counsell thou shalt make thy warre and in multitude of Counsellors there is safety Deut. 4.39 Know therefore this day and consider it in thy heart that the Lord he is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath there is none else And 32.29 O that that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter ends Prov. 22.3 A prudent man foreseeth the evill and hideth himself but the simple passe on and are punished Acts 2.25 I foresaw the Lord alwayes before my face Job 37.14 Hearken unto this and consider the wondrous works of God Psal 8.3 4. When I considered the heavens the works of thy hands the Moon and Starres which thou hast ordained What is man that thou art mindfull of him and the sonne of man that thou visitest him Hag. 1.7 Thus saith the Lord Consider your wayes And 2.15 And now I pray you consider from this day upward from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the Temple of the Lord. 2 Tim. 2.7 Consider what I say and the Lord give you understanding in all things Eph. 4.26 Be angry but sinne not let not the Sunne goe down upon your wrath Psal 37.8 Cease from anger and for sake wrath fret not thy self in any wise to doe evill Prov. 19.11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger and it is his glory to passe over a transgression Eccl. 7.9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry for anger resteth in the bosome of fools Col. 3.8 Put off all these anger wrath malice Ver. 10. Put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him 1 Chron. 28.7 I will establish his kingdome for ever if he be constant to doe my Commandements Col. 3.2 Set your affections on things above and not on things below Eph. 6.10 Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Ver. 11. Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devill Ver. 12. For we wrestle not against flesh and bloud but against Principalities against Powers against the Rulers of the darknesse of this world against spirituall wickednesse in high places Psal 119.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy word Ver. 71. It is good for me that I was afflicted that I might learne thy statutes Job 5.17 Happy is the man whom God correcteth therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty Prov. 3.12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth even as a father the sonne in whom he delighteth Lam. 3.39 40 41. Wherefore doth a living man complaine a man for the punishment of his sinnes Let us search and try our wayes and turn again unto the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens Psal 141.3 Set a watch O Lord before my mouth keep the door of my lips Prov. 10.19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sinne but he that refraineth his lips is wise Eccl. 5.3 A fools voice is known by the multitude of words Prov. 6.16 These six things doth the Lord hate Ver. 17. A proud look a lying tongue c. Psal 31.6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities Ver. 18. Let the lying lips be put to silence Prov. 13.5 A righteous man hateth lying 1 Tim. 4.7 Refuse profane and oldwives fables and exercise thy self rather unto godlinesse Psal 26.4 I have not sate with vain persons neither will I goe in with dissemblers Psal 119.113 I hate vain thoughts but thy Law doe I love Eph. 5.4 Neither filthinesse nor foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient but rather giving of thanks Matth. 1â— 16 Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves be ye therefore wise as serpents but innocent as doves Eph. 4.29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers 1 Co. 9.18 What is my reward then verily that when I preach the Gospel I may make the Gospel of Christ without charge that I abuse not my power in the Gospel Prov. 16.32 He that is slow to anger is better then the mighty and he that ruleth his spirit then he that taketh a City Isa 3.25 Thy men shall fall by the sword and thy mighty in warre Prov. 30.8 Remove farre from me vanity and lies give me neither poverty nor riches feed me with food convenient for me least I be full and deny thee and say who is the Lord or least I be poor and steale and take the name of my God in vain 2 Cor. 10.3 For though we walk in the flesh we doe not warre after the flesh Ver. 4. for the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds Ver. 5. Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ Eccl. 10.10 Wisdome is profitable to direct And 7.19 Wisdome strengtheneth the wise more then ten mighty men that are in the City Psal 138.3 In that day when I cried thou answeredst me and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul Psal 119.33 Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it unto the end Ver. 34. Give me understanding and I shall keep thy Law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart Ver. 38. Stablish thy word unto thy servant who is devoted unto thy feare Now thou hast by Gods gracious assistance obtained a good plantation and planted it there must be a time of weeding nourishing and preserving it that so we may know the best way to improve our Talent in our heavenly Masters service In this time which is the seventh Age of a man is required fortitude gravity and sobriety a stayednesse and serious consideration of all our undertakings a wise take-heed and foresight into the event of a businesse Past and present things every man declares but solid wisdome only shewes the event of things to come which although it sometimes faile because the eternall God hath so decreed that man should not know what should be after him yet to us it is the Candle of the Lord and being rightly used it is a glimmering of the heavenly light and excelleth folly and unadvisednesse as light excelleth darknesse To what purpose doth he plant that doth not well preserve but suffers savage Bores to root and spoyl and who so vain as he that builds a house and doth not well repair and keep the same The very microcosme of our body teacheth us to have a fore sight into our affairs and dealings for we have two Ears to receive direction by and two Eyes to look before us whereas of other members we have but one where the use is more single I advise thee to determine of nothing in a passion if anger
of our Fathers for we have sinned against thee 1 Cor. 2.11 For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him 1 Sam. 7.3 And Samuel spake to all the house of Israel saying If you doe return unto the Lord with all your hearts then put away the strange god Ashteroth from among you and prepare your hearts to the Lord and serve him only 1 Cor. 28.7 I will establish his Kingdom if he be constant to doe my Commandements and my judgments as at this day Prov. 4.5 Get wisdom get understanding forget not neither decline from the words of my mouth Ver. 6. Forsake her not and she will preserve thee love her and she will keep thee Ver. 26. Ponder the pathes of thy feet and let all thy wayes be established Eccl. 5.13 There is a sore evill which I have seen under the Sunne namely riches kept by the owners thereof to their hurt And Chap. 8. Ver. 9. There is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt 1 Tim. 6.9 They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition 1 Joh. 2.16 For all that is in the world the the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but of the world Ver. 17. And the world passeth away and the lusts thereof but he that doth the will of God abideth for ever Isa 1.3 The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his masters cribbe but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider Job 16.3 Shall vain words have an end Josh 1.8 This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to doe according to all that is written therein for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success Jer. 6.16 Thus saith the Lord Stand in the wayes and see and ask for the old pathes where is the good way and walk therein and you shall finde rest for your souls Lam. 3.40 Let us search and try our wayes and turn again unto the Lord. 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether you be in the faith prove your own selves know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobates Mich. 7.19 He will turn again he will have mercy upon us he will subdue our iniquities and cast all our sinnes into the depth of the sea 2 Cor. 10.4 5. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds casting down imaginations and every high thing thot exalteth it self against the knowledge of God Matth. 7.7 Aske and it shall be given you seek and ye shall finde knock and it shall be opened unto you And 18. Ver. 14. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little childe the same is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven James 4.10 Humble your selves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up Job 22.9 When men are cast down then thou shalt say there is lifting up and he shall save the humble person Deut. 30.15 19 20. See I have set before thee this day life and good death and evill I call Heaven and earth to record this day against you that I have set before you life and death blessing and cursing therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live that thou maist love the Lord thy God and that thou maist obey his voice and that thou maist cleave unto him for he is thy life Matth. 17.27 Notwithstanding least we should offend them goe thou to the sea and cast in a hook and take up the fish that first cometh up and when thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt finde a piece of money that take and give unto them for me and thee Phil. 1.27 Only let your conversation be is becomes the Gospell of Jesus Christ Amos 4.12 Prepare to meet thy God O Israell Psal 40.1 I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined unto me and heard my cry Psal 106.13 They soon forgot his works they waited not for his counsell Isa 25.9 Loe this is our God we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation Sam. 2.15.26 Behold here I am let him doe unto me what seemeth good unto him Psal 89.30 If his children forsake my Law and walke not in my judgements Ver. 31. If they breake my Statutes and keepe not my commandements Ver. 32. Then will I visit their transgressions with a rod and their iniquities with stripes Psal 74.19 O deliver not the soul of thy Turkle Dove unto the multitude of the wicked Exod. 23.2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe evill Numb 11.4 And the mixed multitude fell a lusting Prov. 24.1 My sonne feare thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change Ver. 22. For their calamity shall rise suddenly and who knowes the ruine of them both Gen. 2.18 It is not good for man to be alone Matt. 4.4 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wildernesse to be tempted of the Devill Joh. 6.14 And Jesus departed into a Mountaine himselfe alone And c. 8. v. 16. I am not alone but I and the Father that sent me And c. 16. v. 32. Ye shall leave me alone and yet I am not alone because the Father is with me Phil. 4.11 I have learned in what estate soever I am in therewith to be content Eccl. 6.9 Better is the sight of the eyes then the wandring of the desire 1 Tim. 6.9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition Eccl. 7.3 Sorrow is better then laughter for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better 1 Tim. 1.8 The Law is good if a man use it lawfully Prov. 15.2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright but the mouth of the foolish poureth out foolishnesse Psal 50.23 To him that ordereth his coversation aright will I shew the salvation of God Psal 15.5 He that doth these things shall never be moved And 16.8 I have set the Lord alwaies before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved Psal 101.2 I will behave my selfe wisely in a perfect way And 119.98 Thou through thy Commandements hast made me wiser then my enimies Prov. 10.19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sinne but he that refraineth his lips is wise And 26.12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit there is more hope of a foole then of him And 10.14 Wise men lay up knowledge but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction Psal 11 â—5 A good man sheweth favour and lendeth he will guide his affairs with
belief or Church to be perfect and infallible neither will I condemn a contrary humble serious and solemn belief to be wholly wicked and abominable but most humbly conceive that the best profession religion devotion and belief to be the most humble and carefull fearing of almighty God and working of righteousnesse which whosoever obediently endeavoureth shall be accepted in the mercy of the Almighty for although none of our works in a strict sense can be called the works of righteousnesse yet in some sort they may be reputed righteous though mixed with much sinne and imperfection as water muddy and mixt with earth is understood and reputed water Ephes 6. I dare not say my own belief is best Nor dare condemn as reprobate the rest All righteous wayes unto one gate doe leade Salvation free thus holy Wriâ— doth reade Who feareth God and worketh truth shall have A free acceptance from his gracious love Ephes 6 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 verses O Lord my God in th' power of thy love I le put on thy whole Armour of defence That in thy strength I may stand firme above the fierce assaults of Hells concupiscence For this I know I doe not enterprize against an enemy made of flesh and blood But against Powers Principalities and worldly Governours Princes of worldly good in darknesse spirituall wickednesse in the high-places fill'd with all excesse For that cause I will take a Cap a pee the whole approved Armour of my God That thence I may resist i' the evill day and having finisht stand against hells rod Lord I will stand with my loynes girt about with Verity in true obedience And I will have upon me paramount that righteous Brest-plate faithfull penitence and I will shooe my feet with preparation of Gospels peace assurance of Salvation And above all I 'le take the Shield of Faith which is sufficient for to quench the ire And to extinguish all those fiery darts whereby the wicked me to slay desire and I will take the Helmet of Salvation the Sword o' th Spirit Gods word from the Creation And I will alwaies with all manner prayers and supplications in truth in the spirit And I will watch against all false gain-sayers with perseverance till I life inherit from thee O Father who without degrees for every Childe hast a fit Legacy and all of us from thy most gracious care though single folke inheritours we are A Military Christian MY onely Lord of hoasts Lord Generall Unto my Captaine his all-conquering Sonne Hath given all power by whom I have a call To be his Souldier by Commission I have his promise that no Armes I l'e want But surely conquer if but valiant Then though I be most naked poor and weake I l'e from his magazine throughly be compleate Thou holy Spirit distributer