heaven and to Iesus the Mediatour of the new Covenant and to â—he blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel See then that thou refuse not to come to this great marriage of the Kings Son with thy soul and see withall that thou comest not without a wedding garment that is to say unprepared For whosoever shall eate this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthâ—ly shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord But let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of that bâ—ead and drink of that cup of the Lord for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himselfe not discerning the Lords body 1 Cor 11.27 28 29. These are the words of a faithful witnesse and thou maiest beleeve them When therefore thou doest intend to be a partaker of this merciful and mysterious Sacrament be sure for three daies at least not to intermeddle with any worldly businesse but all that time redeeme those many daies which were vainly spent by thee enter into thine owne bosome examine what thou hast there and if thou findest any sons of darknesse lurking under those fig-leaves conceal them not but turne them out of doors and wash their Couch with thy teares have a care that in the Bridegroomes bed instead of myrrhe and flowers thou strowest not thornes and thistles The Evening before thou art to communicate feed but moderately and after supper use no corrupt communication but converse inwardly with thine own heart and meditate what an Almighty guest thou art to entertaine there next day Consider seriously thine own unworthinesse and desire of him that he would sanctifie and furnish the roome where he is to eate the Passeover with thee Intreat him to defend thee that night from all sinful Illusions and temptations and to keep the house cleane and garnished for himself When thou hast thus commended thy self into his hands let thy sleep that night be shorter then usual be up with the day or rather with thy Saviour who rose up early while it was yet dark Meditate with thy self what miracles of mercy he hath done for thee Consider how he left his Fathers bosome to be lodged in a manger and laid by his robes of glory to take upon him the seed of Abraham that he might cloath thee with Immortality Call to minde his wearisome journeys continual afflictions the malice and scorne he underwent the persecutions and reproaches laid upon him his strong cries and teares in the days of his flesh his spiritual agony and sweating of blood with the Implacable fury of his Enemies and his own unspeakable humility humbling himself to the death of the Crosse a death accursed by Gods own mouth Consider againe if thou canst of what unmeasurable love was he possessed who having designed and spent his time of life here for thy salvation did not onely leave thee those divine Oracles and Instructions to be guided by but to seale up the summe and make heaven sure unto thee did by his last Testament give himself with all the merits of his life and death to be wholly thine and instead of them took upon him all thy transgressions bore all thine iniquities and to appease the anger and satisfie the Justice of his Father became the holy harmlesse and undefiled sacrifice and perfect satisfaction for the sins of the world reconciling all things unto his Father whether they be things in earth or things in heaven When thou hast thus considered him in his acts of love and humility consider him again in his glory take thine Eyes off from Bethlehem and Golgotha and look up to the mount of Olives yea to heaven where he sits now upon the right hand of his Father Angels principalities and powers being made subject unto him Call to minde his Joyful resurrection his most accomplished conquest and triumph over the world death and hell his most gracious and familiar conversation with his Apostles before his Ascension with his most loving and comfortable carriage towards them at his departure leading them out as farre as Bethanie and lifting up his hands and blessing them Lastly close up these thoughts with a serious and awful meditation of that great and joyful though dreadful day of his second coming to judgâ—ment promised by himself and affirmed at the time of his Ascension by the two men in white apparel Yemen of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into heaven this same Iesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall waile because of him Amen! even so come quickly Lord Iesus ¶ These are the duties reqâ—ired of thee and which thou must faithfully and punctually performe if thou wouldst be a worthy Communicant and receive those sacred and mystical Elements to that blessed end for which they were ordained But when I speak of three dayes preparation I do not impose that proportion of time nor conclude it sufficient as if it were enough for thee to recede from thy corrupt inclinations and the myre of thy sins for such a terme with an intention to returne and wallow in it again when that holy season is over for our whole life had we the purity of Angels and the innocence of infants bears no proportion at all nor can it without an immediate sanctification from God himself any way qualifie or make us fit for the reception of this unmeasurable mercy But when I spoke of such a proportion of time I did onely propose it to my Readers for the performing of those holy and necessary duties which