family, which being read, he own'd before several witneffes, that he had dictated the fame; and defir'd that thefe as his words might be attefted by them; the tenor whereof follows.

Having in another paper apart made fuch a difpofition of my worldly concerns, as I thought most expedient for my family; I did think myself bound moreover by this prefent teftament and letter-will, to declare my fentiments and fenfe as to religion; but hitherto through the mercy of God, in the full and compos'd exercife of any reafon and judgment that God has given, tho' otherwife very frail in body: And this I am the rather inclin'd to do as a testimony against the growing apoftacy of the day we live in, and in expreffion of my earnest concern to have all with whom I have any influence or intereft to adhere to the truth and way of God, in oppofition to that general inclination to apoftacy, in principal and practice, that prevails this day.

In the first place then, I do ingenuously acknowlege, that I came into the world a defil'd, polluted branch of apoftate Adam, under the guilt of his fin, tainted with the pollution of fin dériv'd from him; having a heart full of alienation from, and an enmity against God; in a word, a child of wrath and heir of hell. And long did I follow the bent ofthis corrupt nature, going on, notwithstanding reclaiming means of all forts, from evil to worse, tho' mercifully reftrain'd from thofe more open fcandals, that bring reproach before the world: In a word, I had ruin'd myfelf, and could do nothing for my own recovery, and must have been everlastingly ruin'd in this cafe, if the Lord, in tender mercy, had not look'd upon

me.

I must on the other hand, and the Lord knows I do it with much chearfulness of heart blefs the Lord, who caft my lot in a land where the gospel of Chrift, and the way of falvation by him, is clearly, plainly,

P

and

and purely reveal'd and preach'd, wherein the pure ordinances of God's worship, without the mixture of mens inventions, have through the mercy of God been kept up, and the beautiful order of his houfe maintain'd, according to the rule of his word. I blefs the Lord that he fo ordered it, that I was born in a religious family of godly parents, and that I had this to fay, that God was my fathers God, and that I had been earnestly and feriously by them devouted to him: And whereas I early fubjected my felf to other Lords in my childhood and youth, I blefs and adore the Lord, that by his word and fpirit, he ceas'd not to be a leprover, reclaimer, and to ftrive with me, until by a day of his power, he made me chearfully give up with those abominations, and return to the God of my fathers. Long did I ftruggle against the Lord's work, but praises to free grace, he prov'd stronger than I, and overcame me, and I rejoice in his highnefs.

I bless he Lord, tho' by many provocations of all forts, I have given him juft ground to abandon me quite, ye he has not fo done; nay, even when I was as a beaft before him, he held me by the hand, and left me not to run away; O astonishing fovereignty of grace! I blefs the Lord that when I ftood trembling under the terrors of God's law, he seasonably fav'd me from defpair, by fome difcovery of the bleffed way of falvation for felf deftroyed finners, thro' a flain faviour; even fuch a difcovery, as made me refolve to part with all, that I might have the field, Chrifi the treasure hid in it, and pearl of price. There is nothing I dread so much as a mistake in this matter; 'tis Chrift only that will answer me and my cafe; and without him I am undone; on him, the efficacy of his fufferings, the power of his refurrection, and of his whole meditation as reveal'd in the gospel, do I build all my hope.

I blefs the Lord, that ever he honour'd fuch a finfu!

227 ful unworthy worm, to preach the glorious gospel of his fon: I confefs I have but ill managed this glorious trust; and my manifold corruptions made me a finner in all I did, exceedingly; yet so far as I do know my own heart, it was the life of my life to preach Christ crucified, and deal with confciences about accepting of him; nor durft I deal coldly, or indifferently in a matter wherein I knew my own and hearers falvation, to eternity, did depend. Herein this day I have peace, and I know that in this matter I shall never have ground of regrete. I must bear my honourable mafter that teftimony, that he never bid me go any part of my warfare upon my own charges; if I was straitned it was in my own bowels; as to him I always found, Spend and have in his fervice, was the beft thrift; when I was helped freely to give what freely I had received, I never wanted then feed for fowing, and bread for the eater, and I hope fometimes a bleffing.

