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 III 
 
 
Man &£>frf iu 
 
Companionate 
 
 WARNING 
 
 AND 
 
 ADVICE 
 
 T O 
 
 Efpecially to 
 
 Young Perfons. 
 
 Being the Gift ofthe Author, \ 
 
 Richard naocler. 
 
 LONDON:- 
 Printed for J. Luntley, at the Ibnt Bible t 
 in Tortugal-Strect , neat Lincoln* -l.n- 
 Fields. 1708. 
 
[3] 
 
 Companionate 
 
 Warning and Advice 
 
 t o 
 
 A JL L. 
 
 T 
 
 CHAP. L 
 
 ^ere is no Man that ever un- 
 
 derftood the Intereft of Man- 
 kind , of Families, Cities, 
 Kingdoms, Churches, and of 
 Jefus Chrift, the King and Saviour, but 
 he muft needs know that the right In- 
 ftruttion, Education, and Sanftification 
 ofloutb, is of unfpeakable Confequencc 
 to them all •, and therefore I am urged 
 in my Mind, by the greatnefs of the Cafe, 
 A 2 to 
 
+o add yet this Epiftle to the younger 
 Sort * which fhall contain, I. The great 
 Importance of the Cafe of Youth. 
 II. How it ftands with them in Matter 
 of Fa£h III. What are the Caufes of 
 their Sin and dangerous Degeneracy. 
 IV< How great a Bleffing Wife and 
 Godly Youth are to themfelves and others. 
 V. How great a Plague and Calamity the 
 Ungodly are. VI. What great Reafon 
 Ungodly Senfual Youth have prefently 
 to Repent and Turn to God. VII. Di- 
 se&ions to them how to do it. 
 VIII. And fome Dire£tions to Parents a- 
 bout their Education. And all muft be 
 with the Brevity of an Epiftle. 
 
 CH A P. II. 
 
 To begin betimes to Live to God is 
 of unfpeakable Importance to your 
 felves. 
 
 FOR, i. You were betimes folemnly 
 Dedicated^ to God, as' your God, 
 your Father, your Saviour, and your San- 
 Gifier* by your- Bap tifmstl Vow 5 and as 
 
 that 
 
[5 ] 
 that was a great Mercy, it obliged ycu- 
 to great Duty: You were capable in In- 
 fancy of that Holy Dedication and Re- 
 lation; and your Parents were prefently 
 obliged as to Dedicare you to God, fo to- 
 Educate you for God : And as foon as - 
 you are capable of Performance tha. 
 Vow is upon your felves to do if. If 
 your Childhood is not prefently obliged 
 to Holinefs, according, to your Natural 
 Capacity, no doubt your Vow ancL 
 Baptifm Ihould have been alfo de- 
 layed. 
 
 2. All your Time and Life is given 
 you by God for one End and life, and. 
 all is little enough •, and will you alienate 
 the very beginnings and be Rebels fo. 
 foon? 
 
 3. The youngeft have not Affrrance cf 
 Life for a Day, or an Hour. Thoulancs 
 go out of the World in Youth. Alas, the 
 Flefh of Young Men is corruptible, liable 
 to Hundreds of Difeafes, as well as the 
 Old. How quickly may a Vein break, 
 and Cold feizeonyour Head and Lungs, 
 and turn to an uncurable Confumpticn? 
 How quickly may a Fever, a Pleurifie, 
 an Impoflume, or one of a ThoufandL 
 Accidents, turn your Bodies to Con 
 
 H And Cthat I knew how to m 
 
 A 3 you.. 
 
in 
 
 you fenfible how dreadful a Thing it is 
 to die in an unholy State., and in the 
 Guilt of any unpardoned Sin! An un- 
 fanftified Soul, that hath lived here but 
 to the Flefh and the World, will he but 
 Fewel for the Fire of Hell, and the 
 wrathful Juftice of the moft Holy God. 
 And though in the Courfe of tfndifturb'd 
 Nature Young Men may live longer than 
 the Old, yet Nature hath fo many Di- 
 fturbances and Croffes, that our Lives are 
 ftill like a Candle in a broken Lanthorn, 
 which a blaft of Wind may foon blow 
 out. To tell yQU that you are not certain 
 in an unfon&ified State, to be One Day 
 or Hour more out of Hell, I expe£t will 
 not move you fo much as the Weight of 
 the Cafe deferveth, becaufe meer PoJJibi- 
 lit) of the great eft Hurt doth not afleffc 
 Men when they think there -is no Pro- 
 bability of it. You have long been well, 
 and long you hope to be fo: But did you 
 thinkhow many Hundred Veins, Arte- 
 ries, Nerves, muft be kept conftantly in 
 Older, and all the Blood and Humours 
 in due Temper- and how the flopping 
 of One Vein, or Diflemper of the- Blood, 
 may quickly end you, it would rather 
 teach you to admire the merciful Provi- 
 dence 
 
en 
 
 dence of God that fuch a Body fhould > 
 be kept alive One Year. 
 
 4, Bur were you fure to live to Ma- 
 turity of Age, abs, how quickly will it 
 come ? What hafte makes Time ? How 
 faft do Days and Years roul on ? Had I 
 done no Service for God, that I could 
 now look back^upon, I fhould feem as if 
 I had not lived. A Thoufand Years, and 
 One Hour, are ail one (that is, nothing) 
 when they are paft. And every Year, 
 Day and Hour of your Lives hath its 
 proper Work: And how will you aiifwer 
 for it? Every Day ofFereth you more and 
 more Mercies, and will you defpife and lofe 
 them ? If you were Heirs to Land, or had 
 an Annuity which amounted but to an 
 Hundred Pounds a Year, .and yoH were 
 every Day to receive a proportionable 
 Part of it, or lofe it, would you lofe 
 it through Negleft, and fay, I v^ ill begin 
 to receive it when I am old l Poor La- 
 bourers will work hard all the Day, 
 that at Night they may have their Wa- 
 ges: And will you contemptuoufly lofe 
 your every Day's Mercies, your Sjfe- 
 ty, your Communion with God, your 
 daily Bkffings and his Grace, which 
 you fhould daily beg, and may daily re- 
 ceive? 
 
 A 4 . 5. Ei- 
 
en 
 
 , 5. Either you will repent and live to 
 God, or not ; if not, you are undone for 
 ever. Oh how much lefs miferable is a 
 Dog, or a Toad, than fuch a Sinner! But 
 if God will (hew you fo great Mercy, 
 Oh how will it grieve you to think of 
 the precious Time of Youth which you 
 madly caft away in Sin! Then you will 
 think, O what Knowledge, what Holi- 
 nefs might I then have got! What a 
 comfortable Life might 1 have lived! 
 O what Days and Years of Mercy did I 
 caft away for nothing ! Yea, when God 
 hath given you the Pardon of your Sin, 
 the Tafte of his Love, and the Hopes of 
 Heaven, it will wound your Hearts to* 
 think that you fhould fo long, fo unthank- 
 fully, fo heinoufly offend fo Good a God, 
 and negleft fo Merciful a Saviour, and 
 trample upon Infinite Divine Love, for 
 the Love of fo bafe a flefhly Pleafure. 
 That ever you fhou-ld be fo bad, as to find 
 more Pleafure in finning, than in living 
 unto God. 
 
 <5. And be it known to you, if God in 
 Mercy convert and fave you, yet the 
 bitter Fruit of your youthful Folly may 
 fallow you in this World to the Grave. 
 If you wafte yourEftate in Youth, you 
 
 may 
 
[9] 
 
 may be poor at Age : If by Drinking, 
 Gluttony, Idlenefs, or filthy Luft, you 
 contract any uncurable Difeafes in Youth, 
 .Repentance may not cure them till Death, 
 All this might eafiiy have been pre- 
 vented if you had but had forefeeing Wi£ 
 dom. 
 
 7. And if ever you think to be Men of 
 any great Wifdom and Ufefulnefs in the 
 World, to your felves or others, your 
 Preparations muft bs made in Youth,. 
 Great Wifdom is not got in a little 
 Time. 
 
 8; And O what a dreadful Danger 
 it left your youthful Sin become reme- 
 dilefs, and Cuftom harden you, and De- 
 ceivers blind you, and God'forfake ycu 
 For your wilful Refiftance of his Grace ! 
 God may convert old hardened Sinners: 
 But how ordinarily do we find that Age 
 doth but anfvver the Preparations of 
 Youth, and the Veflel ever after favour- 
 eth of the Liquor which firft throughly 
 :d it: And Men 3re but fuch as they 
 led to be and do at firlt. If you will 
 rfidious Breakers of your Baptifmal 
 juft with God to leave ycu- 
 to a deluded Ihderftand 
 Evil Good,, and 
 A j 
 
C 10} 
 
 to a feared Confcience, and a hardened 
 Heart, and as paft feeling, to work Lln- 
 cleannefs with Greedinefs, Eph. 3. 18. 
 and to fight againft Grace and your own 
 Salvation till Death and Hell convince 
 you of your Madnefs. O fport not with 
 the Juftice of a Sin-hating God! Play not 
 with Sin, and with the unquenchable 
 Fire! Forfaking God is the Way to 
 be forfaken of him. And what is a foifa- 
 ken Soul but a miferable Slave of Satan ? 
 
 9. Yea, did you but know of what 
 Moment it is to prevent all the heinous 
 Sins that eife you will commit, you 
 would make hafte to repent, though 
 you were fure to be forgiven. Forgive- 
 nefs maketh not Sin to be no Sin, or to 
 be no Evil, no Shame, no Grief, to the 
 Soul that hath committed it. You will 
 cry out, O that I had never known 
 it ! To look back on fuch an illTpent 
 Life, will be no pleafant Thought. Re- 
 pentance , though a healing Work, is 
 bitter : Make not Work for it if you love 
 your Peace. 
 
 1 a. And is it a fmall thing to you 
 that you are all this while doing hurt to 
 others ? And drawing them to Sin, and 
 plunging ttum into that dangerous Guilr, 
 
 which 
 
which can no Way be pardoned but by 
 the Blood of Chrift upon true Conver- 
 fioft? And when they have joined with 
 you in Luft and flefhly Pleafure, it is not 
 in your Power to turn them, that they 
 may join with you in found Repentance * 
 and if not they muft lye in Hell for 
 ever: And can you make a Sport of your 
 own and other Mens Damnation? But* 
 this leadeth me to the Second Point. 
 I have (hewed you of what vaft 
 Concernment it is to your felves to 
 begin betimes a holy Life 5 I will next 
 fhew you of what Concernment it is to 
 others. 
 
 CHAP. in. 
 
 Of what Vubltch^ Concernment the gtta-. 
 f lit) of Youth is. 
 
 § 1. 'TPHE Welfare of the World is 
 
 X of far greater Worth than of 
 
 any Gngl 1 $ and he hath put off 
 
 Humani-:/ who doth not more jrneftly 
 detire it. If this World confided but of 
 one Generation^ then to make that Ge- 
 neration 
 
[ 12 ] 
 
 neration Wife and Good would be enough 
 to make it a happy World : But it is not 
 fo. In Heaven, and in the future glori- 
 ous Kingdom, there is neither Marrying, 
 nor giving in Marriage, but they are as 
 the Angels, in a fixed everlafting State -, 
 2nd one continued Generation maketh up 
 the New Jerufalem : Being once holy 
 and happy they are fo for ever: But 
 Iiere it is not fo. One Generation cometh, 
 and another goeth : If the Father be as 
 Wife as Solomon, the Son may be as Fool- 
 ifh as Reboboam: O what a great Work 
 It is to make a Man truly Wife and Good ! 
 How many Years Study doth it ufually 
 require > What Wifdom and Diligence in 
 Teachers? What Teachablenefs and Di- 
 ligence in Learners ^ and efpecialiy the 
 Grace of God! And when all is done, the 
 Man quickly dieth, and obtaineth his 
 Ends in another World : But his Chil- 
 dren are born as ignorant, and perhaps 
 as bad as he was born: He can neither 
 leave them hisKnowledge, nor his Grace. * 
 They muft have all the lame Teaching, 
 and Labour, and Blefling, as he had, to 
 bring them to the fame Attainments : 
 The Mercy and Covenant of God taketh 
 them into his Church, where they have 
 great Advantages and Helps, and pro- 
 
 mifcth 
 
mifeth them more Mercy for their Relati- 
 on to a Faithful Parent, if he or they do 
 make no Forfeiture of it : But as their 
 Nature is the fame with others, lb their 
 A&ual Wifdom muft come by God's 
 Bleffing on the ufe of the fame Means, 
 which are necefDry to the Children of 
 the worft Men. A Chriftian's Child is 
 born with no more Knowledge than a 
 Heathen's, and muft have as much' La- 
 bour and Study to make him Wife. 
 
 §. 2. It is certain then that the Wel- 
 fare of this World Jyeth on a good Sue- 
 ceffion of the feveral Generations : And 
 that all the Endeavours of One Generati- 
 on with Gods greateft Bleffing on them 
 will not ferve for the Ages following : 
 Ail muft begin anew, and be done over 
 again, or all will be as undone to the 
 next Age : And it is not rhe leaft Blef- 
 fing on the Faithful that their Faith and 
 Godlinefs difpofeth them to have a Care 
 of Pofterity, and to devote their Chil- 
 dren wholly to God, as well as them- 
 iclves, and to educate them in his Fear. 
 If Njturehad not taught Birds and Beafts 
 to feed their Young, as well as to gene- 
 ncrate them, their Kind would be lbcn 
 extinct. O what a Bleficd World were 
 ir, if theBiwHings of Men Famous for Wif- 
 dom 
 
C 14 ] 
 
 dom and Godlinefs were entailed on all 
 that fhould fpring from them, and if 
 this were the common Cafe ! 
 
 §. 3. But the Doleful Miferies of the 
 World 1 have come from the degenerating 
 of good Mens Poflerlty. • Adam hath his 
 G///7, an&'Noiib his Cham % and David his 
 Abfalom ; Solomon ^ Hezektab, Jofiab^ 
 left not their. like behind them. The 
 prefent Srate of the Eaftern Clurches is 
 a dreadful Inftance. What Places on 
 Earth were more honourable for Faith 
 and Piety than Alexandria, Antiocb, Je- 
 rufalem, Conftantinople i Epbefus, Phila- 
 delphia, and the reft of ttefe Great and 
 Noble Countries^ and thofe alfb ftreng- 
 thened with the powerfuleft Chriftian 
 Empire that ever was on Earth? And 
 now they are Places of Barbarifm, Ty- 
 ranny, and Foolifh Mahometanifm, where 
 the Name of Chrift is made a Scorn, 
 and the few Chriftians that keep up that 
 Sacred Profeifion, by Tyranny kept info 
 great Ignorance, that, alas, the Vices of 
 moft of them difhonour their Profeflion 
 as much as their Enemies Perfections 
 do. ^ 
 
 •And alas , were it not for the Name 
 of a Pompous Chriftian Church, how 
 plain an Inihnce would Rome be of the 
 
 fame 
 
tnid 
 
 fame Degeneracy i -And fome Countries 
 that received the Blefling of Reforma- 
 tion have revolted into the Darknefs of 
 Popery. What a Change was in England 
 by Queen Mary\ Reign ? And how ma- 
 ny particular Cities and Towns are 
 grown Ignorant, which in former Times 
 were Famous for Religion ? 
 
 §. 4. And on the other Side, when Pie- 
 ty hath fuccefiively as a River kept its 
 Courfe, what a Blefling hath it proved ? 
 (But how rare is that?) And when Chil- 
 dren have proved better than their Parents, 
 it hath been the beginning of Welfare 
 to the Places where they lived. How 
 marvelloufly did the Reformation pre- 
 vail in Germany in Luther s time, when 
 God brought out of PopifhMonafteries 
 many Excellent Inftruments of his Ser- 
 vice? And Princes became Wife and 
 Pious, whofe Parents had been Blind or 
 Impious? Godlinefsor Wickednefs, Wel- 
 fare or Calamity, follow the Changes 
 and Quality of Pofterity. 
 
 And Men live fo fhort a Time, that 
 the Woik of Educating Youth aright is 
 one half the great Bufinefs of Man's 
 Life. 
 
 §•5. 
 
C 16] 
 
 $ 5. Among the Ancient Sages of the 
 World, the Greeks and Romans, and much 
 more among the Ifraelites, the Care of 
 Pofterity, and Publick Welfare, was the 
 great Thing which differenced the Vir- 
 tuous and Laudable, from thofeofaBafe, 
 Selfifh, Senfual Difpoficion. He was the 
 Braveft Citizen of Rome that did moft 
 love, and beft ferve his Country : And he 
 was the Saint among the Jews who moft 
 loved 5/0/7, and the Security and Succeffion 
 of its holy and peaceable Pofterity. And 
 theChriftian Faith, and Hope, and Inte- 
 reft, doth lead us herein to a much higher 
 Pitch, and to a greater Zeal for Publick 
 Good, in following him that whipt out 
 Prophaners from the Temple ; even a 
 Zeal of God's Houfe, which eateth us 
 up: It teacheth us by the Crofs moft 
 effe£tually to Deny our felves, .and'to 
 think nothing too Dear to part with to 
 Edifie. the Church of God, norany La- 
 bour of Suffering too great for common 
 Good. It teacheth us to pray for the 
 Hallowing of God's Name^ the Coming of 
 his Kingdom, and the Doing of his Will on 
 Earth, as it is Done in Heaven^ before 
 cur Daily Bread, and any other Perfonai 
 Intereft of our own. Therefore the Fami- 
 lies 
 
c i7 3 
 
 lies of Chriftians fhould be as fo many 
 Schools, or Churches, to train up a Suc- 
 ceffion of Perfons meet for the great 
 Communicative Works which God cal- 
 leth all Bdievers to in their feveral Mea- 
 sures : It is eminently Teacher s y but it is 
 alfo all others in their feveral Ranks, 
 who muft be the Salt of the Earth, and 
 the Lights of the World. And indeed 
 the Spirit of Holinefs is fo eminently the 
 Spirit of Love to God and Man, that it 
 inclineth every San&ified Perfon to a Com- 
 municative Zeal, to make others Wife, 
 and Good, and Happy. 
 
 §. 6. And God in great Mercy hath 
 planted yet njore deeply and fixedly the 
 Natural Love of Parents to their Chil- . 
 dren, that it might be in them a Spring 
 of all this Duty •, fo that though Flefhly 
 Vice may make Men miftake their Chil- 
 drens Good, as mod ungodly Men do 
 their own, and think that it confifteth irr 
 that which it doth not, yet Hill the 
 general Defire of their Childrens Wei- 
 fare, as well as of their own, is deeply 
 rooted, and will work for their Wel- 
 fare as foon as they well know wherein 
 it doth confilt. And God hath not gi- 
 ven them this Love only for the Good 
 
 of 
 
[ i8] 
 
 of the individual Children, but much more 
 for the Commonwealth, and Church, that 
 as exercifed Soldiers make One Army, fo 
 many well Educated Children may make 
 up One Peaceable and Holy Society. 
 
 § 7. And accordingly it is much to be 
 obferved, that God hath not given Chil- 
 dren a Natural Love and Submiffivenefs to 
 Parents only for the Perfonal Benefit of 
 their Provision and other Helps, but 
 efpecially that hereby they may be teach- 
 able and obedient to thofe Inftru&ionsof 
 their Parents, by which they may be- 
 come Bleffings in their Generations, and 
 may conjunctly make up Wife and Holy- 
 Societies, Families, Churches, and Com- 
 monwealths. For thefe Ends it is that 
 God hath bound you, as to reverence 
 your Mailers, Tutors and Paltors, fo efpe- 
 cially both to reverence and love your 
 Parents, that you may be the more capa- 
 ble of their neceffary Inftruttion and 
 Advice. 
 
 By ail this it is moft evident that the 
 great Means of the Weil are of the World 
 muft be the Faithful and Holy Endea- 
 vours of Parents, and the Willing Teach- 
 ablenefs and Obedience of Children, that 
 they . may efcape the Snares of Folly 
 
 and 
 
c i9: 
 
 and flefhly Lufts, and may betimes 
 get that Wifdom and Love of Good- 
 nefs, which may make them fit to be 
 Bleffings to the Places where they 
 live. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 How the Cafe flandeth with our Youth in 
 Matter of Fatt. 
 
 § i. / npHrough the great Mercy of God 
 JL many Families are Sacred Nur- 
 feries for Church and Kingdom ^ and 
 many Parents have great Comfort in the 
 Grace of God appearing in their Chil- 
 dren. From their early Childhood many 
 are of Humble, Obedient Difpofitions, 
 and have a Love to Knowledge, and a 
 Love to the Word of God, and to thofe 
 that are Good and Virtuoiis Perfons. 
 They have inward Convi&ions of the 
 Evil of Sin, and a fear of Sinning, and 
 a great diflike of wicked Perfons, and a 
 great Love and reverend Obedience to 
 their Parents, and when thty grow up 
 they diligently learn in Private, and in 
 
 •Publick : 
 
[20] 
 
 Publick : They increafe in their Love 
 to the Scriptures, and good Bocks, and 
 to Godly Teachers,. and godly Company -A 
 and God faverh them from Temptations, 
 and worldly Deceits, and flefhly Lufts*. 
 and they live to God, and are Bleffings 
 to the Land, the Joy of their Friends, 
 and exemplary and ufeful to thofe whom 
 they converfe with. 
 
 § 2. But all^ even Religious Parents, 
 have not the like Blefling in their Chil- 
 dren, i. Some of them, though Reli- 
 gious otherwife, are lamentably carelefs 
 of the Duty which they promifed to 
 perform (atBaptifm) in the Education, 
 of their Children, and do but fuperfkial- 
 ly and formally inftru£t them, and are: 
 too faulty as to the Example which they 
 fhould give them, and feem to think 
 that God muft blefs them, becaufe they 
 are theirs, and becaufe they are Baptized, 
 while they nsgleft: their promifed En- 
 deavours. 2. And fome Children, when 
 they grow up, and are bound to refift 
 Temptations, and to ufe God's appointed- 
 Means for their own Good, do wil- 
 fully refift God's Grace, and run into 
 Temptations, and neglett, and wretch- 
 edly betray themfeives, and forfeit the. 
 Mercies which they needed. . 
 
L 21 ] 
 
 § ?. In all my Obfervation God hath 
 molt blefled the Children of thole Pa- 
 rents who have Educated them as fol- 
 loweth : i. Thofe thac have been parti- 
 cularly fenfible what they promifed for 
 them in the Baptifmal Vow, and mads 
 Confcience of performing it. 2. Thofe 
 that haw had more Care of their Souls 
 than of their outward Wealth. 3. Thofe 
 that have been moft careful to teach them 
 the Pravity of corrupted N3ture by Ori- 
 ginal Sin, and to humble them, and teach 
 them the Need of a Saviour, and his 
 renewing as well as pardoning Grace, 
 and to tell them the' Work of the Spirit 
 of San&ification, and teach them above 
 all to look to the inward State of their 
 Souls. 4. Thofe that have moft feriouf- 
 ly minded them of Death, Judgment, 
 and the Life to come. 5. Thole that 
 have always fpoken of God with the 
 greateft Reverence, AfFe£Uon and De- 
 light. 6. Thofe that have moft wifely 
 laboured to make all the Knowledge and 
 Pra&ice of Religion pleafant unto them, 
 by the fuitablenefs of Do&rines and Du- 
 ties to their Capacity. 7. Thofe that 
 "have moft difgraced Sin to them, efpe- 
 cially bafe and tkfhly Pleafures. 8. Thofe 
 .that have kept them from the JJaits of 
 
 Sen- 
 
c « i - 
 
 Senfuality, not gratifying their Appe< 
 tites in Meats and Dnnk, to bring them 
 to an unruly Habit ^ but ufed them re 
 a Habit of Temperance, and Negled oi 
 Appetite, p. Thofe that have moft dil 
 graced Worldlinefs and Pride to them, 
 and ufed them to low Things in Apparel 
 and Pofleffion, and told rhem how the 
 Proud are hateful to God, and fet before 
 . them the Example of a Crucified Chrift, 
 and opened to them the DoQrine of 
 Mortification and Self denial, and the 
 great Neceflity of true Humility. 
 jo. Thofe that have been moft watchful 
 to know their Childrens particular Incli- 
 nations and Temptations, and apply an- 
 fwerable Remedies, and not carelefly 
 leave them to themfelves. n. Thofe 
 that have been moft careful to keep them 
 from ill Company^ efpecially, (i.) Of 
 wicked Youths, of their own Growth 
 and Neighbourhood. (2.) And of tempt- 
 ing Women. 12 Thofe that have moft 
 wilely ufed them to the meeteft Publick 
 Teachers, and help them to remember 
 and underftatid what they hear, efpecial- 
 ly the Fundamental Truths in the Cate- 
 chifm. 13. Thofe that have moft wifely 
 engaged them into the Familiarity and 
 frequent Converfe of fome Suitable, 
 
 Godly, 
 
L 23 3 
 
 Godly, Exemplary Companions. 14. Thore 
 that have moft confcionably fpent the 
 Lord's Days in Publick, and in their Fa- 
 milies. 15. Thofe that have done all 
 this, as with reverend Gravity, fbefpeci- 
 ally with tender, endearing Love to their 
 Children, convincing the^n that it is all 
 done for their own Good 5 and that do 
 not by imprudent Weakness, Ignorance, 
 Paffions, or Scandal, fruftrate their own 
 Endeavours. 16. Thole that ufe not 
 their Children as meer Patients, only to 
 hear what their Parents fay, but ingage 
 them to conttant Endeavours of their own, 
 for their own Good; efpecially in the \ 
 Reading of Scripcure, and the moft 
 fuitable Books, and meditating on them, 
 and daily Pafonai Piayer to God. 
 17. Laltly, Thofe that pray moft hear- 
 tily and believingly for God's Grace, 
 and his Blefiing on their Endeavours, 
 fuch Mens Children are ufually blef- 
 fed. 
 
 §. 4. But it is no wonder, where fuch 
 Means are negie&ed, much more when 
 Parents are ungodly, flefhly, worldly 
 Perfons, and perhaps Enemies to a holy 
 Life, if the Children of fuch are igno- 
 rant, deluded, ungodly, and drown'd in 
 flefhly Lufts •> and, alas, it is the Mul- 
 
 titude 
 
titude of fuch, and their fad Condition?,! 
 which is the Occafion of my writing this 1 
 Epiftle. 
 
 \ §. 5. 1. We fee, to opr Grief, that 
 many Children are of a ftupid and un- 
 teachable Difpofition, and almoft unca-; 
 pable of Inftru&ion, who yet can as 
 quickly learn to talk of common Mat- 
 ters as other Perfons, and can as eafiiy 
 learn a Trade, or how to do any ordina- 
 ry Bufinefs. And though feme inconfide- 
 rate Perfons overlook the Cafuality of 
 the more immediate Pareats Sins, in fuch 
 Judgments on their Children, as if it 
 were only Adams Sin that hurt them, 
 I have elfewhere proved that this is their 
 great and dangerous Miftake* As Davids 
 Child died for the Father's Sin, the Chil- 
 dren of Gluttons^ Drunkards, FornicatQrs,-' 
 oft contra£t fuch Bodily Diftempers as 
 greatly tend to ftupifie or further vitiate 
 the Mind. And their Souls may have 
 fad Additions to the common Human Pra- 
 vity. • 
 
 2. Accordingly many Children have 
 more violent Paffions, and carnal De fires, 
 than others, which run them into wic ked 
 Ways impetuoufly, as if they were almoft 
 Brutes, that had no Reafon or Power to 
 refift: And all Words and Corrections 
 
 are 
 
are to them of little force, but they arc 
 as Blocks, that when you have faid aird 
 done what you can, go away as if they 
 had not heard you. 
 
 3. And fome have Crofs and Crooked 
 Natures,addi£ted to that which is Naughty 
 and the more, by how much the more 
 you do contradift them : Froward ami 
 Obftinate, as if it were a defired Vi&ory 
 to them to overcome their Parents, and 
 efcape all that would make them Wife and 
 Good : Dogged, Soure, Proud, Self-willed, 
 and utterly Difobedient. 
 
 4. And too many hate To great an En- 
 mity and Averfenefs to all that is Holy, 
 Spiritual and Heavenly, that they are 
 weary to hear you talk of ir, and you 
 pcrfwade them to learn to Read, to Pray, 
 to Meditate, or Confider, as you per- 
 Iwade a fick Man to the Meat which he 
 doth loath, or a Man to dwell with thofe 
 that he hateth. They have no Appetite 
 to fuch Things ^ no Pleafure in them i 
 when you have faid all of God, and 
 Chrift, and Glory, they believe it not, 
 or they favour it not: They are Things 
 above their Reach and Love, yea, Things 
 againlt their Carnal Minds; You tire 
 them worfe than if you talk'd in a flrangc 
 Language to thtm, fuch Enmity is in tha 
 
 B ' Heaic 
 
Heart of corrupted Man to God and Hea- 
 ven, till the Grace of the great Reconciler 
 overcome it by a new Life, and Light, and 
 Love. 
 
 5. And when Cuftom is added to all 
 thele Vicious Difpofitions, alas, what 
 Slaves and Drudges of Satan doth it 
 make them! For Inftance, 
 
 i> Some are fo corrupted with the 
 .'Love of Sport, that Gaming or Stage- 
 Vlays, or one fuch Foolery or another, 
 become|h fb pleafant to them, thit they 
 can underftand or believe nothing that is 
 faid agaiitft it by God or Man ^ their 
 Difeafed rhantafie hath fo conquered 
 Reafon, that they cannot reftrain them- 
 felves} but in their Callings and in Re- 
 ligious Exercifes they are weary, and 
 long to be at their Sports, and muft be 
 gone ^ neither God, nor Holinefs, nor the j 
 Joys of Heaven, are half fofweet to their j 
 Thoughts as thefe are: For they have] 
 that,Mark of Mifery, 2 Tim. 3. 4. Jbey.\ 
 are Lovers ofP/eafures more than Lovers \ 
 of God. 
 