of graces Fit me a Souldier for the highest places Give me my Helmet my Saviours first descent Give me my Beaver fixt in Virgins wombe Give me my Pendents which to John joy sent Give me my Gorget Salutation Give me that blessed birth my back and breast Give me my guard of reignes that manger rest Give me my Tasses those sweet swadling cloathes Give me my Curaces my Bethleem peace Give me my Knees and Ankle armes and those Give me my Spurros of speed in Egypts ease Give me my Gauntlet call'd a Nazaret Give me that Jordane Sword and I 'me compleate Yet being self-convicted vile and vaine I a blinde beggar humbly beg againe Mount me on Faiths true courage stately steed And give a trâ—â—le to my strugling wayes Give me the reignes of Graces at my need Give me a Saddle mounting me on baies Give me my Breast-plate and my Crooper strong And girt me to thy Saints in Union And give me Pistols that with fire and sword I may be ready to advance thy Word Thou being arm'd and being thus imploy'd Whilest any Judas dare himselfe discover Against my Captaine I 'le be overjoy'd Him to extinguish root and branch together My peace shall be my warre for to destroy The enemies of my God my King my joy Who before long shall all together meete In chainer appointed underneath his feete And then wee 'le march under our Captaines aide In glorious triumph Colours all displaide The vanity of Temporall things in respect of Eternall Desire to live no longer in this thy pilgrimage then thou canst doe Almighty God true faithfull and filiall service and let his testimonies be thy delight and counsellours Ps 119.24 We must through many afflictions enter into the Kingdome of God Let the wicked forsake his wayes Acts 14.22 and the unrighteous his own imaginations and returne unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he is very ready to forgive Isa 55.7 8 9 10 11. For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are my waies your waies saith the Lord For as the Heavens are higher then the earth so are my waies higher then your waies and my thoughts above your thoughts Surely as the raine comes down and the snow from Heaven and returneth not thither empty but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to him that eateth so shall my Word be that goeth out of my mouth it shall not return unto me void but it shall accomplish that which I will and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it therefore ye shall goe forth with joy and be led forth with peace Amen Temporall things are most vaine saving as they tend to the good of our Eternitie O My soul what 's thy body thy earthly house thy prison and what 's that slimie life that brittle fading shade that fashioneth thee a man Are not thy daies as a spanne and the end certaine the Goale set and every minute shortens thy appointed race Is not the will of the Eternall all things both in Heaven and earth and can his predestinated order change Serve the Lord thy God in his waies and pathes that he hath set thee for thy pilgrimage To what purpose is thy springing youth so strictly fettered with thy lettered chaines and what doth knowledge profit if grief be losse To what purpose are those endlesse toyles which sea and land makes way for to obtain the earth To what purpose doth the greedy wretch with broken sleep to fill his empty grave And to what purpose are the hidden mines and deepest pits sought for the secret Pearles And to what purpose is thy lawlesse sword that subdivides the earth unto thy babes And to what purpose are all elements call'd to circulize thy triple angler heart yet vacuums are found And to what purpose dost thou build thy house upon such sandy mountaines as the Earth those mouldring Tombes they hide but frothy mindes the soules contentments of the sacred Saints Seek for thy self a better resting place and be thou married to a meeter mate Long thou and
22.30 He shall deliver the Iland of the innocent and it is delivered by the purenesse of thy hand Rom. 12.1 That you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable service 1 Cor. 6.9 Know ye not that your body is the Temple of the holy Ghost that is in you a Gen. â— 27 God created man in his own Image b Heb. 13.15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips Matth. 4.10 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve Rom. 10.12 The same God over all is rich unto all that call upon him Psal 50.3 10. I will have no bullock out of thy house nor he-goat out of thy fold for every beast of the forrest is mine and the cattell upon a thousand hills Psal 109.22 For I am poor and needy and my heart is wounded within me Psal 22.22 I will declare thy Name unto my brethren and in the midst of the Congregation will I praise thee Ver. 25. My praises shall be of thee in the great Congregation I will pay my vowes before them that fear thee Psal 40.8 I delight to doe thy will O God yea thy Law is in my heart Matth. 6.10 Thy will be done O God in earth as it is in Heaven Heb. 10.7 I come to doe thy will O God Prov. 5.21 For the waies of man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings And 15.3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good Exod. 20.7 Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in vaine Psal 139.20 Thy enemies O God take thy Name in vaine And 145.2 Every day will I praise thee and I will blesse thy Name for ever and ever And 99.3 Let them praise thy great and terrible Name for it is holy Levit. 22.2 Speak to Aaron and to his sonnes that they profane not my holy Name for I am the Lord. And Psal 111.9 Holy and reverent is his Name And Ezek. 39.25 I will be jealoas for my holy Name Eccl. 8.2 I know it shall be well with them that fear God that fear before him Jer. 10.23 O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps Prov. 29.25 The fear of man bringeth a snare but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe And 30.5 God is a shield to them that put their trust in him Rom. 8.28 We know that all things work together for good to them that love God Matth. 10.19 30. Are not two Sprrrowes sold for a farthing and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father But the very hairs of your head are all numbred 2 Cor. 1.3 Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort Psal 23.4 Thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me Isa 66.13 As one whom his mother comforteth so will I comfort you and ye shall be comforted Isa 6.16 Thus saith the Lord Stand ye in the wayes and see and ask for the old pathes where is the good way and walk therein and you shall finde rest for your souls Rom. 8.10 And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sinne but the spirit is life because of righteousnesse Psal 119.71 It is good for me that I was afflicted that I might learn thy statutes And 126.5 Them that sowe in tears shall reap in joy Jer. 22.13 I will turn their mourning into joy and will comfort them and make them rejoyce for their sorrow Lam. 3.25 It is good for a man that he bear the yoak in his youth 1 King 3.9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart that I may discern betwixt good and bad Psal 119.34 Give me understanding and I shall keep thy Law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart And v. 73. Give me understanding that I may learn thy Commandements Dan. 12.10 None of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall understand Gal. 5.17 For these two are contrary one to another Job 9.20 If I justifie my self my own mouth will condemn me if I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse Psal 37.27 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way And 50. 23. Who so offereth praise glorifieth God and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God Psal 119.67 71. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I learned thy word It 's good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes Psal 68.3 Let the righteous be glad let them rejoyce before God let them exceedingly rejoyce And Prov. 29.6 In the transgression of an evill man there is a snare but the righteous doth sing and rejoyce Psal 38.13 For I will declare my iniquity and be sorry for my sinne 2 Cor. 7.9 10. Now I rejoyce not that you were made sorry but that you sorrowed to repentance for ye were made sorry after a godly manner For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of but worldly sorrow worketh death Jer. 10.24 O Lord correct me but with judgment not in thy anger lest thou bring me to nothing Psal 119.33 Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it to the end And 143. 8. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk for I lift up my soul to thee Deut. 8.5 Thou shalt also consider in thy heart that as a man chastiseth his sonne so the Lord thy God chastiseth thee Psal 94.12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest O Lord and teachest him out of thy Law Heb. 12.6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth Matth. 22.29 You erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Joh. 5.39 Search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternall life and they are they which testifie of me 2 Tim. 3.16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousnesse 1 Cor. 2.10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his holy Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God Rom. 10.6 Say not in thy heart who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Christ down from above who shall descend into the deep that is to bring Christ up from the dead but the Word is nigh thee the word of faith which we preach Matth. 7.15 Beware of false prophets Eph. 4.14 That we be no more children tossed to and fro by the sleight of men to every winde of Doctrine whereby they lie in wait to deceive
I will appoint over them four kindes saith the Lord The Sword to slay the Doggs to tear in pieces and the Fowles of the Heaven and the Beasts of the Earth to devour and to destroy 2 Sam. 17.14 For the Lord had determined or appointed to destroy the good counsell of A hithophell that he might bring evill upon Absolon 2 Chron. 33 8. Neither will I make the foot of Israell to remove any more out of the Land which I have appointed for your fathers so that they take heed and doe all that I have appointed them Job 7.3 Painfull nights have been appointed me And 14.5 Are not his dayes determined the number of his moneths are with thee thou hast appointed his bounds which he cannot passe Ver. 14. All the dayes of my appointed time will I wait untill my change come O preserve thou those that are appointed to die Micha 6.9 Hear the rodd and who hath appointed it Job 7.1 Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth and are not his dayes as the dayes of an hireling Dan. 8.19 And he said Behold I will shew thee what shall be in the last wrath for in the end of the time appointed it shall come Dan. 10.1 But the time appointed was long c. wherefore wait thou the pleasure and appointment of God patiently and rejoyce in all conditions to wait his will And Chap. 11. Ver. 27. And both those Kings hearts shall be to doe mischief and they shall talke of deceit at one table but it shall not availe for yet the end shall be at the time appointed at the time appointed he shall return for there is a time appointed Ver. 29 35. Acts 17.26 And hath made of one blood all man-kindeto dwell on all the face of the earth and hath assigned the times which were ordained before and the bounds of their habitation Job 16.22 For the years accompted come and I shall goe the way whence I shall not return 2 Sam. 7.12 And when thy dayes be fullfilled thou shalt sleep with thy fathers Deut 31.14 Then the Lord said to Moses Behold thy dayes are come that thou must die III. Comfort Take comfort from this that the will of God is the best for us and that we our selves know not what is the best for us and therefore we may well rejoyce that his will is done and not ours save onely when it suites with his in Christ which is surely best for us Numb 27.16 God is the Lord of the spirits of all flesh Deut. 8.3 Therefore he humbled thee and made thee hungry and fed thee with Man which thou knewest not neither did thy fathers know it that he might teach thee that man liveth not by bread onely but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live Eccl. 7.2 Who knowes what 's good for a man in this life in the number of the dayes of the life of his vanity seeing he maketh them as a shadow Jer. 42.6 Whether it be good or evill we will obey the voice of the Lord God to whom we send thee that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God Psal 39.5 Surely every man in his best estate is altogether vanity therefore let us say with joy as Matth. 6.10 Thy will be done O God in earth as it is in Heaven And with our blessed Saviour Mat. 26.42 O my Father if this cup may not passe from me but that I must drink it thy will be done Let us with David Psal 143.10 desire our God to teach us his will and then with him Psal 40.8 let us delight to doe it for our God is good and his mercy endures for ever Selah IV. Comfort Take comfort in Sicknesse because the will of God is there n done which is for the best for us and let it be the joy of our souls in all conditions that his will is done in Jesus Christ for ever Amen Psal 115.3 Our God is in Heaven he doth whatsoever he will Job 30.4 None knowes the secrets of God Who hath ascended up into Heaven and descended who hath gathered the winde in his fist who hath bound the waters in a garment who hath established all the ends of the world what is his Name or what is his sonnes Name if thou canst tell Phil. 4 1â— Let us be carefull with St Paul to learn in whatsoever state or condition we are to be therewith content both to be full and to be hungry to abound and to want for we may doe all things through the help of God our Saviour Matth. 4.34 Let us truly say with our blessed Saviour My meat is to doe the will of him that sent me and finish his work Say with the Apostle Acts 21.14 The will of the Lord be done And as Eph. 4.7 Be not unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is and sing with melody in your hearts to the Lord. And say with Job Job 5.17 Blessed is the man whom God correcteth therefore refuse not thou the chastening of the Almighty Prov 3 1â— For the Lord correcteth him whom he loveth even as the father doth the childe in whom he delighteth Onely thus pray in true love to thy God and Saviour and with an humble and a contrite heart Jer. 10.24 O Lord correct me but with judgement not in thine anger least thou bring me to nothing Then examine thy soul and be sure God will by his Spirit reveal to thee and will conclude of thee as he did to his people whom he had corrected Jer. 30.11 I am with thee to save thee though I utterly destroy all the nations where I have scattered thee yet will I not utterly destroy thee but I will correct thee by judgement and not utterly cut thee off And Jer. 46.28 Fear thou not O Jacob my servant saith the Lord for I am with thee and I will utterly destroy all the nations whether I have driven thee but I will not destroy thee but correct thee by judgement and not utterly cut thee off Therefore blesse our good God in and for all the conditions of thy pilgrimage and say with David Psal 143. Hear my prayer O Lord give ear to my supplication in thy faithfullnesse answer me and in thy righteousnesse and enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified For the enemy viz. sinne and Satan hath persecuted my soul he hath smitten my life down to the ground He hath made me to dwell in darknesse as those that have been long dead therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me and my heart within me is desolate I remember the dayes of old I meditate on all thy works I muse on the works of thy hands I stretch out my hands unto thee my soul thirsteth after thee as a thirsty land Selah Hear me speedily O Lord my spirit faileth hide not thy face from me least I be like to
