THis glorious Apostle of the Gentiles, by the Spirit of pro­phesie foreseeing those evils that would abound in the last times, writes unto Timothy that it might be made known to the Churches as a warning peece to future ages.

vers. 1 The words have their precedency begin­ning at the first verse:A Cata­logue of sinners. In the last dayes shall be perillous times: soul-dangering, and soul-damning times, souls shall be in peril of be­ing [Page 2] lost, and lost eternally, not lost to be found but found to be lost.

vers. 2 They shall be lovers of themselves, but properly termed haters of themselves: [...]. Self-love is soul-hatred, he that will come to Christ, must first deny himself, condemn him­self, yea hate himself; self-seeking stands in opposition to soul-saving, in a lofty self-ad­miring soul, dwels no love of God.

vers. 3 Yea these men shall be so far from grace, as that they shall be void of natural affection, besides all the abominations that they are guilty of.

vers. 4 They shall be traitors to God, to man and to their own souls, in stead of loving the Lord of life, and the people of God; they shall embrace and fall in love with the plea­sures of death (that is) those pleasures which lead unto eternal death.

These things by way of explication pre­mised, we shall return unto the words, which as they stand in reference unto the prece­dent, are the Epitome of the ninteenth abo­mination, and though they are the last in number, yet not the least in nature.

[...]. Having a forme of godliness.

Obser. 1 That men notoriously wicked many times take upon them a shew of godliness, or form of godliness: what greater sinners and sins then [Page 3] these enumerated by the Apostle, viz. Pride, blasphemy, covetousness, disobedience to parents, traitors, heady, high minded, &c? and yet at this time when they lie under the guilt of these soul-destroying abominations, even then are they said to have a forme of godli­ness.

Absalom when he was a traitor to his fa­thers crown, and sought his fathers life, even then he craved leave of the King to pay his vowe unto the Lord in Hebron.

And Absalom said unto the King, 2 Sam. 15.7, 8. I pray thee let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed unto the Lord in Hebron.

For thy servant vowed a vow while he abode in Geshur in Sira, saying, if the Lord shall bring me indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord. In the next words observe how he sent spies thorow out all Israel saying, When ye hear the trumpets blow, then say that Absa­lom reigns in Hebron; You may see his pre­tence was to serve the Lord, but his intent was to serve himself by depriving his father of his Crown and life,2 Sam. 17 1, 2. for when Ahitophell said that he would go out against David with twelve thousand men, and smite the King, this saying pleased Absalom well. O bloody Absalom, that under shew of paying a vow to the Lord, would kill his own father, [Page 4] one that loved him as his own life!

Thus the Jews sent forth some, faining themselves to be just men,Luk. 20.20. that they might in­trap Christ himself: And they sent forth spies which should feign themselves to be just men, that they might take hold of his words and deli­ver him to the Governor. O wicked form of godliness that would betray the Lord of life! you see traitors can insinuate and feigne them­selves to be Saints. Judas betrayes Christ with a kiss:Luk. 23.48. Judas betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? Yet how smoothly and seeming innocently did he carry it all the time that he walked with the Disciples, in so much that none did suspect him? for when Christ said One of you shall betray me,Mark. 14 19. [...]; every one began to question and search into his own heart, questioning amongst themselves (Is it I? is it I?) so that they did more sus­pect themselves then Judas: here was a glori­ous forme when he went to sell and destroy the power and glory of Heaven and earth; this was a white seeming Saint,Rom. 2.20, 21, 22, 23. [...]; but a black devil, see saith Paul (Thou art confident that thou art a teacher of babes, an instructer of the foolish, who hast a forme of knowledge of the law: thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that teachest a man should not committ adultery, dost thou com­mit [Page 5] adultery? Thou that art a Minister in a parish, that teachest men should not be proud, art thou proud? thou that teachest a man should not be covetous, art thou co­vetous? thou that teachest that men should be of peaceable, humble, meek and lowly spirits, art thou a kindle-coal and an incendi­ary? art thou he that studies mischief? art thou he that teachest men should walk in love, and wilt thou make division? dost thou teach that men should follow their own callings, and wilt thou entermeddle with State affaires, and labor to fire a Kingdom? thou that wouldest not that any should bear rule and Lordship over thy conscience, and yet wilt thou lord it over the conscience of thy brother, and have all men un­done that see not with thy eyes, though o­therwise godly? O what a shame is this? This is the meer forme of godliness; but I must take heed of raking too deep into this dunghil, least I meet with some ominous Basiliske. I shall therefore lay aside this coal, and with another pencil shew you what is meant by these words, forma, &c.

The next thing is to inquire what is here meant by the words (forma & pietas) forme and godliness: [...]. the word forme signifies the shape, the outside, the fashion the beauty, the [Page 6] likeness or maner of any thing: the bark of the tree cannot be properly called the tree, the shadow of a man in the Sun is not the real man, so the habit or forme of godliness is not godliness indeed; but you must know that though there may be a form of godli­ness without the power, yet there cannot be the power without the forme, I mean not a bare, speculative and seeming forme, such as is spoken of before; but a practicall and active forme represented in the whole life and conversation: a man cannot carry coals in his bosome and not be burnt; So no man can carry grace in his heart, but it will spread forth and appear in his life, its in vain for that man to say, I have a good and upright heart, whose life and conversation is altogether loose and licentious, the tree must first be made good, and then its fruit will be good; let there be soundness in thy heart, and there will be no rottenness in thy life, thy conver­sation will be suitable to thy heart; and thy heart correspondent to thy conversation: let the fountaine be pure and the streams will issue pure: The other word is (Godli­ness.)

2 Gal. 20. 2 Cor. 4. [...]1. Godliness, is sometimes called the life of God, the Image of God, the new creature, a man born again; Its godliness for a man [Page 7] to have a good conscience and love towards God & man, and to be void of offence,2 Cor. 5.17. John 3.5. [...]. Its spoken Metony­mically. in such a man dwels godliness. Godliness is in that soul where God acteth so, as it unites the soul to God, as by his power it lives to God, it walks with God, it hath God communicat­ing himself to it in Christ: where the soul by a reflex act gives out it self to God, it acts as God acts, it follows the foot-steps of God; this is true godliness in the soul: of which more anon.

(Habentes formam Pietatis) Having a forme of godliness.

Quest. It will be worth inquiry to see how it comes to pass that wicked men take upon them the forme of Religion or of godliness.

And that generally they do upon this ac­compt.

Ans. 1 Men do it oft times to please their friends, Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the dayes of Jehojadah the Priest: what is the reason?2 Reg. 12.2. was it not for that Jehojadah had saved his life and made him King when all his brethren were slain by Athaliah the Queen?2 Reg 11.1. for she arose and de­stroyed all the seed Royal. So Absalom would draw his father into a belief that he was very godly, and made conscience in paying of his vows, and that at Hebron: [Page 8] he knew this would please his father well.

Ans. 2 Others do it to stop the mouth of consci­ence, [...]. Rom. 2.14 15. I mean of a natural conscience: for by nature men will be worshipping in one kinde or other (All men having the law written in their hearts; their consciences also bearing them witness, and their thoughts the mean while excusing or accusing one another) that made Saul to offer a burnt offering in Samuels absence; the text saith he forced himself to offer a burnt offering, because he had not made supplication to the Lord, for the Philistines were drawing neer: but Samuel tells him he had done foolishly in what he had done.1 Sam. 13.12.

Ans. 3 Others take up a forme of Religion that they may be gainers by it: Judas by his forme carried the bag, and the text saith he was a thief: thus grew he into credit and trust by a notional and colourable forme of Religion; yea how many in these days pur­chase unto themselves vast estates out of formal professions to Religion,Religion not the cause of sin, but the want of Religion whereby they profess nothing more then the delusion, cozenage and over-reaching of others who are simply and really godly: which Hypo­critical actions the prying and curious worldling glories to bewray, and thereby [Page 9] takes occasion (though scandalously) to in­veigh against Religion it self in the purity of its profession. Surely such men in their abundance have want, and in their want a­bundance; that is, they in the midst of their abundance of their outward and formal per­formances, have the absence and want of the soul-solacing testimony of an upright and sincere conscience towards God, and the inward consciousness of this want, will at length work in the soul abundance of horror and confusion of spirit; whereby their souls without the infinite mercy of God are swallowed up into the abysse of des­pair, and then woe will be the lot of such by whom offences shall come, such men may deceive poor weak infant Christians, but alas their deceit will retort into their own bosomes, and heavy and sad will be their condition.

Ans. 4 Others have a forme onely in relation un­to the present and temporary credit and fashion of Religion, it may be the State favors it, or the current of the times runs that way; so that many men choose their Religion more out of fear of men then love of God, for they think they shall be looked on with an evil aspect if they do not forme and fashion themselves unto the govern­ment [Page 10] of the times, whether it be Ecclesiasti­call or Civil.

Ans. 5 A form of Religion doth not displease the world, but the power makes them mad: for a man to keep his parish Church, to live peaceably amongst his neighbors, to live civilly and to pay every man his own, to be indifferent in matters of Religion, not daring to professe too much, nor being zea­lous in it: this is the godly man in the eye and esteem of the world, this man shall be honoured and live at quiet and rest, though all this while he be but a meer formalist; when in the mean time the power of Reli­gion living and acting in a poor despicable and unminded godly soul, is trampled under foot, yea scorned and vilified:

Ans. 6 The devil likes a form well, he is the grand Formalist, he is that Proteus that can assume variety of formes, and no wonder if his ser­vants affect the same; You know the devil could plead Scripture again and again to Christ himself, a form doth not oppose the devils Kingdom, when the power beats it down, a man in a form may go on long e­nough, the devil will not disturbe him, he knowes he hath him fast enough; this man, saith Satan, will do us no hurt, we are sure of him, he will not disrellish any thing, all [Page 11] things are alike with him; if any be unsavo­ry or distastful, it will be the good: he can swallow down any thing, do as men will have him do, he will make no di­sturbance in the parish where he lives, nor question or scruple any false or cere­monious dispensation of ordinances, but wormwood will be as sweet to his unsound palate as hony; he will do as the most do, his suffrage shall be ecchoed forth after the general vote; the major conformity shall be the rule for his life, he will be fair to them that will be fair to him, his affections are steered by popularity: he will keep none in his family that shall out of tender­ness of conscience start disputations con­cerning matters of Religion, nay there must be no reasonings, no disputings, no fightings nor contendings for the truth; but as much as you will for the maintenance and defence of outward and formal Ceremonies; this man is resolved to love quietness and ease, he will not break his sleep nor trouble his thoughts with the mystery of the power of godliness: yet let such as these know that this is a damnable security, and that they will drop into hell before they are a­ware.

Quest.. 2 But those sins of pride, blasphemy, &c. [Page 12] mentioned in the former Verses, are such sons of the Gyant, that the garment of hy­pocrisie (though it be to the heels) will hardly hide or cover them from the eyes of men: how then can these great sins stand with a form of Religion?

Answ. 1 A form of Religion serves for a Canopie to cover all these abominations, it is one of the Fig-leaves to cover poor sinful mans nakedness; its made up by Satan and mans own base heart, and its of a crimson colour died in grain;Isai. 1.16.18. its a crimson sin, and double died, Wo unto you Hypocrites.

Answ. 2 A form of godliness is the Commander in Chief of all other sins, other sins march after its Colours, its the devils Master-piece to make a man a grand hypocrite, for he knows that an hypocrite is his principal Agent, his Advocate, his Apologist, he shall have more service done by this man in one year, then by open, common, profane per­sons, which have not this form, in many: you know that which oft times cannot be obtained by force is gained by policy; hy­pocrisie is the devils Fort-Royal, it makes all other sins stoop to it.

Answ. 3 It so blindes a mans eyes that it will not let him see that guilt that lies upon his spirit, though his abominations be never so great, [Page 13] and never so many, yet this will keep all close from his eyes, yea it will make a man believe he is in a good condition, and walking in a good way, when there is no such matter, those wounds and sores which are fairly filmed over, and have specious and visible appearances of sound and perfect cures, are must desperate and incurable: alas, within they are full of festering and poyso­nous putrifections which will secretly ex­ulcerate the flesh, and corrode and eat into the bones, and cause and precipitate a linge­ring death.

Answ. 4 Hypocrisie or a form of godliness keeps the soul from self-inquisition and examina­tion, and so makes it insensible of its deplo­rable condition, your formal professors eyes are alwayes abroad, judging, censuring and condemning others, but never questioning themselves:Luke 6.41. the Hypocrite in Lukes Gospel had two eyes to spy the Mote that was in his brothers eye, but had not one eye to dis­cern the Beam in his own eye; they al­ways lay heavy burthens on others,Mat. 23.4. but will not touch them themselves with one of their fingers.

Answ. 5 Fifthly, Those that have onely a form of godliness, walk in the broad way to con­demnation, and are in the same Center with [Page 14] all other damned sinners,Hypocritae pierumque severissimi sunt eo­rum ex­actores quae ipsi maxi­mè negli­gunt. 1 Tim. 5.24. [...]. onely the ones sins go before to Judgment, and the others follow after; but the end of both is destru­ction, and condemnation is their portion: therefore he that is an hypocrite is not to be looked on to be in a better condition then open profane persons, but in a worse, for he that seems to others to be sound, and yet within is nothing but rottenness, eternal wretchedness will be his end: so that thes [...] men are not onely guilty of all those gre [...] abominations before mentioned, but they take up this form to cover all their other sins withall, so that they are both guilty of profaneness and hypocrisie; for at the same time when the Apostle saith, they are guilty of these sins, he joyns this to the rest, and that in the Present Tense (Having a form of godliness) they being guilty of that sin as of the former. A form of godliness without the power of it, may well be called the De­vels Sin-Mould, wherein he doth cast many sins at once; do but read the former Verses, and besides those, the other sins that they are guilty of are innumerable.

1 If now we will suffer this Truth to speak to us, it informs us of the deceitfulness and trea­chery of the hearts of men; O take heed of your own hearts, it is a dangerous thing to [Page 15] harbor a Traytor within your brest; if thy heart be deceitful, all thy actions wherein thou pretendest godliness, will be so; can ye expect good fruit of an evill Tree? do men use to gather Grapes of Thorns, or Lillies of Thistles? can ye expect crystall Streames from impure and muddy Fountains? a good heart produceth a good conversation, and a bad heart an evill conversation, there is no­thing sooner discovers the heart then the life; it is not that which goeth into the man defi­leth the man, but that which cometh from within; For out of the heart cometh blasphe­mies. &c. If thy heart be wicked, so will all thy duties be, thy Prayers, thy Reading, thy Conference about heavenly things, all thy duties whatsoever to God and man will be abominable, defiled, corrupted and sinful.

2 A deceitful heart renders a man uncapa­ble of receiving good; and this is a most desperate condition, that a man is not onely made unfit for doing any good, but for re­ceiving any good, all the means of grace are inavailable to do him good, the Word cannot reach him, Prayer cannot fasten upon him, the Spirit of God can finde no entertainment with him, Mercies, Judg­ments, Corrections, all are lost, and he him­self is lost so long as a deceitful heart dwels [Page 16] in him; thus doth this leaven in the heart sowre and imbitter all good things to the soul.

Object. If any question, how (if a deceitful heart be uncapable of receiving good from God, and all men by nature have a deceitful heart) then can any man be converted and saved?

Answ. God did never, nor ever will convert a deceitful heart, for when God works upon any soul to conversion, then, and not till then doth he take away the decitfulness and uncleanness of the heart, and immediatly gives a new heart and a new spirit;Ezek. 36.26. (A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit al­so I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my Statutes, &c)

3 He that hath onely a form of godliness, doth not onely deceive others, but himself, his Saint seeming is his soul-damning; his possessing of others with a false belief, be­reaves himself of true belief; whilst he ap­pears glorious to the worlds eye, he remains most deformed and loathsome in the sight of God, thus the fallibility of the heart causeth the infallibility of the souls ruine; the full-blown sail of a treacherous heart will over-top, [Page 17] and turn the soul, and sinke it into the bottomless Ocean of hell; such a man as this is in a far worse condition then he that is openly profane, and maketh not the least shew of Religion, for

1 First, a profane wicked man that makes no shew of Religion at all,Sooner convicti­on. is sooner con­vinced of his wickedness, he hath no Fig-leaves to cover his nakedness, he hath no painting to set off his conversation, he is bad, yea, very bad, and seems to be so, he is one and the same, both within and without, he carrieth not two faces under one hood, he will not curse with his heart, and bless with his tongue, his heart and lips shall both go together; his mouth shall be black with swearing, lying, and cursing; his eyes red with drinking, his throat an open se­pulchre to all profaneness, nay, he will be so far from dawbing over the rottenness of his heart with a Saint-like life, that he will be alwayes boasting, and taking glory in the spreading forth of his own infirmities, and private and sinful actions, this man will be known in his colours, and will go for a wicked man in the heart and eyes of all men, yea of them that are as bad as himself; this man doth not steal to hell in a mist, for he bids open defiance against Heaven, God, [Page 18] Christ, Gospel, Saints, and every thing that hath but a shew of good; but now how soon is this man convinced if Con­science be awakened I he hath not one word to say for himself, but will cry, Guilty, Guilty.

2 More like to come to the knowledg of sin.He is more likely to come to the know­ledg of his sin, every man will be ready to reprove him who is notorious and openly wicked, whereby he shall become sensible of the commission of sin, and is informed of such and such wicked and ungodly actions, when as the hypocrite walketh blameless and irreproveable in the eyes of men, and therefore not taken notice of, nor reproved for sin,An hypo­crite more hard to convince. but lies bound up in the fetters of his own private deceitful heart unto all eterni­ty; this man will be alwayes finding some­what to say for himself, as, That all men are sinners, its the frailty, of the flesh, its the vio­lence of temptation that makes him commit such and such an evil, Gods knows its quite contrary to his will, to his desire, yea, to his affections to do so wickedly; he allows not himself in any way of sin, he constantly prays against sin, he keeps his own Parish, and is a frequent hearer of the Word; he performs duties in his Family sometimes, he hath the good word of many godly men, [Page 19] he is acquainted with the Scriptures, yea, he can go for a Saint where he is not much known, and he will make it appear that there are worse men in the world then he.

3 He that hath a form of godliness is not likely to come to the knowledg of his sin,Not pro­bable to come to the know­ledg of sin. his form is a false glass that deludes his soul, it vainly perswades the soul of its loveliness and integrity, when indeed it is nothing but deformity; his forme is that which ballances all that men can say against him, yea, it blindes his own eyes, stops the mouth of his conscience, which is every moment ready to fly in his face, he is upheld by his friends, by the world, he is not opposed by the flesh, the devil or wicked men, yea no man can speak so confidently against this man as a­gainst the former, for he goes to hell in a mist, slily and smoothly, he is not so openly manifested to be wicked as the publike pro­fane person, yet his condition is far more desperate and dangerous, the one shall have cause to bless God that brought him to a sight of his sin, when the other shall have cause for ever to curse the devil and his de­ceitful heart that deluded him with a coun­terfeit sight and shew of his own holiness, [Page 20] and hid and kept back from him the true sight of his sin.

3 This lets us see that those wicked men that have only a form of godliness, are in a most desperate and bewailable condition; we may well say of these men, that the end of their pretended holiness will be shame. The Comedy of their plausible life will end in a woeful Tragedy: their glittering gold will be turned into cankering rust, the moth and gnawing worm of conscience will one day eat upon and torment their rich-seem­ing soul; O these men have so much gazed on their own idolized holiness, that they are far from the sight of God. Matthew saith, they are the pure in heart that shall see God, then the unclean in heart must never see him;Mat. 5.8. they are so much enamored upon, or in love with the fictitious raies of their own holi­ness; that the true beauty of holiness is to­tally hid from their eyes. They shall never see God unlesse it be when they come to Judgment, then they shall see him and hear him to their cost. I may say of these men as it was said of Judas, It had been good for them that they had never been born; that they had never seen the light, never heard a Sermon, neverheard of Christ, never had a form of godliness, never mentioned Religi­on. [Page 21] O it had been good for them they had never heard of Judgements, of mercies, of Gods patience, his long suffering his gentle­ness; all these and many more shall rise up in Judgement against them, yea every Ser­mon they have heard, every prayer they have been at, and every Chapter they have read, shall plead against them, yea their very knowledge in Religion, their form of godli­ness, all shal come against them at the last day, and shall rise up as so many witnesses against them, that God whom they professed to serve, will be their enemy, Christ will not own them, no angel dares speak for them, no Saint will come neer them; the devil whom they have inwardly served stands ready to receive them, and pay them their wages, when that heavy sentence is pronounced against them, Go ye cursed wretches into everlasting condemnation, &c.

Having a Form of Godliness.

We shall observe further,

Obser. 2 That in the last times many men shall con­tent themselves with a meer outside of god­liness.

When the Son of man cometh, Luk. 18.8. shall he finde faith on the earth?

It will be a rare thing to finde faith, Re­ligion will be swallowed up of form: And [Page 22] if the Apostle could say in his time,1 Cor. 10.11. We are they upon whom the ends of the world are come: In quos si­nes seculo­rum deve­verunt. certainly we may now say, we are they who live in the last times, yea in the last of times: I could wish that this point were not fulfilled in our eyes.

1 Forms are more contended for, then power, outside more then inside, shel more then kernel: the truth is, extrinsecall things are more set by, then intrinsecall; the outward reading of the bare letter then the inward influences of the spirits: ho­liness of life and the lively power of god­liness, is now out of fashion with most pro­fessors, outward performances are the re­quies of their conscience, and the sole per­fection of their holiness; their duties are taken up in contentions, and strifes about words and questions, disputes and con­ferences, about differences in Judgment; these have almost disputed the power of Re­ligion out of this Kingdom: for it is now come to that pass, that he that cannot invent some new thing, never heard of before, is ac­counted no body in matters of Religion: this is the condition of most on the one hand.

2 There are others that on the other hand love to bear such sway and rule over others, [Page 23] that they must have all men come to their bow,Here I in­tend the temporiz­ing Cler­gy who are like the Maypoles, neither root nor Branch only a weather cock on the top thereof. they must be honored and reverenced with high respects; they must be looked on as men of an infallible spirit: all that they do is done Jure divino; when indeed being well examined, it proves very hardly jure humano [...] yet they are the onely men whose lips must preserve knowledg and at whose mouth you must seek the Law, all they say is Gospel, and all they decree is to be obeyed, to question any thing that they propound is faction, and to contradict them is heresie, they look on themselves as the absolute pattern; if you go before them, then you go too fast, if you come after them, then you go too slowly: if you speak against them, it is Blasphemy; nor will their pride suffer them to walke cheek by jole; and yet these mens Religion is Parliamentary; If the Parliament decree Popery, then they are for that, if Episcopacy, then for that, if Presbytery or any other, then for that: they have such excellent skil, that they are like the Philosophers stone, that turns all things into Gold: so can these men make any government (Jus divinum) As do but consider that story of those that in King Edward the sixth time had preached mighti­ly against Popery, and were very zealous for Reformation and the advancement of [Page 24] the Protestant Religion: how soon did they conform to the Sacrament of the Altar and to all manner of Popery; in Queen Maries time? yea did not they in their con­vocation house at their first meeting sub­scribe to all those Popish Articles (but very few excepted.) And of that generation how many [...]ave we in this Kingdom, nay of a more suddain mutability then the former, who at one time were very fiery and zealous for the maintenance of Episcopacy, and were esteemed learned Preachers and much followed! Yet out of the abundance of their learning (or rather superstition) could bow and cringe before the Altar, and read Service there as well as any Popish Priest in Rome; and yet almost in the same punct of time, or a very little space intervening, were and still are mighty and earnest acclamators of Pres­bytery; and if you will demand the reason, it is only this; Because Presbytery was the next in fashion, and being in fashion they are resolved never to be out, unless another government succeed and take place: they are so much obliged to form, that they will make any Goverment whatsoever Jus divi­num. They have their consciences made of retching leather, and their hearts of wax, the one can be made as large as you will, and [Page 25] the other can receive what impression soe­ver, provided that it be a State Seal, where­in authority, pride, and covetousness may shelter it self; when Episcopacy was in fashion, then they could worship towards the East, now Presbytery is in fashion they worship towards the North; they are so skilful in turning, and resolved to play so sure a game that they will never be out, they will not swim against the stream, they have not been used to any such labor, nay, they are not onely mutable but violent, how would these men have persecuted their bre­thren to death it self, had not God put it in­to the minde of the Parliament to retain the power in their own hands, yea, we should have had Boner, Gardner, Harpsfield, Succedunt alii homi­nes, non alii mores. Watson, and the rest of them risen up in this Kingdom; for though these men are dead, yet their spirits live in too many men. They will deceive the very Elect if it were possible. O whited walls! O painted Sepulchres! O form of godliness, where is thy power? Reader, do but consider what enemies such as these have been to Christs Kingdom, and to Saints in all Ages; See but their carriage to Christ himself; how did the Scribes, Pharisees and High Priests com­bine themselves together that they might [Page 26] intrap him, insnare him, intangle him, yea put him to death? which design they never desert­ed till they had accomplished: Look into all Ages, Times, Kingdoms, & Nations; Read but the Ecclesiastical Histories; yea, do but con­sider the great and wofull miseries of Ger­many, and examine whether those that go under the notion of Clergy men, have not been the introducers of all differences and distractions; yea, they have been so, are so, and will be so as long as any State, King­dom, or Nation will commit the reins into their hands; they do so much affect Sove­raignty, that they will break Kingdoms, States, and Nations to pieces before they will be abridged of any of their honors, or preferments, their pride or covetousness, it is bred in the bone, and will never out of the flesh; and no marvel, for the most part they are men endued with admirable gifts and parts of natural Knowledg and Learn­ing, which indeed are the outward gifts of God, yet not being spiritualized and sancti­fied serve onely to the elation and puffing up of the heart, whereby nothing but Self is admired, upheld, and maintained: what­soever they do (though indeed tending to their own ends) must be done under a form of godliness, as the Jews did under the [Page 27] keeping of the Sabbath, washing of Cups and Platters, &c.

O generation of Vipers, who shall de­liver you from that wrath that is to come; its not your learning, your parts, your high looks, your crying up Jus Divinum, nor your form of godliness that can do it, nay, rather all these shall be aggravators and pleaders against you; you were born and bred the brats of Babel,Amos 2.4. and confusion will be your end, unless God turn your hearts in time unto himself: I may well say of England, Isai. 3.12. as the Prophet Isaiah said of Israel, O England, they that pretend to be thy Teachers, are they that have caused thee to err, yea, and they shall be destroyed that are led by them; Offences will come, but wo to them by whom they do come.

Consider again that saying of the Pro­phet Micah, The Priests teach for hire, Micah. 3.11. the Prophets divine for money, and yet they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord a­mong us? Can men say now more then they said then, What, to lean on the Lord, to rest on the most High, to say that the Lord was among them, yea, and at that very time when they preached for hire, and prophe­sied for money, and did all manner of wickedness: and is not this thy condition, [Page 28] O England? they are for thy money, for thy tithes, for thy fleece, they are alwayes cry­ing, What will you give, what will you give? though they have two or three Li­vings apiece, the more they have, the more they desire, and there is no end of their co­vetousness, and yet they are not ashamed to say, The Lord is among us: what is this but a meer form of godliness? so they may but thrive and eat of the fatlings of the people, they care not how the word of grace thrives in their hearts, so they may be possessed of temporal means, they care not how little the people be possessed of spiritual, it is their own private gain they aim at for their preaching, and not the inward gain of any soul by their preaching; O what a miserable condition are poor souls brought unto, that shall pay so dear a price for that which Christ Jesus hath so freely purchased, and go without it! And yet here I do not intend to muzzle the mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the corn, to binde a consciencious godly powerful Ministry to their performance of their duty of labouring in the Word and Doctrine, and free their Hearers that are taught by them from communicating to those that teach them, Freely you have re­ceived, freely give; look as well to those [Page 29] to whom the Word is dispensed, as to the dispensers of it, and that man wil hardly evidence himself to have more then a form of godliness, that holds his hand from this.

3 There are others that would take it in great scorn, if you but question them for their Religion, and yet are carried with the stream of the Times: they can put on any Religion, they will alwayes be of that Re­ligion as the Parson of their Parish for the time being is, they will say as he saith, they will hang their faith on his lips, and do as he doth, theirs cannot be properly called Re­ligion but Election; they alter and chuse their Religion, as they chuse their Parson, Christ shall not be their pattern, but man; they will do as their Forefathers did, they will follow the most in the matters of their Religion, they love not such fellows that disturbe the Parish wherein they live, and trouble their heads with those things that concern the Ministry of the Word; no, no, say they, He that made us will save us, God is merciful, we will keep our own Parish Church, play a game at Bowls, or go to the Alehouse with our Parson after Evening Prayers, yea love our neighbors and live civi­ly with them, and pay every man his due: lo is not here a very fair account of a form of godliness.

[Page 30] 4 The Gospel will appear so glorious, as that it will be a shame to every man that hath not at least a form of godliness, yea, it will be a great disparagement to that man that hath no form, no shew at all; What? will that man say, shall the Gospel of Grace be so conspicuous, and so clearly evidenced in the lives and conversations of such and such men, and shall I lead an open profane life? No, that will lay me open to all detestation and shame, though I am not cordially and really godly, yet I will profess the life of the righteous,Hypocrita cupit vide­ri Justus. I will at lest personate their wayes and actions, I will be accounted just, lest all men contemn me, and say, there goes an Athiest, there goes a wicked wretch, there is a man in whose thoughts is neither hea­ven nor hell, God, nor devil; with such a man have not to do in commerce or trust; thus for some oblique and sinister ends, doth this man outwardly act the life of godli­ness, and for these reasons doth he place his content and delight in a form of godli­ness.

5 Others there are that think a form of godliness will serve their turn, and carry them to heaven, well as the best, yea, they resolve to be merry and wise, they will run no hazard, they are all for the fair and [Page 31] smooth way, let it lead whether it will, they hope, nay, they will be confident that their way (though it be Via latissima) leadeth to the gates of eternal life.

6 They are as well pleased with a form as may be, for that it bids as fair for heaven in the sight of men, as the power doth, and all they do is to be seen of men; in stead of do­ing good works before men, that thereby God the Father might be glorified which is in heaven; they do their good works that they themselves might be glorified and ca­nonized amongst men: Thus they rob God of his Glory, and their souls of eternal comfort.

7 A meer form exposes not to sufferings when the power doth, for a Formalist is ap­proved on of all sides, he shall not meet with reproaches and rubs in his way, he may go quietly to hell without molestation; for I am confident you never heard of any man that ever suffered any thing worth the speaking of, who did content himself onely with a form of Religion, for it is impossible that a form, which is but a shadow, a re­semblance, a meer nothing, should under­take or encounter with a fiery triall.

8 A form of godliness doth not tie up a man to that austerity and strictness of con­versation [Page 32] as the power doth, forms give more liberty to the flesh, can more easily submit to any injunction, and lye under any command without reluctancy of conscience, or opposition of spirit, when the power can nor will do neither, so that they that have onely a form, may live easier and have their Religion at a cheaper rate then others, be­ing less obnoxious to the times, for they shall pass for very quiet, honest, harmless men, when others shall be stigmatized with the reproachful name of common distru­bers, and factious persons, &c.

