12 DireEt. to tl>e Unremt~ed. Set not tlryJelf againft t/,ofe thdt J~ordd cOJrvert and{allc t/,ee. thee from the work that thou camefi into the world for, till time be go·ne, and thou art fiipt una– wares into damnation, then he hlth his ddire, and harh the end he·aimed at) and bath won the day and thou art lofi for tver. , Dirc/1.7. §· 3· It's like thou fettdl fome limits to thy folly, and purpofefl to do thus but a little w/;;/e: But when one Pleafure withereth, the Devil will provide a fre£h one for thee; and when one bulinefs is over, which eaufed thee to pretend Neuffity, another, and another, and another will fucceed and thou wilt think thou hall fuch Nccef!ity ftiU, till time is gone, and thou fee too late how grofly' thou wall decetved. Refolve therefore that whatever company, or pleafure, or bufinefs would divert thee that thou wilt not be befooled out of thy [alvatiou, nor taken off from minding the One thing Ne: cejfary : IfCompany plead an intercft in thee, know of them whether they are better company than the Spirit of God and thy Confcience : If Pleafure would detain thee, enquire whether it be more pure and durable pleafures, than thou maift have in Heaven by hearkening unto grace: If hufinefi !till pretend Nmf[ity, enquire whether it be a greater bufinefs than to prepare thy foul and thy accounts for judgement, and of greater Necef!ity than thy falvation. If not, let it not have the precedency: If thou be wife, do that lirfl that muft needs be done: and let that {land by, that may bell be fpared. What will it profit thee to win all the world, and lofe thy foul. At leaf\, if tt10u dmfi fay that thy Pleafim and bufinefi is btttcrthanHeaven, yet might they fometirnc beforborn, while thou fcri– ou!ly thinkefi of thy falvation. Direction 7· IF thou wortldft b-e converted 4nd faved, bt not a maliciouJ or pitvijh enemy to thofo that would C11Jtvtrt and [ave thtt: Be not angry with them tha; ttiJ IIJft of thy fin or dmy, as if they did thee wrong or hurt. §. 1. God worketh by infiruments : When he will convert a Cnrnelillf, a Pefcr mull be fcnt for and willingly heard. When he will recall and fave a finner, he hath ufl~ally fome publick Minifter or pri· vate friend, that fhall be a mdTcnger of that fearching ahd convincing truth, which is fir to awaken them, enlighten them and recover them. If God furnifh thefe his iHHruments wirh compaffion ro your fouls, and wi11ingnefs to infirud you, and you will take them for your entmiu, and pievifhly quarrel with them, and contra:dief them> and perhaps reproach them, and do themamifchicf tOr their good will J what an inhumane barbarous courfe of ingratitude is this? 'Will you be ang1y with men for endeavouring to fave you f~:om the fire of Hdl ~ Do they cndeilvour to make any gain or advan1 Peq .t, 3 , 4 . tage by you? or only to help your fouls toHeaven? Indeed if their endeavours did Cerve any ambi ... zCor. to. 4· tious de£ign of thc:ir own, to bring the world (as t~e Pope and his Clergy _would do) under their 1 Co<. !· '9' own jurifdi6Hon, you had reafon then to fufpect th<lr fraud. But the truth IS, Chrift hath purpofely :~or. I. ~4• appointed, his grc:ate~ Church·Office~s to be but l\1inijl'cu, even the firv~ntr of aO, to rule and fave 1 Cor 4 • 1 • men as VolmtteerJ, wti:hout 4i'lf co£rCJ'V£fower, by the Management of hts powerfuiJYord upon their zCor. 3,. 6. & confiiencn 1 and eo be{techand intreat the poorefi ofthe Aock,a; thofe that are not £grdJ over Godrheritage, u.z;. nor ruajl~rJ of their [.1ith, but their ftrvonts in Cbrift, and helpers of their joy; that fo when ever we JCI r. 9 ' 1 1· deliver our mefTage to thtrn, they may fee that we exercife not tkminion over them, and aim at no ~fa;t;·,~: !~. worldly honours, or gain, or advantage to our felves, but at the meer converfionand favingof their M:mh. 10. 17. {Quls ; whereas if he had allowed us to exrrcife authority as the Kings oftbe Gentiler 1 and to be called Luke :n. 24, Graci9JtJ Lord!, and to incumber our fe1ves with the offairJ of thiJ lift, our doC:l:rinewould have bee11 >1, >6 • rejected by the generality of the world, and we fl10uld alwayes have come to them on this great difadvantage,tbat they would have thought that we fought not them,but theirs; and that we preached notfor tbem, but fer our felvu, to make a prize of them : As the Jefuires when they aucmp"t the converfion of the India"'• do Hill find this their great imrcdimcnt, the Princes and people fuppole them to pre· tend the Gofpel, but as a means to fubjugate them and their Dominionsto the Pope, becaufe they tell them that they mull be all [ubjcct to the Pope, if they will be favcd. Now when Chrifl harh ap– pointed a poor felfdenJ•ing intrtatingMinifiry, againfi whom you can have none of thefe pretences, {0 fioop to your feet, with the moll fi1bmitfive intreaties., that you would~bnt turn to God and live, you have no excufe for your own barbarous ingratitude, if you will f\y tln their fa~es> and ufe them asyour entmies, and be offended wirh them for endeavouring to favc you. You know they c1n holcftheir Tythes and Livings by fmoothing, and cold, and general preaching, as well as by more faithful dealing ( if not better ) : You know they can get no worldly advantage by dealing fo plainly with you : You know that they hazard by it, their reputation with fuch as fOU'i and they cannot be ignorant that It is like to cxpofe them to your iUwill and indignation. §. 2· And they are men as wtll as you, and therefore undoubtedly dcfirc the good will and the good word of others, and take no pleafure to be fcorned or hated : Undoubtedly they break through much temptation and reluctancy of the fteth, before they can fo far deny thetnfelves as to endeavour your falvation on fuch terms : And feeing it is all for you, mcthinks you Chould be rheir chief encouragers : If otbm. lhould oppoft them, you lhould be for them, becaufe rhey arc for y•u· If I go with a Convoy to relieve a bcliegcd Garrifon, I !hall expect opfofitim from the Enemy that betjegeth them : Bur if the beficgtd chemfelves fhall {hoot at us, and ufe us as ene~ies for venruring our liYiS .to relieve them, it's time ro be gone, and lc:c them take what they get by it. P•3. Perhaps
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