A Christian Directory Volume I Part 14

So also in the study of other good books, he will tempt you to fix upon all that seems difficult to you, and there to confound and perplex yourselves: and in your meditations, he will seek to make all to tend but to confound and overwhelm you; keeping still either hard or fearful things before your eyes; or breaking and scattering your thoughts in pieces, that you cannot reduce them to any order, nor set them together, nor make any thing of them, nor drive them to any desirable end. So in your prayers he would fain confound you, either with fear, or with doubtful and distracting thoughts about G.o.d, or your sins, or the matter or manner of your duty, or questioning whether your prayers will be heard. And so in your self-examination, he will still seek to puzzle you, and leave you more in darkness than you began, and make you afraid of looking homeward, or conversing with yourselves; like a man that is afraid to lie in his own house when he thinks it haunted with some apparitions. And thus the devil would make all your religion to be but like the unwinding of a bottom of yarn, or a skein of silk that is ravelled; that you may cast it away in weariness or despair.

Your remedy against this dangerous temptation is, to remember that you are yet young in knowledge, and that ignorance is like darkness, that will cause doubts, and difficulties, and fears; and that all these will vanish as your light increaseth: and therefore you must wait in patience, till your riper knowledge fit you for satisfaction. And in the mean time, be sure that you take up your hearts most with the great, fundamental, necessary, plain, and certain points, which your salvation is laid upon, and which are more suited to your state and strength. If you will be gnawing bones, when you should be sucking milk, and have not patience to stay till you are past your childhood, no marvel if you find them hard, and if they stick in your throats, or break your teeth. See that you live upon G.o.d in Christ, and love and practise what you know, and think of the excellency of so much as is already revealed to you. You know already what is the end that you must seek, and where your happiness consisteth; and what Christ hath done to prepare it for you, and how you must be justified, and sanctified, and walk with G.o.d. Have you G.o.d, and Christ, and heaven to think on, and all the mercies of the gospel to delight in, and will you lay by these as common matters, or overlook them, and perplex yourselves about every difficulty in your way? Make clean work before you as you go, and live in the joyful acknowledgment of the mercies which you have received, and in the practice of the things you know, and then your difficulties will vanish as you go on.

[Sidenote: By various sects.]

2. Another of Satan's wiles is, to confound you with the noise of sectaries, and divers opinions in religion: while the popish sect tell you, that if you will be saved, you must be of their church; and others say, you must be of theirs: and when you find that the sects are many, and their reasonings such as you cannot answer, you will be in danger either to take up some of their deceits, or to be confounded among them all, not knowing which church and religion to choose.[68]

But here consider, that there is but one universal church of christians in the world, of which Christ is the only King and Head, and every christian is a member. You were sacramentally admitted into this catholic church by baptism, and spiritually by your being "born of the Spirit." You have all the promises of the gospel, that if you believe in Christ you shall be saved; and that all the living members of this church are loved by Christ as members of his body, and shall be presented unspotted to the Father, by him who is the Saviour of his body, Eph. 23-27, 29; "and that by one Spirit we are all baptized or entered into this one body," 1 Cor. xii. 12, 13. If then thou hast faith, and love, and the Spirit, thou art certainly a christian, and a member of Christ, and of this universal church of christians. And if there were any other church, but what are the parts of this one, then this were not universal, and Christ must have two bodies. Thou art not saved for being a member of the church of Rome, or Corinth, or Ephesus, or Philippi, or Thessalonica, or of any other such; but for being a member of the universal church or body of Christ, that is, a christian. And as thou art a subject of the King, and a member of this kingdom, whatever corporation thou be a member of, (perhaps sometime of one, and sometime of another,) so thou art a subject of Christ, whatever particular church thou be of; for it is no church, if they be not christians, or subjects of Christ. For one sect then to say, Ours is the true church, and another to say, Nay, but ours is the true church, is as mad as to dispute, whether your hall, or kitchen, or parlour, or coal-house, is your house; and for one to say, This is the house, and another, Nay, but that, when a child can tell them, that the best is but a part, and the house containeth them all: and for the papists, that take on them to be the whole, and deny all others to be christians and saved, except the subjects of the pope of Rome, it is so irrational, antichristian a fiction and usurpation, and odious, cruel, and groundless a d.a.m.nation, of the far greatest part of the body of Christ, that it is fitter for detestation than dispute. And if such a crack would frighten the world out of their wits, no doubt but other bishops also would make use of it, and say, All are d.a.m.ned that will not be subject to us. But if you would see the folly and mischief of popery, both in this and other points, I refer you to my treatise of the "Catholic Church," and my "Key for Catholics," and my "Safe Religion," and my "Disputations against Johnson," and my "Winding-sheet for Popery."

