end in comedies. The Lord will "do thee good in thy latter end; the latter end of that man is peace."

SECTION VIII.

Containing general and special Rules for ordering my speech, behaviour, and practice.

The Lord's people walk by rule; their life is fitly compared, Heb. xii. 1, to a race: and I have therefore thought upon some general rules to be observed as the foundation of all true religion.

§ 1. General Rules.

1st Rule. Labour to know and find out wherein a man's chief happiness doth consist: have an end to follow; till a man intend right, he can never have a right motion. Fix the heart in the belief of this, that the enjoyment of God in Christ is our happiness; and make the heart to close with this. Alas! the most of us walk at random, like beasts, without an end. This is the foundation of all, John xvii. 3, "It is life eternal to know God, and whom he hath sent."

2d Rule. It will much contribute to our motion in the way, to be armed with a strong and deliberate resolution to walk in such ways; this will determine us, Psal. cxix. 106, 111, "I have chosen thy precepts as mine heritage for ever." "I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will observe all thy righteous judgments." Consider and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of religion, and then thoroughly determine and bind thyself with the strongest engagements; be positive, not halting.

3d Rule. Labour to have and keep right, sound, orthodox, and charitable thoughts of God: fix a lovely character of God in thy heart, such as, Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. Fix the faith of God's attributes-study this most; "This is life eternal." Rom. x. 14, "How shall they call on him whom they have not known?" It

is a superstitious unprofitable worship that is not to the true God.

4th Rule. Be always in duty; racers must keep the gate: never be idle. As there is an end, so there is a way; never sit still. Lay it as a foundation, to be always in duty; never to quit that, whatever it be. 1 Cor. xv. 58, "Always abounding in the work of the Lord." Job xvii. 9, " The righteous holdeth on in his way.” We by idleness lose much; we are employed in such a work as we must not suffer to grow cold. Oh, our interruptions do us much prejudice! Little and little makes good speed at last.

5th Rule. Walk by faith, and not by sense; that is, make the Scriptures thy rule; think, love, judge, and do according to this. Examine all things: As a man hath an end and way, so hath he a rule to direct him; this is the Scriptures, 2 Cor. v. 7; Deut. iv. 1, 2; and vi. 1, 2. Reject all other guides but this.

6th Rule. Believe always, and never despair; keep the heart up. Whatever come, lose not your confidence; never sink by discouragement, hoping always stedfastly unto the end. "Trust in him at all times, ye people." Heb. iii. 6, " Hold fast your confidence stedfast unto the end." No ground ever for despair-the ground of faith remains alway; therefore never lose your hope: "It is good for a man to hope," Lam. iii. 26; Isa. xxvi. 4.

7th Rule. Live near the Lord always; that which is expressed in Scripture by "walking with God, setting him always at our right hand." Let heart, thoughts, and affections, retain ever some impressions of his presence; fear always. Keep yourselves in the love of God; if departed, return again; if returned, keep with him. All good is with God, and all ill comes from his absence and distance: "Woe unto them when I leave them." Lose not your guide by any means; he is "all things," life, light, strength, and health. Ye cannot be without this, Hos. xii. 6, "Wait continually on thy God." Psal. xvi. 8; Gen. xvii. 1; John xv. 4, 5, 6, "Without me ye can do nothing." Psal. lxxiii. 28, "It is good for me to draw near to God."

8th Rule. Be always humble; never murmur; be always vile in

VOL. II.

thine own eyes; justify the Lord always; submit to every dispensation; let never your spirits be rankled or fired, Micah vi. 8, "Walk humbly with thy God."

9th Rule. Keep your spirits sober and in health; if sick and distempered, ye cannot travel: not drunken with the " cares of this world,” Luke xii. 45. Be not lifted up with pride or passion; he whose spirit is lifted up within him is not right. Keep your spirits in an equal balance, 1 Pet. v. 8, "Be sober;" suffer not your passions to run to excess: sober in weeping, rejoicing, speaking, doing, fearing, Phil. iv. 5; 1 Cor. vii. 30. Be always master of thyself;

unshaken.

10th Rule. Study temperance-this is objective sobriety; temperance in meat, drink, sleep, and recreations. Shun excess, by which the spirits are indisposed. The heathen call temperance the ground-work and foundation of all virtue, 2 Pet. i. 5, 6; Prov. xxiii. 20. Racers must be dieted and temperate, 1 Cor. ix. 25, "He that warreth must be temperate in all things." Surfeiting is forbidden, Luke xxi. 34.