was gathered to his people And Chap. 49. ver 26. Jacob saith I am ready to be gathered to my people bury me with my fathers Observe There is no sign or shew of sorrow in him for he might well rejoyce to exchange earth for Heaven And Ver. 33. Then Jacob made an end of giving charge to his sonnes and plucked up his feet into the bed and gave up the ghost and was gathered to his people It is an infinite and an incomprehensible mercy of God that his love in Jesus is to call us in his good time from our disserving rather then serving of him here and that with thousands of fears cares and griefs to be gathered to his servants our fathers and nearest friends in peace XII A seventh Comfort in Death Rejoyce Because it is our entrance into the true communion of Saints By the Gospell we are joyned to the Angels and Patriarchs even in this life much more shall we be united to the true heavenly serving our eternall mercy with them when we shall cease from sinne Heb. 13.22 23. Ye are come to the mount Sion and to the City of the living God the celestiall Jerusalem and to the company of innumerable Angels and to the Congregation of the first-born which are written in Heaven And to God the Judg of all and to the spirits of just and perfect men Ver. 24. And to Jesus the mediator of the new Testament Col. 1.9 The Apostle saith For this cause we pray for you and do desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdome and spirituall understanding Ver. 10. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitfull in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God Ver. 11. Stengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfllunesse Ver. 12. Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Ver. 13. Who hath delivered us from the power of darknesse and hath translated us into the Kingdome of his dear Sonne Ver. 14. In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgivenesse of sinnes Ver. 15. Who is the Image of the invisible God the first-born of every creature Ver. 16. For by him were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers all things were created by him and for him Ver. 17. For he is before all things and by him all things consist Ver. 18. And he is the head of the body the Church who is the beginning the first-born from the dead that in all things he might have the preheminence Ver. 19. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullnesse dwell Ver. 20. And having made peace through the blood of his crosse by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him I say whether they be things in earth or things in Heaven Ver. 21. And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your minde by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight 1 Thes 3.12 13. The Lord increase you and make you abound in love one towards another and towards all men to make your hearts stable and unblameable in holinesse before God even our Father at the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ with all his Saints Jude ver 14. Behold the Lord cometh with thousands of his Saints Rev. 7.9 I beheld saith the Apostle and behold a great multitude which no man could number of all Nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the Throne and before the Lambe clothed with long white robes and palmes in their hands Ver. 14. And an Elder said unto me These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their long robes and have made their long robes white in the blood of the Lambe Ver. 15. Therefore are they in the presence of the throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the throne will dwell amongst them Ver. 16. They shall hunger no more neither thirst any more neither shall the Sunne light on them neither any heat Ver. 17. For the Lambe which is in the midst of the Throne shall govern them and shall lead them unto the lively fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes XIII An eighth Comfort in Death Rejoyce Because it is our ceasing from sinne and the entrance into our eternall rest and peace Heb. 4.9 10. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God For he that is entred into his rest hath also ceased from his own works as God did from his Chap. 6. ver 20. Let us study therefore to enter into that rest least any fall through disobedience Into which peace the fore-runner is for us entred even Jesus that is made a High-Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec Job 3.13 For so should I now have lyen and been quiet I should have slept then and been at rest Ver. 14. With the Kings and Counsellors of the earth which have builded themselves desolate places Ver. 17. The wicked have there ceased from their tyranny and there they that laboured valiantly are at rest Ver. 18. The prisoners rest together and hear not the voice of the oppressors Ver. 19. There are small and great and the servant is free from his Master XIV A ninth Comfort in Death Rejoyce Because it is our going to doe the will of God our most loving and mercifull Father in Jesus Christ without sinning against his most blessed and sacred Majesty In dying we doe the will of God Heb 9.27 For it is appointed to all men once to die and after that comes the judgement Rom. 6.7 For he that is dead is freed from sinne Joh. 14.28 When our Saviour had acquainted his Disciples of his departure from them by his passion they were sorrowfull For which our Saviour seemed to reprove them and said If ye loved me ye would rather rejoyce because I said I goe unto the Father for my Father is greater then I. XV. A tenth Comfort in Death It is the love of our good God unto us to take us away from the evill to come therefore rejoyce at this his gracious call of infinite mercy to that heavenly mansion which our blessed Saviour hath prepared for us in his Fathers house Joh. 14.2 In my Fathers house are many mansions or dwelling places if it were not so I would have told you I goe to prepare a place for you 1 King 11.11 12. The Lord said to Solomon I will surely rend the Kingdom from thee and will give it to thy servant Notwithstanding in thy dayes I will not doe it because of David thy Father but I will rent it out of the
Give thou O God and frame thy servant thankfully to see his yearly gain for his hourly service his eternall joy for his temporall grief the infinite rest from his finite sufferings How fit is it O my Father that I should as well suffer as raigne with my Saviour and to know that the present afflictions of this life are unworthy of the joyes that in thy most free and gracious mercy shall be revealed and given unto me O my good Father give unto me thy most evill deserving childe all those sweet and blessed scourges crosses and afflictions even whatsoever is necessary and needfull to frame my impersect soul and body fit for thy eternall and most perfect service And truly O my Father although I were to have of thy justice my self-condemning sentence to all eternity so soon as this life is ended yet my serious thoughts would not make choice to spend my time in sinfull vain delights but would rather choose thy fatherly chastisement and corrections temporall although they also were to be as I deserve eternall for thy corrections as all that proceedeth immediately from thee my God are sweete they sad the countenance thereby making the heart better I submit wholly to thy will O my eternall Good To be thy servant is my Heaven for thou art the Lord my God and I am thine Thou art the will and the deed O my God guide me for thy Names sake to doe thee service and in thy goodnesse accept of my desire thy own most gracious gift suffer not sinne O my Father to raigne in my corrupted mortall body let not my soul offend my God however my body may offend him let not my will offend my God however my actions may offend thee but let the desires of my soul and the inclinations of my spirit be so commanded by thy sacred power that they may truly will and doe thee true and perfect service now and for ever and doe thou for thy own mercies sake to the works of thy own hands and for the merits of Jesus Christ thy onely Sonne my Saviour convert my most imperfect will into most perfect actions in thy most perfect and everlasting service And when these dayes of my sinfull pilgrimage are ended when I return to thee my God my hope my joy from this my earthly tabernacle doe thou O my blessed Creator re-create my soul and body that so thy blessed will may be my eternall perfect joy and comfort and that to be thy servant wheresoever and howsoever may be the blessed Heaven of my soul and body for ever O my Good Eternity I doe not onely humbly crave these mercies and what is necessary to salvation which is the perfect admittance into thy sacred service for my self and such as are near to me in this life but also that it be thy blessed will even for all that thou hast appointed to immortality in thy gracious converting of sinners from the wickednesse of their waies that so if it be thy blessed will to whom all things are possible we might be all as one flock under thee the great and gracious shepheard of our soules that so the number of thy elect being accomplished the blessed resurrection may appear before thee and we become fit inhabitants for that new Heaven and new earth which thou hast appointed and sinne and sorrow may cease from us thy unworthy servants And further my humble suit is that thou wouldest give us to see all thy gracious dispensations towards us in this life to know that nothing falls upon us by chance and fortune but by thy especiall providence and appointment Give us to know we are not our own but thine and that it is most right thou shouldest dispose of thy own for ever make us to rejoice onely in thy dispose for that thou art most good and gracious and knowest better what is best for us than we can know or aske Now O my good Creator take us into thy almighty protection and direction for ever thou hast been wonderfull in mercy and goodnesse to every one of us thou hast delivered infinite of us from infinite evils which we see others visited with which we may justly judge deserve better at thy hands then we have done we humbly beseech thee let this thy mercy lead us to repentance and make us to love thee as thou hast loved us that hath not spared thy Son to death for us that so thy justice being satisfied in his sufferings for our sinnes which could no otherwise have beene satisfied but in our damnation thy mercy may be sufficient for our salvation and although I have provoked thy justice by my daily sinnes to my just condemnation yet doe I cast my soul and body even for its eternity upon thy mercy and doe disclaime all other judgment then thy gracious pleasure in which I will in thy gracious strength with peace rejoice and therein rest for ever Wherefore to thee O gracious Father to thee O sacred Sonne to thee O eternall Spirit three persons but one everlasting God be ascribed as is most due all honour glory and praise by thy whole creation now and for ever Amen The Blessing O Blessed Childe whose parts his age out-run Whose vertues stile him man before his stature Each eye beholds him as ' the rising Sunne Each heart applauds him as a Pearle in nature Yea very strangers blesse his hopefull breeding And breathe out prayers to his happy speeding But when fresh springing budds proove canker-fretted With taint of vice or rust of happy sloth Their dearest friends that see their hopes defeated To speak them fair or deigne a look are loth But view such noysome weeds with nausious scorn Yea parents wish ill-thriving plants unborn The fear of God doth only guide aright The perfect way to sacred wisdom's treasure Then let this fear direct with powerfull might Thy twisted thred spun out by natures leasure So with thy daies thy saving health will grow To perfect joy in sins just overthrow Let Heavens powre down their sweetest influence let them enrich you with the earth's best treasures Let them withall instill Truths Quintessence heavens joyes doe far surmount all earthly pleasures Let the celestiall powers you guard and guide and countermine when wicked powers conspire Let spotlesse blood which ran from harmlesse side quench unto you the ever burning fire And let the winged Posts void of delayes from glorious Throne whom great Jehovah sendeth Translate your souls when death shall end your daies to that celestiall blisse which never endeth FINIS An Index or Table directing to severall Points and Discourses in this Book THe Authors Epistle Parents and Children travell together towards the grave Parents must give an account for their Children Children must herein assist their Parents We should live together here as we would live together hereafter Hence take comfort in the dissolution of godly friends that we shall goe to them and shall never part page 2. Our constant work Beware of
