REligion is necessary, not in the way of nature to our bee­ing, but in the way Grace to our well-beeing.

In all matters of Religion, get Jesus Christ to bee thy Partner.

Reason perfects us as wee are men, Religion as wee are Chri­stians.

With God, it is not how Ra­tional, but Religious.

Religion doth not consist in externals, but in the motion of the soul after God.

God will not bee content with outsides.

The saving light of the Spi­rit is, when that which is light in the head, is heat in the heart, and light in the Conversation.

Common light comes from the Spirit, but saving light is that which is with the Spirit.

Do not determine thy estate by head-illumination, but by heart-illumination.

Many Christians are in the dark, meerly from their light.

True light, where ever it is, there is a desire after more light; the light of the righteous shi­neth more and more.

Where ever this true light is, it layes hold on Christ for life: as it leads us unto Christ by faith, so it leads us after Christ by practice.

They onely that live to Christ, shall finde Christ to bee gain to them at death, To mee [Page 4]to live is Christ, to dye is gain, Phil. 1.21.

BEfore you put your hands into the worlds bosome, put your heart into Gods hands.

As God hath bound you by precept to pray, so hee hath bound himself by promise to hear.

Though prayer can make no change in God, yet it may make an alteration in you.

Wee come to learn our duty, from our request.

Wee pray not that Gods will [Page 5]may bee altered, but accom­plished; not to alter his counsel, but his sentence.

Though God bee resolved to shew mercy, yet hee requires submission.

Though duty doth not merit mercy, yet duty is Gods order to mercy.

Do not rest without prayer; Oh but take heed, do not rest in prayer.

External duties are means to convey grace, but no arguments to prove the truth of grace.

The performance of duty is [Page 6]no sure sign of a mans acceptati­on with God, but the neglect of duty is a sure sign of a mans abo­mination unto God.

However all external duties are as nothing so long as a man is an old man, yet the nothing­ness of a duty that arises from the doer, must bee no prejudice to Gods Authority, or breach of mans duty.

A new creature is not so all in all, that external duties must bee neglected, seeing they are means appointed by God to make him more a new creature.

YOur prayers must not bee offered up as righteousness, but with righteousness.

You cannot pray without a promise.

Gods promises are the Saints best prayers.

All things promised must be prayed for under the notion of promised things.

Promises are the ground of prayer, and the ground of faith in prayer.

Promises are the rules of what wee may pray for in faith, and [Page 8]faith is the ground of what wee may expect with comfort.

As God gives promises to ground faith, so hee addes pro­vidences to build it up.

As the soul lives by faith, so faith lives by promise.

Promise.

A Promise is a word-revelati­on, arising from meer mercy out of the purposes of Gods heart, concerning good to fallen man in Christ Jesus.

You had never known Gods purposes, but by his promises.

The impulsive cause of Gods making promises, was his love, the meriting cause, Christ.

They are purging, healing, raising up, only as Christ is fol­ded up in them.

The promises are the plaisters upon which the blood of Christ is spread: the blood of Christ gives virtue to the promise.

They are all made in Christ, and performed in Christ, pur­chased by his blood, and execu­ted by his power.

The Saints are therefore heirs of promise, because mem­bers of Jesus Christ.

Promises have a being because of Christ.

After the breach of the first Covenant, God had never de­clared his good will to man in a second Covenant, but for the sake of Jesus Christ, and it is by our being in him that wee lay claim to those promises.

All promises are made for him, and in him unto us, so far as we are incorporated into him, and are members of Jesus Christ.

All the promises are yea and amen in Christ.

Thy interest in one promise is worth all thy interests.

Gods promises which could not bee too dearly bought, yet they are freely given.

Gods promises are free in re­spect of the making of them, yet they are conditional in re­spect of the performance of them.

The promises are tendered without exception, but not with­out condition.

Though they are made out of free mercy, yet they are per­formed in relation to our subser­vient duty.

God never promised life ab­solutely, [Page 12]but upon condition. In the first Covenant, Do and live; In the second Covenant, Believe and live.

Now faith is so poor a con­dition, as puts no worth in us to receive; and therefore justified freely of his grace.

You are saved of grace, but through faith, and it is there­fore of faith, that it might bee of grace.

If God made a promise to thee when thou wast wallowing in thy blood, then certainly God will make it good.

By promising, God hath made himself a debtor to himself.

God hath made promises of pardon, consider not thy own weaknes so much as the strength of Gods promise: look not to thy unworthiness, but upon the truth, worth, and excellency of the promise.

GOds outward proceedings of providence, do some­times seem to contradict the truth of his promises.

Gods promises speak healing, when Gods providences seem to speak trouble: yet the po­sition [Page 14]holds true, that it is Gods purpose, under all the pressures and troubles of his Church to deliver them.

There are two things that may bee written upon the Church of Christ, Holiness, and Victory.

Whatsoever the difference is betwixt the enemies of the Church and the Church, Christs party shall overcome.

This should make us live by faith, and not by sense.

If you look upon things ne­cessary or contingent, in both these providence rules.

There is a special providence over every hair of a childe of God, all his hairs are numbred.

If a hair cannot fall from the head without providence, the head shall not fall from the body without providence.

Troubles are the issues of neg­lected providences.

Labour to relieve thy self, in thy greatest straights, in Cove­nant-promises.

Hard throws have been made advantages to the birth of sweet mercies.

Though trouble may bee thy condition, yet rest shall bee thy portion.

Though affliction may bee thy exercise, yet deliverance shall bee thy inheritance.

providence orders all actions and agents to her own end: Actions may move very strange­ly in our view, and yet very or­derly to the greatest good, as their supernatural end.

Give not way then to sink­ings and despondencies of spirit in any trouble, in the lowest conditions and greatest suffer­ings there is yet ground of hope.

When vain is the hope of man, then comes the salvation of God.

When the morning is darkest, then comes the day.

When troubles are at the highest, then deliverance is at the nearest.

Things wonderful to us, are yet easie with God, marvellous in our eyes, and yet familiar with him.

Awaken thy heart to pray.

Nothing shall bee too hard for him to do, whose heart God [Page 18]carries forth, and holds up to beleeve and pray unto him.

