&s;erve the &s;ervice and obe|dience of men;</HI> therefore, in very deed, every &s;in, even the lea&s;t &s;in that is, de&s;erves his cur&s;e, <HI>Gal.</HI> 3. 10. and the everla&s;ting torments of Hell; (which peradventure <HI>&s;ome of you have not yet learned.</HI>) And if every &s;in doth de&s;erve the horrible and everla&s;ting Torments of Hell, what do all my &s;ins de&s;erve then? yea, or the &s;ins of the mo&s;t &s;inle&s;s? O that I could, that we all could admire the free grace and mercy of our God, as it is worthy, and prai&s;e, and extol it, as it is worthy, and tru&s;t to it, in and through <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> more entirely, and &s;tir up our &s;elves, and give all diligence to <HI>walk far more worthy of it, and of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t unto all plea&s;ing, being fruitful in every good work, Col.</HI> 1. 10. unto his glory, and the credit of his glorious Go&s;pel. God
<PB N="15" REF="12"> forbid, we &s;hould &s;o magnifie the free grace of God, as to abu&s;e it, as to turn it <HI>into</HI> wantonne&s;s and la&s;civiou&s;ne&s;s, as tho&s;e, <HI>Jude v.</HI> 4. as to be bold to &s;in, becau&s;e grace doth abound, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 130. 4. <HI>Rom.</HI> 2. 4. &amp; 6. 1, 2, 5. Far, O far be this from us.</P>
<P>But (&s;econdly) it is probable,</P>
<P>That at this day not only national Churches, but al&s;o Churches of <MILESTONE N="32"> other &s;orts have in them corrupt Members; and that &s;ome <HI>godly per|&s;ons</HI> have tre&s;pa&s;&s;ed in gro&s;s &s;ins &s;ince they were begotten again with the word of truth. <MILESTONE N="33"></P>
<P><HI>R.</HI> For (and, I pray you, con&s;ider it well) &s;o it was</P>
<P N="1">1. With <HI>Gain, Gen.</HI> 4. 8. and with the Old World, <HI>Gen.</HI> 6. 3, 4, 5.</P>
<P N="2">2. With the Children of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> Exod. 32. <HI>Num.</HI> 25. 5. &amp; 20. 10, 13. <HI>Deut.</HI> 9. 18. &amp; 31. 29. <HI>P&s;.</HI> 78. 58, 59. &amp; 10. 6, 29, 32. <HI>Jer.</HI> 11. 17.</P>
<P N="3">3. With the Kingdom of <HI>Judah</HI> apart, 2 <HI>Kings</HI> 23. 16. <HI>E&s;.</HI> 1. 4. &amp; 3. 25. &amp; 65. 4. <HI>Jer.</HI> 2. 13. &amp; 7. 18. &amp; 8. 19. &amp; 17. 4. &amp; 32. 29, 30. &amp; 44. 3. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 8. 17. &amp; 16. 26. <HI>Ezr.</HI> 10. <HI>Neh.</HI> 5. <HI>Hag.</HI> 1.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>With the Sons of Eli,</HI> 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 2. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. of <HI>Samuel,</HI> 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 8. 1, 2, 3, 4. and of <HI>David,</HI> viz. <HI>Amnon, Ab&s;olom,</HI> and <HI>Ad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i|jah.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. In the time of Chri&s;ts preaching, he <HI>did not commit him&s;elf to ma|ny</HI> that <HI>believed in his name, becau&s;e he knew what was in man,</HI> John 2. 23, 24, 25. &s;ome &s;ought him, not for his Doctrine, but becau&s;e they did <HI>eat of the loaves and were filled,</HI> John 6. 26. and many of his Di&s;|ciples, after they had followed him for a while, for&s;ook him, and walked no more with him, <HI>John</HI> 6. 66. con&s;ider al&s;o <HI>Mat.</HI> 13. 28, 29 30.</P>
<P N="6">6. In the Primitive Churches there were many corruptions and <MILESTONE N="34"> &s;ins, <HI>Acts</HI> 15. 1. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 11, 12, 13. &amp; 3. 3, 4. &amp; 5. 1. &amp; 6. 6, 7. &amp; 11. 18, 19, 21. 29, 30. &amp; 15. 12. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12. 20, 21. <HI>Gal.</HI> 1. 6. &amp; 2. 12, 13, 14. &amp; 3. 1. &amp; 5. 8, 4. <HI>Phil.</HI> 2, 21. <HI>Col.</HI> 2. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. &amp; 4. 17. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 16. <HI>Tit.</HI> 1. 16. &amp; 3. 9. <HI>Heb.</HI> 5. 11, 12. <HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 14. &amp; 5. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. 10. and to the end of the Chapter, <HI>John</HI> 3. 9, 10. <HI>Jude ver.</HI> 4. 8 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 19. <HI>Rev.</HI> 2. 4, 9, 14, 25, 20, 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 1, 2, 9, 15, 16, 17.</P>
<P N="7">7. Yea, we find recorded in the holy Scriptures the &s;ins and exorbi|tances of &s;ome, whom we know to have been godly; as <HI>Noah,</HI> Gen. 9. 21. <HI>Lot,</HI> Gen. 19. 21. <HI>&amp;c, Abraham,</HI> Gen. 20. <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> Gen. 26. <HI>Re|bekah,</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI> Gen. 27. <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> the Servant of the Lord, <HI>Exod.</HI> 4. 10. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> &amp; <HI>v.</HI> 24. <HI>Deut.</HI> 1. 39. <HI>P&s;.</HI> 106. 32, 33. <HI>Job</HI> chap. 3. <HI>Aaron,</HI> the Saint of the Lord, <HI>Exod.</HI> 32. <HI>Deut.</HI> 9. 20, <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aaron,</HI> Num. 20.
<PB N="16" REF="13"> 10 11, 12. <HI>Aaron</HI> and <HI>Miriam, Num. 12. 9. 10. Gideon,</HI> Judg. 8. 27. <HI>Sam&s;on,</HI> Judg. 16. <HI>A&s;a,</HI> 2 Chron. 16. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. <HI>Hezekiah,</HI> 2 King. 20. 2 Chr. 32. 24, 25, 31. <HI>David,</HI> a man after Gods own heart, 2 <HI>Sam</HI> 11. &amp; 12. <HI>Solomon</HI> (called <HI>Jedidiah,</HI> 2 Sam. 12. 25. that is, <HI>Beloved of the Lord)</HI> 1 King. 11. 1. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> a Prophet that came from <HI>Ju|dah,</HI> 1 King. 13. <HI>Jeremy Jer. 20. Jonah, Jon.</HI> 1. &amp; 4. <HI>Peter,</HI> Mat. 16. 22, 23. &amp; 26. 69. &amp;c. <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>Barnabas,</HI> Gal. 2. <HI>Paul</HI> or <HI>Barnabas,</HI> Acts 15. To whom, I think, may be added <HI>Uzzah,</HI> 2 Sam. 6. 6, 7. and &s;ome of tho&s;e who did eat and drink at the Lords Table unworthily, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. and of tho&s;e for&s;akers, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 16.</P>
<P N="8">8. And &s;ome of the Sins of the &s;aid godly per&s;ons were not little <MILESTONE N="35"> &s;ins, but great &s;ins, as of <HI>Aaron, David, Solomon,</HI> and <HI>Peter.</HI></P>
<P N="9">9. La&s;tly, &s;ome of our &s;ins are greater than many of us think them to bee; as unbelief, <HI>tru&s;ting in creatures, deceitful backbiting, biting, idle and fooli&s;h words, unfit je&s;ting, not grieving for &s;ins, our own and of others, not in&s;tructing, comforting, admoni&s;hing, reproving, not be&s;towing time and care to make what we hear, and read profitable to us, not making u&s;e of Mini|&s;ters when we may, &amp;c.)</HI> And <HI>this rea&s;on beloved is good,</HI> becau&s;e as to the bu&s;ine&s;s of tempting, the Devils are in this Age altogether &s;uch as they have been in all former Ages, and the world is altogether &s;uch as it hath been: only, to &s;peak the truth, the world is much fuller of Baits and Allurements, and hath (I think) more taking &s;nares, than in old time it had; and the cunning craftine&s;s of the Devils and their ability to deceive (as &s;ome think) is augmented by experience.</P>
<P>And for <HI>Satans</HI> wrath, if his &s;hort time &s;poken of <HI>Rev.</HI> 12. 12. be al|ready <MILESTONE N="36"> begun, then he <HI>hath great wrath,</HI> which ye may do well to take into con&s;ideration, together with the Prophe&s;ies of the Apo&s;tles, <HI>Peter,</HI> and <HI>Jude,</HI> and <HI>Paul,</HI> that <HI>in the la&s;t days there &s;hould come &s;coffers, walking after their own lu&s;ts,</HI> 2 Pet. 3. 3, 4. Jude <HI>ver. 17, 18. &amp;c.</HI> and that <HI>in the la&s;t days</HI> men would have <HI>a form of godline&s;s,</HI> and yet deny <HI>the power thereof,</HI> being <HI>lovers of their own &s;elves, covetous, boa&s;ters, proud, and high-minded, unthankful, unholy, fal&s;e accu&s;ers, incontinent, fierce, de&s;pi&s;ers of tho&s;e who are good, and lovers of plea&s;ures more than lovers of God,</HI> 2 Tim. 3. 1. &amp;c.</P>
<P>(Thirdly) 1. God <HI>judgeth</HI> the earth, <HI>P&s;al. 75. 7. Gen. 18. 25. P&s;al.</HI> 58. 11. that is, ruleth and judgeth all the Inhabitants of the earth; and is pre&s;ent in all places (and &s;ees and knows all things, even all the thoughts, purpo&s;es, de&s;ires, and imaginations of men) and almighty, to do what&s;oever he plea&s;eth, <HI>Jer. 23. 23, 24. Gen. 6. 5. &amp; 8. 21. P&s;. 139. 1, 2, 3. &amp;c. Heb. 4. 13. Gen. 17. 1. I&s;a.</HI> 59. 1.</P>
<PB N="17" REF="13">
<P>2. As Gods power is infinite, and his love toward his Children, a <MILESTONE N="37"> fatherly and tender love, <HI>E&s;.</HI> 49. 15. and his m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rcy infinite; and as our Advocate <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> doth appear in the pre&s;ence of the Father for all his people always, 1 <HI>John 2. 1, 2. Heb.</HI> 9. 24. and the Father <HI>heareth him always,</HI> Joh. 11. 41. &s;o his fatherly love is (if I may &s;o &s;peak) mingled with wi&s;dom, (<HI>Prov.</HI> 13. 24.) to train up his Chil|dren <HI>in the way wherein they &s;hould go,</HI> (Pro. 23. 6.) to do his will, and th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t not only by in&s;tructing them, but al&s;o <HI>by correcting and cha&s;tening</HI> them, it may be with &s;harp Rods, (<HI>Acts</HI> 14. 22.) that at length they may do his will perfectly in Heaven without any correction, tears, or &s;or|row.</P>
<P>3. Ye are not ignorant of that which the Prophets have &s;poken concerning the &s;ins and iniquities of Gods Covenant &s;ervants &s;epara|ting between their God and them, withholding good things from them, bringing afflictions on them, and hindring their prayers, <HI>Your iniquities</HI> (&s;aith <HI>E&s;ay) have &s;eparated between you and your God, and your &s;ins have hid his face from you, that HE WILL NOT HEAR,</HI> chap. 59. 1, 2. your iniquities (&s;aith <HI>Jeremy) have turned away the&s;e things</HI> [from you; the former and the latter rain, and the appointed weeks of the Harve&s;t] <HI>and your &s;ins have withholden good things from you,</HI> chap. 5. 24, 25. and <HI>Lam. 3. 39. Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the puni&s;hment of his &s;ins?</HI></P>
<P>4. The great God who formed all things, is not &s;uch a one as the <MILESTONE N="38"> ungodly man thinks him to be, <HI>P&s;.</HI> 50. 21, 22. one, to whom it is all one, whether his holy, ju&s;t, good, and wi&s;e Law be ob&s;erved, or not. In my opinion, it agrees not with the infinite wi&s;dom of God, to &s;uffer any man <HI>to gain by any of his &s;ins,</HI> (unle&s;s a man may be &s;aid to gain godly Repentance, or the like by them, <HI>&amp;c.)</HI></P>
<P>5. But that we may judge the better of this matter, let us con&s;ider <MILESTONE N="39"> as exactly as we can (if I may &s;o call it) <HI>the Method</HI> which God hath u&s;ed and will u&s;e in di&s;tributing puni&s;hments and afflictions, to hum|ble and reform his people, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="1">(1.) God hath &s;aid, he doth and <HI>will render to every man according to his works,</HI> Job 34. 11. <HI>P&s;. 62. 12. Pr. 24. 12. Jer. 32. 19. Ezek. 33. 20. Mat. 16. 27. Rom. 2. 6. 2 Cor. 5. 10. Eph. 6. 8. Col. 3. 24, 25. Rev.</HI> 22. 12. In which Scriptures by works and deeds, we mu&s;t un|der&s;tand actions and acts of the heart and tongue, and <HI>the ge&s;tures of the body,</HI> as well as the works which we do with our hands, feet, &s;words, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and God is All-&s;ufficient to perform, what&s;oever he hath &s;poken, and cannot deny him&s;elf, <HI>P&s;.</HI> 36. 5. &amp; 57. 10. 108. 4. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 13. nor lie, <HI>Tit. 1. 2. Ezek.</HI> 1 2. 28. &amp; 26. 5. &amp; 28. 10.</P>
<P N="2"><PB N="18" REF="14">(2.) God is no re&s;pecter of per&s;ons, <HI>Deut. 10. 7. 2 Chron. 19. 17. Rom. 2. 11. He accepteth not the per&s;ons of Princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor,</HI> Job 34. 19. nor men of one Nation more than tho&s;e of another Nation, <HI>Act.</HI> 10. 34, 35. nor the Ma&s;ter more than the &s;ervant, nor men of one calling more than tho&s;e of other callings, <HI>Eph. 6. 9. Col.</HI> 3. 25. nor men who are <HI>highly e&s;teemed in the Church,</HI> more than tho&s;e who are not, <HI>Gal.</HI> 2. 6. nor tho&s;e who call him Fa|ther, and call on him as their Father, no not tho&s;e who are indeed his children by the grace of adoption, as to corrections, more than o|thers. <MILESTONE N="40"> He is not like tho&s;e fooli&s;hly indulgent parents, that do <HI>&s;pare the rod and &s;poil the child,</HI> Prov. 13. 24. <HI>If ye call him Father (or call on the Father,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Peter) who without re&s;pect of per&s;ons, judgeth according to every mans work, pa&s;s the time of your &s;ojeurning here in fear.</HI> And what doth Gods judging every man and women according to their works, <HI>without re&s;pect of per&s;ons,</HI> import <HI>in that place?</HI> Verily, if the Apo&s;tles Inference be good (as double&s;s it is) then it imports this; namely, that God will not &s;pare his adopted &s;ons and daughters in this world, <HI>meerly by rea&s;on of their adoption,</HI> but deal with them, as he teacheth earthly parents to deal with their natural children, <HI>driving their fooli&s;h|ne&s;s</HI> (when there is cau&s;e) <HI>with rods of correction far from them,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Prov.</HI> 13. 21. &amp; 19. 18. &amp; 23. 13, 14. &amp; 22. 15.</P>
<P N="3">(3.) So that, if ye would know, what &s;ort of per&s;ons it is proba|ble, <HI>God will afflict,</HI> whil&s;t they be living in this world, <HI>rather than and fir&s;t before men and women of other &s;orts.</HI> I an&s;wer;</P>
<P N="1">1. Tho&s;e whom he knoweth; that is, owneth for his own people. <HI>You only</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>have I known of all the Families of the earth: therefore I will vi&s;it upon you</HI> (puni&s;h you for) <HI>all your iniquities,</HI> Amos 3. 2. Such &s;hall not e&s;cape with impunity, when others &s;hall.</P>
<P N="2">2. Tho&s;e who come nigh him. For this is that which <HI>JEHOVAH</HI> &s;pake unto <HI>Mo&s;es; I will be &s;anctified</HI> (&s;aid he) <HI>in them who come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified,</HI> Lev. 10. 1, 2, 3. Which words are as if God had &s;aid, They who come nigh me, who am mo&s;t holy, in the mini&s;tration of my holy Ordinances, or in the pro|fe&s;&s;ion of my Religion, which is holy, mu&s;t (above others) acknow|ledge and witne&s;s the belief and e&s;timation which they have or ought to have of my Holine&s;s, in both words and deeds, in that way and after that manner which I have cho&s;en, even according to the pre|&s;cript rules of my word: and if they do not &s;o, I will avow my own Holine&s;s, and make it appear, that <HI>my ju&s;tice and &s;everity is with|out partiality</HI> and re&s;pect of per&s;ons, by executing ju&s;t vengeance a|gain&s;t their tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, that others may fear to offend.</P>
<P N="3"><PB N="19" REF="14">3. Tho&s;e whom God the Father hath given to the Son. For, <MILESTONE N="42"> <HI>R.</HI> 1. What &s;aith wi&s;e <HI>Solomon? Whom the LORD loveth,</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>he correcteth, even as a Father the Son, in whom he delighteth,</HI> Prov. 3. 12. which <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 6. is expre&s;&s;ed thus: <HI>Whom the Lord loveth, he cha&s;teneth, and &s;courgeth every &s;on whom he receiveth.</HI> From whence is made this inference, v. 7, 8. <HI>If ye endure cha&s;tening, God dealeth with you as with &s;ons: But if ye be without cha&s;ti&s;ement, whereof all (&s;ons) are partakers, then are ye ba&s;tards, and not &s;ons.</HI></P>
<P><HI>R.</HI> 2. In the holy Scriptures, our Lord and Saviour <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> is compared, and that partly in re&s;pect of the tribulations which his members mu&s;t endure before they come to their everla&s;ting Re&s;t, to a Phy&s;ician or Mediciner, <HI>Mat.</HI> 9. 12. to a Refiner, <HI>Mal.</HI> 3. and to a Fanner or Winnower of Wheat, <HI>Mat.</HI> 3. 12.</P>
<P>1. He is the great Phy&s;ician of the &s;oul, <HI>Mal.</HI> 4. 1, 2. and &s;uch a <MILESTONE N="43"> friend to his people, as loves them more than any man loves his friend, 1 <HI>Joh. 4. 19. Joh.</HI> 3. 16, 17. &amp; 15. 13. <HI>Rom.</HI> 5. 6, 7, 8, 10 and <HI>a mo&s;t faithful Phy&s;ician and Friend</HI> to them; and therefore will mini&s;ter to them (according to his tran&s;cendent wi&s;dom) <HI>&s;uch Medi|cinals as they have need of,</HI> and <HI>when need is,</HI> (1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 6.) for a &s;ea&s;on, very bitter pills and potions, and very &s;harp corro&s;ives, to purge away the putrified, dead and rotten fle&s;h which is in our &s;ouls; (that is, &s;end them cha&s;ti&s;ements, it may be, &s;ore afflictions and &s;harp tempta|tions, to make their &s;ins and worldly lu&s;ts bitter and grievous to them; that they may grow weary of them, and more de&s;irous to be rid of them; and that they may vomit the love of their &s;ins and ba&s;e lu&s;ts out of their &s;ouls, (<HI>Rev. 3. 16. P&s;al. 85. 8. Prov. 26. 11. 2 Pet.</HI> 2. 22.) To make them take better heed to their wayes, and re|form their carriage more compleatly, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 71, 59, 75. &amp; 94, 12. and to ab&s;tain from all the dainties of the wicked (<HI>P&s;al.</HI> 141. 4.) and what&s;oever is again&s;t the health of the &s;oul; that they may not need &s;uch unplea&s;ing Medicinals, &amp;c.</P>
<P>2. He is that Refiner of &s;ouls, of whom it is &s;aid, <HI>Mal. 3. 2, 3. Who &s;hall abide the day of his coming? for he is like a Refiners fire and Ful|lers</HI> <MILESTONE N="44"> <HI>&s;ope: [viz.</HI> to burn up and &s;coure the &s;piritual dro&s;s and filth out of mens &s;ouls and wayes, and to make their &s;ouls white, <HI>Mar. 9. 3.) And he &s;hall &s;it</HI> [as one who will &s;tick to his work, to compleat and perfect it] <HI>as a refiner and purifier of &s;ilver: and he &s;hall purifie the &s;ons of</HI> Levi, <HI>and purge them as gold and &s;ilver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI> Al&s;o <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 48. 10, 11. the Lord &s;aith; <HI>Be|hold, I have refined thee, I have cho&s;en thee in the furnace of affliction, For my own &s;ake, even for my own &s;ake will I do it, &amp;c.</HI> And <HI>Zech.</HI> 13 9. I
<PB N="20" REF="15"> will bring <HI>the third part through the five, and will refine them as &s;ilver is refined,</HI> and will try them as gold is tryed: <HI>they &s;hall call on me, and I will hear them: I will &s;ay, It is my people; and they &s;hall &s;ay, the LORD is my God.</HI> See al&s;o 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 6, 7.</P>
<P>3. As to fanning, <HI>John</HI> the Bapti&s;t, <HI>Mat.</HI> 3. 12. &s;aith of <HI>Chri&s;t, <MILESTONE N="45"> Who&s;e fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>R.</HI> 3. As the rich man, <HI>Luk.</HI> 16. being ungodly, did receive all his <HI>good things</HI> in this world, and godly <HI>Lazarus</HI> all his <HI>evil things</HI> in this world, <HI>Luk.</HI> 16. 25. &s;o all other ungodly per&s;ons &s;hall receive <HI>all their good things</HI> in this world, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 17, 14. &amp; 73. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. and all god|ly per&s;ons, <HI>all their evil things</HI> in this world, <HI>Rev.</HI> 14. 13.</P>
<P>4. It is more probable, that judgment and affliction &s;hall begin at <MILESTONE N="46"> the hou&s;e and family of God, than at tho&s;e who are not of his fami|ly. As a man, who&s;e great love toward his children is mingled with <HI>much heavenly wi&s;dom;</HI> although he will take care and pains, and be|&s;tow time to reclaim from their evil wayes, all that are under his au|thority and power, yet he will take &s;pecial care of his children to draw (and if need be) drive them our of their &s;inful and vain cour|&s;es, and begin with them as &s;oon as they be able to endure &s;tripes, <HI>Prov.</HI> 13. 24. &s;o the nearer men are to God, the more likely he is, to vi&s;it their &s;ins upon them, <HI>Amos</HI> 3. 2. and to begin with them; (as he did <HI>Jer.</HI> 25. 15. to the 29. and 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 4. 17.) and after they be duly humbled under his cha&s;tening hand, in due time, to <HI>ca&s;t the rods</HI> where|with he hath corrected them, <HI>into the fire,</HI> unle&s;s they al&s;o do take no|tice of Gods judgement, and cea&s;e from their &s;inful practi&s;es.</P>
<P><HI>Obj.</HI> But here, it may be, <HI>many a Profe&s;&s;or</HI> will &s;ay in his heart; what is all this to me? I hope, <HI>my &s;ins have had no hand in pulling down Gods wrath,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> To &s;uch and all other Profe&s;&s;ors I &s;ay; If none of you have <MILESTONE N="47"> tre&s;pa&s;&s;ed in tho&s;e kinds of &s;in, for which the Lord did puni&s;h the old w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rld, and <HI>Hophni</HI> and <HI>Phineas,</HI> and <HI>David,</HI> and <HI>Solomon;</HI> yet he may in his wi&s;dom (according to his method of humbling and reforming offendors) &s;ee cau&s;e to puni&s;h or cha&s;tize you; and that among o|ther &s;ins.</P>
<P>1. For <HI>not &s;anctifying him</HI> according to the pre&s;cript Rules of his holy word, when ye come nigh him: As he did <HI>Nadab</HI> and <HI>Abibu,</HI> &s;ons of <HI>Aaron, Lov.</HI> 10, 2, 3.</P>
<P>2. For your <HI>&s;ecret &s;ins.</HI> As he did tho&s;e &s;poken of by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> P&s;al. 90. 7, 8, 9. And <HI>Achan,</HI> Jo&s;. 7. And <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira, Act.</HI> 5.</P>
<PB N="21" REF="15">
<P>3. And for <HI>&s;ins of omi&s;&s;ion; for not doing tho&s;e things which ye ought to do:</HI> As he did King <HI>Saul, 1 Sam.</HI> 15. 3. &amp;c. and one of the <HI>Herods</HI> immediately with a horrible death, for not giving the glory (of his Oration) to God, <HI>Act.</HI> 12. 12, 13. And <HI>Eli, a godly man, with death, by breaking his neck &s;uddenly</HI> (1 Sam. 4. 18.) <HI>for honouring his &s;ons above the</HI> LORD, (1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 29. 30.) <HI>in not puni&s;hing</HI> and re&s;training them, (1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 3. 13.) <HI>for and from their evil practi&s;es:</HI> And <HI>A&s;a,</HI> a godly King, for not relying on the LORD his God, and not &s;eeking to him, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 16. 7. Our Saviour al&s;o in the time of his humiliati|on, did look <HI>round about on many</HI> per&s;ons <HI>with anger</HI> for their <HI>&s;inful &s;i|lence,</HI> Mark 3. 4, 5. And <HI>Paul</HI> did pray God, that <HI>the &s;in of the Chri|&s;tians at Rome,</HI> in for&s;aking him, and not &s;tanding with him at his fir&s;t an&s;wer, might not be laid to their charge, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 16.</P>
<P>And all the &s;ins mentioned, (<HI>Mat,</HI> 25. 42, 43.) as &s;ins which &s;hall <MILESTONE N="48"> be charged on the damned in the great day of Judgment, are &s;ins of <HI>omi&s;&s;ion,</HI> as <HI>not vi&s;iting,</HI> and not <HI>relieving;</HI> it may be, becau&s;e <HI>&s;o many do make &s;o light a matter of &s;uch &s;ins:</HI> and becau&s;e &s;o <HI>many</HI> Profe&s;&s;ors do make &s;o light a matter of them, therefore I have thought good <HI>to &s;peak the more of them.</HI></P>
<P>4. God may judge you for <HI>&s;ins</HI> which are <HI>comparatively little,</HI> and in <MILESTONE N="49"> the eyes of many, of no very gro&s;s appearance. As he did <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> again&s;t whom the anger of the LORD was kindled, and ye &s;ee for what, <HI>Exod.</HI> 3. &amp; 4. e&s;pecially Chap. 4. 14. (yea the LORD met him, and &s;ought to &s;lay him, <HI>Exod.</HI> 4. 24.) and <HI>Numb.</HI> 20. 10, 12, 24. <HI>Deut.</HI> 34. 4, 5. &amp; <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 106. 32, 33. ye &s;ee, why <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aaron</HI> died, and could not bring the congregation of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> into the Land which the LORD gave them. So al&s;o God dealt with <HI>Miriam,</HI> Numb. 12. and tho&s;e who looked into the Ark of the LORD, 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 6. 19. and <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">,</HI> 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 6. 6, 7. 1 <HI>Chron.</HI> 1. 3, 9, 10. and the Prophet which came from <HI>Judah,</HI> 1 <HI>King.</HI> 13. Mr. <HI>Walter Cradock</HI> (who was <HI>a right godly man, and an excellent &s;oul-Preacher</HI>) was of this opinion, that <HI>of all the Profe&s;&s;ors which are damned, the greater part are damned for little &s;ons, and the abu&s;e</HI> of things indifferent.</P>
<P>5. God may judge you, for your old &s;ins, <HI>the &s;ins of your youth; &s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">radventure,</HI> as ye your &s;elves have forgotten, or think God <MILESTONE N="50"> ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h forgiven, as he doth puni&s;h wicked per&s;ons for the &s;ins of their youth, <HI>Job</HI> 20. 11. and as he made <HI>Job to po&s;&s;e&s;s the iniquities of his youth</HI> or childi&s;h age, <HI>Job</HI> 13. 26. See <HI>Jun. &amp; Trem.</HI> and the A&s;&s;embly men on tho&s;e two places, and <HI>Job</HI> 14. 17. Al&s;o <HI>David &s;aw cau&s;e</HI> to pray unto God, not <HI>to remember the &s;ins and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions of his youth,</HI> P&s;al. 25. 7.</P>
<PB N="22" REF="16">
<P>6. As God &s;ent a famine of three years for a &s;in of King <HI>Saul,</HI> long after his death, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 21. &s;o I believe he may cha&s;tize a man for <HI>the &s;ins</HI> which he hath committed <HI>in the time of his unregeneracy, long after the time of his &s;econd birth;</HI> e&s;pecially if he hath not &s;earched duly for them, or not humbled him&s;elf daily for them, or doth not walk humbly with God.</P>
<P>7. God may judge you for <HI>&s;ins capable of &s;uch excu&s;es</HI> as many of us po&s;&s;ibly think to have a pretty deal of rea&s;on in them. As he did not only King <HI>Saul, 1 Sam.</HI> 13. 1. to the 15. &amp; Chap. 15. but al&s;o <HI>Mo&s;es, Numb.</HI> 20. &amp; <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 106. 32, 33. (&s;ee before) and <HI>Uzzah,</HI> 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 6. 6, 7. and 1 <HI>Chron.</HI> 13. 9, 10. and the Prophet which came from <HI>Judah,</HI> 1 <HI>King.</HI> 13.</P>
<P>8. God may <HI>deal &s;everely</HI> with tho&s;e of you, who are really godly, <MILESTONE N="51"> for your &s;ins. As he did with <HI>Mo&s;es, Aaron,</HI> and <HI>Eli,</HI> (&s;ee before) and with <HI>David.</HI> 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 12. &amp;c. and with <HI>Heman,</HI> who was <HI>afflicted and ready to die from his youth up, (mark that) and while he &s;uffered the terrors of the</HI> LORD, was di&s;tracted, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 88. 15. But read and con&s;ider <HI>al the P&s;alm.</HI></P>
<P>9. God may puni&s;h or cha&s;tize us for our &s;ins, <HI>notwith&s;tand|ing,</HI> upon admonition, we do confe&s;s we have &s;inned <HI>again&s;t him,</HI> as he did, not only King <HI>Saul,</HI> 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 15. 24, 25, 26. but al&s;o <HI>David;</HI> notwith&s;tanding he did &s;o confe&s;s, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 12. and much more than that, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 51.</P>
<P>10. God may judge us <HI>for our other mens &s;ins;</HI> I mean, for the &s;ins of others, imputing them to us, becau&s;e we have not <HI>in&s;tructed, conn|&s;elled, admoni&s;hed and reproved</HI> them, or <HI>not corrected them</HI> according to our duty; not done what God called us to do, and which we ought to have done, to keep them from &s;inning. For why is it &s;aid; Jo&s;. 7. 1. that <HI>the children of I&s;rael</HI> committed a tre&s;pa&s;s in the accur&s;ed thing, when <HI>Achan</HI> only had tre&s;pa&s;&s;ed <HI>per&s;onally?</HI> Study this matter &s;eriou&s;|ly, I be&s;eech you: for there was a time when <HI>the number of faithful men was very &s;mall, P&s;al.</HI> 12. 1, 2. <HI>Prov.</HI> 20. 6. <HI>Jer.</HI> 23. 28. &amp; <HI>Prov.</HI> 27. 6. And now I do te&s;tifie and &s;ay, that, <HI>notwith&s;tanding this di&s;pen&s;ati<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> calls upon all profe&s;&s;ors, e&s;pecially tho&s;e who take upon them, as Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, to deal faithfully, yet I have not ob&s;erved many &s;igns of th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> mea&s;ure of faithfulne&s;s which the &s;tate of things calls for.</HI></P>
<P>11. God may judge us for our <HI>&s;ins concerning things indifferent,</HI> ap|parel, <MILESTONE N="52"> hair, &amp;c. As he did tho&s;e, <HI>Zeph.</HI> 1. 8. who were cloathed with &s;trange apparel. See the opinion of Mr. <HI>Cradeck</HI> a little before at 4. Do not Profe&s;&s;ors yet know, that <HI>London is de&s;troyed?</HI> Consider, I pray you, whether the <HI>gay Lady-like apparel of Shop-women</HI> did not <MILESTONE N="53">
<PB N="23" REF="16"> help to bring <HI>the pe&s;tilence</HI> into it, to de&s;troy thou&s;ands of the Inhabi|tants; and afterward, the <HI>Je&s;uit-like</HI> policy and too <HI>gallant fa&s;hions</HI> of tho&s;e who were <HI>bound,</HI> in a &s;pecial manner <HI>above others, to reprove</HI> the Lady-&s;hopwomen, and ought rather to have apparelled them&s;elves with &s;ackcloth, or like plain Yeomen; whether this did not <HI>&s;trike the Mini&s;ters out of the gap (Ezek.</HI> 22. 30, 31. 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 24.) and keep it open for <HI>the fire</HI> to enter <HI>into the hou&s;es to burn them.</HI></P>
<P>12. I believe, the Lord may afflict a very godly man in his world|ly e&s;tate according to the proportion of the <HI>ill gotten goods</HI> which he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth; although he him&s;elf hath not gotten any part thereof by &s;inful and indirect means, (nor knows, that any of his friends did &s;o get any part of it.)</P>
<P>13. I al&s;o believe, many profe&s;&s;ors, and &s;ome godly per&s;ons, do either take little <HI>or no notice of &s;ome</HI> of their <HI>&s;ins,</HI> or el&s;e <HI>make too light a matter of them,</HI> and hereby make them <HI>the more ugly in the mo&s;t pure eyes of God,</HI> and provoke him the more to &s;courge them.</P>
<P>14. It is probable, that our wi&s;e God, when he <HI>purpo&s;eth</HI> to vouch|&s;afe <MILESTONE N="54"> his people <HI>great pro&s;perity,</HI> or they do expect to be highly exalt|ed; that then he will cha&s;tize and &s;courge them, if milder &s;ufferings will not prevail, &s;harply, and not cea&s;e &s;courging them &s;orely, till he hath wrought among them a great Reformation <HI>&s;uitable to &s;uch an exaltation.</HI> For it is a great ab&s;urdity, for them to look for &s;uch a change without taking care to reform them&s;elves and, their inferiors accordingly. (<HI>One thing of another &s;ort,</HI> &amp;c. which peradventure may be of &s;ome good u&s;e; God did &s;end two She-bears out of the Wood, to tear forty and two of tho&s;e <HI>little children which mocked</HI> Eli&s;ha <HI>the Prophet with his bald head,</HI> 2 <HI>King</HI> 2. 23, 24.) And thus I have &s;hewn you in part the method, after which God hath di&s;ciplined his people of old; the greater pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t whereof I have declared by examples in the holy Scriptures.</P>
<P>Part. 4. (Fourthly) now I &s;hall &s;et before you an argument <HI>ab homine.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. This my opinion, that <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors &s;ins be the mo&s;t powerful and effe|ctual hindrance of the liberty and peace of Profe&s;&s;ors, and of their prayers</HI> <MILESTONE N="55"> <HI>for it,</HI> I have held, at lea&s;t, two years: during which time my God hath not &s;o much as cau&s;ed me to &s;tagger concerning it, notwith|&s;tanding my prayers unto him concerning my affairs, and concerning this bu&s;ine&s;s in particular.</P>
<P N="2">2. Notwith&s;tanding I have publi&s;hed this my opinion at divers meetings in <HI>Bri&s;tow,</HI> yet none of the Profe&s;&s;ors of that City (as far as I know, or have heard) have either fir&s;t or la&s;t declared their di&s;like
<PB N="22" REF="17">
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<PB N="23" REF="17">
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<PB N="24" REF="18"> of it, although they had time and opportunities enough (before I left that City) to do it.</P>
<P N="3">3. I think, he was a godly <HI>Mini&s;ter of Chri&s;t,</HI> who from 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. 30. did infer, that <HI>where there is much &s;ickne&s;s, there is much &s;in;</HI> and that he might as well have &s;aid, <HI>where there is much Affliction, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>John Price,</HI> a godly Citizen of <HI>London,</HI> but a Native of <HI>Here|ford,</HI> <MILESTONE N="56"> (being one of them who lo&s;t much by this Revolution &s;ince 1659.) <HI>not long before his death</HI> (it may be, being then <HI>more &s;en&s;ible</HI> of his own failings, and the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ailings of other Profe&s;&s;ors, than formerly) did in his Letter unto me&punc; write of them who have been called <HI>Roundheads,</HI> and of the change of their E&s;tates, and (among other pa&s;&s;ages) u&s;e the&s;e very words; <HI>The truth</HI> (&s;aid he) <HI>is, We have been full, fooli&s;h, froward, and wanton, and almost &s;poiled for want of correction,</HI> So he <HI>verb<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tine</HI> Heb. 11. 4.</P>
<P N="5">5. An eminent Mini&s;ter of <HI>Bri&s;tow,</HI> who preached his Farewel Ser|mon in <HI>Augu&s;t</HI> 1662. called Mr. <HI>E. H.</HI> when I &s;pake of <HI>the duty of reproving &s;ins,</HI> &s;aid, <HI>It is generally neglected:</HI> Which, I think, he would not have &s;aid, if he had not thought <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors want|ed it.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. Another Preacher of <HI>Bri&s;tow</HI> at a Meeting, in his Sermon or Prayer, I heard &s;peak of <HI>profane Profe&s;&s;ors,</HI> that was his word.</P>
<P N="7">7. A Woman of a (high) way (in Religion) being in company with other profe&s;&s;ors, &s;ome of them &s;pake of the Changes &s;ince 1659. Whereupon &s;he &s;aid, <HI>I think,</HI> affliction would do me good, and &s;ome of you al&s;o.</P>
<P N="8">8. I have al&s;o heard divers Profe&s;&s;ors &s;ay, as their own words, or <MILESTONE N="57"> words which they did approve of, uttered by other Profe&s;&s;ors&punc; <HI>If <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> were as ready</HI> (or ripe, or fit; &s;ome &s;uch word) for mercy, as our Ad|ver&s;aries be for wrath, we &s;hould &s;oon be delivered. And, I believe it is &s;omewhat common with Profe&s;&s;ors, to &s;peak &s;uch words: but who endeavours diligently and &s;trenuou&s;ly to reform Profe&s;|&s;ors?</P>
<P><HI>Part. 5. (Fifthly)</HI> I believe, <HI>many of us are as yet without Chri&s;t, ut|terly <MILESTONE N="58"> void of true grace,</HI> wholly fle&s;h, altogether carnal and fle&s;hly, and &s;tark dead in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es and &s;ins, (<HI>John 3. 6. Eph.</HI> 2. 1, 11, 12.) &s;o that they do never &s;erve God in faith or humility, never in love or with any filial fear, or godly reverence, never wor&s;hip God in the &s;pi|rit, never do any thing well, in a holy manner, never &s;erve God ac|ceptably, &s;o as to have their per&s;ons or &s;ervices accepted with God <HI>John 15. 5. Heb.</HI> 12. 28. This is true of every one of them, &s;o that
<PB N="25" REF="18"> their iniquity mu&s;t needs be very great. Only I &s;hall &s;omewhat con|fidently hope, that, if God &s;hall keep them con&s;tantly to the means of Regeneration any long time, that then he will beget them again here|after, and not &s;uffer them to die in their &s;ins. That there be &s;uch Pro|fe&s;&s;ors, &s;ee <HI>Marg.</HI> 125, 126, 127, 128.</P>
<P>Part. 6. (Sixthly) <HI>The iniquity and &s;ins of &s;uch profe&s;&s;ors, and of tho&s;e who have true grace</HI> (as well as of others) is <HI>greatned</HI> many ways (but with &s;ome difference.)</P>
<P>As 1. <HI>By the multitude of the kinds of &s;in,</HI> wherein they tre&s;pa&s;s; <HI>And by the greatne&s;s of &s;ome of them,</HI> (&s;uch as have been <HI>Fea&s;ting and Mu|&s;ick</HI> <MILESTONE N="59"> <HI>with dancing</HI> in the night, which I account <HI>Revelling;</HI> Gal. 5. 20, 21. 1. <HI>Pet.</HI> 4 3. and one Frolick in the pre&s;ence of five Non-conforming Mini&s;ters, part of them having a hand in it.) And by per&s;evering in &s;ome &s;ins, adding one tre&s;pa&s;s to another, without taking care and u&s;ing diligence to cea&s;e from &s;uch practi&s;es; And by tre&s;pa&s;&s;ing in the pre&s;ence of irreligious per&s;ons (as it were, publi&s;hing their naugh|tine&s;s in <HI>Ga<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h and A&s;kelon</HI>) without &s;hame or fear; &s;o giving occa&s;ion to laugh and &s;coff at them in &s;ecret, and to think and &s;peak evil of the holy &s;ervants and right wayes of the Lord, 2 <HI>Sam. 12. 14. Ezek. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">6. 20, 23. Rom.</HI> 2. 24. and to harden their hearts again&s;t his holy word. O how much, as it were, air, water, earth, wood, du&s;t, dirt, dung and filth &s;ome Profe&s;&s;ors have within them, which doth i&s;&s;ue forth in their conver&s;ings?</P>
<P>2. <HI>By the foul and ba&s;e work which &s;in makes.</HI> For by it we do trans|gre&s;s <MILESTONE N="60"> a mo&s;t holy, ju&s;t, and good Law; tre&s;pa&s;s again&s;t the Kingdom and Authority of the mo&s;t high God, pollute his holy name, which we ought to &s;anctifie, <HI>Mat.</HI> 6. 9. defi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e his image, as it were, by ca&s;ting dung, dirt, or du&s;t upon it; grieve his holy and good &s;pirit, <HI>Eph.</HI> 4. 29, 30. Who is our all-&s;ufficient Teacher and guide, <HI>John</HI> 16. 3. by whom al|&s;o we are &s;ealed unto the day of Redemption, <HI>Eph.</HI> 4. 30. and di&s;|grace the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, and the right wayes of the Lord; yea, Profe&s;&s;ors thereby do <HI>in a &s;pecial manner</HI> pollute Gods name, and di&s;|credit the true Religion, <HI>and every one of us Profe&s;&s;ors di&s;grace that way in Religion,</HI> the credit whereof ought to be very dear to him, becau&s;e <HI>he e&s;teems it the be&s;t</HI> and mo&s;t excellent of all ways.</P>
<P>3. By <HI>the many benefits</HI> which our mo&s;t gracious God hath been, <MILESTONE N="61"> and is &s;till plea&s;ed to be&s;tow upon us. For by them he obligeth, and, as it were, hireth us to &s;erve and obey him univer&s;ally according to his word; and the more plentifully he extends his goodne&s;s to us in giving us ble&s;&s;ings of any &s;ort, and the more excellent or nece&s;&s;ary the ble&s;&s;ings be, which he vouch&s;afeth to be&s;tow on us, the greater and
<PB N="26" REF="19"> &s;tronger is the engagement. God's goodne&s;s calls on us to fear God, and leads us to amendment of life, <HI>P&s;al. 130. 4. Rom.</HI> 2. 4. and con&s;equently <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ggravates the iniquity of our di&s;obedience, &s;o we are to under<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">nd, <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">r.</HI> 9. 13, 14.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But what are the&s;e benefits? (For none of us all do re|member them &s;o frequently, and weigh them &s;o exactly as we ought.)</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> They are,</P>
<P N="1">1. Life, Food, Raiment, Harbour, Phy&s;ick, Surgery, Liberty and Peace of the Body; Health, Strength, and Nimblene&s;s of the body; the good &s;tate and u&s;e of our Limbs and Sen&s;es, inward and outward; Books and writings of many &s;orts, the faculties of the &s;oul, under|&s;tandi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters"> memory, invention, con&s;cience, power to will, humane wi&s;dom, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 words"> Arts and Sciences, worldly wealth.</P>
<P N="2"> <MILESTONE N="62"> 2. The holy Scriptures, godly Sermons, Expo&s;itions of the Scri|ptures, and other godly Books; Gods promi&s;es and <HI>threatnings,</HI> re|bukes, and checks by the con&s;cience and men, Mini&s;ters, or not Mi|ni&s;ters, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 141. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">&punc; the company and good examples of godly per|&s;ons, and conference with them; their love and prayers with us and for us; Exerci&s;es and Meetings, the Sacraments, and all the holy Or|dinances; the knowledge of &s;piritual things, of things belonging to our Peace, and the right manner of Gods &s;ervice, of God and our &s;elves, a con&s;cience awakened; the fatherly love of God, our Adop|tion, Ju&s;tification, and pardons, (<HI>E&s;.</HI> 55. 7) our being members of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> My&s;tical body and Heirs of Heaven; our &s;orrow for &s;in and &s;tock of Grace, Faith, Hope, love toward God, love toward men, godly and ungodly friends and enemies, filial fear of God, Humility, Zeal, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> our &s;piritual &s;trength, <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> dwelling in us by faith, <HI>Eph.</HI> 3. 17. and the holy &s;pirit of God dwelling in us, to teach us, and to guide and rule all the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> of our &s;ouls all the days of our Pil|grimage, and &s;piritual warfare.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="63"> <HI>Note</HI> 1. Of the afore&s;aid good things, &s;ome God gives to men of all &s;orts, <HI>Mat. 5. 45. Luke</HI> 6. 35. &s;ome are peculiar to true belie|vers.</P>