I thinke it meete as long as I am in this tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance Seeing I know that the time is at hand that I must lay down this my tabernacle I will endevour therefore that ye allso may be able to haue remembrance of these things after my departure Pet. 2.1.13.14.15 The lord will perfect that which concerneth me Psal 138.8 THE COUNSELL AND ADMONITION OF HENRY MASSINGBERD Esq TO HIS CHILDREN PSAL. 111. 10. PROV 9.10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdome a good understanding have all they that doe thereafter PROV 4.7 Wisdome is a speciall thing therefore get wisdome and above all thy gettings get understanding TIT. 1.15 To the pure all things are pure but to the corrupt all things are corrupted There may be both good and evill produced from all earthly things for that Every pot hath two handles Char. of Wisd LONDON Printed by A.M. Anno Domini 1656. I haue not sate with vaine persons neither will I goe in with dissemblers Psal 26 4. Wee ought to aske and knocke and seeke and pray His constant guidance in his perfect way How vile a shape doth beare this bone When th'perewigg of flesh is gone Learne from this dryed bone and parched skull The body 's foule blest soules are beauty full THE Counsell and Admonition OF Henry Massingberd Esq TO HIS Children SCRIPTURES ROM 15.14 I Trust you will admonish one another in the fear of God 1 Thes 5.12 13. Love them that admonish you and be at peace among your selves 2 Thes 3.15 Count him not an enemy that offends but admonish him Jer. 42.19 Know certainly that I have admonished you this day Exod. 18.19 Hearken now unto my voice I will give thee counsell and God shall be with thee Job 21.16 The counsell of the wicked is far from me Psal 1.1 2. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsell of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the scornfull but his delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth he meditate day and night Psal 16.7 I will blesse the Lord who hath given me counsell And 73.24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsell and then receive me to glory Prov. 8.9 They are all plain to him that understandeth and right to them that finde knowledge Psal 31.15 My times are in thy hands O God Job 10.20 Are not my dayes few Job 14.1 Man is of few dayes Eccles 1.4 One generation goeth and another cometh Gen. 27. â— I know not the day of my death Eccl. 3.2 There is a time to be born and a time to die Eph. 6.1 Children obey your parents Phil. 4.17 I desire fruit that may a bound to your accompt Joh. 14.3 That where I am ye may be also 2 Sam. 122.3 I shall go to him he shall not return to me Eph. 4.5 6. One Lord one faith one baptisme one God and father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Math. 6.10 Thy kingdome come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven Job 14.14 All the dayes of my appointed time will I wait untill my change come Joh. 9.4 I must work the work of him that sent me to day the night cometh when no man can work Amos 4.12 Prepare to meet thy God O Israel Eccl. 11.3 Where the tree falleth there it lies Matth. 25.3 They that were foolish took their lampes and no oyl with them Heb. 3.7 8. Wherefore as the holy Ghost saith to day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts Mark 13.37 What I say unto you I say unto all Watch. Prov. 4.1 Hear ye children the instruction of a father and attend to know understanding Isa 38.19 The father to the children shall make known thy truth Prov. 22.6 Train up a childe in the way that he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it Gen. 18.19 For I know him that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to doe justice Psal 133. Prov. 1.7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisedom and instruction And ver 8. My sonne hear thou the instruction of thy father and despise not the law of thy mother Joh. 15.17 These things I command you that you love one another And 13.34 A new commandement I give unto you that ye love one another as I have loved you that ye also love one another 1 Joh. 4.24 He that loveth God loveth his brother also 1 Pet. 1.22 See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently Acts 7.27 Ye are brethren why doe ye wrong one another Job 1.21 The Lord gave the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. 1 Tim. 6.17 Trust not in uncertain riches Eccl. 5.13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the Sunne namely riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt Matth. 6.20 Lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven Rev. 8.13 Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. 1 Joh. 2.15 Love not the world nor the things of this world Phil. 3.15 As many as be perfect be thus minded James 1.27 Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherles and the widow with some relief in their afflictions and to keep himself unspotted from this world Joh. 5.39 Search the Scriptures Matth. 22.19 You erre not knowing the Scriptures Psal 127.5 Except the Lord build the house they labour in vain that build it Heb. 11.6 He that comes to God must beleeve that he is and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seck him Eccl 2.26 For God giveth to men that is good in his sight wisdome knowledge joy Psal 30.1 I will extoll thee O Lord for thou hast lifted me up And 68.4 Sing unto God sing praises to his Name extoll him that rideth upon the heavens Psal 39 5. Man at his best estate is altogether vanity 1 Sam. 2.7 The Lord bringeth low and lifteth up Psal 18.2 The Lord is my rock and my fortresse my deliverer my God my strength in whom I will trust Ver. 30. As for God his way is perfect the word of the Lord is tried he is a buckler to all those that trust in him Luk. 2.14 Glory to God on high on earth peace Joh. 14.23 But the hour is coming and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit and truth Psal 34.18 The Lord is nigh to them that are of a broken heart and saveth those that be of a contrite spirit And 51.17 A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Mal. 3.3 Offer to God the sacrifice of righteousnesse Psal 116.17 I will offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call upon the Name of the Lord. Job 4.7 Who ever perished being innocent And
by Children and more oft in their vices then vertues by how much in humane things the bad exceeds the good therefore timely and diligent heed must be prepared against them that so the Cokatrice and subtill Serpent may be killed betime broken in the egg before it shew a deceitfull countenance lest the dissembling Wolfe having gotten a Sheeps cloathing deceive the innocent Lambs and bring them unawares into his slaughterhouse of destruction Nunc adhibe pure Pectore verba puer nunc te melioribus offer Quo semel est imbuta recens servabit odorem Testa diu Horat. Now Childe in the white paper of thy breast Write Vertue now such Precepts from the best A Pot well seasoned holds the primitive taste A long time after 2 Chron. 34.3 For while he was yet young he began to seek after the God of David his father Psal 119.9 Wherewithall shall a young man clense his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word Prov. 1.4 To give subtilty to the simple to the young man knowledge and discretion Prov. 3.6 In all thy wayes acknowledge him aad he shall direct thy pathes Psal 5.3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up Isa 45.13 I have raised him up in righteousnesse and I will direct all his wayes Jer. 10.23 O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps Psal 36.9 For with thee is the fountaine of life in thy light shall we see light Rev. 7.17 For the Lambe that is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and lead them unto living fountaines of water and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes Phil. 4.8 If there be any vertue think of these things 2. Pet. 1.3 According to his Divine power he hath given to us all things that pertain to this life and godlinesse through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and vertue Ver. 5. Add to faith vertue and to vertue knowledge Ver. 6. To knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godlinesse and to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse Luk. 10.42 Mary hath chosen the good part which shall not be taken from her Luk. 10.42 Mary hath chosen the good part which shall not be taken from her Joh. 6.27 Labour not for the meat that perisheth but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life Prov. 11.28 He that trusteth in his riches shall fall Matth. 23.6 The Scribes and Pharises love the uppermost rooms and chief seats Ver. 7. And greetings in the market-place and to be called of men Rabbi Ver. 12. Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted Matth. 25.48 But if the evill servant shall say in his heart my Lord delayes his coming Ver. 49. And shall begin to smite his fellow-servants and to eat and drink with the drunken the Lord of that servant shall cut him in sunder Rom. 7.23 But I see another Law in my members warring against the Law of my minde Neh. 9.37 They have dominion over our bodies and over our cattell at their pleasures and we are in great distrasse Prov. 12.21 There shall no evill happen to the just but the wicked shall be killed with mischief Eccl. 12.13 Fear God and keep his Commandements for this is the whole duty of man Eph. 5.19 Quench not the spirit Psal 119.16 I made haste and delayed not to keep thy Commandements Rev. 3.20 Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Prov. 1.24 25 26. But because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded but ye have set at nought all my counsell and would none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamity and mock when your fear cometh Prov. 4.7 Wisdome is the principall thing therefore get wisdome and with all thy gettings get understanding Eccl. 7.8 The patient in spirit is better then the proud in spirit 2 Cor. 11.2 For I am jealous over you with a a godly jealousie for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chast vergin to Christ Psal 51.12 O Lord uphold me with thy free spirit And 143.10 Teach me to doe thy will for thou art my God Thy spirit is good lead me into the land of uprightnesse Prov. 16.32 He that ruleth his spirit is better then he that taketh the City And 20.27 The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord searching all the inward prrts of the blly Psal 22.20 The meek shall eat and be satisfied And 25.9 The meek will he guide in judgement and the meeke will he teach his way Phil. 2.8 And being found in fashion of a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the crosse Jer. 9.3 But they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth for they proceed from evill to evill and they know not me saith the Lord. Psal 60.12 Through God we will doe valiantly for he it is that shall tread down our enemies 1 Thes 5.6 Let us not sleep as doe others but let us watch and be sober And ver 8. Let us that be of the day be sober putting on the brest-plate of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation Col. 4.6 Let your speech be alwayes with grace seasoned with salt that ye may know how you ought to answer every man Eccl. 10.10 Wisdome is profitable to direct And 9.16 Wisdome is better then strength And v. 18. Wisdome is better then weapons of warre but one sinner destroyeth much good INfancy and Childhood being passed like the red Sea and the wildernesse the next and third Age is called Youth like passing over Jordan and therein is temperance to be carefully planted This is a dangerous and a difficult passage and our guide herein must be supernaturall it is not humane light that can direct us in this way it must be a coal taken from the Altar and a Candle enlightned at the holy Lampe that must protect us in this voyage here we must take and endear unto us the living fountain of life to curb the threatning floods of death here Vertues shew your strength or vice will soon prevail and conquer here you must wage a war with Epicures and other vain professors that in vain glorious pastimes talk of Vertues and make them handmaids to their vitious pleasures whereas no true pleasure is without them for that is not Vertue which waiteth on delight the chiefest place is hers and she it is that must lead command and be obeyed Take great heed of being bond-slave to delight for all is vain where Vertue hath no place Vertue only giveth perpetuall and assured joy although there be some obstacles
you and abound they will make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Ver. 9. But he that lacketh these things is blinde 1 Joh. â— 15 Love not the world nor the things of the world if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him Prov. 14.14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own wayes and a good man shall be satufied from himself Psal 34. from the 10th to the end The young Lyons doe lack and suffer hunger but they that fear the Lord shall not want any thing that is good Come my children hearken unto me I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desirech life and loveth many dayes that he may see good Keep thy tongue from evill and thy lippes that they speake no guâ—l Depart from evill and doe good seek peace and ensue it The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open to their cry The face of the Lord is against them that doe evill to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth The righteous cry and the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all He keepeth all his bones not one of them is broken Evill shall slay the wicked and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate The Lord redeemeth the souls of his servants and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate Prov. 14.15 16. The simple beleeveth every word but the prudent man looketh well to his goings A wise man feareth and departeth from evill but the fool rageth and is confident Eccl. 12.13 Fear God and keep his Commandements for this is the whole duty of man Ver. 14. For God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evill NOw we have by the mercy of God obtained a fruitfull plantation in this promised Land let us plant in it good and wholesome fruit for men do not gather grapes of thorns nor figgs of thistles Here we may proceed in the sixth Age of our Life and third ascent of our Manhood under the notion of constant Action and hereby our duty is by all means to endeavour the good of all the heavens lead us to this by shining upon all without hopes of gain or requitall shewing thereby the duty of a good man to his neighbour to be constantly conversant in some good employment of the body minde or both is a very lively branch of true vertue which keeps a man unvanquished and is not subject to pleasures and hath its reward in it self Vertue doth alone bring forth solid joy and only enables a man to bear all the changes and chances of this life with comfort and doe you rightly consider all the branches that proceed from this root and you will finde that they are firmly united with linkes unseparable as all the branches of a tree have but one root to nourish them so all the Vertues have but one principall foundation which is the doing all things out of true obedience to the service and commands of almighty God therefore is true Vertue most highly to be aspired unto Wisdome is a true branch of it which makes a man rightly to understand the nature use and property of all things and counteth nothing evill but vice which it is alwaies sufficiently fortified against and cannot enter there Teach mee o lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keepe it vnto the end Psal 119.33 Take heede of wasting time for when it 's spent There 's noe redemption from the great Judgment Vaine wretched pride beholde within thy sight Is death or dayes falce pleasure or delight My dayly dying freinds that take theire flight At highest noone bid mee remember night where vertue and honesty dwelleth if injury be the sufferance of some evill and a wise man cannot suffer evill then there is no evill that appertains to a wise man every injury is a diminution of him to whom it is offered and no man may receive injury without some detriment either in good-Name body or goods but