Nothing hath been done without it, nothing can bee done against it.

Providence.

GOds Providence is an act of infinite power and wisdome, whereby hee preserves and go­verns all things in order to his glorious Mercy and Justice.

Gods will, being immu­table in its determination, his Providence must needs bee in­fallible in its administrations.

Gods Providence is not li­mited by means, therefore trust Providence when you see no means.

Let nothing puzzle you that doth not puzzle God.

When God makes use of means, it is not from the de­ficiency of his Power, but from the riches of his Good­ness.

To establish the means, and deny the providence of God, determining the end, is a part of Atheism; to establish the pro­vidence of God determining [Page 20]the end, and despise the means, is great prophaneness.

Use means, yet withall trust and attend Gods providence for the obtaining of the end.

True faith sets God highest in means, sees God out of means, and waits upon him in the opposition of means.

Endeavours are appointed by God, not to alter his will, but perform it, and in what wee obtain not our desires, wee te­stifie our obedience.

Use means as if there wereno [Page 21]God, trust in God as if there were no means.

Bee not over-perswaded of particular means.

The water-man thinks his boat will save him, but perhaps it is a twig.

To neglect helps is to tempt God, to trust in them when we have them, is to commit Idola­try with them.

WHen you come to pray, look to what God hath promised, and in prayer look in­to the promise.

When you pray, labour to avoid two things, calling upon God in your own strength, and expecting an answer from God in your own worth.

You may direct your prayer to Father, Son, and holy Spirit, but not as one separated from the other.

When you go to pray, you give God a visit; frequency of worship doth maintain a respect between God and you.

It is then very seasonable to attend upon, and apply our selves to the work or duty of prayer, when the working or grace [Page 23]of the Holy Ghost doth beget a disposition in us to pray.

When grace doth offer a sea­sonableness to pray, (you shall find) it affords a sufficiency of strength for prayer. Seasons of grace last not al­waies, it is not at our command to have the Spirit of God mo­ving in us: when you know the motions of the Spirit, act accord­ingly to them.

Keep heavenly things as thou wouldest keep heaven it self.

Strive for spiritual life; A dead man, and a dying Christi­an, [Page 24]are two sad sights.

A dead prayer leaves a dead Spirit behinde it.

A dull Spirit is the fruit of a dead prayer.

A dead heart argues a dying soul.

God is coming into that soul with comfort, who is mighty in duty. Consolation and suppli­cation go together.

When wee do our present duty, God will not remember our former sin.

Pray unto God for a better [Page 25]praying heart, there will nothing prevail with God if prayer will not.

The heart is then most fit to pour out a prayer to God, when it is lowest in the appre­hensions of misery.

When you hear David pray­ing for mercy, it is a sign he is in misery.

There is no want so great, but prayer will help.

Prayer is the most efficacious Engine a man can work by, for what is in the power of God, the same is in man by prayer. [Page 26]Prayer is a calling upon God.

ASk thy self often, what sin have I left?

It is not the converting, but the converted sinner that is the true penitent.

All that are converted shall bee saved, but all that shall bee saved, are not converted.

Hee that confesseth his sin; [Page 30]and turns to it again, repents of his repentance.

Hee that repents provides for after repentings.

God gives heaven to a man that is fit for heaven, there is no aptness in a sinner for heaven that repenteth not.

Repentance.

REpentance is an universal turning from all sin, even unto God.

Though repentance and turning from sin doth not de­serve heaven, yet it fits us for mercy and pardon.

It is against the Justice of God to give pardon without re­pentance; though repentance doth not profit God, yet repent­ance pleaseth God.

Such as are kinde and merci­ful to their sins, that love not their sins should bee spoken a­gainst, never repented.

Health and freedome from sickness, is a great mercy, par­don of sin is a greater, for this is the ground of the other.

Take heed of sinning, lest you teach God to punish you.

When you see a man sinning at a high rate, do not sensure [Page 32]him, but say, Why am I so low in grace?

To delight in mens sins, is the sport of Devils; Recovery from those sins is the joy of Angels.

The eye of the Lord is more upon the root of sin, than upon the act of sin.

Nature makes a soul sen­sible of the act of sin, the Spi­rit of the root of sin.

Nature presents to us the painfulness of sin, the Spirit the sinfulness of sin.

Nature makes sensible of gross [Page 33]sins, the Spirit of the least sin, as well as the greatest.

The Spirit teaches to mea­sure every sin by the greatness of God, and so no sin: is little.

If you would keep from the act of sin, avoid the occasion of sin.

They that confess and for­sake not, are onely dog-sick, when they have disgorged their stomachs, they will return to their vomit.

Every sin a beleever com­mits deserves damnation, but no sin shall condemn, but the [Page 34]living and continuing in it.

As it is not the falling into the water that drowns, but lying in it, so it is not the fal­ling into sin that damns, but dy­ing in it.

Neither good, nor bad at the last day shall bee judged by every one of his actions, but by all, not according to his steps, but according to his wayes.

There will bee every dayes pollution, let there bee every dayes purifying.

The Devil will bee at his work, bee you at your work.

To him that knoweth to do good, and doth it, not to him it is sin.

It is not the body that sins, it is the soul that sins.

A Christian should alwayes have this care, that the iniquity of his hands may bee cleansed, and the filthiness of his heart purged.

The Spirit of God loves clean hands, and the holiness of God loves a pure heart.

To bee alwayes suffering and never repenting, is the property of infernal spirits.

Wise men that set them­selves against God, they very wittily go to hell.

Could you but think what bitter pains your sweet sins will cost, you would bee provident, you durst not but bee inno­cent.

Sin drives a man from him­self, and from God. Conver­sion it brings a man to himself, and unto God, when the Pro­digal was come to himself, hee returned to his Father.

Wee never go below our selves, but when wee sin. Wee do not go below our selves when wee suffer.

Holiness hath a silent excel­lency in it, Sin hath a secret de­formity.

No person in the world that sin doth so much defile, as a childe of God, and no person in the world that sin doth so ill with as a childe of God.

It is a spotting time, let the Saints take heed.

The eclipse of the Sun, is more observed than the shining of the Sun.

Sin becomes no man, more ill becomes a wise man.

