XI. Let y time be exceeding precious in your eyes, and carefully and diligently redeem it. What haste 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 business have we for every moment of our time, if we should live a thousand years! Take not that man to be well in his wits, or to know his God, his end, his work, or his danger, who hath time to spare. Redeem it, not only from needless sports, and plays, and idleness, and curiosity, and compliment, and excess of sleep, and chat, and worldliness, but also from the entanglement of lesser good, which would hinder you from greater. Spend time as men that are ready to pass into another world, where every minute must be accounted for; and it must go with us for ever as we lived here. Let not health deceive you into the expectation of living long, and so into a senseless negligence; see your glass running, and keep a reckoning of the expense of time; and spend it just as you would review it when

it is gone.

XII. Let the love of all, in their several capacities, become, as it were, your very nature, and doing them all the good you can be very much of the business of your lives. God must be loved in all his creatures: his natural image on all men, and his spiritual image on his saints. Our neighbour must be loved as our natural selves; that is, our natural neighbour as our natural self, with a love of benevolence; and our spiritual neighbour as our spiritual self, with a love of complacence. In opposition to complacence, we may hate our sinful neighbour as we must ourselves; (much more ;) but, in opposition to benevolence, we must neither hate ourselves, our neighbour, or our enemy. O that men knew how much of Christianity doth consist in love and doing good! With what eyes do they read the Gospel, who see not this in every page. Abhor all that selfishness, pride, and passion, which are the enemies of love; and those opinions, and factions, and censurings, and backbitings, which would destroy it. Take him that speaketh evil of another to you, without a just cause or call, to be Satan's messenger, entreating you to hate your brother, or to abate your love; for to persuade you

Eph. v. 16; John xiv. 1, 2, and ix. 4; Acts xvii. 21; 1 Cor. vii. 29; 2 Cor. vi. 2; Luke xix. 42, 44; Psalm xxxix. 4; Matt. xxv. 10, 12.

* 1 Tim. i. 5, 6; Matt. xix. 19, and v. 44, 45; Rom. xiii. 10, and xv. 1,3; 1 John i. 16; Eph. iv 2, 15, 16; Col. ii. 2, and i. 4; 1 Tim. 6, 11; Jam. iii. 17, and iv. 11; Phil. ii. 1, 2, and ii. 20, 21; 1 Thess. iv. 9; John xiii. 35; 1 Cor. xiii.; Gal. vi. 10; Tit. ii. 14.

that a man is bad, is directly to persuade you so far to hate him. Not that the good and bad must be confounded; but love will call none bad without constraining evidence. Rebuke backbiters; hurt no man, and speak evil of no man, unless it be not only just, but necessary to some greater good. Love is lovely; they that love shall be beloved. Hating and hurting makes men hateful. "Love thy neighbour as thyself," and "Do as thou wouldest be done by," are the golden rules of our duty to men, which must be deeply written on your hearts. For want of this, there is nothing so false, so bad, so cruel, which you may not be drawn to think, or say, or do, against your brethren. Selfishness, and want of love, do as naturally tend to ambition and covetousness, and thence to cruelty, against all that stand in the way of their desires, as the nature of a wolf to kill the lambs. All factions, and contentions, and persecutions, in the world, proceed from selfishness, and want of charity. Devouring malice is the devilish nature. Be as zealous in doing good to all as Satan's servants are in hurting: take it as the use of all your talents, and use them as you would hear of it at last. Let it be your business, and not a matter on the by, especially for public good and men's salvation; and what you cannot do yourselves, persuade others to. Give them good books, and draw them to the means which are most like to profit them.

