of the Ground. Yet Man is born unto trouble, as the Sparks fly upwards,

Hebrews xii. 6, to 12. My Son, despise not thou the Chaftening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth, he chafteneth, and fcourgeth every Son whom he receiveth: If ye endure Chaftening, God dealeth with you as Sons: For what Son is he whom the Father chafteneth not. But if ye be without Chastisement, whereof all are Partakers, then are ye Baftards, and not Sons: Furthermore, we have had Fathers of our Flesh, which corrected us; and we gave them Reverence: Shall we not much rather be in Subjection to the Father of Spirits, and live. For they verily, for a few Days, chaftened us, after their own Pleasure; but he for our Profit, that we might be Partakers of his Holiness. Now no chaftening, for the prefent, feemeth to be joyous, but grievous, nevertheless, afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable Fruit of Righteoufnefs, unto them which are exercised thereby.

Proverbs iii. 11, 12. My Son, defpife not the Chaftening of the Lord; neither be weary of his Correction. For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as a Father the Son in whom he delighteth.

Revelations iii. 19. As many as I love, I rebuke, and chaften, be zealous therefore and repent; behold I ftand at the Door and knock: If any Man hear my Voice, and open the Door, I will come in to him, and will fup with him, and he with me.

James v. 10. 11. Take, my Brethren, the Prophets, who have spoken in the Name of the Lord, for an Example of fuffering Affliction, and of Paience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the Patience of Job,

and

and have feen the End of the Lord: That the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender Mercy.

Lamentations iii. 32, 33, 39. But tho' he cause Grief, yet will he have Compaffion, according to the Multitude of his Mercies. For he doeth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the Children of Men. Wherefore doth a living Man complain, a Man for the Punishment of his Sins? Let us search and try our Ways, and turn again to the Lord, let us lift up our Heart with our Hands to God in the Heavens. We have tranfgreffed and rebelled, thou haft not pardoned.

2 Corinthians iv. 17, 18. For our light Afliction, which is but for a Moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory.

The All-wife God for us knows what is beft,
In all our Sufferings, let us patient reft,
And thankfully our Will to God refign,
Who can, and will relieve us, in due Time.

Texts which fhew that we should obferve and keep all God's Commandments.

ATTHEW xix. 17. If thou wilt enter inte

M. Life, keep the Commandments.

Deuteronomy xii. 28. Obferve and hear all these Words, which I Command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy Children after thee for ever; when thou doeft that which is right in the Sight of the Lord thy God.

Deuter. xi. 18. to 22. Therefore shall you lay up these my Words in your Heart, and in your Sou!, and bind them up for a Sign upon your Hand, that they may be as Front-lets between your Eyes. And ye fhall teach them your Children,

K 2

speaking

fpeaking of them when thou fitteft in thine Houfe, and when thou walkeft by the Way, when thou lieft down, and when thou rifeft up: And thou fhalt write them upon the door Pofts of thine Houfe; and upon thy Gates; that your Days may be multiplied, and the Days of your Children, in the Land which the Lord fware unto your Fathers, to give them as the Days of Heaven upon the Earth.

Ecclef. xii. 13. Feat God and keep his Commandments: For this is the whole Duty of

Man.

Pfal. lxxxix. 7. to 33. God is greatly to be feared in the Affembly of the Saints; and to be had in Reverence of all them that are round about him. If his Children forfake my Law ; and walk not in my Judgments. If they break my Statutes, and keep not my Commandments, then will I vifit their Tranfgreffion with the Rod: and their Iniquity with Stripes.

Prov. xix. 16. He that keepeth the Commandment, keepeth his own Soul, but he that defpifeth ways fhall die.

his

Deuter. iv. 5, 6, 9, 13. Behold I have taught you Statutes and Judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do fo in the Land, whither ye go to poffefs it; keep therefore and do them, for this is your Wifdom, and your Understanding, in the Sight of the Nations, which fhall hear all thefe Statutes, and fay, Surely this great Nation, is a wife and underftanding People. Only take heed to thy felf, and keep thy Soul diligently, left thou forget the Things thine Eyes have feen, and left they depart from thy Heart, all the Days of thy Life: But teach them thy Sons, and thy Son's Sons. And he declared unto you his Covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten Commandments, and he wrote them upon two Tables of Stone.

Pfalm

Pfalm cxix. 1, 2, 97, 103. Bleffed are the undefiled in the Way, who walk in the Law of the Lord. Bleffed are they that keep his Teftimonies and that feek him with the whole Heart. They alfo do no Iniquity, they walk in his Ways. Thou haft commanded us to keep thy Precepts diligently. O how love I thy Law! It is my Meditation all the Day. How sweet are thy Words unto my Tafte: Yea fweeter than Honey unto my Mouth.

Pfalm i. 1, 2, 3. Bleffed is the Man that walketh not in the Council of the Ungodly, nor ftandeth in the Way of Sinners, nor fitteth in the Seat of the Scornful. But his Delight is in the Law of the Lord; and in his Law doth he meditate Day and Night.

Pfalm xix. 7, 8, 9. The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the Soul: The Teftimony of the Lord is fure, making wife the Simple. The Statutes of the Lord are Right, rejoicing the Heart: The Commandment of the Lord is pure, and giveth Light unto the Eyes. The Fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever, the Judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

falm cxi. 7, to 10. The Works of his Hands. are Verity and Judgment, all his Commandments are fure, they ftand fast for ever and ever, and are done in Truth. and. Uprightnef. Me fent Redemption unto his People, he hath commanded his Covenant for ever: Holy and reverend is his Name.

Pfalm ciii. 17, 18. But the Mercy of the Lord is from everlaiting to everlafling, upon them that fear him, and his Righteoufnefs unto Children's Children: To fuch as keep his Covenant. and think on his Commandments to do them.

Deuter. X. 12, 13. And now, Ifrael, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to K 3

fear

fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his Ways, and to love him, and to ferve the Lord thy God, with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, to keep the Commandments of the Lord, and his Statutes, which I Command thee this Day for thy Good?

Matth. v. 19. Whofoever therefore shall break one of these leaft Commandments, and shall teach Men fo, he fhall be called the leaft in the Kingdom of Heaven, but whofoever fhall do, and teach them, the fame fhall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

To keep the pure Commands of God prepare,
Let them be firft, thy great and chiefest Care,
He that would order all his Steps aright,
Muft in the Precepts of the Lord delight.

Texts of the Sin against the Holy

M

Ghost.

ATTHEW xii. 31, 32. Wherefore, I fay unto you, all manner of Sin and Bl phemy fhall be forgiven unto Men; but the Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft, fhall not be forgiven unto Men. And whofoever fpeaketh a Word against the Son of Man; it fhall be forgiven him: But whofoever fpeaketh against the Holy Ghoft, it fhall not be forgiven him, neither in this World, néither in the World to come.

Mark iii. 28, 29. Verily, I fay unto you, all Sins fhall be forgiven the Sons of Men, and Blafphemies wherewith-foever they Blafpheme. But he that fhall blafpheme against the Holy Ghoft, hath never Forgivenefs, but is in Danger of eternal Damnation,

Luke