<P>2. But who&s;oever is partaker of Gods goodne&s;s in good things of any &s;ort, the iniquity of his di&s;obedience is thereby <HI>exaggerated accor|ding to the mea&s;ure of the bounty.</HI></P>
<P>3. <HI>The fuller and clearer</HI> any mans <HI>light</HI> is, as to the di&s;cerning of &s;piritual things, by &s;o much the greater is his iniquity, if he doth not make &s;uch u&s;e as he ought of his Light.</P>
<P>4. If a Profe&s;&s;or who hath no grace, doth think, he hath &s;ome, and
<PB N="27" REF="19"> that he is ju&s;tified from all his &s;ins, and that God is his Father, and the like; I believe, this his conceit doth aggravate his &s;ins.</P>
<P>5. <HI>By all the means of grace</HI> and amendment of life and obedience. <MILESTONE N="64"> And &s;uch as are all the benefits, ble&s;&s;ings, and good things which God gives us, <HI>Acts 17. 25. But the de&s;truction and vengeance from the Al|mighty,</HI> which hath been upon us and <HI>our Brethren by Nation and Reli|gion;</HI> the Pe&s;tilence, the Sword, <HI>the horrible burning of Hou&s;es,</HI> and the lo&s;&s;es and &s;ufferings which are peculiar to profe&s;&s;ors, as al&s;o <HI>the late prodigies</HI> are Me&s;&s;engers &s;ent of God, not only to warn men out of their &s;ins, but even to fear and drive them out, <HI>E&s;. 26. 9. &amp; 27. 7, 8. 9. P&s;al.</HI> 94. 12. &amp; 119. 67, 71. which Me&s;&s;engers and him who &s;ent them, if we hear not, this our turning of a deaf ear to our Crea|tor and mo&s;t bountiful Benefactor and to his Me&s;&s;engers, what&s;oever the &s;ins be, to which we cleave, adds much to them, and greatly pro|vokes Gods wrath again&s;t us.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But what if much of a mans <HI>di&s;po&s;ition and behaviour under the</HI> <MILESTONE N="65"> <HI>rods of God</HI> be point blanck <HI>contrary to that which God calls for by them&punc;</HI> and even to that good whereof afflictions are not much le&s;s than a natural cau&s;e, and which men in &s;uch ca&s;es are &s;omewhat apt to do. <HI>As</HI> if, when men are ca&s;t out of a &s;ufficient E&s;tate into a very low E|&s;tate, and without any certainty of a competent maintenance for them and their Wives and Children; if then they &s;hould be very high|minded, and full of mirth and jollity?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Verily I cannot but think, <HI>this cro&s;s carriage</HI> doth <HI>provoke the great God</HI> who formed all things, <HI>greatly.</HI> Beloved, <HI>This is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of Ho&s;ts in one of the valleys of Vi&s;ion, wherein the Lord GOD of Ho&s;ts calls to weeping</HI> and to mourning, (the Prophet adds, and to baldne&s;s, and to girding with &s;ackcloth.) And behold joy and gladne&s;s, <HI>E&s;.</HI> 22. 5, 12, <MILESTONE N="66"> 13. Plainly God hath brought many of us into a low E&s;tate, of whom <HI>&s;ome are not lowly, they do not lie low<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> it.</HI> He hath deprived ma|ny of us of much of our worldly E&s;tates, and brought &s;ome of us out of a high and plentiful E&s;tate, into a very low and needy E&s;tate, with|out a certainty of worldly things nece&s;&s;ary for us and our Wives and Children, by which <HI>he calls,</HI> not only for the humbling of the body, but al&s;o <HI>for humblene&s;s of mind&punc; and for mourning, and weeping;</HI> yea, <HI>men are apt</HI> in &s;uch ca&s;es to mourn and weep, and to &s;peak, as if their hearts were not haughty; yea, <HI>&s;ome of us</HI> have bewailed our low E&s;tate to men (it may be, to God al&s;o) and &s;poken of Impri&s;onments, Op|pre&s;&s;ion, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And yet, notwith&s;tanding all this, <HI>behold, joy and glad|ne&s;s in abundance, &s;miling and laughing, and jollity&punc; and pride, (as if they
<PB N="28" REF="20"> were &s;ure of a very high e&s;tate to morrow,</HI> Jam. 4. 13, 14. Prov. 27. 7. <HI>And Non-conforming Mini&s;ters,</HI> as if they had been coun&s;elled by <MILESTONE N="67"> <HI>Balaam (a little before the burning of</HI> London) <HI>apparalled and adorned</HI> (in|&s;tead of plain Yeomen) <HI>like gallants, and &s;uch a Mini&s;ters wife not vouch&s;afeing to take the pains to teach her own</HI> children. <HI>Was that &s;o,</HI> be|cau&s;e <HI>that part of h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r gown which did &s;weep the du&s;t, was longer than the whole tail of a Pea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hen,</HI> or becau&s;e <HI>&s;he was proud?</HI></P>
<P>5. <HI>By tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing</HI> a holy, ju&s;t and good Law, and tre&s;pa&s;&s;ing a|gain&s;t the God of heaven and earth, who gives us all the good things which we have, by polluting his ble&s;&s;ed Name, and <HI>doing all the evil works before mentioned</HI> (Marg. 60.) <HI>for a very tri&s;le;</HI> as a very little <HI>profit</HI> (peradventure not worth a half-penny) or a very little ea&s;e, or a <HI>very little</HI> plea&s;ure <HI>(unle&s;s our hearts be mon&s;trous ba&s;e)</HI> or to plea&s;e the company; it may be profane wretches. And this many of us do not duly con&s;ider, <HI>how great an aggravation</HI> it is.</P>
<P>6. <HI>By &s;inning without any occa&s;ion, or any Tempter,</HI> excepting our &s;elves, and the pride, folly and naughtine&s;s of our own hearts. As that Mini&s;ter who kept his &s;tock of pride, when he lo&s;t his Benefice, although he had not learning enough of any &s;ort <HI>for a wi&s;e man</HI> to be proud of it. Occa&s;ions of &s;inning do call for milder dealing. See the <HI>Geneva Tr.</HI> Gal. 6. 1.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="68"> 7. By <HI>not making u&s;e of the power which we have,</HI> in re&s;i&s;ting evil ex|amples and evil coun&s;el, and inward motions before they break out in our &s;peeches and actions, by not reforming tho&s;e things which are in our power, as our tongues and bodies; by not ab&s;taining from the &s;ins which it is in our power to ab&s;tain from; as <HI>vain, idle, fooli&s;h, un|&s;eemly &s;peeches,</HI> and the like; and by not doing the duties, which, it is in our power, to perform; as <HI>the in&s;truction and correction of our chil|dren and &s;ervants,</HI> and the like, and although <HI>very much of this might be done without any con&s;iderable inconvenience.</HI> Many of us do not <HI>&s;o much of it as might be &s;o done.</HI></P>
<P>8. <HI>By making a &s;mall matter of great &s;ins, and of &s;mall &s;ins no|thing.</HI></P>
<P>9. By making <HI>a light matter, or nothing, of our own &s;ins, becau&s;e other folks be greater &s;inners than we.</HI></P>
<P>10. <HI>By &s;lighting, or wor&s;e than &s;lighting, the coun&s;el, admonitions and rebukes of God</HI> by his Preachers, and our illightened and awakened con&s;ciences, and <HI>by quenching the &s;pirit, 1 The&s;.</HI> 5. 19. Is this our making no good u&s;e of &s;uch things as the&s;e, nothing&punc; Is thy keeping of thy &s;ins again&s;t God's Word in the mouths of the Preachers, and the <HI>checks of thine own con&s;cience,</HI> and the good de&s;ires and purpo&s;es
<PB N="29" REF="20"> &s;tirred up in thy heart by the good Spirit of God; is &s;uch a <HI>keeping of Gods enemies &s;o near thy heart,</HI> nothing? How long &s;hall he who is the Judge of all the earth, &s;tand at the door of thy heart, knocking for admi&s;&s;ion? <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 20.</P>
<P>11. <HI>By the repugnancy, oppo&s;ition, di&s;agreement, or what&s;oever it &s;hould</HI> <MILESTONE N="69"> <HI>be called, which is between our exorbitant behaviour, and things whereby we &s;hould be moved to behave our &s;elves better.</HI> Of which things, 1. One is, <HI>the high and great dignities</HI> to which we are exalted; e&s;pecially to be children of God, members of Chri&s;t's my&s;tical body (of his fle&s;h and of his bones, <HI>Eph.</HI> 5. 30.) Chri&s;t's Friends, <HI>Joh.</HI> 15. 14, 15. and coheirs with Chri&s;t of the Kingdom of heaven, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. 16, 17. For what &s;aid <HI>Nehemiah,</HI> Chap. 6. 11? <HI>Should &s;uch a man as I flee? Who is there, that being as I am, would go into the Temple to &s;ave his life? I will not go in.</HI> And &s;o &s;hould we &s;ay; &s;hould &s;uch as we are, &s;in again&s;t our good God? who is there, that being as I am, would &s;in <HI>to &s;ave his life?</HI> By God's help, I will not &s;in.</P>
<P>Qu. <HI>But what if we do but think, we are &s;uch?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Yet we &s;hould ab&s;tain from &s;inful practi&s;es the rather, in re|gard of the high conceit which we have of our &s;piritual e&s;tate; and if we do not, <HI>that conceit doth exaggerate our iniquity.</HI></P>
<P>2. The promi&s;es, vows, <HI>covenants,</HI> leagues, and it may be, oaths, general and <HI>particular,</HI> which we have made or entred into, to God, or men, or both, e&s;pecially if without compul&s;ion, <HI>Deut. 23. 21. Eccl. 5. 4. P&s;al. 66. 13, 14. P&s;al. 119. 106. P&s;al. 50. 5. e&s;pecially &s;ome of our covenants.</HI></P>
<P>3. <HI>Our &s;pecious and large forms of godline&s;s, 2 Tim.</HI> 3. 5. The <HI>Ser|mons</HI> of &s;ome are indeed <HI>too trim and gaudy (Nimis pleni Flo&s;culis,</HI> &amp;c. and the <HI>prayers</HI> of &s;ome <HI>too long,</HI> Mat. 7. 21.</P>
<P>4. Our words in prayer and conference, <HI>&s;avouring and making a &s;hew of much holine&s;s, faith, humility, meekne&s;s, mortification, &s;obriety, pa|tience, zeal, courage, heavenly mindedne&s;s and contempt of worldly things, love of God, affiance in God.</HI> As <HI>Sauls, 1 Sam.</HI> 14. 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43. and <HI>Jehu's, 2 King.</HI> 10. 15, 16. Many a profe&s;&s;ors conver&s;ation an|&s;wers &s;ome of his &s;peeches very poorly.</P>
<P>5. <HI>Our being almo&s;t &s;ingular and alone in our zealous or earne&s;t defence of</HI> <MILESTONE N="71"> <HI>the mor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ality and perpetuity of the Lord's Sabbath.</HI> This greatens the ini|quity of our taking no more care to keep it wholly holy, and to &s;pend it wholly on God's &s;ervice, and the &s;oul, according to the Com|mandment.</P>
<P>6. <HI>Our judging Governours of the Common-wealth and Church,</HI> (it may be, with bitter and railing &s;peeches) for not u&s;ing fit means to
<PB N="30" REF="21"> ref<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rm the whole, and in the mean while <HI>doing the &s;ame things our &s;elves, Rom.</HI> 2. 1, 21, 22, 23. <HI>viz.</HI> in <HI>not</HI> contributing to a univer&s;al Reformation, what we might, in <HI>&s;eeking</HI> with due care and diligence to reform (as to Religion, and good manners and civility, tho&s;e &s;mall <HI>parts, parcels and particles, which are under our own power and go|vernment;</HI> our own <HI>wives, children and &s;ervants;</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ea, <HI>&s;uch as do not rule well their own families, will blame others for not ruling well theirs.</HI></P>
<P>7. <HI>Our &s;training at a gnat, and &s;wallowing half a camel;</HI> &s;crupling or <MILESTONE N="72"> making con&s;cience of a very &s;mall matter, it may be, that which is nothing, no &s;in at all, and not ab&s;taining from f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">wler practi&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s, <HI>Mat.</HI> 23. 24. <HI>Mark.</HI> 7. 1. to 6. <HI>Joh.</HI> 18. 28. yea, I doubt, &s;ome pro|fe&s;&s;ors do <HI>pretend,</HI> that this or that is again&s;t their co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;cience, when <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n very deed it is not.</P>
<P>8. <HI>The high e&s;teem and conceit,</HI> 1. Which every one of us hath <HI>of his own way in Religion.</HI> O how excellent my way in Religion is in compari&s;on of all other wayes? whether thou bee&s;t called a <HI>Presby|terian,</HI> or, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> if thy way be the be&s;t of all wayes, take heed thou be not <HI>wor&s;e than the wor&s;t Saint</HI> that walks in it, <HI>Gal.</HI> 6. 3. 2. Which many of us have of our per&s;onal endowments; graces and &s;piritual gifts, prayers. O how great a mea&s;ure, how high a height of grace, faith, &amp;c. &s;ome think they have attained! Methinks I hear &s;ome &s;peaking like the Phari&s;ee, <HI>Luke</HI> 18. 11, 12. God, I thank thee, that <HI>I am not as other men are,</HI> extortioners, unju&s;t, adulterers, <HI>or even as yonder Cavalier,</HI> or <HI>as yonder Conformi&s;t;</HI> and others like the Wardens, <HI>Omnia bene,</HI> or the Chri&s;tians of <HI>Laodicea;</HI> Rev. 3. 17. <HI>I am rich and encrea&s;ed with goods, and have need of nothing.</HI> When indeed they be wretched and mi&s;erable, and <HI>poor, and blind, and naked,</HI> at lea&s;t in c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">mpari&s;on of many of their fellow-profe&s;&s;ors, and their conver&s;a|tion very irregular.</P>
<P>9. <HI>The &s;trong and confident expectation which &s;ome of us have, of an</HI> <MILESTONE N="73"> <HI>eminent and &s;peedy exaltation:</HI> (I hope, it is without a purpo&s;e to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ebel again&s;t any King, excepting that evil one who is mentioned, <HI>Rev.</HI> 9. 11.) which expectation calls to &s;uch <HI>Expectants</HI> for a <HI>&s;uitable refor|mation</HI> of their behaviour, and to u&s;e all good means to reform <HI>their wives, and their &s;ons, and their daughters, and their men-&s;ervants, and their maid &s;ervants, and the &s;trangers who are within their gates (Prov.</HI> 22. 6. <HI>Exod.</HI> 20. 10.) that they al&s;o may be fit to partake of &s;o great pro&s;pe|rity, <HI>Prov.</HI> 22. 29.</P>
<P>10. <HI>Gods exceeding great conde&s;cen&s;ion and humbling of him&s;elf, (P&s;al.</HI> 113. 5, 6.) in waiting, <HI>that he might be gracious to us,</HI> I&s;a. 30. 18.
<PB N="31" REF="21"> and not &s;o long &s;ince in, as it were, &s;tooping to us, yielding to our prayers, to pre&s;erve, protect and deliver us, yea, in doing more than all this for us, when very many of us were very great &s;inners, and did not yield our &s;elves to him, and humble our &s;elves before him, &s;o as to be throughly willing, and duly careful, to abandon all our &s;ins univer&s;ally. And this hath greatened, and doth greaten our ini|quity.</P>
<P>11. <HI>Our low e&s;tates</HI> do call to many of us for <HI>meekne&s;s and lowline&s;s</HI> <MILESTONE N="74"> <HI>of heart,</HI> and to &s;ome with a loud voice: in&s;tead whereof there is <HI>much pride and &s;tateline&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>12. Our &s;ins may be aggravated <HI>by returning to our vomit,</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. Are not &s;ome of us like the Dog, which is turned again to his <HI>vomit,</HI> and to the <HI>Sow,</HI> which is wa&s;hed, to her wallow|ing in the <HI>mire?</HI> Have not &s;ome profe&s;&s;ors, after they had e&s;caped the poll<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tions of the world, and a con&s;iderable time ab&s;tained from them; have they not after this turned again unto folly? <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 85. 8. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 125. 4, 5. And do not very many of us in religious exerci&s;es, e&s;pecially Fa&s;ts, (by the mouths of the <HI>Speakers</HI>) confe&s;s our &s;ins, and bewail our folly in committing them, (which is an inferior way of <HI>vomiting them up</HI>) and afterward practi&s;e them as formerly? And is this, in your &s;ight nothing? Verily, what&s;oever it is in your eyes, I think it to be a greatening of our &s;ins, and an addition to our provo|cations. What &s;aid Mr. <HI>Walter Cradock</HI> at a private Meeting? <HI>A Whelp</HI> coming into the <HI>Room,</HI> vomited before us, and after a while licked up again what he had vomited. Whe eupon, <HI>There is a Ser|mon for you,</HI> quoth he. And by all the&s;e Particulars the iniquity of Profe&s;&s;ors is or may be aggravated.</P>
<P>13. The iniquity of &s;ome Profe&s;&s;ors is exaggerated <HI>by their unwil|lingne&s;s to &s;ee their &s;ins, or to have others to take notice of them.</HI> Whence <MILESTONE N="75"> it is, that they do not take due care, and u&s;e due diligence <HI>to find out and take good notice of their &s;ins:</HI> As a Con&s;table, not being de&s;irous to apprehend a <HI>Thief</HI> will either not at all &s;earch for him, or &s;earch negli|gently. But, it may be, &s;ome Profe&s;&s;ors do declare this their unwil|lingne&s;s to others, by being <HI>di&s;plea&s;ed and angry with tho&s;e who tell them of their &s;ins.</HI> And what is the cau&s;e of this their anger? Sure the cau&s;e is naught: For they ought to e&s;teem <HI>a reproof, a kindne&s;s,</HI> as <HI>David</HI> did, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 145. 5. 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 25. 32, 33. But <HI>men cannot endure to have their friends ill &s;poken of.</HI> Therefore al&s;o it is, that &s;ome, when they &s;ee their &s;ins, yet will not &s;eem to &s;ee them; yea, it may be, when their con|&s;ciences do tell them, that the Preacher means them, yet they will not &s;eem to be <HI>of the &s;ame mind with their con&s;cience.</HI> Like Dr. <HI>Ferne,</HI>
<PB N="32" REF="22"> who when it was intimated to him, that he was aimed at, would whine out, <HI>He doth not mean me, He doth not mean me.</HI> And &s;o &s;ome|times it comes to pa&s;s, that the Preachers words be heard in vain, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6. 1.</P>
<P>14. Our &s;ins are al&s;o greatened <HI>by God's wrath and vengeance</HI> upon <MILESTONE N="76"> others, <HI>Dan.</HI> 5. 18. &amp;c. but e&s;pecially upon our &s;elves and others, at home and abroad, by Sea and by Land, in City and Country, by the Sword, Pe&s;tilence, Fire, &amp;c. We ought to hear Rods of no great roughne&s;s, and without a heavy load of Afflictions, &s;o as to clean&s;e our wayes, and to let go our &s;ins, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 27. 7, 8, 9. But <HI>the Sword, Pe|&s;tilence, Burning of hou&s;es,</HI> and the like, do <HI>call on us amain, and with a very loud voice,</HI> even for a full and compleat clean&s;ing of all our wayes to the uttermo&s;t. To &s;peak home; <HI>The Lord hath proved us,</HI> as he did the children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> in divers manners, (<HI>Deut.</HI> 8. 2. &amp;c.) &s;ome of us &s;harply, before the late civil Wars, and in the time of the Wars with lo&s;&s;es and pro&s;perity. Plainly, he hath tried us very variou&s;ly, with adver&s;ity, and pro&s;perity, and adver&s;ity; and <HI>we have</HI> dealt with him <MILESTONE N="77"> as the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> did, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 95. 9, 10, 11. <HI>proved and tempted him, and do &s;till tempt him, with our &s;ins;</HI> notwith&s;tanding we have &s;een <HI>the great and &s;trange works</HI> which he hath wrought <HI>for us, and again&s;t us.</HI> He hath drawn us (with cords of love) and we have not been drawn; and driven us (with Rods) and we have not been driven; purged us, and we have not been purged, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 24. 13. and humbled us, and we have not been humbled. We have not humbled our &s;elves as we ought to have done, but are (many of us) <HI>haughty and high-minded, jolly and jocund, followers of new and gaudy fa&s;hions.</HI> We do adorn and <HI>trimour bodies and hou&s;es with things too fine, and too co&s;tly.</HI> Can this be without <HI>Rebellion,</HI> which is as the &s;in of <HI>Witch craft?</HI> and without &s;tubborn|ne&s;s, which is as <HI>Iniquity</HI> and <HI>Idolatry?</HI> (2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 15. 22.) or without <HI>de&s;pi&s;ing the cha&s;tening</HI> of the Lord? <HI>Prov.</HI> 3. 11. <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 5. What? not learn obedience by the &s;ore things which we &s;uffer? Why, it was a foul fault in <HI>I&s;rael, to put far away an evil day</HI> which was not yet come upon them, <HI>Amos</HI> 6. 3. What is it then in us, to carry our &s;elves, as if it were very far from us, when not only an evil day is actually upon us, but al&s;o we have ju&s;t cau&s;e to think, &s;ome men will endeavour to make it much &s;orer, and more terrible than it is? But, Oh, what hath <MILESTONE N="78"> already been done (with God's permi&s;&s;ion) at <HI>London,</HI> &s;ince <HI>they who above all others, &s;hould have stood in the gap, and taken pains to make up the hedge, have disfigured them&s;elves!</HI> O Lord God, what will be|come of us?</P>
<PB N="33" REF="22">
<P>15. Our iniquity is <HI>greatly greatned</HI> by partaking of other mens &s;ins. For,</P>
<P N="1">1. As it is a &s;in to command, or coun&s;el, or hire, or reque&s;t, or &s;eek by threatnings, or &s;harp words, or promi&s;es, and fair words, to draw or drive any manner of per&s;on to do any unlawful work, or to &s;peak any unlawful word, or to omit any part of his duty, &s;o, if the party &s;o tempted, &s;hall yield to the Temptation, then he who hath by any &s;uch ways prevailed with him, or &s;hall abet, maintain, or countenance a man in any &s;in, is acce&s;&s;ary to the &s;in which is committed, and par|taker of it with the per&s;onal Actor of it.</P>
<P N="2">2. If a man doth u&s;e <HI>his Chri&s;tian liberty un&s;ea&s;onably,</HI> whereby his <MILESTONE N="79"> Chri&s;tian Brother &s;tumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak, he is partaker of his Brothers &s;in, <HI>Rom.</HI> 14. 21, 22.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>If we do not in&s;truct, coun&s;el, admoni&s;h, reprove, and correct and pu|ni&s;h others as far as we are bound in duty,</HI> to u&s;e tho&s;e means to work them out of their &s;ins, or to keep them from falling into &s;in; then we are guilty of the &s;ins wherein they are lying, or whereinto they fall, and the Omi&s;&s;ion of &s;ome of the&s;e duties made the Children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> acce&s;&s;ary to the Theft of <HI>Achan,</HI> and co&s;t the lives of &s;ix and thirty of them, <HI>Jo&s;h.</HI> 7. 1, 2, 3, 4 5. &amp; 22. 20.</P>
<P N="4">4. We are partakers of other mens, not only by being evil exam|ples to them, but al&s;o by not being good examples to them. And, O how often do we tre&s;pa&s;s in the three la&s;t of the&s;e wayes, e&s;pecially in the la&s;t of all!</P>
<P>Yet give me leave, to &s;peak &s;omewhat more to you of <HI>&s;ome Go&s;pel-matters.</HI></P>
<P>Many Profe&s;&s;ors, &s;ome unregenerate, and &s;ome (I believe) rege|nerate, do not make &s;uch u&s;e as they ought, of the Doctrine, Com|mandments, Promi&s;es and <HI>threatnings</HI> of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P N="1">1. They do not duly con&s;ider them, and what u&s;e they ought to make of them, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 7. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 11.</P>
<P N="2">2. They do not endeavour and &s;tir up them&s;elves <HI>with due diligence,</HI> to believe the <HI>Doctrine,</HI> Commandments, Promi&s;es, and <HI>Threats</HI> of the Go&s;pel, and to believe in <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t, Mark</HI> 1. 15. <HI>John</HI> 3. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 36. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1. 15. (2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 17.) 1 <HI>John</HI> 5. 10. <HI>Deut.</HI> 18. 15. &amp;c. <HI>Acts</HI> 3. 22, 23.</P>
<P N="3">3. Nor mourn and grieve <HI>in relation to their &s;ins,</HI> Mat. 3. 2. <HI>Mark</HI> 1. 15. <HI>Acts</HI> 2. 38. &amp; 3. 19. &amp; 17. 30. &amp; 26. 18, 20.</P>
<P N="4">4. Nor turn from their &s;ins, <HI>Joel</HI> 2. <HI>Acts</HI> 3. 19.</P>
<P N="5">5. Nor bring forth fruits de&s;erving the name and credit of amend|ment of life, <HI>Mat.</HI> 3. 8. <HI>Tit.</HI> 2. 11, 12. <HI>Acts</HI> 26. 18, 20. or el&s;e,
<PB N="34" REF="23"> 1. Not turn from their &s;ins univer&s;ally and <HI>throughly, Ezek.</HI> 18. 28, 30, 31, 19, 21, 22, 14. &amp;c. 2. And turn unto the Lord, <HI>Jer.</HI> 3. 1. and 4. 1. <HI>Joel</HI> 2. 12, 13. <HI>Acts</HI> 26. 18. 3. Or el&s;e not believe the Go&s;pel-promi&s;es and <HI>Threats,</HI> and in <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t with a &s;trong faith, and the whole heart,</HI> Rom. 10. 10. <HI>Acts</HI> 8. 37. (1 <HI>John</HI> 5. 13.) 4. Or not amend their ways, and mourn for their &s;ins <HI>according to God,</HI> 2 Cor. 7. 9, 10. upon Go&s;pel grounds and Motives, in regard of Gods love, and free-grace and mercy toward them, and Gods promi&s;es and their expecta|tion of great matters from him hereafter, 1 <HI>John</HI> 3. 19. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. 14, 15. &amp; 6. 17, 18. with 7. 1. and becau&s;e by their &s;ins they have pollu|ted Gods name, and grieved his holy &s;pirit, and di&s;graced his Go&s;pel, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> but repented and put away their &s;ins only to e&s;cape Gods wrath, (which is but &s;elf-love) and not for Go&s;pel ends al&s;o, <HI>viz.</HI> for God, <HI>Rom.</HI> 11. 36. <HI>Prov.</HI> 16. 4. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10. 31. <HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 3. very many of us do not duly con&s;ider, how great a &s;in it is, not to come by faith unto <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> that we may have life, <HI>John</HI> 5. 40. Who will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t out him who cometh unto him, <HI>John</HI> 6. 37. and how great the difference is <HI>before God,</HI> between doing, what we do through|ly, and doing by halves, and between doing upon Go&s;pel-grounds, and for all Go&s;pel-ends, and doing for our own ends only: which great errour, it will be our wi&s;dom, to amend throughly, and to <HI>Ki&s;s the Son lea&s;t he be angry, and we peri&s;h from the way, if his wrath be kindled but a little,</HI> P&s;al. 2. 12. And thus far of the &s;ixth part of my proof.</P>
<P><HI>Part.</HI> 7. 1. There are five &s;ins of Profe&s;&s;ors, whereof I &s;hall here <MILESTONE N="80"> &s;peak together (notwith&s;tanding I have already &s;poken of &s;ome of them) becau&s;e they be &s;o common.</P>
<P N="1">1. Many Profe&s;&s;ors, <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> and others, do <HI>neglect their Fami|lies,</HI> not be&s;towing time and pains in <HI>educating and training up their children and &s;ervants</HI> in the way wherein they &s;hould go, <HI>Prov.</HI> 22. 6. (as if they did believe the Devils old &s;aying, <HI>A young Saint, and an old Devil.</HI>) O how carele&s;s many Profe&s;&s;ors be, of preparing tho&s;e who &s;hall &s;urvive them, to <HI>hold forth the name of Chri&s;t in a holy manner,</HI> to his honour and the credit of his Go&s;pel!</P>
<P N="2">2. Many Profe&s;&s;ors do &s;uffer very much <HI>frothy, vain, idle, fooli&s;h, corrupt communication, not tending to edification, to proceed out of their mouths.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Many Profe&s;&s;ors do <HI>profane and mi&s;pend much of the holy Salbaths.</HI> For which &s;in and Idolatry e&s;pecially, (as the <HI>Jews</HI> about two hun|dred years &s;ince have &s;aid) the Lord did reject their Fore-fathers; &s;o that (as they then &s;aid) they could not take the <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> of tho&s;e days
<PB N="35" REF="23"> <HI>to be the &s;ervants of the true Me&s;&s;ias,</HI> becau&s;e they did live in tho&s;e two &s;ins.</P>
<P N="4">4. Many <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> be <HI>&s;o full of pride</HI> under this Di&s;pen&s;ation, that by rea&s;on of it and <HI>the fruits of it,</HI> men of knowledge can hardly get cha|rity enough, to think there is any fear of God before their eyes.</P>
<P N="5">5. It is a common thing with Profe&s;&s;ors, to be &s;ilent at the &s;ins one of another. Which five things joyned together, do amount to a foul heap of iniquity.</P>
<P>Part. 8. I come now to &s;ome <HI>down-right Rea&s;ons</HI> for this my be|lief, <MILESTONE N="81"> that <HI>the greate&s;t cau&s;e of the afflictions peculiar to Profe&s;&s;ors, and the greate&s;t impediment of their prayers for &s;ome good things expedient for them, u the &s;ins and iniquities of Profe&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rs.</HI></P>
<P><HI>R.</HI> 1. And fir&s;t, Gods Kingdom, Wi&s;dom, and Power being &s;uch as it is, and all mens hearts and times being in his hand, <HI>Prov.</HI> 21. 1. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 31. 15. he might have e&s;tabli&s;hed our King in all his Domini|ons, and yet given us favour with him and his Parliaments (as <HI>Gen.</HI> 39. 4, 5, 6, 21, 22, 23. &amp; <HI>Dan.</HI> 1. 6.) and bowed their hearts, to confirm us in the places which we held 1659. with the means and liberty which we then enjoyed (excepting the Kings revenue and &s;ome high Offices.) Neither hath it been at any time &s;uch a hard thing for God, to better our E&s;tates, <HI>in&s;tead</HI> whereof, notwith&s;tanding <HI>Gods-love to his children, which pa&s;&s;eth knowledge,</HI> Eph. 3. 19 and that <HI>the effectual</HI> <MILESTONE N="82"> <HI>fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much with him,</HI> Jam. 5. 16. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> yet, it hath plea&s;ed him, in his infinite wi&s;dom, to afflict Profe&s;&s;ors in divers kinds, wherein he hath not afflicted others; yea, to afflict us in our worldly E&s;tates, and to encrea&s;e the means of growing rich to others; yea, to augment the worldly E&s;tates of others by dimini&s;h|ing ours, to deprive us of our Benefices, Offices, and Preferments, to make room for others: yea, ye know, that &s;ince 1659. notwith&s;tand|ing we have carryed our &s;elves, <HI>not &s;editiou&s;ly, but peaceably and quietly,</HI> yet our condition is by degrees and &s;teps grown from good to bad, and from bad to wor&s;e. Which &s;orry changes of our condition, to what others <HI>may make a &s;hift,</HI> to impute them, I know not; but, in my judgment, they are to be a&s;cribed to our &s;ins, who are called Pro|fe&s;&s;ors, of whom (I believe) many are not yet born again, and many Sons and Daughters have and do by their &s;ins provoke our heavenly Father, to cha&s;ti&s;e and correct them.</P>
<P>For R. 1. Although the Lord &s;courgeth every Son (<HI>and Daughter</HI>) <MILESTONE N="83"> whom he receiveth, <HI>Prov.</HI> 3. 12. <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 6. yet he doth not afflict, or grieve, &s;o much as one man or woman <HI>meerly for his plea&s;ure,</HI> Lam. 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> 33. and when he <HI>judgeth and</HI> afflicteth any of his children, <HI>his judge|ments
<PB N="36" REF="24"> are right;</HI> he afflicts them in faithfulne&s;s, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 57. becau&s;e (<HI>according to his ju&s;t and wi&s;e Method</HI> of making men meet to partake of the inheritance of the Saints in light, <HI>Col.</HI> 1. 12, 13.) there is (as <HI>Peter</HI> calls it, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 6.) <HI>need,</HI> either becau&s;e they be not duly care|ful and diligent, to find out their &s;ins, or becau&s;e they be &s;o far from hating &s;in as they ought, as not to be throughly careful to humble them&s;elves for and to cea&s;e from &s;ome of tho&s;e &s;ins whereof they be <HI>guilty (Exod.</HI> 34. 6, 7.) <HI>or el&s;e for that</HI> they do not u&s;e due care and di|ligence to reach and attain &s;ome other end which they ought to &s;eek (if this clau&s;e doth contain any thing which the former clau&s;es do not.)</P>
<P><HI>R.</HI> 2. A &s;inful agreement between Profe&s;&s;ors. About forty years <MILESTONE N="84"> &s;ince, if the Commonalty did mi&s;-behave them&s;elves, and the <HI>Magi|&s;trates</HI> did <HI>not puni&s;h</HI> them for it, nor the <HI>Ministers reprove</HI> them for it; this, <HI>they who were taught of God,</HI> did look on, as a fore runner of Gods wrath, even as a &s;ign, that it was near at hand. The rea&s;on of which opinion mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be this, that &s;uch a <HI>con&s;piracy</HI> is too like, <HI>Jer.</HI> 5. 30, 31. and doth provoke the <HI>LORD</HI> of Ho&s;ts unto great wrath, (<HI>Acts</HI> 5. 9.) Which if it be true, (as, I believe, it is) then we may well receive this for a truth, that the nearer we Profe&s;&s;ors come to &s;uch a helli&s;h <HI>con&s;ent,</HI> the more probable it is, that the wrath of God will &s;eize upon us, if it be not already upon us: and, if it be, that this our <HI>con&s;ent</HI> hath brought it upon us, or, at lea&s;t, as much of it as is peculiar to us. And the very truth is, the &s;inful agreement which is between many of us, is too like &s;uch <HI>a con&s;piracy</HI> as the holy Prophet <HI>Jeremy</HI> in that Chapter, <HI>ver.</HI> 30. calls a wonderful and horrible thing. For,</P>
<P N="1">1. In the time of the Interruption, I took notice wherein <HI>O. Crom|wel</HI> <MILESTONE N="85"> <HI>and our Parliaments, Armies, Commitees, Commi&s;&s;ioners, and A&s;&s;embly of Divines,</HI> and particular per&s;ons, <HI>Round-heads,</HI> &amp;c. did mi&s;s the right, and did what they ought not to have done; among other things, over-recompen&s;ing their members for their lo&s;&s;es [one Father and Son (as I have heard) with 5000 <HI>l.</HI> for the (pure) lo&s;s of about or le&s;s than 5 <HI>l.</HI>].</P>
<P N="2">2. Since that time the Covetou&s;ne&s;s, Pride, and Iniquity of many Profe&s;&s;ors hath been very con&s;iderable.</P>
<P N="1">1. Whereof hath been no &s;mall part, the <HI>Fa&s;hionmonging</HI> of Pro|fe&s;&s;ors, and particularly, the gay <HI>Lady-like attire and ornaments of &s;hop-keeping women in London.</HI> But it is &s;aid concerning them, that <HI>London</HI> doth allow, what other Towns do not. It may be &s;o: how&s;oever, and although <HI>London hath been my Benefactor,</HI> yet I &s;hall not ju&s;tifie the
<PB N="37" REF="24"> proude&s;t of the <HI>Londoners</HI> in taking an Ell, yea, or half an Ell, or a quarter of an Ell, when they be allowed but an inch, e&s;pecially <HI>at &s;uch a time of Adver&s;ity as this is.</HI> I had rather they would con&s;ider &s;eri|ou&s;ly concerning <HI>Apparel and Ornaments</HI> that which is written by <HI>Paul,</HI> 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 9, 10. and by <HI>Peter,</HI> 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 3, 4, 5. praying and taking good heed, le&s;t they be weighed in the ballances and found wanting, (<HI>Dan.</HI> 5. 27.) it may be to be nothing, (<HI>Gal.</HI> 6. 3.) le&s;t <HI>London</HI> be redu|ced to the &s;tate of &s;ome other Cities, and that they fare as was pro|phe&s;ied, <HI>Zeph.</HI> 1. 8. &amp; <HI>E&s;.</HI> 3. 17. to the 24.</P>
<P N="2">2. The children and &s;ervants of many religious Families, being rude, profane, and irreligious, the Heads of &s;uch Families, who have autho|rity over them, (&s;omewhat like that of Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters over the members of &s;everal Families) do not u&s;e their authority in in|&s;tructing, rebuking, and correcting them for their di&s;orderly beha|viour.</P>
<P N="3">3. As &s;ome Conforming Mini&s;ters be godly, &s;o I believe &s;ome Non-conforming Mini&s;ters be altogether de&s;titute of true godli|ne&s;s.</P>
<P N="4">4. Whereas Mini&s;ters ought to be <HI>an example of the believers, in word, in conver&s;ation, in &s;pirit, in faith, in purity,</HI> 1 Tim. 4. 12. <HI>and a pattern of good works;</HI> in&s;tead thereof (according to my hearing, and in part, &s;eeing) &s;ome Mini&s;ters have been, and &s;ome are little le&s;s than patterns and examples of Covetou&s;ne&s;s, Pride, and Vanity. <HI>London Mini&s;ters</HI> of great means heretofore did pay Country Mini&s;ters for preaching for them, with <HI>leaning on their Velvet Cu&s;hions.</HI> One Mini|&s;ter being offered 100 <HI>l.</HI> to preach one Sermon weekly, &s;aid, that was but a journey-mans wages. Another Mini&s;ter, being a Non-confor|mi&s;t, and too like the rich men in <HI>Jam.</HI> 5. 1, 2, 3. hath taken &s;uch a large allowance for him&s;elf and his <HI>four or five Daughters,</HI> of the worldly wealth which <HI>his Ma&s;ter</HI> hath committed to him, <HI>as his Stew|ard</HI> to di&s;po&s;e <HI>to fit ends,</HI> that he gives them for their portions 1000 <HI>l. a piece,</HI> together with <HI>Jewels in their ears, and Bracelets of Pearl on their necks.</HI> According to Mr. <HI>Foxleyes</HI> judgment and mine, it is not law|ful for a man to &s;ay, <HI>Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own?</HI> Mat. 20. 15. or, <HI>to keep what I will of my own for them of my own Family?</HI> Not &s;o Friends, every man ought to remember, that <HI>all that is in the Heaven and in the Earth is Gods,</HI> 2 Chron. 29. 11, 14. and that he is but <HI>Gods Steward</HI> over the good things which he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth, and that <HI>it is required in him, that he be found faithful</HI> in u&s;ing and di&s;po&s;ing of them, wherein he ought to have great re&s;pect (if I may &s;o &s;peak) to the advantage of <HI>the owner,</HI> and to the welfare of his people, and not to
<PB N="38" REF="25"> be&s;tow too much on him&s;elf and his own Children, to rai&s;e them high in the world, <HI>Agur</HI> did pray unto God, to feed him <HI>with food conveni|ent for him,</HI> Prov. 30. 8. But it is &s;aid, this man hath great Friends.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> 1. It may be &s;o: (&s;ome Preachers would receive none or al|mo&s;t none bur rich per&s;ons into their Congregations, <HI>Jam.</HI> 2. 1. to 9.) But hath he &s;hewn him&s;elf <HI>a true and faithful Friend to them con|cerning their &s;piritual &s;tates and &s;ins?</HI> Jer. 23. 28. For &s;ome Preachers do daub with untempered morter, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 13. 10. How&s;oever, I am confiden<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, God doth not allow <HI>&s;uch a Mini&s;ter,</HI> to keep &s;o much, <HI>for his own wages,</HI> e&s;pecially at &s;uch a time as this, when <HI>&s;o many Saints have need of things nece&s;&s;ary for the body,</HI> 1 John 3. 17, 5. But what &s;hould I &s;ay to the Non-conforming Mini&s;ters that wear <HI>Perrukes</HI> (or Petri|wigs) (it may be, made of the hair of a Thief and Whore) or too long hair (as many do) and generally of &s;uch as are <HI>adorned like Gallants?</HI> Even this, that the&s;e things ought not &s;o to be; (<HI>Jam.</HI> 3. 10.) and that, if they had had much fellow&s;hip in the Go&s;pel with Saint <HI>Paul,</HI> he would have taught them to be <HI>a&s;hamed</HI> of &s;uch fa&s;hions, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. 14. and that, if they had been profe&s;&s;ors, when old Mr. <HI>Dod</HI> would not yield to the Lord <HI>Sayes</HI> de&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">re, to confer with him concerning Re|ligion, till he had <HI>cut his hair &s;horter, &s;ome of them</HI> would have looked on &s;uch fa&s;hions as <HI>Puritans</HI> in tho&s;e days did, <HI>viz.</HI> as &s;uitable to <HI>Ruf|fians and Swaggerers.</HI> But &s;ome of them have conformed to the world in the&s;e things (like the <HI>Je&s;uites</HI> in the time of Queen <HI>Elizabeth</HI>) that they might not be known or &s;u&s;pected to be Mini&s;ters. Did &s;ome &s;ub ile Devil teach them, to adde this unfit practi&s;e <HI>to their &s;inful &s;ilence at the like &s;inful exce&s;s of others</HI> before God did puni&s;h the City of <HI>Lon|don</HI> for it, and the re&s;t of its &s;ins with the Pe&s;tilence, or did <HI>Belzeb<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">b</HI> him&s;elf (2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 26.) teach it them, when they ought to have re|buked their hearers &s;harply for not hearing <HI>that &s;ore &s;courge, and him who appointed it?</HI> I had almo&s;t &s;aid, for de&s;pi&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">g the Lords cha&s;te|ning, <HI>Prov.</HI> 3. 11. Is this an effect of <HI>the &s;pirit of life from God his en|tring into the two Witne&s;&s;es, or their &s;tanding upon their feet?</HI> Rev. 11. 11. or a work of <HI>the &s;pirit of de&s;truction</HI> rather? Why, Brethren, had it not been lawful and fitter for you, to have contented your &s;elves in all places with &s;uch <HI>mode&s;t Apparel,</HI> (2 Tim. 2. 9.) whence &s;trangers would have taken occa&s;ion to look <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n you as Country Farmers, or mean &s;hop-keepers, or of &s;ome other calling whereinto it is now law|ful for you to enter? <HI>Heb.</HI> 11. 37, 38. Could no garb &s;erve the turn, but &s;uch as would make you &s;eem, what it is <HI>unlawful for you to be, or to &s;eem to be?</HI> (Ruffi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ns and &s;waggerers.) But it may be, ye have begun to lay a&s;ide the&s;e <HI>Dehone&s;tamenta,</HI> at lea&s;t &s;ince ye hoped, there would be <HI>no need of them.</HI></P>
<PB N="39" REF="25">
<P>6. As for Societies formally joyned together by a &s;pecial Covenant, (as if they would do &s;ingular things) what I have ob&s;erved and heard, cannot make me believe, that near all their Members or Rulers do, (in admitting and refu&s;ing, and in&s;tructing, admoni&s;hing, reprovi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">, and watching over one another) keep clo&s;e to the word of G<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> their own Di&s;cipline, and take due care <HI>to make their Families like little Churches.</HI> And Mr. <HI>H. Peters</HI> in his Sermon preached in <HI>Newgate</HI> af|ter his condemnation, <HI>viz. Octob. 14. 1660. There hath been</HI> (quoth <MILESTONE N="86"> he) <HI>marvellous mi&s;carriages among&s;t Saints in their Church-relations.</HI> So he <HI>verbatim.</HI></P>