I bless God, that he has caft an infignificant worm's lot among those to whom his weak labours were not unacceptable; and I look upon it as an high privilege to have the countenance of the faints, the excellent ones of the earth; I have defired to live with them here, and defire to have my lot with them eternally hereafter. I have peace this day, that thro' his mer. ciful hand, I have been kept from making any worldly intereft the main defign; it is to his grace only I owe this, as every thing else.

I blefs the Lord, that I have been happily trifted in the feveral places wherein I lived, with kind, affectionate, useful fathers and brethren to me, with whom I have lived with much delight and fatisfaction, and for whom I blefs the Lord heartily.

In a word, I defire to join my infignificant teftimony unto that of the glorious cloud of witneffes; and particularly I do atteft, as my fix'd perfuafion, that Chrift only has the words of eternal life, that the

P 2

gof

Sofpel only has brought life and immortality to light, that this bleft revelation is able to make wife to falvation to every one that believeth. I must bear teftimony that the way of holiness is the way of peace, and the way of pleasantnefs and that gofpel ordinances in their native fimplicity and purity, are bleft, and effectual means of communion and fellowship with the father and with the fon.

I fee a generation, that has loft long ago any thing of the power of religion, fome of them once feemed to have, haft'ning faft to an utter rejection of the purity of gospel-ordinances, and strongly inclin'd to fubftitute in their room that dead carcafe of forms, ceremonies, and fuperftitions, which England at her reformation, regarding pollitical confiderations more than the rule of church-reformation, retain'd to the unfpeakable prejudice of fouls, and to the endangering one day or other, the whole of the christian religion there; it being visible, that among thofe who adhere to them, the power of religion is ftill wearing lower and lower; and nothing could induce this generation to the change, but their utter ignorance of the power of religion; and fomething men must have. 'Tis obvious, the change is not of God; the lives of the Zealotes for it demonftrate this, with the oppofition made by them unto ferious godlinefs, and the encouragement given unto profane perfons, if they will but join with them in this party-defign. In a word, my fenfe of it is, that it flows from the want of a fenfe of the fpirituality that God requires in his worship, and is likely to iffue in the lofs of all religi on. Such as now caft at the purity and fimplicity of religion, and put forms in its room, are likely, ere long, as we have seen instances, to fet the form a packing too.

In a word, all in God's way, in his word, is glori ous, honourable, and like himself, he needs none of our teftimonies; but 'tis the leaft that we can do, to

fignify

fignify our good will to have his praifes celebrated; and I, being fo many ways obliged, take this folemn occafion to acknowlege, before I leave the world, thefe among the innumerable other obligations, and defire to bequeath this, as my beft legacy to my family, even my serious and folemn advice, to make choice of God for their God; he has been my father's God, the God both of my wife's predeceffors and mine; he has been, we hope, our God; and I recommend him to my children for their God, folemnly charging them, as they'll be answerable in the great day, all of them, to make it their first care to feek after peace. with God, and reconciliation through Chrift crucified; and being reconciled, make it their perpetual study to please him in all things. I befeech them, with all the bowels of a father, as they love their fouls, fit not down fhort of faving acquaintance with him, wait diligently upon the means of grace, and attend the worship of God in all duties, fecret efpecially, family likewife, and carefully attend public ordinances; beware of contenting yourselves with the meré form of thefe duties, but cry to the Lord for communion with him in them, and the out pouring of his fpirit, whereby you may be enabled to worship God, who is a fpirit, in fpirit. 'Tis my charge to you and that which I'm above all things relating to you, concern'd in, that ye follow God; follow him early, follow him fully, without turning aside to the right or left hand. In this way, I dare promife you bleffednefs; if ye follow this way, I bless you all, and pray that he who blesses, and they are bleffed, may bless you all, I have oft devouted, as I could, all of you to God; and there is nothing I have fo much at heart, as to have this ftand,that ye may indeed be the Lord's; and if ye turn aside from this way, then I will have this to be a standing witnefs against you in the day of the Lord. O that God himself, by his grace, may in a day of his power, determine your tender hearts