Compassionate Counsel to All Young Men, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. General Directions to the willing.
THough the blindness and obstinacy of fleshly Sinners too oft frustrate great endeavours, yet we may well hope, that the Prayers and tears of Parents, and the calls of God, may prevail with many; and I may hope, that some that have read what is before written, will say, We are willing to hear and learn that we may be saved: tell us what it is that we must do. And on that hope, I shall give such miscarrying Youth some General Advice, and some Counsel about their particular cases, and all as briefly as I may. O that the Lord would make you that read this, truly willing to practise these ten Directions following! How happy yet may you be!
I. Set your Vnderstandings seriously, and diligently to the work which they are made for, and consider well what is your Interest and your Duty, till you come to a fixed Resolution, what is for your good, and what is for your hurt, and what that good or hurt will be.]
Should it be a hard thing to persuade a man in his wits to love himself, and to think what is good or hurtful to himself, especially for everlasting? Why are you Men if you will live like Dogs? What do you with Understandings if you will not use them? What will you use them for, if not for your own good, and to avoid misery? What good will you desire, if not everlasting Joy and Glory? and what hurt will you avoid, if not Hell fire? Have you reason, and can you live as if these were not worth the thinking on? Will you bestow your thoughts all the day and year upon you know not what, nor why, and not one hour soberly think of such important things as these? O Sirs! Will you go out of the World before you well think whither you must go? Will you appear before the Judge of Souls, to give up your great account before you think of it, and how it must be done? Is he worthy of the help of Grace, that will not use his natural Reason? I beg it of you as ever you care what becomes of you for ever, that you will some time alone set your selves for one hour seriously to think, [Who made you, and why; what you owe him; how much you depend on him; what you have done against him; how you have spent your time; what case your Souls are in; what Christ hath done for you; and what he is or would be to you; whether you are sanctified and forgiven; what Gods Spirit must do for you; and what you must be and do if you will be saved; and if it be otherwise, whither it is that you must go.
II. Therefore I next advise you and intreat you, that you live not as at a great distance from Eternity, nor foolishly flatter your selves with the deceitful promises of long Life: And were it sure to be an hundred years, remember how quickly and certainly they will end. O Time is nothing! Therefore think of nothing in this World as separated from the World to come. Whatever you are doing, or saying, or thinking, the Boat is hasting to the Gulf: You are posting to Death and Judgment: Which way ever you go, by wealth or poverty, health or sickness, busie or idle, single or married, you are going still to the Grave and to Eternity. Judge then of every thing as it tendeth to that end: And think of nothing as not related as a means, to the near and everlasting end: O choose and do that which Reason and Conscience telleth you, that you will at last earnestly wish that you had chosen and done; when you are tempted to be prayerless and averse to good, or to run to Lust or sinful Pleasure, ask your selves seriously; how will this look in the final review? What shall I think of this at last? Will it be my comfort, or my torment? O judge as you will judge at last.
III. My third Counsel is, If your Consciences tell you that you have foolishly sinned against God and your Salvation, make not light of it; but presently, and openly, go to your Parents or Masters, and penitently confess your sinful Life in general, and your known or open sins particularly: But such secret sins which wronged not them, and will blast your Reputation, you are not bound to confess openly, unless the Ease or future Direction of your doubtful and troubled Consciences require it: But when your vicious fleshly life is known, excuse it not, hide not the evil by Lies or extenuation, when you have wronged your Parents or Masters by disobedience, and by robbing them of part of your Time and Service, if not also of their Money or goods, go to them with sorrow and shame, and confess how foolishly you have served the Flesh, to the injury of them, to the offending of God, and to the unspeakable hurt of your own Souls: Lament your sin, and ask them forgiveness, and intreat their Prayers, and their careful Government of you for the time to come, and sincerely promise them Reformation and Obedience.
