6 1)ireE1iom to the Unrenewed; &c. Liw not in tiJe dark. time Cl!inot be recalled, when it's gone; and therefore that we lhould ma.ke-the beil of it while we have it. 16. Tb:umms §. 19. 16. 1 fuppofe thee alfo to be eafily convinced, that feeing man hath his Reafon and life fer ~houftb f, rnarrers of everlalling confequence, his Thoughts of them lhould be frequent and very~ferious and his u~~~~n/fre~- Reafon lhould be ufed about thefe things, by retired fober deliberation. , • quem about 9· 20. 17· And I fuppofe thee to be a man, and therefore fo far acquainted with thy {elf, as that his future thou maif\ know if thou wilt, whether thy Heart and Life do aolWer thy convi8'ions, and whed~r ~l;~\h;tt you they are more for Htavw OI 'l:arth: And therefore that thou art capable of frl{judging .in_this.r• c:m t~ll or cafe. ' . .,,,.do whirh Perhaps ycu will fay, that while I am direCling you to be Holy, I fuppofe you to be Holy firil : w:~y your . For all this fecmeth to go far towards it. But I mull profefs that I fee not any thing in all thefe fup~ r.e:ms and eh- pofitions, but what I may fuppofe to be in a Heathen: And that I think all this is but fuppolin~ thee ~~;,~c:~~~hn ro have the ufe of thy Reafon, in the points in hand. Speak fre_e1y : Is there any one of all thefe points moU for rhis that thou canfi or darefi deny? I think there is not. And therefore ifHeathen; and :wickJd m:n, deny life, er for them in their pratii[e, that doth butfhew that fin doth bruitifie them, and that, as menafleep orin 'b" to come. a crowd of bufinefs, they have not the ufe ol the Reafon which they poffcfs, in the matters which their minds are turned from. , 8, Th.rmon 9· 2r. 18. Yea, one thing more I think I may fuppofe in all or mail that will read this Book; ;~mong U3 pro- that you t:JJ{_e on you alfo to btlieve i1t Jcfiu Cbrift, and in the Holy Gl>ojf tbe S:Jnllifirr, and that the ~efs to .be!ieve Scriptures are the 1Yord of God: And if you elo fo indeed, I may then hope that my work is in a man-~ m~ht'\ <1nd ner done, before I begin it: But if you do it but opinirmolivtly andunejfe{fHal1,y, yet God and man may 7 ~~~~ci ~oe be plead with you the truths which you profefs. tfuc,&c. ~· 12· Having told you what I prefuppote in you, I proceed now to the Dired:ions : But I again intreat and charge thee, Reader, as thou loveft thy foul, and wouldfi not be condemned for Hypocrifie . . and lloth, that thou doll not refufe to put in praClife what is taught thee, and lhew thereby, that ~~~:~!.t~n;;:t. whatever thou pretend.efi, thou arenot willing to do thy part for thy own falvation, no not in the moft Cic, in Car. reafonable neceffary thmgs. , , 1\l~i; immOJt4lcs f}.11{truttt a11imu i,l corpt:rtt hmnawa, :.t rffint 1qlli Wr.ts twent4r, q11iqm creltfttm ordinem e~nt,t.m~!llnW, imirartatlft t11m vit.– .trodo, Rtque Coll{l.v:tilt. (ic. in Cato.m1jorc. E:r: tmii [14nt h•ni;fts, no.'f t~t Uco!tt, & haflitatom, ftd q11afi !peltatom {11ptr11.rum rerum atque ccelJlium ; qu.17U/il jprftaCIIlwn lld nllllum ttliud f.tiJ/14 IHimdlltil.m pertinet. Cicero 2. deN.u. Dcor. si~ bltrcto; u 1/Dit tffi morta/em, fid {O(pu-s boc. Idem Som!). Scip. Cum J!attfra c~teraJ 11.11im11.nW abjeciffit ad pajhm, fobm bomintm errxit, & ad ccrlj qttafi cqgnationis,do· mid1iiq; yrijlii!i ctmffeilum trc"tavit: tllm tpainn ir,t forma:.