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: VVe shall look but this once upon these words;

Obser. 3 That those that deny, contemn, and ab­hor the power of godliness, do at the same time imbrace the form of it.

We shall not hear shew you what the Power of Godliness is, but shall leave it to its proper place to be handled.

The consideration both of our former and later Times, will evidence and make good this; You cannot be ignorant of the Nicknames and Reproaches that have been cast upon the truly godly, both Ministers and People: Read but the History of the Church, and you shall finde that they which [Page 33] were most strict and severe in their outward performances of Religion, were the greatest vilifiers, scorners, and abusers of those that were carried forth in the strength and power of godliness. It is Storied of one that was Praefectus Castrorum, Provost Marshall general. that having gathered divers Harlots together, made them say, that they were Christians once, but they perceiving such lascivious acts to be perpetrated and committed by the Christians on the Sundayes when they met together,Euseb. Lib. 8. c. 3, 4, 5. that they could no longer endure it, which scandalous report was sent to the Emperor Maximinus; yea, they said that the Christians did eat mans flesh, and that they were the cause of any plague, misery, war, famine or destruction that came upon the Nation among whom they lived. Yea, they were so impudently wicked that they set up an Asse his head, and said, that that was the God of the Christians, and that the Christians were so lewd, that their meetings were onely for uncleanness: yet these men had a kinde of worship, they offered sacrifice. But let us look back upon our own times, and see how many there are that challenge to themselves the name of Christians, & yet not­withstanding how have they, & how do they, to this very day, reproach, vilifie, and abuse the [Page 34] truly Religious, to whom the truly conscien­tious and godly man is a common by-word, & an hissing, as calling them Puritans, & Pre­cisians; yea, if any one that did countenance or make shew of Religion, did but fall into a temptation, and was overcome by it, how should all professors be concluded under the same, or a worse guilt, and scandalized for the slip of one: how have they formerly been despised, and accounted disturbers of the Church in the time of the Bishops; nay, are they not still called Roundheads, Sectaries, Schismaticks, and what not? even by those that profess themselves to be Christians: such as these are the devils proper factors, instead of bearing with the infirmities of one ano­ther, they will impose the heavy burthen thereof upon all the Rest, if they can but finde or hear of a godly man (as they con­ceive) making but a proffer to the Kingdom of Satan; they presently would intitle all others unto the same Interest. And what is this but a plain opposition of the form of godliness against the true power of it? for do not these revilers themselves profess the same Gospel, look to be saved by the same Christ, as they will acknowledg, and yet how do they hate the wayes of Christ, by despising and contemning those that shew [Page 35] forth the power of Religion in their conver­sations! Yea, I am confident no Nation under heaven ever had the Gospel so powerfully & plentifully preached as England hath: and yet no greater persecutors of the professors of it, then England hath been, and is to this very day; and that is it that will speak very sad things against us: yet,Isai. 3.10, 11. Say to the righte­ous, it shall go well with him, but wo to the wicked, for he shall have the reward of his own doings; Now these men do namely imbrace the form of godliness, though at the same time they deny, contemn and abhor the power of it.

Reas. 1 Because the power of godliness will not suffer men to live loosely, but it obligeth them to a strict walking with God, when a form lets loose the reins unto the flesh, cor­ruptions and lusts; a truly godly man is al­ways moving in a heavenly and divine spheare, when an hypocrite is glewed un­to the sensual delights of the world. The power of godliness makes men conscientious in their walking towards God and men, they cannot serve God and Mammon; the right and sole object of their love & duty is God, who is but the hypocrites seeming object.

Reas. 3 The power of godliness kills and destroyes those sins that the form would keep alive, [Page 36] and preserve, and hug as their dearest darl­ings: those sins that the truly godly tremble but to mention, the same will the formalist gloriously, and rejoycingly perpetrate in the sight of men.

This may inform us by way of caution, to take heed how we regulate, and pitch our thoughts concerning the profession of Reli­gion, that we alwayes seriously trie before we choose, lest we take all for gold that glisters, & shadows for substances; these times where­in we live do require discerning judgments: never was godliness more counterfeited and abused then now, and never was wicked­ness more fairely glossed and varnished over then now it is; but let all fair appearing hypocrites know, that a small boat may serve to Wherry them over the Thames, but it will not carry them to the East Indies; their form may serve their turn here, but it will never convey them unto heaven; no, there is a leak in their vessel which will by the way insen­sibly sink them into the black ocean of hell; Christ will never be the Pilat to conduct a rotten bark into the harbor of rest and safe­ty: thou who livest onely upon a form of godliness, Christ will never own thee for any of his; Yea, though thou shouldest preach in his name, and cast out devils in his name, yea [Page 37] though thou doest many great works in his name, yet Christ will say, [...]. Mat 7.22, 23. Zech 7.5, 6. Isai. 58.4. Verily I know thee not, depart from me, thou worker of iniquity.

When ye mourned and fasted, was it to me, even to me, saith the Lord, did you it not for your selves? Yea, was it not for strife, debate, and contention, to smite with the fist of wickedness?

So will Christ say to all formalists, Did you preach for me, was it not for your selves? was it not that you might grow into esteem among the people, and that you might engross good benefices by it?Episcopal Clergy when they were in their power and some other since. did you fast to me? was it not for your selves? was it not for fear your own Kingdom and power was going down? was it not for fear of the diminution of your e­steem and applause amongst men? O how zealous have men been against those things that have but seemed to lessen their glory! O what cries have they made against error, but what litle care have they taken for sup­pression of vice and prophaness, either in City or Country; Enquire whether the Assem­bly did ever Petition the Parlia­ment a­gainst pro­phaness. with what vehemency have they followed the Parliament for keep­ing down error (Provided that it be error th [...] they cry out a­gainst. Wherein they have done well) but on the other side, how silent have they been, and key-cold in the work of root­ing out all open sin and prophaness; and what is the reason? certainly it is this, Pro­phanness [Page 38] strikes not so directly at them, as that which they call Error, doth: yea there are some men to mine own knowledg that are very bitter against any that shall oppose them in opinion or judgment, though con­vinced they are otherwise godly; yea, who would not allow that benefit to them as they do to a Bawdy house or houses in this parti­cular. I speak nothing but upon knowledg, for I have importuned some, that such houses might be punished and put down; but they have, yea do, to this very day suffer them, though they have power in their hands to suppress them, yea & could have done it with a word from their mouths, or line from their hands; how far off from the true efficacy of godliness are such as these? I am certain where the power of godliness rules, it will make a man as zealous against every sin as any sin: but for a man to be zealous onely against such sins as strike at himself in point of profit, credit, or esteem, such a mans zeal is not for God, but for himself: so that we may well say, sin is not punished because it is sin, but because such and such men fear that they shall suffer by it: as for a Minister to be very forward in punishing the sin of drunkenness, in such of his parishoners as desert their own parish Church on the Lords day, and [Page 39] go to Islington or elsewhere to hear, and yet is conscious of the same vice in many others of his parish which constantly hear him, who shall go free and unquestioned; this is not so much for their being drunk, as for their going from their own parish; in like maner there be some that be very ready to inflict punishment on those that resort not unto publike meetings at their own parish Church, but frequent pri­vate meetings; yet they can observe and know of many that spend the Lords days in carousing, and revelling, both at home and in the Ale-houses, and yet can salve up such prophanesses, and pass them by unpunished: this is not to punish sin because it is sinful, but that it may be serviceable and advantagious to some sinister end or other; for were the punishment out of a conscientious detesta­tion of the sin, then would it not be partial, or particular, but universal, without re­spect of persons or place; Again, those that would have them punished for meeting in private at any time to confer about matters of Religion, therefore accounting them broachers and fomenters of error, can at o­ther times wink at, and be privy unto the prophane meetings of swearers, drunkards, and blasphemers of the most high God, and [Page 40] of treacherous and bloody conspirators, both against the Church and State; nay, it may be they themselves the principal agents in such desperate and unwarrantable designs: this is not the true way to punish the sin of Error as they pretend, for if it were, then drunkenness, swearing, blasphemy, Teason and conspiracy, being all as great, nay greater errors, should have a share, if not a larger proportion of punishment. Such as these are not much unlike the Bishops, that would strip men of their livings, turn them, their wives and children out of house and home, for not reading the Common Prayer-book, or not wearing a Surplice, or for non­conformity in this or that point, though never so godly and painful Preachers: but had a man been but comformable unto their injunctions, were he never so common a drunkard, swearer, whoremonger, or wicked person, nay were he never so ignorant, or sot­tish, this was the man immoveable, he should have been fastened upon such a rock of con­formity, that all the winds, storms, or bluster­ing noise and accusation of his lewd-led life, should never have been able to have prevail­ed against him: nay his people should have been punished if they had but moved a com­plaint against him, or had refused to come to [Page 41] hear him: now the reason why such a wicked man goes scotfree, & unpunished, and the in­nocent-godly suffer tribulation: it is because the wicked prophane Priest was a prop to the Bishops Kingdom, he was a faithful servant, they had him sure enough, he would do them no harm: say what you could against him, this cured all, He is conformable, O then do so no more and farewell: yea and I am con­fident had our Parliament given as much power to the Clergy now, as some would have had, that so they might have had every man under their government and censure; you might have complained long enough either against minister or people, without a redress, had they but said, We are for Pres­byterie, it had been as full an answer, as for­merly to have said, We are conformable, That is, such a Presbyterie as some of our Clergy would have had. Witness those loose, ig­norant, irreligious and scandalous Elders, which are chosen and stand approved in their respective Classes to this day: though some of them have protested they know no Government, nor will acknowledg any like to Episcopacy, and I believe some Triers also must confess that before their approba­tion they have been informed thus.

2 Here we see that many men place their [Page 42] content in a form of godliness; O vanity of vanities! O fading joy! O bitter sweet! O fond conceit! this their bliss will be their bane and vexation of spirit; this was the condition of the five foolish Virgins, who had their lamp trimmed and made as glorious a shew as the wise did, and went altogether to meet the Bridegroom:Mat. 25.2, 3, 4, 5, &c. but the five foolish had no oyl in their lamps, that is, they had no grace in their hearts; but went to seek for it when it was too late, for the Bridegroom came in the interim, and the door was shut against them, and then they cried, Lord open unto us: but observe Christs answer, Verily I say unto you I know you not; Christ knows never a formalist in the world, Christ never had or will have any ac­quaintance with them, though they pretend to have never so much acquaintance with him; let them hug themselves in their own conceit, let them go on in their seeming content, all their hopes at length will be blasted, and they shall have no more com­fort then their own conceit can afford them; how woful and miserable will their end be, whose expectation perisheth? Christ saith, Son give me thy heart, but they never give Christ their hearts in all their lives: they give the form unto Christ, and the heart un­to [Page 43] their lusts; but the neerer that these draw to Christ, the more will their form of godli­ness vanish, as the foolish Virgins did in the 8. verse of the 25. of Mathew: Verse 8. Job 8.13. where it is said, that their lamps went out, when they looked for most benefit they found most de­ceit, for the hope of the hypocrite shall perish; Nam expe­ctatio Hy­pocritae pe­rit. so then, know thou that art but a meer out­side in Religion, who accompaniest thy self with the godly, and wilt be seen to be as one of them, yet know, that when thy Gold shall come unto the Touch-stone, it will be found adulterate and counterfeit: it is not thy company can shadow or protect thy su­perficial profession from the discerning eye of God; when thou shalt make thy ap­proaches unto Christ, then, even then shall thy paint appear and be discovered, like the paintings of an harlot before the heat: that which passeth for solidity in the eyes of man, will be found vanity in the sight of God, for though men judg according to the out­ward appearance, yet Christ judgeth accord­ing to whats within; so that, though thou mayest carry things close and covered for a time, yet a discovering time will come, when Christ will say,Mat. 25.29. Go take from him that hath not, even that he hath, that is, that he seemeth to have; O then thy godliness will prove [Page 44] but a form,Revel. 3.17. [...]. thy riches poverty, thy glorious garments nakedness, thy conceit of want­ing nothing will be the want of all things! Yea thou wilt be poor, blinde, and naked, wretched and miserable. O you that have been professors of the Gospel these twenty, thirty or forty yeers, who have followed Sermons as much as any, who have performed duties in your families, yea in your closets! tell me, did you ever meet with Christ in a Sermon, in a family, or closet-duty: have you not gone on in a formal way, resting upon duties done? what are you reformed in your families, or in your persons? are you not as covetous now as twenty yeers since, as uncharitable, as proud, as lukwarme, as self-seeking? yea and hast thou not taken content, and blessed thy self in this condition? O be now informed, that all this time thy Religion is but a form of godliness, thou art but a rotten hypocritical professor, one that hast all this time lived upon thy self, thy duties, thy parts, thy gifts, but to this day never upon Christ never had one hours sweet communion with God; never seen the rayes of his love in the face of Christ, never been with God in the mount, never been ravished with his presence nor seen his glory: yea heaven and earth shall [Page 45] witness against thee this day, that thou hast only a form of godliness, thou takest that for Gold that is but dross and tin, it will not pass for currant coin another day; your garment will be moth-eaten, your nakedness will appear, your faith will prove but histo­rical and temporary, you have spent your time to small purpose, you are like the horse in the mill, you are now where you were twenty yeers ago, not one step neerer hea­ven; you have not had one glimpse of glory from above, not one supper with Christ, nor one Feast of fat things to this very day: thou hast spun a fair thread, but not a sure one, thy glass hath run for vanity, not for e­ternity; thou shalt have the full aime of thy performances accomplished into thy bosom, the applause and pleasing of men; thou mayest expire thy last breath in the praise and admiration of man, thy name may be had in continual remembrance for thy good deeds and Saint like conversation with them, which indeed was the sum of thy expectati­on: but in stead of thy approbation before God, thou shalt receive a curse, and the dis­mal and woful doom of horror and de­struction unto all eternity, in that lake which burneth for ever, where thy good works before men shall be thy accusers and [Page 46] tormenters before God for thy trusting to them for life and salvation.

3 Those that under a form of godliness op­pose the power of it, let such know, that they strive against that stream that will swallow them up, for great is truth, and it shall prevaile: truth may be opposed and opprest, but never supprest; it will couragiously bear up that soul that shall imbrace it in all trials and afflictions. O take heed, though you are cunning, yet it is but to deceive your selves; look but upon Judas, how did he oppose truth, yea the Lord of truth? but how soon did the power of truth convince his spirit,Mat. 27.5. and caused such a horror of con­science within him, that he went out and hanged himself? how soon tumbled he into hell? what damnable hypocrisie is it for a man to profess to love that which he hateth? in words to profess he knows God, and in works to deny him?Tit. 1.16. to love the body, and hate the soul of godliness? O know, that the time is at hand that thy own conscience will fly in thy face, thy own profession will witness against thee, that thou didst but palliate and counterfeit the sincerity of Re­ligion: and how thou didst abhor in thy heart the purity of that godliness, that thou pretendedst with thy mouth and actions: [Page 47] O this is a soul-damning sin indeed, this is to be in the power of darkness:Joh. 3.19. Light is come into the world, Zach. 2.8. Qui enim tangit vos tangit pu­pillum o­culi sui. Heb. 12.29. but these men love dark­ness more then light, and it is because their deeds are evil: These men fight against God, yea cast dirt in the very face of God; that man that opposeth the truth of God, opposeth God himself; he that strikes and stands in opposition against the power of godliness, strikes at the Saints of God, and he that toucheth them, toucheth the apple of Gods eye: He that despiseth you, despiseth me, and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me: little doth a man know what, and whom he opposeth when he opposeth truth.

1 He opposeth all power in heaven and earth, for God is a God of Truth; [...]. Isai. 40.15. Is a dry reed able to stand against a consuming fire? surely no: yet this God whom thou oppo­sest is a consuming fire; is a Worm able to overcome a Lyon? thou art much less able to fight with God; who can contend with the Almighty, unto whom all the Nations of the earth are but as one drop of a bucket, and all the world but as the dust of the bal­lance: God is so infinite in himself, as that he weigheth the Mountains in a ballance, and taketh up the Iles as a very small thing:Job 38.2. O what art thou that darkness counsel by words [Page 48] without knowledg, did ever any man oppose God and prosper? lo this is the condition of them that oppose the power of godliness.

2 He opposeth that whereby God commu­nicates himself to the souls of his people in and through Jesus Christ: O wretched man, thou dost as much as in thee lieth, cut thy self off from heaven, life, and glory; dost thou think it nothing to shut the door a­gainst Christ, and stand at defiance against God himself; though thou maist deceive men, yet thou canst not deceive God, who searcheth the heart,Jer. 17.10. Ego Je­hovah scrutator cordes pro­bator re­num, &c. and trieth the reines, and knows poor sinful mans thoughts afar of; whatsoever designs thou plottest and projectest against the Truth, and so against God himself, though they be never so co­vert, yet they shall be manifested and made known, for none can hide from his pre­sence, if thou soarest as high as heaven, God is there, if thou descendest as low as hell, God is even there also, if thou takest the wings of the morning, and flyest to the utmost parts of the earth, there shall Gods right hand lead thee, yea, there shall he finde thee out: dost thou startle at this, Christian? and doth thy soul propound the question?

Quest. 1.If it be so dangerous a thing for a man to content himself with a form of godliness, [Page 49] and to oppose the power of it; How then may I know whether I content my self with the bare form of godliness, or my profession be formal or real?

Answ. 1 First, Examine thy conscience,The Book of mens conscien­ces shall be opened. Revel. 20.12. and search throughly into thine own heart, upon what grounds and terms thou tookest up thy profession, Was it to please thy friends? or for that it was in fashion and credit in the world? or for that form was not so subject to persecution as the power was? dost thou frequent the hearing of the Word for com­pany sake? or because thou wouldest not be taken notice of for absenting thy self? or for any other sinister end or base respect whatso­ever? if so, then know that all thy Religion is meerly superficial, and thy power formal.

Answ. 2 Dost thou rest in Duties done? do pub­like or private Ordinances, as the Word Preached, Sacraments Received,As the proud Pharisee said, Lord, I thank thee I am not as o­ther men, I pay tithe of all that I have, &c. Prayer in thy Family or Closer, give full content to thy Spirit, though thou never didst meet Christ in any Ordinance or Duty? dost thou boast thy self of thy Charity, or account thy self blessed for thy Almesdeeds? doth thy soul look for no further rest and satisfaction but from thy performances? O then know, that all this while thou hast contented thy self in but a form of godliness. Its observe­able [Page 50] in those men that now contend for the participation of the Ordinance of the Lords Supper, and would through might and main rush upon, and intrude unto the re­ceiving of it, that they have not the power of godliness at all in them; nay, I believe, there are very few of them that have so much as the form, for they are either igno­rant, superstitious, or profane persons; they may be reduced unto these three sorts, yea, take the best of them in those Parishes where they live, and screw them up unto the highest pitch, and give them all the advan­tage that possible may be, and if they can be brought up but to a form of godliness, thats very fair, it is the utmost extent of these mens Religion,Its Christ in the Or­dinance that bene­fits the soul, but the Or­dinance without Christ is as water spilt on the ground. and what is the reason they so press and dote upon the Ordinances? its because they are carried on with a blinde zeal, and fervent conceit they shall be carried unto heaven upon the wings of Or­dinances; who living and dying in this fond hope, fail of their expectation and never come there.

Answ. 3 All those that will bring something to Christ that they may be saved: they will hear so many Sermons in a week, receive so many Sacraments in a year, keep so many Fasts in a moneth, and then think that God [Page 51] doth them great injury, if now he will not save them, if now he will not accept of them and their performances?Isai. 58.3. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest us not? where­fore have we afflicted our souls, and thou takest no knowledg of us? these men think that Duties oblige God to acceptance, and Gods disapprobation of them is a mighty wrong unto them; they think that their actions and prayers, their services and hear­ings will be as so many Chariots to convey them to heaven; but O poor souls, there is Self sticks in the wheels, and retards and clogs their passage, so that their glass of Time will be run out before they attain their journeys end; O here is Self-deceit, and Soul-damning deceit, this is not Self-denial, but Self-seeking, not the power, but the form of godliness, upon this Form they may ever be sitting without proficiency in the School of Christ, never removing till they be sinking into eternal perdition.

Answ. 4 Those that can be Saints at home, and Devils abroad, and Devils at home, and Saints abroad: how many are there that can deport and behave themselves strictly at home in their Families, and very smoothly and uprightly among their neighbors, that bear the reputation of very good Christians, [Page 52] yet abroad in a remote place where they are not known, they can change their habit of strickness into a habit of looseness and pro­faneness, they can whore, drink, carouse, and spend whole nights in rioting and chambering, and make their tongues as black as hell with all manner of cursings and blasphemies: In like manner there be others that act the Devils part in their Families, by violently assaulting, cursing, and railing against wife,He that hath the power of godliness is univer­sally for God, in all places, and at all times in the gene­ral course of his life. children and servants, so as his Family is as a hell upon earth; but take them from home, what Saint-like ex­pressions and discourses shall you hear flow from them? what fair and amiable carriages and behaviors shall you meet withall from them: O Self-sanctified! O glorious hypo­crisie! O damnable form of godliness?

Answ. 5 Others that are very well contented with what publike means they have in their Pa­rish, be it good, be it bad, it serves their turns, they can savorly relish it, and account all others superfluous,Christians will not take Chaff for Wheat. though far more ex­cellent and profitable, they look not so much after their Edification by the means, as their confined observation and frequent­ing to the means; nay, they will plead it to be a sin in that man that shall sometimes forbear to come unto the dispensation of [Page 53] the means in his own Parish, be it never so fruitless and unprofitable, and wil evil in­treat such a man, and prosecute all rigorous ways for his undeserved punishment; they will never question nor search into the Doctrines of their Parish Priest, nor bring them to the touchstone of the Scriptures, but all he saith, Probatum est, all is Gospel that he delivers.

Answ. 6 Those that ground all their Religion in Hearing, and repeating Sermons, in praying in their Families, in singing of Psalms, and make these and such like duties their main evidences for heaven, onely mixed with a civil life.

Answ. 7 Those that rest upon learning, gifts, parts, endowments and abilities in preaching, prayer, conference, and disputes in matters of Religion, yea in understanding Scriptures in many places in their genuine and real in­terpretation, nay, and can render them profitable unto others, yet they themselves remain castawayes; these notwithstanding all the power of Rhetorick are void of the power of godliness, and embrace the shadow.

Answ. 8 Those that are onely zealous for Gods Cause and Christs, when they are in com­pany, and among Christians, who when [Page 54] they are amongst the ungodly can say as they say, do as they do, then all their zeal for God will be turned into cursings, swearings, and blasphemings; they are for God whilst they are with Gods; for the devils when they are with the devils; take them at home, there you shall finde them flat, dead and cold to all good words or works; they never in their Closets found any zeal, they never sent up cries or groans to heaven unless it be in the hearing of others; in truth these men did never yet send up any cry to heaven, but did content themselves with the meer form of god­liness.

Answ. 9 Those that are non-proficients in the School of Christ in the matters of Religion, they are alwayes at one stay, they are the same now that they were ten, or twenty years ago,Non proge­di est re­gredi. The rule is, that men ought to grow in grace and the knowledg of God and Christ. as much knowledg then as now, as much faith, zeal for God, patience, hu­mility, then as now; nay, now less then be­fore, for he that is no Progredient, must needs be a Retrogredient; well may such as these be marching forward to the end of their days, but never to enjoy the end of their hopes, that will never set one step forward in the wayes of godliness: do but ask them of their progress in Religion, and they can [Page 55] give you no account,2 Pet. 3.18. but still they hope well, they do what they can, and more they cannot do.

Answ. 10 Those that have the same lusts and cor­ruptions raigning in them as they had many years ago, they have no reformation, either in their own persons or their Families,Grace doth cast out lust, and over­come sin. that are no more brought unto conformity to Christ or his Word, then before; let these profess or think of themselves what they will, they are in a false tract, they are going the rode way to perdition, all the power of their Faith or Religion cannot drive them out.

Quest. 2 Seeing then that by what you have said, I may have a form of godliness, How then shall I know whether I oppose the power of godliness?

Answ. 1 First, such a man cannot indure a strict walking with God, he likes not an holy life, and godly conversation, they are too irksom to him; they that will not give the least way unto vain pleasures, that will reprove idle words and communications, O these men are too strict, too severe and precise in their actions, they are more nice then wise, what needs all this ado? to what end such strictness of life? why not now and then a little pleasure? why not a lust to be fulfilled? [Page 56] why not a little pride? why not a little idleness? why not a little slumber to the eyelids, and folding of the hands to sleep; this will be their lesson, this their plea; these reasonings will never out of their mouthes, untill they be digested into actions and customes of sinning: thus they cannot approve of a strict and close walking with God, but will be upbraiding and condem­ning those that either endeavor it, or plead for it, they will seek to cloud and extinguish the light of Grace in any who out-shine their form of godliness.

Answ. 2 They like not those men that will be medling with the Scriptures, unless they be Ministers, its not for Lay men to study the Scriptures,Not that men should leave their Callings and pre­sently turn Mi­nisters who are unfit for such My­steries. Act. 17.11. or to inter-meddle with other mens Callings, and yet the Exhortation is to all to search the Scriptures; and it was the high commendation of the Bereans, that they searched the Scriptures, to see whether those things were true that Paul spake, yea or no; yea though the Scriptures are able to make the man of God perfect, & throughly fur­nished to every good work, yet these men like it not, that any man (but Ministers) should labor in the Word, and the reason is, for that a Formalist that opposeth the power of god­liness, is not able to dispute or argue with [Page 57] those that imploy themselves in the matters of eternal life, and are acquainted with the minde of Christ in the Scriptures: It was not for nothing that our Saviour said, Blessed is he that is not offended with me; now whosoever is offended with the search­ing or exercising the Scriptures, Joh. 5.3. he is offend­ed with Christ, for they are they that testifie of me, saith Christ▪

Answ. 3 They affect not pure Ordinances: were it in the election of these men, they had ra­ther have the Common Prayer Book, the Letany, the old Service and Preaching, then to hear these long breathed duties in Praying and Preaching (as they term them) which are now used, they had rather em­brace old Ceremonies then new Truths, the old Law of Bondage, then the new Liberty of the Gospel; they are like the Is­raelites that longed for the Onions and Gar­like of Egypt, more then for the Land of Ca­naan; they are so far from standing fast, as they will not receive, nay, hardly hear of the Liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.

Answ. 4 These men would have the ordinances of Christ common to all; they would have bap­tisme and the Lords Supper as generally and promiscuously administred, as the preaching of the word, What, say they, are not all the [Page 58] congregation holy? are they not all mem­bers of one and the same body? shall any be barred of the Sacraments? yea they would have all men partake of the Lords Supper, though they eat and drink their own damnation,1 Cor. 11.29. not discerning the Lords body, though the prohibition be. that with drunkards, fornicators, covetous persons, idolators,1 Cor. 5.11. and railers, we should not eat: and an express command from Christ himself, that we should not cast Pearls before Swine nor holy things unto Dogs,Mat. 7.6. which all wick­ed men are called in Scripture phrase. And Paul would know what communion there can be between Christ and Belial, light and darkness, the temple of God and Idols: What part hath a believer with an Infidel?2 Cor. 6.27. yet they that partake of one bread, are one body, Shall we take the members of Christ, and joyn them to an harlot? God forbid. Wherefore come out from among them, and touch no unclean thing, saith the Lord Al­mighty, & you shall be my sons & daughters and I will receive you. Here we must re­move two objections which lie in the way.

Object. 1 First from that in the 1 Cor. 5.11. that there by eating is not to be understood of the Lords Supper, but of common eating, and common society with men of the world.

[Page 59] Object. 2 That in the 2 Cor. 6.17. coming out there, was not meant from the Communion with Christians, but to come out from Hea­thens and Infidels.

Answ. 1 This cannot be understood of civil eating with men of the world, because the text saith, if any man that is called a brother, that is, a member of the Church or society of these Corinthans, &c. And this agreeth with that of the Apostle in the 2 Thess. 3.6.2 Thess. 3.6. We command you, brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw your selves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and so in the 14. verse, verse 14. not to keep company with him, if he obey not our Epistle, but note him that he may be ashamed, yet admon­ish him as a brother. Now if any man shall say, then it was eating at their love Feasts, or among themselves at their own tables.

To this I answer, That civil eating either among themselves or with Infidels, was yet never prohibited.

1 Christ and his disciples did commonly eat with Publicans and sinners, Christs ex­ample. and at this you know the Jews were offended, that is the Scribes and Pharisees.

2 The Apostle tels us that if an Infidel bids thee to a feast, thou mayest go, yea and thou mayest eat, asking no question for conscience [Page 60] sake,1 Cor. 10.27. for the earth is the Lords, and the ful­ness thereof: so that is cleer that a Saint may eat with an Infidel,1 Cor. 5.11. a believer with an unbeleever; yea and have commerce and dealings with men of the world, or else they must go out of the world: so that of neces­sity believers and unbelievers must dwell and trade together while they are in this world, yea they may buy, sell, eat, drink, con­mune, or do any lawful business as accasion is offered. This world is a common Inn for the entertainment as well of denizens as a­liens, free-born as strangers, and they are guests promiscuously accommodated one with the other; nothing here doth separate, nothing impede their lawful association: it is that purchased City, whose Franchises and glorious immunities, are onely appropriated unto the free denizens (the Saints of God) that excludes their society & neighbor-hood.

But now, put the case that the Apostle had included civil eating, Who dares say, that eaten Sacramentally, had been excluded? take but this one Argument, If it be unlawful to eat with wicked, profane and ungodly per­sons at our common tables, surely it must needs be much more unlawful to eat and partake with such at Christs table; and if Christ would have us take heed of being de­filed [Page 61] with sinners at our own tables, how much more heed would he have his people to take of such company when they come to his table, which is holy, where he himself is present, communicating himself unto his people under the forms of Bread and Wine?1 Cor. 10.21, 22. And as the Apostle saith, Can you partake of the table of the Lord and the table of devils? so you cannot drink the Cup of the Lord and the Cup of devils: can you have communion with Christ and with devils at his Supper? what fellowship can there be between light and darkness? Will Christ take this well at the hand of any man that professeth an in­terest in, and an union with Christ: nay will not this be an interposition betwixt Christ and such a soul; and an eclipsing and sha­dowing of the shinings of grace in a godly soul, whereby it may be made in some sort guilty of an unworthy receiving of the body and blood of Christ.

Quest. Again some may say, why did Christ then suffer Judas to partake of the Sacrament of his last Supper with himself and his Disci­ples?Luke 20.21. Answ. 1 John 13.30. Behold the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.

See that of John, who testifies that Christ gave a Sop to Judas, and after the giving of the Sop, Satan entered, and immediately he [Page 62] went out: Now all men agree that this Sop must be given at the eating of the Passeover. If so & that he went out immediately, then was he absent when Christs Supper was instituted.

Secondly, Christ took the Cup, and gave thanks and gave it to them saying, Drink ye all of it; Mat. 26.27, 28. and in the next verse it is said, for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Now if Judas had drunk of it, then had it been to him but a lying sign of the remission of sins.

Again, Christs blood was really shed for his Saints, and not for the world, of which Judas was one; for if Christ would not pray for the world, certainly muchless would he die for the world: We will not say, but the price of Christs blood was sufficient for the redemption of ten thousand worlds; but yet we will say it was onely intended and shed for his Elect ones.

