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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97294	Some prison meditations and directions on several subjects viz. on [brace] the fall of man, the sufferings of Christ, repentance and faith, reproof and counsel, the holy Scriptures, prayer, love to mankind, sincerity, the vanity of the world, the benefit of affliction, heaven and hell / by Samuel Young, minister of the Gospel.	Trepidantium Malleus.	1684 (1684)	Wing Y88A; ESTC R43962	59,844	144

set closely to the work and let it prosper in thy hands that you may shine as the brightness of the Firmament and as the Stars for ever and ever Dan. 12.3 But because the Scripture instructs us and contains the things about which we must instruct others I shall next speak of them CHAP. V. Of the Holy Scriptures MEDITATIONS GODS Works declare that he is but his Word only declares what he is and how he may be known and served If we see a Ship under Sail going towards its Port we ascribe not this to the wood the Ship is made of but to the skill of the Mariners whether they be seen by us or not If I see an Arrow run to the Mark I know it is shot off by a skilful hand whether I see that hand or not The Sun that great and glorious light knoweth its rising progress and going down and acts like an intelligent rational being which shews it is guided by a wise God As for Gods Providences which make some doubt his being Sir W. R. in his History of the World Chap. Of Predestination hath this saying of Gregory which he said was of great use to him Qui in Dei factis rationem non videt infirmitatem suam consideret et cur non videt rationem videat He that cannot see a reason in some of Gods Works let him consider his weakness and then he will see the reason why he sees no reason I conclude That the reason why many would hope they shall die like Beasts is that they desire to live like such Now the Scriptures contain a declaration of the Mind and Will of this God I will not determine how many Chapters every one should read every day any more than how much meat every one should eat every day Three Chapters a day the usual direction are too many for some and sometimes too few for others I am not perswading to much reading but serious reading And for young Beginners I think it proper that they be directed to the chief places in Scripture and well to understand them before they read the Bible in order The reading of Scripture with a good Comment is of great use to some persons and Families I know none for shortness and plainess like to Bishop Halls Paraphrase on the Bible DIRECTIONS 1. Come to the Scriptures as those that know a Divine Authority stamped upon them It is Gods Book read it as such It teacheth you the two things Austin would often pray for Vt cognoscam te ut cognoscam me That I may know Thee that I may know my self 2. Beg the assistance of the same Spirit in reading the Scriptures that the Pen-men had in penning them A Dial is nothing unless the Sun shine on it The Scriptures are nothing unless the Spirit illuminate our Understandings If you say what need then of Scriptures You may as well say what need then of a Dial The Spirit will make you humble and let you see your own Folly that the more you know the less you know Weems Christ Syn. In Athens in Greece the Students were the first year called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wise men the next year 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lovers of wise men but ever after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fools the more they knew the more sensible they were of their Ignorance 3. Whatever Objections you have against Scripture be not satisfyed till you have silenced them To confirm your Faith remember what is said of Christ's Resurrection Had the Jews been able to shew the dead Body of Christ after the three dayes they had overthrown the Gospel Remember Pauls Conversion Acts 9. who left a life of ease for one of affliction Judas his betraying Christ proves that he knew Christ to be no Deceiver He had not hanged himself to have accused Christ had he not known his Miracles were real many of them were not done in a Corner the place named the Street and done before many people The Disciples conversed with Christ forty dayes after his Resurrection and saw him ascend into Heaven They preached this to the world when they knew this Doctrine would cost them their Lives and it was never pretended that in all their torments that any one of them confessed a Cheat Leviath Christ Pol. but rejoiced that they were going to that Christ whom they had thus seen and preached Mr. Hobbs though he is pleased to tell us that the Scriptures were in the hands of the Ecclesiasticks for about three hundred years after the Apostles he had done well to have proved it as well as said it yet saith he believed the Scriptures were not corrupted by them If there seem to be any Coutradictions in Scripture saith Morney we should do with Scripture as Scholars with Classical Authors If they