XIII. Understand the right terms of church communion; especially the unity of the universal church, and the universal communion which you must hold with all the parts; and the difference between the church as visible and invisible. For want of these, how woful are our divisions! Read oft 1 Cor. xii., and Eph. iv. 1-17; John xvii. 21-23; Acts iv. 32, and ii. 42; 1 Cor. i. 10, 11, 13, and iii. 3; Rom. xvi. 17; Phil. ii. 1-4; 1 Thess. v. 12, 13, Acts xx. 30; 1 Cor. xi. 19; Tit. iii. 10; Jam. iii.; Col. i. 4; Heb. x. 25; Acts viii. 37, and xii. 13; Study these well.

1 Cor. i. 2, 12, 13 ; iii. 3, 4, and xi. 18, 21. You must have union and communion, in faith and love, with all the Christians in the world; and refuse not local communion when you have a just call, so far as they put you not on sinning. Let your usual meeting be with the purest church, if you lawfully may, and still respect the public good; but sometimes occasionally communicate even with defective, faulty churches, so be it they are true Christians, and put you not on sin; that so you may show that you own them as Christians, though you disown their corruptions. Think not your presence maketh all the faults

a

of ministry, worship, or people, to be yours, for then I would join with no church in the world. Know, that as the mystical church consisteth of heart covenanters, so doth the church, as visible, consist of verbal covenanters, which make a credible profession of consent. And that nature and Scripture teach us to take every man's word as credible, till perfidiousness forfeit his credit; which forfeiture must be proved, before any sober profession can be taken for an insufficient title. Grudge not, then, at the communion of any professed Christian in the church. visible; though we must do our part to cast out the obstinately impenitent by discipline, which, if we cannot do, the fault is not ours. The presence of hypocrites is no hurt, but oft a mercy to the sincere how small else would the church seem in the world. Outward privileges belong to outward covenanters, and inward mercies to the sincere. b Division is wounding, and tends to death. Abhor it, as you love the church's welfare, or your own. The wisdom from above is first pure, and then peaceable: never separate what God conjoineth. It is the earthly, sensual, devilish wisdom, which causeth bitter envying, and strife, and confusion, and every evil work. "Blessed are the peace-makers." XIV. Take heed of pride and self-conceitedness in religion. If once you overvalue your own understandings, your crude conceptions and gross mistakes will delight you as some supernal light; and, instead of having compassion on the weak, you will be unruly, and despisers of your guides, and censorious contemners of all that differ from you; and persecutors 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 suffered by censorious, unruly professors on the one hand, (and O what divisions and scandals have they caused!) as well as by the profane and persecutors on the other: take heed of both. And when contentions are afoot, be quiet and silent, and not too forward, and keep up a zeal for love and peace.

с

d

XV. Be faithful and conscionable in all your relations. Honour and obey your parents, and other superiors. Despise not, and resist not, government. If you suffer unjustly by them, be humbled for those sins which cause God to turn your protectors into afflicters; and, instead of murmuring and rebelling Matt. xiii. 29, 41.

b John xvi. 2; 1 Cor. i. 10; Rom. xvi. 17; Jam. iii. 14-18.

e 1 Tim. iii. 6, and vi. 4; Col. ii. 18; 1 Cor. viii. 1, and iv. 6; 1 Pet. v. 5; Jam. iii. 1, 17.

d Eph. v., and vi.; Col. iii., and iv.; Rom, xiii. 1, 7; 1 Pet. ii. 13, 15

against them, reform yourselves, and then commit yourselves to God. Princes and pastors I will not speak to: subjects, and servants, and children, must obey their superiors as the officers of God.

XVI. Keep up the government of God in your families: holy families must be the chief preservers of the interest of religion in the world. Let not the world turn God's service into a customary, lifeless form. Read the Scripture and edifying books to them; talk with them seriously about the state of their souls and everlasting life; pray with them fervently; watch over them diligently; be angry against sin, and meek in your own cause; be examples of wisdom, holiness, and patience; and see that the Lord's day be spent in holy preparation for eternity.