Finde out your sins, before [Page 38]Gods judgements find you out; It is good to bee beforehand with God.

If you are inclined to intem­perance, take heed of ill com­pany.

When drunkenness sayes Come, say No, I have got a new acquaintance.

Wee must consider our own wayes, before wee can turn our feet to Gods testimonies.

The house of God is the worst place to sin in.

The Lord is in the middest of his people, there must bee [Page 39]no hypocrite there.

The City where God dwells must bee a holy City, and the Mountain a holy Mountain: Holiness becommeth thy house, O Lord for ever.

There is nothing that the Law can call sin, but the Gospel can pardon: Do your sins reach as high as Heaven, Christ is a­bove them.

Christ hath as much com­passion, as thou hast iniquity: Christ is sensible of a sinners condition, every sin-labouring soul is a welcome guest to Christ.

But remember this, sin can­not bee killed without the death of Christ, nor mortified without the Spirit of Christ.

Conversion is your first work, then mortification.

However Christ makes inter­cession in heaven for his own people, hee doth not speak a word for the wicked.

AS the thread followeth the needle, so death follow­eth sin.

Man had never fallen into the grave, if hee had not fallen into transgression.

Man dyed, not because his nature was subject to corrupti­on but because sin had corrupted his nature.

Man was wholly a stranger to death, till acquainted with sin.

There is no man that lives that shall not see death; Death will finde every man, and con­nive at no man.

The glorious end wee should aim at in life, is not to study how wee might injoy the com­forts of life, but how wee may overcome the discouragements of death.

Death is alwayes drawing nearer and nearer, whether you improve your time, or throw away your time.

Men ordinarily leave the earth, when they are most busie about it.

Those must dye that shall not bee damned.

It is a good minde in a man to bee content to dye, and wil­ling to live; but to bee willing to dye, and content live, is the minde of a strong Christian.

To labour not to dye, is la­bour in vain, to live without fear of death, is to dye live­ing.

The comforts of life are no rational comforts, till you bee freed from the terrours of death.

What comforts of life can bee sweet, when a man is afraid of death, and uncertain of life?

Seldome doth hee dye well, that lives ill.

They are fools that give a­way their souls for nothing.

Prevention is better than confusion.

Hee lives twice, that bestows the fore part of his time well.

That man that lives to dye, shall dye to live.

The way to dye well, is to dye often; often and seriously think of dying, and then sin if thou canst.

A dram of grace will bee more worth to you when you come to dye, than a sea of gifts.

A man may live by a form, hee cannot dye by a form.

Remember this, the bellows of death will blow the spark of sincerity into a flame, and the blaze of formality into no­thing.

Hee neither fears nor feels death that hath his hopes in heaven.

Though death bee terrible, yet innocency is bold.

Christ by death, in death, de­livers us from death.

If hee dyed that you might live with him, do not desire to live long from him.

1 If you would live well, take heed where you live, even the place of pleasure is dan­gerous.

2 In learning to live, study how to dye; hee loses all his [Page 46]time, that knows not how to end his time.

3 Dye you must, bee active for God whilst you live.

You that must dye shortly had need to live strictly.

The way to have great con­fidence when you dye, is to get, and keep a good conscience whilst you live.

Mans life may bee very short, it cannot bee long; the time of man is a long death, but it is but a short life.

Mens principles speak the [Page 47]shortness of life, but their practises speak the eternity of life.

Time is but short, but eterni­ty is long.

If a wicked man would bee happy, hee must make time long, and eternity short.

As time is the measure of his sin, so eternity is the measure of his punishment.

Prepare for an enemy that is alwayes getting ground of you; not only the approaches of death are perpetual, but insensible.

Make sure of death, that you bee not miserable in death; and after death.

When I was a young man (saith Seneca) my care was to live well, and when age came, I studied how to dye well.

The right way to dye well, is to live well, and the right way to live well, is to dye betimes to sin, the world, and self.

You must dye, make sure of an interest in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ will do you good when you come to die, so will the power of godliness.

AFter death comes Judge­ment.

At that day the wicked shall know Gods forbearance is no ac­quittance.

Wicked men are surely or­dained to punishment, as godly men are ordained to deliver­ance.

Though the Saints may bee losers for Gods word, yet they shall lose nothing by God.

It cannot bee long before the worlds Funerals, and the birth day of Judgement.

Though wee sleep in sin, judgement slumbers not.

The Lord Jesus Christ hee is judge, not onely of the fact, but of the heart.

Make the Judge your friend; Get him that is your Judge to bee your Advocate.

It is not the varnish of pro­fession Christ will respect at that day, unless hee see the work­manship of the Holy Ghost in the heart.

The wicked may drink a sea of wrath, but they shall not sip one drop of injustice.

The sinner beeing self-con­demned, shall clear the Judge.

Christs first coming, was to unite, his second coming shall bee to separate.

That heart that would not break with sorrow for sin, shall now bee rent thorow with des­pair.

They that would not weep for their sins, shall now barn for their sins.

To bear this will bee intol­lerable; to avoid this will bee impossible.

Sinners they must come to [Page 52]the Bar, and they are sure to bee cast at the Bar.

If you have not a part in the blood of the Lamb, you shall bee sure to have a part in the wrath of the Lamb.

But if thou hast no sins of allowance, thou shalt have grains of allowance.

One dram of grace is too good to go to hell.

ALL that will expect to bee saved must wait upon the foolishness of preaching.

The creature as a creature is [Page 53]indispensibly bound to serve God.

Pray privately, hear publick­ly.

God never comes so nigh to the soul, as when hee enters in­to the ear.

It is preaching that brings hearing, and hearing that brings faith, and faith salvation.

As God will bee worshipped in Spirit, so in truth, not onely in opposition to the Ceremo­nial Law, but in opposition to the hypocrisie of the heart.

That man never received the [Page 54]word in the power of it, that never received it in the per­petuity of it.

Instability is alwayes a sure note of insincerity.

God looks more at the man­ner of the duty, than the mat­ter; it is not what you do, but how you do, not how much, but how well.

As God will have you holy, because hee is holy, so you must worship him in spirit, because hee is a Spirit.

