A cabinet of choice jewels, or, A box of precious ointment being a plain…A cabinet of choice jevvels, or, A box of precious ointment being a plain…

Secondly, If your obedience springs from Faith, then you will endeavour to obey God in relative Commands, as well as in absolute Commands; you will not only hear, and pray, and read, and meditate, and fast, and mourn; but you will labour to be good in your Relations, both as a Husband, a ⟨p. 137⟩Father, a Master, a Magistrate, a Minister. Remember this for ever, every one is that really that he is relatively. Many make a great Profession, and are under a great Name, and have great parts and gifts, and can discourse rarely well on any subject, whose houses are not Bethels, but Bethavens, not little Temples, but little Hells. One, writing of the Italian women, saith that they were Angels in the streets, Saints in the Church, and Devils in their houses; this is very applicable to many high Professors this day, who are very forward in the general Duties of Religion, and yet make little Conscience of relative duties; but he whose obedience springs from Faith, he will make Conscience of relative commands as well as of absolute commands: Whatever Command hath the stamp of God, the Authority of Heaven upon it, though it seem never so small, he dares not disobey it; if he sees a beam of divine Majesty sitting upon the face of any Command, he will submit to it; you know men will not refuse a penny if the Kings stamp be upon it, so if the Authority of God be stamped upon the least Command, a sound Christian will yield subjection to it, as well as the greatest. Mark, if a man make no Conscience of relative Commands, though his general conversation as a Christian be never so admirable, yet he hath great cause to suspect himself and his estate, and that his heart is not right in the sight of God.¹ O that you would seriously consider! that relative and domestical Graces and duties do more demonstrate true piety and godliness than public duties, than general duties do; for Pride, Vain-glory, Self-ends, and a hundred other outward, carnal considerations, may put a man upon the general duties of Religion, as you may see by the Scriptures in the Margin,² and as you may see in the Scribes and Pharisees throughout the New Testament;

Secondly, If your obedience springs from Faith, then you will endeavour to obey God in relative Commands, as well as in absolute Commands; you will not only hear, and pray, and read, and meditate, and fast, and mourn; but you will labour to be good in your Relations, both as a Husband, a