a wise man can loose nothing he hath all his goods inclosed with the enjoyment of true vertue as for other things he useth them as borrowed and what man is so much moved at the losse of what is not his own but if injury can attempt nothing which is proper to a wise man because the whole is conserved by his vertue it must follow that a wise man cannot be injured because he sets not his heart upon earthly things as if they were his own knowing that the possession of all those things that abound externally is slippery and un-assured plant then plentifully in the vineyard of Vertue and be thou a flourishing branch of this blessed root so thou shalt relieve others with thy pleasant fruits without diminishing of thy own store and plenty prosperity shall not puff thee up nor adversity deject thee true goods are never subject to moth rust and canker neither can thieves break through and steal them heavenly riches shall have a heavenly reward and earthly changes cannot approach their dwelling Wisdome will advise thee to be very carefull how thou dost ingage thy self either by word or action especially amongst a croud with a multituâ—e in a warre a civill warre against a Prince a present power rather fly such a flame if any conveniency will permit avoid the fire while fury is fierce let it passe thee for violent things are seldome permanent I cannot shew you a certain way to avoid the dangers that time and chance may bring upon you or upon your country in your generations for outward things true vertue and inward treasure must secure you it must be wisdome that heavenly gift obtained by true and hearty prayer and humble obedience that must guide your feet in the way of peace that peace which the world the flesh the devill cannot deprive us of which the God of Heaven grant us all for his mercies sake Amen Into thy hands I commit my spirit thou hast redeemed it or lord God of truth Psal 31.5 If wee a blest Creatoure and a saviour haue Our duty is to worke and faith to craue Vnto my mother earth I am now gon Vntill the morning resurrection As quickly as the Sand falls to his place Soe sudden is the change of humane race Gen. 2.8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden and there he put the man whom he had formed Ver. 15. And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dresse it and to keep it Prov. 20.18 Every purpose is established by counsell and with good advice make warre And 24.6 For by wise
make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord. And he shall not judg after the sight of the eyes neither reprove after the hearing of the ears but with righteousnesse shall he judge the poâ—r and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked Gen. 18.19 For I know him that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to doe justice and judgment Prov. 21.3 To doe justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice Ver. 1â— It is joy to the just to doe judgment but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity Jer. 31.30 Every one shall die for his own iniquity every man that eateth the sower grapes his teeth shall be set on edge Isa 51.1 Thus saith the Lord Keep ye judgment and doe justice And 59.4 None calleth for justice nor any pleadeth for truth they trust in vanity and speak lies they conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity Ver. 8. The way of peace they know not and theâ—e is no judgment in their goings they have made them crooked pathes whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace Ver. 9. Therefore is judgment farre from us neither doth justice overtake us We wait for light but behold obscurity for brightness but we walk in darkness Ver. 14. And judgment is turned away backward and justice standeth afarre off for truth is fallen in the streets and equity cannot enter 1 Chron. 16.10 Let the heart of them that seek the Lord rejoyce Deut. 26.11 And thou shalt rejoyce in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee Matth. 12.36 Every idle word that men shall speak they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment Heb. 3.7 13 15. Wherefore as the holy Ghost saith to day if ye will hear his voice Exhort one another daily while it is called to day least any of you be hardned through the deceitfullness of sinne Joh. 9.4 I must work the work of him that sent me while it is called to day the night cometh when no man can work Jam. 4.14 Whereas you know not what will be tomorrow for that is your life it is even a vapour it appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away Psal 1.2 His delight is in the Law of the Lord and therein doth he meditate day and night And 119.24 Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors Josh 1.8 This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to doe according to all that is written therein for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success Psal 109.4 I give my self unto prayer Prov. 15.8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is his delight Matth. 7.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Joh. 13.17 If ye know these things happy are ye if ye doe them Col. 3.5 Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleanness inordinate affection evill concupisence and covetousness which is idolatry Ver. 6. For the which things sake the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience Prov. 2.6 7. For the Lord giveth wisdome out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding He layeth up sound wisdome for the righteous he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly And 3.21 My sonne let them not depart from thy house keep sound wisdome and discretion And 8.14 Counsell is mine and sound wisdome I am understanding and I have strength Hag. 1.5 Thus saith the Lord God Consider your wayes Ezra 10.16 And they sate down to examine the matter Joh. 7.14 Judg not according to the appearance but judge righteous judgment 2 Cor. 10.7 Doe you look on things according to outward appearance Prov. 29.20 Seest thou a man that is hasty of words there is more hope of a fool then of him Acts 19.36 Ye ought to doe nothing rashly Prov. 22.20 21. Have not I written unto thee excellent things in councell and knowledge that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee THus by the mercy of God we have setled our Plantation in a good and fruitfull soyl in a very pleasant place and by his good hand in mercy guiding and protecting us we may many years receive the comfortable fruit thereof We must in this ninth Age of our life with sound judgment and justice settle and order our affairs so that every one may with equity and right receive his portion in due season to this end it is not too late according to this method to discourse of justice and sound judgment what it is and first of Justice in generall Justice is to give to every man that which appertains to him to a mans self first and afterwards to others so that it comprehends all the duty and offices of every particular party Does as thou wouldest or rather as thou oughtest to be done to carries a man very farre but not through or to the utmost of this duty before we can well know how to command others we must know how to command our selves how to defend our selves from our selves reason must command the appetite desire and will must all be obedient to it this is the first originall inward proper and most beautifull justice that may be Equity and right reason is true justice which handleth and ruleth the Law as need requireth the Laws and justice must be handled justly both in rewards and punishments Justice cannot be executed by the lump or in gross but must be drawn out into particular dispensations according to the occasion The two parts and hands of Justice are punishment and reward but as it is usually ministred it is commonly lame at least in one of them Charity begins at home so must justice by it we may examine our selves how and to what end we live and spend our dayes surely it must not be to passe our short and pretious time carelesly by chance and by adventure as the most doe who live not seriously and attentively as indeed our duty is but vainly heedlesly from day to day and as it falleth out they taste not possesse not enjoy not their lives but use them only to make use of other things by this means they abuse themselves and many good things through their misuse they doe all things as I may say in good earnest but to live they are serious in the least and in the main and principall they are negligent We may and ought to live seriously attentively and cheerfully for that our life
Prov. 1.30 31. They would none of my counsell they despised all my reproof therefore shall they cat the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices Prov. 11.3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them but the perversnesse of transgressors shall destroy them Ezek. 18.25 Ye say the way of the Lord is not equall hear now O house of Israel are not my wayes equall are not your wayes unequall Hos 4.9 Who is wise and he shall understand these things prudent and he shall know them for the wayes of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them but the transgressors shall fall therein Psal 45. â—0 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said it is a people that doe erre in their hearts and they have not known my wayes Prov. 16.10 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. Prov. 11.4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath but righteousnesse delivers from death 1 Cor. 11.31 And they that use this world as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away 1 Chron. 29.15 Our dayes on the earth are as a shadow and there is no abiding Job 14.2 He cometh forth as a flower and is cut down he fleeth as a shadow and continueth not Prov. 10.7 The memoriall of the just is blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot And 11. Ver. 5. The wicked shall fall by his own wickednesse Psal 9.17 The wicked shall be turned into hell Psal 50.21 These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thy eyes And Ver. 22. Now consider this you that forget God least I tear you to pieces and there be none to deliver you To God alone be glory for ever Amen Prov. 2.6 For the Lord giveth wisdome out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding James 1.5 If any of you lack wisdome let him aske of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him 1 King 3.9 Give thy servant an understanding heart O God to judge thy people that I may discern betwixt good and bad for who is able to judge this thy so great a people Ver. 10. And the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing ver 11. And God said unto him because thou hast asked this thing and hast not asked for thy self long life neither hast asked riches for thy self nor hast asked the life of thy enemies but hast asked for thy self understanding to discern judgment Ver. 12. Behold I have done according to thy word loe ' I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart so that there was none like thee before thee neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee Ver. 13. And I have also given thee that which thou askedst not both riches and honour so that there shall not be any among the Kings like unto thee all thy dayes Ecclus 7.36 Whatsoever thou takest in hand remember the end and thou shalt never doe amisse What I say vnto you I say vnto all Watch Mark 13.37 If God at all forsake vs wretched wee Become a prey to our grande enimie Rest with our mother earth and watch the call To right hand loues and joyes perpetuall Adein foule eares tast smell invention sight You haue mee deluded now I see cleare light There is much wisdome and counsell in the Apocripha and in the Proverbs and sayings of wise and devout men Seek and thou shalt finde You aske and receive not because you aske amisse Children this is only my gift of Advice to you hinting some part of duty which by the blessing of almighty God you may in practice make out better with this I humbly pray the Lord give you understand ng in all things for it is not in my power I cannot give you wisdome it is only by the true performance of duty to be obtained as the gift of God A generall Discourse of Religion IT 's too much God knowes the manner of Christians to owe their Title meerly to the Font Education or Countrey their primitive principles much satisfying their proceeding devotions whereas Grace and reason best confirms Christianity by which we are taught not to hate but pity those of carnall and corrupted belief heartily endeavouring their better reformation and instruction Christianity being largely spread and divided and many professors fallen from the native beauty and true belief thereof wherefore we must be very wary to preserve and practise it in the primitive integrity which our Saviour and his Apostles taught the holy Fathers and Martyrs have confirmed and take heed we imitate not the ancient Pagans contemning a pure truth for a poor profession I doe not herein disswade from a just and pious reformation well knowing it 's better to avoid then detain a corrupted principle in which the humble and sincere heart the Almighty guideth and will deliver from those evils and corruptions which I fear in some sort possesse both reformations and reformers either from too much self-inclination or advantage therefore I take it not unfitly warned from violence or warre onely for Religion or belief for whatsoever one hath framed or beleeved another may likewise frame and beleeve therefore heresies will arise so we reade but not that they will be quite abolished there are schismes and divisions in all Religions but a wary combatant may lye unvulnerable under the true buckler of faith where reason cannot faith must lead the way which is not only above but sometimes against it also how necessary then is the contemplation of the attributes of the Almighty his wisdome eternity mercy c. which never admits us to be alone or solitary which is a sweet companion a constant rest repose and comfort Reason and wisdome are co-partners and jewels to be earnestly sought for whereby we learn to read the book of the Creatures Natura nihil git frustra and therein to behold the infinite bounty of our Creator Cast out the glorious likenesse of thy reason To finde the truth both in and out of season To finde the sacred webb that Nature wove Circle from center to the seat of Jove Search all those simple Hierogliphs that read Those secret pathes wherein her steps do tread That was our Makers Character to lead us To truest comfort had not sinne deceiv'd us And blotted out that blessed guiding art That now the most we know is scarce an Yet mercy hath allowed us to search That pains and reason some small part may reach Search while thou wilt and let thy reason goe To ransome truth even from th' Abyss below Rally the scatterd causes and that line Which nature twists be able to untwine It is thy Makers will for unto none But unto reason can he here be known The Devils know him but those damned meteors Build not his
