I. NOthing can hurt us but Sin; and that ſhall not hurt us, if we can repent of it. And nothing can do us good but the Love and Favour of God in Chriſt; and that we ſhall have, if we ſeek it.

II. No man is in a ſad condition, but he that hath a hard heart, and cannot pray.

III. So much Sin, ſo much Sorrow; ſo much Holineſs, ſo much Happineſs.

IV. Make thy Sin thy greateſt Sorrow; ſo ſhall thy Sorrow never hurt thee. Make Jeſus Chriſt thy greateſt Joy, ſo ſhalt thou never want Joy.

V. A man that hath the Spirit of Prayer, hath more than if he had all the World.

VI. Two things he commended to a Married Couple, Cares and Strifes: For the firſt, Let your Cares be, which ſhall pleaſe God moſt: For your Strifes, let them be, which ſhall love one another beſt: So will your Cares and Strifes be to purpoſe; ſo will all needleſs Cares and Strifes vaniſh.

VII. If you be in a Married eſtate, know and believe it, though you might have had a better, or richer Wife, or Husband; yet ſure enough you could never have had a fitter; becauſe it was ſo appointed by God in Heaven, before it could be accompliſhed here on Earth; and therefore, though mutual love be not performed to thee, yet do thou thy part in obedience to God, and thou ſhalt be ſure to have comfort in the end, though God exerciſe thee with Chaſtiſement for a time.

VIII. There are no Afflictions or Miſeries befall us, but by Gods appointment; and cannot hurt us, but muſt needs do us good, if we be Gods Children. But firſt, be ſure you mix not Sin with them, for that only makes them bitter. Secondly, Look not at the Rod, but at him that ſmiteth; for that cauſeth fretting and fainting both.

IX. If thou deſireſt to be aſſured, thy ſins be forgiven thee, labour to forgive Injuries and Offences done unto thee, according to that in Mat. 6.14, 15. Four things conſider to this end: 1. Chriſt's Example, who forgave, and prayed for his Enemies. 2. Chriſt's Command, When ye pray, forgive, if ye have ought againſt any man. 3. Chriſt's Promiſe, If ye forgive, ye ſhall be forgiven. 4. Chriſt's Threatning, If ye forgive not, ye ſhall not be forgiven.

X. In all Miſeries and Diſtreſſes, 'tis beſt wiſdom to go to that Friend that is moſt near, moſt willing, and moſt able to help; ſuch a Friend is God.

XI. He would often ſay, He had no reaſon to complain of his Croſſes, being they were but the bitter fruit of his Sins.

XII. Where Sin lies heavy, Croſſes lie light; and contrary, Where Croſſes lie heavy, Sins lie light.

XIII. Either Prayer will make a man give over ſinning, or Sin will make a man give over praying.

XIV. Four things we may learn from Children. 1. They take no unneceſſary care. 2. They ſleep without malice. 3. They are content with their condition. 4. They are humble; the child of a King, will play with the child of a Beggar.

XV. There is no Affliction ſo ſmall, but we ſhould ſink under it, if Gold upheld not; and there is no ſin ſo great, but we ſhould commit it, if God reſtrained not.

XVI. If we be railed on, or reviled, or injuriouſly dealt withal by friend or foe, we ſhould be more troubled for the ſin againſt God, than the offence done to our ſelves.

XVII. A godly Man is like a Sheep, every place is the better for him where he comes. A wicked man is like a Goat, every place is the worſe for him; He leaves a ſtinking ſavour behind him.

XVIII. Sanctified Afflictions are Spiritual Promotions, and are far better for a Chriſtian, than all the Silver and Gold in the World, being that the tryal of our Faith is much more precious than of Gold that periſheth, 1 Pet. 1.7.

XIX. Directions for the Lords-Day. Make the Sabbath the Market-day for thy Soul. Loſe not one hour, but be either Praying, Conferring, or Meditating; think not thy own thoughts; let every day have its duties; turn the Sermon heard, into matter of Prayer: Inſtruction into Petition, Reproof into Confeſſion, Conſolation into Thankſgiving: Think much of the Sermon heard, and make ſomething of it all the week long.

