:DireBions for a well grounded Fait!J. tklicious, than of lrfs tempting mcatr and drin~; of curiilu!, cojl4', than o~ mran, and cheap, and plai1t attirr: Let tho{c that have hire~ out ~heir re.afon to the. fervtce ot the\[ J!.cfhly lrifl-s, and have delivered the crown and Scepter to thetr appewn, tlunk orhcrwt\e. No wonder 1t the~ that have: fold the birthright of their inrtUrtts to their fonfiJ,for a mefs of Pottage, for~ Whorc:,or a ~tgh plac~, or 3. domineering power over others, or a belly.full of pleafant ~(ats or L:qu?rs, .do dende all thts, ~nd think it bur a mtlancholy conceit, more futtable to an Ercmtre or Anchortte, than to men of foctety and bufincfs in rhe world. As Heaven is the portion of ftrious believers, and mortified Saints alone , fo ir {hall be proper to them alone, to un.derlland the doctrine and example of their S~viour, and pra~ Clically to know what it is to deny them{elves,and forfakc: a\1 they have,and take up the1r Crofs and fol– low ChriR, and by the Spirit to mortitie the deeds ot the body, Lul(_e I4· 26, 27, ?8, 29, 3'1· Rom. 8. 5 , 6, 7, I3• Col. 3· 1, 2, 3, 4· Such know that miUions part with God for 1'/eafirrts, buc none for Griefs: and •hat Hell will be fiored with thofe that prefer:ed Wealth, and Honour, andSports, and glnttony, drinl;, andJiltby luj!s, before the Hoilnefs and happrnefs ofbehevcrs; but none w11l be damn– ed for prefcrringpovtrty, and difgract, and a~/Hnence., hunger, and t}nrjf, ~nd ch'ajizty, before them•. ~t mufi be fomething that feemeth good, that mufl ent1ce men from the clmfeft Good: Apparent Evtl IS no fit blit for.the Devil> hook. Men will not difplrafe God, to be thcmfelves difplcafld; nor choofe prrfcnt farrows infiead of evcrlaj!ing joycs: but tor the plra{itres of fin for a feafon many will defpife the endiefi pleafures. p. 23· DireCt. I O· Mut every moti01t to difobedience with an Army of bofy Graces, witb wlfdom, m1d Dirtll• ro. (tar, and batted, tmd refolutio1t, witiJ LotJt toGod, with '£eal and cottrag_t: ~nd qttcnc.h ~Vt? [park._ .th~t falls upmt ) 'OUJ' beartJ bcfure it brc.Jit., out into a flame. When fin JS latie and m tts mf.mC)', Jt JS wtalt and eafily refilled: lt harh not then turned away the mind from God, nor quenched grace, and difablcd it to do ics office. But when its grown firong, then grace grows weak, and we want its help, and wanr the {ti1fe of the prefence, and Atuibutes and truths ot God, to rcbuk.f it. 0 fiay not till your hearts arc gone out of hearing, and t\r:tgled from God_ beyond the obfnvance of his Calls. the Hobit of Obcdimce will be dangeroufiy1abated, if you rehtl not quickly the acts of fin. 9. 24· Dited:. I I. Labour for the clearrfo uhdcrjla11ding of the r!TiU of God, tb.t dcubtfulntfs about Dirrl:i. I r. your duty do not ma~e J t1U flag inyour obcdit!fce, and tioubtfulncp dbout fin~ do .not :vral.:..cn yo~r ~cteftation andrejijtance, arid draw you to venture on it. \.Yhcn a man 1S fitre what IS h1!i, Oucy, HIS a great help againthll tempt~tiousthat' would take him olf: And whm he is Jure that athing is finful, it makes it- the ea.Gett to rdifi. And therefore it is the Devils Method to delude the undcrjla11ding, and make men believe th::tt duty is no duty, and fin is nv fm: and then no wondar if duty be neglected, and fin cornmicted: And therefore he taifeth up one fa\Ce Prophet or other to fay to Ahab, Go a11d prl'fptr; or to fly, 7hert U110 l;urt in thi-1. • To difpute for tin, and to di[pute again!