infectinn save least sinnes doe cry and crying have Affectedness Affectednesse in carriage needs must gain esteem of shallow idlenesse and vain Sobernesse A sober carriage if apparell sute speak grounds of wisdome gain a good repute Creature Take heed the Creatures have not cause to cry at thy misusing them and cruelty Earth Possesse so much of Earth from more refrain then thou canst order to eternall gain Rest What helps not hinders what doth not assist is enemy to thy eternall rest The minde To write or speak more to affect the minde then guide the soul is folly unrefin'd Teaching If minde and soul be from a sacred word both joy'd and taught such teaching is from God Good and Evill Ill 's onely ill and good is onely good their consequences must be understood Gettings Is ought worth sinfull getting when we see our seeming comforts scarce last seventy Vain joy Be not too jocund when the Sunne doth shine for suddenly it 's noon and must decline Comfort In all transactions underneath the Sunne hence is true comfort that God's will done Good life While we walk worthy of our Makers praise our peace is sound in good or evill dayes Vpright Walking Who laden much with earth can walk upright with lesser load may surely walk more streight The Way Thrice happy want and grief and low degree you are the living way appointed me History By History learn how to act thy part and wisely know thy predecessors Art Nothing new What hath been is and what is may be done Wisdome saith Nothing 's new under the Sunne Practice To read the story and thereof to speake without the practick part shews judgment weak Nature Thy own corrupted nature's sure to blame then what suits most therewith is most the same Reason Our cursed sinnes doth reason so deface that ancient custome much usurpes her place Custome When without pains we leave accustom'd sinne Then Leper change thy spots and More thy skinne Friends unkinde If Friends prove foes and since it must be so be linkt no faster then thou maist let goe Friends death Death thou hast parted us but we shall meet beyond thy power each others blisse to greet Imployments Though worldly businesse us divide a farre yet in Gods service we united are Affronts Give no offence passe by affronts for why it's wisdoms counsell wise men passe them by Anger Anger is open to the greatest harme it armes thy foes and doth thy self disarm Law Doe right to all without Law or offence thy common Law let be good conscience Suites Sue not at Law untill thou 'st throughly tri'de to get but near thy right all wayes beside Judgment If thou be call'd thy judgment for to give remember God that judgeth right doth live Family He that a wife or family controuls ought last to feed their bodies first their souls Exact living From truest principles of filiall love are all the motions of the holy Dove Devotion In daily duties and devotion due be constant fervent and thy words but few Sabboth Make not the Sabboth shortest of the seaven but strictly keep it morning noon and even Publike Fasts or Feasts In publike duties publike fasts or feasts for publike presidents keep them at least Private Fasts When thou as is most fit set'st dayes apart to humble thee doe it with all thy heart Change In all the change that to this life is due change onely Adam old for Adam new Sacraments The blessed Sacraments ought for to move thy soul to tears of thanks in truest love Attending the Word By sacred preaching the true heavenly Word is offer'd us felt heard and understood Duty To all the creatures severall rights it 's fit to give their due as we will answer it Love to God Convert thy soul and see thou doe not move for hope or fear but serve in truest love Meditation Our duty to our God I 'le not relate Heavens joyes hells torments see thou meditate Prayer In prayer prostrate thy most humble spirit in true obedience that 's thy Saviours merit Sudden The sudden act and what is rashly done hath penitence for his companion Tumults Avoid all tumults for their usual spring is pride and envy and a height in sinne Company Take heed of company keep watchfull eyes there 's fewest friends the most are enemies Feare Fear not too much what may the body harme but love our God and trust his mighty arme Evill dayes For evill dayes when worldly friends afford nor peace nor comfort have it in the Lord. Good dayes Those dayes are good and onely good begins when we abound in love subdue our sinnes Beliefe Belief is that for which we ought to pray for sacred guidance in a holy way Reading the Scriptures In reading Scriptures least understanding erre craveth ' holy Ghost for thy interpreter Authors In humane authours so much multiplied the truth of all by holy Writ is tried God With filiall fear we must our souls prepare before we speak his Name for whom we are Souls In studying of souls know it 's not given to self to know it self within a prison Bodies Thy bodie 's mortall life 's but like a breath then walk prepared for a joyfull death Family Consider those allotted to thy charge thy bond 's more great their liberty more large Friends If thou hast found a friend beyond a brother blesse God therefore thou'lt hardly finde another Enemies Of all thy foes take heed of smiling jeast the hypocrite of all is deadliest Occasions In businesse and occasions that depend upon this life consider well the end Reward The innocent and humble minde regard with due respect consider and reward Punishment The childe the simple and the haughty minde are fit for punishments of severall kinde Writing Speak well but better write writings from farre Arts. The perfect use of Arts are helps to call back our pure nature lost in Adhm's fall Recreations Use recreations to refresh the minde and better it for use of every kinde Callings Callings are call'd of God that we therein may with us others to his Kingdome bring Removings In all removals amongst humane race thou' rt still as near to thy eternall place Slander If envy smite thee with his lying tongue works before words confute both old and young Troubles In all the troubles that our works doe merit our comfort is the Father Sonne and Spirit Advice In all my counsell the just summe is this crave wisdome of our God the gift is his The Resolve BUt centre me and fix my soul aright in true obedience to my Makers will Let me converted be as is most right in perfect service as true beauty will Then let his pleasure cast me to those snares of worldly torments minde and body both What ever work it be in peace or warres it 's his imployment triall of my troth It is my safest way the onely path of his blest pleasure onely leading right To my eternall blisse therein his wrath due for my sinnes is covered from my
comfort in this That his mercy endures for ever therefore rejoyce alwayes and in all things give thanks for that is the love of God to thee in Christ Jesus Isa 43.25 Thus saith the Lord I even I am he that putteth away thy iniquities for mine own sake and will not remember thy sinnes Isa 53.4 Fear not for thou shalt not be ashamed neither shalt thou be confounded for thou shalt not be put to shame yea thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth Ver. 7. For a little while have I forsaken thee but with great compassion will I gather thee Ver 8. For a moment in my anger I hid my face from thee for a little season but with everlasting mercy have I had compassion on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer Ver. 9. For this is unto me as the waters of Noah for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more goe over the earth so have I sworn that I would not be angry with thee nor rebuke thee Ver. â—0 For the mountains shall remove and the hills shall fall down but my mercy shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenant of my peace fall away saith the Lord that hath compassion on thee Ver. 13. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord and much peace shall be to thy children Ver. 17. But all the weapons that are made against thee shall not prosper and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemne this is the heritage of the Lords servants and their righteousnesse is of me saith the Lord. Eph. 2.8 For by grace ye are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Sing praises unto the Lord ye his Saints and give thanks before the remembrance of his holinesse for he endureth but a while in his anger but in his favour is life weeping may abide at evening but joy cometh in the morning 1 Chron. 16.34 Praise the Lrod for he is good for his mercy endures for ever Ver. 41. And they were appointed to praise the Lord because his mercy endures for ever 2 Chron. 5.13 And they praised the Lord saying for he is good because his mercy lasteth for ever Chap. 7. ver 3. And they bowing themselves worshipped saying for he is good because his mercy lasteth for ever Ver. 6. And the Priests waited to praise the Lord because his mercy lasteth for ever Chap. 10. ver 21. And they went before the men of Arms saying Praise ye the Lord for his mercy lasteth for ever Ezra 3.11 Thus they sang when they gave praise unto the Lord For he is good for his mercy endures for ever Psal 118.4 Let them that fear the Lord say that his mercy endures for ever Psal 106.1 Praise the Lord because he is good for his mercy endures for ever Read Psal 136. Psal 117.12 For his loving kindnesse is great towards us and the truth of the Lord endures for ever Psal 138.8 Praise ye the Lord the Lord will perform his work towards me Psal 28.21 O Lord thy mercy endures for ever forsake not thou the works of thy hands forsake me not O Lord be not thou farre from me my God Psal 71.9 Cast me not off in the time of age forsake me not when my strength faileth Amen VIII A third Comfort in Death Thou maist rejoyce because blessed are they which die in the Lord even so saith the Spirit for they rest from their labours and their works follow them Rev. 14.13 Say thou with Paul Phil. 1.21 Christ is to me both in life and death advantage Ver. 22. And whether to live in the flesh were more profitable for me and what to chuse I know not Ver. 23. For I am greatly in doubt on both sides desiring to be loosed and to be with Christ which is best of all Eccl. 4.12 So I turned and considered all the oppressions that are wrought under the Sunne and behold the tears of the oppressed and none comforteth them and loe the strength is of the hand of them that oppresse them and none comforteth them wherefore I praised the dead which now are dead above the living which are yet alive Numb 23.10 Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like unto his the death of the righteous is greatly to be desired Psal â—8 14 God is our God for ever an ever he shall be our guide unto death Psal 116.15 Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Prov. 14.32 The wicked shall be cast away for his malice but the righteous hath hope in his death Love the Lord thy God and therein thou shalt have comfort and great joy in all conditions whatsoever for love is stronger then death and our God will destroy death for ever Isa 25.8 Hear with great joy the word of the Lord to them that love him Hoseah 13.14 I will redeem them from the power of the grave I will deliver them from death O death I will be thy death O grave I will be thy destruction repentance is hid from my eyes Rom. 5.10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Chap. 8. ver 2. For the Law of the spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death Psal 42.1 2. As the Hart brayeth for the rivers of waters so panteth my soul after thee O God My soul thirsteth for God even for the living God when shall I come and appear before the presence of God IX A fourth Comfort in Death Our Saviour Jesus died in pain farre greater then ours and also a most ignominious and shamefull death and all for our sinnes it were happy for us that we could imitate in some measure his sufferings for us because his purity in the least degree or part we cannot He suffered most freely for us contrary to the cry and call of our rebellions even at that time against him when he could have got as much honour in our condemnation and have been rescued from those sufferings by more then twelve legions of Angels He hath willingly suffered to parchace eternall life for us as we ought truly to beleeve Therefore this being his appointed Crosse for us let us take it up carry it and follow him therewith rejoycing that we through his mercy are accepted of him as worthy to obtain and doe his service much more may we rejoyce that we in his goodnesse should have promise to raign with him for ever Amen Besides our blessed Saviours incarnation in coming from his Throne of eternall God-head to take upon him the form of a servant his being laid in the manger not having whereon to rest his head his many weepings and sorrowings for the sinnes of the world Read with true sorrow and repentance that thy sinnes should cause him such a death