[Sidenote: By scrupulosity.]

3. Another temptation to confound you in your religion, is, by filling your heads with practical scrupulosity; so that you cannot go on for doubting every step whether you go right; and when you should cheerfully serve your Master, you will do nothing but disquiet your minds with scruples, whether this or that be right or wrong. Your remedy here, is not by casting away all care of pleasing G.o.d, or fear of sinning, or by debauching conscience; but by a cheerful and quiet obedience to G.o.d, so far as you know his will, and an upright willingness and endeavour to understand it better; and a thankful receiving the gospel pardon for your failings and infirmities. Be faithful in your obedience; but live still upon Christ, and think not of reaching to any such obedience, as shall set you above the need of his merits, and a daily pardon of your sins. Do the best you can to know the will of G.o.d and do it: but when you know the essentials of religion, and obey sincerely, let no remaining wants deprive you of the comfort of that so great a mercy, as proves your right to life eternal. In your seeking further for more knowledge and obedience, let your care be such as tendeth to your profiting, and furthering you to your end, and as doth not hinder your joy and thanks for what you have received: but that which destroyeth your joy and thankfulness, and doth but perplex you, and not further you in your way, is but hurtful scrupulosity, and to be laid by. When you are right in the main, thank G.o.d for that, and be further solicitous so far as to help you on, but not to hinder you. If you send your servant on your message, you had rather he went on his way as well as he can, than stand scrupling every step whether he should set the right or left foot forward; and whether he should step so far, or so far at a time, &c. Hindering scruples please not G.o.d.

[Sidenote: By setting you on overdoing by your own inventions.]

4. Another way to confound you in your religion is, by setting you upon overdoing by inventions of your own. When a poor soul is most desirous to please G.o.d, the devil will be religious, and set him upon some such task of voluntary humility, or will-wors.h.i.+p, as the apostle speaks of, Col. ii. 18, 20-23; or set him upon some insnaring unnecessary vows or resolutions, or some popish works of conceited supererogation, which is that which Solomon calleth, being "righteous over-much," Eccles. vii. 16. Thus many have made duties to themselves, which G.o.d never made for them; and taketh that for sin, which G.o.d never forbad them. The popish religion is very much made up of such commandments of their own, and traditions of men. As if Christ had not made us work enough, men are forward to make much more for themselves.

And some that should teach them the laws of Christ, do think that their office is in vain, unless they may also prescribe them laws of their own, and give them new precepts of religion. Yea, some that are the bitterest enemies to the strict observance of the laws of G.o.d, as if it were a tedious, needless thing, must yet needs load us with abundance of unnecessary precepts of their own. And thus religion is made both wearisome and uncertain, and a door set open for men to enlarge it, and increase the burden at their pleasure. Indeed popery is fitted to delude and quiet sleepy consciences, and to torment with uncertainties the consciences that are awaked.

And there is something in the corrupted nature of man, that inclineth him to some additions and voluntary service of his own inventions, as an offering most acceptable unto G.o.d. Hence it is that many poor christians do rashly entangle their consciences with vows of circ.u.mstances and things unnecessary, as to give so much, to observe such days or hours in fasting and prayer, not to do such or such a thing that in itself is lawful, with abundance of such things, which perhaps some change of providence may make accidentally their duty afterwards to do, or disable them to perform their vows; and then these snares are fetters on their perplexed consciences, perhaps as long as they live. Yea, some of the antinomians teach the people, that things indifferent are the fittest matter of a vow; as to live single, to possess nothing, to live in solitude, and the like: indeed all things lawful when they are vowed, must be performed; but it is unfit to be vowed if it be not first profitable and best, for ourselves or others; and that which is best is not indifferent, it being every man's duty to choose what is best. Vows are to bind us to the performance of that which G.o.d had bound us to by his laws before; they are our expression of consent and resolution by a self-obligation to obey his will; and not to make new duties of religion to ourselves, which else would never have been our duty.