 The fame I fay of finful Mirth, and 
 the Company which doth cherilh it. Lit- 
 tle do they believe Solomon, Ecclef 7. 2, 
 3,4. It is better to go to the Houje of\ 
 Mourning, than to go to the houfe of 
 
 lealh 
 
[ 2 7 ] 
 
 Feofiing, for that is the end of all Men^ 
 and the Living will lay it to his heart, 
 Sorrow is better than Laughter-, for by 
 the Sadnefs of the Countenance the Heart 
 is made better : The Heart cf the Wife 
 is in the Houfe of Mourning, but the 
 Heart of fools is in the Houfe of Mirth. 
 It is better to hear the Rebuke of 
 the Wife, than for a Man* to hear the 
 Song of Fools: For as the crackling of 
 Thorns under a Fot, *fo is the Laughter ofc 
 Fools. 
 
 It's true, that Mirth is very defirable 
 to Nature : And God is not againft it, 
 but much more for it, than Sinners will 
 believe : But it is a rational Mirth whicfc 
 beieemeth a rational Creature^ and fuch 
 as he can juftifie, and as will make hiru 
 better, and tends- to Felicity, and ever- 
 Iafting Mirth ; and not the caufleft 
 Mirth of Mad Men, that fet their Houfe 
 on Fire, and then Laugh and Sing over 
 it-, nor like the Mirth of a Drunken 
 Man, whofe Shame expofeth him to 
 Pity or Derifion $ nor anv fuch Mirth as 
 leadeth a Man from God to Sin, and 
 keepcth him from the Way of Manlike 
 and Ev^rlafting Jqjt- %pA prcpareth for the 
 greauft Sorrows. ' 
 
 B 2 2. Th.rs 
 
C*3 
 
 . i. There are fome fo enflaved to their 
 Appetites, that their Reafon hath 410 
 Power to rule them ^ bur, like Brutes, they 
 muft needs have what the Belly and 
 Throat defireth: And if they be the 
 Children of the Rich, who have always 
 full and pleafant Food, .conftant Flefh- 
 pleafing, and true Gluttony, is takea 
 for no Sin ^ and, like Swine, they do 
 but live to eat, whereas they fhould 
 vbut eat to live, 2nd cheerfully ferve 
 God. 
 
 But it's never lb dangerous as when it 
 tarneth to the Love of Drink $ then the 
 pleafing of the Throat and the pleafing 
 of the Brain by Mirth going together, do 
 ib much corrupt fche Appetite and Fanta- 
 !fie, that their Thoughts run after k, and 
 Reafon hath no Power to fhut their 
 Mouths, nor keep them from the Houfe 
 cf Sin. Some Sin againft an accufing 
 Conlciencc, and under their ConviQions 
 and Terrors do drink on, which yet they 
 could forbear if they knew there were 
 Poilbn in the Cup. Some are more mi- 
 ferable, and have finned thcmfelves into 
 fearednefs of Confcience, and paft feel- 
 ings and perhaps into Infidelity, and a 
 blinded Mind, perfwading them that 
 
 not 
 
there is Bo great Harm or Danger in tlid 
 Sin, and that it is but fome precife Peo- 
 ple that make fo great a Matter of it: 
 And fome that have Purpofes to forfaks 
 the Sin, when Appetite ftirs forget it all * 
 and when Company enticeth, and when 
 they fee the Cup they have no Pewer 
 to forbear. O what a pitiful Sight it is, 
 to fee Men in the Flower of Youth and 
 Strength, when they fhould moft rejoice 
 in God and Holinefs, to be ftill thirfi/ 
 after a forbidden Pleafure, and halting to 
 the Tavern or Alehoufe, as a Bird to the 
 Share of the Fowler, and fweetly and 
 greedily fwallowing the poifonous Cup 
 which God forbiddeth ! And that falfe 
 Repentance which Confcience and Expe- 
 rience force them to fometi'mes, is for- 
 gotten the next Day, when the Tempta^ 
 tion is renewed : Yea, the Throat- Mad- 
 ncfs, and the Merry and Belly- Devils % 
 are within them a continual Temptation, 
 which the miferable Slaves cannot re- 
 fill. 
 
 3. And thefs beaftiy, flefhly Sins, do 
 ufually make them weaTy of their Cal- 
 lings, and of any honeft Labour : The 
 Devil hath by this time got Pofleflion of 
 their Thoughts by the Biafs of Delight 
 and finfui Luft * and they are thinking 
 B $ of 
 
C 30 3 
 
 ©fMeat, or Drink, or Play, or merry 
 Company, when they fhould be diligent- 
 ly at Work} and fo Idlenefs becomes the 
 Nurfery of Temptation, and of all their 
 ©ther Vice, as well as a conflant Sin of 
 Omiflion, andlofsof hafty precious Time. 
 And Cuftom increafeth the Habits, and 
 anakeih them good for nothing, and like 
 dead Men to all that Life is given them 
 for, and only alive to prepare by Sin for 
 endlefs Mifery. 
 
 4. And ufually Pride 2X^0 takes its Part 
 to make the Sin of Sodom in them com- 
 pleat, Ezek. 16.49 Pride, Yulnefs^ and 
 Idlenefs. Tjjey that muft be in their 
 jovial Company muft not leem Defpi- 
 cable among rhem, but muft be in the 
 Mode and Falhion whatever it coft^ 
 left the Image of the Devil, and his 
 Vi&ory over them, fhould not be perfeft, 
 if Pride were left out, how unreafona- 
 ble foever. 
 
 5. And by this time they have (ufually 
 hereamongft the Rich and Idle,) a further 
 Step towards Hell to go, and yet a deep 
 Gulf to fall into*, F/eJh/y Luft next entan- 
 gleth them in immodeji Converfe with 
 Women, and thence into filthy Vomica* 
 tion^ and fo they go on as an Ox to the 
 Slaughter^ and a Fool to the CorreUion of 
 
 the 
 
C 51 1 
 
 the Stocks ) and know not that it is for 
 their Lives. Prov. 7. 21, 22, 23. T/// 
 they mourn at laft (perhaps) when Flefb 
 and Body are conjumed^ and fay y Horn 
 have I hated Inftru&ion, and my Heart 
 defpifed Reproofs and have not obeyed the 
 Voice of my Teachers , nor inclined my 
 Ears to them that inftrutted me? 1 was 
 almofl in all Evil, &c. Prov. 5. 12, 13, 
 14. And 'tis well for the Wretches if 
 this Repentance be true, and in time, 
 that though the Flelh be deftroyed, ths 
 Spirit may be faved : For Solomon faith, 
 Prov. 2. 18, 1 p t Her Houfe inclineth to 
 Deaths and her Paths to the Dead: "None 
 that go unto her return again, neither 
 take they hold oj the Paths of Life. God, 
 I doubt not, recovereih fome, but the 
 Cafe is dangerous : For though Age and 
 Sicknefs cure Luft, ufually before that 
 the Confcience is feared and debauched 
 and they being pafi feeling, work Ud 
 cleannefs with Greedinefs, and forfaking 
 God, are fo forfaken by him, that all other 
 Sin, Senfuality,. and Enmity againft a 
 holy Life, prevaileth againft tKem , 
 and the unclean Devil lets in many 
 more. 
 
 B 4 6. And 
 
 > 
 
6. And when all thefe Sins have en- 
 slaved fenfual Youths, they N muft have 
 Money to maintain them $ and if they 
 have it not of their own, and be not the 
 Sons of Great Men, that will maintain 
 them in the Service of the Flefh, they 
 inuft fteal to get it, which ufually is 
 either by thievifh borrowing when they 
 cannot pay, or by robbing their Parents 
 or Matters. If all the Matters in London 
 knew what Thieves their Apprentices 
 Vices are y for their own Sakesthey would 
 take greater Care to watch over them, 
 and keep them from ill Company, Drun- 
 kenness and Plays, and would teach them 
 to ieek Pleafure in good Books, good 
 Company, and ferving God. Wildom 
 might have prevented this ^ but if the 
 Thorn be got into the Confcience, it mult 
 come out, and if the Poifon be Swallow- 
 ed, it muft come up, what Gripes foever 
 the Vomit coft. There is no playing with 
 Hell fire, nor jetting with the Juftice of 
 rhe raoft Holy God. One penitent Re- 
 view of flefhly Lull, and finfui Pleafure, 
 andFal(hood,and Deceit, (though whole- 
 fome if true and timely,) will turn it all 
 into Gall and Wormwood ^ for the end 
 of finfui Mirth is Sorxow. 
 
 7. And 
 
7. And too many there be that efcape 
 the grofs and disgraceful Part of the 
 forefaid Senfuality and Unrighteoufnefs* 
 that yet do but chufe another Idol, and 
 let themfelves wholly to rife in the 
 World, and Riches, Preferment, and Ho- 
 nour, have almoft all their Hearts and 
 Care : That have no Delight in God and 
 Holinefs* nor doth the State of their 
 Souls, or the Thought of their Everlafl> 
 ing State, afFe& them in any Meafure, 
 according to its unfpeakabie Weight, nor 
 fo much as thefe Shadows which they 
 purfue. And when great Travellers, that 
 have feen much of the World, and Old 
 Men, and Dying Men, that have had all 
 that it can do, are forced by Experience to 
 call all Vanity and Vexation •, unexperi- 
 enced Youth, that are taken up with the 
 Hopes of long Profperity, and Provifion 
 for all that the Flefh defireth, have other 
 Thoughts of ir, and will not know that 
 it is deceitful Vanity, till it hath deceiv- 
 ed them of their chiefeft Hope and Trea- 
 fure. And when they have overtaken the 
 Shadow which they purfue fo gredily, 
 they find it what others have done before 
 them, the fweeter the tn>re dmgcrous, 
 and the parting will be the more bi ten 
 Whereas had they fought fkft God's Kmg- 
 B 5 dom 
 
[34 1 
 
 tfom and its Righteoufnefs, and Six Days 
 laboured in Obedience to God, and re- 
 ferred all Corporal Bleffings to Spiritual 
 Ufes, and Everlafting Ends, taking them 
 as from God, to ferve him by them, they 
 might have had enough as an Overplus to 
 their fatisfying Treafure. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 How fad a Cafe it U that I have 
 defcribed. 
 
 THave told you the very lamentable 
 Jl Cafe of too many Young Men, efpe- 
 cially Rich Mens Sons ; I told you before 
 of what Concern the State of Youth is 
 to themfelves and others. From thence 
 ( and alas from fad Experience ) it's eafie 
 to gather the dolefiilnefs of the Cafe of 
 thois that are drowned in flelhly Luff, 
 and have finned themfelves into the Guilt 
 and Danger which I have defcribed. But 
 I will name fome Parts of the Mifery 
 snore particularly again* 
 
[35 ] 
 
 §. i. Review the Second Chapter, and 
 think what a doleful Cafe this is to your 
 felves. 
 
 i. Do you not know that you are not 
 Beafts, but Men? That have Reafon giv- 
 en them to Know, and Love, and Serve 
 their Maker ? And how fad is it to fee a 
 Man forget all this, and wilfully brutifie 
 himfelf. Were the Poet's Fiftions true 
 of Men turned info Trees, and Birds, and 
 Beafts, how fmall were the Mifery in 
 Companion of yours ? But for a reasona- 
 ble Creature to fubjeft himfelf to flefhly 
 Appetite, and wilfully degrade his Sout 
 to the Rank of Brutes, is worfe than if 
 he had been made with the Body, and 
 the unreafcnablenefs of Brutes. Are 
 you capable of no better Things than 
 thefe ? 
 
 §• 2. And what an odious Thing is if, 
 when God hath chofen you out of the 
 World to be Members of his Vifible 
 Church, and given ycu the great Privi- 
 ledge of earlv Entrance into his Holy 
 Covenant, and wafh'd you in the Lavec 
 of Vifible Regeneration, and you are vow- 
 ed to Chrift, renouncing the Lufts of the 
 Fiefn, the World, and the Devil, that 
 you might follow a Crucified Chrift in 
 the Way of Holinefs to EveilalfiDgLife, 
 
 that 
 
that you (hould fo foon prove falfe, pet : 
 fidious Traitors and Rebels againft him 
 that is your only Hope, and by Wicked- 
 nefs and Covenant-breaking make your 
 Sin greater than that of Infidels, Turks 
 and Heathens, that never were- taken in- 
 to the Church and Covenant of Chrift,. 
 nor ever broke the Vows which you have. 
 broken, nor fo caft away the Mercies 
 which you had received, 
 
 §. 3. And what a doleful Cafe is it, 
 that fo much of your Minds, and Love, 
 and Delight, which were all made for 
 God, (hould be fo mif-employed, even in 
 your Strength, when they (hould be moll 
 Vigorous, and all worfe than caft away 
 on Filth and Folly? If your Souls be 
 more worth than your Money, it is more 
 Folly and Lofs to mif-employ and abufe 
 your Souls, your Reafon, Love, and your 
 Delight, than to abufe or calt away your 
 Money. And what a Traitor or Mur- 
 derer deferveth, that would give his Mo- 
 ney to hire one to kill the King, or his 
 Neighbour, I fuppofe you know \ and 
 what defeiveth he that will uie not only 
 his Money*, but h'mfelf, his Soul, his 
 Thoughts, his Love, hisDefire and Plea- 
 fure, againft the moft Glorious God that 
 saade him? That you cannot hurt him is 
 
 no 
 
[37 3 
 
 no Thanks to you * while you break his 
 Laws, and deny him your Love and Duty, 
 and love more that one Thing which only 
 he hateth, and will never be reconciled 
 to. 
 
 §. 4. And how doleful a Cafe is it D 
 that all the Care, and Love, and Labour, 
 of your Parents, Matters, and Teach- 
 ers, fhould be loft upon you ? God hath 
 made all this their great Duty for your 
 Good; and will you defpife God and 
 them, and wilfully for nothing rejeft it 
 all? Shall all the Pain of a Child-bearing 
 Mother, and all her Trouble and Labour 
 to breed you up, and all your Parents 
 Care to provide for you, be but to breed 
 up a Slave for the Flefh, the World, and 
 the Devil, and a Firebrand for Hell ? Shall 
 godly Parents Prayers for you, and 
 Teaching and Counfel of you, and all 
 their Defire and Care for your Salva- 
 tion, be defpifed by you, and all foN 
 gotten and call away for a fwinifh 
 Luft? 
 
 §. 5. And how doleful a Cafe is ir, 
 that io much of fo (horc a Life Ihould be 
 loft, and a Thoufaiid times worfe than 
 loft, even turned into Sin, to prepare for 
 Milcry, when alas the longeft Life is 
 little enough for our important Work, 
 
 and 
 
and quickly gone, and the Reckoning 
 and Judge are hard at Hand? All the 
 Wealth, Wit or Power, in the World 
 cannot bring or buy you back one Hour 
 of all that precious Time which you 
 now fo bafely caft away. O how glad 
 would you be of a little of it e'er long 
 on the Terms that now you have it, 
 when you lye Dying, and perceive that 
 your Souls are unready to appear before 
 a Righteous God ! Then O for One Year 
 more of precious Time! O that you knew 
 how to call again the Time which you 
 call away on Sin ! You will then perceive 
 with a terrified Confcience that Time 
 was not fo little worth as you once 
 thought it, nor given you lor fo bale a 
 Work -, yea, if God in Mercy bring you 
 hereafter to true Converfion, O how it 
 will wound your Hearts to think how 
 much of your Youth was fo madly caft 
 away, while your God, your Souls, and 
 Everlafting Hopes, were all negle&ed 
 and defpiied ! 
 
 §. 6. And alas, if you Ihould be cut 
 off in that unholy, miferable Eftate, no 
 Heart on Earth can fufficiently bewail 
 your Cafe! How many Thoufand die 
 Young, that*promifed themfelves longer 
 Pleafure in Sin, and Repentance after it? 
 
[39] 
 fbolifh Sinners ! Cannot you fo long 
 borrow the life of .your Reafon as to 
 think ferioufly whither you muft go next ? 
 Do you never think when the Small-Pox, 
 or a Feaver, hath taken away one of 
 your Companions,, whither it is that his 
 Soul is gone? Have you your Wit for 
 nothing but to tafte the Sweetnefs of 
 Drink or Luft, which is as pleafant to 
 a Dog or Swine as to you ? O little do 
 you know what it is to die 1 What ic is 
 for a Soul to leave the Body, and enter 
 into an endlefs World ! To come to Iudg- 
 mefit for all his Sins, and all his ili-fpent 
 Days and Hours, and for chufing the 
 Pleafures of a Sraine before Heaven, 
 and the Pleafures of a Saint, Little 
 know you what it is for Devils prefently 
 to take away to Hell a wretched Soul, 
 which they have long deceived, I tell 
 you, the Thought of appearing before 
 God, and Chrift y and Angels, in another 
 World, and entring on an endlefs State, 
 is fo dreadful, even to many that have 
 fpent their Lives in Holy Preparation, 
 and are indeed in a fafe Condition, that 
 they have much ado to overcome the 
 Terror of Death. O then in what a 
 Cafe is a wicked, unpardoned, unprepa- 
 red 
 
[40 3 
 red Wretch, when his guilty Soul muft 
 be torn from his Body, and dragged in 
 Terror to hear its Doom, and fo to the 
 dreadful Execution? Sinners! Is this a 
 light Matter to you? Doth it not concern 
 you? Are you not here Mortal? Do you 
 not know what Flefh is, and what a 
 Grave is? And are not your abufed Souls 
 Immortal ? Are you fo mad as to forget 
 this? Or fo bad as not to believe it? Will 
 your not believing it make void the Ju- 
 ftice and the Law of God, and fave you 
 from that Hell, which only believing 
 could have faved you from ? Will not the 
 Fire burn you, or the Sea drown you, if 
 you can but run into it Drunk or Wink- 
 ing? Is Feeling, rernedilefs Feeling, eafi- 
 er than Relieving God in Time ? Alas ! 
 What ihculd ycut Believing Friends do 
 to fave you ? They fee by Faith whither 
 you are porting • They forefee your Ter- 
 ror and un'ione Cafe, and fain, if pofli- 
 ble, they would prevent it$ but they 
 cannot do it w thout you. If you will 
 not confent and help your felves it is not 
 the holieft nor wifef* Friends in the 
 World that can fa to you. They would 
 pull you out of the Fire in Fc^r, and out 
 of the Mouth of the roaring Lion, but 
 you will not be delivered! They call and 
 
 cry 
 
C 4i ] 
 cry to you, Ofear God, and turn to him* 
 tobi/e there is Hope, and you will no 1 
 let Confcience and Reafon be awaken- 
 ed ; but thofe that go afleep to Hetf 
 will be paft fleeping there for ever* 
 O run not madly into the Everlafting 
 Fire! 
 
 §. 7. And indeed your fteepy Security 
 and Prefumption doth make your Cafe 
 more dangerous in itfelf, and more piti- 
 ful to all that know it. O what a Sight 
 is it to fee a Man go merry and laughing 
 towards Damnation, and make a Jeft of 
 his own undoing ? To fee him at the 
 Brink of Hell, and will not believe it? 
 Like a Mad Man boaftingof his Wit, or 
 a Drunken Man of his Sobriety. 
 
 But becaufe I touch'd much of this 
 in the Second Chapter, I will pafs by 
 the reft of your own Concerns, and a 
 little further eonfider how fad the Cafe 
 of fuch wretched Youths is alfo unto 
 others. 
 
 §. 8. And if Parents be Wife and God- 
 ly, and underftand fuch Childrens Cafe, 
 whata Grief muft it needs be to their 
 Hearts to think that they have Begot 
 and Bred np a Child for Sin and Hell, 
 and cannot make him willing to prevent 
 it> To fee their Counfei fet at nought, 
 
 their 
 
[4* 1 
 
 their Teaching loft, their Tears defp5- 
 fed, and an obftinate Lad feem wifer to 
 himfelf than all his Teachers, even when 
 he is fwallovving the Devil's Bait, and 
 cruelly murdering his own Soul 
 
 §. p. But if they be wicked Parents, 
 and as bad themfelves, the Mifery is far 
 greater, though they yet feel it not: For, 
 
 i. As the Thief on the Crofs fa id to his 
 Companion, Luke 23.-40, 41. Thou art 
 in the fame Condemnation^ and we fujfer 
 j u ftty"> for we receive the due Reward of 
 our Deeds. Wicked Parents, and wick- 
 ed Children, are in the fame Gall of Bit- 
 ternefs, and Bond of Iniquity ! They fin- 
 ned together, and they mult fuffer for 
 ever together, if true Faith and Conver- 
 fion do not prevent it. 
 
 2. And it is their Wickednefs which 
 was much of theCaufe of their Childrens 
 Sin and Mifery; And their own deep 
 Guilt will be more to them than their 
 Childrens Suffering : God and Confcience 
 will fay to them e'er long, C cruel Fa- 
 rents ! That bad no Mercy on your Chil- 
 dren, or your f elves ! What did Nature 
 teach you to love more than your felves 
 and your Children? And would you wil- 
 fully and obftinately be the Ruin of both? 
 *&>u would not have done as the Madldola* 
 
 ten. 
 
[43] 
 
 tor j, that offered their Children in Fire 
 to Moloch ; and will you offer them by Sin 
 to Satan, and to lie 11? Had a Serpent flung 
 them, or a bear devoured them, they had 
 done but according to their Nature : But 
 was it natural in you to further their 
 Damnation? This was Work too bloody 
 for a Cannibal, too cruel for an Enemy •, 
 fitter for a Devil than a Father or Mo- 
 ther. As your Child had from you his 
 vicious Nature, it wo* your Part to 
 have endeavoured his Santtijication and 
 Recovery : Tou fhould have taught him be- 
 time to know the Corruption of his Na- 
 ture, and to feek and beg the Grace of 
 Chrifi •, to know his God, bis Duty, the 
 Evil of Sin, the Danger of Temptations^ 
 and his EverlaJIing Hopes and Fears: 
 Tou fhould have taught him to know what 
 Man hath done againfi himfelf, by dif obey- 
 ing and departing from his God, and what 
 Jefvs Chrifl hath done for his Redemption, 
 and what he him/elf mu ft do to befaved: 
 Tou fhould have taught him early how to live^ 
 and how to die, and what to feek, and what 
 to fhun : Tou fhould have given him the Ex- 
 ample of a Holy and Heavenly Mind and 
 Life: Tou fhould have watch d 'over him for 
 his Safety, andunweariedly injlrutted him 
 for his Salvxtion : hut you led him the 
 
 Way 
 
C44 3 
 
 Way to iefpife God's Word, and fet ligfit 
 by Chrifi^ and liolinefs, and Heaven, 
 to hate Inftruftion and Reproofs to Jpeni 
 the Lord's Day in Idlenefs or Worldly 
 Vanity, and to feek fir ft the Worlds and 
 the Prosperity of the Body, and glut thi 
 Flefh viithfinful P/eafure. 
 
 He that is once a Slave to Satan and his 
 flefhly Luft, is ready for Preferment, or 
 a Reward, to be a Slave to the Luft of 
 any other. He that is falie to his God 
 and Saviour, after his Baptifmai Vows, 
 is unlike to be true to his Country, or his 
 King, if he have but the Bait of a ftrong 
 Temptation: And he that will fell his 
 Soul, his God, and Heaven, for a Whore, 
 or for to pleafe his Appetite, it's like will 
 not flick to betray Church or State, or his 
 deareft Friend, for Provifion to fatisfe 
 thefe Lufts. Can you expe£t that he 
 (hould love any Man better than himfeif? 
 Will he fufFer much for God or his Coun- 
 try who will Sell Heaven for nothing > 
 An Evil Tree bringeth forth Evil Fruit. 
 If he hath the Heart of an Achan, a Ge- 
 hazi, an Achitophel, no wonder if he hath 
 their A&ions and their Reward. If be be 
 a Thief, and bear the B3g, no wonder if 
 Judas Sell his Matter. 
 
 CHAP, 
 
[45 1 
 
 CHAP. VL 
 
 The Joffnl Stat* and Blejfwg of good 
 Children to t hem f elves and others. 
 
 §. j.TJ>RQM what is faid. Chap. 2, and 
 JO 5 ? it's ealie to gather how joy* 
 ful a Cafe to themfelves, and what a 
 Bleffing to Parents and others, it is, when 
 Children berime are fbber, wife, and god- 
 ly, and obedient. The difference dotb 
 molt appear at Age, and when they 
 come to bring forth to themfelves and 
 others the Fruits of their Difpofitions : 
 And the End and Life to come will (hew 
 the greateft difference: But yet even 
 here, and that betime, the difference is 
 very great. 
 
 §. 2. 1. As to themfelves : How blefc 
 fed a State is it to be quickly delivered 
 from the Danger of Damnation, and God's 
 Difpleafure, that they need not lye down 
 and rile in Fear,left they be in Hell when* 
 ever Death removeth em from the Body ? 
 Can one too foon be ont of fo dreadful a 
 State ? Can one that is in a Houfe on 
 Fire, or falFn into the S^make too much 
 hafte to be delivered > If a Man deep in 
 Debt be reftlefs till it be paid, and glad 
 
 when 
 
when it is difcharged ^ if a Man in Dan- 
 ger of Sicknefs, or a condemning Sen- 
 tence of the Judge, be glad when the 
 Fear of Death is over ; how glad fhould 
 you be to be fafe from the great Danger 
 of Damnation ? And till you are fan- 
 ftified by Grace you are far from Safety^ 
 §. 3. And if a Man's Sicknefs, Pain or 
 DiftraQion, be a Calamity, the Cure of 
 which brings Eafe and Joy, how much 
 more Fafe and Joy may it bring to be 
 cured from all the grievous Maladies of 
 reigning Sin? SanQification will cure 
 your Minds of Spiritual Blind nefs and 
 Madnels •, that is, of damnable Ignorance, 
 Unbelief and Error: It will cure your 
 Affe&ions of idolatrous, diftra&ing, car- 
 nal Love } of the Itch of Flefhly De- 
 fires or Lufts ^ of the Feaver of revenge- 
 ful Paffions, and malignant Hatred to 
 Goodnefs and good Men ; and of fdf- 
 vexing Envy and Malice againft others j 
 of the greedy Worm of Covetoufnefs, 
 and the drunken Defire of ambitious and 
 imperious Minds : It will cure your Wills 
 of their flefhly Servitude and Biafs, 
 and of that mortal Backwardnefs to God 
 and Holy Things, and th?t Iluggifh Dul- 
 nefs and Lotbnefs to chute and do what 
 you are convinced muft be done : It will 
 
 make 
 
C 47 1 
 
 make good Things eafie and pleafant to 
 you j io that you will no more think you 
 have need to beg Mirth from the Devil, 
 or fteal it from Sin, as if God, Grace 
 and ulory, had none for you : But it will 
 be fo eafie to you to love and find Plea- 
 fure in the Bible and good Books, in 
 good Company and good Difcourfe, in 
 Spiritual Meditations and Thoughts, in 
 Holy Sermons, Prayers and Church Com- 
 munion and Sacraments, even in Chrift, 
 in God, and the Fore-thoughts of Hea- 
 ven, tha* you will be lorry and alham'd 
 to think that ever you forfook fuch 
 Joys for Flefhly Pleafure, and defiled 
 your Souls with filthy and forbidden 
 Things. 
 
 §. 4. And certainly you cannot too foon 
 attain the Delights of Faith, and Hope, 
 and Love of Holy. Knowledge and Com- 
 munion' with God and Saints: You can- 
 Inot too foon have the great Blefling of 
 Righteoufnefs, Peace, and Joy in the 
 HolyGhoft, and live Night and Day in 
 I Peace of Confcience, in Aflurance that 
 Jail your Sins are pardon'd, and that you 
 fare the adopted S^ns of God, and Heirs 
 of Heaven, fealed by his Spirit, accepted 
 in your Prayers, welcome to God thro' 
 Quilt, and when you die Ifcall be with 
 
 him; 
 
1 48 1 
 
 him: Can you make too great haft 
 from the Folly and Filth of Sin, and th< 
 Danger of Hell, intofo fafe and goodi 
 State as this ? 
 
 §. 5. And it will be a great Comfori 
 to you thus to find at Age and life oi 
 Reafon that your Baptifmal Bleffings 
 ceafed not with your Infancy by youi 
 own Reje&ion ^ but that you are now, 
 by your own Content, in the Bond oi 
 God's Covenant, and have a Right to all 
 the Bleffings of it, which the Sacrament 
 of Chrift's Body and Blood will confirm, 
 as you had your Entrance by your Parents 
 Confent and accepted Dedication .-For the 
 Covenant of Grace is our certain Charter 
 for Grace and Glory. 
 
 §. 6. And is it not a Joy to you to be 
 your Parents Joy ? To find them Iovo 
 you not only as their Children, but as 
 God's ? 
 
 ^. 7. And O what a Mercy will you 
 find it when you come to Age and Bufi- 
 nefs in the World ! 1. That you come 
 with a clear Confcience * not clogg'd, 
 terrified and (hamed with the Sins of 
 your Youth. 2. And that ycu come nor 
 utterly unfurnifhed with the Knowledge, 
 Righteoufnefs and Vertue, which you 
 muft make ufe of in every Condition all 
 your Lives. §• 8. 
 
[49] 
 
 §. 8. II. And you that are Young Men 
 can fcarce conceive what a Joy a wife and 
 godly Child is to his wife and godly Pa- 
 rents! Rejd but Prov. 10. i. and 13. t.and 
 17- 2, 2;, and 19. 13, 26. and 27. 11. and 
 27. 15, 19, 24-.&V. The Prayers and In- 
 ftru&ions of your Parents are comfortable 
 to them when they fee the happy Fruit 
 and Anfwer. 
 
 § 9. III. And O what a Mercy is it to 
 Church and State to have our Pofterity 
 prove better than we have been, and do 
 Ljod more Service than we have done, 
 nc take Warning by our Faults to avoid 
 the like? 
 
 It is thefe that are God's Children, as 
 well as ours, that are the Bleffing fo often 
 nentioned in the Scripture, who will, as 
 he Rechabites^ obey their Father's whole- 
 fome Counfels, rather than their Lufts 
 ind carnal Companions, and God before 
 ill : Who walk not in the Counfel of the Un- 
 \od!y nor ft and in the Way of Sinners, 
 7 or Jit in the Seat of the Scornful : But 
 their Delight is in the Law of the Lord, 
 ind in that haw they * meditate Day and 
 t, P£il. 1. Lo, Jucb Children are 
 in Heritage of the Lord^fucb Fruit of the 
 Womb is his Rezoard. They are as Ar- 
 rows in the hand of a mighty Man : Happy 
 C H 
 
[ So] 
 
 is the Man that hath his Quiver full of 
 them. They fball not be afiamett, but 
 they fhall fpeak with the Enemies in the 
 Gate, Pfal. 127.3,4,5. Were it not' 
 for wife and godly Children to fucceed! 
 us, Religion and Peace, and ail Publick 
 Good, would be but asw^ frail Mortals 
 are, like the Grafs or Flowers of a few 
 Days or Years continuance ; and the Dif- 
 ference between a Church and no Church, 
 between a Kingdom of Chriftians and of 
 Infidels, would be but like the Diffe- 
 rence between our Waking and our Sleep- 
 ing Time ^ fo fhort as would make it 
 thelefs confiderable. 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Undeniable Reafons for Repentance and 
 fpeedy Amendment ofthofe that have 
 lived a flefhly and. ungodly Life : By 
 way of Exhortation. 
 
