BaJv to ferlle Cbrift i11 goad Works. 9· 10. Dire~. 7· Tak._e (pecial heed that the C!lmmon Thief, your ~'arnal-[ctf ~itbu Pcr{o~al or iny:mr DireCl. 7• Rrlatio1 u> du not rob G11d of hil expdledduc, and devour tb.tt wht.ch he reqfttrtth. It ts not for nothing that God calleth for the firft fruitt : flo110u: the Lord with thy jiibj!ance, and with thefirft Fniet of all thine inaeafe: [o jhall thy Barns be filled wtth plenty, and thy Preffes jhall b1frj! forth wrth new 1Vine, Prov. 3· 9, 10. So Exod. 23· 16, 19. & 34· 22, 26. Lev. 2· 12, J 4· Nehem. IO· 35· Ezek. 2 o. 40. & 44· 3c. & 48. 14· For if carnal {elfmight tirfi: be ferved, its devouring grcedinefs would Jcavt: God nothing : Though he thlt harh Godlincfs witb coJtteJttment hath enough, if Ae have but food and rayment, yet there will be but enoughf or tbemfelves and children where men h1ve many hundreds or thoufands .a year, if once it fall into this Gulf. And indeed as he that begin' with God, hath the promitc of his bountiful fupplyes, fo he whofejlrfb mufi tirfi be fervcd, doth catch fuch an hydropick thirtl for more, that all will but fervc it :· And the Devil comriveth fuch neceffities to thefe men, and fuch Vfu for all they have, that they have no more.to fpare, than poorer men: (and they c:m allow God no more but the leavings of the fle!h, and what it can fpare, which commonly is next to nothing.) Indeed though Holy u[e1 in parricuhr were fatisfied with firft fruits and limiced parrs )Cl God mufi have all, and the fiefb ( inordinately or fin•Vy) have none. Efery penny which is bid out upon your {elves, and cbitdren, and friend!, mull be done as by Gods' own appoimment, and to ferve and pleafe him. Watch narro:vly , or clfe this tbievijh carntJ! folf will kave God nothing. . 9· 11. DireCT. 8. Prefer greater duties ( cretens panbns ) before lcffer : and l.lbour to under{land D 1 ret1. 8. well wbich i1 the greater, and to be preferred. Not that any real duty is to be neglected ; But we call that by the name of Duty which is materiaUy good, and a duty in its fcafon : But formally indeed it is no dwy at all, wht:n it cannot be done without the omiffion of a greater. As for a Minifier to be pr~ying with his family, or comforting one aftlicted foul, when he fhould be preachh'g publickly, is to do that which is a dwy in itJ [ea[on; but at that time, is hM fin. It is an unfaithful fervant that is doing fome little charr, when he fhould be faving a Beafi: from drowning, or th~ houfe from burning, or doing the greater part of his work. ~· 12· D;rect. 9. Prudence i1 exceeding 11Cct.fJary iJt doing good, that you may di[crrn good from evil, Dirctf. ·9. Jifcerning the ftafrm, and meafure, tJnd manner, and among divers duties, which muff be preferred. Thne– fore labour much for Wifdom, and if you want it your fclf, be fure to make ufe of theirs d13t have it, and ask their counfcl in every great and difficult cafe. Zeal without Judgement h.uh not only en– tangled fouls in many htinous fins, but hath ruined Churches and Kingdoms, and under pretence of exceeding others in doing good, it makes men the grearefi infhurnents of evil. There is fc::trce a !in fo great and odious, but ignorant zeal will make men do it as a good work: Chrift told his Apo- !Ues, that thofe thtJt ~i.Ued them, fhould thi11k._ they did God {ervice. And Pt~:tl bare record to the [SJI :t'.l ;li.d the murderous perfecu~1ng Jews, that they _had a 1.eal of God, but not according to knowlc:dgc, give to the · Rom. to. 2. ThePapdls murders of Chrlfhans undenhc name of HereticltJ, hath recorded it to the po~r, and f,.J– world, in the blood of many hundred thoufands> how ignorant carnal zeal will do good) and what low m: :j ~ut Sacrifice it will offer up to God. · ~:~~c;to:r.:J• tb:at is, Except thou have a vocation , in whicb thou ma:n do :ts much good wir:t little mean~, 31 wi<h great. Lord 1;~~~\~j~,e 1: 3 • 9· I3· Dire&. 10. In <kin;: good prefer lhe,fouls uf menbtfore the body, creteris paribus. Tocon- Dirc/1. 10 , vert afinner, from tht errtJr of bis way, is to {avt a {oHI from death, and to cover a multitude of fi 111 , Jam. 5· 20· And this is greater than eo give a mat~ an alms. As cruelty to fouls is the mofi heinous cruelty (as ptrfecuiors and fortl-betra)ing Paftors w11l one day know to their rcmedilds wo ; ) [o mercy to fouls is tht: greateO: mercy. Yet {ometime Mercy to the B<Jdy is in that feafun to be px:efc:rred : ( For every t~ing is .excellent in ~ts feafon ). As.if a m~n be ~row_ning o.r {..lmijhing, you tnufl: noc delay the relief of hiS body, while you are preachmg to h1m for h1s converhon; but tufl: relieve him and then you may in feafon afterwards inHruCl him. Thegreateft dmy is not always to go firjl iJ; time ; Sometimes fome lcffer work is a necdfary preparatory to a greater. And fomctimes a corporal benefit may tend more to the good of fouls, than fame fpirimal work may : ThenJore I fay 1\ill, that PRUDENCE and an HONEST HEART arc infiead of many D ir>frions ; They will nor only look at the immediate bcneti~ of a work, but m its utmoH tendcm;y and re· mote elfeCls. . 9· 14- Dire&."· In <king godd prtfer the good of manJ', ejpeciaL} ofChurch or Commo~t-wealth be. v· a fore the good~ of one or few. For many a~c more worth than one: And many will honour God and lrt • 1 I. ferve him rno:e than on~: A~d therefore.both piety and charity rcquircch it. Ycr thi_s ilfo mu{[ be Abfualum eft und~rfiood wtth a c~tteru par1bU!: For tts poJfible; fame cafes ot exception m~y be fOund. Pa~tl! uman !:wte is a high infiance that could bave wijbed him[tlf accurfed ftom Chrijt, for the 1akc of the Jews as }udg- viveJ_c-, cc_m ing Gods honour q-tore concerned in all them, than in him alone. ' mlll!t ,funant. QUl~lO Olint muhis benefaccre, ,uam mag.nifice babitare ? ~amo pruJentius in hcmin:s GUlm in hpiCts , &: in aurum in~~~;}~:~:~c:~l Ckm. Alt:rutd. 2• Prta~. u. . . · 9· I5• Dire&. iz. Prefer a .durable good that will extend . to p;{lerit)', before a jhort and trdlljitory good. As to build an Almi-bo~t{c is a .s.reater work than to giv~ an Alms, and to r:rect a School, than ro reach a Scholar; fo to promote the lettlement of the_ Gorpet ~nd a faithful Minifiry, is the grcat;ll of all, as rendmg, to the good of many, even to thm ev<rla!hng good ; This is the preheminrncc of Good
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