To escape these snares, it is necessary that you take heed of corrupting your religion by burdens and mixtures of your own devising.

You are called to obey G.o.d's laws, and not to make laws for yourselves. You may be sure that his laws are just and good, but yours may be bad and foolish. When you obey him, you may expect your reward and encouragement from him: but when you will obey yourselves, you must reward yourselves. You may find it enough for you to keep his laws, without devising more work for yourselves; or feigning duties which he commanded not, or sins which he forbad not. Be not rash in making vows; let them reach but unto necessary duties; and let them have their due exceptions when they are about alterable things: or if you are entangled by them already, consult with the most judicious, able, impartial men, that you may come clearly off without a wound.

There is a great deal of judgment and sincerity necessary in your counsellors, and a great deal of submission and self-denial in yourselves, to bring you safely out of such a snare. Avoid sin, whatever you do; for sinning is not the way to your deliverance. And for the time to come, be wiser, and lay no more snares for yourselves; and clog not yourselves with your own inventions, but cheerfully obey what G.o.d commandeth you, who hath wisdom and authority sufficient to make you perfect laws. "Christ's yoke is easy, and his burden light," Matt. xi. 30, and "his commandments are not grievous,"

1 John v. 3. But if your mixtures and self-devised snares are grievous to you, blame not G.o.d, but yourselves that made them.

[Sidenote: By overwhelming fears and sorrows.]

5. Another of Satan's ways to make religion burdensome and grievous to you, is by overwhelming you with fear and sorrow. Partly by persuading that religion consisteth in excess of sorrow, and so causing you to spend your time in striving to trouble and grieve yourselves unprofitably, as if it were the course most acceptable to G.o.d; and partly by taking the advantage of a timorous, pa.s.sionate nature; and so making every thought of G.o.d, or serious exercise of religion, to be a torment to you, by raising some overwhelming fears; for "fear hath torment," 1 John iv. 18. In some feminine, weak, and melancholy persons, this temptation hath so much advantage in the body, that the holiest soul can do but little in resisting it; so that though there be in such a sincere love to G.o.d, his ways and servants, yet fear so playeth the tyrant in them, that they perceive almost nothing else. And it is no wonder if religion be grievous and unpleasant to such as these.

But, alas! it is you yourselves that are the causes of this, and bring the matter of your grievance with you. G.o.d hath commanded you a sweeter work. It is a life of love, and joy, and cheerful progress to eternal joy, that he requireth of you; and no more fear or grief than is necessary to separate you from sin, and teach you to value and use the remedy. The gospel presenteth to you such abundant matter of joy and peace, as would make these the very complexion and temperature of your souls, if you received them as they are propounded. Religious fears, when they are inordinate and hurtful, are sinful, and indeed against religion; and must be resisted as other hurtful pa.s.sions. Be better acquainted with Christ and his promises, and you will find enough in him to pacify the soul, and give you confidence and holy boldness in your access to G.o.d, Heb. iv. 16; Eph. iii. 12; Heb. x. 19. The spirit which he giveth, is not the spirit of bondage, but the spirit of adoption, of love and confidence, Rom. viii. 15; Heb. ii. 15.

[Sidenote: By unmortified l.u.s.ts.]

6. Another thing that maketh religion seem grievous, is retaining unmortified sensual desires. If you keep up your l.u.s.ts, they will strive against the gospel, and all the works of the Spirit which strive against them, Gal. v. 17. And every duty will be so far unpleasant to you as you are carnal, because it is against your carnal inclination and desire. Away, therefore, with your beloved sickness, and then both your food and your physician will be less grievous to you. "Mortify the flesh, and you will less disrelish the things of the Spirit. For the carnal mind is enmity against G.o.d: for it is not subject to his law, nor can be," Rom. viii. 7, 8.

[Sidenote: By actual sin.]

