English Puritan & Reformed

The Rule of the New Creature

Edward Reyner (1600-1668) · 2,922 words · 13 min

The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A91732.0001.001

Project Note

This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.

The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.

This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.

Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.

However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.

This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.

Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org

THE Rule of the new CREATVRE To be practiced every day, in all the particulars of it which are ten Gal. 6.16.

[illustration]

Printed, Anno 1644.

THE Rule of the New Creature to be practiced every day, in all the particulars of it which are ten Gal. 6.16.

1. BE sensible Of thy original corruption daily, how it inclines thee to evil, and indisposeth thee to good; groan under it, and bewail it, as Paul did, Rom. 7.24.

Also take special notice of your actual sins, or daily infirmities, in thought, word, deed. Indeavour to make your peace with God for them before you go to bed.

Repenting, and confessing them to God, working your heart to gre • fe for them, by some melting considerations, as of God's goodness to you, the unreasonableness, and unprofitableness of sin, the prejudice, and damage thereof to the soul, John. 1.1.9.
Believing, or casting yourself wholly on Christ's righteousness, for remission thereof, and reconciliation with God, Rom. 3.22 24.25. Cleaving to God's promises of pardon, & peace, Isaiah 43.25. Rom 5.1. waitinge till the Lord shall speak to you, Psal. 85.8.

2. Get your union with Christ, and interest in Christ, cleared, & confirmed to you daily more and more, that you are a branch in his vine, a member in his body, Cor. 2.13.5 This may be done 3 ways.

1. By daily renewal of your faith in Christ, especially of that act of faith, whereby the soul knits, or tyes it self unto Christ, casts, or roules it self on Christ for salvation. Cause your heart in a solemn manner every day to act this part, or put forth this primitive act of faith in the view of the whole soul. The daily exercise hereof will increase, & strengthen the divine habit of faith in the soul, & make the soul sensible of the very act of it. By frequent believing you shall feel at your very heart, that you do believe; so shall you have a witness in yourself, that you are in Christ, 1. John. 5.10.

2. By examininge your heart upon what grounds you take Christ to be yours.

Are They

1. A sight, and sense of your sins, of the guilt, power, punshiment of them, & of your misery by them? Math. 9.13.
2. Your want of Christ seen, and felt at your very heart, to justify, sanctify, redeem, save you, else you are utterly lost, and undone everlastinglie? Luke 19.10.
3. God's free, and general offer of Christ to any that will take him by faith John 3.16. manifold promises to this purpose. The ground of all God's offers, & donations of Christ being free grace, rich mercy, vndeserved love, Eph. 2.4.5.7. Titus 3.4.5.6.
4. Christ's sweet, and gracious invitatiō of such to come to him as are weary of sin. Math. 11.28. to buy as have no money. Isaiah 55.1. no worth, or desert in themselves.
5. As sinful vile wretches as you are have been sought of Christ, and found in Christ, as 1. Cor. 6.9.10.11. 1. Tim. 1.13. Phil. 3.7.8.9. why may not you?

The more clearly you discern upon what grounds you take Christ, the more clear is your title to Christ.

3. By survaying, & observing in what manner you take Christ daily.

Whether

1. You do wholly renounce all opiniō, and conceit of your own righteousness, & desert, Mark. 8.34. Phil. 3.7.8.9 soe that you come to Christ empty of yourself, very vile, yea nothing in your own eyes, unworthy to receive him.
2. You lay hold on Christ alone with an empty hand of faith, joyninge nothing at all with Christ in the matter of salvation.
3. You find the Father drawing your heart after Christ John. 6.44. in hungering, panting desires, that will never be satisfied without him; so that the stream, both of your judgment, Phil. 3.7.8. and affections 1. Cor. 2.2. Gal. 6.14. run towards him.
4. You take Christ as a Lord to rule you as well as a Jesus to save you, Col. 2.6. As one that is all. To you your all, your wisdom, your righteousness, your sanctification, & redemptiō 1. Cor. 1.30 your spiritual food. John. 6. Rayment Rom. 13.14. Strength, Phil. 4.13. Life Gal. 2.20. Col. 3.3.
5. You seek, and wait for Christ (out of the sense of your spiritual penuty) in every ordinance, public, & private, word, Sacraments, Prayer, Meditation, Conference; not as they are your own works of sanctification, but as they are God's Ordinances appointed of purpose for the manifestation, & communication of Christ to the soul.

