haughty, and before honor is humility. Confider feriously I Tor 4.7. Who maketh thee to differ from another? and ubat halt thou that thou didst not receive?and be humble and thankful. Tob 28.28. Unto man He faid, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is underftanding. And tho' he be childifh, or not fo fharp as you, yet perhaps in Industry, Innocency, Charity, Humility, and Contentedness, which are more valuable, he may exceed you, and of fuch is the kingdom of heaven. S. Mat. 19.14. therefore you must not offend one of thefe little ones, ch. 18.6. for whom Chrift died. Rom. 14. 15. Be that are firong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please our felves. ch. 15.1. and to fupport the weak, and be patient to ward's all men. 1 Thef. 5. 14. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentleness, goodness. Gal. 5. 23. You would not be fo dealt with if were in their cafe: Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. S. Mat. 7. 12. This is his commandment, that we should love one another. I S.Job.3.23. He that loveth not his Brother whom he hath feen, how can be love God whom he hath not seen. ch. 4. 20. From whence it follows in all neceffity, He that loves not his Brother, and that behaves not him felf to all Men, Superiots, Equals, Inferiors, Strangers, Friends, Enemies, Turks, Jews, Heathens, Hereticks, Sinners, Idolaters, Schismaticks, according as the Rules of Chriftian Charity, of Juf tice and Mercy oblige him, is not a lover of God. for natural Brothers and Sifters, they must have united hearts and affections, and mutual real and great kindneft, as parts of themselves, not to defpife, quarrel with, nor envy one another, but love, fympathize and bear with each other, and strive to advance and help forward one anothers good. f. 133.1, 2. Behold, how good and how pleafant it is, for brethren to duell to gether in unity: for there the LORD com manded the bleffing, even life for evermore. And to think it a Difgrace to you, is a great miftake: for, on the contrary, it is a good foil to let you off, as an ordinary woman does a beauty. And as §. 9. VII Reafon. I Find my felf, to be of a liftlefs, lazy, flothful, and fickle Temper, loth to go to bed, and loth to refe, and fquander away my time idly, or in trifles, or to be most bufy about needlefs things, impatient and murmuring when រ when any hardships, or fickness befalls me, weary of sticking to my stated fecret Devotions Mornings and Evenings, and apt to take my pleasure on the Festivals and Fafts instead of going to Church, because can't at other, times find thofe of my acquaintance at leisure, and to commit fome other small fins wilfully now and then, Answ. ALL this you can, and therefore must repent of, and (begin at least to) amend, before you come to the Lord's Table. No fin can be little that committed wilfully against the Great God. The man that prefumptuously trang refs'd the Sabbatb-day only by gathering of ticks, Num. 15. 32. was by God's command v. 35. stoned to death, S. Jam, 2.10.Whosoever shall keep the whole Law, [in other matters] and yet [knowingly] offend in one point, he is guilty of all. You will find better acquaintance at Church, and more folid pleasure, if, like holy David, you could fay, f. 122. 1. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the boufe of the LORD. P55.14. We took Sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company. 2. Pet. 1.10. Give diligence to make your calling and election fure. Dhl. 2.12. Work out your own falvation with fear and trembling, S. Luke 18. 1. Men ought always to pray, and not to faint, [or ceafe from the performance of that Duty, because they are not prefently heard.] NOTHING is more certain than Death, nor more uncertain than th' hour of Death D. Mat. 13.33.Watch and pray for ye know not when the time is. Never repine and fret at harcfhips and ficknefs, for who is alwaies free? Job. 5.7. Man is born unto trouble, as the fparks fly upward. Phil z. 1 4. Do all things without mur. murings. 1 Cor 10. 10. Neither murmur ye, as fome of them alfo murmured, and were destroyed of the deftroyer. But leary ofs. Paul. Bhil. 4. 11. in whatsoever ftate you are, therewith to be content. and mind that notable Saying, THAT's beft that Now is. For tiom. 8. 28. We know that all things work together for good, to them that love God. Dial. 119. 67. Before I was afflicted, I went aftray: but now have I kept thy word. Gen. 49.4. Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel. D. Jam. 1. 8. A double minded man is unstable in all his wares. Take his advice, th. 4. 8. Purify your hearts, ye double minded. Both in Spirituals and Temporals you must chiefly mind the one thing neceflary. Solomon fays, Prob. 13. 9. He that is Bothful in his work, isbrother to him that is a great wafer. Be ad viled by him,, Ecclf. 9, 10. Whatsoever thy hand find eth 243 eth to do, do it with thy might. Dzab. 20. 13. Love not peep, left thou come to poverty. ch. 23. 21. Drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags, See farther, Introduction. §. 2, 7. Part 1. ch. 2. §. 8, 9. ch. 4. §. 2. ch. 8. §. 3. and Appendix §. 31 & 48. §. 10. VIII Reafon. TO cover my Faults, and compass other Ends, I have fometimes been guilty of Lying, Talebearing, flandering, and Backbiting even my very best Friends. Answ. THEN you were guilty of bafe ingratitude too, Read Prob. 19. 22. A poor man is better than a liar. ·S. Joh 8.44. Yeare of your father the devil: for he is a liar and the father of it. Heb. 24, 8. All liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, Which is the fecond death. DARE to be true; nothing can need a Ly: A fault that needs it most, grows two thereby. Lev 19.16. Thon shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer. Dob. 18. 8. The words of a Talebearer are as wounds. Pfol. IOI. 5. Whofo privily flandereth his Neighbor; him wil I cut off. Prob. 10. 