Media: the middle things, in reference to the first and last things: or, The means, duties, ordinances, both secret, private and publike, for continuance and increase of a godly life, once begun, till we come to Heaven. Wherein are discovered many blessed medium's or duties, in their right method, manner and proceedings; that so a Christian (the spirit of Christ assisting) may walk on in the holy path, which leads from his new birth to everlasting life. / Drawn, for the most part, out of the most eminently pious, and learned writings of our native practical divines: with additionals of his own, by Isaac Ambrose, minister of the Gospel at Preston in Amoundernes.

SECT. 8. Of the maner of this Life of Faith in Spi∣ritual Duties.

AS Spiritual Graces, so Spiritual Duties, are of the opera∣tion of Gods Spirit: Now the duties are Twenty, con∣cerning which we shall give

• 1. The Promises.
• 2. The exercises of faith in re∣spect of the Promises.

The first duty is Prayer, to which are affixed these promises, Psal. 5.3. and 10.17. and 65.2. Prov. 15.29. Psal. 50.15. and 12.17, 18, 19, 20. Zech. 13.8, 9. Rom. 18.13. James. 5.15.

The second duty is Praises, to which are affixed these pro∣mises, 1 Sam. 2.30. Psal. 50.23. and 67.5, 6.

The third duty is Preaching, to which Matth. 28.20. John 5.25.

The fourth duty is Reading the Word, to which Psal. 19.8. Prov. 1.4.

The fifth duty is Loving the Word, to which Psal. 119.165. and 112.1.

The sixth duty is Waiting on the Word, to which Proverbs 8.34, 35.

The seventh duty, Hearkening to the Word, to which Isaiah 55.2, 3. Acts 5.20.—20.32.—13.26.

The eighth duty is Sacraments of

• Baptism, to which Acts 2.38. and 22.16. 1 Peter 3.21.
• Lords Supper, to which Isa. 25.6. Proverbs 9.5, 6. Mat. 26.26..

The ninth duty is, A lawful Oath, to which Jer. 12.16. Psal. 15.4.

The tenth duty is Fasting, to which James 4.9, 10. Matth. 6.18.

The eleventh duty is Meditation, to which Psal. 1.2. Prov. 14.22. Phil. 4.8, 9.

The twelveth duty is Self-examination, to which 1 Cor. 11.31. Gal. 6.4.

The thirteenth duty is Sanctification of the Lords Day, to which Isaiah 58.13, 14. and 56. 2. Jer. 17.26.

The fourteenth duty is Watchfulness, to which Mat. 24.46, 47. Luke 12.37, 38, 43. Rev. 16.15.

The fifteenth duty is Conference, to which Prov. 12.14. and 16.13. Mal. 3.16. Luke 24.32.

The sixteenth duty is Reproof, to which Proverbs 24.25. and 28.23.

The seventeenth duty is Almsgiving, to which Psal. 41.1, 2, 3. Luke 14.13, 14.

The eigthteenth duty is Seeking of God, to which Psal. 34.10. Ezra 8.22.

The nineteenth duty is Waiting on God, to which Isa. 40.31. and 64.4. and 49.23.

The twentieth duty is Delighting in God, to which Psalm 37.4.

2. For the exercise of faith concerning these promises, that we may live by them, go we to

• ...Meditation.
• ...Prayer.

1. For Meditation, and the matter of it, consider these things:

1. That God deals graciously with his people, he might out of his absolute soveraignty over us, command onely, and we were bound then to obey in every of these Duties; but he is pleased (the better to quicken us to obedience) to annex these gracious promises.

2. That as he is gracious to us, so we should be chearful in our Duties to him: This chearfulness of service, is the very fruit of faith; By faith Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof, an offering to the Lord; By faith David went with the multitude unto the house of God, with the voyce of joy and of

praise: It is the voyce of faith, I will sing and give praise with the best member I have.