<P>7. As for the duty of reproving it is greatly neglected in both con|ference and Preaching. 8. Even many of tho&s;e Min<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ters that are e|&s;teemed godly, do <HI>&s;o affect and hunt after curious and dainty words, and ornate expre&s;&s;ions,</HI> as that they do u&s;e <HI>in preaching and praying,</HI> as &s;uch, many that are <HI>&s;trange, ob&s;cure, and dark, and hard to be under&s;tood (1 Cor.</HI> 14, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15, 19.) (it may be out of pride and vain glory, and to plea&s;e, and to be highly e&s;teemed of <HI>men and women,</HI> and de&s;|pi&s;ing language ea&s;ie to be under&s;tood (&s;uch as God hath taught me to u&s;e as ru&s;tical:) and hence it is, that their preaching is not &s;o <HI>good for the u&s;e of edifying,</HI> Eph. 4. 29. peradventure the <HI>more profitable to the Preachers, as to the maintenance of their bodies,</HI> but <HI>not &s;o good to the u&s;e of edifying the Hearers &s;piritually.</HI> 9. Some do not duly <HI>&s;tudy and con&s;ider their Hearers,</HI> &s;o as to know them, (<HI>Jer.</HI> 8. 6.) and &s;o know not, what kind of Sermons, (for matter and manner) be mo&s;t expe|dient for them. Some do be&s;tow too little time and &s;tudy on their Sermons, hindred by other le&s;s nece&s;&s;ary &s;tudies and works; it may be &s;tudying and hunting after <HI>plea&s;ing words,</HI> rather, and more than <HI>profitable matter;</HI> it may be hindred by loitering and idlene&s;s. 10. Some <HI>&s;uch Mini&s;ters,</HI> (it may be) do look on the bu&s;ine&s;s of meddling with Profe&s;&s;ors &s;ins, as like <HI>the taking of a &s;hrewd Dog by the ears, (Prov.</HI> 26. 17.) or wor&s;e; &s;ome (peradventure) fear the i&s;&s;ue of di&s;plea&s;ing them, <HI>carnally:</HI> however it cometh to p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;s; they do not &s;peak unto tho&s;e Profe&s;&s;ors, with whom they have fellow&s;hip, <HI>concerning their &s;ins, &s;o partic<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">larly, plainly home, pre&s;&s;ingly and faithfully,</HI> as they ought to &s;pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">k: <HI>Prov.</HI> 20. 6. One Non-conforming Mini&s;ter in h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s Ser|mon at <HI>Bri&s;tow,</HI> &s;peaks of <HI>naked brea&s;ts.</HI> It may be, de&s;iring to have what he &s;pake, applied again&s;t other <HI>devil taught fa&s;hions,</HI> not know|ing, that <HI>naked brea&s;ts did take notes of Sermons.</HI> Another in his Ser|mon &s;peaks of &s;ins under the name of the <HI>devils Dainties;</HI> yet names <MILESTONE N="87"> no &s;in at all in particular, but oppre&s;&s;ion. Why did he not leave out that al&s;o, and particularize <HI>the wor&s;hipping of &s;tocks and &s;tones only,</HI> that
<PB N="40" REF="26"> all who heard him, might be the more confident, he did not mean any of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">heir &s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s! One in his Sermon &s;aith of <HI>Hair,</HI> that if it <HI>be any thing</HI> (or ever &s;o little) longer, than <HI>the Scripture allows of,</HI> it is a &s;in. Un|de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;tanding men might &s;peak more than this, &amp;c. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. 14. An|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">her in his Sermon &s;aith, <HI>This Di&s;pen&s;ation calls on us, to be more &s;piri|tual and heavenly.</HI> I woul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> have a Preacher <HI>tru&s;t in God,</HI> and <HI>cry with the throat;</HI> (if he be able) <HI>to lift up his voice like a Trumpet,</HI> and to &s;hew tho&s;e who have gotten the name of <HI>Phanaticks,</HI> their &s;ins and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, and that plainly, &amp;c. I would have him &s;ay, Bre|thren and Si&s;ters, it is high <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ime for us, <HI>to reform our conver&s;ation uni|ver&s;ally, without any exception or limitation,</HI> without any <HI>&s;o far</HI> and <HI>&s;o far, to change very much of our behav<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">our.</HI> 2. This di&s;pen&s;ation cries unto us, <HI>to be le&s;s carnal, and le&s;s &s;en&s;ual, and le&s;s earthly minded; to be &s;piritu|ally minded,</HI> and more tractable; to throw away with a holy abhor|rency and dete&s;tation, <HI>our covetou&s;ne&s;s and worldline&s;s, our immoderate &s;paring, our exce&s;&s;ive &s;pending, our voluptuou&s;ne&s;s, and love of plea&s;ure and ea&s;e, our pride, o&s;tentation, ambition, vanity, vain glory, envy, curio&s;ity, fa&s;hionmonging, carnal mirth and jollity, fooli&s;h, vain, idle and frothy com|munication, bitter and un&s;eemly jests, frolicks and boyi&s;h toying, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nd the de&s;pi&s;ing of our heavenly Father's cha&s;tenings,</HI> Prov. 3. 11. Numb. 12. 14, 15. <HI>naming the &s;ins of Profe&s;&s;ors punctually.</HI> [I would have a Preacher do <HI>more than all this.</HI>]</P>
<P><HI>R.</HI> 3. Thirdly, whereas that which mo&s;t of us look on, as <HI>the fore&s;t</HI> <MILESTONE N="88"> <HI>of our afflictions,</HI> is not <HI>payments of money for the u&s;e of our King,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>but want of liberty and peace, and of a well-grounded a&s;&s;urance of liberty and peace:</HI> A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e we without the&s;e, becau&s;e we ask them not? No, un|d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ub<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">edly, we have prayed for liberty and peace oft, and, it may be &s;ome of us, for an a&s;&s;urance of it. And <HI>to whom would our liberty and peace be be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">efici<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l?</HI> To us, or to others? Ye will &s;ay, to us, and &s;ome <MILESTONE N="89"> of you; that it would be &s;o in regard of our bodies, pur&s;es and &s;ouls. Some of you al&s;o will peradventure be ready to add that of the re&s;t, to &s;ome it would be a pecu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">iary lo&s;s, and <HI>to two or three</HI> an eye-&s;ore, an ear-&s;ore, and a heart-&s;ore, even vexation of &s;pirit. Which if it be true, as I think, it is; who&s;e &s;ins then, think you, have depri|ved <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> of our liberty and peace, and kept it &s;o long from us? Our own &s;ins, to whom it would be a con&s;iderable part of our happine&s;s, or theirs, to whom it would be no gain at all, and to &s;ome among them a pur&s;e-lo&s;s, and to &s;ome grief of mind? can any think, the &s;ins of others, or the &s;ins of the Nation in general? V<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rily, what &s;hift &s;ome <HI>men of much wit</HI> may make to entertain <HI>a fooli&s;h conceit,</HI> I know not<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> but for my own part, I cannot hold back my mind from attri|buting
<PB N="41" REF="26"> our want of liberty and peace to our own &s;ins, to whom it would be a great favour and benefit, rather than to the &s;ins of <HI>Hea|thens, Mahometans, Jews, or Papists,</HI> or of the whole Nation, or of any part of the Nation, other than our &s;elves, becau&s;e it would be unprofi|table to them.</P>
<P>6. Now <HI>for the &s;ixt Point; What have we done, to better our e&s;tates,</HI> <MILESTONE N="90"> <HI>or to obtain of God, to better them?</HI></P>
<P><HI>A. We</HI> have not rebelled, <HI>in&s;urrected</HI> or <HI>&s;editioned</HI> with <HI>Venner.</HI> We have kept up our forms of Godline&s;s; prayed by Families, and Members of div<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rs Families jointly, and <HI>many of us apart &s;ecretly;</HI> prayed with Fa&s;ting, pra<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ed (all our prayers put together) very ma|ny prayers; &s;ome of us <HI>very elegant, fine, and dainty prayers, [too or|nate, trim, curious, quaint, and fine prayers] as if they had been petitioning the Emperor</HI> Julius Cae&s;ar; (1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2. 1, 2, 3, 13.) and many of us, (&s;ome of mean parts) have uttered long prayers, and &s;ome have prayed <HI>too long prayers</HI> (too long for Courts of earthly Princes) <HI>as if they hoped to overcome the infinitely wi&s;e God with their verbo&s;ity and much tal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> Eccl. 5. 1, 2, 3.) Mat.</HI> 6. 7, 8. &amp; <HI>v.</HI> 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.) or as if <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ey did lengthen and &s;tretch out their prayers, to make the younger &s;ort and &s;ervants <HI>weary of Religion before they know what it is. (Mat. 23. 14. Mar. 12. 4. Luke 20. 47. Eccl.</HI> 7. 14.) We have u&s;ed &s;ome other holy Ordinances, we have Preached&punc; prayed and fa&s;ted eight or nine hours together; [it may be bowing down our heads as Bulru&s;hes, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 58. 5.] We have prayed to him who is All|&s;ufficient, <HI>Gen.</HI> 17. 1. and in who&s;e hand all mens hearts are, <HI>Prov.</HI> 21. 1. And what have we asked of him? Liberty and freedom from Troubles, and an end of this time of <HI>Satans</HI> great wrath, &amp;c. And for our Rulers we have asked heavenly wi&s;dom, to take the be&s;t cour&s;e that can be taken, for their &s;piritual welfare and everla&s;ting felicity. And &s;ome of us, it may be, have added &s;om<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">thing <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o their forms of Godline&s;s, prayed &s;omewhat oftner. But as for <HI>the vi&s;ible</HI> <MILESTONE N="91"> <HI>reforming of our wayes according to the word of God,</HI> that our &s;ins may not hind<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r our prayers, <HI>I cannot &s;ay,</HI> I know, That a con&s;iderable num|ber of us have in that way &s;hewn them&s;elves duly &s;en&s;ible of their own and their brethrens &s;ufferings, and dang<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rs, and &s;ins, or that <HI>our conference, or talking, when we meet together, is much bettered.</HI></P>
<P>7. <HI>For the &s;eventh Point;</HI> As Fi&s;hermen u&s;e to draw up their nets <MILESTONE N="92"> and fi&s;hing-hooks, to &s;ee, whether they have caught any Fi&s;h, and if need be, to amend the mea&s;hes of their Nets, and to b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> it their Fi&s;h|ing-hooks with fre&s;h worms, &amp;c. So we ought to con&s;id<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r the i&s;&s;ue and events of the Midde&s;&s;es which we have u&s;ed for the bettering of
<PB N="42" REF="27"> our e&s;tates, and for one of the events, the <HI>return of our Prayers,</HI> what we have gained by them; that, if there be cau&s;e, we may u&s;e the be&s;t dilig ence we can, <HI>to amend our prayers.</HI> Now as to this particular, it may be, we have prevailed, in &s;ome mea&s;ure for &s;ome Governours; but as for our &s;elves, as many of us have enjoyed more <HI>liberty and peace</HI> than &s;ome of our Brethren, (for which, I fear, <HI>we have not been duly thankful</HI> to our heavenly Father, nor made &s;uch u&s;e of our liberty unto the promoting of Chri&s;t's intere&s;t, and the welfare of his people, as we ought to have done:) (<HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 3.) &s;o none of the Plows or Gears are broken, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 129. 3, 4, So many Summers and Harve&s;ts are pa&s;t, and there is not a general and full deliverance; yea, the cau&s;es of our dangers and fears are augmented: at length (&s;o many of) our Mini&s;ters mu&s;t bid farewel to Cities and Corporations. And thus much of the &s;eventh particular which we ought to con&s;ider.</P>
<P>8. <HI>In the eighth place,</HI> If ye de&s;ire to know, why God hath not <MILESTONE N="93"> heard our prayers to the full, and put an end to our &s;ufferings, It is, becau&s;e he hath not yet attained all tho&s;e ends which he hath aimed at, and doth yet aim at, in afflicting us. See <HI>Marg.</HI> 25. For Pro|fe&s;&s;ors have not yet thoroughly believed, and feelingly acknowledg|ed, and duly con&s;idered, his Kingdom, and Power, and Providence, and the <HI>threatnings of his Law and Go&s;pel,</HI> and the Judgment to come, and learned to fear God <HI>in regard of &s;mall &s;ins.</HI> They have not duly &s;tudied and endeavoured to be &s;en&s;ible of the comforts and benefits, and u&s;e of true grace, and of the a&s;&s;urance of God's fatherly love, and of the evils of being without tho&s;e good things, nor con&s;tantly and &s;eriou&s;ly u&s;ed all God's means to get them, nor duly &s;ought his mercy and favour in pro&s;perity and adver&s;ity, nor made &s;uch u&s;e as they ought, of their liberty, peace, pro&s;perity and opportunities for their own &s;piritual good, and the good of others, e&s;pecially of God's people. They have not accompli&s;hed a diligent &s;earch to find out all their &s;ins, old, forgotten, &s;ecret, &amp;c. nor humbled them&s;elves under the mighty hand of God for them, with godly, inward and deep &s;orrow and mourning, and &s;o particularly as they ought to have done, nor ca&s;t <HI>all their pride</HI> and &s;piritual filthine&s;s out of their hearts, and cea&s;ed to do evil, and learned to do, each <HI>man and woman,</HI> his and her whole duty, nor <HI>duly endeavoured,</HI> without exceptions and re&s;er|vations, &s;o to do. They have not, wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h due care and diligence, tried th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> graces and &s;piritual gifts, and endeavoured to know their election of God, and to grow in all graces, e&s;pecially Faith, Hope, Humility and Meekne&s;s (to bear the wrath of God, and rage of men, with a quiet &s;pirit) and in &s;piritual gifts, and to be rooted and e&s;tabli&s;hed in
<PB N="43" REF="27"> <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> the Lord, and in the knowledge and love of his Truths, and invincibly re&s;olved to cleave in love to him and them for ever: They have tru&s;ted in them&s;elves, and in the world, expecting (with|out any good cau&s;e) favour and peace from it. Under cro&s;&s;es and being in trouble, they have not &s;hewn them&s;elves patient and calm-&s;pirited, and &s;o valiant for Chri&s;t and his Truths, as they ought to have been; &s;ome not at all puting their &s;eals to the Truths and Righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;es of the Go&s;pel, &s;ome complying with the world ba&s;ely. They have not been duly thankful to God for their liberty and peace, and the comforts, helps and deliverances which he hath vouch&s;a&s;ed them in di&s;tre&s;&s;es and dangers, nor prayed and given thanks for one ano|thers comforts under the Cro&s;s, deliverances and peace; at lea&s;t, as they ought to have done, and &s;hould have done, if we had been knit together with brotherly love, <HI>Col.</HI> 2. 2. They have not exerci&s;ed and &s;hewn forth their graces and &s;piritual gifts as they &s;hould have done; for the encrea&s;ing of them and the honour of Chri&s;t, e&s;pecially their Faith, Zeal for God and his people, Humility and Patience. They have not prayed mightily for the de&s;truction of <HI>Babylon,</HI> and of the Kingdom of Antichri&s;t. They have not u&s;ed all due diligence, to find and know <HI>all</HI> the naughty things which are in their hearts, nor taken due care to know, which of tho&s;e he hath and doth mo&s;t favour, and endeavoured very &s;eriou&s;ly to beat it down. My meaning is, that, of the &s;aid &s;ins and faults, &s;ome Profe&s;&s;ors be guilty of the&s;e, and &s;ome of tho&s;e, and <HI>&s;ome of many.</HI> (The truth is, Profe&s;&s;ors be &s;o &s;anity in their Hair and the Apparel, and the Ornaments of the body, and con|cerning other matters, that it is a very difficult thing for us Mini&s;ters (the Lord be merciful to us) to learn, how to do our duty in &s;eeking to reform them.)</P>
<P>9. So that in the ninth and la&s;t place, if we would know, what it <MILESTONE N="94"> concerns us to do towards the bettering of our e&s;tates; the way is, e|very Profe&s;&s;or to amend thoroughly of the &s;ins and faults before men|tioned, as many as he him&s;elf is guilty of, and to perform every duty which is contrary to any of them.</P>
<P>But to &s;peak more fully and more plainly concerning, at lea&s;t, &s;ome matters, and concerning &s;ome not before &s;poken of: Fir&s;t, we may do well to con&s;ider what enemies the true Religion hath on this &s;ide, and beyond the Seas, and that now, &s;ome think, they have a Plot to de|&s;troy it univer&s;ally; and what hath been done of late at Sea and at home, what hath befallen <HI>London, Norwich, Colchefter, Port&s;mouth, &amp;c.</HI> and the di&s;tre&s;s and dangers, wherein we yet are, and what &s;igns we &s;ee in Heaven or on earth, &amp;c. of our liberty and peace hereafter. Ye
<PB N="44" REF="28"> al&s;o know there was a time, when <HI>there was no remedy, 2 Chron.</HI> 36. 16. The con&s;ideration whereof (without any mor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> words) &s;hould be of force enough to move us (unle&s;s we be content to &s;uffer with <HI>Gedaliab the &s;on of Ahikam,</HI> Jer. 40. <HI>with</HI> 41.) to put away our folly and neg|ligence, and to u&s;e <HI>all lawful and fit</HI> addre&s;&s;es unto the higher Powers, whereby to better our condition, e&s;pecially to prevail with God, to better it, (<HI>Neh. 2. 17. Exod. 10. 7. Prov.</HI> 6. 6. &amp; 12. 24. <HI>Heb.</HI> 2. 3.)</P>
<P>2. I would not have you think, that the continuance of our <HI>forms of godline&s;s,</HI> (how &s;pecious and large &s;oever they be) will <HI>&s;erve the turn.</HI> For we have u&s;ed them a long time already, and our e&s;tate is &s;uch as I have told you. Neither do I think, that <HI>the amplifying of our forms</HI> would do it. For in my younger years, when &s;ome godly per|&s;ons in and neer <HI>Shrew, bury</HI> did enter into a <HI>Re&s;olution,</HI> to enlarge their Forms) (to pray o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tner than formerly, to fa&s;t oftner, and to win others to do the like: where of (as I in tho&s;e dayes heard) a god|ly Mini&s;ters Wife &s;aid, <HI>They had found out a way to kill the Devil.</HI> Yet, <MILESTONE N="95"> the practi&s;es, of Profe&s;&s;ors &s;uitable to th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t Re&s;olution, did not &s;o much as keep the <HI>Devil</HI> from ri&s;ing higher and higher. To what &s;hould we impute this, rather than to <HI>our &s;inful &s;ilence at the aberrations one of an|o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">her,</HI> and &s;uffering &s;in one upon another (our not in&s;tructing, ad|moni&s;hing, reproving, and encouraging, and giving good coun&s;el one to another) and <HI>the Elder Profe&s;&s;ors not being good Examples to the Younger;</HI> I &s;ay, we &s;hould attribute the prevailing of <HI>Satan</HI> contrary to our prayers, rather th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n to the&s;e and <HI>the re&s;t of our &s;ins whereof we had not duly repented,</HI> and taken <HI>due care</HI> to for&s;ake (2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12. 20. 21.) This <HI>&s;inful and pernicious &s;ilence</HI> was <HI>too common in tho&s;e dayes, as it is in the&s;e,</HI> notwith&s;tanding it is contrary to the true meaning of the &s;pecial <HI>Covenant</HI> which hath been entred.</P>
<P>Beloved Friends, it hath been, and is <HI>one of the too common faults of</HI> <MILESTONE N="96"> <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors, Mini&s;ters and others,</HI> to receive or let pa&s;s, as <HI>true Chri&s;tians, all that cea&s;e from gro&s;s &s;ins, hear Gods word, ke<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">p up Gods wor&s;hip in their Families, and u&s;e to go to meetings;</HI> which yet is but a form of godline&s;s, and, without a more full reformation of our wayes, to better than <HI>a bribe offered to the judge of all the earth,</HI> to blind his eyes, or &s;top his mouth, or turn back his hands from &s;triking us; and <HI>the great God, who without re&s;pect of per&s;ons, judgeth according to every mans work [even his own children,</HI> 1 Pet. 1. 17.] <HI>he will take no Bribes, Deut.</HI> 16. 19.) 2. So, that it concerns us, (<HI>to learn how</HI>) to open our eyes, to &s;ee our &s;ins, both open and &s;ecret, and particularly the iniqui|ty of our holy things. And fir&s;t, for the defects and faults of our Prayers.</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="45" REF="28" MS="y">1. Some of us (I believe many of us) <HI>have no grace at all,</HI> Marg. 125, 116, 127, 128. and therefore do pray out of <HI>Chri&s;t and without Chri&s;t (John 15. 5.) without faith, without humility, (Jam. 4. 5. 1 Pet. 5. 5.) With|out repentance, without the love of God, without godly fear, &amp;c.</HI> (Heb. 12. 28.) and therefore al&s;o, when they pray, they do <HI>regard iniquity in their hearts,</HI> P&s;al. 66. 16. and pray, without due re&s;pect to God and his Church, <HI>Jam. 4. 3. Ho&s;.</HI> 10. 1.</P>
<P N="2">2. I believe, concerning many regenerate per&s;ons, that <HI>unbelief,</HI> and <HI>pride</HI> do prevail much <HI>in their prayers;</HI> that they do oft come &s;hort of &s;erving God in their prayers with <HI>reverence and godly fear, Heb.</HI> 12. 28. and oft come near that which <HI>David</HI> in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 66. 18. calls <HI>the re|garding of iniquity in their hearts,</HI> (which is when a man will keep this or that <HI>&s;in, whether God will hear his prayers or not.)</HI> I do al&s;o fear, that many a godly man prays unto God now and than, <HI>in words,</HI> to do this or that <HI>for his Church,</HI> whil&s;t, <HI>with his heart,</HI> he aims at <HI>his own good only,</HI> without due re&s;pect to Gods honour, and the well-being of his Church; which I conceive, to be the iniquity &s;poken of <HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 3. For what&s;oever a man asks of God immediately for him&s;elf, he ought to ask for God al&s;o, <HI>viz.</HI> to the end he may be the more willing, or the more able, or have the more opportunities to promote Chri&s;ts in|tere&s;t, or to &s;ome &s;uch end. <HI>For all things</HI> are, <HI>as of God, and through God, &s;o al&s;o for God,</HI> Rom. 11. 36 So that, wheth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r we <HI>eat or drink,</HI> or <HI>what&s;oever we do,</HI> we ought to do all to his glory, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10. 31. And, as <HI>all things do work together for good to them who love God,</HI> Rom. 8. 28. &s;o we ought in mo&s;t of our Petitions for our &s;elves (if not in all) to aim at the good of tho&s;e who love God. I think &s;o.</P>
<P>Secondly, as to our Fa&s;ts; they are (as many of us u&s;e them) <MILESTONE N="98"></P>
<P N="1">1. Too like a &s;udden Land-floud, which is quickly gone into the River, and <HI>the ground</HI> anon after, almo&s;t <HI>as dry</HI> as at the beginning of the &s;torm. For &s;o <HI>the &s;hews</HI> which &s;ome make at <HI>Fa&s;ts, of &s;orrow and mourning,</HI> are &s;oon turned into <HI>Fea&s;ting carnal jollity</HI> (Jam. 4. 9) and <HI>vain communication.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. So that, I fear, they be too like the penances and &s;courges <HI>of (&s;ome) Papists,</HI> which they u&s;e <HI>to the fle&s;h,</HI> Gal. 5. 13.</P>
<P>But, to &s;peak more generally, many of us in re&s;pect of our forms of <MILESTONE N="99"> godline&s;s, are too like the Jews in <HI>E&s;.</HI> 58. who did <HI>&s;eek God</HI> (after their manner) <HI>daily</HI> and <HI>ask of</HI> him (with their mouths) <HI>the Ordinances of</HI> Ju&s;tice, and afflict their <HI>&s;ouls</HI> with fa&s;ting, bowing down their heads as Bulru&s;hes, and &s;preading &s;ackcloth and a&s;hes under them, and make a &s;hew of delighting to know Gods wayes, and in approaching unto God, all which did not prevail with God <HI>to ca&s;e them of their grievances
<PB N="46" REF="29" MS="y"> and afflictions, ver.</HI> 3. And why? even, becau&s;e they <HI>did not for&s;ake their &s;inful practi&s;es,</HI> but went on &s;till in them, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 68. 21. And hence it is, that the Lord 1. Commands the Prophet, <HI>to cry aloud, to lift up his voice like a Trumpet,</HI> and to &s;hew them their &s;ins and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, and that <HI>ver.</HI> 3. he &s;preads before them a particular of their Tre&s;pa&s;|&s;es, and &s;ignifies to them, that it is <HI>a fooli&s;h and fond thing</HI> for them, to think, that it is enough for them <HI>to afflict them&s;elves (now and then) for a day,</HI> (and there's <HI>an end of the bu&s;ine&s;s</HI>) 1 Tim. 4. 8. as if God would approve and accept of Fa&s;ts, and hear Prayers, when they be not joyned with &s;incere repentance and <HI>amendment of life;</HI> as al&s;o he menti|ons &s;ome of <HI>the mo&s;t con&s;iderable &s;ins of the Jews at that time as fitte&s;t to be in&s;i&s;ted on:</HI> which I believe, is the cau&s;e why <HI>David,</HI> P&s;. 24. 4. mentioneth the <HI>lifting up of the &s;oul unto vanity and &s;wearing deceitfully,</HI> and why <HI>Mic.</HI> ch. 6. 8. mentioneth <HI>doing ju&s;tly, and loving mercy, and humbling our &s;elves</HI> <MILESTONE N="100"> <HI>to walk with God, or wal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ing humbly with God.</HI> O that our Preachers at time would be per&s;waded to imitate them, <HI>viz. to tell them who hear them preach, punctually and plainly of the mo&s;t con&s;iderable of their iniqui|ties,</HI> and, if doing &s;o will not cau&s;e them to reform all their wayes <HI>&s;peedily,</HI> then to cry aloud unto them, and to deal faithfully and plain|ly with them concerning their &s;ins and <HI>abominations,</HI> (and <HI>not to cea&s;e from reproving,</HI> untill they have drawn or driven them <HI>out of all their un|warrantable</HI> <MILESTONE N="101"> <HI>practi&s;es,</HI> (Lev. 19. 17. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 2. as <HI>Acts</HI> 12. 5.) For <HI>Mic.</HI> 6. 6, 7. the gracele&s;s man is repre&s;ented, as it were, acting his part upon a &s;tage; and his bu&s;ine&s;s is, to plea&s;e God, and to obtain pardon of his &s;ins, and to that end, to be&s;tow &s;omewhat on God. Ne<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ther is he altogether empty of good words; he calls him who&s;e &s;avour he &s;eeks, <HI>JEHOVAH,</HI> twice, and <HI>the mo&s;t high God,</HI> and &s;peaks of bowing him&s;elf before him, and of being at great co&s;t with him&punc; of <HI>bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nt-offerings, thou&s;ands of Rams, ten thou&s;ands of Rivers of Oil,</HI> yea, of gi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ing <HI>his fir&s;t born for the &s;in of his &s;oul,</HI> (which is <HI>more than much money given to godly Preachers;</HI>) but <HI>not one word of leaving his &s;ins, and doing his du<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y.</HI> And therefore it is, that he who an&s;wers him, &s;hews him, <HI>w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> is good</HI> [in the &s;ight of the <HI>LORD] and what he requires of him;</HI> namely, <HI>to do ju&s;tly, and to love mercy, and to humble him&s;elf to walk with his God.</HI> So that this is, as a Touch &s;tone to Gold, <HI>the abandoning of all our &s;ins,</HI> and the clean&s;ing of all our wayes according to the Rules of Gods word: which a godle&s;s man is not throughly content to do, but would rather buy a pardon with one or two of his Children, than to <HI>part with all his &s;ins and the &s;weet fruits of them.</HI> Which kind of <HI>libe|ral dealing with God,</HI> how unacceptable it is to him, and how unavail|able the holy Ordinances which he hath commanded, be with him
<PB N="47" REF="29" MS="y"> without reformation of our wayes, ye may al&s;o &s;ee (<HI>if ye have hearts to under&s;tand</HI>) in <HI>E&s;.</HI> 1. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. <HI>E&s;.</HI> 66. 3, 4. and <HI>Am.</HI> 5. 21, 22, 23, 24. (I pray, read and con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly all the&s;e Ver&s;es.) Friends I may well &s;peak unto many of you (in another <MILESTONE N="102"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">en&s;e) as the <HI>LORD</HI> &s;peaks to his people, <HI>E&s;.</HI> 58. 6, of <HI>letting the oppre&s;&s;ed go free.</HI> For ye do oppre&s;s &s;ome of the Truths which ye have received <HI>into your minds,</HI> but not <HI>the love of them into your hearts.</HI> Ye do <HI>hold them</HI> (as tho&s;e <HI>Rom.</HI> 1. 18.) <HI>in unrighteou&s;ne&s;s;</HI> ye do keep them in pri&s;on. I be&s;eech you, let them all <HI>walk at liberty;</HI> let them <HI>prevail</HI> in your words and deeds: <HI>practice them</HI> in your hou&s;es, in your &s;hops, in the &s;treets; and, as there is occa&s;ion, in all places and companies; behave your &s;elves according to tho&s;e truths which ye know, con|&s;tantly. Without this, as ye may de&s;ire and not obtain, b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">cau&s;e ye <MILESTONE N="103"> ask not; &s;o ye may ask and not receive, becau&s;e ye ask ami&s;s, <HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 3. Yea, without this Reformation, ye may u&s;e all the holy Ordi|nances of God externally and that con&s;tantly, and neither your per|&s;ons, nor your &s;ervices be accepted with God. For <HI>God will not re|ceive bribes.</HI> I cannot tell you of this too oft, (<HI>Phil.</HI> 3. 1.)</P>
<P>But <HI>fourthly,</HI> to &s;peak &s;omewhat more punctually,</P>
<P N="1">1. Say <HI>in thy heart, If the King of Saints be with us,</HI> why are we thus? <MILESTONE N="104"> For the fault is not in God; he is rich in grace, and abundant in goodne&s;s and truth, <HI>Exod.</HI> 34. 6. and waiteth that he may be graci|ous, <HI>E&s;.</HI> 30. 18. nor in high Prie&s;ts Interce&s;&s;ion; the father heareth him always: and as for h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s protecting of us, <HI>all power is given to him in Heaven and in Earth,</HI> Mat. 28. 18. Why then are not the <HI>Plow|gears</HI> cut a&s;under, or the <HI>Plows</HI> thrown to the hedge? Why are we &s;till under the rods of the Almighty? Surely the fault is in us; the cau&s;e is our &s;ins; it is by rea&s;on of our &s;ins.</P>
<P N="2">2. Con&s;ider, who they were, that, when they were impri&s;oned, &s;aid, <HI>we are verily guilty concerning our Brother, in that we &s;aw the angui&s;h of his &s;oul, when he be &s;ought us, and we would not hear: therefore is this di&s;tre&s;s upon us,</HI> Gen. 41. 21, 22. and what woman, when her Son was dead, &s;aid unto <HI>Elias, Art thou come unto me to call my &s;in to remem|brance, and to &s;lay my &s;on?</HI> 2 King. 17. 17, 18. and who &s;aid unto the Mariners, <HI>Jon.</HI> 1. 12. <HI>I know, that for my &s;ake this tempe&s;t is upon you;</HI> and who, <HI>when our Saviour told his Apo&s;tles, one of them would</HI> betray him, &s;aid, <HI>Lord, is it I?</HI> And <HI>who asked that que&s;tion la&s;t.</HI> That was <HI>Judas,</HI> Mat. 26. 21, 22. 25. Con&s;ider, I &s;ay the&s;e per&s;ons, and thy &s;elf; <HI>What hand thou ha&s;t had in pulling down wrath on the Nation, or on Profe&s;&s;ors,</HI> P&s;al. 19, 12, 13. and beg <HI>very earne&s;tly of God,</HI> to direct thee to judge rightly of this matter.</P>
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<PB N="48" REF="31" MS="y"> 3. Con&s;ider, whether thou bee&s;t one of them, that did heretofore <MILESTONE N="105"> (as <HI>many Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> did) <HI>abu&s;e</HI> and not make &s;uch u&s;e as they ought to have done of their Liberty, Peace, Means, Authority, and opportuni|ties of doing God and his people &s;ervice; and whether thou be one of them, who in the time of their pro&s;perity did <HI>not con&s;ider, pity, and &s;hew favour to the &s;ufferers of that time,</HI> e&s;pecially <HI>the con&s;cientious ones,</HI> as far forth as they were in duty bound &s;o to do. For it is probable, God will cha&s;ti&s;e us for abu&s;ing and not making aright u&s;e of his ble&s;&s;ings, by depriving us of them.</P>
<P N="4">4. Becau&s;e we have not Rules by which in all ca&s;es to di&s;cern clear|ly, <MILESTONE N="106"> for what &s;ins we are corrected; therefore I coun&s;el thee, to &s;earch thy heart and ways all over, and to call to mind and con&s;ider thy be|haviour, even from thy Childhood, and that very diligently: to find out the &s;everal kinds of &s;in wherein thou ha&s;t tre&s;pa&s;&s;ed, and thy tre&s;pa&s;&s;es in them, together with their aggravations, as particularly and fully as thou can&s;t; making u&s;e in this &s;earch of the holy Scri|ptures, e&s;pecially <HI>P&s;al. 51. 5. E&s;.</HI> 3. 16. to the end, <HI>Ezek. 22. Eph. 2. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Tit. 1. 15. Mat. 5. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 28, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 44. &amp; 15. 19. Mark 7. 21, 22. Rom. 1. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32. 1 Cor.</HI> 5. 8. &amp; 6. 9, 10. &amp; 11. 14. 2 <HI>Cor. 20. 21. Gab. 5. 19 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. Eph.</HI> 4. 25, 26, 29, 31, 32. &amp; 5. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 18, 21, 22, 23, 25; 28 29. <HI>Phil.</HI> 22. 3, 4, 5. &amp;c. <HI>ver. 21. Col.</HI> 3. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. &amp; 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1 <HI>The&s;. 5. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21; 22. 1 Tim.</HI> 2. 9, 10. &amp; 6. 8, 9, 10, 11. 2 <HI>Tim. 3. 1, 2, 3 4, 5 6, 7. Tit. 2. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Heb. 13. 16, 17, 18. Jam,</HI> 3. 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. &amp; 4. 1. &amp; 5. 16. 1 <HI>Pet. 3. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10. 2 Pet. 2. 7 8. 1 John 3. 18, 17. Rev.</HI> 2. 4, 5. &amp; 3. 1, 2, 3, 15 16, 17. &amp; 21. 8. <HI>Rom.</HI> 12. 2. &amp; 14. 21. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 8. 13. Why not al&s;o of <HI>By fields</HI> Catalogue of &s;ins, or the like books, and of <HI>the exemplary behaviour of the be&s;t Profe&s;&s;ors,</HI> that thou conver&s;e&s;t with? It may be, &s;ometimes it would be wi&s;dom in thee, <HI>to take their</HI> <MILESTONE N="107"> <HI>silence at thy words for a reproof of them.</HI> And be &s;ure, becau&s;e it is <HI>a ve|ry difficult thing</HI> for a man to under&s;tanding his errours, (<HI>P&s;al.</HI> 19. 12.) to imitate <HI>Job,</HI> chap. 13. 23. reque&s;ting the God of knowledge, to make thee know and under&s;tand thy &s;ins and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P N="5">5. Con&s;ider thy &s;ins <HI>together with the afflictions</HI> which God hath &s;ent <MILESTONE N="108"> thee, either alone, or joyntly with others; (for &s;o we are to under|&s;tand <HI>the con&s;idering of our ways;</HI> Hagg. 1. 5, 6, 7 9, 10, 11. and thinking on our ways, <HI>P&s;al. 119. 59. viz.</HI> of con&s;idering our doings and <HI>the e|vents of them</HI>) and take good notice, that that Commandment in <HI>Hagg.</HI> 1. is <HI>repeated,</HI> and con&s;ider, why it is repeated, which (I judge), is, becau&s;e it <HI>highly concerns</HI> men, to con&s;ider their doings, and the &s;uc|ce&s;s
<PB N="49" REF="31"> of them, and that &s;eriou&s;ly (that they may <HI>turn their feet unto Gods te&s;timonies,</HI> P&s;al. 119. 59.) and becau&s;e many be &s;o &s;low to con&s;ider them, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. I advi&s;e thee, as thou finde&s;t out thy &s;ins, to confe&s;s them b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">fore <MILESTONE N="109"> the Lord again&s;t thy &s;elf, and that thou ha&s;t walked contrary to him, and al&s;o, that he hath walked contrary to thee, and cha&s;ti&s;ed thee, <HI>Lev. 26. 40, 41. Lam.</HI> 3. 41. to 47. and to humble thy &s;elf <HI>under his mighty and correcting hand</HI> for them, and as thou can&s;t, for thy. <HI>unknown &s;ins</HI> al&s;o, (<HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 10. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 5. 6, 10. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 19. 12.) not too ea&s;ily contenting thy &s;elf with any mea&s;ure of &s;orrow for thy &s;ins (yet not grieving &s;o as to di&s;able thy &s;elf for any &s;ervice or bu&s;ine&s;s of any &s;ort.) For &s;ometimes men are not quickly clean&s;ed from their ini|quities, as tho&s;e <HI>Jo&s;h.</HI> 22. 17. no nor duly contrite and humbled for them, as tho&s;e <HI>Jer.</HI> 44. 10. And, I fear, this is the ca&s;e of many of us Profe&s;&s;ors, even in this perillous time, and that many of us do not well under&s;tand our <HI>&s;ins of common life.</HI></P>
<P N="7">7. <HI>Accept of the puni&s;hment of thine iniquity,</HI> Lev. 26. 41. and that <MILESTONE N="110"> <HI>with the whole heart;</HI> thy mouth and heart really yielding and acknow|ledging, that our <HI>God hath puni&s;hed thee (O far le&s;s) than thy iniqui|ties de&s;erve,</HI> (Ezr. 9. 13.)</P>
<P N="8">8. And for&s;ake and cea&s;e from all thy &s;ins, re&s;olve throughly, to &s;trive &s;eriou&s;ly again&s;t them all, not excepting &s;o much as one of them, no not the <HI>lea&s;t and mo&s;t profitable</HI> of them. And do this with a holy hatred and dete&s;tation of them, <HI>hating them for God,</HI> becau&s;e they be enemies to him, &s;aying in thy heart, <HI>Get ye hence, ye enemies of my God, get ye hence, (E&s;. 30. 32. Mat.</HI> 4. 10.) And having once ca&s;t a|way thy &s;ins, &s;in no more, le&s;t <HI>wor&s;e things</HI> come unto thee, (<HI>John</HI> 5. 4.) but walk in <HI>all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord uprightly and blamle&s;s:</HI>) and among other duties.</P>
<P N="1">1. Be really <HI>thankful</HI> to him, who is the Fountain of all good things, for extending his goodne&s;s to thee and <HI>the re&s;t of his people</HI> in &s;uch and &s;uch matters, giving him hearty and humble thanks in the name of our Lord <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> Col. 3. 15. <HI>Eph.</HI> 5. 20. e&s;pecially for thy and their <HI>liberty and peace.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Let the love of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> con&s;train thee to love him, becau&s;e he dy|ed <MILESTONE N="111"> for thee, <HI>for that very end;</HI> 2 Cor. 5. 14, 15. To the uttermo&s;t of thy abilities, promote <HI>his intere&s;t,</HI> and, for his &s;ake, his peoples happi|ne&s;s, by doing him and them, as many good &s;ervices as thou can&s;t.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Mi&s;pend not time, but redeem time,</HI> for Gods &s;ervice and the &s;oul, <HI>becau&s;e the dayes be evil,</HI> Eph. 5. 17.</P>
<P N="4">4. Take heed to thy wayes, that thou &s;in not with thy tongue,
<PB N="50" REF="32"> <HI>P&s;al. 39. 1. P&s;al. 34. 11, 12, 13. 2 Pet. 3. 10. Jam.</HI> 1. 26.</P>
<P N="5">5 Take due care to <HI>remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, Exod.</HI> 20. 8.</P>
<P N="6">6. Al&s;o remember <HI>thou, and thy &s;on, and thy daughter, and thy man-&s;ervant, and thy maid-&s;ervant, and thy stranger that is within thy gates,</HI> Exod. 20. 10. yea, not only on the Sabbath day, but generally at all times to u&s;e thy diligence, that <HI>thy Family</HI> may be as a <HI>little</HI> Church of Chri&s;t, as <HI>Philemons</HI> was, <HI>Phil.</HI> ver. 1. 2. (I have &s;pecifyed <HI>the&s;e duties,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>&s;o many Profe&s;&s;ors do &s;o much neglect</HI> them.) It will be thy wi&s;|dom, to follow all this good coun&s;el. For the <HI>LORD</HI> God, is a Sun and &s;hield to them that walk uprightly; he will <HI>give them grace and glory;</HI> he will withhold no good thing from them, <HI>P&s;al. 4. 11. Prov.</HI> 16. 17.</P>
<P N="9">9. <HI>Learn of God,</HI> to commit and leave thy &s;elf to him, as the righ|ous <MILESTONE N="112"> and wi&s;e Judge of all the Earth, <HI>to do with thee,</HI> what he plea&s;eth, and particularly, to better thy e&s;tate when and in what mea&s;ure he plea&s;eth, <HI>P&s;al. 10. 14. Phil.</HI> 4. 11. But remember and <HI>&s;tudy thy own weakne&s;s,</HI> that thou art <HI>not &s;ufficient of thy &s;elf, to do any thing</HI> well as of thy &s;elf, <HI>without Chri&s;t,</HI> John 15 5. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3. 5. Therefore &s;tir up thy &s;elf, to take hold of <HI>Chri&s;t (E&s;.</HI> 64. 6, 7.) as the &s;trength of the <HI>LORD, (E&s;.</HI> 27. 4. 5.) Even on our Lord <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> who is <HI>mighty to &s;ave,</HI> even <HI>able to &s;ave unto the uttermo&s;t all them who came unto God by him, E&s;. 63. 1. Heb. 7. 25. P&s;al.</HI> 89. 19. <HI>Phil. 4. 13. (The want of this hinders the profiting of Profe&s;&s;ors very much.</HI></P>
<P N="10">10. Al&s;o humble thy &s;elf daily for thy infirmities and daily fail|ings.</P>
<P N="11">11. Al&s;o give all diligence, to make thy Calling and Election <MILESTONE N="113"> &s;ure, and that all thy graces, e&s;pecially thy <HI>Faith</HI> and <HI>Patience</HI> may be encrea&s;ed, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 5, 6, 7, 10. &amp; 3. 17, 18. &amp; 1 <HI>Pet 5. 9, 10. Rom. 5. 2, 3, 4. Jam.</HI> 1. 3, 4.</P>
<P N="12">12. Be &s;ure to con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly, every one of you in particular, wherein he or &s;he can do God or his people &s;ervice, and re&s;olve with a &s;trong re&s;olution, if it &s;hall plea&s;e him, to put an end to your Ad|ver&s;ity, (with his gracious and ble&s;&s;ed a&s;&s;i&s;tance) to &s;erve him and them accordingly.</P>
<P N="13">13. La&s;tly, at all times, even whil&s;t thou art doing the&s;e things, and when thou ha&s;t done them all, and done much for God and his people, depend not on any thing which thou ha&s;t done, (as if thou had&s;t thereby, or therewith made &s;atisfaction in any mea&s;ure to Gods ju&s;tice for thy &s;ins, or any of them, or merited any good thing at his hands, but relie for thy ju&s;tification and acceptance with God, and
