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precious souls.

Yea, all the brute creatures clinations. And you are ever with them, and may condemn you. Which of them is not can never wart opportunities: especially you, tender of their young?-Consider, God hath mothers, remember this, who are more with your made your children your charge, and your ser- children while young, than their fathers. What vants too. Every one will confess they are the pains are you at for their bodies! What do you minister's charge. And have not you a greater suffer to bring them into the world! And will charge of your own families, than any minister can you not be at as much pains for the saving of have of them? Doubtless at your hands God will their souls! Your affections are tender; and require the blood of their souls. It is the great- will it not move you to think of their perishing est charge you were ever intrusted with, and for ever? I beseech you, for the sake of the woe to you, if you suffer them to be ignorant or children of your bowels teach them, admonish wicked for want of your instruction or correc- them, watch over them, and give them no rest, tion. Consider, what work there is for you in till you have brought them to Christ. their dispositions and lives. There is not one sin, but thousands. They have hereditary diseases, bred in their natures. The things you must teach them are contrary to the interests and desires of the flesh. May the Lord make you sensible what a work and charge lieth upon you!-Consider what sorrows you prepare for yourselves by the neglect of your children. If they prove thorns in your eyes, they are of your own planting. If you should repent and be saved, is it nothing to think of their damnation, and yourselves the occasion of it? But if you die in your sins, how will they cry out against you in hell: 'All this was wrong of you; you should have taught us better, and did not; you should have restrained us from sin, and corrected us, but did not.' What an addition will such outcries be to your misery. On the other side, think what a comfort you may have, if you be faithful in this duty. If you should not succeed you have freed your own souls, and have peace in your own consciences. If you do, the comfort is inexpressible, in their love and obedience, their supplying your wants, and delighting you in all your remaining path to glory. Yea, all your family may fare the better for one pious child or servant. But the greatest joy will be, when you shall say, 'Lord, here am I, and the children thou hast given me;' and shall joyfully live with them for ever. Consider, how much the welfare of church and state depends on this duty. Good laws will not reform us, if reformation begin not at home. This is the cause of all our miseries in church and state, even the want of a holy education of children. I also entreat parents to consider, what excellent advantages they have for saving their children. They are with you while they are tender and flexible. You have a twig to bend, not an oak. None in the world have such interest in their affections as you have. You have also the greatest authority over them. Their whole dependence is upon you for a maintenance. You best know their temper and in

20. I shall conclude with this earnest request to all Christian parents that read these linesThat they would have compassion on the souls of their poor children, and be faithful to the great trust that God hath put on them. If you cannot do what you would for them, yet do what you can. Both church and state, city and country, groan under the neglect of this weighty duty Your children know not God, nor his laws, but take his name in vain, and slight his worship: and you neither instruct them nor correct them; and therefore God corrects both them and you. You are so tender of them, that God is the less tender of both them and you. Wonder not if God make you smart for your children's sins; for you are guilty of all they commit, by your neglect of your duty to reform them. Will you resolve, therefore, to set upon this duty, and neglect it no longer? Remember Eli. Your children are like Moses in the bulrushes, ready to perish if they have not help. As ever you would not be charged before God as murderers of their souls, nor have them cry out against you in everlasting fire, see that you teach them how to escape it, and bring them up in holiness and the fear of God. I charge every one of you, upon your allegiance to God, as you will very shortly answer the contrary at your peril, that you will neither refuse nor neglect this most necessary duty. If you are not willing to do it, now you know it to be so great a duty, you are rebels, and no true subjects of Jesus Christ. If you are willing, but know not how, I will add a few words of direction to help you. Lead them, by your own example, to prayer, reading, and other religious duties. Inform their understandings. Store their memories. Rectify their wills. Quicken their affections. Keep tender their consciences. Restrain their tongues, and teach them gracious speech. Reform and watch over their outward conversation. To these ends, get them bibles and pious books, and see that they read them. Examine them often what they learn; especially

spend the Lord's day in this work, and suffer in present enjoyments;-as also of our unwillthem not to spend it in sports or idleness. Showingness to die, that we may possess eternal rest. them the meaning of what they read or learn. Keep them out of evil company, and acquaint them with the godly. And fail not to make them learn their catechism. Especially show them the necessity, excellency, and pleasure of serving God; and labour to fix all upon their hearts.