11th Rule. Beware of worldly-mindedness, and being too much engaged in the world: "He that warreth doth not entangle himself in the affairs of this life," 2 Tim. ii. 4. Have as little ado in the world as ye can; take no more in hand than ye are well able to master. If engaged, flee as a bird out of the snare, and put thy house in order, but put the world out of thy heart especially : "No man can serve two masters."

12th Rule. Be watchful: beware of a spirit of slumber, stand always on your guard; "Watch in all things," as the apostle commanded Timothy. "Blessed is the man that feareth always." Be always suspicious, Prov. xxviii. 14. Never turn secure or careless; remember your adversary is still busy, and his snares are continually set: "Be vigilant" therefore, 1 Pet. v. 8. Keep your eyes always open; look and ponder everything; be not rash or hasty.

13th Rule. Be diligent in the means both public and private, in hearing, meditation, Christian conference, ejaculatory prayer, reading; especially private prayer; a man cannot be a Christian with

out this. Ye cannot work or travel unless ye eat, Prov. x. 4, "The hand of the diligent maketh rich."

14th Rule. Look upon sin as the greatest evil, and never to be done; whatever ye do, shun sin, and shun tentations to evil as well as evil itself.

§ 2. Rules I daily follow in my daily walk: or, some special Rules for ordering my own particular Conversation.

1st particular Rule. In imitation of Christ and his apostles, and to get good done, I purpose to rise timely every morning, Job i. 5; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 15.

2d Rule. To propose, when I am up, some work to be done, or the work of the day, and how and when to do it, and to engage my heart to it, 1 Tim. iv. 7, and at even to call myself to account, and to mourn for failings.

3d Rule. To spend a competent portion of time every day in prayer, reading, meditating, spiritual exercises, morning, mid-day, evening, and ere I go to bed.

4th Rule. Once in the month, either the end or middle of it, I keep a day of humiliation for the public condition, for the Lord's people and their sad condition, for the raising up the work and people of God.

5th Rule. I spend, by and attour this, one for my own private condition, in conflicting with spiritual evils, and to get my heart more holy, or to get some special exercise throughed, once in six weeks.

6th Rule. I spend every week once, four hours over and above my daily portion in private for some special causes relating either to myself or others, relating either to temporal or civil affairs.

7th Rule. To spend some time on Saturday towards night for preparation to the Sabbath.

8th Rule. To spend six or seven days together once in a year, when I have greatest conveniency, wholly and only on spiritual accounts. 9th Rule. My ordinary and extraordinary works, which every day I strive to finish, are, to mortify sin, to perfect holiness in the

fear of the Lord, to glorify God, to instruct others and do them good, to attend on and walk closely with the Lord. This I propose every day to myself to do and finish, and at even do examine myself of my progress and diligence therein; this is my work and

exercise.

10th Rule. To be always on my guard, in a watchful, fearing frame.

§ 3. Rules in Speaking.

I have found by Scripture and experience how much it concerns us to watch our tongues, it being that instrument whereby we may do most ill or good to others, that hath influence on the whole body. And seeing religion kyths most in this, (" He that bridleth not his tongue, his religion is vain ;" and whoso can," is a perfect man,") I will therefore set down some rules which I have proposed to myself for ordering my speech and words.

1st Rule. Speak nothing materially sinful, such as lying, swearing, cursing, scolding, backbiting, or any thing that may dishonour God, or wrong your neighbour, Psal. xxxiv. 13.

2d Rule. Speak no idle language, that hath no profit or edification, such as frothy words, foolish talking and jesting; but let them be seasoned with grace, as with salt, Eph. v. 4; Mat. xii. 36.

3d Rule. Speak not much; be sparing in discourse, James i. 19, "Slow to speak." "In the multitude of words there wants not sin."

4th Rule. Speak soberly both as to matter and manner. It is said of the whore, Prov. vii. 11, "She is loud and clamorous ;" and of some, Jude, ver. 16, that they "speak high swelling words." This is contrary to Christ, whose "voice was not heard in the streets." A meek, quiet spirit is calm in words; loud, violent, earnest speaking argues a proud, distempered, unmortified heart.

5th Rule. Speak not rashly nor hastily; be not precipitate in speaking; advise ere ye speak; do not out with every thing ye conceive: "The righteous studieth to answer.”

6th Rule. Speak weightily and seriously, reverently and gravely,