The whole duty of a Christian, or, The character of a true beleever, that walks in some measure answerable to the Gospel, his Christian profession, and the millions of mercies he hath received ... by R.Y. of Roxwell in Essex.

CHAP. 27. (Book 27)

1. §. But perhaps thy heart and conscience is not onely Sermon, but Thunder-proof, and then nothing will do good upon thee (the case of all incorrigible ones) yea most men now adayes are judgement-proof; and let them be never so cleerly convinc'd from the Word that they are in a dan∣gerous condition, all thoughts thereof presently passe away like the sound of a Bell that is rung; or if not, Satan can furnish them with an evasion, be the case what it will: amongst many of his delusions I will mention two of the principall, and which I hold to be the strongest bars to keep men out of Heaven that can be named.

The first is this, Never regard (will he say to a poor soul) what a few 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••••••••holy Precisions say, when every one doth so and so; or every on••

is of this or that judgement; yea, do not such and such the like, who are wiser, and greater, and better men then your selfe? They are of another minde, neither do they trouble themselves so much about Religion, & yet they look to speed as well as the precisest; yea, will he say, Do ye not see many Ministers & great Pro••essors of Religion, who pretend it is good being religious and holy, and presse others to it, that do onely pretend it, for they live as loosely, and deal as unjustly as any other men; and they are not ignorant of what they do, and this you may be sure of, that if they did speak as they think they would do as they speak; therefore what should ye be so singular, will ye be wiser then all your friends or neighbours; yea, then ninety and nine parts of the Kingdome? What a mad conceit were this? then yeelds the poor soul, and counts it a pleasure too that he is se∣duced, and by this kinde of Sophistry Satan prevailes with millions; yea, I have ever noted that this one artlesse perswasion of others do so, prevails more with the world then all the places of reason; but this plea or argument is not more common and taking then it is so••tish and dangerous, if it be well look into; for besides that it is Gods expresse charge, Thou shalt not ••ollow a multitude to do evill, Exod. 23. 2. and Saint Pauls everlasting rule, ••ashion not your selves like unto this world, Rom. 12. 2. Our Saviour Christ hath plainly told us, That the greatest number go the broad way to destructi∣on, and but a few the narrow way which leadeth unto life, Matth. 7. 13, 14. And Saint Iohn, That the number of those whom Satan shall deceive, is as the sands of the sea, Revel. 20. 8. and 13. 16. Isa. 10. 22. Rom. 9. 27. yea, that the whole world lieth in wickednesse, 1 ••ohn 5. 19. whereas those whom Christ hath chosen out of it, and that believe the Gospel, are but a little flock and few in number, Luke 12 32. Revel. 3. 4. Isa. 53. 1. Rom. 10. 16▪ 2 Cor. 4. 4. which testimonies have proved true in all former Ages; there could not be found eight righteous persons in the old world,, for one was an impi∣ous Cham, all Sodome afforded not ten; Eliah could say, I onely remain a Prophet of the Lord, but Baals Prophets are four hundred and fifty, 1 Kings 18. 22. And Micha complains of the multitude of the wicked in his time, and small number of the faithfull, Micha. 7. 2. Behold, saith Isaiah, I and the Children whom the Lord hath given me, are for signes and wonders i•• Is∣rael, Isa. 8. 1. 8. so few and ra••e that they were gazed upon as monsters. And what sai••h the Lord himself, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet but a remnant shall be saved, Isa. 10. 22. Rom, 9. 27. Neither hath it been otherwise since the Gospel, the whole City went ou•• to send Christ packing, not a Gadaren was found that either dehorted his ••ellow, or opposed the motion, Matth. 8. 34. When Pilate asked, What shall be done with Iesus? all with one consent cried out, Let him be cruci∣fied, Matth. 27. 22. there was a generall shout for Diana for two houres to∣gether, Great is Diana of the Ephesians; not one man took Pauls part, Act. 19. 34. yea, the Iewes told Paul that his Sect was every where spoken a∣gainst, Acts 28. 22. yea, all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and ••••nd

receive the mark of the Beast in their fore-heads, Rev. 13. 16. so that num∣ber is but an ill signe of a good cause; or rather it is the best note of the worst way.

