Bonifacius. An essay upon the good, that is to be devised and designed, by those who desire to answer the great end of life, and to do good while they live. A book offered, first, in general, unto all Christians, in a personal capacity, or in a relative. Then more particularly, unto ministers, unto physicians, unto lawyers, unto scholemasters [sic], unto wealthy gentlemen, unto several sorts of officers, unto churches, and unto all societies of a religious character and intention. With humble proposals, of unexceptionable methods, to do good in the world. : [Two lines from Ephesians]

ESSAYS to Do GOOD.

§ 1. SUCH Glorious Things are Spoken in the Oracles of our Good God, concerning them who Devise Good, that, A Book of Good De|vices, may very reasonably de|mand Attention & Acceptance from them that have any Impressions of the most Reasonable Reli|gion upon them. I am Devising Such a Book; but at the same time Offering a Sorrowful De|monstration, That if men would Set themselves to Devise Good, a world of Good might be done, more than there is, in this Present Evil World. It is very sure, The World has Need Enough. There Needs abundance to be done, That the Great GOD and His CHRIST may be more Known and Serv'd in the World; and that the Errors which are Impediments to the Acknowledgments wherewith men ought to Glorify their Creator and Redeemer, may be Rectified. There needs abundance to be done, That the Evil Manners of the World, by which men are drowned in Per|dition, may be Reformed; and mankind rescued from the Epidemical Corruption and Slavery which has overwhelmed it. There needs abun|dance

to be done, That the Miseries of the World may have Remedies and Abatements pro|vided for them; and that miserable people may be Relieved and Comforted. The world has according to the Computation of Some, a|bove Seven hundred millions of people now Living in it. What an ample Field among all these, to Do Good upon! In a word, The Kingdom of God in the World, Calls for Innumerable Ser|vices from us. To Do SUCH THINGS is to Do Good. Those men Devise Good, who Shape any DEVICES to do Things of Such a Tendency; whether the Things be of a Spiritual Importance, or of a Temporal. You see, Sirs, the General matter, appearing as Yet, but as a Chaos, which is to be wrought upon. Oh! that the Good Spirit of God may now fall upon us, and carry on the Glorious work which lies before us!

§ 2. TIS to be Supposed, my Readers will readily grant, That it is an Excel|lent, a Vertuous, a Laudable Thing to be full of Devices, to bring about Such Noble Purposes. For any man to Deride, or to Despise my Proposal, That we Resolve and Study to Do as much Good in the World as we can, would be so black a Cha|racter, that I am not willing to make a Suppo|sal of it in any of those with when I am Con|cerned. Let no man pretend unto the Name of, A Christian, who does not Approve the pro|posal of, A Perpetual Endeavour to Do Good in the

World. What pretension can Such a man have to be, A Follower of the Good One? The Primitive Christians gladly accepted and improved the Name, when the Pagans by a mistake Styled them, Chrestians; Because it Signifyed, Useful Ones. The Christians who have no Ambition to be So, Shall be condemned by the Pagans; a|mong whom it was a Term of the Highest Ho|nour, to be termed, A Benefactor; to have Done Good, was accounted Honourable. The Philosopher being asked why Every one desired so much to look upon a Fair Object! he answered, That it was a Question of a Blind man. If any man ask, as wanting the Sense of it, What is it worth the while to Do Good in the world! I must Say, It Sounds not like the Question of a Good man. The 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as Origen calls it, the Spiritual Taste of every Good Man will make him have an unspeakable Relish for it. Yea, Unworthy to be discoursed as a Man, is he, who is not for, Doing of Good among Men. An Enemy to the Proposal, That mankind, may be the better for us, deserves to be Reckoned, little better than, A Common Enemy of Mankind. How Cogently do I bespeak, a Good Reception of what is now designed! I produce not only Religion, but e|ven Humanity it self, as full of a Fiery Indignation against the Adversaries of the Design. Excuse me, Sirs; I declare, that if I could have my choice, I would never Eat or Drink, or Walk, with such an one, as long as I Live; or, Look on him as

any other than one by whom Humanity it self is Debased and Blemished. A very Wicked Writer, has yet found himself compell'd by the Force of Reason, to publish this Confession. To Love the Publick, to Study an Universal Good, and to Promote the Interest of the whole World, as far as is in our Power, is surely the Highest of Goodness, and makes that Temper, which we call Divine. And, he goes on. Is the Doing of Good for Glories Sake so Divine a thing? [Alas, Too much Humane, Sir!] Or, Is it not a Diviner to Do Good, even where it may be thought Inglorious? Even unto the Ingrateful, and unto those who are wholly Insensible of the Good they receive! A man must be far gone in Wickedness, who will open his Mouth, against such Maxims and Actions! A better Pen has Remark'd it; yea, the man must be much a Stranger in Histo|ry, who has not made the Remark. To Speak Truth, and to Do Good, were in the Esteem even of the Heathen World, most God-like Qualities. God forbid, That in the Esteem of the Christian World, for those Qualities, there should be any Abate|ment!

§ 3. I Won't yet propose the Reward of Well-doing, and the glorious Things which the Mercy and Truth of God will do, for them who Devise Good; Because I would have to do with such, as will esteem it, a Sufficient Reward unto it self. I will imagine that Generous In|genuity, in my Readers, which will dispose them to count themselves well-Rewarded in the

Thing it self, if God will Accept them to Do Good in the World. It is an Invaluable Honour, To Do Good; It is an Incomparable Pleasure. A Man must Look upon himself as Dignifyed and Gratifyed by GOD, when an Opportunity to Do Good is put into his Hands. He must Embrace it with Rapture, as enabling him directly to an|swer the Great END of his Being. He must manage it with Rapturous Delight, as a most Sui|table Business, as a most Precious Priviledge. He must Sing in those Wayes of the Lord, wherein he cannot but find himself, while he is Doing of Good. As the Saint of Old Sweet|ly Sang, I was glad, when they said unto me, Let us go into the House of the Lord. Thus ought we to be Glad, when any Opportunity to Do Good, is offered unto us. We should need no Arguments, to make us Entertain the Offer; but we should Naturally fly into the Matter, as most agreeable to the Divine Nature whereof we are made Par|takers. It should Oblige us wonderfully! An Ingot of Gold presented unto us, not more Ob|liging! Think, Sirs, Now I Enjoy what I Am for! Now I Attain what I Wish for! Some Servants of God have been so Strongly Disposed this way, that they have cheerfully made a Tender of any Recompence that could be desired, (yea, rather than fail, a Pecuniary one,) unto any Friend that would Think for them, and Supply the Barren|ness of their Thoughts, and Suggest unto them a|ny Special and proper Methods, wherein they

may be Serviceable. Certainly, To Do Good is a thing that brings its own Recompence, in the O|pinion of those, who reckon a kind Information of a Point wherein they may Do Good, worthy to be by them requited with a Recompence to the Informer. I will only Say; If any of you are Strangers unto such a Disposition as this, to Look upon an Opportunity to Do Good, as a thing that Enriches you, and to Look upon your selves as Enriched, and Favoured of God, when He does Employ you to Do Good: I have done with you, I would pray them, to lay the Book aside; It will disdain to carry on any further Conversa|tion with 'em! It handles a Subject on which the Wretches of the House of Caleb, will not be conversed withal. It is content with one of Dr. Stoughtons Introductions; It is Enough to me, that I Speak to wise men, whose Reason shall be my Rhetorick, to Christians, whose Conscience shall be my Eloquence.

§ 4. THo' the Assertion fly never so much like a Chain-Shot among us, and Rake down all before it, I will again, and again As|sert it; That we might every One of us do more Good than we do. And therefore, This is the FIRST, PROPOSAL, to be made unto us; To be Exceedingly Humbled, that we have done so Little Good in the World. I am not Uncharitable, in saying; I know not that Assembly of Christi|ans upon Earth, which ought not to be a Bochim,

in this consideration. Oh! Tell me, what Uto|pia, I shall find it in! Sirs, Let us begin to bring forth some Good Fruit, by Lamenting our own Great Unfruitfulness. Verily, Sins of Omission must be Confessed & Bewayled; else we add unto the Number of them. The most Useful Men in the World, have gone out of it, crying to God, Lord, Let my Sins of Omission be Forgiven to me! Men that have made more than ordinary Con|science about well-Spending of their Time, have had their Death-bed made uneasy by this Re|flection; The Lose of Time now Sits heavy upon me. Be sure, All Unregenerate Persons, are, as our Bi|ble has told us, Unprofitable Persons. 'Tis not for nothing that the Comparison of Thorns, and Bri|ars, has been used, to Teach us, what they are. An Unrenewed Sinner, alas, he never did One Good Work in all his Life! In all his Life, did I Say? You must give me that word again! He is Dead while he Lives; he is Dead in Sins; he has never yet begun to Live unto God: and, as is he, so are all the Works of his Hands; They are Dead Works. Ah! Wretched Good-for-nothing. Wonder, Wonder at the Patience of Heaven, which yet forbears Cutting-down, such a Cumber|er of the Ground. The best, and the first Advice, to be given unto such Persons, is, Immediately to do their best, that they may get out of their woful Unregeneracy. Let them Immediately Acknow|ledge the Necessity of their Turning to God, but how Unable they are to do it, and how Unworthy

that God should make them Able. Immediately let them lift up their Cry unto Sovereign Grace, to Quicken them; and let them then Try, whe|ther they cannot with Quickened Souls, Plead the Sacrifice and Righteousness of a Glorious CHRIST for their Happy Reconciliation to God; Seri|ously Resolve upon a Life of Obedience to God, and Serious Religion; and Resign themselves up unto the Holy Spirit, that he may possess them, Instruct them, Strengthen them, and for His Name Sake lead them in tho pathes of Holiness. There will no Good be done, till this be done. The very First-born of all Devices to Do Good, is in be|ing Born again, and in Devising Means, that a Banished Soul may no longer be Expelled from the presence of God. But you that have been brought home to God, have Sad cause, not only to deplore the Dark Dayes of your Unregenera|cy, wherein you did none but the Unfruitful Works of Darkness; but also, that you have done so Little, since God has Quickened you and En|abled you, to Do, the Things that should be done. How Little, How Little have you Lived up, to the Strains of Gratitude, which might have been justly Expected, since God has brought you into His Marvellous Light! The best of us may mourn in our Complaint; Lord, How Little Good have I done, to what I might have done! Let the Sense of this cause us to Loathe and Judge our|selves before the Lord: Let it fill us with Shame, and Abase us wonderfully! How can we do

any other, than with David, even make a Caul|dron of our couch, and a Bath of our Tears, when we consider how little Good we have done! Oh! That our Heads were Waters, because they have been so Dry of all Thoughts to Do Good! Oh! That our Eyes were a Fountain of Tears, be|cause they have been so little upon the Lock out for Objects & Methods to Do Good upon! For the Pardon of this Evil-doing, Let us Fly to the Great Sacrifice; which is our only Expiation. Plead the Blood of that Lamb of God, whose U|niversal Usefulness is One of those admirable Pro|perties, for which He has been called, A Lamb. The Pardon of our Barrenness at Good Works being thus obtained, by Faith in that Blood which cleanses from all Sin, that is the way for us to be rescued from a Condemnation to Perpetual Barrenness. The dreadful Sentence of, Let no Fruit grow on thee for ever! will be reversed and prevented, by such a Pardon. Sirs, A True, Right, Evangeli|cal Proceedure to Do Good, must have this Re|pentance laid in the Foundation of it! We do not Handle the Matter Wisely, if a Foundation be not laid thus Low, and in the deepest Self-Abasement.

§ 5. HOw full, how full of Devices are we, for our own Secular Advantage! And how Expert in Devising many Little Things, to be done for our selves! We apply our Thoughts, with a mighty Assiduity, unto the Old Question, What shall I Eat & Drink, and wherewithal shall I

be cloathed? It is with a very strong Applicati|on of our Thoughts, that we Study, what we shall do for our selves, in our Marriages, in our Voyages, in our Bargains, and in many, many other concerns, wherein we are Sollicitous to have our condition easy. We Sollicitously Contrive, that we may accomplish Good Bargains, and that we may Steer clear of ten thousand Inconveniencies, to which, without some Contrivance, we may ly obnoxious. The Business of our Personal Callings we carry on with Numberless Thoughts, how we may Do Well, in what is to be done. To ac|complish our Temporal Business, in affairs that cannot be Numbred, we find out Witty Inventions. But, O Rational, Immortal, Heaven-born SOUL; Are thy wondrous Faculties capable of no Greater Improvements, no better Employments? Why should a Soul of such High Capacities, a Soul that may arrive to be clothed in the Bright Scarlet of Angels, yet Embrace a Dunghil! O let a Blush colouring beyond Scarlet, be thy clothing for thy being found so meanly occupied! A|las, In the Multitude of thy Thoughts within thee, had thou no Dispositions to Raise thy Soul, un|to Some thoughts, What may be done for GOD, & CHRIST, and for my own SOUL, and for the most Considerable Interests? How many Hundreds of Thoughts have we, How to obtain or secure Some Trifle for our selves; to One, How we may Serve the interests of the Glorious LORD, and of His People in the World? How can we now pretend,

that we Love Him, or, that a carnal, and a Criminal Self-Love, has not the Dominion o|ver us? I again come in, upon a Soul of an Heavenly Extract, and Smite it, as the Angel did the Sleeping Prisoner; Awake, Shake off thy Shackles, ly no longer fettered in a Base confinement unto nothing but a Meaner Sort of Business. Assume and Assert the Liberty of now and then Think|ing on the Noblest Question in the World; What Good may I do in the World? There was a Time, when it was complain'd by no less a man, than Gregory the Great (the Bishop of Rome) I am Sunk into the World! It may be the complaint of a Soul, that minds all other things, and rarely calls to mind that Noblest Question. Ah! Star, fall'n from Heav'n, and choak'd in Dust, Rise and Soar up to some-thing answerable to thy Ori|ginal. Begin a Course of Thoughts, which when begun, will be like a Resurrection from the Dead. They which dwell in the Dust, Wake and Sing, and a Little anticipate the Life which we are to Live at the Resurrection of the Dead, when they Liveli|ly set themselves to Think; How may I be a Bles|sing in the World? And, What may I do, that Righ|teousness may more dwell in the World?

§ 6. HOw much Hurt may be done by One Wicked man? Yea, Sometimes One Wicked man, of but Small Abilities, becoming an Indefatigable Tool of the Devil, may do an Incredi|ble Deal of Mischief in the World. We have

seen some Wretched Instruments of Cursed Me|mory, ply the Intention of Doing Mischief, at a Strange rate; until they have undone a whole Country; yea, unto the undoing of more than Three Kingdoms. 'Tis a Melancholy conside|ration, which I am now upon: and I may say, an Astonishing One! You will hardly find One of a Thousand, who does near so much, to Serve God and Christ, and his own Soul, as you may see done by Thousands to Serve the Devil. An horrible Thing!

O my Soul; Thy Maker, and thy Saviour, so wor|thy of thy Love, and thy All! A Lord, whose infi|nite Goodness, will follow all that thou doest for Him, with Remunerations, beyond all Apprehensi|on Glorious! How Little, How little, is it that thou doest for Him! At the same time, look into thy Neighbourhood; See there a monster of Wickedness, who to his uttermost will Serve a Devil, that will prove a Destroyer unto him, and all whose Wages will be Torments. He Studies how to Serve the Devil; he is never weary of his Drudgery; he racks his Inven|tion to go thorough with it. He Shames me, he Shames me wonderfully! O my God, I am ashamed, and blush to Lift up my Face unto thee, my God.

There is a man, of whom we read; He Devi|seth mischief upon his Bed, he Sets himself in a way that is not Good. Now, I beseech you, why should not we be as Active, as Frequent, as Forward, in Devising of Good; and as full of Exquisite Contri|vance? Why should not we be as Wise to Do Good, as any People are Wise to do Evil? I am sure, we have a better Cause▪ and there is more of

Reason for it. My Friend, Tho' thou art One that makes but a Little Figure in the World, and a Brother of Low Degree, behold, a vast Encourage|ment! A Little man may do a great deal of Hurt. And then, why may not a Little man, do a great deal of Good! It is possible the Wisdom of a Poor man, may Start a Proposal, that may Save a City, Serve a Nation! A Single Hair ap|plied unto a Flyer, that has other Wheels depend|ing on it, may pull up an Oak, or pull down an House.

It is very Observable, That when our Lord JESUS CHRIST, would recommend this Zeal, with which the Kingdom of Heaven is to be Served, He did not mention an Exemple of Honest Wis|dom; no, but of an Unrighteous and Scandalous Dishonesty, (as of an Unjust Steward,) for our E|mulation. The Wisdom of our Lord in this mat|ter, is much to be observed. His Design is, not only to represent the Prudence, but also the vast Industry, Ingenuity, Resolution, and Heroick Ef|fort of Soul, necessary in them, that would Seek and Serve the Kingdom of Heaven. There is no where to be found among men, that Vivacity of Spirit in Lawful Actions, which there is to be found in Unlawful Ones. The wayes of Honesty are plain to men, and they require not so much Uneasiness in the Minds of men to manage them. Whereas your Thieves and Cheats, and men that follow Courses of Dishonesty, take wayes that are full of Difficulties: the Turns and the Tricks with

which they must be carried thro' them, are in|numerable. Hence among such Fellowes, you find the Exercise of the most Extraordinary Subtilty. There is no such Cunning, and Nimble Appli|cation to be any where else met withal. Tis very Emphatical, to fetch from hence the colours of Heavenly Wisdom! That which I would now be at, is this; That we Do Good with as much Application, as any men alive can use in Evil-doing. When Wickedness proceeds from the wicked, it is often done with both Hands, and Greedily. Why may not we proceed in our Usefulness, even with Both Hands, and Greedily Watching for Opportunities? We have no occasion for any Ill Arts, that we may carry on our Designs to Do Good. God for|bid, that we should ever imagine the Uniting of such Inconsistencies. But why cannot we carry on our Designs, with as much, and as deep, and as copious Thought, as the men of Ill Arts? And why may not we lay out our Spirits, with as Transporting a Vigour, to Do the Things that will be Acceptable to God, and Profitable to Men, as any Wretches have, when they Weary them|selves to commit Iniquity? To reprehend cer|tain Ecclesiastical Drones, who had little Incli|nation to Do Good, Father Latymer Employ'd a coarse Expression of this importance; If you won't Learn of Good Men, for shame Learn of the Devil! He is never Idle. He goes about, seeking what Hurt he may do! Truly, the Indefatigable Prosecution of their Designs, which we may see

in Some, whom the Holy Word of God has cal|led, The Children of the Devil, may Exceedingly put us to the Blush. Our Obligations to Do Good are infinite: They Do Evil against all Obli|gations. The Compensations made unto them who Do Good, are Encouraging beyond all Ex|pression; They who Do Evil, get nothing to boast of; but Evil Pursues the Sinners. If the Devil do Go about, and People inspired by him also Go about, Seeking what Hurt they may do, Why do not we Go about, and Seek, and Think, where and How to Do Good? Verily, T'were a Cha|racter for a Good Angel, to do so. O Thou Child of God, and Lover of all Righteousness; How canst thou find in thy Heart at any time to Cease from doing all the Good, that can be done, in the Right Wayes of the Lord? Methinks, That Word of the Lord, may be a Burden unto us; If we have any true Honour in us, it will be so! The Children of this World, are in [and, For,] their Generation, Wiser than the Children of Light. Yea, they Pursue the Works of Darkness more Livelily, than any of us Walk in the Light, where-with our Great Saviour has favour'd us.

§ 7. TO the Title of Good Works there do belong, those Essayes to Do Good, which are now urged for. To produce them, the First Thing, and indeed the ONE Thing, that is Needful, is, A Glorious work of Grace on the Soul, Renewing and Quickening of it, and Pu|rifying of the Sinner, and rendring him Zealous of

Good Works: A Workmanship of God upon us, Crea|ting us over again, by JESUS CHRIST, for Good Works. And then, there is Needful, what will ne|cessarily follow upon such a Work: That is, A Disposition to Do Good Works upon true, Genuine, Generous, and Evangelical Principles. Those Principles are to be Stated, before we can go any further; when they are Active, we shall go a great deal further.

It is in the first Place, to be taken for granted; That the End for which we do Good Works, must not be, To afford the Matter of our Justification, before the Law of the Holy GOD. Indeed, no Good Works can be done by any man until he be Justified. Until a Man be United unto the Glo|rious CHRIST, who is our Life, he is a Dead Man. And, I Pray, what Good Works to be Ex|pected from Such a Man? They will all be Dead Works. For, Severed from me ye can do nothing, Saith our Saviour. The Justification of a Sinner, by Faith, Before Good Works, and in Order to them, is One of those Truths, which may say to the Popish Innovations, With us are the Gray-headed, and very Aged Men, much Elder than thy Father. It was an Old Maxim of the Faithful, Bona opera Sequuntur Justificatum, non praecedunt Justificandum. It is the Righteousness of the Good Works done by our Saviour and Surety, not our own, that Justi|fies us before God, and answers the Demands of His Law upon us. We do by Faith lay hold on those Good Works for our Justifying Righteousness

before we arrive to do our own. Tis not our Faith it self, either as doing of Good Works, or as being it self one of them, which Entitles us to the Justifying Righteousness of our Saviour. But it is Faith, only As Renouncing of our own Righteous|ness, & Relying on that of our Saviour, provided for the Chief of Sinners, by which we are Justified. Sir, All your Attempts at Good Works will come to Nothing, till a Justifying Faith in your Saviour, shall carry you forth unto them. This was the Divinity of the Ancients; Jerom has well Ex|pressed it; Sine Christo Omnis Virtus est in Vitio. Nevertheless; First, You are to Look upon it, as a glorious Truth of the Gospel, That the Mo|ral Law (which prescribes and requires Good Works) must by every Christian Alive be made the Rule of his Life. Do we make void the Law thro' Faith? God Forbid. Yea, we Establish the Law. The Rule, by which we are to Glorify God is given us in the Law of Good Works, which we En|joy [I will Express it so!] in the Ten Command|ments. It is impossible for us, to be Released from all Obligations to Glorify God by a con|formity to this Rule; Sooner shall we cease to be Creatures. The Conformity to that Rule in the Righteousness, which our Saviour by His Obedi|ence to it, has brought in, to Justify us, has for e|ver Magnified the Law, and made it Honourable. Tho' our Saviour has furnished us, with a per|fect and spotless Righteousness, when His Obedi|ence to the Law, is placed unto our Account;

Yet it is a Sin for us at all to fall short in our own Obedience to the Law: We must alwayes Loathe and Judge our selves for the Sin. We are not under the Law as a Covenant of Works. Our own Exactness in doing of Good Works, is not now the Condition of our Entring into Life. We unto us if it were! But still, the Covenant of Grace holds us to it, as our Duty; and if we are in the Covenant of Grace, we shall make it our Study, to Do those Good Works which once were the Terms of our Entring into Life. Manet Lex tota Pietatis; That was the Divinity in Tertullians Dayes! There must be such an Esteem for the Law of Good Works retain|ed for ever in all the Justifyed: A Law never to be Abrogated; never to be Abolished! And then, Secondly, Tho' we are Justified by a Preci|ous Faith in the Righteousness of God our Saviour, yet Good Works are demanded of us, to Justify our Faith; to Demonstrate, that it is indeed that Precious Faith. A Justifying Faith is a Jewel, which may be Counterfeited. But now the Marks of a Faith, which is no Counterfeit, are to be found in the Good Works whereto a Servant of God is inclined and assisted by his Faith. It is by a Re|generating Work of the Holy Spirit, that Faith is wrought in the Souls of the chosen People. Now the same Work of God, and of Grace, which does in a Regeneration Dispose a man to make his Flight by Faith, unto the Righteousness of his only Saviour, will also dispose him to the Good Works of a Christian Life. And the Same Faith which

goes to the Saviour for a part in His Righteousness, will also go to Him, for an Heart and Strength to do the Good Works, which are Ordained, that we should walk in them. If Our Faith be not such a Faith, 'tis a Lifeless one, and it will not bring to Life. A Workless Faith is a Worthless Faith. My Friend, Suppose thy self Standing before the Judgment-Seat of the Glorious LORD. A Need|ful, a Prudent, Supposal; it ought to be a very Frequent One. The Judge demands, What hast thou to Plead, for a Portion in the Blessedness of the Righteous? The Plea must be;

O my Glorious Judge, Thou hast been my Sacrifice, Oh! Judge of all the Earth, Give Poor Dust and Ashes Leave to Say, My Righteousness is on the Bench. Surely, In the Lord I have my Righteousness. O my Saviour, I have Received it, I have Secured it, upon thy Gracious offer of it.

The Judge proceeds;

But what hast thou to Plead, That thy Faith should not be Rejected, as the Faith and Hope of the Hypocrite?

Here the Plea must be;

Lord, My Faith was thy Work. It was a Faith which disposed me to all the Good Works of thy Holy Religion. My Faith Sanctified me. It carried me to thee, O my Saviour, for Grace to do the Works of Righteousness. It Embraced thee for my Lord as well as for my Saviour. It caused me with Sincerity to Love and Keep thy Commandments; with assi|duity to Serve the Interests of thy Kingdom in the World. Thus you have Paul and James Reconciled. Thus you have Good Works provided for. The Aphorism of the Physician, is, Per Brachium fit Judicium de corde. The Doings of Men are truer and surer Indications, than all their Sayings, of

what they are within. But there is yet a further Consideration, upon which you must be Zealously Affected for them. You must Consider Good Works, as the Way to, yea, as a Part of, the Great Salvation, which is Purchased and Intended for you, by your Blessed Saviour. Without an Holy Heart you can't be fit for an Holy Heaven; Meet for the Inheritance of the Holy Ones in that Light, which admits no works of Darkness; where none but Good Works are done for Eternal Ages. But an Holy Heart will cause a man to do Good works with all his Heart. The Motto on the Gates of the Holy City is; None but the Lovers of Good Works to enter here. Tis im|plied, in what we read, Without Holiness no man shall see the Lord. Yea, to be Saved without Good works, were to be Saved without Salvation. Much of our Salvation lies in doing of Good works. When our Souls are Enlarged and Unfetter'd, it is that we may Do such Things. Heaven is begun upon Earth in the doing of them. Doubtless, no man shall come up to Heaven, who is not so per|swaded. I will mention but one more of those Principles, which Good works grow upon. Tis that Noble one, of GRATITUDE. The Believer cannot but Enquire, What shall I render to my Sa|viour? The Result of the Enquiry will be, with Good works to Glorify Him. We read, Faith works by Love. Our Faith will first show us the Match|less and Marvellous Love of God, in Saving us. And the Faith of this Love will work upon our

Hearts, until it has raised in us, an Unquencha|ble Flame of Love unto Him that hath so Loved us, and Saved us▪

These, These are to be our Dispositions;

O my Saviour; Hast thou done so much for me? Now will I do all I can for thy Kingdom, and People in the World? Oh! What Service is there that I may now do for my Sa|viour, and for His People in the World!

These are the Principles to be proceeded on. And on them, I will observe to you a Notable Thing. Tis worthy of Observations, That there are no men in the World, who so abound in Good works, as the men who have most of all a|bandoned all pretence to Merit by their works. There are Protestants who have out-done Papists, in our Days, as well as in Dr. Willets. No Merit-Mongers have gone beyond some Holy Christians, who have done Good works, upon the Assurance of their being already Justified and Entitled unto Life Eternal.

I take Notice, that our Apostle, casting a Just Contempt on the Endless Genealogies, and Long, Intricate, Perplexed Pedigrees, which the Jews of his Time, stood so much upon; Proposes in|stead thereof to be Studied, Charity, out of a Pure Heart, and a Good Conscience, and Faith Unfeigned. As if he had said, I will give you a Genealogy worth Ten Thousand of theirs, First, From Faith Unfeigned proceeds a Good Conscience: From a Good Conscience proceeds a Pure Heart: From a Pure Heart proceeds a Charity to all about us. Tis Admirably Stated!

