MY desire is to speak very plainely to you , in a low and common stile , that so the meanest capacity , may receive and understand my meaning . You are they that are very near me in my generation , and for vicissitudes , and perhaps multitudes of times ( although , to speak properly , not much time , for our dayes be few and evill ) you are to passe and sojourn with me in my pilgrimage : and as my journey drawes towards an end , nearer the grave , the undoubted portion of mortality , so your journeys likewise become shorter , and who knowes the hour of his dissolution , for our times are in thy hands O God . My accompt is great for you , and my care is great of you ( especially for the good of your eternity , ) and my commands are therefore great unto you , that with your best abilities you assist me in it , and heartily endeavour to further my good accompt of you in the day of triall : let our great and diligent care be , so to spend our time , that we may live together ( in the true and perfect service of our good God ) for our eternity : Let us take here comfort in those our friends who are gone , or shall go out of this world , before us , [ praemissi non anussi , ] who lived and died in the same faith and belief with us , and whose lives ( as we may judge ) have answered their profession , that we ( in the eternall mercy of the eternall Father in Christ Jesus ) shall upon our dissolution , meet them again , Rev c. 2. ( we being as they were , constant in all good duties to the end ) and never part one from the other , nor from the perfect service of our Creator for ever : This may be ( in some part ) our hope and joy ; but our great rejoycing must alwaies be , willingly and joyfully to submit to the will of God , and to his pleasure for ever . This is not to be the work of a day , but of all the dayes of all our lives ; for a day soon passeth away , and mortality is alwaies at hand ; therefore beware of unpreparednesse , for if the tree fall ill , so it lies ; upon this moment ( as it were ) dependeth eternity ; if then thou hast not oyl in thy lampe the door of mercy is for ever shut ; and who knows what a day may bring forth : therefore seriously consider , fill your holy lampes with the burning oyl of piety and watch . And know , in case any of you become a Parent , that you owe unto your Children , not only materiall subsistence for their bodies , but much more to contribute spirituall things unto their better part their souls : and be sure you principle them aright in the beginning of their daies , so soon as they can doe or apprehend any thing , let it be good ; and from the true principle of loving and obeying our good God , even for his own sake , which will conduct us to the right loving of our neighbour . I humbly blesse our good God , that hath endued all of you with capacities and naturall endowments , in some measure capable of the best instructions : and withall I humbly crave his powerfull spirit upon your wills to improve them , and I trust your best compliances shall not be wanting . Be sure you imbrace and hold fast true love one towards another ; and although you had severall Mothers , yet let your love and unity be one , in faith and truth ; and the One eternall God will undoubtedly give you the incomprehensible blessing both of temporall and eternall peace : and will strongly fortifie you against any dejection at the deprivement of any temporall blessings , whilest you truly consider the uncertainty of them , the difficulty in well using of them , and the danger if abused : and that nothing is worthy our serious thoughts , but what accompanies us to our eternall habitation , and goeth with us to that admirable , perfect and happy estate we shall most certainly arrive unto , if we wean our selves from these worldly impediments that here deface and clogge our souls , and only endeavour and esteem that good which tends to the good of our eternity . The inward endowments of the minde are by far more excellent than the outward adornments of the body ; therefore let the bottome and foundation of all thy endeavours be laid in pure and undefiled religion , truly grounded upon the sacred Scriptures rightly understood [ Sint cast a deliciae meae scripturae tuae , nec faller in eis , O Deus meus , nec fallam ex eis . August . Confess . ] For except the Lord build the house the workmen labour but in vain . We must all acknowledge and beleeve a most sacred heavenly Deity ; for whosoever come to almighty God aright , fitting for his mercifull and saving acceptance , must first know and beleeve that he is , and that he is the rewarder of them that serve him True religion consisteth in the knowledge of God and of our selves , ( for it is a relative action between both , ) the office thereof is , to extoll God to the utmost of our power , and to beat down man as utterly lost , and then to furnish him with means to rise again ; to make him feel his misery and his weaknesse , to the end he may put his whole confidence in God alone . Religion should knit and unite us to the author and principall cause of our good , and re-unite