Yea, If you have had familiar Companions in your sin, go to them, and tell them, [God and Reason have convinced me of my sinful folly, that for bruitish, fleshly Pleasure, have wilfully broken the Laws of my Creator and Redeemer, and for nothing undone and lost my Soul, if Christ do not recover me by found Repentance. O how madly have we despised our Salvation? How easily might we have known, had we but searcht and considered the word of God, that we were displeasing God, undoing our selves, and making work for future sorrows? Should I, when I know this, and when I know that I am going to Death and Judgment, yet obstinately go on, and be a hardened Rebel against Christ and Grace, what can I expect, but to be forsaken of God and lost for ever? O therefore as we have sinned together, let us repent together! You have been a snare to me, and I to you: We have been agents of the Devil to draw each other to sin and misery: Certainly all this must sooner or later be repented of. O let us joyn together in Sorrow, and Reformation, and a holy, obedient Life. If you will not consent, I here declare to you before God, (for I know that he seeth and heareth me) that I will be your Companion in sin no more: I beg pardon for tempting you: I resolve by Gods Grace to prefer my Salvation and my Obedience to God, before a base and beastly pleasure: Whatever you say against it, I will never more forsake my Salvation to follow you, nor ever take you to be wiser than God, nor better friends to me than my Saviour, nor your Words more regardable than Gods word, nor a Whore, or a merry Cup, or Vanity, to be better than Heaven, nor Temperance and Holiness to be worse than Hell. If you will not be undeceived with me, I will pray for you; but I renounce your sinful Company, and my warning will be a Witness against you to your confusion.
Stick not at the scorn of fools, nor at the shame of such Repentance and Confession: It may profit others: But however it is no more than in hope you owe them, whom you have wronged and endangered by sin: And it will lay some new obligation on your selves, to amend by doing what you have so professed: And sure Conscience and shame will somewhat the more hinder you, from evermore joyning with them in the sin which you have so bewailed and renounced. And think not this too much, for there is no jeasting with God, and with everlasting joy or misery.
IV. My next Counsel is, presently, understandingly, and considerately, renew the Covenant which you made in Baptism with God your Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.
Consider whether to be a Christian is not necessary to your Salvation; and then consider what it is to be a Christian, and whether it be not a far higher thing, than meerly to take that name upon you, and be of that party, and to joyn with the right Church, and to have the bare words and picture of believers: And then consider whether God will be mocked with Shews, and Ceremonies, and dead Formalities, and false Professions; and whether the lifeless Carkass or Image of Christianity will be taken by God instead of the life and power of it; and will ever save a Soul. Yea, whether a false counterfeit Christian, bred up under Christian Instructions and Examples, do not make your guilt far greater, and your case more miserable than Americans or Indians, that never heard what you have heard: And when perhaps you have spoken against Hypocrites your selves, whether there be any more notorious Hypocrites than such as you, who say you are Christians, and yet live to the Flesh in the odious sins which Christ abhorreth; Think what a dreadful thing it is to profess a Religion which condemneth you, and to say over that Creed which you believe not, and those Petitions in the Lords Prayer which you desire not, and those Commandments which you break and will condemn you: To rebel against God while you say you believe in him: To despise Christs Government while you say you trust him for Salvation: To ask for his Grace when you would not have it, to sanctifie you, and save you from your sin: To beg Mercy of God, and to reject this Mercy, and to have no Mercy on your selves. O think what a doleful case it is to see distracted sinners such Hypocrites, playing with such Contradictions, so near Gods Bar, and in his sight: And to make no better use of Prayers and the name of Christians, and the Profession of the Truth, than to give the Devil more matter to accuse you, and Conscience to torment you, and a righteous God to say to you at last, Out of thy own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked Rebel. Didst thou not confess, that Jesus was the Christ, and that thou didst believe the Gospel and the Life to come; and yet didst live in the wilful disobeying of Christ and the Gospel, and base contempt of God and thy Salvation?
And when you have considered the sad case of Hypocrites, that call themselves Christians to their own Condemnation, when they are none such, then think seriously what the Covenant was, which was made for you in your Baptism, and you have taken on you to own. Think what it is devotedly to trust to God as your reconciled Father, and devotedly to trust to Christ as your Saviour, your great Teacher, Governour, and Mediator with the Father; what it is devotedly to trust the Holy Spirit to illuminate, sanctifie and quicken you in a holy Life, and to strenthen and comfort you against, and under, all your Trials. Consider what it is to take the Flesh, the World, and the Devil, as they are against this holy Life and heavenly Hope, for your Enemies, and to list your selves under Christ in a vowed War to the death against them. Think how you have perfidiously broken this Covenant, on which all the Hope of your Salvation lieth. And then if you dare not utterly renounce all that Hope, presently and resolvedly renew this Covenant. Lament your violation of it to God: Do it not only in a passion, but upon serious consideration make that choice and resolution, which you dare stand to at a dying hour, and on which you may believe, that God for Christs sake will accept you, and forgive you. O think what a Mercy it is to have a Saviour, who after all your heinous sins, will bring you reconciled as Sons to God, for the merits of his Sacrifice and Righteousness, and by his powerful Intercession, and will send from Heaven the Spirit of God into your hearts, to renew those blind, dead, carnal minds to God's holy Image, and will dwell in you, and carry on your Sanctification to the end. Thankfully and joyfully accept this Covenant and Grace, and again give up your selves to God, your Father, Saviour and Sanctifier; but be sure that you do it absolutely, without deceitful exceptions and reserves; and that you do it resolvedly, and not only in a frightened mood; and yet that you do it as in the strength of the Grace of Christ, not trusting the stedfastness of your own deceitful, mutable Hearts. And when you can truly say, that you unfeignedly consent, and renew this Covenant in your hearts, then go the next opportunity to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, and there penitently and faithfully renew it openly in the solemn way that Christ hath appointed you; thankfully profess your Trust in Christ, and receive a sealed Pardon of your sins, and Title to everlasting Life; and settle your Conversation in the Communion of Saints, as you hope to live with such for ever.