But if we should grant that Judas did re­ceive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, will that any ways prove it lawful, that openly wicked, prophane, and ungodly men may receive it? Surely no.

Reas. 1 For that Judas was an hypocrite and car­ried his sin closely, so that the Disciples could not discover him till at the last.

Reas. 2 He was a member of the Church, and not [Page 63] cast out, and so had a memberal right unto it; yea and by that might claim it as his due, he being called into that society by Christ himself; So that we cannot nor are not to look into the hearts of men, but into their lives and conversations.

Obj. But grant Judas did receive the Sacra­ment, Christ knew Judas heart, and that it was he that should betray him from the be­ginning, and therefore if wicked men ought not to receive it, why was it given to him?

Ans Christ gave the Sacrament ministerially as he was man, & so you see was his carriage to­wards him all the time he was with him, cer­tainly Christ could have discovered him oft times before, had he acted towards Judas as he was God blessed for ever; again you know what Paul saith,1 Cor. 11.29. He that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh his own damna­tion, not discerning the Lords body.

Now can any rational man think that Christ would give that holy ordinance unto Judas, of which he would not have wicked men to participate, if he had dispensed it to him as he was God?

5 Those that can ballance their judgments according to the times, be they Ministers or people, such as have unsettled bottomes and wavering principles,; it may be too [Page 64] lately instanced in many Ministers in this City, who in stead of being propagators of peace (which is their proper function) were instigators to war; proclamators of new engagments against that Army, which have been procurators (under God) of their tranquillity: and in such invective maner as if they had been the onely enemies of the Kingdom, yea of God, of Christ, and of the Gospel: if Paul were conscious to himself of a wo if he did not Preach the Gospel; how many woes may they justly expect, that Preach nothing but division, dissention, in­citations, and provokings to new wars and bloody designs; and onely grounded upon humane prescript and authority:These men are good at turning and can do it by art, yet they can­not dance so in the dark, but men may see them if they are not blinde or Priest-ridden. yea to mine own knowledg some of them did in a manner promise the ingagers victory: again how many of the people did underwrite great sums of money, and lay out all their endeavors for a fresh engagement to war! well may the people be seduced that are led by such spirits: and yet of a suddain, how did this slowing stream abate? and upon how dead and low water did the spirit of these men move? behold how your furious Jehus assumed new spirits, or at least seemed so to do, what preparations, what goings out to meet that Army in a seeming kiss of [Page 65] love; whom ere while they were plotting to destroy: how did they seem to congratu­late with presents, those that so lately they did abominate and detest! O damnable de­sign! O hellish hypocrisie! But I shall not shew more of the nakedness of these men to the publike eye, I shall onely advise the Reader, not to suffer this sort of men to de­lude him any longer under any specious pre­tence whatsoever, for though the Saints count godliness gain, yet these men count gain godliness, yea they fear men more then God, and so are opposers of godliness while they hold out the form thereof.

6 They always oppose a through-reforma­tion, or at least like it not; What,The Eng­lish Pro­verb is, None too old to learne. must a man that hath lived fourty or fifty yeers in a parish, alwayes receiving the Sacrament freely, now have his faith called into questi­on? must he now be catechised as boyes are, before he can be admitted? O this goes against the grain, this cannot be indured, yet in this thou opposest godliness.

7 They love Christs enemies, they love & che­rish their bosom-sins, their lusts, their corrup­tions are very dear unto them; they will enjoy them, though they never enjoy Christ, they will not be willing to part with a secret, be­loved, vanishing darling, for a perpetual and [Page 66] an everlasting Kingdom, yea for heaven it self: such as these are of the same mind that Theotimus was,Theotimus saying, Vale Lu­men ami­cum. who being told by his phy­sitians, unless he would leave his uncleanness, he must look to lose his eyes, his answer was, then farewell sweet light: so is it with these men, they are resolved to have their lust, though it cost them the loss of the most pre­tious light, and the love and favor of Christ; yea what mad men are these to do what in them lieth to damn their souls for the em­braces of a momentany lust, which they must forgo when they come to die!

8 Those that oppose godliness can hear of the nicknames and reproaches cast upon the Saints, with delight and approbation, and do not lay it to heart, and mourn for it, but make it their sport and matter of re­joycing, and publish it to the world; this is the custome of thousands of our professors in these dayes, if they can but hear the least ill report against a man differing from them in Judgement, they will be sure to add to it, and spread it further and further, it will be the tickling and delight of their hearts to set such a mans credit upon the tainter hooks: do but consider, Can a son indure that dirt should be thrown in his fathers face? surely no; then how can a man rejoyce in the re­proachings [Page 67] of the godly, whereby dirt is thrown in the very face of God himself, and yet this man at the same time professing God to be his father: but God loaths the owning of such children, for they are of their father the devil, and his works they do.

9 That man that onely likes Religion well in a great man, and applauds him for it; but despiseth it in a poor man and condemns him for it;James 2.2. Its not Religion that this man applauds but the man. this clearly shews that its not Religion this man loves, but the persons of men are onely had in admiration with him, yea I must say that civility in a great person­age, is reputed to be an high form in Religi­on, when true godliness is vilified in a man of a love condition, yea and among them that a man dares not say but that they look heaven-ward. O this is sad indeed! for e­ven these oppose Religion in the power and purity of it.

10 Lastly, those that dare even in their Pul­pits, mock, and cry out against new lights, yea and others that in their conferences and disputes inveigh against any that shall speak of a further revelation of light in the Gos­pel of Christ, whats this but a mighty oppo­sing of the power of godliness? when John had seen many heavenly visions in the three [Page 68] first Chapters of his Revelation, yet it is said in the first verse of the fourth, That he looked and saw a door opened in heaven, &c. and the truth is, the more true Gospel and spiritual light that any man hath, the more darkness he sees in himself, and the more light he desires; and the reason why men do so much despise Gospel light, is, because they themselves are in darkness, and have never had their souls ravish'd with the beams of the glory of God, shining in the face of Jesus Christ unto them; for let a man but taste of this glimpse of glory, he is never at rest till he can have a further enjoyment of it. Not that hereby I may seem to [...]ustifie any vain phantasies or whimsies in men that will labor to bring the Gospel to their light▪ and not their light to, or from the Scripture, that will forsake fundamentals in Religion, and tell us there is another way to heaven for men of yeers, besides that of Faith and re­pentance, which is the old and sure way: but so far forth as new light keeps close to sound fundamentals, so far let the Saints own and embrace it as true saving light, with all thankfulness.

4 It may inform us that the power of god­liness hath many enemies, besides those that profess themselves so to be; some preach [Page 69] Christ out of envy, and some of good will, and some to add afflictions to the Saints bonds; so some profess Christ of envie, some of good will, and others that they might spie out the Saints liberty, and heap up the mea­sure of their sufferings; had not Judas been privie to Christ and his Disciples meetings in the garden, he could not so readily have known where to have found him, when he came with the high priest officers to appre­hend him, for the Holy Ghost saith, he knew the place.

Now the reason why the power of godli­ness hath so many secret enemies, is, for that it fighteth and contends against every secret and bosom sin; what irksomness and relu­ctancie of spirit will there be in every godly soul, against the lest temptation of sin? and this inward disturbance, and disquietness of spirit, the hypocrites, and men of the world cannot bear: Is not Zoar a little one, and my soul shall live; what, cannot I give a little li­berty to the flesh, make use of a small lust? what not a little liberty for company keep­ing, for covetousness, for pride, revenge, for wrongs done me, must I keep so close and exact to the rule? O this makes mens actions speak, that they are no friends to the power of godliness, though in words they will not [Page 70] confess it for shame: the truth is that in all ages there have been underminers of the power of godliness in a secret way, pretend­ing to truth and godliness, when their in­tents were quite contrary; witness the high Commission Court of late yeers, yea witness all the faction of the conformable Clergy; yea and thousands of professors at this very day, and especially those that so much vindi­cate and plead for forms in the Worship of God; also those loud out-cries against all men that side not with nor approve of Zion-Colledg-Presbytery, being not content with what the Parliament appoints, but are grasp­ing, and thirsting after more power, that it might be in their own hands, to tyrannize over mens consciences, more then in truth either the Bishops or their Courts did ever exercise; for they generally assented to con­formity to such Ceremonies as made for the establishing of their pomp and glory; and in those days a man for a little money might make means and friends to enjoy the liberty of his conscience, but now nothing will serve but submission or exile, as some Presbyteri­ans have said to my face, that such ought to be the condition of all those that were of a contrary judgment, and that after admoni­tion would not submit; they were not fit to [Page 71] live in a Kingdom, though at the same time they have confessed that they have been honest men, setting their judgments aside; O this is unexpressible madness for men to sub­jugate Christians consciences unto a formal government; their very words argue them formalists, and their inward malice, and pre­domination over tender consciences, demon­strates the want of the power of godliness: therefore take this for a rule, that whoso­ever, in all his discourses or actions, shall so contend for any form whatsoever in matters of Religion, more then power, such a man denyeth the strength and power of godli­ness, for godliness is of a more excellent na­ture, it tyeth a man to a strictness of life, wherein power will appear as well as form: the heart is the thing that God requireth, for he will be sainctified of all them that draw neer unto him; and he will be worshipped in spirit and truth, and not in outward forms onely.

Do men that profess the form of godli­ness, oppose the power of it? O then, it doth highly concern men to look into their own ways & examine their own hearts; dost thou profess Religion, because the laws of the Land injoyn thee to it: or is it from a prin­ciple of thine own, or by the power of [Page 72] Jesus Christ? O know, whatsoever flowes from man, as he is man, is carnal, earthly, and sensuall; therefore as the cause is, such is the effect; as the principle, such the act; art thou guided and principled by the Spirit of God in thy profession? is the word of God the pattern and rubrick of thy life? doth thy conversation speak thee Christian, and spiri­tual? doth thy blossom sprout from the tree of life? art thou rudimented and disciplined from thy School-master, Christ? then thou mayest without prejudice conclude thy qua­lifications to be truly sanctified, and thy profession truly godly; it is not the out­ward profession, but the inward intention, and cordial affection, that God accepts; My son, saith God, give me thy heart, walk before me, and be thou upright and perfect; it is the close and inward walking of the heart with God, that God accompts up­rightness and perfection: its impossible for a man to be upright with God, unless his heart be for him; there can be no soundness in Religion springing from a rotten heart; away then with these outside services, aban­don all thy goodly flourishes; cease to seem, learn to be: let not thy profession be super­ficial, but supernatural: be less glorious in the eyes of men, and more of God; sore not [Page 73] too high with thy artificial plumes, lest the vigorous heat of the Sun of righteousness scorch thy wings, and thy soul, and body be precipitated into the infernal lake. Take heed then unto thy heart, labor for integrity in that, and thy conversation will be godly; it is the madness of many men, when they are reproved for their sinful lives, to reply and say, Why? what man is there that liveth, and sinneth not? though I sometimes fall into error, and sin against God, yet my heart is good, my wishes are to and for God. O foolish men, who hath bewitched you! is it possible for vertue and vice to co-inhabite? for a bad life to issue from a good heart? can spirit and flesh, can light and darkness, can Christ and Belial be co-inthroned? O vain conceptions! O foolish imaginations! A good and sincere heart mak­eth an identity and conformity in the whole man, it spiritualizeth his understand­ing, will and affections.

It puts a spirit of illumination into the Understanding and Judgment of that man whose heart is truly sanctified and upright towards God, whereby he is able to discern and judg of things that differ, between things that are good and evil.

2 It purifies his Will, and puts it upon the [Page 74] choice of the best things, it makes it aspire after heaven and heavenly things, it will la­bor and act after nothing but Christ and him crucified.

3 It regulates and placeth the Affections upon their right Object; thus the heart be­ing made spiritual, the Understanding, the Will, and the Affections will be all subser­vient to the dictates of the Heart; the Un­derstanding thereby comes to a knowledg of the things that are of God, the Will, that approves of that knowledg, and acts for God, then the Affections, which are the wheels of the soul, carrie the whole man af­ter that which is good;Col. 3.1. If you be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ your Head is: Set not your affecti­ons on things of the earth, for you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God; that is, you are, or ought to be dead in your affe­ctions to the things of this world: O let your conversation be where your life is hid. Now to draw a period to this Point, and to wind up this Particular, on which I have dwelt something long.

Is it so, that men that content them­selves with a form of godliness, do thereby deny the power of it, and so contract unto their souls the guilt of an hainous sin? Yet [Page 75] let me offer one word of comfort unto such men, and not leave them as men without hope, though indeed their case be very mi­serable as they stand at defiance with hea­ven; yet I will not seal them up to condem­nation, nor give them all for lost; let me yet set the Gospel before their eyes. If yet you can beleeve you shall be saved; If yet you return, Though your sins be as crimson, they shall be made as white as snow, though they be as scarlet, they shall be as wooll; there is efficacy enough in the blood of Christ to wash you from all your filthiness; add not then impenitency and unbelief to the rest of your abominations, take heed of that soul-damning sin, look upon the blood of Christ, as that Fountain that stands open for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in, for sin, and for uncleaness; remember that Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance; O this is a true saying, and wor­thy of all acceptation (saith Paul) that Christ came into the world to save sinners, whereof I am chief: Thou that hast sinned against free Grace, against the tenders of Love and Mercy, against the very bowels of Christ, yea against the blood of the Cove­nant, know that thou hast cause to bless God that yet thou art not in Hell, that yet [Page 76] thou art not quite without hope; its possible yet for the breath of Life to be breathed into thy soul, thy salvation is yet attainable, if God do but yet inspire his Grace and Power into thy soul, to make use of present means and opportunities of mercy; O re­member that God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, yea the world in­definitely; why maist not thou that hast been a formal professor all thy dayes, that hast been an opposer of the power of god­liness, have a part in that great mercy of re­conciliation? God, he intreats thee to be re­conciled;2 Cor. 5.20. hear what Paul saith, We are Embassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christs stead that you would be reconciled to God, for he hath made him to be sin for us, which knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him: In which places of Scripture you may take notice, that there is nothing requi­red on thy part, but to be willing to receive a pardon, and to be reconciled to God, yea, and God himself will work both the will and the deed: tell me, thou desperate sinner, wilt thou be saved or no? art thou willing to be made partaker of the death and resur­rection of Jesus Christ? art thou willing to be transplanted out of the wilderness [Page 77] of the world into the Eden of God? art thou willing to be snatcht from a Dunghill unto a Paradise? to be cured of a loathsome Leprosie, and to enjoy perfection of health and beauty? what sinner so impudent? what sinner so vile as to deny a consent and willingness to this? yet to lay open a little further the rich Treasury of the Mercies of God unto any such obdurate soul, that will harden his heart, and refuse to be willing to receive pardon; let him know, that Christ will save him whether he will or no, if he belong to the election of Grace, God will will not lose any of his Elect ones, nor suffer any to pluck them from him; long may Sa­tan bear rule and sway in the soul of a cho­sen Vessel of God from all eternity, and such a one may seem in the eyes of the Saints to be a reprobate, and lost creature, to be a vessel of wrath, destined for destru­ction, yet may God at length come with the tender whisperings and breathings of his Spirit (which breatheth and bloweth when and where it listeth) upon such a mi­serable soul, and calm the storms thereof, and poure in fresh oyl into its wounds, and put in marrow, strength and vigor into its dry bones, and say to such a soul, Come out of thy bloud and live, for he hath [Page 78] given a greater price for the redemption of his people, then heaven or earth, then Angels or men, for he hath given his own blood for his Church,Acts 20.28. and for his Elect; and why maist not thou then be one of them? for as great sinners as ever thou wert have been saved. Where sin abounds, there Grace aboundeth much more (yet sin not, that Grace may a­bound, take heed of that) there's an absit, a God forbid, put to that. But now, though a man hath sinned with never so high an hand, and never so high a nature against God (the commission of the sin against the holy Ghost excepted) yet for such a man to re­ceive pardon of his sin, and to be made holy through the righteousness of Christ, this shews an abundance of Grace and infinite Mercy, yea, it makes for the greater exalta­tion of the glory and riches of free Grace, to pardon the greatest sinners; it sets forth more the glory of Gods rich Grace to par­don a Mary Magdalen, to be reconciled to a persecuting Saul, to free a Thief from the guilt of his misled life, and carry him im­mediatly from a Cross (the deserved end of his wretched life) unto an everlasting crown, to snatch him from the power of sin, and bring him unto the freedom and fellowship of Saints, to receive him into [Page 79] his own bosome, whom the world loathed and spued out; O the heighth and depth of the Love of God in Christ! There is more advancement of the Glory of God in this, then in the saving of an Abraham, an Isaac, or a Jacob, who were never guilty of such sins as they were; Its a greater honor for a Prince to pardon one that hath been a Traytor against his Crown, Dignity, and Life, then to pardon one for stealing a trifle, or for picking a pocket; and so more honor redounds unto the Lord in his being reconciled to an old sinner, to one that hath stood out against him all his dayes, who hath been a Traytor against God, and Christ, the Gospel, and the Saints; then in his pardoning one that hath onely sinned a­gainst him of infirmity; now there cannot be a worse Traytor against God, then that man that hath onely a form of godliness, and opposeth the power thereof; yet let not this man, nor any other in the like conditi­on cast away the strong Anchor of Hope, so long as he breathes on this side Hell, for there is salvation purchased for such, as well as for lesser sinners, if they will but lay hold of the proffers of Mercy in the Gospel, let them look upon Christ as a full Object of salvation for the greatest sinners; and is not [Page 80] this incouragement enough for the vilest sinners to come in to God, and to Christ? nay, especially when Christ will do all their works in them, and for them, and reacheth forth such strong and free invitations, as so many cables for the supportation of any sinking soul, when he calls in general unto e­very one that thirsteth,Isai. 55.1. To come and buy Wine and Milk without money, and without price; Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, Matth. 11.28, 29. and I will give you rest, and you shall find rest unto your souls. Joh. 7.37. Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man be athirst let him come to me and drink of the waters of Life freely: So again in the Revelation of John, Revel. 22.27. The Spi­rit and the Bride said come, and let him that heareth say come, and let him that is athirst say come, and whosoever will, let him take the water of Life freely.

Many more places of Scripture might be instanced and brought for this pur­pose, but these are sufficient to set forth the free invitation of all sinnners, both by God, by Christ, and the Spirit of Grace; the Lord looks for nothing at thy hand, but to receive pardon, and to be reconciled unto himself, there­fore why will you perish, O sons of men? your condemnation is of your selves; Let [Page 81] this then take off those that do refrain to come unto Christ, because they have no­thing to come withall, such a soul is best welcome unto Christ, that is emptiest in him­self; thy approaches and addresses unto Christ, are not to be measured with those unto great Personages here on earth, there needs no rich presentations to usher in, or plead thy acceptance, nor purchasing of Me­diators by clandestine and close-fisted bribes; the dearest and highest Saint in hea­ven cannot so soon procure thy access unto, and acceptance with Jesus Christ in heaven, as the fauning Parasite, and Saint-seeming Devil can with man on earth; nor doth Christ accept of any creature, or worthi­ness in creature, either in heaven or earth, on the behalf of a poor soul, to ingratiate it into his favor and embraces, but of his own breathings in a contrite spirit: O then if sin be a burthen to thee, come unto Christ, and he will take it off, he will deliver thee from that weight; God he hath laid help upon one that is mighty, by his Stripes we are healed, by his Merits saved, by his Wounds cured, and by his Power preser­ved unto everlasting life; and to press more home unto the souls of poor sinners, the consideration of the free offer of Grace and [Page 82] Salvation of Christ, let them but read the ingeminated invitation of the Spirit of God in that one Text before cited,Revel. 22.17. Come, come, come, The free Word Come, is no less then three times reiterated in that one Verse: O then do not wilfully re­fuse and cast off the free offers of Life, Grace, and Salvation, for know it is tendred as freely to thee, as ever it was to any creature under heaven, and know that to reject this mercy, is to reject the greatest mercy that ever was tendered to any soul upon the face of the earth; it is to reject not onely thine own good, thine own life, thine own salvation, and thy sweet communion with, and enjoy­ment of Christ and the blessed Saints for ever hereafter, but also of the free Love of God and Christ; the loss whereof is worse then ten thousand hells, yea, it shall be an aggravation of all thy sins that ever thou didst commit in thy whole life: for he that will not believe, is damned already, there is no hope of such a man; take heed therefore of Unbelief, for it is worse then Hell it self, as being the cause of all mi­series that a soul can be afflicted with.

1 Hell, that's an Ordinance of God; but sin is from the devil, and mans own corruption.

[Page 83] 2 Hell is the fruit of sin, as sin is the cause of punishment; by sin came death into the world, yet that man that believes shall be preserved from sin, death, hell, and what ever else is miserable; yea not onely so, but he shall have that sweet enjoyment of God, Christ, his Spirit, Saints, Angels, Heaven, Life, Glory; yea more then his desire or thoughts can comprehend, for no eye hath seen, ear heard, or heart conceived what is laid up in life and glory for all them that believe, there the soul shall see God as he is, yea it shall be filled with the fulness of God, and ravished with his presence; yea more, the soul shall hold communion with Christ, and with the father in a more excellent measure then any creature can be capable of in this life, yea there the soul shall be in union with God and Christ, God will be giving out him­self unto his Saints, they shall partake of his glory, they shall be in him, and he in them: this is the excellency and preeminency of fa [...]th, that doth instrumentally and mediatly through Christ alone, act and carry the soul above the pitch of earth, and conveighs and lodgeth it in the bosom of Christ; O then who would be destitute of this Armor of proof? Who would not be shrouded under this helmet, as sufficient to defend the soul [Page 84] against all worldly and spiritual conflicts? who would not get this wing to elevate and mount his soul into the Heaven of Heavens, where the act of faith shall cease? then shall believers live no more by faith, but by sight: there expectation shall be swallowed up of fruition, invisible things become visible, glimmerings of light, become flames, and ravishments of glory. Saints here can better tell what God is not, then what he is, we can here say, he incomprehensible, and im­mutable, but then we shall see God in his essence, in his nature and excellency, as he is a spirit, so far as a soul can be made ca­pable of so glorious an object. O then of what happiness and bliss do unbeleevers de­prive themselves, that will not believe, though everlasting life depends upon it! O sinners, remember how often hath the Gospel been preached unto you? how often have you been invited unto the marriage Feast, and you would not come? How of­ten have you preferred the wedding of your souls unto the profits and lusts of this world, rather then unto Christ? Consider, Christ hath invited you, your own wicked wills have refused to comply with his call; he would have gathered you together under his wings, but ye would be dispersed & sepa­rated [Page 58] from him, certaintly it shall be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judg­ment, then for you: and thus I have dis­patched the first branch (Having a form of godliness.)

THe Apostle still continues his complaint of what should come to pass in the last and evil times, which are accomplished in these days wherein we live, which we have shewed you in the precedent part of this Treatise: these men in the text retain the form of godliness, at the same time when they deny the power of it; things of least value most set by, and those of the greatest concernment most slighted, contemned, and despised, dark­ness before light, vanity before verity, sha­dows before substance, weakness before power; here you may see men acting much outwardly, and intending nothing less in­wardly, men contending for, and satisfying themselves in types & forms, and denegating substance and reality; types and representati­ons are good, if the power and body typifi­ed [Page 87] and represented be joyned with them: but when there comes a disjunctive particle (but) between form and power, then all is lost, Religion lost, profession lost, and the professor also; the fabrick of that soul be­ing built upon such a formal and sandy foundation must needs perish and fall to ruine.

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.

This monosyllable (but) includes many syl­lables of truth and high concernment; [...], sed. it is very authoritative and significant, and though it be but short in it self, yet oft times it reach­eth as far as hell it self, as here in this place, where it parts the power of godliness from the form you know that it is many times said of the Kings of Israel, that they reigned such and such a time, and did such and such acts, but they did evil in the sight of the Lord; now this (but) spoiles all, all seems well un­till this exception or reservation comes in: its a common thing for men to say, such a man is a good Preacher, endued with admi­rable gifts, but he is covetous, but he is proud, but he will be conformable to the times, this interpositive (but) eclipseth the brightness and glory that mens actions did before seem to carry with them: it is such a separative, [Page 88] that it divorceth the pre-reputation of all thy actions, and bringeth in, and en­tailes a lasting disreputation and dishonor upon thee and thy actions; how in­consistent is sin with goodness! read of all the failings of the Saints, and you shall ne­ver read that a godly man was a covetous man at one and the same time, for of all sins, this hath a black brand of hell set upon it, he that loves the world, is an enemy to God, that man hath not the love of God dwelling in him; the truth is, that grace and covetousness are inconsistent; they are light and darkness; you know though it be never so dark, yet if light appear, the dark­ness is expelled, so the absence of light caus­eth darkness: so when grace comes into the soul, covetousness vanisheth. Wherefore whosoever delighteth in covetousness, and maketh money his chiefest aime; let this man profess what he will, he is an Idolater, a denyer of the power and life of godliness, and remains in the gall of bitterness, and bond of iniquity. So others will say, such a man is a good Christian, but he will defraud and over-reach his neighbors, but he will tell a lie for his own advantage: they might as well have said, he is an honest man, but he is a very knave, but he is a cheater and a lyar; so [Page 89] such a man beareth the outward cognizance of a Christian, his profession is very spe­cious and Saint like, but his heart is hypocri­call and diabolical: he hath no faculty or power of profession, but fair symptomes and shewes, he bids fair for heaven, he out­strips many a godly man in the eye of the world, but at length his vanishing prop will fall him, and he inevitably drop into hell.

(Denying, or having denied) that is, [...], qui abne­gârint. ear­nestly and stifly to reject, to refuse, forsake or turn the back upon, to cast off, or gainsay▪ its the same word with that to Titus 2.12.Tit. 2.12. teaching us, that denying ungodliness, so 2 Pet. 2.1.2 Pet. 2.1. Even denying the Lord that bought them; so in that fourth of Jude, even denying the onely Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ; thus you have the explication and signification of the word denying, thus they are said to deny the power of godliness, who do make but a bare profession of it.

The next word is power, [...]. Vis, pote­stas, suffici­entia. and it signifieth strength, authority, ability or sufficiency of godliness, and this shews the excellency of it, which is not looked upon, nor appre­hended by the men of the world, which makes it to be so vilified and contemned: Thus much for the etymology of the words.

But denying the power thereof.

[Page 90]Acquaint us with this truth; That when godliness comes into the soul, it comes with power and life; in its operation its very powerful; its like a violent rushing wind, that carrieth all before it, or a devouring flame that consums all combustible matters; its like the piercing Sun in the Element, that with its radiant beams at noon day, doth dimm and dead the hottest fire, and dissipate the foggy mists of the earth: so doth godli­ness in the soul allay and extinguish the heat of lust, and banisheth and dispels the noy­some mists of corruption; where it comes, it overcomes, like an irresistible torrent that depels and drives back every opposing thing; yet it hath its degrees and divers effects of operation: in some more, in some less, ac­cording to the measure of grace received, yet very powerful in all: thus it came to the Jailor in that Acts 16.29.Act. 16.29. Then he called for a light, and sprang in among them, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, saying, What must I do to be saved? It did so powerfully seize on him, that it made him to tremble and quake, it rowsed him out of his security, it enlivened and raised up his dead and benummed affections, it quickned his faculties, and enlightned his understand­ing, it made him now to enquire, that ere [Page 91] while was without sense, it made him look after salvation, that before never thought of it, neither knew what it meant; he that a little before did imprison the Saints, and put them in the stocks (verse 24.Vers. 24.) O now who more ready to act for the Saints liber­ty then he? now he leads them out, now he fals down before them, ready to be their servant, that was before their tyrant. O wonderful change! O invincible power of grace! His eyes were now opened, his un­derstanding enlightned, his Judgment in­formed, his affections turned another way, he is not now the man he was; a little be­fore an Infidel, now a Believer; even now a captive, now leading captivity captive: late bound up in the fetters of darkness, and now translated into the marvailous light; heretofore a persecutor of Paul and Silas and all the Saints, and now a refresher and comforter of them (quantum mutatus ab illo!) O happy conviction! O blessed change! Again, do but consider that of Paul in the act of his conversion, how he was beaten from his horse to the ground, the text saith he fell to the earth, and he trembled, and was a­stonished, and said, Lord, Acts 9.3, 4, 5, 6. what wilt thou have me to do? yea, and he was struck with blind­ness, and continued so for three dayes and [Page 92] nights; yea and they that were with him were speechless; now could any thing be more powerful then this? the Lord was work­ing a great work upon Paul, and he works like himself, he comes with power and autho­rity: he darts his grace into the soul, like his thunderbolts into the world, that cleave a­sunder, divide and shake the very frame and condition of created Beings: and so in the Acts 2.2.Act. 2.2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sit­ting; What was this but the Spirit of God that fell upon the Apostles, and gave them other tongues to declare the mysteries of the Gospel to the Sons of men? it came from heaven, [...]. and it came with power, yea strengthned with all might to work power­fully, & prevailingly upon the hearts of men: and thats the reason why Christ compares the new birth to a wind that blowes,John. 3.8. and blowes where it listeth, and no man knowes whence it comes, nor whether it goes: now whats more powerful, yet what's more invisible then the wind? even such is the working of the Spirit on them that God cals home to him­self; this is that white stone that no man knows,Rev. 2.18. but he that receives it; I will give him a white stone (saith God) and in the [Page 93] stone a new name, that no man knows but he that receiveth it; its thought that the Holy Ghost alludes here unto the custom of the Grecians in their Courts of Judicature, when they were to condemn a man to death, then the Judg sent him a black stone, if he were to be freed and delivered, then he sent him a white stone; but yet it was so made up, that he that carried it knew not what it was, none but the Judg and the man that received it had knowledg of it; so none but Christ and the soul that receiveth him, knowes of the maner of conveyance, or of the gift of eternal life.

There are two things in this point to be unfolded.

1 Whats meant by godliness?

2 Whats meant by the coming of it into the soul?

We have spoken somewhat of the first in the former part, in the explicating of the words; and now we will somewhat enlarge upon it.

Godliness is the right exercising and act­ing of those graces which the soul hath re­ceived of the Spirit of God,Godliness what it is. both to the glory of God, and good of man, or the bringing forth of the fruits of grace in holi­ness of life and conversation; that is, when a man improves all his graces given unto him to the advantage of his Master Christ, [Page 94] to be glad of every occasion whereby he may advance the glory of that God, that hath advanced him by the glory of his grace: as God is pleased to shew the glory of his grace to a soul, and that to the utmost, so godliness in that soul desires to improve and actuate all that grace and mercy to its ut­most power, to and for God, Christ, the Gospel, and the Saints; And this is the very life and soul of godliness, and this is the con­tinual course that godliness acts, this is its full scope and aime; the perfection of this, is that which it doth aspire after: for this is the souls breathings from the time that the soul received it, unto the end of life, and so godliness becomes the souls witness here, and hereafter,1 Tim. 4.8. for it hath the promise of this life, and that which is to come.