us to our first cause and root , where , if we continue firm , we are thereby preserved in our perfection : and contray , if we separate ▪ we instantly faint and languish : True Religion doth make us give all honour to almighty God , and receive all benefit to our selves . Glory be to God on high , and peace with men on earth . Almighty God must be served with our hearts and spirits ; it is the service answerable to his nature , he is a spirit , then worship him in purity of spirit , this he requireth and it pleaseth him ; the Father desireth such worshippers : the most acceptable sacrifice unto his sacred Majesty , is a pure , free and humble heart , this he will not despise : A pure heart is a sacrifice to God , an innocent soul , an innocent life . A holy man is a true sacrifice to God , his body is his Temple , his soul is his a Image , his affections are his b offrings , his solemne sacrifice is to imitate , serve and implore him . God is rich , and therefore giveth unto us poor , and therefore aske . Although all true worship be from the inward spirit , yet neverthelesse we must not contemn or disdain outward and publick service , which must be an assistant to the inward truth , by observing ceremonies , orders and customs , with moderation , without vanity , ambition , hypocrisie or covetousnes , as they may and doe tend to the advancement of true devotion in us ; alwaies remembring , that God will be served in spirit , and what is performed by us otherwise , is rather for our selves then for God ; for humane respects and formall observances , then divine verity , which rather belongs to manners and customs then the thing it self . Our vowes and prayers to almighty God should be alwaies with this submission ; Thy will be done O Lord , and not mine : [ Tua voluntas Domine mea sit , & mea voluntas tuam semper sequatur , & optimè ci concordet , saith a pious and ancient Father . ] Take great heed of asking any thing against the determination of his revealed will : his will is that we ought to fit our selves to receive . We must think , speak and deal with almighty God , as if all the world did behold us , and live and converse with the world , as if God did behold us . We must take great care , not ( upon any slight occasion , or cursorily ) to use the most sacred Name of God , but with premeditation , obediently and reverently to speak and use it ; his Name is holy , and all honour is for ever due unto it . The divine providence being well learned by us , doth administer sufficient upholding comfort in all the chances and changes of this life : We are most thankfully to acknowledge and submit to this providence , which disposeth all things to the best , to them that truly and obediently acknowledge it , without which a Sparrow falls not , and with whom our hairs are numbred : this is the staff of life , the blessed stay of comfort , on which we safely rest in all the passages of our pilgrimage : this inward spirit works quite contrary to the outward man , it makes us truly say , Thy will be done ( O God ) and not mine ; and not only say so , but heartily and thankfully rejoyce that so it is , knowing that it is best and only good for us : this clears thy soul of grief and trouble , and fills thy heart with joy and gladnes ; knowing that is done which is only good for thee , and that thy will is not done ; for had it been against divine providence , it would have produced thy utter ruine and destruction , therefore for ever blesse that most gracious providence that hath avoided it . Be diligent to finde out the good of necessity , it is a sweet herbe , but growes not in every garden : it is an especiall branch of true wisdome , and teacheth to take every thing by the right end ; the righteous and the wicked , the wise and the foolish , the true contented and discontented , doe all the same things , but not after the same manner , not with the same apprehension , understanding and judgment , neither intending or conducing to the same end and purpose , and therefore the operation in them is not the same , but quite contrary . Nothing in this world is perfect , therefore there is both good and evill , a right and a wrong use of them , the first tending to true joy and comfort , the latter to sorrow and discontent . Correction ( upon search ) discovereth sinne , and moveth to repentance and prevention . Not to rejoyce ( after serious thoughts ) at the chastisements of Gods providence , is a very evill signe of a wicked heart : we must be truly sorrowfull for sinne which is the only cause of correction , not for the correction ; for the cause of the disease , not for the cure . Before I was corrected I went astray , but now have I learned thy word . O blessed and sweet correction , that leads and holds us in the way to eternall happinesse : if correction bring thee not comfort , with resolution ( by the gracious assistance of almighty God ) and joy in amendment , search narrowly thy wayes , for it is greatly to be feared , they lead thee to eternall death . Correction is the sweet beams of Gods love to soften us , that so we may