The two TABLES, Or, The Exercise of a good Conscience towards God, our selves and others, to be hung [...] in Parlors, Chambers, and Closets, that at our going in and out, we may have before our eyes, what may provoke us to Love, and to GOOD VVORKS.
I. God is to be acknowledged
As the first and last, infinitely good, gracious, long-suffering, holy, all wise, eyery where, not far from every one of us, and all sufficient in all our wayes, Pro. 3.6. We walking before him unto all wel-pleasing and being perfect.
II. He i [...] to be honoured.
First, Inwardly, with our souls and all that is within us. In love unfeigned of him, 1. because he is good. 2. because he doth us good in our souls, bodyes, with-holding no good thing from us convenient for us pertaining to life or Godlinesse, 1 Tim. 6. 18. our love ought to be such as may make us 1. endeavor to be like him. 2. to doe his will. 3. deny our selves, so far as not to seeke our own things but those of God. 4. rejoyce in him. Ps. 5.11.5. desire to enjoy him in communion, in grace and glory, thirsting for God, when shall we come before him ?
Secondly, In Reverence and Godly fear: 1. Of that power that can. 2. Of that Justice that will destroy the guilty, body and soul in hell. 3. Of that Majesty before which Angels cover their faces. 4. Of that Omnipresence that is before us, though we see him not, Job 23.8. 5. Of that Omniscience before which all things thought, spoke or done, secretly or openly, at any time are naked, by this fear we are (Heb.11.6.) to depart from evil, Keep the Commandements, and work out our salvation with fear.
Thirdly, In Faith: 1. That he is, being not without God, in our works, wishes, or judgements. 2. Of what he saith for our instruction in righteousnesse. 3. Of what he commands for our sincere obedience: 4. What he promises for the life that now is, and that which is to come, for our encouragement, to cleanse our selves from all filthinesse, and to perfect holinesse in his fear, 2 Cor. 7. 1. 5. What he threatneth for our warning from the wrath to come.
Fourthly, In Hope: Patiently waiting for what the good God promised, and the faithful God will performe, neither presuming, nor despairing, but knowing whom and upon what [...]rounds we have trusted, and in this hope purifying our selves.
Fifthly, In an honest dependance on him, as All-sufficient in all wants: 1. For grace sufficient for us: 2. For food and rayment convenient for us, and all things richly to enjoy in due season, in the conscientious use of means casting our load upon him: 3. In all dangers spiritual and corporall, our hearts fixed trusting the Lord, for power to prevent them, grace, patience to beare them, in due time deliverance from them, and a desposall of them for the best to us.
Sixthly, In humility: I. Denying our natural, civil and gracious selfe: 2. Submitting our selves, state and all to Gods wisdome, care and will: 1. Of command, his law being written in our hearts, and are ready to come and doe his will: 2. Of providence, being dumb, and opening not our mouths because he doth it; Psal.38.13.
II. God is to be honoured outwardly,
First, In his worship: Sanctifying him as often as we doe in the several parts of his worship, draw nigh unto him in spirit and truth: 1. As in his word, able to make us wise to salvation, that to search carefully for it's our life: 2. To consider throughly: 3. To apply it to our selves impartially: 4. That we have it dwelling richly in us and among us: 5. That we take heed; 1. How we come to hear it laying aside all supersluity of naughtiness: 2. How attentively, reverently, understandingly; meekly we hear it: 3. When we have heard how carefully we search the Scripture whether these things are so: 1. How earnestly we take heed to the things we have heard, least at any time we let them slip, Heb. 2. 1. 5. How conscientiously we mix it with faith: 6. How servently we pray it over to him that giveth the encrease: 7. How familiarly we speak of it one to another, Mal. 3. 16. 8. How studiously we meditate in it day and night, Ps. 1.1. 9. How really we practice it as a truth which is after godlinesse.
Secondly, In Baptisme: Wherein we are to endeavour after the answer of a good Conscience, in paying our vow to the Lord whereby we are bound 1. to forsake and resist Satan and his works, so that he may have no part in us: 2. To keep our selves unspotted from the world: 3. Not to obey the flesh in the lust thereof: 4. Holding fast the forme of sound word [...], and the faith once delivered to the Saints: 5. To walke in all the commandements of the Lord blamelesse.
Thirdly, In the Lords Supper: 1. Before which we are to examine our hearts and lives whether we are in the faith: Least we cat and drink our own damnation, 1 Cor. 11. 2. At which we are to humble our selves, to fear and reverence the God, and the work we have to do with: to act faith on the several parts of the Ʋnsearchable riches of Christ, which in that mystery is all and in all: 3. After which having taken the cup of salvation, we are 1. with thankfulnesse to call upon the name of the Lord: 2. With care to withdraw from the world, to reading, meditating and holy conference: 3. to keep our unstable hearts to the Covenant we have made with the Lord of better obedience.