 §. 1. A ND now the Commands of God, 
 
 Xjl the Love of my Country and 
 
 the Church, the Love of Piety, true Pro- 
 
 fperity 
 
[5>3 
 
 fperity and Peace, and the Love of Man- 
 kind, even of your own Souls and Bo- 
 dies, do all command me to become once 
 more an earneft Suiter to the Youth of 
 this Land, efpecially of London^ who 
 have hitherto mifcarried , and lived a 
 flefhly finful Life. Thoufands fuch as 
 you are dead in Sin, and p3ft our Warn- 
 ing, and palt all Hope and Help for even 
 Thoufands that laugh'd at Judgment 
 and Damnation, are now feeling that 
 which they would not believe. By the 
 great Mercy of God it is not yet the Cafe 
 of you who read thefe Words \ but how 
 icon it may be, if you are yet unfan&ified, 
 you little know: Oh that you knew 
 what a Mercy it is to be yet alive, and 
 after fo many Sins and Dangers, to have 
 one to warn you> and offer you Salva- 
 tion, and to be yet in Pofiibilhjr, and in 
 a State of Hope ! In the Name of (Thrift 
 I moft earneftly entreat you a little 
 While try to ufe your Reafon, and ufe ic 
 ferioufly, in retifd, fober Confederation, 
 till you have firft well perus'd the whole 
 Courfe of your Lives, and remembred 
 what you hive done,and how^ till you have 
 thought what you have got or loft by 
 finning-, and why you did it ^ and whe- 
 ther it was juftifiable Reafon which led 
 C 2 von 
 
[ $2 ] 
 
 you to it , and fuch as you will ftand tol 
 in your fober Thoughts-, yea, fuch as] 
 you will ftand to before God at laft. 
 Confider ferioufly what comes next, and 
 whither you are going, and whether 
 your Life have fitted you for your Jour- 
 ney's End, and how your Ways will be 
 review'd e'er long, and how they will 
 appear to you, and tafte at Death, Judg- 
 ment, and in the World to come: Hold 
 on, and think foberly a little while what 
 is in your Hearts, and what is their Con- 
 dition •, what you moft love, and what 
 you hate-, and whether God or finful 
 Pleafure be dearer and more delightful to 
 you ^ and how you ftand affe&ed and re- 
 fated to the World that you are very near: ! 
 Sure Reafon would be Reafon if you 
 would but ufe it $ fure Light would come 
 in if you would not (hut the Windows, 
 and draw the Curtains on you, and ra- 
 f ther chufe to fleep in Darknefs. Is there 
 nothing w r ithin you that grudgeth at your 
 Folly, and threateneth you for being wil- 
 fully bdides your felves ? If you would 
 but fpend one half Hour in a Day or a 
 Week in fober thinking whither you are 
 going, and what you have done, and 
 what you are> and what you muft fhort- 
 ly fee and be, how could you chufe 
 
 but 
 
[ 53 1 
 
 but be deeply offended with your felves 
 for living like Men quire void of Under- 
 ftanding, againft your God, againft ycur 
 S againft all the Ends and Obligat- 
 ions of Life, and this for nothing ? 
 
 But it may be the Diftin&nefs of your 
 Confideration. may make it the more ef- 
 fe&ual: And if I put my Motives by 
 way of Queftions will you confider them 
 till you have well anfwer'd them all? 
 
 § 2. Sfyteft. i. Are you not fully con- 
 vinc : d that there is a God of infinite Pow- 
 er, Knowledge and Goodnefs, who is the 
 perfe£l Governour of all the World ? God 
 forbid that any of you fhould be fo bad, 
 fo mad, as ferioufly to doubt of this, 
 which the Devils believe, while they 
 would draw you to unbelief. To doubt 
 of a perfe£l governing God, is to wink 
 and doubt whether there be a Sun: to 
 flop your Eirs againft the notorious Tefti- 
 mony of Heaven and Earth, and every 
 Creature: You may next doubt whether 
 there be any Thing, if you doubt of God ^ 
 for Atoms and Shadows are hardlier per- 
 ceiv'd with certainty, th3n the Earth, 
 the Heavens, and Sun. 
 
 §>uefi. 2. And if ycu believe that there 
 
 is a governing God, do you not believe 
 
 that he hath governing Laws or Notifica- 
 
 C 3 tions 
 
L 54 J 
 tions of his Will ^ and that v?e owe this 
 God more full, more abfolute, exaft Obe- 
 dience, than can be due to any Prince on 
 Earthy and greater Love than to our dear- 
 eft Friend, he being infinitely Good, and 
 Love itfelf ? Can you owe more to your 
 Flefh, or to any, than to your God that 
 made you Men, by whom you have Life, 
 and Health, and Time, and all the Good 
 that ever you received ? And can you give 
 him too much Love and Obedience > Or 
 can you think that you need to fear being 
 Lofers by him ? And that your faithful 
 Duty fhould be in vain ? 
 
 Queft. 3. Is it God thatneedeth you, or 
 you that need him? Can you give him 
 any Thing that be wants ? Or do you want 
 what he hath to give ? Can you live an 
 Hour without him ? Or be kept without 
 him from Pain, Mifery or Death > Is it 
 not for your own Need, and your own 
 Good, that he requireth your Service ? 
 Do you know what his Service is ? Ic is 
 thankfully to receive his greateft Gifts-, 
 to take his Medicines to fave your Souls * 
 to feaft on his prepared Comforts. He 
 calls you to far better and needfuller 
 Obedience for your felves, than when you 
 command your Child to take his Meat, 
 qt wear his Cloaths; or when he is Sick 
 
 to 
 
c 55 r 
 
 to take a neceflary Remedy. And is fudjf 
 Obedience to be refufed? 
 
 $>uefl. 4. Hath n;.t Nature taught you 
 to love your felves? Surely you cannot be 
 willing to be Damned ? Nor be indifferent 
 whether you go to Heaven or Hell ? And 
 can you believe that God would let you 
 on that which would do you hurt, and 
 that the D^vil is your Friend, and would 
 fave you from him? Can you believe that 
 to pleafe your Throat and Luft till Death 
 fnatch away your Souls to Judgment, 
 is more for your own Good than to live here 
 in Holinefs, and the Love of God, and 
 hereafter to live for ever in Glory ? Do you 
 think you have lived as if you truly loved 
 your felves, or as Self-deftroyers? All 
 the Devils in Hell, or Enemies on Earth, 
 could never have done fo much againft 
 you, as by your Senfuality, Ungodiinefs 
 and Sloth, you have done againft your 
 felves. Oh poor Sinner, as ever thou 
 wouidft have Mercy from God in thy 
 Extremity, be entreated to fhew fome 
 Mercy on thy felf ! 
 
 Queft. 5. Hath not Nature deeply 
 taught all the World to make a great Dif- 
 ference between Vertue and Vice, between 
 Moral Good and Evil ? If the Good and 
 Bad do not greatly difter, what makes all 
 C 4 Man- 
 
[-1*3 
 
 Mankind, even the Sons of Pride^ to be 
 fo impatient of being called or accounted 
 Bad , and love to be accounted Wife and 
 Good i How tenderly do moft Men bear 
 Reproof, or to hear that they do A mils? 
 To be called a wicked Man, a Liar, a 
 perjured Man, a Knave, how ill is it ta- 
 ken by ail Mankind ? This certainly prov- 
 eth that the Confcience of the great Dif- 
 ference between the Good and Bad is a 
 common natural Notice. And will not 
 God make a greater Difference, who bet- 
 ter knoweth it than Man ? 
 
 Queft. 6. If God had only commanded 
 you Duty, even a holy, righteous and fo- 
 ber Life, and forbidden you the contrary, 
 and had only bid you feekEverlaliing Hap- 
 pinefs, and made you no Promife of it, 
 Ihould you not in Reafon feek it cheerful- 
 ly in Hope ? Our Folly leadeth us to do 
 much in vain •, but God fttreth no Man 
 on any vain Employment : If he do but 
 bid you relift Temptation, mortifie Luft, 
 learn his Word, pray to him, and praife 
 him, you may be fure it is not to your Lofs -, 
 a Reward you may be fure of if you knew 
 not what it will be : Yea, if he fet you up- 
 on the hardeft Work, or to pals the greateft 
 Danger, or ferve him atthedeareftRare, or 
 lofe your Eftate for him, and Life itfeif, 
 
 what 
 
C57] 
 
 what Reafon can fear being Lofers by 
 obeying God ? Yea, the deareft Service 
 hath thegreateft Reward : But when he 
 hath moreover afcertained your Reward 
 by a Promife, a Covenant, fworn and 
 fealed by his Miracles, by Chrift's Blood, 
 by his Sacraments, by his Spirit : if yet 
 you will be ungodly becaufe you cannot 
 truft him you havenoExcufe. 
 
 ^ueft. 7. Do you know the Difference 
 between a Man and a Brute ? Brutes have 
 no Capacity to think of a God, and a Sa- 
 viour, and a Life to come, and to know 
 God's Law, and ftudy Obedience, and 
 fear Hell and Sin, nor Reafon to rule 
 their Appetites and Lufts, nor any Hope 
 or Joy in forefeen Glory • but Man is 
 made capable of all this : And C2n you 
 think God maketh fuch Noble Faculties in 
 vain ? Or fhould we live like Brutes that 
 have none fuch ? 
 
 §>uejl. 8. Do you not certainly know 
 that you muft die ? All the World cannot 
 hinder it-, you muft die: And is it not 
 near^ as well as Jure? How fwift is 
 Time? Oh! How quickly (hall we all 
 be at our Race and Warfare's End ? And 
 where then is the Pleafure of Pride, and 
 Appetite, and Luft ? Neither the difmal 
 Carcafs, nor the Duft or Bones, retaiu or 
 C 5 tafte 
 
ratten: nna aias, tne unconverted oaiu 
 muft pay for it for ever. And can you 
 think that fo fhort a brutifh Pleafure, that 
 hath fo fure and fad an End, is worthy 
 the Grieving of your Friends, the Offend- 
 ing God, the Hazard of. your Souls, 
 the Lofs of Heaven, and the Suffering 
 of God's Juftice in Hell forever? O 
 foolilh Sinners! I befeech you think in 
 Time how bad a Bargain you are making. 
 O what an Exchange ! For a filthy Luft 
 cr flefhly Pleafure to Sell a God, a Savi- 
 our, a Comforter, a Soul, a Heaven, and 
 all your Hopes > 
 
 Que/}, p. If the Devil or Deceivers 
 fhould make you doubt whether there be 
 any Judgment and Life to come, (hould 
 not the meer Voffibility and Probability of 
 fuch a Day and Life be far more regarded 
 by you than all flefhly Pleafure, which is 
 certainly fhort and bafe. Did you ever hear 
 aMan fo mad as to fay, I am Jure there 
 k no Heaven or hell for Souls ? But you 
 are fure that your Flelh muft rot in a 
 dark Grave * you are fure that Death will 
 quickly put an End to all that this World 
 can afford you * Houfe and Land, and all 
 that now deceive poor Worldlings, will be 
 nothing to you * no more than if you had 
 never fcen them, fave the terrible Reckon- 
 ing 
 
C 59 3 
 
 ing that the Soul muft make. Sport, and 
 Mirth, and Meat, and Drink, and filthy 
 Lufts, are ready all to leave you to the 
 final Sentence of your Judge-, and is not 
 even an uncertain Hope of Heaven more 
 worth than certain tranfitory Vanity ? 
 Is not an uncertain Hell to be more 
 feared and avoided than the forfaking of 
 thefe certain Trifles and Deceits I ^vluch 
 more when God hath fo certainly reveal- 
 ed to us the Life to come. 
 
 Que ft, 10. Is it a wife and reafonable 
 Expectation, that the Righteous God 
 ihould give that Man Everlafting Glory, 
 who will not leave his Whores, his Drun- 
 kennefs, or the bafeft Vanity, for all his 
 Love, and for aU his Mercies, for the 
 Sake of Chrift, nor for the Hopes of all 
 this Glory? Heaven is the greateft Re- 
 ward of Holinefs, and of the diligent 
 and patient Seekers of it-, Heaven is the 
 greateft Gift of the great Love of God ; 
 and can you believe that he will give it 
 to the Slaves of the Devil, and to con- 
 temning wilful Rebels? May not you 
 next think that the Devils may be faved ? 
 If you fay that God is Merciful, it's moft 
 true-, and this will be the unconverted 
 Mans Damnation, that he would for a bale 
 Lull offend fo Merciful a God, and Sell 
 
 Ever- 
 
1 60] 
 
 Everlafting Mercy for nothing, and abufe . 
 io much Mercy all his Life : Abufed and 
 Refufed Mercy will be the Fewel to feed 
 the Flames of Hell, and torment the 
 Confcience of the Impenitent for ever. 
 Doth not God know his own Mercy bet- 
 ter than you do ? Can he not be Merciful, 
 and yet be Holy and Juft ? Is the King 
 Unmerciful if he make ufe of Goals and 
 Gallowi for Malefa£tor>? It's Mercy to 
 the Land to deftroy fuch as would deiiroy 
 others. The Bofom of Eternal Love is 
 not a Place for any but the Holy : The 
 heavenly Paradife is not like Mhhomet\ 
 a Place of Lull and Senfual Delights. 
 You blafpheme the tnoft Jutt and Holy 
 God if you make him feem indiffe- 
 rent to the Holy and tl& Unholy, to his 
 Faithful Servants, and to theDwfpifers^f 
 his Grace. 
 
 Stpeft. 1 1. If there were any YeJJibilhy 
 that unfan&ified Souls fhould be fantti- 
 fied and faved in another World, is it not 
 a Madnefs to caft Everlafting Life upon fo 
 great Uncertainty or Improbability, when 
 we have Life, and Time, and Helps, to 
 make our Salvation fure? God hath cal- 
 led you to give all Diligence to make it 
 fare, 2 Pet. 1. 10. He hath made Infalli- 
 ble Promifes of it to farcified Believers : 
 
 He 
 
I6i ] 
 rle calleth you to examine and judge your 
 felves, 2 Cor. 13. 5. And do you 'know 
 the Difference between Certainty and Un- 
 certainly in fb great a Cale? Oh, none 
 can now fufficienrly conceive what a Df- 
 ierence there is between a Soul that is 
 jgoing out of the Body with joyful Affu«~ 
 ranee that Chrifl: will prefently receive 
 [him, and a Soul that in the Guilt of Sin 
 Imuft fay, I am going to an endlefs Life, 
 [and know not but it may be an endleis 
 Mifery ! 1 am here now, and know not 
 but I may be preferitlj with Devils that 
 here deceived me. Juft Fear of palling 
 prelentiy to Hell fire is a dreadful Caf^ 
 to be avoided ab>ve all earthly Sufl 
 ings, Luke 12. 4. and 14. 33. much 
 more when God's Threatnings to the Im- 
 penitent are moft fare. 
 
 Stuefl. 1 2. Do you think in your H. ; 
 that you have more Pleafur% and found 
 Content, and Peace in your Sports or 
 Riches, than true Believers have in God, 
 in Chrift, in a Holy Life, and the Hopes 
 of Everlafting Glory ? Judge but by the 
 Ciufe. Is not the Love of that God that 
 is the Lord of Life, and Death, and All, 
 and the Pleafure of Pleafing him, and 
 the Senfe of Pardon and Mercy through 
 Chrift ; and the firm Expectation of end- 
 lefs 
 
[62 ] 
 
 lefs Joy. by a Promife of God, fealed by 
 his Son, his Sacraments, and his Spirit $ 
 I fay, is not all this Matter more worthy 
 td rejoice a Soul than Money, and Meat, 
 and Drink, and Luft ? Have not you 
 thofe fecret Gripes of Confcience when 
 you think that for all thefe Things you 
 muft come to Judgment, which much 
 abateth the Pleafure of your Sin ? Had 
 you fpent that Time in feeking firfi: the 
 Kingdom of God, and its Righteoufnefe, 
 and inhoneft 3 obedient labouring in your 
 Callings, you "need not have look'd back 
 on it with the Gripes of an accufing Con- 
 fcience. If you lee a true Believer for- 
 rowful, it is not for ferving and obeying 
 God, or being holy, and hating Sin; but 
 for ferving God no better, and hating Sin 
 po more. 
 
 §>ueji. 13. Have you not oft fecret 
 Wilhes in your Hearts, that you were 
 in the Cafe of thofe Perfons that you 
 judge to be of the moft holy and heaven- 
 ly Hearts and Conventions? Do you 
 not think they are in a far fafer and bet- 
 ter Cafe than you? Unlefs you are for- 
 faken to blind nefs of Mind it is certainly 
 fo. And doth not this ihew that you 
 chufe and follow that which is worfe, 
 when your Confciences tell you it is 
 
 woifc, 
 
[6 5 1 
 vorfe, and refufe that which your Con : 
 I ciences tell you is beft ? But it is not luch 
 luggifh Wtfhes that will ferve^ to lye 
 bll, and live idle, and wifh your fdves 
 is Rich as the Induftribus, is not the 
 Way to make you fo. 
 
 Sgueft. 14. At leaft, if you have no 
 fuch VVifhes now, do you not think that 
 you (hall not wifh it at Death or Judg- 
 ment? Do not your Confciences now tell 
 you that you (hall fhortly wifh, O 
 that I had hated finfui Pleafure ! O 
 that I had fpent my fhort Life in obey- 
 ing and trufting God! Will you not fay 
 with Balaam^ Let me die the Death of the 
 Righteous, and let my /aft End be like hk ? 
 O that I were in the Cafe of thofe 
 that mortified the Flefh, and lived to 
 God, and laid not up their Treafure on 
 Earth, but in Heaven I And why chufe 
 you not now that which you know you 
 (hall deeply wi(h that you had chofen > 
 
 gueft. 1 5. I take it for granted, that 
 your merry, and fenfual, and worldling 
 Tempters and Companions deride all 
 this, and perfuade you to defpife it, as if 
 it were but needlefs, melancholy, trouble- 
 fome Talk : But tell me, do you think 
 in Confcience that it is found Reaibn 
 that they give you ? And fuch as Ihould 
 
 fatisfie 
 
C <h ] 
 
 fdtisfie a fober Man that careth what be- 
 comes of his Soul for ever? As ElidA 
 laid to the Ifraelites^ Why halt ycu be- ) 
 tween Two Opinions ? If the Lord be Go dm 
 follow him\ if Baal be God, follow bim. i 
 If Money, Preferment, Drink and Luft bel 
 beftjake it ^ but if God, Heaven, Chrift, i 
 Faiths Hope and Holinefs,-beheft, at your; 
 F^rii refuie them not, and halt no long- ; 
 er. I fuppofe you fometime think of 
 the Cafe, (or elfe you are dead in Sin,) 
 I pray you tell me, or tell your felves, 
 which Caitje Jeemeth beji upon the deep< 
 e ft Thoughts and Ccnfideration ? But if 
 you" will take the Laughter or Scorns of 
 ignorant Sots inftesd of Reafon, and in-- 
 ftead of fober Ccnfideration , you are 
 well worthy of the Damnation which 
 you fo wilfully chufe. 
 
 S£jt<ffi, 16. But if you think highly of 
 their Wit or Learning, who lin as you, 
 and who encourage and deceive you, I 
 pray you anfwer thefe Two Queftions. 
 
 1. Which Side is Chrift, and his Pro- 
 phets, and Apoftles, on > Which Side doth 
 the Scripture fpeak for? Which Way 
 went all the Saints whofe Names are 
 now honoured > Were they for the flefhly 
 or the fpiritual Life? Were they for the. 
 Love of Pleafures more than God ? Doth 
 
 Chrift 
 < 
 
E*5<J 
 
 Ghrifl- from Heaven teach you an earthly 
 pt a heavenly Choice and Life ? Did he 
 come to cherifli Sin, or to deftroy it, 
 *nd fa ve us from it? You can make no 
 ioubt of this if ever you re3d or heard 
 jthe Bible. And, 
 
 2 . Which do you think were the wifer 
 and better Men, and worthy to be believ- 
 ed and followed ? Whether Chrift, and 
 all his Apoftles, and Saints, that ever 
 were in the World to this Day, or 
 the Drunkards, and Whoremongers, and 
 Worldlings, who deride the Do&rine 
 lent from Heaven? If there be a Heaven, 
 is Drunkennefs or Sobriety liker to be the 
 Way to it? But if indeed you will take 
 the Mocks of a fwiniih Sot to be wifer 
 than God, thanChrift, than Prophets and 
 iApoftles, and all that ever went to Hea- 
 fven, and their Jeers to be more credible 
 jthan all God's Word, what can a Man 
 lav to convince fuch Wretches with any 
 Hope? 
 
 Siueft. 17. I farther ask you, Have you 
 not Jome Jecret Purpo/es hereafter to re- 
 pent ? if rr>t. alas, how fir are ycu 
 from it i And how forlorn is your Cafe i 
 But if you have, Confcience is a Wit- 
 nefs againlt you, that you chufj and 
 live in that Cafe andCourfe which you 
 
 know 
 
[66] 
 
 know isworft-, were it not worft, yon 
 need not puipofe to repent of it: And 
 will you wilfully chufe known Evil, when 
 the very Nature of Man's Will is to love. 
 Good? 
 
 gueft. 1 8. And if you believe that th« 
 Fairhfui are in a happier (Safe than you, tell$ 
 me What binder etb yet but you may be like] 
 them, and y^t be happy as well as they q 
 Is not Mercy and Salvation proclaimed 
 and offered to you as freely as to them >} 
 Did any Thing make you fo bad as you 1 
 are, but your own Choice and Doing? 
 And can any Thing yet hinder you from 
 Pardon and Salvation, if you your felves 
 were but truly willing > What if your 
 Parents were bad, and bred you up amifs? 
 God hath told you in Ezek. i8. and 33. 
 that if you will but do your own Part: 
 yet, and take Warning, and avoid your 
 Parents Sin, and give up your felves un- 
 feignedly to him, he will fave you what- 
 ever your Parents were. What if Princes, 
 or Lords, or learned Men, fhould be your 
 Tempters by Words or Example > None 
 of them can force you to one Sin. God 
 is greater and wifer than they, and more 
 to be believed, and obeyed, and your Sal- 
 vation is not in any of their Power. 
 What if your Old Companions tempt 
 
 you? 
 
[6 7 ] 
 irou ? They can but tempt you, they can- 
 not conftrain you to any Evil : All the 
 Devils in Hell, or Men on Earth, cannot 
 damn you, no, nor make vou Sinners, if 
 you do it not your felves. Refufe not 
 Chrift, and he will not refufe you •, and 
 Vvhen he is willing, if you be but willing, 
 truly willing to be faved from Sin and 
 Mifery, and to have Chrift, Grace and 
 Glory, in the life of the Means which 
 God hath appointed von, nei he* E u h 
 nor Hell can hinder your Salvation. Who 
 but your felves keep ;■.. I Making 
 
 the Company, Houfe or B, ! rs, which 
 have deceived you ? Who but irour felves 
 keep you from lamenting your Sin. and fly- 
 ing to Chrift, and bq$ging Mercy, and giv- 
 ing your felves toGod ? If you think that 
 ferious Chriftians are the Happieft, refufe 
 nottobefuch your felves^ it will be your 
 own doing, your|own wilfulObftinacy, if 
 youperifh. But of this I have already faid 
 more in my Call to the Unconverted* 
 
 §>ueft. i p. Dare you deliberately refolve 
 or bargain to take your flefhly Fleafures 
 for your Part, inftead of all your Hopes 
 of Heaven? I hope none of you are yet 
 fo mad. I think it is but few, if any, 
 of the Witches that make fo exprefs a 
 Bargain with the Devil h if they did, 
 
 O 
 
[68] 
 O how they would tremble when they 
 fee their Glals almoft run our, and Death' 
 at Hand! If you dare not make fuch a* 
 Bargain in plain Words, O do nor- 
 do the fame in the Choice of your Hearts,.! 
 and the P/adtice of your Lives, andde-f. 
 ceive your felves by 'hinking that you doj 
 it not when you do ? It is God 5 and not 
 you., that miketh the Conditions of Sal- 
 vation and Damnation. If you chufe,* 
 that Life which God hath told us is the \ 
 Condition of Damnation, and finally re-| 
 fufe that Life which God hath made the 
 Condition of Salvation.it willinEffe£t be 
 all one as to chufe Damnation, and refute 
 Salvation. He thatchufeth deadly Poifon, 
 or refufech his necefiary Food, chufeth 
 Death, and refufeth Life in EfFe£l. God 
 hath laid, If ye live after the F/eJh ye 
 Jhall die X but if by the Spirit you mortir 
 fie the Deeds of the Body youfball live. 
 Rom. 8. Chrift tells you, that unlets 
 you are Born again and Converted you 
 cannot enter into his Kingdom, John 3. ?, 
 5. Matth* 18. 3. and that without Hoti- 
 nefs none Jhall fee God\ r^fjfe thefe, 
 and chufe the World, and {infill Plea- 
 fures, and you refufe Salvation, and (hall 
 have no better than you chufe. What you 
 judge belt chufe refoivedly, and do rrot 
 cheat your felves. §>uejl. 
 
Queft- 20. Have you no natural Love 
 to your Parents^ or your Country ? O 
 what inhuman Cruelty is it to break the 
 .Hearts of thofe from whom you had 
 (roer Being, and who wtre tender of you 
 when ym could not help your fdves ? 
 And if afrer all this you prove worfe than 
 Brutes, and become the Grief of their 
 Souls that thus bred, and loved, and 
 nouiifhed you, do you think God will 
 not at laft make this fir fadder to you 
 than ever it was to them? If Cruelty to 
 an Enemy, much more to a Stranger, to 
 a. Neighbour, to a Friend, be lb hateful 
 to the God of Love, that it goeth not 
 junrevenged, O what will unnatural 
 Cruelty to Parents bring upon you? Yea, 
 even in this Life- ' as honouring Father 
 and Mother hath a fpeciai Promife of 
 Profperity and long Life, fo difhonouring 
 and grieving Parents is ufually punifhed 
 with' fome notable Calamity, as a Fore- 
 runner of the great Revenge hereafter. 
 
 And you cannot but percwive that fuch 
 as live in Senfuality, and Luft, and Wick- 
 ednefs, are the great Troubk 1 arch 
 
 and State: G)d himfelf hath faid it, 
 There 2s no "Peace to the Wicked^ lfa.4&. 5 2. 
 and 57. 21. tor the Wicked are like the 
 troubled Sea when it cannot reft, vohoje 
 
 Waters 
 
[70] 
 
 Waters caft up Mire and Dirt : There is 
 no Peace, faith my God^ to the Wicked^ 
 v. 22. Ifa. 59. 8. The Way of Peace they 
 know not \ there is no Judgment in their 
 Goings : They have made them crooked 
 Paths ^ vohofoever gceth therein fl)all not 
 know Peace. They give no Peace to 
 others, and God will deny Peace to 
 themfelves $ yea, the Nature of their 
 own Sin denieth it them, as broken Bones, 
 and griping Sicknefs, deny Eafe to the 
 Body. And can you think you fhall be- 
 come the Shame of the Church, and the 
 Troublers of the Land, and that God will 
 not trouble you for it ? If you will be E- 
 nemies of God and your Country you 
 will prove the foreft . Enemies to your 
 felves. 
 
 And who is the Gainer by all this ? 
 No One in the World ; unlefs you will 
 call it the Devil's Gain, to have his ma- 
 licious, cruel Will fulfilled : And fure the 
 pleating the Devil, and a flefhly Luft, 
 Fancy or Appetite, can never compenfate 
 all your Loffes, nor comfort you under 
 the Sufferings which you wilfully bring 
 upon your felves. 
 
 The Reafon I thus deal with you 
 by Way of Queftion is, that I may, if 
 poffiMe, engage your own Thoughts in 
 
 an- 
 
[71 ] 
 
 anfwering them, for I find moft are apt- 
 efi to learn of themf elves: And indeed 
 without your fdves and your own furi- 
 ous Thoughts, we cannot help you to 
 true Underftanding. If you will but 
 now take thefe Twenty Queftions in fe- 
 cret into your ferious Thoughts, and con- 
 sider of them till you can give them fuch 
 an Anfwer as Reafon fhould allow, and as 
 you will ftand to before God, when the 
 Mouth of all Iniquity (hail be ftopp'd, I 
 fhould not doubt but you will reap the 
 Benefit. 
 
 O what fhould a Man do that pi- 
 tkth blind and wilful Sinners to make 
 them willing of their own Recovery i 
 Here all flops h and muft it (top at this ? 
 Are you not willing ? And will you not 
 fomuch as confider of the Reafons that 
 fhould make you willing, when Heaven 
 or Hell muft be the Confequence? O 
 what a Thing is a blind Mind, and a dead 
 and hardened Heart ! What a befooling 
 Thing is fldhly Luft? O what need 
 had Mankicd of a Saviour! And what 
 need have all of a San&ifier, and of his 
 his Holy Word, and of all the Holy 
 Means of Grace! 
 