<PB N="51" REF="32"> everla&s;ting &s;alvation, on the Lord <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and the free grace of God in and through him, admiring his free grace.</P>
<P>Qu. <HI>But what ought tho&s;e Profe&s;&s;ors to do, who know, think, or doubt,</HI> <MILESTONE N="114"> <HI>they be not born again?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> That which is mo&s;t <HI>proper</HI> for them to do is, to exerci&s;e them&s;elves con&s;tantly in the word of Truth, waiting for the gracious operation of the holy <HI>Spirit</HI> in and on their &s;ouls, to beget them again, or el&s;e to &s;hew them <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> already <HI>formed</HI> in their &s;ouls, <HI>Joh. 14. 16, 17. Gal.</HI> 4. 19. But withal they ought to follow the good coun&s;el before rehear&s;ed; and all Profe&s;&s;ors, <HI>when cau&s;e is,</HI> to do, <HI>what many Profe&s;&s;ors very &s;eldom or never do,</HI> viz. <HI>to ask the advice of able and godly Profe&s;&s;ors, e&s;pecially Mini&s;ters, and not to keep the devils coun&s;el; not to &s;ecret mat|ters according to his coun&s;el.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Note.</HI> If God in cha&s;tizing any of us, doth aim at any of the ends <MILESTONE N="115"> which I have before mentioned, and (through weakne&s;s of memory or otherwi&s;e) have not reached to it in the precedent in&s;tructions, or any other end, which I have not mentioned; I pray you, <HI>hear the rod; and</HI> [him] <HI>who hath appointed it,</HI> yielding to him concerning it; <HI>let that be done which he &s;hooteth at in cha&s;tizing thee.</HI></P>
<P>If thou de&s;ire&s;t to know more medicines, which it behoveth thee to u&s;e for the bettering of thy e&s;tate.</P>
<P N="1">1. Enquire and con&s;ider frequently, whether thou ha&s;t any true <MILESTONE N="116"> grace or not, what thou ha&s;t in thy heart, which a meer <HI>Formali&s;t</HI> cannot have.</P>
<P N="2">2. Con&s;ider and &s;tudy as exactly and wi&s;ely as thou can&s;t, thy own &s;ins, and what thou ha&s;t de&s;erved at Gods hands by them, taking heed that thou <HI>think not too ill of other folks &s;ins,</HI> as of the Profe&s;&s;ors and other inhabitants of <HI>London, Southwark, Norwich, Colche&s;ter, Port&s;|mouth,</HI> as if they were &s;inners above others, wor&s;e &s;inners than others. Take heed of this, <HI>Luke</HI> 13. 1, 2.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Mortifie all the members of the old man;</HI> the fle&s;h with all the affe|ctions and lu&s;ts, even all thy ungodly lu&s;ts, <HI>Col.</HI> 3. 5. Eph. 5. 24. For this work &s;ome of Dr. <HI>Pre&s;tons</HI> Sermons are of very good u&s;e.</P>
<P N="4">4. Give due diligence, to be exerci&s;ed under the cha&s;tening hand of God, to the bettering of thy &s;piritual e&s;tate, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 10. 11.</P>
<P N="5">5. Draw near to God oft; (<HI>P&s;al. 73. 28. Jam. 4. 9.) viz.</HI> to hear his word, by prayer; but be &s;ure, when thou drawe&s;t nigh <HI>to him, to &s;anctifie him,</HI> I mean, to te&s;tifie <HI>to thy own con&s;cience,</HI> the high account which thou make&s;t of <HI>his Holine&s;t, by thy holy and reverend u&s;age of the holy things;</HI> which I take to be <HI>the &s;anctifying of the LORD, Lev.</HI> 10. 3.
<PB N="52" REF="33"> (See how they be like to fare, that do draw nigh to the <HI>LORD</HI> and not &s;anctifie him, <HI>v.</HI> 1, 2, 3.)</P>
<P N="6">6. Seek unto God, to work for thee and thy brethren; &s;eek his fa|vour <MILESTONE N="117"> and help; but &s;eek it <HI>according to his will</HI> (revealed in the holy Scriptures) that he may hear thee, and thy brethren, <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 5. 15. &amp; 6. 1, 2, 3. 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 5. 14, 15.</P>
<P N="7">7. Let thy heart be prepared unto this work, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 10. 17. yea, and thy wayes al&s;o. But if thy heart be, thy wayes will. [And here con&s;ider, 1. When <HI>the peoples hearts were prepared,</HI> then God hearken|ed to <HI>Hezekiahs</HI> prayer for them, and healed them (in re&s;pect of their di&s;comforts, fears and di&s;couragements.) 2 <HI>Chron. 30. 18, 19. 2. Jo|tham,</HI> King of <HI>Judah, became mighty, becau&s;e he prepared his</HI> way be|fore the <HI>LORD</HI> his God, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 27. 6. Remember this. 3. If a man doth <HI>purge him&s;elf from his wood and earth,</HI> he &s;hall be a ve&s;&s;el <MILESTONE N="118"> unto honour, &s;anctified and meet for the Ma&s;ters u&s;e, and prepared unto every good work, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 20. 21.] All of you remember, who &s;aid, <HI>When the Son of man cometh, &s;hall he find faith on the earth?</HI> Luke 18. 8. Stir up faith in thy own heart, and in the hearts of thy fellow-profe&s;|&s;ors, to look on and <HI>expect better times,</HI> as if they were vi&s;ible to the eyes of the body, or coming within a few leagues of us, <HI>and wait for them with patience, Heb. 11. 1, 13. Rom.</HI> 4. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. &amp; 8. 25. and &s;hew thy &s;elf re&s;olute and couragious, <HI>when there is cau&s;e,</HI> as if thou wert in no danger. Let it appear <HI>before the &s;ons of men,</HI> that thou tru&s;te&s;t in God, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 31. 19.</P>
<P>I &s;hall now &s;peak of &s;ome things, which, I think, may conduce <MILESTONE N="119"> more to the bettering of thy e&s;tate, than &s;ome (it may be) think they do. 1. Train up thy children and &s;ervants, (to the uttermo&s;t of thy abilities) in the way wherein they &s;hould go, <HI>Prov.</HI> 22. 6. 2. See that thou can&s;t render a good rea&s;on for all the parts of thy <HI>Non-confor|mity.</HI> 3. When thou praye&s;t, <HI>be &s;ure to &s;erve God in thy prayers,</HI> and to pray <HI>for God, Prov.</HI> 16. 4. I mean, with due re&s;pect to his honour and glory, and aiming at it, <HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 3. 4. Apply thy &s;elf to God with <HI>earne&s;t prayers and bearty thanksgivings for the Church of God, the</HI> <MILESTONE N="120"> <HI>Nation, the Governours of it, the Parliament, forreign Plantations, the People of Chri&s;t in all Countreys, (converted and unconverted) and enemies and per&s;ecutors (if there be any.)</HI> It may be, <HI>God doth not grant the re|que&s;ts which &s;ome make to him for them&s;elves, becau&s;e they do not love and pray as they ought for others, even their enemies,</HI> Mat. 5. 44. <HI>Luke</HI> 23. 34. <HI>Act.</HI> 7. 60. And as for our King, who knows, whether he be come to the&s;e Kingdomes, to do very much good for the Church of God?
<PB N="53" REF="33"> 5. Receive no manner of per&s;on <HI>as a Brother,</HI> becau&s;e he is again&s;t &s;ome of the things of the Church of <HI>England,</HI> but rather learn, how to behave thy &s;elf towards <HI>Famili&s;ts, Ranters, (Triumphers) Quakers, Swenkfildians, 2. Tim. 3. 5. 2 Pet. 2. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. 2 Joh.</HI> v. 10, 11. <HI>Jude</HI> v. 10, 12, 13. 6. Think it more nece&s;&s;ary, <HI>to amend</HI> <MILESTONE N="121"> <HI>thy manner of praying and fa&s;ting,</HI> than to make <HI>long prayer,</HI> or to pray or fa&s;t ofener. <HI>Friends,</HI> I would gladly have <HI>you all</HI> amend your con|ver&s;ation, and walk more accurately and preci&s;ely. Give me leave to put you in mind, among other things, of that, which may po&s;&s;ibly move you &s;o to do.</P>
<P N="1">1. What if ye knew good cau&s;e to be confident, that ye &s;hould have liberty and peace, and worldly pro&s;perity, and be freed from all grievances, and that God would not at all puni&s;h or cha&s;tize you for your &s;ins? Would it then be to your hurt, to amend your beha|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ur upon the admonition or reque&s;t of an old man, and to fill his heart with gladne&s;s at the age of 72? For in the &s;ight of God, it is good &s;o to do, <HI>Mic.</HI> 6. 8.] And the Proverb &s;aith, <HI>Every thing is the</HI> <MILESTONE N="122"> <HI>better for the amending;</HI> and the <HI>wi&s;dom which is from above,</HI> is tracta|ble, ea&s;ie to be entreated, <HI>Jam. 3. 17. viz.</HI> to do that which is good in God's &s;ight, tending unto his honour, or the good of any of h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s peo|ple. Yea, the Lord doth require <HI>of me, and of all you, to grow in grace,</HI> 2 Pet. 3. 18. <HI>to make &s;treight paths for our feet,</HI> Heb. 12. 13. <HI>to walk circum&s;pectly, accurately, preci&s;ely,</HI> Eph. 5. 15. to cau&s;e our moderati|on (and other graces) <HI>to be known to all men,</HI> Phil. 4. 5. and to let our <HI>light to &s;hine &s;o before men, that they may &s;ee</HI> our good works, and glo|rifie our Father who is in heaven, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. 16. What's become of this <HI>Light?</HI> where and when &s;hines it? Verily the light of many Profe&s;|&s;ors is <HI>a very dim light,</HI> and &s;carce vi&s;ible in their conver&s;ings, except|ing the daily pract &s;e of their forms of Godline&s;s, and a few other good words at times. We had &s;ome not long &s;ince, who were called <HI>new Lights:</HI> of that kind of Lights, I de&s;ire no more, but &s;uch as <HI>John Bapti&s;t</HI> was, <HI>burning and &s;hining lights,</HI> Joh. 5. 55. &s;uch as burn in|wardly <HI>with true zeal,</HI> and &s;hine outwardly by and in good works. Al&s;o the great God commands us, <HI>to wa&s;h our &s;elves,</HI> &s;o as to make our &s;elves <HI>clean;</HI> to put away the evil of our doings from before his eyes; <HI>to cea&s;e to do evil, and learn to do well,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 1. 16, 17. and our mo&s;t dear Friend, <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> teacheth us, to do <HI>&s;ingular things,</HI> more than others, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. 47. and tells us plainly, that except our righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall exceed the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the <HI>Scribes</HI> and <HI>Phari|&s;ees,</HI> we &s;hall in no ca&s;e enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. 19. And, how mu&s;t it exceed their righteou&s;ne&s;s? chiefly by be|lieving
<PB N="54" REF="34"> in <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and by purging the heart from all &s;piritual <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">, and by <HI>judgment and mercy,</HI> Mat. 23. 23. Why Friends, the ungodly man, in <HI>Mic.</HI> 6. 6, 7. &s;peaks of him&s;elf, as content to pur|cha&s;e <MILESTONE N="123"> God's favour, and a pardon of his &s;ins at a very great price: only he &s;peaks not of <HI>leaving his &s;ins,</HI> and doing his duty; beyond whom ye mu&s;t go, in being thoroughly content, to part <HI>with your</HI> &s;ins, and to do your duty, or el&s;e &s;uffer, wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t ye are unwilling to &s;uffer. But the love of Chri&s;t in dying for poor mi&s;erable &s;inners, when they were without &s;trength to help them&s;elves, and unworthy to be pitied and helped, con&s;traineth tho&s;e who live by and through him, <HI>not to live to them&s;elves, but to him who died for them, and ro&s;e again, 2 Cor.</HI> 5. 14, 15.</P>
<P N="2">2. Brethren, ye ought to reform your conver&s;ings univer&s;ally and <MILESTONE N="124"> <HI>unre&s;ervedly,</HI> compleatly: 1. That your &s;ins may be blotted out, <HI>&amp;c. Act.</HI> 3. 19. 2. That ye may attain that great &s;alvation, <HI>Prov. 28. 13. 2 Cor.</HI> 7. 10. 3. That ye may be ve&s;&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s unto honour, <HI>meet for the Ma&s;ters u&s;e, 2 Tim.</HI> 2. 21, 22. 4. That ye may be <HI>blamele&s;s and harm|le&s;s, the children of God, without rebuke in the mid&s;t of the Nation a|mong whom ye live, Phil.</HI> 2. 15. 5. That ye may be able to pray as the P&s;almi&s;t prayes, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 28, 41 58, 76. 107, 116, 154, 169, 176. 6. That your prayers may be the more effectual, and of the greater force <HI>towards</HI> the (near-approaching) de&s;truction of <HI>Babylon,</HI> and the <HI>ha&s;tening</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t's</HI> reign on earth, (if he &s;hall reign here otherwi&s;e than now he doth, either in per&s;on, or by the Saints) and the coming down of the holy City, the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> from God out of Hea|ven, when the glory and and pro&s;perity of the Church militant on earth &s;hall be <HI>next to that of the Church triumphant in Heaven:</HI> again&s;t which time we ought to be prepared, as a Bride adorned for her Hus|band, <HI>Eph. 5. 27. Rev.</HI> 21. 1, 2. Do not the&s;e things require an ex|act and plenary Reformation, even the clean&s;ing of our &s;elves <HI>from all filthine&s;s, both of the fl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;h and &s;pirit, 2 Cor</HI> 7. 1. and the keeping of our &s;elves <HI>un&s;potted from the world?</HI> Jam. 1. 27. I think they do.</P>
<P N="3">3. But let me &s;hew you, wherefore I think, that of the Profe&s;&s;ors <MILESTONE N="125"> in <HI>England,</HI> many be meer Formal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ts, and many born again, who are one or more degrees too &s;hort of that exact and even walking which is called for, <HI>Eph.</HI> 5. 15. &amp; <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 12, 13. Fir&s;t, <HI>Solomon,</HI> Prov. 16. 7. &s;aith, <HI>When a mans wayes plea&s;e the LORD, he maketh his</HI> <MILESTONE N="126"> <HI>enemies to be at peace with him.</HI> If this Scripture be of no great force now, to make us fear, that the waies of many Profe&s;&s;ors do not plea&s;e the Lord; I pray God, we may not be, as it were enforced to fear it hereafter <HI>by the encrea&s;e of our afflictions.</HI> Secondly, it is &s;omething to
<PB N="55" REF="34"> my purpo&s;e, which we read of the weakne&s;s and failings of the twelve <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> in the Hi&s;tories of the Go&s;pel; and of <HI>Paul</HI> or <HI>Barnabas, Act.</HI> 15. 16. &amp;c. and of <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>Barnabas, Gal.</HI> 2. 11. &amp;c. and in the Scrip|tures of the failings of others, whereof I have named many, <HI>Marg.</HI> 32, 33, 34. The Scriptures do witne&s;s, that God's Covenant-&s;er|vants, yea his holy &s;ervants, have mi&s;&s;ed it in a con&s;iderable mea|&s;ure, <HI>before the Law, and under the Law, and under the Go&s;pel.</HI> 2. The devils are as malicious, as cruel, as &s;trong, as cunning, as indu&s;trious and watchful, as they have at any time hitherto been; and if they have not gotten &s;ome skill by experience (as &s;ome think they have) yet, if this be part of the time prophecied of, <HI>Rev.</HI> 12. 12. the devil is very wroth again&s;t the Church of Chri&s;t, more wroth than he hath ordinarily u&s;ed to be. And for the fle&s;h in us, that is, <HI>by nature,</HI> in re|&s;pect of Temptations, the &s;ame in all men, and there is, &s;ome quan|tity of it, in the be&s;t men, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5. 17. And the world, that al&s;o is, as to the tempting of men with its baits and allurements, (&s;peaking in a general manner) the very &s;ame, which it hath been from the be|ginning; only it is much fuller of &s;uch traps and &s;nares, than former|ly. So that an under&s;tanding and impartial &s;tranger may think, we have been and be as likely to tre&s;pa&s;s again&s;t our God as his &s;ervants of old have been. 3. Is not this part of the time concerning which <HI>the</HI> <MILESTONE N="127"> <HI>faithful and true witne&s;s</HI> foretold, <HI>Mat.</HI> 24. 12. that <HI>iniquity</HI> &s;hould <HI>abound,</HI> and the <HI>love,</HI> of many <HI>wax cold?</HI> I believe, it is, and part of tho&s;e perillous times which <HI>Paul</HI> prophecied of, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. and that the <HI>Formali&s;ts</HI> there &s;poken of, be, <HI>many of them,</HI> &s;uch as have <HI>a &s;pacious and &s;pecious form of godline&s;s,</HI> yea that <HI>many</HI> of them be <HI>men and women of this Nation,</HI> becau&s;e it hath &s;o huge a multitude of Pro|fe&s;&s;ors. For the fuller any Countrey is of &s;uch, the more probable it is, that there be among them many meer Formali&s;ts. But 4. my own experience and ob&s;ervation in near 50 years, the unfit words which I <MILESTONE N="128"> have <HI>heard with my ears,</HI> and the actions which I have <HI>&s;een with my eyes,</HI> and that which I have heard of credible per&s;ons, and my rational conjectures; the&s;e do tell me, that it may be very truly &s;aid of ma|ny Profe&s;&s;ors, which <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> &s;pake of the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> Deut. 29. 4. <HI>that they have not a heart to perceive, and eyes to &s;ee, and ears to hear unto this day.</HI> For many Profe&s;&s;ors do &s;o behave and carry them&s;elves, as if the for&s;aking of &s;ome gro&s;s &s;ins, entring into <HI>an excellent way</HI> of the Prote&s;tant Religion, <HI>a partial form at home,</HI> and going to Meetings, were the four <HI>integral parts</HI> of godline&s;s. In&s;omuch, that, when there was a report, that the Act of the Mini&s;ters removal five miles was re|rejected, there came to my mind, (according to that which I feared
<PB N="56" REF="35"> would come to pa&s;s) the word of the LORD, <HI>Jer.</HI> 37. 10. <HI>Though ye<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> had &s;mitten the whole Army of the</HI> Caldeans <HI>that fight again&s;t you, and there remained but wounded men among them; yet &s;hould they ri&s;e up, and b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rn this City with fire.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. But let me &s;peak &s;omewhat more of the Holine&s;s and pro&s;perity <MILESTONE N="129"> of the Church of Chri&s;t, before and after the fall of <HI>Babylon.</HI> I can|not but expect a greater Reformation, than I yet &s;ee, of the conver|&s;ings of P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ofe&s;&s;ors, before the ruine of <HI>Babylon; that their tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ions may not hinder their prayers</HI> for the de&s;truction of it: and as for the &s;uperlative tranquillity and happine&s;s of the true Church on earth, which &s;hall be <HI>next to that of Heaven;</HI> I believe, the foregoer of it will be a very through and full Reformation, and a more &s;inle&s;s and heaven-like life of the true Chri&s;tians, than that of any genera|tion before it &s;ince the dayes of the holy Apo&s;tles. Which degree of <MILESTONE N="130"> perfection, if thou (who reade&s;t or heare&s;t read any part of this Book) &s;halt not covet; and endeavour diligently to attain it, thou maye&s;t fare as the namele&s;s Lord, 2 <HI>King.</HI> 7. did, who <HI>&s;aw with the eyes of his body</HI> fine flour and <HI>barley</HI> &s;old in the gate of <HI>Samaria</HI> at ea&s;ie prices; but, through unbelief, did not eat thereof. So thou po&s;&s;ibly maye&s;t <HI>fore&s;ee darkly</HI> with the eyes of thy mind, what excellent things very many of the members of the Church &s;hall be partakers of hereafter, and <HI>thy &s;elf not partake of them.</HI> Thou maye&s;t be like the heath in the de&s;ert, which &s;ees not, when good cometh, to which the man who tru&s;teth in man, and maketh fle&s;h his arm, is compared by <HI>Jeremy,</HI> Chap. 17. 5, 6. who in the next ver&s;es compares the man that tru&s;t|eth in the LORD, and <HI>who&s;e hope the LORD is,</HI> (as I may a tho|roughly reformed Chri&s;tian) to a tree which is planted by the waters, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 1. 3. and &s;preadeth out her roots by the River, <HI>which &s;hall <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> &s;ee,</HI> when heat cometh, nor be careful in a year of drought, nor cea&s;e from yielding fruit. 5. What think ye of Gods <HI>waiting, that he may</HI> <MILESTONE N="131"> <HI>be gracious to us? I&s;a.</HI> 30. 18. What is it for him, to wait <HI>for</HI> that end? It is, as it were, to &s;tand &s;omewhat near us, having in and at his right hand good things, which may be u&s;ed unto the promoting of Chri&s;ts cau&s;e and intere&s;t, and the welfare of his people or &s;ome of them, and therewithal our own good, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 16. 11. <HI>Rev.</HI> 3. 20 &amp; 22. 12. which things al&s;o he really purpo&s;eth to be&s;tow actually <HI>upon tho&s;e of us,</HI> who &s;hall prove meet to receive them. For then will be a due and fit time for him, to be&s;tow them upon us, <HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 10. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 6. Which convenient &s;ea&s;on, (we may well believe) is then come, when we are; 1. Duly humbled under the mighty hand of God for our own &s;ins, and grieved for the &s;ins of others; 2. And &s;o humbled under <MILESTONE N="132">
<PB N="57" REF="35"> the mighty and correcting hand of God, as to confe&s;s to God, our walking contrary to him, and his walking contrary to us. 3. And &s;o as to accept of the puni&s;hment of our iniquities <HI>(with the whole heart) Lev.</HI> 26. 40, 41, 42. <HI>Mic.</HI> 7. 8, 9, 10. <HI>Lam.</HI> 3. 42. bearing it patiently, without murmuring and repining or hard thoughts of God. 4. And when we have learned of him, how <HI>to be full, and to abound,</HI> and how to be aba&s;ed, and to &s;uffer need, <HI>how to behave our &s;elves in pro&s;perity and adver&s;ity,</HI> Phil. 4. 12. 5. And to pray fervently for our &s;elves, with due re&s;pect to the glory of God, and the good of his people; that is aiming at tho&s;e ends, <HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 2, 3. 6. And when we are become through|ly willing and &s;trongly re&s;olved (with Gods a&s;&s;i&s;tance) to leave all our &s;ins, and to do all our duties. Yea, Friends, the mo&s;t high God will be highly plea&s;ed to &s;ee us well-minded toward him and his peo|ple, and when we are &s;o, he will even delight to be&s;tow the good things (according to his &s;aid purpo&s;e) upon us. <HI>Apollos</HI> had watered <MILESTONE N="133"> the Chri&s;tians of <HI>Corinth,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3. 6. and doubtle&s;s was kindly affe|ctioned toward them with brotherly love, and did de&s;ire and &s;eek their welfare; yet there was a time, when his will was not at all to come unto them, no not although the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> did greatly de&s;ire him. And why? even, becau&s;e at that time it was not convenient: Namely becau&s;e many of them were &s;o affected toward him, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 12. that he could not hope to be kindly received and entertained of them, and to have them make a right u&s;e of his pre&s;ence and compa|ny for their &s;ouls good: &s;o that at that time it would not have been convenient for him or them, or in re&s;pect of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> For when he &s;hall have a convenient time, then he will come unto them, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 16. 12. namely when God by <HI>Pauls</HI> mini&s;tery or otherwi&s;e, hath brought their &s;pirits into a fit temper, to make &s;uch u&s;e as they ought of his mini&s;try and labours. And &s;o God doth not deliver, exalt, and give Profe&s;&s;ors &s;uch and &s;uch good things, becau&s;e they be not prepa|red and ready to make &s;uch u&s;e of them as they ought unto their own benefit and the benefit of others, and the credit of the Go|&s;pel.</P>
<P>For an in&s;tance, he will not exalt <HI>a Profe&s;&s;or who keeps his &s;tock of pride,</HI> becau&s;e, he would thence take occa&s;ion to grow in pride, rather than to walk more humbly, than he did in his low E&s;tate. But <MILESTONE N="134"> Friends, (I &s;peak now to poorly reformed Profe&s;&s;ors) how long, do ye think, God hath waited for your Reformation? It may be, 5, 6, 7. years, and for the amendment of &s;ome of you, 10 years, and of &s;ome 20, and of &s;ome more: yea, and &s;ome of you have been, during the&s;e years, now and then in the Hou&s;e of Correction and oft in &s;ome dan|ger
<PB N="58" REF="36"> to be brought into it. Is this true? And are ye not yet prepared and fit to receive the alms which God hath in his hands to be&s;tow up|on you? Ye are but &s;orry Scholars. How long do ye think it fit, that the mo&s;t high God (on whom ye ought to wait continually, <HI>until he hath mercy upon you,</HI> (P&s;al. 123. 2.) how <HI>long do ye</HI> think it fit, that he &s;hould wait for you? And, how long do ye think he will wait for you? Do ye think, it is fit, that he &s;hould wait <HI>your lei&s;ure?</HI> What|&s;oever any of you think; for certain, the longer God waits, the grea|ter is your iniquity in not &s;triving earne&s;tly to leave off your &s;ins. And why is the <HI>LORD</HI> in the very &s;ame ver&s;e, wherein he is &s;aid to wait, <HI>viz. E&s;.</HI> 30. 18. Why is he in the very &s;ame ver&s;e &s;aid to be <HI>a</HI> <MILESTONE N="135"> <HI>God of judgement?</HI> Is it not, becau&s;e he knows how long it is fit for him to wait, and how long he hath waited, and when it is good for us, that he &s;hould cea&s;e from correcting us? I indeed and my fellow-Mini&s;ters of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> are not in&s;pired as the Prophets of old were, nei|ther can I mourn and weep as many can, but if the riches of Gods goodne&s;s and forbearance and great patience and long-continued <HI>waiting,</HI> and his, as it were, &s;tooping to us, and working &s;trangely for us, <HI>when and whil&s;t</HI> we were &s;o far &s;hort of a full and perfect Reforma|tion, and his correctings of us, and his mitigating and le&s;&s;ening of our cha&s;ti&s;ements, dangers and fears; if all this doth not partly draw us, and partly drive us out of our &s;ins, and win us to amend our doings <HI>&s;peedily,</HI> I &s;hall be &s;o far from expecting very great matters, that <HI>I &s;hall fear,</HI> we do trea&s;ure up wrath again&s;t a day of greater and &s;orer <MILESTONE N="136"> wrath (&s;peaking in a general manner) than hath as yet fallen upon us. Remember ye therefore the natural branches of the good Olive-tree, which were broken off from it, being their own Olive-tree: remember, I &s;ay, this breaking off, and take heed of deferring the reformation which thou lacke&s;t; <HI>be not carele&s;s but fear,</HI> le&s;t thou al&s;o be broken of, <HI>Rom.</HI> 11. 17. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> For we who are <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> Mini|&s;ters, cannot &s;ay, <HI>yet your &s;pace to repent of and from your &s;ins, &s;hall be</HI> 120 <MILESTONE N="137"> <HI>years;</HI> as <HI>Gen.</HI> 6. 3. nor, <HI>if they continue barren one whole year longer,</HI> then thou &s;halt cut them down, as <HI>Luke</HI> 13. 9. no nor <HI>yet forty dayes,</HI> and then ye &s;hall be <HI>overthrown,</HI> as <HI>Jon,</HI> 3. 4. No, our words, are, <HI>To day if ye will hear Gods voice, harden not your hearts, &amp;c. P&s;al.</HI> 95. 7. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> For we know not what a day will bring forth, <HI>Prov.</HI> 27. 1. <HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 13, 14. I &s;hall notwith&s;tanding &s;hew you as near as I can, when the end of our &s;ufferings will be. I believe our mo&s;t gracious and wi&s;e God will put an end to them.</P>
<P N="1">1. When that which letteth our prayers and deliverance is taken <MILESTONE N="138"> out of the way, (as 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2. 7.) Which I believe to be our &s;ins. See <HI>Marg.</HI> 30. &amp;c.</P>
<P N="2"><PB N="59" REF="36" MS="y">2. When we are taken in the &s;nares which God hath laid for us. <HI>Will a man take up a &s;nare from the earth, when he hath taken nothing at all? Amos</HI> 3. 5. Now he who is one of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> people is taken in his &s;nare of affliction, when he is (by it and Gods word) <HI>brought into cap|tivity to the obedience of Chri&s;t,</HI> 2 Cor. 10. 5. and made willing to re|ceive and follow all his coun&s;el.</P>
<P N="3">3. God will do it for us <HI>in due time:</HI> which is, when he hath at|tained all the ends whereat he &s;hooteth in afflicting us. See <HI>Marg.</HI> 20. <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. When we <HI>hear the rod and [him] who hath appointed it,</HI> M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">cah 6. 9. that is, have taken notice of the me&s;&s;age of the Rod, and are fully re&s;olved to do what God requires of us by it.</P>
<P N="5">5. When we are fittingly exerci&s;ed by and under our Cr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;es, and do make &s;uch u&s;e of them as we ought, &s;o that they do yield the peace|able <HI>fruits of righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> to us, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 11. to Chri&s;t, and to his Church.</P>
<P N="6">6. When God doth with our cha&s;tenings teach us out of his Law, <MILESTONE N="139"> <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 94. 12. &amp; 119. 59. that which by the voice of his cha&s;tenings he calls us to learn out of it &s;o as to do it. See <HI>Marg.</HI> 27. &amp;c. (The cau&s;e cea&s;ing, the effect will cea&s;e.)</P>
<P N="7">7. When it agrees with Gods faithfulne&s;s and ju&s;tice, to forgive us our &s;ins: which is, when we confe&s;s and for&s;ake our &s;ins, <HI>&amp;c. Prov.</HI> 28. 13. <HI>E&s;.</HI> 1. 16, 17, 18, 19. <HI>E&s;.</HI> 59. 20. <HI>Hag.</HI> 2. 18. And for examples, <HI>Noah</HI> being a ju&s;t and perfect man, found grace in the eyes of the <HI>LORD</HI> for him&s;elf and his Family, when very many millions of of men were drowned, <HI>Gen. chap.</HI> 6. <HI>chap.</HI> 7. <HI>chap.</HI> 8. <HI>Jacob</HI> and his Family, having great cau&s;e to fear the wrath of their Neighbours, and of God al&s;o, God commanded them to go up to <HI>Bethel</HI> and to dwell there: whereupon <HI>Jacob</HI> clean&s;ed his hou&s;e of Idols, and then journeyed, and <HI>the terror of God was upon the Cities</HI> that were round a|bout them, &s;o that they did not pur&s;ue after them, <HI>Gen.</HI> 35. 1, 5. When the <HI>LORD</HI> had (with much ado) won <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> to undertake (as ma|ny would have accounted it) a very dangerous &s;ervice, then he com|forted him with this, that all the men were dead, who &s;ought his life, <HI>Exod.</HI> 4. 19. And when the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> at Gods call went out of <HI>Egypt,</HI> under the conduct of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aaron,</HI> not a dog did move his tongue again&s;t any of them, nor again&s;t any of their bea&s;ts, <HI>Exod.</HI> 11. 7. And what did God promi&s;e <HI>I&s;rael</HI> in <HI>Exod.</HI> 34. 24. even, that not any man &s;hould <HI>de&s;ire</HI> their land, when they &s;hould go up to appear before the <HI>LORD</HI> their God thrice in the year. But <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;peaks indefinitely, &s;aying, <HI>When a mans ways plea&s;e the LORD, he maketh even his enemies <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> with him,</HI> Prov. 16. 7.</P>
<P N="8"><PB N="60" REF="37" MS="y">8. God will put a period to our troubles, when we are &s;o humbled <MILESTONE N="140"> under the Almighty and cha&s;tizing hand of God, as to re&s;olve throughly to for&s;ake all our &s;ins, and to ca&s;t all our care upon him, being cotent to live at his finding, and upon his allowance under his di&s;pen&s;ations of pro&s;perity and adver&s;ity, <HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 10. 1 <HI>Pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> 5. 6, 7, 10. A man is <HI>never fully humbled</HI> under the Kingdom and Power of the Almighty, till he be &s;o minded.</P>
<P N="9">9. When we are throughly well prepared and meet to receive of <MILESTONE N="141"> God, what he hath in and at his right hand to give us. (See a little before.) For <HI>an exceeding rich man</HI> will not keep in his own hand a piece of &s;ilver, which he purpo&s;eth to be&s;tow on a very poor man, a long time after he he &s;ees, he is come nigh him, and in a fit po&s;ture to receive it, &amp;c. <HI>viz.</HI> &s;tanding before him quietly, with a &s;ober counte|nance, with his hat in his hand, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But if a poor man, whom a rich man calls to him, &s;hould come proudly, dancing, laughing and grin|ning, and &s;tand before him, one while <HI>on his right leg,</HI> another while <HI>on his left leg,</HI> one while <HI>turning his face towards</HI> him, another while <HI>his back,</HI> playing with his Buttons, and talking proudly, <HI>&s;aucily,</HI> and ma|lepertly to him; it may be this kinde of behaviour would co&s;t the poor man <HI>the learning of better manners</HI> before he &s;hould receive any Alms, (excepting &s;harp and chiding words) of him. Neither do I &s;ee wherefore we &s;hould expect to have the mo&s;t high God deal more indulgently with us, but for our good to reject our prayers, till we have learned how to come unto him and how to behave our &s;elves be|fore him, and that as touching both the outward and inward man: for he knows all the &s;ecrets of the heart.</P>
<P N="10">10. God will ea&s;e us of our afflictions, when (according to his <MILESTONE N="142"> wi&s;e Di&s;cipline) there is (as <HI>Peters</HI> Language is) <HI>no need</HI> of them, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 6. Now medicinals of the body, when they have wrought that work in or on the body, for which the Phy&s;ician or Surgeon u&s;eth then; then they cea&s;e to be needful, <HI>Mat.</HI> 9. 12. And even &s;o cha&s;ti&s;ements and corrections, when God hath attained all his ends, <MILESTONE N="143"> for which he &s;ends them, then they are needle&s;s. But here we mu&s;t know, that God may &s;eek his own honour, and aim at the promo|ting of his own cau&s;es, yea, and the good, as it were, of his whole Church, in afflicting one &s;ingle per&s;on; as ye may &s;ee in 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 3. to 12. and (if ye &s;tudy &s;eriou&s;ly) in many other Scriptures.</P>
<P N="11">11. God will relieve and help us, when the Holy Gho&s;t hath burnt up, or wa&s;ht away, or blown away, the corruptions and ungodly lu&s;ts which are in our hearts, <HI>Mat.</HI> 3. 11. <HI>John</HI> 3. 5, 6, 7, 8. When God hath purged away our &s;ins and iniquities, and driven us out of our
<PB N="61" REF="37" MS="y"> evil wayes by our cha&s;ti&s;ements and afflictions, <HI>E&s;.</HI> 27. 9. <HI>Zech.</HI> 13. 9. We mu&s;t be rid of the naughty things which are in our hearts and wayes.</P>
<P N="12">12. When we are become throughly meet for the Ma&s;ters u&s;e, and <MILESTONE N="144"> well prepared for every <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ood work, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 20, 21, 22.</P>
<P N="13">13. When we have learned to &s;eek God duly and diligently, and, in the Faith of being rai&s;ed up, to turn from our &s;ins, and to exhort and encourage one another to turn unto the <HI>LORD Ho&s;.</HI> 5. 14, 15. with 6. 1, 2, 3. Come now and let us rea&s;on together, as it were, face to face: (I &s;hall &s;peak to a few, to many, to all of you.)</P>
<P>Why is there &s;o little &s;peech among&s;t us of reforming Profe&s;&s;ors? Why do we who are Profe&s;&s;ors, &s;o &s;eldom reprove Profe&s;&s;ors? I a&s;|&s;ure you, it is not through want of ju&s;t occa&s;ions of reproving. God <MILESTONE N="145"> commands us to clean&s;e and amend our doings, to cea&s;e to do evil, and to do, what he commands, well, <HI>&amp;c. E&s;.</HI> 1. &amp; 58. <HI>Joel</HI> 2. <HI>Act.</HI> 3. &amp;c. And ought ye not to hear and obey him unre&s;ervedly? I think, ye ought, and that, becau&s;e he is your Creator, King, and mo&s;t boun|tiful Benefactor, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> yea, I may well &s;ay like <HI>Nehemiah,</HI> chap. 5. 9. <HI>ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God,</HI> becau&s;e of the reproach of <HI>ir|religious per&s;ons?</HI> Al&s;o he is <HI>able</HI> (if it plea&s;e him) to re&s;train the Cove|tou&s;ne&s;s, and Ambition, and all other ungodly lu&s;ts of all the men in the world, &s;o as to bridle them all <HI>from de&s;iring</HI> thy Hou&s;e, Land, Goods, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> or any part of them, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> as he did over-rule the ene|mies of <HI>I&s;rael, Exod.</HI> 34. 23, 24. Why do we not then amend all our wayes according to his word, and <HI>tru&s;t in him before the &s;ons of men,</HI> to make good his promi&s;es to us? <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 31. 19. <HI>Prov.</HI> 16. 17. Many of you do believe that <HI>the happie&s;t time</HI> that ever the Church of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;hall have on earth, is not very far of, and that the fall of <HI>Babylon</HI> is nearer than that, and &s;ome of you, that your own (outward) pro&s;pe|rity was nearer, than the fall of <HI>Babylon.</HI> But can ye really and indeed believe, that the&s;e great things will come to pa&s;s, whil&s;t the &s;ins of Profe&s;&s;ors do hinder their pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">yers? I hope, the mo&s;t knowing and wi&s;e&s;t of you, do not believe it, or el&s;e will not long believe it. And which of you, when <HI>the new Jeru&s;alem</HI> is come down from God out of Heaven, would be content (if all godly per&s;ons &s;hall not then &s;peed alike) to have the gates of it kept &s;hut again&s;t him by the holy An|gels? <HI>Rev.</HI> 21. 2, 12. Remember the Children of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> how God <MILESTONE N="146"> led them in the Wilderne&s;s, to humble them, and to prove them; how he humbled them and &s;uffered them to hunger, and fed them with Manna, and kept their garments from waxing old, and cha&s;tened them, as a man cha&s;teneth his &s;on, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Deut. 8. 2, 3, 4, 5. and that,
<PB N="62" REF="38" MS="y"> when they would not be led unto Repentance by his goodne&s;s, nor driven out of their &s;ins by his corrections, then he &s;ware in his <HI>wrath, that they &s;hould not enter into his re&s;t, P&s;al.</HI> 95. 8, 9, 10, 11. Yea, <HI>Aaron,</HI> and al&s;o <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> who brought the children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> near it, yet becau&s;e they did not believe the <HI>LORD,</HI> to &s;anctifie him in the eyes of the <HI>I&s;raelites;</HI> therefore they them&s;elves could enter into it, <HI>Num.</HI> 20. <MILESTONE N="147"> 12, 28. Only God gave <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> leave to &s;ee the Land of <HI>I&s;raels</HI> re&s;t, <HI>Deut.</HI> 32. 48. &amp;c. &amp; 34. 1. &amp;c. But, what is this, may &s;ome Profe&s;|&s;ors &s;ay, to us? I'le tell you, God not &s;o long &s;ince did try and prove us &s;omewhat like as he did the children of <HI>I&s;rael, viz.</HI> with great troubles, dangers, and fears, and by working migtily for u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">; and we, too too many of us did deal with him too like the children of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> even try and tempt him with our &s;ins; to wit, <HI>Self-love, and &s;elf|&s;eeking, Pride, and Ambition, unju&s;t &s;eeking for friends, and tho&s;e of our own way, putting down, and &s;etting up unju&s;tly, oppre&s;&s;ion even of our own party, (Wives and Children wronged) depriving others in pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t, &s;ome wholly of their places and means, delaying payments, putting to charges, and &s;uffer|ing and sparing &s;ome unju&s;tly and too much, even Preachers &s;eeking great means, wearing long hair, hand-Ribbons, too much again&s;t tho&s;e who were not of our judgment,</HI> &amp;c. yea, and many of us are not yet duly hum|bled, <MILESTONE N="148"> and throughly reformed by or under our 5, 6, or 7 years &s;uffer|ings: and particularly we have not left our <HI>Pride, Ambition, and con|tempt of others, affecting of elegant and trim Preaching, and praying, vain fa&s;hions of Apparel and Ornaments, exce&s;s in rubbing &s;licking and adorning floors and hou&s;es, unfaithfulne&s;s in not reproving plainly, particularly and home, not pitying and helping the poor and needy, unfit communication, idle, vain, and frothy &s;peeches, too much mirth and jollity,</HI> &amp;c. To whom if they amend not, God may ju&s;tly &s;wear, that <HI>they &s;hall not enter into the new Jeru&s;alem,</HI> nor partake of the great re&s;t and tran&s;cendent pro&s;pe|rity <MILESTONE N="149"> of <HI>the happy time</HI> before mentioned, although many of them do ex|pect it. I be&s;eech you therefore, every one of you mor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ifie all your earthly members, <HI>Self-love, men-plea&s;ing, inordinate affection,</HI> evil concupi&s;cence, <HI>covetou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> &amp;c. Put away <HI>anger, wrath,</HI> malice, and <HI>corrupt communication,</HI> and lying out of your mouth, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And put on (as the Elect of God) <HI>bowels of mercies, kindne&s;s, humblene&s;s of mind, meekne&s;s, long-&s;uffering, (forbearing, and forgiving one another)</HI> and <HI>cha|rity,</HI> which is the bond of perfectne&s;s, &amp;c. (<HI>Col.</HI> 3. 5. to the 16, &amp;c.) And &s;ee to every part of <HI>the wedding garment,</HI> that there be <HI>no &s;pot, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">or wrinkle, nor any un&s;eemly &s;tuff upon it,</HI> Rom. 13. 12, 13, 14. <HI>Gal.</HI> 4. 19. <HI>Eph.</HI> 5. 27. Put on al&s;o <HI>the whole Armour of God,</HI> Eph. 6. 11. &amp;c. and &s;ee that no part of it be <HI>broken, crackt, weak, or ru&s;ty for want of u&s;e,</HI> &amp;c.