CHAPTER X.

THE SAINTS' REST IS NOT TO BE EXPECTED ON
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Sect 1. In order to show the sin and folly of expecting rest here. 2.
(1.) The reasonableness of present afflictions is considered: 3. (1.)

That they are the way to rest, 4. (2.) Keep us from mistaking our
rest; 5 (3) From losing our way to it; 6 (4.) Quicken our pace
towards it; 7. (5.) Chiefly incommode our flesh; 8, 9. and (6.)
Under them the sweetest foretastes of rest are often enjoyed. 10.
(II) How unreasonable to rest in present enjoyments; 11. (1)
That it is idolatry: 12. (2) That it contradicts God's end in giving
them; 13 (3.) Is the way to have them refused, withdrawn, or
imbittered; 14. (4.) That to be suffered to take up our rest here is
the greatest curse; 15.5) That it is seeking rest where it is not;
16. (6.) That the creatures, without God, would aggravate our
misery; 17 (7.) And all this is confirmed by experience. 18. The
author laments that this is nevertheless a most e mmon sin. 19
23 (¡II.) How unreasonable our unwillingness to die, and possess
the sints' rest, is largely considered. 24. The author apologizes
for saying so much on this last head.

1. We are not yet come to our resting place. Doth it remain? How great then is our sin and folly to seek and expect it here! Where shall we find the Christian that deserves not this reproof? We would all have continual prosperity, because it is easy and pleasing to the flesh; but we consider not the unreasonableness of such desires. And when we enjoy convenient houses, goods, lands, and revenues; or the necessary means God hath appointed for our spiritual good; we seek rest in these enjoyments. Whether we are in an afflicted or prosperous state, it is apparent, we exceedingly make the creature our rest. Do we not desire creature enjoyments more violently, when we want them, than we desire God himself? Do we not delight more in the possession of them, than in the enjoyment of God? And if we lose them, doth it not trouble us more than our loss of God? Is it not enough, that they are refreshing helps in our way to heaven, but they must also be made our heaven itself? Christian Reader, I would as willingly make thee sensible of this sin, as of any sin in the world, if I could tell how to do it; for the Lord's greatest quarrel with us is in this point. In order to this, I most earnestly beseech thee to consider the reasonableness of present afflictions—and the unreasonableness of resting

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2. (I.) To show the reasonableness of present afflictions, consider-they are the way to restthey keep us from mistaking our rest, and from losing our way to it-they quicken our pace towards it-they chiefly incommode our flesh;and under them God's people have often the sweetest foretastes of their rest.

3. (1.) Consider, that labour and trouble are the common way to rest, both in the course of nature and grace. Can there possibly be rest without weariness? Do you not travail and toil first, and rest after? The day for labour is first, and then follows the night for rest. Why should we desire the course of grace to be perverted, any more than the course of nature? It is an established decree, that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And that, if we suffer, we shall also reign with Christ.' And what are we, that God's statutes should be reversed for our pleasures?

4. (2.) Afflictions are exceedingly useful to us, to keep us from mistaking our rest. A Christian's motion towards heaven is voluntary, and not constrained. Those means, therefore, are most profitable which help his understanding and will. The most dangerous mistake of our souls is, to take the creature for God, and earth for heaven. What warm, affectionate, eager thoughts have we of the world, till afflictions cool and moderate them? Afflictions speak convincingly, and will be heard when preachers cannot. Many a poor Christian is sometimes bending his thoughts to wealth, or flesh-pleasing, or applause, and so loses his relish of Christ, and the joy above; till God break in upon his riches, or children, or conscience, or health, and break down his mountain which he thought so strong. And then, when he lies in Manasseh's fetters, or is fastened to his bed with pining sickness, the world is nothing, and heaven is something. If our dear Lord did not put these thorns under our head, we should sleep out our lives, and lose our glory.