 Poor 
 
[72 ] 
 Poor Sinners! O let not your Teach- 
 ers and your Parents Counfel and 
 Tears be brought in as Witnefles againfl 
 you to your Condemnation ! O add not 
 this to all their Griefs, that their Coun 
 fel and their Sorrows mud fink you deepei 
 into Hell ! Alas, it were fednels enough 
 to them to fee that it is all in vain ! Let 
 not this Counfel of mine to you be re- 
 jetted to the encreafe cf vour Guilt and 
 Niilery. Mercy is yet offered you : Ths 
 Day of Grace is nor yet paft: t God i« 
 not unwilling to receive you : Chrift h 
 not unwilling to be your Saviour, if you 
 confent: No Difficulty in the World mat 
 eth us afraid of your Damnation, butyoui 
 own foolilh Choice and wicked Wills, 
 Our Care is not to make God Merciful 
 nor to make Chrift's Merits and Sacrifice 
 Sufficient, nor to get God to promife yot 
 Pardon, if you repent, and come to him 
 by Chrift •, all this is done already: But 
 that which is undone is to make you con 
 fiderate, and truly wiling, and to I'm 
 as thofe that indeed are willing to let gc 
 the poifonous Pleafures of Sin, and tc 
 rake God and Heaven for your Hope and 
 Portion, and to be faved and ruled bj 
 Chrift, and fanQifted by his Spirit, and tc 
 receive his daily Help and Mercies to this 
 
 End, 
 
I n ] 
 
 End, in the ufe of his appointed Means, 
 and without this you are undone for ever. 
 And is there any hurt in all this ? If there 
 were, is it worfe than the Filth ot Sin, 
 and the Plagues that follow here and for 
 ever! Worthy is he to bear at iaft De- 
 part from me thou Worker of Iniquity, 
 and to be thruft away from the Hopes of 
 Heaven, that after all that can be faid 
 and done, chufeth Sin as more defirable 
 than this God, this Saviour, this San&i- 
 fier, and this Glory, 
 
 D CHAP- 
 
I 74 ] 
 
 CHAR VIII. 
 
 Gtneral DireSfiont to the Willing. 
 
 T Hough the Blindnefs and Obftinacy of 
 flelhly Sinners too oft fruftrate great 
 Endeavours, yet we may well Hope that 1 
 the Prayers and Tears of Parents, and tha 
 Calls of God, may prevail with many $ 
 and I may Hope that fome that have 
 read what is before written, will fay, 
 We are willing to hear and learn that we 
 may befaved : Tell us what it is that me 
 mufi do ? And on that Hope I fhall give 
 fuch mifcarrying Youth fome Genera/ 
 Advice, and fome Counfel, about their s 
 Particular Cafes, and all as briefly as I 
 may. O that the Lord would make you 
 that read this truly willing to practice 
 thefe Ten DireQions following! How 
 Happy yet may you be ! 
 
 I. Set your Underjlandings ferioujly 
 and diligently to the Work which they arc 
 vtade for, and confider well what is your 
 \mcre\i and your Duty, till you come to 
 
[75 1 
 
 a jixed Resolution ^ what is for your Good, 
 and what is for your Hurt, and what that 
 Oood or Hurt will be. ] 
 
 Should it be a hard Thing to peifwade 
 a Mad in his Wits to hove hmfelf, and 
 to think what is Good or Hurtful to him- 
 felf, eipecially for tveriafting? Why are 
 you Men if you will live like Dogs? 
 What do you with Uhderftandings if you 
 will not ufe them i What will you ufe 
 them for it not for your own Good, and 
 to avoid Mifery ? What Good will you 
 delire if not Everlafting Joy and Glory ? 
 And what Hurt will you avoid if not 
 Hell-fire? Have you Reafon, and can you 
 live as if thefe were not worth the think- 
 ing on ? Will you btftow your Thoughts 
 all the Day and Year upon you know not 
 what, nor why, and n >t one Hour fober- 
 ly think of fuch Iqipfonant Things as 
 thefe? O Sirs! Will you go out of the 
 World before you well think whither you 
 muft go? Will yog appear before the 
 Judge ot Souls, to L We up your great Ac- 
 count, before you th, k of it, and now k 
 mult be dope ? Is he worthy of the Help 
 cf Grace that will nor ufe his natural 
 Reajon ? I beg h of ycu as ever you Care 
 what becomes ot you tor ever, that yoa 
 D 2 will 
 
' L 7* J 
 
 will fome time alone fet your felves for 
 one Hour ferioufly to think, [ who made 
 you, and why ^ what you owe him* 
 how much you depend on him$ what 
 you have done againft him$ how you 
 have fpent your Time h what Cafe yoar 
 Souls are in •, what Chrift hath done for 
 you ; and what he is or would be to you •, 
 whether you are fan&ified and forgiven * 
 what God's Spirit muft do for you - ? and 
 what you muft be and do if ypu will be 
 faved \ and rf it be otherwife, whither it 
 is that you muft go. 
 
 II. Therefore I nextadvife you, and in- 
 treat you, that you live not as at a great 
 DIftanfe from Eternity, nor fooliihly flat- 
 ter your felves with the deceitful Prcmi- 
 fes of long Life : And were it fure to be 
 an Hundred Years, remember bow quick- 
 ly and certainly they will end. O! Time 
 is nothing, therefore think of nothing in 
 this World as feparated from the World 
 to come. Whatever you are doing, ot 
 laying, or thinking, the Boat is halting 
 to the Gulf: You are pofting to Death 
 and Judgment: Which Way ever you go, 
 by Wealth or Poverty, Health or Sick- 
 nefs, Bufie or Idle, Single or Married, 
 you are going ftill to the Grave and to 
 
 Eter- 
 
[77] 
 
 Eternity, Judge then ot every Thing a* 
 it tendeth to that End : And think of no- 
 thing as not related as a Means to the 
 Near and Everlafting End: O chufe and 
 do that which Reafon and Confcience tel» 
 leth you that you v ill at laft earneftly 
 wifh that you had chofen and done ; when 
 you are tempted to be prayerlefs, and a- 
 verfe to Good, or to run to Luft, or finful 
 Pleafure, ask your felves ferioufly, hpw 
 will this look in the final Review? What 
 (hall I think of this at Laft ? Will it be 
 my Comtort^ or my Torment i O judge as 
 you will judge at laft. 
 
 IIL My Third Counfel is, -If yovt, 
 Confciences tell you that you have fod- 
 ifhly finned againft God and your Salva- 
 tion, make not light of it, but prefent- 
 ly and openly go to your Parents or 
 Matters, and penitently confefs your firv 
 ful Life in general, and your known or 
 open Sins particularly : But fuch Secret 
 Sins which wronged not them, and will 
 blaft your Reputation, you are act bound 
 to confefi openly, unlefs the Ea/e or fifr 
 ture DireSion of your doubtful and trour 
 bled Confciences require it : But when 
 your vicious,flefhly>Life is known, excufe' 
 it nor, hide not tbe Hvii by Lies or fcxtfr 
 D 3 nuation ^ 
 
[78] 
 nuation ; when you have wronged your 
 Parents or Matters by Difobedience, and 
 by robbing them of Part of your Time 
 and Service, if not alfo of their Money 
 or Goods, go to them with Sorrow and 
 Shame, and confefs how foolifhly you 
 have ferved the Flefh, to the Injury of 
 them, to the Offending of God, and to 
 the unfpeakable Hurt of your own Souls : 
 Lament your Sin, and ask them Forgive- 
 nefs, and intreat their Prayers, and their 
 careful Government of you for the Time 
 to come, and fincerely promife them Re- 
 formation and Obedience. 
 
 Yea, if you have had familiar Compa- 
 nions in your Sin, go to them, and tell 
 them, [ God and Reafon have convinced 
 me of my finful folly , that for brutijh, 
 flefhly^ Pleafure y have wilfully broken the 
 haws of my Creator and Redeemer, and 
 for nothing undone and loft my Soul, if 
 Chrift do not recover me by found Repen- 
 tance. bow madly have we defpifed our 
 Salvation! How eafily might we have 
 known, had we but fearcht and confidered 
 the Word of God, that we were difp lea- 
 fing God, undoing our f elves, and making 
 Work for future Sorrows? Should 1, when 
 I know this, and when I know that I am 
 
 going 
 
[ 79 3 
 going to Death and Judgment, yet cbfii- 
 nately go on, and be a hardened Rebel 
 again 11 Chriji and Grace, what can I ex- 
 petl but to be jorjaken of God, and loft 
 for ever ? there/ore as zee have finned 
 together let us repent together I Tou 
 have beer a Snare to me, and I to you : 
 We have I -en Agents of the Devil to drazv 
 each of. ■• to Sin and Alifery : Certainly 
 all this / - \ift fooner or later be repented 
 of le; us j-oin together in Sorrow, and 
 Reformation, and a holy, Obedient, Lije. 
 If you will not con/ent ! I here declare tp 
 you before God, (for 1 know that he fctth 
 and heareth me,) that I will be your C^m 
 f anion in Sin no more : I beg Pardon far 
 tempting you : I rcfolve by Gods Grace 
 to prefer my Salvation and my Obedience 
 to God before a bafe and beaftly Plea- 
 fure : Whatever you fay againft it, 1 will 
 never more forfake my Salvation to Jollodb 
 you, nor ever take you to be wifer than 
 God, nor better Friends to me than my 
 Saviour, nor your Word? more re gar dalle 
 than God*s Word, nor a Whore, or a Mer- 
 rv Cup, or Vanity, to be better than 
 neaven, nor Temperance and Hclinefs to 
 be worfe than Hell. If you will not be 
 undeceived with me I wilt pray for you'^ 
 but I renounce your frnful Company, and 
 D 4 my 
 
L bo j 
 
 tny Warning will be a Witnefs figainftyou 
 to your Conjufwn. 
 
 Stick not at the Scorn of Fools, nor at 
 the Shame of fuch Repentance and Con- 
 fcffion: It may Pre tit others: But how- 
 ever it is no more than in Hope you owe 
 them whom you have wronged and en- 
 dangered by Sin : And it will lay fume 
 new Obligation on your felves to amend, 
 by doing what you have fo ptofeflfed : 
 And fure Confcience and Shame will 
 fomewhat the more hinder you from 
 evermore joining with them in the Sin 
 which you have fo bewailed and renoun- 
 ced. And think not this too much, for 
 there is no Jefting wi h God, and with 
 Everlafting Joy or Mifery. 
 
 IV. My next Counfcl is, Prefentfy, un- 
 derftmdingly, and confiderately ," renew 
 the Covenant which you made in Baptifm 
 with God, your Creator, Redeemer, and 
 
 Sanffijier. 
 
 Confider whether to be a Chriftian is 
 not neceffary to your Salvation y and then 
 confider what it is to be a Chriftian v and 
 whether it be not a far higher Thing 
 than meerly to take that Name upon 
 
 you, 
 
[8i 1 
 
 you, and be of that Party, and to joM 
 with the Right Church, and to have the 
 bare Words and Pi&ure of Believer*" 
 And then confider whether God will bg 
 mocked with Shews, and Ceremonies^ 
 and dead Formalities, and falfe Professi- 
 ons -, and whether the lifelefs Carcafs or 
 Image of Chriftianity will be taken by 
 God inftead of the Life and Power of it, 
 and will ever fave a Soul. Yea, whe- 
 ther a Falfe, Counterfeit, Chriftian, Bred 
 up under Chriftian Inftru&ions and Exam- 
 pies, do not make your Guilt far greater^ 
 and your Cafe more miferable, than Ame- 
 ricans or Indians^ that never heard vyha^ 
 you have heard : And when perhaps you 
 have fpoken againft Hypocrites your 
 felves, whether there be any more Noto- 
 rious Hypocrites than fuch as you, who 
 fay you are Chnftians, and yet live to 
 the Flelh in the odious Siris which Chrift 
 abhorreth : Think what a dreadful Thing 
 it is to profefs a Religion which condemn- 
 cth you^ and to; fay over that Creed 
 which you believe not, and thofe Petiti- 
 ons in the Lord's P f iyef which you de- 
 lire not, and thofe Commandments which 
 you break, and will condemn you *. To 
 rtbd againft God while vou fay you be- 
 lieve in him; T& dcfpife Chrift's Go^ 
 D 5 vernment 
 
vernment while you fay you truft him 
 for Salvation : To ask for his Grace when 
 you would not .hive it, ;to farr&ifie you, 
 arid fave you from your Sin ; To beg 
 Mercy of God, abcl to rejeft this Mercy, 
 and to have no r Mercy on your felves. 
 O think what a "doleful Cafe it is to fee 
 diftra&ed Sinners fuch Hypocrites, play-; 
 ing with fuch Contradi&ions, fo near 
 God's Bar, and in his Sight : And to 
 make no better ufe of Prayers, and the 
 Name of Chriftians, and rhe Profeffion 
 of the Truth, than to give the Devil 
 more Matter to accufe you, and Confid- 
 ence to torment you, and a Righteous 
 God to fay to you at lalt, Out of thy own 
 Mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked Re- 
 bel. Didft thou not confefs that Jefus 
 was the Chrii^, and. that thou didft be- 
 lieve the Gofpel and the Life to come * 
 and yet didft Jive in the wilful difbbey- 
 ing of Chrift and the Gofpel, and bafe 
 Contempt of God and thy Salvation I 
 
 And whjsn you have confidered the fad 
 Cafe of Hypocrites, that call themfelves 
 Chriffians to their own Condemnation, 
 when they are none fuch, then think Je- 
 rioufly what the Covenant was which 
 was made for you in your Baptifm, and 
 
 you 
 
you have taken on you to own. Think 
 what it is devotedly t$ truft to God 3S 
 your reconciled Father, and devotedly to 
 truft to Chrift as your Saviour, your great 
 Teacher, Governour, and Mediator with 
 the Father; what it is devotedly to truft 
 the Holy Spirit to illuminate, ianftifie 
 and quicken, you in a Holy Life, and to 
 ftrengthen and comfort you againft and 
 under all your Trials. Confider what it- 
 is to take the F/e/h, the World, and the 
 Devil., as they are againft this Holy Life 
 and Heavenly Hope, for your Enemies, 
 and to Lift your felves under Chrift in a 
 vowed War to the Death againft them. 
 Think how you have perfidioufly broken 
 this Covenant, on which all the Hope of 
 your Salvation lyeth. And then if you 
 dare not utterly renounce all that Hope, 
 prefently and refolvedly renew this Cove- 
 nant. Lament your Violation of it to 
 God : Do it not only in a Paflion, but up- 
 on ferious Confideration make that Choice 
 and Refolution which you dare ftand to 
 at a dying Hour, and on which you may 
 believe that God for drift's fake will 
 accept you and forgivs you. O think 
 what a Mercy it is to have a Saviour, 
 who after all your heincus Sins will 
 bring you reconciled as Sons to God, for 
 
 the 
 
IH.'i 
 
 the Merits of his Sacrifice and Righteouf- 
 nefs, and by his^powerful Interceflion, 
 and will fend from Heaven the Spirit of 
 God into your Heart!*, to renew thole 
 Blind, Dead, Carnal, Minds to God's Ho- 
 ly Image, and will dwell in you, and 
 carry on your San&ification to the End. 
 Thankfully and Joyfully accept this Co- 
 venant and Grace, and again give up, your 
 felves to God, your Father, Saviour and 
 San&ifier^ but be fure that you do it ab- 
 folutely, without deceitful Exceptions and 
 ReferveS} and that you doit refolvedly, 
 and not only in a irightned Mood •, and 
 yet that you do it as in the Strength of 
 the Grace of Chrift, not truftingtheftead- 
 faftnefs of your own deceitful, mutable, 
 Hearts. And when you can truly fay 
 that you unfeignedly confent, and re- 
 new this Covenant in your Hearts, then 
 go the next Opportunity to the Sacra- 
 ment of the Lord's Supper, and there pe- 
 nitently and ftithfuliy renew it openly in 
 the folemn Way that Chrift hath ap- 
 pointed you •, thankfully profefs your 
 Truft in Chrift, and receive a feaied Par- 
 don of your Sins, and Title to Everlafting 
 Life} and fettle your Converfation in the 
 Communion of Saints, as you Hope to 
 live with fuch for ever. 
 
 V. Hacs- 
 
[85 1 
 
 V. Henceforward fet your felves as the 
 true Schohrs of Chrift," to learn his Do- 
 Srine, and as his trte Subje&s to know 
 his L3ws, and as thofe that truft their 
 Souls into his Hand, to underftand, and 
 firmly believe, his Promifes for this Life, 
 and that which is to come: And as the 
 Bleffed Man, Pfalm i. 2, 3, To delight in 
 the Law of the Lord, and meditate in it 
 Day and Night. As you were wont to 
 fteal fome Hours from Go&and your Ma- 
 tters to go to the Houfe of Sin- and 
 Death, fo now get fuch Hours as lawful- 
 ly you can ircra your other Employ- 
 ments and Diverfions$ but efpecially on 
 the Lord's Days ^ and get alone, and beg 
 Mercy and Grace ftom God, and tec 
 your felves to read the Bible, and with it 
 read (ome Catechifms, and fome found 
 and ferious Trcatifes of Divinity, which 
 are molt fuicable to your State. 
 
 Great Store of all Sorts of good Books 
 through the great Mercy of God are com- 
 mon among us: He that cannot Buy may 
 Borrow, 
 
 But take heed that you lofe not your 
 Time in reading Romances) Flay- books, 
 
 tain 
 
[85] 
 
 vain Jells, or feducing or reviling Dif- 
 putes, or needlefs Controverfies. 
 
 This Courfe of Riding Scripture and 
 good Books will be many Ways to your 
 great Advantage. 
 
 i. It will above all other Ways in* 
 creafe your Knowledge. 
 
 2. It will help your Refolutions and 
 Holy Affe&ions, and direft your Lives. 
 
 3. It will make your Lives pleafant ; 
 the Knowledge, the Ufefulnefs, the Va- 
 riety, will be a continual Recreation to 
 you, uniefs you are utterly befotted or 
 debaucbt 
 
 4. The Plefrfure of this will turn you 
 from your filthy flefhly Pleafuie. You 
 will have no need to go for Delight to a 
 Piay-houfe, a Driaking-houfe, ortoBeaft- 
 ly Lufts. 
 
 5. It will keep you from thefinful Lofi 
 of Time, by Idltneis, or Unprofitable Em- 
 ployment or Paftimes. You will caft 
 away Cards and Dice when you find the 
 frveetnefcoi ufefui Learning. 
 
 But 
 
[87 1 
 
 But be fure that you chufe the moft 
 ufefiil and neceflary Subje&s, and that 
 you feek Knowledge for the love of Ho- 
 linefs and Obedience. 
 
 VI. The Sixth Part of my Advice is, 
 
 For fake ill Company , and Converfe with 
 fucb as will be Helps to your Knowledge ^ 
 HolinefS) and Obedience^ and not fucb as 
 will draw you to Sin and Mifery. 
 
 You have found by fad Experience 
 what Power ill Company hath on Fools •, 
 with fucb a Merry Tale, a Laughter, a 
 Jell, a Scorn, a Meiry Cup, and a Bad 
 Example and Perfwafion, doth more than 
 Reafon, or God's Authority, or the Love 
 of their Souls. A Phyfician may go a- 
 mong the Sick and Mad to Cure them * 
 and a Wife Man that feeth thefe will pi- 
 ty them, and hate Sin the more. But 
 what do you do there where you have 
 already catcht the lnfe&ion of their Dif- 
 eafe. The Mind of a Man is known 
 much by the Company which he chu- 
 feth, and if you chufe ill no wonder if 
 you fpeed ill, ?rov. 13. 20. he that walk* 
 etb voitb Wife Men jhall be Wife, but a 
 Companion of Fools Jhall be deftroyed. 
 
 Prov. 
 
[88] 
 Prow 28. 7. Whofo keeprth the Law is * 
 Wife Son, but he that is a Companion of 
 riotous Me/i fhameth his Father, Pfalm 
 119, &?. David faith, I am a Companion 
 of all them that fear thee^ and of them that 
 keep thy Precepts. 26. 4, 5. 1 have not 
 jate with vein Perfons, neither will I go 
 in with Diffemblers ; 1 have hated the Con- 
 gregation of Evil-doers, and will not fit 
 with the Wicked. 119.11$. Depart from 
 me ye Evil doer s, for I will keep the Com- 
 mandments of my God. 
 
 VII. Especially be fure that you run 
 not wilfully upon Temptation, but keep as 
 far from every tempting Bait and Objeft 
 as you can-. Fire and Gunpowder, or 
 Straw, mutt be kept at a fufficientdiftance ; 
 no Man is long fafe at the very Brink of 
 Danger 5 efpecialiy if it be his own Choice, 
 and more efpecialiy if it be a Sin that 
 his Nature is much inclined to. No Wife 
 Man will truft corrupted Nature very far, 
 efpecialiy where he hath often fain alrea- 
 dy. The beft Man that if fhouid live in 
 Fear when an enticing Bait of Sin is near 
 him. If David that prayed, turn away 
 mine Eyes from beholding Vanity, had 
 better prafriced it, O what heinous Sin 
 ba4 he efcaped ! Had he made a Cove- 
 
 niot 
 
[8 9 ] 
 nant with his Eyes, as Job did, whit 
 Wounds h3d he prevented ! But v 
 tempting Meat and D.ir.k are before 
 you, and the tempting Pcrfon hath fe- 
 crct Familiarly with you, and tecrpt* 
 ing or provoking Words are at youi Ears,, 
 then alas many have need of more Grace, 
 Refolution, and Mortification, than they 
 have. 
 
 If you knew well what Sin is, and 
 what is the Confequen e you would be 
 more watchful and reiolved ?gainft Temp- 
 tations than againft Thieves or Fire, or 
 the Places infetfed by the Plague. 
 
 VIII. Make it the chief Study of your 
 Lives to underf\jnd whit Man's Everlaft** 
 ing Hope is an i to get a lively r , well Jet- 
 led, belief of it i and to bring your Souls 
 to take it joyfully for your true felicity and 
 End, and then, e daily to fetch the power • 
 ful Motives of your Duty a/?d your V ali- 
 enee, and your contenting Conijort in Life, 
 and at your Death. 
 
 The End is the Life of all the Means. 
 
 If Heavenly Bkffcdnefs be not the chut 
 
 that you live, hope, and labour for, in the 
 
 Woild, your whole Lives will he but 
 
 * CarnaT, 
 
[9o] 
 Carnal, Vain, and the Way to Mifery ? For 
 the Means can be no better than the End. 
 God that is the Beginning, is our End; 
 we are made and governed by him, and 
 for him. Heavenly Glory is the Sight df 
 his Glory, and the Everlafting Perfection 
 and Pleafure of Joyful Mutual Lovu 
 
 But we are not the Nobleft Creatures, 
 next to God in Excellency and Defert ; yea, 
 we are Sinners, who hive deferved to be 
 caft from his Love. Ard Therefore as in 
 the Way we muft come to bim by a Savi- 
 our, fo at the Blefled End we muft enjoy 
 htm by a Mediator. And to fee God's Glo- 
 ry in Chrift, and the Heavenly Jerufa/em y 
 the BiefTed Society of Saints and Angels, 
 continually flaming in Love, Joy and Prai- 
 fzs, to the moft Holy God, this, this is 
 the Felicity for which we Labour, Suffer 
 and Hope. 
 
 2. And O how great and how need- 
 ful a Work it is to Search, Study and 
 Pray, for fo firm a belief of this unfeen 
 Glory, as may fo refoive, engage, and 
 comfort, us in fome good Meafure, as if 
 we had feen it with tbefe Eyes? O what 
 Men would one Hour's being in Heaven 
 mal^e us, or one clear Sight of it > J airh 
 
 hath 
 
C-9i 3 
 
 hath a greater Work to do than a Dream- 
 ing or Dead Opinion can perform. If 
 it be not well grounded firft, and well ex- 
 ercifcd upon God's Love, Promife, and 
 Glory from Day ro Day, you will find 
 Caufe (fadU r ) to lament the weaknefs of 
 it. For this ufe vcu have great need of 
 the help of f\ xh Books as open dearly 
 the evident Pr >ofs of the Chriftian Verity, 
 which I have briefly done in the beginning 
 of rhe 2d. Part of my Life of fait h, and 
 more largely in Two other Books, viz. The 
 X'meafonafrenefs of Infidelity, and the 
 Reafons of the Chr'ifiian Religion. A 
 firm Belief of the World to come is it 
 that muft make us Serious Chriftians, and 
 overcome the Snares of Worldly Vanity. 
 
 And your Faith being well fettled, fet 
 jour felves daily to ufe it, and live by it, 
 dwell in the joyful Hopes of the Heavenly 
 Glory. What is a Man that liveth not in 
 the ufe of Reafon ? And you muft know 
 that you have as daily ufe for your Vaith % 
 as for your Reafon. Without Reafon yo?F 
 can neither fafely Eat or Drink, nor Con- 
 verfe with Man as a Man, bur as Bedlam, 
 nor do any Bufinefs that concerneth you •, 
 and therefore you muft Live by your Rea- 
 fon. And without taith you cannot 
 
I 9* ] 
 plcafe God, nor obtain Salvation, no, nor 
 ufe your Reafon fcnr any thi-ng higher than 
 to ferve your Appetitfcs 9 and pu.vey for 
 fhe Flefh * and therefore you muft live by 
 Faith, or live like Beafts 3 apd wgrfe than 
 Beafts, aad cannot otherwife live to 
 God, nor live in the Hopes of Bleffednefs 
 hereafter. O ! Confider that the dif- 
 ference between living chiefly upon and 
 for an Earthly or Flefhly Felicity, or a 
 Heavenly ^ is the gr^at Difference between 
 the Holy and the Unholy, and the Fore- 
 goer of the Difference between thofe in 
 Heaven and thofe in Hell. 
 
 IX. Still remember that the great 
 Means of ail the Good that here or here- 
 after you can exp^ft, ts the Great Media- 
 tor, the Great Teacher, Ruler and Inter ■- 
 cejjor for his People, And therefore out 
 ot him you can do nothing. All Duty 
 that you offer to God muft be by his M - 
 diation, and Co muft ^11 Mercy which yen 
 receive from God. To come to God by 
 him. who is the Way, the Truth, and 
 rtie Life, muft be your daily Work of 
 Faith. His Blood muft wafh you from all 
 Sin pafr, and from the Guilt of daily 
 Failings, and Infirmities. None but he 
 can efte&ually Teach you to know God 
 
 and 
 
and your felves, your Duty, and jrouf 
 Everlafting Hopes. None but he can ren- 
 der your Ftrfons, Prailes and Aftions, ac- 
 ceptable to God, becaufe you are Sinners, 
 and unmeet tor God s Acceptance without 
 a Mediator. All Power in Heaven and 
 Earth is given him, and yo r Lives and 
 Souls are at his WiiU and it is he that 
 muft judge you, and with whom you 
 hope to live in Glory. Therefore you muft 
 fo live by the Faith of the S >n of God, 
 who hath loved you, and gave himielf 
 for you, that you may fay it is he that liv- 
 eth in you, oa/. 2.20,21. This is the 
 Fountain From whence you muft daily 
 fetch your Strength and Comfort. 
 
 X. And ft ill remember that it is by the 
 Operation of the Holy Spirit that the Fa- 
 ther and the Son do SantVtfie Souls, and 
 Regenerate and Breed rhem up for Glory. 
 It is by the Holy Ghoft that God dwel- 
 kth in us by Love, and Chrift by Faith. 
 Therefore fee that you reft not in corrup- 
 ted Mature, and truft not to your felves, 
 or to the Flclh. Ycur Souls are Dead to 
 God and Hbltnefe, and your Duties Dead, 
 rill the Spirit of Chrift do Quicken them* 
 You are Blind to God and Man in Sia^ 
 till the Spirit Illuminate you, and give 
 
 you 
 
L 94 1 
 
 you Underftanding. You are like Ene- 
 mies, out of Love with God, Heaven and 
 Holinefs, till this Spirit reconc le you, and 
 fan&itie your Wills. You will have no 
 Man-like Spiritual Holy Plealure till the 
 Holy Spirit renew your Hearts, and make 
 them fit to delight in God. O that Men 
 knew the great Neceflity of the illumina- 
 ting, quickning, fanftifying, comforting, 
 Influence of the Spirit of God, how far 
 would they be from deriding ir, as fome 
 Prophane ones do? By this Holy Spirit 
 the Sacred Records were written, and by 
 Miracles of Chrift and his Apoftles, and 
 Evangelifts and Prophets, fealed and deli- 
 vered to the Churches And by this Spi- 
 rit the Orders and Government of the 
 Church were fetled. And by him we are 
 inlightned to underftand the Scripture, 
 and inclined to love them, and delight- 
 fully believe them, and obey them. Stu- 
 dy therefore obediently thefe Writings of 
 the Holy Ghoft, and confidently truft 
 them. O! Be not found among the Re- 
 lifters or Negle&ers of the Spirit's Help 
 and Motions, when proud Self confidence 
 or flcfhly Lulls do rife againft them. 
 
 Chrift's Bodily Prefence is taken from 
 the Earth ; he promifed inftead of it 
 
 ( which 
 
C 95 3 
 
 (which was but in one Place at once ) to 
 lend his Spirit, which is to the Soul more 
 than the Sun-light to the Eye, and can 
 fhine in all the World at once. This is 
 his Agent on Earth, by whom (in Teach;* 
 ers and Learners,) hecarrieth on his Saving 
 Work- This is his Advocate who plead- 
 eth hisCaufe effe£tually againft Unbelief, 
 and Flefhiy Lufts, and Worldly Wifdom. 
 This is the Well of Living Water, fpring- 
 ing up in us to Everlafting Life •, the Name, 
 the Mark of God on Souls, the Divine 
 Regenerator, the Author of God's Holy 
 Image, and the Divine Nature, even Di- 
 vine Life, and Light and Love, the Con- 
 queror of the World and Flelh, the 
 Strengthner of the Weak, theConfirmer of 
 the Wavering, the Comforter of the Sad, 
 and the Pledge, Eirneft and Firft fruits of 
 Everlafting Lite. O therefore Pray ear- 
 ntftly for the Spirit of Grace, and care- 
 fufly obty him, and joyfully praife God, 
 in the Sence of his Holy Encouragement 
 and Help. 
 
 F 1 N I S. 
 
THE 
 
 Grand Queftion 
 
 RESOLVED, 
 
 What we muft do to be S A VB D. 
 
 INSTRUCTIONS 
 
 
 &5p 
 
 CM 
 
 Ads 1 6. ja 
 
 Sirs, What muft I do to be Saved > 
 
 LONDON, 
 
 Printed for J. Lnntlcy at the Three- 
 Bibles, inPortugal-ftreetj 1709. 
 
The Great Cafe Refolved, 
 
 How to be certainly SAVED. 
 
 Inftru&ion for a Holy Life. 
 
 I. The Neceflity, Reafon and 
 Means of Holinefs. 
 
 II. The Parts and Practice of a 
 Holy Life. 
 
 For Perfonal Direction, and for Family 
 InftriuStion. With two (bort Ca* : 
 techifms, and Prayers. 
 
