FOUR AND TWENTY Certain Godly Rules.  Seek the Lord, and he will be found. 

1thinke and look on every day, as the last day of thy life: therefore so live every day, and walk before God so warily, as if it were the day of thy death, and thy day of judgement: and as if before night, thou wert to give an account of thy life before the judge of Heaven and Earth.  
2 In what place soever thou art, in thy house or abroad, in thy bed, or at thy board, whether by night, or by day, whatsoever thou art doing, set God always before thine eyes: think that God sees thee; and let the fear of him keep thee from sin, and guide thee in the ways of holiness, Psal. 16.8.  
3 As soon as thou awakest, when thou first openest thine eyes in a morning, lift up thy heart to God, in thankfulness to him for thy preservation that night past: and do the like at night for the preservation of the day; thou knowest not any night, but it may be thy last night: consider, sleep is compared to death, and the bed unto the grave, and thou mayest sleep thy last sleep, Luk. 12.20. Let this be thy last thought upon thy pillow, Commending thyself into the hands of God.  
4 See that thou neglect not thy solemn, and set times of prayer, humbling thyself upon thy knees, first in the morning as soon as thou art ready, before thou enter upon any work, commending thyself, and all thy ways unto God, and last at night, when thou goest to bed, kneeling at thy bed's side, Psal. 55.17.  
5 Task thyself every day to read some piece of holy Scripture, as some of the Psalms, and one Chapter at the least of the old or new Testament, see that thou read heedfully for the increase of knowledge, and the bettering of thy spiritual estate, as also at thy best leisure take time to read something out of some other godly book: This thou mayst do either morn or evening, or both, without any let or hindrance to thy calling, Acts 17.11.  
6 Show thyself to be a Christian, and a servant of God every day, by labouring diligently with thy hands in some lawful and honest calling, knowing that he who will not work, must not eat, and the idle person hath no right to apiece of bread, and a Christian must have a trade or calling, Ephes. 4.28. 1 Thess. 4.11. 2 Thess. 3.10.  
7 As thou art following of thy calling, thou mayest often be lifting up thy heart to God upon every fresh occasion; This is one way of praying continually, as it is exhorted, 1 Thess. 5.17.  
8 Labour to be acquainted daily more and more with the Law of God, the ten Commandments: get some godly book that may expound them fully, that thou mayst see what is sin, and what is not sin in every action: by this means thou mayest daily learn how ●o eat more sins, and to perform more duties, Psalm. 19.7. Psal. 119.104. Jam. 5.25.  
9 Take heed of sinning against knowledge, and of entertaining at any time a purpose or resolution to sin in any action, for a true faith and purpose of sinning against knowledge and conscience can never hold together: and such sins harden the heart, and in time may give a man up to a reprobate sense, Rom. 1.28. 1 Tim. 1.19.  
10 Make conscience as much of idle, vain, and ungodly thoughts, as of idle and unsavoury words, or of ungodly actions considering that with God, who sees and knows the heart, idle thoughts and vain imaginations are sins, as well as sinful words, or ungodly actions: and secret thoughts shallbe brought to judgement, Gen. 6.7. Eccles. 12.14.  
11 Strive daily to see and feel that sinful original corruption that thou bearest about thee, how it dulls thee, and makes thee backward, and untoward to good, and how it inclines thee, and makes thee prone unto evil: groan under it, and bewail it, as Saint Paul did, Rom. 7 18, 19, 23, 24. And let thy sinful nature trouble thee, as well as gross and actual sins: and being burdened with it, betake thyself to Christ, and desire God on thy knees for Christ's sake to pardon it.  
12 Strengthen thyself every morning by a firm purpose, and resolution against thy special sins and lusts, to which by nature thou art most prone and ready to fall into, as pride, anger, covetousness, and the like: Argue and reason with thyself in this, or the like manner, shall I be proud? then I shall surely fall, and God will count me his enemy, for God resists the proud, james 4.6. Shall I be angry? If I let passion in, I cannot keep Satan out; nay, by anger I shall grieve the holy Spirit of God, Ephes. 4.30, 31. Shall I be covetous? then I must needs be exceeding sinful, for the desire of money is the root of all evil 1 Tim. ●. 10.  
13 Yet because thou canst not of thyself shun, and avoid these sins, thou must daily go to God for strength, for he hath promised to give thee strength against them, if thou wilt beg it of him. Call for the power of Christ's death, and the virtue of his Resurrection to mortify thy lusts, that is, to kill and slay sin in thee, and to quicken in thee all the graces of the Spirit. Call and pray that he may sprinkle pure water upon thee, to cleanse thee from the filthiness and defilement of every sin, and that he will cause thee to walk in his ways, to do his Commandments, Ezek. 36.25.27. By this means thou shalt every day somewhat weaken thy sins. Then see thou do it every day, that thy soul may reap benefit thereby.  