18. He that uttereth a Slander is a fool. In Hom. 1.28, 30. Amongst those whom God had given over to a reprobate mind, are reckoned Back hiters, and Inventers of evil things. pf. 15.1. LORD, who shall abide in thy taber. nacle? .3. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doth evil to his neighber, nor taketh np a reproach against his neigh bor. Amongit them that had a form of godliness, but denied the power thereof, in 2 Tim 3.2, 3. are mention'd Lovers of their own felves, unthankful, and false accusers. And the Lord hates and abominates a Lying tongue, and him that foweth discord among brethren. Prov. 6. 16, 17, 19. So that you must, as our Church directs, confefs your felf to Almighty God, and make fatisfaction to your Neighbor to the utter most of your power, before you receive the holy Commu nion. Vide Part 1. ch. 1. §. 9.& ch. 7. §. 4. §. 11. IX Excufe for abfenting from the Lord's Supper. I Am a Prentice, of a Servant,and not my own Master of Timc. Answ. NO Mafler or Miftris will deny, but gladly allow you time for This, even tho' they both neglect it themselves, or are of a different perfuafion: well knowing that a godly Servant brings a Bleffing to a Houfe. As Jacob to Laban's, Ben. 30 27. I have learned by experience, that the LGRD bath biefed me for thy fake. Jofeph to Putiphar's, ch. 39. 5. The LORD : LORD bleffed the Egyptian boufe for Jofeph fake and the bleffing of the LORD was upon all that he had, in the house and in the field. And he that does his Duty to God, will likewife do it to Man; and so cannot be falfe or negligent. Which made King David Resolve Psalm 101. 6. Mine eyes fhall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with ́me: be that walketh in a perfect way, he shall ferve me. S. 12. Pfalm 63. : ad, Thou art my God: early will I feek Thee. My Soul thirfteth for Thee, my flesh also longeth after Thee ina barren and dry land where no water is. Thus have I looked for Thee in holiness: that I might behold thy power and glory. Forthy loving kindness is better than the life it felf my lips fhall praise Thee. As long as I live will I magnify Thee on this manner and lift up my hands in thy Name. My Soul fhall be fatisfied even as it were with mar row and fatnefs when my mouth praifeth Thee with joy. ful lips. Have I not remembred Thee in my bed and thought upon Thee when I was waking? Because Thou haft been my helper: therefore under the fhadow of thy wings will I rejoyce. My Soul hangeth upon Thee: thy right hand hath upholden me. These also that seek the hurt of my Soul: they fhall go under the earth. Let them fall upon the edge of the fword that they may be a portion for foxes. But the King fhall rejoyce in God; all they also that fwear by Him fhall be commended for the mouth of them that fpeak lies fhall be stopped. Glory be to the Father &c. As it was &c. : §. 13. Meditation on the Paffion ofour Lord. What hadft Thou done, O my fweet Savior and bleffed Redeemer, that Thou waft thus betray'd of Judas, fold of the Jews, apprehended as a Malefactor, and led bound as a Lamb to the Slaughter? what evil hadft Thou committed, that Thou fhou dit be thus openly arraign'd, accufed falfly, and unjustly condemn'd before Annas and Caiaphas, the Jewith Priefts,at the judgment feat of Pilate the Roman Prefident? what was thy Offence, orto whom didft Thou ever wrong, that Thou fhou'd be thus pitifully fcourged with Whips, crown'd with Thorns, fcoffd with Flouts, Reviled with Words. Buffeted with fifts, and Beaten with ftaves? O Lord, what didit Thou deferve, to have thy bleffed Face ipit upon, and cover'd as it were with fhame, to have thy Garments parted, parted, thy Hands and Feet nail'd to the Crofs; to be lifted up npon the curfed Tree, to be Crucified among Thieves, and made to tafte gall and vinegar, aud in thy deadly Extremity to indure fuch a fea of God's wrath, that made Thee cry out as if Thou had been forfaken of God thy Father; yea, to Inve thy innocent heart pierced with a cruel Spear, and thy precious bloud to be fpilt before thy bleffed Mother's eyes? Sweet Savior, how much waft Thou tormented to indure all this, feeing I am so much amazed but to think upon it? §. 14. Prayer for a holy Life. O Holy Fefu that cameft down: from Heaven, and wast pleafed to pay that dear Ranfom on the Crofs for us, on purpofe that Thou mighteft Redeem us from alliniquity, and pu rify unto thy Self a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Ibefeech Thee to write thy Law in my heart, that most excellent divine Law of thine, that I may fee it, aud do it, that I may know Thee, and the power of thy Refurrection, and express it in turning from my Iniquities that I may no longer flatter my felf with a formal, external ferving of Thee; with being a Hearer of thy Word; Partaker of thy Sacraments; a Profeffor of thy Fruth; a Knower of thy Will, but that I may labor to joyn to thefe a uniform faithful Obedience to thy whole Gofpel; a ready chearful Subjection to thy Kingdom; that Thou mayft Rule and reign in my Heart by Faith; and that I being dead unto Sin and living uuto righteousness, may have my fruit unto Holiness; may grow in Grace, and in the Practical knowledge of Thee our Lord and Savior Jesus Chrift; and at last, perfeve; ing uuto rhe last,attain to that endles glorions End, the reward of my Faith, the fruit of my Labors, the perfection of my Charity, and the crown of my Hope, an everlasting bleffed Life of Love and Holinefs with Thee, O Father of Mercies, O God of all Confolations, O holy and fanctifying Spirit, O Bleffed Trinity co-eternal; to which One infinite Majefty, Imoft humbly afcribe the Bleffing, and honor, and glory, and power, praife, might, majesty, and Dominion, which thro' all Ages of the World have been given to Him that fitteth upon the throan, to the Holy Spirit, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Amen. I have Yesterday, O Holy &c. as Part. 2. Ch. 3 §.12. CHAP |