V. Hence forward set your selves as the true Schollars of Christ, to learn his Doctrine, and as his true Subjects to know his Laws, and as those that trust their Souls into his Hand, to understand, and firmly believe his Promises for this Life, and that which is to come: And as the blessed man, Psal. 1, 2, 3. To delight in the Law of the Lord, and meditate in it day and night. As you were wont to steal some hours from God and your Masters, to go to the house of Sin and Death, so now get such hours as lawfully you can, from your other Employments and diversions; but especially on the Lords-days; and get alone, and beg mercy and Grace from God, and set your selves to read the Bible, and with it read some Catechisms, and some sound and serious Treatises of Divinity which are most suitable to your state.
It is young men that have miscarried, and being convinced are willing to turn to God, that I am now directing. And therefore supposing that you will ask me what Books I would commend to you, I will answer you accordingly (supposing still that you prefer the Bible.)
1. For the full resolving of your Hearts to a sound Repentance, and a holy life, read Ioseph Allenes Book of Conversion, Richard Allens Vindication of Godliness, and their Book of Covenanting with God, and his Victory over the World, Mr.Whateleys New birth, and some of the old Sermons of Repentance, such, as Mr. Stocks, Mr. Perkins, Mr. Dikes, Mr. Marburys, Bunny's correction of Parsons Book for Resolution, Iohn Rogers Doctrine of Faith, William Fenners Books, Sam. Smith on the first, and the fifty first Psalms, and his great Assize, and on the Eunuchs Conversion, Bifields Marrow, Mr. Hows blessedness of the Righteous, and of Delighting in God.
And if you would have any of mine, read the Call to the Vnconverted, or the Treatise of Conversion, and the Directions for sound Conversion, and Now or Never, and a Saint or a Bruit, or which of all these Gods Providence shall afford you.
II. If you would have help to try your hearts, lest they be deceived, read Alleins foresaid Book of the Covenant, and Pinkes Tryal of sincere Love to Christ, many Books of marks are extant, Bifields, Rogers, Harsnets, Berries, &c. And Mr. Chishull and Mr. Mead of being almost Christians. If you would have any of mine, read the Right method for peace of Conscience, and Directions for weak Christians, where are the Characters of the false, the weak, and the strong.
III. For the dayly Government of Heart and Life, read the Practice of Piety, Scudders daily walk, Mr. Reyners directions, (three excellent Books) Mr. Corbets small private thoughts. And if you would have any of mine, read my Family Book, and the Divine Life, the Life of Faith, or the Saints Rest, and for those that can read great ones, my Christian Directory.
IV. And it will not be unuseful to read some profitable History, especially the Lives of exemplary persons, and the Funeral Sermons which characterize them. I have prefaced to two, which are eminently worth your reading, and most true, both young men, that is, Iohn Ianeway's Life, and Ioseph Alleins, and given you the true exemplary Characters in their Funeral Sermons of Mr. Ashurst, (an excellent pattern for Apprentices and Tradesmen,) Mr. Stubs, Mr. Corbet, and of Mr. Wadsworth, and Mrs. Baker. Read Mr. Samuel Clarks Lives, and his Martyrology, and his Mirrour, Dr. Beards examples, or Fox's Book of Martyrs. Some Church History, and History of the Reformation, and the History of our own Country, will be useful.
V. As you grow up to more judgment you may read methodical Sums of Divinity, especially Ames his Marrow, and his Cases of Conscience, (which are in English translated) and Commentaries.
Great store of all sorts of good Books through the great mercy of God are common among us: He that cannot buy, may borrow.