\ V:1ty: And it is almofi incredible how much the Devil hath got, when he hath or.ce but made it a matrer of CoHtrc~ -:~erfie. THen every hypocdte hath a cloke for his fin, and a dofe ofOpium for his Confcitnte: when he can but fay, [It is a Controverlie ; fome are of one mind., and tOme of another: you are of that Opinion, and I am of this : J Efpocially,if there be wifc and fearned on both fides: and yet more, if there be Religious men on both fides: And more yer, if he have an equal number on his fide: And mofi of all if he have the mpjor Vote (as error and fin have commonly in the world ) : If Ahab have but four Jmndrcd l)'i11J!, fiatttrht~ Frophcu to one Micaiah, he will think he may hate him, rtproacb him and pcrficute him without any tcruple ofConfdence. If it be made a Comrovrrfie whether Brtad be Bread, and TVi11e be JVine, when we foe and ~ttjte it, fame will think they may venn:ue toJitb{cribe or [wtar that they hold the Negative, if their credit, or liviugs, or live I lie upon it; much more if they can fay, It iJ the judgement of the Church? If it be once made a Controverjit, whether perjury be a fin, or whether a Vow mattriaUy larr[~tl bind, or· whether it be lawful to equivocate, or lye with a mental rcfirvation for the truth', or' to do the !!,Ttatcfl' evil, or·fpeak the fo.tlftft thi1:g with a true and good intent and meaning, alrnofl all the hypocrites in the Countrey will be for the {inful p<irt, if their f\e{hly interel\: require it : And will rhink thcmfelves wronged: if they are accounted hJ•pQcritrs, ly:zrs, or perjured, as long as it is but a Point ofControverfie amonglearnul men. lf it be once made a Controverfie, whether an Excommunicate King b{"come a private man, and it be lawful eo kill him, and whe· ther the Pope may abfolve the fubjctl:s of Temporal Lords from their Allegiance ( notwithfbnding all. their Olths ); and if fuch Learned men as Zrurt%, BeUarmiHt, Perrmz,&c. are tor it ( to fay norhmg of SantareUH!, ~1ari11;za, &c.·) you {hall have a Clement, a RaviUiac", a Faux, yea, too greit choice ofinflruments, that will be fatistied to firike the blow: If many hold it ma)' or.,mi[i ht dmc, fome wi\1 be found too ready to doit : efpcdally if an approvedGener{,l Council ( Latera1z. Jit61~tnoc. 3· Can. 3· ) be for fuch Papal abfolutio11· We have feen at honic, how many will be cmbo!dned to pull down Government, to lit in Judgement on their King, and condemn him, and to defiroy th<.ir Brethren, if they can but fay, that fuch and fuch men think ir lawful. If it were but :1 CoHtrovcrjie once whether drunlz,e11ne[s, wborcdom, fwearing,.ftealiJzg, or any vm:my be a fin or nor, it woutd be committed more commonly, and with much lefs rtgrft of confcience. Yea', J!.nr.d mm will be ready to think that mod~yrequircth them to be lejj ernforiouJ of thofe that commit it becaufe in contravened cafes they mufi fufpetl: their own undertlandings, and allow fomething to ;he judgement of diffenters : And fo all the Rules ofLove, and Peace, and Moderation, which are reql1ifire in ConcrOvcrfies that are aboutfn:all and difJiilllt points, the Devil will make ufc of, and apply them all to the patronage of the moll: odiOtu fins, 1t he can bnt get them once t~ have fame learned, wife, or religiouc; ddenders. And from our teO'dernefs of the perfons we eafily flidc to an indulg~nr tendernefs in cc:r1furing rbe fin it felt: And good men themfelves by thofemeans are dangeroufiydifablcd ro refij1 it, and prrpJr<d to commit i•. ' N 2 9·•5·
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