§ 8. IT is to be fear'd, That we too seldom Enquire after our Opportunities to Do Good. Our Opportunities to Do Good are our TALENTS. An awful Account must be rendred unto the Great GOD, concerning our Use of the Talents, wherewith He has Entrusted us, in these Precious Opportunities. We do not Use our Opportunities, many times because we do not Know what they are; and many times, the Reason why we do not Know, is be|cause we do not Think. Our Opportunities to do Good, ly by Unregarded, and Un-improved; and so 'tis but a mean Account that can be given of them. We Read of a thing, which we Deride as often as we behold; There is, that maketh himself Poor, and yet has great Riches. It is a thing too too frequently Exemplified, in our Opportunities to Do Good, which are some of our most Valuable Riches. Many a man seems to reckon himself destitute of those Talents; as if there were No|thing for him to do: He pretends he is not in a Condition to Do any Good, Alas! Poor Man; what can he do? My Friend; Think again; Think often. Enquire what your Opportunities are. You will doubtless find them, to be more than you were Aware of. Plain Men dwelling in Tents, Per|sons of a very Ordinary Character, may in a way of bright Piety, prove Persons of Extraordinary Usefulness. A Poor John Urich may make a Gro|tius the Better for him. I have read of a Pious

Weaver, of whom some Eminent Persons would say, Christ walked as it were alive upon the Earth in that man. And a world of Good was done by that man. A mean Mechanick, who can tell what an Engine of Good, he may be, if humbly and wisely applied unto it!

This then is the Next PROPOSAL. Without abridging your selves of your Occasional Thoughts on the Question, often every Day, What Good may I do? State a Time now and then for more Deliberate Thoughts upon it. Can't you find a Time, [Suppose, once a Week, yea, and how a|greeably, on the Lord's Day,] to take that Question into your Consideration; What is there that I may do, for the Service of the Glorious Lord, and for the Welfare of those, for whom I ought to be Concerned? Having implored the Di|rection of God, who is the Father of Lights, and the Author and Giver of Good Thoughts, Consider on the matter, in the various Aspects of it. Con|sider till you have Resolved on something. The Resolutions which you take up, immediately write down. Examine what Precept and what Promise, you can find in the Word of God, that may Countenance the Intentions, in these your Me|morials. Look over the Memorials at proper Sea|sons afterwards, to see how far you have Pro|ceeded in the Execution of them. The Advan|tages of these Reserved and Revised Memori|als, no Rhetorick will serve to Commend them,

no Arithmetick to Number them. There are some Animals, of whom we say, They do not know their own Strength. Christians, why should you be They?

§ 9. LET us descend unto Particulars. But in doing so, let it not be imagi|ned, that I pretend unto an Enumeration of all the Good Devices, that are to be thought upon. Indeed, not a Thousandth part of them, need or can be now Enumerated The Essay, which I am now upon, is, only to dig open the several Springs of Usefulness; which having once begun to Run, will spread into Streams, which no Hu|mane Foresight can Comprehend. Spring up, O Well! So will every true Israelite Sing, upon e|very Proposal here Exhibited. And the No|bles of Israel can do nothing more agreeable to their own Character, than to fall to work upon it. Perhaps almost every Proposal to be now mentioned, may be like a Stone falling on a Pool; Reader, Keep thy Mind Calm, and see, whether the Effect prove not so! That one Circle (and Service) will produce another, until they Extend, who can tell, how far? and they cannot be reckoned up. The men who give themselves up to Good Devices, and who take a due Notice of their Opportunities to Do Good, usually find a strange Growth of their Opportunities. The Gracious and Faithful Providence of the Glo|rious Lord, Grants this Recompence unto His

Diligent Servants, that He will Multiply their Opportunities to be Serviceable. And when In|genious men, have a little used themselves unto Contrivances, in this or that way of Pursuing the best Intentions, their Ingenuity will sensibly im|prove, and there will be more of Exquisiteness, more of Expansion, in their Diffusive Applications. A|mong all the Dispensations of Special Providence, in the Government of the World, there is none more Uninterrupted, than the Accomplishment of that Word, Vnto him that hath, shall be given. I will say this; O Useful Man, Take that for thy Motto; HABENTI DABITUR: And, in a Lively Use of thy Opportunities to Do Good, see how notably, it will be accomplished! Sir, See what Accomplishment of that Word will at last Surprize you; Tho' thy Beginning were Small, yet thy Latter End shall greatly Increase.

§ 10. ODI Sapientem qui sibi non sapit. The Charity we are upon, why should it not Begin at Home? It observes not a due De|corum, if it do not so; and it will be liable to great Exceptions in its Pretensions and Proceedings.

This then is to be made as an Early PRO|POSAL.

First, Let every man Devise what Good may be done, for the Help of what is yet Amiss, in his own Heart and Life. It is a Good Note of the Witty Fullers; He need not Complain of too little work, who hath a Little World in himself to

Mend. It was of old Complained; No man Re|pented him, saying, What have I done? Every man upon Earth may find in himself something that wants Mending; and the Work of Repentance is to Enquire, not only, What we have done, but also, What we have to do? Frequent Self-Exami|nation, is the Duty and the Prudence, of all that would Know themselves, or would not Lose themselves. The Great Intention of Self-Exa|mination is, to find out, the Points, wherein we are to, Amend our wayes. A Christian that would thrive in Christianity, must be no Stran|ger to a Course of Meditation. Meditation, Tis one of the Masters to make a Man of God. One Article and Exercise in our Meditation, should be, to find out, the Things wherein a Greater Conformity to the Truths upon which we have been Meditating, must be Endeavoured. If we would be Good Men, we must often Devise, How we may grow in Knowledge, and in all Good|ness! It is an Enquiry often to be made;

What shall I do, that what is yet Lacking in the Image of God upon me, may be Perfected? What shall I do, that I may Live more Perfectly, more Watchfully, more Fruitfully before the Glorious Lord?

And why should not our Meditation, when we Retire to that Soul-Enriching Work of Shaping the Right Thoughts of the Righteous, Expire with some Resolution's Devise now, and Resolve something, to strengthen your Walk with God.

With some Devout Hearers of the Word, it is a

Practice, when they have Heard a Sermon, to think; What Good thing have I now to ask of God, with a special Importunity? Yea, they use to call upon their Children also, and make them answer this Question: Child, What Blessing will you now ask of the Glorious God? And Charge them then to go, and do accordingly.

In pursuance of this Piety, why may not this be one of the Exercises, that shall go to make with us a Good Evening for the Best of Days? On the Lords-Day Evening, we may make this one of our Exercises; To Employ most serious and awful Thoughts on that Question; Should I Dy this Week, what have I left Undone, which I should then wish I had made more speed in the doing of? My Friend, Place thy self in Dying Circumstances; Apprehend and Realize thy Approaching Death. Suppose thy Last Hour come; the Decretory Hour: thy Breath failing, thy Throat rattling, thy Hands with a cold Sweat upon them, only the turn of the Tide expected for thy Expiration. In this Condition; What wouldest thou wish to have done, more than thou hast already done, for thy own Soul, for thy Family, or for the People of God? Think; Don't Forget the Result of thy Thoughts; Don't Delay to do what thou hast Resolved upon. How much more Agreeable and Profitable, would such an Exercise be on the Lords-Day Evening, than those Vanities whereto that Evening is too com|monly Prostituted, and all the Good of the fore|going Day Defeated? And if such an Exercise

were often attended, Oh! How much would it Regulate our Lives; how Watchfully, how Fruit|fully would it cause us to Live; What an in|credible Number of Good Works would it produce in the World?

Will you Remember, Sirs, Every Christian is, A Temple of God. It would be a Service to Chri|stianity, if this Notion of Christianity were more often, and clearly Cultivated. But cer|tainly, there yet remains very much, for every one of us to do, that so the Temple may be car|ried on unto Perfection; Repaired, Finished, Pu|rified; and the Top-stone of it Laid, with a Shout of Grace! Grace! unto it.

As a Branch of this Piety, I will recommend, a serious and fruitful Improvement, of the Va|rious Dispensations, which the Divine Providence obliges us, to take notice of.

More Particularly;

Have you received any special Blessings, and Mercies, from the Hand of a Merciful God? You do not suitably Express your Thankfulness; You do not render again according to the Benefit that is done unto you; Except you set your self to Consider, What shall I render to the Lord? You should Contrive some Signal Thing to be done on this Occasion; Some Service to the Kingdom of God, Either within your self, or among others, that may be a just Confession and Remembrance of what a Good God has done for you. Tis what the Goodness of God leads you to! I beseech

you, Sirs; How can a Good Voyage, yea, or a Good Bargain be made, without some Special Returns of Gratitude unto God? I would now, have some|thing of your Estates made a Thank-Offering, in be|ing Set apart for Pious Uses.

Whole Days of Thanksgiving are to be kept, when the Favours of God rise to a more observable Heighth. Christians of the Finer Mould, keep their Private ones, their Secret ones, as well as bear their part in the Publick. One Exercise for such a Day, is, To take a List of the more distinguishable Suc|cours, and Bounties, wherewith our God has com|forted us. And then, to contrive Some Notable Ac|knowledgments of the Glorious Lord, in Endea|vours to Serve Him, and this by way of Gratitude for these Undeserved Comforts.

On the other hand. You meet with heavy and grievous Afflictions. Verily, Tis Pitty to be at the Trouble of Suffering Afflictions, and not get Good by them. We get Good by them, when they awaken us to Do Good. I may say, Never till then! When God is Distributing Sorrows unto you, the Sorrows come still upon some Errands: The best way for you to find, that they do not come in His Anger, is for you to Mind the Er|rands. The Advice is, That when any Affliction comes upon you, You immediately consider, What Special Article of Repentance does this Affliction call me to? What Miscarriage does this Affliction find in me, to be Repented of? And then, while the sense of the Affliction is yet upon you, Sollicitous|ly

Consider, What Improvement in Godliness and Usefulness does this Affliction call me to? Be more Sollicitous to Gain this point, than to Get out of your Affliction. Oh! the Peace that will com|pose and Possess and Ravish your Minds, when your Affliction shall be found yielding the Fruits of Righteousness!

Luther did well to call Afflictions, Theologiam Christianorum. This may be a fit Place, to intro|duce One Direction more. We are Travelling thro' a Malicious and Calumnious, and Abusive World. Why should not Malice be a Good In|former? We may be unjustly Defamed; it will be Strange if we are not Frequently so. A De|famation is commonly Resented as a Provocation. My Friend, Make it only a Provocation to Good Works! The Thing to be now directed is this. Upon any Reproach, instead of being transported into a Rage at Shimei, Retire, and Patiently Ponder, Has not God hidden such a Reproach, to awaken me unto some Duty? Unto what special Instance or Service of Piety, should I be awakened, by the Reproach that is cast upon me! One thus Expresses it. The Backbiters Tongue, like a Mill-clack will be still Wag|ging, that he may Grind thy Good Name to Powder. Learn therefore to make such use of his Clack as to make thy Bread by it; I mean, To live so, that no Credit shall be given to Slander. Thus all the Abuses you meet withal, may prove unto you in the Hand of a Faithful God, no other than the Strokes which a Statuary Employes on his Ill-Shaped

Marble; only to form you into a more beautiful Shape, and make you fitter to adorn the Heavenly Temple. Sirs, you are put into, a way to shake off a Viper, how advantageously!

Yea, I am going to show you, how you may fetch a Treacle out of a Viper. Austin would have our very Sins, come into the Invoyse of the, All Things, that are to Work together for Good. Where|fore, first, I move, That our former Barrenness may now be Look'd upon, as our Obligation and Incitation to a Greater Fruitfulness. But this motion is too general. I will descend unto a notable Particularity. I would look back, up|on my past Life, and call to Mind what more Singular Cut-breakings of Sin have blemished it, and been the Reproach of my Youth. Now, by way of Thankfulness for that Grace of God, and that Blood of His Christ, thro' which my Crimes have been Pardoned, I would Set my self to think, What Vertues, and what Actions, and what Atchieve|ments for the Kingdom of God, will be the most contrary to my former Blemishes? And what Efforts of Good|ness, will be the noblest and most palpable contradiction to the Miscarriages, with which I have been Chargea|ble? Yet more particularly, What Signal thing shall I do, to Save Others from Dishonouring the Great God by such Miscarriages, as I my self once fell into. I will Study such Things. Perhaps, the Since|rity and Consolation of Repentance, cannot be bet|ter Studied, than by such a conduct.

You shall give me leave, to press this one

more Point of Prudence upon you. There are not a few Persons, who have many Hours of Liesure in the way of their Personal Callings. When the Weather takes them off their Business, or when their Shops are not full of Customers, they have Little or Nothing to do; Now, Sirs, the PROPO|SAL is, Be not Fools, but Redeem this Time to your own Advantage, to the best Advantage. To the Man of Liesure, as well as to the Minister, it is an Advice of Wisdom, Give thy self unto Read|ing. Good Books of all Sorts, may Employ your Liesure, and Enrich you with Treasures more valuable, than those, which the way and Work of your Callings would have purchased. Let the baneful Thoughts of Idleness be chased out of our Minds. But then also, Let Some Thoughts on that Subject, What Good may I do? come into them. When you have Liesure to think on that Subject, you can have no Excuse for not thinking on it.

§ 11. THE Useful Man may now with a very good Grace, Extend and Enlarge the Sphere of his consideration. My next PRO|POSAL now shall be; Let every Man consider the Relation, wherein the Soveraign God has placed him, and let him Devise what Good he may do, that may render his Relatives, the Better for him. One Great way to prove our selves Really Good, is to be Relatively Good. By This, more than by any thing in the World, it is, that we Adorn

the Doctrine of God our Saviour. It would be an Excellent Wisdom in a man, to make the Interest he has in the Good Opinion and Affection of any One, an Advantage to do Good Service for God upon them: He that has a Friend will show himself indeed Friendly, if he think, Such an One Loves me, and will hearken to me; what Good shall I take advantage hence to perswade him to?

This will take place more particularly, where the Endearing Ties of Natural Relation do give us an Interest. Let us call over our several Re|lations, and let us have Devices of Something that may be called Heroical Goodness, in our Discharg|ing of them. Why should we not, at least Once or Twice in a Week, make this Relational Good|ness, the Subject of our Enquiries, and our Purpo|ses? Particularly, Let us begin with our Do|mestick Relations; and Provide for those of our own House; Lest we Deny some Glorious Rules and Hopes of our Christian Faith, in our Negligence.

First; In the Conjugal Relation, how agreeably may the Consorts think on those Words; What knowest thou, O Wife, whether thou shalt Save thy Husband? Or, How knowest thou, O Man, whe|ther thou shalt Save thy Wife?

The Husband will do well to think; What shall I do, that my Wife may have cause for ever to Bless God, for bringing her unto me? And, What shall I do that in my Carriage towards my Wife, the Kindness of the Blessed JESUS towards His Church, may be followed and resembled? That this Questi|on

may be the more perfectly answered, Sir, Sometimes ask her to help you in the Answer; Ask her to tell you, what she would have you to do.

But then, the Wife also will do well to think; Wherein may I be to my Husband, a Wife of that Character; She will do him Good, and not Evil, all the Dayes of his Life?

With my Married People, I will particularly leave a Good Note, which I find in the Memo|rials of Gervase Disney Esq Family-Passions, cloud Faith, disturb Duty, darken Comfort. You'l do the more Good unto one another, the more this Note is thought upon. When the Husband and Wife are alwayes contriving to be Blessings unto one another, I will say with Tertullian, Unde Suf|ficiam ad Enarrandam faelicitatem Ejus Matrimonii! O Happy Marriage!

Parents, Oh! How much ought you to be continually Devising, and even Travailing, for the Good of your Children. Often Devise; How to make them Wise Children; How to carry on a Desireable Education for them; an Education that shall render them Desireable; How to ren|der them Lovely, and Polite Creatures, and Serviceable in their Generation. Often Devise, How to Enrich their Minds with Valuable Knowledge; How to Instil Generous, and Graci|ous, and Heavenly Principles into their Minds; How to Restrain and Rescue them from the Patches of the Destroyer, and fortify them against

their Special Temptations. There is a World of Good, that you have to Do for them. You are without Bowels, Oh! be not such Monsters! if you are not in a continual Agony to do for them all the Good that ever you can. It was no mistake of Pacatus Drepanius in his Panegyric to Theodosius; Instituente Natura Plus fere Filios quam nosmetipsos diligimus.

I will Prosecute this Matter, by Transcribing a Copy of PARENTAL RESOLUTIONS, which I have some-where met withal.

I. At the Birth of my Children, I would use all Explicit Solemnity in the Baptismal Dedicati|on and Consecration of them unto the LORD. I would present them to the BAPTISM of the Lord, not as a meer Formality; but won|dring at the Grace of the Infinite GOD, who will accept my Children, as His, I would Re|solve to do all I can that they may be His. I would now actually Give them up unto GOD; Entreating, that the Child may be a Child of God the Father, a Subject of God the Son, a Temple of God the Spirit, and be rescued from the Condition of a Child of Wrath, and be Pos|sessed and Employed by the Lord as an Ever|lasting Instrument of His Glory.

II. My Children are no sooner grown capa|ble of Minding the Admonitions, but I would often, often Admonish them to be sensible of their Baptismal Engagements to be the Lords. Often tell them, of their Baptism, and of what

it binds 'em to: Oftner far, and more times than there were Drops of water, that were cast on the Infant, upon that occasion!

Often say to them, Child, You have been Baptised; You were washed in the Name of the Great God; Now you must not Sin against Him; To Sin is to do a Dirty, a Filthy thing. Say, Child, You must every Day cry to God that He would be your Father, and your Saviour, and your Leader; In your Baptism He Promised that He wou'd be so, if you Sought unto Him. Say, Child, You must Re|nounce the Service of Satan, You must not follow the Vani|ties of this World, you must Lead a Life of Serious Religi|on; In your Baptism you were bound unto the Service of your only Saviour. Tell the Child; What is your Name; you must sooner Forget this Name, that was given you in your Baptism, than forget that you are a Servant of a Glorious Christ whose Name was put upon you in your Baptism.

III. Let my Prayers for my Children be Daily, with Constancy, with Fervency, with Agony; Yea, By Name let me mention each One of them, every Day before the Lord. I would Importunately Beg for all Suitable Blessings to be bestow'd upon them; That God would Give them Grace, and give them Glory, and withold no Good Thing from them; That God would Smile on their Education, and give His Good Angels the charge over them, and keep them from Evil, that it may not grieve them; That when their Father and Mother shall forsake them, the Lord may take them up. with Importunity I would plead that Promise on their behalf; The Heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit unto them that Ask Him.

Oh! Happy Children, If by Asking I may ob|tain the Holy Spirit for them!

IV. I would betimes entertain the Children, with Delightful Stories out of the Bible. In the Talk of the Table, I would go thro' the Bible, when the Olive-Plants about my Table are capa|ble of being so Watered. But I would alwayes conclude the Stories with some Lessons of Piety, to be inferred from them.

V. I would Single out Some Scriptural Sen|tences, of the greatest Importance; and Some also that have Special Antidotes in them against the Common Errors and Vices of Children. They shall quickly get those Golden Sayings by heart, and be rewarded with Silver or Gold, or some Good Thing, when they do it. Such as,

Psal. CXI. 10.

The Fear of the Lord, is the Beginning of Wisdom.

Matth. XVI. 26.

What is a Man Profited, if he gain the whole World, and Lose his own Soul.

I. Tim. I. 15.

JESƲS CHRIST came into the World to Save Sinners, of whom I am Chief.

Matth. VI. 6.

Enter into thy Closet, and when thou hast thy Door, Pray to thy Father which is in Secret.

Eccl. XII. 14.

God shall bring every work into Judgment, with every Secret thing.

Eph. V 25.

Put away Lying, Speak every One the Truth.

Psal. CXXXVIII. 6.

The Lord hath Respect unto the Lowly, but the Proud He knows afar off.

Rom. XII. 17, 19.

Recompence to no One Evil for Evil. Dearly beloved, Avenge not your selves.

Neh. XIII. 18.

They bring Wrath upon Israel, by Profaning the Sabbath.

A Jewish Treatise quoted by Wagenseil, tells us, That among the Jews, when a Child began to Speak, the Father was bound to teach him that verse: Deut. 33.4. Moses Commanded us a Law, even the Inheritance of the Congregation of Jacob. Oh! Let me betimes make my Chil|dren acquainted with the Law which our Bles|sed JESUS has Commanded us! Tis the best Inheritance I can derive unto them.

VI. I would betimes cause my Children to Learn the Catechism. In Catechising of them, I would break the Answer into many Lesser and Proper Questions; and by their Answer to them, Observe and Quicken their Understandings. I would bring every Truth, into some Duty and Practice, and Expect them to Confess it, and Con|sent unto it, and Resolve upon it. As we go on in our Catechising, they shall, when they are a|ble, Turn to the Proofs, and Read them, and say to me, What they prove, and How. Then, I will take my times, to put nicer and harder Questions to them; and improve the Times of Conversation with my Family, (which every

man ordinarily has or may have, for confe|rences on matters of Religion.

VII. Restless would I be, till I may be able to Say of my Children, Behold, They Pray! I would therefore Teach them to Pray. But after they have Learnt a Form of Prayer, I will press them, to proceed unto Points which are not in their Form. I will show them the State of their own Souls; and on every Stroke Enquire of them, What they think ought now to be their Prayer. I will direct them, that every Morning they shall take one Text or Two out of the Sacred Scripture, and Shape it into a Desire, which they shall add unto their Usual Prayer. When they have heard a Sermon, I will mention to them over again the main Subject of it, and ask them thereupon, What they have now to Pray for. I will charge them, with all possible cogency, to Pray in Secret; And often call upon them, Child, I hope, You don't forget my charge to you, a|bout Secret Prayer: Your crime is very great, if you do!

VIII. I would betimes do what I can, to be|get a Temper of Benignity in my Children, both towards one another and towards all other Peo|ple. I will instruct them how Ready they should be to Communicate unto others, a part of what they have; and they shall see, my En|couragements, when they discover a Loving, a Courteous, an Helpful Disposition. I will give them now and then a piece of Money, for them with their own Little Hands to dispense unto

the Poor. Yea, if any one has hurt them, or vex'd them, I will not only forbid them all Re|venge, but also oblige them to do a Kindness as soon as may be to the Vexatious Person. All Coarseness of Language or Carriage in them, I will discountenance it.

IX. I would be Sollicitous to have my Chil|dren Expert, not only at Reading handsomely, but also at Writing a fair Hand. I will then assign them such Books to Read, as I may judge most agreeable and profitable; obliging them to give me some Account of what they Read; but keep a Strict Eye upon them, that they don't Stumble on the Devils Library, and poison themselves with foolish Romances, or Novels, or Playes, or Songs, or Jests that are not convenient. I will set them also, to Write out such things, as may be of the greatest Benefit unto them; and they shall have their Blank Books, neatly kept on purpose, to Enter such Passages as I advise them to. I will particularly require them now and then, to Write a Prayer of their own Composing, and bring it unto me; that so I may discern, what sense they have of their own Everlasting Interests.

X. I Wish that my Children may as soon as may be, feel the Principles of Reason and Honour, working in them, and that I may carry on their Education, very much upon those Princi|ples. Therefore, first, I will wholly avoid, that harsh, fierce, crabbed usage of the Children,

that would make them Tremble, and Abhor to come into my Presence. I will so use them, that they shall fear to offend me, and yet migh|tily Love to see me, and be glad of my coming home, if I have been abroad at any time. I would have it Look'd upon as a Severe and Awful Punishment for a crime in the Family, To be forbidden for a while to come into my Pre|sence. I would raise in them, an High Opinion of their Fathers Love to them, and of his being better able to Judge what is Good for them, than they are for themselves. I would bring them to Believe, Tis best for them to be and do as I would have them. Hereupon I would continu|ally Magnify the matter to them, What a brave thing 'tis to Know the things that are Excel|lent; and more brave to Do the things that are Vertuous. I would have them to propose it as a Reward of their Well-doing at any time, I will now go to my Father, and he will teach me something that I was never taught before. I would have them afraid of doing any Base Thing, from an horrour of the Baseness in it. My first Animadversion on a Lesser Fault in them, shall be a Surprise, a Wonder, vehemently Express'd before them, that ever they should be guilty of doing so foolishly; a vehement Belief, that they will never do the like again; a Weeping Resolution in them, that they will not. I will never dispense a Blow, except it be for an atro|cious Crime or for a lesser Fault Obstinately

persisted in; either for an Enormity, or for an Obstinacy. I would ever Proportion chastisements unto Miscarriages; not Smite bitterly for a very small piece of Childishness, and only frown a little for some real Wickedness. Nor shall my Chastisements ever be dispensed in a Passion and a Fury; but with them, I will first show them the Command of GOD, by Transgressing whereof they have displeased me. The Slavish, Raving, Fighting way of Education too Com|monly used, I look upon it, as a considerable Article in the Wrath and Curse of God, upon a miserable World.

XI. As soon as we can, weel' get up to yet Higher Principles. I will often tell the Children, What cause they have to Love a Glorious CHRIST, who has Dy'd for them. And, How much He will be Well-pleased with their Well-doing. And, what a Noble Thing, 'tis to follow His Example; which Example I will describe unto them. I will often tell them, That the Eye of God is up|on them; the Great GOD Knowes all they do, and Hears all they Speak. I will often tell them, That there will be a Time, when they must appear before the Judgment-Seat of the Holy LORD; and they must Now do nothing, that may Then be a Grief & Shame unto them. I will Set before them, The Delights of that Heaven that is prepar'd for Pious Children; and the Torments of that Hell that is prepared of old, for naughty ones. I will inform them, Of

the Good Offices which the Good Angels do for Little Ones that have the Fear of God, and are afraid of Sin. And, how the Devils tempt them to do Ill Things; how they hearken to the Devils, and are like them, when they do such things; and what mischiefs the Devils may get leave to do them in this World, and what a Sad thing t'wil be, to be among the Devils in the Place of Dragons. I will cry to God, That He will make them feel the Power of these Principles.

XII. When the Children are of a Fit Age for it, I will sometimes Closet them; have them with me Alone; Talk with them about the State of their Souls; their Experiences, their Proficien|cies, their Temptations; obtain their Declared Consent unto every Stroke in the Covenant of Grace; and then Pray with them, and Weep unto the Lord for His Grace, to be bestow'd up|on them, and make them Witnesses of the Ago|ny with which I am Travailing to see the I|mage of CHRIST formed in them. Certain|ly, They'l never forget such Actions!

XIII. I would be very Watchful and Cauti|ous, about the Companions of my Children. I will be very Inquisitive, what Company they keep; If they are in hazard of being Ensnared by any Vicious Company, I will earnestly pull them out of it, as Brands out of the Burning. I will find out, and procure, Laudable Companion: for them.

XIV. As in Catechising the Children, so in the

Repetition of the Publick Sermons, I would use this Method. I will put every Truth into a Question, to be answered still, with, Yes, or, No. By this Method, I hope to Awaken their Atten|tion as well as Enlighten their Understanding. And thus I shall have an Opportunity to ask, Do you Desire such or such a Grace of God? and the like. Yea, I may have Opportunity to De|mand, and Perhaps to Obtain their Early, and Frequent, and why not Sincere? Consent unto the glorious Articles of the New Covenant. The Spirit of Grace may fall upon them in this Action; and they may be Siez'd by Him, and Held as His Temples, thro' Eternal Ages.

XV. When a Day of Humiliation arrives, I will make them know the Meaning of the Day. And after Time given them to consider of it, I will order them to tell me; What Special Af|flictions they have met withal? And, What Good they hope to get by those Afflictions? On a Day of Thanksgiving, they shall also be made to know the Intent of the Day. And after consi|deration, they shall tell me, What Mercies of God unto them they take Special Notice of: And, What Duties to God, they Confess and Resolve, under such Obligations? Indeed, For Something of this Importance, to be pursued in my Conversati|on with the Children, I would not confine my self unto the Solemn Dayes, which may occur too seldom for it. Very particularly, when the Birth-dayes of the Children anniversarily

arrive to any of them, I would then take them aside, and mind them of the Age, which having obtained Help from God they are come unto; How Thankful they should be for the Mercies of God, which they have hitherto Liv'd upon; How Fruitful they should be in all Goodness, that so they may still enjoy their Mercies. And I would enquire of them, whether they have ever yet Begun to Mind the Work which God sent them into the World upon? How far they understand the work; And what Good Strokes they have Struck at it? And, How they design to Spend the Rest of their Time, if God still continue them in the World?

XVI. When the Children are in any Trouble, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, if they be Sick, or Pain'd, I will take Advan|tage therefrom, to Set before them the Evil of Sin, which brings all our Trouble; and how fearful a Thing it will be to be cast among the Damned, who are in Easeless and Endless Trou|ble. I will Set before them the benefit of an Interest in a CHRIST, by which their Trouble will be Sanctified unto them, and obey will be prepared for Death, and for Fulness of Joy in an Happy Eternity after Death.

