pity our Mifery, as to give us his Son, and in him to make a new Covenant with us, after we had broken the First.

17. This SECOND COVENANT was made The Second with Adam, and us in him, prefently after his Fall Covenant. and is briefly contained in thofe Words, Gen. 3. 15. where God declares, That THE SEED OF THE WOMAN SHALL BREAK THE SERPENT'S HEAD; and this was made up, as the first was, of fome Mercies to be afforded by God, and fome Duties to be performed by us.

18. God therein promifes to fend his only Son, who is God equal with himself, to Earth, to become Man like unto us in all things,Sin only excepted,and be to do for us thefe feveral Things.

19. First, To make known to us the whole Will of his Father; in the Performance whereof we shall be fure to be accepted and rewarded by him. And this was one great Part of his Bufinefs, which be performed in thofe many Sermons and Precepts we find fet down in the Gofpel. And herein he is our PROPHET, it being the Work of a Prophet of old, not only to foretell, but to teach. Our Duty, in this particular, is to hearken diligently to him, to be most ready and defirous to learn that Will of God, which he came from Heaven to reveal to us.

20. The Second Thing he was to do for us, was to fatisfie God for our Sins, not only that one of Adam, but all the Sins of all Mankind that truly repent and amend, and by this Means, to obtain for us Forgiveness of Sins, the Favour of God, and fo to redeem us from Hell and Eternal Damnation,which was the Punishment due to our Sin. All this he did for us by his Death. He offered up bimfelf a Sacrifice for the Sins of all thofe who beartily bewail and for fake them. And in this he is our PRIEST, it being the Prieft's Office to offer Sacrifice for the Sins of the People. Our Duty in this particular, is, firft, truly and heartily to repent us of, and for fake our Sins, without which, they will never be forgiven us, tho' Chrift have died. Secondly, Stedfaftly to believe, that if we do that, we shall have the Benefits of that Sacrifice of his; all our Sins, how many and great foever, Shall be forgiven us,and we faved from thofe Eternal Punishments which were due unto us for them. Another Part of the PRIEST's Office

was

was Bleffing and Praying for the People; and this alfo Chrift performs to us. It was his Special Commiffion from his Father to Bless us, as St. Peter tells us, Acts 3. 26. God fent his Son Jefus to blefs you: And the following Words fhew wherein that Bleffing confifts, in turning away every one of you from his Iniquity: Thofe Means which he has used for the turning us from our Sins, are to be reckon'd, of all other, the greatest Bleffings; and for the other part, that of Praying, that he not only performed on Earth, but continues ftill to do it in Heaven; He fits on the right Hand of God, and makes Requeft for us, Rom. 8. 34. Our Duty herein is, Not to refift this unfpeakable Blessing of his, but to be willing to be thus blefs'd, in the being turned from our Sins, and not to make void and fruitless all his Prayers and Interceffions for us, which will never prevail for us, whilst we continue in them.

21. The Third Thing that Chrift was to do for us, was, To Enable us, or give us Strength, to do what God requires of us. This he doth, Firft, By taking off from the Hardness of the Law given to Adam (which was, Never to commit the leaft Sin, upon Pain of Damnation), and requiring of us only an honeft and hearty Endeavour to do what we are able; and where we fail, accepting of fincere Repentance: Secondly, By fending his Holy Spirit into our Hearts to govern and rule us, to give us Strength to overcome Temptations to Sin, and to do all that he now under the Gofpel requires of us. And in this he is our KING; it being the Office of a King to govern and rule, and to fubdue Enemies. Our Duty in this particular, is, To give up ourselves, obedient Subjects of his, to be governed and ruled by him, to obey all his Laws, not to take part with any Rebel; that is, not to cherish any one Sin, but diligently to pray for his Grace to enable us to Subdue all, and then carefully to make use of it to that Purpofe.

22. Laftly, He has purchased for all that faithfully obey him, an Eternal Glorious Inheritance, the Kingdom of Heaven, whither be is gone before to take Poffeffion for us. Our Duty herein is, To be exceeding careful, that we forfeit not our Parts in it which we shall certainly do, if we continue impenitent in any Secondly, Not to falten our Affections on this World, but to raife them according to the Precept of the Apoftle, Col. 3. 2

Sin:

Set

Set your Affections on Things above, and not on Things on the Earth; continually ionging to come to the Poffeffion of that bleed Inheritance of ours, in comparison whereof all Things bere below should feem vile and mean to us.