 READER, 
 
 IGnorant Perfons cannot re- 
 member long and many 
 Words, nor underftand a brief 
 ftile and few Words, this 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 maketb it impoffible to mite a 
 Catecbifm, that /hall be unsuita- 
 ble either to the Undemanding 
 cr the Memory of fuch. lmuji 
 therefore defire the Teacher to 
 mak§ up this unavoidable Defecl, 
 by opening the meaning (efpecial/y 
 tfthe Catechifms) to the Children 
 and Servants, when they have 
 learned and fay the Words: Read 
 the Inftrutlions often to them, and 
 prefs all, as you go, on their Af- 
 fections. For the bare Words 
 without a prefent Guide, may elfe 
 be all loft. 
 
 : 
 
 I The 
 
L The Neceflicy, Reafon and 
 Means of Hoiinefs. 
 
 i. To kttf up is of the Comer ~ 
 
 ted. And, 
 
 2. Tc hi fir nil thofe in Families^ that need 
 cm. 
 
 T Hough the (a) laving of Souls be 
 a matter of unexpreffible Im- 
 portance, yet ( the Lord have 
 mercy upon them ; ) What abundance are 
 there that think it not worthy of their 
 ferioiis Enquiry^ not the Reading of a good 
 Book^ one hour in a Week ? For the fake 
 of thefe carelefs jlothful Sinners, I have 
 here fpoken much in little room y that they 
 may not refnfe to read and confider fb 
 fhort a LefTon, unlefs they think their 
 Souls wort:. . Sinner, as thou wilt: 
 fhortly anfwer it before God, deny not 
 to God, to thy felf, and me, the ibber 
 A 3_ pon- 
 
 (a) Mir. 8. 36*. Mat. 6. 37. Job. 11. 14. and ii p 
 17. rfil. 1. z> 3. Pp/.i4. aod iz. 
 
 v 1 
 
2 The Great Cafe Refolved, 
 
 pondering, and faithful pra&ifing tliefe 
 few Directions. 
 
 I. Begin at home and know thy felf : Con- 
 fider what it is to be a (b) MAN. Thou 
 art made a nobler Creature than the 
 Brutes. They ferve thee, and are governed 
 by thee -, and Death ends all their Pains 
 and Pleafures. But thou haft Reafon to rule 
 thy {elf and them', to know thy God, and 
 forefee thy End, and know thy way, and do 
 thy Duty. Thy. Reafon and Free will, and 
 Executive Power, are part of the Image of 
 CWupon thy Nature-, fo is thy Dominion 
 over the Brutes, as (under him) thou art . 
 their Owner, .their Ruler, and their End. 
 Butthy/i/c/y Wifdom, and Go&dnefs, and 
 Ability, is the chief part of his Image, on 
 which thy Happinefs depends. Thou haft 
 a Soul that cannot befatisfied in Knowing, 
 till thy (0 Knowledge reach to God him* 
 felf: Nor can it be difpofed by any other : 
 Nor can it (or the Societies of the World) 
 be well governed according to its Nature, 
 without regard to his Soveraign Authority, 
 and without the hopes and (d) fears of Joy 
 and Mifery hereafter : Nor can it be (e) 
 happy in any thing, but feeing, and loving, 
 
 and 
 
 (b) Pfrt. 8. 4, U *- Gen - *• a *> 27 ' Gen - * * 
 Cd. 2. io. (c) Job. 17. ?• i #**. 4- *> 7. ?er. ?< *4- 
 
How to he certainly Saved. 3 
 
 and delighting in this God, as he is revealed 
 in the other World. And is this K.. 
 given thee in vain ? If the Nature of 
 things be fitted to its (f.) Vfc and End, thea 
 it muft be fo with thine. 
 
 II. By knowing thy felf then, thou it 
 needs know that there is a (g) GOD ; and 
 that he is thy Maker, and infinite in 
 Tcrfcttions ; and that he is thy Owner, thy 
 Ruler, and thy Felicity or End. He is mad 
 that fecth not, that fuch Creatures have a 
 Caufe or Maker, and that ail the Power ^ 
 and wifdom, and Goodnefs, of the World is 
 canfed by a Power, and Wifdom, and G 
 tff/r, which is greater than that of all' the 
 World. And i*/;<? can be our Owner, bus 
 He that made us t And who can be our 
 htgheft Governour, but our Owner ? whofe 
 infinite Power, Wifdom, and Gccdnefs, mak- 
 eth him only fit thereto. And if he be 
 our Govemour, he mult needs have I 
 with Rewards {ox the ^ d Turn fin 
 for the 2Wj andjnalt J/^^and 
 accordingly. And if he be our C. 
 , and all that we have is ; 
 him, and all our Hope and t tfs in hirn % 
 nothing can be more clear than that the 
 A 4 very 
 
 If. 4) . 18. ( g ) Pfal. 14. 1 Gen.i. i. Rev, 
 1. 8. Rom. 1. 19, 20. f/j/. 46. 10. Pfjl. 9- 10. 
 100. and 25. F/j/. 19. 1. 2,3. P [4.47 -7. Eft l8 -4. 
 Gea. 18.25. jfaf. 1. 6. 
 
4 The Great Cafe Rejolved, 
 
 very Nature of Man doth prove that in 
 Hope of future Happinefs, he fhould 
 abjolutely rcfign hirnfelf to the Will and 
 Dljpofalaf this God, and that he fhould 
 (h) absolutely obey him, and that he fhould 
 love avdferve him with all his' Power. It 
 being impoflible to Love, Obey, aad Pleafe 
 that God too much, who is thus our Caufe y 
 ©ur End, our All. 
 
 III. By knowing thus thy felf and God, 
 it is eafie to know what Primitive HoJinefs 
 *w^Godlkiefs is. Even this hearty, en- 
 tire and abfolute refignation of the Soul 
 to God, as the infinite Power, Wifdom, 
 and Goodaefs ; as our Creator, our Own- 
 er, Governour, and Felicity or End y 
 fully lubmitting to his Difpofals -, obey* 
 ing his Laws, in hope of his promifed 
 Rewards, and fear of his threatned Pu- 
 nifhments : And loving and delighting in 
 himfelf, anJ all his Appearances in the 
 World -, and defiring and feeking the end- 
 lefs Sight and Enjoy meAt of him in Hea- 
 venly Glory, and expreflfmg thefe Affecti- 
 ons in daily Prayer, Thankfgiving and 
 Praife. This is the Vfe of all thy Faculties ', 
 the End and Bufinefs of thy Life ; the Health 
 
 and 
 
 — C PTMatth. 22. 37. 3er- $• 22. 2. Cor. 5. 8,9. r,t.s. 
 14. 2 Cor. 8. jf- & 6. 16, 17, 18. 1 Pet. 2. 9. Pftl-zo. 
 PUl. 37. 4. PfaL 40. €. Col. 3. 1, 2. Mat. 6, 20, 2i. 
 2 Cor. 4. 17. 18. 
 
How to he certainly Saved. $ 
 
 and Hafpnefs of thy Soul : This is that He* 
 linefs or Godlinefs which it doth fo much 
 call for. 
 
 IV. And by this is it eafie to know* 
 what a (£) ftate of Sin and Ungodlinefe 
 is. Even the want of ail this Holinefs* 
 and the fetting of carnal Self inftead cf 
 GOD. When Men are proudly Great, 
 and Wife, and Good in their own Eyes \ 
 and would difpofe of themfelves^ and all 
 their Concernments,and would rule them* 
 felves, and pleafe themfelves, according 
 to the fiefhly appetite and Fancy •, and 
 therefore love moll the Pleafures, and 
 Profits, and Honours of the World, as 
 the provifion to fatisfie the defires of the 
 Flefh i and God (hall be no farther Loved, 
 Obeyed or Pleafed, than the Love of 
 fleflily Pleafure will give leave ; nor fha!l 
 have any thing but what the Flefh can 
 fpare. This is a Wicked, a Carnal, aa 
 ungodly State} though it break forth in. 
 various ways of Sinning. 
 • V. By this, Experience it felf may tell 
 you, that moft Men (/) ( yea all till Graca 
 renew them ) are in tfiis ungodly mifera* 
 ble State : ( Though only the Scripture 
 A j tells, 
 
 (4) Pfal.14.dc i. Hefr.12.i4. Rom.S. 12, 13. 
 -Sfafc 3« 34* & ?• & t$ob- 2. if, i£ Row. 13,14,15', 
 Kcm.6. 16. Luke x8. 23. & 14. 26, 33. (I) Rom.} 
 Pfrk l+* Ftbef 1. 2 3 3. Rem. 1%*h *7> *?• Job* 3- ?« 
 
6 The Great Cafe RefolveJ, 
 
 tells us how this came to pafs ) Though 
 all are not Fornicators, nor Drunkards, 
 nor Extortioners, nor Perfecutors, nor 
 live not in the fame way of finning ;, yet 
 Selfi/hnefs, and Pride, and Senfuality,and 
 the Love of Wordly Things, Ignorance 
 and Ungodlinefs are plainly become the 
 commonCorruption of theNature of Man, 
 fo that their Hearts are turned to the 
 World from God, and filled with impiety, 
 fxlthinefs, and injuftice } and their Reafon 
 is but a Servant to their Senfes , and their 
 (W) Mind, and Love and Life, is Carnal - 7 
 and this carnal Mind is Enmity to the 
 Holinefs of God, and cannot be fubjeft 
 to his Law. This Corruption is heredi- 
 tary, and Is become, as it were, a Nature 
 to us, being the mortal Malady of all 
 our Natures. And it is eafie to know 
 thatfuch an unholy wicked Nature muft 
 jaeeds be loathfcme to God, and (») unfit 
 for the happy enjoyment of his Love, 
 cither here, or in the Life to come : For 
 what Communion hath Light with Dark- 
 aefs? 
 
 VI. Hence then it is eafie to fee, That 
 Grace ismsdful to a Mans Salvation. So 
 odious a Creature, fuch an unthankful 
 Rebel, that is turned away from God, 
 
 and 
 
 *») Konu % j , 1. (n) JP/*/. 4. 3, % Or- 1. 1 4* -i 7- 
 
How to he certainly Saved. 1 1 
 
 and will raifeall the dead, and will juflifie 
 his Saints, and judge thenl unto endlefs 
 Joy and glory, and copdenan the Unbelie- 
 vers, impenitent and (-v) ungodly, unto 
 endlefs Mifery. The Soul alone is judged 
 at Death, and Body and Soul at the Re- 
 furreftion. This Gofpel the Apoftles 
 preached to the World \ and that it might 
 beeffe&ual to Mens Salvation, the (y) 
 Holy Ghofl: was firft given to infpire the 
 Preachers of it, and enable them to fpeak 
 in the various Languages, and infallibly 
 to agree iaOne, and to work many great 
 and open Miracles to prove their Word 
 to thofe they preached to : And by this 
 means they (^) planted the Church • 
 which ordinary Minifters mint increafe, 
 and teach and overfee to the end of the 
 World, till all the Elefr be gathered in. 
 And the fame, (a) Holy fpirit hath un- 
 dertaken it, as his Work, to accompany 
 this Gofpel, and by it to convert Mens 
 Souls, illuminating and fan&ifying them $ 
 and by a fecret (b) Regeneration to le- 
 new their Natures, and bring them to 
 thatKnowledgeand Obedience, ;> 
 of God, which is the Primitive HolL 
 
 for 
 
 \ — ■ 
 
 Qt)I*4,i6.(j)A&.t. fob. 17. 23,(*>Mtf.'*ti 
 K Aft. 14. . 
 
 *>9-sV)Tit. 3.7,6 Job. 13.5,^ 
 
T r the Great Cafe Refelved, 
 
 for which we were created.and from which 
 we fell. And thus by a Saviour and San- 
 difier muft all be reconciled and renewed, 
 that will be glorified with God inHeaven. 
 All this you may learn from the Sacred 
 Scriptures, which were (r) written by the 
 Infpiration of the Holy Spirit, and fealed 
 by multitudes of open (d) Miracles, and 
 contain the yery Image and Superfcription 
 of God, and have been received and pre- 
 ferved by the Church, as the certain Ora- 
 cles of God, and blefied by him through 
 ell Generations, to the falsifying of 
 many Souls. 
 
 IX. When you underftand all this, it 
 is time for you to (0 look home, and un- 
 derftand now what ftate your Souls are in. 
 That you were made capable of Holinefs 
 and Happinefs, you know ; that you and 
 all Men are fallen from God and Holinefs, 
 and Happinefs unto Self, and Sin and Mi- 
 fery,you know •, that you are fo far re- 
 deemed by Chrift, you know, as to have 
 a pardoning and faving Covenant ten- 
 dered you, and Chrift and Mercy offered 
 to your choice. But whether you are 
 truly penitent Believers, and renewed 
 by the Holy Ghoft, and fo united unto 
 
 Chrift 
 
 (c) 2. Tim. 3 16. (d) Heb. i, ft 4-W * **•■ ** £ 
 
 «/«4. 4*2 FeU I. io. 
 
How to le certainly Saved, 1 3 
 
 i Chrift, this is theQueftion yetunrefol- 
 vedi this is the Work that is yet to do, 
 without which there is no Salvation \ 
 and if you die before it is done, wo to 
 thee that ever thou waft a Man, Except 
 a Man be (f) Regenerate by the Spirir, and 
 Converted and made a New Creature, and 
 of Carnal be made Spiritual, and of Earth- 
 ly be made Heavenly, and of Selfifh and 
 Sinful be made Holy and Obedient to 
 God, he can never be faved, no more than 
 the Devil himfelf can be faved. And if 
 this be fo, (as nothing is more fure) I re- 
 quire thee now,whoreadeft thefe words, 
 as thou regardeft thy Salvation, as thou 
 wouldft efcape Hell-fire, and /land with 
 Comfort before Chrift and his Angels, at 
 the Jaft, that thou foberly condder whe- 
 ther Reafon command thee not to try thy 
 State : whether thou art thus (g) re- 
 newed by the Spirit of Chrift or not ? 
 And to (/?) call for help to thofe that can 
 advife thee, and follow on the fearch till 
 thou know thy Cafe. And if thy Soul 
 beaftranger to this fandifying Work, 
 whether Reafon command thee not, 
 without any delay, to make out to Chrift, 
 
 and 
 
 (f fob. 3. f. 2 Cor. r. 17. Rom. 8. 7, 9. Phil* 3- *•, 
 '. (g) AS. 16. 74. ;h) Ait. a. 37.fr if. 30. & 11. 
 ;. i Cor. 6 j 1, 2. Rev. 1. 7. 
 
14 The Great Cafe RefolveJ, 
 
 and beg his Spirit, and call away thy 
 Sins, and give up thy felf entirely to thy 
 God, thy Saviour and Sanftifier, and en- 
 ter into his Covenant with a full Refolu- 
 tion never toforfake him : to deny thy 
 felf, and the defires of the Flefh, and 
 this deceitful tranfitory World, and lay 
 out all thy hopes on Heaven, and fpeedily 
 whatever it coft thee, to make fure of the 
 Felicity which hath no end ? And dareft 
 thou refufe this when God and Confcience 
 do command it ? A nd further I advife you. 
 X. Underfland how it is that Satan 
 hindretb Souls from being Sanctified : That 
 you may know how to refill his Wiles. 
 Somehedeceiveth by (J) malicious Sug- 
 gestions, that Holinefs is nothing but 
 Fancy or Hypocryfie ! ( And if God and 
 Death, and Heaven and Hell, were Fancies, 
 this might bebeliev'd.)Somehedebauch- 
 eth by the power of flefhly Appetite 
 and Luft, fo that their Sins will not let 
 their Reafon fpeak : Some he keepeth in 
 utter Ignorance, by the evil Education 
 of ignorant Parents, and the negligence 
 of (k) ungodly Soul murdering Teachers : 
 fome he deceiveth by worldly Hopes, 
 and keepeth their Minds fo taken up with 
 
 worldly 
 
 (i) AS. 14. 14. & 28. 22. & *4. y, R (k) Mai. a. 
 7, 9. Hof. 4. <?. 
 
How to be certainly Saved. 15 
 
 worldly thingsthat the Matters of Eterni- 
 ty can have but fome loofe and uncffeftual 
 Thoughts, or as bad as none: Some are 
 entangled in (/) ill Company, who make a 
 fcorn of a holy Life, and feed them with 
 continual Diverfions and vain Delights : 
 And fome are fo (m) hardened in their 
 Sin, that they are even paft feeling, and 
 neither fear God's Wrath, nor care for 
 their Salvation, but hear thefe things as 
 Men afkep. and nothing will awake them : 
 Some are difcouraged with a conceit that 
 Godlinefs is a Life fo (n) grievous, fad, 
 and melancholy, that rather than endure 
 it, they will venture their Souls, come 
 on it what will, (n) as if it were a grie- 
 vous Life to love God, and hope for end- 
 lefs Joys : And a pleafant Life to love the 
 World and fin, and live within a flep of 
 Hell ! Some that are convinced do (0) put 
 off their conversion with Delays, and 
 think it's time enough hereafter : and are 
 purpofingand promiiingtill it be too late, 
 and Life, and Time, and Hope be ended. 
 And fome that fee there is a neceffity of 
 Holinefs, are Q) cheated by fome dead 
 
 Opinion 
 
 (1) Prov. 13. 2Q, (m) Epbef. 4. 18, 19. (n) M'at- 1. 
 13. 0)^0.27,3,8, 12, & 24, 43.44. (p)?**. 
 8. 3?, 41, 44. Rom. 3. 1, t. Gal. 4. 29. M*U 13. 19, 
 20, zi, 22. & 17. 2, 3,6. GaL i.i. 
 
1(5 The Great Cafe RefoheJ, 
 
 Opinion, or Names, or fhews and Images 
 of Holinefs: either becaufe they hold a 
 ftrid Opinion, or becaufe they joyn with 
 a Religions Party, or becaufe they are of 
 that which they think is the true Church, 
 or becaufe they arc baptized with Water, 
 and obferve the outward parts of Wor- 
 fhip \ and perhaps becaufe they offer God . 
 a great deal of Lio-Service, and Lifelefs 
 Ceremony, which never favoured of a Ho- 
 ly Soul.Thus Deadnefs,Senfuality,World- 
 linefs and Hyprocrifie, do hinder Millions 
 from Sanftification and Salvation. 
 
 XI. If ever thou wouldft befaved, op- 
 prefs not reafon by Senfuality or Diver- 
 iioas : But fomtimes (7) retire for fober 
 Confideration, diftra&cd and fleepy Rea- 
 fon is unufeful : God and Confcience have 
 a great deal to fay to thee : which in a 
 croud of Company and Bufinefs thou art 
 not fit to hear. It is a 0%) doleful cafe 
 that a Man who hath a GW, a Chrifi, a 
 Soul, a Heaven^ a Hell to think of, will 
 allow them none but running Thoughts, 
 and not once a Week bellow one Hour 
 in Man-like ferious (s) Confideration of 
 them ! fure thou haft no greater things 
 to mind. Refolve then fometimes to 
 
 fpend 
 
 (q)- P(d. 4. 4. Hag. 1. ?. Veut. 31. 7, *% (0 #f- *• 
 3. (s) Job. 34. I7*1ftr. 23- io.P(d. 119 59* 
 
Hew to be certainly Saved. 1 7 
 
 fpend halfan hour in the deepeft thoughts 
 of thy everlafting State. 
 
 XII. Look (i) upon this World, and 
 its Pleafures, as a Man of Reafon, who 
 forefeeth the end, and not as a Beaft, 
 that liveth but by Senfe or prefent Ob- 
 jects. Do I need to tell thee, Man, that 
 thou muft Me ? Cannot Carcafles and Duft 
 inftruft thee to fee the end of Earthly 
 Glory, and all the Pleafures of the Flefli ? 
 Is it a Controverfie, whether thy Flefh 
 muft (hortly perifh ? and wilt thou yet 
 provide for it before thy Soul ? What a 
 fad farewel muft thou fhortly take, of all 
 that Worldlings fell their Souls for ! And 
 O how quickly will this be ! Alas, Man 
 the Day is even at hand ; a few days 
 more, and thou art gone ! and deareft 
 thou live unready, and part with Heaven 
 for fuch a World as this ? 
 
 XIII. And then think foberly of the 
 Qi) Life to come, What it is for a Soul 
 to appear before the living God, and be 
 judged to endlefs Joy or Mifery ! If the 
 Devil tempt thee to doubt of fuch a Life, 
 remember that Nature, and Scripture, 
 and the World's Content, and his own 
 
 Temptations 
 
 TTdor. 4. $7Ve: ' • I fob. 2. 17. 1 ( 
 
 7,31. Lut 12. 19, 20. fob, 14. 1, 2. 1 Tbef. 5- 13, 
 (u Lttt u. + Eccl. 12.7.2 Pel. 3. u; 2 Cor. 4 
 Fbil. 3.18,20. 
 
18 The Great Cafe RefolveJ, 
 
 Temptations are Witnefles againft hinri 
 O Man, canft thou pafs one day in Com- 
 pany or alone, in Bufinefs or in Idlenefs, 
 without fome fober Thoughts of Ever- 
 laftingnefs ? Nothing morelheweth that 
 the Hearts of Men are afleep or dead, 
 than that the Thoughts of cndlefs Joy 
 or Pain, fo near at hand, conftrain them 
 not to be Holy, and overcome not all the 
 Temptations of the Flelh, as Toys and 
 inconfiderable Things. 
 
 XIV. Mark well what Mind moft Men 
 are of when they come to (x) die ! Unlefs 
 it be fome defperate forfaken Wretch, 
 do they not all fpeak well of a Holy Life ? 
 and wifh that their Lives had been fpent 
 in the moft fervent Love of God, and 
 flridefl Obedience to his Laws ? Do 
 they then fpeak well of Lull and Pleafures, 
 and magnifie the Wealth and Honours 
 of the World? Had they not rather die as 
 the moft mortified Saints, than as carelefs, 
 flefhly worldly Sinners ? And doft thou 
 fee and know this, and yet wilt thou not 
 be inftruded, and be wife in time ? 
 
 XV. Think well what manner of Men 
 thefe where, whofefjy) Names are now 
 honoured for their Holinefs ? What man- 
 I ner 
 
 (x) Numb. 23. 10. Mat. 2^. 8. & 7.21. 22, Frov. 
 *. 28,25?. (y) Jfcttkaj.*?, 30,31,33. H<&, 11, 
 *«. jf#, 8. 3y, 
 
How to be certainty Saved. 19 
 
 I'nerof Life did $U Peter, and St. Paul, 
 St. Cyprian, St. Auguftine, and all other 
 Saints and Martyrs live ; was it a Life 
 of flefhly Sports and Pkafiues ? Did 
 they deride or perfecute a Holy Life? 
 Were they not more ftriftly Holy than 
 ! any that thou knoweft ? And is he not felf- 
 condemned, that honoureth the Names 
 of Saints, and will not imitate them t 
 
 XVI. Think what the difference is be- 
 tween a Chaiftian and an (z.) Heathen. 
 You are loath to be Heathens or Infidels : 
 But do you think a Chriftian excelleth 
 them but in Opinion ? He that is not 
 Holier than they, is worfe, andfballfuf- 
 fer more than they. 
 
 XVII. Think what the difference is 
 between a (a) Godly Chriftian and an 
 Ungodly. Do not all the Oppofers of 
 Holinefs among us, yet fpeak for the 
 "fame God, and Chrift, and Scripture ; 
 -and profefs the fame Creed and Religion 
 with thofe whom they oppofe ? And is 
 not this Chrift the Author of our Holi- 
 nefs, and this Scripture the Commander 
 of it ? Search and fee, whether the dif- 
 ference be not this, That the Godly are 
 ferious in their Profeffion, and the Un- 
 godly 
 
 Mattb. 10. 15. Kom.z. AH. 10.34. 37. (a) 
 Kom y z. 18, 29. Mwb, if . a3. Lufr i$- 12. Aft. ** 
 Gal. A. 2 9. 
 
4,0 the Great Cafe RefolveJ. 
 
 godly are Hyprocrites, who hate and 
 oppofe the pra&ice of the very things 
 wJiich themfelves profefs ; whofe Re- 
 ligion ferveth but to condemn them, 
 while their Lives are contrary to their 
 Tongues. 
 
 XVIII. Underftand what the Devil's 
 Policy >is y by raifing fo many^) Sefts and 
 Factions and Controverfies about Religion 
 in the World ; Even to ma^ke fome think 
 that they are Religious, becaufe they can 
 prate for their Opinions, or becaufe they 
 think their Party is the bell, becaufe 
 their Faftion is the Greateft or the Leaft, 
 the Uppermoft, or the fuffering Side. 
 And to turn holy edifying Conference 
 into vain Jangling ? and to make Men 
 Atheifts, fufpe&ing all Religion, and 
 true to none ^ becaufe of Mens di- 
 verfity of Minds. But remember that 
 Chriftian Religion is but One: and a 
 thing eafily known by its ancient Rule; 
 and the univerfal Church containing all I 
 Chriftians, is but One. And if carnal j 
 Intereft or Opinion fo diftraft Men, that ) 
 one Party faith, We are all the Church - 7 
 and another faith, It is we, ( as if the ; 
 
 Kitchin ' 
 
 (b>E/)&. 4. 14. ^fS.20.30. 1CQr.11.19. i-2S«* 
 
 4. 3. & i. 14, 16. 1 Tim. 1. ?> 6. Tiu 3. 9. Epbef. 4, 
 3. &c. 1 Cor lii Mat* n^U &<*rn>i. 1 »j 17, *8, if, 
 
How to be certainly Saved. %\ 
 
 Kitchin were all the Houfe,or one Town 
 or Village, all the Kingdom •, ) Wilt thou 
 be mad with feeing this Diftradion? 
 Harken, Sinner, all thefe Seftsin the Day 
 of Judgment fhall concur as Witnefles 
 againft thee, if thou be Unholy ; becaufe 
 however elfe they differed, (c) all of them 
 that are Chriflians,profefled the neceffity 
 of Holinefs, and fubfcribed to that Scrip- 
 ture which requireth it. Though thou 
 canft not eafily refolve every Controver- 
 fie, thou maift eafily know the true Re- 
 ligion \ it is that which Chrifl and his 
 Apoftles taught, which all Chriftians have 
 profefled, which Scripture requireth ; 
 which is firft (d) pure, and then peacea- 
 ble } molt Spiritual, Heavenly, Charitable 
 and Juft. 
 
 XIX. Away from that (e ) Company 
 which is fenfual, and an Enemy to Rea- 
 fon, Sobriety, and Holinefs ; and coofe- 
 quently to God, themfelves and thee. 
 Can they be wife for thee, that are foolilh 
 for themfelves ? or Friends to thee, that 
 are undoing themfelves ? or have any 
 pity on thy Soul, when they make a Jeft 
 of their own Damnation ? Will they 
 help thee to Heaven, who are running 
 _ B { 
 
 ( c ) Gal. i. 7. 8. Mattb. 28. 20. ( 4 Jam. 3 . 
 ;e; Efb.s.11. Frov-i}. 20. z Cor.6, 17,18. Pfai. ij^' 
 Deui- 13. 15. 
 
2fc the Great Cafe Refolved, 
 
 fo furioufly to Hell ? chute better Famili- 
 ars, if thou wouldeft be better. 
 
 XX. Judge not of a holy Life by hear fay, 
 for it cannot fo be known. ( f) Try it a 
 while, and then judge as thou findeft it. 
 Speak not againfi the things thou know- 
 eft not. Had'ft thou but lived in the love 
 of God, and the lively belief of endlefs 
 Glory, and the Delights of Holinefs, and 
 the Fears of Hell, but for one Month or 
 Day ; and with fuch an Heart, hadil 
 (£)cafl: away thy Sin, and called upon 
 -God, aad ordered thy Family in a holy 
 manner, efpecially on the Lord's Day^ 
 -l*dare boldly fay, Experience would con- 
 ilrain thee to (h) juftifie a holy Life. But 
 yet I muft tell thee, it is not true Holi-' 
 nefs, if thou do but try it with (i) Ex- 
 ceptions and Referves : If therefore God 
 hath convinced thee that this is his Will 
 and Way, I adjure thee, as in his dreadful 
 Pretence, that thou (k) delay no longer, 
 'but refolve, and abfolutely give up thy 
 felf to God, as thy Heavenly Father, thy 
 Saviour, and thy Sanftifier, and make en 
 everlaflng Covenant with him, and then he 
 
 and 
 
 (f)5F<*. 7.40. 1^.14.20,50. 2f«fc'£ : 3?j374ft 
 (*(>#" **•*> 7- (h) Mix. 11. 1^. (i)La& 14. 35- 
 (k) Rev. ia. 17. fibnd. 12. Rev**-8c 3. ijchn 5. 
 11,13, PfaLi*-*?. P/2/-73. »& MaftbAS. Lu'<j ^o.3fi 
 
 Heh* z. 7 Thef. z. 22. 
 
How to he certainly Saved. 1 5 
 
 and all his Mercies will be thine •, his 
 Grace will help thee, and his Mercy Par- 
 don thee* hisMinifters will mftruct thee, 
 and his People pray for thee, and affift 
 thee, his Angels will guard thee, and his 
 Spirit comfort thee : And when Flelh 
 muft fail, ? and thou muft leave this World, 
 thy Saviour will then receive thy Soul, 
 and bring it'unto the participation of his 
 Glory } and he will raife thy Body, and 
 juftifie thee before the World, and make 
 thee equal before the Angels, and thou 
 fhalt live in the Sight and love of God, 
 ond in the everlafting Pleafures of his 
 Glory : This is the End of Faith and Ho- 
 linefs But if thou harden thy Heart, and 
 refufeft Mercy, (I) everlafting Wo will 
 be thy Portion, and then there will be 
 no Remedy. 
 