5. (3.) Afflictions are also God's most effectual means to keep us from losing our way to our rest. Without this hedge of thorns on the right hand and left, we should hardly keep the way to heaven. If there be but one gap open, how ready are we to find it, and turn out at it! When we grow wanton, or worldly, or proud, how doth sickness, or other affliction, reduce us! Every Christian, as well as Luther, may call affliction one of the best schoolmasters; and with David may say, 'Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now have I kept thy word,' Many 6 v

thousand recovered sinners may cry, O health- | we stop our ears against all the clamours of the ful sickness! O comfortable sorrows! O gain-flesh, then we should have a truer judgment of ful losses! O enriching poverty! O blessed our afflictions. day that ever I was afflicted! Not only the 'green pastures, and still waters, but the rod and staff, they comfort us.'-Though the word and Spirit do the main work, yet suffering so unbolts the door of the heart, that the word hath easier

entrance.

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6. (4.) Afflictions likewise serve to quicken our pace in the way to our rest. It were well, if mere love would prevail with us, and that we were rather drawn to heaven, than driven. But seeing our hearts are so bad that mercy will not do it; it is better to be put on with the sharpest scourge, than loiter, like the foolish virgins, till the door is shut. O what a difference is there betwixt our prayers in health and in sickness! betwixt our repentings in prosperity and adversity! Alas, if we did not sometimes feel the spur, what a slow pace would most of us hold toward heaven! Since our vile natures require it, why should we be unwilling that God should do us good by sharp means? Judge, Christian, whether thou dost not go more watchfully and speedily in the way to heaven, in thy sufferings, than in thy more pleasing and prosperous state. 7. (5.) Consider further, it is but the flesh that is chiefly troubled and grieved by afflictions. In most of our sufferings the soul is free, unless we ourselves wilfully afflict it. Why then, O my soul, dost thou side with this flesh, and complain, as it complains? It should be thy work to keep it under, and bring it into subjection; and if God do it for thee, shouldst thou be discontented? Hath not the pleasing of it been the cause of almost all thy spiritual sorrows? Why then may not the displeasing of it further thy joy? Must not Paul and Silas sing, because their feet are in the stocks? Their spirits were not imprisoned. Ah, unworthy soul ! is this thy thanks to God for preferring thee so far before thy body? When it is rotting in the grave, thou shalt be a companion of the perfected spirits of the just. In the meantime, hast thou not consolation which the flesh knows not of? Murmur not then at God's dealings with thy body; if it were for want of love to thee, he would not have dealt so by all his saints. Never expect thy flesh should truly expound the meaning of the rod. It will call love, hatred; and say, God is destroying, when he is saving. It is the suffering party, and therefore not fit to be the judge. Could we once believe God, and judge of his dealings by his word, and by their usefulness to our souls, and reference to our rest, and could

8. (6.) Once more consider, God seldom gives his people so sweet a foretaste of their future rest, as in their deep afflictions. He keeps his most precious cordials for the time of our greatest faintings and dangers. He gives them, when he knows they are needed, and will be valued; and when he is sure to be thanked for them, and his people rejoiced by them. Especially, when our sufferings are more directly for his cause, then he seldom fails to sweeten the bitter cup. The martyrs have passed the highest joys. When did Christ preach such comforts to his disciples, as when their hearts were sorrowful at his departure? When did he appear among them, and say, 'peace be unto you,' but when they were shut up for fear of the Jews? When did Stephen see heaven opened, but when he was giving up his life for the testimony of Jesus? Is not that our best state, wherein we have most of God? Why else do we desire to come to heaven? If we look for a heaven of fleshly delights, we shall find ourselves mistaken. Conclude then, that affliction is not so bad a state for a saint in his way to rest. Are we wiser than God? Doth he not know what is good for us as well as we? or is he not as careful of our good, as we are of our own? Woe to us, if he were not much more so; and if he did not love us better than we love either him or ourselves!

9. Say not, I could bear any other affliction but this.' If God had afflicted thee where thou canst bear it, thy idol would neither have been discovered nor removed. Neither say, 'if God would deliver me out of it, I could be content to bear it.' Is it nothing that he hath promised it shall work for thy good? Is it not enough that thou art sure to be delivered at death? Nor let it be said, 'if my affliction did not disable me from my duty, I could bear it.' It doth not disable thee for that duty which tends to thy own personal benefit, but is the greatest quickening help thou canst expect. As for thy duty to others, it is not thy duty when God disables thee. Perhaps thou wilt say, the godly are my afflicters; if it were ungodly men, I could easily bear it.' Whoever is the instrument, the affliction is from God, and the deserving cause thyself; and is it not better to look more to God than thyself? Dost thou not know that the best men are still sinful in part? Do not plead, 'If I had but that consolation, which you say God reserves for suffering times, I should suffer more contentedly; but I do not perceive any

