Modefty. fat.co Peaceable ness. perfecute you, Matth. 544 Dearly be loved, avenge not your felves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, faith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink ; for in fo doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, Rom. 12, 19, 20. b TO be modeft and inoffenfive in your familiar difcourfe. Swear not at all, Matth. 5. 34. Blefs, but curse not, Rom. 12. 14. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the ufe of edifying, that it may minifter Grace unto the hearers, Ephef. 4. 29. And let your speech be alway with Grace, feafoned with falt, that ye may know how ye ought to anfwer every man, Col, 4, 6. TO be lovers and makers of peace. If ye have bitter envying and ftrife in your Hearts, glory not, and lye not against the truth; this wildom defcendeth not from above, but is earthly, fenfual, devillish; for where envying and ftrife is, there is confufion and every evil work, Fam. 3. 14, 15, 16. Study therefore to be quiet, and do do and do do your own business, 1 Thef. 4. II. Follow peace with all men, Heb, 1214 Be at peace among your felves, felves, 1 Thef, 5. 13. Seek peace, and en- lating to Cia FOR the obtaining of this, the greateft Bleffing upon Earth; fuch a perfect Virtues rea Peace as may refemble the State of the Govern Bleffed in Heaven; there are other Virtues ment. ftill, which relate directly to our Governours. To our Temporal Governours; That we render to Cæfar the things that are Cæfar's, Matth. 22. 21. That we pay to all their dues; Tribute to whom Tribute is due, Custom to whom Custom, Fear to whom Fear, Honour to whom Honour. Rom. 13. 7. That we fubmit our felves to every Ordinance of man for the Lord's fake; whether it be to the King, as Supreme; or unto Governors, as unto them that are fent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praife of them that do well: for fo is the Will of God, I Pet. 2.13, 14. And that every Soul be fubject unto the higher Powers: because there is no power but of God; the powers that be, are ordained of God.. Whofoever therefore refifteth the power, resisteth the Ordinance of God; and they that refift, fhall receive to themselves damS nation vernours. nation. Wherefore we must needs be fubject, not only for wrath, but also for Confcience fake, Rom. 13. 1, 2, 5. To our Spi- TO our Spiritual Gevernors also, the ritual Go- Bifhops and other Paftors of the Church. That we obey them that have the rule over us, and fubmit our felves: for they watch for our fouls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for us, Heb. 13. 17. That we know them which labour among us, and are over us in the Lord, and admonish us: That we esteem them very highly in love for their works, 1 Thef. 5. 12, 13. That fuch as rule well, be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour (with toyl and hazard) in the word and doctrine, 1 Tim. 5. 17. To the wholeState of the Church. TO the whole Estate and Body of the Church alfo. That we forfake not the affembling of our felves together, as the manner of fome is, Heb. 10. 25. That we be not contentious about Circumftantials, where we have no fuch Cuftom, nor the Churches of God, 1 Cor. 11. 16. That we endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace; because there is one. Body, and one Spirit, even as we are called in one hope of our calling: One Lord, one Faith, one Baptifm, one God and Fa ther ther of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all, Epes. 4. 3, 4, 5, 6. Therefore, I beseech you, Brethren, by the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that ye all speak the fame thing, and that there be no divifion among you; but that ye be perfectly joined in the fame mind, and in the fame judgment, I Cor. 1. 10. And that ye give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentles, nor to the Church of God, 1. Cor. 10. 32. God. IF these things be in you and abound, Virtues re you will be the better able to exercise those ating unto Virtues which relate immediately to the ever-blessed God: The Original whereof is, Love; according to that in Matth. 22.Love. 37. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy mind. Whereby are understood the Three Faculties of a Man's Spirit, the Will, the Affections, and the Understanding: And with thefe we are faid to love God, when they are vigoroufly employ'd about him; when out of a deep fenfe of the Glory of his Nature, and of his wonderful Goodness to his Creatures, especially to Mankind, we give up our felves entirely unto him, obeying his Pleasure, defiring and rejecting as he directs us; ftill having him in our Thoughts and entertaining our Minds with ravish S 20 ing Devotion. ing Contemplations of his Divine Perfections. And this is that which in the Scripture-Language we call, The fubmitting unto God, Fam. 4 7. The yielding of our felves unto God, Rom. 6. 13. Not the doing ones own Will, but the Will of God, Jo. 6.38. The ferving of him with Reverence and Godly fear, Heb. 12. 28. Delighting our felves in the Lord, Pfal. 37.4. And in one general Expreffion, our walking with God, as it is faid of Enoch, Gen. 5.22. UPON full Convictions of his Infinite Greatness, and his All-fufficiency and Readiness to help us, there arifeth another Virtue, viz. Devotion; That we of fer up daily unto him the facrifice of our lips, and the more valuable Oblation of a broken fpirit, Pfal. 51. That we pray without ceafing, Thef. 5.17. That we offer up the Sacrifice of Praife to God continually; that is, that we pretermit no good Opportunities of making our Supplications and Addreffes unto him. Refignation CONSEQUENT hereunto is, a Truft in him, a Dependance upon him, and an entire Refignation of our felves to his Care and Providence. That we cast not our confidence away, Heb. 10. 35. That we caft all our care on him, who careth |