2 Secondly, This godliness comes, I say it comes into the soul of man, it is not attract­ed, or by industry atchieved, nor is it inhe­rent in any soul: but it is grace poured out from God, and freely given and breathed into the soul of man by the Spirit of grace; I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, Joel. 2.28. Act. 2.16. Isa. 44.3. Math. 13.11. &c. Ʋnto you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom, &c. Yea, Christ communicates himself unto his people, and makes them partake of his fulness freely, its not attained [Page 95] by skill, art, wisdom, learning, riches, or any created power whatsoever, yea all the created power in heaven or earth, is not able to attain unto one scruple or grain of godli­ness, its not from men, nor from the word of God, or dispensation of the Ordinances in themselves, but from Heaven, and that by the breathings of the Spirit of Jesus Christ; I shall but onely touch upon this point in this place.

We have now seen, that godliness where it comes, it comes, freely and comes with power; the next thing to be con­sidered, is, how it comes to pass that god­liness comes with so much power into the soul.

Answ. The Author of all godliness is the Essence of all Power, which is God bles­sed for evermore; Its a rule in Philosophy, That as the Cause is, so is the Effect: if the Cause be powerful, the Effect must needs be so, as in Fire, the greater the fire is, the greater is the heat in making other things hot, which is its effect; so the earth being in it self naturally cold, causeth a fri­gidity and numness in all creatures; so man naturally springing from his principle earth, is nothing but a heavy mass and lump of Clay, dead and fruitless, untill heat and [Page 96] life be inspired in him from a principle and fountain of life: Thus the Almighty being infinite in power, causeth those things which come from himself to be very full of power.

Now that God is powerfull, is clear by those names given to him in Scripture;Nomen E­lohim est personarū, [...]. He is called Elohim; Elohim signifies the migh­ty Judges, its a Word of the Plural Num­ber, and expresseth the Trinity of Persons in Unity of Essence; so Jehovah, which sig­nifies the eternal Being of himself: then (I am) Exod. 3.14. (I am that I am) I will be what I will be, a most significant expression of the absolute and uncontroulable power of God; yea, this name is attributed to Christ, I am Alpha and Omega, the begin­ning and the ending: [...]. Then he is called Lord, and so a Lord, that he is absolute of himself, and can do whatever he pleaseth in heaven and earth; then he is called God, which commonly signifieth a burning fire, one that runs through all things. Again, He is called the strong God, [...] Heb. 12 29. [...]. Esai 40.17. Shaddai, the Al­mighty God, all which denotate and set forth the Almighty power of God; and so in his Works, For he is the God that weigheth the Mountains in a Balance, and taketh up the Iles as a very little thing, yea, that count­eth all things less then nothing; what an [Page 97] expression is this, what Soveraignty, what Omnipotency is this? what debasement of of all power in competition with his? If it were the thoughts of Solomon, an earthly King, after his fruition of all subluna­ry pleasure and power, to account them but vanity, nay, less then vanity, well may then the Salomon of Salomons, the King of Kings, estimate the greatest things in the world, nay, the power of the whole world, to be nothing, yea less then nothing; who of no­thing raised the world, and all created Beings therein, and to the same nothing can reduce them at his will and pleasure: This I say is that God which sendeth godliness with a power into the soul of his Saints.

The next thing that we must consider, is, The ends why God sends godliness into the souls of his people with such power; By the way taking notice of godliness as it is ob­servable in its Cause and Effect; for god­liness in this place is Metonimically spoken, the Effect for the Cause, now Grace is the cause of godliness, and godliness is the effect of Grace, for Grace is that which makes a man a godly man, and its Grace that comes with power into the soul, whereby the life of man is acted and carried on in the wayes of godliness; These things thus premised, [Page 98] we shall proceed to the aforesaid Ends or Reasons.

Reas. 1 The first End or Reason that God hath in sending godliness into the soul with power, is because of the great opposition it must encounter withall, and that is from the devil, the world, the flesh, and spirit of men.

1 The devil, he is the strong man, and hath taken possession of the soul, and alwayes stand upon his guard to keep his ground with all the powers of hell, and all the strength that he can possibly make, yea; he bids defiance against Heaven,Satans plea. Men and Angels, and maketh this or the like plea for himself; This soul is mine, it was born mine (We were by nature the children of wrath, Ephes. 2.2 3. &c.) yea, it hath lived mine, I have had the possession of it these twenty or thirty years, yea, it may be forty or fifty years, what power now shall snatch him out of my hands? he is my bounden servant, he is my ancient souldier, he hath covenanted to fight under my banner, he is a loyal subject of my Kingdom, he is true to his trust, he will op­pose my opposers, he will defend my right and interest, he will not have me lose any footing, he will rather perish then have me dispossessed, why then should not I actuate [Page 99] all my power and force for him, to keep him still my faithful servant? rather die then part with him.

Now Christ he comes and laies claim to this soul, and saith, This soul is mine,Christs plea. and it was given me of my Father, yea,Joh. 17.6.9.29 24. I have loved him more then mine own life, I have shed my pretious blood for him that I might re­deem him out of the jaws of hell, and de­liver him from the power of Satan; I am the Captain of his deliverance, yea,Heb. 2.10. I have bought him at a dear rate, and paid more for him then heaven and earth it self, yea,1 Pet. 1.18. then all the createed power in both, and I will have him: and Christ enters this Fort, binds the strong man, and doth cast him out by the strength of those weapons which are not carnal but spiritual, yea mighty through God to cast down strong holds, this is that [...], that Saviour, that can, that will ransom, and deliver his Peo­ple, maugre all oppositions whatsoever; this is that [...], that Anointed one, Ephes. 4.8. that victorious King of Kings, that leads captivity captive, and gives gifts to men, of whose power the Saints receive power,1 Joh. 2.13. and grace for grace, whereby they are inabled to wrestle against pincipalities and powers,Ephes. 6.12. a­gainst the Rulers of the darkness of this [Page 100] world, yea, against spiritual wickednesses in high places.

2 As it must be powerful to stand in oppo­sition against Satan, so against the world: for if Grace and Godliness were not powerful, the world would soon repel and overcome it, it would exclude and bar the door of the soul against them, for the world doth as really fight against the soul, as the devil doth: now what is the world? certainly all that is in the world, that is, the lust of the flesh,1 Joh. 2.16. the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, the first and strong invaders of our first Parents, that did invade and over­come, that laid siege unto, & took possession of the strong-fortified, and enabled-to-resist faculties of the soul of Adam, and in him do still smite his loyns, and ensnare and seize up­on the power and strength of all his seed, they plead a right and possession by antiquity, and they will keep their hold until they be evinced and cast out by the power of Grace, which is the onely weapon we have to ward off the assaults of these spiritual wickednes­ses,1 Joh. 5.4. Rev. 15.2. & this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith, and by the power that God put into those glorious Martyrs, they overcame the world in all its persecutions, imprisonments, yea, and death it self

[Page 101] 3 It comes with power, that it might beat down the corruptions of flesh and spirit that daily rebel and rise up against the Saints, and that made Paul say, I beat down my body, I club it down,1 Cor 9.27. [...]. Vi subjicio corpus me­um. I beat it black and blue, as the Original word sig­nifies, and all yet all was little enough, for (Naturam expellas furcâ licet usque recur­rit) there are such imperfections in the per­fectest Christians; such reliques of Nature that there will be still continual buffetings and conflicts between the Spirit and the Flesh, though the Spirit doth oppose, and some­times get ground, yet the Flesh will be re­turning and getting head again; so long as we are in the body little doth the world know what ado Grace hath with the Flesh and Spirit of the Saints, there will be such reluctances, such combates, such heavy bur­thens upon the soul, that oft times it makes the Saints go very heavy and sad most part of their dayes. And therefore the Apostle exhorts us To cleanse our selves from all fil­thiness of flesh and spirit, 2 Cor. 7.1. Rom. 7.23, 24. and this makes him cry out, Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? well, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord; that is, by that power of Christ that he sends into his soul, he was de­livered, and by that power alone are all the [Page 102] Saints delivered from these three great capital Enemies.

Reas. 2 That it may make us stand strong against all our enemies that oppose, whatsoever; Stand fast (saith Paul) in the liberty where­with Christ hath made you free: Gal. 5.1. 1 Cor. 16.13.15.57. Watch you, stand fast in the faith, and quit you like men, and be strong; for God, he hath given us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord, and ye are kept by the power of God through faith to eternal salvation: 1 Pet. 1.5. Now the reason why the Saints do so often fall and slip, is, because they trust to their own strength, and rest not on this power which they receive from Jesus Christ; for he that hath this power in his soul, and doth make use of it by Faith, it may contend against Sin, Corruption, Death, and Hell it self, yea, and overcome all, as the Apostle saith, I am able to do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me, In him we are more then conquerors; and cer­tainly, did we but know what comforts we lose, and what foiles we receive in not making use of this power, it would put us upon our Watch and Guard, and make us careful to keep Centinel by this power in our souls: Had David, and others made use of this power, and stood upon their Watch, he had not committed Adultery, Peter had [Page 103] not denied his Master, Jacob got the Blessing by a lye, Abraham denied his wife for fear of Pharoah; and so divers others which I could wish might be as Landmarks unto us, whilst we sail through the sea of this world.

Reas. 3 Why godliness comes with power into the souls of the Saints, is, that it might put another frame of spirit into them then they had before; as the Lord spake of Caleb, Be­cause he had another spirit with him, there­fore he shall see the Land, yea, I will bring him into it, and his seed shall possess it; Yea, he followed me fully, saith the Text: now this Spirit was nothing else but the Spirit of Faith: so he fulfilled after me, as the Hebrew Word signifieth, that is, He was constant in obedience to Me, or to my Com­mands; Certainly, where Grace raigns in the soul, sin doth not onely decay, but die, the man is become another man: as Paul when he was converted, he was another man then he was before, he was of a new mould, a new temper; before he persecuted the Saints, but now he embraceth them, and preacheth to them; before he knew not who Christ was. Who art thou Lord? but now he doth not onely know Christ,Ego non sum ego. but preacheth Christ, and suffereth for him, [Page 104] yea, now he is willing to die for him; yea, the Saints know this by experience, that there is a certain vis, a power infused into the soul from God, which was not before in them, otherwise they could never have had any dominion oversin, never have been made new creatures, but should have still remained under the power of darkness, and in their natural estate, they should never have known any difference betwixt themselves and the wickedest man on the earth, but should have committed the same abominati­ons with them, they should never have been translated from death to life; neither should their spot have been differenced or known from the spot of the wicked; had not God made them experimentally to know and feel a mighty overawing, and sin-conquering power, sent, and let in unto their souls, from the Almighty Spirit of God, which doth divide between the marrow and the bone, between the Flesh and the Spirit.

Reas. 4 That it may make us to carry on Gods great design in the advancing of the Lord Jesus, for in such souls where this power comes, Christ is greatly exalted in his King­dom, in his person, and in his offices, for he that believeth glorifieth the Father, who hath sent his Son into the world, and the [Page 105] Son who is the glory of the father; these souls put to their seals that God is true; such a soul gives a testimony unto the world that whatsoever God hath said of his Son in the word, is the very truth of God, yea it can freely adventure all, and lay all upon Christ for life and salvation, yea had it ten thousand souls it would cast them all into Christs arms, its resolved there to live, and there to die, its faith is surely fixt that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it, come what will come he is confident, that neither life nor death, principalities nor powers, shall be able to separate him from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord: thus is the soul sustained and upheld by the power of grace, and acts couragiously to and for Christ and the exaltation of his glory.

Reas. 5 That such a soul where this power comes, may strongly hold its communion with Christ, that as Christ gives out of himself, and fulness unto the soul by a direct act; so the soul may be somewhat enabled to retri­bute unto Christ, of what he hath received by a reflect act, as the beams of the Sun are made reflective by the earth unto us, which is the cause of the heat we feel; so the beams of the Sun of righteousness descending and coming into the soul, make it warm, vigo­rous, [Page 106] and communicative, to and for God, and as it hath received mercies, so it will be alwayes returning praises, whereunto it would be altogether dead (for by nature we are dead to every good work) had it not first been enlivened and quickened with a power from above; for we cannot stir nor move for God until he stirs and moves in us; we are altogether senseless, till made sensible by him, tis in him we live, we move, and have our being, we could not love God, had not he loved us first, nor could we give out our selves unto Christ, did not Christ first breathe into our souls the spirit and power of grace: and therefore we may well say that none can hold communion with Christ, but those and those onely to whom Christ sends the power of godliness.

Reas. 6 That godliness may predominate and bear rule and sway in the soul, that it may be the Queen Regent and sole governess thereof; that as sin hath formerly raigned to Gods dishonor, so now grace may raigne to Christs glory: That as sin hath raigned unto death; Rom. 5.21. even so might grace raign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord; so that as sin hath mastered and over-powred all the faculties of the soul, and members of the body in bringing [Page 107] of them in subjection to Satan, so now god­liness sitting upon the throne exerciseth them for Christ, and brings them into subjection unto him; now grace and godliness stand Centinel in the soul, and command all, so that when any cavalering lust or corruption appears, it may take them off, or if they should prevaile through frequent assailings, that then the soul may flee to Christ for more forces to incounter and cast them out: for Christ, he hath promised to assist his people against all their enemies, who by the power of his death will bury all his and his Saints enemies in his grave, so as they shall never prevaile against them here nor here­after.

Reas. 7 That it may continue a soul in that new nature whereunto it hath been begotten a­gain unto Christ, for were it not that there were a certain power in godliness to keep the soul from falling into its old natural condition, and a spiritual physick to su­staine and keep it from relapsing into its for­mer fits, it would soon be reduced into its former station, and be visited with its old dis­ease wherein it was seated and wherewith it was infected before grace entered into it, and the ground is, because of the abundance of strong corruptions inherent and accom­panying [Page 108] the best regenerate, for the flesh is still warring against the spirit, and the spi­rit against the flesh, for there was ever a strong antipathy between these two. Now Christ who is the Captain of our Salvation make his graces powerful in his Saints, that so they may not give ground, but stand fast in that condition whereunto he hath called them; for the Saints are kept through faith unto salvation, by that power of grace which is given unto them of God the Father and and our Lord Jesus Christ; otherwise were it not powerful, all the grace the Saints had received was but in vain, and so Christs death and resurrection had been to little purpose, for one end of Christs death was to kill sin, and so of his resurrection, to raise us up to newness of life, and so to keep us there, that we should never be surprised, and conquered by the old man, but contiue in the new, and walk as a people ransomed by the Lord.

Reas. 8 That by this power the soul might act for God, for Christ, the Gospel, and the Saints in the performance of its duty to all, that it might honor the Father with that honor that is due unto his name, that it might suffer with and for Christ, and that it might love, embrace, and defend the Gospel, and the Saints, against all oppositions whatsoever; [Page 109] for had not the graces of the Spirit of Christ come into the soul with power, the soul could never have performed any duty ac­ceptable to God, for God accepts of no­thing unless it come first from his Spirit; for its the voice of his own spirit whereby the Saints cry, Abba Father; for as on the one hand every good and perfect gift cometh from God who is the Father of lights; so on the other hand, no man of himself without this power is able to think a good thought or speak a good word, much less do any good action; man through his lost ability in Ad­am is spiritually dead, but carnally living; nothing that he can own or lay claim unto as his act, but sin; but when godliness comes into a soul with power, O then the faculties of the soul are resuscitated and made alive again, and the members of the body are re­gulated & brought into conformity unto the spirit, and made by it to act for God, who before acted against God, that before were the weapons of unrighteousness unto sin, are now become the weapons of righteousness unto the glory of that God, who by his power cast into the soul did change that vile and sinful body, and made it glorious and instrumental for his praise; hereby the un­derstanding is unvailed, its now brought un­to [Page 110] new discoveries, its carnal foolishness is sanctified wisdom, it's now able to discern and know the wonderful mysteries of godli­ness; this power of godliness is the Eye-salve of the soul which takes off the condense film of ignorance, and works a sensible illumina­tion in that faculty of the understanding, also this is the restorer of the will, it brings it from nature to grace, from willing the things of the flesh, to will the things of God: it disingageth the affections, it stops their pur­suit after the world, and causeth them to run after God and the things of God: nay further, this power of God is a new Heaven, created in the soul, its the new birth, its the regneration, its the new nature, its the death of the first, and the life of the second Adam; its the extirpation of na­ture and sin, and the renovation and trans­planting of grace and life in the soul, hereby the eyes can see for God, the ears hear for God, the tongue speak for God, and the feet walk for God; in a word the whole man by vertue of this power, is made serviceable for God, which it could never have been, had not this godliness come into the soul with power.

Reas. 9 That the Saints might be made fit for a suffering condition,Phil. 1.29. for its not onely given to [Page 111] Saints to beleeve, but also to suffer for his names sake.

The Saints they are Christs witnesses on earth against the world:Act. 5.32. Rev. 11.3. how have the peo­ple of God stood as a wall of brass in wit­nessing for the truth of Christ in the times of those ten persecutions, what wicked, cruel, and barbarous dealing did they finde, and receive from this world! was not all maner of cruelty exercised against them that hell and men could invent? and yet by this power of godliness they were enabled to indure all, yea, and with rejoycing also, that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. O ineffable support! O glorious conquest! the sense of pain was swallowed up of the sense of joy; the tor­ments of hell vanquished and slighted by the thoughts of Heaven; whilest burning burnishing, while extinguishing reviving, whilest crucifying enjoying Paradise. Do but look into the book of Martyrs, and see, what sawing asunder, roasting ailve, putting into boiling oil, eyes burning out, and what not? and yet by this power God made them stand strong, and oppose his and their ene­mies, to their own shame and confusion, so that the Saints slaughterings, at length be­came their persecutors sufferings, they were [Page 112] wearyed and tired out with afflicting and butchering of the Saints: and as God by his Power did then make them couragiously to stand, so is he still the same God, nor is his hand shortned that he cannot help, but still will continue this power unto his peo­ple, that they shall stand for Christ, and un­dergo any kinde of suffering with joy; for we fight against principalities and powers, yea against spirituall wickedness in high places; and this is another end why godliness comes into the soul with power.

10 That it might make the Saints live above the world, that is, might elevate their affecti­ons, and make them live in Heaven, where Christ their head is, that it might dispossess worldliness and enthrone heavenly-minded­ness, that it might glorifie the soul and take it off from poring on this dunghil the world and the seeming glory thereof, and fix it upon a Kingdom,Pecuniam, quae perma­neat ac continuo duret, glo­riam, quae semper flo­reat. Basil. and the real and perman­ent glory thereof; to be enamored of the ravishing beauties of God the King of that glory, that so the temptations & allurements of the world being slighted, and the glory and excellency thereof counted as dirt and dung; the eternal glory of God may be ad­vanced and onely aimed at in that soul, for [Page 113] it is the glory of the Church here to have the Sun upon her head, and to be crowned with a crown of twelve Stars, and to have the Moon under her feet (that is) the earth and the glory thereof in its most glorious Robes must be stamped upon by Saints, even as Samuel stamped upon Agag the King of the Amalekites: 1 Sam. 15. when a tempta­tion comes and offers it self to Saints, they ought to be higer minded then to embrace it; In this point Saints should be like unto Themistocles, [...]. who having gotten a great victory by war, would not stoop to take the spoil, it would not stand with his state and honor to do it, and when others did it, his answer was, you may, you are not The­mistocles: for when the world (having received a foil by this power of godliness) offers its glory and pomp to such a soul, (which indeed is but the spoil of grace) that soul should refuse them, and leave them to be taken up of the worldlings, and say, Such as you may entertain and hug the embraces of the world, but for my part, I am born higher, I am of a nobler blood then to minde such off all, such contemptible things; Saints should be like Antipater, [...]. King of Macedon, who being offered a book to read, said, I have no leasure: so when the [Page 114] Saints have the glorious book of the whole world, and the pleasures thereof laid open unto their eyes, and tendered to them to be read, they should answer, we have no lei­sure to contemplate upon such follies, nor to receive such vanishing delights, our spirits soar aloft, we must follow our Fathers bu­siness which is in heaven, it must be our de­light, and our meat and drink to do our Fa­thers will, for he hath taught us that we are crucified to the world, and the world to us.

And as Saints by this power live above the world in its glory and pomp, so they must live above the world in its scorns, re­proachings and persecutions, and say in plain tearms,Quo ten­dit, non quid pas­sura sit cogitat. World and Devil do your worst, for true Vertue doth not so much consider what it suffers, but whether it tends, whether its going, and whats its end; Virtus dum patitur vincit, Vertues suffer­ings are its overcomings, the world and all its reproaches are thereby conquered so that Saints should not look what share they have in the Whip,Noli atten­dere quam poenam ha­beas in sta­gello, sed quem lo­cum in Te­stamento. but what portion they have in the Word of God, what interest they have in Christ Jesus, what crown of glory is laid up for all them that love the appearing of Jesus Christ, who shall change [Page 115] our vile bodies, and make them like his glo­rious body, For when Christ who is our light shall appear, then shall we appear with him in glory, then shall all tears be wiped from our eyes; then shall the worlds scoffs be turned to our glory, the worlds despight to our re­joycing, the worlds cursings to our Halle­lujahs and praising of that God that did so powerfully deliver us from them, and hath now cloathed our despicable and loathed bodies with immortality, and our souls with the Robes of Jesus Christ.

11 That by it Saints may see what emptiness there is in themselves, and what fulness there is in the author of this power: its through Grace, that a man sees that nothingness, yea, less then nothing thats in himself, that all his duties, performances, and abilities whatsoever, are empty bubbles and meer nothing; you know where light comes there darkness is discovered, yea, banished, so where power comes, weakness is made known and discovered, so that a man may see it, for where this power comes not, men do and can trust in themselves, and not in him who is all Power, God blessed for ever­more; by this Self comes to be debased, by this conceited riches become naked po­verty; all creature-fulness becomes empti­ness, [Page 116] by this the soul desireth to decrease, that Christ may increase.

Reas. 12 Lastly, That it might keep and preserve the Saints to eternal life and glory, Ye are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation; 1 Pet. 1.5. O how soon would Saints turn their backs upon Christ, and go back to imbrace their former sins, lusts, and cor­ruptions, and quite fall away from what they do now profess, were it not that God did hold them in the hollow of his hand! O whither was David going, whither was Pe­ter going, and Lot, Noah and divers other of the Saints, had not God by a mighty power given a turn to their spirits! its his Promise to his Saints, that when they go astray, they shal be made to hear a voyce behind them, saying, This is the way, walk in it; thus God by this power of Grace doth carry his Saints from grace to grace, till he brings them to life and glory; were it not for this, they would with Demas forsake Christ, and imbrace this present world; the strongest Saint on earth left to himself, would quickly fall and miscarry in his way to salvation; its impossi­ble for any man to be saved if he should be left to stand upon his own legs; what in­finite need then do we stand in of this pre­serving power! it is not the beginning but [Page 117] the end that crowneth the work,Finis coro­nat opus. Luke 9.62. No man having put his hand to the Plough, and look­ing back, is fit for the Kingdom of God; it was the complaint of God against the Church of Ephesus, Revel. 2.4. That she had left her first Love in Revel. 2.4. Therefore he saith again in Verse 7. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God: And again, in Revel. 21.7. He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, &c.Rev. 21.7. If then perseverance obtain the Crown, and onely he that overcometh shall inherit eternal Life, What will become of poor miserable creatures that are not able to stand one mo­ment, nor to resist the least temptation, if the merciful power of an Almighty God doth not aid them, and carry them on through this boisterous and troublesome world, and conduct them safe unto the Ha­ven of Rest! had it not been for this,2 Tim. 4.7, 8. Paul could never have said, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, &c. It is therefore by the power of grace that we are kept and pre­served faithful unto the end.

Quest. You say that godliness comes into the soul, and that it comes with power, but af­ter [Page 118] what manner, or what are the footsteps of it?

Answ.You may call to minde how I told you, that the words were Metonymical, the Effect is here put for the Cause: Godliness in its highest excellency is but the fruit of Grace, the improvement or exercise of Grace; Grace is the cause of Godliness, as fire is the cause of heat, and yet as the cause is, such is the effect, for powerful causes make powerful effects, thats an undeniable truth in Philosophy, and thats the very reason why godliness is so powerful in the souls of men: Now wouldst thou know the working of Grace, or of the Graces of the Spirit of God in the soul?

1 First then, I will set down some of these fundamental Graces which cause godliness; 2 and secondly, how they are wrought in and upon the spirits of men.

1 First then, Take these four Graces, Faith, Repentance, Self-denial, and Love, not that I intend to speak of the Doctrine of Faith, or the rest of the graces here mentioned, but onely to speak a word or two to each, and 2 so proceed.

To shew how they are wrought, and their footsteps in the souls of Believers; And first to begin with Faith; not to trouble you [Page 119] with that which is Historical, Temporary or Legal, but to speak of that True, Evangelical, Saving, and Justifying Faith.

Faith then is a certain grace wrought in the soul by the Spirit of God,Fides est actus intel­lectus. and by the Word preached, and its an act of the Un­derstanding also; now I put the Word and the Spirit together, as they ordinarily are appointed to work together to make a man a Believer, for I dare boldly say, that the Word of it self never yet to this day wrought faith in any man without the Spirit of God working with it; but I am confident that the Spirit may and doth, where the Word preached is not to be had, work this faith in the souls of the Elect;1 Cor. 3.6. Paul may plant, & Apollo may water, but it is God that giveth the increase; a man may live all dayes of his life under a powerful Ministry, and stand by Christ, and hear the joyful sound of the Gospel, and yet never the neerer, they shall count it but as thunder, as those did in John 12.29.Joh. 12.29. unless the Spirit of God boreth the ears, and sanctifieth their hearts to understand and believe the things of God, and though Faith be the gift of God, yet as God puts forth an hand in gi­ving of Faith, so he gives a hand to his Elect to receive Faith, otherwise they could ne­ver [Page 120] have it: thus God illuminates the Un­derstanding, whereby it comes to know, that there is such a thing as Christ is,Christ the object of Faith. and then he convinceth the Judgment, that this Christ is very excellent, and that of necessi­ty he must be had, or else the soul is undone; then comes the Will, saying, If Christ be so good, and that of necessity I must have him, O then I will receive him; thus at length is faith begotten in the soul: yet we must take heed of attributing any thing to man in this, for all this is Gods own work and none of mans.

Now the other three graces may be stiled Faiths subsequents or concomitants, Faiths companions, or the fruits of Faith, yet I shall speak a word to each of them: and first to Repentance, I say, of the working of this grace in the souls of Gods Elect, as I have said of Faith; and in this work of Re­pentance we must note these four steps or degrees.True Re­pentance.

1 There is a sight of the nature of sin.

2 A convinced judgment of the guilt of sin.

3 There is a cordial and hearty sorrow for sin.

4 There is a dislike of, or an abhorring and forsaking of sin.

1 For the first of these, namely, The sight of [Page 121] sin in its own nature and proper colours; now sins vail begins to be pluckt off; before sin was pleasurable and delightful, now it is odious and loathsom, now the soul discovers sin to be a Scorpion, a Serpent, whose sting would have caused eternal death; that which seemed to be the pleasantest and de­lightfullest companion, is now the ugliest, basest, and contemptiblest thing that ever the soul beheld since it had a being; that which formerly was embraced and hugged as a Dalilah, is now thrown out of the win­dows as a Jezabel: Gods ene­mie. now the soul looks on sin as Gods greatest enemy, yea, as that whereby the soul hath cast dirt in the very face of God, and hath grieved, and done despight unto his holy Spirit, and cru­cified the Lord of life and glory: Again,The souls greatest enemie. the soul looks upon it as its own greatest enemy, it did unparadise it, it hath ever since blind­folded it, and fettered it up amongst a legi­on of devils, and hath made a separation be­tween God and it, it hath made it at emnity with God, and hath brought it into a state of condemnation, and was able to sink it in­to the very bottom of hell.

2 The soul is convinced of the guilt of sin, and that by the same its bound over to the Judgment Seat of Christ,Rom. 3.19. there to answer [Page 122] the breach of all the Laws of God,James 2.10. Moral, and Evangelical, yea, and that this guilt lies so heavy on the soul, that its able to press it down into destruction,2 Thess. 1.8. and to banish it from the presence of the Lord, and the glo­ry of his power for ever; sin now is become a burden to purpose, yea, such a bur­den as David complaineth of in Psalm 38 4.Psal. 38.4. saith he there, Mine iniquities are gone over my head as an heavy burden, they are too heavy for me; that which once was so light, that the soul could not feel it, O now it is so heavy that its like to break the very heart of it; now conscience is wakened, and sin stands as a brasen wall in its order before the soul; I will set his sin in order before him, Psal. 50.21. there is a Scripture to that purpose in the Psal­mist.

3 There is a cordial and hearty sorrow for sin: O saith the soul, that I, that such a wretch as I should sin against so great, so good, and so gratious a God; now the soul begins to be cautious of sinning, now its ready to say with Joseph, Gen. 39.9. How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? Now the soul is sensible of its indignity to God, now it can grieve and rent its very heart for its unkinde deal­ing with God, who hath dealt so kindely with it, and by this means the soul is brought [Page 123] into contrition and godly sorrow, never to be repented of.

4 Upon this the soul is brought into a dislike of sin, yea, to an abhorring, hating, and de­testing of sin, yea, it hates the very thoughts of it, not onely in others, but much more in it self, its now more ugly then a Toade, more bitter then Gall and Wormwood; now the soul knows the fruits of sin, how it leads unto destruction; now it can say of it, as Salomon said of the Harlot,Pro 5.4, 5. Her end is bitter as Wormwood, sharp as a two edged sword, her feet go down to death, and her steps take hold on hell: thus the soul by the power of grace being made acquainted with the loathsom­ness and bitterness of sin, begins to be weaned from its brest, and forsakes its em­braces; let God or man say what can be said of sin, in respect of the vileness of it, the soul can give its free assent and consent unto it, yea, its so hateful to the soul, that it hates the very name of any thing that doth but tend to sin, yea, it hates it in its most glori­ous robes of pleasures, profits, honors, cre­dits, or what ever the world can afford, it will shake them off, as Paul did the Viper from his hand; it knows sin to be viperous, infective, and stinging, it looks upon it as its bane, its poyson, its undoing, yea, in the [Page 124] souls apprehension its worse then hell, then the devil, or all, or any thing that can be thought upon.

The next thing is Self-denial, thats a soul that hath no Self, no will when any thing comes in competition with God, with Christ, it owns its being from God, it renounceth any self-existency, its naked till cloathed from above, its barren, till made fruitful by Christ; it stands in need of all things till supplied by that Fountain, that openeth his hand, and filleth all things with his blessing; this Grace subjecteth the soul, and makes it lie down at Christs feet, its alwayes lying under the droppings of Grace, that it might receive replenishings from the Spirit, this causeth the soul to look out of it self, and to be carried out with an expectation, hun­gering and thirsting after Christ and his righteousness; this makes the soul to de­crease that Christ may increase, it debaseth it self that it might advance Christ, its wil­ling to part with all, that Christ may be all in all; it doth not onely make the soul to see emptiness in it self, but to see emptiness in every thing besides: In a word, Its a soul-denying, and a Christ-advancing Grace, in whatever it doth, it will not suffer the soul to aim at any thing which may tend to [Page 125] sinister ends, it doth willingly cast off ease, profit, pleasure, honor, or what ever can be thought on before God and Christ shall lose their glory; this Grace brings the soul into a right temper; where this Grace hath its true working, the bias of the soul runs from the world, and runs heavenward, God-ward, and Christ-ward.