7. Another cause of confounding and wearying you, is the mixture of your actual sins, dealing unfaithfully with G.o.d, and wounding your consciences, by renewing guilt, especially of sins against knowledge and consideration. If you thus keep the bone out of joint, and the wound unhealed, no marvel if you are loth to work or travail. But it is your sin and folly that should be grievous to you, and not that which is contrary to it, and would remove the cause of all your troubles. Resolvedly forsake your wilful sinning, and come home by "repentance towards G.o.d, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ,"

Acts xx. 21, and then you will find, that when the thorn is out, your pain will cease, and that the cause of your trouble was not in G.o.d or religion, but in your sin.

[Sidenote: By ignorance of the tenor of the gospel.]

8. Lastly, To make religion unpleasant to you, the tempter would keep the substance of the gospel unknown or un.o.bserved to you: he would hide the wonderful love of G.o.d revealed in our Redeemer, and all the riches of saving grace, and the great deliverance and privileges of believers, and the certain hopes of life eternal: and the kingdom of G.o.d, which consisteth in righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, shall be represented to you as consisting in errors only, or in trifles; in shadows and shows, and bodily exercise which profiteth little, 1 Tim. iv. 8. If ever you would know the pleasures of faith and holiness, you must labour above all to know G.o.d as revealed in his infinite love in the Mediator, and read the gospel as G.o.d's act of oblivion, and the testament and covenant of Christ, in which he giveth you life eternal: and in every duty draw near to G.o.d as a reconciled Father, the object of your everlasting love and joy. Know and use religion as it is, without mistaking or corrupting it, and it will not appear to you as a grievous, tedious, or confounding thing.

_Direct._ XIV. Be very diligent in mortifying the desires and pleasures of the flesh; and keep a continual watch upon your senses, appet.i.te, and l.u.s.ts; and cast not yourselves upon temptations, occasions or opportunities of sinning, remembering that your salvation lieth on your success.

The l.u.s.ts of the flesh, and the pleasures of the world, are the common enemies of G.o.d and souls, and the d.a.m.nation of those souls that perish.

And there is no sort more liable to temptations of this kind, than those that are in the flower of their youth and strength. When all the senses are in their vigour, and l.u.s.t and appet.i.te are in their strength and fury, how great is the danger! and how great must your diligence be if you will escape! The appet.i.te and l.u.s.t of the weak and sick, are weak and sick as well as they; and therefore they are no great temptation or danger to them. The desire and pleasure of the senses do abate, as natural strength and vigour doth abate: to such there is much less need of watchfulness; and where nature hath mortified the flesh, there is somewhat the less for grace to do. There needs not much grace to keep the aged and weak from fornication, uncleanness, excessive sports and carnal mirth: and gluttony and drunkenness also are sins which youth is much more liable to. Especially some bodies that are not only young and strong, but have in their temperature and complexion a special inclination to some of these, as l.u.s.t, or sport, or foolish mirth, there needeth a great deal of diligence, resolution, and watchfulness for their preservation. l.u.s.t is not like a corrupt opinion, that surpriseth us through a defect of reason, and vanisheth as soon as truth appeareth; but it is a brutish inclination, which though reason must subdue and govern, yet the perfectest reason will not extirpate, but there it will still dwell. And as it is constantly with you, it will be stirring when objects are presented by the sense or fantasy to allure. And it is like a torrent, or a headstrong horse, that must be kept in at first, and is hardly restrained if it once break loose and get the head. If you are bred up in temperance and modesty, where there are no great temptations to gluttony, drinking, sports, or wantonness, you may think a while that your natures have little or none of this concupiscence, and so may walk without a guard: but when you come where baits of l.u.s.t abound, where women, and plays, and feasts, and drunkards are the devil's snares, and tinder, and bellows, to inflame your l.u.s.ts, you may then find to your sorrow, that you had need of watchfulness, and that all is not mortified that is asleep or quiet in you. As a man that goeth with a candle among gunpowder, or near thatch, should never be careless, because he goeth in continual danger; so you that are young, and have naturally eager appet.i.tes and l.u.s.ts, should remember that you carry fire and gunpowder still about you, and are never out of danger while you have such an enemy to watch.