<PB N="63" REF="38"> And <HI>be a&s;hamed of doing</HI> little for <HI>Chri&s;t and his Saints, whil&s;t ye expect very great things through and from Chri&s;t.</HI> But &s;ome of you (perad|venture) <MILESTONE N="150"> do think but little, or not at all of tho&s;e two great matters. What think ye then of your &s;elves? For without true holine&s;s and righteou&s;ne&s;s of life and <HI>fairer &s;hews of grace than many Profe&s;&s;ors make,</HI> thou can&s;t not &s;ay, thou ha&s;t a new Nature, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 36. 26, 27. or that thy fle&s;hly lu&s;ts be crucifyed, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5. 24. or that thou do&s;t love, or fear, or tru&s;t in God at all. Verily, Brethren, it is one thing to be a <HI>Presbyterian,</HI> or <HI>Independant,</HI> or <HI>Anabapti&s;t,</HI> and to come to Family|duty, and mixt Meetings, and <HI>another thing to go to Heaven,</HI> or to be right in the way to Heaven; and I would not have men build their expectation of everla&s;ting life on &s;uch a Foundation as a Fox can break down, but on a firm and &s;ure foundation, which is <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> apprehended by &s;uch a faith as works by love toward God, works conducing to the promoting of <HI>Christs</HI> intere&s;t, and by love toward men conducing to the good of men, e&s;pecially of Gods family on earth, 1 <HI>John</HI> 5. 12. <HI>Gal.</HI> 5. 6. <HI>Gal.</HI> 6. 10. Endeavour therefore, I be&s;eech you, and that with great diligence, to reach unto an exact and full Reformation of your ways, and to get abundance of holine&s;s, and <HI>to make it appear, ye &s;hine in your conver&s;ation.</HI> If ye think, ye be new creatures, and that the fle&s;h and its affections in your inner man be mercifyed, then &s;hew pregnant and manife&s;t tokens of it in your be|haviour daily, and in conver&s;ing with all &s;orts of people. <HI>Phil.</HI> 4. 5. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. 12. after the example of <HI>Mana&s;&s;eh,</HI> 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 33. 15, 16. and tho&s;e <HI>Acts</HI> 13. 34. &amp; 19. 18, 19, 20. &amp; 27. 35, 36. If ye have &s;lain any of the King of Saints enemies, let it appear by their fore-skins, as <HI>David</HI> did, that he had &s;lain two hundred <HI>Phili&s;tims,</HI> 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 18. 27. Make it known, I mean, by your words, and deeds, and ge&s;tures, that your corruptions be mortifyed. And be not a&s;hamed, to let <MILESTONE N="151"> tho&s;e, with whom ye conver&s;e, know (by your amendments) that ye be convinced of your aberrations and failings, (1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 15.) but <HI>a&s;hamed to continue one day longer in your &s;ins.</HI> For this ba&s;e and abo|minable &s;hamefa&s;tne&s;s (what &s;hould I call it?) hath helped and doth <HI>help the devil,</HI> to keep from bettering their behaviour, (doubtle&s;s) many a man, and many a woman, and <HI>&s;ome children</HI> (who&s;e Parents have <HI>wanted true chri&s;tian love to correct them betimes,</HI> (Prov. 22. 6. &amp; 13. 24.) of whom I was &s;o kept about three days <HI>from amending one of my faults.</HI></P>
<P>Shall I rea&s;on with you a little, and ask you a few que&s;tions, ho|ping, <MILESTONE N="152"> that your <HI>con&s;ciences</HI> will do their Office, whil&s;t I am doing <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> Do not many of you expect, to be greatly exalted in this
<PB N="64" REF="39"> world? And who&s;oever hath this hope in his heart, doth it not call upon him, to reform his wayes, and the wayes of all that are under his authority or power? Which, if any of you be &s;o dull of under|&s;tanding, as not to believe; yet ye know, that God commands and calls on us to reform our wayes, and that to this Reformation he hath annexed a promi&s;e of mercy, <HI>Prov.</HI> 28. 13. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 18. 21, 22, 23, 27, <MILESTONE N="153"> 28. <HI>Joel</HI> 2. 12, 13, 14. <HI>Jer.</HI> 18. 7, 8. Can any of you &s;hew me, where the Lord &s;aith, <HI>He will forgive &s;inners, and do them good, although they do not for&s;ake their &s;ins?</HI> O<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> do any of you hope, that he will extend his mercy and forgivene&s;s unto you, although ye be not conten<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> to leave <HI>yours?</HI> If any of you have &s;uch a hope, of what kind is it, but a groundle&s;s, ba&s;tard, ra&s;h, rotten hope? No, no, Friend, throw away all thy &s;ins, and do all thy duties; <HI>leave not a hoof behind i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> Egypt <HI>(Exod.</HI> 10. 26.) <HI>nor &s;o much as one dainty di&s;h on thy Table, or i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> thy <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">uttery for the devil and gracele&s;s men to feed on, (P&s;al.</HI> 141. 4. <HI>Pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">v.</HI> 4. 17.) Pray, to what end do ye keep any of your &s;ins? What mean ye to do with them? What good work do ye hope to make of or with them? What good fruits or benefits have they yielded to you, <MILESTONE N="154"> or will they yield to you? <HI>Rom.</HI> 6. 23. Can ye &s;till <HI>per&s;wade your minds to be of your opinion,</HI> that it is a wi&s;e p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rt, to keep &s;ome of them, and not to let them all go, as if a man &s;hould keep &s;ome money in his pur&s;e to keep it warm?) Do ye think, ye &s;hall gain any thing by them, which is really good for you, and that the lo&s;s of them would be a real lo&s;s to you? Have ye &s;o much wit, and &s;o little wi&s;dom, as to think &s;o? Indeed, Friends, the leaving of them will be no real lo&s;s to you, and the keeping of them no real gain. I think, it agrees not with God's ju&s;tice and wi&s;dom, to &s;uffer men to g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">in by keeping &s;uch ba&s;e, filthy, &s;tinking &s;tuff. But &s;uppo&s;e he &s;hould, will the be|nefit of keeping them be better than that which thou maye&s;t get by for&s;aking them? If not, thou make&s;t but a &s;orry bargain. And upon what ground wilt thou expect deliverance, <HI>&amp;c?</HI> Truly, I judge it a &s;uperlative act of grace and favour, and of exceeding great mercy in God, to pardon us, when we do duly and throughly humble our &s;elves for our &s;ins and for&s;ake them: but to de&s;ire and expect, to have God pardon us all that is pa&s;t, and, as it were, <HI>to licen&s;e us to go on &s;till in our &s;ins;</HI> this I may well account a mo&s;t horrible and ab&s;urd thing, even an abomination of De&s;olation and De&s;truction.</P>
<P N="1">1. Take thou heed then, of &s;ending a Me&s;&s;age after <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> by thy <MILESTONE N="155"> &s;ins, &s;aying, <HI>I will not have Chri&s;t to reign over me,</HI> Luke 19. 14. For the doom of &s;uch is, <HI>Tho&s;e mine enemies, who would not, that I &s;hould reign ever them, bring hither, and &s;tay them before me, v.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">.</P>
<P N="2"><PB N="65" REF="39">2. Yea, Take heed, le&s;t thy &s;ins &s;hould, as it were, &s;teal to heaven, whil&s;t thou art a&s;leep in the cradle of &s;ecurity; le&s;t they come up, <HI>for a memorial (of thy naughtine&s;s,)</HI> before God, as the prayers and alms of <HI>Cornelius</HI> did come up before God, for <HI>a memorial</HI> [of his goodne&s;s] <HI>Act.</HI> 10. 4, 31.</P>
<P N="3">3. Take heed, le&s;t the good de&s;ires, and purpo&s;es, and motions, <MILESTONE N="156"> which the good &s;pirit of God hath and &s;hall &s;tir up in thy heart. and which thou ha&s;t or &s;halt drown <HI>in carna<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> delights and plea&s;ures,</HI> Amos 5. 1, 4, 5, 6. or <HI>choke</HI> with the cares of this life, and the decei<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ulne&s;s of riches, <HI>Mat.</HI> 13. 7, 22, <HI>Luke</HI> 21. 34. or <HI>quench</HI> with the &s;tinking water of thy daily &s;ins, or by neglecting them, (not nouri&s;hing and maintaining them by adding fewel to them, and by blowing them, 1 <HI>The&s;s.</HI> 5. 19.) take heed, I &s;ay, le&s;t &s;uch motions as the&s;e, of who&s;e de&s;truction thou ha&s;t m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">de, or &s;halt make thy &s;elf guilty, le&s;t they call unto God again&s;t thee, as <HI>the blood of murthered Abel</HI> did again&s;t his brother <HI>Cain, Gen.</HI> 4. 10.</P>
<P N="4">4. Take heed, thou be not like tho&s;e children of <HI>Belial,</HI> who de&s;pi|&s;ed the earthly King, whom the Lord had &s;et over them, and brought him no <HI>pre&s;ents,</HI> 1 <HI>Sam</HI> 10. 27. For, if ye bring the King of <HI>Saints</HI> ve|ry f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">w or no <HI>pre&s;ents,</HI> or only &s;uch wherein he delighteth not, I cannot promi&s;e you, that he will hold his peace, as King <HI>Saul</HI> did, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 2. 11, 12. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 1. 11, 14, 15.</P>
<P N="5">5. Take heed, it be not <HI>written in a Book, that it may be for ever and</HI> <MILESTONE N="157"> <HI>ever,</HI> that ye be <HI>children</HI> of <HI>Rebellion, lying children, children that will not hear the Law of the Lord; who &s;ay to the Prophets, prophecy not unto us right things,</HI> &s;peak unto us &s;mooth things, <HI>prophecy deceits,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 30. 8, 9, 10, 11, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. Take heed of &s;aying, <HI>This or that is a hard &s;aying, who can hear it? Joh.</HI> 6. 60. that is, endure to hear it?</P>
<P N="7">7. Take heed of looking too much to the hearts, tongues and hands of men, and too little <HI>to the Lord.</HI> For, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 12. 2, 3. it is not &s;aid, that <HI>Shi&s;hak</HI> King of <HI>Egypt,</HI> came up again&s;t <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> becau&s;e he was angry with them, but <HI>becau&s;e they had tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed again&s;t the LORD.</HI> Let us therefore imitate the true Church&punc; <HI>Mic.</HI> 7. 7, 8, 9, 10.</P>
<P N="8">8. Take heed of <HI>TEKEL</HI> which was one of the words that were <MILESTONE N="158"> written on the wall of <HI>Bel&s;hazzar's</HI> Palace, and &s;ignifies, <HI>Thou art weighed in the balan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">es, and art found wanting,</HI> too light, <HI>Dan.</HI> 5. 27.</P>
<P N="9">9. Take heed, le&s;t thy <HI>incorrigiblene&s;s</HI> help to make this time &s;uch to <HI>England,</HI> or the Profe&s;&s;ors of <HI>England,</HI> as that, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 36. 16. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 line"> <HI>the me&s;&s;engers of God&punc; and
<PB N="66" REF="40"> de&s;pi&s;ed his words, and mi&s;u&s;ed his Prophets, until the wrath of the LORD aro&s;e again&s;t his people till there was no remedy,</HI> &amp;c. O what a word was that, <HI>Till there was no remedy!</HI></P>
<P N="10">10. If thou thinke&s;t, that thou ha&s;t performed the commandment of the LORD in de&s;troying the <HI>Amalakites,</HI> and all that they had, 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 15. 3, 13. <HI>Take heed of, What meaneth then this bleating of the &s;heep, and lowing of the Oxen,</HI> which I hear? <HI>v.</HI> 14. For &s;hall not he who planted the ear, hear? he who formed the eye, &s;ee? he who teach|eth man knowledge, know? <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 94. 9, 10. Thy &s;ins cannot make <MILESTONE N="159"> a bea&s;tly noi&s;e, and God not hear it. Yea, it may be, <HI>some of the god|ly Mini&s;ters</HI> will (according to their duty, <HI>(Jer.</HI> 8. 6.) <HI>hearken,</HI> and hear the lowing and bleating of thy &s;ins; not only of <HI>the be&s;t</HI> and chiefe&s;t of them, (1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 15. 9, 15, 21.) the chiefe&s;t in thy e&s;timation, becau&s;e by them (as <HI>Demetrius</HI> &s;aid to the Craft&s;men, <HI>Act.</HI> 19. 25.) thou ha&s;t much of thy wealth, <HI>(gettest</HI> and keepe&s;t much of it) as by thy <HI>covet|ou&s;ne&s;s</HI> (if thou wilt not have me think, thou art <HI>covetous,</HI> then <HI>let thy conver&s;ation be without covetou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> Heb. 13. 5.) <HI>covetous &s;eeking and keeping worldly weal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h, fraud, over-reaching,</HI> &amp;c. (who&s;oever &s;ees his Chri&s;tian brother hath need, and &s;hutteth up his bowels of compa&s;&s;i|on from him, &s;uch a man doth not love God, <HI>Luke</HI> 3. 11. 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 3. 17.) I &s;ay, not only of thy fat &s;ins, which thou keepe&s;t for filthy lucres &s;ake <HI>(Tit.</HI> 1. 11.) but al&s;o of thy lean, poor, carrion-&s;ins, which do yield, if any fruit at all, very little, and &s;uch as is not worth talking of; <HI>as prating and fooli&s;h talking, vain and idle words, un&s;eemly je&s;ting,</HI> and the <MILESTONE N="160"> like. It may be al&s;o, &s;ome of them who &s;hall hear the noi&s;e of thy &s;ins, will &s;hew them&s;elves <HI>&s;ervants of Chri&s;t, (Gal.</HI> 1. 10.) to wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, faith|ful, <HI>(Prov.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">0. 6. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 2.) in reproving thee for them, and, it may be &s;hame thee, if they can, quite out of them; that thou maye&s;t not peri&s;h under the wrath of God. Indeed &s;uch <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> are your be&s;t Friends, and do be&s;t de&s;erve to have power over your pur&s;es.</P>
<P N="11">11. Take heed of being like <HI>Hophni</HI> and <HI>Phineas,</HI> who <HI>hearkened n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t</HI> to the voice of their Father, <HI>becau&s;e the LORD would de&s;troy them,</HI> 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 2. 25. For <HI>why will ye die,</HI> or be de&s;troyed, O ye Profe&s;&s;ors of <HI>England? Ezek.</HI> 18. 31. Can any of you &s;hew any &s;ufficient rea&s;on, why they &s;hould de&s;ire to die? If any man can, yet it would be a wi&s;e part for them, <HI>to make an even reckoning with God</HI> before they die; and God may po&s;&s;ibly take them out of this world <HI>within one or two dayes after they have read this, or heard it read.</HI></P>
<P N="12">12. Take heed of that &s;harp commandment concerning the Fig-tree <MILESTONE N="161"> which was <HI>fruitle&s;s three years; cut it down, why cumbereth it the</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 line">
<PB N="67" REF="40"> <HI>more, and then if it bear not fruit, thou &s;halt cut it down,</HI> v. 8, 9. And, it may be, God hath heard <HI>the prayers of &s;ome eminent Chri&s;tians,</HI> and &s;pared thee, to the end of the &s;ixth or &s;eventh year, or more. Art thou &s;ure, he will &s;pare thee &s;ix or &s;even <HI>moneths</HI> more, or &s;even dayes more?</P>
<P N="13">13. Take heed of being a&s;&s;a&s;inated or ma&s;&s;acred, after the manner of <HI>Paris</HI> and <HI>I.</HI> &amp;c. For I a&s;&s;ure you, the care and pains which &s;ome Profe&s;&s;ors take of and with their Families, <HI>to educate</HI> them according to their duty, and the re&s;t of their behaviour, do not give me cau&s;e, to be confident, that they will not be killed with &s;ome &s;uch kind of death, and their chil<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ren trained up in <HI>Egypt</HI> and <HI>Babylon.</HI> Friends, do ye u&s;e to pray, and to pray for <HI>your &s;elves, whom ye think, ye love?</HI> What <MILESTONE N="162"> think ye of the prayers and petitions, which ye put up for your &s;elves? What do ye aim at and &s;eek to obtain in and by them? Are ye con|tent to ask for your &s;elves, and not to obtain? If ye be not, <HI>David</HI> tells you, <HI>If he had regarded iniquity in his heart, the LORD would not have heard him, P&s;al.</HI> 66. 18. And what is any of you, that the Lord &s;hould hear him, if he doth regard iniquity in his heart, rather than <HI>David?</HI> But what is it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">or a man to regard iniquity in his heart? It is, to regard &s;ome of his &s;ins, <HI>or the fruit of them,</HI> &s;o as to keep tho&s;e &s;ins (as we u&s;e to &s;peak) <HI>at all adventures,</HI> whether God will hear his prayers <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> not: <HI>which I fear, many of you do,</HI></P>
<P>Friends, will ye now con&s;ider, what I have &s;aid unto you? For it <MILESTONE N="163"> is one thing to read or hear; <HI>another to con&s;ider.]</HI> I pray d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, and be per|&s;waded by one who de&s;ires to do you good.</P>
<P>1. To look on your &s;ins as the greate&s;t, &s;ore&s;t and mo&s;t dangerous enemies that ye have, and on every &s;in, as one of your enemies. 2. To go beyond <HI>Micah's liberal Briber,</HI> Mic. 6. and <HI>Pauls Forma|li&s;t,</HI> 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3. 3. To leave your &s;ins, all of them, and all of them at once. ('Tis ea&s;ier, to endure the chopping off, of five fingers at once, than of five, one after another.) 4. E&s;pecially, and in any wi&s;e, to abandon tho&s;e &s;ins which ye are well able to abandon, as <HI>unfit lan|guage,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>2. Mr. <HI>S. Clark</HI> in his Epi&s;tle to the Reader before his <HI>Martyrology,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 2. hath the&s;e very words: One thing is <HI>very remarkable</HI> in this Hi|&s;tory; that <HI>u&s;ually before any great per&s;ecution befel the Church, the holy m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n of tho&s;e times ob&s;erved,</HI> that there was <HI>&s;ome great decay of zeal, and of the power of godline&s;s, or &s;ome mutual contentions and quarrels among&s;t the people of God, or &s;ome &s;uch &s;in or other, that provoked God again&s;t them;</HI> and then God lets loo&s;e, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and the Hi&s;tory, in <HI>page</HI> 56, 61, 100, 160, 166, &amp; 209. mentioneth, as fore-runners of &s;everal per&s;ecuti|ons,
<PB N="68" REF="41" MS="y"> tho&s;e &s;ins and enormities following, and in tho&s;e Pagins (I think) only the&s;e; <HI>The power of godline&s;s much decayed, few zealou&s;ly bent to Religion, unprofitable Go&s;pellers, Hypocri&s;ie and Di&s;&s;imulation, void of &s;implicity and faithful dealing,</HI> not walking <HI>in the way of the Lord, nor ob&s;erving his precepts, as we ought, keeping no Di&s;cipline, pride, deli|cates, emulation, di&s;&s;ention, contending upon every occa&s;ion, every man plea&s;ing him&s;elf, and di&s;plea&s;ing others, with railing words in a de&s;piteful manner, moving hatred and &s;edition one again&s;t another, full of lucre, re|nouncing the world in word, but not indeed, but all, both &s;mall and great, thinking deeply upon worldly matters, and building them goodly Ca&s;tles in the air, by little and little men began to be &s;o licentious in their lives, and carnal &s;ecurity &s;o increa&s;ed, that,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Al&s;o I have been credibly informed, that one of the fore-runners of the en&s;laving of <HI>Rochel</HI> 1628. was the mi&s;pending and profaning of the afternoon of the <HI>Lord</HI>'s day, and the <HI>&s;lighting</HI> or wor&s;e of the be&s;t Mini&s;ters; and that one of the fore-runners of the late long War in <HI>Germany</HI> 1620. &amp;c. was very gro&s;s profanene&s;s, &amp;c. The &s;ame Mr. <HI>Clark</HI> p. 3. of the &s;aid Epi&s;tle &s;aith; That when God ex|po&s;eth us to P. he expects <HI>our &s;peedy and thorow Reformation, if we de&s;ire the affliction to be removed,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>3. I believe, were it not for our &s;ins, it would not be withus, as it <MILESTONE N="164"> is, It is the <HI>cau&s;a &s;ine qua non</HI> of our, &amp;c.</P>
<P>4. If you de&s;ire wor&s;e dayes, and greater troubles, I need not teach you, what to do: The way to attain your de&s;ire, is but to hold fa&s;t <HI>your dear Friends, your &s;ins.</HI> For then ye may with good rea&s;on ex|pect times of greater troubles and dangers. But, methinks, under|&s;tanding and wi&s;e per&s;ons <HI>cannot &s;ee</HI> any &s;ufficient cau&s;e, to de&s;ire &s;uch times.</P>
<P>5. The i&s;&s;ue is this; either attend to the in&s;tructions of <HI>faithful</HI> Mini&s;ters, and reform, and take heed to thy waies according to the word of God, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 9. or el&s;e look not for deliverance, &amp;c. but additional afflictions and puni&s;hments, according to the threatenings, <HI>Lev.</HI> 26. 14. to the 39. and get <HI>a very &s;trong faith, and much humility,</HI> (that thou maye&s;t po&s;&s;e&s;s thy &s;oul <HI>under the Plows and Harrows</HI> in pa|tience:) <HI>which one who is not thoroughly reformed, will hardly attain.</HI></P>
<P>Let me here an&s;wer &s;ome Arguments, which may occa&s;ion &s;ome <MILESTONE N="16"> Profe&s;&s;ors, to look on <HI>a more compleat Reformation</HI> (than that which is wrought already) as needle&s;s. For peradventure it will be objected and &s;aid:</P>
<P>1. That upon <HI>Abab's external humiliation,</HI> God did not bring the e|vil
<PB N="69" REF="41"> upon his hou&s;e in his daies, but in the daies of his &s;on, 1 <HI>King.</HI> 21. 29.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Art thou content to have thy whole portion of good things (as wicked men have theirs, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 17. 14.) in this life, and to go, whither <HI>Ahab</HI> went at the time of his death, and to have the heads of 70 of thy &s;ons within a few years after, put into baskets? 2 <HI>King.</HI> 10. I think thou art not.</P>
<P>2. That God hearkened to King <HI>Hezekiah's</HI> prayer, and healed the people, who were not clean&s;ed according to the purification of the Sanctuary, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 30. 18, 19, 20.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Is this any thing to thee? He <HI>prayed only for tho&s;e who prepered their hearts to &s;eek God, the Lord God of their Fathers,</HI> v. 18, 19. &s;o that <HI>they did prepare their hearts,</HI> and the only thing which they wanted, was a ceremonial clean&s;ing, which al&s;o they wanted not, becau&s;e they were not willing to perform it, but becau&s;e they wanted time to per|form it; and <HI>he who&s;e heart is prepared,</HI> will not neglect the preparing of his waies. And, as for thee, <HI>if thy heart be duly prepared</HI> to &s;eek the Lord, thou maye&s;t really re&s;olve to amend thy carriage, as far forth as it is faulty, <HI>as it were, in a moment:</HI> yea know, that thy heart is not duly prepared, unle&s;s thou be willing and careful to find out thy &s;ins, and to reform all the parts of thy conver&s;ation.</P>
<P>3. That God, &s;eeing what the <HI>Ninevites</HI> did, turned from his fierce <MILESTONE N="166"> wrath, and did not de&s;troy them.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> It was <HI>much,</HI> which they did; more than &s;ome Profe&s;&s;ors do: they believed God, ob&s;erved a Fa&s;t very &s;olemnly, cried mightily un|to God, and turned from their evil waies, Chap. 3. 5. &amp;c. (<HI>Go and do thou likewi&s;e, Luke</HI> 10. 37.) And yet God did but &s;u&s;pend the execu|tion of his &s;entence again&s;t them; for their <HI>City was de&s;troyed;</HI> I think, &s;ome &s;ay, about 40 years after: and <HI>many of you</HI> would be loth to have your own hou&s;es de&s;troyed forty years hence.</P>
<P>4. That doubtle&s;s exceeding many of the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> were great &s;in|ners, <MILESTONE N="167"> when they came out of <HI>Egypt;</HI> yet God wrought for them mi|raculou&s;ly, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Therein they were (I think &s;o) a Type of <HI>Chri&s;t's</HI> peoples de|liverance out of the bondage of <HI>Satan,</HI> as it is <HI>of free grace: 1 Tim.</HI> 1. 15, 16. and yet withal they &s;uffered as many of us would be loth to &s;uffer: the carca&s;es of all their Males of 20 years old (excepting <HI>Jo|&s;hua</HI> and <HI>Caleb</HI>) mu&s;t fall in the wilderne&s;s, and none of tho&s;e enter in|to the Land of promi&s;e; and when they and the re&s;t be come near to it, they mu&s;t all turn back toward the Sea of <HI>Edom</HI> (called <HI>the red Sea</HI>)
<PB N="70" REF="42"> adjoyning to <HI>Egypt;</HI> and &s;o the younger &s;ort have wandred forty years in the wilderne&s;s, &amp;c. <HI>Num.</HI> 14. 21. to 35.</P>
<P>5. That God would have &s;pared <HI>Sodom,</HI> if there had been but ten <MILESTONE N="168"> righteous per&s;ons in it, <HI>Gen.</HI> 18. 32.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> But he hath not bound him&s;elf by a Law, to deal with all other places according to that rate.</P>
<P>6. That Profe&s;&s;ors do pray.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> They may ask; and not have 1. <HI>John. 5. 14, 15. Jam.</HI> 4. 3. If thou do&s;t regard iniquity in thy heart, the Lord will not hear thee, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 66. 18. O but our forms of godline&s;s are long and beautiful.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Forms never brought any man to Heaven, nor never will, <HI>without the power of Godline&s;s:</HI> and this is part of tho&s;e perillous times wherein there would be great plenty of &s;uch <HI>empty and &s;orry Chri&s;tians,</HI> 2 Tim. 3. 1, 5. even <HI>a brave and Court like form,</HI> is but <HI>a brave Bribe;</HI> and Gods mouth will not be &s;topt, nor his hand &s;taid with Bribes: See <HI>Marg.</HI> 94. 95, 96. &amp;c. 101. 102, 103.</P>
<P>Ob. But we have prevailed for peace already. <MILESTONE N="169"></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Friends, ye have heard of <HI>a Lightening before Death,</HI> and, Lear|ned men do account the long-continued &s;tillne&s;s of the Air, a fore|runner and &s;ign of an Earthquake following it. Let my coun&s;el be ac|ceptable to you: be thankful for what ye have, and amend what&s;o|ever is ami&s;s; that it may be <HI>the lengthening of your tranquillity.</HI> For God hath &s;ometimes deferred the puni&s;hment of tho&s;e who have &s;in|ned again&s;t him, for a time in &s;uch a manner, that in the holy Scrip|tures it is <HI>called a pardon,</HI> and yet for all that, in due time hath puni&s;h|ed them; as the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> Num. 14. 20, 21, 22, 23. P&s;al. 99. 8. <HI>Exod.</HI> 32. 34 35.</P>
<P>7. But &s;ome peradventure think, God will &s;pare them, that they may teach their children Religion, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Verily &s;ome Profe&s;&s;ors do be&s;tow little care or pains on this bu&s;ine&s;s.</P>
<P>8. But we have many Profe&s;&s;ors to &s;tand in the gap, to keep out <MILESTONE N="170"> Gods wrath, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 22. 30, 31.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> But &s;ometimes <HI>God is weary of repenting,</HI> as he was, <HI>J<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r.</HI> 15. 6. There is a time, when the wrath of the Lord doth ari&s;e again&s;t his people, <HI>untill there is no remedy,</HI> 2 Chron. 36. 16, 17. &amp;c. When if <HI>Noah, Daniel,</HI> and <HI>Job</HI> were in the Land, they &s;hould deliver but their own &s;ouls by their own righteou&s;ne&s;s; no not &s;o much as their own Sons or Daughters, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 14. 14. to 20. yea, God did forbid <HI>Jeremy</HI> to pray for the <HI>Jews,</HI> chap. 7. 16. and 11. 14. and 14. 11. and I re|member Dr. <HI>U&s;her,</HI> the Bi&s;hop of <HI>Armagh,</HI> told Mr. <HI>Froy&s;ell</HI> and me
<PB N="71" REF="42"> in <HI>Oxford,</HI> when the <HI>Scots</HI> were in <HI>New-ca&s;tle, that his heart was bound up</HI> (as he called it) <HI>when he went to pray for England. (Take heed</HI> there|fore <HI>to your &s;pirits</HI> in your prayers.) Although &s;ome of them who &s;eemed to be <HI>&s;omewhat,</HI> have done enough of late to &s;trike them out of the gap (as <HI>David</HI> once did, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 24. 1.) yet, I hope, we have &s;till &s;ome <HI>Interce&s;&s;ors,</HI> which are of great power with God, and do pray unto him withall their might: but how long they will be able <HI>to hold his hands</HI> from &s;triking us, who knows? For, I know not; but this I know, that it would be wi&s;dom in us, to encrea&s;e the number of our <HI>Interce&s;&s;ors,</HI> le&s;t there &s;hould be too few of them, as there were too few righteous per&s;ons in <HI>Sodom</HI> to keep it from de&s;truction.</P>
<P>9. But God did help Profe&s;&s;ors, when Profe&s;&s;ors were as poorly re|formed, <MILESTONE N="171"> as Profe&s;&s;ors be now.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> That I know not; but this I know; that if Profe&s;&s;ors now be not more reformed, than they were in 1640. and 1641. then our ini|quity is greatened by Gods waiting, and by the cords of love, and whips of correction, and by the good preaching, which he hath be|&s;towed upon us; and &s;o greater than the iniquity of Profe&s;&s;ors in tho&s;e years was. And woulde&s;t thou have the great God, who form|ed the &s;pirit of man within him, and before whom all Nations are as nothing; would&s;t thou have him <HI>&s;toop again</HI> to thee, who art but du&s;t and a&s;hes, and, it may be, a great &s;inner? Beware <HI>of &s;tinking pride,</HI> and of <HI>&s;tubbornne&s;s;</HI> which is, as <HI>Idolatry,</HI> 1 Sam. 15. 23.</P>
<P>10. But <HI>I&s;a. 59. 16. When there was no Interce&s;&s;or, then.</HI> <MILESTONE N="172"></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> What then? Take heed of mi&s;con&s;truing and abu&s;ing this and other Scriptures to thy own hurt, and the hurt of the Church of God: The words are meant not of men, who &s;hould intercede with God for his pleople, but of men who &s;hould &s;tand up and <HI>be&s;tir them&s;elves to bring things to a better order: men of which &s;ort we now want,</HI> ver. 4. And if they were to be under&s;tood otherwi&s;e, yet it would be a very ba&s;e part in us not to reform our doings, and a fooli&s;h part, without that, to tru&s;t to God for the bettering of our E&s;tate, when we have no pro|mi&s;e of it.</P>
<P><HI>Obj.</HI> But God hath &s;aid, <HI>he will never leave us, nor for&s;ake us,</HI> Heb. <MILESTONE N="173"> 13. 5. and that <HI>all things do work together for good to them who love God,</HI> Rom. 8. 28.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> See, that thou be &s;uch a one <HI>indeed.</HI> But if God hath given thee a new &s;pirit, yet thou mai&s;t &s;uffer much; it may be more than thou art willing to &s;uffer, before thy afflictions prove beneficial to thee: and God &s;aith, that if he &s;hall &s;peak concerning a Nation to build and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">lant it, that, if it &s;hall do evil in his &s;ight and not obey his voice;
<PB N="72" REF="43"> that then <HI>he will repent of the good, wherewith he &s;aid he would benefit them,</HI> Jer. 18. 7, 8, 9, 10.</P>
<P>11. But &s;ome peradventure will tell me of the Re&s;urrection of the two witne&s;&s;es, <HI>Rev.</HI> 11. 11. of the fall of <HI>Babylon, Rev.</HI> 14. 8. of the fifth <HI>Monarchy, Dan.</HI> 2. 34, 35 &amp;c. of <HI>Al&s;teds</HI> Northern <HI>Empire</HI> or <HI>Monarchy,</HI> which God (he &s;aith) will &s;et up in the <HI>North</HI> by the <HI>Nor|thern Lion,</HI> 2 <HI>E&s;d.</HI> 11. 37. &amp;c. and 21. 1. to 32. &amp;c. of the <HI>new Jeru&s;a|lem,</HI> of <HI>Al&s;teds melius &s;eculum,</HI> the 1000 years, &amp;c. and <HI>O how happy &s;hall</HI> the Saints be in tho&s;e days!</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> The <HI>Greek</HI> word <HI>Rev.</HI> 11. 7. &s;ignifies to fini&s;h, fill up, con&s;um|mate, perfect: and I dare not peremptorily affirm, that our <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> have fini&s;hed and per&s;ected their te&s;timony, till they have witne&s;&s;ed again&s;t Profe&s;&s;ors, e&s;pecially tho&s;e of their own way, in another gates manner than many of us yet have done.</P>
<P>2. According to <HI>Al&s;ted,</HI> the three years and a half will end, and the 1000 years begin in 1694.</P>
<P>3. Be&s;ide whom, Learned <HI>Mayer</HI> is one who doth not interpret the three <HI>Greek</HI> Letters wherewith the 14 chap. of the <HI>Revelation</HI> is ended, 666. as the year of the fall of <HI>Babylon,</HI> but to &s;ignifie, who the <HI>Antichrist</HI> is.</P>
<P>4. How&s;oever, I would have thee to fear, (as our la&s;t Tran&s;la|tors <MILESTONE N="174"> have tran&s;lated, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 5. 8.) that the <HI>blind and the lame &s;hall not come into the hou&s;e,</HI> and to be prepared as the holy City, as a Bride a|dorned for her Hu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">band, <HI>Rev.</HI> 21. 2. and not to content thy &s;elf with <HI>Horace's one or two fair and far-&s;hining patches of</HI> purple, nor to continue blind or lame enough to be kept out of the <HI>new Jeru&s;alem</HI> by the <HI>Angel-Porters</HI> (which, it may be, would be grievous to thy &s;pirit.)</P>
<P>5. I would al&s;o have thee con&s;ider, that if there &s;hall be any gene|ral <MILESTONE N="175"> exaltation of the be&s;t <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> before the de&s;cending of the <HI>New Jeru&s;alem,</HI> yet <HI>thou mai&s;t come &s;hort of it,</HI> and that if thou &s;halt be equal to others in worldly things, yet God is able to &s;end thee &s;uch &s;auce with them, as may make them bitter enough to thee, till thou ha&s;t ca&s;t away thy <HI>Pride,</HI> and the re&s;t of thy &s;ins, as a men&s;trous-cloth, and &s;aid unto them <HI>get ye hence, E&s;.</HI> 30. 22, 23. &amp;c. Gods dealings withus, are (to me) as if I heard him &s;ay, how much&s;oever I have hitherto &s;pared you, <HI>I will no longer content my &s;elf with halving and half turns,</HI> with an <HI>overby, &s;light or partial Reformation:</HI> I will have you neither go backward, nor &s;tand at a &s;tay, but go forward, and <HI>reform univer&s;ally. Sin no more</HI> therefore, <HI>le&s;t wor&s;e things come unto you,</HI> John 5. 14. Ob. One or two peradventure, will be &s;o humble and open-hearted, as to <MILESTONE N="176"> &s;ay; but alas, Sir, I cannot reform my heart and in&s;ide to the height</P>
<PB N="73" REF="43">
<P><HI>A.</HI> Like enough, <HI>if thou be a new creature.</HI> For a poor man doth ever and anon, almo&s;t daily, find &s;omewhat wanting in his hou&s;e: and &s;o doth he who is <HI>poor in &s;pirit,</HI> in his &s;oul, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. 3. How&s;oever reform the out&s;ide, the <HI>Apparel and (called) ornaments of thy body,</HI> and thy outward conver&s;ation, and do what&s;oever thou can&s;t to thy in|ward man, and contribute what thou art able to the Reformation of others, e&s;pecially of thy own Family, (1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 5. 8.) and pray unto him who made thy heart, to reform thy heart, and to pro&s;per thy godly enterprizes, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But Friends, <HI>many of us</HI> have <HI>much pride;</HI> they are <HI>(too) high minded, and too jolly, jocund, and jovial, to be of great power with God,</HI> and to be exalted. I be&s;eech and exhort you therefore by the Lord <HI>Je&s;us, ca&s;t away your pride, and carnal jovialty and me<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">riments,</HI> <MILESTONE N="177"> Jam. 4. 9. For if we do not humble our &s;elves very low voluntarily, I fear, we &s;hall be <HI>brought</HI> very low by compul&s;ion.</P>
<P N="1">1. Now it is your duty, to humble your &s;elves and to be humble, even <HI>clothed with humility,</HI> and to walk humbly with God and men, <HI>Mic.</HI> 6. 8. <HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 10. <HI>Eph.</HI> 4. 2. <HI>Col.</HI> 3. 12. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 5. 5, 6. <HI>Phil.</HI> 2. 3.</P>