Self-denial, as its Faiths concomitant, so it worketh with Faith in purifying the heart, in mortifying of sin,Matth. 12.37, 39. and in following of Christ, For he that will follow me (saith Christ) must first deny himself, not regarding pro­fits, pleasures, afflictions, or what ever else lies in the way to life and glory, For he that loveth any thing, whether it be father, or mo­ther, more then Christ, is not worthy of Christ; and he that will finde his life shall lose it, but he that loseth his life for Christs sake, shal finde it.

4 Fourthly, Love, its Gods will to man, and it is a grace shed abroad into the hearts of the Saints by the holy Ghost in man, its a certain passion flowing from the Affections, which are the souls wheels to carry it to its Object, be it either God or man; It may be stiled a characterizing grace whereby men may know God, for God is love, whereby men may know Saints from Reprobates,1 Joh. 4.8.3.14. the children of God from the children of [Page 129] the devil; its a sign that you are departed from death to life, because you love the bre­thren; he that loves not his brother is not born of God, neither doth he know him; to her much is forgiven because she loved much. Love is of such an excellent nature that it transcends the tongues of men, and Angels, it excells the gifts of prophesie, all mysteries,1 Cor. 13.1, 2. all knowledg, nay all faith, it is of an enduring nature (as Paul saith) in the 1 Cor. 13.8. Charity never faileth, it out­lives faith and hope,1 Cor. 13.8. for they shall cease, but love shall be perfected and endure for ever,

Quest. 2 Secondly, how comes godliness into the soul? and what are the steps thereof?

Answ. 2 That as godliness is the fruit of grace, and grace the cause of godliness, as I have shewed before, so are they made perfect in the soul at one and the same instant of time, that is perfect in parts, not in degrees, for there are degrees of grace as well as glory, one Christian more eminent in grace then ano­ther, yet the least spark is as true as the greatest flame; the whole man is at one and the same time changed and become new, all the faculties of the soul, all the members of the body are at once transformed and re­newed; the understanding thats illuminated, [Page 127] the Judgement rectified, the will turned to that which is good, the affections run after the right object, conversion is not in part but in whole; the feet cannot be washed alone, but the hands and other members must be also cleansed, for so said Christ unto Simon Peter one of his Disciples, when he said unto him, Lord wash not onely my feet, Joh. 13.9, 10. but also my hands and my head: Jesus answer­ing said unto him, he that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit, &c. intimating that he that is washt by the blood of Jesus Christ is not onely cleansed from one sin but from all, not onely purifi­ed in one member of his body but in all, he is sanctified throughout both in soul and body; but though this grace of sanctifica­tion or godliness be thus thorowly operative in it self; yet oft times its not so to the souls apprehension: thats in Gods ordinary way of working: now to open unto you in a word how to mans apprehension this great work of conversion, grace and godli­ness, is wrought.

First, God by the preaching of his word together with the working of his spirit gives a touch to the conscience of an elect vessel, which the Scripture cals a prick in the heart, thats in the ministery of the word; as [Page 128] those in the Acts were pricked in their hearts, saying, Men and brethren, what shall we do to be saved? Act. 2.37. God doth here discover a mans condition to himself, whereby he comes to see himself.

1 First, To be a woful, miserable and sinful creature.

2 Secondly, that there is an exact satis­faction to be given to Divine Justice, for those sins that he stands guilty of before God.

3 Thirdly, that there is nothing in him that can possibly give satisfaction, or make up that breach which he hath made by his sin: there is no possibility in Angels or men, in Heaven or earth, that can take of the guilt of one sin.

4 And yet that divine justice must be satisfi­ed or he is a lost man, he is undone for ever, yea he stands at the very brink of hell ready to be swallowed up every moment; now these and the like reasonings and arguings of the soul, I may call the spirit of bondage under which the soul sinks, and sees no way of hope of recovery: but now Christ inter­venes and darts the raies of his glory into such a lost soul, resolves its doubtings, calmes its frettings and disputings, and come and makes his abode in that soul, and takes it by [Page 129] the hand, and saith, Is there no deliverer for thee? I will deliver thee, I have satisfied divine justice, I am thy surety and the propi­tiation for thy sin.

5 At this the soul begins to startle, its re­covered from its lethargy, now it ariseth from death to life, and saith, What voice is that I here? What, mercy for me? A Christ for me? for such a sinfull wretch as I am? O how sweet is this voice? how welcome is this Gospel? How excellent is this Christ? O the sweetest of ten thousand! now the soul is humbled to purpose, its fit to receive any impression, to do, to suffer any thing that Christ cals for; now the soul flies to Christ as to a rock, hangs about him like a burre, closeth with him in what ever Christ commands, Christs voice is a soul-humbling, and a soul-melting voice, more excellent then the law.

Object. But some may say, that surely many have believed that never came in such a le­gal way to Christ, as Matthew, Lydia and others.

Answ. I answer, that though it be not recorded of the grief and spirit of bondage that these underwent, yet its not safe to conclude they did not come to Christ that way, seeing others came that way, as the Jews at Peters [Page 130] Sermon;Act. 2.37. the Jailor, the woman that wash­ed Christs feet with her tears, and many o­thers, as David, Peter, &c. Look upon that to the Romans, where the Apostle saith, ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; Rom. 8.15 which shewes cleerly that once they had received it before they came to Christ in their preparation to conversion.

And again Christ comes to call sinners to repentance, yea those that finde sin to be a burden to them, and such as are weary and heavy laden, and prest down to hell in their own apprehensions by reason of their sins that they are guilty of; The whole needeth not the Physitian, but such as are sick (saith Christ) such as are sick at the heart, of sin, as are sensible of the pain and horror of sin.

I am somewhat the larger in this point, because there is a generation of men in these days, that deny the use of the moral law, to be any means of driving the soul to Christ; yea or so much as the use of it in any sense to the Saints that are brought to Christ; let these remember, that the Apostle saith, the Law is a Schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, not onely the Law Ceremonial but moral also, See Rom. 3.31.

2 Where he saith, Do we make void the [Page 131] Law? behold we establish the Law. Rom. 3.31. And I suppose none dares say, but he speaks there of the moral Law; and again the Law is Just, holy, and good: what then, is there no use to be made of that which is just, holy and good, by beleevers under the Gospel? surely yes: and then Christ himself justifies & maintains the Law moral in that of Mat­thew, Mat. 5.17, 18, 19. Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, no, no, I am come to fulfil it. Therefore whosoever shall break one of the least of these commandments and teach men to do so, shall be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven.

1 The Law first breaks and kills us with the fight of sin before Christ cures us and binds us up.

The Holy Ghost worketh and maketh faith effectuall by these three acts.

1 It puts a power and authority in the Law, whereby it makes a man poor in spirit; Now blessed are poor in spirit; Whats the reason?Mat. 5. O it makes the soul in a fit temper to receive Jesus Christ in the Gospel preached, for the spirit of bondage doth make the law effectu­al, as the spirit of adoption maketh the Gospel.

2 The second work in the soul, is to receive Christ being revealed in the Gospel, O here he shewes the unsearchable riches of [Page 132] Gods love in Christ to poor creatures, yea here he shews what is the hope of his calling and the glorious inheritance of the Saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to them that believe, certainly the Saints of God need the Spirit of God to shew these glorious mysteries.

3 Thirdly, The Spirit testifies with the Spi­rits of the Saints. First; that these are true. Secondly, that they belong to them. O when the Spirit of Christ shall say These things are thine, Christ is thine, God is thy father, that thou art now an heir and joynt-heir with Christ, and hast right to life and glory by vertue of free grace; then is the soul brought into a sweet and happy condi­tion.

But I would not here be mistaken, I do not say that the spirit of bondage works a­like upon and in all that come to Christ, but in some more, and in some less, neither dare I limit the Holy one of Israel, who is tyed to no means or wayes to call home his Saints to himself. But this I say, that first, its Gods ordinary way of working in and with his Saints. Secondly, its a safe way for the Saints to know their estates by: it being that way in which the Saints have been called home to Christ in general.

[Page 133] 1 This may inform us, if that godliness have such a power in it, then there are but few in the world that are acquainted with it, for godliness cannot lie hid, but it will break forth wheresoever it cometh; there is no fire but there will be some smoak, there can be no moving or acting without life, its im­possible for a godly soul, to be a liveless soul; but the generality of men are igno­rant of it, because they are naturally dead; godliness is an herb that grows not in every mans Garden, a flower not in every mans garland, a Crown not set upon every mans head, a garment not fit for every mans wearing; No, no, its that which is onely given to Saints that are redeemed from the earth by the bloud of the Lamb Christ Jesus; yea, its for those that are called, and chosen, and faithful: O how few great men and rich men in this world participate of these high priviledges, or are made possessors of these riches, these onely true riches which neither Moth nor Rust can corrupt,Mat. 6.19. nor theeves break thorow and steal? How few come to have a taste, or to meddle with the Saints joy, which is communicable to none but them in Christ! Where is the Wise, 1 Cor. 1.20, 21, 22, 26. where is the Scribe, where is the Disputer of this world? Not many wise men after the flesh, not many [Page 134] noble, not many mighty are called: hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? Christ gives thanks to his Father, That he hath hid these things from the wise and prudent of the world, and hath revealed them unto babes; and this Christ gives as a reason, Because it was thy good pleasure; It was Gods good pleasure to put godliness into the souls of the poor and despised ones of this world, and to pass by so many great and mighty ones; Grace is free, and God gives it to whom he will: O this speaks very sad tidings to men of the world: what, for a man who was made so excellent, to have his portion here in this life, to be not differenced from the bruit beasts! how miserable is this mans condition, whose happiness is terminated in this life! now the Saints condition is far better, they have their bitter-sweet, but the wicked have their sweet-bitter, their glory, pomp and greatness, their heaven, kingdom and para­dise are in this world onely, but their wo, misery and torment,Job 5.3. is in that which is to come; whereas the godly may here endure heaviness and sorrow for a night, and enjoy future bliss and happiness to all eternity.

2 This also may make men to cease wonde­ring at the Saints,Jude, ve. 3. when they see them so earnest to contend for the faith which was [Page 135] once given to the Saints, yea, when they contend for Christ, the wayes of God, and follow the Gospel of Salvation so earnestly; here they may see the reason of it, they have a certain power given them within that puts them upon it, that excites their affections, and kindles a holy zeal in their heart, and carries them on with strength to wrestle with the strongest oppositions,Psal. 39.3. My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned, saith the Psalmist; there is an in­ward heat in the breast of the godly, which makes them lively and acting for the faith of the Gospel, they must act, will they nill they; the power that is in godliness puts them upon it, the Love of God, that con­strains them to do it; what made David to dance before the Ark of the Lord when he was despised in the eyes of his own wife, but this power of godliness? what made the three children so resolute and careless in an­swering the King, when he threatned them, that unless they would fall down, and wor­ship the golden Image, they should be im­mediatly cast into the fiery Furnace: observe their answer, Say they,Dan. 3.17, 18. That God whom we serve is able to deliver us out of thy hand, O King, and he will deliver us: but if not, know, we are not careful to answer thee in this mat­ter, [Page 136] for be it known to thee, O King, we will not fall down before thy gods, nor worship the golden Image that thou hast set up: now did not the standers by look on these men as mad men, and wonder at their peremptory an­swer, and blame them for their folly, in not yielding to what the King had commanded, certainly they looked on them as men, meer men, little dreaming that there was any o­ther power in them then was in themselves, but you see how they were deceived, for these men had on the armor of proof that the Apostle speaks of, they had this power of godliness in their souls, that did maintain their courage, and fortifie their hearts a­gainst what could assay them, it was not the fear of the King could shake the loyalty of their hearts to the King of Kings; it was not the fire of the Furnace could affright their thoughts, or any way dimm, or out­burn the glowing raies of the light of the Sun of Righteousness within them; so now in these dayes when carnal men see a man so mighty and zealous for a godly Minister, or to take much pains in the hearing of the Word Preached, that he will go through thick and thin, wet and dry, and spare no endeavors that he may enjoy or meet with Christ in an Ordinance, when [Page 137] profit cannot tempt him, pleasures draw him aside, and threatnings divert him from his course, they stand and wonder, and are as it were at a loss to see a man so industious in such a way; O now this will give you (carnal wretches) a full account, this man hath a power in his soul which doth uphold him, put him on, and carry him thorow in spight of all gainsayers; he can say, as Paul said, I can do all things through Christ that strengthneth me: Christ bears sway here, godliness is predominant, and the man is now led by another power then he brought into the world with him, the man is carried captive by the Spirit of Christ, and power of Grace, so that he is not now as other men are, who have not this power in them: Cast but your eyes on men of the world, and you shall see them given to several vices, sins, and lusts; one who is given to company-keeping, that man is never himself but when he is in a Tavern or Alehouse, there's his de­light, that is the end of his thoughts, let all other business sink or swim, let his wife or children pine and languish at home with thirst and hunger; nay, let their tears and silent mournings pierce the hearts of their pittying neighbors, yet they shall never reach his, his care and pitty are drowned in [Page 138] carowsing bowls, and Bacchus alone shall be his god: another addicted unto whoring, whose own wife, though never so honest, ne­ver so well pleasing, and good conditioned, can be (as she ought to be) the sole subject of his content, but his sinful and venereous thoughts must carry him on, and prompt him unto adulterous actions, contaminating his body with lewd and lothsom Harlots, satifying and quenching his sulphurous lust in dirty puddles, and refusing clearer and plea­santer streams of his own, sporting himself in the arms and bosom of a prostituted Strumpet, and rejecting and defiling the sweet embraces of a chast wife: this man sa­crificeth unto Venus, and she is the Goddess of his heart. And another he is possest with voluptuousness and pleasure, and is never wel but when he is swimming in that stream, he is presently taken with that temptation of Satans,Matt. 4.8, 9. who doth but shew him the king­doms of the world, and the glory of them, and promiseth to give him all those things, to worship him, and do him service: O this is a welcome prize to him, what more de­lightful, what more sought after by him then the pleasures and glory of this life? the de­vil may buy his soul for a Poppit-shew, so that his outward man be but pampered and [Page 139] satisfied with a moment any pleasure; let his soul perish in eternal wrath and burnings, what cares he? the devil is his god, a vo­luptuous life the consummation and perfe­ction of his hopes: now let a moral civil man cast but his eye on this company-keeper, and he admires at his course, and looks upon him under the notion of a mad man; take a chaste man, that beholds the way that an un­clean person walk in, and he stands amazed at him, preferring the bruitish beast before such a man, thinking surely the devil is in him, and he doth not take his mark much amiss, as you shall hear by and by: And so for the Swearer, or any other that is given unto, or lead away with any notorious vice, men con­trary minded wonder what it is that sets this man or that man to follow such and such courses.

Now I shall tell you, that as the power of godliness in the Saints carries them on af­ter the wayes of God, Christ, and the Gospel, so the power of the devil, sin, and corrup­tion, carrieth wicked men on in the several wayes of all manner of lewdness which the devil can suggest unto them; one he tempts unto one manner of sin, another to an­other, a third to a third kinde of prophane­ness, for Satan, who is the Prince of this [Page 140] world,Ephe. 2.2. by his spirit rules in the children of disobedience, they are his Vassals and Slaves, and must do his pleasure upon force; there­fore a man may safely conclude, when he seeth a man is given up to such abominati­ons, certainly the devil is in that man, he carries him on to the consuming of all, or most part of his pretious time in company-keeping, haunting of Taverns and Alehouses continually; and so for a Whoremonger, who is like a Dog that follows every Bitch, he is plunged into the sink of lust, and his eye follows the dictates of his Concupiscence; and so for other vices that several men are addicted to: Alas, poor creatures, for a while may they graze upon the pleasant Pastures, and feed upon the Mountains of pleasure, untill they be fatted, as he Ox for the slaughter, and the Sheep to the Sham­bles: O senseless, bestial creatures, whose ruine comes upon them unawares, and whose destruction is inevitable! O that these silly wretches did but take notice of, or know the cunning Sophistry of Satan, or could but perceive the subtile twinings of this Spiders web, which is so slily wrought for the intrap­ping of poor souls: O this Soul-catching Spider, who is alwayes sucking the pretious blood of poor souls, and yet silly wretches, [Page 141] they remain insensible! this vigilant Fox waiteth for opportunities, and suddenly takes his advantages from mens several in­clinations; if a man be given to company-keeping, then will he be sure to cast in one opportunity or another into his hand, whereby his design shall take, and the man be brought to enjoyment of his de­sires, he will be sure to fit him with compa­nions and suitable invitations, he will per­swade him it shall be for his profit to go to the Tavern or Alehouse, it will be for the advancement of his imployment in his Cal­ling, and for the ingratiating of him into the acquaintance of such and such men that may hereafter make him, or at least better him in his estate: And thus Satan having insinuated himself into the thoughts of the poor man, and having gotten him into company, O how sweet and delightful will he make his company to be unto him! satiating his Genius with the beautiful and sparkling looks of the wine, causing him to drink so long untill he be inflamed, and untill he hath brought him under the wo of Solomons Wine-bibbers, then he knows he hath made him fit to at­tempt and commit any sin, then no sin can come amiss unto him, be it what it will be; and so if a man be propense, and inclined to uncleanness, the devil will match his humor, [Page 142] he will fit his temper, he hath varieties of satisfactions for such a soul, no opportunity shall be wanting for the feeding of his lust; the devil will either bring him unto the wan­tons bosom, or bring her to his; one way or other shall be so wrought, that his lust shall be fed to the height, and his unbridled affecti­ons satisfied; O the incredible workings of Satan, the undiscerned plots of this machia­vilian! the lechers desires shall be accom­plished even against and beyond his own ex­pectation, the wanton woman shall be em­braced before thought of; so the lascivious man shall be brought unto the enjoy­ments of an alluring damsel at unawares, such is the policy, such are the contriving endea­vors of Satan for the bringing about of his own ends, and the captivating of poor souls, and so is for any other sin or wickedness that men are and can be given unto, they need not to fear the carrying on of their sinful designes, there is a cunning artificer whom they little dream of, will carry them on for them with a witness far beyond their ex­pectation, he will be sure to be at the begin­ing and end of all, he will be at every turn untill his work be finished, even the perdition of such sinful souls.

But here let us take heed that we do not bely the devil, and charge him too deep, and [Page 143] lay the burthen of the blame onely upon his shoulders, for many men are apt when they have done any wickedness, presently to post it off, and to lay it unto the devils charge; but let such men know, had they not the tinder in their own box, the fire would never take; for fire could never burn without something that is combusti­ble; so the devil could never draw men to sin were there not something within them for him to work upon; as namely lusts, and corruptions, and the seeds of all maner of sin; these doth he breathe upon, and kindle into a flame; he presently takes an advan­tage, and seizeth upon the magazine of the soul, and keeps it for his own service, for if he could but see a man standing on his guard to prevent his assailments, he would for­bear, concluding with himself, here is no good to be done: so long as our first parents stood upon their watch, the devil could take no advantage, but no sooner did they slight their guard, and hearken unto Sa­tans parly, but they embraced his tempta­tion and were overcome, and he suddainly not his will of them; so might we say of David, Solomon, Peter, and divers others, so long as they stood upon their watch, they stood sure, but when once they gave way to their corruptions, then he had his desire, then [Page 144] he plaid his part, then he fulfilled his will; let the devil have no advantage from within, then the man is secure, these domestick and inbred enemies are the worst, treachery is first wrought within, and then wofull will be that spoile; when the rich Jewel within is surprised and taken, what availeth the cabi­net? let the inward guard be strongly forti­fied, and then let the divel do his worst.

3 Thirdly, Is it so that godliness comes in­to the soul with such efficacy and power? Then this may teach us that godliness is no idle merchant, its no slothful companion, but its always operative and working in the souls of men, yea it hath a great deal of work to do in a little time, for mans time here you know is very short, and that is the reason why the Apostle exhorts to work while it is day, the night comes, O then no man can work, therefore let us work out out salva­tion with fear and trembling; the working soul is the truly godly soul, life and action is the true manifestation of godliness, with­out which the soul is said to be dead; O Christians, as you have the greatest help of any men in the world, so you have the great­est work to do. First, You must live after the spirit, not after the flesh, and thats no easie thing to do,Rom. 8.13, 14. its a matter of high cōcern­ment and great difficulty, for a man to spi­ritualize [Page 145] all his actions, yea by this power of godliness a man ought to make a spiritual use of all his thoughts, words and actions, yea of all his objects, discourses, readings, and meditations whatsoever, as to the pure all things should be pure, so to the spiri­tual man all things should be spiritual; if a man read the book of the creatures, and be­hold all those varieties in nature, certainly if he would make a right use of them, he must see God through them, and admire God in them, as for a man to reason with himself, If the creature be so excellent, O how ex­cellent is the Creator! if the creature be so sweet, O how good, how sweet is that God that gave it that sweetness! as the creature is very glorious in its several colours and objects, as in flowers, &c. O then how much more glorious is that God that gave it that beauty! as the succession of creature-comforts makes them mercies indeed, so Gods various dispensations to the sons of men, but especially to his Saints, O how excel­lent are they, O how sweet and glorious are they that come into the souls of his Saints! Now you know if a man should alwayes eat and drink, alwayes lie in bed, alwayes be walking up and down, if mans life should have no vicissitudes, but be spun out in one [Page 142] perpetual act; O what a misery would this be! it would bring mans dayes to a suddain end; therefore God gives in several refresh­ments in the neck of one another, which makes them mercies indeed to man; and so it is in things spiritual, should a man al­ways be hearing of the word, receiving Sa­craments, or be always at prayer or confe­rence, a man would quickly faint under these frequent performances, & come to nothing; the great God knows, that the Saints have bodies aswell as souls, therefore you see he is pleased to give six dayes to provide for them, and only one, namely the first day of the week, to serve & worship him publikely, and yet not so tied up, but that we may even then take creature comforts for our refresh­ment: so that you see when we are to draw neer to God on his day, he is pleased even then to give that liberty to his Saints, as that they may call it a delight, for he gives us our delights in drawing neer to himself in publike worship, in family duties, in closet meditations and ejaculations, and in the use of all creature enjoyments with moderation, so far as they may fit us for our publike and private duties.

2 Secondly, As we must live after the spirit, so we must be in a continual warfare with [Page 143] the flesh: the spirit striveth against the flesh, and the flesh against the spirit, and these two are contrary one to the other, there will be continual conflicts and engagements one against the other, there is a deadly feud between the flesh and the spirit, and not onely for a moment, for a day, or for a yeer, but for the whole term of natural life.

Now its no easie imployment for a man day and night to act the part of a souldier without any intermission of relief, for as first, he ought to be well armed; so second­ly, he ought to have skill to use weap­ons, otherwise his enemie will circumvent him, and foil him at his own weapons, and so put his life in hazard; now this is the condition of all them who have received the power of godliness into their souls, they are most obnoxious to the enemy, oftenest assailed, invaded and besieged with the most ingenious and crafty subtilties and insinuati­ons of Satan; none so encountered, none so narrowly watched, no failings so soon dis­cerned, no weakness with so suddain advan­tage taken hold of: them therefore and them in an especially maner it behooveth strictly to stand upon their watch, and to maintain their guard, and still to be armed with these excellent weapons, the Holy [Page 148] Ghost hath given unto the Saints to fight with,Ephes. 6.13, 14, 15, 16, 17. against principalities and powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places, namely the whole armor of God, which he exhorts us to take and put on, least we be taken un­provided, and the enemy prevaile against us: yet this enemy is not onely flesh, but flesh and spirit, world and devil, which by us must be opposed; wherefore seeing a Saints life is no idle life, be informed and exhorted, not only to know, but to do your duties, to stand fast, and keep your watches and live as wise and valiant souldiers, always fighting the good fight of faith, untill you have finished your course, and received the Crown of Glory, which Jesus Christ the Captain of your Salvation will give unto you in that day,Rev. 15.16. when you shall be crowned with victory, and have Palms in your hands in token thereof.

4 Is it so that where godliness comes into the souls of men, it comes with power: Then this may inform us that godliness is Gods free gift, and his gifts are powerful and o­perative; its not from men, its from Heaven it comes, and it overcomes; the gift parti­cipates of the giver, an Almighty giver and a potent gift; Grace is the gift of God (saith the Holy Ghost) thereby intimating and [Page 149] declaring the excellency and powerfulness of the gift: its free grace poured out into those souls who were ordained for vessels of mercy from all eternity, its Christ that first makes his Saints temples, and then he wil dwell in them, and needs must that building be pure, holy and strong, whose builder, maker and inhabiter is God; its an infinite God manifesting himself, to and in a nothing creature, its mighty power working freely in an empty vessel, its the old of days nouri­shing a new creature; its an increated power strengthing the feeble loins of a created Be­ing, its fulness comprehending emptiness: in a word its the Almighty Creator, over­shadowing and over-powering the poor creature, without the influence of whose grace and mercy it would instantly perish and be reduced to nothing. O you Saints of the most high, the majesty of Heaven, God, Christ and the spirit of his grace, are all your friends, the Father he hath loved you from everlasting, and made choice of you to be of his Family, in infinite love and mercy, and because he loved you, he sent his dear Son into this world to die for you, yea and to rise again that you should not perish; and Christ he came freely out of the bosom of his Father, that he might manifest his love un­to [Page 146] you in laying down his pretious life, and shedding his pretious blood for your sakes; then the Spirit of God is sent unto you, that he might lead you into all truth, and give you an inheritance among them that are sanctifi­ed by faith in Christ.Act. 16.18. O therefore, poor creatures, know that you have nothing but what you have received, of his fulness have ye received, and grace for grace; O then see that your glory and happiness lies not in doing, but in receiving: in the Law men did bear their own charges, as we may say, but now in the Gospel Christ bears the Saints charges to Heaven at his own proper cost; our condition of our selves is worse then the meanest beggars condition in the world, for he can put forth his hand to receive an almes; but when God offers a man grace, let him offer it never so freely, never so long, if he give him not withall a power, and an hand to receive it, he will go without it for ever, and this hand that God doth extend and give out unto the soul, to receive, and take hold of his gracious offers, is lively faith, whereby Christ, the promises and the Gos­pel are made over and enjoyed by that soul; so empty in himself is man, that he is not able to think a good thought, or to speak a good word, muchless to perform any good [Page 147] action. O then what cause hath poor man to admire free grace, and to look into and consider his one nothingness, and to make his addresses unto the fulness, and all suffici­ency that is Christ Jesus! then should a man behold Christ in the riches of his grace, love, bounty, and tender mercy; then would the soul be ravished with the glory of his pre­sence, and be taken with that sweetness which is so incomparably excellent, and de­lightful; there may he lye down and con­solate his soul on a bed of Roses, and re­fresh his fainting spirit, with spices and rich perfumes. O then by one glimpse of Christs glory, would a soul be made to see it self as it is in it self altogether ugly, defiled, and loathsome, then shall it see it self in its blood and foul deformity, to the loathing of its spirit, even as a man that comes into a dark room with a candle in his hand, sees things a­miss and out of order, which were not dis­covered when they lay in the dark, so is it with the soul when Christ shines into it, then onely are the thick mists of darkness dispell­ed, and the noysome corners of the soul pu­rified and made clean; he is the bright morning Star, he is the Sun of righteousness, he is given for a light to the Gentiles, that though they were in the very shadow of [Page 152] death, yet when he came among them, they presently saw a great light, wheresoever Christ comes he brings a light with him, yea glory, wisdom, and all excellencies attend him, for its he that is made to his Saints, Wisdom, 1 Cor. 1.30. righteousness, sanctification and re­demption, he that is the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God,Rev. 22.2. whose very leaves are for the healing of the Nations; and therefore its our duties to apply our selves onely to Christ, resting on him, and not on any created power or excellency whatsoever; for man the chief of all the creation of God (Angels excepted) in his most setled estate is altogether vanity: give him all the advan­tages you can, as he is man, truly he is miser­able to purpose; and therefore its cleer that there is nothing in man, nor any other crea­ture under heaven, that can help man to the least dram of the power of godliness:Rom. 6.23. its true That the wages of sin, that is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

5 Fifthly, This may inform us that mens Ig­norance, of the power and excellency of godliness, is the very reason why its so ill re­lished and slighted amongst men, and why it is looked upon with such an evil aspect, and held in so small an esteem in the world; [Page 153] did but men know the worth of it, then the professors and practisers of it would be more accounted of: had the woman of Sa­maria known who it was that asked her water, she would never have made a denyall, or had she but known Christ the gift of God, John 4.9, 10. she would have asked of him, and he could have given to her water of life; every creature is for its element, stones cannot have their ha­bitation in the aire, no more then Stars dwel upon the earth; fishes cannot live in flames, nor moles in clouds; its beyond the sphere of the men of this world to be conversant in the affairs of the world to come, they can look no further then after the things of this world: their knowledgment is bounded here; they are aliens and strangers to any thing beyond their own center, they are of the earth, and so earthly-minded, their know­ledge, study, and endeavors tend earthward, ther's their complacency and delight; the natural man discerneth not the things that are of the spirit of God, and what is the rea­son? its because they are spiritually discer­ned: his light, his knowledg, his discerning is all carnal, tell him of the workings of the Spirit of God, of conversion from an estate of nature to an estate of grace, of meeting with God in a duty, of having communion [Page 150] with Christ, of the Saints union with him their head, of resting on God, where reas­on and means faile, &c. these are strange things to him, they are meer riddles to him: but now speak to a Merchant or Shop-keeper, of buying, selling, or trading, either here or beyond the Seas; or to a country Farmer, of Corn, Cattle, Plowing, Sowing, or any thing in matter of Husbandry; herein now they are expert, here they know what you mean, now you deal with them in their own element; herein they are onely wise, cunning, and skilful Merchants, masters of their science, none shall over-reach them, they will not oversee or let slip the advance­ment of a bargain, for want of experience, here and onely here they are their own crafts-masters; so that the truth is these men come into this world and so go out: they make not their returns to Heaven so good and beneficial, as their returns from Sea to Land; indeed the whole scope and tendency of their life is circumscribed within the earth and the confines thereof; they never knew of any other end for which they came into the world; nor never will look after or expect any further knowledg or Interest, but in and unto this present being, and so remain se­curely wise, untill they drop into hell and [Page 151] see their own misery, and their neglect and want of true knowledg: O that men would fear the Lord and consider the operation of his hands, especially the dealing of God with his Saints, in and through Jesus Christ; if to know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent into the world, be life eternal, O then, not to know God nor Jesus Christ whom he hath sent into the world, is eternal death; men think that Ignorance shall Advocate and speak for them another day, that want of Knowledg shall be the means of their absolution; O vain thoughts! O insufficient plea! nay, rather, sufficient to destroy their own souls; their main matter of excuse will be the sole matter of accusing them before Almighty God; what they build upon for extenuation of their guilt,Joh. 3.19. will prove the greatest aggrava­tion, For, This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather then light; though the Papists stile Ignorance the Mother of Devotion, I am sure it is the mother of Perdition; its the devils Vizor, its his muffler with which he hood-winks the men of this world, its his Livery the which he gives unto his own sub­jects to hold them in bondage, and keep them in blindness unto destruction; Do but [Page 156] read, and well weigh that Scripture, that saith,2 Thess. 1.8.9. Christ will come in flaming fire render­ing vengeance on them that know him not, and upon them that obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power: Its in vain for men and women to say, I am not Book-learned, I believe as well as I can, I will do what I can to go to heaven, and God, I hope, will do the rest: O this shews their ignorance, and speaks down-right damnation! O know you poor wretches, that Christ alwayes gives wisdome and knowledg to all men and women which are called into fellowship with himself, which shall live in life and glory with him: there is no room in heaven for ignorant souls, for they that come there must be conformable to Christ, and to his Will, who is unto all his, Wisdom and Righteousness, &c. As Christ never sends Fools on his Errand, so he never takes Fools for his Companions; Wisdom teacheth all her sons to know God and Christ, and then by the power of free Grace, they come to have fellowship with God, and with Jesus Christ; Will a Prince make a Fool his com­panion? surely no, Mad men and Fools are no companions for Princes; Achish the King [Page 157] of Gath, could say of David when he feigned himself mad, of like a fool; What, 1 Sam. 21.13. have I need of mad men that you bring this fellow into my presence? shall he come into my house? O then, how think you will Christ indure that ignorant persons shall have communion with him? for they are no better then fools or mad men, for madness and solly are con­comitants, they dwell together in ignorant souls; therefore know, that untill God take away the scales of ignorance from the eyes of men, they shall never see, nor be in love with the power of godliness; you know, if a man should cast the finest gold, and the most pretious stones in the world before Swine, and at the same time cast some dung, or stink­ing carrion, the Swine would pass regardless of the gold and pretious stones, and would see no worth in them, but would run unto, and seize upon the noisome carrion, as most de­lightful & consentaneous to their nature, nor do they see any excellency in the one, but they know what to do with the other; the carri­on is their food and delight, the gold their wonder and disregard, they know not what to do with that, their sensuality cannot fancy it: Even such is the condition of all the men of the world, for they are but swine; the dung and filth of the earth is their treasury, [Page 153] on it they dote and pore, and feed, that is their Summum bonum, there is their conver­sation, their contemplation and study, their eyes are downward, fast fixt on this Treasury, here they gaze, here they imploy their knowledg, their skill, and their all, disrespect­ing casting off, and contemning the treasures of life, and pleasures for evermore; unto the attaining whereof they did never once so much as lift up an eye, or breathe forth a de­sire, solacing and satisfying themselves in the meer knowledg of Nature: shew but these men heaven, and heavenly things, though it be Christ in an Ordinance (so far as worldly men can see him) they can discern or taste no sweetness or excellency in him; There is no form or beauty in him, Isai. 53.3. that we should desire him, he is despised, rejected of men, he is a man of sorrows, he brings troubles with him, which the world is not able to bear, and therefore they are offended at him, and his wayes, and cast his Laws behinde their back, and will not that he should raign over them; though to the Saints he is the sweetest of ten thou­sand, and his ways are the ways of pleasant­ness and peace, and his Statutes are their de­light, to them His yoke is easie, and his burden light: men of the world look on Christ at a distance, and then upon his outside too, as [Page 154] the Jews did, Is not this the Capenters son? but the Saints they hug him in their bo­somes, they see an excellency in Christs poverty, they see nothing contemptible in him, for by his poverty they are made rich, by his low estate they are exalted; yea, by his very stripes and reproaches are they healed.