Frequent perusal hereof will clear to you your manner of taking Christ, which will evidence to you your right in Christ.

3. Labor to draw, and derive from Christ (by the pulling attractive force of faith) ability sufficient for the day.

1. To perform all the duties.
2. To exercise all the graces.
3. To resist & overcome all the temptations, and corruptions.
4. To undergo all the trials, and afflictions thereof.

Make your provision of grace, and strength from Christ every morning, fetch soe much as you shall have occasion to use all day long, yea and upon all occasions, that fall out in the day go to Christ still for the wisdom, that must direct you, for the holiness that must character you; for the shoulder, which must bear them, if they be crosses; for that strength, that must resist them, if they be temptations; perform them, if they be duties.

To this end act your faith daily in the promises of grace, and strength, as John. 1.16. Ezek. 36.26.27. Isaiah 44.3. Zech. 10.12. which are both security given you by God, that you shall receive grace, and conduit-pipes, or instruments of conveying the same from Christ unto you.

This is the means to do all in the strength of Christ, and to take forth a great deal of Christ into your soul, that not you, but Christ may live in you Gal. 2.20.

4. Performe daily duties both in family, and closet (especially these 3. of Prayer, Meditation, reading) with serious intention, heat of affection, diligence, and delight, Ier. 48.10. Mal. 1.14. 1. Chron. 21.24. To this end.

1. Watch to these duties, 1:e. keep the heart in a good frame for them, Ephe. 6.18. undefiled with sin, untainted by the world.

2. Take fittest time for performance of them all; when you are least dull, and sluggish. Begin the day constantly with the thoughts of God.

3. Be very real, serious, and substantial with God in them, Indeavour to feel all duties at your heart, inliving, enlarging, inflaming your affections.

These be duties of most importance, and consequence, commodity, & comfort to the soul, because they properly aim at, and reach to soul-good, and celestial happiness, to train up a soul for heaven.

5. Fortifie yourselves every morning against your special lusts to which you are by nature most prone, or shall be most tempted, be it pride, passion, covetousness &c.

1. By arguments, and holy reasoninges within yourselves, drawn from the sad effects thereof, as disprofit, discomfort, disgrace, or the like, to discover the unreasonableness of your sin, and make your soul ashamed of it. For example shall I be proud? then I am sure to fall, for pride goes before a fall, and God will count me for his enemy, for God resisteth the proud. Shall I be angry? If I let passion in, I cannot keep Satan out, Ephe. 4, 26.27. I shall grieve the holy spirit of God Ephe. 4.30.31. Shall I be covetous? I cannot but be very sinful, since the love of money is the root of all evil 1. Tim. 6.10.

2. By pondering in your mind precepts in God's book against your sin judgments threatened, or inflicted for it, on proud Herod, voluptuous Dives, churlish Nabal.

3. By applying promises of mortification close to your hearts, as a plaster to the sore, for subduinge your iniquity Micah. 7.19. Rom. 6.14.

4. By drawing virtue from Christ's death into the soul, which hath in it a killinge force of sin, Rom. 6.4.5.6. Phil. 3.10.

6. Get your hearts strongly fixed on God, by trusting on him Psal. 112.7. and submitting to him 2. Sam. 15.26. 1. Sam. 3.18. against all the fears, cares, doubts, trials, afflictions of every day, for sufficient to the day is the evil thereof Math. 6.34. To this end.

1. Be prudent to fore-see your personal trials, & troubles, whatsoever they are like to be Prov. 22.3.

2. Go hide, and lay up yourself in God, run unto his name, for God is a rock of habitation to which a poor soul may continually resort, God will give commandment to save him Psal. 71.3. 1. Peter. 4 19.