 And now, Reader, I beg of thee, and 
 I beg of God on my bended knees, that 
 thefefew words may fink into thy Heart, 
 and that thou wouldft read them over 
 and over again, and bethink thee a r . a 
 Man that muft fhortly die. Whether any 
 deferve thy Love and Obedience more 
 than God ? And thy thankful Remem- 
 brance more than Chrift, and thy Care 
 and Diligence more than thy Salvation ? 
 B 2 is 
 
1 4 ¥h e Great Cafe RefoheJ. 
 
 is there any Felicity more defirable than 
 Heaven ? Or any Mifery more terrible 
 than Hell ? or any thing fo regardable as 
 that which is everlafting? Will a few 
 days flefhly Pleafures pay for the lofs of 
 Heaven and thy Immortal Soul ? Or will 
 *hy Sin and thy Profperity be fweet at 
 Death, and in the Day of Judgment? 
 As thou art a Man, and as ever thou be- 
 lieveft: that there is a God, and a World 
 to come, and as thou careft for thy Soul, 
 whether it be faved or damned, I befeech 
 thee, I charge thee, think of thefe things] 
 think -of them once a-day at leafl! think 
 ©f them with they moft fober ferious 
 Thoughts ! Heaven is not a Maygame, 
 and Hell is not a Flea-biting ! Make not 
 a jefl of Salvation or Damnation! I know 
 thou liveft in a Diftra&ed World, where 
 thou mayefl hear fome Laughing at fuch 
 things as thefe, and Scorning at a Holy 
 Life, and faftning odious Reproaches on 
 the Godly, and merrily drinking and 
 playing, and prating away their Time, 
 and then faying, that they will truft 
 God with their Souls, and hope to be 
 faved without fo much ado? But if all 
 thefe Men do not change their minds, and 
 be not fhortly down in the Mouth, and 
 would not be glad to eat their Words, 
 
 -and 
 
Hotv to It certainly /aved. i$ 
 
 and wifiied that they had lived a Holy 
 Life, though it coil them fcorn and fbi> 
 fering in the World, let me bear the 
 fhame of a Deceiver for ever : But if 
 God and thy Confcienct bear witnefs 
 againft thy Sin, and tell thee that a holy 
 Life is bell, regard not the Gain-faying 
 of a Bedlam World, which is drunk witli 
 the Delufions of the Flefh : But give up 
 thy Soul and Life to God by Jefus Chrift in a 
 faithful Covenant } Delay no longer, Man, 
 but refolve^ Refolve immediately, refolve 
 unchangeably ; And God will be thine, and 
 thou jhalt be his for ever, Amen. Lord, 
 have Mercy on this Sinner, and fo le^it 
 be refolved by thee in him. 
 
 II. The Parts and P rati ice of a Holy 
 Life for Verfomal and Family In? 
 
 ftruiiions. 
 
 A 
 
 LL is not (a) done when men bare 
 T un a Religious L ite : All Trees 
 that bloflbm prove not fruitful \ and all 
 Fruit comes not to perfediGn. Many 
 fall off, who feemed to have good Begin- 
 nings : And many diflionour the Name 
 B 3 of 
 
 (a) i Cor. J. if. Heb. 4. 1. iPet.i.i}. 1 Cor* J \ 
 
%6 The Great Cafe Refolved, 
 
 of (Thrift, by their Scandals and Infir- 
 mities : Many do grieve their Teachers 
 Heartland lamentably diflurbthe Church 
 of Chrift, by their Ignorance, Errors, 
 Self-conceitednefs, Unrulinefs, Headinefs, 
 Contentioufhefs, Sidings and Divifions : 
 Infomuch that the ( b ) Scandals and the 
 Feuds of Chriftiafis are the great Impedi- 
 ments of the Converfion of the Infidel and 
 Heathen World, by the expofing Chrifti- 
 anity to their contempt and fcorn, as 
 if it were but the Error of Men, as un- 
 holy and worldly, and proud as others, 
 that can never agree among themfelves : 
 And many by their Paffions and Selfifh- 
 nefs are ^ Trouble to the Families and 
 Neighbours where they live : And more 
 by their Weaknefs and great Diftem- 
 pers, are Snares, Vexations and Burdens 
 to themfelves. Whereas Chrifrianity in. 
 its true Conftitution, is a Life of fuch 
 Holy (c) Light and Love, fuch Purity 
 and Peace, fuch Fruitfulnefs and Heavep- 
 linefs, as if it were accordingly fnewed 
 forth in the Lives of Chriftians, woukl 
 command Admiration and Reverence 
 from the World, and do more to their 
 Gonverfion, than Swords or Words alone 
 
 can 
 
 (b) Phil. 3. 18, 19. Acts 20. 30. (c) Mattb. y. 16. 
 
 v Pet. •> t 1 Vet t t * Rr t Q : r.nv. T . f T 
 
Hw to he certainly Saved. 27 
 
 can do: And it would make Chriftians 
 ufeful and amiable to each other : And 
 their Lives a Feaft and Pleafure to them- 
 felves. I hope it may pro\*s fome help 
 to thefe Excellent Ends, and to the fecu- 
 ring Mens Salvation, if in a few found 
 Experienced Dire&ions I open to you the 
 Duties of a Chriftian Life. 
 
 1. Keep ft ill the true (d) Form of 'Christian. 
 DottriVy Deflre and Duty, orderly printed 
 en your Minds : That is, Underftand it 
 clearly and diftinftly, and remember it, 
 I mean the Great Points of Religion 
 contained in Catechifir.s. You muft ftill 
 grow in the clearer underftanding 01 
 your Catechifms, if you live an hundred 
 Years : Let not the Words only, but the. 
 Mattfer, be as familiar ia your Minds, as 
 the Rooms of your Honfe are. Such (f» 
 folid Knowledge w ill eftabliih yon agaiafl: 
 Sedu&ion and Unbelief, and will be ftill 
 within you a ready Help for every Grace., 
 and every Duty \ as the Skill of an 
 Artificer is for his Work : And for want 
 of this, when you come among Infidels 
 or Hereticks, their Reafonings may feem 
 unanfwerable to you, and (hake, if not 
 overthrow your Faith : And you will 
 B 4 eafily 
 
 (d) 2 K»i.i.i3.&3.7.H?k? ii.?W/.i.$. K0w.17.i4r 
 (^^.4.13,14. Col. i.<p. &2 i.Sc 5, iq. iTim. 6.+ . 
 
i8 The Great Cafe RefolveJ, 
 
 cafily err in leffer Points, and trouble the 
 Church with your Di earns and Wrang- 
 lings. This is the Calamity of many 
 Profeflbrs } that while they will be molt 
 cenforious Judges in every Controverfie 
 about Church-matters, they know not 
 well the Doftrin of the Catechifm. 
 
 II. Live daily by Faith on (T) Jefus Chrifl 
 as the Mediator between God and you. Be- 
 ing well-grounded in the Belief of the 
 Gofpel, and underftanding Chrift's Of- 
 fices, make ufe of him ftill in all your 
 Wants. Think on the Fatherly Love 
 of God, as coming to you through him 
 alone : And of the Spirit, as given by 
 him your Head, and of the Covenant of 
 Grace as ena&td and fealed by him \ and 
 of the Miniftry as fent by him \ and of 
 all Times and Helps, and Hopes as pro- 
 cured and given by him. When you 
 think of Sin, and Infirmity, and Tempta- 
 tions, think alfo of his fufficient par- 
 doning, juftifying and victorious Grace. 
 When thou thinkeft of the World, the 
 FIcfh, and the Devil, think how he over* 
 cometh them. Let his Dodtrin and the 
 Pattern of his moll perfeft Life, be al- 
 ways before you as your Rule. In all 
 " your 
 
 (f) $obni7.}- Epbef.3*i7ii**Mat.iZ. i9-Epb. i. 
 22,23, & 4. £. 16. Rom. y. %-Cor.u.9.$ob.i6.3$. 
 I $oh. f . 4.. Heb* 4. 14, 16* Cf>L 1. 3-. 4. Afts 7. f 9.* 
 
How to he certainly Saved. z$ 
 
 your Doubts and Fears, and Wants, go 
 to him in the Spirit, and to the Father 
 by him, and him alone. Take him as the 
 Root of your Life and Mercies, and live 
 as upon him and by his Life , and when 
 you die, reilgn your Souls to him, that 
 they may be with him where he is, and fez 
 his Glory. To live on Chrift and ufe him 
 in every want, and addrefs to God, i* 
 more than a general confufed Believing' 
 in him. 
 
 III. So believe in the Holy Ghofl, as to 
 (g) live and work by him, as the Body doth 
 by the Soul You are not (h) baptized into, 
 his Name in vain } ( but too few under- 
 ftand the fenfe and realbn of it*) The 
 Spirit is fent by Chrift for Two great 
 Works. 1. To the Apoftles and Pro- 
 phets, to(0 infpire them infallibly to 
 Preach the Gofpel, and confirm it by 
 Miracles, and leave it on Record for fol- 
 lowing Ages, in the Holy Scriptures.' 
 2. To all his (K) Members to illuminate* 
 and fanftifie them, to believe and obey 
 his Sacred Doftrin (befides his common 
 Gift to many to underftand and Preach 
 it.) The Spirit having firft indited the 
 Gofpel, doth by it firft regenerate, and 
 
 B_j after 
 
 Cg) Gal. 1.16M. (h) Mattb. *S.i9.(i) $obn itf.i > 
 Heb. i. 34 . (kj ittr.ijfc, l», 13. jt#M. h*y 
 
30 the Great Cafe RefelveJ, 
 
 after govern all true Believers. He is not 
 now given us for the revealing of new 
 Do&rins,but to under Hand and obey the 
 (/) Doftrin revealed and fealed by him 
 long ago. As the Sun doth by its fweet 
 and difcreet influence both give and che- 
 rifh the natural Life of things Senfitive 
 and Vegetative •, fo doth Chrift by his 
 (m ) Spirit our fpiritual Life. As you do 
 no work but by your natural Life, you 
 fliould do none but by your fpiritual 
 Life : You muft not only Believe and 
 Love and Pray by it, but manage all your 
 Galling by it; for Holimfs to the Lord 
 muft be written upon all : All things are 
 fan&ified to you, beCaufe you being fan- 
 dified to God, devote all to him, and 
 ufed all for him •, and therefore muft do 
 all in the Strength and Conduft of the 
 Spirit. 
 
 IV. (ji) Live wholly upon God, as All in 
 in All : As the fir fi Efficient, principal Diri- 
 gent, and final Canfe of all things. Let Faith, 
 Hope, and Love, be daily feeding on 
 him. Let onr Father which art in Heaven, 
 be firft inferibed on your Hearts, that 
 he may feera moft amiable to yow, and 
 
 you 
 
 ~Q)l Tim.^i^i6.^uit 19.1 o-. (m) F^.36.27..*/^ 
 44.3. Row.S.i,?. 1 C$r. 6. 1 1. Zecb. 1 4.10. (n) 1 Cor.10. 
 31. RMZ.11.36. z Cor.S.7,%- 1 John.z.i.Rom.ui-iiyl. 
 Nat-iiA?. EPbef.i.6* 1 Cor. 1.1 9. GaL 4.4,?^ 6. 
 
How to le certainly Saved. 3 r 
 
 you may boldly truft him, and filial Love 
 may be the fpring of Duty. Make ufe of 
 the Son and Spirit to lead you to the Fa- 
 ther; and of Faith in Chrifi to kindle 
 and keep alive the Love of God. God's 
 Love is our Primitive Holinefs,and efpe- 
 cially caJled, with its Fruits, \Oht Sancli- 
 ficaxion,~\ which Faith in Chrifi is but a 
 means to. Let it be your principal End, 
 in ftudying Chrift, to fee the Goodnefs, 
 Love, and Amiablenefs of God in him : 
 A condemning God is not fo eafily loved, 
 as a gracious reconciled God. You have 
 fo much of the Spirit, as you have Love 
 to God. This is the proper Gift of the 
 Spirit to all the adopted Sons of God, to 
 caufe them with filial Affeftion and De- 
 pendence, to cry, Abba Father. Know 
 not, defire not, love not any Creature, 
 but purely as fubordinate to God ! With- 
 out him, let it be nothing to you but as 
 the Glafs without the Face, or fcattered 
 Letters without the Senfe^ or as the 
 Corps without the Soul. (0) Call nothing 
 Profperity or Pleafure, but his Love ; 
 and nothing Adverfity or Mifery,but his 
 Difpftafure,and the Catife and the F 
 of it. When any thing would feem lovely 
 and defirable, which is agairtft him, call 
 
 it 
 
1% The Great Cafe RefolveJ, 
 
 it (p) Dnng ! And hear that Manias (q) $*• 
 tan or the Serpent, that would entice 
 you from him:, and count him but Vanity, 
 a Worm, and Dull, that would affright 
 you from your Duty to him. Fear him 
 much, but Love him more ! Let (r) Love 
 be the Soul and End of every other Duty. 
 It is the End and Reafon of all the reft : 
 But it hath no End or Reafon, but its 
 Objed. Think of no other Heaven, and 
 End and Happinefs of Man, but Love 
 the final Ad, and God the final Objeft : 
 Place not your Religion in any thing but 
 the Love of God, with its Means and 
 Fruits. Own no Grief, Defire, or Joy, 
 but a Mourning, a feeking, and a rejoycirg 
 Love. 
 
 V. Live in the belief and hopes of Heaven* 
 And($)feek it as your Part and End •, and daily 
 delight your SohIs in the fore-thoughts of th* 
 endlefs Sight and Love of God. As God is 
 feen on Earth but as in a Glafs, fo is 
 he proportionably enjoyed. But when 
 mourning, feeking Love hath done, and 
 Sin and Enemies are overcome, and we 
 behold the Glory of God in Heaven, the 
 Delights of Love will then be perfed. 
 You 
 
 (p) PhH-l d*%\ (q)Mat.i6.i$,(TjiTke{}.5. 2Car.13.14. 
 (S)Cc/.3. 1,2,3,4. M<tf.6.i9.2o,2i,33. 2Cor.4.i7,i8.& 
 7. Lufc.ii.io. Hti.tf.20. 1 Cor. if. 28. Efbef.^*. & i. 
 
How to be certainly Saved. 3 3 
 
 You may defire more on Earth than you 
 may hope for. Look not for a Kingdom 
 of this World, nor for Mount Zion in the 
 Wildernefs, Chrift reigneth on Earth, as 
 Mofes in the Carap,to guide us to the Land 
 of the Promife , Or perfeft Bleflednefs 
 will be, where the Kingdom it delivered 
 up to the Father, and God is All in AIL 
 A doubt, or a ftrange heartlefs thought 
 of Heaven, is Water caft on the facred 
 Fire, to quench your Holinefs and your 
 Joy. Can you travel one whole day to 
 fuch an End, and never think on the Place 
 that you are going to ? Which mult be 
 intended in every righteous Ad: (either 
 notedly, or by the ready unobferved Ad 
 of a potent Habit.) When Earth is at the 
 beft, it will not be Heaven. You live no 
 further by Faith, like Chriftians, than 
 you either live for Heaven in feeking it, 
 or elfe upon Heaven in Hope and Joy. 
 
 VI. Labour to make Religion your Plea fur e 
 W(t) Delight. Look oft to God, to 
 Heaven, to Chrift, to the Spirit, to the 
 Promifes, to all your Mercies. Call over 
 your Experiences, and think what matter 
 of high Delight is ftill before you, and 
 how unfeemly it is, and how injurious to 
 
 vour 
 
 (t) PfdL 1.1,3. & 84.2.io.&$3.3,y.&37.4-& pi"- 
 J9.8C I 19.47,70. Ifa. 58.14. PjaLui 1. K0OT.14.17. 
 & r*l,3>?»I Fa. i.8.M*tt.Ml, u>Pjjl. 3x.11> 
 
34 The Great Cafe RefolveJ, 
 
 your Profeflion, for one that faith he 
 hopeth for Heaven, to live as fadly as 
 thofe that have no higher hopes than 
 Earth. How fhould that Man be filled 
 with Joy, who muft live in the Joys of 
 Heaven for ever? Efpecially rejoyce when 
 the Meflengers of Death do tell you, that 
 your endlefs Joy is near. If God, and 
 Heaven, with all our Mercies in the way, 
 be not reafon enough for a joyful Life, 
 there can be none at all. Abhor all Sug- 
 geftions which would make Religion feem 
 a tedious irkfome Life. And take heed 
 that you reprefent it not fo to others ; 
 for you will never make them in love 
 with that which you make them not per- 
 ceive to be delegable and lovely. Not as 
 the Hypocrite, by forcing and framing 
 his Religion to his carnal Mind and Plea- 
 fure \ but bringing up the Heart to a holy 
 fuitablenefs to the Pleafures of Religion. 
 
 VII. Watch as for your Soris^ againfl this 
 fettering temping (u) World , efpecially when 
 it is reprefented as more fweet and delegable, 
 than God and Holinefs^ and Heaven. This 
 World with its Pleafures, Wealth, and 
 Honours, is it that is put in the Ballancq 
 by 
 
 (u") G&L6.H- i Job. 2.if 9 i6.$m. 1.17. & 4.4,?. 
 1 Jcb. $.4.5. Rom. ii.i t Gal. i.^.Tit. 1. 11. Mat, 19, 
 .*4. Lu\. h.i^zi. & i6.il* Jams Ml. & ?.i>*» 
 4. tufa 8.14- Heb. w.-U* 
 
How to be certainly Saved. 5 5 
 
 by Satan, againft God, and Holinefs, and 
 Heaven : And no Man fhall havc Y better 
 than he choofeth and preferreth. The 
 Bait taketh advantage of the bruitifh 
 Part, when Reafon is afleep ; and if by 
 the help of Senfe it get the Throne, the 
 Beafl will ride and rule the Man, and 
 the Reafon become a flave to Senfuality. 
 When you hear the Serpent, fee his Sting, 
 and fee Death attending the forbidden 
 Fruit: When you are riling, look down 
 and fee how far you have to fall ! His 
 Reafon, as well as Faith, is weak, who 
 for fuch fools-gawds as the Pomp and 
 Vanities of this World, can forget 
 God, and his Soul, and Death, and Judg- 
 ment, Heaven and Hell, yea and delibe- 
 rately command them to ftand by. What 
 Knowledge or Experience can do good 
 on that Man, who will venture fo much 
 for fuch a World, which all, that have 
 tried it, call Vanity at the laft ? How 
 deplorable then is a Worldling's cafe? 
 Oh fear the World when it fmileth, or 
 feems fweet and amiable. Love it not, if 
 you love your God and your Salvation. 
 
 VIII. Fly from Temptations^ and 
 the (x) FUJI), and keep a vowftant Government 
 
 
 (x) Rom. 8.1,13. Gal.s.i+.Rom. 13.14 
 Jude 1.23. 1 Pet, 2.10. Epbef. 2.3.1, PeM.il. M , 
 tf.13. & tf+l. 1^8.13. ^f/ 
 
36 The Great Cafe Refolve^ 
 
 over your Appetite and Senfes. Many, who 
 had no defigned ftated Vice, or worldly 
 Intereft, have fliamefully fallen by the 
 fudden fur prize of Appetite or Luft. 
 When cuftom hath taught thefe to be 
 greedily and violent, like a hungry Dog, 
 or a lufting Boar, it is not a fluggilh wifh 
 or purpofe, that will mortify or rule 
 them. How dangerous cafe is that Man 
 in, who hath fo greedy a Beaft continu- 
 ally to reftrain, That -if he do but neg- 
 led his Watch one Hour is ready to run 
 him headlong into Hell? Who can be 
 fafe that ftandeth long on fo terrible a 
 Precipice ? The Tears and Sorrows of 
 many Years may perhaps not repair the 
 lofs which one Hour or Ad: may bring; 
 The cafe of David and many others, are 
 dreadful Warnings. Know what it Is 
 that you are moft in danger of } whether 
 Luft and Idlenefs, cr Excefs in Meats, or 
 ^Drinks, or Play^ and there fet your 
 ftrongeft Watch, for your Prefervation^ 
 Make it your dayly bufinefs to mortify 
 that Luft, and fcorn that your brutilh 
 Senfe of Appetite fhould conquer Reafon* 
 Yet truft not purpofes alone r but away 
 from the Temptation } Touch not, yea* 
 look not on the Temping Bait: Keep 
 far enough off; if you defirc to be fafe. 
 • • What. 
 
How to le certainly Saved 3 7 
 
 What miferies come from fmall begin- 
 nings ? Temptation leads to Sin, and 
 fmall Sins to greater, and thofe to Hell ! 
 And Sin and Hell are not to be played 
 with ! Open your Sin or Temptation to 
 fome Friend, that fhame may fave you 
 from Danger. 
 
 IX. Keep up a confiant shlf id Government 
 over your (y) Pajfions and your Tongues. 
 To this end, keep a tender Conference, 
 which wi.l fmart when in any of thefe 
 you Sin. Let Holy Paffions be well or- 
 dered, and felfi/h carnal Paffions be re- 
 trained. Let your (z.) Tongues know 
 their Duties to God and Man, and labour 
 to be skilful and refolute in performing 
 them. Know all the Sins of the Tongue, 
 that you may avoid them j for your In- 
 nocency a»nd Peace do much depend 
 on the prudent Government of your 
 Tongues. 
 
 X. Govern your (a} Thoughts with Con- 
 ft ant skilful Diligence. lathis, right Ha- 
 bits and AfFeftions will do mod by in- 
 clihing them unto Good. It's eafie to 
 think on that which we love. Be not 
 
 un furnifhed 
 
 ^(y) 3*m.i.i9.8c 3.13,17. 1 Pet.yi.Mjtt.i.t.Epb* 
 4-2,3- Cd.$.l%. (z) -fdm,i.i6.8c}.U 6 > Pi&J<M3l 
 Frov.18.21. (a) Vent. iy. 5?. 2 Corio.fr Gen. 6.$. 
 F/4/.10.4.&94.J9. & 1x9.113. Frw.i 24. & Ij.'if, 
 F/i/.i.ig,cg. Pr0v.sO.z2. ler.4.1*. Dent, zi,!* 
 
38 the Great Cafe Refoived, 
 
 unfurniflied of matter for your Thoughts 
 to work upon: And often retire your 
 felves for ferious Meditation. Be not fo 
 folitary and deep in Mufings, as to over- 
 ftretch your Thoughts and confound your 
 Minds, or take you off from neceffary 
 converfe with others ! But be fure that 
 you be coniiderate, and dwell much at 
 Home, and converfe mod with your 
 Confciences and your God ! with whom 
 you have the greateft Buflnefs ! Leave not 
 your Thoughts unimployed, or ungo- 
 verned : Scatter them not abroad upon 
 impertinent Vanities. O that you knew 
 what daily buflnefs you have for them r 
 Mofl Men are wicked, deceived, and un- 
 done^ becaufe they areinconfiderate, and 
 dare not, or will not, retiredly and fo- 
 berly \>fe their Reafon ; or ufe it but as 
 a SJave in Chains in the fervice of their 
 Peflion, Luft and Intereft. He was never 
 Wife, or Good, or Happy, who was 
 not foberly and impartially Conflderate. 
 How to be Good, to do Cxood, and fi- 
 nally enjoy Good, mull be the fum of 
 all your Thoughts. Keep them firft 
 holy, then charitable, clean and chafte. 
 And quickly check them when they look 
 towards Sin* 
 
 XI. Let 
 
How to he cert a % nly Saved. ^9 
 
 XI. Let (b) Time be exceeding Precious in 
 your Eyes, and carefully and diligently re- 
 deem it. What hafte doth it make ? and 
 how quickly will it be gone? and then 
 how highly will it be valued*, when a 
 Minute of it can never be recalled? O 
 what "important bufinefs have we, for 
 every Moment of our Time, ifwefhould 
 live a thoufand Years4 Take not that 
 Man to be well in his Wits, or to know 
 his God, his End, his Work, or his Dan- 
 ger, who hath Time to fpare. Redeem 
 it, not only from needlefs Sports, and 
 Plays, and Idlenefs, and Curiofity, and 
 Complement, and excefs of Sleep, and 
 Chat, and Worldlinefs ; but alio from 
 Entanglements of leffer Good, which 
 would hinder you from greater. Spend 
 time, as Men that are ready to pafs into 
 another World, where every Minute mult 
 he accounted for 5 and it muft go with 
 us for ever as we lived here. Let not 
 Health deceive you into the expectation 
 of living long, and fo into a fenflefs 
 Negligence. See your Glafs running, 
 and keep a reckoning of the Expenceof 
 Time : and fpend it juft as you would 
 review it when it is gone. 
 
 XII. Let 
 
 (b) Erhef.]. 16, Job. 14.1,2. Jcf.17.11 iCcr.7. 
 2*. 2 Cor.6.z. Job.9.^. Luli* 12, 42, 44. Pful. 39. 4, 
 
40 The Great Cafe Refcfoed, 
 
 XII. Let the (c) Love of all in their f eve- 
 ral Capacities, become as it were your very 
 Nat are : and doing them all the Good you can, 
 be very much of the Bit fine fs of your Lives. 
 God mull be loved in all his Creatures, 
 his natural Image on all Men, and his fpi- 
 ritual Image on his Saints. Our Neigh* 
 bour mull be loved as our natural felves : 
 That is, our natural Neighbour as our 
 natural Self, with a Love of Benevolence \ 
 and our fpiritual Neighbour as our fpiri- 
 tual Self with a Love of Complacence. 
 In oppofition to Complacence, we may 
 hate our iinful Neighbour, as we mnft 
 our felves much more : But in oppofition 
 to Benevolence, we mull neither hate our 
 Selves, our Neighbour, or our Enemy. 
 O that .Men knew how much of Chrilti- 
 anity doth confifl in Love, and doing 
 good ! With what Eyes do they read the 
 Gofpel, who fee not this in every Page f 
 Abhor all that Selfiflincfs, Pride, and 
 Paffion, which are the Enemies of Love, 
 and thofe Opinions, and Fadions, and 
 Cenfurings,and Back-biting, which would 
 dellroy it. Take him that fpeaketh evil 
 of another to you> without a juft caufe and 
 call ,, 
 
 (c) i Tim.i.5i6.M(lf.i9.i9. Row.13.10. 1 fob.1.16. 
 Epbefa.i,is 9 i6. CC/.2.2.&1.4. 1 7lm.6 m \i^am.i.i7. 
 
 •?4,4. 1 1. Gdi6.io. 7ft.2.i4. Pbil.z.io.1 1. ta.i s- 
 
How to he certainly Saved, 41 
 
 call, to be Satan's Meflenger, intreating 
 you to hate your Brother, or to abate 
 your Love. For to perfuade you that a 
 Man is bad, is direftly to perfuade you 
 ft far to hate him. Not that the good 
 and bad mull be confounded : But Love 
 will call none bad without conftraining 
 evidence. Rebuke Back-Biters. Hurt no 
 Man, and fpeak evil of no Man } unlefs 
 it be not only juft, but neceflary to fome 
 greater Good. Love is lovely : They 
 that Love fhall be beloved. Hating and 
 hurting makes Men hateful. Love thy 
 Neighbour as thy filf'^ and Do as thou woiddft 
 be done by, are the Golden Rules of our 
 Duty to Men} which mufl be deeply 
 written on your Hearts. For want of this, 
 there is nothing fo falfe, fo bad, fo cruel, 
 which you may not be drawn to think, 
 or fay, or do againfl; your Brethren. 
 Selfiihnefs and want of Love, do as na- 
 turally tend to Ambition and Covetouf- 
 nefs^and thence to Cruelty againft all that 
 ftand in the Way of their Deftres, as the 
 Nature of a Wolf to kill the Lambs. 
 All Fadionsand Contentions and Perfe- 
 ctions in the World, proceed ftom Sel- 
 fifhnels and want of Charity . Devouring 
 Malice is the Devilifh Nature. Be as 
 Lous in doing good to all, as Satan's 
 
 Servants 
 
4& The Great Cafe Refclvedy 
 
 Servants are in hurting. Take it as the 
 ufe of all your Talents, and ufe them as 
 you would hear of it at laft. Let it be 
 your Bufinefs and not a matter on the by, 
 efpecially for Publick Good, and Men's 
 Salvation. And what you cannot do 
 your felves, perfwade others to. Give 
 them good Books: And draw them to the 
 means which are moll like to profit 
 them. 
 
 XIII. Under ft and the right Terms of 
 Church-Communion : Efpecially the 'i/nity of 
 the Univerfal Church, and the Vniverfal 
 Communion, which you muft hold with all the 
 farts -, and the difference between the Church 
 as Vifihle and Invifble. For want of thefe, 
 .how woful are our Diviflons ? Read oft 
 i Cor. 12. & £^.4.1, to 17. Job. 1 7.2 1. 22, 
 23. ^T.4.32. & 2. 42. 1 Or.1,10,1^3. 
 & 3.3. Rom.16.17. ?/;//. 2. 1^2,3,4. 1 Tbfff. 
 12,13.^7.20.30. 1 Gr.11.19. Tit. 3.10. 
 Jam. 3. Col. J. 4.. Heb. 1 0.2 5. Aci.%. 1 2. 1 3,3 7. 
 1 Gr.1.2,13. &: 3^3,4. & 11.18,21. Study 
 thefe -well. You muft have Union and 
 Communion in Faith and Love, with all 
 the Chriftians in the World. And refute 
 not local Communion when you have a juffc 
 call,fo far as they put you not on finning. 
 Let your ufual meeting be with the pu- 
 reft Church, if you lawfully may, (and 
 
 ftili 
 
How to he certainly Saved. 4 5 
 
 ftill refpeA the Publick Good 5 ) But 
 fometimes occafionally communicate even 
 with defective faulty Churches, fo be it 
 they are true Chrifiians, and put you not 
 on Sin : That fo you may fhevv that you 
 own them as Chriftians^ though you dif- 
 own their Corruptions. Think not your 
 prefence maketh all the faults of Mini- 
 ftry, Worfhip, or People to be yours (for 
 then I would joyn with no Church in the 
 World.)KnowthatasthemyIticalChurch 
 confifteth of Heart-Covenanters, fo doth 
 the Church as vifibly confifl of Verbal 
 Covenanters, which make a credible pro- 
 fcffion of confent. And that Nature and 
 Scripture teacheth to take every Man's 
 Word as Credible, till Perfidioufnefs for- 
 feit his Credit; which forfeiture mnfl 
 be proved, before any fober Profeflion 
 enn be taken for an inefficient Title, 
 hrfj Grudge not then at the Communion 
 of any profefled Chri/tianin the Church 
 Vifible: (though we muft do our Part 
 cafl out the obftinately impenitent by 
 Difcipline; which if we cannot do, the 
 ault is not ours. ) The prefence of Hy- 
 pocrites is no hurt, bnt oft a Mercy to 
 he Sincere. How fmail elfe would the 
 Church feem in the World ? Outward 
 
 Privileges 
 
 Ma* 13. 1?, +u 
 
44 The Great Cafe Refclved, 
 
 Privileges belong to Outward Covenan- 
 ters i and Inward Mercies to the Sincere. 
 (e) Divifion is wounding and tends to 
 Death. Abhor it as you love the Churches 
 welfare or your own : The Wifdom from 
 above is firfl pure, and then peaceable. 
 Never feparate what God conjoyneth. It 
 is the Earthly, fenfual, devilifh Wifdom, 
 which caufeth bitter envying, and ftrife, 
 and confufion, and every evil Work. 
 Bleflcd are the Peace-makers. 
 