<P N="2">2. Humility is taught us al&s;o by the practi&s;e and examples of <HI>A|braham,</HI> the Father of the faithful, <HI>Gen.</HI> 18. 22. <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> the &s;ervant of the Lord, <HI>Num.</HI> 12. 3. <HI>Aaron,</HI> the Saint of the Lord, <HI>Lev.</HI> 10. 3. <HI>Da|vid,</HI> a man after Gods own heart, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 131. 1, 2. <HI>A&s;aph P&s;al.</HI> 73. 22. <HI>Agur, Prov.</HI> 30 2, 3. <HI>John Bapti&s;t, Mat.</HI> 3. 4, 14. <HI>John</HI> 1. 27. the <HI>Cen|turion Mat.</HI> 8. 5. to 13. the <HI>Canaaniti&s;h</HI> woman, <HI>Mat.</HI> 15. 22. &amp;c. the twen|ty four <HI>Elders, Rev.</HI> 4, 10, 11. and 19. 4. yea of the Lord and Prince of life, our Lord <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t, Zech.</HI> 9. 9. <HI>Mat.</HI> 11. 29. &amp; 21. 5. <HI>John</HI> 13. 4, 5, 6. <HI>Phil.</HI> 2. 1. to 10. Is humility thy duty, and &s;hall all the&s;e, &s;uch as the&s;e, be humble, and &s;o humble, and wilt thou keep thy whole &s;tock of Pride? God forbid.</P>
<P N="3">3. God is as it were, at co&s;t with men, he cha&s;ti&s;eth and puni&s;heth <MILESTONE N="178"> them to humble them, <HI>Lam.</HI> 3. 19 20. and our low e&s;tate at this time calls for it, and not for pride and &s;tateline&s;s.</P>
<P N="4">4. The benefit of humility is great. 1. With the lowly is wi&s;|dom, <HI>Prov.</HI> 11. 2. 2. It is better to be of a humble &s;pirit with the lowly, then to divide the &s;poil with the proud, <HI>Prov.</HI> 16. 19. 3. God will look and have re&s;pect to the humble, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 138. 6. <HI>E&s;.</HI> 66. 2. 4. The high and holy One, who dwelleth in the high and holy place, he dwels al&s;o with him who is of a contrite and humble &s;pirit, to re|vive the heart of the contrite one, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 57. 15. 5. God giveth grace to the humble, <HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 6. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 5. 5. 6. Who&s;o humbleth him&s;elf under the mighty hand of God (aright) &s;hall be exalted, <HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 10. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 5. 5, 6. 7. Before honour goes humility, <HI>Prov.</HI> 15. 33. 8. God
<PB N="74" REF="44"> will hear the prayers of the humble, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 10. 17. 9. He will &s;ave them, <HI>Job</HI> 22. 29. 10. By humility and the fear of the Lord is <HI>Riches, and Honour, and Life, Prov.</HI> 22. 4. 11. Humble and meek per&s;ons are ble&s;&s;ed, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. 3, 5. <HI>John</HI> 13. 17. 12. Ye may do well, to con&s;ider, how favourably and bountifully, God hath dealt with men and women of old in relation to their humility and humi|liation, as with the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> 1 Sam. 7. 6. to 13. <HI>Hezekiah,</HI> 2 Chr. 32. 26. <HI>M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">na&s;&s;eh,</HI> chap. 33. 12, 13. <HI>Jo&s;iah,</HI> chap. 34. 27, 28. <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> chap. 6. 5. &amp;c. and the Prodigal Son, <HI>Luke</HI> 15. 17, 18, 19. to 24. On <MILESTONE N="179"> the contrary part, concerning pride and proud per&s;ons. 1. It is not good, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. 6. 2. It is prohibited, <HI>Rom.</HI> 11. 18, 20. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 6. 3. We ought not to be proud of the good things which we have, be|cau&s;e we have received them all of God, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 7. 4 Pride is re|proved, <HI>Mat.</HI> 23. 8, 10. 5. Wi&s;e <HI>Agur</HI> prays again&s;t it, <HI>Prov.</HI> 30. 7, 8, 9. 6. The &s;oul of a proud man is not upright, <HI>Hab.</HI> 2. 4. 7. The evils of it are many. 1. It engenders &s;trife, <HI>Prov.</HI> 13. 10. and &s;tub|bornne&s;s, <MILESTONE N="180"> and very many &s;ins. 2. If thou be proud, thou art an a|bomination to the <HI>LORD, Prov.</HI> 10. 5. 3. Thou can&s;t not walk with God (for he that de&s;ires to walk with him, mu&s;t humble him&s;elf, that he may walk with him, <HI>Mic.</HI> 6. 8. Con&s;ider the Margent:) nei|ther will God walk with thee, but know thee afar of, as one whom he abhorreth, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 138. 6. 4. God re&s;i&s;teth the proud, <HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 6. 5. Brings puni&s;hment on them, if ever &s;o many of them be joyned together, <HI>Prov.</HI> 16. 5. 6. Brings them down, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 22. 28. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 18. 27. <HI>Mark</HI> 9. 35. and 7. Di&s;appoints them of their imaginati|ons, de&s;ires, purpo&s;es, and hopes, <HI>Luke</HI> 1. 51. The pride of their hearts &s;hall deceive them, as it did the <HI>Edomites,</HI> Obad. ver. 3. 8. When pride cometh, then cometh &s;hame, <HI>Prov.</HI> 11. 2. 9. It <HI>go|eth before a fall,</HI> even <HI>before de&s;truction,</HI> Pr. 18. 12. and 15. 25. as it did before the fall of <HI>Nebuchadnezzar,</HI> Dan. 4. 37. and <HI>Bel&s;hazzar,</HI> Dan. 5. 23. &amp;c. 10. Can a man <HI>hope</HI> that God will hear the prayers which he makes with a proud heart? May not the <HI>voice of his proud heart be louder, than the voice of his Eloquent Tongue?</HI> 11. Whether much pride and much carnal jollity in the heart of an afflicted per&s;on, be not always joyned with <HI>the contempt or de&s;pi&s;ing of the Lords cha&s;tening? Prov.</HI> 3. 11. if it be not, what is it, to de&s;pi&s;e his cha&s;tening? 12. Whether God may not ju&s;tly an&s;wer &s;uch a one, that he is merry and plea&s;ant enough already, &amp;c. La&s;tly, to &s;et contraries near one another; <HI>The LORD hath re&s;pect to the lowly, but the proud he knoweth</HI> <MILESTONE N="181"> <HI>afar of,</HI> P&s;al. 138. 6. <HI>(Surely he &s;corneth the &s;corners, but he giveth grace to the lowly,</HI> Pr. 3. 24. <HI>Before destruction the heart is haughty, and before
<PB N="75" REF="44"> Honour is Humility, Prov.</HI> 18. 12. <HI>Who&s;oever &s;hall exalt him&s;elf, &s;hall be aba&s;ed; and he who &s;hall humble him&s;elf, &s;hall be exalted,</HI> Mat. 23. 12. <MILESTONE N="182"> <HI>God re&s;i&s;teth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble, Jam.</HI> 4. 6. Friend, &s;ome of the <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> of <HI>Corinth</HI> were proud of their &s;piritual gi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ts, and of their <HI>Mini&s;ters,</HI> 1 Cor. 5. 2. and <HI>Paul</HI> foretold, that in the pe|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">llous times of the la&s;t daies, there would be Formali&s;ts, which would be <HI>proud, high-minded, boa&s;ters,</HI> &amp;c. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3. 1. &amp;c. and, if thou be one of them, how can&s;t thou hope, that God will hear thy prayers <HI>(yea, long and fine prayers;)</HI> when thou aske&s;t that which would en|crea&s;e or occa&s;ion an encrea&s;e of that evil thing in thy &s;oul, whereof thou ha&s;t <HI>too too</HI> much already; I mean, aske&s;t <HI>worldly pro&s;perity,</HI> which <HI>occa&s;ions pride, P&s;al.</HI> 73. 5, 6. <HI>Deut.</HI> 8. 11, 12, 13, 14. &amp; 32. 15 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 26. 16. <HI>Nab.</HI> 9. 28. <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 13. 6. Thou &s;houlde&s;t rather think, thou <HI>wantest more</HI> affliction, to beat down thy pride, and think, <HI>if God doth not hate but love thee,</HI> that he will in <HI>faithfulne&s;s</HI> add to thy afflictions, as he did upon that &s;core afflict the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t, P&s;al.</HI> 119. 75. <MILESTONE N="183"> rather than exalt thee, which might prove thy <HI>utter undoing,</HI> &amp;c. This al&s;o, I would have you all take good notice of; that there are &s;ix things which are kinds, parts or companions of <HI>Humility,</HI> without which, <HI>or any of them,</HI> your Humility is <HI>not altogether</HI> &s;uch as it ought to be, <HI>viz.</HI> 1. To &s;ubmit your &s;elves &s;o to God, as to be really content to for&s;ake all your &s;ins, and to do what&s;oever he requireth of you; 2. To leave your &s;elves wholly to God <HI>(P&s;al.</HI> 10. 14.) &s;aying unto him <HI>with the whole heart</HI> concerning all earthly things, yea and all &s;piritual things al&s;o, which are not of ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity to &s;alvation: <HI>Neverthele&s;s, not as I will, but as thou wilt,</HI> Mat. 26. 39. 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 3. 18. 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 15. 25, 26. <HI>Act.</HI> 20. 23, 24. 3. To entertain the wrath of God, and rage of men, with a calm and quiet &s;pirit, and without hard thoughts of God, <HI>Jam.</HI> 4. 7. <HI>Act.</HI> 5. 41. &amp; 7. 60. &amp; 16. 25. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. 23. 4. To e&s;teem tho&s;e whom ye <MILESTONE N="184"> account godly, better than your &s;elves, and by love to &s;erve one another, by doing, when need is, the meane&s;t offices one for another, <HI>Phil.</HI> 2. 3. <HI>Gal.</HI> 5. 13. learn the meaning and extent of tho&s;e two ver|&s;es, (which &s;ome Expo&s;itors will not &s;hew you. 5. To accept of the Puni&s;hment of thine iniquity; and that not in words only, but <HI>with the whole heart;</HI> acknowledging, that thou ha&s;t walked contrary to God, and that God hath walked contrary to thee, and cha&s;tized thee for thy &s;ins; and that thou ha&s;t merited at his hands, far &s;orer puni&s;h|ments, than he hath laid upon thee, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and to do all this <HI>with the whole heart.</HI> See <HI>Lev.</HI> 26. 41. 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 12. 6. <HI>Ezra</HI> 9. 5. <HI>&amp;c. Neh.</HI> 9. 33. <HI>Mic,</HI> 7 9. 6. What&s;oever good things thou ha&s;t, or good works thou
<PB N="76" REF="45"> do&s;t, to give the glory, with the whole heart, to God, 1 <HI>Chron.</HI> 29. 10. <HI>&amp;c. Act.</HI> 12. 21, 22, 23. But to get humility, to make thee yield <MILESTONE N="185"> and &s;toop to God, and to walk humbly with God and men. 1. Con|&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly; 1. The infinite dignity and worthine&s;s of God; his infinite greatne&s;s, holine&s;s, wi&s;dom and power, and his perfect ju&s;tice, and his great bounty toward thee, 2. Thy being du&s;t and a&s;hes, and thy &s;infulne&s;s, and what thou ha&s;t de&s;erved time after time by break|ing his holy, ju&s;t and good Law. 3. What I have already &s;aid of pride and humility. 4. Look not (too much) on thy own (good) things (gra|ces and &s;piritual gifts,) nor further than thou ha&s;t good cau&s;e, on the &s;ins and defects of others. 5. Look on the good things of others, <HI>Phil.</HI> 2 4. 6. Know al&s;o, and con&s;ider, that, to &s;ay within <HI>thy heart; As things be, or, are like to be, it will be a wi&s;er part in me, to keep this or that &s;in, than to keep God's commandment, wherein he forbids it;</HI> to &s;ay this in thy heart at any time what&s;oever, is <HI>to make thy &s;elf</HI> (as we u&s;e to &s;peak) <HI>wi&s;er than God</HI> (to prefer thy wi&s;dom before the wi&s;dom of God:) which is <HI>horrible pride.</HI> And yet this thou &s;aye&s;t <HI>with thy heart (and God hears its voice)</HI> when&s;oever, <HI>after con&s;iderable deliberation,</HI> thou art re&s;olved to tran&s;gre&s;s the Law of God, <HI>Mark</HI> 6. 26. And if any <MILESTONE N="186"> man thinks, his love toward God is great, notwith&s;tanding his di&s;&s;o|lute conver&s;ation; to &s;uch a man I &s;ay, <HI>Go and learn:</HI> for <HI>thy love is n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> larger, than thy obedience.</HI> 7. Conver&s;e much with humble per&s;ons. 8. Pray unto him who is <HI>able;</HI> to cloath thee with humility. 9. De|cline no mans company for fear he &s;hould reprove thee for thy pride, but if there be any man near thee, who is likely to tell thee of it, <HI>be</HI> <MILESTONE N="187"> <HI>&s;ure</HI> to conver&s;e much with him. Brethren, the pride, and I fear, the <HI>proud Apparel</HI> and or<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">aments of &s;ome of our <HI>Interce&s;&s;ors,</HI> at lea&s;t <HI>Pro|fe&s;&s;ors,</HI> did hinder them from making up the <HI>Hedge,</HI> and thru&s;t and keep them out of the <HI>Gap;</HI> &s;o that they could not &s;tand there before the <HI>LORD;</HI> and that thereupon the <HI>Pe&s;tilence</HI> did enter into <HI>London;</HI> and that the &s;inful <HI>dumbne&s;s (Ezek.</HI> 3. 26.) or <HI>&s;ilence</HI> and <HI>Ga&s;tant-like ornaments of &s;ome others,</HI> did &s;trike or keep them out <HI>of the Gap,</HI> and that thereupon &s;o many hou&s;es were fired in <HI>London.</HI> (If any of you do not under&s;tand my language, let them con&s;ider, (together with <HI>the pride and other &s;ins of Profe&s;&s;ors</HI>) the&s;e Scriptures, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 9. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 22. 30, 3. 1 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 24. 1. &amp;c. <HI>Jer.</HI> 7. 18. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 13. 5. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 3. 36. <MILESTONE N="188"> Which fear of mine, whether it be altogether right or not; how&s;o|ever (ye know, that) &s;ome men (<HI>and women</HI>) be of great power with God (<HI>Gen.</HI> 32. 24. &amp;c. <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 12. 3, 4. <HI>Exod.</HI> 32. 10. &amp;c. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 14. 14&punc; <HI>Jam.</HI> 5. 16, 17.) and that the Profe&s;&s;ors have not yet prevailed with God, to de&s;troy any of the <HI>Plows,</HI> but only to &s;top the <HI>hor&s;es,</HI> or <HI>Dri|vers,</HI>
<PB N="77" REF="45"> &amp;c. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 129. 3, 4. So that (for ought ye know) the <HI>Plows</HI> be not yet legally de&s;troyed <HI>for lack of more Interce&s;&s;ors,</HI> (as <HI>Sodom</HI> was de&s;troyed for want of a few more righteous per&s;ons; at the mo&s;t not above nine, <HI>Gen.</HI> 18. 32. And would it be wi&s;dom in us, to &s;uffer <HI>England</HI> to be de&s;troyed. or the <HI>Plows</HI> to be drawn over the backs of <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> again, for want of more power with God? <HI>Gen.</HI> 32. 24. <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 12. 4. Not &s;o, Friends, I pray you, but as, when <HI>the Harve&s;t</HI> is <HI>plenteous, and the Labourers few,</HI> we mu&s;t pray the <HI>Lord</HI> of the <HI>Har|ve&s;t,</HI> to &s;end forth Labourers into his <HI>Harve&s;t,</HI> Mat. 9. 37, 38. So when there is <HI>need of great &s;trength, by which we may have power with God;</HI> then it &s;tands us upon, (even <HI>for our own &s;akes</HI>) to turn as many as we can, to righteou&s;ne&s;s, and to wind up as many as we can, to a ve|ry great <HI>height of faith and holine&s;s;</HI> that they may be <HI>Princes</HI> and men of great power with God; that they may prevail with him for them&s;elves, and the hou&s;hold of Faith. For we know not, how much help we have need of, and a little <HI>true &s;trength</HI> will help &s;omewhat: But the truth is; as in the Reign of <HI>Hezekiah, the</HI> Levites <HI>were more</HI> <MILESTONE N="189"> <HI>upright in heart, to &s;anctifie them&s;elves, than the Prie&s;ts,</HI> 2 Chron. 29. 34. So &s;ome of our <HI>Jacob-like plain men (Gen.</HI> 25. 27.) may by their pray|ers prevail more with God, than &s;ome of our <HI>fine-tongued men,</HI> who to &s;ome &s;eem to be <HI>Princes and Pillars.</HI> Not very long &s;ince, <HI>many Pro|fe&s;&s;ors</HI> <MILESTONE N="190"> did &s;light, and make &s;mall account of the Old-Te&s;tament-Saints, and of the old <HI>Puritans</HI> of <HI>England:</HI> I would to God, we had many more &s;uch, <HI>as many of them were:</HI> For many are called, but few cho&s;en, <HI>Mat.</HI> 20. 16. and of them who are cho&s;en, few are Princes with God. Friends, I have now in part &s;hewn you, what (notwith|&s;tanding the free grace of God) <HI>is the be&s;t way to kill the devil:</HI> I be|&s;eech you therefore, even all Profe&s;&s;ors, by the mercies of God, at all times, in the day time, in the night, when ye are at home, when a|broad, when alone, when in company, when alone with God, re|member the <HI>Reformation of Profe&s;&s;ors,</HI> and, to the uttermo&s;t of thy du|ty and opportunities, do what&s;oever thou can&s;t, (I &s;peak to every one of you in particular) by in&s;tructing, exhorting, admoni&s;hing, re|proving, encouraging, in preaching, in conference, in prayer, and by being a holy and good example to others, <HI>to reform and amend thy dome&s;ticks (children, &s;ervants, &amp;c.) brethren and &s;i&s;ters, parents, near neigh|bours, inferiors,</HI> &amp;c. and univer&s;ally <HI>all the Profe&s;&s;ors of England:</HI> To enliven the dead, and awaken them who &s;leep, to open the ears of the deaf, and the eyes of the blind, to heal and &s;trengthen the feeble legs, arms and hands of the lame and lami&s;h, to lift up the hands which hang down, to quicken <HI>&s;low-bellies,</HI> and to &s;top the mouths of unruly
<PB N="78" REF="46"> and vain talkers. <HI>Con&s;ider</HI> therefore <HI>your wayes, Hag.</HI> 1. 4, 5, 6. that <MILESTONE N="191"> is, what you have done, and how; and what you have left undone, and the i&s;&s;ue of all. (This con&s;ideration is required e&s;pecially in a time of Adver&s;ity, <HI>Eccl.</HI> 7. 14.) And, <HI>co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ider one another, to provoke unto love, and to good works,</HI> Heb. 10. 24. and to dehort from unfit deeds and &s;peeches. (For <HI>many do look on &s;ome of their own &s;ins, as no &s;ins, &amp;c.</HI>) And <HI>do this for women as well as men:</HI> for <HI>women have &s;ouls to &s;ave, as well</HI> <MILESTONE N="192"> <HI>as men; though many of them walk, as if they had not.</HI> If the Humilia|tion, Reformation, Prayers and Families of Profe&s;&s;ors <HI>generally,</HI> were &s;uch as they ought to be; their <HI>Humiliation real, &s;erious, extraordinary;</HI> their <HI>Reformation extended to all their doings;</HI> their <HI>prayers effectual fer|vent prayers;</HI> and their <HI>Families like little Churches.</HI> O what a heaven|ly and ble&s;&s;ed &s;ight would this be? And then we might with &s;ome confidence expect <HI>a great exaltation of Profe&s;&s;ors,</HI> yea and a happy change of the Nation al&s;o. But, until I know or hear of a greater Re|formation of Profe&s;&s;ors, or of greater care taken, and fitter means u&s;ed to reform them, then I yet know or hear of; (although I know as much of God's power and free grace, as &s;ome other Profe&s;&s;ors do; yet) I cannot expect, to have Profe&s;&s;ors greatly exalted: but I hope many of you henceforth will do, as I de&s;ire to do for my part, even make u&s;e of their Talents or Mites, to work out that ble&s;&s;ed Refor|mation. I be&s;eech you therefore, Friends, every one of you, to hate <MILESTONE N="193"> all kinds of &s;in, and to reform your own doings <HI>unre&s;ervedly,</HI> and withal to do, what ye can, to reform the behaviour of all others, e&s;pe|cially each one of you, of <HI>his own Wife, Husband, Children, Servants, and of all, to whom he or &s;he is joyned by any &s;pecial bond, natural, Eccle&s;i|a&s;tical, or civil.</HI> Is there not a cau&s;e of doing thus? Verily there is very great cau&s;e: For it is, to do and endeavour to do mo&s;t <HI>excellent</HI> works, and plea&s;ing to the Almighty, conducing much to his ho|nour, and the good of his Church, and of the per&s;ons whom we &s;eek to reform, yea and to our own good al&s;o, who &s;eek to reform them. For <HI>he who converteth a &s;inner from the error of his way, &s;hall &s;ave a &s;oul from death, and &s;hall cover a multitude of &s;ins, Jam.</HI> 5. 20. And the greater the number of them that pray in faith, is, and the more reformed and holy they be, <HI>the more prevalent and available with God</HI> <MILESTONE N="194"> <HI>their prayers be, Jam.</HI> 5. 15. 16. and (if I mi&s;take not, nay, I do not mi&s;take) <HI>the pe&s;tilence, &s;word and guns, and other plagues, and the dan|gers, fears and lo&s;&s;es of Profe&s;&s;ors,</HI> all the&s;e have lately called on us Profe&s;&s;ors, and are &s;till calling on us, to pray in as much faith and humility and holine&s;s as we po&s;&s;ibly can: the (<HI>&s;erious</HI>) con&s;ideration whereof <HI>ought</HI> to excite us, to reform our &s;elves, and <HI>all that are within
<PB N="79" REF="46"> our gates,</HI> or under <HI>our authority,</HI> and as many as we can, of tho&s;e who are not; that we may prevail with the Almighty for our own good, and the good of the Nation. Now to &s;tir you up, and to encourage <MILESTONE N="195"> you to contribute, what ye can, to this great work of reforming Profe&s;&s;ors. I pray, con&s;ider; 1. That it is your duty, <HI>Heb.</HI> 10. 24. and 3. 12, 13. 2. What it is, to convert a man or a woman from the error of his or her way? <HI>James,</HI> Chap. 5. 19, 20. tells you, in &s;o doing, ye &s;hall <HI>&s;ave a &s;oul from death, and hide a multitude of &s;ins.</HI> I may well add, and do <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t and his Church</HI> good &s;ervice. 3. That &s;ince the beginning of this Revolution unto this day, the work of re|forming Profe&s;&s;ors and their Families, hath pro&s;pered &s;o little, that it doth not make a great noi&s;e in my years: and that, as during part of this time, it hath grown <HI>wor&s;e and wor&s;e</HI> with Profe&s;&s;ors in re&s;pect of their liberty and peace, and the means of grace and comfort; &s;o there is no certainty of the continuance of the <HI>pre&s;ent &s;tilne&s;s,</HI> &amp;c. 4. That men of great power with God may prevail with him for a time, who&s;e prayers, after a while, will be of no force. For <HI>Amos,</HI> after the <HI>Gra&s;hoppers</HI> had eaten up the gra&s;s of the latter growth, then he pre|vailed with God, to put an end to that plague, and afterward, when the fire, by which the Lord contended; had devoured a part, he pre|vailed with him, to cea&s;e that plague al&s;o: but after that, when the Lord would plague <HI>I&s;rael</HI> in a third way, then <HI>he did not prevail with him,</HI> Amos 7. 1. to 9. &s;o that it is <HI>&s;till</HI> high time for us, <HI>to con&s;ider our wayes,</HI> Hag. 1. 5, 6, 7. and to <HI>con&s;ider one another, to provoke unto love, and to good works,</HI> Heb. 10. 24. and to do what we can, for our Lord <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and his Religion and people; and high time <HI>for every godly Mini&s;ter to tru&s;t in God, and to cry aloud, to lift up his voice like a Trumpet, and to &s;hew Profe&s;&s;ors their Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions,</HI> I&s;a. 58. 1. Now <MILESTONE N="196"> for you, my brethren, that take upon you to preach to Profe&s;&s;ors, <HI>this word is for you.</HI> Who&s;e hearts, <HI>tongues and feet</HI> &s;hould be mo&s;t forward, earne&s;t and active in this bu&s;ine&s;s? Should not ours, who are by our Office and Calling, <HI>Chri&s;t's Stewards, Watchmen, Over&s;eers, Rulers?</HI> Why then &s;hould ye not all be bu&s;ie in it, <HI>for Chri&s;t and his Church:</HI> even for the enlarging and &s;trengthening of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI>'s kingdom, and the bet|tering of the &s;tate of his people? Who&s;e &s;ervants are ye? Are ye not Chri&s;t's <HI>for the good of his Church?</HI> Eph. 1. 22. I pray&punc; read and con|&s;ider, <MILESTONE N="197"> what u&s;e ye ought to make of <HI>Mal.</HI> 2. <HI>v.</HI> 1, 2, 8, 10, 13. and <HI>Jer.</HI> 1. 17. where the Lord &s;aid unto <HI>Jeremy; Speak unto them all that I command thee: be not di&s;mayed at their faces, le&s;t I confound thee before them.</HI> And, what hath God commanded you to &s;peak unto Profe&s;&s;ors? He tell you; even that which he hath taught <HI>Prophets, A|po&s;tles,
<PB N="80" REF="47" MS="y"> and &s;piritual Teachers</HI> of old to &s;peak unto &s;uch <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;tians,</HI> as were guilty of &s;uch &s;ins and failings as <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors are now guilty of.</HI> Some of you know, the <HI>Quakers</HI> have reproached us with making a Trade of preaching: and truly &s;ome among&s;t us in the <HI>time of the Interruption</HI> did make a very Trade of it, and <HI>&s;ome did drive a very great Trade of it: (who&s;e fault was that?)</HI> and, it may be, &s;ome of us at this time are too like tho&s;e Trade&s;men, that are too willing to plea&s;e their <HI>Cu&s;tomers.</HI> I pray you, <HI>let us leave of this Trading:</HI> Bre|thren, I reque&s;t and exhort you, by the Lord Je&s;us, do all that ye can to de&s;erve the Character which <HI>Paul</HI> gives him&s;elf, 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2. to de|clare <MILESTONE N="398"> the free grace of God, &s;o as to <HI>win &s;ouls to Chri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>to draw and drive Profe&s;&s;ors out of their &s;ins.</HI> Shew not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">our &s;elves mi&s;erable Com|forters, and <HI>Phy&s;icians of no value,</HI> healing Profe&s;&s;ors wounds &s;lightly, <HI>(Jer. 6. 14. Ezek.</HI> 13. 10. Covering them with fig-leaves, or draw|ing a poor thin skin over them, without healing them &s;oundly <HI>at the bottom. Satisfie</HI> not your &s;elves with general or dark &s;peeches <HI>(flatte|rers and deceitful workers</HI> do content them&s;elves with &s;uch;) but <HI>de|&s;cend unto particulars,</HI> and <HI>deal home and plainly</HI> with Profe&s;&s;ors concerning their &s;ins. We have indeed given forth our Te&s;timony (<HI>Rev.</HI> 11. 3. &amp;c.) (many of us very poorly) again&s;t <HI>Popery</HI> and other enormities not a few, in our Sermons and Books and in dying, &amp;c. but it may be, God will not look on us, as Witne&s;&s;es that have com|pleated and perfected our te&s;timony, till we have te&s;tifyed <HI>faithfully and plainly</HI> again&s;t the <HI>Worldline&s;s, Pride, Curio&s;ity, Vanity, Conformity to the World, Fa&s;hion-monging, and other Vices of Profe&s;&s;ors.</HI> Moreover, be not like tho&s;e Surgeons and Phy&s;icians, that do protract and lengthen their Cures, to fill their pur&s;es: do not ye, I mean, withhold bitter Ma|dicines and &s;harp Corro&s;ives from your Patients di&s;ea&s;ed and infirme &s;ouls <HI>longer than true Chri&s;tian wi&s;dom allows</HI> you, but, in re&s;pect of time and all other re&s;pects, &s;hew your &s;elves really faithful to our Lord <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> and to his members, as men <HI>who watch for their</HI> <MILESTONE N="199"> <HI>&s;ouls, and as they that mu&s;t give account,</HI> Heb. 13. 17. As for the <HI>itching</HI> ears, whereof <HI>Paul</HI> prophecyed, 2 <HI>Tim,</HI> 4. 3, 4. if there be any <HI>&s;uch things</HI> among your Hearers; let it not be any part of your bu&s;ine&s;s <HI>to tickle them with fine, neat, trim, ornate, curious words and expre&s;&s;ions,</HI> but feed them with <HI>the &s;incere milk</HI> (and &s;trong meat) of the word, <HI>which they ought to de&s;ire, that they may grow thereby (in the knowledge of &s;piritual things and in grace)</HI> 1 Pet. 2. 2. and <HI>content your &s;elves with a manly kind of Eloquence.</HI> Imitate <HI>the ble&s;&s;ed and wi&s;e Apo&s;tle</HI> Paul, whom God &s;ent to preach the Go&s;pel, <HI>not with wi&s;dom of words;</HI> not with excellency of &s;peech, or of wi&s;dom, but in demon&s;tration of the &s;pirit, and of power,
<PB N="81" REF="47"> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 17. chap. 2. 1, 4: And of this matter, as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;eems to &s;peak <MILESTONE N="200"> <HI>&s;o much</HI> of it, becau&s;e it was <HI>the manner of the ambitious Teachers</HI> in the Church of <HI>Corinth,</HI> to u&s;e &s;uch enticing &s;peech, <HI>to draw Di&s;ciples after them;</HI> &s;o I, brethren, have &s;poken and do now write &s;o much of it, becau&s;e <HI>Satan</HI> hath (&s;ince the death of Mr. <HI>Latimer</HI>) (with the help of <HI>men plea&s;ing, Gal.</HI> 1. 10.) encrea&s;ed in the hearts even of Profe&s;&s;ors and <HI>religious preachers, a carnal affectation of dainty and finely-filed phra&s;es and expre&s;&s;ions</HI> in a very great mea&s;ure, and &s;crewed &s;uch fine phra&s;es and expre&s;&s;ions into Sermons, (which do ob&s;cure the Doctrine and occa|&s;ion too much meditation, &amp;c.) Nay Satan hath <HI>&s;crewed</HI> them into our very prayers; as if <HI>the ancient of dayes</HI> (Dan. 7. 22.) were become a a weak old man, to be overcome with Court-like Complements; wherewith indeed he is no more taken, than he would be with <HI>the neck of a Dog,</HI> E&s;. 66. 2. 3. And if many of your fine phra&s;es be Scripture <MILESTONE N="201"> phra&s;es; why, the <HI>Quakers</HI> do rail on holy and profitable Mini&s;ters with Scripture-phra&s;es. Brethren, I thank God, that I have learned of him, to abhor <HI>this ambitious and polluting ornament</HI> of our Sermons and prayers, as a <HI>great enemy to our Saviour and his Church, and to poor mi&s;erable &s;inners:</HI> and I pray you, cea&s;e from <HI>hunting after words,</HI> and from <HI>&s;tudying words too much,</HI> and your Hearers, and matter too little; but for the honor of God and the good of his Church, contend with all your might, and in all wi&s;dom, again&s;t the vices and &s;ins of Profe&s;|&s;ors. And to encourage you hereunto; know, that it is not &s;o long &s;ince, that a very unfit manner of preaching being taken up and much u&s;ed in the Univer&s;ity of <HI>Oxford,</HI> Bi&s;hop <HI>&V;&s;her,</HI> and Bi&s;hop <HI>Potter</HI> did preach it down, and de&s;troy it. And Doctor <HI>Hoskins, a Conformi&s;t,</HI> but learned, and godly, and wi&s;e, taking notice, that &s;ome came with naked brea&s;ts to his Lecture in the <HI>Min&s;ter</HI> of <HI>Hereford,</HI> did &s;o di&s;|cour&s;e again&s;t that ugly and immode&s;t &s;pectacle, that they cea&s;ed to offend his eyes with it. I come now, to &s;hew you all, as near as I <MILESTONE N="202"> can, the fitte&s;t way and means of <HI>reforming your &s;elves</HI> and other Pro|fe&s;&s;ors, even the be&s;t directions and in&s;tructions that I am able, con|cerning that nece&s;&s;ary and ble&s;&s;ed work. And fir&s;t, take due care to <MILESTONE N="203"> find out thy own &s;ins. And here 1. Enter upon that bu&s;ine&s;s, with a &s;trong re&s;olution, what&s;oever <HI>(&s;eeming good) Fruits</HI> any of thy &s;ins have yielded thee, yet to leave them all, as thou &s;halt take notice of them <HI>without any exception</HI> or re&s;ervation, <HI>John</HI> 7. 17. 2. Con&s;ider the Fruits of the &s;pirit, and the works of the Fle&s;h, and the Garments, Armour, and &s;ins mentioned in <HI>Mat. 15. 19. Mark 7. 21, 22. Rom. 1. 29, 30, 31, 32. Rom.</HI> 12. 2, 9. to the end of the Chapter, <HI>Rom.</HI> 13. 12, 13, 14. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6. 9, 10. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7. 11. and 12. 20, 22. <HI>Gal.</HI> 5, 19. to the
<PB N="82" REF="48" MS="y"> end of the ch. <HI>Eph.</HI> 4, 1, 2, 3. 21. to the end of the Chapter, and 5. 1. to 7. <HI>Phil.</HI> 2. 2, 3, 4, 5. &amp;c. and 3. 3. <HI>Col.</HI> 3. 5. to 14. and 4, 5, 6, 17. 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5. 12. to 22. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3. 1. to 7. <HI>Tit.</HI> 2. 11, 12. <HI>Jam.</HI> 1. 26, 27. and 2. 1. and 3. 1. and 4. the whole Chapter, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 17. and 2. 1, 2. and 3. 8, 9, 10, 11. 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 5, 6, 7, 10. &amp; 2. 7, 8. and 3. 17, 18. 1 <HI>John</HI> 3. 3, 14, 16, 17, 18. <HI>John</HI> 9. 10. <HI>Rev.</HI> 21. 8. as al&s;o 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 1. to 7. and 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 8, 9, <MILESTONE N="204"> 10. Some of you may do well to peru&s;e Mr. <HI>Byfields</HI> Catalogue of &s;ins, or &s;ome book like that. 3. Con&s;ider the wayes of thy heart and thy outwards carriage toward God and man in thy younger and el|der yeats, before and &s;ince thy marriage, at home and abroad, in pub|lick and privately, in company of godly and gracele&s;s per&s;ons, when a Servant or a Ma&s;ter of &s;ervants, toward inferiours, Superiours, and e|quals, godly and ungodly per&s;ons, Friends and Enemies, &amp;c. 4. Call to mi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d (as far forth as ye can) <HI>What the Lord hath &s;poken to you</HI> concer|ning the &s;ins of Profe&s;&s;ors by me <HI>face to face</HI> and by others. For he hath &s;poken unto &s;ome of you by me in <HI>London, Bri&s;tow, E&s;&s;ex, Here|ford,</HI> &amp;c. and to &s;ome of you, of (called) <HI>&s;mall &s;ins, and &s;ins about Apa|rel and othe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> things indifferent,</HI> and to &s;ome of you of <HI>&s;uch &s;ins</HI> as cau&s;e <MILESTONE N="205"> <HI>the de&s;truction of mo&s;t of tho&s;e Profe&s;&s;ors that are damned.</HI> 5. Compare what ye have heard and read, and the behaviour of the be&s;t Scripture and modern Saints with your own deeds, &s;peeches, ge&s;tures, and thoughts, to di&s;cern the agreement and di&s;agreement that is between them, &amp;c. 6. Becau&s;e it is <HI>not an ea&s;ie matter</HI> for a man to find out his &s;ins, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 96. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 19. 12. therefore pray ye unto God, to reveal your &s;ins to you. 7. Imitate <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 141. 5. <HI>reque&s;t</HI> thy fellow Profe&s;&s;ors <HI>to tell thee</HI> of them, and conver&s;e much with &s;uch as are likely to tell thee of them: and, when thou art told of any of them, e&s;teem it a kindne&s;s, and <HI>give thanks to God and man,</HI> 1 Sam. 25. 32, 33. 8. Con&s;ider, what it is, to <HI>make &s;treight paths for thy feet,</HI> Heb. 12. 13. <HI>to walk accurately, preci&s;ely, circum&s;pectly,</HI> Eph. 5. 15. and to be perfect, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. 48. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13. 11. 9. Con&s;ider, how many ways <HI>the Lords day may</HI> be profaned and mi&s;pent, and how oft thou ha&s;t profaned and mi&s;pent <HI>part of it.</HI> 10. Con&s;ider, how many ways ve have made your &s;elves partakers of other folks &s;ins, and how the Chil|dren <MILESTONE N="206"> of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> were guilty of the &s;in of <HI>Achan,</HI> Jo&s;h. 7. 1. &amp;c. 11. It may be thou mai&s;t do well, to mind &s;ome of their faults, <HI>partly to the end, thou mai&s;t hear of thy own.</HI> For &s;ome will be mo&s;t likely to mind thee of thine, when thou minde&s;t them of theirs. 12. When thou art &s;o happy, as <HI>to hear Chri&s;t &s;peaking unto thee</HI> by &s;uch a Preacher as Mr. <HI>Wroth</HI> was, do what thou can&s;t, to be where he may take good notice of thee; that, if there be any <HI>Fault</HI> in thy conver&s;ation, he may mind
<PB N="83" REF="48"> thee of it. For I remember upon a time, when Mr. <HI>Cradock</HI> and I heard Mr. <HI>Wroth,</HI> Mr. <HI>Cradock</HI> &s;tood <HI>ju&s;t before him,</HI> and after told me, he had done it, becau&s;e he knew, if Mr. <HI>Wroth</HI> had taken notice of any <HI>Fault</HI> in his behaviour, he would have minded him of it before he had ended his Sermon. 13. When thou art rebuked for any &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n, take good heed of ju&s;tifying or excu&s;ing thy &s;elf further then thou can&s;t &s;hew &s;ome very &s;ufficient cau&s;e; le&s;t <HI>thy Friend</HI> be di&s;couraged from doing <HI>the part of a faithful Friend</HI> to thee another time, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 75. <HI>Prov.</HI> 27. 5, 7.</P>
<P>(2.) Stir up in your hearts a comfortable expectation of better <MILESTONE N="207"> times, and a holy de&s;ire of the Churches welfare, and zeal for <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> honour. This may move you, to be the more &s;erious dilig<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nt and in amending, every one him&s;elf and others, as many as he can.</P>