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such thing.' The more you suffer for righteous- | ness, to bid us prepare; for the kingdom of ness' sake, the more of this blessing you may God,' our true rest, is at hand.' Therefore to expect; and the more you suffer for your own rest here, were to turn all mercies contrary to evil doing, the longer it will be before that their own ends, and to our own advantages, and sweetness comes. Are not the comforts you to destroy ourselves with that which should help desire, neglected or resisted? Have your afflic- us. tions wrought kindly with you, and fitted you for comfort? It is not suffering that prepares you for comfort, but the success and fruit of suffering upon your hearts.

10. (II.) To show the unreasonableness of resting in present enjoyments, consider it is idolizing them—it contradicts God's end in giving them-it is the way to have them refused, withdrawn, or imbittered-to be suffered to take up our rest here, is the greatest curse-it is seeking rest where it is not to be found-the creatures, without God, would aggravate our misery-and to confirm all this, we may consult our own and others' experience.

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11. (1.) It is gross idolatry to make any creature, or means, our rest. To be the rest of the soul, is God's own prerogative. As it is apparent idolatry to place our rest in riches, or honours; so it is but a more refined idolatry to take up our rest in excellent means of grace. How ill must our dear Lord take it, when we give him cause to complain, as he did of our fellow-idolaters, My people have been lost sheep, they have forgotten their resting place? My people can find rest in any thing rather than in me. They can delight in one another, but not in me. They can rejoice in my creatures and ordinances, but not in me. Yea, in their very labours and duties they seek for rest, but not in me. They had rather be any where, than be with me. Are these their gods? Have these redeemed them? Will these be better to them than I have been, or than I would be ? If yourselves have a wife, a husband, a son, that had rather be any where than in your company, and be never so merry as when furthest from you, would you not take it ill? So must our God

needs do.

12. (2.) You contradict the end of God in giving these enjoyments. He gave them to help thee to him, and dost thou take up with them in his stead? He gave them to be refreshments in thy journey, and wouldst thou dwell in thy inn, and go no further? It may be said of all our comforts and ordinances, as is said of the Israelites, The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them, to search out a resting place for them.' So do all God's mercies here. They are not that rest; as John professed he was not the Christ; but they are voices crying in the wilder

13. (3.) It is the way to cause God, either to deny the mercies we ask, or to take from us those we enjoy, or at least imbitter them to us. God is no where so jealous as here. If you had a servant whom your wife loved better than yourself, would you not take it ill of such a wife, and rid your house of such a servant? So, if the Lord see you begin to settle in the world and say, 'here I will rest;' no wonder if he soon in his jealousy unsettle you. If he love you, no wonder if he take that from you with which h sees you are destroying yourselves. It hath long been my observation of many, that when they have attempted great works, and have just finished them; or have aimed at great things in the world, and have just obtained them; or have lived in much trouble, and have just overcome it: and began to look on their condition with content, and rest in it-they are then usually near to death or ruin. When a man is once at this language, 'Soul, take thy ease: the next news usually is, thou fool, this night,' or this month, or this year, thy soul shall be required, and then whose shall these things be? What house is there, where this fool dwells not? Let you and I consider, whether it be not our own case. Many a servant of God hath been destroyed from the earth, by being overvalued and overloved. I am persuaded, our discontents and murmurings are not so provoking to God, nor so destructive to the sinner, as our too sweet enjoying, and resting in, a pleasant state. If God hath crossed you in wife, children, goods, friends, either by taking them away, or the comfort of them; try whether this be not the cause : for wheresoever your desires stop, and you say,

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now I am well;' that condition you make your god, and engage the jealousy of God against it. Whether you be friends to God or enemies, you can never expect that God should suffer you quietly to enjoy your idols.

14. (4.) Should God suffer you to take up your rest here, it is one of the greatest curses that could befall you. It were better never to have a day of ease in the world; for then weariness might make you seek after true rest. But if you are suffered to sit down and rest here, a restless wretch you will be through all eternity. To have their portion in this life,' is the lot of the most miserable perishing sinners. Doth

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it become Christians, then, to expect so much here? Our rest is our heaven; and where we take our rest, there we make our heaven. And wouldst thou have but such a heaven as this?