receive the marks of his saving mercy : take great heed thou be not as the Spider upon the Flower , that gathereth poison , nor as clay to the Sunne , which is hardened by it : but be thou as wax softned and fitted for impression ; and as the Bee , that gathereth honey from the Flower . I advise you to labour much in the Scriptures , especially be very perfect in the new Testament , they are the medicine of life , and in them rightly understood , is salve for every sore , and sound counsell in all occasions . Labour to be a good text-man , for Scripture interprets it self , although in some places there seems literall contradiction , yet the holy Spirit trieth all , and findes all , holy , right and good , tending to the all and only good , our temporall and eternall peace , which cannot be taken from us . Psal. 34.10 . The Lyons shall want and suffer hunger , but they that seek the Lord shall not want any thing that is good ; that is to say , they shall have all good , spirituall and temporall , including in this word good , all such temporall things as may be necessary to salvation ( for whatsoever is contrary thereto , is neither good nor profitable , but bad and pernitious ) and therefore God doth not give temporall felicity to all his servants , but only to such of them as he knowes ( with the help of his grace ) will use it well to his honour and glory , and to such it is a furtherance of salvation ; whereas to wicked men , though it be also Gods gift , yet it is not properly counted Gods gift to them , but evill and punishment ; not a blessing but a curse , not felicity but misery , by reason that it makes them more insolent , proud and licentious , and by consequence increaseth their damnation : this is the plain meaning of the Psalmist , and accordingly will one Scripture interpret another . Again Psal. 37.4 . Delight thy self in the Lord , and he shall give thee the desire of thine heart . What is that think you ? plenty , credit , vain honour , ease , full tables , riches , &c. No , no , but that in the want or fullnesse of these things you shall rest in God , and therein have your full desire , that your will being united to the will of God ; you shall desire nothing but what is sutable to his will and pleasure , and wholly rejoyce in your will , that the will of God is done , which is only good , and the best for you . Search not too curiously into Gods Majesty and mysteries , lest thou be oppressed with the glory of them . Take great heed of infecting thy judgment with false doctrine , be alwaies most humble in the sight of God , and offer unto him the chastity of an inward minde . Never cease from good works during life , but lay up the treasure of all thy love in heaven , and be assured that for thy well doing , thou shalt have thy reward of true joy and peace in minde and conscience in this life , as a heavenly gift ( when earth perhaps denies thee any ) and perfect peace for thy eternity : and further know , that who doth a work never so good and laudable in it self , if he doe it to gain the applause of the world , more then out of duty and obedience to almighty God , he shall have his reward , that is perhaps the vain-glory he looked for , a worldly reward , but not my reward , that is , the most blessed and glorious reward of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ , a heavenly reward , which he hath laid up eternally for his blessed Saints and servants in heaven . My wishes to you are , that you will every one of you seriously observe my drift herein ; and that you will not only read and practise it , in the best construction for your souls good , but that you will teach others so to doe , especially your Children , if God shall give you any ; and to this joyn hearing , reading , prayer , meditation , blessed alms and charity , and all other Christian duties , in true love to almighty God for his own sake , to your neighbours for his Commandements sake , and both for obedience sake unto his sacred Majesty . Consider , that as one generation goeth , so another cometh , and it shall be only well to the righteous ; be righteous then and our good God will surely blesse you , and in the best time of his providence will bring us all together to eternall peace in Christ Jesus . Children I do not command you to study , read or love this book above others ( by far more learned Authors ) because of any oratory , wit or learning there is shewed in it ; but because in its right construction ( I trust ) it is pious , true and honest ; and comes from a near related heart , that truly desires and hopes ( in the sweet and saving mercy of our good God ) to live with you all in the eternall and perfect welfare of your souls and bodies , when our short , dangerous and various conditioned pilgrimages in this world are ended ; and that truly endeavours and desires the perfect welfare of your souls and bodies , and the true conversion of both into the sincere love of our Creatour , more then all the world besides : therefore seriously consider this , and the Lord give you perfect wisdom from heaven in all things . Amen .