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THE

Rule and Exercifes

OF

Holy Living.

CHAP. I.

Confiderations of the general Inftruments and Means ferving to a Holy Life, by way of Introduction.

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Tis neceffary that every Man fhould confider, that fince God hath given him an excellent nature, wisdom and choice, an understanding foul, and an immortal fpirit, having made him Lord over the beafts, and but a little lower than the Angels; he hath alfo appointed for him a work and a fervice great enough to employ those abilities, and hath alfo defign'd him to a ftate of life after this to which he can onely arrive by thay fervice and obedience. And therefore as every man is wholly God's own portion by the title of Creation: fo all our labours and care, all our powers and faculties must be wholly employed in the fervice of God, even all the days of our life, that this life being ended, we may live with him for ever.

Neither is it fufficient that we think of the service of God as a work of the leaft neceffity, or offmall em

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ployment, but that it be done by us as God intended it; that it be done with great earneftnefs and paffion, with much zeal and defire; that we refufe no labour, that we beltow upon it much time, that we use the beft guides, and arrive at the end of glory by all the ways of grace, of prudence and religion.

And indeed if we confider how much of our lives is taken up by the needs of nature, how many years are wholly spent before we come to any use of reason, how many years more before that reafon is ufefull to us to any great purposes, how imperfect our discourse is made by our evil education, falfe principles, ill company, bad examples, and want of experience, how many parts of our wifeft and beft years are spent in eating and fleeping, in neceffary bufineffes and unneceflary vanities, in worldly civilities and lefs usefull circumftances, in the learning arts and sciences, languages or trades, that little portion of hours that is left for the practices of piety and religious walking with God is fo fhort and trifling, that were not the goodness of God infinitely great, it might feem unreafonable or impoffible for us to expect of him eternal joys in Heaven, even after the well spending those few minutes which are left for God and God's fervice, after we have ferved our felves and our own occafions.

And yet it is confiderable, that the fruit which comes from the many days of recreation and vanity is very little, and although we fcatter much, yet we gather but little profit: but from the few hours we fpend in prayer and the exercifes of a pious life, the return is great and profitable; and what we fow in the minutes and fpare portions of a few years, grows up to crowns and scepters in a happy and a glorious Eternity.

1. Therefore although it cannot be injoyn'd, that the greatest part of our time be fpent in the direct actions of devotion and religion, yet it will become, not only a duty, but also a great providence, to lay afide for the fervices of God and the bufineffes of the Spirit as much as we can: because God rewards our minutes with long and eternal happiness; and the greater

greater portion of our time we give to God, the more we treasure up for our felves; and No man is a better Merchant than he that lays out kis time upon God, and money upon the Poor.

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2. Onely it becomes us to remember and to adore God's goodness for it, that God hath not onely permitted us to ferve the neceffities of our nature, but hath made them to become parts of our duty; that if we by directing these actions to the glory of God intend them as inftruments to continue our perfons in his fervice, he by adopting them into religion may turn our nature into grace,and accept our natural actions as actions of Religion. God is pleafed to efteem it as a part of his fervice, if we eat or drink: fo it be done temperately, and as beft preferve our health,that our health may enable our fervices towards him: And there is no one minute of our lives (after we are come to the use of reason) but we are or may be doing the work of God, even then when we most of all ferve our felves.

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Πυθομένα τινὸς, πῶς ἔξὶν ἐπίειν dρες ως θεοίς; ει δικαίως όταν, on, x) εvsvæμóves, x) lows, as neglas, & nooμics, on bers asses rois dos; Arian. Epijt. 1.1.6.13.

3. To which if we add, that in these and all other actions of our lives we always ftand before God, acting, and speaking, and thinking in his prefence, and that it matters not that our confcience is fealed with fecrecy, fince it lies open to God, it will concern us to behave our felves carefully, as in the prefence of our Judge.

These three Confiderations rightly managed, and applied to the feveral parts and inftances of our lives, will be, like Elifba, ftretched upon the child, apt to put life and quickness into every part of it, and to make us live the life of grace, and do the work of God.

I fhall therefore by way of Introduction reduce thefe three to practice, and fhew how every Chriftian may improve all and each of thefe to the advantage of Piery in the whole courfe of his life: that if he please to bear but one of them upon his spirit he may feel the benefit, like an univerfal inftrument, helpfull in all spiritual and temporal actions. SECT.

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SECT. I.

The first general Inftrument of Holy Living..
Care of our Time.

HE that is choice of his time will also be choice of his company, and choice of his actions; left the firft engage him in vanity and lofs, and the latter by being criminal be a throwing his time and himself away, and a going back in the accounts of Eternity.

God hath given to man a fhort time here upon Earth, and yet upon this fhort time Eternity depends: but fo, that for every hour of our Life, (after we are perfons capable of Laws, and know Good from Evil) we must give account to the great judge of Men and Angels. And this is it which our bleffed Saviour told us, that we must account for every idle word: not meaning that every word which is not defigned to Edification, or is lefs prudent, fhall be reckoned for a fin; but that the time which we spend in our idle talking and unprofitable Difcourfings, that time which might and ought to have been employed to spiritual and ufefull purposes, that is to be accounted for.

For we must remember that we have a great work to doe, many enemies to conquer, many evils to prevent, much danger to run through, many difficulties to be mastered, many neceffities to ferve and much good to doe, many Children to provide for, or many Friends to fupport, or many Poor to relieve, or many Diseases to cure, befides the needs of Nature and of Relation, our private and our publick cares, and duties of the World, which neceflity and the Providence of God hath adopted into the Family of Religion.

And that we need not fear this Inftrument to be a fnare to us, or that the duty muft end in fcruple,vexation and eternal Fears, we must remember that the life of every Man be fo ordered, (and indeed muft) that it may be a perpetual ferving of God: The greateft Trouble, and most bufie Trade, and worldly Incumbrances, when they are neceffary, or charitable,

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