2. §. Secondly, nor will any wise man think his actions ever the mo••e warrantable for that he does as the greatest, richest, and noblest of the Land do; for Not many noble are called: but (as Paul speaks) God hath chosen the base things of the world, and things that are despised, to confound the mighty, 1 Cor. 1. 26, 27. And hath chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith, James 2. 5. yea, be ••illeth the hungry with good things, whereas he sendeth away the rich empty, Luke 1. 52, 53. Neither is this the manner of his donation onely, but of his acceptation also, for God esteems more of vertue clad in rags, then of vice in velvit; he tespects a man not for his greatnesse, but for his goodnesse; not for his birth, but for his New Birth; not for his honour, but for hi•• holinesse; not for his wealth, bu•• for his wisdome: The righe••ous, ••aith Solomon, is more worthy then his neighbour, Prov. 12. 26. and, Better is the poor that walketh uprightly, then he thas per∣verteth his wayes, though he be rich, Prov. 28. 6. and thus the Bereans are reputed by the Holy Ghost, More noble men then they of Thessalonica, because they received the word with all readinesse, and searched the Scriptures, whe∣ther those things were so which Paul preached, Act. 17. 11. Whence it is that David thought it not so happy for him to be a King in his own house, as a Door-keeper in Gods house; that godly Constantine rejoyced more in being the servant of Christ, then in being Emperour of the whole world; that Theodosius the Emperour preferred the title of Membrum Ecclesiae before that of Caput Imperii, professing that he had rather be a Saint and no King, then a King and no Saint; yea, Ignatius said, he had rather be a Martyr then a Monarch. Besides, experience proves greatnesse, nobility, and riches, to be a most deceitfull rule to walk by; for, the Kings of the earth ••and themselves, and the Princes are assembled together against the Lord, and against his Christ, Psal. 2. 2. And in 1 King. 20. 16. we read of no lesse then two and thirty Kings in a cluster that were every one drunk; and else∣where, that a thousand of the chief Princes of Israel committed fornication, and were all destroyed for their labour in one day, Numb. 25. 9. 1 Cor. 10. 8. yea, of twenty Kings of Iudah which the Scripture mentions, we read of but six that were godly, and of eighteen Kings of Israel, all but two are branded by the Holy Ghost for wicked, and yet this Nation was Gods pe∣culiar and chosen people out of all the world; and lastly, when the Rulers sate in counsell against Christ, none spake for him but Nicodemus, Joh. 7. 50, 51. All which shews; that it is neither a good nor a safe way to imitate other mens examples, be they never so rich, never so great; or if we sinne together, we shall be sure to perish together; as when those three and twenty thousand Israelites committed fornication after the example of the chief Princes, they were every one destroyed, both leaders and followers, Numb. 25. 9. 1 Cor 10. 8. and as when those other Cities followed Sodoms

Just, they were all consumed with Sodoms fire, Iude 7.

3. §. But thirdly, admit thou couldest alledge for thine excuse, that thou dost but as most of the wife, learned, and greatest Scholars in the Land do, yet all were one, this could not excuse thee; for first, Not many wise men after the flesh are called, but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to c••nfound the wise, 1 Cor. 1. 26, 27, 29. yea, the preaching of Christ crucified was foolishnesse to the wise Sages of the world, 1 Cor. 1. 23. It pleaseth God for the most part to hide the mysteries of salvation from the wise and learned, and to reveal them unto babes, Matth. 11. 25. Luke 10. 2••. yea, the saving knowledge of Christ is hid to all that are lost, 2 Cor. 4. 3. but if once men abuse their knowledge and learning to Gods dishonour, and comply with Satan and the world against the Church (as how many Scho∣lars in all ages of the world have resembled Trajan, who was indued with great knowledge and other singular vertues, but defaced them all by ha∣ting Christianity, and opposing the power of godlinesse) in this case he ta∣keth that knowledge which once they had from them, as he took heat from the fire when it would burn his children, Dan. 3. 27. I will destroy the tokens of the Sooth-sayers (saith God) and make them that conjecture sooles; I will turn the wise men backward, and make their knowledge foolishnesse, Isa. 44. 25. And again, He taketh the wise in their own craftinesse, and the coun∣sell of the wicked is made foolish, Job 5. 13. And justly are they forsaken of their reason, who have abandoned God, yea, most just it is, that they who want grace should want wit too, for which read 2 Thess. 2. 10, 11, 12. Thus I might go on and shew, that we may not imitate the actions, nor follow the examples of the best and holiest men in every thing they do, though we have some plausible reasons for our doing so, and also good and holy in∣tentions in our so doing, or if we do, that we may go to Hell notwith∣standing.