~it oris, 11t i,n ta pmit.uJ rtc1ndi1os mom cjfotgrrrt. Cic, 1. dt lc~ib. Nifi n eus ijiU te corporU cuflodiil libtw.m"it, ad cr:tbt"! ~di!u~ p11.rm "Oil po1~jl. ~icero Somn. SciP.. 1nimi t11nAiu11 {11a~ .immt~rtalu :· ft1 boaoru~ di1.-iifi, Cic. 2. de Leg1b. Blllorum m~nlu mtb~ lk:,mu atq11t .ttl'lild vJdtntHi", & ex btJmMum uta. td dwum rtltg1Q11tm [anl1Jmo~uzmq11e m1grarr. Idem. A;JillJHf rjl i~tgtllrrauu ~ Dto , tx quo vert v.t ag;ratio 111bis Cfl111 cr:tlif/ibus, "1.'!/ gw11 '!Jtl flirps ;rpptll~i p1.tejt. Idem 1· dt: Leg. Dire{!. l• Dir<Clion z, IF thou be truly rriUing to bt fa~tllified dHd a child ofGod, Remain not i11 a ftatt ofIg– norance, but dJ thy bej! to comt into tht light, and underjbnd tht Word of God , in the matters of falv.nion. '"' ' leip[.m 9· I · If k,_nowl,dge he unneccffary, whyhave we :vndcrffanding? And wherein doth a man excel! ~1/'(li:Ciit, eo"- a Beajl l If any ~now/edge at all be necdfary, certamly Jt mufi be the knowledge .of the grea.teft and ,:;ue ;, {I • tnof! ne"ff•ry things : And nothing is fo great and necdfary .as to Obey thy Maker, and to fave thy omn1a. ~ D~J~m, foul. Knowledge is·to be valued according to its Vfefuln~f; : If it be a matter of a5 great concern11~ '11'}.1~/ma- rnent, to know how to do your worldly butindS, and to trade and gather worldly wealth, and to fft~'nJJ~»~:m, underftahd the La":s, ~~d to maintain your honour, as it is to .kn~w how tohe rec~ciled unto God, , j~t-s ji'flN/ato be pardoned and JU{btic:d, to pleafcyour Creator, to prepare m tnne for death and Judgement, and. ci,wn gr;-it ~ an endlefs life, then let worldly wifdom have the preheminence: But if all earthly things be d,reams ~;:~~b:r:n•s and lhadows 1 and valuable only. as they ferve us in t_IJe w~y to He~vt:u, thet.l furr:IX the Ht:aVfi'/y !~if; ; 1 mboi 1 .m b.Itlom is the btjf. ~!as, how fa! IS that man from bemgwifo, that IS acquau~ted w1th all rhepunChho s btt. Paul. of the Law, that JS excellent m the knowledge of all the Languages, Sc1encc5 and Arts, and yet Sca!iger Thef. knowcth not how to Live toGod, to rnortifie the fleili, to conquer fin, to deny himfelf, nor to anfwer P·7"· in Judgement for his Re01ly life, not to efcape damnation ! As far is fuch a Learned man from being wife; as he is from being '"PPY· §. 2· Two forts among llS do quietly live in damning ignorance. Firfi, Abundance of poor people, who think they may contittHt in it, bccaufe they were hrtd in it; and that becaufe they are 1101 Book,: leanrcd, therefore they 1recd 1tot leam how to be faved' and becaufc their Parent; neglected to teach them when they were your:g, therefore they may 11egleli thrmfeJ:vn ever after, and need not learn the things they weremade for: Alas Sirs, What have you your liver, your time, and Rta{on for? Do ym.t think it is on1y to know how to do your worldly butin~fs? Or is it to prepare for a better world? It is better that you knew not how to cat, or drink, or fpcak, or go, or drd.S your [elves, than that you know not the will of God, and the way to your fa)vation. Hear what the Holy Glioil f>ith, 2 'Cor. 4· '3, 4· [But if our Gojpel be hid, it;, hid to them t,at are loj! : in whom Jht God of thli world bath bliHded the mindt of thtm whicb beli<ve n.:, lej! the fight of the gfori•mGojptl of Cbrijl, who i. tht im•g• ofG•d jhould jhine 111tto them. J Darknefs is unrafe and full of fears : the Light is fafe ac.d COill.fortable. Aman in i[!.'toraHce is never like to hit hisway : Nor can he know whetber he ~e ••
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=