have particular relation to this solemne Feast and which indeed are required then from every Christian. And as for a regular sober and holy life we should in all places and at all times labour for it for without holinesse no man shall see the face of God much lesse be partaker of his merits and by this spiritual eating and drinking become a member of that body whose life and head he is A Prayer for the grace of repentance together with a Confession of sins O Holy blessed and glorious Trinity three persons and one eternal God have mercy upon me a miserable sinner O who will give mine head waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears that I may weep night and day for my infinite transgressions ingratitude and rebellion against my most milde and merciful Creatour O God my God be not farre from me hide not thy face from the work of thine hands reject not my sighing and mournful spirit nor the earnest endeavours and desires of mine undone and miserable soul O thou that breakest not the bruised Reede nor quenchest the smoking Flax quench not in me these weak sparks this dawne and beginnings of the promised earnest Take away O my God! this heart of stone and give
shall I attempt thy passion thy bloody sweat thy deep and bitter agony thy lingring peece-mealed death with all the lively anguishments and afflictions of thy martyr'd Spirit O my most loving and merciful Saviour It is onely thy own Spirit that can fully character thy own sufferings These miracles of love and most comfortable circumstances encourage me O my God to draw neer unto thee for it is not probable that thou wouldst have subjected thy self to such bitter reproaches blasphemies and torments had not thy love to man for whose redemption thou didst suffer them been as infinite as thy self And greater love then this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends And lay it down thou didst for no man could take it from thee Thou couldst have commanded twelve legions of Angels from thy Father and when thou wentest forth to meet thy murtherers they went backwards and fell to the ground and without thy permission in whose hand their breath was they could have done nothing These merciful passages together with thy own voice and frequent invitation much encourage me to draw neer unto thee Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Matth. 11.28 If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink John 7.37 These with many more are thy loving Invitations This is the voyce of the great Shepherd and thy sheep hear thy voyce Thus thou didst cry and these were the words thou didst speak while thou wert here upon earth and shall I then turn away from thee that speakest now from heaven Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech and thy preaching and Intercession shall last untill the heavens be no more and woe unto them that refuse to hear thee Wherefore most holy Iesus seeing thou dost invite sinners to thee and didst die to redeem them and art able to save them to the uttermost that come to God by thee and dost live for ever to make intercession for them Heb. 7.25 26. I the most wretched and the worst of sinners in full assurance of thy mercies and that thou art touched with the feeling of mine infirmities Heb. 4.15 and wilt have compassion upon my penitent soul draw neer to thy throne of grace that I may obtaine mercy and finde grace to help in time of need O Lord be merciful unto me forgive all my sins and heal all mine infirmities Cleanse my heart sanctifie my affections renew my spirit and strengthen my faith that I may at this great Feast discerne thy blessed body and eate and drink salvation to my self to the glory of thy great name and the comfort of my poor and sorrowful soul Amen Now unto him that hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen A Prayer when thou art upon going to the Lords Table IN the name of the Father and of the Son and the holy Ghost Amen! Iesus Christ the Lamb the Branch the bright and morning-Starre the bread of life that came down from heaven have mercy upon me It is thy promise that whosoever eateth thy flesh and drinketh thy blood he shall have eternal life in him and thou wilt raise him up at the last day Behold O God I am now coming to thee O thou fountain of purgation thou Well of living waters wash me cleane be unto me the bread of life to strengthen me in my pilgrimage towards heaven grant that I may suck salvation from thy heart that spring of the blood of God which flowes into all believers Thy flesh is meat indeed and thy blood is drink Indeed O give me grace to receive both worthily that I may never incurre thy anger and eternal condemnation Lord Iesus Christ I beleeve all that thou hast said and all that thou hast promised helpe thou mine unbelief thou art the Author be thou the finisher of my faith And for thy glories sake for thine own names sake leade me in the right way to this great mercy and mystery Amen! Immediately before the receiving say O Lord I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant all my life long unto this very day much lesse am I worthy thou shouldst come now under my roof but seeing it is thy institution and free mercy that will have it so be jealous O God of the place of thine honour cause me to remember whose Temple I am and suffer not my last state to be worse then the first Even so Lord Iesus come quickly