<P>3. If thou do&s;t de&s;ire to be exalted; be humble and re&s;olve &s;trong|ly (by Gods help) to walk humbly, <HI>when thou &s;halt be exalted.</HI> How to get humility, &s;ee before <HI>Marg.</HI> 185.</P>
<P>4. Acknowledge and bewail thy &s;piritual weakne&s;s and want of ability to reform thy &s;elf without the &s;trength of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> John 15. 5. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3. 5. and &s;eek unto God for &s;trength.</P>
<P>5. Stir up your &s;elves <HI>to tru&s;t</HI> in our Lord <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> for his a&s;&s;i|&s;tance, and for good &s;ucce&s;s in &s;eeking to reform, <HI>Mat.</HI> 28. 20. and let prayer be joyned with every part of it, <HI>Phil.</HI> 1. 19. and 4. 13. &amp;c. yea reque&s;t others al&s;o, to pray for the &s;ame.</P>
<P>6. Hear gladly <HI>Mini&s;ters of reproving,</HI> Ezek. 3. 26. I mean, &s;uch as <MILESTONE N="208"> will reprove the &s;ins <HI>of Profe&s;&s;ors,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>7. Hearken to the word of the Kingdom attentively, and con&s;ider it &s;eriou&s;ly, and be &s;ure to <HI>take good notice of thy own portion,</HI> e&s;pecially, if it doth concern the reforming of any part of thy behaviour.</P>
<P>8. U&s;e all good means to <HI>nouri&s;h Faith.</HI> For that is of very great u&s;e and force in this bu&s;ine&s;s, <HI>Acts</HI> 15. 9. <HI>Gal.</HI> 5. 6. 1 <HI>John</HI> 3. 3. and 5. 4, 5.</P>
<P>9. Quench not the good motions which the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t</HI> is plea&s;ed to &s;tir up, time after time in thy heart, 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5. 19. e&s;pecially <HI>de&s;ires to have thy corruptions mortifyed, and purpo&s;es to &s;trive again&s;t them,</HI> but do what thou can&s;t by reading, meditation, conference and prayer, to nouri&s;h, augment, and &s;trengthen them.</P>
<P>10. Pray unto the Almighty earne&s;tly to <HI>&s;trengthen thee with &s;trength</HI> <MILESTONE N="209"> <HI>in thy &s;oul,</HI> P&s;al. 138. 3. and to clean&s;e thee from &s;ecret Faults, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 19. 12.</P>
<P>11. Compare thy wayes with the ways of the be&s;t Saints, living and dead, e&s;pecially of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> Mat. 11. 20. 1 <HI>John</HI> 3. 3. and &s;et
<PB N="84" REF="49"> the Lord alwaies before thy eyes, &amp;c. This may excite thee, to imi|tate, &amp;c. Con&s;ider well, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3. 18. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 6. 1. to 8.</P>
<P>12. Take heed continually to thy wayes, according to the word of God, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 9. Be &s;ober and <HI>watchful,</HI> Luke 21. 34. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 5. 8. and, when evil motions do ari&s;e in thy heart, <HI>deny them &s;peedily,</HI> Tit. 2. 11, 12, Practi&s;e this, I pray thee.</P>
<P>13. Make u&s;e of the&s;e Scriptures, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 13. <HI>Eph.</HI> 5. 15, 16. <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. 48. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13. 11.</P>
<P>14. For the meaning and u&s;e of the&s;e Directions, let &s;uch as doubt, enquire of able Mini&s;ters.</P>
<P>15. Of &s;ome &s;pecial Meetings, what is fit to be done at them, &amp;c.</P>
<P>(1) 1. Let Mini&s;ters and <HI>&s;ome other fit per&s;ons</HI> meet &s;ometimes apart <MILESTONE N="210"> by them&s;elves. 2. <HI>Let all the&s;e</HI> give due diligence to be <HI>exemplary in their conver&s;ation,</HI> to be <HI>excellent</HI> patterns, fit for other Profe&s;&s;ors to imi|tate. 3. <HI>At tho&s;e meetings,</HI> let it be con&s;idered; That the carriage of many Profe&s;&s;ors is &s;o full of <HI>&s;ins of Omi&s;&s;ion</HI> and commi&s;&s;ion, that there is ju&s;t cau&s;e of admoni&s;hing them thereof, for their own good, God's honour, and the good of the Church; that &s;ome of their &s;ins do tend more than others, to God's di&s;honour, and more di&s;credit Religion, and more provoke God's wrath; that &s;ome Profe&s;&s;ors be blind; &s;ome lame, or lami&s;h; &s;ome dumb, or as it were tongue-tied; &s;ome dull, and heavy, and &s;low; &s;ome proud; &s;ome too full of mirth and jol|lity; &s;ome worldly and covetous; &s;ome peradventure covetous <HI>three wayes;</HI> &s;ome a&s;leep, or not thorougly awakened; &s;ome <HI>&s;tark dead in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es and &s;ins, meer Formali&s;ts;</HI> and that, for &s;ome of the&s;e evil qualities &s;ome Profe&s;&s;ors be affected <HI>with</HI> them in a greater mea&s;ure than others. Al&s;o <HI>at &s;uch Meetings,</HI> let it be re&s;olved, what fit <MILESTONE N="211"> means &s;hall (God willing) be u&s;ed by <HI>this company,</HI> to heal and re|form &s;uch Profe&s;sors, but to deal with them all, <HI>as their &s;tates re|quire.</HI> (See 1 <HI>Cor,</HI> 4. 21. <HI>Eph.</HI> 5. 14. 1 <HI>Tit.</HI> 1. 11, 12, 13. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13. 2.) and that &s;pecial care &s;hall be taken, to find out, and quell, and beat down tho&s;e &s;ins which do mo&s;t irritate the Almighty, and mo&s;t weaken and hinder prayers, in regard of the &s;in it &s;elf, or its aggra|vations, and <HI>that every Profe&s;&s;ors heart may be &s;et again&s;t his deare&s;t &s;in;</HI> (which is that which he doth mo&s;t favour, and mo&s;t &s;pare, and <HI>lea&s;t,</HI> or not at all &s;trive, wre&s;tle and fight again&s;t. To that effect <HI>Edward Green,</HI> and rightly, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5. 17. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. 11.) (which &s;etting of the heart &s;o <HI>again&s;t that &s;in,</HI> is a &s;ign of true grace.) Let it <HI>there al&s;o</HI> be con|cluded, who of tho&s;e that u&s;e to meet with this &s;mall company, be fit to be reproved or admoni&s;hed, and of what fault, and who of
<PB N="85" REF="49"> this &s;mall company, &s;hall deal with <HI>M.</HI> and who with <HI>N.</HI> &amp;c. and what, tending to the reformation of Profe&s;&s;ors, every one of them &s;hall perform, and by what times, and that they will all of them <HI>hearken,</HI> to hear and know the i&s;&s;ue of their endeavours, former and latter; (as <HI>Jeremy</HI> did, Chap. 8. 6.) that they may proceed, as there &s;hall be occa&s;ion. <HI>Let it there</HI> al&s;o be concluded, that due care &s;hall be taken by this &s;mall company to de&s;troy and remove the cau&s;es, and <MILESTONE N="212"> occa&s;ions of the irregular conver&s;ation of Profe&s;&s;ors; &s;uch as are (I think) <HI>ignorance, unfaithfulne&s;s, carnal and worldly fear, diffidence, (not trusting in God) carele&s;sne&s;s and negligence, (not con&s;idering our &s;elves and others, &amp;c.) pride, covetou&s;ne&s;s, voluptuou&s;ne&s;s, (not content with e|nough, &amp;c.) &s;inful &s;ilence, and holding our peace at the fault sone of another, luke-warmne&s;s</HI> and want of zeal for <HI>Christ</HI> and his Church. The&s;e are part of the cau&s;es, &amp;c. <HI>in Mini&s;ters</HI> and others. (Nay, 'tis true.) To which may be added, preaching without due con&s;ideration of the Hearers (that's worthy to be mentioned twice) and without due pre|paration.</P>
<P>And as to Ignorance, my experience and charity tells me, that even <MILESTONE N="213"> &s;ome <HI>Preachers</HI> be (in part) <HI>ignorant</HI> of the doctrine of <HI>things indiffe|rent, apparel and ornaments of the body, conformity to the world, appearan|ces of evil,</HI> things lovely and of good report, and peradventure of the doctrine of &s;anctifying <HI>the Sabbath,</HI> and <HI>the u&s;e of the Tongue,</HI> which yet may be gathered up and under&s;tood in and by the&s;e Scriptures, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 3. 18. &amp;c. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. 14. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 9, 10. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 3, 4, 5. <HI>Rom.</HI> 12. 2. 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5. 22. <HI>Phil.</HI> 4. 8, 9. <HI>Exra</HI> 20. 8. &amp;c. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 58. 13, 14. <HI>Mat.</HI> 12, 36, 37. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6. 10. <HI>Eph.</HI> 4. 25, 29, 30, 31. <HI>Jam.</HI> 1. 26. <HI>Rom.</HI> 14. 15. concerning which things very many Profe&s;&s;ors, and <HI>&s;ome Mini&s;ters</HI> are faulty.</P>
<P>(2). Let this &s;mall company draw to &s;ome extraordinary Meetings, <MILESTONE N="214"> as many as they can, of tho&s;e with whom any of them u&s;e to hold or|nary Meetings, whether (in their judgment) as a Church, or not; and (if they judge it convenient) &s;ome others al&s;o. At which extraordina|ry Meetings, let &s;ome of them declare and publi&s;h, that notice is ta|ken of the carriage of many Profe&s;&s;ors, that it is not &s;uch as it ought to be; and that ye who are Mini&s;ters, have re&s;olved, to endeavour, that tho&s;e things which are ami&s;s, may be amended, and that they do earne&s;tly de&s;ire and reque&s;t all that are pre&s;ent, to contribute, what they can, every one of them, to the reformation of Profe&s;&s;ors, e&s;pe|cially of tho&s;e of his or her own &s;ociety: Whereto let one of you add an Exhortation, per&s;wading all that are pre&s;ent (as vigorou&s;ly and effectually as he &s;hall be able) &s;o to do. After which Exhortati|on, <MILESTONE N="215">
<PB N="86" REF="50"> and a prayer &s;uitable to it, <HI>let all that are pre&s;ent,</HI> mutually pro|mi&s;e and engage, <HI>as before the mo&s;t high God,</HI> one to another, every one of them to all the re&s;t, to watch over one another, and to take care one of anothers &s;piritual e&s;tate, <HI>dealing</HI> one with another concerning it <HI>faithfully,</HI> and in particular to mind one another of &s;ins and duties, committed or omitted, or to be done, as they &s;hall apprehend to be their duty; as al&s;o <HI>to take admonitions and reproofs well in worth,</HI> and in good part, one from another. All this may be &s;ignified by lifting up the hand, or by any other &s;ign convenient. Al&s;o at this Meeting, ye may do well to warn all the company, to amend their wayes, to the uttermo&s;t of their knowledge and abilities, and to let them know, that they may expect to have their &s;ins handled and &s;poken of hereaf|ter (as there is or &s;hall be ju&s;t cau&s;es) both at Meetings and privately, but <HI>in a fit manner, and as &s;hall be expedient for the credit of the per&s;ons admoni&s;hed;</HI> and that if the Mini&s;ters &s;hall under&s;tand, that any of them be re&s;olved, and do begin to endeavour to amend any fault, that thenceforth they be not to expect any reproof for that fault.</P>
<P>(3.) When there is any real Reformation of any Family or per&s;on, <MILESTONE N="216"> let hearty thanks be fittingly given by many (with true &s;piritual joy and gladne&s;s in their hearts) to God, who gives the encrea&s;e to the planters and waterers, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3. 5, 6, 7. <HI>Luke</HI> 15. 3. <HI>Act.</HI> 8. 8. And let the &s;ucce&s;s encourage you, to go forward with the good work, which ye have in hand, chearfully.</P>
<P>And now, I be&s;eech all Profe&s;&s;ors, to enter upon this nece&s;&s;ary bu|&s;ine&s;s of reforming forthwith, (without any procra&s;tination or delay) <HI>Numb.</HI> 16. 46, 47, 48. and to do every part of it (as all works of Re|ligion, and all we do for God, ought to be done) &s;eriou&s;ly and dili|gently, and in the fear of God (away with all trifling;) and not to neglect it, till ye have compleated, every one his and her part of it. For ye know not, how &s;oon a pri&s;on-hou&s;e, or fear of it, or the grave <MILESTONE N="217"> may hinder you, <HI>Eccl.</HI> 9. 10. <HI>Zech.</HI> 1. 5. As for the&s;e and the re&s;t of my In&s;tructions, ye may (for many of you are able) amend them, and add to them, and hold them forth to others in a more winning manner, than I have done, unto the exaltation of our great Ma&s;ter <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and the benefit of his people: but, I pray you, give me not cau&s;e, by your ill dealing with him and them, <HI>to mourn in &s;ecret</HI> for your luke-warmne&s;s and unfaithfulne&s;s, and for the evils which may come to you and yours. For if my coun&s;el be evil in your eyes, I &s;hall look on your not hearkening to it, to do your duty for God and his Church, as a &s;ign of more wrath. But, I hope good things
<PB N="87" REF="50"> will be done by very many of you, even things tending to a great and ble&s;&s;ed reformation, though I thus &s;peak.</P>
<P>I <HI>come now,</HI> in the la&s;t place, to &s;peak <HI>&s;omewhat more of reproving;</HI> <MILESTONE N="218"> and the like, <HI>as one of the Midde&s;&s;es of reforming;</HI> and, although, in &s;ome ca&s;es, we be bound to reprove them who are not called Pro|fe&s;&s;ors; yet my bu&s;ine&s;s at this time being the amendment of Pro|fe&s;&s;ors, I &s;hall content my &s;elf with this, that Profe&s;&s;ors ought to re|prove Profe&s;&s;ors for their &s;ins. And this I find to be the duty of Mini&s;ters and Preachers, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 2. and of them and other Profe&s;|&s;ors, <HI>Lev.</HI> 19. 17. <HI>Mat.</HI> 18. 15. <HI>R.</HI> And this thou who art a Profe&s;&s;or, oughte&s;t to do; 1. For (the &s;ake of) God. To keep thy fellow. Pro|fe&s;&s;ors from polluting his holy Name, and from grieving his good Spirit, and from di&s;gracing his holy Go&s;pel, <HI>Gal.</HI> 6. 10. <HI>Eccl.</HI> 9. 10. <HI>Tit.</HI> 2. 5, 10. 2. For the good of the Offenders. To convert them from <HI>the errors</HI> of their waies, to hide their &s;ins, and &s;o to <HI>&s;ave their &s;ouls from</HI> everla&s;ting <HI>death, Jam.</HI> 5. 20. If they be already in the &s;tate <MILESTONE N="219"> of &s;alvation; (<HI>which all Profe&s;&s;ors are not</HI>) yet this is the way to better their &s;piritual e&s;tate, in re&s;pect of their faith, a&s;&s;urance, peace with God, peace with their own con&s;ciences, &s;piritual joy and comfort, and encouragement, <HI>Rom.</HI> 14. 17. It is the way (if I may &s;o &s;peak) to keep God from looking on them, as his enemies, and from <HI>wounding</HI> their very heads, <HI>P&s;.</HI> 68. 21. It is a good way indeed to encrea&s;e their happine&s;s in all re&s;pects, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 84. 11. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 8. 3. For the benefit of the Church of God. For the more &s;inle&s;s and pure of life any man is, 1. The better and more holily he can pray, and the more prevalent his pray|ers will be with God, and con&s;equently the more good he can do to and for God's people, with and by his prayers, <HI>Jam.</HI> 5. 15, 16. 2. The more exemplary his behaviour is, the more forcible and effectual it will be, to <HI>win others to amend their behaviour,</HI> Mat. 5. 16. 1 Pet. 2. 12. and 3. 1, 2. 3. He is likely to be the more beneficial to <HI>Chri&s;t's</HI> par|ty <MILESTONE N="220"> <HI>divers other wayes:</HI> which I will leave to <HI>your Meditations.</HI> 4. It will al&s;o be beneficial to thee who art the Reprover. 1. Thou ha&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ne thy duty, and di&s;charged a good con&s;cience; and that <HI>is not a very &s;mall matter, P&s;al.</HI> 119. 55, 56. <HI>Act.</HI> 24. 16. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10. 12. 2. To thee &s;hall be <HI>delight, and a ble&s;&s;ing of good things &s;hall come upon thee, Prov.</HI> 24. 25. That is, thou &s;halt be glad, that thou ha&s;t kept thy con&s;cience clear, and God will be&s;tow good things of one kind or other on thee: and &s;o &s;ome do interpret, <HI>Jam.</HI> 5. 20. 3. <HI>He who re|buketh a man, &s;hall afterward find more favour,</HI> than he who flattereth him with his lips, <HI>Prov.</HI> 28. 23. How&s;oever, the wounds of a friend are faithful, <HI>Prov.</HI> 27. 5.</P>
<PB N="88" REF="51">
<P><HI>U&s;e.</HI> All which notwith&s;tanding, (for I now come <HI>to reprove for not reproving</HI>) it is not an ea&s;ie thing to find a faithful man, <HI>Prov.</HI> 20. 6. and <HI>the duty of reproving</HI> (as <HI>Mr. E. H. of Br.</HI> &s;aid) is <HI>generally neglect|ed.</HI> O how common this &s;in is! <HI>A.</HI> neglecting the education of his children; <HI>B.</HI> &s;peaks of it <HI>behind his back,</HI> but not a word to his face. <HI>C.</HI> in his prayer at a Meeting, makes &s;uch a confe&s;&s;ion of &s;ins and cor|ruptions, as if the Company were (excepting outward acts of gro&s;s &s;ins) the wor&s;t per&s;ons in all the City, and yet &s;peaks &s;o in his Sermon, as if they had &s;carce any &s;in at all, fit to be &s;poken of. <HI>D.</HI> preacheth of &s;ins, under the notion of <HI>the devils dainties,</HI> and in&s;tanceth in none but <HI>oppre&s;&s;ion,</HI> (of which belike none of the Hearers were guilty.) And <HI>men of dainty expre&s;&s;ions</HI> have <HI>fooli&s;h wi&s;dom</HI> enough, to pa&s;s by the &s;ins of their Hearers, and to find out other matters enough to &s;pend the <MILESTONE N="221"> time on. There were of old three &s;orts of Prophets; <HI>true and faithful Prophets; fal&s;e Prophets,</HI> and <HI>faulty Prophets, Jer.</HI> 23. 13, 14. to 17. But they al&s;o, who are not Preachers, are guilty of much &s;inful &s;ilence; I would have them and the Preachers, to take great heed, le&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> <MILESTONE N="222"> look on them for it, as he did on tho&s;e, <HI>Mark</HI> 3. 4, 5. with anger. For many profe&s;&s;ing men and <HI>women, through want of due admonition and rebuke,</HI> do go on &s;till in their tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, to the di&s;honour of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and the grieving of his holy Spirit, and the di&s;grace of Religion, (e|ven opening the mouths of profane per&s;ons, to bla&s;pheme the right wayes of the Lord) and (at lea&s;t) to the lo&s;s and damage (if not utter de&s;truction) of both the parties; of them who&s;e behaviour calls for reproof, and <HI>of them that do not pay it,</HI> (1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3. 15.) and to the lengthening of that <HI>which we call</HI> our afflictions. And is all this no|thing to you, who e&s;teem your &s;elves the children of God, and mem|bers of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and &s;ay, that ye are taught of God, and that <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> loved you, and gave him&s;elf for you? Is <HI>Chri&s;t's</HI> di&s;ho|nour, and the polluting of God's name, nothing to you? The griev|ing of the good Spirit of God, nothing? The di&s;credit of the true Re|ligion, nothing? and the continuance of the Saints afflictions, no|thing? Is all this nothing to you? Is it po&s;&s;ible, that a man or wo|man &s;hould be a <HI>new</HI> creature, and not be grieved at the heart, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> that the&s;e things have come to pa&s;s through his or her &s;inful &s;ilence? But, O, how few Profe&s;&s;ors do <HI>duly con&s;ider, of who&s;e &s;ins, and of which of their &s;ins, they be guilty and partakers?</HI> 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 5. 22. And from <MILESTONE N="223"> whence comes this our &s;inful &s;ilence? Even from our (carnal) &s;elf|love, affiance in men, carnal and worldly fears, and want (at lea&s;t in part) of love towards God, affiance in God, filial fear of God, and brotherly love towards one another. Con&s;ider, I pray you, what I
<PB N="89" REF="51"> &s;ay, that ye may the more abhor this pernicious kind of &s;ilence, and humble your &s;elves for it, and hereafter <HI>not</HI> hold your peace from good and fit words, but, as there is cau&s;e and occa&s;ion, open your mouths, and reprove, &amp;c. <HI>Apologies.</HI> But here, it may be, the&s;e <MILESTONE N="234"> <HI>dumb Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> (Ezck. 3. 16.) will &s;ay;</P>
<P>1. One, that reproving belongs to Mini&s;ters.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> But I &s;ay, that it appertains al&s;o unto them who are not Mi|ni&s;ters; as ye may &s;ee, <HI>Lev.</HI> 19. 17. <HI>Mat.</HI> 18. 15. <HI>Luke</HI> 17. 3. 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5. 14. <HI>Heb.</HI> 3. 12, 13. and 10. 24, 25.</P>
<P>2. Another, that he ab&s;tains from reproving Profe&s;&s;ors, becau&s;e their &s;ins be few or little, and that &s;ome of them have but one <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ault.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Indeed, Friend, the Faults of &s;ome Profe&s;&s;ors are many. And for tho&s;e who have but few; knowe&s;t thou not, that, as (a few) <HI>dead flies do cau&s;e the ointment of the Apoth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">cary to &s;end forth a &s;tinking &s;avour:</HI> &s;o a little folly doth him who is in reputation for wi&s;dom and ho|nour? <HI>Eccl.</HI> 10. 1. Art thou content, that Profe&s;&s;ors &s;hould <HI>u&s;e to tre&s;|pa&s;s</HI> again&s;t the mo&s;t high God in a few little &s;ins? to defile his name whom thou calle&s;t thy heavenly Father, <HI>a little?</HI> to grieve his holy &s;pi|rit <HI>a little?</HI> to di&s;grace his Go&s;pel <HI>a little?</HI> and to make the ointment and reputation of <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> &s;tink <HI>a little?</HI> yet all this thou art guilty of, <HI>by keeping &s;ilence.</HI> Why man, our Lord <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> being the eternal Wi&s;dom, and the word of God, having again&s;t the Angels of the Churches of <HI>Pergames</HI> and <HI>Thyatira,</HI> again&s;t either of them, but a few things, and again&s;t the Angel of the Church of <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> only his <HI>leaving of his fir&s;t love;</HI> yet he &s;aw cau&s;e to reprove them all for their few Faults, as well as to prai&s;e them for their good works; as ye may &s;ee <HI>Rev.</HI> 2. and al&s;o, that <HI>part of their iniquities was the &s;uffering of evil works.</HI> Take heed then, thou be not rent and torn, as acce&s;&s;ary to o|ther mens &s;ins, <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 5. 14. For I have already &s;hewn thee, that <HI>there is no little &s;in, becau&s;e there is no little God.</HI> The true God is infinitely great and worthy, and every &s;in is committed again&s;t him; therefore every &s;in is great. See <HI>Marg.</HI> 30. 31. Moreover, I fear, many Pro|fe&s;&s;ors do make nothing of &s;ome of their little Tre&s;pa&s;&s;es: and doth <MILESTONE N="225"> not this make them in Gods e&s;teem <HI>far the greater?</HI> Verily it doth. And what do they, that do not reprove them? what do they make of their &s;ins? Truly, <HI>the offender and non-reprover</HI> are in that too like one another. Be&s;ide, many little &s;ins do yied but <HI>little (&s;eeming) good fruit;</HI> and that greatens them, that we <HI>dare</HI> tre&s;pa&s;s again&s;t the mo&s;t high God, and his holy, ju&s;t, and good Commandments, <HI>for &s;uch poor matters,</HI> for trifles. And I have &s;poken unto you of the Profe&s;&s;ors,
<PB N="90" REF="52"> which in that great day &s;hall be &s;et on Chri&s;ts left hand; of the grea|ter part of them, that they &s;hall be <HI>damned for little &s;ins, and &s;ins about things indifferent.</HI> Take heed therefore, ye who u&s;e liberty, as an occa|&s;ion to the fle&s;h, and ye who are &s;ilent at &s;uch mens &s;ins; take heed, I &s;ay, le&s;t ye be torn in pieces <HI>together,</HI> when there is none to deliver, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 50. 22.</P>
<P><HI>Repl.</HI> But &s;ome Profe&s;&s;ors u&s;e to practi&s;e (as far as I &s;ee) only one <MILESTONE N="226"> &s;in; it may be <HI>rotten or frothy talk:</HI> I hope it is <HI>no fault</HI> in me, to let them alone in one &s;in.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> No fault? Why man, for how many and what faults did <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t in the time of his low e&s;tate,</HI> reprove <HI>Martha?</HI> Lu. 10. 41, 42. I think, it was not for many, nor for great faults; yet he reproved her. And &s;o did God <HI>for one fault,</HI> reprove <HI>Sarah,</HI> Gen. 18. 15. &amp;c. and <HI>Jacob,</HI> Gen. 35. 1. and <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Aaron,</HI> and <HI>Jehu,</HI> the Prophet <HI>Jeho&s;haphat,</HI> 2 Chron. 19. 2. and <HI>Paul, Peter,</HI> Gal. 2. 11. &amp;c. and <HI>an</HI> Angel, <HI>John,</HI> Rev. 19. 10. and 22, 9. Be&s;ide 1. It may be, this or that Profe&s;&s;or doth practi&s;e more &s;ins, than thou knowe&s;t of. (He may favour his &s;ecret &s;ins.) 2. Being reproved for one &s;in, that reproof may occa&s;ion him to take notice of other &s;ins, which thou knowe&s;t not of. 3. How&s;oever, reproof and in&s;truction concerning one &s;in, is a good way to keep him from making a Trade of many &s;ins, yea of any one &s;in. If thou thinke&s;t thy &s;elf wi&s;er than <HI>Jehu</HI> the Prophet, and <HI>Paul;</HI> yet take heed of <HI>making thy&s;elf</HI> wi&s;er than <HI>Chri&s;t:</HI> for thou mu&s;t &s;tand before his judgment-&s;eat; and he is a righteous Judge, and <HI>will bring to light the hidden things of darkne&s;s, and make manife&s;t the coun&s;els of the hearts,</HI> and condemn (I fear) many Profe&s;&s;ors for <HI>idle words and</HI> the like <HI>(&s;mall) &s;ins,</HI> which they do &s;eldom or never <HI>particu|larly grieve for, or confe&s;s, and ask pardon of:</HI> which is an Argument, that they do in their hearts make &s;mall matters of them; and the way (if I may &s;o &s;peak) <HI>to make God</HI> look on them, <HI>as foul matters.</HI> Which I hold very fit to be thought of, and this al&s;o, that it is a very <HI>wretched</HI> thing for a man who <HI>thinks him&s;elf wi&s;e,</HI> to &s;uffer any one of his fel|low-Profe&s;&s;ors to be damned for one &s;in.</P>
<P>Another may &s;ay, I do &s;ay nothing to &s;uch a Profe&s;&s;or, becau&s;e he <MILESTONE N="227"> is a <HI>Dog,</HI> or a <HI>Swine,</HI> Mat. 7. 6.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> What a Profe&s;&s;or, and a <HI>Dog,</HI> or a <HI>Swine?</HI> Either of the&s;e is a very heavy charge, with which we mu&s;t not without a very good ground, load any of tho&s;e who have gotten the name of Profe&s;&s;ors, (no nor of them who have not neither.)</P>
<P><HI>Repl.</HI> If he be not a <HI>Dog,</HI> or <HI>Swine,</HI> yet, if I &s;hould reprove him, he would be angry with me, and not receive the good coun&s;el which I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 words"> him.</P>
<PB N="91" REF="52">
<P><HI>A.</HI> Art thou &s;ure of that? Who told thee &s;o? Did he him&s;elf at any time tell thee &s;o? Where is thy Charity? or, of what kind is it? For <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaking of <HI>true Chri&s;tian Charity,</HI> &s;aith, that it hopeth all (good) things, and thinketh no evil, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13. 5, 7. to wit of others (without a &s;ound and &s;ure ground.) Take heed of proving thy &s;elf, <HI>nothing,</HI> ver. 1. 2, 3. Verily if a man &s;hould tell me, he would not re|ceive in&s;truction; I think, I &s;hould not ab&s;olutely believe him. It <MILESTONE N="228"> may be, he might be di&s;plea&s;ed and angry with me for a while, and afterward his &s;econd thoughts might be better: (although I have known when, (I think, a Captain and a Lieutenant) have fairly en|dured my &s;tout and blunt reproof in an Inn in <HI>London,</HI> for &s;wearing. For I &s;aid unto them, <HI>Gentlemen,</HI> what are ye, who thus tran&s;gre&s;s the Laws of God and the King, by &s;wearing?) We know not what &s;uc|ce&s;s we &s;hall have. 180000 cho&s;en Warriors of <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>Benjamin,</HI> being a&s;&s;embled together, to fight again&s;t the ten Tribes; yet, when they under&s;tood, it was the Lords mind, that they &s;hould depart e|very man to his hou&s;e, and not fight again&s;t their brethren, they hearkened to him, and (without any more ado) returned to depart according to the word of the Lord, 1 <HI>King.</HI> 12. 21, 22, 23, 24. Al&s;o when the people of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and the <HI>Prie&s;ts,</HI> and the <HI>Levites</HI> had mingled them&s;elves with the Heathens, &amp;c. although the hand of the Princes and Rulers were chief in this tre&s;pa&s;s; yet <HI>Ezra</HI> the Prie&s;t prevailed with them to put away their &s;trange Wives <HI>and their children</HI> born of them, <HI>chap.</HI> 9. and 10. and <HI>Nehemiah</HI> prevailed with the Nobles and <MILESTONE N="229"> the Rulers and others, to leave their U&s;ury and Oppre&s;&s;ion, and <HI>to make re&s;titution,</HI> chap. 5. Neither do we find that <HI>Nebuchadnezzar</HI> or <HI>Bel&s;hazzar</HI> were di&s;plea&s;ed with <HI>Daniel,</HI> when he told them, what would come upon them, <HI>Dan.</HI> 4. and 5. Why then &s;hould not I and others hope, that God will give us good &s;ucce&s;s, when we go <HI>in the fear of God, and with an upright heart</HI> about this bu&s;ine&s;s? Why not, that very many will prove like <HI>David,</HI> who if the righteous would &s;mite him with wounds of reproof, would receive them as a kindne&s;s, and as a precious Medicine, which would help to heal his &s;oul; &s;o we are to under&s;tand, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 141. 5. My charity tells me that Profe&s;&s;ors do tre&s;pa&s;&s;e in &s;ome &s;ins, and particularly concerning <HI>Ornaments of the body and other things indifferent, ignorantly,</HI> not knowing that they be &s;ins, or acting ra&s;hly, without due con&s;ideration, of which if they were ad|moni&s;hed, I cannot but hope, a great part, and, it may be, &s;ome who are <HI>thy near neighbours,</HI> would receive in&s;truction, and reform. There|fore pity Profe&s;&s;ors, and do the be&s;t thou can&s;t, to awaken them, and to open their eyes, and to help the lame to walk.</P>
<PB N="92" REF="53">
<P><HI>Apol.</HI> But &s;ome of the offending Profe&s;&s;ors are my <HI>Friends,</HI> and <MILESTONE N="230"> &s;ome <HI>my Benefactors;</HI> I live by <HI>their Benevolence and good will;</HI> and for that cau&s;e I do forbear their &s;ins.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> Do you &s;o? What are you? Are you a <HI>Chri&s;tian?</HI> What is that then, which you profe&s;s? Is it <HI>carnal</HI> &s;elf-love and &s;elf-&s;eeking? If it be &s;o, then your &s;ilence doth not belie your profe&s;&s;ion. But it may be, you think, you do love them, who love you, (as the <HI>Publicans</HI> did <HI>(Mat.</HI> 5. 46.) And is this thy kindne&s;s to thy Friends? Why man, thou oughte&s;t to mini&s;ter &s;piritual things to them e&s;pecially, who mi|ni&s;ter carnal and worldly things to thee: for that is one of the Obligati|ons which are upon thee. Yea, Friend, if thou &s;ee&s;t <HI>the A&s;s of thine enemy,</HI> lying under his burthen; thou oughte&s;t (&s;urely) <HI>to leave thy bu&s;ine&s;s</HI> to help him, and if thou meet <HI>the Ox or A&s;s</HI> of thy <HI>enemy</HI> going a&s;tray; thou oughte&s;t (&s;urely) to bring it back again, <HI>Exod.</HI> 23. 4, 5. and can&s;t thou &s;ee <HI>the &s;oul</HI> of thy Friend, who loveth thee (and thou pretende&s;t to love him) can&s;t thou &s;ee his &s;oul, going a&s;tray, and not cake &s;ome care and pains, to bring it back again? and &s;ee the &s;oul of thy Benefactor lying under a burthen of &s;in, and forbear to help it? Is this true love, and true Chri&s;tianity, not to take &s;o much care and pains, to help <HI>thy Friends &s;oul</HI> as thou oughte&s;t to help thy <HI>enemies A&s;s?</HI> Surely, I know not, where this is true Chri&s;tian love, unle&s;s it be beyond the <HI>Antipodes,</HI> or where all the people be Heathens. For as for <HI>Chri&s;tians,</HI> they ought to have more re&s;pect to the &s;ouls one of another, than to the bodies. But alas, Friend, all this while, I have <MILESTONE N="232"> not remembred, that which thou and I ought in all our dealings with Profe&s;&s;ors principally and above all other things to regard, to wit, the honour and intere&s;t of <HI>our mo&s;t dear Friend Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> Mat. 6. 9. 1 Cor. 10. 31. Can&s;t thou per&s;wade thy &s;elf, to neglect him al&s;o, whom thou oughte&s;t to re&s;pect above all the Creation? But very many Profe&s;&s;ors do little think, how many &s;ins of others they be par|takers of, and how much their iniquity is encrea&s;ed through their &s;in|ful &s;ilence.</P>
<P><HI>Apol.</HI> But Sir, will &s;ome &s;ay <HI>in their</HI> hearts; (I fear it is &s;o with <MILESTONE N="233"> many, although they &s;peak it not with their Tongues, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 14. 1.) if I &s;hould reprove <HI>N.</HI> I &s;hould lo&s;e <HI>the help of his pur&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>A. How long ha&s;t thou been a Profe&s;&s;or, that thou <HI>ha&s;t</HI> &s;o little Charity? For he ought to love thee the more for thy Faithfulne&s;s <HI>(Prov.</HI> 27. 5, 6.) and the rather to make thee one of the Mrs. of his pur&s;e. And why art thou &s;o fooli&s;h and &s;o &s;low, to believe what the Scripture hath &s;poken? Doth not the &s;pirit of truth by <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;ay, <HI>Prov.</HI> 28. 23. that <HI>He who rebuketh a man, &s;hall afterwards find
<PB N="93" REF="53"> more favour, than he who flattereth with the Tougue;</HI> and <HI>Prov.</HI> 16. 7. that <HI>when a mans ways plea&s;e the Lord, he maketh his enemies to be at peace with him?</HI> And, will he then &s;uffer thy Friends, when thou do&s;t thy duty, to do them good, to &s;hew them&s;elves unkind, and as no Friends to thee. Be not faithle&s;s, but believing: <HI>tru&s;t in God.</HI> How&s;oever, the favour and loving kindne&s;s of God is better than life, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 63. 3. Take heed, God look not on thee, as a <HI>man-plea&s;er,</HI> and none of <HI>the &s;er|vants of</HI> Chri&s;t, <HI>Gal.</HI> 1. 10.</P>
<P><HI>Obj.</HI> But, is it not enough, that I do frequently and earne&s;tly <HI>pray for the Reformation of Profe&s;&s;ors?</HI></P>
<P>A. That indeed is more, than <HI>mo&s;t Profe&s;&s;ors do;</HI> I think &s;o, and that they do not judge, that there is need of any great <HI>Reformation.</HI> Yet that is but part of thy duty. This thou oughte&s;t to do, and not to omit reproof. And it may be, God hath not heard thy prayers for them, becau&s;e thou do&s;t not reprove them.</P>
<P><HI>Apol.</HI> But peradventure one or two will &s;ay, they be not throughly <MILESTONE N="234"> reformed them&s;elves.</P>
<P>A. Who&s;e fault is that? Why do&s;t thou delay to clean&s;e thy ways according to Gods rule? <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 9. Neither do Chri&s;ts words, <HI>Mat.</HI> 7. or any other Scripture import, that unreformed or poorly|reformed Profe&s;&s;ors be freed from the duty of exhorting and repro|ving others: So that thy &s;ilence at other mens faults doth encrea&s;e thine iniquity. It is indeed better to &s;weep before thy own door <HI>fir&s;t:</HI> but if thou be &s;o fooli&s;h, as not to &s;weep there, nece&s;&s;ity is laid upon thee, to con&s;ider and reprove other Profe&s;&s;ors, and wo may come to thee, if thou do&s;t not.</P>
<P><HI>Obj.</HI> But, if I do tell others of their faults, then (belike) they will upbraid me with mine.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> I could wi&s;h all thy near Neighbours and acquaintance would tell thee of them: then, it may be, thou would&s;t amend them, which would be far better for thee, than to &s;uffer in Hell fire for them.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 2. Receive then this <HI>Admonition;</HI> reprove tho&s;e Profe&s;&s;ors <MILESTONE N="235"> that are fit to be reproved: and to move <HI>thee</HI> thereunto, con&s;ider. It is the will of God and thy duty: therefore do it, 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5. 18. (yea, it is &s;aid, <HI>Lev.</HI> 7. 19. 17. <HI>Thou &s;halt in any wi&s;e rebuke thy Neighbour, and not &s;uffer &s;in upon him:</HI> which words do import, that we mu&s;t do it (as we &s;ay) <HI>by all means,</HI> and not &s;uffer other affairs and matters to keep us from doing it.) Thou ha&s;t authority to do it. Hath not God command|ed thee? It is a debt which thou owe&s;t to &s;uch as need it; pay that thou owe&s;t, withhold not good from <HI>them to whom it is due, Rom.</HI> 13.