But take heed that you lose not your time in reading Romances, Play Books, vain Jests, or seducing or reviling Disputes, or needless Controversies.
This course of Reading Scripture and good Books will be many ways to your great advantage.
1. It will above all other ways increase your knowledge.
2. It will help your Resolutions and holy affections and direct your lives.
3. It will make your lives pleasant; the knowledge, the usefulness, the variety will be a continual recreation to you, unless you are utterly besotted or debaucht.
4. The pleasure of this will turn you from your filthy fleshly pleasure. You will have no need to go for delight to a Play-house, a Drinking-house or to Beastly lusts.
5. It will keep you from the sinful loss of time, by idleness or unprofitable employment or pastimes. You will cast away Cards and Dice when you find the sweetness of useful Learning.
But be sure that you choose the most useful and necessary subjects, and that you seek knowledge for the love of Holiness and Obedience.
VI. The sixth part of my advise is, forsake ill Company and converse with such as will be helps to your Knowledge, Holiness, and Obedience, and not such as will draw you to sin and misery.
You have found by sad experience what power ill Company hath on fools, with such a merry Tale, a Laughter, a Jest, a Scorn: a merry Cup, and a bad Example and Perswasion, doth more than Reason, or Gods Authority, or the Love of their Souls. A Physician may go among the Sick and Mad to Cure them; and a Wiseman that seeth these will pitty them, and hate sin the more. But what do you do there, where you have already catcht the infection of their disease. The mind of a man is known much by the Company which he chooseth, and if you choose ill, no wonder if you speed ill, Pro. 13.20. He that walketh with wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Prov. 28.7. Whoso keepeth the Law is a wise Son, but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his Father. Psal. 119.63. David saith, I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. 26.4, 5. I have not sate with vain persons. neither will I go in with dissemblers, I have hated the Congregation of evil doers, and will not sit with the wicked. 119.115. Depart from me ye evil doers, for I will keep the Commandments of my God.
VII. Especially be sure that you run not willfully upon Temptation, but keep as far from every tempting bait, and object as you can, Fire and Gunpowder, or Straw must be kept at a sufficient distance, no man is long safe at the very brink of danger, especially if it be his own choice, and more especially if it be a sin that his nature is much inclined to. No wise man will trust corrupted nature very far, especially where he hath often faln already. The best man that is should live in fear, when an enticing bait of sin is near him. If David that prayed, turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, had better practiced it, O! what heynous sin had he escaped; Had he made a Covenant with his eyes, as Iob did, what wounds had he prevented? The Feast that you see not, the Cup that is a mile off, the person that is far distant, the words which you hear not, are not they that you are most in danger of? But when tempting meat and drink are before you, and the tempting person hath secret familiarity with you, and tempting or provoking words are at your ears, then alas many have need of more Grace, Resolution, and Mortification than they have.
If you knew well what sin is, and what is the consequence, you would be more watchful and resolved against temptations than against Thieves or Fire, or the places infected by the Plague.
VIII. Make it the cheif Study of your Lives to understand what mans everlasting hope is, and to get a lively well setled belief of it; and to bring your souls to take it joyfully for your true felicity and end, and thence daily to fetch the powerful motives of your duty and your patience, and your contenting comfort in Life and at your Death.
The end is the Life of all the means. If heavenly blessedness be not the chief end that you live, hope and labour for in the World, your whole lives will be but carnal, vain and the way to misery: for the means can be no better than the End. God that is the beginning is our End; We are made and governed by Him and for Him. Heavenly Glory is the sight of his Glory, and the Everlasting perfection and pleasure of joyful mutual Love.
But we are not the noblest Creatures next to God in excellency and desert, yea we are sinners who have deserved to be cast out from his Love. And therefore as in the way we must come to him by a Saviour, so at the blessed end we must enjoy him by a Mediator, and to see Gods Glory in Christ and the Heavenly Ierusalem, the blessed society of Saints and Angels, continually flaming in Love, Joy and Praises to the most holy God. This, this is the felicity for which we labour, suffer and hope.