And if once you suffer the fire to kindle, alas! what work may it make, ere you are aware! James i. 14, 15, "Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own l.u.s.t, and enticed. Then when l.u.s.t hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." Little knoweth the fish, when he is catching or nibbling at the bait, that he is swallowing the hook which will lay him presently on the bank. When you are looking on the cup, or gazing on alluring beauty, or wantonly dallying and pleasing your senses with things unsafe, you little know how far beyond your intentions you may be drawn, and how deep the wound may prove, how great the smart, or how long and difficult the cure. As you love your souls, observe Paul's counsel, 2 Tim. ii. 22, "Flee youthful l.u.s.ts." Keep at a full distance: come not near the bait. If you get a wound in your consciences, by any wilful, heinous sin, O what a case will you be in!

How heartless unto secret duty! afraid of G.o.d, that should be your joy; deprived of the comforts of his presence, and all the pleasure of his ways! How miserably will you be tormented, between the tyranny of your own concupiscence, the sting of sin, the gripes of conscience, and the terrors of the Lord! How much of the life of faith, and love, and heavenly zeal, will be quenched in a moment! I am to speak more afterwards of this; and therefore shall only say, at present, to all young converts that care for their salvation, "Mortify the flesh," and "always watch, and avoid temptations."

_Direct._ XV. Be exceeding wary, not only what teachers you commit the guidance of your souls unto, but also with what company you familiarly converse;[69] that they be neither such as would corrupt your minds with error, or your hearts with viciousness, profaneness, lukewarmness, or with a feverish, factious zeal: but choose, if possible, judicious, holy, heavenly, humble, unblamable, self-denying persons, to be your ordinary companions, and familiars; but especially for your near relations.

It is a matter of very great importance, what teachers you choose, in order to your salvation.[70] In this the free grace of G.o.d much differenceth some from others: for, as poor heathens and infidels have none that know more, than what the book of nature teacheth (if so much); so in the several nations of christians, it is hard for the people to have any, but such as the sword of the magistrate forceth on them, or the stream of their country's custom recommendeth to them.

And it is a wonder, if pure truth and holiness be countenanced by either of these. But, when and where his mercy pleaseth, G.o.d sendeth wise and holy teachers, with compa.s.sion and diligence to seek the saving of men's souls; so that none but the malignant and obstinate are deprived of their help.

Ambitious, proud, covetous, licentious, unG.o.dly men, are not to be chosen for your teachers, if you have your choice. In a nation where true religion is in credit, and hath the magistrate's countenance, or the major vote, some graceless men may join with better, in preaching and defending the purity of doctrine and holiness of life: and they may be very serviceable to the church herein; especially in expounding and disputing for the truth. But even there, more experienced, spiritual teachers are much more desirable: they will speak most feelingly, who feel what they speak; and they are fittest to bring others to faith and love, who believe, and love G.o.d and holiness themselves. They that have life, will speak more lively than the dead.

And in most places of the world, the unG.o.dliness of such teachers makes them enemies to the truth which is according to G.o.dliness: their natures are at enmity to the life and power of the doctrine which they should preach: and they will do their worst to corrupt the magistrates, and make them of their mind: and, if they can but get the sword to favour them, they are, usually, the cruellest persecutors of the sincere. As it is notorious among the papists, that the baits of power, and honour, and wealth, have so vitiated the body of their clergy, that they conspire to uphold a worldly government and religion; and, in express contradiction to sense and reason, and to antiquity, and the judgment of the church, and to the holy Scriptures, they captivate the ignorant and sensual to their tyranny and false wors.h.i.+p, and use the seduced magistrates and mult.i.tude, to the persecuting of those that will not follow them to sin and to perdition. Take heed of proud and worldly guides.

And yet it is not every one that pretendeth piety and zeal, that is to be heard, or taken for a teacher. But, 1. Such as preach, ordinarily, the substantial truths which all christians are agreed in. 2. Such as make it the drift of their preaching, to raise your souls to the love of G.o.d, and to a holy, heavenly life, and are zealous against confessed sins. 3. Such as contradict not the essential truths, by errors of their own; nor the doctrine of G.o.dliness, by wicked, malicious applications. 4. Such as drive not on any ambitious, tyrannical designs of their own, but deny themselves, and aim at your salvation. 5. Such as are not too hot in proselyting you to any singular opinion of their own: it being the prediction of Paul to the Ephesians, Acts xx. 30, "Of your ownselves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." 6. Such as are judicious with holy zeal, and zealous with judgment. 7. Such as are of experience in the things of G.o.d, and not young beginners, or novices in religion. 8. Such as bear reference to the judgments of the generality of wise and G.o.dly men, and are tender of the unity of the church; and not such as would draw you into a sect or party, to the contempt of other christians; no, not to a party that hath the favour of rulers and the people, to promote them. 9. Such as are gentle, peaceable, and charitable; and not such as burn with h.e.l.lish malice against their brethren, nor with an unG.o.dly, or cruel, consuming zeal.

