« consumed of the fire, thu founder melteth in vain, reprobate silver Mall men call them, because the SLord bath rejected them,” Jer. vi. 29, 30. Father of Spirits! take the heart in hand that is too hard for my weakness : Do not thou end, tho? I have done; half a word from thy effectual power will do the work. Othou that haft the key of David, that openest and no man fhutteth, open thou this heart as thou didit Lydia's, and let the King of Glory enter in, and make this foul thy captive ! let not the tempter harden him in delays; let him not ftir from this place, nor take his eyes from these lines, till he be resolved to forego his fins; and accept of life on thy self-denying terms. In thy name, o Lord God, did I go forth 10 these labours, in thy name do I shut them up. Let not all the time they have cost be lost hours i let not all the thoughts of heart, and all the pains that have been about them, be but loft labour. Lord, put in thy hand into the heart of this reader, and send thy Spirit, as once thou didst Philip, to join himself to the chariot of the Eunuch, while he was reading the word. And though I fhould never know it while I live, yet I beseech thee, O Lord God, let it be found at that day that some fouls are converted by these labours; and let some be able to stand forth and say, that by theie perfuafions they were won unto thee, Amen, Amen, Let him that readeth fay Amen. Mr. Alleine's COUNSEL for PERSONAL and FAMILY GODLINESS. salvation without fanctification, or poflefling B first care to set up you of happiness without persuading you to holinefs. God knows, I have not the least hope ever to see one of your faces in heaven, except you be converted, and fanctified, and exercise yourselves unto godliness: I beseech you, ftudy personal godliness and family godliness. ist, Personal godliness. Let it be your in your hearts : See that you make all your wordly interests to stoop to him, that you be entirely and unreservedly devoted unto him. If you wilfully, and deliberately, and ordinarily harbour any sin, you are undone, Pfalm lxviii. 21. Ezek. xviii. 20. See that you unfeignedly take the law of Christ as the rule of your words, thoughts, and actions; and subject your whole man, members, and minds, faithfully to him, Psal. cxix. 34• Rom. vi. 13. If you have not a true respect to all God's commandments, you are unfound at heart, Psal. cxix. 6. O ftudy to get the image and impress of Christ upon you within. Begin with your hearts, elle you build without any foundation. Labour to get a saving change within, or else all external performances will be to no purpose : And then study to shew forth the power of godliness in the life : Let piety be your first and great business: it is the highest point of justice to give God his due. Beware that none of you be a prayerless person; for that is a moft ceriain discovery that you are a Christless and graceleís person; or one that is a very stranger to the fear of God, Pjal. v. 7. Suffer not your Bibles to gather duit; see that you converse daily with the word, John v. 39. That man can never lay claim Lo blefiedness, whose delight is not in the law of the Lord, Pjat. i. 1, 2. Let meditation and fulf. examination be your daily exercile. But piery without charity is but the half of Chriftianity; or rather impious hypocrity. We may not divide the tables; see therefore that you do jully and love mercy, and let equity and charity sun like an eien'thread throughout all your deals ings. Be you temperate in all things, and let chastity and sobriety be your undivided companions. Let truth and purity, seriousness and modetty, heavenlioels and gravity, be the constant ornaments of your speech. Let patience and humility, fimplicity and sincerity, fine out in all the parts of your conversation. See that you forget and forgive wrongs, and requite them with kindness, as you would be found the children of the Molt High. Be nercisul in your cenfures, and put the most favourable construction upon your bre. thren's carriage, that their actions will reacnably bear. Be flow in promiting, pur Qual in fulfilling. Let meekress and innocence, atfability, yieldingness, and fimplicity, command your converlatio..s to all men. Let none of your relations want that lore and loyalty, reverence and duty, that tenderness, care, and vigilance, which their several places and capacities call for. This is thorough godlilitís. I charge you before the most high God, that nons of you be found a swearer, or a liar, or a lover of evil company, or a fcuífer, or malicious, or covetous, or a drunkard, or a glution, unrighteous in his dealings, unclean in his living, or a quarrel, ler, or a thief, or a backbiter, or a railer; for I denounce unto you from the living God, that deArution und damnation is the end of all lucha a Prov. xli. 20. James V. 12. Rev. xxi. 8. i Cor. vi. 9, 10, Gal. v. 19, 21, 2. Fumily Godliness. He that hath set up Christ in his heart, will be sure to study to set him up in his house. Let every family with you be a Chriftian church, 1 Cor. vi. 19 ; every house a house of prayer: Let every householder say with Joshua, “ I and my house will serve the Lord,” chap. xxir. 15. and refolve with David, “ I will walk in my house “ with a perfect heart,” Palm ci. 2. Let me press upon you a few duties in general. Firsi, Let religion be in your families, not as a matter by the bye, (to be minded at leisure, when the world will give you leave) but the standing business of the house: Let them have your prayers as duly as their meals. Is there any of your families but have time for their taking food! wretched man! canst thou not as well find time to 1 pray in? Seconaly, Settle it upon your hearts, that your souls are bound up in the souls of your family ; they are committed unto you, and if they be loft through your neglect, they will be required at your hands. Sirs, if you do not, you shall know that the charge of fouls is a heavy charge, and that the blood of fouls is a heavy guilt. . O man, hait thou a charge of fouls to answer for, and doft thou not yet butir thyself for them, that their blood be not found in thy skirts? Wilt thou do no more for immortal fouls than thou wilt do for the beaits that perish? What dost thou do for thy children and fervants ? Thou provideit meat and drink for them agrecable to their nature; and dost thou not te same for thy beaits : Thou giveft them me b, che dicines, and cherishest them when they be fick; and doft thou not the same for thy swine? More particularly, 1. Let the solemn reading of the word, and singing of plalms, be your family-exercises, John v. 39. Psalm cxviii. 15. See Chrift finging with his family, namely, his disciples, Matt. xxvi. 30. 2. Let every person in your families be as duly called to an account of their profiting by the word heard or read, as they be about doing your own business: This is a duty of consequence unspeakable, ard would be a means to bring those under your charge to remember and profit by what they receive. See Christ's example in calling his family to account, Matt. xvi. 11, 13, 15. 3. Often take an account of the souls under your care, concerning their spiritual states, (herein you must be followers of Christ, Matt. xiii. 10, 36, 51. Mark iv. 10, 11.) make inquiry into their condition, infiit much upon the sinrulness and mi sery of their natural state, and upon the neceffity the life of regeneration and conversion, in order to their falvation. Admonish them gravely of their fins, encourage their beginnings, follow them earnestly, and let them have no quiet from you, until you see in them a faving change. This is a duty of very great consequence, but, I am afraid, most fearfully neglected: Doth not conscience fay, “ Thou art the man!” 4. Look to the striet fanctifying of the Sabbath by all your household, Exod. xx. 10. Lev. xxiii. 3. Many poor families have little time else, O im. prove but your fabbath days as diligentiy indabouring for knowledge, and doing your Maker's work, |