XX. Directions for every day. Firſt, for morning. Every morning preſuppoſe, 1. I muſt dye. 2. I may dye ere night. 3. Whither will my Soul go, to Heaven or to Hell. Secondly, for night. Every night ask thy Soul theſe queſtions. 1. Have I twice this day humbled my ſelf before God in private? 2 How did I pray? in Faith and Love? 3. What have my thoughts been this day? 4 What have I been in my Place and Calling? 5. What have I been in Company? Did I ſpeak of good things; or did I hear, and with Mary lay up? 6. If God, with the morning, renewed Mercies, was I thankful? 7 If the day afforded me matter of ſorrow, did I fret? or did I lie in the duſt before God? When you have thus done; where you have been ſailing, confeſs it with ſorrow; the leſs work you will have to do when death comes. Thus every night reckon right with thy God. This hath been my daily courſe, and ſhall be my practice till I die.

XXI. What we win by Prayer, we ſhall wear with co 〈…〉 .

XXII. There is a twofold Aſſurance: 1. A Sun-ſhine. 〈◊〉 Moon-ſhine Aſſurance. The firſt is that full Aſſurance in Heb. 10.22. The Moo 〈…〉 is that of the Word • to the which we do well that we take heed, 1 Theſ. 1.5 〈…〉 1.18. The firſt is given but to few, and that but ſeldom; and that 〈◊〉 upon ſome great duty to be performed, or ſome new condition of life to be •• ded into, or upon ſome great Sufferings to be undergone, of which one ſaith, The •• our it comes, is but ſeldom; and the ſtay of it is ſhort. The ſecond is that we muſt truſt to, a relying upon the ſure Word of God, by the Faith of Adherence, when we want the other • the Spirit of full Aſſurance.

XXIII. For the comfort of God's People, he obſerved out of the 129th Pſalm, That though the wicked were the Plowers of the righteous, and would plow deep, make long furrows, and even plow their hearts out, if they could; yet the righteous Lord that ſits in Heaven, laughs at them, and cuts their Cords, and then they can plow no more.

XXIV. In caſe of Perſecutions and other Sufferings, God's People ſhould ſeriouſly conſider theſe four things: 1. God wills them, and ſends them: Now God's will is a perfect Rule of Righteouſneſs; and what God doth, is ſo well done, that it could not be better done. 2. There is need of them, or elſe we ſhould not have them. 3. Their number, meaſure and continuance, is determined by God; they are but for a moment, and laſt but for a few days, Rev. 2.10. not too heavy, too many, or too long, as the Devil would have them; nor too few, nor too ſhort, or too light, as our corrupt Natures would have them. 4. Their end is a weight of glory, and the Crown that attends them, Everlaſting, 2 Cor. 4.17.

XXV. Three things make a man count himſelf happy here below: 1. To have a good Eſtate. 2. To have it in a good place. 3. By good Neighbours. Now theſe three, they that die in the Lord, eminently enjoy. 1. Their heavenly Inheritance is great, Eye hath not ſeen, nor Ear heard the like, 1 Cor. 2.9. 2. 'Tis in a good place, 2 Cor. 5.1. Heaven, which is a Houſe made for them, and made by God, and therefore muſt needs be good. 3. By good Neighbours; God, Chriſt, the Spirit, Angels and Saints. Adam had a good Inheritance, and in a good place; but he had an evil Neighbour of the Devil, that troubled him, and marred all; but there's no ill Neighbours in Heaven.

XXVI. The Paſſions of God's People do not hinder the ſucceſs of their Prayers: Elias was a man ſubject to like Paſſions as we are, and he prayed, and was heard, Jam. 5.17.

XXVII. Three things concur to the making up of the Sin againſt the Holy-Ghoſt. 1. Light in the mind. 2. Malice in the heart. 3. The inſenſibleneſs of the ſin. He that fears he hath committed it, hath not committed it.