Ʋse 2 Secondly, Its for Examination; Is it so, That where godliness comes into the soul, it comes with power? O then consider with thy self how the case stands with thee in re­lation to godliness; hath it been powerful in thy soul or no? for where it comes, it comes and overcomes; it findes a man in the state of Nature, and leaves him in the state of Grace, it findes a man natural and leaves him spiritual, it findes him blinde, and a Heathen, but it leaves him a seeing and a be­lieving Christian.

Quest. How shall I know whether the power of godliness dwel in me or no?

Answ. 1 First, Then we will give you some signs the preparations of it: If then thou art con­vinced in Judgment and Conscience, that there was a time in which godliness was far from thee, thou art convinced that thou didst not bring it into the world with thee, it came not to thee from thy Parents, its not [Page 153] [...] [Page 154] [...] [Page 160] hereditary,Ephes. 2.2. for all men by nature are the children of wrath.

2 Secondly, Thou art convinced, That men nor Angels were never able to purchase it for thee, yea, they were so far from it, as that they could not open the book, no not so much as look thereon, which book was the Book of God,Revel. 5. wherein he is pleased to make himself known to the sons of men.

3 Thou art convinced, that its not to be got­ten by mans own industry, neither by parts, gifts, learning, or what ever man, as meer man, is able to attain to.

4 That its the meer gift of God flowing to Saints, in the streams of the blood of the Covenant of Grace; all these are but signs or preparatives, to know, whether godli­ness be in thee or no, for thou maist know all this, and yet be far from the power of godliness; but if thou art not clearly con­vinced of these four particulars, let me tell thee, thou hast not so much as the least part, or step so much as towards the power of godliness; These things thus premised, we shall proceed.

First then, If the power of godliness dwel in thee, thou art changed from an estate of nature to an estate of grace, thou art de­livered from the power of Satan, and [Page 161] translated into the Kingdom of Christ, yea,This man hath the witness of the Spirit of God in himself. and thou knowest it, and art convinced of it in thine own conscience, for its not with thee as with a yong Christian that is onely in the nonage of his conversion; for he that hath the power of godliness dwelling in him, is one of a high Form in the School of Christ, yea his condition is such, that he can appeal to Christ and Conscience, that this power dwells in him, and is daily acted by him.

2 Where this power dwells, there sin is mortified, such a man is dead to sin, sin can­not seize or take hold on him, he hath no lust, no affection to entertain the least sin; its not enough that thou art no drunkard, no base company-keeper, no profane swearer, but thou must be dead to every sin of what nature soever it be, He that is born of God can­not sin, that is, so as other men sin, with con­sent of the Will, with the least allowance of any sin, no, though thou mightest gain a Kingdom to tell a lye, yet thou wouldst not do it, yea, though thou mightest be made the greatest Prince in the world, if thou wouldst but swear by thy faith and troth, yea, thou wouldst tremble at it, and refuse it, esteeming godliness to be the best gain; and the reason is, first, because the Love of God constraineth thee so to do; secondly, for [Page 162] that the fear and dread of the great God of heaven and earth lieth deep upon thy spirit; and for the truth of this, thou canst appeal unto God, who is the searcher of the hearts and reins of his people.

3 Thirdly, If godliness dwell in thee, then grace is predominant in the course of thy life, for grace is the very rock and founda­tion whereon godliness is built: therefore as the cause is, so is the effect, as I have former­ly declared, even as sin hath by Adam raign­ed unto death, so grace by Jesus Christ might raign to eternal life; so that when a tem­tation comes, and is offered unto thee, thou canst say, as Joseph to his Mistress, How shall I do this great wickedness and sin against God? how shall I sin against that God, who hath been so gratious, so tender-hearted, and lo­ving unto me? who pitied me, cleansed me, and took me into his bosome, when I lay in my blood and filthiness? O how shall I, how dare I, how can I attempt to sin against the God of all my mercies, and so wound the peace of mine own conscience and eclipse the enjoyment of that sweet communion with God, which I prize and value more then heaven and earth, yea, then all that can be thought upon.

4 Fourthly, He that hath godliness in him, [Page 163] is an holy and sanctified man in all maner of conversation, in his thoughts, words, and actions, he walks up to his profession, his head, heart, hands, and feet, yea, all the fa­culties of the soul, and members of the bo­dy are for God, and for Christ: 1 yea he yeild­eth universal obedience to all that God commands, as David saith,Psal. 119.6. I have respect un­to all thy Commandements; the man doth not pick and chuse, what to obey, and what not, he pleads no exemption of any, he leaves not some and takes others, his eye is upon them all, his Wil is for the perfor­mance of all, his obedience is not partial but total; all Gods Commandements are his de­light and meditation day and night, the whole bent of his desires runs after the Laws of God its sufficient to him that God com­mands it, he is as willing, yea, as ready to o­bey, as God is to command.

2 Its speedy, When God commands, he will not delay,Gen. 22.3. though it be to offer up his dearest Isaac, as Abraham, when he was commanded to offer up his son, the Text saith, He did rise very early in the morning, he deferred no time; and when Zacheus saw Christ,Luke 19.5, 6. He came down hastily, to receive him joyfully.

3 Its willing and chearful obedience, Za­cheus received Christ joyfully; David re­joyced [Page 164] to run the wayes of Gods Comman­dements;Psal. 119.16. yea, and Christ rejoyced to do the Will of his Father, for God loves a chearful doer, If ye be willing and obedient, then ye shall eat the good things of the Land, but if ye refuse and be rebellious, ye shall be de­voured with the Sword, for the month of the Lord hath spoken it: So you see its re­quired to be willing to obey, whatever God commands.

4 It must be diligent obedience, for as the hand of the diligent maketh rich in things temporal,Heb. 11.6. Psa. 119.4. and is a duty commanded, so much more in things spiritual; the diligent inquisitive soul after God and godliness, is a thirsting soul, it stores up grace and com­fort against the time of need; its like the Ant in the Proverbs, that provideth in the Sum­mer against the Winter: The power of god­liness puts a man upon diligence in hearing the Word, in prayer, in meditation; it makes a man to make his often addresses unto the throne of Grace, and watchful after every opportunity to manifest his love to God, to Christ, and to the Saints, and to be very active in doing what God commands.

5 This obedience is continual, its not to obey now, and to disobey anon, to serve God to day, and the devil to morrow; no, [Page 165] the truly godly man cannot serve God and Mammon, God will not be served by fits and starts, he will admit of no interpositi­ons or mixtures. God is a perfect God, and requireth perfect obedience, it must be a continued act from the first hour that the power of godliness entred into the soul, even unto the expiration of its last breath, it must be the souls whole desire to be con­tinually active for God in the general course of its life.

6 That soul in whom Christ, or the power of godliness dwells, is often in communion with God, yea, and it prizeth it at an higher rate then heaven and earth, and all things that can be thought upon; there is no plea­sure, profit, preferment, or dignity whatso­ever, that can divert him from this fellow­ship wherein his soul so much delights; nei­ther is there any affliction, misery, threats, or death it self, that can prevail or force his soul to forsake that sweetness that he tasteth in God and Jesus Christ: When they threat­ned Basil with death, if he would not for­sake his Interest in God; His answer was, Death is a benefit to me, it will send me sooner to God, to whom I live, and to whom I desire to hasten: yea, such a man prefers an hours communion with God before ten thousand [Page 166] worlds; were they offered unto him, he would slight and contemn them, and count them as dung in comparison of God and Je­sus Christ, in whom his soul sees so much ex­cellency and sweetness: Now this commu­nion is publike and private, publike in the Congregation of the Saints, which indeed may be called the greatest witness; where the Saints have fellowship with Christ, and one with another, where their graces are communicable, and their sweet injoyments free and common one with another, where they jointly gather honey out of one Comb, where they refreshed their thirsty spirits out of one Fountain; where the members are sweetly compacted and joyned together to their head, where they greet each other with reciprocal kisses, where Christ is all in all, and fully gives out himself unto his mem­bers; this is a glorious communion, the o­ther is a private communion that the soul hath with Christ in its closet, which is the best evidence when no eyes see, where no ear hears what converse the soul hath with Christ her head, what breathings of the Spirit she receives from him who is invisible and for all manner of excellencies beyond expression; there the soul engrosseth Christ to its self, there are private salutations each [Page 167] to other, interchangeable embraces, sweet fellowship, ineffable communion, superla­tive joyes and refreshments, ravishing fami­liarities, infinite soul-satisfying communities; if the soul want power to kill any sin, strength to withstand any corruption, under­standing in the mysteries of the Gospel; sup­plies of grace, resolutions in doubtings, here she may have all in her Christ, all is to be found in him, in whom all fulness dwels, Isa. 45.11. the soul can no sooner speak but speed; nay, with an holy reverence, may command and have, for there is no good thing that he will with-hold from them that are in him; It is not with Christ as with earthly Parents who give portions but once unto their children, and then cut them off from any other after­wards; here you cannot be welcome, you cannot be heard if you come the second or third time; but now the oftner you come to your Father, to your elder Brother, the better you are welcome, the repetition of requests is most acceptable with Christ, the more you ask the more he gives, his Fountain is inexhaustible, it is alwayes open for you to wash in, for you to replenish your empty buckets, if you wait at this Pool, you shall be sure to be replenished, come as often as you will, if thou comest for Understanding to [Page 168] day, for more Knowledg to morrow, for Wisdom the third day, for Meekness, Pati­ence, Temperance, and what other grace so­ever thou standest in need of, thou shalt not onely be welcome, but shalt certainly be supplied, if these things thou askest be for thy good,Psal. 84.11, 12. For he will give grace and glory, and all other good things to them that walk upright­ly; yea, he will be a Sun and a shield, thats the sum of all comforts whatsoever, for Christ is the Sun of Righteousness,Mal. 4 2. then he will defend his servants from all dangers he will carry them on his wings as the Eagle doth her young ones, far above the reach of malice, or all revengeful thoughts whatsoe­ver, for the Wings of Gods Protection do not onely bear up his Saints, but cover them, and preserve them from danger; they cover them like a shield in the day of battel; what injury is done unto the Saints, God takes it as done unto himself, and he will be their Avenger, if they strike them, they strike them as it were thorow God himself, for he hath made known, That they that touch them, Zech. 2 8. touch the apple of his Eye; Its no small matter to strike at the eye of a Prince, but that man that striketh at the Saints, strikes at the eye of the King of Kings, and shall be sure to answer it another day in another [Page 169] place, though for a while he may scape un­punished; though God be now silent, he will not be alwayes so; you know what Christ saith, Wo to him that offendeth one of these little ones, it were better that a mil­stone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea; thus you may see, as the Saints do prize God, so God doth prize the Saints.

6 That man that hath the power of godli­ness dwelling in him, he can trust God, yea, and rest upon him in the greatest difficulties, yea, where friends fail of the neerest re­lation, yea, where Reason and all outward probabilities are opposite:Rom. 4.19, 20, 21. Thus did Abra­ham when he was promised a son, he be­lieved above Reason, yea, the text saith, Above Hope; Secondly, against the dead­ness of his own body, he being one hundred years old; Thirdly, against the deadness of Sarahs womb, it was onely Faith, and the power of godliness that carried him up far above all doubts, being fully perswaded, that he which had promised was able to perform it: Again, you know that the promise to Abraham, was, that in Isaac his seed should be called, and yet in obedience to Gods Command, he goes to offer up Isaac his onely son, to cut up the root from whence [Page 170] this fruit should grow, to destroy the ground-work on which this Fabrick should be built,Heb. 11.19. and to blast the hopes of any further seed; which in all reason should have made void the promise, yet above all he believed that he being dead, God was able to raise him up from the dead, from whence he received him in a figure; thus the three children believed beyond all reason, that God would deliver them from the fiery furnace, and Daniel from the den of Lyons, and divers others. O this is that which makes a man cast himself into the arms of God, in the midst of the fire, or what affliction can possibly come unto him: he can enter into his chamber until the in­dignation be over-past (that is) into Christ who is a hiding place, for, and to his Saints at all times.

And as it makes the soul rest upon God in general, so more especially for life and Salvation; such a soul can freely venture it self upon a promise, with as much confidence as if it did enjoy the performance; it can as really live upon any word of God, as a na­tural man can live upon his appointed food: O, saith the soul, hath God said it? its e­nough for me, I desire no more, you know what Christ said, Man lives not by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the [Page 171] mouth of God; it throwes it self into the armes of Christ on whom it is fixed, there it is unremoveable, there it lives, and there it dies.

7 Where godliness dwels, there dwels the Spirit of love, for God is love, and he makes his Saints like to himself: as the father is the Father of love, so are his children the child­ren of love; certainly this grace makes a man love God in the first place, and second­ly, it makes him love his people, who are Gods off-spring; a man may safely conclude, where there is no love, there is none of God dwelling in that soul; if we do but consider how little love there is among many of those who are called professors in these dayes, it would make a man amazed. O the inhumane carriages of men to men, yea to those that they themselves do confess are truly godly; O the bitterness, the censori­ousness of men against their brethren, espe­cially if they do but differ from them, but in things circumstantial, Away, cry they, with such a man, let him be admonished, and then if he will not be of our mindes, let him be hanged or banished;Witness the late London Remon­strance. but if he scape either of these, either for want of Law, or Power, then say they, Let us Petition that he may have no place of publike trust, yea let us do [Page 172] what we can to weary him out of the Parish where he dwels; if he be a Minister, he shall not come into the Pulpit to Preach, though known not only to be godly, but sound in the faith, and of long standing, yea though it be for the fulfilling of the desire of the dead, it shall not be granted, but pleaded against even by them, which formerly thought all that he said to be Gospel: yea and yet these bitter spirits must be looked upon as pro­fessors of the Gospel of Christ, as if the word of God, and his Spirit, were of contra­ry meanings. O know that such a spirit as this is none of the spirit of Christ, certainly these men have not obeyed that exhortation of the Apostle to the Ephesians, Eph. 4.31, 32. Let all bit­terness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice, And be kinde one to another, ten­der-hearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you: and walk in love even as Christ hath loved us and given himself for us; O its very sad to consider what a spirit of bitterness is gone out over this Kingdom, yea in this City of London es­pecially: & if a man ask them the reason, they are to seek for an answer, but truly its be­cause they hear with other mens ears, and see [Page 173] with other mens That is, with the eyes of the Clergy, at least many of them, for I at a morning Lecture heard one of them who is fa­mous for rayling, say, that those re­bels, meaning the Army, had now got all the strong holds of the King­dom into their hands with an intent to cut our throats; now they send forth their Ministers to Preach to us a Sermon of brotherly love. And then he said, that it was a mark of a deceiver to preach of brotherly love, the Spirit of meekness and peace, &c. but that honest piece called the Pulpit-incendiary hath Characterized them and him. I shall not stain my pen with his nomination. eyes, but at last let them know they must answer for themselves ano­ther day, and I am confident when these men come to die, they shall have as little peace and comfort from this spirit of bitter­ness, as the malefactor hath from the hang­man when he comes to the Gallows: where­fore remember this, that wheresoever godli­ness dwels, there dwels a spirit of love, meekness, gentleness, long-suffering and for­bearance, there dwels tender-heartedness, and bowels of compassion each to the other; and therefore never believe mens profes­sions, but look on their practices and carri­ages each to others, for the Spirit of Christ is a spirit of love and of a sound minde: I have heard of one that hath said he hath trembled to think of giving way to a godly Minister in this City that he should come in­to his Pulpit, and yet I am confident he that spake the words was not worthy to carry the others book after him, neither for god­liness, nor learning: Was not this man of that minde that Jeroboam was, who would not let [Page 174] Israel go up to worship at Jerusalem, under this pretence, because it was too far; but the truth was, it was for fear it would weaken his Kingdom, and so his greatness might have been eclipsed: so did not this man tremble, not for fear of error, but for fear he should steal away the hearts of the people? its good for men to know their own hearts; certain­ly this is far from the spirit of Love, which is the Spirit of Christ.

8 Where godliness dwels, that soul never findes so much sweetness in any thing as he doth in the wayes of God, as David saith, Thy Word is sweeter then the honey, Psal. 119. and the honey comb, thy Word is better then thousands of gold and silver; As the Hart panteth after the rivers of water, so panteth my soul after thee, O God, and, I rejoyced in thy Word, as one that findeth great spoil, Its a lanthorn to my feet, and a light unto my paths, &c. O with what an eager pursuit will the soul fol­low after the Ordinances of Christ, it will force thorow all contrary ingagements and oppositions to meet with Christ, it hath al­wayes an eye fixt upon the loveliness and beauty of Christ, it breathes after the re­flections of his glory, its restless thoughts travel with pain untill they be eased and lodged in the bosome of Christ, untill when [Page 175] they shall never injoy their chief delight and comfort; all its study is for communion with Christ, and for the enjoyment of his glory, whereever it is, whatever its about, its al­wayes harping upon eternity, the further enjoyment of grace here, and glory hereaf­ter: Come to a soul who hath tasted of the sweetness of Christ, and knows what it is to enjoy communion with God, who hath tasted of the flagons of his love; ask such a soul, What wouldest thou have? O, saith the soul, this I would have, that I might never sin against God more, that I might be as instrumētal for the glory of God as ever any man was upon the earth, then I am sure I should enjoy more of God then now I do; When David had tasted how good the Lord was, he was ravished with his sweetness, and he would have others taste also: O come and taste and see how gratious the Lord is; O here is the godly mans delight, My delight is in thy Law, and I will meditate thereon day and night; In this he findes all excellencies,Psas 1. here he findes profits and pleasures, prefer­ments, riches, honors, and whatever his soul can desire; what joy, what consolation can a man have greater then this, to finde in the book of God, that his name is written in the book of life, which the Saints do finde, [Page 176] and that often in the Scriptures. O what pleasure can a man be capable of more then to enjoy life and health, nay an Eternal life free from cares, sorrows or sickness, a life as durable as the life of God, and enjoyed with and in God, full of glory, full of sweetness, full of delight, where nothing but pleasures are for evermore. Now others see no ex­cellency in things of this nature, ask them what they would have to compleat their de­light, their answer will be, gold, silver, riches, lands, honors, esteem in the world, and things of that nature that afford seeming joy, and contentment to their carnal sense, these are their Jewels, these are the objects of their happiness; it can never enter into their thoughts, much less can they perceive that there is such delight and sweetness in the wayes of God, as in the enjoyment of these sublinary treasures; they are perswaded that the sweetness that men talk of that is found in the practices of godliness, are but meer no­tions and conceipts in mens brains: of such as these the Lord complains by the Prophet Hosea, saying, I have wrote to them the things concerning the weighty matters of my Law, but they were accompted as strange things, they have no skill in them, they are things that they never heard, neither hath it ever entered [Page 177] into their hearts to conceive them: it is as im­possible for them to understand those hid­den mysteries, as for a blinde man to Judge of colours; an excellency in any thing that tends heaven-ward, or savors of the Spirit of grace, is not at all to be discerned by the blinde and carnal eye of the world.

9 Such a soul wherein godliness dwels, is wholly swallowed up with that infinite ful­ness that it seeth in God: when the Queen of Sheba saw the excellency of that wisdom that was in Solomon, the text saith, that there was no more spirit left in her, 1 Kings 10.5. O then how much more is that soul that looks and medi­tates on the glorious wisdom, beauty, righ­teousness, excellency, and sweetness that is in God and Christ, swallowed up, lost, con­founded, and utterly undone in it self! its beholding Gods fulness, maketh it come to see its own emptiness, and to say of God, O Lord, thou art Almighty, thou art al-suffici­ent; but I am frail and weak, I am nothing, yea less then nothing; O therefore, blessing, honor, glory, and power be unto him that sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever. Its reported of one that had much communion with God, as he was sit­ting at meat with his friends, he was rapt with such a suddain extasie of spirit, that he, to the amazement of his friends, broke [Page 178] out into these words, saying, O for ever, and ever, and ever, blessed be the great and glorious God, and this was his deportment for half an hour together: certainly we may well say this man was ravished and swallowed up with that fulness he saw in God and in Jesus Christ our Lord; now such a man seeth no­thing in himself, nor in any creature whatso­ever, for the brightness of the glory of the Lord maketh all [...]ings in the world to ap­pear as they are, meer emptiness and vanity, yea every man in his best estate is altogether vanity, that is, in his most setled estate, wherein he thinketh he stands, but let him take heed lest he fall.

But here men must beware of that error of the Antinomians, who deny the perform­ance of all duties to God: Certainly these men do not onely deny the Law, but the Gospel too; for though duties before faith are abominable, yet when they flow as the fruits of faith, they are not onely accepted and required of the Saints,2 Jam 18. Note, that as saith justifies the person, so works justifie his faith. but they are faiths witnesses also: Shew me thy faith with­out works; I will shew thee my faith by my works, for faith without works is a dead faith which works are a mans duties to God, and which God himself commands; how is it possible for a man to manifest to another [Page 179] that he hath grace, when there are no fruits of grace appear? how can a tree be said to have life, without the budding and sprout­ing of its branches? O its a sad thing for men to boast that Christ dwels in them, and yet they alwayes do the devils service; be­cause they cannot merit heaven by their duties, therefore God shall have none from them, but be robbed of his glory: but a soul truly gratious, will tell you, that the love of Christ constrains it, it cannot choose, but it must draw neer to God in holy duties; there is its life, it can finde no communion, no refreshment, no subsistence without its addressing unto Christ in holy duties: Now when men by their profession say, that they enjoy Christ & free grace in a plentiful man­ner, and yet walk loosely, carnally, and vain­ly in their conversations, saying, They trust all unto Christ, vainly believing that he will do all their works for them, that he will not be onely their Mediator, but their Actor, they lying in sin, alas how short come these of evidencing their Justification, and their In­terest in Christ by their Sanctification: these are no fruits of Christs dwelling in a soul: O therefore you that the devil and your own fleshly corruption hath so far blinded, as to perswade you that free grace and Christ [Page 180] coming into the soul, gives liberty to all licentiousness, no, no, where the Law saith, thou shalt not do, the Gospel saith, thou shalt not will, no not think: He that lusteth after a woman in his heart hath committed adultered already, saith the Gospel; know therefore that such a loose doctrine as this, is damnable, and not fit to be owned by any, who would go for Christians. O Christians, your conversations must be suitable to your profession; you must not only profess Christ, but act Christ; you must now live as that you may honor that great and glo­rious name of Christ.1 Pet. 15.16. O be you holy, for the Lord your God is holy: Now this holiness must extend to all manner of conversation towards God and man: I shall freely grant that duties Justifie not, and to rest in them is sin, yea the best that ever man did perform, was full of imperfection; and when we have done all that we can, we are but unprofitable servants, for the best of Saints while they are in the Body, are clothed with all maner of in­firmities, but the way to destroy them is to be often with God in the Mount; If now thou canst appeal to God, that thou hast found these nine particulars in thee, and that they are sixed in thy heart, and that thou hast the witness of Gods Spirit with thy spirit, for the [Page 181] truth thereof, then thou mayst safely con­clude, that godliness dwels in thee, and thy estate to be good, and that thou art walking in the way to Eternal life. O give God the glory of the riches of his grace and mercy in his Son for ever; but on the contrary, if none of these be found in thee, but rather their contraries, then there can be no godli­ness dwelling in thee; and so thou re­maining in a miserable estate and condi­tion.

1, As first, if thou art in that estate of nature wherein thou wert born, and that thou ne­ver sawest any change or alteration from that conditionn, or never endeavouredst af­ter any, but restedst contented, and thought­est thy self to be in a good and happy estate, let men say what they will or can; yea let God, Christ, and the Scriptures testifie the contrary, as is most cleer they do; as you may see in these ensuing places of Scripture,John. 3.3. Verse 5. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God; now what birth is this, but the new birth of the water, and of the spirit [...]; [...]. we must un­derstand the water of Regeneration, and the Spirit working effectually in us for our conversion: as water doth cleanse the filth of mens bodies, so the water of regenera­tion [Page 182] the souls of men from sin; now the Spi­rit of God is that whereby we live to God through grace:1 Cor. 15.4, 5. The first Adam was made a living soul, but the last (which was Christ) was made a quickning Spirit; that is, such a man that is regenerate, lives supernaturally, above the sphear of nature, that is, another maner of life then a natural man can live; now this word Spirit, [...], Spiro ut spiritus à spirando. 2 Cor. 13.5. both in the Greek and Latine, properly signifieth Breath, and therefore Christ compareth the working of the Spirit to the Winde, That bloweth where it listeth, no man knoweth whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth, so is every one which is born of the Spirit, Joh. 3.8. Again, Know you not, if Christ be not in you, ye are reprobates? now Christ lives in no soul but where godliness dwels; if Christ be in a soul, there will be a conversation suitable to Jesus Christ, now no natural man can know or partake of Christ or of his Spirit,Rom. 8. For he that hath not the Spirit of Christ, is none of his.

2 If sin raign in thee, that thou obeyest it in the lust thereof: if thou art a Drunkard, a Swearer, a profane Person, an enemy to the Saints, and the wayes of God, and that thou takest delight in all maner of sinning; O know, that thou art far from godliness, thou [Page 183] art still in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity.

3 If thou livest suitable and conformable unto this world, unholily, and unsanctifiedly in thy conversation, so as thou canst like and approve of any thing better, or as well as holiness, thou hast no power of godliness in thee.

4 If thou art ignorant what communion with God is, and canst not speak by expe­rience what sweetness is in Christ, nor canst prize it at an high rate, because thou knowest not what it is, nor the worth thereof.

5 If thou canst not rest upon God in a streight, but fleest to the creature, and usest any indirect means to deliver thy self, or else thou sinkest under thy affliction, when thou placest confidence in outward means, and forsakest the God of life.

6 If thou have no love to God, Gospel, the wayes of God and the Saints, nor seest no excellency in them, and yet hast an eye to see and admire an excellency in the things of the world, as in profits, pleasures, riches, honors, good bargains, and such in which indeed no excellency is; it is to be feared that there is not the least spark of godliness in thee.

7 If thou couldest be content to live and en­joy [Page 184] the world for ever, with all that it can afford, and in thy thoughts couldest wish that all things in the world were at thy com­mand, and that thou wouldest willingly take them for thy heaven, and for thy portion, that thou hadst rather have thy Tabernacle here on earth, then to enjoy the mansions of heaven; that thou hadst rather associate and hold fellowship with the men of this world, then be a companion to, and with the blessed Saints and Angels in heaven; O this speaks thee carnal; this renders thee world­ly: if men would but examine their hearts, and awake their benummed consciences, it would be found to be the condition of mil­lions of men and women in this world; and it is for that they are of the earth, and have no­thing to do with any acquaintance or fami­liarity with God, or the things of God, For the natural man knoweth not the things of God, for they are spiritually discerned.

8 If thy thoughts and affections be set upon the things of this world, in the general course of thy life, so that the god of this world hath taken the whole possession of thy heart, and hath blinded thy eyes: do but ask thy conscience what thy affections run after, and what thy soul is most taken up with: if thou art a carnal wretch, then it will [Page 185] speak pure world: The first thing where­with thy minde is agitated in the night when thou awakest, and in the morning when thou arisest, is, What must I do this day? where shall I first pitch upon my imployment? where shall I light upon a good bargain? how shall I put off such and such a bad com­modity? what wile shall I use? what strata­gem shall I invent? what way shall I go to work, to pull a thorn out of my own foot, and put it into my neighbors? to advantage my self, and over-reach my friends? to ease my self, and burden others? such as these will be thy Soliloquies, these will be thy reason­ings and machinations; and having through these night-studies accomplished thine ends; O how will thy heart rejoyce! O what a perfect man art thou in thine own wisdom! thy onely joy is in the increase of thy Corn, Wine, and Oyl; but as for God, Christ, and his wayes, and for the graces of his Spirit, they are not at all in thy thoughts: O this is a lamentable sign that thy portion is in this world, and that thou hast no part of that Inheritance which is given to the Saints.

9 If thou findest a certain antipathy, or opposition in thy spirit against those Scriptures or Ministers that meet with thy [Page 186] sin; couldst thou wish that the Scriptures were all compliances to thy will? wouldst thou that God himself were not so holy, as in his Word he is held forth to be, and that there were less preaching & more recreation then now there is on the Lords Day, & other dayes? would one Sermon in a day, yea in moneth please thee better, if thou mightest have but Common Prayer with it? well, know that these things demonstrate a dead­ness to grace and godliness in the soul.