10. Such as live not sensually and wickedly, contrary to the doctrine which they preach; but show by their lives, that they believe what they say, and feel the power of the truths which they preach.

And your familiar companions have great advantage to help or hinder your salvation, as well as your teachers.[71] The matter is not so great, whom you meet by the way, or travel with, or trade and buy and sell with, as whom you make your intimate or familiar friends. For such have both the advantage of their interest in your affections, and also the advantage of their nearness and familiarity; and, if they have but also the advantage of higher abilities than you, they may be powerful instruments of your good or hurt. If you have a familiar friend, that will defend you from error, and help you against temptations, and lovingly reprove your sin, and feelingly speak of G.o.d, and the life to come, inditing his discourse from the inward power of faith, and love, and holy experience; the benefit of such a friend may be more to you, than of the learnedest or greatest in the world. How sweetly will their speeches relish of the Spirit, from which they come! How deeply may they pierce a careless heart! How powerfully may they kindle in you a love and zeal to G.o.d and his commandments! How seasonably may they discover a temptation, prevent your fall, reprove an error, and recover your souls!

How faithfully will they watch over you! How profitably will they provoke, and put you on; and pray with you fervently when you are cold; and mind you of the truth, and duty, and mercy, which you forget! It is a very great mercy to have a judicious, solid, faithful companion in the way to heaven.

But if your ears are daily filled with froth and folly, with ribaldry or idle stories, with oaths and curses, with furious words or scorns and jeers against the G.o.dly, or with the sophistry of deceivers, is it likely this should leave a pleasant or wholesome relish on your minds?

Is it likely that the effect should not be seen, in your lean or leprous hearts and lives, as well as the effects of an infected or unwholesome air or diet will be seen upon your diseased bodies? He is unG.o.dly, that liketh such company best: and he is proud and presumptuous, that will unnecessarily cast himself upon it, in confidence that he shall receive no hurt: and he is careless of himself, that will not cautiously avoid it: and few that long converse with such, come off without some notable loss; except when we live with such, as Lot did in Sodom, grieving for their sin and misery, or as Christ conversed with publicans and sinners, with a holy zeal and diligence to convert and save them, or as those that have not liberty, who bear that which they have not power to avoid.

Among the rest, your danger is not least from them that are eager to proselyte you to some party or unsound opinion: that they think they are in the right, and that they do it in love, and that they think it necessary to your salvation, and that truth or G.o.dliness are the things which they profess, all this makes the danger much the greater to you, if it be not truth and G.o.dliness indeed, which they propose and plead for. And none are in more danger than the ungrounded and unexperienced, that yet are so wise in their own esteem, as to be confident that they know truth from error when they hear it, and are not afraid of any deceit, nor much suspicious of their own understandings. But of this before.

The like danger there is of the familiar company of lukewarm ones, or the profane.[72] At first you may be troubled at their sinful or unsavoury discourse, and make some resistance against the infection; but before you are aware, it may so cool and damp your graces, as will make your decay discernible to others. First, you will hear them with less offence; and then you will grow indifferent what company you are in; and then you will laugh at their sin and folly; and then you will begin to speak as they; and then you will grow cold and seldomer in prayer and other holy duties; and if G.o.d prevent it not, at last your judgments will grow blind, and you will think all this allowable.

But of all bad company, the nearest is the worst. If you choose such into your families, or into your nearest conjugal relations, you cast water upon the fire; you imprison yourselves in such fetters as will gall and grieve you, if they do not stop you; you choose a life of constant, close, and great temptations: whereas, your grace, and comfort, and salvation, might be much promoted by the society of such as are wise and gracious, and suitable to your state. To have a constant companion to open your heart to, and join with in prayer, and edifying conference, and faithfully help you against your sins, and yet to be patient with you in your frailties, is a mercy which worldlings neither deserve nor value.