XVII. I incline, that among all the Points of a Polite Education which I would endeavour for my Children, they may each of them, the Daughters as well as the Sons, have so much In|sight into some Skill, which lies in the way of Gain, (the Limners, or the Seriveners, or the

Apothecaries, or Some other Mystery, to which their own Inclination may most carry them,) that they may be able to Subsist themselves, and get something of a Livelihood, in case the Pro|vidence of God should bring them into Neces|sities. Why not they as well as, Paul the Tent-Maker! The Children of the best Fashion, may have occasion to bless the Parents, that make such a Provision for them! The Jews have a Saying; Tis worth my Remembring it. Qui|cunque Filium suum non docet opificium, perinde est ac si eum doceret Latrocinium.

XVIII. As soon as ever I can, I would make my Children apprehensive of the main END, for which they are to Live; that so they may as soon as may be, begin to Live; and their Youth not be nothing but Vanity. I would show them, that their main END must be, To Ac|knowledge the Great GOD, and His Glorious CHRIST; and bring Others to Acknowledge Him: And that they are never Wise nor Well, but when they are doing so. I would show them, what the Acknowledgments are, and how they are to be made. I would make them able to Answer the Grand Question, Why they Live; and what is the End of the Actions that fill their Lives? Teach them, How their Creator and Redeemer is to be Obey'd in every thing; and, How every thing is to be done in Obedience to Him; Teach them, How even their Diversions, and their Ornaments, and the Tasks of their Education,

must all be to fit them for the further Service of Him, to whom I have devoted them; and how in these also, His Commandments must be the Rule of all they do. I would sometimes there|fore Surprize them with an Enquiry, Child, What is this for? Give me a Good Account, Why you do it? How comfortably shall I see them Walk|ing in the Light, if I may bring them Wisely to answer this Enquiry; and what Children of the Light?

XIX. I would oblige the Children, to Retire sometimes, and Ponder on that Question; What shall I wish to have done, if I were now a dying? And Report unto me, their own Answer to the Question; Of which I would then take Ad|vantage, to inculcate the Lessons of Godliness up|on them. I would also Direct them and Ob|lige them, at a proper Time for it, Seriously to Realize, their own Appearance before the awful Judgment-Seat of the Lord JESUS CHRIST, and Consider, What they have to Plead, that they may not be sent away into Everlast|ing Punishment? What they have to Plead, that they may be Admitted into the Holy City? I would instruct them, What Plea to prepare; First, Show them, how to get a part in the Righte|ousness of Him that is to be their Judge; by Re|ceiving it with a Thankful Faith, as the Gift of infinite Grace unto the Distressed and Unwor|thy Sinner: Then, Show them how to prove that their Faith is not a counterfeit, by their

continual Endeavour to please Him in all things, who is to be their Judge, and to Serve His King|dom and Interest in the World. And I would charge them, to make this preparation.

XX. If I Live to see the Children Mar|riageable, I would, before I consult with Heaven and Earth for their best Accom|modation in the Married State, Endeavour the Espousal of their Souls unto their only Saviour. I would as plainly, and as fully as I can, propose unto them, the Terms on which the Glorious Redeemer would Espouse them to Himself, in Righteousness and Judgment, and Fa|vour, and Mercies for ever; and Sollicit their Consent unto His Proposals and Overtures. Then would I go on, to do what may be Ex|pected from a Tender Parent for them, in their Temporal Circumstances.

From these Parental Resolutions, how Naturally, how Reasonably may we pass on to Say?

Children, The Fifth Commandment confirms all your other Numberless and Powerful Obliga|tions, often to Devise, Wherein may I be a Blessing to my Parents? Ingenuity would make this the very Top of your Ambition; To be a Credit, and a Comfort of your Parents; to Sweeten, and if it may be, to Lengthen the Lives of those, from whom, under God, you have received your Lives. And God the Rewarder usually gives it, even in this Life, a most observable Recompence. But it is possible, you may be the Happy Instruments of

more than a little Good unto the Souls of your Parents; [will you Think, How!] Yea, tho' they should be Pious Parents, you may by some Exquisite Methods, be the Instruments of their Growth in Piety, and in Preparation for the Hea|venly World. O Thrice and Four times Happy Chil|dren! Among the Arabians, a Father sometimes takes his Name from an Eminent SON, as well as a Son from his Reputed Father. A Man is called with an Abu, as well as an Ebn. Verily, A Son may be such a Blessing to his Father that the best Sir-name for the glad Father would be, The Father of such an One.

Masters, Yea, and Mistresses too, must have their Devices, How to Do Good unto their Ser|vants; How to make them the Servants of Christ, and the Children of God. God whom you must Remember to be Your Master in Heaven, has brought them, and put them into your Hands. Who can tell what Good He has brought them for? How if they should be the Elect of God, fetch'd from Africa, or the Indies, and brought into your Families, on purpose, that by the means of their being There, they may be brought home unto the Shepherd of Souls? Oh! That the Souls of our Slaves, were of more Account with us! That we gave a better Demonstration that we Despise not our own Souls, by doing what we can for the Souls of our Slaves, and not using them as if they had no Souls! That the poor Slaves and Blacks, which Live with us, may by our means be made the

Candidates of the Heavenly Life! How can we pretend unto Christianity, when we do no more to Christianize our Slaves! Verily, you must give an Account unto God, concerning them. If they be Lost, thro' your Negligence, what Answer can you make unto God the Judge of all! Me|thinks, common Principles of Gratitude should incline you to Study the Happiness of these, by whose Obsequious Labours, your Lives are so much accommodated. Certainly, They would be the Better Servants to you, the more Faithful, the more Honest, the more Industrious, and Sub|missive Servants to you, for your bringing them into the Service of your Common Lord.

But if any Servant of God, may be so honoured by Him, as to be made the Successful Instru|ment, of obtaining from a British Parliament, An Act for the Christianizing of the Slaves in the Plantations; then it may be hoped, something more may be done, than has yet been done, that the Blood of Souls may not be found in the Skirts of our Nation: A Controversy of Heaven with our Colonies may be removed, and Prosperity may be restored; Or, however the honourable In|strument, will have unspeakable Peace and Joy, in the Remembrance of his Endeavours. In the mean time, the Slave-Trade is a Spectacle that Shocks Humanity.

The harmless Natives basely they tr••pan, And barter Baubles for the Souls of men.

The Wretches they to Christian Climes bring o'er To serve worse Heathens than they did before.

I have somewhere met with a Paper under this Title, The RESOLUTION of a MASTER; which may here afford an agreeable Paragraph and Parenthesis.

I. I would always Remember, that my Servants are in some sort my Children. In a Care, That they may want nothing that may be good for them, I would make them as my Children. And, as far as the Methods of Instilling Piety, which I use with my Children, may be Properly and Prudently used with these, they shall be Partakers in them. Nor will I leave them Ignorant of any thing, wherein I may Instruct them to be useful in their Generation.

II. I will see that my Servants be furnished with Bibles, and Able and Careful to Read the Lively Ora|cles. I will put both Bibles and other Good and Fit Books into their Hands; and allow them Time to Read, but assure my self that they don't Mispend this Time. If I can discover any Wicked Books in their Hands, I will take away from them, those Pestilential Instruments of Wickedness. They shall also Write as well as Read, if I can bring them to it. And I will set them now and then such Things to Write, as may be for their greatest Advantage.

III. I will have my Servants present at the Religi|ous Exercises of my Family; and let fall either in the Speeches, or in the Prayers, of the Daily Sacrifice in the Family, such Passages, as may have a Tendency to quicken a Sense of Religion in them.

IV. The Catechising Stroke as far as the Age or State of the Servants will permit that it may be

done with Decency, shall Extend unto them also. And they shall be concerned in the Conferences, where|in the Repetition of the Publick Sermons, may en|gage me with my Family. If any of them, when they come to me, have not Learnt the Catechism, I will see to it, that they shall do it; and give them a Reward when they have done it.

V. I will be very Inquisitive and Sollicitous about the Company chosen by my Servants; and with all possible Cogency rescue them from the Snares of Evil Company: forbid their being the Companions of Fools.

VI. Such of my Servants as may be Employ'd for that purpose, I will Employ to Teach Lessons of Piety unto my Children; and Recompense them for doing so But I would with a particular Artifice contrive them to be such Lessons, as may be for their own E|dification too.

VII. I will sometimes call my Servants alone; Talk with them about the State of their Souls; Tell them how to close with their only Saviour, Charge them to Do well, and Lay hold on Eternal Life; And show them very Particularly, how they may render all the Service they do for me, a Service to the Glorious Lord; how they may do all from a Principle of O|bedience to the Lord, and become Intitled unto the Reward of the Heavenly Inheritance.

I make this Appendix to these RESOLUTI|ONS. I have read such a Passage as this.

Age is well nigh sufficient with some Masters to ob|literate every Letter and Action, in the History of a Meritorious Life: and Old Services are generally buried under the Ruines of an Old Carcase.

And this Passage,

Its a barbarous Inhumanity in men to|wards their Servants, to make their small Failings to

be a Crime, without allowing their past Services to have been a Vertue.

Good God, keep thy Servant from such Ingratitude! Worse than Villianous Ingratitude!

But then, O Servants, If you would ar|rive to the Reward of the Inheritance, You should Set your selves to Devise; How shall I approve my self such a Servant, that the Lord may Bless the House of my Master, the more for my being in it? Certain|ly, There are many wayes, wherein Servants may be Blessings. Let your Studies with your con|tinual Prayers for the welfare of the Families to which you belong, and the Example of your So|ber Carriage, render you such. If you will re|member but Four Words, and Endeavour all that is comprized in them, OBEDIENCE, HONES|TY, INDUSTRY, and PIETY, you will be the Blessings and the Josephs of the Families to which you belong. Let those Four Heads, be distinct|ly & frequently thought upon. And go cheer|fully through all you have to do, upon this con|sideration; That it is an Obedience to Heaven, and from thence will have a Recompence. It was the Ob|servation even of a Pagan, That a Master may re|ceive a Benefit from a Servant. And, Quod fit af|fectu Amici, definit esse Ministerium. It is a Friend|ship rather than a Service, Young man, if it be with the Affection of a Friend, that you do what you do for your Master. Yea, Even the Maid-Servants in the House, may do an unknown Ser|vice to it, by Instructing the Infants, and In|stilling

the Lessons of Goodness into them. So, by Bilhah, and Zilpah, may Children be Born again; The Mistresses may by the Travail of their Maid-Servants, have Children, brought into the King|dom of God.

I will go on. Humanity teaches us, to take Notice of all that are our Kindred. Nature be|speaks, that which we call a Natural Affection to all that are Akin to us. To be without it, is a very Bad Character; 'tis a Brand on the worst of Men; on such as forfeit the Name of Men. But now, Christianity is to Improve it. Our Natural Affection is to be improved into a Religious Inten|tion. Sir, Take a Catalogue of all your more Distant Relatives. Consider them One after another; and make every one of them, the Subjects of your Good Devices. Think; Wherein may I pursue the Good of such a Relative? And, By what means may I render such a Relative the better for me? It is possible, you may do something, that may give them cause to Bless God, that ever you have been Related unto them. Have they no Calamity, under which you may give them some Relief? Is there no Temptation a|gainst which you may give them some Caution? Is there no Article of their Prosperity, to which you may be Subservient? At least; with your affectionate Prayers, you may go over your Ca|talogue; You may Successively Pray for every One of them all by Name; And, if you can, Why should you not also put agreeable Books

of Piety into their Hands, to be Lasting Remem|bancers of their Duties to God, and of your Desires for them?

§ 12. MEthinks, This Excellent Zeal should be carried into our Neighbourhood. Neighbourhood, You stand Related unto One another; And you should be full of Devices, That all the Neighbours may have cause to be glad of your being in the Neighbourhood. We read, The Righ|teous is more Excellent than his Neighbour. But we shall scarce own him so, Except he be more Ex|cellent AS a Neighbour. He must Excell in the Duties of Good Neighbourhood. Let that man be Better than his Neighbour, who Labours to be a Better Neighbour; to Do most Good unto his Neigh|bour.

And here, first; The Poor People that ly Wounded, must have Wine and Oyl poured into their Wounds. It was a charming Stroke in the Character with a Modern Prince had given to him, To be in Distress, is to deserve his Favour. O Good Neighbour, put on that Princely, that more than Royal Quality. See who in the Neigh|bourhood may Deserve thy Favour. We are told, This is Pure Religion and Undefiled; (A Jewel, that neither is a counterfeit, nor has any Flaws in it:) To Visit the Fatherless and Widows in their Affliction. The Orphans and the Widows, and so all the Children of Affliction in the Neighbour|hood,

must be Visited, and Relieved with all a|greeable Kindnesses.

Neighbours, Be concerned, That the Orphans and Widows in your Neighbourhood, may be well provided for. They meet with grievous Dif|ficulties; with unknown Temptations. While their next Relatives were yet Living, they were, perhaps, but meanly provided for. What must they now be in their more Solitary. condition? Their condition should be considered. And the Result of the consideration should be that; I delivered the Orphan, that had no Helper, and I caused the Heart of the Widow to Sing for Joy.

By consequence, All the Afflicted in the Neigh|bourhood, are to be thought upon. Sirs, Would it be too much for you, at least Once in a Week? To Think, What Neighbour is reduced into a Pinch|ing and Painful Poverty? Or in any Degree Im|poverished with heavy Losses? Think, What Neigh|bour is Languishing with Sickness; Especially if Sick with sore Maladies, and of some Continuance? Think, What Neighbour is Heart-broken with sad Bereave|ments; Bereaved of Desireable Relatives? And Think; What Neighbour has a Soul buffeted, and hurried with violent Assaults of the Wicked one? But then Think, What shall be done for such Neighbours.

First, You will Pitty them. The Evangelical Precept is, Have Compassion One of another, Be Pit|tiful. It was of old, and ever will be, the just Expectation, To him that is Afflicted, Pitty should be shown. And let our Pitty to them, flame out

in our Prayer for them. It were a very Lovely Practice for you, in the Daily Prayer of your Closet every Evening, to think, What miserable Object have I seen to day, that I may do well now to mention for the Mercies of the Lord?

But this is not all, 'Tis possible, 'tis proba|ble, you may do well to Visit them; and when you Visit them, Comfort them. Carry them some Good Word, which may raise a Gladness, in an Heart Stouping with Heaviness.

And lastly. Give them all the Assistences that may answer their Occasions: Assist them with Advice to them; Assist them with Address to others for them. And if it be needful, Bestow your Alms upon them; Deal thy Bread to the Hungry; Bring to thy House the Poor that are cast out; when thou seest the Naked, Cover him. At least, Nazianzens Charity, I pray; Si nihil habes, da Lacrymulam; If you have nothing else to bestow upon the Miserable, bestow a Year or two upon their Miseries. This Little, is better than No|thing!

Would it be amiss for you, to have alwayes lying by you, a List of the Poor in your Neigh|bourhood, or of those whose Calamities may call for the Assistences of the Neighbourhood? Such a List would often furnish you, with Matter for an Useful Conversation, when you are Talking with your Friends, whom you may Provoke to Love and Good Works.

I will go on to say; Be Glad of Opportunities

to Do Good in your Neighbourhood: Yea, look out for them, lay hold on them, with a rapturous Assiduity. Be Sorry for all the Bad Circumstances of any Neighbour, that bespeak your doing of Good unto him. Yet, Be Glad, if any one tell you of them. Thank him who tells you, as having therein done you a very great Civility. Let him know, that he could not by any thing have more gratified you. Any Civility that you can show, by Lending, by Watching, by — all the Methods of Courtesie; Show it; and be glad you can Show it. Show it, and give a Pleasant Coun|tenance, [Cum munere Vultum,] in the Showing of it. Let your Wisdom cause your Face always to Shine; Look, not with a Cloudy but a Serene and Shining Face, upon your Neighbours; and Shed the Rayes of your Courtesy upon them, with such Affability, that they may see they are Wel|come to all you can do for them. Yea, Stay not until you are told of Opportunities to Do Good. Enquire after them; Let the Enquiry be Sollici|tous, be Unwearied. The Incomparable Plea|sure, is worth an Enquiry.

There was a generous Pagan, who counted a Day Lost, if he had obliged no body in the Day. Amici, Diem Perdidi! O Christian, Let us try, whether we can't attain to Do Something, for Some Neighbour or other, every day that comes over our Head. Some do So; and with a bet|ter Spirit, than ever Titus Vespasian was acted withal. Thrice in the Scriptures, we find the

Good Angels Rejoycing: 'Tis alwayes, At the Good of Others. To Rejoyce in the Good of Others, and most of all in doing of Good unto them, 'tis Ange|lical Goodness.

In moving for the Devices of Good Neighbour|hood, a principal motion which I have to make, is; That you Consult the Spiritual Interests of your Neighbourhood, as well as the Temporal. Be concerned, Left the Deceitfulness of Sin undo any of the Neighbours. If there be any Idle Persons among them, I beseech you, cure them of their Idleness; Don't nourish 'em & Harden 'em in That; but find Employment for them. Find 'em Work; Set 'em to Work; Keep 'em to Work. Then, as much of your other Bounty to them, as you please.

If any Children in the Neighbourhood, are un|der no Education, don't allow 'em to continue so, Let care be taken, that they may be better Edu|cated; and be taught to Read; and be taught their Catechism; and the Truths and Wayes of their only Saviour.

Once more. If any in the Neighbourhood, are taking to Bad Courses, Lovingly & Faithfully Admonish them. If any in the Neighbourhood are Enemies to their own Welfare, or their Fa|milies; Prudently dispense your Admonitions unto them. If there are any Prayerless Families, never leave off Entreating and Exhorting of them, till you have perswaded them, to Set up the Worship of God. If there be any Service of God, or of His People, to which any

one may need to be Excited, give him a Tender Excitation. Whatever Snare you see any one in, be so kind, as to tell him of his Danger to be En|snared, and Save him from it. By putting of Good Books into the Hands of your Neighbours, and gaining of them a Promise to Read the Books, who can tell, what Good you may do unto them! It is possible, you may in this way, with Ingenuity, and with Efficacy, administer those Reproofs, which you may owe unto such Neigh|bours, as are to be Reproved for their Miscarriages. The Books will balk nothing, that is to be said, on the Subjects, that you would have the Neigh|bours advised upon.

Finally. If there be any Base Houses, which threaten to debauch, and Poison, and confound the Neighbourhood, Let your Charity to your Neighbours, make you do all you can, for the suppression of them.

That my PROPOSAL To Do Good in the Neigh|bourhood, and as a Neighbour, may be more fully formed and followed; I will conclude it, with minding you, That a World of Self-Denial is to be Exercised in the Execution of it. You must be armed against Selfishness, all Selfish and Squinting Intentions, in your generous Resolutions. You shall see how my Demands will grow upon you.

First. You must not think of making the Good you do, a pouring of Water into a Pump, to draw out something for your selves. This might be the meaning of our Saviours Direction; Lend,

Having for nothing again. To Lend a Thing, pro|perly is to Hope that we shall Receive it again. But this probably refers to the, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Or, Collation, usual among the Ancients, whereof we find many Monuments and Mentions in Anti|quity. If any Man by Burnings, or Shipwrecks or other Disasters, had lost his Estate, his Friends did use to Lend him considerable Sums of Money, to be Repaid, not at a certain Day, but when he should find himself Able to Repay it, without Inconvenience. Now, they were so cunning, that they would rarely Lend upon such Disasters, unto any but such, as they had Hope, would Recover out of their present Impoverishment, and not only Repay them their Money, but also 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Requite their Kindness, if ever there should be need of it. The thing required by our Saviour, is, Do Good unto such as you are never like to be the Better for.

But then, there is yet an Higher Thing to be demanded, That is; Do Good unto those Neigh|bours who have Done Hurt unto you. So sayes our Saviour, Love your Enemies, Bless them that Curse you, Do Good to them that Hate you, and Pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. Yea, If an Injury have been done you, improve it as a provocation to do Benefit unto him who did the Injury. This is Noble. T'wil bring mar|vellous Consolations! Another Method might make you Even with your Froward Neighbours; This, will Set you Above them all. T'were Nobly

done, If in the close of the Day, when you are Alone before the Lord, you make a Particular Prayer, for the Pardon and Prosperity, of any Person, from whom you may have suffered any Abuse in the Day. And it would be Nobly done, If at last calling over the Catalogue of such as have been Abusive to you, you may be able to say, [the only Intention that can justify your doing any thing like to keeping a Catalogue of them!] There is not one of these, but I have done him, or watch'd to do him, a Kindness! Among the Jews themselves, there were the Hasideans, One of whose Institutions it was, To make this Daily Prayer unto God, Remitte et condona omnibus qui Vexant nos. Christians, go beyond them. Yea, Justin Martyr tells us, In the Primitive Times they did so; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Praying for their Enemies.

But I won't Stop here. There is yet an High|er Thing to be demanded. That is; Do Good unto those Neighbours, who will Speak Ill of you, after you have done it. So sayes our Saviour; Ye shall be the Children of the Highest; He is kind unto the Unthankful, and unto the Evil. You will every day find, I can tell you, Monsters of Ingratitude. Yea, if you distinguish any Person, with Doing for him, something more than you have done for others, it will be well if that very Person do not at some time or other, hurt you wonderfully. Oh! the Wisdom of Divine Providence, in ordering this Thing! Sirs, It is, that you may Do Good

on a Divine Principle; Good, meerly for the Sake of Good! Lord, Increase our Faith!

And God forbid, that a Christian Faith, should not come up to a Jewish! There is a Memorable Passage, in the Jewish Records.

There was a Gentleman, of whose Bounty many People eve|ry day received Reliefs and Succours. One day he asked; Well, What do our People say to day? They told him, Why, The People partook of your Kindnesses, and Services, and then they Bless'd you very fervently. Did they so, Said he; Then I shall have no Great Reward for this Day. Another Day he asked, Well, And what say our People now? They told him, Alas, Good Sir, the People Enjoy'd your Kindnesses to day, and when all was done, they did nothing but Rail at you. Indeed! Said he; Now for this Day I am sure that God will give me a Good and Great Reward.

Tho' vile Constructions, and harsh Invectives, be never so much the Present Reward of doing the best Offices for the Neighbourhood, yet, my Dear Boniface; Be victorious over all Discourage|ments: Thy Work shall be well Rewarded, saith the Lord!

If your Opportunities to Do Gcod reach no further, yet I will offer you a Consolation, which One has Elegantly thus Expressed. He that Praises God only on a Ten-stringed Instrument, with his Authority Extending but unto his Family, and his Example but unto his Neighbourhood, may have as Thankful an heart here, and as high a Place in the

Caelestial Choir hereafter, as the greatest Monarch, that Praiseth God upon a Ten thousand string'd Instrument. Upon the Loud sounding Organs, having as many Millions of Pipes as there be People under him.

§ 13. HOw can we leave the offices of Good Neighbourhood, without Interposing a PROPOSAL, To Animate and Regulate Private Meetings of Religious People, for the Exercises of Religion? It is very certain, That where such Private Meetings under a Good Con|duct, have been kept Alive, the Christians which have Composed them, have like so many Coals of the Altar kept one another Alive, and kept up a lively Christianity in the Neighbourhood. Such Societies have been tried and strong En|gines, to uphold the Power of Godliness. The Throwing up of such Societies, has been accom|panied with a visible Decay of Godliness; the Less Love to them, the Less Use of them, there has been in a Place, the Less has Godliness flourished there; the Less there has been of, The King|dom of God.

The Rules Observed by Some, Associated Families, may be offered on this occasion with some Advantage. They will tell us what Good may be done by such Societies in a Neigh|bourhood.

I. It is to be proposed. That about a dozen Fami|milies, more or less, of a Vicinity, Agree to Meet (the Men and their Wives) at each others Houses, once in a Fortnight, or a Month, at such a Time as may be

Agreed upon, and Spend a convenient Quantity of Time together, in the Exercises of Religion.

II. The Exercises of Religion proper for a Meeting, are; For the Brethren to Begin and Conclude with Prayers in their Turn; For Psalms to be Sung; And for Sermons to be Repeated.

III. It were desireable, for the Ministers now and then, to afford their Presence at the Meeting, and Pray with them, and Instruct them, and Exhort them, as they may see occasion.

IV. The Candidates of the Ministry may do well, to Perform some of their First Services here, and here Shape and Mould themselves for Further Services.

V. One Special Design of the Meeting, should be, with Ʋnited Prayers, to Ask the Blessings of Heaven on the Family where they are Assembled, as well as on the rest: That with the wondrous Force of Ʋnited Prayers, Two or Three may agree on Earth, to ask such things, as are to be done for the Families, by our Father which is in Heaven.

VI. Such a Meeting should Look upon themselves, as bound up in One Bundle of Love; and count them|selves obliged, in very Close and Strong Bonds, to be Serviceable unto one another. If any one in the So|ciety should fall into Affliction, all the rest should pre|sently Study to Relieve and Support the Afflicted Per|son, in all the wayes imaginable. If any one should fall into Temptation, the rest should Watch over him, and with the Spirit of Meekness, with the Meekness of Wisdom, Endeavour to Recover him. It should be like a I am of the Medes and Persians to the whole So|ciety, That they will upon all just occasions, Lovingly Give, and as Lovingly Take, mutual Admonitions 〈◊〉〈◊〉 any thing that they may see Amiss in one another

VII. And it is not only to reckon up the 〈…〉〈…〉 such a Society may do to many, many others 〈◊〉〈◊〉

well as to the Members whereof it is it self composed, The Prayers of such well-disposed Societies, may fetch down marvellous Favours from Heaven on their Pastors, whose Lives may be prolonged, and Gifts aug|mented, and Graces brightened, and Labours prospered, in answer to the Supplications of such Associated Fa|milies; And the Interests of Religion may be mightily preserved and promoted in the whole Flock, by their Fervent Supplications; and the Spirit of Grace mighti|ly poured out upon the Rising Generation. Yea, All the Land may fare the better for them.

VIII. Especially, when a Society shall set apart, whole Days for Prayer with Fasting before the Lord, as it may be proper for them to do now and then upon some occasions. The Success of such Dayes has been some|times very marvellous: and the Savour of them, left on the Minds of the Saints, who have carried them on, has been such, as notably to prepare them, to Show forth the Death of the Lord at His Holy Table; Yea, to Meet with their own Death, when God pleases to order it.

IX. It is very sure, The Devotions first, and afterwards the Conferences, carried on in such a Society, will not only have a notable Tendency to produce the Com|fort of Love in the Hearts of Good Men toward One a|nother; But also their Abilities will be thereby Sharp|ened and Quickened; they will be rendred more Able, to Serve many valuable Interests.

X. Unexpected Opportunities to Do Good, will arise unto such a Society: But especially, if a Practice of this importance were once taken up; That the MEN who Compose the Society, would now and then Spend half an Hour together by themselves, in Considering on that Question, What Good is there to be done?

More Particularly;

Who are to be caused upon, to do their Duty, in coming to Special Ordinances?

Who is in any Special Adversity; and what shall be done to Comfort them?

What Contention or Variance may there be among any Neighbours, and what may be done for the Healing of it?

What Open Miscarriages do any Live 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and who shall be desired to carry Faithful Admonitions unto them?

Finally; What is there to be done for the Advantage, and Advancement of our Holy Religion?

In the Primitive Times of Christianity there was much use made of a Saying, which they ascribed unto Matthias the Apostle; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. If the Neighbour of an Elect, or Godly, Man Sin, the Godly Man him|self has also Sinned. The Obligations of Neigh|bours Watchfully to Admonish one another, were what that Saying intended. Oh! how much may Christians Associated in Religious Combina|tions, do by Watchful and Faithful Admonitions, to prevent being Partakers in other Mens Sins!

The Man, that shall produce, and promote such Societies, will do an unknown deal of Good in the Neighbourhood.

And so will he, that shall help forward another Sort of Societies; namely, those of Young Men Associated.

These duely managed, have been incompara|ble Nurseries to the Churches, where the Faithful Pastors have countenanced them. Young Men are hereby Preserved from very many Temptations, Rescued from the Pathes of the Destroyer, Confir|med in the Right Wayes of the Lord, and Prepared

mightily for such Religious Exercises as will be Expected from them, when they come them|selves to be Housholders.

I will make a Tender of some ORDERS, which have been observed in some such Societies.