3. Especially cornmit that very thing to God, put it into his hands, whatsoever you desire to keep, or fear to loose, 2. Tim. 1.12. be it life, liberty, name, friends, maintenance, &c. what you would have resolved, if it be a doubt Psal. 37.5. or supplied, if it be a want, removed, if it be a cross, Psal. 50.15. & together with the thing, cast all your care, fear, sorrow, & trouble of mind about it wholly on the lord. Math. 6.31. 1. Peter. 5.7. Psal. 55.22.

4. Renew your faith in those promises every day which most concern your present state; as in promises of supplies, if you be in want. Psal. 34.8. and 37.3. and 84.11. Math. 6.30. of protection, if you be in danger. Psal. 34.7. of direction, if in doubt; of deliverance, if in trouble, of a good end, and sanctified use of all. Deut. 8.16. I am. 5.11. Rom. 8.28. Heb. 12.10.

5. Labor to see God's hand. Psal. 34.9. believe his love. Heb. 12.6. Rev. 3.19. and with all meekness, and patience to resign up yourself wholly to his will in every affliction. Math. 26.39.

7. Get, and keep a savory relish continually of your Christian privileges, wherewith you are invested as you are new creatures in Christ: to wit.

1. Of your dignity, that you are God's sons, Christ's brethren, heavens heirs, partakers of a high, and heavenly calling.

2. Of your liberty, that you are the Lord's freemen dilivered out of the hands of all enemies.

3. Of your victory, that you are thourough Christ more then Conquerors over all the world of Creatures. 1. John. 5.4. of evils, of temptations, of persecutions Rom 8.35.37.

4. Of your safety, that you have almighty God for your place of refuge, Psal. 18.2. a hedge of providence. Job. 1.10. a Guard of angels. Psal. 91.11. an inclosure of mercy. Psal. 32.10. and God's promise as a writ of protection for your defense. Heb. 13.5.6.

5. Of your riches, as durable substance in heaven. Heb. 10.34. an incorruptible inheritance, 1. Pet. 1.4. a kingdom of glory, and crown of life, for you are heirs of God, & co-heirs with Christ.

6. Of your Joy, and pleasure, precious for kind, and plentiful for measure. Psal. 16.11. peace un-conceiveable phil. 4.7. joy un-speakeable 1. peter. 1.8. the masters joy.

Get your hearts affected with all these as being yours. Chew, and suck them by serious Meditation, work, and warm them on your hearts by close application, rubbing them into your affections. Oppose these your spiritual privileges to all your temporal pressures, setting the one against the other; as your heavenley friends to your earthly foes, your high dignity in Christ to your meaner in outward condition? your wealth above to your want below; your future joys, and rest to your present troubles, and sorrows. This will make you not only patient under the afflictions of this life Rom. 12.12. but joyful in them. Rom. 5.3. and triumphant over them. 1. Cor. 15.55. Thus did the Apostles. Rom. 8.18. 2. Cor. 4.17.8. and 6.8.9.10.

These will provoke to duty 1. Peter. 9.11.12. and preserve from fainting 2 Cor. 4.16.17. and from trouble of heart John 14.1.2.

8. Sanctify God in your heart daily 1. Peter 3.15. make him your fear, Isaiah. 8.14. your love, and delight Psal. 37.4. To this end.

1. Have often high, and honorable thoughts of God, serious meditation of his glorious Attributes, as his wisdom, power, truth, mercy, justice, &c. and work them vpō your hearts, that they may Echo to them with pure, & meltinge affections. This will increase, and nourish up the divine nature fast in you.

2. Labor to be affected with all the works of God, as to behold, & admire the wisdom of God in the creatures. Psal. 136.5. to see, and taste God's goodness in every mercy Psal. 34.8. to take notice of, and tremble at the anger, and displeasure of God in all Iudgmentes. Psal. 119.120. Habb. 3.16. that you may answer the dispensations of God's providence with suitable dispositions; your hearts carrying a counterpane in affection to all God's actions.