_Direct._ XVI. Make careful choice of the books which you read. Let the holy Scriptures ever have the pre-eminence; and next them, the solid, lively, heavenly treatises, which best expound and apply the Scriptures; and next those, the credible histories, especially of the church, and tractates upon inferior sciences and arts: but take heed of the poison of the writings of false teachers, which would corrupt your understandings; and of vain romances, play-books, and false stories, which may bewitch your fantasies, and corrupt your hearts.

As there is a more excellent appearance of the Spirit of G.o.d in the holy Scriptures, than in any other book whatever, so it hath more power and fitness to convey the Spirit, and make us spiritual, by imprinting itself upon our hearts. As there is more of G.o.d in it, so it will acquaint us more with G.o.d, and bring us nearer him, and make the reader more reverent, serious, and divine. Let Scripture be first and most in your hearts and hands, and other books be used as subservient to it. The endeavours of the devil and papists to keep it from you, doth show that it is most necessary and desirable to you.

And when they tell you, that all heretics plead the Scriptures, they do but tell you, that it is the common rule or law of christians, which therefore all are fain to pretend; as all lawyers and wranglers plead the law of the land, be their cause never so bad, and yet the laws must not be therefore concealed or cast aside: and they do but tell you, that in their concealment or dishonouring the Scriptures, they are worse than any of those heretics. When they tell you that the Scriptures are misunderstood, and abused, and perverted to maintain men's errors, they might also desire that the sun might be obscured, because the purblind do mistake, and murderers and robbers do wickedly by its light; and that the earth might be subverted, because it bears all evil-doers; and highways stopped up, because men travel in them to do evil; and food prohibited, because it nourisheth men's diseases. And when they have told you truly of a law or rule (whether made by pope or council) which bad men cannot misunderstand, or break, or abuse and misapply, then hearken to them, and prefer that law, as that which preventeth the need of any judgment.

The writings of divines are nothing else but a preaching the gospel to the eye, as the voice preacheth it to the ear. Vocal preaching hath the pre-eminence in moving the affections, and being diversified according to the state of the congregations which attend it: this way the milk cometh warmest from the breast. But books have the advantage in many other respects: you may read an able preacher, when you have but a mean one to hear. Every congregation cannot hear the most judicious or powerful preachers; but every single person may read the books of the most powerful and judicious. Preachers may be silenced or banished, when books may be at hand: books may be kept at a smaller charge than preachers: we may choose books which treat of that very subject which we desire to hear of; but we cannot choose what subject the preacher shall treat of. Books we may have at hand every day and hour; when we can have sermons but seldom, and at set times. If sermons be forgotten, they are gone. But a book we may read over and over till we remember it; and if we forget it, may again peruse it at our pleasure, or at our leisure. So that good books are a very great mercy to the world. The Holy Ghost chose the way of writing, to preserve his doctrine and laws to the church, as knowing how easy and sure a way it is of keeping it safe to all generations, in comparison of mere verbal tradition, which might have made as many controversies about the very terms, as there be memories or persons to be the preservers and reporters.

Books are (if well chosen) domestic, present, constant, judicious, pertinent, yea, and powerful sermons; and always of very great use to your salvation; but especially when vocal preaching faileth, and preachers are ignorant, unG.o.dly, or dull, or when they are persecuted, and forbid to preach.

You have need of a judicious teacher at hand, to direct you what books to use or to refuse. For among good books there are some very good that are sound and lively: and some are good, but mean, and weak, and somewhat dull: and some are very good in part, but have mixtures of error, or else of incautelous, injudicious expressions, fitter to puzzle than edify the weak. I am loth to name any of these latter sorts (of which abundance have come forth of late); but to the young beginner in religion, I may be bold to recommend (next to a sound catechism) Mr. Rutherford's Letters, Mr. Robert Bolton's Works, Mr.

Perkins's, Mr. Whateley's, Mr. Ball, of Faith, Dr. Preston's, Dr.

Sibbs's, Mr. Hildersham's, Mr. Pink's Sermons, Mr. Joseph Rogers's, Mr. Rich. Rogers, Mr. Richard Allen's, Mr. Gurnall's, Mr. Swinnock's, Mr. Joseph Simonds's. And to establish you against popery, Dr.