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thou sayest. If, instead of telling the converted thief, This day shalt thou be with me in paradise,' Christ had said he should rest there upon the cross; would he not have taken it for a derision? Methinks it would be ill resting in the midst of sickness and pains, persecutions and distresses. But if nothing else will convince us, yet sure the remainders of sin, which do so easily beset us, should quickly satisfy a believer, that here is not his rest. I say, therefore, to every one that thinketh of rest on earth, 'Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest, because it

15. (5.) It is seeking rest where it is not to be found. Your labour will be lost; and if you proceed, your soul's eternal rest too. Our rest is only in the full obtaining of our ultimate end. But that is not to be expected in this life; neither is rest therefore to be expected here. Is God to be enjoyed in the best church here, as he is in heaven? How little of God the saints enjoy under the best means, let their own complain-is polluted.' These things cannot in their nature ings testify. Poor comforters are the best or- be a true Christian's rest. They are too poor dinances, without God. Should a traveller take to make us rich; too low, to raise us to happiup his rest in the way? No; because his home ness; too empty, to fill our souls; and of too is his journey's end. When you have all that short a continuance, to be our eternal content. creatures and means can afford, have you that If prosperity and whatsoever we here desire, be you believed, prayed, suffered for? I think you too base to make gods of, they are too base to dare not say so. We are like little children be our rest.—The soul's rest must be sufficient strayed from home, and God is now fetching us to afford it perpetual satisfaction. But the conhome, and we are ready to turn into any house, tent which creatures afford, waxes old, and abates stay and play with every thing in our way, and after a short enjoyment. If God should rain sit down on every green bank, and much ado down angels' food, we should soon lothe the there is to get us home. We are also in the manna. If novelty support not, our delights on midst of our labours and dangers; and is there earth grow dull. All creatures are to us as the any resting here ? What painful work doth lie flowers to the bee; there is but little honey on upon our hands? Look to our brethren, to our any one, and therefore there must be a superfisouls, and to God; and what a deal of work, in cial taste; and so to the next.-The more the respect to each of these, doth lie before us! And creature is known, the less it satisfieth. Those can we rest in the midst of all our labours? In-only are taken with it, who see no further than deed we may rest on earth, as the ark is said to have 'rested in the midst of Jordan,' a short and small rest. Or as Abraham desired the angels to turn in and rest themselves' in his tent, where they would have been loth to have taken up their dwelling. Should Israel have fixed their rest in the wilderness, among serpents, and enemies, and weariness, and famine? Should Noah have made the ark his home, and have been loth to come forth when the waters were assuaged? Should the mariner choose his dwelling on the sea, and settle his rest in the midst of rocks, and sands, and raging tempests? Should a soldier rest in the thickest of his enemies? And are not Christians such travellers, such mariners, such soldiers? Have you not fears within, and troubles without? Are we not in continual dangers? We cannot eat, drink, sleep, labour, pray, hear, converse, but in the midst of snares; and shall we sit down and rest here? O Christian, follow thy work, look to thy dangers, hold on to the end, win the field. and come off the ground, before thou thinkest of a settled rest. Whenever thou talkest of a rest on earth, it is like Peter on the mount, thou knowest not what

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its outward beauty, without discerning its inward vanity. When we thoroughly know the condition of other men, and have discovered the evil as well as the good, and the defects as well as the perfection, we then cease our admiration.

16. (6.) To have creatures and means without God is an aggravation of our misery. If God should say, Take my creatures, my word, my servants, my ordinances, but not myself;' would you take this for happiness? If you had the word of God, and not the Word,' which is God; or the bread of the Lord, and not the Lord, which is the true bread;' or would cry with the Jews, The temple of the Lord,' and had not the Lord of the temple; this were a poor happiness. Was Capernaum the more happy, or the more miserable, for seeing the mighty works which they had seen, and hearing the words of Christ which they did hear? Surely that which aggravates our sin, and misery, cannot be our rest.

17. (7.) To confirm all this, let us consult our own and others' experience. Millions have made trial, but did any ever find a sufficient rest for his soul on earth? Delights I deny not but

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