What is the reason that men sleep so securely after so many Sermons? they say with Sa­muel, [Page 55]It is onely mans voice.

The outward teachings of man, is of no power without the inward teachings of Gods Spi­rit.

Christ revealed to us diffe­renceth us from Pagans; Christ revealed in us severeth us from Reprobates.

It is not thy hearing of mans voice, but thy subjection to Gods voice, that begets thee anew to God.

As hee sins that gives not God the hearing, so hee sins that only gives God the hear­ing.

The word is never spoken in vain, though it may bee often heard in vain, it either purifies or consumes.

Gospel-ordinances (you will finde) either ripen your graces, or ripen your corruptions.

The word of God is an ene­my to none but them that are enemies to themselves.

No worship is a breach of the first Commandement; false worship is a breach of the se­cond Commandement.

Will-worship is alwayes false worship; All things that I com­mand you in matters of practise, [Page 57]and in matters of worship, that do, and no more.

You must worship God with your will, oh but take heed of Will worship.

When the heart goes not a­long with the duty, that is hy­pocrisie, when the heart is not stirred up in the duty to lively and vigorous acts, that is for­mality.

As God will have the heart in prayer, so in hearing, hee is a Spirit, and hee will bee worship­ped in Truth.

The Lord whose Name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Take heed of the false wor­ship of the heart, if thou are not guilty of Idolatry, thou mayest bee guilty of Hypo­crisie.

Take heed of the Idolatry of the heart.

Bee spiritual in what you do.

A jealous eye is a watchful eye.

When ever you come to worship, look to your thoughts.

Look to your conceptions of God when you worship, how you represent God in worship.

There is as much danger of imaginations within, as there is of Images without.

That which makes us suc­cesseless in duty, is undue thoughts of God.

Make spiritual growth the end of coming to the word.

That Spirit that sayes, Hear my Law, sayes, My Son, forget not my Law.

A holy life is the infusion of holy truth.

Truth shall never dye, who ever dye or live.

Charge thy self with that which is the end of the word (that is) Live well.

ASk thy heart every night what hath been thy darling to day, who hath been most in thy thoughts to day.

The actions of mens lives, are the wayes of their thoughts.

Secret thoughts will ingen­der gross transgressions; secret sins will bring to open shame, if you do not shame your self be­fore God for them.

Sins of act are like arrows that flye by day; Sins of [Page 61]thought are the pestilence that lurks in darkness.

It is not what thoughts are injected into thee, but what thoughts are maintained by thee.

Thoughts are sins of the highest part of a man, for they are the sins of his heart.

Thoughts are the first-born of original corruption, if it bee the first born, it must needs bee the strongest, as Jacob said to Ruben.

A man many times doth not what hee would, but hee al­waies thinks as hee will.

If thy heart bee heavenly, thy thoughts will bee holy.

God thinks on you when you forget him.

If God should withdraw his thoughts from us, as we do ours from him, what would become of us: Think on that.

Thoughts are called the counsels of a mans heart, if thy thoughts bee not counselled thoughts, such as thou dost de­termine to think on, they are not good thoughts.

The souls part of fin, is the greatest part of sin, therefore thoughts are the greatest part [Page 63]of sin; yet sins in deed are in regard of progress the worse, because thoughts are included in them.

This is that which undoes many a man (let it not bee thy undoing) to have good thoughts of God, and good thoughts of themselves too.

THere is no soul hath more high thoughts of God, than that soul that hath low thoughts of it self.

The foul that lives lowest, hath the highest objects before it.

The lower the soul lyes, the higher the things are it aims at.

The lower the ebbe, the higher the tyde.

The lower the foundation of vertue is laid, the higher shall the roof of glory bee over­laid.

They that are risen with Christ, that seek the power of Christ risen, seek things a­bove.

(An humble spirit may bee busied in low things, but not taken up with them.

If Saints bee sad, it is be­cause they are too busie here below.)

The more low wee are, the more comfort wee have of God: When wee are nothing in our own eyes, then are wee something in Gods.

If thou wouldest bee all in God, learn to empty thy self, not by taking notice so much of thy graces, as thy wants.

The more wee can empty our selves, the more wee shall bee filled with God.

A Christians emptiness is his [Page 66]fulness, and his fulness is his emptiness.

God is in that man that is not in himself.

If I will bee any thing in my self, as of my self, I must look to bee no creature of Gods making.

Whatsoever a Christian is for grace or glory, it is out of himself, hee hath nothing in himself, as of himself; all that hee hath, hee hath in Christ.

Wee altogether shine in the beams of our husband.

Follow Christs example, his [Page 67]whole life and death was an ab­solute denial of himself.

It unburdens a man of him­self, this self-denial.

If a man lets go his fleshh ec shall advance his spirit.

A self-seeker is a clod of earth that sucks the sap of his soul onely to himself.

Deny thy self wholly; if there bee not thorow self-denial, ere long there will bee God-denial.

Whosoever is not poor in himself, hee will never go our of himself, for hee hath some o­ther supply.

Those that have full conceits of themselves, can never thirst after Christ.

When man makes an Idol of self, hee wants now and then some to come and worship him.

Those that have least know­ledge of themselves, are apt to dote on themselves.

Hee that knows himself best, loves himself least.

Those that have most light, have lowest thoughts; they trust not to the grace in their own hearts, but to the grace in the Covenant.

Pride is a conceit of self­sufficiency.

THou canst never act freely and cheerfully in Gods wayes, until the divine nature bee communicated.

Where divine power works not creatingly, it works not re­lievingly; hence it is that one that is not a Christian in deed, holds not out alwayes to bee a Christian in shew.

As vital principles, and spiri­tual habits are infused by God, so they owe their permanency and stability to God.

It is his work to perfect ho­liness in his fear.

The judgement of sense ought to bee regulated by rea­son, and the judgement of rea­son ought to bee corrected by faith.

Though I must not, nor can­not give a reason of every thing I beleeve, yet I must give a reason of my faith.

There is the life of faith, the living of faith, and the liveli­ness of faith; the first is the ha­bit, the second is the act, the third is the grace.

