Dire[/;ions for yot1ng Chriftians. their Religion, fa as to defire a ~hange: And though they are not fa pallionately affected with the f~rnc Senno_ns, and Books, or With th_e thoughts or mention of the fame fubflantial matters ofReli. g10n, as at hrfi they were : Yet do thel£ Judgement/ more fo!idly and tenacioufly embrace them and Ftre i~cm ~~ cjiecm them, and their wiUJ as Refolvedly adhere to them .and ~~e them 1 and in their liv:s they p;aCbfe JtllS clt <!•l_n th(ffi ~etter than before. whereas they that take up theii RehgtOn but for Novelty, Will lay it down & ~mom t::~ when 1t ccaftth ro be New to them, and tnllH either change for a Newer, or have none ~n~;JJ. Sr;:cc. at alf, . , §. 7· And as unfound are they that are Religious, only becaufe their education or their friends or rhe Laws, or judgement of their Rulc:rs, or the Cufiom of the Countrey, hath made it neceffary t~ their l{cpJttation: Thefe are Hypocrites at the firfi fetting out, and therefore cannot be faved bycon~ tin\unce in fuch a carnal Religioufnefs as this : l know Law, and Cuftom, and education, and friends when tht>y fide with GodlinefS, are a great advantage to it, by affording helps, and removing thof~ imptdimenrs rh::tt might fiick much with carnal minds. But trutb is not your own, till it be received in its proper evidence; nor your faitb divine, till you believe what you believe, becaufe God is true ll'ho dotb rt~eal it ; nor are you the ChiJJren ofGod, till you Love him f(Jr bimfllf; nor are you trury Reli– ftiou!, ttll the TrutiJ and Goodneji of Religiou it felf be the principal thing that maketh you Religious. It helpcth much to Sifcover a mans fincerity, when he is not only Religious among tht Rtligio&H, but among the propbne, and the enemies, and fcorners, and perfecutors of Religion : And when a man doth not pray only in a praying famHy, but among the prayerlefs, and the deriders of fervent con– Ct:mtprayer: And whenarnanis heavenlyamong thtm that are earthly:, andtemperateamong the intemperate and riotous; and holdcth the truth among thofe that repro:1ch it, and that hold the con. trary : When a man is not carried only by a fiream ot company, or outward advantages to his Reli– gion; nor avoidcth fin for want of a temptation; but is Religious though againfi the frream, and innoctnr when cafi ( unwilliQgly) upon temptations; and is Godly where Godlimji is accountc:d fmgularity, hypocrific,foWon, humour, difobedimce or herefie: and will rather let go the rtpHtation ofhit bomjly, than his homjly it [cif. DireCt. 2· TAb$ heed of being Religious only 'in Opinion, withoHt Zul and holy praliice; or only in Zealous ajfcfJi011 without afound wellgrounded judgement: But fee that Jwdgtmem, Zeal and pratlice be coJJjun[/. ~· 1 • Of the fir£1 part of. this advice ( again!l a bare Opinionative Religion) I have fpoken alrea– dy, in my Directions for a Sound Conv~rfion. To ch.ange your OpiHion.r. is an eafier matter than to change the Heart and Lift. A holdiug of the truth, w11l fave no man, wuhout a Love and pralJice of the truth. This is rhe meaning of Jumu z, where he fpeaketh fo much of the unprofitablenefs of a dtad uittjfe[iualbelicf,that work,_tt!J n?t by love, and c?rnmand~th not t~e fo~l to practice and o~edicnct. To believe that there is a God, whlle you neglect hun and dtfobey htm, IS unhkc to pleafe htm: To· believe that there is a Heaven while you neglect it, and p_rcfer the world before it, will never bring you thither. Tobtlieve your duty, and not toperform it, and to believe that fin is evil, and yet ro Jive in it, is to fin with aggravation, and have no c:xcufe, and not the way to be accepted or jufiified with God. To be of the fame Belief with holy men, wirhol.!t the fame btartJ and converfatio;u, will never bring you to the fame fdicity. He that knoweth his Mafters will and doth ir nor, ihall be fo far from being accepted for it, that he fhall be beaten with many flripcs. To believe that Holine[s and Ohcdieuce is the bell way, will never fave thedifobedient and uuholy. ScientJl qul! ~· 2· And yet if Jrlflgement ?e not your Guide, ~he mofi z.ealour affellionr will hut precipitate you ; cfl: rrmota a and m1kc: you run, though qutte .out Of the way, like the Horfes when they have call: rhe Coachman, jufiitia, caai- or the Riders. To ride Poll: when you are quite out of the way, is but laborioufly to lofe your time, dn" poti~' and to prepare for further labour. The Jews that perfecuted Chi:i£1 ;md his Apo!lles, had the tefiimo– ~~~2~1 f:tfJ:~~~~ nyofPaulhimfelf, that they had az_eat ofGod, but no~ accordingtok,.nowledge. And ~aul faithofthe en. !-:'s"Hg. deceivers and troublers of the Galatbtan! (whom he wtfheth even cut off) that they dtd zealoul1y af– Of tbe nece!- fcCJ: them, but not well. Rom. 10· 2· Gal. 4· I7• And he faith of himfelf, while he perfecuted Chri– fity of _Pru- {tians to prifon and to death, [I w.H zealous towardJGod, a.r ye are all tbir do~y] Acts '12· 3, 4· Wa~ te~~~smm~~-, not the Papifis S1int Dominic" that ttirred up the perfecution againfi the Chril\:ians in FraJtce and re~JNic. Ve-. Savry, to the murd~ril1g of many thoufands of them, a very zealous. man? And_are not the Butche~s tlc/iM d~ Pru- of the inquifition zealous men? And were not the Authors of the rhtrd Canon ot the General CounCil dcr..t. ~mrmn, at the Laterane under Pope Innocent the third, very zealous men, that decreed that the Pope lhould Jh!! .uupr;- depofe Temporal Lords, and give away their Dominions, and abfolve their Subjed"s, if they would w:~f-1~e~nin.., not exterminate the godly, called Hert:ticks? Were not the Papifis Powder-Plotters zealous men? Huh men, have ~ not zeal caufed many of later times, to rife up againfi their lawful Govemours? and many to perfc– done as much cute the Church of God, and depriue the people of their faithful Pafiors, without comp1tfion on r~e ~~r~r:~ f~l~te- peoples fouls? Doth not Chrifi f3.y of fuch zealots, The time cOmeth, when whofoevtr kjUeth you, JVIU ~~~~;u~~~h~f enemies. e. g. Whe~ Co11jlamin~ th.e ~on .of ConjltaJ wa~ Emperour ~ fon:'e b~ric me~ wou~d. pro~~ from ~he Orrbo~o"< Doa:rine of the Trinity , That h1s two Brethre.n, n6mJU, llr.d Hr:racbtu ~uld retgn wnh. htm : faym!, SI 111 Tomratt mdumu, rm ctlam , 6ru:mus: which coH the chitf of tb('m a hangm:;. nbbas urjJmgt11{. Edu, Mrla11flb. p. 16:. tbinlt,
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