I. Let there be Two Hours at a Time Set apart; and, Let there be Two Prayers made by the Members of the Society, in their Turns; Between which, Let a Sermon be Repeated; And there may be the Singing of a Psalm annexed.

II. Let all the Members of the Society, Resolve to be Charitably Watchful over one another: Never to di|vulge one anothers Infirmities; Alwayes to inform and advise one another of every thing that may ap|pear to call for an Admonition, and to take it Kindly when they are Admonished.

III. Let all who are to be admitted as Members of the Society, be accompanied by Two or Three of the rest, unto the Minister of the Place, that they may re|cieve his Holy Counsils, and Charges, and that every thing may be done with his Approbation; and so let their Names be added unto the Roll.

IV If any Person thus Enrolled among them, fall into a Scandalous Iniquity, Let the Rebukes of the Society be dispensed unto him; and let them Forbid him to come any more among them, until he bring Suitable Expressions and Evidences of Repentance with him.

V. Let the List be once a Quarter called over; and then, if it be Observed, that any of the Society have much absented themselves, Let there be Some sent un|to them, to Enquire the Reason of the Absence; and if no Reason be given, but such as intimates an Apostasy from Good Beginnings, Let them upon Obstinacy, af|ter Loving and Faithful Admonitions, be Obliterated.

VI. Once in Three Months, Let there be, if Need be, a Collection, out of which the Necessary Charges of the Society shall be Defray'd, and the rest be Employ'd upon such Pious Uses, as may be agreed upon

VII. Once in Two Months, Let the whole Time of the Meeting, be Devoted unto Supplications, for the Con|version and Salvation of the Rising Generation in the Land; and Particularly, for the Success of the Gos|pel, in that Congregation, whereto the Society does be|long.

VIII. Let the whole Society, be Exceedingly careful, that their Discourse while they are together, after the other Services of Religion are over, have nothing in it, that shall have any Taint of Backbiting or Vanity, or the least Relation to the affairs of Government, or to things which do not concern them, and do not Serve the In|terests of Holiness in their own Conversation. But let their Discouase be wholly on the Matters of Religi|on; and those also, not the Disputable and Contro|versal Matters, but the Points of Practical Piety. They may propose Questions upon this Intention, and every one in an orderly manner, take his liberty to Answer them. Or, They may go thro' the Catechism, and One at One time, another at another, hear all the rest recite the Answers thereof. Or, They may otherwise be di|rected by their Pastors, to spend their Time together profitably.

IX. Let every Person in the Society, look upon it, as a Special Task incumbent on him, to Look out, for some other hopeful Young man, and use all proper pains, to Engage him in the Resolutions of Godliness, until he also shall be joyned unto the Society. And when a Society shall in this way be increased unto a fit Num|ber, Let it Swarm into More; who may hold an useful correspondence with one another.

The Man, who shall be the Instrument of Set|ting up such a Society in a Place, cannot com|prehend, unto what a Long and Rich Train of Good consequences, he is become Instrumental.

And they that shall in such a Society together carry on the Duties of Christianity, and the Praises of a glorious CHRIST, will have upon themselves, a blessed Symptom, that they shall be together Associated in the Heavenly City, and in the Blessedness that shall never have an end.

§ 14. HItherto my Discourse has been a more General Address, unto People of all Conditions and Capacities. I have pro|posed few Devices, but those, upon which Per|sons in Private Circumstances, as well as others, may be discours'd unto. We will proceed now to those that are in more Publick Circumstances. And, first, Because no men in the World are under such Obligations to Do Good, as the Mi|nisters of the Gospel, It is necessary that this Word of God should be first spoken unto THEM.

Will my Fathers and Brethren, Give me Leave. Certainly, They that are Men of God, should be alwayes at Work for God! Certainly, They that are Dedicated unto the Special Service of the Lord, should never be satisfyed, but when they are in the most sensible Manner Serving Him. Certainly, They whom the Great King has brought nearer to Himself than other men, should be more unwearied than any men, in Endeavours to ad|vance

His Kingdom. They whom the Word of God calls Angels, ought certainly to be of an Angelical Disposition; Disposed evermore to Do Good, like the Good Angels; Ministers alwayes on the Wing to do His Pleasure. 'Tis no improper PROPOSAL, That they would Seriously Set themselves to think, What are the Points wherein I should be Wise and Do Good, like an Angel of God? Or, If an Angel were in Flesh, as I am, and in such a Post as I am, what Methods may I justly imagine, he would use to Glorify God? What wonderful Of|fices, of Kindness, and with how much Delight, would the Good Angels do, for such their Fellow-Servants! We must call upon our people, To be Ready to Every Good Work. We must Go be|fore them in it; By our own Readiness at Every Good Work, show them how. Timothy, Be thou an Example of the Believers! It is a true Maxim, and you cannot think too often upon it; The Life of a Minister, is the Life of his Ministry. And there is another Maxim like unto it, The Sins of Teach|ers are the Teachers of Sins.

Allow me, Sirs. Your Opportunities to Do Good, are Singular. Your want of Worldly Riches, and of any way ordinarily to get 'em, is com|pensated by the Opportunities to Do Good, which you are Enriched withal. The true Spirit of a Minister, will cause you to count your selves En|riched, when those precious things are conferred upon you, and to prize them above any Farms, or Bags, or whatever Temporal Possessions.

In operibus sit Abundantia mea; Divitijs per me Licet, abunde••, quisquis volnerit. Well Struck, Brave Melancthen!

'Tis to be hoped, That the Main Principle that acted you, when you first Entred upon the Evangelical Ministry, was, An Hope to do Good in the World. If that principle were then too feeble in its operation, 'tis Time that it should now o|perate, and that you should now Vigorously act upon it, and that the Zeal thereof should now Eat up your Time, your Thought, your All.

That you may be Good Men, and be mightily Inspired and Assisted from Heaven to Do Good, it is needful that you should be Men of Prayer. I lay this down to be allow'd, as my very First Postulatum! In the Pursuance of this Intention, there appears more than a little Need of it, That you should ever now and then Keep whole Dayes of Prayer, in an Holy Retirement before the Lord; Often Set apart, whole Dayes, for Prayer with Fasting, in Secret, and perfume your Studies with Devotions Extraordinary: and usually with a Mixture of Alms, to go up in the Memorial be|fore the Lord. By such Dayes, you may obtain, with the Pardon of your Unfruitfulness, for which, alas, how often have we cause to repair unto the Great Sacrifice! — You may obtain, I say, a vast Improvement in Piety and Sanctity; which is, of how vast Consequence, to make an Useful Mini|ster! Sanctify them 〈◊〉〈◊〉 (or for) thy Truth, sayes our Saviour. The should be Sanctifyed, that

would be Instruments for the Propagation of the Truth. You may obtain, a certain Afflatus from Heaven upon your Minds, and such an Indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as will render you, Grace, Dis|creet, Humble, Generous, and Me•• worthy to be Greatly Beloved. You may obtain those Influen|ces from above, that will Dispel the Enchant|ments, and Conquer the Temptations, which may else do a World of Mischief in your Neighbour|hood. You may obtain Direction and Assistence from Heaven, for the many Services to be done, in your Discharge of your Ministry. Finally, You may fetch down unknown Blessings on your Flocks, and the whole People for which you are to be the Lords Remembrancers.

Your Publick Prayers well composed and well adapted, will be Excellent Engin•••• to do Good. The more Judicious, the more Affectionate, the more Argumentative, you are in them, the more you will Teach your People to Pray. Yea, I be|seech you, Sirs; How can you prosecute any Intention of Piety among your People more Ef|fectually, than by Letting them see you Pray|ing, and Weeping, and Striving, and in an Im|portunate Agony before the Lord, that you may gain it for them?

The more Significantly you represent the Va|rious Cases of your People in your Publick Prayers; the more devoutly sensible you will make them of their own cases. And it will wonderfully comfort them!

The Prayers made at Baptisms, may be so ma|naged, as mightily to awaken in all People, the Conscience of their Baptismal Obligations.

What effusions of the Holy Spirit, may your People feel, if your Prayers at the Table of the Lord, are, as Nazianzen I remember sayes, his Fathers were; Made by the Holy Spirit of God!

Your Sermons, if they be Well-Studied, as from the consideration of their being Offerings unto God, the Great KING, as well as unto His Peo|ple, they ought to be, will Do Good beyond all Expression. The manner of your Studying them, is that which may much contribute unto it. It is needful, that you Study the Condition of your Flocks; and bring them such Truths, as will no|tably Suit their present circumstances. In order to this, You will observe their Condition, their Faults, their Snares, their Griefs, that you may Speak a word in Season; and if any thing Remar|kable Fall out, you will Suit the Words to the Works of God. You may Divide your People into Classes; and think, What Lessons of Piety, you are to Dispense, unto the Communicants; what, unto all that are under the Bonds of the Co|venant; what, unto the Aged; what unto the Worldly; what unto the Rich; what unto the Poor; what unto them that are in Offices; what unto them that are under Such, and Such Afflictions; what in regard of Peoples Personal Callings. A|bove all, The Young must not be forgotten: You will Employ all the Tunes imaginable, to raise

Early Piety. Yea, You may do well to let it be understood, that you would willingly be advised, by any Persons, or Meetings, in your Flocks, what Subjects they may want or wish to hear Treated on; By giving them Sermons on such Subjects, you at least very much Edify those who have asked for them; and it is probable, very many more.

And, what if while you are Studying your Ser|mons, You should at the close of every Paragraph, make a Pause, and Endeavour with Acknowledge|ments and Ejaculations to Heaven, and with Self-Examinations, to feel some Impressions of the Truths in that Paragraph on your own Souls, be|fore you go any further? By such a Practice, the Hours which you take, to Make and Write a Sermon, will prove so many Hours of Devotion with you. The Day in which you have made a Sermon will even leave upon your Mind, such a Savour as a Day of Prayer uses to do. When you come to Preach the Sermon, you will do it with great Liberty and Assurance; and the Truths thus prepared will be likely to come with a more Sensible Warmth and Life upon the Auditory; From the Heart, and To the Heart! A famous Preacher would say, I Never durst Preach a Ser|mon to others, till I have get first some Good by it my self. And I will add, That is the way for it to do much Good unto others. Let such a Rabbi, be called, our Hadarsan. [or, The Preacher!] Let the Saying of the Ancient be Remembred; Qui Ludi••

in Cathedra Lug••bit in Gehenna. And the Saying of a Modern also, not be forgotten; Cold Preachers make Bold Sinners.

But then, Sirs, Your Visits; Oh! how much may you do for CHRIST among your People in them! It is Pitty but that you should impose it as a Law upon your selves; Never to make an Unprofitable Visit. Even when you render a Pure Visit of Civility, or for Diversion, 'tis easy for you, to keep this Law; That you will drop some Speech or other, Good for the use of Edifying, before you leave the Company. There have been Pastors able to say, They Scarce ever once went into an House among their People in their Lives, without some Essay or Purpose to Do Good in the House, be|fore they came out of it.

The same Rule would be very well observed with such as Come unto us, as well as with those whom we Go unto. Why should any of our People ever come anear us, without our con|triving, To Speak something to them that may be use|ful to them! Our Peter Martyr having been ma|ny Dayes in Bucers House, Published this Report of it. Ausim affirmare, me ab illius Mensa, semper discessisse Doctiorem I make no Doubt, That the Observation of this Rule, may be very consistent with an Assable, yea, and, as far as is Convenient, a Facetious Conversation. Tho' Quae sunt in ore populi Nugae, sunt in ore sacerdotis Blasphemiae.

But, Sirs, In your Visits, you will take a parti|cular Notice of the Widow, the Orphan, the Afflicted;

and carry all agreeable Reliefs unto them. The Bills put up in your Congregations, will a little help you, to find out, who need your Visits.

If any Special Calamity hath befallen any One, 'tis a Time to Visit them, with very particular Directions and Perswasions unto them, to hear the Voice of God in the Calamity; to comply with the Intent and Errand, which it comes upon.

If any One has received any Special Deliverance, 'tis a Time to Visit them, and therein to perswade them, that they will think of some Singular Thing, to be done by way of Thankfulness for their De|liverance; and not leave them, till the Thing be Agreed and Resolv'd upon.

The Handmaids of the Lord, that are near their Lying in, may on this account be very proper objects for your Visits. At such a Time they are in much distress; the approaching Hour of Trou|ble threatens to be their Dying Hour. The Coun|sils that will Exactly instruct them how to pre|pare far a Dying Hour, will now if ever, be at|tentively hearkened unto. And there are pre|cious Promises of God, which they should also be taught now to Live upon. To bring them these Promises will do the work, and give you the Wel|come, of a Good Angel unto them.

CATECHISING, is a Noble I Exercise; it will insensibly bring you into a wa•• to Do Good, that Surpasses all Expression. You Sermons will be very much lost upon an Unc••••••chised People. Nor will your People Mind so much, what you

Speak to them in the Pulpit, as what you Speak to them in the more Approaching and Familiar way, of Applying the Answers of the Catechism. Never any Minister, that was a Great Catechizer did Repent of it; Thousands, Thousands: have bless'd God, with Wonders & Praises, for the good Success of it. The most Honourable Man of God, should reckon it, no Abasement or Abatement of his Honour, to Stoup unto this Way of Teaching. Yea, some Eminent Pastors, in their Emerited Old Age, when other Labours have been too hard for them, have, like the famous old Gerson, wholly given themselves up to Catechising; Tho' there have been others of whom that brave Chancellour of Paris, in his Treatise, De Pueris ad Christum tra|hendis, makes a sad complaint; Adeo jam indig|num videtur apud Multos, si quis ex Theologis, aut famatus in Literis, vel Ecclesiastica Dignitate Praedi|tus, ad hoc opus se inclinaverit.

The Methods of carrying on this Exercise, will be varied by the Pastors, who so Love a Glo|rious CHRIST, as to mind His Word, Feed my Lambs; according to the Varieties of their cir|cumstances.

But Some have chosen the way of Pastoral Visits. And from the Memorials of One who long since did so, and then left his, Paterna, to his Son upon it, I will transcribe the Ensuing Passages.

For, Pastoral Visits.

You may set upon Visiting all the Families, be|longing to your Flock; taking One Afternoon in a Week for that Purpose.

You may still send before hand unto the Families, that you intend at such a Time to Visit them. And when you come unto them; you may assay with as Handsome and as Pungent Addresses as you are able, to treat every Person particularly about their Ever|lasting Interests.

First. You may discourse with the Elder People upon such Points as you think most proper for them.

And especially, charge them to Maintain Family-Prayer; and Obtain their Promises for it, if they have yet neglected. Yea, Now Pray with them, that you may show them how to Pray, as well as to obtain their Purposes for it.

You may likewise press upon them, the Care of In|structing their Children and Servants, in the Holy Re|ligion of our Saviour; and to bring them up for Him.

If any that you should have Spoken with, were Absent, you may frequently Leave a Solemn Text or Two of the Sacred Scripture, which you think most a|greeable for them; Desiring Some-body present, That they would Remember you Kindly to them, and from you Recommend unto them that Oracle of God.

You may then call for the Children and Servants, And putting unto them such Questions of the Catechism, as you think fit, you may, from the Answers, make as lively Applications unto them, as you can, for the Engaging of them unto the Fear of God.

You may frequently get Promises from them, rela|ting to Secret Prayer, and Reading of the Scriptures, and Obedience to their Parents and Masters.

And you may frequently Set before them the Pro|posals

of the New Covenant, after you have Laboured for their Conviction & Awakening; till with Floods of Tears, they Expressly Declare their Consenting to, and Accepting of, the Proposals of the Covenant of Grace, which you distinctly set before them.

Some of the Lesser Folks, you my order, to bring their Bibles unto you, and Read unto you from thence Two or Three Verses, whereto you may turn them. This will Try, whether they can Read well, or no. You may then Charm them to Think on such Things, as you thence observe for their Admonition, and never Forget those Faithful Sayings of God.

You may some times leave some Awful Question with them; which, you may tell them, they shall not Answer to You, but Answer to Themselves. As, What have I been doing, ever since I came into the World, about the Great Errand upon which God sent me into the World? And, If God should now call me out of the World, what would become of me throughout Eternal Ages? And, Have I ever yet by Faith carried a Perishing Soul unto my only Saviour, for both Righteousness and Salvation?

You will Enjoy a most wonderful Presence of God with you, in this undertaking; and seldom leave a Family, without many Tears of Devotion dropt by all sorts of Persons in it.

You can seldome Dispatch more than Four or Five Families in an Afternoon; and the work may be as Laborious as any in all your Ministry.

My Son, I advise you, to set a special Value upon that part of your Ministry, which is to be discharged in Pastoral Visits. You will not only Do, but also Get, more than a little Good, by your Conversation with all sorts of Persons, in thus Visiting of them from House to House And you will never more Walk in the Spirit, than when you thus Walk about your Flock, to Do what Good you can among them.

In your Visits, incredible Deal of Good may be done, by distributing little Books of Piety. You may without Great Cost, be furnished with Little Books to Suit all occasions: Books for the Old, and for the Young; Books for Persons under Af|flictions, or under Desertions? Books for Persons under the Power of special Vices; Books for them that neglect Houshold Piety; Books for the Sea-fa|ring; Books for the Erroneous; Books for them whom you would Quicken and Prepare to ap|proach the Table of the Lord; Books for them that come to have their Children Baptised. And Catechisms for the Ignorant. You may notably clench your Admonitions, by Leaving agreeable Books in the Hands of those, whom you have dis|coursed withal; you may give them to know, that you would be looked upon as Discoursing by these unto them, after you are departed from them. And in this way you may Speak more than you have Time to Speak in any Personal Interview: Yea, sometimes more than you would care to Speak. By Good Books, there is a Salt of Piety Scattered about a Neighbourhood.

Pastors, Uphold and Cherish Good Schools in your Towns. But then, be prevailed withal sometimes to Visit the Schools.

It is a Proposal made, by Holy Mr. Thomas White; That Able and Zealous Ministers, might some|times Preach at the Schools. Because the Preaching of the Word is the Converting Ordinance; and the Chil|dren will be Obliged there to hear with more Attention,

than they often do in the Publick. And the Ministers might here condescend unto such Expressions, as might work most upon them, and such as are not so fit for a Publick Congregation. I have read this Account of One who was awakened by this Advice, to do such things as these;

At certain Times he Successively Visited the Schools. When he came to a School, he first made a Prayer o|ver the Children, as much adapted unto their Condi|tion, as he could make it. Then he went thro' the Catechism; or as much of it, as he thought necessary; making the several Children to Repeat the several Answers. But he still broke the Questions, for each Ar|ticle in the Answers, to be understood by them, with a Yes, or, No, Expected from them. And he put such Questions also, as would make them to see and own their own Duties, and often to Express a Resolution to Do their Duties. Then he Preached a Short Ser|mon to them; Exceeding Plain; on some Suitable Scripture; and with all the Artifice and Pungency he could use, to raise Attention & Affection in them. After this he singled out a Number of Scholars, it may be Seven or Eight, or Ten; and bid each of them turn to a certain Scripture; which he made them Read unto the whole School; because it still re|lated unto something as he gave them to see by his brief Remarks upon it, which it particularly concer|ned Children to take Notice of. Then he concluded with a brief Prayer, for a Blessing on the School, and on the Tutors in it.

We are upon Visiting; You will be sure to Visit the Poor as well as the Rich; and often mention the Condition of the Poor, in your Conversation with the Rich. Keep, Sir, a List of 'em!

And think on this. The Wind feeds no body, yet it may turn the Mill, which will grind the Corn, that may Feed the Poor. In Talking with the Rich; you may do this for the Poor in your List.

But then, in Visiting the Poor, you will take occasion to dispense your Alms among them. These Alms you will, with as much contrivance as may be, make the Vehicles, to Convey the Ad|monitions of Piety unto them; yea, the Methods and Machines of obtaining from them, some Engagements to perform certain Exercises of Piety. All Ministers are not alike furnished for Alms; they should all be disposed for them. They that have Small Families, or Large Interests, ought to be Shining Examples of Liberality to the Poor, and powre down their Alms like the Showres of Hea|ven upon them. Yet All should Endeavour to Do what they can this way. What sayes Nazian|zen of his Reverend Fathers Alms-Deeds? They will find, That the more they do (provided it be done with Discretion,) the more they may; The Loaves will multiply in the Distribution. Sirs, This Bounty of yours to the Poor, will procure a mighty Esteem and Success to your Ministry. Suadet Lingua, Jubet Vita. T'will be an ungain-sayable Demonstration, that you Believe what you Speak, about all the Duties of Christianity, but particularly of Liberality, and a Faithful discharge of our Stewardship, and a Mind weaned from the Love of this World; It will demonstrate your Be|lief of a Future State. It will Vindicate you

from the Imputation of, A Worldly Man; It will Embolden you, and Fortify you, with a great Assurance, when you call upon others, To Do Good, and abound in the Sacrifices which God is well-pleased withal. Et sic Exempla Parantur!

You will do well to keep a Watchful Eye on the Disorders that may grow up and get Head, in your Neighbourhood. Among other wayes to Suppress those things, you may Form Societies for the Suppression of Disorders; Obtain a fit num|ber of Prudent, Pious, well affected Men, to As|sociate upon that Intention; Employ their Dis|cretion, and their Activity, for your Assistence in your Holy Purposes.

One of the Rules given for the Minister, is, Give thy self to Reading. Sirs, Let Gregories Pastoral, & Bowles's Pastor Evangelicus, be some of the Books on which you bestow a Reading. But then, if you Read Church History very much, (and parti|cularly, the Prudentia Veteris Ecclesiae, Written by Vedelius,) but especially the Lives of both Anci|ent and Modern Divines, you will ever now and then find, Methods to Do Good, Exemplified. You will then consider, how far you may Go and do likewise.

How Serviceable may Ministers be, unto one another, and unto all the Churches, in their seve|ral Associations! Many things of General Advan|tage to all their Flocks may be advanced, and consulted there. Yea, 'Tis Pitty, that there should be the least occasional Meeting of Ministers

at any time, without Some Useful thing proposed in it.

Nero took it very ill, that Vespasian Slept, at his Musick! It is very much, very much to be Wish|ed, That the Sin of Sleeping at Sermons, were more Watch'd against, and more Warn'd against. Your Sleepy Hearers, if, alas, the Catechresis may be allow'd that calls them Hearers, do miserably lose the Good of your Ministry; and the Good which you might, perhaps, have particularly design'd for them, whom at the Time of your Speaking what you prepar'd for them, you see Siezed with an horrible Spirit of Slumber before your Eyes. Will no Vinegar help against the Narcoticks, that Satan has given to your Poor Eutychus's! Or, Can't you bring that Civility into Fashion among your Hearers, To wake one another!

Finally; After all the Generous Essayes and Labours to Do Good, that may fill your Lives, your People will probably treat you with much Ingra|titude. Your Salaries will be meaner than even those at Geneva. They will Neglect you; they will Oppress you; they will Defraud you, of what they have Engaged, and you have Expected. You have new one opportunity more to Do Good, and so to Glorify your Saviour. Your Patience, O Tried Servants of God, your Patience will do it wonderfully! To Bear E•••••• is to Do Good. The more Patient you are under Ill Usage, the more you Exhibit a Glorious CHRIST unto your Peo|ple, in your conformity to your admirable Sa|viour.

The more Conformed you are unto Him, the more Prepared you are, 'tis possible, for some Amendment of your condition in this World; most certainly for the Recompences of the Hea|venly World, when you appear before the Lord, who sayes, I know thy Works, and Charity, and Ser|vice, and Faith, and thy Patience.

I will say This; If to Represent, a Glorious CHRIST, unto the View, and Love, and Admi|ration of all People, be the Grant Intention of your Lives; To be a Star that Leads men to Christ, and Stands there! [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, was the Character, you know of Ignatius!] If you are Exquisitely Studious, that the Holiness, and yet the Gentleness, of a Glorious CHRIST may Shine in your Conversation: If in your Publick Discourses you do with Rapture bring in the mention of a Glorious CHRIST in every Paragraph, on every Occasion, where He is to be spoken of; and in your Private ones, you con|trive to insinuate Something of His Glories and Praises, where-ever it may be decently introdu|ced; Lastly, If when you find that a Glorious CHRIST is the more Considered and Acknow|ledged by your Means, it fills you with wonder|ful Satisfaction; and with Joy Unspeakable & full of Glory, you now cry out; Lord, This is my De|sired Happiness! Truly, Sirs, You then Live to Pur|pose; You Do Good Emphatically!

There was a Worthy Minister whom the Great Cranmer design'd for Preferment; and he gave

this Account of his Design about him; Nihil appetit, nihil ardet, nihil somniaet, nisi JESUM CHRISTUM. Verily, Such Men of Christ, are Men of God. They are the Favourites of Heaven; and shall be Favoured with Opportunities to Do Good, above any men in the World: They are the Men whom the King of Heaven will delight to Honour! And they are the Gaons of Christianity.

If I reserve one thing to be mentioned after Finally, 'tis because I am in a Doubt, whether it should be mentioned at all. In some Reformed Churches, they do not permit a Minister of the Gospel to practise as a Physician; Because either of those Callings is ordinarily enough to find a full Employment for him that faithfully fol|lows it. But, the Priests of old, who reserved in the Archives of their Temples, the Stories of the Cures thankfully acknowledged there; com|municated from thence Directions for cures in such cases among their Neighbours. Nor has it been a rare thing it Later Ages for Clergy men to be Physicians. Not only such Monks as Aegidius Athenienfis, and Constantinus Afer, and others▪ who had Liesure for it: but such Bishops as Bacbelt, yea, such Arch-bishops as Albicus, have appeared under that Character. So, Herbert advises that his Country-Minister, (or at least, his Wife,) should be much of a Physician to his Flock. And we have known many a Country Minister prove a vast Blessing to his Flock, by being so. If a Minister do any thing this way. Let

him for ever make it an Engine, to Address the Souls of his People, and oblige them unto Piety. Tis an Angelical Conjunction, when the Ministers who do the Pleasure of CHRIST, shall also be Phy|sicians and Raphaels unto their People! In a more Populous Place, you will perhaps chuse ra|ther, Sir, to get some Religious and Accomplish|ed Physician into your Neighbourhood; & make Medical Studies your own Diversion as much as may be; but with some Eye to this, That you will Communicate unto your Luke, what nota|ble Things you do in Reading meet withal; and some-times Unite Counsils with him, for the good of his Patients. You may this way Save the Lives of many, who may themselves know no|thing of it.

§ 15. FRom the Tribe of Levi, we will pass with our PROPOSALS to the Tribe of Simeon: from which Latter Tribe, there has been a frequent Ascent into the former; as well as a Step now and then from the former to the latter. The School-Master has manifold Opportunities to Do Good. God make him sensible of his Obligations! We read, The Little Ones have their Angels. It is an Hard work to keep a School. But it is a Good work; and it may be so done, as to be in some Sort like the Work of Angels. The Tutors of the Children, may be like their Tutelar Anngels. M••lchior Adam did well to call it, Molestissimam, sed Deo Longe gratissimam Functionem.

Tutors, Will you not look upon the Children under your Wing as committed unto you, by the Glorious LORD, with a charge of this Impor|tance; Take them, and bring them up for me, and I will pay you your Wages! Every time any New Children come under your Tuition, why should you not think; Here, my Glorious Lord sends me mother Object, on which I may do something, that He my be Served in the World! O Suffer Little Chil|dren to Come unto you, and Consider, what you may do, that Of Such may be the Kingdom of Hea|ven!

Sirs, Let it be a Great Intention with you, To Instil Documents of Piety into the Children. Esteem it, Your and Their Great Interest, That they should So Know the Holy Scriptures as to be made Wise unto Salvation; and Know the Saviour, whom to Know is Life Eternal. Oh! Take all occasions to Drop Some Honey out of the Rock upon them! Happy the Children, and as Happy the Master, where they who make the Relation of their Conversion to Serious Piety, may say, There was a School-Master that brought us to CHRIST! You have been told;

Certainly, Tis a Nobler work, to make the Little Ones Know their Saviour, than to know their Letters. The Les|sons of Jesus are Nobler Things than the Les|sons of Cato. A Sanctifying Transformation of their Souls, were a Nobler Thing, than meer|ly to construe Ovids Metamorphosis. He was a Good School-Master, of whom there was this Testimony given.

YOung Austin wept, when he saw Dida dead; Tho not a Tear for a Dead Soul he had. Out Master would not let us be so Vain, But us from Virgil did to David main. Textors Epistles would not Cloath our Souls; Pauls too we Learn't; we went to School at Pauls.

