A Divine Legacy Bequeathed Unto All Mankind, Title page – Table of contents
A Divine Legacy, Bequeathed unto all MANKIND, OF ALL Ranks, Ages and Sexes: Directing How we may live Holily in the Fear of God, and how we may die happily in the Favour of God; both which Duties are of Univerſal Concern. The Rules here are, how to be Truly Valourous in warring a good Warfare, and in fighting the the good Fight of Faith while we Live, and to be Bleſſedly Victorious when we Die.
By Chriſtopher Neſs, Miniſter of the Goſpel in London.
Exitus Acta probat, & Finis Coronat Opus, ſaith the Philoſopher.
Our Laſt Works ſhould be our Beſt Works, ſaith our Lord, Rev. 2.19.
London, Printed by T. S. and ſold by T. Parkhurſt, at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapſide, and J. Robinſon, at the Golden Lion in St. Paul's Church-yard. 1700.
The Epiſtle to the Reader.
Candid Chriſtian,
I Have been now (through the Grace and Mercy of my good God) a Labourer in my Lord's Harveſt, and a Vine-dreſſer in my Maſter's Vineyard almoſt Threeſcore Years, wanting but a very little of it; and in the ſpace of thoſe laſt Twenty Years I have (through the good hand of my God upon me, as Ezra's phraſe is Chap. 7.6,9.) been enabled to publiſh to the World this following Catalogue of Books, little and great. As, 1. The Crown and Glory of a Chriſtian, in the Year 76. 2. A Chriſtian Walk and Work on Earth, till he come to Heaven, in the Year 77. 3. The Chryſtal Mirror, or Chriſtian's Looking-Glaſs, ſhewing the Treachery of the Heart, in the Year 78. 4. An Antidote againſt the Poiſon of Popery, in the Year, 78, 79. 5. A Diſcovery of Antichriſt in his Riſe, Reign and Ruine, in the Year 79. 6. The Devil's Patriarch, in the Life of Pope Innocent XI. in the Year 80. 7. A Spiritual Legacy to Young Ones, in the Year 81. 8. A Church-Hiſtory, from Adam to this Day, and a Scripture-Prophecy to the End of the World, in the Year 81, 82. 9. A New-Years Gift for Children in the Year 83. 10. The Wonderful Signs of Wonderful Times, in the Year 84. 11. An Half Sheet upon the Comet, or Blazing-Star. 12. Three Sheets inlarged upon the ſame Subject. 13. A Whip for the Fools Back, who did Ridicule God's Holy Ordinance of Marriage. &c. 14. A Key with the Whip, unſolding the Intreagues of Abſalom and Achitophel; both theſe latter are writ in Satyrical Verſe. 15. Advice to the Painter, about the Earl of Shaftsbury's enlargement from the Tower, in ſmoother Verſe. 16. An Aſtrological and Theological Diſcourſe, upon the great Conjunction uſhered in with a great Comet, &c. 17. A Strange and Wonderful Trinity or Triplicity of Stupendious Prodigies, namely, conſiſting of a Wonderful Eclipſe, of a Wonderful Comet, and of a Wonderful Conjunction; all theſe without Date, were written between the Year 82, and 89. 18. My Firſt Volume in Folio, called a Compleat Hiſtory and Myſtery of the Old and New-Teſtament, both Logically diſcuſſed, and Theologically improved, beginning at Adam, and ending at Moſes. 19. The Second Volume in Folio, (having the ſame Title with the firſt) begins with Joſhuah, and ends at Solomon's Birth. 20. The Third Volume in Folio, (with the ſame Title) begins at Solomon's Life, and ends at the end of the Old-Teſtament. 21. The Fourth Volume in Folio, (with the ſame Title) begins at the Birth of Chriſt, and ends at the Death of John the Divine; which is an Expoſitionof the whole New-Teſtamen: All theſe Four Volumes are now commended to the World by Three of our Learned and Judicious Divines, namely, Mr. Matthew Barker, M. George Griffith, and Mr. Samuel Slater; which Teſtimonial is printed at the bottom of the Dedicatory Epiſtle to the Fourth Volume, under their own Three Hands, Tria ſunt omnia, & inſtar omnium, &c. this Work hath taken me wholly up from the Year 89, to this Year 99. And now 22. This Divine Legacy, which is foreign, multum in parvo, much in a little. Iſocrates wrote his beſt Book the laſt, and Plato died at 81, with his Pen in his Hand; and Demoſthenes deſired to do ſo, &c. Yet have we better Examples than thoſe Philoſophers, for Joſhuah when he was going the way of all the Earth, and ſtricken in years, Joſh. 23.2, and 14. did then give moſt grave and godly Counſel to the Old-Teſtament Church Chap. 23. and 24. And Paul the Aged, wrote the more effectually to young Philemon, under that Title of Veneration, Philem. ver. 9. And the Beloved Diſciple John, who (while Young, leaned upon his Lord's Boſom, Joh. 13.23,25.) did under the Venerable Name of Elder. 2 Joh. 1. and 3 Joh. 1. write his firſt General Epiſtle to Children, Young Men and Fathers, in the New Teſtament, 1 Joh. 2.12,13,14. but above all, God himſelf thunders out threatnings againſt Children, Young Men and Aged, Jer. 6.11,12,13. In congruity to thoſe perfect Patterns, I (an Old Servant of Chriſt) have drawn up this Directory (talis, qualis eſt) to all Ages, eſpecially to us that are Old, adding only, (1.) That Old Age is a dead weight: 'Tis then a difficult Duty to turn unto God, when we have been turning and running from him all our former Days. No Spur can move a Founder'd Horſe, and Hard Wax takes no impreſſion. When the Body is weak, and Preſumption is ſtrong, to ſay [God is merciful] is ſaid truly, but not ſafely. Therefore, (2) All muſt be careful to live well while Young, and then ſhall we die well, whether Young or Old. (3.) When we have ſeen an end of all worldly Perfections, then may we beſt ſee, that God's Commands are exceeding broad, and all our Obedience to be exceeding narrow, Pſal. 119.96. The Good Lord grant that this Legacy may come to you in the fulneſs of the bleſſing of the Goſpel of Chriſt, Rom. 15.29. Amen.
THE CONTENTS OF THIS Divine Legacy.
CHAP. I. COntains faln Man's Malady and Danger, pag. 1. to 42.
CHAP. II. Faln Mam's Remedy, and Deliverer, p. 43, to 63.
CHAP. III. The Redeemed are Conquerors, by their Strong Redemer, p. 54, 120.
CHAP. IV. Advice to Young and Old, to war a good Warfare in God's Armour, and Watching unto Prayer, p. 130, to 177.
CHAP. V. The Characters of True Conquerors, through the ſtrength of Chriſt, p. 177, to 232.
CHAP. VI. Advice to the Aged, for ſaving the Soul, p. 232, to 319.
CHAP. VII. The Holy Means for making Old Age, to become a Good Age, p. 320, to 357.
CHAP. VIII. Contains both Counſel and Comfort. (1.) Againſt the Evils of Old Age. (2.) Againſt the Fears of the Hour of Death. And, (3.) Againſt the Terrors of the Day of Judgment, p. 358, to the laſt.