Subjection to Christ in all his ordinances, and appointments, the best means to preserve…

I. A right understanding and sober use of liberty. For when People come first out of bondage, they are apt to be not only somewhat fond of their liberties, but to wax giddy and wanton with liberty, and instead of shaking off the bloody yokes of men, to cast off at least in part the Government and blessed yoke of Christ also. Hence it comes about that a day of rest from persecution, which should be a day of liberty to the Saints to serve God, may become a day of great seduction, and of liberty to seducing Spirits, to deceive, and damn, and mislead them from the truths and ways of God. But the machinations of men, though in conjunction with the powers and gates of hell, shall certainly fall at last before Truth and Prayer. And of this is the first Treatise which is seasonably published.

I. A right understanding and sober use of liberty. For when People come first out of bondage, they are apt to be not only somewhat fond of their liberties, but to wax giddy and wanton with liberty, and instead of shaking off the bloody yokes of men, to cast off at least in part the Government and blessed yoke of Christ also. Hence it comes about that a day of rest from persecution, which should be a day of liberty to the Saints to serve God, may become a day of great seduction, and of liberty to seducing Spirits, to deceive, and damne, and mislead them from the truthes and wayes of God. But the machinations of men, though in conjunction with the powers and gates of hell, shall certainly fall at last before Truth and Prayer. And of this is the first Treatise which is seasonably publish't.

To be fast bound to the rule with all the bonds and cords of God and Man is the Perfection of liberty. Hence there is not a surer Corner-stone of ruin to a Christian Commonwealth, that God will break them with unparalleled ⟨image 6⟩destructions by some overflowing scourge, when the day of vengeance is in his heart, then to think that Religion is none of their Liberties, and yet how many sons of Belial, are there void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them, who imagine vain things, and say, Let us break his bands asunder, and cast away his cords from us? How do men run into extremes, either stretching and paring every one to the Giants bed, and thereby denying liberty to the Saints to serve him, according to the measure of their stature in Christ, or else on the other hand opening the door so wide, as to plead for liberty to all the disguised enemies and sins against Christ, thereby instead of uniting the Saints in one, endeavouring through a dreadful mistake to unite Christ and Belial? It is a sad thing when a man is come to this pass, that he is not able to resolve his conscience whether Baal be God, or the Lord be God, and therefore would not have the worshippers of Baal punished, for fear lest Baal should be God. Is liberty nothing but indifferency & irresolution of spirit in the things of God? woe to the valley of vision, even to a sinful Nation laden with iniquity, and led away from the truth as it is in Jesus, and to the Host of the high ones that sit on high, in the day of his visitation, if this be the spirit of these times; for in the day when he visits, God will visit for these things.