 XIV. Take heed of (f ) Pride and Self* 
 conceit ednefs in Religion: If once you over- 
 value your own underflandings, your 
 crude Conceptions and grofs Miftakes 
 will delight yoti as fome fupernatural 
 Light : And inflead of having compaffion 
 on the Weak •, you will be unruly, and 
 defpifers of your Guides, and cenforious 
 contemners of all that differ from youl 
 and Perfecutors of them if you have 
 Power; and will think all intolerable, 
 that take you not as Oracles, and your 
 Words as Law. Forget not that the 
 Church hath always fufiered by cenfori- 
 ous, unruly Profeflbrs on the one Hand, 
 (and O what Divifons and Seandals have 
 they caufed ! ) as well as by the Prophane 
 and 
 
 16,17, 18, (f ) 1 Tim.3.6 . Cc/.i.iS. 1 Cor.2.1. 1 Ccr.$ 
 £. iTJm.f.i, 1 Pet. 5. 1. Jam- $* i> 17. 
 
How to he certainly Saved. 45 
 
 md Perfecutors on the other. Take heed 
 rf both : And when Contentions are a 
 r oot, be quiet and filent, and not too 
 forward \ and keep up a Zeal for Love 
 and Peace. 
 
 XV. Be faithful and conjcionable in all 
 [g) >jour Relations. Honour and obey your 
 Parents, and other Superiors : Defpife 
 not, and refill not Government : If you 
 fuffer unjuftly by them, be humbled for 
 thofe Sins, which caufeGod to turn your 
 Prote&ors into Afflidors : And inftead 
 of murmuring and rebelling againft them, 
 reform your felves, and then commit 
 your felves to God. Princes and Paftors 
 I will not fpeak to : Subjefts, and Ser- 
 vants, and Children, muft obey their 
 Superiors, as the Officers of God. 
 
 XVI. Keep up the Government of God in 
 
 your (h) Families. Holy Families muft be 
 
 the chief prefervers of the Intereft of 
 
 Religion in the World. Let not the 
 
 cVorld turn God's Service into a cufto- 
 
 ■nary lifeiefs Form. Read the Scripture, 
 
 md edifying Books to them : Talk with 
 
 :hem ferioufly about the ftate of their 
 
 kmls, and Everlafting Life: Pray with 
 
 hem fervently •, Watch over them dili- 
 
 C & VX ]U> 
 
 ,g Epb.U&6 Co/.3,&T4. K0m.13.i37. I'Pffct.l}, 
 
 1) Command* 4. ?^-4- 1 5 • Dent.6,t,7-$. Pa r 
 
46 7%* Great Cafe Refdvecl^ 
 
 gently \ Be angry againfl Sin, and meek 
 in your own Caufej Be Examples of 
 Wifdom, Holinefs and Patience \ And fee^ 
 that the Lord's Day be fpent in holy* 
 preparation for Eternity. 
 
 XVII. Let your (i) Callings be w 
 
 in Holinefs and Labor r Lire not in 
 
 Idlenefs} be not flothtul in your Work, 
 whether you be Bound or Free-, in the 
 ivveat of your Brows you rnult eat your 
 Bread, and labour the iix Days, that you 
 may have to give to him that needeth $ 
 Slothfulnefs is Senfuality as well as fil- j 
 Shier Sins. The Body (that is able ) muft 
 have fit Employments as well as the Sool, : 
 or.elfeBody and Soul will fare the worfe; 
 but let all be but as the labour of a 
 'Traveller, and aim at Goi and Heaven 
 In all. 
 
 XVIII. Deprive not your [elves of the be- 
 of an able faithful (k) Pafior 7 to whom 
 
 you may open your Cafe in fecret ^ or at leal} 
 of a holy (1) faithful Friend. And be not 
 (m) difpleafed at their free Reproofs. Wo * 
 to him that is alone ! How blind arid par- 
 tial are we in our own Canfe, and how 
 
 hard 
 
 (i) ffet.13.5'. Command. 4. 27^3.10,12. 1 Tbejf.4. 
 7. 1 XVra-M3. Prov. 31. 1 Cor. 7. *9* 00 Mai. 2. 7. 
 (1) Ecclef.4. io, u. (m) Prov. u. 1, & 1 J- ?. tojtM 
 
Hew to be certainly Saved. 47 
 
 hard is it to know ouffelves without an 
 able faithful Helper ! you forfeit this 
 great Mercy when you love a Flatterer, 
 and angerily defend your Sin. 
 
 XIX. (n) Prepare for Siclnefs, Sufferings , 
 and Death. Overvalue not Profperity, 
 nor the favour of Man. If felfifh Men 
 prove falfe and cruel to you, even thofe 
 of whom you have deferved beft, marvel 
 not at it, but pray for your Enemies, 
 Perfecutors, and Slanderers, that God 
 would turn their Hearts and pardon 
 them. What a mercy is it to be driven 
 from the World to God, when the love 
 of the World is the greateft danger of 
 the Soul? Be ready to die, and ycu are 
 ready for anything. Ask your Hearts 
 ferioufly, What is it that I fhall need at a 
 dying Hour ? And let it fpeedily be got 
 ready, and not be to feek in the time of 
 your Extremity. 
 
 XX. Vnderfiand the true Method of Peace 
 of Conference, and judge not of the ft ate of 
 your Souls upon deceitful Grounds. As pre- 
 fumptuous hopes do keep Men from Con- 
 verfion, and embolden them to Sin : So 
 caufelefs fears do hinder our Love and 
 Praifcpf God, by obfeuring his Loveli- 
 G 2 nefs ; 
 
48 the Great Cafe Refelved, 
 
 nefs^ And they deftroy our Thankfulnefs, 
 and our Delight in God, and make us 
 a Burden to our felves, and a grievous 
 Humbling Block to others. The general 
 grounds of all our Comfort are, 1. The 
 (?) gracious Nature of God. 2. Thz(p) 
 fufficiency of Chrift. And 3 the Truth 
 and (q) Univerfality of the Promife, 
 which giveth Chrift and Life to all, if 
 they will accept him. But this acceptance 
 is the Proof of your particular Title, 
 without which thefe do but aggravate 
 your Sin. Confent to God's Covenant 
 is the true Condition and Proof of your 
 Title to God as your Father, Saviour, 
 and San&iSer, and To to the faving Blef- 
 fings of the Covenant \ which Confent, 
 if you furvive, muft produce the Duties 
 which you confent to. 
 
 x He that heartily confenteth that God 
 jbe his God, his Saviour and Sanftifier, 
 is in a ftate of Life. But this includeth 
 the (r) reje&ion of the World ^ Much 
 Knowledge and Memory, and Utterance, 
 and lively AfFeftions, are all very de- 
 jlrable j But yon muft judge your ftate 
 by 
 
 (6) Exod.$4.6* (p) Heb.7^1- (q) SW-44*. f*h. 3. 
 t£. 1 Tim. 4. 10. & 2.4. Mat. 28 19,20. Kry.22.17. 
 ftef1,i t»3^7. (r)L^.i 4.2^,33; 1 3^.1.17. Mat.6. 
 1^,20,21,33, £?/ 3,1,2. jfa;&.8.i, 13. 
 
How to he certainly Saved. 49 
 
 by none of thefe, for they are all uncer- 
 tain. But, 1 . If God, and Holinefs, and 
 Heaven, have the higheft eftimation of 
 your pra&ical Judgment, as being e- 
 fteemed belt for you : 2. And be pre- 
 ferred in the choice and refolution of 
 your Wills, and that habitually before 
 all the pleafures of the World : 3. And 
 be firft and' chiefly fought in your en- 
 deavours : This is the infallible Proof of 
 your SanElification. 
 
 Chriftian, Upon long and ferious ftudy 
 and experience, I dare boldly commend 
 theft Directions to thee, as the Way of 
 God, which will end in Bleflednefs. The 
 Lord refolvcand ftrengthenthee to obey 
 them. 
 
 This is the true Conftitution of Chrijti- 
 anity : This is true Godlinefs -, and this 
 is to be Religious indeed : And all this H 
 no more than to be ferioufly fuch, as all 
 among us in general words profefs to 
 be. This is the Religion which muft dif- 
 ference yon from Hypocrites; which 
 muft fettle you in Peace, and « make you 
 an Honour to your Profeflion, and a 
 Bleffing to thofe that dwell about you. 
 Happy is the Land, the Church, the Fa- 
 mily, which doth confift of fuch as thefe ! 
 Thefe are not they that either Perfecute 
 C 3 or 
 
50 The Great Cafe RefolveJ 9 
 
 or Divide the Church, or that mak 
 their Religion a Servant to their Policy, 
 to their ambitious Deiigns, or flelhly 
 Lulls •, nor that make it the bellows of 
 Sedition or Rebellion, or of an envious 
 hurtful Zea«l, or a fnare for the Innocent, 
 or a Piftol to Ihoot at the upright in 
 Heart: Thefe are not they that have 
 been the fhame of 'their Profeffion, the 
 hardning of Ungodly Men and Infidels, 
 and that have caufed the Enemies of the 
 Lord to blafpheme. If any Man will 
 make a Religion of or for his Lufts *, of 
 Papal Tyranny, or Pharifaical Formality, 
 or of his private Opinions, or of proud 
 cenforioufnefs, and contempt of others, 
 and of Faftion, and unwarrantable Se- 
 parations and Divifions, and of ftanding 
 at a more obfervable diflance from com- 
 mon profeflbrsof Chri#ianify, than God 
 would have them \ or yet of pulling up 
 the Hedge of Difcipline, and laying 
 Chrift's Vineyard common to the Wil- 
 dernefs •, the Storm is coming, when this 
 Religion fpunded on the Sand will fall, 
 and great will be the fall thereof. When 
 the Religion which confifteth in Faith 
 and Love to God and Man in mortifying 
 the Flelh, and crucifying the World, in 
 Self-denyal, Humility and Patience, in 
 
 fincere 
 
 , 
 
How to he certainly Saved. 5* r 
 
 fincere Obedience, and faithfulnefs in all 
 Relations in watchful Self-Government, 
 in doing Good, and in a Divine and 
 Heavenly Life, tho' it will be hated by 
 the ungodly World, fliall never be a dis- 
 honour to your Lord, nor deceive or 
 difappoint your Souls. 
 
 A Short Catechifm. 
 
 Qiiell. 1. \\ TH*t is the Chrifiim R 
 VV glon? 
 Arifw. The Chriftian Religion is the lajf- 
 tifmal Covenant made and kept \ wherein, 
 God the Father,Son and Holy Ghoft,-doth 
 give hiuifelf to be our reconciled God 
 Father, our Saviour and San&ifier ; 
 we beiievingly give up our felves act 
 dingly to him, renouncing the Fl< 
 World, and the Devil. Which C 
 is to be oft renewed, fpeciaUyk 
 cramentof the Lord's Supper. 
 
 Queft. 2. Where is our Covenant part and 
 Dnty fnUier opened t 
 
 Anfw. 1. In the Creed, as the Sum of 
 our Belief. 
 
 2. In the Lord's Prayer, as the Sum 01 
 our Defires. 
 
 C 4 3« And 
 
yx The Great Cafe Refolved, 
 
 3. And in the Ten Commandments 
 (as given us by Chrift, with the Gofpel- 
 Explications ) as the Sum of our Pradice. 
 Which are as followeth. 
 
 The CREED. 
 
 I Believe in God the Father Almighty, 
 Creator of Heaven and Earth : And 
 in Jefus Chrift his only Son our Lord, 
 which was conceived by the Holy Ghoft, 
 born of the Virgin Mary, fuffered under 
 Pontius Pilate, was Crucified, Dead and 
 Buried, he defcended into Hell : The 
 third day he arofe again from the Dead, 
 he afcended into Heaven, and fitteth on 
 the right Hand of God the Father Al- 
 mighty, from thence he fhall come to 
 judge the Quick and the Dead : I believe 
 in the Holy Ghoft, the Holy Catholick. 
 Church, the Communion of Saints, the 
 forgivenefs of Sins, the Refurreftion of 
 the Body, and the Life Everlafting, 
 Amen. 
 
 The LORD'S PRATER. 
 
 OUR Father which art in Heaven,Hal- 
 lowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom 
 come. Thy will be done on Earth as it 
 
 is 
 
How to le certainly Saved. 5£ 
 
 is in Heaven. Give us this day our dail* 
 Bread. And forgive us our Trefpafles, 
 as we forgive them that trefpafs againft 
 us: And lead us not into Temptation, 
 but deliver us from evil: For thine is 
 the Kingdom, and the Power, and the 
 Glory, for ever, Amen. 
 
 The Ten Commandments. 
 
 I. T Am the Lord thy God which have 
 X brought thee out of the Land of 
 Egypt, out of the Houfe of Bondage : 
 Thou fhalt have no other Gods before 
 me. 
 
 II. Thou (halt not make unto thee any 
 graven Image, or any likenefs of anything 
 that is in Heaven above, or that is ia 
 the Earth beneath, or that is in the Water 
 under the Earth ; thou fhalt not bow- 
 down thy felf to thetp, nor ferve them : 
 For I the Lord thy God am a jealous 
 God, vifiting the iniquity of the Fathers 
 upon the Children, unto the third and 
 fourth Generation of them that hate me : 
 And (hewing; Mercy unto thoufands of 
 them that love rne and keep my Com- 
 mandments. 
 
 III. Thou (halt not take the Name of 
 the Lord thy God in vain : For the Lord 
 
 C 5 will 
 
54 27* Great Cafe Re(olvett, 
 
 will not hold him guiltlefs that taketfc' 
 his Name in vain. 
 
 IV. Remember the Sabbath day to 
 keep it holy, Six days fhalt thou labour 
 and do all thy work \ but the feventh day 
 is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, in 
 it thou fhalt not do any work, thou, nor 
 thy Son, nor thy daughter, thy Man- 
 fervant, nor thy Maid-fervant, nor thy 
 cattel, nor the Stranger that is within 
 thy Gates. For in fix days the Lord 
 made Heaven and Earth, the Sea, and all 
 that in them is •, and retted the feventh 
 Day, wherefore the Lord bleffed the 
 Sabbath Day, and hallowed it. 
 
 V. Honour thy Father and thy Mother, 
 that thy days may be long upon the Land 
 which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 
 
 VI. Thou fhalt not kill. 
 
 VII. Thou (halt not commit adultery. 
 Vffl Thou fhalt not fteal. 
 
 IX. Thou (halt not bear falfe witnefs 
 againft thy Neighbour. 
 
 X. Thou {halt not covet thy Neigh- 
 bours houfe, thou (halt not covet thy 
 Neighbours Wife, nor his Man-fervant, 
 nor his Maid-fervant, nor his Ox, nor 
 his Afs, nor any thing that is thy Neigh- 
 hours, 
 
 Qjielt J. 
 
Hotv to he certainly Saved. y y 
 
 Quefl. 3. Where is the Cm ft i an Re I 
 moft fully opened, and entirely contained ? 
 
 j4rfw. In the Holy Scriptures, efjpecl- 
 ally of theNewTeftament: Where, by 
 Chrift, and his Apoftles and Evangelifh 
 infpired by his Spirit, the Hiftqry of 
 Chrift and his Apoftles is fufficientiy de- 
 livered, the Promiies and Doctrin of 
 Faith are perfected, the Covenant of 
 Grace moft clearly opened, and Church- 
 Offices, Worfhip, and Dilcipline efta- 
 blilhed, with the under/landing whereof 
 the ftrongeft Chriftians^ may incre^fc 
 while they live on Earth/ 
 
 The Explained Frofejfion of the Chrijli- 
 an Religion. 
 
 L T Believe that there is one GOD, an 
 X infinite Spirit of Life, Undemand- 
 ing and Will ; perfe&ly Powerful, Wife 
 and Good-, the Father, the 
 Word and the Spirit, the The j- 
 Creator , Governour , and 
 End of all things \ our abfolute Owner, 
 our moll juft Ruler, and our moft Glori- 
 ous Benete&or, and moft amiable Good. 
 II. I believe that iMan bein^ made in 
 c of God, an efljbo died Spirit of 
 
56 The Great Cafe Refolved, 
 
 'Life, Vnderftanding, and Will, with Holy 
 Vivacity, Wifdom, and Love, to know, 
 and love, and ferve his Creator here and 
 for ever, did by wilful finning fall from 
 his God, his Holinefs and Innccency, un- 
 der the Wrath of God, the Condemna- 
 tion of his Law, and the flavery of the 
 Flelh, the World and the Devil. And 
 that God fo loved the World, that he 
 gave his only Son to be their Redeemer, 
 who being GOD, and one with the 
 Father, took our Nature, and became 
 .MAN : Being conceived by the Holy 
 Ghoft, born of the Virgin Mary, called 
 Jefus Chrift, who was perfectly holy, lin- 
 lefs, fulfilling all Righteoufnefs, over- 
 came the Devil and the World, and gave 
 himfelf a Sacrifice for our Sins, by fuf- 
 fering a cur fed Death on the Crofs, to 
 ranibme. us, and reconcile us unto God •, 
 and was buried, and went among the 
 Dead \ the third Day he rcfe again, ha- 
 ving conquered Death. And he fully 
 eftablifhed the Covenant of Grace, that 
 all that truly repent and believe, (hall 
 have the love of the Father, the Grace 
 of the Son, and the Communion of the 
 Holy Spirit, and if they love God, and 
 obey him fmcerely to the Death, they 
 Hull be glorified with him in Heaven for 
 
 ever : 
 
How to he certainly Saved, 57 
 
 ever : And the Unbelievers, Impenitent, 
 and Ungodly fhall go to everlafting Pu- 
 nifhment. And having commanded his 
 Apoftles to Preach the Gofpel to all 
 the World, and promifed his Spirit, he 
 afcended into Heaven : Where he is the 
 Glorified Head over all Things to the 
 Church, and our prevailing Interceflbr 
 with the Father: Who will there receive 
 the departed Souls of the Juftified ? And 
 at the end of this- World will come a- 
 gain andraifeall the Dead, and will judge 
 all according to their Works, and juftly 
 execute his Judgment. 
 
 III. I believe that God, the Holy Spi- 
 rit, was given by the Father and the Son, 
 to the Prophets, Apoftles, and Evan- 
 gelifts, to be their Infallible Guide in 
 Preaching and Recording the Dodrine 
 of Salvation \ and the Wtinefs of its 
 certain Truth, by his manifold Divine 
 Operations \ and to quicken, illuminate, 
 and fandifieall true Believers, that they 
 may overcome the Flefh, the World and 
 the Devil. And all that are thus fanfti- 
 fied, are one holy Catholick Church of 
 Chrift,and mull live in holy Communion, 
 and have the pardon of their Sius, and 
 ihall have everJailing Life. 
 
 lie- 
 
5 8 The Great Cafe Refolveef, 
 
 Believing in God the Father, Son and 
 Holy Spirit, I do prefently, abfolutely, 
 and refolvedly give up my 
 The Confent felf to him, my Creator and 
 or Covenmt; reconciled God and Father, 
 my Saviour and San&ifier : 
 And repenting of my Sins, I renounce 
 the Devil, the World, and the finful 
 defires of the Flefh : And denying my 
 felf, and taking up my Crofs, I confent 
 to follow Chrift the Captain of my Sal- 
 vation, in hope of his promifed Grace 
 and Glory. 
 
 A Short CATECHISM for thofe 
 that have Learntd the Firft. 
 
 Quefh i . T T J Hat do you believe concern- 
 I Jjfcnt. VV ing'GOD? 
 
 Aifw. There is only one God \ an In- 
 finite Spirit of Life, Underftanding and 
 Will, moft perfe&ly Powerful, Wifeand 
 Good: The Father, the Word, and the 
 Spirit , The Creator, Governour and End 
 of all things -, Our Abfolute Owner, our 
 molt Juft Ruler, and our molt Gracious 
 and molt Amiable Father, 
 
 Qnefl>, 
 
How to he certainly Saved. 59 
 
 . Quefh 2. What believe you of the Crea~ 
 tion, and the nature of Man^ and the Law 
 which was given to him ? 
 
 /info. God created all the World : 
 and made MAN in his own Image. 
 imbodied Spirit of Life, Underftanding 
 and Will, with holy Livelinefs, Wildom 
 and Love \ to know, and love, and ferve 
 his Maker, here and for ever : And 
 gave him the inferiour Creatures for 
 his ufe : But forbad him to tat of 
 the Tree of Knowledge, upon pain of 
 Death. 
 
 Quell. 3. What believe you of Man s fall 
 into Sin and Mifery ? 
 
 Anfo. Man being tempted by Satan, 
 did by wilful finning fall from his Holi- 
 n.efs, his Innocency, and his Happinefs, 
 under the Juflice of God, the condemna- 
 tion of his Law, and the flavery of the 
 Flefb, the World, and the Devil*, whence 
 finful guilty and miferable Natures are 
 propagated to all Mankind : And no 
 meer Creature is able to deliver us. 
 
 Quefl. 4. What believe JOH of Mans 
 Redemption by Jcfus Chrifl. 
 
 Anjm. God fo loved the World, that 
 he gave his only Son to be their Saviour : 
 Who being GOD, and One yvith the 
 Father, took our Nature, and becan-e 
 
60 The Great Cafe Refohed. 
 
 MAN-, being conceived by the Holy 
 Ghoft : Born of the Virgin Mary ; and 
 called JESVS CHRIST ; who was per- 
 fectly Holy, without Sin, fulfilling all 
 Righteoufnefs \ and overcame the Devil 
 and the World } and gave himfelf a 
 Sacrifice for our Sins, by Tuffering a Cur- 
 fed Death on the Crofs to ranfome us, 
 and reconcile us unto God; and was 
 buried, and went among the Dead \ the 
 third Day he rofe again, having con- 
 quered Death \ and having fealed the 
 New Covenant with his Blood, he com- 
 manded his Apoftles and other Miniflers, 
 to Preach the Gofpel to all the World ; 
 and promifed the Holy Ghoft : And then 
 afcended into Heaven, where he is God 
 and Man, the Glorified Head over all 
 things to his Church, and our prevailing 
 Intercefibr with God the Father. 
 
 Queft. 5. What is the New Tefiarnent, or 
 Covenant, cr Law of Grace ? 
 
 Anfw. God, through Jefus Chrift, doth 
 freely give to all Mankind himfelf, to 
 be their reconciled God and Father, his 
 Son to be their Saviour, and his Holy Sprit 
 to be their San&ifier, if they will be- 
 lieve and accept the Gift, and will give 
 up themfelves to him accordingly^. Re- 
 lenting of their Sins, and confenting to 
 
 forfake 
 
How to h certainly faved. 61 
 
 forfake the Devil, the World and the 
 Fleft, and fincercly, (though not perfe&ly) 
 to obey Chrifi and his Spirit to the End, 
 according to the Law of Nature, and his 
 Gofpel Inftitutions, that they may be glo- 
 rified in Heaven for ever. 
 
 QuefL d. What believe yon of the Holy 
 Choji i 
 
 jinfvo. God the Holy Spirit was given 
 by the Father and the Son to the Pro- 
 phets, Apoflles, and Evangelifts, to be 
 their infallible Guide in Preaching and 
 Recording theDo&rine of Salvation ; and 
 the Witnefs of its certain Truth by his 
 manifold Divine Operations, And he is 
 given,'to quicken, illuminate, and fancli- 
 . fy all true Believers, and to fave them 
 from the Devil, the World, and the ~ 
 Flefh. 
 
 Queft 7. What believe yon of the Holy 
 Catholick Churchy the Communion of Saints, 
 and the Forgivenefs of Sins ? 
 
 Anfvo. All that truly confent to the 
 Baptifmal Covenant, are one fanftified 
 Church or Body of Chrifi, and have Com- 
 munion in the fame Spirit of frith afid 
 Love, and have the forgivenefs of all 
 their Sins , and all that by Baptifm vifibly 
 Covenant, and that continue to profefs 
 Chrijlianity and Holinefs, are the univerfal 
 
 vifible 
 
6t The Great Cafe Refohed % 
 
 vilible Church on Earth; and muftkeep 
 holy Communion with Love and Peace 
 in the particular Churches ; in the Do- 
 ctrine, Worfhip, and Order Inftituted 
 by Chrift. 
 
 Queft. 8. What believe you of the Refur- 
 re&ion and Everlafting Life ? 
 
 Avjw. At Death the Souls of the Ju- 
 flifyed go to Happinefs with Chrift, and 
 the Souls of the Wicked to Mifery : 
 And at the End of this World, Chrift 
 will come in Glory, and will raife the 
 Bodies of all Men from Death, and will 
 Judge all according to their Works: 
 And the Righteous (hall go into Ever- 
 lafting Life, where being made perfed 
 themfelves, they Ihall fee God y and per- 
 fettly Love and praife him with Chrift and 
 all the glorified Church ; and the reft 
 into Everlafting Puniihment. 
 
 Queft. 9. You have told me 
 
 II. Confent. what you believe: Tell me nm 
 
 what is the full Refolution and 
 
 Defire of your Will, concerning all this 
 
 which y on believe ? 
 
 Anfw. Believing in God the Father, 
 Son, and Holy Spirit, I do prefently, ab- 
 folutely, and refolvedly give up my felf 
 to him, my Creator and reconciled God 
 and Father, my Saviour, and my Sanfti- 
 
 fier. 
 
How to he certainly Saved. 6^ 
 
 fier. And Repenting of my Sin* I re- 
 nounce the Devi], the World, and the 
 finful delires of the Flefh. And denying 
 my felf, and taking up my Grofs, I con- 
 fent to follow Chrift the Captain of my 
 Salvation \ in hope of the Grace and 
 Glory promiftd. Which I daily defire 
 and beg as he hath taught me, faying, 
 £ Our Father which art in Heaven, &c] 
 
 Quell. 10. What is that Practice it 
 by this Covenant you are obliged to ? 
 
 Anfxo. According to the Law of Na- 
 ture, and Chrift's Inftitutions I muft (de- 
 firing Perfedion) fincerely Obey him in 
 a Life of Frith, and Hope, and Z 
 Loving God as God, for himfelf above 
 all, and loving my felt as his Servant, 
 efpecially my Soul •, and feeking its Ho- 
 linefs and Salvation \ and Loving my 
 Neighbours as my felf. I matt avoid all 
 Idolatry of Mind or Body, and mud 
 Worfhip God according to his Word, by 
 Learning and Meditating on his- Word ; 
 by Prayer, Thankfgi- j 
 ving, Praife, and ufe of " e Ur r [ s W. and 
 lus Sacraments i I muft €eSy an ofene dintbe 
 not profane, but holi- vuitb. days Confe- 
 ly ufe his holy Name : renc -> *** mm fully 
 I muft keep holy the « «J Uniycrftl Con- 
 Lord's Day, efpecially cor ' 
 
 in 
 
64 PRATERS. 
 
 in Communion with the Church-Aflem- 
 blies : i muft Honour and Obey my Pa- 
 rents, Magiftrates, Pallors, and other 
 Rulers : I muft not wrong my Neighbour 
 in Thought, Word, or Deed, in his Soul, 
 bis Body, his Chaflity, Eftate, Right or 
 Property \ but do him all the good I 
 can : And do as I would be done by ; 
 which is fummed up in the Ten Com- 
 maifcments, £ God fpake thefe words, fay- 
 ing, &C.3 
 
 A Prayer for Families in the Me- 
 thod of the Lord's Prayer , be- 
 ing but an Expcfition of it. 
 
 MOST Glorious GOD, who art 
 Power and Wifdom, and Good- 
 nefs it [elf, the Creator of all things ; 
 the Owner, the Ruler, and the Bene- 
 factor of the World, but efpecially of 
 thy Church and Chofen Ones :. Though 
 by Sift original and actual, we were thy 
 Enemies, the Slaves of Satan and our 
 Tlefh, and under thy difpleafure, and 
 
 the 
 
PRATERS. 6 S 
 
 the condemnation of thy Law ; yet thy 
 Children Redeemed, by Jefus Chrift 
 thy Son, and Regenerated by the holy 
 Spirit, have leave to call thee their 
 Reconciled Father ; For by thy Cove- 
 nant of Grace thou haft given them thy 
 Son to be their Head, their Teacher^ 
 and their Saviour ; And in him thou 
 haft pardoned, adopted, and fanclified 
 them ; fealing and preparing them by 
 thy Holy Spirit, for the Cceleftial King- 
 dom, and beginning in them that holy 
 Life, and Light, and Love which fhall 
 be perf tiled with thee in Everlafting 
 Glory. O with what wondrous love haft 
 thou loved us, that of Rebels we fhould 
 be made the Sons of God : Thou haft 
 advanced us to this Dignity \ that we 
 might be devoted wholly to Thee as 
 Thine Own, and might delightfully obey 
 Thee, and entirely Jove Thte, with all 
 onr Heart ; and fo might glorifteThes 
 here and for ever. 
 
 caufe both us, and all thy Churches, 
 and all the World to hallow thy great 
 and holy Name ! And to live to thee as 
 
 our 
 
66 PRATERS. 
 
 our Vltimate End • that thy fhining 
 linage^ ovt Holy Souls may Glorijfe thy 
 Divine PerfeUion. 
 
 *And caufe both us and all the Earth, 
 to cafl off the Tyranny of Satan and the 
 Flefh, and to acknowledge the Supreme 
 Authority, and to become the Kingdoms of 
 7hee and Thy Son Jefus, by a willing 
 and abfolute fubjeftion. O perfeft thy 
 Kingdom of Grace in our f elves and in 
 the World, and haflen the Kingdom of 
 Glory, 
 
 And caufe us and thy Churches, and 
 all the People of the Earth, no more to 
 be ruled by the Lulls of the Fiefh, axd 
 their erroneous conceits % and by Self-will ; 
 but by thy perfect Wifdom and holy 
 Will revealed in thy Lms : Make 
 known thy Word to all the W or Id, and 
 fend them the Meffengers of Grace and 
 Peace ; and caufe Mon to underitand, 
 believe and obey the Gofpel of Salva- 
 tion, and that with fuch Holinef$*&nity, 
 and Love, that the Earth may be made' 
 liker unto Hedven ; and not only thy 
 fcattered iwperfeft flock, but thofe 
 
 dfo 
 
PRATERS. 67 
 
 alfo, who in their carnal and ungodly 
 minds do now refufe a holy Life, and 
 think thy Word and Ways too flricl, 
 may dejireto imitate even the heavenly 
 Churchy where Thou art obeyed, and 
 iovzd> and praifcd, with high Delight y 
 in Harmony and Perfection. 
 