Ʋse. 3 A third use shall, be for exhortation: and first to you Christians, who upon examina­tion have found that godliness dwels in you, and that God hath poured his grace into your souls; to you I say, walk up to your mercies; hath God made choice of you for vessels of mercy, and given his Son to you, himself to you, yea an earnest-peny of life and glory into your souls: hath God made you to see that you are passed from death to life, and made you know that when you enter into the Ocean of Eternity, it shall be to be with him forever? O stand and admire free grace, let not his benefits slip out of your mindes, let them provoke you to love and fear him, that hath loved you above many thousands that are, and shall go into the place of condemnation, who were [Page 187] as good as you, that were of the same lump with you, and had not God took more pity on your souls, then he did on theirs, you had been in the same condition with them: well mayest thou say, What was my soul, that thou wert so mindful of it? that thou wouldest love it so? yea when it lay in its blood, even then thou didst say unto it, Live; O what a mercy is this! Let it not be said of you as it was of King Hezekiah, that he re­turned not thanks according to the mercies he received; O let none have cause to say of you, that you walk out of the redeemeds path: as you have received mercy above o­thers, so let your graces shine in your con­versation and walking towards God, and to­wards men above others; as you have receiv­ed much, so act much, that others seeing your godly conversation, may give glory, honor, and praise to the God of your mercies: hath God selected you to be his people, and put his graces into your souls? hath God taken you for his inheritance? O then, do you take God to be your portion, yea be content with him alone, for he is God all-sufficient, O then walk before him, and be you perfect and upright; O Christians, what have you to do with this world? your imployment is above, your treasure is in [Page 188] heaven, your glory, your excellency, your All is in your God, and in your Christ; O know that you do mightily dishonor your God, your selves, your calling, to be tumb­ling and turmoiling your selves about things here below: O arise and depart, for this is not your rest; How dishonorable a thing would it be to see a Prince raking in the dunghil, and keeping dunghil rakers com­pany, taking them for his associates? certainly men would say, that this man did mightily forget himself, and did not minde his Crown, his dignity and glory; O then you who are of a noble stock, who are of the root of Jesse, who are all the children of the most High, of the King of Kings;Rev. 1.7. yea you who are Kings yourselves; hath not Christ washed you in his own blood, & made you Kings, and Priests to God? yea are not you the heirs of Salvation? are not Angels appointed to at­tend your persons? hath not Christ taken you for his companions, and redeemed you from the earth? O how dishonorable a thing is this to you, that your affections, and your conversations are so earthly, are so low, and base! seeing you are born to so much dig­nity, stand upon your terms, elevate your spirits, be proud of your birth-right▪ minde heavenly things, live where you should, and [Page 189] use the things of this world, as if you used them not; and hath God poured out him­self to you in the face of his Son? have the very bowels of heaven been rowled toge­ther, and turned towards you? O then pour out your souls to God, live upon that fountain of love and sweetness, cast you selves into that bosom of loves, which is altogether lovely, who is the chiefest often thousands, who only can fill your spirits, and satisfie your souls at all times, even Jesus Christ the Lord of life and glory.

2 Rejoyce you the Saints of the most High, I say to you, Rejoyce, and be exceeding glad in your condition, let what will come upon you, as persecution, reproaches, revilings, and all maner of evil falsly for Christs sake, O let not this trouble you; let men of the world see that you can live above these: Do they hate you? saith Christ, they hated me also. O let no earthly affliction bitter your com­forts; let no cloud over-cast your heaven, let not your Sun admit of any eclipse, let not all this world can do, sad your spirits: let your joy be spiritual and permanent; O let him that rejoyceth, rejoyce in the Lord, let no troubles overwhelm your spirit; for the momentany afflictions that can fall upon the Saints here in this world, are not wor­thy [Page 190] thy to be compared to the great and ex­ceeding weight of glory which is laid up for you in heaven: O remember its not onely given to the Saints to believe, but also to suffer; so that sufferings are as really the gifts of God, as faith: and therefore you ought to rejoyce in sufferings as in beleev­ings, for its given you of your Father, in which you ought to rejoyce, seeing he hath also given you faith & patience to carry you thorow your sufferings; O remember, God might have called you unto sufferings, and not have given you faith nor patience to en­dure; but seeing he hath fitted you with supporting power for such a condition, re­joyce and clap your hands for joy, for here­in is your Father glorified, that you are obe­dient children to his will, and that you maintain his cause and truth against his ene­mies.

3 Hath God bestowed grace upon you, and put godliness with power into your souls? and do you perceive so much excellency in it, that you would not be in your former unre­generate condition for ten thousand worlds? O then, do you labor and bestir your selves to make others in love with godliness, let your praises, and exaltations of free grace excite others to fall in love with that beauty [Page 191] of beauties, holiness and sanctity of life: you know, when David had tasted of that sweet­ness and excellency that was in God, and in his wayes; observe his tender invitation, O, saith he, come taste and see how gratious the Lord is, O see what the Lord hath done for my soul: true godliness is communicative, a godly man is no Ingrosser, no Patentee, no close fisted Miser, he is always free, his Trea­sure is open, his Riches are distributive, he will not let his gold to rust, but will be always calling, and alluring others to come and taste, and participate of what he hath received; he will not Mo­nopolize his graces, he will always be teaching, instructing, and imparting his Knowledg unto others, he is not born for himself, but to do his Country good, that is, his poor brethren, and fellow-members: now therefore examine your selves, do you in your Families, among your associates, yea, and to the whole world, declare by all means that possibly you can, by your words and actions, what excellency there is in godli­ness, that so your carriages to others may make them to enquire after it, to be in love with it, to desire to know it, and to be ac­quainted with it? O be sure to carry your self so, as that you give no offence to Jew [Page 192] or Gentile, nor to the Church of God; but let your carriage be such, as that all men may be in love, or at lest convinced, that the way you walk in, is just, holy, and good.

4 Pity poor souls that are ignorant of this power of godliness; O remember it was once your condition, and had been so still, had not infinite free grace, and tender mercy made a difference: O therefore let your bowels yern towards them that are your brethren according to the flesh, and let your prayers be to God, that they may be endued from a­bove with this power, that the Spirit of grace would overshadow them, and breathe the breath of life into their souls, that they may be saved, that they which belong to his eternal election, may be speedily called home to partake of that sweetness of that Olive Tree,Rom. 11.16. whose root is Jesus Christ; stretch forth your helping hand to save poor sinners; let your prayers be incessant for them; O intreat and beseech them to be re­conciled to God; O let them know from you, that there is sufficiency in the blood of Jesus Christ to save their pretious souls, per­swade them to come in to Christ, and tell them what sweetness you have found in the wayes of God, let them know, that when you were in their condition, that you [Page 193] thought your selves in a good condition, but now God having opened your eyes, you can tell them the error of your thoughts, for you were going to the pit of destruction, and knew it not; O put them upon the conside­ration of Eternity, let them know that their pretious souls must shortly launch into the ocean of Eternity, and if there be not provi­sion made for them, if they have not Christ Jesus for their Pilot to steere their course for them, they must certainly sinke and perish, and be cut off for ever from the pre­sence of the Lord, and the glory of his Power, and do all that possibly you can in all your addresses to them, to perswade them, that what you say to them is out of that love, and intire affection that you bear to their poor souls;Jude, ver. 23. And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh; as you ought to use all means to perswade and draw men by the Spirit of Love, to forsake their evil wayes, and to enquire after Jesus Christ; so if that will not prevail, you may, yea you ought to thunder against them, and to rouse them out of their security in denouncing the Judgments of God by the terrors of the Law, that you may do as much as in you lieth, to terrifie and affright them out of their mi­serable [Page 194] condition, so that, if it be possible, you may be instrumental to deliver them from eternal fire, and from the wrath of an infinite God: hereby shall you gain glory to God, and testifie to the world your lothing and detestation of sinful wayes, and discover unto such leprous souls, that those spots wherewith sin hath defiled them, are not the spots of Gods people, for this the Lord saith of sinners,Deut. 32.5. who walk in the imagination of their own hearts, Their spot is not the spot of my people.

5 This may also exhort you who are the Saints, who have received the power of godliness into your souls, to pay your tri­butes of thankfulness unto the Lord. O do you bless, praise, and magnifie the great and glorious Name of God for ever! O let your mouthes be filled with praise and thanks­giving to your God for ever and ever; O you have cause to say, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and praise be given to him that sits upon the Throne, and to the Lamb for ever, who hath looked upon you in your low estate, and redeemed you from con­demnation; This is the Lords own work, and it ought to be mavellous in your eyes; this should cause you to spend the length of your dayes to the honor and service of your [Page 195] God in holiness of life, and all manner of godly conversation; this the consideration of your deliverance from your spiritual ene­mies, sin, death, and hell, should be a strong engagement upon your spirits, to serve the Lord in righteousness, and holiness all the dayes of your lives;Luk. 1.74.75. for you owe your selves to Christ; remember you are bought with a price, be not any longer the servants of sin and Satan; live not to please men, for if you be men-pleasers, you cannot be the ser­vants of Christ. O dedicate your souls, spi­rits and bodies to Jesus Christ, yea and offer them up to God a living sacrifice, for this is that Worship that is required at Saints hands by the word of God.Rom. 12.1 O know there can be no greater manifestation of your thankfulness to God, then your universal obedience to all Gods commands; let this be done in the whole course of your lives hereby shall you evidence unto the world that you are those in whom dwels the power of godliness, and by this you may draw o­thers to be in love with the wayes of holy­ness, and stop the mouths of all gain-sayers, and opposers of it.

Now there are several motives to incite you Saints, to this great duty of thankful­ness.

[Page 166] 1. Praedestino. [...]. Rom. 8.29. praecogno­vit.First, From the consideration of your pre­destination: why should God preordain that you should be to the praise of the glory of his grace from all Eternity? yea to ap­point you to be his adopted children in Christ Jesus? Yea, you are those whom God acknowledged before, nd therefore he was pleased to predestinate you to life & glory; O now that God was pleased to appoint you for his people, & pass by so many thou­sands of the same lump, and extend his mercy to you, will not this raise up your hearts to thankfulnes? shall not this be the theam and subject of your everlasting praises?

2. Electio. [...].From the consideration of your Election: why should God choose you out of that common mass of mankinde, to make you heirs of life and glory? yea coheirs with his Son Jesus Christ: even as a Potter of a rude mass of clay, maketh one vessel to hon­or, and another to dishonor, its the Apo­stles allusion, Rom. 9. Why wert not thou whom he hath made a vessel to life and glo­ry, made a vessel of wrath and confusion? Why wert not thou passed by from all Eter­nity? and numbered amongst the children of perdition? it was only free grace that made the difference, it was the good plea­sure of the Lord, to elect you to Salvation, [Page 197] and pass by others, leaving them under the curse of sin; O remember it was God that chose thee, thou didst, nor couldst not choose him; O that an incomprehensible God should be comprehended by a poor wretch­ed creature! that he should bestow himself upon him, and give him the riches of his grace; O let the Saints for ever breath out thanks and praise, to this gratious God, and begin that work on earth, which shall be their work for ever in the highest Heavens.

From the consideration of your redemp­tion,3. Redemptio [...]. which is no less then a glorious re­demption, as being bought with a glorious price, not with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the pretious blood of Jesus Christ, of more worth and excellency, then all the created powers in heaven and earth.

1 Consider what you are Redeemed from.

First, From the curse of the Law. Second­ly, From the wrath of an infinite God. Thirdly, From the power of sin. Fourthly, From a vain conversation. Fifthly, from the second death. Sixthly, Out of the jaws of Satan, that great red dragon, even from hell and condemnation.

2 What you are Redeemed to.

[Page 198]First, To be in an estate of Son-ship, to be the Sons of God. Secondly, To be heirs, and joynt heirs with Jesus Christ. Thirdly, To have a sweet communion with God, Christ, and the Spirit of grace. Fourthly, To have communion with Saints. Fifthly, To enjoy life & glory for ever, where you shall sin no more, & where all teares shall be wiped from your eyes, where you shall reign with God, Christ, Saints and Angels to all Eternity; O this cals for thankfulness, render unto him therefore the praises due unto his name.4. Justificatio [...]. Est propria ipsa judicis de inno­cente reo pronunci­atio, signifi­catione ni­mirum activa.

The consideration of your justification, which is done by the merits of Christ: that is, to be fully acquitted of all sin, as if a man had never sinned, to stand right and just in the sight of God, Christ having paid the debt to Divine Justice, and blotted out the hand-writing against you; so as now its with the Saints, as if they had never been de­filed with sin: you, and onely you, are they which stand justified in his sight, in that fift to the Romans, are these three words used (viz.) Justifying, Justification, Justice, and they are thus distinguished.

The first, Signifieth the merit of Christs Justice, whereby the Saints are Justified.

The second, The action it self of Justifica­tion, whereby Christs Justice is communi­cated to the Saints.

[Page 199]The third the Justice it self, which is im­parted and communicated to the Saints; you know by sin every man is bound over to the Judgment Seat, there to answer be­fore God, for all things done against him in the flesh, and to pay that debt that the Law requires: now Christ is the Saints sure­ty, and in their behalf, hath taken this debt upon himself, and hath paid the utmost farthing that can be exacted by the Law, he hath loosed the chains of darkness, & broken the strong holds, and hath enlarged and set free the Saints in the sight of God, so that neither the Law, sin, nor the devil can lay any charge or accusation against them, they have their pardon written on their breast, declar­ing there is no condemnation unto us, be­cause we are in Christ Jesus; let the Saints therefore never cease to magnifie and praise the name of the God of their Salva­tion.

From the consideration of your vocation,5. Vocatio [...]. your calling out of darkness into the mar­vellous light, whereby you can rejoyce in God your Saviour, whereby your soul en­joyes the manifestation of all its comforts, yea of its communion with God and Christ while its in the body; God might have called his Saints at the last hour of their [Page 200] departure out of this life, and so they might have lived without God in this world, as every man doth before his calling, and so without comfort and joy in the Holy Ghost; now then if one hours communion with God, be more worth then thousands of worlds, O how are the Saints bound to bless God for so great a mercy, as their en­joyment of communion with him, here in this life, for many days and yeers after they are called! praise God therefore for your Vocation.

6. Sanctifica­tio. [...]From the consideration of your Sanctifi­cation and holiness: a godly man ought to be as truly and really thankful, that his sins are purged, as that his sins are pardoned; it is one of the greatest mercies that a soul can partake of, to be purified, washed, and cleans­ed from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, to re­ceive of Christs communicated holiness, & to be imputed holy for Christs sake; so that he who hath this robe of righteousness, is made pure, yea so pure and holy as if he had ne­ver sinned, the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin; and this holiness and purity of spirit is a soul invested with by vertue of the blood of Christ, flowing to it in the Co­venant of Grace; O this must needs be a strong motive to inlarge your hearts with [Page 201] gratitudes for so inestimable a mercy, to be made pure as Christ is pure, and holy as he is holy: and for that this your holiness, and Sanctification, is not only universal, but its perfect in its parts, in every part of soul and body, God doth not sanctifie one part now, and another part at another time, but he san­ctifieth the soul thorowly at one & the same time; Therefore know that if thy heart be sanctified, then thy judgment, thy will, thy understanding, thy affections; yea all the members of thy body, and all the faculties of thy soul are sanctified also. Yet you must know likewise that no man is perfect in the degrees of holiness on this side heaven; yet bless God who ever thou art who knowest that sanctifying grace doth rest upon thy spirit here, for though now it be in part, yet it shall be made perfect in heaven for ever.

7 The seventh and last motive to stir up the Saints to thankfulness, is this; that thou who art a partaker of the power of godli­ness, shalt be preserved to Eternal Life in spight of sin, devil, hell, or any thing that can gainsay; thou mayest slip and fail, but never totally fall: thou hast the spirit of God to guide and sustain thee, thou art al­ready passed from death to live with God [Page 202] eternally, thou shalt never miscarry concer­ning thy eternal being, thy trips and slidings shall but set thee forwarder on thy journey; God will be thy God for evermore, thou art safe for eternity, and thy soul lieth in the bosome of Christ, thou art given to Christ of the Father, and those the Father hath given him, he hath promised that none shall take them from him; O bless the God of Gods, whose mercy endureth for ever; whose love is permanent, whose purpose immutable, and whose power All-sufficient to preserve thy soul and body unto eternal life.

Ʋse. 6 Sixthly, Let this be also of terror to all wicked and ungodly men, who are so far from having this power of godliness wrought in their heart, that they resist the offers of it, and quench the motions of the Spirit of Grace, who are bound up under the power of sin, in whose mortal bodies sin reigneth: such as these are ruled by the Prince of this world, Satan is their Lord, they are his Slaves and Vassals, they do his work, they follow his imployment, By this they may know they are of their Father the Devil, for his children they are to whom they obey; they fight for his Kingdom, and are the sub­jects thereof: O tell me you sinners, what [Page 203] will become of your souls another day? your end of dayes hastens on, and the day of ac­count is at hand, when you must stand at the Bar of Jesus Christ, to answer for things done in the flesh, what answer will you make? what plea can you have:1 Pet. 4.18. If the righte­ous shall scarcely be saved, who then dares plead your cause? And this will not onely be the condition of notorious wicked, and ungodly sinners, but of all such as have not the power of godliness wrought in their hearts; let them carry themselves never so upright and holy in the eyes of men: O the civil honest man, though never so well qua­lified and gifted with natural endowments, with Moral vertues, with loving and affable carriages; this man is in that condition which will prove woful to his own soul for ever, for where no power of godliness is, there is no Christ, and where there is no Christ, there must needs be a devil; do but consider, you must shortly come to lie on, your death-beds, thou dost not know how soon; O then it may be thou art tormented in thy body, in thy spirit, and in thy con­science; thy conscience then comes to be a­wakened, which in thy prosperity was asleep and stupified, now it opens her mouth wide, which before was dumb, now it flashes the [Page 204] very flames of hell into thy face, now thy sins come into thy minde, which thou hast committed twenty, thirty, nay fourty years ago, now they stand in array before thee, now they strike horror and amazement in­to thy wounded soul, there is no cessation of Assaults, no parle to be admitted, there is none come to thy relief, thy friends forsake thee, thy God forsakes thee (that is) thy un­righteous Mammon, thy riches, thy gold, thy silver, thy lands, nay thy wife, thy children, and all things in the world cannot admi­nister one drop of comfort unto thee; but on the contrary, they are as fuel to thy tor­ments, thy sight of the want of help in them aggravates thy woes; at length thou sendest for Physitians to prolong thy days, well, they come to thee, and tell thee, there is no hope, thou art a dead man, all the means in the world are inavaileable; what sad tidings is this? what duplication of thy pain is here? well maist thou truly say, My sins are become a burthen too heavy for me to bear, and cry out, Was ever sorrow like unto my sorrows? what, must I die? O that I had never been born; O that I had been abortive from the Womb, that I had never drawn the first breath of life; now thy soul sits on thy trembling lips, ready to take her flight for [Page 205] Eternity, then comes the devil to claim his Interest, Give me thy soul, I am sent for thee, thou art mine; thus he sets upon thee like an armed man, he will weary thee like a mastive Dog, and will not leave thee whilest thou hast breath; do but consider what a woful time this will be whilest thou art here, and do but weigh these several aggravations.

1 First, When thou comest to Judgment, as thou shalt stand at Christs left hand, when on his right hand thou shalt see many that were inferior to thee for breeding and edu­cation, for estate, and for parts; yea, them whom thou didst despise as fools, and silly men, men of no account or esteem in the world; O, I say, when thou shalt see these on Christs right hand, whom he doth own and embrace for his people, and thou left to misery and destruction, will not this be an aggravation to thy misery?

2 When thou shalt see them which lived in the same parish with thee, under the same Ministery, and thou hadst the same means of grace preached to thee as they had, and yet they are saved, and thou art damned; will not this cut thee to the very heart? yea it may be thou mayest see some of thy servants there, whom thou hast checked, and rebuk­ed, nay whom thou hast despised, and hated [Page 206] for their forwardness in Religion, and following the means of grace, calling them Fools, Sectaries, and Separatists; O how wilt thou be amazed, astonished, and con­founded? how will this terrifie thy soul when thou shalt see them united, and joyned to Christ their Saviour, and accompanied with holy and blessed Spirits, and thou separated and cast out into utter darkness amongst the devil and his cursed angels!

3 When thou shalt see those who have told thee from the Lord, that thou shouldest not come to life and glory, but that thou wert a castaway, and couldst not be saved, for that thou rebelledst against God, Christ, Gospel, and the light of thine own conscience, yea thou that wouldst trust to thy morality, and good dealings with men, thou that lookest for some excellency in thy self, but didst see none in Christ nor his ways; O now these men are come to witness against thee to thy wo, and it may be thou wilt think and say with thy self of such a man, as Ahab said of Elijah, Hast thou found me O mine enemy? O this will heighten thy misery, this will heap coals of fire upon thy head.

4 When thou shalt be convinced, that hadst thou made as good use of the mercies that were offered thee, had God given thee an [Page 207] heart so to have done, as those that stand be­fore thee did, thou mightest have been as hap­py as any of them, thou mightest have enjoy­ed the like sweetness of God, & excellency of Jesus Christ with them; but when it shalbe said unto thee, thou enjoyedst thy good things in this world, thou rejectedst the proffers of grace, thou wouldst none of the counsels of God, but didst cast his Laws behind thy back, therefore art thou punished and they bles­sed, now do thy repentings come too late, now are thy thoughts fruitless: O into what a gulf of horrors will this plunge thy soul!

5 When Christ now shall call thee by thy name, and say, Soul, in what place of the earth didst thou dwel? peradventure thou mayst say, Lord I lived in London; now why may not Christ say, in a place where my word was as powerfully preached as in any place of the world, where the Sun­shine of the Gospel, shined as bright as any where under heaven, where my mercy was extended as largely, my goodness flowed as abundantly, as in no place more? what at London? and thou a whoremaster, a swearer, a drunkard, a prophane person? what at London? and yet in thy natuall estate, not one dram of Grace, not one grain of godliness? I tell thee it shall [Page 208] be easier for Sodom, and Gomorrah, in the day of Judgment, then for such a man as thou art; tell me, O sinner, what thou hast to say for thy self? O thou wilt be like that man at the Feast which had not on the wedding garment, the Text saith, He was speechless, he had not one word to say for himself, no more shalt thou: O thy condi­tion will be woful, thy estate most misera­ble; if thou lookest before thee, the dread­ful Judg is ready to pronounce the irrevoca­ble sentence against thee: if on the Judges right hand, there the Saints are to joyn with Christ in thy Sentence; if on his left hand, there are a company of wicked wretches in the same condition with thy self; if thou lookest behinde thee, there is Hell and Sa­tan ready to receive thee as soon as Judg­ment is given: O then thou shalt be ba­nished from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power, and that for ever: Remember these things, all you that forget God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you; O what do you think of a soul in this estate, that is thus cast eter­nally into the sea of the wrath of God? every man will say, this is a lost soul in­deed, its undone for ever. Now what aggra­vations of misery will be multiplied upon [Page 209] thy soul by these subsequent considera­tions.

1 First, for a soul to think with himself, and know, and say, O I am undone, I am undone! O I am now in a worse condition then any creature that ever God made, for God did never create any creature so mise­rable as man makes himself to be, he having plunged himself into it by sin; O now thy body is made miserable as well as thy soul, for the body was that instrument by which the soul acted so much to Gods dishonor; O did God curse the Serpent for being the devils instrument? so will God curse thy body as thy soul is cursed to all eternity.

Secondly, Thy torments shall be such, as no tongue can express: If the wrath of God against Christ onely, when sin was but im­puted, was so heavy, that it made him to sweat clods of blood, [...]. as the Original word signifies; what dost thou think will be the wrath of God to thee, who hast acted sin, and that all thy life time, who hast done no­thing else but sinned, and thrown dirt in the very face of a pure God, giving God the lye by thine unbelief? O if the Saints did ap­prehend the displeasure of God to be so terrible, as Job, when he complained that [Page 210] the poyson of Gods arrows did drink up his spirits;Job 6.4. Psal. 38.2. and David that his arrows did stick fast in him, so that there was no soundness in his flesh, nor rest in his bones; O what will thy complaint be, thou undone soul!

3 None shall pity thee in this condition, which makes it the more comfortless; its some ease to a man in misery to have some to pity and condole with him in his afflicti­on; sympathy in affliction, is as a cordial to a fainting spirit, it recreates the wearied soul, and intermits the fits of its distresses; but here is no fellow-feeling, no recreation, no intermission, which addeth weight to weight, to the utter depression of thy soul into restless torments; God himself, he shall laugh at thee, for he saith, That he will laugh at their destruction, Pro. 2.24. and mock when their fear cometh upon them; Angels and Saints, they shal not regard thee, the father shal not pity the son, nor the son the father, the husband the wife, nor the wife the husband, nor the mother him that drew her breast, all rela­tions shall be forgotten, and all pitty ba­nished.

4 The misery will prove an unexpected mi­sery, and so the sadder; what greater prick­ing to the heart then for a man to miss of his end, and to be frustrated of his hopes? it [Page 211] may be thou thoughtest thou wert going to heaven, and now thou art dropt into hell; thou expectedst mercy and reapest fury, thou expectedst reward and gatherest revenge; this is the condition of most men in the world; they would take it as a mighty in­jury, and disgrace unto them, if you do but question them of their latter end, and if they were certain of the place whither they should go: if a man should deal plainly with them, and tell them they were going to hell and condemnation, O they would be ready to fly in such a mans face, and brand him for a censorious person, and an uncharitable man; so that men in this condition lose their expectation, and so become out of measure miserable.

5 When a man shall consider with himself in this woful condition, that he hath not only damned his soul for the world, profits, pleasures, or profaness, but also that now he is deprived of these too, for which he brought this estate upon himself; what, to have a soul to perish for nothing? not to enjoy these things for which it hath paid so dear a price? to pay for profits and pleasures, and not to possess them? to carry them to the Lands end and then to leave them behinde? O what flouds of tears, what eju­lations, [Page 212] what inexpressible mournings would this cause in a poor soul?

6 O poor soul, know that there is a greater loss then all these, for now thou being in hell, thou hast lost God, Christ, the com­pany of Saints and Angels for ever; now thou hast nothing in lieu for this great and infinite loss, if any, 'tis onely this, thou hast exchanged pleasures for pain, happiness for misery, life for death, thou hast sold thy God, Christ, heaven, and glory, and hast purchased Satan, hell and confusion; O this is a most dreadful aggravation, this is a loss unvaluable.

If it be the highest happiness of man in heaven, and the glory of the Angels to be­hold the presence of the Lord, and to partake of the beams of his glory, O then it must needs be the depth of all misery to be depri­ved of such excellency and glory by being banished from the presence of the Lord;2. Sam. 14.32. Ab­solon thought if worse then death to be kept from the presence of his Father, when he had killed his brother Ammon; you know its said,Matt. 5.8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God, O then cursed are the defiled and wicked in heart, for they shall not see him, For without holiness no man shall see God, saith the Apostle, but there is no holi­ness [Page 213] in hell, therefore none in hell shall see the Lord.

Lastly, That as thy torments are unexpressi­ble, so they are endless: when a man hath suf­tred ten thousand years in hell, under the stroke of divine Justice, then is he as far from deliverance as at the first hour; for there must thou be to all eternity, where the worm never dieth, and the fire never goeth out. O Reader, weigh all these things to­gether, lay them to thy heart, and consider how the estate stands between God and thy own soul, and do it speedily before it be too late, for from hell there is no redemp­tion, after this life no repentance that will do a man any good, nor yet any cries that God will hear, no lamentation that can avail thee any thing; Act the actings of Faith and Repentance here in this life, where they are onely to be imployed, and thou shalt reape the fruits of them in the life to come, glory, and immortality, and eternal rest and peace unto thy soul; And so we are come to the third and last part of the words;

And from such turn away, &c.

THus having presented unto your view the Canaan of life, and the Region of death, we are now arrived unto a discovery of means to divert your steps out of the paths of death, and to guide them into the wayes of life (to wit) by the aversion and turning away from the society and wicked deeds of the ungodly.

These words are the Apostles dehortation to Timothy, and in him to all Christians, de­claring, how that Saints ought not to make wicked and ungodly men, their companions; yea though they made a shew, and had a form of godliness, as these have in the pre­cedent words: there is nothing difficult in the words, onely we give you the Etymo­logy [Page 215] and meaning of this turning away: [...]. aversor. what maner of turning is here meant; the word signifies not onely to turn away, but to dis­dain, to refuse, to despise, to detest, and to have such persons in abomination, to shun their company, and that not now and then by fits, but in the general course of our lives; that as these men are Gods enemies, so we should account them as our enemies.

And from such turn away.

Whence note,I Obser. That its the duty of the Saints to shun and avoid the society, and company of all wicked and ungodly men, yea though they have a form of Religion:1 Cor. 5.9 I wrote to you (saith Paul) in an Epistle, not to keep company with fornicators (verse 11.) yea though he be a brother, that's in the fellowship of the Gospel: yet if such a man of that neer relation, be a Fornicator, a Drunkard, an Idolater, or an Extortioner, with such a man have no society, keep not company; [...]. the Original is, be not mingled with him, have not such familiarity as a man hath with his friend: so in that 2 Thess. 3.14. have no com­pany with him, be not mingled together: so David saith,Psal. 119.93. I am a companion of all them that fear thee; that is, of all those that fear the Lord: then by good consequence he is no companion of them that fear him not: [Page 216] you have the accompt of this point in these six particulars.

Reas. 1 First, Sin is of a diffusive and infecting nature, its very apt to spread and infect all that come neer unto it; it corrupts your spirits and breaks your peace; when wicked men come together, they cast out their sin, and some out their shame, it flows from them every where like wild fire; and its like to pitch, where it comes it sticks fast.

You know the Lord prohibits Israel from keeping company with the Heathen which were cast out; least they should learn theit maners and walk in their wayes; so that no good can be expected from their company and society, but the contrary: you know that David saith, a lyar shall not come into my house, nor dwell in my habita­tion for ever: Now all wicked men are lyars; there is none that doth good, no not one, the way of truth they have not known.

Reas. 2 The company and presence of a godly man doth obdurate the hearts of the wicked in their sin and wickedness: tis their apology and defence for their transgressions; what? say they, if we were so bad as some would make us, certainly such a man, and such a man would not keep us company, or take us for his associates; you know its a dangerous [Page 217] thing for a man to be as a stumbling block to make others fall into condemnation, there is wo denounced against such a one, so that hereby thou mayest be an occasion of har­dening the wicked in their sinful courses:

Reas. 3 By this course a godly man makes the sins of the wicked to become his sins for appro­bation of presence; if sin is committed and not reproved, it makes that man guilty of that sin, who is in such company: You know that the Apostle saith, Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but reprove them rather; and its a very seasonable exhortation of the Apostle, when he saith, Be not partakers of other mens sins, which every man is that keeps company, and makes wicked men his fami­liars in the course of sin, for such a man hath fellowship with the unfruitful works of dark­ness, and so is a partaker of other mens sins.