14 Do not rashly enter upon any course of life, nor perform any action whatsoever it be, whether in thy calling, or in thy recreation, before thou be certified concerning it, and be sure it be not sinful, but an action very good and lawful: for he that doubteth whether a thing be lawful or no, and yet adventures on it, is condemned for sin, Rom. 14.23.  
15 If at any time against thy purpose, or resolution thou be overtaken with any sin, great or small, be sure thou do not lie, nor continue in it, but haste unto Christ, with grief and sorrow for it, and so recover thyself by timely repentance: and never rest till thou canst find thy conscience satisfied and pacified, and that is, when thou feelest in thy soul a spiritual hatred against that sin, and an earnest desire and care to serve, and please God better, I say, when thou hast sinned, thou canst not be at true peace within thyself, until thou hast got thy heart to mourn for that sin, and findest thyself to hate it in thy soul, and that thou art exceeding careful to avoid it, 2 Cor. 7.11.  
16 Labour to be content with thy condition, whether it be poverty, or sickness, or what estate soever: remember always that to be the best condition wherein God hath placed thee, for all things work together for good to those which love God. Poverty, sickness and afflictions, are but rods, and gentle corrections to scourge thee for sin, and to purge corruption out of thee, Rom. 8.28. Philip. 4.11, 12. Heb. 13.5.  
17 When any cross befalls thee, study to find out thy particular sin, which hath brought that cross upon thee, and neither grieve, nor weep so much for the cross, as for the sin which hath caused it, so turn thy worldly into godly sorrow, Job 13.26. 2 Sam. 16.10. 2 Cor. 7.9, 10.  
18 When any good thought or motion ariseth in thy heart, do not let it die and vanish, for so thou quenchest the Spirit, but cherish these thoughts, and stir them further up in thee by prayer, reading, and meditation, 1 Thess. 5.19. 1 Tim. 1.6.  
19 Bee affected with the welfare or the misery of others, as if it were thine own, Weep with them that weep, and rejoice with them that rejoice, Rom 12.15, 16. Heb. 13.3.  
20 Love even thine enemies as Christ commandeth thee, get an heart to forgive them, and an heart to pray for them: be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good, Rom. 12.21. Matth. 5.44.18.21.25.  
21 Endeavour thyself to do every day, what good thou canst to others, upon every good occasion, and rejoice when thou canst find time, and any opportunity of doing good: The more good thou dost, the more comfort thou shalt have, when thou comest at night to make thy accounts with God, Gal. 6.10. 1 Tim. 6.18. John 14.21.  
22 In doing good to others, be careful not only to the bodies of poor people (which thou wilt been to feed and reléeve them, if God hath blessed thee with riches) but also to their souls, do what good thou canst to them, by teaching and instructing them: he that hath truly tasted of salvation, will study in what he can how he may save others and how he may pluck them as brands out of the fire, jude 22.23.  
23 Take heed of partaking of others sins, that is, to see sin committed by others, and to say nothing of it, when as thou mayest either thyself reprove it, or inform against it, that it may be punished: He that hath felt the weight and burden of his own sins, will be loath to increase the burden by the sins of others, Levit. 19.17. 1 Tim. 5.22.  
24 Every night call thyself to a reckoning how thou hast spent the day, see what good thou hast done, and what good thou hast left undone, what temptations thou hast resisted, and what sins thou hast committed, thou mayest find comfort in the good, and thou must repent thee of the evil, and groaning within thyself, and grieving for the sins of the day, Call for the blood of Christ to wash and purge thee from them; thus gaining peace with God, thou mayest lay thee down, and thy sleep shall be sweet unto thee, Psal. 4.48. Prov. 3.24. and 2 Cor. 1.12.   
These are as plain Directions as I can give for thee, who hast been ignorant, and now would be plainly directed. Let me advise thee, if thou canst, to read; if thou canst not, to hear them read often over unto thee, even so often as that thou mayest get them by heart, or at least become very familiar with them, and the practice of them will be as sweet as honey to thy soul; yea, thou shalt find a secret sweetness in the practice of any one of them, even in mourning within thyself for thy secret corruptions, which the world doth not know of, thou shalt meet with such joy, as thou wouldst not want for all the treasures of this world. Oh what joy then wilt thou find in observing them all? the practise of them will make thee walk with God, and he will come, and dine, and sup with thee, he will largely express his love to thee; he will mark thee out for his own, and set the broad Seal of Heaven upon thee, then shalt thou find such cheerings of the Spirit, and such gleams of joy shed into thy soul, as will ravish, and transport thee with unexpected sweetness; a carnal and natural man can never conceive it, none can know it, but those that have tasted of it; Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared (even here in this life) for them that love him, but God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit (saith the Apostle) 1 Cor. 2.9, 10. And if thou dost so love God, that thou wilt faithfully observe these Rules he will assuredly reveal these things unto thee. Consider then aright, and the Lord give thee heart to love, and practise them.  
EINIS.