2. And O! how great, and how needful a work it is, to search, study and pray for so firm a belief of this unseen Glory, as may so resolve, engage, and comfort us in some good measure, as if we had seen it with these eyes? O! what men would one hours being in heaven make us, or one clear sight of it? Faith hath a greater work to do than a dreaming or dead opinion can perform. If it be not well grounded first, and well exercised upon Gods Love, Promise and Glory from day to day, you will find cause (sadly) to lament the weakness of it. For this use you have great need of the help of such Books, as open clearly the evident proofs of the Christian verity, which I have breifly done in the beginning of the 2d. part of my Life of Faith, and more largely in 2 other Books, viz. The unreasonableness of Infidelity, and the reasons of the Christian Religion. A firm b…lief of the World to come, is it that must …ake us serious Christians, and over come the snares of worldly vanity.
And your Faith being well setled, set your selves dayly to use it, and live by it, dwell in the joyful hopes of the heavenly Glory. what is a man that liveth not in the use of Reason? And you must know that you have as daily use for your Faith, as for your Reason. Without reason you can neither safely eat or drink, nor converse with men as a man, but as a Bedlam, not do any business that concerneth you; and therefore you must Live by your Reason. And without Faith you cannot please God, nor obtain Salvation, no nor use your Reason for any thing higher than to serve your appetites and purvey for the flesh, and therefore you must Live by Faith, or live like Beasts, and worse than Beasts, and cannot otherwise live to God, nor live in the hopes of blessedness hereafter. O! Consider that the difference between living chiefly upon and for an Earthly fleshly felicity, or a heavenly; is the great difference between the holy and the unholy, and the fore-goer of the difference between those in Heaven and those in Hell.
IX. Still remember that the great Means, of all the good that here or hereafter you can expect, is the great Mediator, the great Teacher, Ruler and Intercessor for his people. And therefore out of him you can do nothing. All duty that you offer to God must be by his Mediation, and so must all mercy which you receive from God. To come to God by him, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, must be your daily work of Faith. His blood must wash you from all sin past, and from the guilt of daily failings, and infirmities. None but he can effectually teach you to know God and your selves, your duty and your everlasting hopes. None but he can render your persons, praises and actions acceptable to God, because you are sinners, and unmeet for Gods acceptance without a Mediator. All power in heaven and Earth is given him, and your Lives and Souls are at his will; and it is he that must judge you, and with whom you hope to live in Glory. Therefore you must so live by the Faith of the Son of God, who hath loved you and and given himself for you, that you may say it is he that liveth in you, Gal. 2.2021. This is the Fountain from whence you must daily fetch your strength and comfort.
X. And still remember that it is by the operation of the holy Spirit, that the Father and the Son do sanctifie Souls, and Regenerate and breed them up for Glory. It is by the Holy Ghost, that God dwelleth in us by Love, and Christ by Faith. Therefore see that you rest not in corrupted nature, and trust not to your selves, or to the Flesh. Your souls are dead to God and Holiness, and your duties dead, till the Spirit of Christ do quicken them. You are blind to God and mad in sin, till the spirit illuminate you, and give you understanding. You are like Enemies out of Love with God, Heaven and Holiness, till this Spirit reconcile you and sanctifie your wills. You will have no manlike spiritual holy pleasure, till the Holy Spirit renew your hearts, and make them fit to delight in God. O that men knew the great necessity of the illuminating, quickning, sanctifying, comforting influence of the Spirit of God, how far would they be from deriding it, as some prophane ones do. By this Holy Spirit the sacred Records were written, and by miracles of Christ and his Apostles, and Evangelists and Prophets, sealed and delivered to the Churches. And by this Spirit the orders and Government of the Church were setled. And by him we are inlightned to understand the Scripture, and inclined to Love them and delightfully believe them and obey them. Study therefore obediently these Writings of the Holy Ghost, and confidently trust them. O! be not found among the resisters, or neglecters of the Spirits help and motions, when proud self-confidence or fleshly lusts do rise against them.
Christs bodily presence is taken from the Earth, he promised instead of it (which was but in one place at once) to send his Spirit which is to the soul more than the Sun light to the Eye, and can shine in all the world at once. This is his Agent on Earth, by whom (in Teachers and Learners) he carrieth on his saving work. This is his Advocate who pleadeth his cause effectually against unbeleif and fleshly lusts, and worldly wisdom. This is the well of living water, springing up in us to Everlasting life; the name, the mark of God on Souls, the Divine Regenerator, the author of Gods Holy Image, and the Divine Nature, even Divine life, and light and love, the Conqueror of the World and Flesh, the strengthner of the weak, the confirmer of the wavering, the comforter of the sad, and the pledge, earnest and first fruits of everlasting life. O therefore pray earnestly for the Spirit of Grace, and carefully obey him, and joyfully praise God, in the sence of his holy encouragement and help.