'Dire8ions for awell grotmd;~l -Faith. Rule the fouls which he hath purcbafed? Should not the Holy Gb.yi Rule the fouls which h~ Regencr.11id and qllickned? Dlrelf. 2· ~- 5· D1reCt. 2. Remcmbertbat God if pe1fcflly fit fur tbeGovemmcm of ynt a;:d all tiJe world: You DireCi. 3· Dircl/.4. Direll. 5· Dirtf;. 6. Dircti·7· Direll. 8. Dirc{i. 9• ,, can dltire nothing rcafonably in a Govtrnour, which is 110t in him. He harh perfedwi[tiom ro know whar is bcjt: Heharh puftCl: GoodJJcji, and therefore will be moll regardful of hisfubjed:sgood and wiil pm .no.Evil into his La\\s. He is AlmigbJ)I, to protect his. Subjcds, and fee to eh: ex. ecution of his La~s : H: i~ moft Jujf, and therefore can do no wrong, but all his Laws and J~•<igemcnts are egnal and nnpanial. He is infinitely perjdl~nd filf·fofficicnt, and never needed a Lye, or a deCeit, or .unrig)w:ous means to Rule the world ; nor t0 1 opprcis his fUbjeCh ro arrain his E1;ds. He is m1r 1m:y End, and lntcrejt, and felicity, and therefore hath no Imere.ft oppofire ro our good, v;hich fhould caufc him to dellroy the innoce11t. He- is our d~Jreft friend and Father, and loverh us better than we Io~c our felves: and thertfo~·c we havercafon confidently to Truft him; and chea"Jt/'ufly and gladl)'_ ro obry hun, as one that R.uletfJ us m order to our own felicity. §. 6. Due&. 3· Remember borv unable and unfit yoU are to be GovernourJ of your felvet. So blind ~nd ignorant; _fo byalfed by acorr-upted will ; fo turbulent are your paffions ; {0 unceffam and powerfuU JS the ternpt:ttlon of your {tnfe and appetite ; and fo unable are you to prott{l or reward your felves that merhinks you fhould fear nothing in this world more, than to be given up royour own heatt; lrdfJ, to W11i~ in your onm (Cducing counfciJ. Pfal. 8r. u, 12. The brutijh appetite and [enfo, hath gor ruch dcminion over the Re.JjZn of carnal unrenewed men, that for fuch eo be governed by tbemfehm, JS for a mtJ;: to be got'ermd by a Swine, or the Rider to be ruled by the Horfe. 9·7· Direct. 4· Remember bow great a matter God mak._eth of biJKinglyprerogaJiuu, a1zdofmjnt obedimce. The whole tenour of !.he Scripture will tell you this: his precepts, his promifes,his threarnings, . his vehement exhortations, his fharp reproofs, the fending of his Son and Spirit; the txamplc of Chrill and all the Saim~, the Reward preP.ared for the obedient, and the punithmtnt for the difobedrent, all tdl you alo~1d, that God is far from being indifferent, whether you obey his Laws or not. It will teach yoa to rl!gard that, which you find is fo regarded of God. §. 8. Direct. 5• Confidcr wcU 'fthc exccU'"'Y offuU obediencc, and the prtfent benefiti which it bring– fib tO yom· feivl'l and others. <;:>ur full Jitbjeliiolz and obedimce ro God, is to the world and the foul, asHealtb is ro the bo~y: When all the h~tmoun keep their due temperament, propurtionJ and place, and every part of the body is placed and ufod according to the intent of nature, then a_ll is at eaje wirhin us. Our food is pleafallt ; our fleep is fweet; our labour is eafie, and our vivacity makerh Life a pleafure to us: we arc uflfttl in our places, and helpful to others that arc fick and weak. So i~ it with the foul that isful!y tJbtdient: God givcrh hun a Reward, before the full reward: He findeth that obedience is a Reward to it felf; and that it is very pleafant to do good : God ownetb him, and Cmfcitnce fpeakcth peace and comfort to him: His mercies are fweet to him; his burdms and his ~vsrJt are eaJie: He hath eafier accefs to God than orhers : Yea, the wOrld lhalJ find, that there is uo way to its right ordfr, mtit)', peuce, and ·IJappinefi, but by a fuU fobjetlion and obedimce toGod. §. 9· Direct. 6. Remember tbe fad effell! of di_{bbed;ience, even at prefem, botb in the foul and i 1 : the wr,rld. When \Ye rebel/ againll God, it is the confi~fion, rz,ine and deaJIYof the foul, and of the rvorld: vvhen we difobey him, it is the fick._Hefl or difordcring of the foul, and will make us groan: Till our bones be fer in joynt again, we fhall have no cafe: God will be difpleafed, and hide his face; Confcience will be unquiet : The {Oul will lofc its peace and joy: Its former mercies will grow ldS fwcet: Its fmmer rcjl will turn to wearineji ·: Its duty 'will be mpleafant : Its b'urden heavy : who would not fear fuch a flate as this? · §. IO· Oirec.t.7.ConfidertbatwhenGod doth not Govern you, yore are Kulcdbytbtfltjh, tbc world and the Devil. And what right or Jitmji they have togovem you, and what is their work.,, and fina.I rrward, methinks you 010uld ealily dilcern. If ye live after the fltjh, ye jhaU die, Rom. 8. '3· And if ye fow to the flejb, of the flejh )'e }hall reap corruptio>J. Gal. 6. 8. It will firikc you with horror, if in the hour of temptation, you would but think : I am now going to di[obey my God, and to obey the j/tjh, the rrorld, or the Devil; and to prefer tbcir WiUbefure bu WiU. 9· JJ. Direct. 8. 7rernyour eye ~on the rtbiltliJuJ NationJ of the earth, and upon the flateof tbe mejl malignant and mzgodly men, anrl confider that {ttcb madnrji and mifery aJ you difcem in them, every wilful difobcdiencc to God dotb teud to, and parta"-eth of in itJ degree. To lt:c a fwinith Drunkard in his Vomit; to hear a raging Bedlam curfe and fwear; or a malignant Wretch blafpheme and_fcorn at a holy life; to hear how foolijhly they talk againfi God ; and fee how malicioufly they hate his fervanrs, one would think Chould turn ones Homach againfl all fin for ever. To think what Beafts or incarnate Devils many of the ungodly are: ro think what confiifim and i11bumanity po!Teffeth mofi of thofe Nations that know not God, one would think fhould make the lcajl degrec of tin feem odiou1 to us, when the dominion and ripenefs of it is {0 odious. §. 12. Direct. 9· blarlz wbat obedience iJ expefred by men ; and what influence Government bath upon the }fate and affairs oj tbe world, and what the world would be without it; and fure this will make you think honourably and delightfully of the Government ofGod. What would a Nation be without Government, but like a company ofThieves and Iawlefs Murderers ? or like the Pil{f1 in a Pond, that firll eat up the other Fi01, and then devou,r- one another, the greater living upon the lefs. Bears and Wolves· would live quictlier together, than ungoverned men ( exceptthofe tew that are tmly fub– ject to the Government ofGod. ) Gbvernmcnr maintaineth tvcry man in his propriety; and keepeth lull and madnefs from breaking out; and keeperh peace and order in the world. What would afa– • mi!f
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