3. Wrestle with God by praying, and beleevinge for an heart of flesh. Ezek. 36.26. which will receive impressions from the very thoughts of God in the mind Also apply promises of particular affections. as of love. Deut. 30.6. fear. Ier. 32.40. delight, Isaiah. 58.14. There is heat, and life in these promises sufficient to quicken, and warm thy dead, and frozen affections.

9. Get a public spirit to mind the things of Jesus Christ, as naturally as if they were your own things. phil. 2.20.21. to look on the things of others, and prefer Jerusalem's welfare before your chiefest joy psal. 137.5.6. and the Gospels liberty before your own, as Paul did; to mourn for the sins of the times, as the Godly in Jerusalem did, Ezek. 9.4. Especially lay to heart.

1. The Churches misery, when God's Ordinances go down, & superstition goeth up, when God's cause, and fide are put to the worse, when anything falls out, which gives a blow to Religion, or proves an impediment to the Gospel. If the Ark be taken call your comforts Ichabods. Sam 4.21.

2. The afflictions of Joseph, Amos 6.6. The sufferings of God's servants, whether Ministers, or people. Oh sympathize with them. Heb 13.3. Nehem. 1.4. labor to feel their troubles, and sorrows at your very hearts; and pray earnestly for them, as the Church did for Peter Act. 12.5.

3. The signs of the times. Math. 16.3. which hypocrites cannot discern, though they be well versed in the face of the sky, to wit, the sad symptoms, & presages of approaching Judgment, as

1. The commonesse of sin; for all sortes transgress in all kind of open sinfulness with a high hand against light of nature,and means of grace. Gen. 15.15. Ezek. 22.4.
2. Contempt of God's ordinances, misusing of his Ministers. 2. Chron. 36.16.
3. Departure of God's glory from his house. Ezek. 9.3.
4. Incorrigibleness after former, and under present judgmentes. lev. 26.14.11
5. The death of many righteous men. Isaiah. 57.1. the carryinge away of others to hidinge places.
6. The vials of God's wrath poured on the Churches beyond the Seaes. Ier. 17.12.14.
7. An Inundation of spiritual judgmentes, as a spirit of error, superstition, apostasy &c. which do commonly end in temporal plagues Isaiah. 6.10.11

Now the Holy Ghost is a public spirit breathing, and acting in all the members of the body mystical. Pray for it. Luke. 11.13. believe for it, Gal. 3.14. Ezek. 36 27.

10. Get your hearts weaned daily from the world, and from those creatures, and comforts in itt, which are dearest, and sweetest to you. Wife, children, friends, Goods, liberty, house, life. This Christ requires of those that follow him. Luke 14: 26.27 Mark. 10.29.30. this will prepare you either to suffer, or to die, either of which may put you upon itt to loose all. To this end consider seriously.

1. That these things cannot satisfy your heart, when you have enjoyed them to the full. Eccles. 4.8. and 5.10. you soon grow weary of them, or glutted with them; soe that you desire some new delights, or more of the old, or some over again.

2. Nor can they sanctifye you, but expose you oft to many lusts. 1 Tim. 6.9.10. temptations, distractions, to a spirit of the world, and they hinder from following Christ. Math. 19.22.

3. Nor can they save you from God's wrath, frō death, or judgment. pro 11.4.

4. The wicked whose portion is only here have often the greatest share of them, Psal. 17.14. Job 21.7. to 14.

5. They serve only for this life, whilst we are on this side, of the grave; they shall not be the least Ingredients into our celestial happiness. When we do come to be happy in heaven, we shall stand in no need of food, raiment, Physic, marriage &c. Math. 22.30. for we shall be like the angels of God in heaven, we shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore. Rev. 7.16. we shall live by the all-sufficient spirit of God, which never needs refreshing; we shall be clothed with long white robes of Immortalitye Rev. 7.9. In a word, when we come to heaven the place of God's Habitation we shall enjoy the face, and beatifical presence of the most glorious Jehovah blessed forever, as an object, wherein all the powers of our souls will be satisfied with ineffable delight, and everlastingness. God will be unto us all in all. 1. Cor. 15.28.

FINIS.