Fourthly, In praying continually in the gracious frame of our heart, 1 Thess: 5. 17. 2. In the outward exercise at least morning, evening, and at night; Ps: 55. 17. 1. For things lawful: 2. In faith: 3. In humility: 4. With reverence: 5. With earnestness: 6. In Christ strength and name: 7. With holy hands lifted up, the wickeds prayer being an abomination: 8. With decent gesture of body, which is but our reasonable service, Rom: 12. 1.
Fifthly, In fasting: Not for envy, or strife, but for Gods honour, our own good in body which is kept under, in soul which is brought nigher to God.
Sixthly, In the Sabbath sanctified by the Lord, and to be sanctified by us, withdrawing our selves, our hearts and thoughts from sinfull, vaine, and unnecessary employments for the publique and private service of God, in reading, hearing Sermons, and Catechismes, praying, meditating, conferring, singing of Psalmes, and exercising the Pure Religion of visiting the sick, poor, widow and fatherlesse, James [...] ult.
Secondly, In his name in an aweful respect to which, we are to set a watch over our hearts and mouths, that we think nor speak any thing dishonourable [...]o Gods nature, attributes, workes, ordinances, or people speaking not of him rashly, and vainly, for what are we that we should take his name in our mouths? Swearing not by him, 1. Vainly, Oh he will not hold them guilt lesse that take his name in vaine: 2. Falsely, solemnly calling the God of truth to beare witnesse to a lye.
Thirdly, In his works 1. Of Creation: 1. Ascribing the honour of all things to him: 2. Receiving them as from him: 3. Enjoying them in a dependance upon him: 4. Searching the invisible things of him, [...] the things that are made: Rom: 1. 18, 19, 20. 5. Reducing as much of them as lye in our power, [...] the power of corruption unto God who made all things for himselfe: 2. Of providence upholding, preserving, guiding, assisting all things in a right way, to worke together for the best, as we shall one day confesse when we shall see the whole frame of things before us, even the work that God doth from the begining to the end, which we should now consider, admire, and wait till the end be, and we stand in the loe at the end of dayes. Dan: ult. ult.
Our selves, We are to take care for, 1. in our souls and bodyes which are to be kept together all our appointed time in a holy, sober and good-frame for the service of God in our generation the little while we are seene, and the enjoyments of him, when we are seen no more.
I. Our precious souls, That they be endued with all knowledge and understanding, especially of God in Christ, which is eternall life, least they perish for want of knowledge.
II. That they be endued with considerations, O that they would consider their wayes, (Hag.1.5.). their states, principles, ends, designes, actions before and after they are done.
III. That they be endued with principles of grace, refraining, preventing, mortifying of lust, subduing of sin, quickning us, assisting and powerfully enclining us to goe forth according to the will of God in faith, obedience, and worship: our hearts being established with grace to serve God acceptably.
IV. With saving faith (in Christ for righteousnesse) which may worke by love.
V. With Hope, an anchor of the soule stedfast and sure.
VI. With Joy in believing.
VII. With Willingnesse in the day of Gods power.
VIII. With Calmnesse, dissorderly affections and passions being allayed, and reduced to the obedience of reason and faith, the law in the fleshly members, with the fleshly affections and lusts being subject to the Law in the mind.
IX. With Meeknesse, Without, 1. pride (which God resisteth, Ja. 4.7.) of the gifts of nature, or grace, having nothing but what we received: 2. Vaine glory, desiring to approve our selves for praise to God and not to men, 1 Cor. 4.5. John 5.44. 3. Peevishnesse, not soon angry, Tit. 1. 7. 4. Ambition, but preferring one another in love.
X. With Patience making us quiet under, thankful for, and better by all Gods dispensations to us in the flesh.
XI. With love to God and our brethren, shed abroad and abounding in our hearts.
XII. With zeal, being according to knowledge, zealous in a good matter.
XIII. With Courage, being strong in the Lord, serving him without fear.
XIIII. With a heart enlarged, 3. and a tender impartial well-guided Conscience, void of offence to our peace and joy.
XV. With contentednesse in such things as we have; Heb. 13. 5. Phil. 4. 11. without envy, murmurring, covetousnesse or ambition.
XVI. With diligence, and watchfulnesse in all things, 2 Tim. 4. 5. to improve, 1. our nature, 2. grace, giving diligence to adde, &c. a Pet. 1.5. 3. good m [...]ons, quenching them not, 1 Thess. 5. 4. 4. opportunity, redeeming the time, Ep. 4. 16.
XVII. With gratitude, returning good to those that doe us good, even sinners do so.
XVIII. With repentance, 1. in sorrow, which is after a Godly sort, in.2 Cor. 7.11. 2. shanse, Rom. 6. 21. 3. hatred of every sinfull way, 4. revenge, 5. a through reformation. And if there be any other virtue or grace, think of these things, Phil. 4.8.