Faith doth not justifie as a [Page 71]grace in us, or as a work; not as an active condition, contribu­ting any thing to its own worth, but as a passive condition, or qualification, whereby wee re­ceive Jesus Christ the Lord, and it is for his merits, and not for our faith, though by our faith wee are justified.

It is the application of Christs righteousness, not our appre­hending it.

By faith alone wee are justi­fied, but the faith by which wee are justified is not alone.

As wee cannot get it of our selves, so wee cannot act it of our selves.

Faith is not our righteous­ness, yet it makes the righte­ousness of Christ to bee ours: Abraham beleeved, and it was imputed to him for righteous­ness.

Christ in our nature hath ful­filled all righteousness, this God hath promised shall bee ours for justification; now faith closes with this Covenant, ap­plies this promise, and rests up­on Christ for justification.

Therefore of faith that it might bee by grace; there­fore of faith to the end the pro­mise might bee sure to all the seed.

Faith is the root of a Christi­ans conversation, and a Christi­ans conversation is the fruit of faith.

Many measure their faith by perswasion, but I had rather measure my faith by the power of mortification: so much as it sanctifies, so much it is; faith can­not conduce to the act of re­demption, but faith conduces to our justification.

You are to act faith upon God, that the promise may bee returned.

Wherefore do I believe? because God hath promised; [Page 74]Wherefore do I hope? because faith believes; Wherefore do I wait? because hope expects.

An easie faith is always a false faith.

Hee that never found it hard to believe, never believed.

A fruitless faith is alwaies a false faith.

It is not the work faith, nor the works of faith, but faith with her proper work by which wee are justified.

By faith the person is justifi­ed, and by works the faith is justified.

Though faith alone doth ju­stifie, yet not that faith which is alone.

Christians should not onely labour to be justified by faith, but they should labour to justi­fie their faith.

Shew mee thy invisible faith by thy visible life.

God doth justifie a man by his faith, hee doth not justifie him for his faith.

Faith is the Engine by which wee do all; by which wee pre­vail with God, and overcome the world: it must not onely [Page 76]live in us, but wee must live by it.

Faith, it grows in the exer­cise.

Do what you can for faith, though your doing will not come up to believing; and say not that you cannot believe: for if you go not thus far, to do what you can, your unbelief is not from your cannot, but from your will not.

Go and put forth that faith thou art able to put forth, and in the end God will make it a spiritual believing.

As the water Christ com­manded to bee poured out, was turned into wine by the pour­ing of it out: so deal with Christ Jesus for believing, and in the end God will turn thy faith, which is but water, into wine.

Thou wilt believe thy self in­to believing.

You ought to believe till you bee perswaded that you do be­lieve, for the more you do be­lieve, the more you shall bee perswaded to believe.

By frequency of believing, [Page 78]you shall feel at your very heart that you do believe, 1 Joh. 5.10.

If repentance accompany faith, it is no presumption to believe: but it is presumption to look for mercy in a way of unbelief.

Beware of unbelief, for it is a shelter to sin all your life.

As faith is the shield of the new man, so unbelief is the shield of the old man.

As the shield of faith doth quench the fiery darts of the [Page 79]Devill, so unbelief doth quench the fiery darts of God.

This unbelief removes all the blocks that lie in the way of sin, as belief removes all the blocks that lie in the way of holiness.

Unbelief, it robs God the Father at once of all his Attri­butes; it robs God the Son of the Glory of his triumph over Sin, Death, and Hell; it robs God the Holy-Ghost of his seals to thy evidence of par­don.

The Spirit seals to thy soul the pardon of thy sins, and un­belief comes and tears thy e­vidences, [Page 80]and breaks the seals.

Labour as much for faith in the threatnings, as for faith in the promises.

And remember this, though other sins merit hell, yet it is this sin of unbelief onely that puts you into damnation.

AS great sins are not easily to bee reformed, so great mercies are not soon obtained.

When the stream of thank­fulness is not returned, the tide of mercy stops.

Although God looks for no­thing [Page 81]in us to bestow his love upon us, nor for nothing from us as the ground of the conti­nuance of his love to us, yet wee are to bee highly thankful for any little the Lord gives, and to be humble, and judge our selves worthy of nothing when the Lord denies.

Mercy is not the purchase of the creature, but the gift of God.

Follow God close with your praises, that goes before you in his mercies.

As praises are the seasonable fruit under mercies, so humili­ation [Page 82]and prayers are the seaso­nable fruit under troubles.

Sinners may speak good words of God, it is only comly for the upright to praise God.

Thanksgiving, it is the pro­per work of Christians, and the natural work of Angels.

A little makes a thankful man admire much: Oh how big are a thankful mans mercies, and how little hee!

Bee careful for nothing, but by prayer, and supplication, make your requests known to God with thanksgiving.

Daies of thanksgiving and prayer are helps to the duties God requires from us, they are not our onely business.

When wee pray and give thanks, it is not the onely bu­siness of the day, but these are helps to us that wee may per­severe and improve our obedi­ence.

Though our goodness rea­ches not to God, yet it should to the Saints.

If God be rich in mercy unto us, it is that we should be rich in good works unto others.

It is good to receive a mercy from God, it is better to im­prove a mercy.

Great and renewed receivings from God, should beget fresh, quick, and strong resolutions of obedience unto God.

The more holy fire there is in the service, the more pleasing the service.

When ever you serve God, it must bee with fear; when e­ver you praise God, it must bee with trembling.

Though I cannot praise God sufficiently, yet Christ can.

ALl have a call of inexcusa­bleness, few have a call of effectualness.

Grace is not denied to the wicked, but it is onely given to the weary.

By grace is meant the love and favour of God within him­self, and is the spring and foun­tain of all that good which hee doth give out unto his chil­dren.

As grace is communicative, so it is called goodness.

As it is with delight, so it is [Page 86]called love: as it is given out to man in state of misery, so it is called mercy: as it is dispen­sed freely, so it is called grace.

When the Spirit works a man for salvation, then doth the Spirit pour forth those graces, and exercises those operations without which you cannot live grace.

Notwithstanding Christ hath paid the price of salvation, yet you shall not bee saved without the Spirits application.

The Spirit is the executor of that will of which Christ is the Testator.