Amen! ¶ Admonitions after receiving the holy Communion WHen you have received the Sacred Elements you should not presently after spit nor eate and drink but refraine untill they are perfectly digested and resolved You must lay aside all worldly communication and humane discourses though never so serious for judge of your self what an uncivil part it will be in you when you have received so great a guest as Iesus Christ with all his merits to turne your back upon him presently and neither to meditate of him nor to discourse with him and keep him company Wherefore you should all that day be instant in prayer meditations thanksgiving and good works you should consider and think upon the love of God who so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son to redeeme it You should meditate upon his birth life doctrine and passion his death and buriall resurrection and ascension and his second coming to judgement You should pray that you may be found blamelesse and without spot of him and so much the more because you see the day approaching Tread not under foot the Son of God and his precious blood wherewith you are sanctified and saved by returning again to your former sins like the dog to his vomit but be sure that you walk warily and fall not willfully into the myre Be not regular and holy for a day or two but all the dayes of thy life and number thy dayes that thou mayst apply thy heart unto wisdome Cast thy bread upon the waters be merciful to the poor and remember thy Creator for the dayes of darknesse are many but the outward darknesse is eternal and from it there is no redemption Instead of printed Meditations which are usually prescribed after communicating I would advise the pious receiver to read over all these following parcels of Scripture Iohn 6.22 to the end Iohn 17. Rom. 8.2 Cor. 5. Ephes. 1. 4. Heb. 10.1 Pet. 1. Rev. 5. A Prayer after you have received LOrd Jesus Christ very God and very man made in all things like unto us sin onely excepted I blesse and praise thy holy name and with all my heart with all my strength and with all my soul give thee all possible thanks for thy infinite love and pity towards
lost man Blessed be the hour in which thou wert born and the hour in which thou didst die Blessed and for ever hallowed be thy most comfortable and glorious name the name JESUS CHRIST at which every knee shall bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth for thy name is above every name and there is no other name by which we can be saved O most holy most humble and harmlesse Lamb how didst thou make thy self of no reputation and becamest obedient to the death of the Crosse for my sake And when thou wert to drink the cup of thy Fathers anger due to my sins didst instead of it ordain and bequeath to me the cup of life and everlasting salvation O Lord give me a heart to understand and eyes to see what thou hast done for me O never suffer me to crucifie thee again by returning to my former iniquities and pollutions but write thy sufferings and the price of my redemption in the tables of my heart set them for a signet upon mine hand and for a bracelet upon mine arme that by a continual and careful remembrance of them I may in the strength of this bread received to day at thy table travel to thy holy mountain and that this drink which I drank out of the spiritual rock may become a Well of living waters springing up in me to eternal life Grant this G God for thy glories sake and for that love and mercies sake which brought thee hither out of thy Fathers bosome to suffer so many things for his Elects sake Amen! Worthy is the Lamb that was slaine to receive power and riches and wisdome and strength and honour and glory and blessing for he hath redeemed us to God by his blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and hath made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall reigne on the earth Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead my Lord Iesus that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant Make me perfect in every good work to do his will working in me that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Iesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen! A Prayer in time of persecution and Heresie MOst glorious and Immortall God the Prince of peace unity and order which makest men to be of one mind in a house heale I beseech thee these present sad breaches and distractions Consider O Lord the teares of thy Spouse which are daily upon her cheeks whose adversaries are grown mighty and her enemies prosper The wayes of Zion do mourne our beautiful gates are shut up and the Comforter that should relieve our souls is gone far from us Thy Service and thy Sabbaths thy own sacred Institutions and the pledges of thy love are denied unto us Thy Ministers are trodden down and the basest of the people are set up in thy holy place O Lord holy and just behold and consider and have mercy upon us for thy own names sake for thy promise sake suffer not the gates of hell to prevaile against us but return and restore us that joy and gladnesse may be heard in our dwellings and the voyce of the Turtle in all our land Arise O God and let thine enemies be scattered and let those that hate thee flee before thee Behold the robbers are come into thy Sanctuary and the persecuters are within thy walls We drink our own waters for money