CATECHISING; That should be a Frequent, and at least, a Weekly, Exercise of the School. And in the most Edifying, and Apolicatory and Admoni|tory manner carried on.

In some Reformed Places, (we are told) the Magistrate counte|nances none to keep a School, but what appears with a Testimonial of their Ability, and their Disposition particularly, [Aptitudinis ad munus illud imprimis puerorum Catechisationem,] for the work of Religious Catechising.

Dr. Reynolds, in a Funeral Sermon on an Emi|nent School-Master has a Passage worthy to be written in Letters of Gold.

If Grammar-School have Holy and Learned men set over them, not only the Brains, but also the Souls of the Chil|dren might be there Enriched, and the work of Learning and of Grace too, be Betimes wrought in them.

In order to this, tis to be proposed, That you would not only Pray with your Scho|lars every day, but also take occasion from the Publick Sermons, and from Remarkable Occurences of Providence in your Neighbourhood, often to inculcate the Lessons of Piety upon the Children.

Tutors in the College, may do well Successively

to treat each of their Pupils alone, with all possi|ble Solemnity and Affection, about their Interior State; show them how to Repent of Sin, and Be|lieve on Christ; and bring them to Express Reso|lutions of Serious Piety. Sirs, you may do a thou|sand Things, to render your Pupils Orthodox in their Principles, Regular in their Practices, Qua|lified for Services!

I have read this Experiment of One who had Pupils under his charge;

He made it his Custom, that in every Recitation, he would, from some|thing or other occurring in it, make an occasion, to let fall some Sentence, which had a Tendency to promote the Fear of God in their Hearts; which thing sometimes did indeed put him to more than a little Study; but the Good Effect Sufficiently Recompenced it.

If I should Press for certain Authors to be made Classical in the Grammar-Schools, which are not commonly used there; Such as Castalio for the Latin Tongue, and Posselius for the Greek; or, if I should beg, with certain Modern Writers,

That there may be a Northwest Passage found, for the Attaining of the Latin Tongue; that in|stead of a Journey which may be dispatch'd in a few Days, they may not wander, like the Children of Israel, many years in the Wilderness:

Or, if I should recite Austins complaints, of Lit|tle Boys Learning the filthy Actions of the Pa|gan Gods in the Schools, for giving an Account whereof, says he, Ob hoc honae Spei puer appellabar;

And Luthers, That our Schools are more Pagan than Christian; And the Reports and Wishes of a late Writer, who sayes;

I knew an aged and famous School-Master, that after he had kept School about Fifty years, said with a sad Coun|tenance, That it was a great Trouble unto him, that he spent so much Time in Reading Pagan Authors to his Scholars, and wished it were customary to Read such a Book as Duports Ver|ses upon Job, rather than Homer, and such Books. I pray God, put it in the Hearts of a Wise Par|laiment, to Purge our Schools; that instead of Learning Vain Fictions, and Filthy Stories, they may be acquainted with the Word of God, and with Books containing Grave Sayings, and things that may make them truely Wise and Useful in the World:

I suppose, there will be little Notice taken of such Proposals: I had as good never mention them; Tis with Despair, that I make mention of them.

Among the Occasions to be taken for Instilling of Piety into the Scholars, there is One peculiarly at the Writing-Schools. An Inveterate Sinner I have read of, Converted unto Serious Piety, by accidentally seeing that Sentence of Austin writ|ten in a Window; He that hath Promised Pardon to the Penitent Sinner, has not Promised Repentance to the Presumpteous One. Who can tell what Good may be done to the Young Scholar, by a Sen|tence in a Copy-book? Let their Copies be of Sen|tences worthy to be had in Everlasting Remembrance;

of Sentences, that shall have the brightest Maxims of Wisdom in them; Worthy to be Written on the Fleshly Tables of their Hearts; to be graven with the Point of a Diamond there. This may do two Executions with one Stone: God has bless'd this unto many Scholars, it has done them good all their Dayes.

At the Grammar School also, the Scholars may be ordered for their Exercises to turn such things into Latin, as may be likewise for their Instruction and Establishment, in the Principles of Christia|nity; and render them armed with Supplies from the Tower of David. Their Epistles, why may they not be on such Subjects as may most befriend Vertue in them!

I will add this; To carry on the Discipline of the School, with Rewards, as well as Punishments, is most certainly very Adviseable, very Preferrible. There may be Invented many ways of Reward|ing, the Diligent and the Laudable: And, — Ad Palmae Cursurus bonores, — a Child of any Inge|nuity, under the Expectations and Encouragements of being Rewarded, will do to the uttermost. You have an Honour for Quintilian. I Pray, Hear Quintilian; 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a Plagis, sed Potius Laude, aut aliorum Praelatione, urgendus est puer. If a Fault must be Punished, Let Instruction, both unto the Delinquent and unto the Spectator, ac|company the Correction. Let the Odious Nature of the Sin, that has Enforced the Correction, be declared; and let nothing be done in a Passion;

all be done with all the Evidence of Compassion that may be.

Ajax Flagellifer may be Read at the Scool. He is not fit for to be the Master of it. Let it not be said of the Scholars, They are brought up in the School of Tyrannus. Pliny sayes, That Bears are the Fatter for Beating. Fitter to have the Con|duct of Bears than of Ingenuous Boyes, are the Masters, that can't give a Bit of Learning, but they must give a Knock with it. Send 'em to be Tutors of the famous Lithuanian School, at Sa|mourgan. The Harsh, Fierce, Orbilian way of treating the Children, too commonly used in the School, is a dreadful Curse of God upon our Mi|serable Offspring, who are Born Children of Wrath. It is boasted now and then of a School-Master, that such and such a brave Man had his Educa|tion under him There is nothing said, How many that might have been Brave Men, have been destroy'd by him; How many Brave Wits, have been Dispirited, Confounded, Murdered, by his Barbarous way of managing them.

I have Read an Address of this Importance; and I will conclude with it, as one of Great Im|portance.

TUTORS, Be Strict; But yet be Gentle too; Don't by fierce Cruelties fair Hopes undo. Dream not, that they who are to Learning Slow Will Mend by Arguments in Ferio. Who keeps the Golden Fleece. Oh, Let him not A Dragon be, tho' he Three Tongues have got.

Why can you not to Learning find the way, But thro' the Province of Severia? T'was Moderatus who taught Origen; A Youth which prov'd One of the best of Men. The Lads with Honour first, and Reason, rule; Blowes are but for the Refractory Fool. But, Oh! First Teach them their Great God to fear; An Euge, so from God and Them you'l hear.

§. 16. WE have lately discoursed with the PASTORS, about several Ways to Do Good. There are PROPOSALS, to be also laid before the CHURCHES, of matters wherein they may do well to joyn with their Pastors.

Dayes of Prayer kept now and then by the Churches, on the Declared Intention of ob|taining the Sanctifying Influences of the Spirit of Grace upon the Rising Generation, have had and would have, a marvellous Efficacy to Pro|duce a Religious Posterity in the Land; and a Seed accounted until the Lord for a Generation. Such an Acknowledgment of Supernatural Grace in the Necessity and Excellency of it, would be a very probable Preparation & Introduction, to the Commu|nication of it. And when the Children see their Parents thus Earnestly Seeking the Grace of God for them, it would have a Natural Tendency to a|waken them, unto an Earnest Seeking of it for themselves. The Sermons also Preached by the Ministers on such Solemn occasions, 'tis likely, would be very Awakening Ones. That this

PROPOSAL, has been so Little hearkened un|to, 'tis Lamentable, 'tis Admirable! But — They all Slumbred and Slept.

There is another PROPOSAL, which has been tendered to all our Churches, and attended in Some of them.

That the several Churches, having in an Instru|ment Proper for that Purpose, made a Catalogue of such things, as can indisputably be found amiss a|mong them, do with all Seriousness and Solemnity pass their VOTES, That they count such things to be very Offensive Evils, and that Renouncing all De|pendence on their own Strength, to avoid such Evils, they humbly Ask the Help of the Divine Grace, to Assist them in Watching against the said Evils, both in Themselves and in One another. And that the Communicants do often Reflect upon those their Acknowledgments and Protestations, as Perpetual Monitors unto them, to prevent the Miscarriages wherewith too many Professors are too Easily over|taken.

It has been considered, That such humble Recognitions of Duty, will not only be Accepted by our God, as our Declarations for Him, where|upon He will Declare for us; but also, they are the Way of the New Covenant, for our obtaining of Help to do our Duty. —

A Particular Church, may be an illustrious Pillar of Truth, by considering what Labouring Truth, and Part of the Kingdom of God, may call for Special, Signal, Open Testimonies; and they may Excite their Pastors to the com|posing, and assist them in the Publishing, of such

Testimonies; and appear to accompany them in the Action. It is likely, that God would ac|company such Testimonies with a marvellous Effi|cacy to Suppress growing Errors and Evils!

A PROPOSAL of this Nature may be wor|thy of some Consideration.

I. IT were to be desired, That every Particular Church, would be furnished with a STOCK, that may be a Constant and Ready Fund for the Propagation of Religion. And that every Mini|ster would use his best Endeavours, both with his own Disbursements according to his Ability, and with his Applications unto well disposed People under his Influences, to increase the STOCK; Either in the way of Collections Publickly made at certain Periods, or in the way of more Private Communications made from time to time unto it.

II. This Evangelical Treasury may be Lodg'd in the Hands of the Deacons of each of the Churches, where it is gathered; who are to keep True and Fair Accompts of all that is brought in and laid out. And let nothing be drawn out of it, without the Knowledge and Consent of the Church, to which it belongs.

III The First and Main Intention of this Evan|gelical Treasury, is to be. The Propagation of Re|ligion. And therefore, when any Essayes of Good are to be made upon Ʋngospellized Places, the Neigh|bouring Ministers may Advise each of the Churches, what Proportion they may allow out of their Evan|gelical Treasury, towards the Support of such a noble undertaking.

IV. But this Evangelical Treasury may be ca|pable of being applied unto Some other Pious Ʋses;

and particularly, unto such as any Particular Church may See cause to Pursue, for the Service of Religion, within their own Vicinity. Such as, The sending of Bibles, and Catechisms, and other Instruments of Piety, to be dispersed among the Poor, where it may be thought necessary. Moreover, the Help of New Congregations abroad, in their First Essayes, to build Meeting Houses for the Publick Worship of God with Scriptural Purity; may be one Article of Ex|pence for this Evangelical Treasury.

Quaere. Our Churches have their Sacramental Collections. Tis not fit indeed, that they should be without them. The Primitive Christians had so. Justin Martyr tells us of the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; Tertullian Speaks of the, Deposita Pietatis, on these occasions. May not our Churches do well to augment their Li|berality, in their Grateful and Joyful Collections at the Table of the Lord, and Resolve, That what is now Collected, shall be part of their Evangelical Trea|sury; not only, for their Supply of the Table, and for the Relief of the Poor, but also for such Other Services to the Kingdom of God, as they may from time to time, see cause to countenance?

§. 17. FRom Ecclesiastical Circumstances, which in such a Subject as we are now upon, may with Good Heraldry claim the Precedency, we will make a Transition to Political. Now, Touch the Mountains, and they will Smoke! Oh! When will Wisdom Visit Princes and Nobles, and all the Judges of the Earth; and inspire them to preserve the due Lustre of their Character, by a Desire to Do Good in the Earth; a Study to Glorify the God of Heaven! The Opportunities

that Rulers have to Do Good, are so Evident, so Numerous, and they have so much Power to Do Good, that he who addresses them, cannot but be overwhelmed with some Confusion of Thought, where to Begin, or when to Conclude, or How to assign a fit Order unto them. In|deed the very Definition of Government, is, A care of other Peoples Safety. Sirs, From whom have you Received this Power? You could have no Power at all, Except it were given you from Above. Certainly what is thus Receiv'd from God, should be Employ'd for God. Be wise now therefore, O ye Rulers, be instructed, ye Judges of the Earth. Serve the Lord, with Fear, left ye Forget and Offend Him, who has made you what you are. Kiss the Feet of the Son of God, lest He be Displeas'd at your Neglect of your Duty. Don't Kindle the Wrath of Him who is, The Blessed and only Poten|tate, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. What is the Name of a Magistrate? The Name which He that made him, has giv'n him, is; The Minister of God for Good. His Empty Name will produce a Cruel Crime, if he dont Set himself to Do Good, as far as ever he can Extend his In|fluences. Is he a Vice-gerent of God, and shall he do Nothing for God? Gross Absurdity! Black Ingratitude! Is he one of those whom the word of God coming to them has call'd, Gods? Gods who Do no Good, are strange Gods. Not Gods, but another Name, too horrible to be men|tioned belongs unto them: shall we say, Gods

that have Mouths but they Speak not: Eyes but they See not: Noses but they Smell not, and Hands but they Handle not? Government is called, The Ordi|nance of God. As the Administration of it, is to avoid those Illegalities, which will render it no other than a Violation of the Ordinance; thus it should vigorously pursue those noble and blessed Ends for which it is Ordained; The Good of Man|kind. Unworthy of all their other flourishing Titles, be they what they will, are the Rulers, who are not ambitious of that above all; To be Entitled Benefactors. The greatest Monarch in Christendom; One that by computation has Fourscore Milli|ons of Subjects, and he whom the Scripture styles, The Head over many Countryes, is in the Sa|cred Prophecies called, A Vile Person. Verily, so is every Magistrate; who does not aim to Do Good in the World. Rulers who make no other use of their Higher Station, than to Swagger over their Neighbours, and command their Ob|sequious Flatteries, and Enrich themselves with the Spoils of which they are able to Pillage them, and then wallow in Sensual and Brutal Pleasures; These are, The Basest of Man. From a sense of this, the Venetians tho' they allow Con|cubines, yet if a man be Observably and Exor|bitantly given to Sensual Pleasures, that wise People never Employ him: as believing such men to be meer Good-for-nothings. Because a Wretched World will continue Indisposed unto the Kingdom of the glorious and only Saviour,

and say, of our Immanuel, We will not have this Man to Reign over us; it is therefore very much put over into the Hands of such Selfish, and Sen|sual and Wicked Rulers: and very —centaures. While the deserved Curse of God remains upon an Impious, and Besotted World, there must be few Rulers that will Seriously and Strenuously Devise Good, and Seek to be Blessings unto it. Rulers must, alas, how often be men, whose Lives are not worth a Prayer, nor their Deaths worth a Tear. Athanasius, has well answered the Question, whence 'tis that such worthless and wicked men get into Authority? He says, 'Tis, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. The People are Wicked and must be Punished with men after their own Hearts: — Thus, when a Phocas was made Emperour, a Re|ligious man complained unto Heaven, Cur fecisti Eum Imperatorem? Heaven gave to the com|plaint that Answer, Non inveni pejorem. Evil Rulers are well reckon'd by the Historian, a|mong the Effects Divinae Ultionis; They may go into the catalogue with Sword, and Plague, and Fire. One man may be worse than All Three. Such bring up the Rear, in the Train of the Pale Horse: The Beasts of the Earth.

O our God, our God, When will thy Compassions to a Miserable World, appear in bestowing upon it Good Rulers, Able Men, such as Fear God, Men of Truth, hating Cove|tousness? Oh! That the Time were come, when there shall be a Ruler over men, the Just One, thy JESUS, Ruling in the Fear of God, and He shall be at the Light of the Mor|ning

when the Sun riseth; And under Him, the Mountains shall bring Peace to the People, and the Little Hills by Righteousness; And He will according to His Word make our Officers Peace, and our Exactors Righteousness. Hasten it, in thy Time, O Lord; But, How long, O Lord, Holy and True, dost thou not Judge! And make the Kingdoms of this World, thy own, and Remove them that corrupt the Earth; and in a Great Chain bind up him, who pretends that the Kingdoms of the World are his, and those who are the Rulers of the Darkness of this World!

O All you that Love God, add your Amen, to hasten the Coming of this Day of God!

In the mean time;

It cannot be Expressed, How much Good may be done, by a Chief Magistrate of a Country, who will make the Doing of Good, his Chief Inten|tion: A Constantine, or a Theodosius, or a Gratian. The First of these, notwithstanding the vast cares of the Empire to take up his Time, yet would every Day at Stated Hours, Retire into his Closet & on his Knees offer up his Prayers unto the glorious GOD. But then, that he might Recommend this Duty unto the World; this admirable Emperour caused his Image in all his Gold Coins, and his Pictures and Statues, to be made in a Praying Posture, with his Hands Extended, and his Eyes lifted up, to Heaven. O Imperial Piety! To be|hold such a Prince at the Head of it, one would think, were enough to Convert a World! It would, if it were not for the dreadful Energies of one, who is by the Wrath of God become, The Prince of this World! I Say,

The Vertuous Example of such an One, is al|most enough to Reform whole Nations! It carries irresistible Charms with it, by which Totus Componitur Orbis. A Prince Exemplary for Piety, Sheds the Rayes of Heaven, as the Sun shining in his Meridian Strength, with a most Penetrating Force into the People, Rejoycing under his Wings. Tis now a Rarity; but it will not be so, in the Approaching Age, when the Kings of the Earth, shall bring their Glory and Honour into the Holy City! A Little Piety in Princes makes a glaring Show; The Eyes of their Subjects are Dazzled, their Minds Ravish'd, with it: They Numinize them. What would be done by a Degree of Piety in them, that should bear Proportion to the Degree of their Quality; and if their Piety were as much above that of other men, as their Station? Roll about, O Age, that shall bring on such admirable Spectacles!

Tis a vast Influence that such might have on the Reformation of the World, and by consequence on its Felicity, by dispensing Preferments and Em|ployments to none but such as may by vertue be recommended unto them. If Good men gene|rally were put into Commissions, and none but Good men made Commanders at Sea, and on Shore, what a mighty Change for the better would the World immediately be bless'd withal! I will beg Leave to say, It will be a most comprehen|sive Service unto a Nation, to get them unfet|tered from any Test, that may render Honest

and Faithful men, uncapable of Serving them. And, I will take leave also to say; The Dis|placing of a Few Officers on the Score of their being found Vicious Men, would signify an hun|dred times as much to Mend the State of a De|praved, Betray'd, unprosperous Nation, as a Thousand Proclamations against Vice follow'd with no such Executions.

Good Lawes are important Machines, to keep very much Evil out of the World; yea, they Reach none, without the Doing of Some Good unto them. All that have any Share in the Legisla|tive Power, ought very much to be concerned, that such Good Lawes may be Enacted as may be for a lasting Benefit. The Representatives of a People, in their Parliaments, or Assemblies, will do well, to think, What is there still defective in our Lawes, Leaving the Iniquities or Necessities of Men yet not provided against. And, What further Laws may be propounded, that the Reign of Holiness and Righteousness may be advanced. There have been Lawes, (and sometimes none of the best, but Mischiefs Established by Lawes!) which have made the Names of those that first moved for them to be Remembred. The Remembrance of having been, The man that first moved a Good Law, were better than a Statue erected for ones Memory. But if other men Forget it, Sirs, you will not want a Recompence in Gods, and your own Remembrance of it. You know whose Prayer it was, Think upon me, my God, for Good, according to all that I have done for this People!

Magistrates may do an unknown Deal of Good, by countenancing of worthy Ministers. To Settle and Support such Men of God in a Place, is to be, as one may say, the Grand-fathers of all the Good which those Men shall do in the Place. Their Consultations, and their Combinations, with Able, Faithful, Zealous Ministers, may produce more Good Effects than ever any Astrology fore|told of the most happy Conjunction. When Moses and Aaron joyn to Do Good, what can't they do? Queen Elizabeth admired the Happiness of Suffolk, in her Progress, where she saw a mighty good understanding between Vertuous Ma|gistrates and Faithful Ministers.

Briefly. We will observe a Decorum in our PROPOSALS, and not Suppose Unattentiveness or Incapacity in those to whom we offer them. It shall only be proposed, That since MAGIS|TRATES are usually Men of Abilities, they would Retire sometimes to a Contemplation on that Generous Point, What Good may I do in the World? And observe, what they are Able themselves, (assisted by the Implored Grace of Heaven,) to Find out, as part of the Good, which they are to do in Serving their Generation.

I forget my self, if old Theognis had not a Maxim, which must not be Forgotten. When the Administration of Affairs, is placed in the Hands of Men, Proud of Command, and bens to their own private Gain, be sure the People will soon be a misera|ble People. I propose that the Maxim should

be Remembred, and this Mischief avoided.

And this one thing more, Thinkest thou this, O man that Judgest, That thou shalt escape the Judg|ment of God? Let the Judges of the People, con|sider, That God will one Day bring them into Judgment. — Judex nuper eram; jam Judicor. Oh! That Rulers would Realize to themselves, as Real a matter as any in the World! That they must give an Account unto God, concerning their Ad|ministration of their Government. Sirs, The Great GOD, before whom the Biggest of you all is but as a Worm of the Dust, will Demand an Ac|count of you, How Faithful you were in the Dis|charge of your Office? What you did for His Kingdom in your Office? Whether you did what you could, that the World might be the better for you? If you would often take this awful matter in your Considera|tion, which, Oh! what Reason you have to do! — It could not but Quicken you to very many Actions, which would be no Grief of Heart unto you another Day! He was one of the best Rulers, that ever was in the World, whose Thoughts run upon that point; What shall I do, when God Rises up, and when He Visits, what shall I answer Him? Even Abub••k••r the Successor of Mahomet, upon an Expostulation with him for his Walking on Foot, when he took a view of his Army, said, I shall find my Account with God for these steps. He has less Christianity than a Me|hometan, who is utterly unmindful of The Account he must give to God, of the steps taken by him.

How well did things go at Neo-Caesarea, when Basil, who Liv'd there, could give that Account, concerning the Governour of the Place!

That he was a most Exact Observer of Justice; but very Courteous, and Obliging, and Easy of Access to the Oppressed: He was equally at Liesure for the Rich and for the Poor; But all Wicked People were Afraid of him: He Abhorred Ex|ceedingly the taking of a Bribe: And his De|sign, in short, was to raise Christianity unto its Pristine Dignity.

A Mahometan Captain Gene|ral, whose Name was Caled, said once unto a Christian; It does not at all become men in eminent Station, to deal Deceitfully and use Tricks. It is a miserable thing, when a Christian in Eminent Station, will do such things!

§ 18. THE Physician [who sometimes comes also to be a Magistrate; and Aristotle has a Saying very contrary to the Jewish Maxim, That a City will be happy under such a Go|vernment!] he also has his Opportunities to Do Good, and render himself, A Beloved Physician; which he is to be advised of.

Zaccuth the Portuguese, who among many other Books written by him, wrote, An History of the principal Physicians, was one, who after he had got into Amsterdam, did by Circumcision render it Evident, that he had until then, and for Thirty years together, only Dissembled Christianity at Lisbon; yet because he was very Charitable to

Poor Patients, he was very much Esteemed. We now apply our selves to those, whose Love to Christianity, we hope, is without Dissimulation. There is to be Expected from them, a Charity and an Usefulness, which may entitle them to a Remembrance in a better History than that of Za|cutus Lusitanus; yea, in that Book of Life, where a Name will be of more account, than to be found in the Vitae Illustrium Medicorum, where Peter Castellanus has Embalmed so many of that Profession.

By Serious and Shining Piety in your own Example, you will bear a glorious Testimony to the Cause of God and Religion. You will Glorify the God of Nature, and the only Saviour. Your Acquaintance with Nature, will indeed be your condemnation, if you do it not. Nothing so Unnatural as to be Irreligious! Religio Medici, has the Least Reason of any under Heaven, to be an, Irreligion. It has been most unreasonably done of them, who have administred occasion, and for that complaint of Christians; Ubi tres Medici, tres Athei. It is very sad, That when we read about, the State of the Rephaim in the other World, the Physicians are by so many Translators, (they think, with too much cause,) carried into it. Very sad, That the Jews imagine they have had cause to say, Optimus inter Medicos ad Gehennam: and assign this Cause for so severe a Sentence; Non enim metuit a Morbis; Vescitur Laute, nec Confringit cor Suum Deo; Aliquando

Etiam interficit Honaines, quando Pauperes, quos Posset, non Sanat. A Sad Story, if it be True!

Sirs; You will never count your selves to be such Adeptists, as to be at a Stand in your Studies, and make no further Progress in your Enquiries, into Maladies, & after Medicines. A Physician come to his full growth, Looks Dangerously & Ominously. Had the World gone on, with nothing but an Aesculapius, furnished with a Goat (whose Milk for Pharmacy) and a Dog (whose Tongue for Cheirurgery,) we had been miserably of it. You will be Diligent, and Studious, and Inquisitive; and still, Read much, and Think more, and Pray most of all; and be Sollicitous, to Find out, and Give out, Something very considerable for the Good of Mankind, which none before you has Lit upon: Be Sollicitous to make some Addition to the Treasures of your Noble Profession. Tho' to attain the Honour of being a Sydenham, — Non cuivis homini contingit; However, To Do Something, may be a Laudable Ambition.

By the Benefit they expect from you, and by the charms of your Polite Education and Pro|per and Prudent Conversation, You are some|times Introduced into the Familiar Acquaintance of Great Men. Persons of the First Quality En|tertain you, with much Freedom, and Friend|ship, and Familiarity. Perhaps, you become, under Hippocrates's Oath, almost a Sort of Confessors unto them: as indeed, the Confessors were usually the Physicians of the People, for several Ages.

What an Advantage to Do Good, have you in your Hands, by this Acquaintance? The Poor Jews both in the Eastern and in the Western parts of the World, have many a time, had very Good Offices done for their Nation, by means of their Coun|try-men arriving to be, Physicians in ordinary, unto the Princes of the Countries where they have been dispersed. Sirs, Your Admission to feel the Pulse of Eminent Persons, may Enable you, to do many Good Offices for many Good Interests. You are Persons of that Acumen, that you need not be told, What! You will soon discover Excellent Things and Ways, wherein Good may be done, if you will please to deliberate upon it; What Good Motions may I make to my Patient, that he may do Good in the World? If you Read what Gregory Nazianzen writes of his Brother Caesarius, a fa|mous Physician, and a man of Honour, you will doubtless find your Dispositions this way En|kindled. You know, how ready the Sick are, to hear Good Motions; and how seasonable it is to Ply them therewith, when a Begun Recovery from Sickness, bespeaks their Gratitude unto the God of their Health. Yea, & for them that are in Health also, you may find Mollissima Tempora fandi.

Physicians often are Men Universally Learned. They have Treasure enough, and sometimes Lie|sure enough, to Write BOOKS, on a vast Varie|ty of Subjects, whereby Knowledge and Vertue may be greatly advanced in the World. The late Epick Poems of a Blackmore, & Cosmologia Sacra

of a Grew, are fresh Examples; Mankind is in|debted unto those Learned Physicians; the Names of the Hero's are immortalized; they need no Statues: nor need they mind the Envy of any Modern Theophrastus. A Catalogue of BOOKS Written, on various Arguments, besides those of their own Profession, (and unto better Purpose too, than only to Produce Erastianism in the Chur|ches which our Glorious Lord has instituted) by Learned Physicians, would it self alone almost make a Book. In the Great Army of Learned Phy|sicians, that have Published their Labours about the Word which the Lord has given, and for the Ser|vice of His Church, and World, I humbly move, that the Incomparable Zuinger, and Gesner may appear as Field-Officers. A City Tauris were too mean a Present, for Physicians of such merits. I propose them to Imitation; that many may Follow such Leaders. You know Freher has brought on his Theatre, near Five Hundred famous Phy|sicians, with some Account of their Lives and Works; very few Britons among them; and none at all that Lived unto the End of the former Century. What a vast Addition might there be since made unto that List of Honour from the Bri|tish Nations! May an Excellent Ambition to be part of it, Excite the Capable, to Do Worthily!

Physicians are even over-stock'd with Oppor|tunities, to help the Poor, and heal them for No|thing. It was a Noble saying of Cicero, Nil habet Fortuna melius, quam ut passis, neque Natura 〈…〉〈…〉,

quam ut velis, servare Plures. But I will set before you an higher consideration, than what a Pagan Kirker was ever acquainted with. Sirs, The more Charity, and Compassion, and Con|descension you treat the Poor withal, the more will you arrive to, The Greatest of all Glories: I say, The Greatest & Highest of all Glories! — I mean, An Imitation of your Admirable SAVIOUR. You will readily say, Quod decuit CHRISTUM, cur mihi Turpe putem? In comparison of this Consolation, it will be a small Thing to say unto you, That your coming among the Poor, will be like the Descent of the Angel of Bethesda unto them. We will not presume to prescribe unto you, What Good you shall Do to the Poor, and by what Generous Actions you shall Take their In|firmities and bear their Sicknesses. Only we Enter an Objection against your taking any Fees for your Visits on the Lords-Day's, Because, the Time is none of Yours; 'Tis the Lords!

