The True Way to the Tree of Life, Part · Section 22 – Section 23
XXII. Direction.
EXpress upon all good occasions, all possible tenderness of heart, and bowels of compassion, towards those that yet remain in the first Adam, in their sinful state of Nature, unrege…erate, especially towards thy kindred according to the flesh, using all good endeavours to convince, convert, and gain them to Christ, that they, as well as thy self, may be eternally saved. Luke 22. 32. Rom. 10. 1. and 9. 1, 2, 3. Acts 9. 20, with 1 Cor. 9. 19. to 23.
For,
1. Even thou thy self wast sometimes foolish, disobedient, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating others, Tit. 3. 3. An enemy to God by wicked works, Col. 1. 21. Yea, dead in sins and trespasses, &c.— and a child of wrath, as well as they. or any of them, Eph. 2. 1, 2, 3. But God, who is rich in mercy, hath saved thee by the washing of Regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, Tit. 3. 4, 5, 6, 7. Hast thou then experimentally felt the Wormwood and the Gall of thy Natural state of sin and misery? And dost thou not commiserate such poor souls, as are still in the gall of bitterness, and bond of iniquity? Acts 8. 23. Hast thou had the sweet experience of the riches of Gods free-Grace and Love, in restoring thee from death to life, from thy Natural state of sin and misery, into a supernatural state of sanctity and felicity? And do not thy bowels yearn within thee after other lost souls, especially those of thy kindred, that they also may be turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God? Acts 26. 18.
2. Are not their souls, as well as thine own, very precious? O, Consider, 1. Their immortal Constitution, which no Creature can kill or destroy, Matth. 10. 28. 2. The invaluable price paid for their Restitution, even the most precious blood and death of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, 1 Tim. 2. 5, 6. 1 Pet. 1. 18, 19. 3. The incomparable and transcendent value which the wisdome of God himself puts upon the soul; as being of far more worth then the whole world, Matth. 16. 26. And then think with thy self; Shall not I endeavour to hinder the eternal loss, and to promote the eternal salvation, of such precious souls?
3. What advantage will redound in sundry respects, if God bless thine endeavours, to the convincing and converting of their souls to Christ! For, Hereby 1. Thou shalt save a soul from death, Jam. 5. 19, 20. And what a great, what a glorious work is it, to have an hand in saving a soul from death… 2. Thou shalt hide a multitude of sins, Jam. 5. 19, 20. Even an heap, a sink, a dunghil of hundreds and thousands of sins, thou shalt hide from the revenging eye of God, by Christs righteousness, 2 Cor. 5. 20, 21. 3. Thou shalt occasion great joy in Heaven, among the blessed Angels of God, who exceedingly rejoyce at the Conversion of sinners, Luke 15. 7, 10, 22, 23. 4. Finally, Thou shalt hereby not a little further thine own eternal felicity, Deut. 12. 3.
Thou therefore commiserate thy Brethren in their sinful and wretched state of Nature, as thy God hath in thy like condition had compassion on thee. Canst thou lend an hand to pluck a Beast out of the mire, or a Sheep out of a pit; and wilt thou not lend an hand to help poor lost souls out of the mire of sin, snares of Satan, and pit of eternal destruction? O, warn them, convince them, counsel them, exhort them, rebuke them, lament them, pray for them, weep over them, do any good for them, that thou maist by any means gain and save their souls.
XXIII. Direction.
YIeld, with all enlarged thankfulness, all possible Praise, Love, and Obedience, unto God, and unto the Lamb; who hath loved thee of the riches of his free-Grace before the world began, who in fulness of time hath ransomed thee by the invaluable price of his death, and in due time hath washed th…e from thy sins in his own blood, a…d in the Laver of Regeneration, by the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Eph. 1. 3, 4, 5, 6. 1 Iohn 4. 19.—Gal. 4. 4, 5. 1 Tim. 1. 15. and 2. 5, 6. 1 Pet. 1. 18, 19, 20▪—Rev. 1. 5. Tit. 3. 4, 5, 6, 7. For,
1. Thou oughtest to be thankful for all Gods blessings of all sorts, the least of them being beyond, yea contrary to, thy deserts, Eph. 5. 20. Col. 3. 17. 1 Thes. 5. 18. with Gen. 32. 10. but especially for those choicest spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ, Eph. 1. 3. Psal. 103 1, 2, 3.
2. The reality and sincerity of thy thankfulness, will inwardly best approve it self, in thy cordial affection and un…eigned love towards thy gracious God and Jesus Christ, for all his love, and all the fruits of his love in Christ. Kindness begets thankfulness, and love breeds love, as fire begets fire, 1 Iob. 4. 19. Thus, when the Psalmist would signifie his great thankfulness to God for his great mercies, he professeth his dearest love to God; foreign, I will love thee dearly, [Heb. I will love thee with inmost bowels] O LORD my strength, &c. Psal. 18. 1, 2, &c. So Psal. 116. 1. foreign, I have loved, because the LORD hath heard my voice, &c.
3. The integrity of true love and thankfulness, doth outwardly best discover it self in a chearful and sincere obedience to God and Christ, Iob. 14. 15, 21. 1 Ioh. 5. 3. Such obedience is a real retribution of thankfulness, Psal. 116. 12. to the end. Then we praise God aright, when we extol him, not only with our hearts and lips, but with our lives.