Christ gives the Legacies, but the Spirit paies them.

Christ is the Mediator of the new Covenant, and the Spirit is the Administrator of that Covenant.

You can no more expect to be renewed without the Spirit, than to bee saved without the Son.

As you cannot bee saved un­redeemed, so you cannot bee sa­ved unrenewed.

A graceless man shall never inherit heaven.

A graceless man is a cruel man to his own soul.

As sinners are given up to sin, so those that have really profit­ed by the means of grace, are given up to grace: hence it is, that a gracious person will ask, How doth this stand with grace?

Grace is either getting or lo­sing.

No man can decay in good, but by some thing that is bad.

It is alwaies some sinful evill that makes us to wither in spiri­tual good.

It would bee a wonder to see a man dying in grace, and not withall living in sin.

If that which should keep down sin bee kept down by sin­ning, how exceeding sinful maist thou bee?

When wee bee less good, we shall alwaies do the less good, and the more ill.

You will finde much ado to do a little good.

Graces are given, not onely to make us good, but to make us to do good.

Grace, as it is in man, is but a creature, and would fail him, for the Angels and Adam had the perfect habits of grace, and yet fell: therefore beg of God continual assistance and supply for the acting of thy grace.

Grace which is meat and drink to a holy heart, is but physick to a formal soul.

If thy grace bee true grace, it will drive thee out of thy self, by making thee more humble, and draw thee unto Christ, by making thee more thankful.

If God hath called thee to [Page 91]grace, bee not discouraged, though thou hast never so lit­tle.

Calling is from God, there­fore the called should be for God.

Doth God call? then all the holiness within us, is matter of humiliation to us.

Not onely sin, but grace should make us humble.

Your-sins should make you humble, because they are your own: your grace should make you humble, because it is none of your own.

It is a hard thing to get grace, and it is as hard when wee have it, to get above it.

Live unto grace, not thy own, but the grace of God.

Grace brings glory to you, and grace requires glory from you.

When all is received from the grace of God, return all back again to the glory of God.

What wee receive from God in a way of mercy, wee must return to God in a way of du­ty.

God returns our duties, wee are to return his mercies.

Our mercies are sure in Gods hands.

There is a time when mercy flows in, and there is a time when mercy flows off.

Be it winter or summer, bee it sickness or heath, bee it rich­es or poverty, in the want of mercy as well as in the injoy­ment of mercy, in all things give thanks.

The condition of the Saints in this life, is like the daies in the yeer, sometimes cloudy, [Page 94]and full of storms; sometimes fair, and full of comfort.

The soul lives in the injoy­ment of God, and dies without him: nothing can make up the loss of God.

Beware of making up a lost God with other things.

Aholy discontent in other things without God, is the rea­diest way to get God again.

In the absence of God, take no delight in any thing below God, in any thing in the world.

It is better to honour God in [Page 95]thy greatest misery, than to dis­honour him in thy greatest hap­piness.

Keep up thy heart in holy imployments, trust in the Lord in times of darkness.

Serve an angry God with all sincerity, as a reconciled God, when hee hides his face, labour to see his heart.

What ever those reasonings bee that would keep thee from God, say, Get thee behinde mee Satan.

Trusting in God in the midst of all discouragements to hea­ven, [Page 96]is a noble act of faith.

Would you see God in the way of his distressing dispensati­ons, then labour to cease from self, and walk by faith.

Faith doth enable the soul to eye the present design of God under the variety of those diffi­culties his people are in.

Faith knows how to improve past experiences in order to pre­sent help and relief.

Gods immutability is the foundation of the Saints safety.

God to the Father by prayer, that you may go to the Son by faith.

God will have his people walk before him, not by sense, but by faith.

Though God sometimes withdraws from his people, yet his heart is still towards them.

Though God doth withdraw from his people, yet hee doth never utterly forsake them.

It is a discovery of a new Covenant-frame of heart; when wee can trust God in difficult, dark providences.

Though sometimes God hides his face from his people, hee never sets his face against them.

In times of affliction, it is the property of a good childe to love God most, in times of speaking peace, to fear God most, and his goodness; to fear to offend him for his goodness sake.

God is angry with wicked mens sins, but he is grieved for yours.

To grieve God, is more than to provoke God; therefore when thou art tempted, labour to renew those thoughts which thou hadst of thy sin at that time when thou wast suing for peace, when thou wouldest have given a world for Gods favour.

GOd hates and abominates the services of wicked men, as bad as their sins.

Conscience sees a necessity of duty, and then starts a reso­lution.

In thy resolution look not so much what terminates and bounds it, as what bottomes it.

Wicked and ungodly men do not come to serve God, but come to serve their turns upon God.

No punishment, no prayer.

As God is pressed down with the sins of wicked men, so with their sacrifices.

To obey is better than sacri­fice, but to sacrifice, and not to obey, is worse than Witch­craft.

God will damn wicked men as much for their sacrifices, as for their sins.

Hee will sacrifize them in hell, for their sacrificing here upon earth.

God doth abominate their persons, therefore hee must needs abominate their prayers.

In the first Covenant, the person was accepted for the works sake; in the second Co­venant, the work is accepted for the persons sake.

God doth not bid a man wel­come for his gifts, but hee bids the gifts welcome for the man.

Wicked men make their sa­crifices their saviours.

Wicked men do as beggers do in want, give mee now, and I will never ask more.

Duties in themselves are good, but as they are thy duties, [Page 102]they are sinful.

So long as our duties grow upon the bitter root of corrupt nature, they are bitter; but re­move them into Christ Jesus, and they shall bee sweet and ac­ceptable.

The prayer, the desire, the breath of an upright soul, is Gods delight.

CHrist is alwaies readiest to help his people, when they are in most danger.

Righteousness is called a Breast-plate, not ours, but [Page 103]Christs: the best way then is to shelter our selves in Christ.

When there is a storm abroad, you shall finde them all secure that have security in Christ.

Take Tower in Christ as soon as possible, there is no security in any other strength or Tower.

The name of the Lord is the godly mans Tower, and the wicked mans Terror.

A wicked man goes unto it as a shelter in trouble; and counts it a prison in peace.