f

XVII. Let your callings be managed in holiness and laboriousness. Live not in idleness: be not slothful in your work. Whether you be bound or free, in the sweat of your brow you must eat your bread, and labour the six days, that you may have to give to him that needeth. Slothfulness is sen. suality, as well as filthier sins. The body (that is able) must have fit employments as well as the soul; or else body and soul will fare the worse. But let all be but as the labour of a traveller, and aim at God and heaven in all.

i

XVIII. Deprive not yourselves of the benefit of an able, faithful pastor, to whom you may open your case in secret; or at least of a holy, faithful friend; and be not displeased at their free reproofs. Wo to him that is alone! how blind and partial are we in our own cause! and how hard is it to know ourselves without an able, faithful helper you forfeit this great mercy, when you love a flatterer, and angrily defend your sin.

XIX. Prepare for sickness, sufferings, and death. Overvalue not prosperity, nor the favour of man! if selfish men prove false and cruel to you, even those of whom you have deserved best, marvel not at it, but pray for your enemies, persecutors, 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 greatest danger of the soul! Be ready to die, and you are ready for any thing: ask

e Command. iv.; Jos. xxiv. 15; Dent. vi. 6-8; Dan. vi.

f Heb. xiii. 5; Command. iv. ; 2 Thess. iii. 10, 12; 1 Thess. iv. 7; 1 Tim. v. 13; Prov. xxxi.; 1 Cor. vii. 29. 5 Mal. ii. 7.

Eccl. iv. 10, 11.

i Prov. xii. 1, and xv. 5, 10, 31; Heb. iii. 13.

* Luke xii. 40; 2 Pet. i. 10; Phil. i. 21, 23; Jer. ix. 4,5; Matt. vii. 4, 5; 2 Cor. v. 1, 2, 4, 8.

your hearts seriously, what is it that I shall need at a dying hour? and let it speedily be got ready, and not be to seek in the time of your extremity.

:

Understand the true method of peace of conscience, and judge not of the state of your souls upon deceitful grounds. As presumptuous hopes do keep men from conversion, and embolden them in sin; so causeless fears do hinder our love and praise of God, by obscuring his loveliness and they destroy our thankfulness, and our delight in God, and make us a burden to ourselves, and a grievous stumbling-block to others. The general grounds of all your comfort, are, 1. The gracious nature of God. 2. The m sufficiency of Christ, and, 3. The truth, and " universality of the promise, which giveth Christ and life to all, if they will accept him: but this acceptance is the proof of your particular title; without which, these do but aggravate your sin. Consent to God's covenant is the true condition and proof of your title to God as your Father, Saviour, and Sanctifier, and so to the saving blessings of the covenant. Which consent, if you survive, must produce the duties which you consent to. He that heartily consenteth that God be his God, his Saviour, and Sanctifier, is in a state of life. But this includeth the rejection of the world. Much knowledge, and memory, and utterance, and lively affections, are all very desirable but you must judge your state by none of these; for they are all uncertain. But, 1. If God, and holiness, and heaven, have the highest estimation of your practical judgment, as being esteemed best for you; 2. And be preferred in the choice and resolution of your wills, and that habitually, before all the pleasures of the world; 3. And the first and chiefly sought in your endeavours; this is the infallible proof of your sanctification.

Christian; upon long and serious study and experience, I dare boldly commend these directions to thee, as the way of God, which will end in blessedness. The Lord resolve and strengthen thee to obey them.

This is the true constitution of Christianity: this is true godliness; and this is to be religious indeed; and all this is no more than to be seriously such, as all among us, in general words, profess to be. This is the religion which must differ

Exod. xxxiv. 6.

m Heb. vii. 25.

"John iii. 16, and iv, 42; 1 Tim. iv. 10, and ii.4; Matt. xxviii. 19, Rev. xxii. 17; Isa. lv. 1-3, 6, 7.

20;

Luke xiv. 26, 33; 1 John ii. 15; Matt. vi. 19-21, 33; Col. iii. 1, 2; Rom. viii. 1, 13.

VOL. XIX.