When we Consider how much the Lives of Men are in the Hands of God; and what a De|pendence we have on the God of our Health for our Cure, when we have lost it; and what Strange and Strong Proofs we have had, of Angels by their Communications or Operations Con|tributing to the Cure of the Diseases where-with Mortals have been Oppressed; [whereof I can my self relate astonishing Instances!] and the Marvellous Efficacy of Prayer for the Recovery of a Sick Brother, who has not Sinn'd a Sin unto Death;

What better thing is there to be recommended unto a Physician, who desires to Do Good, than this; Good Sir, Be a Man o Prayer. In your Daily and Secret Prayer carry every one of your Pati|ents by Name, (as you would your own Chil|dren,) unto the Glorious Lord our Healer for His Healing Mercies: Place them as far as your Prayer will do it, under the Beams of the Sun of Righteousness. And as any New Case of your Pa|tients may occur, especially if there be any Dif|ficulty in it, why should you not make your Par|ticular and Sollicitous Applications to Heaven for Direction! O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself, nor is it in man that walketh, to direct his Steps; No, nor in man that healeth, to perform his Cures. Hippocrates advised Phy|sicians, that when they Visited their Patients, they should consider, whether there might not be, Divinum quiddam in morbo. Truly, in some sense, there is ever so, and it should be considered. What an Heavenly Life might you lead, if your Business may be carried on with as many Visits to Heaven, as you make unto your Patients! Or: Jacob Tzaphalon, a famous Jew in the former Century, Published at Venice, a Book Entituled, Precious Stones. There are several Prayers in the Book; and among them a Pretty long one, For Physicians when they go to Visit their Patients. When the Psalmist sayes, Thou hast made me wiser than my Enemies; it may be read, Thou hast made me wise from my Enemies. We should Learn Wis|dom

from them; Fas est, et ab hoste!— O Christi|anity, certainly thou wilt Out-do Judaism in thy Devotions!

We read, Heaviness in the Heart of Man makes it Stoup, but a Good Word makes it Glad. We read, A Cheerful Heart doth Good like a Medicine, but a broken Spirit drieth the Bones. And Baglivi is not the only Physician, who has made the Observation.

That a great part of our Diseases, either do Rise from, or are Fed by, a Weight of Cares lying on the Minds of Men. Diseases that seem Incureable, are Easily cured by Agreeable Conversation Disorders of the Mind, first bring Dis|eases on the Stomach; and so the whole Mass of Blood gradually becomes infected. And as long as the Passions of the Mind continue, the Diseases may indeed change thei Forms, but they rarely quit the Patients.

Tranquillity of Mind will do Strange Things, towards the Relief of Bodily Maladies. Tis not without Reason, that Hofman, in his Dissertation, Des Moyens de vivre longtems, does insist on Tranquillity of Mind as the chief among the Wayes to Live Long; and that this is the cause why we read, The Fear of the Lord tendeth to Life. They that have Practised, The Art of Curing by Expecta|tion, have made an Experiment of what the Mind will do towards the Cure of the Body. By Practising, The Art of Curing by Consolation, you may carry on the Experiment. I Propound then, Let the Physician with all possible Ingenuity of Conversation, find out, what matter of Anxiety, there may have been upon the Mind of his Patient; what there is, that has made his Life Ʋneasy to him. Having Discovered the Burden. Let him use all the wayes he can devise to take it off. Offer him such Thoughts, as may be the best Anodynes for his Distressed Mind; Especially, the Right Thoughts of the Righteous, and the wayes to a composure upon

Religious Principles. Give him a Prospect, if you can, of some Deliverance from his Distresses, or some Abate|ment of them. Raise in him as Bright Thoughts as may be, and Scatter the Clouds, remove the Loads, which his Mind is Perplexed withal: Especially, by Repre|senting & Magnifying the Mercy of GOD in CHRIST unto him. It is Possible, Sir, That you may in this way also, find our Obliging Occasions to Exercise abun|dance of Goodness, in Doing your self, or in bringing others to Do, Kindnesses for the Miserable.

And what should hinder you, from Considering the Souls of your Patients, their Interiour State; their Spiri|tual Health; what they have done, & what they have to do, that they may be in Good Terms with Heaven? You may from their Natural Distempers, affect your own Minds, & theirs too, with a Sense of our Analogous Moral ones. You may make your Conversation with them, a Vehicle for such Admonitions of Piety as may be most Needful for them: That they may neither be found Ʋnprepared for Death, nor Ʋnthankful & Ʋnfruitful upon their escaping of it. This you may do, without any Indecent Intrusion in|to the Office of the Minister; But you may indeed at the same Time do many a Good Office for the Mini|ster, as well as for the Patient, and inform the Minister when and where and how he may be very Serviceable among some of the Miserable, with whose condition he may else happen to be unacquainted. The Art of Healing was, you know, first brought into order by men that had the Care of Souls. And I know not why they who profess and practise that Noble Art, should now wholly cast off that Care. Perhaps you Remember a King, who was also a Physician [For other Crowned Heads, besides Mithridates and Hadrianus and Constan|tinus Pogonatus, have been so!] and who gave this Reason why the Greeks had such Diseases among them so much uncured; Because they neglected their Souls, the

chief thing of all. For my part, I know not why the Physician should wholly neglect the Souls of his Patients!

I will hold you no Longer. You are not ignorant, that Medicine in the World, once was, and in many Ungospellized parts of the World still is, A Thing hor|ribly Magical. Celsus tells it, as a part of the Egypti|an Philosophy current in his Time, That the Body of man is divided into Thirty Six Parts, each of which was the peculiar Allotment and Possession of a Daemon; and this Daemon was by the Magi call'd upon, to cure Diseases of the part that belong'd unto him. Even in Galens time we find Prestigiaturas Aegyptias Practised; he himself writes of them. Other Countries were from Aegypt infected with them. Hence Medicines were called, Pharmaca. The Oriental Nations had their Teraphim for the cure of Diseases. Whence 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifies, both to Worship, and to Cure. And, Curae Morborum, is reckoned by Eusebius one main Article of the Pagan Theology. God used all proper Means, for Saving His People, from having to do with that sort of Men, or of Means. He Commended unto them, the Study of Nature, and of Natural Remedies. They did after the Example of Solomon, Study Bota|nicks: They had their Apothecaries who were to furnish them with Materials for Medicines. The Princes of Judea had, as Pliny tells us, Their Physick Gardens. Probably Naboths Vineyard might have such an one in it; which might be the Reason why Ahab did so Covet it. And Joram, the Son of Ahab, repaired hi|ther, to be cured of his Wounds. An Excellent Physician, in a late Composition with which he has obliged the Publick, thinks, The Sin of Asa, when he Sought not unto the Lord, but unto the Physicians, was, both occasioned and Aggravated by this; There were at this time none but Magical Physicians. But some others have thought, that some of Asa's Ancestors had been

Medically disposed, and were Students in the Art of Healing. From hence might come the Name of Asa: for Asa is the Chaldee word for a Physician. It may be, for that cause this King might have the Greater Esteem for those who were skill'd in Medicines, and put a Con|fidence in them, that had with it and in it, a Neglect of the glorious GOD; the only Author and Giver of Health. What I aim at, in this Paragraph, is but Summarily to bespeak the Reverse of all this; That my Honourable Asa, [Honourable! the Son of Sirach has taught me to call him so!] would himself continu|ally go to God our Saviour on all occasions, and as far as he can, bring all his Patients thither also.

Finally; An Industrious and an Ingenious Gentle|man of your Profession, has a Passage in a Preface to his, Pharmacopaeia Bateana, which, I will here insert; because very many of you can Speak the like; and by inserting it, I propose, to increase the Number.

I know no poor Creature that Ever came to me in my whole Time, that once went from me, with|out my Desired Help gratis. And I have accounted the Restoration of such a Poor and Wretched Crea|ture, a greater Blessing to me, than if I had gotten the Wealth of both the Indies. I can't so well Ex|press my self concerning this matter, as I can conceive it; but I am sure, I should have been more pleased, and had a greater Satisfaction, in seeing such an Helpless creature Restored to its Desired Health, than if I had found a very valuable Treasure. All the Good I have done in these cases, as I never can Re|pent it, so I Resolve to continue it; For I certainly know, I have had the Signal Blessing of God, at|tending my Endeavours, for it.

§. 19. I Will get me unto the Rich Men, — and will Speak unto them: For they will know the wayes to Do Good, and will think, what they shall be able to say, when they come into the Judgment of their God. An English Person of Quality, quoting that Passage, The Desire of a Man is his Kindness, invited me so to read it, The only Desireable thing in a man is his Goodness. How Happy would the World be if every Person of Quality would come into this Perswasion! It is an Article in my Commission; Charge them that are Rich in this World, That they Do Good, that they be Rich in Good Works, Ready to Distribute, willing to Communicate. In pursuance thereof, I will put Rich Men in mind of the Opportunities to Do Good, with which the God, who gives Power to Get Wealth, has favoured and obliged and en|riched them. It was an Account, and a very Good one it was, that has been sometimes given of a Good man; The Wealth of this World, he knew no Good in it, but the doing of Good with it. Yea, those men who have had very little Good|ness in them, yet in describing, The manners of the Age, in which they have had perhaps themselves too deep a Share, have seen cause to Subscribe and Publish this prime Dictate of Reason; We are never the better for any thing, barely for the Pro|priety Sake; but it is the Application of it, that gives every thing its value. Whoever buries his Talent, breaks a Sacred Trust, and Cozens those that Stand

in need on't. Sirs, You cannot but Acknowledge, That it is the Sovereign GOD, who has bestow'd upon you, the Riches which distinguish you. A Devil himself, when he Saw a Rich Man, could not but make this Acknowledgment unto the God of Heaven, Thou hast Blessed the work of his hands, and his Substance is increased in the Land. It is also a Thing, whereof 'tis to be hoped, you are not unapprehensive, That the Riches in your possession are some of the Talents, whereof you must give an Account unto the Glorious LORD, who has betrusted you therewithal: And that you will give up your Account with Grief, and not with Joy, if it must be found, that All your Estates have been laid out, only to gratify the Appetites of the Flesh, and Little or Nothing of them consecrated unto the Service of God, and of His Kingdom in the World. We read of the Servants assign'd unto the Priests of old, Unto you they are given as a Gift for the Lord. It is what is to be said of all our Estates. What God gives us, is not given us for our selves, but for the Lord. And, Cum crescunt Dona crescunt etiam Rationes Donorum. Indeed there is hardly any Professor of Christianity, so Vitious, but he will own, that All of his Estate is to be used in Honest Uses; and part of it, in Pious Uses. If any plead their Po|verty, to Excuse them, and Exempt them, from doing any thing this way, O Poor Widow with thy two Mites, Eternized in the History of the Gospel, Thou shalt Rise up in the Judgment with

that Generation, and shalt Condemn them. And let them also know, that they take a course, to con|demn and confine themselves unto Eternal Po|verty. But the main Question is, about the Quo|ta Parts; How much of a Mans Income is to be Devoted unto Pious Uses? And now, Let it not seem an Hard Saying, if I say unto you, That a Tenth Part is the least that you can bring under a more Solemn Dedication unto the Lord; for whom indeed, after some sort, we are to lay out our All. A Farthing less, would make an En|lightened and Considerate Christian, Suspici|ous, of his coming under the Danger of a Sacri|ledge. By the Pious Uses for which your Tenths are thus challenged, I do not intend only the Maintenance of the Evangelical Ministry, but also the Relief of the Miserable whom our Merciful Saviour has made the Receivers of His Rents, and all that is to be more directly done, for the Preserving and Promoting of Piety in the World. Since there is a Part of every mans Revenues due to the Glorious Lord, and such Pious Uses, it is not Fit that the Determination of What Part, it must be, should be left unto such Hearts as ours. My Friend Thou hast, it may be, too high an Opinion of thy own Wisdom and Goodness, if nothing but thy own Carnal Heart, shall deter|mine still When, and What, thy Revenues are to do, for Him, whom thou art so ready to Forget, when He has Filled thee. But if the LORD Himself, to whom thou art but a Steward, has

fixed any Part of our usual Revenues, for Himself, as 'tis most Reasonable that He should have the Fixing of it, certainly a Tenth will be found the least that He has called for. A Tenth is the Least Part in the First Division of Numbers, which is that of Unites. Grotius notes it, as the Foun|dation for the Law of Tithes; Numerus Denarius Gentibus ferme cunctis Numerandi Finis est. It is but fair, and the very Light of Nature will declare for it; That the Great GOD, who with a Se|venth Day, is own'd as the Creator, should with a Tenth Part be own'd as the Possession of All Things. We don't Allow Him so much as The Least, if we withold a Tenth from Him. Less than That, is less than what all Nations make The Least. Cer|tainly, To withold this, is to Withold more than is Meet. Sirs, you know the Tendency. Long before the Mosaick Dispensation of the Law, we find, that this was Jacobs Vow, The Lord shall be my God, and of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the Tenth unto thee. It seems we do not sufficiently Declare, That the Lord is our God, if we do not Give a Tenth unto Him. And how can we approve our selves Israelites Indeed, if we sleight such a Pattern of our Father Jacob? I will ascend a Little Higher. In one Text we read of our Father Abraham, He gave Melchizedek the Tenth of all. In another Text we read of our Saviour JESUS, Thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedek. Hence I form this Argu|ment; The Rights of Melchizedek belong to our

JESUS, the Royal High-Priest now concerned in the Heavens for us. The Tenths were the Rights of Melchizedek. Therefore the Tenths belong to our JESUS. I do in my Conscience believe, That this Argument cannot be answered. The man seems to blur one Evidence of his being one of the true Children of Abraham, that goes to answer it. I do Renew my Appeal to the Light of Nature. To Nature thou shalt go! 'Tis very certain, That the Ancient Pagans did use to Decimate for Sa|cred Uses. Pliny tells us, the Arabians did so. Xeno|phon tells us, the Grecians did so. You find the custom, as old as the Pen of Herodotus can carry it. Tis confirmed by Pausanias, and by Diodorus Siculus. A whole Army of Authors, besides Doughty, have related this, and asserted it. I will only bring in Festus, to Speak for them all: De|ci••na quaeque Veteres Dijs Suis offerebant. Christian, Wilt thou Do less for thy GOD, than the Poor Perishing Pagans did for Theirs? Oh! Tell it not! — But this I will tell; That they who have conscientiously Employ'd their Tenths in Pious Uses, have usually been Blessed in their Estates, with a very Remarkable Providence of God. The Blessing has been sometimes Delay'd, with some Trial of their Patience: Not for any Injustice in their Hands; Their Prayer has been Pure. And their Faith of the Future State has been sometimes try'd, by their Meeting with some Losses, and some Disappointments. But then, their Little has been so Bless'd, as to be still a Competency;

and God has Bless'd them with so much Conten|tation in it, that it has yielded more unto them, than the much of many others. And very often, I say, very often, they have been Rewarded with a strange Success, and Increase of their Estates; even in this World, seen the Fulfilment of that Word; Cast thy Grain into the moist Ground; for thou shalt find it after many Dayes. And that word; Honour the Lord with thy Substance; so shall thy Barns be filled with Plenty. History has given us many and charming Examples, of those, who have had their Conscientious Decimations Followed & Re|warded with a Surprising Prosperity of their Affairs; And small Mechanicks, or Husbandmen, have Risen to Estates, which once they never durst have dreamed of. The Excellent Gouge, in his Treatise Entituled, The Surest and Safest way of Thriving, has collected some such Examples. The Jewish Proverb, Decima, ut Dives fias; or, Tythe and be Rich! would be oftner verified, if oftner Practised. Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not pour out a Blessing upon you! But let the Demand of Liberal Things grow upon you. A Tenth, I have called, The Least. For some, 'tis much Too Little. Men of great Estates, that would not Sow for their Flesh, & rea•• Corruption, May and will often go beyond a De|cimation. Some of them rise to a Fifth; and the Religious Countess of Warwick, would not stop at any thing short of a Third. The Gentlemen my Readers, will Excuse me, if I carry them no

Higher, and say nothing to them, of a Joannes Bleemosynarius, who annually made a Distribu|tion of all to Pious Uses; and having made even with his Revenues, then said, I bless God that I have now nothing left, but my Lord and Master CHRIST, whom I long to be withal, and whom I can with unentangled Wings now fly unto! Yet I will mention to them the Example of some Emi|nent Merchants, who have set their Estates at a Moderate and Competent Elevation, and Re|solved, They would never be any Richer than That. They have carried on a Great and Quick Trade; but what ever Gain carried their Estates beyond the Set Sum, they Devoted it all to Pious Uses. And were any of them, ever Losers? Never one of them! The Christian Emperour Tiberius 2. was famous for his Religious Bounties; His Empress thought him even Profuse, in them. He told her, He should never want Money so long as in Obedience to the Command of a Glorious Christ, he did Supply the Necessities of the Poor, and abound in such Religious Bounties. Once, immediately after he had made a Liberal Distribution, he unex|pectedly found a mighty Treasure; and there were Tidings also brought him, of the Death of a Man vastly Rich, who had bequeathed all his Wealth unto him. Lesser men can tell very ma|ny, and very taking Stories of this Importance, even from their own happy Experience. I can|not forbear Transcribing some Lines of my Ho|noured Gouge on this occasion.

I am verily Perswaded, that there is Seldom any Man, who giveth to the Poor Proportionably to what God has bestowed on him, but if he does ob|serve the Passages of Gods Providence towards him, he shall find the same Doubled and Redoubled upon him in Temporal Blessings. I dare challenge all the World, to give one Instance, (or at least any consi|derable Number of Instances) of any Merciful Man, whose Charity has undone him. But, as Living Wells, the more they are Drawn, the more freely they Spring and Flow; so the Substance of Charita|ble Men, does oftentimes Multiply in the very Distri|bution; Even as the Five Loaves and Few Fishes did multiply in their Breaking and Distributing; and the Widows Oyl increased by the pouring it out.

I will add a consideration, wherein, methinks, common Humanity should be sensible of a Provo|cation. Let Rich Men who are not Rich towards God, especially such as have no Children of their own, to make the Heirs of their Hoarded Riches, consider the vile Ingratitude, which the Forks that come after them, will treat them, withal. Sirs, They will hardly allow you a Tomb|stone; And, wallowing in the Wealth which you have left, (but they complain, that you left it no sooner unto them) they will only play upon your Memory, squib upon your Husbandry, ridi|cule all your Parsimony! How much more Wis|dom, would it be, for you to Do Good with your Estates while you Live; and at your Death do That, which may Embalm your Name to Poste|rity in this World, and be for your Advantage

in that which you are going unto! That your Souls may Dwell in all the Ease and Good of the Paradisian Reflections, at the Time, when others Inherit what you leave unto them.

I only now annex the complement of one to his Friend, upon his Accession to an Estate; Much Good may it do you; that is, Much Good may you do with it.

I hope, we are now Ready for PROPOSALS. We shall Set our selves, To Devise Liberal Things.

Gentlemen, It is of old said, Res est Sacra Miser. To Relieve the Necessities of the Poor [Non Pavistis, occi|distis;] this is a thing Acceptable to the Compassio|nate God; who has given to You, what He might have given to Them; and has given it unto You that you might have the Honour and Pleasure to Impart it unto them: And who has told you, He that has Pitty on the Poor, Lends unto the Lord. The more you consider the Command and Image of a Glorious CHRIST in what you do this way, the more Assurance you have, that in the Day of God, you shall joy|fully hear Him Saying, You have done it unto me! And the more Humble, Silent, Reserved Modesty you express, concealing even from the Loft Hand what is done with the Right, the more you are Assured of, A Great Reward in the Heavenly World. Such Liberal men, 'tis observed, are usually Long-Lived Men. Fructus Li|berat Arborem. And at last, they pass from this unto Everlasting Life.

The Name of a LADY, what is it in the Original Sense of the Word? It was first, Leafdian, then Lafdy: from Leaf, or Laf, which Signifies, A Loaf of Bread. And from D'ian to Serve. As much as to say, One who distributes Bread. The true LADY, is one who feeds the Poor, and makes agreeable Distributions to their Indigencies. In the Dayes of Primitive

Christianity, the Ladies of the best Quality, would Seek and Find out the Sick and Visit the Hospitals, and see what Help they wanted; and help them with an admirable Alacrity. The Mother, and the Sister of Nazianzen, what a Good Report have they obtained from his Pen, for their unwearied Bounties to the Poor? Em|presses themselves have Stouped, & they never Look'd so Great, as in their Stouping, to releive the Miserable;

— And when they Stoup'd, it was to do Some Good to others. Angels, they do so!

When you keep your Dayes of Prayers, now is a Spe|cial Season for your Alms: That your Prayers may go up with your Alms, as a Memorial before the Lord. Ve|rily, There are Prayers in Alms. And, Is not this the Fast that I have Chosen, saith the Lord: The Note of the Beggar among the Jews was, Deser••e Something by me. Among us, it may be, Obtain Something by me.

There is a City in the World, where every House hath a Box hanging in a Chain, on which is Written, Think on the Poor; and they commonly conclude no Bargain, but more or less is put into the Box. The Deacons have the Key, and once a Quarter go round the City, and take out the Money. When that City was like to have been lost; One who was not the best man in the World, yet could say, That he was of Opi|nion, God would preserve that City from being Destroy'd, if it were only for the Great Charity they Express to the Poor. Tis the Richest City of the Richest Country, for its Big|ness, that ever was in the World. A City that it is thought, spends yearly in Charitable Uses, more than all the Revenues which the whole Fine Country of the Grand Duke of Tuscany brings in to the Arbitrary Master of it. You know, Manus Pauperum est Christi Gazophylacium.

When you Dispense your Alms, unto the Poor, who

know, what it is to Pray, you may oblige them to Pray for you by Name every Day. Tis an Excellent Thing to have, The Blessing of them that have been Ready to Perish, thus coming upon you. Behold, A Surprising Sense in which you may be, Praying alwayes. You are so, even while you are Sleeping, if those whom you have so obliged are thus Praying for you! And Now, Look for the Accomplishment of that word; Blessed is he that considers the Poor; The Lord will Preserve him and Keep him Alive; and he shall be blessed on the Earth.

Very often your Alms are dispersed among such as very much need Admonitions of Piety to accompany them. Can't you contrive, to intermix a Spiritual Charity, with your Temporal? Perhaps you may Dis|course with them about the State of their Souls, and ob|tain from them, which you now have a Singular Ad|vantage to do, some Declared Resolutions to Do what they ought to do. Or else you may convey Little Books unto them, which certainly they will Promise to Read, when you thus bespeak their doing so.

Charity to the Souls of Men, is undoubtedly the High|est and the Noblest Charity, and of the greatest Conse|quence. To furnish the Poor with Catechisms, and Bibles, is to do an unknown Deal of Good unto them. To Publish and Scatter Books of Piety, and to put into the Hands of Mankind such Treatises of Divinity as may have a Tendency to make them Wiser or Better; no man knows what Good he does in doing such things! It was exellently done of some Good men, who, a lit|tle while ago were at the Charge of Printing Thirty Thousand of the, Alarm to the Ʋnconverted, written by Joseph Allein, to be all given away unto such as would promise to Read it. A man of no great Estate has be|fore now with no great Trouble, given away the best part of a Thousand Books of Piety, Every year for ma|ny years together. Who can tell, but with the Expence

of less than a Shilling, Sir, you may Convert a Sinner from the Error of his way, & Save a Soul from Death! A worse Doom, than a, Damnatio ad metalla, is upon the Soul, who had rather hoard up his Money, than Employ it on such a Charity.

He that Supports the Office of the Evangelical Ministry, Supports a Good Work; and performs One; yea, at the Second Hand performs what is done by the skilful, faithful, painful Minister, and that is many an one. The Encouraged Servant of the Lord, will do the more Good, for your Assistences, Tis done for a Glorious CHRIST, what you have done for him; and in Consideration of the Glorious Gospel Preached by him. And you shall Receive a Prophets Reward! Luther Said, Si quid Scholasticis confers, Deo ipsi Contulisti. Tis more Sensibly So, when the Scholars are become Godly & Useful Preachers.

I have read this Passage,

It was for several years, the Practice of a Worthy Gentleman, in Renewing his Leases, instead of making it a Condition, that his Tenants should keep an Hawk or a Dog for him, to oblige them, that they should keep a Bible in their Houses, for themselves, and should bring up their Children to Read and be Catechised.

Land lords, 'Tis worth your Considering, whether you may not in your Leases, insert some Clauses, that may Serve the Kingdom of God. You are his Tenants, in those very Freeholds, where you are Land lords to other men! Oblige your Tenants to Worship God in their Families.

To take a Poor Child, especially an Orphan, Left in Poverty, and bestow an Education upon it, especially if it be a Liberal Education, is an admirable, & a com|plicated Charity; yea, it may draw on a long Train of Good, and interest you in all the Good that shall be done by those whom you have Educated

Hence also what is done for Schools, and for Colledges, and for Hospitals, is done for a General Good. The

Endowing of these, or the Maintaining of them, is, At once to Do Good unto many.

But, alas, how much of the Silver and Gold in the World, is buried in Hands, where 'tis little better than convey'd back to the Mines from whence it came? Or Employ'd unto as little purpose, as what arrives at Indostan, where a large part of the Silver and Gold of the World, is after a Circulation carried as unto a Fatal Center, and by the Moguls lodg'd in Subser|raneous Caves, never to see the light any more. Talia non facit bonae Fidei ac spei Christianus.

Sometimes there may be got ready for the Press, Elaborate Composures, of Great Bulk, and Greater Worth, by which the best Interests of Knowledge and Vertue, may be considerably Served in the World; [Perhaps, what may be called, as the Ostapla of Origen was, Opus Ecclesiae:] they ly like the impotent Man at the Pool of Bethesda; and there they are like to ly, till God inspire Some Wealthy Persons, to Sub|scribe nobly for their Publication, and by this Gene|rous Application of their Wealth to bring them abroad▪ The Names of such Noble Benefactors to Mankind, ought to Live, as long as the Works themselves; where the Works do any Good, what these have done towards the Publishing of them, Ought to be told for a Memorial of them.

Yea, I will carry the matter further than so. The Saying may seem to carry some Affront in it; Idle Gentlemen and Idle Beggars, are the Posts of the Common Wealth. But they that are offended must quarrel with the Ashes of a Bishop. T'was Dr. Sandersons. Will you then think, Sirs, of some Honourable and Agreeable Employments? I will mention one. The Pythagoreans forbad mens eating their own Brains; or keeping their good Thoughts to themselves. Tis an Observation of the Incomparable Boyl,

That as to Religious Books in

general, it has been Observed, That those Penn'd by Lay men, and especially Gentlemen, have (Caeteris Paribus) been better Entertained, and more Effectu|al than those of Ecclesiasticks.

We all know, His own were so. It is no rare thing for Men of Quality, to accomplish themselves in Languages and Sciences, until they have been Prodigies of Literature. Their Li|braries too, have been Stupendous Collections; ap|proaching towards Vatican or Bodleian Dimensions. An English Gentleman has been sometimes the most Accomplish'd Thing in the whole World. How many of these (besides a Leigh, a Wolsely, or a Polhil,) have been Benefactors to Mankind by their incomparable Wri|tings? It were mightily to be wish'd, That Rich Men, and Persons of an Elevated Condition, would Qualify themselves, for the use of the Pen, as well as of the Sword; and by their Pen deserve to have it said of them, They have Written Excellent things. An Eng|lish Person of Quality in a Book of his Entituled, A View of the Soul, has a Passage, which I will Address you with. Sayes he, It is certainly, the Highest Dignity, if not the Greatest Happiness, Humane Nature is capable of, here in the vale below, to have the Soul so far enlightned as to become the Mirror, or Conduit, or Conveyer of Gods Truth to others. It is an Ill Motto for Men of Capacity, My Vnderstanding is Vnfruitful, Gentlemen, Consider what Subjects may most Properly & Usefully fall under your Cultivation. Your Pen will Stab Atheism and Wickedness, with an Efficacy beyond other mens: If out of your Tribe there come those who handle the Pen of the Writer, they will do uncommon Execution. One of them has ingeniously told you; Tho' I know some Functions, yet I know no Truths of Religion, like the Shew bread; Matth. 12.4 only for the Priests.