meet with a hard Sentence they do not presently throw away the Book Morney de ver Christ Rel. but turn it this way and that way rather than say the Author wrote not sense or true Latine or Greek Discipulus praeceptorem praeceptor ignorantiam accusat The Scholar blames the Master the Master his Ignorance but neither blame the Author Many passages in Scripture History we cannot easily reconcile for want of knowing some Occurrences in those times I have in this case often made use of such a Meditation as this which one night came into my thoughts If two men writing the History of the Reign of our present King one should write that this year was the thirty fifth year of his Reign and the other should write that this was the twenty third year of his Reign A Stranger or some Beyond Sea would wonder at this different account and would cry out that there was a notorious Contradiction in these two Historians but we that know how Affairs have been in England know that both wrote true This is the 35th year of his Reign if we consider how long he hath Reigned de jure upon the death of his Father this is the 23d year of his Reign if we reckon how long he hath Reigned de facto or since his retnrn A young Grammarian might quarrel with his Grammar when he read of a Singular Number when Number must be at least of two Of a Conjunction Disjunctive and cry O Horrible Contradiction in Terms when there is a conjunction of words where there is a Disjunction of Sense If any say But a great part of Scripture we understand not I answer And a great part of Scripture you do understand VVhat can be more plain than those Scriptures against Sin and for Holiness I have heard of an Unchast Lady that was objecting the obscurity of the Scripture and that she could not understand it How Madam replyed one what more plain than this Thou shalt not Commit Adultery Consider again what did the Eunuch understand Acts 8.30 God helped him said Philip to him Vnderstandest thou what thou readest A good question How can I said he And Philip instructed him

into Misery So though Christs Righteousness be imputed to us yet we are not therefore Saviours or Mediators We are often commanded to be sanctifyed but not to be Justified for Justification is Gods own work without us The Grace of Christ that is the efficient cause of our Sanctification and is the essential cause the matter and form of our Justification And therefore when God is said to reward men according to their works it shews the order of following not the Cause Vno Scripturae exemplo ista quaestio elucescit Calv. Inst lib. 3. cap. 19. saith Calvin One example in Scripture shall make it clear Gen. 15.5 The Promise made to Abram in Uncircumcision in Gen. 22.16 17. is there made again on his Offering up of Isaac By my self have I sworn because thou hast done this thing I will multiply thy Seed as the Stars of the Heavens Now his Obedience was not the Cause of that blessing for Abraham had it before but was an occasion of renewing it at that time God rewarded his good works and so will ours with Blessings promised before the good works were done Heaven is an Inheritance of Children Obj. If good works justifie not what need is there to press after them Take Luthers answer This is just as if we should say Money Justifies not therefore throw it away our Hands justifie us not therefore cut them off Luthers Comment on the Epist Gala. We must attribute saith he to every thing its proper Work and Office A Woman may not wear a Mans Apparel nor a Man a Womans The Sun shineth by day and the Moon by night So he Gal. 4.7 Wherefore thou art no more a Servant but a Son and if a Son then an Heir of God by Christ An Heir is not Agent but Patient hath all by Birth not by Labour no more than to be born The Promise being of Grace is sure to all the seed It was not sure to Adam he had his Treasure in his own hand and so lost it but we have ours in the hand of Christ Justification and Sanctification are not separated though they be distinguished He that is justified will be holy Tit. 2.14 and zealous of good works The Objection that we are enemies to good works is in vain King Henry the Eighth in his Book against Luther de Septem Sacramentis for which Book the Pope gave him the Title of Defender of the Faith chargeth our Reformers with pleading for all manner of Sins from this Doctrine but how true the world now knows If any of the Church of England are offended I beseech them to read the Homilies about these matters and Bishop Downhams large Folio of Justification and they will find my opinion not different from the old Protestants thô I confess different from the Opinion of some of the late new Protestants both Conformists and Non-conformists 5. If you are through Christ related unto God give Christ the Glory and take to your selves the comfort of this relation We are said to be of his Flesh and Bone Eph. 5.31 32. to be married to Christ Now if the Husband be beyond Sea thousands of miles from the Wife yet they are one So is God and a Believer Joh. 17.21 