3. That to make us chearful, we should rowze our selves to awaken to the work of our God: Arise, O my soul, why sleep∣est thou! stir up thy self with readiness to obey the charge of God in the duties prescribed; look on the Saints who have gone before thee, they indured imprisonment, loss of liberty, spoiling of their goods, hazard of life: Thou art not yet called to suffer, but to obey, why dost thou delay, or goest forth unwilllngly? wouldest thou raign with them, and not labor with them? receive the prize, and not run the race? divide the spoil, and not fight the battel? look on the promise annexed to the duty: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek me in vain, saith God: O my soul, arise, contend for∣ward towards the mark, Heaven is worth all thy labor.

4. That to remove all remora's, the Lord hath promised to assist us in these duties by his own Spirit: Besides the promises to Duties, we have promises of duties, God deals with us (as we do by way of commerce one with another) propounding mercy by covenant and condition; yet his Covenant of Grace is always a gracious Covenant, for he not onely gives the good things, but helps us in performing the condition by his own Spirit; he works our hearts to believe and repent, &c. he gives what he requires: For instance, in one place he commands, Cast away from you all your transgressions, and make you a new heart, and a new spirit; and in another place he promiseth, I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your filthiness: A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: in one place he commands them, Circum∣cise the foreskin of your hearts; and in another place he promiseth, That he will circumcise their hearts: in one place he commands us, To keep his Commandments; in another place he promiseth to cause us, To walk in his statutes: in one place he commands us, To fear him, and in another place he promiseth, To put his fear into our hearts: in one place he commands us, To pray, to ask, seek, and knock; and in another place he promiseth, To pour upon us the Spirit of Grace and Supplication: These pro∣mises of duties are the foundation of all our performances, and those promises to duties are the rewards of his Free-Grace and good pleasure; we do not by working cause him to fulfil his pro∣mises,

but he by promising doth enable us to perform our works, and so he rewards us accordingly.

2. For prayer, and the parts of it, observe this method:

1. Acknowledge the goodness and Free-grace of God in these promises: O Lord, why shouldst thou allure me to that which I am every way bound to? If I had none of these promises, I have already in hand a world of mercies, which do infinitely binde me to duty; and wilt thou yet adde this and that promise, to this and that duty? O miracle of mercies! O the goodness of God!

2. Bewail our own dulness and sloath to the duty: And yet (O Lord) how dull, and remiss, and slightly am I in the practice of this or that duty? thou hast said, Cursed is the man that doth the work of the Lord negligently; and, Cursed be the deceiver, that hath in his flock a male, and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: O then what is my portion, who have sacrificed that which is torn and sick unto the great King and Lord of Hosts, whose name is dreadful among the Heathen? no marvel if I feel no power, no sweet in the Ordinances of Grace, whilest I deal par∣tially, hear perfunctorily, pray coldly, labor not to feed on the pro∣mise, and to suck vigor out of it: O Lord, thou lovest a chearful giver, but my services are maimed, and corrupt, and dead, and superficial, and very unchearful.

3. Importune the Lord to revive and quicken our dead hearts to the duty; so prays David, Teach me to do thy will, thy Spirit is good, lead me in the Land of uprightness; so prays the Church, Draw me, and we will run after thee; and so let us pray, Give me a chearful heart in thy service, animate and enliven my heart by thy blessed Spirit, give me to do what thou requirest, incline my heart to thy statutes, and not to covetousness.

4. Implore the assistance of Gods Spirit to every good duty, beg acceptance of our persons and performances in the Lord Je∣sus Christ, press him with his promises to set on duties, and to re∣ward duties; and what ever duty we do, press him with that especially promise belonging unto it: Thus if we meditate and pray, and pray and meditate, we may live by faith, in reference to Spiritual duties.

Notes

• Gen. 4.4. Psal. 4••.4.
• Isa. 45.19.
• Ez••k. 18.31.
• Ezek. 36.25, 26. Deut. 10.16.
• Deut. 30.6. Eccles 12.13. Ezek. 36.27.
• Eccles. 12.13. Ier. 32.40. Mat. 7.7.
• Zech. 12 10.
• Ier. 48.10. Mal. 1.14.
• Psal. 143.10:
• Cant. 1.4.
• Psal. 119.36.