Advice to an Only Child, Introduction – Chapter 1
The Introduction.
Daughter,
MY hearts deſire and prayer to God for you is, that you might be ſaved, and thereupon I do Travel in Birth for you, till Chriſt be form'd in you: Wherefore (as Paul wrote to Philemon) though I might be bold in Chriſt to enjoyn you, yet for Loves ſake, I rather beſeech you, being ſuch a one as your Father the Aged, and a Servant of Jeſus Chriſt. I beſeech you (not, as he for an One Simus) but for your ſelf, whom I have begotten, and O that I could ſay, had begotten again, though it were in my bonds! and ſo could in this reſpect further ſay in the words of that Apoſtle there, Thou oweſt unto me even thine own ſelf; yea Daughter, let me have joy of you in the Lord, refreſh my Bowels in the Lord, which you will do, if I may have confidence in your Obedience, that you will do what I ſay, which I may the more expect from you, ſith the Counſel I here give you, is no other than what I have received from mine, and your Heavenly Father: and therefore I may ſay confidently of it, what was ſaid of Ahitophels, that it is, as if one had inquired of the Oracles of God, for it is ſuch, as I had from the Word of God, which is called the Oracles of God. And though I be your Father, yet I could willingly go down upon my knees to you, begging of you for your Souls ſake, that you would embrace it, which if you do, then bleſſed are you among Women: for God will guide you with his Counſel, and afterwards receive you to Glory. But if you refuſe it, you reject the Counſel of God againſt your ſelf, and this paper will riſe up in Judgement againſt you.
CHAP. I. Of Covenanting with God in Chriſt.
1. IN the firſt place I do beſeech you in the Bowels of a tender Father, and as you will anſwer the denyal of ſo reaſonable a requeſt at the Tribunal of God, before the Soveraign Judge of Men and Angels, that you would ſeriouſly, intirely, and unreſervedly make an oblation of your ſelf in Covenant, a ſolemn Dedication of all your faculties, both of Soul and Body, to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt, as your only God, Redeemer and Sanctifier, binding your ſelf thereby to forſake that malicious Trinity, the World, the Fleſh & the Devil. Reſign up and make over your ſelf wholly and intirely to the Lord, to the obedience of him. Subſcribe to all his Laws, bid an utter defiance to all his enemies; out-brave all oppoſition, and Triumph over all in the Lord.
2. Here let me remind you, that this is that which I ſolemnly Covenanted in your behalf, at your Baptiſm, and you being come to Age, are bound to perform, and make good, which if you ſhould not do, but recede from that engagement, I ſhould tremble to think, how ſad your caſe would be. Had you died in your Childhood as my other Children did, then you had reaped the benefit of the Covenant, according to the faith of your own Parents; but now you muſt ſtand or fall by your own faith, & ſincere conſent thereunto, as the Child while an Infant is carried in the Mothers or Nurſes Arms, but when grown up, muſt ſtand upon its own legs.
3. I intreat you therefore, I warn you, as a Father, do that firſt which muſt needs be done, and is of greateſt Importance, the moſt momentous concern, be ſure that your Soul be ſafe, and ſecure, as to its everlaſting condition; Act Maries part, by looking after the one thing neceſſary: and therefore get to be in Covenant with God in Chriſt by your hearty conſent thereunto: for this is the true condition, and certain evidence of your intereſt in the Covenant, your Title to all the rich Legacies thereof, as namely to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt, as your Reconciled God and Father, Redeemer and Sanctifier, and conſequently to all the ſaving Bleſſings and Priviledges, both of the Kingdom of Grace and Glory, which are all couched therein. In the Covenant, God the Father conſents, or enters into Bond, in the ſight and preſence of Angels and glorified Souls, to be our God, Jeſus Chriſt to be our Saviour, and the Holy Ghoſt to be our Sanctifier, (in which compendious and immenſe grant, all things are comprized that you can ask or think.) If you then reciprocally conſent, and engage your ſelf to take God the Father to be your only God, the Son to be your Saviour, to ſave you from Sin, as well as from Hell, and the Holy Ghoſt to be your Sanctifier, to make you by degrees perfectly holy then the Covenant is complete, your Intereſt therein ſecure, and your Title good to all the rich Bleſſings laid up in this Ark of the Covenant, provided, your conſent be ſuch as doth bloſſom forth into the duties which you conſent unto, and produce a renouncing of the World, the Fleſh, and the Devil, which is involved and enwrapped therein: for you do not take God to be your God, if you take him only to receive his pay, and not to fight under his Banner, againſt thoſe his malicious enemies. You do not take him to be your God, unleſs you take him to be your All, and be ready to renounce and forſake all for him, and prefer him in your love and eſteem, above all things, ſo as to let him turn the ballance, and his intereſt to weigh down the Scales againſt all the World; and unleſs you ſet him alone in the Throne, & in the higheſt Chariot, to ride Triumphantly in the Soul over all enemies. How readily doth the Wiſe Merchant in the Goſpel ſell all for the Pearl, that is more precious than Rocks of Rubies and Mountains of Diamonds? Thus it will be with you, if your Covenant conſent be not weak and languid, but ſtrong and well fixed. Indeed a ſmall rub may turn aſide a Bowl, that hath but a weak Byaſs, but if it hath a ſtrong one it will recover, and get into its way again. See then that your conſent be ſo ſtrong and full, as may paſs you under the bond of the Covenant, and carry you over to God and Chriſt againſt all oppoſition. But think it not enough that this Covenant be once made, it muſt be often renewed and followed with an anſwerable practice.
4. This is my firſt and grand advice, yea the very Abridgment and Summ of all your duty, this entring into, & keeping faithfully the Baptiſmal Covenant is your very Chriſtianity & real Godlineſs; it's your building upon a Rock, your doing the one thing neceſſary, and your giving to God the things that are Gods. It's a denying of your ſelf, taking up the Croſs, and following the Lord Jeſus; it's a delivering of your ſelf over to the Lord Jeſus, to be Married to him, a taking him as your Husband, to Love, Honour, and Obey him above all; And to this Match you have my full and free conſent, yea my daily prayers for it. O that as a ſpokesman for Chriſt, I could tell how to woe for him, and uſe ſuch Rhetorick that I might prevail, look upon the height of his Stature, like Saul among the People there is none like him: View him in all his excellencies, he is white and ruddy, the Chiefeſt among ten thouſand, fairer than all the Children of Men, and your ſelf will be complete in him. Know for your encouragement, that you ſhall have the richeſt Dowry in all the World: for all that Chriſt and Heaven is worth ſhall be yours, the Wife being intereſted in all her Husbands Goods; he will advance you to a Kingdom, and Feoffe you in all the riches of it. Say then, Lord, if I had Ten Thouſand ſelves, I would give them all up to thee, who haſt ſhewed to me ſuch wonderful Love, as to offer to give up thy ſelf to me. I will take thee with all my heart, I give my free and hearty conſent, let the Match be made, and aſſure your ſelf then, that it ſhall be made up, the Spirit of Chriſt will be aſſiſtant to Faith in Tying the Marriage knot.