though God be in Heaven and he upon the earth Remember Christians what Christ hath done for you He hath paid your debts that you could never do If a woman were in debt Thousands of Pounds and by working hard every day should pay Six-pence now and then yet she could never all her life time pay the Sum But if a Rich Man come and pay down the whole and take the woman to wife he doth that in a day which she could never have done in her life time Christ hath done that in a little time that we had been doing of to eternity He satisfied Divine Justice The Dignity of the person makes the Sufferings of such great value Give God the glory that you hear of Christ that you believe in him pity and pray for the poor Jews whose eyes are not yet opened They have not been a Church nor Nation for Sixteen Hundred years past When they were under the Babylonish Captivity it was but Seventy years and they had Prophets to Comfort them but now none comes from God to them which Consideration hath converted some of them Schamaria and Jacob two great Jews by Luther I know no Consideration in my little Converse with them that so convinceth them that they have not been the Church of God for so long time Eleazer Bargisha a Converted Jew in his vain hopes of the Jewish Messiah hath discovered many of their vain Dreams and Dr. Addison in his Hist of the Jews Stir up thine Affections O Christian let thy Heart burn within thee in the Consideration of the Excellencies of Christ Muse a little on these following Scriptures Heb. 1.2 God hath spoken to us by his Son whom he appointed Heir of all things Great Heirs are desired in Marriage will not this do Once again Colos 2.3 In him are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge We delight in men of Wisdom though where they know one thing they are ignorant of many Now Christ is the Wisdom of God will not this do I will try once more and a threefold Cord is not soon broken Rev. 19.12 His eyes were as a flame of fire and on his Head were many Crowns and he hath a name given that no man knoweth but himself In him is wonderful Majesty Dignity and Excellencies incomprehensible by Creatures Cant. 2.5 This is my Beloved may a Believer say I am sick of Love God takes more kindly our Love to Christ than he doth the Love of Angels they see him in his Glory and cannot but love him but we meet with many Oppositions and Temptations For the Perswasion of the Love of Christ to our Souls we should press after it thô as our English Divines of the Synod of Dort say Suf. Brit. that which many find by sad Experience this Satisfaction in a Christian is sometimes vivida sometimes languida and sometimes as nulla sometimes lively sometimes weak and sometimes even as none Remember all the Saints in Heaven and Earth are Redeemed by Christ Col. 1.20 And having made Peace through the Blood of his Cross by him to Reconcile all things to himself by him whether they be things in Earth or things in Heaven All the Saints that went to Glory before our Lord came in the flesh were bought by him As a man may be said to buy that which he hath not yet paid for Lands Goods Cloaths whilst there is a Satisfactory Promise made and Security given So Christ bought them in the Covenant between the Father and him that he should in the fulness of time shed his blood for them When Christ came into the World the way to come to him was Repentance and Faith the Apostles preached it and of these in the next Chapter CHAP.

the earth and did reverence to the King and said Let my Lord King David live for ever Adore the Lord God if he hath made your Children by his Grace Heirs of the Kingdom that cannot be shaken Give me leave by the way to bewail the great and common sin found among us That many children are sooner taught what Jupiter Mars and such Pagan Gods were than what Father Son and Spirit is Josiah when he was young 2 Chron. 34.3 enquired after the God of David his Father but many now when young after Heathen Gods Augustine of old complained of this Aug. Confes lib. 6. of hearing in Schools Joves Thundering and Adulteries and for giving an account of such things saith he Et ob hoc bonae spei puer appellabar I was called a hopeful Lad. Luther also complained that our Schools were more Pagan than Christian I referr the unsatisfied Reader to Pasors Preface to his Lexicon he observeth of Pythagoras his golden verses so much esteemed of and I fear accounted more golden by too many than our Saviours Sayings on the Mount how they begin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Honour the Immortal Gods c. And as I have observed worse after I knew an Aged Famous Schoolmaster that after he had kept School about fifty years said with a very sad countenance That it was a great trouble to him that he had spent so much time in reading Pagan Authors to his Scholars and wisht it were customary to read such a Book as Duports Greek Verses upon Job rather than Homer and such Books I beseech School-masters if they must read such Authors do as they do that eat Mushromes or such