and our wood is sold unto us Our necks are under persecution we labour and have no rest Yea thine own Inheritance is given to strangers and thine own portion unto aliens Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever and forsake us for so long a time Turne thou us unto thee O Lord and we shall be turned renew our dayes as of old O Lord hear and have mercy and be jealous for the beloved of thine own bosome for thy truth and for the words of thine own mouth Help us O God of our salvation and for thine own honours sake deal Comfortably with us Amen Amen A Prayer in adversity and troubles occasioned by our Enemies O Holy and almighty God full of goodness and compassion look I beseech thee with thine Eye of mercy upon my present sad sufferings and most bitter afflctions Behold O God I put my mouth in the dust and confess I have deserv'd them I despise not thy Chastenings but begge grace of thee that I may not faint and that they may yeild the fruits of righteousnesse unto me who am now exercised by them Thou seest O God how furious and Implacable mine Enemies are they have not only rob'd me of that portion and provision which thou hadst graciously given me but they have also washed their hands in the blood of my friends my dearest and nearest relatives I know O my God and I am daily taught by that disciple whom thou did'st love that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him Keep me therefore O my God from the guilt of blood and suffer me not to stain my soul with the thoughts of recompense and vengeance which is a branch of thy great prerogative and belongs wholly unto thee Though they persecute me unto death and pant after the very dust upon the heads of thy poore though they have taken the bread out of the childrens mouth and have made me a desolation yet Lord give me thy grace and such a measure of charity as may fully forgive them Suffer me not to open my mouth in Curses but give me the spirit of my Saviour who reviled not again but was dumb like a Lamb before his shearers O Lord sanctifie all these afflictions unto thy servant and let no man take away my crown Remember those that are in troubles for thy truth and put their tears into thy bottle Grant this O merciful Father for my dear Saviours sake and bring me quickly into thy Kingdom where I shall have all these tears wiped away from mine eyes Amen Amen! MAN IN Darkness OR A DISCOURSE OF DEATH Eccles. 11.7 8 9 10. TRuly the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is to behold the Sun But if a man live many dayes and rejoyce in them all yet let him remember the dayes of darknesse for they are many Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheere thee in the dayes of thy youth and walk in the wayes of thy heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart and put away evil from thy flesh for childhood and youth are vanity Draw neer fond man and dresse thee by this glasse Mark how thy bravery and big looks must passe Into corruption rottennesse and dust The fraile Supporters which betray'd thy trust O weigh in time thy last and loathsome state To purchase heav'n for tears is no hard
might make our calling and election sure It is a fearful thing to die without reconciliation And with what confusion of face and horrour of spirit if we die in that state shall we appear before the Iudge of all the world when he shall come in the Clouds of heaven with his holy Angels and all mankind from the first man created unto the last that shall be borne upon the earth shall appear before his Judgement-seate Me thinks I see the remisse lukewarme professour and the hypocritical factious pretender of sanctity looking up to the Clouds and crying out O that throne that flaming white and glorious throne and he that sits thereon with the sharp sickle in his hand and the crown of pure gold upon his head Revel 14.14 from whose face the heaven and the earth flye away and the foundations of the world are brought to nothing Oh! is he the Lamb that was slain whose blood was poured out like water upon the earth to save his people from their sins Is he the Prince of life that was crown'd with thornes scourged spit upon crucified pierced through and murthered and comes he now to judge the world Oh! It is he It is he miserable wretch that I am What shall I do or whither shall I go Such will be the dreadful agonies and concertations in that day betwixt the Hypocrite and his conscience betwixt the enemies of Gods truth and their gasping undone souls When the people that forget God shall go down quick into hell and the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed and laid open before Angels and men For in that day all their dark and private lusts their closet-sins bosome-councels specious pretences and bloody machinations which now like so many foul spirits lurk in their gloomy breasts shall be forced out and will appear as visible to all mankind as if they were written with the beams of the Sun upon the pure and unclouded firmament In the mean while the very fowles of the aire and their own horrid guilt either in time of distraction which they are alwayes subiect to or in their sleep which is alwayes fraught with penal visions and spiritual tumults may make a full discovery of their most secret villanies before the appointed time It was a blessed and a glorious age the Primitive Christians lived in when the wildernesse