Reas. 4 For that the Saints ought to withdraw themselves from such company,2 Thess. 3.14. that they might be ashamed, yea may be a means to convince them of their evil, to call them out of that condition, or at least to make their consciences check them for their ungodly courses, yea and put them upon the inquiry after better things: for God is not tyed [Page 218] which way or by what means he will work, to draw any home unto himself.

Reas. 5 For that he which keeps company with the wicked, keeps company with Solomons fools, and he that keeps company with such fools,Pro. 13.20 shalbe destroyed: He that walketh with wise men, shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed, for they walk in the way to destruction, and their paths lead to the Chambers of death, there is no way of life that they will take knowledg of; for the wicked desire not the knowledge of the Lord, nor to understand his wayes; for as Job saith, they say, Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledg of thy wayes.

Reas. 6 Because the Saints are to judg the world, yea to judg Angels, as the Apostle saith, Know ye not that the Saints shall judg the world; that is, you ought to know it, for its a truth, yea, saith he, we shall judg Angels; O therefore, you ought not to make the world, (that is) men of this world (whose happiness is in this life) to be your companions, for Christ testifies,Rom. 7. John 17. That his Saints are not of the world, but he hath redeemed them out of the world, therefore that man that is a friend to the world, is an enemy to God: O therefore come out from amongst them, and keep at distance with the men [Page 219] of the world, remember that old verse,

Thus you see the point confirmed by Scrip­ture and reason; now for the better un­folding of it, these three things are required. First, What is meant by Saints. Secondly, Whats meant by wicked men. Thirdly, Whats meant by keeping company. We shall dispatch them with all brevity, that we may proceed.

1 By Saints most men understand onely those which are now in heaven, departed out of this life: indeed they are Saints, but not these Saints here intended, for they which are departed out of this life are so far se­cluded from men of this world, that they know not what their company means, they are alienated from their acquaintance.

By Saints then we are to understand holy men, that is, men who are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus, Saints by calling, such as the blessed Apostle Paul writes of to the Romans, To them which are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be Saints; Rom. 1.7. 1 Cor. 1.2. such as walk in the ways of holiness, whose conversation is in hea­ven where Christ their head is, such as pro­fess [Page 220] and obey the Gospel of Christ, and are justified, and acquitted from all sin by Jesus Christ, their peace; and of the Saints Christ hath thousands in this world, a people con­temptible in the eyes of the world, hated and counted the off-scowring of this world.

2 By wicked men we are to understand all men in their natural estate wherein they were born, for in their birth lies the spawne of all evil: every prophane person, every drunkard, liar, whoremonger, adulterer. I­dolater, and whosoever walks in these sins, we may safely call wicked men, yet all these sins with thousands more, are but the fruits of that inbred corruption that men brought into the world with them: I say they are but the fruits and effects of that cursed na­ture wherein every man is born; O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death, saith Paul, Rom. 7.23. And in a word, whosoever is not made righ­teous by Jesus Christ, is a wicked man, and that made Paul say, when he considered of his miserable estate by nature, and then knew who was his deliverer; I thank God (saith he) thorow Jesus Christ our Lord, so that by Christ only we are delivered.

3 Thirdly, By not keeping company, and by not being mingled with wicked men in [Page 221] society, we are to understand, not to be united unto them, and incorporated into their fellowship; and here might abundance of time be spent, if we should reiterate, or fall again upon communion in receiving the Lords Supper, or communion in Church-fellowship, but having formerly touched upon them, and conceiving that this Text doth not properly intend such a non-com­munion, or non-company-keeping, I shall pass that by, and unfold my thoughts with much brevity concerning the intention of the Holy Ghost in these words (from such turn away:)

1 First, Then it is unlawful for any man that doth profess himself to be in Christ, to make any wicked men whatsoever his companions, his associates, his familiars, and his inward bosome friends.

2 Though men make a fair outside and shew in Religion, yet being discovered to be wicked men by their conversation, with these men thou oughtest not to have fellow­ship or keep company, for to make such thy associates, is to walk contrary to that counsel given to Timothy by the Apostle Paul; I will not say but a man may buy and sell, eat and drink as occasion shall be offered sometimes, but chiefly take heed that these men be not [Page 222] thy familiar acquaintance, nor thy intimate conversants; such must not be thy compa­nions, such must not be of thy counsel; thou art advanced to a correspondence with hea­ven, and wilt thou joyn thy self with earth, yea defiled earth? O shun and avoid such company as the lothing and abhorring of thy heart.

Is it so, That its the duty of the Saints not to keep company with wicked and ungodly men? O then Christians, learn your duties, and be informed, that God requires at your hands, that you should make choice of your company, take heed of joyning with pollut­ed hands;Similis si­mili gau­det. you know the Proverb, Evil company corrupts good manners, And that Birds of a feather flock together; you shall not finde Doves to fly with the birds of prey: different natures, different affections, diversity of Judgments, diversity of assem­blings: habituated sinners never break com­pany, drunkards with drunkards, swearers with swearers, whoremongers with their like; and so through the whole course of sin, every sinner with his confederate, but Saints are of a more pure mettal, their dross is now become fine gold, their polluted streams are clarified, and flow from the Fountain and well-spring of Life, they must [Page 223] admit of no mixtures; their association must be separated from the wicked, they must be an unleavened lump, pure and en­tire of themselves, Saints must not do as the wicked do, they have learned better things, they profess to walk by another principle: if thou shouldst see a Lamb upon the moun­tains walking in the midst of a company of Woolves, wouldest thou not conclude, cer­tainly this Lamb will shortly become a prey unto them? even so when thou art in the company of prophane and ungodly men, think with thy self, O I am now in the midst of Woolves, certainly I shall be a prey to them and their sin, for as the Woolves may fawne upon the Lamb, not out of any love they bear unto it, so may the wicked upon the godly, yet the righteous is abomination to the wicked, and he seeketh to insnare, in­trap, and circumvent him every mo­ment.

1 Then consider and know that God is angry with the wicked every day,Psal. 9.16, 11.16. and that if Gods judgments fall down on their head, when thou art present with them, thou must look to partake of the same common jugdment e­ven with them; for upon the wicked,Psal. 37.32. God shall rain snares, fire, brimstone, and an hor­rible tempest shall be their cup.

[Page 224] 2 Vers. 12.Secondly, The wicked watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay him, yea the wicked plot against the Just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. Let a Lyon put on a Lambs skin, yet he is a Lyon still, yea and the more dangerous; so though the wicked may carry themselves Saint-like, yet they are wicked men still, and the more dange­rous is it for Saints to have to do with them.

3 Ps. 97.10. God preserveth the righteous, and delivereth him out of the hand of the wicked: what, hath God delivered you, who are his Saints out of the snare of the wicked, so that your soul hath escaped as a bird out of the snare, and will you run into them again? O take heed of abusing so great a mercy, as to return un­to that world out of which the Lord hath once chosen you, lest he utterly gives you over into their hands again.

4 The Saints should be so far from making wicking men their companions, as that they should not know a wicked person; David, he professeth,Psal. 101.4, 7. That he that telleth lies, shall not come into his sight, that he will not know a wicked person, that is, he will not be ac­quainted with ungodly men.

5 But the case, that a Prince should have many professed traitors in his Kingdom, [Page 225] which he was shortly to bring to Judgment, for their rebellions against him, and had put forth a Proclamation, that his faithful sub­jects should not keep company with these traitors, yet after this being made known, some of his own Family take some of these men for their companions, and enter into familiarity with them: do you think that the Prince would take this well at their hands? surely no, know then that Jesus Christ is a great Prince, the King of Kings, and all wicked men he hath made known to be traitors and rebels to his Crown and Digni­ty; and he hath commanded his subjects (his Saints) not to keep company with them; O then consider with your selves, how ill Christ will take this at your hands, who dare to keep company with wicked and ungodly men, with traitors and rebels, for so is every profane person, every swearer, drunkard, sabbath-breaker, and company-keeper that doth ordinarily fre­quent Taverns and Alehouses to abuse the creatures and themselves; yea Christ calls them dogs and swine; what, you that pro­fess your selves to be washed from your filthiness in the blood of Jesus Christ; will you defile your garments with such com­pany as these? what is the blood of Christ [Page 226] had in no higher esteem in your eyes, then thus to be trampled under feet in the com­pany of Christs enemies.

6 Again, Consider you profess that you are going towards heaven; these men by their courses profess that they are going towards hell, an infinite distance in your journeys, and the end much different; then why will you be joyned together as servants of one Lord, as the children of one Father, when your professions are so contrary? O, it is a dishonor to your Master Christ, for you to keep company with his enemies, with the devils servants; and remember that these men will do what they can to hinder you in your journy; your duty is to run, that you may obtain, but such company as these will be as fetters to your feet, and clogs to your heels in your way; and certainly if thou art a living Christian, thou wilt finde hinderances enough in thy self, yea too many, for they even press thee down, as thy natural inbred corruption, and thy infirmi­ties of all sorts, wherewith thou art incum­bred in this life, thou needest none without to pull thee back: such companions as these will labor to perswade thee from strictness of life in the wayes of God, perswading thee that thou needest not to be so precise; [Page 227] all that you can hope for is but heaven, which they look to enjoy as well as you, without any such strictness; so that they will endeavor to turn thee out of the good way, that leadeth unto life and glory, that thou maist walk with them in the way to wo and misery; and remember that God may justly leave thee to their snare and net, to be in­tangled by them, which if he do, thou wilt finde it will cost thee dear to recover thy self again, yea it may be many a tear, many a groan, many a sigh, and heart-aking: O, know that God may justly hide his face from thee, and give thee over to the counsel of the ungodly, for thy apostacy from him, and the wayes of his commandments; O thou that hast let out thy heart to vanity, remember its not in thy power to call it home again at thy pleasure: O remember that Peter had been quite lost by being in evil company, had not Christ recovered him by a look; you know the story, how he went among that cursed rabble that car­ried Christ away to the high Priests Hall, and there he being asked of Christ, in­tangled himself among that cursed crew, and falls to denying of Christ, the first, second, and third time, yea, to curse, and to swear that he knew him not, who but a little be­fore [Page 228] would die with him, now when Christ look­ed back on him, its said, That he went out and wept bitterly; O it cost him many a bit­ter tear, and made him cautious of his com­pany for ever after; and know that if Peter who was so strengthned with grace were so dangerously overcome with wicked com­pany; what then dost thou think will be thy condition?

7 Again all that Saints do, it ought to tend to their edification: now tell me and let thy conscience speak, what hast thou ever gain­ed as to help thee forward toward any knowledg, or duty to God or to men, by being in the company of ungodly men? did they ever make thee the fitter for a holy du­ty in thy family, in thy closet, or elswhere? let thy conscience have freedom to speak, I know it will say No; but on the contrary it hath made thee unfit for duty, and hath bin an hinderance to thee in thy approaches and drawing nigh unto God; for the com­mission of one sin doth but fit a man for a­nother, as one Iron whetteth another; thus I say that company keeping may make a man neglect duty, and so the neglect of one duty may cause a man to neglect another; for to this day never was any man fitted for duty by neglect of duty: which all men are wo­fully [Page 229] guilty of, that keep company and are familiar with ungodly men, especially in their Tavern and Alehouse meetings.

Lastly, again remember Christ saith, Blessed shall that servant be whom his Lord shall finde well doing at his coming: now tell me, Couldst thou be contented that Christ should come and finde thee in a Tavern or Ale-house, carousing, and drink­ing, in the company of ungodly men? may not Christ say to thee, What dost thou here? is this thy course of life? is this thy way to heaven? what reply canst thou re­turn unto Christ? will not thy conscience fly in thy face, and tye up thy tongue? I fear that sad and grievous will be thy condi­tion, and horror and amazement will take hold on thy soul.

Object. But some may say, that the Scripture saith, If any unbeliever bid thee to a feast, thou mayest go;1 Cor. 10.27. then if an unbeliever desire me to go with him to drink at the Tavern or Ale-house, its no more, if so much, as to feast with an unbeliever.

Answ. I answer that its lawful for him that is a be­liever to go and eat in a civil way with an un­believer its left unto thy liberty, if thou art disposed to go, thou mayest go; and so up­on [Page 230] some just occasion thou mayest go and drink with an unbeliever, and yet not in­fringe our position: The point that we in­sist upon is, that thou make not prophane un­believers thy associates, thy familiars, thy companions, that thou shouldest not make a common custom to drink and mispend thy time in such companies, to the dishonoring of God, and wounding, thine own consci­ence. I tell thee thou mayest go to feast with an unbeliever, and not dishonor God, thou mayest drink with a friend and not sin a­gainst Christ, but it must be upon important occasion; but this must not be done ordi­narily, nor frequently, nor any wayes ap­proving or consenting unto their wicked actions or designs, nor so far forth as to make them lye in thy bosom: that never came neer the heart of Christ.

2 Secondly, we say we are not upon the point of eating or drinking with an unbelie­ver, but with ungodly men, that is, with open prophane persons, men that hate the power of godliness while they profess it, which every unbeliever cannot do; for first, every unbeliever cannot nor doth not profess the power of godliness; secondly every un­believer, though its true he is a wicked man, yet he is not an open prophane man, for [Page 231] you know that there are many moral men which hate vice and prophaneness, as the civil honest man, and many of the Heathens, as Plato, Socrates, Fabritius, Cato, with o­thers, &c.

3 Again, those men that have taken up a form of godliness as a cloke of malicious­ness, and under that, oppose and persecute the power of godliness, & all that do profess it: now these are the men with whom thou must not keep company, whose presence thou must avoid and flie from, as enemies to Jesus Christ, and to all that fear and love him, which indeed every unbeliever is, though not in that degree as these men are.

Object. 2 If this be so that I must not keep company with wicked and ungodly men, then I must not come unto publike meetings in parishes, seeing all those congregations are a mixt people, and for the most part prophane and ungodly men and women.

Answ. To this I answer, First▪ if thou hereby meanest thy coming unto, and thy joyning with such persons in the participation of the Lords Supper, then thou oughtest not to come in their company, for what fellow­ship can there be between light and dark­ness? Christ and Belial? as I have formerly [Page 232] shewed you in this Treatise, and need not now speak any more of it in this place.

But secondly, if you speak concern­ing the word preached, and thy mixing with such in the administration thereof; thou must know that the preaching of the word is a general duty, and its the right of all men to come thither both good and bad; and therefore the commission is, Go, and preach the word to every creature, yea those who are cast out of the Church have a common right to it; and it were cruelty to keep them from it, for its the means of conversion, and the power of God to salvation to all men that believe; and faith comes by hearing the word preached, and if thou come there never so often into and among such company, thou mayest plead Christs own commission for thy warrant; And this I say further, that for all Ordi­nances, so long as men may enjoy them in publike, in their power, purity and glory, its their duty there to partake of them, and not to separate from them; for God will be praised in the great Con­gregation:Psal. 35.18. I will praise thee among much people (saith David.) Certainly you cannot but conceive its that which will bring more [Page 233] glory to God, then to meet where there are but few;Deut. 16.16. therefore all the males of Israel were bound to meet the Lord in the place that he shall chuse three times every yeer, yea though they lived never so many hund­red miles distance,2 Chro. 8.13. which must needs make a very great Congregation wherein God did delight to dwell, and you know it was Christs own practice to go publikely into the temple: but I think this point is so cleer and granted of all, that we need not use any further arguments to perswade any to it; always provided that men may there meet so as to receive and partake: for if a man shall think he is bound to come to a publike Congregation, it being so great that he can no wayes partake of what is deliver­ed, then he must, yea ought to go where he can. I put this caution in, for that some men live in such places where they can no wayes come neer to hear what is delivered.

2 This also serves for reproof to many men, who profess they are Saints, and stand for God, and are members of Jesus Christ, & yet you shall alwayes finde them among the de­vils broode, yea that can keep company with drunkards, sorcerers, and prophane persons, yea at Table, Cards, Dice many hours toge­ther, yea till midnight, night after night; O let [Page 234] ot men deceive themselves, for certainly they are such as their company is, a man may read these mens Religion by their com­pany: Judg you, that say you are Saints, how unsuitable a thing it is for you to be the companions of devils; O, Is it fit that the members of Christ should be joyned with the members of Satan? O how do such persons dishonor Jesus Christ, and disgrace that profession they make of the Gospel? I have read, that wicked men have much de­sired the company of the godly when they have been upon their death beds, but never that godly men have desired the company of the wicked at that time.

3 Let this then be an Exhortation to all you that would be accounted Saints: I say to you, live as you would die, keep such company in your health, as you would have in your sickness; in your life, as you would have in your death; O keep such company on earth as you look for in heaven, and remember that there is no unclean thing shall enter therein.

1 First, Consider, Its the duty of Saints to redeem the time, for the dayes are evil, but those that keep company with wicked and ungodly men, mispend their time, for they are evil.

[Page 235] 2 Those that profess themselves to be Saints, should, yea, they ought to give good examples to others, Their light should so shine before men, that they seeing their good works, might glorifie their father which is in heaven; but in keeping company with evil men, they give evil examples, and so harden others in their sins.

3 Consider, Its a stumbling block to weak Christians, to see thee who art an old Pro­fessor of the Gospel of Christ, to entertain fellowship with such men, who are known to be wicked and ungodly; yea, it may cause them to call the ways of God into question; O may not they say among themselves, if the ways of God were so strict, and the path so narrow, and the gate so strait that lead­eth unto eternal life as many men say, nay, as the Scripture speaketh of, then certain­ly such and such men would not live so loosely, and keep such profane com­pany?

Lastly, Consider, whether those hours that thou spendest in Taverns or Alehouses, with company sutable to such places, would not be better spent in prayer; reading the Scriptures, self-examination, godly confe­rence, and [...]ther holy duties, would it not bring more glory to God, and peace to thy [Page 136] soul when thou comest to die; do but make trial one week in spending thy time in holy duties, and then compare that with the hours spent in profane company, and if thou hast any spark of grace glowing in thee, to thy own apprehension, or any working of conscience remaining, then see and judg impartially which time is best spent; thou wilt certainly conclude, and say with David, One day in thy Courts, is better then a thou­sand in the tents of the ungodly; one hours communion with Christ in publike, in fami­ly, or in closer duties, is better spent then ten thousand hours in any other places, though it may seem to the flesh to be never so pro­fitable, or never so pleasurable. Now that God that dwels in heaven, so rule in, and dwell upon the spirits of all his Saints on earth, and make then so wise, that they may keep such company on earth as are fit for heaven, or at least that look heaven­ward.

Now one word or two to those which no man (that hath any spark of spirituality) dares calls Saints, who say, that they would not keep company with profane men, nor lie at the Tavern or Alehouse as they do, could they well avoid it; it is not the greedy de­sire of the wine or the beer, but the com­pany [Page 237] that is there that causeth them to come to those houses, and when they are called by such company they cannot with­stand it.

1 Let these men know, and take notice, that they read this Text backward, for the Text saith, From such turn away; but they read it, But to such we will turn; O its a fearful thing to dally with the Almighty, and to fall into the hands of the living God, who is a consuming fire; O, dare you provoke God to his face, and by your practice plainly tell him you will not obey his Word? I say to all such, that the time is at hand, that God will make you know that his Word shall not return unto him voide, but it shall accomplish that whereunto he sent it: O thou bold sinner, dost thou dare thus to affront the great God of heaven and earth, before whom thou must sportly come to give an account of things done in the flesh? I say, think with thy self how thou shalt be able to answer these Scriptures, O read them, and lay them to heart.

And it shall be when he heareth the words of this oath that he bless himself in his heart, Deut. 29.19, 20. saying, I shall have peace though I walk in the imaginations of my heart to add the drunk­en to the thirsty: the Lord will not spare him, [Page 238] but then the anger of the Lord, and his jealou­sie shall smoak against that man, and every curse that is written in this book shall lye upon him, and the Lord will blot out has name from under the heavens: do but read the former part of this Chapter, and consider what thy condition is, and remember that this curse doth extend to every breach of the Law of God,Gal. 3.10. for cursed is he that continueth not in every point of the Law, to do it, or in all things of the Law to do them; O you that imagine to your selves peace, and prosperi­ty in a way of evil, in your wayes of compa­ny keeping; the Chaldee renders such imagi­nation but a conceit and thats all thats in it: you do either conceit that God doth not re­gard your sinful course of life, or that Scrip­ture-prohibitions are but conceits: but the time is coming wherein you shall know that these conceits of yours do but add your drunkenness to your thirst; that is, your sins of ignorance, to your sins of presumption; O know, that if you refuse, and be rebelli­ous, you shall be destroyed, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, Isaiah 1.20.

Isa. 66.4.Secondly, That of Isaiah 66.4. They have chosen their own wayes, and their souls de­light in their own abominations, I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their [Page 229] fears upon them, because when I called, none would answer, when I spake they did not hear, but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not: O sinners, you will chuse your own companions, though the Lord hath prohibited you, yea, though he calls upon you to turn away from them; now you have your choice, now you have that which your soul delighteth in; the next thing unto you, is, That God will make a choice for you also, but it shall be for your wo and misery.

Thirdly,Pro. 1.25. But you have set at naught all my Counsels, and would none of my reproof; I also will laugh at your destruction, and mock when your fear cometh upon you.

Object. But some will say, That God is merciful, and if we can but say at the last, The Lord have mercy upon us, we need care for no more.

Answ. To this I answer, That all the mercy in heaven is not sufficient to save such a sin­ner as thou that continuest in this condi­tion; what, for a man wilfully to sin, that Gods grace may abound! O thou bold sinner, wilt thou obtrude thy iniquity upon Gods Mercy? dost thou dare to think that God will endure this? O know that lenity provoked, will turn to fury, that [Page 240] God is as just as merciful, that he is a re­paier of the wicked, as well as a pardoner, and know further, that if ever thou hast thy sins forgiven thee, thy pardon must be as well sealed in the Court of Justice, as in the Court of Mercy, as thou hast sinned, so know that Justice must be satisfied, yea, and that for thee if ever thou art pardoned: But for you that think to go to heaven with Lord have mercy upon you in your mouths; Do but well consider the sad story that I shall relate: There was a man that was a notorious Swearer, a wicked Company-keeper, and being oft-times re­proved for his sin, His answer always was, Tush, God is merciful; Upon a time (as the story relates) he being on horse-back, riding over a Bridg that crossed an arm of the Thames, part of the bridg fell in, and as he was going, he was heard to say, Horse and man and all to the Devil, as his Compani­ons testified: O here you see, though he might have gone to hell with Lord have mercy upon me in his mouth, yet God would not suffer him so much as to take his Name into his mouth. O then let this one example make ungodly sinners tremble, and not to dare to harbor a thought or conceit within them, that so many words at the [Page 241] last hour shall do them any good, or redeem their souls from eternal burnings, and carry them into the bosom of everlasting Loves; but admit they were sure to have Lord have mercy on me in their mouths at the last gasp, yet it may be just with God to give them a denial: O know that every one that saith, Lord, Lord, shall not enter into the Kingdom of God, but Christ shall say, Depart from me you workers of iniquity, I know you not; and remember what the Lord saith to such a man as this,Psal. 50.16. What hast thou to do to take my word into thy mouth, and hatest to be reformed?

4 Fourthly, See, and read that dreadful Scrip­ture against ignorant and rebellious sinners,2 Thess. 1.7, 8, 9. 2 Thess. 1.7, 8, 9. When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.

Read also these Scriptures, Jer. 3.7. the 7.24. the 9.14. the 11.8. the 16.12. the 18.12. the 23.17. Heb. 12.25. 2 Pet. 3.10, 11, 12. Revel. 20.12. the 22.15. &c. O lay these Scriptures to heart, and then consider how thy estate stands with God, and what thou shalt be able to say another day, when God shall call thee to an account: now when thou hast taken a se­rious [Page 242] view of these Scriptures, and hast con­sidered of what hath been formerly said a­gainst thy company-keeping, and thy disobe­dience, certainly if thy natural conscience hath but its eyes opened, thou wilt confess thy estate to be very sad.

Object. But some may say, Its true, I am convinced that its very bad to keep company, I would leave it, but I cannot dispense with the many occasions that draw me to it, but I hope I shal leave it ere it be long.

Answ. Alas poor wretch, art thou convinced of the evil of thy company-keeping? then know, that every time thou keepest evil company, that thou sinnest against Conscience, and know that one sin against Conscience is worse then ten thousand sins of ignorance;It was Belsha­zars sin, that he knew, but did not re­form. Dan. 5.23. For if thy conscience condemn thee, God is greater then thy conscience, and he will condemn thee; Conscience is Gods Vicegerent here on earth, its all in a natural man that takes Gods part: O doth thy conscience flie in thy face here? what dost thou think it will do hereafter, when thou shall stand at the Bar of Jesus Christ, when it shall bring all its Items before God there registred against thee? As

Item, Such a day so many hours spent in such an Alehouse, so many hours spent in such a Tavern. Item, So much wine spent that might have been well spared, and given to the neces­sity [Page 243] of the Saints. Item, Such a day spent so much in such a place, when thy wife and chil­dren were in want at home. Item, Such a day thou wert the occasion of such and such a mans keeping company, wherein so many oaths were sworn against God, and both Families negle­cted, both for soul and body; O how ever thou thinkest of it now, let me tell thee, that when thou shalt come to give answer to these Items, it will be a dismall and woful time un­to thee, thou wilt wish the mountains to fall on thee, and the hills to cover thee, to hide thee from the face of the Lamb, and his wrath.

2 Whereas thou saist that thou hopest to leave it before it be long.

To this I answer according to the Proverb, Though true Repenntace be never too late, yet late Repentance is seldom true; O its a dange­rous thing for a man to defer and put off his returning from the evil of his wayes.

1 Thou that dost now delay thy returning from a course of sin, saying, thou wilt return a year hence, or six moneths hence; know that it is not in thy power, to repent when thou pleasest, for repentance and turning from sin is the gift of God.

2 The longer a man staies, and procrastinates his Repentance, the more sin lies upon his soul; you know if a man go to a yong tree that hath been planted but a year or two, and en­deavors [Page 244] to pluck it up but cannot, and saith, that he will stay two or three years longer before he will attempt to root it up again; certainly all men will judg this man to be void of Reason, to attempt the harder, and let slip the easier, so wilt thou finde it in the case of sin.

3 Know that thou hast no assurance of the time of the life, thou maist be cut off this night, as the rich Glutton was in the Gospel, who said, Soul take thy ease, there are goods laid up for thee for many years, but with what an unexpected answer did he meet withall? This night shall thy soul be taken from thee, and then whose goods shall these be? O this may be thy case, and know that Eternity depends upon this short moment of time in this world; if thou return not now, thou shalt never return; O, its just with God, that that man which abu­seth his time, should be deprived of time, and cut short of his hopes.

4 Know, that there is a time in which God hath appointed men to return to him; if they return not in that time they shall never re­turn: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, if thou hadst known in this thy day, those things that did be­long to thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes; God, he hangs forth a flag of mercy to the sons of men, in which time is their day, if in that time they come in and return to him, and make their peace, then is he exorable, and [Page 245] to be found of them, but if not then is displai­ed the red Flag of his Justice, which is Gods day; O then thy day is gone, Gods Day is come and thou art undone for ever, and who knoweth but his Day may be accomplished this very night? and upon this thy Eternity depends; how mad then is that man that will enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, though he lose his soul for ever! Men say, Its bad jest­ing with edge Tools, but this is the maddest jesting in the world, for a man to dally with his soul, to hazard the loss of a Jewel for the enjoyment of a Pebble; should God call unto thee this very hour, and say, What provision hast thou made for Eternity? now art thou lanching into that Ocean; how is thy soul rigg'd and trim'd for that Voyage? are thy Sails full blown with the gales of the spirit of Grace? then maist thou safely sail unto that Haven of eternal Life and Rest: O how many men would the consideration of this astonish! and yet no man knows how neeer that hour is, and yet regards it not: O turn you from your evil ways, Why will you die, O house of Israel? why will you die eternally ye sons of men?

5 O know, thou that wilt take no warning by Gods calling to thee, and threatning his Judgments against thee, but wilt still go on in thy rebellions, and in the perversness of thine own heart, that God will not alwayes [Page 246] wait upon thee, as he testifies, my spirit shal not always strive with man, for that he is flesh: no, God may come in an hour when thou thinkest not of it, and cut thee off in a moment, in the midst of thy security, & then thou shalt receive the fruit of thy own doings; O consider this all you that forget God, that walk, and will walk in the by-pathes of sin, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you out of his hand, but you must undergo his wrath to all eternity. I have now a word or two more to you, that will still keep profane, wicked, and ungodly company, and that shall be by way of advice and counsel.

1 Endeavor to break off thy course of life, take hold of all advantages to refrain their so­ciety, thou knowest not what a blessing God may give in to thy endeavors.

First, meditate upon Eternity in the mor­ning when thou dost awake after this maner; Lord, I am now one day neerer to Eternity then I was yesterday, O how stands the case with my soul? am I a day neerer heaven, or a day neerer hell? Conscience speak; am I the same man walking in my sinful courses as for­merly I have been? O then certainly I am neerer destruction, neerer the stroke of divine Justice then I was yesterday, neerer my coming to give an account for my sin and wickedness then ever I was; my glass is neerer run, my [Page 247] soul is neerer leaving this sinful body then ever it was; be sure to spend some time in the mor­ning upon such thoughts as these, yea, say to thy soul, O remember Eternity.

When thou art going out of thy doors, think with thy self, whether am I now going? every step I take this day is toward Eternity: what, am I going to my companions to the Tavern or Alehouse? O certainly these paths lead to the chambers of death? what am I going to poison my soul yet more and more, to bring more guilt upon my spirit, to wound my con­science yet more? O this is not the way to take off that guilt that lies upon my spirit, this is not the way to give thanks to God who hath kept me this night from danger, who hath yet saved my soul from hell; O thus far natural men may easily go, who have not one dram of grace; then covenant with thy self, and say, Well, is it so? I will not keep company this day, I am resolved to gainsay all occasions to draw me to it; This resolution being taken and kept for two dayes, then for three dayes, for a week, then for a moneth, so by degrees thou maist get the victory. Then at night examine thy self; Have I more peace now I keep not these sinful societies or no? certain­ly if thy conscience be not dead, and if the de­vil hath not blinded thy judgment, thou wilt say thou hast more peace in turn­ing [Page 248] from a way of sin, then in walking in it: thus I say compare a day spent in the company of sinful men in a way of prophaneness, with a day wherein thou dost forbear and cast off such sinful companions and I am confident thou wilt have peace in the one, but none in the other:Rom. 2.14, 15, 16. see that Rom. 2.14, 15, 16. &c. For when the Gentiles which have not the Law, do by nature the things contained by the Law, these having not the Law are a Law unto themselves, which shewes the Law written in their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while, accusing, or else excu­sing one another: so by this thou mayest see if thou are not worse then a Heathen, and if thy conscience be not seared with an hot Iron, it will do its office in excusing thee when thou dost well, and accusing thee when thou dost evil. I wish thee well, and my desire is that thou mightest think of these things, and what ever else may do thee good, and follow and embrace them, that so thou mayest be one not having a form of godliness, and denying the power thereof, but having the power of god­liness, professing and evidencing the same in thy life and conversation; turning thy back upon the counsels and fellowship of the ungodly; and thirsting after, and delighting in the Law of the Lord, and in the company of the Saints.