 And lecaufe our Being is the fubje& 
 of our Well-being, maintain us in the 
 life which thou haft here given us, 
 until the work of Life bejfnifhed ; and 
 give us fuch health of Mind and Body, 
 and fuck protection and fupply of all our 
 wants, as fhaU bejl fit us for our Duty, 
 ^wd make us contented with our daily 
 Bread, and patient if we want it •• 
 Andfave us from the love of the Riches, 
 and Honours, and Pleafures of this 
 World y and the Pride, and Idlenefs, 
 and Senfuality which they cherifb: And 
 caufe us to ferve thy Providence by our 
 diligent Labours, and to ferve thee 
 faithfully with all that thou givefl us : 
 And let us not m^ke'-provifton for the J 
 licfh, tofatisfyitsdeftresandlufts. 
 
 ArJ 
 
63 PRATERS. 
 
 And we befeech thee of thy Mercy] 
 through the Sacrifice and Propitiation 
 of thy Beloved Son, forgive us all our 
 Sins, original and aElual, from our Birth 
 to this Hour ; our omiffions of Duty, and 
 committing of what thou didfl forbid ; 
 Our fins of heart, and word, and deed} 
 our finful thoughts and ajfeftions, our 
 finful paffionsanddijcontents ; ourfecret 
 and our open fins ; cud fins of negligence, 
 and ignorance, and rafhnefs ; but efpe- 
 cially our fins againfl Knowledge and 
 Confcience, which have made the deepe/l 
 guilt and wounds. Spare us, O Lord, 
 and let not our fins fo find us out as to I 
 be our ruin ; but let us fo find them 
 cut, as truly to repent and turn to thee. 
 Efpecially punifh us not with the lofs of 
 thy Grace ! Jake not thy Holy Spirit 
 from us, and deny us not his Jj/ifiance 
 and holy Operations. Seal to us by that 
 Spirit the pardon of our fins, and lift 
 up the light of thy Countenance upon us, 
 and give us the joy of thy Favour and 
 Salvation. And let thy Low and Mercy 
 fo fill us not only with Tbankfulnef to 
 
 Thee, 
 
Thee, but with Love and Mercy to our 
 Brethren and our Enemies ; that voe 
 may heartily forgive them that do us 
 wrong, as through thy Grace we hope 
 we do. 
 
 A,;d for the time to come fuffer us 
 not to caft our [elves wilfully into Temp- 
 tations ; hut carefully to avoid them, 
 and rejolutely to Refifi and Conquer 
 what ne cannot avoid : And Q nor ti fie 
 thofe inward Sins and Lufts, which are 
 cur ccnflint and mo ft dangerous Tempta- 
 tions ; And let us not be tempted ly 
 Sit an or the World \ or tried ly thy 
 Judgment s> above' the ftrength which 
 thy Grace fh all give us. Save us from 
 a fearlefs confidence in our own ftrength. 
 And let us not dally with the fnare 9 
 v.,r tafle +the bait, nor play with the 
 Fire of thy wrath ; But caufe us to fear 
 and depart from Evil ; left before we 
 are aware, we le entangled an A over- 
 come, and wounded with our Guilt and 
 with Wrath, and our End fhould le 
 worfe than our Beginning. Efpecialfy 
 fave us from thofe radical Sins of Error, 
 D and 
 
70 PRATERS. 
 
 and Vnbelief, Pride Hypocrifie, Hard- 
 heart ednefs,Senfuality % Slothfulnefs , and 
 the love of this pre lent World, and the 
 lefs of our Love to thee t to thy Kingdim> 
 and thy Ways. 
 
 Andfkve us from the Malice of Sa- 
 tan and of wicked Men, and from the 
 Evils which our Sins would bring up- 
 en hs. 
 
 And as we crave all this from thee, 
 voe humbly render our Praijes with our 
 future Service to thee. Thou art the 
 King of all the World, and more than 
 the Life of all the Living. Ihy King- 
 dom is Everlafiing ; Wije, and Juft, 
 and Merciful is thyGcvernment. Blejfed 
 are they that are thy faithful Subjects ; 
 But who hath hardened himfelf againjl 
 thee, and hath profpered? The whole 
 Creation proclaimeth thy Perfection ; 
 But it is Heaven where the BUfjed fee 
 thy Glory, and the Glory of our Re- 
 deemer, where the Angels and Saints 
 heboid thee, admire thee, adore thee, 
 love thee, and praife thee with Tri- 
 .umfhaHt, Joyful Songs, the flolj\ Holy, 
 
 Holy 
 
PRATERS. 71 
 
 Holy Go J, the Father, Son, and Holy 
 Ghft who wis, and is, and is to come ; 
 Of Thee, and through Thee, and to Thee 
 are all things ; To Tioee be Glory for 
 ever. Amen. 
 
 A Short Prayer for Families. 
 
 Mlft Glorious Ever-living God, 
 Father, Son and Holy Ghoft, 
 Inainue in thy Po.ver, Wifdom and 
 GoodmT* ; Thou art the Creator of 
 all the World, the Redeemer of loft 
 Mankind, and the Sandtifier of thine 
 EkGt. Thou haft made us living rea- 
 ionable Souls, placed a while on Earth 
 in FLfh, to feek, and know, and love, 
 !erve thee, which we fhould have 
 done with all our Soul and Might; 
 For we and all things are thine own, 
 and thou art more to us than all the 
 World. This (hould have been ti-e 
 g eatcft Bufmefe, Care and Pleafure 
 of our Lives ; We were bound to ic 
 D z by 
 
72 PRATERS. 
 
 by the Law, and invited by thy Love 
 and Mercy, and the promifeof a Re- 
 ward in Heaven : And inourBaptifm, 
 we were devoted to this Chriftian Life 
 of Faith and Holinefs, by a Solemn 
 Covenant and Vow. But with Grief 
 and Shame we do confefs, that we have 
 been too unfaithful to that Covenant, 
 and too much negle£ted the Lord our 
 Father, our Saviour and our Sandtifier, 
 to whom we were devoted ; and have 
 too much ferved the Flefti and the 
 World, and the Devil which ue re- 
 nounced. We have added to our Ori- 
 ginal Sin, v the guilt of Unthankfulnefs* 
 lor a Saviour, and refilling his Spirit 
 and Grace that fhould have renewed, 
 and governed and fived us. We have 
 ipent much of our Lives, in flelhly 
 and worldly Vanity, andfinfuily neg- 
 le&ed the greateft Work, of making 
 a fure Preparation for Death and Judg- 
 ment, and our endlefs State In a 
 Cuftom of finning we have hardened 
 our Hearts againfi: thy Word and 
 Warnings, and the Reproofs at thy 
 
 Ministers, 
 
PRATERS. 73 
 
 Minifters, and of our Conferences that 
 have oft told us of our Sin and Danger, 
 and called us to repent* 
 
 And now, O Lord, our convinced 
 Souls confefs that we deferye to Le 
 forfaken by thee, and left to our own 
 luft and folly, and to the deceits of 
 Satan, and unto endlefs Mifery. But 
 feeing thou haft given a Saviour to 
 loft Man, and a pardoning Covenant 
 through the merits of Chrift, promi- 
 fing forgivenefs and Salvation to every 
 true penitent Believer; we thankfully 
 accept thy offered Mercy, and peni- 
 t^ndy bewail oar Sin, and caft our 
 miferable Souls upon thy Grace and 
 Sacrifice, Merits and Inrerceffions 
 of our Redeemer. Forgive all the Sins 
 of our Hearts and Lives ; and as a 
 reconciled Father take us as thy a- 
 dopted Children in Chrift. O give us 
 thy renewing Spirit, to be in us a 
 erful and conftant Author of Holy 
 Light and Love, and Life, to fit us 
 for all our Duty, and for Communion 
 with thee, and for Everlafting Life : 
 D 3 And 
 
74 T R A T E R S. 
 
 And to. dwell in us as thy Witnefs and 
 Seal of our Adopt i op. Let him be 
 better to our Souls than our Souls are 
 to our Bodies, Teaching us thy Word 
 and Wilt, and bringing all our Love 
 and Will to a joyful compliance with 
 thy Will ; and quickening our dull and 
 drowfie Hearts to a Holy and Heaven- 
 ly Conversation. Let him turn all our 
 finful Pleafures and Dcfires into the 
 delightful love of thee and of thy V. 
 and Servants Save us from the great 
 Sins of Selfifhnefs, Pride and W: 
 Jinefs, and give us Self-denial, Humi- 
 lity and a Heavenly Mind. Thst 
 while we are on Earth our Hearts 
 may be in Heaven, where we hops 
 to live in thy joyful Love and Y 
 with Chrift: and all his Nely C 
 for ever. Let us ruever forget that 
 this Life is Abort, and that the Life 
 to come is endlefs ; That our Souls 
 are .precious, and our Bodies vile, 
 and mud fhortly turn to rottennefs 
 and duft ; that Sin is odious, and 
 Temptations dangerous, and Judg- 
 ment 
 
PRATERS y s 
 
 ment dreadful to unprepared guilty 
 Souls; and that U ithout a Saviour 
 and his Grace and Spirit, there is no 
 Salvation ; Caufe us to live as we 
 wou!d die, and let no Temptation, 
 Company or Bufmefs, draw us to 
 forget our God and our everlaiting 
 flaic. 
 
 Lord bfefs the World, and fpecially 
 thefe Kingdoms, with Wife, Godly, 
 Juft and Peaceable Princes, and info- 
 riour Judges and Magiftrates ; and 
 guide, protett and profper them for 
 the common good, and the promo- 
 ting of GodUnefs, and fuppreflln 
 Sin ^ And b!efs alb Churches with a- 
 b!c, godly, faithful Faftors, that are 
 zealous lovers of God, and GooJne s, 
 and the Peoples Souis. And fave 
 Nations and Churches from or 
 Tyranrs ard Deceivers, and from 
 malignant Enemies to ferious Piety. 
 And caufe Subjedte to li^ e in jafl O- 
 bedience , and in Love and Peace. 
 Blefs Families with Wife, Religious 
 Governours, who will qarelully in- 
 D 4 Itruft 
 
j6 PRATERS. 
 
 ftru& their Children and Servants, and 
 reftrain them from Sin, and keep 
 them from Temptation. Teach Chil- 
 dren and Servants to fear God, and 
 honour and obey their Governours 
 
 O Our Father which art in Hea- 
 ven, let thy Name he Hallowed. Let 
 thy Kigdom come. Let thy Will be dent 
 en Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us 
 thu day our daily Bread ; Forgive us 
 our Trefpaffes, as we forgive them that 
 ^rejpafs againfi us. Lead us not into 
 Temptation^ but deliver us from Evil. 
 For thine is the Kingdom, the Power 
 and the Glory, for ever. Amen. 
 
 A jhort Prayer for Children and 
 Servants. 
 
 EVer-Jiving and mofl: Glorious God, 
 Father, Son and Holy Ghoft ! 
 Infinite is thy Power, thy Wifdom 
 and thy Goodnefs ! Thou art the Ma- 
 ker 
 
PRATERS. 77 
 
 ker of all the World, the Redeemer 
 of loft and finful Man and the San- 
 dier of the Elett ! Thou haft made 
 me a living reafonable Soul, placed a 
 while in this Flelh and World to Know, 
 and Love, and ferve thee my Creator, . 
 with all my Heart and Mind, and 
 Strength, that I might obtain the 
 Reward of the heavenly Glory. This 
 fhould have been the greateft care, 
 and bufinefs and pleafure of all my 
 Life : I was bound to it bv thy Law i 
 1 was invited by thy Mercy. . And in i 
 my Baptifm I was devoted to this 
 holy life, byafolemn Covenant and 
 Vow ! But alas I have proved too 
 unfaithful to that Covenant : I have 
 forgotten and negledted the God, the 
 Saviour, and the Santtifier, to whom 
 I was engaged : And have too much 
 ferved the Devil, the World and the 
 Flefh, which I renounced ; I was born 
 in fin, and fmfully I have lived. I 
 have been too carelefs of my Immortal 
 Soul, and of the great work for which 
 I was created and redeemed; I have 
 D 5 fj 
 
78 PRATERS. 
 
 fpent much of my precious time in 
 vanity, in minding and pleafing this 
 corruptible Flefti ^ And I have hard- 
 ned my heart againftthofelnftru&ions, 
 by which thy Spirit, and my Teachers, 
 and my own Confcience, did call upon 
 me to' repent and turn to thee. 
 
 And now, Lord, my convinced 
 Soul doth confefs, that I have ceierved 
 to be forfaken by thee, and given 
 over to my luft and folly, and to be 
 caft out of thy glorious Prefence into 
 Damnation. But feeing thou haft 
 given a Saviour to the World, and 
 made a pardon ng and gracious Law, 
 prornifing forgivenefs and lalvation 
 through his Merits, to every true 
 penitent Believer, I thankfully accept 
 che mercy of thy Covenant in Chrift ; . 
 I humbly confefs my fin and guiltinefs : 
 I caffc my miferable Soul upon thy 
 Grace, and the Merits, and Sacrifice 
 and InterceiTion of my Saviour O 
 pardon ail the fins of my corrupted 
 heart and life ; And as a reconciled 
 Father take me to be thy Child ; And 
 
 eive 
 
PRATERS. 79 
 
 give me thy renewing Spirit, to be 
 in me a Principle of holy Life, and 
 Light and Love, and thy Seal and 
 Wnnefs that L am thine ; let him 
 quicken my dead and hardned heart; 
 let him enlighten my dark unbelieviog 
 Mind ; by clearer knowledge and 
 firm belief ; let him turn my will to 
 the reaJy Obedience of thy holy 
 Wi 1 ; let him reveal to my Soul the 
 wonders of thy love in Chrift, and 
 fill it with love to Thee and my Re- 
 deemer, and to all thy holy word and 
 works ; till all my {infill carnal love 
 be q lenched in me, and my finfu! 
 pleafures turned into a fwflst Delight, 
 in God ; give me felf-denial, humility 
 and lowlintft, and five me from the 
 great and hateful fins of Sdfiihnef a 
 Worldlinefs and Pride. O fet my 
 Heart upon the Heavenly Glory, 
 where I hope e're long to live with 
 Chrilt and all his hoty Oies, in the 
 joyful fight and Ioveandpraifeot T^iee 
 the God ot bve for ever. Deny rue 
 not any of thofc helps aad mercies, 
 
 which 
 
80 PRATERS. 
 
 which are needful to my Salification 
 and Salvation. And caufe me to live 
 in continual readinefs, for a fafe and 
 comfortable Death : For what would 
 it profit me to win all the World, and 
 lofe my Soul, my Saviour, and my 
 God. 
 
 Additions for ChiU 
 dren. 
 
 LetthyBlefling 
 be upon my Pa 
 rents and Gover 
 nours; Caufe them 
 to Inftrud and E- 
 ducate me in thy 
 fear, and caufe me 
 with thankfulnefs 
 to receive their In- 
 flru&ions; and to 
 love, honour and 
 obey them, in O- 
 hedience to thee 
 Keep me from the 
 fnares of evil Com- 
 pany y Temptati- 
 ons. 
 
 Additions for Ser- 
 vants. 
 
 And as thou haft 
 made me a Ser- 
 vant,makemecon- 
 fcionable and faith- 
 ful, in my Place 
 and Trull , and 
 careful of my Ma- 
 ilers goods andbu- 
 unefs, as I would 
 be if it were my 
 own. Make me 
 (ubmifTive and o- 
 bedient to my Go- 
 ver nours : Keep 
 me from felt- will 
 and pride, from 
 mur- 
 
PRATERS. 
 
 81 
 
 ons, and Youthful 
 Pleafures ; and let 
 me be a Compani- 
 on of them that 
 fear thee. Let my 
 daily delight be to 
 Meditate on thy 
 Law ; and let me 
 never have the 
 mark of the Un- 
 godly, to be a Lo- 
 ver of Pleafures 
 more than of God. 
 Furnifh my Youth 
 with thofe Trea- 
 fures of Wifdom 
 andholinefs.which 
 may be daily in- 
 creafedandufedto 
 thy Glory. 
 
 murmuring and 
 unreverentfpeech- 
 es, from falfhood, 
 flothfulnefs and all 
 deceit : That I 
 might not be an 
 Eve-fervant, plea- 
 fing my lull and 
 fleihly appetite ; 
 but may chearful- 
 ly and willingly do 
 my duty, as be 
 lieving that thou 
 art the revenger of 
 all unfaithfulnefs ; 
 and may do my 
 fervice not only as 
 unto Man, but as 
 to the Lord, ex- 
 pecting from thee 
 my chief Reward. 
 
 All this I beg and hope for, on the 
 account of the Merits and Intercefiion 
 ot JefusChrift.concluding in the words 
 winch he hath taught us, Our Father 
 
 which 
 
8i PRATERS. 
 
 which art in Heaven, hallowed he thy 
 JS-ame, Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be 
 done, on Earth , as it is in Heaven, 
 Give us this day our daily Bread And 
 forgive us our Trefpaffes, as we forgive 
 them that Tre/pafs againfl us. And lead 
 us not into Temptation ; But deliver us 
 from Evil. For thine is the Kingdom, 
 the Power, and the Glory, for ever, 
 Amen. 
 
 A plain and fliort Prayer for 
 Families, for Morning and 
 Evening* 
 
 ALmighty, All-feeing and mod 
 Gracious God the World and 
 all therein is made, maintained and 
 ordered by thee : Thou art every 
 where prefent, being more tjjan the 
 foul of all the World. Though thou art 
 revealed in.th) Glory to thole only 
 that a- e in Heaven, thy G'ace is ftili 
 at work on Earth to prepare Men for 
 chat Glory ; Thou madeil; us not as? 
 
 the 
 
PRATERS. 83 
 
 the Beafts that perifri, but with rea- 
 for able immortal Souls to know and 
 feek, and fcrve thee here, and then to 
 live with all the ttlefled, in the ever- 
 Jafting fight of thy Heavenly Glory, 
 and the Pleafures of thy perfect Love, 
 and Praife. But we are afhamed to 
 think how fooliflbly and fin fully we 
 have forgotten and negle&ed our God 
 and our Souls, and our hopes of blef- 
 kd Immortality, and have overmuch 
 minded the things of this vifible tran- 
 fitory World, and the Profperity and 
 Pleafureof this corruptible Flclh, which 
 we know muft turn to rottenneisand 
 dud. Thou gaveft us a Law which 
 was juft an J good, to guide us in the 
 onI> way to Life, and when by sia 
 u e had und ne our fe ! vcs, thou gaveft 
 us a Saviour even thy eternal Word 
 made^lan, u ho by his holy Life and 
 bitter. Sufferings reconciled us to thee, 
 and both purcnaful Salvation for us, 
 and revea id it to us, better than an 
 -Angel from Heaven could have done, 
 if thou hadft km him to us Sinner* 
 
 on 
 
84 PRATERS. 
 
 on fuch a meflage : But alas how light 
 have we fet by our Redeemer! And 
 by all that Love which thou haft 
 manifefted by him, and how little 
 have we ftudied and underftood, and 
 lefs obeyed that Covenant of Grace, 
 which thou haft made by him to loft 
 Mankind ? • 
 
 But O God be merciful to us vile and 
 miferable Sinners! Forgive the Sins 
 of our natural .pravity and the follies 
 of our Youth, and all the Ignorance, 
 negligence, omiilions and commiflions 
 of our lives; And give us true Re- 
 pentance for them, or elfe we know 
 that thou wilt not forgive them. Our 
 Life is but as a Shadow that pafleth 
 away, and it is but as a moment till 
 we mud leave this World, and appear 
 before thee to give up our Account, 
 and to fpeed for ever as here we have 
 prepared. Should we die before thou 
 haft turned our Hearts from , this 
 finful Flefh and World to thee by true 
 Faith and Repentance, we (hail he loft 
 for evermore. O woe to us that ever 
 
 we 
 
PRATERS. S$ 
 
 we were born, if thou forgive notour 
 Sins, and make us not holy before 
 this Chart and uncertain Life be at an 
 End : Had we all the Riches and Plea.- 
 furcscf this World, they would ihortly 
 leave us in the greater Sorrows. We 
 know that all cur Life is but the time 
 which thy Mercy allottethus to pre- 
 pare for Death : Therefore we (houIJ 
 not put off our Repentance and Pre- 
 paration to a fick Bed : But now 
 Lord, as if it were our laft and dying 
 words, weearneftly beg thy pardoning 
 and fan&ifying Grace through the Me- 
 rits and Interceffion of our Redeemer: 
 O thou that haft pitied and faved fo 
 many Millions of miferable Sinners, 
 pity and fave us alfo, that we may 
 glorifie thy Grace for ever ; furely 
 thou de'ighteft not in the Death of 
 Sinners, but rather that they return 
 and live : Hadft thou been unwilling 
 to (he\v Mercy, thou vvouldft not 
 have ranfomed us by fo precious a 
 Price, and ftill intreat us to be recon- 
 ciled to thee : We have no caufe to 
 
 diftrufi 
 
B6 PRATERS. 
 
 diftrufi: thy Truth or Goodnefs ; but 
 we are afraid left Unbelief, and Pride, 
 and Hypocrifie, and a worldly fleihly 
 Mind, (hould be our Ruin. O fave us 
 from Satan, and this tempting World, 
 but efpecially from our felves : Teach 
 us to deny all ungodlinefs and fkfiily 
 Lulls, and to live foberlv, righteouHy 
 and godly in this World, Let it be 
 cur chiefeft daily work to pleafe thee, 
 znd to lay up a Treafure in Heaven, 
 and to make fore of a bleiled Life 
 wkh Chrrft, and quietly to truit thee 
 with Soul and Rody. Make us faith- 
 ful in our Callings, and our duties to 
 one another, and to all Men, to cur 
 Superiouts, Equals and lnferiours : 
 Blefs the King, and all in Authority, 
 that we may live a quiet and peace- 
 able Life in all godlinefs and honefty : 
 Give wife, holy, and peaceable Pa- 
 llors to all the Churches of Chrift, 
 and holy and peaceable Minds to the 
 People : Convert the Heathen and 
 Infidel Nations of the World : And 
 caufe us, and all thy People to feek 
 
 firft 
 
PRATERS. 87 
 
 firft the Hallowing of thy Name, the 
 coming of thy Kingdom, the doing 
 of thy Will en Earth as it is done, in 
 Heaven : Give us our daily Bread, 
 even all things neceflary to Life and 
 Godlinefs, a*id let us be there* 
 content. Forgive us our daily Sins, 
 and let thy Love and Mercy conftrain 
 us to love thee above all ; and (or thy 
 fake to love our Neighbours as our 
 felves, and in all our Dealings, to 
 juftly and mercifully, as we 'would. 
 
 e others do by us. Keep us fr< 
 hurtful Temptations, from Sin, and- 
 from thy J its, and fc 
 
 of cur d corporal 
 
 I let all our Thoughts, 
 ?, Words and Ani- 
 ons, be governed by thy Word and 
 Spirit to thy Glory; Make ail our Reli- 
 gion and Obedience pleafanc to us ; 
 and let our Souls be fo- delighted in 
 the Praife of thy Kingdom, thy Power 
 and thy Glory, that it may fecure 
 and fweeten our Labour by Day, and 
 our Reft by Night, and keep us in a 
 
 longing 
 
88 PRATERS. 
 
 longing and joyful Hope of the hea- 
 venly Glory : And let the Grace of 
 our Lord Jefus Chrift, and the Love 
 of God our Father, and the Commu- 
 nion of the holy Spirit be with us now 
 and for ever, An en. 
 
 P O F. M S 
 
8p 
 
 POEMS 
 
 UPON 
 
 Chriftmas-Day. 
 
 By the late Lord Chief- Jufl ice Hah 
 
 ALmighty God, when he had raised the Frame 
 Of Heaven and Earth , and furni [he d the fame 
 With worlds of equal wonder , framed then 
 Apiece of greater Excellence, calld Man : 
 Gave him 4 comprehenfive Soul, that fear d 
 Aboze the Creatures, and beheld their Lordy 
 Infcrib d him with his Imtge, and did fill 
 The compafs of his IntelleSl ayid Will, 
 With Truth and Good \ gave him the Cuftody 
 Of his own BUfs and Immortality. 
 And jufrly now his Sovcraign might demand \ 
 Subjection and Obedience at his hand % 
 Were only Being given, 'twere but right 
 His Debt of Duty fhould be infinite : 
 But here was more, afupcr*added drefs 
 Of Life, Perfeffion, and Happinefs. 
 
 :/eat King, for an Experiment 
 Of Man s defetv'd Allegiance, is content 
 To nfe an eafe Precept, fitch as j; cod 
 Both with his Creatures Duty and his Good ; 
 
 Fc . 
 
Poems upon Chrift mas-Day. 
 
 Forbids one Frmt, en fain of death , and give} 
 
 Freely the reft which he might eat and live. 
 
 But Man Rebels, and for one tafi doth chocfe, 
 
 H's Life, his God, his Innocence to locfe. 
 
 And now death ftric\e-n, like a wounded Deer, - 
 
 Strliiiy purfu'd by Guilt, and Shame, and Fear 9 
 
 Be feehj to lofe himfelf\ from God he flies, 
 
 And takes a Wildernefs of M'ftries \ 
 
 A Land of new tranfgrefjions, where his Curfe 
 
 Is cloftr hound, his Nature growing worfe. 
 
 And whiles in this condition Alan-kind Liy, 
 
 A man would thin 1 ^ his injur d God jkouldfay, 
 
 There lies Ac cur fed Man, and let him lie' 
 
 Int angled in that Web of Mifery, 
 
 Which his own Sin hath fvun \ Imufl he True 
 
 And Jufi. Vnthankful Man, thou kfi thy due. 
 
 But twas not fo. Though Al n the Alajrry, 
 
 With his Creator s Power and Will, dares try j 
 
 And being over match with Power, difdains 
 
 To fee k a °ardon from his Saver aign \ 
 
 The Great and Glorious God, the Mighty King 
 
 Of Heaven an Earthy defpis'd by fuch a thing 
 
 As ir.an 7 a Worm of 'his own making, breaks 
 
 T^e rules of Greatncf;, and his Creature feths* 
 
 H's fro:ward Creature, net in fuch a way 
 
 As once he did in the cool of that day, 
 
 Wherein Man Jinn d, and hid \ fuch Afajeftj 
 
 Had been to great for Mans neceff/ty: 
 
 But the Eternal Son of God, the Word, 
 
 By which all things were made, the Mighty Lord, 
 
 #ffurn£s our Fleili, and under that he lays, 
 
 And hides his Greatnefi, andthofe Glorious Rayes 
 
 Of Mijefty, which had been over bright, 
 
 And too refvlendent for poor Mortals fight ; 
 
 And 
 
Poems upon Chriftmis-Day. 91 
 
 And under this difguife, the King of Kings, 
 The Me (f age of his Fathers Mercy bring* \ 
 Solicits Mans return \ pays the Price 
 Of his Tranfgreffion hy the Sacrifice 
 Of his own Soul \ and undertakes to cure 
 
 -Sins, their Peace and Pardon to procure^ 
 To conquer DeAthfcr him \ and more than ihis 2 
 To fettle him in Everlaftivg Blifs. 
 And now, Mm, could this excefs of Love $ 
 Thy Thankfulrtefs to fuch a height improve, 
 What it could fire thy Soul into one flame 
 Of Love, to only him that bought the fame 
 At fuch a rate, yet [till it were too fmall 
 To recommence thy SaviturU Love withal; 
 Once did he give thee Being from the duft 9 ^ 
 And for that only Being 'twere but juft 
 To vay thy utmcfl fef ; But when once more 
 
 ring, and thy Bl'fs he did reft ore 
 By fuch a me fins as this, it doth bereave 
 Thy Soul of hopes ofrecompence, and leave 
 »Thy Soul infblvent Tw'ce to htm this day 
 Thou on? ft thy f elf 7 yet but One feif canft pay. 
 
 II. 
 
 The Prince of Darknefs pfht with Vitlory 
 ^^Erfirft Parents fir ft Apoftacy, 
 
 >fs Sojeraigmy on Man, 
 ted thus from his fir ft Soveragn : 
 And though by that Apoftacy he found , 
 Vnder the chains of death his K Jafal bound , 
 fecure his Empire, he o'rc-fpread 
 I Vorld with Darknefs, and thereby did . 
 His Captives as he p leafed : TIjus he b( . 
 His Rule ufurped, near four tfroufandj 
 
 * ^cept 
 

 9i Poems upon Chriftmas-Day. 
 
 Except fome fmall confnd Plant ftkn § 
 Within a Family or Nation. 
 But now to put a period to this Reign 
 Of this ZJfurper, and reduce again, 
 Maruo his Jufi Subjetlioc, 'tis decreed 
 That Man from this Subjection (ball be Freed > 
 And this not by the ahfolute Commands 
 Of an immediate Power, nor (hall the Bands M 
 Of AigcU Glorious Ho/Is ingaged be, 
 To refine Man from this Captivity : 
 But Cod an unfufpe&ed means intends, 
 And Jft nfojt fu! table unto this end. 
 Sin poind our Nature, and the Serpents wile, 
 Did man of Innocence and Life beguile: 
 By Man his head is cruffrd > the Lawful Lord 
 Unto his Creature, Man to his Life re/tor 7 d' 9 
 A Virgins Son is Born ; This rifing Sun, 
 The Worlds inthallhg darhnefs over-runs \ 
 A Child to us is Born, tvhofe Innocence, 
 Our Natures fpot md ftain doth pwge and cleanfe ; 
 His Wounds ', our Cure \ his Bonds, our Liberty \ 
 His Death becomes, our Life, our Victory, 
 And this is He, tphofe Birth roe Celebrate, 
 And from this Day our Happinefs do Date. 
 
 \ 
 
 FIN I S.