23. This is the Sum of that SECOND COVENANT we are now under, wherein you fee what Chrift hath done, bow be executes thofe Three Great Offices of KING, PRIEST, and PROPHET: as alfo what is required of us; without our faithful Performance of which, all that he hath done, shall never ftand us in any flead; for he will never be a Prieft to Save any, who take him not as well for their Prophet to Teach, and their King to Rule them: nay, if we neglect our Part of this Covenant, our Condition will be yet worse than if it had never been made; for we shall then be to answer, not for the Breach of Law only, as in the first, but for the Abufe of Mercy, which is of all Sins the most provoking. On the other fide, if we faithfully perform it, that is, fet ourselves heartily to the obeying of every Precept of Chrift, not going on wilfully in any one Sin, but bewailing and forfaking whatever we have formerly been guilty of, it is then most certain, that all the fore-mentioned Benefits of Chrift belong to us.

24. And now you fee how little Reafon you have to caft off the CARE of your SOULS, upon a Conceit they are paft Cure, for that it is plain they are not; nay, certainly, they are in that very Condition, which, of all others, makes them fittest for our Care. If they had not been thus REDEEMED by CHRIST, they had then been fo hopeless, that Care would have been in vain: On the other fide, if his Redemption had been fuch, that all Men Should be faved by it, though they live as they lift, we should have thought it needlefs to take Care for them, becaufe they were fafe without it. But it hath pleafed GOD fo to order it, that our Care must be the Means by which they must receive the Good even of all that CHRIST hath done for them.

25. And now, if, after all that God hath done to fave these Souls of ours, we will not bestow a little Care on them ourfelves, we very well deferve to perish. If a Phyfician fhould undertake a Patient that were in fome defperate Difeafe, and by his

Skill bring him fo far out of it, that he were fure to recover, if be would but take Care of himself, and obferve thofe Rules the Phyfician fet him; would you not think that Man weary of his Life, that would refufe to do that? So certainly, that Man is weary of his Soul, wilfully cafts it away, that will not confent to thofe eafie Conditions by which he may fave it.

26. You fee how great Kindness God hath to thefe Souls of purs; the whole TRINITY, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, have all done their Parts for them. The FATHER gave his only Son; the SON gave himself, left his Glory, and endured the bitter Death of the Crofs, meerly to keep our Souls from perishing. The HOLY GHOST is become, as it were, our Attendant, waits upon us with continual Offers of bis Grace, to enable us to do that which may preferve them; nay, he is fa defirous we should accept thofe Offers of his, that he is faid to be grieved when we refufe them, Eph. 4. 30. Now, what greater Difgrace and Affront can we put upon God, than to defpife what be thus values? That thofe Souls of ours, which Chrift thought worthy every Drop of his Blood, we fhould not think worth any Part of our Care? We ufe, in Things of the World, to rate them according to the Opinion of those who are belt skill'd in them: Now certainly Go D, who made our Souls, best knows the Worth of them; and fince he prizes them fo bigh, let us (if it be but in Reverence to him) be ashamed to neglect them; especially now that they are in fo hopeful a Condition, that nothing but our own Carelefnefs can poffibly deftroy them.

27. I have now briefly gone over thofe Four Motives of Care I at firft propofed, which are each of them fuch as never miffes to fir it up towards the Things of this World; and I bave alfo fhewed you, how much more Reasonable, nay, Neceffary it is, they should do the like for the Soul. And now, what can Ifay more, but conclude in the Words of Ifaiah, Ch. 46. 8. Remember this, and fhew yourfelves Men; that is, Deal with your Soul, as your Reafon teaches you to do with all other Things that concern you. And fure This common Juftice binds you to; for the Soul is that which furnishes you with that Reafon which you exercife in all your Worldly Bufinefs: And Shall the Soul itfelf

receive

receive no Benefit from that Reafon which it affords you? This is as if a Mafter of a Family, who provides Food for his Servants, fhould by them be kept from Eating any himself, and So remain the only faro'd Creature in his Houfe.

28. And as fuftice ties you to this, fo Mercy doth likewife you know, the poor Soul will fall into endless and unspeakable Miferies, if you continue to neglect it, and then it will be too late to confider it. The laft Refuge you can hope for, is God's Mercy but that you have defpifed and abused. And with what Face can you, in your greatest Need, beg for his Mercy to your Souls, when you will not afford them your own? no, not that common Charity of confidering them, of beftowing a few of thofe idle Hours, you know not (Scarce) how to pass away, upon them?

29. Lay this to your Hearts; and, as ever you hope for God' Pity when you most want it, be sure in Time to pity your felves, by taking that due Care of your precious Souls which belongs to them.

30. If what hath been faid, hath perfuaded you to this fo neceffary a Duty; my next Work will be, to tell you, How this Care must be employed, and that, in a Word, is, In the doing of all thofe Things which tend to the making the Soul Happy, which is the End of our Care: And what thofe are, I come now to fhew you.

For more particular Concernments, fee

The Caules of the Decay of Chriftian Piety;

AND

The Gentleman's Calling:

Both Written by the AUTHOR of this Book.

The Whole Duty of Man, being put into fignificant Latin, for the Ufe of Schools, is now Printed and Published.

All Printed for JOHN BASKETT, Printer to the King's Moft Excellent Majefty.