<PB N="94" REF="54"> 8. <HI>Prov.</HI> 3. 27. It tends to Gods honour and glory. Do it for his &s;ake. And to the healing and good of the blind, lame, &s;leepy, &amp;c. Do it al&s;o for their &s;akes. Do it al&s;o for thy own &s;ake; <HI>that thou bear not &s;in for thy Neighbour.</HI> So &s;ome render the la&s;t clau&s;e, <HI>Lev.</HI> 19. 17. that is that thou be not puni&s;hed for not rebuking him. <HI>Keep thy &s;elf pure, be not partaker of other mens &s;ins:</HI> 1 Tim. 5. 22. and partaker (for certain) thou art, with him or her whom thou oughte&s;t to reprove, either of tho&s;e tre&s;pa&s;&s;es for which thou oughte&s;t to reprove them, or of the tre&s;pa&s;&s;es in &s;ins of the &s;ame kind which they commit after, or of both. One thing more &s;ome have inferred from the Coherence <MILESTONE N="236"> of the words, <HI>Lev.</HI> 19. 17. <HI>viz.</HI> that <HI>not to reprove is to hate:</HI> which inference, whether it be right or not; yet, if he who &s;pareth his rod, doth, <HI>in the Language of the Holy Gho&s;t,</HI> hate his Son (as he doth; for that's the expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>Prov.</HI> 13. 24.) then, in the Language of the Holy Gho&s;t, he who &s;pareth words of reproof, when he ought to re|prove, <HI>hateth tho&s;e whom he ought to reprove;</HI> his Neighbours, Friends, Benefactors Profe&s;&s;ors, and of what &s;ort &s;oever they be. And I would not that Profe&s;&s;ors &s;hould hate one another, but reprove of|fenders; as the <HI>LORD</HI> him&s;elf did <HI>Sarah, Gen.</HI> 18. 12, 15. the Son of God, <HI>Martha, Luke</HI> 10. 41, 42. and the Angels the Chur|ches of <HI>A&s;ia, Rev.</HI> 2. and 3. and the Holy Gho&s;t doth the World, <HI>John</HI> 16. 8, 9. <HI>Nathan, David,</HI> 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 12. and <HI>Paul</HI> his fellow Apo|&s;tle, <HI>Peter,</HI> Gal. 2. In a word, do ye de&s;ire to walk purely, and wi&s;ely? Tread then in the &s;teps of <HI>Paul,</HI> and other godly per&s;ons, as they did in the &s;teps of God and <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. 1. Now <MILESTONE N="237"> that the fore-mentioned <HI>cau&s;es</HI> of our &s;inful &s;ilence may not be of force to de&s;troy or weaken our holy Re&s;olution to admoni&s;h, re|prove, &amp;c. Con&s;ider, what it is for a man <HI>to love him&s;elf aright.</HI> 2. Stir up in thy heart very much love of God, and much filial fear of God, and a &s;trong Affiance in God, and much brotherly love toward Profe&s;&s;ors and the Church of God, e&s;pecially in re&s;pect of their &s;piritual welfare. For, if the&s;e five things be really in thee and do abound, they will make thee, that thou &s;halt <HI>neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> (2 Pet. 1. 8.) and particularly (what&s;oever more may be &s;aid of them) they will move thee effectually, to do, what I would fain have thee to do, (to labour to reform, to reprove, &amp;c.) and that, as thy duty, and al&s;o for the &s;ervice and honour of God, and for the good of Profe&s;&s;ors and <MILESTONE N="238"> Gods Church, and of offendors, and for thy own good. And Af|fiance in God will drive away Affiance in man; and the love of God and his people, will drive away carnal &s;elf-love; and the fear of God
<PB N="95" REF="54"> and Affiance in God will drive away carnal and worldly feats of men, of the lo&s;s of the love of men, of the anger and ill will of men, of poverty, of mens <HI>&s;hutting up</HI> their bowels <HI>of compa&s;&s;ion from us</HI> contrary to 1 <HI>John</HI> 3. 17. And what &s;aith <HI>David?</HI> P&s;al. 31. 19. <HI>O how great</HI> (&s;aith he unto God) <HI>is thy goodne&s;s, which thou ha&s;t laid up (in &s;tore?</HI> Sure it is a very great mea&s;ure of Happine&s;s which he &s;peaks of. And for whom hath God laid it up in &s;tore? Verily, for them who fear God, and for them who <HI>tru&s;t in him before the &s;ons of men:</HI> that is, (not who tru&s;t in God rather, than in men, or more than in men, but) <HI>for them who, by their carriage toward men and dealings with men, do make it appear that they do really tru&s;t in God.</HI> Truly, Friends, it is a wretched thing for a man, to &s;ay, God is his Father, and that he tru&s;t|eth in him for a man&s;ion in Heaven, and not to <HI>tru&s;t in</HI> and relie on him for his daily bread; <HI>as if his Father were dead.</HI> But now let me be&s;tow &s;ome Rules on you concerning reproving. 1. Know, that <MILESTONE N="239"> thou art bound to deal concerning their &s;ins, not only with the Pro|fe&s;&s;ors with whom thou <HI>u&s;est</HI> to have fellow&s;hip in the Go&s;pel <HI>at meet|ings,</HI> but with other Profe&s;&s;ors al&s;o. 2. Con&s;ider, whom to re|prove, when, where, how, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> whom fir&s;t, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> 3. Admoni&s;h and reprove with as much <HI>heavenly</HI> wi&s;dom and fit humane di&s;cretion as thou can&s;t, begging wi&s;dom <HI>of God, who giveth to all men liberally,</HI> Jam. 1. 5. and 3. 17. 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 3. 5. &amp;c. 4. As lovingly <HI>(for true Chri&s;tian love)</HI> and as mildly and meekly, as thou can&s;t, <HI>unle&s;s there be cau&s;e to deal otherwi&s;e,</HI> Gal. 6. 1. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 6, 24, 25. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 5. 20. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 21. <HI>Jude ver.</HI> 22, 23. <HI>Gal.</HI> 2. 11. 5. Shew all due and fit re&s;pect to <HI>the credit</HI> of offendors, <HI>&amp;c. Mat.</HI> 18. 15, 16, 17. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4, 6. 6. Having re&s;pect to <HI>the calling and age</HI> of the offendors, accor|ding to <HI>Col.</HI> 4. 17. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1. 2. and to the temper and di&s;po&s;ition of their &s;pirits <HI>generally.</HI> 7. Con&s;ider al&s;o thy &s;elf, <HI>thy own calling, age,</HI> &amp;c. For &s;uch Language did become our Saviour and <HI>Paul,</HI> as would not have been fit for &s;ome of the ordinary Pa&s;tors, <HI>Luke</HI> 24. 25. <HI>Gal.</HI> 3. 1. 8. <HI>Above all other Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> (excepting thy &s;elf) <HI>be</HI> <MILESTONE N="240"> <HI>&s;ure, (as far forth as there is cau&s;e)</HI> to admoni&s;h and reque&s;t <HI>the Mi|ni&s;ters and Preachers, to apparel and adorn their Souls, Bodies, Sermons, and Prayers,</HI> and all their behaviour, more like men profe&s;&s;ing God|line&s;s, Sobriety, (Mode&s;ty) Mortification, and Humility (1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 10. <HI>Tit.</HI> 2. 3, 4, 5, 8.) and to conform more fully to the Doctrine and practi&s;e of <HI>Paul</HI> (1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2. 1. &amp;c. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 14. 8, 9. 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.) and to deal more faithfully, and more plainly, and more home, with thee and other Profe&s;&s;ors, than many of them u&s;e to do&punc; and not to cea&s;e from admoni&s;hing, rebuking, <HI>&amp;c,</HI> till ther<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">
<PB N="96" REF="55"> an Univer&s;al Reformation. Nay, they who are not Preachers, have Authority to admoni&s;h Mini&s;ters, 1 <HI>Th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;.</HI> 4. 8, and 5. 14. <HI>Hebr. 3. 12, 13. Col.</HI> 4. 17. and, according to the &s;eeing of my eyes, and my be&s;t intelligence, the <HI>out-&s;ides</HI> and &s;ilence, and o|ther &s;ins of Mini&s;ters in <HI>London</HI> and el&s;ewhere do require it. 9. Imitate <HI>Abigail, 1 Sam.</HI> 25. 36. Reprove no man, whil&s;t he is in his drink (I have heard of &s;ome Profe&s;&s;ors, that they have been drunk) or in a pa&s;&s;ion: for with that, &s;ome mens minds are di&s;abled, as much as they would be wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h exce&s;s of drink. Yet here, query, whether a Profe&s;&s;or ought not to be&s;tow a few words of rebuke on his fellow-Profe&s;&s;or who &s;hews him&s;elf drunk, or in a pa&s;&s;ion, <HI>in the pre&s;ence and &s;ight of profane per&s;ons,</HI> that they may not have occa&s;ion, to &s;ay, We do indulge and bear one with another <HI>carnally;</HI> I mean, whether he ought not to do &s;o much <HI>forthwith:</HI> One of the be&s;t times to reprove an offender, &s;hould be, when he hath been at &s;ome exerci&s;e of Religion, as a Fa&s;t, or hearing &s;ome whol&s;om in&s;tructions concerning the &s;oul, or at prayer, e&s;pecially praying apart from others: If a Profe&s;&s;or will not immediately or &s;oon after that receive a Reproof with a quiet &s;pirit, I know not when he will, but &s;hall look on it, as a very bad <MILESTONE N="241"> &s;ign. 10. Remember, it is not, <HI>an hundred and twenty years,</HI> nor, <HI>let it alone this year al&s;o,</HI> nor, <HI>yet forty dayes,</HI> but <HI>to</HI> day, <HI>Heb.</HI> 4. 7. Defer not this nece&s;&s;ary work of reproving, &amp;c. <HI>without ju&s;t cau&s;e,</HI> no not for a moment. For we know not, what a day may bring forth, <HI>Prov. 3. 28. Prov. 27. 1. Jam.</HI> 4. 14. and <HI>many Profe&s;&s;ors have need of much help;</HI> yea &s;ome, I believe, who have <HI>&s;pecious and large</HI> Forms of Godline&s;s, long prayers, <HI>(Eccl. 5. 1, 2, 3. Mat.</HI> 6. 7, 8, 9. &amp;c. <HI>Mat.</HI> 23. 14.) &amp;c. and &s;ome, who, in their &s;peeches <HI>at times,</HI> do make <HI>a fair &s;hew of true grace</HI> (it may be of much) of Zeal, Humilia|tion, Mortification, Humility, Sobriety, Mode&s;ty, tenderne&s;s of Con&s;cience, contempt of earthly things, &amp;c. For, that notwith&s;tand|ing, a con&s;iderable part of their ornaments and behaviour &s;avours and &s;mells (what if I had &s;aid &s;tinks?) of <HI>Pride, Vanity, Curio&s;ity, fooli&s;hne&s;s, (fooli&s;h-talking, and un&s;eemly je&s;ting) exce&s;&s;ive mirth and jollity, la&s;civiou&s;ne&s;s, love of plea&s;ure and ea&s;e, palat-plea&s;ing, men plea|&s;ing,</HI> &amp;c. one part of their behaviour contradicting the other part, 2 <HI>Tim. 3. 5. Tit.</HI> 1. 16. O how <HI>piou&s;ly,</HI> religiou&s;ly and holily (for the words) &s;ome will &s;ometimes talk, who are very little or ju&s;t nothing for <HI>true Chri&s;tians.</HI> Like <HI>the legs of the lame,</HI> which <HI>are not equal,</HI> or <HI>a pa|rable in the mouth of a fool,</HI> Prov. 26. 7. As if a man &s;hould have <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Garlands</HI> or <HI>Ivy-bu&s;hes</HI> hanged at the door of his hou&s;e, and <HI>very
<PB N="97" REF="55"> little or no good drink</HI> within it. What &s;aid <HI>Mr. Walter Cradock?</HI> <MILESTONE N="242"> <HI>I prote&s;t</HI> (quoth he) <HI>the&s;e women are enough to make a man an Athie&s;t,</HI> &s;peaking of &s;ome female Profe&s;&s;ors; which he might well have &s;po|ken of &s;ome Male Profe&s;&s;ors al&s;o. 11. Who&s;oever doubteth <HI>con|cerning any matter,</HI> let him ask of them who are able to in&s;truct him, and al&s;o <HI>con&s;cientious,</HI> to direct him aright.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> 3. With all importune the Almighty alwayes, and with all <MILESTONE N="243"> thy might and skill <HI>(Luke</HI> 18.) to reform Profe&s;&s;ors, and to &s;tir up Profe&s;&s;ors, (Preachers, and el&s;e) to do what they are able, both pri|vately and publickly, when they be the mouth of God to men, or the mouth of men to God, and in all other ca&s;es, toward the re|forming of Profe&s;&s;ors, e&s;pecially in reproving them for their &s;ins and tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, and to encrea&s;e the abilities of &s;uch as are willing, and to ble&s;s their prai&s;e-worthy enterprizes. For, as far as I &s;ee, or have been informed, and can remember, <HI>very few Profe&s;&s;ors do pray for the Reformation of Profe&s;&s;ors under the name of Reformation;</HI> I mean, u&s;ing that term. Many u&s;e to &s;peak, as if they &s;hould &s;ay, &s;ome Pro|fe&s;&s;ors indeed might do well to amend &s;ome matters: but their faults be &s;o few and &s;o &s;mall, that the amendment of them would &s;carce or not at all de&s;erve <HI>the name of a Reformation:</HI> &s;o that <HI>it is not very material, whether they do amend or not.</HI> But I am not of this judgment.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> 4. Let all tho&s;e Profe&s;&s;ors who are fit to be reproved (the <MILESTONE N="244"> number whereof is <HI>very great)</HI> either prevent the Reprovers (for, I hope, they will be many) or el&s;e prepare them&s;elves to receive Re|proofs with a calm and thankful heart, and when Reproofs come, en|tertain them with &s;uch a &s;pirit. To which end, I coun&s;el thee, who art a Profe&s;&s;or, 1. To &s;tir up in thy heart, a real and earne&s;t de&s;ire, to know more of thy &s;ins, and of the dangers and evils of them. 2. To reque&s;t and entreat Profe&s;&s;ors, (Mini&s;ters and others,) to &s;peak to thee of thy &s;ins, and to tell thee, that they be thine, and to repre|hend thee for them. Say (in thy heart) as <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 141. <HI>Let the</HI> <MILESTONE N="245"> <HI>righteous &s;mite me, it &s;hall be a kindne&s;s,</HI> &amp;c. 3. When any man <HI>or wo|man</HI> reproves thee, remember, that it is his or her duty &s;o to do. So that thou maye&s;t very well &s;ay, as <HI>David</HI> &s;aid of <HI>Shim<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i, 2 Sam. 16. The Lord hath bidden him, and who &s;hall then &s;ay unto him, wherefore ha&s;t thou done &s;o?</HI> 2 Sam. 16. 10, 11. 4. Exerci&s;e thy charity in believ|ing, that he reproves thee <HI>out of true Chri&s;tian love, aiming at thy good,</HI> and the other worthy ends before &s;pecified. For this is one of the ef|fects of charity, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13. 5, 7. 5. Remember, that <HI>it is better, to hear the rebuke of the wi&s;e, than to hear the &s;ong of Fools,</HI> Eccl. 7. 5&punc; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">
<PB N="98" REF="56"> <HI>open rebuke is better than &s;ecret love;</HI> and that <HI>the wounds of a friend are faithful,</HI> Prov. 27. 5, 6. (To a wi&s;e man love hidden and not <MILESTONE N="246"> manife&s;ted, is in mo&s;t ca&s;es little worth.) O that there were &s;uch a &s;pirit in all our Preachers, as was in <HI>Micaiah,</HI> 1 King. 22. 23. and in all Profe&s;&s;ors, as in <HI>David,</HI> to take reproofs, as he did, <HI>P&s;al. 141. 1 Sam.</HI> 25. 32, 33. Then our Preachers would be far more frequent and bold in reproving, than now they be, and &s;peak plainly, not &s;uffering Profe&s;&s;ors to <HI>proclaim them&s;elves Gods enemies, by going on &s;till in their tre&s;pa&s;&s;es,</HI> P&s;al. 68. 21. and Profe&s;&s;ors would <HI>take a reproof, as a kindne&s;s; and for it love the Reprover; which would be a &s;ign of grace</HI> in the per&s;ons reproved, and would be fol|lowed with a happy amendment of &s;uch Profe&s;&s;ors wayes. Yea, if Profe&s;&s;ors do reque&s;t their fellow-Profe&s;&s;ors, to mind them of their faults, and <HI>really re&s;olve</HI> to take a reproof, as a kindne&s;s; then, if &s;ome of their fellows and <HI>friends</HI> &s;hall <HI>neglect them,</HI> it may be, God will do them much good by the <HI>upbraiding, har&s;h and bitter words of an enemy.</HI> For he can bring good out of evil. How&s;oever, a great Reformation would follow; and that (with humility) would (in due time) bring a great exaltation &amp; much pro&s;perity, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 5. 6.</P>
<P><HI>Obj.</HI> But what &s;aid one unto me lately? What (&s;aid he) if other <MILESTONE N="247"> Mini&s;ters will not become Reprovers?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> What if <HI>Lot</HI> were living again in <HI>Sodom?</HI> yet he would be righteous and &s;ay, <HI>I pray you brethren, do not &s;o wickedly,</HI> Gen. 19. 7. What if the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> would &s;erve fal&s;e Gods? yet <HI>Jo&s;huah and his hou&s;e would &s;erve JEHOVAH,</HI> Jo&s;. 24. 15. What if all fle&s;h hath corrupted his wayes upon the earth? yet <HI>Noah</HI> will be a <HI>ju&s;t and perfect man,</HI> and a Preacher of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and <HI>walk with God, Gen.</HI> 6. 9, 12. What if a <HI>Prie&s;t</HI> doth only &s;ee the man who is woun|ded and left half dead, and a <HI>Levite</HI> doth only look on him <HI>&s;ome|what more than the Prie&s;t,</HI> but neither of them go unto him and &s;eek to heal his wounds: yet be thou like the <HI>Samaritan,</HI> who went un|to him, and bound up his wounds, poured in oyle and wine, &amp;c. <MILESTONE N="248"> <HI>Luke</HI> 10. 30. &amp;c. Be thou, I &s;ay, like the <HI>Samaritan:</HI> &s;hew thy &s;elf a true neighbour to tho&s;e Profe&s;&s;ors, whom <HI>Satan</HI> hath wounded, and who have wounded them&s;elves; have compa&s;&s;ion on them, and &s;hew mercy to them. If others will not do their duty; yet do thou thine, and do it thoroughly: and God will ble&s;s thee. <HI>Take courage,</HI> I &s;ay, <HI>and do</HI> (thy duty) <HI>and the Lord &s;hall be with the good, 2 Chron.</HI> 19. 11.</P>
<CLOSER><HI>Deo gratias,</HI> <DATELINE><DATE>July 26. 1667</DATE>.</DATELINE></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="56">
<HEAD>The CONTENTS.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM>THe <HI>Exordium.</HI> To <HI>margin 2.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>This being a time of &s;ome evils, we are to con&s;ider, <HI>marg. 2.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Point 1.</HI> What the evils of it be, <HI>marg. 3.</HI> to 6.</ITEM>
<ITEM>[A profitable Digre&s;&s;ion, <HI>marg. 7.</HI>]</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>P. 2.</HI> That none of them came upon us without God. For he is Almighty, and pre&s;ent in all places, and knoweth all things and all our times are in his hands, &amp;c. <HI>marg. 11.</HI> to 15.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>P. 3.</HI> That, in afflicting us he hath done us no wrong, but puni&s;hed us le&s;s than our iniquities de&s;erve. For we were born altogether fle&s;h, and all our graces are imperfect, and our be&s;t works mingled with corruptions, dwelling in us. We do all offend in many things, <HI>marg. 16, 17.</HI> and the lea&s;t of our &s;ins de|&s;erves Hell, <HI>marg. 30, 31.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>P. 4.</HI> That God hath afflicted us in wi&s;dom, and for good and fit ends, <HI>marg. 18.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>P. 5.</HI> Why, and for what ends he hath afflicted us, <HI>marg 18.</HI> &amp;c.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>a.</HI> For what ends he afflicts men, <HI>marg. 19.</HI> to 25,</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>b.</HI> For what ends he afflicts Profe&s;&s;ors, &amp;c. <HI>marg. 25.</HI> to 29.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>c.</HI> That the <HI>mo&s;t prevalent cau&s;e</HI> of our afflictions, and the stronge&s;t impedi|ment of our petitions again&s;t them, is our &s;ins, <HI>marg. 26, 30.</HI> to 54. and one of his ends in afflicting us, to humble and reform us, <HI>marg. 28, 94, 124.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>I.</HI> What manner of Judge God is, &amp;c. <HI>marg.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>II.</HI> The method and <HI>&s;everity</HI> which he u&s;eth in afflicting men, <HI>marg. 36.</HI> to 54, 80.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>III.</HI> What &s;ort of per&s;ons, it is mo&s;t probable, he will puni&s;h in this world&punc; and where begin judgment, <HI>marg. 41.</HI> to 46.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Rea&s;ons</HI> why we &s;hould impute our afflictions to our &s;ins.</ITEM>
<ITEM>A. Our iniquity is great, <HI>P&s;al. 25. 11.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>1. Before the Law, under the Law, and in the primitive times of the Go&s;pel, Gods Covenant-&s;ervants, and even godly per&s;ons did tre&s;pa&s;s, not only in little &s;ins, but al&s;o in gro&s;s &s;ins, <HI>marg. 33.</HI> to 36, 126.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Our &s;piritual enemies are as dangerous now, or more dangerous, than of old time, <HI>marg. 35, 36, 126.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. This is part of S. <HI>Pauls perillous times of Formali&s;ts,</HI> marg. 36.</ITEM>
<PB REF="57">
<ITEM>4. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters"> is probable, that Churches of all &s;orts have corrupt members in them, and that &s;ome godly per&s;ons have committed gro&s;s &s;ins in our days, <HI>marg. 32.</HI> to 35.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. A &s;ore te&s;timony concerning &s;ome Churches, <HI>marg. 85, 86.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>6. Many of us are <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> Formali&s;ts; who&s;e behaviour cannot but be full of iniquity, <HI>marg. (58, 96, 97,) 125.</HI> to 128.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. Five very con&s;iderable &s;ins of Profe&s;&s;ors, Mini&s;ters, and not Mini&s;ters, <HI>m. 80.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>8. Other dangerous &s;ins of Profe&s;&s;ors, Mini&s;ters, and not Mini&s;ters, <HI>m. 84</HI> to 87.</ITEM>
<ITEM>9. Sins relating to the Go&s;pel, <HI>m. 79.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>10. Want of brotherly love and unity, &amp;c. <HI>marg.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>11. Exce&s;&s;ive drinking, <HI>marg. 240.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>12. Partaking of one anothers &s;ins; a very dangerous con&s;ent between Pro|fe&s;&s;ors, <HI>marg. 78, 79, 84.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>13. Some of our &s;ins are greater than many of us take them to be, <HI>marg. 35, 53.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>14. How our &s;ins be aggravated, <HI>marg. 59.</HI> to 79.</ITEM>
<ITEM>15. Every &s;in is great, and de&s;erves Hell, <HI>marg. 17, 30, 31.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>16. Our tempting of God, <HI>marg. 146, 147, 148.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>[An Exhortation, <HI>marg. 149.</HI>]</ITEM>
<ITEM>17. Sins which many make light account of, for which God may <HI>&s;ee cau&s;e to puni&s;h us, marg. 47.</HI> to 54, 80.</ITEM>
<ITEM>[Some of us have not yet <HI>learned,</HI> how great a hand they have had <HI>in pulling down this wrath, marg. 47.</HI> to 54, 56.</ITEM>
<ITEM>All to take heed they be not deceived, <HI>marg. 18, 19, 26.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>B. Down-right rea&s;ons, to impute our afflictions to our own&s;ins, <HI>marg. 81.</HI> to 89. [<HI>marg. 101, 103, 104, 110, 138, 163, 164.</HI>]</ITEM>
<ITEM>More of our &s;ins, <HI>marg. 5, 28. to 36, 56.</HI> to 87, 90. to 103, 108, 114, 120, to 192, 197. to 201, 204, 210. to 213, 220. to 236, 240. to 243.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>P.</HI> 6. What we have done, to better our estates, or to obtain of God, to better them, <HI>marg. 90, 91.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>P. 7.</HI> What &s;ucce&s;s we have had, <HI>marg. 92.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>P. 8.</HI> Why God hath not heard our prayers to the full: which is, becau&s;e <HI>he hath not attained all his ends, marg. 93.</HI> See <HI>marg. 25.</HI> to 29.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>P. 9.</HI> What it concerns us to do now, that our <HI>prayers</HI> be <HI>no longer hindered, marg. 94.</HI> to 113, 124.</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. Large and &s;pecious forms of godline&s;s will not &s;erve our turn, &amp;c. <HI>marg. 94, 95, 96.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The iniquity and defects of our prayers, <HI>marg. 96, 97.</HI> Of our Fasts, <HI>marg. 96, 98.</HI> Of our forms of godline&s;s generally, <HI>marg. 99.</HI> to 103.</ITEM>
<ITEM>b. The unprofitablene&s;s of prayer without Reformation, marg. 162.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. When God will hear our prayers, and put an end to our &s;ufferings, <HI>marg. 137.</HI> to 144.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. It concerns us, to do, as is pre&s;cribed, <HI>marg. 104.</HI> to 124. 129. to 137.</ITEM>
<PB REF="57" MS="y">
<ITEM><HI>a.</HI> To take notice of our <HI>ignorance of &s;ome &s;ins, marg. 213.)</HI> and to &s;eek knowledge as &s;ilver, <HI>Prov. 2. 1.</HI> to 5.)</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>b,</HI> To find out every one of us his own &s;ins, <HI>marg. 203.</HI> How to find them out, <HI>marg. 103.</HI> to 108, 203. to 206.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>c.</HI> To amend, every one of us, his own wayes and conver&s;ation <HI>univer&s;ally,</HI> even <HI>without any exception</HI> or re&s;ervation of any &s;in or duty, <HI>marg. 28,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 79, 135, 136, 140. to 143, 191, 193, 194, 203.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>d.</HI> Pleading and rea&s;oning for this, <HI>marg. 138, 144.</HI> to 154.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>e.</HI> Of <HI>a great Reformation,</HI> as a fore-runner of <HI>a great exalta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ion, marg. 54, 129, 130.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>f.</HI> Arguments again&s;t the nece&s;&s;ity of a further Reformation, an&s;wered, <HI>marg. 165.</HI> to 176.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>g,</HI> Such as &s;hall not reform, threatened, <HI>marg. 135, 136, 137, 155.</HI> to 163. An Exhortation to &s;uch as need it, <HI>marg. 162.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>h.</HI> What they ought to do, who know, or think, or fear, they be but Formali&s;ts, <HI>marg. 104.</HI> to 124, 129. to 137.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>i.</HI> Other directions for all Profe&s;&s;ors, <HI>marg. 109.</HI> to 113.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>k.</HI> Of pride and humility, &amp;c. <HI>marg. 176.</HI> to 187.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>l.</HI> All Profe&s;&s;or, to pray unto God for the reformation of Profe&s;&s;ors, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and to do what&s;oever they can toward it, <HI>marg. 243, 190.</HI> to 195.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>m.</HI> Mini&s;ters to do &s;o, and directions for them, <HI>marg. 100, 195.</HI> to 217.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Faults which they ought to avoid, viz. <HI>Ignorance, affectation of fine words, and hunting after them,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>marg. 197.</HI> to 201, 213, 240.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>n.</HI> They who are not Mini&s;ters, to do likewi&s;e, <HI>marg. 190.</HI> to 195.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Directions for &s;uch, <HI>marg. 202.</HI> to 217.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>o.</HI> Of tho&s;e who are of great power with God, <HI>marg. 188, 189 190.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>1. Part of <HI>the doctrine of Reproving,</HI> &amp;c. with the u&s;e of it, <HI>marg. 218.</HI> to 248.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Reproving and admoni&s;hing to be the duty of tho&s;e who are not Mini&s;ters, <HI>marg. 224.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Apologies and excu&s;es for not reproving, an&s;wered, <HI>marg. 224.</HI> to 234, 247, 248.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Rules concerning reproving, <HI>marg. 239.</HI> to 242.</ITEM>
<ITEM>I be&s;eech you all, con&s;ider very &s;eriou&s;ly, <HI>marg. 163.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="publisher's advertisement">
<PB REF="58">
<HEAD>Books to be &s;old by <HI>Thomas Parkhur&s;t,</HI> at the <HI>Golden Bible</HI> on <HI>London-Bridge.</HI></HEAD>
<P>MR. <HI>Sedgwick</HI>'s Bowels of Mercy, <HI>fol.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Tho. Taylor</HI>'s Works, the fir&s;t <HI>vol. fol.</HI></P>
<P>2. An Expo&s;ition of Temptation, on <HI>Matth. 4. ver&s;e 1.</HI> to the end of the eleventh.</P>
<P>3. A Commentary on <HI>Titus.</HI></P>
<P>4. <HI>Davids</HI> Learning: A Comment upon <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 32.</P>
<P>5. The Parable of the Sower, and of the Seed, upon <HI>Luke</HI> 8. and 4,</P>
<P>Divine Characters in two parts, di&s;tingui&s;hing the Hypocrite in his be&s;t dre&s;s, by <HI>Sam Crook.</HI> B. D.</P>
<P>A Learned Commentary or Expo&s;ition on the fir&s;t Chapter of the &s;e|cond Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Corinthia<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s,</HI> by <HI>Richard Sibbs,</HI> D. D. <HI>fol.</HI></P>
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<P>A practical Expo&s;ition on the third Chapter of the fir&s;t Epi&s;tle of St. <HI>Paul</HI> to the <HI>Corinthians,</HI> with the <HI>Godly Mans Choice,</HI> on <HI>P&s;al. 4. ver.</HI> 6, 7, 8. By <HI>Anthony Burge&s;s, fol.</HI></P>
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<P><HI>Colloquia Men&s;alia,</HI> or Dr. <HI>Martin Luthers</HI> Divine Di&s;cour&s;es at his Ta|ble with <HI>Melancthon,</HI> and &s;everal others. Tran&s;lated by <HI>Henry Bell, fol.</HI></P>
<P>The view of the Holy Scriptures. By <HI>Hugh Broughton, fol.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Christianographia,</HI> or a De&s;cription of the multitude, and &s;undry &s;orts of Chri&s;tians in the world, not &s;ubject to the <HI>Pope.</HI> By <HI>Eph. Pagitt. fol,</HI></P>
<P><HI>The&s;e &s;ix Treati&s;es following, are written by Mr.</HI> George Swinnock.</P>
<P>1. The <HI>Chri&s;tian Mans Calling;</HI> or a Treati&s;e of making Religion on<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s bu&s;ine&s;s, in <HI>Religious Duties, Natural Actions,</HI> his <HI>Particular Vocation,</HI> his <HI>Family Directions,</HI> and his own <HI>Recreation;</HI> to be read in Families for their In&s;truction and Edification. The fir&s;t Part.</P>
<P>2. Likewi&s;e a &s;econd Part; wherein Chri&s;tians are directed to per|form their Duties, as Husbands and Wives, Parents and Children, Ma|&s;ters and Servants, in the conditions of Pro&s;perity and Adver&s;ity.</P>
<P>3. The third and la&s;t part of the <HI>Christian Mans Calling,</HI> Wherein the Chri&s;tian is directed how to make Religion his bu&s;ine&s;s, in his deal|ings
<PB REF="58"> with all Men, in the Choice of his Companions, in his carriage in good Company, in bad Company, in &s;olitarine&s;s, or when he is alone, on a Week-day from morning to night, in vi&s;iting the &s;ick on a Dy|ing-bed; as al&s;o the means how a Chri&s;tian may do this, and &s;ome mo|tives to it.</P>
<P>4. The <HI>Door of Salvation opened,</HI> by the <HI>Key of Regeneration.</HI></P>
<P>5. <HI>Heaven and Hell Epitomized:</HI> and the <HI>True Chri&s;tian Characterized.</HI></P>
<P>6. The <HI>Fading of the Fle&s;h,</HI> and the <HI>flouri&s;hing of Faith:</HI> Or, <HI>One ca&s;t for Eternity,</HI> with the only way to throw it well; all the&s;e by <HI>George Swinnock</HI> M. A. <HI>Large Octavo's.</HI></P>
<P>A learned Commentary on the fourth Chapter of the &s;econd Epi&s;tle of St. <HI>Paul</HI> to the <HI>Corinthians,</HI> to which is added, Fir&s;t, A Conference be|tween <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and <HI>Mary.</HI> Second the Spiritual <HI>Mans Aim.</HI> Third: <HI>Ema|nuel,</HI> or <HI>Miracle</HI> of <HI>Miracles,</HI> by <HI>Richard Sibbs,</HI> D. D. <HI>4to.</HI></P>
<P>An Expo&s;ition of the five fir&s;t Chapters of <HI>Ezekiel,</HI> with u&s;eful ob|&s;ervations thereupon, by <HI>Will. Greenhil, 4to.</HI></P>
<P>The Go&s;pel-Covenant, or the Covenant of Grace opened: Prea|ched in New-<HI>England,</HI> by <HI>Peter Bulkeley, 4to.</HI></P>
<P>Gods Holy Mind touching Matters Moral; which him&s;elf uttered in ten words, or ten Commandments; Al&s;o an Expo&s;ition on the Lords Prayer, by <HI>Edward Elton,</HI> B. D. <HI>4to.</HI></P>
<P>A plain and familiar Expo&s;ition of the ten Commandments, by <HI>John Do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, 4<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o.</HI></P>
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<P>Chri&s;t and the Covenant, the work and way of Meditation; Deliver|ed in ten Sermons, <HI>Large Octavo</HI>'s. By <HI>Will. Bridge,</HI> late of great <HI>Yarmouth.</HI></P>
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<PB REF="59"> Triumphantly, by <HI>O. H.</HI> with an Epi&s;tle prefixed, by <HI>John Che&s;ter, Large Octavo.</HI></P>
<P>A <HI>Glimp&s;e of Eternity,</HI> by <HI>A. Caley.</HI></P>
<P>A Practical Di&s;cour&s;e of Prayer, wherein is handled the Nature and Duty of Prayer, by <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. Cobbet.</HI></P>
<P>Of <HI>Quenching the Spirit,</HI> the evil of it in re&s;pect both of its cau&s;es and effects, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">covered, by <HI>Theophilus Polwheile.</HI></P>
<P>Wells of Salvation opened, or Words whereby we may be &s;aved: with advice to Young Men: by <HI>Tho. Vincent.</HI></P>
<P>The <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ure way to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">alvation: or a Treati&s;e of the Saints My&s;tical Uni|on with Chri&s;t; wherein that great. My&s;tery and Priviledge is opened in the nature, properties and the nece&s;&s;ity of it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y <HI>R. Stedman,</HI> M. A.</P>
<P>The greate&s;t lo&s;s, upon <HI>Matth.</HI> 16. 26. By <HI>James Live&s;ey, &s;mall Octav<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">'s.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Mo&s;es</HI> unvailed, by <HI>William Guild.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Prote&s;tants Triumph,</HI> being an exact an&s;wer to all the &s;ophi&s;tical Arguments of Papi&s;ts: By <HI>Ch. Drelincourt.</HI></P>
<P>A Defence again&s;t the fear of Death. By <HI>Z. Crofton.</HI></P>
<P>Gods Soveraignty d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;played. By <HI>William Geering.</HI></P>
<P>A &s;ober Di&s;cour&s;e concerning the Intere&s;t of words in Prayer.</P>
<P>The <HI>Godly Mans Ark:</HI> or City of refuge in the day of his di&s;tre&s;s, in five Sermons; with Mi&s;tri&s;s <HI>Moores</HI> Evidences for Heaven. By <HI>Ed. Calamy.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Almo&s;t Chri&s;tian Di&s;covered;</HI> or the <HI>fal&s;e Profe&s;&s;or tryed and ca&s;t.</HI> By Mr. <HI>Mead.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Spiritual Wi&s;dom</HI> improved again&s;t temptation, by Mr. <HI>Mead.</HI></P>
<P><HI>A Divine Cordial.</HI></P>
<P><HI>A word of comfort for the Church of God.</HI></P>
<P><HI>A Plea for Alms,</HI> in a Sermon at the <HI>Spittle.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Godly Mans Picture,</HI> drawn with a Scripture-pen&s;il. The&s;e four la&s;t were written by <HI>Tho. Wat&s;on.</HI></P>
<P>The Doctrine of Repentance u&s;eful for the&s;e times, with two Ser|mons again&s;t <HI>Popery,</HI> by <HI>Thomas Wat&s;on.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>True bounds of Chri&s;tian freedom;</HI> or a Di&s;cour&s;e &s;hewing the ex|tents and re&s;traints of Chri&s;tian liberty, wherein the truth is &s;etled, many errors confu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ed; out of <HI>John 8. ver.</HI> 36.</P>
<P>A Treati&s;e of the Sacrament, &s;hewing a Chri&s;tians Priviledge in ap|proaching to God in Ordinances, duty in his Sacramental approaches, danger if he do not &s;anctifie God in them; both by <HI>Sam. Bolton,</HI> D. D.</P>
<P>The Lords Day enlivened, or a Treati&s;e of the Sabbath, by <HI>Philip Goodwin.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;infulne&s;s of Sin, and the Fulne&s;s of Chri&s;t, two <HI>Sermons;</HI> by <HI>W. Bridge.</HI></P>
<P>A &s;erious Exhortation to a Holy Life, by <HI>Tho. Wad&s;worth.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