XXVIII. The reaſon why many are not wrought upon, that live under powerful means of Grace, when many that live at a great diſtance, and come ſeldom under a powerful Preacher, are wrought upon by it; He uſed to give by this ſimilitude: As in a Market-Town, the Town's-people matter not ſo much for Market-wares, as they that live in the Countrey; they come to buy, and muſt, and will have what they want, whatever they pay for it; whereas they that live in the Town, think they may buy at any time, and ſo neglect buying at preſent; and at the laſt, oftentimes they are diſappointed.

XXIX. To perſwade us not to return railing for railing, he would ſay, That if a Dog barked at a Sheep, a Sheep will not bark at a Dog.

XXX. Four Arguments againſt immoderate Cares for earthly things, that we might not diſhonour or deny God, he obſerved out of Mat. 6.1. 'Tis needleſs. 2. It is brutiſh. 3. 'Tis bootleſs. 4. 'Tis heatheriſh. 1. Needleſs; what need we care, and God too? ver. 30, 31, 32. Our heavenly Father knows we have need of theſe things, and he bids us be careful for nothing, but caſt our cares on him who careth for us. 2. 'Tis brutiſh, nay more than brutiſh, v. 26. Conſider the Fowls of the air, and Ravens that he feeds, they toil not. 3. It is bootleſs, and to no purpoſe: v. 27. Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit to his ſtature, or peny to his eſtate. 〈◊〉 It is heatheniſh, After all theſe things the Gentiles ſeek, v. 22.

XXXI. Many in the World take their Saintſhip upon truſt, and trade in the duties of Religion, with the credit they have gained from others opinions: They believe themſelves to be Chriſtians, becauſe others hope them to be ſuch; and ſo zealouſly trade in duties that lie outmoſt, to keep up their Credit, but never look for a ſtock of ſolid Grace within; and this undoes many.

XXXII. As we read of daily bread; ſo of a daily Croſs, Luke 9.23. which we are bid to take, not to make: We need not make Croſſes for our ſelves, as we are too prone to do; but let God make them for us: Croſſes being made in Heaven, beſt fit the Saints backs; and we muſt not lay them down, till they and we lie down together.

XXXIII. It was a notable ſaying of a holy man, Quench Hell, and burn Heaven, yet will I love and fear my God.

XXXIV. It is not crying out upon the Devil, nor declaiming againſt ſin in Prayer or Diſcourſe, but fighting with the Devil, and mortifying our Luſts, that God chiefly looks upon.

XXXV. The empty Profeſſor diſappoints two at once: 1. The World, who ſeeing his Leaves, expects Fruit, but finds none. 2. Himſelf, who thinks to reach Heaven, but falls ſhort of it.

XXXVI. The only way for a diſtreſſed Soul that cannot faſten on former Comforts, by reaſon of future Backſlidings, and ſo queſtions all his former Evidences, is, to renew his Repentance, as if he had never believed.

XXXVII. Some are apt to think, if they are in ſuch a Family, under ſuch a Miniſter, out of ſuch Temptations, the Devil would not meddle with them, as he doth: But ſuch ſhould know, that ſo long as his old Friend is alive within, he will be knocking at the door without.

XXXVIII. The Seeds were ſown ſo deep in the Nature of the Devil, and the Saint, that they will never be rooted out, till the Devil ceaſe to be Devil, and Sin to be Sin, and the Saint to be a Saint.

XXXIX. The Sinner is the Devil's Miller, always grinding; and the Devil is ways filling the Hopper, that the Mill may not ſtand ſtill.

XL. There be ſome ſins that an ignorant perſon cannot commit; but there far 〈◊〉 more that an ignorant perſon cannot but commit.

XLI. There be five tyes by which the God of Heaven hath bound himſelf to the Saint's Life-guard againſt the powers of Darkneſs. 1. His relation to them 〈◊〉 Father. 2. His love to them, they being the Birth of his Everlaſting Counci • , and partakers of his own likeneſs. 3. The price of his Son's Blood, and his Covenant with them. 4. Their dependance upon him, and expectation from him in all their ſtreights: Now the expectation of the poor ſhall not periſh, Pſal. 9.18. 5. Chriſt's preſent employment in Heaven, is to ſee all things carried fairly between God and them.

XLII. Brown-bread with the Goſpel is good Fare.