Challoner's Credo Eccles. Cathol., Dr. Field, of the Church, Dr.

White's Way to the Church, with the Defence, Bishop Usher's Answer to the Jesuit, and Chillingworth, with Drelincourt's Summary. And for right principles about redemption, &c. Mr. Truman's Great Propitiation, and of Natural and Moral Impotency; and Mr. William Fenner, of Wilful Impenitency, Mr. Hotchkis, of Forgiveness of Sin. To pa.s.s by many other excellent ones, that I may not name too many.

To a very judicious, able reader, who is fit to censure all he reads, there is no great danger in the reading the books of any seducers: it doth but show him how little and thin a cloak is used, to cover a bad cause. But, alas! young soldiers, not used to such wars, are startled at a very sophism, or at a terrible threatening of d.a.m.nation to dissenters, (which every censorious sect can use,) or at every confident, triumphant boast, or at every thing that hath a fair pretence of truth or G.o.dliness. Injudicious persons can answer almost no deceiver which they hear: and when they cannot answer them, they think they must yield, as if the fault were not in them, but in the case; and as if Christ had no wiser followers, or better defenders of his truth, than they. Meddle not therefore with poison, till you better know how to use it, and may do it with less danger, as long as you have no need.

As for play-books, and romances, and idle tales, I have already showed in my "Book of Self-Denial," how pernicious they are, especially to youth, and to frothy, empty, idle wits, that know not what a man is, nor what he hath to do in the world. They are powerful baits of the devil, to keep more necessary things out of their minds, and better books out of their hands, and to poison the mind so much the more dangerously, as they are read with more delight and pleasure: and to fill the minds of sensual people with such idle fumes, and intoxicating fancies, as may divert them from the serious thoughts of their salvation: and (which is no small loss) to rob them of abundance of that precious time, which was given them for more important business; and which they will wish and wish again at last, that they had spent more wisely. I know the fantastics will say, that these things are innocent, and may teach men much good (like him that must go to a wh.o.r.e-house to learn to hate uncleanness, and him that would go out with robbers to learn to hate thievery): but I shall now only ask them as in the presence of G.o.d, 1. Whether they could spend that time no better? 2. Whether better books and practices would not edify them more? 3. Whether the greatest lovers of romances and plays, be the greatest lovers of the book of G.o.d, and of a holy life? 4. Whether they feel in themselves that the love of these vanities doth increase their love to the word of G.o.d, and kill their sin, and prepare them for the life to come? or clean contrary? And I would desire men not to prate against their own experience and reason, nor to dispute themselves into d.a.m.nable impenitency, nor to befool their souls by a few silly words, which any but a sensualist may perceive to be mere deceit and falsehood. If this will not serve, they shall be shortly convinced and answered in another manner.

_Direct._ XVII. Take heed that you receive not a doctrine of libertinism as from the gospel; nor conceive of Christ as an encourager of sin; nor pretend free grace for your carnal security or sloth; for this is but to set up another gospel, and another Christ, or rather the doctrine and works of the devil, against Christ and the gospel, and to turn the grace of G.o.d into wantonness.

Because the devil knoweth that you will not receive his doctrine in his own name, his usual method is to propound and preach it in the name of Christ, which he knoweth you reverence and regard. For if Satan concealed not his own name and hand in every temptation, it would spoil his game; and the more excellent and splendid is his pretence, the more powerful the temptation is.[73] They that gave heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, no doubt thought better of the spirits and the doctrines, especially seeming strict, (for the devil hath his strictnesses,) "as forbidding to marry, and abstinence from meats which G.o.d hath created to be received with thanksgiving," 1 Tim. iv. 1, 3. But the strictnesses of the devil are always intended to make men loose.

They shall be strict as the Pharisees in traditions and vain ceremonies, and building the tombs of the prophets, and garnis.h.i.+ng the sepulchres of the righteous, that they may hate and murder the living saints that wors.h.i.+p G.o.d in spirit and in truth. Licentiousness is the proper doctrine of the devil, which all his strictness tendeth to promote. To receive such principles is pernicious; but to father them upon Christ and the gospel, is blasphemous.