Secondly, In our bodies: 1. providing for them all things necessary, nourishing and cherrishing them: 2. keeping them temperate in the enjoyment of their provision: 1. in eating moderately the kind and quantity of meat that is suitable to our constitutions for life and health, taking breed of an excess of riot and sursetting: 2. In drinking soberly, a little for life and healths sake, not given to wine: 1. to the abuse of creatures, too good to be consumed on our lust: 2. waste of time which is but short. 3. hurt of 1. of our bodies, who have woe but they that tarry long at the strong drink: 2. of our souls. 3. In sleeping as much as may refresh as for the service of God in our calling. 4. In clouds, wearing what may cover nakednesse, succour the body, distinguish sex, and quality, even modest apparrell, 1 Tim. 2. 6 5. In recreations, what may refresh the body and mind for their usuall course of serious employment, so they be 1. Lawfull. 2. Moderate, not alienating our care, time, earnestnesse from the more serious work of calling and salvation. 3. Not for any gaine, but that of a refreshed body and minde that may be more serviceable to God and us.
II. Other men, we are to love as our selves, with a love that is not easily provoked, but is compassionate, and doth sympathize, envien not, thinketh no evill, &c. 1 Cor. 13.4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Which love we are to expresse, 1. Towards ther soules. 1. In instructing our speech and life. 2. Convincing them in meeknesse when they oppose themselves. 3. Reprooving them that sin doe not lye upon them. 4. Laying no stumbling blocke in their way to sin by, enticeing, advising, and commanding or encouraging left their blood be upon us, leading them not into temptation, but as far as in us lieth delivering them from evill. 6. Helping their joy, Phil. 1.25.
Secondly, towards thei bodyes, cloathing, feeding, visiting, entertaining or delivering the naked, hungry, sick, stranger, or him that is drawn to death, neither maiming, or wounding, much lesse killing a man directly or indirectly, for after the Image of God made he man, Gen. 4.10.
Thirdly, towards the enjoyments; either 1. Living, as wife, &c. Neither coveting nor enticing them to the endngering of their souls, credits, estates, especially in that filthy sin which God will judge, Heb. 13.4. a Dead, as money goods, &c. Looking not only to our own things, but to the things of others; Nor 1 Maliciously endamaging them. 2. Not taking them away. 1. By Oppression, by the abuse of power or Law, or, advantage of mens necessities in extortion and usury for which the Lord will arise, Psal. 12. 5. 2. By withholding more then is meet of what we promised, borrowed, are ingaged to;, or intrusted wi [...]. 3. By robbery, pilfering, or over-reaching, 1. in selling, by concealing the fault of our commodity by making advantage of the buyers necessity, over-rating or making use of the abominable false weight and measures, Prov. 11. 1. Zeph. 1.9. 2. In buying, not saying its naught, making advantage of the sellers ignorance or necessity, Prov. 22. 16. Hag. 2. 6. buying and selling, our yea ought to be yea, and our nay, nay. Lastly, restoring fourfold what we have unjustly gained.
Fourthly, In their r [...]mes, vindicating the precious good name of the innocent, being so far from bearing false witnesse, slandering, whispering, backbiting or scoffing, that we neither cherish nor credit any thing to the dishonou of another without manifest reason, being otherwise unwilling to thinks any [...]
Fifthly, In their so [...]eties. 1. Being peaceable if possible with all men, making peace that blessed worke. Keeping it with [...]ruth and holinesse, Zech. 8.19. 3. Being courteous and affable. 4. Being meek, lowly and patient towards all men, 1 Thess. 5.14. 5. Ingenuous and respectfull: 1. Putting away [...] malice and envy, Ephe. 4.31. Our eye not being evill because Gods is good. 2. Not detracting from [...] parts and gifts, but es [...]eeming them for their sakes. 3. Not censorious judging any man or [...] its time 4. Not fa [...]se in speech or action, speaking the truth to our neighbour, dealing with them without hypocrisie and dissimulation.
Fifthly, in their friendship, 1. Faithfull. 2. Assisting with comfort or reliefe, our souls cleaving [...] our friends, doing to his what [...] would to our ownsoul, praying for them, constant to them.
Seventhly, in their wants, of our assistance, direction incouragement, protection, charity [...] on bowel of [...] as the elect of God; 1. To lend; 2. To give for Gods take who gave [...] our own who shall receive what we give after many dayes, Eccles. 11. 1. 1. Cheerfully [...] cheerfull given 2 Cor. 9 7. 2.Prudently, to the needies best advantage 3. [...] bountifully shall reap bountifully. 4. Diligently, [...] liberall [...] 3. [...] heavenly father forgive me,Mat 5. 44. Doing good [...] use us, lovi [...] like men when they are our friends, but like God [...]