A godly man runs into it, and [Page 104]counts it a sweet thing to bee housed in a storm.

If thou beest Christs in a time of peace, hee will bee thy Tower in a time of trouble.

Those that are under the go­vernment of Christ, are sure to bee provided for by Christ.

Unto whom Christ is a King to rule them, he is a strong tower to secure them.

Christs power is beyond the distresses of his people.

Our difficult work is Christs work.

If thou wouldest not fear temporal judgements when they come, strengthen thy faith, and bee much in prayer before they come.

As faith gets up, so fear gets down; the strength of fear is from weakness of faith.

All our spiritual swouns come from unbelief.

The way for a Christian not to act his fear, is to act his faith.

The creature is not much to bee feared.

You cannot fear man too [Page 106]much, but you fear God too little.

The main sin that brings de­struction upon men, is trusting to men, and not to God.

Fear addes much to our vexa­tion, nothing to our safety.

When fear prevails, take a promise, and plead it by faith.

If you go to the Father by prayer, you need not fear peace through the Son.

Make the Lord of hosts your fear, and you shall have him for your sanctuary.

You must sanctify God, and make him your fear and your dread, and he will sanctuary and safe-guard you.

In evill times God will have a special care of his own people.

That man is too big for all evils, that is great in God.

Hee that dwells in God for sanctification, shall dwell in him for preservation.

Hee that walketh uprightly, shall dwell on high, and his place shall bee in the Rock.

THe times of the Church­es calamities are the times of wicked mens insolencies and blasphemies.

When the Church suffers, there should be a veil of sorrow drawn over thy eyes.

Look not what the world doth, but what God would have thee to do.

Be not afraid or discouraged, though sometimes our Ark doth move upon very troublesome waters: Victory in the end shall bee on the Churches side.

The Church is taken for the whole number of Gods Elect, effectually called into a fellow­ship with Christ, through sancti­fication and belief of the truth.

What ever the difference is between the enimies of the Church and the Church, Christs party shall overcome.

On whose side dost thou think God doth ingage him­self.

Is not the Sea able to quench a coal of fire?

One acting of a grace, some­times is sufficient to destroy an [Page 110]enimy, Heb. 11.33, 34.

The Church of Christ in this life, is like a ship upon the Sea.

The ship hath goodly sails, the Church hath admirable gra­ces.

If there bee not a gale, the ship cannot stear: so notwith­standing all the Churches gra­ces, it cannot move from faith to virtue without the fresh ac­tings and breathings of God up­on those graces.

The ship is a trading vessel, and so the Church: They are [Page 111]the great trades-men for hea­ven.

The ship is the onely safe place, out of the Church there is no safety.

The Church of God, though it bee tossed and tumbled, yet it hath an Anchor, the blood of Christ.

The ship in comparison of the sea, is but a little thing; yet it is above the water: so the Church in comparison of the world, is but a handfull of men; yet it hath an Ark, the Lord Je­sus Christ.

In every new danger, the people of God are apt to forget their former deliverance.

The proper time of fear is in thy prosperity, and the time to believe, when other helps fail.

There is all in God in the want of all.

The life of a Christian as a Christian, is to live out of him­self.

As the graft of a tree lives upon the root, so a Christian by faith lives upon Christ.

You must provide for a trou­bling time, as well as a healing time.

Prophane persons will make troublesome times: with such David had to deal, their words pierced nearer his heart than their swords.

When a people are not hea­led by their troubles, they must expect to be troubled in their healings.

Observe this, wheresoever there is faith, there is a quiet soul, first or last.

THe top of a Christians joy is not in outward, earthly, but spiritual things.

They which are most acquain­ted with carnal mirth, are great­est strangers to spiritual joy.

Every grace, as it is the ex­pression of Gods love, so it is the spring of our joy.

Wee may joy in these things below, but they must not bee our spring and sea, the spring from which they come, and the sea to which they tend.

Joy, it sets the soul upon wing for heaven: what is the nature of [Page 115]your joy? doth it make you fly up or fly out?

Cursed is that joy that makes God sad, eat and drink, and rise up to play, and not rise up to pray and praise God, and your table will bee your snare, your death.

There is a desperate propen­sion and active forwardness in the affection of joy, to run out upon such things that are sinful.

Let not that bee the matter of your joy, which is the fruit of your sin.

Do not make that the matter [Page 116]of thy joy, which should bee the matter of thy humiliation.

The sins of others, the ca­lamities of others.

God allows us to rejoyce in creature-comforts, and lawful liberties, so it bee done lawful­ly.

It is not the thing rejoyced in, but the manner of rejoycing, that makes our joy criminal and sinful.

Though the Scripture allows thee to rejoyce, yet it forbids sinful rejoycing.

It is a sinful thing to rejoyce in a creature for it self.

Joy sinfully acted, is when the sweetness of the creature is not a means to lead thee unto God, but as an object to satis­fie thee without God.

Creatures are not given pro­perly to bee injoyed, but to bee used and directed to a fur­ther end.

You are not to bound and ter­minate your comforts in them.

You cannot joy in any thing for it self, but you make it a God

Delight is a glory proper to God as God.

Joy naturally centers it self in the things of this life.

A natural man doth not take occasion to rejoyce from the creature, but hee rests his joy in the creature.

Do not you over-joy in the things of this life, but joy in this; that your name is written in the book of life.

Your heart cannot bee over­much taken, or best pleased with that which is not best with­out sin.

Though outward comforts are good in themselves, and so occasions of joy, yet they are not good enough for the joy of thy heart to bee taken up at, or to bee taken up with.

As wee may quickly be more taken with these things than they are worth, so our joy can­not but exceed.

Worldly comforts, since the fall suit so well with our carnal humours, that while wee deal about them, wee cannot but feed too heartily on them, and drink more deep of that cup than wee ought.

It is a lawful thing to take pleasure in lawful things, but they are made unlawful to us, when much of our time is eaten up in eating and drinking.

Time is short, and time is pre­cious, and time imployed in a­cting our joy on creature-com­forts, it is to fit us for better joys.

A day of prosperity must not be a day of joy, when we have gone a whoring from God, Hos. 9.1.

In regeneration and sanctifi­cation, the affection of joy is re­newed.