dangerous meats use strong Correctives Shew Youth the vanity of the Pagan Religion and the excellency of the Christian Religion Perswade them above all things to be acquainted with the Holy Scriptures which alone can make them wise to Salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 when many vain books make many wise to Damnation If Children die what doth it signifie to say they were ingenious if they be graceless will Ingenuity save them They are as Thales Milesius that was gazing on the Stars minding their magnitude situation and influences when he should have been minding his way and so fell into the water and was drowned I pray God put it in the hearts of a wise Parliament to purge our Schools that instead of learning vain Fictions and filthy stories they may be acquainted with the VVord of God with Books containing Grave Sayings And learn in Prose or Verse the Histories of the Kings of England the chief Passages in their Reigns and some Maxims in Law and things that may make them truly wise and useful in the world I know I shall offend not a few in thus writing But let such remember my Authors before named Austin Luther Pasor and others that I might name and if I must have a Reprimand I am glad that I have such good company It is storied of the old Waldenses in France in the dark times of Popery R. his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they so instructed their Children in the great things of God that some Popish Doctors said that they learned more of the Doctrine of Salvation by talking with those Children than they did by the Disputations of great men There is another fault among us to be condemned the early and unnecessary sending of young men beyond Sea to see Countreys speak Languages before they have studied the grounds of our Religion and so are infected with Popery or Atheism I desire such before they send their Children away or the Children before they go to read Bishop Hall his Quo vadis a Book to which little can be added And then I hope they may be willing to stay at home How sad is it in most houses where the fear of God is not Of which it may be said what is said of Babylon Rev. 18.2 that they are a Habitation of Devils and the hold of every foul Spiri●● and the cage of every unclean and hateful Bird so many wicked persons and so much wickedness is in them that the serious Christian may sometimes say in the beholding of it what Job said in another case O that my grief were thorougly weighed and that my sorrow were laid in the ballance for then would it be heavier than the sand of the Sea That there is so much Lying Prophaning the Name of God and so much of unsavoury rotten communications in most families and among Children that when they are men and women these things become common to them That if it be then asked what Christ asked the Father about his Childs disease how long ago this happened to them the same answer may be given even from a Child 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark 9.21 I now come to a few Directions DIRECTIONS 1. Cry to God for Bowels of Compassion toward Souls and for Dexterity in this work of Reproving and Counseling that you may say with Paul Rom. 9.1 2 3. I say the Truth in Christ I lye not my Conscience also bearing me Witness in the Holy Ghost that I have great heaviness and continual Sorrow in my Heart for I could wish that my self were accursed from Christ for my Brethren my Kinsmen according to the flesh As if he had said I could almost be willing to perish for their sakes say with David Psal 119.158 I beheld the Transgressors and was grieved because they kept not thy Word You Parents that are so tender of the Bodies of your Children be much more concerned for their Souls You that desire great Estates for them much more desire Heaven for them How many mind their Oxen Sheep and Swine more than the Souls of their Children Sauls Father Kish 1 Sam. 10.2 Gave over caring for the Asses saying What shall I do for my Son So be less concerned about the things of the World and say What shall I do for the Souls of my Children that it may be said of you as in Prov. 10.20 The Mouth of the Righteous is as choice Silver when you speak with tender Bowels of Compassion It is not you that speak but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you Mat. 10.20 When God bad Moses to speak to Pharaoh and Moses Objected want of Eloquence said God Exod. 4.12 Now therefore go and I will be thy mouth and I will teach thee what thou shalt say That you may by your good Counsel overcome Satan as David by playing with his Musical Instrument made the evil Spirit to depart from Saul 1 Sam. 16.23 I know for some audacious Sinners it is better to be silent than reprove Hezekiah his command was prudent when Rabshakeh Blasphemed Isa 36.21 But the People held their peace and answered him not a Word for the Kings Commandment was saying Answer him not Let Prayer accompany the work of Exhorting Neh. 2.4 stand before the man as Nehemiah before the King and Queen praying to the God of