§. g, Direct. 7· Keep a teHde~ confcie.nce, wh~ch R~ill do ill office, and not {uffer you to fin without Diref.l, 7• remorfe. A feared ftnllefs Confc1cncc will permit yoU to lye and Heal and deceive, and will make no great matter of ir, till God awake~ it .by his gra~e or vengeance. Hence it is thar fervants can deceive their mafters, or take that wh1ch ts not allowed them, and buyers and fellers over-reach one another, bccaufc they have not tender Confciences to reprove them. ~· 9 , Direct. 8. R.tmtmbtr al'!'ayts that God is pre{tnt, and noltl ofyour{ecrtl1 can be hid from him. Dire{/, 8. What rhe better are you to decetvc: your nc1ghbour, or your rhafier, and to hid~ it from their know– ledge, as long as your M•ker and Judge fccth all I When it is him that you mofiwrong, and wjrh him thn you have mofi to do, and he that will be the moll terrible avenger ? What blinded Arheifts are you, who dare do that in the prcfence of the moll righteous God, which you durll not du if men beheld you. · 9· IO· Dixcd. 9· Forget .not bow dea~ aU that mufi coft you, nfhichyougain unl.-wf,Uy. The reckon- Dirca. 9 ,. ing rime is yet to come. E1~hcr you wal! tr~ry Repent) ornot : If you do, it .mutt: coli you rcmorfe and forrow, and fhamcful confelhon, and rcihtuuon ot all.that you have got arntfs: And is it not bertcr forbear to fwallow that morfel, which mull come up again with heart-breaking gfief and fhame; Bur if you Repent not, unfeignedly, it will be your damnation : It will be opened in Judgement ro your perpetual confufion, and you mull pay dear for all your gain,, in Hell. Ncve·r look upon the gain therefore, without the Chamc and damnation which muft follow. If Achan had fortfc::en the Hones, and G•h•zi the Lcprofie, and Ahab the mortal arrow, and ]<z.tbtl the licking of her blood by Dogs, and JudM.the h~ngit_Jg or precipitation, and An.mi~ and ~~phira t~e fudden death, or any of them the after m1fery, lt mtght have kept them from the1r pcrmc10us gam. Ufually even in this life, a curfe attcndtth that which is ill gotten, and bringeth fire among aU the.reil. §· 11. Dirc·ct. IO· If you are poor, confider well of the mercy which that condition may bri1rg yo 11, and D' U 10 /tt it bt your jludy how togtt it fimE1ijitd " yoor good. If men und<rfiood and believed that God m 1 ' ' doth dilpofe of all for the befi, and make them poor to do them good, and confidered what that good is which poverty may do them, and made it their chief care, to turn ir thus to their gain, they would not find it fo intolerable a thins, as to fcck to cure it by fraud or thievery. Think what a mercy it is, that you are faved from thofe temptations td ovcr1ove the world, which the Rich are undone by? And that you are not under thofe temptations to intemperance, and excefs and pt ide as they are: And that you have fuch powerful helps for the mortification of the fle!h, and victory over the deceiving World? Improve your poverty, and·you will fcape thefe fins. · 9· 12. Direct. JI, If you art but wiVing to tflapr thi1 fin, y?u may tafily doit by a fret Conftffion, Dirtl/. If• 10 thofo whomyou have wronged or are tempted to wrong, He that is not willing to forbe.u his ·tin, is guilty before God, though he do forbear it. But if you arc truly willing, it is eafie to abfiain. Do not fay, that you arc willing till neceffity pinchcth you or you fee the bait : t'or if you are fo, you may eafily prevent it, ~t tbat time when you are willing. If eve~ you a.re wi~ling indeed, take that opporluniry, and if you have.wr~nged any man, .go and confefs 1~ to him ( 10 the manner as I ChJ.ll afterward direCl ) ? And thiS wdl eafily prevent 1t : For fhame w1tl engage you, and fclf prcfervarion will engage him to take more heed of you•.Or if you have not.' yet wronged any~ bur are Hrongly tempted to it, if you have no other fuffictent remedy, go tell h1m or fom.e other hr perfon, that yoll are tempttd to Jfeal and to deceive in fuch or fuch a manner, and dcfire them not to trull you : If you think the Chame of fucha Confeffion too dear a price to favc you f10m the fin, pretend no more rhar you are truly willing to forbear it, or that ever you did unfeignedly repent of it. Tit. 1. [ertain [afes of Confcimce. about Theft and Injury. f. '' Qle!l. I• IS it a fin f.,. a m•• to jleal in abfolure nettffity, ..btll it is mterly to fave hi< 11>. a . lift j ..:!'t" lt Anfw. The cafe is very hard : I !hall, r. Tell you fo muchas is pall controverfie, and then fpeak to the controverted part. J, If all other unquellionable means be not fidl ufed, it is undoubtedly a fin. If either labouring, or begging wiU fave our lives, it is unlawful to fteal. Yea or if any others may be ufed J"O i~terccdc for us. Othcrwife it is not fiealing to favc a mans life, but ficaling o fave his labour, or to gratifie his pride and fave his honour. 2· It is undoubtedly a fih, if the 'lJof our lives by. i~, do bri~g ~ great.er hu_rt to the Com.m~n-wcalth~ or other men than Our lives } a e worth. 3• And 11 IS a fin 1f 1t depnve t~e owner of hiS hfe, he bemg·a perfon roore worthy and ufeful to the common good. Thefe cafc:;s are no matter of Controverfic. 9·•· 4• And' it is agreed of that no man may llcal beforehand out of a dillru!lful fear of want• 5• Or if he take more than is of necdfity to fave his life. Thefc cafes alfo are put as o)lt of Con– troverfie. §. 3• But wheiher in an innocent abfolure nmffity it be lawful to flea! fo much as is meerly fuf– fi.~;ient to fave onts life, is a thing that CaCuifis are not agreed. on. They that think it lawful, fay that the prefervation of life·· is a natural duty, and prefcrvatien of propriety is but a fubferwient fhing: which mu(l give place to it. So Amrfim dt Confcimt. l. 5• c. 50. makcrh it one <afc oflaw(ul taking that · Pppppp~ whkh
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