will testifie unto thee for I am God even thy God Against Presumption and Despair at all times but especially upon the Death-bed Sathan that old and lying Serpents suggestion to Presumption COme now thou mayest eat drink sleep and be merry because thou hast lived according to Gods commands and now art going to thy masters rest whom thou hast truly and punctually served farre above the service of thousands that doubt not at all of their salvation the due reward of their godlinesse of living For thy Originall sinne which thy Father Adam committed thou didst it not therefore in justice God cannot charge thee with it and he will not visit the sinnes of the Fathers upon the children As for thy actuall sinnes of ignorance that cannot in justice be laid to thy charge which thou knewest not to be a sinne nor the time of its commission Thou hast lived so carefully to please thy God that few have been so strict in walking in his Laws thou maist professe to have kept all his Commandements from thy youth thou hast had no other God nor worshipped any graven Image and hast not delighted to take his Name in vain Thou hast constantly kept the Sabboth hast honoured thy Parents hast not murthered nor adulterized nor stollen nor borne false witnesse nor covered but hast been contented with thy portion therefore so long as life is in thee eat drink and be meery for certainly the Angels are charged to keep thy soul and body to eternall life as thy fellow servants of God for ever The Souls Answer Avoid thou old and lying Spirit truth cannot proceed out of thy mouth without defilement am not I from Adams loynes and can I then be clean Did not his sinne that thy envy brought him into corrupt his whole body and am not I as part of it proceeding from it Could I doe all that I am commanded of my God were I not still an unprofitable servant Doth not my least sinne in thought word or deed besides my originall corruption deserve punishment infinite as my God whom thereby I rebell against is infinite Can a clean thing proceed out of an unclean Instead of keeping have I not broken all the commands of my God times without number and in degrees infinite As thou wast a lyar to Adam the first man upon earth so thou art for ever and as it was then said The seed of the woman shall break thy head so shall it be for ever to my salvation in the free love and mercy death and passion merit and redemption of Jesus Christ my Lord. Sathan his motives to Despair I was deceived indeed and turning over another leaf in my black book there I finde a quite contrary character of thy life I see thou hast imitated and added to all Adams rebellions he disobeyed and broke one Commandement once and therefore had that terrible sentence pronounced against him by Gods own mouth to be cast from Paradice he and his posterity for ever But thou hast broken all Gods Commandements times without number and in degrees beyond expression infinite Thy life hath been nothing else but a constant breaking of them unlesse thou look for salvation from these breaches which is a way impossible thou hast no hope therefore satisfie thy self with what thou canst not help and cease to aske or seek or knock any more at Gods gate of mercy for it is fast shut against thee and sinners cannot enter in at it now thou and I must burn together in hell for ever from which there is no redemption for us I have recorded against thee in places infinite that thou hast made thee many Idoll gods in hearty seeking of vain earthly things and thou hast loved and worshipped them as Images of thy desired lusts The Name-of God thou hast repeated invain and no one Sabboth hast thou truly kept Thou hast not reverenced nor honoured thy Father and Mother but in thy thoughts at least hast them despis'd and murthered them or others Thou also hast adulteriz'd in heart and in thy faculties stollen thy neighbours goods Thou hast coveted and borne false witnesse too against thy neighbour Almighty God gave his Angels charge to keep his servants from wrongs and hurts but thou hast not served him therefore thou belongest only to me whom thou hast punctually served The Souls Answer O my Enemy thou sayest thou wert mistaken and so indeed thou wert and art and ever wilt be in seeking to snatch the servants of my God out of his hand for although my God suffer thee a while to walk the earth his pleasure is in a good time appointed to cast thy chains upon thee in a place prepared from which thou maist not move for ever I most humbly confesse and have so I trust confessed all my sinnes and more in number then what I can comprehend infinite such I acknowledge are my wounds my sore disease proceeding from thy hate and envious gulf Yet know I have a medicine I have a salve sufficient a Jordan stream to make me clean if not more clean then if I had not sinned and this my cleansing is more my certain life then was my standing clean if then I had not sinned so that thy envy now is my advantage thou knowest it well but lovest not to remember that my precious Antidote whereby I am secured from thy Aspish poison so closely carried under thy lying tongue it is that free redeeming love and bloud of that most valiant Sampson whose Name is Jesus Christ that quickly snapt in sunder thy treble corded lye of vain deceit he is my Captain that never lost nor will lose any of his souldiers without his word I move not at his command I le gladly meet thee with million of Juries of my sinnes before the judgment-seat of God and when thou hast proved me guilty as I doe confesse thou wilt soon appear the Serpent and principall authour of my great offence and I an accessary by thy deluding lies perswading and to thy uttermost power compelling me to doe the evill that I would not doe and hindring me from doing good therefore know that my Saviour Christ my Captain and my God will plead his death and then I live and thou shalt bear the due deservings of my sinnes for ever in eternall flames for they are thine therefore Sathan in humble reverence to my Saviour avoid get thee behind me my good God hath provided a place in Heaven with his servants for me that I may be even where he is and as his servant see his glory and this notwithstanding all my sinnes and ill deserts onely of his free love and mercy whereby he hath with his bloudy sufferings redeemed my soul from hell my just desert because he is good and his mercy endures for ever so come Lord Jesus come quickly even as thy will may be done with the Father and the holy Spirit three persons but one eternall God for ever Amen True Love 1. TO love our good God
did with them conspire To give us constant and most vigorous health And flowing springs beyond their hearts desire Of relishing the height of earthly wealth Though Prelates Princes greatest amongst men Who set the worlds beliefe and actions Be fram'd in heart to serve us and let then Our mindes be freed from all distractions And let our vast imaginations Be fill'd with pleasures and with plenty store So that our hearts can wish no alteration Nor can conceive how to have any more Thus when our thoughts are fully at a stand And can no higher raise our happy state Do but remember that this great command Each moment Shortens till 't be terminate And till it may be said the time is past The thousand yeares are ended long agoe He long commanded all but yet at last Death loos'd his holde and quickly took him froe His fond delights his foolish vanities Things onely good to him that giveth well Their sweet refreshments to their Makers praise And in true use of them the vaine excell Alas poor soul what comfort will it give When gastly death sore sicknesse or distresse Call's for account and saith thou must not live But must forth with prepare in readinesse A reckoning just how thou hast ordered And us'd thy Talent for thy Masters gaine If thou thy fellowes have not murthered Or his poor creatures for thy lusts have slaine If by false Oathes or foul hypocrisie Thou hast deceiv'd or hurt or gain'd or spoil'd Thy honest neighbour as thy enemy And thus thy Countries peace by warre imbroil'd If thou be guilty of a double tongue And such a lying lip as Heaven hates How canst thou hope to live the Saints among Want of true Oyl will fasten Heavens gates Most firm against thee when the fatall thred Of life is cut and when thy soul would rest In Heavens joyes as in a pleasant bed There'l be no room for those that held it best To have their portion and their fill below And said unto their souls take here thy ease And valued not their Makers will to know Nor did regard our sacred God to please But let 's proceed my soul for to compare Great things with small or rather all with nought That which we shall be with that which we are Which if but rudely known it 's well we sought We are poor earthy wormes as plants we grow And as the beasts our bodies doe decay Nay they exceed us they nor set nor sow Nor piercing sorrows takes their rest away Their senses farre more quick their bodies strong Their souls not subject to the due of sinne For they die as their bodies so along We think it's life not soul which doth keep in The vegetative life that is in Plants And sensitive that other Creatures have But Man is Lord of all or else he vaunts himself too high too much above the grave Of all the rest that sojourn here below Their times appointed and the same as his Onely with reason God did us endowe And from the Beasts our difference is this If we by crooked and uneven wayes Of sinfull walkings and rebellions Doe not destroy our selves we spend our dayes In true subduing our plantations And well command as God did first appoint And use our fellow creatures to refresh Our wearied mindes and bodies to anoint With oyl of joy and food of thankfullness But yet a little further to proceed To finde on earth what thing is onely good Suppose what can be possible wee 'd neede Though reason will not so be understood Suppose that the least shadow of delight Wherein we have ten thousand years to come Were full as much and of as great a weight As twice ten thousand years when time is gone Eternity gives thousands thousands years Against each moment of the longest time And having worne it out it well appears No whit diminisht still it is a crime To say it 's shorter for that cannot be When time 's worn out and years thus multiplied It 's all one still it 's still eternity It s still as wide a gulf it 's never satisfied Then see how vainely are our lives spun out If time doe end upon us unsuspected And if it may be said that without doubt What is most needfull is the most neglected Yet in my reason I can scarce believe But well spent dayes should greater honour have Then smallest infants whom none doe relieve But use their Mothers bowels for their grave And so for all degrees of knowledge sound That men attain to can it be for nought That some sit high and others plough the ground I cannot herein six my wandring thought But must presume that the eternall blisse Which we soon shall enjoy in our belief When we part hence to one farre greater is Then to another yet nor care nor grief Can seize of any who admitted are To be ingulpht in the eternall joy Hence great is comfort yet I think to spare My wandring thoughts least thereby I annoy My truest peace which is my full belief And setled grant of mercy from above That the eternall light doth shew his truth To all mens souls if with obedient love Their eyes but see it with a watchfull care And right improve it in each action Which to the soul a height of mischiefs are Changing our peace into distraction But specious shewes deludings of pretence Speak what they will destructive are and vaine If they delude the minde deceive the sense Or doe but move from the eternall gaine The high employment of the soul is love To her Creatour much beyond all sense Of Wisdome Arts and Knowledge farre above Both study wit and long experience Hath circled to it self the light divine As we may judge beyond all limitation And in its freedome gloriously doth shine Beyond the reach of her imagination While it 's imprisoned in the clayie bonds Of earthly mansion with defiled hue It dully moves as wanting feet or hands For its pure freedome which to it is due Of its Creatours gift so soon as when It separated is from earthy clay And is endu'd beyond the gift of men And beggs of none but of its God who may And will relieve its wants with purest aid This beeing hope and full assurance Hold fast to care and caring be afraid Least smiling sinne get thy inheritance And catching thee in snares of wickednesse Thirsty for earthy bubbles in a rage Chusing no mean but loving all excesse With Esau sell for messe of poor pottage Thy glorious birth-right to thy Fathers joy And heavenly Kingdome ever permanent And so in sinne and grief and sad annoy With everlasting woe thou must lament Here stay a little let us count a while With nature uncorrupted and with reason Reason condemns her for a Mistris vile And charges her with little lesse then treason If she afford to men long life and dayes And fitting organs for the soul to act And gain a height of knowledge to the praise Of their Creatour by
Spirit Q. What then are the best works of a man in this life A. Works of Charity Q. What is Charity A. To help them that need out of a true principle of obedience and love to almighty God Q. Doth Charity extend to all men A. Yea but especially to the houshold of faith Q. What shall be the justifying sentence of the Saints at the resurrection A. Charity See Matth. 25. For I was an hungred and ye gave me meat thirsty and ye gave me drink a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye cloathed me sick and ye visited me in prison and ye came unto me Q. What shall be the condemning sentence of the wicked A. Their want of Charity I was hungry and ye gave me no meate thirsty and ye gave me no drink a stranger and ye took me not in naked and ye cloathed me not sick and in prison and ye visited me not Q. How is the love of the Saints each to other in this life A. As is their hope to live together in their eternity Q. What is their comfort for eternity A. That they shall be converted into the perfect will and service of their Creator for ever Q. What is Prayer A. It is the pouring out the soul to almighty God requesting things lawfull with full submission to his holy will and pleasure Q. What is the best form of Prayer A. That which our Saviour himself hath taught us Q. What is that Rehearse it A. Our Father which art in Heaven Hallowed be thy Name c. Q. Is no other form of Prayer lawfull to be used A. Yes surely as also Prayers on the sudden and upon all occasions so as they be sincere and hearty Q. Are Prayers to be said onely at the Church A. No surely we may pray in any place or condition nay we must pray continually which we doe while we heartily desire and therein do our duty Q. What is truly a Church A. It is the communion of Saints on earth professing and practising the service of the Almighty Q. Which is the most pure and perfect Church on earth A. We beleeve the Christian Church professed under the Reformation of England Q. How many Sacraments hath Christ ordained in the Church A. Two Baptisme and the Lords Supper Q. What is Baptisme A. It is our first admittance into the Church the Water signifying our washing from sinne in the blood of Christ Q. What is the Lords Supper A. A Thankfull remembrance of his satisfying sufferings for our sinnes Q. How ought we to receive it A. Humbly thankfully preparedly Q. How often is it necessary to be received by us A. Four times ordinarily in the year besides upon extraordinary occasions Q. What if we think that we cannot prepare our selves so as that we may receive it faithfully and thankfully and as we ought A. We must by the help of godly Ministers and other pious persons instruct our selves and also by hearing reading fasting prayer and meditation and by all other helpfull wayes prepare and fit our selves for the worthy receiving of this token of our Saviours love and that at our perill Q. May it not then be wholly omitted A. No we ought hereby so to remember our blessed Saviour in our time as we would be remembred by him in our eternity Q. But is there such a necessity in receiving of it as if we doe it not we doe neglect and omit a most necessary duty to salvation whatsoever the occasion or reason be A. No Our blessed God never bindes his servants to impossibilities if lawfull occasions call and take us from necessary opportunity of receiving it so it be without all neglect or contempt on our part it must then be onely in our hearts and wills thankfully acknowledged by us which in his good mercy will be accepted of us for the deed Q. How ought we to carry our selves towards our Children A. With due admonition instruction and imployments Q. How to Servants A. With constant labour and instruction Q. How to the estate A. Not prodigally thereby making our selves uncapable of doing good with it nor too much sparingly to hoard it up from the good end it was created Q. May we give all to Children and Kindred without any respect to others A. No by no means for we are onely stewards to it and must give