I will address you, with one PROPOSAL, more. Tis, That you would [As Ambrosius had his Origen,] wisely chuse a Friend of Shining A|bilities, of Hearty Affections, and of Excellent Piety: A Minister of such a Character, if it may be. And Entreat him, yea, Oblige him, to Study for you, and Suggest to you, Opportunities to Do Good: make him, as I may say, your Monitor. Let him Advise you from time to time, what Good you may do. Cause him to see, that he never gratifies you more, than by his Advice upon this Incention. If a David have a Seer to do such a Good Office for him, and be on the Look out for to find out what Good he may do, what Services may be done for the Temple of God in the World▪

There seems no Need of adding any thing but this. When Gentlemen occasionally come toge|ther, why should not their Conversation be agree|able to their Superiour Quality? Methinks they should reckon it beneath People of their Qua|lity to Employ their Conversation with one ano|ther on trifling Impertinencies; or at such a rate, that if their Discourse were taken down in short|hand by one behind the Hangings, they would blush to have it Repeated unto them. Nihil sed Nugae, et Risus, et verba proferuntur in ventum. Sirs, It becomes a Gentleman, to Entertain his Company, with the Finest Thoughts, on the Finest Themes! But certainly, there cannot be any Subject so worthy of a Gentleman as this; What Good there is to be done in the World? Were this

noble Subject oftner Started in the Conversation of Gentlemen, an incredible Deal of Good would be done.

I will conclude with Saying, you must come forth to any Publick Service whereof you may be capable, when you are call'd unto it. Honest Jeans has a Pungent Passage; The World applauds the Politick Retiredness of those that bury their Parts and Gifts, in an obscure Privacy, tho' both from God and Man, they have a fair call to Publick Employ|ment; But the terrible censure of these men by Christ at the last Day, will discover them to be the arrantest Fools, that ever were upon the Face of the Earth. That Fault of not Employing ones Parts for the Publick, One calls, A Great Sacriledge in the Tem|ple of the God of Nature. It was a Sad Age, where|in Tacitus tells, Inertia fuit Sapientia.

§ 20. YOu may Remember, That One of the First of our PROPOSALS was, For EVERY ONE, to consider, What is there that I may do for the Service of God, and the Welfare of Man? Tis to be Expected, That all OFFICERS, As such, will conform, to what has been thus Proposed. It should be the concern of all Offi|cers, from the Emperour to the Enomotarch, To do all the Good they can. So then, there is the less Need of making a more Particular Application to Lesser Officers of several Sorts, who have Opportu|nities to Do Good, more or less, in every one of their hands. However, they shall not All of

them, complain that we have Neglected them.

In the CHURCH, sometimes there are Elders, (as in the Primitive Times, Ecclesia Seniores habuit,) who Rule well, tho' they Labour not in the Word and Doctrine. It becomes these often to consider; What shall I do, to prevent the rise of Strife, or of any Sin, that may be a Root of Bitterness in the Flock? And, that Christ, and Holi|ness may Reign in it; and the Pastor have his Mini|stry Countenanced, Encouraged, and Prospered? Their Visits of the Flock, and their Endeavours to Pre|pare People for Special Ordinances, may be of un|known Advantage to Religion.

There are Deacons, Entrusted with the Temporal Affairs of the Society. It would be well, if these would oftner consider; What may I do, that the Treasury of Christ may be increased? And, What may I do, that the Life of my faithful Pastor may be more comfortable to him! And, whom of the Flock do I think defective in their Contributions to Support the Evangelical Interests, and what shall I Speak with Great Boldness in the Faith unto them?

In the STATE, there are many Officers, to whom the most Significant and Comprehensive PROPOSAL, that can be made, would be, To Consider their OATHES? If they would Seri|ously Ponder, and faithfully Perform, what their Oathes, oblige 'em to, a Deal of Good would be done.

But we must a little Particularize.

The Representatives of any Place; as

they have Opportunities to Do Good for the whole People; and should accordingly think, What Motions to make? So they should be Particularly Sollicitous for the Good of that Place, which has Elected them.

Those whom we call, The Select-men of a Town, will fail a just Expectation, if they do not inquisitively consider this Point; What shall I do, that I may be a Blessing to the Town, which I am now to Serve?

Grand-Iury-men, may very profitably Consider; What Growing Evils or Nusance, do I discover, whereof I shall do well to Procure a Presen|tation? They should hold their Consultations, upon this matter, as Men in Earnest for the Good of the Country.

Indeed, all Jury-men should be, Boni Homines, that is to Say, Good Men. Our Old Compellati|on of a Neighbour, by the Title, of, Goodman, was of this Original; As much as to say, One Qualified to Serve on a Jury. But then, let them Do Good; and Contrive, How they may do it.

Why should Constables be Excused! Their Name, [Constabularius] first came, from the care of Making unruly Horses to Stand well together in the Stable. Sirs, Tis very much Good that you have to do, by being Masters of Restraint, in your Walks, and otherwise, unto unruly Cattle. What are Vi|cious People, (tho' Perhaps in Honour,) but like the Beasts? Well-disposed Constables in a Place, have done wondrous Things, to keep up Good

Order in it. Your Thoughts on, What Good may I do? And, your Consultations, I beseech you!

And where Tithing-men are Chosen and Sworn, 'tis more than a little Good, which they may do, if they will conscientiously do their Duty. Let them Study well the Laws, which lay down their Duty; and let them also often Consider, What Good may I do? And consult with one ano|ther at certain times, to find out what they have to do, and assist and strengthen one another, in the doing of it.

I have done with the Civil List.

Military Commanders, have their Op|portunities to Do Good. They do it very much, when they uphold Exercises of Piety, in their seve|ral Regiments and Companies. And when they Rebuke the Vices of the Camp, with a due Severity. Might not Societies to Suppress those Vices, be formed in the Camp, to very Good Purpose, under their Inspection? — But if the Souldiers ask, What shall we do? All my Answer at present, is only; Sirs, Consider what you have to do.

Commanders at Sea, have their Op|portunities too. The more Absolute they are in their Command, the Greater their Opportuni|ties. The Worship of God Seriously & Constant|ly Maintained aboard, will be of Good conse|quence. A Body of Good Orders, hung up in the Steeridge, and carefully Executed, may prove that which all the People of the Vessel may at last see cause to be very thankful for. Books of

Piety should also be taken aboard, and the men be call'd upon to Retire for the Perusal thereof, and for other Pious Actions.

But while our Book seems to have so far dis|charged its Office and Purpose of, A Counsellor, as to leave no further Expectations, there Present themselves a Considerable Number of Persons, who may justly Complain of it, if among PRO|POSALS to Do Good, they be left Unconsidered. Some whom we do not find among them that Addressed the Blessed Morning-Star of our Savi|our, for his Direction, yet are now found among those who Enquire; And what shall we do? The Gentlemen of the LAW, who have that in their hands, the End whereof is, To Do Good; and the Perversion of which from its Professed End, is one of the Worst of Evils.

Gentlemen, Your Opportunities to Do Good, are such, and so Liberal, and Gentlemanly, is your Education, [For even for the Common Pleaders at the Bar, I hope, that Maxim of the Law, will not be forgotten; Dignitas Advocato|rum non patitur ut in eām recipiatur, qui antea fuerat Vilioris Conditionis:] that PROPOSALS of what you may do, cannot but Promise themselves an Obliging Reception with you. Tis not come to so sad a pass, That an Honest Lawyer, may as of old, the Honest Publican, require a Statue, meerly on the Score of Rarity. You may, if you Study it, come to do so, on the Score of Universal & Meritorious Usefulness.

In order to your being Useful, Sirs, tis neces|sary that you be Skilful. And that you may ar|rive to an Excellent Skill in the Law, you will be well advised, what Authors to Study; With the Well-advised in this Point, there may be more than a little Wisdom. The Knowledge of your own Statute-Law, is incontestably needful; and so, of the Common-Law, which continually must accompany the Execution of it. Here (besides needful Dictionaries) you have your Cooks, and your Vaughans, and your Windgates, and your Daltons, and your Kebles; and as many more, as you have Time to Converse withal. I am sorry to find a Gentleman about the middle of the for|mer Century Complaining about the English Law, That the Books of it cannot be Read over, under Three or Four Years, with any Deliberation; and that at an ordinary rate they Cost above Twenty Pounds. I do not propound so long and hard a Task. For the Civil Law must also be known by them that would be well acquainted with Legal Proceedings. Volumns, huge ones and Cartloads of them, have been Written upon it; but among all these, me|thinks at least those two little ones; the Enchiri|dion of Corvinus, and Arthur Ducks Treatise, De usu et Authoritate Juris Civilis; ought to be Con|sulted, yea, Digested, by one that would not be an Ignoramus. I will be yet a little more free, in declaring my Opinion. Had I Learning enough to manage a Cause of that nature, I should be very ready to maintain it at any Bar

in the World, That there never was known un|der the Cope of Heaven, a more Learned man, than the Incomparable ALSTEDIUS. He has Written on every one of the Subjects in the whole Circle of Learning, as Accurately and as Exquisite|ly as those men, who have spent all their Lives in Cultivating but any one of the Subjects. The only Reason, why his Composures are no more Esteemed, is, the Pleonasm of his Worth, and their Deserving so much Esteem. To hear some Silly and Flashy men, with a Scornful Sneer talk as if they had sufficiently done his Business, by a Foolish Pun of, All's Tedious, is to see the Un|grateful and Exalted Folly of the World; for, Conciseness is one of his Peculiar Excellencies; They might more justly call him any thing than Tedious. This Digression only serves to intro|duce a Recommendation of this Excellent mans, Jarisprudentia, as one of the best Things a Lawyer can be acquainted withal. I shall wrong it, if I say, Tis Much in a Little; I must say, Tis All at Once.

A Lawyer should be a Scholar. It Vexes one, that the Emperor Justinian, whose Name is now upon the Laws of the Roman Empire, (because 'twas by his Order Tribonian made his Hasty, and some say Fallacious and Unfaithful Collection of them, from the Two Thousand Volumns, into which they had been growing for above a Thou|sand Years:) is by Suidas called, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, One that scarce knew his Alphabet. It is a Vexation to

find Accursius, one of the First Glossators on the Laws, fall into so many Gross mistakes, thro' his Ignorance; and unable to afford, when a Sentence of Greek occurs in the Text, any bet|ter Gloss than this; Haec Graica sunt, quae nec Legi, nec intelligi Possunt. Tho' the thing were a Tri|fle, it was no honour unto those Writers on the Pandect, that they knew not what Gender the Name was of. It is odd, that when one Title of the Law is, Of the Signification of words, the great Interpreter of it, should leave it as a Maxim, De Verbebus non curat Juris Consultus. However, a Bartolus has not so Roughen'd your Study, as a Budaeas has Polish'd it.

But, Sirs, When you are called upon to be Wise, the main Intention is, That you may be wise to do Good. Without a Disposition for this, Doth not their Excellency which is in them go away? They Dy even without Wisdom. A Foundation of Piety must be first laid; An Inviolable Respect unto the Holy and Just and Good Laws of the Infinite GOD. This must be the Rule of all your Actions; and it must particularly Regulate your Practice of the Law. You are sensible, that it was ever the Style of the Civil Law, to begin, A Deo Optimo Maximo. Nor was it unusual for the In|struments of the Law, to begin with ΧRgr;, the two first Letters, abbreviating the Name of ΧΡΙΣΤΟʗ, for which the Notaries have ignorantly Substi|tuted an [X.P.] of later Times. The Life of the Lawyer should have its beginning there, and be

carried on with an Eye thither. The Old Saxon Laws, had the TEN Great Precepts of the De|calogue prefixed in the Front of them: Ten Words, in two Tables of infinitely more Account than the Famous Twelve Tables, that were so admired by Tully, and by other Antiquity; in the Fragments whereof collected by your Balduin and others, there are yet some things horribly Unrighteous and Barbarous. These are to be the First Laws with you: and as all the Laws that are contrary to these, are ipso facto null and void; So in the Practice of the Law, every thing that is Disallow'd by these, is to be avoided. The man whom the Scripture calls, A Lawyer, was a Karaite, or one who kept close to the Written Law of God, in opposition to the Pharisee, and the Traditionist. I know not why every Lawyer, should not still be in the best sense, a Karaite. By Expressing a Reverence for the Divine Law, both that of Reason, and that of superadded Gospel, you will Do Good in the world, beyond what you can imagine. You will Redeem your honourable Profession from the wrong which Ill Men have done to the Reputation of it; And you will obtain another Patronage for it, than what the Satyr in the Idle Story of your Saint Evona has assigned it.

Your Celebrated Ulpian, wrote Seven Books, to show the several Punishments, which ought to be inflicted on Christians. It is to be hoped, that you will invent as many Services to be done unto the Cause of Christianity; Services to be done for

the Kingdom of your Saviour; and Methods to demonstrate your own being among the Best of Christians.

I am not sure, our Tertullian was the Gentle|man of that Name, who hath some Consulta in the Roman Digesta: Some writers of his Life (as well as Grotius) will not have it so. Yet Euse|bius tells us, he was well skilled in the Roman Laws. And in his Writings you have many Law-terms; particularly, Prescriptions (the Title of his Treatises against Hereticks) were, as we learn from Quintilian and others, the Replies of Defendents, to the Actions of the Plaintiffs. I pro|pose, That others of the Faculty, Study all pos|sible Prescriptions against them, who would hurt Christianity, and Apologies for the Church and Cause of our Saviour. But, Sirs, It must first of all be done, in your own Vertuous, Exact, Upright Conduct, under all Temptations.

The Miscarrriages of some Individuals, must not bring a Blemish, on a Noble and Useful Profession.

But many will be ready enough, to allow of a Censure occurring in a late Book Entituled, Examen Miscellaneum: (and I know scarce any thing else worth Quoting from it:) A Lawyer that is a Knave, deserves Death, more than a Band of Robbers; for he Profanes the Sanctuary of the Di|stressed, and Betrayes the Liberties of the People. To+ward off such a Censure, a Lawyer must shun all those Indirect Ways of Making Hast to be Rich, in

which a man cannot be Innocent: Such as pro|voked the Father of Sir Matthew Hale, to give over the Practice of the Law, because of the Ex|treme Difficulty to preserve a Good Conscience in it. Sir, Be prevailed withal, to keep constantly a Court of Chancery in your own Breast; and Scorn and Fear to do any thing, but what your Con|science will pronounce, Consistent with, yea, Conducing to, Glory to God in the Highest, on Earth Peace, Good-will towards men. The very Nature of your Business, leads you to Meditations on a Judgment to come. Oh! That you would so Rea|lize and Antedate that Judgment, as to do no|thing, but what you may verily Believe, will be approved in it!

This Piety must Operate very particularly, in the Pleading of Causes. You will abhor, Sir, to appear in a Dirty Cause. If you discern, that your Client has an Unjust Cause, you will faith|fully advise him of it. Utrum Fallacijs et Decep|tionibus ad Convincendum Adversarium uti Liceat? This is the Question. Tis to be hoped, That you have determined it like an Honest Man. You will be Sincerely desirous, Truth and Right may take place. You will speak nothing that shall be to the Prejudice of Either. You will abominate the use of all unfair Arts, to Confound Evidences, to Browbeat Testimonies, to Suppress what may give Light in the Case. You have nothing a|gainst that old Rule of Pleading a Cause; Cog|nita Iniquitate, a Suscepto Ejus Patrocinio Advocatus desistere debet.

I Remember Schusterus, a Famous Lawyer and Counsellor, who Died at Heidelberg, A. C. 1672. had one admirable stroke in his Epitaph;

Morti proximus Vocem emisit; Nihil se unquam suasisse consilio, Cujus jam jam Moriturum peniteret.

A Lawyer who can go out of the world with such Expressions, were a greater Blessing to the World, than can be Expressed.

I cannot Encourage any Gentleman, to spend much Time in the Study of the Canon-Law: which Baptista á Sancto Blasio, finds to Contradict the Civil Law in Two Hundred Instances. The Decrees, and the Decretals, and the Clementines and Extravagants, which Compose the hideous Vo|lumns of that Law, would compel any Wise man, to make the Apology, that one such made, for his Aversion thereunto; Non possum, Domine, vesci stercore humano. Agrippa, who was a Doctor thereof, said of that Law, Tis neither of God, nor for Him; Nothing but Corruption invented it; No|thing but Avarice has Practised it. Luther began the Reformation with Burning of it. Neverthe|less, there is one Point in the Canon Law much insisted on, which well deserves very much of your Consideration; That is, Restitution. When men Get Riches and not by Right, or have heaped up Wealth in any Dishonest and Criminal ways, a Restitution will be a Necessary and Essential In|gredient of that Repentance, which alone will find

Acceptance with Heaven. The Awe of this Thought may stand like an Angel with a Drawn Sword in your way, when you may be under Temptation to go out of your way after the Wages of Unrighteousness. Our Law was once gi|ven unto us in French. Many of you, Gentlemen, ken the Modern French as well as the Ancient. Monsier Placette has given you a Valuable Trea|tise, of Restitution. In his Treatise, there is a Chapter, Des cas ou les Advocats sont obliges â Restituer. In that Chapter there are some who will find a sad Bill of Costs Taxed for them. And among other very true Assertions, this is one; S'il Exige une Recompense Excessive et disproportionée â ce qu'il fait, il est obligé â Restituer ce qu'il prend de trop. In plain English; Excessive Fees must be disgorged by Restitution. It should be thought upon.

There has been an old Complaint, That a Good Lawyer seldom is a Good Neighbour. You know how to Confute it, Gentlemen, by making your Skill in the Law, a Blessing to your Neigbourhood. It was affirm'd and foretold as long ago as old Sallust; Sine Considicis satis faelices olim fuere, fu|turaeque sunt urbes. You may, Gentlemen, if you please, be a vast Accession to the Felicity of your Countreys.

You shall have some of my PROPOSALS for it, in an Historical Exhibition. In the Life of Mr. John Cotton, there is related this Passage concerning his Father, who was a Lawyer

That worthy man was very Singular, in Two most Imitable Practices. One was, That when any of his Neighbours, desirous to Sue one another, addressed him for Counsel, it was his manner, in the most Perswasive and Obli|ging Terms that could be, to Endeavour a Reconciliation between both Parties; Preferring the Consolations of a Peace-maker, before all the Fees that he might have got, by blowing up of Differences. Another was, That Every Night, it was his Custom to Examine himself, with Re|flections on the Transactions of the Day past; wherein if he found, that he had not either Done Good unto others, or Got Good unto his own Soul, he would be as much Grieved, as ever the Famous Titus was, when he could Com|plain in the Evening, Amici, Diem per|didi.

What a Noble Thing would it be for you, to find out Oppressed Widows, and Orphans, and such as can appear no otherwise than, In forma Pau|peris; Objects in whose Oppression, Might over|comes Right; and Generously Plead their Cause? Deliver the Poor and Needy, rid them out of the hand of the Wicked. It will be a Glorious and a God|like Action!

Wealthy People going to make their Wills, often ask your Advice. You may take the Op|portunity to Advise them, unto such Liberali|ties upon Pious Uses, as may greatly advance the Kingdom of God in the World.

And, when you have an Opportunity by Law to Rescue, The Things that are God's, from the Sacrilegious Hands of the men that would Rob God, it is to be hoped, you will do it with all possible Generosity and Alacrity.

O Excellent Imitation of our Glorious AD|VOCATE in the Heavens!

Is there nothing to be mended in the Laws? Perhaps, you may discover many things yet wanting in the Laws; Mischiefs in the Execution and Application of the Laws, which ought to be better provided against; Mischiefs annoying of Mankind, against which no Laws are yet pro|vided. The Reformation of the Law, and more Law for the Reformation of the World, is what is mightily called for. I don't say, The Laws can be so Reduced, that like those of Geneva, Five Sheets of Paper may hold them all; but certainly the Laws may be so Corrected, that the World may more Sensibly and Generally feel the Be|nefit of them. If some Lawyers that are Men of an Excellent spirit, would Employ their Thoughts this way, and bring their Thoughts to pass in a Parlaimentary way, all the World might fare the better for them. An Honest Gentleman more than Fifty Years ago, wrote an, Examen Legum Angliae, worthy to be taken at this Day, into your Consideration.

Your Learning often Qualifies you to Write Excellent Things, not only in your own Profession, but also on all the Entertaining and Edifying

Themes in the World. The Books that have been Written by Learned Lawyers, would for Number almost Equal an Alexandrian Library. Judge by a Freherus's Catalogues, or, by a Pryns Performances. What Rare and Rich Books, have been Written by an Hale, by a Grotius, and by a Solden? Sirs, You may Plead the Cause of Re|ligion, and of the Reformation, by your well-di|rected Pens; and you may do Innumerable Services. There is one at this Day, who in his, History of the Apostles Creed, and his Accounts of the Primitive Church, has Obliged us to say, That he has offered as a KING to the Temple of the King of Heaven. May the Lord his God Accept him!

I must now break off.

If you be called, Sir, to the Administration of Justice, in the Quality of a Iudge, you will prescribe to your self Rules, like those, which the Renowned Lord Chief Justice Hale, so Religi|ously observed, as to become a bright Example for all that Sit in the Seat of Judicature. The Sum of his, were;

That Justice be administred, Uprightly, De|liberately, Resolutely.

That I rest not on my own Understanding, but implore the Direction of GOD.

That in the Execution of Justice, I carefully lay aside my own Passions, and not give way to them, however provoked.

That I be wholly Intent on the Business I am about.

That I suffer not my self to be Prepossessed with any Judgment at all, till all the Business, and both Parties are heard.

Of such Methods, to Do Good, and Serve the Cause of Righteousness, & bring on the Promised Age, wherein the People shall be Righteous, the very least of all the Glorious Recompences, will be the Establishment of your Profession, in such a Reputation, as very many Incomparable Persons in it have deserved; and the most Prejudiced People in the world, Enquiring after the Ble|mishes of it, must be forced only to bring in an, Ignoramus.

§ 21. REforming-Societies, or Societies for the Suppression of Disorders, have begun to grow somewhat into Fashion; and it is one of the best Omens that the World has upon it. Behold, how great a Matter a little of this Hea|venly Fire may Kindle! Five or Six Gentlemen in London, began with an Heroic Resolution, & Association, to Encounter the Torrent of Wick|edness, which was carrying all before it in the Nation. More were soon added unto them; and tho' they met with great Opposition, from Wicked Spirits, and these Incarnate as well as In|visible, and some in High Places too, yet they pro|ceeded with a most honourable and invincible Courage. Their Success, if not proportionable to their Courage, yet was far from Contemptible. In the Punishments inflicted on them who trans|gressed

the Laws of Good Morality, there were soon offered many Thousands of Sacrifices, unto the Holiness of GOD. Hundreds of Houses which were the Chambers of Hell, and the Scandals of Earth, were soon Extinguished. There was a Remarkable Check soon given to raging Profa|nity; and the Lords-Day was not openly and hor|ribly Profaned as formerly. And among other Essays to Do Good, they Scattered Thousands of Good Books, that had a Tendency to Reform the Evil Manners of the People. It was not long before this Excellent Example was followed in other parts of the British Empire. Vertuous men of diverse Qualities and Perswasions, became the Members of the Societies: Persons High and Low, Con and Non-con, United; the Union became Formidable to the Kingdom of Darkness. The Report of the Societies flew over the Seas; the Pattern was follow'd in other Country's; Men of Wisdom in Remote Parts of Europe have made their joyful Remark upon them, That they cause Unspeakable Good, & annunciate a more illustrious State of the Church of God, which is to be Expected, in the Conversion of Jews and Gentiles. America too, begins to be Irradiated with them!

I will Recite an Account formerly offered unto the Publick, of what may be done by such Societies.

What incredible Advantages would arise unto Re|ligion, from Reforming-Societies, if the Disposition to them should not fall under unhappy Languishments? And if Religion flourish, and Iniquity dare no longer

show its Head, what Prosperity of every Kind, & in every Thing, would be the Consequence: A small Society may prove an Incomparable and Invaluable Blessing to a Town, whose Welfare shall become the Object of their Watchful Enquiries: They may be as a Gar|rison to defend it from the worst of its Enemies: They may quickly render it, A Mountain of Holiness, and a Dwelling of Righteousness, that shall Enjoy the most Gracious Presence of the Lord. The Society may do Considerable things towards the Execution of Whole|some Laws, whereby Vice is to be discouraged. Of|fendors against those Laws may be kept under such a Vigilant Inspection, that they shall not escape a due Chastisement for their Offences. The Effects of such a Chastisement may be, that the Rebuked and Cen|sured Sinners will be Reclamed from their Sins; or, however, the Judgments of God, which would break forth where such things are Indulged, will be Di|verted. Ʋbi Judicium, ibi non est Judicium. Swearing and Cursing will not infect the Air; Men will not Reel along the Streets, turn'd into Swine by their Cups. The Cages of Ʋnclean Birds will be dissipated. They whom Idleness renders Dead while they Live, will have an Honest Employment ordered for them, whereby they may Earn an Honest Livelihood And the Lords-Day will Visibly be kept Holy to the Lord; which one thing will soon Irradiate a Place, with a most lovely Holiness and Happiness. Vice is a Cowardly Thing; it will wonderfully shrink before those that will Visibly go to make Head against it. If any Laws to Regu|late what is amiss, be yet wanting, the Society may procure the Legislature Power to be so address'd, that all due Provision will soon be made by our Law-gi|vers. What is Defective in the By-Laws of the Town, may be by the Society, so observed, that the Town shall 〈…〉〈…〉, and the thing redressed. The

Choice of such Officers as may be Faithful and Use|ful to the Publick, may be very much influenced by the Society. If any sort of Men, are notoriously De|fective in their Duty, the Society may by directing Admonitions and Remonstrances unto them soon procure the Defects to be amended. If any Families live without Family-Worship, the Society may tell their Pastor of them, and pray him to Visit them, and Exhort them, and Perswade them, to continue no longer in their Paganism and Atheism; or, if any are like to be Led away by Seducers, or other Temptations, a Care may in this way be taken of them. Schools of all Kinds, may in many Kinds fare the better for the Society; [And Charity-Schools be Erected, Inspected, and Supported.] BOOKS that have in them the Salt of Heaven, may by means of the Society be Sprinkled all over the Land; and the Savour of Truth be dispersed about the Countrey. Finally; The So|ciety may find out, who are in Extreme Necessities, and may either by their own Liberality, or by that of others to whom they shall Commend the matter, ob|tain Succours for the Necessitous.

We know, That a Small Society may do such Things, because to our Knowledge, it has already done them; and yet, it has been concealed from the Knowledge of the world, who they were which did them. And with Minds that have any Generosity or Ingenuity in them, Elevating them above the Dregs of Mankind, there will need no other Argument for the Production of such a Society, than the Prospect of such Excellent Things. These are Things that will Mightily Commend themselves unto the Thoughts of Well-inclined men; and they will Easily see it their Honour, to be of a Society that will Pursue such Excellent Ends.

The Repetition of these Passages, is enough to make way for the PROPOSAL;

That a Fit Number in a Neighbourhood, whose Hearts God has touched with a Zeal to Do Good, would Combine into a Society, to meet, when & where they shall agree; and Consider that Case, What are the Disorders that we may fee Rising among us? And what may be done, either by our selves immediately, or by others thro' our Advice, to Sup|press those Disorders? That they would obtain if they can, the Presence of a Minister with them; and every time they meet, have a Prayer wherein the Glorious Lord shall be call'd upon, to Bless the Design, Direct and Prosper it. That they would also have a Justice of Peace, if it may be, to be a Member of the Society. That they once in half a Year Choose two Stewards, to dispatch the Businesses and Messages of the Society, and manage the Votes in it; who shall Nominate unto the Society their Successors, when their Term is Ex|pired. That they would have a Faithful Trea|surer, in whose Hands their Stock of Charity may be deposited: And a Clerk, to keep a conveni|ent Record of Transactions and Purposes. And, fi|nally, That they do with as Modest and Silent a Conduct as may be, carry on all their Under|takings.

In a Town accommodated with several such Societies, it has been an Usage, that Once a Year, they have met, all of them together, in one Place, and have had a Day of Prayer, in which

they have Humbled themselves for doing so little Good, and besought the Pardon of their Unfruit|fulness, thro' the Blood of the Great Sacrifice; and implored the Blessing of Heaven on the Essays to Do Good, which they have made, and the Counsel and Conduct of Heaven, for their further Essays; and such Influences of Heaven, as may bring a|bout those Reformations, which it was not in their Power to accomplish.

