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RULES and INSTRUCTIONS

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OR difpofing you the better to observe these rules, and profit by them, be pleased to take the following advices:

1. Put all your truft in the fpecial and fingular mercy of God, that he, for his mercy's fake, and of his only goodness, will help and bring you to perfection; not that abfolute perfection is attainable here, but the meaning is, to high degrees of that fpiritual and divine life, which is always growing, and tending towards the abfolute perfection above; but in fome perfons comes nearer to that, and rifeth higher, even here, than in the most. If you, with hearty and fervent defires, do continually wish and long for it, and with most humble devotion, daily pray unto God, and call for it, and with all diligence do bufily labour and travel to come to it, undoubtedly it shall be given you; for you must not think it fufficient to use exercises, as though they had fuch virtues in them, that, of themselves alone, they could make fuch as do use them perfect; for neither thofe, nor any other, whatever they be, can of themselves (by their ufe only) bring unto perfection. But our merciful Lord God, of his own goodness, when you seek with hearty defires and fervent fighings, maketh you to find it: When you afk daily with devout prayer, VOL. II.

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then he giveth it to you; and when and when you continually, with unwearied labour and travel, knock perfeveringly, then he doth mercifully open unto you: And becaufe that thofe exercifes do teach you to feek, afk, and knock; yea, they are none other but very devout petitions, feekings, and fpiritual pulfations, for the merciful help of God; therefore they are very profitable means to come to perfection by God's grace.

2. Let no particular exercise hinder your public and standing duties to God and your neighbours; but for thefe, rather internnit the other for a time, and then return to it as foon as you can.

3. If, in time of your fpiritual exercife, you find yourself drawn to any better, or to as good a contemplation as that is, follow the track of that good motion fo long as it fhall laft.

4. Always take care to follow fuch exercifes of devout thoughts, withal putting in practice fuch leffons as they contain and excite to.

5. Though at first ye feel no fweetness in fuch exercifes, yet be not difcouraged, nor induced to leave them, but continue in them faithfully, whatsoever pain or fpiritual trouble ye feel; for, doing them for God and his honour, and finding none other prefent fruit, yet you fhall have an excellent reward for your diligent labour and your pure intentions: And let not your falling fhort of thefe models and rules, nor your daily manifold imperfections and faults, difhearten you; but continue ftedfaft in your defires, purpofes and endeavours; and ever afk the beft, aim at the beft, and hope the beft, being forry that you can do no better; and they fhall be a most acceptable facrifice in the fight of God, and in due time you fhall reap if you faint not: And of all fuch inftructions, let your rule be to follow them as much as you can; but not too fcrupulously, thinking your labour loft if you do not exactly and ftrictly anfwer them in every thing: purpofe ftill better, and by God's grace all fhall be well.

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SECT. I.

Rule 1. Exercise thyself in the knowledge and deep confideration of our Lord God, calling humbly to mind how excellent and incomprehenfible he is; and this knowledge fhalt thou rather endeavour to obtain by fervent defire and devout prayer, than by high ftudy and outward labour: It is the fingular gift of God, and certainly very precious. Pray then, 2. "Moft gracious Lord, whom to know is the very blifs and felicity of man's foul, and yet none can know thee, unless thou wilt open and shew thyfelf unto him, vouchsafe, of thy infinite mercy, "now and ever, to enlighten my heart and mind to "know thee, and thy most holy and perfect will, to "the honour and glory of thy name. Amen."

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3. Then lift up thy heart to confider (not with too great violence, but foberly) the eternal and infinite power of God, who created all things by his excellent wifdom; his unmeasurable goodness, and incomprehenfible love; for he is very and only God, moft excellent, moft high, moft glorious, the everlafting and unchangeable goodness, an eternal fubftance, a charity infinite, fo excellent and ineffable in himself, that all dignity, perfection and goodness, that is poffible to be spoken or thought of, cannot sufficiently exprefs the fmallest part thereof.

4. Confider that he is the natural place, the centre, and reft of thy foul: If thou then think of the most bleffed Trinity, mufe not too much thereon, but with devout and obedient faith, meekly and lowly adore and worship.

5. Confider Jefus, the Redeemer and Hufband of thy foul, and walk with him as becomes a chafte spouse, with reverence and lowly fhamefulness, obedience and fubmiffion.

6. Then turn to the deep, profound confideration of thyfelf, thine own nothingness, and thy extreme defilement

defilement and pollution, thy natural averfion from God, and that thou muft, by converfion to him again, and union with him, be made happy.

7. Confider thyfelf and all creatures as nothing, in comparison of thy Lord; that fo thou mayeft not only be content, but defirous to be unknown, or, being known, to be contemned and despised of all men, yet without thy faults or defervings, as much as thou canft.

8. "O God, infufe into my heart thy heavenly light and bleffed charity, that I may know and "love thee above all things; and above all things "loath and abhor myself. Grant that I may be fo "ravished in the wonder and love of thee, that I "may forget myfelf, and all things; feel neither

profperity nor adverfity; may not fear to fuffer all "the pains of this world, rather than to be parted "and pulled away from thee, whofe perfections in"finitely exceed all thought and understanding. "O! let me find thee more inwardly and verily "prefent with me, than I am with myself; and make "me moft circumfpect how I do ufe myself in the "prefence of thee, my holy Lord.

"Caufe me alway to remember how everlasting "and conftant is the love thou beareft towards me, "and fuch a charity and continual care, as though "thou hadft no more creatures in heaven or earth

befides me. What am I? A vile warm and filth."

9. Then afpire to a great contrition for thy fins, and hatred of them, and abhoring of thyfelf for them; then crave pardon in the blood of Jefus Chrift; and then offer up thyfelf, foul and body, an oblation or facrifice, in and through him, as they did of old, laying wood on the altar, and then burning up all; fo this fhall be a facrifice of fweet favour, and very acceptable to God.

10. Offer all that thou haft, to be nothing, to use nothing of all that thou haft about thee, and is called thine, but to his honour and glory: And refolve,

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through his grace, to ufe all the powers of thy foul, and every member of thy body, to his fervice, as formerly thou haft done to fin.

II. Confider the paffion of thy Lord, how he was buffetted, fcourged, reviled, ftretched with nails on the cross, and hung on it three long hours; fuffered all the contempt and shame, and all the inconceivable pain of it, for thy fake.

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12: Then turn thy heart to him, humbly saying, "Lord Jefus, whereas I daily fall, and am ready to fin, vouchsafe me grace, as oft as I fhall, to rife again; let me never prefume, but always moft meekly and humbly acknowledge my wretched"nefs and frailty, and repent, with a firm purpose "to amend; and let me not defpair because of my great frailty, but ever truft in thy most loving mercy, and readiness to forgive."

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SECT. II.

1. Thou fhalt have much to do in mortifying of thy five fenfes, which must be all shut up in the crucified humility of Jefus Chrift, and be as they were plainly dead.

2. Thou must now learn to have a continual eye inwardly to thy foul and spiritual life, as thou haft ufed heretofore to have all thy mind and regard to outward pleasure and worldly things.

3. Thou muft fubmit and give thyfelf up unto the difcipline of Jefus, and become his fcholar, refigning and compelling thyself altogether to obey him in all things; fo that thy willing and nilling, thou utterly and perfectly do caft away from thee, and do nothing without his license: At every word thou wilt fpeak, at every morfel thou wilt eat, at every ftirring or moving of every article or member of thy body, thou must ask leave of him in thy heart, and afk thyself, whether, having so done, that be accord

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