Captives bound in chains made free

4. But why might you not be wiser and better than your Fore-fathers were? Were they perfect in wisdom and goodness? If they were not wise indeed for heaven and their souls, and if they were not good indeed, you must be wiser and better than they were, or you shall not be saved. If they were truly wise and good, it was their burden and their grief that they were no wiser, and no better, and why should that be a fault in you to be wiser than they ⟨p. 133⟩were, which they complained of as a fault in themselves that they were no wiser, and no better than they were?

Besides, would you not be richer than your Fore-fathers were? and greater and more honourable in the World if possibly you can? Do not you labour for greater Estates than they had, had they much or had they little? had they little, would not you have much? had they much, would not you have more? If you would be richer and greater, why may you not endeavour to be wiser, and to be better than they were?

5. What if some of your Fore-fathers should come from the dead, and tell you they were mistaken, and deceived, and are damned, and have been in hell ever since they died, would you think your selves concerned then to be wiser and to be better than they were? if your Father or your Fathers Father should come to any of you, and say, Oh! do not sleight Christ as we did, do not you, our poor posterity, remain in a natural state as we did, and are now suffering the wrath of God, and the vengeance of eternal flames; Oh! do not follow our example, nor lead your lives as we did, and neglect to worship God in your families, or do it by the halves, carelessly and negligently as we did, lest you come to the same place of torment, as we are condemned into, and must be in for ever: take the Scripture for your rule, and not our