and the solitary places were glad for them and the desert rejoyced and blossom'd as the rose When the blood of Christ was yet warme and the memory of his miracles and live fresh and vigorous what Zeale what powerful faith what perfect charity hearty humility and true holinesse was then to be found upon the earth If we compare the shining and servent piety of those Saints with the painted and illuding appearance of it in these of our times we shall have just cause to fear that our Candlestick which hath been now of a long time under a Cloud is at this very instant upon removing But I had rather you should be informed of their true holinesse and love to Christ by an Eye-witnesse that was conversant with them and went in and out amongst them then by a bare relation from my pen. Heare therefore what he saith Vidi ego verè vidi the saurum Christi in humanis absconditum vasculis c. vidi enim apud eos multos Patres in terra positos coelestem vitam agentes novos quosdam Prophetas tam virtut bus animi quà m vaticinandi officio imbutos c. Nonnullos namque â—orum ità ab omni malitia cogitatione suspicione vidimus alienos ut nec si aliquid mali adhuc in seculo gereretur meminissent tanta in eis erat tranquillitas animi tantúsque in eis inoleverat bonitatis affectus c. Commanent autem per cremum dispersi separati cellulis sed charitatis vinculo connexi Ob huc autem dirimuntur habitaculis ut silentii sui quietem intentionem mentis nec vox aliqua nec occursus ullus aut sermo aliquis otiosus obturbet Intentis ergo in suo quisque loco animis velut fideles servi adventantem dominum expectant Omnes hi nullam cibi aut indumenti aut ullius horum sollicitudinem gerunt Iustitiam regnum Dei requirunt armis orationum pugnant scuto fidei ab inimico insidiante protecti patriam sibi coelestem conquirunt I have seen saith he and I was not deceived the treasure of Christ laid up in earthen vessels for amongst those Christians in Egypt I have seen many Fathers who had here upon earth already begun the heavenly life and regenerate Prophets who were indued not onely with holy habits but had received therewith the Spirit of promise for I have known many of them that were so free from malice perverse thoughtfulnesse and suspition as if they had never known that there were such evill wayes to be followed in the world Such a great tranquillity of mind and such a powerful love or longing after goodnesse had wholly possessed them They lived dispersed up and down the wildernesse and separated from one another in several Cells or Cots but knit all together in the perfect bond of Charity The reason of their distinct and distant habitations was because they would not have the silence of their retirements disturbed nor their minds diverted from the contemplation of heavenly things by any noyse sudden occurrence or idle discourse for this cause they have every one their particular mansion where with intentive or earnest minds they do like faithful servants expect and look for the coming of their Master They take no thought for meat and drink and cloathing nor for any such accommodations they seek onely the Kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof they fight with the weapons of prayer being guarded with the shield of faith from the devices of their spiritual enemies so travel on towards their heavenly countrey This was the old way and whether we are in it or out of it is not hard to be decided A pretended sanctity from the teeth outward with the frequent mention of the Spirit and a presumptuous assuming to our selves of the stile of Saints when we are within full of subtilty malice oppression lewd opinions and diverse lusts is I am sure a convincing argument that we are not onely out of it but that we have no mind to returne into it The way to heaven is wet and slippery but it is made so with teares and not with blood it is through the vale of miseries and the raine filleth the pooles Psal. 85. There is no voyce in those shades of Palme but the voyce of the Turtle which is alwayes groning and Naturalists say she hath no gall It is ill coming to the Lamb of God in a Wolfes skin They that do so must be taught that he hath another attribute and they shall finde him a Lion It is strange that after the experience of almost six thousand
yeares men will hazard so highly as to purchase a few dayes false honours with the losse of eternal and true glory In what a horrid darknesse and agony will the pleasures of this world leave us after we have cast away our bodies and souls in the acquisition of them how suddenly must the rich man leave his barnes and the oppressour his ill-gotten power how do they labour under the load of their private guilt and feele the flames of hell while they are yet alive With what gloomy and despairing looks do they passe from hence as if that eternal darknesse they are going into were already in their faces It was a sad and a dark reply that Henry the fourth made to his hasty son when he had taken away the Crowne God knowes said he and sighed what right I had unto it Tyrants and oppressors may very well be compared to the Hyaena while they prosper and devoure the prey there is nothing to be seene amongst them but mirth and triumphs but when they have drank blood enough when they are full and cloyed then they weepe The onely difference is this that the Hyaena's teares are deceitful but the teares of