A SAINT OR A BRUTE.

THE FIRST PART.

Shewing the Necessity of Holiness.

INTRODUCTION.

TO ALL SUCH AS NEGLECT, DISLIKE, OR QUARREL AT A LIFE OF TRUE AND SERIOUS GODLINESS.

IT hath been the matter of my frequent admiration, how it can be consistent with the natural self-love and reasonableness of mankind, and the special ingenuity of some above others, for men to believe that they must die, and after live in endless joy or misery, according to their preparations in this life, and yet to make no greater a matter of it, nor set themselves with all their might to inquire what they must be, and do, if they will be saved; but to make as great a business and bustle to have their wills and pleasure for a little while, in the small impertinent matters of this world, as if they had neither hopes or fears of any greater things hereafter. That as some melancholy persons are ' cætera sani,' as rational as other men in all matters saving some one, in which yet their deliration maketh them the pity or derision of observers; so many that have wit enough to avoid fire and water, and to go out of the way from a wild beast or a madman, yet have not the wit to avoid damnation, nor to prefer eternal life before a merry passage unto hell. Yea, that some that account themselves ingenious, and men of a deeper reach than the unlearned, can see no further through the promises or threatenings of God, than through a prospective or a tube, and have no wit that looketh beyond a grave; yea, are ready to smile at the simplicity of those

that care whether they live in heaven or hell, and use but as much diligence for their salvation, as they use themselves for that which Paul accounted dung.

Many a time I have wondered how the devil can thus abuse a man of reason, and such as think themselves no fools! and how such inexpressible dotage can stand with either learning, ingenuity, or common understanding; and what shift the devil and these men make to keep them from seeing, that have eyes, or from seeing the heavens, that can see the smallest dust or atom. But my admiration is abated, when I consider that the wit that serveth to move a puppet is not enough to rule a kingdom; and that sleeping reason is as none; and that it is the very art and business of the devil to charm sinners to sleep and wake at once. Dormire Deo, at mundo vigilare;' to be asleep to God, and awake to the world. And that present things engage the senses, and call off reason from its work; and that the seeming distance of the life to come, occasioneth the neglect of stupid, half-believing souls, till they find it is indeed at hand; even as death, though certain, affecteth few in youth and health, as it doth when they perceive that they must presently be gone. And withal, that a man is not a man in act till he be considerate; and that it is as good to be without eyes, as still to wink. We know what detained ourselves so long in sleep and folly, and we know what makes us yet so slow, and therefore we may know what it is that thus unmaneth others.

Reader, if thou be one of these unhappy souls; Whether thy brain be so sick as really to think that there is no life to come for man, or that there needs no such care and diligence to prepare for it; or whether thy heart be so corrupt and bad as to be against the things which thou confessest to be good and necessary; or whether thy reason be cast so fast asleep, as never soberly to consider of the only thing of everlasting consequence and concernment to thyself; or whether thy heart be grown so dead and stupid, as to be past feeling, and never moved or affected with the things which thou hearest and knowest, and considerest to be so great and necessary; which ever of these be thy sad condition, I have now this one request to thee, as a friend that truly desireth thy salvation; and I tender it to thee with as earnest a desire, as if thou sawest me upon my knees en

treating thee for the Lord's sake, and for thy soul's sake, and as ever thou hopest for the comfort of a dying man, and as ever thou carest what becomes of thy soul for ever, and as ever thou wilt answer it to Christ and thy own conscience with peace at last, that thou neither deny me, nor put me off with a careless reading, nor with contempt or disregard. My request to thee is but this reasonable thing, That thou wilt so long make a stand in thy way, and grant me so much of thy time, as once to read throughout this treatise, and SERIOUSLY to CONSIDER of what thou readest, and heartily to beg of God upon thy knees, to teach thee and lead thee into the truth, and then to be true to God and to thy conscience, and resolvedly to do that which thou art convinced is right, and best, and necessary. This is all my request to thee at the present. Put me not off with a denial or neglect, as thou wilt answer it to God, and as thou wilt not be a wilful self-condemner. Hast thou spent so many hours and days in vain, and cannot I beg a few hours of thee, to read and think of thy everlasting state? If thou darest not read and think of what can be said about such things as these, it is a sign thy case is indeed so bad, that thou hast more need than others to read and think of them. I know the devil dare not give thee leave to do it, if he can hinder thee; for fear lest thy eyes should be opened to see, and thy heart awakened to feel the things which he so laboureth to keep away from thy sight and feeling, till it be too late. And wilt thou grant him his desire to thy damnation, or Christ and his servants their desire to thy salvation? Think of it well before thou answer it by word or deed.

Being in hope that thou hast granted my request, (to read, consider, pray for help, and faithfully do what God shall teach thee,) I shall now begin to open thee the way to the matter of this treatise. The sum of my business is to teach thee, (1 Tim. iv. 8.) that "bodily exercise (in religion) profiteth little, but godliness is profitable to all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." I think it meet therefore to tell thee here in the beginning, what Godliness is, which the apostle distinguisheth from bodily exercise,' in matters of religion, and which I have proved so necessary and excellent in this treatise. And this I must do; 1. Lest thou deceive thy soul by

taking something else for Godliness. 2. And lest thou lose thy labour in the reading of this book, and hearing what Scripture and preachers say for Godliness. And 3. Lest thou wrong me and thyself, (according to the custom of this malicious age,) by imagining that by Godliness, I mean either superstition, or hypocrisy, or schism, or that I am persuading thee to sedition, humour, or needless singularity, under the name of Godliness and religion. I shall therefore tell you distinctly here, What Godliness is indeed; and what it is not.

In general, GODLINESS is our DEVOTEDNESS to GOD. And all these things following are essential to it, and of indispensable necessity to salvation.

I. That materially it contains these three things.

1. The true internal principle, soul, and life of Godliness; which is the Spirit of God; Rom. viii. 9. The Divine nature; 2 Pet. i. 4. The new, and soft, and single heart; Jer. xxxii. 39. Ezek. xi. 19. The seed of God abiding in us; 1 John iii. 9.

2. The intention of the true ends of Godliness; which is the reward in heaven; Matt. v. 11, 12. Luke xviii. 22. Matt. vi. 20, 21. Rom. viii. 17, 18. The pleasing of God and the beatifical vision and fruition of him with Christ and his triumphant church in the New Jerusalem for ever.

3. The reception and observation of the true rule of Godliness; which is the will of God revealed partly in nature, and fully in the Holy Scriptures. This must be in our very hearts; Psal. xxxvii. 31. Jer. xxxi. 33. and with delight we must meditate in it day and night; Psal. i. 2. To cast away and despise the law of God, is the brand of the rebellious; Isa. v. 24.

II. It is essential to Godliness that it formally contains these three relations.

to

1. It is a devotedness of ourselves, as HIS OWN, to GoD as our OWNER, or Proprietary, or Lord; quitting all pretence any co-ordinate title to ourselves, and resigning ourselves, absolutely, (and all that we have) to him that by the right of creation and redemption is our Lord; Psal, c. 3. cxix.94. John xvii. 6.

2. Godliness containeth a devotedness of ourselves as subjects, to God as our supreme and absolute Governor, to rule us by his laws, his officers, and his Spirit; to give up