A new creature, and a new joy.

It is the godly mans practice to make heavenly things his chiefest joy.

Joy rectified, rejoyces in no­thing contrary unto God, in no­thing above God, in nothing equal unto God, in all things for God.

Make God, and Christ, and the Word, the center and com­placency of thy soul, the rule and reason of all thy delight in other things.

In a word, delight in spiritual [Page 122]things first and last, onely and most.

ALL the Saints in this life, some way or other, they have or they shall have their af­flictions.

That father that doth alwaies dandle his childe upon his lap, may be a fond father, but hee is but a foolish father.

God in his wisdome, he will not let us bee alwaies dandled upon the lap of pleasure.

God loves his children, yet he makes not wantons of them

Wee have a mixture of grace and sin, therefore wee must have a mixture of mercy and af­fliction.

Sorrow shall never cease to bee, untill sin cease to bee.

The least sin is a greater evill than the greatest affliction: therefore God makes use of af­fliction to cure his people of their sin.

A wicked man is bad under affliction, a childe of God never better.

A rose is never so sweet as un­der the Still.

Faith gets more by affliction, than mercy.

Faith gets more love by mer­cy, but more strength by affli­ction.

The less a childe of God hath of affliction, the less of faith and patience.

The more the Bullock is ac­customed to the yoke, the more quiet.

There is not so much danger of spiritual pride under afflicti­ons, as under mercies.

Affliction laies the soul low [Page 125]in humility, but lifts it up in hea­venly mindedness.

Whom have I in heaven but thee?

God may condemn a man to prosperity in this life, so as that prosperity shal both increase and secure his ruine.

As God sometimes scatters his blessings in wrath, so now and then hee throws away his rod in wrath.

Gods judgements may be se­cret to the persons afflicted; they cannot be injurious: they come not by chance, but by special [Page 126]direction from God.

For a man to say, it is my chance, or my hard hap, is the language of Ashdod, of a Phili­stine. 1 Sam. 6.9.

Afflictions, as they are the candle of the Lord, whereby hee searches our hearts, and makes inquiry into our lives: so they are the voyce of the Lord, that wee would search and try our hearts too.

When God smites, hee doth as it were judge thee, and those afflictions command thee to judge thy self.

As the instructing voyce of af­fliction is, that God is displea­sed: so the exhorting voice is, seek my face.

Every lash is, seek and pray.

Seek Gods face more than the removal of Gods judgements.

Hee doth not lay on so much as hee is able to afflict, but a the Saints are able to bear.

God will either bring down the Saints afflictions to their strength, or raise up their strength to their afflictions.

Now if thou beest not the [Page 128]better for being the worse, thou maiest suspect thy self.

Thou needest no other art of memory besides misery.

If smarting here will save from smarting hereafter; refuse not the chastening of the Lord, neither bee grieved at his cor­rection.

When Gods hand is on thy back, let thy hand bee on thy mouth.

When the father hath the rod in his hands, the childe falls upon his knees.

Let Judah repent of the evill of her waies, and God will re­pent of the evill of his punish­ments.

Providence layes the pla­ster, but grace makes the cure.

The work of the Devil is to destroy us, the work of grace is to try us.

God hath a great deal of ho­nour, not onely by the truth of grace, but by the trial of grace.

Wheresoever God chastiseth, there hee is, there hee is in mer­cy.

By affliction hee separates the sin that hee hates, from the sinner that hee loves.

Hee that continues faithful unto death, shall receive a crown of life.

The ready way to the crown, is by the cross.

Those that are saved souls, are most of them afflicted souls.

THe glory of our hereafter glory, will bee in oneness of communion with the Father, Son, and Spirit, and one another [Page 131]in God, who is one in all, and all in one.

Death to the Saints, is a guide to convey them to happiness: to the wicked as a Jaylor, to carry them to the place of exe­cution.

It is good for us to bee here, saith Peter; but it is better for mee to depart, saith St. Paul.

Here wee are like Martha, cumbered about many things; there wee are like Mary, at the feet of our Saviour.

If you live holily, like a sound Christian upon earth, you shall [Page 132]live happily, like the glorious Angels in heaven.

It is the peculiar priviledge of the Saints to appear in glory when Christ appears.

Redemption of the soul from sin, was the end of Christs first coming; redemption of the bo­dies of the Saints, is the end of Christs second coming.

The bodies of the Saints are members of Christ, joyned in a mystical and perpetual union unto Christ.

Union and intimate relation to Jesus Christ, as it is the [Page 133]ground of, so it infallibly infers communication of grace and glo­ry from Christ.

Seeing the union of the body is certain, the glory of the bo­dy is certain likewise.

The bodies of the Saints are in part sanctified by Christs first coming, and therefore shall bee hereafter glorified by his second coming.

Sanctification begun is a fore­runner of glorification hereaf­ter.

A man that would reap glo­ry, must sow grace.

The best of a Christian is to come.

The state of a Christian is no­thing in real possession, to what it is in reversion.

The onely way for thee to make good provision for thy soul, is to bee a Saint.

And here is your duty.

1 To live in unity, Eph. 4.3.

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace.

2 To keep the Saints compa­ny, Psal. 16.3.

But to the Saints that are in the [Page 135]earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.

3 To pray for the Saints, E­phes. 6.18.

Praying alwaies, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto, with all per­severance and supplication for all Saints.

4 To have the bowels of com­passion towards all the Saints, Phil. 2.1, 2.

If there bee therefore any con­solation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels of mercies, fulfil yee my joy, that yee be like minded, having the same love, be­ing [Page 136]of one accord, of one minde.

5 To help thy brother out of sin, Gal. 6.1.

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, yee which are spiritual, restore such an one in the Spirit of meekness, considering thy self, lest thou also be tempted.

6 To provoke to goodness, Heb. 10.24.

And let us consider one another to provoke to love and good works.

7 To relieve the Saints, Act. 4.34, 35.

Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands, or hou­ses, [Page 137]sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the Apo­stles feet, and distribution was made to every man according as he had need.

8 To imitate the Saints, so far as you have Christ for an ex­ample, 1 Cor. 11.1.

Be ye followers of mee, even as I also am of Christ.