Rules for Practice.
I. LET Love and Charity be Universal. For no pretence whatever, no not of Reli∣gion and Zeal for God, can ju∣stifie your not loving any Person in the World. Treat all Men with Kindness, and wish them well: Do them good according to their Necessity, and your Pow∣er and Opportunity. If Persons be above you, express your Love to them, by paying them the Ho∣nour and Observance their Place and Authority call for. If they are in Worldly Respects beneath you, manifest your Love by Kindness, Affability, and vouchsafing an easy Address to you. If they excel in Natural or Acquired Endowments Page 148of Mind, express your Love to them by a due esteem of them. If they be rather wanting than ex∣celling, shew your Love by pi∣tying them, and despise not their weakness. If any be in Misery, compassionate them, pray for them, comfort them with your Presence if you can reach them, relieve them according to your power. If any be defamed, shew your Love, by stopping and re∣buking the Defamation.
II. Be very careful not to harbour any evil Affection in your Heart against any one what-ever. For though you are far from intend∣ing any actual Mischief, yet you tempt God to let loose your Cor∣ruption, and his Providence to Page 149permit you an Opportunity, and so before you are aware, you may be drawn to an Act you never thought of before. Moreover, by an evil Affection harboured in your Mind, you will prevent the blessed Illapses of the Spirit of God, and open a wide Door for the Devil to enter into you. And indeed an unkind disposition to∣wards any Man, is so much akin to Satan, that if you admit the one, you cannot exclude the other.
III. Despise none; for Love never rides in Triumph over Inferiours.
IV. Look upon all unavoidable Temptations, as Opportunities for an Page 150high exercise of Grace. Are you injured? be sorry for him that hath done it, and bless God for the opportunity of shewing your self hereby a Christian, by patient bearing, forgiving, doing Good against Evil, treating him with Meekness, and breaking his Heart with Love. Every Provo∣cation is a Price in your Hand, get an Heart to improve it.
V. Put a due value upon your Name and Reputation: But be not over solicitous about it, for that discovers some unmortified Lust at the bottom.
VI. Pursue Piety under the notion of an Imitation of God, and then Page 151so great a Pleasure will result from it, that neither Men nor Devils shall be able to make you questi∣on God's Being and Attributes: This will raise an Esteem of it, and render it lovely, and make the several Duties of Religion more facile and easie; and it will gradually wear out the Re∣mains of Unbelief, and unkind Jealousies of God.
VII. Let Humility be the constant covering of your Soul, and let Repentance follow all your Perfor∣mances: This will demonstrate your Religion is inward. For if Religion be suffered to enter deep into the Heart, it will always find Work for Repentance while we are in the State of Imper∣fection.
Page 152 VIII. Love nothing above God and Christ; for to love any thing more than God or Christ, is the way ei∣ther never to enjoy it, or to be soon deprived of it, or else to find your self deceived in it.
IX. Do nothing upon which you dare not ask God's Blessing.
X. Esteem Time as your most precious Talent, which when you bestow it upon any, you give them more than you can under∣stand. A joynt Assistance of Men and Angels cannot restore it to you again.
Page 153 XI. Never speak of Religion for Discourse and Entertainment sake, but for the Purposes of Piety.
XII. Upon the Lord's-Day consider in private the Love of God, in the several Instances of it, to thy Self and the World, in Creation and Redemption; the Promises of Eternal Life, the Care of his Providence, his Mercies to Thee, thy Friends and Family: And stay upon these Considerations till thy Heart be lifted up in his Praise, and thou canst say with David, Now will I go to God, my exceeding Joy. Consider also your Miscarriages in the Week past, and Page 154industriouly endeavour to pre∣vent them in the following Week.
XIII. Be diligent in your particular Calling, in Obedience to God's Command: For the same God who said, Be fervent in Prayer, hath also said, Be not slothful in Business. That therefore which putteth a good Man upon praying in his Closet, calleth him out again, even a Submission to God the great Master of the World, by whom we are placed in our several Sta∣tions.
XIV. Carefully avoid all those Sins which your Calling, and Diligence in it, exposeth you unto.
Page 155 XV. Never let the Infirmity of thy Brother be thy Recreation. Let not that which grieveth God, make thee merry. Let not that be thy Sport, which is Heaven's Sor∣row, and so is every thing that is evil.
XVI. Let the use of Refreshments, make you compassionate to the Poor who want them. This will be an Evidence that they are sanctified unto you.
XVII. In the Practice of Civility, a∣void the Sins of Company, mention Page 156not God slightly, inconsiderately, or merrily.
XVIII. Censure not any Man's Acti∣ons which contradict not a plain Rule, and in which there is use of Prudence, because much of Prudence depends upon Circum∣stances of which you are igno∣rant. God hath made you a Feoffee in Trust of your Neigh∣bours Name; and it is a Greatness of Mind not to speak evil of o∣thers.
Before thy Brother's Face flatter not; behind his back be as tender of his Reputation as of his Life.
XIX. In Civil Converse, though your Discourse be not always of Reli∣gion, Page 157yet make it your Design thereby to recommend Religion.
XX. Let not Fretting and Discon∣tent prey upon your Time: It makes you neglect some present Duty: It makes you like a Ship tossed upon, the Waters, which is moved, but brought to no place.
XXI. In endeavouring the Conver∣sion of another, perswade him only to what is necessary to his Salvation; make him under∣stand that you design nothing for your self in it, but his own Hap∣piness. Press him to nothing that you will not practise your self.
Page 158 XXII. Be exact in your Actions, be∣cause they must stand upon Record to Eternity.
XXIII. That you may think of God aright, you must abstract from your present Temper, and your own Sense. For Experience tells us that if a Man be convinc'd of Sin, and under Terrors, all the Art of Man cannot satisfy him, that God intends to pardon such a Sinner as he is; because he judges of God by what he feels. So he that perceives not the Bit∣terness of Sin; all Arguments can scarcely perswade him that Sin is so great an Evil as indeed it is, Page 159or that God will severely punish it, because he judged of God ac∣cording to his present Temper, and his own Sense of things.
XXIV. Give God the Honour of his Attributes together: You desire his Mercy, let him have also the Ho∣nour of his Wisdom in his chusing the Channel in which his Goodness shall run.
XXV. Never be a Spendthrift of that, of which only you can be honest∣ly covetous; that is, of your Time.
XXVI. Meditate much upon the Pro∣mises; for though Meditation Page 160can add nothing to the Promises, yet it draws forth the Sweetness, and discovers the Beauty which is in them.
XXVII. Apply the Promises frequently, tho you find not such visible Ef∣fects, either of Grace or Comfort, issuing from them as you expect, or desire. The Manner of fulfil∣ling them may be various, but the Performance is most certain. The Blessing of the Promise some∣times descends like Rain in visible Showers, producing the sensible Effects of Joy and Peace in the Soul; and sometimes like Dew, which falleth in a silent way, with∣out making any sensible Alterati∣on in the Heart: The Vertue of it is real, but withal hidden and secret.