an account of it to almighty God who lends it us whose will it is that we take for our selves and families such an under proportion thereof that we may be sure to have sufficient relief and charity for the poor distressed Saints whensoever we meet with them that our estates may in some sort at least be helpfull to their necessities but the laying all upon the present and future provision for our selves and Children thereby wholly neglecting Charity is most abhominable Q. What is life A. It is that which preserveth and prepareth the body to be a fit and apt organ for the operations of the soul and chiefly said to abide in the blood Q. What is death A. It is the conclusion and end of all our dayes the master-piece of all our work as we are prepared to entertain it so we are prepared to receive and enter into eternity Q. Is there any change of that condition in which death sends us to our eternity A. No but as the tree falleth so it lies Q. What then is the one thing necessary for the whole course of a mans life A. To watch So saith our Saviour to all men Watch. A Discourse betwixt Adam and Eve Eve My dearest heart fain would I know How all our children down below Observe and keep our Lawes For oft me thinks I hear a cry As if our childrens cruelty Each tore like Lyons jawes Adam Yes truest Love I doe believe Those precepts we to them did give When we were once anseen They soon cast off that natures love Which we so strict to them did give As if it had not been Eve Dear Sir what should this noise afford Doth Cain or his wretched sword Command all humane race Doth he and all his cursed line Poor Abels off spring undermine And so the worst take place Adam Yes truly dear I doe perceive Our peacefull precepts we them gave They wholly leave undone And that which we knew to be worst Which kill'd just Abel O accurst Is chief under the Sun Thou knowest we said thou shalt not kill Nor to thy neighbour doe no ill In body goods or name Yet doth the glittering tyrant sword Destroy all peace and in a word Turnes honour into shame For whereas peace was Abel's crown And warlike Cain was cast down With sentence just ejected Now he that most of all doth ill He who the most doth slay and kill Is most of all respected The true obedience to our God Our duty to obey his word Which in our hearts doth sound They doe divide into such parts By Sophistry and cunning arts That truth is hardly found The government of
though there were neither Hell of his justice nor Heaven of his mercy 2. True love will choose rather to serve our good God in Hell for ever if it could more fully and better do him perfect service in those flames then to be for ever in the highest joyes of Heaven these not to serve him as fully and as truly 3. To desire the eternall and whole conversion of thy soul and body for ever into the everlasting service of thy good Creatour in true love and to finde therein thy true peace is true love Love truly converted into the will of God is Heaven and those that are so converted may be said to be in Heaven upon earth for neither love nor Heaven can here be perfect but although they be still in their earthly tabernacles they have heavenly peace both of minde and conscience which cannot be quite taken from them although here must be no perfection whereby the whole will of almighty God without which either by appointment or permission nothing comes to passe is the true joy and content of their mindes wills and souls The love of our good Father is shown to us in his Sonne Jesus who as it were took satisfaction for our sinnes in his sufferings that his justice being satisfied in the sufferings death and passion of our Saviour Jesus we might have onely the mercy of our good Father to appear before which in his eternall love to us is sufficient for our Salvation when the justice of our good God could no other wayes be satisfied but by our damnation The great and unexpressible love prevailed with the sacred Deity for us when our Saviour Jesus could have been rescued from his sufferings for us with more then twelve legions of Angels and when he could have had as great honour if not greater in our condemnation then in our salvation Let our souls and bodies then with all their faculties be converted into the true love of our Saviour Jesus for ever For His 1. Coming down from his Fathers right-hand from his being God with his Father for ever 2. Poverty that thou mightest be rich 3. Not having whereon to lay his head 4. Wandrings and fastings and prayers for thee 5. Being betrayed 6. Being apprehended as a malefactor 7. Being fasly accused 8. Scarlet robe of derision 9. Crowne of Thornes 10. Being condemned 11. Nayling to the Crosse 12. Cruell thirst 13. Sweating bloud 14. Side stricken with a spear 15. Bleeding water and bloud at that wound 16. Sufferings from his cradle to his grave 17. Bitter passion causing him to cry My God my God why hast thou forsaken me 18. Lying in the grave 19. Resurrection 20. Now sitting at the right-hand of his Father and in him our Father in Heaven there asking the forgivenesse of all our sinnes of his Father who never denies him any thing Wherefore let us stand at the foot of the Crosse of this our Saviour weeping for sorrow that our sinnes caused his sufferings but for joy that through his infinite love shewed therein we are freed from sinne death and hell and have a place prepared in the power of his might where we shall see and partake of his blessed glory as his elected servants for ever Amen Thou needest not to fear death for thy Saviour hath destroyed the sting of death that is the Devill Read Heb. 2.14 15 16 17 18 verses there 's comfort enough in any condition the words are these Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death he might destroy him which had the power of death that is the Devill And deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage For verily he took not on him the nature of Angels but he took on him the seed of Abraham wherefore in all things it became him to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a mercifull and a faithfull High-Priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted See an admirable expression of the infinite love of God which may preserve us from despair and may give us true joy from our humble desires to serve him though we cannot desire much more perfectly serve him as we ought Isa 40.1 2. Comfort ye comfort ye my people will your God say speak comfortably to Jerusalem and say unto her that her warfare is accomplished that her iniquities are pardoned From hence is sweet and solid comfort in all conditions An humble Prayer O Lord remember thy mercies draw me unto the Sonne of thy love Psal 139.23 24. and lead me in the way of thy precepts Try me O God and know my heart prove me and know my thoughts and consider if there be any way of wickednesse in me and lead me in the way for ever 5.8 Lead me O Lord in thy righteousnesse because of my enemies 27.11 make thy way plain before my face Teach me thy way O Lord and lead me in a right path because of my enemies by enemies understand inward and outward of the soul and of the body but especially those inward enemies which are the ruin and destruction of both 31.3 For thou art my rock and my fortresse therefore for thy Name sake 43.3 direct and guide me Send thy light and thy truth let them lead me let them bring me unto thy holy mountains and unto thy tabernacles 143.10 Teach me to doe thy will for thou art my God let thy good Spirit lead me unto the land of righteousnesse Draw me O God and I will runne after thee Cant. 1.4 Psal 28.3 Job 7.16 Draw me not away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity I shall not live alwaies O spare me then for my daies are but vanity I rejoice O Lord my God in thy love because thou art mercifull and wilt spare me as a man spareth his sonne that serveth him for thy mercy endures for ever Selah Thou art my good Father O my Creatour thou wilt not punish me nor impute to me my Originall sinnes which descended upon me from the wicked rebellion of my first parents even as my body is from them but the soul that sinneth and doth not look towards thee nor desire thy gracious gift of true repentance it shall die Yet art thou O my good Father wholly and only good and thy mercy endures for ever Selah Thou wilt not punish the presumptuous sinnes and vanities of my youth for thou art good and thy mercy endures for ever Selah Thou delightest not in the death of a sinner O God but wouldst that all should be converted from their evill waies and live Thou art my All-sufficient God of mercy whose will is all things both in Heaven and earth I trust in Jesus thy only Sonne my Saviour
that thou wilt turn me from all my evill waies and give me true repentance from the bottome of my heart so I shall be turned unto thee in true love for thou art the Lord my God and thy mercy endures for ever Selah Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart Psal 19.14 be now and ever acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer Incline not my heart to evill that I should commit wicked works with men that work iniquity Set a watch O Lord before my mouth and keep the door of my lips so shall my mouth speak thy praises for ever Amen O my sweet eternity and my eternall Saviour in thy love to poor sinners in Jesus and for his sake I only beg of thee trusting that in him thou wilt not deny me notwithstanding all my sinnes for thou art good and thy mercy endures for ever And first my most humble petition unto thy most sacred Majesty is that thou wouldest of free and perfect mercy pardon all my breach of Covenants with thee or men as thy mercy endures for ever Secondly To pardon accordingly my vowing and not paying for thou art good as thy mercy endures for ever Thirdly to pardon of thy like goodnesse all my hypocrisie towards thee and man as thou art good and as thy mercy endures for ever Fourthly To pardon all my blasphemies against thy Majesty any manner of way as thou my God art only good and as thy mercy endures for ever Fifthly To pardon all my Lies wherewith I have given thee cause of Anger against me as thou art good and as thy mercy endures for ever Sixthly To pardon all my relations speaking absolutely yet beyond my certain knowledge at that time when I spoke them as thou my good Lord art onely and perfectly good and thy mercy endures for ever Seventhly To pardon all my Oathes and taking of thy Name in vain as thou art good and thy mercy endures for ever Eighthly To pardon all my vain and idle speakings as thou art good and as thy mercy endures for ever O my mercifull and loving Father I humbly pray thee for thy Sonne my Saviours sake and in his Name be graciously pleased to pardon and forgive all the sinnes of all my senses I humbly acknowledge I have been dull to listen to thy commands but most ready and open to receive vanity to the corrupting and as much as in me lieth the destruction of my body and soul For give I humbly beg also the sins of my seeing smelling tasting goings and of all the members and faculties of my body and soul for they have all rebelled against thy gracious mercy to their due deservings of eternall death O Lord who knowes the errour of his heart and of his waies cleanse my soul O Lord from my secret sinnes and deliver me I humbly beseech thee from my presumptuous sinnes least they get the dominion over me O cleanse thou me and so I shall be cleansed I doubt not but thou wilt in thy infinite love to the works of thy own hands and in thy free pardoning of sinne for Jesus Christ his sake give me eternall life with thy servants and wilt not impute the guilt of sinne unto me for thou art the Lord my God whose mercy endures for ever above all thy works Selah In thee therefore I will rejoice A Confession and humble suit for Pardon in Jesus Christ O My mercifull Lord God I humbly pray thee for Christ thy Sonne my only Lord and Saviours sake to pardon and put clear out of thy remembrance that originall sinne and damnation due to me from the loynes and rebellions of my first parents O forgive thou the sinnes of my father and let the sinnes of my mother be done away I doubt not oh my Father of mercy but thou hast of thy own free goodnesse already done it for I know thou art only perfectly good and thy mercy endures for ever Selah O Father I know thou wilt not visit the originall sinne of my fathers upon me Exek 18.20 for that thou hast said The sonne shall not bear the iniquity of the father neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the sonne but the righteousnesse of the righteous shall be upon him and the wickednesse of the wicked shall be upon himself O Lord I know as a father hath compassion on his children so thou hast compassion on them that fear thee O my God I acknowledge that I was born in iniquity and in sinne hath my mother conceived me Psal 51.5 Exod. 34.6 7. but thou art the Lord my God strong and mercifull and gracious slow to anger and abundant in goodnesse and truth reserving mercy for thousands forgiving iniquities Dan. 9.9 transgressions and sinnes Compassion and forgivenesse is in the Lord our God albeit we have rebelled against him O my Father Eccl. 11.10 Remember not the sinns of my childhood for childhood and youth are vanity When I was a childe I spake as a childe I understood as a childe I thought as a childe but mercy is with thee that thou maist be feared Psal 24.48 Look thou upon my affliction and my travell and forgive all my sinnes It is the joy of my soul O God 86.5 that thou art good and mercifull and of great kindnesse unto all them that call upon thee O my good Lord I beseech thee for thy goodnesse sake remember not the sinnes and vanities of my youth for only thy free mercy in Jesus my Saviour is sufficient to release me from the torments of their deservings Thou my good God in thy saving compassion and sparing us miserable men from our deservings saist Gen. 8.21 The imagination of mans heart is evill even from his youth but thy mercy endures for ever O make me not to possesse the iniquities of my youth Psal 25.7 Remember not the sinnes of my youth nor my rebellions but according to thy loving kindnesse remember thou me even for thy goodnesse sake O Lord for thou art my hope O Lord even my trust from my youth O God thou hast taught me from my youth even untill now therefore will I tell of thy wondrous works I desire most humbly to live if it were thy blessed will from this moment eternally in thy perfect service O my God I must acknowledge and confesse that my heart my will my waies my words and actions have been evill from my youth the leprosie of my sinne is only cureable by the blood of my Saviour that infinite pledge of thy blessed mercy therefore O my good God give me a lively faith to apply it to all my wounds as thou my God art only good and from thee only is the will and the deed of true faith and repentance Amen O my Father Remember not the sinnes of my man hood and riper years I acknowledge O my God when I call to minde my breach of promises and Covenants both with thee