7. That no obedience is sincere, but that which is universal, and causes us to have an abiding respect unto all God's commandments, to obey them; and to all Christ's institutions, to observe and follow them. Psal. cxix. 6. "Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments." St. Matthew, xxviii. 20. "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.' 8. That the great commands of God, are to "love him with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our strength; and to love our neighbour as ourselves." St. Matt. xxii. 37, 38, 39. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, &c. This is the first and great commandment: and the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." 9. That the great institutions of Jesus Christ under the gospel, are his word and sacraments, to wit, Baptism and Lord's Supper, which he commands all his disciples and followers most religiously to celebrate until his coming again unto judgment. St. Matt. xxviii. 19. "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have cominanded you and lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." 1 Cor. xi. 26. "As oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. is 10. That baptism is a holy institution of our Saviour's for the benefit of believers and their children; wherein, by the outward washing with water, "in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," signified the spiritual washing of the soul by the blood and spirit of Christ from the guilt and filth of sin.' Eph. v. 25, 26. "Christ loved his church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water, by the word." 11. That the Lord's Supper is an holy ordinance, wherein by (bread broken, and wine poured out) the death of Christ is shewed forth, and all the benefits of his death are represented, applied, and sealed unto worthy receivers. 1 Cor. x. 16. "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ ?" &c. 12. That the end of this ordinance is, to keep up the remembrance of Christ's death; to strengthen our faith in him; to increase our communion with him; to be a spiritual banquet wherein we feed upon him, in order to our spiritual nourishment and growth in grace. 1 Cor. xi. 26. "As oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.' 13. That all such as are truly penitent for sin past, and holily resolved against sin, and to lead a new life for the time to come, though their graces be weak, their doubts many, and their fears great, yet ought they often to come to this heavenly banquet for spiritual strength and inward comfort. St. John vi. 51. "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever." 14. That it is the duty of every one, who would be a worthy receiver of the Lord's Supper, to prepare himself, to examine his conscience, to make proof of his knowledge, faith, and charity, and so to eat of that bread and drink of that cup. See 2 Cor. xi. 28. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." 15. That the danger of unworthy refusing is certainly as great as the danger of unworthy receiving ; the neglects of duty are as dangerous and damnable as the acts of sin; and sins of omission are certainly damning as well as sins of commission. St. Matt. iii. 10. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire." 16. That God has appointed a time in which he he will judge all persons, as well for their omissions of good, as for their commissions of evil; and every one shall receive an unalterable sentence according to his works. Rev. xx. 12. "I saw the dead standing before God, and the dead were judged according to their works." 17. That those who have here done good, shall be pardoned and accepted, and shall inherit a kingdom of glory prepared for them; where they shall both see and resemble their blessed Saviour in perfect holiness and endless happiness. 18. That such as have done evil and died in their impenitence, shall suffer an everlasting imprisonment with devils and damned spirits, in blackness of darkness for ever, undergoing the perpetual gnawing of the worm that dieth not, and the extreme torments of the fire which never shall be quenched. St. John v. 28, 29. ". Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth: They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that bave done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." CHAP. II. Containing Practical Directions for the general Course of Life. I. Directions for the right Ordering of N order to the right governing of thy daily thoughts, observe the following rules: 1. Think frequently with thyself, that as thy pulse will be continually beating, so thy thoughts will be always working to thy dying hour, and therefore had need to be well employed." As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Prov. xxiii. 7. 2. Think often what a world of sin a man may be guilty of in his thoughts; atheism, blasphemy, idolatry, adultery, murder, and what not: That is, when he approves his thoughts, and his will consents to them; for otherwise his evil thoughts are not sins, but only temptations, which he ought rather to rejoice that he can resist, than grieve and condemn himself because he feels them. Nay, often evil thoughts are not so much as temptation; as in distracted, light-headed, melancholy persons, where they are necessity and disease: Then they are (I say) sins when they are encouraged and nourished, and dwelt upon and liked, and assented to. Believe thyself then to be no less accountable to God for such sins of thy thoughts, than of thy words and actions. Eccles. xii. 14. "God shall bring every secret thing into judgment, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.' 3. Think often what a glorious theme and subject, for thy thoughts God has provided and laid before thee, as himself and his attributes; his son in his nature, life, and actions; his holy spirit in all its gracious operations; his world and promises in his works of creation, preservation, redemption, &c. Astronomy does but survey a dunghill, in comparison with what christianity contemplates: Stars are but dirty clods, compared with that glory which lies within the reach of a Christian's thoughts. 4. Think every morning what good offices thou hast to do that day and so think all the day in relation to thy dealings in the world, as if all thy thoughts were written on thy forehead for the whole world to read them; and so act every day as if thou hadst a thousand eyes upon thee. 5. Think thy own condition to be certainly the best, because the wisdom of God sees it best for thee; if thou hast not so much as others; yet thou hast that which is appointed for thee: In heaven our reward shall be, not according to the good things we have received here, but according to the good works which we have done here. At the reckoning day, he will be accounted the wisest man, that has laid out his time in good duties, and his treasure in good works. 6. Think contentment to be the truest riches, and covetousness the greatest poverty. He is not rich that hath much, but he that has enough. That man is poor that covets more, and yet wants a heart to enjoy what he has already. 7. Think it not part of thy business curiously to search into other men's lives, but narrowly to inspect the errors of thine own: It is much better to amend one fault in ourselves, than to find out an hundred faults in another. 8. Think it a greater virtue to forgive one injury; |