I will finish the PROPOSAL, by Reciting the Points of Consideration which the SO|CIETIES may have Read unto them from time to time at their Meetings, with a due Pause upon each of them, for any one to offer what he please upon it.

I. IS there any Remarkable Disorder in the Place, that requires our Endeavour for the Suppres|sion of it? And in what Good, Fair, likely way, may we Endeavour it?

II. Is there any Particular Person, whose Dis|orderly Behaviours may be so Scandalous & so Noto|rious, that we may do well to send unto the said Person our Charitable Admonitions? Or, Are there any Contending Persons, whom we should Admonish, to Quench their Contentions?

III. Is there any Special Service to the Interests of Religion, which we may conveniently desire our Ministers, to take notice of?

IV. Is there any thing, which we may do well to Mention and Recommend unto the Iustices, for the further Promoting of Good Order?

V. Is there any Sort of Officers among us, to such a Degree unmindful of their Duty, that we may do well to Mind them of it?

VI. Can any further Methods be devised, that Ig|norances and Wickedness may be more chased from our People in general? And that Household-Piety in Particular, may flourish among them?

VII. Does there appear any Instance of Oppression or Fraudulence, in the Dealings of any Sort of People, that may call for our Essayes, to get it Rectified?

VIII. Is there any matter to be humbly moved un|to the Legislative Power to be Enacted into a Law for Publick Benefit?

IX. Do we know of any Person languishing under Sad and Sore Affliction; And is there any thing that we may do, for the Succour of such an Afflicted Neighbour?

X. Has any Person any Proposal to make, for our own further Advantage and Assistence, that we our selves may be in a Probable and Regular Capacity, to Pursue the Intentions before us?

My Reader, Look now towards Heaven, and tell the Stars, if thou be able to Number them, which the Telescopes have already discovered, and are still to fetch into their Discovery, besides the Nine|teen Hundred, which are brought down into the Later Globes; Yea, Tell first the Leaves of an Hercynian Forrest, and the Drops of an Atlantick Ocean; Then tell how many Good Things may be done, by Societies of Good Men, having such Points of Consideration always before them!

And yet, when such Societies have done all the Good they can and nothing but Good, and walk on in a more unspotted Brightness than that of the Moon in Heaven, let them look to be Maligned, and Libell'd; As, A set of Scoundrels,

who are Maintain'd by Lying, Serve God for Un|righteous Gain, and Ferret Whores for Subsistence; and are not more Unanimous against Immorality in their Informations, than for it in their Practice: A|void no Sins in themselves, and will suffer none in any Body else. I suppose, they that Publish their Censures on the Manners of the Age will express this Malignity, because they have done so. Sirs, Add to your Faith, Courage, and be Arm'd for such Trials of it!

§ 22. WE will not Propose, That our Essays to Do Good, should ever come to an End. But we will now put an End unto this, of Tendring PROPOSALS for it. It shall Conclude with Catalogus Desideratorum, or a men|tion of some Obvious, and General Services for the Kingdom of God among Mankind, whereto 'twere to be desired, that Religious and Ingeni|ous men might be Awakened.

A Catalogue of Desirables, waiting for the Zeal of Good Men to Prosecute them.

[Difficilem rem optas; Generis Humani Innocentiam!]

I. The Propagation of the Holy and Glorious Religion of CHRIST; a Religion which Eman|cipates Mankind from the worst of Slaveries and Miseries, and wonderfully Ennobles it; and which alone prepares men for the Blessedness of ano|ther World: Why is this no more Endeavoured

by the Professors of it? PROTESTANTS, why will you be out-done by Popish Idolaters! Oh! the vast Pains which those Bigots, have taken, to carry on the Romish Merchandises and Idola|tries! No less than Six hundred Clergy-men, in that one order of the Jesuites, did within a Few years, at several times, Embark themselves for China, to win over that mighty Nation unto their Bastard-Christianiy. No less than Five Hundred of them Lost their Lives, in the Diffi|culties of their Enterprize; and yet the Survi|vers go on with it; Expressing a sort of Trou|ble, that it fell not unto their Share to make a Sa|crifice of their Lives, in Enterprising the Propa|gation of Religion. O my God, I am Ashamed, & blush to Lift up my Face unto thee my God! It were but a Christian, but a Grateful, but an Equal Thing; but who can foretel what Prosperity might be the Recompence! If our Companies and Factories, would set a part a more considera|ble part of their Gains for this work, and set up|on a more vigorous Prosecution of it. Gordons proposal, unto all men of Estates, to Set a part a Small part of their Estates for this purpose, [At the End of his Geography,] should be taken into further consideration. What has been done by the Dutch Missionaries at Ceylon, and what is do|ing by the Danish Missionaries at Malabar; One would think, might Animate us, to Imitate them!

If Men of a Spirit for Evangelizing, and Illumi|nating a woful World, would Learn the Languages

of Some Nations that are yet Ungospellized, and wait on the Providence of Heaven, to lead them to, and own them in, Some Apostolical Undertak|ings, who can tell what might be done? We know, what Ruffinus relates concerning the Con|version of the Iberians; and what Socrates, con|cerning the Things done by Frumentius and Aede|sius, in the Inner India.

But on this Desireable there are Two Things Remarkable.

First, It is the conjecture of some Seers, That until the Temple be cleansed, there will be no Ge|neral Appearance of the Nations to worship in it. And the Truth is, There will be Danger, until then, that many Persons Active in Societies for the Propagation of Religion, may be more intent upon Propagating their own Little Forms and Fancies and Interests, than the more Weighty matters of the Gospel. Yea, t'wil be well, if they be not unawares imposed upon, to hurt Christianity where 'tis well-Established, while places wholly Ungospellized in the Neighbourhood may ly neg|lected. Let us therefore do what we can to|wards the Churches Reformation, in order to its Dilatation.

Secondly, It is probable, That the Holy Spirit in Operations, like those of the First Ages, where|by Christianity was first Planted, will be again conferred from our Ascended Lord, for the Spread|ing of it. The Holy Spirit, who has withdrawn from the Apostate Church, will come, and Abide

with us, and render this World like a Watered Garden. His Irresistible Influences, will cause whole Nations to be born at once; He will not on|ly Convert but Unite, His People. By Him, God shall Dwell with men. Would not the Heavenly Father give His Holy Spirit, if it were more A•••••••• of Him!

II. 'Tis Lamentable to See the Ignorance and Wickedness, yet remaining, even in many parts of the British Dominions: In Wales; in the High-Lands; and in Ireland. Are the Gouges all Dead? There are pretended Shepherds, in the World, that will never be able to Answer before the Son of God, for their Laying so little to Heart, the Deplorable Circumstances, of so many People, whom they might, if they were not Scandalously Negligent, bring to be more Acquainted with the only Saviour. And there might be more done, that some of the American Colonies, may no longer be such Cimmerian ones?

III. Why is no more done, for the Poor Greeks, and Armenians, and Muscovites, and other Christi|ans, who have little Preaching, and no Printing among them? If we sent Bibles, and Psalters, and other Books of Piety among them, in their own Languages, they would be Noble Presents, and, God knowes, how Useful ones!

IV. Poor Sailours, and Poor Souldiers, call for our Pity. They meet with Great and Sore Troubles. Their Manners are too commonly such, as dis|cover no very Good Effects of their Troubles.

What shall be done to make them a better sort of men? There must, besides more Books of Piety distributed among them, other methods be tho't upon; Cadit Asinus et est qui sublevat. Perit Anima, et non est qui manum apponat! Let Austin awaken us.

V. The Trades-mans Library needs to be more Enriched. We have seen, Husbandry Spiritualiz|ed; and, Shepherdy Spiritualized; and, Navigation Spiritualized; We have seen, the Weaver also ac|commodated, with agreeable Meditations. To Spread the Nets of Salvation for men, in the ways of their Personal Callings, and convey Good Thoughts unto them, in the Terms and Steps, of their Daily Business, is a Real Service to the In|terests of Piety. A BOOK also, that shall be an Onomatologia Monitoria, and shall advise People how to make their Names become unto them, the Monitors of their Duty; might be of much use to the Christened World. And, a BOOK, that shall be, The Angel of Bethesda, and shall in|struct People how to improve in agreeable Points of Piety, from the several Maladies, which their Bodies may be Diseased withal; and at the same time, inform them of the most Experimented, Natural, Specifick Remedies for their Diseases, might be very useful to Mankind. These Two Subjects, if not undertaken by any other Hand, may be so shortly by that which now Writes; Except the Glorious Lord of my Life, immedi|ately put an End unto it; and my Dayes are past, my Purposes are broken off, even the Thoughts of my Heart!

VI. Universities that shall have more Collegia Pietatis in them, like those of the Excellent Franckius in the lower Saxony; Oh! that there were more of them! Seminaries in which the Scholars may have a most Polite Education; but not be sent forth with Recommendations for the Evangelical Ministry, till it be upon a strict Examination found, that their Souls are fired with the Fear of God, and the Love of Christ, and a Zeal to Do Good, and a Resolution to bear Poverty, and Obloquy, and all sorts of Temp|tations, in the Service of our Holy Religion; they would be the Wonders of the World; And what wonders might they do in the World!

Let the Charity-Schools also, Increase and Mul|tiply; Charity-Schools, which may provide Sub|jects for the Great Saviour, Blessings for the next Generation; Charity-Schools, not perverted unto the ill purposes of introducing a Defective Christi|anity.

VII. Those things, that so far as we understand by the Books of the Sacred Prophecies, are to be, The Works of our Day; Tis Wisdom to Observe and Pursue. When the Time was arrived, that the Antichrist must Enter his Last Half-Time, One Poor Monk proves a main Instrument of Ra|vishing Half his Empire from him. Thus to fall in with the Designs of the Divine Providence, is the way to be wonderfully Prospered and Ho|noured. One Small Man, thus Nicking the Time for it, may do wonders!

I take the Works of our Day to be;

1. The Reviving of Primitive Christianity; To Study and Restore every thing, of the Primitive Character. The Apostasy is going off. The Time for cleansing the Temple comes on. More Edwards's would be vast Blessings, where the Pri|mitive Doctrines of Christianity are Depraved.

2. The Perswading of the European Powers, to shake off the Chains of Popery. This Argu|ment; There is no Popish Nation, but what by Embracing the Protestant Religion, would ipso facto, not only assert themselves into a Glorious Liber|ty, but also Double their Wealth immediately; Tis Marvellous, that it is no more yet hearken|ed unto! Sirs, Prosecute it, with more of De|monstration. One showes, That the Abolishing of Popery in England, is worth at Least Eight Millions of Pounds yearly to the Nation. Let the Argument be tried with other Nations; the Argument, Ab Utili.

3. The Forming and Quickning of that PEO|PLE, that are to be, The Stone Cut out of the Mountain. Here, as well as in some other Things, None of the Wicked shall understand, but the Wise shall understand. God will do His own Work, in His own Time, and in His own Way. And Austin tells me, Utile est ut taceatur aliquod verbum, Propter Incapaces.

The Conclusion.

THE Zeal of the Lord of Hosts will Perform these things: A Zeal inspired and produced by the Lord of Hosts in His Faithful Servants, will put them upon the Performance of such Things. Nothing has been yet Proposed, that is Impra|ctible; Non Fortia Loquor, sed Possibilia. But, Eu|sebius has taught me, Vere magnum est magna facere, et Teipsum putare nihil. Sirs, Under and After a Course of such Actions, which have a true Glory in them, and really are more Glorious than all the Actions and Atchievements, whereof those Bloody Plunderers, whom we call, Conqueror, have made a wretched Ostentation: and per|haps made Inscriptions like those of Pompey on his Temple of Minerva; — Still Humility, must be the Crown of all. All, nothing without Hu|mility; nothing without a sense that you are Nothing, a Consent to be made Nothing. You must first, most Humbly Acknowledge unto the Great GOD, That after you have done all, you are Unprofitable Servants; and make your Humble Confession, That not only you have done but that which was your Duty to do, but also that you have exceedingly fallen short of doing your Duty. If God abase you with very Dark Dispensations of His Pro|vidence, after all your Indefatigable and your Disinteressed Essays to Glorify Him, Humble your selves before Him; yet abate nothing of your

Essays; Hold on, saying, My God will Humble me, yet will I Glorify Him. Lord, Thou art Righteous; But still I will do all I can to serve thy Glorious King|dom. This indeed, is a more easy Humiliation; but then there is one to be demanded, of much greater Difficulty: That is, That you humbly Submit unto all the Diminutions, among Men, that God shall order for you. Your Admirable Saviour was one who went about ever Doing of Good; Mankind was never Visited by such a Bene|factor. And yet we read, He was One spoken a|gainst. Never any one so Vilified! Had He been the worst Malefactor in the World, He could not have been worse dealt withal. He Expostulated, For which of my Good Works is it that you treat me so? Yet they went on; They Hated Him, they Reproached Him, they Murdered Him. Austin said very truly, Remedium Elationis est contuitus Dominicae Crucis. It will also be the Remedy of Discouragement; it will keep you from Sinking, as well as being Lifted up. You are Conformed unto your Saviour, in your Watchful Endea|vours to Do Good, and be Fruitful in every Good Work. But your Conformity unto Him, yet Lacks One thing; That is, After all, to be Despised and Rejected of Men; and Patiently to bear the Con|tempt, and Malice, and Abuses of an Untoward Generation. One of the Fathers, who sometimes wanted a little of this Grace, could say, Nihil est quod not ita et Hominibus et Deo Gratos facit, quam si Vitae Merito magni, et Humilitate infimi simus. Tis

an Excellent thing to come to Nothing. If you hear the Hopes of Disaffected men, to see you come to Nothing, Hear it with as much of Satis|faction as they can Hope it. Embrace Exinani|tions; Embrace Annihilations. I find a Zealous and Famous Doer of Good, much Affected with the Picture of a Devout man, to whom a Voice comes down from Heaven, Quid vis fieri pro te? Whereto he replies, Nihil, Domine, nisi pati et Con|temni pro te. Sirs, Let it be seen some where else than in Picture; be you the Substance of it. Thus, Let Patience have its Perfect Work!

I hope, you have more Discretion, than to imagine, That because you are never Weary of Well-Doing, therefore you should be Universally Well-spoken of. No; 'Twill be just the Contrary. To Do Well, and to Hear Ill, is the Common Ex|perience, and ought to be our Constant Expe|ctation. For this most Unreasonable thing, there are very many Reasons. 'Twill be impossible to Do much Good, but some or other will count them|selves Hurt by what you do. You will Unavoid|ably serve some Interests, which others are Indis|pos'd unto. Tis also in the Nature of Mad men, to take up strange Prejudices against their Best Friends; to be set against None so much as Them. Now, we may every where see those, concern|ing whom we are told, Madness is in their Hearts. It will appear in their being unaccountably Pre|judiced, against those that most of all seek to Do Good unto them. Then, He teareth me in his Wrath

who hateth me; he gnasheth upon me with his Teeth; mine Enemy sharpeneth his Eyes upon me! Then, to Skorakizing a Benefactor, for nothing in the world, but because he would have been so! He shall be Honoured, as the Lindians Worshipped Her|cules, by Cursing, and Throwing of Stones. The Wrath of God, against a Sinful and Woful World, has likewise its Operation in this Grievous mat|ter. If men always upon Intentions and Inven|tions to Do Good, were so Generally Belov'd and Esteem'd as they might be, they would be In|struments of doing more Good, than the Justice of Heaven, can yet allow to be done for Such a World. The World is not worthy of them, nor do the Good that is Endeavoured by them. To de|prive the World of that Good, they must be left unto a strange Aversion for those Men that would fain do it. This Creeples them, Fetters them, Defeats their Excellent Purposes! Nor is the Devil Idle on this Occasion. A man who shall Do much Good, will therein do much Harm unto the Empire of the Devil. It would be much, if the Devil should not seek to Devour, or take an Exquisite Revenge upon such Men of God. Ex|cept God lay an Uncommon Restraint upon that Wicked One, such is the Power of the Adver|sary, & such an Energy the Devil has upon the minds of Multitudes, that he will notably & bitterly Re|venge himself upon any Notable Doer of Good; and procure him a Troop of Enemies, Three Volleys of Obloquies. But, O Servant of God, By Him thou

wilt run thro' a Troop; By thy God thou wilt Leap over a Wall. We may be so far from wondring, that Wicked men are Violently Disaffected unto a man who does abundance of Good, and Spread as many Stories, and Write as many Libels, to his Disadvantage, as ever the incomparable Calvin suffered from them; we may rather wonder that the Devil does not make this world hotter than a Babylonish Furnace for him; too hot for his Abiding in it. Sirs, If you will Do much, tis very likely that the Devil may sometimes raise upon your Opportunities to Do Good, such an Horrible Tempest, as may threaten a total Ruine unto them. You may fear that you see your Serviceableness, the Apple of your Eye struck out; you may be driven to Prayers, to Tears, to Fasting often in Secret Places; Prostrate in the Dust, you must offer up your Supplications, with strong Crying and Tears, to Him that is able to Save your Op|portunities from Death; you must Cry out, O Deliver my Soul, (my Serviceableness) from the Sword, my Darling, (my Serviceableness) from the Power of the Dog!

The words of the Great Baxter, are Proper & Worthy to be Introduced on this Occasion.

The Temptations and Suggestions of Satan, yea, and oft his External Contrived Snares are such, as fre|quently give men a Palpable Discovery of his Agency. Whence is it, that such wonderful Successive Trains of Impediments, are set in the way of almost any man, that intends any Great & Good Work in the World? I have among men of my own Acquaintance observed

such admirable Frustrations of many Designed Ex|cellent Works, by such strange unexpected means, & such variety of them, and so powerfully carried on, as hath of it self Convinced me, that there is a most Vehement Invisible Malice permitted by God to Re|sist Mankind, and to Militate against all Good in the World. Let a man have any work of Greatest Natural Importance, which tends to no Great Benefit to Mankind, and he may go on with it, without any Extraordinary Impedition. But let him have any great Design for Common Good, in things that tend to destroy Sin, to heal Divisions, to Revive Charity, to Increase Vertue, to Save mens Souls; yea, or to the Publick Common Felicity; and his Impediments shall be so multifarious, so far-fetch'd, so subtle, so incessant, and in Despite of all his Care and Resolu|tion, usually so Successful, that he shall seem to him|self, to be like a man that is held fast Hand & Foot, while he sees no one touch him; or that sees an hun|dred Blocks brought and cast before him in his way, while he sees no one to do it.

I transcribe this passage for this purpose. O Doer of Good, Expect a Conflict with Wicked Spirits in High Places, to Clog all the Good thou dost propose to do; And Expect that Restless Endeavours of Theirs, to overwhelm thee with Vile Ideas in the Minds, and Calumnies in the Mouthes, of many People concerning thee, will be some of their Devices to Defeat all thy Pro|posals. Be not Ignorant of the Satanick Devices!

Yea, and if the Devil were Asleep, there is Malignity Enough, in the Hearts of Wicked Men themselves, to render a man that will Do Good,

very Distastful and Uneasy to them. They are the Off-spring of him, who Slew his Brother, be|cause his Works were Righteous; and they will Malign a man, because he is Useful to other men. Indeed, Malis displicere est Laudari: But Wicked men, will Curse a man, because he is a Blessing. Oh! Base and Black Disposition!

I happened once to be present in the Room, where a Dying man could not Dy till he had bewayled unto a Minister whom he had now therefore sent for, the unjust Calumnies & Inju|ries which he had often cast upon him: The Mi|nister asked the poor Penitent, what was the oc|casion of his Abusiveness; whether he had been by any Mis-reports impos'd upon? The man made this horrible Answer; No, Sir; 'Twas nothing but this; I thought You were a Good Man, and that You did much Good in the World, and therefore I Hated You! Oh! Is it Possible, Is it Possible, (said the poor Sinner,) for such a Sinner to find a Pardon! Truly, tho' other Causes may be pretended for the Spite and Rage of Wicked men, against a Fruitful Doer of Good; Yet I shall not be Deceived, if I fear, that oftentimes a secret Antipathy to the Kingdom of God, lies at the Bottom of it. Or it may be some|times a Pale Envy, in Proud men, raging that other men are more Useful in the world than they, and vexing themselves with worse than Sicilian Torments, at the sight of what God and man do for other men. They see it and are Grieved. Sirs, Non Bonus est qui non ad Invidiam usque Bonus est,

But now, for such Causes, you must not think strange of the Trial, if men Speak Evil of you, after you have Done Good unto many, yea, unto those very People who Speak it. It will not be Strange, if you should hear the Defaming of Many; If the men who do not Love the Holy Wayes of the Lord in His Churches, have no Love to you; If ne|ver so many Aristephanes's fall upon you; If Ja|velins are thrown at you, with a Rage reaching to Heaven; And if Pamphlets are stuff'd with vile Figments and Slanders upon you. God may wisely permit these things, and in much Faith|fulness, To hide Pride from you. [O Quantum est venenum superbiae, quod non potest nisi veneno Curari!] Alas, while we carry the Grave-Cloathes of Pride still about us, these rough Hands are the best that can be to pull them off! If you should meet with such Things, you must bear them with much Meekness, much Silence, Great Self-Abhorrence, and a spirit to Forgive, the worst of all your Per|secutors. Being Defamed, you must Entreat. Be Glad, if you can Redeem any Opportunities to Do Good. Be ready to Do Good, even unto those from whom you Suffer Evil. And when you have done all the Good that you can, reckon your self well Paid, if you escape as well as the Crane did from the Wolf, & if you are not Punished for what you do. In short, Be insensible of any Merits in your Performances. Ly in the Dust, and be wil|ling that both GOD and Man should lay you there. Have your Spirit Reconciled unto Indignities.

Entertain them with all the Calmness, all the Temper, imaginable. Be content, That Three Hundred in Sparta, should be Preferr'd before you. When Envious People can fix no other Blemish on you, they will say of you, as they said of Cyprian, That You are a Proud Man; because you do not Jog on in their heavy Road of Slothfulness. Bear this also, with yet a more Profound Hu|mility. Tis the Last Effort usually made by the Dying Pride of Life, to bear the Charge of Pride impatiently, with a Proud impatience.

Ye Useful Men, Your Acceptance with your Sa|viour, and with God thro' your Saviour, and Recompence in the World to come, is to carry you Cheerfully thro' all your Essays at Usefulness. To be Reprobate for every Good Work, is a Character, from which 'twill be the Wisdom of all men, to fly with all the Dread imaginable. But then, to be Always abounding in the work for the Lord, this is always the Truest and the Highest Wisdom. Tis the Wisdom which is from Above, that is Full of Mercy and Good Fruits. The Sluggards who Do no Good in the world, are Wise in their own Con|ceit; but the Men who are Diligent in Doing of Good, can give such a Reason for what they do, as proves them to be Really Wise. Men Leave off to be Wise, when they Leave off to Do Good. The Wisdom of it appears in this; Tis the best way of spending our Time; tis Well-spent, when spent in Doing of Good. It is also a sure way, a sweet way, Effectually to Bespeak the Blessings of

God on our selves. Who so likely to Find Bles|sings, as the men that Are Blessings? It has been said, Qui bene Vivit, semper Orat; So I will say, Qui bene Agit, bene Orat. Every Action we do for the Kingdom of God, is in the Efficacy of it, a Prayer for the Kindness of God. While we are at work for God, certainly, He will be at work for us, & ours: He will do for us, more than ever we have done for Him; Far more than we can Ask or Think! There is a Voice in every Good thing that is done; Tis that, Oh! Do Good unto them that are Good! Thus my BONIFACIUS anon comes to wear the Name of BENEDICTUS also. Yea, and there may be this more particular Effect of what we do. While we Employ our Wits for the Interests of God, it is very probable, that we shall Sharpen them for our own. We shall become the more Wise for our selves, because we have been Wise to do Good. And of the man who is a Tree that brings forth Fruit, we read, whatsoever he doth shall Prosper. Nor can a man take a Readier way to Live Joyfully, all the Days of the Life of our Vanity which God has given us under the Sun. For, now our Life will not be thrown away in Vanity; we don't Live in Vain. My Friend, Go thy way and be Joyful; For God accepteth thy works. Our Few & Evil Dayes, are made much less so, by our Do|ing of Good in every one of them, as it rolleth over us. Yea, the Holy Spirit of God who is the Quick|ner of them who Do Good without Ceasing, will be their Comforter. Every Day of our Activity

for the Kingdom of God, will be in some sort a Day of Pentecost unto us, a Day of the Holy Spirit's coming upon us. The Consolations of God, will not be Small, with the man, who is full of Contrivances for God, & for His Kingdom. In short, We read, The Valleys are Covered over with Corn; they shout for Joy, they also Sing. We may be in Low Circumstances: But if we abound in the Fruits of well-doing, & if we feed many with our Services, we are Covered over with Corn. We shall Shout for Joy, & also Sing, if we be so. The Conscience of what we do, & of what we Aim to do, will be a Continual Feast unto us. Our Rejoycing is this, The Testimony of our Conscience! And, Recte fecisse Merces est. Yea, the Pleasure in doing of Good Offices, tis Inexpressible; tis Unparallel'd; tis An|gelical; more to be Envied than any Sensual Plea|sure; a most Refined One. Pleasure was long since defined, The Result of some Excellent Action. Tis, a sort of Holy Epicurism. O most Pityable they that will con|tinue Strangers to it! But, Memineris, was the con|stant word of Encouragement unto a Souldier. I say, Remember; there's more to be Remembred.

When the Serviceable Man comes to his Nunc Demittis, then, he who did Live Desired, shall Dy Lamented. It shall be Witnessed and Remem|bred of him, That he was one who did Good in Israel. An Epitaph the Glory whereof is beyond that of the most Superb and Stately Pyramid! When the calumniators, who once Lick'd the File of his Reputation, shall have only the Impotence of

their Defeated Malice to reflect upon. And a Thersites will not have a more Disadvantageous Article in all his character than this, That he was an Enemy to such an Ulysses. But what shall be done for this Good man in the Heavenly World? His Part and his Work in the City of God, is as yet Incomprehensible unto us. But the Kindness that his God will show unto him, in the Strong City, will be Marvellous! Marvellous! To make the Exclamation of Austin, Writing, Of the City; Quanta erit illa faelicitas, ubi nullum erit malum, nullum latebit bonum! His Essayes to fill this World with Righteous Things, are so many Tokens for Good upon him, that he shall have a Share and a Work, in that World, wherein shall Dwell no|thing but Righteousness. He shall be introduced into that World, with a word from the Mouth of the Glorious JESUS, which will be worth a Thousand Worlds; Well done, Good and Faithful Servant!— And, Oh! What shall be done for him! He has done what he could for the Honour of the King of Heaven; All shall be done for him, that may be done for One whom the King of Hea|ven delights to honour.

I will give you All Summed up in one Word; It is that, Prov. 14.22. Mercy and Truth shall be to them who Devise Good. Children of God, There is a Strain of Mercy and Truth, in all the Good that you Devise. You Devise how to deal Mercifully and Truly, with every one; and bring every one to do so too.

And the Mercy & Truth of God, now for ever En|gaged for you, shall here Suffer you to Lack no Good Thing, but shall hereafter do you Good be|yond what the Heart of Man, can yet conceive. A Faithful God, a Saviour who is one of Great Faith|fulness, is He that has Promised it! The Mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

I have not forgotten the words used by the Excellent Calvin, when the order for his Banish|ment from Ungrateful Geneva was brought un|to him. Certe si Hominibus Servivissem, mala mihi merces persolveretur; sed bene est, quod ei inservivi, qui nunquam non servis suis rependit, quod semel promisit. And I will conclude with a TESTI|MONY that I shall abide by. Tis this; Were a Man able to Write in Seven Languages: could he converse daily with the Sweets of all the Li|beral Sciences, that more Polite men ordinarily pretend unto; did he entertain himself with all Ancient & Modern Histories; And could he Feast continually on the Curiosities which all sorts of Learning may bring unto him; None of all this would afford the Ravishing Satisfaction, much less would any grosser Delights of the Senses do it; which he might find, in relieving the Distresses of a Poor, Mean, Miserable Neighbour; and which he might much more find, in doing any Extensive Service for the Kingdom of our Great SAVIOUR in the World; or any thing to redress the Mi|series under which Mankind is generally Languishing.