Tyrants springing from their inward guilt and horrour are wofully true though like storms in harvest they are unprofitable and prodigious The difference betwixt the righteous and the wicked is to be seen in their death The good man goes hence like the Sunne in the summers evening chearful and unclouded his memory is precious here with men and his spirit is received into the joy of his Master This Saint Hierome saw in the death of Paul the Heremite whose coate of Palm-leaves he preferr'd to the purple robes of the proud Let me now saith he aske the great men of this world whose possessions are numberlesse and whose dwellings are of marble what was it that was ever wanting to this poor old man They drink rich wines out of gold and he drank clean water out of the fountains They have silk and gold weav'd into their coates and he had not so much as the coursest wooll But then is he out of that simple habit carried into Paradise and they out of their silk and gold into hell Paul the Heremite hath no covering but the common earth Their karkasses are laid up in costly Sepulchres of marble and brasse but Paul shall be raised to glory and they to condemnation And presently after directing his speech to the Reader he concludes thus Who ever thou art that shalt reade this Book I beseech thee to remember Hieronymus the sinner who if God would grant him his desire had rather be master of Paul the Heremites coate with his rewards then of the purple robes of Princes with their punishments A dinner of herbes with a good conscience is heavenly fare and godlinesse is great gaine if we would be contented therewith I do not so much admire Apitius his feasts and Cleopatra's banquets of dissolved pearles as I do the Raven of Elias and Hilarion's Crow Neither can I in this place passe by that old Cilician and Countrey-man to Saint Paul who I verily beleeve for a reward of his contented and harmlesse life had the honor and the happinesse to have it described and left for ever upon record to posterity by that inimitable Prince and Patriarch of Poets Virg. lib. 4. Georgie Namque sub Oebaliae memini me turribus altis Corycium vidisse senem cui pauca relicti Jugera ruris erant nec fertilis illa juvencis Nec pecori opportuna seges nec commoda Baccho Hic rarum tamen in dumis holus albáque circum Lilia verbenásque premens vescúmque papaver Regum aequabat opes animo serâque revertens Nocte domum dapibus mensas onerabat inemptis Primus vere rosam atque Autumno carpere poma Et cum tristis hyems etiamnum frigore saxa Rumperet glacie cursus fraenaret aquarum Ille comam mollis jam tum tondebat Acanthi AEstatem increpitans seram Zephirósque morantes Englished thus I saw beneath Tarentum's stately towers An old Cilician spend his peaceful houres Some few bad acres in a waste wild field Which neither Grasse nor Corne nor Vines would yield He did possesse There amongst thorns and weeds Cheap Herbs and Coleworts with the common Seeds Of Chesboule or tame poppeys he did sowe And Verveyne with white Lilies caus'd to grow Content he was as are successeful Kings And late at night come home for long work brings The night still home with unbought messes layd On his low table he his hunger stayd Roses he gather'd in the youthful Spring And Apples in the Autumn home did bring And when the sad cold winter burst with frost The stones and the still streams in Ice were lost He would soft leaves of Beares-foot crop and chide The slow West-winds and lingring Summer-tyde Saint Hierome in the life of Antonius who was nobly borne and as tenderly bred tells us that about the age of eighteen his parents being then dead he gave away all his possessions resolving upon a strict religious life betook himself to the wildernesse where having erected for himself a poore narrow Cottage he digg'd hard by it and found a well with whose streams he watered a small piece of ground which he did sowe and set with some ordinary herbs for his own provision To this place thus furnished by his industrie the wild asses would in great numbers very often resort and not contented to borrow of his water they would some times trespasse upon his garden and make bold with his sallads But he upon a time comming amongst them commanded the leader of them which he had observed to guide the rest to stand still and beating him upon the sides with his hand reproved him in these words What is the reason that thou com'st to eat that which thou hast not sowen Et exinde saith my Author acceptis aquis ad quas potandas ventitabant nec arbusculam nec holera unquam contigebant We see by these Examples how safe it is to rely upon our Masters promise and how needlesse and superfluous in the Christian state this worldly abundance is This our Saviour himself hath admonished us of and upraids our dffidence with the examples of the birds and the lilies of the field Certainly it is dangerous medling with the world It is like the Torpedo he that catcheth it comes to lose his life by the bargain Love not the world saith St. Iohn neither the things that are in the world if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him We should therefore be very cautious how we deal with it or with the followers and favourites of it Condescend to men of low estate saith the chosen vessel This is good counsel but it lies so low that most men tread upon it very few are they that will stoop to take it up There is